First India-Ahmedabad Edition-07 June 2021

AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00

AYODHYA MOSQUE TO BE NAMED AFTER 1857 REVOLUTIONARY

New Delhi: The proposed mosque and hospital complex that is to be built on a five-acre land in Dhannipur village in Ayodhya, will be named after noted freedom fighter and revolutionary Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah Faizabadi, who was martyred 164 years ago. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) has decided to dedicate the entire project after him.

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 191

93 FORMER CIVIL SERVANTS WRITE TO PM ON LAKSHADWEEP

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A fresh wave of confrontation in Kolkata BENGAL HULLABALLOO

West Bengal Governor summons Chief Secretary over ‘post-poll violence’

Mohd Fahad/Aditi Nagar Kolkata: Slamming Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the ‘rampant post-poll violence’ in the state, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday directed the Chief Secretary Hari Krishna Dwivedi to brief him about the law and order situation on Monday.

Sharing a letter on the micro-blogging site Twitter, Dhankhar wrote, “Extremely alarming law & order scenario Mamata Banerjee. Security environment is seriously compromised. In such a grim situation called upon Chief Secretary to brief me on the law and order situation on Monday 7th June and indicate all steps taken to contain post poll violence.”

In a series of tweets, the Governor said, “There is rampant post poll retributive violence @MamataOfficial. Disturbing that this ostracisation has graduated to social boycott & denial of benefits they are otherwise entitled. They are made to suffer “extortion fee” for living in their own house or run their own business.”

Accusing the West Bengal police and Kolkata Police of engaging

Turn to P6

GUV DHANKHAR HAS EMPLOYED 3 RELATIVES, KIN OF EDCS, TWEETS TMC’S MAHUA MOITRA

TMC files FIR against Suvendu,

brother for ‘stealing’ relief material Kolkata: Based on a complaint on June 1 against BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari and his brother Soumendu Adhikari for allegedly stealing relief materials, an FIR has been registered at the Contai Police Station in East Midnapore.

Ratnadip Manna, a Member of the Board of Administrators of Contai Municipality, submitted a written complaint alleging that, on May 29, Himangshu Manna and Pratap

CRUCIAL READ KERALA POLICE ISSUE NOTICE TO KOCHI HOTEL HOSTING BJP MEETING New Delhi: Kerala Police has issued a notice to the hotel in Kochi in which a core committee of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is meeting on Sunday.

Union Minster of State, V Muraleedharan is among those attending the meeting. The notice read, “One should not give permission to conduct meetings without maintaining Covid protocol in the wake of lockdown that still exists in Kerala. If any action from you violates Covid protocol, strict actions will be taken.”

I WILL RESIGN THE DAY PARTY HIGH COMMAND ASKS ME TO: YEDIYURAPPA Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday said that he will resign from the top post if the Bharatiya Janata Party’s high command asks him to. Yediyurappa’s remark came amid speculations about a change in leadership in the state.

Some MLAs are reportedly critical of the CM’s handling of Covid-19 crisis.

CHINA ROTATES 90% TROOPS DEPLOYED ALONG LEH SECTOR

J&K JOURNALIST BOOKED FOR WHATSAPP STATUS

Beijing: China’s People’s Liberation Army has rotated 90 per cent of its manpower and brought in fresh soldiers from the hinterland. Since the AprilMay timeframe last year, China has deployed over 50,000 troops close to the Indian territory in eastern Ladakh and has been maintaining them there despite the limited troops withdrawal from forward locations.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police has registered an FIR against a 23-year-old journalist from Bandipora town in the Valley for putting up a picture of 22 children, who were killed 15 years ago in a boat tragedy, as his WhatsApp status, captioning it “Walur Martyred” (the martyrs of Wular lake). The journalist, Sajid Raina, who works for a Srinagar-based news agency.

Thiruvananthapuram: 93 retired top civil servants from across the country have signed a letter to PM Narendra Modi against a series of controversial decisions by Lakshadweep’s administrator Praful Patel. “We write to you today to register our deep concern over disturbing developments taking place in the pristine UT of Lakshadweep in the name of ‘development’.”

SUVENDU’S AIDE ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED ROLE IN JOB SCAM Kolkata: A close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a fake government job scam, a police officer said on Sunday. Rakhal Bera was arrested from outside his residence here on Saturday based on a complaint lodged at the Manicktala police station by a resident of Kalyangarh.

De took away a truckload of tarpaulin from the official godown of Contai Municipality.

The complainant alleged that the act was

the result of a criminal conspiracy led by TMC-turned-BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and Soumendu Adhikari.

Turn to P6

Kolkata: Unleashing the most scathing attack against West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra on Sunday alleged that the former has employed three of his own relatives and two relatives of a former aides-de-camp (EDC) and one relative of his present EDC as officers on special duty (OSD) at Raj Bhawan, Kolkata. She tweeted a list of six OSDs. In Moitra’s tweet, the list claimed that Abbhudoy Singh Sekhawat, the governor’s OSD, is Dhankhar’s “brother-in-law’s son,” Akhil Chowdhury, the OSD coordination, has “close family relation with governor,” OSD administration Ruchi Dubey is “the wife of Major Gorang Diksit, ex-ADC to governor” and the Major’s “brother” Prasant Diksit is the OSD protocol. OSD IT (information technology) Koustav S Valikar is the “brother-inlaw” of Dhankhar’s present ADC Srikant Janardan Rao, IPS, the tweet claimed.

Kishan Dhankhar, the newly appointed OSD, is “a close relative of governor”, the list indicated.

‘Ask me anything’: Choksi’s open

invitation to Indian authorities New Delhi: Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi has invited the Indian authorities to interview him and claimed that he left India only to seek medical treatment. “I am a lawabiding citizen,” he has declared.

“I have extended an invitation to Indian authorities to interview me and ask any questions that they may

‘DIDN’T EVADE INDIAN AUTHORITIES, LEFT FOR TREATMENT’

have of me of me in relation to any investigation that they are conducting against me,” the absconding Indian jeweller has said in an affidavit filed before the Dominica High Court.

New Delhi: Filing an affidavit before the Dominica HC, fugitive Mehul Choksi claimed that he is a “law-abiding citizen” and had left India only to seek medical treatment in the US. “I did not evade law enforcement in India. There was no warrant against me by the law enforcement authorities in India when I left India to seek medical treatment in US,” the affidavit said.

LOWEST SINGLE

DAY CASES IN 2 MONTHS New Delhi: India reported 1,14,460 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest single-day rise in infections in around two months, taking the infection tally to 2,88,09,339, according to the Union Health Ministry on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the central government provided more than 24.60 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses to states so far, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Sunday.

The active case count has reduced to 14,77,799, which comprises 5.73 per cent of the total infections, Turn to P6

‘CENTRE FIGHTING FOR BLUE TICKS’ New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed the Centre for allegedly “fighting for blue ticks” on Twitter, while the country faces a shortage of COVID-19 vaccines.

“Modi government is fighting for blue tick. If you want a COVID-19 vaccine, then be self-reliant!,” he tweeted.

CORONA

IF PIZZA CAN BE DELIVERED AT HOME, CATASTROPHE WHY NOT RATION? KEJRI ASKS MODI INDIA New Delhi: A day after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal claimed the central government blocked its plans to launch doorstep delivery of rations, the Kejriwal accused the centre of taking the step under the “influence” of the ration mafia, which he said has ensured that the “pro-poor and revolutionary scheme” does not get implemented in the national capital.

KEJRIWAL’S RATION DELIVERY SCHEME IS SCAM, SAYS PATRA

New Delhi: BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Sunday slammed Kejriwal alleging him of doing drama for politics while calling the ‘doorstep ration delivery scheme’ a scam. “Kejriwal painted a picture that Prime Minister Modi is preventing door-todoor ration delivery. This is false,” he said.

What inspired Swatantra Dev Singh to announce cabinet reshuffle!

Ahmedabad: Politics in the state has revolved around casteism for a long time, with even the so-called secular Congress party’s leaders not immune to it. With several camps within the state unit, leaders have now begun fighting for dominance of the Other Backward

Class (OBC) members.

In order to discuss plans to that effect, a meeting was held by OBC leaders on Saturday in Ahmedabad.

The selection of the new party president has begun and veteran leader Bharatsinh Solanki wants to grab the top post. He has been steering the wheel of the Gujarat unit from behind

Congress leader Bharatsinh Solanki. —FILE PHOTO

the scenes, despite not being the top politico, said sources.

A change in the party

2,677

new fatalities

GUJARAT

848

new cases

12

new fatalities

Covaxin trials from today

Tariq Khan / Shashikant Sharma

Lucknow/ New Delhi: BJP State party president Swatantra Singh on Sunday night announced a likely cabinet reshuffle in Yogi cabinet in July. Now, everyone in Lucknow is asking what has suddenly ‘inspired’ or compelled Swatantra Dev Singh to make this announcement because normally any likely changes in the cabinet are announced by the CM. Interestingly, prior to state BJP president’s announcement, almost all national channels, in almost identical manner ruled out any reshuffle, which also must have forced Central leadership to ask Swatantra Dev Singh to publicly announce the reshuffle in July.

Turn to P6

‘Secular’ Cong mulling over caste card to grab power Gargi Raval

new cases

RESHUFFLE IN YOGI CABINET AIIMS Delhi to IN JULY: STATE BJP PRESIDENT screen kids for

POLITICAL GAMES

Sources have indicated that Bharatsinh Solanki may be the next prez, will promote OBC agenda

1,14,460

is imminent, as Solanki has been trying to lure OBC leaders to his side.

In a show of strength, several leaders were called to join the Saturday meeting at the last moment.

Prominent names placed at the gathering included Jagdish Thakore and Vav MLA Geniben Thakor.

However, when contacted, Geniben denied her presence at the meeting. She told First India that she had received a call for the meeting, Turn to P6

CONG LEADERS JOIN AAP

On Sunday, several Surendrangar district Congress leaders tendered their resignations and joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

Many of the leaders had served in powerful positions such as district president, taluka president and even elected heads of municipalities. According to sources, they were not happy with the ongoing internal issues within the Congress party.

New Delhi: The screening of children for clinical trials of Covaxin will start at AIIMS in Delhi on Monday, days after similar trials started at AIIMS in Patna, sources have said.

The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in the national capital will conduct clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine made

by Bharat Biotech to see if it is suitable for children between two and 18 years old.

Experts have warned that a possible third wave can bring as much devastation as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic if enough people are not vaccinated against the virus, and that children could be its prime target.

NEWS AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

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02

State Action Plans on Climate Change in India

AS GUJARAT LAUNCHED ITS ACTION PLAN ON SATURDAY, FIRST INDIA SHARES THE INITIATIVES OF OTHER STATES First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Saturday unveiled its 'State Action Plan on Climate Change' on the occasion of World Environment Day with the aim of building a sustainable and climate-resilient future through coordinated climate adaptation and mitigation planning by 2030. Similarly, other states in the country have also launched their action plans as directed by the Government of India (GoI) in 2009. They prepared State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCC) in line with the National Action Plan on Climate Change, after the NAPCC was launched in 2008.

