Hotel industry welcomes move, says “will follow health safety SoPs”

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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India’s hotel industry has welcomed the Centre’s norms under ‘Unlock 1′, which allow them to re-commence operations.

These norms are part of the fifth phase of the nationwide lockdown which was announced on Saturday for the containment zones till June 30, providing relaxations for the hotel industry from June 8 onwards.

This phase relaxes many restrictions on businesses.

Hotel Association of India Vice President K.B. Kachru said: “The pandemic and consequent lockdowns have had disastrous impact on the hotel sector.”

“We welcome the government’s decision to allow restaurants, hotels and malls to open in areas outside the containment zones from June 8. We hope this landmark decision will pave the way for graded resurgence of the hotel industry,” Kachru said.

He urged the Centre to consider setting up of a Tourism COVID 19 Fund for enabling the tourism industry to meet its salary and working capital needs.

Major Industry player such as Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO – OYO Hotels & Homes said: “We welcome the government’s decision to reopen hotels. We are excited and prepared to host guests with the new sanitised stay experience.a

Similarly, Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC, and Chairman of the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH), thanked the Centre for reallowing the commencement of business operations of hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services under Unlock 1.

“We welcome the government’s decision to reopen hotels. We are excited and prepared to host guests with the new sanitised stay experience. Right from our app to hotel teams, we are working to ensure proper sanitisation of hotels as well as maintaining social distancing with the guests. We along with our asset partners, look forward to delivering a safe, secure and comfortable experience for our guests,” said Ritesh Agarwal, Founder and Group CEO, OYO Hotels & Homes.

On its part, Merrill Pereyra, Managing Director, Pizza Hut Indian Subcontinent, said: “This is a welcome announcement from the government and all our stores are fully prepared to serve the valued customers. All our stores are equipped to offer contactless dining wherein right from accessing the menu to making payments, the process will be digital.”

In a statement, Zubin Saxena, Managing Director and Vice President, Operations, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said: “We are looking forward to resuming operations within the government guidelines.

“Apart from hygiene, our go forward business model is concentrated on leveraging the synergies of our network which we believe will work in a sustainable manner to ensure business uplift overtime. We remain dedicated to exceeding guest expectations in the new era of hospitality that awaits us.”

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Overnight rain, gusty winds bring mercury down in Delhi

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Overnight rain, accompanied with gusty winds of up to 60 km per hour, brought the mercury down in the national capital on Sunday, the weather department said.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative figures for the city, recorded 9.2 mm rainfall. On Saturday, it recorded the maximum temperature six notches below normal.

The Palam Observatory gauged 5mm rainfall overnight.

The weatherman has predicted light rain and thunderstorm with winds gusting up to 50 kilometers per hour over Delhi-NCR on Sunday.

Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 35 and 22 degrees Celsius respectively.

With another western disturbance being expected in northwest India in the first week of June, a heat wave is not likely to return to Delhi-NCR before June 8, the weather department.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the India Meteorological Department’s regional forecasting centre, said the effect of the current western disturbance and easterly winds will reduce significantly by Sunday evening.

He said the maximum temperature in Delhi-NCR is likely to increase by two to four degrees Celsius from June 1 to June 3.

“However, the mercury will remain below 40 degrees Celsius over most places and heat wave conditions will not return,” he said.

A fresh western disturbance and southwesterly winds along with the formation of a low pressure system in the Arabian Sea will bring moisture to Delhi-NCR, Srivastava said.

These two systems will lead to thunderstorm and light rain over Delhi-NCR between June 3 and June 5.

“A heat wave is unlikely over northwest India till June 8,” he said.

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Russia plans coronavirus vaccine clinical trials in two weeks

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Russian scientists plan to start clinical trials within two weeks on a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus, the health minister was quoted as saying on Saturday as authorities approved the country’s first anti-COVID-19 drug.

Russia has the world’s third-highest toll of coronavirus infections after the United States and Brazil, and Kremlin officials have said the nation’s researchers are working on almost 50 different vaccine projects.

“The tests are under way and we plan to start clinical trials in the next two weeks,” Health Minister Mikhail Murashko was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency. He said volunteers had been selected to take part in the trials.

