Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday held several meetings with his ministry's officials ahead of the announcement of guidelines for the fourth-phase of the coronavirus-induced lockdown that begins from Monday, officials said.

 

Shah, who was in his North Block office for nearly five hours on Friday, held meetings with top officials of the ministry, including Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla.

Senior officials have been busy in finalising the guidelines for the fourth-phase of the lockdown, a home ministry official said.

However, details of Shah's meetings were not known immediately.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Tuesday, had said that the lockdown 4.0 will have a "completely different form", with new rules.

Modi had also said the guidelines will come before May 18.

Officials said greater relaxations and flexibility will be seen in the lockdown-4, which will begin on Monday, with gradual reopening of railways and domestic airlines while powers will the given to states and union territories to define COVID-19 hotspots.

The final guidelines will be issued by the home ministry only after going through suggestions of state governments.

State governments and union territories administrations were supposed to submit their recommendations by Friday. -- PTI

As five regions in New York state begin their phased re-opening on Friday, New York governor Andrew Cuomo has extended the state's shutdown orders for the remaining regions, including New York City, till May 28.

The five regions -- Central New York, the North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions -- have met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state's regional phased reopening plan. 

These regions can begin opening businesses over the weekend for phase one, which includes construction; manufacturing and wholesale supply chain; retail for curbside pickup and drop-off or in-store pickup; and agriculture, forestry and fishing.

However, for the rest of the state, the stay-at-home order has been extended till May 28.

"For those regions that don't qualify to open on Friday, we're extending what's called the New York Pause order" under which businesses, services and institutions will remain closed down. 

Cuomo said that if at any time, any of the remaining regions meets the seven criteria necessary to qualify for re-opening, it can re-open.

"If a region hits its benchmark at any time, regardless of the Pause order, then that region can open."

The seven metrics that will define whether a region can re-open businesses are decline in total hospitalisations, decline in deaths measured by the three-day rolling average of daily new hospital deaths not exceeding five, fewer than two new hospitalisations per 100,000 residents, hospital bed capacity regions must have at least 30 per cent of their total hospital beds available before a phased re-opening, availability of 30 per cent of ICU beds in a region, diagnostic testing capacity and contact tracing capacity.

"All the arrows are pointed in the right direction and now the question becomes focused on reopening - people have to get back to work and the state needs an economy - but we have to make sure we don't reopen too soon," Cuomo said Thursday. 

The Mizoram government on Friday extended lockdown till May 31 to check the spread of coronavirus infection, an official said.

     

The decision was taken after various political parties and several organisations, including those of NGOs, churches and doctors, favoured extension of the lockdown at a meeting on Thursday, he said.

   

At a meeting of various task groups on COVID-19 presided over by Chief Secretary Lalnunmawi Chuango, it was decided that the lockdown will be extended beyond May 17, the official said.

   

New guidelines for extended lockdown too was discussed in the meeting, he added.

   

A task group was formed to study about extending insurance cover to frontline workers such as police, village or local-level task force volunteers, government employees on special duty and those who pick 

garbage from quarantine facilities, the official said.

   

Chief Minister Zoramthanga who presided over Thursday's meeting had said that extending the lockdown was crucial to ensure public safety, although the state has been declared green zone after its lone patient 

recovered on May 9.

   

The patient, who had a travel history to Netherlands, tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24.

   

Mizoram began testing of samples for COVID-19 at Zoram Medical College on April 7. Total 202 samples have been tested so far and all were found to be negative. -- PTI 

The Centre on Friday asked states and union territories to provide food and shelter to migrant workers if they are found walking on roads and railways tracks, and ensure they board special trains to reach their native places.

 

In a letter to all state governments and union territory administrations, Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla said movement of migrant workers on roads, railway tracks and in trucks is still being noticed in different parts of the country.

States and union territories were advised earlier that if migrant workers are found to be walking, they should be appropriately counselled, taken to nearby shelters and provided food and water till such time they are facilitated to board the Shramik Special trains or buses to their native places, he said.

Bhalla said the government has already allowed the movement of migrant workers by buses and Shramik Special trains to enable them to travel to their home states.

"It is now the responsibility of all states and union territories to ensure that movement of stranded migrant workers who are willing to go to their home states is facilitated," he said. 

"States/UTs should widely disseminate the arrangements for travel in special buses/ 'Shramik' special trains amongst the migrant workers and persuade/ counsel them that they should not be walking when they can travel in buses/ trains," the letter said.

The home secretary said with the cooperation of states and union territories, the Ministry of Railways is running more than 100 Shramik Special trains per day and is ready to arrange additional trains as per their requirement. 

"Therefore, I urge you to ensure that there is no movement of migrant workers walking on roads and railway tracks and the same is facilitated through special buses or Shramik Special trains," he said. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the third tranche of economic stimulus announced by his government will help rural economy and boost farmers' income.

   

"I welcome today's measures announced by FM @nsitharaman," he wrote on Twitter.

 

He said the measures will help the rural economy, hardworking farmers, fishermen, the animal husbandry and dairy sectors.

 

In the third tranche of an overall package of Rs 20 lakh crore to deal with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced a slew of measures for agriculture sector, including a Rs 1.63 lakh crore outlay, and amending the stringent Essential Commodities Act to remove cereals, edible oil, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato from its purview.  

 

Mod also said he specially welcomes reform initiatives in agriculture, which will boost income of farmers.

 

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Modi announced a cumulative package of Rs 20 lakh crore, nearly 10 per cent of GDP, to provide relief to various segments of the economy battered by the nationwide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

It includes a Rs 1.7 lakh crore package, including free foodgrains and cash to poor for three months announced in March, and Rs 5.6 lakh crore stimulus provided through various monetary policy measures by the Reserve Bank of India.

 

Of the remaining amount, the government in two tranches over the last two days announced a cumulative package of Rs 9.1 lakh crore. It was largely credit lines to smaller firms, concessional credit to farmers and support to shadow banks and electricity distributors. -- PTI 

The number of RT-PCR tests for detection of COVID-19 crossed the two million-mark in India on Friday, ICMR officials said as the total count of coronavirus cases shot up to 81,970 in the country.

