NEW DELHI: India reported a record single-day rise of 1,84,372 new coronavirus infections pushing the total tally of cases to 1,38,73,825, while the active cases surpassed the 13-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

The death toll increased to 1,72,085 with 1,027 daily new fatalities, the highest since October 18, 2020, the data updated at 8 am showed.

Registering a steady increase for the 35th day in a row, the active cases increased to 13,65,704, comprising 9.84 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has dropped to 88.92 percent.

The active caseload was at its lowest at 1, 35,926 on February 12 and it was at its highest at 10,17,754 on September 18, 2020.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,23,36,036, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.24 percent, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past  60 lakh on September 28,  70 lakh on  October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20, and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh minister Ashutosh Tandon have tested positive for COVID-19.

In a tweet in Hindi on Wednesday, Yadav said, “My corona test report has come positive. I have isolated myself and started treatment at home itself. People who have come in contact with me in the past few days should get themselves tested. They are requested to stay in isolation for some days.”

Yadav had recently visited Haridwar where the Kumbh Mela is underway and met various religious leaders, including Akhara Parishad chairman Mahant Narendra Giri who had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier.

On reaching Lucknow, Yadav got himself tested on Tuesday.

Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister Tandon tweeted, “After observing initial symptoms of corona, I got myself tested, and the report has come positive. On the advice of doctors, I have isolated myself at home. People who have come in contact with me in the past few days should get themselves tested.” 

DHARAMSHALA: Tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh will not be “harassed” for a coronavirus negative test report on the state’s borders, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Tuesday.

“We have taken care of our tourism industry to ensure it does not suffer this session as the corona-virus pandemic affected it last year. So, in the SOP released for the industry, we have put in place a mechanism to monitor it accordingly. Tourists and other visitors will not be harassed by stopping for corona reports on the state’s borders because it causes a lot of inconvenience and difficulty to them.

As majority of the visitors will stay in hotels, the administration has put in place a mechanism to check the visitors from the seven states on their arrival at the place of their stay, he added.

The Himachal Pradesh government on Sunday made it mandatory for people coming from seven states which have witnessed a spike in coronavirus cases to show a COVID-19 negative test report on entering the state.

Thakur had said then that people coming from Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh need to carry a negative RT-PCR report not earlier than 72 hours while visiting Himachal Pradesh from April 16.

The chief minister arrived here this morning from Shimla on a day’s visit.

CHITRADURGA: While business can create a stressful and cut-throat atmosphere for employees, Maruthi Masala, set up four decades ago in Chitradurga district, is cut from different cloth. Most of the employees are women and their welfare is very important for the family that runs the masala manufacturing firm.

Starting with Rs 20,000 in their small house in Chikkagondanahalli in Chitradurga district, they now run a business with the latest machinery, which is one of the biggest masala-making firms in Central Karnataka. There are also plans to expand across the state. “Supporting women was our aim. Some of these women have been with us for three decades and have worked hard for the success of the business. It is because of them that the industry has survived,” says T Nagaraj, Lakshmamma and Thippeswamy’s son.

“After facing a lot of hardship, I decided to start working. I heard of this masala unit which gave jobs only to women, and joined. Now, I not only take care of my children’s education, but also my entire family. We are indebted to Nagaraj,” says Mehrunissa (35), from Maradihalli, who has worked at the unit for four years.

Sumangalamma (58) has been at the unit for three decades. “My life was in a shambles when my husband passed away. I received a great deal of support from the founder Thippeswamy and his family. They not only took care of me, but provided me with quarters on the premises and treated me like family. It is because of them that I survived,” she says. In the beginning, Lakshmamma taught the employees how to roast and grind the spices, and the proportions that would give the masalas their unique flavour. She continues to monitor the quality to this day, checking every batch of products.

“Quality is very important for us. We check the quality of each batch of ingredients before it is used. We have also sought help from the Central Food and Technological Research Institute to procure cleaning, roasting, grinding and packing machines,” says Nagaraj, an Arts graduate. It is a matter of pride that the brand has customers of all categories – from big ones to individual households – thanks to the range of quantities they sell. “We have reached all sections of society because we have packets from 50gm to 1kg.

“Because of this, our products are popular in Davanagere and Chitradurga,” he says, adding 
that most batches are sold out within a fortnight of manufacture.The road to success was a hard one, Nagaraj recalls. “During the initial days, my father carried masala packets by bus to Davanagere town, then rented a bicycle and travelled across the district to distribute the packets. That’s how dedicated he was,” he says.

Even after they set up a proper factory in Chikkagondanahalli in 1985, there were many logistical hurdles to overcome. Power supply was erratic, and transportation was difficult. Finally, the family decided to move to an area set aside by the Karnataka Industrial Development Areas Board (KIADB) in Chitradurga district. Another reason for the success of the unit was the credit extended by the Karnataka State Financial Corporation, he says.

What they make
Sambar powder
Chilli, coriander, turmeric powder
Chicken, mutton masala, garam masala
Puliyogare, vangibath, bisibelebath masala

Starting with Rs 20,000 
in their small house in Chikkagondanahalli in Chitradurga district, they now run a business with the latest machinery, which is one of the biggest masala-making firms in Central Karnataka

CM’s recognition
Karnataka State Finance Corporation, which has provided Maruthi Masala several loans since the 1980s, conferred the Golden Jubilee award to the firm in 2010. It was presented by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa (during his first tenure)

ERODE:  A video of a government bus conductor slapping a septuagenarian in an argument over tendering change near Goundampadi on Sunday went viral on social media. While police did not initiate any action against the conductor for lack of a complaint, the TNSTC has promised to look into the matter.

As Kumar demanded the exact amount, an irritated Ganesan fished out Rs 5 from his pocket and gave it. An irked Kumar slapped Ganesan who in turn grabbed Kumar’s shirt in an argument. Sources said that Ganesan’s fellow passengers intervened and asked the conductor to stop abusing the elderly man, who sobbed for having been meted out such treatment after deboarding the bus at his stop.