Drugmakers worldwide are rushing to develop treatments and vaccines for the virus that has caused 3,64,000 deaths globally.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund said the Health Ministry had approved Avifavir for the treatment of COVID-19.

It was developed on the basis of a drug known generically as favipiravir.

RDIF said Avifavir had proved highly effective in treating patients with coronavirus in the first phase of its clinical trials. The final stage of clinical trials is under way, with the participation of 330 patients.

There are currently about 10 coronavirus vaccines being tested in humans and experts have predicted that a safe and effective vaccine could take 12 to 18 months from the start of development.

One of the Russian vaccine projects is being undertaken by the state-run Vektor Institute in Siberia, whose director general, Rinat Maksyutov, said on Saturday he hoped to complete clinical trials in mid-September.

Maksyutov said vaccine trials on animals had been successful.

Russia on Saturday reported 181 deaths from the coronavirus in the last 24 hours – down from the record 232 deaths the previous day – bringing the nationwide death toll to 4,555.

Officials said 8,952 new infections had been confirmed, bringing the national tally to 3,96,575 cases.

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COVID-19 News Live: India records highest single-day spike with 8,380 cases; death toll climbs to 5,164

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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COVID-19 News Live: According to the Union health ministry, in the 24 hours, the country reported 193 fatalities and 8,230 cases of the viral infection, the highest single-day tally in India, taking the total number of those infected to 1,82,143 and toll to 5,164.

This is the third consecutive day that the country has registered more than 7,000 new cases. The total number of recovered patients stood at 4,614 over the last 24 hours.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

History in the making: SpaceX propels two NASA astronauts into orbit

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Two NASA astronauts on Sunday entered the International Space Station from SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft after a historic launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the dawn of a new age in commercial space travel.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which is an independent agency for space research, aeronautics and related programmes in the US, confirmed the arrival of astronauts Bob Behnken (49) and Doug Hurley (53) at the ISS.

“This is the first time in human history @NASA_Astronauts have entered the @Space_Station from a commercially-made spacecraft. @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug have finally arrived to the orbiting laboratory in @SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft,” NASA said in a tweet.

They were welcomed aboard the ISS where they became members of the Expedition 63 crew, which currently includes NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy.

The docking had taken place 19 hours after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX company earlier confirmed the successful docking of the NASA astronauts with the ISS, the orbiting laboratory.

“Docking confirmed – Crew Dragon has arrived at the @space_station!” the California-headquartered company announced on Twitter.

Saturday’s liftoff also assumes significance as it marks the launch of humans into orbit from US soil for the first time in nearly a decade.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Behnken and Hurley, lifted off at 3:22 pm EDT Saturday atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

With the liftoff, SpaceX became the first private company to launch people into the orbit, a feat achieved previously by only three governments: the US, Russia and China.

The successful launch, which was postponed early this week due to inclement weather, gave Americans something to cheer about as in the last three months they have lost over 100,000 of their countrymen due to the coronavirus that has brought the economy to its knees. More than 40 million people have lost their jobs.

Top US leadership including President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and thousands of curious Americans had gathered to watch the launch live on a bright Sunday afternoon. Congratulating Musk, NASA and the astronauts, Trump described the launch day as a great day for the country.

The President said he spoke with Musk, whom he called one of the “great brains.”

He also spoke with the two NASA astronauts prior to the takeoff. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that “Launch America is the first big step on our roadmap to the Moon for Artemis”.

NASA’s Artemis programme, the US initiative to explore more of the lunar surface, aims to land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024.

“This is a dream come true for me and everyone at SpaceX, said Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla.

“It is the culmination of an incredible amount of work by the SpaceX team, by NASA and by a number of other partners in the process of making this happen,” he said.

“Today a new era in human spaceflight begins as we once again launched American astronauts on American rockets from American soil on their way to the ISS, our national lab orbiting Earth,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

The launch of this commercial space system designed for humans is a phenomenal demonstration of American excellence and is an important step on our path to expand human exploration to the Moon and Mars, he said.

