(Contains Press releases concerning Covid-19, issued in last 24 hours, inputs from PIB Field Offices and Fact checks undertaken by PIB)

PM chairs meeting to review planning and preparations for vaccination against Covid-19

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today chaired a high-level meeting to review the planning and preparations for vaccination against Covid-19, as and when the vaccine is available. He noted that vaccination of India’s vast and diverse population will need to factor in issues including those related to management of medical supply chains, prioritization of at-risk populations, coordination between different agencies involved in the process, as well as the role of private sector and civil society in this national endeavour. Prime Minister enunciated four guiding principles that will form the foundation of this national effort: first, that vulnerable groups should be identified and prioritized for early vaccination, for example doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, non-medical frontline corona warriors, and vulnerable people among the general population; second, that vaccination of “anyone, anywhere” should take place, without imposition of any domicile related restrictions for getting the vaccine; third, that vaccination must be affordable and universal - no person should be left behind; and fourth, that the entire process from production to vaccination should be monitored and supported in real time with the use of technology.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635319

Updates on Covid-19 from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: Recovery rate inching close to 60%; Recovered cases are now 1lakh 20 thousand more than the number of active cases

Collective and focussed efforts for containment and management of COVID-19 by Government of India along with the States/UTs have led to the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients fast approaching 60%. As on date, there are 1,19,696 more recovered patients than COVID-19 active cases. Also, while there are 2,15,125 active cases, all under active medical supervision, 3,34,821 patients have been cured/discharged. This has resulted in the recovery rate amongst COVID-19 patients further improving to 59.07%. During the last 24 hours, a total of 13,099 COVID-19 patients have been cured. The number of diagnostic labs is continuously increasing. India now has 1049 diagnostic labs dedicated to COVID-19. These include 761 labs in the government sector and 288 private labs.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635316

Ministry of Home Affairs issues new Guidelines for Unlock 2

Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued new guidelines for Unlock 2 to open up more activities in areas outside the Containment Zones. The new guidelines will come into effect from July 1, 2020. The process of phased re-opening of activities has been extended further. The new guidelines, issued yesterday, are based on feedback received from States and UTs, and extensive consultations held with related Central Ministries and Departments. As stipulated in the Unlock 1 Order and guidelines issued on 30.05.2020, certain activities, i.e., religious places and places of worship for public; hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services; and shopping malls; have already been permitted from June 8, 2020 outside the Containment Zones. Detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) have also been issued. Domestic flights and passenger trains have already been allowed in a limited manner. Their operations will be further expanded in a calibrated manner. Night curfew timings are being further relaxed and curfew shall be in force from 10.00 pm to 5.00 am. Training institutions of the Central and State Governments will be allowed to function with effect from July 15, 2020. SOP in this regard will be issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India. After extensive consultation with States and UTs, it has been decided that schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed till July 31, 2020. Lockdown shall continue to be implemented strictly in the Containment Zones till 31 July, 2020.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635227

COVID warrior: ASHAs at the forefront of COVID war in Uttar Pradesh; 1.6 lakh ASHAs tracked over 30.43 lakh migrant returnees

With the surge in the cases of COVID-19 in the country and the influx of migrant population from hotspot areas, one of the major challenges in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was to cater to the healthcare needs of returnees and arrest the spread in its rural population. ASHAs have played a critical role in supporting the state’s COVID-19 management during this crisis. In a gigantic exercise, UP’s 1.6 lakh ASHAs have tracked over nearly 30.43 lakh migrant returnees in two phases- 11.24 lakh in the first and 19.19 lakh in the second phase. They have assisted in contact tracing and community level surveillance.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635305

PM addresses nation and announces extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today addressed the nation and announced the extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana till the end of November. Prime Minister emphasized that provision of food to those in need during lockdown has been the foremost priority of the country. As soon as lockdown was announced, the government brought about PM Garib KalyanYojana, under which a package of Rs 1.75 lakh crore for the poor was announced. He noted that in the last three months, Rs 31,000 crore has been transferred in the Jan Dhan accounts of almost 20 crore poor families, Rs 18,000 crore has been transferred to the bank accounts of more than 9 crore farmers and Rs 50,000 crore is being spent on PM Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan, which has been started to provide employment opportunities.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635343

