As many as 909 Covid-19 cases and 34 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of such cases to 8,356 in the country, the Union health ministry said on Sunday, while asserting that the government is 'extra prepared' if there is an exponential rise in the number of coronavirus patients.

Addressing a press briefing, health ministry's joint secretary Lav Agarwal said the government is expanding the Covid-19 testing capacity in state-run as well as private medical colleges.

'The total number of Covid-19 cases has risen to 8,356. A total of 909 new cases and 34 deaths have been reported since Saturday. The good news is that 716 people have recovered and have been discharged so far. Seventy-four people have been cured since Saturday. The government is extra prepared if the number of cases rises exponentially,' he said.

'We are working on an urgent basis to expand the capacity for Covid-19 testing in government and private medical colleges across the country. Fourteen mentor institutes, including the AIIMS and NIMHANS, have been identified to mentor the medical colleges and expand the coronavirus testing capacity,' Agarwal added.

According to ICMR officials, a total of 1,86,906 samples have so far been tested across the country, of which 7,953 have been found positive for COVID-19.

'In the last five days, on an average, 15,747 samples were tested per day and 584 of those were found to be positive per day,' an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) official said at the press briefing.

Responding to a question about development of vaccines, he said, 'There are 40 plus candidate vaccines that are under development but none of them has reached the next stage.'

The Health Ministry also informed that 20,000 train coaches will be converted into isolation wards.

'In the first phase, 5,000 coaches are being converted,' Agarwal said.

According to government spokesperson K.S. Dhatwalia, the Group of Ministers (GoM) has approved the release of hydroxychloroquine to 13 countries after an assessment of stocks.

So far as per the ministry update at 8am on Sunday, Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths at 127, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 36, Gujarat at 22 and Delhi at 19.

Punjab has registered 11 deaths while Tamil Nadu reported 10 fatalities and Telengana nine.

Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka have reported six deaths each while West Bengal has registered five deaths.

Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh have reported four and five deaths, respectively. Haryana and Rajasthan have recorded three deaths each.

Two deaths have been reported from Kerala. Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand and Assam reported one fatality each, according to the health ministry data.

However, a PTI tally of numbers reported by various states as on 9 pm on Saturday showed at least 287 deaths due to Covid-19.

There has been a lag in the Union health ministry figures, compared to the number of cases announced by different states, which officials attribute to procedural delays in assigning the cases to individual states.

'State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation,' the ministry said on its website.

According to the ministry's data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 1,761 (*1,895), followed by Delhi at 1,069 and Tamil Nadu at 969 (*1,075).

• Rajasthan: 700
• Madhya Pradesh: 532
• Telangana: 504
• Uttar Pradesh: 452
• Kerala: 364
• Andhra Pradesh: 381
• Gujarat: 432
• Karnataka: 214
• Jammu and Kashmir: 177
• Haryana: 177
• Punjab: 151
• West Ben63
• West Bengal: 124
• Bihar: 63
• Odisha: 50
• Uttarakhand: 35
• Assam: 29
• Himachal Pradesh: 32

*State figures as on Sunday

Delhi govt identifies one more hotspot; total now 34

The Delhi government on Sunday identified Mahavir Enclave area in southwest Delhi as Covid-19 hotspot and ordered its sealing, taking the total number of such zones in the city to 34, an official said.

He said an order has been issued and the Delhi government's 'Operation SHIELD' will come into force.

'An order has been issued to seal street number 5 and 5A, H-2 Block, Bengali Colony in Mahavir Enclave,' the official said.

On Saturday, areas in Rajouri, Jahangirpuri and Deoli Extension were identified as hotspots.

'Operation SHIELD' has been successful in containing the spread of COVID-19 in Dilshad Garden area, which was one of the hotspots of the deadly virus.

Recently, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said the hard work of the health officials and the successful implementation of 'Operation SHIELD' has made Dilshad Garden a coronavirus-free area.

62-year-old man tests positive in Bhiwandi

A 62-year-old man from Bhiwandi town in the district, who had come in contact with some attendees of Delhi's Tablighi Jamaat event, tested coronavirus positive on Sunday, an official said.

He had gone to Mumbra in the district, where he came in contact with the Nizamuddin event attendees, Dr Jayant Dhule, medical officer of Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) said.

'He is the first Covid-19 patient in Bhiwandi,' he said.

'He had stayed in Mumbra for about two weeks and returned to Bhiwandi four days back. Soon after his return, he started showing symptoms of coronavirus infection. His test reports confirmed that he is infected,' Dhule said.

