Twelve Tablighi Jamaat members, including nine from Thailand, were sent to a temporary jail in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district after they completed their quarantine, police said on Friday.
Railways on Friday ran a special train to ferry 1,200 stranded migrants from Lingampally in Telangana to Hatia in Jharkhand, a first since the lockdown began. "The 24 coach train started at 4.50 am today (Friday)," RPF DG Arun Kumar told PTI. It's the only train to be deployed so far, he added. Incidentally, Friday is also the International Labour Day.
The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country has risen to 35,043. Of this, 25,007 are active cases, 8,889 cured and 1,147 deaths. Maharashtra continues to be worst-affected state with a total of 10,498 cases. It is followed by Gujarat (4,395) and Delhi (3,515).
The Election Commission of India on Friday granted permission for holding elections to the legislative council (MLCs) in Maharashtra before May 27, giving Uddhav Thackeray an opportunity to become a member of the state legislature within the six-month deadline to remain the CM. Thackeray, on the occasion of Maharashtra Day had met governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
The 60th foundation day celebrations of Maharashtra were subdued on Friday due to the coronavirus pandemic with Governor BS Koshyari hoisting the national flag at the Raj Bhavan, Mumbai instead of Shivaji Park in central Mumbai, where the ceremony is annually held. Officers and staff of the Raj Bhavan, personnel of the Mumbai Police and the SRPF were present.Claiming that "drinking alcohol will surely remove coronavirus from the throat", Congress MLA from Sangod, Bharat Singh Kundanpur, has in a letter to chief minister Ashok Gehlot urged the reopening of liquor stores in the state, which have been closed in the wake of nationwide lockdown.
A large number of Kashmiri students stranded in parts of Madhya Pradesh due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown have been waiting for their safe return to the native places. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh recently wrote a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, requesting him to make necessary arrangements for the nearly 400 Kashmiri students stuck in Madhya Pradesh.
Preparations are in their final stage for the opening of the portals of Shri Badrinath Dham on May 15. Snow has been removed from the temple premises and the water and power system restored. Giving special attention to social distancing, wearing masks has been made mandatory, said authorities. The Chardham Yatra is expected to begin soon after the lockdown ends.
The US government, through its aid agency USAID, has announced an additional grant of $3 million to help India combat the coronavirus pandemic. On April 6, the USAID had announced a grant of $2.9 million to India to mitigate the spread of the deadly virus.
The new academic session will begin in universities from September 1 and from August 1 for those already enrolled, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has said in its guidelines on examinations and academic calendar in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pending university exams are to be conducted in July.
US President Donald Trump recalled his visit to India as "a demonstration of our nation's enduring friendship with one of the world's largest and most diverse countries". He said his visit in February "also reaffirmed that India and the United States are committed to building a comprehensive global strategic partnership grounded in shared interests and common purpose, benefiting both of our countries".
Uttarakhand Cabinet minister Madan Kaushik has said that the state government has approved Rs 2.48 crore to boost the immunity of corona warriors against the deadly virus. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in Dehradun on Wednesday.
There are only three clinical trials registered for testing the efficacy of convalescent plasma (plasma from a recovered patient) in treating Covid-19 patients. However, many private hospitals are doing plasma therapy on one-off patients on ‘compassionate grounds’ and publicizing claims of success.
India's Covid-19 cases have crossed 30,000-mark. According to health ministry's latest update, there are a total of 31,332 cases. Of which are 22,629 active cases, 7,696 have recovered and 1,007 have lost their lives.
The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 1,007 and the number of cases climbed to 31,332 in the country on Wednesday, according to the Union health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 22,629, while 7,695 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said. The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals.
The portals of the Kedarnath temple were opened on Wednesday with the first puja performed on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and only members of the shrine's committee and administrative officials attending it amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown.
With 1,543 more Covid-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases has reached 29,435 cases, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.