THIRD TRANCHE OF ECONOMIC MEASURES FOCUSES ON AGRICULTURE, ALLIED ACTIVITIES

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, at her third press conference to

detail the PM's Rs 20-lakh Covid stimulus, announced steps to usher

barrier-free agricultural trade, a Rs 1 lakh-crore NABARD-anchored fund to

set up modern cold chains and storage centers besides thrust to fisheries,

animal husbandry and dairying sectors.

Several of the proposals, she conceded, were aired in previous budgets.

Stating that farmers currently are bound to sell their produce only to

licensees in APMCs (Agricultural Produce Market Committees) and that no such

restriction of sale applies for any industrial produce, Sitharaman said the

government will bring in a law to implement agriculture marketing reforms to

provide adequate choices to farmers to sell their produce at an attractive

price by removing inter-state trade barriers and providing e-trading of

agriculture produce.

The government will also amend the stringent Essential Commodities Act to

remove cereals, edible oil, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato from its

purview.

Addressing the disappointment due to absence of direct cash injections,

Sitharaman said the government's philosophy behind focusing on liquidity

measures and infrastructure building initiatives was to empower people

rather than give doles. "Entitlements, where due will be given, but the

focus is on making sure that India is helped to stand up on its own by the

creation of skills and development of logistics,'' she explained.

That is why most of the announcements were to set up infrastructure on the

ground, she added. The PM Matsya Sampada Yojna, announced in the last

Budget, allocates Rs 11,000 crore for marine, inland fisheries and

aquaculture and Rs 9,000 crore for the development of infrastructure such as

fishing harbours, cold chains. A refurbished scheme to vaccinate all cattle

will cost Rs 13,000 crore. Another Rs 4,000-crore package is for herbal

corridors along the Ganges but it is not clear if it will be dovetailed with

a similar component in the Namame Gange programme.

A two per cent interest subvention scheme for dairy cooperatives will cost

Rs 5,000 crore and government dairies purchased milk of Rs 4,100 crore that

otherwise would have been thrown due to lockdown.

A Rs 10,000-crore fund will help local micro enterprises go global with

their specialty products such as saffron in Kashmir, ragi in Karnataka and

Makhana in Bihar.

Sitharaman acknowledged that no amount of relief would be adequate to people

who had lost their incomes. But as soon as the lockdown was announced, the

government had provided money and gas and relaxed EPF rule to help those who

could benefit from early withdrawals. "We are trying as much as possible to

extend relief. I am not saying there enough has been given but we are doing

that,'' she explained.

She refuted former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's criticism that most of

the provisions were to provide liquidity. Senior Finance Ministry officials

pointed out that stimulus packages the world over were a combination of

fiscal outgos and liquidity provisions.

COVID-19: INDIA SURPASSES CHINA TALLY WITH 85,000 CONFIRMED CASES

The nationwide tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases crossed 85,000 on Friday

with more people testing positive for the deadly virus infection from

Kashmir to Kerala and from Karnataka to Bihar, even as indications emerged

about greater relaxations in the fourth phase of the lockdown beginning

Monday to contain economic costs of the pandemic.

Going by the numbers declared by different states and union territories,

India has now surpassed China's official tally of 82,933 confirmed COVID-19

cases. India is now the 11th most affected nation in the world.

India has been under a lockdown since March 25, which was initially

scheduled to end on April 14 but has got extended twice -- first till May 3

and then till May 17 with some relaxations. A final decision on the fourth

phase is expected soon, but officials said there could be greater

relaxations and more flexibility for states and union territories while

measures being explored include gradual reopening of the railways and

domestic airlines.

According to officials, Punjab, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam and

Telangana want the lockdown to continue, while some states have sought

powers to decide the zoning of districts -- green, orange and red -- as per

the COVID-19 situation. This request of the state governments may be

accepted so that they can restrict or allow movement of people or economic

activities in a particular place depending on the ground situation, an

official said.

NEPAL PROTESTING AT SOMEONE ELSE'S BEHEST: ARMY CHIEF

Amid an ongoing India-Nepal diplomatic row, Indian Army Chief General MM

Naravane on Friday said there had never been an issue about the tri-junction

(of India-China-Nepal) and added that Nepal might have raised the issue at

"someone else's behest".

