When the country is under total lockdown, a picture of two cops is doing the rounds on the internet for all the right reasons. The picture shared by Madhur Verma, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Arunachal Pradesh has gone viral and won the hearts of netizens.

The picture shows two cops sleeping on the road with their helmets and the lathis besides them. The policemen look exhausted after long duty hours and catching up on a well-deserved nap on the footpath when many of us have the luxury to sleep in a comfortable bed within the confines of our homes. 

Take a look at the post 

Isn’t comfortable bed and an eight hour sleep such a luxury ?
Yes it is... if you are a cop !
Proud of these #CoronaWarriors pic.twitter.com/3H9ZrZupNp

— Madhur Verma (@IPSMadhurVerma) April 24, 2020

DIG  Madhur Verma shared the picture with his 1.18 lakh followers and captioned it: Isn't comfortable bed and an eight hour sleep such a luxury? Yes it is... if you are a cop! Proud of these #CoronaWarriors!

Many users appreciated the efforts of the cops and heaped praises on them.

Indian Police Force,contrary to it's bad reputation, is doing excellent duty in present time of grave fear&crisis.
I hope,they'll continue this good work.

— Mohan Garg (@mohangargg) April 24, 2020

a big salute to true warrior let's always respect nd support them🙏🙏

— Uma j (@sona7777) April 24, 2020

The hard-hitting picture struck a chord with netizens and garnered over 54 thousand likes and over 8 thousand re-tweets. Twitterati took to the comments section of the post to shower praises on the police officers for their selfless service to the nation.

We salute to all police force🙏ðŸÂÂÂÂÂŒ¹ðŸ™

— vijay sinha (@vijayv2) April 24, 2020

One user said, "God bless our corona warriors. Grateful for their selfless and much needed services," while another user said, "A big salute to true warriors. Let's always respect and support them." We can never pay back to these #CoronaWarriors No Words! 

We can never pay back to these #CoronaWarriors
No Words!https://t.co/wPvHvUMM3J

— पशà¥Âयनà¥Âतà¥Â€ शà¥Âà¤Â•à¥Âला 🇮🇳Pushyanti S (@pashyantii) April 24, 2020

India has been under lockdown since March 25 and the frontline workers, including the health workers and the police have risked their lives to serve the nation

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A unique initiative by Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur Police to teach lockdown offenders a lesson and create awareness about the spread of the novel coronavirus has taken the internet by storm. A viral video shared by a meme page on Facebook shows police officers in Tamil Nadu teaching people violating the lockdown guidelines a lesson for life.

In the three minute 50 seconds video clip, police officers of Tiruppur Police can be seen stopping people roaming freely without face mask amid lockdown across the country. In order to teach a lesson to those defying lockdown rules, the Tamil Nadu police came up with their own unique initiative which has been appreciated by netizens.

As the video moves forward, the police officers are seen pushing the lockdown violators into an ambulance which has a man posing as a COVID-19 patient. Once pushed inside, the violators can be seen begging the officers to let them comes out of the ambulance van.

The hilarious yet creative video ends with a police officer making an appeal to people to not roam without face masks. The officer says, "When you roam around, anyone can have the novel coronavirus and you may not know. The government and the police officials have been stressing on the importance of staying indoors. If at all you need to come out to buy essentials, please wear masks."

The funny video which aims to create awareness to combat the spread of COVID-19 has garnered over 2.3 million views and about 73 thousand shares. Hundreds of people took to the comments section of the viral video to laud the Tamil Nadu police and shower praise on their unique initiative.

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Monday said that he is following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mantra of 'Jaan Bhi Jahan Bhi' as the state government is gradually working on improving the economic situation while adhering to coronavirus guidelines.

His remarks came after attending the meeting of Chief Ministers with the Prime Minister over the prevailing COVID-19 situation. "Now we are working on the mantra 'Jaan Bhi Jahan Bhi' given by the Prime Minister. While strictly following the guidelines of the Government of India, we are gradually working on improving the economic situation. Pharma, food processing units are working, many industries have started under the guidelines,"

Rawat said, according to a release by Uttarakhand CMO "Nine hill districts of the state are free from the influence of Corona. The works of National Highway, MNREGA have been started keeping in mind everything. For the economic revival of the state, a committee of cabinet sub-committee and experts has been formed, whose report will be received soon," he said.

The Chief Minister said that it should be looked at and which economic activities can be started while adhering to all guidelines to combat COVID-19.

Rawat said that Uttarakhand being a tourism and pilgrimage destination has been greatly affected by the lockdown. "But I am confident that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the situation in the state will improve again," he added. He said that the gates of Gangotri and Yamunotri have been opened on Akshaya Tritiya while maintaining all precautions.

The Chief Minister also suggested that the duration of employment in MNREGA be increased from 100 days to 150 days.

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The portals of Kedarnath Temple were thrown open at 6.10 am on Wednesday after a six-month-long winter break. Amid the nationwide lockdown, pilgrims are prohibited from visiting the shrine. Covered in a thick layer of snow, the temple was decorated with 10 quintals of marigold flowers.

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. A representative of the Devasthanam Board, BD Singh, along with 20 employees from Panchagai, was present here when the religious rituals and aarti were performed. Apart from this, around 15 policemen and administration officials participated in the aarti. All participants maintained social distancing during the rituals.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has extended warm wishes to the devotees and administration of the shrine. He prayed for everyone's good health and happiness. "With the blessings of Baba Kedar, we will surely be able to defeat corona. This time devotees could not visit the shrine but Lord Kedar's blessings are with us," he said.

This year Army band did not participate in the religious ceremony at a time of opening the portals of the shrine due to lockdown restrictions.

With the opening of the doors of Kedarnath Dham, three of the four dhams of Uttarakhand will be opened. While Gangotri-Yamunotri Dham opened on April 26 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, the portals of Badrinath Dham will open on May 15.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, the health ministry on Tuesday, issued home quarantine guidelines for people who have very mild symptoms of COVID-19. According to the guidelines, those with mild syptoms can opt for home isolation but will have to be in constant communication with the District Surveillance Officer, and a hospital and will have to sign an undertaking.

The present guidelines were issued in addition to guidelines on appropriate management of suspect/confirmed cases of Covid-19 issued by the Health Ministry on April 7

.@MoHFW_INDIA has issued guidelines for Home Isolation of very mild/pre-symptomatic COVID-19 cases: Media briefing on #COVID19

Details: https://t.co/koNEShuVZ7 pic.twitter.com/6wUPLNg9Ne

— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) April 28, 2020

As per the revised guidelines, patients who have mild symptoms or are pre-symptomatic can now opt for self-isolation at their homes but they need to follow the norms laid down by the Health Ministry. 

Who is eligibile for self isolation at home?

COVID-19 patients who have been clinically assigned as a very mild case or pre-symptomatic case by the treating medical officer are eligible for self-isolation at home.

What are the pre-requisites in order to self-isolate at home?

• Patients who are eligible for self-isloation at home must have a requisite facility at their place of residence for self-isolation. More so, the patients must also ensure that there is enough space for other members of the family to quarantine at home.
• The patient must have a caregiver who can look after the patient and provide care 24x7. 
• Another prerequisite is that there should be a communication link between the caregiver of the patient and the hospital during the entire duration of home isolation.
• The caregiver and all the close contacts of the COVID-19 patient should take Hydroxychloroquine prophylaxis as per the protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer.
• The patient has monitor his or her health and regularly inform their health status to the District Surveillance Officer for further follow up by the surveillance teams.
• Finally, the patient needs to fill an undertaking on self-isolation stating that they shall follow all home quarantine guidelines laid down by the Health Ministry.

When should a COVID-19 patient seek medical attention?

According to the revised guidelines issued by the Health Ministry, mild or pre-symptomatic patients shall seek immediate medical attention on the following grounds.

• When they face difficulty in breathing
• If they experience persistent pain/pressure in the chest
• Feel mentally confused or inability to arouse
• If they develop bluish discolorations of lips or face
• And if advised by treating medical officers

When will home isolation end?

Home isolation for COVID-19 patients can only be discontinued when the symptoms are clinically resolved and the surveillance medical officer certifies the mild or pre-symptomatic patient to be free of infection after the necassary laboratory testing.

Do's and don'ts for self-isolation patients and caregivers

• Caregivers must wear triple layered medical mask when in the same room with the COVID-19 patient.
• Caregivers should avoid direct contact with body fluids of the patient, especially oral or respiratory secretions.
• Caregivers must use disposable gloves while handling the patient. Hand hygiene should be undertaken done before and after removing gloves.
• Caregivers should pay strict attention to hand hygiene before and after preparing food, before eating, after using the toilet, and whenever the hands look dirty.
• Caregivers should avoid sharing cigarettes, eating from the same utensils, or exposing themselves to used towels or bed linen.
• COVID-19 patient should wear triple layer medical mask at all times. The patient must discard the mask after eight hours of use or earlier if they have become wet or visibly soiled.
• The patient must isolate themselves in a room and stay way from people.
• Patient must stay away from the elderly who maybe suffering from co-morbid conditions like hypertension, cardiovascular disease, renal disease.
• During self-isolation, mild or pre-symptomatic patients must drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated and follow respiratory etiquette all the time.

With inputs from Agencies

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The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) has suggested commencement of regular and normal working of courts in a phased manner with compliance of social distancing norms and wearing of masks after lifting of COVID-19 lockdown."We believe that physical court hearings, albeit in a phased manner, have to be commenced with meticulous and scrupulous compliance of social distancing norms, wearing of masks, maintaining the highest standards of sanitisation and hygiene etc," the DHCBA said in a statement.

The suggestions by the DHCBA in a letter to the committee headed by senior High Court judge Justice Hima Kohli include:

Courts have to be operational not only to extent of providing "urgent relief" but also to cater to other legal remedies which may be availed by common litigants. Scope of matters that may be listed includes injunctive reliefs, bail applications, suspension of sentence, objections to arbitration awards, execution petitions, writ petitions of all types, criminal appeals etc.

By notification by the court and judicial orders by Supreme Court, limitation periods have ceased to run during lockdown period, to avoid last minutes rush of filings when courts do reopen, ordinary e-filings/online filings of all matters be allowed, though they might not be heard till normalcy is restored. Petition boxes be used to acknowledge filings made therein.

Till normalcy is restored, litigants and interns shall not be permitted to access court/chamber blocks. Restriction may continue on advocates representing a party.

Lawyers, operating from their chambers and offices need access to chambers to prepare their cases, access their files, records, books and infrastructure. Client conference may be permitted after court hours.

Kiosks and shops inside court complexes may be kept closed. However, cafeterias and kitchens catering to chamber blocks may only be permitted to service lawyers by offering 'take away' options.

Only one entry point may be allowed per courtroom building. Entrants may be subjected to thermal temperature scanning. The option of making entrants pass through sanitisation tunnels may also be explored.

Public conveniences must be maintained with the highest level of sanitisation and for using these social distancing norms can be employed. An adequate number of sanitisers may be provided at various points throughout the court buildings.

Both District Legal Services Authority and Mediation Centres require the physical presence of litigants, the same may not be functional till normalcy is restored. As arbitration proceedings can go on without the presence of litigant, arbitration centre may be functional.

The Bar Association also assured the court of its utmost cooperation.

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The family of an asthma patient put him on a handcart when the ambulance did not turn up, but failed to save his life with policemen on the way to hospital and doctors there allegedly ignoring his plight. Both police and medical authorities denied their alleged negligence which the family said led to the death Monday of vegetable vendor Satish Agrawal, who lived in curfew-bound Faithagadi in Kota's Rampura area. Agrawal was carried about half the way to MBS Hospital on the cart from which he sold vegetables, before a private ambulance arrived.

"As none of the ambulance services responded, I put my father on his vegetable cart and started for the hospital over two and a half kilometres away from home," he said. "Though policemen on the way removed barricades at various intersections on the curfew-bound road, none of them thought of helping us and rushing my father in a police vehicle to the hospital," Manish told PTI.

"After Manish had covered over a kilometre till Nayapura circle on the way to MBS Hospital, I somehow managed to hire a private ambulance," another relative said. "Even at the hospital, we were made to shuttle from one room to another and to a makeshift clinic outside the hospital building before doctors eventually attended on him and declared him dead at 2.30 pm," he said.

MBS Hospital's medical superintendent Dr Naveen Saxena, however, refuted the allegation. "Satish Agrawal was brought to the hospital in a collapsed condition and a doctor immediately examined him in room 125 and declared him brought dead," he said. "Sometime later, the family members of the victim, however, said the patient's heart was still beating, following which Dr Lokesh Suwalka re-examined him and conducted an ECG," Dr Saxena said.

"The medical staff did not delay in the treatment," he asserted. On the unavailability of an ambulance, he said the service is managed by the chief medical and health officer. The officer could not be contacted for comment. Kota's Assistant Superintendent of Police Dilip Saini too rejected the family's allegation about policemen ignoring the plight of the patient being carted to a hospital on a handcart.

"It is hypothetical to say that the policemen did not help. The policemen in the area did not have any vehicle or an ambulance, which could have been summoned only from a hospital or the ambulance service numbers 104 or 108," said Saini.

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A 35-year-old police constable on lockdown duty here in Maharashtra was injured after a man allegedly assaulted him and tried to set him ablaze, an official said on Wednesday. The accused, identified as Arun Sinh Jadhav, has been arrested, he said. The incident took place near Maloli village in Malshiraj tehsil of Solapur on Tuesday night when the constable was asking people to stay indoors, a duty officer at Velapur police station said.

"At that time, Jadhav came in his car and started abusing the policeman. The accused sought an explanation from the constable as to why he had gone to check his brother's hotel," the official said. Jadhav snatched the policeman's phone and threw it on the road. He then allegedly slashed the constable's left hand and face with a blade and started thrashing him, the official said. "The accused then took out a bottle of petrol from his car and allegedly poured it on the policeman. However, a
police patil (village-level official) and some others caught hold of Jadhav and stopped him from setting the constable on fire," the official said.

The constable, who is attached to Velapur police station, later lodged a police complaint in connection with the incident. The accused was subsequently arrested and booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), the official said.

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Giving a huge relief to people stuck in various states, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday allowed movement of such people - including migrant labours, workers, students, tourists and others - and also provided the procedure for the same. MHA has included a sub-clause regarding the movement of people who are stranded due to lockdown announced last month due to coronavirus outbreak.

"Due to lockdown, migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons are stranded at different places. They would be allowed to move as under," MHA said while asking States to designate nodal authorities to facilitate the process.

"All States/UTs should designate nodal authorities and develop standard protocols for receiving and sending such stranded persons. The nodal authorities shall also register the stranded persons within their States/UTs. In case a group of stranded persons wish to move between one State/UT and another State/UT, the sending and receiving States may consult each other and mutually agree to the movement by road," read the order.

"The moving person (s) would be screened and those found asymptomatic would be allowed to proceed. Buses shall be used for transport of groups of persons. The buses will be sanitized and shall follow safe social distancing norms in seating. The States/UTs falling on the transit route will allow the passage of such persons to the receiving State/UT," MHA said in its order of inclusion of movement of stranded people in different places.

Laying out the procedure on the arrival at the destination, MHA has asked to keep the people under home quarantine. "On arrival at their destination, such person(s) would be assessed by the local health authorities, and kept in home quarantine, unless the assessment requires keeping the person(s) in institutional quarantine. They would be kept under watch with periodic health check-ups. For this purpose, such persons may be encouraged to use Aarogya Setu app through which their health status can be monitored and tracked," MHA said.

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Hitting out at the Congress party, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that wilful defaulters were beneficiaries of 'phone banking' under the UPA regime and the Modi government is chasing them to recover the dues. She was responding to the opposition's allegations of loan waivers worth Rs 68,607 crore in the form of write-offs of top 50 wilful defaulters during the first half of the financial year ended March 2020. The Finance Minister, through a series of tweets posted late night on Tuesday, said that the Congress has attempted to mislead people, and former Congress President Rahul Gandhi should introspect why his party fails to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. "Shri @RahulGandhi MP (LS) and Shri @rssurjewala spokesperson of @INCIndia have attempted to mislead people in a brazen manner.

Typical to @INCIndia, they resort to sensationalising facts by taking them out of context. In the following tweets wish to respond to the issues raised. "@INCIndia and Shri.@RahulGandhi should introspect why they fail to play a constructive role in cleaning up the system. Neither while in power, nor while in the opposition has the @INCIndia shown any commitment or inclination to stop corruption & cronyism," she said. Highlighting that between 2009-10 and 2013-14, scheduled commercial banks had written off Rs 1,45,226 crore, she quipped, 'Wished Gandhi consulted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on what this writing-off was about'. She also referred to media reports quoting former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan as having said that a large number of bad loans originated in the period 2006-2008 and "too many loans were made to well-connected promoters who have a history of defaulting on their loans".

"Those defaulters who do not repay despite having capacity to pay, divert or siphon-off funds, or dispose of secured assets without bank's permission are categorised as wilful defaulters. They are those well connected promoters who benefitted from UPA's `phone banking'," she added. In another tweet she said, "Earlier, on 18.11.2019, in the Lok Sabha for an unstarred Question no:52, a list of 'Borrowers flagged as wilful defaulter by Public Sector Banks under CRILIC (Central Repository of Information on Large Credits) reporting as on 30.09.2019 (For borrowers with exposure of Rs. 5 crore and above, Global operations) was provided."

Bank-wise details of aggregate funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off pertaining to top 50 wilful defaulters was provided as an annex to the answer to Lok Sabha starred question 305 of Gandhi on March 16, 2020. However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said he had asked the government in Parliament the names of the top 50 bank loan defaulters, but the Finance Minister did not answer his question. "Now the RBI has given the names of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and many of BJP's ''friends'' in the list of bank frauds. That is why this truth was held back from Parliament," Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

The Congress alleged the government waived loans worth Rs 6.66 lakh crore since 2014 till September 2019. Sitharaman said this is an attempt of Congress leaders to mislead on wilful defaulters, bad loans and write-offs. She emphasised that it is the Narendra Modi-led government which is pursuing cases against these wilful defaulters and 9,967 recovery suits, 3,515 FIRs, invoking of Fugitive Amendment Act in cases are on now. The total value of attachment and seizures in the cases of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya is about Rs 18,332.7 crore, she said. Sharing details, she tweeted: "Vijay Mallya Case: Total value at the time of attachment was Rs 8,040 crore and of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Value of shares at the time of seizure was Rs 1,693 crore. Declared fugitive offender. On extradition request by GoI, UK High Court, has also ruled for extradition."

In case of Mehul Choksi she said, "attachments of Rs 1,936.95 crore including foreign attachment of Rs 67.9 crore. Seizure of Rs 597.75 crore. Red Notice issued. Extradition request sent to Antigua. Hearing for declaration of Mehul Choksi as fugitive offender is in progress." On the Nirav Modi case, the Finance Minister said, "Immovable and movable properties worth more than Rs 2,387 crore attached/seized. (Attachment Rs 1,898 crore and Seizure Rs 489.75 crore). This includes foreign attachments of Rs 961.47 crore. Auction of luxury items for Rs 53.45 crore. He is in prison in the UK."

Provisions are made for non-performing assets (NPAs) as per the four-year provisioning cycle laid down by the RBI, she said, adding, upon full provisioning being done banks write-off the fully provided NPA but continue to pursue recovery against the borrower and no loan is waived off. On Tuesday, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala demanded answers from the Prime Minister on why their loans were waived. "This is a classic case of promoting ''dupe, deceive and depart'' policy of the Modi government, which can no longer be accepted and the prime minister has to answer," Surjewala said. He said the entire country is fighting the coronavirus and the government has no money to pay.

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ates, but has the money to condone and write off Rs 68,607 crore of bank loan defaulters.

Central teams, which were tasked to check preparedness of districts with a high load of Coronavirus cases, found that infection prevention control practices were not properly followed in several hospitals raising concerns over safety of healthcare workers, official sources said.

Six high-level multi-disciplinary teams were constituted by the Union health ministry to assist and review state health departments for proper implementation of cluster containment plans for large outbreaks and check hospital preparedness for COVID-19. Teams comprising experts from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), AIIMS and ICMR among others visited states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, which have high case load districts. They visited the stated between second and third week of April.

"They have observed that infection prevention control practices were not being followed properly during sample collection and treatment of confirmed cases raising concerns over the possibility of healthcare workers getting infected and leading to further transmission," the sources said. They have recommended that such infection prevention control guidelines should be strictly followed in hospitals. Several healthcare workers have been infected by COVID-19 across the country. Asked about the number of infected healthcare personnel, an official said no such centralised data has been maintained.

No April, May pay for Spicejet staff

SpiceJet told its pilots that they will not be paid salaries for April and May, and said those who have been operating cargo flights will get paid for "block hours flown". SpiceJet's flight operations chief, Gurcharan Arora told pilots through an email that "as of today, 16 per cent of our aircraft and 20 per cent of our pilots are flying".

Jamaatis asked to donate plasma

Tablighi Jamaat members, who got cured of COVID-19, have been asked by their organisation to donate their plasma for treatment of other COVID-19-infected patients, a move that the outfit thinks will help it shed its "villain" tag. "Maulana Saad, in an open letter on April 21 has appealed them to donate their plasma to help others. The message has reached all the members," Maulana Anees Ahmad Nadvi, the manager of Tablighi Jamaat's Lucknow branch, told PTI on Wednesday.

Punjab extends lockdown; 10 held in Kolkata

. The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to issue an ordinance empowering it to deduct salaries of its employees to mobilise funds to fight COVID-19 in the state.

. The spread of COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu is "largely under control" due to the implementation of various government guidelines, but the contagion is "easily" spreading in this city due to its large population, cm, K Palaniswami said.

. Nine new cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed in Karnataka, taking the total number of infections in the state to 532, the health department said.

. Ten persons were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting policemen enforcing lockdown in the Coronavirus red zone of Howrah district last evening. According to a senior official of the Howrah police commissionerate, a total of 10 persons have been arrested and three cases under different sections of the IPC and other penal laws have been lodged against the accused.

