As Covid-19 cases rise again in India, an RT-PCR test has been made compulsory for ministers who are meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This step was taken after active Covid cases in the country crossed the 7,000 mark, sources told India Today TV.

According to an official statement released by the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday, India recorded 306 new Covid cases and six deaths in the last 24 hours.

Among the six deaths, three were reported from Kerala, while Maharashtra recorded one and Karnataka reported two deaths during the same period.

Kerala recorded the highest number of daily cases with 170 new infections, taking its total active cases to 2,223. Gujarat reported 114 new cases and has 1,223 active infections. Karnataka logged 100 new cases, with 459 active cases overall.

Delhi reported 66 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, taking its total active Covid cases to 757, the Health Ministry said.

 Delegation visited over 30 countries

After the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, in which 26 tourists were killed, the Indian government launched Operation Sindoor on May 7. As part of this response, India sent out seven all-party delegations across the world to present its stand against terrorism.

These delegations included MPs from different political parties, former ambassadors, and senior former government officials. In total, over 50 people visited more than 30 countries, explaining India's policy of zero tolerance against terrorism.

Some of the well-known MPs who were part of the teams include Supriya Sule (NCP-SCP), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), and Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM).

Each group visited a specific region of the world:

  • Group 1 (led by BJP’s Baijayant Panda): Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Algeria
  • Group 2 (led by BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad): UK, France, Germany, EU, Italy, Denmark
  • Group 3 (led by JD(U)’s Sanjay Kumar Jha): Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore
  • Group 4 (led by Shiv Sena’s Shrikant Shinde): UAE, Liberia, Congo, Sierra Leone
  • Group 5 (led by Congress’ Shashi Tharoor): US, Panama, Guyana, Brazil, Colombia
  • Group 6 (led by DMK’s Kanimozhi): Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, Russia
  • Group 7 (led by NCP-SCP’s Supriya Sule): Egypt, Qatar, Ethiopia, South Africa

The delegations explained how Pakistan supports terrorism and asked world governments to consider putting Pakistan on the FATF grey list.

During Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army carried out targeted strikes on terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing over 100 terrorists from groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

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