Coronavirus package | Government throws open defence production and mining sectors
Steps to indigenise defence production by banning the import of some weapons and platforms while hiking foreign direct investment into the sector were among the highlights of the fourth tranche of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package, which seemed to focus more on industry reforms than any sort of economic stimulus.
Odisha gears up for cyclone amid COVID-19 curbs
The Odisha government on Saturday said it would not to be complacent in its preparation even if initial analysis of the impending cyclone’s track suggests that the system might spare the State.
4th tranche of economic package | Private sector in space finds echo in 2017 ISRO Bill
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement on Saturday the government’s intention to encourage greater participation of the private sector in a host of space activities already finds mention in a draft Bill by the Department of Space in 2017. This however hasn’t yet made it to Parliament for discussion.
Northern theatre command with China should have Navy element: Gen. Rawat
The proposed Northern theatre command along the border with China should also have a small Navy element in it as some of the naval systems are useful there, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat said. He also said the naval fighter aircraft can be deployed in the Western sector in the desert areas when not required at sea to effectively utilise existing resources.
Commonwealth collaboration has never been more important, says Secretary-General Patricia Scotland
The Commonwealth Secretariat, whose administrative hub in London covers 54 countries encompassing over 30% of the world’s population, has been at the forefront of this global institutional response. Its Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, spoke to Narayan Lakshman about the specific goals of its multi-country initiatives.
Upload details of migrants on online dashboard for better coordination, Centre tells States
The Centre has asked the States to upload the details of migrants on an online dashboard that would help in speedy communication among them and aid in contact tracing. A unique ID will be generated for the migrants and their mobile numbers could be used for “contact tracing and movement monitoring during COVID-19.”
China concerns dim chances of India rejoining RCEP
As the deadline for a response to a fresh proposal of India rejoining negotiations on the ASEAN-led trade Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) ran out on Friday, a senior Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official indicated that global post Coronavirus concerns over China had strengthened India’s opposition to the grouping.
For these migrants, Partition plays out on their never-ending journey back home
Crossing three States, mostly plodding in the furious heat 13 days on, Vikramjeet Verma believes the longest journey of his life, to get back home, is more about never returning to Ahmedabad, some 1,300km away.
1,606 fresh cases push Maharashtra tally to 30,706
Maharashtra on Saturday recorded its highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 on a single day. Sixty-seven people lost their lives, taking the toll to 1,135. The State reported 1,606 fresh cases, the second highest single-day jump, pushing the tally to 30,706.
Despatch from Kabul | Massacre in the maternity ward
The terrorist attack on a Kabul hospital that killed 24 is likely to delay the intra-Afghan peace talks
Coronavirus | Gujarat ‘super-spreaders’ spike national tally
India recorded its highest-ever single day increase of 4,820 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with Gujarat accounting for 1,057 of them.
Stop suppression of Huawei: China
Beijing has urged the U.S. to stop the “unreasonable suppression of Huawei and Chinese enterprises” after Washington announced new export controls to restrict the tech giant’s access to semiconductor technology.
Coronavirus package | Put money in the hands of people, says Rahul Gandhi
The Union government should not act as a sahukar (money lender) giving loans to people; instead it should help them with direct cash transfer, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday. He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to rethink on the economic stimulus package.
Street vendor loans an uncharted turf for big banks
The recent announcement by the government to offer loans to street vendors has caught commercial banks of the country off guard. The reason is simple: hardly any such loans were extended by these banks in the past.
8 lakh MT more grains allocated to States for migrant workers
The Union government had issued orders for allocation of nearly eight lakh metric tonnes (MT) of additional food grains to the States and Union Territories, which would distribute it to eight crore migrant workers and their families, Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Saturday.
Coronavirus | Government identifies informal urban settlements as ‘vulnerable’ zones
Informal settlements within cities have been identified by the Union Health Ministry as among the vulnerable urban settlements for the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
