The Observer An IIJNM publication
People of East Midnapore, shifted ahead of Yaas, fear the spread of Covid-19 in relief centres | P 6
Vol 20, Issue 22
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
In K’taka, there is little clarity on what essentials are
Tough to cope
By Nidhi Kajaria
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In the current lockdown, the Karnataka government has allowed the interand intra-state movement of only essential goods. | Courtesy: Unsplash E-commerce platform operators said the Karnataka government has not defined essential goods clearly, causing them losses. Ritik Varma, who also handles the operations of Momeaze, an online shopping website of Cloudnine, informed The Observer: “Some items which should come under essential items are still not being stocked up as vendors are having trouble with logistics.” According to a Mint article,
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Cricket umpires in India are facing a loss of income due to suspension of matches, leagues | P 3
Lockdowns disrupt logistics, hit biz of e-comm cos, vendors estricted logistics because of Covid-19 lockdowns has affected the business of ecommerce platforms and vendors. Ritik Varma, assistant marketing manager, e-commerce operations, at the Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, informed The Observer: “We aren’t getting goods from vendors on time. We have large operations in Karnataka and mostly all vendors are unable to facilitate products as there is... restricted movement due to the lockdown curbs imposed.” In the current lockdown, the Karnataka government has allowed the inter- and intra-state movement of only essential goods. Naveen, a vendor who handles logistics for Mombo, a chain of stores for baby/mom products, said they are unable to procure goods from manufacturers because movement is not easy.
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Amazon recently requested the Delhi government to allow delivery and inter- and intra-state movement of all products. Apart from this, companies are asking the government to expand the scope of non-essentials. “Even if the goods delivered come under the category of essential goods, the delivery is still delayed. The recent cyclone in Gujarat affected a lot of our orders in the state,” Varma shared.
l How are we supposed to keep an easy flow of goods to e-commerce platforms with all these statewise lockdowns? – Nandita Durai, co-founder, Yellow Rabbit l We had hoped to sell products online..., but that seems impossible as there very strict restrictions in some states. Ravi Agrawal, owner of a supermarket l Even if the goods come under the essential category, their delivery is delayed. – Ritik Varma of Cloudnine hospitals Logistics firms and supply chains around the world, have been affected due to Covid-19.. An official of Sky Packers & Movers, a logistics company based in Delhi informed: “A halt to manufacturing, low demand and supply, and lockdowns have reduced demand for logistics, which will result in downward pressure on prices of warehousing, freight & logistics.” Continued on page 6
News Briefs Yaas intensifies, to cross coasts as storm on May 26
Yaas is likely to cross the OdishaWest Bengal coasts around noon on May 26 as a cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 155-165 kmph, Kolkata's Regional Meteorological Centre Deputy Director Sanjib Bandopadhyay said.
Blinken in Israel,aims to shore up truce in Gaza
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel as part of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up the Gaza cease-fire. Blinken, is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Israel since President Biden assumed office.
Govt. to open 143 Khelo India centres in 7 states
The Sports Ministry has decided to set up 143 Khelo India centres across seven states with a total budget of Rs 14.30 crore in its bid to nurture talent at the grass-root level.
Jayant Chaudhary takes over as new RLD prez Jayant Chaudhary was on Tuesday appointed as the new president of the Rashtriya Lok Dal according to a party statement. His elevation to the post comes following Ajit Singh’s demise
US Oly participation in doubt, other Govt to auction securities to fund Covid fight, pet plans nations could increase medal tally By Nidhi Kajaria
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he US State Department’s official advisory to its citizens to not travel to Japan may affect the 2021 Olympic Games as the US has the largest participation in Olympic Games. Olympics followers believe that a restricted US participation might give other nations a chance to win many more gold medals than they would otherwise win. The advisory was issued after the Center for Disease Control warned American citizens and said travellers should avoid all travel to Japan. Even fully vaccinated travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading Covid variants, stated a Level 4 Travel Health Notice for Japan. “Now that there is a high possi-
Olympics 2020 were postponed due to Covid. | Courtesy: Unsplash bility that the American athletes might not participate in the Games, the gates for other countries... are open,” said Vishrut
Arora, who has been following the Olympics for the past 12 years. The advisory stated that if American citizens are travelling to Japan, then they should get fully vaccinated before travel. A public health expert from AIIMS, Delhi, said that for some vaccines, the gap between doses exceeds 80 days, and this might affect athletes who have not taken a single jab. “Even if they get it now, the next dose will be due in August/September and the Olympic Games start on July 24. So it’s a crucial situation,” she informed The Observer. She believes that taking more than 10,000 athletes to a country where the number of cases is rising might create havoc. Continued on page 2
By Dhruv Raghav New Delhi: The Union Government has decided to auction government securities worth Rs 26,000 crore to raise funds for its pet projects and Covid-19 relief. According to a press release, ‘The Government of India has announced the Sale (Re-issue) of (i) ‘4.26 percent Government Security, 2023’ for a notified amount of Rs 3,000 crore (nominal) through the price-based auction, (ii) ‘5.85 percent Government Security, 2030’ for a notified amount of Rs 14,000 crore (nominal) through price-based auction, and (iii) ‘6.76 percent GS 2061’ for a notified amount of Rs 9,000 crore (nominal) through price-based auction. GoI will have the option to retain additional subscription up to Rs
6,000 crore against the above security/securities.” The auctions for these securties will be conducted by the Reserve Bank of India on May 28. Ankit Jain of Ankit R. Jain Associates Chartered Accountants informed The Observer: “The government sells its securities when they need funds. We know that there is a Central Vista project going on in Delhi, which is estimated to be completed by 2022 and, there is a need of funds for Covid relief as well, like oxygen plants. The securities that are going up for auction are worth Rs 3,000 for 4.26 percent GS 2023 and Rs 14,000 for 5.85 percent GS 2030. The liability of this financial burden is likely to fall on the government that follows.” . Continued on page 5