Coronavirus lockdown | Business Upturn

Tamil Nadu: Lockdown extends to August 9, Health Minister says cases on rise

Aayushi Singh — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 14:50:59 +0000

On Friday, the Tamil Nadu government had extended the coronavirus lockdown in the state up till August 9. As per the new order, no new relaxations have been given this time.

According to the order released by the government, the hotels, bars, and clubs, and Tasmac bars would remain shut. Prior to this, until July 19, the government had announced the extension of lockdown in the state.

In the state, theatres would remain closed until August 9.

M. Subramanian, Health Minister of Tamil Nadu, had said that the COVID-19 cases in the state were increasing over the past 3 days. He said that the number of cases had been increasing in the state for the last three days and the RT-PCR tests had increased. There were 1,859 fresh cases recorded by the state compared to the 1,756 cases. He mentioned that it was unfortunate that many people were not wearing masks and the vigilance at the TN-Kerala border had been increased.

There has been seen a rise in the COVID-19 cases by Kerala, as on Thursday, the state recorded 22,064 new cases, and with a positivity rate of 13.53 per cent.

Lav Agarwal, the Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary, had said while addressing a press brief on July 27 that 22 districts across India had reported an increasing trend in the COVID-19 cases.

Chhattisgarh: Raipur declared as ‘containment zone’ till 6 AM of 26 April

Govindraj Muttepawar — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 12:54:59 +0000

In view of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, the Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday announced a lockdown in Raipur district with effect from April 9 to 19, an official said.

Earlier, Raipur Collector S Bharathi Dasan has issued the order declaring the entire area of the district, including the state capital, as a containment zone and restricted several activities from 6 pm on April 9 till 6 am on April 19. But as the cases of COVID-19 are still on the rise, the administration has decided to lift the lockdown till April 26, 2021.

Accordingly, during the lockdown period, the border of the district will be completely sealed and all shops, including those selling liquor, and commercial establishments will remain closed except medical stores.

Offices of Central government, state government, semi-government, as well as private offices and banks will remain closed while those related to telecom, railway and airports will be allowed to function, the order said.

All religious, cultural and tourism spots will remain shut and all kinds of public meetings, social, religious and political programmes will be banned during this period, it said. Hospitals and ATMs have been kept out of the purview of the lockdown, it said.

Delivery of milk and newspapers will be allowed from 6 am to 8 am and between 5 pm and 6:30 pm. Home delivery of LPG cylinders is also allowed during the lockdown period.

Industrial units and construction units will be allowed to function provided they accommodate workers in their respective premises and provide other necessary facilities, it said.

Activities to contain the spread of the infection, including contact tracing, active surveillance, home isolation, distribution of medicine will continue, and all government employees related to these services will have to report to duty, as per the order. There will be no restriction on the people visiting centres for COVID-19 vaccination or for getting themselves tested, it said.

Public transport services, including taxis and auto-rickshaws, will only be allowed to ply for railway stations, the airport, bus stands and hospitals, it said. “This order will not be effective on the offices of Divisional Commissioner, Range IG, Collector, SP, ADM, Additional SP, Treasury, Chief Medical and Health Officer and offices functioning under them. However, the entry of common people will be prohibited in these offices during the lockdown period,” it stated.

89 thousand Covid-19 cases in a single day; highest since September, 2020

Govindraj Muttepawar — Sun, 04 Apr 2021 08:06:37 +0000

India added 89,129 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours amid a worrying surge in Covid cases that has prompted states like Maharashtra to consider lockdown. Today’s surge is the highest since September 20 when 92,605 cases were reported.

The jump in cases reported on Saturday was the highest since September 20 last year when 92,605 new infections were recorded in a span of 24 hours. Corresponding to the rapid surge in cases, the number of active cases too have registered a steady increase for the 24th day in a row with the tally reaching 6,58,909, which is 5.32 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate has further dropped to 93.36 per cent, the data stated.

The active caseload was the lowest at 1,35,926 on February 12 and comprised 1.25 per cent of the total infections. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 1,15,69,241, while the case fatality rate has dropped to 1.32 per cent, the health ministry data stated. India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16 last year. It went past 60 lakh on

September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20. The one-crore mark was breached on December 19 last year. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 24,69,59,192 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to April 2 with 10,46,605 of them being tested on Friday.

Maharashtra on Friday reported 47089 new cases with the search in covid-19 cases Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said that a new set of restrictions maybe even a lockdown will be imposed in the state if the situation persists.

