Category: National

Expand testing, give financial aid to prevent job losses and reassure businesses’

The Hindu

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday suggested a two-pronged strategy to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, while his party demanded the implementation of the minimum income guarantee scheme for the poor.

“The question is how can we minimise casualties in this war. I believe our strategy should have 2 components. The govt should give financial support to prevent massive job losses and reassure business owners,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted.

“Isolate the virus and block its escape routes. Massively expand testing facilities to identify and treat those who are infected. Create massive emergency field hospitals, particularly in urban areas, with full ICU capability to provide care to patients,” said the Congress leader who had raised an alarm about COVID-19 as early as February 12. Mr. Gandhi said the daily wage earners must be extended immediate help through direct cash transfers and free rations. “Delaying this will cause widespread devastation & chaos,” he said.

Tax breaks

He said many industries were struggling and they should be helped through tax breaks and financial support to prevent massive job losses, and the government must reassure business owners of all support to tide over the crisis.

The Congress urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the Nyunatam Aay Yojana (Nyay) or the minimum income guarantee scheme it had promised in its 2019 election manifesto. The Nyay had promised to transfer ₹72,000 annually to the 20% of the poorest families in the country.

“Dear PM, need of the hour is to implement forthwith Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme (Nyay), mooted by Rahulji & Congress. Please transfer Rs 7,500 to every Jan Dhan A/C, PM Kisan A/C & every Pension A/C to tide over nutrition needs of 21 days and give free PDS ration,” tweeted Congress communication chief Randeep Singh Surjewala.

‘Lacks strategy’

In a series of tweets, Mr. Surjewala said that though the party supported the lockdown, it is “deeply disappointed” by a lack of a coherent strategy on the part of the Modi government.

“Please remember, Trying times are true test of leadership. Is government ready to rise up & deliver,” he asked and added, “The Congress demands a comprehensive package for daily wagers, MGNREGA workers, factory workers, unorganised workers, fishermen and farm labourers.”

The Congress also objected to the fact that the Central government barred the export of ventilators, respiratory devices and sanitisers only on March 24, 84 days after the spread of COVID-19. “Is this your government’s modus operandi to fight coronavirus? Too little, too late,” said Mr. Surjewala.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

According to WHO’s March 24 update, globally, over 16,000 people have died, and more than 375,000 have been infected.

The Hindu

India has 601 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 545 are active, according to data from the Health Ministry and State governments. The death toll stands at 12, with Tamil Nadu registering its first death on Wednesday.

Among India’s immediate neighbours, China has registered over 80,000 confirmed cases so far, according to the WHO. Over 3,000 people have died due to the virus. In Pakistan, over 800 confirmed cases and six deaths have been registered.

The Hindu has brought out an e-book on essential COVID-19 information, in addition to covering the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic as it unfolded.

M.P records first death

Madhya Pradesh recorded its first COVID-19 death after a 65-year-old woman, originally from Ujjain, succumbed to the disease in Indore on Wednesday. She was tested positive earlier today.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

According to WHO’s March 24 update, globally, over 16,000 people have died, and more than 375,000 have been infected.

The Hindu

Based on a combination of numbers reported by the central Health Ministry, and updates from the States, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the India on March 24 stands at 564.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Indian Government issues orders to all states to allow:

1) Food processing manufacturing companies to function

2) Retail Grocery, Organised Trade including Cash & Carry Wholesale and Chemists

3) Allow workers of Retail outlets

4) Inter State Movement of goods.

The top court said overcrowding of prisons is a matter of serious concern, particularly in the present context of coronavirus (COVID19).

GK News Network

The Supreme Court Monday 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 7-year jail term to decongest prisons in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

The top court said overcrowding of prisons is a matter of serious concern, particularly in the present context of coronavirus (COVID19).

In regard to the provisions of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, it has become imperative to ensure that the spread of coronavirus within the prisons is controlled, the court said.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices L N Rao and Surya Kant said the state or UT could consider the release of prisoners who have been convicted or are undertrial for offences for which prescribed punishment is up to 7 years or less, with or without fine and the prisoner has been convicted for a lesser number of years than the maximum.

“We direct that each State/Union Territory shall constitute a High Powered Committee comprising of (i) Chairman of the State Legal Services Committee, (ii) the Principal Secretary (Home/Prison) by whatever designation is known as, (ii) Director General of Prison(s), to determine which class of prisoners can be released on parole or an interim bail for such period as may be thought appropriate,” it said.

The top court said it would be open for the High Powered Committee to determine the category of prisoners who should be released depending upon the nature of offence, the number of years to which he or she has been sentenced or the severity of the offence with which he/she is charged with and is facing trial or any other relevant factor, which the Committee may consider appropriate.

It also directed that the Undertrial Review Committee set up by the court in another matter, shall meet every week and take such decision in consultation with the concerned authority.

It said that the High Powered Committee shall take into account the directions contained its 2014 verdict of Arnesh Kumar versus State of Bihar.

It asked the states and UTs who have not filed their responses to do so within three weeks from today and listed the matter after three weeks.

