Multilateral institution Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday announced a 100 million US Dollars funding for the Indian infrastructure sector through the government-promoted National Investment and Infrastructure Fund-NIIF.
 
The Manila-based body will be investing in NIIF, tranche of funds, which will ensure that the actual money invested will be a few times more than the 100 million dollars. NIIF's Chief Executive Sujoy Bose said that the ADB's commitment to NIIF fund during these extraordinary and challenging times is highly meaningful.
 
Mr Bose said, ADB has been funding Indian private equity funds for over two decades now and added the latest move will help NIIF commit money to private equity fund managers who may be struggling to raise money from overseas sources. The statement said, it has made commitments to three funds aggregating to over 2,600 crore rupees or 350 million dollars.

Centre has asked state governments and Union Territory administrations to effectively seal state and district borders to stop movement of migrant workers. It has ordered to ensure adequate arrangement of temporary shelters and provisions of food and other facilities for poor and needy people stranded due to lockdown announced in view of COVID -19 outbreak.
 
In its fresh directive, the Home Ministry said, the migrant people, who have moved out to reach their home states, must be kept in the nearest shelters by the concerned states and quarantined after proper screening for a minimum period of 14 days. The Ministry has also directed the employers including industry, shops and commercial establishments to make payment of wages of their workers on the due date without any deduction.

The  Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, EPCH has cancelled the 49th edition of Delhi Fair Spring-2020 in view of present status of COVID-19.

Director General of EPCH, Rakesh Kumar said, as the nation is in a state of lock down, it has become unviable to organize a show of such magnitude in near future.

Earlier, the fair was scheduled to be held from 15 to 19th of next month. The Textile Ministry said, the fair could  be organized in June or July. 

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will transfer 611 crore rupees in the accounts of 27.15 lakh MNREGA labourers today. The amount will be transferred electronically to help the labourers in the situation of Lock down due to Corona Virus. State Government has said that there are no signs of community spread of the virus in state.
 
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed private enterprises and organisations to must give one month salary to their employees without any deduction. Additional Chief Secretary, Home Awanish Awasthi said that no landlord would charge one month's rent from any worker or labourer. On receiving any such complaint, the police will take strict action against the landlord who took the rent.

The United States has announced financial assistance of 174 million US Dollars to 64 countries including  2.9 million US Dollars to India to help fight the Corona virus pandemic. This is in addition to the 100 million US Dollars aid announced by the US in February.

The funding is for 64 of the most at-risk countries facing the threat of the global pandemic.

The US State Department said, it is providing 2.9 million US Dollars to help the Indian government prepare laboratory systems, activate case finding and event-based surveillance and support technical experts for response and preparedness and more.

In another development, President Trump signed the largest-ever financial stimulus package, worth 2 trillion US Dollars today, to tackle the economic distress caused by the COVID 19 pandemic.

Health experts from SAARC countries will form a WhatsApp or an email group to exchange information on the coronavirus pandemic in real-time, officials said on Friday. This was one of the proposals made by New Delhi at the video-conferencing of SAARC health professionals on Thursday. It was a follow-up to the SAARC leaders’ conference on March 15.

“India proposed a shared electronic platform for all SAARC nations to share and exchange information, knowledge, expertise and best practices for jointly combating the coronavirus epidemic,” a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs. “It was informed that considerable work has already gone into creation of the platform, which could also serve as a multipurpose vehicle to further discuss and conduct activities such as online training for emergency response personnel, knowledge partnerships, sharing of expertise in disease surveillance, including the corresponding software, and joint research for new diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for epidemic diseases.”

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar today donated 50 lakh rupees to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The iconic batsman also took to Twitter to urge fellow countrymen not to ostracize any fellow citizen who might have contracted the dreaded virus.

Earlier on Wednesday, the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly pledged to donate rice worth 50 lakh rupees for the underprivileged. 

Among other prominent cricketers, the Pathan brothers  Irfan and Yusuf  donated 4000 face masks to Baroda police and health department while Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a contribution of one lakh rupees.

Among athletes from other disciplines, wrestler Bajrang Punia and sprinter Hima Das are some of the prominent names to have donated their salaries in the battle against the virus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, 130 crore Indians should act as national volunteers in fighting the pandemic. Interacting with Radio Jockeys, RJs through video conference yesterday, he said that the public should cooperate with police, adding that while police should avoid usage of strong arm tactics, it is also necessary to enforce discipline. The Prime Minister observed that public broadcaster All India Radio has a particularly important role to play in stopping the flow of rumours. Mr Modi requested the RJs to work towards checking the spread of rumours. He said, RJs have a great responsibility not just to disseminate and disabuse superstitions but also motivate people.

Prime Minister exhorted the RJs to disseminate positive stories and case studies, particularly of those patients that have fully recovered from coronavirus infection, and also inter-play such stories in different parts of the country, thus bringing the entire country together.  

Union Government has announced a package of 1.7 lakh crore rupees for the poor who need immediate help in the wake of COVID-19 like migrant workers and urban and rural poor. Briefing media in New Delhi, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said they have come up with Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan scheme to help the migrant and poor people. She also announced insurance cover of 50 lakh rupees per person for three months for COVID-19 warriors who are exposing themselves to the virus. They include doctors, paramedics, healthcare workers, sanitation workers, ASHA workers dealing with coronavirus outbreak.

The Finance Minister elaborated that 5 kilo rice or wheat will be given for the next three months for free in addition to the 5 kilos already being given to 80 crore people. Additionally, one kilo of  preferred pulses will also be given per family for free under Pradhan Mantri Anna Yojana.

Ms Sitharaman said, around 8.70 crore farmers will get 2,000 rupees in first week of April in their account under existing Prime Minister's Kisan Yojana. Besides, 20.5 crore women Jan Dhan Account holders will get  500 rupees per month for the next three months, while poor senior citizens, widows and disabled will get an ex- graita of  1,000 rupees.