AV 25th April 2020

FIRST & FOREMOST ASIAN WEEKLY IN EUROPE

inside:

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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side

25 APRIL - 1 MAY 2020 - VOL 48 ISSUE 50

'OUR MENTAL HEALTH ALSO MATTERS'

Mayor of London hails TfL workers as “real heroes” SEE PAGE 4

Muslims battle right-wing propaganda about Ramadan gatherings SEE PAGE 6

UK court rejects Mallya's plea against extradition order SEE PAGE 10

Covid-19 cases in India spike to 18,985; death toll 603 SEE PAGE 11 Rupanjana Dutta & Priyanka Mehta The UK faces the biggest health crisis in a century and young doctors are rendered helpless, frustrated and exposed to the virus. 27-year-young Dr. Meenal Viz who is six months pregnant with her first child has protested outside Downing Street after being asked to continue working despite her concerns around coronavirus. This perhaps is an

accurate representation of the fears of hundreds of thousands of medics working at NHS frontlines without adequate protection and testing equipment.

Almost half of the country’s doctors say they are suffering from severe burnout as Britain sleep-walked into coronavirus.

Some are now at the risk of developing psychological and mental health illnesses including anxiety, depression, and at worst Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Continued on page 4

India blocks Chinese threat of takeovers SEE PAGE 12

2 UK

AsianVoiceNews

AsianVoiceNewsweekly

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25 April - 1 May 2020

with Keith Vaz

Additional flights for Britons from South Asian countries

Vinit Mehta Vinit Mehta was born in Uganda and was just one when his family left during the exodus of 1972. He grew up in North London and lives with his wife and two teenage children with his parents and siblings living close by. He is a keen sports fan and a Spurs supporter, not an easy task! He attended Latymer School before studying Economics at university, after which he initially followed his passion for entrepreneurialism by investing in and working with businesses before drawing on his academic background and forging a career in financial services. After working for two corporates for several years, Vinit was invited to join the St. James’s Place Partnership in 2012 where his Practice specialises in tax-efficient estate planning and retirement solutions. Their business has grown on recommendations and his team and he have a simple motto: to exceed our clients' expectations.

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Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?

London: I still get a buzz out of visiting world-famous attractions and museums probably more than tourists! Being a Londoner is something unique: I was on a sabbatical in Tanzania when the 7/7 bombings.

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What is the best aspect about your current role?

The people I meet, and the relationships built. I am a 'people person' and it gives me an enormous amount of satisfaction to help people achieve their financial goals and aspirations. I feel incredibly lucky to do be doing a job that I truly love: not everyone can say that!

What are your proudest achievements?

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And the worst?

My children. Seeing them develop from babies into two wonderful individuals who I can now happily hold a conversation about anything from politics to music is more rewarding than anything else I have achieved in my life. Also, building a financial advice Practice that has grown purely through recommendation rather than marketing.

The paperwork! I work in a highly regulated environment, so inevitably there is a lot of processing and administration involved.

Fortunately, I have a fantastic team behind me who are extremely capable with administration (I call them the A-Team) and I focus on what I love doing - seeing clients.

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What are your long-term goals?

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What inspires you?

My father is my biggest inspiration. We came with virtually nothing in 1972, and yet his hard work as a pharmacist enabled him to buy a home in 6 months and his own business within a few years. He is also always been happy and willing to help anyone in need.

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What has been biggest obstacle in your career?

There were unscrupulous individuals who tried to undermine me earlier in my career, but any setbacks were temporary and only made me more resilient going forward. My father taught me that integrity is everything and relationships are all about trust and always doing the right thing.

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If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?

Looking at my previous answer, it would be to make financial education mandatory in schools. I recently persuaded my 18-year old daughter to let me explain the importance of pensions to which she asked me why this was not taught in schools. It is a valid question that needs to be answered.

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If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?

Muhammad Ali. He was one of my heroes when I was a child, but as I grew up, I learnt that he was far more than one of the greatest athletes of all time. He was an outstanding orator, political thinker, activist, and entertainer. I would just love to hear him talk!

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The High Commission of India in the UK, in partnership with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), organised a Virtual Roundtable on ‘Covid19 – Issues, Challenges & Way forward’ for Indian Businesses in the UK. The roundtable was aimed at giving a comprehensive overview of various stimulus measures announced by the UK government. It also took stock of the issues and challenges being faced by the businesses. The roundtable was attended by over 40 Indian business representatives across sectors like Financial Services, Hospitality, Healthcare, IT & IT Services, Trading, and business services. Full story: www.asian-voice.com.

owing to the domestic lockdown in India.

Over the last few weeks, the UK and Indian governments have been successful in repatriating thousands of such British nationals.

Britons who have now returned to the UK however, have shared their experiences off a breakdown in communication with foreign office, being put on waiting lists, and administrative delays. London Assembly Member Navin Shah in his open letter to Dominic Raab has even flagged up concerns around lack of social distancing at these chartered flights and addressed the issue of soaring ticket prices of the one-way journey going as high as £600 per ticket.

To combat price hike, the UK Foreign Office is handing out temporary interestfree loans to these families which are repayable in six months timespan.

UK Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon said, “We know this is a difficult time for British travellers and there is great demand for these flights. This is a huge and logistically-complex operation, and we are working tirelessly with the Indian Government and state authorities to help more British travellers get home.”

Vulnerable and elderly people are prioritised for seats on these flights. For registration please visit here: https://www.gov.uk/foreigntravel-advice/india/return-to-the-uk

Restaurants seek help from government to fight financial crisis after lockdown lifts Rupanjana Dutta

My motto is to simplify the complicated: people often do not consider financial planning because it seems too scary or complex. I want to ensure that as many people as possible see the importance of planning. I also want to see financial education being introduced in schools and am promoting this.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?

My wife. I always wanted to follow my father and grandfather's footsteps in having my own business, but it is impossible without having the right support behind you. Swati is my confidante for my business - as well as being a great mother and the backbone of our family.

On 17th April, the UK government announced 17 additional charter flights to repatriate those Britons stranded across different states of India. Four charter flights from Bangladesh to the UK will take home up to 850 British nationals to the United Kingdom. The FCO in collaboration with the Indian government had already previously scheduled 21 rescue flights from major Indian hubs such as Goa, Mumbai, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi and West Bengal. Now, as the Indian government announced an extended lockdown with the country’s international borders sealed until 3rd May, UK has announced seventeen more charter flights with a total capacity of around 4000 passengers.

Following is the schedule of the newly announced flights: l Ahmedabad to London on 22, 24, 26 April; l Amritsar to London on 23, 25 and 27 April; l Bangalore (via Ahmedabad) to London on 23 April; l Delhi to London on 23, 25 and 27 April; l Goa to London on 22 and 24 April; l Mumbai to London on 26 April. l London to Dhaka on 23, 25 & 26 April, with accompanying transfers from Sylhet The FCO had first announced a bailout package of £75 mn for the safe evacuation of the Britons stranded across the world.

Government sources had initially estimated 25,000-30,000 Britons who were stranded in India wherein many were running out of prescribed NHS medicines, food shortages

As the UK remains on quarantine lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, the epidemic is testing the country’s ability to cook.

With restaurants and takeaways across the country closed for the foreseeable future, Brits are forced to practice their culinary skills at home. But, what dishes are the UK cooking during lockdown?

Food Box Company Gousto tracked which recipes the UK has been searching for, while self-isolating and the full study includes the breakdown of the most popular lockdown recipes. Among the top 10 dishes on the list two Indian inspired items- mild chicken curry and lamb biryani, did land a spot.

An Indian street food restaurant in Newcastle has revamped to keep its business operating during this pandemic. ‘My Delhi’ is reportedly offering DIY recipe kits to fight the loss of business since its restaurant closure due to this pandemic.

Not only the kits include ingredients and spices, they also have an instructional video on how to make the meals, so that the customers can learn how to make some dishes they love to eat from that restaurant.

Restaurants face financial crisis But not all is hunky dory in the restaurant circle. In London’s leafy suburbs, many Indian restaurants thrived with their niche menu. One of them is ‘Posto', which has been extremely popular among the Bengali community. Month of March and April are usually extremely busy for restaurants like Posto, with Mother’s Day as well as the Bengali New Year celebration. But this year it has been all very quiet and ever since the announcement of self-isolation, there has been a drastic fall in the number of vi sitors to their restaurant.

When the government demanded closure, Posto abided by the law. They furloughed five of their staff, the chef and founder of the restaurant, Pritha Mukherjee told Asian Voice. But she

remains unsure if her business could withstand the blow of the slowing economy or the extended closure due to Covid-19.

Exclusively discussing problems that startups like hers face, she said, “We all have bills to pay. Whether it is rent, or insurance- these are costs that don’t stop, even if the virus forces us to close our restaurant.

“We have to show a healthy cashflow for past two or three years to be eligible for the government’s loan. For a business that is not in central London, and that is only two years old, can hardly show a healthy cashflow. So that makes availing or serving the government loan hard if not impossible. I don’t think this government is doing enough for startups. They have to think differently for startups and make borrowings easier for them.”

Sudharsan Murugavel the chef and owner at 'Dosa Kitchen' in Newcastle upon Tyne, speaking to Asian Voice said, “Different businesses have different challenges.

But I think what the government is doing is absolutely great. You can’t expect anything more from them.

“We have furloughed all the staff. The government has waived off all the business rates, which we don’t have to pay for one year. The only challenge is we have to pay the rent. There is a mortgage holiday for residential landlords but not business landlords.

Since the mortgage depends on our rent, we have to pay it. But the government is happy to give a £25,000 grant, so if that money comes in, we don’t have to take it as profit, but we can use that to pay the landlord towards the rent.

“The real tricky situation will be after lockdown is over. It is going to be a global crisis, a lot of people would lose jobs, and they would not be going to restaurants. They won’t have money to spend. While you can’t expect the government to support us for a year, but after the lockdown is over, if the government can do something to support small businesses, that will be helpful.”

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COMMENTS

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25 April - 1 May 2020

Seva Yagna and Gyan Yagna As Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar team, based in London and Ahmedabad, put the best foot forward in trying times of pandemic, we were compelled to take an interim measure of combining your bilingual weeklies. We regret any inconvenience caused to our esteemed readers and subscribers.

I am glad to announce that we are resuming our standard format. From the next edition Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar will be put out together separately, like it was earlier.

