(PTI) The Centre has released Rs 1,000 crore to the West Bengal government, as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and a team of the Union government will visit the state soon to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Amphan. The rescue-and-relief operations in West Bengal were discussed at a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), headed by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, here on Monday. As announced by the prime minister after his aerial survey and review of the relief efforts with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a sum of Rs 1,000 crore has already been released to…
Author: Aruna Sharma
(HT) Coronavirus restrictions are being eased across the world as economies look to begin countering the long-term slump the Covid-19 brought to the economy. Several nations will see growth in the negative zone. Germany has seen businesses reopen but their index reminds far below normal readings. India wants to give infrastructure and consumption of FMCG a boost in the rural areas to bring back demand in the economy. Despite over 2.3 lakh people recovering, Covid-19 cases have crossed the 5.5 lakh mark across the planet. India has recorded more than 1,45,380 cases with 4,167 deaths and more than 60,000 people…
(ET) Within days of FM Nirmala Sitharaman announcing Rs 50,000-crore investment in coal infrastructure as part of a stimulus, Central Coalfields (CCL) has become the first miner to come out with projects worth Rs 1,200 crore for automation of coal handling operations in four of its largest mines. The projects will cover 55 million tonnes of coal produced from mines in Jharkhand. Automation of moving coal from mines to railway siding and loading of rakes will result in environmental benefits by stopping air and land pollution from coal dust generated during transportation by trucks. The projects envisage setting up conveyor belts for transporting coal from mines to railway sidings…
(TH) Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) announced the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (Modified- 2020) Scheme. “This plan will be available for sale commencing from May 26 for three financial years – up to March 31, 2023. This scheme can be purchased offline as well as online from LIC of India,” it said in a statement. The Union Cabinet had earlier this month extended the PMVVY or Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana, which is a social security scheme for senior citizens. LIC is solely authorised to operate this scheme, which works as a Non-Linked, Non-Participating, Pension Scheme subsidised…
(HT) India on Saturday reported another highest single-day spike with 6,654 new cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the last 24 hours, taking the infection tally to 125,101, according to data released by the Union health ministry. This is the second time in a week that the tally of Covid-19 cases has surged beyond 6,000 and the third time that the country reported the biggest one-day rise in the number of infections. On Friday, 6,088 new cases were recorded and before that 5,611 infections were seen on Wednesday in the span of 24 hours, health ministry data shows.
(PTI) The Ghaziabad administration in Uttar Pradesh said markets in the district will open from May 25 on alternate days from 10 am to 5 pm. Two days’ time has been given to shopkeepers to make arrangements to ensure social distancing, it said. District Magistrate (DM) Ajay Shankar Pandey told PTI that in case the markets open on Saturday, people would rush to shop and there is a risk of spreading of COVID-19. Markets across the district will open from 10 am to 5 pm, he said. All markets will remain closed every Sunday to avoid overcrowding, he added. Pandey said markets in…
(PTI) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday slashed interest rates, extended moratorium on loan repayments and allowed banks to lend more to corporates in an effort to support the economy which is likely to contract for the first time in over four decades. The benchmark repurchase (repo) rate was cut by 40 basis points to 4 per cent, Governor Shaktikanta Das said announcing the decisions taken by the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) that met ahead of its scheduled meeting in early June. Consequently, the reverse repo rate was reduced to 3.35 per cent from 3.75 per cent. He…
(HT) Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said that Rajasthan Government demanded Rs 19 lakh for the diesel used in transporting students of Uttar Pradesh from Kota back to their home state. “Rajasthan government raised a bill of Rs 19 lakhs for diesel provided by them for Uttar Pradesh buses that were run for bringing back students from Kota, we paid the bill on May 5,” Sharma said in a press conference. The Deputy Chief Minister said the Rajasthan Government accepted their request to help in bringing back their stranded students. “They asked UP government to send buses to Rajasthan,” he…
(ET) Haryana’s first grid-connected 1.2 MW biogas-based power plant has been commissioned at a cost of about Rs 14 crore in Morkhi village of Jind district in Haryana. The plant will have an annual power generation of 85 lakh units. The plant has been set up by Mor Bio Energy Private Limited and entire power will be purchased by the Haryana Power Purchase Centre at the tariff to be decided by Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC). Ranjit Singh, minister of power and new and renewable energy, said a three-day trial run from March 11to 15 was done at 80% capacity…
(ET) Gail (India) has issued a tender offering two liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for loading in the United States, and is seeking a cargo for delivery into India, two industry sources said. It offered two cargoes to load from the Cove Point plant in the U.S. on a free-on-board (FOB) basis loading in late-June and July, they said. It is also seeking a cargo for delivery into India, in May or August 2021, on a delivered ex-ship (DES) basis, they added. The tender closes on May 27, one of the sources said.