In view of the financial hit the state is likely to take owing to the pandemic, the state government has taken several austerity measures.

New schemes, construction, purchases by the state have been barred while new jobs will not be created. Employees will not be transferred and promoted this financial year.

A resolution issued by the chief secretary on Monday said that the current schemes will have to run on 33 per cent grant instead of 100 per cent. Health, medical education, relief and rehabilitation, food and civil supplies departments will get priority in state funding.

'Review schemes'
The departments have been asked to review current schemes and work on them with a limited budget.

However, there will be no cut in essential spendings like salaries and pension payments.

Pending bills to be paid
Buying gizmos, furniture and hiring offices have not been allowed. The expenses on event management have been curtailed. The pending bills will be paid using whatever the finances are available.

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Zyada se zyada kya hoga? Mar hi jaunga na chalte chalte? (What's the worse that could happen? I'll die, right?) These disturbing words of a physically challenged migrant walking home to UP from Thane sum up the mood of hundreds like him trudging home. With no clarity from the government, the migrants continue to risk their lives on highways.

Hundreds of the migrant workers continue to walk to Uttar Pradesh and even Nagpur. As it is difficult to walk in the scorching heat, most rest during the day and walk at nights on highways. They poured their hearts out to mid-day.

A majority of the migrants work as labourers on at under-construction sites in MMR. They said they were leaving Mumbai as they had no access to food and essential items at their workplaces. At least 1,000 men, women and children were seen walking along the Mumbai-Agra highway between the Thane-Kalyan junctions.

Most of the migrants will walk over 1,600 km to UP. Pic/Ranjeet Jadhav

'Procedure not explained'
Some people expressed anger against the state and Central governments, alleging they were not taking the plight of migrants seriously, and this was happening because the authorities on the local level weren't cooperative. They alleged that local authorities were not explaining relevant procedures. Many have filled forms, taken medical certificates and got these and other papers stamped by the police to board the transport provided but say they are not being clearly told what is next.

Kisan Pawar who is heading back to his village near Nagpur with his wife, daughter and son, said they barely have any money left. "Staying in Thane with no job or money will be more burdening. So we started on the 800-km-long journey on foot," said Pawar. At night they rested at Kalyan phata for few hours. Most migrants have been resting or sleeping on the side of the highway.

Rajesh Pawar, 28, a resident of Gondia district in Maharashtra worked as a labourer at a construction site in Thane. Since work stopped and he has no money left, he and his wife have started walking with their two-year-old daughter. An emotional Rajesh said, "I pray that such difficult times don't befall anyone. No one really cares about the poor and that's why we have no other option but to walk. We don't even have money to buy tickets and food. We hope to reach our village because the safety of my daughter is very important."

'I would have died anyway'
A man with a deformed foot who did not wish to be named, will be walking over 1,600 km to reach his village in UP. "Aise bhi mar jaate kyon ki khaane ke liye kuch nahi hai. Us se behtar hai jahan tak chal saku wahan tak jaun, is umeed se ke ghar pohochunga. Jyada se jyada kya hoga? Mar hi jaunga na chalte chalte? (I would have died anyway because I wasn't getting any food. It's better that I walk as far as I can in the hope that I will reach home. What's the worst that could happen? I'll die, right?)," he said.

Suhel Ahmed and Irshad Khan who worked at a construction site in Thane, had approached local authorities to know about the procedure to go back home. But they claimed they weren't given clarity about when they would be allowed to go back, so they left for Uttar Pradesh on foot.

'No co-ordination'
Irshad Khan told mid-day, "We waited in Thane all this time because the government had told us it would make arrangements at the right time for migrants to go home. But there seems to be lack of coordination between the Centre and state. For the past two days, we ran from pillar to post getting medical certificates and filling forms but there was no clarity on what next. We have a few hundred rupees and before that too gets over, we want to reach home. God knows when we will reach."

The chairperson of an NGO says the government must instill confidence in migrants. Jalpesh Mehta, chairperson, Empower Foundation, said, "Walking on the highway for kilometres is a risky affair and may also see migrants die due to hunger or exertion and not because of COVID-19. We have worked with government authorities and police in Maharashtra and Gujarat to provide food to the migrants and the support on the ground from authorities has been excellent. The living conditions of the migrants and support from their employers is indeed very poor, but the need of the hour is instillation of confidence in the migrants by the government on the ground that they will be taken care of and there are planned exits — trains and buses to help them reach back home safely."

1,000
No. of people seen walking along Mumbai-Agra highway

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The Maharashtra government collected more than Rs 62 crore revenue in two days of liquor sale after relaxations in COVID-19 lockdown were announced, said a senior official on Tuesday. The amount was collected by the excise department by Tuesday night with just one third of the total number of liquor shops in the state remaining open, he said. An estimated 16.10 lakh litres of bottled IMFL, beer, wines and country liquor were sold, he said.

The state has over 10,000 licensed shops that sell country liquor, IMFL, wine and beer of which merely 3,500 operated on Monday and Tuesday, he said. The long queues of tipplers outside liquor outlets led to the excise department recording an estimated revenue of Rs 62.55 crore by Tuesday night, he said. Of this, Rs 11 crore was collected on Monday, the day one of liquor sale, the official said. Following relaxations in lockdown norms, long queues of tipplers were seen outside standalone liquor shops on Monday in various parts of Maharashtra though authorities in some districts decided not to permit alcohol sale.

All liquor shops were closed ever since a national lockdown was imposed across the country on March 25 to halt the spread of coronavirus. The lockdown was extended till May 17, but standalone liquor shops were permitted to operate as part of relaxations by the state government. There are 10,822 license holders in the state of which 3,543 opened for business. The long queues outside every shop have now reflected in states coffers with the sale of an estimated 16.10 lakh litres of bottled IMFL, beer, wines and country liquor.