Though he did not name China, the hint was amply clear as Beijing was the

only interested party to it.

Nepal has been protesting after India on May 8 opened a road till the

Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand for connecting India with Kailash Mansarovar in

Tibet, China.

On impending budgetary cuts, he said, "No cuts will be imposed at the cost

operational efficiency or readiness".

COVID-19 DASHBOARD - (Nos. IN INDIA / Nos. WORLDWIDE)

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 85,779 (+3,784) / 46,28,228 (+1,01,378)

Total Deaths 2,753 (+104) / 3,08,642 (+5,237)

Total Recovered 30,258 (+2,289) / 17,58,032 (+53,764)

Active Cases 52,768 (+1,391) / 25,61,554 (+42,377)

Serious / Critical Cases (Not Available) / 45,005 (-555)

Top impacted nations so far: (And some of India's Neighbours)

Country / Total Cases / Deaths / Total Deaths per 1M Pop.

USA 14,84,285 / 88,507 / 268

Spain 2,74,367 / 27,459 / 587

Russia 2,62,843 / 2,418 / 17

UK 2,36,711 / 33,998 / 501

Italy 2,23,885 / 31,610 / 523

Brazil 2,20,291 / 14,962 / 70

France 1,79,506 / 27,529 / 422

Germany 1,75,699 / 8,001 / 96

Turkey 1,46,457 / 4,055 / 48

Iran 1,16,635 / 6,902 / 82

India 85,784 / 2,753 / 2.0

Pakistan 38,799 / 834 / 3.9

Bangladesh 20,065 / 298 / 1.8

Sri Lanka 935 / 9 / 0.4

Top 17 impacted Indian States so far: (Total No. of Confirmed case / No. Of

Deaths)

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 29,100 / 21,468 / 6,564 /

1,068

Tamil Nadu 10,108 / 7,438 / 2,599 /

71

Gujarat 9,932 / 5,291 / 4,035 / 606

Delhi 8,895 / 5,254 / 3,518 / 123

Rajasthan 4,747 / 1,893 / 2,729 /

125

Madhya Pradesh 4,595 / 2,073 / 2,283

/ 239

Uttar Pradesh 4,057 / 1,797 / 2,165 /

95

West Bengal 2,461 / 1,407 / 829 /

225

Andhra Pradesh 2,307 / 1,007 / 1,252

/ 48

Punjab 1,932 / 1,595 / 305 / 32

Telangana 1,454 / 461 / 959 /

34

Karnataka 1,056 / 539 / 480 /

36

Bihar 1,033 / 573 / 453 / 7

Jammu and Kashmir 1,013 / 489 / 513 /

11

Haryana 854 / 377 / 464 /

13

Odisha 672 / 503 / 166 / 3

Kerala 577 / 80 / 493 / 4

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

'MEET HALFWAY' IN FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19: CHINA ON TRUMP'S THREAT

China on Friday reacted guardedly to US President Donald Trump's threat to

"cut off" the bilateral relationship between the world's top two economies

and asked America to meet it halfway in the fight against the coronavirus.

Trump, who has been pressing China to agree for an inquiry into the origin

of the virus, including the allegation that it emerged from a bio-lab in

Wuhan, further hardened his rhetoric on Thursday by threatening to cut off

US ties with Beijing.

Reacting to Trump's threat, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian

reacted guardedly, saying that the relationship is in the fundamental

interest of the two countries.

"To maintain the steady development of China-US relations is in the

fundamental interests of the people in both countries, and is conducive to

world peace and stability," Zhao said.

"At present, China and the US should continue to strengthen cooperation

against the epidemic, defeat the epidemic as soon as possible, treat

patients, and restore economy and production. But it requires the US to meet

halfway with China," Zhao said.

BRAZIL'S HEALTH MINISTER RESIGNS AFTER ONE MONTH ON THE JOB

Brazil's health minister resigned on Friday after less than a month on the

job in a sign of continuing upheaval in the nation's battle with the

COVID-19 pandemic and President Jair Bolsonaro's pressure for the nation to

prioritize the economy over health-driven lockdowns.

Nelson Teich's resignation was confirmed by the Health Ministry.

The oncologist, a former health care consultant, took the job on April 17

under pressure to align the ministry's actions with the president's view

that the economy must not be destroyed by restrictions to control spread of

the virus.

