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classyfoxdestiny · 3 years ago

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Has the first-past-the-post system polarised Indian politics?

Politicising social divides and failings of the parliamentary system have led to this situation

India’s parliamentary democracy is going through a phase of intense confrontation between the dominant ruling party and a weakened but belligerent Opposition. Is this situation a consequence of the first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, where a party with the the highest votes gets the seat even if it doesn’t win a majority? Suhas Palshikar and E. Sridharan address this question in a discussion moderated by Srinivasan Ramani. Edited excerpts:

Prof. Palshikar, you had written recently about the emergence of a second dominant party system with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) becoming the central pole of Indian politics ever since it came to power at the Centre in 2014. Even if the BJP has now lost ground, with its vote share reducing in various State elections, it did retain its highest average cumulative vote share for election cycles. That said, what similarities and dissimilarities do you see with the hegemonic period of the Congress of the 1950s and ’60s?

Suhas Palshikar: The similarity is in the vote share numbers garnered by the dominant party and in its capacity to fragment the Opposition. In terms of numbers, a dominant party gets a disproportionately larger share in seats in legislatures compared to its vote share. The other similarity is in its ability to remain dominant by fragmenting the Opposition and so we see the recent discussions on Opposition unity.

The dissimilarities are evident in the roots of the dominance and the journeys towards it. The Congress emerged as a dominant party as a result of its contribution to the freedom struggle; the roles that Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and others played then. It converted that legitimacy into electoral dominance. The BJP emerged in 2014 as electorally dominant and has since been trying to establish its hegemony. That is why I have argued that its hegemony is still in the making while it has become dominant electorally.

Dr. Sridharan, the hegemony enjoyed by the Congress in the 1950s and ’60s gave way to trends in Indian politics such as federalisation and regionalisation. So, even if we had the FPTP system, there was a certain degree of diversification that allowed for newer forces to emerge organically. Since 2019, the fact that the BJP has garnered a disproportionate seat share relative to its vote share has revived the critique of the FPTP. Your view?

E. Sridharan: The BJP’s dominance in both 2014 and 2019 was based on a plurality of votes (31% and 37%) converting into a majority of seats and is similar to the Congress’s dominance from 1952 to 1984 which was also based on vote share pluralities converting to seat majorities (sometimes two-thirds to three-fourths majority). The FPTP system tends to magnify the seat share of the party with the largest vote share, while parties receiving a lower vote share tend to get a much lower seat share. There are exceptions such as the Karnataka Assembly elections of 2008 and the Madhya Pradesh elections of 2018 where the party which got a slightly higher vote share got a lower seat share.

The BJP is today not as hegemonic as the Congress of the past. Forty-two of the 303 seats that it won in 2019 were in three States — Maharashtra, Punjab and Bihar — and were at least partially due to vote transfer from allies; seat shares have not reached two-thirds majority; and the party’s spread across States is less than the Congress’s in its heyday.

Also read | What is Proportional Representation?

As for the FPTP system, I would like to introduce Duverger’s law to your readers. [Maurice] Duverger, a French political scientist, argued that the FPTP system tends to bring about a two-party system at the constituency level. In countries like India, this translated into the establishment of a two-party system at the State level which happened between 1967 and 1989. Post-1990, this produced three kinds of bipolarity: Congress versus BJP in a number of States, Congress versus the Left in three States, and Congress versus regional parties in other States. This was an outcome of Duverger’s law operating at the State level.

At the national level, 2014 marked the end of a 25-year period of a coalition/minority government. And post-2014, there was the emergence of a second dominant party system. I don’t think that FPTP necessarily produces polarisation. If you look at the proportional representation (PR) system in Europe and elsewhere, where seats are allocated roughly in accordance with the vote share, that also produces distinct polarisations. Look at the 1978 Sri Lankan Constitution which instituted the PR system. Since then, there has been ethnic polarisation despite the small parties getting seat shares higher than what they would have received in a FPTP system. Similarly in Israel, which also enjoys a thoroughgoing PR system, there is severe polarisation in ethnic, religious and political terms.

The FPTP system can’t be blamed for polarisation. Polarisation is linked to the politicisation of certain social cleavages. These cleavages are sometimes dormant in society and can become active or can be activated through mobilisations. When certain social cleavages are activated, that is when they get magnified by the electoral system.

Prof. Palshikar, today there is little dialogue between the ruling party and the Opposition. What explains this stasis?

Suhas Palshikar: I agree with Dr. Sridharan that it is not FPTP that is creating polarisation. One of the general reasons for the adversarial relations between the ruling party and the Opposition is the failure in institutionalising the parliamentary system, which presupposes a certain negotiation, a spirit of give and take and continuous deliberation between the ruling party and the Opposition.

We have failed in generating an institutional pattern for this tendency. I would locate the beginning of this as the time around the Emergency period when the spirit of dialogue dissipated. Since then, the dialogue process has been up and down. If you come to the current moment, I think it is the distrust between the ruling party and the Opposition that has produced this stasis. The problem is not about the institutional mechanisms that we adopt; it is in the processes that we implement those mechanisms. Those process-related issues can be located in social and other cleavages and how they play out in competitive politics. It is the extreme competitive nature of our polity and the frustrations that come with the presence of a dominant party in the system besides the arrogance that stems from electoral dominance that leads to an inability to engage with the Opposition.

E. Sridharan: The confrontational situation in Parliament and other legislatures has heightened in the last couple of years. This is due to the sharpening of the ideological level in politics, which reflects the cleavages in the society, and to the suspicion that the fundamentals of the system are being sought to be changed.

The ruling BJP is not a similar hegemonic force as the Congress in the sense that it had in its manifesto issues such as the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. In a way, the BJP has an agenda that is beyond the constitutional consensus that guides the policies of most political parties in India. Is this a reason for the current state of affairs too?

Suhas Palshikar: Just to supplement what Prof. Sridharan said, we witness today a new phase that is marked by a confrontation that is not merely one of political contestation in the ordinary sense of the term. Here is a party that wants to change the entire system fundamentally and other parties are still not sure how to respond to that. They instinctively oppose it but at the same time they understand that the difference is in the approach of the dominant party, that they have to adapt/adjust to that stance so that they garner enough votes in the next election. This confusion among the non-BJP parties produces not just distrust but lack of clarity on what ideological positions they must take during the ideological onslaught or the offensive of the BJP. The BJP has now changed the terms of how the political contestation will be held ideologically, and the inability of the non-BJP parties to appreciate and respond to this and to produce an alternative narrative has led to a frustration that is reflected in their various responses to the BJP.

E. Sridharan: There is a perception that the ruling party is pushing against the constitutional consensus, which is fairly strong in our system. There are about three and a half layers of protection to the basic structure of our Constitution. The government needs a two-thirds majority in both Houses subject to the presence of at least 50% of the House in attendance. The government has a clear but not a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha. It doesn’t have a majority in the Rajya Sabha. In order to make constitutional amendments, it must get the support of smaller parties, which it has been able to get so far.

Then, it has to go through judicial review — the courts have so far not pronounced on some of the controversial issues that have come up in the last few years.

Finally, for some articles on Centre-State relations, it has to pass them through half the State Assemblies.

There are ideological shifts going on and new social cleavages that have been activated that have changed the political landscape.

Can it be said that federal issues are emerging as the area of contestation with the BJP on the one side and regional parties on the other?

Suhas Palshikar: In principle, the flashpoint in the next five years or so could be the federal relations between the Centre and the States on fiscal or other administrative and political matters. The various State parties are still not sufficiently aware of this possibility and therefore they are busy buying peace with the ruling party at the Centre, rather than confronting it. I don’t see any direct flashpoint emerging politically between the State parties and the BJP immediately, though.

Also, the ability of the BJP or any Central government in the last three decades to directly transfer resources to local bodies in the States bypassing the State government besides controlling the administrations of the States has weakened the State parties’ ability to take on the Central government. Objectively, they are not in a position to do so and subjectively, they are not sure how to pitch the fight. Therefore, we have a fascinating period where there is all the making of a federal flashpoint, but at the same time, the actual flashpoints may be somewhere else in reality.

Do you see a mixture of postures — negotiation, confrontation and adjustment by various regional parties vis-à-vis the Centre? The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) using one ploy, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) using another, and so on?

Suhas Palshikar: I would use the word ‘acquiescence’ to describe how the BJD, YSRCP and the TRS’s relations are with the Centre.

To bring the discussion back to the electoral system, is a FPTP system with a preference rule system to go along with it a better form of voting than the FPTP system?

E. Sridharan: The Australian electoral system is fairly similar to what you talk about, where the first choice party with the plurality vote share will receive second/third choices of the voter in a process of elimination from the bottom, till it reaches the 50% threshold to be declared the winner. I think such an alternative system should be assessed in terms of the ease of its use for the voters. It would not be easy to operate in India. Second, as regards the provision that a party must get 50% of the votes through preference voting, this would actually make it easier for the leading candidate to bridge the gap between, say, 40% to 50% as compared to someone else who gets 25% and could possibly contribute to the same kind of magnified majoritarianism that FPTP does in its own institutional way. So, it may not be that different.

Suhas Palshikar: To put an extra burden on the voter in the act of voting is unfair and that is why this is not to my liking. Second, the 50% mark, as Prof. Sridharan pointed out, is artificially achieved.

We need to go back to the drawing board on what is the real issue with FPTP, which is the disproportionate number of seats accrued by a party despite a lower vote share. However, if the political system is adequately competitive, that aspect of the FPTP system gets politically neutralised and parties tend to get a share of seats which is roughly commensurate to their vote share also.

The other issue with the FPTP is that the threshold is so high that newer parties cannot enter the fray. Therefore, I suggest that rather than the alternative you are talking about, one can talk about a system that will supplement FPTP — let’s say have 10% of the seats in the legislature which are included based on the parties’ vote shares. This will ensure an entry point for smaller/ newer parties and keep the political system more competitive.

The larger point is if we artificially try to make the political system fairer, the natural competitiveness gets distorted and that is why I would generally prefer FPTP, both on the grounds of voters’ convenience and a natural competitiveness being allowed in the system.

E. Sridharan: I think there is sufficient diversity at the societal level. There is the theory that in a socially diverse country, the party system will be diverse — it will not be limited to a two-party system. India seems to support the effective production of multiple parties at the national level even if the FPTP system limits the competition to a bipolar system in the States because these are a multiplicity of bipolarities (for example, BJP-Congress, BJP-regional party, etc.) and not the same bipolarity.

E. Sridharan is Academic Director and Chief Executive at the University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advanced Study of India, and Editor-in-Chief of India Review; Suhas Palshikar taught political science at Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, and is chief editor of Studies in Indian Politics

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bbcbreakingnews · 4 years ago

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Kerala Congress leadership issue: HC upholds EC order

NEW DELHI: The Kerala High Court has upheld the order passed by the Election Commission in the internal dispute in Kerala Congress (Mani), which recognized the faction led by Rajya Sabha MP Jose K Mani as the real party and “entitled” it to the use of ‘two leaves’ symbol. The order was passed by EC on August 30 by 2:1 majority, with election commissioner Ashok Lavasa being the dissenting voice. Jose Mani, son of party founder K M Mani, had been locked in a bitter factional feud with rival and Kerala MLA P J Joseph, working chairman of the party, after K M Mani passed away in April last year. The EC order was challenged in the Kerala High Court. On Friday, the high court upheld the order in the light of Sadiq Ali judgment of Supreme Court. It ruled: “As both the lists produced by the rival factions were unreliable, the Election Commission proceeded to decide the numerical strength based on majority of members admitted by both sides. Such action of the Commission cannot be found fault with, in the circumstances of the case. It is further to be noted that the Commission based on its decision, not only considering the support of undisputed State Committee members, but also on the numerical strength of legislative party members of the party. Therefore, the Election Commission was justified in adopting a course available to it, in the facts and circumstances of the case.” On August 30, chief election commissioner Sunil Arora and election commissioner Sushil Chandra in their majority order had cited the test of majority support principle upheld by Supreme Court in the Sadiq Ali (supra) case, “which is a touchstone for deciding such disputes” in terms of Para 15 of the Symbols Order, to recognise the faction led by Jose Mani, Lavasa in his dissenting order held that it would be hazardous to apply test of majority as the very basis of determining the “majority” appears muddled and difficult to rely upon. Citing the affidavits submitted in support of Mani as well as Joseph, EC in the majority order put out a table that, after excluding the 5 members who had submitted “common” affidavits, gave the group led by Mani backing of 2 Kerala MLAs, 2 MPs and 174 state committee members. On the other hand, three MPs and 117 members were supporting the group led by Joseph. “A mere look at the figures…will evidently demonstrate that Jose K Mani enjoys majority support,” held EC. Lavasa, in his dissenting order passed a day before end of his stint at EC — marked by his dissenting views on model code complaints against PM Narendra Modi and then BJP chief Amit Shah during 2019 Lok Sabha poll — held that neither of the two factions can be recognised as Kerala Congress (Mani) until fresh affidavits of support are called for by EC. Lavasa had on July 2 suggested to EC to seek fresh affidavits of support, which was not accepted by Arora and Chandra on the grounds that assembly polls were less than a year away and there could be horsetrading.

