First India-Ahmedabad Edition-01 July 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 37°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

5,10,736 1,05,00,639 CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 7,855 DEATHS 1,74,761 CASES

WOOING BIHAR? Aditi Nagar

TAMIL NADU 1,201 DEATHS 90,167 CASES

INDIA

17,347 5,82,921 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DELHI 2,680 DEATHS 85,161 CASES

GUJARAT

1,848 DEATHS

UTTAR PRADESH 697 DEATHS 23,492 CASES

32,643

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 413 DEATHS 18,008 CASES

DIWALI & CHHATH BONANZA FOR POOR: PM EXTENDS FOOD SCHEME TILL NOV FIGURES SAY IT ALL

New Delhi: In his sixth address to the nation since the beginning of coronavirus pandemic in India, PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced that his government will extend till end of November, the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, under which foodgrains are being provided to the poor and needy.

“From July festival seasons start, Guru Purnima will be celebrated on July 5. Following this, the month of Saawan will start. In this season of festivals, needs and expenses of all increases. Keeping this in mind, the Yojana has been extended till Diwali and Chatth Puja, i.e till the end of November,” he said.

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80 CR

people of the country to get free grain

`1.75 L CR

families in the last three months

`18,000 CR

deposited in the bank package was announced accounts of more than 9 crore farmers under the scheme

Lethargy in granting labs approval behind low testing numbers in Guj?

Nepal ruling party asks PM Oli to resign

`90,000 CR

is the cost of extension of the scheme

Amit Shah @AmitShah

If the government today is able to provide free grains to the poor and needy today then the credit goes to two sections of people. The first are our hardworking farmers, our food providers and the second are the honest taxpayers of the country. You have submitted your taxes honestly, fulfilled your responsibility, that is why today the country’s poor are able to fight off this big problem. Today along with each poor, every farmer, I heartily greet every taxpayer and bow down to them.

—PM Modi

Zhao Lijian

tors including Chinese ones,”’ he added.

Amid the ongoing border tensions with China in Eastern Ladakh, the Centre had on Monday banned 59 mobile apps including Tik Tok, UC Browser and other Chinese apps “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity and defence” of the country.

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Indian and Chinese militaries on Tuesday held an over 10-hour Corps Commander-level dialogue with a focus on finalising modalities for the disengagement of troops from various standoff points in eastern Ladakh, and explored ways to ease tension in the region, government sources said. In the meeting, the Indian delegation conveyed concerns over China’s “new claim lines” in the region and demanded restoration of status quo ante as well as immediate withdrawal of Chinese troops from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso and other areas.

In shayarana andaaz, Rahul asks Modi how the caravan was looted? was looted, I have a grudge against the robbers, but your leadership is in question”.

Congress too expressed disappointment over PM Modi’s address and questioned why “he didn’t address the issue of Chinese incursions”. “Forget condemning China, the PM is too afraid to even talk about it in his national address,” the grand old party said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, apart from Gandhi and Congress, West Bengal MP and Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra also took a jibe Turn on P6

deposited in bank accounts of 20 cr poor

INDIA, CHINA HOLD 10-HR MARATHON TALKS

Shayar RaGa shoots poetic jibe at Modi New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday took an apparent dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his address to the nation. In his poetic jibe, the former Congress President asked the Prime Minister to “tell the truth and how the caravan was looted”.

“Tu idhar udhar ki baat naa kar, yeh bata ki kaafila kaise loota...mujhe rehjano se gila toh hai, par teri rehbeer pe sawal hai,” the 50-yearold Congress leader tweeted which roughly translates to “Don’t beat about the bush, tell clearly how the caravan

`31,000 CR

Appain! China concerned over India’s ban decision Beijing: China on Tuesday expressed concerns over India’s decision to ban 59 apps developed by Chinese firms and stressed that New Delhi has a responsibility to uphold the legal rights of international investors including Chinese.

In first reaction after the Indian government announced the ban, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said: “China is strongly concerned, verifying the situation.

