With the lockdown extended for 20 more days, the growth rate of corona positives in India is yet to see a decline in numbers. The total number of novel coronavirus cases in India crossed the 18,000-mark on Tuesday morning as the death toll crossed 600.

According to figures updated by the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday morning, India's total number of coronavirus positive cases climbed to 18,985. These include 15,122 active cases while 3,259 people have either been cured or discharged and one migrated. The total number of cases includes 77 foreign nationals. Follow LIVE UPDATES on coronavirus outbreak

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare added that the death reached 603.

According to the health ministry's data, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra (4,669), followed by Delhi (2,081), Gujarat (2,066), Rajasthan (1,576), Madhya Pradesh (1,540) and Tamil Nadu (1,520).

The number of Covid-19 cases has gone up to 1,294 in Uttar Pradesh, 919 in Telangana, 757 in Andhra Pradesh and 408 in Kerala.

The number of cases has risen to 415 in Karnataka, 368 in Jammu and Kashmir, 392 in West Bengal, 254 in Haryana and 245 in Punjab. Bihar has reported 114 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 74 such cases.

Forty-six people have been infected with the virus in Uttarakhand and Jharkhand each. Himachal Pradesh has 39 cases, Chhattisgarh has 36 while Assam has registered 35 infections so far.

Chandigarh has 26 Covid-19 cases, Ladakh 18, while 16 cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Meghalaya has reported 11 cases, while Goa and Puducherry have seven Covid-19 patients each.

Manipur and Tripura have two cases each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each.

Despite efforts from the central and state govts to tackle the coronavirus outbreak in india, they do not seem to be enough to ensure food and economic security for everyone in the country. We need extra-ordinary measures to ensure food and economic security from both the govt's end and from people's end as well.