Coronavirus Outbreak LIVE Updates: The National Population Register (NPR), the first phase of the Census 2021, won't be held as scheduled in April because of the 21-day nationwide complete lockdown announced by Narendra Modi as a measure to curb the coronavirus.

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Dimapur, a commercial hub of the state, witnessed "unprecedented" movement of vehicles during the lockdown which began from Sunday midninght, he said.

The order, issued by Dimapur police commissioner Rothihu Tetseo on Monday, will come into force from 6 am on 24 March, the official said.

The Nagaland government will promulgate prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in Dimapur district from Tuesday to make people stay indoors during the ongoing lockdown declared in the state to contain the coronavirus outbreak, an official said.

In its latest drastic step, the Fed offered to buy unlimited amounts of assets to steady markets and expanded its mandate to corporate and muni bonds. The numbers were certainly large, with analysts estimating the package could make $4 trillion or more in loans to non-financial firms

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added 1.2 percent, though that followed a drop of almost 6% on Monday. South Korea and Australia also recouped a little of their recent losses.

While Wall Street seemed unimpressed, investors in Asia were encouraged enough to lift E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 by 1.9 percent and Japan's Nikkei by 4.9 percent.

Asian stocks rallied on Tuesday as the US Federal Reserve’s sweeping pledge to spend whatever it took to stabilize the financial system eased debt market pressures, even if it could not offset the immediate economic hit of the coronavirus.

Asian American activists have reported a spike in bias incidents since the epidemic erupted, including a woman who was followed and beaten on the New York subway.

His tone - and avoidance of calling novel coronavirus the "Chinese virus" -- contrasts with last week when he voiced anger at being accused of racism.

"It is very important that we totally protect our Asian American community in the United States, and all around the world," Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday.

US President Donald Trump has called for protection of Asian Americans after charges that his use of the term "Chinese virus" had aggravated a backlash.

The health ministry, in its daily press briefing on Monday, said Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Tripura, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh are under complete lockdown.

The moves a day after the Supreme Court heard petitions seeking the removal of anti-CAA protesters from Shaheen Bagh to prevent the spread of coronavirus, along with other pleas pending before it in the matter.

According to India Today reports, Shaheen Bagh has removed protesters from the site on Tuesday amid lockdown announced in view of coronavirus till 31 March in Delhi.

While it took 67 days from the first reported case to reach the first 100,000 cases of COVID-19, it took only 11 days for the second 100,000 cases, and just four days for the third 100,000 cases, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said.

The pandemic of disease caused by the coronavirus is accelerating, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday, with more than 300,000 cases now recorded and infections reported from nearly every country worldwide.

Announcement of the extraordinary measures briefly lifted US stock index futures before Monday's trading session began, but the mounting death toll from COVID-19 and a tide of lockdowns of more US states quickly sent the main indexes into the red, putting the S&P 500 on pace for its worst month since World War Two.

Wall Street’s slide deepened on Monday as the rapidly spreading coronavirus forced more US states into lockdown, overshadowing unprecedented moves by the US Federal Reserve to shore up credit across the economy. After recently cutting interest rates to near zero, the Fed will now lend against student loans and credit card loans, as well as back the purchase of corporate bonds and make direct loans to companies.

"There are no easy answers. It is exceptionally important that countries like India show the way to the world as they have done before," he added.

"There is a need in the number of labs where a surge is seen. India is a very populous country and the future of this virus will be considered in a very highly and densely populated country. India led the world in eradicating two pandemics, small-pox and polio so India has a tremendous capacity," J Ryan said during a daily press brief on COVID-19 pandemic.

The executive director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Michael J Ryan, on Tuesday said that India has a tremendous capacity to deal with the coronavirus outbreak situation as it has experience of eradicating two pandemics, namely small-pox and polio.

It marked the 13th day in a row the country has posted new infections of around 100 or less. South Korea reported its lowest number of new cases on Monday since with a peak of 909 cases recorded on 29 February.

The daily tally brought the country’s total infections to 9,037, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). The death toll rose by two to 120.

South Korea reported 76 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, maintaining a downward trend in new infections which raised hopes that Asia’s largest outbreak outside China may be slowing.

"Very simply, we will not allow anyone to exploit the suffering of American citizens for their own profit," he asserted, adding the Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute fraudulent schemes related to the pandemic.

Signing the executive order, Trump said his government would take action against hoarding and excessive pricing of vital medical and personal protective equipment as well as supplies such as hand sanitisers and face masks.

Till Monday, more than 43,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in the United States. Of these, over 10,000 were added in one day, according to Worldometer, a website that compiles COVID-19 cases. With 139 deaths, the number of fatalities crossed 550 by Monday night.

US president Donald Trump has signed an executive order to prevent hoarding of vital medical supplies and personal protective equipment as the country for the first time registered over 130 deaths in a day due to coronavirus.

“Today is perhaps the first positive day we have had in this hard, very tough month,” said Giulio Gallera, the top health official in the northern region of Lombardy, which has been hardest hit by the outbreak.

The Civil Protection Agency said the number of fatalities from the month-old contagion stood at 6,077, while confirmed cases totaled 63,927, an increase of 4,789 over the past 24 hours — the smallest rise for five days.

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy rose by 602 on Tuesday, the smallest increase for four days, while the number of new cases also slowed, raising hope that the most aggressive phase of the epidemic may be passing.

Nasscom also advised companies to plan the teams in such a way that in places like Delhi NCR, the mission critical staff would not have to cross the state borders of UP, Delhi and Haryana.

"This is only for truly mission critical work, and any misuse will put us at the risk of losing the trust (of) the Government and might seriously impact the entire industry," Debjani Ghosh, president, Nasscom said in the advisory.

As an increasing number of states across the country imposed lockdown and restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus, Nasscom, in an advisory to member companies, cautioned that "essential services notification cannot be interpreted to be used for projects that had to be completed in the near term and contracts carrying penalties, etc."

Industry body Nasscom on Monday urged IT companies to prepare for a complete lockdown and ensure that only a handful of staff members are allowed to come to work to support mission-critical functions.

With his central message calling on people to restrict their movements outside their homes only for the very basic essentials, Johnson said, "From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction you must stay at home."

In a televised address to the nation on Monday evening, he said while no prime minister wants to make such demands on the population, the situation was such that he was forced to clamp down on people's movement and the crackdown on any gatherings of more than two people.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has enforced the strictest curbs on movement of people for at least three weeks to try and control the spread of COVID-19 in the country, where the death toll has reached 335.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee said it had listened to feedback from athletes and was encouraged by a clearer path towards postponement.

Major sporting nations Australia and Canada withdrew on Monday as organisers came under mounting pressure to postpone the event for the first time in its 124-year modern history.

US Olympic organisers joined calls for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, while the International Olympic Committee, according to member Dick Pound, has decided to delay the event, likely for a year.

However, it will not include hardened or dangerous criminals, he said. According to the order, prisoners convicted or charged with offenses having jail term of up to seven years can be given parole.

