MHA permits arrival of mortal remains of Indians, OCI cardholders subject to conditions

On Saturday, the Ministry of Home Affairs clarified that the arrival of mortal remains of Indians or OCI cardholders in the country shall be allowed. However, the guidelines pertaining to COVID-19 control must be strictly followed. Moreover, such cases should have the concurrence of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of External Affairs. The MHA stressed that the Standard Operating Procedure laid down by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has to be adhered to. 

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GoM meeting held 

Currently, there are 24,942 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in India out of which 5210 persons have recovered while 779 casualties have been reported. As per sources, the Group of Ministers meeting chaired by Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan earlier in the day has decided to delay the use of rapid testing kits. This assumes significance in the wake of numerous complaints regarding the test kits obtained from China.

Moreover, PM Modi on National Panchayati Raj Day had also stressed the importance of India becoming "self-reliant". Adding that many Indian companies were in the process of developing test kits, sources noted that the country had the capacity to conduct more than 15 lakh COVID-19 tests. Furthermore, the GoM meeting also reportedly talked about the availability of volunteers to fight the novel coronavirus. 

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