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This Article is From Mar 17, 2021

Highlights: 24,492 New Coronavirus Cases, 131 Deaths In 24 hours In India

The total cases in the country rose to 1,14,09,831, while the death count increased to 1,58,856, with 131 fresh fatalities, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed.

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India News Posted by Aditi Ghosh

Updated : March 17, 2021 5:32 am IST

"India has crossed an important milestone in its fight against the pandemic," Ministry said

New Delhi:

India recorded 24,492 new COVID-19 cases, registering more than 20,000 cases for the sixth day in a row, taking the infection tally past 1.14 crore, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

The total cases in the country rose to 1,14,09,831, while the death count increased to 1,58,856, with 131 fresh fatalities, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed.

Registering a spike in cases for the sixth day in a row, the total active caseload has increased to 2,23,432, which now comprises 1.96 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate has further dropped to 96.65 per cent, it said.

As many as 26,624 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours on December 20.

Meanwhile, In its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, India has crossed an important milestone of administering over 3.17 crore vaccine doses, the Union Health Ministry said on Monday. A total of 3,17,71,661 vaccine doses have been given till Monday 7 pm, according to a provisional report.

These include 74,08,521 healthcare workers (HCWs) who have taken the 1st dose and 43,97,613 HCWs who have taken the 2nd dose, 74,26,479 frontline workers (FLWs) who have been administered the 1st dose and 13,23,527 FLWs who have received the 2nd dose of coronavirus vaccine.

Besides, 16,96,497 beneficiaries aged 45 and above with specific co-morbidities and 95,19,024 beneficiaries aged above 60 have taken the first dose.

"India has crossed an important milestone in its fight against the pandemic. In the world's largest vaccination programme, the cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 3.17 crore today," the ministry said.

Here are the Highlights:

Mar 17, 2021 04:59 (IST)

AIUDF eyeing development of Assam, not chief minister's chair: Badruddin Ajmal

Re-affirming that he was not in the race for the chief minister's post in Assam, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal on Tuesday said his party would always "stand for the state's unity and development", and continue to serve its people.

He also said that a news channel has projected him as a CM candidate, despite clarifications given by his party that he was not up for chief ministership.

"It has come to my notice that a particular news channel has been conducting an online opinion poll for the next Chief Minister of Assam. The channel has also included my name in the list. AIUDF has been regularly expressing its unwillingness for the post of CM," he tweeted.

Mar 17, 2021 04:48 (IST)

Karnataka Waqf Board circular says no loudspeakers in mosques, dargahs from 10 pm to 6 am

In an order with far-reaching implications, the Karnataka State Board of Auqaf has issued a circular to all the mosques and dargahs (mausoleums) in the state not to use loudspeakers between 10 pm and 6 am, saying the ambient noise level around these structures has "deleterious effects on human health and the psychological well-being of people".

In the circular dated March 9, the board said, "The loudspeakers shall not be used at night time, which shall mean from 10 pm to 6 am."

Further underlining the "silence zones", the circular said any violation will be liable for penalty.

"The areas comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions and courts are declared as silence zones.

"Whoever uses sound amplifier or burst sound-emitting firecrackers, uses a loudspeaker or public address system in a silence zone is liable for penalty under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act-1986," the circular read.

Mar 17, 2021 04:39 (IST)

Women and Child Development Ministry planning intervention for comprehensive psycho-social care for women facing violence

The Women and Child Development Ministry said it is planning an intervention for comprehensive psycho-social care for women facing violence in convergence with NIMHANS Bangalore.

In a statement, the ministry said the project involves ensuring certification by training of staff at one stop centres who can offer First Line Psychosocial support to women and referrals to mental health services when required with adequate pathways to physical and mental healthcare.

It also includes careful and strict implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) provided by the ministry, especially with regard to psychosocial support and care in one stop centres (OSCs), it said.

The programme also aims to provide mental health care for all women facing sexual assault in a sensitive manner at all touchpoints - police, hospital, justice system, mental health systems.

"Training of nurses, doctors and district mental health program staff in working with violence against women," the statement said.

Mar 17, 2021 04:19 (IST)

Drug seizure case: Kolkata Police seeks info about arrested BJP leader's guards from CISF

Kolkata Police has written to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) seeking information about the guards of BJP leader Rakesh Singh who was arrested in connection with a drug seizure case, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Guards provided by CISF accompanied Singh during his travels and they could provide valuable inputs to investigators about the places he used to visit, the official of Kolkata Police said.

