Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) The country needs to prepare for "greater uncertainty" in terms of consumer as well as investor sentiments due to the second wave of coronavirus infections, and the government will respond with fiscal measures as and when required, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Sunday.

While acknowledging that the present situation has become far more difficult than it was in the past due to rising coronavirus infections, Kumar remained hopeful that the country's economy will grow 11 per cent in the current fiscal ending March 31, 2022.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) The Centre has sanctioned installation of 162 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) plants in public health facilities in all states, the Health Ministry said on Sunday, as demand of medical oxygen goes through the roof amid spiralling coronavirus cases in the country.

The PSA plants manufacture oxygen and help hospitals become self-sufficient in their requirement for medical oxygen, while also reducing the burden on the national grid for its supply of medical oxygen.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday said Delhi has been facing a shortage of medical oxygen and the city government has requested the Centre to immediately increase its supply to the national capital.

"The quota of oxygen allocated to Delhi is turning out to be very less due to the increased consumption which is much more than the average," Sisodia, who is also the nodal minister for COVID-19 management in Delhi, tweeted.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Amid a steep rise in coronavirus cases, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare a national health emergency.

The former Union minister also called on the Election Commission to declare a moratorium on election rallies in view of the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.

"COVID-19 infections faster than recoveries. Modiji: Declare a National Health Emergency. Election Commission: Declare a moratorium on election rallies. Courts: Protect people's lives," Sibal tweeted.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday cancelled all his public rallies in poll-bound West Bengal following a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in the country.

He also advised all other politicians to think about the consequences of holding large public rallies.

"In view of the Covid situation, I am suspending all my public rallies in West Bengal. I would advise all political leaders to think deeply about the consequences of holding large public rallies under the current circumstances," he said on Twitter.

New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI) The daily coronavirus positivity rate in India in the last 12 days has doubled to 16.69 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate has increased to 13.54 per cent in the past one month, the Health Ministry said on Sunday.

India reported a record 261,500 new coronavirus cases and 1,501 deaths on Sunday, while active cases have surpassed the 18-lakh mark, the ministry data stated.

New Delhi, Apr 17 (PTI) A record single-day rise of 234,692 cases and 1,341 fatalities have pushed India's COVID-19 tally to 14,526,609 and the death toll due to the viral disease to 175,649, the health ministry said on Saturday

The number of active coronavirus cases in the country has surpassed the 16-lakh mark, the ministry's data updated at 8 am showed

New Delhi, Apr 16 (PTI) Union minister Prakash Javadekar Friday said he has tested positive for coronavirus and urged those who came in contact with him in the last few days to get themselves tested.

Javadekar, who holds the key portfolios of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Information and Broadcasting; and Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises; informed about it on Twitter.

"I have tested #COVID positive today. All those who have come in contact with me in the last 2-3 days may please get themselves tested," he said.

New Delhi, Apr 17 (PTI) A record single-day rise of 234,692 cases and 1,341 fatalities have pushed India's COVID-19 tally to 14,526,609 and the death toll due to the viral disease to 175,649, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The number of active coronavirus cases in the country has surpassed the 16-lakh mark, the ministry's data updated at 8 am showed.

New Delhi, Apr 15 (PTI) A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid in a case related to the communal violence in northeast Delhi in February last year, saying that he cannot be made to incarcerate in jail for infinity.

Further, the court said the investigation in the case has been completed and the charge sheet has been filed and it is the case in which Khalid was not physically present at the scene of the crime on the date of the incident.