India

After the date for opening of Badrinath was deferred to May 15 on Monday because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, it was being speculated that the opening of Kedarnath may also be rescheduled.

In a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the chief minister also asked for expediting the release of the state's GST arrears of Rs 4,400 crore for the last four months, to help overcome resource constraint.

The incident came to light after national Hindi daily carried a sting operation which revealed that suppliers are selling oxygen concentrator units and other medical equipment to private players.

The chief minister said that around 5000 delivery agents will be roped in from various private agencies to ensure doorstep delivery of essentials.

City Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Shrivastava said Prof Mohammed Shahid was arrested on charges of arranging the shelter for Indonesians among the foreigner Tablighi Jamaat members in a mosque.

Stuck in a foreign land as COVID-19 tightens its grip on many countries, dwindling financial resources and expired medical insurances are adding to their tensions.

The ministry also said that a Covid-19 case with asymptomatic presentation may go undetected and transmit the disease to other patients and healthcare workers.

The dismissal of the appeal this week means Mallya has 14 days to apply for permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

The city has about 18 containment zones and will remain under lockdown till May 3, as per central government’s guidelines.

The 35-year-old doctor was involved in the treatment of COVID-19 patients and later contracted the infection, he said.

Speaking to reporters, Vijayan said there was no conflict between the Centre and the state over the easing of lockdown protocol and the state government was diligently following the directions of the union government.

According to official data, the government has a total of 58.49 million tonnes of foodgrain in FCI godowns of which rice is 30.97 million tonnes and wheat 27.52 million tonnes.

Responding to a tweet by Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani thanking India for the supply of wheat and medicines, Modi said New Delhi and Kabul share a special friendship based on ties of history, geography, and culture.

The pandemic has underlined the problem that slums create for everyone due to the absence of enough fresh air, enough open space and the issues of being uprooted from one's work, the 82-year-old industry veteran said.

The number of coronavirus cases in the national capital till Sunday stood at 2,003, including 45 deaths.

Hand sanitisers invite 18 per cent GST, face mask 5 per cent and paracetamol tablets, PPE kits, ventilators 12 per cent.