#police hiring Jharkhand

[townpostin]

State Cabinet to Meet Amid Monsoon Session Anticipation

CM Hemant Soren to chair crucial meeting as election season looms Jharkhand government likely to address key issues including teacher and police recruitment in today’s high-stakes cabinet session. RANCHI – Chief Minister Hemant Soren has convened a cabinet meeting for 4 PM today at the Project Building’s council chamber in the Jharkhand Secretariat. The timing of this cabinet meeting has sparked…

[seemabhatnagar]

Hiring agreement can't be equated with bailment

Against the rejection of the discharge petition filed by one of the alleged accused bank official, Criminal Miscellaneous Petition 1078 of 2013 was filed before High Court of Jharkhand at Ranchi.

This is a case where Judicial Magistrate 1st Class has taken cognizance on 17.06.2009 pursuant to the protest-cum-complaint petition for offences u/s 380, 409 and 34 IPC filed by the locker owner at Punjab National Bank. The entire officials of the Bank have been implicated in the protest-cum-complaint case.

Submission of the petitioner

It was submitted by the complainant that he along with his wife are the joint lessee of Locker No. 177 leased out by Punjab National Bank, Main Road, Ranchi.

The complainant has operated his locker last time on 22.02.2002 and kept some gold articles inside the locker.

On 09.06.2003 the complainant along with his son and daughter-in-law went to operate the said locker after opening the same he found the gold articles kept in the small box inside the locker were missing and he immediately informed the same to the then Locker In-charge.

Locker-in-charge, Shri R.K. Sharan did not gave any satisfactory reply same was informed to the then Branch Manager Shri Sanjay Sahay.

An F.I.R. was lodged which was registered as Case No. 71/2003.

The Police filed the Final Form on 15.03.2006 with no clue under Section 379 of the Indian Penal Code.

Aggrieved by the submission of final form, complainant filed a complaint-cum-protest petition before Judicial Magistrate First Class Ranchi.

The complainant submits that if the criminal case is made out, then both criminal and civil cases can go simultaneously.

Submission of the Counsel of the Bank

The petitioners are the officers of the Punjab National Bank, Main Road Branch, Ranchi.

For the grievance of the petitioner Case No. 71 of 2003 was registered and the same was investigated by the police, however, the theft was said to be proved, but the police had not sent up the petitioners for trial.

However, on the protest petition, the court has taken the cognizance.

The complainant for the incident has already preferred a Title Suit No. 246 of2006, which is still pending before the court of Sub-Ordinate Judge at Ranchi.

He further submitted that the theft has occurred, but there is no material against the petitioners-Bank officials to put them accused hence the police has not sent them for trial.

He further submits that police has investigated the matter and has categorially stated that in the locker whatever ornaments / amount is taken out from the locker is only known to the locker owner and his relatives and it is not known to the Bank or its officers and so there is no entrustment and they have also tried to locate that who is the person involved in the case, but they have failed to get any clue and so due to absence of any clue the case was closed.

He further submitted that O.P. No. 2/complainant (Shyam Sundar Lal) has reported the bank that locker was not properly working so there might be some technical problem.

And for such technical problem, it can be case of civil nature and at best the case of deficiency in service.

The lockers were installed in the Banks by the different companies like Godrej etc.

All the petitioners are bank officials and they have been falsely implicated in the case.

Even the discharge petition of one of the accused was rejected, which has been challenged in present criminal miscellaneous petition 1078 of 2013.

If such nature of case is there and the case has proceeded further before the JM First Class, the High Court is competent to pass appropriate orders and in view of that the entire criminal proceedings may kindly be quashed.

Submission of the Counsel of the State – APP

The police had investigated the matter and submitted the final form, whereby, the petitioners have not been sent up for trial,

However, JM First Class has taken the cognizance on the protest petition filed by the O.P. No. 2/complainant/Shyan Sundar Lal.

Observation of the High Court

It is an admitted fact that the jewelry was missing from the locker of the Bank.

The police has investigated the matter however nothing was found against the bank officials/present petitioners as such bank officials were not sent for trial.

On the protest petition, JM First Class has taken cognizance against these petitioners/bank officials and subsequently the discharge petition, filed by one of the petitioner/bank official was rejected by the court.

It appears that the locker is the nature of agreement, in view of that the hiring agreement cannot be equated with the bailment. Bank is not aware of the contents kept inside the locker which is only known to the individual. Bailment is for specific period and for specific purpose.

Furthermore, the said operation of the locker was the agreement and the same can be terminated by a person in his favor.

In view of that hiring of a locker is a transaction to be distinct in nature from a transaction that would create the relationship of landlord and tenant.

Whatever property is deposited in the locker is undoubtedly in the custody and possession of the Bank, merely because the locker can be operated only in the presence of the locker hirer, could not amount to joint possession of the locker.

The Banker can always open the locker with a master key, the hirer of the locker is not in a position to open the locker without the assistance of the Bank.

The hirer can only access the locker only specified banking hour.

The Banker has no such limitation. If such a situation is there, the transaction of bailment could only be established if the provisions of Section 148 of the Indian Contract Act are complied.

In view of the above, it appears that the tile suit has already been preferred by the O.P. No. 2, complainant locker owner, which is still pending, and if civil case – title suit is there, then criminal case is not made out.

There is no doubt if the criminal case is made out, then criminal and civil both cases can go on simultaneously, however, the criminal case is not made out, hence allowing protest cum complaint petition would amount to an abuse of the process of law.

So far discharge petition is concerned, the court can consider if prima-facie there is nothing which affixes culpability or constitutes commission of offence including mens-rea on the part of the petitioner, the Court can exercise its power.

So far as criminal case is concerned, against the petitioners, who happens to be the bank officials of Punjab National Bank, Main Road Branch, Ranchi, is not made out.

It is further well settled that even if the proceeding has gone further before the trial court and if the court comes to the conclusion that the case of interference is made out, then that power can be exercised at any stage.

Order

The entire criminal proceedings including the order taking cognizance dated 17.06.2009, by which, cognizance for the offences under Sections 380, 409 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code has been taken against the petitioners, in connection with Complaint Case No. 1159 of 2006, pending in the court of Judicial Magistrate, 1st Class, Ranchi, are hereby, quashed so far the petitioners in Cr.M.P. Nos. 1519 of 2009 and 627 of 2013 are concerned.

So far as the petitioner in Cr.M.P. No. 1078 of 2013 is concerned, the entire criminal proceedings including the order dated 24.01.2013, whereby, a petition filed under Sectio 245 Cr.PC. for discharge was rejected, in connection with Complaint Case No. 1159 of 2006, pending in the court of learned Judicial Magistrate, 1 st Class, Ranchi, are hereby, quashed.

Seema Bhatnagar

[shivahadi]

# Such is the tale of anguish the 4000 Adivasis languishing in the jails of Jharkhand are trying to tell the rest of the world. But, is anyone listening ? This piece authored by Fr Stan Swamy was originally published on Sept 15, 2017. It is being re-published today in his memory.) “There are people who cannot take bail. There is nobody for them,” observed SC and ordered prisoners to be freed over trial delays.If a trial takes place, most would be acquitted… the trial deliberately delayed so they remain behind bars for years… The news was in the local print media recently. The startling news that after Jharkhand became a separate State, the highest number of arrests of alleged ‘naxals’ have taken place . It went on to say they are languishing in jails because they do not have the money to hire lawyers so they can come out on bail. Nor does the government’s ‘free legal aid’ ever reaches them. They are deliberately kept in jail for years without trial because if speedy trial takes place, most of them would be acquitted. The convenient tool the police use is to label them ‘naxals’, add more fake charges and prolong the trial process. (at India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSafeEiqr9I/?utm_medium=tumblr

[brajeshupadhyay]

Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: Ex-AIIMS HoD of medicine succumbs to COVID-19; Delhi set to hire 200 taxis to strengthen its ambulance services

08:58 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Update

Shiv Sena MP writes to DM, demands free COVID-19 test for Thane prison police staff

Shiv Sena Member of Parliament from Thane Rajan Vichare has written a letter to District Magistrate Rajesh Narvekar urging for police staff at Thane prison to be provided with the facility of free COVID-19 testing. 

In his letter to District Magistrate, Sena MP highlighted several instances where inmates have been found corona positive in different prisons. He said it is important for the safety of policemen and their families that they be tested for the virus in order to contain its spread.

Vichare also demanded that other jail staff and suspected inmates should also be tested for COVID-19. 

08:53 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in US Latest Update

US pasta company reports coronavirus outbreak at Spokane factory

 A pasta company has announced there was a coronavirus outbreak at its Spokane factory as Washington state prepares to reopen parts of its economy, reports AP.

The Spokesman-Review reported that Philadelphia Macaroni Company Inc. said in a statement Friday that 72 workers were tested for COVID-19 and 24 were positive.

Health officials say there was an increase in Spokane County with 31 new positive cases between Thursday and Friday. Company officials say all of the factory employees have since been tested and the facility was disinfected.

08:44 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update

Guidelines issued for opening shopping complexes in Lucknow

The Lucknow administration on Saturday announced that centrally air-conditioned shopping complexes in the city can function without operating the air conditioners, in view of the lockdown 4.0 guidelines to combat coronavirus pandemic.

This will become effective from May 26, an official statement said. Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash said shopping complexes in the containment and buffer zones, will continue to remain closed.

Shopping complexes where shops are opening should ensure that only one-third shops are open, and that social distancing is strictly adhered to.

Entry to persons above the age of 65 years, children below 10 years and pregnant women should not be allowed, the statement said.

08:36 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update

Actor Kiran Kumar tests positive for COVID-19

Veteran film and TV actor Kiran Kumar has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently under home quarantine. The 74-year-old actor said he is asymptomatic and is doing "absolutely fine."

"I am asymptomatic. On 14 May, I went to the hospital for a medical check-up, where the COVID-19 test was mandatory. So I got myself tested and the result was positive.

"But I had no symptoms then, nor do I have any now. There''s no fever, no cough, I''m fine and have self quarantined at home," Kumar told PTI.

The actor, who had featured in films like "Dhadkan", "Mujhse Dosti Karoge", among others, said it has been ten days since the test happened and he still hasn't developed any symptoms

08:30 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Mizoram Latest Update

Mizoram to hike petrol, diesel prices from 1 June

The Mizoram government will hike diesel and petrol prices by 2.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively, from 1 June to fight the economic slowdown caused by the outbreak of novel coronavirus, Taxation Minister Lalchamliana said on Saturday.

Lalchamliana said the meeting of the council of ministers chaired by Chief Minister Zoramthanga also decided to increase the value-added tax (VAT) of diesel from 12 per cent to 14.5 and that of petrol from 20 percent to 25 percent.

08:23 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Update

Global COVID-19 cases stand at 53 lakh

Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 53 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 3.42 lakh.

With over 16.2 lakh reported cases till date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom and Spain.

08:21 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update

AIIMS former HoD of medicine, dies of COVID-19 in Delhi

Dr Jitendra Nath Pande (78), the former head of the medicine department at AIIMS and a stalwart in the field of pulmonology, died due to coronavirus at his residence in Siddhartha Enclave on Saturday, reports The Indian Express.

“Dr Pande was under home care and seemed to be recovering. The cause of death is suspected to be cardiac arrest. Deepest condolences to his family and everyone who will miss him dearly,” the hospital said.

08:16 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update

Newspaper vendors, domestic help permitted to enter societies in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey on Saturday said he has allowed newspaper hawkers and domestic helps to enter residential societies.

Most residents had raised the demand with the administration that newspaper hawkers and domestic helps be allowed to enter the societies.

Domestic helps, drivers, plumbers, electricians, and air conditioner mechanics would be permitted to enter societies if their services are sought by the residents. But the society residents will have to take precaution against COVID-19, the DM added.

08:08 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Jharkhand Latest Update

Jharkhand reports one more COVID-19 death, confirmed cases now at 350

A 39-year-old man died due to COVID-19 in Jharkhand's Koderma district, taking the total number of coronavirus fatalities in the state to four, a senior official said.

The swab samples of the man, who died on May 21, tested positive for novel coronavirus on Saturday, Koderma District Assistant Chief Medical Officer A B Prasad said. The deceased had returned from Mumbai recently.

Meanwhile, the state reported 27 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising Jharkhand's tally of confirmed cases to 350, a government bulletin said.

08:00 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update

Delhi govt to hire 200 taxis to strengthen its ambulance services

The Delhi government has decided to hire 200 taxis from cab aggregators Ola and Uber to strengthen its ambulance service which is under pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The hired taxis, 110 from Ola and 91 from Uber, will be used for carrying non-critical and non-COVID-19 patients to and from hospitals, a Delhi government order said.

07:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Update

West Bengal reports 127 new COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths

West Bengal on Saturday recorded four more COVID-19 fatalities, raising the death toll in the state to 197, while 127 new cases of the respiratory infection were reported, a bulletin by the health department said on Saturday.

Of the four deaths, two each were reported from the city and neighbouring Howrah district, it said. The state now has a total of 3,459 confirmed cases, out of which 1,909 are active, the bulletin said.

Till Saturday, 1,281 people recovered from the disease and were discharged from hospitals, it added.

07:46 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update

Gautam Buddh Nagar reports 17 new COVID-19 cases, takes total to 323

Seventeen more people, including three teenagers, tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday, pushing the total number of cases in the district to 323, officials said.

Seven people were discharged from hospitals after being cured, even as the number of active cases in the district rose to 97, they said.

Adjoining Delhi, Gautam Buddh Nagar in western Uttar Pradesh has so far recorded five deaths, all of them males aged above 60, according to the officials.

The fresh cases include five members of a family, including three teenagers, from Sarfabad in Noida's Sector 73, the statement said.

07:39 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Update

Assam health minister asks people not to return unless 'absolutely necessary' as state records 87 more cases

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asked people not to return to the state unless "absolutely necessary" as 87 more people tested positive for coronavirus, the highest single-day jump, taking the total tally to 346.

He also said that the situation in Assam has reached a challenging phase and the government will write to other states to ensure that buses and trucks carrying people without maintaining social distancing are not allowed movement.

Seventeen new cases, including two persons coming from Tripura, were reported in the night, in addition to 10 in the evening, 53 in the afternoon and seven in the morning. On Friday, 49 people had tested positive for coronavirus.

📌Alert ~ 17 more #COVID19+ confirmed. 4 from Chirang; 4 from Tinsukia; 1 from Goalpara; 8 test + at SMCH - Cachar (3), Hailakandi (3) & Tripura (2) ↗️Total cases 346 ↗️Recovered 57 ↗️Active cases 282 ↗️Deaths 04 ↗️Migrated 03 Update 10.55 pm / May 23#AssamCovidCount pic.twitter.com/QJjQ8KqvGH

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 23, 2020

07:29 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update

India registers over 1.25 lakh confirmed cases, 3,720 deaths so far

The toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,720 and the number of cases climbed to 1,25,101 in India on Saturday as India registered an increase of 137 deaths and 6,654 new cases in a 24-hour span till 8 am, according to the health ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 69,597 and 51,783 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST updates: Dr Jitendra Nath Pande (78), the former head of the medicine department at AIIMS and a stalwart in the field of pulmonology, died due to coronavirus at his residence in Siddhartha Enclave on Saturday, reports The Indian Express.

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asked people not to return to the state unless 'absolutely necessary' as 87 more people tested positive for coronavirus, the highest single-day jump, taking the total tally to 346.

The toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,720 and the number of cases climbed to 1,25,101 in India on Saturday as India registered an increase of 137 deaths and 6,654 new cases in a 24-hour span till 8 am, according to health ministry.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 69,597 and 51,783 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said.

Amidst this, differences emerged among states and the aviation ministry over whether or not to quarantine fliers once domestic air travel resumes on 25 May.

Maharashtra, however, remained non-committal on domestic flights while urging the aviation ministry to allow special and concessional flights to leave from the state.

Meanwhile the Centre asked 11 municipal areas which account for 70 percent of India's cases to step up monitoring efforts in old cities, urban slums and other high density population pockets like camps and clusters for migrant workers.

Representational image. PTI

These 11 municipal areas are from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and account for 70 per cent of active case load, the Union health ministry said.

Meanwhile, India continues to be the 11th most-affected country right now, but its tally is fast approaching that of Iran, which is the tenth most affected in the world at present with nearly 1.33 lakh cases, PTI said.

COVID-19 cases from states

On Saturday, Sikkim reported its first COVID-19 case as a 25-year-old student who recently returned from Delhi tested positive for the virus, a senior official said. The first case was detected in India on 30 January, but Sikkim had managed to stay free of it so far.

While Maharashtra has been the worst-hit state, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are among other badly-affected places.

Maharashtra recorded 2,608 new coronavirus cases and 60 deaths on Saturday, taking its total count of cases to 47,190 and the death toll to 1,577. At least 18 police personnel, including an officer, have died of COVID-19 in the state so far.

