E-Paper
Modi announces Rs 20 lakh crore package, says lockdown 4.0 will be different: Covid-19 news today
Here is a preview of the important Covid-19 news from India in the last 24 hours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday a Rs 20 lakh crore package for a “self-reliant” India in order to deal with the economic fallout of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and the lockdown prompted by it. In a TV address, he also said lockdown 4.0 will be guided by a set of new rules while the focus will continue to remain on battling the disease as well as moving ahead with other national objectives.
₹20 lakh crore boost for self-reliant India
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ~20 lakh crore economic package to help individuals and businesses deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown enforced to combat its spread, and to, as he put it, turn the “crisis into an opportunity”. Read more.
‘Have to protect ourselves and move forward’: PM Modi on lockdown 4.0
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the next phase of India’s lockdown, from May 18, will be entirely new, in a new form and with new rules, to meet the twin objectives of battling the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) as well as moving ahead to meet other national objectives. Read more.
Stimulus may offer cash aid to poor, credit for industry
The federal cabinet is set to approve a comprehensive economic stimulus package on Wednesday that would offer cash support to the poor and credit guarantees to industry and contain far-reaching stimulus measures for sectors ranging from agriculture to banking and insurance, two officials aware of the development said. Read more.
Covid-19: What you need to know today
In the 10 days between May 1 and May 10 (both included), six states accounted for 91% of average daily deaths from Covid-19 in India. Two of them, Maharashtra and Gujarat, accounted for 66%. Read more.
No cabin baggage, inflight meals in draft rules to reopen air travel
Cabin luggage will be barred and passengers aged above 80 years not allowed on flights when air passengers services, suspended since March 25 because of the Covid-19 lockdown, resume in the country, according to guidelines drafted by the government for the first phase of the restart of commercial flights. Read more.
149 flights from 31 countries in Phase 2 of Vande Bharat
The government will operate 149 flights from 31 countries, including the US, Australia and France, during the second phase of the repatriation of Indian citizens stranded abroad from May 16. Read more.
8,000 passengers in 8 trains on Day 1 of railway reboot
Indian Railways resumed its passenger services after a gap of nearly two months on Tuesday with eight air-conditioned trains carrying a total of 8,121 people leaving for their destinations across the country, according to the railway ministry. Read more.
How can Aarogya be made mandatory, Kerala High Court asks Centre
The Kerala high court asked the Union government on Tuesday to explain how the Aarogya Setu can be made mandatory when many do not have smartphones, giving it time till May 18 to file its response and also explain how the personal data of users will be protected. Read more.
Terrorists may exploit stimulus: FATF report
The global money-laundering and terrorist financing watchdog has warned that the stimulus measures and international financial assistance announced by various countries to mitigate the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic are likely to be exploited by terrorists and criminals by posing as genuine businesses seeking assistance. Read more.
Bengal transfers its health secretary
The West Bengal government has shifted health secretary Vivek Kumar from his post against the backdrop of a controversy over its handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Read more.
Reverse migration, dip in output spell tough times for industries
As thousands of migrant workers return home amid a slump in demand, industries are looking at a difficult road ahead in terms of full resumption of operations even as governments are working on incentives for them to boost production. Read more.
Kerala’s Nipah survivor seeks to join Covid fight
When she was 19, M Ajanya, a student of nursing in north Kerala contracted the dreaded Nipah viral disease, which has a mortality rate of 80%. Ajanya was on a ventilator for a week but didn’t give up; nor did her doctors. She recovered. Read more.
Stuck at Delhi airport for 55 days, German man leaves for Amsterdam
A 40-year-old German, who lived in the transit area of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport for 55 days as he could not fly out amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) lockdown, left for Amsterdam on Tuesday in a special relief flight after turning down offers to be taken to his home country, officials said. Read more.
Low-cost ‘Feluda’ test to detect virus in an hour likely in 4 weeks
An accurate and low-cost strip test that can detect the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) within one hour is expected to be available for the first phase of testing in four weeks. Read more.
What’s flattening, fuelling the curve
