News Breakfast @6

01. COVID: Over 13,000 Railway Health Staff Vaccinated

Around 13,117 railway health staff have been vaccinated against COVID-19 so far, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal informed Parliament on Wednesday. "In the first phase, Railway health care staff are being vaccinated. Till now, 13,117 Railway health care staff have been vaccinated. 3,70,316 front line Railway employees have been identified for vaccination in the next phase," he said.

02. Tsunami Confirmed After 7.7 Earthquake In South Pacific

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck in the South Pacific has generated a tsunami, the Australian weather agency said on Thursday. "Tsunami confirmed," the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said in a tweet, as it warned of a threat to Lord Howe Island, which is about 550 kilometres (340 miles) east of Australia's mainland.

03. India To Do Its Best To Provide Vaccines To Canada: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday assured his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau that India would do its best to facilitate supplies of COVID vaccines sought by Canada.

04. Dalai Lama Writes To Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Offers Sympathy

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has written to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, expressing his condolences to the families of the people killed in a glacier disaster in Chamoli district of the state. A glacier burst at Joshimath on Sunday triggered an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations. 

05. Hima Das To Be Appointed As DSP: Assam Cabinet

In a moment of sheer pride for the state of Assam, Dhing Express Hima Das will be appointed to the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). This key decision was taken on Wednesday in Assam Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at Dispur.

06. Civil Services Prelims To Be Held On June 27: UPSC

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Wednesday has announced the conduct of the Civil Services preliminary exam on June 27 this year. In an official statement from UPSC read, "CS(P)E-2021 (including IFoS(P)E-2021) shall be conducted as per already declared schedule on 27.06.2021. Detailed Notifications for CSE-2021 and IFoSE-2021 shall be published in due course."

07. 18 Child Labourers Rescued In Darrang

The District Level Task Force in collaboration with 'Bachpan Bachao Andolan' and Childline rescued 18 child labourers in Darrang's Kharupetia on Wednesday. The rescue drive, which was carried under the supervision of Darrang's District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), was conducted in various business establishments in the area including garage, tyre shop, hotel, workshop, tea stall and hardware shop.

08. Shah Likely To Visit Meghalaya In March

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday, during which the top central leader assured him that he would visit the state next month to discuss ways to revamp the North Eastern Council (NEC), an official statement said. Sangma, along with his deputy Prestone Tynsong, raised several issues pertaining to the welfare of the people of the state at the meeting, it said.

09. Centre Nod For Rs 100cr Grant-In-Aid To Assam Company

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday welcomed the Centre"s decision to provide financial support to Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Ltd (BVFCL) for sustaining operation of its urea manufacturing units. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a proposal to give Rs 100 crore grant-in-aid to the state-run company for the operation of its urea making facilities.

10. Meghalaya Health Workers Reluctant To Take COVID Jabs

Amidst the COVID-19 vaccination rollout across India, frontline health workers in Meghalaya are reluctant to take the vaccine jobs. According to PTI, only 27 per cent of the 33,000 beneficiaries have been inoculated. Health Services Director Aman War was quoted saying in the report, "Only 9,017 of the 33,185 COVID-19 beneficiaries in the state have taken the shots, and none has reported any adverse effect following immunisation (AEFI)," adding  many of the health officials "have fallen prey to rumour mills".

11. Kabul: Police Chief, Bodyguards Killed In Bomb Attack

An Afghan district police chief and his three bodyguards were killed and five others were left critically injured after a series of bomb blasts rocked Kabul early Wednesday. Reports suggest the explosions were caused by sticky bombs and remote explosive devices or timer bombs. No one claimed responsibility for the blasts yet.

12. Indian, Chinese Troops Begin Disengagement In Ladakh

After the last round of commander-level talks held between India and China on Janurary, frontline troops of both sides have started the disengagement process at the south and north banks of he Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh starting from Wednesday, the Chinese ministry have stated.

13. Official Inauguration Of Bajali District Held Today

Bajali has officially become the 34th district of Assam. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal attended the inaugurated ceremony where he officially recognized Bajali as a full-fledge district. On January 12, Governor of Assam, Prof Jagdish Mukhi had formally declared Bajali as a district.

14. 13 Maoists Carrying Cash Rewards On Their Heads Surrender In Chhattisgarh

Thirteen maoists, three of them carrying cash rewards on their heads, surrendered before the police in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, an official said. Two women maoists were among those who surrendered before the police, he said.

15. Assam: Man Sentenced To Death For Rape, Murder Of Minor

In a historic judgment, Hojai District Additional Sessions' Court on Wednesday sentenced a man to death for raping and murdering a four-year-old minor girl in Hojai. The culprit, Chandan alias Vikram Harijan, had allegedly raped and murdered the minor girl in February 26, 2020.