On day one of the nationwide lockdown, newspapers report on the issues faced for essential services and by those providing them. But there is also tragic news on another front — the ISIS attack on a gurdwara in Kabul also makes headlines.
Pink papers report on the issues faced by e-commerce firms as ground reality indicate restrictions in movement for them despite being essential services. And the papers offer some relief for the poor with reports of the Modi government’s plan to protect the poor from the lockdown.
Also note the single column report,’2k samples show no community transmission yet’. It reports, “Indian Council of Medical Research has informed that ‘as of now, there is no community transmission’, health ministry joint undersecretary Lav Agarwal said.”
The tragic turn of events in Afghanistan: ‘8 women among 25 killed in Kabul gurdwara attack’. TOI reports, “Twenty five devotees, including eight women, were killed and eight others injured in one of the deadliest attacks on the minority Sikh community in Afghanistan at Gurdwara Har Rai Sahib in capital Kabul on Wednesday morning. Agencies said a suicide bomber struck the gurdwara and the so-called Islamic State, which has targeted Sikhs earlier in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.”
Another report (`No transport and no money, migrants take long road home’) tackles the other looming crisis — migrant labour: “Left stranded by a nationwide lockdown, which has halted all public transport, hundreds of labourers devoid of work have started leaving big cities on foot.”
Since the lockdown has affected the poor and daily wage labourers the most there’s some help around the corner. A report (‘On table: Cash transfers for unorganised workers , 7 kgs subsidised grain per person’) details, “While the government may use money available with certain labour welfare funds, a limited fiscal space would be its biggest constraint.”
The anchor story is a hopeful one in times of a pandemic taking over the country (‘Recovered Mumbai, Pune cases return home to cheers by neighbours’). “Jivandhar, 51, and Prashanti Awati, 44, spent a sleepless night Tuesday at Pune’s Naidu Hospital waiting for an all-clear. The state’s first positive cases, they finally got the second result confirming them negative and ending their 14-day isolation.”
HT gives prominence to news from the US in, “US set to go for $2tn stimulus to boost economy”. According to the paper, “The Trump administration struck a deal with Senate Democrats and Republicans on a historic rescue package with more than $2 trillion in spending and tax breaks to bolster the hobbled US economy and fund a nationwide effort to stem the coronavirus.”
And in the continuing list of celebrities who have tested positive for Covid-19 is British heir to the throne, Prince Charles.
Shifting the focus to Delhi, here’s important news for consumers in Delhi, CM Kejriwal announced there will be “e-passes for key services”. According to Hindu, “Citizens engaged in essential services in Delhi can call 1031 on WhatsApp to avail e-passes to be able to commute to work…”
And a politically controversial move is put on hold. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, “Census, NPR exercise put off over coronavirus scare”. The daily reports, “Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the first phase of Census 2021 and updating of the National Population Register (NPR) that was to begin on April 1 has been ‘postponed until further orders’, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement on Wednesday.”
In the interview, John notes, “The lockdown will certainly slow down the virus transmission in the larger community. But we have no idea how many people in the country have already been infected. Even while remaining home, if a few are infectious, they could pass on the virus to their household members.”
With the photograph of an emaciated boy holding a discarded fruit, the Kolkata daily reports, “What we cannot lock down: hunger”. It says, “…. the Centre did not announce any immediate project to address the hunger of the marginalised. Instead, the Centre appeared to be passing the buck to the states for the time being.”
Another report (`More grains to curb anxiety’) details how the “Centre sought to allay the anxiety of around 80 crore people enrolled with ration shops by increasing their monthly quota of subsidised food grains by 2 kgs each — from 5kgs to 7 kgs.”
On a sobering note, the paper also reported on one of the city’s favorite visitors — Chef Floyd Cardoz who ran the restaurants Bombay Canteen and O Pedro succumbed to Covid-19 Wednesday. In a detailed article about the chef, the paper notes, “Despite his many years away from home working in New York’s cutting-edge and cut-throat restaurant scene, Floyd managed to retain a lightness of spirit that easily shows in his approach to dining. At TBC, O Pedro and even the new Bombay Sweet Shop, people come not just for the excellent food but also because it’s fun. He proved that showcasing and elevating regional Indian cuisine doesn’t require a three-course, wine-paired meal that you must dress up for. All it takes is some creativity and the humblest of foods can wow the most discerning or jaded palates.”
On a better notes, a report (`Market Recovery Continues for 2nd Day on US Stimulus’) says “The stock market jumped 6.6% on Wednesday notching its best one-day gain in almost 11 years as renewed global optimism after the agreement on the $2 trillion US fiscal stimulus increased hopes that the Indian government will follow suit with a large package of its own.”
And the government does have a plan ahead for the poor — `India Works on 3-Month Plan, to Stagger Dole’, the paper notes that the plan is to be “pre-emptive and early on the health side, but be timely and effective with the fiscal interventions, depending on how the virus spreads in the coming three weeks.”
As the country goes into lockdown mode, the government’s plan to protect its poor makes it to the front page (`Rs 60k-crore income support plan for poor in works’). The report says “The scheme could mean transferring of Rs 5,000-6,000 in the bank accounts of 80-100 million poor families.”