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As India Malaysia Political ties improved under the new Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin, business ties between the two countries have also seen some breakthrough. While Indian oil refineries are importing more crude palm oil, Malaysian import of rice and sugar from India has reached a record level.

As India Malaysia Political ties improved under the new Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin, business ties between the two countries have also seen some breakthrough. While Indian oil refineries are importing more crude palm oil, Malaysian import of rice and sugar from India has reached a record level. Due to the export levy imposed by Indonesians, Malaysian palm oil is comparatively cheaper. The high-level engagement has already started between New Delhi and the new Malaysian government. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently spoke to new Malaysian foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Indian high commissioner to Malaysia Mridul Kumar has also met Malaysian foreign minister Hishammuddin twice. Indian high commissioner was the first envoy received by the Malaysian foreign minister on March 18, the day when he took charge. Ties between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur went downhill under the previous Malaysian government led by Mahathir bin Mohamad. Mahathir had taken a very anti-India stance on several issues, irking New Delhi. However, ties have improved lately and both sides have been working together in COVID-19 pandemic fight. India had sent hydroxychloroquine to Malaysia and both sides have been supporting each other in repatriation efforts. India had allowed more than 18 Malaysian flights, which is one of the largest numbers of flights given go-ahead by India for any foreign country, to leave the country during the lockdown to enable Malaysian nationals to reach home. Meanwhile, India has repatriated a total of around 3200 Indians since mid-march including 1700 under Vande Bharat Mission. More are expected to be repatriated in the coming days.

Business ties between India and Malaysia improve as political relationship makes headway

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that Delhi was witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases but there was nothing to worry about.

Kejriwal assured that his government was fully prepared.&nbsp;

''I assure you that we are fully prepared. We cannot be in a permanent lockdown,'' he said while addressing the media.&nbsp;

''It is a matter of concern but it is nothing to be scared of. I assure you that your government is four steps ahead of Coronavirus,'' he noted.

Out of the total patients, only 2100 are in hospitals rest are undergoing treatment at their homes. 6500 beds are ready till date and 9500 beds will be ready by another week, the Delhi CM said.&nbsp;

"Most of the people are recovering, and they are recovering at home. There is no need to panic," he added.&nbsp;

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that Delhi was witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases but there was nothing to worry about. Kejriwal assured that his government was fully prepared.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that Delhi was witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases but there was nothing to worry about. Kejriwal assured that his government was fully prepared. ''I assure you that we are fully prepared. We cannot be in a permanent lockdown,'' he said while addressing the media. ''It is a matter of concern but it is nothing to be scared of. I assure you that your government is four steps ahead of Coronavirus,'' he noted. Out of the total patients, only 2100 are in hospitals rest are undergoing treatment at their homes. 6500 beds are ready till date and 9500 beds will be ready by another week, the Delhi CM said. "Most of the people are recovering, and they are recovering at home. There is no need to panic," he added.

We cannot be in a permanent lockdown: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

In a major breakthrough, Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force (STF) nabbed top Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (Bangladesh) commander in India - Abdul Karim alias Boro Abdul Karim.&nbsp;

Karim considered second topmost leader in JMB in India after the organisation’s chief - Salauddin Salehin, was arrested by officials of STF along with local police from Murshidabad district of West Bengal.&nbsp;

“One Abdul Karim alias Boro Karim wanted in a W/A issued in c/w STF PS case no. 8/2017 dated 29.11.2017 has been arrested this morning from Suti PS area, Jangipur District Police with the assistance of local police.&nbsp; 
He will be produced before Ld Court today and we will seek PC,” said a senior police official from STF.&nbsp;

Karim, an Indian by nationality, was the main leader of the Dhulian module, involved in the Bodh Gaya Blast. While he actively provided logistics support and shelter to top leaders like Salauddin, sources in the agency reveal he was also part of the recruitment drives for JMB.&nbsp;

In a surprise raid launched back in 2018 by Kolkata Police, he escaped and could not be nabbed. However, police managed to seize a huge cache of explosives and jehadi documents from his hideout. Since then, police had been on a lookout for him.

In a major breakthrough, Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force (STF) nabbed top Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (Bangladesh) commander in India - Abdul Karim alias Boro Abdul Karim.

In a major breakthrough, Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force (STF) nabbed top Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (Bangladesh) commander in India - Abdul Karim alias Boro Abdul Karim. Karim considered second topmost leader in JMB in India after the organisation’s chief - Salauddin Salehin, was arrested by officials of STF along with local police from Murshidabad district of West Bengal. “One Abdul Karim alias Boro Karim wanted in a W/A issued in c/w STF PS case no. 8/2017 dated 29.11.2017 has been arrested this morning from Suti PS area, Jangipur District Police with the assistance of local police. He will be produced before Ld Court today and we will seek PC,” said a senior police official from STF. Karim, an Indian by nationality, was the main leader of the Dhulian module, involved in the Bodh Gaya Blast. While he actively provided logistics support and shelter to top leaders like Salauddin, sources in the agency reveal he was also part of the recruitment drives for JMB. In a surprise raid launched back in 2018 by Kolkata Police, he escaped and could not be nabbed. However, police managed to seize a huge cache of explosives and jehadi documents from his hideout. Since then, police had been on a lookout for him.

Kolkata Police STF arrests wanted Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh terrorist Abdul Karim

The Karnataka government on Thursday pitched for down scaling air travel from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, saying a large number of people arriving from these states have tested positive for COVID-19 and it would be difficult to manage quarantine if more arrived.

"The government has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to reduce the number of flights from these states in view of high prevalence of coronavirus cases there", Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said in a statement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/blog-flying-in-the-new-normal-days-301114">Also read|&nbsp;Blog: Flying in the new normal days</a>

Earlier, speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, the minister said the government has decided to "suspend" air traffic from these states. "People are coming from other states to Karnataka. We have decided to suspend air traffic from five states, as cases here (Karnataka) may further increase," he said.

In the statement released later, he clarified that the government has not sought a ban on flights emanating from these five states. "Karnataka has appealed to the Civil Aviation Ministry to take steps to lessen the air traffic to the state, with the sacred intention that there may not be adequate quarantine facilities, if there is huge turn out at a short span of time, he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/lockdown-may-get-extended-for-15-days-goa-cm-after-meeting-amit-shah-301733">Also read|&nbsp;Lockdown may get extended for 15 days: Goa CM after meeting Amit Shah</a>

Domestic air travel resumed in the country only on Monday after nearly two months of COVID-19 induced lockdown with Karnataka stipulating seven days institutional quarantine for passengers coming from seven states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which have high prevalence of cases. During the media interaction, Madhuswamy also said the existing restrictions on entry of people by road from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat into Karnataka would continue until further orders.

"...because large number of people who have come from these states have tested positive and it will be difficult to manage quarantine if more people come. Until some people who are currently in quarantine go home after their quarantine period ends, we have decided to stop (arrivals) by imposing restriction," the Minister added. Karnataka had on May 18 barred entry of people from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, which have COVID-19 cases in five figures.

The government is likely to decide on allowing trains from these states once the services resume on June 1. However, responding to a question, Madhuswamy said there will be restriction on entry of people by road, air and train from Maharashtra for some time as the recent spike in positive cases in Karnataka was due to returnees from the Western state.

Pointing out that the load of cases has increased, particularity among those coming from Maharashtra, he said asymptomatic cases have gone up and it has become inevitable to test all those in quarantine. He said those already in quarantine were also unhappy over passengers arriving fresh being accommodated along with them.

"So the plan is that after the current set of people are relieved, we will allow the next set of people from these states, until then we will have restrictions," he said.

The Karnataka government on Thursday pitched for down scaling air travel from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, saying a large number of people arriving from these states have tested positive for COVID-19 and it would be difficult to manage quarantine if more arrived.

The Karnataka government on Thursday pitched for down scaling air travel from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, saying a large number of people arriving from these states have tested positive for COVID-19 and it would be difficult to manage quarantine if more arrived. "The government has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to reduce the number of flights from these states in view of high prevalence of coronavirus cases there", Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said in a statement. Also read| Blog: Flying in the new normal days Earlier, speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting, the minister said the government has decided to "suspend" air traffic from these states. "People are coming from other states to Karnataka. We have decided to suspend air traffic from five states, as cases here (Karnataka) may further increase," he said. In the statement released later, he clarified that the government has not sought a ban on flights emanating from these five states. "Karnataka has appealed to the Civil Aviation Ministry to take steps to lessen the air traffic to the state, with the sacred intention that there may not be adequate quarantine facilities, if there is huge turn out at a short span of time, he said. Also read| Lockdown may get extended for 15 days: Goa CM after meeting Amit Shah Domestic air travel resumed in the country only on Monday after nearly two months of COVID-19 induced lockdown with Karnataka stipulating seven days institutional quarantine for passengers coming from seven states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, which have high prevalence of cases. During the media interaction, Madhuswamy also said the existing restrictions on entry of people by road from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat into Karnataka would continue until further orders. "...because large number of people who have come from these states have tested positive and it will be difficult to manage quarantine if more people come. Until some people who are currently in quarantine go home after their quarantine period ends, we have decided to stop (arrivals) by imposing restriction," the Minister added. Karnataka had on May 18 barred entry of people from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, which have COVID-19 cases in five figures. The government is likely to decide on allowing trains from these states once the services resume on June 1. However, responding to a question, Madhuswamy said there will be restriction on entry of people by road, air and train from Maharashtra for some time as the recent spike in positive cases in Karnataka was due to returnees from the Western state. Pointing out that the load of cases has increased, particularity among those coming from Maharashtra, he said asymptomatic cases have gone up and it has become inevitable to test all those in quarantine. He said those already in quarantine were also unhappy over passengers arriving fresh being accommodated along with them. "So the plan is that after the current set of people are relieved, we will allow the next set of people from these states, until then we will have restrictions," he said.

Karnataka urges government to reduce flights from 5 states with high COVID-19 cases

India and Netherlands are in touch with each other to make sure businesses and economic relation continue in the world that will emerge in a post-COVID-19 world.

Speaking exclusively to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent, Sidhant Sibal from the Hague, Indian envoy to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony said that the mission has "started outreach to the business community of both sides--Indians and Dutch companies" and "talking to the business community on India Dutch economic relations and how we face the post COVID-19 world.".

Indian and the Dutch commerce minister had spoken to each other and on June 4..

WION: If you can tell us about the repatriation?

Venu Rajamony: Just two&nbsp;days back, we managed to use the services of KLM to send to around 270 passengers from here back, a large number of them came from Latin American countries like Mexico and Peru as well as Portugal from where people have not been able to go back.

It&nbsp;was a flight which was headed to Mumbai. It&nbsp;is the first group of passengers to go back to India after two&nbsp;months of lockdown and it took coordination between the Indian mission with the government in Delhi as well as KLM and we are very happy passengers have reached safely, they have gone into quarantine and we are working on next options of sending more people to India.

We have around 1,000 people waiting to go to India for many reasons. We will have an Air India flight which will go on June 8 to Delhi and it will take a large number of people. We are trying to see if we can get another Air India flight to South India and we are waiting for confirmation regarding that. We are also exploring if we can get more KLM flights to go back to India.&nbsp;

WION: How is the Indian mission reaching out to stranded Indian citizens in the country...

Venu Rajamony: The Netherlands is home to the largest community of Indian origin and Indians in the whole of European Union post exist of the UK. It was No-2 after the UK in Europe. Large Indian presence here and Amsterdam is a very important hub, airports here used to connect to India on a daily basis.

When the lockdown began, we had a large number of Indians who got stranded here. The first effort we made was to send 115 Indians who came from Latin America and North America and were stranded here without being able to come to Europe, go to India, go back to North America. For two&nbsp;and half days they were stranded at the Schipol airport and they included a pregnant lady who a member of the embassy took to a local hospital because of some emergency reason.

So our staff was fully looking after the people at the airport and the airport had virtually shut down by that time. We work very closely with KLM and we finally managed to put them on a KLM flight and get special permission to enter India.

After that, we still had 51 people who were stranded in Europe and had come here as tourists. We still have a group of 20 people who were workers who lost the job during the crisis, they were dismissed by the employers and were without accommodation, without food.

So all these 51 people mission has been looking after, some of them were headed to Mumbai we were able to put them on KLM flight and send them.

The remaining we hope to send to Delhi as soon as possible. From Delhi, they will make way to onward destinations.

But beyond them, I can tell you around 1,000 people waiting here and embassy from day one have&nbsp;been working 24x7 to connect with them and to connect with the community at large to make ourselves available to them because of the local restrictions and as well as the advisory from India we were all working from home, online means and we were coming into the embassy when absolutely necessary but we continually provided the contact number, made them available.

I gave a large number of video messages and interacted through various social media platform - Webex, Microsoft, skype with different sections of the Indian community and the goal was to tell them don't worry, if you are in a crisis, you can contact us&nbsp; - all you need to do is send an email to us and we will come back to you.

We had to boost morale, people were broken-hearted that they could not go back. many of them had financial problems, many of them had mental stress. We have a large number of Indian students in the Netherlands, about 3,500 they understandably are very young and education was shifted online and universities were shut down.

They were very anxious to go back to India. We tried to help them in whatever way possible. So extensive outreach to the community&nbsp;via online means of every kind and as embassy made a point to be available full time - day or night, Saturday or Sunday.

Anyone can reach us anytime, either via Twitter, Facebook, email or phone call and we are happy to say, our proactive approach has been noted by the community has been well appreciated.

Even the Dutch foreign office expressed its appreciation and said was very happy and that the Indian embassy is playing such an active approach.

We have worked closely with the Dutch govt in helping them bring their nationals back who were stranded in India and in providing visa extensions and other services community required.

While in India numbers are still going, in Netherlands number have been steadily coming down. The government has announced a calender on how they will progressively liberalise the restrictions all the way up to 1 September.

More and more people will go out from June1, restaurants will open with a maximum of 30 people observing social distance.

We are trying to ramp up our machines and go back to normal. Even though the crisis period our priority was stranded Indians, and keeping in touch with the Indian community we have also started outreach to the business community of both sides--Indians and Dutch companies. We have tried to see how we can help them, what problem they facing in supply chain and talking to the business community on India Dutch economic relations and how we face the post-COVID-19 world.

What is the outlook we see, what is the scene we see so that we can work in partnership to continue to ensure this relationship grows.

WION: Any reports of Indians infected or fatalities due to COVID-19?

Venu Rajamony: In the Netherlands, they normally don't test everyone. They have followed a policy in which the focus is on the elderly and the most vulnerable.

So testing has been&nbsp;restricted to health workers or those who need it the most. For the majority of the people advice has been rest at home, take paracetamol, it will come like flu and go away.

The actual number of infected figures, most recent is around 45445 and the death is around 5830 but specific figures on how many Indians have been infected we don't have.

We know by personal accounts, many people had it and recovered. We know one case of one fatality of an Indian citizen who had other complications also. He was married to a health worker. It is not clear if he contracted the virus or because of the virus he passed away or the health worker was asymptomatic and he had picked up the virus from the hospital and then it went to him. The embassy played an active role in supporting them and helping the spouse and cremate him. &nbsp;

WION: Any exchange of best ideas between both the countries?

Venu Rajamony: Health ministries on both sides are entirely focused on handling the domestic situation and there is not much contact between the government on the health field yet.

On June 4, FMs of both countries will speak to each other. In the private sector, the serum institute of India which is the largest producer of vaccines has a subsidiary in the Netherlands.

The subsidiary is currently engaged in producing BCG vaccines as well as polio vaccines and it has an extremely modern facility but due to the COVID-19 crisis, they are turning towards, research on the vaccine and how collaboration can be done.

Johnson and Johnson has a major facility in the country and is funded by the US to rapidly expand to COVID-19 vaccine.

We on our part, as an embassy have been reporting all developments here in the country vaccines, medicines, treatment protocol, research into if HCQ will work, or BCG vaccine will work we have been feeding regularly to MEA and other authorities and waiting for responses to build bridges of cooperation.

The Netherlands is a leader in innovation, science and tech. Health care is an extremely important subject for both.

The Netherlands is home to Philips which is one of the largest health care provider and today in crisis time they rapidly ramping up production of ventilators and have already manufactured a lot of health equipment in India and announced a fresh investment of $50 million to ramp up production facilities in India.

We see&nbsp;all this as areas of further collaboration in future. We had the Dutch health minister visit twice in the last 3 years along with Dutch PM and the King and Queen.

The health minister has travelled all around the country and has been impressed by medical facilities in India. The two&nbsp;countries have been collaborating on research into antimicrobial bacteria. We have had delegations come from India to the Netherlands in the area of digital health.

We are trying to focus on the startups into the health sector. So great deal in the activity. Leading medical centres of the country have already had collaborations and we hope they can be consolidated and strengthed to build bridges of cooperation both to handle COVID-19 crisis and health care.

I would also like to mention that Ayush is a major area of focus, we have had large scale international yoga day celebrations in the Netherlands in most prestigious venues.

This year it will be online due to social distancing. We had a number of events relating to Ayurveda. We had Ayush minister visit here for an international conference and interact with health minister of Netherlands. We believe Ayurveda can help in building immunity.

We believe Ayurveda and Yoga can be of tremendous benefit to society like the Netherlands which has a large elderly population and which has an ageing society to improve wellness, to build immunity to reduce health cost.

One-third of the budget here goes to health care, and health cost is a major concern for the Dutch government and how you can provide quality care at a reduced cost and we think Ayurveda and yoga can help in all this.

India and Netherlands are in touch with each other to make sure businesses and economic relation continue in the world that will emerge in a post-COVID-19 world.

India and Netherlands are in touch with each other to make sure businesses and economic relation continue in the world that will emerge in a post-COVID-19 world. Speaking exclusively to our Principal Diplomatic Correspondent, Sidhant Sibal from the Hague, Indian envoy to the Netherlands Venu Rajamony said that the mission has "started outreach to the business community of both sides--Indians and Dutch companies" and "talking to the business community on India Dutch economic relations and how we face the post COVID-19 world.". Indian and the Dutch commerce minister had spoken to each other and on June 4.. WION: If you can tell us about the repatriation? Venu Rajamony: Just two days back, we managed to use the services of KLM to send to around 270 passengers from here back, a large number of them came from Latin American countries like Mexico and Peru as well as Portugal from where people have not been able to go back. It was a flight which was headed to Mumbai. It is the first group of passengers to go back to India after two months of lockdown and it took coordination between the Indian mission with the government in Delhi as well as KLM and we are very happy passengers have reached safely, they have gone into quarantine and we are working on next options of sending more people to India. We have around 1,000 people waiting to go to India for many reasons. We will have an Air India flight which will go on June 8 to Delhi and it will take a large number of people. We are trying to see if we can get another Air India flight to South India and we are waiting for confirmation regarding that. We are also exploring if we can get more KLM flights to go back to India. WION: How is the Indian mission reaching out to stranded Indian citizens in the country... Venu Rajamony: The Netherlands is home to the largest community of Indian origin and Indians in the whole of European Union post exist of the UK. It was No-2 after the UK in Europe. Large Indian presence here and Amsterdam is a very important hub, airports here used to connect to India on a daily basis. When the lockdown began, we had a large number of Indians who got stranded here. The first effort we made was to send 115 Indians who came from Latin America and North America and were stranded here without being able to come to Europe, go to India, go back to North America. For two and half days they were stranded at the Schipol airport and they included a pregnant lady who a member of the embassy took to a local hospital because of some emergency reason. So our staff was fully looking after the people at the airport and the airport had virtually shut down by that time. We work very closely with KLM and we finally managed to put them on a KLM flight and get special permission to enter India. After that, we still had 51 people who were stranded in Europe and had come here as tourists. We still have a group of 20 people who were workers who lost the job during the crisis, they were dismissed by the employers and were without accommodation, without food. So all these 51 people mission has been looking after, some of them were headed to Mumbai we were able to put them on KLM flight and send them. The remaining we hope to send to Delhi as soon as possible. From Delhi, they will make way to onward destinations. But beyond them, I can tell you around 1,000 people waiting here and embassy from day one have been working 24x7 to connect with them and to connect with the community at large to make ourselves available to them because of the local restrictions and as well as the advisory from India we were all working from home, online means and we were coming into the embassy when absolutely necessary but we continually provided the contact number, made them available. I gave a large number of video messages and interacted through various social media platform - Webex, Microsoft, skype with different sections of the Indian community and the goal was to tell them don't worry, if you are in a crisis, you can contact us - all you need to do is send an email to us and we will come back to you. We had to boost morale, people were broken-hearted that they could not go back. many of them had financial problems, many of them had mental stress. We have a large number of Indian students in the Netherlands, about 3,500 they understandably are very young and education was shifted online and universities were shut down. They were very anxious to go back to India. We tried to help them in whatever way possible. So extensive outreach to the community via online means of every kind and as embassy made a point to be available full time - day or night, Saturday or Sunday. Anyone can reach us anytime, either via Twitter, Facebook, email or phone call and we are happy to say, our proactive approach has been noted by the community has been well appreciated. Even the Dutch foreign office expressed its appreciation and said was very happy and that the Indian embassy is playing such an active approach. We have worked closely with the Dutch govt in helping them bring their nationals back who were stranded in India and in providing visa extensions and other services community required. While in India numbers are still going, in Netherlands number have been steadily coming down. The government has announced a calender on how they will progressively liberalise the restrictions all the way up to 1 September. More and more people will go out from June1, restaurants will open with a maximum of 30 people observing social distance. We are trying to ramp up our machines and go back to normal. Even though the crisis period our priority was stranded Indians, and keeping in touch with the Indian community we have also started outreach to the business community of both sides--Indians and Dutch companies. We have tried to see how we can help them, what problem they facing in supply chain and talking to the business community on India Dutch economic relations and how we face the post-COVID-19 world. What is the outlook we see, what is the scene we see so that we can work in partnership to continue to ensure this relationship grows. WION: Any reports of Indians infected or fatalities due to COVID-19? Venu Rajamony: In the Netherlands, they normally don't test everyone. They have followed a policy in which the focus is on the elderly and the most vulnerable. So testing has been restricted to health workers or those who need it the most. For the majority of the people advice has been rest at home, take paracetamol, it will come like flu and go away. The actual number of infected figures, most recent is around 45445 and the death is around 5830 but specific figures on how many Indians have been infected we don't have. We know by personal accounts, many people had it and recovered. We know one case of one fatality of an Indian citizen who had other complications also. He was married to a health worker. It is not clear if he contracted the virus or because of the virus he passed away or the health worker was asymptomatic and he had picked up the virus from the hospital and then it went to him. The embassy played an active role in supporting them and helping the spouse and cremate him. WION: Any exchange of best ideas between both the countries? Venu Rajamony: Health ministries on both sides are entirely focused on handling the domestic situation and there is not much contact between the government on the health field yet. On June 4, FMs of both countries will speak to each other. In the private sector, the serum institute of India which is the largest producer of vaccines has a subsidiary in the Netherlands. The subsidiary is currently engaged in producing BCG vaccines as well as polio vaccines and it has an extremely modern facility but due to the COVID-19 crisis, they are turning towards, research on the vaccine and how collaboration can be done. Johnson and Johnson has a major facility in the country and is funded by the US to rapidly expand to COVID-19 vaccine. We on our part, as an embassy have been reporting all developments here in the country vaccines, medicines, treatment protocol, research into if HCQ will work, or BCG vaccine will work we have been feeding regularly to MEA and other authorities and waiting for responses to build bridges of cooperation. The Netherlands is a leader in innovation, science and tech. Health care is an extremely important subject for both. The Netherlands is home to Philips which is one of the largest health care provider and today in crisis time they rapidly ramping up production of ventilators and have already manufactured a lot of health equipment in India and announced a fresh investment of $50 million to ramp up production facilities in India. We see all this as areas of further collaboration in future. We had the Dutch health minister visit twice in the last 3 years along with Dutch PM and the King and Queen. The health minister has travelled all around the country and has been impressed by medical facilities in India. The two countries have been collaborating on research into antimicrobial bacteria. We have had delegations come from India to the Netherlands in the area of digital health. We are trying to focus on the startups into the health sector. So great deal in the activity. Leading medical centres of the country have already had collaborations and we hope they can be consolidated and strengthed to build bridges of cooperation both to handle COVID-19 crisis and health care. I would also like to mention that Ayush is a major area of focus, we have had large scale international yoga day celebrations in the Netherlands in most prestigious venues. This year it will be online due to social distancing. We had a number of events relating to Ayurveda. We had Ayush minister visit here for an international conference and interact with health minister of Netherlands. We believe Ayurveda can help in building immunity. We believe Ayurveda and Yoga can be of tremendous benefit to society like the Netherlands which has a large elderly population and which has an ageing society to improve wellness, to build immunity to reduce health cost. One-third of the budget here goes to health care, and health cost is a major concern for the Dutch government and how you can provide quality care at a reduced cost and we think Ayurveda and yoga can help in all this.

In post-COVID-19 world, India, Netherlands hope to quickly kick-start economic cooperation

India's finance minister Nirmala <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/our-first-priority-was-to-save-lives-only-approach-available-was-the-lockdown-nirmala-sitharaman-to-wion-301916">Sitharaman</a> while speaking to WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma said "Our macroeconomic fundamentals are strong, we were are able to face the lockdown due to strong fundamentals."

The minister told WION that the government is ready to help the industry to emerge from the pandemic.

"PM Modi is very clear - we stand with the industry," the finance minister said while asserting that the Indian entrepreneurs will be able to come out to restart the economy.

On the government's aim to hit the $5 trillion figure for the economy, the finance minister said that things have&nbsp;changed since the last Budget.

"Our Budget estimates will have to be relooked, none of my assumptions will hold good," she said.

"We won't do an estimate now, it is my duty to prepare, we have to be ready to help and support."

"We are ready for the expected contraction and have the full support of the prime minister and we will make sure everyone gets required support."

Sitharaman said her ministry was "seeing green shoots in Q4" with the numbers in the last quarter showing some hopes of a revival but the pandemic made it impossible, although she added that "we are ready for the expected contraction and have the full support of the prime minister and we will make sure everyone gets required support."

The minister told WION that the government is working towards more "friendly policies" in order to attract investors.

"If we create the right environment in India our youth can find interesting, challenging opportunities in the country," the finance minister stated.

India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while speaking to WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma said "Our macroeconomic fundamentals are strong, we were are able to face the lockdown due to strong fundamentals.

India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while speaking to WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma said "Our macroeconomic fundamentals are strong, we were are able to face the lockdown due to strong fundamentals." The minister told WION that the government is ready to help the industry to emerge from the pandemic. "PM Modi is very clear - we stand with the industry," the finance minister said while asserting that the Indian entrepreneurs will be able to come out to restart the economy. On the government's aim to hit the $5 trillion figure for the economy, the finance minister said that things have changed since the last Budget. "Our Budget estimates will have to be relooked, none of my assumptions will hold good," she said. "We won't do an estimate now, it is my duty to prepare, we have to be ready to help and support." "We are ready for the expected contraction and have the full support of the prime minister and we will make sure everyone gets required support." Sitharaman said her ministry was "seeing green shoots in Q4" with the numbers in the last quarter showing some hopes of a revival but the pandemic made it impossible, although she added that "we are ready for the expected contraction and have the full support of the prime minister and we will make sure everyone gets required support." The minister told WION that the government is working towards more "friendly policies" in order to attract investors. "If we create the right environment in India our youth can find interesting, challenging opportunities in the country," the finance minister stated.

Our Budget estimates will have to be relooked, says Sitharaman to WION

During a virtual meeting with&nbsp;Ambassador T S Tirumurti, UN chief Antonio Guterres has commended India's assistance towards other countries in these tough times of COVID 19 pandemic.

"Great pleasure to 'call on' HE UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (through) video conference. He recalled warmly his visits to India, underlined the importance of India for the UN &amp; appreciated India's assistance to other countries during COVID," Tirumurti tweeted on Thursday.

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Great pleasure to “call on” HE UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres thro video conference. He recalled warmly his visits to India, underlined importance of India for UN &amp; appreciated India’s assistance to other countries during COVID. ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MEAIndia</a>⁩ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/DrSJaishankar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrSJaishankar</a>⁩ <a href="https://t.co/f4G1zjY5ZA">pic.twitter.com/f4G1zjY5ZA</a>
— PR to UN Tirumurti (@ambtstirumurti) <a href="https://twitter.com/ambtstirumurti/status/1266163321134333953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The appreciation comes as India has sent&nbsp;essential drugs, testing kits and other medical assistance to many countries around the world, in Middle East, Asia, US and other places, to help the countries during these testing times.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whistleblower-accuses-un-human-rights-office-of-helping-china-keep-an-eye-on-dissidents-301414">Also read: Whistleblower accuses UN human rights office of helping China keep an eye on dissidents</a>

Tirumurti assumed charge just weeks before the General Assembly is set to hold elections on June 17 for the five non-permanent seats of the UN Security Council for the 2021-22 term.

"We obviously very much welcome India's new Permanent Representative to the United Nations. And I know the Secretary-General looks forward to working very closely with the new envoy in the years ahead," Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric&nbsp;said at the daily press briefing last week.

(With inputs from PTI)

During a virtual meeting with Ambassador T S Tirumurti, UN chief Antonio Guterres has commended India's assistance towards other countries in these tough times of COVID 19 pandemic.

During a virtual meeting with Ambassador T S Tirumurti, UN chief Antonio Guterres has commended India's assistance towards other countries in these tough times of COVID 19 pandemic. "Great pleasure to 'call on' HE UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (through) video conference. He recalled warmly his visits to India, underlined the importance of India for the UN & appreciated India's assistance to other countries during COVID," Tirumurti tweeted on Thursday. Great pleasure to “call on” HE UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres thro video conference. He recalled warmly his visits to India, underlined importance of India for UN & appreciated India’s assistance to other countries during COVID. ⁦@MEAIndia⁩ ⁦@DrSJaishankar⁩ pic.twitter.com/f4G1zjY5ZA — PR to UN Tirumurti (@ambtstirumurti) May 29, 2020 × The appreciation comes as India has sent essential drugs, testing kits and other medical assistance to many countries around the world, in Middle East, Asia, US and other places, to help the countries during these testing times. Also read: Whistleblower accuses UN human rights office of helping China keep an eye on dissidents Tirumurti assumed charge just weeks before the General Assembly is set to hold elections on June 17 for the five non-permanent seats of the UN Security Council for the 2021-22 term. "We obviously very much welcome India's new Permanent Representative to the United Nations. And I know the Secretary-General looks forward to working very closely with the new envoy in the years ahead," Spokesman for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric said at the daily press briefing last week. (With inputs from PTI)

COVID 19: UN Chief appreciates India's efforts of helping other countries

India's national capital Delhi is bracing for a possible invasion by crop-eating locust soon. Delhi government has called for preventive measures. Watch report.

Delhi government issues advisory: Locust attack in Delhi

The Indian government clarified no conversation has taken place between PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump after the latter said he spoke to PM on India-China tensions, according to sources. Sources in New Delhi said the late conversation between the 2 took place on 4th April and that was on the issue of hydroxychloroquine.&nbsp;

US President on Thursday said, he "did speak to Prime Minister Modi. He's not -- he's not in a good mood about what's going on with China."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pm-modi-not-in-a-good-mood-trump-says-about-indo-china-border-dispute-301676">PM Modi not in a good mood: Trump says about Indo-China border dispute</a>

Calling the India China standoff as a "big conflict", President said, "Two countries with 1.4 billion people. Two countries with very powerful militaries. And India is not happy, and probably China is not happy."

Meanwhile, govt sources again reiterated that have made it "clear that we are directly in touch with the Chinese through established mechanisms and diplomatic contacts".

Trump earlier said, "If they -- if they thought it would help if I were the mediator or the arbiter, I would do that".

Earlier on Wednesday, he tweeted, "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!"

In the past, the US President has offered to mediate between India and Pakistan with New Delhi rejecting it saying all issues can be resolved bilaterally.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

The Indian government clarified no conversation has taken place between PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump after the latter said he spoke to PM on India-China tensions, according to sources.

The Indian government clarified no conversation has taken place between PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump after the latter said he spoke to PM on India-China tensions, according to sources. Sources in New Delhi said the late conversation between the 2 took place on 4th April and that was on the issue of hydroxychloroquine. US President on Thursday said, he "did speak to Prime Minister Modi. He's not -- he's not in a good mood about what's going on with China." Also read | PM Modi not in a good mood: Trump says about Indo-China border dispute Calling the India China standoff as a "big conflict", President said, "Two countries with 1.4 billion people. Two countries with very powerful militaries. And India is not happy, and probably China is not happy." Meanwhile, govt sources again reiterated that have made it "clear that we are directly in touch with the Chinese through established mechanisms and diplomatic contacts". Trump earlier said, "If they -- if they thought it would help if I were the mediator or the arbiter, I would do that". Earlier on Wednesday, he tweeted, "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!" In the past, the US President has offered to mediate between India and Pakistan with New Delhi rejecting it saying all issues can be resolved bilaterally.

No recent conversation between PM Narendra Modi and President Trump: Sources

Data by America’s Johns Hopkins University showed that India has overtaken China in terms of deaths related to Coronavirus and is now placed ninth in the world in the list of the most-affected nations.

Highest spike of 7,466 new COVID-19 cases and 175 deaths in the last 24 hours have been reported in the country.&nbsp;

Total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 1,65,799 including 89,987 active cases, 71,105 cured/discharged/migrated.&nbsp;

The total death toll has now reached 4,706 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in its latest update on Friday.&nbsp;

Of the total 4,167 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 1,982 deaths followed by Gujarat with 960 deaths, Madhya Pradesh with 321, Delhi with 316, West Bengal with 295, Rajasthan with 180, Uttar Pradesh with 197, Tamil Nadu with 145, Telangana with 67 deaths and Andhra Pradesh 59.

India's count of recoveries is the tenth-largest now after the US, Brazil, Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Iran and China.&nbsp; 
 
(With inputs agencies)

Data by America’s Johns Hopkins University showed that India has overtaken China in terms of deaths related to Coronavirus and is now placed ninth in the world in the list of the most-affected nations.

Data by America’s Johns Hopkins University showed that India has overtaken China in terms of deaths related to Coronavirus and is now placed ninth in the world in the list of the most-affected nations. Highest spike of 7,466 new COVID-19 cases and 175 deaths in the last 24 hours have been reported in the country. Total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 1,65,799 including 89,987 active cases, 71,105 cured/discharged/migrated. The total death toll has now reached 4,706 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in its latest update on Friday. Of the total 4,167 fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 1,982 deaths followed by Gujarat with 960 deaths, Madhya Pradesh with 321, Delhi with 316, West Bengal with 295, Rajasthan with 180, Uttar Pradesh with 197, Tamil Nadu with 145, Telangana with 67 deaths and Andhra Pradesh 59. India's count of recoveries is the tenth-largest now after the US, Brazil, Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Iran and China. (With inputs agencies)

India stands 9th on Covid-19 worst-hit nations' list, surpassing China

Earthquake tremors were felt in parts of Delhi and NCR for around eight to ten seconds around&nbsp;at 9.08&nbsp;pm on Friday,&nbsp;prompting panic-stricken people to rush out of their homes.&nbsp;

The magnitude is measured to be 4.6&nbsp;on the Richter Scale, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).&nbsp;

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An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6 on the Richter Scale hit 16 km ESE of Rohtak in Haryana at 21:08 hours today: National Center for Seismology (NCS) <a href="https://t.co/KxCMw8I680">https://t.co/KxCMw8I680</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1266395154304217088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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According to the website of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the epicentre of the medium-intensity earthquake was&nbsp;16 kilometers ESE of Rohtak in Haryana and its&nbsp;depth was 3.3 km beneath the ground.

No casualties or damage to properties have been reported so far.

Previously, an earthquake of magnitude&nbsp;2.2 had&nbsp;had struck the national capital on May 15.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Earthquake tremors were felt in parts of Delhi and NCR for around eight to ten seconds around at 9.08 pm on Friday, prompting panic-stricken people to rush out of their homes.

Earthquake tremors were felt in parts of Delhi and NCR for around eight to ten seconds around at 9.08 pm on Friday, prompting panic-stricken people to rush out of their homes. The magnitude is measured to be 4.6 on the Richter Scale, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS). An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6 on the Richter Scale hit 16 km ESE of Rohtak in Haryana at 21:08 hours today: National Center for Seismology (NCS) https://t.co/KxCMw8I680 — ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2020 × According to the website of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, the epicentre of the medium-intensity earthquake was 16 kilometers ESE of Rohtak in Haryana and its depth was 3.3 km beneath the ground. No casualties or damage to properties have been reported so far. Previously, an earthquake of magnitude 2.2 had had struck the national capital on May 15.

Earthquake with magnitude 4.6 hits Delhi-NCR region

Tech giant Google might take a minority stake in British telecom group Vodafone's struggling Indian business. This news has come weeks after Facebook&nbsp;picked up a stake in India's&nbsp;Jio's multimedia platforms.

This move is being seen as a direct competitive move, in the disguise of a financial collaboration and help.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/facebook-to-invest-57-bn-in-jio-acquire-999-stake-293945">Also watch|&nbsp;Facebook to invest $5.7 BN in Jio: Acquire 9.99% stake</a>

Google is planning to buy nearly 5 per cent stake in Vodafone Idea Ltd, according to reports.&nbsp;

The move is being considered a good step for Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), as it is struggling with&nbsp;nearly&nbsp;Rs 58,000 crore&nbsp;in unpaid statutory dues, after the Supreme Court upheld the government's position on including revenue from non-core businesses in calculating the annual AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue) of telecom companies, a share of which is paid as licence and spectrum fee to the exchequer.

The reports are not yet confirmed as&nbsp;there have been no comments on this speculation from Vodafone India or&nbsp;Alphabet Inc's Google.

(With inputs from PTI)

Tech giant Google might take a minority stake in British telecom group Vodafone's struggling Indian business. This news has come weeks after Facebook picked up a stake in India's Jio's multimedia platforms.

Tech giant Google might take a minority stake in British telecom group Vodafone's struggling Indian business. This news has come weeks after Facebook picked up a stake in India's Jio's multimedia platforms. This move is being seen as a direct competitive move, in the disguise of a financial collaboration and help. Also watch| Facebook to invest $5.7 BN in Jio: Acquire 9.99% stake Google is planning to buy nearly 5 per cent stake in Vodafone Idea Ltd, according to reports. The move is being considered a good step for Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL), as it is struggling with nearly Rs 58,000 crore in unpaid statutory dues, after the Supreme Court upheld the government's position on including revenue from non-core businesses in calculating the annual AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue) of telecom companies, a share of which is paid as licence and spectrum fee to the exchequer. The reports are not yet confirmed as there have been no comments on this speculation from Vodafone India or Alphabet Inc's Google. (With inputs from PTI)

Google plans to buy 5% stake in struggling Vodafone India

India has reported more than 1,58,000 positive coronavirus cases. The cabinet secretary held a meeting with the municipal commissioners and district magistrates of 13 worst-hit cities.

Over 1,58,000 positive coronavirus cases in India

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 116 deaths in the last 24 hours which is the highest number of deaths due to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/centre-likely-to-retain-limited-role-and-allow-states-have-more-say-after-lockdown-40-301870">COVID-19</a> in a single day.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-delhi-records-1106-new-cases-as-death-toll-rises-to-398-301829">Also Read:&nbsp;COVID-19: Delhi records 1,106 new cases as death toll rises to 398</a>

The state recorded 2,682 new coronavirus cases taking the total number of cases to 62,228. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with the virus with several areas being badly affected with capital Mumbai recording the highest number of cases.

The death toll in Maharashtra due to the virus stands at 2,098.

Meanwhile, Karnataka's health department said today that 248 people tested positive for coronavirus as the total number of cases rose to 2,781 in the state.

The death toll due to the virus in Karnataka has risen to 48.

In Uttarakhand, 114 more cases were detected with the virus on Friday taking the total number of cases in the state to 716.

Gujarat which has also been hit hard with the virus recorded 372 new cases COVID-19 cases

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 116 deaths in the last 24 hours which is the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 in a single day. Also Read: COVID-19: Delhi records 1,106 new cases as death toll rises to 398 The state recorded 2,682 new coronavirus cases taking the total number of cases to 62,228.

Maharashtra on Friday recorded 116 deaths in the last 24 hours which is the highest number of deaths due to COVID-19 in a single day. Also Read: COVID-19: Delhi records 1,106 new cases as death toll rises to 398 The state recorded 2,682 new coronavirus cases taking the total number of cases to 62,228. Maharashtra is the worst-hit state with the virus with several areas being badly affected with capital Mumbai recording the highest number of cases. The death toll in Maharashtra due to the virus stands at 2,098. Meanwhile, Karnataka's health department said today that 248 people tested positive for coronavirus as the total number of cases rose to 2,781 in the state. The death toll due to the virus in Karnataka has risen to 48. In Uttarakhand, 114 more cases were detected with the virus on Friday taking the total number of cases in the state to 716. Gujarat which has also been hit hard with the virus recorded 372 new cases COVID-19 cases

COVID-19: Maharashtra records highest one day toll as cases rise to over 62,000

TikTok's rankings in India had dropped down to 1.2 in the past few weeks due to a controversy about the content. However, after a cleanup drive by Google, the ratings are back to 4.4 stars now.

Google has brushed off this sudden rise in ratings as a usual clean-up, and stated that the company takes a corrective action to remove inappropriate ratings and comments which are considered to be spam, offensive or abusive. “Play Store ratings enable users to provide helpful feedback about their experience with apps and content, for the benefit of others to make informed decisions,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to a media organization.

<a href="&lt;iframe scrolling=&quot;no&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allow=&quot;autoplay; fullscreen&quot; src=&quot;https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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%3D%3D&quot; width =&quot;640&quot; height=&quot;360&quot;&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;">Also watch:&nbsp;Gravitas: Is TikTok safe for kids?</a>

The mass critique started due to&nbsp;a video uploaded by&nbsp;Faizal Siddiqui, which was considered to be insensitive and morally incorrect. people also accused the TikTok star of promoting acid attacks, which are morally and legally incorrect.

While the experts observed a massive drop in the ratings and an increase in the one-star ratings, those one-star ratings and hate comments cannot be seen on the Google Play Store anymore.

It is also believed that Google did actually play by the rules and removed the comments and ratings that were born out of hatred for the app, as according to Play Store guidelines, users are not allowed to manipulate the ratings of an app.

However, the mass clean-up drive seems to have happened only in Google Play Store, as Apple store still has the bad ratings and disapproving comments. There was not even a massive drop in the ratings for iOS users as the ratings only dropped down to 3.4 from a 3.5.

The Chinese video-content app has been facing backlash in India after masses disagreed with the content posted by CarryMinati and&nbsp;Faizal Siddiqui

TikTok's rankings in India had dropped down to 1.2 in the past few weeks due to a controversy about the content. However, after a cleanup drive by Google, the ratings are back to 4.

TikTok's rankings in India had dropped down to 1.2 in the past few weeks due to a controversy about the content. However, after a cleanup drive by Google, the ratings are back to 4.4 stars now. Google has brushed off this sudden rise in ratings as a usual clean-up, and stated that the company takes a corrective action to remove inappropriate ratings and comments which are considered to be spam, offensive or abusive. “Play Store ratings enable users to provide helpful feedback about their experience with apps and content, for the benefit of others to make informed decisions,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to a media organization. Also watch: Gravitas: Is TikTok safe for kids? The mass critique started due to a video uploaded by Faizal Siddiqui, which was considered to be insensitive and morally incorrect. people also accused the TikTok star of promoting acid attacks, which are morally and legally incorrect. While the experts observed a massive drop in the ratings and an increase in the one-star ratings, those one-star ratings and hate comments cannot be seen on the Google Play Store anymore. It is also believed that Google did actually play by the rules and removed the comments and ratings that were born out of hatred for the app, as according to Play Store guidelines, users are not allowed to manipulate the ratings of an app. However, the mass clean-up drive seems to have happened only in Google Play Store, as Apple store still has the bad ratings and disapproving comments. There was not even a massive drop in the ratings for iOS users as the ratings only dropped down to 3.4 from a 3.5. The Chinese video-content app has been facing backlash in India after masses disagreed with the content posted by CarryMinati and Faizal Siddiqui

TikTok ratings soar high as Google cleans up anti-TikTok comments

India had started to see green shoots, before the coronavirus pandemic hit in February, Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman said even as India's economy grew at its slowest pace in at least eight years in the January-March quarter.

Asia's third-largest economy grew at a faster-than-expected 3.1 per cent in the last quarter. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth stood at 5.7 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19, according to the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Friday.

To this end, Sitharaman, in an exclusive conversation with WION, said, "This is a quarter where we thought we had started seeing green shoots. That is one reason the estimates were made the way they were made. The contraction happened in April because by this time the coronavirus pandemic had hit us really fully and badly. So the 3.1 per cent -- given the fact that by February we had started having some kind of impact of the pandemic -- therefore gives me the feeling that revival was happening. But unfortunately, the God's hand... [hit us]."

India's economic growth slowed to an 11-year low of 4.2 per cent for the full fiscal 2019-20 amid a drop in consumption and investment.

During 2019-20, the Indian economy grew at 4.2 per cent as against 6.1 per cent in 2018-19. The economic growth was the lowest since 2008-09 when the economy had expanded at 3.1 per cent.

India has so far reported 1,65,000 coronavirus cases, with 4,706 deaths. The government imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus from March 25, 2020.

Economists expect the fiscal year that began in April will see the worst economic contraction in four decades, and say the economy could contract up to 5 per cent.

But Sitharaman would not like to make any estimates.

"I have said [before] I shall not make any estimates. I am watching and hearing the agencies are telling us to what extent the contraction is going to hit India. So it is my duty to be prepared for the situation. And be ready to support. With the full support of the prime minister, we want to ensure that everybody gets the full support," she said.

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India's Finance Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/nsitharaman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nsitharaman</a> reacts to India's Q4 GDP data. 
Tells <a href="https://twitter.com/palkisu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@palkisu</a> that India had started witnessing green shoots before the pandemic hit. 
 
Watch the full interview at 9 PM IST only on <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WIONews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gravitas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gravitas</a> <a href="https://t.co/1HBTM4Fwue">pic.twitter.com/1HBTM4Fwue</a>
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A Reuters poll of economists had forecast a growth rate of 2.1 per cent for the March quarter, compared with a downwardly revised 4.1 per cent rise in the October-December period in 2019.

Sitharaman also spoke about the gradual withdrawal of the coronavirus lockdown, and the importance of striking a balance of economic growth with the health and lives of the people.

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Watch her full interview with <a href="https://twitter.com/palkisu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@palkisu</a> at 9 PM IST only on <a href="https://twitter.com/WIONews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WIONews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gravitas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gravitas</a> <a href="https://t.co/2FT3yPmFud">pic.twitter.com/2FT3yPmFud</a>
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Also, on Friday, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation cut its growth estimate for the fiscal year that ended on March 31 to 4.2 per cent -- the lowest in at least eight years under the current series -- from a previously projected 5 per cent.

The government has maintained the lockdown ordered in late March though many restrictions were eased for manufacturing, transport and other services from May 18.

India's infrastructure output contracted 38.1 per cent in April from a year earlier, data released on Friday showed.

Infrastructure output, which comprises eight sectors including coal, crude oil and electricity, accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the country's industrial output.

The lockdown's full impact on manufacturing and services will become more apparent in the June quarter. Goldman Sachs has predicted a 45 per cent contraction from a year ago.

Watch India's FM Nirmala Sitharaman in conversation with Palki Sharma Upadhyay on WION --&nbsp;Friday at 9 pm IST.

India had started to see green shoots, before the coronavirus pandemic hit in February, Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman said even as India's economy grew at its slowest pace in at least eight years in the January-March quarter.

India had started to see green shoots, before the coronavirus pandemic hit in February, Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman said even as India's economy grew at its slowest pace in at least eight years in the January-March quarter. Asia's third-largest economy grew at a faster-than-expected 3.1 per cent in the last quarter. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth stood at 5.7 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19, according to the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Friday. To this end, Sitharaman, in an exclusive conversation with WION, said, "This is a quarter where we thought we had started seeing green shoots. That is one reason the estimates were made the way they were made. The contraction happened in April because by this time the coronavirus pandemic had hit us really fully and badly. So the 3.1 per cent -- given the fact that by February we had started having some kind of impact of the pandemic -- therefore gives me the feeling that revival was happening. But unfortunately, the God's hand... [hit us]." India's economic growth slowed to an 11-year low of 4.2 per cent for the full fiscal 2019-20 amid a drop in consumption and investment. During 2019-20, the Indian economy grew at 4.2 per cent as against 6.1 per cent in 2018-19. The economic growth was the lowest since 2008-09 when the economy had expanded at 3.1 per cent. India has so far reported 1,65,000 coronavirus cases, with 4,706 deaths. The government imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus from March 25, 2020. Economists expect the fiscal year that began in April will see the worst economic contraction in four decades, and say the economy could contract up to 5 per cent. But Sitharaman would not like to make any estimates. "I have said [before] I shall not make any estimates. I am watching and hearing the agencies are telling us to what extent the contraction is going to hit India. So it is my duty to be prepared for the situation. And be ready to support. With the full support of the prime minister, we want to ensure that everybody gets the full support," she said. #StraightTalkWithNirmala India's Finance Minister @nsitharaman reacts to India's Q4 GDP data. Tells @palkisu that India had started witnessing green shoots before the pandemic hit. Watch the full interview at 9 PM IST only on @WIONews #Gravitas pic.twitter.com/1HBTM4Fwue — WION (@WIONews) May 29, 2020 × A Reuters poll of economists had forecast a growth rate of 2.1 per cent for the March quarter, compared with a downwardly revised 4.1 per cent rise in the October-December period in 2019. Sitharaman also spoke about the gradual withdrawal of the coronavirus lockdown, and the importance of striking a balance of economic growth with the health and lives of the people. #StraightTalkWithNirmala India's Finance Minister @nsitharaman speaks on striking a balance between containing #COVID19 and getting the economy going. Watch her full interview with @palkisu at 9 PM IST only on @WIONews #Gravitas pic.twitter.com/2FT3yPmFud — WION (@WIONews) May 29, 2020 × Also, on Friday, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation cut its growth estimate for the fiscal year that ended on March 31 to 4.2 per cent -- the lowest in at least eight years under the current series -- from a previously projected 5 per cent. The government has maintained the lockdown ordered in late March though many restrictions were eased for manufacturing, transport and other services from May 18. India's infrastructure output contracted 38.1 per cent in April from a year earlier, data released on Friday showed. Infrastructure output, which comprises eight sectors including coal, crude oil and electricity, accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the country's industrial output. The lockdown's full impact on manufacturing and services will become more apparent in the June quarter. Goldman Sachs has predicted a 45 per cent contraction from a year ago. Watch India's FM Nirmala Sitharaman in conversation with Palki Sharma Upadhyay on WION -- Friday at 9 pm IST.

India had started to see green shoots before coronavirus hit: FM Sitharaman to WION

In this video watch, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's first exclusive reaction on GDP numbers for Q4 of 2019-20 of India.

Indian Finance Minister Sitharaman's first exclusive reaction on GDP numbers for Q4 of 2019-20

India's defence minister Rajnath Singh and US defence secretary Mark T Esper on Friday evening spoke to each other and discussed the ongoing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chinese-defence-ministry-reiterates-india-border-issue-stable-and-controllable-301817">India-China</a> border row and the Chinese build-up on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/beijing-rejects-trumps-offer-to-mediate-in-india-china-border-standoff-301794">Also Read:&nbsp;Beijing rejects Trump's offer to mediate in India-China border standoff</a>

The call happened at the request of the American side and comes even as US president has said that he is willing to mediate between India and China, something both New Delhi and Beijing have rejected.&nbsp;

The American read out of the talks said, "Secretary Esper and Minister Singh discussed a range of regional security issues and the secretary expressed his firm commitment to India’s leadership across the Indo-Pacific".

The Pentagon read out added,"Secretary&nbsp;Esper reiterated his support for a strong and enduring US-India defense partnership and the two leaders discussed ways to advance several important bilateral initiatives."

Defence ministry readout of the meet said COVID-19 crisis was also discussed with both side briefing "each other on the respective experience of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to continue the excellent bilateral cooperation in this regard."

Cyclone Amphan which struck West Bengal earlier this month was also mentioned with defence minister briefing about India’s relief efforts to his counterpart.

Defence secretary Esper was to visit earlier this year but could not due to the COVID-19 crisis. &nbsp;

Both ministers spoke to each other last in March. Each year, both meet each other usually at the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) and the annual 2+2 India-US foreign and defence minister meet that alternates between the two&nbsp;capitals.

India's defence minister Rajnath Singh and US defence secretary Mark T Esper on Friday evening spoke to each other and discussed the ongoing India-China border row and the Chinese build-up on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

India's defence minister Rajnath Singh and US defence secretary Mark T Esper on Friday evening spoke to each other and discussed the ongoing India-China border row and the Chinese build-up on its side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Also Read: Beijing rejects Trump's offer to mediate in India-China border standoff The call happened at the request of the American side and comes even as US president has said that he is willing to mediate between India and China, something both New Delhi and Beijing have rejected. The American read out of the talks said, "Secretary Esper and Minister Singh discussed a range of regional security issues and the secretary expressed his firm commitment to India’s leadership across the Indo-Pacific". The Pentagon read out added,"Secretary Esper reiterated his support for a strong and enduring US-India defense partnership and the two leaders discussed ways to advance several important bilateral initiatives." Defence ministry readout of the meet said COVID-19 crisis was also discussed with both side briefing "each other on the respective experience of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to continue the excellent bilateral cooperation in this regard." Cyclone Amphan which struck West Bengal earlier this month was also mentioned with defence minister briefing about India’s relief efforts to his counterpart. Defence secretary Esper was to visit earlier this year but could not due to the COVID-19 crisis. Both ministers spoke to each other last in March. Each year, both meet each other usually at the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) and the annual 2+2 India-US foreign and defence minister meet that alternates between the two capitals.

Rajanth Singh, US defence secretary Mark Esper discuss China build-up

Famous Indian astrologer Bejan Daruwalla is no more. The man, whose astrological predictions were avidly followed by millions across the country, breathed his last on Friday at a hospital in Ahmedabad. The astrologer reportedly died of coronavirus complications. He was 90. 
 
He had tested positive for the virus a few days back and was admitted in a private hospital in Ahmedabad. Reports state that he was on ventilator support for the past few days. 
 
A practicing Zoroastrian, Daruwalla was also a Ganesha devotee and astrology columns in various leading newspapers went under the title 'Ganesha Speaks'. 
 
His predictions were well known and followed by people across religion. 
 
He had predicted several Prime Ministerial victories including that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Morarji Desai and recently, Narendra Modi. He had also predicted the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi's accident and the Bhopal gas tragedy, amongst others.

Famous Indian astrologer Bejan Daruwalla is no more. The man, whose astrological predictions were avidly followed by millions across the country, breathed his last on Friday at a hospital in Ahmedabad.

Famous Indian astrologer Bejan Daruwalla is no more. The man, whose astrological predictions were avidly followed by millions across the country, breathed his last on Friday at a hospital in Ahmedabad. The astrologer reportedly died of coronavirus complications. He was 90. He had tested positive for the virus a few days back and was admitted in a private hospital in Ahmedabad. Reports state that he was on ventilator support for the past few days. A practicing Zoroastrian, Daruwalla was also a Ganesha devotee and astrology columns in various leading newspapers went under the title 'Ganesha Speaks'. His predictions were well known and followed by people across religion. He had predicted several Prime Ministerial victories including that of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Morarji Desai and recently, Narendra Modi. He had also predicted the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi's accident and the Bhopal gas tragedy, amongst others.

Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla dies of coronavirus complication in Ahmedabad

Watch today in WION Dispatch: India GDP growth slows to 3.1% in Q4 of 2019-20. This is the lowest GDP growth in last 11 years. Watch this video to know more.

WION Dispatch: India GDP growth slows to 3.1% in Q4 of 2019-20

Watch today in WION Dispatch: India's GDP growth slows to 3.1% in Q4 of 2019-20. Watch this video to get more details.

WION Dispatch: Lowest GDP growth in India in 11 year

The Centre is likely to retain a limited role and allow states and union territories to take decisions on whether to tighten or give additional relaxations in the nationwide lockdown in their respective jurisdictions from June 1, officials said on Friday.

The central government may, however, advise state authorities to continue with strict curbs in COVID-19 containment zones in the worst-affected 30 municipal areas that account for 80 per cent of the positive cases in the country.

These 30 municipal areas are from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha.

"There is every possibility that the Centre will have very limited role with regards to imposing restrictions or giving relaxations from June 1. The states and UTs will take decisions on such issues depending on the situation locally," a senior government official told PTI.

The central government may continue with the suspension on operation of international flights and political gatherings as well as closure of malls and cinema halls, besides ordering mandatory wearing of face mask by people in public places and maintenance of social distancing norms everywhere.

On reopening of schools or restarting metro train services, the states may be allowed to take a call.

"From now onwards, lockdown measures will be reviewed every fortnight where states will have major say in every decision related to their respective jurisdictions," the official said.

The states may also be allowed to take a decision on allowing religious places, which have been shut since March 25, when the lockdown had begun.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had recently said that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him that Karnataka be allowed to reopen temples, mosques, churches and other religious places.

The nationwide lockdown was first announced by the Prime Minister on March 24 for 21 days in a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. It was first extended till May 3 and then again till May 17. The lockdown has been further extended till May 31.

Hectic parleys are still going on in the central government to assess the impact of the lockdown so far and the role to be played by the centre government and the States and Union Territories after the fourth phase of the curb comes to an end on Sunday.

The central government is particularly concerned over the COVID-19 situation in 30 cities, including four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, where positive cases are spiralling.

On Thursday, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba had a meeting with municipal commissioners and District Magistrates of 13 of these 30 cities and took stock of their work to check the virus.

The 13 cities are Chennai, Delhi/New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata/Howrah, Indore, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur.

To take views of the state governments on the future course of action with regards to the lockdown, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to all Chief Ministers of the country.

During his talks with the chief ministers, Shah sought to know the areas of concern of the states and the sectors they want to open up further from June 1, another official said.

Interestingly, till now, it was Prime Minister Modi who had interacted with all chief ministers through video conference before extension of each phase of the coronavirus-induced lockdown and sought their views.

This was for the first time that the home minister spoke to the chief ministers individually before the end of another phase of the lockdown.

Shah was present in all the conferences of chief ministers along with the prime minister.

It is understood that majority of the chief ministers wanted the lockdown to continue in some form but also favoured opening up of the economic activities and gradual return of the normal life, the official said.

After his talks with Shah, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he felt the lockdown may be extended for 15 more days.

"However, we want some more relaxations like opening of restaurants with social distancing at 50 per cent capacity," he said.

The central government is also taking into account the rapid increase of coronavirus cases in states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam and Karnataka after arrival of migrant workers and other people from big cities or virus-hit regions.

"Some states want curb on travel of people from outside. However, such blanket decisions are not acceptable to everyone," the official said.

The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to suspend air travel from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, saying a large number of people arriving from these states have tested positive for COVID-19.

While extending the fourth phase of the lockdown from May 18 till May 31, the central government had announced continuation of prohibition on opening of schools, colleges and malls but allowed opening of shops and markets.

The government, however, allowed limited operations of train and domestic flights. The Indian Railways is also running special trains since May 1 for transportation of migrant workers from different parts of the country to their native states.

The number of COVID-19 cases in India has climbed to 1,65,799 on Friday, making it the world's ninth worst-hit country by the coronavirus pandemic. The Health Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,706 in the country.&nbsp;

The Centre is likely to retain a limited role and allow states and union territories to take decisions on whether to tighten or give additional relaxations in the nationwide lockdown in their respective jurisdictions from June 1, officials said on Friday.

The Centre is likely to retain a limited role and allow states and union territories to take decisions on whether to tighten or give additional relaxations in the nationwide lockdown in their respective jurisdictions from June 1, officials said on Friday. The central government may, however, advise state authorities to continue with strict curbs in COVID-19 containment zones in the worst-affected 30 municipal areas that account for 80 per cent of the positive cases in the country. These 30 municipal areas are from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha. "There is every possibility that the Centre will have very limited role with regards to imposing restrictions or giving relaxations from June 1. The states and UTs will take decisions on such issues depending on the situation locally," a senior government official told PTI. The central government may continue with the suspension on operation of international flights and political gatherings as well as closure of malls and cinema halls, besides ordering mandatory wearing of face mask by people in public places and maintenance of social distancing norms everywhere. On reopening of schools or restarting metro train services, the states may be allowed to take a call. "From now onwards, lockdown measures will be reviewed every fortnight where states will have major say in every decision related to their respective jurisdictions," the official said. The states may also be allowed to take a decision on allowing religious places, which have been shut since March 25, when the lockdown had begun. Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had recently said that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him that Karnataka be allowed to reopen temples, mosques, churches and other religious places. The nationwide lockdown was first announced by the Prime Minister on March 24 for 21 days in a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. It was first extended till May 3 and then again till May 17. The lockdown has been further extended till May 31. Hectic parleys are still going on in the central government to assess the impact of the lockdown so far and the role to be played by the centre government and the States and Union Territories after the fourth phase of the curb comes to an end on Sunday. The central government is particularly concerned over the COVID-19 situation in 30 cities, including four metros of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, where positive cases are spiralling. On Thursday, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba had a meeting with municipal commissioners and District Magistrates of 13 of these 30 cities and took stock of their work to check the virus. The 13 cities are Chennai, Delhi/New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Thane, Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata/Howrah, Indore, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur. To take views of the state governments on the future course of action with regards to the lockdown, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to all Chief Ministers of the country. During his talks with the chief ministers, Shah sought to know the areas of concern of the states and the sectors they want to open up further from June 1, another official said. Interestingly, till now, it was Prime Minister Modi who had interacted with all chief ministers through video conference before extension of each phase of the coronavirus-induced lockdown and sought their views. This was for the first time that the home minister spoke to the chief ministers individually before the end of another phase of the lockdown. Shah was present in all the conferences of chief ministers along with the prime minister. It is understood that majority of the chief ministers wanted the lockdown to continue in some form but also favoured opening up of the economic activities and gradual return of the normal life, the official said. After his talks with Shah, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said he felt the lockdown may be extended for 15 more days. "However, we want some more relaxations like opening of restaurants with social distancing at 50 per cent capacity," he said. The central government is also taking into account the rapid increase of coronavirus cases in states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam and Karnataka after arrival of migrant workers and other people from big cities or virus-hit regions. "Some states want curb on travel of people from outside. However, such blanket decisions are not acceptable to everyone," the official said. The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to suspend air travel from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, saying a large number of people arriving from these states have tested positive for COVID-19. While extending the fourth phase of the lockdown from May 18 till May 31, the central government had announced continuation of prohibition on opening of schools, colleges and malls but allowed opening of shops and markets. The government, however, allowed limited operations of train and domestic flights. The Indian Railways is also running special trains since May 1 for transportation of migrant workers from different parts of the country to their native states. The number of COVID-19 cases in India has climbed to 1,65,799 on Friday, making it the world's ninth worst-hit country by the coronavirus pandemic. The Health Ministry said the death toll due to COVID-19 rose to 4,706 in the country.

Centre likely to retain limited role and allow states have more say after Lockdown 4.0

Over 170 Indians stranded in Sri Lanka due to the global travel restrictions left for their homes on Friday aboard a special Air India flight.

The Indian High Commission said the flight AI 0276, carrying 176 Indians under the 'Vande Bharat Mission', took off from Colombo for Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.

Apart from the flight, Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa will make a voyage to Tuticorin from Colombo Port on Monday to repatriate nearly 700 Indians stranded in the country amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Arrangements were being made in coordination with the government of Sri Lanka. The voyage will be under Samudra Setu, the naval repatriation exercises under Vande Bharat Mission.

Based on the applications received by the Indian High Commission, a passenger list has been prepared for the voyage, officials said.

Priority is being given to compelling cases in distress, including migrant workers who have been lost their jobs, persons facing expiry of visa, medical emergencies, pregnant women, elderly people, people required to return home due to death in the family, and students, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said.

Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay recalled the Indian government's assistance in helping over 1,000 Sri Lankans return home. He said India is committed to rendering all possible assistance to bring back Sri Lankan nationals.

Over 170 Indians stranded in Sri Lanka due to the global travel restrictions left for their homes on Friday aboard a special Air India flight. The Indian High Commission said the flight AI 0276, carrying 176 Indians under the 'Vande Bharat Mission', took off from Colombo for Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.

Over 170 Indians stranded in Sri Lanka due to the global travel restrictions left for their homes on Friday aboard a special Air India flight. The Indian High Commission said the flight AI 0276, carrying 176 Indians under the 'Vande Bharat Mission', took off from Colombo for Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. Apart from the flight, Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa will make a voyage to Tuticorin from Colombo Port on Monday to repatriate nearly 700 Indians stranded in the country amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Arrangements were being made in coordination with the government of Sri Lanka. The voyage will be under Samudra Setu, the naval repatriation exercises under Vande Bharat Mission. Based on the applications received by the Indian High Commission, a passenger list has been prepared for the voyage, officials said. Priority is being given to compelling cases in distress, including migrant workers who have been lost their jobs, persons facing expiry of visa, medical emergencies, pregnant women, elderly people, people required to return home due to death in the family, and students, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said. Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay recalled the Indian government's assistance in helping over 1,000 Sri Lankans return home. He said India is committed to rendering all possible assistance to bring back Sri Lankan nationals.

COVID-19: 176 Indians evacuated from Sri Lanka

Delhi's health minister Satyendar Jain said that 1,106&nbsp;new <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-lockdown-4.0-news-update-lockdown-may-get-extended-for-15-days-goa-cm-after-meeting-amit-shah-301733">coronavirus</a> cases were reported in the national capital with the total number of cases at 17,386.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-stands-9th-on-covid-19-worst-hit-nations-list-surpassing-china-301706">Also Read:&nbsp;India stands 9th on Covid-19 worst-hit nations' list, surpassing China</a>&nbsp;

The minister said 398 people had died due to the virus.

Karnataka state health department said that 178 new coronavirus cases were reported today with the total number of cases at 2711 including 1,793 active cases.

In Assam, 30 new coronavirus cases were reported taking the total number of cases to 910 with 800 active cases.

Odisha on Friday reported &nbsp;63 new COVID-19 cases taking the total number of cases to 1,723. The number of active cases stands at 827, the state health department said.

Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said: "I feel lockdown may be extended for 15 more days, I spoke to home minister Amit Shah, we demand that there should be some relaxations - restaurants should be allowed with social distancing at 50 per cent capacity. Many people also want gyms to resume."

"Lockdown must be extended for 15 more days, it is needed, as the graph of coronavirus is rising," the chief minister added.&nbsp;

Delhi's health minister Satyendar Jain said that 1,106 new coronavirus cases were reported in the national capital with the total number of cases at 17,386. Also Read: India stands 9th on Covid-19 worst-hit nations' list, surpassing China The minister said 398 people had died due to the virus.

Delhi's health minister Satyendar Jain said that 1,106 new coronavirus cases were reported in the national capital with the total number of cases at 17,386. Also Read: India stands 9th on Covid-19 worst-hit nations' list, surpassing China The minister said 398 people had died due to the virus. Karnataka state health department said that 178 new coronavirus cases were reported today with the total number of cases at 2711 including 1,793 active cases. In Assam, 30 new coronavirus cases were reported taking the total number of cases to 910 with 800 active cases. Odisha on Friday reported 63 new COVID-19 cases taking the total number of cases to 1,723. The number of active cases stands at 827, the state health department said. Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said: "I feel lockdown may be extended for 15 more days, I spoke to home minister Amit Shah, we demand that there should be some relaxations - restaurants should be allowed with social distancing at 50 per cent capacity. Many people also want gyms to resume." "Lockdown must be extended for 15 more days, it is needed, as the graph of coronavirus is rising," the chief minister added.

COVID-19: Delhi records 1,106 new cases as death toll rises to 398

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi passed away on Friday, his son announced today.

The former Congress leader had served as Chhattisgarh's first chief minister from 2000 to 2003.

Jogi,74, had suffered a heart attack earlier in the month and was on ventilator support in a Raipur hospital in Chhattisgarh.&nbsp;

He had expelled by Congress in 2016 for six years due to anti-party activities along with his son Amit. The former Chhattisgarh CM then founded the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh.

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi passed away on Friday, his son announced today. The former Congress leader had served as Chhattisgarh's first chief minister from 2000 to 2003.

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi passed away on Friday, his son announced today. The former Congress leader had served as Chhattisgarh's first chief minister from 2000 to 2003. Jogi,74, had suffered a heart attack earlier in the month and was on ventilator support in a Raipur hospital in Chhattisgarh. He had expelled by Congress in 2016 for six years due to anti-party activities along with his son Amit. The former Chhattisgarh CM then founded the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh.

Chhattisgarh's first chief minister Ajit Jogi  passes away

Reiterating the comments made by the foreign ministry few days ago, the Chinese defence ministry in Thursday also said that the situation at the India-China border is "stable and controllable".&nbsp;

This was the first time a statement over the border crisis in Sikkim and Ladakh was issued by Beijing's defence ministry.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/beijing-rejects-trumps-offer-to-mediate-in-india-china-border-standoff-301794">Beijing rejects Trump's offer to mediate in India-China border standoff</a>

Earlier today, China rejected US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying the two countries did not want "intervention" from a third party to resolve the current military dispute. &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/engaged-with-china-to-resolve-border-issue-peacefully-india-on-trumps-offer-to-mediate-301633">Engaged with China to resolve border issue peacefully: India on Trump's offer to mediate</a>

"China’s position on the China-India border is clear. The Chinese border troops are committed to maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas," defence ministry spokesperson, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang said on Thursday at the monthly ministry briefing.

He further said that the overall situation is "stable and controllable", adding that India and China are capable to resolve the issue through "established border-related mechanisms and diplomatic channels".&nbsp;

On Thursday, India rejected Trump's offer to mediate and Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava saying that the country is already engaged with Beijing to "peacefully resolve this issue".&nbsp;

The standoff between the militaries of both countries started earlier this month in Line of Actual Control (LaC), the 3,500 de facto border separating the two sides.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Reiterating the comments made by the foreign ministry few days ago, the Chinese defence ministry in Thursday also said that the situation at the India-China border is "stable and controllable".

Reiterating the comments made by the foreign ministry few days ago, the Chinese defence ministry in Thursday also said that the situation at the India-China border is "stable and controllable". This was the first time a statement over the border crisis in Sikkim and Ladakh was issued by Beijing's defence ministry. Also read | Beijing rejects Trump's offer to mediate in India-China border standoff Earlier today, China rejected US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying the two countries did not want "intervention" from a third party to resolve the current military dispute. Also read | Engaged with China to resolve border issue peacefully: India on Trump's offer to mediate "China’s position on the China-India border is clear. The Chinese border troops are committed to maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas," defence ministry spokesperson, Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang said on Thursday at the monthly ministry briefing. He further said that the overall situation is "stable and controllable", adding that India and China are capable to resolve the issue through "established border-related mechanisms and diplomatic channels". On Thursday, India rejected Trump's offer to mediate and Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava saying that the country is already engaged with Beijing to "peacefully resolve this issue". The standoff between the militaries of both countries started earlier this month in Line of Actual Control (LaC), the 3,500 de facto border separating the two sides.

Chinese defence ministry reiterates India border issue 'stable and controllable'

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