Minister says only strict adherence to the norms will help defeat pandemic
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said in the absence of a vaccine, only strict adherence to the norms of wearing masks, social distancing and maintaining personal hygiene could help in putting up an effective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. He appealed to all the Lok Sabha MPs to ensure that people in their constituencies followed the norms.
Worldwide, 145 vaccine candidates are at the pre-clinical evaluation stage and 35 are undergoing clinical trials. In all, 30 candidates are being supported in India, of which three are at the advanced stages of phase-I, phase-II and phase-III trials, and four are at the pre-clinical trial advanced stages, said Dr. Vardhan, adding that a detailed strategy on vaccine production, storage, distribution and usage had already been prepared.
The Minister said in the past nine months, all the Chief Ministers, officials, non-government and religious organisations and the general public had come together to face the situation, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi provided the leadership.
He said, in his statements in February and March, he had shared the details of the measures taken by the government. Stating the lockdown period was utilised to create the necessary infrastructure, the Minister said against just one laboratory, there were now 1,773 units across the country and as a result, 6.37 crore tests had been conducted so far.
During the pandemic, the government had brought in over 12 lakh people stranded abroad. It provided ₹50 lakh insurance to more than 22 lakh healthcare and frontline workers. About 64 lakh workers and their family members were ferried. The PM CARES Fund was used to buy 50,000 ventilators. Local industries were encouraged to ramp up production of testing kits, PPEs and masks.
To enhance preparedness for future challenges, Dr. Vardhan said genome sequencing of 2,000 viruses had been done and 15 repositories of 40,000 virus had been created to encourage research works.
Earlier, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the government was still not accepting that there was a community transmission. The epidemic could not be prevented but its intensity could have been mitigated by timely and well laid-out strategy, he said. He raised suspicion about under reporting of deaths. He also suggested a separate ministry for migrant labourers.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the Centre did not listen to his party leader Rahul Gandhi’s warning and that it did not make much effort to consult with the State governments and the Opposition, and rather, appeared more interested in toppling the then Madhya Pradesh government.
Mr. Tharoor said the government’s ₹20-lakh crore financial package inspired little confidence. He also raised the issue of mass exodus of workers and job losses. His party colleague Karti Chidambaram also criticised the government’s handling of the situation.
BJP MP Kirit Premjibhai Solanki listed the measures taken by the Centre on the distribution of free food grain, gas cylinders and direct cash transfers to widows, women, senior citizens and farmers, besides relief to migrant labourers and relaxation in taxes and fund infusions for developing health infrastructure and intervention.
Party leader Nishikant Dubey said the House should send a message that everyone — cutting across all parties, ideologies and religions — came together to help each other in addressing the situations arising out of the outbreak. He also requested that the definition of migrant workers be revisited, given that they could not be termed as migrants just because they worked in other States. The same view was expressed by JD(U)’s Rajiv Ranjan Singh.
YSRCP’s B.V. Satyavathi appreciated the Centre’s post-lockdown efforts in balancing the need for saving lives and livelihoods.
However, DMK’s Dayanidhi Maran said the government woke up late and failed to effectively utilise the lockdown period.
“We realised on the 3rd of February that the first case of coronavirus was reported in Kerala. We should have woken up. We should have closed our borders. We should have started the checking. But what did we do? We had ‘Namaste Trump’ event because Trump was coming,” he said.
TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee shared details of the work done by the West Bengal government and raised the issue of GST arrears due to the States. Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant also sought necessary assistance to the States.
Bhartruhari Mahtab (BJD), P. Raveendranath Kumar (AIADMK), Nama Nageswara Rao (TRS), Amol Ramsingh Kolhe of CPI(M), A.M. Ariff and Hasnain Masoodi (J&KNC), E.T. Mohammed Basheer (IUML), Anupriya Patel (Apna Dal), Syed Imtiaz Jaleel (AIMIM), Locket Chatterjee (BJP) and Pradyut Bordoloi (Congress) also participated in the discussion.
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday students cannot be promoted without writing the final year or terminal semester examinations, upholding a July 6 directive of the University Grants Commission (UG).
UGC right to make exams compulsory but states can postpone schedule: SC
However, states will have the liberty to defer such exams beyond the September 30 deadline in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the three-judge bench headed by justice Ashok Bhushan said.