UK economy faces 9.9% GDP slump in 2020 due to COVID-19

Sanah Shah — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 08:12:25 +0000

“Over the year 2020 as a whole, GDP contracted by 9.9 per cent, marking the largest annual fall in UK GDP on record,” the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said, “Today’s figures show that the economy has experienced a serious shock as a result of the pandemic, which has been felt by countries around the world. While there are some positive signs of the economy’s resilience over the winter, we know that the current lockdown continues to have a significant impact on many people and businesses.

“That’s why my focus remains fixed on doing everything we can to protect jobs, businesses and livelihoods. At the Budget I will set out the next stage of our Plan for Jobs, and the support we’ll provide through the next phase of the pandemic.”

This 9.9% slump leaves the economy at a position last seen in 2013.

The trajectory of the GDP began with a decrease of 2.9% in Q1, followed by an unprecedented 19% slump in Q2 owing to the first national lockdown. The economy then announced 16% growth in Q3, prior to the second wave of COVID-19 which resulted in fresh restrictions making the recovery sluggish to 1% in Q4.

Key five challenges to address in Budget 2021

Sanah Shah — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 08:52:37 +0000

India has witnessed a significant decline in the gross domestic product (GDP) during a tense deadlock with a wealthier and nuclear-armed neighbour. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has assured the public that the budget this year will be very different, beginning with its paperless nature.

Five key challenges need to be addressed to tackle India’s economic conditions. Most of these have been existing before the COVID-19 pandemic hit India but now require immediate attention in wake of the lockdown. Economic destruction fled through the country. It is important to note that all five challenges intersect and need to be pursued together to ensure a recovery that is sustainable for the future.

1st challenge: Promoting domestic demand

A notable theme for fund-managers, India’s ‘consumption story’ began to fall even before the pandemic. The lockdown caused a slump in spending. The National Sample Survey (NSS) report from 2017-2018 on consumption spending defines that real rural consumption expenditure fell between 2011-2012 and 2017-2018. In contrast, it increased in urban India but the overall consumption numbers had a fall.

India’s national accounts statistics which utilizes numbers to generate consumption spending is inclined to show a brighter picture. Although, those numbers represent a pre-pandemic slowdown in consumption before the subsequent disintegration in fiscal 2021.

It is predicted that the coming months will see a rise in consumer spending with the reopening economy, rising mobility and improving immunity. Some of the enforced savings of the better-off will find its way into new spending now. Meanwhile, after the initial ‘sugar-rush’ of pent-up spending which can be seen through the Q3 reports of companies, domestic demand may remain weak, wrote J.P. Morgan economists Sajjid Chinoy and Toshi Jain in a report dated 7th January 2021.

Among urban Indians, the propensity to spend on big-ticket items appears fairly low, a recent online survey of nearly 10,000 respondents spread across 203 cities and towns show.

Consumer confidence has been dented sharply by the pandemic and it could be a while before that reverses fully. Moreover, the loss of jobs and incomes at the bottom of the pyramid could act as a drag on domestic demand in the medium term unless the labour market heals faster, as Chinoy and Jain point out in their report.

2nd Challenge: Generating decent jobs

The sustainability of the consumption comeback in the imminent years will ultimately depend on India’s ability to generate decent and well-paying jobs. Over the past few years, the ranks of the salaried class had expanded, even if at a slow pace. The pandemic has however led to a sharp fall in the ranks of the salaried class according to data from CMIE’s household surveys. 21% of the workforce surveyed were in salaried jobs in fiscal 2020. This figure was reduced to 17% in the September-ended quarter last year and only increased marginally to 18% in the December-ended quarter.

An issue is that salaried people in India may lack even a formal letter of appointment. However, such ‘regular’ jobs allow for greater consumption-smoothing than the irregular and infrequent engagements that heads India’s informal economy. The loss of millions of jobs during the pandemic has impacted consumption and raised inequality at the same time.

3rd Challenge: Reviving animal spirits

This insists that job-creation must be at a scale which will require the country’s entrepreneurs to step up investments. India’s investment cycle has been dying for several years but the past year has been absolutely bleached.

As a share of India’s GDP, new investments are expected to fall to 24% this fiscal which is a 20-year low. The investment rate had peaked at 36% of GDP in 2007-08 and has observed a steady decline since then.

