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COVID-19 Update 45,903 New cases 490 more deaths

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New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 85,53,657 with 45,903 new infections being reported, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 79 lakh, pushing the national recovery rate to 92.56 per cent, according to the Union health ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll from the disease climbed to 1,26,611 with 490 new fatalities being registered, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The total number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 79,17,373, pushing the national recovery rate to 92.56 per cent while the case fatality rate stands at 1.48 per cent.

The number of active cases of COVID-19 remained below 6 lakh for the 11th consecutive day. There are 5,09,673 active cases of the coronavirus infection in the country as on date which comprises 5.96 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and 40 lakh on September 5. It went past 50 lakh on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11 and crossed 80 lakh on October 29.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 11,85,72,192 samples have been tested up to November 8 with 8,35,401 test being conducted on Sunday.

Cyclist dead after being hit by truck in Uttar Pradesh

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BANDA: A cyclist has died after being hit by a truck in the Atarra area of the district, police said on Sunday.

The accident took place on Saturday evening, and the victim was identified as Rajkumar Verma (40), who works as a labourer, SHO of Atarra police station Akhilesh Mishra said.

The SHO said the truck driver fled, leaving the vehicle near a petrol pump on the Bisanda road.

A case has been registered and the body of the deceased sent for post-mortem examination, he added.

Schools to reopen in Maharashtra for Standard 9th to 12th from November 23

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School education minister Varsha Gaikwad made the announcement at a video conference held by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

MUMBAI: Classes 9 to 12 of schools in Maharashtra will reopen from November 23, school education minister Varsha Gaikwad said on Saturday.

Gaikwad made the announcement at a video conference held by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Classes 9 to 12 should reopen after Diwali with all COVID-19 safety protocols in place, he said.

A second wave of COVID-19 pandemic was possible looking at the situation elsewhere in the world, so the administration must be cautious, the chief minister warned.

“We need to be extra cautious after Diwali. Quarantine centers in schools cannot be shut. The local administration can take decision regarding alternative places for classrooms. Sanitization of schools, coronavirus tests for teachers and other precautions are a must,” the CM said.

Students who are sick or those who have a sick family member at home must not be sent to schools, Thackeray added.

Gaikwad said all teachers will undergo RT-PCR coronavirus tests between November 17 and 22.

“Schools will reopen on November 23, and students will undergo thermal checking at entry,” she said.

Only one student will be seated per bench, the minister said.

Further, classes will be held on alternate days and science, maths and English will be taught while other subjects will be taught online, Gaikwad said.

New task for Bengal BJP: Shah sets target of 200 seats for 2021 polls

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Shah, who visited Bankura during the day to take stock of the party organisation, asked BJP functionaries to take a vow to work hard so that achieves the target, the sources said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah

BANKURA: Union Home Minister and top BJP leader Amit Shah Thursday set a target of winning 200 out of the total 294 seats in the 2021 West Bengal assembly elections, party sources said.

Shah, who visited Bankura during the day to take stock of the party organisation, asked BJP functionaries to take a vow to work hard so that acheives the target, the sources said.

During a closed door meeting with the party leaders he said the state party unit has to put up an intense fight against the ruling TMC to come to power in Bengal.

“Earlier in the day Amit Shahji had said the party would come to power with a two-thirds majority. During the closed-door meet he told us that Bengal assembly election is of immense importance to BJP and we need to ensure that the party comes to power with 200 seats in the 2021 assembly polls,” a state BJP leader said.

The BJP presently has eight MLAs in the state.

It also has the support of eight TMC MLAs who switched to the saffrom party after the 2019 general elections.

Sources in the party said Shah asked the BJP workers to speak of the pro-people policies of the Centre and the misrule and anti-people policies of the Mamata Banerjee government in the state.

“He asked us to tell the people of West Bengal how they are being deprived of the central schemes meant for them as the TMC government has not allowed them to be implemented in West Bengal.

We have been told to tell the people about the misrule of the TMC regime in the state,” another BJP leader said.

Shah had told newsmen earlier in the day that he could “sense massive public anger” against the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal and the “death knell of her regime has been sounded.”

