India reports 8,635 new covid cases, lowest since June

Since October, India has been witnessing a drop in the cases recorded each day. Scientists and health experts say while the worst may be behind us, we are still quite a distance from the end.

During the Mann ki Baat address on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country is “undertaking the world’s biggest Covid Vaccine Programme”, and “we are vaccinating our citizens faster than anywhere in the world”. The beginning of this year “marks the completion of almost one year of our battle against Corona”, Modi said. And “just as India’s fight against Corona became an example, our vaccination programme too is turning out to be exemplary to the world”. The “Made in India vaccine” is a “symbol of India’s self-reliance” and “self-pride”, Modi said.

In other news, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allotted Rs 35,000 crore for coronavirus vaccines in the country as part of the newly launched Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana during the Budget presentation on Monday. Sitharaman further announced that she was committed to spending more if needed. Keeping in mind the pandemic, she also said that the country’s health budget has been hiked by 138 per cent since last year, and is currently at Rs 2,23,846 crore.