COVID-19 INFECTION RATE IN INDIA HAS SLOWED DOWN: GOVT

One month into the national lockdown, the coronavirus outbreak has spread to

more than half the total number of districts across the country, but remains

concentrated in the same areas, an analysis of official figures show.

The figures show that while districts on the COVID-19 map have more than

doubled in the last three weeks - from 211 districts on April 1 to 429 on

April 22 - the heavy load remains confined to 12 administrative districts

that recorded over 200 cases each.

In fact, these 12 accounted for over 50 per cent of the cases for which

district-wise statistics have been made available by the Union Health

Ministry.

The data also shows that only 24 districts have recorded more than 100

positive cases each. Signalling the thin spread in other areas, 223

districts have recorded less than 10 cases each while 182 others recorded

double digits.

When it comes to urban centres, at least 13 accounted for well over half the

number of cases: Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Indore, Pune, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Thane,

Surat, Chennai, Bhopal, Agra, Jaipur and Delhi.

Meanwhile, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant revealed that the weekly doubling

rate - the time taken for the cases to double - has shifted from a low of

3.54 days a month ago to 10.13 days now. In other words, while the numbers

have mounted since the lockdown came into force on March 24, the pace of the

outbreak appears to have moderated.

With India's case count reaching 21,700 Thursday, with a recovery rate of

about 19.8%, AIIMS director and top pulmonologist Dr Randeep Guleria called

for voluntary testing by all those with flu-like symptoms to prevent

unnecessary delays in treatment. Currently, the ICMR's strategy focusses on

testing of those with ILI symptoms - fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose -

only in hotspots or clusters and in large migration or evacuee centres.

Guleria, who is a member of the empowered group on medical facilities and

strategy for COVID-19, also appealed against stigmatisation so that people

with such symptoms can get tested.

"We have to work on this strategy. If you test early, treatment is started

early and that can save your life. If you come gasping for breath, it will

lead to higher mortality. It is important to encourage everyone to seek

medical attention, get themselves tested. We have ramped up testing to a

large extent, there is no shortage. we should be able to support all those

people who need to be tested," Guleria said at the government's media

briefing.

At the media briefing earlier, C K Mishra, environment secretary who heads

the empowered group on medical infrastructure, made a global comparison of

where countries stood by the time they had conducted 5 lakh tests.

He said that the US reached the mark on March 26 with 80,000 cases, Italy on

March 31 with 100,000 cases, UK on April 20 with 120,000 cases and Turkey on

April 16 with 80,000 cases.

India had tested 5,00,542 samples by Thursday morning, he said, from just

14,915 tests on March 23. He said that India's positivity percentage has

remained constant at around 4%. "Which shows we are on the right track but

we are conscious that we need to ramp up testing and will continue to do

that," he said.

CONGRESS TELLS GOVT TO EASE 'DEVASTATING' LOCKDOWN, LET STATES PLAN OWN

ROADMAPS

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interaction with chief ministers

this Monday, the Congress on Thursday said a lockdown of "the present

nature" was unsustainable and cannot continue. Asking the government to come

out with a "detailed exit strategy" in the 10 days left for this phase of

the lockdown to end on May 3, the main opposition party accused it of not

taking any concrete steps to revive the economy.

The Congress also urged that states be allowed to devise their own plans and

argued against a "one-size-fits-all policy".

Many leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, stressed at the CWC that the

government must allow economic activities to resume in non-hot stop zones.

In a statement, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said any extension of the

kind of lockdown in place now would be "even more devastating". "The

lockdown continues. all sections of our society continue to face acute

hardship and distress - particularly our farmers, farm workers, migrant and

construction workers. Trade, commerce and industry have come to a virtual

halt and crores of livelihoods destroyed."

The party asked the government to frame a policy to ensure return of migrant

workers to their home states and the Indians stranded abroad, while taking

adequate precautions.

The Congress felt that India was lagging in establishing a robust and

accurate testing regime.

BJP ACCUSES SONIA OF SPREADING COMMUNAL HATRED, SEEKS APOLOGY

The ruling BJP has condemned senior Congress president Sonia Gandhi,

accusing her of "promoting and spreading communal hatred with her

irresponsible remarks at a CWC meeting" to divert the attention of people

from "shameful" incidents in States ruled by her party.

Addressing the Congress working committee meeting, Gandhi had accused the

BJP of spreading communal hatred when the country should be fighting the

Covid-19 together. Telling her to apologise to the people, senior BJP

leader Shahnawaz Hussain said it was clear the Congress was "indulging in

politics of hatred to deliberately divide the country and the society".

"The Congress does not condemn the murder of 'sadhus' in Palghar or the

attack on the senior journalist (Arnab Goswami) at the party' meeting but

knows well to sow seeds of hatred at a time when the country is working and

standing together under the decisive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra

Modi, who is being praised by the entire World for his leadership in such

difficult times," Hussain said, adding: "It is at a time like this the

president of a leading Opposition party is giving such type of statements."

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 23,039 (+1,669) / 27,18,699 (+80,909)

Total Deaths 721 (+40) / 1,90,654 (+6,424)

Total Recovered 5,012 (+642) / 7,45,623 (+27,811)

Active Cases 17,306 (+987) / 17,82,422 (+46,674)

Serious / Critical Cases (Not Available) / 58,678 (+1,999)

Top 8 impacted nations so far: (Country / Total No of cases / Deaths)

USA 8,80,204 / 49,845

Spain 2,13,024 / 22,157

Italy 1,89,973 / 25,549

France 1,58,183 / 21,856

Germany 1,53,129 / 5,575

UK 1,38,078 / 18,738

Turkey 1,01,790 / 2,491

Iran 87,026 / 5,481

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

Deaths)

Maharashtra 6,427 / 283

Gujarat 2,624 / 112

Delhi 2,376 / 50

Rajasthan 1,964 / 28

Madhya Pradesh 1,687 / 83

Tamil Nadu 1,683 / 20

Uttar Pradesh 1,510 / 24

Telangana 970 / 25

Andhra Pradesh 893 / 27

West Bengal 456 / 15

Kerala 447 / 2

Karnataka 445 / 17

Jammu and Kashmir 434 / 5

Punjab 283 / 17

Haryana 270 / 3

Bihar 170 / 2

Odisha 89 / 1

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

IRAN VOWS TO HIT BACK IF THREATENED

Iran will destroy U.S. warships if its security is threatened in the Gulf,

the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards told state TV on Thursday, a

day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran over "harassment" of

U.S. vessels.

"I have ordered our naval forces to destroy any American terrorist force in

the Persian Gulf that threatens security of Iran's military or non-military

ships," Major General Hossein Salami said. "Security of the Persian Gulf is

part of Iran's strategic priorities." "Americans have experienced our power

in the past and must learn from it."

Trump said on Wednesday he had instructed the U.S. Navy to fire on any

Iranian ships that harass it at sea, but said later he was not changing the

militarys rules of engagement.

IMAMS OVERRULE PAKISTAN'S LOCKDOWN AS RAMADAN APPROACHES

While clerics and governments across the Muslim world will greet Ramadan

this week under lockdown, working together to shut mosques and urging

worshippers to pray at home, in Pakistan, some of the most prominent imams

have rallied their devotees to ignore the anti-pandemic measures.

Ramadan, which begins in Pakistan later this week, is the holy month in

which Muslims crowd into mosques and fast all day, holding feasts after

sundown with family and friends. Those are ripe conditions for the

coronavirus to spread, and imams around the world are asking people to stay

home.

But in Pakistan, pandemic or no pandemic, hard-line clerics are calling the

shots, overriding the government's nationwide virus lockdown, which began

late last month.

Most clerics complied with the shutdown when it was announced. But some of

the most influential ones called on worshippers to attend Friday prayers in

even greater numbers. Devotees attacked police officers who tried to get in

their way.

As Ramadan drew closer, dozens of well-known clerics and leaders of

religious parties - including some who had initially obeyed the lockdown

orders - signed a letter demanding that the government exempt mosques from

the shutdown during the holy month or invite the anger of God and the

faithful.

On Saturday, the government gave in, signing an agreement that let mosques

stay open for Ramadan as long as they followed 20 rules, including forcing

congregants to maintain a 6-foot distance, bring their own prayer mats and

do their ablutions at home.

