News Analysis India

Tag: Pandemic

  • Mumbai sees rise in criminal cases in 2021 due to enforcement of COVID-19 norms

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: As many as 64,656 criminal cases were registered in Mumbai in 2021, a jump of 26 per cent from 2020, mainly due to a rise in offences related to violation of COVID-19 measures, while incidents of crime against women stood at 5,496 last year, up from 4,539 in the year before that, police commissioner Hemant Nagrale said on Tuesday.

    He said the increase in criminal cases was mainly due to registration of a large number of offences under the IPC section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), which was invoked against those not following COVID-19-related protocols and violating curbs put in place to stem the spread of the infection.

    Section 188 IPC deals with people disobeying orders passed by a public servant, and provides for jail terms ranging from one to six months.

    For those violating orders passed under the Epidemic Diseases Act, which was invoked when the coronavirus pandemic hit India in 2020, section 188 the IPC is the provision under which punishment is given by courts.

    Nagrale was speaking to reporters at an event organised for the publication of ‘Annual Report-2021’. Such a report was last published in 2006, an official said.

    Briefing the media about crime statistics in the financial capital, the senior IPS officer said 51,068 criminal cases were registered in 2020 (as compared to 64,656 in 2021) and in 2019 this figure was 41,931.

    A total of 30,843 cases were registered under the IPC section 188 in Mumbai in 2021 as compared to 22,824 in 2020, he said.

    The overall crime detection rate in 2021 was 82 per cent, up from 79 per cent in 2020, the police commissioner stated.

    According to the report, 177 offences were registered per day in 2021 and the number of murder cases increased by 3 per cent compared to 2020.

    There was a 20 per cent increase in property-related offences in 2021 at 10,418 from 8,646 in 2020, it said.

    Last year, the Mumbai police focused on tackling crimes against women and those happening in the cyber world, Nagrale said.

    Crimes against women included rape, kidnapping, molestation, eve teasing, harassment under IPC section 498A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) murder, suicide, mental and physical harassment due to other reasons.

    Overall, crime against women in 2021 has decreased by 942 when compared to 2019, but when compared to 2020, the cases have increased by 957, he said.

    Mumbai saw registration of 5,496 cases under this category in 2021, 4,539 in 2020 and 6,438 in 2019.

    The overall detection rate of crime against women in 2021 was 79 per cent, down from 83 per cent in 2020, he said.

    Most of the undetected cases related to live-in relationships or marriage promises not fulfilled, he said.

    According to the report, there was a 21 per cent increase in crimes related to women in 2021.

    There was a 15 per cent increase in rape cases in 2021 (888) as compared to the year before that (776). This figure was 1,015 in 2019.

    Speaking about rape cases, he said ‘friends’ and ‘social media friends’ formed the category for the highest number of accused in such instances.

    Known accused category (where victims were acquainted with the accused) accounted for the second highest number of offenders, he said.

    Rape incidents where minors were victims and were committed by neighbours were down in 2021 as compared to 2019.

    Speaking about instances of kidnapping and missing persons between 2014 and 2021, Nagrale said a total of 76,467 victims in such cases were traced out of 86,349.

    As many as 4,465 kidnapped boys were traced out of 4786 cases, whereas 8,596 abducted girls were traced out of 9,124 cases, he said.

    In 2021, 4,185 kg of drugs and narcotics substances were seized under the NDPS Act (called ‘NDPS property’ in the report) as compared to 1,127 kg in 2020 and 1,276 kg in 2019, he said.

    In terms of value, the recovery in 2021 was worth Rs 151,40,96,851 and Rs 28,83,78,669 in 2020, the police commissioner said.

    On economic offences, the IPS officer said in 2021, Rs 62.84 crore of assets and other items were seized in such cases out of which Rs 39.84 crore worth of property was returned to complainants and investors.

    A total of 21,81,628 ‘challans’ (fine receipts) were issued by the Mumbai traffic police in 2021 for violation of rules and more than Rs 56 crore was recovered from offenders, he said.

    As many as 8.06 lakh cases of two-wheeler riders driving without helmets were detected, Nagrale said.

    Speaking about disciplinary actions against erring law enforcement personnel, Nagrale said 81 police officers were suspended in 2021.

    There were 2,437 police officers and other personnel who were punished on various grounds, while 32 officials were dismissed from service, he said.

    Police personnel were at the forefront of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in Mumbai and 126 such personnel, including 87 constables, died while performing various duties, the IPS officer said.

  • Cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in India reaches nearly 174 crore

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country reached nearly 174 crore on Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry said.

    More than 37 lakh (37,69,847) vaccine doses were administered till 7 pm on Tuesday. So far, more than 1.79 crore (1,79,58,242) precaution doses have been given to healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with co-morbidities.

    The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night.

    The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 last year with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2 last year.

    The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1, 2021 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

    The country launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1, 2021. The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1 last year.

    The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from January 3 this year for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years.

    India began administering precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers, frontline workers including personnel deployed for election duty and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities from January 10 amid the country witnessing a spike in coronavirus infections fuelled by the Omicron variant.

  • In Mumbai, Omicron found in 95 per cent of samples in latest genome sequencing

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Around 95 per cent of swab samples examined in the latest round of genome sequencing in Mumbai were found infected with the Omicron variant that triggered the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in late December and which has now ebbed in the metropolis, the city civic body said on Monday.

    Out of the total 190 samples, 180 (94.74 per cent) were found infected with Omicron, three with the Delta variant (1.58 per cent), one with Delta (0.53 per cent) and six with other strains of coronavirus (3.16 per cent), a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) release said, citing test results of the ninth round of genome sequencing in the city.

    Significantly, out of the 190 patients from Mumbai whose swab samples were sent for genome sequencing, 23 have died and 21 of them were infected with Omicron, the release said.

    In the last round of genome sequencing carried out in December-end, of the 280 samples collected from BMC’s jurisdiction, 248 had tested positive for Omicron, while the remaining had other variants of coronavirus.

    According to the release, in the ninth round of genome sequencing, the civic body had examined 282 samples. Out of these, 190 samples were from Mumbai and the remaining from other parts of Maharashtra.

    The BMC said out of the 190 patients, 74 patients (39 per cent) were in 61 to 80 years age group followed by 41 patients (22 per cent) in 41 to 60 years, 36 (19 per cent) in 21 to 40 years, 22 patients (12 per cent) in 81 to 100 years and 17 patients ( 9 per cent) in 0 to 18 age groups.

    Of the 190 infected patients, 13 were aged less than 18 years. Of these, 11 were infected with Omicron, as per the release. The BMC said 106 of the 190 patients needed hospitalization.

    Of these, five had taken only the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 50 had taken both the doses, while 51 had not taken any dose. Of these 106 patients, only nine required oxygen support, while 11 were admitted in ICU, the civic body said.

    Of the 23 deaths, 21 patients were over 60 years of age and suffering from co-morbidities. Fifteen of them had not taken any dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Also, 22 patietns died within seven days of developing symptoms, the release said.

    In the release, the civic body appealed to citizens to continue following COVID-19-appropriate behaviour despite a huge drop in daily cases.

    Genome sequencing is a scientific process that helps in understanding the difference between two variants of the same virus. It makes it easier to determine the exact line of treatment for infected patients.

    Mumbai reported 192 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest daily count since December 13, 2021, and two fresh fatalities linked to the infection, while 350 more patients were discharged following recovery, the BMC said.

  • Over 173.38 crore Covid vaccine doses administered in India so far

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed 173.38 crore on Monday, the Union Health Ministry said.bMore than 40 lakh vaccine doses have been administered till 7 pm.

    Over 1.72 crore (1,76,27,475) precaution doses have been administered to healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged 60 and above with comorbodities so far.

    The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night.

    The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase.

    The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2. The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

    The country launched vaccination for all people aged more than 45 years from April 1. The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing everyone above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1.

    The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination has commenced from January 3 for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years.

    India began administering precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers, frontline workers including personnel deployed for election duty and those aged 60 and above with comorbidities from January 10 amid the country witnessing a spike in infections fuelled by Omicron variant of the virus.

  • One-day recoveries surpass fresh COVID-19 cases in Meghalaya

    By PTI

    SHILLONG: Single-day recoveries outnumbered new COVID-19 cases in Meghalaya on Sunday as 156 people were cured of the disease and 58 more tested positive for the infection, a health official said.

    The fresh cases raised the tally to 92,991, while 90,678 people have so far recovered from the disease, he said.

    The death toll rose 1,562 as one more COVID patient succumbed to the infection, Health Services Director Dr Aman War said. The northeastern state had on Saturday logged 86 new cases and two fatalities. Meghalaya now has 751 active cases, War said.

    East Khasi Hills district reported 21 new cases, followed by West Garo Hills (14), North Garo Hills (6), he said The state has so far conducted over 13.39 lakh sample tests for COVID-19.