The print industry, and especially ethnic publications have burnt under the Covid-19 outbreak blow. Quite many publications in the UK US and India have to suspend their print edition and rely solely on the e-services in reaching out to the readers. I once again apologize for the inconvenience caused to valued readers and subscribers. I am also most grateful to all those who have shown solidarity , both our readers and ABPL team members.

I hope that you and your family members are keeping well during this Covid 19 pandemic, which has almost brought life to a near standstill. The virus has left every sector shocked. The human toll figures are shocking and are on the rise. Take all necessary care please.

We at Gujarat Samachar (UK) and Asian Voice, would like to pay sincere tribute to all the Health workers, police, social institutes globally, on their toes, working day and night tirelessly to bring this severe situation under control.

Our prayers are with the families cur-

rently who are battling with Covid-19 and other serious illnesses, particularly those who have lost their loved ones.

Being a responsible media house, Gujarat Samachar (UK) and Asian Voice have dedicated themselves to serve its readers and updating them with the recent developments around the world.

We have continuously engaged ourselves in “SEVA YAGNA” and “GYAN YAGNA” which is our motto.

Our e-paper services will be available to all the readers complimentary till further notice.

Click on the below links to access Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar epapers. You can enjoy reading our epapers online through the below links: Gujarat Samachar: https://www.abplgroup.com/Publicatio ns/Gujarat-Samachar Asian Voice: https://www.abplgroup.com/Publicatio ns/Asian-Voice Being a part of our family, we pray for your and your loved ones safely and wellness.

We also welcome you to share any of your suggestions which would help us to serve you better.

Stay Safe. Stay Healthy and if possible, be a helping hand during this needful time.

Yours sincerely C B Patel Publisher/Editor

READERS’ VOICE Rough sleepers We have recently seen City Hall announce that over one thousand rough sleepers needing to self-isolate in the capital have been helped into safe accommodation.

This has come about through the diligent collaborative efforts of the Mayor of London, the Government and local authorities, alongside the generous help of the hospitality sector. We must also recognise the crucial role that homelessness charities such as St. Mungo’s, are playing in this.

There is no doubt a lot more progress can be made on ensuring those still on our streets, who are incredibly vulnerable to the worst impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak, are sufficiently protected.

Homelessness in all its forms is an

incredibly complex issue, but with the right political will we can make significant strides to tackle it.

This is why we should sustain the cross-party political co-operation we are seeing now into the future as our society slowly starts to recover from this devastating virus, to make sure no one has to sleep on London’s streets again.

City Hall has previously laid out an Action Plan with the funding that it needs to eradicate rough sleeping in London, and I now urge the Government to work more closely with us to put the wheels in motion on this.

Navin Shah AM London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow

Lockdown in India It was an incredible and very well thought decision of a visionary leader NaMo to extend the lock down till 3rdMay (AV dated 18-25 April 2020) to contain the spread of Covid-19. He has fully realised the hardships faced by common people and daily wage earners and hence conditional relaxation is given to the workforce of vital sectors of the economy.

Foreign media like the BBC have been showing images of the police beating some people or a few citizens in slums

with no food just to tarnish the image of the country and blame NaMo for lockdown. But the media have deliberately ignored the fact that in a country of more than 1.3 billion people there will be some issues. Time will prove that the bold decisions taken by NaMo along with the support of dynamic administrative staff including the police and health care personnel have saved thousands of lives.

Hitesh Hingu London

Is Coronavirus a laboratory created disaster?

I have been mentioning from day one that this human catastrophe could be manmade disaster while China may be creating such super-bug in laboratory to add to its armoury of weapons to subjugate West economically, politically and ultimately militarily, the best example is the nationalisation of South China Sea by building artificial islands in International Waters for military use, without a murmur from docile West.

The virus may have escaped or even

released deliberately by China to create economic mayhem in the West. China has succeeded beyond its wildest dream, with West’s economy in meltdown, depending on China for safety equipment no one else could provide.

Now President Trump and few other world leaders have expressed same sentiments, urging WHO, a tool of China to investigate!

Bhupendra M. Gandhi

By Email

Monitoring BBC’s reportage of coronavirus management in South Asia Coronavirus: Brits in India slam UK government's 'shambolic' repatriation. This was the headline of the BBC article dated 16th April 2020.

At the very outset, journalists will unanimously agree that the responsibility of a credible media organisation is to challenge the flaws and mishandlings of a government. Therefore, they must act as a watchdog, regardless of a pandemic. That said, journalists will also give credence to the theory that their reporting must be balanced if not unbiased. This mandates a complete representation of the facts and not cherry-picking case studies that conveniently suits one’s narrative. And the BBC has routinely faced antagonist remarks for its coverage of South Asia and third world countries on the whole. However, this time it appears perhaps, the BBC ran out of time or the staff to research adequate facts.

The article mentions one line, “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said the repatriation was a "huge and complex" operation”. And drones on about administrative complaints from Britons who have either been able to return to their homes or are still stuck in India.

Here is the problem with the BBC’s article. It fails to acknowledge and inform its readers about the steps of the said “complex” operation. India is a sub-continent and similar to the Eurozone in its geography. The density of each state is equivalent to that of European countries meaning these Britons across each state are stranded across different cities, districts, and villages. Organising special transport for those Britons to get them to a central airport hub in each state is a herculean effort in itself. Administrative co-operation and co-ordination is required among foreign embassies, central government, state governments, and local police for crossing inter-state borders at a time when India remains under strict lockdown to combat community transmission. The complexity of coronavirus further mandates social distancing norms, health checks, the supply of PPE to ensure that in their repatriation process these British nationals do not contract the infection. The financial reimbursement are stacked on top of the challenges for any government. The foreign office is indeed charging exponential ticket prices to these Britons despite rolling out a bailout package of £75mn. But the magic money tree doesn’t save the day if these flights are carrying passengers only one way after the Indian government insisted that those students stranded in Britain must continue to quarantine themselves there.

Perhaps, the BBC caught on to only one end of the narrative because it forgot to discuss the challenges of foreign officials. Whilst we at the Asian Voice, have campaigned for the “stranded Britains” to be brought back home, we have also chronicled the other side of history.

Another stimulus package The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come out with another set of steps to address the financial and economic dislocation caused by the Covid-19. The latest measures will ease the liquidity constraints being faced by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and micro finance institutions (MFIs); incentivise banks to boost credit flow; ease financial constraints being faced by state governments and relax regulatory norms for banks and NBFCs. To ensure that credit flows to all parts of the financial system, the central bank announced the second version of its targeted long-term repo operations, this time directed towards NBFCs and MFIs since the previous such operations were directed towards large corporates and public sector undertakings.

This step is a clear indication of the RBI’s intention of directing credit flow to certain segments, to ensure that liquidity reaches the right pockets. Similarly, opening up a special refinance facility for NABARD, SIDBI and NHB will help facilitate credit flow to the agricultural sector, MSMEs as well as cash-strapped housing finance companies. The central bank has also lowered the reverse repo rate further, hoping that it will disincentivise banks from parking their surplus funds with it, thereby incentivising them to lend to the broader economy.

On the regulatory side, banks have been provided further relief - the 90-day NPA classification norm will kick in only after the moratorium ends, while timelines for implementing resolution plans have been extended. NBFCs with exposure to commercial real estate have also been provided with some relaxations. To ease the financial constraints being faced by state governments, the RBI has further increased the ways and means advances limit. While these limits may need to be raised further, it does provide them with some breathing space.

Is China losing its crown?

China is possibly going to lose its crown of being the preferred manufacturing hub, following the coronavirus pandemic. Around 1000 foreign companies, some even in South Korea want to discuss their opportunities with India instead of China. At least 300 of these companies are actively pursuing production plans in sectors such as mobiles, electronics, medical devices, textiles and synthetic fabric, according to top government sources. These companies look at India as an alternate manufacturing hub. They have taken their proposals across government – including central government, Indian missions abroad and respective industrial departments.

On the other hand, the US President Trump has halted payment to the World Health Organization for 2 to 3 months, as his administration reviews the group's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Last Tuesday he made an announcement asking for a review to assess the World Health Organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.

He claimed that the WHO was slow to respond to the crisis and that the organisation has been bias towards China. The US is WHO’s largest donor, yet they have been appealing for an extra $1bn to help fight the coronavirus.

WHO in early January had spoken about how crucial this disease was, and how it was spreading rapidly, and the organisation had declared that coronavirus was a public health emergency of international level. This was before Trump announced his partial ban on flights coming from China.

There are many theories on how this virus spread from Wuhan to as far as the US. A lot is unknown- some say it is a lab leak of a bio-weapon and others think it has come from the wet market of Wuhan, but no one knows the truth- a lack of transparency which is turning the world against China. Along with vaccines, the world will need serious community backtracking to help one find the cause behind the disease and they need China’s help to eradicate it completely.

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Mayor of London hails TfL workers as “real heroes” Priyanka Mehta The Mayor of London has hailed TfL workers as the “real heroes” despite controversy around overcrowding of underground tubes as a result of reduced services.

As Asian Voice went to press on Tuesday, Sadiq Khan said to the newsweekly, “The good news is that there is a 95% reduction in use in tubes and an 85% similar reduction in usage of bus services. And now, there is a drastic reduction in congestion in the tubes. These services now continue to run only for critical key frontline workers who cannot work from home and rely on pubContinued from page 1

lic transport to commute.

“This is why in my view, our transport workers are our real heroes for continuing to serve the TfL even though there is a 30% reduction in absences of other staff because of self-isolation or those suffering from coronavirus themselves. ” A joint report launched

only a day earlier by watchdogs Transport Focus and London Travel Watch said that a cut in frequent services was indeed to blame for the overcrowding and therefore, lack of social distancing. However, transport workers at Underground Tubes are not the only ones suffering from the domino effects of coronavirus. Uber drivers and other immigrant contract workers are also facing the fears of being evicted from their rental lodgings and starving to death even as Oxford University team hopes to have a vaccine available for use by the autumn this year.

This does not buy enough

time for contractual workers receiving immediate eviction notices. The Mayor said, “I have been lobbying the government on behalf of a third of Londoners who rent privately from the landlords for increased protection and that they should not be left with large debts when the pandemic is contained.”

The government last month announced a “complete ban” on evictions for both social and private renters for three months in the wake of coronavirus.

However, this has not stopped many from asking their tenants to leave on the grounds of fear of contagion.

'OUR MENTAL HEALTH ALSO MATTERS'

“I still don’t think that people understand the complexity of the disease. If I could, I would ask those venturing out for picnics enjoying the summer sunshine to come to spend a day at our wards as we deal with an increasing number of COVID-19 patients. It is like living a death a day.

