FOCUS SHIFTING TOWARDS ECONOMY AS PM SPEAKS TO CMs

As India enters final week of the current lockdown, Prime Minister Narendra

Modi on Monday conveyed to chief ministers that the country will have to

give importance to the economy as well as to continue the fight against

coronavirus.

In a video conference with the chief ministers, Modi highlighted the

importance for states to enforce prescribed guidelines strictly in the

coronavirus hotspots zones, the government said in a statement.

The prime minister underlined that the lockdown has "yielded positive

results as the country has managed to save thousands of lives in the past

one and a half months", it said.

Modi told chief ministers on Monday to focus on a graded exit from the

national lockdown from May 3 and plan for a step-by-step revival of economic

activity in green zones that haven't reported Covid-19 cases.

Apart from a graded exit from the lockdown, Modi outlined his government's

thinking on reviving the economy, the plan to evacuate Indians stranded

abroad, the condition of migrant workers and stressed that fighting Covid-19

was a collective responsibility.

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma summarised PM Modi's message, saying

that even as the lockdown is relaxed from May 3, the entire mindset of the

lockdown should continue.

PM Modi also hinted that the government might look at certain reforms that

had been held up earlier. "We have to be brave and bring in reforms that

touch the lives of common citizens," he said. PM Modi did not elaborate on

the reforms that he had in mind.

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said a majority of Chief Ministers

who interacted with the Prime Minister on Monday wanted the lockdown to

continue after May 3. The Chief Ministers also said that the government

should evolve a policy for sending home migrant workers stranded in

different states. "But, the Prime Minister did not give any solution to

resolve the migrants issue," said Narayanasamy.

The government has been reluctant to facilitate the return of millions of

migrant workers on grounds that mass travel can take the infection to

unaffected areas. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thakceray has repeatedly

asked for special trains to be run to let the migrant workers return home.

Some other states have offered to run buses. PM Modi didn't rule out the

Centre's approval but appeared to message that states should assess how they

would be able to run the factories and industrial units in the absence of

the migrant workers.

CHINESE RAPID TEST KITS TO BE RETURNED

The Indian Council of Medical Research said on Monday it had cancelled the

rapid test kit procurement tender floated earlier through an Indian importer

of the Chinese kits after the equipment was found faulty in field tests and

asked states to send them back to the suppliers.

ICMR also said the country had not lost a single rupee in the process.

ICMR's clarification came after opposition Congress demanded transparency in

the procurement and rendering process of all COVID-19 related equipment

following evidence that the Indian importer and the distributor of the kits

had profiteered to the extent of Rs 18.75 crore by selling the kits at

higher prices to ICMR.

ICMR however rejected any allegations of a scam and said the order had been

cancelled and no advance payment was made to anyone.

A Chinese Embassy spokesperson said in New Delhi that it is irresponsible to

term Chinese products as "faulty". "We are deeply concerned with the

evaluation results and the decision made by Indian Council of Medical

Research. China attaches great importance to the quality of exported medical

products. Recently, Chinese Embassy in India has maintained close contact

with ICMR and the two Chinese companies to find out the real situation,"

said Ji Rong, Counselor and Spokesperson of the Embassy of China.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLAN ON SHIFTING MIGRANT WORKERS TO THEIR NATIVE PLACES, SC

ASKS CENTRE

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to spell out if it had any

plans to shift lakhs of migrant workers-stranded due to COVID-19 lockdown-to

their native places.

A Bench headed by Justice NV Ramana asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to

inform it within a week after advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing

petitioner Jagdeep Chhoker and Gaurav Jain, insisted that fundamental rights

of migrant workers were being violated.

Citing certain media reports, Bhushan alleged that more than 90 per cent of

the stranded migrant workers were not receiving wages, ration and other

essential items. Being an institution created by the Constitution, the court

should protect their rights, he submitted. Restriction of movement of

migrant workers and their confinement in the city of their migration in a

shelter homes violated their rights to freedom of movement and right to live

with human dignity guaranteed under Article 19 and Article 21 of the

Constitution respectively, he contended.

