LOCKDOWN EXTENDED TILL MAY 31; SEVERAL CURBS LIFTED; STATES GET A GREATER SAY

As the third phase of the nationwide lockdown ended on Sunday, the Centre announced an extension till May 31, but listed considerable relaxations in non-containment zones that are set to further open up the economy. While all markets, offices, industries and businesses will be allowed to open, inter-state and intra-state movement of “passenger vehicles and buses” will be permitted with the consent of the states involved.

Significantly, in its guidelines for Phase IV of the lockdown beginning Monday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the “delineation of red, green and orange zones will be decided by the state and UT governments after taking into consideration the parameters shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.”

The restrictions on air travel (domestic and international) and Metro rail services will continue, and schools, colleges and other educational institutes will remain closed. All social, political and religious functions and gatherings will still be barred, and places of worship will remain shut.

While hotels, cinema halls, malls, swimming pools, gyms will continue to be closed, restaurants will be “permitted to operate kitchens for home delivery” and “takeaway” only. “Sports complexes and stadia will be permitted to open; however, spectators will not be allowed,” the MHA said.

“All other activities will be permitted, except those which are specifically prohibited,” it said.

So all services, including those of barber shops, salons and spas, are likely to open. E-commerce delivery of non-essential items, which were earlier prohibited in red zones, have now been permitted. Cycle-rickshaws, auto- rickshaws and taxis will also be allowed.

The restrictions on the number of passengers in a car or on a bike in red and orange zones have also been lifted. Even for buses, while social distancing has been advised, the seating capacity cap of 50% has been removed.

However, movement of people will remain “strictly prohibited” across the country from 7 pm to 7 am, except for essential activities.

The clause on limiting attendance in private offices to 33% has also been removed. While offices can operate with 100% attendance if they want, the govt has advised them to allow “work from home” as much as possible. Those above 65 years of age, pregnant women, people with co-morbidities, and children below 10 years should stay at home.

After steering the first three phases of the coronavirus lockdown, the govt has decentralised the fourth phase by asking states to take charge of the details while implementing its guidelines for the next fortnight. The states can however have stricter curbs than those put in place by the centre.

The Health Ministry has allowed states the flexibility to choose the “appropriate administrative unit” (districts, municipal corporations, sub-divisions or wards) to define the perimeters of Containment, Red, Orange and Green zones.

This time, the Centre can claim to have listened to the states and granted them what they wanted. In return, the states will bear greater responsibility in their Covid-19 response while the Centre can retreat to the supplementary role of coordinating the efforts instead of steering them.

COVID-19 DOUBLING TIME IN INDIA IMPROVED TO 13.6 DAYS IN LAST 3 DAYS: VARDHAN

The doubling time of coronavirus infection in India has improved to 13.6 days in the last three days from 11.5 in the past 14 days, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Sunday as the country registered a record single-day jump of around 5,000 cases. “Our policy, perseverance coupled with aggressive and early measures through a strong leadership have shown encouraging results. While the doubling time in the past 14 days was 11.5, it has improved to 13.6 in the last three days.”

The fatality rate is down to 3.1 per cent and the recovery rate has improved to 37.5 per cent, he said.

Substantiating his point that the spread of the infection in the country has been slow, Vardhan said coronavirus cases in India reached the 80,000 mark in 106 days while developed nations such as the UK, Italy, Spain, Germany and the US took 44-66 days to reach that mark.

As of Saturday, 3.1 per cent of the active COVID-19 patients are in the ICU, 0.45 per cent are on ventilators and 2.7 per cent on oxygen support, the minister said. The daily testing capacity has increased to 1,00,000 tests.

AT WHO, INDIA JOINS 61 NATIONS TO SEEK SOURCE OF CORONAVIRUS

India is among 62 countries that have moved a proposal at the World Health Assembly to “identify the zoonotic source” of the coronavirus and asked for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the WHO’s response to Covid-19. China and the US are not part of the resolution.

The proposal is part of a seven-page draft resolution moved by 35 countries and the 27-member European Union, and is likely to be taken up today at the Assembly, which is the decision-making body of the WHO.

The resolution is being backed by three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — UK, Russia and France — along with Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey, among others.

But Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Afghanistan are not signatories to the resolution. From the SAARC nations, only Bangladesh and Bhutan have signed up.

SITHARAMAN CALLS RAHUL’S MEETING WITH MIGRANTS A ‘DRAMABAAZI’

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday termed the meeting of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with the migrants in Delhi a “dramabaazi” and said the Congress should “be more responsible” and work together with the Centre in the current scenario.

Her remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi on Saturday evening went to meet migrant workers camped out near a flyover in Delhi’s southeast.

Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said, “We expect certain degree of seriousness and gravitas when the Finance Minister is addressing a press conference.” “The statement of the Nirmala Sitharaman is frivolous and the Congress president did not need to learn from the finance minister,” added Sharma.

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 95,692 (+5,049) / 48,01,875 (+81,679)

Total Deaths 3,025 (+154) / 3,16,671 (+3,451)

Total Recovered 36,795 (+2,571) / 18,58,170 (+46,496)

Active Cases 55,872 (+2,324) / 26,27,034 (+31,732)

Serious / Critical Cases (Not Available) / 44,821 (-6)

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

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

1 USA 15,27,664 / 90,978 / 275

2 Russia 2,81,752 / 2,631 / 18

3 Spain 2,77,719 / 27,650 / 591

4 UK 2,43,695 / 34,636 / 511

5 Brazil 2,41,080 / 16,118 / 76

6 Italy 2,25,435 / 31,908 / 528

7 France 1,79,569 / 28,108 / 431

8 Germany 1,76,651 / 8,049 / 96

9 Turkey 1,49,435 / 4,140 / 49

10 Iran 1,20,198 / 6,988 / 83

11 India 95,698 / 3,025 / 2.2

20 Pakistan 40,151 / 873 / 4.1

30 Bangladesh 22,268 / 328 / 2.0

103 Sri Lanka 981 / 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 33,053 / 24,167 / 7,688 / 1,198

Gujarat 11,380 / 6,222 / 4,499 / 659

Tamil Nadu 11,224 / 6,973 / 4,172 / 79

Delhi 9,755 / 5,405 / 4,202 / 148

Rajasthan 5,202 / 2,016 / 3,055 / 131

Madhya Pradesh 4,977 / 2,326 / 2,403 / 248

Uttar Pradesh 4,464 / 1,716 / 2,636 / 112

West Bengal 2,677 / 1,480 / 959 / 238

Andhra Pradesh 2,380 / 874 / 1,456 / 50

Punjab 1,964 / 563 / 1,366 / 35

Telangana 1,551 / 525 / 992 / 34

Bihar 1,320 / 839 / 473 / 8

Jammu and Kashmir 1,183 / 595 / 575 / 13

Karnataka 1,147 / 600 / 509 / 37

Haryana 910 / 334 / 562 / 14

Odisha 828 / 604 / 220 / 4

Kerala 602 / 101 / 497 / 4

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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ISRAEL SWEARS IN UNITY GOVERNMENT

Israel's Parliament swore in its new unity government on Sunday led by Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former rival Benny Gantz, ending the longest political crisis in the nation's history.

Lawmakers in the 120-person parliament, the Knesset, formally approved the three-year coalition government with 73 voting for and 49 against. One member was absent for the vote.

Addressing the Knesset before the vote, Mr. Netanyahu vowed to push on with controversial plans to annex large parts of the occupied West Bank.

Mr. Netanyahu said his incoming government should apply Israeli sovereignty over West Bank settlements.

"It's time to apply the Israeli law and write another glorious chapter in the history of Zionism," Mr. Netanyahu said on the issue of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Such a move is seen likely to cause international uproar and inflame tensions in the West Bank, home to nearly three million Palestinians and some 400,000 Israelis living in settlements considered illegal under international law.

CORONAVIRUS: EUROPEAN COUNTRIES SET TO FURTHER EASE LOCKDOWNS

Italy and Spain are among a number of European countries that are set to further ease their coronavirus lockdown restrictions from Monday.

Most businesses in Italy, including bars and hairdressers, will be free to reopen after more than two months of nationwide lockdown measures.

Spain is set to relax its restrictions outside of Madrid and Barcelona, with groups of up to 10 people free to meet.