. Punjab CM, Captain Amarinder Singh has announced to extend the curfew for two more weeks to check the spread of Coronavirus in the state.

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Tasked to ensure the enforcement of lockdown in view of the coronavirus pandemic, the district's Sahibabad Police were on Wednesday surprised when a mother came to the police station complaining that she had sent her son to buy groceries but he returned with his wife.

"I had sent my son to do the grocery shopping today, but when he returned, he came back with his wife. I am not ready to accept this marriage," said the teary-eyed mother. Speaking about the marriage, Guddu, 26-year-old groom, said: "I got married to Savita two months ago at an Arya Samaj Mandir in Haridwar."

"However, we could not get the marriage certificate at that time due to lack of witnesses. I had decided to visit Haridwar again for my marriage certificate but could not do so as the lockdown was imposed," he added. "After returning from Haridwar, Savita stayed at a rented accommodation in Delhi. However, today I decided to bring her to my mother's house as she was told to leave the rented accommodation due to lockdown," said Guddu.

Giving a solution to the family feud, the Sahibabad Police have asked Savita's house owner in Delhi to let the couple stay there during the lockdown period.

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Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan on Thursday said that unemployment numbers are really worrying and India needs to be "cleverer" about lifting the lockdown. Rajan's remarks came during his interaction with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, via video conference, on the economic crisis due to ongoing lockdown which is scheduled to end on May 3. "The numbers are really worrying. If you look at CMIE, virtually another 100 million more people have been put out of work as a result of COVID. 50 million through unemployment and 60 million through leaving the labour force," he said while responding to Rahul's query that India has a high level of unemployment, that is now going to be massive.

"I think it says, we need to open up in a measured way but as fast as possible so that people start having jobs. We don't have the capacity to support people across the spectrum for too long. Being a relatively poor country, people start out with significantly lower reserves," he said. "But we have to be cleverer about opening up. Perhaps do mass testing. Take a mass sample, say 1000 samples and check in mass, if there is any sign of the virus in those mass samples. If you do find it, then go deeper into the sample and check who it might be. This way it would reduce the burden on our test infrastructure and can allow us to try and vet much more. We have to be cleverer since we simply cannot wait till we have that kind of testing," the economist said.

Rajan said that it is all too easy to cover a lockdown forever, but obviously that is unsustainable for the economy. On the opening of the economy, he said: "It has to be sequencing. First, places where you can maintain distancing. It is not just distancing in the workplaces, but also distancing to and fro, from the workplace."

"So, a lot of work needs to be done both on creating the structures, as well as ensuring that the workplace is relatively safe. As well as ensuring that if there are accidents, if there are fresh cases, how do we isolate quickly without having to go to a second or a third lockdown? Those will be devastating if we have to go there," he added.

When asked about finances of the agricultural sector and the workers, migrant workers, Rajan said that the government should to find ways of getting both money as well as food through PDS to as many of these people.

"This is where the efforts we have made in Direct benefits transfer (DBT) need to be realised at this point. All the ways we transfer to relatively poor people, we need to take a call on that. We have different ways of accessing - through widow pensions, MGNREGA Rolls. And we need to say that look these are people who don't have a job, who don't have a livelihood and for the next 3-4 months while the uncertainty is on, we are going to support them," he said.

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Amid the total lockdown across the country, a viral video of Haryana police is doing the rounds on the internet for all the right reasons. The video shared by IPS officer Pankaj Nain of the Haryana Cadre has gone viral and won the hearts of netizens.

The viral video shows Haryana's Panchkula police surprising a senior citizen on his birthday with a cake amid lockdown across the country. In the one-minute 46 second clip video, a policewoman can heard asking a senior citizen his name as he walks out of his house to answer the question. "My name is Karan Puri. I live alone and I'm a senior citizen,"says the man as he walks towards the front the gate of his house, where cops can be seen waiting for him with a surprise.

Watch the heartwarming video here:

Interactions with Police is always emotional - be it fear, anger , anxiety or gratitude.
But I have never seen such overwhelming emotional burst . See how #PanchkulaPolice made the best birthday ever this senior citizen who is staying all alone.
Respect @CP_PANCHKULA pic.twitter.com/VP0oVJ2Rvf

— Pankaj Nain IPS (@ipspankajnain) April 28, 2020

As the video moves forward, the senior citizens can be seen shocked and surprised as the team of Panchkula police burst out singing 'Happy Birthday' for him. Moved by their sweet gesture, Mr Puri is seen crying his heart out as the cops present him a cake and make him wear a birthday cap.

👏👏👏👏Proud Moment

— Thakur ji (@VatsaYugal) April 28, 2020

Requesting the senior citizen to cut the cake, a police who can be heard consoling Mr Puri said, "Koi baat nahi sir, aapki family hain hum bhi (It's okay, sir, we are your family)." The heartwarming video can be seen ending with the senior citizen wearing a red hat and as he cuts take cake while the cops sing for him.

IPS officer Pankaj Nain shared the video with his 70 thousand followers and captioned it: Interactions with Police is always emotional - be it fear, anger, anxiety or gratitude. He further said that he has never seen such an overwhelming emotional burst. Officer Nain said that the Panchkula Police made the best birthday ever for this senior citizen who is staying all alone.

I am speechless! 🥺
The look on that man is priceless when the policeman said "hum bhi aapke hi bachhe hai"

— Himanshu Gupta (@himanshu98gupta) April 28, 2020

Since being shared on Twitter, the heartwarming video struck a chord with netizens and garnered over 5,000 views and nearly 1000 likes. Twitterati took to the comments section of the post to shower praises on the Haryana police officers surprising the senior citizen on his birthday amid the COVID-19 crisis in the country.

Really this stole everyone's heart as well as shows picture of our society where senior citizens need love & company of their family.

— Deens Rohilla (@DeensRohilla) April 28, 2020

One user said, "Proud Moment," while another user said, "I am speechless! Pleading face. The look on that man is priceless when the policeman said "hum bhi aapke hi bachhe hai." "This made my dayFolded handsFolded handsFolded hands. A big salute for these policemen," read a third comment.

This made my day🙏🙏🙏
A big salute for these policemen.

— abhi (@abhikatiyar230) April 28, 2020

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, India has been under lockdown since March 25 and the front-line workers, including the health workers, doctors, and the police are risking their lives to serve the nation.

Here's how netizens reacted to the viral video:

Such a cute video 😊
It was all about love and empathy.
I felt so many emotions while watching this video.
Everyone who made it possible deserves appreciation.
Good work !

— Nikita Saini (@NikitaSaini_) April 28, 2020

This is brilliant Policing🙏🏽

— Vikas Kaushik (@kaushikcop) April 28, 2020

One of the best videos you'll get to see. Overwhelming emotions indeed! Well done @CP_PANCHKULA.

— Rakesh Yadav (@Rudra5227) April 28, 2020

In these tough times; let’s gather all such positivity; what a joyous moment; thank you police personnel’s for leading it from the front; by seeing all this we shall come out strongly for sure for a new beginning; way to go....

— Sugreev Kihna (@Kihna) April 28, 2020

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In a bizarre incident, a man climbed up a unipole advertising hoarding and threatened to commit suicide if he was not provided liquor. The high drama began late on Thursday evening and ended after an hour when police promised him a bottle of liquor.

Confirming the incident, Kotwali SHO Geetesh Kapil said: "We managed to get him down without any injury. We had only promised but did not give him liquor. The sale of liquor is banned in the state and we are strictly following the lockdown guidelines. We are trying to establish his identity so that his family can be informed."

The policemen offered food and soft 

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In a hair-raising video making rounds of social media, an elephant was seen charging on two bikers, forcing them to abandon their vehicles and run away. The video shared on Twitter by forest officer Susanta Nanda that was filmed by a user shows the bikers, ignoring the instructions given by the forest as they tried to cross the roads at the time as the elephant.

The user who filmed the video Sreedhar V, said while posting the video, "These two-wheeler riders did not listen to FD staff and decided to go ahead while elephants were crossing and got charged at." Nanda tweeted while sharing the video, "Gently saying no. Enough is enough. When the elephant is with calf, the gentle giant can be a real giant."

Gently saying no. Enough is enough.
When the elephant is with calf, the gentle giant can be a real giant. pic.twitter.com/401n5IEFb5

— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) April 29, 2020

The video, shared on Wednesday garnered more than 6,500 views on Twitter with 609 likes and was retweeted 129 times. Users commenting on the video posted on how man-animal conflict puts human beings and animals in danger.

Sir Notice the gentleness. Elephant in no way was trying to harm but only tried to scare off the people to protect its calf and after creating a safe distance left on its way. Elephants are 💜

— Sam (@TheRealSam_02) April 29, 2020

How did the rider come from the left to right? Is there a smaller road merging with the Main Road there?
Or was the rider trying to overtake the elephant, and lost control due to panic ðŸ¤Â”ðŸ¤Â” बà¤Âš à¤Â—à¤Â दà¥Â‹नà¥Â‹à¤Â‚ 😂😂

— @ul V (@AttulV) April 29, 2020

Narrow escape😱😱

— Tapan panda (@coolkitu) April 29, 2020

Lucky escape

— Ethiraja Sadaiyandi (@modhakethi) April 29, 2020

Such gentle wisdom in such a huge creature .. will not harm wilfully.. stupid humans shd realise that they need their space esp when she’s with her calf .. #universalFierceMother but still just scaring them away not trampling them

— Jaisree C (@cjaisree) April 29, 2020

What do you think about the video?

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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 to further extend the lockdown for a further period of two weeks beyond May 4.

The current lockdown period is scheduled to end on May 3.

"After a comprehensive review and in view of the lockdown measures having led to significant gains, the COVID-19 situation in the country, Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, today, to further extend the lockdown for a further period of two weeks beyond May 4, 2020," read the order of the Home Ministry.

The Central government also listed 319 districts of the country as green zones, 284 as orange and 130 as red zones. This classification, which will come in force for a week after May 3, is multi-factorial and takes into consideration incidence of cases, doubling rate, extent of testing and surveillance feedback to classify the districts.

Maharashtra, which accounts for the highest number of cases and deaths, has 14 red zones which include Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Pune, Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Nagpur, Solapur, Yavatmal, Aurangabad, Satara, Dhule, Akola, Jalgaon.

Uttar Pradesh has 19 red zones,  followed by Tamil Nadu with 12 red zones and 11 in Delhi. The national capital has no orange and green zones but only red zones.

In red zones and outside containment zones, certain activities including plying of cycle rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, taxis and cab aggregators, intra-district and inter-district plying of buses and barber shops, spas and salons will be prohibited in addition to those prohibited throughout India.

A limited number of activities will remain prohibited across the country, irrespective of the zone, including travel by air, rail, metro and inter-state movement by road, running of schools, colleges, and other educational and training/coaching institutions, the order said.

This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with chief ministers of several states last month where some of them suggested extension of lockdown.

