Breaking News: June 21, 2020 | As it happened

Maharashtra reported 3,870 new cases and 101 deaths today. The total positive cases stand at 1,32,075 including 65,744 recovered, 60,147 active cases, and 6170 deaths.

62 new COVID-19 cases and 2 recovered cases reported in Jharkhand today. The total number of cases in the state is now at 2,089, including 672 active cases, 1,406 recovered, and 11 deaths.

Today 1,242 new COVID-19 positive cases and 41 deaths have been reported in Mumbai. The total positive cases stand at 66,507 including 3,669 deaths, 33,491 discharged and 29,347 active cases.

Madhya Pradesh reported 179 new COVID-19 cases and 14 deaths today. The total number of positive cases stand at 11,903 including 515 deaths, 9,015 discharged and 515 deaths.

Rajasthan reports 393 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths till 8.30 pm today. The total number of cases rise to 14,930 including 2,984 active cases, 349 deaths, and 11,355 discharges.

412 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Haryana today, taking the total number of cases to 10,635.

Punjab reported 122 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 4,074. The death toll rises to 99 after one death was reported today. Till date, 2,700 patients have been discharged.

122 fresh cases have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir today - 20 from Jammu division and 102 from the Kashmir division. The total number cases stand at 5,956 including 2,492 active cases, 3,382 recovered, and 82 deaths.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Himachal Pradesh stands at 662 now, including 237 active cases, 406 recovered, and 6 deaths.

Tamil Nadu reported the highest single-day spike of 2,532 COVID-19 cases, 53 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases stands at 59,377. There are 25,863 active cases now in the state. The death toll rises to 757.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Chandigarh is now 404, including 82 active cases, 6 deaths, and 316 cured cases.

133 more COVID-19 cases reported in Kerala today. The total number of active cases in the state is now at 1,490, recovered cases at 1,659.

88 new COVID-19 positive cases and 1 death recorded in the last 24 hours in Maharashtra Police, taking the total number of positive cases and deaths to 4,048 and 47 deaths respectively.

Uttarakhand detected 23 new COVID-19 positive cases today, taking total positive cases in the state to 2,324.

The Supreme Court's decision to stay Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra, one of the most popular festivals of Hindus, this year in view of the COVID-19
pandemic has left the multitude of artisans connected to the construction of the grand chariots in tears.

The makers of the gigantic chariots, which is pulled  by lakhs of devotees, include a number of biswakarmas (carpenters), blacksmiths, roopakaras (painters), darzis (tailors) and 'Bhoi' servitors who supply logs to the carpenters who have been connected to it for generations.

The nine-day Rath Yatra festival in this seaside pilgrim town will begin on June 23 and the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee and the servitors of the 12th-century shrine have urged the Odisha government to file a fresh application in the Supreme Court, seeking modification
of its order.

"Never before I have seen such a situation when chariots will not be used even after being completed. I have been engaged in chariot making since childhood. My father and grandfather also made chariots for the deities," said 65-year-old Narasingha Mahapatra, the chief carpenter of Lord Balabhadra's chariot 'Taladhwaja'.

With tears rolling down his cheeks, Narasingha Mahapatra asked, "What was the point in putting us through corona tests and keeping us in isolation if the chariots will not roll on Bada Danda (Grand Road in front of the shrine)? I cannot tolerate such a situation."

PTI 

Monsoon clouds hover above Kolkata's iconic Howrah Bridge on river Hooghly.

The Southwest Monsoon has advanced towards West Bengal, Bihar and Eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh. Light to moderate rainfall is expected in several areas in the region, IMD has predicted. Cloudy sky were seen in various West Bengal towns like Howrah, Kolkata, Burdwan, Bankura and ajoining areas. 

Hello and welcome to today's live coverage of coronavirus news as well as the rest of the breaking news from India and across the world with me, Sidhant Mamtany and my colleagues Himanshu Shekhar, Shashwat  Bhandari, Vani Mehrotra, Priya Jaiswal, Sushmita Panda and Rashi Hardaha. You can get in touch with us directly on twitter  @himaanshus, @ShashBhandari  @vani_mehrotra , @priyajais, @SidMamtany, and  @rashihardaha for news, tips, photos, questions and comments. Stay tuned to Indiatvnews.com (@indiatvnews) for all the latest updates on what's happening around the world. 

Here's a quick overview: 

The total number of global cases has surpassed  8.9 million, including more than 465,000 fatalities. More than 4,738,000 patients are reported to have recovered.

Worst Impacted countries

Apart from India, the countries worst impacted by COVID-19 are,