PM MODI TO INTERACT WITH CMs TODAY

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with chief ministers via video

conference today on the way ahead in the fight against the novel

coronavirus, amid indications that the discussions could also focus on a

graded exit from the ongoing lockdown.

The Centre and the state governments have been giving gradual relaxation in

various fields and sectors to boost economic activities as also to provide

relief to people. But some states are willing to extend the lockdown beyond

May 3 to ensure that coronavirus cases remain under control.

In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio address on Sunday, the prime minister

said the country is in the middle of a 'yudh' (war) and asserted that people

have to continue being careful and take precautions.

His note of caution comes against the backdrop of the Union government and

states relaxing lockdown norms to revive economic activities. "I urge you

not to get overconfident. You should in your over-enthusiasm not think that

if the coronavirus has not yet reached your city, village, street or office,

it is not going to reach now. Never make such a mistake. The experience of

the world tells us a lot in this regard," he said.

In the last interaction on April 11, several chief ministers had recommended

extension of the 21-day lockdown by two weeks, which was slated to end on

April 14 earlier. On April 14, the prime minister had announced that the

lockdown is being extended till May 3.

Before the lockdown was announced on March 24, the prime minister had

interacted with the chief ministers on March 20 to discuss ways and means to

check the spread of the novel coronavirus.

HOW TO RSOLVE THE CRISIS: CONGRESS RELEASES A VIDEO

Former PM Manmohan Singh on Sunday said that without aggressive testing

facilities, India cannot conquer challenges posed by COVID-19. Testing and

tracking are the key to fighting the menace, he said in a video released by

the Congress.

Congress shared the thoughts of various leaders in the video to resolve the

current crisis relating to the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown. The

leaders are members of a consultative group headed by Singh and formulate

the party's views on various matters.

They also stressed on the issue of humanism, protection and financial

security to drive the approach to dealing with migrant labourers.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the party should have a broad framework

for protection of migrants. "We must insist that migrants are protected.

But, we must also acknowledge that state governments are actually going to

be responsible for driving this thing. Different state govts might choose

different methodologies to solve this problem," he said.

Former finance minister P Chidambaram suggested that one must leave it to

the state from where the migrant originally came in to find ways to take

back the migrants from other states. "But, the bulk will have to remain

where they are. They have to be immediately given cash and grain," he noted.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the government's

financial action plan 1 has not really worked and "government needs to step

up".

Another Congress leader Jairam Ramesh sought to scale up testing facilities

and noted that the country had the capacity to triple the amount of testing.

For reaching a threshold level of covering one per cent of the population,

"we have to do something like 10 million tests", he said.

CBDT PROBES 50 IRS OFFICERS FOR SUGGESTING SEVERE TAX MEASURES

In its 10 suggestions for generating more revenues, the Indian Revenue

Service (IRS) Association has also mooted re-introduction of wealth tax,

raising the Google tax and inheritance tax, among others. A 44-page paper

titled 'Force' which stands for 'Fiscal Options & Response to COVID-19

Epidemic', dated April 23, was sent to Central Board of Direct Taxes

chairman P C Mody and the board members.

The report prompted the CBDT to initiate an inquiry against the 50 IRS

officers for penning the 'unsolicited report' and making it public 'without

permission'.

In a statement, the CBDT, which is the apex policy making body for direct

tax policies, said it has never asked IRS Association or these officers to

prepare such a report and no permission was sought by them before making the

report public. 'It is unequivocally stated that CBDT never asked IRS

Association or these officers to prepare such a report.

'No permission was sought by the officers before going public with their

personal views and suggestions on official matters, which is a violation of

extant Conduct Rules. Necessary inquiry is being initiated in this matter,'

the CBDT said. It further said the 'impugned report' does not reflect the

official views of CBDT/Ministry of Finance in any manner.

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 27,890 (+1,607) / 29,94,958 (+73,757)

Total Deaths 881 (+56) / 2,06,997 (+3,708)

Total Recovered 6,523 (+584) / 8,78,923 (+41,953)

Active Cases 20,486 (+967) / 19,09,038 (+28,096)

Serious / Critical Cases (Not Available) / 57,603 (-260)

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

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

USA 9,87,322 / 55,415 / 167

Spain 2,26,629 / 23,190 / 496

Italy 1,97,675 / 26,644 / 441

France 1,62,100 / 22,856 / 350

Germany 1,57,770 / 5,976 / 71

UK 1,52,840 / 20,732 / 305

Turkey 1,10,130 / 2,805 / 33

Iran 90,481 / 5,710 / 68

India 27,890 / 881 / 0.6

Pakistan 13,328 / 281 / 1.0

Bangladesh 5,416 / 145 / 0.9

Sri Lanka 523 / 7 / 0.3

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

Deaths)

Maharashtra 8,068 / 342

Gujarat 3,301 / 151

Delhi 2,918 / 54

Rajasthan 2,185 / 41

Madhya Pradesh 2,090 / 103

Tamil Nadu 1,885 / 24

Uttar Pradesh 1,873 / 30

Andhra Pradesh 1,097 / 31

Telangana 1,001 / 25

West Bengal 611 / 20

Jammu and Kashmir 523 / 6

Karnataka 503 / 19

Kerala 469 / 4

Punjab 322 / 18

Haryana 296 / 3

Bihar 277 / 2

Odisha 103 / 1

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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NATIONS GRAPPLE WITH LOCKDOWN EXIT STRATEGIES

Boris Johnson returns to work for the first time in a fortnight with one key

item at the top of his in-tray: when will he let Britain do so?

The prime minister will chair the government's Monday morning meeting to

coordinate efforts to tackle the virus. He spent the last two weeks

recuperating at home, after contracting Covid-19 himself and spending three

nights in intensive care.

With the nation recording its lowest daily death toll since March and

lockdowns being partially lifted on the European continent, Johnson is

facing increasing pressure to explain how his administration will move

Britain onto the next phase.

Several US states are also beginning to lift lockdown orders even as US

leaders say social distancing guidelines will be necessary throughout the

summer.

But governors warn that life will not quickly return to normal, and that

restrictions will remain in some places to keep the virus from resurging.

Public health experts warn that lifting restrictions too soon could cause a

second wave of infections. The decision to end mandatory orders comes as

over 26 million Americans seek unemployment protection, and the jobless rate

climbs to around 16% of the population.

Even as state governors allow orders to expire, some city mayors have issued

their own separate plans to end local lockdowns rules.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday partially eased a 24-hour curfew in place to combat

the coronavirus pandemic, except for in hotspots including the Muslim holy

city of Mecca.

The curfew will be relaxed between 9am and 5pm and malls and retailers will

be allowed to reopen in all regions of the kingdom until May 13, the

official Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia, which has reported the highest number of infections in the

Arab world, is scrambling to limit the spread of the disease at home.

On Saturday the health ministry said deaths from the respiratory illness had

risen to 136, while confirmed infections rose to 16,299 with 2,215 people

reported to have recovered from the illness.

Last month, Saudi Arabia suspended the year-round "umrah" pilgrimage over

fears of the coronavirus pandemic spreading in Islam's holiest cities.

Authorities are yet to announce whether they will proceed with this year's

hajj, scheduled for the end of July, but they have urged Muslims to

temporarily defer preparations for the annual pilgrimage.

KIM JONG UN 'ALIVE AND WELL': SEOUL

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is "alive and well", a top security adviser

to the South's President Moon Jae-in said, downplaying rumours over Kim's

health following his absence from a key anniversary.

"Our government position is firm," said Moon's special adviser on national

security Moon Chung-in, in an interview with CNN on Sunday. "Kim Jong Un is

alive and well."

The adviser said that Kim had been staying in Wonsan -- a resort town in the

country's east -- since April 13, adding: "No suspicious movements have so

far been detected."

Conjecture about Kim's health has grown since his conspicuous absence from

the April 15 celebrations for the birthday of his grandfather Kim Il Sung,

the North's founder -- the most important day in the country's political

calendar.

ALL BECAUSE OF THEM: PAKISTANI CLERIC BLAMES WOMEN FOR COVID-19

A well-known cleric in Pakistan has said the coronavirus pandemic has been

unleashed on humanity because of the "wrongdoing of women" and he made the

comments in the presence of Prime Minister Imran Khan on live television.

According to news agency ANI, Maulana Tariq Jameel made the comments during

the Ehsaas Telethon fundraising event on Thursday as Imran Khan looked on.

Reports said the cleric blamed women who "were often scantily dressed" for

the spread of the coronavirus disease in the country. He condemned them and

said their behaviour was bringing such wrath upon the country.

The Human Right Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has pulled up the cleric for

his statement against women. "HRCP is appalled at Maulana Tariq Jamil's

recent statement inexplicably correlating women's 'modesty' to the Covid19

pandemic. Such blatant objectification is unacceptable and, when aired on

public television, only compounds the misogyny entrenched in society," the

commission tweeted.

THE REST

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J-K: FOUR MILITANTS KILLED IN KULGAM ENCOUNTER, THIRD IN LAST 48 HOURS IN

VALLEY

Four militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in South

Kashmir's Kulgam district on Sunday evening. This is the third encounter in

the Valley in the last 48 hours, and together, eight militants and one

militant "associate" have been killed.

Police officers said around 8:00 pm on Sunday, a patrolling party of joint

forces was attacked by militants in between villages Chehlan and Asthal of

district Kulgam.

An officer said in the exchange of fire, an Army personnel was injured, and

subsequently, an encounter broke out in the area.

RSS CHIEF ASKS WORKERS TO HELP ALL WITHOUT DISCRIMINATION

As the country faces the coronavirus pandemic, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

(RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday cautioned against forces inimical to

India's interests taking advantage of the situation, exhorted all to help

those affected without any discrimination and stressed on developing a

self-reliant economy.

"We have to be patient and calm. There should be no fear or anger as people

with anti-India mindset can use it against the country," he said in an

online address to workers of the RSS.

Even if someone did something wrong, do not consider everyone guilty. Some

people want to misuse it. Asking the Sangh workers to serve people without

any discrimination, he said those in need of help 'are our own'. "It is our

duty to help in this time of crisis. All 130 crore Indians are our own," he

said.

Underlining that RSS is active during lockdown in the shape of relief

activities, Sangh chief said, "We should continue the relief work till the

threat of this pandemic completely ends."

INDORE STRAIN MAY BE DEADLIER, WILL SEND SAMPLES TO NIV: DOCS

Doctors treating COVID-19 cases in Indore say a more virulent strain may be

wreaking havoc in the city, which has emerged as the coronavirus hotspot in

Madhya Pradesh.

They say samples from Indore, where COVID-19 has killed 57 people, will be

sent to the Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) to confirm their

apprehensions of the strain being deadlier than in other parts of the

country.

"We have a feeling the strain is definitely more virulent in Indore belt. We

have discussed this with the NIV and will be sending samples for them to

compare by extraction of virus genome, says Dean of Government Mahatma

Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College Jyoti Bindal.

"There are also other factors also for the high fatality rate, like patients

turning up at the hospitals late," she said. "In Indore belt, the testing is

confined to coronavirus detection only, and not its type, another doctor

said.

Jitendra Bhargava, director of the state government-run School of Excellence

in Pulmonary Medicine, also shared Bindals concern, saying the high

mortality rate in Indore needs to be investigated through viral culture and

RNA extraction. "The novel coronavirus is posing a big challenge due to

multiple strains. This will make the development of a universal vaccine much

more difficult," he said.

FINANCE MINISTRY, SEBI QUESTION MUTUAL FUNDS ON FRANKLIN TEMPLETON FIASCO

The finance ministry and the SEBI had discussions with the mutual fund

industry on Sunday to assess the fallout of the Franklin Templeton fiasco.

The regulators and the ministry are worried about the impact of Franklin

Templeton MF's move to wind up six of its debt schemes, and its

repercussions on the corporate debt market.

Industry experts said Franklin's action would impact as many as 310,000

investors, of whom 300,000 are retail and high net worth investors.

