Breaking News: September 21, 2020 | As it happened

22 new COVID-19 cases reported in Andaman and Nicobar, taking the total number of cases to 3,673. The death toll stands at 52. Total 3,469 patients have recovered so far. 

A bus carrying security personnel overturned in a river in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur, while crossing a flooded bridge. The personnel were returning after carrying out an anti-Naxal operation. No injuries reported in the incident.

Jharkhand reported 1,321 new COVID-19 cases and 8 deaths, taking total cases to 72,673 including 58,543 recoveries and 626 deaths. The number of active cases stands at 13,504. 

Madhya Pradesh reported 2,523 new COVID-19 cases, 2,244 recoveries and 37 deaths today, taking total cases to 1,08,167 including 83,618 recoveries and 2,007 deaths. Number of active cases stands at 22,542. 

Mumbai reported 1,837 new COVID-19 cases, 2,728 recoveries and 36 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 1,86,150 including 1,50,535 recoveries, 8,502 deaths and 26,735 active cases. 

Maharashtra reported 15,738 new COVID-19 cases, 32,007 discharges and 344 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking total cases to 12,24,380 including 9,16,348 discharges, 33,015 deaths and 2,74,623 active cases. 

Punjab recorded 2,247 new COVID-19 cases, 2,811 recoveries and 47 deaths, taking total cases to 99,930 including 75,409 recoveries and 2,860 deaths. Number of active cases stands at 21,661. 

A 41-year-old female elephant, Kalpana died at Kolikamuthi Elephant Camp at Top slip in Tamil Nadu's Pollachi today. The elephant was ill since last two months. Forest officials and guards paid floral tribute to her.

Tamil Nadu reported 5,344 new COVID-19 cases, 5,492 discharges and 60 deaths today, taking total cases to 5,47,337 including 4,91,971 discharges and 8,871 deaths. 

Manipur reported 116 new COVID-19 cases, 71 recoveries and 2 deaths, taking total cases to 9,010 including 6,838 recoveries, 59 deaths and 2,113 active cases. 

The death toll rises to 12 in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi building collapse incident. Rescue operations underway. Maharashtra Minister Eknath Shinde visited the site of the incident.

78 new routes have been identified and approved under the first phase of UDAN 4.0. Airports Authority of India, the implementing agency, is in the process of awarding these routes to the selected airline operators, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Monday. 

A meeting of Congress general secretaries and in-charges is underway at party headquarters in New Delhi. Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also joined the meeting via video conference.

Maharashtra government files a petition in Supreme Court, seeking vacation of its stay order on Maratha reservation.

Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy launches 'AP Police Seva' app at his office in Amaravati. It'll enable user to register complaints, check FIR status & E-challans, file passport applications, licenses & NOC. It'll also alert nearest police station in case of road accident.

Rajya Sabha was on Monday adjourned for the day amid uproar by opposition members over suspension of eight MPs, including TMC leader Derek O'Brien and Sanjay Singh of AAP, for the remaining part of the Monsoon session over their "unruly behaviour" during the passage of farm bills on Sunday.

The proceedings of the House were almost washed out as it could not take up any legislative business.

After four adjournments earlier, when the Upper House resumed at 12 pm, Bhubaneswar Kalita, who was in the Chair drew the attention of the House to Rule 256 saying, "The Chairman may, if he deems it necessary, name a member who disregards the authority of the chair or abuses the rules of the Council by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business thereof" and mentioned Rule 256 (2) also."

Former Himachal Pradesh minister Shyama Sharma died at a hospital in Chandigarh on Monday, a BJP spokesman said. Sharma, 70, was unwell for the past few days and was being treated at the hospital in Chandigarh, he added.

She will be cremated in Nahan town on Monday evening, he added. BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda, party state chief and Shimla MP Suresh Kashyap and Union minister Anurag Thakur, among others expressed grief over her demise.

A 25-year-old man, who had returned home during the coronavirus lockdown, ended his life by hanging himself in the Karvi Sadar Kotwali area here, police said on Monday.

Dharmendra Mishra was found hanging in his home in Pathraundi village on Sunday and the family members rushed him to a hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead, they said.

Dharmendra's elder brother Bhupendra Mishra told police that the deceased was a priest in a temple in Delhi and had returned to the village during the lockdown.

The family said he wanted to go back to the national capital but was unable to do so since he did not have money, police said.

Circle Officer of Sadar Rajnish Kumar Yadav said the body has been handed over to the family after post-mortem and the matter is being investigated.

Route Mobile's initial public offer (IPO) was subscribed 74.36 times on the last day of bidding on Friday, reflecting huge investor appetite for the issue. The Rs 600-crore public offer of Route Mobile, a cloud communications service provider, received bids for over 89 crore shares as against the total issue size of 1.21 crore shares.

Qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) category was subscribed 91 times, non-institutional investors category 195.61 times and retail individual investors portion was subscribed 12.85 times, according to merchant bankers.

