Month: March 2020

News & Politics

Delhi Government Shuts Schools, Colleges And Cinemas Till March 31

HT News

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal order shutting of schools, colleges and cinema halls till March 31 to counter spread of coronavirus. The Delhi government has already shut primary classes earlier but middle and the secondary classes were allowed to function in view of final exams.

Delhi declares coronavirus as an epidemic

Arvind Kejriwal took the step in the wake of increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country. The total number of COVID-19 cases has become 73 with Kerala being the hardest affected state. It has 17 cases of coronavirus infection. It has also shut educational institutions and public places like cinema halls.

The Maharashtra government banned sale of tickets for 2020 IPL opening match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in the wake of spread of coronavirus. Also, the remaining two ODIs between India and South Africa will be played in empty stadiums.

The virus was declared a pandemic

The World Health Organization has already declared the virus a pandemic and asked the countries to take effective measures to contain the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus. The government of India suspended all visas for a month as tough measure to prevent spread of the deadly virus to other parts of country and the globe.

Also, the travellers returning from China Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany are asked to remain in quarantine for a minimum of 14 days. PM Modi said that no central minister would travel abroad.

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News & Politics

Nobody Will Be Marked D In NPR: Amit Shah In Rajya Sabha

HT News

On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah made a clarification regarding National Popular Register (NPR). He said that no one would be declared doubtful (D), if the person failed to produce relevant papers.

Amit Shah spoke on NPR

No documents needed said Amit Shah. He allowed people to give whatever information they have and leave the questions blank. And he assured that no one would be marked D.


was participating in a discussion on Delhi Violence in Rajya Sabha when Congress leader Kapil Sibal raised the question whether “D” would be removed from NPR. The Home Minister replied that no documents would be asked from the people.Amit Shah even asked the Leader of Opposition, Ghulam Nabi Azad of Congress and other opposition leaders to visit him to clarify doubts on NPR.

Congress wary of NPR

Kapil Sibal asked about usability of the exercise, if no documents were needed. Several states including Bihar and Tamil Nadu where BJP allies are in power have refused to carry out NPR exercise. In Bihar, there is Nitish Kumar and in Tamil Nadu, there is AIADMK in power with the help of BJP.

Those objecting to CAA, NRC and NPR believe that the exercise would leave thousands of Muslims stateless. The parliament has already passed the CAA that provides citizenship to non-Muslims of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

The country is on the boil due to protests against CAA, NRC and NPR. The latest bout of violence was in Delhi where tens of people lost their lives and hundreds became homeless.

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Cricket Sports

No Spectators For India VS South Africa ODIs Says BCCI

HT News

On Thursday, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) made an announcement regarding the second and third ODIs between India and South Africa. The BCCI said that both the matches would be played behind closed doors.

The BCCI’s decision on cricket in India

The first ODI between India and South Africa was abandoned on Thursday. It was to be played in Dharamshala. The second ODI will be in Lucknow and final match will be played on March 18 at Eden Gardens in Calcutta.

The BCCI said that it was working closely with the sports and health ministry and that it was making every effort to ensure safety of the players and fans. It said that the decision was taken after discussing things with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYAS) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW). It further said that the board would make every effort for compliance with the regulatory bodies.

The sports ministry issued advisory for organizations

After WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the sports ministry quickly issued an advisory to all national sports federations including the BCCI. It asked the federations to avoid making public gatherings at sporting events. It further said that in case of unavoidable public gatherings, the sports should be performed without any gathering.

The BCCI responded to the advisory by saying that it would continue to take guidance from the government and state regulatory bodies. It said that it was committed to the safety of players and fans.

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Technology

Samsung Launches Affordable Smart Television Funbelievable At Rs. 12,990

HT News

Samsung has been one of the leading players in television market in India and now this brand wants to focus on offline sales through traditional stores. But it still has to work hard to compete with brands like Xiaomi and Vu that are giving customers a reason to look elsewhere.

