Trump urges PM Modi to lift export hold on anti-malaria drug for Covid-19 treatment
President Donald Trump on Saturday said he requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release orders placed by the United States with Indian pharmaceutical companies for hydroxychloroquine doses, which he has personally touted as a game-changer in the fight against the coronavirus. Trump told reporters at the daily White House briefing on the coronavirus outbreak that […]
Coronavirus Lockdown: Cancer Train’s Suspension Agonises Patients In Punjab
Out of all the passenger trains in the country, one particular train which runs between Bhatinda and Bikaner, is a lifeline for hundreds of cancer patients of Malwa region of Punjab. Popularly known as the cancer train, its 30 per cent of total daily passengers are cancer patients who travel to Bikaner for treatment in […]
Indian Railways asks zones to plan phase-wise restoration of services
Indian Railways has got back to the drawing board to prepare a plan for phased resumption of its passenger services post lockdown, even as the government is yet to take a final call on the matter. As the Railway Board awaits instructions from the government on this, it has asked its zonal railways to prepare […]
New direct tax regime kicks in from today
NEW DELHI : Big changes in India’s direct tax regime will come into force on Wednesday, covering a host of stakeholders, including non-resident Indians (NRIs), company shareholders, digital firms and individual income taxpayers, with provisions of the Finance Act taking effect on 1 April. One of the key changes that take effect applies to non-residents. NRIs […]
MHA releases Rs 11,092 crore to states; death toll rises to 62
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday approved the release of Rs 11,092 crore to all states under the State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) for setting up quarantine facilities and arranging other facilities for checking the spread of coronavirus. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India rose to 2,547, including 62 deaths and […]
‘Take strict action against those attacking healthcare workers’: MHA to states
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has written to state governments to take strict action against those who have been found attacking healthcare and frontline workers. The ministry has also asked states to ensure security to the medical fraternity, Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Home Ministry said on Friday. “There are seven helpline numbers in […]
India isn’t alone, 2 billion informal workers around the world are badly hit by Covid-19
Locking down India for 21 days may slow the spread of the new coronavirus, but it’s quickening the misery of the hundreds of millions of people who work in the country’s informal economy. By some accounts, these workers make up nearly 90% of India’s labor force, from self-employed trash collectors to stay-at-home garment embroiderers. Job security is minimal and the safety […]
Coronavirus: India’s bailout may not be enough to save economy
Mohammad Alam is one of thousands of workers standing in a food queue in India’s capital, Delhi. The factory where he worked shut down after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown to stop the spread of coronavirus. A daily-wage labourer, he has no other source of income, so he has been forced to […]
Use 44,000 youths trained in health sector to plug medical staff shortage: Govt to states
New Delhi: Amid a shortage of healthcare workers to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, the Narendra Modi government has advised states and union territories to utilise the services of nearly 44,000 youths who have been trained in the sector under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushal Yojana (DDUGKY). In a letter to chief secretaries in states […]
Nafisa Ali: Wish the police stop beating people who are trying to bring food for their families
Veteran actor Nafisa Ali, who is currently in Goa with her daughter, on Thursday took to Instagram to share how local cart vegetable vendors should be allowed in residential areas to prevent long queues in the marketplace. She also suggested that young people visit the elderly living in their vicinity and ask them if they […]