No decision has been taken on opening of schools and colleges and all education institutions across the country are still prohibited to open, the Union Home Ministry said Tuesday night.

  

The statement by the home ministry spokesperson came after a section of media reported that the ministry has given permission to all states to open schools.

"No such decision taken by MHA. All Educational institutions are still prohibited to open, throughout the country(sic)," the spokesperson tweeted

All educational institutions have been shut since mid-March -- some of them from March 25 when the nationwide lockdown started -- to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

The nationwide lockdown was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 for 21 days in a bid to combat the pandemic. 

It was first extended till May 3 and again till May 17. The lockdown has now been extended till May 31.

The Chinese government will help arrange special flights for its citizens that are willing to fly home but are stuck in India due to the country's nationwide coronavirus lockdown, according to a notice the Chinese embassy in New Delhi published on its website on Monday.

The voluntary repatriation plan should be seen as a normal service provided by the embassy to its citizens. Yet, some Indian media outlets have intentionally linked the normal operation to the recent border tension between China and India in the Galwan Valley region, fueling a new round of irresponsible speculation that China may be preparing for an escalation of the border disputes.

Mumbai Police clarified that Mumbai and Pune will not be placed under military lockdown for ten days as claimed by a message that is being widely circulated on social medial platforms. 

The police said that the message is fake and urged the people to break the chain by not forwarding it. The supply of essentials commodities will continue unhindered and the movement of people will be permitted as per lockdown guidelines.

For the last few days, a message claiming deployment of military in the wake of a surge in COVID-19 cases in Mumbai and Pune was doing rounds on social media platforms. The message claimed that the two cities will be placed under military lockdown for a period of ten days, starting from Saturday. 

Further, the message asked people to stock everything and only milk and medicine will be available during the military lockdown. Reportedly, as the circulation of the message gained momentum, people rushed out to stock up supplies, resulting in traffic jams at some places and vehicular queues at fueling stations.

Chinas bat woman researcher warns that the deadly coronavirus surfacing now is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what humans may soon face without a global effort to prevent similar infectious outbreaks.

If we want to prevent human beings from suffering from the next infectious-disease outbreak, we must go in advance to learn of these unknown viruses carried by wild animals in nature and give early warnings, Shi Zhengli, a top Chinese scientist specialising in viral transmissions from bats, told CGTN in an interview that aired Monday.

If we dont study [the viruses], there will possibly be another outbreak, warned Shi, who was dubbed bat woman by the press because of her research involving the mammals.

India is planning to bring back home its one lakh stranded nationals from 60 countries under the second phase of the Vande Bharat mission, officials said on Tuesday.

 

The second phase of the mission was to end on May 22. However, the government extended it till June 13.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting on Tuesday with all the agencies and ministries involved in the mega evacuation exercise.

In a series of tweets, he said the focus of the meeting was to ramp up the scale of the Vande Bharat Mission and enhance its efficiency.

The target will be to bring back one lakh passengers from 60 countries in the second phase, he said, adding the government is increasing the entry points as well as expanding feeder flights to various destinations in India.

The second phase of the evacuation mission began on May 17.

The minister said Indians are also returning home through land borders starting Tuesday.

Eleven new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Tripura on Tuesday, out of which 10 people came from Mumbai, Maharashtra.

"11 people found COVID-19 positive in Tripura today. Among them 10 people have returned from Mumbai, Maharashtra by train and 1 person is a family member of BSF personnel of 86th Battalion," read a tweet by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. 

As of Tuesday morning, the state had 194 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 165 cured and discharged patients, according to the Union Ministry of Health.

At least 10 Uttar Pradesh districts were on alert Tuesday after swarms of locusts were spotted in Mahoba and Jhansi districts, moving into the state after attacking crops in neighbouring Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, officials said.

Locusts entered Rajasthan from Pakistan earlier this month, and then drifted into other parts of western India.

Desert locusts are a regular feature in the country but on a very small scale, a Union Environment Ministry official said.

"This attack is huge. It is a once in a three-decade situation and timed very badly for us as we are already dealing with coronavirus," said Soumitra Dasgupta, Inspector General, Wildlife.

"Local officials have been put on alert and asked to remain prepared with chemicals in tractor-mounted sprayers, power sprayers and fire brigade," an Uttar Pradesh government spokesman said.

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 97 coronavirus deaths -- highest in a day -- and 2,091 new patients, a health official said here. Mumbai city alone accounted for 39 deaths, he added.

The death toll due to COVID-19 in the state thus rose to 1,792 while the tally of coronavirus cases reached 54,758, he said.

 

"Out of 97, 35 deaths took place in the last two days while remaining 62 had taken place between April 17 to May 23," the official added.

1,168 patients were discharged from hospital, taking the number of recovered patients to 16,954, he said.

Maharashtra COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases: 54,758, new cases: 2,091, deaths 1,792, discharged 16,954, active cases: 36,004, people tested so far 3,90,170.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday asked the government to come clear on what is happening at the border with China in Ladakh and be more transparent.

