The Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) on Wednesday asked Punjab and Haryana governments and the Chandigarh administration to set standard operating procedures and guidelines for the reopening of malls in the region.

In a representation, the SCAI said the ability of shopping centres to enforce protocols is far more efficient than many others who have benefited from the relaxation.

Shiv Sena strongman Sanjay Raut on Saturday ripped into the Bharatiya Janata Party - which he and allies Congress and NCP accuse of engineering Eknath Shinde's revolt - demanding opposition party leaders 'stop bleating like a goat', according to news agency ANI. Raut also warned the rebels - stashed in a luxury hotel in BJP-ruled Assam - that 'the people's patience is wearing thin'.

Scheduled to start next week after a break of two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Amarnath Yatra is expected to witness large participation of devotees including sadhus and sadhvis who have started arriving here from different parts of the country.