Breaking News January 15 LIVE: Top Headlines This Hour

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended an event in Bengaluru where he said, "Under 'Aatmnirbhar Bharat Abhiyan', the govt has recently made several policy changes which you all are familiar with, be it change of Defence Production & Export Promotion Policy (DPEPP) or formulation of new Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP)."

"Public sector undertakings have had an important contribution in socio-economic progress India has made after independence. Be it capital formation, employment opportunities or encouraging R&D, PSUs have played a vital role, " he added.  

"Recently, purchase of Rs 50,000 cr worth 83 Tejas fighter jets has been a big step in this direction. It will generate 50,000 job opportunities. Participation of 500 MSMEs and pvt companies like Tata, L&T and Vem-tech has given boost to synergy of govt and pvt sector, " he said.

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to a leader of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) as a contribution for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at Hyderabad House in Delhi.

Delhi government decides that SII-manufactured Covishield vaccine will be administered at 75 Delhi govt and private hospitals and Bharat Biotech's COVAXIN will be given at 6 hospitals run by the Central government in the national capital.

Government welcomes the Supreme Court order regarding the farmers' agitation. The government will put forth its views before the committee (appointed by the court). We are trying to resolve the issue through dialogue, said Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.

NCP leader Eknath Khadse's daughter Sharda Chaudhari arrives at Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Eknath Khadse also arrived at the office earlier this morning after he was summoned by ED in connection with a land deal in Pune.

Moving car catches fire on Eastern Expressway in Anand Nagar of Thane, Maharashtra. No casualties reported.

Eight lakhs jobs will be created in Kerala. Additional projects worth Rs 15,000 crores will be launched by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, said Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac during his budget speech.

India reported 15,590 new COVID-19 cases, 15,975 discharges, and 191 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry.

• Total cases: 1,05,27,683
• Active cases: 2,13,027
• Total discharges: 1,01,62,738
• Death toll: 1,51,918

Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane joined Army Day celebrations in New Delhi. Here are the highlights from his address:

• You all are aware of ongoing tension with China on northern borders. Regarding conspiracy to unilaterally change status quo on borders, a befitting reply was given. I want to assure the country that sacrifice of bravehearts of Galwan would not go in vain. 
• We are committed to finding the resolution of our disputes through discussions and political efforts but no one should commit the mistake of testing our patience. 
• Around 300-400 terrorists are sitting in training camps near the border to infiltrate into the Indian territory. The number of ceasefire violations went up by 44 percent last year, which shows the nefarious intentions of Pakistan. 
• Last year, the Army eliminated over 200 terrorists near LoC and in counter-terrorism operations. 
• The Army is taking concrete steps towards its modernisation. Under emergency and fast-track schemes, Army procured equipment worth about Rs 5,000 crores and signed contracts worth Rs 13,000 crores in the last year under capital procurement. 

Farmer leaders reach Vigyan Bhawan to hold ninth rounds of talks with the Central government over the new farm laws. "Govt needs to devise a plan to scrap the three laws and give legal guarantee for MSP," said BKU Spokesperson Rakesh Tikait.

BJP fielded former IAS officer AK Sharma in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections

A 44-year-old person, who came in contact with a UK returnee, has tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus in Dehradun, said Dr. Rajiv Dixit, District Nodal Officer for COVID-19.

If BSP forms government in Uttar Pradesh, it will provide COVID-19 vaccine to everyone free of cost, said BSP chief Mayawati. She also said, "BSP welcomes the government's decision to start COVID-19 vaccination drive and requests the Central and state government to provide the vaccine free of cost to everyone across the country."

"BSP will not forge any alliance with any political party for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The party will contest the elections in all Assembly constituencies on its own," she added. 

Delhi court directs UP Police to produce AAP MLA Somnath Bharti in Delhi, issues production warrant for his appearance on Jan 18 in a matter related to a case of alleged assault of security staff at AIIMS, Delhi in 2016. 

A Pakistani intruder was shot dead by the BSF along the International Border in Punjab's Amritsar district, an official said on Friday.The force personnel noticed suspicious activity near the border fence on Thursday evening, said the BSF official.

Sensing threat, troops shot him dead at around 8:30 pm, the official further said.

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac reaches Kerala Legislative Assembly in Thiruvananthapuram to present state budget. 

14 trains are running late in the Northern Railway region, due to fog.

No new COVID-19 cases reported in Mizoram in the last 24 hours. Total number of cases stand at 4,310 including 96 active cases, 4,205 discharges and 9 deaths.