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At least 200 million people may have lost job since the nation-wide lockdown was clamped on March 25 to curb the spread of Covid-19. Although the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy (CMIE) in its last report said that 122 million Indians lost their jobs in April pushing the country’s unemployment rate to a record high of 27.1 per cent, the actual figure by May-end will be much higher taking into account the lockdown impact on the vast informal and unorganised sectors.

Brazil’s Workers’ Party (PT) is set to file papers for the impeachment of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the Covid-19 crisis, saying that he “no longer works with this government.”

BHOPAL: Besides taking care of the corona-related problems Madhya Pradesh has to bear the brunt caused by migrant labourers from all over the country travelling back to their homes. This additional problem is being caused due to the geographical location of the state. Migrant labourers leaving Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and also from the southern states and on their way to UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal have to pass through Madhya Pradesh.

The Prime Minister of UK, Boris Johnson is facing acute pressure to launch an independent public inquiry into the disproportionate impact of corona on black, Asian and minority ethnic communities (BAME) across Britain. This demand has cropped up in the wake large number of deaths the BAME communities have suffered.

The world is seized with tackling COVID-19 which is being perceived as biggest health threat to the humanity today. True, this virus is more lethal than other Corona viruses. There is an all out effort by the scientists around the world to develop vaccines to boost immunity in the body to enable it to fight back the infection. Research is going on to develop antiviral drugs. The world is hoping that soon we shall develop herd immunity so that the impact of COVID-19 gets reduced. Our scientists have made great achievements in getting rid of Plague which was a highly deadly disease at one time. Likewise an equally dangerous Small Pox has been eliminated through vaccination long time back. We have already achieved substantial success in Polio eradication.

When the very existence of a State is threatened, it is the tendency of governments to take hold of excessive powers. While done in the name of enabling themselves to adequately respond to the threat, these excesses often continue long after the threat is gone.

Even as millions of migrant workers are wearily trudging back to their villages with no money, no food and no shelter, or are locked up en route in shoddy quarantine camps, a war has been unleashed on the rights of workers under the cover of the lockdown. The BJP, true to form, is the political formation leading this class war through its state governments. The Uttar Pradesh government has through an ordinance suspended all labour laws (except just four) for a period of three years. The Madhya Pradesh government has made labour laws inapplicable to new units for a period of one thousand days. The Gujarat government has taken decisions along similar lines; and the Karnataka government is planning to follow suit. The Congress governments of Punjab and Rajasthan, though yet not going so far, have extended the working day from 8 to 12 hours.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The look of concern is back on the faces of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) leaders. The reason for their worry is the sudden spike in the Covid positive cases in the wake of the return of Indians stranded in foreign countries.

South Indian superstar Rajinikanth is known for his punch dialogues. His fiery one-liner “When I say something once, it is like saying it a hundred times” in his chart-buster Baasha movie has almost become part of the regional folklore. But even Rajnikanth cannot beat Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose oratorical skills can move many times more masses than the South Indian superstar can ever hope to do. If Modi has one thing to say, he can make a hundred things out of it.

The second stimulus package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone beyond expectations. His address to the nation on May 12 will perhaps mark the day when India embarked on the path of converting a global crisis into an opportunity to accelerate its economic transition and build on the solid foundations laid in the first term of this government. This will involve eliminating poverty, improving equity, and raising the living standards of the population in line with their aspirations. It promises to be historical.