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02 May

RBI Chief Talks With The Heads Of Banks Comes A Day After The Government Extended A 40-Day Nationwide Lockdown.

editor0 CommentsBusiness

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das held meetings with heads of major public and private sector lenders through video conferencing on Saturday and discussed the current economic situation in the country. The RBI chief's talks with the heads of banks comes a day after the government extended a 40-day nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.Mr Das praised the efforts of banks "in ensuring normal to near normal operations" during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.The RBI chief also discussed the credit flows to different sectors of the economy, including non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), microfinance institutions, housing…

02 May

The Delhi Government Has Started The Process Of Allowing Standalone Liquor Shops To Reopen.

editor0 CommentsBusiness

The Delhi government has started the process of allowing standalone liquor shops to reopen in the national capital, a coronavirus "red zone", from May 3 after the centre extended the lockdown by two more weeks.The Home Ministry has said that except in containment areas, standalone liquor shops can open in all zones, including "green", where there are no coronavirus cases, and medium-risk "orange" areas.The Delhi government has asked all liquor shops run by its departments such as DTTDC, the tourism wing of the national capital, to give details about standalone shops that are eligible to reopen.

02 May

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee antd Governor Jagdeep Dhankar Continue Their Clash.

editor0 CommentsNorth Bengal

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee writes a 13-page, sarcasm-filled letter to Mr Jagdeep Dhankar; it also consists of some annexures but these have not been made public. His last letter to her was 14 pages long.Referring to the Governor's letter of April 23 and 24, Ms Banerjee said "communications of such content, tenor and tone are unprecedented in the annals of constitutional history" and accused Mr Dhankar of using language that "even with maximum restraint, can only be described as vituperative, intemperate, intimidating, abusive and insulting".

01 May

Using Saliva Or Sweat To Shine The Ball Will Not Be Allowed By Australia As A Safety Measure Against Covid-19.

editor0 CommentsSports

Australia will not allow the use of saliva or sweat to shine the ball once cricket training resumes in the post-COVID-19 world, says a framework released by the federal government regarding the staged return of sports amid the pandemic. There is speculation that use of saliva to shine the ball will be stopped to cut down the risk of the highly contagious infection with reports suggesting that the ICC is considering the possibility of allowing the use of artificial substances to polish the red ball under the supervision of umpires.According to ESPNcricinfo, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in consultation with…

01 May

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Will Conduct A Group Of Ministers Meeting On Saturday Morning.

editor0 CommentsSikkim

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will chair a Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting on Saturday morning to review coronavirus lockdown exit strategies, the government said this evening. This will be the sixth meeting of the GoM headed by Mr Singh, which will submit recommendations on phased lifting of restrictions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The GoM held its fifth meeting on April 18, in which "ways to mitigate the hardships faced by the people and the role ministries can play in providing relief to people" were discussed.

01 May

Residents Of Goa, who are currently Stranded In Different Parts Of The Country, Will Be Quarantined For Free By The Government Once They Return To The State.

editor0 CommentsHealth

Residents of Goa, who are currently stranded in different parts of the country due to the lockdown, will be quarantined for free by the government once they return to the state, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has announced.He made the announcement through a tweet posted on Thursday."I wish to inform that all Goans who are currently stranded in various parts of the country would be quarantined at Govt facility without any fees/charges upon their arrival in Goa. Further, they would be shifted to home quarantine as soon as their #COVID19 test proves negative (sic)," Mr Sawant said on the micro-blogging site.

01 May

Six States Have Passed Laws Extending Working Hours From The Currently Mandated 8 Hours Per Day To 12 Hours Per Day.

editor0 CommentsBusiness

As the second stage of the coronavirus lockdown is scheduled to end, millions of workers face the prospect of returning to longer working hours. At last count, at least six states have passed laws extending working hours from the currently mandated 8 hours per day to 12 hours per day.The aim, say the governments, is to ensure that companies can operate with fewer workers and reduce the number of shifts, while meeting targets.The Rajasthan government, which passed the notification on April 11 extending working hours for three months, says this would allow firms to run operations for six days with…

01 May

The First “Special Train” To Transport Migrants Stranded By The Nationwide Lockdown Left Telangana For Jharkhand.

editor0 CommentsTravel

The first "special train" to transport migrants stranded by the nationwide lockdown left Telangana for Jharkhand at around 4.30 am, carrying 1,200 people from Lingampally in the southern state to Jharkhand's Hatia district. The 24-coach train, which usually seats 72 people in a compartment, contained only 54 people in each in accordance with social distancing guidelines. All passengers were also screened for symptoms before being allowed to board.A second such train is scheduled to depart Kerala's Ernakulam at this evening for Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, according to Kerala minister VS Sunil Kumar. The train, expected to leave at 6 pm and…

01 May

Delhi AAP MLA Vishesh Ravi And His Brother Have Tested Positive For Coronavairus.

editor0 CommentsSikkim

Delhi AAP MLA Vishesh Ravi and his brother have tested positive for coronavairus. The AAP leader, who represents the Karol Bagh constituency in the assembly, had undergone a test on Wednesday. His results came positive today. The MLA has not shown any symptoms of the disease so far and has been put under quarantine.Currently serving his thirds term as MLA, the AAP leader has been regularly posting updates on relief work for migrants on his official twitter account.Mr Ravi is the first case of a public representative getting infected in the national capital where the highly contagious virus has claimed…

01 May

The Nationwide Coronavirus Lockdown Will Be Extended By Two Weeks After May 4, The Government Has Said.

editor0 CommentsSikkim

The nationwide coronavirus lockdown will be extended by two weeks after May 4, the government has said.The home ministry has also issued new guidelines to regulate different activities in this period, based on the risk profiling of the districts of the country into red (hotspot), green and orange zones.There will be considerable relaxations in the districts falling in the Green and Orange Zones, the government said.