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source https://bbcbreakingnews.com/2020/11/21/kerala-congress-leadership-issue-hc-upholds-ec-order/

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bigyack-com · 5 years ago

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Madhya Pradesh floor test and what it means for Congress - india news

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath has said there is no need for trust vote as he enjoys a majority in the assembly after Governor Lalji Tandon on Monday issued a fresh deadline for a floor test.Tandon said he will consider chief minister Kamal Nath’s government to be in a minority if he failed to seek a trust vote by Tuesday.The new deadline came hours after Speaker NP Prajapati on Monday abruptly adjourned the assembly for the next 10 days citing health concerns over coronavirus. The assembly would reconvene on March 26, the day lawmakers in the state have to vote for the Rajya Sabha elections, Prajapati said.Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan rushed to the Supreme Court along with nine other BJP legislators within minutes to petition the top court demanding an immediate floor test in Madhya Pradesh.The top court will hear the petition by BJP legislators on Tuesday. Here’s an explainer on a trust vote, floor test and no-confidence motion:What is a trust vote or floor test?A floor test is a constitutional mechanism used to determine if the incumbent government enjoys the support of the legislature.A confidence motion or a vote of confidence or a trust vote is sought by the government in power on the floor of the House.A trust vote or confidence motion has to be moved by an MLA or an MP, and the objective is to find out whether the chief minister has the ‘trust’ or ‘confidence’ of the House. If Kamal Nath wins the trust vote, he will continue to be the chief minister. In this case, there cannot be another trust vote for six more months. And if he loses, the ball goes to Governor Lalji Tandon’s court. The governor can invite the BJP to form the government. He can also choose to declare President’s rule, and the state will go to elections in six months. How does it take place?The voting takes place in the Legislative Assembly or the Lok Sabha at the central level.The chief minister has to prove they have the magic number—the total number of seats required to form a government or stay in power. It is the half-way mark, plus one. In case of a tie, the speaker casts the deciding vote.However, at times, a government’s majority can be questioned and the governor can ask the chief minister to prove his majority in the House. The leader of the party claiming the majority has to move a vote of confidence.In the absence of a clear majority, when there is more than one individual staking claim to form the government, the governor may call for a special session to see who has the majority to form the government.The voting process can happen orally, with electronic gadgets or a ballot process.In his letter to the chief minister ordering a trust vote last Saturday, the governor had directed that the division of votes during the floor test be conducted only by pressing the button or through the electronic voting system and by no other way.However, Tandon issued new directives on Sunday after a delegation of BJP leaders urged him to direct the speaker to conduct the floor test by raising of hands. They claimed that the electronic voting system is not in place in the assembly.Tandon issued new directives in his letter on Sunday, saying the voting during the trust vote should be taken up only through the raising of hands and that no other method should be adopted.Some legislators may be absent or choose not to vote and, in that case, the numbers are considered only on the basis of the MLAs were present to vote.If some MLAs remain absent or abstain from voting, the majority is counted on the basis of those present and voting. This effectively reduces the strength of the House and in turn, brings down the majority-mark.NumbersThe state plunged into a political crisis after Jyotiraditya Scindia, a senior Congress leader, resigned from the party last week to join the BJP. Scindia’s decision to leave the Congress was followed by the resignation of 22 party MLAs loyal to him.Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon directed Kamal Nath to seek trust vote after the 22 legislators of the Congress party submitted their resignations last week. The BJP claims the Congress, which had 114 MLAs in the House with an effective strength of 228, has been reduced to a minority government following the resignation of 22 of its legislators.The opposition party has 107 legislators. There are two MLAs from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), one from the Samajwadi Party (SP), and four Independents who support the Kamal Nath government.Speaker NP Prajapati had accepted the resignations of six ministers on Saturday. With this, the strength of the House has come down to 222 and the majority mark is now 112. The resignations of 16 other MLAs have not been accepted so far. Read the full article

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tumbirus · 5 years ago

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Dears,In a near reply of its 2018 Karnataka misadventure, the three_old Maharashtra BJP government was forced to admit defeat and bow out office the moment Indian Supream Cort prescribed the test of floor strength.The collateral damage is greater this time.The pre_dawn paperwork that facilitated the secretive swearing in ceremony for Devendra Fadnavis and AJITH Pawar had dragged three important public offices into unnecessary controversy: that of Maharashtra governor BS Koshyari and with him the Prime Minister,s Office and Rashtrapathi Bhavan.BJP will want to reassess the unity of such myopic power grab exercises when numbers clearly are not in its favor. BJP may have succeeded in Goa and Manipur but the opposition has also upped its game since then.This was evident in the manner in which congress heard up to meet the BJP,s escalation of stakes during Ahmed Patel,s Rajya Sabha election and the 2018 invitation by Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala to BS Yediyurappa to from government. The urgency behind the fadnavis _pawar installation was the first indication that newly minted combine did not have the numbers.The Shiva Sena_NCP congress "Aghadi" quickly put behind it the setback to mount a strong legal fight,before parading their MLA,s on Monday evening for all to see. Having a fallen out with pre_poll partner BJP turned to his nephew AJITH.But it appears that BJP gambled on the wrong horse,with AJITH. Falling to loosen his uncle,s grip over the party,Now that Shiva Sena,NCP and Congress are staking claim to from the government with a majority on the floor of house,other options like assembly dissolution must be off the table for governor Koshyari.Elections are an expensive proposition and can't be held again and again to such short intervals.whichever group has the numbers must be allowed to from the government. The Maharashtra gambit has virtually isolated BJP,evident in the Opposition,s boycotting of the joint session of both houses of Parliament to mark the 70th anniversary of the constitution.This was a prestigious moment for the country and the government...... (at Mumbai, Maharashtra) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5XdhTfAgN2/?igshid=1hmo5d2oq65hn

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india-today-news-yahoopartn-blog · 8 years ago

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India Today-Axis Opinion Poll: Captain Amarinder Singh likely to lift Punjab trophy

Captain Amarinder Singh seems set to assume the mantle of the chief minister of Punjab once again. The latest opinion poll by Axis My India for India Today TV suggests that the Grand Old Party may end up very close to the majority mark in next month's elections.

READ: Captain Amarinder wants more star power, invites Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Punjab

The survey projects that the Congress could bag between 56 and 62 seats in the 117-seat state assembly. If this opinion poll result holds on counting day then it will come as great relief for the beleaguered party that has lost state after state since a humiliating defeat in the 2014 parliamentary elections. Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party is projected to finish second with a tally in the range of 36-41. The opinion poll suggests that the tally the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine could crash to around 18-22 seats.

The previous opinion poll for Punjab had been put out by Axis My India in October. When the results of the two surveys are compared, it emerges that the Congress' campaign in the state has been gaining momentum. The party's expected tally has gone up by seven seats over the past three months. On the other hand, AAP's campaign, which had peaked at the beginning of 2016, has been on the wane. The party is projected to have lost six seats in the past three months. AAP was hit by a series of local-level controversies and high-profile exits and the party does not seem to have recovered fully from those blows.

Poll race

"People in Punjab aren't going to cast their votes for cyclical replacement, said AAP's national spokesperson Ashish Khetan. "People want systematic change. They want a party which is new, which is fresh."

READ: Ahead of Punjab polls, SIT to reopen 286 anti-Sikh riot cases

Akalis recover to some extent

The Akalis were down and out in October, but they seem to have recovered to some extent. The SAD-BJP vote share in December (24 per cent) is 2 per cent more than the alliance's projected vote share in October.

"I think Akalis are going to go even further down. And this survey has been done before the election process started," said Partap Singh Bajwa, Rajya Sabha MP and former Punjab Congress chief. "Once you have this survey, you see that the Congress is going up and the Akalis are going down."

Captain is top choice to be state's next chief minister

Congress' Amarinder Singh is by far the top choice to be the state's next chief minister with 34 per cent of the respondents indicating that he's their preferred pick. The incumbent, Parkash Singh Badal, comes in second with 22 per cent support. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who has not indicated whether he is willing to move to Chandigarh, comes in third in the popularity sweepstakes, with 16 per cent support.

Drugs still a major problem in Punjab

READ: Narendra Modi to assess performance of ministries ahead of polls

Despite the loud protestations of deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal and others in the Akali leadership, 70 per cent of the respondents in the survey felt that drugs were a major problem in Punjab. Roughly the same number of respondents (69 per cent) blame politicians of the ruling Akali-BJP government for the menace. However, when asked which issue would determine their voting preference, the majority of respondents put employment (41 per cent) and development (33 per cent) well ahead of drug control (8 per cent).

SAD unhappy with opinion poll results

SAD was, understandably, not happy with the opinion poll results. "I think there is something fundamentally wrong with your survey," said Jangveer Singh, Sukhbir Badal's media advisor. "I don't know what kind of questions you asked and how you came up with this kind of result."

Punjab inconvenienced by demonetisation

Respondents in Punjab seemed more inconvenienced by demonetisation than voters in Uttar Pradesh. In UP, 58 per cent of the respondents said they were facing problems because of the PM's move. In comparison, a whopping 82 per cent of the respondents in Punjab said they were facing problems because of note ban. Despite the problems that are being faced, 72 per cent of the respondents said they supported demonetisation.

Axis My India survey criteria

READ: India Today-Axis My India opinion poll: Punjab poll big takeaways

The opinion poll was done using the face-to-face interview method from December 12-22. A team of 26 surveyors did the poll with a sample size of 3,081 respondents.

The data for age-wise vote share in the survey make for interesting reading. Among all age categories, the Aam Aadmi Party's popularity is highest among youngsters with 32 per cent of the youth backing it. This is 3 per cent more than the party's overall vote share of 29 per cent. Despite not having a prominent Sikh face, AAP seems to have penetrated the upper caste Sikh vote bank as well. 30 per cent of the upper caste Sikhs said they would vote for Kejriwal's party. This is the same as the number of upper caste Sikhs who said they would vote for the Congress. The Congress's popularity seems highest among upper caste Hindus and Hindu OBCs. Despite its image as a saviour of the Sikh faith, the Akalis have lost favour with upper caste, OBC and SC Sikhs.

While the general impression around AAP is that Kejriwal's party is an urban phenomenon with limited appeal in the villages, the opinion poll suggests that the party's popularity is actually higher in rural areas than it is in urban pockets. The Congress' popularity peaks in urban areas while the Akalis fairly poorly both in the cities and the backwoods.

Axis My India will put out its final opinion poll for Punjab in the last week of January, just ahead of the crucial elections scheduled for February 4 with the results to be announced on March 11.

READ: With AAP, SAD-BJP, Congress in fray, Punjab to vote for new government on February 4

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brajeshupadhyay · 4 years ago

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Coronavirus Updates: India's COVID-19 case count zooms past 30 lakh, shows unofficial tally

00:02 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates

COVID-19 cases in Pune district cross 1.42 lakh; 69 die

The COVID-19 tally in Maharashtra's Pune district rose to 1,42,461 with addition of 3,280 new cases in the last 24 hours, a health official said on

Saturday. The cumulative toll mounted to 3,495 with 69 deaths, he said. "Of the total 3,280 cases, 1,577 patients are from the limits of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which now has 82,170 patients. With addition of 1,039 cases, the count in Pimpri Chinchwad area now stands at 40,898. The number of

cases in rural, civil hospital and the Pune Cantonment Board area stands at 19,393," the official said. A total of 1,427 patients were discharged from

hospitals in the day, he said.

PTI

23:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Bihar LATEST Updates

Bihar reports 2,238 new cases

Bihar's COVID-19 tally increased to 1.19 lakh on Saturday with the detection of 2,238 fresh infections, while 13 more fatalities pushed its coronavirus death toll to 601, a health bulletin said. Patna district reported the highest number of new cases at 279, followed by East Champaran (143), Madhubani (113), Purnea (101) and Gaya (83), it said.

23:09 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

MHA issues SOP for international passengers

The ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday issued Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for international travel on non-scheduled commercial flights under Vande Bharat scheme and air transport bubble arrangement. Accordingly, persons desirous to travel to India on Vande Bharat flights, will register themselves with the Indian missions in the country where they are stranded or residing, along with necessary details as prescribed by Ministry of External Affairs. However, such a registration may not be required on flights operating under air transport bubbles arrangements, the SOP said. People who will travel to India by non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and ships as allowed by Department of Military Affairs (DMA) and Ministry of Shipping (MOS).The SOP for the operations of these flights or ships will be as issued by MOCA or DMA or MOS from time to time.

Only those crew and staff, who are tested COVID-19 negative, will be allowed to operate these flights and ships. The SOP said priority will be given to compelling cases of in distress, including migrant workers and labourers who have been laid off, short term visa holders faced with expiry of visas, persons with medical emergency/ pregnant women and elderly persons or those required to return to India due to death of family member, and students. The cost of travel, as specified by the carrier, will be borne by such travellers.

PTI

22:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

ICMR developing portal for info on COVID-19 vaccine

The apex health research body, ICMR, is in the process of developing a vaccine portal which will provide information related to the COVID-19 vaccine development in India and abroad, with majority of the updates in several regional languages in addition to English.The aim of creating the portal is to provide all information and updates relating to the COVID-19 vaccine development at one platform as all the information in this regard is scattered as of now, Samiran Panda, Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR, told PTI. The idea behind making the updates available in regional languages is to make sure every citizen is able to access the information. The portal is likely to be functional by next week, Panda said. The portal would be made operational in phases. In the first phase, the portal will provide all information related to COVID-19 vaccine in India and abroad. Over a period of time, information about all other vaccines used to prevent various other ailments will be put on the portal, he said.

22:25 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

Unofficial tally shows over 30 lakh COVID-19 cases in India

India's COVID-19 tally hurtled past the 30-lakh mark on Saturday night, just 16 days after it crossed 20 lakh, while the total number of recoveries too surged to 22.71 lakh, according to data from states and union territories. Union health ministry data updated on Saturday 8 am showed a record single-day spike of 69,874 infections, taking the country's COVID-19 caseload to 29,75,701, while the death toll due to the disease climbed to 55,794 with 945 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. However, by night, a PTI tally showed India's COVID-19 caseload at 30,37,657, death toll at 56,762 and recoveries at 22,71,054. The tally has been compiled as per information provided by the states and union territories.

21:56 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka LATEST Updates

Karnataka reports 7,330 new cases

Karnataka recorded 7,330 fresh COVID-19 cases and 93 deaths on Saturday, taking the total number of the infected past the 2.70-lakh mark and the dead to 4,615, the health department said. The data released during the day did not include Mysuru district as the doctors there have gone on strike protesting over the suicide of the Nanjangud Taluk Health Officer Dr S R Nagendra after alleged harassment by his superiors.The spike in cases and deaths was reported from Bengaluru Urban district, which recorded 2,979 fresh cases and 28 deaths.

PTI

21:45 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Punjab LATEST Updates

Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa tests positive

My Cabinet colleague and Cooperation & Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has tested positive for #Covid19. I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to him joining us at work soon.

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) August 22, 2020

21:32 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam LATEST Updates

Two Assam lawmakers test positive

Two legislators of Assam — BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MLA Bhabendra Nath Bharali —have tested

positive for COVID-19, officials said on Saturday.The two politicians were admitted to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, its Principal Dr Atul Chandra Boro said. The condition of Bharali, the 10th MLA of the state to be infected with the virus, is serious, he said.Tasa is the first MP of Assam, who was afflicted with

COVID-19.Besides, BJP's Jorhat district president Kamakhya Mohan Das and secretary Ishwar Prasanna Bordoloi have also contracted coronavirus, Health Department officials said. "They are asymptomatic and at home isolation," the official said.

PTI

21:13 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

Over 3.5 lakh stranded Indian brought back under Vande Bharat Mission: Centre

Over 3.5 lakh stranded Indians have been repatriated with the help of Air India Express and Air India under the Vande Bharat Mission, said the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Reaching out to Indians around the world! Over 3.5 lakh stranded Indians have been repatriated with the help of @FlyWithIX and @airindiain under #VandeBharat Mission. #IndiaFliesHigh #SabUdenSabJuden pic.twitter.com/wsTdCGvKzK

— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) August 22, 2020

20:40 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

India has 'best' COVID-19 recovery rate, lowest mortality rate: Harsh Vardhan

India has the "best" COVID-19 recovery rate of about 75 percent, which is improving every day, and the "lowest" mortality rate of 1.87 percent in the world, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.After inaugurating a 10-bed make-shift hospital of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Ghaziabad near Delhi, he said India began formulating its strategy against coronavirus from 8 January as soon as the world came to know about the outbreak of the disease.

