Top 10 Headlines: Piyush Jain sent to 14 days GST Remand; Chandigarh MC Polls & more

BJP, SAD(S) & Amarinder's Party To Form Panel To Decide Seat-sharing; Joint Manifesto Soon

On Monday, Punjab Lok Congress leader Amarinder Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) chief Sukhdev Dhindsa met BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls. Speaking after the meeting, Union Minister and BJP's Punjab election in-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat reiterated that his party, Punjab Lok Congress and SAD(S) will contest the state polls together. Moreover, he revealed that a committee will be formed to finalise the seat-sharing issues and also added that a joint manifesto will be unveiled in the near future. 

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Piyush Jain Sent To 14 Days GST Remand After ₹257 Cr Seizure; DGGI Issues 1st Statement

In a massive development, perfume trader Piyush Jain has been sent to 14 days GST remand after raids at his residence led to the recovery of over Rs 250 crores of cash, 25 kg gold and 250 kg silver by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI). He was arrested on Sunday. The Income Tax (IT) department along with DGGI raided the premises owned by Piyush Jain in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur and Kannauj. During the raid, cash worth Rs 187.45 crore was recovered along with gold and silver amounting to a total recovery of more than Rs 250 crore.

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PM Modi Hails Himachal Pradesh's Development Model; Targets Oppn For 'selfish Interests'

In a big boost for Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur after the by-election defeat, PM Modi hailed the state government's development model on Monday. The PM laid the foundation stone of hydropower projects worth over Rs 11,000 crore and presided over the ground-breaking ceremony of the Himachal Pradesh Global Investors’ Meet in Mandi. Speaking to the huge gathering, he contended that the opposition-ruled states were merely interested in serving the interests of their own families instead of the people. 

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Chandigarh MC Polls: AAP's Raghav Chadha Says 'Chandigarh Is A Trailer, Punjab The Movie'

After emerging as the single largest party winning 14 of 35 wards in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation Elections 2021, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha said that Chandigarh polls is just a trailer and that the Punjab polls, which is scheduled next year is the movie. While addressing a press conference after the victory, Chadha said, "I thank the people of Chandigarh on behalf of AAP and (party convener) Arvind Kejriwal for giving so much love and trust to a small and honest party like ours, who contested elections here for the first time ever. Chandigarh is just a trailer, Punjab is the movie.”

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Kerala Tops Niti Aayog Health Index; UP Ranks Last But Shows Highest Incremental Change

As India monitors the rise of Omicron variant, Niti Aayog released its state health index ranking 2019-2020 on Monday - Kerala tops and Uttar Pradesh ranks last. As per the ranking, Kerala has scored a health index of 82.2, while UP scored 30.57. However, UP is ranked top in incremental performance as it has bettered its performance from 25.07 in 2018-2019 to 30.57 in 2019-20. 

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COVID-19 Booster Dose Will Be Of Same Vaccine As 1st 2 Jabs; 9-month Gap Required: Sources

In an important development, government sources told Republic TV on Monday that the COVID-19 booster dose will be of the same vaccine as the first two doses. For instance, an eligible double vaccinated person with Covishield shall be administered a 'precaution dose' of Covishield itself. This comes even as sources indicated that studies are underway to ascertain whether a fully inoculated person can take the third dose of a different vaccine. 

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Nagaland Firing: Indian Army Inquiry Team To Visit Incident Site In Mon District On Dec 29

In a major development in the Nagaland firing incident, the Indian Army on Monday informed that its inquiry team will be visiting the incident site on Wednesday. The inquiry team will be preset at Tizit Police station in Mon district between 1.30 pm to 3 pm on December 29. As per reports, fourteen civilians were killed in the botched counter-insurgency operation when Army accidentally fired on civilians on December 4 in Oting village in Mon district.

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Anurag Thakur Highlights Various Development Projects Undertaken By PM Modi At Mandi Event

Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development activities, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said 'PM has given a lot to Himachal'. Speaking from the state's Mandi district on Monday where the Prime Minister inaugurated projects worth Rs 28,000 crore, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister added projects which were pending for 12 to 15 years got approved under Narendra Modi's leadership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attended the groundbreaking ceremony for 287 investment projects worth over Rs 28,197 crores in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi to mark the fourth anniversary of the Jai Ram Thakur-led BJP government in the state.

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Sukhbir Singh Badal Lashes Out At 'mental' Sidhu After Latter's 'wear Bangles' Remark

A day after Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu passed a deeply misogynistic remark and asked the Gurdaspur lawmaker to 'wear bangles', Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal lashed out at the the cricketer-turned-politician, calling him 'mental Sidhu'. 

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South Korea Approves Of Pfizer's Paxlovid Antiviral Pill For Emergency Use To Fight COVID

In a major development in the fight against Coronavirus, South Korea approved the emergency use of Pfizer's oral drug on Monday, Korea Times reported. According to the local media outlet, the ministry convened a panel of experts from both within and outside the country to review the safety and efficacy of Pfizer's Paxlovid. Subsequently, the panel submitted the report to the concerned ministry wherein it said that the pill performed satisfactorily when scientists tested it on patients suffering from the highly infectious virus. The safety panel noted that the oral pill is needed to deal with the public health crisis. With the recent approval, Pfizer's Paxlovid became the first such pill to be used in the country. 

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Image: Republic World