12.02 pm: The Centre moves the Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court show-cause notice asking why contempt action should not be initiated against it for not complying with its orders on oxygen supply to the Capital, reports Bar and Bench. The court will take up the hearing at 12.30 pm.

On May 1, the Delhi High Court had directed the Centre to provide 490 metric tonnes of oxygen, the quota allocated for the city, “by whatever means”.

10.38 am: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das says coronavirus vaccines will be available for all Indians by second half of 2022.

10.34 am: RBI extends loan tenor for individual borrowers and businesses with exposure up to Rs 25 crore for a further two years. Entities who availed the loan moratorium last year can also avail this facility.

10.33 am: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das says the central bank will inject liquidity worth Rs 50,000 crore in the economy for banks to offer loans to build health infrastructure.

9.55 am: India has recorded more than 3 lakh cases a day for nearly 15 days in a row, since April 22. On May 1, it touched an all-time high of 4,01,993 Covid cases, though the figures have stayed below the 4-lah mark since then.

9.50 am: India registers 3,82,315 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the country to 2,06,65,148 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. The toll climbs by 3,780 to 2,26,188. The number of active cases in the country stands at 34,87,229.

9.43 am: Madhya Pradesh is expected to begin vaccinations for people in 18-44 age group today, PTI reports. They will depend on the availability of doses and be conducted in a phased manner, State IEC Bureau deputy director Archana Mundir says.

The process will be based on pre-registration and will take place between 9 am and 5 pm on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, according to PTI.

9.40 am: The ICMR says it has so far tested 29,48,52,078 samples for the coronavirus. Of these, 15,41,299 were tested on Tuesday alone.

9.35 am: On Tuesday, Delhi reported 19,953 new cases and 338 deaths, according to ANI. The national capital’s total cases since the pandemic broke out in March 2020 has now risen to 12.32 lakh, while the toll is 17,752.

9.25 am: As many as 14 crew members of a cargo ship from India have tested positive in Durban, South Africa, the country’s port authority has said, PTI reports.

“The vessel is currently on quarantine,” an official says. “No one is allowed to leave or enter the vessel, and the company responsible for anyone who worked on board is to track and trace all employees who interacted with the subject vessel.” At least 200 port employees have reportedly come into contact with the ship, according to an unidentified official.

9.20 am: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday held that death of coronavirus patients due to shortages of oxygen at hospitals was a “criminal act” and “not less than a genocide”.

Read more here:

Oxygen shortage deaths are criminal, no less than genocide, says Allahabad HC

9.15 am: United States President Joe Biden says the country is helping India “significantly” in its fight against the second wave of Covid-19, reports PTI. He says the US is sending India oxygen, material and machine parts, among other things.

“We’re sending them oxygen, we are sending them a lot of precursors,” he says, while speaking to reporters at the White House. “So we’re doing a lot for India.”

Biden adds that the US will send 10% of its vaccines to other countries by July 4.

9.09 am: Mumbai civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation says it has received a fresh stock of 1 lakh vaccine doses on Tuesday night and will resume vaccination for those above 45 at municipal and government centres.

9.04 am: “Oxygen Express” train carrying tankers of liquid medical oxygen reaches Delhi, reports ANI.

8.56 am: Here are the top updates from Tuesday: