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Government Contemplating Policy On Import Substitution In The Wake Of New Economic Situation Created By COVID-19 Pandemic: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for MSME and Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari informed that a policy on imports substitution is being thought of in the wake of the new economic situation created by COVID-19 pandemic. He called upon various stake-holders to convert knowledge into wealth by improving quality through innovations and cutting down cost. He sited the example of a Nagpur based MSME Orange cluster taking up PPE making from scratch. These PPEs cost between Rs 550 to Rs 650 against the market price of about Rs 1200 for which country was heavily import dependent. The cluster is in a position to supply large quantity of PPEs.




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DMDK expected to lose its recognition

A party must secure a minimum of six percent of all votes polled, which DMDK did not




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State Assembly polls: Income, assets and criminal records of ministers

Kerala's ministers had least average assets and the state also had least number of crorepati ministers




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Coronavirus Update: ‘Evidence’ Virus Came From Lab, Economies Start to Reopen

The Trump administration steps up assertions that the coronavirus originated at a lab in Wuhan, governments around the world start to allow businesses to reopen, millions of imported masks fall short of N95 standards. WSJ’s Jason Bellini has the latest on the pandemic. Photo: Scott Keeler/Zuma Press




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US stocks rally as investors shrug off record job losses

US stock market ended sharply higher on Friday (8 May) despite grim monthly jobs report as investors bet the worst of the coronavirus crisis has passed. Investors also hoped for an eventual reopening of the economy.




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Trump reaches out to world leaders on coronavirus, global economy

US President Donald Trump reached out to several world leaders, including those from Germany and Saudi Arabia, to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and the global economy on Friday, the White House said. Trump and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia discussed the latest positive developments in defeating the coronavirus pandemic and re-energising global economies, the White House said in a readout of the call. The two leaders agreed on the importance of stability in global energy markets and reaffirmed the strong United States-Saudi defence partnership, it said. Trump and King Salman also discussed other critical regional and bilateral issues and their cooperation as leaders of the G7 and G20, respectively, the readout of the call said. In a separate phone call with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, the two leaders discussed positive developments in defeating the coronavirus pandemic, research efforts and reopening the American and German economies. "The President ...




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AC Milan president says some players recovering from coronavirus

AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni has revealed that some of his squad members were still recovering from coronavirus. Serie A has been on hold since mid-March but Italian Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said on Thursday he was hopeful group training could resume on May 18. "We have some infected players in the process of recovery," Scaroni told local media. Scaroni believes Italian football must live with COVID-19 and take an example from the Bundesliga which will restart on May 16. "We have to get used to living with the virus and this also applies to football," he said. "It is not possible to stand still until there is zero infection. Basically we can adopt the German formula that provides that those who are sick go into quarantine while their teammates continue." Milan technical director Paolo Maldini, together with his 18-year-old son Daniel, a youth team player, have both recovered from the virus. "Maldini father and son are doing well. There are players who are improving, but .




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Lawyers: Investigators recommend whistleblower is reinstated

Federal investigators have found reasonable grounds that a government whistleblower was punished for speaking out against widespread use of an unproven drug that President Donald Trump touted as a remedy for COVID-19, his lawyers said. Dr Rick Bright headed the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a unit of Department of Health and Human Services that focuses on countermeasures to infectious diseases and bioterrorism. He had received a job performance review of outstanding before he was summarily transferred last month, with his agency email cut off without warning. Investigators with the Office of Special Counsel made a threshold determination that HHS violated the Whistleblower Protection Act by removing Dr Bright from his position because he made protected disclosures in the best interest of the American public," his lawyers Debra Katz and Lisa Banks said in a statement Friday. The OSC is an agency that investigates allegations of egregious personnel practices in




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Gunfire kills 6 at Afghan protest calling for economic aid

A shootout erupted on Saturday at a protest in western Afghanistan by residents demanding economic assistance, leading to the deaths of at least six people, including a local reporter and two police officers, officials said. Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said the protesters had gathered outside the governor's office in Feroz Koh, the capital of the western Ghor province. They were demanding relief after weeks of restrictions aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic. He said some people at the protest opened fire at police, igniting a gun battle that killed the six people and wounded another 19, including nine police. The ministry has launched an investigation and plans to send a delegation to the province. Afghanistan was already mired in poverty before the onset of the pandemic, which has infected nearly 3,800 people in the country and killed at least 109. Many Afghans rely on day labour, which has dried up because of the closure of nonessential businesses.