He has been admitted to the Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai, while nine of his family members have been quarantined, he added.

Virus patient booked for 'spitting' on doc at TN govt hospital

A 40-year-old Covid-19 positive patient was on Sunday booked for 'attempt to murder' after he allegedly spat on a doctor treating him at the government hospital in Tamil Nadu, police said.

It was a serious crime under the present conditions with so many restrictions in force to prevent the spread of coronavirus, they said.

The patient, admitted to the hospital's coronavirus ward on Saturday, also removed his mask and threw it at the doctor, enraging the hospital staff and other patients.

Ever since his admission in the ward, he has not been cooperating with the medical staff, they added.

Meanwhile, reports from Nagapattinam district stated that a 65-year-old doctor, running a private clinic at Kadambadi in the district has tested positive for the virus after his return from the US three weeks back.

The district administration has appealed to the people who received treatment from the doctor to voluntarily come forward and subject themselves to medical examination.

People could contact the officials on 9751425002 and 9500493022 to pass on information in this connection, it said.

Tamil Nadu has reported the third highest number of positive coronavirus cases in the country after Maharashtra and Delhi, with a total of 969 confirmed cases, and 11 deaths so far.

Allow states to directly borrow from RBI: Thomas Isaac

As states scramble to raise funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic, Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac has urged the Centre to liberalise its fiscal policy by printing more currency and allowing states to borrow directly from the Reserve Bank.

While expressing optimism that Kerala will get nod for issuance of pandemic bonds, Isaac also warned that the current limitations on the fiscal policy front could push states into a 'debt trap'.

In a telephonic interview to PTI, Isaac said states should not be forced to go to the capital markets at this time and the Centre should first raise the fiscal deficit limit as well as permit direct borrowing from the Reserve Bank.

On Tuesday, Kerala had to offer an interest rate of 8.96 per cent for Rs 6,000 crore market borrowing for state development loan for a 15-year period.

'All states are going for a lower amount and a shorter period. Now, the coupon rate is an average of eight-plus. The question is why the market is behaving like this... there is a freeze in the credit market. There are limitations due to the fiscal policy. Government of India should directly borrow from the Reserve Bank, monetise the debt and also allow states to borrow from the Reserve Bank,' he said.

Otherwise, Isaac said the situation would put all state governments in a debt trap.

'When the crisis ends, all state governments will be in serious unsustainable debt situation. GDP is going to be negative and paying around 9 per cent interest, then that is unsustainable. This policy will push state governments into a fiscal crisis,' he said during the interview on Friday.

Kerala, which has put in place stringent measures to curb spreading of coronavirus infections and flatten the curve, has come out with a Rs 20,000 crore package to deal with the current situation by front loading borrowings.

'The central government is forcing state governments to cut their expenditure. This is a very crazy policy. In a slump, you are forcing state governments to cut expenditure,' he said.

Presently, a state is permitted to borrow up to 3 per cent of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

Christians sing a Gospel hymn during a special Easter fellowship outside their house, amid the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, in Dimapur, Nagaland, Sunday, April 12, 2020. PTI

Lockdown meaningful if testing is intensified, says Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said that the extension of the ongoing nationwide lockdown will be meaningful only if Covid-19 testing is intensified and people get access to essential items.

'The demand to extend the lockdown will be meaningful only if COVID-19 testing is intensified, health workers get protection and the public gets access to essential items, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi.

To end the problem of cash crunch, arrangements have to be made at village and colony level along with banks.'

In another tweet, the SP chief took a jibe at the state government for changing the emergency response number from 100 to 112.

'Even after changing the name or the number, those who are helped, those whose lives are saved, they always remember the original motivator. The success of these public welfare systems gives immense satisfaction about our own work,' he tweeted.

Maharashtra cases rise to 1,895

At least 134 people tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra on Sunday, taking the state tally to 1,895, said a state health official.

Among the new cases, 113 have been reported from Mumbai city and seven from Mira Bhayandar civic area in neighbouring Thane district.

Besides, four cases have been reported from Pune city, two each from Navi Mumbai, Thane city and Vasai-Virar in neighbouring Palghar district, and one each from Raigad, Amravati, Bhiwandi (Thane district) and Pimpri Chinchwad (town near Pune), the official said.

45-year-old dies in Tamil Nadu; toll 11

A 45-year-old woman has died of coronavirus at a hospital in Tamil Nadu, taking the toll in the state to 11, the health department said on Sunday.

