Revenue dip may nudge govt to enhance retirement age

Revenue dip may nudge govt to enhance retirement age

Move Likely To Save State Up To ₹4,000 Cr

Roushan.Ali@timesgroup.com

Hyderabad:07.06.2020

With revenues plunging due to the economic slowdown and subsequently the lockdown due to coronavirus, the government’s decision to raise retirement age from 58 to 60 is now looking more likely. The move is estimated to save the government as much as ₹4,000 crore per annum.

Should the move materialise, the government will not have to pay gratuity, leave encashment, commutation and other retirement benefits in lump-sum thus resulting in huge savings. The finance department is currently working out the details and will send a report to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who will then take a decision.

Many had been expecting most retirements to take place in the months of February and March instead of June.“This is because the dates of birth of most employees fall in June, July or August. About 35 years to 40 years ago, when parents used to admit their children in schools in villages, they used to give the date of birth as June school admission month because they did not have birth certificates. This is also one of the reasons for June topping the list for number of retirements,” said an official.

Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association president K Ravinder Reddy told TOI that it was high time for the chief minister to implement his promise of enhancing retirement age. “As it is, the government is not giving revised pay scales (PRC) which is due from July 2018. We were expecting at least over 60% if not PRC but economic slowdown and the lockdown has impacted the state and central revenues,” Reddy said.

Meanwhile, the executive committee meeting of government employees’ JAC on Saturday unanimously resolved to demand the government that it should pay full salary for June. Ravinder Reddy said the government incurs at least ₹50 lakh per employee on an average towards lump-sum retirement benefit. “Already, over 11,000 employees have retired since TRS came to power for second term and missed out on retirement age enhancement,” he said.

Elsewhere, unemployed youth JAC leader Koturi Manavtha Roy demanded the government first fill up the one lakh government job vacancies.

Covid tally: India overtakes Spain, 5th highest in world

Covid tally: India overtakes Spain, 5th highest in world

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:07.06.2020

India’s total Covid-19 caseload went past Spain’s on Saturday to become the fifth largest in the world, on a day when fresh infections in the country crossed 10,000 for the first time. As many as 297 deaths were reported, the highest single-day toll from the virus so far.

India’s tally of coronavirus cases stood at 2,46,549 late on Saturday night, having overtaken Spain’s count of 2.41,310 during the course of the day. Now, only the US (19,06,060 cases), Brazil (6,14,941), Russia (4,58,102) and the UK (2,86,294) have recorded higher number of cases.

As cases continue to surge — 10,434 fresh infections were recorded on Saturday — India can take solace from the fact that the toll is far lower than Brazil, Spain and the UK at the same stage of cases. Only Russia and the US had a lower toll at the same case stage (around 2.4 lakh) among the six worst-hit countries.

India’s daily count of Covid-19 cases crossed the fivedigit on Saturday, going past the previous highest of 9,651 recorded on Thursday.

Trump: More cases in India than in US

US President Donald Trump has said that countries like India and China would have many more coronavirus cases than America if they conduct more tests. “If we wanted to do testing in China or in India ... I promise you there’d be more cases”, he said at a medical manufacturing facility in Maine on Friday, adding that US had tested 20 million people. AGENCIES

Covid tally: Nine states record biggest single-day surge so far

Even the death toll was higher by two cases than the previous peak of 295, recorded just a day earlier, as per data collated from state governments. With this, India has reported 6,939 deaths from the virus, translating to a case fatality rate of 2.8%.

While Maharashtra yet again reported by far the highest number of cases at 2,739, at least nine states recorded their biggest single-day surges till date. These were Tamil Nadu (1,458 new cases), Bengal (435), Haryana (355), Assam (244, going by the difference in total cases in 24 hours), Jharkhand (106), Andhra Pradesh

(210), Telangana (206), Odisha (173) and Goa (71).