Warburg Pincus-backed CAMS has raised a little over Rs 666 crore from anchor investors ahead of its initial share sale that opens for public subscription on Monday.

The company has finalised the allocation of 54,19,230 shares at Rs 1,230 apiece to 35 anchor investors, CAMS, which acts as a registrar and transfer agent (RTA) for mutual funds, said in a filing to stock exchanges. At this price, the company garnered Rs 666.56 crore.

Of the 35 anchor investors, 17 foreign portfolio investors, 13 mutual fund through 30 schemes, three insurance companies and two alternative investment funds subscribed shares.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed anguish at the loss of lives in a building collapse at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra. Seven children were among ten people killed and 11 others rescued after a three-storeyed building collapsed in Bhiwandi town on Monday, police said.

"Saddened by the building collapse in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra. Condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for a quick recovery of those injured. Rescue operations are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to the affected," PM Modi said.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 10 am, following ruckus by Opposition MPs

Derek O Brien, Sanjay Singh, Raju Satav, KK Ragesh, Ripun Bora, Dola Sen, Syed Nazir Hussain and Elamaran Karim suspended for one week for unruly behaviour with Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu

"It was a bad day for Rajya Sabha yesterday when some members came to the well of the House. Deputy Chairman was physically threatened. He was obstructed from doing his duty. This is unfortunate & condemnable. I suggest to MPs, please do some introspection:," Rajya Sabha Chairman Naidu said

An under-construction building collapsed in old Delhi's Sitaram Bazar area on Monday morning, officials said. One person was injured in the incident, the fire officials said, adding the rescue operation is underway. Further details are awaited, they said.

Eight persons were killed and around 20 were feared trapped after a three-storeyed building collapsed in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi town, police said. The building caved in early on Monday, police said, adding search and rescue operations are underway.

A civic official told PTI that the building, situated at Patel compound of Narpoli near Dhamankar Naka, collapsed at 3.
40 AM, while the residents were asleep.

Goa BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Vinay Tendulkar on Sunday termed "Love Jihaad" a curse to the society.

"This is very critical issue which has cursed our society from quite a long time but is coming out in open now. We have lost plenty of our sisters and daughters to #loveJihaad. Everyone is free to choose their partners, but we must scrutinize their background. #LoveTrap," the former Goa BJP chief said on Twitter.

Learn yoga asanas for ear-nose-throat (ENT) problems | Watch Swami Ramdev LIVE

Pakistan has denied visa to senior diplomat Jayant Khobragade who was set to be appointed as acting head of Indian High Commission in Islamabad, people familiar with the development said on Sunday. It is learnt that Pakistan did not approve his visa on the grounds that he is too senior for the post.

The people said Pakistan was conveyed by India in June about its move to send Khobragade as India's deputy high commissioner to that country. There was no official comment on the issue either by Pakistan or India.

Following India's decision to withdraw special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August last year, Pakistan had downgraded diplomatic ties by expelling the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also decided not to send the new envoy it had named to head its mission in New Delhi following India's decision on Jammu and Kashmir.

Since then, both the Indian and Pakistani high commissions in Islamabad and New Delhi respectively are being headed by the deputy chiefs of mission of the two countries.

A senior doctor is among the four coronavirus deaths reported from Himachal Pradesh, which recorded 221 fresh cases on Sunday, pushing the infection count to 12,130.

Among the fresh patients is BJP’s Sundernagar MLA Rakesh Jamwal. So far, the state has reported 118 deaths due to the disease.

Shimla Chief Medical Officer Dr Surekha Chopra said Dr Pradeep Bansal (60), who was the head of the department of community medicine at Mandi’s Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College, breathed his last at a private hospital in Punjab's Mohali.

Pharmaceutical companies are committed to a “science first” approach in the development of COVID-19 vaccines even as the pressure piles on to end the pandemic, the representative of a Singapore-based industry body has said.

Vaccine development is a complex process, traditionally it takes as long as 20 years, said Ashish Pal, vice-president of the Singapore Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (SAPI).

"You have pre-discovery phase that can last two to four years. Pre-clinical and clinical trials can take anything between five and 15 years and that does not include regulatory approvals and manufacturing," Channel News Asia reported on Monday quoting Pal.

Morning Brief: COVID-19 cases cross 31 million, death toll crosses 9.64 lakh

Hello and welcome to today's live coverage of coronavirus news in India and across the world, with me, Priya Jaiswal and my colleagues Himanshu Shekhar, Shashwat  Bhandari, Vani Mehrotra, Sushmita Panda, and Rashi Hardaha. You can get in touch with us directly on Twitter @JaiswalPriya11 @sushmitapanda, @himaanshus, @ShashBhandari​ @vani_mehrotra​ 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 30 million, including more than 945,000 fatalities. More than 21,797,000 patients are reported to have recovered.

Total positive cases country-wise:

    USA    7,004,768
    India    5,485,612
    Brazil   4,544,629
    Russia  1,103,399
    Colombia 765,076