W B police registered FIR afainst BJP leaders

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved setting up of public Wi-Fi networks to provide public Wi-Fi service through Public Data Offices without levy of any License Fee. Talking to reporters, Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, the Public Wi-Fi Access Network Interface will be known as PM-WANI. He said, it will promote growth of public Wi-Fi networks in the country and it will unleash a massive wi-fi revolution in the country Pr. asad said, the Cabinet also cleared the provision of submarine optical fibre cable connectivity between mainland (Kochi) and Lakshadweep Islands. He said, it will cost Rs 1,072 crore.The Cabinet also approved Universal Service Obligation Fund Scheme for providing mobile coverage in Arunachal Pradesh and two districts of Assam under the Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan for North Eastern Region. This project will provide mobile coverage to 2,374 uncovered villages at an estimated cost of implementation of about Rs 2,029 crore including operational expenses for five years. The project is targeted to be completed by December, 2022. 

-Union Cabinet has approved Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana at an expenditure of Rs 1,584 crore for the current financial year. An amount of Rs 20,810 crore has been approved for the entire Scheme period 2020-2023. Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting in New Delhi, Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Gangwar said, this scheme will benefit around 58.5 lakh employees. Gangwar said, under the scheme, the government will provide subsidy for two years in respect of new employees engaged on or after 1st October, 2020 and upto 30th June, 2021. The government will pay both 12 per cent employees' contribution and 12 per cent employers' contribution that is 24 per cent of wages towards EPF in respect of new employees in establishments employing upto 1,000 employees. EPFO will credit the contribution in Aadhaar seeded account of members in electronic manner. 

-Odisha Tourism has launched its flagship Eco-Retreat program at 5 locations in the State. The event, inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik through virtual mode, aims at boosting tourism in the State. The five locations, namely Konark, Satakosia, Bhitarkanika, Daringibadi and Hirakud under the scheme are open to the tourists till February next year. Under the programme, accommodation facilities and services will be provided to tourists in luxury cottages in the identified locations.

-Maharashtra's health secretary Pradeep Vyas has informed that a little over 16 thousand people have registered their names on the CO-WIN portal as vaccine administrators while close to a lakh have registered as beneficiaries. While giving a detailed presentation on the State's preparedness to roll out the COVID vaccine,  Vyas informed the steering committee headed by Maharashtra's Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar, that a cold storage chain of 3,135 centres is currently available to store and move the vaccine to its desired locations across the State.Vyas said  vaccination booths will be set up at primary healthcare clinics and private hospitals initially to administer the vaccine to healthcare workers. Later, such booths will be set up at schools, community halls and civic offices wherein frontline workers like police personnel, essential services providers, people above the age of 50 and those with comorbidities will be vaccinated. 

-West Bengal Police on Wednesday registered FIRs against veteran BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya, Tejasvi Surya, Dilip Ghosh, and several other party leaders on the allegation that they encouraged violence during the party’s “Uttarkanya Abhijan” march in Siliguri on December 7. The Police alleged that those charged encouraged the party workers to create violence, break law and order, clash with police and damage government properties.Hundreds of BJP workers and supporters marched towards Uttarkanya, the state government’s branch secretariat, on Monday, protesting the TMC government’s “misrule,” in the state when police stopped them.