With over 900 million believers and many faithful, and innumerable ‘holy’ places, Hindu <keyword id="56253" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Temples" source="Orion">temples</keyword> are neither short of footfalls nor donations. So much so when <keyword id="419623" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tirumala-Tirupati" source="Orion">Tirumala Tirupati</keyword> Devasthanam declared that its land holdings are valued at ₹85,000 crore (modestly) across 960 properties all over India — few were surprised. After all, the <keyword id="721647" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lord-Venkateshwara-temple" source="Orion">Lord Venkateshwara temple</keyword> makes <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/fyi/story/siddhivinayak-hundi-rich-temple-india-demonetisation-352322-2016-11-16">$11 million a year</a> selling its ladoos alone, in addition to the thousands who queue up every day and make generous donations. <div type="image" title="Venkateshwara temple makes $11 million a year selling ladoos alone" height="900" width="1200" msid="94550183" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Venkateshwara temple makes $11 million a year selling ladoos alone&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> From the gilded era Tirupati has a long history of generous donations. A 16th century king Krishnadevaraya who ruled over erstwhile Andhra and Karnataka is known to have performed an ‘abhishekham’ with 30,000 gold coins instead of the traditional bathing with milk — in addition to other gold ornaments he donated. <div type="image" title="Tirupati temple has a long history of generous donations" msid="94550258" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Tirupati temple has a long history of generous donations&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Tirupati has been holding on to the richest temple tag for generations till it was displaced by Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala, with an estimated $20 billion lying in its vaults. <div type="image" title="Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala has an estimated $20 billion lying in its vaults" height="900" width="1200" msid="94550303" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala has an estimated $20 billion lying in its vaults&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Some of the treasures uncovered include 1.2 metre solid gold statues studded with precious stones, crowns and countless artefacts. An <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sree-padmanabhaswamy-temple-wealth-amicus-curiae-finds-serious-lapses-wants-audit/articleshow/33963351.cms?from=mdr">amicus curiae </a>petition was filed in the <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sree-padmanabhaswamy-temple-wealth-amicus-curiae-finds-serious-lapses-wants-audit/articleshow/33963351.cms?from=mdr">Supreme Court, </a>which wanted a scientific audit on the treasures. And a few vaults are still unopened, deepening the mystery of this temple’s wealth. The 12th century temple Shree Jagannath of Puri too is moving to digitise its land records and said that it possesses over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/land-records-of-lord-jagannaths-over-60000-acres-in-7-states-to-be-digitised/articleshow/94497919.cms">60,000 acres across seven states.</a> <div type="image" title="Jagannath temple in Puri" height="900" width="1200" msid="94550358" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Jagannath temple in Puri&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Built by kings and patronised by their subjects, many Indian temples possess lands, mostly farm lands – to support their upkeep. Most old and large temples receive ample donations in cash and gold that have been filling their Hundis and coffers over the centuries. Endowment bodies are private entities and never had to reveal their wealth, few can guess the extent of cash and gold holdings. Apart from a few details that have become public, very few have ventured to estimate temple wealth. In 2016, the World Gold Council estimated that the gold lying in Indian<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/temples-hold-about-4-000-tonnes-of-gold-116032400306_1.html"> temples could be as high as 4,000 tonnes</a> — that’s over a fifth of the total gold holdings of the country. Cash, stocks or bonds? The cash that temples receive from Hundis remains enormous. Temples are known to employ large teams to sort and count them and some have even fashioned giant sieves that can sift coins. As the number of financial instruments increase, temple trusts too have expanded their ‘accounts’ to easily receive all sorts of donations. In 2015, Lord Balaji opened his own demat account to receive stocks and bonds. Following Him, are many temple trusts including Vaishno Devi temple, Swaminarayan Temple of Ahmedabad, Srinathji Temple of Nathdwara, Iskon Charities, Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, to name a few. In addition to easing the process of ‘offerings’ in an increasingly cash-free society, this move also helps people turn Gods into their business partners with a small stake. Like in the case of gold, no information is proffered on how much stock trusts hold and if they are traded. What’s the wealth going to do? Legend has it that all that goes into Lord Balaji’s Hundi is used to pay off the interest for a loan that he took from Kubera, the God of wealth, and this payoff