PM TO ADDRESS NATION TODAYPrime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on Tuesday at 10 am onfurther plans of the government to tackle the spread of Covid-19 pandemic inthe country. This will be his fourth address to the country since announcingthe March 22 Janata Curfew.In its daily briefing, the Union Health Ministry said no new cases of thenovel coronavirus were detected in 25 districts from 15 states of thecountry in the last 14 days. The ministry also said that over two lakh testsfor COVID-19 have been conducted so far and they have enough stock toconduct tests for six weeks.As it looks increasingly certain the lockdown will be extended by anotherfortnight, a number of states including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi arebracing to deal with thousands of anxious and restless migrants, stranded inshelter homes and makeshift homes without much money and ration.Maharashtra has set up 4,573 relief camps sheltering 5,60,450 migrantworkers, and provides food to over seven lakh workers and homeless, CMUddhav Thackeray said Monday. But migrants complain about less or no ration,dwindling savings, common toilets, and being forced to live with largegroups in small spaces.Police is worried, and would not rule out unrest in the coming days."Everything depends on what announcements are made on Tuesday. We arepreparing for the possibility that migrant workers may have to stay in oneplace for much longer. But we can only keep them distracted for a limitedtime," said a senior police officer. The only refrain from migrant workers,added another official, is to be allowed to return home.The Gujarat police has already faced the brunt of the restless migrant. OnSunday night, over 700 textile workers from Palsana taluka in Surat districtcame out on the roads complaining of food shortage. They wanted to return totheir native place in Odisha.In the national capital Delhi too, the lockdown has had an adverse impact onworkers. Most workers say they were under the impression that train serviceswould resume when the lockdown ended, and they would finally get to returnto their families. Few anticipated two more weeks of this.MINISTERS, OFFICIALS RETURN TO OFFICES IN NEW DELHIUnion ministers and senior officials resumed working from offices on Mondayas the government scaled up its activities to deal with the situationarising out of the coronavirus crisis. The ministries became fullyoperational while following standard operating procedures for maintainingsocial distancing in offices, officials said.The ministers and officials had been following the government'swork-from-home protocols issued in the wake of the 21-day lockdown imposedfrom March 25 to contain the coronavirus pandemic.Besides tackling COVID-19 pandemic, steps to prepare for post lockdownperiod and handling its economic impact top the agenda of the government,officials said.LOCKDOWN NEEDS SMART UPGRADE, SAYS RAHUL; SONIA THANKS FRONTLINE WARRIORSA day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the nation,Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the lockdown needs a "smart"upgrade with use of mass testing to isolate COVID-19 hotspots and byallowing businesses to reopen in other areas."The one-size-fit-all lockdown has brought untold misery and suffering tomillions of farmers, migrant labourers, daily wagers and business owners. Itneeds a 'smart' upgrade, using mass testing to isolate virus hotspots andallowing businesses in other areas to gradually reopen," he tweeted.Congress president Sonia Gandhi has thanked and praised all those who arefighting against the coronavirus pandemic from the frontline as she urgedpeople to follow rules during the lockdown and adhere to social distancingnorms.There is no greater patriotism than the persistence of these warriors duringthe time of coronavirus crisis, the Congress president said in her message."We will defeat corona with a sense of unity, discipline andself-confidence," she said. "I can never forget the sacrifice of your familymembers, wife, husbands, children. Despite the dangers, it is only becauseof your cooperation and support that we are able to fight this war. I do nothave words to thank them,".INDIA ISSUES DEMARCHE TO PAK OVER KILLING OF 3 CIVILIANS IN J-K FIRINGIndia on Monday issued a strong demarche to Pakistan over the killing ofthree civilians, including a minor, by Pakistani troops in a ceasefireviolation along the Line of Control in Keran sector of Jammu and Kashmir,official sources said.The three people were killed when Pakistani forces resorted to unprovokedceasefire violation on Monday, they said.In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Ministry summoned Indian Charge d'AffairesGaurav Ahluwalia and lodged a protest, claiming it was the Indian side