New infections also continued to remain high particularly in Delhi, which reported 1,320 cases, Gujarat (498), Karnataka (378), Uttar Pradesh (382), Bihar (233), Rajasthan (253), Madhya Pradesh (232) and Kerala (108).

Maharashtra recorded120 Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, its second highest toll in a day so far. The highest deaths reported so far in a day were139, on Friday. Of the120 deaths, 58 were in Mumbai, the city’s highest fatalities for a day; its toll so far is 1,577. The day’s death toll was high in Delhi, where 53 fatalities were reported by the state government, Gujarat (29), Tamil Nadu (19), Bengal (17), Madhya Pradesh (15), Rajasthan (13), UP (11) and Telangana (10).

Maharashtra’s overall toll is now 2,969, inching close to the 3,000 mark. The state update said that of the total deaths reported on Saturday, 30 were from the last two days, while the other 90 were from May 3 to June 3. Since Monday, the state has reported 683 deaths. Of the 120 deaths, 90 were from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Mumbai recorded 1,274 fresh cases, taking the city’s tally to 47,354 cases, with the case fatality rate at 3.33%. The Mumbai corporation’s daily Covid update too spoke of 57 deaths.

Gujarat recorded 498 Covid-19 positive cases in 24 hours ending 5 pm on Saturday, taking the tally to 19,617. The cases included 289 from Ahmedabad, 92 from Surat, 34 from Vadodara and 20 from Gandhinagar.

The state recorded the death of 29 Covid-19 positive patients in 24 hours, taking the toll to 1,219. Ahmedabad continued to record a high number of 26 deaths.

› FULL COVERAGE | P 5-8

TN health department caps Covid treatment costs at pvt hospitals

TN health department caps Covid treatment costs at pvt hospitals

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.06.2020

To prevent profiteering by private hospitals, the Tamil Nadu health department has fixed treatment costs for Covid-19 patients at Rs 5,000 to Rs 15,000 a day. The state wing of the Indian Medical Association has asked the state to either revise the price or take over private hospitals that are willing to offer their space instead.

A release from state health minister C Vijayabaskar said hospitals in the A3 and A4 categories – as listed on the state health insurance webpage (https:// www.cmchistn.com) – cannot charge more than Rs 5,000 a day for treatment of Covid-19 in the general ward, multispecialty hospitals in A1 and A2 category can’t charge beyond Rs 7,500. For treatment in ICU, hospitals cannot charge more than Rs 15,000.

“Legal action will be initiated against hospitals that charge more than the prescribed fee,” he said.

Earlier this week, Vijayabaskar had said the government had received complaints that hospitals were fleecing patients. Minutes after the state released the tariff norms, IMA state secretary Dr AK Ravikumar said the doctors association will make a representation for revision. “We will not be able to run the wards at that rate. Many hospital owners are telling us that they are ready to give the Covid beds to the state government. We will just work for them,” he said.

Analysis of bills by TOI showed that a Covid-19 patient who stayed for 10 days in a semi-private room of a hospital in Chennai spent Rs1,081 towards medicines and Rs2,550 for blood tests and xray. But the patient had to pay Rs 2,500 for “other packages” and Rs44,000 towards consultation, Rs8,800 towards nursing charges, Rs20,000 towards room rent. The cost towards PPE for doctors and other healthcare workers was Rs1.01 lakh out of the Rs1.80 lakh bill. “On an average we need at least nine PPEs per patient. There is an additional cost when we have to quarantine staff on Covid-19 duty,” Dr Ravikumar said.

Only Delhiites may be allowed in govt hosps

The Delhi government is likely to reserve its hospitals for the residents of Delhi till the city is battling the novel coronavirus pandemic, while the central government hospitals may continue to remain open for patients from across the country. A final decision is, however, yet to be taken. It is being done to ensure that outside patients do not overwhelm the Covid infrastructure in Delhi which has reported over 26,000 positive cases so far. The sealed Delhi borders are also likely to be opened after an announcement over reservations in the hospitals is made.

