News Breakfast @6

01. Nationwide Bank Strike Continues To Impact PSB Services

Bank strike continued for day-two on Tuesday, led by nine unions of public sector banks (PSBs) in the country, opposing the government's policy to privatise the lenders. Customers will be inconvenienced to get services such as cash withdrawals, deposits, cheque clearances, remittance services. Government transactions related to the treasury as well as business transactions will also be impacted.

02. Congress Responsible For Lack Of Development In Northeast : Adityanath

At a poll campaign rally in Assam's Hojai, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath holds successive Congress government responsible for the illegal influx and lack of development in North East and rise of militancy in Kashmir in the party's quest for power.

03. All England: Sindhu Wins; Srikanth, Kashyap Knocked Out

World champion P.V. Sindhu made an impressive start at the All England Badminton Championships but compatriots Kidambi Srikanth and Parupalli Kashyap suffered early exits after losing their respective opening round men's singles matches on Wednesday. The Indian women's duo of Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy and the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also progressed to the second round with straight game wins.

04. Assam Polls 377 Candidates In Fray For 2nd Phase So Far

Altogether 377 candidates are in the fray so far for the 39 constituencies going to polls in the second of the three-phased Assam assembly polls on April one, state election office sources said Wednesday. A total of 38 candidates have filed their papers so far for the 40 seats in the third phase to be held on April six, according to a spokesperson of the office of the Assam Chief Electoral Officer. Altogether 408 candidates had filed their nominations of which 28 were rejected and three withdrew their papers on the last date of withdrawal for the second phase Wednesday, the spokespersons said, adding reports of withdrawal from districts are still pouring in.

05. Assam Polls: Cong To Empower Housewives

The Congress will empower housewives, ensure women's safety against the rising crime graph in Assam, provide the cushion against inflation and give the self-respect that they deserve if voted to power in the coming assembly poll in the state, AICC spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said on Wednesday. Congress will implement the "Grihini Samman Guarantee" if it comes to power, Shrinate told reporters here.

06. Need To Stop Emerging Second Peak Of COVID: PM To CMs

Expressing concern over a rise in COVID-19 cases in parts of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called for "quick and decisive" steps to check the emerging "second peak" of coronavirus, and stressed the need to seriously follow the "test, track and treat" approach.

07. Nagaland Urges Centre To Resolve Poor Mobile, Internet Issue

The Nagaland government has written to the Centre over poor mobile and internet connectivity in the state, seeking its intervention to solve the crisis, an official said on Wednesday. State Minister for Planning and Coordination Neiba Kronu has written to Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, stating that mobile providers present in Nagaland are not performing well, and connectivity has deteriorated over the last few months, becoming worse day by day.

08. Assam Polls: PM Modi Address Mega Rally In Karimganj On Thursday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his third visit to poll-bound Assam on Thursday to spearhead the BJP Mission 100 Plus campaign. Moreover, the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit at least seven times in the next three weeks – tentatively on March 21, March 24, March 28, April 1, and April 3.

09. 1st South African Variant Of COVID Case Registered In Delhi

Amid the coronavirus scare, another shocking development has come to the surface with a 33-year-old man becoming the first confirmed case of South African COVID-19 variant in New Delhi. The patient has been admitted to the LNJP hospital in the national capital. He was initially asymptomatic, was in isolation, but was brought to the hospital last week where he tested positive for the COVID variant.

10. Assam Polls: Cachar To Have 201 All-Women Polling Stations

In a bid to encourage more women voters in the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, Cachar District administration allocated 201 polling stations as all-women polling stations in the district. Cachar Deputy Commissioner Keerthi Jalli said that from 10 all-women polling stations in the last year, there has been a positive surge in the number of polling stations to 201.

11. Jorhat: 6 Test COVID +VE After Taking COVID Vaccine Shots

In a shocking development ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam, at least five persons in Jorhat district have detected coronavirus after taking the first shot of the anti-COVID vaccine and one more person has been infected despite taking both shots of the vaccine. As per reports, the deputy commissioner of Jorhat, Roshani A Korati confirmed the update where five positive patients have taken one dose of the shot, while, the other patient has taken both shots.

12. Assam Election | 16% Candidates Of Phase-1 Face Criminal Cases: Report

Sixteen percent of the candidates contesting in the first phase of Assam assembly elections have declared criminal cases against themselves, according to a report by-poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The Assam Election Watch and ADR have analysed the sworn affidavits of 259 out of the 264 candidates in the first phase.