General
India logs 9,436 new Covid cases
India on Sunday reported 9,436 fresh Covid cases in the past 24 hours, against previous day’s count of 9,520, Union Health Ministry said.
In the same period, 30 fatalities took the nationwide death toll to 5,27,754.
Meanwhile, the active caseload has come down to 86,591 cases, accounting for 0.19 per cent of the total positive cases.
Recovery of 9,999 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,37,93,787. Consequently, the recovery rate stands at 98.62 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Daily Positivity rate has marginally risen to 2.93 per cent, while the Weekly Positivity Rate stands at 2.70 per cent.
Also in the same period, a total of 3,22,551 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to over 88.50 crore.
As of Sunday morning, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 211.67 crore, achieved via 2,82,08,570 sessions.
Over 4.02 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 jab since the beginning of vaccination drive for this age bracket.
Maharashtra
Protest in support of Shivaji Park students, three separate FIRs registered against Shiv Sena UBT in multiple cases, restraining order issued in Mumbai

Mumbai: Police has claimed to have registered a case against Shiv Sena UBT for holding an unauthorized protest at Shivaji Park in Mumbai demanding the resignation of Sonam Wangchuck and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Mumbai Police has registered three separate FIRs in this matter, including gathering a crowd at Shivaji Park without permission and ignoring the police appeal by camping in the ground even after the protest. In this case, the police has registered an FIR against the organizers. The second FIR is for creating a traffic problem by gathering students and protesters at Shivaji Park without any permission and the third FIR is for gathering students in Dadar and jamming the traffic. No one has been arrested in this case so far.
A protest demonstration was held at Shivaji Park under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray, during which a flood of protesters had gathered. In such a situation, the police also gave the protesters a message of a peaceful march after the protest demonstration. At the same time, arguments were made with the police, but the protesters were not ready to leave the ground, so the anti-riot squad was also deployed here. While Uddhav Thackeray, while addressing the student protest demonstration, criticized the government and said that the government has time to discuss Pakistan but cannot discuss Sonam Wangchuck.
Mumbai Police has registered three FIRs in the case of illegal morcha and rally, this has been confirmed by the Mumbai Police. Meanwhile, in view of the protest demonstration by the Kakroj Janata Party in Delhi, an alert has also been issued in Mumbai. A prohibitory order has been imposed in Mumbai from July 23 to August 6, in which the gathering of more than five people has been banned, while cremation grounds, funerals and weddings, including official and non-official ceremonies, have been exempted from it. This order has been issued by DCP Operation Akbar Pathan.
Maharashtra
BMC health machinery should always be ready to take care of patients during monsoon season, focus on high-risk areas

Mumbai: In view of the monsoon season, the health machinery of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) must be constantly prepared and highly capable to provide patient care. Prajakta Verma-Laungare, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) has issued important instructions to ensure that all necessary precautionary measures are effectively implemented in all hospitals.
Today (July 18, 2026) Prajakta Verma-Laungare visited the Hindu Hardayisamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Municipal Hospital in Jogeshwari (East) and took a detailed review of various health-related issues.
He directed the Zonal Deputy Commissioners and all Assistant Commissioners to coordinate with the officers and staff of the health department to determine the health-related priorities for each ward. He directed them to regularly review health matters and devise an effective mechanism to collect citizens’ feedback. Furthermore, she directed that the new measures aligned with the overall health policy of the BMC should be effectively implemented.
Special measures to prevent monsoon-related diseases
She also issued instructions to inspect construction sites and effectively implement preventive health measures in light of the monsoon season. The preventive measures should be implemented with special focus on slums. Special campaigns and necessary precautions should be implemented to identify patients suffering from monsoon-related and epidemic diseases like dengue, malaria, leptospirosis and gastroenteritis as well as to prevent their spread. Mrs. Verma-Lovangre directed that special attention should be paid to high-risk areas for this purpose.
Regular monitoring of health measures
All Assistant Commissioners and Health Department Officers in Zone 4 should regularly monitor the implementation of health-related measures. Regular reviews should be conducted regarding the Health Management Information System (HMIS), measures to control stray dogs, necessary minor repairs in health facilities and cleanliness drive in health centres. Assistant Commissioners were directed to personally visit the field to inspect the work and adopt a data-driven approach for decision-making. He also directed that the vacant posts of health related posts like Assistant Medical Officers and Insecticide Officers should be filled up at the earliest by following the prescribed procedure.
Priority for repair of health facilities
The Hospital Infrastructure Cell (HIC) should formulate a policy to ensure that the repair works of health facilities in the zone are completed on priority basis and expeditiously. Instructions were issued to treat the zone as a unit and take necessary steps for expeditious completion of repair works in ‘mission mode’.
On this occasion, the Additional Municipal Commissioner also reviewed the operations of S.K. Patil Hospital, M.W. Desai Hospital, and Siddharth Hospital, all of which fall under Zone 4. Varmalawangire directed all the concerned officials to work with responsibility and sincerity, keeping the patients at the centre and keeping their needs in mind, especially in the backdrop of the monsoon season. Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners to regularly review hospitals Varmalawangire reviewed the issues and pending matters related to hospitals in Zone 4. He directed the Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners to regularly visit the hospitals and take necessary action to resolve various issues in a timely manner.
On this occasion, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Varmalawangire inspected the healthcare facilities and operations at Hindu Hardayisamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Municipal Hospital in Jogeshwari (East).
Make licensing and regulatory processes more citizen-centric
The concerned departments should have a clear vision on various licenses issued by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and ensure strict compliance with all licensing regulations. He also directed that in order to improve ease of doing business and ensure smooth delivery of services to citizens, emphasis should be placed on effective implementation and adoption of citizen-centric systems – such as online application process and issuance of online licenses.
Focus on strengthening Citizen Facilitation Centres
The Citizen Facilitation Centre (CFC) acts as a vital link between the BMC’s health services and the public. Therefore, these centres should be strengthened to streamline all health-related registration processes. The measures should include providing a dedicated window for health services, enabling application tracking, and displaying standard application forms at places easily visible to citizens. The aim is to maximise service delivery while minimising human intervention in health-related services.
Maharashtra
Mumbai All under-construction Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) should be completed within the stipulated time: Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide

To improve the quality of water discharged into the Mumbai sea, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is constructing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at Worli, Dharavi, Bandra, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Versova and Malad. The total processing capacity of these 7 projects under construction is 2,464 million litres per day (MLD). An STP with a capacity of 37 MLD was constructed in Colaba and became operational in April 2020. Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide directed that the work on all the under-construction STPs be completed within the stipulated time frame and it should be ensured that they are operational immediately. He added that the construction work at Malad STP is progressing at a brisk pace and the progress there is satisfactory.
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide personally inspected the ongoing construction work of Malad STP this morning (July 18, 2026). During the visit, he reviewed the progress of the project and issued necessary instructions and directions to the concerned authorities. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, Local Corporator Qamar Jahan Siddiqui, Deputy Commissioner (Zone-4) Dr. Bhagya Shri Kapse, Deputy Commissioner (Commissioner’s Office) Prashant Gaikwad, Deputy Commissioner (Engineering) Shashank Bhore, Chief Engineer (Mumbai Sewerage Disposal Project) (In-charge) Shri Ashok Mengde, and other concerned officers were present.
Initially, Bhore reviewed the civil, mechanical and electrical engineering works of the Malad Sewerage Treatment Plant. He collected information from the concerned authorities about the current status of various components of the project, progress of work, quality standards and planning of remaining works. He inspected the installation of machinery and electrical system, performance of processing units and safety measures. Furthermore, he directed the officials to ensure strict adherence to quality standards at every stage and to ensure necessary planning to complete the project within the stipulated time frame. Bhide also reviewed the current operational status of the sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of 2,501 million litres per day (MLD)—including Malad (454 MLD), Worli (500 MLD), Bhandup (215 MLD), Bandra (360 MLD), Dharavi (418 MLD), Ghatkopar (418 MLD), MLD (MLD), MLD (MLD), and Colaba (37 MLD)—through a computer presentation. He directed all the contractors to execute the work with high quality and within the stipulated time frame.
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said that the Mumbai Sewerage Disposal Project Department has started the design, construction, and operation and maintenance of the 454 MLD capacity Malad Sewage Treatment Plant (including land improvement works) from July 2022. The design and construction phase is spread over six years, followed by an operation and maintenance period of fifteen years. Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) technology has been proposed for the project. The sewage treatment plant will treat 454 million litres of sewage per day through secondary treatment. Out of this, 227 million litres will later undergo tertiary treatment. Currently, the existing sewage treatment facility in Malad subjects sewage to only preliminary processes—screening and de-greasing—before discharging it into the creek. The proposed scope of work includes land reclamation, design and construction of a new sewage treatment plant, processing of sludge to ‘Class A’ standards, and generation of electricity from biogas generated during the treatment process. Bhide said that necessary permissions have been obtained for the removal of mangroves. Once the new sewage treatment plant is operational, the quality of sea water and marine life will improve. Moreover, the population living in Dahisar, Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, and Goregaon areas will benefit from the project.
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