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Finally, PM Modi declares free Covid-19 vaccination from June 21 for 18 and above

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced that the Centre will take full control of the Covid-19 vaccination drive from June 21, International Yoga Day. He said vaccines will be given free of cost to state governments which can then pass it on to citizens at health centres.

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Narendra modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced that vaccines will be given free of cost to state governments which can then pass it on to citizens 18 years of age and above at health centres. For those who wish to access the vaccine in private hospitals, the government set a price ceiling and a margin ceiling, Modi said.

Addressing the nation in a televised speech at 5 pm on Monday, instead of the 8pm speech, PM Modi said the Centre will take full control of the Covid-19 vaccination drive from June 21, International Yoga Day. He said this was because states were finding it difficult to manage.

The Centre had inoculated people above the age of 45 with free vaccines initially but from May 1, it had allowed state governments to vaccinate the 18-44 age group at a charge. Right from day 1, most states had been calling on Modi to buy vaccines for all eligible citizens across the country, instead of the differential pricing mechanism that had been introduced where the Centre would buy at the least price and the states would get it at a higher mark-up.

Also, state governments like Punjab and Maharashtra had tried to buy vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna but were told the companies will talk only to the Central government. Along with the news of free vaccination, the PM also announced he extension of the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana under which 80 crore poor were getting daily rations free of cost till Diwali this year.

The reason for the course correction is hinting at the situation in Uttar Pradesh. Given the state of the vaccination programme in the key state, which will go to the polls in 2022 and sends the highest number of Lok Sabha MPs, the scheme’s lacklustre performance here will add to the anti-incumbency. It also points to the BJP’s tried and tested method of promising Modi governance and choosing a CM candidate, which in 2017 was Yogi Adityanath, who was chosen after the polls.

It must be remembered that a two-man team of RSS veterans had been to UP to gather inputs on the situation in the state. They had come back with glowing reports from the state but such is politics.

The other thing to note is that the Supreme Court is examining the entire vaccination process including the decisions taken so far. Just last week, a bench of Justice D.Y. Chandrachud,  Justice L. Nageswara Rao and Justice S. Ravindra Bhat had told the Centre that its policy was irrational and arbitrary. It had asked the government to provide complete data on vaccine choices, vaccine procurement and the price difference. The Apex Court had also wanted to know what had happened to the much-vaunted, much-publicised and budgeted Rs 35,000 crore.

PM Modi’s speech came on a day when India witnessed 1,00,636 fresh  Covid-19 cases with 2,427 deaths in the last 4 hours. Only 15.87 lakh samples were tested on Sunday, compared to an average of more than 20 lakh in the last week.

PM Modi said the Covid-19 is the biggest epidemic to struck in the last century, the country has fought bravely and successfully overcome its impact.

Modi began the speech with saying the coronavirus outbreak was the biggest pandemic in the last 100 years. To combat which the government came up with new health infrastructure in the past few months.

Similarly, India has never felt the need for oxygen this much, he said. While condoling the deaths of those who died in the second wave’s worst weeks of April and May, Modi said India has overcome oxygen shortage very fast. He noted that despite vaccination, covid-appropriate behaviour is the only way to fight against Covid.

To save the world, Modi claimed, the country came up with two vaccines, while Covishield was developed in the University of Oxford, UK and was mass-produced in India by the Serum Institute. If the vaccine was not made in India, what would have happened, he said.

Though the PM made some untenable claims on vaccines taking decades to reach the corners of the country, before the coronavirus, it is to be remembered that polio and other diseases were inoculated at birth and none of them were vaccines against pandemics like in this case.

Read Also: AIIMS Delhi to begin screening children aged 2-18 years for Covaxin trials from today

PM Modi also spoke of more vaccines waiting to get clearances to enter the country and spoke of a nasal spray that would kill the virus.

The final nail in today’s announcement tied in with the BJP announcement of free Covid vaccines in Bihar during the campaign for the 2020 Assembly election. Seems Bihar will finally get its free vaccines after this deft somersault, which is good news for all Indians, poor or rich or middle-class.

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BJP releases first list of 47 candidates for Kerala assembly polls

The BJP has released its first list of 47 candidates for the Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, including three former Union ministers.

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March 16, 2026

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BJP releases list of candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its first list of 47 candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections scheduled for April 9.

Voting will take place for all 140 seats in the state assembly, with counting of votes scheduled for May 4. A party or coalition needs at least 70 seats to secure a majority in the House.

Among the candidates announced in the first list are three former Union ministers — Rajeev Chandrasekhar, V. Muraleedharan and George Kurian.

Key candidates announced

Kerala BJP chief and former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been fielded from the Nemom assembly constituency. In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Chandrasekhar lost the Thiruvananthapuram seat to three-time MP Shashi Tharoor, but he led in the Nemom assembly segment during that contest. The party believes this performance strengthens its prospects in the constituency.

