Covid-19: India’s unlock 4 guidelines opens up more activities outside containment zones
NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued new guidelines today for opening up of more activities in areas outside the Containment Zones. In Unlock 4, which will come into effect from September 1, 2020, the process of phased re-opening of activities has been extended further. The new guidelines, issued today, are based […]
Narendra Modi government needs to spend more, not lend more: Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked the government over the state of the economy and said it needs to give money to the poor to restart the economy through consumption. Gandhi said “distractions” through media won’t help the poor or make the “economic disaster disappear” His attack on the government came after […]
Russia names new COVID-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’ in reference to Cold War space race
MOSCOW: Russia has named its first approved COVID-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik V’ for foreign markets, a reference to the world’s first satellite and what Moscow sees as its success at becoming the first country to approve a vaccine, a top official said on Tuesday. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the country’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund, said Russia […]
Russia approves first Covid-19 vaccine for use,President Vladimir Putin says his daughter inoculated
Russia on Tuesday became the first country to officially register a coronavirus vaccine and declare it ready for use, despite international scepticism. President Vladimir Putin said that one of his daughters has already been inoculated. Putin emphasized that the vaccine underwent the necessary tests and has proven efficient, offering a lasting immunity from the coronavirus. […]
India extends suspension of international flights till August 31
NEW DELHI: Aviation regulator DGCA on Friday said the suspension of scheduled international flights to and from the country has been extended till August 31 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension of scheduled international commercial services was till July 31. In the wake of the pandemic, overseas flights were suspended in late March, while cargo […]
GST revenue collection for July 2020
NEW DELHI: The gross GST revenue collected in the month of July, 2020 is Rs 87,422 crore of which CGST is Rs 16,147 crore, SGST is Rs 21,418 crore, IGST is Rs 42,592 crore (including Rs 20,324 crore collected on import of goods) and Cess is Rs 7,265 crore (including Rs 807 crore collected on […]
Unlock 3 guidelines: No schools, metro, cinema till August 31; Gyms allowed
NEW DELHI: The nationwide Unlock 3 guidelines were on Wednesday issued by the government, opening up more activities outside the containment zones, but schools, colleges, metro rail service, cinema halls along with bars will continue to remain shut till August 31 and political and religious gatherings will also remain prohibited. For the first time since […]
EPFO records 3.18 lakh new enrolments in May
NEW DELHI: Net new enrolments with retirement fund body EPFO rose to 3.18 lakh in May from 1 lakh during April 2020, according to its latest payroll data, providing a perspective on employment in the formal sector amid the COVID-19 crisis. Provisional payroll data released by the EPFO last month had showed that net new […]
IndiGo to lay off 10% of its workforce
NEW DELHI: IndiGo has decided to lay off 10 per cent of its workforce due to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, its CEO Ronojoy Dutta said on Monday. “From where things stand currently, it is impossible for our company to fly through this economic storm without making some sacrifices, in order to […]
Bank employee unions demand 5-day working week to lessen Covid-19 exposure
NEW DELHI: Bank employee unions have again raised their demand for a five-day working week, stating that reducing the number of working days would help bankers who are at high risk of contracting the coronavirus disease due to their exposure to public. The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) in January had rejected the unions’ proposal for […]
Spices exports jumps 23% to $359 million in June on rising demand: Assocham
NEW DELHI: India’s spices exports rose by 23 per cent to $359 million (around Rs 2,690 crore) in June 2020 from $292 million (Rs 2,190 crore) in the same month last year, Assocham said on Sunday. A dipstick study by the chamber also noticed how the rising demand for spices in the domestic market led […]
Punjab seeks over Rs 80,000 crore aid from Modi government
NEW DELHI: Stressing that the coronavirus challenge is likely to stay for long, the Punjab government sought a fiscal aid of over Rs 80,000 crore from the Centre (Narendra Modi government) to save lives and secure lovelihoods’. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed towards a ‘large-scale devastation and […]
UK lawmakers urge Rishi Sunak to add 1 million workers to income schemes
LONDON: British finance minister Rishi Sunak must extend the government’s already huge coronavirus income support measures to include over 1 million more workers who have missed out, lawmakers said on Monday. People who started jobs after a cut-off date in March for the state’s wage subsidy scheme or who set up a company in the […]
No coercive action against private firms for non-payment of full wages during lockdown: Supreme Court
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and states not to take any coercive action till July end against private companies, which have failed to pay full wages to their employees during the coronavirus-induced lockdown period. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M R Shah said industries and […]
RBI Governor meets heads of rating agencies, seeks assessment of Indian economy
NEW DELHI: RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday sought credit rating agencies’ assessment of the macroeconomic situation and their outlook on various industries, including the financial sector, the central bank said in a statement. The RBI Governor met managing directors and chief executives of credit rating agencies (CRAs) through video conferencing. The meeting was also […]
One-time cash transfer, food ration for 3 months can help migrant workers: Report
NEW DELHI: Two policy options — a one-time cash transfer, and provision of basic food supplies per person from the public distribution system for three months before some industrial activity restarts — can help tackle the migration labour problem, according to a report. Tackling the migration labour problem is partly economic and partly administrative and […]