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

On a steady march, India conducts record high of more than 9 lakh tests in a single day, Tests Per Million continue to rise, stand at 23,668 today

For the first time, a record number of more than 9 lakh COVID tests have been conducted in a single day. With 9,18,470 COVID-19 tests done in the last 24 hours, India is poised to see an exponential increase towards its resolve of testing 10 lakh samples daily. With this achievement, the cumulative tests are more than 3.25 crore (3,26,61,252). Expanded diagnostic lab network across the country and effective measures to facilitate easy testing have given a substantial boost to the present numbers. As a result of these focused actions, the Tests Per Million (TPM) have seen a sharp increase to 23668. The TPM continues to maintain the constant upward trend. With constantly increasing testing numbers, there has been a commensurate fall in the positivity rate. Although higher number of tests will push the positivity rate initially, but as the experience from several States/UTs has amply depicted, it will eventually lower when combined with other measures such as prompt isolation, effective tracking and timely clinical management.As the national average falls below 8%, there are 26 States/UTs that are reporting lower rates than the national average.There has been a steady rise in the national network of diagnostic labs too. With 977 labs in the government sector and 517 private labs, the lab infrastructure has been enhanced to 1494 labs today.

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With higher number of patients getting cured, India’s total Recoveries reach nearly 21 lakh; Recovery Rate further rises- nearly 74% today; 3 times more Recovered Patients than the Active Cases

With more patients recovering and being discharged from hospitals and home isolation (in case of mild and moderate cases), India’s total COVID-19 recoveries have reached nearly 21 lakh today. Recovery of 20,96,664 patients has been made possible because of effective implementation of the policy of TESTING aggressively, TRACKING comprehensively & TREATING efficiently. With the recoveries of 58,794 in the last 24 hours, India’s Recovery Rate amongst the COVID-19 patients has reached nearly 74% (73.91%) reflecting that the number of patients recovering is on a steady rise over the past several months.India has posted more than 14 lakh (14,10,269) recoveries than the active cases (6,86,395 which are under active medical care). The record high recoveries have ensured that the actual caseload of the country viz. the active cases, has reduced and currently comprises only 24.19% of the total positive cases. Case Fatality Rate is lower than the global average and progressively declining (current figure is 1.89%), and only a small proportion of the active cases are on ventilator support.

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Loans worth more than Rs 1 Lakh crore disbursed under ECLGS

Under the 100% Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) backed by a Government of India guarantee, Banks from Public & Private Sectors have sanctioned loans worth over Rs. 1.5 lakh crore as on 18^th August, 2020, of which more than Rs 1 lakh crore has already been disbursed. The ECLGS was announced by the Government as a part of AatmaNirbhar Bharat Package, to mitigate the distress caused by lockdown due to COVID-19 by providing credit to different sectors, especially MSMEs. Under the ECLGS, Public Sector Banks have sanctioned loans of Rs 76,044.44 crore, out of which Rs 56,483.41 crore has already been disbursed. Private Sector Banks have sanctioned loans of Rs 74,715.02 crore out of which Rs 45,762.36 crore has already been disbursed.

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1.22 crore Kisan Credit Cards sanctioned with credit limit of Rs. 1,02,065 crore under the special saturation drive

In an effort to buffer the agricultural sector from the shock of COVID-19, a special saturation drive is underway to provide concessional credit to farmers through Kisan Credit Card (KCC). As on 17.08.2020, 1.22 crore KCCs have been sanctioned with credit limit of Rs. 1,02,065 crore.This will go a long way in reviving the rural economy and accelerating agricultural growth. It may be recalled that as part of the Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Package, the Government had announced provision of a concessional credit of Rs. 2 lakh crore which is likely to benefit 2.5 crore farmers, including fishermen and dairy farmers.

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Our medical fraternity made the nation proud and shown to the world that India can be a trusted partner: Shri Piyush Goyal

Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal has said that all our medical fraternity have made the nation proud and shown to the world that India can be a trusted partner when it comes to global engagement & trade. Speaking at the inauguration of CII’s 12th MedTech Global Summit today, he said that Pharmaceutical industry persevered to ensure an adequate supply of medicines for India and the world. “The medical devices industry laboured and helped us indigenously prepare products required to fight COVID-19. Our doctors, paramedics & medical fraternity have made the nation proud by serving the common man relentlessly through their commitment to ensure the safety & well-being of India.”Shri Goyal said that today we can proudly say that India has shown to the world what a strict lockdown means & has also shown what a rapid recovery looks like. “Our numbers of COVID-19 recovery are very heartening, crossing the 70% recovery mark.”Shri Goyal said that our industries of pharma, medical devices & medical profession will evolve, with the realization that being self-reliant is important to care for the lives of the people.

