分类： bharat

As India’s Covid-19 fight entered its third phase on Monday with considerable relaxations in the lockdown curbs, the government said a record-high number of 1,074 patients recovered from the deadly virus infection in the last 24 hours but cautioned that the restrictions can be reimposed if there is any complacency in following the containment and social distancing norms.

Massive crowds thronged liquor stores, more vehicles plied on roads and cab-hailing platforms resumed services in the shadow of the highest rate of recovery yet from coronavirus.

While the nationwide tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases crossed 44,000 with more than 1,400 deaths, the number of recoveries also neared the 12,000-mark, as per numbers announced by various states and union territories.

LIQUOR CAUSES CHAOS ON DAY 1 OF LOCKDOWN 3.0

Tipplers queued up in large numbers since morning at liquor shops–a common sight in large parts of the country where they reopened as anxious people formed more than a kilometre long queue in several areas.

In the national capital, many government-run liquor shops which opened after 40 days had to be shut as people who gathered outside the outlets did not follow social distancing norms, forcing the police to use mild force to disperse the unruly crowd.

“Shops were asked to shut in places where social distancing norms were violated. At some places, a mild force was also used to disperse the crowd,” said a senior Delhi police official.

In some places in Karnataka, people made a beeline to liquor shops even before day-break and performed “special prayers” with flowers, coconuts, incense sticks and camphor and burst crackers in front of the stores. An elderly woman identified as only Dakamma and stated to be aged 96 years was one among the crowd in Shivamogga waiting to get some liquor.

Stand-alone liquor shops in West Bengal reopened in the three zones but the police closed down several of them within an hour as people started jostling with each other in front of the outlets with social distancing going for a toss.

WHO WILL PAY FOR MIGRANTS?

A political slugfest broke out on Monday over the ‘homecoming’ of migrants after the Congress accused the government of charging money from stranded workers and offered to pay for their travel to native places, drawing a sharp retort from the BJP which said the railways was already bearing 85 per cent of the travel cost and charging only 15 per cent from the state governments.

Accusing the Central government and the Indian Railways of ignoring the demands made by the Congress for ensuring safe and free travel of migrant workers and labourers to their homes, Sonia Gandhi on Monday announced that party’s state units will bear the cost of rail travel of needy migrants stranded at various places across the country as its “humble contribution” to show solidarity with these workers, who have contributed to nation’s development.

The BJP hit back saying the railways has subsidised 85 per cent of ticket fare for Shramik special trains being run to ferry migrant workers and the state government has to pay the remaining 15 per cent.

Asked if the migrant labourers were being charged for being ferried home, Joint Secretary at the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said, “Based on the request given from states for particular cases, permission was given to run special trains. Be it the government of India or the Railways, we have not talked about charging from workers. Eighty-five per cent of the transportation cost is borne by the Railways, while states have to bear 15 per cent of the cost.”

DELHI IMPOSES 70% CORONA TAX ON ALCOHOL

Liquor in Delhi will cost more from Tuesday as the government has decided to impose a 70 per cent ‘Special Corona Fee’ on maximum retail price, sources said Monday.

“70 per cent ‘Special Corona Fee’ has been imposed on the MRP of liquor bottles. The new rate will be applicable from Tuesday,” an official said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said all relaxations in the areas where people violate social-distancing and other health norms will be withdrawn.

GOVT TO BRING BACK INDIANS FROM ABROAD

Plans to bring back Indians stranded abroad due the coronavirus pandemic have been chalked out by the government and the process will begin from May 7 in a phased manner, the Home Ministry said on Monday, adding it will be a paid service.

In a statement, it said only people showing no symptoms of Covid-19 will be allowed to travel.

After arrival in India, their medical examination will be conducted and they will be subsequently put under quarantine for 14 days, either in a hospital or in an institutional facility, also on payment basis, the statement said.

From showering rose petals over hospitals treating Covid-19 patients to illuminating naval vessels, the armed forces through various military gestures will salute the coronavirus warriors on Sunday.

The nation will witness flypasts by fighter and transport aircrafts of the Indian Air Force (IAF) at multiple locations on Sunday as announced earlier by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat Rawat.

These aircrafts will cover major towns starting from Srinagar to Thiruvanathapuram and Dibrugarh to Kutch. The helicopters from the IAF and Indian Navy will fly over hospitals treating coronavirus patients and shower petals as a tribute to the coronavirus warriors.

