E-commerce companies have said they are well prepared and working closely with delivery partners to ensure smooth and safe delivery of packages in Maharashtra where the government has announced a slew of restrictions, including night curfews and weekend lockdown to control the spike in COVID-19 cases. However, there are concerns around the mandate for delivery staff to be either vaccinated or carry a negative RT-PCR report. According to the health ministry data, till 8 am on Tuesday Maharashtra's COVID-19 caseload was 452,777 with an addition of 20,881 from the previous day. In an order on Sunday, the Maharashtra government said all personnel belonging to home delivery services will have to be vaccinated and in case they are not vaccinated, they will have to carry a negative RT-PCR report.
Ravichandran Ashwin has taken criticism on the chin and has responded with a bagful of wickets, refusing to let that 'outside noise' disturb the equilibrium of his mind.
In a communication to all states and union territories, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla asked them to strictly ensure prohibition of all non-essential activities between 7 pm and 7 am, saying the night curfew imposed to contain the coronavirus spread is an 'important element of the home ministry guidelines'.
The process of opening the doors of Kedar Dham began at 3 am. Shiva Shankar Linga, the chief priest of the shrine, carried out the tradition of opening the doors. The first 'pooja' was performed in the name of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said a statement.
"The lockdown was an attack on labourers, farmers and small shopkeepers. It was an attack on our unorganised sector. We have to understand this. We all have to stand against this attack," he said.
'We should not forget the core purpose of the lockdown -- to buy time to implement a strategy to tackle the virus, to prepare for the final lifting of the lockdown and to prepare for a 'new tomorrow',' notes Dr Sanjeeth Peter.
'We need to have the courage to take a rational look at known facts and act accordingly,' advises Mohan Guruswamy.
The triple lockdown in force from Monday would last for a week.
BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said the Modi government's decision to impose the lockdown has ensured that India suffered much less than countries like the United States, France and Spain.
Unincorporated enterprises in the manufacturing sector lost nearly 1.8 million establishments and shed 5.4 million jobs between July 2015-June 2016 and October 2022-September 2023, an analysis of the fact sheet on 'Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE)' and the comparable 73rd round survey in 2015-16 by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed. An estimated 17.82 million unincorporated enterprises operated in the manufacturing sector in October 2022-September 2023, nearly 9.3 per cent down from 19.7 million unincorporated enterprises in July 2015- June 2016.
These jobs saw a surge in demand in April, according to TimesJobs' latest report.
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With India's health system crumbling, several states have enforced stringent restrictions, including night curfews and lockdowns.
Anmol Ambani, the eldest son of industrialist Anil Ambani, has lashed out against a new round of lockdowns being imposed amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, saying such restrictions do not concern health but control and that they destroy the very backbone of the society and economy. The 29-year-old former executive director of Reliance Capital Ltd in a series of tweets lambasted the new semi-lockdown rules hurting small businesses and daily wage earners. "Professional 'actors' can continue shooting their films. Professional 'cricketers' can play their sport late into the night. Professional 'politicians' can continue their rallies with masses of people. But YOUR business or work is not ESSENTIAL. Still don't get it?" he said in a tweet.
Companies from Unilever to Proctor & Gamble, Nestl, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have all alluded to lockdown challenges in India and the globe as well as the impact it will have on April-June as well as full-year numbers.
'We may have to shut places like beaches and the Gateway of India where people gather in the evenings'
"Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray could make an official announcement about more stringent measures tomorrow," Tope added.
IT professional Praveen Sharma from Noida shares his incredible fitness journey during the lockdown.
Jasprit Bumrah said that he is using the time to pick up some new hobbies along the way. He can be seen doing some gardening.
While there was a sharp drop in footfalls in malls in H1FY21, there was reasonable recovery in H2. However, the second wave derailed the recovery.
'I chose the colour pink and I looked like a doll in it.' 'I worked on the pink gown single-handed and it took me one month...'
"Lockdown is not an option but restrictions will be made more strict," Tope told reporters in Mumbai.
Lockdown Diaries: Get ready to groove with Sheela Tiruchi!
Many medical experts feel that the nation would have fared far worse without the lockdown.
Health Minister Rajesh Tope also urged people to observe strict discipline
During his talks with the chief ministers, Shah sought to know the areas of concern of the states and the sectors they want to open up further from June 1, the official said.
The fresh restrictions imposed in Maharashtra to contain the second wave of COVID-19 are likely to impact the festive season auto sales, as Navaratri and Gudi Padwa are falling in April, according to rating agency Icra. These two festivals account for a sizeable chunk of the annual vehicle sales across the country, especially in Maharashtra, it said. Gudi Padwa, which is a major festival of Maharashtra, will be celebrated on April 13, while Navrarati will also begin on the same day.
Players competed at empty stadiums at Melbourne Park through the five-day lockdown but reduced capacity crowds of 7,477 have been permitted in each of Thursday's two sessions and the same number for the singles finals sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
If a package is announced, it would be the third major initiative by the government to tackle the challenges thrown up by the rapid spread of coronavirus.
'Re-connect with people you have lost touch with, including yourself.'
Italy, Spain, Portugal and India are among the countries easing coronavirus restrictions. Social distancing, mask wearing are the new norms as these countries continue to battle the virus pandemic, but are venturing out of their homes after extended periods of staying at home.
From connectivity woes to infrastructure advancements and the startup boom, there is a gulf between claims and reality in India's economic landscape, points out Devangshu Datta.
Abhijit Chandrakant Bangale, 43, from Aurangabad, Maharashtra shares his inspiring story:
We may be witnessing a slow erosion of the democratic republic and the emergence of the police State, warns Sunanda K Datta-Ray.
Iulia Vantur and Jacqueline Fernandez are with Salman at the farm.
'People can start making a safety net, and that safety net should be at least three months of your monthly salary.' 'If somebody is earning Rs 25,000 then s/he should have at least Rs 75,000 in her/his bank account, so that if anything like this (lockdowns) happens in the future, they are not struggling.'
From early graduation to flexible grading, Gunjan Sharma reports on how the IITs will help their graduating students.
Raju Bist from Thane tells us how he spent the last two months of lockdown.
The decision has come amid a spike in the number of infection cases, which had crossed 35,000 on Saturday.
The home ministry has sought strict implementation of the guidelines in all parts of the country to contain the spread of COVID-19.
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