"The estimated earnings from the sale stood at Rs 62.55 crore, said Kantilal Umap, state excise commissioner. There are 17 districts (out of total 36) in Maharashtra where liquor shops remained open. Collectors in nine districts have decided not to permit opening of liquor shops to avoid the spread of the coronavirus infection. Two districts - Osmanabad and Latur - had opened shops but due to crowding, the authorities immediately ordered their closure.

There are five other districts where liquor shops were not opened but the authorities are working out a plan to allow them to operate in the coming days. Maharashtra has three dry districts - Wardha, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.

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The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided to ply about 10,000 buses to ferry stranded people from one district to another within the state amidst the ongoing coronavirus-induced lockdown. "After the announcement of lockdown was made (on March 24), several people got stuck at distant locations from their homes. The government has now decided to ply 10,000 buses of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for free to drop them to their native places," State Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said.

He said various procedural details and standard operating procedure will be put out in the next couple of days. The government had announced some relaxations during the third phase of the lockdown, which will remain in force till May 17.

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Around 50 students from hostels run by the Social Welfare Department in Mumbai's Worli area have requested the state government to let them go home amid the lockdown.

While the department has ensured that these students are provided with food, a majority of them hail from rural Maharashtra and are scared due to the increasing number of COVID-19 patients in Mumbai — particularly in Worli.

There are three Social Welfare Department-run hostels in Worli's BDD Chawls — building number 116 and 118. While the hostel in building 118 is a boy's hostel, building number 116 has both boys and girls.

Ashok Bansode, resident student

Ashok Bansode, an engineering student who hails from Akkalkot in Solapur said, "Initially, we were getting proper food. But as the cases kept rising in Worli area, restrictions came in place and now we are just being served dal and rice every day. We are also wondering whether or not the department will take responsibility for us."

The hostel management asked the students to get their medical check-ups done before seeking permission to travel home. But considering their financial conditions, nobody has money to arrange for private transportation.

"The way arrangements were done for students in Kota, we should also be given such help. We cannot arrange for our own transportation," Bansode added.

Suraj Kamble, another resident student said, "We should be taken home directly where we can remain in home quarantine. But if we are sent to any institutional quarantine or told to travel through railways, that can put us in danger of contracting the virus. All the Kota students are in home quarantine currently,"

Sachin Bansode, member of Chhatrabharati — a students' organisation which is helping these stranded students to go back home — said, "These students too have the right to go back home. Many of them are from rural parts of Maharashtra and don't have funds to head home on their own. We are in the process of understanding how they can be helped without compromising on safety."

Three
Total no. of Social Welfare Department hostels in BDD chawl

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The Maharashtra government on Friday announced a compensation of Rs 500,000 to the next of kin of all the migrants who were run over by a goods train near Aurangabad. Expressing deep anguish over the incident which killed 16 migrants, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that all the expenses for the treatment of all those injured in the mishap will be borne by the state government. "We are in constant touch with the Centre to make arrangements for running as many trains as possible for the migrants to return to their homes. I appeal to them not to give up hopes," Thackeray urged.

The Chief Minister said that the victims were working for a steel company in Jalna and were proceeding along the railway lines, apparently to their homes in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. At night they slept on the railway tracks but early Friday a goods train ran over them, killing 16 and injuring many others.

Thackeray said in the past 4-5 days around 100,000 migrants have reached home safely and more trains are being organized, including from Mumbai, to send the other stranded workers to their respective states.

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The state government on Friday directed schools across the state against introducing any fee hike this academic year in view of the crisis. It also asked schools to provide parents with options of instalments to pay the tuition fees and offer online payment services.

The Maharashtra state government's school education department on Friday issued the Government Resolution (GR) in this regard.

"For the academic year 2020-21, schools should not hike fees. If certain services at the school which are currently not offered and are, therefore, reducing the school's expenses, the management must try to reduce the fees. Considering parents' convenience, schools should offer different instalment options to pay the fees instead of asking for a complete annual fee at once. They must also offer online payment services for parents," states the GR which also mentions that this step was taken after receiving several complaints regarding schools forcing parents to pay complete fees at once.

Parents hail move

While the government had earlier suggested instalments for school fees, some schools had offered such options or even reduced fees in some cases. But the decision lacked uniformity and hence the GR was issued.

Anubha Sahai, president of Indiawide Parents' Association, said, "It is an excellent decision by the state government. It clearly states that no school shall force any parent to pay full fees during the lockdown."

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India wrestler Pooja Dhanda, 26, has battled quite a few injuries in her career so far and knows how tough it is, especially for young wrestlers, to cope with the financial strain. That's the reason she wants the government to take care of budding grapplers during their injury phase.

"If a top-level athlete gets injured, he or she has sponsors to help in the comeback. However, it is very difficult for junior wrestlers to manage injuries without the support of sponsors. I feel the government should step in to help such youngsters needing treatment and rehab facilities. After all, these are your potential medal-winners in the future," says Dhanda, who won a bronze medal [57kg freestyle] at the prestigious World Championships in Budapest in 2018.

Tough times

Dhanda recalled suffering a knee ligament injury during training in Lucknow in 2015 and struggling with treatment for the next two years. "Currently I'm sponsored by JSW, but back then I had no financial support whatsoever. Those two years were tough. I got the knee surgery [by Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala] and subsequent rehabilitation [under physiotherapist Dr Ashish [Kaushik] done in Mumbai and it was difficult for my family to manage the frequent to and fro travel costs," revealed Dhanda, a silver medallist (60kg freestyle) at the Youth Olympics Games in Singapore in 2010.

