Blog

Restrictions on Indian air space will be eased to reduce travel time and save fuel, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today, in her fourth set of announcements on a mega stimulus package to tackle the economic fallout of the coronavirus crisis on various sectors. She also gave details of six airports to be auctioned to private players.The easing of airspace use would translate to benefits of about Rs 1,000 crore per year for the aviation sector, the minister said. "As of today, only 60% of India's airspace is free for use. This needs to be increased and optimised. This will…

Start-ups and private firms will get to use facilities and assets of the Indian Space Research Organisation or IRSO to improve their capacities, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today as she announced reforms for eight sectors amid the coronavirus pandemic."Future projects for planetary exploration and outer space travel will be open for private sector," the Finance Minister said on her fourth press briefing of policy decisions after Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week announced a Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus."India already has the benefit of an extraordinary institution like ISRO, but now lots of private players are also coming…

A seamless composite exploration-cum-mining-cum-production regime will be introduced in the mineral sector as the government brings in commercial mining in the coal sector, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said this evening, unveiling the government's fourth tranche of Rs 20 lakh crore fiscal stimulus announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Five hundred blocks of minerals will be auctioned "through open transparent mechanism" as a part of the production regime, she said. A joint auction of bauxite and coal blocks would be done to enhance the aluminium industry's competitiveness, the Finance Minister said, adding that this will help the aluminium industry…

The inefficiencies of power companies will no longer have to be borne by customers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday, announcing several reforms in the tariff policy as part of the fourth tranche of the centre's coronavirus financial stimulus. She said power companies will have to provide adequate power and load-shedding will be punishable.Ms Sitharaman also announced privatisation of power distribution in Union territories under the new policy."There will be privatisation here based on the tariff policy, which will soon be in place. Inefficiencies of power companies will no longer have to be borne by customers. There will also…

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to the streets of Delhi on Saturday afternoon to meet migrant labourers camped out near the Sukhdev Vihar flyover in the southeast of the city. In photos circulated on social media, Mr Gandhi can be seen wearing a face mask and sitting on the pavement, talking to at least three men, while others, including women and young children, squat nearby.According to sources, Mr Gandhi interacted with the migrants to understand problems faced by them as they try to return to hometowns and villages in other states amid a nationwide coronavirus lockdown.Mr Gandhi was also trying…

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is unveiling the third tranche of Centre's Rs 20 lakh crore fiscal stimulus which attempts to soften the blow of the coronavirus and the lockdown on the economy. Today's announcements will focus on agriculture and allied activities. She has already unveiled two tranches of measures - Day 1 focused on small businesses and the middle class and Day 2 was for migrants and farmers.Here are the Highlights of Nirmala Sitharaman's announcements on Day 3:Today's focus is agriculture and allied activities.Largest proportion of Indian population dependent on agriculture. The maximum being small and medium farmers.The Indian…

A group of doctors from AIIMS, Raipur have recommended restrictions on the use of mobile phones in healthcare institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, warning that such devices can be a potential carrier of the virus and lead to infection among healthcare workers.In a commentary published in the BMJ Global Health journal, the doctors stated that mobile phone surfaces are a peculiar ''high-risk'' surface, which can directly come in contact with the face or mouth, even if hands are properly washed and one study indicates that some healthcare workers use phones every 15 minutes to two hours.Though there have been many…