India records 25,404 COVID-19 cases, 339 deaths
New Delhi(PTI): India saw a single-day rise of 25,404 new COVID-19 cases, taking the infection tally in the country to 3,32,89,579, while the count of active cases declined to 3,62,207, according to Union health ministry data on Tuesday.
The death toll due to the disease has climbed to 4,43,213, with 339 daily fatalities being recorded, the data updated at 8 am showed.
The tally of active cases has declined to 3,62,207, which comprises 1.09 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.58 per cent, the ministry said.
A reduction of 12,062 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. Also, 14,30,891 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the country on Monday, taking the total of such examinations to 54,44,44,967.
The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.78 per cent. This has been below three per cent for the last 15 days.
The weekly positivity rate was recorded at 2.07 per cent. The figure has been below three per cent for the last 81 days, according to the health ministry.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 3,24,84,159, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.33 per cent.
The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive has reached 75.22 crore, according to the ministry.
India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20 lakh-mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, 50 lakh on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one crore-mark on December 19.
The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore cases on May 4 and three crore on June 23.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
