COVID UPDATE on 02nd November: National Recovery Rate has gone up to 91.68%

India continues to occupy the top global position as the country with the maximum number of recoveries. The total recoveries have crossed 75 lakhs today (7,544,798). 53,285 recoveries have been registered in the last 24 hours in the country. The active cases have sustained on the downslide. The total active cases in India stand at 5,61,908. The Active Cases comprise only 6.83% of the total positive cases of the country. In a span of just two months, the percentage active cases have reduced more than 3 times. On 3rd September, the percentage active cases were 21.16%. Expanded testing has led to early identification and appropriate treatment. It has crossed the landmark of 11 crore (11,07,43,103) total tests today. The country’s testing capacities have multiplied manifold with 2037 labs across the country. Higher number of recoveries is also reflected in the continuous increase in the national recovery rate, which is at present 91.68%. 78% of the new recovered cases in the past 24 hours are from 10 States/UTs. Kerala and   Karnataka have contributed the highest number to these with more than 8,000 cases. Delhi and west Bengal follow with more than 4,000 cases. 45,321 confirmed cases have been reported in the last 24 hours in the country. 80% of the new cases are concentrated in ten States/UT. Kerala surged to first place with 7,025 new cases while Delhi and Maharashtra, both reported more than 5000 daily new cases. 496 deaths have been registered in the past 24 hours. 10 States and UTs account for 82% of fatalities in the past 24 hours. 22% of deaths reported yesterday are from Maharashtra with 113 deaths followed by West Bengal with 59 deaths.

Union Home Secretary, Shri Ajay Bhalla reviewed the situation of COVID-19 in Delhi today. The meeting was also attended by Dr. V.K. Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Director General, ICMR, Chief Secretary and other senior officers Government of NCT of Delhi and Commissioner of Police, Delhi.GNCTD made a presentation on the present situation of COVID-19 in Delhi, which is witnessing 3rd surge in cases. While the new COVID cases and total active cases are going up, the administration is focusing on testing, contact tracing and treatment. The recent surge in the number of active cases was attributed to the festival season. The hospital bed situation was reported to be comfortable with 57% of the 15,789, dedicated beds being vacant. It was decided to concentrate efforts in certain key areas, such as targeted RT-PCR testing in sensitive and critical zones such as restaurants, market places, barber shops / salons, etc; gear up the availability of medical resources including beds, ICUs, and ventilators as a pre-emptive measure; ensure high degree of contact tracing and monitoring of quarantined contacts, so as to suppress and break the chain of transmission. It was also decided to enhance enforcement selectively, accompanied by greater awareness creation through targeted IEC campaigns; and ensuring that all cases under home isolation were monitored and shifted to hospitals well in time, before any deterioration in their medical condition. It was also emphasized that the Metro travel should be carefully regulated, strictly in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that has been issued in this regard.Home Secretary emphasized that the strategies for containment of spread of COVID-19 in Delhi should be strictly enforced and implemented. He stressed the need for reaching out to the residents of Delhi to sensitize them about safe COVID behavior through RWAs, Mohalla and Market Committees, public announcement systems, message on police vehicles, etc

Ministry of AYUSH and M/s Invest India will form a collaboration to set up a strategic policy unit called “Strategic Policy & Facilitation Bureau (SPFB)” to facilitate planned and systematic growth of the Ayush Sector. This is among the various steps which the Ministry has initiated to chart future directions along which the stake-holding groups of the Ayush Sector can move. Setting up of the SPFB is a forward-looking step which will make the Ayush systems future-ready. This Bureau will support the Ministry in strategic and policy making initiatives that shall help pave the way to reach the full potential of the Sector and stimulate growth and investment. At a time when the Covid-19 pandemic is leaving indelible imprints in the health-seeking behaviours of people around the world, such a strategy unit can be of immense support to the stake-holding groups of the Ayush Sector.

