Press Information Bureau

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

Updates on COVID-19 from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

As of now, 5804 people have been cured with a recovery rate of 21.90%. Also, a total of 26,496 people have been confirmed positive for COVID-19, with a total number of 824 deaths have been reported in India of now. Cabinet Secretary had a detailed VC with all the Chief Secretaries and DGPs of the States/UTs to review the preparedness for COVID-19 response. He highlighted that states which are having high cases loads should focus on effective implementation of lockdown measures and containment strategy. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan says that the situation is improving in India as Hot Spot Districts (HSD) are moving towards being Non Hot Spot Districts (NHSD).

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PM addresses 11th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’

Addressing the 11th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’, Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi said that India’s fight against Corona is people-driven and along with the people, the government and the administration are fighting the pandemic. He said each and every citizen of the country is a soldier in this battle and they are leading the battle. He lauded the resolve of the people as to how at each and every place, people have come forward to help each other.

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English rendering of PM’s address in the 11th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat 2.0’ on 26.04.2020

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‘Direct Marketing’ helps decongest mandis and facilitates timely marketing of farm produce during lockdown

Government of India has been making concerted efforts to facilitate farmers in direct marketing and assure better returns. At the same time the Department issued advisories to maintain social distancing in the mandis to prevent the spread of Corona Virus in the wake of COVID19 pandemic. The States have been requested to promote the concept of ‘Direct marketing’ to facilitate farmers/ group of farmers/FPOs/ Cooperatives in selling their produce to bulk buyers/big retailers/processors etc.

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Production capacity of coveralls required by medical personnel treating COVID-19 cases in the country has been ramped up to more than 1 lakh per day

Cumulative production till date is approximately one million coverall units. This is a major boost to providing protection to health care workers in the frontline of war against COVID-19. Bengaluru leads the way in PPE coverall production; Chennai &Tirupur in Tamil Nadu, Phagwara& Ludhiana in Punjab, Gurugram& Noida in NCR have also become hubs for PPE coverall production. Government working with various industry bodies and manufacturers to streamline supply chain, remove bottlenecks and maintain a steady supply.

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Team led by IIT Bombay student develops low-cost mechanical ventilator Ruhdaar

A team of engineering students from IIT Bombay, NIT Srinagar and Islamic University of Science & Technology (IUST), Awantipora, Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir is a group of creative individuals who have come forward to solve the problem of ventilator requirement. The team has come up with a low-cost ventilator using locally available materials.

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Fake news on WhatsApp claims Government giving Rs 1000 under Corona SahayataYojana

Fact Check Unit of Press Information Bureau has today clarified in a tweet that Government of India is not giving Rs 1000 to anybody under the so called Corona SahayataYojana scheme.

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DrJitendra Singh holds widespread consultations with Ex-Bureaucrats to take stock of India’s fight against COVID-19

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Ministry of Tourism’s "DekhoApnaDesh" webinar series showcases the potential of culinary tourism through “Awadhkisair- the pride of Lucknow”

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INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

• Assam: In Assam, essential items like rice, salt, sugar, potato, onion etc have been unloaded in 28 railway points in 18 districts since lockdown. On an average, about 1,500 trucks are being mobilized every day and so far 44,624 truck-trips have been made in the state to unload 357 railway rakes. To ensure sufficient availability of food stock amid lockdown, 179 rakes of FCI have been brought to Assam for the entire North East, carrying 4.7 LMT rice and 0.21 LMT wheat. Out of these, 3.75 LMT rice and 0.14 LMT wheat is for Assam.Health Minister HimantaBiswaSarma tweeted that 8 patients are being discharged today after their successive test for COVID19 came negative.They will remain under observation for 14 days.
• Manipur: In Manipur, the process is being done for assessing district wise numbers of returnees after the lockdown is lifted. Quarantine locations for them are also being identified.
• Mizoram: State Welfare Board distributes Rs.3000 each to 49,598 daily wagers amid lockdown in the state.
• Nagaland: 469 persons arrested for lockdown violation in Nagaland. 5 cases relate to social media violations along with 335 vehicles seized.                Nagaland govt. distributes Rs 1.63 crore to stranded citizens so far.Total number of verified applications reaches 9,800
• Chandigarh: Till date, 21.5 Lakh food packets have been distributed among the needy and poor in UT Chandigarh. Chandigarh Administrator has expressed his gratitude to all the Gurudwara’s, NGOs/ Self Help Groups for their cooperation for the above. A new Control and Command Centre has been opened for monitoring COVID-19 Management in the city. The officials will be able to supervise distribution of vegetables, fruits, milk, bread and sanitation work in the control room.
• Punjab: The Government issued advisory regarding the use of Air-conditioning in Residential/Commercial & Hospital in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Punjab has launched e-Sanjeevani– Online OPD (Doctor to Patient), integrated telemedicine solution developed by C-DAC Mohali. It extends the reach of specialized healthcare services to the masses in both rural areas and any isolated community pockets. It provides a platform for citizens to connect with a network of Specialist doctors over video-conferencing and obtain medical treatment and advice for common health-related concerns while sitting at home.
• Haryana: Chief Minister launched a mobile application ‘HelpMe’, which aims at providing all the necessary services including telemedicine, movement passes, assistance in procurement, delivery of dry ration and cooked food, education material, etc. in a single application. A total of 19.26 Lakh Metric Tonnes of Wheat has been procured from 130707 farmers in the State in the last five days.
• Himachal Pradesh: The government has decided to relax the curfew hours from 5.30 am to 7 am daily from 26.04.2020 onwards to facilitate the senior citizens and general public for morning walks. The state government has also decided to give relaxation in curfew for four hours instead of the existing three hours from Monday. This would not only ensure social distancing but also minimum crowding in the shops. The state government has decided to allow inter-district movement of trucks carrying construction material from mining sites to project areas. The government has also allowed inter-district movement of road construction machinery to the construction sites.
• Kerala: CM directs strict enforcement of lockdown on  inter-state  borders. The number of tests done in the state to be increased which is averaging below 500 now. The NORKA (Non-Resident Keralites Affairs) ROOTS, a govt. undertaking, will begin registration for the expats who are stranded abroad and want to return to the State; State to explore more quarantine facilities for them. Total confirmed cases: 457, Active cases: 116, Cured: 338, Under observation: 21044; Samples tested : 22360.
• Tamil Nadu: Full lockdown in 5 Tamil Nadu cities from today to curb virus spread. Two police stations in TN's Coimbatore closed after six personnel test positive. Chennai Corporation ramps up testing vendors at Koyambedu market after Covid19 cases reported. Total cases till yesterday: 1821, Active cases: 835;  Deaths: 23, Discharged: 960. Maximum cases from Chennai 495.
• Karnataka: Karnataka registers 19th Covid death after 45-year-old pregnant Bengaluru woman succumbs. Data from the state government shows that a significant chunk of new Covid cases are asymptomatic. Total cases:  501, Deaths: 19, Cured:177.
• Andhra Pradesh: 81 new cases reported in the last 24 hours taking the total +ve cases to 1097.Active Cases: 835, Recovered: 231, Deaths: 31.  Stringent measures of lockdown enforced in Kurnool, Guntur, Krishna districts where the +ve cases are on the increase. Pathapatnam town in Srikakulam district completely sealed; all primary contacts of the 3+ve cases reported being identified.  Districts leading in +ve cases: Kurnool (279), Guntur (214), Krishna (177).
• Telangana: With the state facing a shortage of PPE kits, toymakers have now decided to manufacture them in Vishakapatnam SEZ. Gadwal district, with about seven lakh population, is now one of the hotspots for Covid. As many as 45 cases have been reported from the district and one or two cases are being added almost every day. Total no of cases reported from the State is 990.

PIB FACTCHECK

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