News in Short

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued national directives on management of COVID-19 pandemic , according to which wearing of face covers and masks is compulsory in public places and work places.
• The first set of such guidelines to be followed by States for containment of COVID-19 epidemic in the country was issued on March 24 under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, invoked for the first time in the country.
• The lockdown was extended till May 3 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. To mitigate hardships faced by people during the extended lockdown, certain additional activities are to be allowed from April 20.

• The Capital witnessed a sharp decline in heinous crime against women since the beginning of lockdown, the data shared by Delhi Police sources show.
• The data recorded that from March 22 to April 12, the number of rape cases registered under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code stood at 23 as opposed to 139 in 2019, during the same time period leading to a decline of 83.4%.
• Explaining the decreased rate of crime against women, the authorities said that molestation has reduced because there is no visual contact. Another factor is people are not able to procure alcohol which is a trigger for many crimes.

• In a first, the Andhra Pradesh government has introduced ‘Farmgate system’ to procure paddy directly from the doorstep of farmers at the village level.
• Under the system, the State government had entrusted the responsibility of procuring paddy to agriculture assistants at the village secretariats.
• The agricultural assistants had been instructed pass on the price details of farm produce to the respective District Collectors.
• The Collectors will monitor the price fluctuations and take the necessary action after consulting the Marketing Department.

• South Korean voters wore masks and moved slowly between lines of tape at polling stations to elect lawmakers in the shadows of the spreading coronavirus.
• The government resisted calls to postpone the parliamentary elections billed as a midterm referendum for President Moon Jae-in, who enters the final years of his term grappling with a historic public health crisis that is unleashing massive economic shock.
• The National Assembly elections are seen as a bit of springboard to test candidates and party popularity ahead of the presidential elections in 2022.

• US President Donald Trumphas instructed his administration to halt funding to the World Health Organization over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Donald Trump said the WHO had "failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable." He said the group had promoted China's "disinformation" about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak of the virus than otherwise would have occurred.
• The United States is the biggest overall donor to the Geneva-based WHO, contributing more than $400 million in 2019, roughly 15% of its budget.