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For the first time in India, a drone on Friday was successfully deployed to deliver medicines to a remote primary health center in Meghalaya’s West Khasi Hils district, 25 km away from the district headquarter, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said.

“Today we launched a pilot of India’s 1st Medicine Delivery via Hybrid e-VTOL drone in #Meghalaya from Nongstoin to Maweit PHC covering a distance of 25 kms in less than 25 mins,” Conrad said on his social media handles.

According to the Chief Minister, the tech support was provided by the innovation team Tech Eagle, Smart Village Movement in collaboration with the State Health Department. Sources said an e-VTOL (Virtual take-off and landing) Drone AquilaX2 was used for the deliveries.

A senior health department official said the deployment of a drone to deliver medicines was undertaken on a pilot basis and today’s deployment was successful, reducing the time from 3 hours to less than half an hour.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday declared the recently-discovered B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19, first detected in southern Africa, to be a variant of concern and has given it the name Omicron. The variant of Covid-19 was announced by scientists in South Africa on Thursday and was later detected in Israel, Belgium, and Hong Kong.
The classification puts Omicron into the most-troubling category of Covid-19 variants, along with the globally-dominant Delta, plus its weaker rivals Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.
‘Omicron is named as a variant of concern because it has some concerning properties, this variant has a large number of mutations, and some of this mutation has some worrying characteristics’, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19.
She also urged people to reduce their chances of catching the virus.
She said “We understand that people are concerned,”
“What’s really important as an individual is to lower your exposure.”
“These proven public health measures, have never been more important, distancing, wearing of a mask making sure it’s over your nose, clean hands, making sure you avoid crowded spaces, be in rooms with good ventilation, “and when it’s your turn, get vaccinated”.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop flights from those countries which are affected by a new variant of coronavirus, omicron.
PM Narendra Modi chaired a comprehensive meeting that lasted for almost 2 hours to review the public health preparedness & vaccination-related situation for Covid-19 on Saturday.
PM highlighted the need for monitoring all international arrivals, their testing as per guidelines, with a specific focus on countries identified ‘at risk’. PM also asked officials to review plans for easing international travel restrictions in light of the emerging new evidence stated by PMO, as reported by ANI
In order to prevent the spread of the new strain, the United States, Canada, Russia, Britain, Israel, and a host of other countries have banned all travel from the country to prevent it from taking hold in populations and spreading quickly.

A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province, Health Minister of South Africa Joe Phaahla announced on November 25. The new variant found in South Africa has not been named by the World Health Organisation yet. The variant goes by the scientific label B.1.1.529 and has been named as ‘variant of concern’ by virologist Tulio de Oliveira.

Most confirmed cases are in Gauteng province in South Africa, a few cases are found in Botswana, and two in Hong Kong (which is directly linked to travel from South Africa).
Scientists have said that many of the mutations indicate its high transmissibility and resistance to vaccines; the strain has more changes in the spike protein than all other Covid-19 variants.
The World Health Organization has called for caution in the initial stages of dealing with this variant; more research needs to be conducted to understand how B.1.1.529 behaves, said by Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 Technical Lead. She also said that the variant has a large number of mutations which will have an impact on how the virus behaves. She emphasized getting vaccinated as soon as possible to everyone.

The UK announced a temporary suspension of flights from six countries after reports emerged that a new coronavirus variant. Israel also banned travel from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, and Eswatini due to the new variant, BNO News reported.

Former Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mukul Sangma, on Thursday, 25 November, said the Congress party had failed to play the role of the main Opposition in the country. He along with 11 other MLAs out of a total of the 17 Congress MLAs in Meghalaya joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC), ANI reported.

“Today is a very momentous occasion for Meghalaya. With utmost sense of humility but a complete sense of responsibility and commitment towards fulfilling our responsibility in serving the people, serving the state, serving the nation we have taken a conscious decision to merge with one of the political parties which all of you know the All India Trinamool Congress,” said by former Meghalaya CM and ex-Congress leader Mukul Sangma in a press conference as reported by ANI.

This will help Mamata Banerjee who has been trying to expand the party in other states.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, Gautam Buddha Nagar, on Thursday. With this, Uttar Pradesh will become the only state in India to have five international airports. The foundation stone of the new airport will be laid by PM Modi at 1 PM on Thursday.

Located at a distance of about 72 km from the IGI airport in New Delhi, the new airport will be India’s largest after its completion, according to officials.

The upcoming Jewar airport will have maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility spread over 40 acres. “Today almost 85% of aircraft with Indian carriers go abroad for MRO service, spending about Rs 15,000 crore annually. This Rs 30,000-crore project will change that situation and aircraft will fly in here from abroad for availing the services,” the PM said.

The airport will expand to around 1,300 hectares in the first phase. The first phase of the airport is scheduled to be completed by 2024 and will have the capacity to serve around 1.2 crore passengers a year. The airport will expand to serve 70 million passengers by the end of phase 4, depending on passenger growth and traffic.

It will be executed by international bidder Zurich Airport International AG as concessionaire, PTI reported. According to officials, the groundwork for the first phase has been completed already.

All major roads and highways like the Yamuna Expressway, Western Peripheral Expressway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, and others will be connected to the airport.

PM Modi said that it will also bring around 1 lakh job openings and that many other projects like Film City, Electronic Park are coming up in the region.

It will also be India’s first net-zero emissions airport. According to officials, land has been earmarked to be developed as a forest park using trees from the project site.

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), stated on Wednesday that Russia’s single-dose Sputnik Light Covid-19 vaccine will be available in India by December 2021.

In July, India’s drug authorities denied the Russian-made vaccine emergency use authorization, stating out the requirement for a phase-3 trial. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) granted Dr Reddy’s Laboratory Limited permission to undertake phase-3 bridging trials in September.

