Air India opens bookings on select domestic routes from May 4, international from June 1

Air India opens bookings on select domestic routes from May 4, international from June 1

IN WHAT could be an indication of a potential lifting of the ongoing countrywide lockdown, state-owned Air India announced on Saturday that it has opened bookings for some domestic flights from May 4 and certain international flights for travel June 1 onwards. Other domestic airlines including IndiGo have also opened bookings for certain sectors. For […]

Rapid kits in, states plan own roadmaps for use: from red zones, to those in frontlines

Rapid kits in, states plan own roadmaps for use: from red zones, to those in frontlines

STATES which have received rapid test kits, either from the Centre or sourced independently, are devising own strategies on how to use them. While some like Chhattisgarh plan to use these as tracers to check for community transmission, others like Goa and Karnataka are prioritising it for persons with ILI (influenza-like illness) symptoms, some others […]

Mamata gives Rs 10 lakh insurance cover to journalists, asks them to report positive news

Mamata gives Rs 10 lakh insurance cover to journalists, asks them to report positive news

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday asked journalists in the state to highlight positive news amid the Covid-19 pandemic, saying negative reports were leaving people “depressed”. “This is not my opinion, I have heard this. People are getting very depressed seeing negative news all the time,” she said in a video address to the media […]

RBI reduces reverse repo rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%

RBI reduces reverse repo rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%

Following the central government’s decision to extend the nationwide lockdown till May 3, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday announced a string of relief measures for the stressed banking and financial sector. Das announced a cut in the reverse repo rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 3.75 per cent. […]

How Tablighi Jamaat was born from Mewat’s ‘drinking Muslims who couldn’t even read namaz’

How Tablighi Jamaat was born from Mewat’s ‘drinking Muslims who couldn’t even read namaz’

Nuh (Haryana): Mufti Zahid Hussain Qasmi Sadar, the headmaster of the nearly 100-year-old Bada Madrassa in Nuh, Haryana, where the Tablighi Jamaat has a deep presence, is seated with a group of associates. Dressed in a white kurta-pyjama and wearing a skullcap and red keffiyeh, the 45-year-old is animatedly discussing a media report about the Jamaat’s alleged violation […]

One-third of India lives in red zones, Tamil Nadu leads the list

One-third of India lives in red zones, Tamil Nadu leads the list

The 170 districts identified as coronavirus disease (Covid-19) hot spots across the country are home to about 37% of India’s population, with Tamil Nadu accounting for the most “red zones” – 22 of its 37 districts – among the states, according to the government’s data. On Wednesday, the Union health ministry declared 170 districts in […]

US Provides Nearly $5.9 Million In Health Assistance To India To Control COVID-19

US Provides Nearly $5.9 Million In Health Assistance To India To Control COVID-19

The United States has provided nearly USD5.9 million in health assistance to India to slow the spread of COVID-19, the State Department said Thursday. The amount is being used to help India hinder the spread of the disease by providing care for the affected, disseminating essential public health messages to communities and strengthen case-finding and […]