Here are the top 5 news updates of April 9, 2021:
1. 'Maharashtra heading towards lockdown if situation doesn't change': Health minister Rajesh Tope
Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope has stated that the state is heading towards a lockdown, NDTV reported. Tope said that the government is not in favour of lockdown but if the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, it will be essential to break the chain. In addition to Tope, Relief and Rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar also hinted at complete lockdown for three weeks if COVID-19 cases continue to rise. As on Thursday, there were 5,21,317 active COVID-19 cases in the state.
Suspended Mumbai cop Sachin Vaze, who was arrested in connection with the Antilia bom b scare case, has been sent to judicial custody till April 23. He was in NIA custody earlier. Meanwhile, the CBI recorded the statement of Waze for a third consecutive day today in connection with the corruption allegations levelled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh against ex-Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, an official said. A team of the CBI, which is in Mumbai to conduct a preliminary enquiry (PE) into the allegations, today morning went to the NIA office and recorded the statement of Waze, the official said.
3. Amid rising COVID-19 cases, Maharashtra govt postpones MPSC exams slated for April 11
The Maharashtra government has postponed the upcoming MPSC exams that were slated to be held on Sunday, April 11. The news comes after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday held a meeting to decide on the same. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat and other officials were present at the meeting. This comes amid the huge surge in COVID-19 cases in the state. On Thursday, the state had reported 376 deaths due to the infection, the highest in a single day since October 2020.
The Central Railway today stopped the sale of platform tickets at its six long-distance train stations, including Mumbai CSMT, from immediate effect to avoid unnecessary rush in view of the surge in COVID-19 cases. "Sale of platform tickets have been stopped with immediate effect from today at the following stations — Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Kalyan, Thane, Dadar, Panvel, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus," Central Railway chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar told news agency ANI.
Equity benchmark Sensex dropped 155 points today, tracking losses in index heavyweights ICICI Bank, Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank amid largely negative cues from global markets. The 30-share BSE index ended 154.89 points or 0.31 per cent lower at 49,591.32. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty slipped 38.95 points or 0.26 per cent to 14,834.85.