LIVE: Maharashtra Minister Balasaheb Thorat tests positive for Covid-19

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• Dec 30, 2021 10:30 PM IST

  Maharashtra Minister Balasaheb Thorat tests positive for Covid-19

  माझी कोरोना चाचणी पॉझिटिव्ह आलेली आहे.

  मला कोणतेही लक्षणे नाही, तरीही डॉक्टरांच्या सल्ल्याने मी पुढील उपचार घेणार आहे.

  माझ्या संपर्कात आलेल्यांनी आपली कोरोना चाचणी करून घ्यावी.

  सगळ्यांना या निमित्ताने आवाहन करत आहे, आपण मास्क वापरावा, काळजी घ्यावी.

  — Balasaheb Thorat (@bb_thorat) December 30, 2021

  “My corona (Covid-19) test has come out positive. I do not have any symptoms, but I will take further treatment on the advice of my doctor. Anyone who came in contact with me should get tested. Appealing to everyone on this occasion, you should use a mask, be careful,” he said.

• Dec 30, 2021 10:12 PM IST

  Red alert due to heavy rain in 4 districts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur and Chengalpet

  A red alert has been issued for 4 districts of Tamil Nadu – Chennai, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, & Chinglepet in view of heavy rainfall. Three people have died due to electrocution today, said state revenue and disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran.

  Earlier today, a 70-year-old man was electrocuted in Chennai when he came out of his and died on the spot. Two more deaths took place at other locations.

• Dec 30, 2021 09:22 PM IST

  Arunachal Pradesh will always be integral part of India, MEA snubs report on China renaming places

  “Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact,” said MEA in a statement in connection with reports that China has renamed some places in Arunachal Pradesh in its own language.

• Dec 30, 2021 08:28 PM IST

  Delhi records huge jump in daily Covid cases, 1,313 infections logged in 24 hrs

  Delhi recorded a huge jump in daily Covid-19 cases, 1,313 infections logged in last 24 hours.

• Dec 30, 2021 08:20 PM IST

  Maharashtra sees massive spike in Omicron count, 198 new cases today

  198 new cases of the Omicron variant were reported in Maharashtra, taking the total number to 450. So far, 125 patients have been discharged after undergoing RT-PCR tests.

• Dec 30, 2021 08:13 PM IST

  Amir Subhani, 1987 batch IAS officer appointed Bihar’s new chief secretary

  Amir Subhani, 1987 batch IAS officer has been appointed Bihar’s new chief secretary.

• Dec 30, 2021 07:58 PM IST

  Bengal’s Covid infections nearly double in 24 hours with 2,128 new cases

  West Bengal had registered 1,089 new cases on Wednesday, which was the biggest single-day spike till yesterday.

• Dec 30, 2021 06:58 PM IST

  Covid +ve, asymptomatic int’l passengers can isolate at hotels: Delhi govt

  Delhi government says Covid positive and asymptomatic international passengers can also be sent to designated hotels.

• Dec 30, 2021 06:11 PM IST

  Gujarat extends Covid curbs till January 7

  Gujarat government has announced extending Covid-19 restrictions from Dec 31 to Jan 7, announced state health minister Rushikesh Patel.

• Dec 30, 2021 05:57 PM IST

  Mumbai Police cancels holidays, week offs tomorrow, city on high alarm

  All police holidays and weekly holidays have been cancelled tomorrow and every policeman posted in Mumbai will be on duty. Information was received that Khalistani elements could carry out terrorist attacks in the city, after which the Mumbai Police has been on alert, says Mumbai Police.

• Dec 30, 2021 05:42 PM IST

  West Bengal decides to suspend all flights coming from UK to Kolkata airport from January 3

  West Bengal government has decided to suspend all flights coming from UK to Kolkata airport from January 3.

• Dec 30, 2021 05:12 PM IST

  Emergency meeting of Covid-19 Task Force by Maharashtra CM Thackeray begins

  The emergency meeting of Maharashtra COVID-19 Task Force called by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray begins in a virtual mode.

• Dec 30, 2021 04:56 PM IST

  Precautionary vaccine dose to mitigate Covid severity, says Centre

  Precautionary dose of COVID-19 vaccine is primarily to mitigate severity of infection, hospitalisation, death, says ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava.

• Dec 30, 2021 04:26 PM IST

  Maharashtra, Delhi among 6 emerging as states/UTs of concern: Health ministry

  Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat are emerging as states/UTs of concern on the basis of weekly Covid-19 cases and positivity, the health ministry said at the press briefing, as quoted by PTI. Read more

• Dec 30, 2021 04:21 PM IST

  Weekly positivity rate more than 10{a78e43caf781a4748142ac77894e52b42fd2247cba0219deedaee5032d61bfc9} in 8 districts across India, says health ministry

  “The weekly positivity rate of more than 10{a78e43caf781a4748142ac77894e52b42fd2247cba0219deedaee5032d61bfc9} is being noted in 8 districts including 6 districts from Mizoram, one from Arunachal Pradesh, Kolkata in West Bengal. The weekly case positivity rate is between 5-10{a78e43caf781a4748142ac77894e52b42fd2247cba0219deedaee5032d61bfc9} in 14 districts,” says Union health secretary Luv Agrawal.

• Dec 30, 2021 04:06 PM IST

  Omicron to spread like fire, you won’t even know if next person in infection, says Dr Gupta

  “Reportedly, 70 per cent of Omicron patients are asymptomatic, and with the variant’s high transmissibility, it’s going to spread like fire once it gets into the community because you won’t know if the next person is infected,” said Dr Naresh Gupta, director and professor of Delhi’s Maulana Azad Medical College, while speaking to ANI.

