Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met Finance Minsiter Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss about a second economic stimulus package.
Coronavirus LIVE updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held meetings with key ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and officials of economic ministries to decide upon a second stimulus package for sectors adversely affected by the nationwide lockdown to curb spread of coronavirus, PTI reported. The prime minister would also have follow up meetings with ministers of key economic ministries such as Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), sources said.
A day after government allowed six trains to ferry migrants, more ‘Shramik Special’ trains have been arranged to carry those stranded due to the nationwide lockdown to their homestates. A special train with 847 migrant workers left for Lucknow from Nashik on Saturday morning. Kerala is scheduled to run two trains carrying migrants to Jharkhand while Gujarat would send the workers home in two more trains — one from Ahmedabad to Uttar Pradesh and the other from Surat to Odisha. As the Centre extended the nationwide lockdown, for two weeks, starting May 4, the number of cases in India on Saturday crossed the 37,000 mark, taking the tally to 37,776. The toll stood at 1,223 while 10,017 were cured. (
On the global front, the coronavirus has claimed over 235,000 lives and infected over 3.3 million people, according to a tally by John Hopkins University. The United States continues to be the worst-hit, with over 10,00,000 cases and over 64,000 deaths.
Migrants in Nashik being taken back to their native places in buses. (Express Photo: Prashant Nadkar)
Panchkula's market at Sector 7 under lockdown. (Express photo)
According to the latest updates by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the number of coronavirus cases in India on Saturday stands at 37,776. A total of 1,223 people have died of COVID-29 while 10,017 have been cured so far. The active cases are counted at 26,535.
“Like many others, I was worried about getting by during the coronavirus lockdown. I saw people taking supplies from donors. That’s when I thought of standing with daily wagers and labourers.”
Across India there are many who are going out of their way to help those suffering because of the unprecedented turn of events. But then Goutam Das is not among the privileged. The 51-year-old is a daily wager too, pulling a cart to sustain himself. So when he says he decided to spend his savings and donate something, it carries a lot more weight. In fact, this /thelawalla’/ from Tripura has spent nearly all his savings donating food for the poor.
Das lives alone in a tiny mud house at Sadhutilla village close to Agartala city. His wife passed away years back and his children live separately. That gives him a little bit of wriggle space when it comes to his finances. With the Rs 200 or so he would earn daily, Das had managed to save about Rs 20,000 by the time the lockdown was announced. Read Goutam Das' story of strength here
As the world and India battle the novel coronavirus pandemic, India has all but made it mandatory to download and use a mobile phone application called Aarogya Setu developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. How do contact tracing apps work? Which other countries are using them? What are the concerns around data & privacy? Read explainer by Pranav Mukul
The Karnataka government has decided to appeal to the Centre to drop Bengaluru rural district from the list of COVID-19 red zones as there are no fresh cases of coronavirus infections there, Revenue minister R Ashoka said on Saturday. “Presently there are no cases of COVID-19 in Bengaluru Rural district. So we will write to the centre not to incorporate the Bengaluru rural district in the list of red zones”, Ashoka said at the end of a high level meeting chaired by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on easing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Saturday sought cooperation from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh governments to ensure safe return of Odias stranded their states due to the lockdown.PTI reported. Patnaik made the request during separate video conference with Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh B S Yediyurappa and Y S Jaganmohan Reddy respectively. Union Petroleum and Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also took part in the discussions. Pradhan agreed to coordinate between the states for hassle-free movement of the stranded people from the south Indian states to Odisha.
Remarking that the migrant labour issue had not been handled in humane, compassionate manner, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala on Saturday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should make arrangements to ferry the labourers home for free in sanitised trains, with food. Asking prime minister to enlighten the citizens of the country on when the lockdown will finally end, he said, "We urge PM to lay exit plan from lockdown and spell out goalpost to deal with coronavirus, economy."
Assam has opened its borders with northeast states except Sikkim. Welcoming the Assam residents stuck in the neighbouring northeast states, MLA from Assam's Jalukbari constituency Himanta Biswa Sarma Saturday said, "We have opened our borders with all NE states (except Sikkim). From tomorrow, any resident of Assam currently in these states can come into Assam." He added that after these people reach the state border, they would be subjected to home-quarantine facility or hospital admission as required according to health screening.
The finance ministry, which deferred release of monthly GST collection numbers on Friday, is also scheduled to make a detailed presentation to the prime minister on the state of the economy and several initiatives that it plans to undertake to stimulate the Indian economy.
Hundreds of migrant workers stranded in Pallavaram in Tamil Nadu staged a protest demanding the officials to make necessary arrangements for them to return to their hometown. Similar protests took place in many areas in Chennai including Velachery, Mogappair, Guindy. (Express Photo)
Ministry of Home Affairs issued a clarification regarding the travel restrictions in the orange zones, According to the clarification, taxis, cabs will be allowed to ply in orange zones.
Nine days after Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb announced Tripura coronavirus-free, two more persons tested positive for the virus on Saturday. In a Facebook post this afternoon, Chief Minister Deb wrote, "Alert! In Tripura two persons from Ambassa #BSF unit found #COVID19 positive.Total #COVID19 positive cases in Tripura stands at 4. (Two already discharged, so active hospital cases : 2) Update at 02:30 pm / 2nd May #TripuraCOVID19Count".
On the issue, a BSF PRO told indianexpress.com that a head constable of BSF posted at Ambassa was hospitalised with stomach ache on March 25 at Dhalai. He was later referred to sub-divisional district hospital and finally to GB Pant Hospital, Agartala, which is also the only corona testing facility in Tripura. A BSF constable was posted with the patient as attendant. Both of them tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday during checkup at the hospital, the official said.- Debraj Deb reports from Tripura
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Finance Minsiter Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss about a second economic stimulus package, PTI reported. As the Covid pandemic and the prolonged lockdown batter all sectors of the economy, the government, sources said, was working on a rescue package that, for now, may address the needs of the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) segment rather than the larger corporate sector. More than six meetings have been held at the Prime Minister’s Office — including Thursday’s with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal — to discuss the scope and quantum of the second fiscal package.
Forty one people staying in a building in southwest Delhi's Kapashera area tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.
A case of coronavirus had been reported from the building on April 18, the official said. "Keeping in mind the high density of population in this particular building, the district administration took the proactive decision of sealing and containing the building on April 19," PTI quoted an official as saying. The guidelines call for sealing an area when minimum three cases are reported from the same. Samples collected from all the residents in the building were sent to the National institute of Biologicals (NIB) in Noida."Out of total samples collected from the building, some reports have come on Saturday and 41 have tested positive for COVID-19," the official told PTI.
Gujarat to send two trains carrying migrant workers from Ahmedabad to Uttar Pradesh and one train from Surat to Odisha says govt officials
The eleven empowered groups of officers created by the central government to implement COVID-19 containment measures in the country have been reconstituted, an official spokesperson said Saturday.First created on March 29 under the Disaster Management Act, the reconstitution of these groups became necessary after some members either retired, appointed or were transferred from their previous posting. "Empowered groups under Disaster Management Act, 2005, reconstituted for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID-19 activities," PTI quoted the ministry spokesperson as saying. Their terms and conditions will remain the same, according to the order.
There are no restrictions on sale of non-essential items by e-commerce platforms in green and orange zones, a home ministry spokesperson said. The exemptions will be effective from May 4 when the third phase of the lockdown will begin. Earlier too the ministry had announced to allow sale of non-essential items on e-commerce platforms, but later backtracked on its decision.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Saturday clarified that barber shops and salons will be allowed to operate in green and orange zones during the third phase of the lockdown beginning May 4. The MHA on Friday, while extending the lockdown for two more weeks till May 17, lifted many restrictions in green and orange zones. Last month, The Indian Express had reported how, due to the lockdown, vulnerability was looming on the lives of innumerable barbers that groom the country of 1.3 billion.
After the government allowed six special trains for migrant workers on Friday, the Nashik authorities today sent its second special train carrying 847 migrant workers to Lucknow.
Even as Tamil Nadu reported 2526 and 28 deaths, the state has nearly half its cases and one-eighth its deaths. Just five-six districts are now reporting cases, while Coimbatore, which once had the most patients, has had no fresh cases for about a week. What has helped the state keep the numbers relatively low (2,526 cases, 28 deaths, as of Friday evening), after a sudden surge, is its health network. However, only one district has been listed under green Zone by MHA has reported one Covid-19 positive case today.