Breaking news: July 30, 2020 | As it happened

Manipur reported 47 new COVID-19 cases today, taking the total number of cases in the State to 2,505. The number of active and recovered cases are 829 and 1,672 respectively. The death toll is at 4. 

511 new COVID-19 cases reported in Punjab today. The total number of cases now stands at 15,456 including 4,577 active cases, 10,509 discharged cases and 370 deaths. 

623 new COVID-19 cases reported in Haryana today; the total number of cases in the State reaches 34,254. There are 6,497 active cases, the death toll stands at 417. 

13 deaths and 834 new COVID-19 cases reported in Madhya Pradesh today, taking the total number of cases in the State to 30,968 including 21,657 recovered cases, 8,454 active cases and 857 deaths. 

1,156 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths reported in Rajasthan till 8.30 pm today. The total number of cases in the state is now 40,936 including 11,038 active cases and 667 deaths. 

Himachal Pradesh's COVID-19 case tally rises to 2,506. There are 1,090 active cases, 1,387 recovered cases and 12 deaths in the State. 

2,112 new COVID-19 cases detected in Assam out of 41,028 tests in the last 24 hrs. The total number of cases in the State stands at 38,407 including 27,832 recovered, 10,478 active cases and 94 deaths. 

The Telangana State Waqf Board has said 50 people would be allowed for prayers at a time in mosques on the occasion of Bakrid on August 1 and that
performing Eid prayers at Eidgahs is not permitted in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid rising COVID infections and deaths, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday said plasma will be provided free of cost by the state government to all those who would need it. Singh directed the Health Department to strictly ensure that COVID patients are not charged for plasma therapy and that nobody is allowed to buy or sell plasma, which has proven a life-saver in many cases in the absence of any cure for coronavirus.

The COVID-19 tally in Goa reached 5,704 on Thursday with the single-day spike of 215 cases, a health official said.

On Eid al-Adha, prayers can be offered in mosques with a limited number of persons. Some mosque committees in Kerala have decided to cancel prayers in view of COVID-19 which is a welcome step. The situation is not suited for large gatherings: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan

Government of Bihar imposes additional restrictions, in-state headquarters, district headquarters, sub-divisional headquarters, block headquarters and all municipal areas in the state from 1st to 16th August in the wake of #COVID19 pandemic.

Union Health Ministry briefed media over COVID-19 situation on Thursday.

• The recovery rate has shown positive trends. It was 7.85% in April and today it is 64.4%.
• More than 1 million people have recovered from COVID-19 in the country. This landmark recovery has been achieved because of the selfless work and dedication of our doctors, nurses and frontline workers.
• 16 states of the country have a recovery rate that is more than the national average. Of these, Delhi has recovery rate of 88%, Ladakh 80%, Haryana 78%, Assam 76%, Telangana 74%, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat 73%, Rajasthan 70%, MP 69% and Goa 68%.
• The case fatality rate in India today is 2.21% and it's among the lowest in the world. 24 States and Union Territories  have lesser fatality rate than that of the country.
• Herd immunity in a country of the size and population of India can't be a strategic option. It can only be achieved through immunisation. Health Ministry thinks it's possible in future but for now we've to follow COVID appropriate behaviour.
• Over 1,81,90,000 tests have been conducted in the country including RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests. There has been week on week increase in average tests per day. India is conducting 324 test per 10 lakhs population per day.
• 3 vaccine candidates are in phase 3 clinical trial. These 3 are in US, UK and China. In India, 2 indigenously developed vaccine candidates are in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. Trial of 1st vaccine involves 1150 subjects at 8 sites, 2nd on 1000 subjects at 5 sites.
• There are multiple stakeholders within and outside Govt and Ministry of Health has started actively engaging with such stakeholders: Health Ministry on 'has there been a discussion of prioritising how a vaccine would be distributed or administered if & when it becomes available'.
• COVID-19 vaccine, whenever it comes will have to be administered on a much larger scale compared to the existing vaccines. This is something on which there is near unanimity.

Sushant Singh Rajput's family files caveat before Supreme Court seeking to be heard in Rhea Chakraborty's petition in the top court, for the transfer of investigation to Mumbai.

Lord Ram's images, 3D portraits of the Ram Temple will be beamed across the giant billboards in the iconic Times Square on August 5. The organisers describe the commemoration as a one-of-a-kind and historic event. The foundation stone of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be laid by PM Modi in the presence of other BJP veterans. READ MORE 

Two COVID-19 patients have given birth to two healthy babies at a state-run hospital in Arunachal Pradesh, a senior doctor of the medical establishment said on Thursday.

Three personnel from 4 Assam Rifles unit lost their lives and four were injured in an ambush by terrorists from the local group People’s Liberation Army in Chandel district, Manipur near the border with Myanmar. The terrorists first carried out an IED blast and then fired at the troops. Reinforcements have been rushed to the area which is 100 km from Imphal.

Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct by-elections for two vacant Rajya Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh & Kerala on August 24, Monday.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurate the new Supreme Court building of Mauritius through video conferencing.
• For India, the most fundamental principle in development cooperation is respecting our partners. This sharing of development lessons is our only motivation. That is why our development cooperation does not come with any conditions
• It was in Mauritius that I had first spoken about India’s vision of ‘SAGAR – Security and Growth for All in the Region’. This is because Mauritius is at the heart of India’s approach to the Indian Ocean region
• Both India and Mauritius respect our independent judiciaries as important pillars of our democratic systems. This impressive new building, with its modern design and construction, is a mark of this respect

• Delhi Cabinet has decided to reduce VAT on diesel from 30% to 16.75%.
• This will reduce price of diesel in Delhi from Rs 82 to Rs 73.64 i.e. by Rs 8.36 per litre

Delhi Cabinet to hold a meeting today. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will hold a press conference following the meeting. 

Worst single-day jump of 52,123 infections pushes India's COVID-19 caseload to 15,83,792; death toll rises by 775 to 34,968.

The soil and water from Sangam -- the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati -- will reach Ayodhya on Thursday for the 'bhoomi pujan' of Ram temple in Ayodhya on August 5.

A woman arrested for killing her 4-year old daughter in Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune on 27th July. The accused informed her husband that as the child was mischievous and giving her problems, she banged her head on a wall and strangulated her

West Bengal Congress president Somen Mitra passed away at a city hospital in the early hours of Thursday. He was 78. Sources at the private hospital where Mitra was admitted to said he died due to heart and age-related ailments.

Brazil lifts four-month ban on foreigners arriving by air

Yoga guru Swami Ramdev reveals yoga tips and lessons to cure diabetes | WATCH NOW

PM Narendra Modi and Mauritian PM Pravind Jugnauth to jointly inaugurate the new Supreme Court Building of Mauritius through video conferencing today.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases is 398 in Mizoram including 215 discharged cases and 183 active cases

Hello and welcome to today's live coverage of coronavirus news in India and across the world, with me, Sushmita Panda and my colleagues  Himanshu Shekhar, Shashwat  Bhandari, Vani Mehrotra, Priya Jaiswal,  Sidhant Mamtany and Rashi Hardaha. You can get in touch with us directly on twitter ​​ ​​@sushmitapanda, @himaanshus, @ShashBhandari​ @vani_mehrotra​ @priyajais, @SidMamtany, and  @rashihardaha for news, tips, photos, questions and comments. Stay tuned to Indiatvnews.com (@indiatvnews) for all the latest updates on what's happening around the world. 

Here's a quick overview: 

The total number of global cases has surpassed 17.1 million, including more than 669,000 fatalities. More than 10,693,000 patients are reported to have recovered.

Total positive cases country-wise: