Coronavirus | India records its highest single-day fatality toll
The Hindu
About 24.59 lakh daily vaccine doses were administered in the country in the 24 hours ending 7 a.m. on Friday.
India recorded more than 4,000 new COVID-19 related deaths for the first time on a single day, with 4,047 fresh fatalities as of 9.30 p.m. on Friday. The country also recorded 3,95,013 new COVID-19 cases on Friday. India has so far reported a total of 2,18,79,357 cases and 2,38,113 deaths. Maharashtra reported 54,022 infections, followed by Karnataka (48,781), and Kerala (38,460). Maharashtra also recorded 898 casualties, followed by Karnataka (592) and U.P. (372).
In , the grape capital of India and host of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela every 12 years, environmental concerns over a plan to cut 1,800 trees for the proposed Sadhugram project in the historic Tapovan area have sharpened political fault lines ahead of local body elections. The issue has pitted both Sena factions against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the ruling Mahayuti alliance in Maharashtra. While Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief, and Uddhav Thackeray, chief of the Shiv Sena (UBT), remain political rivals, their parties have found rare common ground in Tapovan, where authorities propose clearing trees across 34 acres to build Sadhugram and a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) hub, as part of a ₹300-crore infrastructure push linked to the pilgrimage.