  

Amid a standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh, Gandhi refused to say anything more till he understood the facts.

"I think, on the India-China issue, we would like to see some more transparency on what is going on. It becomes very difficult for us to have a position without understanding the facts," he told reporters when asked about the issue at a virtual press conference.

"The government should make it clear to the people of India, what exactly is happening on the border. We are hearing different stories so, I don't want to go into conjecture, but it is important that the government of India makes it clear, what is happening on the border so that people can understand and have a proper position," he said.

"I leave it to the wisdom of the government. But, transparency is needed. We should know what is happening, but the country does not know," he said.

He said till the time there is more transparency on the issue, it would not be proper on his part to comment.

"If there is more information, only then can I express my views," he said.

There has been a standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at the border in Ladakh, amid build-up of troops on both sides since early May.

The external affairs ministry has, however, rejected China's claims of Indian troops trespassing the Chinese border and have instead accused Beijing of doing so.

Airports across the country handled 325 departures and 283 arrivals with 41,673 passengers till 5 pm on Tuesday even as flight cancellations continued with passengers facing difficulties.

Moreover, domestic operations resumed in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, a day after the restart of air travel across India. 

West Bengal was the only state where no domestic services took place.

As major airports like Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad have a severe cap on the number of fights they can handle, cancellations continued on Tuesday. 

Just like Monday, a section of passengers reached their airports on Tuesday only to be informed that their flights have been cancelled. Many people vented their ire on social media.

"Smooth operations of domestic civil aviation operation. Our airports have handled 325 departures & 283 arrivals with 41,673 passengers till 5pm on 26 May 2020, the second day after recommencement of domestic flight," Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

"Final report for the day will be prepared after details come in at midnight," he added.

Temples in Karnataka that were  closed for devotees for over two months due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown will be opened for public from June 1, State minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said on Tuesday.

"We have had discussions with the CM regarding Muzrai department, during which it was decided to

open temples from June 1," Poojary, the minister for Hindu religious institutions and charitable endowments (Muzrai), said.

 

Speaking to reporters after the meeting Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, he said the plan is to allow all 'sevas' (rituals) at the temples once they open, but depending on the situation, they may limit it to a few.

"We will decide on it," he added.

 

According to him, as trains, flight services, vehicular movements have started, and hotels likely to resume shortly, several devotees have been demanding opening of temples to offer prayers.

       

"The temples will be opened to offer pooja and daily rituals, we are not permitting temple fairs and events," the minister said.

Russia's annual Victory Day military parade, which was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held on June 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a televised videoconference Tuesday. 

The Victory Day parade, a major celebration to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, was supposed to be held on May 9. The Kremlin had planned to host foreign leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Putin was forced to cancel the parade -- as well as a public vote on constitutional amendments that could extend his rule until 2036 -- as the outbreak in Russia worsened.

The decision to hold the military parade, the first big public event since the beginning of the pandemic, points to a timeline the Russian authorities envision for lifting quarantine restrictions. Putin said specialists believe Russia "has surpassed the peak of the pandemic.

The Immortal Regiment march, an event that involves thousands of people across Russia marching on the streets with portraits of family members who died in the war, will take place a month later, in July, as it would not be possible to hold while observing social distancing, Putin said.

Russia currently ranks third among countries with the most cases of coronavirus, behind the US and Brazil.

On the first day of resumption of domestic flight services across India, a passenger travelling aboard an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Coimbatore was found to be Covid-19 positive

The coronavirus positive case was reported on the Chennai-Coimbatore IndiGo flight 6E 381.

The case was discovered as all flyers coming into Coimbatore are being tested for coronavirus at the airport.

Initially, the passenger was put under institutional quarantine at the Vinayak Hotel in Coimbatore. Now he has been admitted to the ESI hospital.

As many as 19 flights took off from and 16 landed in Chennai on Monday, nearly two months after all domestic air travel was shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The cities covered by arrival and departure flights included Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Port Blair.

On Sunday night, while apprising the Centre that incoming domestic flights to this city can be restricted to 25 per day, the Tamil Nadu government had notified guidelines, which includes 14 days home quarantine and an e-pass for entry.

"Flights to Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli (the three other airports in the state) can be operated," Chief Secretary K Shanmugam had told the Centre in a letter.

A large number of bats were found dead in Gorakhpur's Belghat area on Tuesday morning, triggering panic among residents.

The villagers were apprehensive as bats have been linked to the raging coronavirus pandemic, but forest officials said that prima facie it appears the animals died due to excessive heat.

The bat carcasses were sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly for examination to know the exact reason behind their death, they said.

"I noticed many bats lying dead near a mango tree in my orchard this morning. Adjacent to mine is Dhruv Narayan Shahi's orchard. We noticed that a large number of bats were lying lifeless and many more were dying," Pankaj Shahi of Belghat said.

"We informed the forest department and they took the dead bats and asked us to keep water for them as they could have died due to extremely hot weather," he said.

After getting information, Khajni forest ranger Devendra Kumar reached the spot.

