UP AND DELHI SEAL HOTSPOTS UNTIL APRIL 15

The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday decided to seal coronavirus

hotspots in 15 districts until April 15 as part of a cluster containment

exercise, where only medical services and home delivery of essential items

would be allowed.

While entire districts will not face such stringent lockdown measures,

movement of people will be completely curbed in these hotspots, and all

shops will be shut.

In Delhi, too, 22 small pockets, including lanes and apartment complexes,

were notified as 'containment zones', wherein tougher restrictions,

including on essential services, will be implemented. By Thursday, more

areas are likely to be sealed, which include Central Delhi's Sadar Bazar and

pockets of West Delhi.

"Many cases were reported from the Sadar area, so it is being contained and

sealed. There are 20 such places in Delhi where people are not allowed to

come out of their lanes or apartments and people from outside are also not

allowed to go in," Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the hotspots are in districts where more than six cases

have been reported, including Agra, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar

(which includes Noida and Greater Noida), Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi, Sitapur,

Shamli, Meerut, Bulandshahr, Saharanpur, Bareilly, Firozabad, Basti and

Maharajganj.

Despite the administration urging people not to panic, long queues formed

outside grocery stores in the evening in several areas, including Noida,

Greater Noida, and Ghaziabad, as people attempted to stock up on essential

supplies. As the footfall surged, many shopkeepers reported running out of

essential items since supply lines have already been hit.

"In these hotspots, there would be no relaxation but there is no need to

panic as medical services and civil supplies would be delivered to the

doorstep. Other areas would remain as they were during the lockdown," a

senior state official said. He said that in the sealed areas, everything

from grocery stores to banks would be closed until April 15.

Director General of Police Hitesh Chandra Awasthi said, "These are clusters

where there is a history of positive cases and a potential of spread. After

the sealing exercise, an extensive sanitisation drive would be conducted

through fire services in these areas.

The UP government has made the wearing of masks compulsory for everyone, and

action will be taken against those who step out without their face covered.

So far, 361 cases have been reported in Uttar Pradesh, which includes 187

related to last month's Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi's Nizamuddin

West. In Delhi, 669 cases have been reported so far, including 426 related

to the Markaz gathering.

The city of Hyderabad has identified 12 containment clusters.

PM INTERACTS WITH FLOOR LEADERS OF POLITICAL PARTIES

In an effort to shape a consensus on the ongoing nationwide lockdown, Prime

Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday told Parliament floor leaders that the

situation in the country was akin to a "social emergency", and indicated the

curbs were likely to continue beyond April 14.

Modi interacted with leaders of those parties whose combined strength of Lok

Sabha and Rajya Sabha adds up to five.

Interacting with them via videoconferencing, the PM said he would take a

decision on extending the lockdown after a meeting with chief ministers on

Saturday.

According to a government statement, the PM said "several state govts,

district administrations, and experts had asked for an extension of the

lockdown". Several state govts have also put forward their suggestions on

graded lifting, including running special trains, and allowing some

industrial activity.

There are concerns in several states, particularly those with bustling urban

centres, like Maharashtra, that lifting the lockdown now could be

counterproductive and any gains in controlling the spread might be lost.

After the four-hour meeting, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said nearly 80

per cent of political leaders, including himself, suggested the PM that the

lockdown should be extended.

"Prime Minister Modi made it clear that lockdown is not being lifted and

also that the life pre-corona and post-corona will not be same," Biju Janata

Dal leader Pinaki Misra said after the meeting.

Opposition leaders flagged the issue of shortage of Personal Protective

Equipment (PPE) for health workers.

Azad said MNREGA workers should be deployed in helping farmers harvest their

crop free of cost; and pesticides, fertilizers and other agriculture

equipment exempted from GST.

Azad suggested the setting up of a government task force with chief

ministers of the worst-affected states as members for better coordination

since they had their ears to the ground, as also a separate multi-party

forum. He also suggested changing the education calendar for the year and

restarting some of the factories to maintain supply of essential

commodities.