    Altogether, 23.13 lakh people have been inoculated in the state till Saturday, with 9,42,405 of them having received both doses of vaccines, War added.

  • Mumbai sees 288 COVID-19 cases, one fatality; 532 recover

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Mumbai on Sunday reported 288 fresh coronavirus cases and one fatality due to the viral infection, taking the tally to 10,54,050 and the death toll to 16,683, the city civic body said.

    A total of 532 patients recovered on Sunday, which raised the number of recoveries in Mumbai so far to 10,31,836, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a statement.

    Mumbai is now left with 2,667 active cases, it said. Of the 288 new cases, 88 per cent or 253 cases were asymptomatic while 35 patients were admitted to hospitals. 13 patients are on Oxygen support, the statement said.

    Of the total 36,889 beds in hospitals in Mumbai, 1,027 remained occupied (by COVID-199 patients). With 39,938 new tests, the number of samples examined so far in Mumbai went up to 1,58,06,279, the BMC said. The case recovery rate of Mumbai stands at 98 per cent as of Sunday.

    The case doubling rate is 1,397 days. The city is free of active containment zones. Mumbai’s case positivity rate is 0.7 per cent, BMC commissioner I S Chahal said.

  • Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar passes away at the age of 92

    By Online Desk

    Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar passed away at 8:12 am on Sunday, confirmed sister Usha Mangeshkar. It is said that the body will be taken to Shivaji Park for people to pay homage.

    The 92-year-old playback singer had tested Covid positive with mild symptoms and was admitted on January 8 to Breach Candy Hospital’s intensive care unit.

    Mangeshkar’s condition had improved in January and she had been taken off the ventilator but her health deteriorated again on Saturday.

    Regarded as one of Indian cinema’s greatest playback singers, Mangeshkar started her career in Marathi movies at the age of 13 in 1942 and has sung over 30,000 songs in various Indian languages.

    Aayega Aanewala from the 1948 movie Mahal was one of her early hits. In her over seven-decade career, she has sung a host of memorable tracks, including Ajeeb dastan hai ye from Dil apna aur preet parayi and Pyar kiya to darna kya from Mughal-e-Azam.

    On January 27, 1963, she sang the C Ramachandra-composed Aye mere watan ke logon before then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The song, which saluted the bravehearts who had laid down their lives in the India-China war, was said to have brough Nehru to tears.

    The singer — known as Melody Queen of India — has been given the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, as well as the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan and the Dada Saheb Phalke Award.

    (More details awaited)

  • Modi left farmers on road amid Covid, Congress won’t ever do that: Rahul Gandhi

    By PTI

    UDHAM SINGH NAGAR: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of leaving farmers on roads for a year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said his party will never do that.

    Addressing a virtual rally in Kichha here ahead of the upcoming Uttarakhand Assembly polls, the Congress leader also said India does not have a prime minister but a king who expects the public to keep quiet when he takes a decision.

    Gandhi said the Congress will not shut its doors on farmers, youths, labourers or the poor and it wants a partnership with them. Elections to the 70-member Uttarakhand Assembly will be held on February 14.

  • Over 34 lakh eligible adolescents given second dose of COVID-19 vaccine: Government

    The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination has commenced from January 3 this year for adolescents in the age group of 15-18 years.

  • Active COVID-19 cases in country dip to 14,35,569

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: India added 1,49,394 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total virus tally to 4,19,52,712, while the active cases further declined to 14,35,569, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

    The death toll climbed to 5,00,055 with 1,072 fresh fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 3.42 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate improved to 95.39 per cent, the ministry said.

    A reduction of 98,352 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

    The daily positivity rate was recorded at 9.27 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was recorded at 12.03 per cent, according to the ministry.

    The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,00,17,088, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.

    The cumulative doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive has exceeded 168.47 crore.

    India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

    It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19. India crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23. The 1,072 new fatalities include 601 from Kerala and 75 from Maharashtra.

    Of the 601 deaths in Kerala, 36 were reported in the last 24 hours, 124 were those which occurred in the last few days but were not recorded due to late receipt of documents and 441 were designated as Covid deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court, the state government said on Thursday.

    A total of 5,00,055 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 1,42,859 from Maharashtra, 56,701 from Kerala, 39,197 from Karnataka, 37,666 from Tamil Nadu, 25,932 from Delhi, 23,277 from Uttar Pradesh and 20,723 from West Bengal.

    The ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities. “Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.