"The bat carcasses are being sent for examination. Prima facie it seems that the bats died due to excessive heat and lack of water as ponds and lakes in the area have also dried up," he said.

An intense heat wave is currently sweeping northern India with the mercury crossing 45 degrees Celsius mark in many areas. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Avinash Kumar said that the reason behind the death of bats can be clearly stated once they get a report from IVRI.   -- PTI

A special National Investigation Agency court in Mumbai on Tuesday sent civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-alleged Maoist linkscase, in judicial custody till June 22.

He surrendered before the NIA in Delhi last month.

The agency brought him to Mumbai on Tuesday.

He would be lodged at Taloja jail near Mumbai.

Navlakha and several other civil liberties activists have been booked under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly having Maoist links and conspiring to overthrow the government.

Pune police, which handled the case initially, had alleged that `inflammatory' speeches made at the Elgar Parishad meet on December 31, 2017, triggered caste violence at the Bhima-Koregaon war memorial in the district the next day.   -- PTI

The Supreme Court Tuesday took suo motu cognisance of the problems and the miseries of migrant labourers who have been stranded in different parts of the country after the COVID-19 lockdown.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M R Shah issued notice to the Centre, states and Union Territories and sought their replies by May 28 on the steps taken to redeem the situation.

The top court listed the matter for May 28 and asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to assist it on the issue.   -- PTI

The Delhi Police on Tuesday filed charge sheets against 82 foreigners for attending a religious congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz in New Delhi in violation of visa conditions and indulging in missionary activities amidst the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, officials said.

The police has filed 20 charge sheets against the foreigners belonging to 20 countries, they said.

A large congregation organised in March by the Tablighi Jamaat in the Nizamuddin area of the national capital had emerged as a major hotspot of coronavirus.

Some of the participants, who were later tested positive for coronavirus, had travelled to their home states and other areas.

More than 25,500 Tablighi members and their contacts have been quarantined in the country after the Centre and the state governments conducted a 'mega operation' to identify them.

'They not only violated government guidelines issued in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and regulations regarding the Epidemic Diseases Act, but also flouted the Disaster Management Act and subsequently the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure,' the police said.

An first information report was registered against Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi and six others on March 31 at the Crime Branch Police Station on a complaint of the Station House Officer of Nizamuddin under sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act, 2005, Foreigners Act and other relevant sections of Indian Penal Code.

Kandhalvi was later booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder after some of the attendees of the religious congregation died due to coronavirus, police said.

The case is being investigated by the Crime Branch which pertains to the religious gathering at the Markaz which congregated at Banglewali Masjid in Hazrat Nizamuddin, on March 13 and beyond.

According to the police, the foreign nationals entered India on tourist visa and participated in the gathering at Markaz 'illegally'.

Besides, violating the provisions of visa, these foreign nationals also led to a situation where a highly infectious disease spread and threatened the lives of the inmates and the general public at large, they said.

The police also said that more than 900 foreign nationals who are accused in the case belong to 34 different countries and charge sheets are being prepared country-wise, under sections of the Foreigners Act, Epidemic Diseases Act, Disaster Management Act and section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 271 (Disobedience to quarantine rule) of the Indian Penal Code.   --  PTI 

According to the letter written by the FWICE, which consists of 32 different crafts of workers and technicians and claims to have five lakh members, medical checkups of all crew would be mandatory before the shoot and the crew will have to stay in a hotel to avoid travel and contact with outsiders.   

The federation has also said that shoots will be conducted with fewer \crew members, and for sanitising of sets, along with provision of masks, gloves, etc to be arranged in the shooting area.   

The FWICE has also proposed a "minimum life insurance guarantee of Rs 50 lakh" for those who work.   

Among other suggestions made by FWICE are for all sets to have a fumigator for those entering the set; providing ambulance, doctor and nurse on every set; all unit members to ideally get a negative COVID-19 test report to be allowed on shoots.   

You can read the entire letter here.   

Agarwal further said that COVID-19 cases in India were being reported at a much lower rate than the world average. "If 69.9 cases per lakh population have been reported across the world, in India the number is near 10.7 cases per lakh population," he said, adding that this comparison was based on absolute numbers. 

Stating that lockdown, social distancing, and other guidelines had helped India to fare better than other countries in handling the crisis, Agarwal added, "Spain has 504 cases per lakh population, Belgium 499 per lakh, America has 486 cases per lakh, while in the lower end of the spectrum too Mexico, has 52.2 cases per lakh population." 

The Joint Secretary said that India's fatality rate due to COVID-19 was much less than other countries with a high number of cases. "While every death reported is painful, the fatality rate (due to COVID-19) has been observed overall around the world at 6.4 percent, therefore, India has one of the lowest fatality rates amongst the countries with a high number of cases," he said.  -- ANI

This is not the first time that somebody associated with Asia Bibi has been murdered in cold blood. In 2011, Salman Taseer, the influential governor of Punjab was assassinated after he made headlines by appealing for the pardon of Asia Bibi, who had been sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad. 

