India

New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) A total of 32 states and Union territories have declared complete lockdown so far covering 560 districts, in a bid to contain the coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Tuesday.

Three other states and UTs have imposed lockdown in certain areas in their territories, covering 58 districts, and one union territory has imposed closure of some activities in its jurisdiction.

Srinagar, Mar 24 (PTI) Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah's eight-month detention ended on Tuesday after the administration revoked the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) against him.

The National Conference leader, who turned 50 on March 10, has been under detention since August 5, when the Centre announced the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 and its bifurcation into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Bhopal, Mar 24 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh Economic Offences Wing has closed a case against former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his family members, where they were accused of falsifying a property document while selling land, an official said on Tuesday.

Scindia quit the Congress on March 10 and later joined the BJP. His resignation from the Congress triggered a revolt in the Madhya Pradesh party unit, with 22 MLAs who belong to his camp also tendering their resignations. This led to collapse of the Kamal Nath-led state government last week.

Mumbai, Mar 24 (PTI) Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday informed that as many as 25 lakh N-95 masks worth over Rs 15 crore were seized in a police operation to check on black marketeering during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the media in the presence of Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, Deshmukh said the police had received information about masks being supplied for sale in the black market.

New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) Protestors against the citizenship law at Shaheen Bagh were vacated by the Delhi Police amid coronavirus outbreak on Tuesday morning, officials said.

The women agitators have been on a sit-in at Shaheen Bagh for over three months, protesting the newly amended Citizenship Act .

Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) R P Meena said people at the protest venue in Shaheen Bagh were requested to vacate the site as lockdown has been imposed due to coronavirus outbreak.

Mumbai, Mar 23 (PTI) In a bid to provide additional liquidity to the system hit by the coronavirus outbreak, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday decided to inject Rs 1 lakh crore and assured such move further also if required.

The first tranche of term repo worth Rs 50,000 crore was conducted on Monday, while the second tranche of the same amount will be conducted on Tuesday.

New Delhi, Mar 23 (PTI) Hyundai Motor and Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) have announced the suspension of manufacturing operations at their respective plants amid coronavirus outbreak.

Hyundai has decided to halt production at its Chennai plant while TKM has put brakes on manufacturing at its Bidadi facility in Karnataka.

Mumbai, Mar 23 (PTI) The Indian rupee slipped further by 95 paise to 76.15 against the US dollar in opening trade on Monday amid sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the country and heavy selling in domestic equities.

Forex traders said market participants are concerned that the sharp rise in coronavirus cases, with nearly 400 cases in the country, could weigh on the economy.

New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh, saying the valour of security personnel will not be forgotten.

At least 17 jawans were killed and 14 others injured in a Naxal attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh that took place on Saturday.

New Delhi, Mar 22 (PTI) Services of Ola and Uber will not be available in Delhi till March 31 amid the lockdown announced by the state government to contain the spread of coronavirus infection.

The Delhi government on Sunday said the city will be in lockdown from March 23 to 31, under which no public transport, including private buses, taxis and autorickshaws will be allowed.