 

A total of 20,39,952 samples were tested in the country as on Friday 9 am, with 92,911 tests being conducted since Thursday 9 am, Dr Rajnikant Srivastava, the head of the Department of Research Management, Policy Planning and Communication at the Indian Council of Medical Research said.

According to officials, testing for COVID-19 has been scaled up significantly over the last two months and the capacity has increased to around one lakh tests per day.

"To promote Make in India and facilitate domestic manufacturers to get their COVID-19 diagnostics kits validated, the number of ICMR-approved validation centres and laboratories has been increased from five to 14," Srivastava said.

Starting with one laboratory at the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and 100 laboratories at the beginning of the lockdown, the RT-PCR tests are now available at 360 government and 147 private testing facilities across the country, he added.

Till March 31, 47,852 samples were tested while till April 30, a total of 9,02,654 samples were tested for coronavirus, another ICMR official said.

From May 1 till 8 am on May 15, 11,37,298 samples were tested, he added.

The RT-PCR throat/nasal swab test is the best method for the diagnosis of COVID-19.

The test detects the virus early and is the best strategy to identify and isolate the individual, the apex health research body said. 

"The gold standard for COVID-19 testing remains the RT-PCR test," Srivastava said.

Also, Union heath minister Harsh Vardhan dedicated the COBAS 6800 testing machine to the country on Thursday. -- PTI

Over 13.5 lakh migrant workers have reached Uttar Pradesh from other states by trains, buses and by their own vehicles till Friday, said officials.

     

"Between March 1 and April 30, 6.5 lakh labourers came from Delhi. Till now 380 trains have brought over 4.70 lakh of them besides over 70,000 have come by buses from other states," additional chief secretary-home Awanish Kumar Awasthi told reporters.

   

"About 1.5 lakh have come by their own vehicles. A total of over 13.5 lakh migrants have come so far in the state," he added.

   

He said about one lakh migrants are expected to reach the state on Friday on 70 trains and this will continue as the government was doing whatever possible to bring back its people stranded in elsewhere in the country.

   

"Four trains from Delhi will reach Varanasi and Gorakhpur on Friday. Trains will also run from Noida and Ghaziabad to Bihar and Purvanchal," he said, adding maximum number of 201 trains have come Gujarat till now.

 

He said UP State Road Transport Corporation has deployed 11,964 buses including its own and those on contract to take migrants home from railway stations and from one district to others.

 

 Directives have also been given to provide mask, gloves and sanitisers in buses, he said, adding the database of all those coming will be utilised for providing them work and other benefits.

   

He said the CM has also directed police to increase patrolling. 

   

Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad, meanwhile, said that health workers have surveyed 2.62 lakh migrant workers of which 305 had cough, cold, fever and other symptoms of coronavirus 

infection.

   

"Samples of such cases have been sent for testing and the report is awaited," he said. -- PTI 

The Supreme Court, which has been hearing urgent matters through video-conferencing from March 25 due to COVID-19 pandemic, on Friday decided to postpone its summer vacation by five weeks and declared that it would remain functional from May 18 to June 19. 

   

As per the October 14 notification, the summer vacation would have started from May 18 and concluded on July 5 (both days inclusive) in the apex court. 

 

In partial modification of Notification of even number dated October 14, 2019 notifying the list of Supreme Court holidays, 2020 and the summer vacation of the court, it is hereby notified that the five-week period from May 18, 2020 to June 19 (both days inclusive) of the summer vacation of the SC calendar 2020 has been rescheduled and declared as period of functioning of the court, the apex court notification said. 

 

It said that the earlier notification on the list of holidays would remain unchanged.

 

The decision has been taken by the judges of the apex court in its virtual full court meeting and it has also been resolved that Chief Justice of India S A Bobde will keep an eye on developing situation. 

 

The decision to shorten the summer vacation has been hailed by Supreme Court Bar Association president Dushant Dave who also said that the apex court should take all steps to help poor citizens in the present crisis.

The apex court, since March 25, has been holding courts through video conferencing due to the nation-wide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus and had suspended the entry of advocates and other staff into the high security zone on the basis of their proximity cards, till further orders.

 

The SCBA, on April 11, had appealed to the CJI and his companion judges to declare cancellation of summer vacation and treat it as working period of apex court in the larger interest of the litigants and interest of justice in view of ongoing nationwide lockdown.

Meanwhile, the top court has started a pilot project in which judges may come to the courtrooms in the apex court premises from next week to hold proceedings through video conferencing. 

 

During the lockdown, the benches usually assemble at the residences of the judges and the lawyers are allowed to join the video conferencing from their homes or offices. -- PTI

The tally of COVID-19 patients in Dharavi, Mumbai's biggest slum sprawl, increased to 1,145 on Friday after 84 more persons tested positive for the infection, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said.

However, no new death was reported in Dharavi in the last 24 hours, the official said.

The death toll in this slum is 53, the official said. 

"Four deaths, which occurred in the past few days, were declared by the BMC's epidemic cell today," he said.

Dharavi's highest number of 108 cases have been found in Matunga Labour Camp locality till May 14, he said.

Dharavi, believed to be the biggest slum in India, is posing a tough challenge for the BMC and the Maharashtra government to contain the coronavirus spread, mainly due to its population density, which makes social distancing very difficult. -- PTI 

The Congress on Friday accused the government of being "insensitive" towards farmers and demanded that the prime minister and the finance minister apologise for neglecting them in the COVID-19 economic package.

   

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the so-called Rs 20-lakh crore package for offsetting the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be a "jumla package" and reflects the "voodoo economics" being followed by the prime minister and the finance minister.

 

He said the government has not put a single penny in pocket of farmers or farm labourers through the package and claimed that farmers have lost over Rs 50,000 crore this Rabi season.

 

"One thing is absolutely clear that the so-called Rs 20-lakh crore economic package has proved to be a jumla package. It reflects the 'voodoo' economics being followed by the prime minister and the finance minister," Surjewala said at a press conference through video-conferencing.

 

He said the prime minister and the finance minister only talk big things and indulge in headline management, but have done nothing concrete for farmers or any other section of society.

 

Surjewala said the farmers have lost Rs 21,000 crore by distress sale of wheat far below the minimum support price and an equal amount through other crops like chana, sarson and masoor, while anoher Rs 10,000 crore was lost through distress sale of vegetables and fruits.

