India

Over 300 cops injured, 200 detained over tractor rally violence

New Delhi, Jan 27The Delhi Police have detained 200 people in connection with the violence during the Republic Day tractor rally by farmers protesting against the Centre's three contentious farm laws passed in September.More than 300 policemen were injured in the violence, which took place mostly in and around Mukarba Chowk, Gazipur, ITO, Seemapuri, Nangloi T-Point, Tikri Border and the Red Fort. Baricades were broken at Ghazipur, Tikri and Singhu borders, Delhi Police said. Twenty-two cases have ..

Over 20 lakh people vaccinated so far: Centre

New Delhi, Jan 27Over 20 lakh healthcare workers across the country have received COVID-19 vaccine jabs till Tuesday evening, as per provisional reports, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.The Ministry said that on the eleventh day of the nationwide immunisation drive, 5,615 beneficiaries were vaccinated till 7 pm in five States -- Tamil Nadu (4926), Karnataka (429), Rajasthan (216), Telangana (35) and Andhra Pradesh (9) -- through 194 sessions."The cumulative number of healthcare workers vaccinated ..

Amit Shah says Bodoland win a trailer for Assam polls

Kokrajhar/Nalbari, Jan 24The BJP, with its allies, will form the next Assam Government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said today, promising to make the State "violence-free", "infiltrator-free", and "flood-free". He based his forecast on the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) victory his party scored last December in alliance with the hardliner United People's Party Liberal (UPPL). Speaking in Kokrajhar today, he also reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on ensuring the political and ..

Need to defeat "Network of lies" on Covid vaccine : PM

New Delhi, Jan 24 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Indian scientists have done their duty by developing the COVID-19 vaccine and "now we have to fulfill ours" by defeating through the right information every network spreading lies and rumours.A..

‘Over 16 lakh healthcare workers vaccinated till now’

New Delhi, Jan 24Over 16 lakh healthcare workers have been vaccinated against the deadly coronavirus till now, the Government said today in a statement.Over 31,000 people were vaccinated in five States today till 7.30 pm, the Centre said.Karnataka has the..

Modi likely to receive vaccine shot in second phase

New Delhi, Jan 21 Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to take the Covid-19 vaccine shot in the second phase of the inoculation drive when it will be administered to those above 50 years of age and people with co-morbidities, sources told The Indian Express on Thursday.The Prime Minister kicked off the Nationwide Covid-19 vaccination programme via video conferencing Saturday, as he congratulated India and the country’s scientists and researchers for developing two vaccines in such a short ..

PM Modi greets

NEW DELHI, Jan 21 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday greeted the people of Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya on their Statehood days and offered his best wishes to them."Statehood day greetings to the people of Manipur, India is proud of its contribu..

Covid vaccine : What are common, uncommon side effects ?

NEW DELHI, Jan 19 On January 16, India launched world's largest vaccination drive against Covid-19, targeting healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase. According to Health Ministry, a total of 3,81,305 people were vaccinated till Monday and 580 adverse events following vaccination were reported.Side effects, adverse events, adverse reactions or adverse drug reactions are often used interchangeably, but they do not mean the same. TOI takes a look.SIDE EFFECTS: Side effects of a drug/vaccine ..

China has built village in ArP, satellite images show

New Delhi, Jan 18 China has constructed a new village in Arunachal Pradesh, consisting of about 101 homes, show satellite images accessed exclusively by NDTV. The same images, dated November 1, 2020, have been analysed by several experts approached by NDTV, who confirmed that the construction, approximately 4.5 kms within Indian territory of the de facto border, will be of huge concern to India.The village, located on the banks of the River Tsari Chu, lies in the Upper Subansiri district, an area ..

Over 17,000 vaccinated on Day 2 of inoculation drive Adverse reactions minor : Health Ministry

New Delhi, Jan 17 Over 17,000 people were vaccinated across 553 sites in six States on Day 2 of India's coronavirus vaccination drive, the Health Ministry said Sunday evening, adding that the number who had received at least one shot was around 2.24 lakh. The six States that conducted vaccinations today were Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur and Tamil Nadu.On Saturday (Day 1) 1.91 lakh were vaccinated at 3,006 sites across India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched ..

