Following the relaxation of lockdown earlier this month, some economic activities were allowed to resume, most notably factories and manufacturing units. However several states had courted controversy after they relaxed key labour laws to boost investment and help resurrect businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.  BCCL While Uttar Pradesh has suspended major labour laws, …

The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown which followed has been a disaster for the economy. And cutting across sectors and industries there have been mass layoffs and salary cuts as companies try to stay afloat during the crisis.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal not to cut jobs during the crisis seems to have fallen in deaf ears as private companies …

The plight of the millions of migrant workers since the beginning of the nationwide lockdown is one of the biggest human tragedies of our times.  Since the last weeks of March, millions of migrant workers who lost their livelihoods and were staring at an uncertain future due to the continued lockdown have been trying desperately to reach their villages.  BCCL …

On Monday, India had tested a total of 108,233 samples, which was the highest then and even more than the target of 100,000 samples daily that the Union health ministry has set. On Tuesday too India conducted more tests than its target and examined 101,475 samples in a single day. On Wednesday, the number of samples tested stood at 103,532.  …

A day after Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced that domestic flights will resume operations from Monday, May 25, the Airport Authority of India has come up with the guidelines for airports and passengers.  AFP According to the standard operating procedure (SOP) for airports issued by the AAI, Aarogya Setu app is mandatory for all passengers except for children …

In a shocking case of negligence, a COVID-19 positive man was found dead at a bus stand in Ahmedabad, days after he tested positive for the virus. The 67-year-old was admitted at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital on May 10 where he tested positive for COVID-19. BCCL But on Saturday he along with five others were discharged from the hospital and …

For many years, Phoolkali was living a life of slavery, suffering and abuse, as a begging elephant on the streets of Agra, Uttar Pradesh. For nearly 50 years, her daily routine involved begging and walking on the hot tarred roads for hours at a stretch.  Wildlife SOS The years of mistreatment, abuse and inadequate care left her in a sorry …

With over 6,000 cases of COVID-19 so far, Ahmedabad is the second-worst affected city in India due to the pandemic. Of the 347 cases reported in Gujarat on Monday, 268 came from Ahmedabad alone. Ahmedabad district has recorded a total of 400 deaths so far.  The city continues to account for more than 75% of daily deaths occurring in the …

After going ‘dry’ for over 40 days, liquor shops in Delhi opened on Monday to the ‘relief’ of thousands, who had assembled outside the outlets hours in advance. But the happiness turned out to be a short-lived one after the prices shot up drastically.  AP This after the Delhi Government imposed a ‘Special Corona Fees’ of 70% tax on Maximum …

The United States is the worst-hit country due to the COVID-19 outbreak and has around 1.21 million confirmed cases and 69,680 deaths from it. This alone accounts for almost one-third of the COVID-19 cases globally.  AFP Between 1,000 and 2,000 deaths are currently being reported in the US each day.  But things are likely to get even worse in the …