Here are the top developments: 1 India Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said India is doing better compared to other countries on all parameters in its fight against Covid-19 and should be able to win this decisive war in the coming few weeks.

The rate at which Covid-19 cases has been doubling in India is slower than several other countries such as the US, Italy, Spain and the UK which have been hit hard by the pandemic, according to official sources. In terms of mortality rate too, India fared better than these developed nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a "comprehensive" meeting to discuss strategies to attract more foreign investments into India as well as to promote local investments in order to give a boost to the economy against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

All states and Union territories will have to "strictly follow" the home ministry's latest guidelines allowing cross-country movement of stranded migrant workers, students and pilgrims during the lockdown, a senior official said.

The MHA made it clear that no separate passes are required for inter-state movement of trucks -- those carrying goods or returning after delivery -- during the lockdown and licence of the driver is enough.

The RBI permitted banks to file regulatory returns with a delay of up to 30 days from the due date as several entities face difficulties in timely submission in view of the disruptions on account of the coronavirus outbreak.

The government sought suggestions on methods of resource mobilisation from captains of the automobile industry, who raised several demands for a financial package to overcome the impact of the Covid-induced lockdown.

The Supreme Court refused to pass any direction on changing treatment guidelines for seriously ill Covid-19 patients who are receiving a combination of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine and antibiotic azithromycin, saying that it is not an expert on the matter.

The US government, through its aid agency USAID, has announced an additional grant of USD 3 million to help India combat the coronavirus pandemic. To date, USAID has provided USD 5.9 million to assist India in responding to the Covid-19 outbreak. 2 States Tamil Nadu: Covid-19 pandemic continued surge in Tamil Nadu with 161 fresh cases, the highest for a single day so far, as the total rose to 2,323.

UP: Uttar Pradesh reported 69 fresh coronavirus cases, taking the total number of Covid-19 cases in the state to 2,203.

Delhi: Till now, Delhi has recorded 3,439 cases of coronavirus and 56 fatalities.

Tripura: The state government is not considering withdrawal of the ongoing lockdown in near future but will weigh options to relax some restrictions in a phased manner.

Rajasthan: The death toll due to the coronavirus pandemic rose to 58 in Rajasthan with 3 fatalities, while the number of cases climbed to 2,556 after 118 more people tested positive in the state.

Chhattisgarh: Two more people tested positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh, taking the total number of cases in the state to 40.

Karnataka: As many as 30 new Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of cases to 565.

Assam: Four persons, including two women, tested positive for Covid-19 in Assam's Bongaigaon district, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 41.

Andhra Pradesh: Seventy-one fresh Covid-19 cases were reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the total to 1,403.

Meghalaya: The Meghalaya government declared 10 of the state's 11 districts as 'green zones' and allowed inter-district movement there. All the 12 coronavirus cases in the state, including one death, have been reported in the state capital that falls under East Khasi Hills district.

Odisha: Seventeen people, including 7 women and three children, tested positive for coronavirus in Jajpur district of Odisha, taking the total number of Covid-19 cases in the state to 142.

J&K: Thirteen more people have tested positive of the coronavirus in Kashmir division, taking the number of Covid-19 patients in J&K to 614.

West Bengal: Eleven more people died of Covid-19 in West Bengal, taking the death toll in the state to 33. Currently, West Bengal has 572 active cases.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands: With one more person recovering from coronavirus, the total number of Covid-19 positive cases in the Union territory is now at 17.

Haryana: 18 more Covid-19 cases have been reported from Haryana, taking the state's tally of coronavirus cases to 329.

Punjab: The state reported 105 cases of Covid-19, taking the total number of cases to 480, out of which 356 cases are active.

Uttarakhand: Two new Covid-19 positive cases were reported in Uttarakhand pushing the total number of positive cases in the state to 57.

Chandigarh: The UT reported 7 new Covid-19 positive cases, taking the total number of positive cases to 74.

Maharashtra: Till now, a total of 9,915 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported from Maharashtra, out of which 1,593 are cured.

Bihar: The state reported 13 new Covid-19 positive cases, taking the total number of positive cases to 422 in Bihar.

Telangana: So far, 1,012 have been reported in the state, out of which 367 have been cured.

Arunachal Pradesh: Arunachal Pradesh health minister Alo Libang inaugurated the state's first laboratory at a hospital for conducting Covid-19 tests. 3 World The new coronavirus has killed at least 227,482 people since the outbreak first emerged in December. More than 3,180,800 cases were registered in 193 countries and territories.

As many as 35 of the 50 US states affected by the coronavirus pandemic have unveiled formal reopening plans, as President Donald Trump expressed confidence that "much better days" are ahead for the country. So far, 61,000 Americans have lost their lives due to the coronavirus and over 10 lakh people have tested positive.

Iran's health ministry said that 71 new fatalities from the coronavirus took the country's overall death toll past the 6,000 mark.

Spain counted another 268 people who have died from the coronavirus, the lowest daily number since March 20 as the country prepares to ease its tough lockdown measures. The figures bring the total number of deaths from the pandemic in Spain to 24,543.

The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa surged past the 5,000-mark after it recorded the highest single-day jump. There had been a 73% daily increase in confirmed Covid-19 infections, with 354 new cases taking the total to 5,350.

Russia's coronavirus caseload surpassed 100,000, with the number of deaths exceeding 1,000. The country reported a daily spike of 7,099 new confirmed cases, which brought the country's total to 106,498.

Singapore announced 528 new coronavirus cases, taking the total number of infections in the country to 16,169.

South Korea said that it has recorded no new domestic cases of coronavirus infections, for the first time since the outbreak began to worsen in February. The nation-wide tally of positive Covid-19 cases so far stands at 10,765, while the death toll is 247 in the country.

Yemen has registered the first two coronavirus-related fatalities. On April 10, Yemen reported its first Covid-19 case in the eastern province of Hadramaut. On Wednesday, the tally of infections increased to six after five more cases were confirmed in Aden.

Italy said it would reopen two of its shuttered airports next week, Ciampino in Rome and Peretola in Florence. Italy has the second highest toll with 27,682 deaths out of 203,591 cases.

NEW DELHI: Six hundred and thirty Covid-19 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours, taking the recovery rate to 25.19 per cent in the country, said the Union ministry of health. The recovery rate coronavirus cases stands at 25.19%, which was 13.06% 14 days ago. The fatality rate is 3.2%. Meanwhile, the death toll due to Covid-19 rose to 1,075 and the number of cases climbed to 33,610 in the country, registering an increase of 67 deaths and 1,823 cases since Wednesday evening, according to the Union health ministry.