We want to stress that Chinese Govt always asks Chinese businesses to abide by international & local laws-regulations.” “Indian Govt has a responsibility to uphold the legal rights of international inves-

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 216

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The extension of Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana shows the sensitivity of Shri @ NarendraModi ji to the millions of poor and his commitment for their welfare. Nobody slept hungry in a large country like India during the Corona period, thanks to Modiji’s foresight and successful implementation of the scheme

REVIEWS PREP FOR VACCINATION PM chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparations being undertaken for vaccination against COVID-19, as and when a vaccine is available. He directed officials to evaluate various technology tools to ensure efficient and timely vaccination in due course of time. He also emphasised that detailed planning for such large scale vaccination should be undertaken immediately.

P6

To match testing in Delhi, Gujarat would need 60K tests a day; but barely logs 5K Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: Last week, the central government announced that Delhi would conduct 20,000 tests for COVID-19 every day.

Gujarat, on the other hand, is not even managing half that number despite being considerably larger than Delhi in terms of population.

The difference is stark when you look at the numbers: Delhi has

State government should make up for lost time and grant permission to labs immediately

a population of 1.93 crore. Gujarat has a population of 6.5 crore. Despite being more than three times as populous as Delhi, Gujarat barely manages to maintain an average of 5,000 tests every day. To match

Delhi’s rate of testing, the state would need to conduct at least 60,000 tests on a daily basis, a senior health official said.

It is important to note that the higher testing numbers in Delhi are the result of the Cen-

tre’s intervention and direction.

Recently, the Centre’s health team led

by Lav Agarwal had expressed displeasure at the low testing numbers in Gujarat and the delays in giving laboratories approvals to start testing. For instance, there are eight laboratories in the state that received permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to conduct testing back in May. However, they are still waiting for clearance from the state government.

“These eight ICMRapproved labs have been waiting for permission from the health secretary for more than a month.

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Kathmandu: Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli, who had last week blamed India for his mounting troubles, on Tuesday faced a sharp attack from top leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party who demanded that the prime minister step down immediately, say sources.

At the party’s 44-member standing committee meeting on Tuesday, local media reports quoted communist party leaders such as Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Madhav Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam stepping up their pitch to seek Oli’s removal. They have argued that the Oli-led government had failed to deliver on basic governance issues Turn on P6

DGCI APPROVES TESTS TO COMBAT CORONA

Vaccine tracker: India to start human trials of COVAXIN in July New Delhi: The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted permission to Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to conduct Phase I and II Human clinical trials to develop an indigenous vaccine for COVID-19 -in the name COVAXIN. These trials are scheduled to start across India in July.

For this, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and BBIL had partnered to develop a fully indigenous vac-

cine for COVID-19 using the virus strain isolated at ICMR’s National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

“The Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO)-the office of DCGI has granted permission to initiate Phase I & II Human clinical trials after the company submitted results generated from preclinical studies, demonstrating safety and immune response.

Human clinical trials are scheduled to start

A health worker in PPE collects a blood sample from a man at a health centre to conduct tests for COVID-19, amid the spread of the disease, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

across India in July 2020,” stated the spokesperson of Bharat Biotech.

The indigenous, inactivated vaccine developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech’s BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) high containment facility located in Genome Valley in Hyderabad.

“The strain was successfully transferred from NIV to Bharat Biotech International Ltd. (BBIL). Work on vaccine development has

been initiated between the two partners. ICMRNIV are providing continuous support to BBIL for vaccine development. ICMR and BBIL will seek fasttrack approvals to expedite vaccine development, subsequent animal studies and clinical evaluation of the candidate vaccine,” said ICMR official.

Announcing the vaccine development milestone, Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat

Biotech, said, “We are proud to announce COVAXIN, India’s first indigenous vaccine against COVID-19. The collaboration with ICMR and NIV was instrumental in the development of this vaccine.

The proactive support and guidance from CDSCO have enabled approvals to this project.

Our R&D and manufacturing teams worked tirelessly to deploy our proprietary technologies towards this platform.” —ANI

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02

Extension of PMGKY shows sensitivity of PM Modi: Shah Aditi Nagar New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), a programme to provide free ration for over 80 crore people, shows the sensitivity

of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the millions of poor and their welfare.