Sharad Pawar said the Tablighi Jamaat incident was unfortunate, but

round-the-clock demonising of a particular sect or community needed to stop.

TRUMP THANKS PM MODI ON HCQ DECISION, SAYS IT WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN

Changing his stand on the export of hydroxychloroquine from India, US

President Donald Trump Wednesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for

his "strong leadership in helping not just India, but humanity" in the fight

against the new coronavirus.

Takign to Twitter, Trump said, "Extraordinary times require even closer

cooperation between friends. Thank you India and the Indian people for the

decision on HCQ. Will not be forgotten! Thank you Prime Minister

@NarendraModi for your strong leadership in helping not just India, but

humanity, in this fight!"

Earlier in the day, Trump had praised PM Modi and India's handling of the

coronavirus pandemic. "I bought millions of doses (of hydroxychloroquine).

More than 29 million. I spoke to Prime Minister Modi, a lot of it

(hydroxychloroquine) comes out of India. I asked him if he would release it?

He was great. He was really good," he said "You know they put a stop

because they wanted it for India," Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

On Tuesday, Trump warned India of retaliation if the country doesn't supply

the drug to America. Hours after this, India said that it will supply

essential drugs to "some nations who have been particularly badly affected"

by COVID-19 and to "neighbouring countries who are dependent on India's

capabilities".

New Delhi said that the stock position "could allow" Indian companies to

meet the export commitments they have already made.

India manufactures 70 per cent of the world's supply of hydroxychloroquine,

according to Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) secretary-general

Sudarshan Jain.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro also thanked India yesterday after New

Delhi gave the nod to continue exporting ingredients for Hydroxychloroquine,

stressing that the drug could save thousands of lives. "I am grateful to

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and to the Indian people, for this very timely

help to the Brazilian people," Bolsonaro said in an address on Wednesday.

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 5,916 (+565) / 15,18,719 (+87,013)

Total Deaths 180 (+20) / 88,502 (+6,422)

Total Recovered 565 (+97) / 3,30,589 (+28,439)

Active Cases 5,128 (+459) / 10,99,628 (+52,152 )

Serious / Critical Cases (Not Available) / 48,079(+185)

Top 5 impacted nations so far: (Country / Total No of cases / Deaths)

USA 4,35,128 / 14,795

Spain 1,48,220 / 14,792

Italy 1,39,422 / 17,669

Germany 1,13,296 / 2,349

France 1,12,950 / 10,869

Top 10 impacted Indian States so far: (Total No. of Confirmed case / No. Of

Deaths)

MAHARASHTRA 1135 / 72

TAMIL NADU 738 / 8

DELHI 669 / 9

TELANGANA 453 / 11

RAJASTHAN 383 / 3

UTTAR PRADESH 361 / 4

ANDHRA PRADESH 348 / 3

KERALA 345 / 2

MADHYA PRADESH 341 / 24

GUJARAT 186 / 16

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

BERNIE SANDERS DROPS 2020 BID FOR US PRESIDENT

Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary

evaporate as the party's establishment lined swiftly up behind rival Joe

Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, an acknowledgment that the

former vice president is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable hope

of catching up.

The announcement makes Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge

President Donald Trump in November. "The path toward victory is virtually

impossible," Sanders told supporters as he congratulated Biden. The former

vice president is "a very decent man whom I will work with to move our

progressive ideas forward."

DONALD TRUMP SAYS WOULD LIKE TO REOPEN US ECONOMY WITH A 'BIG BANG'

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would like to reopen the US

economy with a "big bang" but that the death toll from the coronavirus needs

to be on the down slope before that can happen.

Trump did not give a timeframe on when he would like to reopen the economy,

but his chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, said on Tuesday it was

possible this could happen in four to eight weeks.

Trump, seeking re-election on Nov. 3, wants to get the economy going again

as soon as possible, but his medical advisers are urging caution out of

concern that trying to return to some sense of normalcy too early could lead

to a renewed outbreak.

Trump and his team have been heartened by signs that the death toll among

Americans may fall far short of projections that he outlined last week

indicating between 100,000 and 240,000 could die.

