Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 28 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh’s Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prabhuram Choudhary said the state ranks second in the country in COVID-19 vaccination of the first dose of healthcare workers and frontline workers.
“Madhya Pradesh ranks second in the country in vaccination of the first dose of health care workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs),” he said addressing a press conference in Bhopal on Sunday.
He stated that 71.62 lakh senior citizens of the state are to be vaccinated from March 1 in the second phase.
“Vaccination facility has been provided free of cost in all government institutions. 250 will be charged in private institutions,” informed Choudhary.
The Health Minister also stated that the advance registration facility is available on the Co-WIN 2.0 portal, adding that registration for the vaccination drive will require an identity card containing a photo of the citizen, based on which the vaccine centre will vaccinate the person at the scheduled time.
He further added that health workers and frontline workers who could not register can also get vaccinated by registering on the portal.
“In the first week of March, vaccination will be available in government and private institutions on the 3rd and 6th. Vaccination facilities will be available in 186 institutions on March 1. It will include 51 district hospitals, 84 civil hospitals, 13 government medical colleges, three private medical colleges, 30 private hospitals. 200 people had problems after vaccination but now everything is normal,” added Choudhary. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): Praising the Bharatiya Janata Party’s work ethic ahead of the Assembly polls in the four states and one Union Territory, Congress leader Rashid Alvi on Sunday said that his party will have work round the clock and formulate a strategy in the upcoming polls to fight BJP.
“BJP leaders work night and day not regardless of the size of the elections. They do just acts and unjust ones as well. Congress will have work 24/7 and form our own strategy, only then we will be able to fight them,” Alvi said while speaking to ANI.
This statement comes as 824 assembly constituencies are set to go for polls in four states–Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam– and the Union Territory of Puducherry. The polling in these states will start on March 27 and conclude on April 29.
On the question that Congress leaders are switching sides, Alvi said, “When the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power, the BJP’s people used to line up to join the Congress but we did not let them in. Today, BJP tries to lure the leaders and indulges in horse-trading.”
“People with greed for power and those who are threatened by CBI and IT officers join BJP. This has nothing to do with ideology,” he added.
Slamming his own party for inducting Babulal Chaurasia in Madhya Pradesh, Alvi said, “Babulal Chaurasia, who worshipped Nathuram Godse, has joined Congress in Madhya Pradesh. I have condemned this development. I have written a letter to Sonia Gandhi and asked for his exit from Congress.”
He further commented on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s regret that he could not learn Tamil Nadu, during his monthly radio programme Maan Ki Baat.
“If he can learn English then why not Tamil. It does not take much to learn a language. But he is playing politics on language. He does not want to learn the language just want to please Tamil people,” he said. (ANI)

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 28 (ANI): Bharatiya Janta Party national president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Sunday said all political parties, including Congress, are restricted to just dynasty politics and it is only the BJP wherein party has become a family.
Nadda, along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the newly-built party regional office in Varanasi.
“Whoever has got the opportunity to be part of the BJP, they are fortunate. All national parties have become regional parties. All political parties, including Congress, are restricted to just dynasty politics. It’s only BJP wherein party has become a family,” Nadda said.
“I have been fortunate to come to the land of Kashi and inaugurate the new regional office of the party. The office has been equipped with all the facilities of a digitalised world. But this is just hardware, our party workers are the software. Our workers will use this to provide vision and values to our society,” he added.
The BJP national president also virtually inaugurated the new regional party office at Prayagraj.
“We must have party offices in every district of the country if we want our organisation to expand. There was a time when the party was functioning from a two-room office, and today we have come to power with such a mandate,” he added.
“In 2014, we had a target to build 700 party offices across the country. And today, I am happy that we have 400 offices across the country. Including Kashi and Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh has 53 offices in total. I have been told that till October we will manage to fulfill our target of 80 party offices in the UP,” he further added.
Adityanath, who also addressed the gathering. at the event said: “The BJP, under the presidentship of JP Nadda ji, has presented an ideal to all the political parties of the world. Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji once said that politics without principles is a death trap. We have never compromised with our values and principles,” Adityanath said. (ANI)

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], February 28 (ANI): Kerala recorded 3,254 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative count of cases in the state to 10,59,403, informed the health department on Sunday.
With 15 deaths registered on Saturday, the death toll in the state reached 4,197.
At present, the state has a total of 49,420 active cases.
As many as 4,333 recoveries were recorded, taking the total count of recoveries in the state to 10,05,497.
According to the health department, 62,769 samples were tested during the last 24-hours. Currently, there are 367 hotspots in Kerala. (ANI)

Vizhuppuram (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 28 (ANI): Stating that the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) think about the welfare of the poor, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday attacked the Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) saying these parties are “corrupt” and follow politics of “divide and rule”.
“On one side, there’s AIADMK and NDA thinking about the welfare of the poor while DMK and Congress on the other end are corrupt and follow politics of divide and rule. Sonia ji is worried about making Rahul baba PM and Stalin is concerned about making Udhayanidhi the CM,” said Shah while addressing a Vijay Sankalp rally in Villupuram of the poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
Further attacking Congress and the DMK, the Home Minister said that scams to the tune of Rs 12 lakh crores took place during the regime of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
“Congress was involved in a scam of Rs 12 lakh cr and DMK was in alliance with it at the time. All three — 2G, 3G, and 4G are present in Tamil Nadu. 2G means 2 generations of Maran family, 3G means 3 generations of Karunanidhi’s family and 4G means 4 generations of Gandhi family,” added Shah.
Tamil Nadu assembly elections will be held in a single phase on April 6 and the counting of votes will be done on May 2.
The term of the fifteenth legislative assembly in Tamil Nadu is ending on May 2, 2021.
As many as 6,28,23,749 electors will choose candidates for the sixteenth legislative assembly in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): The third phase of COVID-19 vaccination will begin in Delhi on March 1 for those who are above 60 years of age, and those with co-morbidities who are in the age group of 45-59 years, informed the Delhi Health Department.
According to the Delhi Health Department, the vaccination will be done in 192 hospitals in the national capital, including 136 private hospitals and 56 government hospitals. Vaccination will be done six days a week in these centers.
Private hospitals can charge up to Rs 250 for a dose.
“Appointment for vaccination can be booked online prior registration and appointment based on available slots on COWIN portal,” the health department said.
The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive began on January 16.
1,43,01,266 healthcare and front line workers have been vaccinated against COVID-19 till now, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.
Delhi reported 197 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative count of cases in Delhi to 6,39,289.
According to the Delhi government, the total number of recoveries in the national capital rose to 6,27,044 with 168 new recoveries in the last 24 hours.
Witnessing one new fatality in the last 24 hours, Delhi’s COVID-19 death toll reached 10,910.
At present, Delhi has a total of 1,335 active cases. (ANI)