In Tamil Nadu, 759 new cases were reported and the death toll rose to 103 after five more people, including a 75-year-old woman, lost their lives. The new cases included those having arrived from other countries as also those having travelled from other parts of the country.

On the other hand, a 26-year-old man tested positive in Manipur, nearly 10 days after returning to the state in a special train from Chennai. He was among 1,140 people who returned to the state by a migrant special train on May 13. Of the 25 active cases in Manipur, 16 are Chennai returnees, officials said.

Kerala also recorded a rise in its numbers with 62 more people testing positive, including 49 returnees from abroad and from other states. More than 91,000 are under observation in the state, which had reported India's first COVID-19 case but had managed to flatten its curve till the movement of migrants from other states and from abroad resumed.

In Himachal Pradesh, 10 more people tested positive, of which nine had returned from Mumbai and one from Punjab.

Experts have cautioned that movement of migrants and people coming from abroad could spread the infection further during their travel and also after their arrival as not all of them are put into institutional quarantine due to absence of any symptom.

Karnataka recorded its biggest single-day spike on Saturday with over 200 new cases of COVID-19, taking its tally to 1,959. Officials said that 187 of 216 new cases are returnees from neighboring Maharashtra, while others include those having returned from Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In the national capital, 591 fresh cases were recorded to take its tally to 12,910. Delhi's death toll has also increased to 231.

China cases drops to zero, fresh cases emerge in Germany 

Meanwhile, new coronavirus cases dropped to zero in China for the first time on Saturday, but hospitals were overwhelmed across Latin America both in Brazil and Mexico which were lax about lockdowns as well as in Peru, Chile and Ecuador which were lauded for firm restrictions and early confinement.

Turkey imposed its toughest lockdown measures yet starting Saturday for the end of Ramadan, and Yemen's Houthi rebels urged believers to use masks and stay inside as authorities around the Muslim world try to contain infections at a time usually marked by days of multi-generational feasting and collective prayer.

Elsewhere, many governments continued easing restrictions as they face historic recessions brought on by the global battle against the virus. In the US, some regions were opening more quickly than others, despite pressure from President Donald Trump to move faster.

Infections emerged in Germany, which has drawn praise for its handling of the virus, after seven people appear to have been infected with the coronavirus at a restaurant in the northwest of the country.

The US, however, remained the hardest hit country globally, with more than 96,000 deaths among 16 lakh confirmed cases, followed by Russia and Brazil, a tally maintained by John Hopkins University showed.

On Saturday, worldwide deaths reached 3,38,000 while infections have crossed more than 52 lakh.

To quarantine or not: debate continues

Though domestic commercial passenger flights are set to resume from Monday (25 May) after nearly two months of suspension due to COVID-19-induced lockdown, the differences over whether or not to quarantine fliers continued on Saturday. While Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Jammu and Kashmir said that 14-day quarantine will be mandatory, Karnataka said that seven-day institutional quarantine will be must for passengers from high-risk states and others will have to undergo 14-day home quarantine.

Maharashtra government official on Saturday said the state had not yet amended its May 19 lockdown order which allowed only certain kinds of flights.

As per the 19 May order of the state government extending the coronavirus-induced lockdown to 31 May, all domestic and international air travel, except for domestic medical services, domestic air ambulance and for security purposes as permitted by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), will continue to remain prohibited across the state.

Meanwhile, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri whil saying that India will try to restart a good percentage of international passenger flights before August, said on Saturday that those using the Aarogya Setu app won't have to undergo quarantine if their status is green.

"If you have Aarogya Setu app, and if you have got yourself tested for COVID-19 and have been found negative, and if you do not show any symptoms, then I think there is no need for quarantine," he said.

The aviation minister had earlier rubbished the demand for mandatory quarantine asking states no to 'create fuss' over a domestic travel.

Puri, however, stressed that the app, is not mandatory for air passengers and they can instead give a self-declaration form.

"We have said it is an advisory, it is preferable... If you do not have the Aarogya Setu app, you can give a self-declaration form," he stated.

"If someone has Aarogya Setu app, it is like a passport. If you have green status, why should anybody want any quarantine," Puri said.

The Aarogya Setu app has been panned by cybersecurity experts over privacy concerns and its makers refusing to share the source code.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, French ethical hacker Elliot Alderson said that the Indian government must convince people of the app’s efficacy rather than force them to use it. Alderson had parked off a fierce debate on security issues related to the app earlier this month.

“To potentially be useful, a contact-tracing app needs to be downloaded and used by a lot of people. To ensure adoption of the app on a large scale among the population, you need to gain their trust. Publishing the source code is one way to get this trust,” he told Firstpost.

Congress demands probe on AMBU bag projected as ventilator in Gujarat

Meanwhile, Congress has demanded a judicial probe into the use of 'uncertified' Dhaman-1 ventilators on COVID-19 patients in Gujarat, alleging that the mortality rate was highest at the hospital these machines were installed.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that the Vijay Rupani government projected a mechanised AMBU (Artificial Manual Breathing Unit) bag as ventilator, "playing with the lives of patients".

"Why was Dhaman-1 approved and installed when it had been tested on just one patient? Why was Dhaman-1 approved and installed without a licence by DCGI (Drug Controller General of India)," Khera asked.

"We also want to know if the PM-Cares Fund was used to buy 5,000 pieces of Dhaman-1 through HLL Lifecare. All these answers can only be found through an independent judicial inquiry," Khera said.

On Saturday, Chairman Railway Board VK Yadav on Saturday said that the Railways has drawn up a schedule to operate 2,600 more trains over the next 10 days to ferry 36 lakh more migrant workers home.

The 'shramikspecial' trains are being operated primarily on the requests of the states, which want to send migrant workers to their home states.

According to data with the Railways, Uttar Pradesh (1,246) has received the highest number of shramik special trains, followed by Bihar (804) and Jharkhand (124) and Madhya Pradesh (112).

With inputs from PTI

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[jguidein]

Jharkhand Police Instructor Recruitment 2018 | Walk-in Interview for 43 Instructor Posts Apply @jhpolice.gov.in

Jharkhand Police Instructor Recruitment 2018 Jharkhand Police Department is going to hire willing job appliers for Posts of Instructor those contenders can apply for Jharkhand Police Instructor Recruitment 2018. Jharkhand Police Instructor Recruitment 2018 advertisement has issued recently in April 2018 via Advertisement No: 02/2018. Hence, it is the good opportunity for job appliers who are…

[captaincityspidey-blog]

In a tragic incident, a 28-year-old woman, working as a domestic help in Shipra Srishti society, Indirapuram was found lying in a pool of blood near Jacaranda tower late at Sunday night.

The police said that the victim, Nirmala had leaped off a third floor window of the building. The entire matter is shrouded in mystery as the police is yet to find out the reason behind the woman’s drastic step.

Moreover, Shalimar Placement Agency, the Noida based agency which had arranged the maid’s employment is suspected to be fake.

Nirmala, a native of Bhuinpur, Odisha was employed in flat 303 of Jacaranda tower, owned by SK Bose, a Captain of the Indian Merchant Navy. Bose’s family members said that the maid could not have stolen anything from the flat as she was only carrying a pair of slip-on shoes and a kitchen knife that was later found hidden in her clothes after she was taken to the hospital.

The incident had taken place at around 12.30 pm when the maid had climbed out of the kitchen window before falling down. “We found the contact of Shalimar Placement Agency on the internet. A person named Shahabuddin provided us with the services. He brought Nirmala to our flat against an initial charge of twenty-five thousand rupees. We paid only fifteen thousand rupees and decided to pay the rest after police verification,” said Sunil Chaudhary, brother-in-law of SK Bose.

While Bose is away on duty, the flat is occupied by his mother, wife and children. Family members along with other relatives were present in the flat at the time of the incident. Bose’s wife is recovering from a surgery and relatives had come to visit her.

“My sister was unwell and the domestic help who was previously employed had taken leave for a few months. We had to hire another help immediately. We had planned to pay a monthly sum of four thousand rupees but were yet to finalise the amount as the police verification was still pending,” said Lalit Chaudhary, younger brother in law of SK Bose. Chaudhary added that Nirmala could not have accessed any other exit in the flat as it was pretty late at night and thus she used the kitchen window. Family members maintained that after completing her chores such as cooking and washing utensils, Nirmala had retired to the servant quarter at around 11.00 pm.

“All the other rooms which had balconies were locked from the inside and the main gate was also locked. Her movement was recorded in the CCTV camera installed inside the flat. She is spotted while going to the kitchen at around 12.11am and a few more times. She went to the kitchen for the last time at 12.22 am and did not return to her room. We then received a call from another resident of the society about a woman who had fallen from a flat,” Chaudhary further said.

Bose’s relatives rushed her to Shanti Gopal Hospital in Indirapuram. She was later shifted to Max hospital in Vaishali where she breathed her last. Attempts to locate the agency’s office have failed. “The registered address is Gali-3, Bhangel, Sector 82, Noida. We tried to find the office but the address does not exist. The phones have also been switched off,” Chaudhary added.

The police is yet to find a lead in the case. “The body has been sent for post-mortem. We are yet to find out why the maid decided to jump. We do not suspect any sexual harassment at the moment as there were many people in the flat including women and several children. We are investigating as to why the woman had leaped out,” said Samar Bahadur Singh, police in-charge of Niti Khand police post.

“We are trying to contact the victim’s family members and locate the person who had arranged her services for the Bose family,” Singh further said.

Speaking about the incident, members of Shakti Vahini, an NGO working for the welfare of women and children, said that there are over a hundred documented cases of maids falling to their death from high rises in NCR registered over the last three years.

“In most of these cases, the maids are tribal women, brought in from rural areas of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bengal, Bihar and Assam. They might be forced or lured into the work by shady agencies. At times, they do not like the work surroundings and are unable to communicate with employers properly and later try to escape. In some cases, physical and sexual assault is also involved,” said Rishi Kant, a Shakti Vahini member.

[another-test-bog-2-blog]

An Unnamed IAS Officer Levels Serious Allegations of Corruption Against Big-Four Firm KPMG India

An anonymous letter written by a civil servant, addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has levelled serious allegations against the multinational consulting firm KPMG’s India operations. In the letter, which is dated 5 December, a senior bureaucrat—who claims to be a member of the elite Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and holds the post of a director in the union government—accuses the group of exercising influence over key government officials by, among other means, recruiting their children and relatives. It alleges that there is a pattern of influence among senior officers in the central and state governments and top executives in KPMG India. Other allegations stated in the letter include the purported offer of a bribe to a bureaucrat, and the awarding of crucial government contracts to international firms, to the detriment of the domestic industry.

A KPMG spokesperson strongly denied the imputations of impropriety but did not refute particular claims stated in the letter.

The unnamed director writes that the letter was intended to bring to the prime minister’s notice “rampant corruption…in collusion with private sector MNC consultants.” The author states that they have withheld their identity “on fear of persecution by fellow bureaucrats.” Reliable sources have confirmed to these reporters the authenticity of the letter, which has been doing the rounds in government circles in recent weeks.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, KPMG is one of the “big four” accounting and financial consultancy networks across the world, along with Ernst & Young, PwC (earlier PricewaterhouseCoopers) and Deloitte, all of which have significant operations in India.

The allegations described in the letter are serious. The director alleges that a senior executive in KPMG India’s government advisory services offered a joint secretary posted in their department a “substantial bribe” in exchange for the award of a large consulting project. The director states that the joint secretary declined the bribe. However, the director adds, the joint secretary chose not to report the matter, allegedly in fear of KPMG’s clout among senior officers of the IAS and the Indian Police Service (IPS) in the central and state governments.

The director details the manner in which such clout in the corridors of power is allegedly achieved. They list a number of jobs held in KPMG by relatives of senior bureaucrats, purportedly in order to curry the officials’ favour. Such jobs are well remunerated—earning close to Rs 40 crore over the course of a professional career, according to the letter—and are akin to a “bribe” of a similar amount, the director states.

The officer has listed the names of nine senior officers whose close relatives hold jobs with KPMG—their names are deliberately being withheld in this report. These include relatives of several former and current top officers in the Ministry of Urban Development, including the son of a former secretary in the ministry who is currently posted in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and who earlier served in a key position in Jharkhand. The nephew of an additional secretary in the same ministry and the son of a former joint secretary are listed as well. Importantly, one of these civil servants currently holds a crucial position in Modi’s flagship Smart Cities mission.

Other relatives named in the letter include the daughter of an IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre who served as a secretary in the home ministry and the sons of: a senior IAS officer belonging to the Rajasthan cadre, a former joint secretary in the home ministry who was formerly the chairman of the Airports Authority of India, a former senior IAS officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, a former chief secretary of Telangana, and a former finance secretary to the government of India.

The letter alleges that each of these officers were in key positions when their relatives were hired by KPMG, and that the firm was subsequently awarded large consulting projects by the concerned departments. The urban-development ministry features prominently in the letter—KPMG is executing the ministry’s Swachh Bharat and Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) projects. Other flagship government projects with which KPMG is associated and which are mentioned in the letter include Make in India, the Smart Cities mission, the Startup India initiative, the Bharatmala project for roads and highways, the Sagarmala project for ports and maritime development, and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). The letter alleges that consulting firm is associated with government projects involving a total outlay of over Rs 5,000 crore.

Featuring prominently in the letter are also allegations against the India head of KPMG, Arun Kumar. Prior to his appointment to KPMG, Kumar served as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and the Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service during US presidentBarack Obama’s second term. The director claims that in his role as the chairman and CEO of KPMG India, Kumar has favoured American firms for contracts in government missions. The letter claims that American firms such as Cisco, IBM, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Honeywell, United Technologies andOtis have bagged equipment contracts under the prime minister’s flagship Smart Cities programme, to the disadvantage of Indian firms and costing India “lacs of jobs.” This, the director alleges, is linked to KPMG India’s involvement with the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), the arm of the US government that works to advance the country’s business and economic interests globally. The USTDA, the director states, has hired KPMG India to work with the US government to “push US firms into the Smart Cities program.” “Hence tenders are coming out with Cisco equipment specifications, making it impossible for competent Indian firms … to compete.”

The director alleges that “[s]uch ability to deeply influence Indian government functioning arises from the fact that many of our senior bureaucrats are compromised as their children work for the US MNC consulting firms.” Further, the letter alleges that the malaise is spread across “the Big Four consulting firms, who have practically infested all our governments.” “A quick investigation will reveal that government projects worth over Rs 300,000 crores are being handled by US consulting firms and that atleast 100 top bureaucrats have their children or relatives working in these consulting firms,” the director alleges.

We reached out to KPMG India regarding the allegations contained in the letter. A spokesperson for the firm rejected the accusations and questioned the motivations of the director, terming the letter “instigated and written with malicious competitive intent.” Though the spokesperson said that the letter is “replete with factual errors,”these were not pointed out. Further, the spokesperson did not deny specific claims contained in the letter—such as the employment of the individuals concerned, or the involvement of KPMG India in the projects mentioned, and the alleged roping-in of US firms into Indian government projects. The full statement sent by the spokesperson reads:

The accusations made in this anonymous letter alleging wrong doing in KPMG’s work for the Government of India are totally baseless. KPMG has worked with the Union and various State Governments over the past years with many diverse stakeholders, and has always conducted its business with utmost transparency and the highest standards of integrity and ethics. KPMG is a best-in-class organization that has been operating for over 25 years in India with a solid, irrefutable track record. Talent at KPMG is recruited solely on the basis of merit and the organization has robust processes to ensure objectivity and fairness in selection and promotions. To suggest that KPMG associates have been hired on account of their parentage and linking its government work to such hires is an affront to the qualifications and expertise of the employees and to the organisation’s world class credentials. We have examined the insinuations in the letter and find them replete with factual errors apart from being slanderous. It is unfortunate that the writer has stooped to insinuate motives to the KPMG India Chairman who returned to India after a distinguished career in the US, where he played an important and constructive role in the advancement of India-US relations. His work at KPMG India has no relation, whatsoever, with his prior role in the US Government. His work in India only demonstrates his professional and personal commitment to the growth and development of India, the country of his birth. KPMG notes these allegations are mischievous and emphatically rejects them. Our guess is that the letter is instigated and written with malicious competitive intent.

A top executive employed in one of the Big Four multinational consultancy firms, reacting to the letter on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the prevalence of corrupt practices in the business of consultancy. He said that “in continuation of the policy of privatization of public resources, it appears that a new cosy relationship has evolved between crony capitalists, government officers and consulting firms.” “Given the fire from the CAG (the Comptroller and Auditor General) faced by government officers in earlier cases of alleged attempts to privatize public resources such as the 2G (second-generation telecommunications spectrum) scam, Coalgate, etc, a convenient mechanism has got formulated, wherein decisions of government officers are now based on ‘neutral’ third party consulting firms, reducing the accountability of the officers and the decisions leading to profiteering by crony capitalists,” the executive said.“The crony capitalists gain, the government officers gain as their children get lucrative employment in the consulting firms and the consulting firms gain as they receive hefty fees from public coffers.”

