Addressing an online media briefing, Kejriwal said the Delhi government has sent a proposal to Lt Governor Anil Baijal to allow only 50 people to attend wedding ceremonies against the earlier limit of 200.
Para-athlete Yogesh Kathuniya expressed his disappointment towards the lack of enthusiasm in the reception of para-athletes on their return following India's record-breaking campaign in Paris.
'My five-year-old grandson Arjun enthusiastically helps in jhadoo pocha, putting clothes in the washing machine, drying and then folding them up,' says Dr Veena Adige.
Palak is certain to make the cut for Tokyo Paralympics in women's doubles as she is currently ranked fifth in the world. The top six in the list to be published by International Paralympic Committee will get automatic qualification.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said the lockdown rules will remain unchanged in the state will May 3. Tope said there was no clarity in the Centre's latest order regarding reopening of shops.
The outbreak and lockdown have thrown up a number of challenges, such as layoffs, pay cuts and a general slowdown. Many subscribers after their unsuccessful attempts to use the scheme have taken to social media to voice their complaints, as the EPFO website and grievance portal suffer outages and its customer helpline remains unreachable.
'If the mandis were not working in Delhi, or the onion market in Nashik got affected, or there were disruptions because of unloading or loading in any sector in south India, we intervened.'
Tope also admitted that the "chalta hai" (laidback) attitude had creeped in after the government flattened the infection curve.
From working in a garment factory, selling bread, and driving an autorickshaw, the 24-year-old fast bowler's path to representing domestic giants Mumbai was anything but easy.
Patnaik said the state has also urged the Centre to stop train and flight services to Odisha till April 30.
'A hundred days later, it is a moot point whether the lockdown has been partially or totally effective, or, as sceptics indicate, plain ineffective.' 'Did it actually deflect infections and the loss of lives, or was it merely a hasty decision rammed down the populace's throats that choked the economy and caused the searing tragedy of dispossessed migrant workers?' ask Radha Roy Biswas and Manoj Mohanka.
Several passengers have been complaining on social media as domestic airlines have decided not to give refunds in cash for cancelled flights due to the lockdown and instead issue credit for future travel.
Rediff.com reader Milon Kumar Sanyal from Kolkata tells us how he kept himself busy during the lockdown.
A day after the Ministry of Home Affairs allowed sports complexes and stadia to open without spectators, National Sports Federations were deliberating ways to facilitate training of at least the Olympic-bound athletes. The lockdown has been extended till May 31.
Professor, Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, Public Health Foundation of India, V Ramana Dhara, said the unlock has resulted in a return to old habits of indiscipline in physical distancing and improper mask use.
Interacting with reporters, he said experts have been saying that the spike in Covid cases in Delhi should be considered largely due to the Omicron variant.
'In the first phase, you might allow 30 per cent of the workforce to come in and see how it goes,' says industrialist Harsh Goenka.
'Cricket is a game where if you come back after a gap, then it is not easy to perform immediately.'
'When you don't have food to eat, will you be worried about the virus or the next meal?'
Besides Karnataka, states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have already announced area-wise lockdown for different durations.
A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad said the government is expected to remain cognisant of the situation and evaluate it closely and if it is found that the rate of infection is going up, they can always review their decision and impose curbs, depending upon the situation.
The state government will review the lockdown situation in Guwahati after seven days from the enforcement of the restrictions.
Gandhi said if money is not given in the hands of the poor and small and medium industry, there could be "serious economic damage" in the country.
Olympic silver medallist shooter Vijay Kumar has started learning law online as part of his training for the DSP post he holds in Himachal Pradesh Police.
Australia's limited overs captain Aaron Finch helped second grade student Alex Altube beat the lockdown blues by assigning the kid a cricket project through his school teacher, adding some joy to his daily routine.
The home ministry has already written to all state governments informing them about the exemptions given for holding the examinations across the country with certain conditions.
The experts agreed that the lockdown has helped in slowing down spread of the virus but insisted that the situation has not reached a plateau and that there was an urgent need to upgrade healthcare facilities to deal with the crisis.
During this period, all government and private offices, shopping complexes, malls, bars, sports complexes, pubs and beauty parlours will remain closed.
The announcement comes amid a rise in domestic violence cases due to the ongoing lockdown. It was found that many women who are victims of domestic violence are more vulnerable during the lockdown period.
Bangladesh's interim government on Wednesday said it is 'consulting all stakeholders' to decide the fate of President Mohammed Shahabuddin, as authorities beefed up security around his residence in the wake of protests demanding his removal over comments that raised questions on prime minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation.
What is aggravating the situation is that e-commerce firms are facing huge shortage of delivery personnel. They have not been able to bring back their staff to work, despite offering higher pay and Covid-related insurance packages.
"At least for 15 days if people stay strictly indoors, like last year, we may expect better results. Please advise your government," the high court said.
Swastika's father Sandeep, who is also her coach-cum-training partner, has been rendered jobless for more than four months and is finding it difficult to pay the rent for the house they are staying in at Navi Mumbai.
'I think it will be environmentally very beneficial. Life is such a hustle, and you never get the time to spend with your family and connect with them'
Young Rediff readers share inspiring messages to raise awareness about COVID-19.
According to the fresh guidelines that will come into force from Sunday morning, inter-district movement of private vehicles has been restricted and the timings for shops and government offices have been shortened.
The forced lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak has brought out the innovative side of Indian sports fans.
Pegging the cost of the covid-19 lockdown at USD 120 billion (approximately Rs 9 lakh crores) or 4 per cent of the GDP, analysts on Wednesday sharply cut their growth estimates and stressed on the need to announce an economic package. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which is scheduled to announce its first bi-monthly policy review on April 3, is set to deliver a deep rate cuts and it should also be assumed that the fiscal deficit targets will be breached, analysts said.
The ICMR is working on a war footing to develop the testing ecosystem -- especially for the screening blood tests. NIV, Pune, is in the process of validating antibody-based screening kits.
Business activity has fallen by a fourth of the pre-COVID levels due to lockdowns imposed by states to contain the spread of the second wave of COVID-19, Japanese brokerage Nomura said on Tuesday. However, it said the falling activity levels will have a muted economic impact and maintained its growth estimates for the year, saying the lockdowns present "downside risks". As of April 25, the Nomura India Business Resumption Index (NIBRI) registered its steepest weekly fall in over a year of 8.5 percentage points to 75.9, which is 24 percentage points below pre-pandemic normal, the brokerage said in a statement.
