Coronavirus in India: 88 cases in 1 day push Covid-19 tally near 700

The total number of known coronavirus cases is nearing the 700-mark with over 80 cases being reported in a single day on Thursday while the death toll due to Covid-19 climbs to 17. At 88, India saw the highest rise in novel coronavirus cases in a single day on Thursday.

As per the Union health ministry data, 80 fresh cases were reported on Thursday, taking the tally to 694. Follow Live Updates on coronavirus outbreak

The ministry said the number of active Covid-19 cases in India stood at 633 till Thursday night, while 44 people were either cured or discharged and one had migrated, and added that the total number of 694 cases also includes 47 foreign nationals.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of Covid-19 cases so far at 124, including three foreign nationals, followed by Kerala, where the number of cases has climbed up to 118, including eight foreign nationals, according to the ministry data.

The number of cases in Telangana has gone up to 44, including 10 foreigners.

Karnataka has reported 55 cases of a novel coronavirus, while the number of cases in Gujarat has climbed to 43, including a foreigner.

The number of cases in Rajasthan has increased to 41, including two foreigners. Uttar Pradesh has reported 41 cases, including a foreigner, while the number of positive cases in Delhi has gone up to 36, including a foreigner.

Punjab has reported 33 cases, while 30 Covid-19 cases have so far been detected in Haryana, including 14 foreigners.

The number of cases has climbed to 26 Tamil Nadu, including six foreigners. Madhya Pradesh has recorded 20 cases, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir 13 each, Andhra Pradesh has reported 11 cases each, while West Bengal has 10 Covid-19 patients.

Chandigarh has reported seven cases, Bihar and Chhatisgarh have registered six cases each while Uttarakhand has five, including a foreigner.

Himachal Pradesh has reported three cases each, while two cases have been detected in Odisha.

Goa has reported three coronavirus cases. Earlier, the ministry had wrongly attributed 33 cases to the coastal state. Subsequently, the figure was revised.

Puducherry, Andaman, and Nicobar, Mizoram and Manipur have reported one case each.

DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 17

The death toll due to novel coronavirus in India also climbed to 17 on Thursday.

As per the ministry data, out of total Covid deaths in India, Maharashtra reported three deaths, Gujarat three, Karnataka two, while Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, and Himachal Pradesh reported one death each.

Jammu and Kashmir also reported its first Covid-19 fatality.

G-20 announces USD 5 trillion to deal with coronavirus crisis

The powerful G-20 grouping on Thursday decided to inject over USD 5 trillion into the global economy to counter economic disruptions triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The G-20 leaders under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia's King Salman held an extraordinary video conference in which they resolved to use all available policy tools to minimize the economic and social damage from the pandemic that has killed over 21,000 people and infected more than 4,70,000 globally.

In his address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for developing a new crisis management protocol to deal with a global health crisis and urged G20 to work towards addressing shockwaves triggered by the pandemic. PM Modi also urged the grouping to come out with a concrete action plan to fight the pandemic and said human beings rather than economic targets should be put at the center of its vision for global prosperity and cooperation.

"We are currently undertaking immediate and vigorous measures to support our economies; protect workers, businesses - especially micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises - and the sectors most affected," it added.

Rs 1.7 lakh cr stimulus to help poor hit by the lockdown

The government on Thursday announced a Rs 1.7 lakh crore stimulus that included free foodgrain and cooking gas to poor for three months, and cash doles to women and poor senior citizens as it looked to ease the economic impact of the nationwide lockdown.

While over 80 crore poor ration cardholders will each get 5 kg of wheat or rice and one kg of preferred pulses free of cost every month for the next three months, 20.4 crore women having Jan Dhan bank accounts would get one-time cash help of Rs 1,500 spread over three months.

Over 8.3 crore poor women, who were handed out free cooking gas connections since 2016, will get free LPG refills for the next three months, while poor senior citizens, widows and disabled will get ex-gratia cash of Rs 1,000.

"Since the lockdown has been in force (since Wednesday) and therefore we have come out with a package which will immediately take care of the concerns and welfare of poor and suffering workers and those who need immediate help," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said at a news conference.

The package, she said, is being announced within 36 hours of the 21-day nationwide lockdown announced by the Prime Miniter to protect the nation's 130 crore people from the fast-spreading coronavirus. "We do not want anyone to remain hungry."