Union Home Ministry has issued new guidelines for opening up of more activities in areas outside the Containment Zones. The process of phased re-opening of activities has been extended further in Unlock 3, which will come into effect from 1st of August. The new guidelines issued yesterday are based on feedback received from States and Union Territories and extensive consultations held with related Central Ministries and Departments.

AIR correspondent reports, restrictions on movement of individuals during night have been removed. Yoga institutes and gymnasiums will be allowed to open from 5th of August.

In this regard, Standard Operating Procedure will be issued by Health Ministry for ensuring social distancing. Independence Day functions will be allowed with social distancing and by following other health protocols. Schools, colleges and coaching institutions will remain closed till 31st of August.

International air travel of passengers has been permitted in a limited manner under the Vande Bharat Mission.  Further opening up will take place in a calibrated manner. All activities except Metro Rail, Cinema halls, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars shall be permitted outside containment zones.

The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets will arrive in Ambala airbase today.

The fleet, comprising three single seater and two twin seater aircraft, will be inducted into the Indian Air Force at the Ambala airbase in Haryana. The fighter jets, built by French aviation firm Dassault, took off from the Merignac airbase in southern France's Bordeaux on Monday.

The five aircraft are part of 36 planes bought by India from France in a 59,000-crore rupees inter-governmental deal in 2016. The aircraft is covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km from France to India with mid-air refuelling and a single stop at a French airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Indian Embassy in France in a statement said, delivery of 10 aircraft has been completed on schedule but five will stay back in France for training Mission. The delivery of all thirty six aircraft will be completed on schedule by the end of 2021.

The Rafale fighter jets had mid-air refuelling before reaching the Al-Dhafra air base in UAE. After the layover, the jets will embark on the their final leg of journey to India. The Indian Air Force, appreciated the support provided by French Air Force for the Rafale journey back home. The fighter jets are capable of carrying a range of highly effective weapons, including the Keter air to air missile and scalp cruise missile.

International Tiger Day will be celebrated today. The Day is celebrated on 29th of July every year across the globe to create awareness about tiger conservation. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar released All India Tiger Estimation Report-2018 yesterday. He also released a poster on small wild cats of India.
 
Mr Javadekar said, India is home to nearly 70 per cent of the global tiger population and it leads the world in showing effective conservation of the wild species. He said, tiger is a precious gem of nature and its presence signifies that the forest is in good condition. He said, in 1973 there were only 9 tiger reserves in the country, which has now gone up to 50. Mr Javadekar said that apart from tigers, India is also home to 30 thousand elephants, 3000 single-horned Rhinos and over 500 lions.
 
He said, the country is ready to provide every assistance to increase the population of tigers in the world. Highlighting the culture of harmonious coexistence with nature in India, the minister noted that despite constraints of physical resources the country sustains nearly 8 per cent of the world diversity. He added by saying that practices like worshipping of trees is what depics unique India's cohesiveness with nature.

After banning 59 mobile applications including TikTok, almost a month ago, the Indian government has cracked down on 47 more mobile apps - most being clones or lite variants of the ones earlier banned.

A month after banning 59 Chinese mobile applications, the government of India has reportedly banned 47 more apps with links to China.

The 47 Chinese apps have been allegedly operating as “clones” of the previously banned apps, which means that they’ve also been banned by the government to ensure the safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace.

Last month, the Government has banned 59 apps with links to China for engaging in activities which were prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.

The list included apps like TikTok, Shareit, UC Browser, Helo, Likee, Cam Scanner and others. The main concern with these apps was the collection of user data and the unauthorised sending of this data to locations outside of India, particularly to China.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar will dedicate the Guinness world record to the people on the eve of Global Tiger Day, 2020 on Tuesday. The record recognizes the country’s efforts in monitoring its wild tiger population as the world’s largest camera-trap survey of wildlife.

India now has nearly 70 per cent of the global tiger population. The event is expected to be joined by around 500 participants from across the country. The Minister is likely to launch the new website and Outreach Journal of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The Heads of the Governments of Tiger range countries had resolved to double the tiger population by the year 2022. In this regard, Saint Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation was signed by the countries in 2010. It was decided to celebrate 29th of July as Global Tiger Day across the world to create awareness on tiger conservation.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said that more than 8 lakh 14 thousand Indians stranded abroad have returned to the country through various means under Vande Bharat Mission since May 6, 2020.

He said, Out of these, at least 2 lakh 70 thousand people returned on flights from 53 countries. In a series of tweets, Puri said the fifth Phase of Vande Bharat Mission will begin from August 1 to bring back more stranded Indians. Under the fifth phase, Air India will connect Indian cities with US, Canada, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Singapore, UK, Frankfurt, Paris, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, New Zealand and Philippines among others. Mr Puri said details about ticket bookings will be announced by Air India shortly.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during the fourth phase of Vande Bharat Mission, India has operated 1,197 flights which includes 945 international flights and 252 feeder flights.

Air travel in India, both domestic and international was suspended when the national lockdown started on March 25 due to a coronavirus pandemic. Only domestic air travel began on May 25.

Haryana will host the 4th Khelo India Youth Games. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced this through video conferencing. Khelo India Youth Games is scheduled to take place after Tokyo Olympics next year.
 
The Games will be held at Panchkula in Haryana. Mr Rijiju said, usually the Khelo India Youth Games take place in January every year. He said, however, this time owing to the pandemic, we have to postpone it.
 
The Minister has expressed confidence that by the time we host the Games the pandemic will abate and we will be able to host the Games at the same scale, with participation of all states and over 10 thousand participants.
 
Mr Rijiju said, Khelo India Games, envisioned by the Prime Minister, has been instrumental in identifying grassroot level talent from across the country.

The Nation remembers former president Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary today. Popularly known as people's president and Missile Man of India, Dr. Kalam passed away in Shillong on 27th July 2015, while delivering a lecture to students.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has paid tributes to former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary today. In a series of tweets, Mr Naidu said, Dr Kalam was an outstanding scientist, a great human being and a people’s President, who inspired the people of the country, particularly the youth through his actions and words. Vice President said, Dr Kalam's contributions to nation building will always be remembered.

Home Minister Amit Shah has paid tributes to former president Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on his death anniversary. Mr Shah described Dr vKalam as an epitome of intellect, wisdom and simplicity. In a tweet, Mr Shah said, Dr Kalam was a people’s President, who left indelible marks on several fields ranging from science to politics. He said, Dr Kalam's relentless quest for knowledge continues to inspire and capture the idea of self-reliant India.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar paid tributes to the noted scientist and teacher Dr Kalam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today launch high throughput COVID-19 testing facilities through video conferencing. These facilities will ramp up testing capacity in the country and help in strengthening early detection and treatment, thus assisting in controlling the spread of the pandemic. Our correspondent reports that these three testing facilities have been set up strategically at ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai and ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata.

The government has adopted the test-track-treat strategy for early detection and containment of the Covid-19 pandemic. These three new testing facilities have been set up in Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata and they will be able to test over ten thousand samples a day. These labs will also reduce turn-around-time and exposure of lab personnel to infectious clinical materials. The labs are enabled to test diseases other than COVID as well. Post the pandemic, the labs will be able to test for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, TB and Dengue. With Dipendra Kumar, Suparna Saikia, New Delhi.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan,  along with Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh will participate in the event.

Civil Aviation Ministry has extended its order imposing curbs on airfare till 24th November. The order was issued on 21st May after airlines were allowed to operate after the lockdown.

It had prescribed a range for airfare depending on the flight distance. In the wake of coronavirus outbreak, the Ministry had implemented a cap on domestic airfare. The domestic flights have a cap on fares with both an upper and lower limit. While the upper price limit is aimed at preventing any sharp rise in fares due to increased demand, the lower limit will help ensure that financial viability of airlines does not suffer amid high costs.