-Newsclick.in An insufficient economic package for welfare of the poor has been announced almost two months after WHO declared it a public emergency. Prime Minister Modi suddenly announced a 21-day lockdown on March 24 across India as a rather belated and overwrought response to the looming coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that has now spread around the world in 175 countries, striking at over 4.75 lakh persons (confirmed) and killing over 21,000. Two days later,...

-The Hindu The 21-day lockdown has suddenly left several thousand workers in the informal sector without jobs and any means of sustenance. It is around 3 p.m. Carrying luggage on their backs and wearing black masks, seven men, visibly fatigued, are signalled to stop by a policeman who hurriedly jumps out of his vehicle at Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Gurugram highway. The officer makes a few inquiries before letting them off, asking...

-The Indian Express Left stranded by a nationwide lockdown, which has halted all public transport, hundreds of labourers devoid of work have started leaving big cities on foot. Ahmedabad, Jaipur, New Delhi, Vadodra: Antresh Kumar, 21, started walking at 3 am on Wednesday from Dharampuri in Najafgarh, South West Delhi. Facing the prospect of no work due to the 21-day lockdown, the daily wager decided that heading home to Moradabad in Uttar...

-The Indian Express According to an National Statistics Office survey, while members of most households (99 per cent) wash their hands before a meal, only those in 35.8 per cent households do so with “water and soap/detergent”. New Delhi: WHILE THE government and experts recommend washing of hands with soap and water as one of the basic protective measures against coronavirus, a survey done by the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows it’s...

-NDTV Coronavirus India Lockdown: Across India, there have been reports of grocery, medicine and food delivery agents being abused and assaulted by policemen. New Delhi: E-commerce companies delivering essentials like groceries, medicines and food are facing attacks and harassment from law enforcement officials and security guards, leading to severe inconvenience in times of an unprecedented crisis, online retailers have said, calling for an urgent intervention from the government. A huge amount of...