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Coronavirus outbreak LAST updates: The government released Rs 6,195.08 crore to 14 states as the second equivalent monthly installment of the Revenue Deficit Grant after Repayment on Monday.
“This would provide them with additional resources during the coronavirus crisis,” the finance ministry said in a statement Monday.
The grant was recommended by the 15th Finance Commission, and on March 14 the Center issued an equal first installment of the grant to the states.
On Monday, the Center released advance payments of more than Rs 1,276 crore to Kerala, followed by more than Rs 952 crore to Himachal Pradesh and more than Rs 638 crore to Punjab. Assam received Rs 631 crore, Andhra Pradesh Rs 491 crore, Uttarakhand Rs 423 crore and West Bengal earned Rs 417 crore.
As India recorded a record jump of 4,213 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a virtual interaction with the chief ministers, said that the biggest challenge for the country will be ensuring that the The infection will not spread to rural India and the country will have to devise a “balanced strategy” to deal with the pandemic and gradually intensify economic activities.
Separately, the Union ministry of health noted that some relatively large outbreaks have been noted in particular locations and it is important to focus on containment efforts to ensure the country does not reach the stage of community transmission.
Representative image. PTI
The government also said that the Aarogya Setu coronavirus tracking app is secure as it was designed with people’s privacy in mind and plays a crucial role in India’s fight against COVID-19.
The record jump in the number of cases brings total infections to 67,152
At a press conference on the COVID-19 situation in the country, the health ministry said that a record number of 4,213 cases of COVID-19 and 97 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours that ended at 8 am, bringing the total number of cases to 67,152 and the number of deaths to 2,206.
Up to 20,917 COVID-19 patients have been cured so far, bringing the recovery rate to 31.15 percent. Additionally, 1,559 patients have recovered in the past 24 hours, the highest number of recoveries in a day, the ministry said.
According to data from the health ministry, Maharashtra has reported the highest number of infections (22,171) and deaths (832) with Gujarat followed by 8,194 cases and 493 deaths.
However, a PTI The count of the figures reported by different states and territories of the Union, as of 9.10 p.m., placed the national count of confirmed cases much higher at 70,480, showing an increase of more than 6,000 cases since Sunday morning. It showed 2,217 deaths and more than 22,000 recoveries so far.
Maharashtra reported 1,230 new cases, bringing the state count to 23,401, while its death toll rose to 868 after 36 more deaths. Tamil Nadu reported 798 new cases and six more deaths on Monday. Mumbai’s case count reached 14,355 with 791 new cases detected on Monday, while its death toll is 528 now with 20 more deaths. At least 57 new cases were reported from the city’s Dharavi slums.
Gujarat saw 347 new cases and 20 more deaths, including 268 cases and 19 deaths in Ahmedabad. Also in the National Capital, more than 300 new cases were detected.
New cases were reported from several other states, including Punjab, Haryana, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Bihar and Odisha.
The health ministry advocates strong containment measures
When asked if there was a community broadcast of COVID-19 in India, the joint secretary of the Union ministry of health, Lav Agarwal, said: “Some groups have been found here (in the country), and in some cases in some In particular, there have also been relatively large outbreaks. It has been noted, “adding that it was important to focus on containment measures so that the country does not reach the stage of community transmission.
Agarwal said the government’s focus is on identifying pockets that have been reporting the highest number of cases so that strong containment measures can be implemented.
He also said that people who develop coronavirus symptoms should not hide and come forward to report so that they receive prompt treatment and do not pass the infection on to family members and others.
Ajay Sawhney, president of Empowered Group 9, which deals with technology and data management, said the Aarogya Setu app has been developed to alert people before they come into contact with infected patients and to alert the system of Health. The information on 697 potential COVID-19 hotspots was generated through the app and is secure, used only for health interventions and does not reveal people’s identity, he said. About 1.4 lakh of Aarogya Setu users have been alerted via Bluetooth contact tracking of the possible risk of infection due to proximity to infected patients, Sawhney said.
States demand greater freedom to decide blocking guidelines
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held the fifth virtual meeting with top state ministers to discuss strengthening the containment strategy and the gradual resumption of economic activities as the third phase of the national closure comes to an end on May 17 .
Modi told chief ministers that economic activities in India are “ready,” while stating that the country will have to devise a “balanced strategy” to revive the economy and deal with COVID-19 with a strong focus on ensuring that rural areas remain pandemic-free, sources said PTI.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Prime Minister also stated that the world has fundamentally changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the new way of life would be based on the principle of “Jan Se lekar Jag Tak”, From an individual to all humanity.
“Even when we observe the gradual withdrawal of the blockade, we must constantly remember that until we find a vaccine or a solution, the most important weapon to fight the virus is social distancing,” he said.
Modi also thanked chief ministers for their proactive role in the country’s fight against the pandemic, and asked chief ministers to share before May 15 a comprehensive strategy on how they want to deal with the prison regime in their states.
“I am of the firm opinion that the necessary measures in the first phase of the blockade were not necessary during the second phase and, similarly, the necessary measures in the third phase are not necessary in the fourth,” he said.
The chief ministers of at least three states demanded that the states have greater freedom to decide the blocking guidelines. Some chief ministers also sought measures to expand the testing infrastructure, while many of them also demanded fiscal support for states due to the pandemic that hit various income-generating economic activities.
Punjab Prime Minister Amarinder Singh proposed extending the coronavirus blockade, but with a carefully designed exit strategy backed by the economic empowerment of states to save lives and secure livelihoods. The decision to designate red, orange / yellow and green zones should be left up to states, which are more aware of the realities of the terrain, he said.
Chhattisgarh’s Prime Minister Bhupesh Baghel reiterated the demand that states be allowed to determine green, red and orange zones and the level of economic activity allowed in the state. He also demanded Rs. Rs 30 billion to implement aid and welfare schemes.
Delhi Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal called for the resumption of economic activities in all parts of the National Capital except the containment areas.
Economic activities should be allowed to resume in all parts of Delhi except the containment areas: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will meet Prime Minister Modi today during the videoconference. # COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/AP0AJCvGTp
– ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2020
During the meeting, Maharashtra Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray said a cautious approach should be taken when making any decision on the shutdown, as the infection was expected to peak in May or June. It also demanded the deployment of the central armed forces in the state, as the police were under a lot of pressure and there were an increasing number of cases among police personnel. Thackeray also suggested that local trains for those providing essential services be restarted.
Kerala Prime Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said states face different challenges and therefore should be given the freedom to make reasonable changes to the guidelines. It also demanded that states be allowed to resume metro services in all cities, apart from those in the red light district.
States face different challenges and therefore should be given the freedom to make reasonable changes to the guidelines related to the blockade: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan during the video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today # COVID-19 pic.twitter.com/Vto44faona
– ANI (@ANI) May 11, 2020
However, the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Telangana opposed the resumption of train services since Tuesday and asked the Center to reject it.
“We know from the media that regular train service to Chennai (from Delhi) and from Chennai will start from May 12. As the positive cases in Chennai show a growing trend, do not allow train service until May 31 in my state, “Tamil Nadu Prime Minister E Palaniswami told Modi during the virtual meeting.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, on the one hand, that the Center wants strict enforcement of the blockade, on the other, is resuming train services.
According to the statement, Modi said the resumption of rail services was necessary to accelerate economic activity, but that not all routes will be opened.
The Interior Ministry previously said that only asymptomatic people with confirmed tickets will be able to travel on 15 trains to be operational from Tuesday. Online reservations started for these trains on Monday night, after a delay due to a technical problem, and some routes were fully booked within ten minutes.
The Railways have been operating ‘migrant special’ trains to transport migrant workers since May 1, but this will be the first time in nearly 50 days that the general public can also take train trips despite services of interstate flights and buses remain suspended as from now until May 17, when the third phase of the closure is scheduled to end.
The first phase of the national closure began on March 25, which was supposed to last 21 days, but was later extended until May 3 and then until May 17 with some relaxation.
With contributions from agencies
Update date: May 12, 2020 08:19:43 IST
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