The Uttar Pradesh Congress has launched a chat portal that will let people list the problems being faced by them amid the ongoing COVID-19-induced lockdown, the party said on Saturday. The complaints received from users of the UP Mitr' chat portal will be forwarded to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath so that the state government can help the people, state Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu said in a statement. "The portal has been made to help the common public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it, problems of the common public will be listed and the UP Congress will help the complainants. The list of complaints will be sent to the chief minister, Lallu said. The Congress leader said that his party was committed to help every needy person in the state. "The party is running community kitchens at various places in the state including Ghaziabad, Hapur, Kanpur, Allahabad, Lakhimpur Khiri and Lucknow, he said in the statement. The party's district committee is making dry ration available ..

India's senior hockey players, who are unable to train because of the coronavirus-forced lockdown, will undergo a basic coaching course online starting Monday, continuing the national federation's efforts to ensure that their time is put to productive use. The course will be attended by 32 senior men and 23 senior women core probables on May 11 and 15 respectively. Captain of the Indian women's team Rani Rampal has already attended the Hockey India coaching education pathway in the past and achieved a Hockey India Level 1 Coach Certification. "The Hockey India Level Basic Coaching Course will help them in broadening their understanding of the sport as it will give them a chance to view the sport from a coach's perspective," the HI said in a statement. "The core probables who will successfully clear the Hockey India Level 'Basic' Coaching Course will be eligible to attend the Hockey India Level '1' Coaching Course in the future, thereby paving the way for their development, not just as

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday welcomed the Centre's decision to borrow additional 4.2 lakh crore and said it should be used to provide relief to the poor and re-start the economy. "After resisting our appeals, especially through statements of the CEA, the government has finally decided to borrow an additional amount of Rs 4.2 lakh crore taking the projected fiscal deficit to 5.38 per cent. We welcome the decision," he said in a statement. The senior Congress leader, however, said, "It is not enough to borrow more unless the amount is used to provide relief to the poor and to re-start the economy. We look forward to the revised expenditure budget for 2020-21." Echoing similar sentiments put forth by several eminent economists, he had appealed to the central government to shed its reservations and borrow more in 2020-21. "In our view, the budgeted fiscal deficit of 3.5 per cent should not be a constraint in these extraordinary times," he said in the statement. The ...

Bobby Deol says be it the superstars or the aspiring actors, everyone is struggling right now as the nationwide lockdown has brought the Indian film industry to a grinding halt. The 51-year-old actor, who started his second innings in Bollywood with films like "Race 3" and "Housefull 4", believes the ongoing scenario across India due to coronavirus pandemic is scary. "There are a lot of actors in the industry who want work but not everybody gets that opportunity or the luck. Right now, even the big stars are also sitting at home. "Everybody is sailing in the same boat. For actors there is no way out to go and work till things get fixed. It is scary for everybody," Bobby told PTI in an interview. The actor had finished two digital projects -- a Netflix film Class of 83, to be produced by Red Chillies, and Ashram, a web-series with Prakash Jha -- before the lockdown was announced. Bobby said he was hopeful that the projects will release this year. "Everybody's work is on pause right ...

The West Bengal circle has emerged the highest grosser in small savings mobilisation during the ongoing lockdown in the country, an official of the postal department said on Saturday. The West Bengal circle also includes Sikkim and Andaman and Nicobar. "In this country during the lockdown period which is continuing, the West Bengal circle is the highest grosser in terms of small savings mobilisation", acting Chief Post Master General (CPMG) Niraj Kumar said. He said only in one day on May six, the circle grossed Rs 361.25 crore only from post offices (PO) which are run on CBS platform. Kumar said the main reason behind this is post offices having CBS are able to carry out transactions which are centrally monitored by the circle team and ably supported by required technical support. Even last year, the West Bengal circle recorded highest growth in the postal financial services in the country, he told PTI. This performance has also been a result of small savings agents who

Over one lakh cases of lockdown violations were registered and 19,297 persons were arrested ever since prohibitory orders were enforced in Maharashtra in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, police said on Saturday. At least 1.02 lakh cases were registered under section 188 (disobeying an order passed by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, an official said. As many as 714 personnel, including 81 officers, of Maharashtra police contracted COVID-19, and of these 61 had recovered from the infection, he said. Maximum number of coronavirus cases reported in the police department were from Mumbai, he added. At least 194 cases of attacks on policemen were reported in various parts of the state, while 680 persons were arrested in these incidents and 73 policemen and a home guard were injured in these attacks, the official said. Nearly 32 cases of attacks on health workers were reported in the state till Saturday, he added. Meanwhile, the police have registered 1,289 offences of

Adani Transmission on Saturday reported a 60 per cent drop in consolidated net profit at Rs 58.97 crore for the March quarter. The fall was mainly on account of a one-time writeoff of Rs 185 crore finance sunk cost, it said in a regulatory filing. The company's consolidated net profit stood at Rs 146.7 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2019. Total income of the company rose to Rs 3,317.51 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 2,569.16 crore in the year ago period. For full fiscal 2019-20, consolidated net profit rose to Rs 706.49 crore, from Rs 559.20 crore in 2018-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought life to a screeching halt for many, but those with serious ailments such as blood disorders have been pushed to the edge with their lives now hanging by a thread in the absence of necessary medical interventions. Sonia Ghakkar, a Gurgaon resident, had been desperately looking for help, as her husband, a leukemia patient, waits for bone marrow transplant (BMT). "About two months ago, my husband was diagnosed with leukemia. Bone marrow transplant is his only chance of survival. We have sought permission from the health ministry for transport of blood stem cells, but to no avail. The match cannot reach the hospital under the present circumstances," she said. Stem cell transplant is the only cure for many patients suffering from blood disorders. According to a hematologist, it takes months, sometimes years, to find a donor, and many "high-risk" patients have limited time left. Transplants have come down to a meager 20 per cent nationwide, as most ...

The Goa government may allow holding of music classes and reopening of some state-run libraries in a phased manner on the condition of maintaining strict social distancing norms, Art and Culture Minister Govind Gawade said on Saturday. However, resumption of dramas and other entertainment events will be allowed only after monsoon gets over. The state-run Kala Academy will also reopen once rainy season gets over, he told PTI. Goa is classified as a green zone with no coronavirus positive case as of now. Meanwhile, Gawade said the overall budget of the state Art and Culture department is likely to be slashed by almost 30 per cent as part of fiscal measures being adopted for kick-starting the economy, which is affected by the COVID situation. He also said that demand made by various artists seeking monthly renumeration cannot be approved. Some professional artists and theatre personalities had raised a demand for a package with chief minister Pramod Sawant and Gawade, saying

ReNew Solar Power has bagged 400 MW renewable energy projects at a tariff of Rs 2.90 per unit in an auction, according to an MNRE statement. The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a central public sector undertaking, conducted e-reverse auction for the 400 MW renewable energy projects with round-the-clock supply. "India's renewable energy (RE) sector has witnessed history today, as the e-reverse auction (e-RA)for 400 MW RE projects with round-the-clock supply was concluded at an astounding first year tariff of Rs 2.90/kilowatt hour (kWh)," the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said. The capacity of 400 MW has been awarded to ReNew Solar Power Pvt Ltd after a closely fought auction which saw the lowest tariff drop by 69 paise over the course of almost 3 hours, it said. "Golden chapter added in Indian Renewable Energy story, as e-RA for 400 MW RE Projects with Round the Clock (RTC) supply conducted by SECI Ltd results in historic 1st year tariff of Rs 2.90/kWh. MNRE ...

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's manic following just keeps on increasing with India and Chennaiyin FC midfielder Anirudh Thapa being the latest to join the badwagon of his awestruck fans. Dhoni is one of the co-owners of Chennaiyin FC, the twice winners of Indian Super League in 2015 and 2017-18 season. The 22-year-old Thapa treasures his interactions with Dhoni during times when former India cricket captain would drop in to meet the Chennaiyin footballers. "He (Dhoni) used to come whenever we had a team lunch. He would stay back to talk to the boys and shared his experiences. He's a very down to earth guy. Obviously Thala is my favourite cricketer," Thapa said. "There were others who also asked him to come and sit with them, but instead he always preferred to sit with the footballers. He would say Let me sit with the boys and let me share some experiences'." Thapa, who has played 24 matches for India since 2017, said Dhoni would also share his on and off-field experiences with the ...

An NGO from Indore in Madhya Pradesh has sent a letter petition to the Chief Justice of India seeking direction to government authorities to ensure people with disabilities, or Divyangjan, reach their homes safely amid the lockdown for the novel coronavirus outbreak. The letter was sent to the CJI on Friday, Anand Service Society's directors Gyanendra and Monica Purohit told PTI. "More than 150 Divyang persons are stuck in different parts of the country and waiting endlessly to go back to their homes. We have sent a letter petition to the Chief Justice of India requesting him to issue necessary directions to the concern authorities," Purohit said. "After our successful mission to rescue 23 speech and hearing impaired persons, a large number of people with disabilities have approached us to make arrangements for their safe return to their homes. "We need government support for it and, therefore, requested the Chief Justice of India to give necessary directions to National

: The number of active COVID-19 cases slid below the 1,000 mark to 999 in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday though the overall tally rose to 1,930 with the addition of 43 in the last 24 hours ending 9 am. The COVID-19 toll in the state also increased by three to 44 while 45 more patients were discharged from hospitals, according to the latest bulletin. Chittoor district saw a sudden spurt in cases, with 11 reported in the last 24 hours ending 9 am on Saturday, as some people who returned from Koyambedu wholesale market in Chennai city tested posted for coronavirus. It is suspected that these people contracted the disease at Koyambedu and several others who also returned from the place were sent to quarantine, sources here said. Visakhapatnam too continued to show an upward trend as five fresh cases were registered, taking the total in the district to 62. The major hotspots Kurnool, Krishna and Guntur reported six, 16 and two fresh cases. In the last 24 hours, Krishna reported two

Rane Holdings Ltd, part of Rane Group, has commenced partial operations at most of its plants with restricted manpower, the company said on Saturday. The city-based company had closed its plants and offices across India due to outbreak of COVID19 and in-line with instructions from Central and state governments. ".. based on the various relaxations and guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs and respective State governments, the company has partially resumed its operations in most of its plants and offices with restricted manpower with effect from May 8," the company said in a filing. Rane Holdings said the continuance of operations in the places would depend on directives of local authorities issued time to time and based on incidence of COVID-19 cases in area concerned. The Tamil Nadu government had announced extension of lock-down from May 4 to 17 by allowing some restrictions towing with Centre's directive to control the spread of coronavirus. The company has six

Confined to their homes without access to courts due to the lockdown, India's young shuttlers are an "irritated" and "frustrated" lot, says chief junior national coach Sanjay Mishra, who feels more like a counsellor these days. The national lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far killed nearly 2000 people and infected more than 59,000 in India, is in place till May 17. "It has been nearly two months, the young players have been staying at home and now they are getting irritated and frustrated by the sheer mention of the word lockdown," Mishra, who took up the position in 2017, told PTI during an interaction. "I keep telling them it is happening to the whole world not to you in particular and ask them to focus on boosting their mental toughness." Mishra says he tells his wards to try and control the negative thoughts which would also help them deal with tough match situations. "I tell them to remember the times when they got frustrated or irritated and lost crucial ..

Woman power came to the fore as the massive exercise to evacuate Indian citizens stranded abroad in various countries continued on Saturday with two flights to Malaysia and Oman being helmed by women. Two women-Captain Kavitha Rajkumar and Captain Bindhu Sebastian- commanded the Air India Express flights operated today from Tiruchirapalli and Kochi to Kuala Lumpur and Muscat respectively to bring back Indians stuck there due to the lockdown in place to contain the COVID-19 spread. Today was the third day of the repatriation exercise -'Vande Bharat Mission'. WhileCaptain Kavitha Rajkumar is commanding IX 682/681 on Tiruchirappalli-Kuala Lumpur, Captain Bindhu Sebastian is the commander of IX 443/442 on Kochi-Muscat- Kochi flight. While the Tiruchirapalli-Kuala Lumpur flight took off at 01.11 pm, the Kochi-Muscat flight took off at 01.17 pm. "I am extremely proud of being part of this evacuation mission," Captain Bindu Sebastian said in a video shared by an Air India ...

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said Rs 18,253 crore has been disbursed to 9.13 crore farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme during the ongoing nationwide lockdown. Under the PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) scheme, each farmer gets Rs 6,000 in a year in three equal installments directly in bank account. Front-loading the release of the first installment under the PM-KISAN scheme was part of the Rs 1.70 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) announced on March 26 to protect the poor from the impact of the coronavirus lockdown. The lockdown was imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 25 to curb the spread of COVID-19, and since then it has been extended twice. With regard to further assistance to farmers, the finance minister said that 3 crore farm loan borrowers have opted for a three-month moratorium. "Since March 2020, 9.13 crore farmers have been paid Rs 18,253 crore under PM-KISAN during the #lockdown. About three crore farmers with

The making of a movie without large crews and outdoor shoots and movies themselves sans party scenes, background dancers or even the staple romantic clinches that could be the existential crisis facing mainstream cinema in the immediate post-corona world. Bollywood, after all, has always been about people, whether on screen or off it, in front of the camera or behind it, say industry insiders as they grapple with the uncertainties of life and work after lockdown and contemplate the dimensions of a radical makeover. Filmmaking has always been a collaborative effort with hundreds of people working in tandem to translate the written word into images but that may change. Producers and directors also wonder how they will manage social distancing with a large crew once they are back on sets. According to actor-producer Sanjay Suri, there will be behavioural changes on the sets and "cinematic intimacy will take time to return". "Not because of lack of ideas but purely behavioural changes on

Easing curbs further in non-containment zones with riders like social distancing, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday allowed private sector firms to resume work with 33 per cent work force and also permitted reopening of tea stalls to offer take away services from May 11. The government also extended the timings for groceries and vegetable shops from the present 5 pm till 7 pm, effective Monday, throughout Tamil Nadu. These outlets can start work from 6 am as usual. As regards standalone and neighbourhood shops in Chennai, they can function from 10.30 am till 6 pm as against the present cut off time of 5 pm, an official release here said. In all other parts of the state, these categories of shops can be open between 10 am and 7 pm. In Chennai city and suburbs, all private sector companies can resume work and operate between 10.30 am and 6 pm. In the rest of Tamil Nadu, the firms can work from 10 am to 7 pm. However, the workforce shall be confined to 33 per cent of the ..

Responding to concerns expressed by farmers with respect to labour shortage, Punjab Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh on Saturday announced advancement in the paddy nursery sowing and transplantation dates by 10 days. The paddy nursery sowing and transplantation operations will now commence on May 10 and June 10, respectively. The agriculture department had earlier fixed May 10 as the date to begin sowing of paddy nursery and June 20 for paddy transplantation, during the current kharif season. The farmers had raised concerns about meeting the cultivation/sowing requirements in view of the labour shortage resulting from migrant labourers returning to their homes in view of the COVID-19 crisis. Describing these concerns as "understandable", the chief minister said it was in the interest of farmers to push the dates ahead by 10 days. Underlining the need to adopt the latest practice of Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR), as well as mechanised paddy transplantation technologies, the chief minister .

Five people were discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raipur in Chhattisgarh on Saturday after recovering from the novel coronavirus infection, health officials said. Those discharged include two women and a five-year-old boy, an official informed. So far 43 people have been discharged while the number of active cases in the state is 16, he added. "Two women and a boy from Kabirdham, two men from Durg and Surajpur were discharged after two consecutive tests were negative for the infection. They will be kept in a quarantine centre as a precaution before they are allowed to go home," a public relations officer of AIIMS Raipur told PTI. Chhattisgarh COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 59; New cases nil; Deaths nil; Discharged 43; Active cases 16; People tested so far 23,629.

All the state universities in West Bengal will implement the academic calendar in their respective institutions within a month after the lockdown is lifted, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said on Saturday. Chatterjee, who earlier in the day held a videoconference with vice-chancellors of all the state universities, told reporters at an online press conference that the VCs have decided on how to conduct the classes and the final semester examinations. "The academic calendar, including examinations, will be put into effect within a month after the lockdown is lifted," he said. Chatterjee said the institutions have also received the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines in this regard and the issue came up in the meeting held during the day. He had earlier said that the UGC guidelines reflect the recommendations made by the state government on issues such as conducting terminal examinations in the post-lockdown period. "The faculty members of the universities .

Nearly 3,000 patients were provided assistance for treatment and medicines by the Srinagar district administration in Jammu and Kashmir through its helpline amid teh coronavirus-driven lockdown, officials said. The IVRS-based call centre was inaugurated by Lt Governor Girish Chandra Murmu on April 17 and it replaced a series of helpline numbers launched in March aimed at attending to health emergencies on priority during the lockdown. A dedicated fleet of 10 vehicles and a team of 12 professionals have been deputed on the job round-the-clock for attending to issues related to health emergencies, demands related to dialysis, chemotherapy, diabetes and other such ailments, the officials said. Apart from the IVRS call centre, they said four mobile numbers have also been made available. Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar Shahid Iqbal Choudhary empanelled 13 dialysis centres across the city for providing dialysis services, the expenses of which are borne by the district administration. Most ..

