1. MS Dhoni and His Team Evacuated After Fire Broke Out At Welcome Hotel In Delhi
On Friday Morning, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and all his Jharkhand teammates were safely evacuated after a fire broke out at Welcome Hotel in Dwarka in which they were staying. The incident occurred at around 6 am shortly before the team had to leave for Vijay Hazare Trophy semi-final against Bengal at Palam Ground. All players are safe, however, the match has been postponed until Saturday.
2. Super Saturday For Bharatiya Janata Party
The suspense over who will be named the next Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand will finally come to an end on Saturday as BJP has fixed 18th March for the swearing-in ceremony in the hill state. Uttarakhand BJP chief, Ajay Bhatt said that the oath taking ceremony has been scheduled for 3 pm and the name of the new CM and the ministers is yet to be announced, but preparations are underway, however, it is rumored that Trivendra Singh Rawat, ex-RSS pracharak, could be the next CM of Uttarakhand. As for Uttar Pradesh, All the 312 MLAs of Bharatiya Janata Party and 12 MLAs from allies are scheduled to meet at 5 pm to pick the next Chief Minister of the state.
3. 5000 Nurses On Mass Leave at AIIMS, Emergency Services Affected
Nearly 5,000 nurses went on mass casual leave at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Friday, alleging that the hospital administration of discrimination while rolling out of the Seventh Central Pay Commission. They are further demanding a hike in allowances and revision in their pay scales. A senior nurse at the hospital said, “We have clearly told the administration that if our entire pay grade is not enhanced from Rs 4,600 to Rs 5,400 then we will go on indefinite strike from March 27 onwards”. Enhancement in nursing allowances by Rs 7,800 has also been demanded by them.
4. Encounter Between Indian Security Forces And Militants Underway In Pulwama
An encounter broke out between Indian security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Friday. Militants were reported to have fled the spot and security forces have cordoned off the area. Search operations are underway and no causality has been reported as of now. This encounter comes two days after a clash between the LeT militants and security forces in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, in which three militants were killed and a minor girl died after being hit by a stray bullet.
5. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) Are Tamper-Proof, Says Election Commission
The Election Commission of India issued a statement on Thursday, debunking all allegations of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being tampered with in the recently-concluded Assembly elections, and said, “The machine is electronically protected to prevent any tampering/manipulation”. The statement further provided details about how EVMs are manufactured and function. Since the software used in these machines can not be altered, there is no possibility of data corruption.
6. Nifty Opens At Record High, Rupee Tumbles
BSE’s Benchmark Sensex gained over 200 points during the opening trade, but gave away most of the profits soon after. At 9.30 am, the 30-share index was trading 122 points higher at 29,708.51. NSE’s Nifty, on the other hand, hit another all-time high by going past the 9200-mark during the opening trade at 9,207.80 after gaining 54.10 points. Indian Rupee ended its 4-days gaining spree and tumbled down by 24 paise against the US Dollar and the green currency was valued at Rs 65.65 during the early trade on Friday.