Top 10 headlines: Manjinder Sirsa joins BJP; DGCA defers int'l flights amid Omicron scare

Amid Omicron Scare, Resumption Of International Flights Deferred; DGCA To Notify Soon

Amid the concerns over the new COVID variant Omicron, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Wednesday, December 1, said that the decision on resumption of scheduled commercial international passengers airline services to or from India will be notified in due course of time. The circular by the DGCA stated, "Appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course". As the Indian government has tightened international travel guidelines and COVID-19 norms due to the Omicron variant, it is likely the decision to resume international flights in India from December 15 may be delayed.

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Manjinder Singh Sirsa Joins BJP Ahead Of 2022 Punjab Elections

In a massive turn of events ahead of 2022 Punjab assembly polls, Manjinder Singh Sirsa will be resigning from the Shiromani Akali Dal, and join the Bharatiya Janata Party, sources informed Republic TV on Wednesday. The change of party for Sirsa holds relevance as the Punjab elections are just four months away. 

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GST Mop Up In November At Rs 1.31 Lakh Crore, Second Highest Since Rollout

Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections jumped to over Rs 1.31 lakh crore in November, the second highest since its implementation in July 2017, in line with the trend in economic recovery, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday. "The gross GST revenue collected in the month of November 2021 is Rs 1,31,526 crore of which CGST is Rs 23,978 crore, SGST is Rs 31,127 crore, IGST is Rs 66,815 crore (including Rs 32,165 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is Rs 9,606 crore (including Rs 653 crore collected on import of goods)," the ministry said in a statement.

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Ghulam Azad Says Only SC Can Decide On Art 370; Not Sure If Cong Can Get 300 Seats In 2024

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday said that he is not sure if the grand old can win 300 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He also said that only the Supreme court of India can decide on Article 370 which was abrogated in 2019 by the Centre.

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'Golden Boy' Neeraj Chopra To Launch PM Modi's Mission

Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra will visit Sanskardham School in Ahmedabad on December 4 and launch Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mission to spread awareness about balanced diet, fitness and sports. During his meeting with Tokyo Olympians at his residence on August 16, Modi had urged India's Olympians and Paralympians to visit 75 schools each by the 2023 Independence Day and spread awareness against malnutrition and also play a sport with school children.

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Omicron Scare: Union Health Secy Directs Maharashtra To Align COVID Curbs With Centre's

The Centre on Wednesday contested against the guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government for the international passengers arriving in Maharashtra from ‘high-risk’ countries. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to the Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Dr Pradeep Vyas Wednesday asking him to revise the recently announced guidelines as they are against the policy of the Centre. 

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IPL 2022: Punjab Kings Owner Issues Big Statement On KL Rahul's Rumoured Approach By Another Franchise

IPL franchise Punjab Kings is unhappy about K L Rahul leaving the team despite getting "all the freedom" as captain over the past two seasons and says it would be unethical if he has already been approached by a new franchise. Rahul had replaced R Ashwin as captain ahead of the 2020 season and though he did excel with the bat, he failed to take the team to play-offs. He is now linked to new franchise Lucknow and it has been reported that he is set to lead the team owned by the RPSG Group.

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IT Spending In India Expected To Cross USD 100 Billion In 2022: Gartner

IT spending in India is expected to touch USD 101.8 billion in 2022, up 7 per cent from this year, according to research firm Gartner. India's information technology (IT) spending across areas like communication services, data centre systems, IT services and software is expected to grow 10.8 per cent to USD 95.1 billion in 2021 from USD 85.8 billion in the preceding year. Gartner Research Vice-President Arup Roy said, "The digital transformation trajectory that began as a pandemic response is here to stay for the next few years. India has experienced one of the fastest recoveries despite being one of the worst-hit regions in the second wave of the pandemic in early 2021."

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Lok Sabha MP Proposes Ban On PFI, Blames Organisation For 'pre-planning Amravati Violence'

At a time when the PFI is under the scanner of the Madhya Pradesh government, a proposal to ban the organisation was put forth to the Parliament on Wednesday. During the ongoing Winter session, Member of the Lower House of the Parliament Manoj Kotak cited the recent events of violence in parts of Maharashtra over the alleged demolition of a mosque in Tripura, and said that 'it was all panned by organizations like PFI and Raza Academy'.

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Mamata Banerjee Meets Sharad Pawar; Says 'like-minded Parties Should Come Against Fascism'

In her three day visit to Mumbai, West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee met NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai on Wednesday. This comes a day after she met Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. 

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