"Generally, it's the middle-class or lower middle-class kids, who take to sports like wrestling, kabaddi and boxing. They are not financially well off, so any injury needing expensive treatment can end promising careers. I feel, at least cadet or junior level medal-winners should get government support in these situations," added Dhanda, who was again laid low by injury in 2019 and had given up on the 2020 Tokyo Games before it got postponed to 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Online learning

In lockdown at home in Hisar, Haryana she is currently taking online lessons from women's national coach Andrew Cook of USA. "He [Cook] shares videos of the top wrestlers and we discuss technique and strategy accordingly. My aim is to not just qualify for Tokyo 2021 but to also win a medal there," said Dhanda, who bagged silver at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018.

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President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte revealed during his recent State of the Nation address that tobacco firm Mighty Corporation had agreed to settle three cases of tax evasion with the Filipino government.

On Wednesday the nation woke up to Ramayan’s favourite Sita, Dipika Chiklia being quoted in a Hindi daily, “अगर मोदी सरकार को लगता है क‍ि 'रामायण' ने संस्‍कृति में योगदान द‍िया है तो हमें पद्म सम्मान से सम्‍मानित करें (if the Modi government feels that Ramayan has contributed to India culture then we should be honoured with the Padma award).”

On hearing this statement, there was a widespread hue and cry among the fans and well-wishers of the serial. A Union Minister on oath of anonymity observed, “I’ve never heard of an artiste lobbying for his or her own Padma award. Let the Government decide whom it wants to honour.”

In a startling twist to the controversy Dipika completely denied having lobbied for her own Padma. “I never said that I should be given the Padma award. People are twisting my words. The topic (of getting the Padma award) never came to me. It was directed at Arun Govil only. I was asked about the royalty from the latest telecast of Ramayan. And yes, I did say we should get royalty. It was Arunji who spoke about the Padma awards, and that too because he was asked about it,” says Dipika in an exclusive chat with me.

Also Read: World’s favourite television series, Ramayan, launches on StarPlus!

As celebrities are doing everything they can to help those in need, it’s been revealed that actor Farhan Akhtar recently donated 1,000 PPE kits to government hospitals to help the frontliners who have been working in the fight against the novel COVID-19.

Sharing a video on Instagram, Farhan urged everyone to donate as many PPE kits as they can. He captioned the video as, “Help our Covid 19 warriors. It is critical that we provide PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits to our healthcare workers for their protection in this #WarAgainstCovid19. I am personally donating 1000 PPE kits and have partnered with @tring.india to raise funds for more PPE kits which are in immediate need across India for our doctors and medical staff.”

He further said, “For your contribution, I will send a personal ‘thank you’ video message recognising your generosity. This video will be in permanent memory with you. Some of you will even get to interact with me over a live video chat. Log onto www.tring.co.in and go to my profile to donate. Let's all join the #WarAgainstCovid19 and #UniteForHumanity.”

 

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It is critical that we provide PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits to our healthcare workers for their protection in this #WarAgainstCovid19. I am personally donating 1000 PPE kits and have partnered with @tring.india to raise funds for more PPE kits which are in immediate need across India for our doctors and medical staff. For your contribution, I will send a personal ‘thank you’ video message recognising your generosity. This video will be in permanent memory with you. Some of you will even get to interact with me over a live video chat. Log onto www.tring.co.in and go to my profile to donate. Let's all join the #WarAgainstCovid19 and #UniteForHumanity #StaySafe #StayHome #JustTringIt #IndiaFightsCorona

A post shared by Farhan Akhtar (@faroutakhtar) on May 7, 2020 at 4:32am PDT

Farhan Akhtar, recently, participated in the mega digital concert I For India. It was a fundraiser hosted by his sister Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar in order to raise funds for Covid-19 relief.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Shankar Mahadevan recreates Dil Chahta Hai featuring Aamir Khan and Farhan Akhtar

As many as 918 COVID-19 cases and 34 deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of such cases to 8,447 in the country, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday, while asserting that the government is "extra prepared" if there is an exponential rise in the number of coronavirus patients.

Addressing a press briefing, Health Ministry's Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said the government is expanding the COVID-19 testing capacity in state-run as well as private medical colleges. "The total number of COVID-19 cases has risen to 8,447. A total of 918 new cases and 34 deaths have been reported since Saturday. The good news is that 716 people have recovered and have been discharged so far. Seventy-four people have been cured since Saturday. The government is extra prepared if the number of cases rises exponentially," he said.

"We are working on an urgent basis to expand the capacity for COVID-19 testing in government and private medical colleges across the country. Fourteen mentor institutes, including the AIIMS and NIMHANS, have been identified to mentor the medical colleges and expand the coronavirus testing capacity," Agarwal added.

According to ICMR officials, a total of 1,86,906 samples have so far been tested across the country, of which 7,953 have been found positive for COVID-19. "In the last five days, on an average, 15,747 samples were tested per day and 584 of those were found to be positive per day," an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) official said at the press briefing. Responding to a question about development of vaccines, he said, "There are 40 plus candidate vaccines that are under development but none of them has reached the next stage."

Relief distribution pictures banned

District magistrate, Srinagar, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary has banned circulation of photos and videos showing distribution of relief on social media sites.

'Bengal not fighting a communal virus'

The Centre and the West Bengal government on Saturday pressed a confrontationist button over the Union Home Ministry writing to the state chief secretary and the director general of police seeking action against the 'dilution' of lockdown measures in the state, and over permission for religious gatherings given by the state cops. Hitting back, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hinted that the Centre had a communal stand and said her government was now busy fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and not any "communal virus".

AP govt introduces apps for food delivery

The Arunachal Pradesh government has introduced various Apps including 'U Tell Us' and 'Dukan Dada' to ensure essentials reach at the doorsteps of the people, officials said on Sunday. Besides the AP government, other state governments of the northeastern region have taken some fresh measures to maintain supply of essentials for effective enforcement of the lockdown.

No food, woman throws kids in river

In a shocking incident on Sunday, a woman threw her five children into the Ganga river in Jeghangirabad in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi district. As soon as the police were informed, senior officers reached the spot and divers were pressed into service to locate the kids. The woman has been arrested. Sources, meanwhile, said that the woman had earlier said that she and her children were not getting food in the lockdown.

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People were seen lining up outside liquor stores in huge numbers here on Monday after the Assam government permitted retail stores to remain open for seven hours and sell liquor. While standing in queue, the people were seen adhering to the norms of social distancing -- as advised by the health ministry and experts. They were also seen carrying bags in an attempt to stock up the liquor in their houses.

Assam: People line up outside a liquor shop in Dibrugarh as government permits sale of liquor between 10 AM & 5 PM during #CoronavirusLockdown. pic.twitter.com/d8HhAYJa5G

— ANI (@ANI) April 13, 2020

The shopkeepers also maintained social distancing in the stores as the staff strength was down to a bare minimum. On Sunday, the Assam government permitted retail liquor outlets in the state to open for seven hours daily from April 13.

An official notification stated that all liquor shops shall remain open from 10 am to 5 pm on the permitted days and follow social distancing. Along with the liquor shops, wholesale warehouses, bottling plants, distilleries and breweries have also been allowed to operate from Monday.

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The Maharashtra government has taken serious note of complaints, alleging illegal collection of relief funds in the name of Covid-19 pandemic by certain organisations, according to officials here on Wednesday.

Following a specific complaint to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta asked the Home Department to take necessary action, said lawyer Vinod Tiwari, the complainant.

In his representation, the lawyer presented several social media posts and calls seeking funds for providing coronavirus relief.

"Most of these are solicited by registered or unregistered organisations, certain political parties, some media, individuals or entities without any credential checks by the authorities, like the Collector. This is in violation of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Section 53/54 and also the Income-Tax Act rules," Tiwari told IANS.

He said such collections were nothing but 'unjust enrichment' by some elements out to exploit the Covid-19 pandemic, as there were no accounts available of how much was collected or spent, and for what purposes.

"Besides, this is directly hampering the official fund-raising drive by the Chief Minister Relief Fund-Covid-19 or the PM-CARES Funds, which should be the only such means as accountable and permissible," Tiwari said.

He said similar shady fund collection drives were on all over the country, which must be immediately stopped and be acted against in the public interest.

Seeking the government intervention, he demanded seizure of all the illicit amounts collected by such entities, sealing their bank accounts and transferring the funds to the official PM-CARES Fund or the CMRF-Covid-19, besides initiation of criminal action against all them.

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Containment operations will be scaled down if no secondary positive case of COVID-19 is reported from a quarantine zone for at least four weeks after the last confirmed test has been isolated and all his contacts have been followed up for 28 days, the Union Health Ministry said. According to the ministry's 'Updated containment plan for large outbreaks COVID-19', a containment operation (large outbreak or cluster) is deemed to be over 28 days from the date the last case in that zone tests negative.

The closing of the surveillance for the clusters could be independent of one another provided there is no geographic continuity between clusters. However, the surveillance will continue for severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-like illness (ILI). States shall ensure that all required steps are taken to contain clusters within the large outbreak and chain of transmission is broken, it said.

The document stated that in India also, clusters and large outbreaks have been noted in parts of the country and unless they are contained in time, the risk of further spread remains very high. Large number of cases has been reported from Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The Centre has declared 170 hotspots — 123 hotspot districts with large outbreaks and 47 hotspot districts with clusters. Besides, it has identified 207 non-hotspot districts with clusters. In a bid to utilise the extended lockdown period to the maximum extent to contain the spread of Coronavirus, states have been asked by the ministry to classify districts witnessing higher number of cases or high growth rate as hotspots, districts where some cases have been found as non-hotspots, and those which have reported no cases as green zones.

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The government on Sunday prohibited e-commerce platforms from selling non-essential items during the lockdown, four days after allowing the companies to sell mobile phones, refrigerators and ready-made garments. Union Home Secretary, Ajay Bhalla issued an order excluding the non-essential items from the cart of e-commerce companies.

The order said the following clause — "e-commerce companies. Vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions" — is excluded from the guidelines. Asked why the government made a U-turn on the matter, Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry, Punya Salila Srivastava said the COVID-19 situation has been very dynamic and the government is taking decisions on a day-to-day basis. When the government has realised that allowing non-essential commodities to sell through e-commerce platforms may affect the proper implementation of the lockdown, the decision was reviewed and reversed, she said at a daily joint briefing on the COVID-19 outbreak. The April 15 order had said e-commerce platforms were allowed to sell such items from April 20.

The reason for reversing the order was not known immediately, but there was a talk of some retail traders mounting pressure on the government that local shops be also allowed to sell non-essentials items, like e-commerce giants. e-commerce platforms, however, are allowed to sell essential commodities such as food, pharmaceutical and medical devices. The previous order said, "Supply of essential goods is allowed, as under: All facilities in the supply chain of essential goods, whether involved in manufacturing, wholesale or retail of such goods through local stores, large brick and mortar stores or e-commerce companies should be allowed to operate, ensuring strict social distancing without any restriction on their timing of opening and closure." A day later, Home Ministry officials said electronic items such as mobile phones, TVs, refrigerators, laptop computers, ready-made garments, stationery items for schoolchildren would be available on the e-commerce platforms from April 20.

Coronavirus maintains its grip on India

Thermal screening of security personnel being conducted as they stand guard on a street in Bhopal, on Sunday. Pic/PTI

. There is no proposal for reduction of pension and no action is being contemplated by the government in this respect, the Centre said on Sunday. The assertion assumes significance as rumours are afloat that the government is contemplating reduction or stoppage of pension.

