Over 1.11 crore people have recovered so far in India (Representational)
The total number of cases with the UK, South Africa and Brazil variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the country has reached 795, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday as India is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases. From 400 cases reported on March 18, the infections by mutant strains have increased to 795 in the country.
Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told Rajya Sabha on March 16 that no case of reinfection by mutant variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus has been reported from India so far.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), in the three countries where the pandemic is being driven by the variant mutants of SARS-CoV-2 virus, namely the UK, South Africa and Brazil, the South African and Brazilian variants have the potential to reinfect persons who have been previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, he said in a written reply.
In one of the biggest news of the days so far, the Supreme Court refused to extend the six-month loan moratorium period offered by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last year, saying that it is 'policy decision' on the part of the Centre and RBI. The bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said the top court cannot do judicial review of the centre's financial policy decisions unless they are malafide and arbitrary.
In other big developments, India recorded 40,715 fresh cases of coronavirus taking the tally to 1,16,86,796 cases, the government data this morning showed. 199 deaths in the last 24 hours took the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,60,166 deaths.
Yesterday, the country saw 46,951 fresh infections, the biggest single-day spike since early November. Several parts in the country are witnessing a second Covid wave with authorities putting back restrictions in place to control the spread of virus.
Here are the Latest News Live Updates:
Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, P Chidambaram Among Congress' Star Campaigners In Tamil Nadu
Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and former Union Minister P Chidambaram are among the star campaigners who will campaign for the party ahead of the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu, reported news agency ANI.
The list of 30-star campaigners submitted to the Election Commission of India has names of party leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Manish Tiwari and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah among many others.
Regional leaders like Tamil Nadu Congress president KS Alagiri and MPs A Chellakumar and Manickam Tagore have also been included in the list.
Army Concludes Contract For Procurement Of 17.27 Lakh Service MedalsThe Army on Tuesday said it has concluded a contract for procurement of 17.27 lakh service medals of 17 different types, reported news agency PTI.
For nearly 10 years, the Army was reeling under a shortage of medals from the market as it was grappling with a short supply.
"Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) has concluded a contract for procurement of a total of 17.27 lakh Service Medals of 17 different types," the Army said in a tweet.
Business Advisory Committee Of Rajya Sabha To Discuss Delhi Bill In Parliament TodayThe meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of Rajya Sabha will be held at 9.30 am today, reported news agency ANI.
The Upper House is scheduled to hold a discussion today on a bill that seeks to give the Centre more power over Delhi.
On Tuesday, the House had witnessed repeated brief adjournments during the day following an uproar by opposition parties over the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that Rajya Sabha will sit from 10 am today and would discuss the bill, which was passed in the Lok Sabha.There would be no Zero Hour, Question Hour and Lunch Hour, he added.
Maharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde Tests Covid +ve For Second TimeMaharashtra Minister Dhananjay Munde said he had tested positive for coronavirus a second time on Tuesday, adding that his health was fine.
"There is nothing to worry about. Everyone should wear a mask, follow social distances and take care of themselves," the minister tweeted in Marathi.
Truck Carrying LPG Cylinders Catches Fire In RajasthanA truck carrying LPG gas cylinders caught fire on the Jaipur-Kota highway in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan on Tuesday, reported news agency PTI.
Truck driver Santram Meena was injured in the incident which caused panic in the area. The highway was blocked for several kilometres, the police said.
"It is not immediately clear what caused the fire. Explosion in the cylinders took place after the fire broke out," Jahajpur circle officer Mahaveer Sharma said.
Covid Situation In 19 Bengal Districts "Grim": SurveyThe COVID-19 situation in 19 districts of West Bengal is "quite grim" with a steady rise in infections in these places, according to an internal survey conducted by the state's health department, reported news agency PTI.
"The infection rate has increased from 1.35 per cent to 1.78 per cent between March 15 and March 21. There are 19 districts on the list marked as red," a source said.
Kolkata's infection rate rose to 3.04 per cent from 2.09 per cent during the reporting period, the survey showed.
Meanwhile, the state reported 404 fresh cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, pushing the tally to 5,81,403, the department said.
Man Attacks Journalist During Media Conference Inside Kolkata Press ClubA journalist was on Tuesday assaulted by an unidentified person during a media conference on the premises of the century-old Kolkata Press Club, the police said, reported news agency PTI.
