Cheers erupted in hospital wards across the country as a first group of nurses and sanitation workers rolled up their sleeves and got vaccinated. India aims to inoculate 300 million by July.
Scientists, public health experts and opposition politicians have raised questions about one of the two vaccines the country of 1.4 billion people has authorized for emergency use against COVID-19.
Almost 150,000 people in India have died from complications of COVID-19, behind only the U.S. and Brazil. India plans to begin inoculating its population of 1.4 billion this month.
Dr. Gagandeep Kang says the pandemic's toll on India has been much less than what she had feared. She reflects on what the country has learned over the past few months.
Tens of thousands of Indian farmers are protesting for a ninth straight day. They accuse the government of using the coronavirus crisis to push through market-based changes without consulting them.
Local sources say there's been a spike in child marriage during the pandemic. A key reason: By marrying off girls early, poor families have one less mouth to feed in desperate times.
New confirmed cases in India have been dropping recently. But the Hindu festival season, local elections and seasonal air pollution are raising concerns that the virus could surge again.
The world is fortunate to have many dedicated professionals dedicated to combating the coronavirus. Here are portraits of three women from far corners of the globe who are playing a key role.
The human rights group says its work in India has come to "a grinding halt" after it learned earlier this monththat the Indian government froze its bank accounts.
The Taj Mahal reopened at sunrise Monday for the first time since March 17. It is limited to 5,000 visitors a day, and all must wear masks. Before the pandemic, up to 70,000 people visited every day.
With more than 5 million coronavirus infections and the world's highest daily tally of new cases, India is expected to become the world's worst-affected country within weeks.
Indian lawmakers were required to get tested for the coronavirus within 72 hours before entering parliament — which met on Monday for the first time since March.
The nation's confirmed coronavirus infections exceed 4.2 million, overtaking Brazil, with 4.1 million. The worst-affected country remains the U.S., far ahead with nearly 6.3 million cases.
"This year, we are facing an extraordinary situation," Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told a conference last week before GDP figures were released. "We are facing an act of God."
India's fatality statistics might be artificially low because only a small portion of all deaths that occur in India — reportedly around 22%, as of last year — are medically certified.
The 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya by Hindu extremists sparked riots that killed thousands of Muslims, leaving a deep rift between the country's religious communities.
In the Indian state of Meghalaya, one of the wettest places on Earth, villagers are separated by rivers and valleys. To stay connected, they coax tree roots to grow together into living bridges.
It's been hard to sell the sacrificial animal in India for the Eid al-Adha holiday amid COVID-19. Goat dealers are trying everything from a pageant hosted by a TikTok star to WhatsApp orders.