Sputnik Light is the same as component-1 of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, which was approved for emergency use by India’s Drug Regulator in April and is now being used in the country’s anti-COVID inoculation programme.

According to data analysed from 28 days, after the injection was given as part of Russia’s mass vaccination campaign between December 5, 2020 and April 15, 2021, the single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine showed 79.4 percent efficiency.

According to a press statement from RDIF on May 6, Sputnik Light has proven efficient against all new coronavirus strains, as demonstrated by the Gamaleya Center during laboratory tests.

Indian Air Force ace pilot Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman was conferred the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday at an investiture ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on November 22. Abhinandan Varthaman was recently promoted to the rank of Group Captain. Vir Chakra is India’s third highest wartime gallantry award after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra. The Vir Chakra to Abhinandan had been announced in August 2019 but has been awarded by the President now in the presence of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, shot down a Pakistani F-16 jet during a dogfight over the Line of Control (LoC) on February 27, 2019, Varthaman’s MiG-21 was also hit during the combat and he had to eject over territory controlled by Pakistan.He was then taken into custody by the Pakistan Army. Pakistan was forced to release him under extensive pressure from India. Abhinandan was part of the Srinagar-based 51 squadron and had flown to thwart an aerial attack launched by the Pakistanis.

Trinamool Youth Congress President Saayoni Ghosh was arrested by Tripura Police on charges of promoting enmity between people, attempt to murder, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy. An FIR was registered against her at the East Agartala Police Station for allegedly disturbing a municipal poll rally of Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb at Ashram Chowmuhani area on Sunday and was granted bail by the West Tripura Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s (CJM) Court for a bail bond of Rs 20,000 today.

Sub-divisional Police Officer (Sadar) Ramesh Yadav said Saayoni Ghosh was arrested under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 153A (promoting disharmony between two groups) for her comments against the chief minister.

Ramesh Yadav said some persons who were with her allegedly threw stones at a street corner meeting which was being addressed by the chief minister. A police official, who did not want to be named, said a BJP worker lodged a complaint alleging that Ghosh had reached the spot where the meeting was being held and shouted “Khela hobey” (a famous slogan used by TMC) and claimed that there were not even 50 people in the gathering. Saayoni Ghosh was earlier detained for questioning in a police station and arrested later.

General Secretary of Trinamool Congress Abhishek Banerjee in a tweet accused the BJP government in the North-eastern state of disregarding Supreme Court orders on the rights of political parties to hold peaceful programs.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Deb claimed that BJP sheltered goons attacked the leaders and workers of the party on the premises of the police station after Ghosh reached there.

“Our candidates were beaten up; their houses vandalized and though complaints were filed, no action was taken. Police here are acting in a one-sided manner,” she told reports.

Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee stood by her party’s workers in Tripura and said she would discuss the issue of violence with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during her proposed meeting with him in New Delhi later this week.

The lawyer representing Ghosh at the Agartala court, Shankar Lodh said, “After considering all circumstances, records and case diary, the court observed there are no grounds for section 307 IPC and 153A IPC. On the condition that she has to cooperate with the investigating agency and one surety of Rs.20,000, she was granted bail.”

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited Tripura on Monday and said his party has moved the Supreme Court, bringing allegations of contempt of court against BJP.

“What wrong did Ghosh say? She said ‘khela hobe’ (game is on). Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said the same thing in Bengal. Moreover, Modi, while chanting the same slogan, had targeted CM Mamata Banerjee in an unacceptable manner. Was that not criminal intimidation? But we shall not walk in the steps of BJP. There is a basic difference between us and them,” Banerjee said.

Meanwhile, a case was registered against West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim for allegedly saying that five BJP supporters would be killed in Bengal for every Trinamool Congress activist hurt in Tripura.

A senior Tripura cop said a case was lodged at Sonamura police station in Sepahijala district under Section 506 of the IPC. “Investigation is on. Permission will be taken from the court before registering an FIR,” he said.

The Sivok Rangpo rail project is a dream project of Indian Railways which will allow the travelling time between West Bengal to Sikkim to be drastically reduced to 2 hours.  Union Minister of state for Railways, Coal and Mines Raosaheb Patil Danve visited the site of construction on Nov 22 and said that the goal is to complete the whole project by June 2023. He also said that this project will really help the people of the North East as there are no easy ways to travel to Delhi or any other state and it will also help to improve trade and commerce.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) zone along with IRCON international Limited, is working to construct the 44 km long Sivok Rangpo railway line, which will enable travelling between Sivok in West Bengal to Rangpo in Sikkim in just two hours. The rail line spans across a total length of 44 kms crossing as many as 19 bridges and 14 tunnels. The tunnels cover almost 85% of the total journey. Around 40 km of track will be laid in West Bengal and around 4km will be in Sikkim.

The line will cross through Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Kurseong forest division, Darjeeling forest division, Kalimpong forest division and the East Sikkim forest division. However, it is said that it will not disturb the environment and wildlife as the train will run through tunnels.

The project has several benefits as the northeast part of the area from Sivok to Rangpo has a single road route which is often closed due to natural disturbances in monsoons due to landslides and many other reasons. This makes traveling very tough over this route. However, the Sivok Rangpo rail line will come as the ultimate solution for regular passengers and tourists in this area. The tourist industry will also receive a huge profit as travelling will be really easy. This line will also improve trade of industries like medicine, hydropower projects which is the main revenue generation source of Sikkim. It will also be very helpful for students in this project, by connecting major states and towns which will open professional and academic opportunities for students.

This route connects to Sikkim which shares borders with China so it will be a lot easier for the Indian Army to commute in this area. It will also make travelling faster and easier for the Indian Soldiers at the nearby Nathula border.