Top Universities in India 2023: The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) Rankings 2023 released today. This time, too, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru has topped the university rankings followed by JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia. IISc Bangalore has been adjudged at the number two position in the overall category.In 2022 too, IISc Bengaluru topped the university rankings with a score of 83.57, followed by Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (68.47 score) and Jamia Millia Islamia ( 65.91 score) at the second and third spot respectively.Last year, Jamia Millia Islamia improved its rankings dramatically as it jumped from rank 6 in 2021 to rank 3 in 2022 by replacing Banaras Hindu University which slipped to rank 6 in 2022.Last year, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham ranked fifth with a score of 63.40, followed by BHU, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal at the seventh spot with a score of 62.84.In 2021, Calcutta University was ranked fourth, which slumped to rank 8 in 2022 rankings. Vellore Institute of Technology and the University of Hyderabad ranked ninth and tenth in last year’s rankings.
NIRF Overall Ranking List 2023: The Ministry of Education today announced the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking for the year 2023. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is the best educational institute under the overall category this year followed by IISc Bangalore and IIT-Delhi.“Dr Radhakrishnan committee was set up by the Education Ministry to look into assessment accreditation parameters. Data for all educational institutions will be available at fingertips. One nation one data underway,” says Anil Sahasrabuddhe.“We started NIRF with four categories. The aim was to improve the quality of higher education and help students make decisions. With the 8th edition, we now have 12 categories including 8 subject-specific rankings,” says Anil Kumar Nassa, member secretary of NBA (which prepares NIRF), at the event marking the release of NIRF rankings this morningThis year, NIRF has added one new discipline namely, Agriculture and Allied Sectors. Also, architecture discipline has been renamed as Architecture and Planning.Last year, there were only four categories– Overall, Colleges, Universities and Research Institutions and seven subject domains– Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Law, Medical, Architecture and Dental.In NIRF 2022 rankings, IISc Bangalore ranked first amongst all institutions under research and universities category, it ranked second in the overall ranking. IIT Madras secured the first position in the overall ranking category.Meanwhile, IIM Ahmedabad was the top ranked management college. Last year, around 670 institutions participated in the rankings out of which 387 had no research publications.
Lionel Messi is no stranger to Saudi Arabia. More than a decade ago, he visited the country for a friendly match. In subsequent years, he made numerous visits for friendlies and glorified friendlies (2019 Superclasico de las Americas) for club and country. Last year, he penned a lucrative (which goes without saying) contract to be their tourism ambassador. The unveiling ceremony happened in Jeddah, the port city on the shores of the Red Sea. This year, he spent a week with the family in the country, exploring Al-Turaif, the 300-year-old Unesco World Heritage Site in Diriyah, attending a traditional wedding, diligently and aggressively photographed and tweeted by tourism minister Ahmed al-Khateeb. In another two months, his ties with the country could get firmer as he could receive a $400 million per year offer to join Saudi club Al-Hilal. Perhaps, citizenship too in the future.It’s understandable, the rich need the famous. The kingdom needs a global sporting identity. They have none. They don’t have time to make one either. So just buy the most famous sporting specimen in the world, which is Messi. The Argentine is not bothered by what they would say or how they would perceive him. Forget the activists, the “wokes” and communists. There is little obligation for a sportsman to embrace a politically correct path, or to ride a moral high horse. Diplomacy is the more practical virtue.🔝👟 Congratulations to Leo Messi, best passer of the season in #Ligue1!