“States cannot promote students based on internal assessment or past performance. If states want to hold exams after September 30, they can approach UGC for the same,” the bench said.
Chinese actions so far have reflected a disregard of various bilateral agreements, says defence minister
New Delhi: Uncertainty over the next round of talks between India and China continued on Thursday amid no let up in the tough statements emanating from New Delhi and Beijing over tensions along their common Line of Actual Control (LAC) border in Ladakh.
In New Delhi, Defence minister Rajnath Singh said no force could stop Indian troops from patrolling regions that New Delhi considers part of its territory. This was in response to questions from MPs in the Rajya Sabha about Chinese troops blocking the movement of Indian patrols within the Indian side of the LAC amid heightened tensions between the two countries.
While China has taken the position that the delicate situation on the borders should be handled in a responsible manner, “it is apparent from Chinese activities that their words don’t match their actions,” Singh said in a statement to the Rajya Sabha.
The minister also said starting a war was in “our hands” but ending it was not – in what may be seen as a warning to China against starting hostilities with India. India wanted to resolve its current border tensions with China through dialogue, the minister said but added that the government would take all steps including difficult ones to secure India’s sovereignty and integrity.
In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stuck to the Chinese position that New Delhi was to blame for the tensions.
The tough exchange came amid question marks over a delay in scheduling dates for the next round of corps commander level talks that were expected this week, following a meeting between the foreign ministers of India and China on 10 September in Moscow. During the ministerial talks the two sides had agreed on five points including “that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side” and that “the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions.”
It was expected that the corps commanders in their sixth meeting, since tensions shot up four months ago, would look at a plan to disengage troops including thousands amassed by both countries just behind the LAC, which would in turn pave the way for de-escalation of tensions.
Arriving at a disengagement plan at the corps commander level talks was seen as a test of Chinese intent to stick to the terms of what was agreed between the two foreign ministers last week.
Troops of the two countries were facing off against each other – with just some hundreds of metres separating the two sides at points — along the north and south bank of the Pangong Tso lake as well as some other areas.
A violent clash between the two sides left 20 soldiers dead on the Indian side and an unspecified number dead on the Chinese side on 15 June in Galwan. And earlier this month, troops from both sides fired in the air on two separate occasions, using firearms for the first time in decades.
On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang put the onus of ensuring peace on India.
“Chinese border troops have always strictly abide by the agreements between the two countries and are committed to safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he said.
“The most urgent task is for India to immediately correct its wrongdoing, disengage from contact on the spot as soon as possible, and take concrete actions to promote the easing of the border situation,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
On his part, Defence Minister Singh said the Chinese actions so far had reflected a disregard of various bilateral agreements.
“As of now, the Chinese side has mobilized a large number of troops and armaments along the LAC as well as in the depth areas. There are several friction areas in Eastern Ladakh including Gogra, Kongka La and North and South Banks of the Pangong Lake,” he told parliament.
If the Chinese side implemented the agreement reached between the two foreign ministers last week “sincerely and faithfully” then it could “lead to complete disengagement and restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he said.
This was a sentiment underlined by the Indian foreign ministry later on Thursday.
The Chinese side should sincerely work with the Indian side for complete disengagement at the earliest from all friction areas including Pangong Lake as well as de-escalation in border areas in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols on maintenance of peace and tranquility in border areas,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said.
“We hope the Chinese side will strictly respect and observe the line of actual control and not make further attempts to unilaterally change status quo,” he added.
Experts believe it would cost India around Rs 100 crore per day to sustain a 25,000-30,000 strong force along a 250-300 km frontage to prevent the PLA from seizing more territory than it has already.
Chandigarh: China appears to have embarked on a battle of financial and military manpower attrition with India, following their unresolved standoff along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, in a bid to ‘beggar and debilitate’ its neighbour without a fight.
Senior security and military officials claim that having steadily occupied territory that India perceives as its own in Ladakh since early May, Beijing has no wish to further escalate the situation. Hence, it is now entwining New Delhi in an ‘inconclusive domain’ it knows only too well: unending talks and negotiations.
After all, for 27 years, after China first ‘persuaded’ New Delhi into accepting the LAC in 1993, it successfully duped successive Indian governments – and its military – into assiduously pursuing all five subsequent confidence building measures to perpetuate the un-demarcated frontier.
