DH Evening Brief: April 9, 2022

Here are the top stories this evening.

Covishield, Covaxin precautionary doses price slashed to ₹225 for private hospitals

Bharat Biotech has announced a price revision of its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin from Rs 1,200 to Rs 225 per dose for supply in private hospitals. Read more

US rejects Pakistan PM Imran Khan's allegations of 'conspiracy' to overthrow his government

The US has bluntly rejected Pakistan's embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan's latest allegations of a "foreign conspiracy" plotted in Washington to overthrow his government with the help of the Opposition parties, saying there is "absolutely no truth" to these claims. Read more

60-foot-long steel bridge stolen in Bihar's Sasaram

A 60-foot-long steel bridge was dismantled and stolen by a group of men posing as government officers in Bihar's Sasaram district, police said on Saturday. Read more

RBI survey projects double-digit inflation rate, not 6%

Though the Reserve Bank of India has forecast retail inflation to be under 6% in the whole of the current financial year (2022-23), its own survey conducted last month involving over 6,000 urban households in 19 major cities, including Bangalore, revealed that households fear consumer inflation may move into double-digits in the next three months to one year. Read more

EC does not have to deregister parties, voters to consider impact of freebies on economy, SC told

The Election Commission has told the Supreme Court that offering or distributing freebies either before or after the polls is a policy decision of the political party concerned and whether such a decision is economically viable or would have an adverse impact on the economy is to be decided and considered by the voters of the State. Read more

Approached Mayawati for alliance, offered CM post, but she didn’t respond: Rahul

Accusing Mayawati of “not putting up a fight” in the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said his party sought an alliance with the BSP with the Dalit leader as Chief Ministerial face but she did not respond to the offer, apparently due to pressure from the central agencies. Read more

Meat ban a disservice to the essence of Hindu faith

Building a particular narrative is an arduous task. For if it is neither foolproof nor unbiased, it falls. That is what India is witnessing: the collapse of the secular-liberal narrative, which has too many holes. But the narrative replacing it, the Hindu nationalism, suffers from the same folly too, which has once again been exposed by the decision of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to close meat shops during this Navaratri. Read more

Tamil Nadu prepares for arrival of more refugees as crisis looms large in Sri Lanka

With thearrivalof fourmoreSri Lankan Tamils into the state, the Tamil Nadu government ispreparingitself formorerefugeeshitting the shores of the state. Read more

One pitcher of holy water fetches Rs 1.3 lakh in Bhubaneswar

Some may call it a superstition, some may see it as a business opportunity, the day's first pitcher of holy water drawn from famous Marichi 'Kunda' (pond) located in the Mukteswar Temple here, fetched Rs 1.30 lakh, in an auction conducted on the eve of Lord Lingaraj’s annual Rukuna Ratha festival here.