Modi calls for a self-reliant India, announces Rs 20 lakh crore package

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 20 lakh crore fiscal stimulus to deal with the COVID19 situation in the country The package is the second largest in Asia after JapanI 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 todays package totals to 20 lakh crore 265 billion This is 10 per cent of Indias GDP the PM said in his address to the nationThis economic package is for our smallscale industries MSMEs which are the means of livelihood of crores of people and is the strong base of our resolve for selfreliant India To prove the resolve of selfreliant India the emphasis has been given on land labour liquidity and laws in this package he saidPrime Minister Modi said the economic package is for the countrys 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 countryWhile 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 peoples livelihoodAccording to the PM it is now the time to make India selfsufficient 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 crisisThe 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 IndiaIndustry experts welcomed the announcements saying that there are many ways in which the schemes announced on Tuesday can be financed including from the extra 200000 lakh crore the Centre will get from higher levies on petrol and dieselAfter worker tests positive AI office sealedAir India AI headquarters has been sealed for two days after an employee was tested positive for COVID19 One of the employees attending office at Airlines House has tested positive for COVID19 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 homeCISF ASI succumbs to CoronavirusAn assistant sub inspector ASI in the CISF has succumbed to COVID19 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 55yearold CISF ASI passed away during treatment on Monday He was found to be COVID19 positive on May 5 and was being treated at a hospital in KolkataMinistry works on SOP for flightsFilling up of a detailed questionnaire related to COVID19 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 infectionsRailways make Aarogya Setu app compulsoryThe Indian Railways which had on Monday advised the passengers availing the special trains that started operating from Tuesday to install the governments Aarogya Setu mobile application has now made it mandatory to do so However officials said any exception will be decided on a casetocase 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 1224 am tweet by the railway ministry made it compulsoryThe Indian Railways which had on Monday advised the passengers availing the special trains that started operating from Tuesday to install the governments Aarogya Setu mobile application has now made it mandatory to do so However officials said any exception will be decided on a casetocase 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 1224 am tweet by the railway ministry made it compulsoryThe Indian Railways which had on Monday advised the passengers availing the special trains that started operating from Tuesday to install the governments Aarogya Setu mobile application has now made it mandatory to do so However officials said any exception will be decided on a casetocase 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 1224 am tweet by the railway ministry made it compulsoryStates 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 interstate 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 departments 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 dailyCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel 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