THE REST

========

BJP SUGGESTS MANUFACTURING POLICY CHANGES

In order to help India to bounce back from the economic slump in the wake of

the COVID-19 outbreak and the lockdown, the ruling BJP has suggested major

long-term changes in the country's manufacturing policy. These include

proposals to lower the cost of production, land price, easing of labour laws

and simplifying contract enforcement provisions.

The suggestions, based on consultations with economists, industrialists,

representatives from MSME sector and representatives from digital platforms,

have been submitted to the government, said Gopal Krishna Agarwal, BJP

spokesperson for economic affairs. The consultations were coordinated by

Agarwal, as directed by BJP president J P Nadda and general secretary

(organisation) B L Santosh.

"The consultations concluded that there is an opportunity for India in the

post COVID-19 world as many countries would prefer to see India as a

manufacturing hub. All the stakeholders were of the view that India should

utilise the opportunity effectively," says Agarwal.

"There needs to be long-term changes in the manufacturing policy. Cost of

production should be brought down for which there has to be changes in the

power rates and tax compliance laws. Cost of the land should be brought down

for the manufacturing units, labour issues including laws should be tweaked,

changes in the contract enforcement costs, etc are some of the suggestions,"

the BJP leader said.

According to Agarwal, the government's response has been positive and it is

expected to take proactive measures.

MHA: NO LEGAL ACTION AGAINST CEOS IF EMPLOYEE FOUND COVID POSITIVE

The Union government on Thursday said no legal action will be taken against

the CEO of a company nor a factory will be sealed in case an employee tests

positive for COVID-19.

In a letter to the chief secretaries of all states and union territories,

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said some apprehensions, based on wrong

interpretation of the guidelines, have been raised in the media and by some

companies having manufacturing facilities.

He listed the three wrong apprehensions as: (A) States may take legal action

including imprisonment of CEO in case a COVID-19 positive employee is found

in the factory.

(B) In such a situation, the premises of the factory would be sealed for 3

months.

(C) In case of non-compliance of precautionary measures, the factory may be

closed down for two days and may be allowed to restart after full

compliance.

"I would like to clarify that there is no such clause in the consolidated

revised guidelines and therefore there is no basis for such misplaced

apprehensions," Bhalla said in his letter.

SHAHI IMAMS APPEAL TO MUSLIMS TO OFFER PRAYERS AT HOME DURING RAMZAN

Shahi imams of Jama Masjid and Fatehpuri Masjid in Delhi have appealed to

Muslims to offer namaz during the holy month of Ramzan at home and follow

lockdown guidelines to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the shahi imam of Jama Masjid, in a video message asked

people not to venture outside unnecessarily and remain indoors during Ramzan

for prayers.

"Namaz and Tarabi(ritual prayer) should be offered at home. Care should be

taken that not more than three-four people read Tarabi because large numbers

can be harmful for the families and the society in view of the pandemic,"

Bukhari said yesterday

The holy month of Ramzan marked by fasting by followers of Islam is expected

to start from Saturday as per the lunar calendar.

Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid Mufti Mukarram Ahmed said those who are under

quarantine and unable to observe 'Roza' (fast) can compensate for it through

'Qaza'. Such persons can observe fast later on, he said.

CENTRE FREEZES DA INCREASE FOR STAFF TILL JULY 2021, STATES MAY FOLLOW

Deteriorating revenue position in the backdrop of the pandemic-induced

economic shutdown has forced the central government to put on hold increment

in dearness allowance (DA) for 48 lakh central government employees and 65

lakh pensioners till July 2021.

The Finance Ministry Thursday said it has decided that additional instalment

of DA payable to central government employees and dearness relief (DR) to

central government pensioners due from January 1, 2020, shall not be paid.

While the increase is being held back, DA and DR at current rates will

continue to be paid.

Government sources said the savings on account of freezing of these

instalments of DA and DR to central government employees and pensioners

would be Rs 37,530 crore in the current financial year and 2021-22.

Since states generally follow the central government on DA and DR decisions,

it is expected that states may announce similar decisions. It is estimated

that the savings on suspension of these instalments of DA and DR of state

government employees and pensioners will be Rs 82,566 crore.

Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet had cleared a 30 per cent salary cut

for all MPs, including the Prime Minister and Union Ministers, for a year.