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Record single-day spike of 21 cases push Jharkhand COVID-19 tally to 153

Jharkhand on Friday reported its highest single-day spike in COVID-19 cases with 21 people testing positive, taking the total number of infections to 153 in the state, officials said. Of the total 455 swab samples tested during the day, 21 tested positive for COVID-19, said the Director of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Dr D K Singh. He said 25 more people recovered from the infection, bringing the total number of cured people in the state to 77. The officials did not provide any details of the 21 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the state on Friday. Since the outbreak of the pandemic on March 31 in the state, two persons have died of the infection while one COVID-19 patient died due to underlying health condition after testing negative.




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Teenager raped by two men who recorded act, blackmailed her

A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two men here who made a video of the act and then blackmailed her for about an year, police said on Saturday. A case was registered against the two men, Circle Officer Aalok Mishra said. "On a complaint lodged by the girl that she has been raped by two youths, who also made a video clip and blackmailed her for almost an year. Police on Friday registered a case," he said. The girl has been sent for medical examination at a government hospital, he said. The CO also said that the two accused are absconding and efforts are on to nab them.




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No proposal on record so far to run 'Shramik Special' trains to West Bengal: Railway officials

In a slugfest over the transportation of stranded migrants to West Bengal, railway officials on Saturday said there was no proposal on record so far with the national transporter to run any more 'Shramik Special' trains to the state. The Indian Railways reaction came minutes after the TMC said they have already planned to run eight trains to ferry migrants from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Telangana. The railway said they did not even have the proposal yet for the train, which the TMC claimed has been scheduled from Hyderabad to Malda on Saturday at 3 pm. The Indian Railways has so far run only two trains to West Bengal, one from Rajasthan and the other from Kerala. According to the guidelines issued by the railways for these trains, the proposal has to be received from both the states along with the number of passengers for these trains to run. The officials said the railways has 47 planned for Saturday so far, none of them were bound for West Bengal. The TMC on Saturday accused




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Reconsider home delivery of liquor, wives of Cong leaders urge Punjab CM

Fearing a surge in cases of domestic violence, wives of two Punjab Congress leaders, including a cabinet minister, have urged Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to reconsider his government's decision of allowing home delivery of liquor. The state government had allowed the home delivery of liquor during the third phase of the coronavirus lockdown from Thursday. Though there is no provision for it in the Punjab Excise Act, 1914 and the excise rules, the decision was taken to ensure social distancing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh too on Thursday had said that the opening of liquor shops will lead to an increase in domestic violence. Expressive reservations about the decision, Mamta Ashu, a Ludhaina councillor and wife of Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, on Saturday said the fight against drugs was an election promise of the Congress due to which the decision needed a rethink. It might lead to increase in cases of




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62-yr-old becomes second COVID-19 fatality in UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar

A 62-year-old man died due to coronavirus in Noida, becoming the second COVID-19 fatality in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district, officials said on Saturday. The resident of Sector 66 was among the two people who tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the officials said. "He expired yesterday (Friday) evening. The cause of the death was cardio-respiratory failure, District Surveillance Officer Sunil Dohare said in a statement. The other person who tested positive for COVID-19 is a 52-year-old man residing in Sector 45's Khajoor Colony, the officer said. "Total 100 reports have been received in the last 24 hours of which two were positive and the rest negative for COVID-19. The cumulative positive cases of coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar are now 216," Dohare said. A 60-year-old man from Sector 22 died on Friday due to respiratory failure, becoming the first COVID-19 casualty in Gautam Buddh Nagar, officials had said.




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Active COVID-19 cases rise to 1,800 in UP; Recovery rate 43 per cent: Official

The number of active cases of coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh went up to 1,800 on Saturday, while nearly 1,400 people have been discharged so far, a senior official said. Principal Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad said the national recovery percentage was 30 per cent but the figure was 43 per cent in Uttar Pradesh. "It is a matter of satisfaction that people are recovering and returning home," he said. The number of active infection cases is 1,800 as against 1,761 on Friday, while the number of people who have fully recovered has risen from 1,387 to 1,399, the official said. Prasad stressed that community surveillance will play an important role in coming days with the return of tens of thousands of migrants. There was a need for the 'gram nigrani samitis' in rural areas and 'mohalla nigrani samitis' in urban areas to work strictly, he said. "All those returning (to the state) are being kept in 21 days' home quarantine and those returning from abroad are also being put in quarantine.




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224 new COVID-19 cases recorded in Delhi, total tally 6,542

With 224 new instances of the novel coronavirus infection, the total number of cases reported in the national capital climbed to 6,542, the Delhi government said on Saturday. The fresh cases were reported between 4 pm to midnight of May 8. No fresh death due to the virus was reported in this period. Delhi has so far reported 68 deaths. Of the total cases reported in the city, 4,454 are active while 2,020 patients have been cured of the disease, the health bulletin stated.




