New Delhi: A month into the nation-wide lockdown, the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country mounted to 21,700 as on Thursday evening, India's Health Ministry said. Of the total cases, 16,689 are active cases, 4,324 people have recovered, and 686 people have succumbed to the disease. Fresh cases in the last 24 hours are 1,229 while 34 deaths.

Maharashtra remained the worst-hit state with a total number of cases rising to 5,652, followed by Gujarat which reported 2,407 cases and Delhi which has reported 2,248 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

Besides the trio, other states which have crossed the 1,000 mark are Rajasthan (1,890), Tamil Nadu (1,629), Madhya Pradesh (1,695) and Uttar Pradesh (1,509).

Maharashtra has recorded 269 deaths, the highest number of fatalities among all the states. The western state is followed by Gujarat at 103, Madhya Pradesh at 81 and New Delhi at 48.

Among other states, Andhra Pradesh has reported 895 cases and 27 deaths, Bihar stood at 148 cases and two deaths, Haryana at 262 and three deaths, Jammu and Kashmir at 407 cases and five deaths, Karnataka at 443 and 17 deaths and Kerala with 438 cases and three deaths.

States which have reported less than 10 cases are Tripura, Mizoram, Puducherry, Manipur, Goa and Arunanchal Pradesh.

The government, meanwhile, said on Thursday that the rise in coronavirus cases in the country has been more or less linear, not exponential.

The country is experiencing 4.5 percent positive cases among the tested people, which are similar to the situation a month ago before the lockdown was imposed, added the government.