KPMG is not the only firm that has recently been accused of such impropriety—in early February 2018, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator for the securities market in India, banned the Indian arm of PwC from auditing any firms listed in the country, for the forthcoming two years. SEBI took this action against PwC based on its alleged role in the Satyam scam, in which the computer-services company inflated its earnings by close to $1 billion. SEBI stated in its order that the consulting firm, which was auditing Satyam, failed to “independently check the veracity of the monthly bank statements.” The board said that it felt compelled to take a “stern view of … fraudulent practices, particularly when persons tasked with protecting the interest of investors are themselves hand-in-glove with the main perpetrators of the fraud.”

In the wake of the 2008 global economic crisis, the discourse around wealth inequality and the “revolving door” relationships between major multinational corporations and governments, which foster the maintenance of such inequality, have gained significant prominence. These allegations add to this conversation, and point to a growing familial and caste-community nexus in India that appears to control major levers of governance, public investment and policy, in concert with powerhouse multinationals.

While such a claim—of exercising influence by forming “alliances” with senior government functionaries through the employment of their relatives—may be difficult to prove in court, it is precisely through such ambiguity and the plausibledeniability it offers to the concerned officers that the informal networks of power that constitute familial and clan relations can come to capture many of India’s formal institutions of governance.

In conclusion, the anonymous director writes that they are confident that the prime minister will take “swift action” to prevent more “damage” to the country’s interests. The director adds that they are “proud” of Modi, and takes a “pledge” to support his “war against corruption, both from within the government and from private sector.” “I completely believe in your war cry – ‘Na Khayengey, Na Khaneydeyngey’ – ‘I will not be compromised and I will not let others be compromised,’” the director wrote.

The Caravan wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office, enquiring whether any action has been taken on the director’s complaint. At the time this article was published, the PMO was yet to respond. The article shall be updated if a response is received.

The post An Unnamed IAS Officer Levels Serious Allegations of Corruption Against Big-Four Firm KPMG India appeared first on The Caravan.

[jobsexpress-blog]

Jharkhand Police Recruitment 2017: Apply JSSC 692 Radio Operator Posts

Jharkhand Police Recruitment 2017: Apply JSSC 692 Radio Operator Posts

Jharkhand Police Bharti 2017 Good news for the Intermediate candidates who are looking for police jobs in Jharkhand. The officials of JSSC released a latest notification which is Jharkhand Police Recruitment 2017. It decided to hire 692 individuals for the post of Police Radio Operators. This opportunity is applicable only for the permanent residents of Jharkhand. Interested aspirants both male…

[eagle-eyez]

08:21 (IST)

Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

EVM glitches reported from Kharagpur

According to media reports, voting on Saturday was stopped in Kharagpur after EVM malfunctions were reported from polling booth 98 and 99. 

08:12 (IST)

Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Modi urges people to vote in record numbers

Narendra Modi on Saturday urged people to cast votes in record numbers in the first phase of assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam.

"The first phase of elections begin in Assam. Urging those eligible to vote in record numbers. I particularly call upon my young friends to vote.

"Today, Phase 1 of the West Bengal Assembly elections begin. I would request all those who are voters in the seats polling today to exercise their franchise in record numbers," he tweeted.

Today, Phase 1 of the West Bengal Assembly elections begin. I would request all those who are voters in the seats polling today to exercise their franchise in record numbers.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 27, 2021

07:45 (IST)

Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Polling begins in Assam

Voting began at 7 am on Saturday for 47 seats in the first phase of the assembly elections in Assam to decide the fate of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and a host of ministers and Opposition leaders, officials said.

Altogether 264 candidates, including 23 women, are in the fray in the first phase, they said.

A total of 300 companies of security forces have been deployed in the first phase, in which people are voting at 11,537 polling stations across 12 districts of Upper Assam and the Northern Bank of Brahmaputra.

Patrolling has been intensified and strict vigil is being kept in all the vulnerable areas, officials said.

PTI

07:42 (IST)

People queuing up to vote in Dibrugarh

Image credit: Simantik Dowerah/Firstpost

07:31 (IST)

Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Here are identity proofs that you can carry to voting booths

One can carry any of these mentioned identity proofs while voting.

Voter ID card issued by Election Commission of India (ECI)

MNREGA Job Card

Bank/Post Office Passbooks with photograph

Driving License

PAN Card

Indian Passport

Pension document with photograph

Service Identity Cards with photograph issued by Central/State Govt./PSUs/Public Limited Companies

07:25 (IST)

West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Polling begins for 30 seats in first phase of Bengal elections

Polling began at 7 am on Saturday for the 30 seats in the first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal amid tight security, officials said.

More than 73 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 191 candidates in these seats, most of which are located in the once-Naxal-affected Jungle Mahal region.

The elections are being held following COVID-19 guidelines in all nine seats in Purulia, four in Bankura, four in Jhargram and six in Paschim Medinipur, besides the seven seats in high-stakes Purba Medinipur -- the home turf of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

PTI

07:07 (IST)

West Bengal Assembly election 2021 LATEST Updates

EC vehicle set ablaze in Bengal's Purulia district

A vehicle hired for poll duty was set ablaze at Bandwan in Purulia district on Friday night, hours before the first phase of assembly elections get underway, official sources told PTI.

The vehicle was reportedly on its way back after dropping election officials at a polling station, when it was set on fire at Tulsidi village in the once-Maoist-affected 'Jangalmahal' belt of the state, they said.

According to eyewitnesses, the vehicle was stopped by a few persons who emerged out of the forests all of a sudden and allegedly threw a petrol-soaked material on it, before fleeing.

No one was injured in the incident, the sources said.

PTI

05:58 (IST)

West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Phase 1 of West Bengal Assembly election today

The West Bengal districts going to polls in Phase 1 on Saturday are Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram, Paschim Midnapore Part 1 and Purba Midnapore Part 1. Overall there are 30 seats that will go to polls on 27 March. 

05:50 (IST)

Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Bengal, Assam will go to polls in Phase 1 today

Politically volatile states of West Bengal and Assam will go to polls in the first phase of assembly elections on Saturday amid a resurgent COVID-19 crisis to decide the fate of a number of top politicians including Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates: Voting has now begun in both West Bengal and Assam.

Politically volatile states of West Bengal and Assam will go to polls in the first phase of assembly elections on Saturday amid a resurgent COVID-19 crisis to decide the fate of a number of top politicians including Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The Assembly elections to the two states apart from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry are the first, after the state polls in Bihar, to be held during the pandemic. Polling will be held in 30 of the 294 constituencies of West Bengal and 47 of the 126 in Assam which together have 1.54 crore eligible voters who can exercise their franchise on Saturday.

The polling, mostly in the Jungalmahal area of West Bengal, where the BJP had managed to win most of the seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, will likely witness a straight contest between the saffron party and the ruling TMC.

A staggering 684 companies of central paramilitary forces, each having about 100 men and officers, have been deployed to guard 10,288 polling booths housed in 7,061 premises, officials said. Thousands of state police personnel will also be positioned at vulnerable places to thwart attempts at vitiating the elections.

West Bengal has been caught in the throes of violent political clashes between the TMC and BJP supporters which have claimed several lives on both sides. The first phase of poll in Assam will decide the fate of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Speaker Hitendranath Goswami, state Congress chief Ripun Borah and a host of ministers.

Most of these seats will likely witness triangular contest between the ruling BJP-AGP alliance, the Congress-led opposition grand alliance and the newly formed Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP).

West Bengal will have an eight-phase poll, while in Assam the exercise will be completed in three phases on 27 March, 1 and 6 April. Altogether 264 candidates, including 23 women, are in the fray.

Central forces will assist the state police in maintaining law and order during the polling, a senior police officer said without divulging their numbers. The official said there will be enough security personnel to cover all polling stations.

The ruling BJP is contesting 39 seats and its partner AGP 10. The two allies are engaged in friendly contest in Lakhimpur and Naharkatiya constituencies. The grand alliance is contesting all the seats, with the Congress party putting up candidates in 43, and the AIUDF, CPI(ML-L), RJD and Anchalik Gana Morcha (contesting as Independent) in one each.

The newly formed AJP is in the fray in 41 seats, while there are 78 Independents, including 19 candidates of he newly formed Raijor Dal who are also contesting as Independents. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is trying his luck from Majuli (ST) seat where he is locked in a direct contest with three-time former Congress MLA and former minister Rajib Lochan Pegu.

Speaker of the outgoing assembly Hitendranath Goswami is also locked in a direct contest with former Congress MLA Rana Goswami in Jorhat. Titabor, another high-profile seat that was held by former chief minister Tarun Gogoi of the Congress for four successive terms will likely see a direct contest between Bhaskar Jyoti Barua of the Congress and former MLA Hemanta Kalita. Gogoi, the tallest Congress leader in the state, died last year.

BJP Ministers Ranjit Dutta (Behali), Naba Kumar Doley (Dhakuakha), Jogen Mohan (Mahmora), Terash Gowala (Duliajan) and Sanjoy Kishan (Tinsukia) are all locked in triangular contest with Congress or its alliance partners and the AJP.

AGP Ministers Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta are in the electoral arena in Bokakhat and Kaliabor. Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia and state Congress president Ripun Borah are in the fray from Nazira and Gohpur respectively.

Activist and Raijor Dal leader Akhil Gogoi, in jail for his alleged role in the violent anti-CAA protests, is contesting as an Independent from Sivasagar. AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi is contesting from Duliajan and Naharkatiya, and is pitted against Congress and BJP nominees in both the constituencies. The first phase of polling in West Bengal will see voting in all the nine seats in Purulia, four in Bankura, four in Jhargram and six in Paschim Medinipur, besides the seven seats in high-stakes Purba Medinipur - the home turf of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

The TMC and BJP have fielded candidates in 29 seats each, while the Left-Congress-ISF alliance has put up its nominee in all 30 seats. "Friendly fights" will take place in some constituencies.

In Jhargram, 11 paramilitary personnel will be deployed per booth, the highest for any election held in the state so far, officials said. In the other districts, an average of six paramilitary personnel will be deployed at every polling booth, officials said.

The Trinamool Congress is contesting 29 of the 30 seats, while supporting an Independent in the Joypur assembly segment in Purulia as the nomination of its official candidate Ujjwal Kumar was rejected by the EC due to a discrepancy. The BJP is also contesting 29 seats and backing ally AJSU Party of Jharkhand in Baghmundi.

Among the notable seats going to the polls in the first phase are Salboni, where the CPI(M) has fielded former minister Susanta Ghosh against BJP's Rajib Kundu and TMC's Srikanta Mahata. Ghosh, the MLA of Garbeta from 1987 to 2016, was in jail in the skeleton recovery case and is at present out on bail. Seven skeletons had been exhumed from behind his house in West Midnapore in 2011 arousing suspicion that Ghosh, a minister in the Jyoti Basu and Bhuddhadeb Bhattacharjee governments, was involved in the killing of seven Trinamool Congress activists in 2002.

The TMC has fielded actor June Malia, a known face on the Bengali silver screen, from Medinipur against BJP's Samit Kumar Dash. The Left-led alliance candidate is Tarun Kumar Ghosh of the CPI. In another significant contest, Santhali actor Birbaha Hansda is fighting on a TMC ticket from Jhargram against BJP's Sukhamay Satpathy and CPI(M)'s youth leader Madhuja Sen Roy.

The seven seats in Purba Medinipur -- Patashpur, Kanthi Uttar, Bhagabanpur, Khejuri, Kanthi Dakshin, Ramnagar and Egra -- will also be closely watched beause of a prestige fight between the influential Adhikari family, which has gone over to the BJP, and the TMC.

With inputs from  PTI

from Firstpost Politics Latest News https://ift.tt/2NVRc15

[brajeshupadhyay]