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62-yr-old man becomes second COVID-19 fatality in UP's Gautam Buddh Nagar

A 62-year-old man died due to coronavirus in Noida, becoming the second COVID-19 fatality in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district, officials said on Saturday. The man, a resident of sector 66, died on Friday but the report of his COVID test came out as positive on Saturday, they said. "He expired yesterday (Friday) evening. The cause of the death was cardio-respiratory failure," District Surveillance Officer Sunil Dohare said in a statement. Another person who tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday is a 52-year-old man residing in sector 45's Khajoor Colony, the officer said. "Total 100 reports have been received in the last 24 hours of which two were positive and the rest negative for COVID-19. The cumulative positive cases of coronavirus in Gautam Buddh Nagar are now 216," Dohare said. On the brighter side, two patients were discharged after recovering from the disease on Saturday, according to the statement. The two men, aged 23 and 40, were undergoing treatment at the ...




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Mizoram becomes coronavirus-free with recovery of lone patient

Mizoram became coronavirus-free with the discharge of the lone COVID-19 patient from a hospital on Saturday, officials said. It now shares a similar status with four other northeastern states -- Manipur, Sikkim, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Mizoram Health Minister Dr R Lalthangliana said the state's lone COVID-19 patient, a pastor, was discharged from Zoram Medical College (ZMC) on Saturday afternoon after 45 days of intense treatment. He was discharged from the hospital after four consecutive tests turned negative, the minister said. The pastor, who is in his early 50s and working under the Baptist Church of Mizoram, returned to the state from Amsterdam on March 16. He was pursuing higher study in theology in the Netherlands capital. He tested positive for novel coronavirus on March 24 and was admitted at ZMC along with his wife and two children. The pastor's wife and children were discharged from the medical college on March 28 after they tested negative for COVID-19. The state ..




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Why Fully Recovering From Coronavirus Might Take Longer Than Expected

Understanding how the body clears the new coronavirus is becoming more important as the U.S. begins to reopen. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez explains how the body fights infection and why feeling better doesn’t equal being virus-free. Photo illustration: Laura Kammermann




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Coronavirus Update: Record Job Losses, California to Reopen

April’s jobs report shows record-high job losses and unemployment, low-risk businesses in California reopen for curbside pickup today, and testing will increase at the White House. WSJ’s Jason Bellini has the latest on the pandemic. Photo: John Locher/Associated Press




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April’s Record-Setting Jobs Report, Explained

The Labor Department’s survey taken in April shows record job losses for the U.S. WSJ explains the context behind the historic numbers Photo: Justin Lane/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK




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Recognition for Bhopal campaigners


Rashida Bee and Champa Devi are the winners of the prestigious Goldman Prize this year. Tarun Jain reports on a definite filip for the campaign to hold Dow Chemicals accountable for the 1984 Union Carbide gas tragedy in Bhopal.




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Coastal sand mining push despite eco-risks


On 7 June, the Kerala government-constituted K John Mathew Commission greenlighted mineral sand mining on a narrow strip of beach and the adjacent sea basin in Alapuzha district. M Suchitra and P N Venugopal note that the report has irked the local communities as well as environmentalists.




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India becoming a GM-trashbin?


Devinder Sharma on the recent approval given in India for commercial growth of another Bt cotton variety.




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GEAC's poor record of regulation


How does one countenance a regulator that does not adhere to the law of the land and is also unable to protect the interest of one group against another? The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee, says Bhaskar Goswami, itself needs to be regulated to ensure it plays a balanced role.




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Recognising the human right to water


For millions of people, the law does not explicitly direct that they are entitled to safe water. A United Nations resolution passed in July this year is about to change that. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.




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Reviving the Ganga, at the cost of its ecology!


The Rs 6300-crore plans for development of the Ganga waterway from Allahabad to Haldia should be undertaken only after meticulous examination of its impact on various elements of river ecology. Debadityo Sinha explains why.




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Concrete riverfronts or ecological rejuvenation?


A two-day dialogue on urban rivers held in Pune focused on the plight of urban rivers. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports and presents his views.




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Can Mumbai become a global city?


A recent consultation between global and local urbanisation experts and bureaucrats focussed on securing Mumbai’s position in the map of ‘Globally Fluent Cities,’ as envisaged by an international initiative. Darryl D’Monte draws attention to a few critical issues that should be included in such deliberation.




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Is Europe staring at a second Renaissance?


Across Europe, as economies find themselves tottering in the face of deepening financial and social crises, various alternative initiatives are gaining ground, providing hope for a different future.  Ashish Kothari writes on some of these.




