Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a “total lockdown” in the country of 1.3 billion people during a televised address Tuesday night, the most extensive stay-at-home order yet in the world's fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The 21-day lockdown was set to begin at midnight. “To save India and every Indian, there will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes,” Modi said, adding that if the county failed to manage the next 21 days, it would be set back by 21 years. Indian health officials have reported 469 actives cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus,

Punjab Health Minister BS Sidhu, said on Monday that the state has requested the Centre to release Rs 150 crore for building isolations wards and other buildings necessary to treat coronavirus patients. "As we have so many NRIs in Punjab and 90,000 people have come here in the last three-four months, we have asked for Rs 150 crore from the Centre to help us build infrastructure as well as for isolation wards and other things if there are more cases," said Sidhu. He also said that five MPs met Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister, regarding the matter. According to the Union Ministry of Hea

In line Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for 'Janta Curfew', all the shops of RK Ashram are closed from Friday evening. The most crowded market of Delhi RK Ashram looked so empty and isolated as all the markets are shut in a bid to prevent community transmission of novel coronavirus. Yogesh Kumar, a shop owner in RK Ashram said: "All the shops are closed here since March 20, 8 PM. We all are following the directions given by the government. I know there will be a loss in the business but it's not big than life." He said that he has closed the shop for two days now and will further shut it d

Bollywood Singer Kanika Kapoor, who has tested positive for COVID-19 and had attended a party in Taj Hotel Lucknow, has been booked for negligence by Uttar Pradesh police. The FIR is registered under Sections 188, 269, and 270 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Sarojini Nagar police station in Lucknow. Kapoor on Friday announced that she has tested positive for the coronavirus. She took to Instagram on Friday to share her health condition. "For the past 4 days I have had signs of flu, I got myself tested and it came positive for Covid-19. My family and I are in complete quarantine now and foll

After the Supreme Court dismissed the petition of Nirbhaya gang-rape case convict Pawan Gupta against the rejection of his mercy plea by the President and seeking stay on execution, the victim's mother Asha Devi on Friday said that "the nation has got justice". "I am feeling satisfied today because finally our daughter has got justice. The whole country was ashamed of this crime. Today the nation has got justice," Asha Devi, Nirbhaya's mother said while speaking to reporters. She thanked the court for rejecting the "delaying tactics". "The country's daughters have got justice. Those people wh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the ongoing efforts to contain COVID-19 in India. Prime Minister Modi will address the nation at 8 p.m. on Thursday and is expected to talk about issues relating to COVID-19 and the efforts to combat the pandemic that has claimed more than 7,500 lives across the world. "Ways to further strengthen India's preparedness (over coronavirus) were discussed. This includes further enhancing testing facilities," an official statement after the review meeting said. In the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasised on actively

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday reviewed the progress of preparedness of Indian Railways and the ongoing efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus. "Had a meeting with General Managers and Divisional Railway Managers and took stock of the preparations and precautionary measures taken by Railways in trains and stations to combat novel coronavirus," Goyal tweeted. A total of 137 positive cases of coronavirus have been reported in India so far and three persons have lost their lives. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic and said that E

Amid the coronavirus crisis, quarantine facilities have been set up in various places including Jaisalmer, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Gorakhpur with the help of Navy and Air Force, a senior Army official said on Monday. "Quarantine facilities have been set up in Jaisalmer, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Gorakhpur, Chennai, Surat, Jhansi, Jodhpur and other places with the help of Navy and Air Force," Director General Medical Services (Army) Lieutenant General RS Grewal said. The Union Health Ministry on Monday informed that a total of 114 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in India so far includi

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Sunday met Governor Lalji Tandon here and said that he is ready for the floor test in the state Assembly and will speak to the Speaker about it."I received Governor's phone call, he called me here to meet him to discuss the smooth functioning of the state Assembly. I told the Governor that I will speak to the Speaker tomorrow. It (floor test) will be decided by Speaker," Nath told reporters after meeting the Governor."I have told the Governor that I am ready for the floor test and the MLAs who have been held captive should be released. I will speak t