Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the AB-PMJAY SEHAT scheme for residents of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday via video conferencing, which will provide benefits to 21 lakh eligible people on the basis of Socio-Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011, officials said.

The Prime Minister's Office said on Thursday that the scheme will ensure universal health coverage, and focus on providing financial risk protection and ensuring quality and affordable essential health services to all individuals and communities.

The year 2020 is nearing to an end. However the coronavirus pandemic remains the biggest challenge even in the coming year. Amid this scenario, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is worried that the pandemic can negate the global health progress made during the last 20 years.

The World Health Organisation has stated that next year, along with fighting against COVID-19, countries across the world need to work hard to boost their health care system to fight against various diseases. It has listed out several global health issues that need to be tracked next year.

Union Minister Amit Shah will visit Guwahati and Imphal from December 26 to 27.

Shah will lay the foundation stones for the development of `Batadrava Than` as a cultural and tourist destination, new medical college in Guwahati and nine law colleges to be established across Assam.

A doctor in Boston with a shellfish allergy developed a severe allergic reaction after receiving Moderna's coronavirus vaccine on Thursday, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing the doctor.

Dr Hossein Sadrzadeh, a geriatric oncology fellow at Boston Medical Center, said he had a severe reaction almost immediately after being vaccinated, feeling dizzy and with a racing heart, the NYT reported.

Coronavirus vaccine maker Moderna Inc said on Wednesday it expects that the immunity induced by its vaccine would be protective against the coronavirus variants reported in the UK.

The company said it plans to run tests to confirm the vaccine's activity against any strain.

Copper prices pushed towards multi-year highs on Wednes­day, as investors spooked by the emergence of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus regained their nerve.

Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) traded up 0.5 per cent at $7,784.50 a tonne in official rings, nearing Friday's peak of $8,028, its highest since 2013.

Gold price today fell to Rs 53,180 from Rs 53,610 per 10 gm, while silver price was trending at Rs 66,900 per kg, according to the Good Returns website.

Gold jewellery price varies across India, the second-largest consumer of the metal, due to excise duty, state taxes, and making changes.

The rupee appreciated 14 paise to 73.62 against the US dollar in opening trade on Thursday as sustained foreign fund inflows and hectic buying in domestic equities strengthened investor sentiment.

Traders said the weakness of the American currency in the overseas market also supported the domestic unit.

President Donald Trump along with First Lady Melania Trump set out Wednesday afternoon for a Christmas vacation at their Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida. With a wave to the cameras and reporters outside the White House, Trump and the First Lady boarded the Marine One in Washington, D.C., on their way to Florida.

Earlier the same day, the president vetoed the annual military funding bill over complaints that it did not revoke a law protecting technology companies and would remove Confederate names from military bases.

Paving the way for the development of Rajasthan, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for 18 highway projects in Rajasthan virtually on Thursday.

According to a press statement from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, these projects carry a road length of nearly 1,127 kilometres, involving a construction value of Rs 8,341 crores.

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