Congratulating the prime minister for extending the scheme till November, Shah also thanked farmers and honest taxpayers of the country, saying their hard work and dedication was helping the

The PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana will provide free ration to over 80 crore people benefits reach the poor.

“The extension of Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana shows the sensitivity of Shri @

NarendraModi ji to the millions of poor and his commitment for their welfare. Nobody slept hungry in a large country like India during the Corona period, thanks to Modiji’s foresight and successful implementation of the scheme,” he tweeted in Hindi.

The prime minister on Tuesday announced extension of the PMGKAY by 5 more months till November end.

In a televised address to the nation, the prime minister said over Rs 90,000 crore will be spent on the programme’s extension, and if the last three months ex-

penditure on account of the free ration scheme is added then the total budget will be about Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

The scheme was rolled out for three months from April soon after the nationwide lockdown was announced to combat the COVID-19.

With bilateral trade relations on thin ice, India’s domestic production competence needs a reality check TIMELINE OF THE BULK DRUG PARK z In 2013, the UPA

government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of VM Katoch

z The Katoch Committee

submitted its report in 2015 z It recommended

several measures including set-up of an exclusive park z In 2017, a draft

policy for the park was designed

z In 2019, the Union

Government finally started work on it

Women workers at a pharmaceutical manufacturing unit on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.

—PHOTOS BY NANDAN DAVE

z Initially, a 1,000 acre

park was planned with Rs300 crore financial support

z Andhra Pradesh, Guja-

rat, Telangana and Tamil Nadu came up with bulk drug proposals in March 2020 Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: The ongoing hostilities between the armed forces of India and China have sparked boycott demonstrations of Chinese products across the nation.

With anti-China sentiments riding high in the nation, the Central government seems to be indulging in shadow boxing with their Chinese counterparts under pressure, in order to appease its vote bank.

On Monday evening, the Centre banned over 59 mobile applications developed by Chinese companies. The worry-

ANTI-CHINA SENTIMENTS MAY

DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD

ing factor for trade and industries is that if this tension escalates into a full-fledged trade war, similar to the one brewing between USA and China since 2018. With India importing everything right from buttons, needles, bulk drug Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients (APIs), to nuclear reactors from China, a trade war may not be in the best interests of the country’s economic health.

According to sources, the bilateral trade between India-China totalled USD 92.5 billion, and against that, India’s trade deficit for the previous financial year was of USD 57 bil-

lion. After electronic items, other sectors that have a stake in the exports from China are phar maceuticals, chemicals and textile sectors. All the three sectors have very high investment capitals in the state that also help generate employment.

If the boycott of Chinese products holds and the Indian government is pressured to take on a trade war with China, it may have an adverse impact on the nation as well as the state’s economy.

Gujarat’s contribution in the national pharmaceutical production is 33% and its share in the export of pharmaceuticals is 28%. But, in reality, this chunk

With the Indian government planning to reduce pharmaceutical dependency on China since 2013, the draft for Bulk Drug Parks across the nation had been commissioned. One such park had also been planned in Gujarat, with the Union Government granting permission, in principle, for the bulk drug park in the state, just a few months ago.

— Hemant Koshia, Commissioner Food and Drug Control Admn

of stake in the national total is due to the imported API raw material from China. According to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda, “In the year 2018-19, India imported bulk drugs & chemi-

cals worth USD 2.4 billion, which accounts for 70% of the total bulk drug requirement.”

Data from the Union Health Ministry states that in the year 2017, 324 drugs and drug ingredients were imported from China.

“With the In-

dian government planning to reduce pharmaceutical dependency on China since 2013, the draft for Bulk Drug Parks across the nation had been commissioned.

One such park had also been planned in Gujarat, with the Union Government granting permission, in principle, for the bulk drug park in the state, just a few months ago. It also increased the fund allocation for the project from Rs300 crore to Rs1,000 crore as well as the park size from 1,000 acres to 2,000 acres,” said Hemant Koshia, Com-

missioner Food and Drug Control Administration.