. The Uttar Pradesh government has removed a second chief medical officer in Gautam Buddh Nagar, a hotspot of Coronavirus, within a fortnight, the health department said. A P Chaturvedi was shunted out late on Saturday and D K Ohri, the principal of Agra's Regional Family Planning Training Centre, was appointed the additional CMO, the department said in an order.

. A one-and-a-half-month-old baby has died of Coronavirus infection at a hospital in Delhi, officials said on Sunday, in perhaps the first fatality of an infant due to COVID-19 in the national capital. The baby died at Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital attached to the Centre-run Lady Hardinge Medical College.

. SpiceJet has decided to send employees earning more than '50,000 per month on leave without pay on a rotational basis, sources said on Sunday amid flight services remaining suspended till May 3. This arrangement would be in place for three months, they added. The sources also told PTI that the salary for April is likely to be paid to staff for the days they were on duty.

. As COVID-19 continues its depredation across India and the world, a major row has erupted in West Bengal, with many in the medical fraternity and Opposition parties claiming the state is reporting fewer cases as only a minuscule proportion of the population is getting tested for the inscrutable enemy.

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The Centre on Monday said that around 50 journalists testing positive for COVID-19 in Mumbai is very unfortunate.

"Journalists testing positive for COVID-19 is very unfortunate news. When you (journalists) attend your call of duty, kindly take the required precautions, follow the norms of social distancing and wear face masks," Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare said at a daily briefing here.

#WATCH Journalists testing positive for #COVID19 is very unfortunate news. When you (journalists) attend your call of duty, kindly take the required precautions, follow the norms of social distancing & wear face masks: Lav Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/0Xu9vP9xLw

— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2020

This comes as 53 journalists in Mumbai tested positive for COVID-19. All of them are under isolation, according to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. Responding to a question of whether asymptomatic people need to be tested, Agarwal said, "80 per cent cases are asymptomatic and mild symptoms and we can track them. Sampling criteria is very clear that anyone who needs to be tested will be sampled."

"We have been highlighting that there are two criteria of concerns -- areas having a large number of cases, areas having the rate of growth of cases is high and the doubling rate is low," he added. Agarwal stated health officials are ensuring effective intervention so that affected areas do not lead to a large number of cases further.

"We are coordinating with states and district administration and take necessary action. Three teams of the central government have been sent to Maharashtra which is working in Pune, Mumbai and a team co-ordinating between Maharashtra state with central government and district administrations," he said. Agarwal said that India's COVID-19 doubling rate has improved to 7.5 days from 3.4 days before the lockdown was enforced.

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In a significant move, the Union cabinet on Wednesday amended the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1987 through an ordinance in order to ensure safety of health workers at a time when there has been a spate of attacks on them. Any violence against health workers may now bring steep fines and even imprisonments of up to seven years.

#Cabinet approves promulgation of Ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 making such acts of violence as cognizable and non-bailable offences and to provide compensation for injury to healthcare service personnel or for causing damage or loss to the property

— K.S. Dhatwalia (@DG_PIB) April 22, 2020

This move comes hours after Home Minister Amit Shah addressed Nina Medical Association through a video conference, assuring them of safety and urging them to withdraw the symbolic protest scheduled for later this month against incidents of violence on health workers pressed into CVID-19 duty.

From now on, not just such violence is cognizable but also non-bailable offence. Additionally, it has provisions to provide compensation for injury to healthcare service personnel or for causing damage or loss to the property, the government said on Wednesday.

K.S. Dhatwalia, Principal Spokesperson for the government, tweeted: "Ordinance would help protect healthcare service personnel and their living/working premises against violence".

"This actually helps protect the entire health fraternity including doctors, nurses, paramedics up to ASHA workers, " said Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar. The Minister said the amendment was necessitated after incidents of violence were witnessed against them while discharging their crucial duty for the country.

The amendment has ensured that the investigation takes place in a time-bound manner. A special provision is also made in the ordinance in case vehicles or clinics are damaged. In such cases, two times the cost will be recovered from assailants.

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In view of the crisis arising out of COVID-19, government on Thursday decided to freeze payment of additional instalment of dearness allowance (DA) to the Central government employees and dearness relief (DR) to pensioners falling due from January 1, 2020.

The decision comes after the Union Cabinet on March 14 approved a four per cent hike in DA to 21 per cent in a bonanza for 1.13 crore Central government employees and pensioners applicable from January, 2020 costing the exchequer Rs 14,595 crore.

In an office memorandum, department of expenditure, ministry of finance said that additional instalment of DA and DR falling due from July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021 will also not be paid. However, the allowance will continue to be paid at current rates.

The Central government employees will also not get any arrears in any future revision of DA/DR from from July 1, 2021. However, If a decision to revise DA rates is taken for July 1, 2021 period, the rate of allowance as effective from January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020 and January 1, 2021 will be restored prospectively and will be subsumed in the cumulative revised rates effective from July 1, 2021, the office memorandum said.

Though the government did not give an estimate of how much it would save by disallowing DA revision for its employees, a four per cent raise approved by cabinet last month meant additional expenditure of around Rs 15,000 crore. For three half yearly periods, going by this yardstick, would result in savings of close to Rs 45,000 for the Centre.

Any change in DA rates benefits about 48 lakh Central government employees and 65 lakh pensioners. DA is paid by the government to its employees as well as pensioners to offset the impact of inflation.

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New Delhi: An astounding 93.5 per cent people in the country believe that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is handling the coronavirus outbreak effectively, a survey revealed on Thursday.

The central government had imposed a 21-day nation-wide lockdown on March 25, which was later extended till May 3.

According to the IANS-C-voter COVID-19 tracker, the number of people who laid trust on the Modi government on the first day of the lockdown was 76.8 but that has now increased to 93.5 per cent as of April 21.

In the survey, the statement -- "I think the Indian government is handling the coronavirus (outbreak) well" -- was put forth before people between March 16 to April 21 and their answers were sought.

On April 16, 75.8 percent people said that they have faith in the government, but the percentage increased after the stringent curbs were imposed in the country.

Interestingly, an overall confidence in the incumbent government saw a sharp rise on April 1. A 89.9 percent people believed that the government is working well in comparison to March 31, when the percentage was 79.4

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The Indian Newspaper Society, which petitioned PM Modi to grant a two-year tax holiday on media businesses, bump up DAVP advertisement rates and increase government's advertising outlay, has also urged the government to settle outstanding bills that central ministries owe to the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), which in turn pays media organisations for running advertising campaigns for ministries.

Dues totalling more than Rs 350 crore have not been paid to DAVP by various central ministries despite repeated requests by the INS and the Association of Radio Operators of India, which have demanded release of outstanding money for the bleeding print and broadcast sectors.

Industry sources said some pending payments are related to ad campaigns nearly 4-5 years ago. The health ministry, sources said, owes over Rs 61crore to DAVP. The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) echoed INS's demand for a bailout package, requesting the government to allow advertisers to treat advertising money as investments and allow it to spread expenditure incurred in advertising over three years.

AAAI's demands for government intervention comes on the heels of persistent requests by media organisations to the Centre to clear outstanding DAVP dues and announce a bailout package for the industry. AAAI has sought the government's intervention to permit a loaded deduction of 200% on advertising expenditure, a move that is likely to encourage advertisers, both publicly listed and private, to advertise sooner and essay a faster economic recovery. In a letter to the Union government, the AAAI also demanded that the government clear its outstanding bills by way of income tax and GST refunds. To help the industry, AAAI said payments should not be taxed, and directions should be given to banks and advertising sector's debtors to provide cash flow to meet essential expenses.

Demands for relief packages have also been raised by Indian Broadcasting Foundation and News Broadcasters Association. While INS sought removal of 5% customs duty on newsprint, twoyear tax holiday for newspaper establishments, 50% increase in DAVP advertisement rates and 100% increase in budget spend for print media, NBA sought waiver of 18% GST on advertisements, or for it to be lowered to 5% to bring it on par with print media.

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The business of advertising agencies has shrunk by more than 70 per cent following the spread of Covid-19 and the lockdown. In a recommendation to the government, the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), which is the national association of advertising agencies, has proposed that advertising expense be treated as an investment and the cost be amortised over the next three years.

The objective is to encourage a higher level of expenditure by profitable companies, which will in turn accelerate the revival of economic activity. In a letter to Prakash Javadekar, the Union minister of information & broadcasting, AAAI said on a Rs 100 expense, an advertiser be allowed to claim an expenditure of, say, twice that amount (Rs 200), while computing income tax.

The bulk of the agency's costs are fixed in nature, be it salaries, rent, electricity and communication, among others. "The income and cash flow has been in serious stress in the last month and unless there is some intervention, many businesses will either file for bankruptcy or will have to under-size considerably," the note said.

AAAI president Ashish Bhasin, who is also CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Greater South and chairman & CEO of India, told TOI, "Advertising industry is like the lubricant to the economy. And the lubricant for the advertising industry is liquidity. If we can infuse liquidity in advertising by encouraging profitable companies to continue to advertise, it will spur consumer demand, which in turn will kick-start the economy. The positive benefit from an improved consumer demand will far outweigh the offsets we are asking for."

With hotels, airlines and other industries impacted by the lockdown, Bhasin said overall average advertising industry revenues have come down by more than 70%. "We had earlier estimated a growth projection of 11-12% for this calendar year. However, with the current situation, we might just end the year with a degrowth," said Bhasin.

AAAI has requested the government to pay its dues to advertising agencies at the earliest possible. AAAI has also asked for an expedited refund of GST applications within 2-4 weeks.

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Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa requested his Maharashtra counterpart Uddhav Thackeray to release six TMC water from his state's reservoirs to rivers in Karnataka to meet acute drinking water shortage in North Karnataka. Yediyurappa pointed out that the North Karnataka districts, namely Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Kalaburagi, Yadagiri and Raichur are facing acute shortage of drinking water due to onset of summer during early days of March this year.

"I request you to kindly direct the concerned authorities to release 3 TMC of water from Warna/Koyna reservoirs to Krishna river and 3 TMC of water from Ujjaini reservoir to Bhima river on humanitarian grounds for drinking purpose," Yediyurappa said in his letter.

He reminded Thackeray that even in the past the Maharashtra government had released water from its reservoirs to meet the drinking water needs of both human beings and livestock in drought-affected areas of Karnataka.

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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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A day after the protest by hearing-and speech-impaired people turned violent in Pune, the government has assured them that their demands would be met. On Monday, thousands of deaf-mute protesters were badly thrashed by the police as they stood outside the social welfare department office in Pune. They wanted 16 demands to be fulfilled by the government.

On Tuesday, Social Justice Minister Dilip Kamble met the protesters and assured help. Social Justice and Special Assistance Minister Rajkumar Badoley, while addressing the Vidhan Sabha, has also assured that their grievances would be heard.

State Level Association for the Deaf (SLAD) president Pradeep More said, "The government has partially agreed to our demands, of which they have given priority to our secondary and higher secondary schooling for deaf children and also to recruit sign language teachers in such schools and colleges."

Minister Kamble said, "We were working on it and have assured them that their issues will be addressed before the session gets over. A meeting will be organised with members of SLAD and other NGOs under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis." The Pune police administration issued a press release on the lathi-charge on Monday saying they "had to take action to maintain law and order".

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An undersecretary in the state government died on Sunday when his motorcycle collided with a tempo in Pune, the police said on Monday. Suhas Ramrao Chavan, 49, was a resident of Tilaknagar in Chembur (West).