Take both shots with 1-month gap, don’t forget Covid protocol: PM Modi

New Delhi, Jan 16Launching India’s massive coronavirus vaccination drive Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the importance of taking both doses of the vaccine, with a month-long gap between the two. He also urged people to strictly o..

Over 3 lakhs to get vaccine shots on Day I

NEW DELHI, Jan 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually launch India's vaccination drive against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on Saturday as around 100 beneficiaries will be vaccinated at over 3,000 session sites across the country, the gove..

India sees 15,968 new Covid cases, 1.04 crore total cases

New Delhi, Jan 13As first batch of thousands of doses of coronavirus vaccines reach different parts of the country, India saw a jump of 15,968 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, nearly 26 per cent higher than yesterday's 12,584. More than 1.01 crore Covid patients have already recovered since the beginning of the pandemic; 2.14 lakh cases are active. Yesterday, the Government urged people to continue to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour ahead of the start of countrywide vaccine rollout, set to ..

6 more test positive for UK variant of Covid

New Delhi, Jan 13The number of people who have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India has climbed to 102, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.The total number of UK returnees having tested positive for the mutant virus in India wa..

Covid vaccine flights begin to take off from Pune to meet January 16 vaccination drive Domestic carriers start flying Covishield doses to cities across the country

New Delhi, Jan 12India’s first Covid-19 vaccine consignments were shipped from Pune early on Tuesday—with 56.5 lakh doses expected to be transported during the day by Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir, and IndiGo.The first flight carrying Serum Institute of India’s Covishield vaccine was SpiceJet’s SG8937 that left for Delhi carrying 34 boxes weighing 1,088 kg—just after 8 am on Tuesday. Shortly after the SpiceJet flight departed, GoAir’s flight G8-904 left for Chennai ..

SC puts on hold 3 Farm Laws, sets up committee to resolve impasse

New Delhi, Jan 12In a big setback to the Centre, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of controversial new Farm Laws till further orders and ordered the setting up of a committee.The big development came a day after the Supreme Court rap..

Army looks to cut troops deployment in NE

New Delhi, Jan 12The Army is planning to gradually reduce the number of troops deployed for internal security duties in the North East, but is not contemplating moving soldiers out of Jammu and Kashmir because of the prevailing terror situation in the Uni..

Centre to bear expenses for first round of Covid-19 vaccination : PM Modi

NEW DELHI, Jan 11 Central Government will bear the total cost of immunising over 3 crore people with covid-19 vaccines in the first phase of vaccination drive starting from January 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. The Prime Minister said that State Governments will not have to bear any cost towards vaccinating these priority groups in the first stage.Chief Minister N Biren also attended the video conference which was also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.The Prime Minister ..

Farm Laws may be stayed until deadlock resolved : SC

New Delhi, Jan 11 The Supreme Court Monday hinted that it could stay the implementation of the three contentious Farm Laws as it came down heavily on the Government for insisting on continuing with the legislations despite the farmers’ protest.A bench led by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde told senior Government law officers—Attorney General KK Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta—that the Government had failed to hold effective negotiations with the protesting farmers, and ..

Oxford vaccine costs Rs 200 a vial Purchase order likely today : Sources

New Delhi, Jan 11 The Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) will be priced at Rs 200 a vial after a price agreement was arrived at with the Government, sources have said.  The first 100 million doses will be priced Rs ..

ToI headline becomes online blockbuster

NEW DELHI, Jan 10 The Times of India headline on the assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters — “Coup Klux Klan : Don Triggers Mob & Rob Bid” — has become a rage on social media. Thousands of tweeple said it was the most apt headline for the insurrection— using words like “awesome, amazing, epic, brilliant, excellent, outstanding, the most dramatic, the truest, clever and chillingly accurate, nailed it”—while others said it was already a leading ..

Covid-19 vaccination drive to begin from Jan 16

NEW DELHI, Jan 9The Centre said on Saturday the Covid-19 vaccination drive would begin in the country on January 16 when nearly 30 million healthcare and frontline workers will be innoculated, followed by those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities."The roll-out of Covid-19 vaccine will provide priority to the healthcare workers and the frontline workers who are estimated to be around 3 cr, followed by those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups ..

Bird Flu confirmed in seven States

NEW DELHI, Jan 9: Central Government on Saturday issued status report of avian influenza in the country, saying the disease has been confirmed in seven States."After confirmation of avian influenza positive samples from ICAR-NIHSAD in poultry (two poultry..

