RIVANCH

The Assam government has identified 4.32 lakh people stranded outside the state during the lockdown who are eligible for a ‘subsistence allowance’. The state government was earlier working on a plan to offer cash support to Assamese stranded outside the state and abroad on a case-by-case basis. Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that over 9.29 lakh missed calls were received on the state helpline number, of which 4.32 lakh calls have been verified. With the verification process still underway, the state government plans to provide financial assistance to first 50,000 people registered through the National Health Mission (NHM). “We have identified 4.32 lakh people, so far, who are stuck in some part of the country and wish to return home. They are all from economically weaker background. The first 50,000 people are likely to receive a monetary benefit tomorrow. Till now, 2.17 lakh people have filled up forms, and I request others also - to take help and submit

New Delhi : Over 270 cases were registered and 3,608 people detained in Delhi on Saturday for violating lockdown orders, police said. Indian policemen stand guard on a road during lockdown. AP According to the data shared by the police, 271 cases were registered under section 188 (for disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code till 5 pm. A total of 3,608 people were detained under section 65 (persons bound to comply with reasonable directions of police officers) and 301 vehicles have been impounded under section 66 of the Delhi Police Act, the data showed. A total of 677 movement passes were issued and 188 cases registered against people for stepping out of their houses without wearing masks, the police said. Since 24 March, 94,686 people have been detained for violating orders under section 65 of the Delhi Police Act. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2KfZGdZ Press Trust of India

As the world is gripped by the coronavirus pandemic and people are consumed by thoughts of their safety and how to arrange for supplies, a mother and son from Mumbai stranded in Kashmir since March due to the lockdown say the hospitality of a Pulwama family has "restored their faith in humanity." Javed Rashid Sheikh and his mother Khatija say that Nazir Ahmad Sheikh and his family, residents of Pampore's Patalbagh, in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, have been playing host to them over the past few weeks. The Sheikhs, who'd intended to take in the most picturesque locations in the Valley, found themselves looking for accommodation after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a pan-India lockdown on 25 March. Javed, 28, the owner of a turf ground in Mumbai, said he has visited Kashmir on several occasions and has an abiding love for the Valley. “I last visited Kashmir when I was planning to open up a ground in Chandigarh in September. Unfortunately, the Ar

08:45 (IST) Coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh Latest Updates Himachal Pradesh man who recovered from COVID-19 tests positive again A person, who had earlier recovered from the novel coronavirus, tested positive for the infectious disease again on Saturday, taking the number of active cases in Himachal Pradesh to 23, officials said. One more person tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, taking the total number of positive coronavirus cases in the state to 40, according to the officials. Recurrence of COVID-19 in one of the patients who had recovered from the infection has been reported from Una district, a health official said. 08:37 (IST) Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Updates 31 members of extended family test positive in Delhi's Jahangirpuri  Thirty-one members of an extended family, including children, residing in north Delhi Jahangirpuri area, have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Saturday. All of them have been sent to a self-isolation centre in Narel

On its fourth week into the coronavirus lockdown, the Union health ministry on Saturday reported a positive trend in 47 districts, however, the day sent alarm bells ringing for its military brass after 26 Indian Navy personnel tested positive at the strategically-located Western Naval Command in Mumbai. This is first case of a major outbreak of the deadly virus in the armed forces, PTI said. According to data from the Union health ministry, India reported 957 infections while 36 people lost their lives in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 14,792 and the the toll from the virus to 488. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 12,289 while 2,014 people have been cured and discharged, and one had migrated, the health ministry said. India has been under lockdown since 25 March due to coronavirus. AP Of the 488 people who have died so far, 75 percent seems to be of age 60 and above, the health ministry said on Saturday. According to the ministry, ov

