Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh set up the task force to find ways for the state to gradually get out of the unprecedented lockdown that is still in place to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

In its report titled Global Macro Outlook 2020-21 (April 2020 update), Moody's lowered G-20 advanced economies as a group to contract by 5.8 per cent in 2020.

Industry representatives said while some hotels have chosen not to entertain new guests, some have stepped up hygiene and sanitisation measures.

The petitioner contended that telephone operators and ISPs ought not to charge citizens for services not used by them while following the government's directions.

The infrastructure output growth for February was upwardly revised to 7.1% from an earlier estimate of 5.5%, the data showed.

Government officials said that collection numbers present a worrying trend, given that normal business activities were underway till March 24 when a nationwide lockdown was announced.

The agency affirmed the long-term issuer default ratings (IDR) of SBI and BOB at 'BBB-' and those of ICICI Bank and Axis Bank at 'BB+'.

According to Dun & Bradstreet's latest report, changes in consumer behaviour will determine the segments that are likely to flourish after the pandemic comes under control.

Nationwide lockdown should only be lifted once the situation is fully under control, said State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Kumar.

Sugar sales in March and April declined by 10 lakh tonne because of the imposition of nationwide lockdown to control the coronavirus disease, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said.

On the effectiveness of India's COVID-19 strategy, 73% of the respondents said it has been successful so far.

The prime minister also had discussions with key economic ministries such as Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, and MSME to discuss various issues.

Since the first lockdown extension, Crane Owners Association of India, which has over 150 members, have written twice to MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari and once to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeking their help.

The NSE Nifty 50 index was down 4.25% at 9,448.15, while the S&P BSE Sensex was 4.34% lower at 32,260.30.

India's solar and gas-fired electricity generation rose in April even as overall power demand fell at the steepest monthly rate in at least thirteen years, a Reuters analysis of provisional government data showed.

With new orders and output shrinking at the steepest pace since at least early 2005 factories cut jobs at the fastest rate in the survey's history, signaling a high chance of recession.

The state retailers' petrol and diesel sales in first half of April declined by 61% and 64%, respectively, as a nation-wide lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus brought economic activity to a standstill.

As many as 43 crore transactions leading to disbursement of Rs 16,101 crore took place during the lockdown period, the Finance Ministry said in a tweet on Monday.

An ISA official also confirmed Narendran's resignation but said the reason for his sudden resignation is not known yet.

Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi had earlier written to state chief ministers asking them not to import dry-fuel and take the domestic supply of fuel from Coal India Ltd.

The state government on Thursday increased the VAT on petrol to 38 per cent from 36 per cent earlier while on diesel to 28 per cent from 27 per cent earlier.

The global market is fearing that India would slide into a 'controlled economy', which would be very damaging, Basu added.

Many MSMEs and corporates have also availed the three-month moratorium offered by banks as per the Reserve Bank of India

The employers' organisations also sought relaxation of the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act to treat the lockdown period as lay-off.

Consumption of fuel, a proxy for oil demand, totalled 9.93 million tonnes - its lowest since 2007, government data showed on Saturday.

Under the PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi) scheme, each farmer gets Rs 6,000 in a year in three equal installments directly in bank account.

Novak Djokovic posted a video showing him exchanging shots with another man at clay court in the coastal city of Marbella.

Kashmiri athletes like Afreen Hyder, Aijaz Hassan, Vilayat Hussain and more have to make do with the restricted spaces and still stay fit during Covid-19 lockdown.

PV Sindhu said that senior Indian players with international experience can coach and help youngsters during the coronavirus lockdown.

NADA hearings have not been taking place due to the lockdown to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under New Zealand's four-tier alert system, social distancing protocols are enforced less stringently under level two, allowing contact sports including the national game of rugby union.

Taiwan's baseball league games are being streamed with English commentary, racking up millions of views for matches featuring cardboard cut-outs of fans and robots beating drums.

Dmitrii Baskov had come to India in January to visit a tennis academy and got stuck due to Covid-19 lockdown but is helping feel Ahmedabad's poor.

UFC chief Dana White touts the return of the mixed martial arts as a step toward normalcy and a boon for sport-starved fans.

Kiren Rijiju said coronavirus has changed everything and sports need to be conducted in a new way

In a video put together by Women in Films and Television India, the campaign, supported by these celebrities, takes stock of the issues borne out of vulnerable mental health caused by the lockdown.

Titled Chalk And Cheese With Gunjan Utreja, the first season has celebrity couples like Aparshakti Khurana with his wife, Neeti Mohan and her husband and comic Amit Tandon among other guests who will play fun games and quizzes.

Karan Wahi shared his mother's inspiring weight loss story by following diet and lifestyle changes.

Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan defended himself for shooting for Kaun Banega Crorepati 12 from his home saying that the shoot happened with necessary precautions and without flouting lockdown rules.

Karan Johar is back with his twins Yash and Roohi on the much-loved series ‘Lockdown with Johars’. This time the trio has moved to the bathroom area.

Kajol, who is known for her wit and charm on social media, engaged in some humour with her fans by joking about not knowing which day it is amid the lockdown.

On the work front, Madhuri Dixit will be back as a judge on reality TV, when she returns on the new season of Dance Deewane.

Southern actress Samantha Akkineni is making best use of the virtual world during lockdown. She is taking acting lessons from the acclaimed English actress Helen Mirren.

Kriti Kharbanda, who is reminiscing the time when she used to do pole dancing, revealed that she regrets not installing a pole at home.

In the video, Taimur Ali Khan can be seen wearing white kurta and pyjama.His uncle Armaan Jain also dons a white kurta over blue jeans in the same photo.

Amid the coronavirus lockdown, Sonakshi Sinha posted an adorable picture with her pet dog Gabru, with a caption every pet owner could relate to.

Ajay Devgn took to social media to post a throwback picture with Kajol while simultaneously joking about the lockdown feeling like 22 years of their marriage.

Cyber experts have recorded 30-35% rise in fake news on social media during the lockdown while the internet usage has gone up by 30%.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Internet services would resume in the newly reorganised union territory (UT) on the recommendations of the local administration.

The company said it has also received over two lakh e-mails from customers for delivering the non-essential items with demand for mobile phones rising 200 percent.