08:58 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Update Shiv Sena MP writes to DM, demands free COVID-19 test for Thane prison police staff Shiv Sena Member of Parliament from Thane Rajan Vichare has written a letter to District Magistrate Rajesh Narvekar urging for police staff at Thane prison to be provided with the facility of free COVID-19 testing.  In his letter to District Magistrate, Sena MP highlighted several instances where inmates have been found corona positive in different prisons. He said it is important for the safety of policemen and their families that they be tested for the virus in order to contain its spread. Vichare also demanded that other jail staff and suspected inmates should also be tested for COVID-19.  08:53 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in US Latest Update US pasta company reports coronavirus outbreak at Spokane factory  A pasta company has announced there was a coronavirus outbreak at its Spokane factory as Washington state prepares to reopen parts of its economy, reports AP. The Spokesman-Review reported that Philadelphia Macaroni Company Inc. said in a statement Friday that 72 workers were tested for COVID-19 and 24 were positive. Health officials say there was an increase in Spokane County with 31 new positive cases between Thursday and Friday. Company officials say all of the factory employees have since been tested and the facility was disinfected. 08:44 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update Guidelines issued for opening shopping complexes in Lucknow The Lucknow administration on Saturday announced that centrally air-conditioned shopping complexes in the city can function without operating the air conditioners, in view of the lockdown 4.0 guidelines to combat coronavirus pandemic. This will become effective from May 26, an official statement said. Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash said shopping complexes in the containment and buffer zones, will continue to remain closed. Shopping complexes where shops are opening should ensure that only one-third shops are open, and that social distancing is strictly adhered to. Entry to persons above the age of 65 years, children below 10 years and pregnant women should not be allowed, the statement said. 08:36 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update Actor Kiran Kumar tests positive for COVID-19 Veteran film and TV actor Kiran Kumar has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently under home quarantine. The 74-year-old actor said he is asymptomatic and is doing "absolutely fine." "I am asymptomatic. On 14 May, I went to the hospital for a medical check-up, where the COVID-19 test was mandatory. So I got myself tested and the result was positive. "But I had no symptoms then, nor do I have any now. There''s no fever, no cough, I''m fine and have self quarantined at home," Kumar told PTI. The actor, who had featured in films like "Dhadkan", "Mujhse Dosti Karoge", among others, said it has been ten days since the test happened and he still hasn't developed any symptoms 08:30 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Mizoram Latest Update Mizoram to hike petrol, diesel prices from 1 June The Mizoram government will hike diesel and petrol prices by 2.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively, from 1 June to fight the economic slowdown caused by the outbreak of novel coronavirus, Taxation Minister Lalchamliana said on Saturday. Lalchamliana said the meeting of the council of ministers chaired by Chief Minister Zoramthanga also decided to increase the value-added tax (VAT) of diesel from 12 per cent to 14.5 and that of petrol from 20 percent to 25 percent. 08:23 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Update Global COVID-19 cases stand at 53 lakh Total confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the world stand at 53 lakh, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. This figure includes COVID-19 patients who have recovered and the overall global death toll which stands at 3.42 lakh. With over 16.2 lakh reported cases till date, the United States is the worst-affected country in the world. The US is followed by Brazil, Russia, the United Kingdom and Spain. 08:21 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update AIIMS former HoD of medicine, dies of COVID-19 in Delhi Dr Jitendra Nath Pande (78), the former head of the medicine department at AIIMS and a stalwart in the field of pulmonology, died due to coronavirus at his residence in Siddhartha Enclave on Saturday, reports The Indian Express. “Dr Pande was under home care and seemed to be recovering. The cause of death is suspected to be cardiac arrest. Deepest condolences to his family and everyone who will miss him dearly,” the hospital said. 08:16 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update Newspaper vendors, domestic help permitted to enter societies in Ghaziabad Ghaziabad District Magistrate Ajay Shankar Pandey on Saturday said he has allowed newspaper hawkers and domestic helps to enter residential societies. Most residents had raised the demand with the administration that newspaper hawkers and domestic helps be allowed to enter the societies. Domestic helps, drivers, plumbers, electricians, and air conditioner mechanics would be permitted to enter societies if their services are sought by the residents. But the society residents will have to take precaution against COVID-19, the DM added. 08:08 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Jharkhand Latest Update Jharkhand reports one more COVID-19 death, confirmed cases now at 350 A 39-year-old man died due to COVID-19 in Jharkhand's Koderma district, taking the total number of coronavirus fatalities in the state to four, a senior official said. The swab samples of the man, who died on May 21, tested positive for novel coronavirus on Saturday, Koderma District Assistant Chief Medical Officer A B Prasad said. The deceased had returned from Mumbai recently. Meanwhile, the state reported 27 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising Jharkhand's tally of confirmed cases to 350, a government bulletin said. 08:00 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Update Delhi govt to hire 200 taxis to strengthen its ambulance services The Delhi government has decided to hire 200 taxis from cab aggregators Ola and Uber to strengthen its ambulance service which is under pressure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The hired taxis, 110 from Ola and 91 from Uber, will be used for carrying non-critical and non-COVID-19 patients to and from hospitals, a Delhi government order said. 07:52 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Update West Bengal reports 127 new COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths West Bengal on Saturday recorded four more COVID-19 fatalities, raising the death toll in the state to 197, while 127 new cases of the respiratory infection were reported, a bulletin by the health department said on Saturday. Of the four deaths, two each were reported from the city and neighbouring Howrah district, it said. The state now has a total of 3,459 confirmed cases, out of which 1,909 are active, the bulletin said. Till Saturday, 1,281 people recovered from the disease and were discharged from hospitals, it added. 07:46 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Update Gautam Buddh Nagar reports 17 new COVID-19 cases, takes total to 323 Seventeen more people, including three teenagers, tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar on Saturday, pushing the total number of cases in the district to 323, officials said. Seven people were discharged from hospitals after being cured, even as the number of active cases in the district rose to 97, they said. Adjoining Delhi, Gautam Buddh Nagar in western Uttar Pradesh has so far recorded five deaths, all of them males aged above 60, according to the officials. The fresh cases include five members of a family, including three teenagers, from Sarfabad in Noida's Sector 73, the statement said. 07:39 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Update Assam health minister asks people not to return unless 'absolutely necessary' as state records 87 more cases Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asked people not to return to the state unless "absolutely necessary" as 87 more people tested positive for coronavirus, the highest single-day jump, taking the total tally to 346. He also said that the situation in Assam has reached a challenging phase and the government will write to other states to ensure that buses and trucks carrying people without maintaining social distancing are not allowed movement. Seventeen new cases, including two persons coming from Tripura, were reported in the night, in addition to 10 in the evening, 53 in the afternoon and seven in the morning. On Friday, 49 people had tested positive for coronavirus. 📌Alert ~ 17 more #COVID19+ confirmed. 4 from Chirang; 4 from Tinsukia; 1 from Goalpara; 8 test + at SMCH - Cachar (3), Hailakandi (3) & Tripura (2) ↗️Total cases 346 ↗️Recovered 57 ↗️Active cases 282 ↗️Deaths 04 ↗️Migrated 03 Update 10.55 pm / May 23#AssamCovidCount pic.twitter.com/QJjQ8KqvGH — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) May 23, 2020 07:29 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Update India registers over 1.25 lakh confirmed cases, 3,720 deaths so far The toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,720 and the number of cases climbed to 1,25,101 in India on Saturday as India registered an increase of 137 deaths and 6,654 new cases in a 24-hour span till 8 am, according to the health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 69,597 and 51,783 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said. Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST updates: Dr Jitendra Nath Pande (78), the former head of the medicine department at AIIMS and a stalwart in the field of pulmonology, died due to coronavirus at his residence in Siddhartha Enclave on Saturday, reports The Indian Express. Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday asked people not to return to the state unless 'absolutely necessary' as 87 more people tested positive for coronavirus, the highest single-day jump, taking the total tally to 346. The toll due to COVID-19 rose to 3,720 and the number of cases climbed to 1,25,101 in India on Saturday as India registered an increase of 137 deaths and 6,654 new cases in a 24-hour span till 8 am, according to health ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 69,597 and 51,783 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, the ministry said. Amidst this, differences emerged among states and the aviation ministry over whether or not to quarantine fliers once domestic air travel resumes on 25 May. Maharashtra, however, remained non-committal on domestic flights while urging the aviation ministry to allow special and concessional flights to leave from the state. Meanwhile the Centre asked 11 municipal areas which account for 70 percent of India's cases to step up monitoring efforts in old cities, urban slums and other high density population pockets like camps and clusters for migrant workers. Representational image. PTI These 11 municipal areas are from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan and account for 70 per cent of active case load, the Union health ministry said. Meanwhile, India continues to be the 11th most-affected country right now, but its tally is fast approaching that of Iran, which is the tenth most affected in the world at present with nearly 1.33 lakh cases, PTI said. COVID-19 cases from states On Saturday, Sikkim reported its first COVID-19 case as a 25-year-old student who recently returned from Delhi tested positive for the virus, a senior official said. The first case was detected in India on 30 January, but Sikkim had managed to stay free of it so far. While Maharashtra has been the worst-hit state, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are among other badly-affected places. Maharashtra recorded 2,608 new coronavirus cases and 60 deaths on Saturday, taking its total count of cases to 47,190 and the death toll to 1,577. At least 18 police personnel, including an officer, have died of COVID-19 in the state so far. In Tamil Nadu, 759 new cases were reported and the death toll rose to 103 after five more people, including a 75-year-old woman, lost their lives. The new cases included those having arrived from other countries as also those having travelled from other parts of the country. On the other hand, a 26-year-old man tested positive in Manipur, nearly 10 days after returning to the state in a special train from Chennai. He was among 1,140 people who returned to the state by a migrant special train on May 13. Of the 25 active cases in Manipur, 16 are Chennai returnees, officials said. Kerala also recorded a rise in its numbers with 62 more people testing positive, including 49 returnees from abroad and from other states. More than 91,000 are under observation in the state, which had reported India's first COVID-19 case but had managed to flatten its curve till the movement of migrants from other states and from abroad resumed. In Himachal Pradesh, 10 more people tested positive, of which nine had returned from Mumbai and one from Punjab. Experts have cautioned that movement of migrants and people coming from abroad could spread the infection further during their travel and also after their arrival as not all of them are put into institutional quarantine due to absence of any symptom. Karnataka recorded its biggest single-day spike on Saturday with over 200 new cases of COVID-19, taking its tally to 1,959. Officials said that 187 of 216 new cases are returnees from neighboring Maharashtra, while others include those having returned from Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. In the national capital, 591 fresh cases were recorded to take its tally to 12,910. Delhi's death toll has also increased to 231. China cases drops to zero, fresh cases emerge in Germany  Meanwhile, new coronavirus cases dropped to zero in China for the first time on Saturday, but hospitals were overwhelmed across Latin America both in Brazil and Mexico which were lax about lockdowns as well as in Peru, Chile and Ecuador which were lauded for firm restrictions and early confinement. Turkey imposed its toughest lockdown measures yet starting Saturday for the end of Ramadan, and Yemen's Houthi rebels urged believers to use masks and stay inside as authorities around the Muslim world try to contain infections at a time usually marked by days of multi-generational feasting and collective prayer. Elsewhere, many governments continued easing restrictions as they face historic recessions brought on by the global battle against the virus. In the US, some regions were opening more quickly than others, despite pressure from President Donald Trump to move faster. Infections emerged in Germany, which has drawn praise for its handling of the virus, after seven people appear to have been infected with the coronavirus at a restaurant in the northwest of the country. The US, however, remained the hardest hit country globally, with more than 96,000 deaths among 16 lakh confirmed cases, followed by Russia and Brazil, a tally maintained by John Hopkins University showed. On Saturday, worldwide deaths reached 3,38,000 while infections have crossed more than 52 lakh. To quarantine or not: debate continues Though domestic commercial passenger flights are set to resume from Monday (25 May) after nearly two months of suspension due to COVID-19-induced lockdown, the differences over whether or not to quarantine fliers continued on Saturday. While Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Jammu and Kashmir said that 14-day quarantine will be mandatory, Karnataka said that seven-day institutional quarantine will be must for passengers from high-risk states and others will have to undergo 14-day home quarantine. Maharashtra government official on Saturday said the state had not yet amended its May 19 lockdown order which allowed only certain kinds of flights. As per the 19 May order of the state government extending the coronavirus-induced lockdown to 31 May, all domestic and international air travel, except for domestic medical services, domestic air ambulance and for security purposes as permitted by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), will continue to remain prohibited across the state. Meanwhile, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri whil saying that India will try to restart a good percentage of international passenger flights before August, said on Saturday that those using the Aarogya Setu app won't have to undergo quarantine if their status is green. "If you have Aarogya Setu app, and if you have got yourself tested for COVID-19 and have been found negative, and if you do not show any symptoms, then I think there is no need for quarantine," he said. The aviation minister had earlier rubbished the demand for mandatory quarantine asking states no to 'create fuss' over a domestic travel. Puri, however, stressed that the app, is not mandatory for air passengers and they can instead give a self-declaration form. "We have said it is an advisory, it is preferable... If you do not have the Aarogya Setu app, you can give a self-declaration form," he stated. "If someone has Aarogya Setu app, it is like a passport. If you have green status, why should anybody want any quarantine," Puri said. The Aarogya Setu app has been panned by cybersecurity experts over privacy concerns and its makers refusing to share the source code. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, French ethical hacker Elliot Alderson said that the Indian government must convince people of the app’s efficacy rather than force them to use it. Alderson had parked off a fierce debate on security issues related to the app earlier this month. “To potentially be useful, a contact-tracing app needs to be downloaded and used by a lot of people. To ensure adoption of the app on a large scale among the population, you need to gain their trust. Publishing the source code is one way to get this trust,” he told Firstpost. Congress demands probe on AMBU bag projected as ventilator in Gujarat Meanwhile, Congress has demanded a judicial probe into the use of 'uncertified' Dhaman-1 ventilators on COVID-19 patients in Gujarat, alleging that the mortality rate was highest at the hospital these machines were installed. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged that the Vijay Rupani government projected a mechanised AMBU (Artificial Manual Breathing Unit) bag as ventilator, "playing with the lives of patients". "Why was Dhaman-1 approved and installed when it had been tested on just one patient? Why was Dhaman-1 approved and installed without a licence by DCGI (Drug Controller General of India)," Khera asked. "We also want to know if the PM-Cares Fund was used to buy 5,000 pieces of Dhaman-1 through HLL Lifecare. All these answers can only be found through an independent judicial inquiry," Khera said. On Saturday, Chairman Railway Board VK Yadav on Saturday said that the Railways has drawn up a schedule to operate 2,600 more trains over the next 10 days to ferry 36 lakh more migrant workers home. The 'shramikspecial' trains are being operated primarily on the requests of the states, which want to send migrant workers to their home states. According to data with the Railways, Uttar Pradesh (1,246) has received the highest number of shramik special trains, followed by Bihar (804) and Jharkhand (124) and Madhya Pradesh (112). With inputs from PTI

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/05/coronavirus-outbreak-live-updates-ex.html

[brajeshupadhyay]

Coronavirus Outbreak Updates: Piyush Goyal accuses Bengal govt of not giving permission for enough special trains to bring stranded people home

23:56 (IST)

Coronavirus in US Latest Updates

Virus whistleblower tells lawmakers US lacks vaccine plan

  Whistleblower Rick Bright warned on Thursday that the U.S. lacks a plan to produce and fairly distribute a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. The nation could face “the darkest winter in modern history” unless leaders act decisively, he told a congressional panel.

Bright alleges he was ousted from a high-level scientific post after warning the Trump administration to prepare for the pandemic.

Bright said, “We don’t have (a vaccine plan) yet, and it is a significant concern.” Asked if lawmakers should be worried, he responded, “absolutely.”

(AP)

23:40 (IST)

Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Updates

Delhi govt asks Centre for permission to open markets post 17 May

"The Delhi government today submitted a proposal to the Centre on lockdown relaxations post 17 May and suggested opening of markets, shopping complexes and operation of buses and metro services with strict social distancing norms. The government has suggested operation of construction activities in the national capital and that movement of labourers within Delhi be allowed," News18 reported.

23:26 (IST)

Coronavirus in Chhattisgarh Latest Updates

One new COVID-19 case reported in Chhattisgarh

One more person tested positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh's Balod on THursday. Presently, there are four active cases in the state, AIIMS Raipur said.

23:18 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates

Railways says 140 passengers in Bengaluru were reluctant for institutional quarantine

The Delhi-KSR Bengaluru train that arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday morning had 543 passengers, as confirmed from BBMP. Out of 543 persons, 20 were on transit to other states and left by road to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Indian Railways said.

"A section of passengers ranging about 140, were reluctant for institutionalised quarantine and were protesting against the same. After persuasion and discussion by senior officers of state government, Police  and Railways, majority of them have proceeded to said quarantine," the statement said.

23:13 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates

MEA says Vande Bharat Mission is for all stranded Indians

MEA does not discriminate between states. GOI’s Vande Bharat Mission is for all stranded Indians, including those from West Bengal. Over 3700 of them have registered for repatriation from different parts of the world. (1/2)@MoCA_GoI @HomeSecretaryWB https://t.co/CEzU0rCAnM

— Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) May 14, 2020

23:03 (IST)

Coronavirus in US Latest Updates

Donald Trump says 'disappointed' with China for 'failure to contain COVID-19'

US president Donald Trump reportedly said he was "very disappointed" with China for "its failure to contain the novel coronavirus", and that the worldwide "pandemic had cast a pall over his trade deal with Beijing".

22:48 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates

Modi interacts with Bill Gates over global COVID-19 response

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair, Bill Gates via video conference. They discussed global response to coronavirus and importance of global coordination on scientific innovation and R&D to combat pandemic, the PMO saud.

Prime Minister Modi today interacted with Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair, Bill Gates via video conference. The dignitaries discussed global response to #COVID19 & importance of global coordination on scientific innovation & R&D to combat pandemic: Prime Minister's Office pic.twitter.com/Jx8or5B9IB

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2020

22:38 (IST)

Coronavirus in Haryana Latest Updates

Haryana govt to ply buses from Delhi from 18 May

Haryana government will ply buses to felicitate return of the people who are stranded in Delhi, from 18 May, Haryana transport minister Moolchand Sharma said.

22:30 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates

Piyush Goyal slams Bengal govt over permission for special trains

Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that he was "pained" that several states weren't giving permission for enough 'shramik special trains' to bring stranded people to the state.

"West Bengal first gave permission for only two trains,but after Home Minister wrote to state chief minister, then announcement was made that eight more trains will be allowed. But until today afternoon, only five out of those eight trains were allowed by West Bengal government.

"I once again appeal to West Bengal Govt, instead of allowing 105 trains in 30 days, please give permission for 105 trains every day. We will send back all the migrant labourers of WB who want to go back home," he said.

22:20 (IST)

Coronavirus in Rajasthan Latest Updates

206 new COVID-19 cases reported in Rajasthan today

With 206 new positive cases of #COVID19 and 4 deaths reported in Rajasthan today, the total number of positive cases and deaths rise to 4534 and 125 respectively. The number of recovered cases stand at 2638 while 1771 active cases remain in state: State Health Department

22:15 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates

Centre allows states to hire buses for passengers arriving at train stations

The MHA on Thursday issued a guideline allowing hiring of special buses by States/UTs to ferry passengers arriving at railway stations, in view of restrictions of public/private transport during lockdown.

Centre allows hiring of special buses by States/UTs to ferry passengers arriving at railway stations, in view of restrictions of public/private transport during lockdown: Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs pic.twitter.com/7wbFXo6WKT

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2020

22:01 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates

Ram Vilas Paswan says instructed FCI to provide grains as per FM announcement

:I have given instructions to FCI (Food Corporation of India) Chairman to prepare to provide food grains to state from tomorrow for migrant labours even if they don't have ration cards, as announced by Financial Minister Nirmala Sitharaman," said Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan.

21:53 (IST)

Coronavirus in India Latest Updates

Nine migrants electrocuted while travelling, says report

Mojo Story reported that nine migrant workers were electrocuted on Thursday "after the tractor in which they were traveling came in contact with an electric pole."

21:43 (IST)

Coronavirus in West Bengal Latest Updates

87 new COVID-19 cases reported in Bengal today

The West Bengal government said that 87 new coronavirus cases were reported in the state on Thursday, taking the total cases to 2,377. Eight people have succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 143.

21:30 (IST)

Coronavirus in Jharkhand Latest Updates

Two more people test positive for COVID-19 in Jharkhand

Two more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases to 192, the state health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni said on Thursday.

21:21 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala Latest Updates

Kerala sees spike in COVID-19 cases as 26 more test positive

  Barely a week after the Kerala government declared that the COVID-19 curve has been flattened, the state on Thursday saw a sharp spike in new cases with 26 people, including seven foreign returnees and a police personnel, testing positive for the virus, taking the total to 560. The active cases, the number of people under treatment, also rose to 64 compared to just 16 on last Friday, when only a solitary fresh infection was reported.

 "This is a sign of danger we are facing. However, we can overcome this difficult time", Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, referring to the sudden jump in the last two days.  

21:06 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Demanding food, buses, migrants pelt stones on MP-Maharashtra border

Demanding food and transportation, hundreds of migrant workers on Thursday pelted stones near Sendhwa on the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border. Thousands of migrants, on the way to northern states from Maharashtra amid the coronavirus crisis,  are pouring in at Sendhwa in Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district. Eye witnesses said that groups of migrants created ruckus, alleging that government machinery made no arrangement of food and transportation for them.

