From The Newsroom: BJP promises free coronavirus vaccine to all in Bihar; Sushil Kumar Modi tests positive for Covid-19

In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, BJP promises free Covid-19 vaccine to all in Bihar; Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi tests positive for Covid-19; government conveys to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey its strong disapproval over misrepresentation of the Indian map; Active cases of Covid-19 in India have remained below 10% of the total caseload for the last three days; India decides to restore all existing visas, except electronic, tourist, and medical categories, with immediate effect and BMTC starts another trial run of the electric bus.

Here are the top stories of October 22, 2020:

Union Finance Minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday released BJP's manifesto in Patna for the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

In the manifesto, the saffron party has promised free Covid-19 vaccine to all in the state. It has also promised jobs to 19 lakh people in Bihar.

The BJP drew sharp flak shortly after it released its manifesto.

Taking swipe at the BJP, the Congress mockingly tweeted, “If you had delivered on the promise of 2 crore jobs earlier, then there would have been no need for fresh 19 lakh jobs.”

The RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said that since the BJP had no face in Bihar, it had to ask Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to release the vision document (as BJP’s manifesto is known).

“NDA manifesto promises free vaccine for Biharis. With this poll promise @bjp4india has implied that the citizens of other non-election states will have to pay for the vaccine,” tweeted Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Thursday said that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and was undergoing treatment, while also asserting that his parameters were fine and he was looking forward to hitting the campaign trail soon in the poll-bound state.

Active cases of Covid-19 in India have remained below 10 per cent of the total caseload for the last three days suggesting that only 1 in 10 cases are active coronavirus patients, the Union Health Ministry said

The daily positivity rate has also been maintained at less than 5 per cent over the past three days.

The government has shot off a stern letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, conveying its strong disapproval over misrepresentation of the Indian map, and asserted that any attempt by the micro-blogging platform to disrespect the country's sovereignty and integrity is totally unacceptable.

Earlier, Twitter had shown geo-location of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, People's Republic of China.

India on Thursday decided to restore all existing visas, except electronic, tourist, and medical categories, with immediate effect as part of its strategy to provide graded relaxation in travel restrictions from abroad, eight months after its suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also allowed Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders and all other foreign nationals to visit India for any purpose, except on a tourist visa, to enter by air or water routes through authorised airports and seaport immigration check posts.

BMTC has started yet another trial run of the electric bus as part of the long-delayed process of hiring 300 e-buses.

The 12-metre lenght air-conditioned e-bus, provided by Olectra Greentech Ltd, has 34+1 passenger seats and can run up to 200 to 250 km in a single charge, which takes about three hours.

The BMTC expects that covering relatively long distance without having to go for multiple charge will help in optimum utilisation of the bus. The vehicle also has a provision to support a wheel chair for specially-abled and senior citizens.