“We tend to dance it out in our wards, for patients, we know who may not make it.

But I am afraid of going back home every day at the end of my shift. I don’t want to infect my sister. I am scared about my parents, my dad has Type II diabetes and my mum has high blood pressure making them more susceptible to the virus. But I don’t want to temporarily move out either unlike my other colleagues, because I don’t know what the next day would bring for me,” said Dr. Rania Shah*, (name changed on request of anonymity) a junior doctor working at an NHS hospital in Harrow in a statement to Asian Voice.

British Medical Association (BMA) recently surveyed over 6,000 members between 14th and 16th April, where 44% of doctors said that they were currently suffering from depression, anxiety, stress, burnout or other mental health conditions. All related to or made worse by their work, especially due to the mounting evidence of the disturbing toll of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lack of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

More than half of doctors (51%) did not feel they were personally supported by the Government and over 4,500 doctors responded to the questions around mental health.

“This is a huge learning curve for all young doctors especially medical students who are transplanted from their dummy labs to actual COVID-19 wards. They may be very enthused to save lives, but the truth is there is that they can do very little even as the government calls on their support. On the contrary, we

are worried at the long-term impact that these daily deaths will have on their mental health,” said a consultant anaesthesiologist working at an NHS Trust hospital in West Midlands who asked to remain anonymous.

In testimonies provided to the BMA, one doctor added, “What has been most distressing is seeing nurses break down uncontrollably in tears, knowing there is nothing you can do.”

This comes after the publication of new Public Health guidance, which recommended the reuse of PPE for healthcare workers amidst acute shortages. It also recommended the use of alternative measures such as wearing aprons instead of gowns to treat Covid-19 patients.

Chaand Nagpaul, BMA Council Chair, told Asian Voice, “This is a deeply disturbing finding and demonstrates the toll this pandemic is having on the wellbeing of frontline doctors.

“Doctors are working within exceptional challenges in fighting this virus, working long hours looking after unprecedented numbers of seriously sick patients and with relentless increases in deaths daily. They deserve to be protected from becoming infected themselves in the course of their duty, yet many of our fears and warnings are turning into reality. It is unthinkable that this would not take an emotional and mental toll, and we know that Covid will be around for many more months yet.”

How easy is it for the doctors to avoid these mental stress triggers?

Dr. Sohom Das, a psychiatrist with a special focus on forensic psychiatry, shed light on the likely long-term impacts of this pandemic on the NHS workforce. He told the newsweekly, “If you are a medic at the frontline, then there is no way you can avoid stress triggers. They will see people dying every day and depending upon the person

Dr Sohom Das

the pandemic can cause anything from PTSD to anxiety and depression among doctors."

War veterans draft PTSD guidance for NHS Recent reports have surfaced about veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq drawing up support guidelines to help NHS workers cope with PTSD after treating coronavirus patients.

The advice was drawn by the Help for Heroes charity, initially to support staff at the recently opened Nightingale emergency hospital but can be implemented at other such facilities across London.

Some military techniques that can help the NHS workers are based on clear and concise communication, establishing a camaraderie mentorship between experienced and inexperienced professionals, and proper rotation of responsibilities so certain carers are not overburdened. Trauma risk management also allows teams to come together and reflect on a difficult day’s events. Those suffering from PTSD can take years to recover from the stress of the pandemic in returning to a new normal post coronavirus and may have to undertake intensive counselling sessions.

“There is a range of counselling therapies that can be helpful depending on the type of psychological damage.

If the psychological stress levels are not too high, then they will only need to go through de-briefing, which in layman's words is talking through the experience. For others ‘Cognitive Behavioural Therapy’ is a recommended solution. It is a more complex debrief where one focusses

on not just their present feelings, but the underlying triggers, and stressors that lead to depression. It is about challenging the rough memories, and finding how to de-escalate their impact on your psychology. For people with a more complex mental illness like PTSD- a more in-depth trauma therapy module is recommended, where they identify each case, talk about every death in their memory,” Dr. Das informed.

Doctors across the UK already reported about losing their love for the profession as they report about wearing plastic bags as gloves.

Perhaps, their repressed voices were best highlighted by a particular nurse in Northwick Park Hospital who in a recent interview with Harrow Times said, “My love for the job has changed, I work because I need to work.

But if I could change, I would stop and find another career.”

While the government has failed in protecting the physical health of our doctors, it remains to be seen what blueprint does the government propose to salvage the mental health of our doctors.

But emphasising that it is not in the nature of British doctors to abandon their duty, may however tough it gets, Dr Das added, “The attitude among British doctors as history serves is quite different in comparison to anywhere else in the world.

Doctors have gone on protests in the past for PAYE contracts, reduced hours where they had stopped scheduling routine procedures. But they had never stopped consulting and treating in emergency cure cases.

“Once life returns to normal there will be a mixture of emotions: anger, frustration and helplessness. But there will be a sense of strength bonding everyone together, when they recollect the positives of saving lives, and going beyond their capacity in overcoming the pandemic. The answer to getting over this is to not bottle it up!”

in brief BRITISH ASIAN CELEBRITIES URGE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO STAY HOME On Monday 20th April, British-Asian celebrities released an urgent health advice video compelling the Asian community to adhere to the government guidelines around coronavirus.

Their video emerged after reports highlighted that members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities Nitin Ganatra were disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 where a third of the critical coronavirus patients were reported to be from BAME backgrounds.

The video features Nitin Ganatra, Sanjeev Bhaskar OBE, Meera Syal CBE, Ameet Chana, Adil Ray OBE, Saira Khan, Shivani Ghai, Naughty Boy, Abdullah Afzal, Ranvir Singh, Gurinder Chadha OBE, Jassa Alhuwalia, Shahid Afridi, Nina Wadia, Anoushka Shankar, Bhavna Limbachia, Shin and Anita Rani.

“We all felt that we had to do something during these unprecedented times. It is evident that some of the advice and messages are not getting to some communities when they need it most. We hope that we can make even just a small difference,” said Adil Ray, actor & broadcaster and one of the organisers of the video.

Celebrities including Konnie Huq, Mehwish Hayat, Hardeep Singh Kohli, Krupa Pattani, Shobu Kapoor, Sonali Shah, Wasim Akram, Wasim Khan MBE, Adil Rashid, Archie Panjabi, Parminder Nagra, Nikki Bedi, Nikesh Shukla, Satnam Rana, Nitin Sawhney CBE, Lisa Aziz and Channi Singh will be featured in future videos.

FIRST SIKH A&E CONSULTANT PASSES AWAY DUE TO CORONAVIRUS On Monday 20th April, the UK’s first Sikh Accident and Emergency consultant has reportedly died after contracting coronavirus at the Royal Derby Hospital.

52-year-old Manjeet Singh Riyat is the second NHS staff member to have passed off the virus within the trust. Dr. Amged El-Hawrani an ENT specialist was the first frontline worker at the hospital to die after testing positive for Covid-19 in March.

In a statement, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) said Riyat is survived by a wife and two sons.

Riyat had joined the Royal Derby in 2003, where he became the first Sikh to be appointed as an emergency medicine consultant in the UK. He later became head of service for the hospital’s emergency department in 2006, and had been a chair for both the medical advisory and medical staffing committees.

REVIEW INTO “WHY HIGHER BAME DEATHS” On Tuesday 21st April, a senior NHS diversity leader claimed that ethnic minority healthcare workers are "feeling targetted" to work more on Covid-19 wards than their white counterparts. Carol Cooper, head of equality, diversity and human rights at Birmingham Community Hospital, said that "BAME (Black Asian and Ethnic Minority) staff feel that they are being put on Covid wards and exposed to patients with Covid over and above their colleagues." In her interview with Nursing Times, she said, "Some are saying they are being taken from the wards that they usually work on and put on the Covid wards and they feel that there is a bias – the same bias that existed before they are feeling is now influencing their being appointed and they are terrified, everybody is terrified."

Her comments appear after the government announced that it will launch a formal investigation into why NHS workers from BAME background appear to be disproportionately affected by Covid-19.

This follows after 10 off 19 doctors who passed due to coronavirus were reportedly from the BAME backgrounds.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, "We have seen, both across the population as a whole but in those who work in the NHS, a much higher proportion who've died from minority backgrounds and that really worries me. I pay tribute to the work they've done, including those who were born here, moved here, and given that service to the NHS. It's a really important thing that we must try to fully understand."

Despite only accounting for 13% of the population in England and Wales, 44% of all NHS doctors and 24% of nurses are from a BAME background.

In the meantime, a spokesperson for the prime minister said the NHS and Public Heath England (PHE) would take the lead in the investigation.

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in brief MANDIR AND GURUDWARA EACH DONATE £50K TO NHS HOSPITAL Stanmore Swaminarayan Mandir has pledged a donation of £30k-50k to the Northwick Park Hospital. The funds will be used by the hospital to procure Trilogy 202 Ventilators, Infusion Pumps and Volumetric Pumps.

The mandir has also pledged to donate 15-20 tablets for the critical oronavirus patients so that they can video call their families and speak to them at a time when friends and relatives are not allowed to visit these patients.

Similar efforts were made by the Guru Teg Bahadur Gurdwara which has donated about £50k to The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHBT).

The trusts plan to use the funds to buy 100 tablets that NHS staff will use to connect Covid-19 patients with family and friends who are unable to visit them during the pandemic whilst also supporting staff welfare projects.

TRIBUNAL CLAIM LODGED AGAINST PATEL

On Monday 20th April, former permanent secretary Sir Philip Rutnam lodged an employment tribunal claim against Priti Patel claiming he was forced from his job for exposing her bullying behaviour.

The Home Secretary is now facing legal action under whistleblowing laws.

Rutnam claims he was constructively dismissed from his role in the Home Office after informing the Cabinet Office that Patel had belittled officials in meetings and made unreasonable demands on staff.

Rutnam has said that he will make a “protected disclosure” under whistleblowing laws meaning Patel is the first secretary of state to have been sued by a former permanent secretary.

Patel would be expected to appear as a witness, as well as her special advisers, and the government would be asked for full disclosure of emails and correspondence between Patel, her staff, the Cabinet Office and No 10.

Lack of proper guidelines, result in Uber drivers dying of Coronavirus Another Uber driver is reported to have died off Coronavirus after trying to hide his illness for fear that he would be evicted by his landlord.

Rajesh Jayaseelan, a father of two is originally from India, and died alone in the Northwick Park hospital in Harrow on April 11th.

