The Union Home Ministry said that in an order under the Disaster Management Act, “Directions were issued that district and state borders should be effectively sealed. States were directed to ensure there is no movement of people across cities or on highways.”

There was an institutional response by the Centre and the situation was monitored at the highest political and executive level by the Prime Minister, the government said.

Underscoring the importance of coordinated action and the need to avoid overlaps in efforts of stakeholders, Modi said there was need to form crisis management groups at the district level and appoint district surveillance officers.

The institute, based in Thiruvananthapuram, aspires to emerge as a digital university with emphasis on blockchain, artificial intelligence, data analytics, cognitive science, internet of things and augmented reality.

In his address, the PM said detailed guidelines on the new lockdown would be announced on April 15 and some conditions could be relaxed after April 20 in places reporting no new infections.

There is also no clarity on whether customers who have booked tickets through online travel operators will be eligible for the refunds.

According to the new order, barber shops and dine-in restaurants would not be allowed, though there would be no restrictions on the barber visiting the customer at his home, or take-aways from restaurants.

It is irrational to treat all private establishments alike irrespective of profit, loss, debt, or turnover, the petition said, adding that a blanket direction by MHA is akin to a tax without any statutory backing.

Meanwhile, member of the Bhartiya Rail Sangharsh Samiti Shan Khan has demanded for special trains from Surat to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for stranded labourers.

Other important issues, such as the propagation of renewables, flexibility in coal supply and enforcement of contracts for attracting private investment in the sector were also discussed in the meeting.

After 21 employees of Ahmedabad-based Cadila Pharmaceuticals were found to be corona positive, the administration acted quickly and sanitised the entire campus of the company near Dholka.

Tamil Nadu has so far reported only one COVID-19 case and the 45-year old man unuder treatment in Chennai has recovered and two subsequent tests returned negative.

Coronavirus Update: Worried about refund from ticket cancellation? Here is a solution for your problem. Airlines like AirAsia, Indigo, and GoAir are offering credit shells, IE reported. The report said that whenever such mass cancellations take place, it becomes a huge problem for airlines to refund every passenger. In the wake of unprecedented cancellations on […]

COVID-19: While the tourism sector is dealing with unprecedented disruptions, the closure of borders and more restrictions will just worsen the blow.

Darjeeling's Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) has unveiled a novel competition to encourage people to stay inside their homes.

Currently, most of the airlines are not giving waivers on the cancellation charges and also not refunding in cash.

After not being able to fly during the nationwide lockdown, Airline companies entertain Twitteratis with an interesting word play on Twitter.

All the scheduled domestic and international flights have been cancelled till May 3, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the extension of the nationwide lockdown till 3rd of May.

Private carrier Indigo airline has said that it will start flight operations from May 4 after the end of the nationwide lockdown.

As many as 10 rapid testing booths will be set up at industrial estates and state borders, the health minister said.

The airlines have said that they will not refund the money back for cancelled tickets and customers can get their tickets scheduled for the next available date.

The doctors and health care workers across the country have been successful in curing a total of 1305 people who were infected with Coronavirus but their efforts could not be enough to save lives of 377 people from highly-infectious Covid-19.

Guidelines on refunds for flight ticket cancellations during the lockdown period have been issued!

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that the Ministry of Civil Aviation is yet to decide on opening domestic or international operations

The plea which has been filed by the Pravasi Legal Cell has also requested the court to declare the action of the airlines not refunding the full amount illegal and violative of the Civil Aviation Requirement.

Even though the work has started authorities have ensured that each and every norms of the Coronavirus COVID-19 Lockdown extension are followed at the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project site.

Now nearly 3 lakh expats spanning 150 countries are expected to return to Kerala, with registrations already taking place on the online registration facility called Norka Roots.

Flyers, who had booked flights via Paytm, will receive the refund in their airline credit shell. They can redeem that refund amount in order to book a flight ticket via Paytm website and mobile site.

Coronavirus Lockdown: The third round of lockdown has come with detailed rules for green, orange and red zones and has allowed some services to open in each zone with specific guidelines.

Suspension of flight operations has been extended till May 17, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a circular issued today.

These three flights transported over 50 Tonnes of cargo including pharmaceuticals, fruits and vegetables in the belly and cabin.

Loans and advances grew 60% year-on-year during 2019-20, from Rs 44,776 crore in March 31, 2019. Its total deposits grew 32% y-o-y to Rs 57,073 crore during the fiscal ended March, 2020. The bank had total deposits of Rs 43,232 crore as at end of March 2019.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has been urging Indians to use more digital payment methods, so that people do not step out even to go to the ATM, reduce social contact and curb the spread of Covid-19.

Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to the poor and vulnerable section of society, hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak and the consequent lockdown, is providing financial support for sustaining during these difficult times.

Implementation of three months moratorium on repayment of loan instalments announced by the RBI was also reviewed during the meeting.

The development also shows the government's push for digital technology has enabled people to access banking services even when the pandemic spread its tentacles.

In a preliminary analysis, NASA researchers compared NO2 values detected by OMI in 2020 with the average amounts detected at this time of year from 2005-2019.

India is currently under the biggest lockdown with around 130 crore people asked to stay home in view of the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed 19 lives and infected over 900 people in the country.

The Wuhan shutdown delayed the arrival of the virus in other cities, their model showed, giving them time to prepare by banning public gatherings and closing entertainment venues, among other measures.

The International Space Station which came into existence in 1998 has been in space for more than 15 years and orbits our planet sixteen times in a day.

The nationwide 'Janta Curfew' on March 22 and the 21-day lockdown imposed since March 24 to combat the coronavirus outbreak have resulted in a significant improvement in air quality.

The report claims that the development could help seismologists detect earthquakes of even very small magnitude, signals of which were earlier drowned in the cacophony produced by various activities.

Seismic noise is a relatively persistent vibration of the ground that is usually an unwanted component of signals recorded by seismometers, according to the scientists.

In Delhi, the comparison made from the second week of March (before lockdown) to first week of April (April 6), reduction in PM2.5 was found to be by 62 per cent, PM10 by 57 per cent and NOx by 50 per cent,  the latest SAFAR data accessed by PTI showed.

Weeks of lockdown in the country to fight coronavirus may have reduced greenhouse gas emissions enabling people to breathe cleaner air and feast on blue skies, but it is only a temporary phase and will not benefit the environment in the long run.

In its report, the CPCB said, "Significant reduction in PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 levels observed. Overall, 46 per cent reduction in PM2.5 and 50 per cent reduction in PM10 concentration observed during the lockdown period."

Five Lebanese filmmakers contribute work to 'Living In Times Of Coronavirus,' a series of miniatures on life during Lebanon’s perfect storm of crises

Director and producer Timur Bekmambetov, who is regarded as one of the inventors of the 'Screenlife' format, in which movies take place entirely on computer screens, wants to produce a film about the lockdown in the new genre

Jordan’s culture ministry launched the 'My talent from my home' contest in late March, and says it has since attracted more than 67,000 participants and 18 million social network views