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 29,458 (+1,568) / 30,64,830 (+69,872)

Total Deaths 939 (+58) / 2,11,609 (+4,612)

Total Recovered 7,137 (+614) / 9,22,389 (+43,466)

Active Cases 21,382 (+896) / 19,30,832 (+21,794)

Serious / Critical Cases (Not Available) / 56,300 (-1,303)

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

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

USA 10,10,507 / 56,803 / 172

Spain 2,29,422 / 23,521 / 503

Italy 1,99,414 / 26,977 / 446

France 1,65,842 / 23,293 / 357

Germany 1,58,758 / 6,126 / 73

UK 1,57,149 / 21,092 / 311

Turkey 1,12,261 / 2,900 / 34

Iran 91,472 / 5,806 / 69

India 29,451 / 939 / 0.7

Pakistan 13,915 / 292 / 1.0

Bangladesh 5,913 / 152 / 0.9

Sri Lanka 588 / 7 / 0.3

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

Deaths)

State/UT Confirmed Deceased

Maharashtra 8,590 / 369

Gujarat 3,548 / 162

Delhi 3,108 / 54

Rajasthan 2,262 / 50

Madhya Pradesh 2,165 / 110

Uttar Pradesh 1,986 / 31

Tamil Nadu 1,937 / 24

Andhra Pradesh 1,177 / 31

Telangana 1,003 / 25

West Bengal 649 / 20

Jammu and Kashmir 546 / 7

Karnataka 512 / 20

Kerala 482 / 4

Bihar 346 / 2

Punjab 330 / 19

Haryana 301 / 3

Odisha 118 / 1

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

CORONAVIRUS: BORIS JOHNSON SAYS THIS IS MOMENT OF MAXIMUM RISK

The UK is at the moment of maximum risk in the coronavirus outbreak, PM

Boris Johnson has said, as he urged people not to lose patience with the

lockdown.

Speaking outside No 10 for the first time since recovering from the virus,

Johnson said "we are now beginning to turn the tide" on the disease.

He said he understood concerns from business owners who were impatient to

end the lockdown.

But ending it too soon could lead to a second spike in cases and cause more

deaths, "economic disaster" and restrictions being reintroduced, he said.

He said there were "real signs now that we are passing through the peak" -

including with fewer hospital admissions and fewer Covid-19 patients in

intensive care.

NEW YORK STATE SET TO START REOPENING FROM MAY 15 IN PHASES

New York state, the American epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, will begin

reopening around mid-May, starting with low-risk businesses in regions with

low incidence of the disease. New York city and its suburbs, which have

borne the brunt of the epidemic, will remain under lockdown.

"The numbers are on the decline: everything we have done is working," New

York governor Andrew Cuomo told reporters at his daily briefing Sunday.

Phase One of the reopening could start on May 15, when the stay-at-home

orders in the state are set to end.

Cuomo told reporters Monday that he will be extending these restrictions -

called the "New York on Pause" order - for parts of the state and will

"unpause" them for some but urged local officials, who are raring to reopen,

to be "smart" about it, and weigh their options carefully.

New York state has been the worst hit with 288,045 infections thus far and

22,269 deaths.

CHINA, AUSTRALIA IN DIPLOMATIC SPAT OVER CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL COVID PROBE

Chinese citizens could avoid Australian products and universities if Prime

Minister Scott Morrison doesn't stop calling for an international enquiry

into the coronavirus origins, a top Chinese official has said in what is

fast developing into a testy diplomatic exchange between the two countries.

Australia has shot back against the threat, cautioning China against any

threat of "economic coercion".

In the past week, Morrison had spoken to the leaders of the US, France and

Germany to gather support for an international investigation into the Wuhan

origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beijing didn't take lightly to the move.

Chinese ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye said in an interview to The

Australian Financial Review on Sunday that the call for the probe was

"dangerous". "If the mood is going from bad to worse, people would think

'why should we go to such a country that is not so friendly to China?' The

tourists may have second thoughts," Cheng said, adding: "It is up to the

people to decide. Maybe the ordinary people will say 'Why should we drink

Australian wine? Eat Australian beef?'"

