Trichy autodrivers stage protest; demand Rs 5000 govt aid for 3 months due to job loss

Hit by India's extended Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, auto drivers affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a protest in Tamil Nadu's Trichy district demanding Rs 5000 aid for three months from the government. They stated that auto drivers had not worked for the past 55 days and hence be paid compensation. The union highlighted that due to no resuming of auto-rickshaws in several zones, auto drivers have not been able to pay rent due to loss of income.

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Auto drivers go back home

Reports state that amid the continued strict lockdown in Mumbai - which has seen the highest cases in India (19,967), auto drivers hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh have left for home. While several have driven off in their autos, some have returned via buses and trains. According to various estimates, nearly 50,000 taxis and over two lakh autos ply in the city. Due to the strict lockdown enforced by the state government since March, autos have not been allowed to function in the city, amid rising cases.

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Prohibitions & relaxation in Lockdown 4.0

As per MHA guidelines for the extended lockdown till May 31, inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses will be allowed on mutual consent and intra-state movement of vehicles can be allowed as per the state government's decision. The MHA has also allowed essential activities in containment zones but barred movement of people in and out of the zone. Apart from the above-mentioned prohibitions, all other activities will be mentioned, states the MHA, with an additional night curfew from 7 PM to 7 AM. States and UTs can prohibit any other activities as deemed necessary. 

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India extends lockdown

On Sunday, the Centre announced the extension of India's nationwide Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown till May 31.  PM Modi has announced a Rs 20 lakh crore economic package - including the previous monetary package and the liquidity measures announced by RBI till date (amounting to 10.26 lakh crore) to kickstart Indian economy's growth.  The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has released its detailed guidelines for the extended lockdown, allowing the delineation of red, green and orange zones as per state and UT governments, taking the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) into consideration.

Coronavirus Live Updates: As India enters Lockdown 4.0, COVID-19 cases rise to 96,169