The Tihar Prison authorities said they are planning to release around 3,000 prisoners to ease congestion in jails over the coronavirus threat. "We will try to release around 1,500 convicts on parole or furlough, and around the same number (1,500) of undertrial prisoners (on interim-bail) in the coming three to four days to ease congestion in jails in the wake of coronavirus threat," Sandeep Goel, DG (Prisons), said.

Lockdown has so far been ordered in 39 out of the total 51 districts of the state in view of the coronavirus pandemic, a public relations department official said.

During the meeting, Chouhan reviewed the coronavirus situation in the state and directed for imposition of curfew in the capital city Bhopal and Jabalpur. So far, five cases of coronavirus have been found in Jabalpur and one in Bhopal.

The Madhya Pradesh government has imposed curfew in Bhopal and Jabalpur cities, where coronavirus cases have been found. Soon after assuming charge, state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a meeting around Monday midnight and issued the directives.

As of Tuesday morning, toll due to COVID-19 rose to 9 and the number of cases stood at 468, including 424 active cases.

Meanwhile, the Home ministry decided to stop incoming passengers on all 107 immigration posts, including airports, seaports and land ports.

The government ordered a complete lockdown in 30 states and Union Territories, covering a total of 548 districts in the country.

Manipur has reported the first case of COVID-19 in Northeast India, say reports. Northeast Now reports that a 23-year-old from Imphal (west) has been identified as the first confirmed case in the state.

Benchmark indices opened in positive territory on 24 March with Sensex added more than 1000 points.At 09:17 hrs IST, the Sensex is up 1,212.60 points or 4.67 percent at 27193.84, and the Nifty up 353.85 points or 4.65 percent at 7964.10.

The figure includes at least 41 foreign nationals and the nine deaths reported so far, the Health Ministry said. The total number of active COVID-19 cases across the country now stands at 446, after over 22 fresh cases were reported.

Nearly 500 coronavirus cases have been reported in India so far, according to Health Ministry data on Tuesday. According to the data updated Tuesday morning, the total number of COVID-19 cases stood at 492.

She was one of the initial three cases confirmed aboard the Ruby Princess and was taken to a hospital on Thursday. So far, 133 passengers from the Ruby Princess have tested positive since the ship docked in Sydney following an 11-day New Zealand cruise.

A woman who was infected with the new coronavirus on a cruise ship has become Australia's eighth COVID-19 death.Health authorities say the woman, in her 70s, died in a Sydney hospital on Tuesday, reports The Associated Press.

Benchmark indices erased most of its early gains but trading higher with Nifty above 7700. The Sensex is up 369.34 points or 1.42 percent at 26350.58, and the Nifty up 108.40 points or 1.42 percent at 7718.65. About 559 shares have advanced, 696 shares declined, and 62 shares are unchanged.

Taking to Twitter, Mumbai Police issued an advisory against the spread of fake news. The tweet said that "no such directions" have been given by them. They asked citizens to warn them in case of any doubt and to dial 100 or tweet to them.

In a letter to the chief secretaries of all states and union territories on March 23, the ministry said robust and essential information dissemination networks like TV channels, news agencies "are of utmost importance to ensure timely and authentic information dissemination".

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed all states and union territories to ensure "operational continuity" of print and electronic media in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

Out of the 113 passengers who were brought back from Malaysia on board an Air Asia flight to Chennai, Tamil Nadu last night, nine symptomatic passengers were referred to hospital. The remaining 104 were taken to an Air Force quarantine facility in Tambaram, reports ANI.

Apollo 24/7 has launched an artificial intelligence-based free app to guide users on the novel coronavirus. The self assessment scan has been developed on the basis of guidelines from the WHO and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the government of India.

The number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra has reached 101 on Tuesday. Four more patients were tested positive in Pune and one was tested positive in Satara.

With a detection time of about 45 minutes, the test couldn't have come at a better time – as the United States, China, India and many nations barring the EU, struggle to meet the rapidly growing demand for coronavirus testing.

The American Food and Drug Administration has approved the first rapid diagnostic test for the novel coronavirus, which could encourage quicker and more testing for the infection, amidst the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.

Bachchan's tweet comes in the wake of several similar fake news stories misinterpreting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal of clapping and clanking plates to express gratitude to those providing essential services during this global health crisis.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Monday was heavily criticised for one of his tweets, which claimed vibrations from clapping, blowing conch shells as part of Sunday's Janta Curfew would have reduced or destroyed coronavirus potency as it was 'Amavasya', the darkest day of the month.

Some of the states that have imposed a complete curfew are Delhi, Maharashtra and Punjab. Tamil Nadu will be imposing Section 144 from 6.00 pm today. The Nagaland government also promulgate prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in Dimapur district from today.

The number of states and Union Territories (UTs) which have imposed a lockdown has increased to 32 from 30 last night. The number of districts under lockdown has increased to 560 from 548.

A 23-year-old Manipur-based girl who recently returned from the UK has been tested positive for coronavirus, marking the first case in the North-East region of the country. She is currently undergoing treatment at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) hospital in Imphal.

Two new positive cases of coronavirus are recorded in Gujarat, total cases mount to 33, stated the Gujarat Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi. She also said that the government was surveying 27,000 people in the state who have recent travel history.

His announcement comes even as the number of confirmed cases in India soared to 492.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 pm regarding the vital aspects relating to the COVID-19 menace.

Three new cases were reported in Pune and one in Satara.

The number of confirmed cases in Maharashtra rose to 101, health officials told PTI. Maharashtra currently has the highest number of onfirmed cases in India.

Elections to 55 Rajya Sabha seats were scheduled to be held later this week.

"We will be implementing it once the approval is given and as soon as the government allows treatment of COVID-19 patients in private hospitals," an official said.

The National Health Authority, responsible for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, has decided to include the test and treatment of the respiratory ailment in its packages and has sought permission from its governing board, they said.

Coronavirus test and treatment may soon be covered under the government's health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat, official sources said on Tuesday.

It went on to allege that the purpose of maintaining the virus within the laboratory was to use it to "kill US citizens and other persons and entities in nations perceived to be an enemy of China."

"Because China has agreed by treaty to outlaw such weapons, these actions cannot be official governmental actions of the People''s Republic of China and are not subject to any possible claim of legal immunity from suit," the lawsuit said, as cited by Law and Crime.

Larry Klayman, his advocacy group Freedom Watch and Buzz Photos, a Texas company, filed the lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, alleging that the novel coronavirus was "designed by China to be a biological weapon of war", and that whether or not the country intended to release it, China violated "US law, international laws, treaties, and norms."

American lawyer Larry Klayman has filed a USD 20 trillion lawsuit against China for the creation and the release of the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 334,000 people globally.

However, all essential and emergency services are exempted, officials said. During the lockdown, all commercial establishments, shops and factories will remain closed, except those dealing in essential commodities like food, grocery, medicines, etc., they said.