Vardhan said "many intelligent people, scientists and naysayers" had estimated that India, with a population of about 135 crore, will see 300 million COVID-19 cases and about 5-6 million people will die by July-August, and the country's healthcare system was "incapable" to combat the disease."However, I am happy to say that in the eighth month of the battle, India has the best recovery rate of 75 percent and against an estimate of 300 million affected we have not even reached 3 million cases." "In fact, 2.2 million patients have recovered and gone home and another seven lakh are going to be cured very soon," he said.

PTI

20:28 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala LATEST Updates

Case registered against two miscreants for throwing stones at house of COVID-19 affected family

A case has been registered against two unidentified people for hurling stones at thehouse of a COVID-19 affected family, police said on Saturday.Police said motorcycle-borne miscreants reached the house at Vayalar near Alapuzzha and threw stones damaging the window panes. "As per the complaint filed, some miscreants have spread a rumour that the family had brought COVID-19 to the locality and the attack was due to that," police said.

Five members of the family had contracted the coronavirus infection. Four were hospitalised earlier and the fifth member was waiting for the ambulance when the incident occurred, but no one was injured, police said

PTI

20:14 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates

Maharashtra sees spike of 14,492 cases

COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra surged by 14,492 to 6,61,942 while the toll rose to 21,995 as 297 more died due to the viral infection,reports PTI quoting the state health department. With as many as 4,80,114 persons having recovered till date, the recovery rate is 71.45 percent while the fatality rate is 3.27 percent, it said in a bulletin. The state now has 1,69,516 active cases.

14,492 new #COVID19 cases and 297 deaths reported in Maharashtra today. The total number of positive cases now stands at 6,61,942 including 4,80,114 recoveries and 1,69,516 active cases: State Health department pic.twitter.com/JeTefkG6u4

— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2020

19:44 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala LATEST Updates

Fifty-four health workers among Kerala's 2,171 new cases

Kerala recorded 2,171 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the infection count to 56,353 while 15 deaths took the toll to 218, Health minister KK Shailaja said. Fifty-four health workers, including 14 from Palakkad and 11 from Malappuram, were among those who tested positive. Of the positive cases, 52 had come from abroad and 102 from other states, the minister said. As many as 1,964 people were infected through contact and the source of infection of 153 was not known, the minister said in a press release.

As many as 36,539 have recovered from the infection, including 1,292 who were discharged today, while 19,538 people are undergoing treatment for the pathogen.

PTI

19:28 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates

Anti-fibrotic drugs helped in recovery of COVID-19 patients: Army

For the first time in the country, anti-fibrotic drugs have been used to treat patients suffering from COVID-19-related lung fibrosis and breathlessness which has helped in the recovery of four such patients in Maharashtra's Pune, the Army has said. "The researchers at the Pune-based Army Institute of Cardiothoracic Sciences (AICTS) have found this therapy very effective in this subset of COVID-19 patients and they were safely tolerated as well. This is a novel strategy to tackle the lung fibrosis to treat subset of COVID-19 patients," the release said. It said these are early results and more research is being undertaken in this field to identify the patients who are likely to benefit from the therapy.

PTI

19:05 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in South Korea LATEST Updates

South Korea announces strict restrictions to curb virus spread

South Korea is banning large gatherings, closing beaches, shutting nightspots and churches and removing fans from professional sports in strict new measures announced on Saturday as it battles the spread of the coronavirus. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo announced the steps shortly after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 332 new cases — the ninth straight day of triple-digit increases. The national caseload is now at 17,002, including 309 deaths.

18:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Andhra Pradesh LATEST Updates

Andhra Pradesh reports 10,276 new cases

Andhra Pradesh reports 10,276 new cases, taking the total number of cases to 3,45,216. There are 89,389 active cases in the state and the toll has risen to 3,189, reports ANI quoting the state government.

18:27 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi LATEST Updates

Delhi reports 1,412 new cases, 14 deaths

Delhi records 1,412 fresh COVID19 cases, taking total cases to 1,60,016, reports PTI quoting the state government. The toll due to the disease mounts to 4,284 with 14 more fatalities. With 1,230 more person getting discharged, the recovery rate rose to 90.07 percent and the National Capital at present has 11,594 active cases.

🏥Delhi Health Bulletin - 22nd August 2020🏥#DelhiFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/GxPiqXlnDx

— CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) August 22, 2020

17:57 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates

Global COVID-19 toll tops 8 lakh: Report

The number of deaths from the new coronavirus has surpassed 8,00,000 around the world, according to an AFP tally based on official sources at around 4.30 pm IST on Saturday. In total, 8,00,004 fatalities have been recorded globally, out of 23,003,079 declared infections. Latin America and the Caribbean is the most-affected region with 2,54,897 deaths. More than half of global fatalities have been reported in four countries: the United States with 1,75,416 deaths, Brazil with 1,13,358, Mexico 59,610 and India 55,794. The number of deaths has doubled since 6 June, and 1,00,000 have been recorded in the last 17 days alone.

AFP

17:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh LATEST Updates

Recovery rate touches 90% in Noida

Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday recorded 98 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the district's tally to 6,901, even as the recovery rate reached almost 90 percent, official data showed.The number of active cases rose to 813 from 793 on Friday, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period. The district dropped to 14th position in the state in terms of active cases, the data showed. Also, 79 more patients got discharged during the period. So far, 6,144 patients have recovered from COVID-19 in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the third highest among districts in UP after Lucknow (14,229) and Kanpur Nagar (8,185), it showed. The district has so far recorded 43 deaths linked to coronavirus and the mortality rate among positive cases stood at 0.62 pe cent, the same as Friday.

PTI

17:33 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Puducherry LATEST Updates

Central team to review measures taken by Puducherry

The Union Health Ministry has constituted a three-member team to assist the Health Department of Puducherry in reviewing measures and management of COVID-19 in the Union Territory, reports PTI. The team would review the public health measures, infection prevention and control practice, clinical management protocol being implemented for COVID-19, according to the Centre's communication that was highlighted in a Whatsapp message by the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi to reporters on Saturday.

The team from the Centre would submit a daily report of steps taken by the Health Department of Puducherry with a copy marked to the Joint Secretary to the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, New Delhi, by e-mail."Before concluding its visit, the team will submit a report of the observation and suggestions to the office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Health Department with a copy to the Ministry to bring to its notice any issue of urgent importance," it was stated. Bedi had made a plea for a Central team to study the management of the pandemic in the UT, claiming that work done in managing the COVID-19 situation was not sufficient.

PTI

17:07 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates

Don't forget social responsibility, urges Thackeray on first day of Ganesh festival

Maharashtra Chief Minister UddhavThackeray on Saturday said people should not forget their social responsibility of wearing masks and avoiding crowding while welcoming Lord Ganesh. Thackeray also said he prayed to Lord Ganesh to rid the world of the coronavirus pandemic on the first day of the 10-day festival."Usually, the festival is organised with pomp and gaiety, which is lacking this time due to the prevailing situation. This is a test for us. I urge you not to forget your social responsibility of wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowding. People should keep washing their hands frequently," he said.

मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांचा श्री गणेश चतुर्थीच्या निमित्ताने महाराष्ट्राच्या जनतेला संदेश CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’s message to the people of Maharashtra on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi pic.twitter.com/YSjCXBhaen

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) August 22, 2020

16:43 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in China LATEST Updates

Uttar Pradesh reports 5,375 new cases, 70 deaths

Uttar Pradesh reported 5,375 new COVID-19 cases, 4,638 discharges and 70 deaths due to the infection in the last 24 hours, takingthe active cases to 48,294 and toll to 2,867, reports ANI quoting the state health department.

16:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in China LATEST Updates

China reports 22 imported cases

Chinese health officials in their Saturday report on the coronavirus said that the country had no locally transmitted infections in the latest 24-hour period, 22 cases were confirmed in Chinese arriving from abroad. While the local spread of the virus appears to have been contained in mainland China, the semi-autonomous southern city of Hong Kong continues to struggle with its worst outbreak since the pandemic began. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Friday that free coronavirus tests will be offered to residents during the first two weeks of September, in hopes of restarting the heavily services-dependent local economy. A new surge in infections that started in July has more than tripled the number of cases in Hong Kong to 4,632, with a total of 75 deaths.

16:08 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

Recovery rate climbs to 74.69%, says health ministry

India recorded its highest ever single-day recoveries of 63,631 in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry adding that the recovery rate has now climbed to 74.69 percent. "This has also led to declining Case Fatality Rate, which stands at a new low of 1.87 percent today," it said in a statement.

The total number of recoveries in the country now exceed the total active cases (6,97,330) by more than 15 lakhs.The record high recoveries have ensured that the actual caseload of the country has reduced and currently comprises only 23.43 percent of the total positive cases, it further said.

15:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

Centre asks states not to put restrictions on inter-state movement of people, goods

The Centre has asked all states to ensure that there should be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods during the ongoing unlocking process. In a communication to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said there were reports that local level restrictions on movement were being imposed by various districts and states. Drawing attention to the Unlock 3 guidelines, Bhalla said such restrictions are creating problems in inter-state movement of goods and services and are impacting supply chains, resulting in disruption in economic activity and employment. The home secretary said restrictions amount to violation of guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs under provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.

PTI

15:41 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Ladakh LATEST Updates

Ladakh's toll rises to 19

One more person died of COVID-19 in Ladakh, taking the death toll due to the infection in the Union Territory to 19, officials said on Saturday. The death was reported from Kargil district on Friday, the officials said, refusing to reveal any details. Of the total deaths, 12 were reported from Kargil and seven from Leh district, the officials said. They said the COVID-19 caseload in Ladakh had also gone up to 2,133 after 56 fresh cases, including 38 in Leh and 18 in Kargil, surfaced on Friday. Leh has so far recorded 1,052 COVID-19 positive cases, while the number of such people in Kargil stands at 1,081. However, 68 percent of the patients have already recovered and subsequently discharged, the officials said, adding only 665 cases are still active in Ladakh.

PTI

15:28 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Telangana LATEST Updates

Over one lakh COVID-19 cases in Telangana

Telangana crossed one lakh COVID-19 cases after 2,474 more patients tested positive for the novel coronavirus, health officials said on Saturday. With seven more people succumbing to the virus, the toll in the state mounted to 744.

The official said 1,768 people were discharged on Friday, taking the total number of recoveries to 78,735 so far. About 22,386 were under treatment.

14:57 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

COVID-19 saliva diagnosis is cheaper, faster alternative to swab testing, say scientists

A low-cost saliva test that will enable people to collect their own samples with minimal discomfort, without invasive nasal or throat swabs, could well be the way forward to detect the novel coronavirus, say scientists.

Giving a thumbs up to the alternative testing technology that is yet to be introduced in India, scientists said it would deliver results faster and more accurately and also minimise the risk for healthcare workers collecting samples.

The saliva-based COVID-19 diagnosis offers an improvement over standard nasopharyngeal swab methods because people can collect their own samples with ease - simply spit into a sterile tube and mail it to a lab for processing.

Read full report here

14:29 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha LATEST Updates

Lok Sabha MP in Odisha tests COVID-19 positive

Lok Sabha MP and ruling BJD leader Manjulata Mandal on Saturday said she has tested positive for COVID-19, and was undergoing home quarantine. Taking to Twitter, the Bhadrak MP requested people who recently came in contact with her to get themselves tested.

"On getting the initial symptoms of COVID-19,I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine and I'm in home quarantine. I request that all of you who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get your test done," she tweeted.

14:10 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

India has third-highest COVID-19 cases after US, Brazil

India has the third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil, and its 55,794 deaths give it the fourth-highest COVID-19 toll in the world.

Some 2.2 million people have recovered from the disease in India since the first case was diagnosed in late January.

13:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Himachal Pradesh LATEST Updates

Close to 5,000 COVID-19 infections in Himachal Pradesh

The COVID-19 tally rises to 4,780 in Himachal Pradesh, said the state health department on Saturday. The figure includes 25 deaths, 1,438 active cases and 3,268 recoveries.

13:49 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha LATEST Updates

Odisha reports over 75,000 COVID-19 cases, nearly 400 deaths

With 2,819 more people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Odisha, the overall count reached to 75,537, said the state health department on Saturday. Nine more deaths in the past 24 hours took the COVID-19 toll to 399.

Of the total confirmed cases, there are 50,503 recoveries and 24,582 active cases.

12:59 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates

Two COVID-19 deaths, 288 cases reported in Maharashtra Police

At least 288 more police personnel in Maharashtra have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. With this, the overall count reached to 13,468 on Saturday. After two more cops succumbed to the virus, the COVID-19 toll in the police force is 138.

"Total confirmed cases in the police force have risen to 13,468, including 10,852 recoveries and 138 deaths," said Maharashtra Police.

12:03 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Jharkhand LATEST Updates

Former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren, wife test COVID-19 positive

Former chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder, Shibu Soren, along with his wife have tested positive for coronavirus.

The information regarding the senior leader and his wife's testing positive was shared by son and incumbent Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren via Twitter.

11:56 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Goa LATEST Updates

Hope Lord Ganesh gives blessings to overcome COVID-19: Goa Guv

On the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, Goa Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday expressed hope that with the blessings of the deity, which is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the coronavirus crisis ends in the state.

Koshyari, in his message said, "The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi also denotes the significance of the cycle of birth, life and death. Ganesha, who is also known as the Lord of new beginnings, is worshipped as the remover of obstacles."

"It is believed that when the idol of the Ganesha is taken out for immersion, it also takes away with it various obstacles from our lives. May the blessings of Lord Ganesha be upon the people of Goa so that the obstacles of the COVID-19 epidemic and its negative effects are conquered by the people," he said.

11:28 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

India's COVID-19 toll over 55,000

Of the 945 new COVID-19 deaths, 339 were reported in Maharashtra, 101 in Tamil Nadu, 93 in Karnataka and 91 from Andhra Pradesh. With this, the COVID-19 toll in the nation has increased to 55,794 as on Saturday.

11:15 (IST)

Coronavirus in South Korea Latest Updates

South Korea orders nationwide pandemic restrictions

South Korea is banning large gatherings, shutting nightspots and churches and removing fans from professional sports nationwide in an attempt to slow a resurgence of coronavirus infections.

Health Minister Park Neung-hoo announced the measures Saturday after officials reported 332 newly confirmed cases, marking the ninth straight day of triple-digit increases. Most of the new cases were in the Seoul metropolitan area, which has been at the center of the viral surge of recent weeks. But infections were also reported in practically every major city and in towns across the country.