The attacker managed to flee and a probe into the matter was initiated after Press Club officials lodged a complaint with the police.
The incident happened during a press conference organised by the All India Ekta Foundation, a youth organisation.
Telangan Congress Leader Revanth Reddy Tests Positive For Coronavirus
Telangana Congress Working President Revanth Reddy on Tuesday announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19, reported news agency ANI.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Mr Reddy stated that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and that he has isolated himself on the advice of doctors.
He further appealed to all who have been in close contact with him for the past few days to take necessary precautions.
"I have been tested positive for Covid and isolated myself on doctor's advice. Whoever has been in contact from the past few days, please take necessary precautions...," he tweeted.
Punjab To Install Solar Panels In 183 Primary Schools: Minister
To reduce the cost of electricity in government schools of the state, the Punjab government will install 3KW solar panels in 183 primary schools at a cost of Rs. 2.74 crore, reported news agency ANI.
Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla said that the Education Department is making continuous efforts to further strengthen the infrastructure in the government primary schools.
He said that solar energy projects were being set up in 3,214 schools at a cost of Rs. 97.55 crore.
According to an official release, 183 more government primary schools of Ferozepur district will get solar energy with this new initiative.
COVID-19 Vaccination: India Crosses 5 Crore-Mark
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 5 crore mark on March 23, said Union Health Ministry on Tuesday, reported news agency ANI.
According to a press release, a total of 5,00,75,162 vaccine doses have been given so far, as per the provisional report till 7 pm today.
The Health Ministry further said that these numbers include 79,03,068 healthcare workers who have taken the first dose and 50,09,252 health care workers who have taken the 2nd dose, 83,33,713 front line workers (first dose), 30,60,060 front line workers (second dose), 2,12,03,700 beneficiaries more than 60 years old and 45,65,369 beneficiaries aged 45 and above with specific co-morbidities.
Jharkhand Steps Up Security In Districts Sharing Borders With Bengal Ahead Of Polls
As Bengal gears up for Assembly elections in the state, Jharkhand police have stepped up security and put in place necessary precautions in districts bordering the poll-bound state to tackle any possible Naxal violence, reported news agency ANI.
"A border coordination meeting has been held at various levels. Special strategies made with interstate coordination against any possible Naxal activities during West Bengal elections. Tight vigil at the border is being ensured and security will be monitored by drones too," said Jharkhand Police.
Police superintendents of the seven districts of Jharkhand - Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Jamtara, Dhanbad, Sahebganj and Pakur - which share borders with West Bengal, have been instructed to take all precautionary measures in their respective districts.
No new strain of novel coronavirus detected in Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab: Government
No new strain of the novel coronavirus has been detected in Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab and the recent surge in infections in these states are due to SARS-CoV-2 that has been driving the pandemic for over a year, Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
In written reply to a question, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey said that after the detection of variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, the Government of India put in a surveillance mechanism for international travellers and in the community to detect these known variants.
Till March 18, the number of samples testing positive for mutant virus variants is 400 across the country, he said.
"No new strain of COVID-19 virus has been detected in Maharashtra, Kerala and Punjab. The surge in COVID-19 cases witnessed now in these states are due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is driving the pandemic since last year," Choubey said.
Delhi Bill not conducive to democratic functioning: Shiromani Akali Dal leader
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday raised strong opposition over the Bill that seeks to give more power to the Lieutenant Governor in Delhi.
In a statement here, SAD senior leader Daljit Singh Cheema said the party requests the centre to withdraw the bill from the Rajya Sabha "in the national interest".
"The passage of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2021 in the Lok Sabha which proposes to curtail the powers of an elected government is not conducive to democratic functioning," he said, and asked the central government to review it.
He said the SAD will continue to oppose the Bill in the Rajya Sabha.
Ghaziabad administration prepares for upcoming UP panchayat pollsIn preparation for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh panchayat body elections, the Ghaziabad district administration has divided the entire district into 25 zones and 75 sectors and appointed a government official to handle poll-related matters in each of them.
Designated as zonal and sectoral magistrates, these officials were on Tuesday imparted a day-long training to handle poll-related matters and were asked to visit their respective areas and apprise themselves of the ground situation there, Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey said.
They were also asked to identify sensitive polling booths in their areas for the panchayat elections and to submit their reports to the district election office within two days, he said.
They were also asked to keep in touch with each other and coordinate among themselves, he said.
BJP national president JP Nadda on Tuesday asserted that the people of Bengal have decided to vote for his party, which is all "set to put an end to the TMC's politics of extortion".
Mr Nadda, who held a roadshow at Ghatal in Paschim Medinipur during the day, also said that the "BJP, inspired by Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) founder Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, represents true Bengali culture, while Banerjee and her camp only believes in anarchy".
The BJS is the fore-runner of the BJP. The top saffron camp leader, who occasionally flashed the victory sign and sprinkled flowers on supporters, said he was confident that his party would emerge victorious in the assembly polls.
"We will put an end to the politics of extortion practised by the TMC, break the bua-bhatija (Mamata and nephew Abhishek Banerjee) nexus, end the syndicate raj and save Bengali culture. The BJP will build ''Sonar Bangla'' by ushering in ''asol paribartan'' (real change) in the state," he said.
Kerala reports 1,985 cases; caseload now just over 11 lakh
Kerala logged 1,985 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the caseload to just over 11 lakh, while 10 more deaths pushed the toll to 4,517, the state government said.
Recoveries outnumbered the number of cases with 2,172 people being discharged from hospitals, taking the active cases to 23,883.
The total number of infections stood at 11,07,801 and recoveries at 10,78,743, the health department said in a release. Kannur accounted for the maximum of 252 cases, Kozhikode 223, Thrissur 196 and Kottayam 190, while the rest were scattered in other districts.
Rajya Sabha has passed The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021
Offline classes in colleges to continue in Karnataka: Minister
Regular offline classes for college students would continue in Karnataka and semester examinations held as per the time table of universities, Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said on Tuesday.
After chairing a meeting to assess the COVID-19 situation in view of recent spurt in fresh cases in the state, Narayan, who holds the higher education portfolio, said it was decided offline classes will continue with strict implementation of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for COVID-19.
"We discussed the possible impact of the second wave of COVID-19 on the academic activities. The same would be communicated to Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa," he said in a statement, without elaborating. Regular classes in colleges in the state had resumed in November last year after the institutions remained shut for six months due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Karnataka is witnessing a steady rise in fresh COVID-19 cases of late with the daily infections crossing the 2,000 mark on Tuesday after a gap of over three months.
Jammu and Kashmir records 157 fresh COVID-19 cases, 2 more deaths
The COVID-19 tally in Jammu and Kashmir rose to 1,28,679 on Tuesday with 157 fresh cases, including 41 travellers, even as two new fatalities due to the virus were reported in the past 24 hours, officials said.
Out of the fresh cases, 52 were reported from the Jammu division and 105 from the Kashmir division of the Union Territory, they said.
The officials said Srinagar district recorded the highest of 56 cases, including 25 travellers, followed by 39 in Jammu district.
While six districts did not report any fresh case, 10 other districts had cases in single digits.
Gujarat vaccination: Aadhaar requirement dropped for some groups
The Gujarat government on Tuesday allowed those living in destitute homes, old age centres, disabled welfare institutions to get vaccinated against COVID-19 without Aadhaar cards as ID proof.
In a statement, the Chief Minister's Office said senior citizens and those above 45 years of age with comorbidities living in destitute homes, old age homes as well as disabled welfare institutions will be covered in the
state's vaccination drive even without Aadhaar card proof. It said the state government had already decided to cover wandering monks, priests etc without any fixed dwelling or Aadhaar cards under the vaccination drive.
So far 39,36,104 people have been vaccinated in the state in 5,833 centres, with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani fixing a target of covering around 3 lakh beneficiaries per day, the CMO statement informed.
Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill 2021 giving effect to tax proposals for 2021-22.
Committees on subordinate legislation have granted time to frame rules relating to Citizenship Act: Home Ministry
The Committees on Subordinate Legislation of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted time up to April 9 and July 9 respectively to frame rule under the Citizenship Amendment Act, Home Ministry informed the parliament on Tuesday.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) was notified on December 12, 2019 and has come into force with effect from January 10 last year.
