Latest News Live Updates: The recovery rate is 97.32 per cent.
India's COVID-19 infection tally climbed to 1,09,50,201 with 12,881 new cases in a day, while 1,06,56,845 people have recuperated so far pushing the national recovery rate to 97.32 per cent on Thursday, according to Union Health Ministry data.
There are 1,37,342 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which accounts for 1.25 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.
The death count climbed to 1,56,014 with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 101 lives in a span of 24 hours in the country, the data showed.
The COVID-19 case fatality rate stood at 1.42 per cent.
Meanwhile, a fresh set of travel guidelines has been issued as two new, highly more infectious strains of Covid -- the South African and the Brazilian strains -- have been detected in India. The new rules apply to all incoming international passengers except those from the UK, Europe and Middle East, the health ministry has said.
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PM Modi's ''Pariksha Pe Charcha'' to be held online due to COVID-19: Education Minister
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's annual interaction with students ''Pariksha Pe Charcha'' will be held online in this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said on Thursday.
The interaction with students from classes 9 to 12 ahead of their exams will be held in March, the minister said.
"I feel happy to share that the interaction every student was waiting for is back! Get ready to smile your way through exams with PM @narendramodi in #ParikshaPeCharcha2021," he said in a tweet.
"In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the interaction will be conducted online," he said in another tweet.
The registration for the programme will begin from Thursday and conclude on March 14.
Home Minister Amit Shah back in West Bengal for a packed day of campaigning ahead of #BengalElections.
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 18, 2021
NDTV's Saurabh Gupta reports from Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Kolkata, where Shah is expected to visit soon. pic.twitter.com/UCt5jtnW9t
Coronavirus News Updates: 369 new COVID-19 cases in Thane, 6 more deaths
Thane has added 369 new cases of coronavirus, taking the infection count in the Maharashtra district to 2,58,694,an official said on Thursday.
Six deaths due to COVID-19 were also reported on Wednesday, raising the toll in the district to 6,214, he said.
The COVID-19 fatality rate in the district is 2.40 per cent, he said.
So far, 2,49,115patients have recovered from the infection in the district, reflecting a recovery rate of 96.30 per cent.
There are 3,365 active COVID-19 cases in the district at present, the official said.
Coronavirus News Updates: Three new cases take Mizoram's COVID-19 tally to 4,399
Three more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, taking the tally in the state to 4,399, an official said on Thursday.
Two fresh cases were reported from Lawngtlai district and one from Saitual, he said.
One new patient has travel history, while two were detected during contact tracing, the official said, adding they were asymptomatic.
Mizoram now has 20 active cases and 4,369 people have recovered from the disease.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state stands at 99.32 per cent.
Coronavirus News Updates: Three new cases take Mizoram's COVID-19 tally to 4,399
Three more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, taking the tally in the state to 4,399, an official said on Thursday.
Two fresh cases were reported from Lawngtlai district and one from Saitual, he said.
One new patient has travel history, while two were detected during contact tracing, the official said, adding they were asymptomatic.
Mizoram now has 20 active cases and 4,369 people have recovered from the disease.
The recovery rate among coronavirus patients in the state stands at 99.32 per cent.
JustIn| 12,881 fresh COVID-19 cases in India, nearly 11% higher than yesterday; 1.09 crore total cases, 1.56 lakh deaths
India a critical partner, says Pentagon; Quad foreign ministers to meet virtually on Thursday
India is a critical partner, especially when one considers all the challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, the Pentagon said on the eve of the maiden Quad ministerial meeting under the Biden administration.
Quad ministerial is an informal grouping of four countries, namely, Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
"India is a critical partner, especially when you consider all of the challenges in the Indo-Pacific region," Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.
State Department Spokesperson, Ned Price, told reporters at his daily news conference, "I am pleased to announce that tomorrow (Thursday) morning, Secretary Blinken and his counterparts from Japan, Australia and India will speak together.
"This discussion with the Quad foreign ministers is critical to advancing our shared goals of a free and open Indo-Pacific and rising to the defining challenges of our time, including coordinating our efforts on COVID-19 response as well as climate change," he said.
Petrol reaches Rs 89.88 per litre, diesel Rs 80.27 per litre
Petrol and diesel prices have gone up again in the national capital and stood at Rs 89.88 per litre and Rs 80.27 per litre, respectively on Thursday morning.
The price of petrol price saw a hike of 34 paise per litre today, while diesel price increased by 32 paise per litre.
Earlier, during her budget speech, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the imposition of Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (AIDC) of Rs 2.5 per litre on petrol and Rs 4 per litre on diesel.
Piyush Goyal flags off goods train on newly electrified Manigram-Nimtita section
Union Minister for Railways Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Wednesday flagged off a goods train on the newly electrified Manigram-Nimtita section in West Bengal through video conference.
In his address Piyush Goyal said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stated, "Our efforts will be directed towards making the state of West Bengal a premier state in trading and business activity in the country."