Teich's resignation comes one day after Bolsonaro told business leaders in a

video conference he would ease rules for use of an antimalaria drug to treat

people infected with the coronavirus. The outgoing health minister has

frequently called the use of chloroquine an uncertainty in the fight against

the virus, and this week warned of its side effects.

THE REST

========

OPPN STATES NOT CLEARING MIGRANT TRAINS, SAYS CENTRE; THEY HIT BACK

The political war of words over the movement of migrant workers on Shramik

Special trains continued as Railways Minister Piyush Goyal Friday accused

governments of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan - all

Opposition-ruled states - of not giving permission to receive the trains,

drawing strong rebuttals from the states.

Goyal said 1,200 trains have been earmarked for the Shramik Specials and

Railways can run 300 trains every day for the job. "I appeal with folded

hands to the governments of West Bengal, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and

Chhattisgarh, to give permission to the trains and welcome their migrants,"

he said.

Taking to Twitter, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "There is no

permission pending for any train with the government of Rajasthan. In fact,

Rajasthan was in strong favour that Railways should be allowed for commute

of migrants. But I am not surprised to see statement by Railway Minister,

they are skilled in passing their failure on to state governments."

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel tweeted that Goyal's statement was "baseless"

and "without facts". "Chhattisgarh had asked permission for 30 trains but

got permission for 14. We paid Railways Rs 1.17 crore for these trains.

There is no proposal pending on our end from any state or Railways," Baghel

tweeted.

CAN'T STOP OR MONITOR MOVEMENT OF MIGRANT WORKERS ON ROADS, SAYS SC

The Supreme Court Friday said it is impossible for courts to monitor or stop

the movement of migrant workers across the country and it is for the

government to take necessary action in this regard.

The Centre told the top court that migrant workers across the country were

being provided transportation by the government to their destinations but

they have to wait for their turn, rather than starting walking on foot amid

coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic.

A Bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao refused to entertain an

application seeking a direction to the Centre to ask all District

Magistrates to identify stranded migrant workers and provide shelter, food

to them before ensuring their free transportation to native places in view

of the recent incident at Aurangabad in which 16 workers were mowed down by

a goods train.

The Bench, which also comprised Justices S K Kaul and B R Gavai, asked

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta whether there was any way to stop these

migrants workers from walking on the roads.

Mehta said states are providing inter-state transport to the migrant workers

but if the people start walking on foot instead of waiting for

transportation, then nothing can be done. He said authorities can only

request these people not to start walking on foot as using any force to stop

them would be counter-productive.

NO COERCIVE ACTION AGAINST PRIVATE COMPANIES FOR NON-PAYMENT OF WAGES DURING

COVID-19: SC

The Supreme Court, on Friday, ordered that no coercive action could be taken

till next week against private companies not complying with the March 29

notification mandating them to pay full salary/wages to employees/workers

during the COVID-19 crisis.

"No coercive action shall be taken in the meantime," a Bench headed by

Justice LN Rao said while issuing notice to the Centre on petitions filed by

the Indian Jute Mills Association and an association of factory owners from

Punjab.

The Supreme Court asked the government to respond to the petitions within a

week.

The order came on petitions challenging the validity of the Ministry of Home

Affairs (MHA) notification mandating payment of full wages to workers during

the COVID-19 lockdown.

"How long can the government expect companies to pay?" the Bench wondered

and went on to pass the interim order after Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta

sought further time to respond to the petitions.

ALLAHABAD HC ALLOWS 'AZAN' IN MOSQUES WITHOUT LOUDSPEAKER

In a significant judgment, the Allahabad High Court on Friday set aside the

orders of the district administration of Ghazipur, Farukhabad and Hathras

prohibiting azaan in masjids in view of the COVID-19 pandemic but said it

could not be played on loudspeakers.

The Division Bench of Justice Shashi Kant Gupta and Justice Ajit Kumar heard

the PIL of Ghazipur Lok Sabha MP Afzal Ansari and two others through

videoconferencing.

The petition had requested for the restoration of fundamental right to

religion by asking the court to direct the administration to allow the

recitation of the Azaan as it did not violate any of the directives issued

for controlling the threat of the spread of the COVID-19.

