Latest News Live Updates: 18 Dead, 200 Missing In Uttarakhand Glacier Break

Not Against Reforms, But 3 Laws Must Be Repealed: Sharad Pawar's Party

NCP's national spokesperson Nawab Malik on Monday issued a rebuttal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks in the parliament that party leader Sharad Pawar had earlier supported the farm reforms.

Mr Malik said that NCP was not against reforms, but demanded a repeal of the three contentious agri marketing laws.

Citing Sharad Pawar's support for agriculture reforms when he was agriculture minister, PM Modi said in Rajya Sabha, "Those taking a U-turn will perhaps agree with him (ex-PM Manmohan Singh)...Whether they were able to do it or not, but everyone has advocated that it should be done".

Countering the PM, Mr Malik said in a video statement that Mr Pawar had tried to build consensus for a model act when he was agriculture minister (in the Congress-led UPA government from 2004 to 2014).

''Informal'' School By Farmers' At Delhi's Singhu Border Resumes After 2-Week

A makeshift ''informal'' school at Delhi's Singhu border, where farmers have been protesting the new agri laws, has resumed after a two-week break with lesser children, owing to the tense situation following the tractor parade violence on Republic Day.

A group of farmers from Punjab's Anandpur Sahib had in December started the school in a makeshift tent for school going children who had accompanied their parents to the Singhu border protest site and those living in the slums nearby.

Pioneered by writer Bir Singh and advocate Dinesh Chaddha, the temporary school is part of the multiple ''sewa'' practices being offered at the protest site.

Farmers' Protest Features In Advertisement In California During Super Bowl
A 40-second commercial on the farmers' protest in India was played in California during this year's Super Bowl, an annual football championship watched by millions of people across America.The commercial begins with a quote of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr - "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." It also features City of Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer who says in the commercial that "we want you to know - our brothers and sisters in India - that we stand with you."

The commercial, which was aired only in the Fresno county area and not nationally, was posted on social media with several users on Twitter tweeting the commercial. It also mentions that singer Rihanna had tweeted about the farmers' protest in India.

Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been camping at several Delhi border points since November last year, demanding the government to repeal the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

Scientists Ponder Reasons For Uttarakhand Floods

The Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation is investigating the exact reason for the flooding but there are no clear answers yet for a glacier to have melted in the winter.

Punjab Extends Time Limit For Health Workers To Get First Shot Of Covid Vaccine

This was decided at a meeting of the state steering committee for COVID-19 vaccination that was chaired by the Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, according to a government release.

It was decided that the first dose of vaccine, which was to be provided to healthcare workers till Friday, will now be given up till February 19. Those who fail to opt for vaccination by then will be vaccinated with the general population and may not get free vaccination on priority, as per the statement.

The vaccination of frontline workers in the second phase will be completed by the first week of March, it said.

Vaccination For 3.31 Lakh Frontline Workers Begins In Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh health minister Prabhuram Choudhary, who inspected the site to check arrangements, said the frontline workers who will be covered during this drive include police and revenue department staff.

He said 3.31 lakh frontline workers have registered for the vaccine, and the drive will take place four days a week.

India Becomes Fastest Country To Vaccinate 6 Million People: Health Ministry

China Conveys Condolences To Families Of Uttarakhand Disaster Victims

A portion of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Sunday, triggering an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations, leaving at 11 people dead and over 200 missing who are feared dead.

"We have noted that northern India had a massive flood. We want to express our condolences to the victims and sympathy to the bereaved families and the injured," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing.

"Priority Is To Rescue Everyone": Uttarakhand Chief Minister

Efforts Underway To Safely Rescue Those Stuck In The Tunnel: Uttarakhand Chief Minister

Huge Tunnel Rescue Operations In Uttarakhand For Over 30, Day After Glacier Burst
A massive operation has been launched to rescue over 30 people trapped inside a tunnel after a glacier burst in Uttarakhand on Sunday and caused flash floods that left 18 dead and over 200 missing.

A hanging glacier broke away from main glacier: Official

Glacial Calving, Climate Change: What Led To The Uttarakhand Disaster?
What caused the devastating flash flood in Uttarakhand on Sunday, that has killed 18 people and left over 200 missing in the hill state? While experts say it is too early to point out what caused the disaster, different theories have emerged, from the incident being a "glacial lake outburst flood" to an avalanche, leading to debris falling in the river. Environmentalists have blamed the disaster on the rapid pace of development in the region and on climate change. Read Here

We will monitor glaciers through remote monitoring or by setting up posts nearby. If people are alerted in advance then many lives can be saved: Union Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh.

Union Minister RK Singh reaches Joshimath to take stock of the situation in the wake of the flash floods that hit Chamoli yesterday.