Reserve Bank of India’s Relief Package for Covid-19 Pandemic: A Review

The world is battling with the novel Corona virus (COVID 19) pandemic since the end of the year 2019. In India, the first case of the disease was recorded in late January 2020 and it gradually began to spread its tentacles to every part of the nation. The juggernaut of the pandemic, had forced the Government to implement a strict nationwide lockdown from March 25, 2020 for a period of 21 days;which was gradually extended in three further phases. Such a sudden halt of the entire economy brought a devastating impact on lives of people. To keep the economy buoy amidst such times, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had come out with a comprehensive monetary package during the initial phase of the lockdown amounting to approximately Rs.3.74 trillion. This paper is a review of four important aspects of centralbank’s relief measures that were released in the month of March and April 2020 which aimed to provide substantial cushion to the economy.

Post COVID Era: New Ways to Battle Pandemic Distress

It has been more than a year since the first lockdown happened, but our nation is still standing at the crossroads. Most of us had written off COVID 19 at some point of time when cases had begun to dive, but we still continue to figure out how we can battle this unforeseen situation. With the vaccination drive picking up, we are attempting to fight the battle against the invisible enemy. But it is no hidden fact that in a country like India, which has a huge population and high density, it will take time. However, it is refreshing to see that in spite of all odds, few sectors have seen a substantial change in their approach to business outlook. The change is witnessed not only in the economic environment, but also in the societal setting. This paper discusses about four sectors that have been quick to adapt to pandemic related changes. Using secondary data, the paper elaborates on how these sectors are contributing to shaping the society and economy to the ‘new normal’. The idea is to examine and understand how these sectors are re-shaping after the outbreak of the pandemic. A new perspective towards the Indian education sector, with the aim of taking it at par with the foreign learning ecosystem, is also proposed. However, various scientific studies suggest that the novel Corona virus is undergoing rapid mutation which is why each ‘wave of pandemic’ is presenting a new set of challenges to the world. Thus, the scope of the paper is set to discuss about the activities and measures that are undertaken during and after the outbreak of second wave in the nation.

Mitigating the impact of conference and travel cancellations on researchers' futures.

The need to protect public health during the current COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated conference cancellations on an unprecedented scale. As the scientific community adapts to new working conditions, it is important to recognize that some of our actions may disproportionately affect early-career researchers and scientists from countries with limited research funding. We encourage all conference organizers, funders and institutions who are able to do so to consider how they can mitigate the unintended consequences of conference and travel cancellations and we provide seven recommendations for how this could be achieved. The proposed solutions may also offer long-term benefits for those who normally cannot attend conferences, and thus lead to a more equitable future for generations of researchers.