The Associated Press

10:41 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi LATEST Updates

Will follow Centre's rules for reopening hotes in Delhi: health minister

Hotels in Delhi will open as per SOPs issued by the central government and weekly markets will begin functioning while maintaining social distancing, said Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain

10:38 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi LATEST Updates

Delhi reports 1,250 new coronavirus cases

In the past 24 hours, 1,250 new coronavirus cases were reported in Delhi, said Satyendar Jain on Saturday. At least 1,082 recoveries and 13 deaths have been recorded in Delhi, said the health minister.

09:51 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

India's COVID-19 recovery rate is 74.69%

Of the total 29.75 lakh, there are 6,97,330 active cases in India, said the health ministry on Saturday. With 22,22,578 patients being cured, the recovery rate climbed to 74.69 percent.

09:45 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

India records 29.75 lakh COVID-19 cases

India registered 29.75 lakh COVID-19 cases after 69,878 more individuals tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said the health ministry on Saturday. The COVID-19 toll climbed to 55,794 after 945 more patients succumbed to the highly contagious disease.

09:34 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Punjab LATEST Updates

Section 144 in Punjab amid rising COVID-19 cases

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered that restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which bars assembly of more than four people, be imposed in the state amid rising COVID-19 cases, reported PTI.

09:03 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in China LATEST Updates

China reports 22 COVID-19 cases, all from overseas

China reported 22 cases of the fresh COVID-19 infections in the mainland on Friday, same as the day earlier, the health commission said.

All 22 new infections were imported cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, marking the sixth straight day with no new locally transmitted infections.

08:55 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

Over 3 crore COVID-19 samples tested so far: ICMR

So far over 3 crore people have been tested for the novel coronavirus, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), adding that 10 lakh samples were tested on Friday alone.

The total number of samples tested is 3,44,91,073 till 21 August, said ICMR.

08:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Haryana LATEST Updates

All shops and offices to remain shut on weekends in Haryana

In a bid to curb the fast-spreading COVID-19, Haryana minister Anil Vij said on Friday that all offices and shops will remain shut in the state on weekends. However, essential services will be exempted from the restrictions.

All offices and shops except essential will remain closed in Haryana on every Saturday and Sunday due to #COVID__19

— ANIL VIJ MINISTER HARYANA (@anilvijminister) August 21, 2020

07:43 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

EC issues polling guidelines amid COVID-19

The Election Commission issued broad guidelines for conducting polls during the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. As per the new guidelines, voters will be provided gloves while using EVMs and COVID-19 patients in quarantine will be allowed to vote in the last hour of the polling day.

A separate set of guidelines would be issued for voters who are residing in areas notified as "containment zone", the Election Commission said.

The poll panel has also extended the option of postal ballot for electors who are marked as persons with disabilities and those above 80 years.

07:41 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam LATEST Updates

Nearly 88,000 COVID-19 cases in Assam; recovery rate at 73.40%

Assam registered 1,856 fresh COVID-19 infections, taking the overall count to 87,908, said Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday.

So far, 63,120 people have recovered from the disease, while three migrated out of the state. The recovery rate in the state is 73.40 percent, and the doubling rate of cases has increased to 17.7 days from 15.8 last week, as per official data.

07:36 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates

Over 10 lakh COVID-19 tests in a day: health ministry

More than 10 lakh samples were tested for the novel coronavirus in a day for first time, said the Union Health Ministry on Saturday.

India crosses the milestone of 1 million #COVID19 tests a day. More than 10 lakh people tested in the last 24 hours: Ministry of Health pic.twitter.com/FrhsQcWLgy

— ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2020

07:33 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates

WHO expects COVID-19 to end within two years

The World Health Organization hopes the coronavirus pandemic will be shorter than the 1918 Spanish flu and last less than two years, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on 21 August, if the world unites and succeeds in finding a vaccine.

Tedros said the 1918 Spanish flu "took two years to stop".

"And in our situation now with more technology, and of course with more connectiveness, the virus has a better chance of spreading, it can move fast because we are more connected now," he told a briefing in Geneva.

"But at the same time we have also the technology to stop it and the knowledge to stop it. So we have a disadvantage of globalisation, closeness, connectedness but an advantage of better technology. So we hope to finish this pandemic (in) less than two years."

Coronavirus LATEST Updates: A tally based on figures provided by states and Union Territories on Saturday showed the countrywide caseload at 30,37,657 and toll at 56,762.

After a 13-day gap, Andhra Pradesh once again reported over 10,000 new coronavirus cases in a day, pushing the case count to 3,45,216.

India recorded its highest ever single-day recoveries of 63,631 in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry adding that the recovery rate has now climbed to 74.69 percent.

India has the third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil, and its 55,794 deaths give it the fourth-highest COVID-19 toll in the world.

At least 288 more police personnel in Maharashtra have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. With this, the overall count reached to 13,468 on Saturday.

The COVID-19 tally climbed to 29.75 lakh after 69,878 more individuals tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said the health ministry on Saturday.

India's COVID-19 toll climbed to 55,794 after 945 more patients succumbed to the highly contagious disease.

So far over 3 crore people have been tested for the novel coronavirus, said the ICMR, adding that 10 lakh samples were tested on Friday alone.

India's COVID-19 tally crossed 29 lakh after registering a single-day spike of 68,898 new cases. Meanwhile, the number of recoveries rose to 21,58,946 on Friday, pushing the recovery rate to over 74 percent, the Union Health Ministry said .

The total cases of coronavirus infections mounted to 29,05,823, while the toll climbed to 54,849, with 983 new fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The case fatality rate declined to 1.89 percent while the recovery rate rose to 74.30 percent. There are 6,92,028 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which is 23.82 percent of the total caseload, the ministry said.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 3,34,67,237 samples have been tested up to 20 August with 8,05,985 samples being tested on Thursday.

EC issues polling guidelines amid COVID-19 pandemic

A separate set of guidelines would be issued for voters who are residing in areas notified as "containment zone", the Election Commission said.

The poll panel has also extended the option of postal ballot for electors who are marked as persons with disabilities and those above 80 years.

Electors who are COVID-19 positive or are suspected of having the infection and in quarantine at home or at an institution can also exercise the postal ballot option.

An official explained that this postal ballot facility is different from the one extended to service voters.

Here, those willing to use the facility have to fill up a form. Officials then carry the ballot to the residence of such voters and videograph the voting to ensure transparency.

"COVID-19 patients who are quarantined will be allowed to cast their vote in the last hour of the poll day at their respective polling stations, under the supervision of health authorities... Sector magistrates shall coordinate this in their allocated polling stations," the guidelines said.

Bihar may become the first state to go for Assembly elections amid the pandemic. The polls are due in October-November.

Asked why the norms have no mention of "virtual" or "digital" campaigning, another official said the "broad guidelines have been framed based on COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Health Ministry and the Home Ministry to prevent the spread of the virus."

"Based on our guidelines, states will prepare their own set of three-layered comprehensive guidelines at the state, district and Assembly constituency level." The state specific guidelines may talk of virtual campaign, he said.

Haryana govt says offices, shops to remain closed on weekends

Haryana minister Anil Vij said all offices and shops, except those dealing with essential services, will remain closed on weekends in the wake of a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the state.

"All offices and shops except essential will remain closed in Haryana on every Saturday and Sunday due to COVID-19," Vij said in a tweet.

The home and health minister later told PTI that the decision was taken due to a sudden spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the state during the past few days.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Friday imposed restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the state amid rising COVID-19 cases.

Delhi jails say no new COVID-19 case reported

No prisoner is COVID-19 positive and the situation in jails has much improved, the Delhi Prisons Department said.

So far, 63 inmates of the three jails — Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli — have tested positive for the infection. Sixty-one of them have recovered and two died, the officials said.

In August, only the Tihar Jail reported two cases and both the inmates have recovered. On Friday, there was no inmate who was COVID-19 positive in the three jail complexes of Delhi, PTI reported.

SP Balasubrahmanyam 'stable', says hospital

Veteran playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, battling COVID-19 and on ventilator was 'stable', the hospital treating him said. The 74 year-old actor-singer "continues to be on ventilator and ECMO support in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," Dr Anuradha Baskaran, assistant director-medical services, MGM Healthcare said in a bulletin.

"His condition currently is stable. Our multi-disciplinary team of medical experts is keeping a very close watch on the vital parameters and has been constantly updating Thiru SP Balasubrahmanyam's family regarding his clinical status and progress," Baskaran added.

His son SP Charan thanked all for the prayers and pointed out his father was 'stable' today though he was 'critical' on Thursday.

State-wise cases and deaths

Maharashtra continues to be the state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. The state reported as many as 14,161 new cases while 11,749 patients recoved from the virus on Friday. However, 339 died from COVID-19 in the state, the Maharashtra health department said.

The total number of cases rose to 6,57,450 as of Friday, which included 4,70,873 recoveries, 1,64,562 active cases and 21,698 deaths till date.

Tamil Nadu reported 5,995 new cases, 5,764 recoveries and 101 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 3,67,430, including 53,413 active cases, 3,07,677 discharged cases and 6,340 deaths.

Delhi reported 1,250 new COVID-19 cases, 1,082 discharges/recoveries and 13 deaths. The total number of cases in the National Capital is now at 1,58,604, including 1,42,908 recovered cases, 11,426 active cases and 4,270 deaths.

As many as 6,086 RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 11,649 Rapid antigen tests were conducted in Delhi on Friday. So far, 1,392,928 tests were conducted so far and Tests Per Million (TPM) stood at 73,312, according to the Delhi health department.

Kerala reported 1,983 new COVID-19 cases, 1,419 recoveries and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 18,673 and total recoveries to 35,247.

Karnataka reported 7,571 cases (2,948 in Bengaluru), 6,561 discharges and 93 deaths, taking total cases to 2,64,546 including 1,76,942 discharges and 4,522 deaths, as per the state's health department.

Uttar Pradesh reported 4,991 new COVID-19 cases and 66 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 47,785 and death toll to 2,797, as per the State's Health Department.

In Jammu and Kashmir, 654 new cases of coronavirus reported — 114 from Jammu division and 540 from Kashmir division — taking the total number of cases in the Union Territory to 31,371. The toll is at 593, as per the Jammu and Kashmir administration.

Punjab reported 1,513 new cases, 856 cured cases and 34 deaths on Friday. The total number of cases rose to 39,327, including 14,443 active cases, 23,893 recovered cases. The toll is at 991, as per state's health department.

In Mizoram, the number of COVID-19 active cases stood at 475, the state government said. The total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 895, while 420 patients have been cured/discharged.

As US deaths mount, COVID-19 takes outsize toll on minorities

As many as 2,15,000 more people than usual died in the US during the first seven months of 2020, suggesting that the number of lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the official toll, AP reported.

And half the dead were people of colour — Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and, to a marked degree unrecognised until now, Asian Americans.

The new figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention highlight a stark disparity: Deaths among minorities during the crisis have risen far more than they have among Caucasians.

As of the end of July, the official death toll in the US from COVID-19 was about 1,50,000. It has since grown to over 1,70,000.

Earlier data on cases, hospitalisations and deaths revealed a especially heavy toll on Black, Hispanic and Native Americans, a disparity attributed to unequal access to health care and economic opportunities.

But the increases in total deaths by race were not reported until now; nor was the disproportionate burden on Asian Americans.

With this new data, Asian Americans join Blacks and Hispanics among the hardest-hit communities, with deaths in each group up at least 30 percent this year compared with the average over the last five years, the analysis found.

Deaths among Native Americans rose more than 20 percent, though that is probably a severe undercount because of a lack of data. Deaths among Caucasians were up 9 percent.

The toll on Asian Americans has received far less attention, perhaps in part because the numbers who have died — about 14,000 more than normal this year — have been far lower than among several other groups.

Still, the 35 percent increase in Asian American deaths is the second-highest, behind Hispanic Americans.

With inputs from agencies

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vsplusonline · 5 years ago

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Plots galore in Madhya Pradesh after Scindia leaves Congress and over 20 MLAs ‘quit’ in revolt

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/plots-galore-in-madhya-pradesh-after-scindia-leaves-congress-and-over-20-mlas-quit-in-revolt/

Plots galore in Madhya Pradesh after Scindia leaves Congress and over 20 MLAs ‘quit’ in revolt

New Delhi: The 15-month-old Congress government in Madhya Pradesh headed by Kamal Nath was tottering on the brink on an eventful Holi day after the long-sulking Jyotiraditya Scindia dramatically crossed over to the BJP, and at least 22 (at the last count ) pro-Scindia Congress MLAs alongside “sending their resignations” from the Assembly making it a full-fledged internal revolt.

With a couple of supporting MLAs too openly hobnobbing with BJP leaders by evening, the number game appears to be precariously dwindling below the majority mark for the Congress regime. Yet, there could be some more twists in this see-saw battle before the final act is played out, perhaps with a formal floor test in the Assembly — something the beleaguered Chief Minister appears to be working towards for now rather than throwing in the towel.

Though the CM was working to gamble with a cabinet expansion as a way of wooing some of the rebels, if BJP rallies more defections from among Congress MLAs, the will on the other side for resistance or counter -plotting would crumble. The support from the Modi government at the Centre also works to the tactical advantage for the BJP’s push forcing a regime change.

Whether the Speaker will immediately accept, or take time for scrutiny, the resignations sent by the Congress MLAs – there are precedents like former Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan taking weeks for scrutiny and personal verification before accepting the resignations of YSR Congress MPs) and, whether the CM will opt for a trust vote or face a no-confidence motion from BJP than resigning on his own will give an indication of the game plan.

If the Speaker delays decision on resignations and conducts a floor test with party whips in operation, both the BJP and Congress will engage in mind-games with these 22 MLAs

The effective strength of Madhya Pradesh after the resignations stands reduced to 205 (with two vacancies) and 103 is the new half-way mark. The Congress strength now stands reduced to 92 against the BJP’s 107. Earlier Congress had the outside support of 4 Independents, two of BSP and one SP. With one MLA each of BSP and SP seen at the house of former CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the strength of Congress plus remaining allies stands reduced to 97.

A few months ago, two BJP MLAs had indulged in cross-voting for the Congress regime but, it is not clear whether they are still with Congress or ‘returned home’. The CM and his team were also known to have been cultivating some BJP MLAs as their “invisible friends” but whether they will stand by that plot or, will ‘sail with the wind’ remains to be seen.

SCINDIA CROSSES THE RUBICON What tilted the scale dramatically is 49-yr-old Jyotiraditya Scindia finally deciding to snap his 18-year-old ties with the Congress on the birth anniversary of his late father Madhavrao Scindia to take the plunge into BJP. After having held behind-the-scenes negotiations with BJP leaders in Delhi and handing over his supporting MLAs to the ‘safe custody’ of the BJP state government in Karnataka, Scindia came in the open on Tuesday morning to meet PM Modi at the latter’s residence with Home Minister Amit Shah too joining them. Thereafter, his formal induction into the BJP is just a matter of time.