Highlights of lockdown 3.0

• MHA issues new guidelines to regulate activities during extended lockdown based on risk profiling of districts into red, orange, green zones.
• Travel by air, rail, metro and inter-state movement by road and schools, colleges to remain shut during extended lockdown
• Educational, training, coaching institutions and hospitality services including hotels and restaurants to remain close during lockdown
• Places of large gatherings such as cinema halls, malls, gyms and places of political, cultural gatherings to remain shut, says MHA
• Movement for all non-essential activities will be prohibited between 7 pm and 7 am.
• People living in COVID-19 containment zones must download 'Aarogya Setu' app 
• Religious places and places of worship will remain shut during lockdown
• In all COVID-19 zones, people above 65, those with comorbidities, pregnant women to stay at home, except for essential works
• OPDs, medical clinics shall be permitted to operate in red, orange and green zones with social distancing norms during lockdown
• In COVID-19 red zones and outside containment areas plying of cycle-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, taxis, opening of salons prohibited
• Sale of liquor, paan, tobacco to be allowed in green zones after ensuring minimum six-feet social distancing; not over 5 persons at one time at shop
• In COVID-19 red zones movement of individuals, vehicles allowed only for permitted activities during lockdown
• Maximum of 2 persons, besides driver, in four wheelers, no pillion rider on two wheelers

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The government on Friday announced that a "limited" lockdown, including suspension of inter-state travel, air and train services, will continue to remain in force for another two weeks throughout the country from May 4 but some activities would be allowed after classifying areas into Red, Orange and Green zones. The government order, which announced extension of the lockdown invoking the Disaster Management Act, said a limited number of activities would remain prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zone.

These prohibited activities include travel by air, rail, Metro and inter-state movement by road, running of schools, colleges, and other educational and training hospitality services, cinema halls, malls, gymnasiums and sports complexes. All social, political, cultural and other kinds of gatherings and religious places or places of worship for public will also remain shut, the order said but added that movement of persons by air, rail and road is allowed for select purposes, and for purposes as permitted by MHA.

The home ministry also issued new guidelines to regulate different activities in this period, based on the risk profiling of the districts of the country into new zones with Red signifying a hotspot.

A health worker cleans an area near Jhalar Math slum, in Kolkata on Friday. Pic/PTI

Divided into zones

The Union health ministry has listed 130 districts in the country in red zone, 284 in orange zone and 319 in green zone on the basis of incidence of cases of COVID-19, doubling rate, extent of testing and surveillance feedback.

This classification of districts is to be followed by states and UTs till a week post May 3, when the second phase of lockdown will end, for containment operations. The list will be revised on a weekly basis or earlier and communicated to states for further follow-up action. Metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad have been designated as red zones in the new classification.

Zone assessment erroneous: Bengal

West Bengal Principal Secretary (Health), Vivek Kumar has written to Union Health Secretary, Preeti Sudan, calling the Centre's assessment of 10 red zones in the state "erroneous". Kumar said in a letter that there are only four red zones — Kolkata, Howrah, North-24 Paraganas and Purba Medinipur. "With regard to the presentation made in the cabinet secretary's video conference with the states, 10 districts were shown in the red zone. This is an erroneous assessment," the letter said.

K'taka cases rise; WB asks clinics to open up

• The COVID-19 total in Karnataka rose to 576 with the addition of 11 new cases, the health department said on Friday. "Eleven new positive cases have been reported from last evening to this noon... Till date, 576 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed," it said.
• Wearing of facial mask in public and work spaces has been made compulsory in the city with violations to attract penalty of Rs 1,000 for first time as part of measures to fight COVID-19. Spitting, urinating and littering in public places have also been banned and such acts will be considered as public offence in the Karnataka capital.
• With Haryana government sealing its borders with Delhi to contain COVID-19 spread, scores of people commuting to Gurugram were sent back on Friday by the state police, which only allowed passage of those associated with essential services.
• The Tamil Nadu government on Friday said it has received over Rs 300 crore in cash and kind towards its battle against Coronavirus. Government employees, corporate entities, individuals, philanthropic organisations and others have contributed Rs 306.42 crore for this purpose to the CM's Public Relief Fund so far.
• Two days after West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee appealed to all doctors across the state to resume private practices in their respective neighbourhoods, majority of private healthcare clinics remained closed owing to unavailability of community physicians on Friday.

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With 2,293 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number of cases in a single day, India's COVID-19 tally reached 37,336 on Saturday, including 1,218 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. As many as 71 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. Out of the total number, 9,951 people have been cured/discharged/migrated.

In the state of Maharashtra, the number of coronavirus positive cases has crossed the 10,000-mark with at least 485 deaths. The positive cases in Maharashtra has reached 11,506, including 1,879 discharged cases. After Maharashtra, Gujarat has the most number of COVID-19 cases (4,721). The state has reported 236 deaths, while 735 people have been discharged.

The Centre on Friday extended the ongoing nationwide lockdown for two more weeks with effect from May 4 till May 17 while allowing different sets of relaxations in red, orange and green zones.

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Cycle rickshaws, autos, taxi, cabs, barber shops and intra-district plying of vehicles and buses are restricted in Red Zones mentioned in the fresh lockdown 3.0 guidelines to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission. However, the guidelines allowed the movement of individuals and vehicles, only for permitted activities with restrictions. Four-wheeler vehicles will have maximum two passengers besides the vehicle driver; for two wheelers, pillion rider is not allowed, according to the guidelines issued with the announcement of extension of nationwide lockdown for another 14 days beginning on May 4.

The lockdown 3.0 will end on May 17. Industrial establishments in urban areas such as Special Economic Zones (SEZ), Export Oriented Units (EOUs), industrial estates and industrial townships with access control; manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates; production units, which require continuous process, and supply chain; manufacturing of IT hardware have been allowed in the Red Zone.

Jute industry with staggered shifts and social distancing and manufacturing units of packaging material are permitted. All industrial and construction activities are permitted in rural areas. Construction activities in urban areas; only in situ construction (where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside) and construction of renewable energy projects are permitted.

All malls, market complexes and markets shall remain closed in urban areas such as areas within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities. However, shops selling essential goods in markets and market complexes are permitted, all standalone (single) shops, neighbouring (colony) shops and shops in residential complexes are permitted to remain open in urban areas without any distinction of essential and non-essential. All shops in rural areas, except in malls, are permitted to remain open without any distinction of essential and non-essential.

"Social distancing ('do gaj ki doori') will be maintained in all cases." E-commerce activities will be permitted only in respect of essential goods. Private offices can operate with upto 33 per cent strength as per requirement with the remaining persons working from home. All government offices shall function with officers of the level of Deputy Secretary and above to the extent of 100 per cent strength.

The remaining staff will attend up to 33 per cent as per requirement. However, defence and security services, health and family welfare, police, prisons, Home Guards, civil defence, fire and emergency service, disaster management and related services, National Informatics Centre (NIC), customs, Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Cadet Corps (NCC), Nehru Yuva Kendra (NYK) and municipal services shall function without any restrictions. Delivery of public services shall be ensured and necessary staff will be deployed for such purpose, the guidelines said.

The fresh guidelines were issued after the Ministry announced extension of the lockdown for more 14 days till May 17, splitting the country in Red, Green and Orange Zones. The criteria for identification of districts as Red, Green and Orange Zones have been spelt out in detail in the letter dated April 30, issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The Ministry made the announcement as the lockdown 2.0 was to end on May 3.

The government took the decision after a comprehensive review, and in view of the lockdown measures having led to significant gains in the COVID-19 situation in the country.

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The central government issued an order further extending the lockdown for two weeks from May 4 due to the surge in Coronavirus cases in the country. In the press statement, the Union Home Minstry also profiled the red, orange and green zones in the country and issued fresh guidelines in terms of public transportation and other services available to the public during the period.

Ever since the announcement was made, people have taken to Twitter and have been expressing their emotions on the issue  with hilarious memes. With #Lockdown3 has been trending on Twitter, netizens are trying to have a comic-relief with their witty posts.

Here are some of the reactions that are sure to tickle your funny bone:

#Lockdown3

Modi ji extends lockdown due to corona virus

Meanwhile my family members to me - pic.twitter.com/zAGpNK1LD3

— THE | Epic Blogger | (@Kush_official_) May 1, 2020

parents after hearing that lockdown extended by 2 weeks.

#Lockdown3 pic.twitter.com/JrCyfPgM6w

— SaarCasm 🇮🇳 (@itzmesarcasm) May 1, 2020

#Lockdown3
Green zone wale people to Red zone wale people : pic.twitter.com/kq5XNRg173

— Hemang Jesani 🇮🇳 (@HemangJesani) May 1, 2020

#Lockdown3

Me thinking about how I can spend next 14 days. pic.twitter.com/i3uwWzCZFv

— Sneha (@Sneha6029) May 1, 2020

#lockdown #Lockdown3 #StayHome
Breaking : Lockdown extended for 2 more weeks ..

Me : pic.twitter.com/f4h5VcmHPH

— 🌈G U M R A H (@Nonveg_ladka13) May 1, 2020

Newly married couple when they get to know #Lockdown3 extended😱
———————————————

He. She. pic.twitter.com/u5BFQL9WB9

— ᴀᴅɴᴀɴ ʀᴀᴢᴀ (@adnan_urf_addu) May 1, 2020

Someone - So how much are you sleeping in this Quarantine ?

Le me - #lockdownhustle #Lockdown3 pic.twitter.com/KtWwKi8zNQ

— THE | Epic Blogger | (@Kush_official_) May 1, 2020

How are you spending your time under lockdown?

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The central government on May 1 started train services for students, migrant labourers, tourists and others stranded in different parts of the country to the home states. On Friday, a train carrying students who were stranded in Rajasthan’s Kota district left for Jharkhand amid applause from cops at the spot.

Many students were reportedly stranded in Kota, a town known for its educational institutions that coaches scores of pupils for competitive exams, ever since the national lockdown due to coronavirus was imposed.

In a video posted by the Prasar Bharati News Service on Twitter, policemen and other railway personnel were seen standing on the platform and clapping as the train with students was leaving from Kota railway station to Jharkhand, in what seems to be a gesture to wish them a safe journey. The caption for the post read, "1449 coaching students left for #Jharkhand in a special train last night from Kota, Rajasthan."

1449 coaching students left for #Jharkhand in a special train last night from Kota, Rajasthan #IndianRailways #IndiaFightsCOVID19 #SocialDistancing @RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/egGqf2Kqjz

— Prasar Bharati News Services (@PBNS_India) May 2, 2020

These special trains would ply without any stops, following health and safety protocols as per an order by the central government.

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Amritsar: In a mark of gratitude towards corona warriors, Dr Satyajeet and other police officials celebrated the birthday of Civil Lines SHO Shiv Darshan Singh on Friday while he was on duty.

Dr Satyajeet said that since police officers are doing their duties despite challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic, he wanted to give them a small present by cutting a cake on his birthday.

"Cops are working continuously amid the coronavirus pandemic, despite several challenges. So I thought of giving them a small gift by cutting the cake on the birthday of the SHO," said Dr Satyajeet.

The SHO expressed his gratitude towards the doctor for making his birthday memorable. "I am very happy. I will remember this moment in my life because of the way I've been honoured here," said Shiv Darshan Singh.