thatresorted to ceasefire violation in Dhudnial, Rakhchikri, Chirikot and BarohSectors on Sunday. Pakistan alleged that a two-year-old boy was killed inDhudnial Sector.COVID-19 DASHBOARD - (Nos. IN INDIA / Nos. WORLDWIDE)(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data fromworldometers.info/coronavirus/ )Total Cases 10,453 (+1,242) / 19,24,679 (+71,524)Total Deaths 358 (+27) / 1,19,692 (+5,445)Total Recovered 1,193 (+107) / 4,45,005 (+21,451)Active Cases 8,902 (+1,108) / 13,59,982 (+44,628)Serious / Critical Cases (Not Available) / 51,764 (+1,007)Top 6 impacted nations so far: (Country / Total No of cases / Deaths)USA 5,86,941 / 23,640Spain 1,70,099 / 17,756Italy 1,59,516 / 20,465France 1,36,779 / 14,967Germany 1,30,072 / 3,194UK 88,621 / 11,329Top 15 impacted Indian States so far: (Total No. of Confirmed case / No. OfDeaths)MAHARASHTRA 2,334 / 160DELHI 1,510 / 28TAMIL NADU 1,173 / 11RAJASTHAN 897 / 11MADHYA PRADESH 614 / 50TELANGANA 592 / 17GUJARAT 572 / 26UTTAR PRADESH 558 / 5ANDHRA PRADESH 439 / 7KERALA 378 / 2JAMMU AND KASHMIR 270 / 4KARNATAKA 247 / 8HARYANA 196 / 3PUNJAB 176 / 12WEST BENGAL 152 / 7INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS======================'WORST IS OVER', SAYS NEW YORK GOVERNORNew York's governor declared Monday that the "worst is over" for itscoronavirus outbreak, despite deaths passing 10,000, as several states begandevising a plan to reopen their shuttered economies.Andrew Cuomo said lower average hospitalization rates and intubationssuggested a "plateauing" of infections in America's coronavirus epicenterbut warned the outbreak could worsen if restrictions are lifted too quickly."The worst is over if we continue to be smart going forward. I believe wecan now start on the path to normalcy," Cuomo told reporters.Cuomo said 18 officials, three from each of the six east coast states, wouldstart work immediately on a "coordinated" proposal to get businesses andschools open again.Earlier, President Donald Trump tweeted that any decision to end shutdownsrested with him, even though it was individual governors who rolled out thelockdowns in the first place.SPAIN EASES VIRUS LOCKDOWN, FACTORIES REOPENSpain, one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic, on Mondaystarted to ease tough lockdown restrictions that have kept people confinedto their homes for more than a month and put a brake on economic activity.With signs indicating the situation was taking a tentative turn for thebetter, some businesses, including construction and manufacturing, wereallowed to reopen.But most of the people were still confined to their homes, and shops, barsand public spaces will remain closed until at least April 26.FRESH WAR OF WORDS BETWEEN US, CHINAThe US and China entered into another war of words on Monday over thecoronavirus pandemic after Beijing imposed restrictions on the publicationof academic research on the origins of Covid-19 and Washington accused it ofusing the WHO to downplay the crisis.Mistrust between the two sides deepened even as US President Trump, underattack for poor handling of the pandemic during its initial foray into theUS, indicated that he is also losing faith in Anthony Fauci, the infectiousdisease expert who has led the US battle against the pandemic.Republicans lawmakers in the US also expressed loss of confidence in the WHOand its head, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, accusing them of being China'stools. The lawmakers called for the WHO to provide documents and informationon all of its communications with the Chinese Communist Party and theChinese government regarding public health from between August 2019 to now,and all documentation and communications on the total number of infectionsand fatalities caused by Covid-19 in China.But China responded by clamping down on all Covid-19 research papers,decreeing that studies on the origin of the virus will receive extrascrutiny and must be approved by central government officials before beingsubmitted for publication.THE REST========SC MODIFIES ITS ORDER: FREE TESTS AT PVT LABS ONLY FOR EWS, PMJAYBENEFICIARIESFive days after ordering free COVID19 testing by private labs across India,the Supreme Court on Monday modified its order and restricted free testingto patients belonging to economically weaker sections (EWS) and thosecovered under Ayushman Bharat only."Free testing for COVID-19 shall be available to persons eligible underAyushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana as already implemented bythe Government of India, and any other category of economically weakersections of the society as notified by the Government for free testing forCOVID-19, hereinafter," a Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said."The private labs can continue to charge the