According to his friend, Sunil Kumar, the 44-year-old driver had “starved” for several days at his rented place. He had informed his wife who is Rajesh Jayaseelan

currently in Bangalore that he did not want to leave his room because other residents might realise he had Covid-19 and he would be thrown out.

In March, a previous landlord had allegedly ordered Jayaseelan to leave the premises because the landlord believed that the minicab driver, may spread the disease to him and his family. Jayaseelan had to sleep in his car for several nights.

He died shortly after his wife and mother in Bangalore saw him unconscious in a

final video call arranged by Kumar.

Jayaseelan is the third Uber driver confirmed to have died from Covid-19 in London besides Zeeshan Ahmed, a father of two young children in his late 20s, and Ayub Akhtar. The lack of clear guidelines and protection for minicab drivers have left them highly vulnerable to the virus.

Sunil Kumar who works at the NHS, IT department had started a gofundme page with the target of raising £15,000 for Rajesh's family as the cab driver was the sole bread winner in the family.

This page has earned over £27,000 now.

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Muslims battle right-wing propaganda about Ramadan gatherings Some Muslims have echoed their concerns about certain right wing media reports and online tweets which claim that the community is not abiding by the Government guidelines around social distancing to prevent coronavirus.

A recent research study carried out by Imran Awan, Professor of Criminology at Birmingham City University and Roxana Khan-Williams, found that Islamophobic online ‘Cyber Hubs’ were being formed. According to the study, these hubs have linked Muslims to the spread of COVID-19, are spreading anti-Muslim memes and sharing fake news stories. Amidst such claims was a tweet of the Daily Mail journalist Andrew Pierce, who had earlier tweeted, "If families gather for holy month of Ramadan will there be a huge spike in Covid cases. Doctors are very worried."

The report titled, ‘Coronavirus, fear and how Islamophobia spreads on social media’, has gathered evidence of such false claims and have enlisted the guidelines issued by the Muslim Council of Britain in alignment with the Government ensuring that

Sir Ed Davey

Muslims are following lockdown measures even whilst observing Ramadan.

Initially, some community Imams, doctors and other leaders had expressed their concern at congressional gatherings for regular prayers at Mosques as Ramadan commences on 23rd April. Commenting on the report, Imran Awan, Professor of Criminology at Birmingham City University, said, “We know that trigger events often lead to a rise in instances of Islamophobia and hate speech and that has certainly been the case during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The rise of fake news and how social media spreads it has led to a lot of these myths produced by the far-right being spread to the point that some have actually made their way into mainstream media, despite being debunked.

“What this report demonstrates is how the COVID-19 crisis has been used to create ‘others’ of Muslims blaming them for the spread of the virus, and the extent to which the spread of fake news online is contributing to this extremely worrying trend.”

During these unprecedented times the MCB has produced a

#RamadanAtHome Guidance to support Muslims and mosques in making the most of Ramadan from home socially and spiritually. It details innovative way of hosting and attending virtual iftars to tuning in to and setting up livestream services at mosques.

In addition to providing support for individuals fasting, the guidance has advice for mosques and prayer facilities, employers and line managers.

To show solidarity and brotherhood some of the leaders from the Liberal Democrats Party leaders have also decided to observe Ramdan including Sir Ed Davey and MP Layla Moran who are expected to fast through on 25th April and will share their experiences on social media with the hashtag #LibDemIftar.

in brief BAPS serves UK & Europe communities BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) in the UK and Europe has launched a nationwide community care programme to support individuals and local communities in response to the global coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic.

His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS, has issued a call for all volunteers to act upon their dharma (duty) in this time of need. BAPS has mobilised more than 700 volunteers in more than 54 areas around the UK and Europe to help support the elderly and needy in local communities. This ‘Connect and Care’ initiative is a holistic offering to the community to ensure they are informed, safe and supported. Full story on www.asian-voice.com.

Small acts of kindness The coronavirus outbreak is the greatest global health emergency. It is affecting the way we all go about our daily lives.

In these uncertain times, small acts of kindness can make a huge difference.

Dipen of Dips Foods, Rupal of DNS Accountants and Oshwal Association of the U.K (OAUK) have teamed up together to be able to provide free hot/cold meals, snacks, savouries, fruits and soft drinks. Their main aim is to support the isolated, vulnerable, elderly people and the NHS Staff at hospitals and hospices during Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Full story on www.asian-voice.com

Community pharmacies at the risk of closure

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Thousands of independent community pharmacies across the country are facing a cash crunch in the wake of coronavirus. Wholesale price of medicine have shot up and margins are trimmed as pharmacists report about an increased demand for prescriptions in lieu for delayed payments forcing many to close down.

Discussing the challenges that community pharmacists face today amidst abiding by the government’s social distancing rules, Umesh Patel, a community pharmacist from Sunderland said, “The current lockdown has increased the workload for community pharmacies by more than 40%. The Government should ditch the 5-year contracts and start afresh with increased global sum or we fear that the network will collapse.

“We need more investment and financial support or this will inevitably result in closures. The money advanced to us is a loan and not extra money. We will be asked to pay that back which will hit us very hard in terms of our cash flow. The wholesalers are not budging on extended credit and are threatening to put a stop on our accounts if purchases made in March are not paid by the end of April.

Umesh Patel

“The NHS does not pay us within 30 days of dispensing prescriptions. They technically take 90 days to pay us.

Why can’t we follow a payment structure like that in Northern Ireland where contractors are paid within 30 days not like in England?”

However, cash crunch is not their only challenge.

Pharmacies are also concerned about staff not wanting to be deployed at frontline services amidst concerns around contracting the contagion. This is particularly heightened by complainst of aggressive behaviour, physical and verbal abuse from some consumers. Besides a shortage in the PPE, the pharmacies are also reporting about a shortage in generic medicines. Only recently, following the UK government’s request, India

lifted a restriction on export of generic medicines and exported three million packets of paracetamol.

Now, after it emerged that the UK had exported substantial quantities of medicines and PPE to China, these pharmacists have urged the government to consider a total ban on exports of medicines to ensure proper supply of these drugs in the UK. “Hoarding of medicines does not help anyone and it also pushes the price up and creates false shortages. The Government needs to investigate the supply chain whilst exporting medicines at the expense of small pharmacy shops who are deprived of vital medicines to be dispensed on prescriptions,” Patel insisted.

Responding to these concerns, Andrew Lane NPA Chair said, “To keep vital pharmacy services going, including the supply of medicines, we need protective equipment to reach pharmacy teams without delay and funding to cover our vastly increased costs.

This will allow pharmacies to keep their doors open and continue giving patients the support they need on the NHS frontline.”

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WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER Wishing all readers of Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar a safe passage through this stormy period.

Above all‌Please do not worry or lose sleep over financial concerns. The Government has introduced many measures to help most individuals and businesses.

If you are struggling to access or understand what funding you are able to get and would like to speak to a Gujarati and English-speaking Accountant and Adviser, then please call us.

We are experienced in offering proven solutions to a number of diverse businesses in many industries and structures, as well as personal situations.

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Please note that an initial telephone consultation will be free of charge.

A big thank you to C B Patel & All at ABPL for keeping the Asian community informed through this difficult period.

Thank you to all key workers of our society.

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Harinder Paul

UK unveils £1.25 bn rescue package for World Transformation Day tech start-ups

Harinder Paul

Sunetra Senior n alternative kind of annual celebration, World Transformation Day 2020 #WTD2020 took place on Sunday 5th April across “6 continents with many people from a variety of different backgrounds coming together to make a difference.” Co-founder, Harinder, told us “the aim of the day is to allow people across the globe to make a difference to others” The founders want to popularise this philanthropic movement in the same way as Valentine’s or Mother’s Day. The unique event is an entire day dedicated to constructively compassionate acts that honour oneself as well as the wider community.

“We want to create a long-term, ripple effect. Outside of a Lockdown scenario, we have encouraged people for example to go into their local community e.g. homeless shelters to help, visit old people’s homes or participate at home e.g. invite friends to do group yoga or meditation together.

A

Organisation grew. You can donate to this by visiting the website: http://link.wtohub.org/give.html.

When World Transformation Day first launched, Harinder wanted to start by making a meaningful reflective change in the neglected parts of his home country. “We wanted to introduce mindfulness to the people on the streets.

We didn’t want circumstance to limit access to this precious resource. As a result, we worked with organisations and NGOs to provide food and shelter alongside classes to foster personal development at the heart of the slums as an integral part of launching WTD back in 2018.” Two years on, this has evolved into a thriving Academy where underprivileged families regularly attend to

enjoy the meditation, life coaching and yoga classes. “We have 500 people per month on this incredible programme.

Seeing the serenity on people’s faces has been a transformation in itself. The Academy provides those steadying At the time of the Coronavirus, moments of solace, which everyone three simple steps have been followed to deserves. Whether it is in extreme take part globally. Harinder explained: poverty or the fast-moving first world, “acknowledgement of someone on or in fact together in a pandemic: social media who has made a we need to be able to stop and difference to your life, tagseparate from the stress.” ging them via the Indeed, WTD salutes “Enlightenment #WTD2020 hashtag; a wonderful universality taking on a fun chalthat celebrates inner is accepting who lenge to break peace as the fundamenyou are in the through a comfort tal security. “Actually, zone, filming this and present; the best way to change posting it also adding remembering who the world for the betthe tag; sharing a perter,” Harinder emphayou are now” sonal journey or inspirsised, “is to have people ing insight with people change themselves. They socially via written, audio or can then appreciate their lives, video format, again with the tag.” naturally wanting to contribute their Interestingly, the second step helps raise piece to the planet.” He proudly reportmoney for the World Transformation ed: “the number of participants for Academy: the vision from which the World Transformation Day is only central World Transformation growing, aiming at 1 million people, this

year.” Harinder, whose background is in optometry, has also founded Visioncare for homeless people, a free eye testing and glasses service for the homeless in the UK. “The idea of bringing people closer to themselves, and introducing joy has been my primary passion through life. WTD powerfully raises this awareness. The hope is to globally shift consciousness towards the humanly progressive practice of personal development. We want people to be able to be happy in themselves – embracing the difficulties in their lives, spreading loving and healing energy to others.” And so, in a world so otherwise fixated on the external and sometimes indifferently pragmatic, Harinder helps by bringing the focus positively inwards.

“Enlightenment is accepting who you are in the present; remembering who you are now.”

Tell us more on #WTD2020?