A state government release said the report has been formulated on the basis of the NAPCC and India’s nationally

determined contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international environment treaty addressing climate change.

The plan has nine thematic groups representing key priorities for Gujarat, comprising agriculture, water, health, forests and biodiversity, sea level rise and coastal infrastructure, energy efficiency and renewable energy, urban development, venerable communities as well as green jobs.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Plan on Climate Change (ANIAPCC) has formulated eight missions to deal with the climate change in the islands, keeping in mind their complex ecosystem.

Separate budgets have been allocated for each mission.

In the state of Bihar, various targets have

BJP MLA asks CM to allow gyms to function First India Bureau Surat: In a letter to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Surat’s Katargam Vinod Moradiya urged him to allow gymnasiums and health centres to resume operations, while adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines.

Moradiya also stipulated that only people who have received at least one dose of the vaccine will be allowed on the premises.

The government had barred gymnasiums and health centres from remaining operational after the second pandemic wave hit the state. Facing financial ruin, a few gym owners had continued operations which led Katargam police to raid and arrest the owners of a gym at Lakshmi Enclave. While on patrol, officials received information about a functional gym.

After

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani watering a sapling at a plantation drive.

been set up for the state to fulfill and develop.

The responsibility for the same has been

handed over to various departments who take certain actions to fulfill the targets.

In the agriculture sector, short-term actions would be undertaken such as setting

reaching the spot, they apprehended 32 people without face masks and also collected Rs1,000 each. The gym owner and trainers were arrested and prosecuted under the Epidemic Diseases Act. With several gyms facing a crisis, Moradiya has requested the government to allow them to open. A few days ago, gym administrators and trainers had conducted a protest outside the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) office by showing up with exercise equipment.

up of climate change cells (CCC) for a streamlined mechanism to ensure the

WILL PATIL’S SEVA YIELD A POWERFUL DIVIDEND? First India Bureau

Katargam MLA Vinod Moradiya

—FILE PHOTO

Vadodara: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state unit president CR Patil has been actively putting in effort to provide assistance to victims of Cyclone Tauktae, which made landfall in the state on May 17-18. However, political analysts believe that he may be using the natural disaster and pandemic to accumulate more power, which may possibly mean a shot at the top leadership in the state.

Closely observing the moves being made by Patil, political experts opined that the leader has been controlling the government from ‘Kamalam’, the BJP state headquarters.

On Sunday, Patil was in Vadodara, where party workers and social groups had organised ‘Seva Yagna’, where

BJP state prez CR Patil distributing food kits in Vadodara on Sun. they distributed food kits to the underprivileged. All kits contained ration to meet a family’s needs for a week up to a fortnight.

In the past two months, Patil has traversed to almost all corners of the state, interacting with local leaders, citizens and providing assistance.

He also inaugurated several COVID-19 care centres for patients and visited cyclone-af-

fected areas. He enlisted the help of local leaders and distributed ration kits to victims.

From his own constituency of Surat, Patil flagged off five trucks with food kits for people living in cyclone-affected areas. In the month of April, 2021, the party distributed over 5,000 remdesivir injections to family members of COVID-19 patients, under his leadership.

According to analysts, the relief work underlines basic services carried by every political party in times of crises. But they also opined that the manner in which Patil’s work has been highlighted within the party as well as in the media, does hint at a power game.

Party members have begun discussing the next move of the national leaders with regard to a change of guard in Gujarat. Experts believe that it may have stemmed from a fear of failure to retain power in the state in the 2022 state assembly elections.

This theory has received fuel after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s closed door meeting with Patil during his flying visit to the state on May 19 in Ahmedabad. Only time will tell whether Patil’s seva will reap fruit or not.

coordination of all the sectors and their activities under the Bihar Action Plan on Climate Change (BAPCC). Mediumterm actions have been already initiated such as the deployment of improved crop varieties, which are both flood as well as drought-tolerant.

Being a landlocked state and drained by rain-fed rivers only, Madhya Pradesh is considered to be vulnerable to climate change. The Madhya Pradesh State Action Plan on Climate Change (MPSAPCC) has the vision to ensure inclusive growth and sustainable development.

Formulating different plans based on different types of forests with respect to climate change to enhance forest conservation, afforestation, and reforestation. Shifting to alternate sources of energy by reducing depend-

ence on forests for energy and developing linkages to forestbased livelihood opportunities and improving the forest fire management system and creating awareness are some of its priorities.

In 2010, the Rajasthan government had stated that the Rajasthan Action Plan on Climate Change (RAPCC) will put forth a strategic plan of action for 2020, to enhance resilience in the state for addressing current and likely impacts of climate change on key sectors, enhance adaptive capacities of the vulnerable communities while tapping potential opportunities for mitigation. It had also announced restructuring of the Directorate of Environment (DoE) as the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change (DOECC) in the budget for 2019-20 fiscal.

AAP’s unique creek protest against SMC

Pictures of Surat mayor, deputy mayor and BJP city president ‘planted’ at the creek.

First India Bureau Surat: The creek passing through Parvat area of the city has been undergoing clean-up courtesy members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the past few days.

To express their displeasure with the Surat city administration, party members on Sunday put up pictures of city mayor Hemali Boghawala, deputy mayor Dinesh Jodhani, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) city president Amit Rajput near the creek.

The creek has be-

come embroiled in controversy since the past week. Earlier, AAP members used machines to clean the creek that floods each monsoon. It had asked SMC for workers to assist with the drive but SMC released a statement saying that the party had used machinery without procuring prior permission.

The creek passes through residential areas and the dirt deposited travels to people’s homes during the monsoon season after flooding.

EXEMPTED

No fire NOC for edu insti buildings below 9 metres But, they will be required to submit a self-attested doc to local authorities confirming fire safety measures, says state government First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Educational institutes located in buildings up to nine metres in height and without basements in Gujarat will not be required to obtain the mandatory fire safety no objection certificate (NOC) from local authorities but instead, they will have to submit a selfcertified document, the state government said on Sunday.

Such educational institutes will have to get the self-attested, selfcertified fire NOC ensuring that they have put in place all the fire safety systems as per the prescribed rules, an official release said, adding this decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

The self-certified fire NOC will have to be reported to the officer of the education department in the concerned

On Sunday, officials of the Ahmedabad fire department participated in a mock fire drill along with staff members of the Civil Hospital (Asarwa) on its premises.

—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

town, city or district, it said.

Swanirbhar Shala Sanchalak Mandal president DV Mehta has clarified that the state government has exempted schools from procuring fire NOCs, but schools will have to

install fire safety equipment as their moral and legal duty. School managements will be required to submit a selfattested certificate confirming that it has a fire safety system in place.

The government has also decided to add six

new fire regions in Gujarat to expand the coverage of fire services in the state. A senior IAS officer will act as the fire officer of each of these fire regions.

In addition to eight metros in the state, six more fire regions will

be set up, one each in the jurisdiction of the regional commissioner of municipalities in the districts of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Rajkot and Bhavnagar.

Buildings are required to obtain fire

safety NOC from the competent authorities after implementing the norms laid down for the fire safety system.

Chief fire officers of municipal corporations will also issue fire NOC for areas including those falling under the Urban Development Authority (UDA) of the respective corporation, the release said.

The government said a building should not be denied a fire safety NOC even when it fulfils all the provisions only for not having the required Building Use (BU) permission from local authorities.

Concerned officials of the fire service should understand that

issuing a fire NOC is required for a building to obtain BU permission.

If a building meets fire safety provisions, it does not require BU permission to get the fire NOC, the government said.

The government has also decided to give the authority and powers to issue fire NOCs in municipal areas to fire officers concerned in place of the director of the fire services, to expedite the process of issuance of the fire NOCs. The government’s decisions come days after the Gujarat High Court pulled it up over the issue of fire safety in buildings and establishments in the state.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

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POLICE NABS VIOLATORS IN ONE CASE,

REMAINS SILENT IN ANOTHER

03

Ahmedabad woman harassed by ‘known’ unrequited admirer

Officials swiftly arrested 14 youths from a liquor party; Mehsana police took no action against son of a BJP leader First India Bureau Valsad/ Mehsana: In the last 48 hours, two incidents have occurred that violate the law. In one case, local police acted quickly and arrested 14 youths. However, in another case, officials have remained silent because the offender is the son of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, according to sources.

On Saturday night, Valsad police had received information about an alleged liquor party taking place in an apartment building on Tithal Road. A team from the city police ar-

A BLIND EYE

Youths who celebrated birthday with a liquor party arrested by Valsd city police on Saturday.

rived at the flat and conducted a search, where they discovered 14 youngsters enjoying a booze party. The police arrested 10 men

and four women from the spot.

The party was a birthday celebration of accused Utkarsh Gehlot, being held at

DyCM Nitin Patel confirms ‘‘3rd wave possibility in Guj’’

his father-in-law’s home. Utkarsh’s wife, sister, and friends were also in attendance. The police have launched an investiga-

tion for a violation of the Gujarat Prohibition Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act. Meanwhile, Mehsana district police are said

to have turned a blind eye in a case involving Sagar Patel’s birthday celebrations. Sagar was seen using a sword to cut his own birthday cake in a video that went viral on social media platforms. His parents and family can also be seen taking part in the celebration.

According to sources, police have not taken action against Patel because he is the son of BJP official Vijay Patel of Visnagar. It is to be noted that Nikol police booked a 19-year-old earlier this month for allegedly cutting his cake with a sword and violating COVID-19 guidelines.

WINGED CREATURES

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Confirming reports of a possible third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on Sunday made a statement to that effect. “There is a possibility of a third wave of COVID-19 in Gujarat,” he said. The state reported 848 new cases on Sunday and 12 fatalities.

“The government is currently planning and preparing for the possibility. Infection may also increase in young children, which is why the state government will remain prepared.

Around 50 beds have been arranged for children in Vadnagar.

Mehsana Civil Hospital will also have facilities for kids including ventilators,” he added.

Patel also stated that the number of nCoV patients in the state had fallen in the past 10 days. “Judging by the statistics, the government has managed to overcome the second wave. Less than 1, 000 cases were reported in Gujarat on Saturday. The goal is to control the transition and transmission of the virus in Gujarat,” he asserted.

With the caseload slowly declining after the second wave, the

—FILE PHOTO

Nitin Patel

COVID-19 UPDATE

TOTAL CASES

CASES IN A DAY

TOTAL DEATHS

DEATHS IN A DAY

8,16,234 848 9,933 12

RECOVERED

TOTAL

RECOVERED IN A DAY

7,88,293 2,915 ACTIVE CASES

18,008

V’DARA A’BAD SURAT RAJKOT

191 134 141 49

state government is gradually easing the stringent restrictions imposed due to the pandemic. Now, private offices in the state will be allowed

56 JAMNAGAR 31 GIR SOMNATH 39 PANCHMAHAL 18 JUNAGADH

to function at 100% capacity, ATMs and BRTS, AMTS buses will be back on the roads, and offline hearings will be conducted in courts.

