NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday announced about Rs 6 lakh crore package, including Rs 3 lakh crore of collateral-free loans for small businesses and a Rs 30,000 crore lifeline to non-bank and housing finance companies as part of measures to help the economy tide over disruptions caused by the coronavirus lockdown. Also, it cut the tax rate on non-salary payments by 25%, extended support to companies to meet statutory liability on employees’ retirement fund, provided a Rs 90,000 crore bailout to cash-starved electricity distribution companies and gave construction firms up to six more months to complete the government projects.
Here are the top developments:
1
India
- During a press conference on Wednesday, Nirmala Sitharaman said that Rs 20,000 crore subordinate debt will be provided for stressed MSMEs, adding this would benefit 2 lakh such businesses.
- MSME definition has been changed to allow units with investment up to Rs 1 crore to be called micro units in place of Rs 25 lakh now. Also units with turnover up to Rs 5 crore to be called micro units, she said, adding a turnover based criteria is being introduced to define small businesses.
- Global tenders will be banned for government procurement up to Rs 200 crore, she said, adding this would help MSMEs to compete and supply in government tenders.
- In a relief to taxpayers, the government extended the deadline for filing of all income tax returns for 2019-20 fiscal till November 30, 2020.
- Nine states and UTs including Chhattisgarh, Ladakh, Manipur and Meghalaya have not reported any new case of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours while Daman and Diu, Sikkim, Nagaland and Lakshadweep have not reported any cases so far, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said.
- With the aim of scaling up coronavirus testing facilities, the Union health ministry has designated 14 health establishments such as AIIMS, New Delhi, PGIMER in Chandigarh and JIPMER, Puducherry to review proposals for approving any new laboratory for Covid-19 testing in different states.
- The Railways has operated 642 Shramik Special trains since May 1, ferrying home eight lakh migrant workers who were stranded in various parts of the country due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, officials said.
- Civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that 30,000 Indians will return from 31 countries on 149 flights between May 16 and 22, the duration for the second phase of the Vande Bharat Mission.
- After the approval is granted by the Ethical Committee to the guidelines sent from the department of Ayush, treatment of Covid-19 patients with Ayurvedic medicines will be started in King George’s Medical University. The Ayurvedic medicines will mostly consist of immunity-enhancing drugs.
2
States
- Delhi: The national capital reported 20 fresh fatalities due to Covid-19, taking the death toll from coronavirus infection to 106. The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital climbed to 7,998 with 359 new cases.
- Uttarakhand: A 52-year-old woman tested positive for Covid-19 in Uttarakhand, taking the number of virus cases in the state to 71.
- Uttar Pradesh: With 64 new Covid-19 cases in Uttar Pradesh, the infection tally rose to 3,728 in the state.
- Goa: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said people travelling to the state in special trains or flights will have to undergo home quarantine for 14 days, even if they are non-Goans.
- Bihar: 24 more Covid-19 cases have been reported from Bihar, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 932.
- Puducherry: One more person, hailing from neighbouring Arumbathpuram village tested positive for the Covid-19, taking the total cases of the infection to four in Puducherry.
- Meghalaya: A person has been cured of Covid-19 in Meghalaya, taking the total number of recoveries in the state to 11.
- Karnataka: 34 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Karnataka in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of positive cases in the state to 959.
- Rajasthan: The state reported 152 new coronavirus cases and three deaths. The total number of cases in the state now stands at 4,278, including 1,699 active cases and 120 deaths.
- Odisha: A total of 101 people tested positive for Covid-19 in Odisha, taking the total number of such cases in the state to 538.
- Punjab: The state has 1,924 positive coronavirus cases, out of which 171 people have been cured and discharged and 32 have succumbed to the disease.
- Chandigarh: Two more Covid-19 cases were reported in Chandigarh, taling the total number of cases in the Union territory to 189.
- Andhra Pradesh: 48 more Covid-19 cases and one death have been reported from Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours. 2,137 coronavirus positive cases have been reported in the state so far, including 73 returnees from other states.
- Ladakh: A man who returned from Iran tested positive for coronavirus in Ladakh, taking the total number of Covid-19 cases in the Union territory to 42.
- Himachal Pradesh: Till now, total 66 persons have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state. The total 66 cases include, 25 active cases, four migrated, 35 recovered and two deaths.
- J&K: 37 fresh Covid-19 cases have been reported in Jammu & Kashmir, taking the total number of cases to 971, of which 494 cases are active.
- Kerala: In a sharp spike, ten people, four of them who had flown infrom abroad recently, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Kerala as the numbers of those under treatment for the infection climbed to 41.
- Jharkhand: Two new Covid-19 cases each have been reported in Ranchi & Koderma, taking total number of cases to 177 in Jharkhand.
- Tamil Nadu: The state reported 509 new cases of coronavirus and three deaths today, taking the total number of cases to 9,227 and the death toll to 64 in Tamil Nadu.
- Assam: Fifteen more people have been tested positive for the coronavirus in Kamrup Metro, taking the number of total cases to 79 in the state.
3
World
- The novel coronavirus has killed at least 292,000 people since the outbreak first emerged in China last December. At least 4,272,880 cases of coronavirus have been registered in 195 countries and territories.
- The United States has the highest number of total deaths with 82,389 from 1,370,016 cases.
- Singapore has reported 675 new Covid-19 cases, mostly foreign workers living in dormitories, taking the number of infections in the country to 25,346.
- Thailand has reported no new confirmed cases of the coronavirus for the first time in more than two months. There also were no new deaths reported, leaving the country’s total at 3,017 cases with 56 fatalities.
- Germany said it wants to end by the middle of next month checks at land borders introduced to fight the coronavirus as infection rates slow.
- Indonesia reported more than 600 new cases of the coronavirus for the first time, taking its total to 15,438.
- Nepal registered its highest spike in the number of coronavirus cases with 85 new infections within a day, including 26 from the Indo-Nepal border area, taking the total Covid-19 tally to 219.
- New Zealand reported zero new cases of the coronavirus, the second day in a row without any new cases and the fourth day since early last week.
- A northeastern Chinese city has partially shut its borders, cut off transport links and closed schools after the emergence of a local coronavirus cluster that has fuelled fears about a second wave of infections in China. Jilin has a population of more than four million. The city recorded six new cases, all linked to the Shulan cluster, bringing the total number of cases connected to a local laundry worker to 21.
- The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 34,370 after new infections were confirmed in the country.
- Spain reported a slight increase in new daily coronavirus deaths and infections, as the country’s fatality toll surpassed the 27,000 mark with 184 new deaths in the past 24 hours.
