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New Delhi, Here are the latest updates on the <keyword id="8714274" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus-crisis">coronavirus crisis</keyword> in India and other parts of the world on Wednesday. The Supreme Court on Wednesday took note of the Centre's guidelines and said posters and signages should not be affixed by authorities outside homes of <keyword id="8873995" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="COVID-19-patients">COVID-19 patients</keyword> in the country. Face shields alone are not highly effective to prevent COVID-19 infection without masks, says a new study which assessed what happens to the airflow around these plastic screens when someone nearby sneezes. In most of the COVID-19 deaths in WB comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes, cardiac problems, nephrotic syndrome and COPD were found to be fatal, a study conducted by <keyword id="9260641" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-state-health-department">the state health department</keyword> said. Actor <keyword id="210696" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kriti-Sanon">Kriti Sanon</keyword> on Wednesday said she has tested positive for coronavirus and is currently under home quarantine. The Supreme Court on Wednesday took note of the Centre's guidelines and said that posters and signage should not be affixed by the authorities outside the homes of COVID-19 patients in the country. Twenty-two more people, including four army personnel and a <keyword id="1580087" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="health-care-worker">health care worker</keyword>, tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, pushing the tally in the northeastern state to 16,437, a senior health official said here on Wednesday. The Mizoram government has launched a project to assist the migrant workers, who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, find suitable employment. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 97,35,850 with 32,080 new infections being reported in a day, while the death toll rose to 1,41,360 with 402 new fatalities, data updated by the ministry at 8 am showed. Andaman and Nicobar Islands COVID-19 tally rose to 4,778 as five more persons tested positive for the virus, a health department official said on Wednesday. US President-elect Joe Biden has said that in the first 100 days of his administration, he would mandate everyone to wear a mask, ensure 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations and reopen the majority of schools as he assured Americans that his "crisis-tested" team of experts will deliver better healthcare and revive the economy. Nine more people, including four <keyword id="109513" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Border-security-force">Border Security Force</keyword> (BSF) jawans have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, pushing the state's coronavirus tally to 3,977, an official said on Wednesday. Jharkhand's COVID-19 tally mounted to 1,10,639 as 182 more people tested positive for the virus, a health department official said on Wednesday. US President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Dr Vivek Murthy as his Surgeon General, exuding confidence that the renowned Indian-American physician will be a key voice on his response to the coronavirus pandemic to restore public trust and faith in science and medicine. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that prioritises Americans' access to COVID-19 vaccines before the US potentially begins helping other nations. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/mukesh-ambani-says-jio-will-rollout-5g-services-by-june-2021-and-it-will-go-beyond-india/articleshow/79619222.cms">Mukesh Ambani says Jio will rollout 5G services by June 2021 – and it will go beyond India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-canara-bank-sun-pharma-titan-nbcc-gujarat-state-fertilizers-coffee-day-and-others/articleshow/79617464.cms">Top stocks to watch — Canara Bank, Sun Pharma, Titan, NBCC, Gujarat State Fertilizers, Coffee Day, and others</a>

COVID-19 crisis: Here are all the latest updates from India and around the world

By Roopshree Nair New Delhi, Apr 12 () The MSME sector will tide over the huge blow caused by the lockdown, and reduce chinese import dependence by ramping up domestic manufacturing with the government support, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said.In a video-conference with , the MSME minister said the government was working on a "war footing" to resolve issues - like working capital crunch and access to affordable financing - faced by the sector, as millions of units stare at staggering losses.Gadkari said the committees constituted by the Prime Minister's Office are continuously monitoring and assessing the situation on the ground and would suggest if and when the lockdown can be lifted in certain sectors for normal operations to resume, and added that "work should begin where possible while keeping the virus at bay".The MSME Minister said nearly 8-10 lakh units will be restructured in the coming days, asserting that owners will have to take care of their workers and put in place mechanisms for proper sanitisation as a preventive measure once they return to work.Gadkari also informed that a Rs 10,000 crore "Fund of Funds" has been approved by the Finance Committee and will be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval. This fund, he said, will facilitate MSMEs to raise money from the capital market, as a portion of their equity will be purchased by the government."We will encourage MSMEs to enter the capital market and attract foreign investments, increase exports from the sector through large-scale production and create jobs," the minister said.He observed that the government was well aware of the issues faced by micro, small and medium enterprises, and packages announced by the Finance Minister will set in motion a recovery for the sector.Gadkari said that recommendations of the UK Sinha Committee appointed by the Reserve Bank of India will soon be implemented.The minister said he has directed district officers to go to banks and facilitate paper work and coordination for loans to be cleared as fast as possible, and a "branch-wise" monitoring was underway to ease the credit woes of the MSME sector.Referring to reports of nearly 20 lakh migrant labourers living in shelter homes across the country, Gadkari admitted that this was a "serious issue" but said state governments will have to evolve guidelines towards their safe return and factory owners will have to undertake measures to rebuild their confidence.Highlighting that several nations want to source medical devices, masks and ventilators from India in the wake of the virus outbreak, the minister said this was a "golden opportunity" for the country's MSMEs to enhance their production capabilities for the future. RSN BAL

MSME sector will tide over coronavirus crisis: Gadkari

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, Mar 30 () Seeking to contain mass spread of the deadly coronavirus, several states on Monday effectively sealed their borders to stop movement of migrant workers rendered jobless due to a nationwide lockdown, but FMCG firms flagged non-availability of trucks and labour as a major challenge in ensuring supply of essential goods. The Supreme Court also observed that fear and panic becoming was becoming "a bigger problem than the coronavirus", but stopped short of passing any order and sought a report from the government by Tuesday. As the 21-day naionwide lockdown entered its sixth day, reports from various parts of the country showed curbs put in place to fight the COVID-19 crisis beginning to impact supplies of essential goods as available inventory dwindled and fresh stocks were hard to come by. Amid rumours about a possible extension of the lockdown, the government had to debunk them, while the Army also stepped in to dismiss as fake news the social media posts about a possible declaration of emergency in April. A day after the central government relaxed some lockdown conditions to allow transportation of all goods, irrespective of those being in essential or non-essential categories, the FMCG companies said availability of workers at factories and trucks for transportation remain key challenges to meet the demand for essential items. The companies, however, said approvals for plant operations and transportation of goods have eased difficulties in movement of raw materials and finished products, assuring steady supply of essential items. Addressing local issues in many states that have hindered movement of goods would help in kick-starting the functioning of the supply chain, they said. "But, the key issue that still remains is the availability of manpower and workers to run these operations. With most workers either leaving for their home towns or staying at home during the lockdown, it would be a challenge to ensure smooth functioning," Dabur India Executive Director (Operations) Shahrukh Khan told . Sharing similar experience, an ITC spokesperson said, "While we have progressively obtained permissions in some states, availability of trucks continues to be the biggest challenge at the moment. Interstate and local truck movement has been severely impacted together with the challenge of shortage of manpower in factories." Expressing similar views, Parle Products Senior Senior Category Head Mayank Shah said, "The biggest challenge today is manpower... The new challenge facing the companies now is how to continue running their plants in absence of labour." Most of the labours in manufacturing plant are migrant workers. With they moving back to native places, there is going to be a huge challenge, he added. Even many poor beneficiaries registered under the Public Distribution System (PDS), who are pinning their hopes on free and subsidised ration supplies for their survival during the COVID-19 lockdown, complained they are not wheat while flour mills are shut too. In most parts of the country, local flour millers and chakki shops are not allowed to operate, while some are not willing to function due to fear of action by the police which is enforcing strictly the lockdown rules to stop the spread of the disease as the confirmed cases in the country has crossed the 1,000-mark. In Punjab, the state government's decision to allow industrial units to commence their operations did not find favour, particularly among MSME segment, as many establishments said it is not feasible in view of rising coronavirus cases. The state government on Sunday had said the owners of all industrial units and brick kilns could commence production if they have enough space to accommodate migrant labourers and provide them with food and take all hygiene precautions. In the meantime, the Home Ministry issued orders to states and Union Territories to make it a personal responsibility of District Magistrates to arrange food and shelter for stranded workers waiting to reach their native places. Addressing a press conference on Monday, Joint Secretary of Union Home Ministry Punya Salila Srivastava said the ministry has already issued orders asking landlords to not seek a month's rent from migrant workers and also to not ask for vacating their property. On the issue of police beating workers who are walking to their native places in the absence of transport, she said while clear instructions have been issued to states and UTs to enforce lockdown, the ministry has also asked that the police be sensitied. Officials said the Union Home Ministry is doing 24X7 monitoring of lockdown along with state government. Haryana police said they have completely sealed all inter-state borders to prevent the movement of migrant workers, while the Uttarakhand government withdrew its earlier decision of allowing inter-district movement of people within the state. The Delhi government announced that students from nursery to class 8 will be promoted to the next class in the national capital and also announced online classes for students of class 12 from first week of April. In Delhi University also, professors and students have begun using digital platforms to continue studies, but slow internet speed and connectivity are emerging as key challenges. Good samaritans, in the meantime, continued to pitch in in various regions by helping with delivery of food to the elderly to taking medicines to the sick, as also for fighting fake news on social media and for helping people with their groceries. But, another problem seen emerging in Telangana and some other states after Kerala in the form of rising number of cases getting reported to hospitals for alcohol withdrawal symptomsd due to closure of liquor shops and bars. TEAM BJBJ

Lockdown: States seal borders to stop migrants; Non-availability of labour hit supplies

New Delhi, Mar 28 () Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday asked NHAI Chairman and toll operators across national highways to provide food, water and other necessary support to migrant workers.The directions came amid reports that migrant workers are facing severe hardships while stranded at various parts in the country on account of nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic."I have advised Chairman NHAI and Highway Concessioners/Toll operators to consider providing food, water or any kind of support to migrant workers/citizens who are trying to reach to their respective native places."At this time of crisis we have to be compassionate for our fellow citizens," Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari said.The minister expressed hope that toll operators will respond to his call positively.Earlier, Gadkari had asked NHAI to suspend toll on all national highways to ease transportation of essential goods and supplies.The suspension of toll collection on national highways will ease supplies of essential goods across the country while facilitating movement of patients and needy people who have obtained curfew passes, Gadkari had said.Urging people to adhere to the nationwide lockdown, the minister has said suspension of toll is for people who have to venture out for necessary travel."Even though it's a complete lockdown all over the country, there are provisions to issue necessary passes/permissions for those people who approach the relevant authorities and convince their necessities to travel," he had said.Such passes are being issued by local authorities so that the needy people can travel, he added."Suspension of toll collection is for such people who travel in private vehicles. This will ease their journey without wasting time at the toll plaza. "Toll collection has been suspended to reduce inconvenience to such people who have been issued curfew pass by local administration/authorities for all vehicles transporting essential goods and even the vehicles carrying patients," the minister said.At the same time, he urged people to stay indoors and follow advice of local authorities to fight the spread of coronavirus.The government earlier this week temporarily suspended toll collection on national highways to ease emergency services in view of the coronavirus outbreak.This will not only reduce inconvenience to emergency services but also save critical time, Gadkari had said.Maintenance of roads and availability of emergency resources at toll plazas will continue as usual.Earlier, the road transport and highways ministry had advised the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to follow the home ministry's guidelines about toll plaza operations following the lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the country.The prevailing condition may be treated as "Force Majeure" of concession or contract agreement in terms of the finance ministry, it said. NAM BAL

Gadkari asks NHAI chief, toll operators to ensure food, water support to migrant workers

New Delhi, May 13 () HCL Technologies on Wednesday said it has so far provided over 6 lakh meals to underprivileged communities affected due to the lockdown.The company has distributed over 6 lakh nutritious and hygienic meals and over 5,000 dry ration kits in the National Capital Region, Lucknow, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Nagpur, Vijayawada and Nagrakata (West Bengal), the company said in a statement.The distribution was done in collaboration with the local government authorities and HCL's partner NGOs.The meals and kits were provided to migrant labourers and their families residing in makeshift shelters, communities living in urban slums, daily wage earners, abandoned elderly, and orphanages across these locations, it added. LUX BALBAL

HCL provides 6 lakh meals to poor amid COVID-19 crisis

(Eds: Adds inputs on labour sector) New Delhi, May 1 () Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday deliberated on how the labour force can propel India's growth and reviewed the performance of the aviation and power sectors, with a focus on reducing costs and making them more efficient. "We discussed ways through which this (labour) sector can power India's growth," the prime minister tweeted. He said deliberations were held on labour welfare during the meeting. The migrant labourers are one of the most hard hit segments during the coronavirus-induced lockdown as they had been out of jobs. The meeting came in a day when trains were run to carry them to their home states. Reviewing the power sector, the prime minister underlined its importance in propelling the economy. The need for an effective enforcement of contracts to attract private investment was also discussed. At the review of the civil aviation sector, it was decided that the country's air space should be effectively used in a manner that the flying time for travellers is reduced and airlines save costs. The meet also reviewed the strategies that could help make India's civil aviation sector more efficient. "For generation of more revenue as well as to bring in more efficiency at the airports, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has been asked to expedite the process of handing over of six more airports on PPP basis by commencing the tender process within three months," a statement said. The civil aviation sector meeting, which was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri among others, also reviewed the e-DGCA project, aimed at bringing in more transparency in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's office and helping all stakeholders by reducing the processing time for various licences and permissions. "It was also decided that all reform initiatives taken by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the organisations under it should proceed in a time-bound manner," the statement said. Later, in a tweet, Modi said aspects relating to the aviation sector were reviewed at the meeting. "This includes ways to make airports more efficient and integrating the sector with latest technological advancements," he said. The civil aviation sector has been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced governments around the world to impose restrictions on the movement of people and virtually shut flight operations. Reviewing the power sector, Modi asked officials to work towards ensuring round-the-clock supply of electricity to all consumers. At the meeting on the power sector and the impact of COVID-19 on it, the prime minister also discussed various long-term reforms for enhancing the sustainability, resilience, and efficiency of the sector. Measures to improve the viability of distribution companies, including tariff rationalisation and a timely release of subsidies, along with an improved governance, were discussed as well, a statement said. Taking to Twitter, the prime minister said, "The focus is on enhancing sustainability, resilience and improving efficiency." The statement said the discussions included measures regarding ease of doing business, propagation of renewables, flexibility in the supply of coal, the role of public-private partnerships and boosting investment in the power sector. The meeting was attended by the home minister, finance minister and Minister of State for Power, Skill and New and Renewable Energy R K Singh, the statement said. The prime minister also reviewed the education sectorin which special emphasis was given on the use of technology in the education sector and enhancing learning and adapting by the use of technology such as on-line classes, education portal and class-wise broadcast on dedicated education channels. Several educational institutions have used on-line tools to help students with their syllabus during the coronavirus-induced lockdown which has now been extended for two more weeks beginning May 4. Modi had held a series of meetings on Thursday to discuss strategies to attract foreign investment, promote local manufacturing and boost the economy that has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide lockdown to curb its spread. He had reviewed the state of investments, the defence and aerospace sector, and the mine and minerals sector. The government had first imposed a 21-day nationwide lockdown beginning March 25 and later extended it till May 3. The lockdown shut businesses, stopped air and rail travel, and restricted the movement of people and goods. The near-complete halt in economic activity may result in the country seeing a contraction in the GDP growth rate in the April-June quarter, some analysts have predicted. In late March, the government had announced a Rs 1.7-lakh crore stimulus package comprising free foodgrains and cooking gas to the poor and cash doles to poor women and elderly people. A second package, aimed at industries, particularly the small and medium enterprises that have been hit hard by the lockdown, is said to be in the works and is likely to be announced shortly. The lockdown was extended by two weeks on Friday. The second phase of the lockdown was otherwise to end on May 3. KR JD NAB SMNSMN

Amid coronavirus crisis, PM deliberates on sector-wise measures to boost growth

(Eds: Adding details) New Delhi, May 28 () Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday reviewed the state of the economy at the meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC), in view of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first meeting of the FSDC, the apex body of sectoral regulators headed by the finance minister, since the coronavirus outbreak. The 22nd meeting of the council, held via video conferencing, assumes a greater significance considering that the economy is expected to contract by 5 per cent by some estimates amid the virus crisis. The FSDC, which also comprises RBI Governor and other financial sector regulators, underlined the need to continue with measures to address the liquidity and capital requirements of the financial sector. Among the issues discussed were: the current global and domestic macro-economic situation; financial stability and vulnerabilities; challenges likely to be faced by banks and other financial institutions; regulatory and policy responses; solvency matters of financial firms, etc, according to a finance ministry statement. Besides, market volatility, domestic resource mobilisation and capital flows issues were also discussed by the council, it said. The council noted that the COVID-19 pandemic crisis poses a serious threat to the stability of the global financial system as the ultimate impact of the crisis and the timing of recovery is uncertain at this point of time, it said."While, decisive monetary and fiscal policy actions aimed at containing the fallout from the pandemic have stabilised investor sentiment in the short-run, there is a need to keep a continuous vigil by the government and all regulators on the financial conditions that could expose financial vulnerabilities in the medium and long-term," the ministry said. The statement further said that the efforts of the government and regulators are focused on avoiding a prolonged period of dislocation in financial markets. The RBI last week said the impact of COVID-19 is more severe than anticipated and the GDP growth during the current financial year is likely to remain in the negative territory. It projected some pick-up in growth impulses from the second half (October-March) of 2020-21 onwards. The council also reviewed the action taken by members on the decision taken by the FSDC earlier. The council took note of the initiatives taken by the government and the regulators in the recent months to help revive the economy. The government and the RBI have announced various fiscal and monetary measures to pre-emptively limit the economic damage and would continue to address the liquidity and capital requirements of the financial institutions. Earlier this month, the government announced about Rs 21 lakh crore stimulus package to help the nation tide over the economic crisis induced by the coronavirus and the lockdown to curb its spread. The mega economic package includes the Reserve Bank's Rs 8.01 lakh crore worth of liquidity measures. Sitharaman had announced this economic package in five tranches, which included a Rs 3.70 lakh crore support for MSMEs, Rs 75,000 crore for NBFCs and Rs 90,000 crore for power distribution companies. Besides, free foodgrains to migrant workers, increased allocation for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), tax relief to certain sections and Rs 15,000 crore allocation to the healthcare sector to deal with the pandemic, were also announced as part of the economic package. Besides the RBI governor, SEBI chief Ajay Tyagi, IRDAI chairman Subhash Chandra Khuntia, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) chairman M S Sahoo and PFRDAI chairman Supratim Bandyopadhyay were present in the meeting. Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj, Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey, Financial Services Secretary Debasish Panda and other top officials of the finance ministry also attended the meeting. DP MKJ

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COVID-19 crisis: Here are all the latest updates from India and around the world

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MSME sector will tide over coronavirus crisis: Gadkari

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Lockdown: States seal borders to stop migrants; Non-availability of labour hit supplies

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Gadkari asks NHAI chief, toll operators to ensure food, water support to migrant workers

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HCL provides 6 lakh meals to poor amid COVID-19 crisis

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Amid coronavirus crisis, PM deliberates on sector-wise measures to boost growth

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FM chairs FSDC meeting, takes stock of economy amid COVID-19 crisis

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