21:00 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

RSS-affiliated labour union to protest against UP ordinance relaxing labour rights

RSS affiliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has decided to stage nationwide agitation against the ordinance on labour issues of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat governments. All three states are ruled by the BJP. The protest will be held on 20 May.

20:49 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Gujarat Latest Updates

324 new coronavirus cases take Gujarat tally to 9,592; 20 die

With 324 new coronavirus cases reported in the last 24 hours, the tally in Gujarat reached 9,592 on Thursday, while the death toll increased to 586, said health department officials. During the same period, 20 patients succumbed to the infection, taking the toll to 586 in the state, said Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi. During the same period, 20 patients succumbed to the infection, taking the toll to 586 in the state, said Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi.

20:40 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Updates

West Bengal reports 87 new cases, 8 deaths in 24 hours

West Bengal reported 87 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday with 8 deaths. The total number of cases in the state is now at 2377, including  143 deaths. The state has tested 5,295 samples today, and 66 patients have been discharged. 

20:32 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally rises to 27,524

Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally reached 27,524 with addition of 1,602 cases, a new single-day high. The state also reported 44 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the overall toll to 1,019. 

20:18 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

806 'Shramik Special' trains operated so far, over 10 lakh migrants ferried home: Railways

The Railways has operated 806 Shramik Special trains since May 1, ferrying home 10 lakh migrant workers who were stranded in various parts of the country due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, officials said on Thursday. Of these, Uttar Pradesh received the maximum number of trains followed by Bihar, they said. 

"As on May 14, 2020, a total of 806 'Shramik Special' trains have been operationalised from various states across the country. More than 10 lakh passengers have reached their home state.

20:00 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

NHRC sends notice to Maharashtra, MP govts after woman gave birth on road

The NHRC has sent notices to the Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh governments over reports that a pregnant woman, who was walking on foot from Nashik to Satna, gave birth to her child on road, officials said on Thursday. The rights panel has termed the incident an "indignity to motherhood". According to reports, the woman and her husband had reportedly started their journey from Maharashtra's Nashik and were walking towards their home in Satna in Madhya Pradesh, when she gave birth to the child on road.

19:57 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Updates

  CRPF man among 2 new COVID-19 patients in Gautam Buddh Nagar, 16 discharged

A CRPF personnel and a 19-year-old woman have tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar, taking the total number of cases to 238 in the district, officials said on Thursday. With 16 patients getting discharged on Thursday, the recovery rate in the district shot up to 66.80 per cent, according to official statistics. The 35-year-old CRPF personnel is posted at Surajpur camp in Greater Noida, while the woman is a resident of Sector 8, Noida.

19:52 (IST)

BJP govts both in Centre and UP have failed to tackle corona crisis: Akhilesh

Samajwadi party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said both the Union and Uttar Pradesh governments have failed to tackle the coronavirus-triggered crisis due to their "short-sightedness and impractical decisions". The BJP governments, both in state and the Centre, have failed to deal with the coronavirus crisis due to their short-sightedness and impractical decisions. Instead of taking positive and concrete steps, decisions are being taken only to mislead people," Akhilesh Yadav said in a statement.

19:36 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Two Mumbai Police ASI's succumpb to COVID-19

1,001 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra so far, informed the state police on Thursday. The force has reported two new fatalities after ASIs Murlidhar Waghmare and PN Bhagwan Parte succumbed to the disease

Mumbai Police regrets to inform about the unfortunate demise of ASI Murlidhar Waghmare (Sewri PStn) & PN Bhagwan Parte (Shivaji Nagar PStn). ASI Waghmare & PN Parte were battling Coronavirus. May their souls rest in peace. Our thoughts & prayers are with their families.

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 14, 2020

19:26 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha Latest Updates

73 more test positive for COVID-19 in Odisha; 15 recover

At least 73 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Thursday, raising the total count in the state to 611, a health department official said. The number of recoveries in the state rose to 158, with 15 more patients, all from Jajpur district, having defeated the deadly disease, the official said. With this, the number of active cases in Odisha now stands at 450. Three persons have died of the infection so far. Of the 73 fresh cases, 71 had been living in quarantine centres following their return from Gujarat, West Bengal and Karnataka.

19:23 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Narendra Modi says FM's announcements will benefit migrants, farmers

    Today’s announcements by FM @nsitharaman will especially benefit our farmers and migrant workers. The announcements include a series of progressive measures and will boost food security, credit to farmers as well as street vendors. #AatmaNirbharBharatPackage

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 14, 2020

19:00 (IST)

COVID-19: 68 fresh cases in AP, tally reaches 2,205, govt to recruit 550 doctors

As many as 68 fresh COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Andhra Pradesh, where the total number of infections rose to 2,205 while one death due to the virus was reported, taking the toll in the state to 48, the health department said on Thursday. Meanwhile Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy discussed the strategies to be followed while exiting the ongoing lockdown to contain the virus spread and he also sought strengthening telemedicine and home delivery of medicines.

18:55 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Congress dubs Sitharaman's announcements for migrant workers, farmers 'Jumla'

The Congress on Thursday said the government's economic package has so far fallen way short of what the prime minister had promised the nation and dubbed it as a "jumla package". Senior spokesperson of the party Anand Sharma said the country believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was serious when he made the "dramatic" announcement of giving 10 per cent of the GDP as a package to revive the economy and support workers and migrant labourers, and expectations had soared.  

18:44 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Haryana Latest Updates

Haryana to begin plying local transport buses from Friday

Online booking and wearing masks will be must for passengers boarding the Haryana Roadways buses which are to start plying on select routes in the state from Friday, said Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma. "No passenger will be allowed to board the bus if online booking has not been done. The bus services will be point-to-point on select routes and wearing masks is mandatory. Thermal screening of passengers will also be done,” Sharma told PTI over phone on Thursday.

  The Haryana government has already sanitised its bus terminals and the ordinary non-air-conditioned buses which will hit roads, he said.

  18:39 (IST)

36 million have sought US unemployment aid since virus hit

Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for US unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak led more companies to slash jobs even though most states have begun to let some businesses reopen under certain restrictions. 

Still, the number of first-time applications has now declined for six straight weeks, suggesting that a dwindling number of companies are reducing their payrolls.

By historical standards, though, the latest tally shows that the number of weekly jobless claims remains enormous, reflecting an economy that is sinking into a severe downturn. Last week's pace of new applications for aid is still four times the record high that prevailed before the coronavirus struck hard in March.

18:34 (IST)

Cancer patients who went to Mumbai for treatment among Assam's new COVID-19 cases, total at 86

Seven persons who recently returned from Mumbai tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam, taking the total number of cases to 86 in Assam, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday. Among those who tested positive are three cancer patients, and a 13-year-old girl who recently underwent heart surgery in Mumbai. The other three are their attendants. 

Six buses carrying 137 passengers, mostly cancer patients and their attendants, arrived here from Mumbai late on Tuesday and they were quarantined at a hotel. At present, there are 44 active cases in the state, one migrated to Bihar and two died. Total 39 people have recovered so far and discharged from the hospital. Assam has reported 24 cases so far this week with 15 on Wednesday itself.

18:26 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Students who could not pass classes 9, 11 to get another opportunity to clear school-based tests: CBSE

Students of classes 9 and 11, who failed in the exams this year, will get a one-time opportunity to appear in school-based tests and improve their performance in view of the COVID-19 situation, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced. The board had last month announced promoting all students up to class 8, irrespective of their performance in the exams.

The board has clarified that the one-time opportunity is being extended only in the current year in view of the unprecedented conditions of COVID-19 and the benefit will not be extended in the future. The board reiterated that this exemption is to be extended to all students, even if they were given the opportunity prior to the notification.

18:11 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Gujarat Latest Updates

Ahmedabad: Shops selling essential items to reopen from Friday

Over a week after the shops selling essential commodities, like vegetables and grocery, were shut in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat to curb the spread of coronavirus, these outlets will reopen from Friday, officials said. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had ordered closure of all the shops, except those providing milk and medicines, from May 7 till May 15.

18:05 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

'Work from home' to be new normal for govt offices post lockdown, draft guidelines issued

'Work from home' may become a new normal post-lockdown for government employees to ensure social distancing norms till the coronavirus pandemic is checked.  Draft guidelines in this regard have been circulated by the Personnel Ministry to all central government departments asking them to send their comments on it by May 21, failing which, it would be presumed that they are in agreement with the proposed draft. 

  Preparing for life amid COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said that the steps were being initiated because the virus necessitated many ministries to operate from home to maintain social distancing. 

17:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Jammu and Kashmir Latest Updates

900 migrants return to J-K from Maharashtra

Nine hundred migrants from Jammu and Kashmir, including 400 students belonging to the Valley, were ferried home from Maharashtra by a 'Shramik Special' train on Thursday, officials said. However, several students from Jammu stranded in Pune alleged that the union territory administration was biased in the evacuation process. "The government has failed to evacuate us from Pune while some students were sent home from the same area today," a 26-year-old student from Jammu said

17:26 (IST)

Centre announces Rs 2 lakh crore concessional loans for farmers, fisherman, animal husbandry workers 

Seeking to expand the net of the PM Kisan Credit card, the finance minister said that Rs 2 lakh crore concessional credit will be extended to 2.5 crore farmers through Kisan credit card. Fisherman and animal husbandry workers will also be included under this scheme.

17:23 (IST)

FM announces Rs 6,000 Crore employment push using CAMPA funds

17:20 (IST)

Rs 30,000 cr emergency funding for farmers through NABARD: FM

"NABARD will extend additional refinance support of Rs 30,000 crore for crop loan requirements. This is over and above Rs 90,000 crore to be approved by NABARD through normal finance methods to benefit 3 crore farmers, mostly small and  marginal farmers, to meet post harvest Rabi and current Kharif requirement in May/June," Sitharaman said. 

17:09 (IST)

Rs 1,500 Crore Interest Subvention for MUDRA Shishu Loans

Announcing relief for micro units who had taken Mudra Shishu Loans, the government said it will provide interest subvention of 2 percent for prompt payees for a period of 12 months. 

Government of India will provide Interest subvention of 2% for prompt #MUDRA-Shishu Loans payees for a period of 12 months Relief of Rs 1500 cr to MUDRA-Shishu loanees#AatmaNirbharBharatPackage pic.twitter.com/IaHZl86d1c

— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 14, 2020

17:05 (IST)

Rs 5,000 Crore Special Credit Facility for Street vendors

The Centre has announced a special credit facility of Rs 5,000 crores for 50 lakh vendors. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the scheme will be launched within a month. An initial working capital of up to Rs 10,000 will also be provided. 

16:56 (IST)

Affordable rental housing scheme for migrant labours announced

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that government will convert government housing complexes lying vacant to be rented out to migrants on concessional rates. PPP model will also be used to achieve this under the PM Awas Yojna. 

Migrant Workers / Urban Poor to have Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC): Government will launch a scheme under #PMAY #AatmaNirbharBharatPackage pic.twitter.com/9TUcgjDsoy

— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 14, 2020

16:53 (IST)

Govt introduces one nation, one ration card scheme, says will ensure 100% coverage of PDS by March 2021

'One Nation One Ration Card' by March 2021#AatmaNirbharBharatPackage pic.twitter.com/3QiezlPBgr

— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 14, 2020

16:49 (IST)

FM announces free food for migrant workers on move; says those without ration cards will also get benefit

Finance Minister announced free food grain supply for migrant labourers on the move. She said that even those workers who do not have ration cards or are not registered under the public distribution network can also avail 5 kilos of wheat or rice, and one kilos of gram free of cost. The move is expected to benefit 8 crore migrant labours and will cost the government Rs 3500 crore. 

The finance minister also added that the responsibility to reach out to the migrants and implement the scheme will rest with the respective state governments.

16:40 (IST)

MNREGA offering work to 2.33 cr people, wages hiked from Rs 182 to Rs 202, says FM

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman says MNREGA is offering work to 2.33 cr wage seekers in 1.87 lakh Gram Panchyats. She also recalled that in the previous economic package, the wages under MNREGA were also increased from Rs 182 to Rs 202 in order to provide benefit to India's poorest.

16:35 (IST)

FM reels off measures already in pipeline to provide relief to migrant labours, urban poor

Universal right to minimum wages

Removing regional disparity in minimum wage, and introducing National floor wage

Yearly health check ups for all labours

Occupational Safety and health code for workers in hazardous sectors

Benefits for interstate migrant workers

Labour Codes and workers' welfare

Portability of welfare benefits for migrant workers

Mandatory ESIC coverage for employees of hazardous industries

Social security schemes for gig and platform workers

Re-skilling of retrenched workers

16:32 (IST)

Sensex plunges over 880 points, Nifty cracks below 9,200-level as initial stimulus disappoints

Weighed down by weak global cues, the India equity market made a Gap-down opening despite the government’s announcements on Wednesday evening to revive liquidity and the MSME sectors. Market players were disappointed as the immediate spend out of the government's Rs 20 lakh crore fiscal stimulus package was seen to be relatively small, raising doubts about the revival of growth any time soon, experts said.

 Market erased Wednesday’s gains with Sensex and Nifty slipping over 2% each; Sensex slipped 886 points to 31,123 & Nifty 241 points to 9,143 with Nifty Bank declining 567 points to 19,069 & Midcap index falling 46 points to 13,018

16:27 (IST)

FM says 7,200 new Self Help Groups started since 15 March

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Self help Groups have been actively engaged in providing the uran poor with livelihood. She said that around 12,000 SHG groups produced over 3 cr masks and 1,20 lakh litres of sanitisers for the COVID-19 crisis. She also said that the government has facilitated the start of 7,200 new SHGs since 15 March to provide livelihood during lockdown.

16:23 (IST)

Centre sent Rs 11,000 cr from disaster relief fund for setting up shelter for urban poor, including migrants: FM

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government has already approved the use of state disaster relief fund for use of setting up of shelters for urban poor, including migrant labours. This amounts to a direct help of Rs 11,000 crore from the centre.

Additionally, three meals per day are being provided to urban homeless at Centre's cost.

Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Updates: Kerala reported 26 fresh infections and three recoveries on Thursday, as the pandemic appears to strengthen more in the state after significantly slowing down.

The count of coronavirus positive patients in Mumbai reached 16,738 on Thursday after 621 more persons were found infected, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

1,001 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra so far, informed the state police on Thursday. The force has reported two new fatalities after ASIs Murlidhar Waghmare and PN Bhagwan Parte succumbed to the disease.

As many as 68 fresh COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Andhra Pradesh, where the total number of infections rose to 2,205.  The state government is in the process of recruiting 550 doctors to work in COVID-19 designated hospitals across the state, a state government bulletin said.

The Congress party on Thursday disapproved of the announcements made in Nirmala Sitharaman's second presser since the prime minister announced a Rs 20 lakh crore economic package. It called the announcements Jumla and said Sitharaman's presser was a display of her ignorance and insensitivity

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced several steps to extend relief to migrant workers, including provision for free food grains for the next two months.

NABARD will extend additional refinance support of Rs 30,000 crore for crop loan requirements. This is over and above Rs 90,000 crore to be approved by NABARD through normal finance methods.

Finance Minister announced free food grain supply for migrant labourers on the move. She said that even those workers who do not have ration cards or are not registered under the public distribution network can also avail 5 kilos of wheat or rice, and one kilos of gram free of cost

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman says MNREGA is offering work to 2.33 cr wage seekers in 1.87 lakh Gram Panchyats. She also recalled that in the previous economic package, the wages under MNREGA were also increased from Rs 182 to Rs 202 in order to provide benefit to India's poorest.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Self help Groups have been actively engaged in providing the uran poor with livelihood. She also said that the government has facilitated the start of 7,200 new SHGs since 15 March to provide livelihood during lockdown.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will give details of the second set of announcements from the Rs 20 lakh crore package the prime minister announced on Tuesday. She will address a bilingual press conference with MoS Finance Anurag Thakur at 4 pm today.

India's national carrier Air India will resume bookings for select international destinations including Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore from 5 pm today. Flyers will be able to call up the AI helpline, or book tickets through the airline's website and chat bot.

The West Bengal government has arranged for additional 105 special trains to help facilitate the return of migrants to the state, said chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday.

"Towards our commitment to helping all our people stuck in different parts of the country and who want to return back to Bengal, I am pleased to announce that we have arranged 105 additional special trains," tweeted Mamata.

With 472 more people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Delhi in the past 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases in the National Capital climbed to 8,470.

So far, 115 COVID-19 patients have succumbed to the infection, while 187 people have recovered. There are 5,310 active cases in Delhi at present, according to health bulletin released by Delhi government on Thursday.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar will hold a meeting with few key ministers on Thursday to review the current economic situation of the state in the backdrop of COVID-19 lockdown.

The ministers will also mull upon the measures to be taken for the revival of the state's economy. CM and his colleagues are likely to discuss the post lockdown economic revival plan for the state.

Some people in Delhi asked if we can start public buses. They said many offices are allowed to work now, but not everyone has a vehicle and they need public transport, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday.

