India’s government will soon announce a fiscal package to help the economy face the impact of the coronavirus, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a video conference with reporters on Tuesday. Sitharaman relaxed a number of tax compliance rules for individuals and firms and also raised the threshold of triggering insolvency cases to 10 mln rupees from 100,000 rupees currently. India has reported 482 cases of the coronavirus but health experts have warned that a big jump could be imminent.
Author: Our Correspondent
Budget carrier IndiGo has assured its employees that it will not make any deduction in their salaries or leaves due to the suspension of domestic flights till March 31. The government’s decision to suspend domestic flight would come into effect from midnight Tuesday, as part of larger efforts to curb spreading of coronavirus infections. In an e-mail to his employees, IndiGo Chief executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta said the company has “reasonable” level of advanced bookings for April and it was “anxious’ to fly again albeit with a reduced capacity. “For those who don’t have to be working during this temporary…
The Madhya Pradesh Economic Offences Wing has closed a case against former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his family members, where they were accused of falsifying a property document while selling land, an official said on Tuesday. Scindia quit the Congress on March 10 and later joined the BJP. His resignation from the Congress triggered a revolt in the Madhya Pradesh party unit, with 22 MLAs who belong to his camp also tendering their resignations. This led to collapse of the Kamal Nath-led state government last week. On March 12, when the Congress was in power in the state, the…
The BJP’s Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sworn in as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh today, days after the Congress government of Kamal Nath fell after losing its majority. Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath for the fourth time as Chief Minister. Kamal Nath resigned on Thursday just before the Supreme Court’s deadline to prove his majority in a trust vote. The Congress lost its majority after 22 MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia took a flight to Bengaluru and resigned. The MLAs joined BJP yesterday, tweeted Mr Scindia, who quit his party of 18 years and joined the BJP last week. The…
The Delhi government on Monday said it would implement the Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Delhi from fiscal 2020-21, changing its stance on the enforcement of the scheme in the national capital. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio, made the announcement while presenting the Delhi budget in the assembly on Monday. “The Delhi government will implement the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Delhi in 2020-21 to provide health insurance cover up to 5 lakh per family every year,” he said. The scheme has been a bone of contention between…
The Delhi Assembly passed a Rs 65,000-crore budget for the 2020-21 financial year on Monday, with an emphasis on the education, health and transport sectors. In the budget presented in the House by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government set aside Rs 50 crores to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Presenting the budget for the sixth consecutive time in the Assembly, Sisodia said the Delhi government will implement the Ayushman Bharat Yojana of the Centre in the national capital. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been accusing the Arvind Kejriwal government of stalling the scheme…
The construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was initiated on Monday with special prayers to shift idols of the deity to a temporary structure. The idols will remain at the temporary structure till the completion of the temple. The construction was initiated amid restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus threat in Ayodhya. The special puja will continue on Tuesday and the idols will be shifted to the new structure on Wednesday morning. The special prayers were held in the presence of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust members Bimlendra Mishra and Dr Anil Mishra. The trust was constituted…
As fear over the novel coronavirus pandemic grips the nation, people are letting the hysteria come out in shameful and disgusting ways. At the centre of the panic over the outbreak, which originated in China, are Northeastern folks, who are being subjected to racism and discrimination across the country. Lawyer and social activist Alana Golmei shared photos of a Manipuri woman who attacked in Delhi’s North Campus area. The woman, who is in her early 20s, alleged that she was on her way to buy groceries when a man came on a two-wheeler and spat on her. He called her…
The Supreme Court Monday directed all states and Union Territories to constitute high-level committees to consider releasing on parole or interim bail prisoners and undertrials for offences entailing up to 7-year jail term to decongest prisons in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. The top court said overcrowding of prisons is a matter of serious concern, particularly in the present context of coronavirus (COVID 19). In regard to the provisions of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, it has become imperative to ensure that the spread of coronavirus within the prisons is controlled, the court said. A bench of Chief…
The Punjab government on Monday clamped a curfew to fight coronavirus, making it the first state to take the drastic measure after finding that many people were ignoring the state-wide lockdown ordered by it. The tough measure was followed by an announcement on relief measures, including food and medicines for the poor. The last dates for paying power and water bills and clearing farm loans too have been extended. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered the imposition of full curfew with no relaxations, after reviewing the situation with Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh and Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta, a…