Union minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted on September 16 that he has tested positive for coronavirus, which has so far infected more than 50 lakh people in the country. Before him, at least seven union ministers, including Union home minister Amit Shah, and two dozen lawmakers contracted the disease. In the mandatory covid tests for parliamentarians conducted before the monsoon session started September 14, 17 members of the Lok Sabha and eight from the Rajya Sabha had tested positive. Gadkari had tested negative at that time. Reportedly, his positive result came from a test conducted in Nagpur. Gadkari had attended Parliament on September 14. In a second tweet, the minister suggested that everyone who came in contact with him follow the safety protocol. On September 16, India reported 90,123 new cases of coronavirus, taking its total past the 50-lakh mark. The country also reported 1,290 deaths in the last 24 hours - the highest in a day, showed data from the Union Health Ministry. The number of people who have died of the disease now stands at 82,066, with a fatality rate of 1.63 per cent.