PM ADDRESSES THE NATION: JANATA CURFEW & JANATA THANK THIS SUNDAY In his address to the nation Thursday on the coronavirus threat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautioned against complacency on the pandemic while asking people to observe a self-imposed curfew on Sunday by not stepping out of homes between 7 am and 9 pm. He also reassured people against shortages, saying there was no need for hoarding. In a nearly 30-minute telecast, he said the March 22 'Janata Curfew' would be a test of people's "self-discipline" in fighting the virus. The only exception to the curfew would be doctors, media and providers of other essential services, and the PM urged people to thank them for five minutes at 5 pm on March 22 by ringing bells, clapping or other means. Underscoring the threat of coronavirus, Modi said the world had never seen a crisis as grave as this. "Even World War I and II did not affect as many countries," he said, asking people to avoid the mindset that the disease will not harm India when it has hit hard many developed countries. Urging state governments to ensure compliance of the curfew on Sunday, Modi said, "22nd March will be the symbol of our effort, our self-restraint, our resolve to fulfil our duty in the service of the nation. The success of the people's curfew, and the experience gained from it, will also prepare us for upcoming challenges. During this curfew, we shall neither leave our homes, nor get onto the streets and refrain from roaming about in our societies or areas." The PM said he wanted people to give him their "coming few weeks and your time", and to show "resolve" and "restraint". "The entire world is going through a phase of serious crisis. In these two months, 130 crore people of India have taken necessary precautions. Complacency in the face of this global pandemic is not correct. We have to take a resolve that we shall protect ourselves. Hum swasth to jag swasth (If we are healthy, the world will be healthy)," Modi said. He said all steps were being taken to prevent shortage of essential items, such as medicines, milk etc, and there was no need for hoarding. He also urged people to avoid routine check-ups and elective surgeries, so as to not burden health services. "You could get required guidance over the phone from your known doctor. In case you have a non-essential, elective surgery scheduled, postpone it by a month," Modi said. He urged those above 65 years of age to stay at home over the next few weeks, comparing the restrictions to the blackouts and drills practised in the last century when there were frequent wars. "I would appeal to every individual to, if possible, call at least 10 people on the phone everyday, explaining to them how to protect themselves from the virus as well as the idea of people's curfew," Modi said. INDIA NOT TO LET FLIGHTS LAND FOR A WEEK STARTING SUNDAY As India reported its fourth novel coronavirus (COVID-19) death and the total number of cases climbed to 173, the government Thursday tightened the lockdown further, banning the landing of all international commercial passenger flights for a week from March 22. In Punjab, a 70-year-old man, who had returned from Germany via Italy on March 7 and died at a hospital in Nawanshahr district on Wednesday, tested positive. Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said the man had a history of diabetes and heart disease. The Ministry of External Affairs also confirmed the death of an Indian patient in Iran. The government said on Wednesday that 255 Indians in Iran were infected. While 22 fresh cases were confirmed on Thursday, 20 of the total COVID-19 positive patients have recovered so far. Most of the states and Union territories also imposed fresh restrictions on public transport and gatherings. In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the closure of restaurants till March 31, but takeaway outlets will remain open. He said gatherings of more than 20 people will not be permitted. He also said hands of people to be quarantined at home will be stamped. Government offices have been asked to stagger timings and allow 50% of Group C and D staff to work from home. Agarwal, however, said this was not a lockdown. "Lockdown is a very inappropriate word. The government's effort has been to prepare for an evolving global scenario. Our measures started from January 17. To err on the side of caution will help us," he said. Citing data from the ICMR's random sampling exercise, he said there has been no instance of community transmission of the virus in India. SC ORDERS FLOOR TEST IN MP TODAY: END STATE OF UNCERTAINTY Moving to end the "state of uncertainty" in Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh following the resignation of 22 MLAs that plunged the Kamal Nath government into crisis, the Supreme Court, overruling objections Thursday, ordered a floor test in the state Assembly with the direction that it must be concluded by 5 pm Friday. The bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta directed that the test be by show of hands, and that the 16 rebel Congress MLAs - six ministers had resigned earlier and late Thursday, the resignations of the remaining 16 too were accepted by the Speaker - be provided security if they wished to participate in the proceedings. It also ordered that the proceedings be videographed. MPs FOR CURTAILING BUDGET SESSION OVER COVID SCARE The Opposition Rajya Sabha members yesterday demanded curtailment of the ongoing Budget session, which is due to end on April 3, in view of the novel coronavirus scare, but the government seemed unwilling. The Rajya Sabha saw a few members wearing face masks as protection against the Covid, but the same was objected by Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, who said it was against the rules to wear any masks inside the House. Four TMC MPs, including Derek O' Brien, wore masks. When senior Congress leader P Chidambaram urged Naidu to allow MPs to decide on using protective gear depending on their perception of vulnerability, the Chair agreed. Congress members Anand Sharma and MV Rajeev Gowda suggested that in line with government's advocacy for social distancing to check the spread of the virus, the session should either be curtailed or shelved. Sharma said the government was not practicing in Parliament what it preached on social distancing. Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi countered Opposition's suggestion, saying the government's measures to check the spread of the virus has been appreciated widely. Curtailment of the session would send a wrong signal and create panic. Parliament should not show panic, but demonstrate an indomitable spirit to fight it. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ====================== NEW ZEALAND DECRIMINALISES ABORTION New Zealand's parliament decriminalised abortion on Wednesday, with members voting 68 to 51 in favor of reforming the country's 1977 abortion legislation. The new law is expected to be signed by the nation's governor general. "For over 40 years abortion has been the only medical procedure considered a crime in New Zealand," Justice Minister Andrew Little said in statement. "But from now abortions will be rightly treated as a health issue." "Today change has finally come," Little continued, "and safe abortion is legal in New Zealand." Jackie Edmond, the chief executive of Family Planning, the country's largest referrer of women to abortion services, hailed the vote and the fact that women were finally being trusted to make their own health decisions. THE REST ======== 4 NIRBHAYA CONVICTS EXECUTED IN TIHAR JAIL, AFTER A MIDNIGHT KNOCK AT SC The four men convicted of the gang rape and murder of a Delhi woman on December 16, 2012 were hanged in the darkness of pre-dawn on Friday, ending a horrific chapter in India's long history of sexual assault that had seared the nation's soul. Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) were executed at 5.30 am for the savage assault in an empty moving bus on the 23-year-old physiotherapy intern who came to be known the world over as Nirbhaya. This is the first time that four men have been hanged together in Tihar Jail. The executions were carried out after the men exhausted every possible legal avenue to escape the gallows. Their desperate attempts only postponed the inevitable by less than two months after the first date of execution was set for January 22. In last-gasp attempts, one of the convicts knocked on the doors of the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court just hours before the hanging. In an unprecedented late-night hearing that began at 2.30 AM and lasted an hour, a Supreme Court bench dismissed his last plea. Finally, the four convicts were hanged at 5.30 am, Director General of Tihar Jail Sandeep Goel said. COVID-19 ECONOMIC RESPONSE TASK FORCE With Covid-19 wreaking havoc in Indian financial markets and global research and rating firms marking down GDP growth estimates by up to 100 basis points, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday acknowledged rising concerns of the pandemic's adverse impact on the larger economy as he announced a "Covid-19 Economic Response Task Force" under Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. On its table are a string of proposals to mitigate the harsh second-round effects of the sudden and sharp destruction of demand. "The new task force provides a mechanism to get over the bureaucracy's aversion to suggest bold measures and act upon these quickly - especially in unusual times like these. It is likely to include members from RBI, Sebi, the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Secretariat," said a source with knowledge of discussions in the government. The Task Force will be in regular touch with all stakeholders. "It will ensure all steps are taken to reduce economic difficulties and execute them effectively," the Prime Minister said. RANJAN GOGOI SWORN IN AS RAJYA SABHA MEMBER AMID CHANTS OF 'SHAME' Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi took take oath as Rajya Sabha member on Thursday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Even as he was being administered the oath, opposition members shouted 'shame' and 'deal' and later walked out in protest against his appointment. The former CJI was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Ram Nath Kovind on 16 March. LOK SABHA PASSES BILL TO AWARD EMINENCE TAG TO GUJARAT AYURVEDA COLLEGES Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill that seeks to award the institution of national importance status to a cluster of ayurveda institutions in Gujarat even as the Opposition demanded that the government should do more to promote ayurveda at the international level. Union minister Shripad Yesso Naik said people across the globe are now showing greater interest in ayurveda, which has its origins in India. The Bill seeks to confer the status of institution of national importance to the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, at Jamnagar, by conglomerating the cluster of ayurveda institutes at Gujarat Ayurveda University campus in Jamnagar. The three institutes which would be clubbed are Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Gulabkunwerba Ayurveda Mahavidyalaya, and