Maharashtra relaxes COVID-19 lockdown guidelines: Check what's allowed and what's not here

The Maharashtra government on Monday announced new guidelines for easing lockdown restrictions in those districts where the COVID-19 positivity rate is low.

The government announced further relaxations of coronavirus curbs in 25 districts showing low positivity rate of the infection, extending the existing business timings of shops and allowing shopping malls to operate in these districts.

The state government has asked the disaster management authorities in Mumbai and Thane districts (which figures among 25 districts with a low positivity rate) to decide on their own set of restrictions.

Many traders in the state and the Opposition BJP have been demanding that the timings of shops be extended till 8 pm from the current deadline of 4 pm.

The order said that the restrictions in certain districts which are on Level 3 will continue. Those districts are Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Solapur, Ahmednagar, Beed, Raigad and Palghar districts.

Apart from these, in all the other districts, the existing restrictions have been revised.

All COVID 19 protocols including masks, social distancing must be scrupulously followed across the state by all the citizens. Failure in stringent adherence to the same will result in action on the defaulters under relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Epidemic Act and Section 1860 of the Indian Penal Code.

What's allowed:

• All essential and non-essential shops (including shopping malls) remain open all weekdays till 8 pm and till 3 pm on Saturday. All shops and malls except essential shops remain closed on Sundays.
• All public gardens and playgrounds can be kept open for the purpose of exercise, walking, jogging and cycling.
• All government and private offices can be operational with full capacity. Staggering of work hours to be done to avoid crowds while traveling. The offices that can function through working from home should continue to do so.
• All agricultural activity, civil works, industrial activity, transport of goods can remain
  functional at full capacity.
• Gymnasiums, yoga centers, hair cutting salons, beauty parlours, spas can remain open without the use of air-conditioners and with 50 percent capacity till 8 am on weekdays and till 3 pm on Saturdays. The said services will remain closed on Sundays.

What's not:

• All cinema theaters, drama theaters and multiplexes (independent and inside malls) to remain closed till further orders.
• All places of worship in the state remain closed till further orders.
• The orders of the State Education Department and the Higher and Technical Department will be applicable for schools and colleges
• All restaurants will remain open with 50 percent seating capacity till 4 pm on weekdays subject to adherence to all COVID l9 protocols. Parcel and takeaway to be allowed as is allowed currently.
• Restrictions on movement will be applicable from 9 pm to 5 am.
• In order to avoid crowding, restrictions imposed on birthday celebrations, Political, Social and Cultural events, elections, election campaigning, rallies, protest marches are to be continued..

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said his government will issue orders on Monday allowing shops to remain open till 8 pm in the districts where the COVID-19 positivity rate is low.

He said allowing all segments of the society in Mumbai local trains would be difficult "in the first phase" as the easing of curbs is being done slowly.

Speaking to reporters in Sangli, some 230 kilometres from Pune, Thackeray sought cooperation from people in areas where relaxing the norms was not possible currently due to the caseload.

Thackeray said the pandemic situation in the 11 districts with not so encouraging COVID-19 indicators was a cause of worry.

"I have asked district collectors to increase the number of tests as well as doctors to ensure people are protected for COVID-19 as well as water-borne diseases," he said.

Speaking on the issue of medical oxygen, the chief minister said as per an estimate, the amount of medical oxygen required in a possible third wave might be double of what was needed in the second wave, when Maharashtra had to procure it from other states.

He appealed to the private sector to split office timings to reduce attendance in their premises at any one point of time, as well as opt for work from home and work in office turn by turn.

With inputs from PTI

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CBSE 12th Results 2021: Board to hold improvement exams from 16 Aug to 15 Sept; check details here

CBSE Class 12 students who are unsatisfied with their marks in board exams will be given a chance to improve their performance in physical examinations.

The exams, which will be held from 16 August to 15 September, will be conducted for students who were placed in the compartment category in the board results.

As per the 'Policy of Tabulation of marks for Class 12 2021', marks scored in the examination will be considered as final.

This year, the CBSE 12th result for the academic year 2020-21 was announced on 30 July.

CBSE notifies that "Class 12th students who are not satisfied with the marks, awarded based on the 'Policy of Tabulation' will be given an opportunity to appear in examinations to be conducted by the board. Marks scored in the later examination will be considered as final." pic.twitter.com/PMBG0v5yZ0

— ANI (@ANI) August 2, 2021

Who is eligible to appear for this exam?

Candidates of CBSE 12th exams 2021 whose result has been declared 'pass' as per the tabulation policy but are not satisfied with their results may appear in one or more subjects to improve their performance.

The marks secured by a candidate in this examination will be treated as final, as mentioned in the Policy for Tabulation.

The exams will also be conducted for Class 10 and 12 private candidates, patrachar, and second chance compartment candidates. The board will release the date sheet in due course of time.

The Class 12 improvement and compartment exams will only be conducted for English core, physical education, business studies, accountancy, chemistry, political science, biology, economics sociology, IP, computer science, maths, Hindi elective and core, geography, psychology, home science, physics and history subjects only, as per the notification released by CBSE.

Other important details to note:

• Candidates applying for improvement, private, patrachar, as well as second compartment, do not have to pay fees. Compartment candidates will have to fees as per the notification.
• As per the notice, candidates will be examined only on the reduced syllabus. The design of the question paper will be similar to sample question papers uploaded on the board’s website.
• The registration portal will be soon made active on the board's website.
• Candidates appearing for improvement and appearing for compartment exams based on the result declared in 2021 will have to register at the portal.
• However, students whose result was not prepared based on the alternative tabulation policy are automatically eligible to apply for the exam.

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Assam Mizoram border skirmishes: CM Zoramthanga directs police to withdraw FIRs against all Assam officials

Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga directed his police force on Monday to withdraw a first information report (FIR) that named Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his six top officials over the deadly border violence on 26 July, dialing down unprecedented tensions and hostilities between the neighbouring states.

He tweeted:

In order to build a conducive atmosphere for amicable solution to the #MizoramAssamBorder dispute & to reduce the plight of suffering citizens,I have directed @mizorampolice to withdraw FIR dt. 26.07.2021 filed at Vairengte,Kolasib District,Mizoram against all the accused persons pic.twitter.com/IlQ65jssIL

— Zoramthanga (@ZoramthangaCM) August 2, 2021

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, four senior officials of Assam Police and two administrative officials were booked for an attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy, among other charges, in the FIR filed at Vairengte in Kolasib district, where the police forces of Assam and Mizoram faced off on 26 July. Six Assam Police personnel were killed in the ensuing firing, in an ugly culmination of a festering border dispute between the northeastern neighbours.

According to reports, Sarma was not summoned by the Mizoram Police, but the other six officers were.

Zoramthanga's tweet made it clear that there will be no further action on the matter, as the two CMs scrambled to cool tempers at the border.

Earlier on Monday, Sarma said he ordered his police to withdraw an FIR that Sarma filed against Mizoram MP K Vanlalvena over his alleged statement threatening to kill more personnel if they cross over to Mizoram.

Sarma, however, said police cases against six Mizoram government officials will continue to be investigated for their alleged role in the deadly gunfight along the border at Lailapur in Assam's Cachar district.

In a series of tweets, Sarma also lauded the efforts of Zoramthanga to settle the border dispute that stems from the two states' different perceptions of the interstate boundary.

In Delhi, a group of BJP MPs from four northeastern states met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the recent border skirmishes between Assam and Mizoram, alleged that foreign forces were fuelling fire in the region, and accused the opposition Congress of "politicising" the sensitive issue.

Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Sarbananda Sonowal, along with BJP MPs from Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, met Modi in Parliament House. The MPs also gave him a four-page memorandum.

The two states share a 164.6-km border between Assam's Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts, and Mizoram's Kolasib, Mamit and Aizawl districts.

Both states blame each other for the unprecedented violence that erupted on 26 July at the controversial point between Cachar (Assam) and Kolasib (Mizoram).

Assam says there's more to the recent flare-up than the border dispute. The state maintains Assam’s crackdown on narcotics has unnerved drug lords, who it says are politically connected in Mizoram.

According to Assam, the drug cartel is fomenting trouble in border areas and could be behind the gathering of mobs at the disputed point on the day of firing. It says a drug smuggling route cuts through a reserved forest at the Cachar-Kolasib border, stressing that it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against the cartels.

Mizoram says a 200-member Assam Police team entered its land on the day of the incident and showed aggression, forcing Mizoram Police to fire back.

With inputs from PTI

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Recoveries on a Rollercoaster: How steady hands and smart policy response steered India's economic recovery out of Covid troughs

India’s economy has been a subject of discussion for the last several years and this discussion gained momentum as several domestic constraints began to bind the India Growth Story. To be fair, India’s economic growth has not been impressive in the previous decade. The early 2010s saw significant macroeconomic stability which impacted growth adversely while the latter years of the decade saw stress in NBFCs spilling over to other sectors.

Incidentally, a similar story is also true for the first decade of the 21st century as the early 2000s saw sluggish growth just as the post-global financial crisis years.

In the present context, India’s growth momentum slowed following the ill-advised rate hikes by the RBI in 2018 and the collapse of IL&FS in the second quarter of 2018-19. There was a lack of confidence in the system as many other NBFCs too were under stress, and this had an impact on credit availability across multiple sectors.

The 2019 post-election budget was one that was criticised by all – including yours truly. The budget did have some bold ideas, but the hike in surcharges and the compulsion to use CSR funds did hit the wrong nerve. The post-election budget always comes with its own challenges as there is little time to undertake major changes – which is why it is mostly a ‘business as usual budget’.

The difference in 2019 was that with a slowing economy, the government immediately swung into action as it began an extensive consultative process. The process was geared to identify binding constraints that were affecting the economy across sectors. Thus began a series of announcements aimed at the revival of the economy.

In late 2019, the economy did gain momentum as there was a genuine pick-up in all high-frequency numbers. There was a sense of optimism around the last quarter of 2019 and subsequently, the expectation was that in 2020 Indian economy would surprise many on the upside. This optimism was largely an outcome of the resolution of issues in the financial sector that were acting as constraints on economic growth.

Moreover, towards the end of 2019, we had a monetary policy that was well aligned with the domestic economic situation – this is in contrast with the conduct of monetary policy since early 2018. Thus, all the necessary preconditions were met and there were signs that India could have reverted to a 6.5-7 percent growth rate in 2020.

Alas, the pandemic struck the Indian economy in 2020, with trade flows beginning to disrupt from February while economic activity slowing substantially from March onwards. Then there was the lockdown(s) in most of the world, including India. There was a need to revisit the extent of support provided to the economy which was bound to contract due to the large exogenous shock. The series of announcements began again, some focussed on providing relief while others focussed on providing a stimulus.

Luckily, unlike other countries, India focused on providing a stimulus only once the lockdown restrictions were lifted. This ensured the maximum possible impact on the growth recovery process. The announcements also brought with them reforms in various sectors that would create new economic opportunities in the post-pandemic world. India’s growth rates did recover – but yet again, the recovery process was disrupted by the second wave. However, this time around, we had a policy template that restricted the impact of the second wave on the economy.

TN Ninan’s assessment about the finance minister has focussed on her policy interventions, largely on issues such as taxes, privatisation and banking sector reforms. He opens his column by stating that the present finance minister is proving to be better than expected by people in her early days. That is largely correct, as the finance ministry has been like a steady hand in handling the economy during high uncertainty amid turbulent times.

It is a steady hand that was much needed to ensure a consistent approach while dealing with all that ailed the Indian economy. This is also manifested in the fact that in the last three years, Madam Minister and her team have successfully managed to revive the economy successively in all of these three years.

The extent of exogenous shocks faced by the economy could have overwhelmed any policymaker – and many have even cracked across the world. Yet, India managed a policy response that has led to both a fast revival of economic growth and at the same time ensure that this growth is largely sustainable in nature. The latter part is important as this is what distinguishes the growth recovery process that is underway in 2021 from the one, we experienced in the post-2008 years.

Focusing on temporary fiscal interventions that will be easily reversed shows the sense of responsibility with which fiscal commitments were made during the pandemic. That they were aided by several reforms such as farm laws, labour reforms, changes to the insolvency and bankruptcy code, a greater role for private and foreign capital in new sectors and the new factoring regulations further illustrate the commitment of the government to ensure a recovery that can be sustained.

Therefore, they have managed to focus on fixing the present economic challenges without sacrificing future growth and that is a big difference between the growth recovery process in 2021 and the one we experienced in post 2008. This also implies that India will have much better macroeconomic fundamentals during the next couple of years which will be in contrast with other emerging markets as the world unwinds the policy support extended to their economies.

Global Investors have recognised to some extent the policy support extended by India and they are perhaps confident of the prospects of stable macroeconomic fundamentals even as they deteriorate in other emerging markets. This is perhaps why those who put their money where their mouth is are continuing to invest in India. Many may still not recognize all that has transpired over the last few years, and they may still not acknowledge the successful handling by Madam Minister – but perhaps, a sustained high economic growth will help them wake up & smell the coffee?

The author is a New York-based economist. He tweets @karanbhasin95

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Woman trained in martial arts catches molester in Assam, hands him over to police

Women have always been a victim of sexual harassment, physically or verbally, and generally, they ignore it. However, a recent incident has made headlines after a woman from Assam made sure to teach a lesson to a man who tried to grope or molest her.

The brave woman, identified as Bhavna Kashyap, narrated her ordeal on her Facebook page. In her post, she explained that she was groped in broad daylight by a stranger in Guwahati.

A video of the woman, who is trained in martial arts, accosting the accused and forcing him to reveal his name and face before the camera has been widely circulated on social media since Friday evening.

The incident happened when the man came extremely close to her and asked her for directions to Sinaki Path in the city. As she was unaware of the place he mentioned, the man came closer to the girl and suddenly touched her inappropriately.

"But seeing him try to elope, I spared no second thought and dragged him with the highest strength my body could exhibit in such an uncanny situation. While he kept racing his scooty up, I kept lifting his back tire and sustained some half a minute of wordless tussle until I could finally push to drag him down into the drain," her Facebook post reads.

Check out her post by clicking here

In the video, the woman can be seen confronting the accused and forcing him to reveal his name and face before the camera.

Along with her ordeal, the woman also shared a video and a few photos of the culprit. He has been identified as Madhusana Rajkumar who is a resident of Panjabari. Rajkumar has been handed over to the police in Guwahati.

Since the post went viral, social media users applauded the woman for her bravery and presence of mind.

On 31 July, the city police confirmed that the incident took place in Rukmini Nagar locality under Dispur police station. They also assured that the accused has been arrested. The police further stated that the woman pushed the scooter into a drain on the side of the road after which people gathered at the spot.

Further through a tweet, Guwahati police informed that the case will be brought to its logical conclusion and justice will be served. They also guaranteed a safe environment for its citizens.

With ref. to the heinous incident of assault in Rukmini Nagar under Dispur PS - FIR 2719/21 has been registered, the accused arrested & forwarded.

The case will be brought to its logical conclusion & justice served.

We are committed to the safety & security of our citizens. pic.twitter.com/3gRHzodlqa

— Guwahati Police (@GuwahatiPol) July 31, 2021

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Parliament's Monsoon Session: Uproar on Pegasus row continues, both Houses clear Bills amid Oppn ruckus

As the Opposition continued to demand the Pegasus surveillance issue and farm laws be discussed in both the Houses, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha saw repeated adjournments through the proceedings on Monday with little business except the government passing bills amid din.

Rajya Sabha passed The Inland Vessels Bill, 2021, while Lok Sabha passed the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021 — amid sloganeering.

What happened in Rajya Sabha today

The Upper House witnessed multiple adjournments as Opposition MPs continued their protest over the Pegasus snooping row and other matters, even as it passed the Inland Vessels Bill-2021.

When Rajya Sabha reassembled at 3.36 pm after multiple adjournments, the government moved two legislations: The Appropriation (No 4) Bill, 2021 and The Appropriation (No 3) Bill, 2021 - for passage.

Bhubaneswar Kalita, who was in the Chair, asked the protesting Opposition members to go back to their seats and participate in the discussion on the Bills.

"As you all know these are two very important Bills where you can raise financial problems of your states. You also know that these are finance Bills, it can be passed automatically. So it is in your interest to discuss it. So please cooperate," Kalita noted.

Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary while moving the bills sought cooperation from the House in discussing the bills but in vain.

As Opposition members continued to raise slogans, Kalita adjourned the proceedings for the day till 11 am on Tuesday.

Earlier, when the House reassembled post-lunch at 2 pm, Deputy Chairman Harivansh informed that the government has moved two Bills for consideration.

The Minister of Tribal Affairs introduced the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Rajya Sabha amid the Opposition protest.

Inland Vessels Bill passed in RS amid Oppn din

Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal moved the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021 for consideration and passing.

The Bill aims to bring uniformity in the application of the law relating to inland waterways and navigation within the country.

The Inland Vessels Bill, 2021 was passed by voice vote amidst the protest and sloganeering by the Opposition after a short reply from the minister.

Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill on 29 July.

During the debate on the Bill, certain Opposition members, who were in the well of the House, tore papers and flung those in the air. Immediately after the passage of the Bill, the deputy chairman adjourned the House for an hour till 3.36 pm.

What happened in Lok Sabha today

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day as Opposition leaders continued their protest over the Pegasus spyware controversy and other issues on Monday.

Before Ram Devi, who was in the Chair, adjourned the proceedings till Tuesday morning, the House passed the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill with voice-vote.

When the House re-assembled at 3.30 pm, the Opposition continued their protest as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she wanted to respond to the concerns raised by the Leader of the Congress party, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Sitharaman said passage of the Bill will help generate required resources from the Indian markets so that public sector general insurers can design innovative products.

As the din continued, the minister sought passage of the bill, and the House approved it by a voice vote.

The proceedings of the House were first adjourned till noon, then till 2 pm and again till 3.30 pm as the Opposition refused to end its protests.

Tribunals Reforms Bill introduced

Sitharaman sought the withdrawal the Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Bill.

The finance minister sought approval to introduce The Tiribunals Reforms Bill, 2021.

To which Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury replied, "The government has been bulldozing one legislation after the other. We want discussion, but Pegasus issue should be debated first."

The House approved introduction of the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2021.

With inputs from PTI

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How steady hand of finance ministry, smart policy reponse steered India's economic recovery from pitfalls of COVID-19

India’s economy has been a subject of discussion for the last several years and this discussion gained momentum as several domestic constraints began to bind the India Growth Story. To be fair, India’s economic growth has not been impressive in the previous decade. The early 2010s saw significant macroeconomic stability which impacted growth adversely while the latter years of the decade saw stress in NBFCs spilling over to other sectors.

Incidentally, a similar story is also true for the first decade of the 21st century as the early 2000s saw sluggish growth just as the post-global financial crisis years.

In the present context, India’s growth momentum slowed following the ill-advised rate hikes by the RBI in 2018 and the collapse of IL&FS in the second quarter of 2018-19. There was a lack of confidence in the system as many other NBFCs too were under stress, and this had an impact on credit availability across multiple sectors.

