Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

Union Home Secretary <keyword id="2797910" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ajay-Kumar-Bhalla">Ajay Kumar Bhalla</keyword> on Friday said the government has not taken any call on allowing <keyword id="437184" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chinese-telecom-companies">Chinese telecom companies</keyword> to enter into the 5G trials in India but acknowledged that the penetration of the neighbouring country into the existing network is too extensive. Bhalla, however, also made it clear that the government is making special safeguards to ensure safety and security of the country's communication network. "On 5G, the government in any case has not taken any call. Discussions are still on...when it will be allowed and who are the people to be allowed. Point is very valid. The penetration of existing telecom hardware and software is too extensive," he said at the Diamond Jubilee webinar organised by National Defence College. He was replying to a question on participation of Chinese telecom players in India's 5G trials. The home secretary said unless India gets a substitute, the existing facilities cannot be closed down abruptly. "Unless we have a substitute available, we just can't switch off and say that this will not be allowed. But the government can definitely make special safeguards and ensure the safety and security of the system of communication of the country. That we are having and we are developing and we will definitely be able to deal with that," he said. The US has banned <keyword id="6357456" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="huawei">Huawei</keyword>, the world's leader in telecom equipment and the number two smartphone producer, over concerns of security and Washington has been putting pressure on other countries to restrict the operations of the Chinese telecom firm. India, however, is yet to take a call on whether it intends to place curbs on Huawei or allow the Chinese telecom equipment maker to participate in the upcoming 5G trials. Telecom Minister <keyword id="6354886" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ravi-Shankar-Prasad">Ravi Shankar Prasad</keyword> had earlier said India has its security issues over allowing Huawei to participate in the upcoming 5G trials. "We will take a firm view on it. There are also security issues...it is not only a matter of technology, as regard their participation in 5G is concerned...Participation of 5G is not conditional upon the trial being started. Whether a particular company is allowed to participate or not, is a complex question, including security issues," he had said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/aws-expands-india-footprint-with-plans-for-a-second-cluster-of-data-centers-in-hyderabad-by-2022/articleshow/79075220.cms">AWS pumps $2.7 billion into India to set up a second cluster of data centers in Hyderabad by 2022</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/india-and-china-slated-to-hold-8th-round-of-military-level-talks-as-troops-gear-up-for-ladakhs-sub-zero-winters/articleshow/79074473.cms">India and China slated to hold 8th round of military-level talks as troops gear up for Ladakh’s sub-zero winters</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/whatsapp-pay-upi-rolls-out-while-google-pay-phonepe-have-already-got-the-first-sting-with-the-npci-cap/articleshow/79075049.cms">WhatsApp Pay UPI is now live while Google Pay, PhonePe have already got the first sting</a>