 

He claimed that since the markets were shut and farmers have to sell at distress prices as the government was buying only 26.5 per cent of the Rabi crop at MSP.

 

"Neither farmers nor farm labourers will benefit from these jumla announcements of the finance minister. Today, farmers and farm workers are frustrated and disappointed," he said. 

 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday gave details of the third tranche of the Centre's economic package, announcing relief for agriculture and allied industries. 

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week announced a cumulative package of Rs 20 lakh crore (nearly 10 per cent of GDP) to provide relief to various segments of the economy battered by coronavirus lockdown. -- The Congress on Friday accused the government of being "insensitive" towards farmers and demanded that the prime minister and the finance minister apologise for neglecting them in the COVID-19 economic package.

   

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the so-called Rs 20-lakh crore package for offsetting the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be a "jumla package" and reflects the "voodoo economics" being followed by the prime minister and the finance minister.

 

He said the government has not put a single penny in pocket of farmers or farm labourers through the package and claimed that farmers have lost over Rs 50,000 crore this Rabi season.

 

"One thing is absolutely clear that the so-called Rs 20-lakh crore economic package has proved to be a jumla package. It reflects the 'voodoo' economics being followed by the prime minister and the finance minister," Surjewala said at a press conference through video-conferencing.

 

He said the prime minister and the finance minister only talk big things and indulge in headline management, but have done nothing concrete for farmers or any other section of society.

 

Surjewala said the farmers have lost Rs 21,000 crore by distress sale of wheat far below the minimum support price and an equal amount through other crops like chana, sarson and masoor, while anoher Rs 10,000 crore was lost through distress sale of vegetables and fruits.

 

He claimed that since the markets were shut and farmers have to sell at distress prices as the government was buying only 26.5 per cent of the Rabi crop at MSP.

 

"Neither farmers nor farm labourers will benefit from these jumla announcements of the finance minister. Today, farmers and farm workers are frustrated and disappointed," he said. 

 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday gave details of the third tranche of the Centre's economic package, announcing relief for agriculture and allied industries. 

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week announced a cumulative package of Rs 20 lakh crore (nearly 10 per cent of GDP) to provide relief to various segments of the economy battered by coronavirus lockdown. The Congress on Friday accused the government of being "insensitive" towards farmers and demanded that the prime minister and the finance minister apologise for neglecting them in the COVID-19 economic package.

   

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the so-called Rs 20-lakh crore package for offsetting the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be a "jumla package" and reflects the "voodoo economics" being followed by the prime minister and the finance minister.

 

He said the government has not put a single penny in pocket of farmers or farm labourers through the package and claimed that farmers have lost over Rs 50,000 crore this Rabi season.

 

"One thing is absolutely clear that the so-called Rs 20-lakh crore economic package has proved to be a jumla package. It reflects the 'voodoo' economics being followed by the prime minister and the finance minister," Surjewala said at a press conference through video-conferencing.

 

He said the prime minister and the finance minister only talk big things and indulge in headline management, but have done nothing concrete for farmers or any other section of society.

 

Surjewala said the farmers have lost Rs 21,000 crore by distress sale of wheat far below the minimum support price and an equal amount through other crops like chana, sarson and masoor, while anoher Rs 10,000 crore was lost through distress sale of vegetables and fruits.

 

He claimed that since the markets were shut and farmers have to sell at distress prices as the government was buying only 26.5 per cent of the Rabi crop at MSP.

 

"Neither farmers nor farm labourers will benefit from these jumla announcements of the finance minister. Today, farmers and farm workers are frustrated and disappointed," he said. 

 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday gave details of the third tranche of the Centre's economic package, announcing relief for agriculture and allied industries. 

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this week announced a cumulative package of Rs 20 lakh crore (nearly 10 per cent of GDP) to provide relief to various segments of the economy battered by coronavirus lockdown. -- PTI

More than 580,000 planned surgeries in India might be cancelled or delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study conducted by an international consortium.

 

The study, published in the British Journal of Surgery, has projected that, based on a 12-week period of peak disruption to hospital services due to COVID-19, around 28.4 million elective surgeries worldwide will be cancelled or postponed in 2020.

 

This will lead to patients facing a lengthy wait for their health issues to be resolved, according to the research conducted by the CovidSurg Collaborative, a research network of over 5,000 surgeons from 120 countries focused on the impact of COVID-19 on surgical care.

 

The study was led by members based in the United Kingdom, Benin, Ghana, India, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda, Spain, South Africa and the United States.

 

The modelling study indicates that each additional week of disruption to hospital services will be associated with a further 2.4 million cancellations.

 

The researchers, including those from the University of Birmingham in the UK, collected detailed information from surgeons across 359 hospitals and 71 countries on plans for cancellation of elective surgery.

 

This data was then statistically modelled to estimate totals for cancelled surgery across 190 countries.

 

The researchers project that worldwide 72.3 per cent of planned surgeries would be cancelled through the peak period of COVID-19 related disruption, adding that most cancelled surgeries will be for non-cancer conditions.

 

In India, 5,84,737 patients may face surgery cancellations or delays over a 12-week period around the time the novel coronavirus disease peaks, according to the study estimate.

 

Orthopaedic procedures will be cancelled most frequently, with 6.3 million orthopaedic surgeries cancelled worldwide over a 12-week period, the researchers said.

 

The study is also projected that globally 2.3 million cancer surgeries will be cancelled or postponed, they said.

 

"During the COVID-19 pandemics elective surgeries have been cancelled to reduce the risk of patients being exposed to COVID-19 in hospital, and to support the wider hospital response, for example by converting operating theatres in to intensive care units," said Aneel Bhangu, from the University of Birmingham.

"Although essential, cancellations place a heavy burden on patients and society. Patients' conditions may deteriorate, worsening their quality of life as they wait for rescheduled surgery. In some cases, for example cancer, delayed surgeries may lead to a number of unnecessary deaths," said Bhangu.

 

Dmitri Nepogodiev, also from the University of Birmingham, noted that each additional week of disruption to hospital services results in an additional 43,300 surgeries being cancelled.