The measures follow consistent drops in the number of daily recorded deaths.

Catholic churches are preparing for the resumption of Mass, but there will be strict social distancing and worshippers must wear face masks. Other faiths will also be allowed to hold religious services.

Elsewhere in Europe, Belgium is to begin reopening primary and secondary schools under strict conditions on Monday.

Portugal, Greece, Denmark and Ireland are among a number of countries which are also set to relax their lockdown measures.

THE REST

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NIRMALA SITHARAMAN GIVES BREAK-UP OF THE ₹20 LAKH CRORE ECONOMIC PACKAGE

In the fifth and final announcement of the government’s measures to combat coronavirus and make the country more self-reliant, the government yesterday announced an additional ₹40,000 crore allocation for the rural employment guarantee scheme to help provide jobs to migrant workers returning home.

The ₹20 lakh crore economic stimulus package to deal with the fallout of COVID-19 includes ₹8.01 lakh crore of liquidity measures announced by the Reserve Bank since March.

Here's the break-up of the remaining Rs. 12.94 Lakh Crores 'Aatm Nirbhar Bharat' stimulus package:

Earlier measures: ₹1,92,000 crore (which inlcuded Revenue lost due to tax concessions announced since March 22: ₹7,800 crore; PM Garib Kalyan Package: ₹1,70,000 crore; PM's announcement for health sector: ₹15,000 crore

The five-part stimulus package announced beginning May 13 comprised ₹5.94 lakh crore in the first tranche that provided credit line to small businesses and support to shadow banks and electricity distribution companies.

The second tranche included free foodgrain to stranded migrant workers for two months and credit to farmers, totalling ₹3.10 lakh crore.

Stimulus under Part-3 which included incentives for Food Micro Enterprises, totalling 1.5 lakh crore.

The fourth and fifth tranches that dealt mostly with structural reforms totalled to ₹48,100 crore.

GOVT PACKAGE ONLY WORTH RS 3.22 LAKH CR AND 1.6% OF GDP: CONG

The Congress on Sunday accused the government of misleading people in the name of an economic package and said the measures announced by the Centre amounted to only 1.6 per cent of India’s GDP, i.e. worth Rs 3.22 lakh crore instead of Rs 20 lakh crore as claimed by the Prime Minister.

Congress’ senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must “walk the talk” and announce the measures required by giving money in the hands of the poor and small and medium enterprises to help reboot the economy.

He noted that there was a difference between providing stimulus to the economy and merely giving loans and credit to people.

“I am questioning the Finance Minister, disputing the announcement of Prime Minister and challenging the government to disprove me on the numbers given by me and am ready for a debate with the finance minister,” Sharma said.

CENTRE CLIMBS DOWN ON AAROGYA SETU

In a significant dilution from previous Home Ministry directions, the latest MHA order on Sunday regarding Aarogya Setu downloads shifted towards much more flexibility.

The May 17 MHA order states: “With a view to ensuring safety in offices and workplaces, employers on best effort basis should ensure that Aarogya Setu is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones. District authorities may advise individuals to install the Aarogya Setu application on compatible mobile phones and regularly update their health status on the app.”

The “best effort” addition is a significant rollback from the MHA order on May 1 that ushered in the third lockdown phase: “The local authority shall ensure 100% coverage of Aarogay Setu app among the residents of Containment Zones.” It had continued: “Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be made mandatory for all employees, both private and public. It shall be the responsibility of the Head of the respective Organizations to ensure 100% coverage of this app among employees.”

TO EASE MIGRANTS’ WOES, PIYUSH GOYAL GIVES A FREE HAND TO RAIL OFFICERS

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has asked his officials to go all out to arrange for trains for migrants, and to “do the best you can” to make their journey home comfortable. Goyal became visibly emotional while talking about “the plight of migrants walking back home” during a meeting with Railways brass over video conference on Sunday, it is learnt.

This was in contrast to the instructions Goyal issued in a meeting on May 2, during which he asked officials to prioritise freight trains, run Shramik Specials only until May 17 and strictly at the request of state governments, and ensure that states paid for the migrants’ travel.

On Sunday, the minister asked Divisional Railway Managers (DRMs) to go ahead and take decisions based on the ground situation, including on operational and financial matters, without waiting for approval from the Railway Board.

