From the Newsroom: Centre's Covid-19 aid; IPL sans Vivo

In today's episode, Centre releases Rs 890.32 crore to 22 states to strengthen public health facilities for testing for Covid-19; monetary policy committee of Reserve Bank of India presses a pause button on key policy interest rates; BCCI suspends the IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the event's upcoming edition and Nirav Modi further remanded in custody until August 27.

Here are the top news of today, Thursday: August 6, 2020:

Centre on Thursday released Rs 890.32 crore to 22 states to strengthen public health facilities for testing for Covid-19, including setting up ICU beds, engaging and training volunteers and Asha workers to deal with the pandemic.

The funds released by the Centre form the second installment of the Rs 15,000 crore Covid-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March.

States such as Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, West Bengal have received the funds depending on the Covid-19 caseload.

“The first installment of Rs 3000 crore was released in April 2020 to all States/UTs to aid and enable them to ramp up testing facilities, augment hospital infrastructure, conduct surveillance activities along with procurement of essential equipment, drugs and other supplies,” an official statement said.

The funds will also be used to procure RT-PCR machines, RNE extraction kits, TRUNAT & CBNAAT machines and BSL-II cabinets, installation of oxygen generators, cryogenic oxygen tanks and medical gas pipelines in public health facilities and procurement of bed side oxygen concentrators.

It would also cover engagement, training and capacity building of necessary human resources and incentives to healthcare workforce and volunteers, including ASHAs, on Covid duties.

As part of this package, States/UTs have been strengthened with 5,80,342 isolation beds, 1,36,068 oxygen supported beds and 31,255 ICU beds.

Also, 86,88,357 testing kits and 79,88,366 Vial Transport Media (VTM) have been procured by states, besides engaging 96,557 additional personnel for Covid duties.

“The package has aided provision of mobility support to 11,821 staff,” the statement said.

With inflation likely to remain sticky and economic growth fragile due to surge in Covid-19 cases, the monetary policy committee of Reserve Bank of India Thursday pressed a pause button on key policy interest rates with Governor Shaktikanta Das saying he has enough space for reducing rates but he will use them “judiciously”.

The MPC kept the repo rate at which the RBI lends money to banks, unchanged at 4% while maintaining an accommodative stance. The reverse repo rate was kept unchanged at 3.35%.

The headline CPI inflation, which was at 5.8% in March 2020, got elevated to 6.1 % in June. Worse, the RBI’s latest inflation expectation survey showed the households’ one year ahead inflation expectations were much lower than their three months ahead

Expectations.

The RBI has already reduced the repo rate by a total of 250 basis points since last year, which t he governor said, has resulted in a lowering of the interest rate across the financial system. He said the borrowing rate in the financial system has come down to the lowest in 10 years.

The governor said inflation will remain elevated in the July-September quarter but start easing in the second half of the financial year 2020-21.

Weighed down by the spike in virus cases, the real GDP growth will remain in negative zone in the current fiscal ending March 31, 2021.

The BCCI on Thursday suspended the IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the event's upcoming edition amid soaring Sino-India diplomatic tensions.

The BCCI sent out a one-line statement without giving any details to say that Vivo will not be associated with the IPL this year.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020," the press release stated.

Vivo won the IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 2190 crore, approximately Rs 440 crore per annum.

The BCCI is likely to float a tender for the new title sponsors as mandated by its constitution.

The IPL starts on September 19 in the UAE, forced out of India due to the rising COVID-19 cases.

Storing 740 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate in 37 containers inside a freight station on the outskirts of Chennai since 2015 has raised serious concerns, following a massive blast in Lebanese capital Beirut that is suspected to have been caused by the explosive chemical.

Since the huge amount of Ammonium Nitrate was imported by Amman Chemicals based out of Karur in Tamil Nadu from South Korea without required permission, the Customs Department seized the chemical along with the containers and stored them at a container freight station in Manali, 30 kms from here.

The consignment was seized in November 2015 after the firm’s licence was cancelled. Amman Chemicals also moved the Madras High Court against cancellation of the licence which upheld the government’s decision in 2016.

As concerns were raised over the safety of the explosive chemical store inside a freight station, the Customs Department issued a clarification on Thursday that there was no need to panic as the freight station where Ammonium Nitrate is stored is located in an isolated area.

“The chemical stored in a freight station in Manali is safe. Since there are no houses near the station, there is no cause for concern. Experts have inspected the place and have certified that the chemical is in a safe condition,” a Customs Department official said.

He added that efforts are being taken to e-auction 740 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate on the orders of the Madras High Court. Sources said a team from the Petroleum & Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) also inspected the consignment and certified it safe.

Citing the huge explosion in Beirut which is understood to have been caused by Ammonium Nitrate, PMK chief S Ramadoss and environmentalists asked authorities concerned to remove the chemical from the area and ensure that no untoward incident takes place.

Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi, fighting extradition to India, was on Thursday further remanded in custody until August 27 after he appeared via videolink at a regular remand hearing before a UK court on charges over the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case.

The 49-year-old jeweller, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest in March last year, appeared via videolink before District Judge Vanessa Baraitser at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London for a regular 28-day “call-over” hearing.

He was told the next hearing in the case will be a case management hearing ahead of a trial set for five days from September 7.

"You will appear via videolink again. Your lawyers may be present in court,” said Judge Baraitser, in reference to the part remote setting in operation across UK courts since the coronavirus lockdown

The Army conducted a flag march in the troubled areas of Sonitpur district, which witnessed clashes between two communities following a bike rally by Bajrang Dal activists to celebrate the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ram temple in Ayodhya, officials said.

An indefinite curfew has been clamped in areas under the jurisdictions of Thelamara and Dhekiajuli police stations in the district, they said.

Sonitpur Additional Superintendent of Police, Numal Mahata, told PTI on Thursday that Army personnel conducted a flag march during midnight in the areas under Thelamara police station on the district administration's request.

"We have already detained two persons for questioning. There was no report of any untoward incident since last night. The situation is fully under control," he said.

Mahata also said around 10 people from both sides suffered injuries. The Bajrang Dal, however, claimed at least 12 of its activists were injured.

Meanwhile, sources said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Gyanendra Pratap Singh, has been asked to visit the disturbed areas to assess the situation and he is already on his way.