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Amid repeated tussles with governor Arif Mohammed Khan, the Kerala government has put forward a recommendation to the Centre that the state assemblies should have powers to recall the governor.

“In Article 156, an amendment be proposed to give the state government concerned a say in the matter of recall of governor,” the government said in response to remarks by the Justice (retd) Madan Mohan Punchhi Commission appointed to suggest changes in the Centre-state relations.

The government has recommended that the state legislature should be empowered to remove the governor in case of violation of the Constitution, lapses in duty of the chancellor or in taking criminal prosecution procedures.

The Centre has taken "serious" note of a pro-Khalistan group's letter extending support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday as the controversy over the letter created a flutter on the last day of campaigning in Punjab.

The letter purportedly written by the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) in Gurmukhi was forwarded to the home minister by Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi along with a personal note saying the matter was "serious" and compromised the security and integrity of the nation.

Shah in his reply to Channi's letter said that no one will be allowed to play with India's unity and integrity.

The Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has notified guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging, with an aim to eliminate single-use plastics and promote alternatives. The ministry has also laid down roles and responsibilities of producers, importers, brands generating plastic packaging waste, central and state pollution control boards, recyclers and waste processors in minimising plastic waste.

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav took to social media to announce the notification of the new Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022, late on Thursday night. “Taking forward the clarion call given by PM Shri @narendramodi ji to eliminate single-use plastics, @moefcc has notified comprehensive Guidelines on Extended Producers Responsibility on plastic packaging,” Yadav tweeted.

India’s inoculation programme is largely driven by Indian made vaccines.

Even though Russia’s Sputnik and Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine were given a go-ahead by the Indian drug regulatory authority, it was Indian made Covaxin and Covishield that was widely used under the government-run inoculation programme.

But it begs the question as to why Moderna and Pfizer vaccines were not available in India.

For the first time, India’s health minister has revealed the reasons that forced India to rely heavily on indigenous vaccines.

A day after large-scale violence marred the first phase of the panchayat election in Odisha, the governing BJD on Thursday accused BJP of trying to introduce UP and Bihar-style unrest in the peace-loving state.

The saffron party, however, countered the charges by blaming BJD for the incidents and sought a reply from CM and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on the issue. As four journalists of two local TV channels were attacked while covering the election in Puri district on Wednesday, both the parties blamed each other for the attack on media.