"The foreigners covered under this Amendment Act may submit applications for grant of Indian citizenship after appropriate rules are notified by the Central Government. The committees on Subordinate Legislation Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have granted time up to April 9, 2021 and July 9, 2021 respectively to frame these rules," the minister said.
Rajya Sabha adjourned for a second time following protest against bill that seeks to give more power to Delhi Lieutenant Governor.
Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned for 15 minutes as AAP, Congress members protest against bill on Delhi L-G powers.
Odisha reports 113 new COVID-19 cases, tally rises to 3,39,076
Odisha's COVID-19 caseload on Tuesday rose to 3,39,076 after 113 more people tested positive for the virus, a health department official said.
The coronavirus death toll remained unchanged at 1,919 as no new fatalities were reported since Monday. A total of 53 other COVID-19 patients have also died in the state due to comorbidities, he said. Odisha now has 898 active cases, while 3,36,206 patients have recovered from the disease.
Sundergarh district reported the highest spike of 20 new infections, followed by Cuttack (17) and Khurda (14), he said. A college in Cuttack, which has so far reported 29 COVID-19 cases, has been shut down for 10 days, another official said.
France should vaccinate 'morning, noon and evening': President Emmanuel Macron
France should be vaccinating people against Covid-19 "morning, noon and evening", President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday at an inoculation centre amid criticism the immunisation rollout has been too slow.
"We're going to change pace from April," he said, adding there should be "no weekend and days off when it comes to vaccinations".
Citizens of 171 countries can avail e-visa facility in India: MoS Home
At present, citizens of 171 countries can avail the e-visa facility in India, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Parliament on Tuesday.
In a written reply to the question put forth by a BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh, Mr Rai further said that the e-visa facility is granted to nationals of various countries after taking into consideration, inter-alia, the issues of security, inbound tourism and investments, bilateral relations, etc.
"E-visa facility is granted to nationals of various countries after taking into consideration, inter-alia, the issues of security, inbound tourism and investments, bilateral relations, etc. Extension of this facility is an ongoing process," said the minister.
Uttarakhand government asks people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour
The Uttarakhand government has asked people to strictly follow COVID-appropriate behaviour in view of the fresh surge in infections in various parts of the country and the upcoming Kumbh Mela.
This comes days after the Centre had asked the state government to take stringent measures to control the spread of coronavirus during the Kumbh Mela beginning from April 1.
In the light of guidelines issued by both the central and state governments in the past for surveillance, containment and caution, Chief Secretary Om Prakash on Monday asked the district administrations, various state and central government organisations and other stakeholders to take all necessary measures to ensure wearing of face mask, maintaining hand hygiene and social distancing by people.
These measures are also included in the National Directives for COVID-19 Management which have to be strictly followed throughout the state, he said.
No Blood Clot Risk From Covishield, Covaxin: Top Government PanelA high-level government panel has concluded there is no increased risk of blood clotting so far linked to Covishield and Covaxin, the vaccines that India's drug regulator DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India) cleared earlier this year. The assurance comes after several European nations, a few days ago, temporarily paused the rollout of AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot fears.
Last week, leading EU countries said they would resume the use of vaccine as the European medical regulator said the jab is "safe and effective".
Read Punjab's Request To Centre After 81% New Covid Cases With UK Variant
Punjab has requested PM Modi to urgently allow vaccination for younger people. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urgently allow vaccination for younger people as 81 per cent of Covid samples tested in the state showed infection by the UK variant of the virus. The B117 - an extremely virulent form of the virus - is largely affecting younger people and the UK authorities have found that the Covishield vaccine is effective against it, the Chief Minister has said.
Genome sequencing was done on 401 samples from Punjab recently and the results showed 81 per cent samples were of the B117 virus.
No Extension For Loan Moratorium
In one of the biggest news of the days so far, the Supreme Court refused to extend the six-month loan moratorium period offered by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last year, saying that it is 'policy decision' on the part of the Centre and RBI. The bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said the top court cannot do judicial review of the centre's financial policy decisions unless they are malafide and arbitrary.
