According to the latest health department bulletin, the positivity rate has also jumped to 9.55 per cent, amid the festive season and the rise in pollution level.
In a letter to states and Union Territories, Union health secretary Sudhansh Pant underlined that "due to consistent and collaborative actions between the Centre and state governments, we have been able to sustain the (COVID-19) trajectory at sustainable low rates".
Whether you like to be in the midst of the festivities or fly away into some remote destination, we bring you a list of places where you can spend this Diwali.
Gold jewellery demand in India is likely to decline in the second and third quarters of this fiscal due to hike in import duty, high volatility in prices and inflationary pressure, according to a report. While demand is likely to contract by 8 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of FY23, the decline is expected to be higher at 15 per cent in the third quarter due to the exceptionally high base in the same period of FY22, Icra said in a report. According to the report, the exceptional third quarter performance in FY22 was due to the post-Covid reopening of the economy and the substantially high demand in the wedding and festive seasons.
Dharamsala may be a quiet town but its residents prefer the fast-paced Twenty20 version of cricket they often see in the Indian Premier League, with the lack of buzz ahead of the fourth One-day International between India and the West Indies to be played on Friday being a clear indicator.
Rama and Sita entered a wonderful maze of lit streets, and when Bharatha caught sight of them as he ran down the steps of the palace, the whole city was chiming with celebration with this festival of lights. A fascinating excerpt from Vayu Naidu's book, The Living Legend.
In mid-October, travellers from the US, the UK, New Zealand, Canada and Australia were advised by their governments to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to India, citing terror threats.
You can have a traditional Diwali celebration with your family at these special spots.
Unemployment rate in the country has zoomed to a high of 8.3 per cent in December, the highest in 2022, according to data from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The unemployment rate during November was at 8 per cent, while in September it was the lowest at 6.43 per cent and was at the second highest level during the year at 8.28 per cent in August, the CMIE data stated. While the urban unemployment rate was at 10 per cent during the last month of 2022, rural joblessness stood at 7.5 per cent during December.
"US citizens should exercise caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor markets," the State Department said in the travel warning.
India's unemployment rose to a three-month high in March to 7.8 per cent as the country's labour markets deteriorated, according to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Unemployment rate in the country surged in December 2022 to 8.30 per cent but declined in January to 7.14 per cent. It edged up again in February to 7.45 per cent, the CMIE data released on Saturday showed. During March, the unemployment rate in urban areas was at 8.4 per cent while in the rural areas it was at 7.5 per cent.
In a travel alert issued to its citizens travelling to India, the US State Department advised its nationals to be cautious and maintain a low profile during their travel to the country in this period.
The 2019 National Geographic Travel Photo contest is now in its fifth week of accepting entries. The best entries this week include a close-up of a lioness and two bears giving high-fives to one another. The contest is open until May 3.
The system is available for online ticketing now but it will be extended to over the counter sale also as the required software is being readied for the purpose.
Processing fee waived on car, gold and personal loans till December
Hotel companies, which have experienced substantial share price gains in the past six months, are not only expected to post robust revenue growth in the seasonally weak July-September quarter (second quarter, or Q2) of 2023-24 (FY24), with the trend continuing in the second half (H2) of FY24, but according to some analysts, they will also benefit from a structural uptrend in progress. To begin with, larger players in the listed hotel sector are expected to report strong growth in Q2 compared to the year-ago quarter. Led by higher demand from the business segment, the sector is expected to achieve a growth rate of 15-30 per cent.
'When you watch Freedom At Midnight, I want you to feel like you are sitting on a ticking time bomb.'
This special fare offer will be available for sale from August 10 to 14 and for travel between September 10 and April 14 next year.
The Indian Railways must opt for a dynamic fare-fixing system and improve its management and marketing techniques.
While the numbers of fresh COVID cases and active cases are going up, the administration is focussing on testing, contact-tracing and treatment.
Considering the limited available evidence, the additional public health risk posed by JN.1 is currently evaluated as low at the global level, Singh said.
Virat Kohli's men will play 11 one-day internationals, nine Twenty20 matches and three Tests against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka between late September and December.
A day after the city saw huge crowds of mid-night revellers thronging the eastern metropolis's busy Park Street to celebrate Christmas, health experts and doctors cautioned the state government against allowing more such gatherings especially during the New Year festivities
Potters in Uttar Pradesh gear up for brisk business this festive season.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said it's a pity that since switching sides, Scindia has adopted the Modi government's "uncaring attitude" to the public.
The present Puja is as much about having fun as it is tied in with bowing to the Mother Goddess.
A look at the features and prices of top 10 budget QWERTY phones for this festive season.
Bollywood mixes work and travel in perfect ways.
The increase in bookings has also meant a significant reduction in overall costs for the online travel agencies and a consequent narrowing of losses.
The government's second round of stimulus will spur consumer spending in the near term but support to economic growth will be minimal, Moody's Investors Service said.
The reduced fare offer is also available for travel on partner airline Etihad Airways flights
There was something appropriate in the way that Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich celebrated his team's Champions League triumph over Paris St Germain on Sunday. More than 90 minutes after the final whistle had blown on the 1-0 victory, Kimmich sat in the centre circle, in front of 65,000 empty seats at the Estadio da Luz, banging on a drum.
The Odisha government told the assembly over 40,000 workers migrated from the state last year, with the highest number -- 26,151 -- from Balangir.
The customary naadan or home-cooked meal is rather memorable fare.
Budget carrier SpiceJet on Friday triggered off a price war in the aviation industry announcing one-way discounted fares starting Rs 1,999 for travel between September and December this year, prompting IndiGo to follow with a similar offer soon after.
The United States has issued a global travel advisory for its citizens alerting them of possible risks due to increased terror threats from the dreaded Islamic State and other terror groups in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris and Mali.
What should be made out of the Madras high court order involving non-Hindus' entry into Hindu temples, when many non-Hindus are among the hundreds of thousands that have been worshipping at these temples for generations, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
In the longer-term, analysts expect IHCL to see revenue CAGR of 15 per cent between FY23 to FY25 and Ebitda CAGR of 20 per cent in the same period. Analysts are seeing targets of around Rs 375-Rs 380 for the stock, which is a significant upside from the current Rs 313.
The hospitality sector has been hit very hard by the pandemic. In the past 18 months, it has lost business, first because of the harsh lockdowns and after that because of lack of demand due to the ensuing economic slowdown. Most hospitality businesses have sustained low revenues and losses since April 2020. Is this the classic case of a beaten-down cyclical sector that may be close to bottoming out?