Therefore, it is important that hospitals regularly assess the situation so that elective surgery can be resumed at the earliest opportunity, he said. -- PTI

Greater relaxations and flexibility will be seen in the lockdown 4.0, which will begin on Monday, with gradual reopening of the railways and domestic airlines while powers will be given to states and Union territories to define their hotspots, officials said on Friday.

 

Schools, colleges, malls and cinema halls will not be allowed to open anywhere in the country but salons, barber shops and optical shops may be allowed in red zones, barring COVID-19 containment areas.

 There will be lots of relaxations and flexibility in the lockdown 4.0 with complete reopening of the green zones, very limited curb in orange zones and strict restrictions only in the containment areas of red zones, said an official privy to the deliberations in the central government.

 

However, the final guidelines will be issued by the ministry of home affairs only after going through the suggestions of state governments.

 

The state governments and union territory administrations have been asked to submit their recommendations by Friday.

 

According to officials, Punjab, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Assam and Telangana wanted the lockdown to be continued, some of them wanted the powers to decide the zoning of districts -- green, orange and red -- as per the COVID-19 situation.

 

This request of the state governments may be accepted so that they can restrict or allow movement of people or economic activities in a particular place depending on the ground situation, the official said.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation on Monday, had said that the lockdown 4.0 will have a "completely different form", with new rules.

 

"No state wants complete withdrawal of lockdown but all want gradual resumption of economic activities," the official said.

The Allahabad high court on Friday allowed the recitation of 'azan' by a single individual in Uttar Pradesh mosques without the use of any loudspeaker during the COVID-driven lockdown.

     

A bench of justices Shashi Kant Guipta and Ajit Kumar granted the relief to the Muslim community saying "azan may be an essential and integral part of Islam" but its "recitation through loudspeakers or other sound amplifying devices cannot be said to be  an integral part of the religion."

   

The bench gave its ruling on a bunch of pleas, including those of former Union law minister Salman Khurshid and Lok Sabha member from Ghazipur, Afzal Ansari, among others. 

   

"We are of the considered opinion that azan can be recited by muezzin (mosque caretakers) from minarets of the mosques by human voice without using any amplifying device and the administration is directed not to cause hindrance in the same on the pretext of the  guidelines  to contain the pandemic Covid19," the bench ruled. -- PTI 

Online restaurant guide and food ordering platform Zomato on Friday said it is going to layoff around 13 per cent of its workforce on account of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

   

The company has around 4,000 employees in different roles.

In a blog post, Zomato Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said multiple aspects of the company's business have changed dramatically over the last couple of months and many of these changes are expected to be permanent.

 

"While we continue to build a more focussed Zomato, we do not foresee having enough work for all our employees. We owe all our colleagues a challenging work environment, but we won't be able to offer that to around 13 per cent of our workforce going forward," he added.

 

Everyone who is impacted will get invites for a zoom call with the leadership team within the next 24 hours, he said.

 

Goyal said he along with COO and co-founder Gaurav Gupta and CEO Food Delivery Mohit Gupta would  be getting on video calls over the next couple of days with impacted employees to walk them through the next steps and help find them jobs as soon as possible.

 

On the financial support to these employees, he said: "All our employees who no longer have any work at Zomato, will continue to be with us at 50 per cent salary for the next 6 months. During this time, outside of the handover period of 1-2 weeks, we expect these folks to spend 100 per cent of their time and energy towards looking for jobs outside of Zomato".

 

Goyal also said the company will provide them  outplacement support and also health insurance for 6 months or as soon as they find another job.

 

Previously allocated employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) will continue to vest during this period of 6 months, he added.

 

Goyal also said,"Starting June, I am proposing a temporary reduction in pay for the entire organisation. Lower cuts are being proposed for people with lower salaries, and higher cuts (up to 50 per cent) for people with higher salaries".

 

Zomato expects these cuts to be discontinued as soon as the economy starts getting back on track. "I foresee and hope this to be around 6 months from now," he added. -- PTI 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces reforms in Essential Commodities Act to enable better price realisation for farmers.

'Government to amend the Essential Commodities Act to enable better price realisation for farmers; agriculture products including cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions, and potatoes to be de-regulated,' the FM said.

She further said, "No stock limit to apply to processors or value chain participants following amendment to the Essential Commodities Act."

"Stock limits to be imposed only under very exceptional circumstances like national calamities, famine after amendment of ECA," she added. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announces setting up of a Rs 1 lakh crore agri infrastructure fund for farm-gate infrastructure.

          

This fund will be used for setting up cold chains and post-harvest management infrastructure, she said while announcing the third tranche of COVID-19 relief package.

        

She also announced a Rs 10,000 crore scheme for formalisation of micro food enterprises.

        

The scheme will be launched to help 2 lakh MFEs by adopting cluster-based approach such as mango in Uttar Pradesh, kesar in Jammu & Kashmir, bamboo shoots in North-East, chilli in Andhra Pradesh, tapioca in Tamil Nadu.

        

This fund would help in reaching untapped export markets in view of improved health consciousness.

"Today, 154 Goan seafarers have been brought to Goa by road directly after signing off at Mumbai Port. Our Govt is working continuously in coordination with central depts to ensure that Goans stranded in different parts of the country & world reach home safely," Sawant said in a tweet. 

The state government has set up paid quarantine facilities for these crew members. They are being tested for COVID-19 infection before being quarantined for 14 days. After being free of COVID-19 for more than a month, Goa has recorded eight fresh cases, one of them a member of a ship's crew. He had undergone 14 days quarantine at Mumbai, but was tested positive after his arrival in Goa on Thursday. -- PTI 

"Concessions can be made and services can be rolled out as soon as lockdown 4 starts. Services of Delhi Metro can be restored in a limited manner on certain routes following social distancing guidelines," said the source. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday had announced that the nationwide coronavirus lockdown will be extended to a fourth phase with "totally different" rules, which will be announced before the current one expires on May 17. 

Meanwhile, Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said that the decision to restart the trains will be of the Centre even as the DMRC is ready to roll out the services. There would be thermal checking of passengers at every station with proper sanitisation, said the minister, adding that the usage of currency will not be encouraged. 

According to the agency, power demand in April slumped by over one-third of the usual demand during the month as the nationwide lockdown significantly reduced industrial and commercial activity. 

