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In today’s market, where convenience is the king, it's getting increasingly possible to get almost everything under the Sun home-delivered in urban India. But not the alcohol! Now, major players like <keyword id="19896956" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swiggy" source="keywords">Swiggy</keyword>, Zomato, <keyword id="20069203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blinkit" source="keywords">Blinkit</keyword>, and BigBasket are eyeing this lucrative opportunity, ready to transform the way we enjoy our evenings (or feed our vices depending on how one takes it). As regulations offer hopes of loosening with the rising consumer demand, the question on everyone's mind is: will <keyword id="22432889" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="alcohol-home-delivery" source="keywords">alcohol home delivery</keyword> become the new norm? As per the media reports, the quick commerce platforms might soon start delivering low-alcohol drinks like beer, wine, and liqueurs, at least in some parts of the country. A report from the Economic Times reveals that states like New Delhi, Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Kerala are thinking about trying out this service. Industry executives say that authorities are currently looking at the advantages and disadvantages of allowing alcohol deliveries. <h2>State authorities collecting feedback</h2>State authorities are reportedly collecting views from <keyword id="22432890" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="instant-delivery-platforms" source="Orion">instant delivery platforms</keyword> and spirit manufacturers for assessing the pros and cons of delivering low-alcohol liquors. "This is to cater to a growing expat population, especially in larger cities, changing profiles of consumers who perceive moderate alcohol-content spirits as recreational drinking along with meals, and women and senior citizens who have flagged buying from traditional liquor vends and shop-front experiences as unpleasant," one of the executives told Economic Times. According to the ET report, only Odisha and West Bengal allow home delivery of alcohol at the moment. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Assam also allowed it temporarily, and it was successful despite some restrictions and hurdles. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111758782" title="Zomato and Swiggy increase platform fee by 20% – food deliveries to get costlier" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>Enthusiasm grows across sectors</h2>Retail industry executives say that online alcohol deliveries have increased sales by 20-30% in West Bengal and Odisha. Although the idea of online home delivery of liquor faced several challenges including political backlash and pressure from physical retail bodies. For now Swiggy and Spencer’s retail delivers spirits in West Bengal. Dinker Vashisht, vice president of corporate affairs at Swiggy said “Online models ensure end-to-end transaction records, age verification and adhere to limits. Further, online tech stacks synchronise with regulatory and excise requirements, ensuring adherence to timings, dry days and zonal delivery guardrails” Beer manufacturers like United Breweries and AB InBev are also interested in this concept, an industry executive told ET. “Beer blends more with grocery shopping, especially for consumers in big cities, and needs to be chilled, which limits its visibility in liquor vends.” In 2020, AB InBev started Beerbox, a platform that listed places delivering alcohol within a 3-4 km range. This was after Maharashtra temporarily allowed home deliveries during the pandemic. Overall, as regulations, consumer demand, and the capacity of online quick-commerce platforms align, the days of cancelling the evening plans to avoid stepping out to buy alcohol might soon be behind us. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/jio-financials-gets-rbi-nod-to-become-core-investment-company/articleshow/111677548.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Jio Financials gets RBI nod to become Core Investment Company</a>

Will alcohol home delivery be a reality soon? Swiggy, Zomato, and Blinkit smell an opportunity

