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Even after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked States to consider lockdowns as the last option, many local administrations have already imposed various restrictions as the number of daily Covid-19 cases near the 4-lakh mark.

Here's all you need to know on what measures different states are taking.

Amid the surge in Covid-19 cases across the country, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced a few provisions to ease the financial difficulties of the citizens. BusinessLine's Surabhi tells us more.

India's new Covid-19 infections continued to see an exponential rise on Tuesday, as the nation recorded an excess of 3.5 lakh for the seventh day in a row. Government data shows that  3,57,229 people tested postive and that 3,449 people succumbed to the disease on Tuesday.

However, India is not the only nation that has been hit by a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases. From Laos to Thailand to Bhutan and Nepal, a new wave of covid-19 cases has hit developing countries hard.

Experts, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, have recently recommended that India needs to go back under a lockdown to deal with the massive rise in cases. But that is just a temporary solution. What can developed nations do to really help poorer nations deal with the pandemic?

On May 2, 2021, the results of the assembly elections held in Puducherry, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala were announced by the Election Commission of India.

Loyal members of the winning parties in each State rejoiced and the celebrations were grand in its own manner.

But, it was not too long ago when the authorities had Stated that no celebrations or processions should take place upon declaring the winners.

Why didn’t the leaders use the elections as an opportunity to do their part to minimise the spread of the infection by motivating the party-loyals to stay indoors as well as dissuade them from public rallies?

Listen.

May 2 was counting day. The votes for the recent concluded Assembly elections held in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry have been taken into account to see which party is likely to govern each of the four States and the Union Territory of Puducherry. 

BusinessLine's Poornima Joshi gives us a few insights.

The final ballot has been cast and there are only a few days left before the elections are announced on May 2, 2021. 

Most Exit polls declare the DMK will win in Tamil Nadu. What does this mean for the party and ADMK? Why is the LDF is winning in Kerala? Who is the big winner and big loser in West Bengal? What does this election mean for the BJP, Congress and the Left? We also take a look at some of the big takeaways from the election.

This week on 'The Mandate', a special series on the Elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, we take a look at the exit polls conducted by various publications. 

In a significant policy decision, India has decided to shift towards a modern storage system for its foodgrains, mainly silos. This has been in the works ever since a pilot project was begun during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime. The process has gathered pace and now, the Centre says the modern storage system will be in place by 2025-26.

In addition, the Indian Food and Civil Supplies Department has decided not to go in for additional cover and plinth (CAP) storage, which basically means storing foodgrains under the open sky. Instead, it has decided to utilise the additional capacity in its godowns and warehouses by increasing the height of stacks from 20 bags to 25 bags.

This will help store 16.5 million tonnes of more grains besides saving Rs 8,000 crore to the exchequer. The Indian government plans to put in place a modern storage silo capacity of 10 million tonnes by 2025-26. A sum of Rs 1,850 crore will be spent for constructing these silos, excluding the land costs.

T V Vivek and Subraman Ra Mancombu discuss the government's move and what it means for India's foodgrain storage.

Edited & Produced by Siddharth Mathew Cherian

In order to align the interest of the key employees of asset management companies (AMCs) with the unit holders of the mutual fund schemes, SEBI on Wednesday said a part of the compensation of some staffers will be paid in the form of units from the schemes in which they have a role or oversight. The move has earned praise from some, while others are not happy with it.

The Central Government has notified April 27 as the implementation date for the recently enacted law — National Capital Territory of Delhi (amendment) Act 2021.

This implies enhanced the powers of the Lieutenant Governor in the administration of Delhi while limiting the elected government’s powers in some respects.

Listen and learn.

In a bid to take a leadership position on tackling climate change, US president Joe Biden convened a virtual summit with 40 leaders from around the world, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese president Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the 21st and 22nd of April.

In the summit, the leaders discussed various issues related to climate change. They talked about dealing with the crisis, mobilising finance and helping vulnerable countries cope with the impact of climate change.