NE India Consul

NEW DELHI, Jan 9The Embassy of Israel in India has appointed Joyshree Das Verma as the Consul of North East India, to be based in Assam having jurisdiction over the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Naga-land, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Si..

Covid-19 vaccination: India to hold 2nd dry run today

NEW DELHI, Jan 7A second dry run of the Covid-19 vaccination will be held across all States and Union Territories on 8 January, the Central Govern-ment said on Wednesday."In a massive country-wide exercise, another mock drill on Covid-19 vaccine administration to be conducted in all States and UTs on 8 January. Around 1.7 lakh vaccinators and 3 lakh vaccination team members trained in vaccine administration," said the Government.The first dry run across the country was conducted on 2 January to plug ..

Govt ready to roll out COVID vaccine by next week

NEW DELHI, Jan 5A few days after the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved Bharat Biotech's Covaxin and the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine for "restricted use in emer-gency situations", the Health Ministry said the vaccine will be rolled out within 10 days from date of emergency use authorisation. The DGCI had granted approval for the two vaccines on January 3. "We are prepared to roll out vaccine within 10 days of emergency use authorisation approvals. The final call will be taken by the Government..

Union budget to be tabled on Feb 1

New Delhi, Jan 5: The Union budget will be presented in Parliament on February 1, sources said, adding President Ram Nath Kovind will address both the Houses - Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - on January 29.The budget session of Parliament will be conducted in..

Covid vaccine to be taken 28 days apart Antibodies will develop 2 weeks after last dose: AIIMS

New Delhi, Jan 4As India gears up for the world''s largest vaccination programme, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare addressed apprehensions ex-pressed by the public regar- ding the COVID-19 vacci-ne's effectiveness, safety and availability, among others.In a video issued by the Health Ministry, Dr Ran-deep Guleria, Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) answered commonly asked questions regarding the dosage of the vaccine saying that two doses of the vaccine will have ..

COVID vaccines: Covishield, Covaxin get approval

New Delhi, Jan 3Two vaccines for corona-virus, Oxford Institute's Covishield, which is being developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute, and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, received emergency approval from the country's drug regulator today. "We'll never approve anything if there is slightest of safety concern. The vaccines are 110 per cent safe," Drug Controller General of India VG Somani said, adding Covishield was found to be 70.42 per cent effective and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin was "safe and provides ..

3 cr on frontline to get free vaccine in 1st phase

New Delhi, Jan 2Free coronavirus vaccines will be given in the first phase to three crore people who have been on the frontline in the fight against the highly contagious disease, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said today. The Government will give priority..

Dry run in all States for Covid vaccination from Jan 2

New Delhi, Dec 31All States will begin the dry run for Covid-19 vaccination from January 2. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.The dry run will be conducted by all the State and UT Governments on 2nd January 2021 (Saturday). The Ministry has proposed that the dry run be conducted in all State capitals in at least three session sites.In Manipur the dry run will be held at Imphal West and Thoubal, informed a well placed source. “Some States ..

CBSE board exams 2021 from May 4

New Delhi, Dec 31After a long wait, students can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced that the CBSE Board exams will begin from May 4, while the board practical exams will begin from March 4. The exams will go on..

NIA files charge sheet against 5 NSCN (IM) members

NEW DELHI, Dec 30 The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge sheet against five NSCN (IM) members for alleged extor-tion and criminal intimidation of various companies under-taking road construction projects in Manipur.The Isak Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM), one of the largest Naga groups, signed a Framework Agreement on August 3, 2015 to end the decades-old Naga issue and is currently engaged in negotiation with the Intelligence Bureau (IB).The NIA ..

Dry run held successfully in 4 States

New Delhi, Dec 29The two-day dry run for the Covid-19 vaccination in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Gujarat has been successfully conducted, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday. Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare..

NSCN(IM)'s separate Naga flag, Constitution demands hinder peace talks in 2020

PTI NEW DELHI, Dec 29 : NSCN (IM)'s demands for a separate Naga flag and Constitution amid the Covid-19 outbreak prevented conclusion of Naga peace talks in 2020. Many Nagas had hoped for a resolution of the issue, with the conclusion of separate talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) and the Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) comprising seven organisations, in October last year.Nagaland, with its limited resources, initially struggled to grapple ..

