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India launches big repatriation programme, Telangana extends curbs: Covid-19 news today
Here is a preview of the important Covid-19 news from India in the last 24 hours.
Sixty-four flights will bring back about 15,000 Indians stranded in 12 countries due to the Covid-19 crisis in the first week of a massive air operation, the central government said on Tuesday. In Telangana, the state government announced an extension of the lockdown till May 29, becoming the first state to take such a step after the beginning of the third phase of curbs to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease.
64 flights will bring home 15,000 Indians in a week
India has launched a concerted repatriation programme, by sea and air, to bring back stranded citizens stuck in various parts of the world, but with a strict set of preconditions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), at a time when nations are trying to strike a balance between humanitarian considerations, responsibility towards citizens, and health concerns, in the face of a deadly pathogen. Read more.
Covid-19 lockdown: Centre’s economic package may have small trader focus
The government is working on a relief package for small retailers, an official directly involved in drafting it said on condition of anonymity, adding that small retailers have been hit hard by the lockdown. Read more.
Covid-19: What you need to know today
Late on Monday, the number of Covid-19 deaths around the world crossed 250,000. That’s a grim number, whichever way you look at it. On Tuesday, the global tally stood at over 252,000 dead, 3.66 million cases, and 1.2 million recoveries. Read more.
In fight against Covid-19, increased testing and better infra critical
Diagnostic testing for Covid-19 has been the topic du jour in India – from government offices to boardrooms to online chatrooms. Debates range from whether we are doing enough testing to whether we are testing the right people. Continuous media coverage on availability of test kits, quality of the kits and effectiveness of testing protocols has often led to confusion on how to expand testing capacity. Read more.
Covid-19 lockdown in Telangana extended till May 29, says CM K Chandrashekar Rao
The Telangana government on Tuesday announced extension of lockdown till May 29, notwithstanding the extension declared by the Union government till May 17 to contain the spread of Covid-19 across the country. Read more.
Discrepancies in Bengal’s Covid-19 infection data, toll doubles in 5 days
West Bengal’s official Covid-19 death toll has doubled in five days to 68 after it adopted Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) protocols to record fatalities from the disease and scrapped the committee of doctors that, till April 30, audited these deaths. Read more.
India needs big stimulus package, says Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee
India needs a big stimulus package, bigger than the one it announced in March to revive the economy which is hurting from the coronavirus disease and the lockdown enforced to combat it , Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee said on Tuesday , adding that the emphasis should be on generating demand. Read more.
JEE-Mains from July 18 to 23, NEET on July 26: HRD ministry
The CBSE Class X exams have been suspended for 2020 in the subjects where they have not been conducted, although students from North East Delhi, who missed exams that other students have already appeared in, will have to appear for these, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Tuesday when he interacted with students on their concerns. Read more.
As migrants return, states to increase Covid-19 testing capacity
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday ordered the health department to increase the state’s capacity to conduct Covid-19 tests by more than fourfold and Bihar decided to conduct pool testing of its returning workers as the two states reported an increase in the number of coronavirus cases. Read more.
Day 2 liquor sale: Long queues, higher taxes, doubts over home delivery
Increased excise duty on alcohol, heavier deployment of police personnel to enforce social distancing, long queues and speculation over home delivery of liquor in some states marked the second day of liquor sales across the country after curbs on sale of alcohol was lifted after 42 days on May 4. Read more.
Covid-19 won’t be able to damage Indian agriculture: Narendra S Tomar
Union agriculture & rural development minister Narendra Singh Tomar spoke to Saubhadra Chatterji and Zia Haq about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the farm sector, labour shortage during the harvest season, benefits given to farmers and farm labourers, and allocations of jobs under the rural employment guarantee scheme. Read more.
Covid-19: Spat intensifies as China calls Mike Pompeo ‘insane’ for lab claim
Chinese state media labelled US secretary of state Mike Pompeo as “insane” for his claims that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab, even as the World Health Organization (WHO) dismissed the theory as “speculative” as Washington hasn’t provided any proof yet. Read more.
