Mumbai, Oct 26 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has brought down the rate for COVID-19 tests conducted at private laboratories by Rs 200, state health minister Rajesh Tope said on Monday.

Tope, in a statement, said the new rates will be Rs 900, Rs 1400 and Rs 1800 per test, adding it was the fourth time rates had been revised from the original Rs 4,500.

Also Read | Andhra Pradesh Govt Bars Transport of Liquor from Other States into Territory Without Payment of Excise Duty.

"While Rs 900 will be the cost that can be levied by pathological laboratories, charges for tests conducted through laboratories at COVID-19 centres, hospitals and quarantine centres will be Rs 1400. A rate of Rs 1,800 has been allowed for testing samples collected from homes," the statement quoted Tope as saying.

He added that the state was carrying out 70,000 tests per one million people now and efforts were on to raise it further.

Also Read | Ban on Public Events Can Bring Down COVID-19 Transmission Rate by 24%: Lancet Study.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)