This is the phase two of the Modernisation of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) programme, the ministry said, adding that airfields of the Indian Air Force were upgraded in the first phase.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting of the DGs of all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) where he appreciated the commendable work done by these forces and expressed concern over increasing COVID-19 cases, a home ministry spokesperson said.

Immediately on receipt of information, on May 7 , Indian Army rescue columns with personnel of ITBPs too, moved on foot, traversing dangerous terrain in bad weather, to the helicopter landing site to evacuate the individuals and provide medical aid, for which a doctor of the ITBP also accompanied.

The US asked India to get involved in the internal political process in Afghanistan. Sources said this formed the core of the discussions between US special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad and foreign minister S. Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Harsh Shringla in Delhi.

Among the 48 active cases, maximum 31 are in the unit that guards the Delhi Metro followed by 13 in the Mumbai international airport guarding unit. The maximum rise in cases, at 10, over the last 24 hours has also been reported from the Delhi Metro guarding unit. The force is tasked to guard civil airports (63 at present) in the country and vital infrastructure.

Nepal's Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement said the government "has learnt with regret" about the inauguration of the link road connecting to Lipulekh pass, which Nepal claims to be part of its territory. The 80-Km new road inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday is expected to help pilgrims visiting Kailash-Mansarovar in Tibet in China.

In response to queries on inauguration of road on 8th May in Pithoragarh district Uttarakhand, MEA Spokesperson stated, “We have seen the Press Release dated 9th May 2020 issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal pertaining to the inauguration of a road in India.”

These companies have undertaken massive exercises to retrain agents to approach and convince customers to buy new policies and renew premiums entirely through digital channels such as WhatsApp or Zoom, while also rejigging sales strategies starting right from the drafts used by agents to approach prospective customers, said people aware of the developments.

Globally, the pandemic has had a far-reaching impact and responsible organisations will choose not to put any employee at risk, feels Dayapatra Nevatia, chief operating officer, Mindtree.

With donations to the PM-Cares Fund and Covid-19-related relief work eligible to be considered CSR expenditure, most companies are likely to nearly exhaust their current CSR budgets after donating to this fund or related relief work.

Industry leaders said April-June quarter would be a washout even for the high and mighty.

India Inc’s first attempts to move goods across states after the easing of lockdown curbs were hobbled by expired e-way bills which made it near impossible for transporters to cross checkpoints.

After nearly a month and a half in lockdown, the country's mega manufacturing engine is taking baby steps towards opening factories, but under strict hygiene and social distancing norms.

Charge filings, which indicate new loans or additional collateral towards past loans, fell 57.4% to 277 in March and April combined from 650 in January and February, according to data compiled by Propstack, a financial data intelligence provider.

The guidelines mandate companies to strictly observe the social distancing protocol, including restricting the number of people in a lift, providing health insurance to workers and random testing for Covid-19.

It took for the company’s HR department to visit the villages and show them the letters of approval received from the ministry of textile, local administration and to explain to the residents how this will help the country’s effort to fight the pandemic. HR departments face the additional task of convincing not just employees but their neighbours too of the hygienic conditions.

There has been a 35-40% increase in the number of cases of stress and panic attack in April over previous months, according to data from counselling firms. A large number of the callers seek cure for mental stress arising out of social isolation and the workfrom-home milieu — leading to anxiety, depression, loneliness.

75% companies lack a structure or policy to address frauds in CSR programs, the report said. Many companies that are now looking to allocate their CSR funds towards Covid-19 related programs, but still do not have structures in place that could avoid frauds, it said.

On Monday, the court had also said that the order is not sustainable in view of the fact that orders and/or directions were passed interfering with the holding of AGM by the companies that are separate juristic entities without first deciding the issue of jurisdiction.

The decision of the Birlas comes in spite of a favourable verdict from a two-judge division bench of the Calcutta High Court which on Monday had asked the probate court to hear the appellant MP Birla Group companies afresh, which was one of their key petitions.

Industry captains say economy and jobs must be central focus now, and policymakers have to recognise that the country will have to live with and work around Covid-19. India Inc’s growing call on reopening India for business comes amidst a blizzard of grim economic forecasts. Economic growth in FY21 can be negative, according to Nomura, ICRA and others.

Production cuts will be most in premium product portfolio as companies expect consumers to curb discretionary spending as the impact of the Covid-19. Manufacturing orders fall by up to 40% year on year as they expect much of current stock to remain unsold till then, company executives said.

The country's largest carmaker Maruti will resume operations at its Manesar plant from May 12.

The company said it was able to restart operations at the plant in less than 24 hours after receiving permission from local authorities as it had started intensive preparation even before the lockdown in India came into effect in March, DICV said in a statement.

​The app that complements the Aarogya Setu App has been made mandatory for all employees across the value chain, requiring them to update their health status, including close family members, on the app everyday. It has been developed to ensure safety and monitor employees' health on a real time basis.

Car and bike-makers are gearing up to sell more in Bharat to counterbalance shortfall in demand in the cities.

Component makers are also working overtime to restart factories, but delays in getting approvals are causing hindrance in some states, especially in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu that have the biggest automotive manufacturing hubs, industry insiders said. This, they said, could weigh on the plans of the automakers.

“We have got clearance to open the office from the local authorities and are following the guidelines given by the government,” said a spokesperson for Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country’s biggest car maker. The company’s Delhi corporate office is at Nelson Mandela Marg.

“I have been trying for the last two years to pursue the scrappage policy. I have asked the Secretary (ministry of road transport and highways) to expedite the scrappage policy. Because this will help reduce production cost,” Gadkari said in an interaction with SIAM Institute on Thursday.

German car maker BMW commenced operations at the Chennai plant in accordance with the government-initiated guidelines. The company also stated that the BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad dealerships across the country would restart the operations in adherence to local government directives.

About 20% of the auto retail network, or 3,500 outlets, opened for business this week, with one-third staff to comply with social-distancing norms. As of Wednesday evening, some 50,000-60,000 employees were back at work, industry insiders said.

Maruti Suzuki restarted operations at 680 dealerships till Wednesday, covering almost 35% of the addressable market. The nation’s largest carmaker is seeking permission from local authorities to reopen all but 500 of its remaining over 2,400 outlets. The 500 showrooms are in Covid-19 containment zones.

The company in its statement said that in 4 steps, a customer can avail of online exchange, finance and insurance, personalize & own their chosen Mahindra vehicle.

The tyre maker has commenced production in a graded manner at its manufacturing facilities in Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Kankroli (Rajasthan) and Laksar (through Cavendish industries Ltd - subsidiary company, in Uttarakhand). The company has also resumed operations at its global research and development hub located in Mysore, Karnataka, JK Tyre said.

The decision to extend warranty on tyres has been taken to express solidarity with customers amidst the continued lockdown, Ceat Tyres said in a statement. The extention is valid on tyres whose warranty is due to expire between March 1 and May 31, it added.

Areas designated as Green and orange zones, where the spread of Covid-19 infections is under control, account for more than 80% of India’s 733 districts, Uber said.

The auto major has commenced production at its Sriperumbudur factory in Tamil Nadu adhering to 100 per cent compliance of safety and social distancing norms, Hyundai Motor India said in a statement.

FTMF stunned all by deciding to shutter operations of six schemes with assets under management of more than Rs 25,000 crore late Thursday evening, citing redemption pressures and market volatilities in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the first instance when a fund house is shutting its schemes because of coronavirus related pandemic.

The High Court passed the interim order on Friday as a result of the blatant violation of the conditions that the court had prescribed under which liquor shops could function. These conditions included adhering to social distancing norms while also deploying additional staff to manage the crowd.

Assam cabinet held its meeting on Friday through video conferencing. Assam Industries and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the 25 per cent hike will add Rs 1000 crore to the government's kitty.

Comic book buffs have created a mini-economy where collectors are willing to pony up big sums for rare editions.

We may no longer dry papads at home in summer, but this uniquely Indian product deserves to be celebrated.

Amazon Fire TV Stick is a content streaming device that plugs into an HDTV and lets customers access Prime Video and other OTT services such as Netflix and Hotstar.

The deal between India-based Toonz and Ireland’s Telegael brings many strategic synergies, making this a complementary venture for both companies.

The first public demonstration of colour TV broadcast happened this week 90 years ago, setting the foundation for a major change in the way audio-visual media is consumed.

In a telephonic interview Mumbai-based Sharma talks about her own experiences as a single woman and what has changed for single women over the years and what hasn’t.