#WATCH: Indian Navy conducts rehearsals off Mumbai coast ahead of its ceremony to honour the efforts of frontline workers in the fight against #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/ihxNSzOQti

— ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2020
The IAF is scheduled to shower flower petals over two hospitals in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar between 9-10 am.

Flower petals will also be dropped in Itanagar, Guwahati, Shillong and Kolkata, around 10.30 am. The Air Force band will be playing in Guwahati as well for paying tribute to the corona warriors.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, the flower-petal showering will take place at KGMU and SGPGI Trauma Center between 10.15-10.30 am. Fighter aircraft will flypast over Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow around 12.20 pm.

In the national capital, the fighter and transport aircrafts will fly between 10 am-11 am. This flying activity is combined with the training activity of the IAF and opportunity flight for transport aircraft and helicopters who are involved in moving supplies related to Covid-19 task.

The aerial salute to the corona warriors’ is scheduled in Delhi between 10-10.30 am. Fighter aircraft formations, comprising of the Sukhoi-30 MKI, MiG-29 and Jaguar will be flying over Rajpath, and will orbit over Delhi and will be visible to the residents of Delhi from their roof tops.

In addition, C-130 transport aircraft will follow a similar profile as fighters covering the entire Delhi and NCR region. The aircraft will be flying at an approximate height of 500 meters to 1,000 meters keeping aerospace safety in mind especially in respect of bird activity.

Here’s the complete schedule of petal dropping by helicopters:

 

Additionally, helicopters are schedulled to drop flower petals over the Police War Memorial at 9 am, followed by Delhi hospitals involved in providing relief to patients of Covid-19 between 10-10.30 am.

The list of hospitals includes: AllMS, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB Hospital, Loknayak Hospital, Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Safdarjang Hospital, Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Max Saket, Rohini Hospital, Apollo Indraprastha Hospital and Army Hospital Research and Referal.

The aerial salute from the armed forces will be flown as low as 500 meters so that everyone is able to witness the same from their home. Military bands all over the country will visit various civil hospitals treating Covid-19 patients to express their gratitude by playing patriotic tunes.

In the evening, Naval ships on the coasts of Mumbai, Porbandar, Karwar, Vizag, Chennai, Kochi and Port Blair will light up and flare fires in solidarity with the corona warriors.

Indian Naval aviation assets would shower petals by helicopters on hospitals treating Covid-19 patients in Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Vizag between 10 am-10.30 am.

Maharashtra: Indian Navy conducts rehearsals off Mumbai coast ahead of its ceremony to honour the efforts of frontline workers in the fight against #COVID19.

The Indian government is likely to cap its overall spending on coronavirus-related relief at around 4.5 trillion rupees ($60 billion), due to concerns that excess spending could trigger a sovereign rating downgrade, two senior government officials said.

“We have to be cautious as downgrades have started happening for some countries and rating agencies treat developed nations and emerging markets very differently,” the first official told Reuters.

On Tuesday, Fitch warned India’s sovereign rating could come under pressure if its fiscal outlook deteriorates further as the government tries to steer the country through the coronavirus crisis.

“We have already done 0.8% of GDP, we might have space for another 1.5%-2% GDP,” the official, who is involved in preparing the package said, referencing the 1.7 trillion rupee outlay that the government announced in March that was directed at helping the poor via cash transfers and food grain distribution.

The stimulus plans yet to be outlined are likely to be aimed at helping people who have lost their jobs, as well as both small and large companies, via tax holidays and other measures, said both officials. They did not wish to be named as the matter is still under discussion.

A spokesman for the finance ministry declined to comment.

Fitch and Standard & Poor’s both have India pegged at an investment grade rating that is one notch above a junk rating, while Moody’s Investors Service is the only major rating agency that has India’s rating two notches above junk.

With a 40-day nationwide lockdown bringing the $2.9 trillion economy to a standstill, and the lockdown in many of India’s big cities likely to be extended, many economists expect the economy to stagnate, or even shrink this year, putting further pressure on government finances.

The second official said government revenues are in a tight position given “very weak” tax collections, and the fact that a 2.1 trillion privatisation programme planned for this fiscal year, now looks like it will be a non-starter.

The government has cut salaries of lawmakers including the prime minister and the president, and withheld raises for government employees and pensioners, in a drive to save as much as it can to control fiscal slippage.