From The Newsroom: Karnataka Dy CM Ashwath Narayan tests Covid-19 positive; India overtakes US in coronavirus recoveries

In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, India overtakes the US in terms of Covid-19 recoveries; Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan tests positive for Covid-19 and Rajya Sabha passes legislation for stricter punishment for those hurting healthcare workers.

In a landmark 'global achievement', India has overtaken the US and has become the top country in terms of Covid-19 recoveries, the health ministry said on Saturday.

The country has reported the highest number of recoveries with 42,08,431 Covid-19 patients having recovered from the disease so far, pushing the national recovery rate to nearly 80 per cent, while the case fatality rate has further dropped to 1.61 per cent, the ministry said.

Likening farmers to the "Pandavas" and the Centre to the "Kauravas", the Congress on Friday accused the government of trying to end minimum support price (MSP) through three new farm bills and asked political parties to decide with whom they want to stand.

The Congress also said that it will fight for farmers in Parliament as well as on the streets.

Lok Sabha has passed the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, which seek to promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-state trade in agricultural produce. These will now be tabled in the Rajya Sabha.

The Rajya Sabha on Saturday passed a legislation that provides for up to seven years in jail for those attacking doctors and healthcare workers fighting the Covid-19 outbreak or during any situation akin to the current pandemic.

The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was introduced by Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in the Upper House on Saturday to replace an ordinance issued by the government in April.

The Union Cabinet had promulgated The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, to protect healthcare service personnel and property, including their living/working premises against violence during epidemics.

The phase-III human clinical trial of the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University and being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) will begin at the Sassoon General Hospital in Pune next week.

Dean of the state-run Sassoon General Hospital Dr Muralidhar Tambe said that the trial would likely start on Monday. Some volunteers have already come forward for the trial and around 150 to 200 volunteers will be administered the vaccine candidate dose.

The revenue expenditure of the government is steadily rising due to relief measures taken to fight the Covid-19 pandemic at a time when the Centre’s revenues are slumping. A DH analysis of data available with the Controller General of Accounts shows that the Centre’s revenue expenditure has grown at more than thrice the rate of capital expenditure during the first four months of Financial Year 20-21.

The revenue expenditure in the April-July period stood at Rs 9.42 lakh crore, while the capital expenditure was Rs 1.12 lakh crore.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan said on Saturday that he had tested positive for Covid-19. Narayan got himself tested for the virus ahead of the monsoon session of the legislature that starts on September 21. It is mandatory for all legislators to get tested for Covid-19, and only those who test negative would be allowed to attend the session.

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