Scindia has been sulking in the Congress for two reasons: for not being appointed the PCC chief and, more recently for not being made the Congress’ first preference, thus more safe, candidate — which is widely expected to be Digvijaya Singh — for the two Rajya Sabha seats the party had been eyeing.

The other camps say with just 20 plus MLAs in the Chambal-Gwalior region, Scindia was asking for more than what the comparatively more influential Nath and Digvijaya were getting. Scindia has been positioning as a close friend of Rahul Gandhi for many years now, something that he leveraged to halt the appointment of a new PCC president of choice of the numerically stronger Nath-Singh axis .

Scindia’s first ever defeat in the recent LS polls made his life — outside Delhi’s power perch –,as one leader put it, “like a fish out of water”. The BJP is expected to offer him a Rajya Sabha berth and a union minister’s post as a reward.

After finalizing the deal, Scindia sent to Sonia Gandhi his resignation which said, “While my aim and purpose remain the same as it has always been from the very beginning, to serve the people of my state and country, I believe I am unable to do this anymore within this party…to reflect and realise the aspirations of my people and my workers I believe it is best that I now look ahead at a fresh start.”

Almost simultaneously AICC expelled Scindia from the Congress for “anti-party activities”.

Soon, Congress leaders lined up to target Scindia just as BJP leaders queued to praise him. A sharp attack on Scindia came from close ally of Kamal Nath — Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot — who tweeted; “Joining hands with BJP in a time of national crisis speaks volumes about a leaders self-indulgent political ambitions. Especially when the BJP is ruining the economy, democratic institutions, social fabric and as well the judiciary. Mr Scindia has betrayed the trust of the people as well as the ideology. Such people proves they can’t thrive without power. Sooner they leave the better”. Many in the Congress think Gehlot’s criticism of Scindia is as much aimed as an indirect forewarning to his deputy and in-house rival Sachin Pilot.

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bbcbreakingnews · 4 years ago

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Mayawati seeks President rule in Rajasthan

NEW DELHI: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has waded into ongoing political crisis in Rajasthan after she sought President’s Rule on Saturday in the desert state while attacking chief minister Ashok Gehlot of violating the Constitution in poaching six MLAs of her party as well as mounting attack over “phone-tapping” following the audio leaks. “It is evident now that Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has violated the Constitution as well as twice used his deceit to poach and induct the BSP MLAs into Congress party fold. He has also committed grave acts of illegal phone tapping. The governor must take a cognisance of such political instability and seek a President’s Rule in Rajasthan” Mayawati said on Twitter.

1. जैसा��ि विदित है कि राजस्थान के मुख्यमंत्री श्री गहलोत ने पहले दल-बदल कानून का खुला उल्लंघन व बीएसपी के साथ लगाता… https://t.co/YiCa7bAO8d

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) 1595052481000

2. इस प्रकार, राजस्थान में लगातार जारी राजनीतिक गतिरोध, आपसी उठा-पठक व सरकारी अस्थिरता के हालात का वहाँ के राज्यपाल… https://t.co/5rCscY9JNr

— Mayawati (@Mayawati) 1595052482000

TOI had reported on Wednesday that six BSP MLAs who had joined the ruling Congress in Rajasthan in 2019 are likely to play a crucial role in case Gehlot is called to take a floor test to prove his government’s majority in the Assembly. This was the second time since 2009 when six MLAs of BSP had moved sides to join the Congress. Gehlot was the chief minister then too. The fresh move by Mayawati comes a day after BJP sought disqualification of the six BSP MLAs by writing a letter to Rajasthan assembly Speaker C P Joshi. “I had conveyed to you that September 18, 2019 induction of elected legislators of BSP into Congress should lead to their disqualification under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution. The decision is still pending. I appeal for an early decision on this issue,” BJP MLA Madan Dilawar, from Kota’s Ramganj Mandi, reiterated his party’s earlier stance on March 6 this year. The status of the six MLAs was called into question in June, ahead of the voting for three Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan, when BSP general secretary Satish Mishra wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner and sought that the six legislators be debarred from voting as Congress members. In his letter on June 17, Mishra had written to the EC, “Six MLAs were elected on party symbols allotted by Mayawati and after winning polls, their names were duly notified in Election Commission’s gazette notification. However, speaker of Rajasthan assembly changed their nomenclature in his records without any notice to BSP. We don’t have a tie-up with Congress at national or state level, which is a mandatory condition under 10th schedule of Constitution of India.” The MLAs include Rajendra Singh Gudha, Jogendra Singh Awana, Wajib Ali, Lakhan Singh, Sandeep Yadav and Deepchand. Political analysts and constitutional experts believe the issue is likely to be flagged off again if the government goes for a floor test. In Rajasthan’s 200 MLA-strong assembly — where the majority mark is 101 — the Congress has 107 seats while the BJP has 72. Sachin Pilot has claimed support of 30-odd MLAs. Senior Supreme Court advocate Ashok Bhan cited previous rulings where the court said the defected MLAs weren’t allowed to vote unless the “merger included the party as a whole, not just a few lawmakers”. According to senior constitutional expert Subash Kashyap, while any member of the assembly can file a petition with the speaker to seek disqualification of defected MLAs, the party whose MLAs have defected also have the option of approaching a court of law. “The votes of defected MLAs in case of a floor test are valid as long as they are not disqualified by the speaker.” A senior BSP leader had told TOI that the party is still awaiting the Election Commission’s response to their letter. “We plan to move court on why we were not informed about Rajasthan assembly speaker’s decision to change the MLAs nomenclature.”

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krishnaprasad-blog · 5 years ago

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Karnataka is the outlier in peninsular India—the only state in the South that the BJP has managed to come to power, by hook and by crook. Twice.

There is a plethora of political reasons for this, including caste realignment, but there can be little doubt that the Kannada media has played a hands-on role in paving the way for the Hindu nationalist party to gain a foothold, and then obtain a stranglehold, in a progressive state known for pioneering social reforms.

Politically invested media owners, slimy media houses, ideologically indoctrinated editors, anchors and reporters—and community and mutt affiliations—have steadfastly, subterraneously and perhaps irredeemably communalised the Kannada media landscape like in no other state below the Vindhyas.

***

The fundamentalist bread-and-butter issues—Idgah maidan in Hubli; Bababudangiri in Chikamagalur; Tipu Sultan in Mysore, etc—have hogged headlines and dominated the discourse in Karnataka for the better part of the last two decades.

But Mangalore occupies a very special place. Despite its high literacy and syncretic culture, Mangalore has been command central of the Hindutva laboratory on the west coast from around the 1992 demolition of the Babri masjid.

It has also been the testing ground for the sangh parivar’s pet themes: love jihad; moral policing; gau raksha.

The Kannada news media has played its dutiful part in foregrounding this drip-feed. In the process, it has also helped stereotype the minorities, spawned anti-intellectualism, and subconsciously conditioned the minds of voters, present and future.

(As the IT capital of the country, Karnataka is fittingly the motherboard of “fake news”, with overt and covert political-business support. And it was in Bangalore, of course, that the journalist Gauri Lankesh was shot dead in her home.)

***

The breathless coverage of the discovery of a “live bomb” at Mangalore airport on Monday, January 20, leading up to the “surrender” of the “suspect” two days later, January 22, offers a window into the manner in which mainstream Kannada media is dangerously feeding the fears and fantasies of the “majority”—and feeding off it.

It makes for a revolting spectacle.

The reported facts of the Mangalore “live bomb” case are:

1) Mangalore police said CISF personnel found a black unattended backpack near the arrival terminal of the airport around 9 am on January 20.

2) The suspected “bomb”, found in a steel box in the bag, was defused around 5.30 pm, some 3 km away from where it was found.

3) CCTV footage released by the police showed the possible suspect, a middle-aged man wearing a cap, arriving in an autorickshaw.

4) No arrest was made till end of day.

Yet, with nearly no other facts at their command, the Kannada newspapers of the next day were speculating on the motive behind the purported “attack”, pointing at a wider “gameplan”, and essentially indulging in loud dog whistling that left little to the imagination on who and what they were hinting at, if not targetting.

And who it would eventually benefit.

***

The No.1 Kannada daily is Vijaya Karnataka from The Times of India group.

Its editor is Hariprakash Konemane, a former personal assistant to Pramod Mutalik, the Bajrang Dal leader who founded the Sri Rama Sena, which hit the headlines in 2009 for attacking young men and women in a pub in Mangalore, citing a threat to “Indian values”.

Vijaya Karnataka‘s lead headline on January 21 was more opinion than reporting, a familiar failing of the news media trying to keep with social media often by copying it.

“Pauratvakke pratikara?” read the VK headline (below) straight-up.

In plain English, was the Mangalore bomb “revenge” for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)?

The un-bylined news report, citing unnamed sources, was pure speculation:

“After the killing of two people in police firing in the anti-CAA protests in Mangalore, there was much talk that there would a big attack. Was the Mangalore bomb a part of that plan?”

Vijaya Karnataka did not stop there.

A breathtaking editorial (below) in the same issue said that there was no doubt that the “bomb” was the handiwork of a “well-trained group of terrorists”. And, “looking at the manner in which the bomb had been wired and placed”, it also concluded that it was a “sophisticated bomb”.

VK wondered loudly if only locals were involved or “international organisations” were behind it.

“It should be investigated if there was a connection between the suspected anti-social elements who took part in the anti-CAA protests in Mangalore and the bomb,” concluded the VK editorial.

“It’s inexcusable if the masterminds behind the “bomb” made use of the CAA protests for their dastardly act.”

When the police zero in on a local Hindu, Aditya Rao of Manipal the next day, Vijaya Karnataka goes all quiet. Its headline (“bomb-ge spotakha twist”) now talks of an “explosive twist to the ‘bomb'”, although the twist is more to its own artifice and prejudice.

As the Twitter handle “@NoumChomsky” pointed out, there is no talk of #CAA in the VK report on day two, after the police have started rounding up suspects.

And when the “suspect” Aditya Rao improbably walks into the state police chief’s office in Bangalore, 300 km away, and turns himself in on the morning of January 22, Vijaya Karnataka relegates the news to two columns with the bland headline: “Bomber surrender”.

The identity of the suspect, Aditya Rao, is revealed only in the strap below the headline.

***

The editorialisation of the Mangalore “live bomb” and the fear-mongering is a trend disturbingly visible across Kannada newspapers.

The second-largest selling Kannada daily Vijaya Vani—owned by former BJP MP and MLA Vijay Sankeshwar who owned Vijaya Karnataka before selling it to the Times group in 2006—doesn’t take the CAA route but links it to January 26.

“Bomb bhayotpadane (bomb terrorism)” says the headline (below), with ‘bhaya‘ (fear) in red.

“Attempt to spread massive fear before Republic Day,” asserts the strap above the headline.

A “reality check” at bus and railway stations after the airport incident is the Vijaya Vani lead on day two (below). By now, police have zeroed in on nearly a dozen suspects. The rumoured detention of an “unemployed” individual, Aditya Rao of nearby Manipal, gets a cursory single-column mention in the lead package, .

When the mysterious “surrender” of Aditya Rao is announced in Bangalore on January 22, Vijaya Vani triumphantly claims the suspect gave himself up because he was “afraid of being shot by the police”.

For the record: Vijay Vani‘s founder Vijay Sankeshwar was decorated with the Padma Sri in this year’s Republic Day honours list. He had met Narendra Modi on January 14. Sankeshwar’s son Anand Sankeshwar “interviewed” Modi before last year’s general elections.

Also for the record: Vijaya Karnataka‘s editor Hariprakash Konemane was a 9 pm presenter at Dighvijay News, a TV news channel launched by Sankeshwar, before he hopped over.

***

Kannada Prabha, the daily newspaper which the BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar bought from the New Indian Express group in 2011, called the improvised explosive device in Mangalore “massive”, putting its weight at 10 kg.

“Karnataka trembles to biggest live bomb,” screamed the double-decker headline (below).

Like Vijaya Karnataka, Kannada Prabha had an editorial (below) on the day after the incident.

Although the “bomb” was safely defused, KP said it was clear that a “team of terrorists” was active in the state. It linked the discovery of the Mangalore “bomb” to a spate of reports of alleged “terrorist” activities against the backdrop of the anti-CAA protests.

Kannada Prabha declared that the time it took the police to defuse the “bomb” (nearly 8 hours) was proof of its sophisticated nature. It is a cause for alarm that such men are on the soil of Karnataka. Since it was an act of terror, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would be involved, Kannada Prabha said.

(The unemployed “suspect”, Aditya Rao, who was instantly branded as “mentally disturbed” by the state’s home minister Basavaraj Bommai, later claimed he had picked up the procedure to assemble the “bomb” from YouTube.)

Kannada Prabha momentarily stepped off its high-octane coverage on day two with the strap line above the headline (below) grandly claiming, apropos of nothing, that initial investigations showed “No involvement of Islamist terrorists”.

***

Hosa Digantha, a suspected sangh operation, which magically produced a 32-page special edition to mark the Supreme Court judgment on Ayodhya last November, had surprisingly sober coverage on page one vis-a-vis its peers.

“Sajeeva bomb patthe” (live bomb found) was the bland headline (below).

But a local supplement in Manalore titled ‘Sangam‘ expectedly had blanket coverage of the “bomb” incident, with the insinuatory headline “Bandralla angalakke” (colloquial for “and so they have arrived”).

A box item on the front page of the supplement patted itself on its back, harking back to a story three days earlier (below) which spoke of the “threat” posed by “thousands” of unidentified people “without names and without addresses” all over the coastal belt.

But the Mangalore “bomb” was too juicy for balance and nuance. On day two, Hosa Digantha reported exclusively that the alleged airport “suspect” also had the Manjunatheshwara Temple in nearby Kadri, in his eyesight.

“Kadri devala guri?” read the lead headline (below), with a box item suggesting that the 30,000-40,000 devotees attending the Brahmotsava festival at the temple could have been at risk.

In an editorial (below), Hosa Digantha lambasted former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy for making light of the “bomb”.

HDK’s cardinal crime in the newspaper’s eyes was to point out that the purported “bomb” did not have a timer (as it did not go off for 8 hours till defused) and seemed amateurish given the kind of shimmery (“minimini“) powder found in it.

“When it comes to national security, politicians must be one with the army and the police. Instead, Kumaraswamy is handing out judgments that there was nothing in the “bomb”. This is not the first time he is doing so. He had done the same when seven SDPI persons were arrested in Bangalore,” the editorial said.

(“Socialist Democratic Party of India” is now the red rag in BJP-ruled Karnataka, with talk of banning it for its alleged links with the Islamist Popular Front of India”)

But when the “suspect” surrendered, and it turns out to be the “unemployed and mentally disturbed” Aditya Rao, Hosa Digantha crunched the development into a two-column story below the fold. It also handed him the benefit of the doubt. The alleged bomber, said the paper, was “frustrated with the system”.