will continue till the end of Kali Yug. In reality, it’s the trustees who decide what is to be done with the wealth. And, what do temples do with the wealth? It takes a lot to maintain a temple. Large temples employ a range of staff – be it priests, security guards, cleaning staff and accountants, some temples even have a large administrative staff to manage the finances and more. Moreover, temples hold large events like Navratri festivals, pujas or annual processions like rath yatras. A few temples also cook and serve prasad like the Iskcon temple which offers an elaborate lunch-like prasad on a daily basis. <div type="image" title="Krishna Janmashtami at Iskon temple in Juhu, Mumbai" msid="94550472" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Krishna Janmashtami at Iskon temple in Juhu, Mumbai&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> A few temple trusts also run charitable organisations like schools, colleges, hospitals and even orphanages – so a lot of money goes into that too. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a few temple trusts like Puri’s Shree Jagannath Temple Administration donated in cash while many others provided facilities for quarantine facilities, beds and even Oxygen tanks. All in all – trusts also contribute towards welfare activities. The temples also reserve some of its wealth for a rainy day. During the lockdown, when temples shut doors, a lot of them which depended on daily cash donations <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/26/1200-hindu-temples-india-will-pawn-gold-maintain-running-costs/">had to pawn their gold to maintain</a> the running costs. The Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages Kerala’s temples, had deposited some of its gold with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a loan after selling unused lamps and a few brass utensils. The temple and the state Temple priests, seers and Kings always maintained a healthy mutual relationship – some of the former also adorned the courts and were trusted advisors. Tensions however emerged after monarchy and the battle lines were drawn between the church and the state. The first clash occurred in the early 1800s when the East India Company (EIC) demanded a tribute from the Queen of Travancore – the royal family which is now the trustee of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. As she failed to provide ‘protection money’, the company took over the temple trusts in the region. This passed onto the British crown who later drafted a Madras Religious and Charitable Endowment Act, which later became the The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act – that controls a few hundreds of thousands of temple trusts, mutts and endowments. It is to be noted that the Madras Presidency covered large parts of Tamil Nadu in addition to Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and even Kerala — till date, a few hundreds of thousands of temples are directly under government control. In fact, some of the richest trusts including Tirupati, Meenakshi temple of Madurai, Shirdi Sai Baba temple and Siddhi Vinayak <a href="https://asiaconverge.com/2020/09/indian-governments-outdid-aurangzeb-they-emasculated-hindu-temples/">fall under the government control</a>. IAS officers act <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/shirdi-saibaba-trust-ias-official-4560862/">as temple trustees in many temples</a> across states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, which appointed an IAS officer to the <a href="https://theprint.in/india/nripendra-misra-modis-trusted-former-ias-officer-will-head-ram-temple-construction-panel/368134/">Ayodhya’s Ram temple trust</a>. The trust with the government There have been multiple attempts to bring more trusts under the government’s purview and a few of them have been resisting in multiple ways. The most high profile case has been that of <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/nataraja-temple-to-be-managed-by-priest-not-by-tamil-nadu-govt-114010600610_1.html">Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram Trust and the state government</a> of Tamil Nadu where the court ruled in favour of the trust. The pre-Chola temple where the statue of Shiva itself remains elusive – known as the ‘secret’ – had resisted the state government attempt to take over the trust. A similar attempt at a takeover of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple trust temple, with treasures that are worth hundreds of billions, by the state government — <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/supreme-court-sets-aside-kerala-hc-order-on-government-takeover-of-padmanabhaswamy-temple-5540371.html">was stalled by the Apex court</a>. Yet another case involves the <a href="https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/vaishno-devi-shrine-board-funds-were-used-for-iftaar-parties">Vaishno Devi temple, </a>where a petition was filed challenging the government control of the shrine. The Karnataka government however wants to do away <a href="https://www.timesnownews.com/india/karnataka-to-do-away-with-government-control-over-temples-says-cm-bommai-in-budget-speech-article-89990133">with its control over temple trusts</a>, said the chief minister Basavaraj Bommai in March this year. If they do so, they would create a precedent where more endowments would seek autonomy – leaving one of India’s high-profile asset owners with more control of their vaults and all that therein.

SIMPLY PUT: Gods must be wealthy but how wealthy are they?

<ul><li>India’s <keyword id="3317575" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government-e-Marketplace">government e-marketplace</keyword> (GEM) has made it compulsory for sellers to state the ‘<keyword id="1340631" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Country-of-Origin">country of origin</keyword>’ for the products listed on the platform.</li><li>The feature on the government’s marketplace comes at a time when due to the Indo-China border clashes, there has been a call to dump <keyword id="108268" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chinese-products">Chinese products</keyword>.</li><li>Buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria, says the official release from the government.</li></ul>India’s government <keyword id="6572939" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="E-marketplace">e-marketplace</keyword> (GEM) has made it compulsory for sellers to state the ‘country of origin’ for the products listed on the platform. The measure has been brought in as a step to promote the Make in India initiative which got a further boost from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self reliant India). “Sellers, who had already uploaded their products before the introduction of this new feature on GeM, are being reminded regularly to update the Country of Origin, with a warning that their products shall be removed from GeM if they fail to update the same,” says the official release of the government. The feature on the government’s marketplace comes at a time when due to the Indo-China border clashes, there has been a call to dump Chinese products and people have been uninstalling Chinese apps as well. Through this filter, buyers can choose to buy only those products that meet the minimum 50% local content criteria. Launched in 2016, the government e-marketplace is an online platform for public procurement for government departments and has almost 4 lakh sellers. It also offers e-bidding, reverse e-auction and demand aggregation. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/acharya-balakrishna-the-1-6-billion-ceo-behind-the-rise-of-patanjali-in-india/slidelist/76527837.cms">Acharya Balakrishna — the $1.6 billion CEO behind the rise of Patanjali in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/checkout-jagannath-rath-yatra-2020-images-pictures-without-the-lakhs-of-devotees/slidelist/76528249.cms">Contrasting images of the iconic Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra from 2020 and 2019 – without the lakhs of devotees</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/how-the-us-germany-and-other-european-countries-tried-to-protect-jobs-amidst-the-coronavirus-pandemic/articleshow/76529361.cms">This is how the US, Germany and other European countries tried to protect jobs amidst the coronavirus pandemic</a>

India’s government e-marketplace now has a Make in India filter – sellers have to specify the ‘country of origin’ for products

Bhubaneswar, Jun 24 () Odisha's COVID-19 tally rose to 5,752 on Wednesday as 282 more people, including eight NDRF personnel, tested positive for the disease, while the recovery rate in the state touched 71.67 per cent, a health department official said. Of the fresh cases, 256 were reported from different quarantine centres where people returning from other parts of the country are lodged for preliminary observation. The remaining 26 cases were detected during contact tracing exercise. Eight National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, who had returned from West Bengal after carrying out restoration work in the wake of Cyclone Amphan, are among the 256 cases reported from quarantine centres, the official said. Till now, 276 NDRF, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Odisha Fire Service personnel have contracted the virus in the state. With 135 patients recovering from the highly infectious disease on Wednesday, the number of cured persons has crossed the 4,000-mark. The total number of cured patients has increased to 4,123, which is 71.67 per cent of the total 5,752 positive cases in the state. Gajapati district reported the maximum number of fresh cases at 76, followed by 75 in Gajnam, 26 in Khordha and 23 in Jharsuguda. In view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, the Gajnam district administration said all government offices will remain closed for senior officers starting Wednesday. Ganjam, which has received the highest number of migrant workers since May 3, has become the state's first district where the COVID-19 tally has crossed the 1,000-mark. It has reported 1,030 cases so far. While 729 patients have recovered, eight died. There are 293 active cases in the district. The total number of active cases in Odisha stands at 1,605. The state has reported 17 deaths due to the disease so far. The state on Tuesday conducted 4,271 tests. So far 2,35,627 samples have been collected, the official said. The state government has launched a drive to test for COVID-19 around 5,000 people associated with Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra, including servitors, police personnel and municipality staff. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) said it will set up an exclusive health care centre for the families of servitors. Ahead of the Rath Yatra, a massive sample collection exercise was conducted on Monday night and one servitor had tested positive, Chief Secretary A K Tripathy said. He said a total of 16 people, including his family members, were identified during contact tracing. Meanwhile, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) sealed a private hospital in the state capital after 27 COVID-19 cases were detected there. The hospital had allegedly admitted a COVID-19 patient in violation of norms, thereby spreading the virus among its staff and other persons. Director of Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar Ajay Parida said antibody kits approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will reach Odisha by next week. "The kits will be used for conducting door-to-door COVID-19 tests across the state which will continue till July 31," Parida said. State government COVID-19 spokesperson Subroto Bagchi asked people to take special care of elderly persons as they are vulnerable to the virus. "Of the 17 COVID-19 fatalities reported so far in the state, nine were above 60 years of age. "Six of the nine elderly persons had not come out of their houses for months together. They died after contracting the infection from other family members who went outside," he said. Bagchi suggested that crutches, walking sticks, wheelchairs and mobile phones used by elderly persons should be disinfected regularly. AAM MM DIV DIV