<ul><li>BevQ, a virtual queue management <keyword id="10594073" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="app-for-bars-and-liquor-stores">app for bars and liquor stores</keyword>, saw the highest growth in year-on-year sessions within Indian food and drink apps, according to App Annie.</li><li>The app even beat the likes of Domino’s, which is used across India. Domino’s ranked second.</li><li>Interestingly, the Chhattisgarh-state run CSMCL (Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited) Online, which enabled the home-delivery of alcohol in the state, came in at the fifth position.</li></ul>In May 2020, the state of Kerala announced that liquor shops would reopen after being shut for two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Along with the announcement, a new app also surfaced, BevQ, a virtual queue management app to enforce social distancing. And in the eight months that followed, the app, which works only in the state of Kerala, beat all other Indian food and drink apps in 2020 to see the highest growth in year-on-year sessions, according to the State of Mobile 2021 report by App Annie. The app even beat the likes of Domino’s, which is used all across India. Interestingly, the Chhattisgarh-state run CSMCL (Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited) Online, which enabled the home-delivery of alcohol in the state, came in at the fifth position. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Food and Drink apps ranking (According to number of sessions) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">BevQ </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Domino’s Pizza India </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Fresh to Home </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Swiggy Stores Vendor App </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">CSMCL Online </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: App Annie “While use of food delivery apps often peaked near the beginning of the pandemic in most markets, India had an initial decline due to logistical impacts before rising again in the summer,” said the report. BevQ was developed by the Kerala-based FairCode Technologies and was also one of the apps chosen by a committee chaired by the IT secretary and the Kerala Startup Mission. The app issues tokens and time slots for people to buy alcohol from bars and restaurants. BevQ, which got over a lakh downloads within hours of its launch, found its place in the App Annie ranking even when bars and liquor stores in Kerala had opened only partially in May 2020 before being shut down again due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stores across the state reopened only in December 2020. However, the app has also been reported to have multiple <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2020/may/30/bevq-flops-again-govt-explores-other-options-2149790.html">technical glitches</a> during its launch. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/the-indian-government-may-call-whatsapp-to-explain-why-its-new-data-sharing-terms-apply-in-india-but-not-in-europe/articleshow/80262586.cms">The Indian government may call WhatsApp to explain why its new data privacy policy applies in India but not in Europe</a>

A liquor sale queue management app in Kerala beat all other Indian food and drink apps in 2020

<ul><li>Kerala’s <keyword id="6958454" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="liquor-home-delivery">liquor home delivery</keyword> app, BevQ, has fallen to a 2.1 rating on the <keyword id="6369511" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="google-play-store">Google Play Store</keyword>. </li><li>Even though BevQ was able to garner more than 100,000 downloads in less than 24 hours, many users have since reported multiple glitches in its functioning.</li><li>From issues of OTP generation to liquor delivery time slots on being available been 3:45 am to 9:00 am, more than 60% of the BevQ’s reviews at rated 1-star.</li></ul>Kerala’s liquor home delivery app, BevQ, has fallen from grace in record time. Currently, it holds a 2.1 rating on the Google Play Store with more than 60% of its over 30,000 reviews giving it only 1 star. BevQ was launched with a lot of fanfare by Kerala Excise Minister TP Ramakrishnan on May 26 as a way of avoiding overcrowding at alcohol shops. It even crossed over one lakh downloads in less than 24 hours of going live. In the past four days, it’s been downloaded over a million times. However, since then users have reported multiple glitches with the app from the receiving OTPs on time to delivery slots being switched out with any alerts. “I keep receiving messages that ‘something went wrong’ after I have added my name, cellphone number and pin code,” complained one user. <div type="twitter" handle="JimmyGeorgeMum" handlename="Jimmy George" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1144262559249379332/AP3N73Uw_normal.png" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@CMOKerala @vijayanpinarayi sir please scrap the BevQ app. It's not serving any purpose. There are queues everywher… https://t.co/DPraICcJeF" createdat="1590903725000" id="1266968170549501955"></div> "In order to maintain the social distancing especially in this COVID scenario this app will be usable and the client can book a queue number and token for assuring his place in the queue in the specified time slot," the app description on Google Play reads. Yet users report that the only ‘time slot’ that’s available is between 3:45 am and 9:00 am even though government guidelines dictate that bookings should only be available between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm. <div type="twitter" handle="dineshbagavath" handlename="dinesh bagavath" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1037453578401505281/YBlF6ggk_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="Hi guy's I am from Munnar located in kerala. Government of kerala have launched a app for selling alcohol Tried it… https://t.co/swIzqiF23S" createdat="1590853259000" id="1266756498371182593"></div> Even if a user concedes to booking between the available timeslot the app shoots back saying, ‘token not available’. One of the lucky few who was able to book a time slot said, “When booked you get a far away outlet. Instead of using the nearest location, the app is using the nearest pin code.” <div type="twitter" handle="TKuttappi" handlename="Dr.Thavalappi (MBBS,MD)" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1253334077421191168/oMb8uWPc_normal.jpg" favoritecount="22" retweetcount="0" status="Is there anyone here on twitter who has got an OTP from the BevQ app ? If yes, please take a Sikkim lottery and M… https://t.co/jhUDJAiYz4" createdat="1590851984000" id="1266751154349846529"></div> The app is built by a Kochi-based startup called Faircode Technologies Limited, which claims to have <a href="https://www.faircodetech.com/">256 clients</a> on its site. Yet, three days into the launch of the app many of the issues remain unresolved. Users on Twitter and Facebook have been trolling the apps for its false promises. The spokesperson for the company has said that they’re working on resolving the issues with some external help. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coranavirus-cases-in-kerala-news-and-updates/articleshow/74775194.cms">Coronavirus cases in Kerala news and updates</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/woman-dies-of-covid-19-in-kerala-toll-rises-to-ten-61-new-cases-reported/articleshow/76124098.cms">Woman dies of COVID-19 in Kerala, toll rises to ten; 61 new cases reported</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/remove-china-apps-races-to-1-million-downloads-within-two-weeks-as-anti-china-sentiment-gains-momentum/articleshow/76128369.cms">‘Remove China Apps’ races to 1 million downloads within two weeks as anti-China sentiment gains momentum</a>

