BHUBANESWAR l FRIDAY l APRIL 17, 2020 l `7.00 l PAGES 12 l LATE CITY EDITION DON’T COLLECT FEES, AICTE WAIT TILL THE END OF LOCKDOWN FULL REFUND FOR CANCELLED FLIGHTS After noting that some institutions are demanding fees from students ■ The Centre on Thursday told airlines to issue full refund for the TELLS ENGINEERING COLLEGES during the lockdown, the AICTE in an advisory said, institutions approved tickets booked during the first phase of the lockdown (March 3-week by it must not insist on the payment of fees till the restrictions are lifted. 25-April 14) for trips in the second phase from April 15 The technical education regulatory body has also told Also, they must withdraw all terminations made during the lockdown. ■ Airlines have so far avoided offering full refunds, extending TIME TO ISSUE FULL REFUND AFTER A institutions not to lay off staff or stop payments of salaries The advisory notes that online classes for current semesters will continue credit vouchers instead. The decision will benefit thousands REQUEST IS MADE BY TRAVELLER CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI COMMUNITY SURVEILLANCE Zero Asia growth for first time in 60 yrs? ODISHA TO START Lockdown to burn a `12 lakh crore hole on India’s economy, says SBI Research; FM meets PM to chalk out strategy RANDOM TESTS EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE planned policy responses to it. and use capital controls to bat- @ Hyderabad / New Delhi HISTORIC The Covid-19 crisis is Meanwhile, IMF expects a tle any disruptive capital out- expected to inflict steep declines 7.6% expansion in Asian eco- flows it noted. ASIA is likely to see an eco- FALL in output across Asia nomic growth next year on the Asia’s export powerhouses IN ALL DISTRICTS nomic growth famine in 2020 10 These are highly assumption that containment were getting battered due to de- for the first time in 60 years, uncertain and policies would succeed. mand slump from the US and EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE transmission of the virus. challenging times for warned the International Mon- 8 It urged Asian policymakers European countries. @ Bhubaneswar We have planned to test as the global economy. etary Fund (IMF). The Asia-Pacific to offer targeted support to China’s economy is tipped to many people as possible in 6 In its regional report on the region is no households and firms hit by grow 1.2% this year on weak COVID-19 positivity in Odis- next eight to 10 days,” he Asia-Pacific released on Thurs- exception. The the pandemic, besides calling exports and losses in domes- ha being the lowest in coun- said. 4 day, the multi-lateral agency Oil crisis impact will be severe, for efforts to provide am- tic activity due to social try notwithstanding, the The State Government pegged zero growth this year. and Asian Globel COVID-19 across the board, and ple liquidity to markets distancing norms. How- State Government has decid- has so far set up 24 stand- 2 stock Financial Financial The projection for 2020 is market crises crises unprecedented and ease financial ever, it is expected to ed to start random testing at alone Covid hospitals hav- crash worse than the 4.7% average O Changyong Rhee, stress faced by small see a rebound in activ- community level in all ing around 4,000 isolation growth rate seen during the Director, Asia and and midsize firms. ity later this year, with districts. beds and 293 ICU beds in 21 1963 1968 1973 1978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2020 2008 global financial crisis, and 2021 Pacific Department, IMF According to Rhee, di- growth to bounce back The objective is to obtain districts. At least 11 more the 1.3% expansion during the SOURCE : IMF rect cash transfers to citi- to 9.2% next year. evidence-based data on the such hospitals will be ready 1997 Asian financial crisis. zens, part of the US stimulus But there were risks even spread of coronavirus, na- by April 20. That’s because, unlike past Changyong Rhee, director, Asia workers at `4.05 lakh crore. package, may not be the best to China’s growth outlook as ture of local transmission “We are leaving no stone crises, Covid-19 pandemic has and Pacific Department, IMF. According to sources, a stim- policy for Asian countries, who the virus could return and de- and virus behaviour in the unturned to augment infra- gridlocked economic activity The impact on India could be ulus package for worst-hit sec- should focus on preventing lay normalisation. “Chinese State. for months, forcing households substantial. SBI Research on tors is in the works. On Thurs- small firms from going under policymakers have reacted Development Commis- to stay home and shops to shut. Thursday said the economic day, Finance Minister Nirmala increasing unemployment. strongly to the outbreak of the sioner Suresh