Coronavirus: Centre Brings Tough Law For Attack On Health Workers; Guilty Could Face 7 Years In Jail
Against the backdrop of attacks on healthcare personnel fighting coronavirus, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance making acts of violence against them as cognizable and non-bailable offences, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said. “Health workers, who are trying to save the country from this epidemic, are unfortunately facing attacks. No incident of violence or […]
Coronavirus numbers explained: India takes eight days to travel from 10,000 cases to 20,000
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Maharashtra added another 552 novel Coronavirus patients on Tuesday, taking the country within touching distance of 20,000 cases. The day also saw at least 52 deaths being reported from across the states, the highest the country has seen in a single day since the start of the outbreak. By Tuesday night, the total number of […]
Covid-19 lockdown: Rahul Gandhi invites public suggestions on stimulus needed for MSME revival
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday invited suggestions from the public on the economic stimulus required to uplift the micro, small & medium businesses (MSME) sector which is hard hit by the Covid-19 crisis. #COVID19 has devastated our micro, small & medium businesses (MSME). The Congress party needs your help. Send us suggestions & ideas […]
Coronavirus: Amid attacks, Home Minister Amit Shah assures doctors of their safety
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Union Home Minister Amit Shah Wednesday interacted with doctors of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), appreciated their work on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic and assured them of their safety. Along with Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Shah held a video conference amid several reports of attacks on healthcare workers. Shah appealed to doctors to withdraw […]
Aviation ministry staffer tests positive for Covid-19, govt assures ‘all possible help’
A civil aviation ministry employee who resumed work when the Centre reopened its office on April 15 has tested positive for the coronavirus disease, the ministry said on Wednesday. Government officials said Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, the headquarters of the aviation ministry, is being sealed for now. All ministry staffers who had come in contact with the officials […]
‘No Request So Far From Police To Appear Before Them’: Tablighi Jamat Chief Maulana Muhammad Saad
Maulana Muhammad Saad is the chief of Tablighi Jamaat, an apolitical, socio-religious movement, which has been in the eye of a storm after scores of its members tested positive for the Coronavirus. The Jamaat and its headquarters (Markaz) in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin have been in the spotlight for over a month now. Saad rarely speaks […]
Economy headed for contraction, less fiscal space for big stimulus
As the Centre and states jostle over and grapple with strategies for a staggered exit from the lockdown, the country seems — for the first time in 40 years — headed for an economic contraction in 2020-21. If that happens, it won’t be unique to India — the IMF expects the Covid pandemic to severely impact growth across […]
Indian enclave along Pak border gets first permanent link to country since 1947
An Indian territory in Punjab lying across river Ravi along the Pakistan border, which had only seasonal connectivity with the rest of the country since 1947, finally got a permanent link in the form of a bridge on Monday, when tractor trolleys of farmers carrying wheat harvest crossed it for the first time. The 484-metre […]
Centre Hits Back At Opposition Over Criticism On Use Of Surplus Rice For Sanitizers
The Centre’s decision to use surplus rice for making ethanol-based sanitizers triggered a political row on Tuesday with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claiming that while the poor are dying of hunger, the government is busy cleaning the hands of the rich, evoking a sharp response from Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who asserted that there […]
Testing, quarantine more effective than lockdown to check Covid-19, suggests epidemiological model
Extensive testing to identify asymptomatic individuals and quarantining those diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with continued social distancing – not a lockdown alone – is the sole effective strategy to contain the pandemic in India, recommends the first India-specific epidemiological model for Covid-19’s spread in the country. “Lockdowns are not very […]