As well as bringing together lots of people in the spirit of personal development, we’ve had motivational speakers and celebrities joining the movement to give their own special messages online!

We’ve had: John Demartini, Dr Stan Harris, Zac Knight the singer, Shin of the DCS Bhangra Group, Channi Singh of Alaap Bhangra Group, Slinder Pardesi of the Pardesi Bhangra Group, Billy Schwer, the Boxer, Ayse Tolga, a Turkish actress and change maker, and Nevsah, a Turkish celebrity.

Also, in the next few weeks we will be launching an online platform similar to Netflix at the time of the virus, www.WeInspireYou.com, which allows people access to videos and podcasts on self development such as advice on relationships and all aspects of personal development run by experts.

What’s been a highlight moment with the World Transformation Academy?

The testimonials where we’ve massively changed people’s outlooks. There was woman who was tragically enduring an alcoholic husband and had been on the verge of suicide. The mediation and yoga classes gave her an internal peace of mind. She could cope.

Finally, do you think the privileged have a duty to give to those less fortunate?

I don’t think it’s an imperative. I think wanting to give should come organically, and happens at different points for different people. #WTD2020

Pandemic will halt UK house sales in 2020

Oil plunges into negative territory for first time

New research shows that more than 520,000 UK house sales will be abandoned this year, after the government ordered a temporary freeze on the housing market last month due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Property consultancy Knight Frank said the 38% drop in the number of house sales in 2020 would have a ripple effect across the property industry, hitting retailers, removal companies and even government coffers.

Assuming physical distancing rules stay in place throughout May but are gradually lifted in June, the property market downturn will result in 350,000 fewer mortgage approvals in England and Wales including 150,000 fewer mortgages for firsttime buyers, Knight Frank added.

Homeowners are also expected to spend £7.9bn less on DIY and renovations this year, while removals companies will lose out on around £395m. Meanwhile, the treasury is expected to lose out on around £1.6bn in VAT, on top of significant losses in personal and business tax revenues. While the exchequer is also expected to forgo around £4.4bn in stamp duty, Knight Frank is calling for a stamp-duty holiday as part of efforts to jump-start the property industry once the lockdown measures are lifted. The property consultancy said those measures should also including extending the help-to-buy programme and relaxing planning rules.

Oil plunged into negative territory for the first time on record on Monday. The commodity's latest round of sharp selling came as uncertainty mounted about storage for excess oil.

Demand for crude has plummeted since the coronavirus outbreak froze activity worldwide.

The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures expiring in May plunged 321%, to -$40.32 a barrel, the lowest level ever recorded. Brent crude losses were muted by comparison, with the commodity sliding 9.5%, to $25.41 a barrel at intrasession lows.

The price of oil has continued to slide even after OPEC and its allies agreed to the biggest-ever production cut - one intended to backstop prices. Investors remain unconvinced that the cuts can offset cratering demand for the commodity as the novel coronavirus pandemic keeps society from operating normally.

WTI crude for May delivery has traded at large discounts to longer-dated contracts. That dynamic is playing out amid worry that a key storage hub in Cushing, Oklahoma, is nearing capacity. Basically, bears are out for blood," said Naeem Aslam, the chief market analyst at AvaTrade. "The steep fall in the price is because of the lack of sufficient demand and lack of storage place given the fact that the production cut has failed to address the supply glut."

The UK government has announced a £1.25 billion support package to help tech start-ups survive the coronavirus pandemic. Startups across the country have been crying out for more financial support after rivals in France and Germany were Rishi Sunak given access to funds of 4 billion and 2 billion euros respectively.

Many young tech firms say they haven’t been able to access emergency funds set aside for small businesses as the criteria for applying shuts off companies without a history of consistent profits. It’s normal for venture capital-backed tech companies to prioritize growth over profitability, with a plan to make money further down the road.

The rescue plan, unveiled by Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, is made up of two initiatives. The first is a £500 million “Future Fund” loan scheme for high-growth startups, which is aimed primarily at the nation’s early stage start-ups. Through the scheme, set to run from May to September, the government will commit an initial £250 million, while the private sector is expected to make up the other half. The Treasury said it will keep the size of the fund under review.

Non-listed UK start-ups will be entitled to loans of £125,000 to £5 million, with private investors matching government financing. To be eligible for a Future Fund loan, start-ups must have raised at least £250,000 from investors in the last five years. The loans will automatically convert to equity in a start-up’s next funding round, or at the end of the loan if the debt hasn’t been repaid. A number of highprofile figures in Britain’s tech industry had been pushing for this co-investment model.

“Our start-ups and businesses driving research and development are one of our great economic strengths, and will help power our growth out of the coronavirus crisis,” Sunak said. “This new, world-leading fund will mean they can access the capital they need at this difficult time, ensuring dynamic, fast-growing firms across all sectors will be able to continue to create new ideas and spread prosperity.”

The remaining £750 million is for small and mediumsized firms focusing on research and development. It will be issued as loans and grants by UK innovation agency Innovate UK. The first payments are expected to be made in mid-May.

Grant Thornton cuts pay of 300 employees In an attempt to slash costs, Grant Thornton has cut the pay and hours of 300 UK employees whose workload has declined due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK’s sixth-largest accounting firm told its 4,500 employees that consulting team would bear the brunt of the pay cuts.

Some administrative and marketing staff will also see a reduction in David Dunckley their hours and pay.

Grant Thornton said it would not use the government-funded furlough scheme because it had “assessed our own business against the criteria for using the furlough scheme” and decided it was not “appropriate”. Chief executive David Dunckley said that the firm would ensure that no affected employee was worse off as a result of its cost-cutting measures than if they had been placed on the government’s furlough scheme. The firm has guaranteed to pay salaries of affected staff up to £3,125 a month, compared with the government’s commitment to pay 80 per cent of a furloughed individual’s wages.

“While parts of our business continue to thrive and some are busier than ever, certain areas have been severely impacted by the implications of Covid-19,” said Dunckley.

“This crisis could impact any of us at any time, and we should all be able to expect the support and backing of our colleagues and our employer.” About 150 staff members have already agreed to a voluntary reduction in their hours and pay of up to 40 per cent. It is the latest measure introduced by a large accounting firm to cope with coronavirus.

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As I See It

Do not besmirch PM Narendra Modi and the BJP CB Patel

Social media is abuzz with the latest trend called Hindurashtra. Consider yourself fortunate in case you have happened to miss out on the barrage of tweets and retweets related to the same.

For, not only the piece by a presumed Pakistan origin barrister from the UK is not only seriously misleading but also intends to be provoking and divisive.

The very first line of the same article that `Narendra Modi and the BJP allegedly want to make India a Hindu state' is utterly baseless.

Not a single instance from his nearly 2 -decade- long political life in the center of policymaking and governance underlines any agenda to transform India into a Hindu State as emphasised by the fictional writer.

The argument that labels the UK, Greece, Denmark and some other European countries as Christian also do not hold any water. There is no doubt that multiculturalism is at the heart of the UK's doctrine. The country has nurtured flourishing of various entho-religious groups and provided unhindered opportunity for following one’s own faith or none .

The description of Hindu worship places being banned in Muscut is also misleading. Credentials of the writer, who is supposed to be a barrister in the UK, have also come under suspicion. All the records obtained by us reject claimed qualifications or authenticity.

There are enough pointers to come to a conclusion that the said article is a work of fabrication.

From the very beginning, even much

before 1947 partition. Indian ethos is secular , not only in name but in all aspects. The decision of Pakistan, carved out of India, becoming an Islamic country also did not deter India from holding on to its mutli-cultural/ multi faith spirt.

On November 15, 1948, when the newly independent dominion of India was in the midst of a heated debate in the Constituent Assembly, on the nature of the Constitution, Prof K T Shah made an intervention demanding the inclusion of the word 'secular' in the pream-

ble.

As the members agreed on the nature of the Indian state adhering to secular principles, the word 'secular' was dropped from the preamble. It made an appearance, though, about three decades later, when the Indira Gandhi led government , for its own political reasons, included it in the document, as part of the 42nd Amendment of the constitution.

In February 1949, Sardar Patel had said to industrialist R M Birla, "Hindu Raj is a mad idea, it will kill the soul of

Never suffer in silence London, on Sunday, woke up to the moving image of an Indian origin pregnant doctor Meenal Viz holding a placard that screamed in red fonts on a white sheet, `Protect healthcare workers.'

Six-month pregnant corona warrior intended to underline the sheer short supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for doctors and para-medical staff, who are in the frontline in the fight against covid-19.

She wanted the government to act. And, act

quickly to save National Health Service(NHS) members' lives. Unable to remain silent any more, She alone staged a protest outside 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister.

It was a rare sight.

The doctors, especially Indian origin, have never taken to the street. But her actions looked justified.

Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the UK has acted , rather belatedly in containing the

virus spread.

Multiple reports suggested PM Johnson gave five crucial coronavius Cobra meetings a miss.

These meetings were held in as early as January and February.

The Health Secretary reportedly filled in for the PM not remaining present.

The UK is known for deploying its resources timely and adequately.

Little wonder it was difficult to buy the administration's earlier theory of herd immunity, instead of preparing adequately for the crisis.

India."

Father of the constitution, Dr B R Ambedkar said, "If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt, be the greatest calamity for this country No matter what some Hindus say. Hindu State is a menace to liberty, equality and fraternity. On that account it is incompatible with democracy. Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost.", a publication by the Gujarat Government `Partition of Hind or Pakistan, page number 420, quoted Dr B R Ambedkar. The book published in 1998 has forwards by then Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, union minister Menka Gandhi and state minister Mahendra Trivedi.

View of Hindutva leader too very little different. "Hindu Mahasabha, in its essence, was communal because its fundamental belief was weaved around Hindu Rashtra," said Dr Syama Prasad Mookherjee at a press conference.

India has set an exemplary standard to the world for what Rigveda profess, ``Ishwar ek, naam anek''.

Hindusim stands for sanatan dharma. People of all faiths and religions have found respect in this land.

Similarly, maybe 85 per of the UK comprises of the Christians, but it remains a synergy of various faiths.

There should be no attempt for provocation.

With over 110 million members, the BJP is the largest political party in the world.

Dangerous and misleading propaganda of India becoming a Hindurashta would hardly find any takers.

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A knife cuts on both sides

Suresh Vagjiani, Sow & Reap Properties Ltd

Lenders are coming back on the market again. There are two things they are doing to protect themselves in the current market: one is lowering their loan to value thresholds, and the other is conducting desktop valuations. The latter is only to protect their surveyors from being contaminated.

