Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management announced the extension of the 24-hour National Sterilisation Programme for another week from 4th April to control the spread of COVID-19 in Dubai.
Dubai Media Office to announce the extension of the 24-hour lockdown in the Emirate of Dubai for another one week. On the 4th of April, UAE govt announced a complete lockdown for two weeks which was due to end on the 18th of April 2020. The lockdown as of now has been extended till the 24th April.
US President Donald Trump Unveils Three Phase Plan To Ease Lockdown And Reopen US Economy
US President Donald Trump unveiled a three-phase plan to reopen country's economy following the COVID-19 outbreak. The new plan allows governors to gradually ease the lockdown in their states. Mr Trump said that America wants to be open and that a national shutdown is not a sustainable long-term solution.
Asserting that a prolonged lockdown, combined with a forced economic depression, would inflict an immense and wide-ranging toll on public health, Mr Trump's administration is issuing new federal guidelines that will allow governors to take a phased approach to reopening their individual states.
NASA Astronauts Meir, Morgan, Crewmate Skripochka Return From Space Station
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan returned to Earth, along with Soyuz Commander Oleg Skripochka of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The trio departed the International Space Station and made a safe, parachute-assisted landing. During their first spaceflight, Morgan and Meir contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, Earth science, human research, physical sciences and technology development.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the 49th round of quarterly OBICUS (Order books, inventories, and capacity utilization survey) of the manufacturing sector. The survey includes the reference period January-March 2020.
The OBICUS survey will provide valuable input for monetary policy formulation.
The Central Bank has conducted the OBICUS of the manufacturing sector on a quarterly basis since 2008.
RBI Bans Banks, Cooperatives From Paying Dividends
The Reserve Bank debarred all commercial and cooperative banks from paying dividends to shareholders and promoter groups as the regulator fears the Covid-driven economic shocks would continue longer and may put the health of the financial system at risk.
The decision will hit the already scuppered finances of the Centre, given the massive shocks to the economy from the coronavirus-driven lockdown and the already falling growth rates which has brought down demand for loans and thus the profitability of banks which were anyways grappling with high bad loans.
RBI booster 2.0: Housing finance to get Rs 50,000 crore refinancing facility
Shaktikanta Das announced a refinancing facility worth Rs 50,000 crore to boost the housing finance sector. NABARD (Rs 25,000 crore), SIDBI (Rs 15,000 crore) and NHB (Rs 10,000 crore) would be the beneficiaries.
They will be charged at the repo rate of 4.4 per cent for this amount. The companies had earlier asked the government to help them with liquidity as they were suffering on account of tight liquidity conditions.
In a separate devlopment, the government has allowed non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), housing finance companies (HFCs) and microfinance institutions (MFIs) to operate with bare minimum staff amid the extended lockdown.
Chhattisgarh Launched Cghaat Website For Online Essential Delivery
Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated the online delivery website 'Cghaat' on 16 April, 2020.
Cghaat will facilitate doorstep delivery of fruits and vegetables during the extended lockdown phase due to contain COVID-19 spread.
The web portal, cghaat.in, has been developed by Chhattisgarh government's agency Chips.
The fruit and vegetable vendors who are interested to provide services can register online through this portal.
After registering, they can provide home delivery against online orders placed as soon as they receive Collector's permission.
Kisan Rath Mobile App Launched To Facilitate Transportation Of Food Grains And Perishables During Lockdown
Agriculture Ministry has launched Kisan Rath Mobile App to facilitate transportation of food grains and perishables during lockdown. This mobile application is developed by the National Informatics Centre to ensure farmers and traders are able to find transport for Agriculture and Horticulture produce.
Kisan Rath' App will greatly facilitate farmers, FPOs and Cooperatives in the country to have the choice to find a suitable transport facility to transfer their agriculture produce from farm gate to markets
IIT Ropar Design 'Wardbot' That Will Deliver Food, Medicines To Patients In Isolation Wards
A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar in Punjab's Rupnagar district has come up with a design of an autonomous 'WardBot' which can deliver medicines and food to COVID-19 patients in isolation wards without human intervention.