A month after Taseer was killed, Religious Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian who spoke out against the laws, was shot dead in Islamabad, underlining the threat faced by critics of the law. 

Asia Bibi is now living in exile after the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted her based on insufficient evidence in October 2018.  -- ANI

BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the Modi government's decision to impose the lockdown has ensured that India suffered much less than countries like the US, France and Spain. 

He took a swipe at the Congress, saying it is doing politics at a time when the nation is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. India's efforts to combat coronavirus have drawn praise from the world over but attracted opposition from the Congress, he said. He said the Congress earlier asked why the lockdown was imposed and is now raising questions again when it is being relaxed. 

"This highlights double-speak and hypocrisy of the Congress," the senior BJP leader said. He said over 45 lakh migrant labourers have been ferried back home in over 3000 trains, and this is historic, he said. 

On Gandhi's demand that the Centre give cash to the poor, he said BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka have given cash to migrants and asked which Congress-run state has done so. 

Citing various welfare provisions of the the Centre, including five month free ration for over 80 crore poor, transfer of Rs 2000 to nine crore farmers and Rs 500 to 20 crore women, and free gas cylinders to eight crore households, Javadekar said these measures in real term are more than Rs 7,500 demanded by Gandhi for the poor. -- PTI

"Airports are abuzz and passengers are back in air. 58,318 passengers flew to their destinations on 832 flights on the first day, 25th May till midnight," Puri said on Tuesday afternoon on Twitter. On Monday evening, he had said on Twitter, "From no domestic passenger flights yesterday to 532 flights and 39,231 passengers today, action has returned to Indian skies." 

It is not clear if the minister has included the international repatriation flights being operated under Vande Bharat Mission in his revised figure of 832 flights. PTI

"We have commenced operations of our showrooms and workshops in line with the approvals granted by central and state authorities," HMIL Director - Sales, Marketing and Service Tarun Garg said in a statement. The company is also receiving encouraging responses for Creta and the newly launched version of Verna, he added. 

"We have received close to 9,000 new car bookings and delivered over 5,600 cars to customers across the country in a short span of 22 days," Garg said. In addition, the company workshops have serviced more than one lakh cars across 530 cities in the country during the same period, he added. -- PTI

"As many as 2.90 lakh such labourers have so far been sent to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, northeastern states and other states of the country by 77 trains and 5,500 buses. 

"An expenditure of over Rs 10 crore has been incurred on the transportation of migrant labourers in a safe and systematic manner,' Rao, who is also the nodal officer for coordinating with other states for the safe transportation of migrants, said in an official statement. 

The migrants from neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have also been sent back since the nationwide lockdown began, he said. Rao said the entire expenditure on the transportation of the migrant labourers willing to go back home is being met through the Haryana Corona Relief Fund. 

He said around 15,000 labourers are left in the state who are willing to return and for them arrangement of trains and buses have been made in adequate numbers. -- PTI

"Almost all the factories are currently being operated during the coronavirus epidemic. The movement of workers has also started and no pass is required. Public transport has also started in many areas like Green, Orange Zone, etc," state labour minister Tikaram Jully said in the statement. 

He said the management of factories and workers employed there are working as per the guidelines issued by the Centre and the state government regarding social distancing and safety. -- PTI

"The impact of COVID-19 and the unpredictable nature of the recovery has left Uber India South Asia with no choice but to reduce the size of its workforce. Around 600 full-time positions across driver and rider support, as well as other functions, are being impacted," Uber India and South Asia President Pradeep Parameswaran said. 

These reductions are part of previously announced global job cuts this month, he added. Earlier this month, Uber had announced a reduction of customer support and recruiting teams by approximately 6,700 full-time employee roles and attributed the move to lower trip volumes and current hiring freeze. 

Parameswaran said each impacted employee will receive a minimum 10 weeks payout, medical insurance coverage for the next six months, out-placement support, and will be allowed to retain their laptops and given the option to join the Uber talent directory. 

"Today is an incredibly sad day for colleagues leaving the Uber family and all of us at the company. We made the decision now, so we can look to the future with confidence. I want to apologise to departing colleagues, and extend my heartfelt thanks to them for their contributions...," he said. 

Uber has, in the past, spoken of the importance of the Indian market in its global business as a strategic market and for tech and engineering talent. In the past few weeks, a number of tech-led businesses like Zomato, Swiggy and ShareChat have announced layoffs as the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown dried up demand and ravaged businesses. 

Zomato has laid off 13 per cent of its 4,000-staff, while Swiggy said it will let go off 1,100 employees. ShareChat reduced headcount by 101 people. India had announced a nationwide lockdown from March 25, which left driver-partners of cab companies with no source of income as these firms were not allowed to operate. -- PTI

"Out of these 41 trains, only 39 trains could run as passengers could not be brought by local authorities and these two trains had to be cancelled. "After meticulous planning and sustained effort, the Railways mobilised its resources at a very short notice and prepared 145 Shramik trains to depart from Maharashtra on May 26," a statement issued by the Railways said. 