Chandra Mo- “This is not a time for busi- loss due to the ongoing lock- Sitharaman met Prime Minis- The region should tap bilat- crisis ... If the situation be- hapatra said aggressive ran- ness as usual. Asian countries down could be `12.1 lakh crore. ter Narendra Modi to brief him eral and multilateral swap comes aggravated, they have dom sampling will give a fair The second phase of the need to use all policy instru- It estimates the income loss due about the state of economy hit lines, seek financial support more room to use fiscal, mon- idea on the Covid-19 inci- ments in their toolkits,” said to the lockdown for 37.3 crore by coronavirus outbreak and from multilateral institutions, etary policies,” Rhee said. dence across the districts lockdown is crucial for us. and will help formulation of We will conduct more tests strategies accordingly. This in the coming days to screen will help identify asympto- maximum number of people. matic cases and also deter- Health professionals, Link missing to start Expert panel to take final call today mine spread or lack of it at volunteers engaged in the community level. containment works, people “The second phase of the living in slums and vendors on random antibody tests in all dists lockdown is crucial for us. will be tested apart from the economic activities We will conduct more tests random samples collected in the coming days to screen from communities EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE limitations, there was no SUMI SUKANYA DUTTA @ New Delhi — full or partial. Integrated District Surveil- maximum number of people @ New Delhi word on cement outlets and The group on surveillance lance Programme or frontline from normal settings be- Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, construction material shops. A group of epidemiologists and and epidemiology under com- health workers,” a member of sides the vulnerable groups. Development Commissioner WHILE the Centre on Wednes- Narender Singh, a cement experts in infectious diseases, munity medicine expert Dr D C the group told this newspaper. Health professionals, volun- day announced the opening trader in Noida, says while appointed by the government, S Reddy, had been tasked with “This will allow a very fo- teers engaged in contain- structure for Covid patients. up of many sectors of activity the resumption of construc- has proposed periodic rapid an- framing evidence-based medi- cused intervention on the part ment works, people living in We have set up dedicated from April 20, there was con- tion of units that were stalled tibody tests on random people, cal parameters that will of the government to con- slums and vendors will be hospitals in the districts fusion on the status of their due to the lockdown has been including non-symptomatic determine full or partial centrate on areas that tested apart from the ran- where no positive case has allied segments, without given the green light, “there is ones, even in the non-hotspots lockdown in districts in need to be monitored dom samples collected from been report so far. Earlier, which they would hardly get no clarity on whether hard- districts to assess the extent of the weeks ahead. and need full or partial communities,” he said. the patients were being ad- any relief. ware shops will be open.” coronavirus footprint. The proposal, set to lockdown,” he added. The State has significant- mitted to hospitals in Bhu- Take the decision to allow Likewise, transporters say The panel suggested that the be finalised by the ex- At present, only those ly upped its testing capacity baneswar and Cuttack. Now electricians, plumbers, me- the movement of vehicles car- districts with less than one per pert group by Friday, with international travel with the number of samples we are keeping them at their chanics, carpenters and IT re- rying non-essential loads has cent prevalence of the infec- proposes rapid antibody history, their close con- being tested at different lab- nearest places. It has been pair agents to work from April picked a bit, but there is a tion, if prepared well medical- tests to sample people in ran- tacts, healthcare workers treat- oratories touching 1200 per done to ensure timely treat- 20. Assume you hire an elec- shortage of loading and un- ly, can gradually be allowed to dom households across India. ing Covid-19 patients, those day. Stating that Odisha is in ment to patients so that cas- trician to replace a loading labourers. exit the lockdown while those “What we are saying is that with severe acute respiratory a good position as compared es do not pile up in one or faulty tubelight and E-tailers get “Booking offices, go- with higher prevalence or not sample one person from 400 illnesses (SARI) and patients to other States, Mohapatra two hospitals,” he fix a fan regulator.