payment (Rs 4,500) for testingof COVID-19 from persons who are able to make payment of testing fee asfixed by ICMR," it said.A Delhi-based doctor had requested the top court to modify its free COVID19testing order, saying it will "disincentivise" private labs fromfunctioning.STAY WHERE YOU ARE: SUPREME COURT TO INDIANS ABROADThe Supreme Court on Monday declined to pass any interim directions onpetitions which urged it to ask the Centre to bring back Indians "stranded"abroad.A bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde, which heard a batch ofpetitions in this regard, wondered whether such a direction would not weakenthe travel ban imposed by the Centre to prevent COVID-19 transmission andasked those in other countries to "stay where they are".Appearing for the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said it is asnot possible to bring them back right now and that they are being lookedafter wherever they are. He said that across the world, people are gettingvisa extension on account of the unprecedented situation resulting from thepandemic.The Centre also explained its stand in an affidavit filed in reply to thepetition seeking return of students from the UK. It said, "given the presentsituation of coronavirus in India and the available limited resources, it isnot feasible to selectively evacuate Indian citizens from abroad when alarge number of them from a number of countries want to return due tovarious reasons. The severe risk posed by arrivals from an increasing numberof countries affected by COVID-19 is something that the government isseeking to minimise. The approach of the government has, therefore, been toadvise the Indian nationals to stay put where they are in line withgovernment's approach to contain the further spread of the virus withinIndia and allowing health machinery to focus on domestic containmenteffectively."INDIA STEPS UP MEDICAL DIPLOMACY WITH GULF TO PRE-EMPT EXODUSIndia has stepped up its medical diplomacy with Gulf countries in order tostave off the possibility of a mass exodus of its expatriate population thatwould make its evacuations from Wuhan and elsewhere pale in comparison, saidsources.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior diplomats have been constantly intouch with all the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that togetherhost over 50 lakh Indians and send back remittances of over $ 40 billionevery year. In fact, sources draw attention to the PM speaking with theCrown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin-Salman as early as March 17.When Indian missions reported signs of restiveness in the expatriatecommunity, the Prime Minister conducted Gulf diplomacy in two stages. Whileremaining constantly in touch with Saudi Arabia, the dominant power in thesix-member GCC, the Prime Minister spoke with leaders of Abu Dhabi and Qataron March 26. This was followed up by phone calls in quick succession to therulers of Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.A 15-member Indian medical team is already in Kuwait to train its medicalstaff and thus increase its capability to independently handle the outbreak.India has also lined up several of these countries as the first recipientsof hydrocholorquine.India's intensification of engagement in the medical field is to stave offthe bigger fear of workers in Gulf countries straining to get back home incase the environment is not conducive for their stay.KERALA MANAGES TO 'FLATTEN' THE COVID GRAPH, WITH EARLY, SUSTAINED ACTIONKerala has been reporting fresh cases of the novel coronavirus in singledigits for the past few days, a flattening of a deadly curve by measuresthat included early detection, aggressive testing and contact tracing, and a28-day quarantine period - double that prescribed by the WHO. And underlyingit all and making it possible was a robust public health system.From one infection on January 30 to 378 on April 13 and just two deaths sofar, the state has seen 198 people recover. It is the first state in thecountry to record more number of recovered patients than currently activeones.It realised early on the potential lethality of a curve arcing sharplyupward. As early as January 18, all the state's five airports were linked toambulances and emergency response in district hospitals. Any passenger witha fever, cough or sore throat was immediately shifted to a linked hospitaland from there a message passed to the district medical office.Over the next week, it set up district control rooms, started procuringpersonal protection equipment (PPE) and medicines. It ordered districthospitals to designate isolation wards. Within weeks, on February 4, itdeclared the Covid-19 threat a state disaster.Kerala also kept its doctors safe. A three-tier working system wasimplemented at all government medical college hospitals. Doctors were splitinto three teams. The first worked on Covid-19 cases and in isolation wards.The second attended outpatient cases and the emergency department. The thirdteam stayed home on leave, prepared to deploy if the need arose.