As per the data provided by the Home Ministry, the death toll in the country stands at 2,293 and the recovery rate at 31.15 per cent. (Representational)
As on Tuesday, the number of coronavirus cases in the country crossed the 70,000-mark to reach 70,756, including 22,454 who have been treated and discharged. As per the data provided by the Home Ministry, the death toll in the country stands at 2,293, and the recovery rate is 31.15 per cent.
A day after holding with chief ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation today on the coronavirus pandemic. Stressing on making the country “self-reliant”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a special economic package amounting to Rs 20 lakh crore to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. PM Modi also said the fourth phase of the nationwide lockdown would be different and have new rules and guidelines.
Meanwhile, the government today also announced the second phase of Vande Bharat Mission, one of India’s largest repatriation exercises to bring back Indians stranded in other countries due to the Covid-19 crisis. The mission will see the Centre operating 149 flights from May 16 to May 22, from nearly 31 countries around the globe.
Here is a curated list of some interesting stories from across the country on Day 49 of India’s coronavirus lockdown.
Assam Police gifts 2-wheeler to woman who sells vegetables on bicycle
Janmoni Gogoi, 20, who sells vegetables on a bicycle to support her parents financially during the ongoing lockdown, has been gifted a two-wheeler by the Assam Police.
Police officers came to know about Gogoi after her photograph selling vegetables, with large bags hanging from the handle of her bicycle and a basket on its carrier, went viral on social media.
“Her self-respect prevented her from taking monetary help. So we came up with the idea of gifting her a two-wheeler so that she can carry her vegetables more comfortably and in larger quantities,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Pallavi Mazumder told news agency PTI.
Janmoni, who nurtures a dream of pursuing higher education, expressed her gratitude to the state police, the SP and the DSP. “My father has been ailing for the past 18 years. He cannot walk. My mother sells vegetables in Borbaruah market. I have been helping her for two years,” she said.
10 held for booze party amid lockdown in UP
Throwing social distancing norms to the wind, a group of men, including some bank employees, were allegedly caught having a booze party at a roadside eatery in UP’s Muzaffarnagar, police said.
Ten people were arrested after they were allegedly found consuming liquor and celebrating inside the ‘dhaba’ (roadside eatery), SHO Deepak Chaturvedi said. The incident took place in Newmandi area on Monday night, the station house officer added.
Ladakh man in quarantine takes online classes for teaching mathematical formulas
Despite having tested positive for COVID-19, a teacher in quarantine in Ladakh is making sure his students don’t miss out on learning mathematical formulas or algebra problems more complex than the curveballs life may sometimes throw at them.
Lodged in an isolation centre in Leh, Kifayat Hussain is taking online classes using internet communication tools like Zoom and making YouTube videos for his Class 9 and 10 students.
The teacher said he is doing a mix of online classes and pre-recorded videos as there are problems with the internet connectivity at the hospital at times. “Teaching is not just my job, but my passion. I was concerned that students will be left behind in their studies and it will be a burden for them if I cover the syllabus in a hurry in future. I had enough strength to teach so I thought I should give it a try,” said Hussain.
His village was declared a containment zone after some people were found positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and he decided to get himself tested to avoid putting students at Lamdon Model Senior Secondary School at risk.
Bored in lockdown, teens dig well to fight water crisis
Three teens in MP’s Neemuch, who were bored during the COVID-19 lockdown, decided to help their village which was facing a persistent water problem. They started digging a well in their courtyard and took just three days to strike water at a depth of 30-feet, using just the equipment they had at home.
How a small Arunachal town is practising social distancing, under the shade of umbrellas
It is perhaps the only ‘social distancing shed’ in the country— and for two days now, it has been keeping folks in a small Arunachal Pradesh town at a safe distance from each other: exactly one-and-a-half metres apart.
Since Monday, outside the State Bank of India branch in Aalo, the headquarters of Arunachal Pradesh’s West Siang District, stands what the administration is calling a ‘social distancing shed’, complete with bamboo poles, colourful umbrellas and separate slots for men and women.
“We are serious about social distancing — and this is the message we wanted to send to the public,” says Dr Jumge Padu, the creator of the shed, over the phone from Aalo.
IndiGo exceeds its own record by uplifting 19.19T CarGo on an Airbus A320
In its endeavour to provide support to the nation, IndiGo has outdone its own world record of uplifting the highest ever tonnage carried on an Airbus A320 aircraft with CarGo on passenger seats. The IndiGo CarGo team set a new world record by uplifting 19,193 kgs on its Kochi-Abu Dhabi flight 6E 9061 on May 7, surpassing the earlier record of 19,080 kg on an A320 flight 6E 9059 from Chennai-Dubai. The flight was operated while observing all precautionary measures, to transport essential supplies of fresh vegetables and fruit.