Assam government offices to reopen
The Assam government has decided that all departments in the state secretariat will start functioning from Tuesday.
The head of the administrative department will ensure that officers of the rank of deputy secretary and above shall attend office regularly and other Grade-I and Grade-II officers may attend office as required from April 21, a government order said.
The prescribed protocol of sanitisation and maintenance of social distancing at the offices as prescribed for COVID-19 management of the Union ministry of home affairs order dated April 15 should be followed scrupulously, it said.
The head of the administrative department will also ensure that up to a maximum of 33 per cent of the staff of Grade-III and Grade-IV categories of the department as per requirement shall attend office on rotation as and when required on need basis from Tuesday.
CITU protest
The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has called for a nationwide ‘rooftop’ protest by its supporters on Tuesday to demand timely payment of wages and government policies for ensuring food, job security and health conditions.
Farmers groups and student outfits have pledged support for the protest. “This kind of protest has never taken place, so we are in uncharted territory. But there is so much anger among working people that it must be conveyed to the ruling Modi government through some means,” CITU general secretary Tapan Sen told News Click. Protesters are expected to hold up placards and raise slogans from balconies.
Specific demands include transfer of "not less than Rs 7,500" to accounts of non-income tax-paying families for three months, expanding MNREGA for a period of 200 days and paying pending MNREGA wages.
Kerala CPI(M) meet on Tuesday
The Kerala unit of the CPI(M) is scheduled to hold a crucial meeting on Tuesday to discuss the controversy over a data agreement with Sprinklr, a US-based company.
The opposition Congress has alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayan government compromised the privacy of coronavirus patients by transferring data about them to Sprinklr. Sprinklr had provided a data tool to collate and analyse data about coronavirus cases.
The opposition alleges the Vijayan government had bypassed the law and finance department of the state in signing a deal with Sprinklr. Both the Kerala government and Sprinklr have denied any wrongdoing.
Courts in UP to open
The Allahabad High Court has directed subordinate courts in Uttar Pradesh to open from Tuesday. "Courts subordinate to Allahabad High Court, commercial courts, motor accident claims tribunals, land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement authorities situated outside containment zones will open on April 21 in Uttar Pradesh," an Allahabad High Court order stated.
Yogi Adityanath's father's funeral
Anand Bisht, the father of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, will be cremated at Haridwar on Tuesday. Anand Bisht (89) died at AIIMS on Monday. He had been ailing for some time.
Yogi Adityanath tweeted on Monday evening that he would not attend his father's funeral on account of the lockdown restrictions.
“I will not be participating in the funeral program on April 21 due to the lockdown and the strategy in place to defeat the coronavirus pandemic. This is an appeal to all the members of Purvashram that the least number of people should attend the funeral program and continue to follow the lockdown,” Adityanath was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. Adityanath had said he had a "great desire" to see his father at the last minute, but could not because of his duty to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
UEFA update on Tuesday
UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, is expected to hold a videoconference of its 55 members to discuss plans to finish its 2019-2020 season, which has been disrupted by the novel coronavirus outbreak. Nearly all matches have been called off since early March.
All UEFA member leagues, barring the one in Belarus, have called off matches. UEFA has launched a working group to rework its calendar; this group could submit proposals by mid-May, according to the BBC. Leagues in Germany and Denmark are considering resumption in May, while others, such as England, are considering resumption by June. BBC reported, "Tuesday's meeting will be followed on Thursday by a meeting of the UEFA executive committee."