BevQ, Kerala’s liquor home delivery app, is ‘on the rocks’ with a 2.1 rating on the Google Play Store

<ul><li>Kerala is discouraging public gatherings but is yet to shut down its liquor shops.</li><li>People waiting in queues outside these state-run establishments are being directed to stand at least a meter apart by the local authorities.</li><li>One man who tried to petition the Kerala High Court for home delivery of alcohol was fined ₹50,000.</li></ul>Coronavirus may be on the prowl but Kerala isn’t shutting down its liquor shops — and demand doesn’t seem to be shrinking either. The one thing that has changed is social distancing. People standing in queues outside state-run establishments are maintaining a distance of a few feet between them to reduce the chance of an infection. A few videos also surfaced of guards asking people to maintain at least a meter of space between them. <div type="javascript" title="Facebook" contenttype="Image"><cdata><![CDATA[

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 However, some reports suggest that the videos of social distancing at liquor stores is only optics. Reporters with <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/covid-19-videos-social-distancing-kerala-liquor-shops-just-optics-120723">TNM</a> saw a very different picture on the ground. One brave soul petitioned the Kerala High Court to make way for the home delivery of alcohol. Instead, he was slapped with a ₹50,000 fine as per <a href="https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/online-liquor-delivery-to-home-154132">LiveLaw</a>’s report. The case for home delivery of alcohol The petitioner argued that since alcohol shops were crowded during peak hours, it’s not safe for him to go out and actually buy what he needed. Instead, he suggested alternative ways in which delivery would be feasible during the Coronavirus outbreak. 
 <div type="image" title="kerala3_edited" msid="74732924" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Liquor bottles being arranged at the renovated BEVCO outlet on the power house&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 However, Judge Nambiar was not amused. “It is with a deep sense of exasperation and a tinge of disgust that I write this judgment,” he said. “The petitioner's conduct in filing this frivolous petition at a time like this, while making a mockery of the salutary concept of access to justice — which this institution strives to guarantee — also ridiculous the functioning of this noble institution,” he added before instructing the petitioner to address the costs and send them to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Liquor makes the government money Even though the state government has called for people to avoid leaving the house and restrict public gatherings — there is no plant to shut down liquor shops. Revenue from liquor sales in a major source of income for Kerala. 
 <div type="image" title="kerala4_edited" msid="74732939" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Staff unloading liquor bottles at a bar in Kozhikode&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



 During 2018-19, sales reached an all-time high of ₹14,508 crore, which means the government gets a cut of around ₹2,521 crore as excise duty. Sources at the Kerala State Beverages Corporation told the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/covid-19-keralas-liquor-shops-open-for-revenue-813994.html">Deccan Herald</a> that despite the emergency around Coronavirus, there hasn’t been much of a fall in liquor sales. Others within the government feel that the shutting down of liquor shops may trigger alcoholics to drink copious amounts of alcohol in the name of stocking up before stores shut down. This could lead to a more dangerous situation, sources told <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/coronavirus-scare-social-distancing-for-keralas-tipplers/articleshow/74731096.cms">ET</a>. To ensure that necessarily precautions are taken, local authorities have posted additional guards at every Indian-made foreign liquor outlet to enforce social distancing. The police have distributed masks, gloves and hand sanitizers for the staff at these shops. <div type="javascript" title="Facebook" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[

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 See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/while-pm-modi-called-for-a-janata-curfew-the-kerala-government-implemented-some-serious-steps/articleshow/74717250.cms">While PM Modi called for a 'janata curfew', the Kerala government implemented some serious steps</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-updates-in-india-and-steps-taken-by-narendra-modi-government/articleshow/74723667.cms">A look at Indian government response to coronavirus, so far, shows some quick reactions but not enough foresight</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/stages-of-coronavirus-and-how-they-determine-the-status-of-a-country/articleshow/74728639.cms">Stages of Coronavirus and how they determine the status of a country</a>

Coronavirus isn’t shutting down liquor shops in Kerala, and cheeky home delivery suggestions earn a ₹50,000 fine