Text of PM's address to the nation

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635346

Loans worth more than Rs 1 lakh crore sanctioned under ECLGS

Under the 100 % Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) backed by a Government guarantee , Banks from Public & Private Sectors have sanctioned loans worth over Rs. 1 lakh crore as of June 26, 2020, of which more than Rs 45,000 crore has already been disbursed. This would help more than 30 lakh units of MSMEs & other businesses restart their businesses post the lockdown.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635376

NBRI establishes advanced virology lab for COVID-19 testing
National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), Lucknow, has established an “Advanced Virology Lab” for testing COVID-19. The facility has been developed based on the guidelines of the Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is a Bio Safety Level (BSL) 3 level facility. This advanced version has a “Negative Pressure”, which means it has a suction facility that can suck any aerosol and pass it through filters. It can filter virus or bacteria to make it a safe COVID-19 testing facility. It reduces the possibilities of infections at culturing facilities.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635301

Skill development will be the backbone of Aatamnirbhar Bharat and Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan: Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey

Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, yesterday in a webinar said that skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling of the India’s workforce will play a crucial role in the success of the Government’s vision of Aatamnirbhar Bharat and the recently launched Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan. “In wake of the Covid-19 global pandemic we need to move ahead with innovative methods, especially in the industrial sector, there is a need for a big change in terms of the overall mindset and approach towards doing business as we need to give more importance to use of digital technology,” said the Minister.

For details: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1635180

Clean Energy Can Support India’s Economic Recovery post-Covid-19

NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) today released Towards a Clean Energy Economy: Post-Covid-19 Opportunities for India’s Energy and Mobility Sectors report, which advocates for stimulus and recovery efforts that work towards building a clean, resilient, and least-cost energy future for India. These efforts include electric vehicle, energy storage, and renewable energy programs. The report identifies how Covid-19 is beginning to influence the clean energy transition in India, specifically for the transport and power sectors, and recommends principles and strategic opportunities for the country’s leaders to drive economic recovery and maintain momentum towards a clean energy economy.Covid-19 has presented significant demand- and supply-side challenges for India’s transport and power sectors, from liquidity constraints and supply shortages to shifts in consumer demand and preferences.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635298

15th Finance Commission holds meeting with the Ministry of Human Resource Development

The Finance Commission headed by Chairman, Shri N. K. Singh held a detailed meeting with the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The meeting was called to discuss the impact of the new tools of pedagogy, including online classes and use of other technology for Education, the need for which have arisen out of the ongoing pandemic. The Commission had called for this meeting more specifically for the purpose of making its recommendations in its report for 2020-21 and 2025-26 on the subject of education specially in the time of COVID-19.

For details: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1635159

PM SVANidhi Portal launched (Beta Version)

Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Housing & Urban Affairs, yesterday launched the Beta version of PM Street Vendor’s Atma Nirbhar Nidhi “PM SVANidhi” Portal. Leveraging on the digital technology solutions, the portal provides for an integrated end to end IT interface to users for availing benefits under the scheme.

