India has decided to virtually quarantine itself from the rest of the world, suspending all visas, except those issued for diplomatic, official, UN-international organisations, employment and projects till April 15. With the rapid spread of Covid-19 across continents, and WHO formally terming the disease a pandemic, the government on Wednesday evening decided to virtually quarantine itself from the rest of the world, suspending all visas, except those issued for diplomatic, official, UN-international organisations, employment and projects till April 15. The exception to the suspension indicates personnel from agencies like WHO or UN and those held to be important for Indian…
Author: Our Correspondent
Union home minister Amit Shah, speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, said that “no document is required for the National Population Register [NPR]”. Replying to Kapil Sibal’s question on what happens when the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is coupled with the NPR, Amit Shah said that no document will be required during NPR. “If one doesn’t want to give certain information, no questions will be asked regarding that. There will be no doubtful citizen marking,” Amit Shah said. Amit Shah said that under the NPR, it is being said that documents will be asked for, “but let me tell all, no documents…
A positive case of coronavirus, or Covid-19, in Leh was confirmed on Wednesday, taking the total number of positive cases in India to 74. The latest positive case of coronavirus in Leh adds to the two positive cases confirmed already in the region. Zakir Hussain was confirmed positive of coronavirus on Friday. Zakir Hussain hails from a village in Leh and is a son of Mohd Hadi, who already is admitted to SNM Hospital. The latest positive case of coronavirus has brought the confirmed cases to three in Ladakh. “Test of Zakir Hussain, son of Mohammad Hadi, came positive yesterday…
The Delhi government on Thursday declared coronavirus an epidemic and announced that all schools, colleges and cinema halls in the national capital will remain shut till March 31. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, LG Anil Baijal and top government officials. “The city government has declared coronavirus an epidemic,” Kejriwal said. He said disinfecting all public places, including government and private offices and shopping malls has been made compulsory.The national capital has so far recorded six cases of coronavirus. The number of coronavirus patients in the country has risen to 73…
A day after joining the BJP, Jyotiraditya Scindia met senior leader of the saffron party Rajnath Singh on Thursday and exchanged views on various issues. The former Congress leader described the meeting at the residence of the defence minister as a “courtesy call”. After quitting the Congress, Scindia joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday in the presence of its president JP Nadda and slammed his former party for “denying reality” and “not acknowledging” new thoughts and new leadership. Scindia has been named as the BJP’s Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh.
Minority Welfare Minister Mohsin Raza has alleged financial irregularities and large-scale corruption in UP under the leadership of Samajwadi Party in the Shia and Sunni Waqf Boards. Reacting to the missing audit files of the two boards, the minister said that the collusion of officials was responsible for the recent loss of important documents in the case. “I want to say that there are about 1,30,000 properties with the Shia/Sunni Waqf boards. Some officials have been trying to usurp these properties through corrupt means. These properties rightfully belong to the Muslim community in the state,” he said. He said that,…
After joining the BJP, Jyotiraditya Scindia thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda for “accepting and welcoming” him into the party. Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the BJP on Wednesday, called his joining the party a “turning point” in his life. “It’s not just a turning point in my life, but also an opportunity for me to continue my commitment towards public service under the inspirational leadership of PM Modi-ji,” Mr Scindia wrote in a post-midnight tweet. Mr Scindia, 49, quit the Congress on the day of Holi, ending his 18-year association with the…
India on Wednesday suspended all visas, except a few categories such as diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in a bid to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, according to an official statement. The government also “strongly advised” Indians to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. The suspension will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13 at the port of departure. Visas of all foreigners already in India remain valid. The decisions were taken at a meeting of a group of ministers held here under the chairmanship of Health Minister Harsh Vardhan. Following the meeting, the Bureau of Immigration…
No foreign player will be available for this year’s IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by the government to contain the novel coronavirus threat, a top BCCI source told PTI on Thursday, casting fresh doubts on the fate of the event. “The foreign players who play in the IPL come under the Business Visa category. As per the government’s directive, they can’t come till April 15,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity. The government issued fresh advisory with a ban on all existing foreign visas, except a few categories like diplomatic and employment, till…
The BJP in Madhya Pradesh will seek a floor test on March 16 in the wake of 22 Congress MLAs resigning in the state, a senior BJP leader said on Thursday. The 15-month-old Kamal Nath-led government has been facing deep crisis following the resignation of 22 Congress MLAs after former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia quit the party on Tuesday. “Since the government is in minority, we are going to request the governor and the Assembly speaker for a floor test on March 16 when the state budget session begins,” BJP’s chief whip in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Narottam Mishra told…