The Sikkim government will allow people stranded in different parts of the country to return to the Himalayan state on their own vehicles from May 11. A limited number of vehicles will be allowed to enter Sikkim everyday and priority will be given to patients, a press note said. Over 6,200 persons of Sikkim stranded outside the state have registered for evacuation and more than 500 of them have returned by Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) buses in the past four days. Since only regulated movement is allowed during the lockdown period so people intending to return on their own vehicles or vehicles hired for the purpose shall be required to fill a form at the COVID portal of the state government for seeking prior approval, the press note said. Persons desiring to travel on their own vehicles must wait for approval after they apply for permission. On approval, a link will be sent to the registered mobile number which can then be downloaded and carried along on the travel .

Your goals can be short or long term, small or large, but they all need to be achievable.

Key to successful investing is to identify your risk profile and invest accordingly.

Gig workers are playing a bigger role in the American economy during the global pandemic. WSJ's Gerald F. Seib explores whether their eligibility for unemployment insurance will continue after the virus passes. Photo: Justin Heiman/Getty Images

As movie theaters sit empty during the coronavirus pandemic, some films are being released direct to streaming services and digital platforms, shaking up a distribution model that's been in place for decades. WSJ explains.

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Wonder Land: Progressives invented moral trumping as a political weapon against their enemies. Now they’ve exhausted it. Images: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty images Composite: Mark Kelly

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Country's largest commercial banking entity State Bank of India (SBI) is now developing a low-cost model to compete with payments banks. "We are working out on a low-cost structure to compete with the payments banks for getting access to people ...

Investors in gold exchange-traded funds have been rushing to the exits as gold prices plunge.

Puerto Rico’s power authority sent a jolt through a corner of the U.S. stock market Wednesday as shares in financial stocks exposed to the commonwealth soared after the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority agreed to a debt-restructuring plan with a group of bondholders.

The 401(k) workplace-savings plan, designed to augment traditional pensions, has become the primary retirement-savings vehicle for many workers, but critics say it isn’t up to the task. WSJ's Anna Prior highlights five key suggestions to strengthen the 401(k). Photo: Getty

The increased use of personal and commercial drones is raising questions about where they should be permitted to fly, and who should make that decision. The FAA estimates drone sales will reach 7 million by 2020. Photo: John Weber for The Wall Street Journal

At the world's biggest ship-recycling yard at Alang, India, life is becoming harder as fewer ships arrive. Here's why. Photo: Karan Deep Singh/The Wall Street Journal

The transcript of President Trump's call with Ukraine shed light on a method for classifying documents that's even more top secret than top secret. WSJ spoke to a former National Security Council official to understand the intricacies of the White House server security system.

Ramesh Ramanathan.

Janjgir has a poor base to raise finances and is heavily dependent on fund transfers from the state government. There is little here that would qualify this as a town, writes Kalpana Sharma.

Rajnandgaon's location along a national highway has helped it to grow. It is also not cash-strapped. But its problem is the absence of good governance, writes Kalpana Sharma.

Democracy for Realists is an important critique of how democracy works in practice. Nidhi Gupta reviews the book.

In biological diversity, India is one of the richest countries in the world. But widespread destruction has already taken place and this is continuing. Urgent measures to reverse the damage are both necessary and possible. Ramesh Menon sounds the wake-up call.

Extensive air pollution over Asia has drawn considerable attention from the global atmospheric science community. In India, as in other Asian countries, the government as well as scientists are wary of motivated criticism, but still have much to do to put the environment in order, writes Darryl D'Monte.

The climate system is a global, inter-locking one, and its many facets cannot be considered in isolation. However, this is precisely what the National Action Plan on Climate Change has done, writes Sudhirendar Sharma.

From its promising beginning and grand proclamations at international fora, the nation's Biodiversity Plan has undergone a massive erosion, as MoEF has consistently put economic values above environmental ones. Kanchi Kohli reports.

Eco-pioneer Mohammed Dilawar’s nest boxes, specially designed to bring back sparrows and other birds into urban areas, are a hit among bird-lovers in many Indian metros and of course, the target group – the birds – themselves, writes Savita Hiremath.

It is one thing to decide in a court of law that the floodplain of the Yamuna does not extend to the site of the Commonwealth Games village. It is quite another thing to keep the river out. Kanchi Kohli reports.

The transformation from consumerism to sustainability depends critically on how we change our culture, scientists and philosophers at an annual forum meeting in Italy agreed. Darryl D'Monte reports.

Were mobile towers primarily responsible for the dwindling number of house sparrows across India? Deepa Mohan studies the findings of a recent survey to explore the more likely reasons behind this wane of the species.