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Hunger persists, attendance record patchy


Without a serious commitment from the government, and plagued by operational difficulties in managing its sheer size, the plan to improve school attendance through the provision of lunches for students has gone awry in Uttar Pradesh. Puja Awasthi reports.




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Women lead the way in eco-conservation


Women in the Sunderbans region of West Bengal are setting a trend in climate change mitigation through projects under the "Common Property Resource" initiative, and carving new frontiers in livelihood security in the process. Ajitha Menon reports.




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World Economy: Rough Road Ahead

WSJ's Sudeep Reddy checks in on Mean Street with the World Bank's dim outlook for global economic stability over the next several years. Photo: Getty Images.




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White House Outlines Three Phases to Restart Economy

President Trump outlined new federal guidelines on April 17 to reopen the country, saying governors should take a "phased and deliberate approach" to restart their state economies. Photo: William Volcov/Zuma Press




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'Rahul could become a desirable leader'

'I feel Rahul Gandhi's emerging influence may do good to the Congress.' Political analyst Cho Ramaswamy on the post-election scenario.




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Nuclear safety: A poor record


Although as yet in India, there has not been a severe accident leading to core meltdown or large radiation exposures to the public, on measures of occupational exposure to workers, and compliance with standards for accident prevention, Indian nuclear plants perform poorly, writes Ashwin Kumar.




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Decoding the red alert on green NGOs


The accusations of the Intelligence Bureau against foreign environmental NGOs appear hollow and misguided when one looks at the direction and substance of their work in India so far. Darryl D’Monte urges the government to refrain from stifling the expression of dissent by these NGOs.




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Decommissioning the diaper


L S Aravinda points out that many Indian children are better off because their parents prefer natural infant hygiene, but warns of an increasing number being swayed by 'the convenience' of diapers.




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Tsunami, mangroves and market economy


The Tsunami of 26 December did not invade several coastlines to the degree it did many others because of mangroves and coral reefs. Mangroves offer double protection, but India has seen their rampant cutting down in favour of tourism and shrimp farming, says Devinder Sharma.




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The knowledge economy and the knowledge society


The reasons for the decline of Indian academia are more complex than just the influence of IT, however significant that might be, writes Rajesh Kasturirangan.




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Rescuing the coconut economy


A community-based microcredit programme attempts to revive the economy of coastal Kerala's villages. Prathapan B reports.




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The shadow economy


Solutions to crises in the informal economy should encourage entrepreneurship, but also recognise that a large portion of the shadow economy is downgraded labour.




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Tripura taps the rubber economy


A persistent push to develop large-scale rubber plantations as a livelihood alternative to slash-and-burn cultivation by tribals has resulted in a major economic upswing in Tripura. With market prices for rubber well above sustenance levels, the future looks bright too. Ratna Bharali Talukdar reports.




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Irreconcilable differences : The Right-Left Divide in Economics


The recent clash between two eminent economists of our times, Amartya Sen and Jagadish Bhagwati, appears to be centred around the Food Security Bill. Shankar Jaganathan provides a historical context to show why their contradictions extend far beyond any isolated issue to a clash between two schools of the discipline itself.




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Should there be a Nobel for economists?


Winner of the 2013 Economics Nobel, Robert J Shiller adds the latest perspective to a long-standing, heated debate on whether Economics can be called a science at all, and if it merits the prestigious award. Shankar Jaganathan recounts the many points of view on the subject.




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At Kandla, no room for marine ecosystem


The agreement between the Kandla Port Trust in Gujarat and the Adani Port & Special Economic Zone Ltd appears set to be passed without the kind of environment impact assessment mandated for an eco-sensitive zone such as this. Kanchi Kohli reports.




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Is RE becoming too much of a good thing?


As the share of renewable energy rises, it brings with it new challenges. Going forward, the management of surplus power will be critical, says a new report from the Brookings Institute.




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The road to a green economy


Is India likely to hit the ambitious targets set for the growth of renewable power generation? A compilation of data from different sources by the Prayas Energy Group shows what's working well and where greater efforts are needed.




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Pause the mineral economy


Let the mineral wealth of Central India remain untapped until the people there acquire the capacity to negotiate the terms for its use and benefit directly from doing so, writes Firdaus Ahmed.




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China policy: Will economics trump the military stance?


The Indian army’s evolving China strategy, leading to its preparedness for an offensive on that front, seems to have undergone a bit of dilution, as evident in North Block posturing. Is it merely a run-up to Modi’s China visit or is there more to it? Firdaus Ahmed explores.