˘ˇˇ ˆˇ ˆ ˆ3˛4˚5˜ ˘ 3ˆ

1 ! " # $ !" % & & ' % & $ # ( ( ) * + & , $ -. /.0 12 * 3#1 India s daily Covid countscaled a new peak on Friday,with more than 1 lakh casesreported for the first time thisyear. The case count of 1,17,000is the highest since early Junelast year. Almost all the States led byMaharashtra witnessed a mas-sive surge, but most of the casesare asymptomatic. Many Stateshave now imposed a weekendlockdown to restrict the move-ment of the sweeping Delhi andMumbai, Covid-19 is nowsurging in Karnataka. The Stateon Friday registered a steep riserecording 8,449 new infectionsin the past 24 hours, ANIreported. The new cases per cent higher thanThursday s count of 5,031 people died due to the dis-ease in the past 24 hours, andthe case fatality rate in the Stateis currently per total of 3,007 cases ofOmicron variant of coron-avirus have been detectedacross 23 States and UnionTerritories so far, out of which1,199 have recovered or migrat-ed.)

2 maharashtra recorded themaximum number of 876 casesfollowed by Delhi at 465,Karnataka 333, Rajasthan 291,Kerala 284 and Gujarat s Covid-19 tally hadcrossed the 20-lakh mark onAugust 7, 2020, 30 lakh onAugust 23, 40 lakh onSeptember 5 and 50 lakh onSeptember 16. It went past 60lakh on September 28, 70 lakhon October 11, crossed 80 lakhon October 29, 90 lakh onNovember 20 and surpassedthe one-crore mark onDecember 19. India crossed thegrim milestone of two crore onMay 4 and 3 crore on June 23. The single-day rise incoronavirus infections wasrecorded above one lakh after214 days, taking India s totaltally of Covid-19 cases to3,52,26,386 which includes3,007 cases of Omicron report-ed across 27 States and UTs, according to the Union HealthMinistry data updated onFriday.

3 The country saw a sin-gle-day rise of 1,17,100 newcoronavirus infections, whilethe active cases increased to3,71,363, the highest in around120 days, according to the dataupdated at 8 death toll climbed to4,83,178 with 302 fresh fatali-ties, the data stated. The coun-try last reported over one lakhcases on June 7 last year when1,00,636 infections wererecorded, said an official fromthe Union Health Friday, Delhi recorded17,335 fresh Covid-19 infec-tions and nine deaths. Continued on Page 2 -. /.0 1On the eve of the weekendcurfew in the nationalCapital, the Delhi DisasterManagement Authority(DDMA) on Friday allowed theshops, dealing with non-essen-tial goods, in markets or com-plexes and malls to remain openbetween 10 am and 8 pm on anodd-even basis.

4 Delhi s dailyCovid cases on Friday shot up by15 per cent after 17,335 freshcases were reported in 24 deaths were also reported. shops in markets/com-plexes and malls dealing withnon-essential goods shall beallowed to open on an odd-even basis between 10 am and8 pm. Only one authorisedweekly market (up to 50 percent limit of allowed vendors atnormal time) per day zone shallbe allowed, the DDMA DDMA also directedall district magistrates to num-ber shops under their jurisdic-tions by Saturday to deal withviolations of the odd-even for-mula for the opening of shopsdealing in nonessential items. The DMs and officialshave been asked to ensure thatonly one weekly market isallowed to open in a municipalzone following all Covid pro-tocols, an official its earlier order, theauthority had directed thatshops and establishments deal-ing in non-essential goods andservices, malls and weekly mar-kets would be allowed to openon alternate days as per odd-even system depending ontheir numbers.

5 It has been observed thatthe aforesaid instructions arenot being properly followed bythe shops , malls and weeklymarkets and (it has been)found that shops are openwithout following the odd-even system, said the order. Continued on Page 2 # #-/1 #4 2-. /.0 1 Even as the PunjabGovernment has main-tained that there was no secu-rity lapse during PrimeMinister Narendra Modi s visitto the State, the Punjab Policeregistered an FIR in Ferozepuragainst nearly 150 unidentifiedprotesters who blocked thecavalcade on Thursday, the StateGovernment had announced atwo-member panel to investi-gate the matter and had asked it to submit its report inthree s Chief SecretaryAnirudh Tewari has written tothe Union Home Ministryregarding the security breach.