The Haryana government had earlier ordered lockdown in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Panipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak and Panchkula districts till March 31 but later decided to extend the measure to the entire state.

Entire Haryana went under lockdown on Tuesday, a day after the state government issued the order to help check the spread of coronavirus.

Her five close relatives - son, husband, sister, sister's husband and the latter's daughter - also tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday, the official said.

She tested positive for COVID-19 earlier after her throat swabs were sent to the National Institute of Virology to check for the possibility of swine flu (H1N1).

The woman, who is also an anganwadi (state-run woman and child care centre) worker in Panshet region of Velha tehsil, is admitted to a city-based hospital and continues to be on ventilator support due to respiratory failure, he said.

As many as 87 people, including some anganwadi workers, who came in contact with a 41-year-old woman diagnosed with COVID-19 have been home quarantined in Maharashtra's Pune district, a health official said on Tuesday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said no new coronavirus case has been reported in the National Capital in the last 24 hours and the biggest challenge now is to not let the situation go out of control. Five people infected with COVID-19 have been discharged from hospitals after getting treatment.

They said the authorities ordered stricter restrictions on Tuesday in view of the instances of non-cooperation and violations of restrictions from the general public reported at several places across the valley.

Restrictions were intensified with security forces sealing off many roads and erecting barricades to check unwanted movement of people across the valley to enforce the lockdown for containing the spread of the coronavirus infection, the officials said.

Authorities in Kashmir tightened curbs on the movement of people to prevent the spread of coronavirus on Tuesday, a day after 49 people were arrested for violating the lockdown order, officials said.

In a series of tweets, he urged the police to prevent further harassment of media staffers.

Taking to Twitter, Hindustan Times' editor Sachin Kalbag alleged that Mumbai Police's patrol staff were assaulting media office car drivers who go to pick up reporters and other critical staff needed to run a publication. He said that all drivers had official letters of statement of purpose and yet were harassed.

Delhi Police Commissioner SN Srivastava also attended the high-level meeting at the LG office, an official said. The situation emerging out of the coronavirus outbreak was discussed in the meeting, they said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendar Jain met Lt Governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday to discuss measures to contain the spread of coronavirus in the National Capital.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she would address the media at 2 pm today amid preparations of preparing an economic package that is likely to help the country through the coronavirus lockdown. She said in a tweet that the package would be announced soon on priority and that she would give the media presser through video conference. Her speech will be specifically be focused on statutory and regulatory compliance matters.

The state governments and the union territory administrations have been advised to impose curfew wherever necessary as many people continue to go out of their homes despite the lockdown ordered to check the spread of the virus, a government official told PTI.

A top functionary of the central government has called up some of the chief ministers and apprised them of the necessity of imposing the curfew if people continue to venture out of their homes.

As people continue to venture out despite lockdown, the Centre has advised state governments and union territory administrations to impose curfew wherever necessary in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said on Tuesday.

The government's chief spokesperson on COVID-19, Subroto Bagchi, said the shutdown will be in force till 29 March. He said the decision was taken after the state's chief secretary chaired a meeting with all district collectors.

The whole of Odisha will be under lockdown from Tuesday midnight because of the coronavirus threat, a top state government official said. Fourteen of the state's 30 districts are already under a lockdown.

Air India had stated on Sunday that vigilante resident welfare associations (RWAs) and neighbours were ostracising and calling police on its crew members who went abroad as a part of their duty.

Amid major disruption due to the coronavirus outbreak in the aviation sector, IndiGo had stated on Monday that there have been some instances where its employees were ostracised by their communities as a result of their "line of duty and travel history".

As India's two major airlines Indigo and Air India reported harassment of their crew members by neighbours amid coronavirus pandemic, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday that he has "requested" authorities concerned to extend all possible support and protection to the crew and their family members.

The government has advised the people not to venture out unnecessarily during the lockdown and maintain social distancing.

While two cases were registered in Goshaninuagaon police station against 30 people, one case each was registered in Bada Bazar and Town police stations against eight and four persons, respectively, he said.

Police have booked 42 persons in Berhampur city in Odishas Ganjam district for defying the lockdown imposed in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, officials said on Tuesday. At least four cases have been registered in this connection in three police stations, sub-divisional police officer BP Pati told PTI.

"Some restrictions have been imposed because of the lockdown in some districts on the movement of vehicles and trucks carrying goods have been stopped. This could lead to a shortage of essential commodities, the directives issued by Additional Chief Secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi said.

In a bid to prevent a shortage of essential commodities in the locked-down districts of the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued directives on not stopping the vehicles carrying these items.

Hubei province and Wuhan which together have over 56 million population were kept under strict lockdown since January 23 with a ban on all movement of people and transportation.

Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the virus cases were first detected in December last year on Monday reported one new confirmed case of the COVID-19 after reporting zero cases for five consecutive days.

China on Tuesday said it will lift the travel curbs in Hubei province, where the deadly coronavirus first emerged last year, on Wednesday and will end the three-month lockdown of its capital Wuhan on April 8, lifting the mass quarantine over the city with a population of over 11 million as the COVID-19 began to abate.

She said the country is in the midst of the worst global pandemic and this has necessitated stringent measures for containment and management of the COVID-19 transmission. "These measures have led to widespread economic disruptions that had a debilitating impact on the informal sector," she noted.

In a letter to the prime minister, Gandhi said over 44 million construction workers are now faced with a "precarious" future as many of them are stranded in cities and are deprived of livelihood due to the lockdown.

Expressing concern over the plight of construction workers after the country-wide lockdown over coronavirus, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to announce emergency measures, including wage support to those in distress.

Himachal Pradesh government had announced a lockdown in the state on Monday but people are not taking it seriously, Agnihotri said.

Talking to PTI amid reports of violation of lockdown directions in several parts of the state, the leader of opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly said curfew should be imposed in Dharamshala, industrial town Baddi in Solan district and other populated areas.

Curfew should be immediately imposed in populated areas of Himachal Pradesh to ensure social distancing to avoid the spread of coronavirus, Congress Mukesh Agnihotri said on Tuesday.

Ballia MP Virendra Singh Mast, who is also the national president of BJP Kisan Morcha, has also extended financial assistance of Rs 35 lakhs from his fund.

In a letter to Ballia district magistrate, Kushwaha, BJP MP from Salempur, has extended financial help of Rs 50 lakhs from his Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) fund in checking the disease and providing necessary medical equipments.

Two BJP MPs Ravindra Kushwaha and Virendra Singh Mast have extended financial help through their MPLADS funds for medical equipments to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

Three fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported in Telangana on Tuesday, taking the total number of people detected for the coronavirus in the state to 36, the government said. The three fresh cases are a 49-year-old man with travel history to London, a 39-year-old woman who returned from Germany and a 61-year-old woman who travelled to Saudi Arabia, a media bulletin on COVID-19 said. The condition of all three patients was stable in designated hospitals, it said. The Telangana government has already announced a lockdown till March 31 to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hold a briefing via video conferencing shortly. The briefing is likely to be about the measures the government is taking to reduce the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, including an economic relief package.

