Delhi confidential: Anand Sharma-led House panel defers Hyderabad, Goa visit amid Omicron surge

Omicron Defers Meet: With the Omicron variant of Covid-19 spreading fast, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home has deferred its week-long visit to Hyderabad and Goa beginning January 6. The panel headed by Anand Sharma is looking into training, modernisation and reforms in police and condition, infrastructure and reforms in prisons. The panel was to visit the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, the Cherlapally Central Jail and the National Industrial Security Academy of the CISF in Hyderabad. In Goa, the panel was to hold separate meetings with officials of Mormugao Port Trust and Goa Shipyard and officers of the Home Ministry on disaster preparedness and security arrangements at the port and shipyard. It was also supposed to hold meeting with officials of state marine police and Coast Guard on the issue of coastal security.

Multi Tasking: Two Indian ambassadors have been concurrently accredited to neighbouring countries as well. Sanjay Rana, a 1996-batch IFS officer, currently ambassador in Bulgaria, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador to the Republic of North Macedonia, with residence in Sofia. Manoj Kumar Bharti, a 1988-batch IFS officer, currently ambassador in Indonesia, has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, with residence in Jakarta.

Reading Campaign: On the very first day of the new year, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will launch a unique campaign. ‘Padhe Bharat’ or the reading campaign will be organised for 100 days – from January 1 to April 10. Children studying in Balvatika up to class VIII will be part of this campaign.