Loan Moratorium Cannot Be Extended, Says Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to extend the six-month loan moratorium period offered by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last year. The top court delivered its judgement on a batch of petitions on extending the six-month loan moratorium period and waiving interest payments on coronavirus support loans. On March 27, the RBI had announced a moratorium on loan instalments due between March 1 and May 31 and subsequently extended it by three months till August 31, 2020.
The top court also said that a complete waiver of interest during the moratorium period could not be granted as banks have to pay interest to account holders and pensioners.
The central bank had earlier instructed banks and other financial institutions to credit the difference in compound interest and simple interest on repayments of eligible loans up to ₹ 2 crore due between March and August, by November 5 last year.
The loan relief was meant for personal, housing, education, auto and consumer durables loans, loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), besides loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and credit card dues, subject to applicable conditions.
30% Pay Hike Announced For Telangana State EmployeesTelangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) on Monday announced a 30 per cent pay hike for all state government employees and teachers under the 11th Pay Revision Commission (PRC).
The state government has also increased the retirement age of State government employees from existing 58 to 61.
"I am happy to announce the good news to all state government employees and teachers that they will get 30 per cent fitment and to this effect, the orders will be implemented from April 1, 2021," he said.
The new pay hike will be effective from April 1, 2021.
Thane district sees 2,173 new COVID-19 cases, 10 deaths
With the addition of 2,173 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 2,90,616 while ten persons succumbed to the infection, taking the toll to 6,392, an official said on Tuesday.
These new cases were reported on Monday, he said, adding that the district is now left with 16,550 active cases.
The mortality rate in Thane district now stands at 2.20 per cent, the official said.
A total of 2,67,674 patients have recovered from COVID-19 disease so far in the district with the recovery rate of 92.11 per cent.
Germany To Enter Strict Easter Shutdown Due To EasterGermany will enter a strict shutdown for five days over Easter as it fights soaring infection rates fuelled by variants in a "new pandemic", Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday after marathon talks with regional leaders.
As well as extending existing measures including keeping cultural, leisure and sporting facilities shut through to April 18, Merkel and Germany's 16 state premiers agreed a tougher shutdown between April 1 and 5.
Almost all shops will be closed during the five days, and religious services will be moved online over Easter. Only grocers will be allowed to open on Saturday April 3.
"The situation is serious. Case numbers are rising exponentially and intensive care beds are filling up again," said Merkel.
The British variant has become the dominant strain circulating in Germany, she said, noting that "we are in a new pandemic."
"Essentially, we have a new virus...it is much deadlier, much more infectious and infectious for much longer," the veteran leader said.
40,715 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, 13% lower than yesterday; over 1.6 crore total cases, 1,60,166 deaths
Maharashtra Home Minister's Video As Flight Ticket Contradicts 'Alibi'Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, fending off allegations that he had discussed a ₹ 100-crore extortion racket with a controversial police officer at his home last month, has tweeted a video defending himself after the alibi put forth by his party chief Sharad Pawar yesterday raised questions.
Anil Deshmukh is facing calls for his removal after sacked Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh, in a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, alleged that the minister had drafted many policemen into the job of collecting ₹ 100 crore a month and these included Sachin Waze, the officer arrested in the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case. The letter accused Mr Deshmukh of meeting with Sachin Waze at his home around mid-February.
Read As Covid Rises, India's 'R' Factor Highest In A Year. What It MeansConcern over an alarming increase in new coronavirus cases in India - 131,750 over the past 72 hours - was underlined Monday by a spike in the 'R', or 'reproduction rate', of the virus, which has jumped to 1.32 - the highest since April last year, when there were fewer than 27,000 cases.
The 'R' factor - a statistic used worldwide to track, and potentially, control the spread of the virus - is a measure of how many people are being infected by one infected person.
A 'R' of 2.0 indicates that one person with COVID-19 will, on average, infect two others. Each of those two will infect two more (spreading the disease to an average of four people) and so on.
In a pandemic situation the ideal 'R' target is below 1.0, which ensures that the virus will eventually stop spreading because it cannot infect enough people to sustain the outbreak.
Read 
Ahead Of Assam Polls, Tea Industry Body Hikes Workers' Wages By Rs 26The Indian Tea Association on Monday hiked the minimum per day wage of workers by an interim amount of Rs 26. This was after the Gauhati High Court put the onus on raising wages on tea plantation owners. The decision was taken at a meeting of the association's national committee.