Live news: Modi arrives in Varanasi to inaugurate Kashi Dham projects

Latest live news: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has landed in Varanasi, his constituency, to inaugurate the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project, which will connect two landmarks, Kashi Vishwanath temple and Ganga ghats.

Modi will visit the temple at 1 pm and inaugurate phase one of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, constructed at a cost of Rs 339 crore. As Uttar Pradesh preps for assembly elections next year, these works are seen as the ruling BJP’s attempt to showcase its achievements. 

The Omicron coronavirus variant is more transmissible than the Delta strain and reduces vaccine efficacy but causes less severe symptoms according to early data, the World Health Organization said Sunday.

The Delta variant, first identified in India earlier this year, is responsible for most of the world’s coronavirus infections. India’s Omicron cases increased to 38 after five people tested positive: one each in Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala. For Andhra Pradesh and Chandigarh, these were the first cases.