Mamata Banerjee releases TMC manifesto for upcoming polls

Credit: Twitter / ANI

NEW DELHI: Amid an unprecedented hike in the COVID-19 cases across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with all chief ministers on Wednesday (March 17, 2021) to discuss the prevailing COVID-19 situation and the measures required to contain the pandemic.

BJP Parliamentary Party meeting scheduled for today was cancelled after the demise of BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma. Sharma was elected from Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh.

During the meeting, the PM deliberated on the ongoing mass vaccination drive across the country. According to reports, the virtual meeting was held around 12.30 PM on March 17. The meeting was called in the wake of a massive surge in coronavirus cases in several states.

Among other developments, a night curfew was implemented in Bhopal and Indore from Wednesday in order to contain the rsing COVID-19 cases. The state government ordered the closure of shops at 10 PM in eight other cities. The restrictions came into force from Wednesday, the government said.

Meanwhile, twenty-two of the world's 30 most polluted cities are in India, with Delhi being ranked as the most polluted capital city globally, a new report has said.

'World Air Quality Report, 2020' prepared by a Swiss organisation, IQAir, which was released globally, stated that Delhi's air quality improved by approximately 15 per cent from 2019 to 2020.

Top political leaders campaigned in the poll-bound states and Mamata Banerjee released TMC's poll manifesto for the upcoming state assembly election in West Bengal.

Thank you for tuning in to Zee News. 

17 March 2021

22:42 IST

Ahmedabad: Due to a rise in the COVID-19 cases in the city, decision has been taken to close all gymnasium, sports clubs, gaming zones etc, both public and private from March 18 morning till further notice. Due to the COVID-19 spread, the decision has been taken that from Monday morning, till further notice, whole AMTS and BRTS buses operation on road will be suspended.

16:59 IST

Mumbai: Hemant Nagrale replaces Parambir Singh as the new police commissioner. He was earlier Maharashtra's DGP. Singh has now been given the charge of Home Guard.

16:18 IST

Mamata Banerjee releases Trinamool Congress' election manifesto for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls

16:16 IST

Dr Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State of Cabinet Affairs of Kuwait, to arrive in India for a two-day visit today. He will meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday.

16:15 IST

Supreme Court will hear the bail application filed by 74-year-old former Congress leader, Sajjan Kumar, convicted to life imprisonment, in 1984 anti-Sikh riots case on Thursday.

15:36 IST

POCSO court in Rajasthan announced the death penalty to a man who raped a minor girl.

15:35 IST

Andhra Pradesh CID issued notice to former Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu and former state minister Ponguru Narayana, to join the probe in connection with the inclusion of assigned lands in land pooling without cabinet approval.

14:34 IST

PM Modi: On one hand, the pandemic has shown us how impacts can quickly spread across the world. And on the other hand, it has shown how the world can come together to fight a common threat. 
Many infrastructure systems- digital infrastructure, shipping lines, aviation networks-cover the entire world! Effect of disaster in one part of the world can quickly spread across the world. Cooperation is a must for ensuring the resilience of the global system.

Addressing the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure. https://t.co/S5RVIl2jqn

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 17, 2021

14:33 IST

PM Narendra Modi at International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure: COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that in an inter-dependent and inter-connected world, no country- rich or poor, in the east or west, north or south- is immune to the effect of global disasters.

14:18 IST

Today in India more than 96 per cent of COVID-19 patients have recovered. The fatality rate in the country is also one of the lowest in the world: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the meeting with all Chief Ministers

14:15 IST

Need to scale-up RT-PCR tests, need more vaccination centres, says PM

14:15 IST

We have witnessed that the COVID-19 vaccines were wasted in Telangana, says PM

14:14 IST

Travellers arriving in India need to follow Centre's SoPs for prevention of COVID-19, says PM

14:14 IST

Testing, surveillance and strict adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols is required, says PM

14:13 IST

We need to expedite Rapid Antigen Tests for detection of COVID-19 cases in smaller states: PM

14:11 IST

We need to become pro-active and more micro-containment zones need to come up, says PM

14:11 IST

We should not become complacent, no need to create panic among people, says PM

14:10 IST

India has taken COVID-19 mass vaccination drive seriously: PM

14:10 IST

Several nations across the world are facing second wave of COVID-19, says PM Modi in meeting with all Chief Ministers

11:42 IST

There is no provision of detention centres under Citizenship Act 1955 and the National Register of Indian Citizens: Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai

11:41 IST

Lok Sabha adjourned till 1 pm after paying tribute to BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma and ex-MP Dilip Gandhi, who died today.

11:35 IST

Former Union minister and BJP leader Dilip Gandhi died of COVID-19 in New Delhi today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief and offered condolences to his family.

Saddened by the demise of former MP and Minister Shri Dilip Gandhi Ji. He will be remembered for his rich contributions to community service and helping the poor. He made numerous efforts to strengthen the BJP in Maharashtra. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 17, 2021

11:24 IST

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) Chief Vaiko released party's poll manifesto at party headquarters in Chennai.

11:23 IST

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath offered prayers at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.

Assam: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visits and offers prayers at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. pic.twitter.com/HnqKoWXaDh

— ANI (@ANI) March 17, 2021

09:48 IST

My heartfelt homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a champion of human rights and freedom, on his birth anniversary. He is a hero for all Indians too. It will be my honour to visit Bangladesh later this month for the historic #MujibBorsho celebrations: PM Narendra Modi

My heartfelt homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, a champion of human rights and freedom, on his birth anniversary. He is a hero for all Indians too. It will be my honour to visit Bangladesh later this month for the historic #MujibBorsho celebrations.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 17, 2021

09:47 IST

BJP Parliamentary Party meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled after the demise of BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma. Sharma was elected from Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh.

09:32 IST

Block president of Congress party, Indra Pratap Singh Parmar was shot at by unidentified people in Malhara, Chhattarpur in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday (March 16). He later died at a hospital.

09:31 IST

Besides coal smuggling, West Bengal is also known to be a notorious place for cow smuggling. Our mother, daughter and sisters are also smuggled into Bengal. The ruling party and bureaucracy do this together, hence no one gets caught: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury