As coronavirus cases rise, Indian jails begin releasing prisoners on bail

• Delhi’s Tihar Jail, which houses 17,500 inmates, plans to release 3000 prisoners, of which 400 have already been released
• Maharshtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has directed the state to release as many as 11,000 convicted and undertrial prisoners

Commerce ministry provides relaxations in filing compliance report to SEZs

• SEZs, developed as export hubs, are treated as a foreign territory in terms of customs laws
• These zones enjoy certain incentives including a single-window clearance system

Covid-19: SC asks Centre to file report on issues of migrant workers

• The two-judge bench said that the court will not pass the order without reviewing Centre’s report
• The migration of labourers needs to be stopped to stem the spread of the coronavirus

Covid-19 lockdown: Political parties go online

• Group video call on Zoom, video conferencing, Skype, conference calls and group messages through social media platforms are some of the tools at hand for political parties to stay connected

With migrants' exodus from Delhi, COVID-19 staring menacingly at Bihar: Minister

The chief minister on Saturday had also disapproved of the move by governments of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to ferry thousands of people from the Delhi-UP border to their places

Covid-19 shows why we need a healthcare reboot for India

Decades of neglect have left India’s public health system with a very weak arsenal to fight and eliminate contagious diseases

Transportation of all essential, non-essential goods allowed during lockdown

• Groceries, including hygiene products such as hand wash, soaps, disinfectants, oral care items, battery cells and chargers, are also allowed
• The home secretary made it clear that the newspaper delivery supply chain was also allowed under exemptions given for print media

Coronavirus: It goes without saying: FM should amp up rescue deal for business

• Industry urges for relief for exporters, including exemption from the lockdown to transport goods
• FinMin is expected to tap the possibility of further increase in excise duty on petrol and diesel

SC seeks Centre's response on plea seeking evacuation of pilgrims in Iran

• According to the petition, the pilgrims started their journey in December 2019 and were scheduled to return in late February
• The petition seeks directions for providing all possible medical help to the stranded pilgrims, till the evacuation is carried out

Delhi scales up preparations for ‘potential stage 3’ of COVID-19 outbreak

• The existing health infrastructure in Delhi is prepared to handle 100 new cases of the virus each day
• Arvind Kejriwal-led government has sought recommendations from experts to deal with 1,000 positive cases daily

RBI to infuse ₹3.7 trillion in financial system to boost liquidity

• RBI announced reduction of cash reserve ratio for all banks by 100 basis points to 3.0%
• RBI will conduct auctions of targeted term repos of up to three years tenor of appropriate sizes

Government's relief package for poor first step in right direction: Rahul

• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi welcomed the financial package announced by the Centre
• The Finance Minister announced an economic relief package of ₹1.7 lakh crore for the poor and migrant workers under the Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Yojana

Delhi govt says shops selling essential goods can be open round the clock

• While it is not mandatory, factories engaged in manufacturing essential items have also been given an option to operate 24 hours a day
• Delhi government has further requested the police to allow ecommerce companied to function in the state

Covid-19: Sonia Gandhi shows solidarity, asks PM to make cash transfers

• Noting the distress faced by various industries, Sonia Gandhi suggested Modi to waive EMIs, consider sector wise relief package
• Her letter urges the Centre to consider direct cash transfers of ₹7,500 into Jan-Dhan, PM- Kisan accounts

COVID-19: Sonia Gandhi writes to PM Modi, supports lockdown

• Sonia Gandhi said the 21-day nationwide lockdown to fight the coronavirus was a welcome step
• The entire nation stands as one in solidarity in the fight to halt and defeat the coronavirus pandemic, Gandhi said

Nath's 'hit the street then' remark at Scindia led to our exit, say ex-Cong MLAs

'The sidelining of Scindia for the last 15 months and Nath's statement was the trigger that resulted in never-before exodus by MLAs,' says Tulsiram Silawat

CCEA clears 22 km-long rail flyover between Aligarh-Harduaganj

• The decision was taken at the Cabinet Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
• The project is expected to be completed by 2024-25

Govt bans exports of Trump-backed coronavirus drug as demand surges

India’s government banned exports of hydroxychloroquine, as global demand surges for the malaria drug touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential coronavirus treatment.

BJP wins Madhya Pradesh trust vote as Congress MLAs remain absent

• BSP and SP MLAs backed the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government during the trust vote in the state assembly
• BJP has the support of at least 110 MLAs in the House and requires to win 6 more seats for a simple majority

Privacy in the era of state surveillance

A 2011 IBM study showed users spent just six seconds to read the agreement and only 8% read the whole agreement before installing software