"All of UP to be locked down by Wednesday," Additional Chief Secretary of Information Awanish Awasthi said, without providing further details.Seventeen of the state's 75 districts that reported positive cases of coronavirus have already been placed under lockdown. Uttar Pradesh has reported 33 cases of coronavirus, including a foreigner.

The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to extend the lockdown, currently being enforced in 17 districts, to the entire state to combat coronavirus and an announcement on the duration of the curbs is likely later on Tuesday, a senior official said.

We have come up with a comprehensive plan about statutory and regulatory compliance matters, said fiance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a media presser on Tuesday. She also said, "The lockdown has been done with an intention of flattening that curve of coronavirus’ spread. Therefore, I must appreciate you all for joining us today. We are close to coming up with an economic package, which will be announced soon."

The last date for income tax returns for the financial year 2018-19 is extended tfrom 31 March to 30 June, announced Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday. She said that she will be making announcements on income tax, customs, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)-related matters, bank-related compliances, fisheries, among other things. She added that for the delayed payments, interest rate has been reduced from 12 percent to 9 percent.

The finance minister announced on Tuesday that the Aadhaar-PAN linking date has been extended to 30 June 2020 from what was 31 March 2020. Nirmala Sitharam also said that the Interest rate on delayed deposit of TDS reduced. She said, "No extra 10 percent interest will be charged between now and 30 June."

The last date for filing March, April and May 2020 GST returns is being extended to 30 June 2020, said Nirmala Sitharaman during the media conference on Tuesday. She added that different staggering dates will be applicable, but all will be the end of June. The interest rate for filing a delayed return has also been brought down.

She added that only interest will be applicable, but no late fee and no penalty for bigger companies.

The finance minister announced on Tuesday that there is no interest, no penalty and no late fee will be charged for companies with a turnover of less than Rs 5 crore. The minister said that the interest rate for such companies is reduced to 9 percent.

The government announced on Tuesday that payment date under the ‘Sabka Vishwas’ scheme, which was for settling disputes in the indirect tax regime, has been extended till 30 June 2020.

In a major relief to imports/exporters, the government on Tuesday said that customs clearance now an essential service, till 30 June, 2020 and it will be working 24/7.

The finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that the applicability of The Companies Auditors’ Report Order 2020, which was supposed to have come into force in 2019-20, has been shift to 2020-21.

The government on Tuesday said that the mandatory requirement of holding board meetings is being relaxed by a period of 60 days, has been relaxed for the next two quarters. The finance minsitry said that if no board meeting held for 2019-20, it will not be considered a violation

Nirmala Sitharaman also said that If there was a company director who does not comply with the minimum residency requirement, it shall "not be treated as a violation."

The finance ministry announced that for newly incorporated companies, there is a requirement to file declaration on commencement within six months, which the government is giving an additional six months to file their returns.

Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced that the threshold of default extended to Rs 1 core from existing Rs 1 lakh, in order to prevent insolvency proceedings against MSMEs.

Meanwhile, for fisheries, the finance minister said that a one-month delay will be condoned in the arrival of the consignment of fisheries. Import permits for fisheries expiring in April have been extended by three months.

The government is considering to suspending Section 7, 9 and 10 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), at a later stage, if the current situation continues beyond six months.

The government said that bank charges are reduced for digital trade and transactions.

Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, while briefing the media about the government's plan for relief plan announced that debit cardholders who withdraw cash from any bank ATM can do it free of charge, from any other bank’s ATM, for the next three months. She also stated that there shall not be any minimum balance requirement fee.

She also said, "We are closely monitoring the situation. SEBI has come up with guidelines and stated its position on the recent volatility. We are monitoring the stock market."

As the media briefing came to an end, Nirmala Sitharama reiterated that an economic package will be announced "sooner", rather than later.

Two more persons tested coronavirus positive in Srinagar on Tuesday, taking such patients in the city to three. One woman, who returned after Umrah pilgrimage from Saudi Arabia, has already tested positive and is admitted at Srinagar's superspecialty hospital.

Citing the experience in South Korea, the World Health Organisation has been stressing on the importance of tests to fight the pandemic, which has so far claimed nine lives in India.

The molecular diagnostic company, which received statutory approvals late on Monday from authorities, can manufacture over 15,000 testing kits per day from its facility at Lonavala in Pune district and the same will be ramped up to 25,000 kits per day, its co-founder Shrikant Patole told PTI.

In what may go down as an important solution in India''s fight against coronavirus, Pune-based Mylabs Discovery Solutions has created an indigenous solution to test patients for COVID-19 that can halve the time taken for results.

The government is working on an economic package to deal with the hardships caused by the lockdown to control the coronavirus crisis and the same will be announced soon, she said adding different sub-groups have held sectoral discussions.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said regulators and her ministry are monitoring developments and volatility in stock markets. She said the developments on stock markets are monitored thrice a day.

Coronavirus cases in South Africa rose to 554 on Tuesday, with an increase of 102 cases in 24 hours. News18 reported that local businesses are racing to plan for a nationwide lockdown from midnight on Tuesday. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the 21-day lockdown in an address to the nation.

"Home Collection can happen ONLY if prescribed by a qualified physician for COVID-19 test, which is a swab based test. We offer safe and hygienic sample collection at home by our trained technicians. Get accurate and quick reports done at cost in 24 hours. To book a home visit for COVID-19 testing, Call 8422-801-801. Metropolis stands with you during this crisis. We care for you."

A statement on the website of the Metropolis pathology lab said, "Metropolis has been approved by the government to test and collect samples for COVID-19 under ICMR approved COVID-19 testing registration number Metro001.

Maharahstra health minister Rajesh Tope said that coronavirus cases rose to 106 in the state and three deaths have been reported till Tuesday.

"All of UP to be locked down by Wednesday," Additional Chief Secretary of Information Awanish Awasthi was quoted as saying. The districts currently under lockdown are Agra, Lucknow, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Moradabad, Varanasi, Lakhimpur Kheiri, Bareilly, Azamgarh, Kanpur, Meerut, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Saharanpur, Pilibhit, Jaunpur.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday said that the lockdown imposed till 25 March in 17 districts will be extended across the state on Wednesday in a bid to combat the coronavirus.

With this, the number of coronavirus cases in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh are at nine, officials said. Her husband and daughter have been quarantined, while their housing society has been completely sealed — no entry or exit allowed except in emergency cases.

A 47-year-old woman with no recent history of foreign travel tests positive for COVID-19 in Noida, PTI quoted officials as saying on Tuesday.

In a letter to chief secretaries of states, Union cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba said, "All states should immediately identify & earmark hospitals dedicated for management of COVID-19 cases & ensure they are fully ready in the event of a further spike in the number of confirmed cases".

"We can produce 1 to 1.5 lakh tests in a week, we are trying to increase our production for the public. These kits cost 1/4th the price that the imported kits are being sold for," said Ranjit Desai, a scientist at the lab.

A Pune-based, Mylab Discovery Solutions, has developed India's first indigenous novel coronavirus testing kit that has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), ANI reported. A single kit costs Rs 80,000 and can test 100 patients.

Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal will impose a statewide lockdown from 5 pm on Tuesday, the respective chief ministers' offices said. The lockdown in West Bengal will be in effect till 31 March, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday said that at least 118 government laboratories have been included in ICMR network of coronavirus testing. "The network has the capacity to test 12,000 samples a day. Additionally, 22 private laboratory chains, with about 15,500 collection centres, have been registered with ICMR till today," the statement said.

"The term asymptomatic means literally the absence of symptoms . It describes a condition that is present, but in which a person does not show any outward signs or symptoms of the disease."

"Mathematical modeling done by ICMR suggests that entry screening of travellers with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 can delay the introduction of the virus into the community by three days to three weeks," the statement added.

The ICMR on Friday said, "The empiric use of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis of SARS-Cov-2 infection is recommended only for asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 and asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases."

"In last 40 hours no new patient has been tested positive for COVID-19 in Delhi. Of the 30 patients some patients have gone home. There are only 23 patients now. This is good news but we shouldn't be happy as the fight is still on. The numbers might spike anytime. We should remain alert," he added.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that no new cases of coronavirus had been reported in the National Capital in the last 40 hours.

The resident doctors of the AIIMS institute, in a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, alleged that people are questioning them over their activities because they are in touch with COVID-19 patients and those suspected of having the infection. The Resident Doctors' Association on Friday said that they "have been forced to vacate rented houses".

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, taking note of the reports of doctors claiming that they are facing discrimination because they are treating COVID-19 patients, said, "On the request of Prime Minister we clapped for our doctors, nurses and others who are giving essential services. But now I am getting information that a landlord has forcefully evicted a nurse tenant as works among coronavirus patients."

Another doctor, said, "Police are prohibiting our mess workers from bringing food from outside. We request the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the problems faced by the health professionals."

Doctors at Sanjay Nursing Home claim to have housing and food issues amid the lockdown due to the novel coronavirus. Senior resident doctor Amandeep Singh was quoted by ANI as saying , "Doctors who are living on rent here are being asked to vacate their houses as their landlords believe that they will spread the virus."

"After his telephone talks with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, PM Shinzo Abe spoke to the press and explained that the two have agreed that the Tokyo Olympic Games would not be cancelled, & the games will be held by the summer of 2021," the statement said.​

Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe's office on Friday said that after discussions with the International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, an agreement to defer the Olympics scheduled for this year in Tokyo by a year.

The unprecedented peacetime restrictions, which will last at least three weeks, are intended to stop the state-run National Health Service (NHS) being overwhelmed after the number of deaths from the coronavirus in Britain rose to 335.But social media images showed London Underground railway trains were packed with commuters and one large retail chain suggested it wanted to stay open.

Some workers were also still mingling close together after Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday evening ordered people to stay at home, said most shops must close and banned social gatherings.

Roads were much quieter than usual on Tuesday after Britain went into virtual lockdown to try to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but London Underground trains were crammed with people and streets were far from deserted.

The Delhi government on Friday issued an advisory to pharmacists and chemists through the chemists' association, to stop the sale of drugs like hydroxychloroquinolones chloroquine, lopinavir, etc to anybody except those who have a "prescription from a registered medical practitioner".

"I’m DEEPLY ANGUISHED to see reports pouring in from Delhi, Noida, Warangal, Chennai etc that DOCTORS and PARAMEDICS are being ostracised in residential complexes & societies. Landlords are threatening to evict them fearing #COVID2019 infection. Pls don’t panic!" he said.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that he was "deeply anguished" over reports of discrimination against doctors treating coronavirus patients.

The Centre on Friday prohibited the export of sanitisers and all ventilators including any artificial respiratory apparatus or oxygen therapy apparatus or any other breathing apparatus, falling under any ITCHS Code (Indian Trade Clarification based on Harmonized System), with immediate effect.

"For once (and only once), the stars may definitely favour you if you follow these predictions!" the Mumbai Police said on Twitter.

Two more coronavirus cases have been reported in Gujarat's Rajkot, a 36-year-old man and 76-year-old woman, The Indian Express reported. "The man has a travel history to abroad, whereas details of the woman are being ascertained, Rajkot CDHO Dr Mitesh Bhanderi said. Both patients are residents of Rajkot," the report said.

The health ministry on Friday said, "The total number of coronavirus cases in India rises to 519. As many as 470 cases are active in the country, 40 have been cured and 9 have died."

China barred people from leaving or entering Wuhan starting 23 January in a surprise middle-of-the-night announcement and expanded it to most of the province in succeeding days. Train service and flights were canceled and checkpoints set up on roads into the central province.

People with a clean bill of health will be allowed to leave, the provincial government said. The city of Wuhan, where the outbreak started in late December, will remain locked down until 8 April.

Chinese authorities said Tuesday they will end a two-month lockdown of most of coronavirus-hit Hubei province at midnight, as domestic cases of the virus continue to subside.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to speak about the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in India at 8 pm today.

The first patient of COVID-19 in Kashmir has been successfully treated and will be discharged after completing quarantine, reports said. Director of SKIMS hospital AG Ahangar told reporters that the woman was recovering very fast and would be discharged soon after completing the quarantine period.

"Citizens across every socio-economic section is worthy of praise for the success of the janata curfew," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his second address to the nation over the novel coronavirus, said that the janata curfew, an exercise of self-isolation, carried out on 22 March, was extremely successful and that every citizen had followed the guidlines.

"There is a misconception that social distancing is only for those who are sick. Social distancing is for everyone, even the prime minister! Some people are spreading false information, which will affect every single citizen of the country. And if all citizens are affected, the negative effects are unimaginable," he said.

Detailing the efforts taken to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus across the world, Modi said that the precaution of social distancing is a tried and tested way of succeeding in curbing the pandemic.

"I urge you to forget the outside world for these 21 days. Forget every work except the work of staying at home. With this order, we have drawn a 'lakshan rekha' around your house from now onwards," Modi said, giving details of the complete nationwide lockdown in effect from tonight.

He also said that multiple countries around the world are suffering from the coronavirus, despite having world-class health care systems.

Narendra Modi quoted WHO statistics to emphasise the need of the complete nationwide lockdown in a bid to spread coronavirus. He said that from taking 60+ days to spread to one lakh people, the coronavirus has now started spreading faster and faster.

"People in countries like America have adhered to the quarantine guidelines laid down by the government to the last letter, which is how they are starting to overcome the disease now. Social distancing -- from the prime minister down to the last citizen in every village, has to follow self-isolation," Modi said, urging citizens for the second time over quarantine.

Modi said that every citizen should be compassionate and grateful for those in essential services like doctors and nurses and police, and even the media and hygiene workers who are sanitising public areas.

