(TH) The Union government on Thursday announced a Rs.1.7 lakh crore package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and countrywide lockdown, providing free food and cash transfers to support the poorest citizens who are most vulnerable during the crisis. The food grain ration for 80 crore poor people would be doubled for the next three months, supplemented by a kg of local pulses as well, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday. The Centre would provide ₹50 lakh medical insurance cover for the next three months for about 22 lakh health workers in government hospitals fighting the spread of the…
Author: Aruna Sharma
(FE) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) international passenger flights to and from India will remain suspended till April 14, in tandem with the countrywide lockdown. “It has been decided that all scheduled commercial passenger services shall remain closed till 1830 hours GMT of April 14, 2020,” the civil aviation regulator said. The restriction will not apply to international cargo operations and flights that have been approved by the DGCA. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a lockdown in the entire country for three weeks, limiting public movement through roads, railways and air transport. The restrictions were put in place…
(FE) The government has exempted movement of personnel and equipment related to power generation and transmission from country-wide lockdown. According to separate notifications released by the Union ministries of power and renewable energy, exemptions have been granted from “Section 144, nationwide lockdown, or any other such limitations” to enable requisite manpower and ensure uninterrupted operations of power generating stations and electricity transmission networks. The coal ministry had issued a similar notification on March 23, but coal mining operations had faced interruptions in certain parts of the country even after that. To prevent such issues, the Ministry of Home Affairs on…
(PTI) Over 8 crore Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries will be entitled to a total of three 14.2-kg LPG cylinders for free between April to June, a move that will cost the government an estimated Rs 13,000 crore. The free cooking gas cylinders was part of the package announced by the Finance Minister to deal with the economic impact of the lockdown imposed to curb spread of coronavirus. Welcoming the relief package, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the move was an example example of responsive governance in challenging times.”The relief package of Rs 1.7 lakh crore will help the nation deal with…
(LiveMint) Covid-19 claimed its first life in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday of a 60-year-old woman, raising the toll across India to 16 as six more died due to the coronavirus. This was the highest number of deaths the country has recorded so far in a single day. The country recorded 70 fresh cases on Thursday, taking the total number to 703. Kerala reported 19 fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday, taking the total number of active cases in the state to 126, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, adding that more than 1.2 lakh people are under observation in the state. The state…
(LiveMint) Oil prices fell at the open in Asia on Monday after a trillion-dollar Senate proposal to help the coronavirus-hit American economy was defeated and death tolls soared across Europe and the US. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate initially tumbled more than three percent but then pulled back some ground to trade 1.5 percent lower, at $22 a barrel.Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 4.9 percent to $25 a barrel. Prices have fallen to multi-year lows in recent weeks as lockdowns and travel restrictions to fight the virus hit demand, and top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia engage in a price…
(First Post) The Delhi government ordered that 35000 foreign-returned persons staying in the city since 1 March and their contacts shall comply with directions of 14-day home quarantine. Any person found disobeying directions shall be prosecuted and punished with imprisonment or fine or both.Additionally, persons who have been diagnosed as infected with COVID-19 shall mandatorily remain in an isolation facility of a hospital and shall leave the premises only after being discharged by the treating doctor:. A day after the Janta Curfew, a lockdown began in Delhi on Monday and will continue till 31 March as the coronavirus toll in India rose to…
(LiveMint) The Health Ministry on Wednesday said that the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in India rose to 151, including 25 foreign nationals. The government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that 276 Indians have been infected with coronavirus abroad, including 255 in Iran, 12 in UAE and five in Italy.According to the health ministry, India’s total number of cases stand at 151. Globally, the number of cases has reached over 200,000, and there have been over 8,010 reported deaths across 157 countries. Over 5,700 people, who had come in contact with these positive cases, are under rigorous surveillance, the Ministry said. Delhi has…
(FE) State-run Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has invited bids from wind and solar plants to supply 5,000 mega-watt (MW) power under a round-the-clock scheme. The scheme involves purchases of renewable energy, along with coal-based power, so that buyers have the assurance of uninterrupted electricity supply. Renewable power may include a combination of solar, wind and small hydro power with or without any energy storage system. It also aims to provide a leg-up to the renewable energy sector by addressing the issues of intermittency, limited hours of supply and low capacity utilisations of solar and wind power plants, and make…
(PTI) The price of subsidised cooking gas (LPG) has been hiked by Rs 35.55 per cylinder in the last five months, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan . As per government policy, LPG all over the country is available only at market price. However, households are entitled to buying 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at a subsidised rate in a year. The government transfers the subsidy amount directly into the bank accounts which the beneficiaries use to buy LPG at the market price. The subsidised LPG price has gone up by Rs 35.55 per cylinder since October.In a written reply to a question…