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		<img align="" alt="coronavirus vaccine" class="imgCont" height="464" src="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/img/misc/2021-03/08/full/20210306179L.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #DDD; margin-right: 10px; padding: 1px; float: left; z-index: 0;" title="coronavirus vaccine" width="620">
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		A health worker inoculates a senior citizen with a Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a Government Hospital at</div></div>

Coronavirus live updates: Covid-19 cases rise unabated across the globe with 122,516,517 infected by the deadly contagion. Stay tuned for corona-related news

coronavirus vaccine

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	<strong>Coronavirus live updates</strong>: India reported 39,726 fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday pushing the overall tally to 11,514,331, according to Worldometer. The death toll from the deadly infection jumped to 159,249. Maharashtra reported as many as 23,179 new cases of coronavirus. The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (2,370,507), Kerala (1,094,294), Karnataka (962,339), Andhra Pradesh (892,269), and Tamil Nadu (861,429).</div>
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	<strong>World coronavirus update: </strong>Coronavirus cases rise unabated across the globe with 122,516,517 infected by the deadly contagion. While 98,642,078 have recovered, 2,702,256 have died so far. The US remains the worst-hit country with 30,357,272, followed by Brazil, India, Russia and the United Kingdom. However, it terms of the total number of active cases, US tops the charts, followed by France, Brazil, Belgium and UK.</div>
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Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra reports 25,681 new cases, 70 deaths in a day

Business Standard

Covid-19 cases have risen to their highest level in around four months. From less than 200 cases across India at the end of February, India reported 1,134 cases on March 21st

PM Modi

India's largest gas distributor is seeking the cargo for delivery to the Dabhol terminal between Oct. 19-31


Surge in demand for Covishield led to a huge spike in its revenues and profits

Serum Institute

For Nvidia, whose graphics processors are vital to the development of artificial intelligence systems, the South Asian nation of 1.4 billion people presents a rare opportunity


Rama Rao also blamed PM Modi for doing favours to Gautam Adani by way of privatising government companies


Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against the chief minister for allegedly claiming Shakawat was involved in the Sanjeevani scam


The Advocates Amendment Bill, 2023, to amend the Advocates Act, 1961, was earlier passed in the Rajya Sabha


Day 3 of Parliament's special session will commence today. Catch all the latest updates from the session here


Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday launched the Mission Lifestyle for Environment' (LiFE) in the state, a global mass movement under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sarma said it promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle, focusing on utilisation instead of wasteful consumption.
Under this initiative, week-long activities will be carried out across all districts, addressing seven identified categories, including saving energy and water, reducing plastic and e-waste, and healthy lifestyles, he said.
Sarma said in known and unknown ways we work against nature creating problems for humanity, leading to challenges with which humans, plants and the animal kingdom have to deal.
Earlier, we could predict the seasonal changes but now things have changed mostly due to loss of green cover, wetlands and other natural bodies, and many research papers have pointed out that North East India will face severe impacts of climate change, the CM said.
Over the l

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma speaks during a press conference organised to commemorate the completion of 8 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP-led government at the centre, at BJP state office in Guwahati, Wednesday, Jun

Himanta Biswa Sarma

Reasons like the proliferation of smartphones and access to the internet in smaller towns have also helped push up demand


Ties between India and Canada deteriorated sharply after New Delhi and Ottawa expelled one of the other's diplomats in a dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader


Russia-Ukraine War

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

In February 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine&amp;#39;s capital, Kyiv, from the north in an attempt to overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky&amp;#39;s government. In the months following, artillery bombardment and street fighting continued, with Russia seizing multiple cities.

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After a slew of scandals in his term spanning three years, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned from office in July. Johnson was succeeded by Liz Truss, who took over the office in September.
						
						But after 45 days in the office, she resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in UK history. Her budgetary plans, at the centre of which were tax cut plans, had crashed the markets, making her lose the confidence of almost all her own MPs.
						
						In the days that followed, Rishi Sunak took over as Britain&amp;#39;s 57th prime minister and vowed to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss.

Russia Invades Ukraine

In April, protests began in the nation following a sharp rise in food and fuel costs. Thousands demanded the resignation of now-ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The people faced long power cuts daily and shortages of basics, including fuel and food. Sri Lanka&amp;#39;s doctors said they were nearly out of life-saving medicines.
						
						Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s government was being blamed for the chronic mismanagement of the country&amp;#39;s finances. In July, protestors stormed Rajapaksa&amp;#39;s home, pushing him to flee the nation before resigning from office.

UK&amp;#39;s political crisis

In September, 22-year-old Iranian girl Mahsa Amini died after being detained for allegedly violating Iran&amp;#39;s laws requiring women to wear a headscarf. Authorities said she died of illness, but her family claimed she fell into a coma after being mistreated by the police. Sources said the police beat Amini with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle. At her funeral on September 17 in Saqez, women protested by ripping off their hijabs. Protests sparked by her demise have since roped in ethnic minorities and even school children. Thousands of women since then have been showing solidarity by cutting their hair and burning their hijabs in public.
						
						Now, the unrest has spread beyond a women&amp;#39;s right to a movement that is calling for an end to theocratic rule. The protests are now the most broadly supported movement in Iran in over four decades.

Sri Lanka economic crisis

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping was handed a historic third term in office. He became the first leader of the ruling Communist Party after party founder Mao Zedong to get a third term in power.
						
						This came as China&amp;#39;s economy was running out of steam after decades of high growth. Many expect Xi&amp;#39;s third term may see China revert to more old-school economic management, focusing on shoring up the heavy industry and continuing a crackdown on big tech.

Uprising mounts again in Iran

In a historic first, rich countries agreed to pay for losses and damages caused by climate change. For 30 years, developing nations have been calling for developed countries to compensate for the costs of climate disasters caused by climate change. And rich nations that caused the pollution resisted the demand. But this changed in 2022.

Chinese President Xi Jinping starts record third term in power

In 2022, inflation was rising worldwide, with food and energy prices hitting record highs. The hike was mainly driven by pent-up consumer demand after the pandemic and Russia&amp;#39;s invasion of Ukraine. As the pandemic waned, people wanted to return to normalcy and spend more. This led to companies demanding higher prices. Companies also hired more to serve the pent-up demand. They had to increase wages to attract workers and raise prices to compensate for that.

A landmark deal UN Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Britain&amp;#39;s longest-serving monarch, died at 96 after reigning for 70 years. Many said her death would mark a turning point for commonwealth nations as many may disassociate themselves.

The global economy at crossroads

In October, Brazil&amp;#39;s former president, Luiz In&amp;aacute;cio Lula da Silva beat Jair Bolsonaro in the country&amp;#39;s closest presidential race in history. Silva&amp;#39;s win marked Latin America&amp;#39;s shift to the left and pointed to an extraordinary comeback for a man in jail for corruption three years ago.

Queen Elizabeth II dies

In October, billionaire Elon Musk closed his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter after months of dilly-dallying, drama and a lawsuit. The Tesla owner&amp;#39;s Twitter takeover is also one of the biggest tech acquisitions of all time. May fear that Musk&amp;#39;s takeover may turn the social media giant into a hotbed of hate speech.
					
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Brazil elections

Google Messages

In January, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption in group chats for messages app users enrolled in the beta programme

Blend launches Blend Studio: AI tool for ecommerce photography

New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI/PNN): Blend, an AI-powered design and photography application for DTC brands and ecommerce sellers, recently launched Blend Studio - the Chat GPT for product photos.

Celebrity and Travel Photographer Rahul Lokare from Flamingo Productions creates waves of change in the world of photography.

Xiaomi 13 Pro

Priced at Rs 79,999 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB on-board storage, the Xiaomi 13 Pro offers a novel imaging experience on top of a premium package

Union Home Secy writes to states, reiterates significance of following Covid norms

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		Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla writes to all states &amp; UTs amid surge in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases &amp; reiterates significance of COVID appropriate behaviour, i.e. wearing of masks, hand hygiene &amp; social distancing. He instructs to maintain strict surveillance to fully overcome the pandemic. <a href="https://t.co/LBA7RJ5k0U">pic.twitter.com/LBA7RJ5k0U</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1372961034688897025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Sec 144 extended in Rajasthan till April 21 amid surge in Covid cases

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		Rajasthan: Section 144 CrPC imposed in the state extended till 21st April in the wake of the COVID situation. <a href="https://t.co/Uo8ke3uNy7">pic.twitter.com/Uo8ke3uNy7</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1372948013635674112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Delhi reports 716 new Covid-19 cases, 4 deaths in 24 hours

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		Delhi reports 716 new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases, 471 recoveries and 4 deaths in the last 24 hours.<br />
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		Total cases 6,46,348<br />
		Total recoveries 6,32,230<br />
		Death toll 10,953<br />
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		Active cases 3165 <a href="https://t.co/kE0eWf6v7J">pic.twitter.com/kE0eWf6v7J</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1372936330309632003?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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3,062 new coronavirus cases in Mumbai, new high since pandemic began

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	Mumbai reported the highest spike of 3,062 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, taking its caseload to 3,55,897, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.</div>
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	With 10 deaths since Thursday evening, the death toll increased to 11,565. The day before too the city had set a new record of daily cases at 2,877, but on Friday new cases crossed the 3,000-mark. The city has recorded ten or more deaths in a day thrice this year. On January 5 and January 21, the city had reported 11 and 10 fatalities, respectively.</div>

872 new coronavirus positive cases, one death in Haryana

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	Haryana reported 872 new coronavirus cases on Friday, taking the tally to 2.78 lakh, the Health Department said. Another fatality in Kurukshetra district took the toll to 3,090 in the state. There are 4,380 active cases and the recovery rate was 97.31 per cent, according to a bulletin.</div>
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	On Thursday, the state recorded 633 new infections and six deaths. The 872 new cases include 184 in Gurgaon, 166 in Panchkula, 114 in Karnal, 88 in Ambala and 85 in Kurukshetra, it added.</div>

Pune reports 5,065 new Covid-19 cases, 2,211 recoveries, and 24 deaths in the last 24 hours

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Pune reports 5,065 new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases, 2,211 recoveries, and 24 deaths in the last 24 hours<br />
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		Total cases: 4,58,597<br />
		Total recoveries: 4,16,297<br />
		Death toll: 9,510<br />
		Active cases: 32,959 <a href="https://t.co/i00Oxe0mtT">pic.twitter.com/i00Oxe0mtT</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1372925776043986945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Madhya Pradesh sees 1,140 COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths, 556 recoveries

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	Madhya Pradesh on Friday reported 1,140 COVID-19 cases, taking its tally to 2,73,097, while seven deaths increased the toll to 3,901, an official said. He said 556 people were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the count of recoveries in Madhya Pradesh to 2,62,587. Four of 52 districts in the state did not report a new COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, the official pointed out.</div>
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	&quot;A death each was reported from Bhopal, Gwalior, Ujjain, Chhindwara, Khandwa, Shajapur and Umaria. Indore&#39;s caseload rose by 309 to reach 63.510, while that of Bhopal touched 46,383 with the addition of 272 cases. The active caseload in the two cities is 1,960 and 1,495 respectively,&quot; he said.</div>

India crosses milestone of 4 crore coronavirus vaccinations: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Maharashtra reports 25,681 new coronavirus cases and 70 deaths in a day

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Maharashtra reports 25,681 new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases, 14,400 recoveries and 70 deaths in the last 24 hours.<br />
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		Total cases 24,22,021<br />
		Total recoveries 21,89,965<br />
		Death toll 53,208<br />
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		Active cases 1,77,560 <a href="https://t.co/2MVztDU6sM">pic.twitter.com/2MVztDU6sM</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1372914254391635975?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Nagpur records 3,235 new Covid-19 cases; 35 casualties

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	As many as 3,235 persons tested positive for coronavirus, while 35 died of the infection in Maharashtra&#39;s Nagpur district on Friday, an official said. With the addition of the latest cases and fatalities, the count of infections in the district has risen to 1,85,787 and the toll has reached 4,563, he said.</div>
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	At least 1,245 patients were discharged from various treatment facilities during the day, raising the count of recoveries to 1,55,655, he said. This leaves the district with 25,569 active cases, the official said. As many as 16,066 samples were tested during the day, taking the total number of tested conducted to 14,46,816, he added.</div>

Mumbai reports 3,062 new coronavirus cases and 10 deaths in the last 24 hours

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		Mumbai reports 3062 new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> cases, 1334 recoveries and 10 deaths in the last 24 hours.<br />
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		Total cases 3,55,897<br />
		Total recoveries 3,23,281<br />
		Death toll 11,565<br />
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		Active cases 20,140 <a href="https://t.co/liVe7XdtGR">pic.twitter.com/liVe7XdtGR</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1372908164815880194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Chhattisgarh man dies after Covid-19 vaccination, probe begins

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	A 62-year-old man died in Chhattisgarh&#39;s Mahasamund district on Friday after he took the COVID-19 vaccination a day earlier, <em>PTI </em>reported Vibhisan Banjare, a resident of Savitripur, was administered COVID-19 vaccine at the local government health and wellness centre on Thursday evening and died this morning, said Dr NK Mandape, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) of Mahasamund.</div>
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	&quot;He was kept under observation for 30 minutes before he was allowed to go home after the vaccination. As per his family, Banjare complained of pain in his shoulder where he got the vaccination injection and was also sweating profusely. He was declared dead in a hospital in Basna,&quot; the official said.</div>
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	Mandape said a team had been constituted to probe the case under District Immunisation Officer Dr Arvind Gupta. Gupta said other members of Banjare&#39;s family were also vaccinated and they are in normal condition. It was not immediately known whether Banjare was suffering from any kind of illness, he added.</div>

India's Stelis Biopharma to make 200 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine

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	Bengaluru-headquartered Stelis Biopharma has joined domestic pharmaceutical firms Gland Pharma and Hetero becoming the third Indian company to partner with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia&rsquo;s sovereign wealth fund, to produce and supply the Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus.</div>
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	The RDIF-Stelis agreement, which involves the initial production and supply of about 200 million doses of the vaccine, was reached under the aegis of Enso Healthcare, RDIF&rsquo;s coordination partner for sourcing Sputnik V vaccines in India.</div>
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	Stelis will commence supplies from September quarter of 2021 and will also continue to work with RDIF to provide additional supply volumes beyond the initial agreement. It is the biopharmaceutical entity of Strides Pharma Science, which is planning to demerge and list it on a standalone basis. <strong><a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/stelis-biopharma-to-make-200-mn-doses-of-russia-s-sputnik-v-covid-vaccine-121031900929_1.html" target="_blank">READ MORE...</a></strong><br />
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	<img alt="Sputnik V. Photo: Reuters" src="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/img/article/2021-02/19/full/1613733402-2072.jpg" /></div>

Kerala reports 1,984 new coronavirus cases and 1,965 recoveries in the last 24 hours

Provide Covid-19 vaccine services at least 8 hours a day: Punjab CM to hospitals

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	Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday asked all private and government hospitals to offer hassle-free vaccination services for at least eight hours daily till March 31. There should be no requirement of a separate certificate if an eligible person aged 45 and above brings a medical record regarding co-morbidities, he directed.</div>
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	The directions were given at a review meeting chaired by the chief minister, in which he took note of the low vaccination numbers in the state.</div>
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	According to an official statement, he expressed concern that of 1,291 registered private facilities, 891 have reportedly not administered a single dose. He asked the district administration to come down heavily on such hospitals, stressing that private health facilities need to join the government battle against coronavirus.</div>

If rules aren't followed, strict measures will be taken in: Maharashtra CM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		Number of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> patients had increased in Sept 2020 as well. But today we have vaccine as a shield. Citizens should get vaccinated. Rules should be followed so that there&#39;s no infection. But if rules aren&#39;t followed, strict measures will be taken in near future: Maharashtra CM <a href="https://t.co/B0fgmbUdqC">pic.twitter.com/B0fgmbUdqC</a></p>
	&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1372885012719104007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Punjab orders fresh curbs, shuts educational institutions to check virus

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	Amid a surge in coronavirus cases in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has ordered massive state-wide restrictions beginning Saturday which include closing of all educational institutions till the end of the month and</div>
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	restrictions on cinema and mall capacities.</div>
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	The chief minister on Friday also appealed to the people to keep social activity in their homes to the bare minimum for the next two weeks to break the transmission chain. Not more than 10 visitors should be entertained in homes, he urged. All educational institutions, other than medical and nursing colleges, will remain closed till March 31, an official statement said. <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/punjab-orders-fresh-curbs-shuts-educational-institutions-to-check-virus-121031900679_1.html" target="_blank"><strong>READ ON...</strong></a></div>

Vaccination centres will operate till 9 pm starting March 22, adequate manpower to be deployed: Delhi govt

Vaccination centres in national capital will operate till 9 pm starting March 22, adequate manpower to be deployed: Delhi govt

Five states account for 80.63% of daily Covid-19 cases, says Health Ministry

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	Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh continue to report a surge in fresh COVID-19 cases and they account for 80.63 per cent of the daily new cases, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.</div>
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	&quot;Some states in the country are reporting a surge in the daily new COVID-19 cases. Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh together account 80.63 per cent of the daily new cases,&quot; according to a statement.</div>
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	As many as 39,726 new daily cases were reported in last 24 hours. Maharashtra continues to record the highest daily new cases at 25,833, 65 per cent of the daily cases, followed by Punjab with 2,369 while Kerala reported 1,899 new cases.</div>

Amid Covid surge, Maharashtra govt issues fresh restrictions till March 31

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	The Maharashtra government on Friday imposed fresh restrictions in the wake of rising coronavirus cases. According to the order, all drama theatres and auditoriums in the state should operate at 50 per cent capacity.</div>
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	In case of violations, concerned theatres and auditoriums will be ordered to remain closed till the pandemic ends, and penalties will also be attracted.</div>
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	Apart from that, all private offices, except related to health and other essential services, must also operate at 50 per cent capacity. These measures will be in force till March 31. <strong><a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/amid-covid-surge-maharashtra-govt-issues-fresh-restrictions-till-march-31-121031900684_1.html" target="_blank">READ ON...</a></strong><br />
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	<img alt="MASKS, lockdown, coronavirus. covid" src="https://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/img/article/2021-02/23/full/1614097599-1301.jpg" /></div>

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Coronavirus LIVE: Maharashtra reports 25,681 new cases, 70 deaths in a day

Coronavirus live updates: Covid-19 cases rise unabated across the globe with 122,516,517 infected by the deadly contagion. Stay tuned for corona-related news

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