Samsung’s newest offer

The South Korean electronics giant is stepping up in the affordable television segment in India with its “Funbelievable” series of TVs. Starting at Rs. 12,990, the new series by Samsung will take on Xiaomi and Vu’s increasing presence in the budget segment.

Funbeievable by Samsung

Aimed at budget buyers, the television will provide online content and streaming in addition to giving content through traditional cable and DTH connections.

It packs a Personal Computer Modethat adds moreinteresting features to the TV. Also, there will be a Content Guide for easy access to details of content available on various platforms and a Music System to allows the TV to be used to play music.

The 32-inch variant will have a HD-resolution (1280×720-pixels) screen, while the 43-inch variant will have a full-HD (1920×1080 pixels) screen. And both the variants will support apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, Sony Liv, and Voot.But there is no official word on resolution by Samsung.

Price of Funbelievable series TVs

There will be two variants – 32-inch and 43-inch – and price will start at Rs. 12,990. And the new series will be available at Samsung exclusive stores and multi-brand electronics retailers.

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International Today's Special Viral

Britain Will See More Deaths From COVID-19: Boris Johnson

HT News

On Thursday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned of more deaths due to coronavirus while the chief scientific advisor of the government said that there could be 10,000 coronavirus infections in Britain.

Also, Britain and EU agreed to cancel face-to-face trade negotiations in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The negotiations were planned for next week in London.

UK PM Boris Johnson’s warning

He said that the virus was going to spread further. Flanked by the top scientific and medical advisors of the government, he made an announcement regarding the “delay-phase” of the government.

The British plan of containing the outbreak will work in three phases – containment, delay and mitigation. In the delay phase, the government will implement social distancing measures like reducing large gatherings and closing schools.

But he said that no public meetings would be cancelled and schools would remain open. At the same time, he warned that the advice could change if the virus spread further.

Boris Johnson faced criticism for delayed response

He agreed that the outbreak has triggered panic in the business, trade and every day life and the global market. But he defended his late response. He said that he was working on the advice and he would do the right thing at the right time.

He said that people with mild symptoms should isolate themselves in their homes but this advice would change with the spread of virus. In worse situation, the families would be advised to isolate themselves.

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Cricket IPL Sports

Maharashtra Health Minister Wants IPL To Be Postponed

HT News

The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra banned the ticket sales for the first match of the 2020 Indian Premier League. The match is between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings and it is scheduled for March 29.

Maharashtra imposes ban on ticket sale of IPL match

It is to avoid gathering of a large number of people amid the spread of coronavirus in the country. The 13th season of IPL will start on March 29 and continue till May 24 in the country. But Mumbai went into high alert when its total count of COVID-19 patients reached 7. Recently two persons tested positive for coronavirus in Maharashtra.

Health Minister of Maharashtra on the ticket sale ban

Rajesh Tope, the Health Minister of Maharashtra, said that the government cold consider postponing the IPL because of the coronavirus threat that had already killed over 3,000 people worldwide. He said large gatherings pose a greater risk of coronavirus spread. He informed the media persons that discussions were held in the official circle whether to postpone the IPL. He further said that a decision regarding IPL would be made shortly.

Sourav Ganguli on postponement of IPL

Board of Cricket Control in India President Sourav Ganguli asserted that IPL would start as scheduled and there would be no change in dates. He assured that all precautions would be taken to keep things safe. He further said that medical team was ready and in touch with leading hospitals so that everything was available.

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Business

SBI Cards IPO Allotment And Refund To Be Done On March 13 And March 12 Respectively

HT News

The SBI Cards and Payments Services IPO will soon start allotment of shares to applicants. According to the prospect filed by the company, the successful applicants will receive their shares in the demat accounts by March 13.

The refund process will start soon

The company will start allotting shares on 13 March and at the same time, it will initiate the refund process for the investors that won’t get shares. The refund process will start on 12 March.

The IPO was hugely popular

SBI invited bids for its IPO between March 2 and 5 and it received a huge response from the investors. Its share was subscribed 26.54 times. State Bank of India (SBI) is the largest lender of the country and its credit arm aims to raise around Rs. 10,350 crore through the IPO.

