New Delhi, Aug 1: India added 16,464 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 4,40,36,275, while the active cases increased to 1,43,989, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.

The death toll climbed to 5,26,396 with 24 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.33 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.48 per cent, the health ministry said.

An increase of 313 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.The daily positivity rate was recorded at 6.01 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was at 4.80 per cent, according to the health ministry.The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,33,65,890 while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.20 per cent.

According to the ministry, 204.34 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4, three crore on June 23 last year and four crore on January 25 this year.

NEW DELHI, July 31: The Opposition is likely to demand a discussion on the Agnipath defence recruitment scheme in Parliament next week after the debate on price rise is taken up in both the Houses, sources said on July 31, 2022.
A discussion on price rise has been listed in the Lok Sabha for Monday and in the Rajya Sabha the next day.
Opposition leaders said while there is a consensus among them about the need for a discussion on Agnipath, which had sparked widespread violence across the country, they have varied stands on the subject.
With barely 10 working days remaining before the Monsoon Session gets over on August 12, it is unlikely the parties would be abe to extract a debate on the new armed forces recruitment scheme in either House.
“We will definitely raise the issue in Parliament, however there is very little time to force a discussion on it as the session is ending on August 12 and in between there is a weekend, the vice presidential election as well as the farewell for (outgoing vice president) Venkaiah Naidu,” said an opposition leader.
Also, some leaders said the parties have also different stands on the issue with those based in northern region demanding a complete withdrawal of the scheme, while some like the TMC asking that state governments be freed of the liability to provide jobs for the Agniveers.
Congress leaders such as Rajya Sabha MP from Haryana Deepender Singh Hooda has demanded a complete rollback.
Sources said the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Samajwadi Party and the Congress have already filed notices demanding a discussion on Agnipath in both Houses. Three three notices are likely to be filed on Monday.
Opposition leaders have indicated the government has conveyed to them informally they have no plans of accommodating their request on Agnipath as the matter is sub-judice.
The government has also listed two bills — The Central Universities(Amendment) Bill, 2022 to be introduced and the The Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 to be passed in the Lok Sabha.
In the Rajya Sabha too two Bills will come up for consideration and passing on Monday — the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005; and a Bill to provide for the national measures for protecting the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems and to give effect to the Antarctic Treaty, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.
Both these Bills have been passed by the Lok Sabha. (Agencies)

New Delhi, Jul 31: Senior Indian Information Service officer Satyendra Prakash has been appointed as the Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB), an official order said.
Prakash will take charge on Monday.
A 1988 batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, Prakash, the Principal Director General of the Central Bureau of Communication, will succeed Jaideep Bhatnagar, who superannuated on Sunday.
Known for his innovative work style, Prakash was honoured by the Election Commission for his outreach campaigns to increase voters participation in elections after the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a career spanning over three decades, Prakash has served in various capacities in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including as Additional Director General, News & Current Affairs in Doordarshan, and Director (Media), Ministry of Communications & IT and Ministry of Civil Aviation in the Press Information Bureau.
Bhatnagar, a 1986-batch IIS officer, earlier served in Doordarshan News as head of the Commercial, Sales and Marketing Division.
He has also served as Prasar Bharati Special Correspondent West Asia covering 20 countries and later went on to head the News Services Division of AIR.
Manish Desai, Director General of West zone of the PIB, will succeed Prakash in the Central Bureau of Communication.
A 1989 batch IIS officer, Desai has worked in various media units of the Ministry of I&B, like DAVP, AIR News, Prasar Bharati, and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. (AGENCIES)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today swooped on Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut just a day before the Supreme Court hearing on MLA’s disqualification issues.

As part of the investigations into the Patra Chawl land scam case, a team of probe agency along with a posse of police and Central security agency landed at Raut’s Bhandup residence early in the morning

Taking to the microblogging site Twitter, Sanjay Raut tweeted: “Shiv Sena zindabad. Will keep fighting”, even as scores of his supporters staged a sit-in protest outside his home.

The ED has in the past recorded the statements of Raut and his wife Varsha Raut.

Earlier, the ED had attached properties worth Rs 9 crore linked to Raut’s aide Pravin Raut besides assets valued at around Rs 2 crore, belonging to his wife Varsha.

The stormy petrel of Shiv Sena, Raut (60), is a four-time MP and Shiv Sena’s Parliamentary Party leader, faces a case that has been registered against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act vis-a-vis the Rs 1,034 crore land scam.

Sena Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant termed the ED action as “an act of vengeance done with a political motive”.

He also said that Raut and his wife had appeared before the ED and their statements were recorded.

Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe slammed the raids and said that now all the Central agencies have become “political tools” of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to harass politicians and opponents.

Nationalist Congress Party’s Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar declined to comment saying that he has not got the full details of the ED action against Raut.

BJP’ Kirit Somaiya, Ram Kadam, and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Group MLAs welcomed the ED action on the Sena leader.

(With inputs from agencies)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 91st edition of his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday at 11 am.

“I invite you all to tune-in to this month’s #MannKiBaat tomorrow, 31st July at 11 AM. Also sharing a booklet covering the interesting topics from last month such as India’s strides in space, glory on the sports field, Rath Yatra and more,” PM Modi tweeted on Saturday. Earlier this month, the Prime Minister invited people to share their ideas and suggestions for the episode which will take place today.

People could share their ideas on MyGov and Namo App, or could also record their messages by dialling the number 1800-11-7800.

“Do you have inputs for this month’s #MannKiBaat, which will take place on the 31st? I look forward to hearing them… share them either on MyGov or the NaMo App. Record your message by dialling 1800-11-7800,” PM Modi had tweeted.

In the 90th edition of his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’, Prime Minister remembered the dark chapter in India’s history- the Emergency, which was imposed in 1975 and said that it was our democratic mindset that eventually prevailed.

He also applauded all those who resisted that period and said that even after the Emergency people did not lose faith in democracy.

The Prime Minister further said that during the Emergency the citizens were deprived of all rights, including the Right to Life and Personal Liberty is given by Article 21 of the Constitution.

PM Modi said that the country’s courts, every Constitutional institution, the press everything was brought under control and Censorship was so stringent that nothing could be published without approval.