India is yet to take final decision on China's entry into 5G

The <keyword id="40481" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bsf" source="Orion">BSF</keyword> has been "bombarded" by the onslaught of drone flights from across the <keyword id="3001" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pakistan" source="Orion">Pakistan</keyword> border on the western front, and instances of the aerial vehicles bringing drugs, arms and ammunition more than doubled in 2022, the force's Director General <keyword id="208862" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pankaj-kumar" source="Orion">Pankaj Kumar</keyword> Singh has said He said the force has recently established a state-of-the-art laboratory at a camp in <keyword id="66" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="delhi" source="Orion">Delhi</keyword> to study drone forensics and the results have been very encouraging. Security agencies could track the flight path and even address of criminals involved in this cross-border illegal activity that is rearing its head over the last few years, he said on Saturday. "The BSF has been at the receiving end of the drone menace for quite some time... the versatility of the drone, which is very well known, has been posing problems to us with nefarious elements having found new uses of the drone due to its anonymity and quick flight at sufficient height bypassing the frontiers," he said. The DG said this while briefing Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, who was chairing an event to inaugurate the forensic lab through a webinar session. Quantifying the enormity of the drone menace, the DG said while the BSF detected about 79 drone flights along the India-Pakistan international border in 2020, it increased to 109 last year and "more than doubled at 266 this year". "The major culprit regions are Punjab which saw 215 flights this year... in Jammu, about 22 flights have been seen," Singh said. "The problem is grave. We do not have a foolproof solution as of now. They (drones) have been bringing across narcotics, arms and ammunition, counterfeit currency and all kinds of things," he said. The DG said initially the BSF grappled with the challenge of not knowing what to do and even when the drone fell they had "no clue" where was it coming from or going. "We then started getting into the forensics part. We realised that these drones had chips similar to computation devices like computers and mobile phones. As digital forensics help in solving cyber crimes, we got answers here too," Singh said. The BSF, tasked to guard over 3,000 km of the India-Pakistan International Border running across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu, first established a drone repair lab at Delhi in September last year and later enhanced it in October to analyse the forensics of the drones shot down or recovered by it, the Punjab Police and the Narcotics Control Bureau. It spent about Rs 50 lakh in creating this forensic lab and has deployed a chosen manpower of tech-savvy officers and personnel to run it. "We found (after forensic analysis of drones) their flight paths, launching and landing points, timings, GPS (global positioning system) coordinates and even messages they have exchanged and we realised there was an information mine. If we could get into this, we could find suspect's addresses, locations and much more," Singh said. He said the force developed "good coordination" with the Punjab Police over this issue which has also provided the BSF with 200 personnel to conduct "depth patrols" at the front to check drones and their droppings. Citing a success story, where drone droppings happened in the Havelia area of Punjab in March, the DG said a joint investigation and action by the two security agencies led to the arrest of 8 people, six of whom were convicted for narcotics crime. The DG said the force has now begun a new system of incentivising and giving cash rewards to its border teams who shoot down drones. "Eleven drones have been shot down (by us) this year and we are giving very handsome incentives to teams that bring them down. There is a very good enthusiasm in these teams," he said. The BSF chief said the force is now undertaking a two-pronged approach to check this menace. "We are undertaking depth patrolling so that people cannot come to the border to pick drone droppings. We are digging deep into drone forensics to extract information about its senders and receivers," he said. The problem is "so acute" and, "this we know by interrogation (of suspects and those apprehended) that wherever our drone teams are deployed... depth patrols are or anti-drone equipment is installed, the criminals go to other parts to undertake the illegal activity", the DG said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/nasa-report-haryana-sees-sharp-dip-in-stubble-burning-as-punjab-struggles/articleshow/95483015.cms">NASA report: Haryana sees sharp dip in stubble burning, as Punjab struggles</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/raavan-was-born-in-delhi-a-little-ahead-of-noida-amish-tripathi/articleshow/95473604.cms">Raavan was born in Delhi, a little ahead of Noida: Amish Tripathi</a>

Drones from across Pakistan border more than doubled in 2022: BSF DG

Certain roles are meant to be played by certain stars. But that’s not how every <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> story begins. Many a times, roles are written for someone else and are enacted by other actors and actresses. With Rock On 2 finally landing in Shraddha Kapoor’s kitty after originally being offered to <keyword id="6354526" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alia-Bhatt">Alia Bhatt</keyword>, here are a few characters which were written keeping a particular actor in mind but went to someone else. 
 
Can you imagine Karan Arjun without <keyword id="6354583" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Salman-Khan">Salman Khan</keyword>? Well, the role was originally written with <keyword id="6354714" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ajay-Devgn">Ajay Devgn</keyword> in mind. It was when Ajay refused to play the part that it went to Salman. Later, the movie directed by <keyword id="1989" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rakesh-Roshan">Rakesh Roshan</keyword> became an epic. 
 
Is Salman Khan a star by fluke? It wasn’t just Karan Arjun that landed with him by chance but also his launch pad, Maine Pyar Kiya. Yes, the blockbuster wasn’t originally written for him but for Vikas Bhalla. Imagine the disaster that was averted! 
 
In yet another tale, Munna Bhai MBBS wasn’t meant for Sanju Baba but for <keyword id="1671" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword>. And we thank the makers for that. Jadu Ki Jhappi and the whole tapori act would have lost its charm if SRK had played the role. Whether you believe it or not, <keyword id="7645" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Dutt">Sanjay Dutt</keyword> was supposed to play the character of cancer patient, which was later enacted by <keyword id="18965" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jimmy-Sheirgill">Jimmy Sheirgill</keyword> in the movie. 
 Shah Rukh Khan has all the reasons to thank <keyword id="2823" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Akshay-Kumar">Akshay Kumar</keyword>, Arbaaz Khan, Salman Khan and even <keyword id="6354700" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anil-Kapoor">Anil Kapoor</keyword>. Wondering why? Well, Baazigar, the film that established him as a star was first offered to all of them. When no one agreed to play the negative character, the role went to King Khan. 
 
Talking about Shah Rukh Khan, even Chak De! came to him when Salman Khan said no to it.Knowing this, we wonder how Salman would have delivered the famous “sattar minute” speech? 
 <keyword id="11193" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karisma-Kapoor">Karisma Kapoor</keyword> wasn’t the original choice for Raja Hindustani. The film, which catapulted Karisma’s career was actually supposed to be <keyword id="6366471" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aishwarya-Rai">Aishwarya Rai</keyword> Bachchan’s debut vehicle. Thanks to Aishwarya’s <keyword id="145" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Miss-World">Miss World</keyword> commitments, the film went to Karisma. 
 ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ was first offered to Karisma Kapoor, Twinkle Khanna and Raveena Tandon. It was when they rejected; the role went to <keyword id="587883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rani-Mukerjee">Rani Mukerjee</keyword>. 
 
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wasn’t the original choice for playing Nandini in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. It would be hard for you to believe, but it was <keyword id="2165" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kareena-Kapoor">Kareena Kapoor</keyword> who was initially considered to play Nandini. 
(Image: farzitimes.com)

Here's when an actor's loss became someone else’s gain

Patna, April 14 () The Bihar government has lodged a protest with the Centre over the Rajasthan's Kota administration issuing passes to students of various coaching centres and their parents in the COVID-19 hotspot town in the northwestern state for their return to the home state here. A large number of medical and engineering aspirants from Bihar join various coaching institutes in Kota every year.The students' parents and guardians too often accompany them and stay there till satisfactory arrangements are made for their boarding and lodging. The nationwide lockdown has left the coaching institutes and those joining them in a quandary. In a letter to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Bihar Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar on Monday said, "Such movement from Kota is not at all advisable in the present scenario. In Bihar, we are now medically examining the returning students as well as their guardians accompanying them, and instructions are being issued to quarantine them.""This unprecedented situation could have been easily avoided by strict enforcement of the lockdown in Kota," said the Bihar chief secretary, pointing out that "earlier we had to tackle the unprecedented influx of migrant workers because of the poor implementation (of the lockdown) by other states".The chief secretary's remark was an obvious reference to the large-scale exodus from the Delhi-NCR region in the last week of March when migrant workers reached the UP border in droves, allegedly at the instance of the Aam Aadmi Party that rules Delhi, and were ferried to their home state on buses plied by the Yogi Adityanath government for the purpose.The chief secretary pointed out that "Kota has 40 confirmed corona cases" and requested the Union home secretary "to issue necessary instructions for strict enforcement of the lockdown. The Kota district magistrate too should be warned for violating the MHA guidelines against the movement of people in the country". NAC ACD RAXRAX

COVID-19: Bihar protests return of people from Rajasthan's Kota

Simplification of GST, reforms in small savings rate and implementation of <keyword id="46572" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Direct-Tax-Code">Direct Tax Code</keyword> (DTC) were some of the suggestions given by economists during their customary pre-Budget consultation with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here on Friday. Among other key suggestions were to attract more investments to support growth; streamlining policy matters and faster resolution of policy issues in all sectors; fiscal management and reforms in the power sector. The economists were optimistic about the India growth story and put forward ways through which the country can achieve the goal of USD 5 trillion economy.
 "We have bottomed out as far as growth reduction is concerned...what can be done to accelerate growth to 7-7.5 per cent," former chief economic adviser Arvind Virmani said after the meeting.
 Implementation of DTC is very important for all the small business, he added.
 He also pitched for simplification of GST and rationalisation of slabs.
 The main focus areas of the meeting included steps needed to achieve USD 5 trillion economy, job-oriented growth with focus on manufacturing and services, transparency of fiscal arithmetic, monetary transmission, government's fiscal prudence and fiscal stimulus, revival of NBFCs and inflation targeting, among others, the finance ministry said in a statement.
 There were also suggestions with regard to ways to enhance rural demand; improving oversight of financial markets; boosting agricultural exports and simplifying procedures to give financial savings a shot in the arm.
 Along with the finance minister, the meeting was attended by Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar, Economic Affairs Secretary Atanu Chakraborty, Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, and other senior officials of the ministry.
 Some of the economists who were part of the meeting included Rathin Roy, Director, NIFP; Shekhar Shah, Director General, NCAER; Surjit S Bhalla, Managing Director, Oxus Investment; Ajit Mishra, Director, Institute of Economic Growth and Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/income-tax-slabs-for-2020-and-cuts-proposed-by-finance-minister-nirmala-sitharaman-in-next-budget/articleshow/72975148.cms">Income tax cuts and new tax slabs ⁠— here’s how Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman wants to make people shop more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/niti-aayog-member-bats-for-2-gst-slabs-says-rates-should-not-be-revised-frequently/articleshow/72965580.cms">NITI Aayog member thinks that India should have only two GST slabs</a>

