Mumbai civic body gets nod to explore global procurement of COVID vaccines

The ongoing dispute between the management of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and its sole recognised union, Bhartiya Khadya Nigam Karamchari Sangh (BKNKS), was taken up for conciliation on Thursday before the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) in New Delhi.

Residents of Vandiyur Theerthakadu near Anna Nagar, which falls within the limits of the Madurai Corporation under the Madurai East Assembly constituency represented by Registration Department Minister P Moorthy, have alleged on Thursday that their locality has been deprived of basic amenities such as electricity, drinking water and proper roads for more than four decades.

In an 'X' post, TMC said the government has "ek hi naara, line mein rahe desh bechara," pointing to past governmental measures including demonetisation, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the Special Identification Registration (SIR), and now the LPG shortage. The party described demonetisation as a "Tughlaqi farman" that forced ordinary citizens to wait in serpentine queues outside banks and ATMs for days to access their own money. The post also highlighted the 2020 COVID-19 oxygen crisis, when families stood in long lines outside hospitals and suppliers as the public health system collapsed.

As per the schedule, the draft proposal for the delimitation of wards will be published on March 12. Residents of the concerned municipal areas can submit objections or suggestions till March 19.

The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Shahdara district apprehended a 19-year-old woman, identified as Roopa, for her alleged involvement in drug peddling. During the operation, police recovered 55.52 grams of smack (heroin) from her possession in East Delhi's Geeta Colony.