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‘Coronavirus cases will rise in Indore’, says Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today asked people to not be scared as the number of coronavirus cases increase in Indore. The industrial hub has so far reported 427 COVID-19 patients. The chief minister said that the numbers are likely to increase in Indore further as the authorities have started testing extensively. “People in Indore shouldn’t be scared, numbers will increase”, said Chouhan. Madhya Pradesh chief minister added that there were no proper testing infrastructure in Indore before March 23. At present, rapid tests are being performed at 9...

Govt to soon clear Rs 10,000 crore ‘Fund of Funds’ for MSMEs with high credit rating: Nitin Gadkari A Rs 10,000 crore “Fund of Funds” will soon be approved by the government to buy up to 15 per cent equity in MSMEs with high credit rating that want to list on stock exchanges and raise money from the capital markets, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday.  He also said a separate scheme was being formulated for according credit rating to MSMEs based on their annual turnover, exports and GST payments, and that the National Small Industries Corporation or another government...

WHO chief expresses ‘regret’ over US decision to freeze funding A day after United States President Donald Trump announced that he was freezing funding for the World Health Organisation (WHO) over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the organisation’s chief voiced ‘regret’ over the decision and said the body was purely focused on saving lives and halting spread of the virus, AFP reported. Claiming that it would review its handling of the coronavirus pandemic “in due course”, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference in Geneva: “No doubt, areas for improvement will be identified and there will be lessons for all...

At 99, veteran of World War II in India raises £7 million People locked down in homes around the world have contributed over £7 million to a fund-raising effort by a 99-year-old veteran of the Second World War, who set a goal of completing 100 laps in his garden to initially raise £1,000 as a tribute to doctors and nurses. Tom Moore, who rose to be a captain in the British army and served in colonial India and Burma, wanted to express his gratitude to medical staff in the National Health Service (NHS), who looked after him and helped him...

Airtel appoints Rahul Vatts as chief regulatory officer Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has appointed Rahul Vatts as the chief regulatory officer of the company. He will report to Gopal Vittal, managing director and chief executive officer – India and South Asia of Bharti Airtel, according to sources. When contacted, a company spokesperson confirmed the development. Sources meanwhile said, Vatts will lead the regulatory function and implement practices that comply with the regulatory framework across all lines of business. Source:moneycontrol

Putin Warns Russia to Prepare For ‘Extraordinary’ Coronavirus Crisis resident Vladimir Putin on Monday warned officials to brace for “extraordinary” scenarios in the coronavirus pandemic as Moscow tightened its lockdown measures and Russia reported its highest daily infection figures yet. In a video conference with officials on Monday, Putin said the next weeks would be “decisive” for Russia’s fight against the virus as the situation “is changing practically every day, and unfortunately not for the better.” He told officials that they need to “consider all scenarios for how the situation will develop, even the most complex and extraordinary.” In the...

Mukesh Khanna defends his comments on Sonakshi: ‘If Shatrughan Sinha feels taking her name was a mistake, then it is’ Days after Shatrughan Sinha slammed him for his comments on daughter and actor Sonakshi Sinha, veteran actor Mukesh Khanna has now defended his comments, insisting that he took her name only as an example and did not intend to demean her. Mukesh, in an interview about reruns of Mahabharat and Ramayan on TV during lockdown, had said that it will help “people like Sonakshi Sinha who have no knowledge about our mythological sagas”. Mukesh told Times of India in an interview, “People have blown my...

Identify five to six sectors for manufacturing in India: Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said government must identify five-six key sectors where we built up entire supply chain for manufacturing in India, including medical essentials, with massive disruptions in the global supply chain post the outbreak of COVID-19. “We have opened up mobile manufacturing and manufacturing of APIs in the country. In a similar way, we should look at five to six sectors for manufacturing in India,” Kant said, citing example of India’s inability to have full manufacturing capacity for key medical devices like ventilators...

Sudhanshu Vats resigns as MD of Viacom18 Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO and MD of Viacom18, a subsidiary of Network18, has decided to move on from Viacom18 after spending eight years at the helm. During his years at the company, Vats expanded the media network’s footprint into new business lines of Digital, Experiential Entertainment and Consumer Products. He has also played a pivotal role in strengthening Viacom18’s position in Hindi mass entertainment, regional, kids, music & English entertainment and turned around the filmed entertainment business with content led cinema. Under him, Viacom18 has grown from a six to a 54-channel network...

Real estate prices may crash up to 20% post Covid-19: Deepak Parekh Mumbai: Deepak Parekh, Chairman of mortgage lender Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), on Tuesday said the real estate prices in the country would correct by up to 20 per cent in the wake of coronavirus pandemic and the resultant nationwide lockdown. “Prices of real estate have to come down, and will come down,” Parekh said in an address to real estate developers at a webinar organised by the National Real Estate Development Council (Naredco). “I believe Naredco’s estimate is around 10-15 per cent. One must be prepared for...