“Today, in lifting our ambitions and our imaginations to the heavens, the United States has once more reshaped the future of space travel,” said Joe Biden, former US Vice President and Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.

Their voyage not only marks the return of American astronauts travelling to space from US soil, but a pioneering new phase of public-private cooperation for the peaceful exploration of space, Biden said as he asserted that the seed of today’s launch was planted by the Obama-Biden administration.

“We planted the seeds of today’s success during the 2009 Recovery Act, which according to NASA, has saved taxpayers up to USD 30 billion and invigorated an aerospace industry in Florida that accounts for more than 130,000 jobs in the state,” he said.

Known as NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2, the mission is an end-to-end test flight to validate the SpaceX crew transportation system, including launch, in-orbit, docking and landing operations.

This is SpaceX’s second spaceflight test of its Crew Dragon and its first test with astronauts aboard, which will pave the way for its certification for regular crew flights to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Punjab extends lockdown till June 30

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday announced the extension of the coronavirus lockdown till June 30. Though experts have advised against the opening of hospitality services and shopping malls in the state, the chief minister said his government will take into account the Centre’s guidelines for lockdown 5.0.

The Centre on Saturday issued fresh guidelines relaxing the nationwide lockdown, the fourth phase of which ends on May 31.

The countrywide lockdown in containment zones has been extended till June 30, while hospitality services, hotels and shopping malls will be allowed to open from June 8, the Union home ministry said.

Singh announced his decision after an on-ground assessment of the COVID situation through a video conference with health experts and cabinet ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Tript Singh Bajwa, according to a government release.

During his weekly Facebook live session, the chief minister said the threat of COVID-19 was not over yet and if necessary, he would continue to take tough measures to save the lives of people.

Underlining the need to exercise extreme caution, he lauded citizens for following all health norms to help the state government in containing the spread of the disease to a great extent.

He directed Bharat Bhushan Ashu to ensure the distribution of face masks along with ration kits among the needy and poor.

Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said wearing masks was being strictly enforced across districts and so far more than Rs 1 crore fine has been collected from offenders.

During the meeting, the chief minister sought an update on the state government’s plan for deployment of COVID-19 foot soldiers to track and trace infections.

Asha workers are being hired to undertake door to door surveillance across districts and they will be paid Rs 2 per head for every household surveyed, he said.

The state government will also launch a mobile application to trace symptomatic cases who are not self-reporting to health authorities.

In his Facebook session, the chief minister said people not reporting to health authorities was a big challenge as it complicated their contact tracing and endangered lives of others.

Though there is an overall decline in the number of cases being reported daily, the fresh cases in the last few days are a matter of concern, he added.

Singh said 36,820 people have been fined for not wearing masks and 4,032 persons for spitting in public from May 17 to May 28.

Regarding rapid testing kits, Singh said those received by the state from China and South Korea had to be returned as they were defective. On the crackdown on units manufacturing spurious liquor during the lockdown, the chief minister said 97 illegal ‘bhattas’ had been sealed, with 1,729 FIRs registered and 1,360 persons arrested.

The government was also taking stern action against those trying to smuggle liquor into Punjab, he added.

On the locust threat, he said all arrangements had been put in place in seven districts bordering Rajasthan and Haryana.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Govt decision to open shopping centres from June 8 will help ease pressure: SCAI

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The government’s decision to allow shopping centres and malls to open from June 8 will help ease enormous pressure that the industry was facing due to the lockdown, Shopping Centres Association of India (SCAI) said on Saturday.

Welcoming the steps announced in the fresh guidelines by the Home Ministry, SCAI Chairman Amitabh Taneja said, “Revival and resurgence is a long process, which has just about begun”.

“The relaxation is certainly going to help ease an unimaginable amount of pressure that was put on the industry following the lockdown.”

Taneja said SCAI will await further information from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) to ensure the guidelines are followed in letter and spirit.

Read here: Lockdown 5.0: Hotels, malls, temples, schools and other activities that will resume in a phased manner

Pacific Malls Executive Director Abhishek Bansal hailed the decision and said: “We will follow all the guidelines of central and state governments and will run our malls responsibly”.