Researchers working on the project said its deployment in hospitals will help in minimising the risk of the frontline health staff getting infected with the deadly virus.
IPL 2020 Suspended Until Further Notice Due To Covid-19
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 has been suspended indefinitely due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed. This comes on the heels of extension of lockdown in the country.
The IPL 2020, which was scheduled to get underway on March 29, was initially suspended until April 15 after the country went on a 21-day lockdown in a bid to limit the spread of the novel corona virus outbreak.
Government Extends Regular And E-Visas Of All Foreigners Stranded In India Till May 3
The Home Ministry extended regular and e-visas of all foreigners who are stranded in India due to the coronavirus lockdown till May 3, 2020 on gratis basis.
The Home Ministry also said the visa granted to those foreigners, except diplomats and UN officials, who are supposed to come to India, will remain suspended till May 3.
Exit to such foreign nationals, if requested during this period, will also be granted up to 14 days beyond May 3, i.e. May 17, without any overstay penalty
AIIB To Lend Usd 500 Mn To India To Help Fight COVID-19 Pandemic
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has announced that it is to finance $500 million projects in India to help the country improve its health care systems. With this, AIIB has doubled its funds under the COVID-19 Crisis Recovery Facility.
The aim of the move is to help reduce health care pressures in pandemic preparedness and health infrastructure in India. It will also provide liquidity, fiscal and budgetary support.
The funding is to be used for the purchase of equipment and for detection capacity.
Central Drug Research Institute Inks An Mou With King George's Medical University To Sequence Virus Strains
Central Drug Research Institute has inked an MoU with King George's Medical University, Lucknow to sequence the virus strains obtained from COVID-19 patients in Uttar Pradesh.
Initially, the Lucknow-based lab will sequence the virus strains from the samples of a few patients. As of now, eight different variants of the virus are known to be causing the COVID-19 infection.
A team has been put into place for analyzing whether changes to the viral sequences, if any, will impact the proposed treatment strategies.
10 Lakhs Rupees Compensation To All Postal Employees In Case Of Succumbing To Corona Disease
Department of Posts decides to extend payment of compensation of 10 lakh rupees to all postal employees including Gramin Dak Sevaks succumbing to the corona disease.
The Department of Posts has decided to extend payment of compensation of 10 lakh rupees to all postal employees including Gramin Dak Sevaks succumbing to the corona disease.
ICMR issues advisory for using Rapid Antibody Test kits in COVID-19 hotspot areas
Indian Council of Medical Research has issued an advisory mentioning the protocol for using Rapid Antibody Test kits in Covid-19 hotspot areas in view of the various states intends to use these kits in the affected areas.
ICMR has said that the National Task Force has carefully reviewed the data evolving from various countries on use of such kits and based on available evidence, the testing strategy for COVID-19 has been revised.
GoM reviews preparedness, actions for management of COVID-19
The Group of Ministers, GoM in its meeting reviewed the current status and actions for management of COVID-19. The GoM which met in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had detailed deliberation on containment and management of COVID-19.
The GoM also discussed the actions taken so far, current status of social distancing measures and the stringent actions taken by the Centre and States to contain the spread of COVID-19. During the meeting, it was informed that all districts have been asked to prepare and strengthen their contingency plans to combat COVID-19.
CCMB To Develop Inactivated Virus Vaccine For Novel Coronavirus
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is currently developing an inactivated virus vaccine for COVID-19. These inactivated vaccines are known for their safety and easy production.
Generally, the active virus is cultured in large numbers. They are then killed either by a chemical or heat. Although the pathogen is killed or made to lose its reproduction capacity, various parts of the virus, like the spike protein with which it enters the cells, remains intact.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Greets people on occasion of world heritage day
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu greeted people on the occasion of World Heritage Day (April 18).
In a tweet, Mr Naidu called upon people to make a strong resolve to protect and preserve our heritage, culture and all the monuments that stand as a testimony to our glorious past. He said, people must remember the fact that heritage is the shared wealth of humanity.
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