With 22 more people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Karnataka from 5 pm on Wednesday till 12 pm on Thursday, the total number of positive cases in the state climbed to 981.

So far, the state has registered 35 deaths, said the health department.

BSP chief Mayawati said that the Rs 1,000 crore allocated for migrant labourers from the PM-CARES, must be directly transferred to states like Uttar Pradesh, where labourers have been affected the most.

"Speedy direct cash transfers to migrant workers in 'worst-affected' states like UP can help them become self-sufficient," said Mayawati.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold a press conference on Thursday at 4 pm. This will be the second in a series of planned press conferences meant to announce details of the COVID-19 economic stimulus package.

Indian Railways cancelled all tickets booked to travel on or before 30 June, 2020, ANI reported. Refunds will be given to all tickets booked till 30 June. However, all special trains and Shramik Special train will ply as usual.

Congress leader P Chidambaram took to Twitter to slam the BJP-led Centre decision to allocate funds to migrants workers, by saying 'PM-CARES has allocated Rs 1000 crore for migrant workers. Please don’t make the common mistake. But nothing will go to the hands of the migrant workers,' he said.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each to the kin of the deceased in the Muzaffarnagar bus accident that left at least six migrant labourers dead.

"Officers have been directed to send bodies of the workers to Bihar. Saharanpur Divisional Commissioner has been asked to submit report after investigation," said Uttar Pradesh CMO.

As many as 134 new COVID-19 deaths and 3,722 fresh cases were reported in the past 24 hours across the nation. This takes the total confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to 78,003 with the toll at 2,549 on Thursday.

According to the health ministry, there are 49,219 active cases till now. ​

Eight labourers were killed and around 50 were injured after the truck they were travelling in collided with a bus in Madhya Pradesh's Guna on Wednesday night, ANI reported.

The injured labourers have been shifted to a district hospital. They were going to their home towns in Uttar Pradesh from Maharashtra.

Six migrant workers were killed and two were injured after being mowed down by a state transport bus while they were walking towards Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar late Wednesday night.

The labourers, who were headed home in Bihar on foot, were killed in the Muzaffarnagar-Saharanpur highway after a speeding bus ran over them late last night, near Ghalauli check-post.

A case of negligence will be filed against the driver, Indian Express quoted Anil Kaparvan, SHO Kotwali police station as saying.

The nationwide tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases inched towards 75,000 on Wednesday with several large urban clusters reporting a further spread of the novel coronavirus, while the government unveiled measures amounting to about Rs 6 lakh crore in easy loans, additional liquidity and other incentives to help businesses fight the crisis.

The first installment of the Rs 20-lakh-crore economic package, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, came on the 50th day of the coronavirus lockdown and merely four days before the end of its third phase on 17 May.

A decision on the future course of action on the lockdown is expected in the next few days, though Modi has said that the 'fourth' phase will be an 'improved' version of third phase, in which some relaxations were already given.

On Wednesday evening, the Centre also said that the PM-CARES Fund Trust has decided to allocate Rs 3,100 crore for the fight against COVID-19, out of which nearly Rs 2,000 crore will be earmarked for purchasing ventilators and Rs 1,000 crore for migrant labourers.

Another Rs 100 crore will be given to support coronavirus vaccine development, the PMO statement said.

The trust formed on 27 March is headed by the prime minister. The other ex-officio members of the trust are the defence minister, the home minister and the finance minister.

Centre unveils first dose of Rs 20-lakh-crore economic package

On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the first part of the economic package, which is aimed at making India 'self-reliant' and also promote 'local' businesses.

Sitharaman said that no global tenders will be issued for government contracts worth up to Rs 200 crore to promote Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Taking forward the new 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' (Self-Reliant India Mission), Home Minister Amit Shah separately announced that all canteens of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like the CRPF and the BSF will sell only indigenous products from 1 June.

These canteens cater to nearly 50 lakh family members of about 10 lakh personnel. In a series of tweets in Hindi, Shah said that the decision has been taken after Modi's appeal for being self-reliant and opting for local products.

There are expectations that many more steps might be announced soon to promote indigenous products, though Sitharaman said being self-reliant does not mean that India would look only inwards and become an "isolationist" country.

Modi said the measures announced by the finance minister will enhance liquidity, empower entrepreneurs and strengthen their competitive spirit, while addressing various issues faced by businesses, especially MSMEs.

The measures included Rs 3 lakh crore collateral-free automatic loan for businesses including MSMEs, which Sitharaman said would benefit 45 lakh small businesses.

Consultancy major KPMG India's Chairman and CEO Arun Kumar said MSMEs are critical for employment preservation and growth and helping them is the surest way to accelerate job creation. He also welcomed measures for improving liquidity for lenders and businesses, including by helping non-banking finance companies.

Congress leader P Chidambaram, however, said that the Centre's COVID-19 economic stimulus package had nothing for lakhs of poor and hungry migrant workers who have been walking to their homes.

India's MSME sector employs nearly 11 crore people and accounts for about 45 percent of the country's total manufacturing output, 40 percent of exports and almost 30 percent of the GDP. However, the sector has been hit hard by the lockdown, with millions of units staring at the prospect of closure and the threat of job losses.

Lakhs of migrant workers were also left jobless and homeless due to the pandemic, especially after the lockdown came into effect on 25 March.

While special trains and buses have been arranged for them in the recent weeks and continue to operate to help them reach their native places, thousands of them had to walk or even hide in trucks and containers to reach their destinations.

In the past few days, the large scale migrant movement has raised another worry of the virus getting spread further. Also, some cases have come to the light, including in Kerala, of people testing positive after being airlifted from abroad under a massive evacuation scheme of the Centre which is currently underway to bring back Indians and expatriates stranded in different countries.

COVID-19 cases in India cross 75,000-mark, toll rises to 2,415

In its morning update, the Health Ministry said the toll due to COVID-19 has risen to 2,415 and the number of cases has climbed to 74,281, registering an increase of 122 deaths and 3,525 cases since Tuesday morning. This included over 47,000 active cases and more than 24,000 people who have recovered from the infection.

However, a PTI tally of numbers disclosed by states and UTs, as of 6.45 pm, showed at least 75,144 total cases across the country. It also showed nearly 25,000 having recovered so far.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that nine states and UTs, including Chhattisgarh, Ladakh, Manipur and Meghalaya, have not reported any new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours while Daman and Diu, Sikkim, Nagaland and Lakshadweep have not reported any cases so far.

Vardhan also said the the doubling time of cases has improved to 12.6 in the last three days, from 11 in the past 14 days. He further observed that the fatality rate is 3.2 percent and the recovery rate is pegged at 32.8 percent.

Kerala, where new cases had stopped coming up till a few days back, saw 10 more people testing positive, including four who have come from abroad.

At the same time, large numbers of new cases continued to come up in Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, among some other states and UTs.

Maharashtra saw the highest single-day jump in cases on Wednesday, with 1,495 new patients testing positive in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in the state, which is one of the worst hit, crossed 25,000 and toll reached 975.

Mumbai accounts for over 60 percent of all cases in Maharashtra, with around 1500 cases.

Lockdown eased in England, Saudi Arabia announces Eid curfew

The sound of a crisply struck golf ball could be heard in England for the first time in nearly two months as golf courses reopened on Wednesday as part of a modest easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions that has bred confusion and an increase in the use of public transport, AP reported.

People in England are allowed to exercise more than once a day and with one person from outside their household, provided they remain two meters (around 6.5 feet) apart. Other sporting activities, such as tennis and swimming in lakes and fishing, are allowed too.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia announced a new 24-hour nationwide curfew from 23 May and during the Eid holidays to curb the COVID-19 spread, CNN reported.

In Italy, the number of calls to a government run anti-violence helpline rose by 73 percent during the coronavirus lockdown, the report added.