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, May 8 () Amid a continuing rise in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19, the Union Health Ministry on Friday said people should "learn to live with the virus" while the nationwide tally of confirmed infections crossed 57,000 and the death toll neared 1,900. The ministry also reeled off various datasets, including those showing a rising number of infection-free districts and an increasing recovery rate, to suggest success of the government's strategy in the COVID-19 fight, even as it sought "a behavioural change" and everyone's support in this massive challenge. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, however, admitted there has been no success yet in breaking the virus chain and said his government may seek deployment of central forces, if needed, to allow police personnel to take rest in phases. The state tops the nationwide tally for confirmed cases as well as deaths. A large number of new cases were reported during the day from various cities in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha also reported rise in their tallies. However, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh reported only one fresh positive case each. The economic cost of the COVID-19 fight and the ongoing nationwide lockdown also appeared rising manifold with Moody's Investors Service projecting India's economic growth at zero per cent for the current fiscal. It also said that a high government debt, weak social and physical infrastructure, and a fragile financial sector face further pressures due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to experts, industrial and other business establishments may also face a huge labour shortage once they resume operations after the lockdown, which has been in place since March 25 and is scheduled to continue till May 17. Lakhs of migrant workers have either left for their native places or are in the process of doing so, including by trains and buses arranged by central and state governments. There are also worries that the virus spread may grow further in newer areas following these movements, while a large number of Indians stranded abroad have also begun returning home in special flights. During a press briefing on the COVID-19 situation, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, "As we talk of relaxations to the lockdown and of migrant workers returning back to their respective homes, there is a big challenge in front of us that we also have to learn to live with the virus." "And when we are talking about learning to live with the virus then it is very important that the guidelines that are there on saving oneself from the virus are adopted in the community as a behavioural change," he said. It is a big challenge and the government needs the community support for it, Agarwal added. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had also recently said the people will have to be ready to live with the novel coronavirus and that time has come to re-open the city. Agarwal said there has been a reduction in the doubling time of COVID-19 cases in the country from 12 days till two days ago to 10 now because of the spike in cases at some places, but asserted that the peak of the disease can be avoided if the prescribed do's and don'ts are followed. According to the daily morning update from the ministry, a total of 3,390 COVID-19 cases and 103 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours till Friday 8 AM, taking the total number of cases to 56,342 and death toll to 1,886. However, a tally of numbers reported by different states and union territories till 6.30 PM showed that nearly 57,500 have tested positive so far across the country. This marks an increase of nearly 5,000 since Thursday morning. Close to 17,000 COVID-19 patients have also recovered so far, giving a recovery rate of more than 29 per cent. The worldwide recovery rate has been hovering around 33 per cent for the past few days. Since its outbreak in China last December, more than 38.6 lakh people have been found to be infected with this virus, while over 2.7 lakh have lost their lives. Nearly 13 lakh people have recovered so far, including about 2 lakh in the US. In India, big urban centres across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi have been reporting large numbers of positive cases. While rising numbers were reported from Mumbai, Nashik, Thane and Aurangabad, among other places, in Maharashtra on Friday as well, Tamil Nadu saw its tally rising by 600 to cross the 6,000-mark while its death toll also rose to 40. On the outskirts of the national capital, Noida reported its first death while its tally of confirmed cases rose to 214. Gujarat reported 390 new cases, taking its tally to 7,403, while the death toll also rose to 449 with 24 more patients dying in the last 24 hours. Giving the district-wise situation of coronavirus cases, Agarwal said there are 216 districts in which no COVID-19 case has been reported till date. On May 1, the ministry had divided 733 districts in the country into three zones -- 130 in red, 284 in orange and 319 in green. Agarwal said 42 districts have had no fresh cases in the last 28 days while 29 districts have reported no new case in the last 21 days. Also, 36 districts have not registered any fresh cases in the last 14 days and 46 districts have had no fresh cases in the last seven days, he said. In Kerala, which reported one solitary case during the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state has flattened the COVID-19 curve. He also said the state needed to be careful to avoid another wave of the deadly virus but asserted it was ready to fight it in such an event. Among other people, several paramilitary personnel have also contracted the virus and one CISF official posted in Kolkata succumbed to COVID-19 on Friday. The number of active cases of the infection in the five paramilitary is more than 530, while thousands have been placed under preventive or clinical quarantine, officials said. A total of five paramilitary personnel have died so far of COVID-19, two each from BSF and CISF and one from the CRPF. Maharashtra's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said Mumbai should see a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases in the next 15-20 days. Separately, a panel of experts, formed to suggest ways to revive Maharashtra's economy, hit by the COVID-19 crisis and the resultant lockdown, submitted its report to the government during the day. Several states have been taking steps to shore up their resources, including by levying higher taxes on fuel and liquor. After Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and several others, Himachal Pradesh government has now decided to impose a 'corona cess' on liquor sales, while Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy also said the territorial administration was mulling imposition of special COVID-19 tax on liquor to wriggle out of the current fiscal crisis. The Madras High Court, however, ordered closure of liquor shops in Tamil Nadu a day after they were reopened, but allowed sale of liquor through online and door delivery till the end of the lockdown. The Supreme Court also asked states to consider non-direct contact or online sales and home delivery of liquor during the lockdown period to prevent the spread of coronavirus on account of crowding at the shops. Liquor shops were allowed to be opened in the third phase of the lockdown, which began on May 4, subject to compliance to social distancing and other guidelines issued by the government. PLB ASK ENM UD KIS JD AA NES MR DJI MNL ABA SJK PJT PD BJBJ

Hundreds more test positive for COVID-19; Health Ministry says 'learn to live with virus'

(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

(Eds: Combining related stories) New Delhi, May 6 () The nationwide tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases crossed the 50,000 mark on Wednesday with a large number of healthcare professionals and security personnel testing positive amid the worsening spread of the deadly virus, while authorities also flagged high fatality rate in states like West Bengal, Gujarat and Maharashtra. While some positive news came from Kerala with no new infection getting detected there despite the state being among the first ones to witness the spread, Maharashtra reported a record daily increase of more than 1,200 in its number of cases. The economic cost of the pandemic also began to hit the people with a sharp increase in fuel prices. Looking to shore up their dwindling resources, more states announced higher taxes on liquor sales, while Punjab pegged its overall revenue loss for the month of April at 88 per cent due to all its tax revenues having dried up and only 1.5 per cent the industry being operational. Industry sources in various parts of the country said they were wary of opening their plants and offices due to concerns over movement of their staff, suppliers, transporters and vendors till the nationwide lockdown, which has been in force since March 25, gets completely lifted. While announcing the third phase of the lockdown till May 17, the government had given several relaxations for getting industrial and agricultural activities restarted, but not much have changed on the ground with only a few companies, especially in the manufacturing sector, resuming their operations in a limited way. The country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India on Wednesday said it would resume operations at its Manesar plant in Haryana from May 12. There are widespread fears that the virus spread may get worse with easing of the lockdown measures as yet, as the number of cases have been rising continuously across most of the major urban centres of the country. While the Union Health Ministry stopped giving an evening update of the COVID-19 tally from Wednesday, its morning update showed the death rising to 1,694 and the number of cases climbing to 49,391, registering an increase of 126 deaths and 2,958 cases since Tuesday morning. It also showed more than 15,000 people having recovered, giving a recovery rate of nearly 29 per cent. However, a tally of figures reported by different states and union territories till 9 PM put the total number of confirmed cases at 51,435 and the death toll at 1,694. While Maharashtra has reported the maximum number of cases and fatalities, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Punjab are among other major states affected badly by the virus. Kerala also has reported more than 500 confirmed cases so far, but it did not report a single new case on Wednesday and the state government officials said the number of active patients is now only 30 as a big majority of COVID-19 patients have recovered. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan also expressed concern over the high fatality rate among COVID-19 patients in some districts of Maharashtra and Gujarat and asked the states to focus on early surveillance, aggressive contact tracing and early diagnosis to reduce the number of deaths in the areas. Maharashtra reported 1,233 new COVID-19 cases -- a new single-day high -- taking its tally to 16,758, while 34 more deaths raised the toll to 651, a health department official said. Mumbai alone has more than 10,500 cases now. Gujarat reported 380 new cases and 28 more deaths during the day, taking its total case count to 6,625 and the number of fatalities to 396. This included 291 new cases and 25 more deaths in Ahmedabad alone, where the civic authorities have ordered closure of all shops except those selling milk and medicines for a week. Separately, the Union Home Ministry wrote to the West Bengal government that the COVID-19 response in the state was characterised by a very low rate of testing and a very high rate of mortality of 13.2 per cent, which it said was by far the highest for any state. The ministry also flagged instances of overcrowding in markets, free movement of people in large numbers without masks, bathing of people in rivers, people playing cricket and football, serious laxity in enforcing lockdown measures in containment zones, plying of rickshaws without any restriction, saying these were grave violation of lockdown instructions and social distancing norms. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government has identified over 92,000 cases of influenza-like illness and 870 people with severe acute respiratory illness across the state, findings that serve as "early warning signals" in the fight against COVID-19. Banerjee said the results were the outcome of her government's extensive door-to-door surveillance over the last one month, covering over 5.5 crore households, and the exercise will continue "till the virus is defeated". Official sources said around 548 doctors, nurses and paramedics across the country have been found to be positive for the virus infection so far. This includes 69 doctors in the national capital. However, this figure does not include field workers, ward boys, sanitation workers, security guards, lab attendants, peons, laundry and kitchen staff among others and the figures may be much higher after taking these people into account. Also, at least 154 personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) have tested positive for coronavirus, including 85 cases that were detected on Wednesday. These include more than 60 deployed for law and order duties in the Jamia and Chandni Mahal area of the national capital, and six from the escort team of the inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) that toured West Bengal to check COVID-19 containment measures in the state. At least 37 infected personnel are from the Tripura frontier of the force. In the meantime, the Delhi government ordered the release of 4,000 Tablighi members who have completed their required quarantine period in centres in the national capital, sources said. A huge congregation of 'Tablighi Jamaat' in Delhi's Nizamuddin area earlier in March was seen as a major hotspot for the virus spread, after which there were also several cases of Muslims getting targeted and blamed by some for the pandemic. Thousands of the Jamaat members were subsequently traced in various parts of the country and quarantined, including around 4,000 in Delhi itself. While nearly 900 of those being released from quarantine are from Delhi itself, the rest are from other states and would be sent back to their home states. A majority of them hail from Tamil Nadu and Telangana. PLB ACB BUN NES UD PJT PD SCH RBT KK ND BJBJ

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