Army soldiers stand guard at snow-bound Zojila Pass, situated at a height of 11,516 feet, on its way to frontier region in Ladakh | Photo: PTI
China’s ploy was to buy time and peace in order to significantly augment its overall economic, technological and military capabilities, a goal in which it has been incredibly successful.
Conversely, the arrangement also suited a naïve and weaker India that bought into China’s deceit, as it freed Delhi from expending blood and treasure along the LAC for nearly three decades, and concentrating instead on the threat it faced from Pakistan.
In effect, both sides were content with the slack arrangement around the LAC that India ingenuously believed would one day be delineated.
But, once again under China’s calculated manoeuvring, at a time when the world remains preoccupied with the COVID-19 pandemic, all that slowly changed May onwards. Over four months later, a ‘new normal’ has emerged in its place for India along the LAC, one that will be hugely manpower intensive and costly for an interminable period.
“China is continually engaging India in an endless round of discursive discussions at the political and military levels, but with no serious intent to either disengage or withdraw the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and restore the status quo ante along the LAC that prevailed in April,” said military analyst Major General A.P. Singh (retired).
Indian army trucks depart towards Ladakh amid standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh, at Manali-Leh highway in Kullu district | Photo: PTI
Winter is coming
It’s merely waiting for the onset of winter, around mid-October, to further ‘degrade’ India’s depressed economy already battling recession, but without relinquishing the territory it occupies at present, he added.
General Singh and other army personnel who have served along the LAC in Ladakh estimate that conservatively, it would cost India around Rs 100 crore per day or Rs 36,500 crore annually to sustain a 25,000-30,000 strong force along a 250-300 kilometre (km) frontage to prevent the PLA from seizing more territory than it has already.
This would include a near-permanent deployment during the six winter months till April that are the severest for the troops, and the dearest to financially undertake.
Some analysts, however, believe that a portion of this large sum could be ‘fixed costs’ of pay and allowances and the overall daily amount to sustain the army, somewhat less. But all such evaluations are a work in progress at present and difficult to accurately enumerate, except to state that these would be ‘awesome’.
The cost of erecting habitations to accommodate troops at forbidding heights of 13,000 feet and above in harsh temperatures, averaging minus 20 degrees celsius and an even greater wind chill factor, too, would be additional and enormous.
As would be that to establish heated garages to house vehicles and armaments like main battle tanks, howitzers missile batteries and ammunition, alongside assorted other infrastructure needed to operationalise such a large force.
In the closest such comparison, the daily cost of maintaining a large brigade of some 5,000 personnel along the 76 km-long 17,700 feet high Siachen Glacier that India captured in 1984, is at present around Rs 6 crore a day or around Rs 2,190 crore per year.
File photo of Indian soldiers in Siachen. Photo: India Army via Business Standard
But this is the amount it costs to sustain the Glaciers 102 Independent Infantry Brigade, 36 years after the army has adequately developed the area, rendering it more habitable.
In the process, the cost in soldiers’ lives at Siachen has been unduly heavy.
In July 2018, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) informed parliament that 869 soldiers, including 33 officers, had died in Siachen since 1984 as a consequence of harsh environmental conditions. It further stated that the ministry had spent Rs 7,500 crore to import clothing and mountaineering equipment for soldiers deployed on the Glacier.
Extrapolating this financial yardstick onto the upcoming LAC deployment connotes expending not only massive amounts in making the inhospitable region habitable and stocking it with industrial quantities of rations and fuel for the six winter months, but also equipping over 25,000 troops with Arctic clothing and equipment.
All of this is currently under ‘fast track’ procurement from Europe at high cost, as the deadline for winter is rapidly approaching.
Additionally, the army will need to instantly import hardware like advanced radars to monitor PLA activity, unmanned aerial vehicles – possibly armed – and a host of related surveillance equipment via the special financial powers delegated to the three service vice-chiefs of staff.
This authorises the vice-chiefs to undertake capital acquisitions worth Rs 300 crore, and stores and ordnance worth Rs 500 crore, at one time, without laborious MoD clearances. The army is also seriously considering acquiring light tanks, thereby incurring another huge expense.
Could derail plans to downsize numbers
Meanwhile, a senior army official told The Wire that the additional LAC deployment would also ‘seriously derail’ the forces’ plans to downsize numbers and kick-start its long-deferred modernisation, as all its financial resources would thus be ‘soaked up’ by the Chinese threat.
Last September, the former Army Chief General Bipin Rawat – now the Chief of Defence Staff or CDS – had in an interview remonstrated against having a “Line of Control (LoC) mindset at the LAC”.
He was referring to the 747 km-long ‘and hot’ LoC with Pakistan, manned by thousands of troops from either side, who almost daily exchange mortar and small arms fire.
General Rawat had also stated that the army’s focus would be to create ‘reserves in depth’ to defend more vulnerable areas, and to deploy better surveillance systems that were not. He had in no way anticipated what lay in store for India along the LAC a few months later.
All General Rawat’s assessments regarding the LAC and his declared intent of reducing troop numbers by at least 100,000 to effect savings, now appear to be an apparition.
Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat. Photo: PTI
Creating troop reserves too seems chimerical, as most of these had over the past three months been rushed to Ladakh to bolster the Leh-based XIV Corps. Army formations from across India were also widely deployed along the remaining 2,500-odd km of the equally vulnerable LAC in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and also in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, leaving no reserves.
The Mountain Strike Corps
Senior officers, meanwhile, said that it is also possible that the army will fast-track the raising of the 90,270-strong 17 Mountain Strike Corps (MSC) for deployment along the LAC that was abandoned three years ago due to a resource crunch.
Approved by the MoD in July 2013, for an estimated Rs 60,000 crore, the MSC – comprising two high altitude infantry divisions of around 30,000-40,000 personnel, including Special Forces – had been scheduled for completion by 2021 with its headquarters at Panagarh in West Bengal.
These forces would have been further supplemented by one artillery division, equipped with the under acquisition BAE Systems M777 155mm/39 calibre lightweight howitzers, two independent armoured brigades, assorted helicopter units and corresponding engineering and ancillary support.
In all, the Corps was to have created some 250 headquarters stretching across the 3,488 km long LAC stretching from Arunachal Pradesh to Pathankot in the northwest, and beyond.
Army sources said some 90 of these headquarters had been raised since 2014-15, but only by diverting personnel from existing formations and materiel from the army’s already depleted war wastage reserves (WWR).
This latter move was severely criticised by the parliamentary defence committee in early 2016, which had observed that the existing WWR levels were inadequate to cater to existing stipulated requirements, leave alone provision a whole new formation. “Milking existing resources, which, in some cases, are not fully up to the authorisation (levels), is suicidal” the report had warned.
Equipping the proposed MSC would, once again, entail additional funds, further depleting Indian resources.
In March 2018, for instance, the army had tellingly informed parliament’s defence committee that the marginal increase in its budget for financial year 2018-19 was barely enough to cater to the rise in expenses on account of inflation. It did not even cater for taxes, the army complained.
In conclusion, it appears that Beijing is adroitly pursuing Chinese military strategist Sun Tsu’s oft quoted axiom: to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
New Delhi: A record single-day increase of 97,894 infections pushed India’s COVID-19 tally to over 51 lakh, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 40 lakh on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The total coronavirus cases mounted to 51,18,253, while the death toll climbed to 83,198 with the virus claiming 1,132 lives in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The total recoveries surged to 40,25,079 while the active cases of COVID-19 crossed 10 lakh for the first time.
The COVID-19 case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection was recorded at 1.63 per cent.
There are 10,09,976 active cases of COVID-19 in the country which comprises 19.73 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and and it went past 50 lakh on September 16.
According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 6,05,65,728 samples have been tested up to September 16 with 11,36,613 samples being tested on Wednesday.
New Delhi: The government on Wednesday said there has been no infiltration along the Sino-Indian border in the last six months, while 47 infiltration bids have been reported along the Indo-Pak border during the period.
The Union Home Ministry also informed the Rajya Sabha that 594 attempts of infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistani militants have been reported in the last three years, of which 312 were successful.
Photo Credit: PTI
“No infiltration has been reported along Indo-China border during last six months,” Union Minister of State for Home Nityanad Rai said in a written response to a question.
Replying a separate question, Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said 582 terrorists were killed in Jammu and Kashmir by security forces in last three years, while 46 terrorists were arrested during the period.
As many as 76 army personnel were also killed in Jammu and Kashmir from 2018 till September 8 this year, he said.
Srinagar: The Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has said India’s willingness to play a “big role” in manufacturing COVID-19 vaccine and allow it to supply to other developing countries will be a critical part in containing the pandemic globally.
He said the world is looking to India for large-scale production of COVID-19 vaccine once it is rolled out.
In an exclusive interview to a news agency, Gates, whose foundation is focusing on fighting the pandemic, called it the “next biggest thing” the world has been confronted with after the World War.
Scientists and pharmaceutical companies globally are racing against time to find a vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic which has killed about 9,32,000 people and infected around 24 million.
Some of the vaccine candidates have entered the third and final phase of testing.
Gates said India will be helping to make sure we have equity. We have a model that shows that getting the vaccine out to those who need it the most will save half the lives that you’d lose if you only send it out to the rich countries.
The Microsoft co-founder talked extensively about India’s strength in production of vaccines and referred to companies like Serum Institute, Bio E and Bharat Biotech.
Gates also said that his foundation has been having “great discussions” with India’s NITI-Aayog, adding the ICMR is looking at the regulatory aspects of the COVID-19 vaccines.
He said the focus should be to keep the cost of the vaccines low and it should be ensured that they can be made in very high volume.
Gates also complimented India’s digital cash transfer scheme.
Getting payments through digital cash transfers, that has been a fantastic thing, and obviously, India has done that at a scale that no other country ever has,” he said.
“The whole Aadhaar digital financial system in India has proven to be once again a huge asset,” he said, adding it can be extended to all the countries of the world.(KINS)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singhs statement in Lok Sabha that India is ready to deal with any situation regarding the India-China border tensions has irked Beijing and the hostile neighbouring nation has warned thats it is ready for both peace and war.
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement in Lok Sabha that India is ready to deal with any situation regarding the India-China border tensions has irked Beijing and the hostile neighbouring nation has warned that ”it is ready for both peace and war.”
An article published in China’s state-run Global Times said, “Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed Parliament on Tuesday. Singh bragged of how righteous and brave Indian troops were while emphasizing the importance of peacefully resolving the border crisis to China-India ties. The latter part was the keynote of his speech.”
The Global Times editorial further stated that the Indian military’s moves on border areas have eased these days, which coincided with Singh’s address. “This is the result of strong pressure from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA),’’ the editorial stated.
The article penned by Hu Xijin, who is the editor-in-chief of the Global Times, claimed that increased deployment of PLA troops along the India-China border areas has made the Indian Army feel that engaging in a military confrontation with China is not a good option.
The article stated that “there are different forces in India. Some ultra-nationalist ones stubbornly refuse the easy way and stick to the hard way. When China engages in diplomatic negotiations with India, it must also use the only language those forces could understand – cooperation will last long when it is achieved through struggles.’’
The article concluded by saying, “China should continue to strive for a peaceful settlement of China-India border disputes but must keep its army prepared.” The jittery response from China came after Rajnath Singh said that India is ready to deal with any situation regarding the India-China border tensions.
“I want to assure you that we are ready to deal with any situation. I request this house to pass a resolution that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our armed forces who are guarding our borders to safeguard India`s sovereignty and integrity,” Singh said in the Lok Sabha.
He said that China does not recognise the traditional customary alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the border issue between remains unresolved.
“India and China border issue remain unresolved. Till now, there has been no mutually acceptable solution. China disagrees on the border (issue). China does not recognise the traditional and customary alignment of the boundary. We consider that this alignment is based on well-established geographical principles,” Singh said.
“Both India and China agree that to maintain peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas, it is essential for the further development of bilateral relations,” he added. The Defence Minister said that India has told China through diplomatic channels that the “attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo were in violation of the bilateral agreements”.
“Violent conduct of Chinese troops is a violation of all past agreements. Our troops have done counter deployments in the area to safeguard our borders,” he stated. Singh said that China has mobilised a huge number of Army battalions and armaments along LAC and inner areas. “There are many friction points in eastern Ladakh, Gogra, Kongka La, Pangong Lake`s north and south banks. Indian Army has made counter deployments in these areas,” he said.
The two countries have been engaged in a standoff position since April-May timeframe and the Chinese have refused to vacate areas in the Finger area and other friction points in the Eastern Ladakh area.
(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Parliament Monsoon Session: The Lok Sabha members were tested at the Parliament House on September 13 and 14, sources said.
