The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has advised states to not dilute lockdown regulations and instead make them stricter as the number of coronavirus cases continue rise across the country. In the last 24 hours, 36 deaths and 1,553 new cases have been reported nationwide, said an official at the daily briefing. India's current rate of doubling cases stands at 7.5 days,said the government, adding that 18 states have even better doubling rates. Theearlier doubling rate of infections was six days on average as compared to the three days before the nationwide lockdown was imposed to prevent the virus's spread.

India's new norms for foreign direct investment from specific countries violate the WTO's principle of non-discrimination and are against the general trend of free trade, a Chinese embassy spokesperson said today. The official said the new policy introducing "additional barriers" was also against the consensus arrived at the G20 grouping to realize a free, fair, non-discriminatory and transparent environment for investment.