We have recently obtained terms for a bridge at only 0.74% per month for a deal we have exchanged upon.The surveyors will either visit the property and do a valuation, or simply do a desktop valuation.

Currently, there is an exceptional opportunity with obtaining finances; bridging lenders are in principle happy to lend upon the valuation of the building rather than the actual purchase price. This means any discount can be used as part of the deposit,potentiallyone can get full funding on deals where the discount is of a sufficient level.

This is the principle of lending which used to exist prior to the credit crunch; where, if structured in the right manner, you would be able to obtain the full value of the property – and much more.This would be subject to the level of discount you could get, but then loan to values were very generous.Mortgage Express were lending 90% loan to value and Northern Rock where lending 89% LTV.I guess this high, and probably reckless, lending is the reason why neither lender existscurrently.

Bridging typically loans about 70% of the value of the property. There are hundreds,if not thousands, of lenders in the market ready to pour money into London property.Some who are more of an informal outfit, meaning it’s family money, often they have already made their money,they are at a point in their lives where they do not want/need a headache, and cannot be bothered to get involved directly with property projects. They just want a decent return on their funds.

Because the market has become flooded, the rates have gone down to a very reasonable level given the type of funding they are doing.

In a bygone era, when I first started in the property and property finance industry, there were bridgers who used to lend at 1.5%-2% per month; and there were takers.

At a rate of 0.74% per month this only comes to just shy of 9% per year.

The idea of a bridge is not to stay on there, it’s a short cut to take you to your destination quicker.If you stay on there you will drown, unfortunately we know this from first hand experience.

You shouldn’t really stay on a bridge for more than 6 months.This is enough time for you to tidy the property and get to where you want to be.

Bridging can be a powerful tool, if used in a cautious and prudent manner.The benefits are the criteria for lending is alot more relaxed; a main stream lender will want every t crossed and i dotted, and then make up some more enquires, probably under the guise of money laundering.It might just be a poorly paid underwriter being very nosey.

The other benefit is the money is lent on the valuation NOT on the purchase price. There is still plenty of money in the market, which is looking for a home in London property.

I say London, as opposed to the UK, as lenders will be concerned regarding the location, andLondon has always been viewed as a safe bet.

Domes of Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib collapse due to thunderstorm LAHORE: At least eight domes of the newly renovated Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan fell apart due to a thunderstorm, raising questions over the use of poor quality material for the extension of the revered Sikh shrine as India took up the matter with Islamabad and demanded that the damage be urgently 'rectified and remedied.'

Photos of the collapsed domes and other damage to the shrine due to the inclement weather went viral on social media over the weekend.

In November last year, the two countries threw open a corridor linking Dera Baba Sahib in Gurdaspur in India and Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, in a historic people-to-people initiative.

Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across the river Ravi, about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It is the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev. Questions are being raised over the substandard material used for extension of the Kartarpur Sahib ahead of the corridor's opening. The domes, which are generally made of cement and iron, were erected using fiber sheet as the government

seemed to have compromised in construction to meet the November 9 deadline to open the corridor.

According to a Pakistani official, at least eight domes were damaged and fell apart due to strong winds and rains last week. 'The domes were made of fiber that is why they were dislodged by strong winds,' he said.

The Indian government took up the issue with Pakistan, saying the damage to the structures in the gurudwara has caused 'great

UK court rejects Mallya's plea against extradition order LONDON: A UK High Court on Monday rejected a plea filed by Vijay Mallya against his extradition order. The Westminster Magistrates' Court had already ordered the extradition of Mallya which was accepted by the UK Home Office. In February, Mallya appealed against the order of Westminster Magistrates Court but his plea against the order was rejected by the high court.

Sources said that Mallya, who is wanted by the Indian investigative agencies for defrauding banks to the tune of £900 million,

Office Spokesperson, "Mr Mallya's application for leave to appeal against extradition has been refused by the high court. Mallya may now renew his application to the Court."

M a l l y a application was rejected by the high Vijay Mallya court on April 5.

Mallya can file his according to sources has one new application within 5 legal option left. Sources working days for oral say, he can still appeal consideration.

Top before the court of UK Government sources said against the extradition that based on the strong order. evidence presented by the According to UK Home

Poem for Modi goes viral 16 killed in shooting rampage, A heartfelt poem written by Mrs Aparna Madhvani, daughter in law of the renowned industrialist Manubhai Madhvani, dedicated to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone viral.

The poem was composed in tribute to Prime Minister Modi’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and his historic call to Indian citizens to turn off their lights for 9 minutes on Sunday 5th April by lighting a candle, divas and mobile flashlights to display the nation's collective spirit to defeat Coronavirus. Thousands of British Indians also took part in the lighting of candles here in the UK. Aparna Madhvani’s poem touches on the positivity that Modi’s initiative brought and how it helped unify a country in its response to this indiscriminating virus. Aparna felt lighting divas brought peace and hope in people’s hearts across the world. Aparna is the wife of Shrai Madhvani. Shrai, along with his older brother Kamlesh and their uncle Mayur Madhvani manage the Madhvani Group which has been the backbone of the Ugandan economy for over 100 years. The Group have created thousands of jobs, assisted many Government programmes and helped to make Uganda the strongly developing economy that it is today.

Aparna welcomed Prime Minister Modi to Uganda on his official visit in July 2018. Her poem echoed the sentiments of thousands who were inspired by Modi’s steadfast leadership during this unprecedented time.

consternation' among the Sikh community and urged Pakistan that in deference to the sentiments of the Sikh community, the deficiencies which led to the damage to the newly constructed structures be urgently rectified and remedied,' said a source.

However, the Pakistan government has claimed that it has repaired 'the damage caused by winds and rains at Kartarpur Sahib within hours.'

In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson later said in Islamabad the domes were repaired within 24 hours of the damage. The spokesperson also said the Indian side had raised the issue of damaged domes with Pakistan through a Note Verbale, but the “domes had already been repaired before the Indian Note Verbal was received.”

deadliest in Canadian history Toronto: A gunman disguised as a police officer went on a 12-hour rampage in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, shooting people in their homes, setting fires and killing at least 16 people, including a policewoman, in the deadliest such attack in the country’s history.

Officials said the suspected shooter, identified as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman who apparently worked as a denture-maker, was also dead. Police did not provide a motive for the killings.

“Today is a devastating day for Nova Scotia and will remain etched in the minds of many for years to come,” a visibly shaken Lee Bergerman, an assistant Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioner, said

on Sunday. Overnight Saturday, police began advising residents of the rural town of Portapique, about 100 km north of Halifax to lock their doors and stay in their basements.

Several bodies were later found inside and outside one home in Portapique.

Bodies were also found at other locations. The assault began late on Saturday, and authorities believe the shooter may have targeted his first victims but then

began attacking randomly.

Several homes in the area were set on fire as well.

RCMP spokesman Daniel Brien confirmed that 16 people had been killed in addition to the suspect.

Police said Wortman was thought to live part-time in Portapique. Authorities said he wore a police uniform at one point and made his car look like a RCMP cruiser. It was not clear how Wortman had died, and police did not explain further.

Indian agencies, Mallya's appeal was rejected by the court. This development is seen as a major success by the Indian agencies as they have moved one step closer to getting Mallya in India.

On January 2, Vijay Mallya was declared as India's first fugitive economic offender under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act. A special PMLA court in Mumbai branded Mallya as the first fugitive economic offender following an appeal filed by the Enforcement Directorate, which is one of the investigative agencies probing Mallya.

Sri Lanka election set for June 20 COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s election commission on Monday set the country's Parliament elections for June 20, invoking a hitherto unused legal provision to avoid a possible constitutional crisis if the country failed to hold the vote because of the coronavirus.

The commission had to decide whether to open the polls, which could expose more people to the virus, or let the country plunge into its second constitutional crisis in less than two years.

Ratnajeevan Hoole, one of the three commission members said after the meeting that the commission decided to invoke a section in the Parliamentary Elections Act that allows the panel to issue necessary directions to manage any special or unforeseen circumstances.

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Covid-19 cases in India spike Kapil’s Khichadi to 18,985; death toll 603 Made in China!

As the number of Covid-19 cases in India increased to 1,329 in last 24 hours, the total count of cases in the country surged to 18,985 on Tuesday, according to the latest data from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Along with that, the country has recorded 603 deaths since the outbreak after 44 deaths were reported since Monday.

So far, India has 15,112 active cases. There are also 77 foreign nationals who are affected by the virus, the ministry said. Apart from that, there are at least 3,259 patients who have been discharged or cured from the highly contagious disease and one has migrated from the country.

Lav Aggrawal from Health Ministry said that at least 3,252 people recovered from the infection on Tuesday morning, showing that the recovery rate has gone up to over 17.47%, an improvement over 14.75% on Monday. Aggrawal also added, "61 additional districts from 23 States/UT have not reported any fresh cases in last 14 days. Four new districts have been included in the list - Latur, Osmanabad, Hingoli & Washim in Maharashtra."

Head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr Raman R Gangakhedkar said that 4,49,810 tests for COVID-19 have been conducted so far in India. Out of these, 35,852 samples were tested on Monday. The ICMR also advised all states not to use new rapid antibody test for Covid-19 for two days and said that it will investigate issue of faulty kits.

Meanwhile, crossing the 4,600-mark in registering coronavirus cases, Maharashtra remained the worst hit state. The total number of cases in the state surged to 4,669 with 232 deaths. The highest number of cases were reported from Mumbai with more than 3,000 positive Covid-19 patients.

Maharashtra was

followed by Delhi, which has crossed 2,000-mark with 2,081 cases and 47 deaths, according to the latest data.

Gujarat is the latest in the list after Delhi to cross 2,000-mark as well. The other states that crossed the 1,500-mark in the number of coronavirus cases in descending order are Rajashtan, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from Maharashtra and Delhi, the other mostaffected states according to the deaths recorded are Madhya Pradesh (76), Gujarat (77), Telangana (23), Andhra Pradesh (22), Uttar Pradesh (20), Punjab (16), Karnataka (17), Tamil Nadu (17), Rajasthan (25), West Bengal (12), Jammu and Kashmir (5), Kerala (3), Jharkhand (2), Haryana (3) and Bihar (2). Meghalaya,

Odisha, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and have reported one death each.

