Keyword : Lockdown

India stays home, thanks Corona fighters, prepares for tough battle

Sunday marked a watershed in India’s battle with the COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus outbreak: following prime minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for a “janta curfew”, people stayed

Most of India under lockdown as COVID-19 cases go up

India is making an all-out effort to save a billion-plus people from the outbreak of COVID-19, bringing most parts of the country under curfew and lockdown, as the number of people affected by the

Whole of India under lockdown for 21 days

The lockdown in most parts of India was extended Tuesday night to the whole nation – for 21 days, bringing life to a standstill in the subcontinent. Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday ev

Covid19, lockdown, legal profession: Grief, justice & contingency plans!

Sixteenth March at Hammurabi & Solomon Partners was a usual Monday at work with colleagues starting the week on a turbo-mode. But this Monday was different. It had something unusual about it.

Doctors, others continue to face vigilantism

Scare following the outbreak of Covid-19 has led some people to turn to vigilantism, harassing people at the frontline of fighting the disease and keeping the country running amid the lockdown.

Life hacks for Lockdown blues

As the nation battles the Coronavirus outbreak, a billion-plus population is confined at home in the 21-day lockdown, and this is leading to mental health concerns. “It is a t

Diplomacy in the time of Covid-19

In the thick of battle with the deadly coronavirus, India on March announced a 21-day lockdown till April 14 in its bid to control the spread of virus which has so far led to 10 people’s deat

India ramps efforts as COVID-19 cases rise

As COVID -19 cases continue to rise amid a 21-day lockdown, the centre and the states are proactively taking measures to provide aid to the underprivileged and the needy during this unprecedented s

Covid-19 and real estate: This could be last straw that broke camel’s back

Covid-19 may turn out to be the last straw that broke the camel’s back so far as the real estate sector is concerned. It broke out at a time when pundits were estimating the GDP to be hoverin

Sci-Tech Empowered Committee set up for COVID-19

To take speedy decisions on research and development for Sars-Cov-2 virus and COVID-19, the government has constituted a Science and Technology Empowered Committee. The committee, se

Don’t fear Corona, fight it

In a bid to break the “chain of transmission” of the deadly Covid-19, India, a country with more than 1.3 billion population, observed a voluntary ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 2

COVID-19 demobilisation: Lessons for public governance

Demobilization, like its predecessor – demonetization, is another decision gone bad in implementation.  In both instances a careful public administrative action through its governance sy

Fighting Covid-19, India has realized its collective strength: PM

In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, people of India have realized their collective strength, prime minister Narendra Modi said in a short video message Friday morning. He also urged people to lig

As nation lighted lamps, power grid delivered

As Indians switched off lights in homes and lighted lamps and candles Sunday night following prime minister Narendra Modi’s appeal as a gesture of solidarity in the fight against COVID-19, th

In times of Corona, think twice before forwarding soc media posts

Amid exceptional circumstances of COVID-19 outbreak and the 21-day nationwide lockdown, authorities are trying to discourage spread of rumours and misinformation through social media.

Communication in the times of Corona

This article originally appeared on the ORF website: https://www.orf

Let’s get frontline health workers ready for fight against coronavirus in rural India

COVID-19, the virus that began its world tour from a city in central China, has spread around the planet. As of April 11, this pandemic has caused over 1.6 million cases and the death toll as cross

Fighting Covid-19: How Odisha continues to set precedents

Less than a year ago, Odisha, one of the poorest states in India, had shown the world how preparedness and efficient management could minimize human casualties. Before the category 4, severe tropic

Lockdown in India extended till May 3

As the 21-day lockdown comes to an end on Tuesday, prime minister Narendra Modi announced that the restrictions meant to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus were now extended till May 3, followin

Lockdown is not lockup, don’t worry: Thackeray

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured the large number of migrant labourers who are getting anxious to return to their homes that the fight against the Covid-19 virus is being fou