"I have appealed to state governments to make the public healthcare the highest priority right now. I am also sure that private companies will also join in the efforts to curb the infection," he said.

Modi announced a 15,000 crore package for COVID-19, to acquire medical equipment and protective gear, and also increase training of medical and paramedical staff, testing facilities, PPEs, ICUs, and ventilators.

"India is at the stage where our actions today, will decide that to what extent we can bring down the impact of this disaster. This is the time to strengthen our resolve again and again," Modi said.

The essential services that were functional on 22 March during the Janata curfew will remain operational even during the complete nationwide lockdown that was announced by Narendra Modi on Tuesday. This includes grocery stores, among other facilities.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will issue guidelines of "effective measures and exceptions" to essential services during the 21-day nationwide lockdown. There will shortly be an MHA 24/7 hotline to assist states during this period, ANI reported.

"All stores selling essential goods will be opened in Puducherry tomorrow. As a relief measure to the poor, the government will provide Rs 2000 to each family holding ration cards, through direct benefit transfer system," Chief Minister V Narayanaswamy said.

"PM has addressed the nation. He made some important announcements and even I was a bit concerned after hearing don't step out of your home. I wanted to understand what he meant when he said lockdown. So I called him," he added.

Soon after the nationwide complete lockdown was announced by Narendra Modi on Tuesday, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said, "We have enough stock of essential commodities and food grains. Please do not panic."

People across Mumbai, in areas like Andheri and Bandra and Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, thronged to essential commodities stores soon after the nationwide lockdown was announced on Friday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines on the 21-day lockdown ordered to curb the spread of the coronavirus on Tuesday. Listing the establishments that will mandatorily remain closed during the lockdown, the ministry also listed the exemptions including grocery and ration shops, petrol pumps, banks, ATMs, etc.

All state government offices shut except 1) Police, home guards, civil defence, fire and emergency services, disaster management, and prisons; 2) district admin and treasury; 4) electricity, water, and sanitation; 5) Municipal bodies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, soon after his address to the nation announcing a complete lockdown for 21 days, took to Twitter to urge citizens not to panic. Meanwhile Union health minister Harsh Vardhan also reiterated that essential services will continue to remain functional.

Mumbai Police are patrolling several parts of the city, including Bandra, announcing that all shops, grocers and pharmacies will be open for the next 21 days, during the complete lockdown announced by Narendra Modi.

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray said, "I appeal to all the people, not to panic! For our state, nothing changes. CM Uddhav Thackeray ji locked down Maharashtra stepwise over the last two weeks, complete lock down since yesterday. CM also spoke to PM right now, essential services will be on as they have been since yesterday."

The Tamil Nadu government said that three new cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in Chennai on Friday.

Nitin Pai, director of think-tank The Takshashila Institution, tweeted saying, "This chart helps explain why the 21 day lockdown is necessary. The outbreak just got onto the exponential curve; extreme social distancing now can reduce the slope and the infection rate."

Six more people have tested positive for coronavirus in Punjab, taking number of confirmed cases to 29 in the state, officials said.

Narendra Modi urged against panic buying soon after announcing the nationwide complete lockdown as a measure to fight the spread of coronavirus in the country.

News18 reported that a 50-year-old man was tested positive for coronavirus in Mizoram, which is the second case in the northeast. "He has a travel history of Qatar, Amsterdam, Istanbul and Doha," the report said.

In view of the 21-day nationwide complete lockdown, Supreme Court says it will not take up the matter listed before it for tomorrow through video conferencing. The matters are adjourned.

The total number of coronavirus positive cases on Friday rose to 536 in India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said.

News18 reported that "due to the prevailing situation, the NPR and Census exercises have been deferred till further orders".

The National Population Register (NPR), the first phase of the Census 2021, won't be held as scheduled in April because of the 21-day nationwide complete lockdown announced by Narendra Modi as a measure to curb the coronavirus.

"We request Mumbaikars to stay calm and rest assured that all emergency services & essential commodities will be available throughout lockdown. The shops will remain open and you may commute as per guidelines to nearby stores. Dial 100 if you face any inconvenience," the Mumbai Police tweeted.

"I thank all the doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, pathologists and police personnel who are risking their lives and fighting against an epidemic like coronavirus day and night. I also appeal to the people to cooperate with them in these tough times and pray for their health," Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday.

In response Harris said, "We are now seeing a very large acceleration in the numbers of cases from the United States — so it does have that potential. We cannot say that that is the case yet, but it does have that potential," the report said.

"Harris was asked: "Do you see the United States going on to become the epicenter of this outbreak, overtaking Europe?"

WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said that the United States has the "potential" of becoming the next coronavirus epicentre as cases continued to rise in the country, CNN reported.

"Today we received 110 samples. 97 samples are done with testing, 2 of these were found positive, both are from Rajkot. One of them has a travel history to a foreign country," Gujarat chief secretary Anil Mukim said.

CNN reported that there are 49,070 cases of the novel coronavirus in the US as of Tuesday. At least 600 people have died, the report said.

“I’m not blaming him or anything else, but he shouldn’t be talking about us. He’s supposed to be buying his own ventilators. We’re gonna help. But if you think about Govornor Cuomo, we’re building him four hospitals, we’re building him four medical centers, we’re working very hard for the people of New York. We’re working along with him and then I watch him on the show complaining, and he could’ve had 16,000 that he could’ve had at a great price and he didn’t buy them," he was quoted by CNN as saying.

“I watched Gov. Cuomo and he was very nice, we’re building him hospitals, we’re building him medical centers, and he was complaining about – we’re doing probably more, definitely more than anybody else and he was talking about the ventilators,” Trump said of Cuomo.

Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed New York governor Andrew Cuomo for "complaining" about the shortages of ventilators in the state.

Gujarat chief secretary Anil Mukim on Friday said, "The total number of #coronavirus positive cases in the state rises to 35. Every minister of the state will be donating their 1-month salary towards #coronavirus relief work."

"I give it two weeks," Trump he was quoted as saying. "I guess by Monday or Tuesday, it's about two weeks. We will assess at that time and give it more time if we need a little more time. We have to open this country up."

"Speaking during a Fox News town hall, Trump reiterated he was eager to see the nation return to normal, even as doctors warn the nation will see a massive spike in cases if Americans return to crowded workplaces or events," the report said.

US president Donald Trump said that he wants the US "opened up and just raring to go by Easter" which is just two weeks away, CNN reported.

"We request Mumbaikars to stay calm and rest assured that all emergency services & essential commodities will be available throughout lockdown. The shops will remain open and you may commute as per guidelines to nearby stores. Dial 100 if you face any inconvenience," the Mumbai Police tweeted.

"I thank all the doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, pathologists and police personnel who are risking their lives and fighting against an epidemic like coronavirus day and night. I also appeal to the people to cooperate with them in these tough times and pray for their health," Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday.

In response Harris said, "We are now seeing a very large acceleration in the numbers of cases from the United States — so it does have that potential. We cannot say that that is the case yet, but it does have that potential," the report said.