The 2019 post-election budget was one that was criticised by all – including yours truly. The budget did have some bold ideas, but the hike in surcharges and the compulsion to use CSR funds did hit the wrong nerve. The post-election budget always comes with its own challenges as there is little time to undertake major changes – which is why it is mostly a ‘business as usual budget’.

The difference in 2019 was that with a slowing economy, the government immediately swung into action as it began an extensive consultative process. The process was geared to identify binding constraints that were affecting the economy across sectors. Thus began a series of announcements aimed at the revival of the economy.

In late 2019, the economy did gain momentum as there was a genuine pick-up in all high-frequency numbers. There was a sense of optimism around the last quarter of 2019 and subsequently, the expectation was that in 2020 Indian economy would surprise many on the upside. This optimism was largely an outcome of the resolution of issues in the financial sector that were acting as constraints on economic growth.

Moreover, towards the end of 2019, we had a monetary policy that was well aligned with the domestic economic situation – this is in contrast with the conduct of monetary policy since early 2018. Thus, all the necessary preconditions were met and there were signs that India could have reverted to a 6.5-7 percent growth rate in 2020.

Alas, the pandemic struck the Indian economy in 2020, with trade flows beginning to disrupt from February while economic activity slowing substantially from March onwards. Then there was the lockdown(s) in most of the world, including India. There was a need to revisit the extent of support provided to the economy which was bound to contract due to the large exogenous shock. The series of announcements began again, some focussed on providing relief while others focussed on providing a stimulus.

Luckily, unlike other countries, India focused on providing a stimulus only once the lockdown restrictions were lifted. This ensured the maximum possible impact on the growth recovery process. The announcements also brought with them reforms in various sectors that would create new economic opportunities in the post-pandemic world. India’s growth rates did recover – but yet again, the recovery process was disrupted by the second wave. However, this time around, we had a policy template that restricted the impact of the second wave on the economy.

TN Ninan’s assessment about the finance minister has focussed on her policy interventions, largely on issues such as taxes, privatisation and banking sector reforms. He opens his column by stating that the present finance minister is proving to be better than expected by people in her early days. That is largely correct, as the finance ministry has been like a steady hand in handling the economy during high uncertainty amid turbulent times.

It is a steady hand that was much needed to ensure a consistent approach while dealing with all that ailed the Indian economy. This is also manifested in the fact that in the last three years, Madam Minister and her team have successfully managed to revive the economy successively in all of these three years.

The extent of exogenous shocks faced by the economy could have overwhelmed any policymaker – and many have even cracked across the world. Yet, India managed a policy response that has led to both a fast revival of economic growth and at the same time ensure that this growth is largely sustainable in nature. The latter part is important as this is what distinguishes the growth recovery process that is underway in 2021 from the one, we experienced in the post-2008 years.

Focusing on temporary fiscal interventions that will be easily reversed shows the sense of responsibility with which fiscal commitments were made during the pandemic. That they were aided by several reforms such as farm laws, labour reforms, changes to the insolvency and bankruptcy code, a greater role for private and foreign capital in new sectors and the new factoring regulations further illustrate the commitment of the government to ensure a recovery that can be sustained.

Therefore, they have managed to focus on fixing the present economic challenges without sacrificing future growth and that is a big difference between the growth recovery process in 2021 and the one we experienced in post 2008. This also implies that India will have much better macroeconomic fundamentals during the next couple of years which will be in contrast with other emerging markets as the world unwinds the policy support extended to their economies.

Global Investors have recognised to some extent the policy support extended by India and they are perhaps confident of the prospects of stable macroeconomic fundamentals even as they deteriorate in other emerging markets. This is perhaps why those who put their money where their mouth is are continuing to invest in India. Many may still not recognize all that has transpired over the last few years, and they may still not acknowledge the successful handling by Madam Minister – but perhaps, a sustained high economic growth will help them wake up & smell the coffee?

The author is a New York-based economist. He tweets @karanbhasin95

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