With thousands of Ayush professionals joining the Jan Andolan against Covid 19, the movement has gained considerable traction in the traditional systems of medicine. The movement is covering Ayush dispensaries, hospitals, educational institutions, wellness centres and other units. Ayush professionals work closely with the public at the grass root level, and hence they have been successful in adding momentum to the campaign by influencing public behavior during this awareness campaign. It was seen in a review done at AYUSH Ministry that during the 5 days period from 26th to 30th October 2020, Ayush stake-holders reached out to an estimated110 lakh people with messages propounding Covid 19-appropriate behaviours, through channels ranging from face-to-face communication to digital media.

The Prime Minister on Saturday interacted with the Officer Trainees (OTs) of the Indian Civil Services at LBSNAA Mussoorie through a Video conference from Kevadia, Gujarat. This is a part of the integrated foundation course AARAMBH launched for the first time in 2019. After witnessing presentations made by the OTs, in his address, the Prime Minister urged the probationers to follow Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s philosophy of “serving the citizens of the country is the highest duty of a civil servant”. Shri Modi exhorted the young officers to take the decisions in the context of the nation’s interests and to strengthen the unity and integrity of the country. He stressed that the decisions taken by the civil servants should always be in the interest of the common man notwithstanding the scope of the department or the region in which they are working. Shri Modi referred to one of the recent reforms in Civil Services the Mission Karmayogi and said it is an attempt at capacity building of Civil Servants to make them more creative and confident.

The Prime Minister inaugurated Water Aerodrome at Kevadia and the Sea-plane Service connecting Statue of Unity in Kevadia with Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Shri Modi also inaugurated Water Aerodrome in Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and the SeaPlane Service from Sabarmati Riverfront to Kevadia. These are part of a series of Water Aerodromes being planned to bring the last mile connectivity.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated various projects under Integrated Development of Kevadia in Gujarat on Friday. Shri Modi inaugurated Arogya Van and Arogya Kutir. He also inaugurated the Ekta Mall, and Children Nutrition Park. Arogya Van has 5 lakh plants of 380 different species spread over an area of 17 acre. Arogya Kutir has a traditional treatment facility named Santhigiri wellness centre which will provide healthcare based on Ayurveda, Siddha, Yoga and Panchakarma.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated Sardar Patel Zoological Park and Geodesic Aviary Dome in Kevadia on Friday. He dedicated to the nation 17 projects under Integrated Development of Kevadia and laid the foundation Stone for 4 new Projects. The projects include Navigation Channel, New Gora Bridge, Garudeshwar Weir, Government Quarters, Bus Bay Terminus, Ekta Nursery, Khalwani Eco Tourism, Tribal Home Stay. He flaged-off of the Ekta Cruise Service to the Statue of Unity.

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday emphasized the need to refine and streamline the implementation and delivery system for effective response to the needs of common people.Presiding over the 66th Annual Meeting of General Body of Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) through video conferencing, the Vice President called for a change in the delivery of services, delivery of justice and the way governance structures respond to the needs of common people. “This is the change India is looking for today”, he said.Shri Naidu observed that the government has been making policies and designing programs to improve the quality of life of people and fast track India’s development. However, the effective implementation of these policies and programs by administrative leaders and professionals is critical, he pointed out.The Vice President said that good governance must percolate down to the lowest level. It should become a way of life for the institutions we have established for our country’s governance, he added.Referring to Covid-19 pandemic, the Vice President said that India is fighting it with strategic alertness and prompt appropriate action and the international agencies like the United Nations and the World Health Organization have appreciated India’s response to the pandemic.

The Union Government has extended the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by one month till November 30th, 2020, or till such time that an amount of Rs. 3 lakh crore is sanctioned under the Scheme, whichever is earlier, in view of the opening up of various sectors in the economy and the expected increase in demand during the ongoing festive season. This extension will provide a further opportunity to such borrowers who have not availed of the Scheme so far, to obtain credit under the Scheme. The ECLGS was announced as part of the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package (ANBP) to provide fully guaranteed and collateral free additional credit to MSMEs, business enterprises, individual loans for business purposes and MUDRA borrowers, to the extent of 20 per cent of their credit outstanding as on 29.2.2020.

Path breaking e-invoice initiative which completed one month on the 31st October, is poised to revolutionize the way businesses interact with each other. According to NIC, within the first month of introduction itself, more than 495 Lakh e-invoices were generated on the NIC portal by 27,400 tax payers. The e-invoice system, the game changer in the GST system, was launched on 1st October, 2020 for the businesses with aggregate turnover of more than Rs. 500 Crores in the financial year. It will be yet another milestone in India’s journey in enhancing ease of doing business. The data captured by the Invoice Registration Portal will flow seamlessly to GSTR1 return of the tax payer in GST Common Portal (gst.gov.in), thus reducing the compliance burden. Starting with 8.4 Lakh e-invoices on 1st October, 2020, the usage has gradually picked up and 31st October, 2020 saw generation of as many as 35 lakh e-invoices in a single day. This coupled with generation of 641 Lakh e-way bills during the month of October, 2020, (by far the highest in a month during two and half years of journey of e-way bill system), establishes the robustness of the system.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that COVID has evoked worldwide interest in Yoga, Ayurveda and Naturopathy to build immunity and search for healthy lifestyle. Delivering the inaugural address at the Global AyushMela organized virtually by ASSOCHAM, he said that in the last 4-5 months the Western World has turned to India to explore the best practices of Alternate Medicine. Dr. Singh said that New India will become AtmaNirbhar in health care and will also contribute to the World in providing immunity booster mechanisms through the traditional medicine system. He said, COVID has reiterated and reemphasised the virtues of Integrated Healthcare and there is need to make it part of world medical regimes including that of WHO.

In a significant step towards affordable medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has notified its first major regulation. Titled as “Minimum Requirements For Annual MBBS Admissions Regulations (2020)”, the notification issued on Saturday replaces the “Minimum Standard Requirements for Medical Colleges, 1999 (for 50/100/150/200/250 Annual Admissions)” of the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI. The new Regulation shall be applicable to all new medical colleges proposing to be established, and to the established medical colleges proposing to increase their annual MBBS intake from the academic year 2021-22. During the transitory period, the established medical colleges will be governed by the relevant regulations existing prior to the current notification.

The gross GST revenue collected in the month of October, 2020 is ₹ 1,05,155 crore of which CGST is ₹ 19,193 crore, SGST is ₹ 25,411 crore, IGST is ₹ 52,540 crore (including ₹ 23375crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is ₹ 8,011crore (including ₹932 crore collected on import of goods). The revenues for the month are 10% higher than the GST revenues in the same month last year. During the month, revenues from import of goods was 9% higher and the revenues from domestic transaction (including import of services) are11% higher that the revenues from these sources during the same month last year. The growth in GST revenue as compared to that in months of July, August and September, 2020 of -14%, -8% and 5% respectively clearly shows the trajectory of recovery of the economy and, correspondingly, of the revenues.