"We have written to them (the CISF office) asking for details about the guards," he said.

Mar 17, 2021 03:30 (IST)

Haryana's financial position better than Punjab, Rajasthan: Manohar Lal Khattar

Making a comparison with Congress-ruled Punjab and Rajasthan, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday claimed that the financial position of Haryana was far better than the neighbouring states.

Responding to a debate on the state Budget in the Assembly, Mr Khattar said though the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted revenue collections yet his government met the committed liabilities like payment of salaries, pension and interest.

Mr Khattar said the focus of the state Budget was on farming and irrigation and asserted that the proposals will be implemented without any discrimination. The Haryana CM dedicated the state Budget to farmers.

Sharing data related to the fiscal parameters, Mr Khattar said the state's debt as percentage of gross state domestic product (GSDP) was 20.25 per cent for the year 2020-21 in comparison to 41.69 per cent of Punjab and 42.70 per cent of Rajasthan.

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Mar 17, 2021 03:08 (IST)

Congress announces list of 21 candidates for Assam polls

The Congress on Tuesday came out with lists of candidates for elections for the upcoming state polls, including 21 for the Assam Assembly elections.

With this, the Congress has announced candidates for 92 seats in Assam.

The party also came out with separate lists of candidates for polls in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry.

For Assam, the party announced a list of 21 candidates, for Kerala six candidates, for Puducherry 14 candidates, and for Tamil Nadu, it named four candidates.

Voting for five assembly elections will begin on March 27, with West Bengal having the maximum eight phases continuing till April 29, while counting of votes for the four states and one union territory will be done on May 2, the Election Commission said on Friday.

The Assam assembly polls will be conducted in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6, while polling for the Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry assembly elections will take place in a single phase on April 6.

Mar 17, 2021 02:26 (IST)

First patient with S Africa variant of COVID-19 confirmed in Delhi

A 33-year-old man, currently admitted at LNJP Hospital here, has become the first confirmed case of COVID-19 caused by the South Africa variant of the novel coronavirus in Delhi, sources said on Tuesday.

He was brought to the hospital about a week ago, and has been kept isolated in a separate unit, a source said.

The LNJP Hospital had earlier also admitted people who had been found positive for UK strain of COVID-19, and after their treatment about two such patients had remained till February end, a senior doctor had earlier said.

Mar 17, 2021 02:07 (IST)

COVID-19: Night curfew to be imposed in 4 major cities of Gujarat till March 31

To contain the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Gujarat government on Tuesday decided to implement a night curfew in "four metros" Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot.

"The four cities will be observing night curfew between 10 pm and 6 am starting March 17. This will continue till March 31," a statement issued by the state government read.

"The pre-night curfew system will be maintained in these four metros till 16 March from 12 am to 6 am," it said.

Mar 17, 2021 01:48 (IST)

Former Chief Minister V Narayanasamy will not contest Puducherry polls

Former Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy will not contest the 2021 assembly elections in the Union Territory, said Dinesh Gundu Rao, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-incharge of Puducherry.

"Former Chief Minister V Narayanasamy will not contest the 2021 assembly elections in Puducherry. He will look after the campaign and election management," Mr Rao told ANI.

The Congress Party released a list of 14 candidates for the Puducherry assembly polls.

Among the key candidates, P Selvanadane will contest from Kardirgamam assembly seat, M Kannan From Indira Nagar, Karthikeyan from Oussudu and Ramesh Preambath from Mahe.

Mar 17, 2021 01:22 (IST)

Parties gear up for April 17 Pipili by-poll in Odisha

With the Election Commission announcing April 17 as the date for by-poll to Odisha's Pipili assembly constituency in Puri district, major political parties in the state on Tuesday said they are well-prepared for the contest.

BJD vice-president Debiprasad Mishra exuded confidence that his party would win the by-election. "Pipili has always been a stronghold of the BJD. There is no doubt that we will win the seat. We are ready for the contest," he said.

Rebuffing the ruling party's assertion, former minister and senior Congress MLA Suresh Routray said people are unhappy with the work undertaken by the ruling party in the constituency.

"People want the Congress to return to Pipili. The constituency was once a Congress fortress. Our party will easily bag the seat this time," Routray said.

Mar 17, 2021 01:07 (IST)

BJP announces nine candidates for Puducherry polls

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released a list of nine candidates for the upcoming Puducherry assembly elections on Tuesday.