"Azan can be recited by Muezzin from minarets in mosques without using any

amplifying device and the administration is directed not to cause hindrance

in the same on the pretext of the Guidelines to contain the pandemic Covid

19 unless such guidelines are being violated," the court said.

Disallowing the recitation of azan through loudspeakers throughout the state

the court order held: "Azan may be an essential part of Islam but recitation

of azan through loudspeakers or other sound amplifying devices cannot be

said to be an integral part of the religion warranting protection of the

fundamental right enshrined under Article 25 of the Constitution of India

which is even otherwise subject to public order, morality or health".

ZOMATO ASKS ABOUT 13% STAFF TO START LOOKING FOR JOBS ELSEWHERE

The impact of Covid19-led lockdown on the restaurant industry has started

taking its toll on other stakeholders in the food chain, with Gurgaon-based

online platform Zomato saying it does not "foresee having enough work" for

all of its employees.

Consequently, the company has decided to ask around 13 per cent of its

4,000-strong workforce to look for new jobs. This is in addition to salary

cuts across the board to maximum of 50 per cent.

"Our business has been severely affected by the COVID lockdowns. A large

number of restaurants have already shut down permanently, and we know that

this is just the tip of the iceberg. I expect the number of restaurants to

shrink by 25-40% over the next 6-12 months. What actually happens, for

better or worse, is anybody's guess," Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal wrote in a

mail to the company's employees.

"All our employees who no longer have any work at Zomato, will continue to

be with us at 50% salary for the next 6 months. During this time, outside of

the handover period of 1-2 weeks, we expect these folks to spend 100% of

their time and energy towards looking for jobs outside of Zomato," Goyal

noted.

EXHIBITORS, PRODUCERS SPAR AS BIG-TICKET FILMS HEAD TO OTT PLATFORMS

Almost two months into the coronavirus lockdown and the unprecedented

disruption in the film business, the strain caused by the mammoth commercial

setback is evident as producers of some of the most anticipated movies have

decided not to wait for their theatrical release and instead opt for their

'world premiere' on OTT platforms. This, however, has not gone down well

with some top exhibitors, who have expressed their displeasure and even

issued veiled threat.

Some of the much-awaited summer releases, including Shoojit Sircar-directed

Gulabo Sitabo featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, Anu

Menon-directed Shakuntala Devi which has Vidya Balan in the titular role,

are headed for a world premiere on Amazon Prime Video.

ZEE5 will stream comedy-drama Ghoomketu, featuring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and

Anurag Kashyap, on May 22.

Criticising the decision to release big-ticket Gulabo Sitabo on a streaming

platform, INOX in a statement said that such a move "paint these content

producers as fair-weather friends rather than all-weather life-long

partners" and mentioned that "INOX will be constrained to examine its

options, and reserves all rights, including taking retributive measures, in

dealing with such fair-weather friends".

PVR, too, took a dig at the producers. "Needless to say, we are disappointed

with some of our producers deciding to go straight to the streaming

platform/s. We were hoping that the Producers would accede to our request to

hold back their film's release till cinemas reopen," said Kamal

Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures.

INDICATORS

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53.29, Aus$- Rs. 48.28

GBP 0.82 /US$, Euro 0.92 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.17 /US$, Aus$ 1.55 /US$, Sing

1.42 /US$, Bang Taka 83.30 /US$, Can$ 1.40 /US$, Mal Ring 4.34 /US$,

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1.67 /US$, Thai Baht 32.03 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.36 /US$, Norway NOK

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Silver (Rs. Per KG) 43,160

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. - German Proverb

OFF TRACK

A trucker came into a truck stop cafe and placed his order. He said, "I want

three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards."

The brand new blonde waitress, not wanting to appear stupid, went to the

kitchen and said to the cook, "This guy out there just ordered three flat

tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running Boards. What does he think

this place is, an auto parts store?"

"No," the cook said, "Three flat tires mean three pancakes, a pair of

headlights is two eggs sunny side up, and running boards are 2 slices of

crisp bacon."

"Oh, OK!" said the blonde. She thought about it for a moment and then

spooned up a bowl of beans and gave it to the customer.

The trucker asked, "What are the beans for, Blondie?"

She replied, "I thought while you were waiting for the flat tires,

headlights and running boards, you might as well gas up!"