“Taking into consideration the possibility of outside transmission, we direct that the physical presence of all the undertrial prisoners before the Courts must be stopped forthwith and recourse to video conferencing must be taken for all purposes,” the bench said, adding that the transfer of prisoners from one prison to another for routine reasons must not be resorted except for decongestion to ensure social distancing and medical assistance to an ill prisoner.

It directed that there should not be any delay in shifting sick person to a Nodal Medical Institution in case of any possibility of infection is seen and prison specific readiness and response plans must be developed in consultation with medical experts.

It said that ‘Interim guidance on Scaling-up COVID-19 Outbreak in Readiness and Response Operations in camps and camp like settings’ — jointly developed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and World Health Organisation (WHO), published by Inter-Agency Standing Committee of United Nations on March 17, 2020 — may be taken into consideration for similar circumstances.

“A monitoring team must be set up at the state level to ensure that the directives issued with regard to prison and remand homes are being complied with scrupulously,” it said.

The top court added that looking into the possible threat of transmission and fatal consequences, it is necessary that prisons must ensure maximum possible distancing among the prisoners including under trials.

The top court also noted the steps taken by various states and UTs including shifting of over 11,000 prisoners to less congested prisons in Jharkhand.

“An overview of the responses reflects that considerable measures for protection of health and welfare of the prisoners to restrict the transmission of COVID-19 have been taken by the State Governments,” the bench said.

It said these measures generally include creation of isolation wards, quarantine of new prisoners including prisoners of foreign nationality for a specific period, preliminary examination of prisoners for COVID-19, ensuring availability of medical assistance, entry points scanning of staff and other service providers, sanitisation and cleanliness exercise of prison campus and wards, supply of masks etc.

It said that significant measures have been taken by Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Jharkhand, Goa, Kerala, Telangana and UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Chandigarh who have advised the prison authorities that visitors may be allowed to interact with prisoners only through video calling or telephonic call. On March 16, the top court had taken suo motu cognisance of overcrowding of prisons across the country and said it is difficult for jail inmates to maintain social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Hindu

Based on a combination of numbers reported by the central Health Ministry, and updates from the States, the total number of confirmed cases in the country on March 23 stands at 425.

All train, metro and inter-State transport services across the country were suspended on Sunday till March 31.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Updates from the world of economy, markets, and finance

The Hindu

Stocks are off to another volatile day with the Nifty and the Sensex hitting limit down within the first hour of trading as concerns loom that the coronavirus pandemic could shut down the global economy.

Analysts have come out with various estimates about the likely economic impact of the pandemic. Let’s just say things don’t look very good at the moment.

Global economy hit by worst shock since 1930s

As fears of a global recession loom amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, how does the current economic slump compare against ones in the past?

While official data is yet to arrive, Reuters offers a guesstimate:

“There are no government statistics yet on the scale of the current downturn, but taking the oil industry as a proxy for economic demand, consumption appears to have fallen by around 10 million barrels per day, or 10%, within the space of a single month.

The first-round shock to the system is enormous even before any second and third-round impact on business and consumer spending.

In 1945, demobilisation and the conversion from wartime to peacetime production caused industrial output to drop by 30-35% progressively over 12 months.

In the 1974/75 recession, U.S. industrial output fell by around 15% over roughly 20 months, according to data from the Federal Reserve.

In 2008/09, U.S. industrial output declined by almost 20% from its pre-recession peak, but the decline was stretched over a period of roughly 18 months.

But the current downturn could easily prove the steepest since 1945. In scale and sudden onset, it looks more like the dynamics of the 1930s Depression or the violent business busts of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

India’s retail sector hit hard by coronavirus shutdown

The shutdown imposed by the government to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has affected businesses across the board as consumers refuse to step out of their homes.

Reuters reports on the current state of India’s retail sector: “The coronavirus pandemic amid an economic slowdown has hit revenue at Indian retailers selling non essential items like clothes and jewelry by 75% so far and is likely to cause widespread job losses, an industry body said on Monday.

About 40% of the six million employees working in India’s modern, rather than traditional, retail sector could likely lose their jobs in the next four months if the government does not intervene, Kumar Rajgopalan, chief executive, Retailers Association of India (RAI), told Reuters.

“Unless the government provides some relief, revenues will slide by 90% in the next six months,” Rajgopalan said, suggesting moratoriums on the payment of loans, and on the payments of the goods and services tax (GST) and other government duties.

The RAI represents 500,000 stores in India, including brands like V-Mart, Shopper’s Stop, Future Group and Avenue Supermarts, which operates the grocery chain D-Mart.”

Coronavirus | Automakers to shut down manufacturing plants

Amid national efforts to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus, nearly all automakers in the country, including market leaders Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp, have announced temporary shutdown of their manufacturing plants.

“With the safety and well-being of employees as top priority in view of the escalating COVID-19 situation, Hero MotoCorp has decided to halt operations at all its global manufacturing facilities — including in India, Colombia and Bangladesh — and the Global Parts Centre (GPC) at Neemrana with immediate effect until March 31, 2020,” the country’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer said in a statement.

(This story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)