PTI is recommending to its subscribers the following exclusive and special stories on April 12, Sunday as part of our continuing coverage of the COVID-19 crisis:

PTI is recommending to its subscribers the following exclusive and special stories on April 12, Sunday as part of our continuing coverage of the COVID-19 crisis: 1. BIZ-LOCKDOWN-SURAKSHA STORES -- DEL17 New Delhi: Ahead of extending restrictions on the mobility of goods and persons, the government plans to set up a chain of 20 lakh retail shops called 'Suraksha Stores' across India which will provide daily essentials to citizens while maintaining stringent safety norms. . 2. LOCKDOWN-PASWAN-INTERVIEW -- DEL33 New Delhi: The central government has enough grains to feed over 81 crore beneficiaries of the public distribution system (PDS) for nine months, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Sunday, expressing confidence that its granaries, expecting a boost from a "bumper" wheat crop, will have adequate stock for a much longer period. .

3. RJ-LOCKDOWN-PRISONERS -- DEL61 Jaipur: Stepping forward to help in the fight against coronavirus from behind the high walls of their jails, hundreds of Rajasthan’s prisoners are busy cooking food, stitching masks, packing protection kits and manufacturing thousands of litres of sanitiser each day. . 4. UKD-VIRUS-CORBETT -- DEL8 Dehradun: Transmission of the novel coronavirus to a tiger at a zoo in the US has led authorities at the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand to set up quarantine wards in its ranges for tigers, elephants and sniffer dog squads to protect them from the virus. .

5. VIRUS-MASKS LIVELIHOOD -- DEL7 New Delhi: Mala in Alleppey, Rashmi in Sitamarhi and Sarita in Damoh are busy making masks to protect thousands from coronavirus and at the same time are supporting their family financially during the lockdown period. . 6. LOCKDOWN-CINEMA-TRANSITION -- DEL18 Mumbai: The transition from the magic of the big screen experience, complete with popcorn, candy and push back chairs, to the small screen has been rapid as audiences adapt to life under lockdown and filmmakers resize their offerings in keeping with the times. .

7. VIRUS-TASLIMA-INTERVIEW -- DEL22 New Delhi: The current situation across the globe due to COVID-19 pandemic reminds firebrand writer Taslima Nasreen of her days as a doctor treating patients during the cholera outbreak in Bangladesh in the early 90s. . 8. VIRUS-'WARRIOR' -- DEL42  New Delhi/Lucknow:One of the many ‘corona warriors’ on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19, Ramakrishna literally dropped everything he was doing back home in Telangana and headed 1,500 km to Lucknow when he got a call from his guide requesting that he return to his ‘post’ – his laboratory. .

9. LOCKDOWN-HINDU REFUGEES -- DEL71 New Delhi: Sitting near the mud stove in her makeshift semi-pukka house on the banks of the Yamuna, Rani Das, a Hindu refugee from Pakistan, is wondering what if the lockdown is extended. Does she have enough ration to feed her family? 10. RJ-LOCKDOWN-SONG -- DEL48 Jaipur: Think twice before violating the coronavirus lockdown in the Rajasthan capital: Jaipur Police will inflict Masakali 2.0 on you. . 11. VIRUS-INNOVATIONS -- DEL12 New Delhi: From low cost portable ventilators to drones for sanitising, robots for delivery of food and medicines to special stethoscope for examining patients from a distance and a UV technology fitted trunk for sanitising currency and grocery items---several institutions and start ups have come up with innovations to strengthen the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. .

12. KL-VIRUS-THOMAS ISAAC -- DEL28 New Delhi: Ramping up efforts to "stamp out" coronavirus cases in the state, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has said that not only lockdown but intense testing of people and tracing of their contacts are also equally important in the fight against the outbreak. . 13. DL-VIRUS-ODDEVEN-AZADPUR MANDI -- DES17 New Delhi:The Azadpur mandi, the largest wholesale fruit and vegetable market in the country, has decided to introduce odd-even rules from Monday to maintain social distancing in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. .

14. DL-VIRUS-MANDIS-LD POLICE -- DES33 New Delhi: In Delhi's bustling wholesale vegetable and fruit markets which witness a steady stream of buyers throughout the day, police have deployed drones, marked spots in front of stalls for customers to stand and are making repeated announcements to ensure people follow social distancing norms. . 15: CG-LOCKDOWN-COP -- BOM18 Raipur: For Santosh Yadav, overcoming the hardships caused due to coronavirus outbreak was no less daunting than battling Maoists in the jungles of Chhattisgarh.  The 30-year-old Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) jawan travelled over 1100 km in three days using goods trains, trucks and river boat to reach his village in Uttar Pradesh after his mother's death. .

16. TN-VIRUS-PUPPETRY -- MDS1 Chenna: Calling out fake news in these desperate times of COVID-19 scare and spreading awareness on the disease have assumed significance more than ever and a veteran puppet artist in Tamil Nadu has chosen the ancient folk art form to do just that. . 17. VIRUS-NEPAL-2NDLD INDIANS -- FGN28 Kathmandu: Three Indian nationals, who entered Nepal from India for a religious mass gathering and were staying at a mosque in the southern part of the country, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the health ministry here said on Sunday 18. VIRUS-US-INDIA-LD DRUGS -- FGN25 Washington: A consignment of hydroxychloroquine from India has reached the US, the global COVID-19 hotspot, days after New Delhi lifted a ban on the export of the anti-malarial drug to America and some other countries on humanitarian grounds to help them combat the coronavirus pandemic. .

19. VIRUS-INDIA-OFFICIAL -- FGN12 Washington:A three-week lockdown is a reasonable starting point to contain the coronavirus pandemic in a country like India, eminent Indian-American epidemiologist Rajeev Venkayya has said, cautioning that a successful fight against the deadly virus might require some more time. . 20. VIRUS-US-INDIA-STUDENTS -- FGN11 Washington: India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu has advised the Indian students, stranded in America due to the sudden closure of universities and the ongoing lockdown back home because of the coronavirus pandemic, to stay where they are and assured them help in this crisis situation..