Chandigarh [India], February 28 (ANI): The Chandigarh Health Department will conduct the next phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive starting from tomorrow at government health care facilities and five private hospitals on day one.
The health department of the Union Territory has inspected the private hospital sites and interacted with their nodal officers. The number of private hospitals for the drive will be scaled up in the next few days, informed the Chandigarh Health Department.
According to the statement issued by the department, the government COVID Vaccination Centres (CVC) will provide free vaccinations to the age-appropriate groups. However, private hospitals will charge Rs 250 per person per dose.
For on-spot registration, beneficiaries need to carry Aadhar Card, electoral photo identity card (EPIC) and the Photo ID card specified at the time of registration in case of online registration (if not Aadhar or EPIC), certificate of comorbidity for citizens in the age group between 45 years and 59 years and employment certificate/official identity card for HCWs and FLWs.
The central government is extending the vaccination drive to all citizens above 60 years and those within the age bracket of 45 to 59 years with specified co-morbidities from March 1.
Meanwhile, the Centre has upgraded its digital platform Co-WIN.2.0 so that the beneficiaries can now self-register themselves. (ANI)

By Tanmay Sakalley
Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh) [India], February 28 (ANI): A Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) constable is providing Mallakhamba training to children in the forests of Abujmarh in Narayanpur district which is hit by the Naxalite violence.
The tribal population is deprived of basic facilities like water and electricity even today.
Overcoming all obstacles, four children from the district had made it to the final round in 2020 for the selection for a ‘Mallakhamba’ demonstration in the Japan Olympics, which was scheduled to be held last year but was postponed due to COVID-19.
Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) constable Manoj Prasad said he learned Mallakhamba in 2016 and has been training children since then.
“I myself learned Mallkhamba in 2016. From 2016-2017, I started training children of Naxalite strongholds who study in Pota Cabins. All children under my tutelage are tribals who were known as ‘Abujh’,” he said.
The coach also informed that four children have made it to the final round for a demonstration of Mallakhamba in the Japan Olympics.
“These children have a lot of potentials. All the children here are future Olympiads. With this dream, I started coaching them for free,” Prasad said.
People in Narayanapur have not heard of Mallakhamba before. But in only two to three years of practice, the children from the region have defeated many of the country’s biggest players in Mallakhamba and won many gold medals. They went to Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Goa, and many other states to participate in Mallakhamba tournaments from 2019 to 2020.
In November 2019, the children won the gold medal by defeating the senior group at the All India level. In March 2020, they won 8 gold, 3 bronze medals, and 4 girls featured in ‘Best of Six’ in India Under-14.
“It was very difficult to defeat the Mallakhamba practitioners of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Despite not being able to beat them for 40 years, our children had worked hard day and night along with their studies. Now they are number one in India,” Prasad said.
Rajesh Korram, a class four student, who hails from Asanar village next to Jungle Orchha, said: “I have been learning Mallakhamba since 2018. I won the gold medal by defeating my senior player. I went to Mumbai for the first time on a train. Life has taken a turn for the better. I want to win a gold medal in Japan Olympics.”
Manu Dhruv, another Mallakhamba player, said he won 2 gold medals in Tamil Nadu.
“There is not a good school in our village. These are Naxalite-affected villages. We used to climb trees and play Kabaddi. No one had heard Mallakhamba’s name earlier. I started playing Malkhamb in 2017, living in a porta cabin. Initially, I went to play Tamil Nadu and won 2 gold medals there.”
11-year-old Sarita Poyam, native to Abujhmarh secured the fourth rank in Mallakhamba at the All India level in the under-14 category in 2020.
“I have the fourth rank in Mallakhamba at the All India level in 2020 in the under-14 category. I, so far, have visited Delhi, Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra. I want to go ahead and win a gold medal in the Olympics,” she said. (ANI)

