"There should be free flow of information, we should hear voices of citizen," said a bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud, and asked the Centre, states and all DGPs not to take any action against anyone posting a shortage of oxygen, beds or doctors as spreading rumour.
The government has started importing the vital drug Remdesivir from other countries to ease its shortage in the country, the chemicals and fertilisers ministry said. The first consignment of 75,000 vials will reach India on Friday, it added.
The first US Air Force carrier with Covid-19 relief supplies, reached India on Friday. The shipment included 440 oxygen cylinders and regulators, generously donated by the state of California, USAID said.
India on Friday posted a record daily rise of over 3.86 lakh new Covid-19 cases and continued to post over 3,000 deaths for the third consecutive day, as per Union health ministry data updated at 8 am. The death jumped by 3,498 over the last 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 2,08,330. With 386,452 new cases, India's tally of total Covid-19 cases now stands at 1,87,62,976.
Former attorney general and legal luminary Soli J Sorabjee passed away on Friday. He was 91-years-old and is survived by wife, a daughter and two sons. Sorabjee and his wife had tested positive for Covid-19 some days back, sources said.
Given India’s growing strategic importance, its wave of infections risks not only the fledgling recovery in Asia’s third-largest economy, but attempts to tamp down Covid-19 and recuperate globally. The nation is now the main hotspot of the pandemic, despite being home to the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.
The exit polls will begin shortly after voting for the eighth phase in West Bengal will conclude tomorrow.
Polling began at 7am on Thursday for 35 seats in the eighth phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal amid the surging second wave of Covid-19. " In line with the Covid-19 protocols, I call upon people to cast their vote and enrich the festival of democracy," PM Modi said in a tweet.
The United States will be delivering Covid-19 relief materials worth over $100 million to India in the coming days, the White House said as the first flight carrying urgent health supplies left for the country. The flight took off from the Travis Air Force Base on the world's largest military aircraft on Wednesday night, the US Agency for International Development said.
Countries around the world have been rushing to help India alleviate the crisis. India's death toll from the coronavirus pandemic surged past 200,000 on Wednesday, worsened by shortages of hospital beds and medical oxygen.
Polling began at 7 am on Thursday for 35 seats in the eighth phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal amid the rampaging second wave of Covid-19. As many as 283 candidates are in the fray for 35 seats in four districts. Ruling Trinamool Congress and BJP are contesting on all 35 seats. Congress, the Left parties and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) have made a coalition.
An affidavit filed by the Centre in the Supreme Court on Tuesday shows how an initial estimation of Karnataka’s demand for liquid medical oxygen by April 30 was only at 111 tonnes/day — at least 10 times lower than the state’s current projection. This has raised concerns over a demand-supply mismatch in the coming days.
An earthquake of magnitude 2.7 on the Richter scale struck Assam's Sonitpur in the early hours of Thursday morning, said the National Center for Seismology. This is the sixth earthquake that occurred in Sonitpur on Thursday after 12.00 am. According to the NCS, the quake occurred at 2:38 am. The epicentre of the quake was 38 kilometres West-Northwest of Tezpur at a depth of 11 kilometres. Earlier today, earthquakes of magnitude 2.6, 2.9, 4.6, 2.7, and 2.3 on the Richter Scale had hit Sonitpur at 12.24 am, 1.10 am, 1.20 am, 1.41 am and 1.52 am respectively.
The Supreme Court batted strongly for more systemic protection to disabled and caste oppressed women and said they lived under a constant threat of violence, both physical and sexual, that curtailed their constitutionally guaranteed right to lead a full and active life.
May 1 was to be a ‘hope day’ for the country, beginning a big bang inoculation drive for the youth. But, on Wednesday, when the registration process began, most states put off their plans, faced with vaccine shortage while many beneficiaries could not get dates for inoculation.
India on Wednesday reported a record rise in Covid-19 deaths over the last 24 hours, taking its total fatalities past the 200,000 mark with total tally of cases at 1.8 crore. With 3,293 new deaths, India's total number of fatalities now stands at 201,187. The country recorded 3,60,960 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours taking the total tally of cases to 1,79,97,267.
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2021, which gives primacy to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) over the elected government in the city, has come into force. According to the legislation, the "government" in Delhi means the "Lieutenant Governor" and the city government will now have to seek the opinion of the LG before taking any executive action.
The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19 first found in India had as of Tuesday been detected in over 1,200 sequences uploaded to the GISAID open-access database "from at least 17 countries".
"This is something where we're still gaining data on a daily basis. But the most recent data, was looking at convalescent Sera of Covid-19 cases and people who received the vaccine used in India, the Covaxin. It was found to neutralise the 617 variants," America's top pandemic expert Dr Anthony Fauci said.
The United States is sending a whole series of help that India needs in its battle against Covid-19, President Joe Biden said, reiterating that New Delhi had done the same when his country was in need last year.
If medical oxygen demand is an indicator of the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre’s affidavit before the Supreme Court predicts a harder time for seven populous states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi and Chhattisgarh — where demand for oxygen is estimated to increase significantly by April 30.
No victory processions will be allowed after elections results to the four states and a UT are declared on May 2, the Election Commission has ruled. The directive comes a day after the poll body drew flak from the Madras High Court for alleged laxity in enforcing Covid rules in the run-up to the elections. Results to assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry are to be declared on May 2.
A WHO spokeswoman said that it was not clear at this point to what extent the variant was responsible for the rapid increase in cases in India in recent months. There are many factors that could have contributed to this, she said.
Over the weekend, defense secretary Lloyd Austin said he is working closely with other US agencies to rapidly deploy oxygen-related equipment, rapid testing kits, personal protective equipment, and other essential materials to Indian partners.
India will receive a first batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 on May 1, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, told Reuters on Monday.