Railways can play an important role in the development of West Bengal by expanding passenger connectivity, by expanding connectivity of freight trains, ensuring the availability of raw materials, and moving the products from West Bengal to all parts of the country.
He said that every single line in West Bengal will be electrified by 2023 thereby reducing pollution, increasing speed, and augmenting passengers'' amenities. In the last six years, Rs 19,811 crore has been invested in West Bengal to improve the railway infrastructure.
We want to congratulate all Congress workers who are behind this win: Sunil Jakhar after Congress win in Punjab
Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday hailed the performance of the party in local body elections and said that people have reposed faith in the Congress government in the state.
"We want to congratulate all Congress workers who are behind this win. I also congratulate people of Punjab who reposed their trust in the government led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. They voted for us. We have given a reply to BJP and opposition parties," Mr Jakhar said at a press conference.
"People of the state exercised their right in a democratic manner. BJP ignored the feeling of people in the state. We will continue to work hard in the future," he added.
Over 1.22 lakh beneficiaries administered first dose of COVID in single day in Rajasthan
Over 1.22 lakh beneficiaries were administered the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine in a single-day in Rajasthan on Wednesday.
Heath Secretary Siddharth Mahajan said that 1,22,030 frontline workers and 337 health workers got the jabs on Wednesday.
He said that the frontline workers who were administered the dose were from the Panchayti Raj institutions.
Mahajan said that this is the largest number of doses to be given to employees of a single department on a single-day under the vaccination programme that started on January 16
Indonesia kicks off second wave of Covid-19 vaccinations
Market traders were among the first to benefit from Indonesia's second phase of mass vaccinations against the coronavirus on Wednesday, as the government looks to right the country's pandemic-battered economy.
Medical teams are now focusing on workers in close contact with the public and people over 60, authorities announced, after a first phase prioritising health workers, 1.1 million of whom have been vaccinated according to the health ministry.
Indonesia's economy -- Southeast Asia's largest -- has lurched into recession during an outbreak which has infected almost 1.3 million people and killed more than 33,000, according to official data, though low testing rates mean the figures could be much higher.
The new phase was launched with a mass inoculation at Jakarta's Tanah Abang textile market, home to about 55,000 sellers.
Venezuela to begin Covid immunization program with Sputnik V
Venezuela will begin immunizing health care workers and public sector employees on Thursday with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, President Nicolas Maduro announced on Wednesday.
Legislators, armed forces personnel and authorities "whose work in the streets justifies ... their special protection for the state to keep functioning" will be amongst the first to receive their vaccines, Maduro said.
A mass immunization campaign for the general public will begin in April, he added.
The first 100,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine arrived in Caracas on Saturday, however there is no timetable for any further deliveries.
Venezuela has agreed to acquire 10 million doses of Sputnik V as well as reserving 1.4 to 2.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab through the World Health Organization's Covax system.
Why Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar quiet on fuel prices now, asks Congress leader
Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole on Wednesday asked why Bollywood celebrities, including actors Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, who had tweeted about high fuel prices during the UPA regime were quiet now.
Stars such as Bachchan and Kumar had tweeted when the price of petrol rose to Rs 70 per litre, Mr Patole said at a press conference.
"But now the price is nearly Rs 100 per litre. Why are they quiet? Don''t they have the courage to speak against the dictatorial Modi government," Mr Patole, who had had a brief stint with the BJP before returning to the Congress'' fold, said.
"The UPA government functioned democratically, hence they could criticise it," he further said.
Fuel prices should be reduced to give relief to the common people, he added. Besides high petrol and diesel prices, the price of LPG cylinder too has gone up to Rs 800, Mr Patole noted.
UN urges global Covid vaccine plan, warns of dangerous inequity
The United Nations on Wednesday led calls for a coordinated global effort to vaccinate against Covid-19, warning that gaping inequities in initial efforts put the whole planet at risk.
Foreign ministers met virtually for a first-ever UN Security Council session on vaccinations called by current chair Britain, which said the world had a "moral duty" to act together against the pandemic that has killed more than 2.4 million people.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced alarm that just 10 nations have administered 75 percent of doses so far -- and 130 countries have had none at all.
"The world urgently needs a global vaccination plan to bring together all those with the required power, scientific expertise and production and financial capacities," Guterres said.
As temperatures soar, Kerala government reschedules working hours for labourers
The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to reschedule the working hours for labourers in the state effective immediately till April 30, considering the rising daytime temperatures.
Labour Commissioner S Chitra issued the order to avoid incidences of sunstroke among those workers who are exposed to the hot sun.
The average temperature across the state hovered around 33 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
The order was issued under section 24 and 25 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1958. The sections deal with the working hours of labourers.
"As per the order, the working hours of the labourers have been rescheduled for the period starting from February 17 to April 30. The eight hours of duty will be from 7 AM to 7 PM with a mandatory break of three hours from 12 noon to 3 PM," a state government statement said.
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