A migrant couple from Rajasthan's Alwar, who got stranded in Tripura, have named their newborn boy 'Lockdown'. The couple Sanjay Bauri and his wife Manju Bauri sell plastic wares and keep travelling to various states to earn money. They visit Tripura for six months every year to sell cheap plastic wares. The government officials suggested to name him 'lockdown' as he was born on April 13 during the lockdown.

"The baby is fine. We are getting food from the administration. He is fine. As he was born during the lockdown, we have decided to name him lockdown," the father of the newborn told ANI. "The government is helping us a lot and taking care of our child. They also ensured the safe delivery of my son. But we would be happier if we return to back to Rajasthan as soon as possible," Manju said.

Besides them, 13 other migrant families are living there in Badharghat.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the bail plea of Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in the AugustaWestland VVIP chopper scam accused, on the ground that his petition "did not fall in the criteria for grant of relief". A two-judge bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and also comprising Justice B R Gavai dismissed the bail application of Christian Michel. Michel, in his bail application, stated that he is aged 59 years, and has a history of bad health which will make him easy prey to any Corona outbreak in the Tihar jail in Delhi and thereby he be released on bail.

"We don't find any merit in the petition filed by the accused, petitioner in the case. We, thereby, dismiss the same," Justice Kaul observed. The apex court did not consider his prayers and upheld the Delhi High Court order that his case did not fall in the criteria for grant of relief. The accused, a 59-year-old British National, Michel is currently lodged in Tihar jail for his alleged involvement in the Augusta Westland VVIP chopper scam case.

Michel had moved the Apex Court after the Delhi High Court had rejected his bail application. Michel was extradited from Dubai in 2018 and is currently lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with alleged irregularities in the chopper deal. While the CBI is probing his alleged role as a middleman in the deal, the ED is investigating money laundering charges against him.

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The Union Home Ministry has extended relaxation to several agriculture and commercial industries from the lockdown restrictions. In the commercial sector, shops selling textbooks and establishments selling electric fans can also operate.

In the agricultural sector, the relaxation has been extended to facilities for export or import such as pack houses, inspection and treatment facilities for seeds and horticulture produce. It also includes relaxation to research establishments dealing with the agriculture and horticulture activities and the inter- and intra-state movement of planting materials and honey bee colonies, honey and other beehive products.

The Union Home Ministry also also ordered Standard Operating Procedure for the sign-on and sign-off of Indian seafarers (crew members) at Indian ports and their movement. According to the SOP laid down for sign-in of a Indian crew member, the ministry said that the seafarer will have to intimate their travel and contact history for the last 28 days to the ship owner or the recruitment and placement service.

The SOP can be followed through email, as per procedure laid down by the Director General of Shipping.

In a late development, the Home Ministry released a detailed SOP for disembarking and subsequent repatriation of seafarers stranded in ships and different ports-of-call across the world in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The development, which was welcomed by Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant late on Tuesday, comes on a day when more than 60 Goan crew-members onboard cruiseship Marella Discovery, anchored off Mumbai, had released a video urging Sawant to allow them to disembark urgently, with the ship scheduled to sail for Europe on Wednesday.

"I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for permitting the disembarking of seafarers at Indian ports. Goans stranded on the high seas will now soon be back home. I would request all the seafarers and their families to support the government in safe return of all our stranded brothers and sisters," Sawant said in a social media post on Tuesday.

According to government sources, the cruiseship currently has more than 100 Indian sailors, out of which more than sixty are from Goa. Earlier on Tuesday, after the video by the ship's Goan crew members went viral, the Opposition MLAs urged Sawant as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's urgent intervention in the issue.

"The crew member however will be tested for COVID-19 before boarding the ship and will be allowed to sign-in only if he is tested negative," the ministry said.

"For sign-off purposes, the Indian seafarer arriving on the vessel would undergo the COVID-19 test for confirmation that he/she is negative for COVID-19," it added. The crew member will be kept in a quarantine centre until the report arrives.

According to Goa CM Sawant, more than 8,000 seafarers of Goan origin, are stranded in various anchored ships and ports-of-call across the world. Sawant had said that the process for repatriation would only begin after the SOP was released by the MHA.

The SOP mandates testing of all sailors disembarking on Indian ports for Covid-19, followed by quarantine at a facility operated either by the port or by the respective state government where the port is located, until the test reports are received.

"If the seafarer is tested as positive for COVID-19, he/she will be dealt as per the procedures laid down by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare," the SOP states.

"For the seafarers tested negative and signed off, the local authority in the area where the seafarer disembarks will be intimated about his/her clearance for sign-off and for issue of a transit pass from the place of disembarkation to the place of his/her residence," it also states.

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In a significant move, the Union cabinet on Wednesday amended the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1987 through an ordinance in order to ensure safety of health workers at a time when there has been a spate of attacks on them. Any violence against health workers may now bring steep fines and even imprisonments of up to seven years.

#Cabinet approves promulgation of Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 making such acts of violence as cognizable and non-bailable offences and to provide compensation for injury to healthcare service personnel or for causing damage or loss to the property

— K.S. Dhatwalia (@DG_PIB) April 22, 2020

This move comes hours after Home Minister Amit Shah addressed Nina Medical Association through a video conference, assuring them of safety and urging them to withdraw the symbolic protest scheduled for later this month against incidents of violence on health workers pressed into CVID-19 duty.

From now on, not just such violence is cognizable but also non-bailable offence. Additionally, it has provisions to provide compensation for injury to healthcare service personnel or for causing damage or loss to the property, the government said on Wednesday.

K.S. Dhatwalia, Principal Spokesperson for the government, tweeted: "Ordinance would help protect healthcare service personnel and their living/working premises against violence".

"This actually helps protect the entire health fraternity including doctors, nurses, paramedics up to ASHA workers, " said Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar. The Minister said the amendment was necessitated after incidents of violence were witnessed against them while discharging their crucial duty for the country.

The amendment has ensured that the investigation takes place in a time-bound manner. A special provision is also made in the ordinance in case vehicles or clinics are damaged. In such cases, two times the cost will be recovered from assailants.

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"A telephonic survey on COVID-19 is being undertaken where you shall receive calls on your mobile from 1921 number. Please participate in this survey with your information," the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare tweeted.

#IndiaFightsCorona

Please call the 24x7 toll free National Helpline number 1075 for support, guidance and response to health related queries on #COVID19. States' helpline nos. are available below ⬇️#StayAtHomeSaveLives

Via @MoHFW_INDIA pic.twitter.com/ruMHz8Ww3J

— #IndiaFightsCorona (@COVIDNewsByMIB) April 22, 2020

The survey is to be carried out by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and calls will be coming on mobile phones from the number 1921. "The citizens will get a call on their mobile phones by NIC by the number 1921. Participate in good measure to enable proper feedback of prevalence and distribution of COVID-19 symptoms," read a photo attached in the tweet.

The government has asked people to be aware of any other calls by pranksters or calls from any other numbers in the guise of such a similar survey.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, there is heartwarming news for tiger conservationists and animal lovers across the country. On April 18, a tigress at Ranchi's Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park gave birth to three cubs amid the total lockdown in the country.

In this #Corona-filled gloomy environment heartening news coming from #BhagwanBirsaZoo,Jharkhand where a Tigress has given birth to three cubs .Congratulations to all the Zoo Officials and staffs of Bhagwan Birsa Zoo,Ranchi. @HemantSorenJMM @Forest_Dept_GOJ pic.twitter.com/TYeg3qFeYv

— IFS Association (@CentralIfs) April 21, 2020

After the birth of the three cubs, Ranchi's Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park which is also known as Birsa zoo has now emerged as the new tiger breeding centre in India. The Birsa zoo's celebrated tiger couple, Mallik and Anushka, have given a boost to the 'Save Tiger' campaign with the birth of their three new cubs.

A heartwarming video of the new cubs was shared by Twitter user Indian Forest Service Association with the caption, "In this corona-filled gloomy environment heartening news coming from Bhagwan Birsa Zoo, Jharkhand where a Tigress has given birth to three cubs .Congratulations to all the Zoo Officials and staffs of Bhagwan Birsa Zoo, Ranchi."

Tiger Mallik and tigress Anushka were brougt to Ranchi's Birsa Zoo from Hyderabad's Nehru Zoological Park in March 2016. While speaking to Hindustan Times zoo veterinarian Dr Ajay Kumar said, "The tigress is showing normal maternal care patterns and the cubs are in good health."

With the birth of the new cubs, the total number of tiger population at Birsa zoo has gone up to 10. Although the zoo has been currently closed due to the coronavirus crisis, once re-opened, the three new cubs will not be available for public viewing for a period of three months.

The Birsa zoo authority has taken extra precautionary measures in order to ensure a safe and healthy atmosphere for the three new born cubs. Kumar further said, "No one is allowed to enter the tigress' cage. The cubs were kept in nursery and their health and activities are being monitored through CCTV cameras installed there."

The vet further said that vaccination to the three cubs would be started only after three months, "The mother tigress is feeding well to all three cubs. Mother and her cubs are healthy," Dr. Kumar said.

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The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called off its proposed 'White Alert' and 'Black Day' protests scheduled on April 22 and 23 following a meeting with Home Minister, Amit Shah through video conference on Wednesday.

The doctors' body has been demanding that the Centre bring a law to protect healthcare workers from rising attacks at a time when they are battling COVID-19. According to a statement by the IMA, the home minister lauded the medical community for their work. He said the safety and security of doctors and other health care workers was his great concern, the doctors' body said.

"He (Union home minister) also assured IMA of a Central Law against violence. He appealed on behalf of the PM to defer the symbolic protest. In view of the assurances given from the highest authorities of the government, the IMA calls of the protest. White Alert on April 22 and Black Day on April 23 stand cancelled. We thank all our members for their unprecedented solidarity and support," the doctors' body said in a statement.

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After agitated Congress workers filed multiple complaints against Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami, an FIR has been registered against him in a police station in Chhattisgarh's Raipur. The FIR in the Civil Lines police was filed on the complaint of state Congress chief Mohan Markam under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, relating to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc and deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.

In the complaint, Markam said that in his TV programme, the editor has instigated a crime and tried to disrupt communal harmony.

The Congress has also talked to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Mahararashtra minister Balasahab Thorat said. "I condemn the attempts made by Arnab Goswami to communalise the unfortunate incident at Palghar & also the derogatory language used by him against @INCIndia President Sonia ji Gandhi. I have spoken to CM @OfficeofUT & HM @AnilDeshmukhNCP Strict action will be initiated against him," he said, in a tweet.

I condemn the attempts made by Arnab Goswami to communalise the unfortunate incident at Palghar & also the derogatory language used by him against @INCIndia President Sonia ji Gandhi
I have spoken to CM @OfficeofUT & HM @AnilDeshmukhNCP Strict action will be initiated against him

— Balasaheb Thorat (@bb_thorat) April 22, 2020

The Congress has also initiated an online campaign against Goswami on various social media platforms.

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After agitated Congress workers filed multiple complaints against Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami, an FIR has been registered against him in a police station in Chhattisgarh's Raipur. The FIR in the Civil Lines police was filed on the complaint of state Congress chief Mohan Markam under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, relating to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc and deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.

In the complaint, Markam said that in his TV programme, the editor has instigated a crime and tried to disrupt communal harmony.

The Congress has also talked to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Mahararashtra minister Balasahab Thorat said. "I condemn the attempts made by Arnab Goswami to communalise the unfortunate incident at Palghar & also the derogatory language used by him against @INCIndia President Sonia ji Gandhi. I have spoken to CM @OfficeofUT & HM @AnilDeshmukhNCP Strict action will be initiated against him," he said, in a tweet.

I condemn the attempts made by Arnab Goswami to communalise the unfortunate incident at Palghar & also the derogatory language used by him against @INCIndia President Sonia ji Gandhi
I have spoken to CM @OfficeofUT & HM @AnilDeshmukhNCP Strict action will be initiated against him

— Balasaheb Thorat (@bb_thorat) April 22, 2020

The Congress has also initiated an online campaign against Goswami on various social media platforms.

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Sikar (Rajasthan): Quarantined in two schools in Rajasthan's Sikar district - a group of migrant labourers have added colour to their temporary abode by painting the chipped walls of the institutions.

About 54 workers from Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh quarantined in the Shaheed Sitaram Kumawat and Seth KL Tambi Government Higher Secondary schools in Palsana town wanted to express their gratitude for the arrangements made for them in quarantine.
Migrant workers have been quarantined at separate places across the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Palsana Sarpanch Roop Singh Shekhawat said that in response to the good care taken of them at the quarantine centres migrant workers wanted to express their gratitude. Wall paint and other necessary items were made available to them, which they used to give a makeover to the schools.

"The entire village is overwhelmed by their behaviour. All these people are perfectly healthy and their quarantine time is also over. It is joyful to see the constructive work done by the workers who have used the quarantine period beautifully," Shekhawat said.
Jagat Singh Panwar, secretary of district legal services authority who had visited the centre and met the workers, praised the workers for taking the initiative.

Now here is a positive story. Migrant labours from MP & Gujarat were quarantined at Palsana, Sikar. As a gesture they offered to colour the school since were getting food etc from there. Sarapanch arranged material. People are beautiful & inspiring. pic.twitter.com/1ncjTJGKA0

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) April 22, 2020

The principal of Government Higher Secondary School, Palsana, Rajendra Meena said the school premises were not white-washed from the last nine years.

All the teachers agreed to the offer funds from their salaries, which was used to purchase paint and other necessary items and migrant workers staying here happily took the task without taking any money.

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Asserting that 12 crore people have lost their jobs in the first phase of the lockdown, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday said that it is imperative for the government to provide them with immediate financial assistance to each family to tide over this crisis and reiterated that the unemployment is likely to increase further as economic activity remains at a standstill. "Entitlement of food grains under the National Food Security Act has not yet reached the beneficiaries. 11 crore people who are in need of subsidized food grains, remain outside of the Public Distribution System. It should be our commitment to provide 10 kgs of food grains, 1 kg of pulses and half a Kg of sugar to each person of the family every month, in this hour of crisis," Gandhi at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting today.

"12 crore jobs have been lost in the first phase of the lockdown. Unemployment is likely to increase further as economic activity remains at a standstill. It is imperative to provide at least Rs.7,500 to each family to tide over this crisis. Migrant labourers are still stranded, jobless and desperate to return home. They have been hit the hardest. They must be provided with food security and a financial safety net in order to survive this period of crisis," she said. The Congress chief said that a special package should be announced urgently for the survival of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

"MSMEs employ close to 11 crore personnel today. They make up for one third of the GDP. If they are to be protected from economic ruin, it is imperative that a special package be announced urgently for their survival," she said. The Congress chief claimed that the Central Government does not appear to have a "clear" idea on how the situation will be managed after May 3, when the ongoing lockdown will end. "A lockdown of the present nature after that date would be even more devastating," she said.Gandhi said that the Congress has repeatedly urged the Prime Minister that there is "no alternative to testing, trace and quarantine programme."

"Unfortunately, testing still remains low and testing kits are still in short supply and of poor quality. PPE kits are being provided to our doctors and healthcare workers but the number and quality is poor," she said. The Congress chief said that farmers are facing serious difficulties. "The issues of weak and unclear procurement policies and disrupted supply chains need to be addressed without delay. Necessary facilities must be made available to the farmers for the next round of Kharif crops which will begin in the coming 2 months," she said.

In a veiled attack against the Centre, Gandhi said: "The states and local governments are the frontline of the battle against COVID-19. Funds legitimately owed to our states have been held back." She accused the BJP of spreading the "virus of communal prejudice and hatred" amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Let me also share with you something that should worry each and every one us Indians. When we should be tackling the coronavirus unitedly, the BJP continues to spread the virus of communal prejudice and hatred. Grave damage is being done to our social harmony. Our party, we will have to work hard to repair that damage," she said. The Congress chief applauded doctors, nurses, paramedics, health workers, sanitation workers and all other essential service providers, NGO and the lakhs of citizens providing relief to the most needy all over India.

Gandhi said that she had written "several times" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after lockdown came into force.

"I offered our constructive cooperation and also made a number of suggestions to alleviate the suffering of both rural and urban families. These suggestions had been formulated on the basis of feedback we have been receiving from different sources, including our Chief Ministers. Unfortunately, they have been acted upon only partially and in a miserly way. The compassion, large-heartedness and alacrity that should be forthcoming from the Central Government is conspicuous by its absence," she said.

The Congress leader asserted that the focus must continue to be on successfully engaging with health, food security and livelihood issues. "The lockdown continues and all sections of our society continue to face acute hardship and distress--particularly our kisans and khet mazdoors, migrant labour, construction workers and workers in the unorganized sector. Trade, commerce and industry have come to a virtual halt and crores of livelihoods have been destroyed," she said.

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Two families from Agartala in Trupura who had visited Chennai for medical treatmnet got stranded due to the nationwide lockdown imposed by the government to curb the rising number of coronavirus cases in India. But what followed was quite extraordinary as the families had to pay a whopping Rs 1.4 lakh to hire an ambulance to take them back to Tripura.

One family resides in South Tripura district's Udaipur area while the other stays at Mohanpur area of West Tripura district. Interestingly, the two families shelled out the huge sum and travelled over 3,700 kilometres for five days to reach Tripura from Chennai.

While speaking to Times of India, Chanchal Majumder, who stays in Udaipur said, "Both families had travelled to Chennai on March 20 for treatment and had planned to return in a week," He said that they were stuck in a hotel in the Southern Metropolis of Chennai after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19 crisis.

Recalling the experience in Chennai, Majumder said, "Life became terrible as we were confined to one room and were suffering from shortage of amenities." He further said that till April 14 (the last day of 21-day lockdown) they could manage somehow but things started to get tougher since then and more so, he had to return home as his daughter's wedding is fixed to talke place on May 8.

Talking about how he managed to get transport amid the lockdown crisis, Majumder said that on April 15, they finally managed to hire an ambulance to get back home. On their way back home, the ambulance in which the two families were travelling was stopped at over hundred checkpoints but Majumder said that the police were kind enough to let them pass through after listening to their story.

"Food and water was not a problem. In many places, NGOs and and police officers offered us meals and water," Majumder stated. Upon reaching Tripura, both the families were sent in isolation for 14-days at a quarantine facility.

Tripura health officials said, "All five are doing good and none of them have shown any COVID-19 symptoms so far. However, just to be extra cautious, we have sent their samples for testing."

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Nearly 20 per cent COVID-19 patients have recovered so far in the country, said Lav Agarwa, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday, while the total cases of coronavirus have soared to 21,393.

In last 24 hours 1409 positive cases have been reported, which takes our total confirmed cases to 21,393: Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/TVCj5RxGgw

— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2020

Addressing a press conference here, Agarwal said: "With 1,409 new cases, there are 21,393 positive cases in India now. So far, 4,257 people have recovered including 388 people who recovered yesterday. This takes our recovery percentage to 19.89 per cent."

Agarwal said that as on today, India has 12 districts that did not report a fresh case in the last 28 days or more. "There are now 78 districts in 23 States/UTs, which have not reported any fresh cases during the last 14 days," he added.

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YouTubers in the PUBG Mobile scene in India. Godnixon mostaly famous for his tips & tricks videos where he shows various unique ways in which you can make the best possible use of the area/buildings be it bridges, squad houses, triple storey builds, warehouses and so on. With over 845K subscribers on YouTube and around 60+ million views on his YouTube channel, he is one of the mainstream content creators out there for PUBG Mobile.

Amazed by the quality of content available on his channel, Fnatic India has decided to take GodNixon overboard as their content creator. Is this a move to help the Fnatic PUBG squad perform better than their performance right now with some help from one of the best content creators out there? Or is it just that they want to take a step forward in a positive direction so as to create more opportunities for budding content creators out there?

GodNixon is one of the figureheads of the Indian PUBG Mobile community and was chosen as the country representative for India during PMCO in 2019. In the announcement video, he revealed that at the moment he is stuck in a hotel in Bangalore as the entire country is under lock down and he can’t get back home. As a result, he hasn’t been able to release content as regularly as he would like to. However, he did mention that we can expect a variety of content from both him and Fnatic in the near future.

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New Delhi: On Saturday, the Home Ministry clarified that only standalone shops are being allowed to open as per the directive and that the order does not apply to Covid-19 containment zones or liquor stores. Then in further clarification, the government said that salons, barbershops, and restaurants will continue to be closed as the relaxation was given to "shops selling items".

The Ministry has cleared the air after initial confusion due to Friday night's MHA order. The clarification says, "In urban areas, all standalone/neighbourhood shops & shops in residential complexes are allowed to open. Shops in markets/market complexes & shopping malls are not allowed to open."

Here are all shops that can open:

1. All shops in residential areas and markets in the neighbourhood will open those sell items.

2. All shops that are registered under the Shops and Establishment Act of the respective State or the Union Territory, including those shops in residential complexes and market complexes, outside the municipal corporations and municipalities, will be allowed to open.

3. In urban areas, non-essential goods and services will be allowed to operate provided they are in residential areas or are a standalone shop. This essentially means a sweet shop too can function.

4. However, those shops in registered markets but outside municipal corporations and municipalities can open only with 50 per cent staff.

5. Shops that fall under rural and semi-rural areas and markets that are registered can open. In cities, only standalone shops and residential shops can open.

Meanwhile, the ministry also clarified that sales by e-commerce companies will continue to be restricted to essential goods only.

So, what all that can't be open?

1. No shops have been allowed to open in multi-brand or single brand malls, it had said. So, one can forget about their plans for a mall visit.

2. No movie theaters are being allowed to open.

3. lquor shops too will remain closed and the MHA has made it a point to stress on that.

3. Gyms and swimming pools too will be off-limit as they are areas where social distancing goes for a toss.

4. Markets with a cluster of shops like that of south Delhi's Khan Market too will remain shut.

5. Since they don't sell items but offer services, salons too will remain closed.

However, much of the final decision rests with respective state governments and UT administrations. But where they do allow these new reprieves, however conditionally, it will surely be a welcome change for a locked-down populace.

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A unique initiative by Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur Police to teach lockdown offenders a lesson and create awareness about the spread of the novel coronavirus has taken the internet by storm. A viral video shared by a meme page on Facebook shows police officers in Tamil Nadu teaching people violating the lockdown guidelines a lesson for life.

In the three minute 50 seconds video clip, police officers of Tiruppur Police can be seen stopping people roaming freely without face mask amid lockdown across the country. In order to teach a lesson to those defying lockdown rules, the Tamil Nadu police came up with their own unique initiative which has been appreciated by netizens.

As the video moves forward, the police officers are seen pushing the lockdown violators into an ambulance which has a man posing as a COVID-19 patient. Once pushed inside, the violators can be seen begging the officers to let them comes out of the ambulance van.

The hilarious yet creative video ends with a police officer making an appeal to people to not roam without face masks. The officer says, "When you roam around, anyone can have the novel coronavirus and you may not know. The government and the police officials have been stressing on the importance of staying indoors. If at all you need to come out to buy essentials, please wear masks."

The funny video which aims to create awareness to combat the spread of COVID-19 has garnered over 2.3 million views and about 73 thousand shares. Hundreds of people took to the comments section of the viral video to laud the Tamil Nadu police and shower praise on their unique initiative.

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The Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) on Monday petitioned information & broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar for a relief and rehabilitation package for the broadcasting sector.

The industry sought regulatory moratorium for 18 months, phased resumption of production activities, extension of moratorium period for GST payment and for the government to mandate digital payments of subscription and advertising dues to broadcasters. It also said the Centre should issue an advisory to DPOs to release payments of subscription fees up to February-end.

Seeking a stimulus package from the government so that broadcasters can get back on track, IBF president N P Singh, said, "IBF has submitted a standard operating procedure (SOP) on prevention/ safety measures for organised, safe and sustainable restart of content production, media operations, transmission and general office operations in the TV broadcast sector to PMO, Niti Aayog and I&B ministry. The SOP will help the sector to move quickly towards normalcy and we certainly hope that the government would consider it favourably."

Apart from emphasising that the government should urgently settle all outstanding dues to the broadcasting industry, IBF also demanded waiver of processing fee and temporary live uplinking fee for live sporting events for a period of one year from the resumption of normal business activities, increase in time period of 1-2 years for operationalising new channels that are granted permission, and the suspension of requirement of performance bank guarantees for channels that are to be launched, for one year.

IBF also asked the government to defer payments due to Prasar Bharati for free dish carriage until July 2020 and said all pending refunds exceeding Rs 5 lakh should be urgently processed. It added that the government should extend the existing stay on demand for income tax for the next six months, and not seek any new hearings.

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The Indian Newspaper Society, which petitioned PM Modi to grant a two-year tax holiday on media businesses, bump up DAVP advertisement rates and increase government's advertising outlay, has also urged the government to settle outstanding bills that central ministries owe to the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), which in turn pays media organisations for running advertising campaigns for ministries.

Dues totalling more than Rs 350 crore have not been paid to DAVP by various central ministries despite repeated requests by the INS and the Association of Radio Operators of India, which have demanded release of outstanding money for the bleeding print and broadcast sectors.

Industry sources said some pending payments are related to ad campaigns nearly 4-5 years ago. The health ministry, sources said, owes over Rs 61crore to DAVP. The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) echoed INS's demand for a bailout package, requesting the government to allow advertisers to treat advertising money as investments and allow it to spread expenditure incurred in advertising over three years.

AAAI's demands for government intervention comes on the heels of persistent requests by media organisations to the Centre to clear outstanding DAVP dues and announce a bailout package for the industry. AAAI has sought the government's intervention to permit a loaded deduction of 200% on advertising expenditure, a move that is likely to encourage advertisers, both publicly listed and private, to advertise sooner and essay a faster economic recovery. In a letter to the Union government, the AAAI also demanded that the government clear its outstanding bills by way of income tax and GST refunds. To help the industry, AAAI said payments should not be taxed, and directions should be given to banks and advertising sector's debtors to provide cash flow to meet essential expenses.

Demands for relief packages have also been raised by Indian Broadcasting Foundation and News Broadcasters Association. While INS sought removal of 5% customs duty on newsprint, twoyear tax holiday for newspaper establishments, 50% increase in DAVP advertisement rates and 100% increase in budget spend for print media, NBA sought waiver of 18% GST on advertisements, or for it to be lowered to 5% to bring it on par with print media.

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The death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 872 and the number of cases climbed to 27,892 in the country on Monday, according to the Union Health Ministry. The number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 20,835 while 6,184 people were cured and discharged, and one patient has migrated, the ministry said. The total number of cases include 111 foreign nationals. A total of 46 deaths were reported since Sunday evening of which 19 fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, 18 from Gujarat, four from Madhya Pradesh, two from West Bengal and one each from Punjab, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Of the 872 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 342 fatalities, followed by Gujarat at 151, Madhya Pradesh at 103, Delhi at 54, Rajasthan at 33 and Andhra Pradesh at 31. The death toll reached 29 in Uttar Pradesh, 26 in Telengana, 24 in Tamil Nadu, 20 in West Bengal while Karantaka has reported 19 deaths. Punjab has registered 18 fatalities so far. The disease has claimed six lives in Jammu and Kashmir, four in Kerala while Jharkhand and Haryana have recorded three COVID-19 deaths each. Bihar has reported two deaths, while Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported one fatality each, according to ministry data. According to the ministry's data updated in the morning, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 8,068 followed by Gujarat at 3,301, Delhi at 2,918, Rajasthan at 2,185, Madhya Pradesh at 2,096 and Tamil Nadu at 1,885.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 1,868 in Uttar Pradesh, 1,097 in Andhra Pradesh and 1,002 in Telangana. Cases have risen to 649 in West Bengal, 523 in Jammu and Kashmir, 503 in Karnataka, 458 in Kerala, 313 in Punjab and 289 in Haryana. Bihar has reported 274 coronavirus cases, while Odisha has 103 cases.Eighty-two people have been infected with the virus in Jharkhand and 50 in Uttarakhand. Himachal Pradesh has 40 cases, Chhattisgarh has 37 cases and Assam has registered 36 infections each so far. Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 33 COVID-19 cases while Chandigarh has 30 cases and Ladakh has reported 20 infections so far. Meghalaya has reported 12 cases, and Goa and Puducherry have seven COVID-19 cases each. Manipur and Tripura have two cases each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each. "Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR," the ministry said on its website. States wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to interact with Chief Ministers on Monday, via conferencing, on the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country.

"At 10 AM, Shri Narendra Modi will be interacting with state Chief Ministers via video conferencing. They will be discussing aspects relating to the COVID-19 situation," PMO tweeted.

Today's meeting comes just a week ahead of the scheduled ending of nationwide lockdown. On March 24, the Prime Minister had announced a 21-day lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown was later extended till May 3.

Meanwhile, speaking on the forthcoming meeting with the Prime Minister, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao said, "The CMs will explain the situation in their respective states at the conference. There will be some estimate on the situation in the country and in the states. Opinions on how the next plan of action will also be figured on Monday's conference. Hence, there will be clarity on the future course of action."

The Prime Minister has already held two such interactions with the Chief Ministers over the COVID-19 situation in the country.

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Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said India should look at converting the world's "hatred" for China amid the coronavirus pandemic into an economic opportunity for itself by attracting large-scale foreign investments.

Interacting with overseas Indian students via video conferencing, the minister for MSME and Road Transport and Highways said across the world now, there is "hatred for China. Is it possible for us to convert it into an opportunity for India?" Referring to the economic package announced by Japan for its businesses exiting China, Gadkari said, "I feel that we should think on that and we will concentrate on it. We will open the Indian scenario for that. We will give the clearances and everything to them and attract foreign investment."

Asked if India can take any action against China incase it is found to have deliberately "suppressed" information on coronavirus, the minister said this was a sensitive subject related with the Ministry of External Affairs and the prime minister, and therefore it will not be appropriate for him to comment on it. Gadkari said all government departments, particularly the finance ministry as well as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), are formulating policies to win the "economic war" post the COVID-19 pandemic and fulfil the prime minister's dream of making India a USD 5 trillion economy. "At the same time, we can make infrastructure of Rs 100 lakh crore," he added.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the impact of coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months and masks and face covers will be part of life while asserting that the country needs to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID -19. The remarks came during his interaction with Chief Ministers via video conferencing to discuss the emerging situation and plan ahead for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The country has seen two Lockdowns till now, both different in certain aspects, and now we have to think of the way ahead. As per experts, the impact of coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months," Modi said, according to an official release.

COVID-19 impact will remain visible in coming months, need to fight it with impetus on economy: Modi

Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/6eX7vLdAgn pic.twitter.com/aBYrrrTzQy

— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) April 27, 2020

Reiterating the mantra of 'do gaz doori', he said that "masks and face covers will become part of our lives in the days ahead". "We have to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID -19," Modi said. The Prime Minister underlined that the lockdown has yielded positive results as the country has managed to save thousands of lives in the past one and a half months.

"India's population is comparable to that of the combined population of several countries. The situation in many countries, including India, was almost similar at the start of March. However, due to timely measures, India has been able to protect many people," he said.

Prime Minister Modi, however, forewarned that the danger of the virus is far from over and constant vigilance is of paramount importance. "Prime Minister Modi added that under the circumstances, everyone's aim must be rapid response. He pointed out that many people are self-declaring whether they have cough and cold or symptoms, and that this is a welcome sign," the release said.

Prime Minister said that we have to give importance to the economy as well as continue the fight against COVID -19. He emphasized on the importance of usage of technology as much as possible and also to utilize time to embrace reform measures: PMO on PM's meeting with CMs pic.twitter.com/cjk9KaY6IQ

— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2020

The Prime Minister emphasised on the importance of usage of technology as much as possible and also to utilize time to embrace reform measures and on the significance of ensuring that more people download the AarogyaSetu app to bolster the efforts of the country in the battle against COVID-19.

"We have to be brave and bring in reforms that touch the lives of common citizens. People associated with Universities can be integrated on devising ways to fight the pandemic and strengthen research as well as innovation," he said. He also highlighted the importance for states to enforce guidelines strictly in the hotspots i.e. the red zone areas. "The efforts of the states should be directed towards converting the red zones into orange and thereafter to green zones," he said.

On the issue of getting back Indians who are overseas, the Prime Minister said that this has to be done keeping in mind the fact that they don't get inconvenienced and their families are not under any risk. He also urged Chief Ministers to factor in the changes in weather - advent of summer and monsoon - and the illnesses that can potentially come in this season, while strategizing ahead. Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaffirmed the need to enforce lockdown so that maximum lives are saved.

"The Chief Ministers praised the leadership of the Prime Minister during this period of crisis, and also highlighted the efforts undertaken by them in containing the virus. They spoke about the need to keep a close vigil on international borders, and also on addressing the economic challenge and ways to further boost health infrastructure. The leaders expressed gratitude towards the police force and medical staff for the exemplary work done by them in the fight against COVID-19," read the release.

Impact of Coronavirus will remain visible in the coming months, masks & face covers will be part of our life: PM Narendra Modi in his video conference meeting with Chief Ministers pic.twitter.com/aEhVdXnuBx

— ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2020

This was the fourth such interaction of the Prime Minister with the Chief Ministers, the earlier ones had been held on March 20, April 2, and April 11. Today's meeting comes just a week ahead of the scheduled ending of the nationwide lockdown. On March 24, the Prime Minister had announced a 21-day lockdown as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown was later extended till May 3.

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An Uttar Pradesh Police Constable posted in Agra allegedly shot dead his wife on Monday and absconded, taking along his three minor daughters, police said.

Accused Yatindra Kumar Yadav shot his wife Saroj multiple times at their residence in Awas Vikas Colony in Shikohabad, Firozabad Superintendent of police (rural) Rajesh Kumar said.

The police officer said the accused had an illicit affair with a Mathura-based woman. "Prima facie, the accused was pressuring the victim to sell off the house so that he could use the money to settle down with his paramour," he said.

The newly constructed house was in the name of Saroj and was worth around Rs 40-45 lakh. The couple has daughters aged 10, 7 and 5.

The accused hails from Awapura village in Kurah police circle in Mainpuri and had joined UP Dial 112 unit just a month back.

Yatindra was earlier booked in a case of kidnapping but the woman victim later gave a statement in his favour, after which a departmental inquiry against him was called off.

According to the police, there were multiple superficial injury marks on Saroj's body, indicating she was hit before she was shot dead. The victim's parents told the police that Yatindra often assaulted and mentally harassed Saroj.

The SP said that several teams were working to track down the accused and the three kids.

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A 25-year-old woman, who was an accused in a murder case, has allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself in her cell in Tihar Jail, the police said on Tuesday.

According to the police, the woman identified as Parveena hanged herself with her "dupatta" in her cell on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. The woman was rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where she was declared brought dead by the doctors, the police said.

Praveena, a resident of Delhi, was lodged in Tihar jail number 6 since April 25 in connection with a murder case registered at Chhawla police station.

She, along with her husband, was accused of killing her father-in-law and mother-in-law, after which she had also tried to commit suicide but failed.

An inquest proceeding under Section 176 (inquiry by a magistrate into the cause of death) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is being conducted in connection with the alleged suicide.

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New Delhi: The Health Ministry on Tuesday said currently plasma therapy is at the experimental stage and there is no evidence yet to support that it can be used as a treatment for COVID-19.
Addressing a press briefing, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said currently there are no approved therapies for COVID-19 and there is not enough evidence to claim that plasma therapy can be used for the treatment of the disease.

"ICMR has launched a national-level study to study the efficacy of plasma therapy in the treatment of COVID 19," he said.

"Till ICMR concludes its study and a robust scientific proof is available, plasma therapy should be used only for research or trial purpose. If plasma therapy is not used in a proper manner under proper guidelines, then it can also cause life-threatening complications," said Agarwal.

The official said that the doubling rate of coronavirus cases now stands at 10.2 days.
He further said that in the last 24 hours, 1,543 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported, taking the total cases to 29,435.

"6,868 COVID-19 patients, which is 23.3 per cent of total cases, have recovered so far," he added.

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The portals of Kedarnath Temple were thrown open at 6.10 am on Wednesday after a six-month-long winter break. Amid the nationwide lockdown, pilgrims are prohibited from visiting the shrine. Covered in a thick layer of snow, the temple was decorated with 10 quintals of marigold flowers.

The process of opening the doors of Kedar Dham began at 3 am. Shiva Shankar Linga, the chief priest of the shrine, carried out the tradition of opening the doors. The first ''pooja" was performed in the name of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said a statement. A representative of the Devasthanam Board, BD Singh, along with 20 employees from Panchagai, was present here when the religious rituals and aarti were performed. Apart from this, around 15 policemen and administration officials participated in the aarti. All participants maintained social distancing during the rituals.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has extended warm wishes to the devotees and administration of the shrine. He prayed for everyone's good health and happiness. "With the blessings of Baba Kedar, we will surely be able to defeat corona. This time devotees could not visit the shrine but Lord Kedar's blessings are with us," he said.

This year Army band did not participate in the religious ceremony at a time of opening the portals of the shrine due to lockdown restrictions.

With the opening of the doors of Kedarnath Dham, three of the four dhams of Uttarakhand will be opened. While Gangotri-Yamunotri Dham opened on April 26 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, the portals of Badrinath Dham will open on May 15.

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The family of an asthma patient put him on a handcart when the ambulance did not turn up, but failed to save his life with policemen on the way to hospital and doctors there allegedly ignoring his plight. Both police and medical authorities denied their alleged negligence which the family said led to the death Monday of vegetable vendor Satish Agrawal, who lived in curfew-bound Faithagadi in Kota's Rampura area. Agrawal was carried about half the way to MBS Hospital on the cart from which he sold vegetables, before a private ambulance arrived.

"As none of the ambulance services responded, I put my father on his vegetable cart and started for the hospital over two and a half kilometres away from home," he said. "Though policemen on the way removed barricades at various intersections on the curfew-bound road, none of them thought of helping us and rushing my father in a police vehicle to the hospital," Manish told PTI.

"After Manish had covered over a kilometre till Nayapura circle on the way to MBS Hospital, I somehow managed to hire a private ambulance," another relative said. "Even at the hospital, we were made to shuttle from one room to another and to a makeshift clinic outside the hospital building before doctors eventually attended on him and declared him dead at 2.30 pm," he said.

MBS Hospital's medical superintendent Dr Naveen Saxena, however, refuted the allegation. "Satish Agrawal was brought to the hospital in a collapsed condition and a doctor immediately examined him in room 125 and declared him brought dead," he said. "Sometime later, the family members of the victim, however, said the patient's heart was still beating, following which Dr Lokesh Suwalka re-examined him and conducted an ECG," Dr Saxena said.

"The medical staff did not delay in the treatment," he asserted. On the unavailability of an ambulance, he said the service is managed by the chief medical and health officer. The officer could not be contacted for comment. Kota's Assistant Superintendent of Police Dilip Saini too rejected the family's allegation about policemen ignoring the plight of the patient being carted to a hospital on a handcart.

"It is hypothetical to say that the policemen did not help. The policemen in the area did not have any vehicle or an ambulance, which could have been summoned only from a hospital or the ambulance service numbers 104 or 108," said Saini.

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The national carrier Air India (AI) has asked its pilots and cabin crew details to prepare to resume operations post lockdown, probably by mid-May this year. An internal mail, accessed by ANI, which was sent to the operation staff, seeks crew availability and details for transport security passes for domestic and international operations. ANI has accessed an internal mail which was sent to operation staff seeking crew availability and details for transport security passes for domestic and international operations.

"Dear All concerned, There is a probability to commence 25 per cent to 30 per cent operations post-lockdown in mid-May 2020. You are requested to ensure and provide the following: Total No. of Cockpit / Cabin Crew residing outside municipal limits of the bases," the communication read. Further Air India has also asked the Executive Director (ED) to ensure necessary arrangements and curfew passes for the crew. "Ensure crew transport for all crew at all stations (domestic as well as International). The data at bullet 1 may be provided on priority, to enable this office to intimate ED (Security) to arrange for their curfew pass," the AI letter said.

Recently, the Government of India asked Air India to be on standby for evacuating Indians from the Gulf and other parts of the countries. India has suspended air services since March 25 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 till May 3.

Also in a notification on its website, Air India said, "In the light of the ongoing global health concerns, we have currently stopped accepting booking on all domestic & International flights for travel till 03rd May 2020."

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Legendary Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor passed away due to complications arised from cancer on Thursday morning, leaving behind a legacy of almost 50 years in the film industry. Ever since the news of his passing broke, tributes have been pouring in for the actor from the film industry and the political world, where he was remembered as a jovial person.

Prominent politicians have taken to Twitter to express their grief and offer their condolences to the Kapoor family. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Jawadekar, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were among the politicians who offered their condolences on Kapoor’s passing on the micro-blogging site.

Multifaceted, endearing and lively...this was Rishi Kapoor Ji. He was a powerhouse of talent. I will always recall our interactions, even on social media. He was passionate about films and India’s progress. Anguished by his demise. Condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 30, 2020

This is a terrible week for Indian cinema, with the passing of another legend, actor Rishi Kapoor. A wonderful actor, with a huge fan following across generations, he will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family, friends & fans all over the world, at this time of grief.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 30, 2020

Deeply saddened by the sudden demise of actor Rishi Kapoor. He entertained several generations of Indians throughout his career. What a terrible loss.. My condolences to the grieving family. May God bless his soul.

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 30, 2020

Saddened by the sudden demise of #RishiKapoor who left a profound imprint on Bollywood by his versatile acting. Have grown up watching many of his films since my student days.
A great loss to the world of creativity.
My sincere condolences!
à¥Â शानà¥Âति!!

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) April 30, 2020

Saddened to hear about the demise of veteran actor #RishiKapoor. He has been an inspiration for budding actors and will always be remembered for his iconic performances.

My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti.

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 30, 2020

Saddened to hear about the demise of veteran actor #RishiKapoor. He has been an inspiration for budding actors and will always be remembered for his iconic performances.

My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om Shanti.

— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) April 30, 2020

Another film legend passes away... Saddened by Rishi Kapoor’s sudden demise. The film fraternity has lost a gem of an actor who always spoke his mind out. Heartfelt condolences to his family #RishiKapoor pic.twitter.com/0Dvpx8eu09

— N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) April 30, 2020

Rishi Kapoor was admitted to the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday. His notable films as a romantic hero are "Laila Majnu", "Rafoo Chakkar", "Karz", "Chandni", "Heena" and "Saagar". He was, however, more proud of his second innings as an actor, which he found more satisfying. His notable films as a character artiste are "Do Dooni Chaar" with wife Neetu, "Agnipath", "Kapoor & Sons" and "Mulk".

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In a bizarre incident, a man climbed up a unipole advertising hoarding and threatened to commit suicide if he was not provided liquor. The high drama began late on Thursday evening and ended after an hour when police promised him a bottle of liquor.

Confirming the incident, Kotwali SHO Geetesh Kapil said: "We managed to get him down without any injury. We had only promised but did not give him liquor. The sale of liquor is banned in the state and we are strictly following the lockdown guidelines. We are trying to establish his identity so that his family can be informed."

The policemen offered food and soft 

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A special non-stop train with 1,200 stranded migrants started from Telangana to Jharkhand's Hatia, officials said on Friday. According to the railway officials, a special non-stop train operated as a one-off service on Friday morning from Telangana to Hatia in Jharkhand. Railway sources said the train carrying 1,200 migrant workers from Telangana left from Lingampalli station at 5 a.m.

Speaking to IANS, Railway Protection Force (RPF) Director General Arun Kumar said, "A non stop train from Telangana to Jharkhand started this morning with 1,200 migrants." He said the train will reach Hatia around 11 p.m. on Friday. According to officials in Jharkhand, the state government has made adequate arrangements for the testing and quarantine of the migrants returning to the state from the special non-stop train.

A one-off special train was run today from Lingampalli (Hyderabad) to Hatia (Jharkhand) on request of the Telangana Government & as per the directions of Union Railway Ministry. pic.twitter.com/9YptotxcbV

— ANI (@ANI) May 1, 2020

The railways have suspended the passenger, mail and express train services in a bid to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Last month, hundreds of migrants reached Bandra terminus railway station in Mumbai after rumour was spread that train services were resumed.

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Around 1,000 migrant labourers, mostly from northern parts of India, came on to the streets in Maharashtra's Chandrapur on Saturday to demand that arrangements be made for their return to the native places, police said. The incident took place around 9.30 am at Ballarpur in the district, an official said. "More than 1,000 labourers, mostly staying at a construction site in a government medical college, hit the streets and demanded that arrangement be made for their movement to their home states. They tried to block the highway and started walking towards the railway station," he said.

"The labourers want to go back to their hometowns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Some of them are from West Bengal. They said they have been facing hardships due to the lockdown as their source of income has stopped," the official said. On being alerted, personnel from the Ramnagar Police Station rushed to the spot and the situation was brought under control.

"The police staff told the labourers that proper procedure has to be followed if they want to return to their home states as special trains are being arranged. They were asked to fill the application forms to get a place in the special trains," he said.

The police provided food to them, he said that the labourers later returned to local residence.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a meeting to deliberate on the issues and reforms required in the agriculture sector. At the meeting, special emphasis was given on reforms in agricultural marketing, management of marketable surplus, access of farmers to institutional credit and freeing agriculture sector of various restrictions with appropriate backing of statutes, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India recorded 37,776 confirmed cases and 1,223 deaths on Saturday.

Raj sends 2,400 migrants
Two special trains were started from Jaipur to send around 2,400 stranded students and labourers back to their homes in Bihar and Jharkhand. While one train departed for Ranchi (Jharkhand) from Kota on Friday night, another train left from Jaipur to Patna (Bihar) with about 1,200 labourers
on Saturday.

It was an emotional affair at the railway station where these migrants were given a warm send off by railway officials and other senior personnel who continued clapping as the train left the station. Additional chief secretary Subodh Agarwal, who is also the Chairman of the Committee formed to resolve issues of workers and migrants in the state, said that five special trains will be operated daily from Saturday.

Migrants from Jaipur arrive by 'Shramik Special' train at Danapur junction in Patna on Saturday. Pics/AP AND PTI

He further said that 38,000 labourers and migrants have been sent to their native states so far. These include 27,000 people from Madhya Pradesh, 6,197 from Punjab and 2,387 from Haryana. Apart from this, 25,259 students belonging to several states, including UP and studying in Kota have been sent back to their homes. On Friday, around 200 students of Odisha were sent to home in eight buses.

Need 400 trains: Kerala CS
Kerala Chief secretary Tom Jose on Saturday said it might take about a month to send back all the migrant labourers who are in the state presently. "On Friday night the first train left, on Saturday there are more trains and on Sunday even more. It might take a month and about 300 to 400 trains to send back all the migrant workers who are here," said Jose.

On Friday night around 10.30 pm, the first train with 1,148 migrant labourers left from Aluva to Bhubaneswar. Since the lockdown began in March, 3,61,190 migrant labourers have been put up across 20,826 camps in Kerala, the State labour department said on Saturday.

Odisha turns to K'taka, AP
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on Saturday, took up the safe return of Odia migrants with BS Yediyurappa and YS Jaganmohan Reddy, his counterparts in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, respectively. Patnaik interacted with them separately through video link. While thanking them for taking care of Odia migrants, the Chief Minister requested their cooperation for their safe return.

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Eminent Kannada poet and writer K.S. Nissar Ahmed passed away here after prolonged illness, an official said on Sunday. He was 84. "Ahmed died at his residence in the city's south-west suburb after prolonged illness due to age-related complications," a state information department official told IANS here.

Kannada poet Professor KS Nisar Ahmed passes away at his residence. He was 84 years old. (File pic) pic.twitter.com/i7hadMxVhE

— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2020

Born on February 5, 1936 at Devanahalli on the city's northern outskirts, Ahmed was a prolific writer in Kannada and penned poems, plays, short stories and novels.

A post-graduate in geology, Ahmed worked in the mines and geology department of the state government at Gulbarga in the state's northern region in the 1950s-60s before moving to Bengaluru to teach the subject (geology) at the state-run central college in the city centre and later at Chitradurga and Shimoga in the state's Malnad region during the 1970s.

"Ahmed is a recipient of several awards and honours, including Padma Sri and Sahitya Academy award in 2008 and state awards like Pampa in 2017, Nadoja in 2003 and Rajyotsava in 1981," the official recalled. Kuvempu University at Shimoga awarded honorary doctorate to Ahmed in 2010.

Ahmed is well known for his poems "Nityotsava" and other popular works such as "Manasu Gandhi Bazaru", "Sanje Aidara Male" and "Manadondige Mathukathe".

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that not more than 50 people would be allowed at wedding functions and not more than 20 people could attend the last rites of a deceased person.

#WATCH Delhi is ready to re-open now...We will not be able to sustain the lockdown for long as the economy is in peril. The revenue has fallen from Rs 3500 Crores in April month of previous years to Rs 300 Crores this year. How will government function?: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/jKzVp0959b

— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2020

"Not more than 50 people are allowed at wedding functions and not more than 20 at last rites of a deceased person," said Kejriwal during a video conference. "The Center's decision of lockdown on March 24 was very important. If we had not implemented the lockdown, then the situation in the country could have been horrific now," he added.

He further said: "That time the country was not ready to fight COVID19. We had no idea of social distancing. Neither the people nor hospitals were ready. We had no personal protective equipment kits or testing kits either." The CM said that they would not be able to sustain the lockdown for long as the economy is in peril.

"The revenue has fallen from Rs 3,500 crore in April month of the previous years to Rs 300 crore this year. How will the government function?" The Delhi government will take strict action against those found spitting at public places," he added.

As per the latest update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive cases of coronavirus in Delhi is 4,122, including 1,256 recovered/migrated and 64 deaths.

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Emphasising on the plight of migrants and the money being charged from them for ferrying them back to their home, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi on Monday said that the party will bear the cost of their rail tickets.

In a statement, Sonia Gandhi said, our workers and labourers form the "backbone" of our economy and their hard work and sacrifice are the foundation of our nation.

She said that as the Central government barely gave a four-hour notice of the lockdown, workers and migrant labourers were denied the opportunity to return to their homes. Post the partition of 1947, this is the first time India witnessed a tragedy with such a massive human cost as thousands of migrant workers and labourers were forced to walk home several hundred kilometres on foot - without food, without medicines, without money, without transportation, without anything except for the desire to return to their families and loved ones.

"The very thought of their plight is enough to break our hearts as there was also the outpouring of support from fellow Indians for their inspiring resolve," she said.

The Congress leader lamenting at the government said, "What is the responsibility of our government? Even today, lakhs of workers and migrant labourers are languishing in different parts of the country and wish to return to their homes and families but there is neither adequate money nor provision for free transport."

"What is particularly disturbing is that the Central government and the rail ministry are charging them for train tickets in this hour of crisis," she said.

Sonia Gandhi said, "The Congress has, therefore, taken a decision that every Pradesh Congress Committee (state unit) shall bear the cost for the rail travel of every needy worker and migrant labourer and shall take necessary steps in this regard."

"This will be the Congress' humble contribution in service of our compatriots and to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with them," she said.

Her remarks came amid the reports that the migrants were being charged for their travel by trains to their respective states.

The railways has earlier said that it was charging the state governments for the Shramik special train tickets.

The railways also clarified that the Shramik Special trains are meant for "nominated people" identified and registered by state governments and the railways will not issue any tickets to any individual or entertain any request from any groups.

The railways has started to run the Shramik Special trains for transporting the labourers from May 1, almost 40 days after the passenger, mail and Express trains services were suspended.

Till now the national transporter has run over a dozen of Shramik Special trains on the request of the state governments to ferry the migrant labourers.

Emphasising on the role of labourers in country's growth she said that they are the ambassadors of our nation's growth.

Attacking the government, she further said that when our government can recognise its responsibility by arranging free air travel for our citizens stranded abroad, when the government can spend nearly Rs 100 crore on transport and food, etc. for just one public programme in Gujarat, when the Rail Ministry has the largesse to donate Rs 151 crore to the PM's corona fund, then why can't these essential members of our nation's fabric be given a fraction of the same courtesy, especially free rail travel, at this hour of acute distress?

She said that Congress has been raising the issue of transporting the migrants from the outset of the lockdown.

"There needs to be provisions for the safe and free rail travel of migrant workers and labourers to their home-towns. However, despite our repeated demands, the Central government and the Rail Ministry have chosen to completely ignore the same," she said.

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A five-year-old tiger that had attacked and injured five persons over the weekend, died 15 minutes after it was tranquilised at the Jari village on Sunday evening in the Pilibhit Tiger reserve (PTR).

The forest officials claimed that the big cat died of wounds, some wildlife activists suspect that it died due to overdose of tranquilizers.

The tiger had strayed out of the range of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and attacked three people in Jari village under Gajraula police circle on Friday morning.

It had also attacked a team of forest force personnel that had come to drive it back to the reserve.

The presence of the tiger had brought agricultural activities to a virtual standstill at Jari village.

A team of forest personnel that was camping in the village, had been closely monitoring the tiger's movement by installing camera traps in the area.

A team of veterinary officers, headed by doctor S.K. Rathore, also arrived in the village on Sunday in order to tranquilize the tiger and later release into the wild.

The tiger was spotted and tranquiliser darts were fired on it. But the big cat died within 15 minutes after it was tranquilised.

Deputy director of PTR Naveen Khandelwal said the tiger collapsed during the period it was under medical observation.

"The tiger had three wounds in its trachea, as a result of which it died," he said.

Kaushlendra Singh, a wildlife activist in Lucknow, however, said that the tiger's death was due to an overdose of tranquiliser.

Referring to information of forest staff present at the spot during the operation, Singh claimed that the tiger was hit with four darts. one after another.

Chief conservator of Bareilly zone, Lalit Verma, had told reporters that the veterinary team used only two darts in the operation.

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A pregnant woman died at a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Sunday, with her family alleging negligence by doctors and medical authorities. The family carried the body from the hospital in a stretcher trolley, a video of which went viral, triggering outrage.

This incident happened a week after another pregnant woman died along with her unborn twins at the MCCH in Anantnag. The woman, who eventually was declared COVID-19 positive, came from a Red Zone area and had been allegedly denied swift treatment. Shakeela Akhtar, a resident of Salai Panzmulla area of the south Kashmir district, was admitted at sub-district hospital Seer Hamdan on Saturday night, but was referred to the Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) on Sunday morning where she died, officials said.

They said her family alleged delay in her treatment at the SDH and also protested outside MCCH against doctors claiming negligence. The district administration, however, said while an inquiry has been ordered into the death of the woman at the sub-district hospital and a doctor and a nurse have been placed under suspension, the family took away the body without completing the formalities. "Prima facie, medical negligence that warranted immediate suspensions.

Further action shall follow after enquiry outcome. About denial of ambulance, the infuriated attendants apprehensive about delay in burial on account of tests, took away the dead body without completing formalities," additional district magistrate, Anantnag, Syed Yasir said on Twitter. Deputy Commissioner Anantnag Bashir Ahmad Dar also said the family feared they would have to wait for the burial of the woman's body if her sample was taken for COVID-19 testing.

"Preliminary reports suggest the dead body was taken away by relatives, fearing they will have to wait for burial if sample is taken for covid test. Most unfortunate to say the least (sic)," Dar wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, several political parties have demanded a time-bound inquiry into the death of the woman. National Conference Member of Parliament from Anantnag Justice (retd) Hasnain Masoodi, while expressing grief and sorrow over the deaths of two pregnant women, welcomed the action taken by the authorities against the doctors and other staff suspected to have acted negligently.

Masoodi demanded time-bound inquiry and action warranted in light of the results of the inquiry. CPI (M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami demanded an FIR must be lodged against the culprits without any delay. "There should be no eye-wash or cover-up as due to willful negligence of the doctors, a mother and a yet to be born baby have lost their lives," he said. The Congress party also demanded an inquiry and action against all those involved in the death of two pregnant women in the district, a spokesman of the party said in a statement here. Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) senior leader and former legislator Rafi Ahmad Mir also demanded a time-bound and a fair probe into the incident.

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The government has not talked about charging anything from migrant labourers as 85 per cent of the transportation cost is borne by the railways and 15 per cent by state governments, the Centre said on Monday amid a row over the national transporter allegedly charging the workers for ferrying them home during the COVID-19-induced lockdown. The government also said the process of transporting the stranded migrant labourers was being coordinated by states "except for one or two states".

Asked if the migrant labourers were being charged for being ferried home, Joint Secretary at the Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal said that as far as migrant labourers are concerned, the guidelines have clearly stated that under the infectious disease management one should stay where he or she is.

"Based on the request given from states for particular cases, permission was given to run special trains. Be it government of India or the Railways, we have not talked about charging from workers. Eighty-five per cent of the transportation cost is borne by the Railways, while states have to bear 15 per cent of the cost," he told the media.

At the daily briefing on the COVID-19 situation, Agarwal also said that in the last 24 hours, 1,074 COVID-19 patients have recovered, the highest number of recoveries in one day. The recovery rate stands at 27.52 per cent with 11,706 COVID-19 patients cured till now, he said. Agarwal said in the last 24 hours, 2,553 Novel Coronavirus cases were reported, taking the number of overall cases to 42,533.

India on its way back to normalcy

. Life was limping back to normalcy in most parts of Karnataka with easing of COVID-19- induced restrictions on Monday as the state headed into the third phase of lockdown started since March 24.

. West Bengal has the highest mortality rate in the country at 12.8 per cent, Inter Ministerial Central Team leader Apoorva Chandra wrote in his final observations to state Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, before leaving for Delhi on Monday.

. Electricians, plumbers, part-time house helps and other workers took tentative steps back to work on Monday as large parts of India, including the national capital, entered the third phase of the lockdown with curbs eased in some places.

. Kerala on Monday opened its borders at six places for Keralites stranded in other states due to the COVID-19 lockdown to return to their native place. The government through an order issued earlier had designated six entry points for receiving the stranded persons from other states to enter Kerala.

Migrants pelt stones at cops in Gujarat

Hundreds of migrant workers seeking to return home clashed with the police and pelted stones at them near a village in Gujarat's Surat district on Monday, following which the security personnel lobbed teargas shells and baton-charged the agitated workers, an official said. Besides, several labourers also came out on a road in Rajkot demanding that they be sent back to their hometowns, while some migrant workers got their heads tonsured in an area of Surat after being unable to go back home.

Section 144 extended in Noida area

The Noida district administration has extended Section 144 of the CrPC till May 17 in Gautam Buddha Nagar, with relaxations in the lockdown subject to certain restrictions. The police shared some information on the relaxations through tweets. A notification was issued by Gautam Buddh Nagar Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ashutosh Dwivedi, stating that "the home ministry has issued detailed guidelines to prevent spread of Coronavirus.

BSF hdqs sealed after staff tests positive

Two floors of the BSF headquarters in Delhi have been sealed after a staff member was tested positive for COVID-19, officials said. The eight-storeyed BSF head office is located in the CGOs complex on Lodhi road that also houses the CRPF headquarters. "A head constable of the BSF working in the force headquarters has been found COVID-19 positive," a BSF spokesperson said on Monday.

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Twenty eight-year-old freelance journalist, Rizwana Tabassum, committed suicide by hanging herself. Samajwadi Party leader Shamim Nomani has now been arrested for abetting the extreme step after a suicide note recovered from her room blamed him.

"Shamim Nomani is responsible," her suicide note said. Tabassum killed herself in Harpalpur of Varanasi district on Monday.

SSP's PRO Sanjay Tripathi, told IANS on Tuesday that Shamim had been formally arrested. He was detained and interrogated on Monday night.

The PRO further said that the post mortem report of Rizwana had confirmed death by hanging.

According to Varanasi Sadar CO, Abhishek Pandey, a case has been registered against Lohta resident Nomani on the charge of abetment to suicide under Section 306 on Tabassum's father complaint.

Nomani has been detained for interrogation and the body has been sent for post-mortem.

Shamim and Rizwana reportedly were friends for a long time but no one is aware of what happened suddenly.

According to reports, when Tabassum did not come out of her room on Monday, they called out to her but there was no response.

The police were informed about the incident and when the policemen broke open the door, Tabassum's body was found hanging from the ceiling fan.

Her father said, "She never told about anything nor did she have any enmity with anyone. She was a good daughter as well as a good journalist."

She had completed Mass Communication from Banaras Hindu University and worked as a freelance journalist for several portals and publications.

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The COVID-19 epidemic has caused shock and grief to Pune Police after a 58-year-old cop lost his life in the battle against the novel coronavirus. Taking to Twitter, the Pune Police handle, which is known for its witty tweets and informative posts, on Monday announced the sad news to its followers.

ASI Shri Dilip Popat Londhe (57) from Faraaskhana Police Station lost his life this afternoon, battling Coronavirus.
Pune Police prays for his his soul to rest in peace and offers its condolences to the bereaved family. pic.twitter.com/XuGFTjqkIG

— PUNE POLICE (@PuneCityPolice) May 4, 2020

In its tweet, the official handle of Pune Police said that they lost ASI Dilip Popat Londhe from Faraaskhana Police Station due to the COVID-19 crisis. While paying tribute to the cop, the Pune Police also offered condolences to the deceased's family.

फरासà¤Â–ाना पà¥Â‹लà¥Â€स सà¥Âà¤ÂŸà¥Â‡शनà¤Âšà¥Â‡ सहायà¤Â• पà¥Â‹लà¥Â€स फà¥ÂŒà¤Âœदार शà¥Âरà¥Â€ दिलà¥Â€प पà¥Â‹पà¤ÂŸ लà¥Â‹à¤Â‚ढà¥Â‡ हà¥Â‡ à¤Â•रà¥Â‹ना रà¥Â‹à¤Â—ाशà¥Â€ बाधित à¤Â…सलà¥Âयानà¥Â‡ à¤Â‰पà¤Âšार à¤Â˜à¥Â‡त à¤Â…सताना à¤Â†à¤Âœ रà¥Â‹à¤Âœà¥Â€ तà¥Âयाà¤Â‚ना वà¥Â€रमरण पà¥Âरापà¥Âत à¤Âालà¥Â‡ à¤Â†हà¥Â‡.
भावपà¥Â‚रà¥Âण शà¥Âरदà¥Âधाà¤Â‚à¤Âœलà¥Â€ 🙏 Our Prayers pic.twitter.com/7oNIOY14fq

— CP Pune City (@CPPuneCity) May 4, 2020

As per the tweet by Pune Police, ASI Dilip Londhe, who had been fighting the novel coronavirus for the past few days succumbed to the deadly virus on Monday afternoon. While speaking to ANI, Dr. Jitendra Oswal, Deputy Medical Director of Bharati Hospital, where the cop was admitted said, "He was on the ventilator for the last 12 days. He was suffering from hypertension and obesity."

To date, Pune has reported 2,051 positive cases of the COVID-19 infection. Amid the lockdown being extended till May 17, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has identified 69 containment zones where all shops carrying essential services shall remain open between 10 am and 2 pm.

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Ever since the cases of Coronavirus outbroke in the country, the police personnel, healthcare staffs and other essential workers working on the frontline to contain the spread of the pandemic are being hailed as heroes. In a move to express gratitude, the Indian Air Force helicopters showered flower petals on hospitals treating COVID-19 patients in different parts of the country on May 3. Also, the COVID team of the Delhi Police did a sirened parikrama of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to thank the healthcare workers.

Now a video of a cop from Delhi Police singing 'Teri Mitti' from Akshay Kumar’s 2019 film Kesari to thank healthcare workers has been making rounds of social media of late. This one-minute-eight second-long video posted by Rajat Rathor on Facebook got netizens swooning over his voice and guitar skills. He sang the song wearing his uniform to express his gratitude to the corona warriors fight to contain the pandemic in the frontline.

He captioned the video, "A tribute from my side. For all The heroes who are fighting with this pandemic. Doctors and force member salute to all of u. This song is one of My fav song" The video posted last week garnered 26,253 views on Facebook with more than 1,000 likes and was shared 670 times.

A user said in the comments, "It is a very lovely voice. I like this (sic)." Another user commented, "Totally impressed from ur art in delhi police department...... (sic)" One more user said, "Salute to all Indian policemen."

What do you think about the post?

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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said that he will hold a meeting with the Maharashtra Chief Minister to discuss the worsening COVID-19 situation in the state, as 34 out of its 36 districts are affected by the infection.

"The situation in Maharashtra is certainly a matter of concern right now as 34 out of 36 districts are affected by COVID-19. I will hold a meeting with the Chief Minister as well to discuss further course of action to control spread of the virus in the state," the Minister said at a press conference here.

The situation in Maharashtra is certainly a matter of concern right now as 34 out of 36 districts are affected by #COVID19. I will hold a meeting with CM as well to discuss further course of action to control spread of the virus in state: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan pic.twitter.com/g2Ez09pNLM

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2020

"Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, Solapur, among the 34 districts are a cause of concern for us," he added. The Union Health Minister further said the Centre's aim was to ensure that no new cases come up from districts in Maharashtra and assured all help to the state in the coming days.

"There are 1,026 containment zones in Maharashtra right now, as per my knowledge. The team from Centre and doctors are stationed there and we will give further help to Maharashtra as per the need," the Minister said.

According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra had 15,525 COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday morning, including 617 deaths. However, 2,819 patients have been cured and discharged after receiving treatment for the disease.

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On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended greetings to the nation and the followers of Lord Buddha around the world.  I extend my wishes to all on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. Today, the situation is such that I cannot participate in Buddha Purnima programmes physically. It would have been my pleasure to be with you all in the celebrations, but circumstances prevailing today do not permit us," the Prime Minister said in his address.

