News18 Afternoon Digest: Saw Tricolour Being Insulted on R-Day, Says PM Modi in 1st 'Mann ki Baat' of 2021, Rajib Banerjee and 4 Other Former TMC Leaders Join BJP

Saw Tricolour Being Insulted on R-Day, Says PM Modi in 1st ‘Mann ki Baat’ of 2021; Wants India to Take Inspiration from Padma Awardees

Mentioning the violence that took place in Delhi on Republic Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the nation was shocked to witness the insult of the tricolour on January 26. He further asked Indians to take inspiration from Padma awardees, and also hailed that Indian cricket team’s victory. The 73rd episode of the monthly radio programme is the first ‘Mann ki Baat’ of 2021. READ MORE

 Energy Drink Can Used for Israel Embassy Blast, Probe Team Suspects

A team from the National Bomb Data Centre (NBDC) of the NSG has found an energy drink can that it suspects was used for blast near the Israeli Embassy. Sources said that the can could have been used to hide the circuit board device that was also found at the spot, and was “possibly attached to a timer”. READ MORE

Rajib Banerjee and 4 Other Former Trinamool Leaders Join BJP Ahead of West Bengal Elections

Hours after former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee quit the Trinamool Congress, he joined the BJP after a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.  Banerjee, Dalmiya, Prabir Ghoshal, Partha Sarathi Chatterjee and Rathin Chakraborti on Saturday night arrived in Delhi to meet Shah, along with BJP’s Mukul Roy and Kailash Vijayvargiya. READ MORE

Relief for Serum Institute of India as Court Rejects Trademark-violation Plea Over ‘Covishield’

A local court has rejected an application seeking injunction against the use of `Covishield’ as brandname by the vaccine-maker Serum Institute of India (SII), the company said on Saturday. SII is producing a vaccine named Covishield, co-developed by the University of Oxford and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca. The Indian government has purchased 11 million doses of Covishield vaccine. READ MORE

Pulse Polio Programme 2021 Begins Today: Know About Your State’s Plan Here

The Polio National Immunization Day, which is also popularly known as ‘Polio Ravivar’, is being observed on Sunday (January 31) across the country. President Ram Nath Kovind had a day ago launched the pulse polio programme for 2021 by administering polio drops to children below five years of age at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. READ MORE

Centre Allows 100% Occupancy in Cinema Halls and Theatres From February 1, Releases New SOPs

The central government has allowed 100% occupancy in cinema halls starting February 1. In the new guidelines released by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday, it said, “Seating arrangement inside the auditorium of the cinemas/theatres/multiplexes is to be allowed upto 100% seating capacity.” READ MORE

Virat Kohli in Line to Surpass MS Dhoni as Most Successful Skipper at Home

As international cricket returns to India after a gap of 11 months, there are a host of records that skipper Virat Kohli is approaching. India and England start the much-anticipated Test series in Chennai on February 5. While Kohli failed to score a ton in last one year, fans would be hoping that he can make amends, starting the home series. READ MORE

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