TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Updated: Apr 26, 2020, 20: 09 IST
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India’s “people-driven” battle against COVID-19 is the only way for the country to overcome the pandemic, and asked people to shun any complacency that they will not be infected by the coronavirus because it has so far not affected the places where they live or work. Meanwhile, the countrywide death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 826 and the number of cases climbed to 26,917, according to the Union health ministry.
Here are the top developments:
1
India
- In his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast, Modi said the country is in the middle of a ‘yudh’ (war) and asserted that people have to continue being careful and take precautions.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with chief ministers via video conference on Monday morning on the way ahead in the fight against the novel coronavirus, amid indications that the discussions could also focus on a graded exit from the ongoing lockdown.
- Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said the coronavirus situation is improving as many hotspot districts are moving towards being non-hotspot districts.
- The minister visited AIIMS Trauma Centre to take stock of the preparedness to overcome Covid-19.
- The government said the production capacity of PPE coveralls required by medical personnel treating Covid-19 cases in the country has been ramped up to more than 1 lakh per day, with Bengaluru emerging as a major hub for its production.
- A group of senior tax officers has suggested a super-rich tax and a higher levy on foreign companies to keep the cash till running as part of short term measures to help the government fight the coronavirus pandemic. The suggestions are part of a paper titled ‘Force’, submitted by the IRS Association to the CBDT chairman P C Mody.
- The inter-ministerial central teams visiting West Bengal to take stock of situation relating to COVID-19, toured several areas of Kolkata and Siliguri on Sunday to inspect if lockdown restriction were being followed. The team was escorted by sleuths of the Kolkata Police.
- The Supreme Court heard 593 matters via video-conferencing