India reports 2,11,298 COVID-19 cases, 3,847 deaths
New Delhi: India's COVID-19 infection tally climbed to 2,73,69,093 as 2,11,298 more people tested positive for the disease in a day, while the country's recovery went up to 90 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.
The death toll due to the disease rose to 3,15,235 with 3,847 fresh fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.
Also, 21,57,857 COVID-19 tests were conducted on Wednesday, taking the total number of such exams done so far in the country to 33,69,69,353.
The daily positivity was recorded at 9.79 per cent. It has been less than 10 per cent for three consecutive days now, the ministry said.
The weekly positivity rate has also declined and now stands at 10.93 per cent.
The count of active cases has further reduced to 24,19,907, which is 8.84 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 90.01 per cent, the data showed.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,46,33,951, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.15 per cent, it stated.
India's COVID-19 infection tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 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 one crore on December 19.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore cases on May 4.
The 3,847 new fatalities include 992 from Maharashtra, 530 from Karnataka, 475 from Tamil Nadu, 193 from Uttar Pradesh, 185 from Punjab, 153 from West Bengal, 151 from Kerala, 130 from Delhi, 107 from Rajasthan and 106 from Haryana.
A total of 3,15,235 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 91,341 from Maharashtra, 26,929 from Karnataka, 23,695 from Delhi, 21,815 from Tamil Nadu, 19,712 from Uttar Pradesh, 14,827 from West Bengal, 13,827 from Punjab and 12,779 from Chhattisgarh.
The Health Ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.
"Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research," the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
