GENRE: Local News

Residents of Trivandrum took the relaxations as a nod to get back to how it was before the corona outbreak and caused traffic bottlenecks at different parts of the city on April 20. In fact, the capital city is a hot spot though Thiruvananthapuram district as a whole is categorised as Orange zone.

The people of Kashmir have learnt some important survival lessons from coping with decades of conflict and resulting restrictions. So much so that Kashmiris living elsewhere are now calling home for advice on how to cope with life under lockdown.

The enterprising Ahmedabadi spirit is showing itself even under the present circumstances. “Covid sales” with huge discounts are floating online for products like night gowns, comfortable lounge wear, organic wellness products and Ayurvedic concoctions, with payment now and delivery after lockdown.

Every year, Punjab employs around 10 lakh migrant labourers to carry out the market operations during Rabi harvest. These labourers generally come in late March and stay on till June to complete the transplantation of paddy.

Telangana is one of the few states to have announced a slew of relief measures targeted at health support as well as social security, but what about containment of the virus? Though exact numbers are not known, some patients who have succumbed to the virus had attended the Tablighi event in Delhi.

Assam might be entering a critical stage in the spread of the virus as more Tablighi event returnees are identified and tested. Positive cases are reported from other northeastern states too, including Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, but they not be equipped as well.

Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) conducted a rapid assessment in over 20 settlements across Greater Mumbai where low-income communities live and work, and found that they not only face risk of disease, but a threat to basic sustenance in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.

The story is familiar. A few people returning from abroad, ignoring quarantine, meeting family and friends and then testing positive. A preacher, in particular, may have spread the virus far and wide in Kashmir.

In Pune, as in other cities, daily wage earners, migrant labourers and senior citizens are among those who are worst hit by the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. A look at how social and corporate organisations are helping them survive these difficult times.

Even as the Pune Municipal Corporation goes full throttle with its various Smart City initiatives, regular commute remains an ordeal for residents, particularly due to the terrible conditions of its busy roads.

ComplexCity, an annual festival in Mumbai organised by the non-profit YUVA, enables city residents to openly engage, express and exchange views, and collaborate to explore solutions to the city’s pressing problems. A round-up of the 2020 event.

In the once-green British-era hill town of Shimla, unplanned urbanisation and construction have gobbled up most of the parks and grounds that children used to play in. Thankfully, there is a strong citizen-led movement that may force the government to take action to reverse this.