9.44 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges to keep Kumbh Mela a “symbolic event” after speaking to Avdheshanand Giri of Juna Akhada. Als...

9.44 am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges to keep Kumbh Mela a “symbolic event” after speaking to Avdheshanand Giri of Juna Akhada.
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‘Kumbh should now be symbolic,’ says PM Modi after akhara head dies of Covid-19
मैंने प्रार्थना की है कि दो शाही स्नान हो चुके हैं और अब कुंभ को कोरोना के संकट के चलते प्रतीकात्मक ही रखा जाए। इससे इस संकट से लड़ाई को एक ताकत मिलेगी। @AvdheshanandG
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 17, 2021
9.41 am: India reports 2,34,692 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the tally up to 1,45,26,609, government data showed. The toll rose to 1,75,649, with 1,341 more deaths
9.30 am: Top updates from Friday
- India on Friday reported 2,17,353 new coronavirus cases, taking its tally to 1,42,91,917. The country is hit by a massive second wave of infections and this is the highest figure recorded so far since the pandemic began in January 2020. The country’s toll rose to 1,74,308 with 1,185 deaths, the highest since September 19.
- The Centre said it will double the production capacity of indigenously developed Covaxin vaccine by May or June, and then will increase it nearly six to seven fold by August. This would mean the the production of vaccines will be increased from the current one crore doses per month in April,...