Odisha's COVID-19 tally rises to 5,752 with 282 fresh cases

<ul><li>Gujarat has reported 52,563 Coronavirus cases so far, out of which Ahmedabad has reported 22,923 cases.</li><li>38,059 patients have recovered, and 2,252 patients have lost their life.</li><li>The state reported 1,078 new cases and 28 new deaths on July 23.</li></ul>Gujarat has reported a record 1078 new cases of Coronavirus in the state on July 23, taking the total cases to 52,563. Ahmedabad has emerged as the hotspot for Coronavirus in the state and has reported 25,173 cases so far. Gujarat reported 10 new deaths in the state on July 23, taking the total death toll in the state to 2,252. Out of the total deaths, Ahmedabad has reported 1,565 deaths. In its bulletin, the state has reported that 718 patients were discharged on July 23, taking the total number of recovered people to 38,059. Right now, there are 4,31,823 people quarantined in the state, out of which 4,30,014 are home quarantined and 1,809 are in government facilities. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Total Cases </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Active Cases </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Recovered </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Deceased </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">52,563</td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">12,252</td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">38,059</td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2,252</td></tr></tbody></table> Surat gets Rs 100 crore for dedicated Covid-19 hospitals Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on his visit to Surat on Saturday announced an immediate grant of Rs 100 crore for setting up two dedicated Covid-19 hospitals in the City. Looking at the rising number of corona cases he also announced that 200 ventilators will be provided to the city within two days. The Gujarat Chief Minister said, "We have assessed the situation here and we are taking steps to curb the virus outbreak. The stemcell hospital will be converted into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital shortly. The kidney hospital in the city too will be converted into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital within a month's time. One hundred crore rupees have been allocated for the purpose. We have already appointed 6 to 7 agencies to implement it." Gujarat reverses its decision to hold university exams Following directives from the Union government, the Gujarat government on Wednesday reversed its earlier decision to hold final year examinations of all universities and colleges in Gujarat. The state government has now kept on hold or postponed examinations of universities and colleges. Addressing the media, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said: "The Union Education Secretary has issued guidelines for all the states to put on hold all the examinations of universities, looking at the prevailing situation of Covid-19." Curbs on educational activities to continue in Guj The Gujarat government on June 30 issued a notification regarding the second phase of unlocking. While some more relaxations have been granted, the state will continue with many of the restrictions which were in place during Unlock 1.0, including curbs on educational activities. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that shops in Gujarat will be allowed to function till 8 p.m., while hotels and restaurants will be allowed to operate till 9 p.m. According to the notification, night curfew will be in place from 10pm till 5am Street food banned in Surat containment clusters Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani has issued a notification banning all street food vending in the city's containment clusters, including Varachha, Sarthana and Katargam areas. Through another notification issued, many of the diamond polishing units have been shut for a week. Gujarat govt's online aid of ₹1,369 crore for MSMEs, textile industry Announcing an aid of ₹1,369 crore for micro small and medium enterprises and textile industries, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday kickstarted the online cash aid initiative - 'At One Click' - for around 13,000 MSMEs in Gujarat. The Chief Minister has called upon the state's MSME units and industries to take up the challenge of converting this adversity of corona crisis into an opportunity. "The state government is committed to encourage industries, businesses and trades in the state to revive them and restore the former vibrancy of the state, with an aim 'Jaan hai to Jahan hai'," said Rupani. Corona tests in private labs in Gujarat to cost only ₹2,500 After receiving many proposals and examining rates in other states, the Gujarat government on Thursday capped the price of corona test in private labs to ₹2,500, against the ₹4,500 allowed earlier. The Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) had written to the state government to lower the prices of corona tests which had been fixed by the Gujarat government at ₹4,500. In the letter it has said that in other states like Delhi, Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, the charges were around ₹2,200-₹2,800, and had recommended the state government fix the price of the test at ₹2,000. Gujarat HC stays Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad Citing the Supreme Court's stay on Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in Puri in Odisha amid the Coronavirus pandemic, the Gujarat High Court on Saturday stayed the Rath Yatra procession in Ahmedabad city scheduled for June 11. The High Court also directed the state Home Department, Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police and the Municipal Corporation to explain why there was a long delay in granting or denying permission for the Rath Yatra and consequent uncertainty over this year's religious procession. With inputs from IANS. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-cases-in-hyderabad-telangana-news-and-updates/articleshow/74823424.cms">Telangana Coronavirus cases</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/glenmark-launches-covid-19-drug-after-dcgi-nod/articleshow/76479144.cms">Glenmark launches first oral coronavirus drug in India called FabiFlu</a>

