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Wednesday, March 27, 2024
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Express sees ‘slight’ but noticeable flattening of curve, ET & BS on opening of industries

A round-up of the most important reports in major newspapers around the country – from TOI and HT, Express and The Hindu to The Telegraph, Mumbai Mirror and The Tribune, as well as top financial dailies.

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New Delhi: With a likely extension of the lockdown on the cards, mainstream papers shift the conversation to containment zones and the possible opening up of economic activity in non-hotspots across the country.

They also relay reassuring news from the Health Ministry that India is prepared for an exponential rise in Covid-19 cases.

The financial papers report the industry department’s appeal to the Home Ministry to allow more industries to operate during the extended lockdown under certain safeguards. They also consider Prime Minister Modi’s suggestion of a “lock-in” for certain factories so workers can live onsite and maintain social distancing.


The Times Of India‘s lead story notes a new turn in the fight against coronavirus: ‘Govt set to expand testing to ‘cold spots’ with no cases yet’. The daily reports, “In a bid to widen testing and ensure that no significant number of Covid-19 cases are being left out, the government plans to expand testing in clusters chosen in ‘cold spots’ or areas where there are no cases reported as of now.’’

Maharashtra, the worst hit state in India “may hand out anti-malaria drugs as preventive med”, says TOI. A high-ranking state government official told the newspaper that “suspected patients kept in quarantine centres in Dharavi are likely to be the first to receive HCQS – an antimalarial drug Donald Trump has called a ‘game-changer’’.

In ‘School summer break likely…’, TOI writes, “The Centre is likely to ask school education departments and higher education institutions to reschedule the academic calendar by advancing the summer break in order to minimise loss of academic days in the 2020-21 session due to Covid-19 outbreak.”

The lead story in The Indian Express says the industry department has told the Home Ministry, “Start big units at 25% capacity”.

According to the paper, “…the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Saturday proposed that sectors be allowed to resume operations in a staggered manner.’’ For labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, automobiles, steel, defence and electronic manufacturing, the department proposed resumption of operations at 20-25 per cent capacity “in a single shift initially, provided they follow proper safety precautions”.

In some possible good news: ‘Over the last week, slight but ‘noticeable’ flattening of growth curve in coronavirus cases’,  reports Express, writing, “Just as India prepares to extend its 21-day lockdown period by two more weeks, the first indications have emerged that this measure could indeed be helping in slowing down the spread of COVID-19 disease…. Scientists have observed a slight, but ‘noticeable’, flattening of the growth curve starting April 6….”

Sitabhra Sinha at Chennai’s Institute of Mathematical Sciences told Express that his projections show that “by April 20, less than 20,000 people would be infected by the disease. In the absence of any impact of the lockdown, this number could have been around 35,000.”

On social distancing and flattening the curve, the paper also reports, ‘Social distancing in Dharavi: 8.5 lakh people holed up in 2.4 sq km’. The daily says, “Spread over 2.4 sq km, Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, is home to some 60,000 families and 8.5 lakh people — among the most densely packed human habitations on the planet… Ensuring people stay inside the 10 feet-by-10 rooms they share with nine or 10 others is proving to be a nightmare for the police and health administration.”

And going from one state to another, the paper finds out ‘how Kerala managed to buck the national trend’. Kerala had just two new positive cases Sunday and the recovery rate of positive cases has been higher in Kerala “compared to other states and the national average. A record number of 36 patients were cured/discharged on Sunday, taking the number of recoveries to 179, which is almost 48 per cent of the total 375 cases since the beginning of the outbreak, according to state government data”, reports Express.

Hindustan Times’ lead story in its Delhi edition, finds ‘More red zones as Capital extends Covid clampdown’.

The paper says Delhi added 10 new containment areas with 1,154 cases now – 85 fresh infections and five deaths on Sunday. “…chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said his government was focusing on zones designated “red” and “orange” to isolate and control the outbreak.”

The need to strike a balance between livelihood and lockdown sees, ‘Ministries pitch plan to balance lives, livelihood’. According to HT, the government’s plans could include “guidelines to demarcate zones with different levels of restrictions, and restarting certain economic activities once the three-week lockdown ends on April 14”.

And as if coronavirus and the lockdown weren’t enough, ‘In lockdown silence, mild quake jolts city’ says another headline.

“Delhi was hit by a mild, 3.5 magnitude earthquake on Sunday evening, a tremor that is likely to have been felt more strongly than usual by people since most are at home and ‘ambient vibrations’ caused by road traffic have died down”, reports HT.

