Here are the top 5 news updates of December 25, 2021:
Multi-disciplinary central teams have been deployed in 10 states which are reporting either an increasing number of Omicron and COVID-19 cases or a slow vaccination pace, according to a Union Health Ministry office memorandum. As per the document, these 10 states are Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Mizoram, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Punjab. These teams will be stationed in the states for three to five days, and they will work along with the state health authorities, it said. The teams will specifically look into areas of contact-tracing, including surveillance and containment operations, and COVID-19 testing, including sending of adequate samples from clusters to the INSACOG network for genome sequencing, the memo stated.
A group of men claiming to be right-wing activists allegedly barged into the premises of a church in Pataudi on the eve of Christmas and disrupted the prayers, according to a viral video. Police, however, said they have not received any complaint. The video shows some men entering the church premises on Thursday evening and raising slogans 'Jai Shree Ram' and 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. They are seen allegedly pushing the choir members down the stage and snatching the mike. A local pastor said, "It was scary as we had women and children around in the church. The nuisance is increasing with each passing day. It's an infringement of our right to pray and religion." Pataudi station house officer Amit Kumar said the police did not receive any complaint so far.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said the Modi government has taken decisions that are good for the people and not which people would like, even at the cost of political damage. Addressing a function organised on the occasion of Good Governance Day, Shah said people have long been waiting for good governance which was delivered by the Modi government in the last seven years. "People have kept saying that we have got independence (swaraj) long ago but when will we get good governance (su-raaj)," he said. Shah said because of lack of good governance, people's faith in the country's democratic system is gradually eroding. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought back people's faith in democracy by taking the good governance up to the grassroots level, he said.
The BJP launched a "special micro-donation campaign" on the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today, seeking to raise funds through small contributions from its members and others. Several BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made donations and urged others to contribute. "I have donated Rs 1,000 towards the party fund of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Our ideal of always putting Nation First and the culture of lifelong selfless service by our cadre will be further strengthened by your micro-donation. Help make BJP strong. Help make India strong," Modi tweeted.
As Maharashtra witnesses a rise in cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus, taking the total number of infections to 108 in the state, the Ahmednagar administration has issued strict orders to implement 'no vaccine, no entry' campaign in the district. Under this campaign, those who are not vaccinated will not be allowed to enter commercial, industrial, private or public establishments, wedding halls, malls, cinema halls, restaurants, hotels and government or semi-government offices. The campaign is applicable from December 25.