Indian economists tell Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to simplify GST and direct taxes

New Delhi, Apr 26 () The Centre has told the Supreme Court that migrant workers don't need to travel to their native places during the lockdown, as the government is taking care of their and their family members' daily needs wherever they are.Highlighting its response to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country, the government filed a second status report in the apex court in response to a plea by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, seeking relief for migrant workers including payment of wages. The status report filed by Union Home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that to obviate the difficulties faced by low wage-earners in the organized sector, cash transfer under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana has been made.The status report said the government has allowed such workers to withdraw EPFO money advance and as on April 9, 1,49,891 members have availed of the facility.The central government said it is taking care of psycho-social issues in shelter homes where migrant workers are staying and experts and counsellors from Central mental health institutes are visiting there. "In view of the steps taken by the government, it is submitted that there is no necessity for migration of workers to shift from places of their occupation to the place of their residence and rush back to their villages, Their daily needs are being taken care of wherever they are working and the daily needs of their family members were being taken care of at their respective villages," the status report filed on an affidavit said. It said the movement of migrant workers on their own in large numbers during the lockdown defeats the very objective of the preventive measures taken by the central government. "As per the latest statistics furnished by the state governments and Union territories, 37,978 relief camps have already been set up by state governments and Union Territories and genuine NGOs. Nearly 14.3 lakh persons have been housed in these camps. In addition to the above, 26,225 food camps have also been opened giving food to nearly 1.34 crore persons," the affidavit said.The Centre said that directions have been issued to district administration and superintendent of police to ensure migrant workers and other poor people who are living in rented accommodation are not compelled to pay rent by their landlords."If any landlord flouts this direction, they shall be liable for action under the Disaster Management Act," it said. It said that as per the order of apex court passed on March 31, a fact-check unit has been set up under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to check fake news. The affidavit said, "In view of the on-going efforts by the central government, presently the spread of COVID-19 in India is much slower than as has seen observed in several other countries." The prompt measures particularly social distancing and lockdown have halted the spread of disease in the country so far, it added. On March 31, the apex court had asked the Centre to prevent migration of people due to coronavirus and set up within 24 hours a portal for disseminating real time information on the pandemic to counter the panic being spread through fake news. MNL ABA SJK MNL TIRTIR

Migrant workers don't need to go home during lockdown, their needs being addressed: Centre tells SC

(Eds: Recasting overnight story) New Delhi, May 6 () Domestic manufacturers have reached the capacity of producing nearly 2.5 lakh PPE and 2 lakh N-95 masks per day which is sufficient to meet the country's requirement in dealing with the novel coronavirus pandemic in the near future, the Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 has been informed. The GoM, which held its 14th meeting under the chairmanship of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday, discussed various aspects pertaining to the "performance, impact and benefits" of the Aarogya Setu application. It also highlighted the need for ensuring stringent measures for quality control of personal protection equipment (PPE), masks, ventilators among others. The GoM was informed that close to 9 crore users had downloaded the Aarogya Setu app as on May 4. "People have informed about their health status on the application which has helped in tracing those suffering with any symptoms for COVID-19 containment," a statement from the health ministry said. "The GoM was also informed that a mechanism has been devised to reach out to the people who have landline or featured phones through Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) in local languages for better results," it said.Vardhan said the use of technology is integral for the containment strategy and is helping the states to manage the deadly disease in a more effective manner.Random batch sampling for ensuring compliance and adherence to quality standards was also stressed upon by the GoM, the statement said.It said a detailed presentation on the present status of COVID-19 cases globally and within the country was made to the GoM, and states were asked to follow and further strengthen their contingency plans to combat the infection on the basis of classification of districts. Several other measures about strengthening capacity of states, including devoting adequate resources for creating dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, equipping medical institutions with adequate number of PPE, ventilators and other essential equipment, were also discussed at the meeting. The GoM was apprised that the death rate of COVID-19 patients is around 3.2 per cent, while the recovery rate is more than 25 per cent, which may be taken as a positive effect of the lockdown in the country along with the cluster management and containment strategy, the statement said. The GoM was also informed that genome sequencing of strains of the novel coronavirus isolated from patients in different parts of the country has been initiated.Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, chairman of the Empowered Group -11 informed the GoM that they are monitoring and supervising the strategic issues arriving out of the measures taken so far in containing the pandemic. He also apprised the GoM that at different stages during the lockdown, decisions on graded liberalisation were taken after consultations with stakeholders, cutting across various ministries and other Empowered Groups, the statement said. A presentation was made by Ajay Sawhney, Secretary, MeitY, and chairman of Empowered Group-9, dealing with technology solutions and data management for combating COVID-19, the statement said. "The GoM was also told that under the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) as on May 4, 29.38 lakh MT of foodgrain has been distributed to 58.77 crore beneficiaries by 36 states/UTs as first month (April) entitlement. "A total of 5.82 lakh MT of foodgrain has been distributed to 11.63 crore beneficiaries by 20 states and UTs as second month (May) entitlement so far," the statement said. In total, 66.08 lakh MT food grain has been lifted by 36 states and UTs from the Food Corporation of India so far, it said. "An amount of Rs 6,868.74 crore has been transferred to Ujjwala (PMUY) beneficiaries. Also, 4.98 crore PMUY cylinders have been booked and 4.72 crore have been delivered during April-May. "Financial sanction for 8.18 crore beneficiaries (farmers) at Rs 2,000 each has been generated during 2020-21 and Rs 16,364 crore have been released under DBT cash transfers to farmers during the same period," the statement added. As support for senior citizens, widows and 'divyang', the first installment of funds at Rs 500 per beneficiary has been released to 2.812 crore accounts of eligible beneficiaries, amounting to Rs 1,405 crore. The next installment of Rs 500 will go in the second fortnight, the statement said. "As on date, 20.05 crore Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana accounts of women are being credited with Rs 500 per account as cash transfers under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyana Package ( PMGKP). Besides, 9.27 lakh members of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had availed the facility of online withdrawal amounting to Rs 2,895 crore," it added. PLB SRY ANBANB

Domestic manufacturers can produce 2.5 lakh PPE, 2 lakh N-95 masks per day, GoM informed

(Eds: Updating with additional details ) New Delhi, May 5 () The domestic manufacturers have reached the capacity of producing nearly 2.5 lakh PPEs and 2 lakh N-95 masks per day which is sufficient to meet the requirement of the country in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in near future, the Group of Ministers (GoM) was informed on Tuesday. The GoM, which held its 14th meeting under the chairmanship of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, highlighted the need for ensuring stringent measures for quality control of personal protection equipment (PPEs), masks, ventilators among others. Random batch sampling for ensuring compliance and adherence to the quality standards laid down was also stressed upon by the GoM, a statement by the health ministry said. A detailed presentation on the present status of COVID-19 cases globally and within the country was made to the GoM, and states were asked to follow and further strengthen their contingency plans to combat the infection on the basis of classification of the districts. Several other measures about strengthening capacity of states, including devoting adequate resources for creating dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, equipping medical institutions with adequate number of PPEs, ventilators and other essential equipment, were also discussed at the meeting. The GoM was apprised that the death rate of COVID-19 patients is around 3.2 per cent, while the recovery rate is more than 25 per cent, which may be taken as a positive effect of the lockdown in the country along with the cluster management and containment strategy, the statement said. The GoM was also informed that genome sequencing of strains of the novel coronavirus isolated from patients in different parts of the country has been initiated.Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, chairman of Empowered Group -11 informed the GoM that they are monitoring and supervising the strategic issues arriving out of the measures taken so far in containing the pandemic. He also apprised the GoM that at different stages during lockdown, decisions on graded liberalisation were taken after consultations with stakeholders, cutting across various ministries and other Empowered Groups, the statement said. A presentation was made by Ajay Sawhney, Secretary, MeitY, and chairman of Empowered Group-9, dealing with technology solutions and data management for combating COVID-19, the statement stated. Various aspects pertaining to the "performance, impact and benefits" of Arogya Setu application were discussed during the meeting. It was informed that close to 9 crore users had downloaded the application as on May 4. "People have informed about their health status on the application which has helped in tracing those suffering with any symptoms for COVID-19 containment. The GoM was also informed that a mechanism has been devised to reach out to the people who have landline or featured phones through Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) in local languages for better results," it said. Vardhan stated that the use of technology is integral for the containment strategy and is helping the states to manage the deadly disease in a more effective manner. "The GoM was also told that under the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) as on May 4, 29.38 lakh MT of foodgrain has been distributed to 58.77 crore beneficiaries by 36 states/UTs as first month (April) entitlement. "A total of 5.82 lakh MT foodgrain has been distributed to 11.63 crore beneficiaries by 20 states and UTs as second month (May) entitlement so far," the statement stated. In total, 66.08 lakh MT food grain has been lifted by 36 states and UTs from the Food Corporation of India so far, it added. "An amount of Rs 6,868.74 crore has been transferred to Ujjawala (PMUY) beneficiaries. Also, 4.98 crore PMUY cylinders have been booked and 4.72 crore have been delivered during April-May. "Financial sanction for 8.18 crore beneficiaries (farmers) at Rs 2,000 each has been generated during 2020-21 and Rs 16,364 crore have been released under DBT cash transfers to farmers during the same period," the statement added. As support for senior citizens, widows and 'divyang', the first installment of funds at Rs 500 per beneficiary has been released to 2.812 crore accounts of eligible beneficiaries, amounting to Rs 1,405 crore. The next installment of Rs 500 will go in the second fortnight, the statement said. "As on date, 20.05 crore Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana accounts of women are being credited with Rs 500 per account as cash transfers under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyana Package ( PMGKP). Besides, 9.27 lakh members of the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had availed the facility of online withdrawal amounting to Rs 2,895 crore," it added. PLB SRY

Domestic manufacturers can produce 2.5 lakh PPEs, 2 lakh N-95 masks per day, GoM informed

By Bijay Kumar SinghNew Delhi, Apr 1 () The impact of the coronavirus outbreak in India will be "much smaller and manageable" as the big decision of nationwide lockdown and travel restrictions were put in place much before other countries, a Niti Aayog member said on Wednesday. While asserting that the country is well-prepared, V K Paul, who is also heading a panel to coordinate efforts to tackle the outbreak, noted that it would be difficult to say when the situation would stabilise since that would depend on various factors, including the effectiveness of the overall response. The number of coronavirus positive cases in the country increased to 1,637 on Wednesday and has claimed 38 lives. The count of active COVID-19 cases stands at 1,466 while 132 people have either been cured or discharged and one had migrated to another country, as per the Union Health Ministry. Striking a note of caution, Paul said that in a worst case scenario, the outbreak could be very devastating to population in any part of the country. "India has taken measures (to contain the spread of coronovirus) much before other countries, whether it is travel restriction or the call for social distancing. "And India has taken such a big decision of lockdown which others have not done for a long, and they missed the appropriate time. Therefore, I believe that the size of our outbreak will be much much smaller and manageable," Paul told in an interview. The country is under a 21-day lockdown as part of larger efforts to curb spreading of coronavirus infections. The lockdown has made a very remarkable difference because the virus transmission chain would be nearly broken and the progression of the outbreak would be contained in a very significant way. Thousands of people have died due to coronavirus infection in different parts of the world. Italy, Spain and Iran are among the countries that have recorded high number of deaths so far. On fears that large scale movements of migrant workers from cities to their native places could result in spreading of coronavirus infections, Paul said such movements would not make a difference in terms of the benefits expected from the lockdown. Following the lockdown, which has also impacted their daily incomes, thousands of migrant workers have been trying to go back to their native places. Various state governments have taken steps to stop such movements and ensure that basic needs of such people are fulfilled. "A few lakh migrant workers moving from one place to the other is nothing compare to what was happening on a daily basis where crores of people were going back and forth in the country. "... we have to address the human issue but this degree of population exchange should not make a difference to the benefits we are expecting from the lockdown," he asserted. Citing an example, Paul noted that on a daily basis more than one crore people were travelling in trains and almost 4-5 crore people in buses. This was the situation before the lockdown and now, such movements have stopped. "There is a trickle, it is not ideal but very minuscule problem in terms of epidemiological gain. But yes, human issue should be addressed," he emphasised. According to him, the outbreak in a worst scenario could be very devastating to population in any part of the country. "We are well prepared so far and ready for all scenarios... We will ensure that there is minimum possible human cost and minimum cost to our nation's economy," he noted. The response was to a query on whether community transmission of the infection is happening in the country. The group headed by Paul is one of the 11 empowered groups of officers constituted by Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla for planning and ensuring implementation of COVID-19 response activities. On when the situation is likely to stabilise, Paul said it would depend on a lot of factors. "Of all, it depends on how effective our lockdown intiatives are, how effective our social distancing measures are and how effectively we are able to contain our clusters as well as our hotspots. "It depends on how effectively we are responding to this outbreak," the Niti Aayog member said. Paul said the government is working to increase availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to doctors. "Very soon, there will be no issue of inadequacy. Even now, compared to what we need, we have more PPE available in our system," he added. Appreciating the efforts of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for COVID-19 testing, he said the institute's guidelines have so far stood the test of time. BKS RAM