50,356 fresh COVID-19 cases in India on Saturday

New Delhi, Nov 7India recorded 50,356 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours and 577 deaths linked to COVID-19, shows the Government data, according to which Delhi has the highest number of one-day Covid cases. The Friday case tally was the second time more than 50,000 cases were recorded in the last three days, data shows. India has been recording an average of 48,000 cases in the past week. Some 53,920 people also fought off the highly contagious disease in the last 24 hours. There are ..

Docs, MBBS students to get COVID-19 vaccine first

New Delhi, Nov 7: As Bharat Biotech is aiming to launch its vaccine — Covaxin — in February, which could be the first vaccine available in India, the Centre is finalising the vaccine delivery procedure, including identifying the priority group..

Final phase of Bihar polls records 55.22 pc turnout

New Delhi, Nov 7The threat of coronavirus could not affect polling in the third and final phase of Bihar State elections, with 55.22 per cent people turning up to vote -- a shade lower than the 56.66 per cent in 2015. Two of three exit polls so far have predicted an advantage for the alliance of Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the Left parties. The election will be crucial for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is seeking a fourth straight term. Mr Kumar -- who is facing challenge ..

Talks with NSCN (IM) in advance stage : Govt

New Delhi, Nov 6Talks with the NSCN-IM for final settlement of the decades-long Naga issue are in an advance stage and the Government is providing all assistance to the North Eastern States to deal with rebel groups, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Friday said. Participating in the diamond jubilee webinar organised by the National Defence College here, he said the Central Government is in peace negotiations with almost all groups of the North East including the ULFA and the major ones who ..

Terrorist killed in encounter with security forces in J&K's Pulwama

Srinagar, Nov 6A terrorist was killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Friday.Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Lalpora area of Pampore in south Kashmir distric..

India's tally rise to 83.64 lakh

NEW DELHI, Nov 5 With a jump of 50,209 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the country's overall coronavirus case numbers touched 83,64,086, Health Ministry data shared on Thursday shows.The death toll rose to 1,24,315 after 704 more fatalities were ..

Air pollution increases risk of mortality from Covid-19, NGT informed

New Delhi, Nov 5Air pollution is an important cofactor increasing the risk of mortality from Covid-19 as per latest research, the National Green Tribunal was informed on Thursday.Senior advocate Raj Panjawani and advocate Shibhani Ghosh, who have been app..

Revised COVID-19 guidelines issued by Centre for international arrivals

New Delhi, Nov 5The government on Thursday issued a set of revised guidelines for international arrivals, under which travellers seeking exemption from institutional quarantine will need to submit a negative RT-PCR report 72 hours before undertaking the j..

Shades of Emergency Condemnations against arrest of Arnab Goswami pour in

Mumbai, Nov 4 Republic TV's Arnab Goswami was arrested today in a two-year-old suicide case in which investigations were reopened recently, the Mumbai police said. Several Union Ministers are among those who have condemned the arrest as a reminder of the Emergency, when the Indira Gandhi Government cracked down on the media."Congress and its allies have shamed democracy once again. Blatant misuse of State power against Republic TV and Arnab Goswami is an attack on individual freedom and the 4th pillar ..

Assaulted by police during arrest, claims Goswami

Mumbai, Nov 4Hours after he was arrested, Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was produced before a Court in Mumbai on Wednesday where he claimed that he was assaulted by police officials.Goswami told the Court that he suffered injuries on his hand,..

Upward trend

New Delhi, Nov 3 : Delhi, Kerala, West Bengal and Manipur have been showing an increasing trend in the number of active covid-19 cases when compared to the month of October, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.The Govt emphasized that chain of trans..

81 lakh total cases

New Delhi, Nov 1 : With 46,963 new cases, India's COVID-19 tally has risen to over 81.84 lake cases, while the death count due to the highly contagious disease touched 1.22 lakh with 470 fresh fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry figures thi..

Kerala best

NEW DELHI, Oct 31 : Kerala was adjudged the best-governed State in the country while Uttar Pradesh was at the last spot in the large States category while Goa, Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh were among the top three in the small States category according ..

Tally surges to 80.8 lakh

NEW DELHI, Oct 30With 48,648 new cases of COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, India's total number of cases surged to 80,88,851, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Friday.As per the Ministry, the death toll has m..

Irani tests positive, India records 43,893 new cases

New Delhi, Oct 28Union Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said she has tested positive for the coronavirus."It is rare for me to search for words while making an announcement; hence here's me keeping it simple - I've tested positive for #COVID and would r..

With 36,370 fresh cases, India sees lowest 1-day tally in over 3 months

New Delhi, Oct 27 With a jump of 36,370 fresh COVID-19 cases in a day India reported the lowest number of new coronavirus infections in the country since mid-July, taking its tally to 79.46 lakh, Government data shows. July 18 was the last time India repo..

Most guidelines remain unchanged

New Delhi, Oct 27  The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday extended the guidelines for re-opening the country, which were issued last month, till November 30. There are no fresh changes and all major activities have already been allowed b..

India will drive global energy demand: PM Modi

New Delhi, Oct 26India will drive the global energy demand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he showcased his Government's recent reforms in the sector to global investors.Speaking at the India Energy Forum by CERAWeek, Modi said the coronavirus pandemic had resulted in global energy demand falling by one-third, investment decisions being impacted and predictions of a contraction in demand over the next few years.But India is likely to see energy consumption double over the long term, ..

Myanmar army launches Operation Sunrise-3 Combing operations on at Indo-Myanmar border

NEW DELHI, Oct 26Myanmar army has launched Operation Sunrise-3 to crack down on various insurgent groups gathered at the Indo-Myanmar border. Zee News in its earlier report revealed that the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K), led by..

Tremors reported

New Delhi, Oct 26 Moderate earthquakes measuring 3.2 and 3.6 on the Richter scales hit Manipur and Sikkim respectively on Sunday, officials said. According to the Disaster Management officials of the two North Eastern States, no report of loss of life or ..

Final-stage trials

NEW DELHI, Oct 26 : Amid the race to develop a 'potential' vaccine against novel coronavirus pandemic, India's first indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin will commence its Phase III clinical trials at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar soon, an..

India sees 580 more Covid deaths, lowest in 98 days

NEW DELHI, Oct 25 Deaths from Covid-19 infections in India fell to 580 on Saturday, the lowest single-day toll from the virus in 98 days, as the pandemic continued to slow down in most parts of the country.India had last recorded a lower daily death count on July 18, as per TOI’s database collated from official numbers released by State Governments. The average daily death toll this week has fallen to half the numbers reported during the pandemic’s peak in the country in mid-September. ..

India's Covid recovery rate now 90%

New Delhi, Oct 25About 90 per cent of Covid patients have recovered in India so far, the Health Ministry said this morning, adding that the country has logged over 78.64 lakh cases since the beginning of the pandemic. In the last 24 hours, the country rep..

Onion prices go up as crops damaged by rainfall, consumers worried

Nashik, Oct 24Onion prices have increased in Nashik as supply has been hit after rainfall damaged crops in several parts of the country.The price of onions and other vegetables has increased because the supply chain from the farms was severely affected due to rains. Many customers are buying a smaller quantity of onions than earlier."The rising prices of onions are a major cause of worry during the pandemic as so many of us have suffered from job losses and health issues. It is hard to afford onions," ..

Over 53,000 new cases in a day as India's Covid tally passes 78 lakh-mark

New Delhi, Oct 24India's coronavirus count has crossed 78 lakh with a jump of 53,370 cases in the last 24 hours, Government data shows. And 650 deaths in the last 24 hours have pushed the total death count to 1,17,956. Meanwhile, 70,16,046 people in the c..

UPSC CSE Prelims exam 2020 result declared, Main on Jan 8

New Delhi, Oct 23The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today declared the result for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) preliminary round at upsc.gov.in. The result is also available at upsconline.nic.in. The exam was held amid the pandemic on October 4 and candidates who appeared for the exam can check their results now.Qualifying candidates will have to now fill the Detailed Application Form-I (DAF-I) for the Civil Services Main examination. The DAF will be available on the website of the ..

Chinese media meant to threaten India, ends up confessing role in NE

New Delhi, Oct 22An ambush in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap sector that led to the death of an Assam Rifles soldier on Tuesday has put the spotlight back on China’s role to fuel insurgency in the North East. Tuesday’s attack by the National ..

Recovery rate inches up

NEW DELHI, Oct 21 Coronavirus cases in India increased by 54,044 new infections in the last 24 hours, taking the total covid tally to 7.6 million, informed the Health Ministry. India recorded 717 new deaths, toll death count mounted to 1,15,914.India's to..

