The second dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine will be administered to healthcare workers from February 13, the Centre said on Thursday, highlighting that 45 per cent of them have been inoculated so far.
While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 7,409, as many as 764 people have been cured and discharged, and one had migrated, it said. Of the total 273 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 127 fatalities, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 36, Gujarat at 22 and Delhi at 19.
Modi said India has taken an important step forward in protecting its youth population against the disease.
India saw 68,020 new coronavirus cases in a span of 24 hours, the highest single-day rise so far this year, taking the country's COVID-19 tally to above 1.20 crore, according to Union health ministry data updated on Monday.
To help the country emerge as a true welfare State, political parties must put the country's interests first before strategising to win elections and short-term goals, argues Ramesh Menon.
The four doctors are on the run and police have fanned out teams to nab them, a senior police officer said.
His fresh attack came a day after he said the government is coming up with 'excuses' to stop the Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir yatra, which is currently in Haryana and will enter the national capital on Saturday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has denied a Rajya Sabha ticket to popular actor Shatrughan Sinha. Instead, the party accommodated former health minister Dr C P Thakur. "The party has decided that popular leaders should be saved for the party campaign in the Lok Sabha elections," Anant Kumar told reporters when asked why Sinha was denied a nomination.
These states and UTs are Maharashtra (seven districts/municipalities), Telangana (four), Tamil Nadu (seven), Rajasthan (five), Assam (six), Haryana (four), Gujarat (three), Karnataka (four), Uttarakhand (three), Madhya Pradesh (five), West Bengal (three), Delhi (three), Bihar (four), Uttar Pradesh (four), and Odisha (five).
Bird-flu affected West Bengal, meanwhile, faced a potential health hazard on another front amid reports that culling teams were leaving without undergoing the mandatory quarantine.
Rampal Singh defeated his nearest Congress rival Rajshri Singh by over 85,000 votes.
Governors must be impartial, fair, and above narrow politics to uphold the values and spirit of the Constitution. But in a rapidly changing political culture where the unstated rule is to crush the Opposition, such values have no meaning. At stake are Constitutional values, federalism and governance, asserts Ramesh Menon.
Sun Pharma was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, soaring around 6 per cent, followed by Kotak Bank, Axis Bank, IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, Dr Reddy's, Titan and TCS. NSE Nifty surged 121.35 points to 14,617.85.
Thirteen cities of the country had an average Air Quality Index above 400, which falls in "severe" category, with seven of them in Uttar Pradesh, five in Haryana and one in Bihar, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
But the numbers have continued to rise in 23 states including Bihar, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
A military solution to Naxalism is neither possible nor desirable, Dr Binayak Sen, a doctor and an activist, tells Sreelatha Menon, after his release from two years of detention.
Due to a sharp rise in Covid cases, Mumbai's civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, on Thursday imposed a weekend lockdown in the city until further orders.
"To make sure there isn't a Covid surge in the country, PM Modi has asked us to be careful. The government is also preparing if at the Covid cases increase. Today, mock drills are conducted across Covid hospitals in the country to make sure people get proper treatment," Mandaviya said.
Registering a steady increase for the 34th day in a row, the number of active cases rose to 12,64,698, or 9.24 per cent of the total infections.
The drive has begun with Biological E's Corbevax vaccine to be administered 28 days apart. As of March 1, 2021, there were 4.7 crore children aged 12 and 13 years in the country.
The total COVID-19 recoveries have gone nearly up 60 lakhs (59,88,822) now, further increasing the difference with respect to the active cases, it highlighted.
Sharing his experience with his ministerial colleagues while chairing the cabinet meet from hospital through video conferencing, Chouhan said there is no need to panic about coronavirus and it can be controlled by remaining alert.
'Surya Namaskar' is being introduced in the state's educational institutions following motivation by Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev who wants to set up a centre of the Patanjali Yoga Peeth in Madhya Pradesh on 2,500 hectares.
The active cases have surpassed the 12-lakh mark, while the death toll increased to 1,70,179 with 904 daily new fatalities, the highest since October 18, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Around 52.46 per cent of the patients have recovered, the health ministry said. The number of active cases stood at 1,53,178 while 1,80,012 patients have recovered, it said in the daily COVID-19 update.
Saxena, 64, will succeed Anil Baijal who resigned from the post last week citing "personal reasons".
Monsoon revival over weekend likely, but second-half rainfall may be muted. If the rains become scarce after mid-August, the standing kharif crops might be impacted
While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 6,039, as many as 515 people have been cured and discharged, and one had migrated, it said. The total number of cases include 71 foreign nationals.
Codeine-based formulations are under the scanner for misuse as a narcotic product.
42.5 per cent children under the age of five years in the country are underweight as per National Family Health Survey (2005-06.)
The country has recorded over 20,000 cases of the infection for the fourth consecutive day. India went past Russia on Sunday to become the third worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic.
'We cannot leave our entire unorganised sector to the vagaries of market forces.'
While Bangladesh ranked 75, Myanmar and Pakistan are in the 78th and 88th position. Last year, India's rank was 102 out of 117 countries.
The prime minister also praised the Dawoodi Bohras, a sect within Shia Islam known for their trading and business acumen, for their efforts in making the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan a success.
The number of active cases stands at 2,20,114 ,while 3,47,978 people have recovered, and one patient has migrated, according to the updated data at 8 am.
As the country battles the second wave of COVID-19, the government Thursday said the virus may emerge again and so preparations have to be made at the national level in collaboration with states, infrastructure needs to be ramped up while curbs and appropriate behaviour must be followed.
As the COVID wave gradually shifts to rural areas, several states are gearing up to check its spread through self-proclaimed lockdowns by Panchayati Raj institutions, creating a database of migrants and providing free online medical consultation to the sick.
"I would also like to tell judges that do not be afraid and keep going on the path of justice," Modi said.
A study shows that the country has experienced 706 heatwave incidents from 1971-2019.