Among the key candidates, V Saminathan will contest from Lawspet assembly seat, A Namassivayam from Mannadipet, A John Kumar from Kamarajnagar and PML Kalyanasundaram from Kalapet assembly seat.

Further, J Saravana Kumar will contest from Oussudu assembly seat and Embalam R Selvan will contest from Manavely assembly seat.

Polling for 30 assembly seats in Puducherry will be held on April 6.

Mar 17, 2021 00:57 (IST)

Tamil Nadu logs 867 fresh COVID-19 cases

Tamil Nadu reported 867 fresh COVID-19 cases, 561 discharges, and 5 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the State Health Department on Tuesday.

With this, the total cases in the state have escalated to 8,61,429 including 5,450 active cases and 8,43,423 total discharges.

However, the deaths mounted to 12,556 including new deaths.

Mar 16, 2021 23:20 (IST)

Congress Names Candidates For Puducherry Assembly Polls
The Congress on Tuesday announced names of candidates for 14 seats for the April 6 Puducherry Assembly elections but the list did not contain the name of party veteran and former chief minister V Narayanasamy, reported news agency PTI.

The Congress, which heads the Secular Democratic Alliance in the union territory, was allotted 15 of the 30 Assembly seats while its ally-the DMK- was earmarked 13 constituencies.

VCK and CPI, the other constituents of the alliance, have been earmarked one seat each.

Mar 16, 2021 22:46 (IST)

2.64 Lakh Receive Covid Vaccine Jabs In Maharashtra
A record 2,64,897 people received coronavirus vaccines in Maharashtra on Tuesday, officials said, reported news agency PTI.

This was the highest number of people vaccinated in a day in the state since the inoculation drive began in January, an official said.

The tally of those who have received vaccine reached 31,33,612.

Mar 16, 2021 22:28 (IST)

Scores Of Candidates File Nomination Papers On Day 3
Scores of candidates, including an incumbent minister and a former minister, filed nominations on Tuesday for the April 6 Tamil Nadu polls, with the number crossing 1,200, reported news agency PTI.

Since the nomination process began on March 12, 1,223 people, including 210 women candidates, have filed the papers, according to poll body statistics.

AIADMK leader and Animal Husbandary Minister K Rathakrishnan (Udumalaipettai) and former DMK Minister I Periyasamy (Athoor) were among those who filed nomination today.

Mar 16, 2021 22:14 (IST)

Over 38,000 Vaccinated In Delhi On Tuesday
Over 38,000 beneficiaries, including 19,007 senior citizens, received Covid vaccine shots in the national capital on Tuesday, according to official data, reported news agency PTI.

The number of beneficiaries to get the jabs includes 3,223 people in the age group of 45-59 years, a senior official said.

On Friday, 30,575 people were vaccinated in the city, on Saturday, the count was 39,853, and on Monday, it was 39,742, data released by the health department showed.

On Tuesday, 38,437 people received COVID-19 vaccine shots, the official said.

Mar 16, 2021 22:12 (IST)

Court Acquits Delhi AAP MLA Naresh Yadav Accused Of Desecration Quran In Punjab
A court in Punjab's Sangrur acquitted AAP MLA from Delhi Naresh Yadav on Tuesday in a case of desecration of the Quran in Punjab's Malerkotla town in June 2016.

Mar 16, 2021 21:51 (IST)

There's Need For A Third Front In Country: Sharad Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said that a third front is needed in the country and stated that he is in talks with different parties for the same.

Mar 16, 2021 21:28 (IST)

Mumbai's Covid Surge Continues, 1,922 Cases Today
The surge in coronavirus cases in Mumbai through the month of March continued as 1,922 cases were reported on Tuesday, taking the tally here to 3,47,581, reported news agency PTI.

The figure is a shade below the 1,962 notched up on March 14, which remains the highest daily addition so far for the month.

Since March 3, the metropolis has seen a daily addition in the 1,000 plus range, with the number of active cases soaring from 9,690 on March 1 to 15,263 on Tuesday, BMC officials pointed out.

Four deaths in the last 24 hours took the death count to 11,539, they added.

Mar 16, 2021 21:20 (IST)

Delivery Men Steal Mobiles, Replace Them With Soap Bars: Ghaziabad Police
Seven delivery boys of e-commerce portals were arrested in Ghaziabad's Indirapuram for allegedly stealing mobile phones purchased by customers online, the police said on Tuesday.

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