PM Modi's address to the Nation Steps on to ensure vaccine reaches every Indian : PM

NEW DELHI, Oct 20 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the lockdown may have ended but the virus still exists as he urged the citizens to continue taking all precautionary measures in the battle against Covid-19.Addressing the nation for the seventh time about the Covid pandemic, the Prime Minister said that the government is taking efforts to ensure that a vaccine reaches everyone.PM Modi's address to nationHere are the top quotes from PM Modi's address:* All countries are working on ..

Mouthwashes, oral rinsing may kill 99.9% of human coronaviruses : Study

MUMBAI, Oct 20 According to a new study carried out by the Penn State College of Medicine, several oral antiseptics and mouthwashes have the ability to destroy the human coronaviruses.The findings, published in the Journal of Medical Virology, of the study suggested that some of these products might be useful for reducing the viral load, or amount of virus, present in the mouth after Covid-19 infection. This may also help in containing the spread of the coronavirus.Earlier studies also indicated that ..

India reports lowest new cases in nearly 3 months, active cases now below 7.5 lakh

NEW DELHI, Oct 20India today reported single-day rise of 46,790 in new Covid cases, the lowest single-day tally in nearly three months. Total case load increased to 75.97 lakh while death toll rose to 1.15 lakh. The number of active cases dipped below 7.5..

Community spread limited to certain districts, admits Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi, Oct 18 Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday admitted that community transmission of Covid-19 virus has occurred in certain districts in a limited number of States. “But this is not happening countrywide,” the Minister said as he was addressing his weekly social media programme Sunday Samvaad.On being asked to comment on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s admission that community transmission started in some areas of the State, the Union minister admitted ..

Covid peak over, can be controlled early next year, says panel

New Delhi, Oct 18The country is past the coronavirus peak, a Government appointed panel said today, pointing to the tapering number of cases over the last two weeks. From a peak of 97,000-plus cases, India is now logging 60,000-plus cases a day. The daily..

Active cases below 8 lakh

New Delhi, Oct 17 : India has scaled an "unprecedented" peak as active coronavirus cases dropped below the 8-lakh mark for the first time in 1.5 months, the Health Ministry said this morning when the country's Covid tally surged to 74.3 lakh after 62,212 ..

Former DG appointed

NEW DELHI, Oct 17 : Election Commission on Friday appointed ex-IPS officer Mrinal Kanti Das as special police observer for the upcoming Assembly bypolls in Madhya Pradesh.Das, a 1977 batch IPS who had retired as DGP of Manipur police, has been assigned to..

Man from Manipur among six held for operating fake call centre

Gurugram, Oct 17The Haryana chief minister's flying squad late on Thursday night busted yet another illegal call centre operating from the Udyog Vihar Phase-1 in Gurugram.The investigation team suspect that the owner of the call centre was a contractor at..

Nagas will never join Indian Union nor accept India's Constitution: Thuingaleng Muivah ‘Nagalim remains an important part of NSCN's position’

New Delhi, Oct 16 In an interview that is likely to upset and even annoy the Government at the Centre and which starkly reveals the sharp differences that are still separating the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) from the Indian Government, the general secretary of the NSCN (IM) has repeatedly and forcefully said that the Nagas will never be part of the Indian Union nor will they accept India’s Constitution.Thuingaleng Muivah added that there could be no compromise on ..

Recoveries outpace fresh cases in India

NEW DELHI, Oct 15 Active coronavirus cases in India continued to edge lower as recoveries outpaced the increase in daily new cases. According to Health Ministry figures released today, there were 8.12 lakh active covid cases in the country after 67,708 ne..

‘Blood type O least vulnerable to Covid’

MUMBAI, Oct 15 New research suggests that people with O blood type are less likely to contract the novel coronavirus. For such blood type, the risk of developing severe symptoms, including organ failure, is also reduced.However, people who have blood type..

63,509 fresh cases take India to 72.3 lakh

New Delhi, Oct 14India's coronavirus tally has surged to 72.39 lakh cases after a fresh spike of 63,509 infections in the last 24 hours, the Government data showed this morning. The number of fatalities stood at 1,10,586 after 730 deaths were registered in a day. About 63 lakh patients in the country have recovered so far; 74,632 patients have recovered since yesterday. On Tuesday, the country - second-worst affected by the pandemic - recorded an increase of 55,342 infections, the lowest one-day surge ..