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Indian Air Force choppers on Sunday showered flower petals on the National Police Memorial here and hospitals treating COVID-19 patients to express gratitude and appreciation towards doctors, medical professionals, police officials and paramilitary forces who are at the forefront in the battle against the coronavirus. This aerial salute was part of planned activities by India's armed forces, which includes activities such as fly-pasts by fighter jets and transport aircraft of the IAF, playing of bands by the military and flashing warship lights, to express gratitude and honour the "corona warriors" of the country.

Early on Sunday morning, two C-130J Super Hercules special operations transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force conducted a fly-past over the Dal Lake in Srinagar followed by another over Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh. The aircraft took off from Srinagar and will fly all the way to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to show gratitude towards COVID-19 warriors. IAF's SU-30 aircraft conducted flypast across Marine Drive in Mumbai.

Indian Air Force aircraft SU-30 flypast Marine Drive to express gratitude towards medical professionals and all frontline workers. Picture/Bipin Kokate

The Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers showered flower petals over hospitals treating coronavirus positive patients in Delhi, among locations across the country in order to express gratitude and appreciation to the COVID-19 warriors in the country. "The list of hospitals include AllMS, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, GTB Hospital, Loknayak Hospital, RML Hospital, Safdarjang Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Max Saket, Rohini Hospital, Apollo Indraprastha Hospital, and Army Hospital R&R," as per a statement by the Defence Ministry.

IAF also aircraft showered flowers on King George's Medical University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. This flying activity is combined along with the training activity of IAF and opportunity flight for transport planes and helicopters, which are involved in moving supplies related to the COVID-19 task The IAS also conducted a flypast over Rajpath among other locations in the national capital as a mark of respect for those at the frontline in the fight against coronavirus.

Flower shower above J J hospital by Indian Navy in respect of Corona fighters. Picture/Shadab Khan

About 10 helicopters of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) will shower flower petals on COVID-19 hospitals at 5 locations. Apart from this, as many as 46 Coast Guard ships will carry out illumination, fire green flares and sound ships siren at 25 locations, including, the remote sites and far-flung island territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep and Minicoy islands, covering the coastline of 7516 km.

Indian Naval Aviation assets will be flying over the hospitals treating corona patients and shower flower petals at Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Vizag.

The activities planned by the defence forces were delayed by over an hour due to rains in parts of the country early this morning.

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Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that India's COVID-19 mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world and over 10,000 coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease so far.

Today more than 10,000 COVID19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it's around 12 days.Our mortality rate of 3.2% is the lowest in the world: Union Health Minister pic.twitter.com/YnQpnJ9IeJ

— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2020

"Today more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it is around 12 days," the Minister told ANI after visiting Lady Hardinge Hospital.

"Our mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world," he said. With 2,644 more COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths in the last 24 hours, the number of people infected from coronavirus in the country has reached 39,980 including 1,301 deaths, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday.

Currently, there are 28,046 active cases while 10,633 COVID-19 positive patients have been cured/discharged.

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Maharashtra government has decided to allow standalone shops including liquor shops to open in green, orange and red zone areas, but not in containment zones.

As per the guidelines, only five non-essential shops can be opened in each lane. However, there is no restriction on the number of shops selling essential items opening.

The government has issued a list of guidelines informing what will be allowed and not allowed in different zones of the state

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that not more than 50 people would be allowed at wedding functions and not more than 20 people could attend the last rites of a deceased person.

#WATCH Delhi is ready to re-open now...We will not be able to sustain the lockdown for long as the economy is in peril. The revenue has fallen from Rs 3500 Crores in April month of previous years to Rs 300 Crores this year. How will government function?: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/jKzVp0959b

— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2020

"Not more than 50 people are allowed at wedding functions and not more than 20 at last rites of a deceased person," said Kejriwal during a video conference. "The Center's decision of lockdown on March 24 was very important. If we had not implemented the lockdown, then the situation in the country could have been horrific now," he added.

He further said: "That time the country was not ready to fight COVID19. We had no idea of social distancing. Neither the people nor hospitals were ready. We had no personal protective equipment kits or testing kits either." The CM said that they would not be able to sustain the lockdown for long as the economy is in peril.

"The revenue has fallen from Rs 3,500 crore in April month of the previous years to Rs 300 crore this year. How will the government function?" The Delhi government will take strict action against those found spitting at public places," he added.

As per the latest update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of positive cases of coronavirus in Delhi is 4,122, including 1,256 recovered/migrated and 64 deaths.

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The third phase of the countrywide lockdown begins Monday with "considerable relaxations", but curbs will continue in containment areas so that the gains achieved so far in the fight against COVID-19 are not "squandered away", officials said on Sunday. The country has been divided in three zones – Red, Orange and Green – based on Coronavirus risk-profiling. The extended lockdown is slated to last till May 17.

According to the home ministry, activities prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zones are: air, rail, Metro travel; inter-state movement by road; schools, colleges, and other educational, training and coaching institutions; hospitality services, including hotels and restaurants.

Places of large public gatherings – cinema halls, malls, gymnasiums, sports complexes – social, political, cultural and other kinds of gatherings and religious or public worship places are in the prohibited list. However, movement of individuals for non-essential activities in all zones, barring containment areas, is allowed but strictly between 7 am and 7 pm.

Barber shops, spas and salons in Green and Orange zones is allowed to open as is the sale of non-essential items by e-commerce firms. Sale of liquor will be allowed with certain conditions in all zones, barring containment areas, in standalone shops, not in markets or malls.

Sale of liquor, barber shops and salons were not allowed during the first two phases of lockdown. In all zones, persons above 65 years of age, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women, and children below 10 years shall stay at home, except for essential and health purposes.

'10,000 patients cured'
Meanwhile, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that India's COVID-19 mortality rate of 3.2 per cent is the lowest in the world and over 10,000 Coronavirus patients have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the disease so far.

"Today more than 10,000 COVID-19 patients have been discharged. Those still admitted at hospitals are on the road to recovery. If in last 14 days doubling rate was 10.5 days, then today it is around 12 days," the minister told ANI after visiting Lady Hardinge Hospital. Agencies

CRPF headquarters shut as two test positive

The headquarters of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) here has been sealed after a personal staff of a senior officer and a bus driver of the paramilitary tested positive for Coronavirus, officials said on Sunday. The five-storeyed building is located inside the Central Government Offices (CGO) complex on Lodhi Road. A personal secretary of a Special Director General (SDG) rank officer working in the headquarters tested positive for the virus on Saturday, they said.

Nation thanks COVID-19 warriors

. Healthcare workers on Sunday had an "inspiring" start to the day as helicopters hovered over hospitals across the country and showered flower petals to thank the "Corona warriors". While the workers were "elated" and "overwhelmed" by the gesture, they also said it will send out a message to those who have stigmatised and humiliated them.

. The excise commissioner of Karnataka has issued an order granting permission to distilleries, breweries and wineries situated outside the containment zones to begin production activity.

. The audit committee constituted by the West Bengal government to ascertain if a death was due to COVID-19 or a pre-existing ailment will henceforth study only select Coronavirus cases and submit its report to the government, a senior member of the panel said on Sunday.

. In view of the extension of the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown by two weeks, Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan has announced new guidelines to be followed in the state. According to the new guidelines, Sundays will be a closed day for everything including vehicle movement.

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Amid the rising number of coronavirus cases in India, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on May 1, issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 thereby further extending the nationwide lockdown for two weeks. The two week extension will come to an end on May 17.

With the lockdown extended for two more weeks, several people took to social networking sites to share their emotions as India reels under lockdown till May 17. While some took resort to memes others tried their best to tickle the funny bone using the #Lockdown3 amid the COVID-19 crisis across the country.

Here's how netizens reacted to Lockdown 3.0:

Me Entering #Lockdown3 ... pic.twitter.com/5wcYRUSmY5

— Supriya Bhardwaj (@Supriya23bh) May 2, 2020

Twitter user Supriya Bhardwaj said that this is how she would enter Lockdown 3.0 phase.

#Lockdown3 #lockdownindia
* yaar bhagwan ji please or lockdown extend na hone dena *
## lee bhagwan ji ## pic.twitter.com/1AJT4RtsiW

— âÂÂœ¨$h®€eâÂÂœ¨ (@the_silly_panda) May 2, 2020

When Twitter user The Silly Panda asked god to not extend the lockdown anymore.

Everyone : Chalo #Lockdown3 m thori rahat milegi
Govt and police to people in red zone areas : pic.twitter.com/gHZZoF976k

— aur.laundee 🇮🇳 (@aurlaundee) May 3, 2020

When it turns out that Lockdown 3.0 scheme with relaxations is not for people living in containment zones.

#lockdown #Lockdown3 #StayHome
Breaking : Lockdown extended for 2 more weeks ..

Me : pic.twitter.com/f4h5VcmHPH

— ðŸÂŒˆG U M R A H (@Nonveg_ladka13) May 1, 2020

When Twitter user Gumrah expressed that he used to living like this in lockdown.

#Lockdown3

Me thinking about how I can spend next 14 days. pic.twitter.com/i3uwWzCZFv

— Sneha (@Sneha6029) May 1, 2020

Twitter user Sneha shared this funny pictures saying that she is thinking how to spend the next 14 days.

*Lockdown extended*

People:#Lockdown3 pic.twitter.com/DujiShJOfD

— Sumit jadhav (@Ekdum_Jhakaasss) May 1, 2020

Here's how extroverts reacted when they learnt about lockdown being extended for two weeks.

parents after hearing that lockdown extended by 2 weeks.

#Lockdown3 pic.twitter.com/JrCyfPgM6w

— SaarCasm 🇮🇳 (@itzmesarcasm) May 1, 2020

Parents seem to be the most happy about the lockdown being extended.

Newly married couple when they get to know #Lockdown3 extended

He. She. pic.twitter.com/Zargjs8C7x

— Joe Goldberg (@itsmepankajkh) May 1, 2020

When lockdown extension news gives newly married couple something to cheer about.

Did any of these memes describe your Lockdown 3.0 feeling?

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Social media was flooded with hilarious memes and witty jokes as India entered Lockdown 3.0 phase on Monday. With wine shops opening in red, orange and green zones, thousands of poeple thronged to the shops to stock up on alcohol.

Although wine shops have been advised to follow several guidelines and practice social distancing, hundreds of people lined up outside wine shops across the country as early as 5 and 6 in the morning. Netizens took to social networking sites to share their emotions as visuals of long ques emerged outside wine shops.

Neighbor uncle after spotting me in a queue at a liquor shop -#LiquorShops pic.twitter.com/9cuNN8g9dE

— नà¥Â€रà¤ÂÂÂÂÂœ . (@AjeebPrani) May 4, 2020

Here's what happens when neighbour uncle spots you at a liquor shop.

When liquor shop gets green signal #liquorshops #beer #LiquorShop pic.twitter.com/dF3OZg6O7j

— UTKARSH KHARE (@IAMUTKARSHKHARE) May 1, 2020

Happiness needs no bound when one hears about wine shops opening.

#wineshops
Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy. pic.twitter.com/2PN4Fvezpg

— Tulsi Nivas Bisen (@BisenTulsi) May 4, 2020

When wine shops promise to revive Indian economy amid coronavirus crisis.

Posted without comment. #liquor #liquorshops #Lockdown3 pic.twitter.com/NLHya73lYn

— Carona Mohapatra (@carona_m) May 4, 2020

This TikTok video will definitely tickle your funny bone.

Hilarious.... check out how he is craving for wine n chicken😂😂#wineshops pic.twitter.com/NUqyy8FDrg

— Bharatt Dilip Shitole 🇮🇳 (@bharatshitole) May 4, 2020

When alcohol and chicken are life amid lockdown.

Someone spent his month's salary today #wineshops pic.twitter.com/0tOCIUhoOL

— Abhishek Baadkar (@Ibaadu) May 4, 2020

So, this really happened?

#LiquorShops #wineshops #wine

*After getting 1 km long queues outside their shops*

Liquor shop owners to grocery shop owners : pic.twitter.com/bcXp8Svjhy

— JRism (@jiteshrochlani) May 4, 2020

Liquor shops owners upon seeing huge lines outside their shops.

The air in Bengaluru is so clear that I can even see the end of this liquor shop queue. #LiquorShops

— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) May 4, 2020

When Twitter user could see long ques outside wine shops due to better air quality.

Me and boys after hijacking the wine shop 😂 #LiquorShops pic.twitter.com/BfNL2IiiHc

— Prakash Tiwari (@prakash__t) May 4, 2020

Here's what happens when one hijacks wine shops amid lockdown.

RED ZONE BE LIKE

APNA TIME AAYEGA#LiquorShops pic.twitter.com/5hgFbwsrX1

— 𝕳ð–ÂÂÂÂŽ𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖇𝖊𝖗ð–ÂÂÂÂÂŒ (@ImpossiBall) May 4, 2020

People staying in red and containment zones be like.

Corona?? What Corona?? Its Marriage type celebration with Band Bajaa as #LiquorShops open ðŸÂÂÂÂÂŽ·ðŸÂÂÂÂÂŽºðŸ˜‚🍻 pic.twitter.com/45hoFLZPqB

— Rosy (@rose_k01) May 4, 2020

When news of wine shops opening is celebrated with Band, Baaja and Baarat!

#LiquorShops owners waiting for their customers be like:
(Aa aa aaa aa aaa sound plays in background) pic.twitter.com/rDzpsa1D8W

— The Steno Boi (@Thestenoboi) May 4, 2020

Liquor owners waiting for customers be like.

Drinkers after getting the news that liquor shops are open in all zones#LiquorShops pic.twitter.com/gmfB4UyYqo

— Sociopath Memer (@sociopath_ladka) May 4, 2020

When Twitterati could not argue but agree with Mohnish Behl from Hum Saath Saath Hain.

The posts in this articles are personal views of the Twitter users. They do not reflect the opinions or views of mid-day online

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Many government-run liquor shops which opened after a gap of over 40 days in the national capital on Monday had to be shut as people who gathered outside the outlets did not follow social distancing norms, and the police had to use mild force in some cases to disperse the unruly crowd.

People queued up in large numbers in the morning at the liquor shops. According to an official, about 150 government-run liquor shops have been allowed to open from 9 am to 6.30 pm in accordance with the latest lockdown relaxations given by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Many people were not aware that only government shops were allowed to open. In most areas, including Burari, Mayur Vihar, Gandhi Vihar, Rohini and Janakpuri, a large number of people had lined up outside outlets.

An official said an alcohol vend had to be closed in Mayur Vihar in east Delhi as people failed to maintain social distancing norms. Similar cases were reported from north and central Delhi. With people gathering in large numbers, the police had to resort to mild force.

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Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday registered an FIR against independent MLA from Nautanwa Aman Mani Tripathi and his six associates for stepping out without having a valid pass during COVID-19 lockdown.

They were returning from Uttarakhand and were detained in the Nazibabad area of Bijnor district. Superintendent of Police (SP) Bijnor Sanjeev Tyagi said, "He was not authorised by Uttar Pradesh government to go to Uttarakhand. He was out unnecessarily and did not have a valid pass. Action is being taken. He will be quarantined and tested."

No weapons were recovered from the seven, added the SP. Tripathi and others were earlier arrested by the Uttarakhand Police on Sunday allegedly for violating lockdown norms and misbehaving with government officials.

After the arrest, they were served a notice and were sent back to Uttar Pradesh. The incident had occurred at Gauchar of Chamoli district where his entourage was stopped for screening by the officials on duty. Tripathi, along with 10 others, was on a trip to Badrinath and Kedarnath.

Uttarakhand DG, Law and Order, Ashok Kumar had told ANI that an FIR has been registered against Tripathi and 11 other persons under Sections 188, 269 and 270 of the Indian Penal Code, Disaster Management Act and Epidemic Disease Act.

The Uttar Pradesh government had clarified on Monday that it did not authorise Tripathi to travel to Uttarakhand.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a PIL by former Uttar Pradesh police chief Vikram Singh seeking direction to quash nearly 75,000 FIRs registered for violating orders of lockdown and petty offences during the coronavirus pandemic.

The #SupremeCourt on Tuesday declined to entertain a PIL by former #UttarPradesh police chief Vikram Singh seeking direction to quash nearly 75,000 FIRs registered for violating orders of #lockdown and petty offences during the #coronaviruspandemic. pic.twitter.com/1xiNJ5qoqQ

— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) May 5, 2020

A bench comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B.R. Gavai questioned Singh's counsel, "You want there should be no FIR and this (Section 188 IPC) should not be invoked...then how can the lockdown be enforced?"

The bench wondered why such petitions were coming to the apex court? Singh's PIL sought quashing of nearly 75,000 FIRs registered under Section 188 of the IPC and other provisions for violation of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan said this person has been on the field and also has experience. "The submission is that we cannot have rule of law, which is selective. You cannot have one rule of law for those who have to travel by chartered flights...," said the advocate.

Justice Kaul replied he "can see an agenda". The lawyer contended that if the law didn't permit registration of FIRs then the NDMA law cannot be allowed for registration of FIRs. He told the bench that cases have been registered against migrants and those withdrawing money from ATMs.

Singh filed the PIL in his capacity as the Chairman of a think-tank -- Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC). He requested the apex court to issue directions, under the Disaster Management Act 2005, to state governments to not file complaints under Section 188 of the IPC or for other petty offences during the lockdown.

"Police action on an individual who is perhaps suffering from distress and lack of information as a result of the circumstances has ramifications which can extend beyond the coronavirus lockdown, and cannot be good for a constitutional democracy. The situation needs to be handled humanely, and it will be best to avoid adding aspects of criminality, wherever possible," Singh's plea stated.

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A day after reopening the liquor shops, Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday increased alcohol prices by 50 per cent. The government said the move was aimed at discouraging liquor consumption. The shops had reopened on Monday with a hike of 25 per cent in liquor prices.

A day after reopening the #liquorshops, #AndhraPradesh government on Tuesday increased alcohol prices by 50 per cent.

The government said the move was aimed at discouraging liquor consumption. The shops had reopened on Monday with a hike of 25 per cent in liquor prices. pic.twitter.com/u3cb6rO5f6

— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) May 5, 2020

However, the hike failed to deter the tipplers, who gathered in large numbers at the shops across the state, flouting the social distancing norm to check the spread of COVID-19. As the scenes of long queues and chaos raised fears of further spike in the number of corona cases in the state and the government came under criticism for encouraging liquor sale during a pandemic, it hiked the prices by 50 per cent on Tuesday.

Officials said the new prices will come into force with immediate effect. However, shops will open only after the issue of formal orders and the new prices are updated online. There was utter confusion on Monday when the shops reopened for the first time after the lockdown began as the prices following 25 per cent hike were not updated online.

The government claimed that another 50 per cent hike has been taken as further step towards discouraging alcohol consumption. With the latest hike the prices have increased by 75 per cent in two days. Officials said the latest decision was taken to discourage liquor consumption in view of the conditions that prevailed on Monday.

The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government said the number of liquor shops would be further reduced by 15 per cent by the end of this month. The YSRCP, which had promised total prohibition, started phase-wise implementation after coming to power in May last year.

As a first major step towards prohibition in October last year, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government took over the state. The state-owned Andhra Pradesh Beverages Corporation Limited (APBCL) took control of the liquor shops from private contractors after reducing the number of outlets to 3,500 from 4,380 earlier.

In December, the government had claimed that as a result of its steps the liquor consumption came down in the state.e retail liquor business and increased the price to discourage consumption.

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India, which was not manufacturing even a single personal protective equipment (PPE) kit, has now achieved an almost unrealistic goal of producing 2.06 lakh PPE kits daily within two months after the coronavirus outbreak. The highest single-day production of PPE kits, around 2.06 lakh kits, was recorded on May 2. However, on average, domestic production is about 1.5 lakh per day.

A PPE kit consists of mask, eye shield, shoe cover, gown and gloves, which doctors and healthcare workers wear during the treatment of COVID-19 patients. "It is very comforting to us that our in-house PPE kit production is increasing fast. On May 2, the country recorded maximum production of protective gears of about 2.06 lakh manufactured in a single day," a senior Health Ministry official told ANI.

"Earlier, there was no domestic manufacturing of PPE kit in the country and almost all of them were imported. Within a short span of time, India has been able to increase the daily production of PPE kits to about 1.5 lakh," he said. "In January, there were only 2.75 lakh PPE kits (imported ones) available in the country. As of today, we have about 15.96 lakh PPE kits in the centre-state buffer stock," added the official.

The government has identified at least 110 domestic manufacturers of PPE kits in the country. However, only 52 companies are manufacturing PPE kits right now. Companies like Alok Industries, JCT Phagwara, Gokaldas Exports, Aditya Birla, etc., are some of the domestic PPE kits manufacturers. The Union Health Ministry official added: "As of now, the Central government has distributed about 21.32 lakh PPE kits to the Centre and state-run hospitals. At least 15.96 lakh PPE kits are in the Centre State buffer stock."

Recently, the Empowered Group-3 of the Central government had informed that the total projected demand of PPE kits till June 2020 would be 2.01 crore. Orders for 2.22 crore PPE kits have already been placed, of which orders to the tune of 1.42 crore have been placed with the domestic manufacturers and 80 lakh PPE kits are being imported.

Some government institutes like South India Textile Research Association (SITRA), Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) and Ordnance Factory Board are at the forefront of developing new technologies, materials, and testing facilities. DRDO has also developed new PU coated nylon/polyester for supply to domestic manufacturers/

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On the occasion of Buddha Purnima, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended greetings to the nation and the followers of Lord Buddha around the world.  I extend my wishes to all on the occasion of Buddha Purnima. Today, the situation is such that I cannot participate in Buddha Purnima programmes physically. It would have been my pleasure to be with you all in the celebrations, but circumstances prevailing today do not permit us," the Prime Minister said in his address.

"It is my good fortune that I have got the opportunity to take your blessings. In 2015, 2018 in Delhi and in 2017 in Colombo, I had the chance of joining this event and being amongst you," he said. Praising Lord Buddha, the Prime Minister used one of his sayings to state that the lack of physical interaction on this occasion would not be a hindrance to the enthusiasm surrounding the day.

"Lord Buddha had said - the mind is the basis of Dhamma, the mind is Supreme, the mind is at the forefront of all tendencies. That's why since our minds are connected, we don't feel the lack of physical presence much," the Prime Minister said.