Gujarat coronavirus cases rise to 52,563, – 2,252 dead and 38,059 recovered

New Delhi, Jun 27 () Here are the latest updates on the coronavirus crisis in India and other parts of the world on Saturday. 11:26 a.m. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 crisis also presents an opportunity for businesses to re-strategise and re-invent themselves, Union Bank of India MD and CEO Rajkiran Rai G said. 11:22 a.m. As many as 417 personnel of the Thane police commissionerate have tested coronavirus positive so far, officials say. 11:18 a.m. Transfers amid COVID-19 demoralised bureaucracy, BJP leader Pravin Darekar says. 11:03 a.m. India's top TT players raise funds to help fraternity members amid coronavirus crisis. 11:00 a.m. India's records highest single-day COVID-19 spike with over 18,000 cases as death toll rises to 15,685. 9:44 a.m. COVID-19 is triggering panic attacks, depression and suicides, say experts. 9:38 a.m. Buildings in congested areas and slums of north Mumbai will be sealed considering the rise in COVID-19 cases here in the last 15 days, Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh says. 9:27 a.m. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik calls upon all all to adhere to SC's order and COVID-19 guidelines to make the return journey of Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra at Puri successful. 8:59 a.m. MP government asks police dept to recruit over 4,200 constables. VIS VIS

Coronavirus: Latest updates on COVID-19 crisis around the world

Bhubaneswar, Jul 6 () Voicing concern over rapid spread of the novel coronavirus in the country, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday exhorted the people to adopt "sacrifice, restraint and discipline" as three main weapons to win the war against COVID-19. The chief minister said strict adherence to COVID guidelines has become all the more important as the unlock process has commenced in the country and most of the restrictions imposed earlier to contain the spread of the deadly virus have been lifted. Noting that India now occupies the third place in the world so far as the number of infections is concerned, Patnaik in a video message said that the number of confirmed cases is increasing by about one lakh in every four days. "The number of COVID cases is also increasing in Odisha. I had also cautioned you all before the onset of monsoon and emphasized the need to take adequate precautions against possible infection," he said. He further said life will not be the same ever unless and until a vaccine or medicine is available and people will have to make sacrifices to remain safe. "In order to win the war against COVID, we all have to adopt the path of sacrifice, restraint and discipline. These three weapons will bring us victory in the battle against coronavirus," the chief minister said. Referring to the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath successfully held recently in the absence of devotees in Puri, Patnaik said Odisha has created history by conducting the annual car festival without any congregation and by strictly abiding by the COVID guidelines at a time when the whole world was watching the state. Odisha has so far reported 9,526 coronavirus cases and 38 fatalities due to the deadly infection. SKN SNS SMN SMN

Sacrifice, restraint and discipline are three main weapons against COVID: Odisha CM