Koshia is confident that if the trade war is taken on, the Indian and especially the Gujarat pharmaceutical sector is competent to meet any crises. He added, “Our small and medium scale units have installed capacity and competence to produce enough quantity of API that can be close to China’s import. These units had withdrawn from the market and wind up API production because they could not stand against China’s dumping and low prices. But then, our unit’s production cost was Rs300 per kilo, whereas China was

dumping at Rs200 per kilo.”

Similarly, the textile industry, which imports its accessories from China on a large scale, depends on Chinese products. “With the anti-China fever catching on, even orders placed earlier are being cancelled by importers,” laments Janak Patel, an entrepreneur.

Patel added, “If this fever lasts long enough, it can adversely impact the apparels sector, because the domestic production cost of buttons, needles and zips is comparatively higher than the production cost of China.”

Unlock 2.0 relaxation: Businesses till 8pm, restaurants till 9pm, says CM Vijay Rupani First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In line with Union Home Ministry guidelines for Unlock 2.0, which will be in effect all through July, the state government too has decided to allow all shops and establishments to remain operational until 8 pm. Restaurants may now serve food until 9pm. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s decision is being seen as a step towards helping to normalize every-

day life as we learn to coexist with the novel coronavirus.

While restaurant owners had undoubtedly been hoping for an extension until 11pm, since a large chunk of their business occurs during dinner time and later, the current extension in operating hours will likely make a huge difference in business.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday also launched an agriculture kit distribution programme online for the tribal

Inclusive Gujarat govt also launches agri kit distribution project for tribal farmers z

belt spread from Danta in the north, to Dang district in the south. Initiated at a cost of Rs32 crore, the programme aims at benefiting 76,000 Adivasis living in the 14 districts of this region and across the state. Meant for small and marginal farm-

ers, each of these kits includes vegetable and corn seeds as well as fertilizers. Per acre, a farmer will get 45kg urea, 50kg NPK and 50kg ammonia phosphate, distributed by Gujarat State Fertilizer Agrotech Ltd, a subsidiary of Gujarat State Fer-

tilizers Corporation.

Rupani said the motive behind such programmes is to ensure that Adivasis become part of mainstream at the earliest, adding that this was also why programmes meant to uplift them socially, economically and even in terms of education were being aggressively and effectively implemented in the tribal belt.

For the same reasons, the government is planning to set up Eklavya schools and

even medical colleges-and not just Ashram shalas--in the tribal belt. The region has already been electrified, addressing both household and agriculture needs. This will increase their productivity as they will be able to irrigate their fields.

During the video conference, beneficiary tribal farmers had joined the conversation and had praised the state government scheme and programme for tribal communities.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

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nCov cases, A’bad a close 2nd

Lack of social distancing among diamond workers likely the reason for sudden surge First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In a reversal of situation, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has been reporting lower numbers of COVID-19 cases in the city recently, but the numbers in Surat have seen a steady rise lately. With the local civic body Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) on its toes, the current state of the diamond city also got the attention of the Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi, who rushed there to assess the situation, for the second time in 10 days.

After visiting Surat and sitting for a round of meetings with the local health department and other officials, Ravi unearthed the reason for the spread of novel coronavirus in Surat.

According to her, the sitting arrangement at the

—FILE PHOTO

Diamond workers working at close quarters at a unit.

currently operational diamond units in the city was very congested, which did not allow workers to observe social distancing. As a result, post Unlock 1.0, the transmission of the virus has become very rapid in the district.

According to the data provided by the state health department, Surat city reported 183 fresh cases on Tuesday, whereas 182 cases emerged in Ahmedabad city. After including the ru-

CURRENT NUMBERS

ral areas, the total number of cases reported in Surat stood at 199 and Ahmedabad at 197. This means that Surat has overtaken Ahmedabad as the city with the high-

est number of SarsCoV-2 cases.

As per a statement from SMC, a total of 205 cases have emerged in the Surat district, of which 183 were from the city and 22 from other

areas, in the past 24 hours. With the death of five patients on Tuesday, the total death toll of the district stands at 189. The total tally of positive cases in Surat is now 5,260.

The surprising revelation is that the numbers in Ahmedabad have been falling drastically. It remains to be seen whether it is an indication of COVID-19 transmission decreasing or a manipulation of numbers.

