-The Indian Express PM wary of open-ended provisions: Fund for MSME with guarantee likely. AS the Covid pandemic and the prolonged lockdown batter all sectors of the economy, the government, sources said, is working on a rescue package that, for now, may address the needs of the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) segment rather than the larger corporate sector. More than six meetings have been held at the Prime Minister’s Office —...

Most reports and studies by official agencies, international think tanks and private entities indicate the cataclysmic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy and society. They anticipate that lockdowns imposed by various countries across the globe to reduce the exponential diffusion of COVID-19 (i.e. for flattening the curve by social distancing and quarantines) would adversely affect economic growth and disrupt supply chains in most sectors, on top of causing...

-PTI/ The Hindu Rs. 13,855 cr. gone towards PM-KISAN first instalment payment More than 30 crore poor people have received financial assistance of ₹28,256 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last month to protect them from the impact of the lockdown. As part of the ₹1.70 lakh crore relief package, the government announced free foodgrains and cash doles to women and poor senior citizens and...

-Newsclick.in ‘The MGNREGA hike has also been announced at a time while hardly any public works are possible under the scheme owing to ‘social distancing’ norms. In any case, the government is yet to clear previous dues of workers for this year under the MGNREGA scheme.’ New Delhi: The Union Government’s financial relief package for the needy, in the wake of the 21-day nationwide lockdown across the country, while a welcome step,...

-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,...