“You can take any decision in anticipation of post facto approval from the ministry or Railway Board, if required,” Goyal is learnt to have said. “Whatever decision you take, you presume it’s my decision and I’ll back it in total,” Goyal is learnt to have told the officers in the meeting.

He said he had been distressed by the images of migrant workers walking back to their villages, and specifically mentioned one in which a woman could be seen dragging a suitcase with a small boy asleep on it. Over 130 migrant workers trying to escape locked down cities have been killed in several accidents on highways, and one on the railway tracks.

WITH MIGRANTS HEADED HOME, 65% HIKE IN MNREGA FUNDS

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Sunday announced a sharp 65 per cent hike over the Budget outlay for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the fifth and final tranche of AtmaNirbhar Bharat package. The sharp hike is indicative of the likely surge in demand for work in rural areas as migrant workers, who are travelling to their home towns amid the coronavirus lockdown, are unlikely to return to the cities soon for work.

The UP Congress, on Sunday, said the BJP had been exposed about its claim regarding the scheme, once dubbed as a ‘living monument’ of poverty by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

If the scheme was an ‘epitome of corruption’, then why was it being implemented now and additional funds allocated, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Kumar asked referring to a Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement about the scheme in the Parliament in 2015.

“Who was telling lies, and who was misleading the country? It is the schemes envisaged by the Congress on which the country is functioning today,” Kumar said, claiming that the Congress had always been contributing to nation-building.

GENERAL ATLANTIC PICKS UP 1.34% STAKE IN JIO PLATFORMS FOR RS 6,598 CRORE

Reliance Industries (RIL) on Sunday announced selling 1.34 per cent stake in its digital services subsidiary, Jio Platforms, to private equity firm General Atlantic for Rs 6,598.38 crore to accelerate consumer business and cut debt.

This is the fourth such stake sale within a month and it values Jio Platforms at Rs 4.91 trillion on an equity basis and Rs 5.16 trillion on an enterprise-value basis. So far, RIL has raised Rs 67,194.75 crore by selling 14.8 per cent in Jio.

While its legacy petrochemical business is facing pressure, Mukesh Ambani-controlled RIL is stitching deals with marquee investors, including Facebook, Silver Lake, and Vista Equity Partners, and expanding service offers to grow its digital business and trim debt.

Alongside the Jio stake sale, RIL is hoping to raise Rs 53,125 crore in the country’s biggest-ever rights issue. As of March 2020, RIL’s gross debt stood at Rs 3.36 trillion and net debt stood at Rs 1.61 trillion. These deleveraging initiatives, along with the proposed stake sale to Saudi oil giant Aramco, will help the company to become net debt-free by March 2021.

HARBHAJAN, YUVRAJ REGRET APPEAL FOR HELP TO AFRIDI’S FOUNDATION

An angry Harbhajan Singh called Shahid Afridi unworthy of his friendship, while Yuvraj Singh regretted his call for assistance to the Pakistani player’s charity, both former India players expressing disappointment at his anti-India comments.

Last month, Harbhajan and Yuvraj had posted videos in support of ‘Shahid Afridi Foundation’ which was raising funds for the underprivileged affected by COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was Afridi who requested me and Yuvi to do a video in support of his foundation as spread of pandemic doesn’t see religion or borders. But then he would time and again make anti-India comments,” Harbhajan said yesterday. “I feel terrible that I even called him a friend. He is not a worthy human being who can be called a friend. I am done with calling Afridi a friend,” he added.

“Really disappointed by @SAfridiOfficial’s comments on our Hon’b PM @narendramodi ji. As a responsible Indian who has played for the country, I will never accept such words. I made an appeal on your behest for the sake of humanity. But never again,” Yuvraj tweeted.

Afridi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of committing religious atrocities in India in a video that has gone viral on social media.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Cui peccare licet peccat minus – (One who is allowed to sin, sins less.) - Publius Ovidius Naso

OFF TRACK

A lady was driving with her three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of her stood up and waved. She was stark naked! As the lady was reeling from the shock, she heard her 5-year-old shout from the back seat, 'Mom, that lady isn't wearing a seat belt!'