LIVE: India logs 1,890 new Covid-19 cases in a day, active tally jumps

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10:50 PM

Coronavirus: 397 new cases in Maharashtra, no death

Maharashtra on Sunday reported 397 new COVID-19 cases, registering a drop of 40 cases as compared to the previous day, taking the overall infection count to 81,41,854, a health official said.

The fatality count remained unchanged at 1,48,435 as nobody succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, he said.

On Saturday, the state had recorded 437 infection cases, 94 more than the previous day.

10:24 PM

Rahul Gandhi Lok Sabha disqualification: Youth Congress Workers hold 'Mashal March' in Bengaluru against govt

10:04 PM

DGCA seeks details from Nepal authorities on incident involving AI, Nepal Airlines

Aviation regulator DGCA has sought details from the Nepal authorities regarding the incident of an Air India and a Nepal Airlines aircraft coming close to a mid-air collision, according to a senior official.

On Friday morning, a Nepal Airlines plane coming to Kathmandu from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and an Air India plane coming to Kathmandu from New Delhi almost collided.

Authorities on Sunday said warning systems alerted the pilots whose timely action prevented the disaster. A senior DGCA official on Sunday said details are being obtained from the Nepal authorities on the airprox incident. Air India has submitted a report about the incident to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

9:40 PM

Delhi reports 153 Covid cases, positivity rate crosses 9%

Delhi on Sunday reported 153 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours against 139 reported on the previous day, as per the government health bulletin.

However, no Covid-19-related death has been reported in the same time span.

Meanwhile, the positivity rate of the city has risen to 9.13 per cent. The number of active cases stands at 528 out of which 340 patients are being treated in home isolation.

9:02 PM

Govt preparing to operate flights to various cities from upcoming Hisar airport: Dushyant Chautala

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Sunday said Hisar is being developed as an aviation hub and regular air service will begin from the upcoming airport in the city later this year.

"The government is preparing to operate flights to other cities like Jammu, Amritsar, Jaipur, Dehradun, Kullu, Shimla, Dharamsala and Chandigarh in order to increase regional connectivity from Hisar airport," an official statement quoting Chautala said.

The deputy chief minister said the Haryana government is working on priority to promote the aviation sector.

8:09 PM

Congress leaders in Haryana, Punjab protest Rahul's LS disqualification

The Punjab and Haryana units of Congress held a day-long 'Sankalp Satyagraha' here on Sunday to protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha, with party leaders hitting out at the BJP-led Centre alleging that it was behaving in a dictatorial manner.

Both units organised separate events at the state headquarters as part of the protest that saw the participation of many senior leaders.

Speaking to reporters, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the action against Rahul Gandhi was taken because the BJP-led Centre was "scared" of his next speech in Parliament on the Adani issue.

7:55 PM

Sri Lanka, India to begin passenger ferry service from April

The much-delayed passenger ferry service between Sri Lanka and India is set to start by the end of April, Civil Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said on Sunday.

On April 29, the ferry service between Karaikal and Kankesanthurai in port in Jaffna district would begin. Each passenger would be allowed a 100 kg baggage allowance at a very concessionary rate," the minister said.

De Silva said the opportunity would be open to any passenger ferry operator of both countries to run the service.

A passenger terminal is being built by the Sri Lanka Navy at Kankesanthurai.

The service would be a four-hour-long voyage, the Aviation Ministry here said.

7:23 PM

Delhi govt hospitals carry out mock drills to assess Covid preparedness

Delhi government-run hospitals carried out mock drills on Sunday to assess their COVID-19 preparedness, amid a spurt in the number of coronavirus cases in the city. The Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital, which was a mainstay in the national capital's fight against Covid-19, carried out a two-hour-long mock drill.

"We assessed the patient response time. When a patient is brought to the hospital, how long does it take for us to shift him to a room.

"For critical patients who need to be shifted to the ICU, we have a red corridor. We checked whether all the ventilators and oxygen points were functioning. We have around 450 beds for coronavirus patients," Dr Suresh Kumar, the medical director of LNJP Hospital, told PTI.

7:02 PM

Assam CM inaugurates, lays foundation for Rs 545-cr projects

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday inaugurated and laid the foundation for Rs 545 crore-worth projects related to connectivity, healthcare and higher education at Rangia in Kamrup district.

Reiterating his government's commitment to develop world-class infrastructure in the state, he directed officials to ensure timely completion of all projects.

"As we observe 'A Day dedicated to Development', I inaugurated & laid the foundation for 23 projects worth Rs 545 cr at Rangia today," Sarma tweeted.

6:46 PM

IBA Women's World Boxing Championship 2023: India's Nikhat Zareen clinches gold medal

6:32 PM

JKPCC protests against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha

The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) on Sunday held a day-long Sankalp Satyagraha against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

Scores of party activists held a protest at the party's headquarters at M A Road in Srinagar. A similar protest was held in Jammu.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, party leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir said not only the Congress, but all non-BJP secular parties have come together and are wailing over the death of democracy in the country.

6:17 PM

Railways to operate Vande Bharat Metro train between Jammu and Srinagar: Vaishnaw

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said a Vande Bharat Metro train will be operated between Jammu and Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir once the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project (USBRL) becomes fully operational.

Addressing mediapersons at the first run of a track-mounted trolley on the world's highest arch bridge constructed on the Chenab river, he said the USBRL project will be completed by December this year or January 2024. Vaishnaw travelled on the track-mounted trolley with railway officials and inspected the iconic bridge having the height of 359 metres from the Chenab riverbed. Vaishnaw said it has been decided to set up a Vande Bharat Express train maintenance facility at Badgam in the Kashmir Valley and in the first go Vande Bharat Metro will be run between Jammu and Srinagar cities once this important railway link, which will connect the Kashmir Valley with the rest of the country through rail network gets completed.

5:41 PM

OneWeb offering can match mobile services rates of western nations, not India tariff: Mittal

Satellite communication service provider OneWeb is able to match mobile services rates of western countries but its prices can't be at par with the "extremely low" tariff in India, company's executive chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said on Sunday.

With the launch of 36 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites by NewSpace India Limited early in the day, OneWeb constellation now has 618 satellites for global coverage including India.

Sharing details of OneWeb launch and services, Mittal said that the services will be affordable and at par with mobile rates if a community of 30-40 homes in a village use it.

5:24 PM

National parties should support regional ones in their fight against BJP: Akhilesh

In a remark apparently meant for the Congress, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said the national parties should support regional parties fighting the Bharatiya Janata Party in their states.

While answering a question on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha, the former UP chief minister said he wanted to congratulate the party for observing satyagraha.

When asked if his party would support the Congress' movement, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) said the question is not whether the Samajwadi Party is sympathetic towards Rahul Gandhi, but whether the country's democracy and constitution will survive or not.

4:51 PM

Measures taken by IIFCL to keep bad loans under check: Par panel

Appreciating the measures taken by IIFCL, a Parliamentary panel said initiative taken by the state-owned entity will keep bad loans under check and also help it in discharging its role as a pioneer lender in financing infrastructure projects.

India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) is a public sector financial institution established in January 2006 that is wholly-owned by the government of India.

According to the Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU) submitted recently in Parliament, measures taken will go a long way in improving and strengthening the functioning of IIFCL.