India gears up for roll out of COVID vaccination

Government has said that 54 lakh 78 thousand paddy farmers have been benefited from current Kharif Marketing Season Procurement Operations with MSP value of over Rs 84,178 crore.The Agriculture Ministry said, over 445 lakh tonnes of paddy have been procured from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar. It said, the government continues to procure Kharif crops at its Minimum Support Price from farmers as per its existing MSP schemes.

=The Central Government is gearing up for the roll out of COVID19 vaccination program across the country. As the vaccine administrators will play an important role in the vaccination process, training of trainers and those who shall administer the vaccine has been taken up across various States.To strengthen the capacity of the human resource for COVID-19 vaccine introduction and roll-out, detailed training modules have been developed for different categories of vaccine handlers and administrators.The training includes organization of vaccination sessions, use of Co-WIN IT platform for management of the entire vaccination process,  deployment of HR Cold chain preparedness, Management of adverse events, etc. 2 thousand 3 hundred 60 participants were trained during national level Training of Trainers which comprised state immunization officers, cold chain officers, IEC officials, development partners etc. Cascading down, 681 districts comprising 49 thousand 604 trainees have completed the training of Medical Officers on operational guidelines. o facilitate redressal of queries on COVID-19 vaccination and Co-WIN portal related queries, national 1075 and state 104 Helpline capacity has also been strengthened. As a step to prepare for administration of COVID-19 vaccine and to assess the readiness of the planned activities, a dry run has been planned in four states  Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Punjab considering the geographical locations.

-Christmas was celebrated across the globe on Friday. Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. On the occasion, people decorate their houses by putting a Christmas tree, illuminated paper star, Holly wreaths and exchange gifts.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed greetings of Christmas to everyone. He said, the life and principles of Lord Christ gives strength to millions across the world. Modi wished that the path shown by Lord Christ may keep guiding everyone towards building a just and inclusive society.In Goa, the mood of traditional fervor of Christmas celebrations is reverberating. Midnight masses were held in Churches and chapels. Keralaalso celebrated  Christmas  with prayers and enthusiasm amid strict adherence to Covid protocols.  Houses were decorated with Christmas trees and hanging lamps to welcome Christmas.  Midnight mass and prayers were held in Churches by keeping social distancing norms.  Covid  has affected the gatherings and celebrations to an extent. Christmas prayers were held online in many places. In Manipur, more than 40 per cent population practices Christianity and almost the entire hill population is Christian. Therefore, Christmas  celebrated in almost all parts of the State with huge fanfare. However, the festive mood this year is quite different from the last years. 

-Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has expressed happiness over the fact that India is on the verge of releasing its own indigenous COVID vaccine. He also complimented the hard-working scientists who have made this possible. Addressing the concluding session of the India International Science Festival from Hyderabad through virtual mode in Friday Naidu lauded the dedication of Indian scientists in making India self-reliant in the production of Personal Protection Equipment, PPEs and COVID-19 testing kits. He said India had negligible production capacity of PPEs, ventilators and testing kits at the beginning of the pandemic but within a short span it is now able to export PPEs.

-Bihar government has issued guidelines for opening of educational institutions in the state from January 4. Schools from Class 9th onwards, colleges and coaching institutes are permitted to allow only 50 percent of students. They have been asked to call students in batches on alternative days. Principal Secretary Education Sanjay Kumar said students will be allowed to attend the physical classes only after the written consent of their parents or guardians. The educational institutions have to make arrangements for online classes for those who do not wish to attend the physical classes. All educational institutions are facing closure since March 15 owing to nationwide lockdown triggered by Covid-19.