As hoards of bad loans piled up in the years after the 2008 financial crisis, both firms and lenders turned risk-averse in taking up new projects. Risk-aversion remains high even as funding for new projects has waned. If lack of clearances was the major hurdle facing new projects around a decade ago, lack of financing has appeared as the large bottleneck now.

4th Challenge: Terminating the credit drought

Since a few years, banks have had a bit of success in reducing the share of toxic assets on their books but the pandemic can undo those gains. Stress test results by the central bank (RBI) in its latest financial stability report indicate that the share of bad loans could rise to 14% by September 2021, nearly double what it was in September 2020.

At a time when credit growth has been anaemic, this would further restrict lending.

Lending can increase movement only if banks can find additional capital cushions to offset the damage of their assets. For state-owned banks, this means either infusion of equity through stake sales or abundant budgetary provisions for recapitalization.

It is worth noting that Indian banks are relatively under-capitalized compared to contemporaries in other large economies. Till they remain parched of capital, they are unlikely to finance the next investment cycle.

5th Challenge: Increasing spending without inciting inflation

The three key engines of the economy which are consumption, investments, and exports – are breaking down today, the primary power in town is the government, which will need to steer the economy till the other engines pick up the pace. This implies additional borrowing which would overburden the public debt-GDP ratio. Rating agencies hope that the debt-GDP ratio will surge in fiscal 2021 but they would expect a fiscal consolidation path that stabilizes public debt at current levels and then trends lower, wrote Nomura economists Sonal Varma and Aurodeep Nandi in a report dated 19 January.

If higher spending is largely administered to fund CAPEX, which in turn will raise growth and enhance future revenue streams, it could bring down the debt-GDP ratio in a few years ahead.

Although, if such spending is directed largely towards revenue expenditure, it could lead to inflationary pressures without doing much for growth. At a time when commodity prices are rising globally, this would entangle the task for India’s monetary policymakers and risk driving the economy towards stagflation.

Nirmala Sitharaman must come to terms with these challenges in the upcoming budget.

Preetisheel Singh begins 2021 with Southern megahit Master

Smriti Jaisinghani — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 16:25:06 +0000

Film sets new post-pandemic benchmarks for all big Bollywood and South releases to follow

Preetisheel Singh known for her makeup and prosthetics in Bollywood blockbusters such as Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, Chhichhore and Housefull 4 has begun 2021 with a bang in the Southern industry.

The National Award-winning look designer gets her first megahit of the year having curated varied unique character looks for Southern superstar Thalapathy Vijay for the Tamil megahit Master, which is one of the first films to release in theatres after the Coronavirus lockdown.

The film has smashed box-office records in the South to enter the 100 Crore Club at the worldwide box-office just within three days of its release, collecting a record Rs 50 crore plus at the Tamil Nadu box-office alone.

Successfully bringing audiences back to the theatres, it’s provided a ray of hope to all filmmakers, distributors and exhibitors across the nation. It opened stupendously in India even at 50 per cent occupancy, setting new benchmarks for all big Bollywood as well as Southern releases to follow this year.

Its mass appeal and mega success has attracted the attention of producers in Bollywood as well. According to a media report, the makers of Kabir Singh — Murad Khetani and Endemol Shine — have already bought the rights to the film at a hefty amount and are said to be planning its remake in Hindi.

5 out of 266 passengers from UK flight test positive for Coronavirus

Divya Joyce — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 10:11:32 +0000

Five people out of 266 passengers and crew arriving in India from Britain have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, a government official Awanish Kumar, who is helping coordinate testing at New Delhi airport said on Tuesday, but it was not clear if they had the highly infectious new strain of the virus.

“It is unclear … NCDC will confirm this,” Kumar said in a text message when asked if any of the five had the new strain of the virus. He was referring to the National Centre for Disease Control.

India has the second-highest number of infections in the world after the United States, with its tally rising past 10 million on the weekend. More than 146,000 people have died of COVID-19 in India.

The aviation ministry on Monday announced the suspension of all flights from Britain from Wednesday until the end of the month and made it mandatory for all passengers arriving before the ban comes into force to be tested for the virus.

At least two other flights from Britain have landed in India since the announcement of the flight ban, one in Mumbai and the other in the northern city of Amritsar.

Test results from the 240 people who arrived late on Monday in Amritsar were due on Tuesday afternoon, government official Deepak Bhatia told Reuters.