Migratory flamingos were spotted at Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary located 30 km away from Ahmedabad city in Kadi of Mehsana district.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A woman has filed a complaint against an unknown caller after receiving allegedly offensive phone calls and messages, according to police officials.

The mother of two has been receiving calls from the mobile number 7796299309 since May 12, stated officials of women’s police station (east).

The police are still looking for the accused person.

Akshara (name changed), a 36-year-old resident of east Ahmedabad, is a professional architect who works in the city’s western part. She is mother to daughter and a son.

Even after the women’s helpline counsellor tried to persuade the caller to stop harassing the woman, the accused did not cease his calls. He reportedly called the woman from

According to the woman, the caller had informed her that she knew him.

When she asked for his name, he did not identify himself.

8 am to 10 pm on June 1 repeatedly. Tired of the relentless harassment, the victim filed a complaint against the unidentified individual by registering the aforementioned mobile phone number.

The caller, according to the woman, informed her that she knew him.

When she asked for his name, he did not identify himself, but did say he had a picture of her and really liked her. The woman also told her husband about the incident, and he tried to persuade the caller to stop harassing her, to no avail.

Youth eager to get jabs, but say ‘‘no free slots’’ First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Notwithstanding the state’s spirited announcements expanding vaccination for the 18-44 years age group across Gujarat, youngsters at many places have found it difficult to book a slot at government centres. Some youth said they were able to get paid slots, but not for the governmentrun free vaccine doses.

Rohit Jadav, a youth in Vatva area of Ahmedabad, said that he had been trying to book a slot for the last month. “Earlier, all slots were booked, and no option of private hospitalrun vaccination centres was shown on the portal. And now, ironically,

A man receives his vaccine shot at a centre in Juhapura area of Ahmedabad on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

only slots available now are of paid ones run by private hospitals,” he lamented.

On the other hand, few youngsters have taken to social media platforms to question people across the world about the charges for vaccination in their countries. They have reportedly found out

that except India, all countries are running free vaccination programmes, supported by central governments of the respective nations.

Commenting on the paid vaccination drives, Manish Doshi, chief spokesperson of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), said, “The vaccination cam-

Screenshots of free and paid vaccination slots available in Ahmedabad.

paign is yet another example of the unwillingness and policy paralysis of the government.

There is no uniform policy and it is full of hiccups. Free vaccination is

a responsibility of the central government, but the government does not wish COVID-19 to go, which is clear from its testing, vaccination, and treatment policy.”

CAUGHT

SABARKANTHA CRIME BRANCH NABS TWO QUACK DOCTORS Local health authorities have been conducting drives in Aravalli and Sabarkantha districts to crackdown on such ‘professionals’

Bhavesh Barot Himmatnagar: In a joint operation with district health officials, Sabarkantha district’s local crime branch apprehended two quacks, who were allegedly practising as doctors, despite having no medical qualifications. They were apprehended in the village of Vaktapur, which is located around 10 kilometres from Himmatnagar.

Taking unfair advan-

tage of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been a number of incidents in the state involving people found engaging in fraudulent practises to earn money by exploiting the underprivileged and uneducated.

In an attempt to curb such malpractices, local health authorities have been conducting drives in the hinterland of the Aravalli and Sabarkantha districts to crackdown on people

The accused Jagadish Patel (L) and Asif Rajpura (R).

practising medicine without any medical qualifications.

After receiving a tipoff, the local crime

branch raided two clinics in Vaktapur and arrested two men, who had been allegedly practising medicine

without the necessary medical qualifications.

In one case, the police apprehended Asif Rajpura, a resident of the Ilol town. He was allegedly treating patients and dispensing medications despite not having a medical degree. The local police have also seized injections and medicines worth Rs17,467 from his illegally operated clinic.

In another case, the police apprehended a man from the same vil-

lage named Jagadish Kacharabhai Patel. He was allegedly practising as a doctor and treating patients despite the fact that he lacked any medical credentials. Injections, IV sets, and medicines worth Rs5 lakh were recovered from his clinic by the police.

The local crime branch has opened an investigation under section 419 of the IPC, and the Gujarat Medical Act. PD Chaudhary, a police sub inspector, is

investigating the case.

Meanwhile, Aravalli district police also arrested two persons posing as doctors, without possessing any medical qualifications. Officials also recovered medicines, drugs and other medical equipment from the clinics of both quack doctors. The accused have been identified as Arvindsinh Parmar from Rajli village and Nemabhai Katara from Navagam village in Meghraj taluka.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

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THE LAST BASTION NEEDS ATTENTION

04

IN-DEPTH

RISE OF MAMATA’S NEPHEW IN WEST BENGAL POLITICS

D

RETD. COL ANUPAM JAITLY Defence expert, Motivational speaker & Corporate Trainer

W The increasing trend of Army deployment, though a slap on the face of the very administration that deploys it, poses problems for the OGs itself. Defense forces are the only organization that maintains a truly apolitical character. Every deployment in aid to civil authority for law and order drags it into a political situation, which opens up the possibility of the politicization of the force

ith a record number of new COVID-19 patients, the country is facing a shortage of almost every resource needed to combat the pandemic successfully. The wailing ambulance sirens, the begging for hospital beds and oxygen for near and dear ones, the shortage of medicines, injections and vaccines, the nation has seen it all in the last three months. The ‘HAVE AND THE HAVE NOTS’ have suffered much the same fate.

India’s response to the pandemic is being led by the bureaucrats. But issuance of a large number of orders, rules and guidelines on a daily basis have created chaos across socio – economic systems. It is said that much of India’s bureaucracy is steeped in ‘legalistic’ norms that symbolizes a typical red tape syndrome. Alas, in most cases barring aside some good Samaritans & visionaries, it failed to find an out of box solution to handle the disastrous situation.

So, finally, shunning all the remorse the leaders decided to fall back on the LAST BASTION-THE DEFENSE FORCES as a part of crisis manage-

POOR PAY PRICE IN CENTRE-DELHI ROW

ment to supplement the efforts of civil administration.

Army, Navy and the Air Force, as always rose to the call of the nation and responded with full might and resources. The holy cow was delivering yet again. Top brass decided that it indeed is a war-like situation except that this time the enemy is not China or Pakistan but rather an invisible virus. The military health resources (Army medical corps) has been fully engaged and dozens of hospitals all over the country mushroomed under the aegis of the army. Not only this, Military doctors and paramedics were deputed to run huge facilities established to provide relief and succor to the public at large. The game started changing and the taming of the monster began.

Air force flew sorties from Wuhan, Iran, Italy, Japan and other destinations to bring back Indian citizens to the safe folds of the nation. The Navy did the same through its ships while the Army took care of them in quarantine care centers at Manesar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and others. May it be the supply chain of oxygen or provisioning of ambulances, it started straightening up.

By the way, Covid 19 is not the only time when the defense forces have come to the rescue of the nation. In the past, the military has been on

T

hat millions of poor in the country do not get their full quota of ration is no secret. That officials turn a blind eye to the problem is also not hidden from anyone.

If ration card holders are entitled to four items like sugar, pulse, wheat/flour and rice, they invariably end up getting only one or two items. To make it worse, the ration shop owner doesn’t always give the full portion of the items and keeps a small share for himself. Only during last year’s lockdown the poor got their full quota of wheat, rice, pulses because of the presence of cops. It is now an accepted practice as the poor, afraid to antagonize the fair price

India’s response to the pandemic is being led by the bureaucrats. But issuance of a large number of orders, rules and guidelines on a daily basis have created chaos across socio – economic systems the forefront in relief and rescue operations during natural calamities like earthquakes in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Kashmir, floods in Kashmir & Kedarnath, cyclones and controlling agitations, riots and violent protests in almost every state.

Not only this, Indian Army takes pride in salvaging the staked reputation of India in the eyes of the world. Who can forget the collapse of a bridge at CWG venue in Delhi just five days short of the opening ceremony in 2010. It was the Army alone that launched a bridge in record time.

It is a known fact that the strength of combined central armed police forces is more than the Indian Army yet, the situation often gets out of control of the administration and the ‘LAST BASTION’ is called in to deal with internal security issues such as in Haryana during Jat stir in Rohtak and Bhiwani for flag marches.

The increasing trend of

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s scheme for doorstep delivery of ration, like home delivery of pizza, to end corruption in ration distribution through fair price shops has been shot down by the Central government shop owner, make do with whatever they get uncomplainingly.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s scheme for doorstep delivery of ration, like home delivery of pizza, to end corruption in ration distribution through

Army deployment, though a slap on the face of the very administration that deploys it, poses problems for the OGs itself. Defense forces are the only organization that maintains a truly apolitical character. Every deployment in aid to civil authority for law and order drags it into a political situation, which opens up the possibility of the politicization of the force.

So, shall we say that when all govt agencies fail, its defense forces that save the situation. And if this dictum be true, is it not the responsibility of the elected govt to keep the morale of its forces high?

How exactly can the govts achieve this? Simple, keep your defense forces equal to other central services and provide them with the same pay, allowances and perks at par with so-called superior services that often fail to perform on their assigned roles.

Also, by attending to their grievances from time to time and upholding their dignity.

Remember a stitch in time will save nine. It’s time to engage with Ex Servicemen protesting for almost two years for their demands with no hearing from the government. We have to remember that the moral of serving soldiers in fighting the next war will depend on his perception of ‘how the nation is treating the veterans’!!!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

fair price shops has been shot down by the Central government.

Kejriwal blamed the Centre for stalling his “revolutionary” scheme. The BJP countered with the allegation that the Delhi government has lifted only 53,000 metric tonnes of foodgrains provided under the National Food Security Act and the Garib Kalyan Yojana. Of this it has distributed only 68 per cent to the public.

It has turned into a Centre versus State row with Kejriwal claiming that he took Centre’s approval five times for what is a state subject. Caught in the row is the poor ration card holder who neither gets the full quota of ration nor can expect a fair deal.

ynastic politics is part of all political parties in the country and no amount of criticism is ever going to stop the practice. From the Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Party, Congress and Akali Dal in the North to the DMK in the South and NCP and Shiv Sena in the West, dynasts have ruled over regional and national political spectrum. While regional satraps see nothing wrong in the practice, a party like the Congress has been decimated simply because it is reluctant to allow a non-Gandhi to take over the reins.

The elevation of Abhishek Banerjee as the national general secretary of Trinamool Congress is in keeping with the country’s political tradition. Abhishek is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and is seen as her successor in the State.

Blood is thicker than water adage aside, Didi’s hands must have been forced by the betrayal by some of her former party colleagues who joined the BJP just before the assembly elections.

SPIRITUAL SPEAK Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

—Buddha

TOP TWEET Ravi Shankar Prasad @rsprasad

PM @narendramodi announced health treatment support under Ayushman Bharat scheme to children who have lost their parents due to the current Covid pandemic. The premium amount for such children till the age of 18 years will be paid by PM-CARES. Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank @DrRPNishank

State-wise performance in PGI 201920 shows that 33 States and UTs have improved their PGI scores in 2019-20 compared to the previous year. The major purpose of PGI is indeed to create environment that nudges States/UTs to continuously improve its performance.

Vol 2 l Issue No. 191 l RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, ChangodarBavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist.

Ahmedabad. Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act l

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BANNING MALAYALAM ATTEMPT TO SNATCH THE RIGHT TO SPEAK IT: BJP

05

BJP tasks Morchas to take Centre’s schemes to masses

A controversial order directing all nursing staff at a Delhi government health facility to use only Hindi New Delhi: Slamming the controversial order directing all nursing staff at a Delhi government health facility to use only Hindi and English for communication, the BJP on Sunday termed it an attempt to snatch the right to speak in Malayalam. It also questioned silence of Kerala's LDF government on the issue.

Citing the circular at the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (GIPMER) ordering the nursing staff to only communicate in Hindi or English and specifically disallowing Malayalam, BJP national spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said: "The subsequent withdrawal in a haste clearly indicates we have an anarchist state government for whom the Constitution of India and its recognised language do not matter.

"It is an irony that when this government was in need of oxygen, the request was directed to Kerala and now

Delhi Hospital withdraws controversial order

—PHOTO BY ANI

Nurses showing the victory sign on the occasion of international nurses day.

their attempt to snatch the right to speak in Malayalam amongst each other." Vadakkan stressed that globally the largest number of nurses come from Kerala, and they have served the country as frontline workers along with doctors and other paramedics.

—ANI

STOP LANGUAGE DISCRIMINATION: RAHUL GANDHI New Delhi: After a Delhi government hospital issued a circular asking nurses not to speak in Malayalam while on duty, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday slammed the move and urged authorities to stop discrimination among Indian languages. Fol-

Rahul Gandhi

lowing protests, the hospital withdrew the order. Mr Gandhi wrote, “Malayalam is as Indian as any other Indian language. Stop language discrimination!” This row erupted after GIPMER on Saturday forbade its nursing personnel from communicating in Malayalam.

New Delhi: A circular asking nursing staff at Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research not to converse in Malayalam has been withdrawn, said the institute's Medical Director Dr Anil Agarwal on Sunday. An order issued by the Delhi government hospital's Nursing Superintedent on Saturday had stated, "A complaint has been received regarding Malayalam language being used for communication in working places in GIPMER. Whereas maximum patient and colleagues do not know this language and feel helpless causing a lot of inconvenience. So it is directed to all Nursing Personnel to use only Hindi and English for communication otherwise serious action will be taken.”

—ANI

JP Nadda

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President JP Nadda on Sunday asked the party's ST Morcha and Mahila Morcha to reach out to people with the Central government's schemes of Van Dhan and Nutrition for Women and Children.

Also, the Kisan Morcha has been entrusted with the task of training farmers for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), BJP National General Secretary Arun Singh said.

Singh added that one lakh people will also be trained to be the health volunteers in view of increasing need for health workers.

BJP chief Nadda has called a two-day meeting which began on Satuday to review the relief and Covid pre-

SEWA PROGRAM

ventive work done by BJP workers amid the pandemic.

Under the Sewa program, which has been ongoing since April, a total of 5,800 video conferences and blood donation camps were held and 1.26 lakh face covers were distributed.

Food was also delivered to Covid-affected families," Arun Singh said.

FEELING A BIT SAD AND LET DOWN: EX-TMC LEADER Kolkata: After former MLAs such as Sonali Guha and Dipendu Biswas expressed their wish to return to Trinamool Congress, another leader who quit TMC for the BJP — Prabir Ghosal, former MLA of Uttarpara in Hooghly—has expressed his apparent “unhappiness” with

the his current party.

Ghoshal told mediapersons on Saturday, “Recently, my mother passed away.

MP Kalyan Bandopadhyay and MLA Kanchan Mullick called me.

[Chief Minister] Mamata Banerjee too sent a condolence message. Only local BJP leaders shared their

Prabir Ghosal

condolences. I am feeling a bit sad and let down.” “I am in a grieving condition,” he added. After the Bengal polls, a number of turncoats who joined the BJP beforehand have made public their wish to return to the TMC. While some turncoats admitted their “mistake,” others cit-

ed the house arrest of Trinamool Congress leaders by CBI in Covid times as “unacceptable”.

The Trinamool Congress top leadership are, however, yet to discuss the issue.

The CM and the party workers are presently busy tackling Covid situation in Bengal.

K’taka govt must ‘teach Amazon Hajj will depend on Saudi Arabia govt’s decision: a lesson’, says Kumaraswamy Bengaluru: The Karnataka government must take action against Amazon, said former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday after the e-commerce platform's Canadian unit was found selling a bikini with the Kannada state flag and emblem on it. "Amazon is hurting the sentiments of Kannadigas," Kumaraswamy said, adding that the state government should teach them a lesson.

"Karnataka government must proceed to-

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

Pro Kannada organisations protesting against Amazon Canada for selling women’s ilingerie products printed with Karnataka flag & icon.

wards taking action against Amazon, they are hurting the sentiments of the Kannadigas. Being a Canadian company, they must abide by the feelings and sentiments of the

COVID +VE ASIATIC LIONS AT TN ZOO ON ANTIBIOTICS; STALIN PAYS VISIT Tamil Nadu: Chief minister M K Stalin, who visited the Arignar Anna Zoological Park on Sunday and took stock of the situation, directed the officials of Environment & Forest department and the facility to provide the best treatment to the infected lions as per protocols.

The infected Asiatic lions at the Arignar Anna

Zoological Park (AAZP), popularly known as Vandalur zoo here, have been quarantined and on a regimen of antibiotics and other prophylactic drugs.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, who visited the zoo on Sunday and took stock of the situation , directed the officials to provide the best treatment to the infected lions.

people. Google made a similar mistake and apologised later. Now it is Amazon's turn," he said.

He further called the produce 'inappropriate' and 'obnoxious'.

New Delhi: Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said that no decision has been taken by the Central government on the 2021 Hajj pilgrimage yet, adding that India will stand with the Saudi Arabia government’s decision for annual Hajj yatra amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hajj will depend on the decision of the Saudi Arabia government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said In-

NEW E-FILING PORTAL TO PROCESS RETURNS FASTER New Delhi: The income tax department will launch its new e-filing portal on Monday aimed at providing faster processing of returns. All interactions and uploads or pending actions will be displayed on a single dashboard. Free of cost IT-R preparation software would be available with interactive questions to help taxpayers for ITRs 1, 4 (online and offline) and ITR 2 (offline) to begin with and facility for preparation of ITRs 3, 5, 6, 7 will be made available shortly, a tax department statement said on Saturday.

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

dia will stand by the side of the Saudi government in its decision. Last year Haj got cancelled. This year nothing has been decided yet,” Naqvi said.

Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in Ladakh.

China rotates 90 per cent troops deployed along Ladakh sector New Delhi: It seems that Chinese troops deployed opposite the Eastern Ladakh sector have been badly affected by the extreme cold conditions in the area as the People’s Liberation Army has rotated 90 per cent of its manpower and brought in fresh soldiers from the hinterland. Since the AprilMay timeframe last year, China has deployed over 50,000 troops close to the Indian territory in east-

WB BOARD EXAMS: GOVT SEEKS OPINION BEFORE TAKING CALL Kolkata: West Bengal government on Sunday invited the opinion of students and parents on whether state board exams for secondary and higher secondary classes should be conducted. The opinion of students and parents are invited on the subject till 2 pm on June 7. An expert committee was formed by the

government to recommend whether state board exams for secondary and higher secondary classes should be conducted. The expert committee is also to recommend the mode of the exam if they are to be conducted and also evaluation criteria for assessment if examinations are not to be conducted, an official statement said.

‘Fresh troops’ have been brought from the hinterland to replace the earlier troops.

90 %rotated ern Ladakh and has been maintaining them there despite the limited troops withdrawal from forward locations in the Pangong lake sector. “The Chinese have brought in fresh troops from

the hinterland to replace the troops who had been there for the last one year. Around 90 per cent of their troops have been rotated,” sources told ANI. The reason for this rotation may be that the Chinese troops deployed in the extreme conditions in the areas have been severely affected by the extreme conditions faced in high latitude, extreme cold and other issues, they said.

CORONATION OF SHIVAJI MAHARAJ CELEBRATED Mumbai: Coronation of Shivaji Maharaj is a golden moment engraved on the heart of Maharashtra, CM Uddhav Thackeray said on June 6 as he paid tributes to the warrior king who was crowned “Chhatrapati” of the independent Maratha kingdom in 1674. In normal times, public rallies and processions mark the coronation day, but due to the pandemic, no public function was held. Thackeray said the legendary king instituted a welfare state and gave the topmost priority to his motherland.

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WHY GOVT REDUCED OXYGEN, ICU AND VENTILATOR BEDS: PRIYANKA

—FILE PHOTO

 PRIYANKA SLAMS MODI GOVT AS NATION  OVER 1.63 CRORE COVID-19 VACCINE DOSES STILL RECORDED 114,460 CASES & 2,677 DEATHS ARE STILL AVAILABLE WITH STATES: CENTRE New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday questioned the Centre over its decision to reduce the number of oxygen, ICU and ventilator beds in hospitals, which she said came despite reports indicating the need for a large number of beds during the second wave of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) across the country.

“From September 2020 to January 2021, the Modi Government reduced: Oxygen beds by 36%, ICU beds by 46%, Ventilator beds by 28%. Why? When every expert in the country, the Parliamentary Committee on Health and their own Sero-surveys warned them that additional...beds would be needed for an inevitable second wave.

HIGHLIGHTS BJP to train 1 lakh health volunteers to perform essential medical services We will get large stock of Sputnik V from July, says Maharashtra Minister 27 black fungus patients fall sick after Amphotericin-B shot in Madhya Pradesh Manipal Hospitals collaborates with Dr Reddy’s to include Sputnik V in its vaccine portfolio COVID-19: Goa curfew extended till June 14, shops selling essentials to stay open for longer hours Only 7 countries have over 1 lakh Covid deaths. Maharashtra is close to the mark Delhi records less than 400 new cases, positivity rate now lowest since March 9 Decks cleared for import of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Russia’s Sputnik V into Brazil with conditions Oxygen expresses deliver over 26,281 MT of LMO across country

CSIR BEGINS CLINICAL TRIALS FOR NICLOSAMIDE

AIIMS Delhi to screen children for Covaxin trials from today

Centre provides over 24.60 cr vaccine doses to States, UTs

New Delhi: The screening of children for clinical trials of Covaxin will start at AIIMS in Delhi today, days after similar trials started at AIIMS in Patna, sources have said.

The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in the national capital will conduct clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Bharat Biotech to see if it is suitable for children between two and 18 years old. Experts have warned that a possible third wave can bring as much devastation as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic

C

Priyanka Gandhi

#ZimmedarKaun?” she tweeted along with a video message.