"The parents of the students would also think... whether this is the best

place to send their kids," he added.

China is not only Australia's largest export market for wine and beef, it is

also the largest markets for energy exports, education and tourism -

Bloomberg reports that Australia's is the most China-reliant economy in the

developed world.

On Monday, Australian foreign minister, Marise Payne cautioned China against

attempts at "economic coercion". Payne said in a statement on Monday that

Australia had made a "principled call" for an independent review of the

Covid-19 outbreak which first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late

last year.

THE REST

========

IF A COVID-19 PATIENT CAN HOME-QUARANTINE, WON'T BE BROUGHT TO GOVT

FACILITY: MAMATA

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said that if a Covid-19

patient in the state can home-quarantine, they will not be brought to

government facilities.

"We have taken a decision. If a person tests positive for Covid-19 and has

the provision to isolate himself at his residence, the person can home

quarantine himself. Lakhs and lakhs of people can't be quarantined, the

government has its limits," she said.

Saying that the practice of home-quarantining coronavirus positive cases was

being followed in several countries, Banerjee added: "A person can be the

most comfortable at their own home. In a hospital, they come in contact with

other patients, are exposed to other infections. At home, they can live

according to their convenience, have it cleaned the way they like. We can't

quarantine lakhs and lakhs of people at government facilities."

BAN ON HIGH-SPEED INTERNET EXTENDED IN J&K TILL MAY 11

The Jammu and Kashmir administration Monday extended the ban on high-speed

mobile internet in the UT till May 11. The government has decided to

continue with only 2G data speed on post-paid SIM cards. These services

shall not be available on pre-paid SIM cards unless verified as per the

norms applicable for postpaid connections, said an order issued by the UT

Home Department's Principal Secretary Shaleen Kabra.

"Such restrictions have been placed in order to curb uploading, downloading

and circulation of

provocative videos, guard against rumour mongering/fake news, prevent the

use of encrypted messaging and VOIP services for infiltration and

coordinating terror activities, and defeat the nefarious designs from across

the border to propagate terrorism,'' read the order.

TWO LAKH STRANDED EXPATS REGISTER TO RETURN HOME TO KERALA

In an indication that a large number of expatriates from Kerala are looking

to return in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 2 lakh people

living in various countries have registered their names with the state

govt's Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (NORKA ROOTS) in one day.

Following the state govt's announcement that expatriates who are stranded

abroad and want to return may register themselves, NORKA ROOTS started the

registration process on Sunday evening.

Govt sources said a major chunk of those who have registered themselves are

from the Middle East. Registrations have also been made from the US, the UK

and Russia.

Kerala has been persistently demanding from the Centre that expatriates

stranded abroad due to the cancellation of flights be brought back.

Elaborate arrangements have been made in the state to quarantine the

returnees for 28 days, either at isolation centres or at their homes.

CDC, TOP US HEALTH BODY, ADDS SIX NEW SYMPTOMS TO COVID-19 LIST

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added six new possible

symptoms for the COVID-19 infection. Previously, the US' top health body had

declared fever, cough, and shortness of breath as the symptoms.

The new possible symptoms, as updated by the CDC, include chills, repeated

shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of

taste or smell. Shortness of breath has also been updated to 'shortness of

breath or difficulty breathing'.

The full list now includes fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty

breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore

throat, and new loss of taste or smell.

The CDC also added that a runny nose rarely happens with COVID-19 and that

sneezing is still not a symptom of the virus infection. It also added that

the above symptoms 'may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus'.

"People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported - ranging

from mild symptoms to severe illness," the CDC website reads. It also added

the emergency warning signs that need immediate medical attention. These

include trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new

confusion or inability to arouse, or bluish lips or face.

However, it added that the list is not all inclusive and one still needs to

consult their medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or

concerning.

ARNAB GOSWAMI QUESTIONED BY MUMBAI POLICE

Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami on Monday spent more than 12 hours

at a police station and was questioned by Mumbai Police in connection with

an FIR over his remarks on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the Palghar

lynching.