"Till 12 noon, 25 trains were planned from Maharashtra to run but no departure could happen due to lack of passengers. Boarding of the first train could only commence at CSMT at 12.30 pm," it said. 

According to the Railways, 68 trains were planned to depart for Uttar Pradesh, 27 to Bihar, 41 to West Bengal, one each to Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Kerala and two each to Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Over the past two days, a political slugfest over Shramik Special trains had begun between Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and the Maharashtra government with the state alleging that not enough trains were being provided to them. 

Goyal on Sunday night said, "We are ready to provide 125 Shramik Special trains to Maharashtra." "Since you have said that you have a list ready that is why I am requesting you to please provide all information like from where the train will run, the list of passengers according to the trains, their medical certificate and where the train is to go, to the General Manager of Central Railway within the next hour, so that we can plan the time of trains," he tweeted. Commenting on it, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday tweeted, "Maharashtra government has given you a list of workers who wish to return home. The only request is that the train should reach the station, as announced earlier." 

"The Gorakhpur-bound train had reached Odisha," the Sena's Rajya Sabha member further said. He also asked Goyal if the Ministry of Railways had made any such list while running the Nagpur-Udhampur migrant train on May 14. PTI 

The court sought the response of Delhi Police and the AAP government on a plea seeking release of 916 foreign nationals, who participated in the event and are being held in institutional quarantine since March 30 despite having tested negative for COVID-19. 

It was hearing a petition filed by 20 of the 916 foreigners who said the continued detention violates the very fabric of liberty. 

A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar, conducting the hearing through video conferencing, was also informed that more than 900 foreign Tablighi Jamaat attendees, including the petitioners, have joined investigation of the case and were served notices under the CrPC. Delhi government standing counsel (criminal) Rahul Mehra and advocate Chaitanya Gosain said the investigation is being conducted on a day-to-day basis and the police will file a charge sheet in the case before the concerned trial court within a week. 

During the hearing, senior advocate Rebecca John and lawyer Ashima Mandla, appearing for the petitioners, urged that all foreign nationals who have tested negative for the virus be released from institutional quarantine to alternate accommodations, factoring social distancing. 

The counsel said they will submit places of alternate accommodation during the day and the costs and expenditure of the alternate accommodation will be borne by the community . They said the authorities will inspect the accommodation and will file a status report before the court which will hear the matter on Thursday. 

The court also took on record two status reports filed by Delhi Police and the concerned SDM who said the Department of Revenue (Delhi) has not kept these foreign nationals under any type of custody and it is just looking after them and providing all possible facilities. 

The police, in its status report, said the menace and hazard of COVID-19 viral infection during large gatherings was verbally conveyed to Maulana Mohd Saad and the management of Markaz on several occasions, including during meetings held in the police station in March in this regard. -- PTI

Image: Crime Branch of Delhi Police files 20 charge sheets against 83 foreign nationals, in Saket court, in connection with Tablighi Jamaat case.

The Central Industrial Security Force on Tuesday reported 20 fresh coronavirus cases, with 18 from its unit that guards the Delhi airport, officials said.

 

The over 1.62 lakh personnel strong force has a total of 78 active COVID-19 cases, while 132 personnel have recovered from the disease till now.

According to official data, the force reported 20 fresh cases since Monday, with 18 from its unit that guards the Indira Gandhi International Airport, while one case each was detected from its NTPC Koldam unit 

in Himachal Pradesh and from the Punjab and Haryana secretariat in Chandigarh.

"All the 18 personnel detected positive from the Delhi airport unit were already under quarantine as part of contact tracing of other infected personnel. They were not on duty," a senior CISF officer said. 

"Now that their test reports have come, the personnel have been shifted for medical isolation," the officer said.

A total of 25 personnel from this Delhi airport guarding unit are under treatment at present.

The Delhi airport CISF unit has been continuously working to facilitate passengers boarding or de-boarding special rescue flights from or to India during the lockdown period and the unit is now securing the IGI after a limited number of regular commercial flights began from Monday.

The force also reported that 10 personnel have recovered since Monday, including eight personnel from the unit that guards the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd, a defence PSU and warship building facility in Kolkata.

A total of 40 CISF personnel from this unit were detected with COVID-19 infection including a personnel who succumbed to the disease.

Official said 38 personnel from the GRSEL CISF unit have now recovered and only two men are being treated. -- PTI

With India now in the bracket of top 10 nations worst hit by the novel coronavirus, experts have attributed the surge in cases to easing of travel restrictions and movement of migrants besides enhanced testing capacity.

According to AIIMS director, Randeep Guleria, the present rise in cases has been reported predominantly from hotspot areas but there is a possibility of further rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the coming few 

days due to increased travel.

"Those who are asymptomatic or are in presymptomatic stage will pass through screening mechanisms and may reach areas where there have been minimal or less cases," Guleria said.

 

He said there was a need for more intense surveillance and monitoring in areas where migrants have returned to contain the spread of the disease.

