Finance Minister Nirmana Sitharaman on Thursday announced a relief package worth Rs 1.70 lakh crore to help the nation’s poor tackle the financial difficulties arising from Covid-19 outbreak. Sitharaman said the economic relief package will focus primarily on migrant labourers and daily wage labourers. “A package is ready for the poor who need immediate help like migrant workers and urban and rural poor. No one will go hungry. The package is worth Rs 1.7 lakh crore,” Sitharaman said. The package includes a mix of food security and direct cash transfer benefits which shield poor families during the lockdown. Under the…
Author: Our Correspondent
With the coronavirus outbreak, the United States on Thursday took the grim title of the country with the most coronavirus infections and reported a record surge in unemployment as world leaders vowed $5 trillion to stave off global economic collapse. More than 500,000 people around the world have now contracted the new coronavirus, overwhelming healthcare systems even in wealthy nations and triggering an avalanche of government-ordered lockdowns that have disrupted life for billions. In the United States, more than 82,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19, edging out Italy, which has reported the most deaths, and China, where the virus…
Vice-president Venkaiah Naidu is also expected to join the all-important conference from his residence. The President’s conference would also be attended by the top voluntary organizations, including the Indian Red Cross Society known for its social emergency and humanitarian programmes across India. The President would have detailed interactions with the Governors, particularly of 7 to 8 states where the COVID-19 crisis seems to be serious, official sources revealed to IANS. At times of a big crisis, the President rarely interacts with the Governors. However, seeing the scale of the present crisis around the world as well as in India, the…
A 65-year-old man hailing from Hyderpora area of the city died on Thursday, becoming the first fatality in Jammu and Kashmir due to coronavirus. “As we share the sad news of our first #Covid19 fatality, my heart goes out to the family of the deceased. We stand with you and share your grief,” Mayor of Srinagar Junaid Azim Mattu tweeted. Government spokesperson Rohit Kansal also confirmed the death via Twitter. “First death due to Coronavirus- 65 years old Male from Hyderpora Srinagar. Four of his contacts also tested positive yesterday,” Kansal said. Four people had tested positive for coronavirus in…
Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along the Line of Control in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir by resorting to unprovoked firing, officials said on Thursday. The Pakistani troops fired small arms and mortar shells towards Indian positions in Hajipeer area of the Uri sector in Baramulla district, the officials said. They said the Indian Army gave a befitting reply to the unprovoked aggression and retaliated in adequate measure. There was no loss of life or property reported so far, the officials added.
A self-claimed “god-woman” in Uttar Pradesh, who calls herself “Maa Aadi Shakti created mayhem by daring the police on the first day of the lockdown. “Try and remove me,” the woman in a red silk sari, eyes blazing with defiance, declares as she points a sword at policemen tasked with enforcing a 21-day nationwide lockdown to fight coronavirus. The bizarre showdown, caught on mobile phone camera, ended with a group of policewomen arresting her and dragging her away in a van. The self-professed “god-woman”, who calls herself “Maa Aadi Shakti created a flap for about an hour this morning, refusing…
China on Wednesday said that it has neither created the coronavirus nor intentionally transmitted it and that usage of terms like “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus” is wrong. Ji Rong, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India, said the international community should focus on China’s “swift response” to the pandemic rather than “stereotyping the Chinese people”. Elaborating on the cooperation between India and China in efforts to fight the disease, Mr Rong said both countries have maintained communication and have lent support to each other in coping with the pandemic through difficult times. He said the Indian side has provided…
Congress president Sonia Gandhi today wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi supporting the 21-day national lockdown as a “welcome step” while suggesting economic and health measures in the fight against coronavirus. Sonia Gandhi suggested that the centre consider deferring all EMIs for six months and waive interests charged by banks for this period “As president of the Congress, I would like to state that we will support and collaborate fully with every step taking by the union government to ensure the containment of the pandemic,” Sonia Gandhi wrote in the four-page letter. “At this challenging and uncertain time, it is…
In its updated figures, the Health Ministry stated that 13 Covid-19 deaths were reported so far in India. The number of coronavirus cases climbed to 649 in India on Thursday and the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 13, with one death reported each from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh, according to the Health Ministry. Goa featured for the first time in the chart prepared by the Ministry, reporting 33 coronavirus cases. Maharashtra reported three deaths, Gujarat two, while Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Karnataka, Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh reported one death each. According to…
Spain extended its state of emergency for two more weeks to allow the government to extend stringent lockdown measures in a desperate attempt to contain the coronavirus. Spain reported 738 new deaths in one day on Wednesday while Italy announced 683. The two countries have the highest fatality rate in the global pandemic. Spain has now surpassed China, where the pandemic began, in the overall number of COVID-19 deaths. The Moody’s credit rating agency said it is forecasting an economic recession for all G20 countries in 2020, while United Nations director-general Antonio Guterres said coronavirus “threatens the whole humanity.” India…