It also decided to suspend all MPLADS (Members of Parliament Local Area

Development Scheme) funds - under which each elected MP gets Rs 5 crore

annually for development work in his/her constituency - for two financial

years starting April 1. The money from the MPLADS funds - nearly Rs 8,000

crore - will go to the Consolidated Fund of India which, the government had

said, will be used in the battle against COVID-19.

IIT-DELHI'S COVID-19 TEST METHOD GETS ICMR NOD

A low-cost method of testing coronavirus or COVID-19 developed by

researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, has been

approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). According to a

press release from the institute, the COVID-19 detection assay was developed

by a research team from IIT-Delhi's Kusuma School of Biological Sciences

(KSBS).

The institute claims "the assay was validated with a sensitivity and

specificity of 100 per cent". This makes IIT-Delhi the first academic

institute to have obtained ICMR approval for a real-time PCR-based

diagnostic assay.

The IIT-Delhi team claims to have identified unique regions (short stretches

of RNA sequences) that occur in coronavirus patients using comparative

sequence analyses. These regions, claim the researchers, are not present in

other human coronaviruses, thus providing an opportunity to specifically

detect COVID-19.

The team is targeting large-scale deployment of the kit at affordable prices

with suitable industrial partners at the earliest.

ARNAB GOSWAMI MOVES SC FOR QUASHING OF FIRs LODGED AGAINST HIM

Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Thursday moved the Supreme

Court seeking quashing of FIRs lodged against him in Maharashtra, Madhya

Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir for his

alleged remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The Supreme Court

is likely to take up today his petition that sought immediate stay on his

prosecution.

Meanwhile, Arnab and his wife were allegedly attacked by two unknown men

late Wednesday night in Mumbai when he was returning home after work. In a

video message posted online, Arnab has pinned the blame for the attack

directly on Sonia Gandhi.

FRANKLIN MF SHUTS 6 DEBT SCHEMES OVER REDEMPTION PRESSURE, LIQUIDITY CRUNCH

Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund (MF) on Thursday decided to wind up six of

its debt schemes oriented towards high-yield investments -- with a combined

asset base of Rs 25,856 crore -- citing continued redemption pressure and

lack of liquidity in the debt markets amid the lockdown and the coronavirus

pandemic.

According to industry sources, Franklin Templeton MF had over Rs 3,000 crore

of borrowing.

"In the current environment, it has been difficult to generate liquidity,

especially for credit papers, which are low on the credit curve," said

Sanjay Sapre, president at Franklin Templeton MF.

As the cost of generating liquidity in such funds would have had a negative

impact on the existing investors, the fund house decided to take the call.

"Significantly reduced liquidity in the Indian bond markets for most debt

securities and the unprecedented levels of redemptions following the

Covid-19 outbreak and the lockdown have compelled us to take this decision,"

Sapre said.

The announcement is likely to force the RBI to open a special liquidity

window for mutual funds lest it creates a systemic problem. The move will

help MFs meet redemption pressure that is certain to be felt today as

worried investors come to get their money back.

INDICATORS

Sensex 31,863 (+484), Nifty 9,314 (+127), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

48,630

Nasdaq 8,495 (-1) Dow 23,516 (+39), S&P 2,798 (-2)

US$-Rs. 75.28 GBP-Rs. 92.94, Euro-Rs. 81.28, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.49, Can$-Rs.

53.33, Aus$- Rs. 47.81

GBP 0.80 /US$, Euro 0.92 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.65 /US$, Aus$ 1.57 /US$, Sing

1.42 /US$, Bang Taka 83.31 /US$, Can$ 1.41 /US$, Mal Ring 4.35 /US$,

Pak Re 159.72 /US$, Phil Peso 50.63 /US$, Russian Rouble 75.05 /US$, NZ$

1.66 /US$, Thai Baht 32.29 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.80 /US$, Norway NOK

10.66 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 7,093

Dollar Index 100.64 Brent Crude 22.27 BDI 694

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,723 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,472 /

4,372, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 41,420

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Collective judgment of new ideas is so often wrong that it is arguable that

progress depends on individuals being free to back their own judgment

despite collective disapproval. - W.A. Lewis

OFF TRACK

The child comes home from his first day at school.

His Mother asks, "Did you anything learn today?"

The kid replies, "yes, but not enough. They want me to come back tomorrow."