 

If proper social distancing and hand hygiene is not maintained at a time when people are out on roads, the coronavirus infection will transmit much faster, he said.

 

Guleria also noted that testing capacity has been significantly ramped up which is reflecting in the increasing number of cases being detected.

Commenting on the partial resumption of rail and road transport services and migrants returning to their native places, Dr Chandrakant S Pandav, former president of the Indian Public Health Association and Indian 

Association of Preventive and social medicine, said the floodgates have been opened.

"This is a classic case of creating an enabling environment for coronavirus to spread like wildfire. In the coming few days, the number will rise dramatically. While it is true that lockdown cannot go on forever, the opening up 

should have been in a measured, calibrated and informed manner," he said.

"Travelling leads to spread of the infection. Now, the government will have to ensure even stronger surveillance to curb the infection but if that will be done is something to be observed," he said.

The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,167 and the number of cases climbed to 1, 45,380 in the country, registering an increase of 146 deaths and 6,535 cases since Monday 8 am, according to the Union health 

ministry.  

Dr K K Aggarwal, President of the Confederation of Medical Association of Asia and Oceania, and former IMA president, said there will be a further surge in cases in the coming days if migration continues without any 

proper social distancing.

"Within the next ten days, the cases will cross two lakh. The very fact that number of cases was rising before the end of the third lockdown and continuing during the fourth lockdown means that people are not following 

physical distancing as required," he said. 

"Even in the last week of May when the temperature is very high, the rising number of cases would mean that human-to-human transmission is more important than surface-to-human transmission. Normally in heat the 

surface-to-human transmission should have reduced the new cases by half which has not happened," Aggarwal said.

However, senior BJP leader and former minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said though the COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra is "grim", it does not qualify for President's rule. 

Rane, who is the Rajya Sabha member, on Monday met Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari and demanded imposition of President's rule in view of the Shiv Sena-led state government's "failure" in tackling the pandemic.

Reacting to it, Raut said, "If you go by the Gujarat High Courts strictures on tackling the COVID-19 crisis, the states performance is worse compared to Maharashtra." "If the Presidents rule has to be imposed, the Centre should start with Gujarat first," Raut told reporters. 

He also dismissed speculations over the 'stability' of the three-party (Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) alliance government in Maharashtra. "It is better that the opposition should get quarantined. Their efforts to destabilise the Maharashtra government could boomerang. The opposition is yet to find a formula to bring down this government," the Sena's Rajya Sabha member said. -- PTI

"What is the central government's plan to go forward as the disease is growing exponentially in the country," he said. "The four stages of lockdown have not given the result that the Prime Minister expected," he said, adding that it is pretty clear that the aim and purpose of lockdowns have failed in India. He said India is the only country in the world which is relaxing the lockdown when the virus is "exponentially rising". -- PTI 

While the Indian Railways is bearing 85 per cent of the total cost of running each train, the rest is being borne by the states in the form of fares. The coronavirus-triggered lockdown has had a devastating impact on the economy as well as on the livelihoods of lakhs of migrant workers. 

The plight of migrant workers who were walking on foot from several urban centres to their villages hundreds of kilometres away had grabbed headlines for almost two months. There have been incidents of many of them being killed in road accidents. 

A number of migrant labourers were even killed by a speeding train after they fell asleep on the tracks. The Indian Railways also said that the rail route congestion, which was witnessed on May 23 and 24, is now over. 

"The congestion had occurred due to convergence of more than two third rail traffic on routes to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and late clearance of terminals due to health protocols etc. that needed to be completed by state authorities," it said. 

"The matter has been resolved through active consultation with state governments and also finding other feasible routes for the journey," it added. 

On May 1, the Indian Railways started the migrant special trains to facilitate the movement of such workers back to their home states. While on the first day, four such trains were operated, the number was increased to 279 on May 20. In the last four days, the railways has operated 260 trains on an average daily carrying about three lakh passengers. -- PTI

Eighty more coronavirus cases have been reported among Maharashtra police personnel, taking the total number of cases in the force to 1,889.

"In the last 24 hours, 80 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 and 2 deaths have been reported. The total number of positive cases in Maharashtra Police has risen to 1,889 with the death toll at 20," the Maharashtra Police said in a statement.

There are a total of 1,031 active cases while 838 personnel have recovered.

Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state in the country with 52,667 reported cases and 1,695 deaths, according to the ministry of health and family welfare. -- ANI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a meeting with NCP president Sharad Pawar, senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Tuesday while asserting that the state government is "strong". The two leaders met for about one-and-a-half hours late Monday evening, Raut said while dismissing speculations about the Thackeray-led government's stability.

The Sena Rajya Sabha MP, however, did not reveal what transpired between the two leaders. The meeting between Thackeray and Pawar took place after the NCP chief met state Governor B S Koshyari on Monday morning.  NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had a meeting for one-and-a-half hours. Those doubting about the stability of this government are doing soout of their own grudge. This government is strong," Raut tweeted in Marathi.

