(Contains Press releases concerning Covid-19, issued in last 24 hours, inputs from PIB Field Offices and Fact checks undertaken by PIB)
Dr Harsh Vardhan dedicates COBAS 6800 testing machine to the nation;Doubling time for last three days slows down to nearly 14 daysDr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health & Family Welfare visited the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and dedicated the COBAS 6800 testing machine to the nation. This is the first such testing machine that has been procured by the Government for testing of COVID-19 cases.COBAS 6800 is a sophisticated machine enabled with robotics that minimizes the chance of contamination as well as the risk of infection to the health care workers since it can be operated remotely with limited human intervention.
Dr Vardhan said that today marks an important milestone as we have tested nearly 20 lakh tests for COVID-19 mark at more than 500 laboratories. He added that it is a heartening news that today, the last three days’ doubling time has slowed down to 13.9 days, while the doubling time in the past 14 days was 11.1. He added that the fatality rate is 3.2% and the recovery rate has further improved and today stands at 33.6% (it was 32.83% yesterday). He also added that (as of yesterday) there are 3.0% active COVID-19 patients in ICU, 0.39% on ventilators and 2.7% on oxygen support. Today, there are 14 States/UTs that have not reported any cases of COVID-19 in last 24 hrs. As on 14th May 2020, a total of 78,003 cases have been reported from the country in which 26,235 persons have been cured and 2,549 deaths had occurred. In the last 24 hours, 3,722 new confirmed cases have been added.
For details: PM CARES Fund Trust Allocates Rs. 3100 Crore for Fight against COVID-19PM CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund Trust has decided to allocate Rs. 3100 Crore for fight against COVID-19. Out of this, a sum of approximately Rs.2000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators, Rs. 1000 crores will be used for care of migrant labourers and Rs.100 crores will be given to support vaccine development. 50000‘Made-in-India’ ventilators will be purchasedfrom PM CARES Fund at a cost of approximately Rs. 2000 Crores. These ventilators will be provided to government run COVID hospitals in all States/UTs,for better treatment of the critical COVID-19 cases.Rs. 1000 Crore from PM CARES Fund would be provided to the State Governments/UTs to place it at the disposal of the District Collectors/Municipal Commissioners for strengthening their efforts in providing accommodation facilities, making food arrangements, providing medical treatment and making transportation arrangementsof the migrants. To support the COVID-19 vaccine designers and developers, an amount of Rs. 100 Crore will be given as a helping hand to catalyse vaccine development, which will be utilized under the supervision of Principal Scientific Advisor.
For details: Presentation of details of Tranche 2 by Union Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan to support Indian economy in fight against COVID-19 For details: Government committed to uphold and protect interest of homebuyers while ensuring ease of doing business in real estate sectorThe Government is committed to uphold and protect the interest of homebuyers while ensuring ease of doing business in the real estate sector. Subsequent to the announcement made by the Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman’s yesterday, in order to protect the interest of homebuyers, Central Government has issued an advisory to all States / UTs and their Real Estate Regulatory Authorities to automatically extend registration of all real estate projects registered under RERA by 6 months and further upto 3 months, if required in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.MoHUA has issued an advisory to all States / UTs and their respective Real Estate Regulatory Authorities to consider the current pandemic of COVID-19 as “force majeure” being a natural calamity.This measure will safeguard the interest of homebuyers to get them the delivery of their flats/homes although with the delay of few months but it will definitely ensure the completion of the projects.
For details: Reduction in rate of Tax Deduction at Source & Tax Collection at SourceIn order to provide more funds at the disposal of the taxpayers for dealing with the economic situation arising out of COVID-19 pandemic, the rates of Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) for the non-salaried specified payments made to residents has been reduced by 25% for the period from 14th May, 2020 to 31st March, 2021. Further, the rate of Tax Collection at Source (TCS) for the specified receipts has also been reduced by 25% for the period from 14th May, 2020 to 31st March, 2021
For details: Indian Railways crosses the milestone of transporting a total of more than one million passengers(10 lacs) to their home states through “Shramik Special” trains in less than 15 daysAs on 14th May 2020, a total of 800 “Shramik Special” trains have been operationalized from various states across the country. More than 10 Lacs passengers have reached their home State. Trains are being run by Railways only after concurrence is given both by the State which is sending the passengers and the State which is receiving them.These 800 trains were terminated in various states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal.
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Indian Railways will start issuing limited waiting lists tickets for different classes for Special Trains being introduced from 12.05.2020Indian Railways has decided that there shall be no RAC (Reservation against cancellation) in special trains restored wef 12.05.2020. Also, it has been decided that waiting list tickets shall be issued subject to maximum limits. With respect to Special Trains, other rules concerning waiting list shall be applicable.No Tatkal/Premium Tatkal Quotas shall be defined.Senior Citizen Quota, Ladies Quota and Quota for Divyangjans(HP) shall be defined as per extant instructions.The above changes shall be made applicable for the trains starting on 22nd May, 2020 i.e. booking for which shall commence from 15th May, 2020.
For details: Dr Harsh Vardhan participates in the 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers’ MeetingDr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare participated in the 32nd Commonwealth Health Ministers’ Meeting through Video Conference, today. The theme of the meeting was- Delivering a co-ordinated Commonwealth COVID-19 response.
For details: Union HRD Minister interacts with the teachers across the country through webinarMinister for Human Resource Development Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' today gave a message of 'Acharya Devo Bhava' while interacting with teachers across the country through webinar. The Minister expressed his gratitude to all the teachers for spreading awareness relating to COVID-19 among the students and society at large. The Minister made two big announcements during this webinar. In response to a question, he said that the examination date of NET will be announced very soon. He also announced that teachers who have completed the recruitment process of Navodaya Vidyalaya will get appointment after lockdown. He appealed to all the teachers to perform their duties and ensure academic welfare of students even in the lockdown situation.
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Procurement of Pulses and Oilseeds continues during lockdown Over 277 LMT wheat arrives during Rabi Season 2020-21, nearly 269 LMT purchased.For details:
OP Samudrasetu- INS Jalashwa Returns to Maldives for Phase 2 Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa has returned to Male, Maldives to begin Phase 2 of Operation SamudraSetu - repatriation of Indian Nationals from foreign shores by sea. The ship will enter Male port in the early hours of 15 May 20 and begin embarkation of Indian citizens who have already registered with the Indian Embassy in Maldives. On her second trip, INS Jalashwa is planned to embark 700 Indian citizens and will depart for Kochi by the night of 15 May. For details: KVIC comes forward to hand-hold local production Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has geared up to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call to become “vocal for local” and further making it “global”To boost the local production, KVIC has decided that at least one unit each pertaining to manufacture of N95 masks, ventilators or its accessories, PPE Kits for medical staff, sanitizers/liquid hand wash, thermal scanner and agarbatti and soap will be set up in each district. This is in order to meet the growing demand due to prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country. For details: DST supports assistive tools, technologies and techniques to combat challenges faced by Divyangjan& Elderly during COVID-19 For details:INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES
Maharashtra: Maharashtra has reported the single-day highest 1,495 new Covid-19 cases and 54 deaths, taking the overall case count to 25,922 and the number of fatalities to 975. With 66 new COVID-19 cases reported in Dharavi of Mumbai yesterday, the area tally of positive cases has surged to 1,028.Industries Minister Subhash Desai informed that 65000 industries have been granted permission to resume operations in state, of which 35,000 industries have already started production activities, with over 9 lakh employees reporting for work. Meanwhile, the buses of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation have ferried nearly 73,000 migrant labourers in the last five days, upto their respective state borders. 42,000 migrants have left for their home states taking the Shramik Express train services. Gujarat:364 positive cases have been reported in Gujarat taking the tally of Covid patients in the state to 9,267. Yesterday, 292 of all the positive cases were reported from Ahmedabad alone. Gujarat government has formed an expert committee to recommend economic revival measures to the state post lockdown. The committee has been asked to submit its interim report within two weeks and a final report within one month. CMO Secretary Ashwini Kumar said the committee will make estimates of sectoral economic loss incurred to each sector due to Covid 19 and will give sector-specific recommendations. Rajasthan: 66 new Covid-19 positive cases have been reported in Rajasthan which takes the number of Covid-19 cases to 4394. While 2575 patients have recovered so far, 122 deaths have also been reported till date from the state. 28 of these women have recovered after treatment and returned home with their babies.Rajasthan Government has allowed reopening of shops and commercial establishments in six key categories. These include eateries, sweet shops, dhabas on the highways, hardware shops, building material, electric and electronics and automobile shops. The eateries and sweet shops are open only for take away or home delivery. MadhyaPradesh:With 187 persons tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours in the state, the overall tally rose to 4,173. The good sign is that, out of the total 884 patients in the capital Bhopal, 531 have been cured so far, which is remarkable 60 percent. Similarly, 45 percent of patients in Indore, 48 percent in Ujjain, 57 percent in Khargoan, 46 percent in Dhar and 48 percent patients in Khandwa have been cured so far. This is more than the national average. Goa: Goa’s Covid 19 tally doubled overnight to 14, as seven new positive cases were reported and all among those who entered the state by road after the lockdown restrictions were partially eased. The seven patients are undergoing treatment at the dedicated Covid-19 facility in South Goa from Thursday morning. Arunachal Pradesh: Chief Secretary called upon people to cooperate with officials who are managing Quarantine centres across state, all preventive and protective measures will remain same despite relaxation in lockdown. Assam: In Assam, 7 patients and attendants who came from Mumbai and now in quarantine tested COVID19 positive. Positive cases 86, discharged 39, active 44 and 2 deaths, State Health Minister tweeted. Manipur: Honorarium for Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers & Mini Anganwadi workers in Manipur will be increased from Rs.3,000 per month to Rs.4,500 , Rs.2,250 to Rs. 3,500 & Rs.1,500 to Rs.2,250 respectively. Meghalaya:. An All Party Meeting was convened by Meghalaya Assembly Speaker, Metbah Lyngdoh.Govt and Opposition reaffirmed their resolve to fight COVID19 effectively. Mizoram: CM called a consultation meeting with representatives of NGOs, Churches, political parties, Village and Local Councils and local/village level task forces to discuss about Lockdown and the State's plan amidst COVID19 pandemic. Nagaland: In Nagaland, phase II of movement of locally stranded persons concludes. 