1. India on Tuesday registered 3,23,144 new coronavirus cases in a day, taking the total number of infections since the pandemic broke out in January 2020, to 1,76,36,307. While the single-day infection count is slightly less than Monday’s count, India registered more than 3 lakh cases for the sixth day in a row. With 2,771 deaths, the toll went up to 1,97,894.  
  2. Mumbai civic body Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said registered residents between 18 and 45 will be vaccinated only at the city’s private hospitals to prevent crowding at the centres, reported News18. However, beneficiaries over 45 will continue to be vaccinated at municipal and government centres. Maharashtra registered 66,358 new infections, 895 deaths and 67,752 recoveries in 24 hours, pushing tally to 44,100,85 and toll to 66,179. Of these, Mumbai alone reported 4,014 new cases and 59 fatalities.
  3. The Centre has pulled up the Delhi government for its alleged poor efforts to resolve logistical problems in procuring oxygen. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla blamed the Delhi government for failing to arrange tankers for the transportation of the life-saving gas. Meanwhile, the Delhi HC rebuked the AAP government for setting up a separate five-star hotel in the Capital as a Covid-19 facility for judges.
  4. The Supreme Court said that its suo motu intervention into the management of the coronavirus pandemic was not meant to supplant ongoing cases in various High Courts in the country. The court, however, added that it cannot be a “mute spectator” at the time of a national crisis. “We are playing a complementary role,” Justice DY Chandrachud said. “If the High Courts have any difficulty in dealing with an issue due to territorial limitations, we will help.”  
  5. The Election Commission banned all victory processions by political parties on May 2, when the results of Assembly elections in the four states of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry will be announced. West Bengal will vote for the last of its eight rounds of polling on April 29.
  6. The first batch of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, which has received approval from India’s drug regulator for restricted emergency use, is expected to reach the country by end of May. Sputnik V is the third vaccine to receive emergency-use authorisation in India after the Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. Meanwhile, Bhutan will supply daily 40 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen to Assam using cryogenic tankers.
  7. The Supreme Court allowed Vedanta to operate its oxygen production plant at its Sterlite Copper premises in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi. The court held that the decision was necessary as the prevailing coronavirus situation was a “natural calamity”.
  8. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that his government will import 21 oxygen plants from France and 18 cryogenic tankers from Thailand. Delhi is facing an acute shortage of oxygen as the coronavirus cases in the national Capital as well as the country have increased at an alarming rate amid the second wave of the pandemic.
  9. Dr Navjot Dahiya, the national vice president of the Indian Medical Association, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “super spreader” of the coronavirus for holding political rallies in poll-bound states and allowing Kumbh Mela to take place amid the second wave of the pandemic.
  10. Globally, the coronavirus has infected more than 14.7 crore people and killed over 31.23 lakh since the pandemic broke out in December 2019, according to Johns Hopkins University. Over 8.56 crore people have recovered from the infection.