HC sets aside order on the suspension of IT employee

HC sets aside order on the suspension of IT employee

Labour Court had directed firm to pay all allowances from termination date

10/05/2020, MARRI RAMU,HYDERABAD

Justice P. Naveen Rao of Telangana High Court set aside an order of a Labour Court which directed an IT company to pay all allowances to one of its suspended employees, observing that he was not given opportunity to defend his case.

Legal remedies

The judge, however, said the employee Pedda Appala Naidu, who earlier worked as project manager with Cognizant Technology Solutions, had right to seek legal remedies challenging “illegal termination” of his service. Mr. Naidu approached the Labour Court in Vikarabad following termination of his service by the company in 2013.

In an order issued four years later, the court held that inquiry against him was not conducted properly. He was not given ample opportunity to defend his case either, the order said.

The court also directed the tech company to pay allowances to the employee from the date of termination to the day the order was passed.

No jurisdiction

Challenging this order, the company moved the High Court. Announcing the verdict, the judge said the company satisfied the parameters of Information Technology/Information Technology Enabled Services as per the guidelines issued by the then government in 2002.

The Labour Court or the Appellate Authority established under the Shops and Establishment Act is empowered to adjudicate disputes involving an ‘establishment’.

If the establishment is exempted from the Act by any order of the government, the Labour Court or the Appellate Authority had no jurisdiction to adjudicate disputes connected to that establishment.

Exemptions

In Cognizant Technology Solutions case, the government had given exemption to it under Section 73 (4) of the Act since it was an IT/ITES company. Hence, any disputes relating to that company cannot be addressed by the Labour Court or Appellate Authority, the verdict said.

“The decision taken by the management of an establishment exempted from the purview of the Act was not amenable for challenge before the Labour Court or the Appellate Authority,” the order said.

Police, not judges, award ‘punishment’

Police, not judges, award ‘punishment’

Moving the barricades in the sun is their punishment, say police

10/05/2020, B. PRADEEP

The accused young men, mouth covered with a cloth, manning the barricades at Vadapalli on AP-TS border in Nalgonda district on May 5. Singam Venkataramana

Pawan (name changed), skinny and in his early 20s, had already moved the metal barricade some 200 times till 12.45 p.m. that day.

He and his four friends were told to reach the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border at Vadapalli by 8 a.m., only to follow the order – “move the barricades” for the next 12 hours.

Each time a vehicle approached the check post, they walked up to the passengers to find the whereabouts, occasionally carried documents to and fro to the tent and moved the barricades left and right.

The sun was directly overhead, thanks to the limestone-rich geography, the asphalt road and cement factories around, and the mercury level was well over 40 degrees Celsius, they said.

Neither Pawan nor his four friends are home guards or constables of the Nalgonda police, but, reportedly, accused under Section 319 in the Miryalaguda rural police limits for their alleged involvement in an altercation that led to simple injuries to another party.

On May 5, when this correspondent was at Vadapalli to interact with check post officials, sub-inspector B. Sudheer Kumar said the men were involved in a case and did not belong to the department.

Sitting next to Inspector A. Ramesh Babu in the khaki tent, another official, who checked documents and recorded entries, explained further.

“Every day five petty case accused are brought from various stations under the rural police limits. It is the fourth day. These men are involved in simple hurt case. Moving the barricades in the sun is their punishment, they should not rest when the police are working hard. Even the SP and DSP appreciated the inspector’s initiative,” he said, as the other two officers nodded with a smile. Miyalaguda DSP Venkateswara Rao, when contacted, said, “The men were voluntarily helping. Like many who are giving food and masks, can’t they move the barricades? It’s the same. Anyone can help the police.”

Local sources confirmed that the five accused men left Vadapalli on their two motorcycles around 7 p.m.

IT firms told to use buses

IT firms told to use buses

‘They can operate with 33% workforce in red zones, including GHMC area’

10/05/2020, TAFF REPORTER,HYDERABAD

Cyberabad Commissioner of Police V. C. Sajjanar

The Cyberabad police on Saturday asked IT companies to engage buses to the maximum extent, following social distancing norms, to reduce the number of individual vehicles on the road.

With the State government permitting the IT/ ITES industry to operate with up to 33% work force, in red zones, including GHMC area, Commissioner of Police V. C. Sajjanar issued certain guidelines after a meeting with the heads of a few top companies.

Staggered timings

He suggested that the companies follow staggered timings (login between 7 am and 10 am and logout between 3 pm and 6pm) and asked them to issue authorisation letters for employees and cabs which should be utilised only for the purpose of travelling from home to office and back home. “Every employee must carry the authorisation letter along with ID card to commute to work,” he said.

Movements are strictly restricted during curfew hours (7pm to 6am) and the companies should ensure health, safety and hygiene measures as per the guidelines issued by the Health department.

Mr. Sajjanar said that two passengers besides driver were allowed in a car and no pillion rider on two-wheeler, while company-operated buses were limited to 50% occupancy.

‘No gatherings’

“Do not allow gathering of employees outside IT parks and campuses, which encourages street hawkers and other activities on roads. Strict action will be initiated if any violations are observed,” the Commissioner said, directing the companies not to operate the cafeteria until further notice.

Mr. Sajjanar said that no socialising or gathering of employees in common areas within the IT companies or IT parks would be allowed.

Punjab to give ₹50 lakh ex gratia to govt. staff

Punjab to give ₹50 lakh ex gratia to govt. staff

State records 31 new COVID-19 cases

10/05/2020, VIKAS VASUDEVA,CHANDIGARH

Amarinder Singh.File photo

The Punjab government has announced an ex gratia of ₹50 lakh to the dependants of government employees who die while on duty fighting the novel coronavirus.

The Finance Department in an order on May 8 said “... the government of Punjab, after careful consideration, has decided to put in place special provisions with regard to ex gratia admissible to dependant/legal heirs of employees who die in harness while on government duty during the fight against Coronavirus pandemic”.

The order shall be applicable to all categories of regular government employees including those recruited on or after January 1, 2004, and covered under the new pension scheme.

Punjab recorded 31 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday and reported two more deaths, taking the tally to 31, according to an official statement.

The number of positive cases has reached 1,762 on May 9. The patients who died were from Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur districts. The Health Department said majority cases, 17 and five, were reported from Jalandhar and Fatehgarh districts respectively. The active cases are 1,574 and 157 patients have so far recovered, it added.

Contact tracing

Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that across the State, 11,078 persons were identified who came in contact with COVID-19 patients; of these cases, 11,056 have already been traced by the department — 99.9% contact tracing.

In Chandigarh, 23 new cases surfaced, taking the tally to 169.

A tailor’s long journey from Jaipur to Farrukhabad to be with family

A tailor’s long journey from Jaipur to Farrukhabad to be with family

The sudden lockdown announcement, an uncertain future, concern for family pushed him to walk to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh hundreds of kilometres away

10/05/2020, ROHINI SOMANATHAN,BHAVISHYA MEHTA

The following narrative is based on an interview conducted on April 15 with a tailor who walked most of the way from Jaipur to his home in Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh after the announcement of the nationwide lockdown. In 2018, he moved to east Delhi with his wife and three children. Initially they were quite happy in Delhi and found the schools relatively good. When communal tensions rose in 2019, the family moved back to the safety of their home. He started work again in his father’s shop but there was not enough work to meet school and household expenses. His sister invited him to come to Jaipur where there was more work. The lockdown was announced after he had been in Jaipur for three months. His story illustrates that there are no stereotypical migrants — they come from many different walks of life. Their shared experience is their loss of livelihood and the traumatic separation from their family during a life-threatening crisis.

Setting out

I saw the news of the lockdown on my mobile phone on the night of March 24. I had been staying with my sister in the Idgah neighbourhood of Jaipur for over three months and working in a tailoring shop in the area. Four of my relatives also worked in the same shop. My wife and three boys were at our home in Farrukhabad.

I spent the first day of the lockdown indoors. The following evening, a van came to the road crossing near us with packets of food from a local NGO. A group stood with large sticks and took control over the food packets. Some claimed they were policemen, but no one was in uniform. The next morning, we saw some of those packets (empty or half-eaten) strewn by the rubbish dump and in the drains.

I was well-provided for at my sister’s house but my co-workers were hungry. I carried food for them and we decided we should somehow leave for home. While there was no dearth of necessities at my sister’s house for now, there was no telling what would happen if the lockdown continued and my nephews lost their tailoring jobs. I could not bear to burden my sister’s family or beg from others. My employer owed me ₹3,000 but he said he could not pay me until the situation improved.

We set out after nightfall on April 27. My sister handed me a packet of food and ₹1,000, adding to the ₹500 of my own. We started walking, three or four metres apart, afraid to be recognised as a single group. We saw others coming in from all directions, and by the time we reached the police barricade, about 3 km away, we were a large number, too many to control or hold back. There were all sorts of people in the crowd. They let us pass.

We must have walked 50 km towards Agra before we lay down by the side of the road, and slept fitfully for a couple of hours. We got to our feet as the sun rose. The eldest among us turned back saying, “It is a long road, I will not manage it.” The rest of us continued. We felt death at our heels and had to somehow get home.

There were villages along the way. At the first village, there was a religious reading going on in a tent. They let us in to rest, brought us buttermilk. We kept receiving bits of food. In the small towns, there were sometimes food packets, chips and bottles of water. Neither the travellers nor the villagers cared about class or religion. They wished us well, took video clips of us on their phones and gave us faith in humanity and confidence that we would reach our destination. We finally reached Bharatpur and found a tractor that gave us a ride for about 30 km. Then we walked again until we reached the Agra bus station later that night. At a police outpost, 25 km from Agra, we were told we would be quarantined in schools if we went ahead, but we kept moving. In Agra, I called a relative who said we were welcome if we could make our way there. They had omelettes waiting for us and we stayed the night.

The curfew-like conditions in Agra were much worse than Jaipur. We left at 8 the next morning when people were allowed out of their houses for essentials. We walked to Tundla, where an autorickshaw driver took us 50 km for ₹1,500. From there we walked to Etah. Luckily, we found a matador van carrying vegetables and scrambled in the back until its destination in Aliganj and another tractor carrying wheat harvest to Karimganj. I then called my sister who sent an e-rickshaw to take us the remaining 10 km. We reached home on April 29 night, a little over two days after leaving Jaipur.

Waiting to exhale

It has been over two weeks but still feels as if I have just entered my house and sat down with my family. When I see news of crowds of workers at bus stations, I feel their pain — our story is one. Stuck far away, one does not think of food or belongings, just a desperate longing to reach their family and a place they belong. I am not quite sure what the future holds. The police are taking bribes from labourers wanting to work and from grocery shops, which are supposed to be open. My father’s tailoring shop is closed for now. My wife usually works from home on embroidery and stitching accessories on fashion garments for city shops. There is no work these days because the sequins and other accessories are mostly from China and there are also no customers. We will manage something provided the lockdown ends soon.

(Rohini Somanathan is professor of economics at the Delhi School of Economics and Bhavishya Mehta a student in his final semester of the M.A. Economics programme.)

‘We don’t need trains, just let us walk home’

‘We don’t need trains, just let us walk home’

Stranded workers say they don’t want to wait in shelters till they get a train or be quarantined once they get home

10/05/2020, JATIN ANAND, ,GREATER NOIDA

Migrant workers from U.P. and Bihar wait at the Yamuna E-way Zero Point in Greater Noida on Saturday. Jatin Anand

It may have abated for a while but the exodus of migrant workers from across the National Capital Region on Day 69 of the national lockdown is not only still going on but is seemingly underlined by more desperation than before.

A week after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) allowed the movement of stranded individuals, especially migrant workers, to their home States on interState buses or special trains, visuals and news of others like them had renewed their hope before they realised there is more than one catch.

For groups of on-foot migrant workers, the possibly endless wait for more passengers headed their way on one hand and the certainty of two weeks’ quarantine on the other side of their journey in lieu merely of “free travel” arrangements by governments, they complain, is too steep a price to pay.

Even facing and contending with police batons on the way did not matter, they said, as long as they were able to inch as close to home as possible. “It is better if they just put us in jail and be done with it,” complained Om Prakash, a resident of Faizabad who undertook a nine-hour journey, mostly on foot, from Ballabhgarh in Haryana before landing up below the Yamuna Expressway.

“The police have told us that they will take us to a shelter camp where we will be required to stay till the administration is able to find more people headed along our route. Some of our relatives who have recently been able to make it home have told me that we will need to stay in quarantine for 14 days in a school outside the village. Are we supposed to spend our lives waiting?” he demanded.

One from a group of nine former factory workers from Ballabhgarh and Faridabad headed to their hometowns in Lucknow, Agra and Faizabad among others, Mr. Prakash said he and the others began their journey from Haryana at 3 a.m. on Saturday.

Prem Kumar, who was employed as a security guard at a wardrobe manufacturing unit, said the first installment of the national lockdown was announced on the eve of his first day at work. “The supervisor took care of us for as long as possible; for over two months. Then we thought we would try and make our way home. We tried to register ourselves on the U.P. government’s online portal but couldn’t. So we decided to start walking and get as close as we could on our own,” he said.

Seeing the group of nine from Uttar Pradesh waiting below the elevated highway encouraged close to two dozen people from Bihar, mainly construction workers, to position themselves on the other side of the street from them.

After a four-hour-long wait for food and arrangements for travel which they had hoped for, however, the gradually swelling number of migrant workers could only procure disappointment before setting out on foot for their destinations hundreds, and in the cases of some over a thousand, kilometres away.

“Did you hear about what happened in Nanded? The workers who were run over by the train? Why were they not on that train instead of below it? I am even ready for that kind of death if it happens near home. At least people will remember and talk about me. That will not happen if I stay here,” said Prabhas Kumar, a construction worker who wanted to travel to Saharsa in Bihar.

“We don’t need special trains; even tractors will do. If not tractors, just let us walk. We just want to go home,” he said.

JNU asks students to return by end of June

JNU asks students to return by end of June

Exams by July 31; next semester from August 1

10/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,NEW DELHI

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Saturday announced that students are expected to return to the campus between June 25-30 to complete their courses and that examinations will be conducted by July 31.

In a statement, JNU Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar said, “The next semester for continuing students will start from August 1. Even if the examination results are not ready by July 31, students will have the opportunity to provisionally register and move on to the next semester.”

The administration said that the registration process for the monsoon semester will be online.

“The entire monsoon semester registration process will be completely online, making it easy for the students to register even from their homes. We have made sure that research scholars who have to submit their dissertations or theses, do not face any difficulty as the deadline for submission is shifted to December 31,” the statement read.

The varsity added that the academic calendar announced was tentative.

States should decide on exit plan: Baghel

States should decide on exit plan: Baghel

Chhattisgarh CM writes to Modi

10/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

States should have the power to decide on the strategy to come out of the lockdown, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He has argued against the centralisation of the fight against COVID-19, saying the States should have been empowered to demarcate containment zones and decide on which economic activities to start and how.

Practical difficulties

In his May 8 letter, Mr. Baghel highlighted the difficulties in the demarcation of red zones by the Union government. What if fresh cases were detected in a green zone which had already been opened up for basic economic activities, after the Centre announced the demarcation of zones based on the number of cases, he asked. “If a zone which had been opened up is again declared a red zone, whatever little economic activities that had restarted here will have to be shut down again. If an area that has been opened up after a long wait has to be closed down once again, we will only create a situation of unrest and uncertainty,” he said.

“To end all these uncertainties, it is essential that while observing all necessary precautions we slowly unroll our usual economic activities. And it would only be appropriate that the State governments are given the full rights to operate the economic activities,” he said.

TNSTC Coimbatore Division to operate 1,326 buses from May 18

TNSTC Coimbatore Division to operate 1,326 buses from May 18

10/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER

The Coimbatore Division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) has said that 1,326 buses are to be operated in four zones from May 18, when the COVID-19 lockdown ends.

According to a release, 50 % of the buses will be operated with 50 % capacity following an order from the State government.

Of the 1,326 buses, 539 are for Coimbatore Zone, 173 for Udhagamandalam Zone, 334 buses for Erode Zone and 280 for Tiruppur Zone.

As part of the COVID-19 prevention measures, the buses will be disinfected every day.

The drivers and conductors will wear masks and gloves and their body temperatures will be checked by TNSTC officials. The conductors will also provide hand sanitisers to passengers inside the buses.

The public will be allowed to enter these buses only if they wear masks. They must board the buses from the rear entrance and exit through the front. At bus stops and inside the buses, they should maintain a distance of six feet between each other to ensure physical distancing, the release said.

Keep used masks for 72 hours: TNPCB

Keep used masks for 72 hours: TNPCB

‘Biomedical waste should be collected separately in yellow bags’

10/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER

Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) has urged people to keep the used masks and gloves for a minimum of 72 hours in a bag and dispose it.

In a press release, it said that used masks and gloves generated from home quarantine or other households should be kept in paper bag for a minimum of 72 hours prior to disposal of the same as general waste.

It also asked the people to cut the masks before disposing it so that reuse could be prevented.

The release said that biomedical waste generated from quarantine centres or camps should be collected separately in yellow coloured bags provided by urban local bodies.

The bags should be handed over to the authorised waste collection workers at doorsteps engaged by local bodies, the press release added.

MSMEs likely to start functioning from Monday

MSMEs likely to start functioning from Monday

10/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Several micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) in Coimbatore Corporation limits are expected to start operations on Monday.

“The order issued by the State Government on Saturday says all private enterprises in the State can function from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. This means industries too can operate one shift,” said J. James, president of Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Tiny Enterprises.

“We have circulated the order to all our members so that they can prepare to start operating the units from Monday,” he said.

However, he was apprehensive that the units may not be able to operate for long as they may face challenges in getting orders, payments, etc. “We will know the real situation only after 10 days,” he said.

Several MSME unit owners have read the order to mean that industries can operate in the Corporation limits too.

This is only a short period of one week before the lockdown is lifted. The actual economic activity will take off only from May 18, said another small-scale unit owner. The MSMEs are waiting for a support package from the Central Government so that they can start operations full-fledged. The State Government is also expected to come out with lockdown exit strategies next week, he said.

Representatives of trade unions here met the District Collector on Friday and appealed to him to reopen the industries so that workers can return to work. Some of the unions also said the NTC mills should pay its workers’ wages for April.

Administration clarifies on list of shops that can be opened

Administration clarifies on list of shops that can be opened

10/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER

With confusion prevailing over opening of shops, the district administration has issued clarification and released list of shops that can be opened and list of shops that are restricted from opening.

Collector C. Kathiravan in a press release said that lockdown is extended till May 17 and following are the list of shops that are permitted to function: shops selling hardware, cement, sports materials, automobile, books shops, sanitaryware, electronic sales shops, mobile phones, computers, household items, electric motor repair shop, spectacles sales shop, already permitted grocery, pharmaceuticals, hotels (only parcels), studio, sweet stall and bakery, printing press, two-wheeler and four-wheeler service centre and meat stalls that were permitted to sell only in packs.

The release said that owners and workers of shops that were permitted to function should wear mask and they should ensure personal distancing among customers and insist they wear mask. If customers were not wearing mask, action will be taken against the shop owner, the release said. Also, sanitizer and soap should be kept at the shop entrance for the customers, the release added.

Shops that were not allowed to function were air conditioned shops, jewellery shops, all types of textile showrooms and textile market, tea and beverages shops, saloon, spa, beauty parlour, departmental stores, market complexes, fitness centres, sports ground, swimming pool, theatres, clubs, lodges, resorts, bar, museum, park, tourist spots and showrooms selling two-wheelers and four-wheelers.

200 ATMs without security guards closed in Erode

200 ATMs without security guards closed in Erode

10/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,ERODE

ATM centres that were closed on Gandhiji Road in Erode on Saturday.M. GOVARTHAN M_GOVARTHAN

For want of security guards, as many as 200 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) were closed in the district causing hardship to the people on Saturday.

There are around 600 ATMs of nationalised banks, private banks and small finance banks in the district that serve the needs of the people in disbursing cash. After the outbreak of COVID-19, the district administration and the Corporation has asked all banks to ensure security guards at the ATMs so that they can provide hand sanitisers to the people visiting the kiosks. However, over 60% of the ATMs do not have either security guards or sanitisers forcing many people to return.

A report on “Absence of sanitisers in ATMs poses risk to users”, was published in The Hindu dated May 2 after which the district administration and the Corporation has asked all the banks to ensure security guards at the ATMs. Since security guards cannot be posted immediately, around 200 ATMs were closed across the district temporarily, said officials at the District Lead Bank.

They said that recruitment of guards is not possible immediately and hence, ATMs without guards were closed. However, ATMs attached to bank branches would be opened during bank working hours and sanitisers would be placed, they added.

Three more trains leave Coimbatore on Saturday with migrant workers

Three more trains leave Coimbatore on Saturday with migrant workers

One train to Bihar and two to Uttar Pradesh; each train ferries 1,140 passengers

10/05/2020, COIMBATORE BUREAU

Migrant workers mark their places in the queue with luggage at the Coimbatore Railway Junction on Saturday. S. Siva Saravanan

Three trains carrying totally 3,420 migrant workers left Coimbatore on Saturday to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The Salem Division of Southern Railway operated the three ‘Shramik’ special trains to transport the migrant workers in Coimbatore district to their respective home States. One train had left for Bihar on Friday evening.

Railway officials said the first train on Saturday that left Coimbatore Junction at around 8 a.m. was bound for Danapur Junction in Bihar. The second train’s destination was Akbarpur Junction in Uttar Pradesh which left at around 4 p.m., and the third train was bound for Jaunpur Junction in Uttar Pradesh that left the Coimbatore junction at around 8 p.m.

All the trains had 24 coaches and each was allowed only 1,140 passengers. Personal distancing was ensured inside the trains and all the coaches were disinfected prior to the operation.

Coimbatore Junction was initially allotted five rakes for operation of special trains. With four used as of Saturday, more rakes will be prepared as per requirements, according to the railway officials.

According to officials in the district administration, the plan is to help nearly 20,000 guest workers in the district reach their respective States. There are no immediate plans to operate train services on Sunday and even if it gets finalised, the train will leave on Sunday evening. Since only those who have registered online are given priority now, there is every possibility that many workers who want to board the train, but have not registered, will come to the railway junction and are sent back to their accommodations here.

Next to Chennai, Coimbatore has the largest number of migrant workers and many of them will leave the district to return home, at least for a few days, when regular train services restart, the officials said.

ICMR to test for community spread

ICMR to test for community spread

10/05/2020

“But we will go into 75 districts to find the spread, if any, and extent of community spread,” said a senior ICMR official. Community transmission is said to have taken place where tracing the source of infection is not possible, he said.

The ICMR, which was supposed to use the rapid antibody test kits for the survey, will now use the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test — used in HIV detection — for the survey.

Fatality rate now 3.3%

On Saturday, the country registered 95 more deaths, taking the total COVID-19 fatalities to 1,981, the Health Ministry said. 17,847 persons have been cured so far with 1,307 cured in the last 24 hours. India now has a fatality rate of 3.3% and recovery rate is 29.9%, a Ministry release said.

Data from State Health Departments put the nationwide death toll at 1992, with 40,382 active cases. A total of 280 new cases were reported from Ahmedabad along with 20 more deaths on Saturday, taking the total case count to 5,540 in the district and fatalities to 363, a Gujarat Health department official said. Maharashtra reported 1,165 new case, taking its tally to 20, 228. The State also reported 48 deaths, taking the death toll to 779, said a health department official.

Cumulatively, 15,25,631 tests have been done so far for COVID-19, the Ministry added.

A.P.’s dire finances drive it to seek Central help

A.P.’s dire finances drive it to seek Central help

Revenue deficit, combined with the burden of COVID-19 and industry distress, leaves the State on edge

10/05/2020, APPAJI REDDEM,VIJAYAWADA

A precipitous slide in revenues, combined with the burden of the costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, has left Andhra Pradesh facing a “grave financial crisis”. Add to it the distress in industry, exacerbated by the mass migration of workers, and the State government finds itself with little option but to look at the Centre for liberal financial help, a stimulus package and statutory measures to help the industry.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the dire situation in the State, during a videoconference in April, and made a pitch for liberal financial aid. The State’s revenue had reportedly dipped to a mere ₹2 crore a day.

“We could not pay full salaries for the month of March to our staff due to the grave financial crisis,” Mr. Reddy said during his interaction with the PM.

The revenue shortfall in A.P. in the wake of the lockdown was about ₹5,000 crore a month, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy said. The slump in receipts include deep deficits in excise collections, sales tax, motor vehicles tax and revenue from stamp duty and registration. And the deficit is expected to continue in the month of May, the Minister said.

While the actual calculations of the State’s finances and revenue deficit are yet to be confirmed, sources in the government said revenue receipts in the financial year 2019-20 were likely to be about ₹1.04 lakh crore as against the revenue of almost ₹1.15 lakh crore in the previous fiscal.

Despite the challenges, the government has spent about ₹1,330 crore on COVID-19 assistance to 1.33 crore white ration card holders in the State. In addition, it spent ₹1,400 crore on interest waiver to women’s self-help groups. The government has also made elaborate arrangements, including food and accommodation during the lockdown for nearly 70,000 migrant workers across the 13 districts.

As a measure of support to industry during the current crisis, the State has paid ₹905 crore of industrial incentives, which were pending since 2014, to the MSME sector.

Besides, it has waived ₹188 crore in power demand charges and decided to provide ₹200 crore in low-interest working capital.

The A.P. government is estimated to have so far spent more than ₹10,000 crore on COVID-19-related activities, financial assistance and relief measures, the government sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed.

There was also no official statement by the State government on the extent of assistance given by the Centre to address the COVID-19 pandemic so far.

Central assistance

The Centre has extended financial assistance amounting to ₹10,947 crore to A.P. through various schemes to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, BJP State Secretary V. Jaya Prakash Narayana said in a statement.

To tide over the crisis, the State government wants the Centre to take a slew of measures to boost industry. In a letter to Mr. Modi on April 30, the chief minister listed A.P.’s contributions to the country’s economy including ₹98,983 crore worth of exports during 2018-19.

Fund for MSMEs

Given the distress across the globe, the CM wanted the Centre to facilitate a fund to support MSMEs for liquidity needed to meet wage liabilities during the lockdown, allow a moratorium on payment of PF, ESI and gratuity for six months, provide for a 12-month moratorium on all repayments for MSMEs, release of delayed payments and waiver of minimum power charges among others.

On the GST front, Mr. Reddy suggested an increase in the threshold limit of GST compliance eligibility to an annual turnover of ₹100 lakh.

He sought several supportive measures for the textiles, auto components, pharma, metals and mining and food processing sectors. And besides a stimulus package, he also urged GST rate cuts.

Home quarantine for Keralites returning home

IN BRIEF

10/05/2020,THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Home quarantine for Keralites returning home

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, briefing media here on Saturday, said the government has decided to allow Keralites returning home from other parts of the country to undergo home quarantine rather than institutional quarantine, provided they do not have any symptoms.

A lifeline that came in a 40-minute flight from Kerala capital

A lifeline that came in a 40-minute flight from Kerala capital

Heart harvested from a brain-dead woman in Thiruvananthapuram transplanted into a 49-year-old in Kochi

10/05/2020, SARATH BABU GEORGE, JOHN L. PAUL,THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Hearty gesture: Medical and police team bringing the heart from Thiruvananthapuram by helicopter. Thulasi Kakkat

The Kerala police transported a heart harvested from a brain-dead woman in Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi in a government-rented helicopter that was flown for its first mission as an air ambulance on Saturday.

The heart was transplanted into Lina Shibu, a 49-year-old woman from Kothamangalam, who had been diagnosed with ischemic cardiomyopathy and under treatment at the Lisie Hospital in Kochi for the past three months.

The district administrations of Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam joined hands soon after Chempazhanthy native Laly Gopakumar’s death on Friday when her family expressed their desire to donate her organs.

Ms. Gopakumar, 50, teacher at Poundkadavu Government Lower Primary School, near Kazhakuttam, died at KIMS Hospital after a fatal haemorrhagic stroke. During her final days, she had apparently conveyed her wish to donate her organs.

Soon, officials of the Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS), the nodal agency coordinating State government’s organ donation programme (Mrithasanjeevani), took steps to harvest her heart, kidneys, and corneas. The organs were allotted for transplantation in patients admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, KIMS Hospital, and Lissie Hospital, Kochi.

A medical team of Lisie Hospital came to Thiruvananthapuram by road in the morning and the heart was taken to the Thiruvananthapuram airport around 2.45 p.m. The helicopter arrived at the helipad of Hotel Grand Hyatt in Kochi at 3.45 p.m. The police ensured a green corridor from the helipad to the hospital, helping the team to cover the 5-km in five minutes. The surgery began at 4 p.m.

“The heart has begun to beat without mechanical help at 8 p.m., which shows that the first two phases of the surgery are a success. The procedure will continue into the night,” said a spokesman of Lisie Hospital.

The government arranged the helicopter after hospital director Fr. Paul Karedan took up the matter with former MP P. Rajeev. He spoke to the Chief Minister, who directed the State police to arrange the service, the spokesperson said.

However, the government’s decision to hire the AS 365 Dauphin N3, medium twin-engine 11-seater helicopter from Pawan Hans Ltd. amid the ongoing financial crunch has invited criticism from the Opposition. The helicopter was rented for ₹1.44 crore for 20 hours of flight time a month.

(With inputs from Kochi)

Contributions for COVID-19 relief pour in

Contributions for COVID-19 relief pour in

10/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Contributions continued to pour in for COVID-19 relief in Tamil Nadu.

The Ola Group announced a contribution of ₹50 lakh to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to help fight the pandemic.

Yamaha Motor India Group (YMIG) said that both its white-collar and blue-collar employees, as well as some trainees, donated a day’s salary from April, amounting to ₹61.5 lakh, to help the government fight the contingencies arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak in India.

Samsung India contributed ₹2 crore to the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority to support the State’s fight against COVID-19.

Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (CPCL) distributed packs of dry rations to 1,399 migrant labourers in Manali.

Petition in HC to reopen places of worship

Petition in HC to reopen places of worship

10/05/2020, LEGAL CORRESPONDENTCHENNAI

A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the State government to permit reopening of temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and other religious institutions that have remain closed ever since the nationwide lockdown was implemented on March 24 to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The case has been listed before a Bench of Justices Vineet Kothari and Pushpa Sathyanarayana on Monday.

R.K. Jaleel, an activist from Chennai, had filed the case through his counsel M.L. Ravi.

He filed the case contending that there was no logic behind keeping religious institutions closed, when the government was desperate to open liquor shops.

Since the lockdown had been relaxed to a great extent now, with shops and other commercial institutions having been permitted to function, for extended hours with limited staff, the litigant claimed that religious institutions should also be allowed to be reopened.

The litigant further added that this should be the case especially because Muslims were now fasting during the holy month of Ramzan.

Patients housed in Corpn. care centres stage protests

Patients housed in Corpn. care centres stage protests

Asymptomatic persons demand better facilities

10/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,CHENNAI

Patients housed in COVID-19 care centres of the Chennai Corporation have been holding protests against civic officials, demanding better facilities.

Hundreds of patients were housed in the care centres of the Corporation after the Health Department permitted the shifting of asymptomatic patients.

Patients and their family members had started a campaign on social media demanding better facilities at the centres. The information on social media led to a rise in the number of protests by patients in various centres.

Video recordings of conditions at the centres have been shared on social media, highlighting the problems faced by patients. “We do not get nutritious food. The food is inadequate and drinking water is not supplied either,” said a patient.

Some women and children, admitted to the centres, have complained of a lack of medical care from qualified doctors.

Protests in Loyola College and the Chennai Trade Centre have been shared on social media. Patients have complained about the delay in food delivery and the lack of medical care.

‘Not clean’

Traders who were housed in a marriage hall on the outskirts of the city said that officials housed them in the building without cleaning it. “The building has not been cleaned for months. Toilet cleaning has not been done properly. They should keep the building clean. Disinfection is not done regularly. They sent us inside and closed the door, leaving us without food and water for several hours,” said a trader.

Corporation officials said that they had assessed the condition of the centres to improve services.

“The Corporation on Saturday received reports of a large number of patients testing negative for COVID-19 in several care centres. More than 50% of patients at the centres tested negative on Saturday,” said a Corporation official.

Testing for patients is being done at the Chennai Trade Centre, where protests have been frequent. “Over 154 patients have tested negative for COVID-19. Doctors have to make a decision on asking them to remain under home quarantine. We will provide additional food for the patients,” said an official.

Over 1,000 patients, admitted to tertiary care hospitals, have been shifted to the care centres. Work on development of care centres for at least 50,000 patients is expected to be completed by the end of the month.

23 discharged in Madurai

23 discharged in Madurai

10/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER, MADURAI

A total of 23 people who recovered from COVID-19 were discharged from Madurai’s Government Rajaji Hospital on Friday, according to the district administration. However, the discharge was confirmed by State-level authorities through the bulletin only on Saturday.

There were 16 patients from Madurai and seven from Virudhunagar who were discharged. Of them 13 were men, six women and four children.

The patients from Madurai were residents of Kottampatti, Anaiyur, Usilampatti, Sellur, Vandiyur and Sikkandar Chavadi.

Collector T. G. Vinay said that after treatment, the patients were discharged. Those who did not display symptoms were in the hospital only for 14 days, he said and added that a final test was taken 24 hours before it was decided that they could leave the hospital.

Drink kabasura kudineer to boost immunity, says Revenue Minister

Drink kabasura kudineer to boost immunity, says Revenue Minister

10/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER,MADURAI

Revenue Minister R. B. Udayakumar said that people must consume kabasura kudineer on an empty stomach everyday to boost their immunity. He said this while distributing sachets of the powder to members of various minority groups here on Saturday.

He also distributed dry ration as part of the COVID-19 relief efforts by the State government at Kallikudi and Tirumangalam to members of the Narikuravar community, the elderly and differently abled persons. Although no direct link has been established between kabasura kudineer and COVID-19 treatment, Siddha practitioners and Ayurveda doctors say that it helps in boosting immunity, he said. Corporations and district administrations across the State have resorted to distributing tonnes of sachets to the public, he added.

“Kallikudi block is one of the few blocks in the district without any cases. To ensure that the status quo remains, the public must cooperate,” he said. He said the relaxation which has led to the revival of several industries in these two regions will help in stabilising the economy. “With Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act scheme kick-starting, I am sure several labourers will receive regular income,” he added.

Family members of stranded pilgrims seek govt. help

Family members of stranded pilgrims seek govt. help

10/05/2020, STAFF REPORTER, MADURAI

With 22 senior citizens from Madurai, who were on a pilgrimage to north India, stranded in Gaya in Bihar for over 40 days following the lockdown, family members have sought the State government’s help to bring them back.

The group had left for the pilgrimage on March 11 and are now being provided food and shelter by the Nattukottai Nagarathar Chathiram in Gaya.

Family members said that the senior citizens were psychologically affected as they were unable to come back home.

One of the family member, M. Gnanagurunathan, said that his mother and mother-in-law were among the stranded.

Though he was in touch with them over phone, he said that being away from home had taken a toll on the mental health of the elders and they longed to return home.

He said that the family members of the senior citizens had sent representations to both Tamil Nadu and Bihar governments and were awaiting response from them. Members of DLSA Madurai said that they were in touch with their counterparts in DLSA Gaya and were monitoring the status. The senior citizens will undergo a medical test on Monday and will apply for travel e-pass, the members said.

Meanwhile, 23 pilgrims from Madurai who were stranded in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh reached the city on Friday.

They were taken to the Government Rajaji Hospital for a medical check up and have been asked to remain in home quarantine for two weeks, the members said.

Colleges, hostels turn isolation centres

Colleges, hostels turn isolation centres

This has been done to tackle any explosion of COVID-19 cases, says Collector T. G. Vinay

10/05/2020, SANJANA GANESH,MADURAI

The district administration and the department of health services have established 11 isolation centres across various taluks. It has been done to tackle any explosion of cases, says Collector T. G. Vinay.

He adds that these facilities are in addition to those functioning at the Southern Railways hospital, Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine at Thoppur and taluk-level hospitals.

As on date, the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) has around 300 beds in the COVID-19 speciality ward. This includes beds in the COVID-19 suspected ward too. “Only the first floor of the super-speciality block is being used as there are only 57 active cases. There are two other floors which can be used as well,” a source said.

Asymptomatic cases

Mr. Vinay says they have set up beds at taluk hospitals in Melur, Tirumangalam and Usilampatti to treat asymptomatic cases.

The administration has approached private colleges and has taken over government hostels to provide space for COVID-19 patients. These facilities will predominantly be used for isolating and testing potential cases.

These include Sri Meenakshi Government Arts College for Women hostel, Madurai Kamaraj University hostel, Thiagarajar Engineering College hostel, Police Training Centre (Othakadai) hostel, Meenakshi Nursing College, Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College hostel, Homeopathy Medical College (Tirumangalam), Sedapatti High School, Kamaraj Engineering College hostel, Vadipatti Government High School and Arul Anandar College.

Some colleges like Sri Meenakshi Government Arts College for Women and Thiagarajar Engineering College have provided space with the health department setting up beds.

However, some other institutions like Madurai Kamaraj University and Meenakshi Nursing College have provided beds as well. Each of these facilities have access to a dedicated doctor, AYUSH doctor, staff nurse, lab technician and hospital worker who all operate from a nearby Primary Health Centre.

They also will be provided with surgical instruments, drugs and consumables, the Collector said.

“In case there is a rise, asymptomatic cases will be shifted to these facilities. For each of these centres, two Compulsory Rotatory Residential Internship (CRRI) students will be deputed as well. The Deputy Director, Public Health, will form schedules regarding relieving doctors and staff nurses,” the Collector added.

‘HC order hampers reopening of economy’

‘HC order hampers reopening of economy’

Online liquor sale needs logistics: T.N.

10/05/2020, KRISHNADAS RAJAGOPAL,NEW DELHI

The Tamil Nadu government, which on Saturday moved the Supreme Court against a Madras High Court order to close liquor shops in the State, also filed a separate memo, requesting that the case be heard even on Sunday.

“The entire country and the State are facing a unique situation, wherein the economy is sought to be reopened in a phased manner, the directions issued are seriously impeding this process. Therefore it is prayed that this case may be listed at the earliest, even on Sunday, so as to mitigate the hardship caused to the citizens,” the State said.

Tamil Nadu, represented by advocate Yogesh Kanna and State Additional Advocate-General Balaji Srinivasan, said liquor retail was owned and operated by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC). The order for an open-ended ban was on the basis of petitions filed by parties interested in keeping the State-run shops closed, he said.

As for online liquor sales and home delivery, Tamil Nadu said the Supreme Court had clarified on May 8 that a decision would be left to the discretion of the States.

It said no other State, except Maharashtra where the COVID-19 cases were three to four times more than Tamil Nadu, sold liquor exclusively through online means. Online sales could at best supplement sales through physical outlets.

“E-payment and home delivery call for immense logistical coordination, supply chain management, which needs time and manpower, especially in the present situation,” the petition contended.

CBSE to start answer sheet evaluation at 3,000 centres

CBSE to start answer sheet evaluation at 3,000 centres

Results will be announced after pending exams are over

10/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

Long haul: In this photo dated March 18, 2020, Class 10 students outside an exam centre in Delhi.Sushil Kumar VermaSushil Kumar Verma

Nearly 3,000 schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been notified as evaluation centres, and will soon begin work on evaluating Class 10 and 12 board examinations which have been disrupted by the lockdown, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Saturday.

In a memo issued on Saturday, the Union Home Ministry said that while all schools remained closed under the lockdown guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, “special permission has been granted for the operation of 3,000 CBSE-affiliated schools selected as evaluation centres, for the limited purpose of work associated with the evaluation of answer sheets.” It said there was no restriction on the transport of answer sheets to the homes of evaluators unless they were located within a containment zone.

CBSE regional offices can also begin work in green and orange zones and function with limited restrictions in red zones, the Ministry memo said.

In total, 1.5 crore answer sheets in 173 subjects will be evaluated, said Mr. Nishank. Results will only be announced after the completion of the pending examinations in 29 subjects, which are to be held from July 1 to 15, he added.

Bengal not cooperating, Shah tells Mamata

Bengal not cooperating, Shah tells Mamata

Home Minister writes to CM on migrants’ travel

10/05/2020, VIJAITA SINGH,NEW DELHI

A May 7 photo of migrant workers hailing from West Bengal on the road at Gannavaram, Andhra Pradesh.T. VIJAYA_KUMAR

Union Home Minister Amit Shah sent a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday stating that the State government was not allowing special trains and it was an “injustice” to stranded migrant workers.

The letter said that the Central government had facilitated more than two lakh migrants reach home.

“Migrants from West Bengal are also eager to reach home. Central govt. is facilitating but we are not getting expected support from W.B. State Government, which is not allowing the trains to reach W.B. This is injustice with W.B. migrant labourers. This will create further hardship for them,” the letter said.

The Railways has been running Shramik Special trains on the request of State governments to help the migrant workers stuck in various parts of the country due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown to reach home.

Maharashtra tops 20,000-mark; toll rises to 779

Maharashtra tops 20,000-mark; toll rises to 779

State registers 48 deaths, the highest in a day

10/05/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,MUMBAI

Taking stock: New municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, second from right, inspecting areas in Dharavi. Ravi Nadar

Maharashtra recorded 1,165 more COVID-19 cases, pushing the tally to 20,228 on Saturday. The State also recorded 48 deaths, the highest in a day, taking the toll to 779. The case fatality rate stands at 3.8%.

Of the 48 deaths, 27 were in Mumbai, 10 in Pune, eight in Malegaon and one each in Akola, Nanded and Amravati. While 21 of them were men, 27 were women. Health officials said 28 patients had such underlying conditions as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, which made their recovery difficult.

The number of cases has doubled in the State in 10 days, while the number of deaths has doubled in 13 days.

Two districts in green

Only two districts — Wardha and Gadchiroli — remain in the green zone. All the other 33 districts have reported cases. Mumbai remains the worst affected, with nearly 64% of the cases and 63% of the deaths reported from the city alone.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region, consisting of Thane, Navi Mumbai and other areas, has the highest number of cases in the State. The Pune Municipal Corporation has recorded 1,975 cases and 141 deaths.

Malegaon has emerged as an area of concern, with 472 cases and 20 deaths.

On Saturday, 330 patients were discharged from hospitals across the State. A total of 3,800 patients has been discharged so far after recovery.

As many as 2.41 lakh people in the State are in home quarantine and 13,976 in institutional quarantine. The State has 1,243 active containment zones and has carried out nearly 2.27 lakh tests.

Key ICMR panel on vaccines dissolved

Key ICMR panel on vaccines dissolved

5 groups set up in National Task Force

10/05/2020, JACOB KOSHY,NEW DELHI

The group was to set up to review evidence and develop concept notes.

The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has dissolved a key committee, which was part of the National COVID-19 Task Force (NTF) and tasked with developing a research protocol, a team and partners for vaccines and drug development.

The NTF’s key responsibility was to create a “India COVID-19 Clinical Research Collaborative Network”.

The group for ‘Vaccines/Drug Research and Development’ — one among five constituted by ICMR Director-General Balram Bhargava on April 6 — was to identify ‘research priorities, review evidence and develop concept notes’.

However, these objectives were not met, multiple members of the group confirmed to The Hindu. The group met thrice.

One member told The Hindu that the team was probably constituted to help ICMR gain an overview of potential vaccines, existing capabilities in India and research institutions with expertise in specific areas of drug- and vaccine-development.

“I don't think it was a statutory committee. There were experts from different institutions such as DBT (Department of Biotechnology) and CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) and we gave our views on the strengths and capabilities that existed,” Srivari Chandrasekhar, Director, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, told The Hindu. “From the discussions, ICMR would have got clarity on where they could best invest their expertise and time. A colleague from ICMR was recording deliberations.”

In the last month, the Department of Science and Technology, the DBT and the CSIR have compiled the existing knowledge base on drugs, diagnostics and potential vaccine development pathways.

According to the ICMR website, members of the group included Gangandeep Kang (Chair), Suman Kanungo (National Institute for Cholera and Enteric Diseases- NICED), Bikash Medhi (Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research), S.S. Das (NICED), Debashish Mitra, (Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics), Sarah Cherian (National Insitute of Virology), Sanjay Mehendale (Hinduja hospital) and Niraj Agrawal (ICMR).

Dr. Mitra told The Hindu that the group was “likely reconstituted” and that he was unaware of further developments. Dr. Kang didn't respond to requests for clarification on whether the terms of reference of the group were achieved. Dr. Bhargava, in response to queries, referred this correspondent to ICMR’s Saturday announcement of the Council partnering with Bharat Biotech International Ltd/ for developing an indigenous potential COVID-19 vaccine.

The other groups constituted as part of the NTF include a clinical research group headed by Dr. Randeep Guleria of AIIMS and on Research on Diagnostics and Biomarkers headed by D.A. Gadkari.