Attacks on health workers to attract up to 7 years in prison
- The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the promulgation of an ordinance to amend the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, making acts of violence against medical staff a cognisable and non-bailable offence and to provide compensation for injury to healthcare personnel or for damage or loss to property.
- The ordinance proposes that in cases of attacks on healthcare workers, the investigation will be completed within 30 days and the final decision arrived at within one year.
- The punishment for such attacks will be three months to five years and the fine ₹50,000 to ₹2 lakh.
Most sectors will open by May 3: Sanjeev Sanyal
- The process of “unwinding” the lockdown imposed to contain COVID-19 has already begun, and most sectors of the economy will be open by May 3, Principal Economic Adviser Sanjeev Sanyal told members of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry via a video conference call.
Rupee recovers after hitting fresh lows
- The rupee hit a fresh low on Wednesday but recovered later, supported by a rise in domestic equities and some weakness in the dollar.
- The rupee opened weaker at 76.90 a dollar compared with the previous close of 76.83 and then touched an alltime low of 76.92.
Confirmed cases cross 20,000; nearly 4,000 people recover
- The Union Health Ministry said 20,971 individuals have been confirmed positive as of now, while the death toll stood at 652. Since Tuesday, 1,383 new cases were reported.
- Maharashtra has the most number of cases (5,649), followed by Gujarat (2,407) and Delhi (2,248).