Exuding confidence on forming the next government with two-third majority, Shah urged the people to give BJP a chance to form the next government in the state to fulfil their dream of “Sonar Bangla” (golden Bengal).

Shah, who had played a major role in expanding the party base during his tenure as BJP national president, had set a target of winning 22 seats out of the 42 Lok Sabha in the 2019 parliamentary polls.

The party had bagged 18 seats, four less than ruling TMC, with a vote share of 40.5 per cent.

Apart from holding an organisational meeting, he also met representatives of various communities and social groups at Bankura, which falls within the tribal Jangalmahal area.

It is one of the districts where BJP made deep inroads in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and bagged both the parliamentary seats there.

Shah is on a two-day tour to the state to take stock of BJP’s preparedness ahead of 2021 assembly polls.

Reacting to Shah setting the target of 200 seats in the assembly polls, TMC leader and MP Sougata Roy said “It is laughable that a party which does not have a face in Bengal to counter the popularity of Mamata Banerjee has set a target of 200 seats. It seems he is unaware of the ground realities and is daydreaming. The BJP will be defeated”.

The saffron party after having a limited presence in the politically polarised state for decades has emerged as the main rival of the TMC in the last few years.

With the BJP’s strength increasing in the state in the last few years, where it has never been in power, its leaders are upbeat that the party will end the TMC’s 10-year-long rule in the assembly polls scheduled in April-May 2021.

‘Pray for his healthy life’: PM Modi lauds Advani on his 93rd birthday

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In a tweet in Hindi, Modi said Advani, home minister and deputy prime minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, played a significant role in the country’s development

Narendra Modi and L K Advani

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted veteran BJP leader L K Advani on his 93rd birthday and said he is a living inspiration to BJP workers and the countrymen.

In a tweet in Hindi, Modi said Advani, home minister and deputy prime minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government, played a significant role in the country’s development and also took the party to the masses.

He is a “living inspiration” to the crores of BJP workers and also the countrymen, the prime minister said, wishing for his long and healthy life.

Pollution primarily caused by Chinese firecrackers; avoid ban on locally made crackers: RSS affiliate SJM to states

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For some time, without any factual information, state governments have been taking action like banning all types of firecrackers on Diwali, which is completely inappropriate, SJM said.

NEW DELHI: RSS-affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) on Saturday said illegally imported firecrackers from China primarily cause pollution and urged state governments to avoid banning “less polluting” green crackers made in India.

Underlining that the livelihood of nearly one million people depends on the firecracker industry, SJM co-convener Ashwani Mahajan in a statement said, “Throughout the year, these people wait for Deepawali to sell their firecrackers. In such a situation, it is not prudent to ban domestically made green firecrackers which are less polluting.”

For some time, without any factual information, state governments have been taking action like banning all types of firecrackers on Diwali, which is completely inappropriate.

“It has to be understood that till now the pollution caused by firecrackers was primarily due to illegally imported firecrackers from China,” he said.

The SJM pleads to the governments of Delhi, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka and all other state governments, which have imposed a complete ban on firecrackers, to repeal the same, Mahajan said.

The organisation also urged the central government to inform the National Green Tribunal about the real pollution effects of green firecrackers, he said.

Several state governments have banned crackers due to rise in air pollution and prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation.

PM Modi renames Shipping Ministry to ‘Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways’

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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday rechristened “Ministry of Shipping” to “Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways”.

The announcement was made after Modi inaugurated Ropax ferry services between Surat and Saurashtra in Gujarat, through video conferencing. Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani also attended the event.

This ferry service will reduce the distance between Surat and Saurashtra from 317 km (by road) to just 60 kilometres, informed Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Shipping Minister on Saturday.

A large number of people from Saurashtra have settled in Surat and are working in the diamond industry. There are about 5,000 buses plying daily between this route which takes around 10 to 12 hours, Mandaviya informed.

India’s COVID-19 Update crosses 85-lakh mark with 45,674 fresh cases

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With 49,082 new discharges in the last 24 hours, the total active cases reached 5,12,665 and the cumulative recoveries are now at 78,68,968.