***

The January 21 front page of Vishwa Vani, edited by Vishweshwar Bhat, a former officer on special duty to the late Union minister Ananth Kumar, who was previously editor of both Vijaya Karnataka and Kannada Prabha, has vanished from the paper’s website without explanation.

But a screenshot taken from Twitter (below) shows that it too jumped the gun and attributed the Mangalore “bomb” to the anti-CAA protests and the police firing which claimed two lives.

When Aditya Rao surrenders, Vishwa Vani talks of the man who had scared the “entire nation”. The paper reveals that Rao had made similar prank calls to the Bangalore international airport when he failed to secure a job in the airline industry.

The newspaper also front pages state home minister Basavaraj Bommai’s questionable claim that the alleged “suspect” was “mentally disturbed”.

***

Among the big dailies, the only speck of what could pass off as balanced coverage came from the No.3 Kannada daily Praja Vani of the Deccan Herald group, which refrained from linking it to the anti-CAA protests in Mangalore and the police firing, or to the ensuing Republic Day.

In fact, on the day after the incident, the paper placed the Mangalore “bomb” story below its own exclusive of the homes of Kannadigas being razed by suddenly and suitably overactive Bangalore civic authorities who thought they were “Bangladeshis”.

The coverage of the Mangalore “bomb” on the subsequent two days in Praja Vani was similarly sans sensationalism but far from probing. Kannada journalism is now at that delicate stage when even routine, matter-of-fact reporting seems an act of heroism.

***

The only other Kannada publication that showed sound news judgement and refused to brand the “bomb” or speculate on the motives was the Mangalore newspaper Vartha Bharti.

Its headline, like that of Hosa Digantha and Praja Vani, was as-is:

“Explosive found at airport”.

A box item on page one of Vartha Bharti also answered the apprehensions of Vijaya Karnataka and Kannada Prabha. Outdated equipment, it revealed, was the reason it had taken nearly eight hours for the “sophisticated bomb” to be defused.

Vartha Bharati was the only mainline Kannada newspaper to carry Aditya Rao‘s name prominently in its headlines (below), both when the police were looking for him and when he “surrendered”.

Vartha Bharti was also the only Kannada newspaper to call out the rest of the Kannada media for their unbridled fear-mongering.

On the day after the incident, January 21, the paper said in an editorial (below) that the state seemed to be suddenly overrun by “maadhyamagalu shrishtisiruva ugraru” (media-created terrorists), after the attempts to quell the anti-CAA protests had failed.

“It is the duty of the police to clarify on the fake and imaginary stories of terrorists on the loose in Mangalore that have been published in a number of publications. Instead, by remaining mute, the police is validating the fiction,” the editorial said.

After Aditya Rao‘s formal “surrender”, Vartha Bharti followed up its outrage at the bias in the media coverage with another searing editorial.

“On the surface, it looks like the Mangalore ‘bomb’ incident was a premeditated conspiracy involving sections of the media, the police and the sangh parivar.

“Aditya Rao‘s role was small. There is no doubt that the media turned a small explosive into a massive bomb.

“If spreading hatred against members of another community, and if spreading fear in society are signs of mental disturbance, then this incident proves that newspapers and TV news channels are suffering from it,” the editorial (below) thundered.

“In just one day, the people of the state have realised who the real terrorists who are trying to destroy our society are. Today, Aditya Rao is in custody. But those who turned his small explosive into a massive bomb are getting ready for new explosions. If Aditya‘s name had been Adil, the same media would exploded homes all day.

“Therefore, the time has come to conduct these media personnel to a mental test and to supply the necessary medicines.”

***

In contrast to the rage of Vartha Bharti, the coverage of Udaya Vani, the other local Kannada newspaper headquartered out of Aditya Rao‘s hometown Manipal, was placid with Aditya Rao‘s name taking a low profile in the strap line .

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And the Hubli-based Samyukta Karnataka was no different.

***

Admittedly, journalism is a human exercise, and many mistakes do happen in the speed of reporting.

But the decidedly slanted coverage of Kannada newspapers, which had nearly 12-14 hours to stitch up reporting unlike 24×7 TV news channels, and the rush to instant judgement, points to a deeper systemic problem in Kannada journalism.

Across the board, the uncritical coverage reveals a near-total lack of skill sets in as basic a field of reporting as crime, or in writing editorials. Obvious questions that the newspapers ought to have asked of the government and the police on the spurt in incidents since the BJP came to power lay buried.

A merry-go-round where reporters and editors jump jobs and swap positions at different organisations every few years, and place chelas and chamchas, proteges and relatives in charge while leaving, appears to have coloured a vast portion of the Kannada media canvas in one uniform shade.

And it isn’t white.

Or green.

Or blue.

***

Also read: Bangalore journo in plot to kill editor, columnist?

9 lessons a “terror-suspect” journalist learnt in jail

A Hindu bomber detonates the Mangalore ‘bomb’ in the face of Kannada news media. And a newspaper suggests mental tests and medical treatment for the ‘real terrorists’: embedded editors, owners and TV anchors. Karnataka is the outlier in peninsular India---the only state in the South that the BJP has managed to come to power, by hook and by crook.

#BJP #Churumuri #Hosa Digantha #IJR #Indian Journalism Review #Kannada Prabha #Mangalore Bomb #Narendra Modi #Praja Vani #Rajeev Chandrasekhar #RSS #Samyukta Karnataka #Udaya Vani #Vartha Bharti #Vijay Sankeshwar #Vijaya Karnataka #Vijaya Vani #Vishwa Vani #Vishweshwar Bhat

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bigyack-com · 5 years ago

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‘Face floor test tomorrow or else..’: Governor’s sharp warning to Kamal Nath - india news

Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon has set a fresh deadline for Chief Minister Kamal Nath to prove his government’s majority in the assembly by Tuesday, declaring that he would consider the government to have lost the trust of the assembly if he misses the crucial floor test.The deadline came hours after Speaker NP Prajapati on Monday abruptly adjourned assembly for the next 10 days in light of health concerns over coronavirus. Speaker Prajapati said the assembly would reconvene on March 26, the day lawmakers in the state have to vote for the Rajya Sabha elections.Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who had anticipated that chief minister Kamal Nath would not face the trust vote, rushed to the Supreme Court along with nine other BJP lawmakers within minutes to petition the top court.Also read: Respect Constitution, Kamal Nath tells MP governor, says will prove majorityIn their plea, Chouhan alleged that the Congress-led coalition government in the state wanted to delay the floor test to be able to arm twist and bribe lawmakers. The petition is expected to be taken up by the Supreme Court tomorrow.Chouhan opened a second front back home in Bhopal and paraded his lawmakers before Governor Lalji Tandon to claim that Kamal Nath did not have the majority in the House.Tandon did tell Kamal Nath last week to clear the floor test by Monday in light of resignation letters sent to him by 22 lawmakers. The chief minister responded to this communique on Monday, telling him that the floor test would be held only after the lawmakers “who were being captive” in Bengaluru were set free.This argument, Tandon said in his response later in the evening, was “meaningless”.Also read: As political crisis in Madhya Pradesh continues, CM Kamal Nath says ‘my MLAs not for sale’The Kamal Nath government’s majority in the 230-member assembly had come into question after 22 lawmakers sent across their resignation.The resignation came against the backdrop of former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia exiting the Congress and heading straight for the BJP. The speaker has only accepted the resignation of six members, bringing the strength of the House to 222, with the majority mark at 112. There are two vacancies in the 230-member assembly.Before the crisis, the Congress had 114 MLAs, and enjoyed the support of 4 independent legislators, 2 MLAs of the Bahujan Samaj Party and 1 legislator of the Samajwadi Party. The BJP has 107 MLAs. Read the full article

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bharatiyamedia-blog · 6 years ago

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Forward of Uddhav Thackeray's Ayodhya go to, Shiv Sena says Ram temple can be constructed beneath management of Modi, Yogi

http://tinyurl.com/y3q2r735 Ayodhya: Forward of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s go to right here on Sunday to supply prayers on the makeshift Ram Lalla temple, his occasion chief Sanjay Raut mentioned the Ram temple can be constructed beneath the management of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He mentioned Thackeray, who can be joined by 18 newly elected occasion MPs, is fulfilling the promise he made in November that he would go to once more after elections and asserted that his occasion has “not sought votes within the title of Ram and won’t achieve this in future”. File picture of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. PTI Maharashtra can be going to polls later this yr. The go to is being seen as an try by the Shiv Sena to place stress on ally BJP. However Sena has maintained that Thackeray’s go to shouldn’t be seen by way of the electoral lens. “Ramlala isn’t a topic for politics however it’s matter of our religion. We’ve not sought votes within the title of Ram and won’t achieve this in future. When he (Uddhav) visited Ayodhya in November he promised to come back once more after elections. He’s fulfilling his promise,” Raut mentioned at a press convention right here. On development of Ram temple in Ayodhya, Raut mentioned, “It will likely be constructed in Modi and Yogi’s management. The BJP will determine on it. The bulk in 2019 is for development of Ram temple. In Rajya Sabha too we’ll get majority by 2020.” Thackeray, who can be reaching Ayodhya Sunday morning, will supply prayers on the makeshift Ram Lalla temple, tackle a press convention and depart later within the night. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath visited Ayodhya final Friday to supply prayers on the makeshift Ram Lalla temple. His go to, the primary after the Lok Sabha election outcomes, was apparently aimed toward reiterating assist for the development of a Ram temple on the disputed website. “It’s everyone’s want that Ram Mandir have to be constructed,” he had mentioned after unveiling a seven-foot Ram statue at a museum within the metropolis. He additionally took half within the week-long celebrations to mark the birthday of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas chief Mahant Nritya Gopal Das. The title go well with over the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid website is being heard by the Supreme Court docket. Quickly after the BJP obtained a second time period within the Lok Sabha elections, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat had mentioned, “Ram’s work must be achieved, and Ram’s work will get achieved.” Your information to the most recent cricket World Cup tales, evaluation, reviews, opinions, dwell updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Observe us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook web page for updates all through the continuing occasion in England and Wales. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function() {n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)} ; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '259288058299626'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "http://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/all.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.9&appId=1117108234997285"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); window.fbAsyncInit = function () { FB.init({appId: '1117108234997285', version: 2.4, xfbml: true}); // *** here is my code *** if (typeof facebookInit == 'function') { facebookInit(); } }; (function () { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; e.async = true; document.getElementById('fb-root').appendChild(e); }()); function facebookInit() { console.log('Found FB: Loading comments.'); FB.XFBML.parse(); } Source link

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india-today-news-yahoopartn-blog · 8 years ago

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India Today-Axis Opinion Poll: Captain Amarinder Singh likely to lift Punjab trophy

READ: Captain Amarinder wants more star power, invites Priyanka Gandhi to campaign in Punjab

Poll race

READ: Ahead of Punjab polls, SIT to reopen 286 anti-Sikh riot cases

Akalis recover to some extent

Captain is top choice to be state's next chief minister

Drugs still a major problem in Punjab

READ: Narendra Modi to assess performance of ministries ahead of polls

SAD unhappy with opinion poll results

Punjab inconvenienced by demonetisation

Axis My India survey criteria

READ: India Today-Axis My India opinion poll: Punjab poll big takeaways

The opinion poll was done using the face-to-face interview method from December 12-22. A team of 26 surveyors did the poll with a sample size of 3,081 respondents.

Axis My India will put out its final opinion poll for Punjab in the last week of January, just ahead of the crucial elections scheduled for February 4 with the results to be announced on March 11.

READ: With AAP, SAD-BJP, Congress in fray, Punjab to vote for new government on February 4

#_lmsid:a0Vd0000002uQfeEAE #_revsp:india_today_57 #_uuid:0906e19c-88fd-385d-92ba-f2f42b9942bb

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brajeshupadhyay · 4 years ago