Nemom has held political significance for the BJP since 2016, when senior leader O. Rajagopal won the seat and became the party’s first-ever MLA in the 140-member Kerala Legislative Assembly. The victory marked the BJP’s initial breakthrough in the state assembly.

However, the seat returned to the Left camp in the 2021 Assembly election when V. Sivankutty defeated BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan.

Former Union minister V. Muraleedharan will contest from the Kazhakoottam constituency, while George Kurian has been nominated from Kanjirappally.

Other candidates in the list

According to the list released by the party, several other candidates have also been announced for key constituencies. P. C. George will contest from Poonjar, R. Sreelekha from Vattiyoorkavu and Padmaja Venugopal from Thrissur.

The BJP has also nominated Sobha Surendran from Palakkad, Navya Haridas from Kozhikode North and Kavitha K. S. from Sulthanbathery, a reserved constituency.

Raji Prasad will contest from the Kunnathur seat reserved for Scheduled Castes, while R. Rashmi has been fielded from Kottarakkara.

Political backdrop in Kerala

Kerala’s electoral politics has traditionally alternated between the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). However, the BJP has been attempting to expand its presence in the state.

The alternating trend was interrupted in the 2021 Assembly election when the electorate returned the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government to power for a second consecutive term.

The BJP believes recent electoral performances and local body successes have strengthened its position as it prepares to contest the upcoming assembly polls.

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Fire in ICU at SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack kills 10 patients

Ten patients died after a fire broke out in the trauma ICU at SCB medical college hospital in Cuttack early Monday morning. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced compensation and ordered a judicial probe.

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12 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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A major fire at the trauma care intensive care unit (ICU) of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, early Monday morning left ten patients dead and several hospital staff members injured.

According to officials, the fire broke out between 2:30 am and 3:00 am in the trauma ICU where critically ill patients were undergoing treatment. Emergency teams rushed to the scene soon after the incident, and multiple fire engines were deployed to control the blaze and assist in rescue operations.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said hospital staff were injured while evacuating patients from the affected ward during the emergency.

Patients shifted as rescue operations continued

Following the fire, 23 patients were moved to other departments and wards within the hospital to ensure their safety and continued medical care.

Speaking to reporters, the Chief Minister said seven critically ill patients died while being shifted to other ICUs and wards, while three more succumbed later.

“A total of 23 patients have been shifted to other departments. Seven serious patients died while shifting to other ICUs and wards, while another three patients died later. I have directed the concerned officers for proper treatment of the injured patients,” Majhi said.

Chief minister visits hospital, announces compensation

Soon after the incident, Majhi visited the hospital along with Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling to review the situation. They also met patients who were undergoing treatment at the facility.

The Chief Minister announced financial assistance of ₹25 lakh for the families of each deceased patient.

He also ordered a judicial probe into the incident to determine the cause of the fire and examine safety measures at the hospital.

Authorities continue to monitor the condition of injured staff members and patients who were shifted from the ICU.

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Arvind Kejriwal moves Supreme Court against Delhi High Court order in excise policy case

Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order related to proceedings in the excise policy case and alleging violation of his fundamental rights.

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12 hours ago

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March 16, 2026

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Arvind Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approached the Supreme Court of India challenging certain proceedings in the Delhi excise policy case and alleging a violation of his fundamental rights.

In a petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, Kejriwal has questioned a decision of the Delhi High Court that put a freeze on remarks related to the investigation conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The petition also challenges an order of the High Court Chief Justice rejecting Kejriwal’s request to transfer the case to another bench.

Plea seeks change of bench

Earlier, on March 11, Kejriwal and several others submitted a representation to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya seeking reassignment of the case to what they described as an “impartial” judge.

In the representation, Kejriwal stated that he had a “grave, bona fide and reasonable apprehension” that the matter may not receive an impartial hearing before the current bench.

However, the Chief Justice declined the request and said the petition had been assigned as per the existing roster.

According to the communication sent by the High Court’s Registrar General on March 13 to eight individuals including Kejriwal, the Chief Justice noted that any decision on recusal must be taken by the judge hearing the matter and that there was no reason to transfer the petition administratively.

Order on trial court proceedings also challenged

Kejriwal has also challenged a March 9 order passed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court.

In that order, Justice Sharma had stayed a trial court direction that called for an investigation into a CBI officer who handled the excise policy case. The High Court had also asked the trial court to defer proceedings connected to the anti-money laundering aspect of the case.

Justice Sharma had further rejected certain observations made by the trial court while discharging Kejriwal and 22 others, stating that some of those remarks were erroneous.

Hearing expected on CBI plea

Meanwhile, Justice Sharma is scheduled to hear a petition filed by the CBI challenging the discharge of Kejriwal, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others in the excise policy case.

The matter remains under judicial consideration as the legal challenge now moves to the Supreme Court.

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