Goa govt extends Covid curfew till June 7

Centre has enhanced and liberalised the insurance compensation schemes under Employees State Insurance Corporation and Employees Provident Fund Organization with a view to mitigate the financial difficulties faced due to death of single earning member in the family. The decision on the relief measures were taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an important meeting held in New Delhi on Saturday. Under the relief measures announced, benefit of ESIC pension scheme for employment related death cases has been extended to even those who have died due to COVID. Dependent family members of such persons will be entitled to the benefit of pension equivalent to 90 per cent of average daily wage drawn by the worker as per the existing norms. This benefit will be available retrospectively with effect from 24 March of last year and for all such cases till March 24 next year.

-In view of COVID pandemic, BJP will not hold any celebratory event to mark the 7th Anniversary of Narendra Modi Government.. Party leaders and workers will organise Corona awareness and relief campaign in one lakh villages across the country to mark the day under the ‘Sewa Hi Sangathan’ 2.0 Campaign. BJP has assigned work to its leaders and workers to reach out to people in the villages. Union Ministers, State Ministers, MPs and MLAs have been asked to participate in this campaign in at least two villages. On the occasion, party leaders will also distribute sanitizers, masks, oxymeters and others materials among the people. BJP President JP Nadda has asked party-ruled states to start special scheme to support children who have lost their parents due to COVID.

-Government has said that private hospitals offering packages for COVID-19 Vaccination in collaboration with some hotels are violating the National Covid Vaccination Programme guidelines. In a letter, Union Health Ministry asked the Health Secretaries of all States and Union Territories, to monitor and ensure that vaccination drive is carried out as per the prescribed guidelines.The Ministry further said, as per the current guidelines only four types of COVID Vaccination centres are allowed. The centres include Government and Private Health Care Vaccination centres and Work place and near to Home Covid Vaccination Centre for elderly and differently abled person organised by RWAs, Housing Societies, Panchayat Bhawans and similar institutions on a temporary basis. Apart from these, there are no other avenues to carry out the vaccination, therefore vaccination carried out in hotels is contrary to the guidelines and must be stopped immediately, it added. The Ministry also directed the State authorities to initiate necessary legal and administrative actions against institutions carrying out vaccination in contravention to the existing vaccination provisions. 

-The export of non-basmati rice has witnessed an impressive growth of 146 per cent during 2020-21. Commerce and Industry Ministry said, the non-basmati rice exports amounted to Rs. 35,448 crore during April to March this year against Rs. 14,400 crore during the same period last year. The Ministry said, Non-basmati rice exports to African and Asian countries are undertaken from various ports of India such as Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Mundra and Krishnapatnam. 

-Goa government has extended the ongoing Covid curfew till June 7. In a tweet, Chief Minister's Office said, orders regarding the extension will be issued by respective District Collectors. Stores selling essential items, grocery shops and liquor stores are allowed to stay open from 7 am to 1 pm during the curfew period, while medical stores and restaurant kitchens are allowed to function from 7 am to 7 pm. As per the earlier guidelines issued by the Goa government, all casinos, bars, sports complex, auditoriums, community halls, swimming pools, cinema halls, theatres and multiplexes will continue to remain closed in the state.

-Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking immediate steps to build disaster resilient power infrastructure in coastal states. He said, it will immensely benefit Odisha which is frequented by cyclones.Earlier, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said that pursuant to the request of Odisha government, Centre has proactively finalized guidelines for cyclone resilient power transmission infrastructure in coastal belt to further strengthen disaster preparedness. Building cyclone resilient power infrastructure in coastal Odisha was one of the two proposals made by Patnaik before Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meeting with the state government in capital Bhubaneswar last Friday to review the impact of cyclone in Odisha. The other proposal was building storm surge resilient coastal embankment.