The Congress leader’s video message came as the country recorded 114,460 fresh cases of Covid-19 and 2,677 related deaths on Sunday. India’s total infection tally has

reached 28.80 million and the death toll is nearing 1.5 million, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Sunday morning.

Is the health of the Indians less important than the central vista project? Priyanka said.

ouncil of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) along and Laxai Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. on Sunday initiated Phase-II clinical trial for anti-helminitic drug Niclosamide for treatment of Covid-19. The trial, a multi-centric, phaseII, randomized, open label clinical study to evaluate efficacy, safety and tolerability of NIclosamide for the treatment of hospitalized Covid-19 patients, the ministry of science and technology said.

Central team to visit Cyclone Yaas-hit areas in West Bengal New Delhi: A central team from Union Home Ministry (MHA) will visit Cyclone Yaas affected areas in West Bengal and assess the damages, sources said on Sunday.

The three-member team headed by S K Shashi, Joint secretary, MHA JS (MHA), which arrives in the state today, will hold meeting with the officials of Disaster Management and Finance Department in Nabanna, the state secretariat on June 9. “The

team will hold meetings with officials of Disaster Management and Finance Department in Nabanna, the West Bengal state secretariat.

The team will also visit Cyclone Yaas-affected areas in South 24 Parga-

nas and East Midnapore,” as per sources.

Cyclone Yaas made landfall in West Bengal on May 26-27. Several districts including Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, South 24 Pargana and Jhargram suffered the impact of the cyclone.

The coastal areas like Digha and Sundarban were the worst affected.

On May 28, PM Modi conducted an aerial survey of cyclone-affected areas in the state and held a review meeting.

governTthanhement24central provided more crore COVID-19 vaccine doses to states so far, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Sunday.

According to the Union Home Ministry, the Centre has provided 24,60,80,900 doses of COVID vaccines to States/UTs, both through the free of

Jama Masjid’s Bukhari writes to PM for repair work New Delhi: Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, on Sunday, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to inspect the monument and carry out necessary repairs.

He wrote to the PM two days after a minaret of the 17th-century mosque was damaged on Friday following strong winds and rain that struck the city during evening hours.

cost category and through the direct state procurement category.

“Of this, the total consumption, including wastages is 22,96,95,199 doses.

More than 1.63 crore COVID vaccine doses (1,63,85,701) are still available with the States/UTs to be administered,” reads the statement issued by the MoHFW.

if enough people are not vaccinated against the virus, and that children could be its prime target.

However, the vaccines being used in India - Covaxin, Covishield and Sputnik V have not been approved for use on children. Dr VK Paul, a senior NITI Aayog member, last month said the phase 2/3 trials will be conducted on children aged between two and 18. The centre had given its clearance to the clinical trials on May 13. The US & Canada have authorised Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for use in some age groups of children.

IN THE COURTYARD

Abad HC denies Rakesh’s plea to quash FIR on housing scam

13 juvenile convicts move SC, seek immediate release

New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Sunday declined to provide relief to Rakesh Wadhawan on his petition seeking to quash an FIR in connection with a cheating case against a real estate company. “We, after perusing the FIR and the rival contentions, are of the view that contentions raised by petitioner cannot be examined in this jurisdiction, as

New Delhi: The 13 convicts, declared as juveniles by Juvenile Justice Board at the time of the commission of the offence and are currently lodged in Agra Central Jail in Uttar Pradesh, have moved Supreme Court seeking immediate direction for their release. The petition was filed by lawyer, Rishi Malhotra, before the SC & sought immediate appropriate directions & orders for this.

FIR prima facie discloses commission of cognizable offences.

The writ petition lacks merit & is dismissed,” a division bench of Allahabad HC, Justices Pankaj Naqvi & Jayant Banerji said.

‘New IT rules to tackle Khalistani flags & posters seen in Golden Pokhriyal approves PGI misuse of social media’ Temple on Operation Blue Star’s 37th anniv 2019-20 for States, UTs New Delhi: On problem of tracing the originator of WhatsApp messages, Minister asserted that abnormal customers of WhatsApp don’t have anything to worry. With Twitter & WhatsApp up in arms in opposition to federal government’s new pointers for social media platforms, IT & Regulation Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad instructed The Hindu these pointers are to take care of the problem of misuse of such plat-

forms. He pressured that these guidelines solely give a redressal mechanism to customers, with complaints to be dealt with between customers & the social media middleman.

Amritsar: On the occasion of the 37th anniversary of Operation Blue Star, posters of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Bhindranwale and Khalistani flags were seen during an event inside Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, Punjab.

Hundreds of people gathered inside the Golden Temple and were seen holding the flags and raising slo-

gans. Bhindranwale was the head of the Sikh religious sect Damdami Taksal. He was killed along with his armed followers during Operation Blue

Star launched by the Indian Army at the Golden Temple complex. The Indian Army carried out Operation Blue Star in 1984 between June 1 & June 8.

New Delhi: Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Sunday approved Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2019-20 for States & Union Territories, which was introduced with a set of 70 parameters to bring about change in school education. The PGI for States & Union Territories was first published in 2019 with reference to year 201718. The PGI: States/UTs for 2019-20 is the third publication in this se-

FROM PG 1 ‘Secular’ Cong... but did not participate in it. “I had received a call from a community leader to join a meeting, but I did not take part in it. I was in my constituency helping people,” she said.

Another leader under the condition of anonymity for fear of career blowback questioned the motivation of current Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda and Solanki on not promoting other caste leaders. “A change will only be possible if the party comes to power,

06

but top leaders do not want to be in power it seems,” said a senior Congress leader.

“It has been years since leaders from the general category, educated professionals, and intellectuals have been promoted in Congress. There are no doctors, engineers or Chartered Accountants (CAs) affiliated with the party. The party is revolving around vote bank politics,” said another senior Congress leader. For the same reason, even women cell leaders do not have sufficient supporters.

The losses accumulat-

ed by the party have been due to Thakorvad, Patidarvad and Muslims - which now have another option in the form of other parties.

Reshuffle in...

Apparently Swatantra Dev Singh’s statement has come after an indication from New Delhi which wanted to give a clear message to UP BJP that in spite of a ‘powerful lobby’s’ opposition to defer the cabinet reshuffle on one or the other pretext is not going to work and major changes in Yogi cabinet will take place, including the arrival of

two new Deputy CM’s i.e. A K Sharma and Brajesh Pathak. BJP State President had issued a statement on Sunday night, “Elections will be fought under the leadership of Yogi and a cabinet expansion will not be taken up in the immediate future by Yogi.

The expansion is expected after the election of the Zila Panchayat Adhyakshs by the end of June or early July”!

TMC files...

The complainant further states that the alleged theft was carried

out with the help of the Central Armed Forces.

It is also mentioned in the complaint that when the complainant, along with other members of the Municipality, went to check the godown on getting the information, they encountered Himangshu Manna. When asked, he stated that tarpaulins were taken as per the instructions of Suvendu Adhikari and Soumendu Adhikari.

tionaries @MamataOfficial are not even recognising this malaise much less take steps to contain it. Police @WBPolice @KolkataPolice unfortunately engaged as extension of ruling dispensation to let loose vindictiveness on political opponents.”

In his scathing letter, Dhankhar alleged that “democratic values are openly shredded and trampled by ruling party harmads”.

A fresh... as an ‘extension of the ruling dispensation’, he added, “Most unfortunate that state func-

Lowest single... while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 93.67 per cent, the Union

Health Ministry data showed.

The number of recoveries continue to outnumber daily new cases for 24 consecutive days.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,69,84,781, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.20 per cent, the Union Health Ministry data stated.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, a total of 36,47,46,522 samples tested up to June 5, of which 20,36,311 samples were tested yesterday.

ries. The PGI exercise ‘envisages that the index would propel States & UTs towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions that will bring about the muchdesired optimal education outcomes’.

Court turns down plea to produce activists in handcuffs and fetters New Delhi: A Delhi court on Sunday dismissed the application seeking to produce two accused-- Umar Khalid and Khalid Saifi-- in the North-East violence case in “fetters and handcuffs”.

Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav said that the accused persons, who are sought to be produced in fetters and handcuffs, are admittedly not “previous convicts” and they are not even “gangsters”.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

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07

ENGINE NO. 1’S BIG WIN

CLIMATE CHANGE FIGHT MARK DESJARDINE Assistant Professor of Strategy and Sustainability, Penn State TIMA BANSAL Canada Research Chair in Business Sustainability, Western University

O

ne of the most expensive Wall Street shareholder battles on record could signal a big shift in how hedge funds and other investors view sustainability.

Exxon Mobil Corp. has been fending off a so-called proxy fight from a hedge fund known as Engine No. 1, which blames the energy giant’s poor performance in recent years on its failure to transition to a “decarbonizing world.” In a June 02, 2021 vote, Exxon shareholders approved three board members Engine No. 1 nominated, dealing a major blow to the oil company. The final candidate to be elected to the board of the American oil giant was Alexander Karsner, best known for being a senior strategist at Alphabet, the parent company of Google. The first two Engine No 1 nominees to be elected to the board were Kaisa Hietala, a former executive at Finnish refiner Neste Oyj and Gregory Guff, a former top executive at Marathon Petroleum and Andeavor.

While its focus has been on shareholder value, Engine No. 1 says it was also doing this to save the planet from the ravages of climate change. It has been pushing for a commitment from Exxon to carbon neutrality by 2050.

As business sustainability scholars, we can’t recall another

time that an energy company’s shareholder – particularly a hedge fund – has been so effective and forceful in showing how a company’s failure to take on climate change has eroded shareholder value.

That’s why we believe this vote marks a turning point for investors, who are well placed to nudge companies toward more sustainable business practices.

Hedge funds to the rescue?

Climate strategies aimed at saving the planet are an odd play for a hedge fund. Such investment firms are better known for getting companies to stop investing in this type of thing so they can collect quick profits.

Recent research undertaken by one of us found that activist hedge funds tend to target companies that spend more of their resources on these types of sustainability initiatives. That is, they buy shares of a company to gain influence and then convince other investors to join them in demanding efficiency enhancements and cost-cutting protocols to return more cash to shareholders. A follow-up study found that companies cut spending on sustainability initiatives within five years of a hedge fund getting involved.

In other words, hedge funds focus on short-term returns – not long-term concerns such as climate change or even a company’s own future profitability. And this is because of how hedge funds fundamentally operate.

Hedge funds usually charge their investors – often wealthy individuals and institutional investors – a 1% to 2% management fee in addition to a 20% cut of any gain in their investments. In return, these

Alexander Karsner of Google’s parent company Alphabet is the third candidate to be elected to ExxonMobil’s board.

—CONSTANCE CHU

clients expect quick and substantial returns that substantially outperform the market.

Engine No. 1, a new type of hedge fund?

This is what makes Engine No. 1’s fight so interesting.

It began in early December 2020, shortly after tech investor Chris James launched Engine No. 1 with two other hedge fund industry veterans.