The festival of Buddha Purnima is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became Gautam Buddha.

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Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday penned down a poem paying tribute to the legendary lyricist and poet Gulzar thanking him for making lives happier with his magical work even during the lockdown.

Irani took to Twitter to share that she had a conversation with the poet and also posted the poem.

The poem ended with Smriti thanking Gulzar for making everybody's lives 'Gulzar' or a beautiful garden.

Irani who is also a former actor incorporated Gulzar's famous works like the iconic songs 'chappa chappa charkha chale' and 'chhaiya chhaiya.'

"Jinki kalam se gilehri key jhoothe matar ka swaad aajaye muh mei, jinhone chappe chappe mei charkha chalvaaya shabdo ka," read the minister's post.

"Jinki ek lakeer pe bade se bada sitaara chhaiya chhaiya karta hua, rail ki raftaar ki tarah dil se dil ko chhoo jaaye, unko salaam," her post further read.

She ended the post by saying that it is due to the senior poet's art that lives of many is still full of happiness even during the testing times of coronavirus crisis. "Kyunki unki kalam se corona mei bhi, zindagi kahi na kahi gulzar hai," Irani's poem further read.

The Amethi MP further complemented the 'Tujhse Naraz Nahi Zindagi' lyricist in her caption and shared the details of her conversation with him.

"There are many in our lives who impact us unknowingly... their lives, their works inspire millions & touch many a chords," she wrote.

"today I asked one such person "sab khairiyat Sir?". I've had the privilege of being inspired by his craft over the years. Say thank you to those who help us get over our corona blues ... jinki wajah se aapki zindagi Gulzar hai," her post further read.

 

 

 

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There are many in our lives who impact us unknowingly... their lives , their works inspire millions & touch many a chords.. today I asked one such person “ sab khairiyat Sir ?“. I’ve had the privilege of being inspired by his craft over the years. Say thank you to those who help us get over our corona blues ... jinki wajah se aapki zindagi Gulzar hai 🙏❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Smriti Irani (@smritiiraniofficial) onMay 6, 2020 at 1:17am PDT

One of the most senior songwriters of the Indian cinema, Gulzar has given several marvels to music and poetry lovers.

A national award-winning lyricist, Gulzar has penned down songs for many iconic films like 'Dil Se,' 'Saathiya,' 'Masoom', and others.

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To avoid crowding and minimise footfall at liquor stores, the West Bengal State Beverages Corporation (WBSBCL) has launched an eRetail portal for online booking and home delivery.

According to the website of the WBSBCL, any person, who is older or of 21 years of age, can register as a buyer on the portal for getting home delivery of liquor. "For ensuring social distancing and minimising footfall at retail outlets, WBSBCL has launched eRetail for online booking and home delivery of liquor," notification on the website read.

The interested persons can fill in their details, full name, mobile number, address, email, among others to register as a buyer and get liquor delivered at their doorsteps. Prior to this, the Chhattisgarh and Punjab governments too had allowed home delivery of liquor in their respective states with certain conditions.

Liquor stores around the country have been allowed to reopen by the Centre during phase three of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. Long queues, with people flouting social distancing norms, were seen on liquor stores around the country as enthusiasts lined up to get their hands on their favourite drink.

With people at these outlets failing to follow social distancing norms, apprehensions were expressed regarding the spread of COVID-19.

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In a heartwarming gesture, Nagpur Police stepped up to stand in as a orphan bride’s family on her wedding day after her relatives could not attend the ceremony due to the restrictions imposed as part of the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The officers of the police department showed up for the wedding to bless the couple so that the bride does not miss her family on her special day. They shared a post about the moment on Twitter with the photo of the newlyweds with officers. The post said that the bride’s parents had died and her relatives could not attend the wedding due moment restrictions.

“The bride's parents had passed away. There was no one from her family to attend her marriage due to movement restrictions. #NagpurPolice tried to fulfill this absence.PI and staff were present to bless the newly wedded couple at #Nagpur,” said the tweet by the police, with the hashtag #alwaysthereforyou.

The bride's parents had passed away. There was no one from her family to attend her marriage due to movement restrictions.
#NagpurPolice tried to fulfill this absence.PI and staff were present to bless the newly wedded couple at #Nagpur.#LockdownStories#alwaysthere4u pic.twitter.com/5tvBNt4EyF

— Nagpur City Police (@NagpurPolice) May 6, 2020

The post that went viral on Wednesday garnered 757 likes and was retweeted 81 times and counting. Users commenting on the post praised the Nagpur police for their noble deed.

Thank you for helping citizens.Because of people like u we are assured that the city is safe!!God bless you n ur family!! #goodkarma #safecity 🙏🏻🙏🏻

— mon_naturelover (@NatureloverMon) May 6, 2020

Much love to you all ❤ï¸Â for working day and night going beyond the line to help everyone.

— Papabear 🐻 (@GanuYogesh) May 6, 2020

We proud you.

— SANJIV M (@sansar1970) May 6, 2020

Great gesture by Nagpur Police 👏🏻👏🏻

— Rohit dubey (@RDroxx20) May 6, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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Currently, the entire Nation affected by the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus. In these hard times, many families are finally financially affected and have no means to earn for the livelihood. Some can't buy a meal for their family, while others are struggling to buy sanitary products like gloves, masks, antiseptics, etc.

Akash Pillay, a 23 years old Pune based entrepreneur came forward to help these needy families by donating 10000 masks for two consecutive days. During this hard time, various shopkeepers are selling masks and other necessary products at an exorbitant price, and this was the major reason why Akash Pillay thought of doing this noble deed.

Talking about the same Akash Pillay says, "We have seen some people taking COVID-19 as a business opportunity, safety masks which cost 7 to 10 rupees are now costing 35 to 40 rupees per mask for no reason. People who work on daily wages cannot afford them during this lockdown period. They are forced to think about whether they should buy the safety stuff or a meal for the day. Which is why I decided to donate masks along with my friends and help them in whatever way I can."

The young lad is a BSC Graduate in Zoology and started working at an MNC right after he completed his graduation. He continued to work as an employee for about 2 years until he decided to start his own business.

Akash has a huge fondness towards anchoring and hosting which made him quit his job and start his agency named Storror Nightlife in Pune.

Right after establishing his own agency, Akash started receiving offers from brands for shoots and endorsements and within no time, Akash was one of the most successful event managers in Pune city. He is quite popular on social media a testimony of which is seen on his Instagram handle.

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Pune: In a bid to limit the movement of people in containment zones, the civic body in Maharashtra's Pune city will distribute ration kits to 70,000 families in the hotspot areas from Friday onwards, an official said.

As of Thursday, the Pune Municipal Corporation has over 2,140 COVID-19 cases, of which 1,600 were reported from Bhavani Peth, Dhole Patil Road, Kasba-Vishrambaug, parts of Shivajinagar and Yerwada areas.

"We want people in the containment zones to stay indoors and not venture out even to buy essentials. We will distribute 1 lakh ration kits to 70,000 families in these areas," municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad said.

These kits will contain five kg of flour, three kg of rice, pulses, oil and other essential items that can last up to 15 days, he said. "Community workers and civic employees will distribute these kits from Friday onwards," he added.

Apart from ration kits, the PMC also plans to provide sanitisers and one lakh masks to residents of containment zones.

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As many as 216 districts in the country have not reported any COVID-19 cases till now, 42 districts have not registered any infections in the last 28 days and 29 districts have not recorded any case in the last 21 days, the Union health ministry said on Friday. The ministry asserted that if dos and don'ts are followed, the peak in number of COVID-19 cases can be avoided. Addressing a press conference, joint secretary in the health ministry Lav Agarwal said India's recovery rate stands at 29.36 per cent with 16,540 COVID-19 patients cured till now, including 1,273 who recovered in the last 24 hours.

A total of 3,390 COVID-19 cases and 103 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours till Friday 8 am, taking the total number of cases to 56,342 and death toll to 1,886, according to the ministry.

Giving a district-wise situation, Agarwal said there are 216 districts in which no COVID-19 case has been reported till date. Forty-two districts have had no fresh cases in the last 28 days, there are 29 districts with no fresh cases in the last 21 days, 36 districts with no fresh cases in the last 14 days and 46 districts with no fresh cases in the last seven days, he said.

Asked about AIIMS Delhi Director, Dr Randeep Guleria's remarks citing data that the peak of the disease in India may be reached in June or July, Agarwal said, "If we follow dos and don'ts, we may not reach the peak in number of COVID-19 cases and our curve may remain flat."

Agarwal also said that that the ICMR will conduct clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy in 21 hospitals. The hospitals where the trials will be conducted comprise five from Maharashtra, four from Gujarat, two each from Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, UP and one each from Karnataka, Chandigarh, Punjab, Telangana.

He said 3.2 per cent of total active COVID-19 cases are on oxygen support, 4.2 per cent in ICU and 1.1 per cent on ventilator. During the briefing, Agarwal also said the railways has converted 5,231 coaches into COVID Care Centres which will be placed at 215 identified railway stations and will be used for treatment of very mild and mild COVID19 patients.

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Total number of Covid-19 cases in the country mounted to 59,662 on Saturday, with 3,320 cases and 95 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said. Of the total, 39,834 are active cases, 17,846 people have recovered, and 1,981 people have succumbed to the disease. Maharashtra remained the worst hit state with a total number of cases rising to 19,063, followed by Gujarat which has reported 7,402 cases. Delhi has reported 6,318 cases and Tamil Nadu 6,009 cases, according to the Health Ministry data.

Maharashtra has also recorded 731 deaths so far, the highest number of casualties among all the states. Other states which have jumped the 3,000 mark are Madhya Pradesh (3,341), Rajasthan (3,579), Tamil Nadu (6,009) and Uttar Pradesh (3,214). Among other major cities, Andhra Pradesh has reported 1,887 and 41 deaths, Bihar stood at 571 cases and five deaths, Haryana at 647 and eight deaths, Jammu and Kashmir at 823 cases and nine deaths, Karnataka at 753 and 30 deaths and Kerala was docked at 503 and four deaths.

States which have reported less than 10 cases are -- Tripura, Mizoram, Puducherry, Manipur, Goa and Arunanchal Pradesh.

On the global front, the total number of cases are about to touch four million mark and over two lakh people have died due to coronavirus till now.

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While the Union government plans to help more than two lakh migrants to return home, it is the West Bengal government that is not supporting their cause and is not allowing trains carrying migrants to reach the state, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Shah claimed that migrants from West Bengal are eager to reach home, but the state government has not been allowing the trains to enter the state. "This is injustice with West Bengal migrant labourers. This will create further hardship for them," Shah said.

He claimed that the central government has been trying to aid more than two lakh migrants to return back to their home states, but it is only West Bengal that has not supported the initiative. "Migrants from West Bengal are also eager to reach home. Central govt is facilitating but we are not getting expected support from West Bengal," Shah wrote.

In the wake of demands by different state governments to run special trains to ferry people stuck in various states, Indian Railways on May 1 had said that it will run special trains from Friday itself to move labourers, pilgrims, tourists and students stranded across the country.

