Says emphasis has been given on land, labour and liquidity in the package, which is almost 10% of the country's GDP
Migrant workers gather outside Dharavi to board a bus that will take them to the railway terminus to board a special train back home, in Mumbai on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a '20 lakh crore fiscal stimulus to deal with the COVID-19 situation in the country. The package is the second largest in Asia after Japan.
"I announce a special economic package today. This will play an important role in the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan'. The announcements made by the government over COVID, decisions of RBI and today's package totals to '20 lakh crore ($265 billion). This is 10 per cent of India's GDP," the PM said in his address to the nation.
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"This economic package is for our small-scale industries, MSMEs, which are the means of livelihood of crores of people and is the strong base of our resolve for self-reliant India. To prove the resolve of self-reliant India, the emphasis has been given on land, labour, liquidity and laws, in this package," he said.
Prime Minister Modi said the "economic package is for the country's workers, farmers, who are working hard day and night for the countrymen in every season. This economic package is for the middle class of our country, who contributes to the development of the country."
While most of the countries struggling with the Coronavirus crisis have focused on financial packages only, India has gone much further in its efforts to revive the economy by effectively containing the virus as well and its impact on the people's livelihood.
According to the PM, it is now the time to make India self-sufficient in every way and every Indian should buy and promote local goods. He said that the package would give emphasis on land, labour, liquidity and laws. The package will also focus on the farmers and the labourers who support the nation during the times of crisis.
The PM further said that the package will give rise to a rational tax system, strong financial system besides encouraging businesses and bringing in investments into India.
Industry experts welcomed the announcements, saying that there are many ways in which the schemes announced on Tuesday can be financed, including from the extra '200,000 lakh crore the Centre will get from higher levies on petrol and diesel.
After worker tests positive, AI office sealed
Air India (AI) headquarters has been sealed for two days after an employee was tested positive for COVID-19. "One of the employees attending office at Airlines House has tested positive for COVID-19. As AI accords top priority to the safety and wellbeing of its employees, the building will be closed for sanitisation adhering to protocol. All support is being extended to the employee concerned," AI spokesperson said. The airline staff who tested positive works in the commercial department. The national carrier has been crisscrossing the globe to bring stranded Indians back home.
CISF ASI succumbs to Coronavirus
An assistant sub inspector (ASI) in the CISF has succumbed to COVID-19 infection during treatment in Kolkata, raising serious concern as it is the first death reported in the force so far and 68 personnel have been infected. Of the infected, five fresh cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Two CISF personnel have also recovered from the virus. The 55-year-old CISF ASI passed away during treatment on Monday. He was found to be COVID-19 positive on May 5 and was being treated at a hospital in Kolkata.
Ministry works on SOP for flights
Filling up of a detailed questionnaire related to COVID-19, carrying no cabin baggage, using Aarogya Setu app and reaching airport at least two hours before a flight departure might well be among the requirements for air passengers during the initial phase after resumption of commercial flights. The civil aviation ministry has come out with a draft standard operating procedure for restarting commercial air passenger services in the country, which remain suspended since March 25 in the wake of the lockdown to curb spreading of Coronavirus infections.
Railways make Aarogya Setu app compulsory
The Indian Railways, which had on Monday "advised" the passengers availing the special trains that started operating from Tuesday to install the government's Aarogya Setu mobile application, has now made it "mandatory" to do so. However, officials said any "exception" will be decided on a "case-to-case basis", but did not rule out disallowing passengers who do not have the app installed on their mobile phones. While the guidelines issued by the railways for the 15 pairs of special trains running between Delhi and major cities of the country did not say installing the mobile app was mandatory, a late night (12:24 am) tweet by the railway ministry made it compulsory.
The Indian Railways, which had on Monday "advised" the passengers availing the special trains that started operating from Tuesday to install the government's Aarogya Setu mobile application, has now made it "mandatory" to do so. However, officials said any "exception" will be decided on a "case-to-case basis", but did not rule out disallowing passengers who do not have the app installed on their mobile phones. While the guidelines issued by the railways for the 15 pairs of special trains running between Delhi and major cities of the country did not say installing the mobile app was mandatory, a late night (12:24 am) tweet by the railway ministry made it compulsory.
The Indian Railways, which had on Monday "advised" the passengers availing the special trains that started operating from Tuesday to install the government's Aarogya Setu mobile application, has now made it "mandatory" to do so. However, officials said any "exception" will be decided on a "case-to-case basis", but did not rule out disallowing passengers who do not have the app installed on their mobile phones. While the guidelines issued by the railways for the 15 pairs of special trains running between Delhi and major cities of the country did not say installing the mobile app was mandatory, a late night (12:24 am) tweet by the railway ministry made it compulsory.
States look at relaxations post May 17
. Goa Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant during a video conference with PM Narendra Modi on Monday pitched for lifting of inter-state travel curbs, while also making a plea for revival of tourism and mining industries.
. Having controlled Coronavirus spread to the extent possible, Karnataka wants lockdown restrictions to continue even after May 17 in containment zones and lift them in other areas, which are free from the infection, an official said on Monday.
. Bus services will resume in green zones of Odisha but with double the fares, said Transport Minister, Padmanabh Behera on Tuesday. Behera said that Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik has already given his approval to the department's proposal for the plying of buses and to double the bus fares.
. Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday sought suggestions from people on how to ease the curbs after May 17, but made it clear that lockdown cannot be lifted completely given that the city was recording a high number of Coronavirus cases daily.
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