More than 44 lakh migrant workers have reached their home state by over 3,200 “Shramik Special” trains operated since May 1, the Indian Railways said on Tuesday.

As on May 25, 223 Shramik Special trains were moving 2.8 lakh passengers, the Railways said.

Private sector lender IDFC First Bank's senior management will take 10 per cent pay cut in the current financial year as a step to soften blow from the economic disruption caused by the lockdown.

V Vaidyanathan, managing director and chief executive, will take 30 per cent cut in his compensation, including fixed compensation as well as all allowances.

It was a day of delight and despair for passengers as domestic airlines resumed flights on Monday after two months of suspension. While more than 39,000 people flew on Day One, several hundred remained stranded due to last minute cancellations.

Even as airlines were supposed to operate 33 per cent of the approved summer schedule, they were forced to rework their itineraries late Sunday evening following many rounds of discussions between the Centre and states.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra on Monday said lockdown extensions are not just economically disastrous but also create another medical crisis.

While acknowledging that choices are not easy for policy makers, he said a lockdown extension will not help.

Uber India on Tuesday announced it was laying off 600 of its employees – a fourth of its total headcount of 2,400 in the country – across customer & driver support, business development, legal, finance, policy and marketing verticals.

The retrenched employees would be paid 10 to 12 weeks of salary, besides medical insurance coverage for the next six months and outplacement support, the company said.

In a notable development, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has now banned the trial of the hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine drugs on coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-affected patients, citing a study by The Lancet journal which reports that the drugs might lead to an increased risk of death and the extent of their potential benefit or harm is yet to be completely understood.

The WHO, in an official press release, stated that the observational study by The Lancet noted the effects of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine on COVID-19 patients that have been hospitalised.

People living in north India are likely to get some relief as the India Meteorological Department has predicted dust and thunderstorms over several parts of north India on May 29-30.

The weather agency further said that the wind speed is likely to be around 50-60 kilometre per hour during this period and will help in bringing the mercury down.

A major fire broke out in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday in the slums at the Tughlakabad area of Delhi. Around 1,000 to 2,000 shanties were reportedly caught ablaze in the fire.

According to the most recent updates, the situation is now fully under control and no casualty has been reported so far. As many as 30 fire tenders had been rushed to the spot.

A Pakistani-origin man has been arrested by the police in England's Derby for allegedly vandalising the Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurudwara in the area on Monday. According to sources, the man had posted a message seeking support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue before going on to vandalise the gurudwara.

Sources added that the officials have identified the apprehended individual as a man of Pakistani origin and that he is being held for the attack on the Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurudwara that took place on Monday morning in Derby.

The headquarters on Indian Railways in Delhi, Rail Bhavan, will be closed for two days starting May 26 as one more employee tested positive for coronavirus on Monday. This is the second time in a fortnight that the Bhavan will be closed for sanitisation.

Reports have said that while the office in the building will remain shut for two days, the entire fourth floor will be closed till May 29. The entire building will be sanitised. During this period employees will work from home, an order said.

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