<keyword id="9450522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-oil-refineries">Indian oil refineries</keyword> improved operating run rate to an average of 77 per cent of capacity in May as easing of <keyword id="8976170" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown-restrictions">lockdown restrictions</keyword> helped bring back some of the lost fuel demand, according to oil ministry data. Refineries, which had in April cut down operating rate to as low as 30-40 per cent as lockdown took most vehicles off road, processed 16.34 million tonnes of crude oil in May, 11 per cent more than April but 24 per cent less than a year earlier. <keyword id="6487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Industries-Ltd">Reliance Industries Ltd</keyword>, which operates the world's biggest oil refining complex at Jamnagar in Gujarat, cut crude processing for a third straight month in May. Its twin refineries operated at an average capacity of 91.72 per cent in May, down from 94.8 per cent in April and 95.4 per cent in March. RIL refineries processed 5.312 million tonnes of crude oil in May, down 12.5 per cent over the previous year. The units had processed 5.314 million tonnes in April. The units produced 6.53 million tonnes of petroleum products in May, down from 7.13 million tonnes a year ago and 6.76 million tonnes in April 2020. Indian Oil Corp (IOC), the nation's biggest oil firm, operated its nine refineries at an average rate of 72.8 per cent in May, up from 53.2 per cent in April. Rosneft-backed Nayara Energy's 20 million tonnes a year Vadinar refinery in Gujarat ran at 91.9 per cent of capacity in May, up from 85.3 per cent capacity in April. India's crude oil production fell 7 per cent to 2.6 million tonnes in May but was higher than April's 2.54 million tonnes. ONGC output was down 2.3 per cent at 1.72 million tonnes mainly due to lower offtake by industries that had been shut due to lockdown. Fields operated by private firms produced over 18 per cent less crude oil, mostly due to lower output from Cairn-operated Rajasthan block. Natural gas production in May dropped 16 per cent to 2.3 billion cubic metres as shutting down of user industries forced companies such as ONGC to cut production. Oil and Natural Gas Corp's (ONGC) output was down 13.2 per cent at 1.8 bcm. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-airtel-share-price-may-gain-as-broadband-plan-rates-fall/articleshow/76525187.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Home broadband bills could come down if government cuts its share⁠ — big boost for Reliance Jio and Airtel</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/checkout-jagannath-rath-yatra-2020-images-pictures-without-the-lakhs-of-devotees/slidelist/76528249.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Contrasting images of the iconic Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra from 2020 and 2019 – without the lakhs of devotees</a>

Oil refineries improve run rate; Reliance cuts crude processing for 3rd straight month

<ul><li>The authorities said the lockdown will begin from June 23 and will last till June 30. </li><li>Essential activities will only be allowed between 6 am to 2 pm on weekdays. </li><li>Essential commodities shops like grocery stores and petrol bunks will be open from 6 am to 2 pm with stricter social distancing norms. </li></ul>Tamil Nadu government has enforced a seven days long complete lockdown in Madurai as the coronavirus cases continue to mount in the city. The authorities said the lockdown will begin from June 23 and will last till June 30. According to the statement, the whole city will remain shut on Sunday, and essential activities will only be allowed between 6 am to 2 pm on weekdays. “Complete lockdown in the jurisdiction of Madurai Corporation limits, Paravai Town Panchayat and rural blocks of Madurai East, Madurai west and Thiruparankundram from 23.06.2020 to 30.06.2020,” according to the statement. Here’s the list of activities permitted during the lockdown <ul><li>Hospitals, medical labs, pharmaceuticals shops, ambulance and medical services will be allowed during the lockdown.</li><li>All public transport like auto, taxi and buses won’t be allowed until being used for a medical emergency. However, transportation from the airport or railway station will be allowed after procuring e-pass from the authorities.</li><li>All state and central government offices in the city will work with 33% staff with an exception for essential services departments including health, police and other local bodies.</li><li>State government employees from the containment zones will be exempt from duty. However, prior approval is needed.</li><li>Banks are allowed to open with a maximum of 33% staff. All ATM’s and other banking services will continue normally.</li><li>The government has also allowed public distribution shops (PDS) to open from 8 am to 2 pm. However, the shop in the containment zones will remain shut, and the relief will be directly handed over to the families in need.</li><li>Essential commodities shops like grocery stores and petrol bunks will be open from 6 am to 2 pm with stricter social distancing norms. The residents will only be allowed to buy essential items within a kilometre from their residence.</li><li>Restaurants and hotels will be open from 6 am to 8 pm; however, only takeaways will be allowed.</li><li>The government has allowed operation of amma canteens and community kitchens during the lockdown.</li><li>NGOs and organisations planning to help the needy will need prior permission from the government.</li><li>It has also allowed operation of media, judiciary and construction workers for the next 7 days.</li><li>The government also said the e-pass would only be issued to people who are visiting other cities for marriage, funeral and other medical emergencies— subjected to documentation.</li><li>Companies involved in IT services will be permitted to function with only 5% of the regular staff, and for that, a list will be provided by the IT department.</li></ul>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/puri-jagannath-rath-yatra-will-be-held-this-year-despite-coronavirus-but-without-the-lakhs-of-devotees/articleshow/76505670.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra will be held this year despite coronavirus, but without the lakhs of devotees</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/fabiflu-covifor-cipremi-medicines-approved-to-treat-covid-19-patients-in-india/slidelist/76507980.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Fabiflu, Covifor, Cipremi and other drugs approved or under trial for COVID-19 patients in India</a>

What’s allowed and what isn’t as Madurai lockdown tightens for the next one week

Bhubaneswar, Jul 2 () With ministers and BJD MLAs caught ignoring coronavirus regulations, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has asked the party legislators to adhere to nine "COVID mantras" such as mandatory wearing of face masks and following social-distancing norms. In his first video-conference with Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLAs since the COVID-19 outbreak, Patnaik on Wednesday said, "This (pandemic) also provides a unique opportunity to serve people like never before." Besides mask-wearing and following social-distancing norms, Patnaik's "COVID mantras" include avoiding public gatherings, efforts to scale up the blood donation programme and taking care of elderly people, among others. The chief minister's advice to the MLAs assumes significance as Odisha is witnessing a spike in the number of coronavirus cases with every passing day. The state has reported 27 deaths due to the infection till Thursday, while the number of positive cases has risen to 7,545 with 229 fresh ones. The chief minister's pep talk to the ruling party MLAs came at a time when some senior BJD legislators and ministers have been found not adhering to the central and the state governments' guidelines on COVID-19. While BJD general secretary (organisation) Pranab Prakash Das was accused of violating coronavirus restrictions during his birthday celebrations last week, Culture Minister J P Panigrahi also came under the scanner for not following social-distancing norms. Even some ministers on Rath Yatra duty in Puri were seen not wearing masks and giving a go-by to social distancing. "You (MLAs) are very important. People have reposed faith in your leadership. In your every act, every move, every step you should inspire our workers and the people at large to follow the COVID-19 guidelines, take care of themselves and their families," Patnaik told the BJD lawmakers. The BJD has 113 MLAs, including the chief minister, in the 147-member Odisha Assembly. Under the nine-point formula, Patnaik asked the MLAs to scale up the party's "Jeevan Bindu" (blood donation) programme and said the BJD workers in every village should volunteer in all COVID-related programmes. Stating that Odisha has entered the most-challenging phase in its fight against the coronavirus after seven lakh people returned to the state and due to the onset of monsoon, the chief minister said the elderly people are the most vulnerable. "We must take care of them," he said. He asked the BJD MLAs to spread awareness on mask-wearing and social distancing. Patnaik asked the MLAs to avoid public gatherings and use other methods to connect with people using technology, adding that the lawmakers should ensure that livelihood and skill-development activities are aggressively taken up. He informed the MLAs that each of the 50,000 ward-level COVID care committees across the state is provided Rs 10,000 from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, while each panchayat will have a COVID Care Home. "An amount of Rs 50,000 is sanctioned for each COVID Care Home," the chief minister said. He also said everyone should pray to Lord Jagannath for his blessings for the human race to come out of this unprecedented crisis. "With the blessings of the Lord, people's co-operation, hard work of the people's representatives and government servants, Odisha is in a better state in the fight against COVID-19," Patnaik said. Noting that Odisha has one of the highest recovery rates of coronavirus patients in the country and one of the lowest mortality rates of such patients anywhere, Patnaik said the state still has a long way to go. "We have entered the most-challenging phase in our fight against the coronavirus," he said. Patnaik said Odisha is one of the few states that bear all the treatment cost of COVID-19 patients and pay for the train fare of those returning to the state, adding that those in quarantine are being given a financial support of Rs 2,000. In addition, 2.5 crore meals have been provided by Mission Shakti groups to vulnerable people, he said, adding that from setting up COVID-19 hospitals to making medical equipment available and training of manpower, the state has done it in a record time. "Whether it is a lockdown or a shutdown, our approach has been scientific. Our strategy has been community based with monitoring through advanced technology," Patnaik said. AAM SNS RC

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