Observing Ramazan in the time of Covid-19

With Ramzaan expected to begin from April 24-25, when the Muslim community will observe dawn-to-dusk fast for the month, Muslim scholars and imams of masjids across India have come out with guideli

Covid-19: Tensions remain amid new relaxations

India on Monday began relaxing some of the movement restrictions in place since the lockdown began on March 24 in response to the Covid-19 outbreak, mostly in safe areas outside the containment zon

Streets are locked down, not hearts: A story of hope and humanity from Kashmir

When Javed Sheikh and his mother Khadija set out from Mumbai for a week-long trip of Kashmir, they could not have imagined it would turn out to be much longer than a week, and they would have a gli

How Covid-19 may impact India’s solar sector

This analysis originally appeared on the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) webs

Allow wine shops, small hotels to open: Raj Thackeray

As the lockdown to halt the spread of Covid-19 continues into its second month, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray believes it’s high time some relief is granted, with precaut

People are leading battle against Corona: Modi

Prime minister Narendra Modi has hailed India’s fight against Covid-19 as people-driven, and also urged people to use the occasion as an opportunity to look at our lives with a fresh perspect

COVID-19 lockdown: PM, CMs discuss exit, extension options

As India entered the last week of the extended lockdown to counter Covid-19, prime minister Narendra Modi and his key cabinet colleagues held a video conference with the state chief ministers Monda

Maharashtra to provide free test, treatment to Covid-19 patients

The Maharashtra government will provide free testing, treatment and meals to Covid-19 patients in civic and state government-run hospitals in the state.   With the number of Covi

No open and shut case: Rajan on exit options

Former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan has cautioned that after opening up if you are forced to shut down it would that be devastating for economic activity as it would create a trust deficit. It would

India extends lockdown for two more weeks

Aiming to stop the spread of coronavirus, the central government has decided to further extend the lockdown, scheduled to end on May 3, for two more weeks. After a comprehensive revi

Fiscal responsibility laws in the time of Covid-19

At a time when countries around the globe are trying to save human lives from the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, addressing other issues, for example, containing the economic distress caused by it, is

The problematic march of the Great Indian Bureaucracy toward reopening of economy

Fear is the Indian bureaucrat’s best friend. As the fear of Covid-19 grips people, an opportunity has arisen—for the regulatory inspectors to make the country dance to their tunes. Taki

Coronavirus is a test of India’s cooperative federalism

In the current times, every country across the globe is engaged in a battle against Covid-19. The architecture of a country`s constitution influences it’s response to this pandemic – au

Uddhav assures migrant workers of all help

As Maharashtra leads the country in the number of Covid-19 infections with the financial capital Mumbai remaining the most affected city, the state government has replaced the high-profile municipa

Maharashtra coop societies to hold virtual meets

In line with various notifications by the department of cooperation during the Covid-19 pandemic to maintain social distancing in cooperative societies the Commissioner, Co-operation and Registrar,

Mumbai medicos flag area of concern

In a letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Association of Medical Consultants (AMC) Mumbai, a body of specialist doctors in Mumbai, has said that unless the government controls the spread Covi

India is learning to live with Covid-19

As the world’s most extensive and arguably strictest lockdown completes 50 days, India remains in double mind: there are good arguments for and against extending the movement restrictions. Th

Children bear the brunt of lockdown – from immunisation to education

As India has remained locked down for 50 days and counting, children – about 40% of the population – have come to bear the burden in ways that are yet to be acknowledged, finds a survey

Migrant mother pulls suitcase with child asleep on it: NHRC takes note

An image that captured the plight of migrant labourers leaving cities and walking to their homes on foot – the image of a woman walking on, pulling a suitcase behind her on which her child is

Covid-19: World Bank helps India to protect its poor

The World Bank has come to the aide of the government of India for an ‘Accelerating India’s COVID-19 Social Protection Response Programme’ that will support the country’s ef

India extends lockdown again, but with relaxations

India has decided to extend the lockdown, in place since March 24, once again – till May 31 now – though with more and more relaxations, even as the number of infections in the country