the Institute of Ayurveda Pharmaceutical Sciences. Participating in the discussion on the Bill, Congress member Shashi Tharoor said the proposed legislation is both "welcome" and disappointing. Stating that a chunk of Indian households use ayurvedic products, he said it was the engine of growth in Kerala. Legal security, Tharoor said, is not provided to ayurveda and added that 65-70 per cent of rural India depends on ayurveda but nothing is done to protect the practitioners of ayurveda. "I request that what is being done for Gujarat should be done for Kerala," he said. POLICE CASES AGAINST THOSE VIOLATING QUARANTINE RULES IN MAHARASHTRA The Maharashtra Government will soon file police cases against those violating quarantine rules as part of efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said this on Twitter hours after six people returning from Singapore with a "home quarantine" stamp on their hands were found travelling to Gujarat on board the Saurashtra Express. According to Western Railway officials, the six were asked to get off the train by passengers who noticed the stamp on the passengers' hands. On Wednesday, four people with the home quarantine stamp on their hands were forced to get off the Garib Rath Express at Palghar station by the authorities. Mumbai police warned that people violating orders to be quarantined at home would be forcible isolated in government institutions under the Epidemic Act. CORONAVIRUS IMPACT MAY RENDER 38 MN JOBLESS IN INDIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY With stringent travel restrictions in place and widespread fears keeping people indoors, India's travel and tourism industry is staring at large-scale job losses. Highlighting the impact of the unfolding crisis, industry body Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) has approached Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi. In a letter to the PM, the industry body has urged the PMO to intervene to minimise the damage. Apart from business loss for the Rs 5-trillion industry, FAITH said the crisis may leave 38 million people (or 70 per cent of all employed directly and indirectly) jobless. Further, it has predicted that a near halt in travel and tourism may result in a Rs 10-trillion hit to the country's economy. "As a result of this pandemic, the Indian tourism industry is looking at pan-Indian bankruptcies, closure of businesses, and mass unemployment," said FAITH. With revenue streams drying up, the body has urged the PMO for varied measures. A moratorium on payable EMIs for the next 12 months, loans and working capital from financial institutions, deferment of all statutory dues, including GST, advance tax payments, provident fund, and Customs duties are its demands. "State government-level excise fees, levies, taxes, power and water charges, bank guarantees should also be deferred," the letter read. ALL SPORTS EVENTS SHUT TILL APRIL 15, INDIAN GP SET TO BE POSTPONED The Sports Ministry's latest advisory to all sports organisations against holding any events has all but ended the hopes that the Indian Grand Prix-I - scheduled to be held at NIS in Patiala today - would be held. Additionally, all Sports Authority of India (SAI) facilities too will be shut for the duration. "In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic which has led to sports events being stalled across the globe and in India. It has been directed that all sports organisations and their affiliate units are advised against holding any sports events, including competitions or selection trials till April 15th 2020," the Sports Ministry said in its circular today. The circular added: "However for athletes preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, they may be exempt from this, subject to the following restrictions: i) No exposure to athlete be allowed from outside in the campus where training is underway; ii) No coach, technical/support staff, athlete etc. presently in the training camp and not staying in the training campus be allowed to interact or mingle with trainee athletes without following the quarantine protocols." INDICATORS Sensex 28,288 (-581), Nifty 8,263 (-205), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 53,374 Nasdaq 7,151 (+161) Dow 20,087 (+188), S&P 2,409 (+11) US$-Rs. 75.33 GBP-Rs. 87.01, Euro-Rs. 81.31, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.50, Can$-Rs. 51.83, Aus$- Rs. 43.12 GBP 0.86 /US$, Euro 0.92 /US$, Jap.Yen 109.68 /US$, Aus$ 1.74 /US$, Sing 1.44 /US$, Bang Taka 83.37 /US$, Can$ 1.45 /US$, Mal Ring 4.40 /US$, Pak Re 158.41 /US$, Phil Peso 51.43 /US$, Russian Rouble 80.17 /US$, NZ$ 1.76 /US$, Thai Baht 32.54 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 27.33 /US$, Norway NOK 11.51 /US$ Bitcoin - USD 5,764 Dollar Index 103.05 Brent Crude 28.93 BDI 629 Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,483 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,060 / 3,960, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 37,800 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Great leaders are not the best at everything. They find people who are the best at different things and get them all on the same team. - Eileen Bistrisky OFF TRACK Relationship are easy when spouses know each other. There are two examples: 1) A husband comes home after attending a club meeting. He tells his wife, "Dear there was a drinking competition after the meeting today." His wife spontaneously asks, "Who got the second position?" 2) A wife tells her husband, "Dear there was a letter to you. It's written on the envelope, 'Private and confidential.'" The husband casually asks, "What was written inside?"