New Delhi: Seventeen members of the Lok Sabha and eight from the Rajya Sabha have tested positive for coronavirus in the mandatory tests carried out before the monsoon session of parliament started this morning, sources said. Among the infected Lok Sabha MPs, the BJP has a maximum number — 12. The YSR Congress has two MPs, the Shiv Sena, DMK and RLP one each.
Sources said altogether, 56 people tested positive during the RT-PCR Tests conducted in the parliament building complex by September 12. The figure includes officials, media persons and MPs of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
One of the infected MPs, Meenakshi Lekhi tweeted: “After the routine Parliament test for COVID & genome test it’s confirmed that I have tested positive for the virus. I am currently in good health & spirits. I request everyone who has been recently in contact with me to get tested. Together We will fight & defeat Corona.”
The BJP’s Sukanta Majumdar ws the first to tweet his positive status yesterday. “Requesting all those who have come in close contact with me in the last few days to monitor their health and get tested in case of any symptoms,” his tweet read.
Around 200 of the 785 MPs are above the age of 65 years and are among the population vulnerable to coronavirus.
Earlier, at least seven Union ministers and around 25 MPs and MLAs had contracted the disease. Among them was Union home minister Amit Shah, who underwent a thorough medical check-up before the parliament session started.
An MP and several MLAS have died from the highly infectious disease.
The parliament session is being held amid huge safety measures that include staggered seating of the MPs in chambers of both Houses to maintain physical distancing. A mobile app has been introduced to register their attendance and seats in the house have been separated with poly-carbon sheets.
Ahead of the session, all members were requested to get themselves tested for COVID-19.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla told NDTV that a large number of MPs attended the first day’s session. “It shows how strong the roots of democracy are. The coming of MPs even in extraordinary circumstances is a big thing,” added the Speaker, who had sent special covid kits to all MPs.
The kits, provided by prepared by defence research organisation DRDO, disposable masks, N-95 masks, sanitisers, face shields, gloves, herbal sanitation wipes and tea bags to enhance immunity. Each kit also contains a Covid safety manual for the MPs.
New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 case tally crossed 48 lakh with 92,071 new infections being reported in a day, while over 37.8 lakh people have recuperated taking the national recovery rate to 78 per cent on Monday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The total coronavirus cases mounted to 48,46,427, while the death toll climbed to 79,722 with 1,136 more people succumbing to the infection in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The COVID-19 case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection has further dropped to 1.64 per cent.
Photo Credit: PTI
There are 9,86,598 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, while 37,80,107 people have recovered, the data stated.
India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and it went past 40 lakh on September 5.
According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 5,72,39,428 samples have been tested up to September 13 with 9,78,500 samples being tested on Sunday.
Of the 1,136 fresh deaths, 416 were reported from Maharashtra, 104 from Karnataka, 80 from Uttar Pradesh, 74 from Tamil Nadu, 68 from Punjab, 66 from Andhra Pradesh, 58 from West Bengal, 34 from Madhya Pradesh, 29 from Delhi, 19 from Haryana, 16 each from Assam and Chhattisgarh, 15 each from Puducherry, Rajasthan and Gujarat, 14 each from Kerala, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir and 13 each from Jharkhand and Telangana
Twelve fatalities were reported from Uttarakhand, 10 from Odisha, six from Tripura, four each from Goa and Himachal Pradesh, three from Sikkim while Chandigarh, Ladakh, Manipur and Meghalaya have registered one fatality each.
Of the total 79,722 deaths, Maharashtra has reported the maximum at 29,531, followed by 8,381 deaths in Tamil Nadu, 7,265 in Karnataka, 4,912 in Andhra Pradesh, 4,744 in Delhi, 4,429 in Uttar Pradesh, 3,945 in West Bengal, 3,210 in Gujarat and 2,356 in Punjab.
So far, 1,762 people have died of COVID-19 in Madhya Pradesh, 1,236 in Rajasthan, 975 in Haryana, 974 in Telangana, 878 in Jammu and Kashmir, 822 in Bihar, 626 in Odisha, 555 each in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, 469 in Assam, 439 in Kerala and 414 in Uttarakhand.
Puducherry has registered 385 fatalities, Goa 290, Tripura 200, Chandigarh 93, Himachal Pradesh 77, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 51, Manipur 46, Ladakh 40, Meghalaya 26, Sikkim 14, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh 10, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu two.
The health ministry said more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