NEW DELHI: India recorded 45,674 new COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, taking the overall cases in the country to 85,07,754, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s data on Sunday.

With 49,082 new discharges in the last 24 hours, the total active cases reached 5,12,665 and the cumulative recoveries are now at 78,68,968. The country’s death toll due to coronavirus surged to 1,26,121 after 559 deaths today.

Maharashtra reported 1,00,068 active cases, 15,69,090 recoveries and 45,115 deaths due to the disease so far while Karnataka recorded 33,339 active cases, 7,99,439 recoveries and 11,369 deaths so far.

The national capital reported 40,258 active cases and 6,912 deaths while 3,83,614 people recovered from the infection till now. Kerala reported 83,377 active cases, 3,95,624 recoveries and the death toll stood at 1,668 on Sunday.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 11,77,36,791 samples have been tested for coronavirus to November 7, of these, 11,94,487 samples were tested yesterday.

India’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of COVID-19 has touched 1.48 per cent and the country continues to report one of the lowest mortality rates, as per the MoHFW on Sunday.

The Ministry said that the widespread and comprehensive testing, prompt tracing, quick isolation, and effective treatment of severe patients in ICUs through a standard of care protocol across government and private hospitals have resulted in this outcome.

Delhi records over 7,000 Covid-19 cases for first time government to augment beds

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The positivity rate stood at 12.19 per cent amid the festive season and rising pollution in the city, according to the latest bulletin.

NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded over 7,000 COVID-19 cases for the first time taking the tally to over 4.23 lakh on Friday, while the death toll rose to 6,833 with 64 more fatalities, authorities said.

The 7,178 fresh cases were diagnosed following the 58,860 tests conducted the previous day, while the positivity rate stood at 12.19 per cent amid the festive season and rising pollution in the city, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

The previous highest single-day spike till date here — 6,842 cases — was recorded on Wednesday.

The number of daily cases had crossed the 6,000-mark for three consecutive days from November 3-5.

On Friday, 64 new fatalities were recorded, pushing the death toll in the national capital to 6,833.

On Thursday, 66 fatalities due to COVID-19 were reported.

The active cases tally on Friday stood at 39,722.

The bulletin said the total number of cases has climbed to 4,23,831.

The recovery rate on Friday was over 89 per cent, it said.

Meanwhile, Delhi government on Friday issued orders to augment the capacity of beds for COVID-19 patients by adding in total over 1,100 beds at various state-run and private facilities to “combat the third wave” of spread of infection.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain took a review meeting with all the medical directors and medical superintendents of COVID-19 hospitals.

Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Dev took a review meeting with all district magistrates on COVID-19 management, it said.

Additional Chief Secretary (Services) took a meeting with officials of the three municipal corporations and the New Delhi Municipal Council to review the pandemic situation.

The number of Rapid Antigen Tests conducted on Thursday stood at 43,194 while the RT-PCR, CBNAAT and True NAAT tests figures were 15,666 in all adding to 58,860, according to the bulletin The number of containment zones in Delhi increased to 3,754 from 3,684 on Thursday.

The sudden spike in cases comes amid the festive season and rising pollution levels.

While Durga Puja celebrations ended on October 25, the next festivals are Diwali and Chhath in November.

The National Centre for Disease Control in a report drafted recently had warned that Delhi needs to be prepared for about 15,000 fresh cases of COVID-19 per day, taking into account the upcoming winter season-related respiratory problems, large influx of patients from outside and festive gatherings.

According to the Friday bulletin, out of the total number of 15,781 beds in COVID hospitals, 8,253 are vacant.

It said 618 beds in COVID care centres are occupied by persons under quarantine, including travellers who have returned by Vande Bharat Mission and bubble flights.

Delhi government has significantly ramped up testing in the past few days, with the count on several times crossing the 60,000-mark.

The number of tests done per million as on Thursday was over 2.6 lakh while the total number of tests stood at over 49 lakh.

The bulletin said 3,77,276 patients have recovered, been discharged or migrated so far.

Since September, daily cases had begun to rise in the city.

From the last week of September, the daily numbers had started to come down a bit.

