Left, Right & Centre

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Left, Right and Centre, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said that at least 5 per cent of the GDP is needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic. He further said that borrowing limits of the states must be increased. Adding to this, he also said that special package has been requested by West Bengal of 25 thousand crores to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Left, Right and Centre, Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja said that only nine cases were reported today in the state. Moreover, she added that strict surveillance and stringent action have been carried out across the state according to the lockdown guidelines by the Centre.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Left, Right and Centre, Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said that things must be taken at a human level and that political parties, opposition leaders and ideologies can all take a backseat for now. He further said that everybody must stand up together as India expects to show the leadership.

Delhi has a large number of COVID-19 cases - 576 to be exact. Today, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a five-step plan to combat coronavirus which includes a plan for 30,000 hospital beds if needed and 5 Ts. Mr Kejriwal said 1 lakh rapid tests will be conducted among people in the city's hotspots. The tests will start from Friday after the rapid test kits arrive. A panel of doctors join us on Left Right and Centre to discuss the forward plan. They further discuss whether old vaccine hold answers to new virus?

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain today said that due to the nationwide lockdown, the number of coronavirus cases has come down. "One week is left for the lockdown to finish and the decision to extend it relies on number of cases in the next couple of days," he said.

Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao told NDTV that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao wants the lockdown extended by a week or two to fight the novel coronavirus. The chief minister has made an appeal to PM Modi for the same, Mr Rao said.

India will allow limited exports of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which is being tested as a coronavirus cure, to "nations that have been badly affected" by the pandemic, the government said today. Only three days ago, India had announced a blanket ban on the export of the drug, before that, on March 25th, exports had been restricted. US President Donald Trump had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change his mind during a phone call on Saturday. President Trump spoke of "retaliation" if India turns down his request to lift the hold on US orders of the anti-malarial drug.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticised Donald Trump's remarks that the US may consider a "retaliation" if India does not agree to export hydroxychloroquine, a key anti-malaria drug believed by many to be effective in the treatment of coronavirus. "Trump has created an enormous feeling of unpleasantness by saying what he said on a public platform," Shashi Tharoor said.

With 704 cases and 28 deaths in the last 24 hours, India now has 4,281 positive cases and 111 deaths so far due to COVID-19. Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, says there is suspicion of community transmission in coronavirus hotspots and if not already it could happen in the hotspots.

The number of infectious COVID-19 cases across the world has crossed 13 lakh, with the US reporting 3.4 lakh cases and over 10,000 deaths. Professor Siddharth Chandra, James Madison College, Michigan State University and Dr Samir Garyali, MD, Interventional Cardiologist, both based in the US, speak about the coronavirus pandemic.

Could there be an extension in the lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic? Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has asked the centre to extend the lockdown by two more weeks. A top bureaucrat in Uttar Pradesh has hinted at a longer lockdown in the state. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said a decision will be taken at the right time. On the show we spoke to Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope who said the lockdown should continue for some time.

A total of 288 positive coronavirus cases have been reported from Rajasthan. On March 19, two doctors at a private hospital tested positive in Bhilwara after they came in contact with 6,000 people. On Monday, Bhilwara's aggressive containment appears to be working. Since March 30, only one case has been reported in the city. Raghu Sharma, Health Minister of Rajasthan, says the state was the first to announce a shutdown and extending it would depend on the situation.

The number of coronavirus cases increased by a whopping 704 in the last 24 hours to reach 4,281 today, while 111 have died and 319 have recovered from the disease. With 13 days to go before the scheduled end of the 21-day lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government said it was "monitoring the world situation every minute". Dr Indu Bhushan, CEO, Ayushman Bharat, speaks about the pandemic.

Despite the massive disruptions in supply chains across India because of the 21-day lockdown, dairy major Amul said it is doing everything it can to ensure milk and essential food items are available. Amul Managing Director RS Sodhi explains how the firm has been able to keep going despite the logistical challenges due to the lockdown.

As the number of coronavirus cases in India crossed the 3,000-mark, it has been an incredibly difficult two weeks for healthcare professionals, who have been facing difficulty reaching their workplaces because of limited mobility options during the lockdown. The National Health Authority has now announced a tie-up with Uber to give rides to frontline healthcare workers engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. How will it work? Uber India and South Asia president Pradeep Parameswaran explains.