The incident took place on the busy Mantarwadi chowk around 7.45 pm on Sunday in the jurisdiction of Hadapsar police station. Suhas's younger brother Ajay and parents live in Bhosale garden, Hadapsar.

Assistant police inspector Kiran Londe of Hadapsar police station, said, "Suhas had come to Pune to meet his parents and brother. He was on his way to meet a friend after meeting his family and was not wearing a helmet. He tried to overtake a tempo and was crushed under a private bus coming from the opposite side."

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Italy's 20 Serie A clubs have reiterated their unanimous desire to complete the season as the northern Emilia-Romagna region became the first to open the way to training despite government restrictions. An emergency Lega Serie A assembly via video of the top-flight clubs took place after Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora this week said the chances of restarting were "increasingly narrow". League president Paolo Dal Pino stated after the meeting "his openness to a dialogue with the government from a constructive and collaborative perspective, obtaining on this position the full agreement of all the clubs."

Spadafora has warned that the government will call time on the season which has been suspended since March 9 if the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) fails to convince them on its health and safety protocol. An FIGC meeting slated for May 8 could be decisive. Meanwhile, the Emilia-Romagna region on Friday gave permission for local clubs, including top-flight sides Bologna, Parma, SPAL and Sassuolo, to resume training in sports centres from May 4 if they wished to do so.

Emilia-Romagna regional president Stefano Bonaccini has agreed to allow "professional sportspeople to train individually, in compliance with social distancing rules and without any gatherings in closed-door structures." Southern giants Napoli are also planning to return to training as their safety proposals have received the backing of local authorities.

Friday's league meeting also addressed the issue of TV rights, but no resolutions were adopted concerning broadcasters Sky, DAZN and IMG, with a final payment estimated at 340 million euros ($370 million) for the current season, due to be paid in May. FIGC president Gabriele Gravina has said that calling time would be "the death of Italian football", predicting losses of over 800 million euros in TV rights, sponsors, ticketing and marketing.

If the government did decide to pull the plug on the season it would have the support of a country traumatised by over 28,000 coronavirus deaths. According to a recent survey, two out of three Italians would support a stoppage, in particular in the northern epicentre, stronghold of heavyweights Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan and Atalanta.

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England fast bowler Stuart Broad said that the UK government will have a big role to play in dictating the return of cricket in the country post the coronavirus pandemic. Broad however said that he personally does not feel nervous about playing whenever he is needed to.

"Cricket will literally be governed by the government. It's not as though the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) are going to have to be lone wolves and decide when we get back out there," Broad is quoted as saying by Daily Mail.

"The government will give the go-ahead and then us players will have to make sure we are in the physical capability to get match fit. I know how I feel about not seeing live sport and I know how much joy live sports brings me. So the players' responsibility is to make sure we are ready to go at the drop of a hat," he said.

Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero had said that many footballers were nervous to get back to playing because of the threat of the virus. Broad however said that he trusts medical staff fully and is not nervous because of that.

"I know everyone feels very differently about this. Sergio Aguero has been talking about how nervous the players would be. Personally, I wouldn't be," said Broad.

"I have huge faith in our medical team at the ECB. I have known Nick Peirce, the chief medical officer, for a long, long time and I have full faith in what he and his team believe is right for cricket.

"Yes, we all want to see cricket being played whether it is behind closed doors and just on TV or in front of spectators. And I know that the England doctors I've worked with over a long period of time would not cut corners to make it happen.

"So if one of Nick or Gurjit Bhogal, our current England team doctor, rings and tells me 'I think this is a good way to do it,' I will 100 per cent trust what they are saying."

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The UNESCO has said news media should be recognised and supported by all governments as an "essential service" to stop the COVID-19 "disinfodemic" that is putting lives at risk. "There seems to be barely an area left untouched by disinformation in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, ranging from the origin of the coronavirus, through to unproven prevention and 'cures', and encompassing responses by governments, companies, celebrities and others," Guy Berger, Director for Policies and Strategies regarding Communication and Information at the UN educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said in an interview with the UN News.

According to the UN, unreliable and false information is spreading around the world to such an extent that some commentators are now referring to the new avalanche of misinformation that's accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic as a "disinfodemic". Berger said UNESCO is particularly urging governments "not to impose restrictions on freedom of expression that can harm the essential role of an independent press, but to recognise journalism as a power against disinformation even when it publicises verified information and informed opinion that annoys those in power. "There is a strong case to be made that the media deserves to be recognised and supported by governments as an essential service at this time." He stressed that the need of the hour is to improve the supply of truthful information and ensure that the demand is met.

"We are underlining that governments, in order to counter rumours, should be more transparent, and proactively disclose more data, in line with Right to Information laws and policies. Access to information from official sources is very important for credibility in this crisis. "However, this is not a substitute for information supplied by the news media, so we are also intensifying our efforts to persuade authorities to see free and professional journalism as an ally in the fight against disinformation, especially because the news media works openly in the public sphere, whereas much disinformation is under-the-radar, on social messaging apps," Berger said. The UNESCO official also pointed to a more harmful example of disinformation: encouraging the taking of medication, approved for other purposes, but not yet clinically proven as being effective against COVID-19. He said unfortunately some have capitalised on the pandemic, to spread disinformation for the purposes of advancing their own agendas.

"The motives for spreading disinformation are many, and include political aims, self-promotion, and attracting attention as part of a business model. Those who do so, play on emotions, fears, prejudices and ignorance, and claim to bring meaning and certainty to a reality that is complex, challenging and fast-changing," Berger said. He said in a time of "high fears, uncertainties and unknowns", there is "fertile ground for fabrications to flourish and grow". The big risk is that any single falsehood that gains traction can negate the significance of a body of true facts.

