KATHMANDU: India's challenges with the ongoing coronavirus crisis continues with the confirmation of more than 22,000 cases on Wednesday. According to the Union Health Ministry of India, in the last 24 hours, as many as 22,752 positive cases of the respiratory infection have been detected country-wide. With the recent addition of cases in excess of 22,000, India's COVID-19 tally stands at 742,417 wherein 22,252 fresh cases and 467 coronavirus fatalities had been reported on Tuesday. READ MORE: India surpasses Russia becoming third worst COVID-19-hit country Similarly, while the SAARC nation boasts of its 61.53 percent recovery rate, it has also logged 20,642 COVID-19 fatalities. India's Maharashtra, with at least 217,121 cases of contraction, is the most affected state in the country while other states including Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat share similar woes. It has been speculated that the South Asian nation pushed ahead with relaxations after almost two-month lockdown amid grim economic forecasts, thereby leading to a significant rise in the number of cases.