Ambience group’s Aman Gehlot too welcomed the decision. The company has shopping malls in Delhi and Gurugram.

DLF Shopping Malls Executive Director Pushpa Bector said: “We welcome the directive from the government of India, we have been preparing ourselves well over the past two months and are geared up to open our malls”.

The safety and well being of its employees, customers and partners continue to be of utmost importance and the malls will follow all social distancing guidelines, she said.

“Right from the temperature checks at the entrance, 3-steps rollovers at escalators, permanent distance markers in the elevator, repeated sanitisation of common places including washrooms; we are positive to enable a safe yet enjoyable shopping experience to our customers,” Bector said.

Unity group Director Harsh Bansal said: “It’s a great move. We are ready with SOP. It will certainly save lot of employment and good tax collection too”.

Shopping centres and malls were shut after the government imposed nationwide lockdown from May 25 to control the spread of the coronavirus disease. This resulted in huge revenue losses for both mall owners and their tenants — retailers, cinemas and food businesses.

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Lockdown 5.0: What is buffer zone, will bars reopen, can I visit a salon, and other questions answered

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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While extending the lockdown in Containment Zones till Jun 30, the Home Ministry today said that areas outside of that will be reopened in a phased manner.

Here are some frequently asked questions and their answers, on the latest set of guidelines:

Has the lockdown been extended?
Yes, until June 30, only for containment zones.

Have rules been relaxed for non-containment areas?
Yes. For non-containment zones, life moves from Lockdown to Unlock 1.0

Have the colour-coded zones—Red, Orange, and Green—been done away with?
Yes. From now on the country is broadly divided into two groups: Containment and Non-Containment zones

Can I know if I stay in a containment zone?
Yes. A containment zone is an area where there is high incidence of Covid-19 positive cases. Your DM/DC’s social media pages will put these out. Your state chief minister’s social media pages (Twitter/Facebook) will also contain details.

Is there something called a buffer zone?
Yes. A buffer zone is an area of spread in a 5-kilometre radius (7 kms in rural areas) of a containment zone.

Can I find out which zone I stay?
Yes. Your DM/DC’s social media pages will put these out. Your state chief minister’s social media pages (Twitter/Facebook) will also contain details.

Does my life change in a containment zone?
No. If you are in a containment zone, your life doesn’t change much. Only essential activities are allowed in these zones. No outsider is allowed to get into these zones. Anyone staying in these zones aren’t allowed to venture out.

Can I start working from office?
Yes. Private offices can operate in non-containment zones.

Will shops selling non-essential be allowed to open?
Yes. Shops will be allowed to open in non-containment zones.

Can I go to a temple or a religious place?
Yes. All religious places have been allowed to open from June 8.

Will shopping malls open?
Yes. Shopping malls can open from June 8. The health ministry will issue norms separately for these

Will restaurants be allowed to open?
Yes. Restaurants can open from June 8. The health ministry will issue norms separately for these

Will bars be allowed to open?
No. Bars will continue to remain shut.

Will hotels be allowed to open?
Yes. Hotels can open from June 8. The health ministry will issue norms separately for these

Will inter-state movement of people and goods be allowed?
Yes. There will be no restrictions on the movement of inter-state movement of people and goods. No separate permission or e-pass will be required.

Can I go to a coffee shop?
Yes. Coffee shops are restaurants, which have been allowed to open from June 8.

Will sports complexes/stadia be allowed to open?
Yes. Sports complexes and stadia have already been allowed to open, but without any spectators.

Can I order food for delivery?
Yes. Take-away and home delivery services of restaurants have already been allowed.

Will I be able to withdraw money?
Yes. Cashier and teller operations of banks (including ATMs) will continue to stay open.

Can I take out my car/bike?
Yes. You will be allowed to take out your car/bike if you are in a non-containment zone.

Can I book an Ola/Uber?
Yes. Your state government and DM will decide. It is likely that cab aggregators may be allowed to operate in non-containment zones.

Can I travel by metro?
No. Travel by metro is prohibited until further notice in all zones.

Can I go for a walk/run or cycle in my neighbourhood?
Yes. But not in a group and not between 9 pm to 5 am, regardless of which zone you stay.