#HistoryIsMadeInParis pic.twitter.com/Vbo5Vt7rig— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) June 3, 2023Only a few truly great athletes are sensitive to social and moral concerns. Mohammad Ali was one, Jesse was another: Pele and Usain Bolt were not. Perhaps, Ali and Owens were aberrations. The demands of modern sport is such that theirs is a cocooned existence, their life trapped in four walls of an arena, glory and adulation their drug. Often, it’s the less great athletes that turn activists or stand for a cause (Megan Rapinoe and Marcus Rashford for example).Maybe, Messi is truly ignorant of the politics of the country he was endorsing. But before he was unveiled, the families of political prisoners sent him a letter organised by human rights advocacy body Grant Liberty to refuse the offer. “If you say ‘yes’ to Visit Saudi you are in effect saying yes to all the human rights abuses that take place today in modern Saudi Arabia,” read the letter, which was first published in February 2021. “But if you say ‘no’ you will send an equally powerful message – that human rights matter, that decency matters, that those who torture and murder do not do so with impunity. The world must stand up to those who trample on others. The Saudi regime wants to use you to launder its reputation.”Their voices went unheard and unheeded. Maybe, there was external pressure, maybe he truly did not care, maybe the lure of the lucre was irresistible. None of these would, at the end of the day, affect Messi’s fame, or his place among the great athletes of all time. But by happenstance or not, Messi is emerging as the face and scale of the ambition of rich and powerful Middle Eastern states. For two years, he was part of PSG, purchased by Qatar to beautify its image before the World Cup. Messi was on the payroll of a Qatar-owned club when the country hosted the World Cup. It is difficult to see him playing football in 2030, the year Saudi is striving to host the World Cup, but it is not hard to imagine that Messi would still be the poster-boy of the tournament, or even the glittering face of it. Maybe, he would hand over the trophy to the winners, clad in the traditional Middle Eastern cloak. It’s like you need Messi to host the World Cup, either as their ambassador or playing for the club they are pay-rolling.Messi lifting the trophy with the black bisht, thin and see-through, wrapped over his Argentina shirt by the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, could well be a symbolic moment. A symbol of vaulting sporting ambition, to promote a sport-loving, outward-facing image, a thick coat of paint to wash over their supposed conservative image.To a large extent, it worked in Qatar. Lazy stereotypes were busted, Qatar gained acceptance and won a lot of love. Saudi would believe the ploy of making Messi its tourism ambassador could be a perception breaker. The country should not be projected as some kind of evil. It has money and resources, it wants to remould its image, and for that it seeks some of the most recognizable faces in the world. Football stars are the safest bet too.So Messi could shutter down his glorious career in Saudi. As would Ronaldo, who is already playing in the Saudi league. Other greats in the sunset of their career could join them, and make Saudi an unlikely destination for the semi-retired titans. It’s not because Saudi wants to improve the standard of the league, or the game in the country, but to create a brand and image, just as it was for Qatar when it acquired majority stakes in PSG. Had the intention been to construct a world-beating club, they would have aspired to create a system and structure, and not make an aimless ensemble of expensive players. And there’s no bigger brand or powerful image-builder in the world than Messi. If any, Messi’s real association with Saudi might have just begun, and that makes him neither a saint nor a devil.
Lionel Messi is no stranger to Saudi Arabia. More than a decade ago, he visited the country for a friendly match. In subsequent years, he made numerous visits for friendlies and glorified friendlies (2019 Superclasico de las Americas) for club and country. Last year, he penned a lucrative (which goes without saying) contract to be their tourism ambassador. The unveiling ceremony happened in Jeddah, the port city on the shores of the Red Sea. This year, he spent a week with the family in the country, exploring Al-Turaif, the 300-year-old Unesco World Heritage Site in Diriyah, attending a traditional wedding, diligently and aggressively photographed and tweeted by tourism minister Ahmed al-Khateeb. In another two months, his ties with the country could get firmer as he could receive a $400 million per year offer to join Saudi club Al-Hilal. Perhaps, citizenship too in the future.It’s understandable, the rich need the famous. The kingdom needs a global sporting identity. They have none. They don’t have time to make one either. So just buy the most famous sporting specimen in the world, which is Messi. The Argentine is not bothered by what they would say or how they would perceive him. Forget the activists, the “wokes” and communists. There is little obligation for a sportsman to embrace a politically correct path, or to ride a moral high horse. Diplomacy is the more practical virtue.