Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday extended the
new year greeting to the people as the world welcomes 2022. The PM wished joy
and good health to everyone.

“Happy 2022! May this year bring an abundance of
joy and good health in everyone’s lives. May we keep scaling new heights of
progress and prosperity, and work even harder to fulfil the dreams of our great
freedom fighters,” he tweeted.

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PM Modi also shared a clip of the recent episode of
‘Mann ki Baat’, his monthly radio broadcast, in which he had extended his
wishes to people in the new year.

India
welcome 2022 amid restrictions

India at the stroke of midnight celebrated the new
year across the country amid COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions at various
places. India is currently vigilant of a fresh wave of the pandemic due to the
rise in omicron cases.

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Meanwhile, South Africa, where the omicron variant of
the coronavirus was first detected, welcomed 2022 in a frenzy after the
government announced that the country had passed the peak of a wave of
coronavirus infections caused by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Australia and New Zealand lit up with fireworks in
Sydney and Aukland respectively as they welcome the new year.

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In India, the rise in omicron cases forced states to
reimpose restrictions that tamed the new year celebrations. While festivities
have been completely banned in states like Delhi and Karnataka, others have
brought in strict restrictions, such as curfews, to control the spread of the
virus.

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Across the world, as the new year rings in, most
countries are either on the verge of or in the middle of a new wave of
coronavirus infections, courtesy the omicron variant of the virus. While both
the US and UK have been reporting a record number of cases each day, experts in
India believe that the country is on the verge of a third wave.