"Harris was asked: "Do you see the United States going on to become the epicenter of this outbreak, overtaking Europe?"

WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris said that the United States has the "potential" of becoming the next coronavirus epicentre as cases continued to rise in the country, CNN reported.

"Today we received 110 samples. 97 samples are done with testing, 2 of these were found positive, both are from Rajkot. One of them has a travel history to a foreign country," Gujarat chief secretary Anil Mukim said.

I wholeheartedly support @narendramodi ji decision of complete lockdown of the country. This is the only way to fight #Covid19 and save millions of lives. But urge @PMOIndia to immediately announce a relief package for the poor and daily wagers.

CNN reported that there are 49,070 cases of the novel coronavirus in the US as of Tuesday. At least 600 people have died, the report said.

“I’m not blaming him or anything else, but he shouldn’t be talking about us. He’s supposed to be buying his own ventilators. We’re gonna help. But if you think about Govornor Cuomo, we’re building him four hospitals, we’re building him four medical centers, we’re working very hard for the people of New York. We’re working along with him and then I watch him on the show complaining, and he could’ve had 16,000 that he could’ve had at a great price and he didn’t buy them," he was quoted by CNN as saying.

“I watched Gov. Cuomo and he was very nice, we’re building him hospitals, we’re building him medical centers, and he was complaining about – we’re doing probably more, definitely more than anybody else and he was talking about the ventilators,” Trump said of Cuomo.

Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed New York governor Andrew Cuomo for "complaining" about the shortages of ventilators in the state.

Gujarat chief secretary Anil Mukim on Friday said, "The total number of #coronavirus positive cases in the state rises to 35. Every minister of the state will be donating their 1-month salary towards #coronavirus relief work."

"I give it two weeks," Trump he was quoted as saying. "I guess by Monday or Tuesday, it's about two weeks. We will assess at that time and give it more time if we need a little more time. We have to open this country up."

"Speaking during a Fox News town hall, Trump reiterated he was eager to see the nation return to normal, even as doctors warn the nation will see a massive spike in cases if Americans return to crowded workplaces or events," the report said.

US president Donald Trump said that he wants the US "opened up and just raring to go by Easter" which is just two weeks away, CNN reported.

Narendra Modi on Coronavirus Outbreak LATEST Updates: The National Population Register (NPR), the first phase of the Census 2021, won't be held as scheduled in April because of the 21-day nationwide complete lockdown announced by Narendra Modi as a measure to curb the coronavirus.

News18 reported that "due to the prevailing situation, the NPR and Census exercises have been deferred till further orders".

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, "I would like to assure the 23 crore people of Uttar Pradesh that we have enough stock of essential items like vegetables, milk, medicines etc. For the safety of you and your family don't step out of your houses and maintain social distance.

"From tomorrow, vegetables, milk, fruits, medicines and other essential commodities will be delivered to your door steps for which we have identified more than 10,000 vehicles. I appeal to you to not go to market to buy essential items."

Narendra Modi urged against panic buying soon after announcing the nationwide complete lockdown as a measure to fight the spread of coronavirus in the country.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued guidelines on the 21-day lockdown ordered to curb the spread of the coronavirus on Tuesday. Listing the establishments that will mandatorily remain closed during the lockdown, the ministry also listed the exemptions including grocery and ration shops, petrol pumps, banks, ATMs, etc.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will issue guidelines of "effective measures and exceptions" to essential services during the 21-day nationwide lockdown. There will shortly be an MHA 24/7 hotline to assist states during this period, ANI reported.

Modi announced a 15,000 crore package for COVID-19, to acquire medical equipment and protective gear, and also increase training of medical and paramedical staff, testing facilities, PPEs, ICUs, and ventilators.

"I have appealed to state governments to make the public healthcare the highest priority right now. I am also sure that private companies will also join in the efforts to curb the infection," he said.

Narendra Modi quoted WHO statistics to emphasise the need of the complete nationwide lockdown in a bid to spread coronavirus. He said that from taking 60+ days to spread to one lakh people, the coronavirus has now started spreading faster and faster.

He also said that multiple countries around the world are suffering from the coronavirus, despite having world-class health care systems.

Modi announced a complete nationwide lockdown in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus in the country, starting from midnight on 24 March for 21 days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to speak about the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in India at 8 pm today.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that he was "deeply anguished" over reports of discrimination against doctors treating coronavirus patients.

"I’m DEEPLY ANGUISHED to see reports pouring in from Delhi, Noida, Warangal, Chennai etc that DOCTORS and PARAMEDICS are being ostracised in residential complexes & societies. Landlords are threatening to evict them fearing #COVID2019 infection. Pls don’t panic!" he said.

Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe's office on Friday said that after discussions with the International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, an agreement to defer the Olympics scheduled for this year in Tokyo by a year.

"After his telephone talks with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, PM Shinzo Abe spoke to the press and explained that the two have agreed that the Tokyo Olympic Games would not be cancelled, & the games will be held by the summer of 2021," the statement said.​

The resident doctors of the AIIMS institute, in a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, alleged that people are questioning them over their activities because they are in touch with COVID-19 patients and those suspected of having the infection. The Resident Doctors' Association on Friday said that they "have been forced to vacate rented houses".

They also requested appropriate action against those forcing eviction.

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday said that at least 118 government laboratories have been included in ICMR network of coronavirus testing. "The network has the capacity to test 12,000 samples a day. Additionally, 22 private laboratory chains, with about 15,500 collection centres, have been registered with ICMR till today," the statement said.

A 47-year-old woman with no recent history of foreign travel tests positive for COVID-19 in Noida, PTI quoted officials as saying on Tuesday.

The last date for filing March, April and May 2020 GST returns is being extended to 30 June 2020, said Nirmala Sitharaman during the media conference on Tuesday. She added that different staggering dates will be applicable, but all will be the end of June. The interest rate for filing a delayed return has also been brought down.

As the media briefing came to an end, Nirmala Sitharama reiterated that an economic package will be announced 'sooner', rather than later. She also said, 'We are closely monitoring the situation. SEBI has come up with guidelines and stated its position on the recent volatility. We are monitoring the stock market.'

Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, while briefing the media about the government's plan for relief plan announced that debit cardholders who withdraw cash from any bank ATM can do it free of charge, from any other bank’s ATM, for the next three months. She also stated that there shall not be any minimum balance requirement fee.

Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced that the threshold of default extended to Rs 1 core from existing Rs 1 lakh, in order to prevent insolvency proceedings against MSMEs.

The finance ministry announced that for newly incorporated companies, there is a requirement to file a declaration on commencement within six months, which the government is giving an additional six months to file their returns.

The government on Tuesday said that the mandatory requirement of holding board meetings is being relaxed by a period of 60 days, has been relaxed for the next two quarters.

In a major relief to imports/exporters, the government on Tuesday said that customs clearance now an essential service, till 30 June 2020 and it will be working 24/7.