🔝👟 Congratulations to Leo Messi, best passer of the season in #Ligue1!#HistoryIsMadeInParis pic.twitter.com/Vbo5Vt7rig— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) June 3, 2023Only a few truly great athletes are sensitive to social and moral concerns. Mohammad Ali was one, Jesse was another: Pele and Usain Bolt were not. Perhaps, Ali and Owens were aberrations. The demands of modern sport is such that theirs is a cocooned existence, their life trapped in four walls of an arena, glory and adulation their drug. Often, it’s the less great athletes that turn activists or stand for a cause (Megan Rapinoe and Marcus Rashford for example).Maybe, Messi is truly ignorant of the politics of the country he was endorsing. But before he was unveiled, the families of political prisoners sent him a letter organised by human rights advocacy body Grant Liberty to refuse the offer. “If you say ‘yes’ to Visit Saudi you are in effect saying yes to all the human rights abuses that take place today in modern Saudi Arabia,” read the letter, which was first published in February 2021. “But if you say ‘no’ you will send an equally powerful message – that human rights matter, that decency matters, that those who torture and murder do not do so with impunity. The world must stand up to those who trample on others. The Saudi regime wants to use you to launder its reputation.”Their voices went unheard and unheeded. Maybe, there was external pressure, maybe he truly did not care, maybe the lure of the lucre was irresistible. None of these would, at the end of the day, affect Messi’s fame, or his place among the great athletes of all time. But by happenstance or not, Messi is emerging as the face and scale of the ambition of rich and powerful Middle Eastern states. For two years, he was part of PSG, purchased by Qatar to beautify its image before the World Cup. Messi was on the payroll of a Qatar-owned club when the country hosted the World Cup. It is difficult to see him playing football in 2030, the year Saudi is striving to host the World Cup, but it is not hard to imagine that Messi would still be the poster-boy of the tournament, or even the glittering face of it. Maybe, he would hand over the trophy to the winners, clad in the traditional Middle Eastern cloak. It’s like you need Messi to host the World Cup, either as their ambassador or playing for the club they are pay-rolling.Messi lifting the trophy with the black bisht, thin and see-through, wrapped over his Argentina shirt by the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, could well be a symbolic moment. A symbol of vaulting sporting ambition, to promote a sport-loving, outward-facing image, a thick coat of paint to wash over their supposed conservative image.To a large extent, it worked in Qatar. Lazy stereotypes were busted, Qatar gained acceptance and won a lot of love. Saudi would believe the ploy of making Messi its tourism ambassador could be a perception breaker. The country should not be projected as some kind of evil. It has money and resources, it wants to remould its image, and for that it seeks some of the most recognizable faces in the world. Football stars are the safest bet too.So Messi could shutter down his glorious career in Saudi. As would Ronaldo, who is already playing in the Saudi league. Other greats in the sunset of their career could join them, and make Saudi an unlikely destination for the semi-retired titans. It’s not because Saudi wants to improve the standard of the league, or the game in the country, but to create a brand and image, just as it was for Qatar when it acquired majority stakes in PSG. Had the intention been to construct a world-beating club, they would have aspired to create a system and structure, and not make an aimless ensemble of expensive players. And there’s no bigger brand or powerful image-builder in the world than Messi. If any, Messi’s real association with Saudi might have just begun, and that makes him neither a saint nor a devil.
The third G20 tourism working group meeting is set to begin in Srinagar Monday amid elaborate security arrangements. The three-day meeting will see the highest participation of foreign delegates as compared to the two previous meetings, said G20 Chief Coordinator Harshvardhan Shringla Sunday.“We have the highest representation from foreign delegations for the tourism working group meeting in Srinagar, than we have had in the previous working group meetings. Our experience is that in any working group meeting, to get such a large turnout of delegates not only from G20 countries but also from international organisations that are part of the G20 is an incredible process,” Shringla told reporters.At least 60 foreign delegates will participate in the meeting although not all G20 member countries will be participating in it. Singapore has the largest contingent among the member countries attending the meeting, including its High Commissioner Simon Wong.Bangladesh High Commissioner Mustafizur Rahman and South Korean Ambassador Chang Jae-bok are among other senior diplomats expected to attend meetings over the next three days.Highlighting the significance of hosting the event in Srinagar, Shringla said, “If you have to do a working group on tourism in India, we have to do it in Srinagar. There is no option.”This is the first such international event in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019, when it became a Union Territory. The first G20 tourism working group meeting was held in Gujarat and the second in West Bengal.Shringla said the meeting has the broader objectives to present India’s rich and diverse cultural identity to the world and to promote tourism potential of India to the world. “We have tried to bring in the sustainable tourism, eco tourism, adventure tourism themes that are relevant to J&K,” he said.The meeting also aims to strengthen economic growth, preserve cultural heritage, and promote sustainable development of the region. J&K Tourism Secretary Syed Abid Rashid said that 300 new tourist destinations on various tracks are being promoted in J&K to accommodate the burgeoning tourism industry in the region.Sources, meanwhile, said an unprecedented security apparatus has been put in place in Srinagar for the G20 meeting. This includes reinforced CCTV surveillance, anti-drone system, deployment of the elite NSG and elite Marine Commandos and restrictions on civilian movement on key roads.The J&K administration has dropped Gulmarg from the itinerary for security and logistic reasons. Security has been tightened in other parts of the Valley as well to thwart any militant attempt to disrupt law and order.“We have placed a multi-tier security system in place,” a senior police officer told The Indian Express. “While some elite forces from the Centre have arrived in the Valley, the main responsibility of security has been given to police and paramilitary forces. There is an increased coordination between various security and intelligence agencies to prevent any militant design.”Official sources said for the first time, the NSG and Marine Commandos have been deployed to secure the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), the venue for the meeting, and its surrounding areas.While hundreds of security cameras are in place in the city already, the officials said the CCTV surveillance has been reinforced as more cameras have been installed to keep an eye on emerging situations. “The footage from the cameras is being monitored in real time,” the officer said.On Saturday, traffic police issued an advisory restricting the civilian movement on the main road leading to SKICC for three days. All schools in Srinagar will also remain shut from Monday to Wednesday.As a precautionary measure, the security agencies have asked members of the minority community and workers from outside to stay indoors. “With such heavy security bandobast, it is possible that militants might try to choose soft targets like outside workers or minorities,” said another police officer. “That is the reason such an advisory has been issued.”J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha, meanwhile, said the G20 meeting in Srinagar is a “historic opportunity” for people of J&K to showcase their culture, heritage, tourism and warm hospitality.“G20’s third tourism working group meeting starting from May 22 is a historic opportunity for 13 million citizens of J&K to showcase priceless culture, heritage, tourism and warm hospitality. All the citizens should come forward and be a part of this memorable event,” he said in his ‘Awaam Ki Awaaz’ Radio programme, seeking support of the people for the successful conduct of the event.
With Srinagar getting ready to host the third G20 Tourism working group from May 22 — the first such international event being hosted by Jammu and Kashmir since it became a Union Territory in 2019 — some member-states are yet to provide confirmation on attending the three-day meeting.More than 100 delegates, including at least 70 representing G20 member-states, are expected to participate.As per the schedule, the delegates, after holding deliberations with stakeholders in the tourism sector on the first day, will go on a tour of Srinagar. An initial plan to take them to Gulmarg overnight on the second day has been scrapped — sources in police told The Indian Express that besides security concerns, the logistics of taking nearly 150 people to Gulmarg was considered “unfeasible”.Details of the programme are being worked out.ADG (Kashmir), Jammu and Kashmir Police, Vijay Kumar on Thursday said a three-tier security will be provided for the event. Anti-drone technology with the help of NSG and Army personnel will be deployed, and a team of elite MARCOS — or the Marine Commandos — has been brought in to secure the Dal Lake.“Additionally, police, CRPF, BSF and SSB personnel have been deployed in the city to keep the event incident-free,” he said.“The G20 working group meeting in Jammu and Kashmir is a great opportunity for all of us to showcase and promote the Union Territory and its abundant tourism potential to the world,” the UT’s Tourism Secretary, Syed Abid Shah, said.Expressing hope that the event will increase livelihood opportunities for people in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said, “I am confident that it will give a fillip to the tourism sector as well as allied sectors in Jammu and Kashmir and make the world aware of multifarious possibilities of this sector.”The meetings are being held at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre. Cultural programmes representing all regions of Jammu and Kashmir are also being held for the visiting delegates.
