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

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India records lowest daily New Cases after a gap of 5 months; Total Active Caseload at 3.83 lakhs falls under 4% mark; Steady decline in number of deaths; Daily Fatalities below 400

India has achieved a significant milestone in its fight against COVID. The new confirmed cases in the last 24 hours have fallen below 27,000 (26,567) for the first time after nearly 5 months. The new cases were 26,506 last on 10^th July, 2020. In another achievement, India’s active caseload has fallen under the 4% mark today. The active cases have drastically declined to 3.83 lakh. The total positive cases of the country are 3,83,866 and comprise (3.96%) of the total cases. 39,045 new recoveries were registered during the last 24 hours. It has led to a net decline of 12,863 cases from the total Active Caseload in the last 24 hours. New Recoveries outnumbering the daily New Cases has also improved the Recovery Rate to 94.59% today. The total recovered cases stand at 91,78,946 today. 76.31% of the new recovered cases are contributed by ten States/UTs. With 7,345 persons recovering from COVID, Maharashtra has recorded the maximum number of recoveries. Kerala has registered another 4,705 daily recoveries while Delhi has reported 3,818 new recoveries in the past 24 hours. Ten States/UTs have contributed 72.50% of the new cases. Kerala has reported 3,272 cases in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra recorded 3,075 new cases while West Bengal has registered 2,214 new cases yesterday. 75.58% of the 385 case fatalities that reported in the past 24 hours are from Ten States/UTs. 16.36% of new fatalities reported are from Delhi which reported 63 deaths. West Bengal also saw a fatality count of 48 while Maharashtra reported 40 new deaths. There is a steady decline in the number of daily deaths recorded in the country. Less than 400 new deaths were recorded in the country in the last 24 hours.

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India in the forefront of developing COVID-19 vaccines: Dr Harsh Vardhan
Union Minister of Science and Technology, Earth Sciences and Health & Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan yesterday informed the DST-CII India Portugal Technology Summit 2020 which is aflagship event with Portugal as a partner country, “In India, about 30 vaccines are in different stages of development. Two of them are in the most advanced stage of development - COVAXIN developed through ICMR-Bharat Biotech collaboration and COVISHIELD from the Serum Institute of India. Both are in the Phase-III clinical trial stage. Our premier institution – the Indian Council of Medical Research-is involved in their trial executions. India is also hosting clinical trials for all the major vaccine contenders. Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, is conducting trials for the vaccine developed by Oxford University. ZydusCadila is also conducting Ph2 trial of an indigenous DNA Vaccine.One of our pharma giants, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, will distribute the Russian vaccine in India after conducting final-stage human trials and receiving regulatory approval”.The Science & Technology Minister disclosed that India is among the top ten countries in the world with respect to number of patents filed. Highlighting India’s efforts to fight the challenge of COVID, he said “More than 100 start-ups supported by the Government have provided innovative products and solutions to overcome challenges posed by Covid-19”.

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PM addresses India Mobile Congress 2020

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi delivered inaugural address at the virtual India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2020 today through video conference. The theme for IMC 2020 is "Inclusive Innovation - Smart, Secure, Sustainable”. It aims to align to the Prime Minister’s vision to promote ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’, ‘Digital Inclusivity’, and ‘Sustainable development, entrepreneurship & innovation’. It also aims to drive foreign and local investments, encourage R&D in the telecom and emerging technology sectors. Addressing the event, the Prime Minister gave a call to work together to make India a global hub for telecom equipment, design, development and manufacturing. He cautioned, due to technological upgradation, we have a culture of replacing handsets and gadgets frequently. The Prime Minister stressed that it is because of mobile technology that we are able to provide benefits worth billions of dollars to millions of Indians, we were able to help the poor and vulnerable quickly during the pandemic and we are seeing billions of cashless transactions which boost formalisation and transparency and we will also enable a smooth contactless interface on toll booths. The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction on achieving success in mobile manufacturing in India. He said India is emerging as one of the most preferred destinations for mobile manufacturing.