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Department of Pharmaceuticals has taken several measures to create suitable environment for development of domestic capacity in the pharma sector: Shri Gowda

Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Shri. D.V. Sadananda Gowda has said that his Department of Pharmaceuticals has taken several measures to create suitable environment for development of domestic capacity in the pharma sector .Shri Gowda said that to strengthen country’s drug security, the Government is committed to build Atmanirbharta in the pharma sector. Government has launched schemes for development of three Bulk Drug Parks and four Medical Device Parks across the country. Apart from increasing Central assistance for development of common infrastructure facilities in the parks, Union Government will also extend Production Linked Incentive (PLI) to manufacturers of bulk drugs and medical devices in these parks.

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Shri Rajnath Singh asks Naval Commanders to deliberate on key focus areas

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh addressed Naval Commanders on the inaugural day of the Naval Commanders’ Conference yesterday. He complimented the Indian Navy for their role in protecting the maritime interests of the nation and expressed confidence in the Indian Navy’s preparedness to meet any challenge through a proactive response in deploying its ships and aircraft.Speaking on the unprecedented challenge posed by Covid-19 pandemic he congratulated the Indian Navy, on the conduct of the biggest ever repatriation operation “Operation Samudra Setu”, which has contributed extensively to the national interest. Despite the difficult sea conditions and the challenges of dealing with an unseen enemy in the form of the Corona virus, the Navy was instrumental in bringing home almost 4000 people from neighbouring countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Also, under ‘Mission Sagar’, medical aid was provided to the countries of South West Indian Ocean Region- Maldives, Mauritius, Comoros, Seychelles and Madagascar). He also lauded the efforts of all Naval Commands in setting up of the quarantine facilities to aid the civil administration in managing Covid-19.

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Nearly 60.7 lakh new beneficiaries added under NFSA by states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar during the COVID-19 period

During the COVID-19 period, since March 2020, a total of about nearly 60.70 Lakh new beneficiaries have been added under the NFSA by States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, etc. within the respective available ceiling limits. This means that, these additional beneficiaries were also able to avail the schemes like PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY).Department of Food & Public Distribution has been continuously allocating food grains for over 80 Crore persons/beneficiaries to States/UTs since the full implementation of NFSA.With the view to effectively handle the public grievances under NFSA, all States/UTs have set up toll-free number/online grievance redressal systems in their respective portals.

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Union Education Minister virtually releases Students’ Learning Enhancement Guidelines
Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually released Students’ Learning Enhancement Guidelines in New Delhi yesterday. Speaking on the occasion the Minister said that during the present-day epidemic of COVID-19, institutions under Ministry of Education worked together and attempted to take school education to children at home through digital means. The documents such as Alternative Academic Calendar, PRAGYATA Guidelines, Digital Education-India Report, NISHTHA-Online, etc. are some of the initiatives that have been undertaken to maintain continuity in school education for children. NCERT has prepared Students’ Learning Enhancement Guidelines on the direction of the Ministry of Education for the present situation and also for post pandemic situation.

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About 21 crore mandays employment provided and Rs.16,768 crore spent by the seventh week of Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan

Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (GKRA) is taking action on mission mode to provide employment to migrant workers who have returned to their native villages of 6 states namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The Abhiyaan is empowering villagers with livelihood opportunities in 116 districts of these states.By the seventh week itself a total of about 21 crore mandays employment has been provided and Rs.16,768 crore has been spent so far.The Abhiyaan was launched to boost employment and livelihood opportunities for migrant workers returning to villages and similarly affected citizens in rural areas, in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak. The stage is set for a longer term initiative for jobs and livelihoods for those who choose to stay back.

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INPUTS FROM PIB FIELD OFFICES

