HIGHLIGHTS

Following are the top stories at 1.30 pm. LGD5 SC-LD CENTRAL VISTA SC paves way for Central Vista Project in majority verdict New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the decks for the ambitious Central Vista Project, which covers a three-km stretch from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate in Lutyens' Delhi, by upholding the environmental clearance and the notification for change in land use.

DEL21 BIZ-PM-PIPELINE PM's energy roadmap: More than double natural gas share, diversify energy sources New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday set out his government's energy roadmap, envisaging more than double the share of cleaner natural gas in the consumption basket, diversifying sources of energy, connecting the nation with one gas pipeline grid and bringing affordable fuel to people and industry. NATION DEL11 VIRUS LD CASES COVID-19: India records lowest daily cases in over six months New Delhi: India recorded 16,375 new cases of coronavirus, the lowest in over six months, taking the country's COVID-19 caseload to 1,03,56,844, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.

CAL3 WB-MAMATA-SCHEME Mamata stands in queue to collect health scheme card Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday stood in a queue along with other locals in Kalighat area here to collect her 'Swasthya Sathi' smart card from a Kolkata Municipal Corporation distribution centre. DEL22 CENTRAL VISTA-PURI We welcome Supreme Court judgement giving go-ahead to Central Vista project: Puri New Delhi: Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday welcomed a Supreme Court judgement giving a go-ahead to the Central Vista redevelopment project, and asserted that the government has always been sensitive to environmental concerns.

DES5 JK-SNOW Air, road links with Kashmir Valley cut off for second day Srinagar: Kashmir was cut off from rest of the country for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as the arterial Jammu-Srinagar national highway and Mughal road remained closed, while air traffic was suspended due to snowfall across the valley. DES1 RJ-TRANSFERS Rajasthan govt transfers 21 IAS officers Jaipur: In a major administrative reshuffle, the Rajasthan government has transferred 21 IAS officers including three district collectors, 56 IPS and 28 IFS officers in the state.

LEGAL LGD8 CH HC RELIANCE Telecom tower damage: HC issues notice to Punjab, Centre on Reliance Jio plea Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Punjab government and the Centre on a plea filed by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, seeking action against ''miscreants'' damaging its telecom infrastructure and forcibly closing its stores in the state. FOREIGN FGN2 VIRUS-UK-LD LOCKDOWN UK PM orders new stay-at-home national lockdown to fight new coronavirus variant London: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has imposed a new stay-at-home lockdown until at least mid-February to battle through the "critical moment" in the coronavirus pandemic, which has been exacerbated due to a new highly transmissible variant of the deadly virus. By Aditi Khanna FGN15 VIRUS-INDIA-MISRI Pandemic propels India to strengthen itself and step up on global stage: Indian envoy to China Beijing: The coronavirus pandemic has spurred India to strengthen itself to demonstrate that with greater capabilities it would help not just itself but also be a force for good on the global stage, India's ambassador to China Vikram Misri has said. By K J M Varma FGN7 UN-INDIA India will be voice against enemies of humanity like terrorism: Tirumurti United Nations: India will be a voice for the developing world and against the common enemies of humanity like terrorism, India's Ambassador to the UN has said, asserting that the country will use its tenure on the UN Security Council to bring human-centric and inclusive solutions to matters of global peace and security. By Yoshita Singh FGN6 UNICEF-INDIA-BIRTHS At nearly 60,000, India records highest number of babies born on New Year's Day: UNICEF United Nations: More than 371,500 babies were born worldwide on New Year's Day and India is estimated to have recorded the highest number of births at around 60,000, according to the UN's children's agency. By Yoshita Singh FGN14 VIRUS-INDIA-VACCINE Global leaders hail India's scientific innovation, decisive action to combat COVID-19 New York: Global leaders have lauded India's leadership in scientific innovation and decisive action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country gets set to begin the world's largest vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus. By Yoshita Singh PTI IJT IJT