PTI is recommending to its subscribers the following exclusive and special stories on April 2, Thursday 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 2, Thursday as part of our continuing coverage of the COVID-19 crisis: 1. LOCKDOWN-DEATH CHRONICLES -- DEL40   New Delhi: As a kind of hush settles deeper across the expanse of India and thousands of towns and villages shut down to ward off a pandemic, life goes on as it must – and so does death. . 2. LOCKDOWN-GANGA -- DEL29 New Delhi: The health of River Ganga has seen significant improvement since enforcement of the nationwide lockdown, experts have said. .

3. VIRUS-HELPLINES -- DEL53 New Delhi: When over the counter paracetamol did not help abate Delhi-based Ankur Tiwari's low-grade fever, sore throat and breathlessness, he tried calling up the COVID-19 helplines to check if he needed to get tested for the fatal virus, but to no avail. . 4. FLIGHTS-VIRUS-METEOROLOGICAL DATA -- DEL54 New Delhi: The suspension of flights in India due to the coronavirus outbreak has led to a 60 per cent decline in the availability of meteorological data relayed by aircraft. .

5. VIRUS-STUDENTS-GOOD SAMARITANS -- DEL27   New Delhi: Students from prestigious educational institutions -- IITs, NITs and IIMs -- have come together and launched an initiative called "Sahyog" to aid stranded workers, homeless and migrants amid the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus. . 6. LOCKDOWN-LD AIR QUALITY -- DEL63   New Delhi: The nationwide 'Janta Curfew' followed by the 21-day lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak have led to a significant reduction in pollution in the country with 91 cities recording air quality in the 'good' and 'satisfactory' category on March 29,  a Central Pollution Control Board report has stated. .

7. LOCKDOWN-SUSHIL MODI-INTERVIEW -- DEL87   New Delhi: The unexpected arrival of tens of thousands of migrants amid the lockdown posed an "unmanageable" crisis for Bihar but it was defused with a number of effective measures, state Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said on Thursday. . 8. VIRUS-ITALY-INDIANS --DES21    New Delhi: Three Indians pursuing academic careers in Italy stayed back when COVID-19 was sweeping across the European nation - one to complete his doctorate, the second for coronavirus related research and the third to see how the country with the world’s second-best healthcare facilities tackles the pandemic. .

9.MH-VIRUS-DHARAVI -- BOM 20   Mumbai: The death of a COVID-19 patient from Mumbai's Dharavi, known as one of the biggest slums in Asia, has sparked a fear of spread of the disease in the highly congested area. . 10. CG-VIRUS-SHGS-MASKS -- BES10   Raipur: With the demand for face masks and hand sanitisers going up due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 853 women self help groups (SHGs) in 24 districts of Chhattisgarh are working on a war footing to manufacture these items and ensure their supply at affordable prices. .

11. MZ-LOCKDOWN-KINDNESS -- CES3   Aizawl: She is a nine-year-old with a big heart that beats inexorably for those sick from coronavirus.  The other a poor widow who ekes out a living doing menial jobs -- the common thread that binds them is their hearts of gold. . 12. WB-VIRUS- SONGS -- CES4   Kolkata: Popular singer-musicians of West Bengal are composing songs during lockdown for lifting community spirit hoping that people will emerge stronger after the coronavirus pandemic. .

13. VIRUS-US-INDIAN ENGINEERS -- FGN23   Washington: Cheering for Indian engineers who are trying to build a low-cost ventilator, the US hopes that this invention succeeds and can eventually be mass produced to save many lives from the deadly coronavirus that has killed over 5,000 people in America and 40,000 others globally. . 14. VIRUS-US-LD BABY --  FGN7 New York: A six-week-old baby girl has died of coronavirus in the US state of Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont said on Thursday, stressing that the death is a reminder that "nobody is safe with this virus" as the COVID-19 cases there crossed 3,500. .

15. VIRUS-PAK -- FGN33   Islamabad: The Pakistani Army will oversee the coordination between the federal and provincial governments to tackle the coronavirus pandemic as the number of cases in the country showed an upward trend despite various efforts to contain the disease that has infected over 2,200 people. . 16. VIRUS-US-INDIANS -- FES31   Houston: Three Indian Americans, including an IT professional and a doctor, have tested positive for coronavirus in Houston this week and are in critical condition in a hospital. .

17. VIRUS-NEPAL-CHINA -- FES23   Kathmandu: The Nepal government has scrapped a major deal for coronavirus testing kits and protective gears signed with a private Chinese company after finding them be of sub-standard quality, according to a senior official. . 18. VIRUS-LOCKDOWN-CASES -- LST4 New Delhi: The current 21-day lockdown may help reduce the projected number of symptomatic novel coronavirus cases in India by nearly 83 per cent till day 20 from the beginning of the intervention, thereby flattening the COVID-19 curve, scientists say..