She was admitted to the Omandurar Government Medical college hospital there on April 5 and tested positive for the coronavirus.

'The woman passed away at 7.30 PM on April 11 as her difficulty in breathing intensified', the bulletin said.

Tamil Nadu has so far recorded 969 positive cases.

'Happiness classes' to be conducted at homes of Delhi govt school children

The Delhi government's pet project of happiness classes' for school children will resume from Sunday as they will be conducted at homes due to the lockdown in view of the Covid-19 situation in the country.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said happiness classes have a crucial role to play in such 'turbulent times'.

'The purpose behind the happiness curriculum' is to make children introspect and get to know themselves better. Mindfulness is practised by all 16 lakh students everyday in our schools, he said.

We are all gripped with anxiety today. These are unusual times and we do not know what to do as a fun activity. We cannot go out, go to movies, or sit in parks, we are confined to our homes with our family,' the minister said.

'In such situations, it is possible to get irritated with one another, and we do not know how to refresh our minds as we are still restricted to our homes, he said.

Underlining the importance of happiness classes in such times, Sisodia, who is also the education minister, said, The activities of happiness class would now be conducted at home everyday by the parents.

We will support around 8 lakh students and their families to practice mindful meditation from tomorrow with the help of our teachers. It is important to turn the atmosphere positive in our homes and make the families spend quality time together,' he added.

The Delhi government introduced the happiness curriculum in July, 2018.

ASI's hand severed in attack by Nihangs, 7 arrested

An assistant sub-inspector's hand was severed and two of his Punjab Police colleagues injured in Patiala district on Sunday when a group of Nihang Sikhs allegedly attacked them with swords after being asked to show curfew passes outside a wholesale vegetable market, police said.

Hours after the incident in Sanaur town around 6.15 am, police arrested seven men, including five of the attackers, from a gurdwara in nearby Balbera village.

With a lockdown in place to contain the spread of Covid-19, barricades were put up outside the market and entry restricted to those with curfew passes.

ASI Harjeet Singh was rushed to Rajindra hospital in the town from where he was referred to PGIMER in Chandigarh where he was undergoing surgery. The Station House Officer of Sadar Patiala and another official were also injured in the attack.

The horror unfolded when a group of four-five 'Nihangs' (a sect of Sikhism whose members are armed with traditional weapons and dressed in loose blue robes) travelling in a vehicle were asked to stop at a vegetable market by officials of the 'mandi' around 6.15am, police said.

'They were asked to show (curfew) passes. But they banged the vehicle against the gate and the barricades,' Senior Superintendent of Police, Patiala, Mandeep Singh Sidhu said.

The group then attacked the police personnel on duty and fled the scene, taking shelter at a gurdwara managed by them in Balbera, officials said. Several police teams led by Sidhu were deputed to take the Nihangs out of the premises, they said, adding that the movement of people around the gurdwara was stopped.

Residents of Taatpatti Bakhal in Indore apologise to a team of doctors on Thursday, a day after health workers were attacked when they went there to quarantine relatives of a Covid-19 patient. In the last 48 hours, 49 new cases of coronavirus have been found in the city, including a doctor from a private hospital and a nurse. PTI

2 die in Indore; tally 32

Two more persons have died of coronavirus infection in Indore, taking the toll in the Madhya Pradesh city to 32, officials said on Sunday.

After the death of the two patients, aged 75 and 65 years, their sample test reports came out positive for coronavirus, Indore's Chief Medical and Health Officer Praveen Jadiya said.

He did not immediately disclose the date of death of both the patients.

In the last 48 hours, 49 new cases of coronavirus have been found in the city, including a doctor from a private hospital and a nurse. With this, the number of COVID-19 patients in Indore, the state's industrial hub, has gone up to 298.

Of these, 32 people, or 10.74 per cent of the total patients in Indore, have succumbed to the viral disease.

The death rate of COVID-19 patients in the city has remained higher than that at the national level for the last several days. The city administration has imposed curfew in the urban limits of Indore since March 25.

Eight held for gathering at gurdwara

Police have apprehended eight people and registered a case against them for allegedly gathering at a gurdwara in violation of the lockdown orders in North Delhi's Kotwali on Sunday, officials said.

A police team on patrol duty found that a group of people was performing religious activities at Gurdwara Sisgang at around 2.15 am, they said.

After seeing police, the people there tried to flee but they were apprehended, a senior police official said.

A case under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against them at Kotwali police station, he said.

The eight apprehended were not wearing masks and had gathered at a religious place in violation of the lockdown orders, the officer said.