• Dec 30, 2021 03:19 PM IST

  Govts of past looted Uttarakhand with both hands: Modi

  It has been a permanent trademark of those who were in the govt before, to hinder developmental projects. Lakhwar Project, which started today, has the same history, it was first thought of in 1976. Today after 46 yrs, our govt has laid the foundation stone for its work: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/voQROO01sE

  — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) December 30, 2021

• Dec 30, 2021 02:34 PM IST

  PM Modi lays foundation stone of 23 developmental projects in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani

  PM Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays the foundation stone of 23 developmental projects worth ₹17,500 crore in Haldwani, Uttarakhand.

• Dec 30, 2021 01:56 PM IST

  Health secretary writes to 8 states, advises strengthening of Covid-19 measures

  Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to Delhi, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Jharkhand and advised the states to enhance Covid-19 testing, strengthen hospital-level preparedness, and increasing the pace and coverage of vaccination, reports ANI. 

• Dec 30, 2021 01:54 PM IST

  PM Modi arrives in Haldwani, Uttarakhand

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, to inaugurate and lay the foundation of various developmental projects, reports ANI.

• Dec 30, 2021 01:47 PM IST

  Delhi Covid-19 norms: Over ₹89 lakh collected in fines, 67 FIRs filed since Dec 29

  The Delhi government said that more than ₹89 lakh has been collected in fines and as many as 67 FIRs were registered from December 29 for the violation of Covid-19 protocols in the national capital after the ‘yellow alert’ restrictions came into effect, reports ANI.

• Dec 30, 2021 12:25 PM IST

  All parties agreed for holding UP elections on time, says election commission

  Chief election commissioner Sushil Chandra said that the representatives of all political parties met with the election commission of India and said that polls should be conducted on time following all Covid-19 protocols, reports ANI.

• Dec 30, 2021 12:10 PM IST

  Uddhav Thackeray to chair Maharashtra Covid-19 task force meeting

  Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will chair a virtual meeting of the state’s Covid-19 Task Force today, reports ANI. 

• Dec 30, 2021 11:01 AM IST

  Close to half of Covid-19 cases in Delhi are of Omicron variant: Health minister Jain

  Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said that 46{a78e43caf781a4748142ac77894e52b42fd2247cba0219deedaee5032d61bfc9} of the total Covid-19 cases in the capital are of Omicron variant as per the latest genome sequencing results, reports ANI. 

• Dec 30, 2021 10:34 AM IST

  3 Omicron patients in UP so far, need to be alert as Covid cases flaring up in Delhi, NCR: Official

  UP has 3 #Omicron patients till now, 2 in Ghaziabad, 1 in Raebareli. Out of 115 genome sequencing samples, 112 were of Delta variant. But, we need to be careful & alert. Delhi NCR areas have already started witnessing an increase in COVID-19 cases: UP ACS Health Amit Mohan Prasad

  — ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) December 30, 2021

  The Additional Chief Secretary for health, Uttar Pradesh, Amit Mohan Prasad said that the Covid-19 infections in Delhi and the National Capital Region have been increasing and Uttar Pradesh needs to be alert in view of the same, reports ANI.

  He also said that the state has reported three cases of the new variant so far and out of 115 samples which were sent for genome sequencing, 112 have returned positive for Delta variant. 

• Dec 30, 2021 09:23 AM IST

  India reports 13,154 new Covid-19 cases, 268 deaths in 24 hours

  India reported 13,154 new Covid-19 cases and 268 related deaths in the last 24 hours. Active caseload up by 5,400 to reach 82,402.

• Dec 30, 2021 09:22 AM IST

  Raipur police arrest Kalicharan Maharaj for alleged inflammatory speech

  Chhattisgarh | Kalicharan Maharaj was staying in a rented accommodation near Bageshwar Dham, 25 km from Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. Raipur Police arrested him at 4 am today. By late evening, the police team will reach Raipur with the accused: SP Raipur Prashant Agarwal

  — ANI (@ANI) December 30, 2021

  The Raipur Police have arrested Kalicharan Maharaj from Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, for alleged inflammatory sppech derogating Mahatma Gandhi, reports ANI.  

• Dec 30, 2021 08:49 AM IST

  Centre extends AFSPA in Nagaland for 6 more months 

  Days after the Centre formed a committee to study the removal of AFSPA from Nagaland, the ministry of home affairs extended the act in the state for six more months from today (December 30).

• Dec 30, 2021 08:21 AM IST

  Houseboat tourism resumes in Kerala after long pause

  Houseboat tourism resumed in Kerala’s Kottayam after a long gap, reports ANI. However, houseboat employees expressed concern about the thin footfall and the looming threat of the Omicron variant. 

• Dec 30, 2021 07:58 AM IST

  126 tiger deaths recorded across country in 2021

  As many as 126 tiger deaths were recorded from across the country in 2021, reports ANI citing the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

• Dec 30, 2021 06:34 AM IST

  6 JeM terrorists killed in 2 separate encounters in J&K

  6 #terrorists of proscribed #terror outfit JeM killed in two separate #encounters. 4 among the killed terrorists have been identified so far as (2) #Pakistani & (2) local terrorists. Identification of other 02 terrorists is being ascertained. A big #success for us: IGP Kashmir

  — Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) December 29, 2021

  Jammu and Kashmir police said that as many as six terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammed group were killed in two separate encounters in Anantnag and Kulgam. The police also said that two among those killed were Pakistani nationals and two were locals, while the identification of the remaining two was being carried out.