The FIR had been filed by Nagpur Police based on a complaint by the

Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut over Goswami's statements in his show

Sonia Gandhi in connection with the Palghar incident. The charges include

provocation with intent to cause riot, promoting enmity between two groups

on grounds of religion or race, deliberate and malicious acts intended to

outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or

religious beliefs and defamation under relevant sections of the IPC.

In his statement on the Republic TV website, Goswami said he was questioned

for 12-and-a-half hours. "The interrogation that was done today was about my

comments on Sonia Gandhi. I have made it very clear that I stand by my

comments. I have made it absolutely clear that everything I have said is

correct. I told the police my side of the story and they are completely

satisfied. I have cooperated with the investigation.," the statement said.

RBI OPENS RS 50,000-CRORE SPECIAL LIQUIDITY WINDOW TO SUPPORT MUTUAL FUNDS

The RBI yesterday opened a Rs 50,000-crore special liquidity window for

mutual funds to give a line of credit to the industry in the light of

heightened redemption pressure after the closure of six schemes by Franklin

Templeton Mutual Fund.

The RBI window allows MFs to access liquidity through two routes. Banks can

borrow funds from the statutory liquidity facility and lend to MFs against

their collateral debt securities, or buy commercial papers or corporate

debentures from the MFs.

Industry executives said the RBI credit line was a much-needed support,

considering that redemption pressures were expected to exacerbate after

Franklin Templeton's surprise move to wind up six of its credit-oriented

schemes with combined net assets of Rs 25,000 crore.

"It's a good confidence-building measure to ensure continued confidence of

investors in the MF industry as also normal functioning of the markets,"

said Nilesh Shah, managing director of Kotak MF, and chairman of the

Association of Mutual Funds in India.

ELON MUSK'S GLOBAL INTERNET SERVICE COULD START BY YEAR END

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk is on the path of launching an ambitious

project of connecting the world via his satellite-based broadband internet

service. The service is called Starlink.

The objective of this project is to provide low-cost internet connectivity

via satellite signal in those areas which previously were low-priority

locations.

To establish a service like this Musk plans to launch 40,000 satellites into

orbit which will be the largest satellite internet service in the world.

Elon Musk recently tweeted out that the private testing for the service will

begin in another three months while the public testing phase will start at

the end of 2020.

Each solar-powered Starlink satellite has been retrofitted with sensors and

thrusters so it can detect its location and stay in line.

On 23 April, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully deployed a fresh batch of

60 Starlink satellites into orbit, taking the total number of satellites

launched to over 420.

The advantage of a technology like this is that customers won't have to wait

for a broadband line to come to their house for the internet to work.

INDICATORS

Sensex 31,743 (+416), Nifty 9,282 (+128), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

45,740

Nasdaq 8,730 (+96) Dow 24,134 (+359), S&P 2,878 (+42)

US$-Rs. 75.55 GBP-Rs. 93.81, Euro-Rs. 81.85, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.56, Can$-Rs.

53.74, Aus$- Rs. 48.73

GBP 0.80 /US$, Euro 0.92 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.25 /US$, Aus$ 1.54 /US$, Sing

1.41 /US$, Bang Taka 83.16 /US$, Can$ 1.40 /US$, Mal Ring 4.35 /US$,

Pak Re 159.99 /US$, Phil Peso 50.65 /US$, Russian Rouble 74.44 /US$, NZ$

1.65 /US$, Thai Baht 32.42 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.82 /US$, Norway NOK

10.56 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 7,093

Dollar Index 100.16 Brent Crude 19.13 BDI 665

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,701 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,630 /

4,530, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 42,610

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The task of the leader is to get their people from where they are to where

they have not been. - Henry Kissinger

OFF TRACK

One day, an Eskimo family arrived in New York City. This was the first time

out of their native village, and it didn't take long before the wife got

lost. The Eskimo husband asked a passerby for help and was told to go to the

police and report it.

When he got there, a police officer asked him for the wife's description.

"What's that?" asked Eskimo.

"Well, you see a description is telling what something looks like. For

example, my wife is 25-years-old, 5'11", 140 lbs, 38-25-36 measurements.

Now, what can you tell me about your wife?"

"The heck with her, lets go look for yours!"