India sees minor dip in new COVID-19 cases, states undergo strict lockdowns

India on Monday registered a minor dip in both daily new COVID-19 cases at over 360,000 and deaths below the 4,000-mark in the past 24 hours, said the Health Ministry.  This comes as over 170 million vaccination doses have been administered across the country since January, when India kicked off a nationwide vaccination drive. Himanta Biswa Sarma took oath as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam along with 13 members of his cabinet on Monday after he was elected unanimously by India's ruling BJP Legislature Party, which met in Guwahati on Sunday. Sarma has been credited as the man behind the BJP's saffron surge in  North East India. Pakistan on Monday reported 3,447 new infections of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the cases tally to over 861,400. People are rushing in huge numbers to get inoculated amid the third wave of coronavirus. Authorities in Sindh province have said after May 16 vaccinations be will be also available to those under the age of 40. Taliban insurgents on Monday said they would observe a three-day ceasefire in Afghanistan for the Muslim religious holiday of Eid, starting this week, after weeks of increasing violence that gripped the country. This came two days after bombings outside a school in the western part of the Afghan capital killed at least 68, most of them students, and injured more than 165 others.