COLUMN: Free COVID vaccine is no charity for the poor
Modi Govt’s decision not to offer free COVID vaccines increases chances of repeated global pandemics in the future
Tag: CORONAVIRUS
ACC says ‘cautiously optimistic’ despite COVID surge
ACC, one of India’s largest cement makers, said it maintains a ‘cautious yet positive’ outlook on the market for the coming months despite the sudden surge of COVID-19 cases in the country. “The Company believes that the Government is taking all possible steps to intensify the vaccination program and control the spread of Covid. With […]
TCS employees stay put amid pandemic uncertainties
Tata Consultancy Services, the largest India-based provider of IT and outsourcing services, reported its lowest ever IT employee churn numbers even as the world grappled with economic uncertainties caused by a pandemic. For the year ended March, the company lost just 7.2% of its employees. Typically, IT companies see attrition levels of nearly double that. […]
With govt nod, Hero MotoCorp to vaccinate full workforce
In what is likely to become a norm soon, Hero MotoCorp has announced that it will vaccinate its entire workforce, including contract workers, against COVID-19 at its own cost. “With the government opening up the vaccination process against the coronavirus for the corporate sector, we have decided to vaccinate our workforce and other stakeholders within […]
COVID: Indian Railways sees 75% fall in passenger revenue
Indian Railways is on track to post a decline of almost 75% in its revenue for the financial year that ended last month, according to data from the ministry of railways, Government of India. For the first 11 months of the financial year (Apr 2020 to Feb 2021), the total passenger revenue fell by three […]
Only 2.4% of railway’s COVID coaches were used
Indian Railways converted 5,601 railway coaches into emergency COVID-19 isolation wards to deal with an expected surge in critical COVID-19 cases, but only 135 of these were ever put to use, data from the ministry of railways reveals. Indian Railways spent a total of 38.30 cr — or about 68,380 per coach — to equip […]
SpiceJet offers pre-travel COVID-19 tests to passengers
SpiceJet said it has started offering a doorstep, pre-travel COVID-19 testing service to its passengers. A healthcare worker will visit the passenger at his or her home and collect the sample well in advance of the flight. The test result will be ready in time for the flight, and can be used for the same. […]
GTPL’s Broadband growth doubles on COVID demand
GTPL Hathway, a cable and broadband network provider focused on Western and Central India, said it has already crossed its full-year target for new broadband connections within the first six months of the year, and has therefore doubled its target for FY21. At the beginning of this financial year, the company had guided towards adding […]
Govt gives employees cash to stimulate economy
Government of India today said it will give around Rs 7,575 cr to employees of the central government and public sector units to spend on buying durables and other goods from the market, in lieu of their travel reimbursements. Central government employees were in line to get around Rs 5,675 and public sector employees another […]
COVID-19 claims 18,000 jobs in India’s aviation sector
More than 18,000 jobs have been lost in India’s aviation sector over a four month period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said today. The biggest loss was among ground handling crews, with 8,466 people losing their jobs in this segment. The total number of ground handling crew, who are […]
Indian Railways passenger traffic falls 99% due to COVID-19
India’s train passenger numbers are down nearly 99% for the five months from April to August, while freight volumes are down only 13% during the same period, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said today. “Owing to the discontinuance of passenger services after the introduction of the lockdown to contain COVID-19 pandemic, upto the end of August, […]
Rs 433 cr collected as fare for Shramik Trains: Indian Railways
Ministry of Railways, Government of India today said Indian Railways collected Rs 433 cr from the nearly 63 workers who were mass-evacuated using Shramik Special trains during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, it maintained that it did not charge the workers any money, and the amount was collected from those who organized Shramik trains — primarily […]
COVID-19 testing charge capped at Rs 1,600 in UP
The Uttar Pradesh government has capped the maximum price chargeable by private laboratories for testing for COVID-19 at Rs 1,600 with effect from tomorrow, Sep 11. Earlier, the maximum rate was Rs 2,500. The 900-rupee reduction has been made keeping in mind the higher availability of testing COVID-19 testing kits in the country and with […]
Domestic textile market to remain subdued in 2020 – Arvind Ltd
Arvind Ltd, one of India’s biggest textile and garment manufactures, said its business revenue was down about 37% in August compared to the previous year due to the impact of the Coronavirus lockdown and it expects domestic market to remain subdued till early 2021. Revenue in August was at Rs 414 cr in August, compared […]
Delhi’s real COVID-19 infection rate is 41 times higher: SeroSurvey
A total of 58 lakh people are likely to have been already infected by Coronavirus by the first week of this month, nearly 41 times higher than the official figure of 1.4 lakh at the time, according to the latest COVID-19 sero-survey in the capital city. The estimate for Delhi is also twice as high […]
V2 Retail feels full COVID-19 impact as sales fall 82%
North India-focused fashion retailer V2 Retail Ltd reported an 82% fall in its sales for the Apr-Jun quarter, as the COVID-19 pandemic hurt consumer sentiments and frequent lock-downs disrupted store operations. Revenue from operations fell to Rs 37 cr from Rs 202.3 cr in the year-ago period and Rs 129.2 cr in the March quarter. […]
NDTV survives COVID-19 quarter without posting losses; reverses pay-cuts
Continuing the theme of TV news companies defying the trend of the COVID-19 pandemic pushing media firms into losses, NDTV reported a profitable quarter for the Apr-Jun period and said it has reversed the pay-cuts installed for most of its employees. This follows rival TV Today also bucking the trend and reporting a profit of […]
COVID-19 herd immunity not an option for India – Center
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today ruled out achieving herd immunity — developed as a result of a large portion of the population getting infected — as a workable strategy for India in its fight against COVID-19. Rajesh Bhushan, officer on special duty at the ministry, said the government cannot have a strategy based […]
COVID 19 trips Bharti Airtel’s user growth, pricing pressure seen
Despite the extreme disruption caused by the COVID-19, Bharti Airtel reported a decent set of numbers for the Apr-Jun period, though the pandemic clearly slowed down the growth of Airtel’s 4G service and exerted pressure on realizations. PANDEMIC FREEZE While the company has been reporting strong increases in the number of 4G users in recent […]
No COVID impact: Fertilizer maker Coromandel posts strong quarter
Coromandel International Limited, which makes the famous GROMOR brand of fertilizers, reported strong financial performance for the Apr-Jun quarter, indicating that farming activity in South India continued apace even during the COVID-19 lockdown. The company reported a whopping 51% jump in its revenue for the Apr-Jun quarter compared to the same three months of 2019. […]