News for 'Emergency Response Programme'

India may have LOST 10-12% of GDP growth FOREVER

India may have LOST 10-12% of GDP growth FOREVER

Rediff.com28 May 2021

India's likely medium-term potential growth will almost certainly be markedly lower than that experienced in pre-pandemic years, warns Shankar Acharya, former chief economic advisor to the Government of India.

PM security breach: Experts flay lack of coordination among agencies

PM security breach: Experts flay lack of coordination among agencies

Rediff.com7 Jan 2022

"The entire edifice of security of the PM, in a federal structure like ours, stands on the strong bond of mutual trust and confidence between state police and the SPG. State police are fully responsible for ensuring a secure route for the PM's travel," former NSG Director General Sudeep Lakhtakia said.

Will General Munir Take On Imran Khan?

Will General Munir Take On Imran Khan?

Rediff.com24 Nov 2022

If General Asim Munir, Pakistan's new army chief, wants to help defuse the current polarised atmosphere and shepherd civilian politicians towards negotiations on an acceptable date for elections, he may need to distance himself from any perception of needless hostility to Imran Khan, explains Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W, India's external intelligence agency.

Not acting on climate crisis will destroy lives: Experts

Not acting on climate crisis will destroy lives: Experts

Rediff.com9 Aug 2021

At a virtual press conference to launch the report, Inger Anderson, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme, said, "Climate change is here and now. No one is safe. Despite warnings from so many years, the world did not listen. We need to act now. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will not only limit climate change but also reduce air pollution."

'I knew my film would not have a hero or villain'

'I knew my film would not have a hero or villain'

Rediff.com6 Mar 2023

'Rakesh's life is hard, but he knows how to find joy.' 'He doesn't think his life's value comes from money. He sees no shame in his poverty.'

Dr Devi wants to be New York's Public Advocate

Dr Devi wants to be New York's Public Advocate

Rediff.com29 Oct 2021

A traumatic medical emergency drove physician Dr Devi, of General Hospital soap fame, to run for public office in New York.

Safety of Aadhaar data: Budget may focus on cybersecurity

Safety of Aadhaar data: Budget may focus on cybersecurity

Rediff.com15 Jan 2018

With a rise in the number of cyber crimes and hacking, and many putting a question mark on safety of Aadhaar data, the FM might bring proposals in this regard and allocate funds separately.

Stalin Draws Up Line Of DMK Succession

Stalin Draws Up Line Of DMK Succession

Rediff.com14 Dec 2022

What does Udhayanidhi's induction as minister mean? For the DMK, it indicates the future course, direction and leadership. It is continuity with change, and change with continuity, points out N Sathiya Moorthy.

How to get more women on corporate boards

How to get more women on corporate boards

Rediff.com20 May 2016

The government should take steps to mandate that companies have at least two women board members, and at least one of them should be an independent director, in the next two years.

Politics Scores Over Battle Against Covid

Politics Scores Over Battle Against Covid

Rediff.com28 Jan 2022

Politics, bureaucracy, ineptitude, double-standards and an attempt to politicise the fight in pseudo-nationalistic terms have all hampered the fight against this deadly virus, says Vir Sanghvi.

Omicron variant: UK, EU ban travellers from 7 African nations

Omicron variant: UK, EU ban travellers from 7 African nations

Rediff.com27 Nov 2021

The move came soon after Belgium confirmed a case of the B.1.1.529 variant in someone who had travelled back from Egypt earlier this month, with the European Union (EU) member states agreeing to a snap travel ban on seven African nations.

Salman Rushdie stabbed at New York event, undergoes surgery

Salman Rushdie stabbed at New York event, undergoes surgery

Rediff.com13 Aug 2022

Salman Rushdie, the Mumbai-born author of the Booker Prize-winning novel Midnight's Children, was attacked by a man who stormed the stage during an event in New York on Friday while he was getting ready to deliver a lecture.

'Introduce another slab to tax the super-rich'

'Introduce another slab to tax the super-rich'

Rediff.com21 Feb 2022

'We can go somewhere between 35 per cent and 40 per cent.'

Players union slams Cricket Australia's cost-cutting

Players union slams Cricket Australia's cost-cutting

Rediff.com19 May 2020

Cricket Australia furloughed about 80 per cent of its staff and said it had suffered a A$20 million (10.6 million pounds) fall in revenue due to COVID-19, despite the pandemic hitting at the end of the season.

India seeing pronounced economic slowdown, says new IMF chief

India seeing pronounced economic slowdown, says new IMF chief

Rediff.com9 Oct 2019

"Now is the time for countries with room in their budgets to deploy -- or get ready to deploy -- fiscal firepower. In fact, low interest rates may give some policymakers additional money to spend," new IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said.

3 Indian cos to make NASA's Covid ventilators

3 Indian cos to make NASA's Covid ventilators

Rediff.com30 May 2020

The three Indian companies are Alpha Design Technologies Pvt Ltd, Bharat Forge Ltd and Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd, the space organisation said in a statement on Friday.

UK, EU agree to travel ban on 7 African nations

UK, EU agree to travel ban on 7 African nations

Rediff.com27 Nov 2021

The UK's health authorities have confirmed that a new and "most significant" variant of COVID-19 is officially under investigation in the country as the government on Friday added six countries to its travel ban red list from southern Africa, where B.1.1.529 strain was first identified.

What BJP's Gujarat Win Proves

What BJP's Gujarat Win Proves

Rediff.com9 Dec 2022

What these elections prove beyond any doubt (if ever there was one) that Modi's hold over public mind and Shah's mastery of election management are unparalleled. It doesn't seem likely that they will be matched any time soon in the Indian political scene, reaffirms Shreekant Sambrani.

Serum Institute ready to roll out Covid vaccine

Serum Institute ready to roll out Covid vaccine

Rediff.com3 Jan 2021

The Pune-based vaccine major has entered into a collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine.

Cadila believes it has silver bullet to fight COVID-19

Cadila believes it has silver bullet to fight COVID-19

Rediff.com21 Apr 2020

Can Interferon alfa-2b treat COVID-19 effectively?

Shots of Covid vaccine to be taken 28 days apart: AIIMS chief

Shots of Covid vaccine to be taken 28 days apart: AIIMS chief

Rediff.com3 Jan 2021

In a video issued by the Health Ministry, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) answered commonly asked questions regarding the dosage of the vaccine saying that two doses of the vaccine will have to be taken 28 days apart and protective levels of antibodies generally would develop two weeks after the second dose.

Stalin's son Udhayanidhi named DMK youth wing chief

Stalin's son Udhayanidhi named DMK youth wing chief

Rediff.com4 Jul 2019

Udhayanidhi's ascension in the party is seen as a precursor to him being given key roles in the DMK in future which is now helmed by his 66-year old father Stalin.

Starving One Ukraine to Defeat Another

Starving One Ukraine to Defeat Another

Rediff.com2 Aug 2022

If they can sit together and hammer out 'Black Sea Initiative' deal for much needed food shipments, surely, they should be able to address the madness of the larger military conflict?

New Covid variant detected: WHO calls special meet

New Covid variant detected: WHO calls special meet

Rediff.com26 Nov 2021

The latest variant is the most heavily mutated version discovered so far.

EXCLUSIVE! The Secret Of Modi's Success

EXCLUSIVE! The Secret Of Modi's Success

Rediff.com2 Aug 2022

'In the course of my interactions with him, Modi insisted that he does not believe charisma alone can sustain people's trust for long.' 'That is why Modi consistently refers to Mahatma Gandhi to contextualise his politics.' 'He believes in taking his ideas to the masses and getting their acceptance as an index of approval.'
A revealing excerpt from Ajay Singh's The Architect of the New BJP: How Narendra Modi Transformed the Party.

SC issues notice to Future group on Amazon's plea

SC issues notice to Future group on Amazon's plea

Rediff.com9 Feb 2022

The Supreme Court Wednesday sought a response from the Future group on Amazon's plea against the January 5 order of the Delhi high court staying the ongoing arbitration proceedings before an arbitral tribunal over Future Retail's Rs 24,500-crore merger deal with Reliance. A bench comprising Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hima Kohli issued notices to the Future group firms, Future Coupons Private Ltd (FCPL) and Future Retail Ltd (FRL) and said that it will hear the matter on February 23 "without any adjournment". The Delhi high court on January 5 had stayed the Amazon-Future arbitration which is going on before a three-member arbitral tribunal over the latter's Rs 24,500-crore deal with Reliance.

ITC adopting disruptive business models as part of strategy reset

ITC adopting disruptive business models as part of strategy reset

Rediff.com11 Aug 2021

ITC has extensively reset its strategy and will explore opportunities to craft disruptive business models to set up structural drivers helmed by digital and sustainability for its next horizon of growth and make the company future-ready, chairman Sanjiv Puri said on Wednesday. The company is pursuing an accelerated journey to build a dynamic utureTech' enterprise by investing in cutting-edge digital technologies to shape a new paradigm of competitiveness, create innovative business models and tap newer opportunities, he said while addressing shareholders at ITC's virtual annual general meeting. As part of the next horizon vision, the company is "proactively exploring inorganic opportunities" even as it has shrunk "business segments that were incongruent to our growth aspirations, such as the Lifestyle Retailing Business" while the existing growth platforms comprising megabrands will be scaled up and fortified.

Cognizant to pay 1.3 lakh India staff 25% extra salary in April

Cognizant to pay 1.3 lakh India staff 25% extra salary in April

Rediff.com27 Mar 2020

IT firm Cognizant on Friday said it will give employees who are at associate level and below in India and the Philippines, an additional payment of 25 per cent of base pay for April in recognition of their extraordinary continuity-of-service efforts amid the covid-19 outbreak. The move is expected to benefit over 1,30,000 Cognizant employees in India.

Biden's Democracy Summit Fails To Impress

Biden's Democracy Summit Fails To Impress

Rediff.com13 Dec 2021

The Summit for Democracy seems to have done more harm than good, notes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.

Economist Kalpana Kochhar to retire from IMF in July

Economist Kalpana Kochhar to retire from IMF in July

Rediff.com2 Jun 2021

Indian economist Kalpana Kochhar, who heads the Human Resources Department of the International Monetary Fund, is leaving the organisation to join the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the IMF announced on Wednesday. Kochhar, who served in various senior positions during her three decades at the IMF, will retire on July 30, it said.

MHA asks states to facilitate smooth movement of medics

MHA asks states to facilitate smooth movement of medics

Rediff.com11 May 2020

There have been reports of healthcare services being affected in some places including in the national capital after neighbouring states closed down inter-state borders and barred movement of medical workers. In a letter to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said inter-state movement of doctors and paramedics should be facilitated wherever required.

'US Won't Pressure India On Russia'

'US Won't Pressure India On Russia'

Rediff.com27 Oct 2022

'Washington appears to be playing the long game, and making the argument to India that over the longer term, Russia -- sanctioned, cash-strapped, isolated by the West -- will no longer be a viable defence partner for India'

Suvendu prevented from visiting violence-hit Howrah, to move court

Suvendu prevented from visiting violence-hit Howrah, to move court

Rediff.com12 Jun 2022

High drama was witnessed at Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district on Sunday afternoon as West Bengal Leader of Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari was prevented by police from visiting violence-hit areas in Howrah.

Full text: President Murmu's address to Parliament's Budget Session

Full text: President Murmu's address to Parliament's Budget Session

Rediff.com31 Jan 2023

'Wherever in the world there is political instability, those countries are beset with severe crises today. But India is in a much better position than the rest of the world due to the decisions taken by my government in the national interest,' President Droupadi Murmu said in her address to both Houses of Parliament.

Premier League to push players for 30% wage cut, restart date on hold

Premier League to push players for 30% wage cut, restart date on hold

Rediff.com4 Apr 2020

The Premier League has said its clubs will consult with their players over a proposed 30% reduction in wages and the suspended season would only resume when it was "safe and appropriate". While there has been speculation about a reduced season or even abandoning this campaign, the league said it remained their aim to complete all remaining domestic league and cup matches.

7 years on, Nirbhaya fund remains underutilised

7 years on, Nirbhaya fund remains underutilised

Rediff.com20 Mar 2020

The Centre has put the blame on state governments while state governments complain that money is not released for the proposals given by them to the Empowered Committee that has been tasked with recommending proposals to be funded under this framework.

Jaitley was a political giant, towering intellectual: PM

Jaitley was a political giant, towering intellectual: PM

Rediff.com24 Aug 2019

'His passing away is very saddening. Spoke to his wife Sangeeta Ji as well as son Rohan, and expressed condolences. Om Shanti.'

'Sonia has okayed support for Shiv Sena pending CMP'

'Sonia has okayed support for Shiv Sena pending CMP'

Rediff.com12 Nov 2019

'If we have to join the government we will have to first decide upon the CMP.' 'Nothing can be decided without having a CMP first.'

Controversy over Abe's State Funeral

Controversy over Abe's State Funeral

Rediff.com26 Sep 2022

The impact of Shinzo Abe's towering personality is such that even in death, Abe remains a polarising figure, asserts Dr Rajaram Panda.

At current pace India will inoculate 75% of population only by mid-2024

At current pace India will inoculate 75% of population only by mid-2024

Rediff.com2 Jun 2021

The average rate of COVID-19 vaccination in the country has been 10.8 million per week. At that rate, it will take India till December 2024 to complete two billion doses.