Bihari diaspora reaching out to stranded migrants
PATNA: The Bihar Foundation, a forum for the state’s diaspora which has Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as its patron and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi as its chairman, has been reaching out in a big way to people stranded elsewhere on account of the nationwide lockdown. The Foundation has set up relief camps in cities […]
Odisha becomes first state to extend coronavirus lockdown till April 30
NEW DELHI: The Odisha government on Thursday decided to extend the ongoing lockdown in the state till April 30 to effectively contain the spread of coronavirus. It has become the first state to extend the 21-day lockdown. Schools and other educational institutions will remain closed till June 17, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced after a […]
COVID-19: Salman Khan begins process of transferring funds to daily wage workers
NEW DELHI: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has started the process of transferring funds into the accounts of daily wage workers of the film industry, the Federation of Western Indian Cine Employees (FWICE) said on Wednesday. The actor had recently pledged to financially support 25,000 daily wage workers who have been badly hit by the 21-day […]
Indian Railways to deploy more than 2500 Doctors,35000 paramedic staff to meet COVID 19 challenge
NEW DELHI: Sustaining the fight against COVID-19,Indian Railways is making an all out effort to supplement the health care efforts of Government of India. The spectrum of steps include equipping the existing Railway Hospitals to meet the needs for COVID-19, earmarking of hospital beds to meet the contingencies, recruitment of additional doctors & paramedics, modification of […]
Coronavirus lockdown won’t be lifted in one go, PM Narendra Modi hints at all-party meeting
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told floor leaders of opposition and other parties in Parliament that the nationwide lockdown will not be lifted in one go on April 14, according to BJD’s Pinaki Misra. Modi’s comments came during an interaction with these leaders to discuss the situation arising out of the COVID-19 […]
Discoms obligated to pay for electricity within 45 days: Power Ministry
NEW DELHI: With its relief being construed as a moratorium on payments, the Union Power Ministry has clarified that electricity distribution companies will continue to be obligated to pay for power within 45 days of presentation of the bill. It, however, lowered late payment charges for the period between March 24 and June 30. In […]
Coronavirus: Gujarat ropes in private firms to manufacture PPE, N95 masks
NEW DELHI: The Gujarat government has roped in state-based private companies to manufacture personal protective equipment (PPE) and N95 masks required by health staff who are at the forefront of the battle against coronavirus. A private company from the state has already manufactured low-cost ventilators and will be supplying them soon to government-run hospitals, Chief […]
Coronavirus: Home Minister asks authorities to prevent hoarding and black marketing of goods
NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the authorities to take appropriate steps in coordination with state governments to prevent hoarding and black marketing of commodities during the 21-day lockdown in the country to contain the spread of coronavirus, the ministry said on Tuesday. The directives were issued after a detailed review of […]
Coronavirus: SBI pegs FY21 growth at 2.6%, say govt must monetize deficit
NEW DELHI: SBI house economists have pegged the growth forecast for January-March at 2.5 per cent and for 2020-21 at 2.6 per cent given the massive disruptions to businesses and the economy due to the COVID-19-driven lockdowns, which has upended at least 70 per cent of the economy. The nation is on three-week lockdown ending […]
Scrap Rs 20000 crore Central Vista project, government advertisements:Sonia Gandhi’s 5 suggestions to Narendra Modi
NEW DELHI: A day after her telephonic conversation with the Prime Minister on the fight against Covid-19, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggesting five measures to curb government “expenditure” and to divert money in fighting the deadly virus. Sonia Gandhi in her letter suggested to Scrap Central Vista […]
India’s growth may slip below 3% in FY21 if coronavirus proliferates: KPMG
NEW DELHI: India’s growth could slip below 3 per cent in the current fiscal if COVID-19 proliferates within India, lockdown extended and global economy slips into recession, a KPMG report said. It said the three major contributors to GDP — private consumption, investment and external trade — will all get affected due to the spread […]
K Chandrasekhar Rao appeals to Narendra Modi to extend the 21-day national lockdown, save lives
NEW DELHI: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the 21-day national lockdown to check Covid-19 beyond April 14, saying it was essential to save the lives of people. The TRS supremo said it would be difficult to contain the spread of the virus in view […]
India allows limited exports of anti-malaria drug after Donald Trump warns of retaliation
By Neha Dasgupta, Sanjeev Miglani NEW DELHI: India, the world’s main supplier of generic drugs, said on Tuesday it will allow limited exports of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine that U.S. President Donald Trump has touted as a potential weapon in the fight against the coronavirus. The Indian government had put a hold on exports of […]
Don’t be a balcony government for balcony people:Kamal Haasan in open letter to Narendra Modi on coronavirus lockdown
NEW DELHI: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has criticised the implementation of the 21-day national lockdown in an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 21-day ‘Nation-wide Lockdown’ was announced by Modi to control the spread of coronavirus in India. Full text of his letter is as follows. To, Republic of India. Respected Sir, I pen […]
Prepare plans to fight economic impact of Covid-19 on war footing: Narendra Modi to ministers
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked Union ministers to prepare plans to fight the economic impact of COVID-19 on war footing and asserted that this crisis is an opportunity to boost the ‘Make-in-India’ initiative and reduce dependence on other countries. Chairing the first meeting of the council of ministers after announcing a […]
Indian macroeconomic situation bleak, set to worsen if lockdowns continue: Jean Dreze
By Bijay Kumar Singh NEW DELHI: The Indian macroeconomic situation is bleak and all set to get worse if local or national lockdowns continue for some more time, renowned economist Jean Dreze said on Sunday. Dreze further said that due to the country-wide lockdown, social unrest in many parts of India has already started. The […]