The number of people in home isolation rose to 23,679 compared to 23,411 the previous day.

AIMIM colluding with BJP, will have little impact on polls: Congress’ Bihar chief

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The Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief also said the Tejashwi Yadav-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ will get a clear majority in the polls and the Congress will “definitely” do better.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi

NEW DELHI: Dubbing the AIMIM as the BJP’s “B-team”, Congress’ Bihar unit chief Madan Mohan Jha on Thursday accused the Asaduddin Owaisi-led party of colluding with the BJP, but said it will not have any significant impact on the assembly polls as people will not “waste” their votes.

The Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee chief also said the Tejashwi Yadav-led ‘Mahagathbandhan’ will get a clear majority in the polls and the Congress will “definitely” do better in terms of winning percentage on the seats contested as compared with the 2015 polls.

Jha said the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) will not be able to cut into the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ vote share as its voters will vote intelligently and not let even one vote go waste.

The assertion assumes significance as it comes ahead of Bihar Assembly elections’ third phase which is set to see a triangular contest with the AIMIM entering the poll dynamics on many seats in the Seemanchal belt, which has a substantial Muslim population, to challenge the National Democratic Alliance and the RJD-led grand alliance.

The AIMIM is in the fray on 20 seats in Bihar polls, a majority of which go to polls in the third phase on November 7, as part of the Grand Democratic Secular Front that has four other parties, including Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Asked if the Owaisi-led AIMIM can cut into the Mahagathbandhan vote and affect its poll prospects in the third phase, Jha said, “The person you are talking about, the voters you are saying he could impact are very intelligent. They will not waste even a single vote. All voters will cast their vote intelligently.”

“Yes, in one or two seats his strong candidates could have an impact, but the voters in general will not be swayed. I am confident the voters will not make a wrong decision,” the Congress leader said.

On the assertions that Owaisi and his allies could be “vote cutters”, Jha said every one knows whose team they are and from where they are guided.

The state from which Owaisi comes, he is not strengthening his party there but is giving tension to people in other states, Jha said.

The AIMIM had won a seat in the bypolls, but this is an assembly election and voters vote very carefully and intelligently in these polls, he asserted.

Jha said Owaisi’s party was “definitely” BJP’s ‘B-team’.

“They are colluding with the BJP and look at their candidates, they give tickets as per the BJP’s wishes,” he said.

Asked if he believes that Owaisi’s alliance partners were also the BJP’s ‘B-team’, Jha said look at the stance taken by those who are with Owaisi and one would know the answer.

He said his statement that AIMIM and its allies were the ‘B-team’ of the BJP was based on what people of Seemanchal told him when he toured the area recently and he was just conveying their sentiments.

Jha said the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ had done really well in the two phases of the polls gone by and the trend has shown that a grand alliance government is going to be formed under the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav.

The Bihar Congress chief said he does not want to exactly predict any numbers, but was confident that the grand alliance will get a clear majority.

“Great enthusiasm was visible among the people at the four public meetings held by Rahul Gandhi in the last two days. Even the public meetings of Tejashwi ji, they are much bigger than the public meetings of the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and the Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar),” Jha said.

Asked if the grand alliance government comes to power will the Congress get the post of deputy CM, Jha said he does not want to comment on it as this was not an issue that is relevant right now.

On Prime Minister Modi’s sharp attacks at the grand alliance, Jha claimed that the people of Bihar were “not taking his remarks seriously” and alleged that he was making statements not befitting of the prime minister’s post.

Jha also said that the alliance between the BJP and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) was an opportunistic one and therefore, the bitterness between them was visible from time to time.

Asked about Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan and the impact he would have on the polls, Jha said some LJP candidates were having an impact in some constituencies, but whether he would have a role post polls, the people of Bihar will decide.

On whether the Mahagathbandhan would be open to an alliance with Paswan post polls, he said, “We will get a majority on our own and will not have to join hands with anyone.”

Polling in 71 and 94 constituencies, out of the 243 Assembly seats, was held in the first two phases on October 28 and November 3 respectively.

The remaining 78 seats will go to polls on November 7 and the counting of votes will take place on November 10.

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