The firm said it was “purposebuilt to create long-term value by harnessing the power of capitalism.”

Engine No. 1’s first order of business was to pick a fight with one of the world’s largest energy companies, Exxon Mobil. It sent a letter to the company’s board on December 7, 2020, urging it to focus on clean energy and shake up its board of directors – a bold move for an upstart investment firm with just a 0.02% stake in the nearly US$250 billion company.

But Exxon was an obvious target for this strategy. It has been a laggard on developing low-carbon fuels for years and

has promoted misinformation about the human impact on climate change for decades.

After Exxon refused to commit to a transition to carbon neutrality, Engine No. 1 formally launched its proxy battle in March to force a change of strategy at the company, which traces its history back to 1870, when John D. Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company.

A proxy battle is when a group of shareholders tries to garner enough support from other investors – in the form of votes – to force a company to do what it wants, whether it’s to cut costs or change strategy.

Exxon said it expected to spend $35 million more than its usual costs to deal with the proxy battle; unfortunately, by increasing Exxon’s expenses, these are costs that are actually footed by investors. Engine No. 1 put its expenses at $30 million. The total cost, by some estimates, has exceeded $100 million.

Engine No. 1 was hoping to replace a third of the oil giant’s board of directors with four individuals who have more clean energy experience.

The hedge fund was also seeking corporate governance reforms, a review of Exxon’s climate action plan – and its impact on the company’s finances – and greater public disclosure of its environmental and lobbying activities.

Even before the vote, the campaign was already changing the way Exxon does business. In the past few months, Exxon has proposed a $100 billion carbon capture project in Houston and committed $3 billion to low-emission technologies through a new venture.

Though Exxon denies any of these investments were due to pressure from Engine No. 1, it’s hard to believe the hedge fund wasn’t a catalyst. These are some of the biggest investments Exxon has proposed in sustainability in recent years, and they came right after pressure from the hedge fund – as well as the election of a new US president who has made fighting climate change a priority.

Another likely reason for the new initiatives is that Engine No. 1’s campaign was enlisting significant support from other major Exxon investors, such as the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which laid additional pressure on Exxon to do something about its lagging sustainability strategy.

So despite its pushback against Engine No. 1 and its proposed climate plan, clearly Exxon Mobil’s attention to its sustainability plans has been piqued.

The focus of activist hedge funds has become fighting climate change as well as increasing shareholder value.

SHOWS ACTIVIST HEDGE FUNDS JOINING

What it all means So why is Engine No. 1 really doing this – and do its motives matter?

While the firm is pushing hard for more investment in sustainability and clean energy, the focus in its statements on what’s driving this fight is mostly about shareholder value. And many of its demands, such as better long-term capital allocation strategy, a plan to enhance shareholder value and a “misaligned” management compensation, are straight out of a typical hedge fund’s playbook.

What we see as fundamentally different here is the emphasis the hedge fund is putting on the connection between sustainability and long-term profits. It makes a strong case that the reason Exxon’s financial position has been deteriorating is because of its failure to invest in low-carbon technologies.

Or, like a hedge fund, Exxon has been focusing on the short-term gains from fossil fuels at the expense of its longterm future in a global economy that puts a premium on sustainability and a penalty on carbon-intensive activities.

Moreover, the readiness of so many major investors – including the three largest US pension funds and BlackRock, the world’s biggest investment manager with $7.4 trillion in assets under management – in joining Engine No. 1 shows which way the winds are blowing, which Exxon seems to now also realize.

So the vote itself isn’t the story here. It’s that the weight of activist hedge funds – the most potent form of shareholder activism – seems to be shifting in favor of sustainability. As we see it, this means companies and executives that don’t invest in the transition to low-carbon energy will increasingly risk incurring their wrath.

Engine No. 1 wants Exxon to focus less on fossil fuels.

—AP PHOTO/MATTHEW BROWN SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM

It is necessary to have equality in a relationship, the same amount of care, concern and sharing makes for a solid relationship, with imbalance, it will not last.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, First India

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2ND FRONT AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

08

UNDER-45 JABS: Rural-Urban disconnect in Guj GUJARAT ACHIEVED 84% SUCCESS IN 18-44 VACCINATION, BUT RURAL AREAS LAGGED FOR NET AND POWER ISSUES First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Even as Gujarat Government claimed 84% success having vaccinated 1.89 lakh people in the 18-44 age group as it launched a massive statewide drive to inoculate under-45 people on Friday, ground reports suggest that the exercise remained focussed more in bigger cities that are already vaccinating the younger lot.

A huge proportion of the rural folk in several of the 33 districts struggled to get the jabs because of Internet connectivity and electricity failure issues, as people are required to register

online and seek appointments.

There are also issues like superstitions and misguided fears among the villagers at many places about the vaccine and the administration in many districts are going all out to dispel these apprehensions.

Yes, the State did vaccinate 1.89 lakh people against the daily target of 2.25 lakh, but most of this remained concentrated in the cities and towns.

In fact, there were also reports from Ahmedabad and other places of city dwellers travelling to nearby towns and villages because they could not find slots at urban

THE MISMATCH!

There were long queues of youngsters to get vaccinated in several cities of Gujarat. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

centres in the cities.

However, the State Government seemed to be alive to the situation.

Chief Minister Vijay

Rupani has said ‘village computer entrepreneurs’ would be engaged to help beneficiaries facing problems

PATIENT JUMPS TO DEATH FROM STERLING HOSPITAL ICU IN V’DARA First India Bureau Vadodara: A patient under treatment at the Sterling Hospital here jumped to death on Sunday morning. The patient was requesting the hospital management to discharge him for the last two days, but was not discharged.

Ratan Tadvi, an employee with the Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Ltd, was under treatment at the hospital for the last eight days for diabetes and Tuberculosis. Earlier, he was ad-

Angry relatives of Ratan Tadvi outside Vadodara hospital.

mitted at the Bodeli hospital, from where he was referred to specialist doctors in Vadodara.

For two days, he was also requesting his rela-

tives that he wanted to be relieved. The Sterling doctors too were hesitant since he had not totally recovered.

On Sunday morning,

using a small window of the ICU ward on the third floor Ratan jumped to death. The hospital management summoned the Gotri Police who sent the body for postmortem. Nobody knows why he killed himself.

Ratan’s family is holding the hospital management responsible, but they also don’t know why he committed suicide. Gotri Police said Ratan’s death had been registered as accidental, but would explore all angles to find out the truth.

10-yr-old killed as spear on temple gate pierces through his chest First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A 10-yearold boy died on Saturday evening after a spear on a temple gate went through his chest.

The accident occurred near the Mandavrai temple in Thaltej, where the boy was playing cricket with his friends.

According to the Sola Police Inspector J P Jadeja, Harsh Nagji Thakor, a resident of Thakor vas in the Thaltej village, was playing cricket with his friends when the ball slipped into the Man-

10-year-old Harsh Thakore and the Mandavrai temple in Ahmedabad.

davrai temple premise.

Harsh climbed the main iron gate which has spears. While climbing the gate, his leg slipped and the spear went through his

chest.

His family members rushed there and took the spear out of his chest and rushed him to hospital, where he was declared dead.

His body was sent for postmortem and a case of accidental death registered. The police, however, will investigate if there is any other angle given the suspicion raised by the family members and if the postmortem report reveals something else.

The police officer said the family’s statements would be recorded once they emerged from the deep shock.

Statements of the temple priests or trustees and of boys playing with him would also be recorded.

register on the Co-WIN platform and would be given an incentive of Rs 5 per registration. Simultaneously, Deputy

After scorching heat, Surat receives first showers

CM Nitin Patel has warned action under the Epidemic Diseases Act against those spreading misinforma-

Surat: The monsoon has arrived here with scattered rainfall in many parts of the city between Saturday night and Sunday, bringing down the temperatures.

The sky remained overcast throughout Sunday.

The highest rainfall of 18 mm was recorded in Limbayat zone, 15 mm in Central, 11 mm in Varachha A, 9 mm in Varachha-B, 4 mm in Rander, 17 mm in Katargam, 4 mm in Udhana, 18 mm in Limbayat and 8 mm in Athwa.

The weather is expected to remain the same for the next two days. SMC officials say the pre-monsoon works had been done. Apart from it, the fire safety department has also been asked to remain active to respond to calls for falling trees and short circuits. As soon as the rainfall increases, the residents near creeks and the river will be warned.

utes of opening, according to Junagadh Municipal Commissioner Tushar Sumera, who said the city saw 100% turnout on Day 1.

“We saw people coming in earlier than their appointed time, so we mobilised additional vaccinators and were done earlier than expected,” Sumera told a section of the media.

Overall, since May 1, Gujarat has vaccinated 19.05 lakh people in the 18-44 age group.

Among the rural districts, which lagged the most, are the tribal regions of Tapi and Dangs in South Gujarat which reported a low turnout of 40% to 45%.

Pvt schools seek govt help for students evading fees First India Bureau

First India Bureau

tion or rumours regarding vaccines.

The expansion of vaccination to below 45 age came a month after this had been started in seven municipal corporations, and Kutch, Bharuch and Mehsana districts.

Meanwhile, smaller cities which had reported low turnout earlier even in the above-45 age category because of apprehensions, did far better. Junagadh is a case in point. Junagadh city, where vaccinations for the 18-44 age group had not started on May 1, got enthusiastic response.

On Day 1 and Day 2, all slots got booked within five to 10 min-

Ahmedabad: The Self-Finance School Management Association (SFSMA) of Gujarat has dashed off letters to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama seeking their advice about dealing with students who are promoted but have not paid the fees for a year or more.

The association stated that while the State Government had decided to masspromote students from Classes 1 to 12, many parents had not paid fees of the academic year 2020-21.

This, despite the schools giving 25%

concession following a Gujarat High Court order. This is besides a host of relaxations to needy parents, the association said.

The letter said, “The only source of income of self-finance schools is fees, from which school authorities give salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff, do maintenance works, pay electricity bills and taxes.”

“There are several students who have not paid the school fees for 2020-21. The Government should guide or issue notification on how to collect fees of such students as the new academic year is starting from June 7.”

There are some parents who are out

of contact, there are others whose children are not attending online classes and have not paid the fees.

The SFSMA is in a bad state. Need guidance on what to do if parents of students who have not paid their fees come to take school leaving certificates,” the letter added.

SFSMA spokesperson, Dr Dipak Rajyaguru says there are around 600 self-financed schools in Surat and around 1,600 across the state.

Around 40% students have not paid the fees for 2020-21.

“We want the government to guide us and declare a relief package for SFSMA.”

—FILE PHOTO

BJP BRAIN-STORMING SESSION

LIKELY WINDS OF CHANGE IN 5 RAJ BHAWANS UP Governor and former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel, who also holds the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh, may opt for the latter

M Tariq Khan/ Shashikant Sharma

Lucknow/ New Delhi: In the fast-pace unfolding political scenario, the Governors of five key states including Uttar Pradesh may be shuffled following the two-day-long brainstorming session called

by BJP president J P Nadda alongside party general secretaries on Sunday.

