A look at the headlines right now:

  1. Centre asks states to reduce Covid-19 vaccine wastage, identify low-coverage pockets: The Centre also advised states to make elected representatives, local influencers, celebrities and religious leaders to encourage the enforcement of containment measures. In the national Capital, authorities said they will conduct random coronavirus testing at Delhi airport and railway stations, of passengers travelling from other states.
  2. Prohibitory orders imposed in Nandigram a day ahead of polls: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be contesting against aide-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari as West Bengal goes to second phase of Assembly elections. In Assam, which is also going to the polls on Thursday,Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah blamed each others’ parties for deaths during protests.
  3. ‘Why was no FIR filed against Anil Deshmukh?’ Bombay HC pulls up former Mumbai police chief: The court was hearing ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh’s petition for a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry against Deshmukh.
  4. Supreme Court-appointed committee on farm laws submits report: Committee member Anil Ghanwat said that the report was submitted on March 19, but refused to divulge its details. Meanwhile, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of the protesting farmer unions said that they will hold a march to Parliament in May.
  5. ‘Time for united struggle,’ says Mamata Banerjee in letter to Opposition leaders: The West Bengal chief minister said that the Opposition parties should chart a plan of action to present a “credible alternative” against the Bharatiya Janata Party.
  6. Brazil refuses permission to import Covaxin, Bharat Biotech says it will fulfil requirements: The decision to import was suspended because of “non-compliance with the requirements of Good Manufacturing Practices for Medicines”. Pfizer-BioNTech, on the other hand, claimed that its vaccine is 100% effective against the coronavirus in 12 to 15 year olds.
  7. World Bank projects India’s growth in 2021-’22 to be in 7.5% to 12.5% range: The financial institution said India was bouncing back from the effects of the coronavirus crisis, but the country was still not “out of the woods”. In a separate report, ratings agency Moody’s Analytics said India’s inflation was at an “uncomfortably high” level and “worrisome”
  8. India falls 28 spots on 2021 Global Gender Gap index to 140th rank: The report said that the estimated earned income of women in India was one-fifth of men’s, which put India among the bottom 10 countries globally on that indicator.
  9. LPG cylinder prices to be cut by Rs 10 from April 1: The reduction comes after four successive hikes which saw gas cylinders getting costlier by Rs 125.
  10. Joe Biden to end Trump’s H-1B visa ban on Wednesday, says report: The H-1B visa is highly sought-after by Indian IT professionals and allows employers to temporarily hire for occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.