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00:02 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates COVID-19 cases in Pune district cross 1.42 lakh; 69 die The COVID-19 tally in Maharashtra's Pune district rose to 1,42,461 with addition of 3,280 new cases in the last 24 hours, a health official said on Saturday. The cumulative toll mounted to 3,495 with 69 deaths, he said. "Of the total 3,280 cases, 1,577 patients are from the limits of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which now has 82,170 patients. With addition of 1,039 cases, the count in Pimpri Chinchwad area now stands at 40,898. The number of cases in rural, civil hospital and the Pune Cantonment Board area stands at 19,393," the official said. A total of 1,427 patients were discharged from hospitals in the day, he said. PTI 23:47 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Bihar LATEST Updates Bihar reports 2,238 new cases Bihar's COVID-19 tally increased to 1.19 lakh on Saturday with the detection of 2,238 fresh infections, while 13 more fatalities pushed its coronavirus death toll to 601, a health bulletin said. Patna district reported the highest number of new cases at 279, followed by East Champaran (143), Madhubani (113), Purnea (101) and Gaya (83), it said. 23:09 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates MHA issues SOP for international passengers The ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday issued Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for international travel on non-scheduled commercial flights under Vande Bharat scheme and air transport bubble arrangement. Accordingly, persons desirous to travel to India on Vande Bharat flights, will register themselves with the Indian missions in the country where they are stranded or residing, along with necessary details as prescribed by Ministry of External Affairs. However, such a registration may not be required on flights operating under air transport bubbles arrangements, the SOP said. People who will travel to India by non-scheduled commercial flights as allowed by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and ships as allowed by Department of Military Affairs (DMA) and Ministry of Shipping (MOS).The SOP for the operations of these flights or ships will be as issued by MOCA or DMA or MOS from time to time. Only those crew and staff, who are tested COVID-19 negative, will be allowed to operate these flights and ships. The SOP said priority will be given to compelling cases of in distress, including migrant workers and labourers who have been laid off, short term visa holders faced with expiry of visas, persons with medical emergency/ pregnant women and elderly persons or those required to return to India due to death of family member, and students. The cost of travel, as specified by the carrier, will be borne by such travellers. PTI 22:47 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates ICMR developing portal for info on COVID-19 vaccine The apex health research body, ICMR, is in the process of developing a vaccine portal which will provide information related to the COVID-19 vaccine development in India and abroad, with majority of the updates in several regional languages in addition to English.The aim of creating the portal is to provide all information and updates relating to the COVID-19 vaccine development at one platform as all the information in this regard is scattered as of now, Samiran Panda, Head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases at ICMR, told PTI. The idea behind making the updates available in regional languages is to make sure every citizen is able to access the information. The portal is likely to be functional by next week, Panda said. The portal would be made operational in phases. In the first phase, the portal will provide all information related to COVID-19 vaccine in India and abroad. Over a period of time, information about all other vaccines used to prevent various other ailments will be put on the portal, he said. 22:25 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates Unofficial tally shows over 30 lakh COVID-19 cases in India India's COVID-19 tally hurtled past the 30-lakh mark on Saturday night, just 16 days after it crossed 20 lakh, while the total number of recoveries too surged to 22.71 lakh, according to data from states and union territories. Union health ministry data updated on Saturday 8 am showed a record single-day spike of 69,874 infections, taking the country's COVID-19 caseload to 29,75,701, while the death toll due to the disease climbed to 55,794 with 945 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours. However, by night, a PTI tally showed India's COVID-19 caseload at 30,37,657, death toll at 56,762 and recoveries at 22,71,054. The tally has been compiled as per information provided by the states and union territories. 21:56 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka LATEST Updates Karnataka reports 7,330 new cases Karnataka recorded 7,330 fresh COVID-19 cases and 93 deaths on Saturday, taking the total number of the infected past the 2.70-lakh mark and the dead to 4,615, the health department said. The data released during the day did not include Mysuru district as the doctors there have gone on strike protesting over the suicide of the Nanjangud Taluk Health Officer Dr S R Nagendra after alleged harassment by his superiors.The spike in cases and deaths was reported from Bengaluru Urban district, which recorded 2,979 fresh cases and 28 deaths. PTI 21:45 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Punjab LATEST Updates Punjab minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa tests positive My Cabinet colleague and Cooperation & Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has tested positive for #Covid19. I wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to him joining us at work soon. — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) August 22, 2020 21:32 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam LATEST Updates Two Assam lawmakers test positive Two legislators of Assam — BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) MLA Bhabendra Nath Bharali —have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Saturday.The two politicians were admitted to Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, its Principal Dr Atul Chandra Boro said. The condition of Bharali, the 10th MLA of the state to be infected with the virus, is serious, he said.Tasa is the first MP of Assam, who was afflicted with COVID-19.Besides, BJP's Jorhat district president Kamakhya Mohan Das and secretary Ishwar Prasanna Bordoloi have also contracted coronavirus, Health Department officials said. "They are asymptomatic and at home isolation," the official said. PTI 21:13 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates Over 3.5 lakh stranded Indian brought back under Vande Bharat Mission: Centre Over 3.5 lakh stranded Indians have been repatriated with the help of Air India Express and Air India under the Vande Bharat Mission, said the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Reaching out to Indians around the world! Over 3.5 lakh stranded Indians have been repatriated with the help of @FlyWithIX and @airindiain under #VandeBharat Mission. #IndiaFliesHigh #SabUdenSabJuden pic.twitter.com/wsTdCGvKzK — MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) August 22, 2020 20:40 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates India has 'best' COVID-19 recovery rate, lowest mortality rate: Harsh Vardhan India has the "best" COVID-19 recovery rate of about 75 percent, which is improving every day, and the "lowest" mortality rate of 1.87 percent in the world, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.After inaugurating a 10-bed make-shift hospital of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Ghaziabad near Delhi, he said India began formulating its strategy against coronavirus from 8 January as soon as the world came to know about the outbreak of the disease. Vardhan said "many intelligent people, scientists and naysayers" had estimated that India, with a population of about 135 crore, will see 300 million COVID-19 cases and about 5-6 million people will die by July-August, and the country's healthcare system was "incapable" to combat the disease."However, I am happy to say that in the eighth month of the battle, India has the best recovery rate of 75 percent and against an estimate of 300 million affected we have not even reached 3 million cases." "In fact, 2.2 million patients have recovered and gone home and another seven lakh are going to be cured very soon," he said. PTI 20:28 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala LATEST Updates Case registered against two miscreants for throwing stones at house of COVID-19 affected family A case has been registered against two unidentified people for hurling stones at thehouse of a COVID-19 affected family, police said on Saturday.Police said motorcycle-borne miscreants reached the house at Vayalar near Alapuzzha and threw stones damaging the window panes. "As per the complaint filed, some miscreants have spread a rumour that the family had brought COVID-19 to the locality and the attack was due to that," police said. Five members of the family had contracted the coronavirus infection. Four were hospitalised earlier and the fifth member was waiting for the ambulance when the incident occurred, but no one was injured, police said PTI 20:14 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates Maharashtra sees spike of 14,492 cases COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra surged by 14,492 to 6,61,942 while the toll rose to 21,995 as 297 more died due to the viral infection,reports PTI quoting the state health department. With as many as 4,80,114 persons having recovered till date, the recovery rate is 71.45 percent while the fatality rate is 3.27 percent, it said in a bulletin. The state now has 1,69,516 active cases. 14,492 new #COVID19 cases and 297 deaths reported in Maharashtra today. The total number of positive cases now stands at 6,61,942 including 4,80,114 recoveries and 1,69,516 active cases: State Health department pic.twitter.com/JeTefkG6u4 — ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2020 19:44 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala LATEST Updates Fifty-four health workers among Kerala's 2,171 new cases Kerala recorded 2,171 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, taking the infection count to 56,353 while 15 deaths took the toll to 218, Health minister KK Shailaja said. Fifty-four health workers, including 14 from Palakkad and 11 from Malappuram, were among those who tested positive. Of the positive cases, 52 had come from abroad and 102 from other states, the minister said. As many as 1,964 people were infected through contact and the source of infection of 153 was not known, the minister said in a press release. As many as 36,539 have recovered from the infection, including 1,292 who were discharged today, while 19,538 people are undergoing treatment for the pathogen. PTI 19:28 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates Anti-fibrotic drugs helped in recovery of COVID-19 patients: Army For the first time in the country, anti-fibrotic drugs have been used to treat patients suffering from COVID-19-related lung fibrosis and breathlessness which has helped in the recovery of four such patients in Maharashtra's Pune, the Army has said. "The researchers at the Pune-based Army Institute of Cardiothoracic Sciences (AICTS) have found this therapy very effective in this subset of COVID-19 patients and they were safely tolerated as well. This is a novel strategy to tackle the lung fibrosis to treat subset of COVID-19 patients," the release said. It said these are early results and more research is being undertaken in this field to identify the patients who are likely to benefit from the therapy. PTI 19:05 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in South Korea LATEST Updates South Korea announces strict restrictions to curb virus spread South Korea is banning large gatherings, closing beaches, shutting nightspots and churches and removing fans from professional sports in strict new measures announced on Saturday as it battles the spread of the coronavirus. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo announced the steps shortly after the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 332 new cases — the ninth straight day of triple-digit increases. The national caseload is now at 17,002, including 309 deaths. AP 18:47 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Andhra Pradesh LATEST Updates Andhra Pradesh reports 10,276 new cases Andhra Pradesh reports 10,276 new cases, taking the total number of cases to 3,45,216. There are 89,389 active cases in the state and the toll has risen to 3,189, reports ANI quoting the state government. 18:27 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi LATEST Updates Delhi reports 1,412 new cases, 14 deaths Delhi records 1,412 fresh COVID19 cases, taking total cases to 1,60,016, reports PTI quoting the state government. The toll due to the disease mounts to 4,284 with 14 more fatalities. With 1,230 more person getting discharged, the recovery rate rose to 90.07 percent and the National Capital at present has 11,594 active cases. 🏥Delhi Health Bulletin - 22nd August 2020🏥#DelhiFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/GxPiqXlnDx — CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) August 22, 2020 17:57 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates Global COVID-19 toll tops 8 lakh: Report The number of deaths from the new coronavirus has surpassed 8,00,000 around the world, according to an AFP tally based on official sources at around 4.30 pm IST on Saturday. In total, 8,00,004 fatalities have been recorded globally, out of 23,003,079 declared infections. Latin America and the Caribbean is the most-affected region with 2,54,897 deaths. More than half of global fatalities have been reported in four countries: the United States with 1,75,416 deaths, Brazil with 1,13,358, Mexico 59,610 and India 55,794. The number of deaths has doubled since 6 June, and 1,00,000 have been recorded in the last 17 days alone. AFP 17:52 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh LATEST Updates Recovery rate touches 90% in Noida Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday recorded 98 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the district's tally to 6,901, even as the recovery rate reached almost 90 percent, official data showed.The number of active cases rose to 813 from 793 on Friday, according to the data released by the UP Health Department for a 24-hour period. The district dropped to 14th position in the state in terms of active cases, the data showed. Also, 79 more patients got discharged during the period. So far, 6,144 patients have recovered from COVID-19 in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the third highest among districts in UP after Lucknow (14,229) and Kanpur Nagar (8,185), it showed. The district has so far recorded 43 deaths linked to coronavirus and the mortality rate among positive cases stood at 0.62 pe cent, the same as Friday. PTI 17:33 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Puducherry LATEST Updates Central team to review measures taken by Puducherry The Union Health Ministry has constituted a three-member team to assist the Health Department of Puducherry in reviewing measures and management of COVID-19 in the Union Territory, reports PTI. The team would review the public health measures, infection prevention and control practice, clinical management protocol being implemented for COVID-19, according to the Centre's communication that was highlighted in a Whatsapp message by the Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi to reporters on Saturday. The team from the Centre would submit a daily report of steps taken by the Health Department of Puducherry with a copy marked to the Joint Secretary to the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, New Delhi, by e-mail."Before concluding its visit, the team will submit a report of the observation and suggestions to the office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Health Department with a copy to the Ministry to bring to its notice any issue of urgent importance," it was stated. Bedi had made a plea for a Central team to study the management of the pandemic in the UT, claiming that work done in managing the COVID-19 situation was not sufficient. PTI 17:07 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates Don't forget social responsibility, urges Thackeray on first day of Ganesh festival Maharashtra Chief Minister UddhavThackeray on Saturday said people should not forget their social responsibility of wearing masks and avoiding crowding while welcoming Lord Ganesh. Thackeray also said he prayed to Lord Ganesh to rid the world of the coronavirus pandemic on the first day of the 10-day festival."Usually, the festival is organised with pomp and gaiety, which is lacking this time due to the prevailing situation. This is a test for us. I urge you not to forget your social responsibility of wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowding. People should keep washing their hands frequently," he said. मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांचा श्री गणेश चतुर्थीच्या निमित्ताने महाराष्ट्राच्या जनतेला संदेश CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’s message to the people of Maharashtra on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi pic.twitter.com/YSjCXBhaen — CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) August 22, 2020 16:43 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in China LATEST Updates Uttar Pradesh reports 5,375 new cases, 70 deaths Uttar Pradesh reported 5,375 new COVID-19 cases, 4,638 discharges and 70 deaths due to the infection in the last 24 hours, takingthe active cases to 48,294 and toll to 2,867, reports ANI quoting the state health department. 16:30 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in China LATEST Updates China reports 22 imported cases Chinese health officials in their Saturday report on the coronavirus said that the country had no locally transmitted infections in the latest 24-hour period, 22 cases were confirmed in Chinese arriving from abroad. While the local spread of the virus appears to have been contained in mainland China, the semi-autonomous southern city of Hong Kong continues to struggle with its worst outbreak since the pandemic began. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Friday that free coronavirus tests will be offered to residents during the first two weeks of September, in hopes of restarting the heavily services-dependent local economy. A new surge in infections that started in July has more than tripled the number of cases in Hong Kong to 4,632, with a total of 75 deaths. AP 16:08 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates Recovery rate climbs to 74.69%, says health ministry India recorded its highest ever single-day recoveries of 63,631 in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry adding that the recovery rate has now climbed to 74.69 percent. "This has also led to declining Case Fatality Rate, which stands at a new low of 1.87 percent today," it said in a statement. The total number of recoveries in the country now exceed the total active cases (6,97,330) by more than 15 lakhs.The record high recoveries have ensured that the actual caseload of the country has reduced and currently comprises only 23.43 percent of the total positive cases, it further said. 15:47 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates Centre asks states not to put restrictions on inter-state movement of people, goods The Centre has asked all states to ensure that there should be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods during the ongoing unlocking process. In a communication to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said there were reports that local level restrictions on movement were being imposed by various districts and states. Drawing attention to the Unlock 3 guidelines, Bhalla said such restrictions are creating problems in inter-state movement of goods and services and are impacting supply chains, resulting in disruption in economic activity and employment. The home secretary said restrictions amount to violation of guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs under provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005. PTI 15:41 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Ladakh LATEST Updates Ladakh's toll rises to 19 One more person died of COVID-19 in Ladakh, taking the death toll due to the infection in the Union Territory to 19, officials said on Saturday. The death was reported from Kargil district on Friday, the officials said, refusing to reveal any details. Of the total deaths, 12 were reported from Kargil and seven from Leh district, the officials said. They said the COVID-19 caseload in Ladakh had also gone up to 2,133 after 56 fresh cases, including 38 in Leh and 18 in Kargil, surfaced on Friday. Leh has so far recorded 1,052 COVID-19 positive cases, while the number of such people in Kargil stands at 1,081. However, 68 percent of the patients have already recovered and subsequently discharged, the officials said, adding only 665 cases are still active in Ladakh. PTI 15:28 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Telangana LATEST Updates Over one lakh COVID-19 cases in Telangana Telangana crossed one lakh COVID-19 cases after 2,474 more patients tested positive for the novel coronavirus, health officials said on Saturday. With seven more people succumbing to the virus, the toll in the state mounted to 744. The official said 1,768 people were discharged on Friday, taking the total number of recoveries to 78,735 so far. About 22,386 were under treatment. 