For details: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1635176

INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

• Maharashtra: The current count of COVID19 patients in the state is 1,69,883. 5,257 new patients have been identified as positive in the last 24 hours.  The state count of recovered patients has gone up to 88,960.Total Active patients are 73,298. In Greater Mumbai Region, 1,247 new patients have been identified as positive, while 391 recoveries and 21 deaths have also been reported on Monday. The total number of infected patients has gone up to 76,294. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Government has requested the Railways to allow the employees of various Central Government Offices / Establishments, High Courts and Public Sector Banks to travel by suburban local trains.
• Gujarat: The total number of cases of COVID-19 has reached 32,023 as 626 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours. Also, 19 patients have lost their lives in this period, taking the total death due to COVID19 in the state to 1,828. Gujarat Government has decided to allow shops to remain open till 8 p.m. from 1st of July. Hotels and restaurants will remain open till 9 p.m.  The Lower courts in the state will reopen from tomorrow but hearings will take place only through video conferencing.
• Rajasthan: 94 new cases have been reported this morning, which takes the state tally of COVID-19 to 17,753. The number of active cases is 3,397. The total recoveries in the state stand at 13,948; while 409 deaths have occurred till date. Most of the new cases reported today are from Sikar district (33) followed by Alwar district (22).
• Madhya Pradesh:  184 new cases have been reported which takes the state tally of Coronavirus infection to 13,370. While there are 2607 active cases in the state, the number of recovered patients stands at 10,199. Morena district reported 24 new cases and Sagar district reported 19 cases on Monday.
• Chhattisgarh: 101 new cases have been reported in the state taking the tally of COVID-19 to 2,795, while the active cases are numbered at 632. Durg reported the highest - 30 new cases on Monday, followed by Jashpur reporting 25 new cases and then Raipur with 10 cases.
• Goa: 53 new cases have been reported taking the state tally of coronavirus positive cases to 1,251. There are 724 active cases in the state. With 46 recoveries reported on Monday, the total number of recovered patients has gone up to 524.
• Kerala: One more person died of the Covid-19 in Kerala; A 76-year-old native of Capital Thiruvananthapuram died at Medical College hospital on Saturday. He succumbed to the virus after his return from Mumbai. His test results however turned out to be positive today. This is the fourth Covid death in the capital and 24th in the state. The government has decided to restart the process of giving learner’s driving license from tomorrow. It was stalled due to lockdown. The test will be done online. The state confirmed 121 Covid-19 positive cases yesterday. 2,057 patients are still under treatment. A total of 1,80,617 people are currently under surveillance in various districts.
• Tamil Nadu: Chennai and Madurai will continue to be under intense lockdown till July 5 and the current relaxations and curbs shall be in force till July 31 for the rest of Tamil Nadu, as per order issued by the government. State not to use the rapid-antigen testing kits for Covid-19, suggested by ICMR, due to its low sensitivity rate and will continue to use RTPCR testing. 3949 new cases, 2212 recoveries & 62 deaths reported yesterday. Total cases: 86224, Active cases: 37331, Deaths: 1141, Discharges: 45537, Active cases in Chennai: 21681.
• Karnataka: State government launches 'skill connect' online portal to help job seekers; govt. is also organising an online job fair on July 7, to help people who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic. After his meeting with heads of private hospitals, CM briefed media and said private hospitals in Bengaluru agreed to reserve 50% of beds (4500 beds) for treatment of Covid patients. For the second day in a row the State reported more than 1000 cases yesterday. 1105 new cases, 176 discharges & 19 deaths were reported yesterday. Total positive cases: 14295, Active cases: 6382, Deaths: 226, Discharges: 7684.
• Andhra Pradesh:  Private bus operators urge government to waive tax on the lines of Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and pay the full insurance premium as they are not in a position to pay quarterly tax (April-June) following stoppage of bus services during the lockdown induced by Covid-19.  704 new cases, 258 discharged and seven deaths reported during last 24 hours after testing 18,114 samples.  Of the 704 cases, 51 are inter-state cases and five from abroad. Total cases: 14,595, Active cases: 7897, Deaths: 187, Discharged: 6511.
• Telangana: Self-imposed lockdown has evoked mixed response in many parts of Old City. All possible efforts are being made to keep the virus at bay. Shopkeepers have halted their business and are forced to stay indoors with a surge in the number of cases. Total cases reported till yesterday: 15394, Active cases: 9559, Deaths: 253, Discharges: 5582.
• Manipur: 49,882 COVID-19 tests have been done in Manipur so far with 1227 positive results. Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) conducted an awareness programme on COVID-19 pandemic at Hiyanglam-Wabagai Terapishak Keithel of Manipur.
• Meghalaya: One more person who came from Assam (Guwahati)has tested positive for COVID 19 in Khliehriat, Meghalaya. With this total positive cases in the state stand 52 with 9 active cases.
• Mizoram: Over 80% of the total COVID19 cases in Mizoram have recovered, active cases now stand at 29. 61 recovered patients discharged in Mizoram today.        
• Nagaland: 8 new positive cases of COVID-19 have been detected in Nagaland taking the Positive cases to 459 with  291 active cases and 168 recoveries. Mokokchung district in Nagaland records first COVID 19 positive case.

FACTCHECK

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