However, as a good news, all coronavirus positive cases in Goa and Manipur are now negative, informed respective state officials. Moreover, the health ministry added that Covid-19 growth has declined in Odisha and Kerala.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Harsh Vardhan has launched 'Covid India Seva', an interactive platform for citizen engagement on Covid-19 on Tuesday. It is aimed at enabling egovernance delivery in realtime and answering people's queries. The 'Covid India Seva' will work as a dashboard at the backend that will help to process large volumes of tweets, converts them into resolvable tickets, and assigns them to the relevant authority for real-time resolution. "Trained experts will share authoritative public health information swiftly at scale, helping to build a direct channel for communication with citizens," the union minister said.

Confusion prevails amid conditional easing of lockdown As parts of India stirred to life on Monday amid a conditional easing of the lockdown, confusion prevailed in Delhi and NCR on how to regulate the surge of people and traffic caused by absence of clarity on aspects such as who among the junior central government workforce would constitute one-third of the office turnout allowed on a given day.

The attendance conundrum compelled police to permit movement solely on the basis of employee identity cards, resulting in even those not supposed to attend office moving around freely.

Traffic in the New Delhi Municipal Council area and on roads along the CGO complex, where most central government offices are located, was heavier than expected despite strict checking at multiple points.

In Gurgaon, classified as a Covid-19 "red zone", there was some chaos at NHAI project sites after workers gearing up to resume work were stopped by police. The NHAI had asked its contractors to resume work on Monday with whatever workforce was available at these sites, subject to compliance with Union

advising the state government against an allout resumption.

Restaurants that had been allowed to resume dine-in from Monday were hastily shut. Salons met the same fate.

In Gujarat out of 500,000 micro small and medium enterprises and large units, only about 6,000 units resumed work on Monday. The state government has allowed industrial and commercial activity to start after almost a month of lockdown. home ministry guidelines on social distancing and other safety protocols.

Police officials, however, said separate permission was required from the administration since Gurgaon was in the red zone.

UP appeared to handle the first-day challenges better, with several road projects like the Purvanchal, Bundelkhand and Gorakhpur Link expressways resuming after almost a month. The state government has lifted curbs on 11 industries for now.

In Mumbai, the entire Thane district being declared a containment zone on Sunday ensured that all Maharashtra Industrial Development

Corporation (MIDC) estates spread across Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali, Ambernath and Murbad remained shut on Monday.

Raigad district, where the Taloja industrial estate is located, saw mainly industries producing medicines and packaging material being permitted to open. Around 35 units have been granted permission to resume operations.

Across Kerala – in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Alappuzha and Wayanad districts, all of them classified as either "green" or "orange" zones – lockdown rules were eased for businesses to breathe again. But with the Centre

Kapil Dudakia The last three decades have seen the unprecedented rise of the Chinese dragon. All of this has not happened by chance, it’s a country and people that are intent on becoming the de facto global power in the 21st C. They dared to take on the USA and the west, and one can safely conclude, as it stands today, they are beating their competition hands down.

The world fell for its own rhetoric of globalisation and harnessing a cheap supply-side to underpin their own national failings. The world went out of its way to view everything China has done through rose tinted glasses. It ignored the fact that China is a dictatorship. That it limits press freedom to almost zero. That it controls all aspects of social media and all social interaction in every sector and every sphere. It is a police state.

The Chinese premier and first lady took a leaf out of the Clinton's playbook and became poster ready dictators that the west could sell to its people. Through the smiles and the rhetoric, China galvanised its armed forces and established its presence in countries around the world. It printed money to fund its worldwide enterprise so it could get a stranglehold on nations. Day-by-day, it systematically leveraged its control over global institutions like the UN, the WHO, WTO, IMF, OECD, WB and so on.

Chinese companies, supported by easy money from the Government which has flouted international laws on patents. It understood its weaknesses and began to ensure that it had ‘Made in China’ replacements for communications, telephonic technologies (5G etc), heavy industry, mineral processing, and software to challenge Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook and many others.

Its ultra-cheap manufacturing plants mass producing almost anything the world might need at a fraction of the cost. In fact, in some case so low that even other developing nations could not compete with the ‘Made in China’ stamp.

Maybe a more appropriate terminology might be to say, ‘Cloned in China’. The out-sourcing model to China bandwagon saw no end. China has put itself in a power position of an effective monopoly for goods and services.

Whilst China exported to the world, in its own backyard its violations of human rights increased. Can you imagine, they even placed some two mn Uighurs in what many have called detention camps. And not a word out of the lilly-livered liberals in the west or the 1.8 bn Muslims around the world! Such is the power of China.

Enter Covid-19 and once again we witness the lies emanating out of China. It misled the world about the severity of the impending pandemic. Its control over the WHO was such that even it backed the nonsense coming out of Beijing. Maybe President Trump has a point after all!

The Chinese empire is already upon us, the world is too naïve to understand that its enslavement is almost complete. The war that China is pursuing is not traditional, it’s fit for the 21st C where without firing any nukes, it’s going to nuke the world into submission. Of course, you have to commend China for looking after its own interest.

Post Brexit, the UK better get its act together. And it’s time India woke up and becomes the only beacon of hope for the world that can challenge China on the global stage.

Can ‘Make in India’ save us from ‘Made in China’? One wonders how many more made in China viruses we have to endure before nations wake up to the threat that is China.

(Expressed opinions are personal.)

Over 3,300 Indians infected in 53 nations As many as 3,336 Indian nationals abroad have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and another 25 have died, official sources said. The infections, a large number of which occurred in Kuwait and Singapore, are spread across 53 countries.

According to a breakup of those infected, 785 of them are in Kuwait followed by 634 in Singapore and 420 in Qatar. As many as 308 are infected in Iran, 297 in Oman, 238 in the UAE, 186 in Saudi Arabia and 135 in Bahrain. The list also includes 91 in Italy, 37 in Malaysia, 36 in Portugal, 29 in Ghana, 24 in the US, 15 in

Switzerland and 13 in France. In keeping with the practice followed by several other countries, India has so far avoided evacuating from abroad those who tested positive for Covid19. It has asked Indian missions in respective countries to remain in touch with them and facilitate treatment for them with help from local authorities.

Other Indians stranded abroad too have been asked to stay put wherever they are with flights suspended until May 3, when the lockdown is supposed to end. Eleven of the 25 deaths of Indian nationals are said to have taken place in the

US. As for foreigners stranded in India, sources said India has facilitated the evacuation of 35,000 of them from 48 countries.

The number of those infected abroad has seen a substantial increase from the 276 infections, which were reported around the same time last month. Iran, one of the worst-hit countries, alone had then accounted for 255 of those infections. The number of Indian nationals infected in the UAE was then 12 but it has now gone up to 238.

Also significant is the number of Singapore, 634, as no Indian had been reported to be Covid-19 positive until a month ago.

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India blocks Chinese threat of takeovers The Indian government has amended FDI policy to put a blanket ban on investments through the automatic route by entities from countries that share a border with India. The move is seen as an attempt to ward off the threat of "opportunistic" Chinese takeover of Indian companies, whose valuations have been hit due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The curbs, which were already in force for investments from Pakistan and Bangladesh, will extend to entities where Chinese citizens have “beneficial ownership” to ensure that the restrictions are not circumvented by routing investments via Hong Kong, Singapore or other countries.

The latest move signals the worry in the government that China might seek

to acquire Indian companies by exploiting their financial vulnerability during the crisis triggered by the coronavirus. The bold move is in stunning contrast to the restraint the Modi government has exercised in not joining the global chorus of indignation over China's attempt to conceal the outbreak of the pandemic in Wuhan - a lapse that has been widely adjudged to have been a major contributor to the enormity of the public health emergency that has already claimed

nearly 1,70,000 lives globally and triggered a collapse in share markets.

Sources in the government said there was a real threat of Chinese entities many of the big ones are controlled by the Communist rulers in Beijing through a web of opaque linkages - moving in to take up Indian companies which were doing well until the pandemic rendered them vulnerable and tempting targets. The linkages are why the security establishment here has considered

investments from China to be a risk.

Government sources said while the the move has been in the pipeline for a while, Covid-19 helped the government make up its mind expeditiously. The move coincides with similar barriers erected by other countries - Germany, Italy, Spain and Australia, to block predatory capital from China.

India's decision , however, is different in one vital respect. Unlike in other cases where the filters are aimed at investments in general, the Modi government's decision is specifically targeted at China given that the automatic route was already closed for flows from Pakistan and Bangladesh. The bluntness of the government's decision reflects the seriousness of its worry.

Culpable homicide charge added against Tablighi chief Maulana Saad Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad has been booked for culpable homicide after some of the attendees of the religious congregation died due to coronavirus, police said.

Maulana Saad had organised the religious gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz last month against the social distancing protocol imposed by the Centre to curb the spread of the deadly disease. Over 2,000 nationals attended Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi. An FIR was registered against the cleric on March 31 on a complaint of the Station House Officer of Nizamuddin. He was earlier booked for holding the event, police said.

After several attendees of the congregation succumbed to coronavirus, we added IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amount-

ing to murder) in the FIR against the leader, a police official said. Some foreigners who attended the event have also been booked for violation of visa norms. In an audio message, the Maulana had said that he was exercising self-quarantine after several hundreds who visited the congregation at Nizamudddin Markaz tested positive for coronavirus. The FIR registered against the event says that the Delhi police contacted the authorities of Nizamuddin Markaz on March 21 and reminded them of the government order which prohibited any political or religious gathering of more than 50 people.

Delhi govt now classifies Tablighi Jamaat cases as Special Operations. It says that despite repeated efforts, the event organisers failed to inform the health department or any other govern-

Maulana Saad

ment agency about the huge gathering inside the Markaz and deliberately disobeyed government orders. The sub district magistrate of Defence Colony inspected the premises several times and found that around 1,300 people, including foreign nationals, were residing there without maintaining social distance. It was also found that there were no arrangements of hand sanitizers and face masks, the FIR adds.

The event, attended by thousands, turned out to be

a hotspot for spread of coronavirus not only in the national capital, but the entire country. More than 25,500 Tablighi members and their contacts have been quarantined in the country after the Centre and the state governments conducted a "mega operation" to identify them.

ED registers money laundering case Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a money laundering case against the Maulana and others under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on a predicate offence registered by Delhi Police, sources said. The sources said, nine people including the Maulana, are on the ED radar. "The ED will also investigate the trust of Maulana, transactions of trust and people involved in transactions," a source said.

Punjab to follow curfew till May 3: Amarinder Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the state would follow complete curfew till May 3, in line with the extension in the national lockdown. The Punjab government had earlier announced extension of curfew restrictions till May 1 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi later announced that the lockdown would be extended till May 3, saying it was very necessary to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the country.

