Coronavirus Outbreak: 111 Deaths, 4,281 Cases In India So Far; President, PM, MPs To Take 30% Pay Cut - 10 Points

New Delhi:

Over 700 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the last 24 hours in India as total number of coronavirus cases reached 4,281 on Monday. So far 111 patients have died while 319 people have recovered from the disease. Meanwhile, the government has approved an ordinance or executive order to slash the salaries of PM, ministers and MPs by 30 per cent to help in the fight against the novel coronavirus outbreak. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and governors have offered to take the 30 per cent cut in salaries for the coming year.

Here's all you need to know about the latest updates on COVID-19 pandemic in India and the world: 

1. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health, at a press conference said there had been 704 new COVID-19 cases and 30 deaths since Sunday. According to an updated evening tally of the ministry, the total death toll now stands at 111 and the number of cases has climbed to 4,281.
2. Out of the over 4,000 cases of coronavirus, at least 1,445 have been found to be linked to the Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi, the Union health ministry said on Monday. The ministry's updated data came a day after it said the rate of doubling of COVID-19 cases in India accelerated to 4.1 days from the perviously estimated 7.4 days due to the Jamaat event held in Nizamuddin West last month.
3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, other cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs) will take a 30 per cent pay cut for the coming year in a bid to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Also, President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and governors have offered to take the 30 per cent cut in salaries for the coming year. The Union Cabinet also suspended the funds allocated under MP local area development scheme (MPLADS) for two years which stands around Rs 7,900 crore. The amount will be transferred into the government's consolidated fund.
4. With a view to prepare for any worst-case scenario as Indian battles to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, the ICMR on Monday said it is planning several interventions which include scaling-up testing capacity to one lakh tests/day in the coming months. The ICMR has approved over 200 labs (both public and private) for COVID-19 testing through-PCR machines.
5. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the BJP's IT cell for allegedly spreading fake news against the state's health department over COVID-19 cases and asked it to refrain from 'petty politics' in the time of crisis. Her comments came in the backdrop of BJPs IT cell chief Amit Malviya's tweet accusing the West Bengal government of hiding coronavirus data. She, however, did not name the BJP or Malviya.
6. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked ministries to prepare a graded plan to open departments in non-hotspot areas. Addressing a cabinet meet, the first via video link amid social distancing measures for COVID-19, PM Modi also asked ministers to strategise for "emergent conditions" once the lockdown ended.
7. The Centre has refused to commit on whether the lockdown will be lifted after the 21-day-period ending on April 14. Indicating that the situation is fluid, Union minister Prakash Javadekar today said: "We are monitoring the world situation every minute. A decision will be taken in the national interest. A decision in this regard will be declared at the right time".
8. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today said that he has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an extension of the lockdown - which is expected to continue till April 14 - arguing that there is no other option. "We need to save lives, we can save the economy later," the Telangana Chief Minister said he told the Prime Minister.
9. A top official in Uttar Pradesh government has said that the current lockdown may not be lifted on April 14 as the number of COVID-19 cases is still rising in the country. "When we open the lockdown it will be after we have ensured that the state is corona free. If even one corona positive person is left, it will be very difficult to open the lockdown and that is why it may take time," said Awanish Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh.
10. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday extended the shutdown in the state till April 29. During the lockdown all schools and non-essential businesses will remain closed in the state. New York state has been the epicenter of America's deadly coronavirus pandemic.

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