Pulwama (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 28 (ANI): A Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist was arrested along with grenades from the Tral area of Pulwama district on Sunday.
According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, the arrested person identified as Muzamil Qadir Bhat, a resident of Larow Jageer area of Tral.
He is an overground worker (OGW) of the JeM.
Further information is awaited. (ANI)

Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], February 28 (ANI): Amidst the internal political turmoil within the Congress party, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij took a dig at G-23 leaders from the Congress party, stating that the group of dissenting leaders took off Gandhi ‘topi’ and wore a saffron turban.
“I am pleased to see that the groups of 23 dissenting leaders of Congress took off Gandhi topi (cap) and wore a saffron turban instead. Rahul Gandhi is trying to find pearls for them by leaping into the sea. What more he can do for them,” said Vij.
This comes after senior Congress leaders Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma on Saturday had stated that the G-23 are seeing the Congress party “getting weaker” and are raising their voice for the betterment of the party.
“The truth is that we see the Congress party getting weak. That is why we have gathered here. We had gathered together earlier too and we have to strengthen the party together,” Sibal had said at the ‘Shanti Sammelan’ event in Jammu on Saturday.
Anand Sharma who addressed the ‘Shanti Sammelan’ said that “Congress has weakened in the last decade.”
Sibal and Sharma along with former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Raj Babbar, and Vivek Tankha are among other Congress leaders who were present at the event organised by former Rajya Sabha MP Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Azad is the senior-most member among the 23 leaders, who had expressed dissent with the functioning of the Congress party and had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi in August last year.
Soon after the senior Congress leaders claimed that the party “getting weaker”, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi had expressed displeasure saying it would have been better if the leaders helped the party in the upcoming Assembly elections in four states and Puducherry.
“It would have been better if they helped Congress in five states which are going to polls. They are respected leaders, we respect them. One of the leaders spoke the term ‘used’. The one who has used the term does not know the legacy of Congress,” Singhvi had said. (ANI)

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 28 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday laid the foundation stone to various projects worth about Rs 29 crore in Doon Vidhan Sabha area of Solan district in the state.
While inaugurating the projects, the Chief Minister said, “An amount of over Rs 203 crores have already been spent on various developmental projects in the Doon Vidhan Sabha area in the last three years.”
He also directed the officers to ensure time-bound completion of all the developmental projects inaugurated by him today.
Thakur took the occasion to highlight the government’s efforts taken for the development of the state and the people.
“Soon after assuming office, the very first decision of the State Cabinet was to lower the age limit for availing old age pension without any income limit from 80 years to 70 years,” Thakur said.
“The second decision made in the cabinet was to establish cow sanctuaries in the state so that cows were not left stray. The decision was also taken to levy cess of Rs 2 per bottle of liquor to provide financial assistance to construct Gau Sadans and Cow sanctuaries in the State,” he said.
Thakur thanked the people in the state to give their massive support and cooperation to the present State Government during the last three years.
“The BJP-led present government in the state successfully brought back home about 2.50 lakh people of the State stranded in different parts of the country during the lockdown,” Thakur said.
He said that efforts would be made to open a primary health centre at Manpura and ugradation of High School Jharmajri to Senior Secondary School.
Thakur laid foundation stone of Community Health Centre at Barotiwala to be constructed at a cost of Rs 2 crore, four laning of Sun City road from Baddi entry point bridge to Petrol Pump near SP Office to be built at a cost of Rs 4 crores. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested two persons in connection with a case where a woman was allegedly stabbed to death by a chain snatcher while resisting the robbery.
According to the police, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to probe the case.
Earlier today, the DCP of Northwest Usha Rangnani had informed that ten police teams have been constituted to probe the case.
A 25-year-old woman was stabbed to death by a snatcher for resisting a robbery bid in the Adarsh Nagar area of the national capital, police said.
The woman was stabbed to death in north-west Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar while trying to resist a snatching bid. She was coming home from a market and was holding her child when the incident occurred.
An FIR has been registered, but no arrest has been made till now. Further investigation of the case is underway, the police said. (ANI)