UP Governor

EXCLUSIVE Anandiben Patel, who also holds the additional charge of Madhya Pradesh, may finally opt for the latter and a new party heavyweight may be installed in the Raj Bhawan, according to highly placed sources.

To maintain the caste balance, a Brahmin politician from north

UP Governor Anandiben Patel and national BJP President JP Nadda.

India can take over the baton from Patel, who is reportedly keen to re-

locate to MP where she has served in the same capacity before also.

“The names were discussed at the stock-taking meeting of the high-command in New Delhi after which BJP president Nadda and General Secretary (Organisation) B L Santhosh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” said a senior party leader requesting anonymity.

The changes in the Raj Bhawans, according to sources, are being done keeping in

view the upcoming assembly elections in UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Punjab, Himachal and Gujarat. With the exception of Punjab, BJP is in power in all other States.

The appointments assume significance as Raj Bhawan plays an important role in case of a hung verdict in a State. In this context, the Governors of Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have

already completed their tenure.

While Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat completed his tenure in August 2020, he was the Governor of Himachal Pradesh before Gujarat, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala completed his term in 2019.

However, Constitutional propriety abhors vacuum and a Governor continues to hold office till a new incumbent is appointed.

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GET, SET & ROCK

KANCHAN TOMAR FROM GWALIOR TALKS ABOUT HER JOURNEY TO PURSUE MODELLING AS A CAREER, IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CITY FIRST!

KARISHMA GWALANI

Karishma.gwalani @firstindia.co.in

W

ith a dream in her eyes and passion to work towards it, Kanchan Tomar from Gwalior started her journey of pursuing modelling in the very early years of her life. “When I was in school I was quite fascinated by modelling as a profession since my mom in her childhood always wanted to be one. As I grew up my interest to learn ramp walk, makeup, the camera also grew and I made a routine to watch YouTube video and Fashion TV to learn more about the profession. In my high school, I attempted an intercity modelling competition which was bliss and that opened many more doors of opportunities for me,” she said.

While talking about her struggles, she said, “Every profession is challenging but your determination to achieve goals is the most important thing, that turns every struggle into an

important part of the journey.

So according to me, there is no struggle it’s all a part of the journey and step to be your best self.” Kanchan added, “I think my major turning point was when I became kingfisher calendar girl in 2013 as a teenager but I believe there are many more achievements that are going to be added in future.”

While asked about her goal, the model said, “I wish to start a grooming school for the upcoming talent of this country. India has indefinite talent and it is very important to guide youth in the right direction. I shall feel complete when I see our generation reaching their goals and make our country proud on a national and international level.”

Talking about the success mantra, she said, “Eat healthy, work on your walk, poses and make your schedule right. Appreciate the journey are keep running for your goals.”

09

ETC AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

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ARIES

LIBRA

MAR 21 - APR 20

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

TAURUS

SCORPIO

You may get busy organising something on the social front.

You may need to put your ideas into action, if you want to prove yourself. A party may be thrown in your honour at work. Your good performance is likely to be noticed by higher ups.

Your own happiness is in your hands today. This is a favourable day for completing pending jobs.

Financially, no problems are foreseen. It is best to avoid outside food. Much fun is in store on the social front. Those in love with the adventures are likely to chase the excitement.

Your reputation is likely to boost your image on the social front.

On the work front, you will manage to keep your superiors in good humour.

This is an excellent day to spend time with family. Good planning will see you complete a task at work in record time.

You enjoy excellent health.

APR 21 - MAY 20

MEDHANSH KUMAR

ROCKET

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

W

hat goes up must come down. But when what comes down is a massive fragment of a Chinese rocket, some anxiety is but natural. The news that a portion of a Long March 5Brocket was to come crashing down somewhere between the latitudes of New York City and New Zealand was a cause of serious concern (and of frenzied discussion on the airwaves). Of course, in the event, this particular piece of space debris crashed into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives, but as space exploration by agencies both private and the public takes off, it is worth thinking about the interesting legal questions that arise.

Space debris, colloquially called space junk, is hardly a new problem; it has been an issue since the Cold War-era space race, but it is likely to become more important in the days and years to come as more countries develop large space programmes and private corporations make their first forays into the cosmos.

The legal position of space debris re-entering the atmosphere and plummeting to the ground depends on where it falls - legally, the re-entry of space junk is not prohibited.

However, international law does come into play when said debris affects some damage. For example, if the Chinese rocket had hit land and caused some harm (whether to property or individuals), the People’s Republic of China (the PRC) would have been liable. In such a situation, the present framework of international law relies on the 1972 Space Liability Convention, to which the PRC is a state party. In particular, Article 2 holds states party to the convention liable for damages caused to aircraft or the surface of the Earth by a spacecraft they launched.

Does this mean that the launching state would have to make a payment for the assessed value of damages caused by any debris? Not necessarily. This is because the state in whose territory the space junk landed must invoke the 1972 convention. However, invoking the convention is within the power of the government, and only the government. As an interna-

tional treaty, it may only be invoked by nations, and not by citizens or legal persons.

Using the treaty is thus necessarily a political decision. For this reason, nations are reluctant to invoke this convention when they enjoy amicable ties with the launching state, or if the launching state is a more powerful nation.

When a fragment of a Chinese spacecraft landed in the Ivory Coast in 2012, for example, the Ivory Coast did not invoke the convention as the PRC was a valuable trade partner and powerful ally to the African nation. Indeed, in the nearly 50 years of the convention’s existence, it has only been invoked once - by Canada against the USSR in 1978. Interestingly, it is not yet known if the USSR did make the $6 million pay-

ment agreed upon to Canada.

The situation is further complicated by the lack of an effective regulatory framework in many countries - the PRC has come under criticism for a relatively minimal regulatory architecture for space exploration in comparison to many other nations. The present scenario gives a large degree of latitude to Chinese officials, and if they believe that the calculated risk of an unplanned re-entry causing damage is small enough, then that is what happens. In an ideal world, the USA, UK, EU, India, the PRC and other spacefaring countries would come together and adopt a comprehensive and common set of rules to govern

Professionals will be able to give their best in a new situation.

Financially, this day may prove lucky for you, so go ask for the raise that is keeping you on tenterhooks. Don’t take any chances with your health today. You will succeed in putting your stagnant love life back.

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

GEMINI

SAGITTARIUS

A celebration can find you in your element today. Praise and honour are likely to greet you in something that you have managed to achieve.

You will be a pillar of strength to a friend or associate. A good day at work is foreseen as you make your mark in front of those who matter.

Some positive changes can be expected on the home front.

This seems a good day for job seekers. Good luck promises to brighten your day. New avenues for earning open up as you get more determined. Getting into a favourable situation on the academic front is possible.

CANCER

CAPRICORN

A change of job is likely to give you better salary and perks. Those in business will soon get a chance to make profits. A new deal is likely to come through and give you a taste of success. Spending time with lover proves most fulfilling.

This is the time when you enjoy yourself.

Your professionalism in handling problem areas will be appreciated. Tenant troubles are foreseen for some house owners. You will find family life more than fulfilling. A senior is likely to put in a good word for you to the higher ups. Financially, you will be able to consolidate.

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

NOV 23 - DEC 22

DEC 23 - JAN 20

LEO

AQUARIUS

Appreciation is in store for some homemakers.

A professional victory is yours if you play your cards well today.

Those in business will be able to maintain good earning. You are likely to enjoy good health. Young lovers are likely to enjoy total bliss.

Some favourable developments on the social front are foreseen. Good performance on the academic front will help enhance your reputation at work. Buying new furniture or a major appliance is possible. With good networking, prized posting can be yours.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

JAN 21 - FEB 19

VIRGO

PISCES

Your strategy to promote yourself on the professional front will bear fruits. You may need to speed up things on the academic front to remain ahead. On the social front, the day finds you in your element. Something special awaits you on the romantic front today.

Good tidings of your well wishers will keep you going on the professional front. You are likely to take up someone’s cause and earn appreciation from all quarters on the social front. Remaining on the good side of those who matter on the academic front will help you.

AUG 24 - SEP 23

YOUR DAY Horoscope by

FEB20 - MARCH 20

FA CE OF TH ED AY

A CHINESE

re-entry. Considering the machismo that comes with victories in space exploration and the present geopolitical tensions between some of these states, however, an adequate international treaty is unlikely to materialise within the foreseeable future.

Nevertheless, legal frameworks must adapt to the changing situation above our heads. As space exploration becomes increasingly accessible and more and more space objects jet off into orbit and beyond, the risk of damages caused by debris is rising. The present system of international law is difficult to get started and compensation nigh impossible to obtain. As such, in the unfortunate (though unlikely) incident that a juridical person suffers damage, it is difficult to recover from. One mechanism by which the juridical person who suffered some damage could recover could be via filing an insurance claim provided that they hold comprehensive insurance which protects against damage from falling objects. However, this would leave unprotected uninsured assets and persons, including the uninsured poor unprotected. Suppose a piece of space debris were to land onto the house of a small landowner, or her field and render it unusable.

Considering the poor level of insurance penetration, this landowner may well be setback several years due to the intractable nature of the current framework. There may also arise catastrophes caused by falling space objects, for example, if a massive piece of debris starts a forest fire. In such cases, government disaster management, insurance and government-funded relief would all come into the picture, but there is something of a blind spot where the impact is limited to a few persons, whether natural or juridical.

To protect the uninsured as well, we must look at the damage caused by space debris as a simple issue of torts.

Stripped of the futuristic and dramatic overtones of space, the matter at its core is a civil wrong. New Zealand has a novel way of dealing with accident-related torts, which is instructive in this problem. The risks of accidents are socialised, and payments to those who have suffered are made on a no-fault basis by the government’s Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC). Such a system, adapted to space debris rather than road accidents would ensure that the ‘little guy’ is protected - a necessary precaution and moral responsibility for the state, as the great space voyagers of our times, are all great powers too.

10

Saurabbh Sachdeva

KARISHMA, Fashion Model

ETC AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

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11

Get Well Soon L

R Madhavan’s post

22 years of togetherness

I

n the year 1999, R Madhavan and Sarita Birje married after dating for eight years. Since then, they’ve been setting huge couple goals. R Madhavan never ceases to astound us with the power of his words, and he does so once again. The actor shared a selfie with his wife Sarita, along with a heartfelt message that reads, “keeping me in utter awe and in love all these years. Happy Anniversary Pondati...to many many more ahead.” The actor has been setting high standards for all the husbands out there. —Agency

Saira Banu and Dilip Kumar

Mare of Easttown

Celebrating the ANNIVERSARY!!

ANNIVERSARY

Dua Lipa

Legendary

R

WEDDING Bells for Yami

Y

ami has married Aditya Dhar, the director of ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike,’ in a private ceremony. The couple revealed the news on social media on Friday evening. And now they’re taking over social media with their stunning photos, driving fans insane. On Saturday, Yami Gautam shared photographs of her mehendi ceremony on Instagram. The couple seem to be in love, happy, and enjoying themselves.

