Breaking News August 13, 2020 | As it happened

570 new COVID-19 positive cases have been reported in Goa today taking the total number of cases to 10,494 including 3,491 active cases, 6,912 recovered cases, and 91 deaths. 

793 new COVID-19 cases reported in Haryana today, taking the total number of cases to 44,817. 

1,092 positive cases of  COVID-19 and 18 deaths reported in Gujarat in the last 24 hours. The state tally rises to 75,482 including 14,310 active cases 58,439 cured/discharged and 2,733 deaths. 

2,997 new COVID-19 positive cases, 2,497 discharges, and 56 deaths reported in West Bengal today. The total number of cases now at 1,07,323 including 26,447 active cases, 2,259  deaths and 78,617 discharges. 

91 new COVID-19 positive cases and one death reported in Chandigarh today. The total number of cases now at 1842 and the death toll is at 27. 

1,200 new COVID-19 cases, 884 recoveries, and 48 deaths reported in Mumbai today. The total positive cases in Mumbai increase to 1,27,571. including 19,332 active cases, 1,00,954 recoveries and 6,988 deaths till date. The recovery rate is 79%. 

1,014 new COVID-19 positive cases and 17 deaths reported in Madhya Pradesh today. The total number of cases now at 42,618 including 9,718 active cases, 31,835 recoveries, and 1,065 deaths. 

11,813 new COVID-19 cases, 9,115 recoveries and 413 deaths reported in Maharashtra today, taking the total number of cases in the state to 5,60,126, including 1,49,798 active cases, 3,90,958 cured cases and 19,063 till date. 

416 new COVID-19 cases and 327 treated/cured cases reported in Uttarakhand today. The total number of cases in the state stands at 11,302, including 4,103 active cases, 7,014 recoveries and 143 deaths. 

5,835 new COVID-19 positive cases, 5,146 discharges, and 119 deaths have been reported in Tamil Nadu today. The total number of cases now at 3,20,355 including 53,499 active cases, 2,61,459 discharges and  5,397 deaths. 

Statues of BSP chief Mayawati installed at Bahujan Samaj (BSP) Prerna Kendra in Lucknow.

• Taxpayers charter is also a big step in the country's development journey: PM Modi

• There was a time when there used to be a lot of talk about reforms. Sometimes decisions were taken out of compulsion or pressure and were called reforms. Due to this, the desired results could not be achieved. Now this thinking & approach, both have changed: PM Narendra Modi

• This will reduce the government intervention in the life of a common man. Today, every law, every policy has been taken out of power centric approach and has been converted into people-centric approach: PM Modi

• I congratulate everyone for this: PM Modi
• This is being done to assure the taxpayer of fairness and fearlessness: PM Modi
• Faceless appeal will be launched on 25 September while the other two will be available from today itself: PM Modi
• Structural reforms in the country have reached a milestone today. In this platform, faceless assessment, faceless appeal and taxpayers charter are included: PM Modi
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaking on the taxpayers' reforms.

India's coronavirus case tally has spiked by 66,999 cases in the last 24 hours. As per the latest data issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), India's COVID-19 case tally has surged to 23,96,638 out of which, 16,95,982 people have recovered while 6,53,622 are still suffering from the virus. COVID-19 death toll in India has gone past 47,000 with a single day jump of 942. Check detailed figures

"My Father Shri Pranab Mukherjee is still alive & haemodynamically stable," tweeted Abhijit Mukherjee today morning.

Abhijit's tweet comes amidst rumors since yesterday on social media platforms about Pranab Mukherjee's death.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee continues to be on ventilatory support. Army R&R Hospital said that Mukherjee is deeply comatose with stable vital parameters. 

Behold, the flag of independent India is born! It has been made sacred by the blood of young Indians who sacrificed their lives in its honour. In the name of this flag, I appeal to lovers of freedom all over the world to support this struggle.

Read the full report on life and time of Bhikaji Rustam Cama -- Here

Nobody is talking about the extremely serious COVID-19 situation in Mexico. While little less than half a million coronavirus cases might seem normal to some considering countries like India, Brazil are much further ahead, let alone the USA, which has over 10 times the number of cases, the death ratio of Mexico is alarming even in the best-case scenario. Mexico has had over 54,000 deaths reports, which puts it at number 3 only behind USA and Brazil. If you compare that to the number of cases it has, over 10 per cent of COVID-19 patients in Mexico have died. This is much more serious situation than is being let on. 

If we talk about the closed COVID-19 cases in the country, over 14 per cent people have succumbed to the illness. 

The residents of Delhi-NCR woke up to a rainy morning and the pleasant rains are likely to continue over the next few hours.

India is remembering Bhikaji Rustom Cama on her birth anniversary today. Bhikaji Cama holds a distinct place in India's freedom struggle. She championed the cause of Indian Independence on foreign soil. The British government once asked her to sign an agreement that she would not engage in nationalistic activities on return to India from London. Cama refused. She went to Paris. Formed the Paris India Society and continued to galvanise the Indians abroad or people supporting India's democratic peaceful struggle for Independence diaspora for more vocal support to India's Independence Movement. 

On 22 August 1907, Cama attended the second Socialist Congress at Stuttgart, Germany, where she described the devastating effects of a famine that had struck the Indian subcontinent. She made an appeal for India's autonomy and hoisted a flag that came to be known as the "Flag of Indian Independence".

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat, while weighing in on the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan has said that swadeshi does not mean boycotting foreign goods. He emphasised on the need for a third model of development and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about self-reliant India on this basis itself. Read Full Report

Trump relaxes rules for H-1B visa ban; will now allow visa holders to enter US on conditions. Read full story here

A meeting of the National Expert Group on the COVID-19 vaccine took place yesterday after which the health ministry said that India will strive for domestic manufacturing capacity of the vaccine besides engaging with all international manufacturers for early delivery of vaccines not only for domestic use but also to provide for other low-income countries. Read Full Report