Railways Executive Director (Media) R.D. Bajpai had then said in a statement that as per the guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs, it was decided to run "Shramik Special" trains to return migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students, and others to their native states.

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Sophie Turner, who stars as Phoenix in the film series "X-Men", has said that she would relish the opportunity to reprise her role in the future.

"I don't even know what the deal is, whether Disney wants to continue on the 'X-Men' journey. I would always be down to go back to that character and that cast and that experience ... We had the best time on those movies. I would kill to go back," she said in a video chat seen on Twitter, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Turner is currently starring in the TV series "Survive", where she plays a survivor of a plane crash who has to make it back to civilisation. She hopes the new show will make those suffering with mental illness feel "less alone".

Turner said: "What drew me to the script was the way that mental illness was written so accurately in my opinion. It felt real to me. I also loved the notion that this girl who wanted to die so badly ends up fighting for a life that she never wanted to live in the first place."

She also feels "Survive" will help to make people feel less alone. "I hope that the story of this girl finding something to live for helps others find the ability to do that, too," she said.

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For all the cleanliness freaks out there, this will just bring a twinkle in your eyes! As we all are under the lockdown period, to fight against the coronavirus outbreak, one is surely finding something or the other to keep themselves occupied. And why not? We cannot just sit at home and do nothing for days, and maybe, months!

If you remember Monica's midnight cleaning shenanigans, Sheldon spraying disinfectant while covering his nose with his t-shirt and Emma cleaning a sharpener for 45 straight minutes, you're a true fan. With the lockdown extending, the reasons to not clean out your room are fading away by the minute.

Quarantine or not, cleaning is never a fun task. Well, unless you are one of these characters from popular TV series, that is. Here are 5 characters who will probably inspire you, if not, totally entertain you.

Sheldon Cooper in The Big Bang Theory:

If there's one thing we know for sure, it's that Sheldon Cooper would not have contracted coronavirus ever. Even in case of regular cold, Sheldon likes to keep himself isolated from his roommate and asks everyone around the 'sick' person to use Purell if they have come in contact with the person. He is the epitome of 'Social Distancing' and we should all take a few tips from him. Tune in to Comedy Central and learn the art of social distancing directly from the artist.

Monica Geller in Friends:

There's one thing certain about Monica that everyone knows, and it is that she is a neat freak that needs everything to be very clean (she cleans her vacuum cleaner with a smaller hand-held vacuum cleaner) In fact, she freaks out if something's even slightly out of place. The entire gang knows that if anything is not in its 'place', Monica is going to be mad. In fact, while the COVID-19 outbreak ensues, Monica would have made sure to use the 'fancy' soap every time you wash your hands to help keep coronavirus at bay.

Emma Pillsbury in Glee:

She's the most credible OCD character according to fans with a traumatic incident to back her story. Emma has been bedeviled by mysophobia (fear of germs and dirt) since childhood, when her brother pushed her into a runoff lagoon at a dairy farm. If you think Monica is bad, wait till you watch Emma wipe every grape she eats with a tissue before eating it. You could probably borrow her gloves and disinfectant wipes to keep the germs away.

Claire Dunphy in The Modern Family:

Claire is a perfectionist who needs everything to be exactly how she thinks is perfect. She can't stop trying to make her house look perfect and even makes her assistant do all the dirty work when challenged not to do anything on a particular day. If cleaning and reorganizing is something you considered doing while you spend time at home, take notes on how she makes sure her home looks perfect.

Winston Schmidt in New Girl:

Schmidt is the cleanest person you know. His OCD tendencies might be just the thing you need in life. Let's face it, he knows how to scrub down. Not only does he love to look good, but that quality spills over into his home too which must look pic and pan. He is a neat freak and hates it when someone puts something where it doesn't belong or tries to do something in a way that isn't as efficient as he wants it to be.

Catch these characters on Comedy Central in their element to motivate yourself to clean and tidying up your surroundings as we stay safe at home.

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For many, social distancing, self-isolation, and quarantine is the new horror. The prime minister of India, Mr Narendra Modi, has already asked people to stay indoors for some more time. As the lockdown has been extended until May 3, 2020, T&C applied, we are here to save you from some boredom and anxiety.

We are sure you must have already binged-watched every other show, but what we have for you right now is a list of horror films you can watch and get frightened instead of fearing the virus. The more you keep yourself occupied and busy, the less you'll feel anxious and worried due to the lockdown. So, let's take a look at the Netflix list right away!

Eli

Well, well, well! This one will test your patience, and the climax of the movie is worth it! Why, you ask? This obscure story shares a rare tale of a little boy named Eli, and his struggle to fight disease. As he and his parents decide to self-isolate (relatable much?) to fight against what has struck the kid, Eli unravels his truth, unknown and unwitnessed for so many years! 

The Ritual

Starring Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier and others, this one will make your heart skip a beat. It has scares, hidden truths, an unknown religious rite that takes the four friends, who have been exploring the woods of Sweden, down. Fair warning, not for the faint-hearted!

Apostle

Just like the Ritual, Apostle also has a history connected to the characters. In 1905, Thomas Richardson travels to a remote Welsh island to rescue his sister, Jennifer, who has been kidnapped and held for ransom by a mysterious cult. His journey unravels many realities but leaves him with the sacrifice of his own life as the only option to save everyone. Interesting, huh?

I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House

This one got me for real! If you are alone at home, the suggestion would be to skip this one. If you are with your quarantine special, I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House will make a good watch. A nurse, who must take care of the house and its owner, a writer, ends up witnessing the reality of the haunted house. End? Well, we will leave it up to you to figure out what happens to the one who lives with an infected house.

Satanic

Satan's followers are scary, and if this entire plot of people worshipping Satan sends chills down your spine, abort mission! Right away! This too isn't for the ones who think Conjuring and Annabelle are scary. If that's what you think horror is, Satanic is surely not your cup of tea.

Scared already? Wait until you watch them all in a day, and share your experience with us! Also, stay tuned for the hidden gems on OTT platforms.

P.S: Stay tuned for our list of shows you can binge on this quarantine season, and don't let the boredom hit you even for a second!

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Actor Chris Hemsworth found shooting in India "overwhelming" because of the positivity and enthusiasm that he experienced while filming the upcoming Netflix film "Extraction" in the country.

"I loved shooting in India. The people were incredible. I didn't realise how popular the Marvel films were in India. So that was, at times, overwhelming," Hemsworth told IANS during a special video call before the release of his Netflix movie.

"There was such positivity and enthusiasm for all of us and our crew… During shooting, we had hundreds and thousands of people on certain days lining up on the streets and up on top of bridges and in buildings, you know, after every takes, cheering and applauding. I've never experienced anything like it. And as I said, I have such fond memories of India and the people there," he added while recounting his time in India.

Hemsworth shot for the Netflix film in India in 2018. He shot in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. The "Thor" star was scheduled to be in Mumbai on March 16 to promote the film that has been shot in India. The promotional tour was called off due to the global coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier in an interview to IANS, Hemsworth, whose daughter is named India, revealed the reason behind naming his daughter after the country.

"My wife (Elsa Pataky) spent a lot of time in India and that was where the name originally came from," Hemsworth said in that interview, adding: "I love the place and the people. It was sort of intimidating as it was exciting because there were so many people… We felt like rock stars in a stadium. But the warmth and support we got while shooting there, no matter how disruptive we were to their daily lives, it was so good. "

Originally titled "Dhaka", the film also stars Indian actors Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi, Priyanshu Painyulli, and Rudraksh Jaiswal. It revolves around Tyler Rake (essayed by Hemsworth), a fearless, black market mercenary, who embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he is enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord. The film, directed by Sam Hargrave, will release on Netflix on April 24.

Talking about working for a streaming platform for the first time, Hemsworth said: "It's my first time working on a streaming platform. I was excited to do it, strangely enough, you know, it's probably the best place to be at this point.

"We put in, you know, the same amount of commitment and passion and enthusiasm as we would with anything else, whether it was a cinema release or a streaming space. I am beyond proud of the film. From the very beginning, I loved the script. I love the story that we were able to tell and the opportunity to shoot action, unlike anything I'd certainly been a part of before."

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Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has stepped into social media by joining Instagram to share a special message for fans affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The "Pirates Of The Caribbean" star made his debut on the platform on April 16 by sharing a photograph of himself sitting on an old wooden bench in what seems like a cave, surrounded by candles and lights.

"Hello everyone... filming something for you now... gimme a minute," he captioned the image.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Johnny Depp (@johnnydepp) onApr 16, 2020 at 7:12am PDT

Depp gained 600,000 followers just three hours after creating the account, reports aceshowbiz.com.

A representative for the official account of his band The Hollywood Vampires and member Joe Perry both left comments featuring similar emojis on the comment section.

Moments later, the actor came back on the photo-sharing website and posted a piece he'd been filming.

A video message, which started like: "Hi everyone, hello to whomever might be out there in ether-land receiving this transmission. This is my first experience within the world of social media. I've never done anything like this before. I don't think I've ever really felt any particular reason to, until now."

"Yeah, now is the time to open up a dialogue as the threat of this invisible enemy has already caused immeasurable tragedies and enormous damage to people's lives. People are ill and without care, people are getting sick, fighting for breath and dying at frighteningly high rates."

Depp went on to reference those who have lost their jobs and others living on the streets "with no shelter or option of self-isolating at all".

"So I feel we need to try and help each other through these hard times, these trying times, for those we love, for our community, for ourselves, for the world and for the future."

He concluded his first Instagram message by thanking fans for "your kindness, your unwavering support and your strength over these years. I am touched beyond words."

The actor then shared his version of musician John Lennon's "Isolation" saying that "there's more to come" and noting that he hoped fans would "enjoy our version."

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Renowned bass guitarist Matthew Seligman, who played with late music icon David Bowie at Live Aid in 1985, has died after a battle with Coronavirus. He was 64.

Seligman is best known for his role in the new wave scene in the 1980s. He was a member of The Soft Boys and The Thompson Twins, also collaborating with Thomas Dolby.

Dolby, 61, confirmed Seligman's death and said a candlelight vigil to remember the star would be held on YouTube live on April 19, reports dailymail.co.uk. "Matthew would want us to remember the good times and have a party," Dolby said.

Seligman had been battling COVID-19 for two weeks and had been on a ventilator at a hospital in London. He leaves behind son Deji, daughter Lily, and Mami, his partner, and Lily's mother. He was born in Cyprus and raised in England. The bassist first came to prominence as a founding member of Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, and the psychedelic group The Soft Boys.

Seligman gained a reputation as a session musician and collaborated with Morrissey, Tori Amos, Sinead O'Connor, and David Bowie. He even played at Bowie's iconic 1985 performance at Live Aid to an audience of billions and also featured on his next two albums.

The Soft Boys member Robyn Hitchcock paid tribute to his former bandmate, saying: "Everybody goes, but none of us was expecting Matthew to leave us so abruptly, forever. I'm profoundly grateful to have played music with him - you could really see his face light up like a full moon when he listened back to a take he enjoyed."

"Onstage he would lope and lurch and pace when the music moved him. Matthew is, was, and always will be one of the greats, Hitchcock added.

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