India now sixth worst-hit nation by COVID-19, surpasses Italy with an infection tally of 2,36,657
New Delhi: India went past Italy to become the sixth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic with the country registering a record single-day spike of 9,887 cases which pushed the nationwide tally to 2,36,657.
India's death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 6,642 with a record increase of 294 deaths in the 24 hours till Saturday 8 AM. India has registered over 9,000 cases for the third day in a row.
India is now the sixth worst-affected nation in terms of coronavirus infection cases after the US, Brazil, Russia, Spain, and the UK, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 1,15,942, while 1,14,072 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the Union Health Ministry said.
"Thus, around 48.20 percent of patients have recovered so far," a senior health ministry official said.
The total confirmed cases include foreigners.
Of the 294 deaths reported since Friday morning, 139 were in Maharashtra, 58 in Delhi, 35 in Gujarat, 12 each in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, 11 in West Bengal, eight in Telangana, seven in Madhya Pradesh, five in Rajasthan, two in Andhra Pradesh and one each in Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Punjab Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand.
Of the total 6,642 fatalities, Maharashtra tops tally with 2,849 deaths followed by Gujarat with 1,190 deaths, Delhi with 708, Madhya Pradesh with 384, West Bengal with 366, Uttar Pradesh with 257, Tamil Nadu with 232, Rajasthan with 218, Telangana with 113 and Andhra Pradesh with 73 deaths.
The death toll reached 57 in Karnataka and 48 in Punjab.
Jammu and Kashmir have reported 36 fatalities due to the disease, Bihar has 29, Haryana has 24 deaths, Kerala has 14, Uttarakhand has 11, Odisha has eight and Jharkhand has reported seven deaths so far.
Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh have registered five COVID-19 fatalities each. Assam has recorded four deaths, while Chhattisgarh has reported two deaths so far.
Meghalaya and Ladakh have reported one COVID-19 fatality each, according to the ministry data.
According to the ministry's website, more than 70 percent of the deaths are due to comorbidities.
According to the health ministry data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 80,229, followed by Tamil Nadu at 28,694, Delhi at 26,334, Gujarat at 19,094, Rajasthan at 10,084, Uttar Pradesh at 9,733 and Madhya Pradesh at 8,996.
The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 7,303 in West Bengal, 4,835 in Karnataka, 4,596 in Bihar, and 4,303 in Andhra Pradesh.
It has risen to 3,597 in Haryana, 3,324 in Jammu and Kashmir, 3,290 in Telangana, and 2,608 in Odisha.
Punjab has reported 2,461 coronavirus infections so far, while Assam has 2,153 cases. A total of 1,699 people have been infected with the virus in Kerala and 1,215 in Uttarakhand.
Jharkhand has registered 881 cases, Chhattisgarh has 879, Tripura has 692, Himachal Pradesh has 393, Chandigarh has 304 cases, Goa has 196, Manipur has 132 and Puducherry has 99 cases.
Ladakh has 97 COVID-19 cases, Nagaland has 94, Arunachal Pradesh has 45, while Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Meghalaya have registered 33 infections each.
Mizoram has reported 22 cases and Dadar and Nagar Haveli have 14 cases, while Sikkim has reported three cases till now.
"8,192 cases are being reassigned to states," the ministry said on its website adding "our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR."
State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it said.
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India, New Zealand ink free trade agreement
New Delhi (PTI): India and New Zealand on Monday inked a free trade agreement, aimed at boosting two-way commerce and investments.
The pact was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and visiting New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay.
The FTA provides duty-free access for 100 per cent of India's exports to New Zealand, covering all tariff lines or produce categories, and is expected to significantly boost MSMEs and employment by enhancing competitiveness in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and processed foods.
Earlier, New Zealand maintained peak tariffs of up to 10 per cent on key Indian exports, including ceramics, carpets, automobiles, and auto components.
With zero-duty market access from entry into force as New Zealand's other trade partners, Indian products will be fully competitive in that country, enjoying a level playing field.
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Significantly, India also secured duty-free inputs for its manufacturing sector, including wooden logs, coking coal, and waste and scraps of metals, lowering production costs and enhancing the global competitiveness of the Indian industry.
On the other hand, India has offered tariff liberalisation on 70.03 per cent of tariff lines covering 95 per cent of bilateral trade value, while keeping 29.97 per cent of tariff lines excluded to protect India's sensitive sectors.
The products that are kept in exclusion are mainly -- dairy (milk, cream, whey, yoghurt, cheese etc.), animal products (other than sheep meat), agricultural products (onions, chana, peas, corn, almonds), sugar, artificial honey, animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils, arms and ammunition, gems and jewellery, copper and articles thereof (cathodes, cartridges, rods, bars, coils), aluminium and articles thereof (ingots, billets, wire bars) among others.
On 30 per cent of tariff lines of New Zealand, India will provide duty elimination on goods such as wood, wool, sheep meat, and leather-raw hides.
Similarly, 35.60 per cent of tariff lines are subject to phased elimination over 3, 5, 7, and 10 years, including petroleum oil, malt extract, vegetable oils, selected electrical and mechanical machinery, and peptones.
New Zealand products which enjoy tariff reductions include wine, pharmaceutical drugs, polymers, aluminum, iron and steel articles, and goods that only 0.06 per cent fall under tariff rate quotas, including Manuka honey, apples, kiwi fruit, and albumins, including milk albumin.
The FTA also includes a commitment to facilitate USD 20 billion in investment into India.
A rebalancing clause is incorporated into the Agreement to provide a framework for addressing any shortfall in investment delivery, thereby ensuring robust and tangible economic outcomes.
Total bilateral trade in goods and services reached USD 2.4 billion in 2024.