64 migrant workers being housed in 4 relief camps. Another 720 daily wagers & poor people are in provided food. Sikkim: State Pollution Control Board directed all healthcare facilities to strictly implement the guidelines for handling, treatment and disposal of waste generated during treatment and quarantine of COVID19 patients. Chandigarh: Due to lockdown, some of the migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded in Chandigarh. For smooth movement of these persons, the Chandigarh Administration has made elaborate arrangements to ensure their comfortable and safe journey. Two Holding Centres have been set up at ISBT-43. At Holding Centres, the persons are medically examined and they are required to carry the medical certificate throughout the journey. At Holding Centre they are provided packed lunch packet and at Railway Station they are provided packed dinner with water bottle before boarding in assigned coaches. Punjab: Punjab government has been facilitating return of migrants to their native states. Till now more than 90 trains have left from Punjab taking 1,10,000 migrants to their states. State government has spent more than Rs 6 crore to fund movement of these migrants till now. The food shops especially halwai shops which remained closed in the lockdown in last 50 days due to COVID 19 have been asked to destroy whole of the old, stale and putrefied food material. Also the packaged food stuff where the expiry date has crossed has also been ordered to be destroyed. Haryana: Chief Minister Mr. Manohar Lal has expressed hope that about 50 thousand MSME units in the State would get a benefit of approximately Rs. 3000 crore after the announcement made by Union Finance Minister, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman for earmarking an amount of Rs. 3 lakh crore as collateral-free loan for MSMEs. Similarly, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman has also announced sub-ordinate loan of Rs. 20000 crore for stressed MSMEs, which will also benefit around 3000 units in Haryana, he added. The Haryana government has decided to start special bus services on selected routes from May 15, 2020 to facilitate the people stranded within the state due to lockdown. The buses will ply only in Haryana but the special bus service will not be started in areas severely affected with COVID-19. Himachal Pradesh: Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has hailed the Rs 20 lakh crore economic package announced for the Nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that it has also been decided to sell the products manufactured in India through various institutions to bring self-sufficiency in the economy of the state. He said that this would give a boost to the production of the country and the state. Kerala: 3 MPs and 2 MLAs of Congress have been asked to go on a 14-day quarantine on suspicion that a person tested positive for Covid-19 had come in contact with them. They were protesting at the border check post in Walayar over restricting entry of Keralites. Over 400 people including police officials, RDO, journalists have been quarantined. All the Police officials in Mananthavady Police station in Wayanad have been quarantined after three police officers of the station tested positive. Covid cases got a spike in the state yesterday with 10 fresh cases taking the tally to 41. One Malayalee nurse has lost her life to COVID-19 in Kuwait. Over 120 Keralites have succumbed to Covid abroad. Tamil Nadu: Regarding Class X Board Exams, Government will issue statement on transportation of students on May 19, says Education Minister. Select 30-bed PHCs to be designated as Covid care centres in the State. Tamil Nadu's Covid tally past 9,000-mark with 509 new cases yesterday. Total cases till now: 9227, Active cases: 6984, Deaths: 64, Discharged: 2176. Active cases in Chennai are 5262. Karnataka : 22 new cases reported till 12pm today: Bangalore 5, four each in Bidar, Mandya and Gadag, Davangere 3 and one each in Bagalkot & Belagavi. Today one person died in Kalburgi. Two succumbed to Covid today:, 80 year old women in Dakshin Kannada and 60 year old men in Bangalore. Total cases till now 981. Death toll rise to 35 and 456 people discharged till now. Andhra Pradesh: State further eases lockdown, extends time for grocery stores, issues directives permitting shops to open from 10 am to 5 pm except in containment and buffer zones. State, contemplating to bring back stranded people in Hyderabad through special busses run by RTC. 36 fresh cases reported (besides another 32 cases related to migrants belonging to Maharashtra, Odisha and Bengal); 50 discharged and one death reported in the last 24 hours after testing 9256 samples. Total cases rise to 2100. Active cases: 860, Recovered: 1192, Deaths: 48. Districts leading in +ve cases: Kurnool (591), Guntur (404) & Krishna (351). Telangana: Two more evacuation flights with 312 evacuees from the Philippines and the US landed at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Thursday. Total no of positive cases 1367 till yesterday; Recovered 939, Active cases 394, Deaths 34.
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