Economists and market observers have said that the Government of India is now officially in a protectionist mode. The impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak on the global economy is something which no one can comprehend until countries, including India, come out of lockdown mode. In a move which is being received with enthusiasm for the most part in India amid fears of takeovers, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has by Press Note No. 3 (2020 Series) amended the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy for curbing ‘opportunistic takeovers/acquisitions of Indian companies due to the current COVID-19 pandemic’. The new amendment requires certain investment to come through the government approval route alone, and not under the direct route of investment. In other words, with the new amendment, FDI in these cases would require an approval from the Government of India, which would mean that the government would be able to monitor the extent of these inve

Srinagar: Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and as many injured in a terrorist attack in north Kashmir's Sopore town on Saturday, officials said. The terrorists fired at a checkpost that was jointly being manned by troops of CRPF's 179th battalion and the Jammu and Kashmir Police, they said. This is the third attack against the paramilitary force in the Kashmir Valley within a week. A CRPF trooper was injured on Friday after terrorists fired at a similar check post in Pulwama. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/34JhuYy Press Trust of India

Jalpaiguri: A section of inmates at the Jalpaiguri correctional home in West Bengal started violent protests on Saturday, demanding that they be granted bail in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said. The correctional facility houses around 750 prisoners in eight wards and of them, 50-60 inmates are protesting, citing a Supreme Court directive, they said. On 23 March, the Supreme Court had 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 seven-year jail term to decongest prisons in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Police personnel are trying to enter the main prison area, the gate of which has been shut by the inmates from inside, said Chief Disciplinary Officer Ashim Acharya. They are throwing stones from inside but no one has been injured till now, he said. Jail authorities earlier tried to persuade the prisoners but they continued

Every year the International Day for Monuments and Sites is celebrated on 18 April. Approved by the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) event aims to encourage communities around the world to consider the importance of cultural heritage and create awareness regarding its diversity, vulnerability and the efforts needed to conserve it. Theme for 2020 The theme for International Day for Monuments and Sites 2020 is Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility. The theme has been chosen by ICOMOS to highlight global unity in the face of the ongoing worldwide health crisis due to the novel coronavirus. The theme for 2020 invites participants to explore the “ idea of sharing — and its counterpoints, contestation and resistance — in relation to cultures, heritage and responsibility”. As per ICOMOS, the theme reflects the importance of heritage as part of cultural identity at a time of rapid population shift, conflic

Ludhiana's Assistant Commissioner of Police Anil Kohli died due to the novel coronavirus at a hospital in Ludhiana on Saturday. Sad News ACP Anil Kohli passed away. Died of #COVIDー19 . Was admitted in SPS Hospital Ludhiana — DPRO LUDHIANA (@LudhianaDpro) April 18, 2020 Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh expressed his condolences and said that the demise of the "corona warrior" was a loss to the state. Sad to share that we had lost Gurmail Singh Kanungo yesterday & ACP Anil Kohli in Ludhiana to #Covid19 today. In this moment of crisis, losing our Corona Warriors is a big loss for the State. I join their families in this time of grief. Rest assured Punjab will stand by them. — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) April 18, 2020 ACP Kohli had tested positive for COVID-19 on 13 April and had been undergoing treatment in the Satguru Partap Singh (SPS) Hospital in Ludhiana, said a report in the Hindustan Times . According to the report, Kohli's w

The first round of NEET PG counselling 2020 of states will be conducted from 20 April to 4 May 2020, Medical Council Committee said in a notice. The counselling schedule will be released by the state counselling authorities and displayed on MCI website. Representational image. Wikimedia Commons The Round-1 of All India Quota of PG Counselling began on 12 March and was to be completed on 3 April. It was, however, halted due to the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government to restrict the spread of COVID-19. The schedule of Round-2 of All India Quota and state counselling will be notified later as the lockdown is still continuing and physical movement of students is not possible, Assistant Director General of MCC Dr B Srinivas said. The MCC has also extended the last date to report online for Round-1 of PG Counselling 2020 to 24 April. MCC conducts the counselling process for 50 per cent All India Quota seats of all states and 100 percent seats (All India Quota seats and Ins

Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission has postponed the main examinations for various gazetted and non-gazetted posts due to COVID-19 lockdown. APPSC in its notice has said that the new dates for the exams that were scheduled in May will be announced later. Representational image. PTI “It is hereby informed that the main examinations (online) for various categories of gazetted and non-gazetted posts scheduled to be held from May 10 to May 13 and May 18 to May 20 respectively are now postponed due to prevailing situation of COVID-19 and the fresh dates will be announced later,” the notification read. The above recruitments to fill 53 vacant positions were announced by APPSC on 21 February 2019 . The nationwide lockdown to restrict the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country has been extended till 3 May. India, so far, has reported more than 14,300 positive cases of COVID-19. The deadly virus has claimed 480 lives in the country. Of these, Andhra Pradesh has over 570

Switzerland’s Matterhorn mountain lit up with an image of the Indian flag to express solidarity as the world fights the coronavirus pandemic which has killed more than 1.5 lakh people globally. The official page of India in Switzerland, The Holy See & Liechtenstein posted the image on Twitter. “Indian Tricolor on the Matterhorn Mountain: Indian Tricolor of more than 1000 meters in size projected on Matterhorn Mountain, Zermatt, Switzerland to express Solidarity to all Indians in the fight against COVID 19. A big Thank You to @zermatt_tourism for the gesture. @MEAIndia (Sic),” read the c aption of the post . The image was soon shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wrote, “The world is fighting COVID-19 together. Humanity will surely overcome this pandemic.” The world is fighting COVID-19 together. Humanity will surely overcome this pandemic. https://t.co/7Kgwp1TU6A — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 18, 2020 Matterhorn is one of the highest peaks of the Swiss Alp

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will take disciplinary action against students who violate COVID-19 pandemic guidelines. Through a notice on its website, the premier varsity advised its students to strictly follow the COVID-19 guidelines "in letter and spirit". JNU noted that students are "openly" flouting the COVID-19 guidelines, even after reminders. "Even as the essential services providers of JNU have been working tirelessly to meet the requirements of the university community, and ensuring their safety and security, it has been found that some students are openly flouting the COVID-19 guidelines, even after reminders, thereby putting themselves as well as the entire community to serious health risk,” said professor Dhananjay Singh, chief proctor of JNU. The university also said it has been brought to its notice that students have disregarded requests of shopkeepers and guards to maintain queue while entering shops and milk booths, to keep social dis

Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai on Saturday extended till 25 April the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of Dalit scholar and activist Anand Teltumbde, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-alleged Maoist links case. Teltumbde was arrested by the NIA on 14 April after he surrendered before it following the Supreme Court's directives. Teltumbde, the grandson-in-law of Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar, was produced before a special NIA court judge AT Wankehede after his remand ended on Saturday. Special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty submitted that his custody for seven more days was needed as the agency is yet to complete its probe. The court allowed its plea. The agency told the court that it wanted to verify with the accused the contents of his social media account. Voluminous documents have been recovered from the co- accused in the case, which need to be verified with him, it said. The agency said that the accused had received funds from the CPI (Maoist) and there was

New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will resume toll collection on national highways from 20 April, as per a government communication, a move which is being opposed by the transport fraternity. Follow LIVE updates on Coronavirus Outbreak here The government had on 25 March announced temporarily suspending toll collection on national highways to ease emergency services in view of the coronavirus outbreak. “In view of the relaxations provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs for the interstate and intrastate movement of all trucks and other goods/carrier vehicles ...NHAI should take actions necessary for compliance of the orders of Ministry of Home Affairs ... and tolling operations be resumed WEF 20 of April 2020,” the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a letter to NHAI. Replying to communication from NHAI, the ministry said the authority in letters dated 11 April and 14 April had highlighted reasons for resuming the collection of user fee on nat

The Delhi University has reached out to its alumni network to contribute to the COVID-19 relief work. University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi urged the alumni to 'intensify' their efforts in serving society. Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak here Elaborating that normal academic activities — mainly classroom teaching and laboratory research — have suffered owing to the distancing mandate, he added that they have not allowed such constraints to hamper their pursuit of knowledge. “Our faculty members have successfully explored virtual classrooms and other digital aids to ensure continuity in the teaching-learning process,” he said. The V-C added that they are contemplating the conduct of examinations for the current session for nine lakh learners and are reviewing preparations for admissions to the next session. Tyagi also informed that the University has responded promptly to the call for national service with faculty and staff members contributing their one day’

Hyderabad:  Twenty-six-year-old Ramesh and his wife have been giving their six-month-old baby smaller portions of baby formula to make it last longer than a week. The last box they bought meant a dip in their meagre savings. A native of Kabirdham district in Chhattisgarh, Ramesh moved his family to Hyderabad, over 800 kilometres away from his village, in search of regular work earlier this year. Living at a construction site in Hafeezpet, where he works as a wage labourer, Ramesh has had no earnings since Telangana announced a seven-day lockdown on 22 March in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The lockdown was extended by the Centre till 14 April and then again till 3 May. Even as the Telangana government made promises of feeding every last person, many continue to slip through the cracks. With their earnings exhausted and no way of returning home, they are living on the edges in great mental and physical distress. "Can someone please send ration?" "Can you send

The coronavirus pandemic has posed an unprecedented public health challenge to authorities in Mumbai, the city the most severely affected by the disease in the country. Till 16 April, Mumbai reported 2,043 cases , and the infection also appears to be spreading at a rapid pace. The city reported over 1,000 new infections in just six days between 11 April and 16 April. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has attributed the steep rise in reported coronavirus cases partly to “vigorous contact tracing efforts” by its health workers. However, civic authorities and voluntary organisations leading the process of contact tracing are having to contend with enormous challenges, including staff shortages, risks due to inadequate personal protective equipments (PPEs) and the population density. Daksha Shah, deputy executive health officer with the BMC, said, “As per the official protocol, if a person tests positive for COVID-19, we test all the high-risk contacts of the patients for th

TVS Motor Company acquired Britain’s most iconic bike manufacturer Norton Motorcycles Ltd in an all-cash transaction of GBP 16 million on Friday. "The acquisition of assets of Norton Motorcycles (UK) Limited was done through one of the TVS Motor's overseas subsidiaries," the company said in a regulatory filing on Friday evening. TVS said the transaction was concluded by Project 303 Bidco Limited, a newly incorporated company that was acquired by TVS Motor's subsidiary to make the Norton deal. "This is a momentous time for us at TVS Motor Company. Norton is an iconic British brand celebrated across the world, and presents us with an immense opportunity to scale globally," TVS Motor’s Joint Managing Director Sudarshan Venu said. He said that the TVS Motor will provide its complete support to Norton to regain its full glory in the international motorcycle landscape. "TVS Motor will work closely with customers and employees in building the success and

Palghar:  Three labourers died of suffocation while cleaning the septic tank of a bungalow in Virar town of Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Saturday. The Arnala police arrested Hemant Gharat after three out of four labourers he had hired to clean the septic tank of his bungalow on Friday, died of suffocation because of the toxic gases, an official said. Gharat himself rescued the labourers from the tank and rushed them to a nearby hospital, where three of them were declared dead on arrival and one was undergoing treatment, he said. The men were not given proper protective gear and the accused did not ensure their safety by making them work in an enclosed tank, the official said. The deceased have been identifyed as Narayan Boye, Jayendra Mukne and Tejas Bhate, who were all in their 20s, he said, adding that Nitesh Mukne survived the mishap because he was at the entrance of the chamber. The accused has been charged under sections 304A (causing death by negligence