14:57 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates COVID-19 saliva diagnosis is cheaper, faster alternative to swab testing, say scientists A low-cost saliva test that will enable people to collect their own samples with minimal discomfort, without invasive nasal or throat swabs, could well be the way forward to detect the novel coronavirus, say scientists. Giving a thumbs up to the alternative testing technology that is yet to be introduced in India, scientists said it would deliver results faster and more accurately and also minimise the risk for healthcare workers collecting samples. The saliva-based COVID-19 diagnosis offers an improvement over standard nasopharyngeal swab methods because people can collect their own samples with ease - simply spit into a sterile tube and mail it to a lab for processing. Read full report here 14:29 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha LATEST Updates Lok Sabha MP in Odisha tests COVID-19 positive Lok Sabha MP and ruling BJD leader Manjulata Mandal on Saturday said she has tested positive for COVID-19, and was undergoing home quarantine. Taking to Twitter, the Bhadrak MP requested people who recently came in contact with her to get themselves tested. "On getting the initial symptoms of COVID-19,I got the test done and the report came back positive. My health is fine and I'm in home quarantine. I request that all of you who have come in contact with me in the last few days, please isolate yourself and get your test done," she tweeted. 14:10 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates India has third-highest COVID-19 cases after US, Brazil India has the third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil, and its 55,794 deaths give it the fourth-highest COVID-19 toll in the world. Some 2.2 million people have recovered from the disease in India since the first case was diagnosed in late January. 13:52 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Himachal Pradesh LATEST Updates Close to 5,000 COVID-19 infections in Himachal Pradesh The COVID-19 tally rises to 4,780 in Himachal Pradesh, said the state health department on Saturday. The figure includes 25 deaths, 1,438 active cases and 3,268 recoveries. 13:49 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha LATEST Updates Odisha reports over 75,000 COVID-19 cases, nearly 400 deaths With 2,819 more people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Odisha, the overall count reached to 75,537, said the state health department on Saturday. Nine more deaths in the past 24 hours took the COVID-19 toll to 399. Of the total confirmed cases, there are 50,503 recoveries and 24,582 active cases. 12:59 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra LATEST Updates Two COVID-19 deaths, 288 cases reported in Maharashtra Police At least 288 more police personnel in Maharashtra have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. With this, the overall count reached to 13,468 on Saturday. After two more cops succumbed to the virus, the COVID-19 toll in the police force is 138. "Total confirmed cases in the police force have risen to 13,468, including 10,852 recoveries and 138 deaths," said Maharashtra Police. 12:03 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Jharkhand LATEST Updates Former Jharkhand CM Shibu Soren, wife test COVID-19 positive Former chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder, Shibu Soren, along with his wife have tested positive for coronavirus. The information regarding the senior leader and his wife's testing positive was shared by son and incumbent Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren via Twitter. 11:56 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Goa LATEST Updates Hope Lord Ganesh gives blessings to overcome COVID-19: Goa Guv On the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, Goa Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday expressed hope that with the blessings of the deity, which is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the coronavirus crisis ends in the state. Koshyari, in his message said, "The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi also denotes the significance of the cycle of birth, life and death. Ganesha, who is also known as the Lord of new beginnings, is worshipped as the remover of obstacles." "It is believed that when the idol of the Ganesha is taken out for immersion, it also takes away with it various obstacles from our lives. May the blessings of Lord Ganesha be upon the people of Goa so that the obstacles of the COVID-19 epidemic and its negative effects are conquered by the people," he said. 11:28 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates India's COVID-19 toll over 55,000 Of the 945 new COVID-19 deaths, 339 were reported in Maharashtra, 101 in Tamil Nadu, 93 in Karnataka and 91 from Andhra Pradesh. With this, the COVID-19 toll in the nation has increased to 55,794 as on Saturday. 11:15 (IST) Coronavirus in South Korea Latest Updates South Korea orders nationwide pandemic restrictions South Korea is banning large gatherings, shutting nightspots and churches and removing fans from professional sports nationwide in an attempt to slow a resurgence of coronavirus infections. Health Minister Park Neung-hoo announced the measures Saturday after officials reported 332 newly confirmed cases, marking the ninth straight day of triple-digit increases. Most of the new cases were in the Seoul metropolitan area, which has been at the center of the viral surge of recent weeks. But infections were also reported in practically every major city and in towns across the country. The Associated Press 10:41 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi LATEST Updates Will follow Centre's rules for reopening hotes in Delhi: health minister Hotels in Delhi will open as per SOPs issued by the central government and weekly markets will begin functioning while maintaining social distancing, said Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain 10:38 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi LATEST Updates Delhi reports 1,250 new coronavirus cases In the past 24 hours, 1,250 new coronavirus cases were reported in Delhi, said Satyendar Jain on Saturday. At least 1,082 recoveries and 13 deaths have been recorded in Delhi, said the health minister. 09:51 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates India's COVID-19 recovery rate is 74.69% Of the total 29.75 lakh, there are 6,97,330 active cases in India, said the health ministry on Saturday. With 22,22,578 patients being cured, the recovery rate climbed to 74.69 percent. 09:45 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates India records 29.75 lakh COVID-19 cases India registered 29.75 lakh COVID-19 cases after 69,878 more individuals tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said the health ministry on Saturday. The COVID-19 toll climbed to 55,794 after 945 more patients succumbed to the highly contagious disease. 09:34 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Punjab LATEST Updates Section 144 in Punjab amid rising COVID-19 cases Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered that restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which bars assembly of more than four people, be imposed in the state amid rising COVID-19 cases, reported PTI. 09:03 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in China LATEST Updates China reports 22 COVID-19 cases, all from overseas China reported 22 cases of the fresh COVID-19 infections in the mainland on Friday, same as the day earlier, the health commission said. All 22 new infections were imported cases, according to a statement by the National Health Commission, marking the sixth straight day with no new locally transmitted infections. 08:55 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates Over 3 crore COVID-19 samples tested so far: ICMR So far over 3 crore people have been tested for the novel coronavirus, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), adding that 10 lakh samples were tested on Friday alone. The total number of samples tested is 3,44,91,073 till 21 August, said ICMR. 08:30 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Haryana LATEST Updates All shops and offices to remain shut on weekends in Haryana In a bid to curb the fast-spreading COVID-19, Haryana minister Anil Vij said on Friday that all offices and shops will remain shut in the state on weekends. However, essential services will be exempted from the restrictions. All offices and shops except essential will remain closed in Haryana on every Saturday and Sunday due to #COVID__19 — ANIL VIJ MINISTER HARYANA (@anilvijminister) August 21, 2020 07:43 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates EC issues polling guidelines amid COVID-19 The Election Commission issued broad guidelines for conducting polls during the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. As per the new guidelines, voters will be provided gloves while using EVMs and COVID-19 patients in quarantine will be allowed to vote in the last hour of the polling day. A separate set of guidelines would be issued for voters who are residing in areas notified as "containment zone", the Election Commission said. The poll panel has also extended the option of postal ballot for electors who are marked as persons with disabilities and those above 80 years. 07:41 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam LATEST Updates Nearly 88,000 COVID-19 cases in Assam; recovery rate at 73.40% Assam registered 1,856 fresh COVID-19 infections, taking the overall count to 87,908, said Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday. So far, 63,120 people have recovered from the disease, while three migrated out of the state. The recovery rate in the state is 73.40 percent, and the doubling rate of cases has increased to 17.7 days from 15.8 last week, as per official data. 07:36 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India LATEST Updates Over 10 lakh COVID-19 tests in a day: health ministry More than 10 lakh samples were tested for the novel coronavirus in a day for first time, said the Union Health Ministry on Saturday. India crosses the milestone of 1 million #COVID19 tests a day. More than 10 lakh people tested in the last 24 hours: Ministry of Health pic.twitter.com/FrhsQcWLgy — ANI (@ANI) August 22, 2020 07:33 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates WHO expects COVID-19 to end within two years The World Health Organization hopes the coronavirus pandemic will be shorter than the 1918 Spanish flu and last less than two years, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on 21 August, if the world unites and succeeds in finding a vaccine. Tedros said the 1918 Spanish flu "took two years to stop". "And in our situation now with more technology, and of course with more connectiveness, the virus has a better chance of spreading, it can move fast because we are more connected now," he told a briefing in Geneva. "But at the same time we have also the technology to stop it and the knowledge to stop it. So we have a disadvantage of globalisation, closeness, connectedness but an advantage of better technology. So we hope to finish this pandemic (in) less than two years." Coronavirus LATEST Updates: A tally based on figures provided by states and Union Territories on Saturday showed the countrywide caseload at 30,37,657 and toll at 56,762. After a 13-day gap, Andhra Pradesh once again reported over 10,000 new coronavirus cases in a day, pushing the case count to 3,45,216. India recorded its highest ever single-day recoveries of 63,631 in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry adding that the recovery rate has now climbed to 74.69 percent. India has the third-highest caseload after the United States and Brazil, and its 55,794 deaths give it the fourth-highest COVID-19 toll in the world. At least 288 more police personnel in Maharashtra have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. With this, the overall count reached to 13,468 on Saturday. The COVID-19 tally climbed to 29.75 lakh after 69,878 more individuals tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said the health ministry on Saturday. India's COVID-19 toll climbed to 55,794 after 945 more patients succumbed to the highly contagious disease. So far over 3 crore people have been tested for the novel coronavirus, said the ICMR, adding that 10 lakh samples were tested on Friday alone. India's COVID-19 tally crossed 29 lakh after registering a single-day spike of 68,898 new cases. Meanwhile, the number of recoveries rose to 21,58,946 on Friday, pushing the recovery rate to over 74 percent, the Union Health Ministry said . The total cases of coronavirus infections mounted to 29,05,823, while the toll climbed to 54,849, with 983 new fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed. The case fatality rate declined to 1.89 percent while the recovery rate rose to 74.30 percent. There are 6,92,028 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which is 23.82 percent of the total caseload, the ministry said. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 3,34,67,237 samples have been tested up to 20 August with 8,05,985 samples being tested on Thursday. EC issues polling guidelines amid COVID-19 pandemic The Election Commission issued broad guidelines for conducting polls during the coronavirus pandemic on Friday. As per the new guidelines, voters will be provided gloves while using EVMs and COVID-19 patients in quarantine will be allowed to vote in the last hour of the polling day. A separate set of guidelines would be issued for voters who are residing in areas notified as "containment zone", the Election Commission said. The poll panel has also extended the option of postal ballot for electors who are marked as persons with disabilities and those above 80 years. Electors who are COVID-19 positive or are suspected of having the infection and in quarantine at home or at an institution can also exercise the postal ballot option. An official explained that this postal ballot facility is different from the one extended to service voters. Here, those willing to use the facility have to fill up a form. Officials then carry the ballot to the residence of such voters and videograph the voting to ensure transparency. "COVID-19 patients who are quarantined will be allowed to cast their vote in the last hour of the poll day at their respective polling stations, under the supervision of health authorities... Sector magistrates shall coordinate this in their allocated polling stations," the guidelines said. Bihar may become the first state to go for Assembly elections amid the pandemic. The polls are due in October-November. Asked why the norms have no mention of "virtual" or "digital" campaigning, another official said the "broad guidelines have been framed based on COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Health Ministry and the Home Ministry to prevent the spread of the virus." "Based on our guidelines, states will prepare their own set of three-layered comprehensive guidelines at the state, district and Assembly constituency level." The state specific guidelines may talk of virtual campaign, he said. Haryana govt says offices, shops to remain closed on weekends Haryana minister Anil Vij said all offices and shops, except those dealing with essential services, will remain closed on weekends in the wake of a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases in the state. "All offices and shops except essential will remain closed in Haryana on every Saturday and Sunday due to COVID-19," Vij said in a tweet. The home and health minister later told PTI that the decision was taken due to a sudden spike in the number of coronavirus cases in the state during the past few days. Meanwhile, the Punjab government on Friday imposed restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in the state amid rising COVID-19 cases. Delhi jails say no new COVID-19 case reported No prisoner is COVID-19 positive and the situation in jails has much improved, the Delhi Prisons Department said. So far, 63 inmates of the three jails — Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli — have tested positive for the infection. Sixty-one of them have recovered and two died, the officials said. In August, only the Tihar Jail reported two cases and both the inmates have recovered. On Friday, there was no inmate who was COVID-19 positive in the three jail complexes of Delhi, PTI reported. SP Balasubrahmanyam 'stable', says hospital Veteran playback singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, battling COVID-19 and on ventilator was 'stable', the hospital treating him said. The 74 year-old actor-singer "continues to be on ventilator and ECMO support in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)," Dr Anuradha Baskaran, assistant director-medical services, MGM Healthcare said in a bulletin. "His condition currently is stable. Our multi-disciplinary team of medical experts is keeping a very close watch on the vital parameters and has been constantly updating Thiru SP Balasubrahmanyam's family regarding his clinical status and progress," Baskaran added. His son SP Charan thanked all for the prayers and pointed out his father was 'stable' today though he was 'critical' on Thursday. State-wise cases and deaths Maharashtra continues to be the state with the highest number of COVID-19 cases. The state reported as many as 14,161 new cases while 11,749 patients recoved from the virus on Friday. However, 339 died from COVID-19 in the state, the Maharashtra health department said. The total number of cases rose to 6,57,450 as of Friday, which included 4,70,873 recoveries, 1,64,562 active cases and 21,698 deaths till date. Tamil Nadu reported 5,995 new cases, 5,764 recoveries and 101 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 3,67,430, including 53,413 active cases, 3,07,677 discharged cases and 6,340 deaths. Delhi reported 1,250 new COVID-19 cases, 1,082 discharges/recoveries and 13 deaths. The total number of cases in the National Capital is now at 1,58,604, including 1,42,908 recovered cases, 11,426 active cases and 4,270 deaths. As many as 6,086 RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 11,649 Rapid antigen tests were conducted in Delhi on Friday. So far, 1,392,928 tests were conducted so far and Tests Per Million (TPM) stood at 73,312, according to the Delhi health department. Kerala reported 1,983 new COVID-19 cases, 1,419 recoveries and 12 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 18,673 and total recoveries to 35,247. Karnataka reported 7,571 cases (2,948 in Bengaluru), 6,561 discharges and 93 deaths, taking total cases to 2,64,546 including 1,76,942 discharges and 4,522 deaths, as per the state's health department. Uttar Pradesh reported 4,991 new COVID-19 cases and 66 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 47,785 and death toll to 2,797, as per the State's Health Department. In Jammu and Kashmir, 654 new cases of coronavirus reported — 114 from Jammu division and 540 from Kashmir division — taking the total number of cases in the Union Territory to 31,371. The toll is at 593, as per the Jammu and Kashmir administration. Punjab reported 1,513 new cases, 856 cured cases and 34 deaths on Friday. The total number of cases rose to 39,327, including 14,443 active cases, 23,893 recovered cases. The toll is at 991, as per state's health department. In Mizoram, the number of COVID-19 active cases stood at 475, the state government said. The total number of COVID-19 cases stands at 895, while 420 patients have been cured/discharged. As US deaths mount, COVID-19 takes outsize toll on minorities As many as 2,15,000 more people than usual died in the US during the first seven months of 2020, suggesting that the number of lives lost to the coronavirus is significantly higher than the official toll, AP reported. And half the dead were people of colour — Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and, to a marked degree unrecognised until now, Asian Americans. The new figures from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention highlight a stark disparity: Deaths among minorities during the crisis have risen far more than they have among Caucasians. As of the end of July, the official death toll in the US from COVID-19 was about 1,50,000. It has since grown to over 1,70,000. Earlier data on cases, hospitalisations and deaths revealed a especially heavy toll on Black, Hispanic and Native Americans, a disparity attributed to unequal access to health care and economic opportunities. But the increases in total deaths by race were not reported until now; nor was the disproportionate burden on Asian Americans. With this new data, Asian Americans join Blacks and Hispanics among the hardest-hit communities, with deaths in each group up at least 30 percent this year compared with the average over the last five years, the analysis found. Deaths among Native Americans rose more than 20 percent, though that is probably a severe undercount because of a lack of data. Deaths among Caucasians were up 9 percent. The toll on Asian Americans has received far less attention, perhaps in part because the numbers who have died — about 14,000 more than normal this year — have been far lower than among several other groups. Still, the 35 percent increase in Asian American deaths is the second-highest, behind Hispanic Americans. With inputs from agencies

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