A once-in-a-century pandemic will likely play spoilsport at a once-in-12-years Hindu event in India.
The Maha Kumbh, a religious congregation of Hindu seers and devotees, will be held in the northern Indian city of Haridwar between April 1 and 30. But the event, which is observed once every 12 years at each of India’s four river-bank pilgrimage sites, will be significantly pared down because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unlike a free-for-all
mela or fair, the Maha Kumbh this year would need specific passes, Covid-19-negative tests, and constant masking. The event will also be much shorter than usual, which means small businesses that thrive during these events, including the local tourism industry, would be looking at far fewer economic opportunities.
Eligible beneficiaries can now self-register to take the Covid-19 shot, either at a paid private healthcare centre, or a government-run centre where the vaccine is free.
Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das has said the central bank has "certain major concerns about cryptocurrency" and its impact on financial stability.
March 1, 2021
Mukesh Ambani has yet again displayed his seriousness towards technology but experts believe it might be too soon to call his oil-to-telecom conglomerate “tech-first.”
On Feb. 28, Ambani’s Reliance Industries (RIL) said it had bought an additional stake in skyTran, a US-based company that has developed a technology for running pod taxis, for $26.76 million (Rs196 crore). RIL had first picked up a 12.7% stake in skyTran in 2018 and bought some additional shares of the company in 2019 and 2020. With the recent deal, RIL’s stake in skyTrans stands at 54.5%. All these investments have been done through RIL’s subsidiary Reliance Strategic Business Ventures.