"When disinformation is repeated and amplified, including by influential people, the grave danger is that information which is based on truth, ends up having only marginal impact," he said. Berger noted that some people believe, wrongly, that young people or those of African descent are immune (some disinformation has a racist, or xenophobic, tone), and that those in warm climates or countries where summer is on its way, do not need to worry too much. The likely consequence, he said, is complacency, which could fuel more premature deaths. However, not everyone responsible for spreading untruths is doing so maliciously and well-intentioned people are also uncritically circulating dubious content, the UNESCO official said.

"These different motives require different responses, but we should not lose sight of the fact that, irrespective of intention, the effect of sharing falsehoods is to disinform and disempower the public, with deadly potential," he said. UNESCO has underscored that the rights to freedom of expression and access to information are the best remedies to the dangers of disinformation. These rights "enable governments and the public to take evidence-based decisions about reality, and to put in place responses that are founded on both science and human rights values, and which can get us through the pandemic in the best way", Berger said.

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A top UK government scientist, who was behind the country's strategy to impose strict lockdown measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, has resigned after a media report revealed that he broke the rules and allowed a woman he was said to be in a relationship with to visit his home during the lockdown. Professor Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist whose modelling convinced Prime Minister Boris Johnson to press ahead with a UK-wide lockdown, quit the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) after allegations emerged in The Daily Telegraph. He admitted that he had allowed a woman Antonia Staats to visit him at his London home after travelling across the UK capital from her home, which she shares with her husband and children, on at least two occasions.

The movement goes against the very strict stay at home and save lives advice of the government, put in place by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson prompted by the scientific team led by Ferguson. The incidents took place soon after the 51-year-old leading epidemiologist from Imperial College London had completed a two-week spell self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus. "I accept I made an error of judgement and took the wrong course of action. I have therefore stepped back from my involvement in SAGE, said Ferguson after the report.

"I acted in the belief that I was immune, having tested positive for coronavirus and completely isolated myself for almost two weeks after developing symptoms. I deeply regret any undermining of the clear messages around the continued need for social distancing," he said. The scientist, however, stressed that the government's advice on social distancing remains "unequivocal", adding that it was there "to protect all of us". UK Security Minister James Brokenshire said the senior scientist "made the right decision" and that the government will "continue to be informed" by SAGE.

"We have a range of experts that will continue to support ministers," he said. The first of the visits by Staats, 38, was on March 30, which coincided with a public warning by Prof Ferguson that the UK's one-week-old lockdown measures would have to remain until June. Staats, a left-wing campaigner, made a second visit on April 8 despite telling friends she suspected that her husband, an academic in his 30s, had symptoms of coronavirus, the newspaper report claims. He has peculiarly breached his own guidelines, and for an intelligent man I find that very hard to believe. It risks undermining the government's lockdown message," said Conservative Party MP and former minister Ian Duncan Smith.

Ferguson's resignation comes a month after Scotland's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, had to resign when it was revealed she had broken lockdown rules by making two trips back and forth to a second home. Under the government's guidelines in the UK, people are expected to stay at home and allowed to move out only for one form of daily exercise and essential shopping.

The measures have been in place since March 23 to try and flatten the curve of the rising number of cases of COVID-19, the UK death toll from which reached 29,427 on Tuesday the highest number of virus deaths in Europe. However, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which includes deaths where the virus is suspected and not just where tests have been carried out, brings the total number even higher to 32,375.

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On October 1, 2019, the German Federal Cabinet approved financing of EUR54bn (USD59bn) for the Climate Protection Program 2030, which includes the introduction of carbon pricing, as well as other tax measures intended to encourage the use of cleaner forms of transport.

Switzerland's Government has recently decided on a number of trade matters and reviewed its plans for changes to how it administers vehicle taxes.

A number of incentives have been included in the Finnish Government's 2019 Budget to encourage investment in the shares of both small and listed companies.

On September 10, 2019, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz presented to the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, the Government's draft Budget for 2020, which includes tax reduction measures.

On November 12, 2019, Hungary's Ministry of Finance announced that it has submitted to parliament the seventh and final part of its Economic Action Plan, which includes various tax measures.

The Odisha Government has notified the Managing Director of Industrial Development Corporation Organization (IDCO), all district Collectors and industrial

On October 16, 2019, the Italian Council of Ministers approved the draft Budget law for 2020, which will prevent an automatic rise in the rate of value-added tax, and includes further measures designed to combat tax avoidance and evasion.

On November 18, 2019, the Government of the Czech Republic announced that it has agreed on a draft law to introduce a tax on digital services, which will now be submitted to parliament.

Hong Kong's Government says it is studying the feasibility of introducing a tax on vacant "first-hand" private residential properties.

Highlights: In India, the concept of brain death has been closely linked with organ donation In the ca

On November 18, 2019, the Government of the Czech Republic announced that it has agreed on a draft law to introduce a tax on digital services, which will now be submitted to parliament.

The new Austrian coalition government, consisting of the conservative People's Party and the Green Party, has agreed on a program for government, which includes several significant tax measures.

Labour Minister, Shibu Baby John, said that the Kerala State government would make recruitment of trained nurses from the state completely free of cost.

The Kerala government has written to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to put on hold the new order that requires all Indian nurses going to 18

An RTI (right to information) has revealed that only 920 MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) seats have been added in the government medical colleges against the approved 10,000 seats.

Government at a Glance provides a dashboard of key indicators to help you analyse international comparisons of public sector performance.

Government at a Glance provides a dashboard of key indicators to help you analyse international comparisons of public sector performance.

These country notes contain indicators which compare the political and institutional frameworks of national governments as well as revenues and expenditures, employment, and compensation. They include a description of government policies on integrity, e-government and open government.

Government at a Glance provides a dashboard of key indicators to help you analyse international comparisons of public sector performance.

Government at a Glance provides a dashboard of key indicators to help you analyse international comparisons of public sector performance.