\MUMBAI, RAJASTHAN ADVISE HCQ FOR POLICE, DOUBTS OVER IT PERSISTAt least two states with a high number of cases are recommendinghydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a preventive measure against coronavirus to itspolice personnel. While the Mumbai Police started last week, Rajasthanannounced on Saturday that the anti-malarial drug, whose efficacy againstCOVID-19 is contested, would be given to policemen deployed in hot zones.The Maharashtra government has also decided to begin offering HCQ to arounda lakh slumdwellers in the settlement of Dharavi, Mumbai, as well as topeople living in other areas that have seen a serious outbreak.While taking HCQ will not be mandatory for Dharavi residents, officials saidthey would be counselled on the need to take it. The settlement holds 8.5lakh people.WILL NOT GAG PRESS: SC TO JAMIAT JAMIAT-ULEMA-I-HINDThe Supreme Court on Monday refused to restrain the media from reporting onalleged role of Tablighi Jamaat congregation at its Nizamuddin Markaz in thecapital in spreading COVID-19 in the country."We will not gag the press," a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice ofIndia SA Bobde told the counsel for Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind which alleged that asection of the media was spreading bigotry and communal hatred by linkingthe spread of coronavirus with the recent Nizamuddin Markaz incident.While hearing the matter via video conferencing, the top court asked JamiatUlema-e-Hind to make the Press Council of India (PCI) a party to the case.Refusing to pass any interim order at this stage, the Bench posted thematter for hearing after two weeks.SAVE NEWSPAPERS: INS WRITES TO GOVTWith a deepening economic crisis owing to the coronavirus lockdown eatinginto advertising revenues, the Indian Newspaper Society has written to theUnion government seeking urgent interventions and assistance to keep thenewspaper industry afloat.INS has repeated its demand for a two-year tax holiday and removal of allimport duty on newsprint by asserting that the print industry has been hitby a "triple whammy of coronavirus, plummeting advertising and customs dutyon newsprint", which has led to a "hitherto unimaginable situation" wherethe domestic newspaper industry stands on the brink of collapse in a veryshort period of time."Newspapers have cut down their pages to unprecedented levels with manymerging weekend supplements into main edition. Despite these measures,newspapers are losing money every single day," the INS letter to the I&Bministry said.LIQUOR QUEUES IN 2 NE STATES, OTHERS CLAMOUR TO END DRY RUNEven as liquor shops lifted shutters in Assam and Meghalaya on Monday toregulated queues of tipplers, a number of states such Delhi, Bengal andKarnataka appear to be mulling at least a partial loosening of the cap inthe hope that it'll help some revenue flow in.Associations of liquor manufacturers and retailers have been writing tostate governments to allow them to resume business, saying the closure wasencouraging bootleggers and causing huge revenue losses to stategovernments.INDICATORSSensex 30,690 (-470), Nifty 8,994 (-118), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)45,819Nasdaq 8,192 (+39) Dow 23,391 (-329), S&P 2,762 (-28)US$-Rs. 75.71 GBP-Rs. 94.62, Euro-Rs. 82.70, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.61, Can$-Rs.54.32, Aus$- Rs. 48.16GBP 0.80 /US$, Euro 0.91 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.85 /US$, Aus$ 1.57 /US$, Sing1.41 /US$, Bang Taka 82.95 /US$, Can$ 1.39 /US$, Mal Ring 4.32 /US$,Pak Re 166.06 /US$, Phil Peso 50.57 /US$, Russian Rouble 73.44 /US$, NZ$1.64 /US$, Thai Baht 32.67 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.83 /US$, Norway NOK10.25 /US$Bitcoin - USD 6,755Dollar Index 99.19 Brent Crude 32.19 BDI 635Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,724 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,392 /4,292, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 41,160THOUGHT FOR THE DAYThe irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating -- in work, in play,in love. - Anne MorrissOFF TRACKA near-sighted priest glanced at the note that Mrs. Pereira had sent to himby an usher. The note read: "James Pereira having gone to sea, his wifedesires the prayers of the congregation for his safety."Failing to observe the punctuation, he startled his audience by announcing:"James Pereira, having gone to see his wife, desires the prayers of thecongregation for his safety."