Here are the top 5 news updates of July 12, 2021:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed pain at the loss of lives in various parts of the country due to lightning and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. At least 18 people died in Rajasthan and 10 in Uttar Pradesh, according to reports received on Sunday night, and the toll could go higher. Casualties have also been reported from Madhya Pradesh. PM Modi also expressed anguish at the deaths caused by lightning in two other states and announced similar relief.
Maharashtra needs a minimum of three crore vaccine doses per month to inoculate the entire eligible population against coronavirus at the earliest, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said today. Talking to news agency PTI, Tope said the state's capacity is to vaccinate 15 lakh people daily, but as of now only two to three lakh people are being inoculated in a day because of the "shortage of vaccine doses". Till Sunday, a total of 3,65,25,990 vaccine doses were administered in the state, as per official data.
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar today said the Central government has already sent teams to the states where COVID-19 cases are rising. While speaking to news agency ANI on the rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra and Kerala, Pawar said, "Central government's team is working on the ground. We are continuously monitoring the situation, taking feedbacks from State governments regularly." She said that the Centre has given guidelines and the state government needs to follow this and urged people to wear masks and avoid crowded places.
Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh today sought more time from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear before it ahead of his summons citing health reasons. According to ED, Param Bir Singh has cited health reasons for skipping ED summons, saying that he is unwell and is scheduled to undergo surgery. The ED had summoned the former Mumbai Police Commissioner to record a statement in connection with the Rs 100 crore money laundering case against ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty closed on a flat note after a volatile session today, following a mixed trend in global equities. The 30-share BSE Sensex ended 13.50 points or 0.03 per cent lower at 52,372.69, while the broader NSE Nifty inched 2.80 points or 0.02 per cent higher at 15,692.60. Bharti Airtel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, slipping around 1 per cent, followed by Tata Steel, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HDFC, Bajaj Auto and PowerGrid. On the other hand, Ultratech Cement, ICICI Bank, SBI, Axis Bank, Kotak Bank and IndusInd Bank were among the gainers.