During a video conference, the chief minister assured all the political parties in the state of aggressive

Amarinder Singh

measures, including largescale testing, in continuing war against the pandemic.

Even as he appreciated the support extended by them to his government, Singh urged all political parties in the state to unitedly fight against coronavirus, rising above political considerations, said a government release.

He said the state government would actively consider all their suggestions to ensure an effective and holistic response to the current crisis. The chief minister said the entire country, and in fact the world, was going through bad times, with Punjab being no exception. The lockdown helped curb the spread of the virus, and the state's count of cases was 219, he said. Pointing out that medical experts were suggesting that five weeks of lockdown could really improve the situation, he promised all-out efforts to succeed in the battle against the pandemic.

In response to various

suggestions made during the meeting, the chief minister said he had taken note of all concerns, especially those relating to the workers, and would take steps to address the same. Acceding to his government's request, the Centre had allowed commencement of operations in industries that could accommodate migrant labourers.

Four had already started operating in Bathinda, with Ludhiana also gearing up to begin working, he said.

The task force set up to formulate the exit strategy for the state would make its recommendations within 10 days on the way forward, Singh said.

Bonding with your family Rohit Vadhwana Sometimes we fail to understand the importance of other people’s work in our lives. Tendency of feeling that own work is the most important is very common. It creates a situation of misunderstanding and ungratefulness.

Especially in family life, husband and wife underestimate their role (in a traditional sense) as breadwinner and homemaker. It is much more difficult if both partners are working. But this lockdown is an opportunity to have a close look at it.

The time of lockdown has given husbands a chance to observe and understand how important and occupying role homemakers are playing. While man (mostly in traditional family systems) shoulder the obligation of earning for family, woman have managed home and children.

Men have time to appreciate women’s role. They can take over the role for sometime, if they are staying at Home.

Men are mostly alleged to be ignoring household responsibilities. This is an occasion for them to come out of that stereotype.

Women, who have felt that men cannot manage a house, should let men try their hands at some household duties. Let them prepare tea for the family. Cooking breakfast may be another good idea. Cleaning of house or arranging wardrobes could be difficult, but if willingness prevails, men can try it. Why not even allocate a day for a man to take care of children from morning till night? It may include their clothes, food, entertainment and other requirement as well. Helping in homework is also a good opportunity during this period of lockdown.

One more important exercise could be children’s training in household chores. Their exposure to cooking, cleaning and other regular tasks can be considered. They may be sensitised that such tasks are not mundane, but life-skills. Every child should be given basic training of managing themselves. Children will learn to appreciate mother’s effort in cooking their favourite dish and father’s role in providing required facilities to them.

Why not try a family game? It could be played over dinner - informally, or with a pen and paper - systematically. Decide turn of each family member. One after another, they have to count task of other members. Man can mention a task which is performed by lady of the house and score a point. Child can mention a task of father for the family and score a point. Similarly, mother or father can mention role and importance of child in the family and score a point. Remember, point is given when you mention task performed by others, not by yourself.

This is a good way of recognising and acknowledging other members’ contribution in the family. You will score a point and other member will feel gratitude. It will strengthen family bonding. You all will be surprised to see how much others are doing for the family.

(Expressed opinion is personal)

Three lynched in Palghar, probe ordered The Palghar police have arrested over 100 people and detained nine minors in connection with the lynching of three men allegedly by a mob of villagers in the district over mistaken identity.

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident, and warned against communalising it. Senior officers said that an inquiry would be conducted to find out what steps the police had taken to help the victims after allegations that the police ran away from the spot leaving the victims to fend for themselves.

Palghar Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh said that investigation have so far focused on identifying the sources of the rumours spread in the tribal village of Gadchinchle in Dahanu taluka. A video of the incident that surfaced shows a mob dragging the victims out of the police van and assaulting them with sticks and stones. There is also footage of one of the victims holding a policeman’s hand for protection, as they walked towards a vehicle but as the mob rained blows on the man’s head, the policeman is seen shaking him off and turning away to protect himself.

The victims were identified as two sadhus - Kalpruksh Giri and Chikne Maharaj - from an ashram in Kandivili, who were travelling to Surat to attend a funeral and Nilesh Telgade, the driver of the van. But the people of Gadchinchle, a tribal village in a remote part of the district, have mistaken them as child kidnappers and organ harvesters.

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Arjun and Malaika not planning to marry soon Ever since Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora came out in the open about their relationship, the couple has been painting the town red with their love story. In the ongoing national lockdown in India, Arjun arranged for a virtual date with his fans. And he ended up being asked the inevitable question - his marriage plans with Malaika. The actor made it clear that he and Malaika are taking it slow and marriage is not on the cards any soon.

He also maintained he would never hide his marriage plan. He said he will tell everybody when he is getting married. However, as of now there are no plans.

He also added that even if he wanted to get married now, it is not possible. Elaborating further, he added that they have not planned and thought about it yet but like he has always said he will tell his fans when they are ready and will not hide it.

He even joked, "Agar abhi karni bhi hai to kare kaise (Even if they want a wedding, how come it is possible in the lockdown?)".

A fan also asked Arjun what sets Malaika apart from the others, to which the actor replied by saying that it is difficult to sum up that one thing you like about somebody you love. He feels that because when you love somebody, you love the entirety of the personality that the person has. He also added that he feels that she is the one who gets him and she is very patient with him. Describing himself not an easy or simple person to love with, and that her patience with him really matters to him.

by Vallisa Chauhan

Genre: Drama Duration: 210 mins

K3G: When in doubt classics is the way out Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham or K3G has an all-star ensemble cast consisting of the prestigious Raichand family. Rahul the elder son was sent away from the family for marrying a girl his father didn’t approve of. Rohan has now grown up and goes in search of his brother.

So many would have watched this film nearly two decades ago when it released and others would have watched it over and over again. Whichever category you fall into K3G has recently been trending on Netflix and households all over the world reconnecting with Rahul, Rohan, Anjali and Pooja.

K3G starts with a now grown up Rohan who visits his

Amitabh Bachchan's blog turns 12!

Much before Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, megastar Amitabh Bachchan had his own way to keep in touch with millions of his fans. The veteran was one of the first among celebrities to have a blog. And, on Friday, the actor celebrated 12 years of writing his heart out daily with his fans on the internet, whom he refers to as EF – extended family.

He used social media platforms to share his joy. "12 YEARS of my Blog today .. began first DAY on 17th April 2008 .. today 4424 DAYs , thats four thousand four hundred and twenty four days of writing my Blog ..

EVERYDAY , without missing out a single day .. ! Thank you my Ef .. love and because of you," shared Big B along with some entertaining, goofy clicks.

Full of updates on his health, a sneak-peek of his shoots, a tit-bits of his daily life, his is undoubtedly the most popular blog. It has given his fans doses of his illustrious life. Little wonder, Big B also enjoys massive popularity on other social media sites like Twitter and Instagram.

He remains among the busiest actor in the tin let town. On the work front, Amitabh has a long list of films lined up for release. Big B will be seen in 'Chehre' alongside Emraan Hashmi, while he also has 'Gulabo Sitabo' with Ayushmann Khurrana. Apart from this, the veteran actor also has a pivotal role to play in Ayan Mukerji's 'Brahmastra' which stars Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles. Apart from this, Big B will also be seen in Marathi director Nagraj Manjule's debut Bollywood movie 'Jhund.'

grandma’s place and it is then that we see the past story of how the boys grew up and when Rahul fell in love with Anjali. In the flashback we learn about Pooja, Anjali’s little sister who bullies Rohan for being chubby and later they become friends. Their father, Yash is a stubborn arrogant man and when he learns that his son wants to marry a girl of his choice, he tells him he is no longer a part of the family.

Moving back to the present Rohan decides he is going to go and look for his older brother and his family. In his plight to find Rahul, Rohan persuades his dad to allow him to move to London for further studies as that is where he has been told Rahul has settled.

On arriving in London Rohan reconnects with Pooja and she persuades Rahul to allow Rohan (who has changed his name to Yash) to stay with them until his accommodation is sorted, Rahul reluctantly agrees.

What follows is pure laughter as we see Rohan evoke memories in Rahul and Anjali dotes on Rohan. Over time Rohan has made himself part of the family and he teaches young Krish, Rahul’s son, how to deal with his nerves before a school performance. The words Krish speaks out are that of those Rahul told Rohan before he left for London, the two brothers are finally reunited. Now it is just a matter of reuniting Rahul with their father. K3G has made many cry, laugh and fall in love over the years and as it is suited for all ages it is a perfect film to settle down to. Rekindle all those memories with the classic songs and amazing film Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.

You can get in touch with Vallisa: djvallisa@gmail.com

Power of immigration: You Clap For Me Now Bend it like Beckham director A video featuring migrant key workers in the UK is celebrating the contribution of the immigration as the country battles with the spread of coronavirus.

‘You Clap For Me Now’ penned by Darren Smith and produced by Sachini Imbuldeniya celebrates Britons from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds serving the UK as essential workers as doctors, nurses, teachers, shopkeepers and delivery drivers, many of whom have previously experienced discrimination.

It features first, second and third generation migrants in the UK reading out parts of the poem, which they filmed themselves because of social distancing guidelines. In a stark argument to the right-wing propaganda and rhetoric around immigrants taking away “British jobs”, the poem begins with:

loses aunt to Coronavirus

'What the UK is most afraid of has come from overseas, taking our jobs and making it unsafe to walk the streets.'

In a political criticism to those against asylum seekers and refugees, the poetry includes the verse: "Don't say go home, don't say not here, you know how it feels for home to be a prison, you know how it feels to live in fear.”

On Sunday 19th April, filmmaker and director Gurinder Chadha reported about losing her aunt to Covid-19 complications.

Chadha dedicated a heartfelt post to her aunt on Instagram as she shared family pictures featuring her aunt from the sets of her 2017 film Viceroy's House.

She wrote, "Today we said goodbye to my dearest bhuaji /aunt from COVID-19 complications. She was my dad's little sister. She survived the Partition of India and sadly for us, her family no one could be with her in person in her final moments."

Thanking the nurses of the

Surrey Hospital in UK where her aunt was undergoing treatment for coronavirus she further wrote, "Two nurses in the Surrey Hospital held her hand, FaceTimed her children who all chanted Sikh prayers during which her soul departed. God bless the heroes who made my dear aunt's passing humane."