The investors are closely watching the IPO that is expected to get listed on March 16. The bidders can visit the portal link Intime India to check the subscription status. They will need using their Permanent Account Numbers (PAN) or application number of client ID to check the status of their subscription.

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Business Viral

India Suspends All Visas For A Month Over Coronavirus Scare

HT News

The government suspends all Indian visas in the wake of spread of coronavirus spread in the country and the World Health Organization declaring it a pandemic. All existing visas — except diplomatic, official, UN/International organisations, employment and project visas — will be suspended till April 15.

The visa suspension will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure. Earlier the visa facility was partially suspended from the COVID-19 nations.

Highlights of the news

• The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. It means that it has affected the globe and infected a large number of people.

• The government communique related to visa suspension reads that visa free travel facility granted to OCI card holders is kept in abeyance till 15 April 2020.

• It also said that all incoming travellers from COVID-19 nations after February 15, would be kept in quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.

• International traffic through land borders will be directed to designated check posts with robust screening facility.

• India has a total of 67 confirmed coronavirus cases. Fresh cases are reported from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala and Karnataka.

• The Maharashtra government has banned ticket sale for IPL 2020 opening match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in the wake of rising coronavirus cases.

• Health being on the State List, every state is asked to take whatever measure it can take to contain the spread of coronavirus infection.

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Business International

Donald Trump Puts Travel Ban On 26 European Nations But Keeps UK And Ireland Out

HT News

Under the mounting pressure to control coronavirus, President Donald Trump imposed travel restrictions on 26 European countries for a month. People from the said countries are banned from traveling to US for the said period.

US bans travel from Europe

The president took the dramatic step to address the health and economic shocks to Americans and to respond to the criticism that he hadn’t taken serious attempts to contain coronavirus spread in America. But he kept the UK and Ireland free from the travel order. Also, the travel advisor doesn’t apply to US citizens coming home.

Trump announced economic steps

To cushion the blow to American business that is already down with a sudden loss of consumer demand, the president said that trade won’t be affected by the travel restriction. He said in a tweet that the restrictions stopped people and not goods. But US stock futures slid further to more than 4% as the president made the announcement.

Trump looking for re-election

Trump’s re-election on November 3 depends largely on how well he responds to coronavirus crisis. It has enveloped his presidency. He used his Oval Office for the speech but he wasn’t comfortable in the setting. He read his speech in a hurried manner and sometimes spoke without mike. But he failed to mention the important issues like accelerating the production and availability of testing kits and facial masks.

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Today's Special

Free Kidney And Urology Counselling At Mittal Hospital

HT News

Mittal Hospital and Research Centre organized free kidney and urology counselling camp. Kidney specialist of Mittal Hospital Dr Ranveer Singh Chaudhary and prostate and urology expert Dr Santosh Kumar Dhakd will provide free counselling to patients.

Dr Ranveer Singh Chaudhary’s advice

Dr Chaudhary said that people suffering from kidney problems due to diabetes and high blood pressure; swelling in body; releasing blood and protein in urine; nephrotic syndrome in children; problems related to urine; dialysis patients; people with one kidney and those that have got kidney transplant can take advantage of the camp.

Dr Santosh Kumar Dhakd’s advice

Dr Dhakd said that people suffering from urine problems like enlargement of prostate gland, blockage in urinal tube, urge to urine, slow drainage of urine and those that pass urine with sneezing and coughing can come to camp for counselling.

Advantage of the counselling camp

Patients will get uroflowmetry test free of cost on the prescription of doctors. Directory Dr Delip Mittal told that people were offered nephrology health package at a very attractive price to aware people about health and wellness on World Kidney Day. These packages will be available from March 12 to 18.

He further said that patients would be offered 25% discount on tests and 10% discount on operation on the World Kidney Day. Also, these discounts will be available till next week.

Mittal Hospital is authorized for treatment under Ayushman Bharat Mahatma Gandhi Rajasthan Swasthya Beema Yojna, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya program and all TPA services.

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