Industry players had conference calls on Sunday afternoon, first with Sebi,

followed by another call with the finance ministry. The latter call was

attended by Sebi, a few members of the Association of Mutual Funds in India

(Amfi), and finance ministry officials.

Meanwhile, sources said the government had given the go-ahead to the RBI to

ensure there was no liquidity issue. It is learnt that the central bank is

looking at options.

There are also worries that the Franklin problem may have a wider impact on

the debt market. On Friday, the corporate bond market felt the tremors

caused by the surprise winding-up of the schemes. Yields in corporate debt

market moved up by 20-25 basis points (bps), leading to widening of the

spread between government securities and corporate debt papers. This could

increase the cost of borrowing further. "If MF participation in debt markets

dips, that would further hurt the liquidity and lead to higher yields for

corporates," said a bond market dealer.

A PUNE INSTITUTE READY TO BEGIN PRODUCING OXFORD UNIVERSITY VACCINE

Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) said on Sunday it will likely

begin the production of a coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccine developed

by Oxford University in the next two-three weeks and hopes to bring it to

the market by October if human clinical trials of the same are successful.

The company has partnered with Oxford University as one of the seven global

institutions manufacturing the vaccine.

The human safety trial of the vaccine began in Oxford on Thursday, with the

first two of the 800 healthy volunteers recruited for the study being

injected with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. This is the sixth coronavirus vaccine to

enter the first phase of clinical trials, raising hopes of an antidote

against the virus that continues to ravage the world.

If the trials are a success, scientists hope to have one million doses ready

by September, and to dramatically scale up manufacturing after that.

HOW INDIA INC WILL REBOOT AFTER LOCKDOWN

More people working from home could be one of the biggest and lasting change

to emerge from the global lockdown. Tata Consultancy Services is looking at

having 75 per cent of its employees working from home by 2025. It is this

target that will inform the IT giant's plans for building future capacity

and infrastructure.

RBL Bank has already moved 75 per cent of its employees to operate remotely

during the lockdown and is now exploring working from home, hot-desking

(multiple workers using a single workstation at different times), and

working from distributed locations as permanent solutions.

That is not the only change Covid-19 will ring in.

Offices will be more dispersed across a city instead of being consolidated

in one building. Contactless pathways powered by motion sensors and facial

recognition technology operating through your mobile will ensure you rarely

touch surfaces, such opening doors or picking up coffee from the vending

machine. Smart lifts holding fewer people could be 'hailed' through mobile

phones rather than pressing buttons.

The popular biometric attendance system will be replaced by mobile devices

and geotagging (to show people are in the office). Air conditioners will be

powered by special filters, so that they can reduce the scope of infections.

RPG Enterprises has diverse businesses, including tyres, transmission,

pharma, and IT. S Venkatesh, president, group HR, RPG Enterprises, says

nearly 70 per cent of its employees come to work on public transport. "We

are seriously looking at reducing the number of days they work in the office

from, say, 22 to 10, in multiple departments as a permanent feature," said

Venkatesh.

He said work is also on to change seating arrangements for employees from

different departments to sit together rather than from just one department

so that, if one worker in a department falls sick, the whole department does

not have to be quarantined.

Nippon Paint (India), an automotive paints company, is thinking of closing

its Mumbai office and letting its sales office work from home or use

co-working space when required. "We have been happy with the productivity in

work from home.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Courage makes heroes, trust builds friendship. - Unknown

OFF TRACK

A man with problems in his family life decided to go home and consult a juju

man.The juju man told him to come back in two weeks bringing along some

sample of sand from his yard.

So the man went back after two weeks with the sample of sand.

The juju man performed his rituals and said to the man....I don't know if

you can handle hearing this. The man said go ahead. I want to hear it.

The juju man said the two boys you have are not your sons, your daughter is

seeing five different men and your wife is pregnant from your younger

brother.

The man started laughing. The juju man asked him why he was laughing, after

all these bad news.

The man responded, I don't know if you can handle this. The juju man said go

ahead. The man said, I was running late and I forgot to bring the sand

sample from my yard, so I dug out some from your compound.