The last date for filing March, April and May 2020 GST returns is being extended to 30 June 2020, said Nirmala Sitharaman during the media conference on Tuesday. She added that different staggering dates will be applicable, but all will be the end of June. The interest rate for filing a delayed return has also been brought down.

The finance minister announced on Tuesday that the Aadhaar-PAN linking date has been extended to 30 June 2020 from what was 31 March 2020. Nirmala Sitharam also said that the Interest rate on delayed deposit of TDS reduced. She said, "No extra 10 percent interest will be charged between now and 30 June."

The last date for income tax returns for the financial year 2018-19 is extended to June 30, announced Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday. She said that she will be making announcements on income tax, customs, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)-related matters, bank-related compliances, fisheries, among other things. She added that for the delayed payments, interest rate has been reduced from 12 percent to 9 percent.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she would address the media at 2 pm today amid preparations of preparing an economic package that is likely to help the country through the coronavirus lockdown. She said in a tweet that the package would be announced soon on priority and that she would give the media presser through video conference. Her speech will be specifically be focused on statutory and regulatory compliance matters.

Ahead of Narendra Modi's address, the whole of Odisha will be under lockdown from Tuesday midnight because of the coronavirus threat, a top state government official said. Fourteen of the state's 30 districts are already under a lockdown. The Madhya Pradesh government has also imposed curfew in Bhopal and Jabalpur cities, where coronavirus cases have been found, right after Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath as chief minister.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she would address the media at 2 pm today amid preparations of preparing an economic package that is likely to help the country through the coronavirus lockdown.

India has reported its tenth death on Tuesday after a 64-year-old man who was admitted to Kasturba hospital on 23 March, died within a few hours of admission. He had returned from the UAE and had travelled to Ahmedabad on 15 March, returned to Mumbai on 20 March.

American lawyer Larry Klayman has filed a USD 20 trillion lawsuit against China for the creation and the release of the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 334,000 people globally.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 pm regarding the vital aspects relating to the COVID-19 menace. Meanwhile, the 26 March Rajya Sabha election to 55 seats, scheduled to be held on 26 March, has been deferred.

Two new positive cases of coronavirus are recorded in Gujarat, total cases mount to 33, stated the Gujarat Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi. Meanwhile, a 54-year-old domestic passenger was arrested at the airport here for allegedly refusing to follow instructions given by doctors for the prevention of the spread of novel coronavirus, police said on Tuesday.

The number of states and Union Territories (UTs) which have imposed a lockdown has increased to 32 from 30 last night. The number of districts under lockdown has increased to 560 from 548. The number of coronavirus cases in Maharashtra has reached 101 on Tuesday. Four more patients were tested positive in Pune and one was tested positive in Satara.

Nearly 500 coronavirus cases have been reported in India so far, according to Health Ministry data on Tuesday. According to the data updated Tuesday morning, the total number of COVID-19 cases stood at 492. Benchmark indices erased most of its early gains but trading higher with Nifty above 7700. The Sensex is up 369.34 points or 1.42 percent at 26350.58, and the Nifty up 108.40 points or 1.42 percent at 7718.65.

Benchmark indices opened in positive territory on 24 March with Sensex added more than 1000 points. At 09:17 hrs IST, the Sensex is up 1,212.60 points or 4.67 percent at 27193.84, and the Nifty up 353.85 points or 4.65 percent at 7964.10. Manipur has reported the first case of COVID-19 in Northeast India, say reports. Northeast Now reports that a 23-year-old from Imphal (west) has been identified as the first confirmed case in the state.

The Tihar Prison authorities said they are planning to release around 3,000 prisoners to ease congestion in jails over the coronavirus threat. However, it will not include hardened or dangerous criminals. While in the UK, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has enforced the strictest curbs on movement of people for at least three weeks to try and control the spread of COVID-19 in the country, where the death toll has reached 335.

Security was tightened at the protest site in Shaheen Bagh, on Tuesday, after a prohibitory order under section 144 CrPC has been promulgated in Delhi, with the police clearing out the protest site. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the pandemic of disease caused by the coronavirus is accelerating, with more than 300,000 cases now recorded and infections reported from nearly every country worldwide.

The number of deaths in India due to the novel coronavirus rose to nine on Monday with 468 testing positive as the Centre announced a lockdown in 22 states and Union Territories across the country and the Indian Council of Medical Research recommended the use of an anti-malarial drug in cases of high risk.

The health ministry, in its daily press briefing on Monday, said Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Ladakh, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Tripura, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh are under complete lockdown.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked captains of industry to ensure that the production of essential items is not impacted in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and there is no hoarding and black marketing. "The impact on the economy will be felt for some time to come," said Modi as he exhorted India Inc to adopt a humanitarian approach and not to cut down on the workforce in spite of the COVID-19 negative impact on their businesses.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that companies' expenditure to fight the coronavirus pandemic will be considered valid under corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. The coronavirus outbreak will be treated as a disaster, the Finance Minister said on Twitter.

The Delhi Police on Monday moved to seal all border pickets in the national capital and said curfew passes will be issued to people associated with essential services as "execution" of the prohibitory orders in the city was "not up to the mark today".

Media persons, however, will not need the passes and their ID cards will suffice, they said.

Details like the format of the application for the passes and from when they will be required, etc are likely to be shared on Tuesday, the police said.

On Sunday, police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in Delhi till 31 March in view of the coronavirus outbreak, banning protests, and other gatherings.

Section 144 of the CrPC bans the assembly of four or more people in one place.

The Nagaland government will promulgate prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC in Dimapur district from Tuesday to make people stay indoors during the ongoing lockdown declared in the state to contain the coronavirus outbreak, an official said.

The order, issued by Dimapur police commissioner Rothihu Tetseo on Monday, will come into force from 6 am on 24 March, the official said.

Dimapur, a commercial hub of the state, witnessed an "unprecedented" movement of vehicles during the lockdown which began from Sunday midnight, he said.

Police seized a number of taxis for plying on roads, the official said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has enforced the strictest curbs on movement of people for at least three weeks to try and control the spread of COVID-19 in the country, where the death toll has reached 335.

In a televised address to the nation on Monday evening, he said while no prime minister wants to make such demands on the population, the situation was such that he was forced to clamp down on people's movement and the crackdown on any gatherings of more than two people.

With his central message calling on people to restrict their movements outside their homes only for the very basic essentials, Johnson said, "From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction you must stay at home."

In the US, President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to prevent hoarding of vital medical supplies and personal protective equipment as the country for the first time registered over 130 deaths in a day due to coronavirus.

Till Monday, more than 43,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus were reported in the United States. Of these, over 10,000 were added in one day, according to Worldometer, a website that compiles COVID-19 cases. With 139 deaths, the number of fatalities crossed 550 by Monday night.

Signing the executive order, Trump said his government would take action against hoarding and excessive pricing of vital medical and personal protective equipment as well as supplies such as hand sanitisers and face masks.