Health ministry asks states to ramp up testing even as Covid-19 cases drop

The Health ministry has written to thirteen states where the weekly rate of Covid testing has dropped even though the total daily cases in the country to around 10,000.

“In the absence of sustained levels of sufficient testing, it is very difficult to determine the true level of infection spread in a geography,” Rajesh Bhushan, health secretary said. Read more

Indian govt's plan to ban cryptocurrencies leads to heavy selling

Plans by the Indian government for a new bill that would bar most private cryptocurrencies has triggered heavy selling in the country's digital currency markets, as investors look to exit positions despite the losses, said traders and investors.

The government will allow only certain cryptocurrencies to promote the underlying technology and its uses, according to a legislative agenda released late on Tuesday for the winter session of Parliament set to start this month. Read more

Normalisation of international flight services expected by year-end: Govt

Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal on Wednesday said international flight services are expected to be normalised by the end of this year.

Scheduled international passenger flights to and from India remain suspended since March last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

Union Cabinet approves Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021: Govt

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a bill to repeal the three farm laws, which triggered protests at Delhi borders by thousands of farmers, and will be tabled in Parliament during the upcoming winter session for passage.

On November 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation had announced the withdrawal of the three farm laws, saying the government could not convince protesting farmers about the benefits of the agriculture sector reforms. He had also urged them to end the protest and return home. Read more