India

Raipur, Mar 23 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh government on Monday ordered suspension of public and private buses, auto and e-rickshaws and taxis with immediate effect.

A letter announcing this was sent by state Transport Commissioner Kamalpreet Singh, an official statement here said.

New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) The total number of COVID-19 cases in the country surged to 415, a spike from the 360 figure the night before, the Health Ministry said on Monday.

The figure includes 41 foreign nationals and seven deaths.

NEW DELHI, March 23 (NNN-BERNAMA) — India’s capital of 20 million people began a week-long lockdown on Monday as the country adopted more drastic measures to control the coronavirus outbreak.

“Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Delhi will be under lockdown until March 31,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) The total number of novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 341 on Sunday after fresh cases were reported from various parts of the country, the Union Health Ministry said.

The total includes 41 foreign nationals and five deaths, the latest being reported from Maharashtra, taking the death toll in the state to two.

Noida (UP), Mar 22 (PTI) The services of the Noida-Greater Noida metro have been suspended till March 31 with immediate effect due to the coronavirus outbreak, officials said on Sunday.

The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC), which operates the Aqua Line, has also announced suspension of its city bus services for the same duration.

Azamgarh (UP), Mar 21 (PTI) Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former MP Ramakant Yadav has been booked for giving misleading statements pertaining to COVID-19, police said on Saturday.

"The government is spreading rumours on coronavirus to divert attention from NRC, CAA, unemployment and price rise, so that people do not protest against the government," Yadav said at the party office here on Friday.

Nashik, Mar 21 PTI) The sale of liquor was banned from Saturday till further orders in Nashik after the Epidemic Diseases Act and Disaster Management Act were invoked to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Saturday.

The order to close bars, including those located in five star hotels and resorts, and liquor shops from 6pm on Saturday till further notice was issued by Collector Suraj Mandhare, he said.

New Delhi, Mar 21 (PTI) Twenty-two rebel Congress MLAs, whose resignations from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly had led to the fall of the Kamal Nath government, joined the BJP on Saturday, national general secretary of the party Kailash Vijayvargiya said.

These leaders, along with Jyotiraditya Scindia, met BJP president J P Nadda, who welcomed their decision to join the saffron party.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to field them in the bypolls necessitated by their resignations.

New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) Millions of people across the country stayed indoors, streets wore a deserted look and bare number of vehicles were on the road on Sunday in an unprecedented shutdown on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for a 'Janata curfew' to help check the spread of coronavirus.

As the 14-hour 'Janata curfew' got underway at 7 am, people kept themselves indoors as part of the social distancing exercise to help stop the spread of the virus.

New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) An unidentified man allegedly opened fire and hurled a petrol bomb at the empty protest site outside the Jamia Millia Islamia on Sunday, according to officials and students of the university.

The Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), comprising current and former students of the university, had temporarily suspended its sit-in protest against the new citizenship law on Saturday in view of the coronavirus outbreak.