• Chandigarh: The Administrator, UT Chandigarh, ordered that atleast 25% of beds available in private hospitals and Nursing Homes must be kept reserved for Covid patients. He also directed Commissioner, MC to form various Area Committees, along with Councillors, who can help local administration in keeping a watch over different areas to ensure that the residents follow hygeinic practices like wearing of masks and social distancing etc. and ramp up IEC activities.
• Punjab: Taking notice of overcharging being made by some private hospitals and labs for the treatment and test of COVID-19, the Punjab Health & Family Welfare Minister instructed the Civil Surgeons to ensure all such services to be made available as per capped rates decided by the Punjab Government. If anyone found is violating the instructions, immediate action would be taken against the management under the Epidemic Disease Act. 
• Haryana: Haryana Health and Home Minister, Mr. Anil Vij said that on August 24, a COVID-19  screening camp will be organized in the premises of Haryana Vidhan Sabha,  wherein MLAs, officers, employees and journalists will be able to get their test done. He said that this decision has been taken in view of the upcoming Monsoon session of Vidhan Sabha which will commence on August 26, 2020. Apart from this, directions have been given to all the civil surgeons of the State to conduct the COVID-19 test of the MLAs of their areas at their homes.
• Arunachal Pradesh: In Arunachal Pradesh, 75 new positive cases were detected during last twenty four hours while 73 patients recovered and were discharged. Currently, there are 923 active positive cases in the state.Out of 75 new positive cases in Arunachal Pradesh, 16 cases were detected from Itanagar Capital Region while 59 cases are from 18 other districts.
• Assam: In Assam, 2,054 patients were discharged yesterday, State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted that it’s heartening to see more than 2000 discharges in a day & medical team deserves many applauds. Total discharged patients 60,348, active patients 23,753.
• Manipur: 111 more persons have tested COVID-19 positive including 56 members of Central Security forces in Manipur. 96 persons have recovered and discharged while total active cases are 1,937 in Manipur.
• Mizoram: 13 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Mizoram yesterday. Total cases 873, active cases 489.
• Nagaland: Nagaland H&FW Dept. says Rs. 17 crore spent on sample testing through RT-PCR and TrueNat machines. 31,124 test were done through RT-PCR while 21,015 through TrueNat. Naga Engineering graduate O Jungio invents social distancing device which beeps when the bearer breaches distancing norms.
• Maharashtra: Although the state has 1.60 lakh active Covid cases, as part of unlocking measure, the State Road Transport Corporation has resumed its services this morning with the first ‘Shivneri’ bus leaving Mumbai for Pune at 7 a.m.  Just a couple of days ahead of Maharashtra’s most popular Ganesh Utsav, the state has permitted resumption of inter-district bus transport service. After the recent Sero-survey in Pune revealed that nearly 50 per cent of samples of local residents from five high-incidence areas had antibodies for coronavirus infection, the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research-led survey has now begun a study to detect ‘neutralising antibodies’ in an effort to understand the human body’s response to the virus. This will possibly be the first of its kind survey in the country.
• Rajasthan: Elections to 129 municipal bodies in Rajasthan have been put off for two months in view of the coronavirus pandemic. In an order, the State Election Commission said the elections scheduled  to be held in August 2020 have been postponed till October 20, 2020 in view of the current situation. Rajasthan has 14,671 active Covid cases, while the death toll has reached 915 with 5 more deaths reported on Wednesday.
• Goa: With eight Covid-19 fatalities reported in the last 24 hours Goa’s toll shot up to 124 on Wednesday.  The state’s tally of active cases dropped marginally to 3,838 as recoveries for the day exceeded the total of the number of new cases detected. As many as 357 were declared cured and sent home, while 342 new cases were detected.
• Kerala: Kozhikode District collector Sambasiva Rao has ordered the closing down of Perambra fish market until further notice after a clash broke out there defying prohibitory orders. Six more deaths due to Covid was reported from the state today. According to latest figures, 406 Keralites have succumbed to the disease in the Gulf countries till date. Kerala’s Covid-19 tally yesterday crossed 50k-mark with record 2,333 new cases. At present, 17,382 patients are undergoing treatment and 1,69,687 persons under observation across the state.
• Tamil Nadu: Biggest Covid-19 spike in Puducherry with 554 fresh cases, eight more deaths; this took the total tally to 9292, active cases to 3523 and death toll to 137. JIPMER to close down OPDs, special clinics from August 24, to relocate manpower for Covid care. In SOS sent to centre, Kiran Bedi seeks to bring on board private hospitals for Covid care in Puducherry. Tamil Nadu govt will follow High Court order on Vinayaka Chaturthi festivities, asserts CM. The government has already barred the installation and procession with Vinayaka idols in public places.
• Karnataka: State cabinet decided to hold 9 days legislative session from Sept 21 amidst corona crisis.  It has also decided to bring amendment to Slaughter of Cows Act. Meanwhile state health department has revised guidelines for containment and buffer zones. Karnataka reported 8000-plus Covid cases again on Thursday; fatalities rise in    last few days taking total number of deaths stand to 4,327; total Covid positive tally rise to 2,49,590 cases.
• Andhra Pradesh:  State Endowments Minister has said that there would be no public celebrations of Vinayaka Chaturthi this year in view of pandemic and asked people to perform poojas at home instead of organising pandals.  Rallies during idol immersion, and Ganesh pandals are banned this year. Former TDP MLA JC Prabhakar Reddy, who has been diagnosed with coronavirus in Kadapa central prison, will be released today. The SC/ST atrocities special court in Anantapur granted him bail on a petition moved by his lawyers yesterday. State has conducted 30,19,296 Covid-19 tests till Wednesday, making it the fourth state to have crossed the 30 lakh-mark in samples testing.
• Telangana: 1724 new cases, 1195 recoveries &  10 deaths reported in the last 24 hours; out of 1724 cases,  395 cases reported from GHMC.Total cases:97,424; Active cases: 21,509; Deaths: 729; Discharges:75,186. With southwest monsoon refusing to take a break, Hyderabad & Telangana continues to get lashed by incessant rains. Dr Reddy’s launches Avigan (Favipiravir) in India. The drug has been approved by the Drugs Controller General of India for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Covid-19 disease.

FACT CHECK

open view news desk

August 20, 2020, New Delhi