Can kids go out to the park?
No. In all zones, persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, shall stay at home

Can my house help and driver come for work?

Yes. They have already been allowed in non-containment zones, but only if the RWA allows, which is empowered to decide on outsiders’ entry

Can I visit friends and vice versa?
Yes. They have already been allowed in non-containment zones, only if your friends’ RWA allows and vice versa

Will I be able to buy alcohol?
Yes. Most states have opened up alcohol shops outside of the containment zones.

Is domestic air travel allowed?
Yes. Air travel within India has started from May 25.

Can I travel by train to another state?
Yes. Inter-state train services have already opened up. You can find details in www.irctc.co.in

Will I be able to buy petrol?
Yes. Petrol pumps, LPG and oil agencies will continue to operate.

Can an AC mechanic/carpenters/plumbers come to my place?
Yes. But only if you stay in a non-containment area and your RWA allows, which is empowered to decide on outsiders’ entry.

Can I go from Delhi to Gurgaon/Noida/Faridabad/Ghaziabad?
Yes. Inter-state movement of persons and goods have been allowed. Officials, however, can restrict these based on local conditions.

Can guests be invited to marriages?
Yes, but the number of people should not exceed 50.

Can funeral rituals be carried out?
Yes, but funeral related gatherings cannot exceed 20 people.

Will schools/colleges open?
No. A decision to reopen schools, colleges, and educational institutions will be taken in July.

Can I get non-essential goods such as clothes home delivered through e-commerce companies?
Yes. E-commerce delivery of non-essentials have already been allowed.

Can I visit a salon? I badly need a haircut?
Yes. Salons have been allowed to open, but with social distancing norms.

Will I be fined if I don’t wear a mask?
Yes. Wearing of masks have been made compulsory in public places. State governments have been asked to strictly enforce it

Will I be fined if I spit in a public place?
Yes. Spitting in public places has been banned. State governments have been asked to strictly enforce it

Can a political rally take place?
No. Social, political, cultural, sports, and religious congregations continue to remain prohibited.

Can I travel overseas in an airline?
No. International air travel from India remains prohibited, unless specially allowed by the government

Will cinema halls allowed to open?
No. Cinema halls, theatres, entertainment parks, auditoriums, assembly halls, and similar places will continue to remain shut.

Will gymnasiums and swimming pools be allowed to open?
No. Gymnasiums and swimming pools will continue to remain shut.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

IDBI Federal Life deal expected be closed by September, says IDBI Bank CEO Rakesh Sharma

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The IDBI Federal Life deal is expected to be closed by September while the approval from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) will be taken only after the deal is finalized, said IDBI Bank CEO, Rakesh Sharma.

The CEO’s statement comes as the deal gained widespread attention following the interest shown by several parties such as Bharti Axa Life Insurance, Kotak Life Insurance, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s RARE Enterprises and Kedaara Capital to gain controlling stake last year.

“We expect the IDBI Federal Life Insurance deal to be closed by September this year.  We will seek IRDA nod only after the deal is finalized,” Sharma said during the bank’s earnings concall.

In April, IDBI Bank’ board had approved to sell 23-27 percent stake in its insurance arm IDBI Federal Life Insurance

About 48 percent of IDBI Federal Life Insurance is owned by IDBI Bank, 26 percent is owned by Federal Bank and balance 26 percent is owned by Belgian insurance company, Aegis Insurance. So, all three parts are up on the block and non-binding bids for them have been selected.

The bank on Saturday posted a net profit of Rs 135 crore for the quarter ended March 2020 on account of recoveries from bad loans. The lender reported a profit after 13 straight quarters of net losses.

Speaking further, Sharma said that the bank had offered moratorium to all the borrowers with some of them opting out.  As per Sharma, 68 percent of retail borrowers, 69 percent of corporate borrowers and 51 percent of the mid-corporate segment have availed the benefit. Further, the bank also provided ten percent on the SMA accounts under moratorium.

“Almost 70 percent of our borrowers are from the salaried class. We are quite optimistic that our asset quality position will not be adversely affected due to moratorium,” Sharma stated.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow