QBullet: 64 Flights to Bring Indians Home; Delhi Cases Cross 5,000
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1. 64 flights Will Bring Home 15,000 Indians in a Week
India has launched a concerted repatriation programme, by sea and air, to bring back stranded citizens stuck in various parts of the world, but with a strict set of preconditions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a time when nations are trying to strike a balance between humanitarian considerations, responsibility towards citizens, and health concerns, in the face of a deadly pathogen.
In the first week of a massive air operation, which will start on Thursday, 64 flights will bring 15,000 Indian citizens home from 12 countries. All those who travel back will have to pay for their tickets, undergo strict screening processes, download the Aarogya Setu app, and go into institutional quarantine after landing.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
2. Delhi Tally Crosses 5,000 After 206 New Infections
Delhi reported another big jump of 206 cases on Tuesday, with the total infections doubling to 5,104 in 11 days, even as the national capital ramped up testing amid concerns of a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases nudged by a graded exit from the ongoing lockdown.
About 1,500 cases have been added to the Delhi tally in the last five days. The Capital accounts for 10.3% of the total cases in the country, with CM Arvind Kejriwal saying recently that his government was prepared to tackle a spike in infections. Till Tuesday, 64 deaths were recorded in the city-state.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. 20 Boys From 4 Reputed Schools Part of Lewd Chat Club
At least 20 boys studying in at least four prominent schools in Delhi-NCR were part of an Instagram group in which members discussed raping their classmates and made lurid remarks while sharing their photos, police officials said on Tuesday, as more details of what went on in the closed social media chatroom reignited concerns about sexual violence involving minors.
Investigators said the group, “Bois Locker Room”, had 22 members in all, and two of them were adults studying in colleges, after they took into custody a 15-year-old boy who was identified as the administrator.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. 194 Deaths in a Day, Infections Surge to a New High, but Still Doubling in 12 Days, Says Govt
In the highest single-day surge so far, 3,875 new cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and 194 deaths were reported across the country on Tuesday.
While the daily case count has remained over 2,000 since May 2 — it was 2,573 (83 deaths) on May 4; 2,487 (73 deaths) on May 3; and 2,411 (71 deaths) on May 2 — the last 24 hours have seen a sharp spike.
Health Ministry officials attributed this to inclusion of pending data from West Bengal, which reported 296 cases and 98 deaths in the last 24 hours.
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Admissions Under Critical Care See Sharp Fall Under Ayushman Bharat
The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that entered its 42nd day on Tuesday have adversely affected people’s access to medical care across the country, hindering even the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’s (AB-PMJAY) ability to cater to critical patients below the poverty line.
According to data provided by the National Health Authority (NHA), the number of treatments for 825 types of unique critical non-Covid procedures by both private and government facilities across the country dropped over 20 per cent between February and April. The number of procedures performed in these packages came down to 1,51,672 from 1,93,679 during this two-month period.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. In Dehradun, Migrants Line up to Open Post Office A/C for Bihar’s Rs 1,000 Scheme
Shobha Devi, Token Number 72, took her spot inside one of the white squares outside the General Post Office (GPO) near Ghantaghar in Dehradun. Her husband Rajkumar Pasnath queued at another post office, the Saharanpur Chowk, around 3 km away.
The couple are among several people, mostly from Bihar, who have been queueing up over the last few days outside post offices in Uttarakhand to open accounts to avail of the Bihar government’s Rs-1,000 cash transfer scheme. The Bihar government had announced the scheme for migrants from the state stranded across the country.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. Diesel Price up Rs 7, Steepest Ever, as Delhi Govt Hikes VAT
Diesel price spiked by Rs 7.1 per litre in Delhi on Tuesday, marking the steepest-ever hike in the pump price of any automotive fuel in the country, as the AAP government nearly doubled VAT to 16.75% with a view to boosting revenue. Petrol too became dearer by Rs 1.7 per litre as VAT was increased to 30%.
At Rs 69.4 per litre, Delhi now has the costliest diesel in the country and will see a large chunk of sales driving away to petrol pumps in neighbouring UP and Haryana where the fuel will be cheaper by more than Rs 6 per litre. Delhi is the latest state to jack up fuel taxes to shore up finances. Karnataka, Maharashtra, Assam, Bengal and Punjab have raised fuel taxes by Re 1 or so. But the quantum of increase in VAT on diesel is unprecedented. Diesel has never risen beyond Rs 1-2 per litre as it is the main fuel for transport and farming sectors and has a sharp bearing on cost of living.
(Source: The Times of India)
8. One in Four Employed Lost Job Across India in March-April: CMIE
A jobs crisis is staring the country in the face as several crucial sectors of the economy have been severely impacted by the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. It is threatening to push more people into poverty, engulfing both formal and informal sector workers.
The latest monthly data from economic think-tank CMIE showed that India’s unemployment rate shot up to 23.5% in April. Among large states, unemployment was highest in Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Bihar at 49.8%, 47.1%, and 46.6% respectively. It was lowest in Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Telangana at 2.9%, 3.4%, and 6.2%, the CMIE survey results showed.
(Source: The Times of India)
9. BMC Decides to Shut All Liquor Shops in Mumbai, Only Essential Shops to Be Left Open
Liquor shops in Mumbai will remain closed from Wednesday as the Mumbai Municipal Corporation has decided to let only essential services function in the city. On Tuesday, 5 May Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi issued an order saying that only ‘groceries, medical/ chemist shops will be allowed to be opened’. The development comes in the back of huge crowds thronging the liquor shops in Mumbai and the police machinery simply unable to control the crowds.
Pardeshi’s order on Tuesday, 5 May noted this by saying, “ There are multiple reports, news in social media and inputs received from the police and the ward officials that due to above relaxation there has been huge crowds gathering near these shops and where it has been impossible to maintain social distancing and there were few instances of law and order situation arising out of such crowds gathering at one place.”
(Source: The Economic Times)
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