The discovery of the new strain, just months before vaccines are expected to be widely available, sowed new panic in a pandemic that has killed about 1.7 million people worldwide and more than 67,000 in Britain.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui says Lockdown was a blessing as he spent some quality time with family

Shreya Varanasi — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 14:33:42 +0000

Since the start of lockdown, Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been in the news constantly. While he has released three digital films but the reason for he is in the news is because of his personal reasons. In his latest interview with Hindustan Times, The Sacred Games actor spoke about how he got to spend time with his family especially his mother.

During the chat, he said, “Isme koi doubt nahi hai ki pandemic/lockdown bahut saare logon ke liye pareshaaniyan lekar aaya. And that’s why so many people, in general, complains about it but I look at it as a sort of blessing in disguise.” He further added, “Earlier, where was the fursat to just sit, talk and enjoy such great time with your loved ones. The same holds true for me too because the lockdown has given me an opportunity to spend quality time with family, especially my mother. Mumbai mein toh din kahaan chala jaata hai pata nahi chalta, as you are always running around for meetings, and shoots etc.”

He also revealed that he spent the majority of the lockdown in his village Budhana (Uttar Pradesh) and Dehradun (Uttarakhand) with his younger brother. The actor further revealed that he did farming on the family farm-land and spent quality time with his nieces and nephews watching movies. “It’s surely been a very difficult time for everyone but aapke paas do hi options hain: either, you keep complaining, or try and look for some positives. I prefer the latter.”

Siddiqui said that he spent his time watching some movies starring his favourite actors like Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ricardo Darin and Tony Leung.

While talking about his films being released on OTT platforms, the actor said, “For me, the medium has never really mattered. Even now, if people are able to watch my work on a streaming site, why should I complain? It’s a new space and I am enjoying it. Even audiences, who were happily consuming a particular kind of formulaic, happy-go-lucky fare, have got exposed to quality world cinema that, in turn, has moulded their taste in a big way. And that’s great news for actors like me. I feel once all of this (Covid-19 pandemic) settles down, people’s perspective and outlooks towards things, and even life, will alter in some way.”

Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be seen in upcoming movies such as Bole Chudiyan and Jogira Sara Ra Ra.

Centre: Passengers must be refunded air tickets booked during lockdown

Anjana Krishna — Sun, 06 Sep 2020 15:24:53 +0000

Centre told the Supreme Court that passengers must be paid full refund for air tickets booked during the coronavirus lockdown on Saturday adding that if the airlines are unable to pay fliers will get credit shell up to March 31 next year.

The tickets, both domestic and international, booked between March 25 and May 3 this year and will have to be refunded immediately. SC was hearing a PIL filed by Pravasi Legal Cell, an NGO which has asked for full refund of the air tickets and asked Centre’s opinion. The centre also said the passenger can use the credit on any route of choice and should also be able to transfer it to anyone.

“There shall be an incentive mechanism to compensate the passenger if there is a delay in consuming the credit shell – from the date of cancellation up to 30th June, 2020. The value of credit shell shall be enhanced by 0.5% of the face value (the amount of fare collected) for every month or part thereof between the date of cancellation and 30th June, 2020. Thereafter, the value of credit shell shall be enhanced by 0.75% of the face value per month, up to March 2021,” the DGCA said in its affidavit filed on Saturday in SC.

Goa Airport relaxes travel restrictions, domestic travellers can travel without COVID-19 negative certificate

Anjana Krishna — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:19:13 +0000

The government of Goa relaxed travel restrictions for interstate travellers by removing the rule that requires them to produce COVID-19 negative certificate on arrival and testing. The decision came after Centre announced the Unlock 4 guidelines which detailed the fourth phase of easing lockdown restrictions.

As per the announcements by the Govt of Goa restrictions on interstate travel have been removed in line with guidelines of Govt of India. No more requirements of covid19 -ve report and no more test requirements for Domestic traveller's @AAI_Official @MoCA_GoI @aairedwr @goacm pic.twitter.com/2hBnl9Tasi

— Goa International Airport, Dabolim (@aaigoaairport) September 1, 2020

The official handle of Airports Authority of India, Goa International Airport tweeted the decision on Tuesday, “As per announcements by the Govt of Goa restrictions on interstate travel have been removed in line with guidelines of Govt of India. No more Covid19 -ve report and no more test requirements for Domestic travelers.”

Following this, it also tweeted, “Goa Intn’l Airport on upswing. AirIndia starts the connection between Goa and Surat from 6th Sept onwards. The flight initially on Sundays, arriving Goa from Surat at 1005 hrs and departing to Surat at 1105 hrs.”

Unlock 3.0: Gyms and yoga institutes to open, night curfew lifted

Akul Puri — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 05:38:48 +0000

The Ministry of Home Affairs, on Wednesday, rolled out the guidelines for the third phase of the ‘Unlock’ process initiated by the government to bring the country back to its feet after the nation-wide lock down imposed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

In ‘Unlock 3.0’ the government removed the night curfews which restricted the movement of people from 10 PM to 5 AM. The government has also allowed gymnasiums and yoga institutes to open in this phase of the lock down. These institutions are allowed to open up from August 5, and if situated outside the containment zones.

The lock down in the containment zones continues and the situation remains status quo. The lock down in these zones has been extended to August 31, 2020 and activities in these areas shall be monitored strictly as per the order of the Ministry of Home Affairs. “In the containment zones, there shall be extensive contact tracing, house-to-house surveillance, and other clinical interventions, as required”, stated the guidelines issued by the Ministry.

Apart from this, the rest remains status quo. Schools, colleges and coaching institutes will be shut till August 31, 2020. Online classes/E-learning is being encouraged by the ministry. Cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places, have all been instructed to be shut so far.

The government has allowed independence day functions to be held with social distancing norms in place. “Independence Day functions at National, State, District, Sub-Division, Municipal and Panchayat levels and ‘At Home’ functions, wherever held, will be allowed with social distancing and by following other health protocols e.g. wearing of masks”, quoted the guidelines issued by the MHA.

Government has given health and safety precautions which includes wearing of masks and following social distancing norms. In the order, the ministry has also stated that a violation of these norms would result in a penalty.

“Any person violating these measures will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 and 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and other legal provisions as applicable”, stated the order.

West Bengal imposes strict lock down for seven days, CM asks police to be firm

Akul Puri — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 07:40:01 +0000

The government of West Bengal announced a 7-day lock down in containment zones across the state to curb the spread of COVID-19. On Tuesday, the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, announced that the lockdown in containment zones would begin at 5 PM on July 9 and would go on till July 16.

This announcement was made amidst the surge in the cases of coronavirus in the state. The confirmed cases in the state amount of over 24000 with over 800 deaths so far. Since July 1, there has been an increase of over 5000 cases and 136 people have lost their lives to this unforgiving disease.

This announcement comes five days after the ban imposed by Kolkata airport on the landing of the flights arriving from six Indian cities. The flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad have been disallowed to land till July 19.

To control the spread, the containment zones and the buffer areas around them have been clubbed by the government. These clubbed areas will be the larger containment zones “These broader containment zones may be subjected to strict lock down and all offices, government and private, all non-essential activities, congregations, transportations, and all marketing, industrial and trading activities will be close”, said Alapa Bandyopadhyay, the Additional Chief Secretary Home.

The total containment zones identified so far in the state amount to 176 which includes Kolkata, Howrah and North 24 Parganas. The rest of the data is being uploaded at the West Bengal government’s website.

“Police need to be strict. If people don’t wear masks, they will be sent home” said Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of the state. She further added that she has no intention to fine them, but those people will not be allowed to move freely and will be sent back home immediately.

Maharashtra to stay in lockdown until July 31

News Desk — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 19:16:00 +0000

On Monday, June 29, Maharashtra Government extended the lockdown till July 31 as coronavirus peaks to 164,626 confirmed cases, 7,429 deaths and 70,622 active COVID-19 cases.

Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Telangana have reported the maximum number of cases. An increase in the number of tests at a much faster pace is a key reason behind the quick rise in infections.

In Maharashtra, “Mission Begin Again”, the guidelines state movement for non-essential activities will be restricted within the neighbourhoods in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. An order issued by Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta said private offices can operate with up to 10 per cent strength or 10 people whichever is more. In containment zones, only essential activities will be allowed. No movement of people in and out of these zones will be allowed except for medical emergencies and maintaining the supply of essential goods.

The Mumbai Police on Sunday said it would seize all privately-owned vehicles that are found to have travelled beyond a 2-km radius from the houses of the owners for purposes other than going to the office or availing medical services during emergencies.