ATS nabs 14 with 51 illegal arms worth `1.5 cr First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Monday conducted search operations at more than half a dozen locations and arrested 14 people in possession of 51 illegal weapons worth Rs1.5 crore. The search and seize operation was executed after an illegal arms trade being carried out at a weapon license shop based in Ahmedabad was unearthed by the squad earlier this month. Deputy Commissioner of Police (in-charge) Dipen Bhadran led the operation.

During the primary interrogation of Tarun Gupta, the owner of Tarun Gun House in Ahmedabad, he had shared information about people to whom he had sold illegal weapons. Based on that information, the ATS team then carried out searches at Surendranagar’s Rajula, Morbi’s Halvad, Rapar,

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Surat sees record jump in

03

ATS seized 51 weapons worth Rs1.5 crore and arrested 14 people for illegal arms trade in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

The team also busted a foreign arms racket in the state Bhachau and Abdasa in Kutch district and Gangad in Ahmedabad district.

The investigation also revealed that Halvad-based Digvijay Jhala had been running an arms racket in the state by smuggling foreignmade arms and selling them here.

The ATS team seized weapons including a Ruger model, US Carbine Cal .31 M1, Sporting Rifle- 3, Indian Ord-

nance factory manufactured weapon (16), revolver (18), pistol (8), Walther Smith and Wesson Houlton US-made pistols (4), among others.

On June 8, the Bhuj Local Crime Branch team had arrested two peacock hunters named Kasam Lohar and Akram Thiba with two guns. During interrogation, both Lohar and Thiba confessed that they had bought the guns from Tarun Gupta.

They had also named at least a dozen people who had bought weapons from Gupta without a license.

One-inch of first monsoon HC notices to AMC over ‘cruelty’ at cattle ponds showers drown Rajkot First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation returnable in two weeks in response to a petition alleging that stray cattle were being treated cruelly in cattle ponds.

Animal Welfare

Children play with a dog in the waterlogged Laxminagar Nala in Rajkot on Tuesday.

First India Bureau Rajkot: On Tuesday, Rajkot city received the first showers of the monsoon season, bringing some much needed respite from the scorching heat.

But, with just one inch of rainfall, wreaked havoc in the city which witnessed heavy waterlogging in various parts. The rain also exposed all the premonsoon work done by local civic body Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC).

A few areas such as Swaminarayan Chowk

on Gondal Road and others near the state transport workshop got drenched. Moreover, the Laxminagar Nala turned into a swimming pool due to heavy waterlogging and the Popatpara Nala also reported high-level waters.

According to Opposition leaders in the RMC, “The municipality spent crores of rupees every year on pre-monsoon preparations but everything is good only on paper, not in reality,” they alleged.

“If the ruling party would have actually

done some work, the city would have not fallen apart by a little rainfall. The drainage system also does not work properly,” they added.

As per reports, the residents living in areas on the Gondal Road have been complaining of waterlogging during monsoon for the past 20 years. But, the RMC seems to have turned blind eye over the issue.

Every year, after a couple of hours of rainfall, the water level reaches knee-level making it difficult for people to commute to and from the area.

Foundation has moved a petition alleging that Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation transports cattle picked from the roads to shelters, where they are kept in unkempt spaces that are often too small for them to either stand or sit.

The petitioner claimed that their attempts to draw the

AMC’s attention, including that of the Mayor, to this issue went in vain. And they were forced to approach the

high court seeking a directive to the Corporation to ensure the cattle are not treated cruelly.

In another development, a public interest petition by Sachin Nimavat has been filed in the high court to direct all lower courts to take up vehicle detention matters, those under the Negotiable Instru-

ments Act, an appeal or revision petition in Domestic Violence Act virtually.

The petitioner has also prayed to allow production of witnesses through video conference. He has also pleaded that any form of online media should be allowed for minimum physical appearance in the court.

Bharatsinh shifted to Parents demanding school fee Ahmedabad hospital waiver detained by city police First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: Former state Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki has been shifted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad for COVID-19 treatment.

Solanki was confirmed as Sars-CoV-2 positive last week in Vadodara. He was hospitalized at a private hospital there. But, due to a lack of proper recovery and worsening condition, he has been now shifted to Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad.

The decision of the transfer was taken by his family after consul-

Ahmedabad: Hundreds of students’ parents on Tuesday staged a protest here demanding that the schools waive the fees for the last three months of lockdown.

They have been asking for this for long.

More than 30 parents were detained by the police when they were staging demonstrations.

“Many businesses were affected during the lockdown, many have lost their jobs.

At this point in time, there are thousands

Bharatsinh Solanki

tation with doctors and medical experts.

According to reports, Solanki is currently on high-flow oxygen metre support which is a stage prior to ventilator support. Around 15% of COVID-19 patients need oxygen support, while only 5% need ventilator support.

Parents at the protest.

of parents who can’t afford to pay hefty fees. The parents are demanding to a waive the fees for three months,” said Jayesh Patel, president of Vali Ekta Mandal.

He said that most parents belonged to the lower and middle class.

“They are struggling to pay their monthly bills.

Some schools have given relief to the parents by slashing the fees, but a major chunk of them haven’t. They must understand the overall condition of a family and waive one semester’s fees,” added Patel.

BLATANT POSTURING

Dissent posters of Jagannath Temple priest pop up in city Dilip Dasji has been blamed for break in Rath Yatra tradition 

Haresh Jhala Ahmedabad: People in Bodakdev area of the city woke up to find threatening posters against Jagannath Temple priest Dilip Dasji being pasted early on Tuesday morning.

Interestingly, these posters were put up in an area crawling with

residences of state high court judges.

The head priest Dilip Dasji has been caught in controversy owing to the fact that a 143-yearold tradition of Rath Yatra had to be broken, amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. But, it looks like hardcore Hindu devotees seem to be intent on holding Dasji responsible for the

The posters of Dilip Dasji pasted on a wall in Bodakdev area in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

break in tradition.

According to reports, a number of posters with Dasji’s photographs have eben pasted on walls in the Bodakdev area. A poster read, “Lord Jagannath will not forgive you for the betrayal.”

Another poster accused the priest of not trying hard enough to secure permission for the Rath Yatra, “When you were asked to vote in the name of Lord Rama, why were

you a mute spectator?” it read.

Incidentally, this is not the first time that Ahmedabad has witnessed a poster war. In the last decade alone, the city has seen such showcases of dissent against former Gujarat Chief Minister and current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A poster display was also executed in favour of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) pracharak Sanjay Joshi and even

former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel. Such practices have been the bane of every right wing party and its associated outfits.

Vastrapur Police Inspector MM Jadeja told First India, “It has come to our notice that such posters have been put up. But, we have not received any complaint in this regard yet.” When Jagannath Temple trustee Mahendra Jha was contacted, he was not available for comment.

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IN-DEPTH

WITH POOR ON MIND, MODI EXTENDS SCHEME

COOPERATIVE BANKS UNDER RBI UMBRELLA

4

pm was an unusual time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sixth address to the nation after the outbreak of pandemic in the country. All his previous addresses were at 8 pm, the prime time slot of television channels.

So when it was announced that Modi will address the nation at 4 p.m. on Tuesday there were usual conjectures but without the fears that have come to be associated with his speeches. Unlock 2.0 guidelines were announced on Monday so one guess was that the PM will talk about the next bold step against China after the ban on TikTok and other Chinese applications. There was, however, no mention of China.

As it turned out that the prime minister’s concerns lay elsewhere. On his mind were the poor and migrants and ensuring ration to help them tide over these difficult times. To meet the foodgrain requirement of 80 crores poor, Modi announced the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) till November. Announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 26, the scheme was only for April, May, and June. Every member of the family will be given 5 kg of wheat or an equal quantity of rice and one kilo of grams over and above their monthly entitlement. This will cost the exchequer Rs 90,000 crore and if the expenses incurred under the scheme in the last three months are added the total amount will come to Rs 1.5 lakh crore, Modi said.