6 Informing that an FIR hasbeen lodged in the mentioned that the StateGovernment has formed itsown two-member panel toinvestigate the alleged in Punjab said theUnion Ministry of HomeAffairs has sent show-causenotices to some police officialsin the Chief Secretary islearnt to have shared detailspertaining to the sequence ofevents that unfolded onWednesday, sources main-tained. The Union HomeMinistry had directed the StateGovernment to file an immediate report, saying itdid not ensure the incident triggered amajor political row with theBJP alleging that the rulingCongress in Punjab tried tophysically harm the PrimeMinister, while other partiestoo attacked the StateGovernment over the law andorder issue.

7 Continued on Page 2 ! " "# " $ New Delhi:The Indian econo-my remains on track to regainits position as the world sfastest-growing major economyafter official estimates onFriday put the GDP expansionat a tempered per cent thisfiscal amid concerns over theimpact of a resurgent virus onthe fragile growth in the grossdomestic product (GDP) of cent in April 2021 to March2022 fiscal (FY 2021-22) givenby the National StatisticalOffice (NSO) in its firstadvance estimate compareswith per cent expansionforecast by the Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) last economy had con-tracted by per cent in theprevious financial one quarter still leftin the fiscal year, there has beena surge in daily Covid-19 casesin recent days driven by theOmicron variant which is set toovertake Delta as the has prompted freshrestrictions in several parts ofthe country, threatening thefragile economic to the economy stemfrom an Omicron-led thirdwave which may upend growthrevival across sectors, special-ly the contact-intensive per cent growth in2021-22 fiscal, the economywill surpass the pre-COVID level in actual terms, mainly onaccount of improved perfor-mance by farm.

8 Mining andmanufacturing sectors. Real GDP or GDP (grossdomestic product) at ConstantPrices (2011-12) in the year2021-22 is estimated at lakh crore, as against theProvisional Estimate of GDPfor the year 2020-21 of lakh crore, released onMay 31, 2021. The growth in real GDPduring 2021-22 is estimated per cent as compared to thecontraction of per cent in2020-21, as per a statement bythe projection is less thanthe per cent forecast by theInternational Monetary Fund(IMF) and S&P, while Moody sInvestors Service had in recentweeks put India s growth fore-cast at per cent. FitchRatings has projected an percent on Page 2.

9 /.0 1 Beginning January 11, allinternational travellers both from at-risk or not atrisk countries will have toundergo home quarantine forseven days and will be requiredto undertake RT-PCR test onthe eighth day of arrival inIndia amid the rising cases ofCovid-19 and Omicron scare. This comes a day after 125passengers arriving from Italyat Amritsar on chartered flightstested Centre on Fridayrevised the norms for interna-tional passengers coming toIndia and also updated its listof at-risk countries whichincludes countries in Europe,including the UK, South Africa,Brazil, Botswana, China,Ghana, Mauritius, NewZealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania,Hong Kong, Israel, Congo,Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Kenya,Nigeria, Tunisia, and countries added to the listinclude Congo, Ethiopia,Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia,Zambia, and Kazakhstan.

10 As per the new norms,international passengers willhave to submit a self-declara-tion form on the online AirSuvidha portal before theirscheduled travel, includingtravel details of the last 14 per the revised guide-lines issued for internationalpassengers, travellers shall alsobe required to upload results ofrepeat RT-PCR test for Covid-19 done on eight day on AirSuvidha portal (to be moni-tored by the respectiveStates/UTs). If report is neg-ative, they will further self-monitor their health for nextseven days. However, if suchtravellers are tested positive,their samples should be furthersent for genomic testing atINSACOG laboratory norms will remain effec-tive till further , travellers com-ing from countries specified as at risk had to submit samplefor Covid testing post-arrivaland were required to wait fortheir results at the airportbefore leaving or taking a con-necting test should have beenconducted within 72 hoursprior to undertaking the jour-ney.