India well prepared, coronavirus impact will be 'much smaller and manageable': Niti Aayog member

(Eds: combines related series)New Delhi, April 12 () A key central department has recommended that certain identified industries and services should be allowed to resume limited activity with "reasonable safeguards", as the Centre mulls easing some restrictions during the likely extended coronavirus lockdown beyond April 14. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) in a series of of recommendations to the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) said these new activities in wide ranging spheres are essential in any lockdown exit plan to improve the country's economic activity and provide liquidity in the hands of the people. "These new activities are essential to improve the economic activity and provide liquidity in the hands of the people," the DPIIT said in its letter to Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, "It is felt that certain more activities with reasonable safeguards should be allowed once a final decision regarding extension and nature of lockdown is taken by the central government," the letter said, making a strong push for these activities in addition to those already allowed under various notifications of the MHA. The exit plan from the lockdown is recommended after getting suggestions from a detailed interaction with various states and industry bodies, the letter said. The plan also emphasises on social distancing, sanitisation and spacing. There was no reaction from the home ministry on Sunday to DPIIT's letter. The letter also noted that other ministries like the Agriculture ministry may be approaching the MHA separately for allowing activities like harvesting etc. that they considered crucial. Further, it has stated that housing and construction sectors need to be allowed if the labourers stay at the sites with all facilities and safeguards. Contractors shall ensure safety, sanitation and distancing norms. It suggested that all transport vehicles of all sizes, whether inter-State, intra-State or intra-city, need to be allowed, whether empty or full, by all enforcement agencies without asking any question. It has also asked for certain repairing units like those individuals or small agencies involved in providing repair services in mobile, refrigerator, air conditioner, television, plumbing, cobblers, ironing (dhobi), electrician, automobile mechanics, cycle to be allowed. The department has stated that all street vendors like fruit and vegetable sellers should be allowed by the states in order to improve doorstep delivery and also to provide much needed liquidity to this population. The 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in place from March 25 in a bid to halt the spread of COVID-19 and is scheduled to end on Tuesday. Four states - Telangana, Maharashtra, Punjab and Odisha - have already extended the coronavirus lockdown in their respective territories till April 30. A broad consensus has emerged that the national lockdown should be extended by at least two weeks after a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and state chief ministers on Saturday. Several chief ministers at the same time have pushed for resumption of some economic activities like in the farming sector in regions with no COVID-19 cases. The Centre in consultation with states is moving to restart economic activities in a graded manner in what is seen as a nuanced change in strategy from saving lives a month ago to saving lives as well as livelihoods now in the fight against the pandemic. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases crossed 9,000 on Sunday with nearly 1,000 infections reported in the last 24 hours. On Saturday, there was a record increase of over 1,000 cases. The deaths also crossed 300, according to a latest tally from the states. The Centre has also sought inputs related to production, labour and logistics from clusters in five key sectors to ascertain expected output if required, official sources said. The five sectors are textiles, chemicals, electronics, steel and pharmaceutical, the sources said. In its letter with an annexure, the DPIIT has suggested that industries which can be allowed to operate must ensure single entry points for workers, sufficient space for ensuring social distancing, use of separate transport for ferrying workers or make stay arrangements in factory premises, high quality regular sanitization of the premises. The state and district authorities, while allowing these new activities, should ensure strict observance of these conditions, it said. It has also recommended free movement of vehicles and manpower in certain sectors. Big companies with proper sanitation and distancing norms in place in sectors such as textiles, automobiles and electronic manufacturing - 20 per cent to 25 per cent capacity in single shift may be considered to start with, according to the letter. Besides those firms or MSMEs with export commitments need to be allowed to operate with minimal manpower and necessary movement of material as a new entity. Certain industries which can be permitted to start with minimum manpower and proper sanitation and distancing norms/safeguards on a single shift basis include telecom equipment and components including Optic Fibre Cable; compressor and condenser units; steel and ferrous Alloy mills; spinning and ginning mills, power looms; defence; cement plants; pulp and paper units; fertilizer plants; paints; plastic; automotive units; gems and jewellery; and all units in SEZs and EOUs. For the rubber sector, it has suggested that certain rubber items may be given priority for starting manufacturing, while keeping in mind the safety, sanitation and distancing norms. It can include pressure cooker gaskets, LPG hoses, adhesives, hospital rubber sheets, medical - silicon, pharma stoppers, boots, catheters, anesthesia bags, valves, and dental supplies. Lastly, the department has recommended that timber, plywood and wood based industry provides packaging material to pharma companies, FMCG and other companies producing essential commodities should also be allowed by the state authorities. States, meanwhile, are likely to designate districts, towns and cities as red, orange and green zones depending upon the number of COVID-19 case as part of efforts to allow differentiated restoration of normalcy with conditions like uses of masks and social distancing in public. Union minister Nitin Gadkari said talks are underway with state governments to re-start highway construction projects where migrant labourers can be gainfully employed, In a video-conference with , the road transport, highways and MSME minister said efforts are on for facilitating a safe return of migrant labourers, an estimated 20 lakh of whom are in shelters pan-India. "I had a meeting with road sector officials. Work can be re-started at projects with condition that adequate measures are taken for safeguard against coronavirus. We have to follow guidelines. At some places collectors have given permission, some not. We are doing a follow up along with the chief secretaries of the states," the minister said. The Karnataka government said it is studying in-depth the consequences of possible relaxation of lockdown norms after April 14 and plans to come out with a clear roadmap in a day or two, according to Medical Education Minister Sudhakar K . Kerala, which was the first state in the country to report a coronavirus infection in late January, has prepared a time table for coming out of the lockdown and there would be district-specific strategies to tackle the situation while the number of cases are on the decline. Ramping up efforts to "stamp out" coronavirus cases in the state, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac told that an exit strategy is being prepared and restrictions are being relaxed in certain segments, including agriculture. RR MR RS RAM GJS GSN GSNGSN

You Searched For "Ajay Kumar Bhalla" and got 10 results

India is yet to take final decision on China's entry into 5G

PTI

Drones from across Pakistan border more than doubled in 2022: BSF DG

PTI

Here's when an actor's loss became someone else’s gain

Charu

COVID-19: Bihar protests return of people from Rajasthan's Kota

PTI

Indian economists tell Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to simplify GST and direct taxes

PTI

Migrant workers don't need to go home during lockdown, their needs being addressed: Centre tells SC

PTI

Domestic manufacturers can produce 2.5 lakh PPE, 2 lakh N-95 masks per day, GoM informed

PTI

Domestic manufacturers can produce 2.5 lakh PPEs, 2 lakh N-95 masks per day, GoM informed

PTI

India well prepared, coronavirus impact will be 'much smaller and manageable': Niti Aayog member

PTI

Allow limited activity in select sectors, services with safeguards, DPIIT to MHA on lockdown exit plan

PTI

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides