The first special train for Uttar Pradesh carrying more than 800 workers who were stranded in Maharashtra reached Lucknow today.
The railways is running Shramik Special trains to ferry migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded in various parts of the country since March 25. The first train left for Jharkhand from Hyderabad on Friday.
After the medical check-up was done, the passengers were given food packets and told to board the UPSRTC buses parked outside the station to return to their homes.
On Friday, around 5,000 migrant labourers from UP stranded in Madhya Pradesh returned in 155 buses, while around 1,341 labourers hailing from MP were sent back home from Uttar Pradesh.
Retailers Association of India said it will have to be seen how it works out at the ground as there is confusion, and many states are yet to come up with guidelines to follow the Centre's decision. It has already stated that what constitutes market places could be misinterpreted.
Similarly, Confederation of All India Traders also claimed they will be in a "dilemma" as there is confusion over "what constitutes a neighbourhood shop and a standalone shop", while organised retailers such as Future Group and V-Mart Retail said they are also seeking permissions from local authorities.
National General Secretary of the Federation of All India Vyapar Mandal, V K Bansal said, "The biggest problem with the guidelines is that it all depends on the states. The states frame their own policies and do not want to take any responsibility. The Centre wants relaxation but states are restrictive".
In a relief for engineering and medical aspirants, the HRD ministry on Sunday said fresh dates for competitive exams - JEE and NEET - will be announced on May 5. The exams were postponed due to nationwide lockdown announced to contain the COVID-19 spread.
"The fresh dates will be announced by HRD Minsiter Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on May 5. This will put an end to uncertainty for the aspirants. The minister will also interact with students online the same day," a senior ministry official said.
While Joint Entrance Exam-Mains (JEE-MAINS) is conducted for admission to engineering colleges across the country, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is conducted for medical colleges.
Commercial passenger flights at Delhi airport will initially operate from Terminal 3 after the lockdown ends, said a senior official of its operator DIAL, adding that entry gates, self check-in machines and check-in bays will be allocated to airlines to avoid overcrowding by air travellers.
The airport will keep all food, beverage and retail shops open to avoid overcrowding at one place and use "ultraviolet disinfection tunnels" for all incoming baggage, according to a plan prepared by the GMR group-led Delhi International Airport Ltd.
The DIAL's exit plan stated that entry gates, self check-in machines and check-in bays would be allocated to airlines to ensure smooth flow of passengers from forecourt into check-in hall and security thereafter. The DIAL would be preparing stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) for food, beverage and retail shops in order to ensure social distancing, the exit plan noted.
The plan said the passengers of Vistara and IndiGo would enter the airport through gates 1 and 2 only. AirAsia India and Air India passengers will use entry gates 3 and 4. SpiceJet, GoAir and other domestic airline passengers would enter through gate 5. All international airlines' passengers would be entering the airport using gates 6, 7 and 8
The Haryana government is considering to impose a variable "COVID cess" on liquor to support the areas or institutions adversely hit by the pandemic, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala said on Sunday. Asked how much cess the government is contemplating to impose, he said, "Discussions are on. Every product is different, fixed cess is not possible, so it will depend on product and quantity. The cess will be variable".
The deputy chief minister indicated that the cess could be anywhere between Rs 2-20. Chautala, who also holds the portfolios of Excise, Industry and Commerce Departments, said no decision has yet been taken on when to open the liquor vends.
With MSME sector being adversely hit, Chautala said the Haryana government will be extending a financial support of nearly Rs 250 crore to them.
At the same time, an Indian Air Force chopper showered flower petals on the Police War Memorial in New Delhi to pay tribute to police officers keeping the law and order across the country in this time of crisis.
As many as 19 people tested positive for coronavirus in Ladakh on Sunday, taking the virus tally in the union territory to 41, officials said.
The new cases include 18 from Chuchot Yokma village of Leh, the biggest single-day spike in the region, the officials said. The village was declared a containment area on March 17 after three locals had tested positive for COVID-19.
The officials said a 52-year-old woman, a resident of Kaksar village of Kargil, also tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday. The woman had gone on pilgrimage to Iran and was evacuated and underwent quarantine for over a month in Rajasthan before being airlifted to her hometown last week, the officials said. The woman was admitted to a hospital after her test report came positive, they said.