Consultative meet today sans NSCN (IM), NNPGs

New Delhi, Oct 14Ahead of the consultative meeting called by the Government of Nagaland to discuss the ongoing peace talks and the political issue tomorrow (October 15), an official said this meeting will only focus on the civil society groups which inclu..

Schools, cinema halls to reopen today

New Delhi, Oct 14The country will reopen further from Thursday as schools, cinema halls, multiplexes, entertainment parks, swimming pools--all outside containment zones--will reopen with strict Covid-19 norms in place. In its guidelines for the fifth phase of Nationwide unlock, on September 30, the Union Home Ministry had given permission for these places to reopen from October 15.While schools had reopened partially, on voluntary basis for class 9-12 on September 21 during Unlock 4, other places ..

Weekly positivity rate declines to 6.24% from 8.5%, says Govt

NEW DELHI, Oct 13 The Health Ministry Tuesday said there was a decline in cumulative, weekly and daily COVID-19 positivity rates. They now stand at 8.07%, 6.24% and 5.16% respectively, it added.The Ministry in its press briefing told reporters that the av..

India's first coronavirus vaccine What we know about its development

NEW DELHI, Oct 12 Covaxin, the vaccine candidate developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is in Phase 2 clinical trial in the country. And now the makers have sought approval from drug regulators to start the third phase clinical trial. As per reports, the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) has asked Bharat Biotech to submit "complete safety and immunogenicity data of the phase II trial" and some clarifications before proceeding for the next ..

India's Covid-19 cases cross 71 lakh mark

New Delhi, Oct 12 India added 66,732 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the data released by the Health Ministry this morning showed. The country also reported 816 Covid-related deaths during the period.Total case tally now stands at 71,20,538 inclu..

Will Covid-19 cases increase in India during winter ? Likely, says Harsh Vardhan

NEW DELHI, Oct 11 Amid several reports indicating that the number of Covid-19 cases will increase during winter, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday confirmed that the possibility of the same in Indian context can’t be dismissed at all...

New cases lower than recovery for 7 days on the trot

MUMBAI, Oct 10 For seven straight days now, the detection of new cases of coronavirus infection in the country has remained lower than the number of people recovering from the disease. This is the longest unbroken run for this trend so far.The new detecti..

Can't deliver in Nagaland as it is outside India : Flipkart Outside India faux pas draws ridicule

New Delhi, Oct 10 A faux pas by an employee handling e-retail website Flipkart’s social media handle sparked outrage after a customer in Nagaland was told that a service couldn’t be provided since the location was “outside India”.A..

COVID-19: Active cases in India fall below 9 lakh after one month

New Delhi, Oct 9 India's COVID-19 tally of cases went past 69 lakh with 70,496 infections being reported in a day, while active cases of infection fell below 9 lakh after a month comprising 12.94 per cent of the total caseload, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.The total coronavirus cases mounted to 69,06,151. The death toll climbed to 1,06,490 with 964 people succumbing to the disease in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.The total recoveries have surged ..

Positivity rate declines to 8.19% : Government

NEW DELHI, Oct 8 India’s cumulative positivity rate for covid-19 is declining and is currently 8.19%, the Government said on Thursday.While seven States have reported positivity rate less than 5%, 22 States have positivity rate less than the Nationa..

Paswan dies at 74

NEW DELHI, Oct 8 : Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan passed away on October 8. Paswan (74), recently underwent a heart surgery in a Delhi hospital and was said to be in a critical condition.He was active in politics for over five decades and is one of the c..

Naga accord 'draft' finalised, demand for separate flag rejected

NEW DELHI, Oct 7Ignoring the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah)’s defiant posturing and demands, the Government of India has decided to go ahead with its plan to sign a peace accord with all the other armed rebel groups and civil society organisations of Nagaland soon.Security sources admitted that a section of NSCN (I-M) led by its secretary general Th Muivah has not given their final consent for signing the peace accord, but asserted that the ball is now in the NSCN (I-M)’s ..

Fake varsities

New Delhi, Oct 7 :  The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Wednesday announced a list of 24 self-styled, unrecognised institu- tions in the country, terming them as fake with maximum of them operating from Uttar Pradesh followed by Delhi.“St..

