Morning Filter: Mock drill across states, UTs today to test Covid readiness

1. COVID-19: Mock drill across states, UTs A mock drill will be held on Tuesday across a number of health facilities in several states and Union territories to ensure their readiness to deal with any eventuality related to COVID-19, following an advisory by the Centre. The exercise will focus on parameters such as availability of health facilities (covering all districts), capacity of isolation beds, oxygen-supported beds, ICU beds and ventilator-supported beds, and optimal availability of doctors, nurses, paramedics, AYUSH doctors, and other frontline workers, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers. 2. President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate MIDHANI’s wide plate mill President Droupadi Murmu will on Tuesday inaugurate a wide plate mill of state-owned special steel manufacturer MIDHANI in Hyderabad. In a regulatory filing on Monday, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) said the plate mill was installed at its existing facility in Hyderabad at an investment of around Rs 500 crore for rolling of slabs of various alloys. 3. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan to meet PM Modi in Delhi Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, official sources said here on Monday. The meeting is being held at a time when Vijayan’s government is trying to find a way to address the issue of eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) around the protected forest areas in the southern state. Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office here said that the ESZ issue is likely to be discussed during the meeting between Vijayan and Modi as it has caused widespread protests by people living near the protected forest areas. 4. Resolution in Maha assembly on border dispute with K’taka: Shinde Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he would move a resolution in the state assembly on Tuesday expressing solidarity with those living in the contentious boundary region with Karnataka. Shinde also hit out at his predecessor and Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leader Uddhav Thackeray, who had criticised his visit to the national capital and demanded that the Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka be declared as a Union Territory. 5. UP activates administrative machinery to test Covid readiness The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday activated the administrative machinery to test Covid preparedness and management, including conduct of mock drills at medical colleges and hospitals across the state, after two fresh cases were reported from Unnao and Agra. The government, however, said there was no need to panic as the situation in Uttar Pradesh was under control. 6. Mother Dairy to hike milk prices by Rs 2/litre in NCR from Tuesday Mother Dairy has decided to hike milk prices by Rs 2 per litre in Delhi-NCR market with effect from Tuesday, citing rise in input costs. This is the fifth round of hike in milk prices this year by Mother Dairy, one of the leading milk suppliers in Delhi-NCR with volumes of more than 30 lakh litres per day. Mother Dairy has increased the prices of full-cream milk by Rs 2 to Rs 66 per litre, while toned milk rate has been revised to Rs 53 per litre from Rs 51 per litre. 7. Ranji Trophy: Delhi in a mess as all top pacers ruled out Plagued by injuries to its top five pacers and axing of the team’s IPL star Nitish Rana, a shambolic Delhi will start as underdogs in their own den against a formidable Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy Group B clash here on Tuesday. [logo] The Morning Filter 27 DECEMBER 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Morning Filter newsletter, your guide from The Hindu on the major news stories and events to follow today. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Dear reader, We have now made it easier for you to manage your The Hindu newsletter subscriptions in one place! 1. Visit [The Hindu newsletters page]( 2. Click MANAGE tab and then click LOGIN / SIGN UP 3. If you don’t have an account with The Hindu, please click SIGN UP OR If you already have an account with The Hindu with this email ID, please login using the email ID Here are the latest updates and the big news stories to follow today 1. COVID-19: Mock drill across states, UTs A [mock drill will be held on Tuesday]( across a number of health facilities in several states and Union territories to ensure their readiness to deal with any eventuality related to COVID-19, following an advisory by the Centre. The exercise will focus on parameters such as availability of health facilities (covering all districts), capacity of isolation beds, oxygen-supported beds, ICU beds and ventilator-supported beds, and optimal availability of doctors, nurses, paramedics, AYUSH doctors, and other frontline workers, including ASHA and Anganwadi workers. 2. President Droupadi Murmu to inaugurate MIDHANI’s wide plate mill President Droupadi Murmu will on Tuesday [inaugurate a wide plate mill]( of state-owned special steel manufacturer MIDHANI in Hyderabad. In a regulatory filing on Monday, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) said the plate mill was installed at its existing facility in Hyderabad at an investment of around Rs 500 crore for rolling of slabs of various alloys. 3. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan to meet PM Modi in Delhi [Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. File photo ] Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter’s residence in New Delhi on Tuesday, official sources said here on Monday. The meeting is being held at a time when Vijayan’s government is trying to find a way to address the issue of eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) around the protected forest areas in the southern state. Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office here said that the ESZ issue is likely to be discussed during the meeting between Vijayan and Modi as it has caused widespread protests by people living near the protected forest areas. 4. Resolution in Maha assembly on border dispute with K’taka: Shinde Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said he would move a resolution in the state assembly on Tuesday expressing solidarity with those living in the contentious boundary region with Karnataka. Shinde also hit out at his predecessor and Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leader Uddhav Thackeray, who had criticised his visit to the national capital and demanded that the Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka be declared as a Union Territory. 5.  UP activates administrative machinery to test Covid readiness The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday activated the administrative machinery to test Covid preparedness and management, including conduct of mock drills at medical colleges and hospitals across the state, after two fresh cases were reported from Unnao and Agra. The government, however, said there was no need to panic as the situation in Uttar Pradesh was under control. 6. Mother Dairy to hike milk prices by Rs 2/litre in NCR from Tuesday [The scene at a Mother Dairy booth in New Delhi. File. ] [Mother Dairy has decided to hike milk prices]( by Rs 2 per litre in Delhi-NCR market with effect from Tuesday, citing rise in input costs. This is the fifth round of hike in milk prices this year by Mother Dairy, one of the leading milk suppliers in Delhi-NCR with volumes of more than 30 lakh litres per day. Mother Dairy has increased the prices of full-cream milk by Rs 2 to Rs 66 per litre, while toned milk rate has been revised to Rs 53 per litre from Rs 51 per litre. 7. Ranji Trophy: Delhi in a mess as all top pacers ruled out Plagued by injuries to its top five pacers and axing of the team’s IPL star Nitish Rana, a shambolic Delhi will start as underdogs in their own den against a formidable Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy Group B clash here on Tuesday. Interested in Science? Our "Science For All" weekly newsletter takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! 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