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Text of PM’s Address to Indian Mobile Congress
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PM congratulates Invest India

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted Invest India for winning the 2020 United Nations Investment Promotion Award given by UNCTAD."Congratulations to Invest India for winning the 2020 United Nations Investment Promotion Award given by UNCTAD. This is a testimony to our government’s focus on making India the world’s preferred investment destination & improving ease of doing business", the Prime Minister said.

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United Nations Declares Invest India the Winner of the Investment Promotion Award 2020

The United Nations (UNCTAD) has declared Invest India- the National Investment Promotion Agency of India- as a winner of the 2020 United Nations Investment Promotion Award. The award ceremony took place on 7^th December 2020 at UNCTAD Headquarters in Geneva. The award recognizes and celebrates the outstanding achievements and best practices of Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) across the globe.

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Telephone conversation between Prime Minister and His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi spoke on telephone with His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar. Prime Minister conveyed his felicitations to H.H. The Amir for the forthcoming National Day of Qatar. While thanking Prime Minister for the greetings, H.H. The Amir appreciated the enthusiasm with which the Indian community in Qatar participates in the National Day celebrations. The two leaders discussed the robust cooperation between both countries in the fields of investment flows and energy security, and reviewed recent positive developments in this regard. The leaders agreed to remain in regular touch, and looked forward to meeting in-person after the normalisation of the public-health situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Telephone Conversation between Prime Minister and H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of the France

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation yesterday with His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic. The Prime Minister conveyed to President Macron his condolences for the terror attacks in France, and reiterated India's full support to France in the fight against terrorism, extremism and radicalism. The leaders also discussed other bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest, including improving the affordability and accessibility of COVID-19 vaccines, post-covid economic recovery, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, maritime security, defence cooperation, digital economy and cyber security, strengthening multilateralism, and climate change & biodiversity. Prime Minister expressed his wish to welcome President Macron in India after the normalisation of the public-health situation.

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Centre rushing medical experts team to Eluru following Vice President’s intervention

The Centre is rushing a three-member team of medical experts to Eluru in Andhra Pradesh after the Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu yesterday spoke to Union Health Minister, Shri Harsh Vardhan after scores of children were hospitalised with an undiagnosed illness in the past few days. On seeing reports of more than 300 children becoming ill, the Vice President initially spoke to the district collector for firsthand information. He later spoke to the Director, AIIMS at Mangalagiri and Director, AIIMS Delhi and was informed that blood samples of the children were sent to Delhi. Subsequently, the Vice President spoke to Shri Harsh Vardhan and asked him to extend all necessary help in diagnosing and providing treatment to the afflicted children. The minister assured him that all steps would be taken to find out the cause of the illness once the lab reports are received. The Union Health Minister and the Director of AIIMS assured the Vice President that treatment would be taken up upon diagnosis of the illness on receiving the reports of the blood samples. The children reportedly suffered from dizziness, fainting spells, headache and vomiting.

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INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

