1. Mumbai’s 1st Patients, Six Others Discharged
The city-based couple, among the first from Mumbai to get infected, and six others were discharged from Kasturba Hospital on Tuesday evening. They were co-passengers of the Pune couple who had returned from Dubai and tested positive for the coronavirus on March 8.
After reaching home, the couple first cleaned the flat. “We weren’t here for over two weeks, so the first thing we did was clean the flat,” said a 70-year-old man.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. Mumbai: Private Labs Face Hurdle — Limited Kits, no Staff
In the Suburban Diagnostics laboratory in Mumbai, about a dozen samples arrived on Tuesday for COVID-19 tests. The lab was granted approval to start testing on Sunday. Around 35 technicians and staffers, half the lab’s strength, are busy working on the samples. Dr Anupa Dixit, the lab director, is visibly tense — the lab has only 100 test kits, and will run out in three days.
Source: The Indian Express
3. Maharashtra: Govt Plans Cash Transfers for Labourers, Financial Package for Industries
The Maharashtra government plans to provide cash transfers to labourers earning wages daily to reduce the economic harm that lockdowns will inflict on the force. Sources said that a proposal to provide direct bank transfers for construction workers have already been reviewed at the chief minister’s level, while the option of extending the same to labour from other sectors is under active consideration.
Source: The Indian Express
4. 25 Lakh Masks Worth ₹15 cr Seized, 4 Held
Around 3.25 lakh N-95 and 22 lakh three-ply surgical masks, total worth ₹15 crore, were seized in raids conducted by the Mumbai crime branch in two warehouses in Sahar village, Andheri (East) and one in Bhiwandi. Four people were arrested for being involved in the racket. There has been a shortage of masks in the city.
Source: Hindustan Times
5. Maharashtra: Governor Writes to CM Over Infringement of Universities’ Autonomy
Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who is the chancellor of all state universities, wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday expressing concerns about the impingement on autonomy of universities by the State Higher and Technical Education Department.
The Indian Express had reported on March 19 about a letter by the department to all 11 non-agricultural universities and the state office of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), a centrally sponsored scheme under HRD ministry, to return all balance funds in its accounts to the state finance department.
Source: The Indian Express
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