• Maharashtra: Free COVID-19 testing facilities will be available for Mumbaikars from  today at 244 places under the jurisdiction of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) daily between 10 am to 12 noon on a ‘walk-in’ basis. Some of these places will have RT PCR method medical testing facilities while the rest will have antigen-based medical testing facilities. There are already 54 private medical laboratories in the BMC area which provide COVID-19 testing facilities as per the revised government rates. Maharashtra reported 5,633 new cases on Sunday and the active cases in state now are 1.25 lakhs.  The state has conducted more than 90.24 lakh Covid tests so far.
• Gujarat: Gujarat reported fewer than 900 fresh coronavirus cases Sunday, indicating a further dip in the number of daily cases reported over the past few days. A total of 860 new cases were reported in the state on the day, down from 935 cases reported Saturday and 969 a day earlier. Among the 860 cases reported Sunday, 220 were from Surat — 167 from urban areas and 53 from rural parts. The state’s total virus count now stands at 1,73,804 while its total toll is at 3,724 with five deaths reported on the day. Active Cases are 12,833
• Rajasthan: The Rajasthan government has decided to ban the sale of firecrackers during the festive season in the state in the wake of the crisis created by the Covid pandemic. The government has decided to keep the schools and colleges in the state closed till November 16.  Chief Minister Shri Ashok Gehlot reviewed the Covid situation in the state and also took stock of the the effectiveness of and “no mask-no entry” and “war for the pure” campaign of the state government.
• Madhya Pradesh: Each day for the past one month, people recovering from Covid-19 in a single day have outnumbered those testing positive — leading to an improvement of more than 11% in cumulative Covid-19 recovery rate in state.  On Sunday, the state reported 735 new cases, with only Bhopal reporting more than 100 cases, even as 35 of the other 50 districts recorded below 10 new cases.
• Goa: Goa’s biggest music and dance festival – Sunburn will be held this year with only 20 per cent capacity.   It will be held on the Vagator Beach in North Goa between December 27-29,  just after the Christmas. The organisers have put out protocols to be followed during the festival, including a limited capacity and minimal contact entry.  The overall response this year has been lukewarm due to Covid pandemic.
• Kerala: The State Election Commission has informed the High Court that it is ready to conduct the local body polls by strictly adhering to the Covid-19 protocol. In its reply to the Court on a petition pleading postponement of the polls, the poll panel has also said that it has discussed election situation with all political parties in the state and the pre-poll arrangements are in the last phase. The state government is looking at various options on the partial reopening of schools even though the state is grappling with a rise in Covid-19 cases. The General Education Department has informed the government regarding the possibility of reopening the schools from November 15.  With one more death reported in Kochi today, the Covid death toll in the state has gone up to 1513. The state recorded 7025 Covid-19 cases yesterday.
• Tamil Nadu: TN Agriculture Minister R. Doraikkannu, who died battling Covid-19-related complications on Saturday night at a private hospital in Chennai, was laid to rest, near his native village Rajagiri in Thanjavur district, with State honours, on Sunday. Tamil Nadu on Sunday hit the milestone of one crore tests using RT-PCR kits, nearly nine months after it started testing samples for Covid-19. Theatres, multiplexes in Tamilnadu are gearing up to reopen on November 10 following the standard operating procedure (SOP) laid down by the State and Central governments. With the Tamil Nadu government giving the green signal for the operation of bus services to neighbouring Puducherry, private bus operators and State-run road transport corporations, including TNSTC, resumed services between Puducherry to Tamilnadu on Sunday.
• Karnataka: With 8,053 recoveries and 3,652 new cases Karnataka witnessed more recoveries than new cases for the 18th consecutive day. In just 10 days, from October 21 to 31, active Covid-19 cases have dropped by almost half in the state. On October 21, the state’s active cases were 1,00,440 and on October 31, the number dropped to 50,592. Mysuru has seen a remarkable improvement in the discharge of Covid patients that too amid the Dasara festivities; the active case count has dropped by over 75 per cent in the last 15 days in the district. Public instructions department will conduct meeting tomorrow on school re-opening with district deputy directors.
• Andhra Pradesh: Following Centre’s guidelines for the reopening of schools and colleges, state government schools have reopened for class 9 and 10 students in the state following Covid precautionary norms. Schools will run half day classes on alternate days in three phases. The corporate and private schools did not open. The movie theatres in Andhra Pradesh which shut down for over a seven months due to coronavirus have resumed in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. Arrangements have been made to run three shows a day. Multiplexes will run on cashless transactions with paperless tickets. Seating arrangements are made with 50 per cent occupancy in all theatres.
• Telangana: 922 new cases, 1456 recoveries & 7 deaths reported in the last 24 hours; out of 922 cases, 256 cases reported from GHMC. Total cases: 2,40,970; Active cases: 17,630; Deaths: 1348; Discharges :2,21,992. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana agree to restore inter-state bus services after seven months. Telangana resumes registration of properties after much-awaited one stop land services portal, Dharani-a flagship project of the State government- went live across the State today.
• Assam: 166 cases detected out of 11,576 tests conducted with positivity rate of 1.43% in Assam while 730 patients discharged. Total cases- 206517, recovered- 95.28% & active cases- 4.26%.
• Mizoram: Blockade on Mizoram-Assam border enters fifth day. Assam government alleges that bunker-like structures being set up inside Mizoram’s territory.
• Nagaland: With 28 new cases,  Nagaland’s COVID-19 positive cases reach 9,075.
• Sikkim: Sikkim COVID-19 related death-toll climbs to 73; Total cases rise to 3,958.