Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said coronavirus outbreaks has provided an opportunity for India to become self-reliant and announced a Rs 20 lakh crore package for the purpose.

Addressing the nation on the COVID-19 outbreak, Modi said the crisis that an unprecedented crisis has emerged but in this battle, we not only need to protect ourselves but also have to keep moving forward.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday indicated that the nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of novel coronavirus will be extended but will have completely different contours and rules.

In a televised address to the nation, Modi said that Lockdown 4.0 will be completely different from those seen yet in its guidelines and rules.

India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki on Tuesday resumed operations at its Manesar plant in Haryana after about 50 days of closure due to the coronavirus-enforced lockdown.

The company has initiated the work on a single shift basis.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) is the latest carmaker to restart operations in the third phase of the nationwide lockdown which began on May 4 and will last till May 17.

After the successful first phase of 'Vande Bharat Mission' to repatriate stranded Indian citizens abroad, the government has planned 149 more flights to 31 countries between May 16 and May 22 during the second phase of mega repatriation effort.

Air India is planning to operate 149 repatriation flights to evacuate Indian citizens from 31 countries, officials said.

A high-powered committee constituted by the Maharashtra government has recommended the release of around 17,000 inmates from jails across the state to decongest prisons amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Around 50% of state's prisoners will be released on emergency parole amid fears that the coronavirus may spread to Maharashtra's prisons.

A team of researchers in Chennai’s National Hub for Healthcare Instrumentation Development (NHHID) have come up with a Bluetooth-based thermometer that can not only detect fever but also communicate with a smartphone app and share the location. It is meant to aid authorities in identifying and isolating clusters of cases where fever are prevalent. After development, prototyping and preliminary testing, the initial batch of 1000 thermometers is being manufactured.

A special train departed from New Delhi Railway Station for Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh with 1072 passengers, the first passenger train during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown as the Railways moves towards gradually resuming the operation.

New Delhi-Bilaspur Rajdhani Superfast train (No-02442) is the first of 30 trains (15 pairs) to operate as special trains as Railways moves towards resuming the full services.

The government on Monday released Rs 6,195.08 crore to 14 states as the second equated monthly instalment of the Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant as recommended by the Finance Commission.

This would provide them additional resources during the coronavirus crisis, the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to address the nation tonight at 8 PM, one day after his six-hour meeting the Chief Ministers of all states on Monday. The Prime Minister is expected to inform citizens about the next stage in the exit from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-necessitated nationwide lockdown, which is supposed to end on May 17.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Modi took feedback from the states on further easing of restrictions on activities while gradually restarting economic activities in a phased manner.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in India crossed the 70,000-mark on Tuesday, while the death toll is nearing the 2,300-mark. At 9 AM on this day, the COVID-19 tally in this country has reached 70,756 cases, which includes 46,008 active cases, 22,455 cured, discharged or migrated patients, and 2,293 deaths.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as many as 3,604 new COVID-19 cases and 87 deaths were reported in the country in the last 24 hours, marking a significant spike.

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