"It is my good fortune that I have got the opportunity to take your blessings. In 2015, 2018 in Delhi and in 2017 in Colombo, I had the chance of joining this event and being amongst you," he said. Praising Lord Buddha, the Prime Minister used one of his sayings to state that the lack of physical interaction on this occasion would not be a hindrance to the enthusiasm surrounding the day.

"Lord Buddha had said - the mind is the basis of Dhamma, the mind is Supreme, the mind is at the forefront of all tendencies. That's why since our minds are connected, we don't feel the lack of physical presence much," the Prime Minister said.

The festival of Buddha Purnima is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became Gautam Buddha.

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To avoid crowding and minimise footfall at liquor stores, the West Bengal State Beverages Corporation (WBSBCL) has launched an eRetail portal for online booking and home delivery.

According to the website of the WBSBCL, any person, who is older or of 21 years of age, can register as a buyer on the portal for getting home delivery of liquor. "For ensuring social distancing and minimising footfall at retail outlets, WBSBCL has launched eRetail for online booking and home delivery of liquor," notification on the website read.

The interested persons can fill in their details, full name, mobile number, address, email, among others to register as a buyer and get liquor delivered at their doorsteps. Prior to this, the Chhattisgarh and Punjab governments too had allowed home delivery of liquor in their respective states with certain conditions.

Liquor stores around the country have been allowed to reopen by the Centre during phase three of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Long queues, with people flouting social distancing norms, were seen on liquor stores around the country as enthusiasts lined up to get their hands on their favourite drink.

With people at these outlets failing to follow social distancing norms, apprehensions were expressed regarding the spread of COVID-19.

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In a heartwarming gesture, Nagpur Police stepped up to stand in as a orphan bride’s family on her wedding day after her relatives could not attend the ceremony due to the restrictions imposed as part of the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The officers of the police department showed up for the wedding to bless the couple so that the bride does not miss her family on her special day. They shared a post about the moment on Twitter with the photo of the newlyweds with officers. The post said that the bride’s parents had died and her relatives could not attend the wedding due moment restrictions.

“The bride's parents had passed away. There was no one from her family to attend her marriage due to movement restrictions. #NagpurPolice tried to fulfill this absence.PI and staff were present to bless the newly wedded couple at #Nagpur,” said the tweet by the police, with the hashtag #alwaysthereforyou.

The bride's parents had passed away. There was no one from her family to attend her marriage due to movement restrictions.
#NagpurPolice tried to fulfill this absence.PI and staff were present to bless the newly wedded couple at #Nagpur.#LockdownStories#alwaysthere4u pic.twitter.com/5tvBNt4EyF

— Nagpur City Police (@NagpurPolice) May 6, 2020

The post that went viral on Wednesday garnered 757 likes and was retweeted 81 times and counting. Users commenting on the post praised the Nagpur police for their noble deed.

Thank you for helping citizens.Because of people like u we are assured that the city is safe!!God bless you n ur family!! #goodkarma #safecity 🙏🏻🙏🏻

— mon_naturelover (@NatureloverMon) May 6, 2020

Much love to you all ❤ï¸Â for working day and night going beyond the line to help everyone.

— Papabear 🐻 (@GanuYogesh) May 6, 2020

We proud you.

— SANJIV M (@sansar1970) May 6, 2020

Great gesture by Nagpur Police 👏🏻👏🏻

— Rohit dubey (@RDroxx20) May 6, 2020

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Currently, the entire Nation affected by the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus. In these hard times, many families are finally financially affected and have no means to earn for the livelihood. Some can't buy a meal for their family, while others are struggling to buy sanitary products like gloves, masks, antiseptics, etc.

Akash Pillay, a 23 years old Pune based entrepreneur came forward to help these needy families by donating 10000 masks for two consecutive days. During this hard time, various shopkeepers are selling masks and other necessary products at an exorbitant price, and this was the major reason why Akash Pillay thought of doing this noble deed.

Talking about the same Akash Pillay says, "We have seen some people taking COVID-19 as a business opportunity, safety masks which cost 7 to 10 rupees are now costing 35 to 40 rupees per mask for no reason. People who work on daily wages cannot afford them during this lockdown period. They are forced to think about whether they should buy the safety stuff or a meal for the day. Which is why I decided to donate masks along with my friends and help them in whatever way I can."

The young lad is a BSC Graduate in Zoology and started working at an MNC right after he completed his graduation. He continued to work as an employee for about 2 years until he decided to start his own business.

Akash has a huge fondness towards anchoring and hosting which made him quit his job and start his agency named Storror Nightlife in Pune.

Right after establishing his own agency, Akash started receiving offers from brands for shoots and endorsements and within no time, Akash was one of the most successful event managers in Pune city. He is quite popular on social media a testimony of which is seen on his Instagram handle.

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Late on Thursday evening, nearly 350 Keralites from Abu Dhabi and Dubai arrived at Kochi and Calicut International Airport, in the first batch of repatriated stranded Indians in UAE.

Three special Air India Express flights left for Abu Dhabi and Dubai to bring them back. "As per the state health department directives, all passengers will be screened and have to undergo compulsory quarantine / isolation for 14 days, a regular check up and a swab test. If someone has COVID-19 and shows symptoms within the first seven days, they will be shifted to the district (Ernakulam) Medical College for treatment. Those who show negative results will be allowed to go home, but must complete remaining seven days of quarantine at home and health officials will contact them regularly to check on symptoms," explained a senior health officer from State Health Ministry.

Hari Krishna Namboothiri, CEO, Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, (NORKA) informed mid-day, "We are anticipating around 3,000 Indians to return to Kerala. Early Friday morning we are expecting another Air India Express flight to get around similar number of (177) passengers excluding crew to arrive from Riyadh to Calicut."

When asked about the three warships which have headed to the Maldives and Dubai, Hari Krishna said, "The Naval warship will leave from the Maldives by Friday and we are expecting them to reach Kochi within two days. We haven't got the entire list of passengers coming by ship, so far we have 500 peoples' names, and the number might go further up, which will be clear by Friday. Passengers repatriated through both the air and water ways mode of transport, will be quarantined and so far we have got around 4.50 lakh requests registered on our portal.

Dr Prasanna Kumari, Superintendent Aluva Government Hospital said, "We are a 227-bedded hospital but not a COVID-19 designated hospital. We have made arrangements for suspected cases, for which nine single bed isolation rooms are ready, also in case any of the suspects require hospital support, we will shift them to Ernakulam Medical College, which is a COVID-19 designated hospital in the district."

" We can easily arrange for 350 beds, and have 30 to 40 isolation rooms for suspected cases, and a similar number of beds in the ICU, with nearly 30 ventilator support facilities. Only those passengers who show COVID-19 symptoms will be transferred to our medical college for further line of treatment," said Dr Peter Vazhyail, medical superintendent at Ernakulam Medical College.

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Fourteen migrant labourers were crushed to death early on Friday by a goods train in Maharashtra after they fell asleep on the tracks. The home-bound exhausted lot of workers were run over between Jalna and Aurangabad. A Railway Ministry official told IANS, "At least 14 people have died and two injured in the incident." A senior railway official confirmed that 17 migrant labourers were run over by the goods train running in the Nanded Division of South Central Railway.

The incident happened around 5.30 a.m. when the migrants, who were on their way back to their homes fell asleep on the railway tracks. The official said that an empty petroleum tanker train was proceeding from Cherlapalli in Telangana to Paniwadi, near Manmad in Maharashtra. "After passing Badnapur station, the locopilot saw some people on the tracks and tried to control it and sounded the horn also, but by the time he could do, it was too late," South Central spokesperson Rakesh told IANS.

According to information the workers were walking to Bhusawal from Jalna, and further onward to Madhya Pradesh. rakesh said these people were lying on the tracks. An enquiry has been ordered by the Commissioner, Railway Safety. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths on Twitter: "Extremely anguished by the loss of lives due to the rail accident in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.

Have spoken to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and he is closely monitoring the situation. All possible assistance required is being provided." Railway Minister also tweeted: "Today received a saddening news of labourers sleeping on railway tracks run over by a goods train at 5.22 a.m. in Nanded division between Karnad and Badnapur railway station. Relief work is on and an enquiry has been ordered. I pray for the those who lost their lives."

Amid the nationwide lockdown, thousands of migrant workers stranded in several other cities have been on an unending toil to return to their native places on foot. The interstate bus service, passenger, mail and express train services have been suspended since March 24.

The Railways has started running Shramik Special trains to transport the stranded migrants to their native places since May 1. Till Thursday railways has run 201 Shramik Special trains.

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While the Union government plans to help more than two lakh migrants to return home, it is the West Bengal government that is not supporting their cause and is not allowing trains carrying migrants to reach the state, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Shah claimed that migrants from West Bengal are eager to reach home, but the state government has not been allowing the trains to enter the state. "This is injustice with West Bengal migrant labourers. This will create further hardship for them," Shah said.

He claimed that the central government has been trying to aid more than two lakh migrants to return back to their home states, but it is only West Bengal that has not supported the initiative. "Migrants from West Bengal are also eager to reach home. Central govt is facilitating but we are not getting expected support from West Bengal," Shah wrote.

In the wake of demands by different state governments to run special trains to ferry people stuck in various states, Indian Railways on May 1 had said that it will run special trains from Friday itself to move labourers, pilgrims, tourists and students stranded across the country.

Railways Executive Director (Media) R.D. Bajpai had then said in a statement that as per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs, it was decided to run "Shramik Special" trains to return migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students, and others to their native states.

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