Union ministers return to office
Ministers of the Union government and senior officials of their respective ministries are expected to resume going to office from Monday. The step marks a move to return to normal functioning of government even as the nationwide lockdown to curb coronavirus is expected to be extended.
The Hindustan Times reported "Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all ministers to start working from office from Monday, a move that is also aimed to instil confidence among the people..." Government officials from the rank of joint secretary and above have also been instructed to return to office. The Hindustan Times reported that one-third of all essential staff, who live near the offices, have been instructed to report to work. These personnel are expected to work in a rotational system, alternating between attending office and working from home.
PIL against PM CARES
The Supreme Court would hear on Monday a PIL seeking quashing of the Centre's decision to set up the PM CARES Fund to deal with the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, where citizens can donate money.
On March 28, the Centre set up the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund with the primary objective to deal with any kind of emergency situation like the one currently posed by the coronavirus outbreak and provide relief to those affected.
A bench, comprising Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and Justices L. Nageswara Rao and M.M. Shantanagoudar, would hear the PIL filed by lawyer M.L. Sharma against the setting up of the PM CARES Fund through videoconferencing.
Delhi govt to sanitise coronavirus hotspots
The Delhi government will launch a massive sanitisation drive in the city's COVID-19 containment areas from Monday onwards, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.
The chief minister said areas where positive COVID-19 cases are being found will be declared as containment zones. Till Sunday afternoon, 34 hotspots in the national capital were identified as COVID-19 containment zones.
Talking about the sanitisation drive, Kejriwal said 10 technologically advanced machines from Japan along with 50 Delhi Jal Board sanitisation machines will be used as part of 'Operation SHIELD'.
British Airways evacuation flights to Ahmedabad
British Airways is expected to launch on Monday the first of three evacuation flights to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad to repatriate UK nationals. British Airways is scheduled to operate a flight each on Wednesday and Friday; all three flights will have approximately 300 passengers each.
The flights have the codes BA9113C (Monday), BA0117C (Wednesday) and BA9117C (Friday). The British Airways flights on Monday and Wednesday will depart at 3.30pm, while the service on Friday will leave at 10pm.
Assam, Meghalaya to reopen liquor shops
The governments of Assam and Meghalaya are expected to reopen on Monday liquor shops, which had been shut on account of the coronavirus lockdown. Authorities said the liquor shops would be reopened subject to time restrictions and norms of social distancing.
In Assam, liquor shops would be allowed to function from 10am to 5pm. In Meghalaya, the outlets have been allowed to function from 9am to 4pm from Monday to April 17. The Indian Express reported that in both states, the outlets were directed to operate with minimal staff and to avoid overcrowding of customers. Liquor sales are a major source of revenue for most states and leaders have been mulling reopening outlets to raise funds amid the severe economic distress caused by the lockdown situation.
Karnataka to decide on govt office functioning
The Karnataka government is expected to hold meetings on Monday to discuss resumption of work in government offices and reopening of some liquor outlets after Tuesday, when the ongoing 21-day nationwide lockdown is scheduled to end.
The Deccan Herald reported that the Karnataka government is mulling allowing Mysore Sales International Ltd stores and some retail outlets selling alcoholic beverages to reopen. In addition to eyeing revenue from liquor sales, the Karnataka government is concerned about a surge in use of illicit liquor and smuggling of alcoholic beverages if the outlets were kept closed.
Deccan Herald reported the government could allow 50 per cent staff of government offices to return to work from April 15 to 30.
Macron to address France
French President Emmanuel Macron will deliver a televised address to his nation on Monday night, his third such speech since the coronavirus pandemic. France was placed under lockdown from March 16 to April 15. While Macron had been appreciated for his handling of the coronavirus situation, his government was criticised for apparently not making efforts to increase use of testing to detect infections.
France has been among the nations that have been worst affected by coronavirus, reporting the fourth-highest number of cases in the world. As of Monday morning, France reported 132,591 coronavirus cases and 14,393 deaths. However, the number of cases has been on the decline since last week.