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23:56 (IST) Coronavirus in US Latest Updates Virus whistleblower tells lawmakers US lacks vaccine plan   Whistleblower Rick Bright warned on Thursday that the U.S. lacks a plan to produce and fairly distribute a coronavirus vaccine when it becomes available. The nation could face “the darkest winter in modern history” unless leaders act decisively, he told a congressional panel. Bright alleges he was ousted from a high-level scientific post after warning the Trump administration to prepare for the pandemic. Bright said, “We don’t have (a vaccine plan) yet, and it is a significant concern.” Asked if lawmakers should be worried, he responded, “absolutely.” (AP) 23:40 (IST) Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Updates Delhi govt asks Centre for permission to open markets post 17 May "The Delhi government today submitted a proposal to the Centre on lockdown relaxations post 17 May and suggested opening of markets, shopping complexes and operation of buses and metro services with strict social distancing norms. The government has suggested operation of construction activities in the national capital and that movement of labourers within Delhi be allowed," News18 reported. 23:26 (IST) Coronavirus in Chhattisgarh Latest Updates One new COVID-19 case reported in Chhattisgarh One more person tested positive for coronavirus in Chhattisgarh's Balod on THursday. Presently, there are four active cases in the state, AIIMS Raipur said. 23:18 (IST) Coronavirus in India Latest Updates Railways says 140 passengers in Bengaluru were reluctant for institutional quarantine The Delhi-KSR Bengaluru train that arrived in Bengaluru on Thursday morning had 543 passengers, as confirmed from BBMP. Out of 543 persons, 20 were on transit to other states and left by road to Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the Indian Railways said. "A section of passengers ranging about 140, were reluctant for institutionalised quarantine and were protesting against the same. After persuasion and discussion by senior officers of state government, Police  and Railways, majority of them have proceeded to said quarantine," the statement said. 23:13 (IST) Coronavirus in India Latest Updates MEA says Vande Bharat Mission is for all stranded Indians MEA does not discriminate between states. GOI’s Vande Bharat Mission is for all stranded Indians, including those from West Bengal. Over 3700 of them have registered for repatriation from different parts of the world. (1/2)@MoCA_GoI @HomeSecretaryWB https://t.co/CEzU0rCAnM — Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) May 14, 2020 23:03 (IST) Coronavirus in US Latest Updates Donald Trump says 'disappointed' with China for 'failure to contain COVID-19' US president Donald Trump reportedly said he was "very disappointed" with China for "its failure to contain the novel coronavirus", and that the worldwide "pandemic had cast a pall over his trade deal with Beijing". 22:48 (IST) Coronavirus in India Latest Updates Modi interacts with Bill Gates over global COVID-19 response Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair, Bill Gates via video conference. They discussed global response to coronavirus and importance of global coordination on scientific innovation and R&D to combat pandemic, the PMO saud. Prime Minister Modi today interacted with Bill&Melinda Gates Foundation Co-chair, Bill Gates via video conference. The dignitaries discussed global response to #COVID19 & importance of global coordination on scientific innovation & R&D to combat pandemic: Prime Minister's Office pic.twitter.com/Jx8or5B9IB — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2020 22:38 (IST) Coronavirus in Haryana Latest Updates Haryana govt to ply buses from Delhi from 18 May Haryana government will ply buses to felicitate return of the people who are stranded in Delhi, from 18 May, Haryana transport minister Moolchand Sharma said. 22:30 (IST) Coronavirus in India Latest Updates Piyush Goyal slams Bengal govt over permission for special trains Union minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that he was "pained" that several states weren't giving permission for enough 'shramik special trains' to bring stranded people to the state. "West Bengal first gave permission for only two trains,but after Home Minister wrote to state chief minister, then announcement was made that eight more trains will be allowed. But until today afternoon, only five out of those eight trains were allowed by West Bengal government. "I once again appeal to West Bengal Govt, instead of allowing 105 trains in 30 days, please give permission for 105 trains every day. We will send back all the migrant labourers of WB who want to go back home," he said. 22:20 (IST) Coronavirus in Rajasthan Latest Updates 206 new COVID-19 cases reported in Rajasthan today With 206 new positive cases of #COVID19 and 4 deaths reported in Rajasthan today, the total number of positive cases and deaths rise to 4534 and 125 respectively. The number of recovered cases stand at 2638 while 1771 active cases remain in state: State Health Department 22:15 (IST) Coronavirus in India Latest Updates Centre allows states to hire buses for passengers arriving at train stations The MHA on Thursday issued a guideline allowing hiring of special buses by States/UTs to ferry passengers arriving at railway stations, in view of restrictions of public/private transport during lockdown. Centre allows hiring of special buses by States/UTs to ferry passengers arriving at railway stations, in view of restrictions of public/private transport during lockdown: Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs pic.twitter.com/7wbFXo6WKT — ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2020 22:01 (IST) Coronavirus in India Latest Updates Ram Vilas Paswan says instructed FCI to provide grains as per FM announcement :I have given instructions to FCI (Food Corporation of India) Chairman to prepare to provide food grains to state from tomorrow for migrant labours even if they don't have ration cards, as announced by Financial Minister Nirmala Sitharaman," said Union Minister of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan. 21:53 (IST) Coronavirus in India Latest Updates Nine migrants electrocuted while travelling, says report Mojo Story reported that nine migrant workers were electrocuted on Thursday "after the tractor in which they were traveling came in contact with an electric pole." 21:43 (IST) Coronavirus in West Bengal Latest Updates 87 new COVID-19 cases reported in Bengal today The West Bengal government said that 87 new coronavirus cases were reported in the state on Thursday, taking the total cases to 2,377. Eight people have succumbed to the infection in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 143. 21:30 (IST) Coronavirus in Jharkhand Latest Updates Two more people test positive for COVID-19 in Jharkhand Two more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Jharkhand, taking the total number of cases to 192, the state health secretary Nitin Madan Kulkarni said on Thursday. 21:21 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala Latest Updates Kerala sees spike in COVID-19 cases as 26 more test positive   Barely a week after the Kerala government declared that the COVID-19 curve has been flattened, the state on Thursday saw a sharp spike in new cases with 26 people, including seven foreign returnees and a police personnel, testing positive for the virus, taking the total to 560. The active cases, the number of people under treatment, also rose to 64 compared to just 16 on last Friday, when only a solitary fresh infection was reported.  "This is a sign of danger we are facing. However, we can overcome this difficult time", Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, referring to the sudden jump in the last two days.   21:06 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Demanding food, buses, migrants pelt stones on MP-Maharashtra border Demanding food and transportation, hundreds of migrant workers on Thursday pelted stones near Sendhwa on the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border. Thousands of migrants, on the way to northern states from Maharashtra amid the coronavirus crisis,  are pouring in at Sendhwa in Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district. Eye witnesses said that groups of migrants created ruckus, alleging that government machinery made no arrangement of food and transportation for them. 21:00 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates RSS-affiliated labour union to protest against UP ordinance relaxing labour rights RSS affiliated trade union Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh has decided to stage nationwide agitation against the ordinance on labour issues of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat governments. All three states are ruled by the BJP. The protest will be held on 20 May. 20:49 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Gujarat Latest Updates 324 new coronavirus cases take Gujarat tally to 9,592; 20 die With 324 new coronavirus cases reported in the last 24 hours, the tally in Gujarat reached 9,592 on Thursday, while the death toll increased to 586, said health department officials. During the same period, 20 patients succumbed to the infection, taking the toll to 586 in the state, said Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi. During the same period, 20 patients succumbed to the infection, taking the toll to 586 in the state, said Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi. 20:40 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in West Bengal Latest Updates West Bengal reports 87 new cases, 8 deaths in 24 hours West Bengal reported 87 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Thursday with 8 deaths. The total number of cases in the state is now at 2377, including  143 deaths. The state has tested 5,295 samples today, and 66 patients have been discharged.  20:32 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally rises to 27,524 Maharashtra's COVID-19 tally reached 27,524 with addition of 1,602 cases, a new single-day high. The state also reported 44 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the overall toll to 1,019.  20:18 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates 806 'Shramik Special' trains operated so far, over 10 lakh migrants ferried home: Railways The Railways has operated 806 Shramik Special trains since May 1, ferrying home 10 lakh migrant workers who were stranded in various parts of the country due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, officials said on Thursday. Of these, Uttar Pradesh received the maximum number of trains followed by Bihar, they said.  "As on May 14, 2020, a total of 806 'Shramik Special' trains have been operationalised from various states across the country. More than 10 lakh passengers have reached their home state. 20:00 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates NHRC sends notice to Maharashtra, MP govts after woman gave birth on road The NHRC has sent notices to the Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh governments over reports that a pregnant woman, who was walking on foot from Nashik to Satna, gave birth to her child on road, officials said on Thursday. The rights panel has termed the incident an "indignity to motherhood". According to reports, the woman and her husband had reportedly started their journey from Maharashtra's Nashik and were walking towards their home in Satna in Madhya Pradesh, when she gave birth to the child on road. 19:57 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Updates   CRPF man among 2 new COVID-19 patients in Gautam Buddh Nagar, 16 discharged A CRPF personnel and a 19-year-old woman have tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar, taking the total number of cases to 238 in the district, officials said on Thursday. With 16 patients getting discharged on Thursday, the recovery rate in the district shot up to 66.80 per cent, according to official statistics. The 35-year-old CRPF personnel is posted at Surajpur camp in Greater Noida, while the woman is a resident of Sector 8, Noida. 19:52 (IST) BJP govts both in Centre and UP have failed to tackle corona crisis: Akhilesh Samajwadi party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said both the Union and Uttar Pradesh governments have failed to tackle the coronavirus-triggered crisis due to their "short-sightedness and impractical decisions". The BJP governments, both in state and the Centre, have failed to deal with the coronavirus crisis due to their short-sightedness and impractical decisions. Instead of taking positive and concrete steps, decisions are being taken only to mislead people," Akhilesh Yadav said in a statement. 19:36 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates Two Mumbai Police ASI's succumpb to COVID-19 1,001 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra so far, informed the state police on Thursday. The force has reported two new fatalities after ASIs Murlidhar Waghmare and PN Bhagwan Parte succumbed to the disease Mumbai Police regrets to inform about the unfortunate demise of ASI Murlidhar Waghmare (Sewri PStn) & PN Bhagwan Parte (Shivaji Nagar PStn). ASI Waghmare & PN Parte were battling Coronavirus. May their souls rest in peace. Our thoughts & prayers are with their families. — Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 14, 2020 19:26 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha Latest Updates 73 more test positive for COVID-19 in Odisha; 15 recover At least 73 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Odisha on Thursday, raising the total count in the state to 611, a health department official said. The number of recoveries in the state rose to 158, with 15 more patients, all from Jajpur district, having defeated the deadly disease, the official said. With this, the number of active cases in Odisha now stands at 450. Three persons have died of the infection so far. Of the 73 fresh cases, 71 had been living in quarantine centres following their return from Gujarat, West Bengal and Karnataka. 19:23 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Narendra Modi says FM's announcements will benefit migrants, farmers     Today’s announcements by FM @nsitharaman will especially benefit our farmers and migrant workers. The announcements include a series of progressive measures and will boost food security, credit to farmers as well as street vendors. #AatmaNirbharBharatPackage — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 14, 2020 19:00 (IST) COVID-19: 68 fresh cases in AP, tally reaches 2,205, govt to recruit 550 doctors As many as 68 fresh COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Andhra Pradesh, where the total number of infections rose to 2,205 while one death due to the virus was reported, taking the toll in the state to 48, the health department said on Thursday. Meanwhile Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy discussed the strategies to be followed while exiting the ongoing lockdown to contain the virus spread and he also sought strengthening telemedicine and home delivery of medicines. 18:55 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Congress dubs Sitharaman's announcements for migrant workers, farmers 'Jumla' The Congress on Thursday said the government's economic package has so far fallen way short of what the prime minister had promised the nation and dubbed it as a "jumla package". Senior spokesperson of the party Anand Sharma said the country believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was serious when he made the "dramatic" announcement of giving 10 per cent of the GDP as a package to revive the economy and support workers and migrant labourers, and expectations had soared.   18:44 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Haryana Latest Updates Haryana to begin plying local transport buses from Friday Online booking and wearing masks will be must for passengers boarding the Haryana Roadways buses which are to start plying on select routes in the state from Friday, said Transport Minister Mool Chand Sharma. "No passenger will be allowed to board the bus if online booking has not been done. The bus services will be point-to-point on select routes and wearing masks is mandatory. Thermal screening of passengers will also be done,” Sharma told PTI over phone on Thursday.   The Haryana government has already sanitised its bus terminals and the ordinary non-air-conditioned buses which will hit roads, he said.   18:39 (IST) 36 million have sought US unemployment aid since virus hit Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for US unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak led more companies to slash jobs even though most states have begun to let some businesses reopen under certain restrictions.  Still, the number of first-time applications has now declined for six straight weeks, suggesting that a dwindling number of companies are reducing their payrolls. By historical standards, though, the latest tally shows that the number of weekly jobless claims remains enormous, reflecting an economy that is sinking into a severe downturn. Last week's pace of new applications for aid is still four times the record high that prevailed before the coronavirus struck hard in March. 18:34 (IST) Cancer patients who went to Mumbai for treatment among Assam's new COVID-19 cases, total at 86 Seven persons who recently returned from Mumbai tested positive for COVID-19 in Assam, taking the total number of cases to 86 in Assam, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday. Among those who tested positive are three cancer patients, and a 13-year-old girl who recently underwent heart surgery in Mumbai. The other three are their attendants.  Six buses carrying 137 passengers, mostly cancer patients and their attendants, arrived here from Mumbai late on Tuesday and they were quarantined at a hotel. At present, there are 44 active cases in the state, one migrated to Bihar and two died. Total 39 people have recovered so far and discharged from the hospital. Assam has reported 24 cases so far this week with 15 on Wednesday itself. 18:26 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Students who could not pass classes 9, 11 to get another opportunity to clear school-based tests: CBSE Students of classes 9 and 11, who failed in the exams this year, will get a one-time opportunity to appear in school-based tests and improve their performance in view of the COVID-19 situation, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced. The board had last month announced promoting all students up to class 8, irrespective of their performance in the exams. The board has clarified that the one-time opportunity is being extended only in the current year in view of the unprecedented conditions of COVID-19 and the benefit will not be extended in the future. The board reiterated that this exemption is to be extended to all students, even if they were given the opportunity prior to the notification. 18:11 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Gujarat Latest Updates Ahmedabad: Shops selling essential items to reopen from Friday Over a week after the shops selling essential commodities, like vegetables and grocery, were shut in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat to curb the spread of coronavirus, these outlets will reopen from Friday, officials said. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had ordered closure of all the shops, except those providing milk and medicines, from May 7 till May 15. 18:05 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates 'Work from home' to be new normal for govt offices post lockdown, draft guidelines issued 'Work from home' may become a new normal post-lockdown for government employees to ensure social distancing norms till the coronavirus pandemic is checked.  Draft guidelines in this regard have been circulated by the Personnel Ministry to all central government departments asking them to send their comments on it by May 21, failing which, it would be presumed that they are in agreement with the proposed draft.    Preparing for life amid COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said that the steps were being initiated because the virus necessitated many ministries to operate from home to maintain social distancing.  17:47 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Jammu and Kashmir Latest Updates 900 migrants return to J-K from Maharashtra Nine hundred migrants from Jammu and Kashmir, including 400 students belonging to the Valley, were ferried home from Maharashtra by a 'Shramik Special' train on Thursday, officials said. However, several students from Jammu stranded in Pune alleged that the union territory administration was biased in the evacuation process. "The government has failed to evacuate us from Pune while some students were sent home from the same area today," a 26-year-old student from Jammu said 17:26 (IST) Centre announces Rs 2 lakh crore concessional loans for farmers, fisherman, animal husbandry workers  Seeking to expand the net of the PM Kisan Credit card, the finance minister said that Rs 2 lakh crore concessional credit will be extended to 2.5 crore farmers through Kisan credit card. Fisherman and animal husbandry workers will also be included under this scheme. 17:23 (IST) FM announces Rs 6,000 Crore employment push using CAMPA funds 17:20 (IST) Rs 30,000 cr emergency funding for farmers through NABARD: FM "NABARD will extend additional refinance support of Rs 30,000 crore for crop loan requirements. This is over and above Rs 90,000 crore to be approved by NABARD through normal finance methods to benefit 3 crore farmers, mostly small and  marginal farmers, to meet post harvest Rabi and current Kharif requirement in May/June," Sitharaman said.  17:09 (IST) Rs 1,500 Crore Interest Subvention for MUDRA Shishu Loans Announcing relief for micro units who had taken Mudra Shishu Loans, the government said it will provide interest subvention of 2 percent for prompt payees for a period of 12 months.  Government of India will provide Interest subvention of 2% for prompt #MUDRA-Shishu Loans payees for a period of 12 months Relief of Rs 1500 cr to MUDRA-Shishu loanees#AatmaNirbharBharatPackage pic.twitter.com/IaHZl86d1c — PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 14, 2020 17:05 (IST) Rs 5,000 Crore Special Credit Facility for Street vendors The Centre has announced a special credit facility of Rs 5,000 crores for 50 lakh vendors. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the scheme will be launched within a month. An initial working capital of up to Rs 10,000 will also be provided.  16:56 (IST) Affordable rental housing scheme for migrant labours announced Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that government will convert government housing complexes lying vacant to be rented out to migrants on concessional rates. PPP model will also be used to achieve this under the PM Awas Yojna.  Migrant Workers / Urban Poor to have Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC): Government will launch a scheme under #PMAY #AatmaNirbharBharatPackage pic.twitter.com/9TUcgjDsoy — PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 14, 2020 16:53 (IST) Govt introduces one nation, one ration card scheme, says will ensure 100% coverage of PDS by March 2021 'One Nation One Ration Card' by March 2021#AatmaNirbharBharatPackage pic.twitter.com/3QiezlPBgr — PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 14, 2020 16:49 (IST) FM announces free food for migrant workers on move; says those without ration cards will also get benefit Finance Minister announced free food grain supply for migrant labourers on the move. She said that even those workers who do not have ration cards or are not registered under the public distribution network can also avail 5 kilos of wheat or rice, and one kilos of gram free of cost. The move is expected to benefit 8 crore migrant labours and will cost the government Rs 3500 crore.  The finance minister also added that the responsibility to reach out to the migrants and implement the scheme will rest with the respective state governments. 16:40 (IST) MNREGA offering work to 2.33 cr people, wages hiked from Rs 182 to Rs 202, says FM Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman says MNREGA is offering work to 2.33 cr wage seekers in 1.87 lakh Gram Panchyats. She also recalled that in the previous economic package, the wages under MNREGA were also increased from Rs 182 to Rs 202 in order to provide benefit to India's poorest. 16:35 (IST) FM reels off measures already in pipeline to provide relief to migrant labours, urban poor Universal right to minimum wages Removing regional disparity in minimum wage, and introducing National floor wage Yearly health check ups for all labours Occupational Safety and health code for workers in hazardous sectors Benefits for interstate migrant workers Labour Codes and workers' welfare Portability of welfare benefits for migrant workers Mandatory ESIC coverage for employees of hazardous industries Social security schemes for gig and platform workers Re-skilling of retrenched workers 16:32 (IST) Sensex plunges over 880 points, Nifty cracks below 9,200-level as initial stimulus disappoints Weighed down by weak global cues, the India equity market made a Gap-down opening despite the government’s announcements on Wednesday evening to revive liquidity and the MSME sectors. Market players were disappointed as the immediate spend out of the government's Rs 20 lakh crore fiscal stimulus package was seen to be relatively small, raising doubts about the revival of growth any time soon, experts said.  Market erased Wednesday’s gains with Sensex and Nifty slipping over 2% each; Sensex slipped 886 points to 31,123 & Nifty 241 points to 9,143 with Nifty Bank declining 567 points to 19,069 & Midcap index falling 46 points to 13,018 16:27 (IST) FM says 7,200 new Self Help Groups started since 15 March Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Self help Groups have been actively engaged in providing the uran poor with livelihood. She said that around 12,000 SHG groups produced over 3 cr masks and 1,20 lakh litres of sanitisers for the COVID-19 crisis. She also said that the government has facilitated the start of 7,200 new SHGs since 15 March to provide livelihood during lockdown. 16:23 (IST) Centre sent Rs 11,000 cr from disaster relief fund for setting up shelter for urban poor, including migrants: FM Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government has already approved the use of state disaster relief fund for use of setting up of shelters for urban poor, including migrant labours. This amounts to a direct help of Rs 11,000 crore from the centre. Additionally, three meals per day are being provided to urban homeless at Centre's cost. Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Updates: Kerala reported 26 fresh infections and three recoveries on Thursday, as the pandemic appears to strengthen more in the state after significantly slowing down. The count of coronavirus positive patients in Mumbai reached 16,738 on Thursday after 621 more persons were found infected, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. 1,001 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra so far, informed the state police on Thursday. The force has reported two new fatalities after ASIs Murlidhar Waghmare and PN Bhagwan Parte succumbed to the disease. As many as 68 fresh COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Andhra Pradesh, where the total number of infections rose to 2,205.  The state government is in the process of recruiting 550 doctors to work in COVID-19 designated hospitals across the state, a state government bulletin said. The Congress party on Thursday disapproved of the announcements made in Nirmala Sitharaman's second presser since the prime minister announced a Rs 20 lakh crore economic package. It called the announcements Jumla and said Sitharaman's presser was a display of her ignorance and insensitivity Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced several steps to extend relief to migrant workers, including provision for free food grains for the next two months. NABARD will extend additional refinance support of Rs 30,000 crore for crop loan requirements. This is over and above Rs 90,000 crore to be approved by NABARD through normal finance methods. Finance Minister announced free food grain supply for migrant labourers on the move. She said that even those workers who do not have ration cards or are not registered under the public distribution network can also avail 5 kilos of wheat or rice, and one kilos of gram free of cost Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman says MNREGA is offering work to 2.33 cr wage seekers in 1.87 lakh Gram Panchyats. She also recalled that in the previous economic package, the wages under MNREGA were also increased from Rs 182 to Rs 202 in order to provide benefit to India's poorest. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Self help Groups have been actively engaged in providing the uran poor with livelihood. She also said that the government has facilitated the start of 7,200 new SHGs since 15 March to provide livelihood during lockdown. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will give details of the second set of announcements from the Rs 20 lakh crore package the prime minister announced on Tuesday. She will address a bilingual press conference with MoS Finance Anurag Thakur at 4 pm today. India's national carrier Air India will resume bookings for select international destinations including Frankfurt, Paris and Singapore from 5 pm today. Flyers will be able to call up the AI helpline, or book tickets through the airline's website and chat bot. The West Bengal government has arranged for additional 105 special trains to help facilitate the return of migrants to the state, said chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday. "Towards our commitment to helping all our people stuck in different parts of the country and who want to return back to Bengal, I am pleased to announce that we have arranged 105 additional special trains," tweeted Mamata. With 472 more people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Delhi in the past 24 hours, the total number of confirmed cases in the National Capital climbed to 8,470. So far, 115 COVID-19 patients have succumbed to the infection, while 187 people have recovered. There are 5,310 active cases in Delhi at present, according to health bulletin released by Delhi government on Thursday. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar will hold a meeting with few key ministers on Thursday to review the current economic situation of the state in the backdrop of COVID-19 lockdown. The ministers will also mull upon the measures to be taken for the revival of the state's economy. CM and his colleagues are likely to discuss the post lockdown economic revival plan for the state. Some people in Delhi asked if we can start public buses. They said many offices are allowed to work now, but not everyone has a vehicle and they need public transport, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday. With 22 more people testing positive for the novel coronavirus in Karnataka from 5 pm on Wednesday till 12 pm on Thursday, the total number of positive cases in the state climbed to 981. So far, the state has registered 35 deaths, said the health department. BSP chief Mayawati said that the Rs 1,000 crore allocated for migrant labourers from the PM-CARES, must be directly transferred to states like Uttar Pradesh, where labourers have been affected the most. "Speedy direct cash transfers to migrant workers in 'worst-affected' states like UP can help them become self-sufficient," said Mayawati. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold a press conference on Thursday at 4 pm. This will be the second in a series of planned press conferences meant to announce details of the COVID-19 economic stimulus package. Indian Railways cancelled all tickets booked to travel on or before 30 June, 2020, ANI reported. Refunds will be given to all tickets booked till 30 June. However, all special trains and Shramik Special train will ply as usual. Congress leader P Chidambaram took to Twitter to slam the BJP-led Centre decision to allocate funds to migrants workers, by saying 'PM-CARES has allocated Rs 1000 crore for migrant workers. Please don’t make the common mistake. But nothing will go to the hands of the migrant workers,' he said. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50,000 each to the kin of the deceased in the Muzaffarnagar bus accident that left at least six migrant labourers dead. "Officers have been directed to send bodies of the workers to Bihar. Saharanpur Divisional Commissioner has been asked to submit report after investigation," said Uttar Pradesh CMO. As many as 134 new COVID-19 deaths and 3,722 fresh cases were reported in the past 24 hours across the nation. This takes the total confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to 78,003 with the toll at 2,549 on Thursday. According to the health ministry, there are 49,219 active cases till now. ​ Eight labourers were killed and around 50 were injured after the truck they were travelling in collided with a bus in Madhya Pradesh's Guna on Wednesday night, ANI reported. The injured labourers have been shifted to a district hospital. They were going to their home towns in Uttar Pradesh from Maharashtra. Six migrant workers were killed and two were injured after being mowed down by a state transport bus while they were walking towards Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar late Wednesday night. The labourers, who were headed home in Bihar on foot, were killed in the Muzaffarnagar-Saharanpur highway after a speeding bus ran over them late last night, near Ghalauli check-post. A case of negligence will be filed against the driver, Indian Express quoted Anil Kaparvan, SHO Kotwali police station as saying. The nationwide tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases inched towards 75,000 on Wednesday with several large urban clusters reporting a further spread of the novel coronavirus, while the government unveiled measures amounting to about Rs 6 lakh crore in easy loans, additional liquidity and other incentives to help businesses fight the crisis. The first installment of the Rs 20-lakh-crore economic package, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, came on the 50th day of the coronavirus lockdown and merely four days before the end of its third phase on 17 May. A decision on the future course of action on the lockdown is expected in the next few days, though Modi has said that the 'fourth' phase will be an 'improved' version of third phase, in which some relaxations were already given. On Wednesday evening, the Centre also said that the PM-CARES Fund Trust has decided to allocate Rs 3,100 crore for the fight against COVID-19, out of which nearly Rs 2,000 crore will be earmarked for purchasing ventilators and Rs 1,000 crore for migrant labourers. Another Rs 100 crore will be given to support coronavirus vaccine development, the PMO statement said. The trust formed on 27 March is headed by the prime minister. The other ex-officio members of the trust are the defence minister, the home minister and the finance minister. Centre unveils first dose of Rs 20-lakh-crore economic package On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the first part of the economic package, which is aimed at making India 'self-reliant' and also promote 'local' businesses. Sitharaman said that no global tenders will be issued for government contracts worth up to Rs 200 crore to promote Indian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Taking forward the new 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' (Self-Reliant India Mission), Home Minister Amit Shah separately announced that all canteens of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) like the CRPF and the BSF will sell only indigenous products from 1 June. These canteens cater to nearly 50 lakh family members of about 10 lakh personnel. In a series of tweets in Hindi, Shah said that the decision has been taken after Modi's appeal for being self-reliant and opting for local products. There are expectations that many more steps might be announced soon to promote indigenous products, though Sitharaman said being self-reliant does not mean that India would look only inwards and become an "isolationist" country. Modi said the measures announced by the finance minister will enhance liquidity, empower entrepreneurs and strengthen their competitive spirit, while addressing various issues faced by businesses, especially MSMEs. The measures included Rs 3 lakh crore collateral-free automatic loan for businesses including MSMEs, which Sitharaman said would benefit 45 lakh small businesses. Consultancy major KPMG India's Chairman and CEO Arun Kumar said MSMEs are critical for employment preservation and growth and helping them is the surest way to accelerate job creation. He also welcomed measures for improving liquidity for lenders and businesses, including by helping non-banking finance companies. Congress leader P Chidambaram, however, said that the Centre's COVID-19 economic stimulus package had nothing for lakhs of poor and hungry migrant workers who have been walking to their homes. India's MSME sector employs nearly 11 crore people and accounts for about 45 percent of the country's total manufacturing output, 40 percent of exports and almost 30 percent of the GDP. However, the sector has been hit hard by the lockdown, with millions of units staring at the prospect of closure and the threat of job losses. Lakhs of migrant workers were also left jobless and homeless due to the pandemic, especially after the lockdown came into effect on 25 March. While special trains and buses have been arranged for them in the recent weeks and continue to operate to help them reach their native places, thousands of them had to walk or even hide in trucks and containers to reach their destinations. In the past few days, the large scale migrant movement has raised another worry of the virus getting spread further. Also, some cases have come to the light, including in Kerala, of people testing positive after being airlifted from abroad under a massive evacuation scheme of the Centre which is currently underway to bring back Indians and expatriates stranded in different countries. COVID-19 cases in India cross 75,000-mark, toll rises to 2,415 In its morning update, the Health Ministry said the toll due to COVID-19 has risen to 2,415 and the number of cases has climbed to 74,281, registering an increase of 122 deaths and 3,525 cases since Tuesday morning. This included over 47,000 active cases and more than 24,000 people who have recovered from the infection. However, a PTI tally of numbers disclosed by states and UTs, as of 6.45 pm, showed at least 75,144 total cases across the country. It also showed nearly 25,000 having recovered so far. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that nine states and UTs, including Chhattisgarh, Ladakh, Manipur and Meghalaya, have not reported any new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours while Daman and Diu, Sikkim, Nagaland and Lakshadweep have not reported any cases so far. Vardhan also said the the doubling time of cases has improved to 12.6 in the last three days, from 11 in the past 14 days. He further observed that the fatality rate is 3.2 percent and the recovery rate is pegged at 32.8 percent. Kerala, where new cases had stopped coming up till a few days back, saw 10 more people testing positive, including four who have come from abroad. At the same time, large numbers of new cases continued to come up in Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, among some other states and UTs. Maharashtra saw the highest single-day jump in cases on Wednesday, with 1,495 new patients testing positive in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases in the state, which is one of the worst hit, crossed 25,000 and toll reached 975. Mumbai accounts for over 60 percent of all cases in Maharashtra, with around 1500 cases. Lockdown eased in England, Saudi Arabia announces Eid curfew The sound of a crisply struck golf ball could be heard in England for the first time in nearly two months as golf courses reopened on Wednesday as part of a modest easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions that has bred confusion and an increase in the use of public transport, AP reported. People in England are allowed to exercise more than once a day and with one person from outside their household, provided they remain two meters (around 6.5 feet) apart. Other sporting activities, such as tennis and swimming in lakes and fishing, are allowed too. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia announced a new 24-hour nationwide curfew from 23 May and during the Eid holidays to curb the COVID-19 spread, CNN reported. In Italy, the number of calls to a government run anti-violence helpline rose by 73 percent during the coronavirus lockdown, the report added.