MARGAO: A bag containing 40 cartridges belonging to the Indian Reserve Batallion (IRB) that proceeded to Uttar Pradesh from Goa for election duty that was found misplaced on Tuesday, was recovered by Margao police on Wednesday from the roadside at Davorlim. Police sources said that about 900 IRB personnel had departed by an UP-bound train from Margao railway station on Tuesday evening. They were ferried to the Margao railway station by buses. However, it was after the train departed from Margao railway station that the “missing” bag containing cartridges came to their notice. The Railway police were soon alerted, who in turn contacted the Margao town police who launched a search exercise on the routes taken by the buses to ferry the IRB personnel to the railway station. The bag was finally recovered from a roadside at Davorlim on Wednesday. Police surmise that the IRB personnel left the bag containing cartridges after alighting from the buses to proceed to the railway station.
Margao: In a major relief, the 40 live cartridges that were in the possession of IRB personnel headed for poll duty in Uttar Pradesh and had gone missing late on Tuesday night, were found in a gutter near Davorlim circle hardly half km away from the Margao railway station platform on Wednesday morning.Ten companies of IRBpolice personnel left by a train for Delhi from where they will travel to Uttar Pradesh. Four boxeswith each containing 10cartridgeshad gone missing. IRBpersonnel Nansekerhad made an application to the Margao police on Tuesday late night in which he had mentioned thatthe live cartridges in his possession had gone missing.He had reported that the cartridges went missing along the ring road between fire station and Davorlim circle. A search operation was conducted by police.Police teamengaged in the search operationhad visited the Konkan railway station area, checked the CCTV footagebesides parkingareaswhere buseshad dropped the IRBstaff, however, the cartridges were not found.However on Wednesday at around 10 a.m.,the four missing boxeswerefound in a gutter by LIB team of policewhich was also pressed into a search operation. It is still a mystery howthe live cartridges reached the gutter. Investigation is in progress. Police havekept the cartridges in custody after conducting legal formalities.
After a lull of more than a year, the industrial city of Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune is witnessing a rise in Covid positive cases. The city has seen at least 20 cases a day in the last 15 days and there were 203 active cases by Tuesday. Till March 9, the city did not have a single active case.“There is a slight rise in Covid cases in the city. The rise has been seen since last month. We are seeing at least 20 positive cases a day,” said Dr Laxman Gofane, who heads PCMC’s medical department.The PCMC administration, however, said the patients who have tested positive for Covid had mild symptoms. “As a result, many of them are in home isolation. So far, only three patients who had severe symptoms have been hospitalised,” Dr Gofane said.The first Covid case in Maharashtra was reported in Pimpri-Chinchwad on March 10, 2020. Soon after, the city in the next two years registered as many as 4,630 Covid deaths.In view of the anticipated rise in Covid cases, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) said it had issued directions to the medical and health department to keep men and machinery ready to tackle the situation as it emerges. “We are keeping a plan ready to tackle the emerging situation,” the administration said. Last week, Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh held a meeting with top officials and doctors and directed them to keep the infrastructure ready to tackle any rise in the number of Covid patients.The PCMC administration has urged the public to wear masks in crowded places. “Social distancing is mandatory. If anyone has Covid-like symptoms, he should immediately report to the nearest civic hospital,” Dr Gofane said.
