Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) With a record single-day rise of 332,730 new coronavirus infections, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 16,263,695, while active cases crossed the 24-lakh (2.4 million) mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

The death toll increased to 186,920 with a record 2,263 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) The Yamuna Sports Complex started functioning as COVID centre on Wednesday amid spiralling coronavirus infections and huge shortage of beds in Delhi.

The centre has a total bed capacity of 880 beds, which includes 200 beds with oxygen supply. It will be monitored by Seemapuri Subdivisional Magistrate Shailendra Kumar Singh, according to a statement.

22 Apr 2021; MEMO: According to a report by Business Today, India sold twice as much oxygen to the world during the first ten months of fiscal 2020-21 as compared to entire financial year before it, shows data from Department of Commerce

This happened despite the fact that India was one of the three worst-affected nations from the coronavirus pandemic for a substantial portion of this period.

New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) With several private and government hospitals in Delhi running low on medical oxygen for COVID-19 patients, the Centre raised the national capital's oxygen quota from 378 metric tonnes to 480 metric tonnes on Wednesday.

"Central govt has increased Delhi's quota of oxygen. We r very grateful to centre for this (sic)," Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet.

New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the new COVID-19 vaccine policy, terming it as arbitrary and discriminatory and urged him to intervene immediately to reverse it.

In a letter to to the prime minister, the Congress chief alleged that the new vaccine policy implies that the central government has abdicated its responsibility of providing free vaccine to all Indians between 18 and 45 years of age.

New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) The Delhi government is making efforts to airlift its enhanced quota of oxygen supply from Odisha, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, as several city hospitals reported shortage of oxygen amid rising cases of coronavirus.

Kejriwal thanked the Centre and the high court for their efforts towards raising Delhi's oxygen quota for treating COVID 19 patients, and said supplies have started reaching the national capital.

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) Terming pendency of around 57 lakh cases in high courts as docket explosion , the Supreme Court Tuesday activated a dormant constitutional provision to pave way for appointment of retired high court judges as ad-hoc ones for a period of two to three years to clear backlog and came out with guidelines to regulate appointments.

Delhi; 21 April 2021 (UMMN): On 20 Apr 2021; PTI reported 259,170 new cases and 1,761 fatalities in a day but ground witnesses tell a very different situation.

According to the official data the number of daily cases and deaths has risen sharply in the second wave that started at the beginning of March 2021. New corona cases and deaths have risen exponentially since then.

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Tuesday said sufficient oxygen was not being supplied to COVID-19 patients in the national capital and asked the Centre if it can be diverted from industries which can wait for now.

"Industries can wait. Patients cannot. Human lives are at stake," a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said to the central government.

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Tuesday itself the plea of the Uttar Pradesh government against the Allahabad High Court order directing it to impose strict restrictions till April 26 in five cities amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde.

Mehta, while referring to the high court's order passed on Monday, said that a virtual lockdown is declared by a judicial order for a week .