What is permitted in the State of Maharashtra:

All essential shops which are allowed to remain open before this order shall continue to do so.
All non-essential shops will be allowed to continue as per the guidelines issued on 31st May 2020 and 4th June 2020. All non-essential markets, market areas & shops except for malls and market complexes will remain open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Liquor shops will continue to operate if permitted, home delivery or otherwise.
E-commerce activity for essential as well as non-essential items & material.
All the industrial units which are presently open will continue to operate.
All construction sites (Public or Private) that are allowed to remain open and operational. All such pre-monsoon works (Public or Private) that are allowed.
Home delivery restaurants or Kitchen.
Online or distance learning and related activities.
All Government offices -excluding Emergency, health & Medical, treasuries, disaster management, police, NIC, food & Civil Supply, FCI. N.Y.K. Municipal Services- to function with strength or 15 persons.
All private offices can operate up to strength or 10 people. Self-employed people like plumbers, electricians, pest-control and technicians, garages to mend vehicles with prior appointment.
Marriage related gatherings on open spaces, lawns, non-Air conditioned halls follow the same regulations as mentioned in Order dated 23 June 2020.
Outdoor Physical Activities with restrictions
Printing and Distribution of newspapers (including home delivery)
The offices or staff of Educational institutions (Universities, Colleges or Schools) for non-teaching purposes including the development of e-content, evaluation of answer sheets and declaration of results
Barber shops, spas, salons, beauty parlours with conditions as permitted by State Government
All public and private transport will follow passenger management:
i. Two Wheeler: I rider
ii. Three Wheeler: I + 2
iii. Four Wheeler: I + 2
Intradistrict bus service will be allowed with a maximum 50% capacity per bus with physical distancing and sanitation measures.
The inter-district movement will continue to be regulated.
All non-essential markets/shops will remain open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Marriage related gatherings on open spaces, lawns, on-Air-conditioned halls as mentioned in Order dated 23 June 2020.
Outdoor Physical Activities with restrictions Printing and Distribution of newspapers (including home delivery)
The offices/staff of Educational institutions (Universities/ Colleges/ Schools) for the purpose of non-teaching purposes including the development of e-content. evaluation of answer sheets and declaration of results
Barber Shops, Spas, Saloons, Beauty Parlors With conditions as permitted by State Government

Besides Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam have reimposed lockdowns in some of their districts in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Khiladi Kumar misses being in ‘action’ on the big screen.

News Desk — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 19:14:34 +0000

We aren’t the only ones missing our khiladi on screen, our khiladi Akshay kumar also hasn’t been feeling like himself. He misses the adrenaline rush that his movie releases bring to him. His latest venture “Sooryavanshi” was about to hit the theatres before the lockdown was imposed all over the country. In an online interaction according to TOI, he said ” “For the first time, I have been at home in my entire career for so long”, he later talked about how he has utilized this time to bond with his family by playing games or watching baking shows with his wife. He also recalled his childhood where he used to skip lunches with his family to go and watch the movie in the theatre as an audience.

Always grateful to his fans for all the love they have showered on him, the actor was recently in the news when his admirers demanded a Bharat Ratna for him along with Sonu Sood for the exemplory work they have done in helping the needy during this lockdown. He also recently shot a video with Press Information Bureau where he was seen spreading awareness and educating people on the measures they should take so as to avoid the contraction of the deadly virus at a time where we as a country are shifting from lockdown to a gradual unlock.

Preetisheel Singh feeds animals in Pathankot

Smriti Jaisinghani — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 06:48:43 +0000

Not many are aware that Bollywood’s No1 hair, makeup and prosthetic look designer Preetisheel Singh is crazy about pets and animals.

“Leave her in a zoo and she can forget me for a full day,” jokes her work partner and husband Mark Dsouza. Together, they run the premier studio Da Makeup lab in Versova, Mumbai, which has curated the looks for the topmost stars and films such as Padmaavat, Chhichhore, Bala, 102 Not Out, Thackeray and Housefull 4.

Put up at her hometown Pathankot during the Coronavirus lockdown, Preetisheel’s day begins with feeding cows and then stray dogs around her colony. Once in a while, even horses from a farm nearby.

“The lockdown has dealt a blow to all of us. But we humans are blessed with enhanced thinking and can find myriad ways of survival. But that is not the case with many animals. They don’t have the same luxury and depend on humans for food,” says Preetisheel.

“So just as we take care of our kin, it’s important to spare a thought, some love and food for their well-being too,” she adds. Her compassion is very touching indeed.