India on Wednesday recorded 4,435 new COVID-19 infections, the biggest single-day jump in 163 days (five months and 13 days), while the number of active cases increased to 23,091, according to Union health ministry data.A total of 4,777 cases were recorded on September 25 last year.With the fresh cases, India’s COVID-19 tally climbed to 4.47 crore (4,47,33,719). The death toll increased to 5,30,916 with 15 deaths, the data updated at 8 am stated.Four deaths were reported from Maharashtra; one death each was reported from Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Puducherry and Rajasthan; and four were reconciled by Kerala.At 23,091, the active cases now comprise 0.05 per cent of the total infections. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.76 per cent, according to the health ministry website.The daily positivity rate was recorded at 3.38 per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 2.79 per cent.The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,79,712, while the case fatality rate stood at 1.19 per cent.According to the ministry’s website, 220.66 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
India saw 2,151 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, the highest in five months, according to the data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday at 8 am. Meanwhile, seven deaths were reported with one in Karnataka and three each in Maharashtra and Kerala.As of Wednesday, there were 11,903 active Covid-19 cases in the country.The daily positivity rate was recorded at 1.51 per cent, while weekly positivity stood at 1.53 per cent, according to the ministry.Till now, a total of 4.47 crore Covid cases have been reported in the country. As per the ministry’s data, the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been documented at 98.78 per cent and the active cases currently make up 0.03 per cent of all infections.The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,66,925, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.Under the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive, 220.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far.🦠 Top Covid-19 news🔴Delhi’s COVID-19 cases surpassed 200 mark for the first time since September of last year on Thursday. Meanwhile, the positivity rate increased to 11.82%, according to information provided by the municipal health department.🔴 Jammu and Kashmir Secretary of Health and Medical Education Department Bhupinder Kumar on Tuesday convened a meeting to review the current Covid-19 situation besides assessing preparedness for tackling the pandemic with all the stakeholders of the department.🔴 Chandigarh reported seven new cases of Covid on Tuesday, with the number of active cases now jumping to 36, and the positivity rate, over the last seven days, settling at 1.62.🔴 With the Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16 causing yet another spurt in new Covid cases, Maharashtra health authorities have appealed to the public to take precautionary doses.🔴 The World Health Organization on Tuesday changed its recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines, suggesting that high-risk populations should receive an additional dose 12 months after their last booster.(With inputs from PTI)
Amid the ongoing surge in Covid cases across the country, India logged 1,590 fresh cases on Friday, the highest in 146 days. With this, India’s tally of active Covid cases has gone up to 8,601, while the total caseload has climbed to 4,47,02,257.According to the Union Health Ministry bulletin, six new deaths were recorded on Friday: three from Maharashtra and one each from Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan. India’s Covid death toll has now gone up to 5,30,824.The daily positivity was recorded at 1.33 per cent while the weekly positivity was pegged at 1.23 per cent.The active cases account for 0.02 per cent of the total caseload, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.79 per cent, the ministry said.The number of people who have recovered from the coronavirus infection has gone up to 4,41,62,832, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.According to the ministry’s website, 220.65 crore doses of anti-Covid vaccines have so far been administered to beneficiaries across the country.(With PTI inputs)
India on Wednesday logged 1,300 new Covid-19 cases — highest in 140 days —-taking the country’s active caseload to 7,605, according to the Union Health Ministry data. With this, the cumulative number of infections rose to 4,46,99, 418. Three persons succumbed to the virus, pushing the country’s toll to 5,30,816. The case fatality rate is 1.19 per cent.The daily positivity rate was pegged at 1.46 per cent, while the weekly positivity was recorded at 1.08 per cent. As many as 4,41,60,99 individuals have recovered from the illness, clocking a national recovery rate of 98.79 per cent.India has so far administered a total of 220.65 crore doses of Covid vaccine as per the ministry’s website. A total of 92.06 crore tests have been conducted including 89,078 in the last 24 hours.With a significant rise in the number of daily cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed officials to enhance whole genome sequencing of the Covid-19 virus to track newer variants and carry out effective monitoring of influenza-like illnesses and severe acute respiratory infections. He has also urged people to follow respiratory hygiene and Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. In instructions came at a high-level meeting to review the country’s Covid-19 and influenza situation, where the PM was informed that availability and prices of 20 main Covid drugs, 12 other drugs, 8 buffer drugs and 1 influenza drug are being monitored.Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded 334 fresh Covid-19 cases, 54 more than a day before, and one fatality, the health department said in a bulletin. In Mumbai, 71 out of 1290 people who took the test were found to be positive. Hence, the test positivity rate stood at 5.5 per cent. There are 361 active cases in Mumbai. While 26 of the patients are in hospital, 10 among them are on oxygen support.With the new cases, the state’s Covid-19 tally rose to 81,40,479 and the death toll to 1,48,430.