The need to extend the scheme beyond April was felt as with monsoon setting in there was no work in any sector barring agriculture. The prime minister said, “In other sectors, there is a slowdown and with July begin a string of festivals like Guru Purnima, Saawan, Diwali and Chhathh puja. Festivities increase expenses.”

On June 22, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had written to Modi seeking an extension of the scheme. “…In light of the current situation, food entitlements should be expanded to address the hunger crisis facing some of the most vulnerable people in the country,” Sonia said.

Modi also spoke of one nation, one ration card especially for the migrant workers so that they do not face problems when moving from one place to another.

This too had been announced by the finance minister while giving details of the second tranche of an economic package in May. Originally, the scheme was mooted by Nandan Nilekani in 2011. If the prime minister made a mention of the scheme on Tuesday then the scheme may be formally launched soon.

Modi also cautioned that although COVID cases are the lowest in the world, precautions like social distancing and wearing of masks still need to be strictly enforced for individuals’ well-being.

KEWAL KHANNA The writer is author of Indian Economy Towards Globalisation & Former Financial Advisor, Indira Gandhi Canal Board

T Cooperative banks have been in existence almost for the last seven decades and to say that they have not played any role will be a misnomer though they have not attained much glory in their functioning.

Cooperative banks are currently under the dual control of Registrar cooperative societies of states as well as RBI. While the role of cooperative societies includes incorporation, registration, management, audit, supervision of the board of directors, and liquidation, RBI has been always responsible for the regulatory functions

o protect the interest of the depositors and strengthen cooperative banks by improving governance and allowing cooperative banks to raise money by public issue, the government of India has brought all the cooperative banks in the country under the regulatory supervision of the RBI. This major decision has been promulgated through an ordinance last week conferring all the powers with RBI. There are 1482 cooperative banks and 58 State Cooperative Banks having 8.6 crore depositors doing transactions of 4.84 lakh crore. Primarily the main function of central cooperative banks is to provide loans to primary cooperative societies. However, some loans are also provided to individuals and others. These banks raise their capital from their own funds, borrowing, and other funds.

The banks are registered under the States Cooperative Societies Act and also covered under the regulatory ambit of RBI under two laws Banking Regulations Act 1949 and the Banking laws (Cooperative Societies Act)1955. The primary objective of the cooperative banks is to provide credit to the common man at moderate interest rates eliminating the dominance of private money lenders and be a convenient credit line to the cultivators in rural India to strengthen the agriculture sector and allied activities. As on Marchend 2017 as per the RBI website, there were 33 state cooperative banks (Rs.1.2 lakh crore deposits), 370 district central cooperative banks (3.30 lakh crore deposits) and 95595 Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (with 1.15 lakh crore deposits).

Cooperative banks have been in existence almost for the last seven decades and to say that they have not played any role will be a misnomer though they have not attained much

glory in their functioning. Cooperative banks are currently under the dual control of Registrar cooperative societies of states as well as RBI. While the role of cooperative societies includes incorporation, registration, management, audit, supervision of the board of directors, and liquidation, RBI has been always responsible for the regulatory functions.

Most cooperative banks are controlled by powerful politicians which explain their poor supervision and the lack of political will to change them despite regular losses suffered by innocent depositors. Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) have reported nearly 1000 cases of fraud with more than Rs.220 crore in the last five fiscals, according to RBI responding to an RTI besides the big frauds having come out on banks like PMG and some others.

A very positive and important aspect of the amendment in the Banking Regulation Act will now enable mergers and restructuring of the banks in the public interest, without having to order a moratorium, which not only limits the withdrawals by depositors but also disrupts the bank’s lending operations.

We have seen last year in the case of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank where the RBI had to impose a moratorium and the diffi-

There are 1482 cooperative banks and 58 State Cooperative Banks having 8.6 crore depositors doing transactions of 4.84 lakh crore. Primarily the main function of central cooperative banks is to provide loans to primary cooperative societies

culties and sufferings of the depositors were so glaring.

Now onward the cooperative banks will be allowed to raise capital via the public issue and private placement of equity or preference shares as well as unsecured debentures, with the approval of the RBI. At present access to capital for a cooperative bank is limited. Coming under the umbrella of RBI and its supervision the sound and strict regulation will also enhance professionalism and improve governance of these banks.

