New cases of coronavirus infection in India were recorded above 23,000 taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,13,08,846, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The COVID-19 active caseload is 1,97,237 which now comprises 1.74 per cent of the total infections.
The recovery rate has increased to 96.86 per cent, the data stated.
A total of 23,285 new infections were registered in a day, while the death count increased to 1,58,306 with 117 daily new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Meanwhile, the Centre is "very worried" about the upsurge in coronavirus cases in Maharashtra, NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul said, adding the virus cannot be taken for granted if the country has to remain Covid-free. The remark comes after the Maharashtra government announced a week-long lockdown - from March 15 to March 21 - in Nagpur, which reported over 1,800 cases in 24 hours.
Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the country, reported 13,659 daily coronavirus cases on Thursday, which is 60 percent of the country's single-day total.
The Union Health Ministry said eight of the 10 cities with the highest number of active cases belong to Maharashtra. They are - Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Mumbai, Amravati, Jalgaon, Nashik and Aurangabad.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga came together this evening in a virtual meeting of the leaders of the "Quad" group of nations. The first summit - seen as part of efforts to balance China's growing military and economic power - will focus on a "free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region" as well as on ensuring affordable and safe vaccine against coronavirus, the Foreign Ministry said earlier. Financing agreements to support an increase in manufacturing capacity for coronavirus vaccines in India are also on the table, a senior US administration official told news agency Reuters. India is the world's biggest vaccine maker. This is the first meeting between PM Modi and President Biden since the latter took over as US President.
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#WATCH: Army personnel help a pregnant woman reach hospital by carrying her on a cot amid snow-covered roads in Kupwara district of Jammu & Kashmir
- ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2021
(Source: Indian Army) pic.twitter.com/s74SINn2xO
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"Very worried about Maharashtra, don't take the virus for granted": Central government
- NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2021
NDTV's Purva Chitnis reports pic.twitter.com/TWG0h1RFaD