"Moody's Investors Service has changed its outlook for the Indian power sector to negative from stable on declining power demand, payment delays and an adverse impact from government measures that favour consumers over utility companies," the agency said in a statement. 

Power demand will drop at least four-five per cent in fiscal 2021 due to slowing activity and policy actions. Companies are vulnerable to policy moves and payment delays from state-owned distributors, it noted. 

Further, state-owned distribution companies that rely on subsidies could delay making payments to power companies as the government is likely to pivot subsidies towards social and healthcare spending amid efforts to contain the outbreak, said Abhishek Tyagi, a Moody's Vice President and Senior Analyst. 

"While most of our rated issuers can absorb a degree of increased payment delays, some companies could experience stressed liquidity," Tyagi added. 

The government's measures to reduce the economic impact of coronavirus on consumers, such as prohibiting companies from curtailing power for unpaid dues, might cause a weakening in the credit profiles of power producers and transmission companies, the agency said. 

Maintaining liquidity buffers will be key for companies' credit profiles. Central government-owned utilities are better placed amid weakening demand and delayed payments, whereas rated renewable energy companies are more vulnerable given their moderate to high financial leverage, it added. -- PTI

"The low-pressure system over the southeast Bay of Bengal is expected to concentrate into a depression today evening or night and further intensify into a cyclonic storm over south and adjoining central parts of the Bay of Bengal by tomorrow evening," he added. 

Talking about the sea conditions due to the changing weather system, the IMD Director said, "sea area would become rough to very rough and there will be disturbance over the central part of the Bay of Bengal between May 15-17 and in the north Bay of Bengal during May 18 to May 20." 

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea for the next couple of days. He further said, "Normal monsoon is expected this year and quantitatively the monsoon rainfall for the country overall expected is 100 per cent of the long period average." "The advisory on the second stage of monsoon would be at the end of May or in the first week of June."  -- ANI

The statement comes days after Baghel went public with details of contributions made to the chief minister's relief fund. "The country has the right to know about the PM CARES fund. They (people) should know. There is nothing to hide anything on it," he said. 

Baghel said he has told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that donations to the PM CARES fund have been made by the industrialists of the state as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility. "I have told the PM that the money (CSR fund donation to the fund) is of Chhattisgarh. It is ours. It is of the people of the state. Give that money to us so that we can take decisions for their benefit and welfare," he said. 

Going public with the details of donations made in the chief minister's relief fund, Baghel had on Monday said Rs 56.4 crore was received between March 24 and May 7 by commercial and social organizations, firms, government staff and citizens. -- PTI

Out of the 932 trains which have been operated so far, 215 are in transit while 717 have terminated at various stations. Sixty-seven more are in the pipeline, an official said. 

These 932 trains were terminated in various states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. 

So far, Uttar Pradesh has given approval for 487 trains, followed by Bihar which has given nod for 254 and Madhya Pradesh for 79 trains. 

The number stands at 48 for Jharkhand, 22 for Rajasthan and nine for West Bengal. Proper screening of the passengers is being carried out before they board the trains, railways said, adding that during the journey, the passengers are given free meals and water. 

From Monday, these Shramik Special trains started carrying around 1,700 passengers each, instead of the earlier 1,200, to ferry as many workers home as possible. While initially these trains had no stoppages, railways announced on Monday that up to three stoppages in the destination states will be allowed. 

The decision was taken after several state governments made a request in this regard, officials said. While railways is yet to announce the cost incurred on these special services, officials indicated that the national transporter is spending around Rs 80 lakh per service. 

The Centre had earlier stated that the cost of the services was shared on a 85:15 ratio between Centre and states. Since the Shramik Special train service started, Gujarat has remained the top originating state, followed by Kerala. Earlier, railways drew flak from opposition parties for charging for these services. In its guidelines, the national transporter has said the trains will ply only if they have 90 per cent occupancy. 

On Monday, a statement issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said railways will now run 100 Shramik Specials every day to facilitate faster movement of stranded workers. -- PTI

Image: Migrants arriving in Patna from Rohtak by a Shramik Special train head to buses to ferry them home. Pic: ANI 

According to Satish Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Jalaun, a truck with 46 migrants had started for their home districts in Uttar Pradesh from Mumbai four days ago. 

However, it overturned and fell in a roadside ditch after being hit by another truck on late Thursday night. Two people died on the spot and 40 others were injured and admitted to Orai Medical College, the SP said, adding that the truck driver informed the police about the incident. 

Those killed have been identified as Sundari belonging to Chitrakoot district and Sher Bahadur Gautam of Bhadohi. In another accident, a truck bringing migrants from Mumbai overturned as its driver lost control of the vehicle after hitting an electric pole on the Lucknow-Bahraich highway, police said. 

The accident occurred under Chakkarpur Police Station and left 32 people injured, Additional SP Ajay Pratap Singh said. -- PTI

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said the state has written to the Centre urging it to extend the ongoing lockdown by two more weeks from May 18.

The third phase of the coronavirus-induced nationwide lockdown is scheduled to end on May 17.

Addressing a press conference, Sonowal said all states were supposed to give their feedback on the extension of the lockdown by Friday, and the Assam government has already conveyed its stand to the Centre.

The state has also conveyed its views on the relaxations it wants in the fourth phase of the lockdown, Sonowal said.

"Let the Government of India take a view on that. I don't want to say much about this now. All the states have written to the Centre, which will take a decision on the extension," he added. 

"Highly sensitive laser light scattering observations have revealed that loud speech can emit thousands of oral fluid droplets per second," Washington Post quoted the study. Experts have studied the case of coronavirus transmission in a call center in South Korea and in a crowded Chinese restaurant. These cases have led to suspicion that the highly contagious virus can spread through aerosol droplets. The particular study did not involve the research based on coronavirus specifically. It rather studied how people generate respiratory droplets while speaking. 

The experiment only focused on smaller droplets that have the capability of lingering for a longer time in the air. The authors of the study have also concluded that louder speech leads to the production of more droplets. 

The research paper suggests that speaking loudly for a minute generates at least 1000 droplet nuclei containing virion for more than eight minutes. "This direct visualization demonstrates how normal speech generates airborne droplets that can remain suspended for tens of minutes or longer and are eminently capable of transmitting disease in confined spaces," Washington Post quoted the authors. 

"This study is the most accurate measure of the size, number, and frequency of droplets that leave the mouth during a normal conversation and shower any listeners within range," Washington Post quoted a virologist at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Benjamin Neuman as saying. 

"This study doesn't directly test whether the virus can be transmitted by talking, but it builds a strong circumstantial case that droplets produced in a normal close conversation would be large enough and frequent enough to create a high risk of spreading SARS-CoV-2 or any other respiratory virus between people who are not wearing face masks," Neuman added. -- ANI

With an increase of 3,967 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, India's tally of coronavirus cases reached 81,970 cases, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday. 

According to the latest figures, 51,401 patients are active coronavirus cases while 27,919 patients have been cured/discharged and one patient has been migrated.

"In view of the huge influx of people coming from outside the state, the utility of the abandoned houses on the peripheries of deserted villages becomes immense," BDO of Rikhnikhal block in Pauri district S P Thapliyal said.       

Poor infrastructure, difficult living conditions and lack of employment have been cited as the reasons for the mass migration of locals from such villages which have been lying vacant for years now.   

Derelict houses under padlocks are being used for the purpose as school buildings or panchayat bhawans where migrants are supposed to be quarantined primarily are sometimes located in the central part of the villages where putting up the returnees may make local residents more vulnerable to infection, he said. At least 576 migrants have been quarantined in the abandoned houses in Pauri district which has the highest number of ghost villages in the state at 186,  Thapliyal said.         

Migrants coming from outside are being mandatorily quarantined for 14 days by the state government either at home or at centres set up for the purpose as a precautionary measure.         

Such houses are being cleaned up, sanitised and converted  to serve as quarantine centres in addition to the panchayat bhawans and school buildings where also migrants are being quarantined, the official said.              

With the return of a large number of migrants amid the ongoing COVID-19-induced lockdown from outside the state and shortage of places to quarantine them, abandoned houses are being used as quarantine facilities, he said.         

Many migrants are returning to their villages after decades and their ancestral homes are either totally destroyed or dilapidated.            

They are being kept at panchayat bhawans and school buildings mainly but in some cases, if the number of returnees is high or the location of the quarantine centre is not appropriate, the migrants are being taken to the ghost villages after ensuring proper sanitisation measures, the official said. A total of 19,846 migrants had reached 1,049 gram panchayats of Pauri till May 13 and the influx continues, the district information office said. -- PTI

Image: Migrants from Uttarkashi eat a meal as they arrive at Chinyalisour by government buses. Pic: ANI

This takes the total commitment from the World Bank towards emergency COVID-19 response in India to USD 2 billion. A USD 1 billion support was announced last month to support India's health sector. 

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world has required governments around the world to introduce social distancing and lockdowns in unprecedented ways, said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India in a webinar interaction with the media. 

These measures, intended to contain the spread of the virus have, however, impacted economies and jobs -- especially in the informal sector. India with the world's largest lockdown has not been an exception to this trend, he said. 

Of the USD 1 billion commitment, USD 550 million will be financed by a credit from the International Development Association -- the World Bank's concessionary lending arm and USD 200 million will be a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, with a final maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of five years. The remaining USD 250 million will be made available after June 30, 2020. PTI 

The severe illness in children and child deaths is linked to the serious inflammatory disease called 'Pediatric Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with COVID-19'. So far, two boys aged 5 and 7 years and an 18-year-old girl have died due to the illness. 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said at his daily coronavirus briefing on Thursday said that the New York State Department of Health was now looking at 110 cases of a COVID-19 related illness in children, similar to the Kawasaki disease or toxic shock-like syndrome, describing the situation as "serious and concerning". 

He said the New York State and Department of Health were at the forefront in the US in investigating the rare illness. Apart from New York, 16 other states are also seeing similar cases. Warning that cases could grow in coming weeks and days, Cuomo said parents should beware and immediately seek medical help if the child has a prolonged fever (more than five days), difficulty in feeding (in infants) or is too sick to drink fluids, has severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting, change in skin colour, trouble in breathing, lethargy, irritability or confusion. 

"Also, it tends to present in children who were exposed to the COVID-19 virus and actually now have the antibodies from the COVID-19 virus or still test positive for the COVID-19 virus," Cuomo said. 

The illness is affecting children from less than one year old to 21 years old. "When you look at over the 100 cases, that's the span, which is obviously a very frightening development," he said. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the occurrence of the rare illness in children linked to COVID-19 "is really troubling" since children consistently seemed to have very little effect from the coronavirus so far. 

"I say it as a parent, it's really troubling to see now after we thought we understood a consistent pattern, something new has been happening and the pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome is a deep concern and we're going to throw everything we've got at it," he said. 

The number of children affected continues to grow and while it is still a rare condition, the city's health authorities are taking it very seriously and "we're now on high alert and addressing because the numbers have grown." 

He said there are a 100 confirmed cases in New York City, 55 of those cases either tested positive for COVID-19 or tested positive for the antibodies. 

"And we lost one child and that is painful and awful for that family and for this city to have lost a child, we don't want that ever to happen again. So, we're about to do the maximum to get everyone informed, to get everyone the help they need to make sure that parents and family members understood'" exactly what to do and when to do it," he said. 

Though most children who get COVID-19 experience only mild symptoms, in the UK, a possible link has also been reported between pediatric COVID-19 and serious inflammatory disease. The inflammatory syndrome has features which overlap with Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome and may occur days to weeks after acute COVID-19 illness. 

It can include persistent fever, abdominal symptoms, rash, and even cardiovascular symptoms requiring intensive care. The authorities said early recognition by pediatricians and referral to a specialist including to critical care is essential. -- PTI

Sawant on Thursday said the state government has suggested to the Railways that a special train from New Delhi to Thiruvananthapuram, which will run on May 15 (and arrive in Madgaon on May 16) should not halt at the station in Goa. He said "720 people have booked tickets on the train to get down at Madgaon. We have realised that hardly anyone of them is Goan. 

"We are concerned about what will happen once they get down. We will have to test them. We will advice them home quarantine, but we are not sure if they will do that. That is why we have suggested that the train skip the station." 

When contacted, a Konkan Railway official said on Friday "We have no intimation about cancellation of the stop till now." After a gap of more than a month, Goa reported eight fresh cases of COVID-19 on Thursday. All the eight patients had arrived in the state from outside. On Wednesday, Sawant had said passengers, including non-Goans, who arrive in the state by special trains from May 15, will have to arrange for their own accommodation and the same applies to people who arrive by flights. 

"They will have to stay indoors at their respective hotels for 14 days. They cannot enter the beaches, which remain closed. They cannot come here to enjoy," he said. Those arriving by flights will be tested at the airport itself, he added. -- PTI

After touching a low of 30,909.36, the 30-share index was trading 127.19 points or 0.41 per cent lower at 30,995.70. Similarly, NSE Nifty slipped 34.45 points, or 0.38 per cent, to 9,108.30. M&M was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, cracking over 3 per cent, followed by Maruti, HCL Tech, Hero MotoCorp, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, ITC and HDFC Bank. On the other hand, ONGC, Tata Steel, Bharti Airtel, Titan and HDFC were trading with gains. In the previous session, the BSE barometer settled 885.72 points or 2.77 per cent lower at 31,122.89, while the broader Nifty tanked 240.80 points, or 2.57 per cent, to close at 9,142.75. -- PTI

"Thus, around 34.06 per cent patients have recovered so far," a senior health ministry official said. The total confirmed cases include foreign nationals too. 

Of the 100 deaths reported since Thursday morning, 44 were in Maharashtra, 20 in Gujarat, 9 in Delhi, 8 in West Bengal, five each in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, four in Rajasthan, two each in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and one in Andhra Pradesh. Of the 2,649 fatalities, Maharashtra tops tally with 1,019 deaths, Gujarat comes second with 586 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 237, West Bengal at 215, Rajasthan at 125, Delhi at 115, Uttar Pradesh at 88,Tamil Nadu at 66 and Andhra Pradesh at 48. The death toll reached 35 in Karnataka, 34 Telangana and 32 in Punjab. Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir have reported 11 fatalities each due to the disease while Bihar has registered seven and Kerala has reported four deaths. Jharkhand, Chandigarh and Odisha have recorded three COVID-19 fatalities each while Himachal Pradesh and Assam have reported two deaths each. Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and Puducherry have reported one fatality each, according to the ministry data.  -- PTI

Image: A police constable at Jahangir Puri police station and his wife who recovered from coronavirus celebrate the birth of their baby girl, in New Delhi on Thursday. Pic: ANI

Gates said, "Thank you for the conversation and partnership PM Narendra Modi. Combating the pandemic requires global collaboration. India's role is key as the world works to minimize social and economic impact, and pave the way to vaccine, testing, and treatment access for all."

Akbaruddin tweeted, "Home is where the heart is... Farewell to New York & @UN... Heading home,today, with deep gratitude to all who r enabling r return to the lap of Mother India #VandeBharatMission."

"The services started yesterday (April 14). We have made 29 trips today so far and cleared the passengers of two trains. Seven more trains are scheduled to arrive. 21 buses are parked here," said Sharma while speaking to ANI. 

All health precautions, including social distancing norms, related to coronavirus prevention are being strictly followed. Following revised lockdown guidelines, Indian Railways has recently started to operate special trains meant for the general public from May 12. -- ANI

China has already imposed strict control measures in Jilin city to halt the spread of the virus. Wuhan, where six new confirmed cases were reported early this week prompting the government to launch massive drive to test over 11 million of its population, has reported no new cases, according to the local health commission. Fears of a second wave of the pandemic has gripped the city as it has also reported 492 asymptomatic cases. -- PTI

Image: Migrants take shelter under a bridge after unseasonal rains in Delhi. Pic: ANI

Noting that India's partnership with the US in health sciences and technologies is longstanding, the diplomat said research and innovation institutions of both the countries have been engaged in understanding important chronic and infectious diseases and in developing therapeutics and diagnostics. 

India and the United States have closely collaborated in combating diseases such as tuberculosis; cancer; HIV; eye diseases and environmental health research, he said. There are over 200 ongoing NIH-funded projects in India, involving 20 Institutes from the NIH network and several eminent institutions in India. 

"A recent successful example of our co-operation is the development of the ROTAVAC against rota virus. Such collaborations will be critical in the fight against COVID-19," Sandhu said. 

"From the initial days of the outbreak, our scientists and institutions have been actively engaged in exchange of information. Even as both our countries are focused on combating the disease domestically, NIH and Indian Council for Medical Research have come together and announced a call to support collaborative research and training through India-US partnership to understand the disease," he said. 

The India-US Science and Technology Endowment Fund has called for proposals that would enable scientists to carry out joint research and work towards development of new technologies, tools, safety, outreach and also support public-private virtual networks to fight COVID-19, he added. -- PTI

After the gates were opened, the first puja was performed on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi praying for the welfare of mankind. 

Though the crowd of devotees was missing from the opening ceremony, the temple was decorated with 10 quintals of flowers and glittering with lights, Gaud said. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj congratulated devotees on the opening of the temple and expressed hope that the coronavirus pandemic will be defeated and the chardham yatra will begin as soon as possible. -- PTI

Five persons who work in Mumbai are heading towards their village in Madhubani, Bihar, in an auto. Dhananjay Kumar says, "I work as a food delivery executive. We waited for two months. When we realised that Nitish Kumar won't do anything we decided to take up this journey."

In Chhattisgarh, auto drivers from Maharashtra who left the state due lack of work amid lockdown are heading towards their states. An auto driver says, "I'm without work for last 2.5 months. It's difficult to sustain without money. So, I'm returning to Ranchi, Jharkhand with my family."

The prominent suggestions are moving manufacturing chain from China and deepening military-strategic ties India, Vietnam and Taiwan. 

"The Chinese government maliciously covered up and enabled a global pandemic that has caused misery for so many Americans. This is the same regime that locks up its own citizens in labour camps, steals America's technology and jobs, and threatens the sovereignty of our allies," said Senator Thom Tillis, presenting his detailed, 18-point plan on Thursday. 

"This is a major wake-up call to the United States and the rest of the free world. My plan of action will hold the Chinese government accountable for lying about COVID-19; sanctioning the Chinese government while protecting America's economy, public health, and national security," he said. 

The plan seeking to create a Pacific Deterrence Initiative and immediately approve the military's request for USD 20 billion in funding. It also calls for deepening military ties with regional allies and expand equipment sales to India, Taiwan and Vietnam. Encourage Japan to rebuild its military and offer Japan and South Korea sales of offensive military equipment, it said. 

"Move manufacturing back to the US from China and gradually eliminate our supply chain dependency on China. Stop China from stealing our technology and provide incentives to American companies to regain our technological advantage. Strengthen cybersecurity against Chinese hacks and sabotage," the plan stated. 

"Prevent American taxpayer money from being used by the Chinese government to pay off their debt. Implement the US ban on (Chinese technology company) Huawei and coordinate with our allies to implement similar bans," it added. 

The plan seeks restitution from the Chinese government and imposition of sanctions for lying about the virus. It further said China should be sanctioned for their atrocious human rights record. Senator Tillis' plan urges the Trump Administration to formally request the International Olympic Committee to withdraw the 2022 Winter Olympics from Beijing. 

"Stop China's propaganda campaign inside the United States. Treat Chinese government-run media outlets as the propaganda proxies that they are," the plan stated. Urging the government to investigate the Chinese government's cover-up of the spread of COVID-19, the plan also seeks to investigate America's reliance on China's supply chains and threats to public safety and national security. 

"Ensure the independence of the WHO through investigations and reform. Expose and counter China's predatory debt-trap diplomacy targeting developing countries. Increase intelligence sharing on potential pandemics and lead the creation of a watchdog organization to monitor foreign governments' handling of deadly viruses," Tillis said in his suggestions. -- PTI

A Lt Colonel and a soldier of the Indian Army were killed in an avalanche in the mountainous Lugnak La region of north Sikkim, officials said.

The two personnel were part of an 18-member group which came under the avalanche, they said.

"A patrolling-cum-snow clearance party came under avalanche in North Sikkim on 14 May," a senior Army official said.

"Inspite of the best efforts of the rescue team and local formation an officer Lt Col Robert TA and sapper Sapala Shanmukha Rao who were trapped under the ice lost their lives," he said.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and philanthropist Bill Gates on Thursday discussed the global response to COVID-19, and the importance of global coordination in scientific innovation and research to combat the pandemic.

During a video conference, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates and Prime Minister Modi agreed that given India's willingness and capacity to contribute to global efforts, it was important for New Delhi to be included in the global discussions for coordinating responses to the pandemic.

Modi also underlined the conscious approach that India has adopted in its fight against the health crisis.

"Had an extensive interaction with @BillGates. We discussed issues ranging from India's efforts to fight coronavirus, work of the @gatesfoundation in battling COVID-19, role of technology, innovation and producing a vaccine to cure the pandemic," the prime minister tweeted.

An official statement pointed out that India's  approach is based on ensuring public engagement through appropriate messaging. 

Modi explained how the "people-centric bottom-up approach" has helped win acceptability for physical distancing, respect for front-line workers, wearing of masks, maintaining proper hygiene, and respecting lockdown provisions.  

The prime minister also highlighted how some of the previous developmental initiatives taken by the government such as  expanding financial inclusion, strengthening last mile delivery of health services, popularising cleanliness and hygiene, drawing upon India's ayurvedic wisdom to enhance people's immunity,  helped increase the effectiveness of India's response to the pandemic.

Modi appreciated the health related work being carried out by the Gates Foundation, not only in India but also in many other parts of the world, including for coordinating global response to COVID-19.     

He sought suggestions from Gates on how India's capacities and capabilities could be better leveraged for the general benefit of the world.

Some of the ideas that the dignitaries explored in this context included drawing upon India's unique model of last-mile health service delivery in rural areas, dissemination of the effective contact-tracing mobile app developed by the government, and above all by leveraging India's massive pharmaceutical capacity to scale-up the production of vaccines and therapeutics upon their discovery. 

 

In closing, the prime minister also suggested that the Gates Foundation could take the lead in analysing the necessary changes in lifestyles, economic organisation, social behaviour, modes of disseminating education and healthcare, that would emerge in the post-COVID world. 

He said that India would be happy to contribute to such an analytical exercise, based on its own experiences. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and philanthropist Bill Gates on Thursday discussed the global response to COVID-19, and the importance of global coordination in scientific innovation and research to combat the pandemic.

During a video conference, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates and Prime Minister Modi agreed that given India's willingness and capacity to contribute to global efforts, it was important for New Delhi to be included in the global discussions for coordinating responses to the pandemic.

Modi also underlined the conscious approach that India has adopted in its fight against the health crisis.

"Had an extensive interaction with @BillGates. We discussed issues ranging from India's efforts to fight coronavirus, work of the @gatesfoundation in battling COVID-19, role of technology, innovation and producing a vaccine to cure the pandemic," the prime minister tweeted.

An official statement pointed out that India's  approach is based on ensuring public engagement through appropriate messaging. 

Modi explained how the "people-centric bottom-up approach" has helped win acceptability for physical distancing, respect for front-line workers, wearing of masks, maintaining proper hygiene, and respecting lockdown provisions.  

The prime minister also highlighted how some of the previous developmental initiatives taken by the government such as  expanding financial inclusion, strengthening last mile delivery of health services, popularising cleanliness and hygiene, drawing upon India's ayurvedic wisdom to enhance people's immunity,  helped increase the effectiveness of India's response to the pandemic.

Modi appreciated the health related work being carried out by the Gates Foundation, not only in India but also in many other parts of the world, including for coordinating global response to COVID-19.     

He sought suggestions from Gates on how India's capacities and capabilities could be better leveraged for the general benefit of the world.

Some of the ideas that the dignitaries explored in this context included drawing upon India's unique model of last-mile health service delivery in rural areas, dissemination of the effective contact-tracing mobile app developed by the government, and above all by leveraging India's massive pharmaceutical capacity to scale-up the production of vaccines and therapeutics upon their discovery. 

 

In closing, the prime minister also suggested that the Gates Foundation could take the lead in analysing the necessary changes in lifestyles, economic organisation, social behaviour, modes of disseminating education and healthcare, that would emerge in the post-COVID world. 

He said that India would be happy to contribute to such an analytical exercise, based on its own experiences. -- PTI