• Assam:In Assam, 166 more people tested positive for COVID-19 and 131 patients discharged yesterday. Total cases rise to 213925, total discharged patients 209342, active 3585 and 995 total death.
• Kerala: Over 70 % voting was recorded in the first phase of the three-tier local body polls held today in the state by adhering to Covid protocols. This the first election in the state after the outbreak of the pandemic.  Moderate to brisk polling was held peacefully in the five districts which went to booths today. Amid fears in many quarters about the impact of Covid on voting percentage, large turnout was seen in almost all booths. Apart from postal ballots, Covid-19 patients were allowed to vote after regular voters cast their votes. Those tested Covid positive or instructed to go in quarantine after 3 pm on Monday, were allowed to cast by wearing PPE kits. Two persons collapsed and died in polling booths in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts. Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena has lodged a complaint with authorities after his name was missing in the voters list in state capital.
• Tamil Nadu: Almost 50 per cent of shops remained shut today in various districts of Tamil Nadu including Pudukkotai, Thiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Sirkazhi, Erode, Satyamangalam, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Thanjavur and Karur in support of the farmers' protest.Meanwhile, 1312 new cases, 1389 discharges & 16 deaths were reported yesterday. Total cases: 7,91,552; Active cases: 10,695; Deaths: 11,809; Discharges: 7,69,048
• Karnataka: The Karnataka High Court has directed the state government to assess the status of Covid-19 in the State and take a decision within 10 days as to whether ‘Vidyagama’ can be re-commenced. Vidyagama is a programme for those students who do not have the facility of technology or internet, particularly in the rural and semi-urban areas.
• Andhra Pradesh: Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy inquired about the tests conducted for identifying the cause of mysterious illness in Eluru of West Godavari district. Officials told that tests carried out by AIIMS team of medical experts on the lab samples of affected people showed that they contained elements such as lead and nickel. It was also revealed that the details will also come soon as IICT is also conducting tests.Meanwhile, two delegates from WHO arrived in Eluru to find cause of the mysterious disease. 
• Telangana: 682 new cases, 761 recoveries & 3 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours in Telangana ; Total cases 2,74,540 Active cases: 7,696, Deaths 1477 Discharges :2,65,367.
• Maharashtra: The number of daily Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra has dipped, but the contribution of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which comprises Mumbai and surrounding areas, has increased. The MMR also continues to be the worst affected region in Maharashtra. Of the total 3,075 cases on December 7, as many as 1,050 were reported from the MMR (34.14% of the day’s tally).
• Gujarat: Night curfew in Ahmedabad was extended further on Monday in an attempt to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Earlier, the night curfew, that came into effect in the city on November 23, was extended till December 7. A new notification was issued on Monday morning announcing the extension of the night curfew till further orders. The notification also announced relaxations for some specific services. As per the new order, personnel of the police, civil defence, Central Armed Police Forces, fire and emergency services, home guards, media outlets, ATM operations and private security agencies have been exempted.
• Rajasthan: Rajasthan recorded 19 more coronavirus-related fatalities, taking the death toll to 2,448, while 1,927 new cases pushed the infection tally to 2,82,512 on Monday. At present, there are 21,671 active cases in the state, while 2,58,393 people have recovered from the disease so far. Of the 1,927 new cases, 475 were reported from Jaipur, 203 from Jodhpur, 137 from Kota, 96 from Bharatpur, 89 from Nagaur, 84 from Udaipur, 78 from Alwar, among others.
• Madhya Pradesh: Markets will be allowed to operate in the Madhya Pradesh capital, Bhopal and commercial hub Indore with further relaxations by the state government from Monday. They will be allowed to remain open till 10 p.m. as against the earlier cap of 8 p.m. due to surge in Coronavirus cases in the state. Madhya Pradesh on Monday recorded 1,307 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the count of infections to 2,15,957. With 10 more people succumbing to the viral infection, a total of 1,245 patients were discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, taking the state's count of recoveries to 1,99,167.
• Chhattisgarh: In Chhattisgarh, the rates of various tests for Covid-19 have been reduced. The new rates will be applicable in all private hospitals and pathology centres with immediate effect. An order has been issued by the State Health Department in this regard. Earlier, RTPCR test cost Rs.1600 while it has now been reduced to Rs. 750. Similarly, for the rapid antigen test, the rate has been slashed to only Rs. 400. Besides, the price of True Nat test has also been reduced to Rs. 1500.
• Goa: Goa's coronavirus caseload went up by 90 and reached 48,776 on Monday, while three patients died and 154 recovered during the day.  The toll in the state is now 701, while the number of people who have recovered stands at 46,778, leaving it with 1,297 active cases. A total of 1,575 samples were tested during the day.

FACT CHECK

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