And here’s a horrific story of irresponsible behaviour: ‘Nihang men chop off cop’s hand after defying restrictions’. According to HT this happened in “an attack by a group of Nihangs at a vegetable market in Punjab’s Patiala…Assistant sub-inspector Harjit Singh’s hand was later reattached after a plastic surgery lasting seven-and-a-half hours at Chandigarh’s PGI hospital”. While 11 people were arrested, “Police said ~39 lakh, two petrol bombs, spears, swords and other weapons, as well as five bags of poppy husk were recovered from them. The Nihangs are a Sikh sect whose members live on the fringes of society…’’

If Express spoke of flattening the curve, The Hindu‘s lead tells a different story.  ‘Bracing for a rapid surge in cases: govt’ reports, “…the Union Health Ministry said India is preparing for a possible exponential surge in cases.’’ This after there were 909 new cases and 34 deaths since Saturday evening. However, “as many as 716 persons have been cured/discharged after treatment”.

And in foreign policy news: ‘India talking to U.S. over visa sanctions’. Hindu reports, “The government is ‘engaged’ in talks with the U.S. administration to reconsider President Donald Trump’s orders to impose visa sanctions on countries that don’t take back illegal ‘aliens’ in the U.S. within a week. In particular, the order clashed with New Delhi’s decision to restrict all passengers, including Indian citizens from any other country, owing to the coronavirus pandemic. If Washington refuses to relent on its seven-day deadline, or New Delhi refuses to lift the ban on incoming travel within the week, Indians could face a major cut in U.S. visas granted this year.”

Mumbai Mirror: The Mumbai Mirror goes with a banner headline for , “JNPT ON ALERT AS CORONAVIRUS CREEPS INTO URAN”. According to the paper, “Covid-19 has reached Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), one of the biggest ports in the country, with two positive cases being reported from Uran in Navi Mumbai, where JNPT is located.’’

The Mumbai daily adds, “Being an essential service, the port has been functioning despite the lockdown. Thousands of containers and shipments arrive daily and hundreds of staffers work there.”

 

With “601 dedicated coronavirus hospitals” and over one lakh isolation bed ready, India shows promise amid the evolving coronavirus crisis. In a hopeful lead ‘More than ready for any exponential rise: Govt’, The Tribune notes the Health Ministry’s reassuring statement that health systems across the country were “overprepared and extra cautious” and the “available hospital bed strength was much more than what was currently required”.

Tribune’s second lead moves away from the coronavirus to report on news from the neighbourhood:  ‘45 years on, killer of Bangladesh founder hanged’ records a historical moment in Bangladesh history. On Sunday, the country executed a former military captain for his “involvement in the 1975 coup in which the country’s founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated..” The report also notes that the deceased had been “hiding in India for nearly two-and-a-half decades”.

The Economic Times leads with news that exemptions are likely for agriculture, factories and transport of goods amid the extended lockdown. In ‘Lockdown 2.0: Focus on Both Life, Livelihood’, it notes PM Modi’s “lock-in” suggestion. It also notes: “The Centre is contemplating measures to bring migrant workers from camps to their factories, possibly by running special buses or trains.”

ET’s second lead also delivers some good news on GoI’s plans to turn the “engines of the economy”. In ‘Govt Mulls Resuming Manufacturing in Industrial Townships’, it says the Centre is considering resuming manufacturing hubs with “controlled entry & exit and dedicated medical facilities”, allowing labourers to live on site and “production of medical and healthcare related equipment as test cases before it opens up the economy gradually”.

Here the map says it all, illustrating the spread of the coronavirus through the country.

Although the headline is similar to ET’s lead, Mint’s lead is less hopeful about India’s preparedness amid the dynamic coronavirus situation. Hotspots have risen “three-fold to 150 in the past week,’’ notes the newspaper. It also reports: “To make matters worse, nearly 100 districts that have such hotspots are also major manufacturing hubs of the country.”

Another report observes the industry department’s appeal to the home ministry to let more industries operate with “reasonable safeguards” in the event of an extended lockdown. “The relaxations are essential to boost economic activity and put money in the hands of the people”, says Guruprasad Mohapatra, secretary at the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

Like the other newspapers, Business Standard leads with the central government’s game plan to revive the economy. In ‘Govt may start economic activity in ‘green zones’”, it says the Centre plans to jumpstart economic activity in areas with “low incidence of Covid-19 cases”. It says “a less than total lockdown” is likely in states.

The pink paper also reports People’s Bank of China increased shareholding in HDFC amid a sharp correction in the latter’s shares amid the Covid-19 crisis. ‘China central bank hikes stake in HDFC’, it quotes Keki Mistry, vice-chairman and CEO, HDFC: “PBoC has been an investor in HDFC for a while. It held 0.8 per cent in the company in March 2019 and now the shareholding has gone beyond 1 per cent in March 2020.” He adds: “They are passive investors”.

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