LEAD

The entry of women into the armed forces has been a slow process, one that has even required judicial intervention. But at the Republic Day parade on Rajpath Wednesday, women officers, still few in numbers, stole the show.

While several women officers led marching contingents, one of the highlights of the parade was the presence of the first woman pilot of the newly inducted Rafale fighter aircraft.

Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh, posted with the No. 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ Squadron in Ambala, stood on the deck of the IAF tableau as it rolled past the saluting base.

General Bipin Rawat, the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff who died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu last month, and late BJP leader Kalyan Singh who served as UP chief minister at the time of the Babri Masjid demolition have been awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google's Sundar Pichai are among the 17 Padma Bhushan awardees this year. 

Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in India after Bharat Ratna and Padma Vibhushan. 

The Padma honours are given for exceptional service in different fields - art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service. 

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will meet at separate times of a day for five hours each to ensure Covid distancing norms during the Budget Session beginning January 31.

Lok Sabha will meet at 11 am on February 1 for the presentation of the Union Budget and it will meet from 4 pm to 9 pm from February 2 to February 11, when the first part of the session concludes.

During sittings of the Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chambers and their galleries will be used for sitting of members in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Lok Sabha bulletin said.

The death toll from Covid-19 nearly doubled in India during the week ending Sunday, even as the surge in cases began to slow, with infections shifting away from major cities, according to a report.

During the week of January 17-23, India reported 2,680 deaths from the virus, a 92 percent increase from the previous week’s toll of 1,396. The previous week had seen a similar increase in fatalities, despite the fact that in absolute numbers, deaths in the third wave have remained low when compared to the previous two, the Times of India said in a report.

Meanwhile, the Omicron variant has moved the Covid-19 pandemic into a new phase and could bring it to an end in Europe, the WHO Europe director said Sunday.

The Amar Jawan Jyoti at the India Gate was merged with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial (NWM) in New Delhi on Friday. People can now pay their respects at the eternal flame at the NWM, military officials said. However, opposition parties, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, criticised the government's move.

Meanwhile, ahead of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 125th birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that a grand statue of the iconic freedom fighter will be installed at India Gate as a symbol of India's 'indebtedness' to him.

In a ceremony on Friday afternoon, a part of the Amar Jawan Jyoti flame was taken and merged with the flame at the NWM at India Gate. Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Air Marshal B R Krishna presided over the ceremony, the military officials said.