作者： bharat.cn

The nationwide tally of coronavirus cases is soon to cross that of China’s as more cases were reported from across the country on Friday. India’s official figure, according to the health ministry, is 81,970 and is expected to surpass China’s 84,031 as the country prepares to enter the lockdown 4.0 beginning Monday. India’s fatality rate due to coronavirus is, however, significantly lesser than China’s.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Tuesday, there have been indications that the fourth phase of the lockdown would be implemented with greater relaxations to revive the economy. PM Narendra Modi had said that the lockdown 4.0 will have a “completely different form”, with new rules. PM Modi had also said the guidelines will come before May 18.

Just two days before the lockdown 3.0 is supposed to end and ahead of the announcement of guidelines for the fourth phase of coronavirus-induced lockdown 4.0, Home Minister Amit Shah held several meetings with his ministry’s officials. Senior officials have been busy in finalising the guidelines for the fourth-phase of the lockdown, a home ministry official said.

Ahead of the lockdown 4.0 and the greater relaxations that are expected to contain the economic costs of the pandemic, a prominent health expert has said that India must gear up to face the possibility of community spread of the Covid-19 and cautioned there could be more widespread transmission of the novel coronavirus due to easing of the lockdown.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra on Friday reported 1,576 new Covid-19 cases, taking the total number of cases in the state to 21,467. The fatalities due to Covid-19 mounted to 1,068 as 49 more deaths were reported.

5月13日，印度政府开始提出20万亿卢比规模（约合人民币1.9万亿元）经济刺激的具体对策。此举意在防止因新型冠状病毒疫情影响而低迷的经济显著恶化。计划以振兴当地制造业和农业作为重点，为在印度国内制造竞争力较强的商品而完善供应链。印度经济2020年有可能转为负增长，因此将启动大规模的经济刺激对策。
印度财政部长希塔拉曼预定当地时间5月13日在首都新德里举行记者会，首日将提出针对中小企业及建筑业、非银行金融机构资金周转的对策。计划用几天时间对整体对策进行说明。
印度自3月底开始以世界上最多的13亿人为对象启动封城措施。不过，以贫困阶层为中心，疫情蔓延并未停止，首都新德里和商业城市孟买处于难以预测经济活动重启时间的状况。
印度总理莫迪在5月12日晚间的电视演讲中强调“新冠病毒疫情导致世界崩溃，正在迫使印度自立。必须将这次危机变为商机”。将投入相当于名义国内生产总值（GDP）10％的28万亿日元，在国内构建新的供应链和市场。财源将投向充分利用基础设施建设和应用IT的最新系统，还将重新审视关于土地、就业和税制的僵化法律体系。

以产业培育迟缓为背景，印度经济自新冠疫情在世界范围内扩大之前就开始陷入低迷。2019年10～12月的实际增长率降至4.7％，为约7年来最低水平。从较近一段时间来看，印度的经济增长率以2018年1～3月的8.1％为顶峰，随后持续下降。印度在5月17日再次延长封城期限的可能性很高，支撑低迷经济的举措成为当务之急。

莫迪指出“一系列的改革将促进商业，吸引投资”，提出了相关举措能加强当地产业的振兴政策“印度制造”这一看法。这是莫迪的招牌政策，对象涉及汽等超过20个行业。

不过，外资对印度的高税制等显示出不满，制造业的培育进展迟缓是实情。管理咨询公司美国麦肯锡（McKinsey&Company）指出“印度的生产效率较低，仅为中国和泰国的四分之一到五分之一”。即使推出大规模的经济对策，也无法保证能吸引外资。能否像莫迪描绘的蓝图一样提振经济仍是未知数。

The government on Thursday unveiled special measures amounting to over Rs 3 lakh crore for migrant workers, farmers and other segments of the economy to help them tide over the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the deadly virus infection spread further in various states to push the nationwide tally closer to the 80,000 mark.

The death toll crossed 2,500, while more than 26,000 have recovered so far.

Some states like Kerala, Goa and Assam have also begun showing a sudden uptick in new cases after having flattened the curve earlier, while Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar are also reporting higher rates for past few days. Officials said most of the new cases in these places are linked to people having returned from outside in special trains, buses and flights.

Large numbers of cases continued to get reported in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and the national capital.

Taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of Rs 20 lakh crore economic package to help India become self-reliant in the wake of the pandemic, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the second round of these special measures, totalling about Rs 3.16 lakh crore in terms of concessional credit for farmers, free foodgrains for migrant workers and working capital loan for street vendors, among other incentives.

While PM Modi hailed the measures, the opposition termed them as jumla package. Meanwhile, the migrants continue to struggle in getting back home. Two accidents claimed the lives of 14 migrants and injured 60 others.

As the World Health Organization announced the coronavirus may never go away, the government announced draft guidelines for work from home, indicating that it is going to be part of work culture for the foreseeable time.