Former Governor Ashwani Kumar commits suicide

NEW DELHI, Oct 7: Former Governor of Nagaland and Manipur and ex-CBI Director Ashwani Kumar was found hanging at his residence in Shimla on Wednesday.He was 69.According to media reports, Kumar had been depressed for several weeks.The former CBI Director ..

India's new paper Covid-19 test could be a ‘game changer’

NEW DELHI, Oct 6 A team of scientists in India has developed an inexpensive paper-based test for coronavirus that could give fast results similar to a pregnancy test. The BBC's Soutik Biswas and Krutika Pathi unpack how it works.The test, named after a famous Indian fictional detective, is based on a gene-editing technology called Crispr. Scientists estimate that the kit - called Feluda - would return results in under an hour and cost 500 rupees (about $6.75; £5.25).Feluda will be made by a leading ..

Covid-19 tally crosses 6.5 million

New Delhi, Oct 4 India recorded 75,829 cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 940 related deaths in the last 24 hours, taking its tally over 6.5 million, data from the Union Health Ministry showed on Sunday morning.India sustained its trend of mainta..

YSR Congress leader succumbs to COVID-19

Visakhapatnam, Oct 4 YSR Congress leader and former MLA Dronamraju Srinivas succumbed to COVID-19 here on Sunday.He was 59 and survived by his wife, son and daughter.Srinivas got infected with coronavirus a month ago and was shifted to a corporate hospita..

Army chief, Foreign Secy to seal security ties with Myanmar

New Delhi, Oct 3On the eve of Myanmar general elections, Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane and Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla are headed towards Naypyidaw on Sunday to seal the much-awaited coastal shipping agreement to activate the Kaladan multi-modal project and cement security ties against insurgent groups. Gen Naravane and Shringla will meet senior General Min Aung Hlaing and Aung San Suu Kyi, the State counsellor of Myanmar, as last incoming foreign visitors before November 8 elections.According ..

Deaths cross 1 lakh mark

NEW DELHI, Oct 3 India's coronavirus related deaths crossed 1 lakh mark on Saturday with 1,069 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, informed Union Health Ministry. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 54 lakh pushing the rec..

Four Kashmiri youth planning terror strikes in Delhi arrested: Police

New Delhi , Oct 3 The Special Cell of Delhi Police on Saturday said it has arrested a group of four radicalised Kashmiri youth who were allegedly planning terror strikes in the national capital.In a statement, the police said the accused were nabbed ..

Vaccine likely in Jan 2021 : AIIMS chief

NEW DELHI, Oct 2 All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Friday said that the vaccine for the virus can be expected in India by January 2021 if all goes as per the plan. However, he made it clear that the initial ava..

Death tally inches to 1 lakh mark, stands at 98,678

New Delhi, Oct 1 India recorded 86,821 new coronavirus cases and 1,181 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking its COVID-19 tally past the 63-lakh mark, according to the Health Ministry data released this morning. The country now has 63,12,585 cases of coronavirus, including 9,40,705 active cases, 52.7 lakh recoveries and 98,678 deaths. At 85,376, India recorded fewer one-day recoveries than new cases. The overall recovery rate in the country is 83.5 per cent. Its daily positivity rate was 6.1 per cent ..

Here's how life in India changes from Oct 1 under Unlock 5.0

NEW DELHI, Oct 1 Unlock 5.0 has been set in motion from today after consultations and feedback from States, UTs and Central Ministries. The new set of guidelines aims to further open up economic activities.We are now five unlocks into the COVID-19 crisis,..

Unlock 5 : Re-opening schools up to State Govts after Oct 15

New Delhi, Sep 30 The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a detailed guideline of Unlock 5, to be effective from October 1. Despite a steep rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country, the Home Ministry has made it clear that there would be more relaxations and fewer restrictions, though local administrations in some States are heavily relying on voluntary curfew, local lockdowns etc.Here are the guidelines:*Cinemas/theatres/multi-plexes will be permitted to open with upto 50% of their ..

I am doing well, says Venkaiah Naidu a day after he tested positive for Covid-19

NEW DELHI, Sep 30Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who has tested positive for Covid-19, on Wednesday thanked the vice president of Maldives for his message wishing him speedy recovery, and said he appreciates his spontaneous response and sincere concern.R..