—Agency

at the Stadium!

W Issa Rae

hile India captain Virat Kohli is quarantined in Southampton ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand, he is joined by his most devoted wife Anushka Sharma and daughter Vamika. Sharing a photograph of herself, where she is quarantining currently, Anushka captioned her picture, “Don’t bring work home isn’t going to be applicable for Virat for sometime. #QuarantineAtTheStadium.”

—Agency

SPIDERWOMAN

I

ssa Rae is currently filming the fifth and final season of ‘Insecure’, which is a show she has helped in co-creating and has garnered three Emmy nominations, including the outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.

Issa has been signed to voice the character of Spider-Woman in Sony Pictures Animation’s sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Plot details of the film are being kept under wrap for the moment.

—Agency

Birthday WISHES

FATHER

emembering his late legendary father Sunil Dutt on his 92nd birth anniversary, actor Sanjay Dutt penned down an emotional note with a childhood picture featuring him with the veteran superstar.

The ‘Munnabhai MBBS’ actor took to Twitter to post a candid monochrome picture in which Sanjay’s dotting father is holding his hands while both are seen smiling. “Always holding my hand through thick and thin. Love you Dad, Happy Birthday!” Sanjay Dutt wrote in the capSanjay Dutt’s post tion. —Agency

...Yami Gautam’s post

Quarantined

K

ate Winslet won over critics and audiences with her new HBO show, Mare of Easttown. The Academy Award-winning actress portrayed the role of Mare Sheehan, a police investigator in a small Pennsylvania town solving a murder case. Winslet’s amazing body language and mature act as Mare has left audiences wanting to witness more of her story and have been hopeful about a second season. Reacting to whether a second season is in the works, HBO boss, Casey Bloys recently spoke to Variety. While Winslet has maintained that she would be more than willing to play the role of Mare again, the HBO head stated that there haven’t been any specific plans about the same.

Talking to Variety about a second season, Bloys said, “If Brad [Ingelsby] felt like he had a story to tell that felt like it would be at the same level, I think ever y b o d y would be open to it.

Who knows?”

Kate Winslet —Agency

B

ritish singer Dua Lipa recently took to Instagram to celebrate a very important anniversary! The singer, 25, went live on the social media platform to mark the 4 year anniversary of Dua Lipa--her debut album which released in 2017.

During the live, the singer said: “It’s been four years since my debut album has been out, and I’m so grateful for all the incredible opportunities, the amazing people I met, all the incredible lessons that I learnt,” she said.

—Agency

egendary actor Dilip Kumar is currently admitted to Hinduja hospital in Mumbai. Dilip Kumar’s wife Saira Banu was quoted saying that the actor was having breathing issues since past few days. The 98-year-old actor was earlier admitted to the same hospital for a daily checkup in the month of May. Megastar Dilip Kumar was having difficulty breathing for the last two days. His wife and actor Saira Banu stated that the doctor has asked the actor to undergo some tests and x-rays, after which it will be known how many more days he will have to stay in the hospital. He has requested the fans for prayers, she added.

—Agency

Quentin Tarantino

Retirement Plans?

D

espite being one of Hollywood’s most celebrated directors working today, Quentin Tarantino still continues to stand firm on his decision to retire from filmmaking after making 10 movies in the past. The ‘Kill Bill’ director and screenwriter, while appearing on a podcast this week, discussed his imminent retirement and trying to avoid the possibility of ending his career on a bad film. Tarantino said, “Most directors have horrible last movies. Usually, their worst movies are their last movies. That’s the case for most of the Golden Age directors that ended up making their last movies.”

—Agency

S

inger Neha Kakkar celebrated her birthday on Sunday, June 6 and one of the first ones to wish her on the occasion was her husband Rohanpreet Singh. In case you follow the singer, you must have seen her Instagram stories where she shared some glimpses of the surprise Singh had for her on this special day.

But that’s not all, he also penned a note, addressing Neha as ‘My Love My Queen’ and that he will always take care of her and lastly, ‘ H a p p y Birthday My Love’. ...Rohanpreet Singh’s post —Agency

Anushka Sharma

...her post

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

HAPPY B’DAY!

CITY

STAY MASKED

GET VACCINATED

SELF-IMPROVEMENT IS THE ONLY KEY

BUZZ AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

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EXPRESSIVE ART THERAPY

workshops related to corporate training, life coaching, development of leadership skills, team productivity, marketing strategies and relationship management.

KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

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The birthday of MLA Gurmeet Singh Kooner, IAS Vikas Sitaramji Bhale, IPS Vinita Thakur and IPS Pooja Awana was on Sunday, June 6. We wish them all the best!

s a physics lecturer for 15 years, Vikram’s experiences have taught him the skills to guide people and help make their lives better. With the idea of revolutionising the organisations and people interact in the corporate setting, celebrated educationist Vikram Sharma started his venture Mystic Brains.

Sharing about his journey Vikram said, “We endeavour to bring out the best in people and encourage them to be their best version. We offer intensive training required for an individual/organisation to exhibit their potential. Today, the country is in dire need of high-quality trainers and facilitators. We are trying to do our bit in helping young India and the

industries to grow.”

Looking up to these unpredicted times for start-up’s and small business owners, Sharma further added, “I believe that we all should be optimistic and must practice self-affirmation in the face of adversity. And when faced with failure, self-improvement is the only key. The youth should engage in decluttering social media and read more books & articles.

My suggestion to kickstart is ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson.

Wake up every day and remind yourself, what was the zeal? why you started your business or startup? And just

think of putting more effort into it.

Explaining more on his venture, Vikram detailed, “We aim to attain three major goals, ‘Make stressfree India’, ‘Help the youth find their goals and earn a livelihood as per their potential’, ‘Skill Based Upbringing (through modules like S.M.I.L.E. & MAPs)’. As of now, we have conducted more than 200 sessions and

During the art session CITY FIRST

J Vikram Sharma

Ecosystem ZINC ECO BUDDIES Restoration CITY FIRST

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CITY FIRST

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n the occasion of World Environment Day, a two-day national webinar, quiz and poster competition under the title ‘Ecosystem Restoration: Resetting our relation with nature’ was organised on behalf of SS Jain Subodh PG Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Rambagh, Jaipur.

Principal Dr Renu Joshi, welcoming the guest speakers, expressed concern about the ecological imbal-

ance in his speech and expressed the need to work for it at the individual level. In the first session, Professor K. K. Sharma, former Vice-Chancellor, Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati University, Ajmer, while defining the importance of each component in the food chain, stressed their co-existence, conservation and recharge.

He said that despite being an important component of the ecology itself, man is proving destructive to this system. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

n World Environment Day, Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company has launched a unique initiative Zinc Eco Buddies – a virtual platform where anyone can click and take a green pledge and Hindustan Zinc will plant a tree on the ground in their name. This plantation drive is a step toward protecting & preserving the ecological balance of nature around us.

During the launch, Arun Misra – CEO Hindustan Zinc said “We

are pleased to launch Zinc Eco Buddies - a

virtual plantation portal for everyone where

we aim to plant 1 lakh trees through this initiative as a part of our vision of 1 million plantations by 2025.”

This is an open platform for all employees, business partners, stakeholders and anyone who can raise a plantation request as the process is free of cost. The saplings planted will be native species and drought tolerant. The requester will get an acknowledgement mail/SMS and an e-certificate of participation in this initiative. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

WHAT’S HAPPENING! RAJ: Anupama Purohit prepared a painting of Lord Ganesha when her husband tested positive in Bangalore. Since childhood, Anupama was taught by her grandfather that Lord Ganesha is known for ‘VIGHN HARAN’. One must have immense faith.

Anupama shared how she was alone with her daughter and with the blessings of Lord Ganesha her husband recovered soon.

RAJ: Senior sculptor Govardhan Singh Panwar of Bhilwara met art lovers on Saturday in the third episode of the Chaturanga lockdown series being organised by Rajasthan Forum to provide financial support to artists and encourage cultural activities during the Corona period.

During this, Govardhan Singh narrated the story of his more than six decades-long artistic journeys and discussed his sculptures.

awahar Kala Kendra (JKK) organised an online workshop on ‘Expressive Art Therapy’ for adolescents and young adults on Sunday via Zoom. It was conducted by theatre artist, Dr Chirmi Acharya. Over 80 persons registered for the workshop. Participants experienced various activities like body scanning for stress relief, body movements to open up, interacting with others, verbalizing emotions, en-

acting one’s daily routine and putting thoughts and emotions on paper during the workshop.

The online workshop began with a ‘Body Scan’ session. In this, all the participants were asked to close their eyes and scan their bodies slowly from head to toe.

During the scan, they checked their body for any ailments, stress or tension. It helped them experience being in their personal space and being one with the mind and body. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

EVENT!

Gujarati web series ‘Unknown to Known’ starring Ojas Rawal and Vymoa Nandi is all set to release on OTT platform ShemarooMe on June 10.

BLOOD DONATION

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bout 40 units of blood were donated at Shri Jain Shwetambar Sanstha, Shyam Nagar, Sodala in Jaipur.

Under the sponsorship of Bharatiya Jain Sanghatana Pink City, Anti-Corruption Foundation of India, Shree Jain Shwetambar Sanstha, and Young Indian, the event was held. The camp was

inaugurated by Samprati G Singhvi, National Secretary of the Bhartiya Jain Sangathan, and Mohammad Iqbal Mansoori, International Director of Anti-Corruption. Sunil Kumar Kothari, the program coordinator, said that before the vaccine, the youth vowed to save people’s lives by providing blood. —CITY FIRST

Webinar on environmental protection CITY FIRST

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virtual conference was organised by Lions Club Delhi Vaze, Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina country and ICMEI on World Environment Day, where Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mohamed Senjic, Consul General of Montenegro country Dr Janice Darbari, Consul General of Comoros country KL Ganju, Burkina Faso diplomat Hervé de Koulibaly , Achar-

ya Dr Lokesh Muni, Bhikshu Sanghasena from Ladakh, Dr BK Binny from Brahma Kumari Vishwavidyalaya from Mount Abu, Sandeep Marwah, Founder of Noida Film City, Actor Kalyanji Jana, Founder of DPIAF from Mumbai, lion Gaurav Gupta, charter President of Lions Club Delhi Veg, Actor Deepak Chadha, International Photographer Anil Gaba, Medical Surgeon Dr Vishal Kaushik, News India Delhi Bureau Chief Prashant Shar-

ma, Vartika Dwivedi, CRPF IG Vikram Sehgal, Retired Wing Commander Prafulla Bakshi, Retired Air Marshal Narendra Verma, National Vice President of Indo-Tibet Coordination Association, Secretary of Rajasthani Academy Suman Maheshwari, among others discussed environmental protection. In the virtual conference, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mohamed Senjic also showed photo exhibition on environmental protection.

From left: Sunil Kothari, Samprati Singhvi, Pradeep Chordia, Rajiv Musal and Sharad Kakaria