'Did Prime Minister Narendra Modi see the pictures of the long lines of men, with bags and bundles, making their way along the edges of national highways out of New Delhi? Did he hear the young man, sobbing because there was no way home, and no way to escape police batons who asked, “How will we go, we can’t go by flight, can we?” If Modi did, there was no sign that he considered their circumstance to be of any consequence.
'The Karnataka government's move to make addresses of those under home quarantine public on Tuesday evening has raised concerns among citizens, who say this is a serious breach of privacy that could have serious social implications. This move comes at a time when videos are being shared of airline crew being ostracised by their housing societies for flying in COVID-19 affected zones in their line of duty.
'In a case of media vigilantism, a reporter from news channel Republic TV was spotted live on March 24 standing by a team of policemen at the DND flyover which connects Delhi to Noida in Uttar Pradesh, heckling a doctor on his way to work for ‘violating the lockdown’. When the senior doctor, Anish Singhal, who is the director and medical superintendent of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Noida, showed the reporter his identity card, the reporter termed it ‘fake’. In fact, the channel ran a banner which said, “A man shows fake ID card and tries to venture out”.
'AHEAD of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a 21-day countrywide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, long queues had formed on highways of trucks carrying essential goods and commodities, including medicines, milk, fruits and vegetables, by Tuesday, hours into several states sealing borders. While goods trains fall in the exempted category, freight services too were hit as states did not mention ‘Railways’ as essential service in their respective orders...
'For the past one week, 32-year-old Shraddha Kejriwal who runs a merchandising business in Pune has been waking up with nightmares. "I am unable to deal with this idea of an uncertain future," she said. Shraddha battles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. She is immunocompromised too. The spread of the deadly novel coronavirus that has now forced large parts of the country to go under lockdown, she said, has taken a big toll on her mental health...
'The country is under lockdown in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus, with only essential services being allowed to operate by authorities. However, governments and authorities aren’t in congruence over what is considered to be an “essential” service, leading to multiple online grocery providers temporarily halting deliveries, or leading to delay in deliveries. This comes as all providers are witnessing a surge in orders, and it even led to Big Basket’s app and website to crash.
'The lockdown across 30 states and Union Territories to prevent the spread of the coronavirus has brought economic activity to a virtual halt. Transportation and logistics system are struggling to get past checkpoints amid varying interpretations across state jurisdictions of what comprises essential services. The country’s top manufacturing and services hubs are closing offices amid the restrictions. Construction activity across the major metropolitan regions is crimping to a stop...'
'India's coronavirus lockdown leaves transgender people at heightened risk of poverty and ill health because they exist on the margins of society, eking out a living through sex work and begging, activists and community members said on Tuesday. The warning came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown in the country of 1.3 billion, where the virus has claimed at least nine lives.
'India has been put in lockdown to halt the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. People have been told to stay indoors, but for many daily-wage earners this is not an option. The BBC's Vikas Pandey finds out how they were coping in the days leading up to Tuesday's announcement...'
'Twenty eight-year-old Mohammad Javed, driver of a truck carrying LPG cylinders, has been stranded at the Hubli checkpost since Tuesday afternoon without food, water or any hope. The policemen posted at the border would not allow him to cross over as the COVID-19 lockdown is to be followed stringently. Javed is among some 500,000 drivers and helpers left high and dry across the many state borders, estimates made by the Indian Foundation of Transport Research and Training (IFTRT) suggest.
