Here are the top 5 news updates of June 25, 2021:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has instructed the state health department to make ample preparations for the possible COVID third wave including providing oxygen, ICU beds, field hospital facilities to all the districts.
In a notice issued by the Chief Minister to the health department, Thackeray said that seven districts with a high rate of infection should be more careful, informed the state Public Relations department.
He further directed the health department to increase COVID testing and vaccinations.
"7 districts with a high rate of infection should be more careful. Increase tests, vaccinations. Don't rush, don't take risks," read the notice.
India's active COVID-19 tally continues to drop, with the daily recoveries exceeding new cases for the 43rd consecutive day. On Friday morning, Health Ministry data indicated that there had been 51,667 new cases and 1,329 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. During this time, 64,527 patients recovered from COVID-19.
With this, India has reported 3,01,34,445 positive cases since the pandemic began last year. The cumulative death toll now stands at 3,93,310. The recovery rate has now increased to 96.66% while the weekly positivity rate stands at 3%.
At the same time India's vaccination drive continues to gain momentum, with 30.79 crore doses having been administered till date. As per the Health Ministry update, India administered 60.73 lakh vaccine doses in last 24 hours.
3. ED carried out raids at former home minister Anil Deshmukh's Nagpur and Mumbai residences
A team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted a search early on Friday morning at the Nagpur and Mumbai residences of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in connection with their money laundering probe.
The moves comes a day after ED recorded the statement of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Raju Bhujbal in the case, who is presently the in-charge of the enforcement wing of Mumbai Police and has the social service branch under his jurisdiction. The social service branch conducts checks and raids on pubs, hookah parlours, dance bars, bars, and restaurants.
4. Mumbai: NCB arrests Dawood's brother Iqbal Kaskar in narcotics case
Iqbal Kaskar, younger brother of fugitive underworld don and global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NC) on Friday. Kaskar was produced before a local court in Bhiwandi which has remanded him to NCB’s custody for two days.
NCB officials said that Kaskar’s name had cropped up during the questioning of Shabir Usman Shaikh and Nizamuddin Ahmad Taza who were arrested with 12 kilograms of hashish from Padga in Bhiwandi on June 23. “This is the second case against Kaskar,” said an NCB officer, requesting anonymity.
On Wednesday, NCB had taken a production warrant from the court to examine Kaskar after his name cropped up during the questioning of Kamlesh Gupta, Amit Prakash Patel, Rajvinder Singh, Gurmit Singh who were arrested on June 14 with two kilograms for hashish and cash worth Rs 2.20 lakh from a lodge in Dadar.
5. Govt may announce over Rs 20,000 cr economic relief package soon: Report
The government is working towards an Emergency COVID Response Preparedness (ECRP-2) package to boost the economy which was badly hit by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in April-May. The ECRP-2 package of more than Rs 20,000 crore is aimed at containing or minimising a possible third wave of infections in the country, according to a report in The Economic Times.
“The idea is to prepare in advance for another possible wave and halt its spread,” a senior government official was cited as having said, in the financial daily. The Health and Finance Ministry is working to finetune the package, and it will be announced after a nod from the cabinet, the report said.
The package will focus on augmenting dedicated COVID-19 treatment facilities, including ramping up of hospital beds, strengthening procurement of essential medical equipment and drugs, bolstering the national and the state health infrastructure, and setting up more laboratories and testing centres, ET said.
The measures may be likely introduced in June-July. It may include a scheme to promote health infra in tier 2 cities, and an increased Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) limit of 4.5 lakh crore are likely to be announced around June - July, said CNBC-TV18 citing sources.
