Latest new LIVE: India logs 1,994 new Covid cases, 4 deaths in 24 hours

Diwali, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” is one of the biggest festivals of India, recognised globally. It takes place over the course of five days and is largely celebrated by Hindus. Dhanteras marks day one, while Bhai Dooj marks the final day of the festival. Day three is the main day of the Diwali festival, also known as Lakshmi Puja. This year, the festival is expected to be celebrated in a grand way across the world after two full years of the pandemic. 

With the onset of winters in India, the country, especially the northern part has started to grapple with smog again this year with air quality levels deteriorating to ‘poor’ category ahead of Diwali. According to experts, the major sources of air pollution in India during winter include emissions from stubble burning, firecrackers, vehicles, power generation, industrial waste, biomass combustion for cooking, and the construction sector. 

The pandemic is still far from over in India with 2,112 new infections reported in last 24 hours, the Covid tally of India has reached 4,46,40,748, while the number of active cases declined to 24,043, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday. The death count has climbed to 5,28,957 with four fatalities which includes three deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The active cases comprise 0.05 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.76 per cent, the health ministry said.