Covid-19: Nobel laureates, world leaders call for $1 tn fund to protect children

Eighty-eight Nobel laureates and world leaders have come together as part of ‘Laureates and Leaders for Children’ and called for the global attention towards children during Covid-19 lo

Nobel laureates to advise Sapio Umbrella on fighting Covid-19

Sapio Umbrella, a unit of government advisory firm Sapio Analytics, has received support from Nobel Laureates Dr Michael Levitt and Colonel H R Naidu Gade in form of advisory engagement in strength

Covid-19: India’s mortality rate lower than global figure

In the battle against Covid-19, India has managed to keep the mortality rate low at 0.2 deaths per lakh population, compared to some 4.1 deaths for the same population worldwide. Moreover, a total

Railways resume services from June 1

As India begins to learn to live with Covid-19 and come out of nearly two-month long lockdown, regular train services are set to resume from June 1 in a graded manner, even as more ‘shramik&r

How lockdown was used to shore up health infrastructure

India, completing about two months of lockdown to protect against the spread of the Novel Coronavirus, has made good use of the time to improve health infrastructure, the government has said.

Corona warriors to “flush the virus” in Mumbai

Even as humanitarian support is pouring in to help distressed migrants amid Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown, civil society organizations and NGOs are working for sanitation of community toilets

How Jeevan Raths have helped 52,000 migrants in Maharashtra

Before the novel coronavirus hit it, Mumbai about 10-12 lakh labourers from elsewhere had made it their home. The figure for the state of Maharashtra was another 18-20 lakh. As the pandemic spread

3,543 ‘Shramik Special’ trains transport 48 lakh people in 26 days

Close to 48 lakh migrant labourers have been able to reach home from the cities they were working in, as the Indian Railways have run a total of 3,543 “Sharmik Special” trains from May

India will set example of post-Covid-19 economic revival: Modi

India is determined to “set an example” for the rest of the word in the post-pandemic economic revival, prime minister Narendra Modi has said, underling the need to become self-reliant.

Small kitchen gardens turn saviours for Gujarat tribal families

When the whole world is fighting COVID-19, food and nutrition security has become a major issue. The pandemic has aggravated the existing food crisis in India, especially in rural and tribal region

It`s time to Unlock now, with economic focus

With Lockdown 4 ending Sunday, the home ministry has issued new guidelines to fight COVID-19 and for phased re-opening of areas outside the Containment Zones. The guidelines, issued based on extens

As some docs battle Corona, they continue to face neighbours’ stigma too

As part of her work Dr Azmera Sheikh, would often visit the municipality office and ward offices for meetings with officials for Covid-19 patients, do thermal screening at multiple containment zone

Covid-19, health as a human right, and a pro-active NHRC

 Even as public health authorities have been struggling hard to meet the unprecedented crisis, the Covid-19 has also exposed glaring weaknesses in the system, and it is the National Human Righ

Fitch changes India’s outlook from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’

The rating agency Fitch Ratings on Thursday revised the Outlook on India’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to ‘Negative’ from ‘Stable’ while aff

Artists must get royalty for repeat telecast of work: Shailesh Lodha

TV channels must pay royalty to artists for repeat telecast of their work, says renowned actor, comedian, writer and poet Shailesh Lodha, who is famous for playing the role of Taarak Mehta in the l

Coronavirus hits India’s electricity demand, capacity addition: Fitch

As the lockdown and movement restrictions in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic come to hurt economic activities, India’s electricity demand is set to drop by 4% during the financial year

Covid-19 is not the only culprit for lockdown

Richard Rogers, an acclaimed Western architect and author of such books as ‘A Place for all People’ and ‘Architecture and the Fair Society’, wrote, “Architecture i

Covid-hit world economy may recover sooner than expected

Fitch Ratings in its latest Global Economic Outlook (GEO) expects global GDP to fall by 4.4% in 2020, a modest upward revision from the 4.6% decline expected in the June GEO. The recovery in econom

Freedom of press in India is a myth: Tewari

Sections of the news media have degenerated into becoming the pet performing poodle of the government, says Manish Tewari, former information and broadcasting minister and a member of the Lok Sabha

How some forest communities managed Covid-19 lockdown better

In India, the third most affected country due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the poor and marginalised forest communities have faced the loss of livelihoods, employment, food insecurity and resultant so

Coming soon to a theatre near you…

Film buffs turned to small screens when the lockdown, enforced by Covid-19, began in March.  After a gap of more than six months, they can now look forward to watching films on big screen, as

Uddhav shoots back at governor’s sarcasm

As Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari went sarcastic and wrote to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking him if he had turned ‘secular’ – an epithet he hated, as the plac

Reopening: Old guidelines extended to November

As the Covid-19 situation continues to improve in India, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has decided to continue the Guidelines for Reopening, which have already done away with nearly all of Loc

“Women and child dept the busiest during lockdown”

Maharashtra’s women and child development minister Yashomati Thakur of the Congress is a member of the legislative assembly, representing Tivasa in Amravati district. She comes from a fam

Mumbai local trains open for public during non-peak hours

Maharashtra has extended its lockdown restrictions till 28 February and also announced the reopening of local trains for general public. Soon after his review meeting on resumption o

BEST services to upgrade with command and control centre

Mumbai’s dependable mode of transport for its large number of population, the BMC-run BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) bus service, is upgrading and going for a makeover.

As Covid cases rise, stringent restrictions are back in Mumbai

With the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases over the past few days in several districts of Maharashtra as well as in the city of Mumbai, stringent measures are making a comeback.

Oppn leaders pushing Mumbai to second lockdown: Mayor

Blaming the opposition leaders for flouting Covid-19 norms and leading to a resurgence of infection in Mumbai, Mayor Kishori Pednekar has said that they are setting bad examples and pushing the cit

India’s air quality improves post-lockdown

Lockdowns following the outbreak of Covid-19 have been a blessing in disguise for air pollution around the world, and 63% India cities marked improvements over 2019. Still, air quality remains a co

Music composers, artists must get fair share of royalty: Amaal Malik

Calling for protection of music authors’ royalties and rights, music composer and youth icon Amaal Malik has lamented that labels are not giving credits to original composers nor giving promi

Pandemic pushed 283 firms into insolvency process

As many as 283 firms were admitted into corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP) between April and December last year, as the pandemic and lockdown came to hurt businesses. As

Night curfew in Maharashtra from March 28

As the number of Covid cases continues to rise exponentially in Maharashtra, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has announced night curfew across the state starting March 28, Sunday.  The curfew,

Night curfew in Mumbai till April 15

Struggling to contain the spread of Covid-19 infection, the Maharashtra government has imposed a night curfew from 8 pm to 8 am, starting Sunday night. Maharashtra on Saturday repor

Surge continues in Maharashtra, new restrictions under consideration

As the Second Wave of infections in India shows no sign of relenting, Maharashtra continues to report more than half the new cases, with 43,183 new cases and 249 deaths reported in the 24 hours to

NCP will never ally with BJP: Nawab Malik

Ruling out reports of NCP and BJP coming together to form an alliance, Nawab Malik, Maharashtra cabinet minister and president of the Mumbai unit of NCP, has said BJP has always made such offers to

As Covid cases jump in Maharashtra, Thackeray warns of lockdown

As Maharashtra continues to report an increasing number of Covid-19 cases, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has said he is not ruling the possibility of a total lockdown and he will take the decisio

Maharashtra prepares for the second lockdown

With new Covid-19 infections crossing the peak of the last year, the Maharashtra government has imposed stringent restrictions on movement of people enforcing Section 144 and night curfew in the en

Mumbai allows 24x7 delivery of essential services

Amid tighter movement restrictions as the city and the state continue to battle a consistently rising trajectory of fresh Covid-19 cases, Mumbai civic authorities on Thursday allowed 24-hour home d

On vaccine shortage, Maharashtra hits back at centre

Maharashtra, suffering from a heavy number of fresh cases every day and complaining of vaccine shortage, has replied to the union health minister criticism and blamed the centre for the situation.

In Mumbai, nodal officers to streamline bed allocation at ward war rooms

With Covid-19 cases continuing to spiral upwards and public and private hospitals running to full capacity, the BMC has appointed nodal officers in all 24 ward war rooms and jumbo field hospitals w

In Maharashtra, what’s allowed, what’s not

Essential services allowed: 1) Hospitals, diagnostic centres, clinics, vaccinations, medical insurance offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, other medical and healt

Maharashtra goes under ‘Janata curfew’, restrictions from tonight

Striving to control the deadly second wave of Covid-19 infections, the Maharashtra government has imposed prohibition on the gathering of more than four people as well as night curfew from Wednesda

India’s Second Wave crosses 2-lakh milestone

The Second Wave in India seems unstoppable. The number of daily new cases crossed the 2,00,000 figure on Thursday morning, which is the highest ever anywhere in the world. Most of the burden &ndash

Politicians trade charges as Covid breaks previous records in Maharashtra

A political war erupted between the centre and Maharashtra over supply of essentials including medicines and oxygen as the state struggles to control the raging Covid-19 amidst scarce health infras

In Mumbai, decline seems to have begun

Amid a virulent second wave, as Mumbai scrambles for hospital beds, the civic authorities have said there was no need for panic since 3,685 beds were still available in the city for Covid-19 patien

"Maharashtra opposition interested in politics, not public welfare”

Refuting any political instability in the state, Jayant Patil, Maharashtra cabinet minister and state president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has said the government is very stable and there

Thackeray orders probe in Nashik Hospital gas leak tragedy

The Maharashtra government has ordered a probe into the tragic incident of oxygen leak at the Zakir Hussain Hospital in Nashik district, in which 24 Covid-19 patients on critical life support have

Maharashtra prepared if there’s third wave: health minister

Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope has said that even as the state is in the phase of gradually easing lockdown restrictions, it is already preparing for a possible third wave. Since it is spe

Maharashtra must do more to fight hunger, say activists

With the second wave of Covid-19 hitting migrant labourers hard, a delegation of the Working People’s Charter (WPC) met Maharashtra Food and Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal urging him to se

Cinema and OTT will coexist: Madhur Bhandarkar

With technology evolving every day, it provides filmmakers ideas to get more creative and an edge to tell more stories. India currently has about 40 OTT platforms and the number is increasing by th

Gujarat’s smart move with smart app for unorganized workers

The Government of Gujarat has launched a web portal and a mobile application to facilitate online registration of workers from the unorganized sector by giving them smart cards for availing various

Poor more poor, hungry and indebted after second wave: Study

Pitta Rajani, 28, and her family from Kandriga in Vijaywada faced severe difficulties during and after the lockdown last year and had to take a loan of Rs 20,000  from Soubhagya , a moneyl

Maharashtra eases restrictions: All shops to remain open till 8 pm on weekdays

Starting Tuesday, Maharashtra has relaxed restrictions in 22 out of the 36 districts reporting low case positivity numbers of Covid-19. However, Level 3 restrictions will continue in

Maharashtra eases pandemic restriction with further unlocking

Maharashtra has further eased unlock guidelines and allowed shopping malls to remain open till 10 PM every day under specified conditions and children are also permitted there with age proof since

Was more nervous ahead of 2nd, 3rd book launch, not 1st: Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat, the best-selling author and columnist who is launching his tenth novel, ‘400 Days’, on October 8, has said that he had maximum nervousness ahead of the launch of his seco

Reading ‘Meghaduta’ in the times of climate change

Kalidasa’s Meghaduta: The Cloud Messenger Translated by Abhay K. Bloomsbury / 114 pages / Rs 399 ‘Meghduta’, a &lsq

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now


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