The state government has received over 7.5 lakh suggestions from the people of Delhi on the issue and a final decision is likely to be announced on Sunday. Many people have favoured reserving the Delhi government hospitals for the people of Delhi. “I liked a suggestion. But, a final decision is yet to be taken,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal stated. TNN

City eateries prepare to open in new avatar from tomorrow

City eateries prepare to open in new avatar from tomorrow

CHANGE ON THE MENU Fewer Tables, Staff In Masks To Greet Diners

Petlee.Peter@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:07.06.2020

After a hiatus of 75 days, Bengaluru eateries are gearing up to reopen for dining in from Monday. From reducing the number of tables to ensuring use of masks and gloves by staff, the establishments are ushering in changes to abide by social-distancing and health norms.

According to Chandrashekar Hebbar, president of Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurant Association, Monday will witness a new chapter in eating out with many establishments getting ready to serve customers in banana leaves and paper plates/ cups. “There are nearly 25,000 eateries in Bengaluru, including fine-dining restaurants. Everyone is preparing to reopen on Monday with strict sanitisation and social-distancing measures in place. Owners are taking no chances as spread of Covid-19 can ruin their business,” Hebbar added.

The iconic Vidyarthi Bhavan in Gandhi Bazaar, operational since 1943, has never witnessed such changes in the 77 years of its existence. “Conventionally, we’ve had 28 tables. To adhere to social-distancing protocol, we have reduced 10 tables. Even the number of service staff has been decreased and those on duty will don gloves, masks and will cover their heads,” explained Arun Adiga, owner of Vidyarthi Bhavan, who described Monday’s reopening as a ‘big challenge”.

Now, dial in to reserve table at some darshinis

For the first time, Vidyarthi Bhavan and a few other darshinis plan to introduce a reservation system. “We often get large crowds for lunch and evening snacks. So we’re planning to implement a system where people can book tables over phone. This will be done on an experimental basis to reduce the number of people. We don’t know how successful it will be,” said Manjunath, who runs an eight-seater eatery in New Thippasandra. Health department rules have made it mandatory for eateries/restaurants to have less than 50 per cent of the regular capacity.

“We have to ensure people don’t crowd the place. We have reduced the number of steel tables outside where customers stand and eat and have switched from steel and plastic containers to paper plates/cups and wooden spoons,” said Radhakrishna Adiga, owner of Brahmins Coffee Bar in Basavanagudi.

Power bill moratorium not enough: Owners

The government has announced a moratorium on power bill payments for hotels, bars and restaurants for April and May; the amount can be remitted without penalty till June 30. But owners of establishments say the order doesn’t give them much respite. “The penalty amount was very small. But the truth is the restaurant industry, which was severely hit by the lockdown, has been ignored in terms of any relief package,” said Dheeraj Kumar, a Bengaluru-based bar owner.

Though restaurants are reopening on Monday, they are not allowed to serve alcohol, which accounts for a big percentage of their revenue. “The power bill moratorium is hardly a relief at a time when the industry has been ravaged. Sixty per cent of restaurateurs in the city will not be able to survive till the end of the year unless the government provides some aid,” opined Ranveer Sabhani, member, National Restaurants Association, Bengaluru Chapter.

How Bengaluru kept its coronavirus count low

How Bengaluru kept its coronavirus count low

MODEL CITY Country’s Tech Capital Has Fared Better Than Other Major Cities, Containing Spread Of Virus To Limited Areas

Nithya.Mandyam@timesgroup.com  07.06.2020

Bengaluru: While coronavirus cases are increasing sharply in many parts of the country, Bengaluru has contained the contagion with great success so far. The tech capital, which has a population of over 1 crore, has recorded 452 Covid-19 cases. Of these, only 162 are active. The other patients have recovered. The city has seen 13 Covid-related deaths in the past three months.

This is in stark contrast to the situation in other metros: Mumbai has reported over 46,000 positive cases, Delhi 26,000, Chennai 19,000, and Kolkata 2,000. Bengaluru’s success in containing the viral spread has been acknowledged by the Centre, and other cities have been exhorted to follow the same model. So, how did Bengaluru keep the corona count low? STOI spoke to various officials and experts about the strategy.

Cohesive approach

“When we realised that more people will be flying into Bengaluru from Covid-affected countries, we had to act in a cohesive manner. We roped in all agencies and made it clear that there should be no chinks in the armour. About 1.4 lakh international travellers were screened and their movements were monitored. Their primary and secondary contacts were kept under observation,” said deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan. “Coordination between the civic agency and health and home departments was effective and the spread of infection from the travellers was minimal.”

State health commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey said the labour department and police also played an important role. “In Bengaluru, people are responsible; distancing is being practised and almost everyone wears a mask,” he said.

Monitoring affected zones

Mapping of containment zones and predictive modelling are key factors, according to BBMP commissioner BH Anil Kumar, who was instrumental in setting up the Covid-19 Control Room. Every time a case was reported, the locality was sealed and residents’ movements were regulated. When five infections came to light in Padarayanapura on April 19, BBMP sealed the ward. “We didn’t wait for orders, we took prompt action,” said Dr Ravikumar Surpur, special commissioner, health. The same protocol was followed in Hongasandra, where a labourer tested positive. The steps protected nearby areas such Electronics City and HSR Layout.

Residents’ welfare associations acted as pillars by keeping a watch on those in home quarantine, Kumar said.

Contact tracing

BBMP didn’t stop at picking up and sending a patient to the hospital. Its teams identified all contacts, isolating them. As on Saturday, 1,840 primary and 5,759 secondary contacts were in quarantine. “Every time a case was detected, we launched contact tracing. We didn’t leave anything to chance,” said M Lokesh, special commissioner and Covid-19 surveillance in-charge.

Cops in action

Bengaluru police, led by Bhaskar Rao, strictly implemented the lockdown, ensuring citizens didn’t roam around without a genuine reason. In containment zones where trouble erupted, cops swiftly detained troublemakers and provided protection to health workers.

Eat, pray, shop: K’taka gears up for reopening tomorrow

Eat, pray, shop: K’taka gears up for reopening tomorrow

Space Markers At Temples, Hotels & Malls

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bengaluru:07.06.2020

In the biggest push to restoring normalcy in Unlock 1.0, malls, restaurants and places of worship across the state are all set to open tomorrow after over 70 days, though with strict adherence to central government’s guidelines on social distancing norms and public safety and health.

This comes even as the state’s Covid count went past the 5,000 mark with two deaths on Saturday and the number of infections going up to 5,213.

There was hectic activity at places of worship as the priests scrambled to comply with the government’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). For the moment, only those in non-containment zones will be opened. The distribution of prasad and theertha is banned though rituals can be performed.

Some religious places have decided to wait. BK Arshad of Masjid-e-Ibrahim Hinaya, said: “With number of cases increasing every day, it’s not appropriate to open the mosque. I’ve consulted epidemiologists and they suggested not to open at this point.” Mosques on the west coast and Madikeri too will not open.

Restaurants across the state are gearing up to open their doors for patrons. While eateries in Bengaluru have been providing takeaways and online deliveries for some time, customers can sit and dine there from Monday with strict conditions regulating their eating out.

“There are over 25,000 dining places in Bengaluru. Everyone is preparing for the Monday opening with sanitisation measures and distancing markings. Owners are taking no chances,” said Chandrashekar Hebbar, president, Karnataka Pradesh Hotel and Restaurant Association.

AWAITING FOOTFALL: Kukke Subramanya and (right) a Bengaluru mall gear up for visitors

HOW BENGALURU KEPT ITS VIRUS COUNT LOW: P 2

Lockdown doubts