巴拉特

分类： bharat

  • A deserted view of the Yamuna motorway that connects Delhi with Agra during a 21-day nationwide lockdown

    A deserted view of the Yamuna motorway that connects Delhi with Agra during a 21-day nationwide lockdown

    A deserted view of the Yamuna motorway that connects Delhi with Agra during a 21-day nationwide lockdown

    India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other smaller nations, which have 1.8 billion people and some of the planet’s most densely populated cities, have so far reported relatively few coronavirus cases but experts fear they could be the next hotspots.


    The dire economic effects are already much in evidence, with widespread lockdowns freezing most normal activity, Western factory orders cancelled and vast numbers of poor workers suddenly jobless.


    “South Asia finds itself in a perfect storm of adverse effects. Tourism has dried up, supply chains have been disrupted, demand for garments has collapsed and consumer and investor sentiments have deteriorated,” said a World Bank report.

  • The nationwide lockdown to contain the deadly coronavirus looks set to be extended by two more weeks till April-end

    The nationwide lockdown to contain the deadly coronavirus looks set to be extended by two more weeks till April-end after a consensus emerged among states on Saturday for continuing the curbs amid the tally of confirmed infections crossing 7,500 with a record increase of over 1,000 cases within 24 hours.

    While Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked state governments to take steps to curb the lockdown violations and ensure adherence to social distancing, he also announced a shift in focus from ‘Jaan hai to jahaan hai’ (health is wealth) to ‘Jaan bhi, jahaan bhi’ (lives as well as livelihoods), which many saw as indications towards relaxations for certain economic activities, including for industrial and agriculture sector.

    The next 3-4 weeks would be critical to determine the impact of steps taken till now to curb the virus spread, Modi told the chief ministers.

    ‘JAAN BHI, JAHAAN BHI’

    The nationwide coronavirus lockdown is set to be extended at least till April 30 after a broad “consensus” on it emerged on Saturday during a meeting of chief ministers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who stressed on “jaan bhi, jahaan bhi”, indicating that restrictions may be tweaked as it was important to save livelihoods along with lives.

    During their interaction, several chief ministers demanded financial and fiscal relief from the Centre to fight the pandemic, while Modi suggested measures to incentivise direct marketing of farm produce to help farmers, among other steps to help the country remain healthy and to prosper too. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the states have demanded Rs 10 lakh crore package.

  • Has the Tamil Nadu chief secretary let the cat out of the bag

    Has the Tamil Nadu chief secretary let the cat out of the bag? While briefing the media in Chennai on Saturday, after the conclusion of the state cabinet meeting, Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary K Shanmugam said there is a delay in receiving the rapid antibody test kits Tamil Nadu had ordered because the consignment, meant for India, had been diverted to the United States by China.

    The bureaucrat informed that the state had placed an order of a total of 4 lakh test kits with the Centre, of which 1 lakh was expected from China. Shanmugam said though the production of rapid antibody test kits was limited to China, it had sent one consignment to the USA.

    This could possibly explain the constant delay in India receiving its order of 5 lakh rapid antibody test kits that it had placed with a Chinese firm on March 28.

    At least four deadlines for delivery have been missed so far, adding to India’s wait for conducting more tests to detect the spread of Covid-19 among its citizens.

    Rapid antibody tests are quicker and inexpensive alternative to the standard RT-PCR tests being conducted currently in the country.

    The advisory to start rapid antibody-based blood tests for Covid-19 was issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on April 4. It authorised for the tests to be conducted in areas reporting clusters (containment zone) and in large migration gatherings/evacuee centres.

    But the first order for the rapid antibody test kits was placed on March 28, and since then deadlines have only come and gone.