Heena Sharma Blog

The nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic would remain in force till May 3, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, as the number of people suffering from the disease in India touched 10,453 and deaths topped 358, according to Worldometer. “In view of all suggestions, it has been decided that the nationwide lockdown would be extended until May 3. This means we all will have to stay indoors, in a lockdown, until May 3 — with the same discipline and resolve that we have shown so far," said PM Modi in a televised address to the nation at 10 am. In his address, the PM said that we would have to keep an eye on newer hotspots and take stringent measures to curb the spread. Read More

The economic slowdown is beginning to reflect in the salary hikes of India Inc. The average salary increase in 2020 is projected to be 9.1 per cent, the lowest in a decade, according to the 24th edition of Aon Plc’s annual salary increase survey. In 2018 and 2019, companies increased average salary by 9.5 per cent and 9.3 per cent, respectively. After the financial crisis of 2008, the average hike had slumped to 6.6 per cent. The projected increase for 2020 is lower than the average salary hike that graduates of top Business schools have managed at around 12 per cent. The good news, however, is that despite gross domestic product (GDP) growth estimates getting revised downward, the average salary increase for 2020 will be only 20 basis points lower than that of the previous year. Moreover, double-digit salary increments have not vanished entirely. While the average for the country has come down, 39 per cent of the companies are still willing to give double-digit salary incr