The meeting comes amid the Indian Army increasing presence of its troops to match the strength of the Chinese Army, which has deployed over 5,000 of its personnel on the Line of Actual Control at different locations in the Ladakh sector. 

The Indian Army is also enhancing its presence in other areas to deter the People's Liberation Army troops from carrying out transgressions. 

At present, the Chinese Army has diverted its troops carrying out a massive exercise on their side of the LAC and deployed them at short notice across the Line of Actual Control in the areas under the Indian Army's 81 and 114 Brigades deployed to counter the Chinese assertions from Daulat Beg Oldie and adjoining areas. -- ANI    

The two antiviral drugs have a different mechanism of action, and their combination may demonstrate improved treatment efficacy by effectively tackling high viral loads in patients during an early stage of the disease, said the pharma major in a statement. Monika Tandon, Vice President and Head for Clinical Development Global Specialty and Branded Portfolio, said combining antiviral agents that have a good safety profile and act on different stages of viral life-cycle is an effective treatment approach to rapidly suppress initial high viral load and lead to an overall improvement in clinical parameters. 

"We consider Glenmark's study will be pivotal in leading to the identification of highly effective and safe treatments against COVID-19 in India," she said. 

"Beyond its many potential patient treatment benefits, we also hope the combination therapy will reduce infection risk among medical professionals and healthcare workers by reducing the duration of virus shedding from treated patients." 

A total of 158 hospitalised patients of moderate COVID-19 infection will be enrolled in the combination study and randomised in two groups. 

Simultaneously, Glenmark is also conducting phase 3 clinical trials of Favipiravir as a COVID-19 monotherapy option with 150 patients, enrolled from nine leading government and private hospitals across the country. So far, 30 patients have been randomised.  -- PTI

Of the 146 deaths reported since Monday morning, 60 were in Maharashtra, 30 in Gujarat, 15 in Delhi, 10 in Madhya Pradesh, seven in Tamil Nadu, six in West Bengal, four each in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, three in Telangana, two each in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka and one in Kerala. 

Of the total 4,167 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 1,695 deaths followed by Gujarat with 888 deaths, Madhya Pradesh with 300, West Bengal with 278, Delhi with 276, Rajasthan with 167, Uttar Pradesh with 165, Tamil Nadu with 118 and Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with 56 deaths each.  

The death toll reached 44 in Karnataka and 40 in Punjab. Jammu and Kashmir has reported 23 fatalities due to the disease, Haryana has 16 deaths, while Bihar has registered 13 and Odisha has seven deaths. Kerala and Himachal Pradesh have reported five deaths each so far, while Jharkhand and Assam have recorded four deaths each so far. Chandigarh and Uttarakhand each have recorded three COVID-19 fatalities each, while Meghalaya has reported one fatality so far, according to the ministry data.  More than 70 per cent of the deaths are due to comorbidities, according to the ministry's website.          

With a shortage of manpower to clear uprooted trees and restore power supply amid protests by people staying without electricity or water for more than five days, civic authorities in several affected areas have employed the labourers and electricians for restoration work. 

"There is a shortage of manpower as many employees have been unable to join duty due to the lockdown. Hence, we decided to take the help of local labourers to remove the trees blocking the roads. 

"Although it is the job of the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) to restore power supply, wires are lying everywhere so we needed the help of local electricians to safely remove them," a councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation told PTI. 

Apart from the KMC, authorities of the South Dum Dum and the North Dum Dum municipalities have also engaged daily wagers to remove the uprooted trees from the roads. 

"Hundreds of trees have been uprooted in our municipal area, and we are facing a shortage of manpower. So, we have engaged labourers, who were sitting idle at their homes for the last two months, on a daily payment basis," Abhijit Mitra, a councillor of South Dum Dum municipality said. Manoj Sarangi, a daily wager who used to work in a sawmill, has been jobless since the imposition of the lockdown. 

He has now been engaged by the South Dum Dum municipality for restoration work and is being paid Rs 250 every day. "I didn't have a job for the last two months and have spent all my savings. This work of removing uprooted trees has saved my family," he said. 

The civic body has employed 100 labourers like Sarangi for the restoration work. For electrician Sajal Das too, the cyclone has come as a blessing in disguise. After remaining jobless for two months, his hands are now full. 

"Earlier, I used to earn Rs 500 per day but my earning came to a grinding halt due to the lockdown. But since May 22, two days after the cyclone struck West Bengal, my phone has not stopped ringing," he said. 

"Every day, I am getting calls from people asking me to repair their water pumps or mend electric wires," he added. 

Subal Naskar, a retired technician of the state power department who now runs an electrical appliance shop, too is busy attending to calls for restoration of cable TV network and repair of ceiling fans amid rising mercury levels. -- PTI

The Sena Rajya Sabha MP, however, did not reveal what transpired between the two leaders. The meeting between Thackeray and Pawar took place after the NCP chief met state Governor B S Koshyari on Monday morning. NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had a meeting for one-and-a-half hours. 

"Those doubting about the stability of this government are doing so out of their own grudge. This government is strong," Raut tweeted in Marathi. 

Earlier, Pawar met Koshyari on Monday morning, following which the NCP claimed the meeting took place on the invitation of the governor and no political issues came up for discussion. 

However, the timing of the meeting is significant as it took place against the backdrop of strained relations between the Shiv Sena, which heads the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, and the Raj Bhavan. The NCP is one of the key constituents of MVA. Pawar was one of the key leaders from Maharashtra who had openly complained about Koshyari's "intervention" in the functioning of the state administration. 

Recently, senior BJP leader and former state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis complained to the governor about the "failure" of the Thackeray government in handling the COVID-19 crisis. -- PTI

Earlier, a massive fire broke out in the slums of South-East Delhi's Tughlakabad on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. "We received information about a fire at around 1 am at slums in Tughlakabad. All police staff reached here immediately. It is being said that around 1,000-1,200 shanties caught fire," Rajendra Prasad Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South East said. -- ANI    

Image: Thermometer guns being used for health screening of students as examinations resume in Kerala from today. Pic: ANI

Multiple COVID-19 treatment hospitals and centres with a combined capacity of 7,000 beds will come up in Mumbai in the next two weeks, said an official from Maharashtra chief minister's office on Monday.

These hospitals and centres, with a combined capacity of 7,000 beds, will come up at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Goregaon, Dahisar and Mulund in the suburbs, he said.

By May 31, Mumbai citys bed capacity will be increased by 2,475, including a facility at Bandra (East) which has commenced operations, he said.

The state government has started taking over non- public hospitals having at least 100 beds and 20 ICU beds in all wards of the BMC to covert them into COVID-19 care centres.

The number of ambulance is also being increased from 100 now to 450, he said. -- PTI 

Some 115 Indians, including out of work and broke caregivers, students and pregnant women, were all smiles as they boarded an Air India flight here on Tuesday and left for India after being stranded in Israel for more than two months due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

The flight took off at 1 AM IST and also carried a Nepalese national Prabha Baskota, married to an Indian, and five Israeli diplomats posted in Delhi.

Out of the 121 passengers aboard flight AI 140, some 85 of them would take a connecting flight to Kochi on Tuesday from Delhi. Most of the Kochi passengers are caregivers who have wished to be quarantined close to their home.

 

"These are very challenging times and the Vande Bharat Mission flight to India is one of our many efforts to reach out to our community of students and caregivers here in Israel," India's ambassador to Israel Sanjeev Singla told PTI at the airport.

 

"The Ministry of External Affairs, the Civil Aviation Ministry, the Home Ministry, the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the embassy have taken all possible steps to ensure that our nationals stranded and facing hardships for various reasons are able to return home", Singla said.

 

The Indian government launched the ''Vande Bharat Mission'' on May 7 to bring back Indians stranded in various countries due to coronavirus-related restrictions.

 

Under Phase I of the mission, the government evacuated a total of 6,527 Indians from the Gulf region and from countries like the US, the UK, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Maldives.

 

Among the passengers on Tuesday was 74-year-old Sam Edelji Turel from Maharashtra, who came to Israel in February for treatment of lymphoma.

"I was referred to Sheba Medical Centre and I was happy to see the state of the art technology being used in Israel for the treatment of Lymphoma. I got very professional care during my treatment after coming here on February 3. My treatment got over on April 10 and since then me and my wife have been waiting to go back", Turel said.

 

"I must say that we are very lucky that a flight has been organised for stranded Indians like me. As elderly people, we cannot thank enough for this help. At the same time I hope that I can reach Mumbai and be quarantined there as I continue to need medical care and my doctors are there," he said.

Some pregnant women waiting to collect their boarding passes looked quite relieved after having gone through weeks of uncertainty and forced to stay on without any support after having been laid off by their employers. -- PTI

Pakistan Army on Tuesday resorted to firing and shelling on forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, drawing befitting retaliation from Indian soldiers, a defence spokesperson said.

 

"Pakistan army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by small arm firing with mortar shelling along LoC in Balakote sector in Poonch district early Tuesday morning", he said.

 

He said the Indian Army retaliated befittingly. 

 

The cross-border shelling between the two sides was going on when last reports were received, the officials said.

However, there was no immediate report of any casualty during the shelling. -- PTI

The number of deaths has increased by 633, according to the database maintained by the university.

On Sunday, the COVID-19 counts in the US increased by 21,675, while the number of fatalities grew by 1,108.

The US has a total of 16,62,302 cases, with the death toll of  98,218.

Italy has recorded 300 new confirmed cases of coronavirus over the last 24 hours, the national Civil Protection Agency confirmed Monday the lowest daily increase in new infections since February 29. 

According to the latest data, the number of active cases has also dropped by 2.29% to at least 55,300 on Monday.  

The total number of patients in intensive care is now at 541 a decrease of 12 patents over the last 24 hours. 

Italy is also reporting 92 new coronavirus deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 32,877, the agency said.

There has been at least 230,158 coronavirus cases in the country so far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.