"We're ahead of schedule," Trump said at a White House news briefing. He

said the economy could be reopened in phases but that "it would be nice to

open with a big bang." But he said, "We have to be on the down side of the

slope" of infections and that he will rely heavily on experts in determining

how to proceed.

WHO URGES VIRUS UNITY AFTER TRUMP ATTACK

The World Health Organization on Wednesday pleaded for global unity in

fighting the coronavirus, following US President Donald Trump's stinging

attack on its handling of the pandemic.

As the WHO prepares to mark 100 days on Thursday since it was first notified

of the outbreak in China, director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hit

back at accusations that it had been too close to Beijing.

The UN's health agency has faced criticism in the past both for overreacting

and for moving too slowly in fighting epidemics, but it has rarely faced as

much scrutiny as with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous

enemy," Tedros told a virtual press briefing in Geneva. "The focus of all

political parties should be to save their people. Please don't politicise

this virus. "If you don't want many more body bags, then you refrain from

politicising it," the WHO chief argued, before adding later: "It's like

playing with fire."

THE REST

========

'PM MODI DISAPPROVES OF 'CAMPAIGN' TO HONOUR HIM

Expressing his disapproval of a reported campaign that people should give

him a standing ovation for five minutes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Wednesday said it appears to be a mischief to drag him into a controversy.

The Prime Minister, in a series of tweets in Hindi, said maybe it is

someone's goodwill but said "yet I insist that if you really have so much

love and want to honour Modi, then take the responsibility of a poor family,

at least as long as the coronavirus crisis exists."

PM Modi said it has been brought to his notice that some people are running

this campaign to honour him by giving him a standing ovation for five

minutes. "At first sight, it appears to be a mischief to drag Modi in a

controversy," he wrote.

His tweets were in response to an unsigned message circulating online that

asked people to give him a standing ovation for five minutes at 5 pm on

Sunday for the work he has been doing for the nation.

DO NOT LABEL ANY COMMUNITY OR AREA FOR SPREAD OF COVID-19: GOVT

The government on Wednesday issued an advisory to address the social stigma

associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, urging people not to label any

community or area for the spread of the novel coronavirus. The advisory

comes following a spurt in coronavirus cases after a Tablighi Jamaat meet at

the group's headquarters in New Delhi, and instances of people, especially

on social media, blaming the Muslim community for the spread of disease.

"Do not label any community or area for spread of COVID-19," the advisory

said.

Public health emergencies during an outbreak of communicable diseases may

cause fear and anxiety leading to prejudices against people and communities,

social isolation and stigma, said the government advisory posted on the

health ministry website. Such behaviour may culminate into increased

hostility, chaos and unnecessary social disruptions, the advisory said.

Certain communities and areas are being labelled purely based on false

reports floating on social media and elsewhere, the advisory said.

There is an urgent need to counter such prejudices and to rise as a

community that is empowered with health literacy and responds appropriately

in the face of this adversity, it said.

MUMBAI, DELHI, UP MAKE FACE MASKS COMPULSORY FOR STEPPING OUT

To reduce the spread of coronavirus, BMC, the Mumbai civic body, has made

face masks compulsory part of attire at public places. "All persons moving

out for whatever purpose and for whatever reason in public places like

streets, hospitals, offices, markets etc must wear mask or cloth mask," it

stated.

The BMC also warned of arrest under section 188 of the Indian Penal Court

for flouting its order.

This would also be applicable to all people moving around in their official

or personal vehicles at any site, office or workplace, besides attending any

gatherings or meetings at workplaces.

Delhi government has also said that wearing face masks is compulsory in

public.

The Uttar Pradesh government has also said that not wearing masks will

invite action in the state.

COVID-19: SC ORDERS FREE TESTING BY GOVT AND PRIVATE LABS

As the number of COVID-19 cases keep rising despite a nationwide lockdown to

prevent its spread, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Centre to

ensure that all tests were conducted free of cost by both government and

private laboratories.

A Bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S Ravindra Bhat ordered the

government to issue necessary directions in this regard immediately. "The

tests relating to COVID-19 whether in approved government laboratories or

approved private laboratories shall be free of cost," it said.

"The question as to whether the private laboratories carrying free of cost

COVID-19 tests are entitled for any reimbursement of expenses incurred shall

be considered later on," the Bench said while asking the government to

respond to a PIL on the issue in two weeks.

The order came on a PIL filed by advocate Shashank Deo Sudhi seeking a

direction to the Centre to provide free of cost testing facility of COVID-19

(coronavirus) by all testing labs whether private or government.

In another order, the Supreme Court said that doctors and health care

professionals are "warriors" in fight against coronavirus and have to be

protected.

I-T DEPARTMENT TO IMMEDIATELY ISSUE PENDING REFUNDS UP TO RS 5 LAKH

In the context of the COVID-19 situation and with a view to provide

immediate relief to the business entities and individuals, it has been

decided to issue all the pending income tax refunds up to Rs 5 lakh,

immediately.

This would benefit around 14 lakh taxpayers, said an official news release.

The government also decided to issue all pending GST and custom refunds

which would provide benefit to around 1 lakh business entities, including

MSME.

Thus, the total refund granted will be approximately Rs 18,000 crore.

ALL GOVT DEPTS. TOLD TO CUT EXPENSES BY 60% AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

Days after cutting the salaries and other allowances of MPs and ministers,

the government has passed instructions to all departments to reduce their

expenditure by as much as 60 per cent from their first-quarter spending

plans.

Each department has to make the "savage cuts" by redoing the Budget maths.

The only exception is spending that deals with schemes related to the

pandemic. Here too, there could be cuts for non-essential stuff. No

instructions have been issued to states to prune expenditure but it is

understood that these too could happen soon.

The sum to be reduced will roughly be from a budget of Rs 3.43 trillion of

estimated government spending in the first quarter. The cuts have become

necessary because all estimates show both tax and non-tax revenue of the

government will come up far short of the Budget estimates in FY21.

The instructions make no mention of cutting wages and pensions.

SHOAIB AKHTAR PROPOSES AN INDIA-PAK ODI SERIES TO GENERATE FUNDS

In the wake of the global crisis caused due to coronavirus outbreak, former

speedster Shoaib Akhtar urged the two neighbours- India and Pakistan to come

together and support each other.

"If India can make 10,000 ventilators for us, Pakistan will remember this

gesture forever. But we can only propose the matches. The rest is up to the

authorities (to decide)," Akhtar said.

With bilateral events coming to a halt between the two nations due to rising

political tensions, Akhtar also proposed the idea of conducting a

three-match ODI series to raise funds for the fight against COVID-19. "In

this time of crisis, I want to propose a three-match series in which for the

first time, the people of neither country would be upset at the outcome of

the games," Akhtar said.

"You are bound to get massive viewership for the games. For the first time,

both countries will play for each other. And whatever funds are generated

through this can be donated equally to the government of India and Pakistan

to fight this pandemic," added the 44-year-old. "The whole world will tune

into it, so much money can be raised to deal with this crisis. In difficult

times, the character of the nation comes forward."

INDICATORS

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57,593

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US$-Rs. 75.70 GBP-Rs. 93.52, Euro-Rs. 82.25, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.60, Can$-Rs.

53.95, Aus$- Rs. 46.79

GBP 0.80 /US$, Euro 0.92 /US$, Jap.Yen 108.80 /US$, Aus$ 1.61 /US$, Sing

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Pak Re 166.96 /US$, Phil Peso 50.53 /US$, Russian Rouble 75.36 /US$, NZ$

1.67 /US$, Thai Baht 32.72 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.92 /US$, Norway NOK

10.27 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 7,304

Dollar Index 100.19 Brent Crude 33.69 BDI 596

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,648 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,289 /

4,189, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 41,290

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is the true nature of mankind to learn from mistakes, not from example. -

Fred Hoyle

OFF TRACK

A kid to another: "So, your uncle fell from the stairs?"

"Yeah, but never mind, he had to come down anyway."