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/05/coronavirus-outbreak-updates-piyush.html

[brajeshupadhyay]

Recently, a 62-year-old woman in Jharkhand died in a bank queue after waiting for more than two hours under the scorching sun to withdraw money from her Jan Dhan account. In the midst of the extended lockdown, millions of poor women across India have been similarly queuing outside banks struggling to withdraw the government’s PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) cash transfers. On the other hand, in a public relations faux pas, television channels have aired videos of middle-class women with gold chains around their necks and fire extinguishers in their homes thanking the prime minister for the meagre ₹500 relief. The most tragic fallout of the COVID-19 lockdown is that it has exposed threadbare the class, caste and religious prejudices pernicious in Indian society. The haunting images of the exodus of penniless migrants fleeing industrial cities, inhuman police brutality and children dying of starvation in Dalit hamlets will be hard to erase from our nation’s collective memory. More ration shops than banks Even if we limit ourselves only to the banking system in the context of the current parsimonious PMGKY relief package, the acute class bias is evident on four fronts: First, only 29 percent of Indians have these Jan Dhan accounts, though their vision is to bank “every adult.” More importantly, 53 percent of poor women do not possess these zero balance accounts, as per an estimate by Yale University. Therefore, while on the other hand nearly half of poor households have been deprived, one of every four of these cash transfers to 200 million women’s bank accounts, have been dispatched to women who are essentially not poor.   Source: Lok Sabha, unstarred Question No. 243, Answered on Monday, June 24, 2019  Second, the relief package doubles the ration and provides five kilos of free foodgrain over and above existing entitlements only to those families with National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) ration cards. But 21 percent of poor women do not have these precious cards. Since the imposition of Aadhaar, the red tape to procure both ration cards and Jan Dhan bank accounts is largely similar in most states. So some families will receive double rations and cash, while the most marginalised households and migrants are most likely to be excluded from both. Third, there are more fair price shops than bank branches across nearly all states. As per the Yale survey, 26 percent of poor women reported that they lived more than five kilometers from their nearest bank. Universalisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS) with provision of free foodgrain to all families, including migrants and those without ration cards, is therefore the most prudent immediate solution to combat endemic hunger. Source: NFSA website and RBI Database on Indian Economy, Bank Branch Statistics, December 2019 Fourth, there is a distinct urban bias across the banking infrastructure. In urban areas, there are more bank branches and ATMs (596 per million population) than in rural (102). To compensate in the last decade, more business or banking correspondents (BCs) who undertake transactions with POS (point of sale) machines, have been hired in rural India (534 per million population) than in urban areas (295). But post-COVID19, their operations, which depend on Aadhaar biometric authentication, could spread infection. Source: RBI Database on Indian Economy, Bank Branch Statistics and Data Releases, December 2019  Future of cash transfers Nevertheless, oddly, the Home Ministry on 25 March sanctioned BCs and ATMs to continue their respective banking operations. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have even passed specific orders. The finance minister too encouraged their operation. Despite the lockdown, the RBI has estimated that 80 percent of BCs are functional. However, the ground reality is that BCs are under acute strain with limited transport, police harassment and fear of infection. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has advised that BCs should be provided with health insurance given the high risk associated with their jobs. Some banks have sanctioned an extra honorarium to purchase masks, gloves, disinfectants and sanitisers. But, in reality most BCs are not adequately aware or trained in the usage of disinfectants. A pizza delivery employee in Delhi who tested positive for COVID-19 potentially put 72 families at risk. For BCs, the physical interaction and proximity necessary is even greater as customers necessarily need to place their finger impressions on the glass panel. While many studies are being conducted at a feverish pace and estimates vary, most agree that SARS-CoV-2 — the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease — can survive on glass for four days, on surgical latex gloves for up to eight hours and as air droplets for three hours. Figure 4: Survival rates of the virus on non-disinfected surfaces SARS-CoV-2 or HCoV* Persistence (maximum hours) Tissue Paper 3 Copper 4 Surgical Gloves (latex) 8 Disposable Gown, Cardboard, Wood, Cloth 24 Stainless Steel, Plastic 72 - 168 Glass, Banknotes 96 Source: Chin et al (2020), Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions, The Lancet Microbe (2 April 2020), van Doremalen et al, Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1, New England Journal of Medicine (16 April 2020), Kampf et al, (2020), Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their activation with biocidal agents, The Journal of Hospital Infection, 104, 3, Review, 246-251 (6 February 2020)*(SARS) = Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus or (HCoV) = Endemic human coronaviruses  Therefore, as we enter an era with new waves of infectious global pandemics, it is essential to rethink the operations of BCs. Biometric authentication puts them and their customers at considerable risk of infection transmission even in asymptomatic stages. Recognising this danger, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) was quick to suspend Aadhaar-based attendance systems across government offices and Karnataka, Jharkhand and Kerala, among many other states, have discontinued biometrics in fair price ration shops. In the near future, it would be wise to altogether discontinue Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication across welfare programmes and banking operations, which have anyways proved to be cumbersome and error prone. Other suitable technologies with lower risk of such as contactless cards, which also enable offline usage, can be considered as they are touch-free and retained by the customer. In countries like the United Kingdom they are more ubiquitous than even currency notes as tickets for public transportation, identity cards and bank credit cards. Recently, the Indian government too has begun to issue limited RuPay contactless cards. Every crisis presents an opportunity. Immediately, to quell the surge of hunger and unemployment, the food ministry must adopt a universal PDS with free foodgrain for at least six months. India also definitely needs to rethink the modality of cash transfers, BCs and biometric authentication as the world moves to a “new normal.” Business as usual will no longer be an option.

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/04/covid-19-crisis-shows-class-bias-in.html

[brajeshupadhyay]

COVID-19 crisis shows class bias in banking, required rethink of biometric authentication to access benefits

Recently, a 62-year-old woman in Jharkhand died in a bank queue after waiting for more than two hours under the scorching sun to withdraw money from her Jan Dhan account.

In the midst of the extended lockdown, millions of poor women across India have been similarly queuing outside banks struggling to withdraw the government’s PM Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) cash transfers.

On the other hand, in a public relations faux pas, television channels have aired videos of middle-class women with gold chains around their necks and fire extinguishers in their homes thanking the prime minister for the meagre ₹500 relief.

The most tragic fallout of the COVID-19 lockdown is that it has exposed threadbare the class, caste and religious prejudices pernicious in Indian society.

The haunting images of the exodus of penniless migrants fleeing industrial cities, inhuman police brutality and children dying of starvation in Dalit hamlets will be hard to erase from our nation’s collective memory.

More ration shops than banks

Even if we limit ourselves only to the banking system in the context of the current parsimonious PMGKY relief package, the acute class bias is evident on four fronts:

First, only 29 percent of Indians have these Jan Dhan accounts, though their vision is to bank “every adult.” More importantly, 53 percent of poor women do not possess these zero balance accounts, as per an estimate by Yale University.

Therefore, while on the other hand nearly half of poor households have been deprived, one of every four of these cash transfers to 200 million women’s bank accounts, have been dispatched to women who are essentially not poor.

  Source: Lok Sabha, unstarred Question No. 243, Answered on Monday, June 24, 2019

 Second, the relief package doubles the ration and provides five kilos of free foodgrain over and above existing entitlements only to those families with National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA) ration cards.

But 21 percent of poor women do not have these precious cards. Since the imposition of Aadhaar, the red tape to procure both ration cards and Jan Dhan bank accounts is largely similar in most states.

So some families will receive double rations and cash, while the most marginalised households and migrants are most likely to be excluded from both.

Third, there are more fair price shops than bank branches across nearly all states. As per the Yale survey, 26 percent of poor women reported that they lived more than five kilometers from their nearest bank.

Universalisation of the Public Distribution System (PDS) with provision of free foodgrain to all families, including migrants and those without ration cards, is therefore the most prudent immediate solution to combat endemic hunger.

Source: NFSA website and RBI Database on Indian Economy, Bank Branch Statistics, December 2019

Fourth, there is a distinct urban bias across the banking infrastructure. In urban areas, there are more bank branches and ATMs (596 per million population) than in rural (102).

To compensate in the last decade, more business or banking correspondents (BCs) who undertake transactions with POS (point of sale) machines, have been hired in rural India (534 per million population) than in urban areas (295).

But post-COVID19, their operations, which depend on Aadhaar biometric authentication, could spread infection.

Source: RBI Database on Indian Economy, Bank Branch Statistics and Data Releases, December 2019

 Future of cash transfers

Nevertheless, oddly, the Home Ministry on 25 March sanctioned BCs and ATMs to continue their respective banking operations. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have even passed specific orders. The finance minister too encouraged their operation. Despite the lockdown, the RBI has estimated that 80 percent of BCs are functional.

However, the ground reality is that BCs are under acute strain with limited transport, police harassment and fear of infection. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development has advised that BCs should be provided with health insurance given the high risk associated with their jobs.

Some banks have sanctioned an extra honorarium to purchase masks, gloves, disinfectants and sanitisers. But, in reality most BCs are not adequately aware or trained in the usage of disinfectants.

A pizza delivery employee in Delhi who tested positive for COVID-19 potentially put 72 families at risk. For BCs, the physical interaction and proximity necessary is even greater as customers necessarily need to place their finger impressions on the glass panel.

While many studies are being conducted at a feverish pace and estimates vary, most agree that SARS-CoV-2 — the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease — can survive on glass for four days, on surgical latex gloves for up to eight hours and as air droplets for three hours.

Figure 4: Survival rates of the virus on non-disinfected surfaces

SARS-CoV-2 or HCoV*

Persistence (maximum hours)

Tissue Paper

3

Copper

4

Surgical Gloves (latex)

8

Disposable Gown, Cardboard, Wood, Cloth

24

Stainless Steel, Plastic

72 - 168

Glass, Banknotes

96

Source: Chin et al (2020), Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in different environmental conditions, The Lancet Microbe (2 April 2020), van Doremalen et al, Aerosol and Surface Stability of SARS-CoV-2 as Compared with SARS-CoV-1, New England Journal of Medicine (16 April 2020), Kampf et al, (2020), Persistence of coronaviruses on inanimate surfaces and their activation with biocidal agents, The Journal of Hospital Infection, 104, 3, Review, 246-251 (6 February 2020)*(SARS) = Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus or (HCoV) = Endemic human coronaviruses

 Therefore, as we enter an era with new waves of infectious global pandemics, it is essential to rethink the operations of BCs. Biometric authentication puts them and their customers at considerable risk of infection transmission even in asymptomatic stages.

Recognising this danger, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) was quick to suspend Aadhaar-based attendance systems across government offices and Karnataka, Jharkhand and Kerala, among many other states, have discontinued biometrics in fair price ration shops.

In the near future, it would be wise to altogether discontinue Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication across welfare programmes and banking operations, which have anyways proved to be cumbersome and error prone.

Other suitable technologies with lower risk of such as contactless cards, which also enable offline usage, can be considered as they are touch-free and retained by the customer. In countries like the United Kingdom they are more ubiquitous than even currency notes as tickets for public transportation, identity cards and bank credit cards.

Recently, the Indian government too has begun to issue limited RuPay contactless cards.

Every crisis presents an opportunity. Immediately, to quell the surge of hunger and unemployment, the food ministry must adopt a universal PDS with free foodgrain for at least six months. India also definitely needs to rethink the modality of cash transfers, BCs and biometric authentication as the world moves to a “new normal.”

Business as usual will no longer be an option.

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