The changes brought into the banking law do not affect the existing powers of the state registrar of cooperative societies under state laws nor do the changes apply to primary farm societies or cooperative socie-

The EU should collect health data centrally

W

hen the COVID-19 disease began to spread in Europe, France and Germany prohibited the export of medical equipment, while Italy asked in vain for supplies of protective equipment under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Neither the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) nor the member states of the EU themselves were aware of the available capacities of European health systems. The COVID-19 crisis has made the lack of European coordination crystal clear.

Consequently, there are many voices in favor of strengthening the ECDC. The EU agency supports member states by collecting, processing and analyzing data on disease out

04

breaks and through the surveillance and early detection of health risks.

Currently, the agency is further developing its capacities for disease prevention, which also fall under its mandate.

Ideally, the ECDC would support member states in collecting reliable health data while providing them with knowledge about the situations of their European neighbors. This would show how much protective equipment and health personnel are available in the respective member states and how much is presumably needed in case of a disease outbreak.

The European Union as well as the member states would benefit from a better overview of capacities and of the burden of disease in Europe. Acting in solidarity would become possible

with a common database.

In addition to strengthening the EU internally, it would also become more capable of acting as a partner worldwide. In cooperation with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional office for Europe, the ECDC could provide reliable and standardized data, thereby contributing to the global containment of pandemics.

IS THE CRITICISM OF THE ECDC JUSTIFIED? This ideal situation is not yet in sight. The ECDC is, in particular, being criticized for its lack of visibility, support and misinterpretation. It is presumed, for instance, that the early warning and response system (EWRS) operated by the ECDC did not work properly, which

is why the risk of infection by COVID-19 was still being assessed as “low to moderate” at the end of February.

That said, the agency does not yet possess any regulative powers and cannot oblige the countries to collect and transmit the necessary data. Moreover, the ECDC is neither staffed nor funded sufficiently to effectively coordinate and harmonize health data.

Let’s put it in perspective. Whereas the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employed 10,796 and had a budget of $8.25 billion in 2018, the ECDC only employed 271 and had around €58 million ($65 million) at its disposal in that same year.

The COVID-19 outbreak has opened a long-known wound. Member states have not adequately pro-

vided the ECDC with the skills and resources to fulfill its mandate. This must change.

HARMONISE AND EXPAND DATA COLLECTION In the future, the ECDC should be able to ensure that member states transmit high-quality and reliable data to the agency. To do this, it must first be given an appropriate mandate. The agency should then focus on developing monitoring mechanisms to ensure reliable and consistent data. It must be able to transmit this data to the WHO in a timely and seamless manner. The digital infrastructure must, therefore, be compatible with WHO data collection practices..

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.FAIROBSERVER.COM

ties, the main business of which is long term finance for agricultural development. The changes brought will not only raise the confidence of the depositors but also provide strength to the lenders since after the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC) fraud last year has completely shaken the confidence of the depositors.

The Ordinance indeed is a very positive move and should lead to clear up and reduce political control over cooperative banks and promote professionalism and good governing in the sagging image of cooperative banks in seeing that the misery of PMC bank depositors gets removed besides strengthening public confidence. This writer having been associated with a Central Cooperative Bank feels that RBI strong control It is a much welcome decision though too late.

RBI Governor Shashikant Das has always maintained that he is working at a resolution and we hope that the new amendment usher in with a silver lining for the cooperative financial sector in raising the credibility, bringing professionalism, getting more avenues for capital and close scrutiny and supervision of RBI. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Prakash Javadekar @PrakashJavdekar Under the world’s biggest food security scheme, 80 crore poor will get 25 kg each of grain wheat or rice - free in the coming 5 months. Every family will get 5 kg of pulses free in next 5 months. #ModiCARES4Poor Ravi Shankar Prasad @rsprasad Apart from common citizens it will also help poor, marginalized and the migrant workers during Corona Pandemic crisis.

PM’s appreciation of both the farmers and tax payers is indeed extraordinary. It carries a very powerful message of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

Spiritual SPEAK

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.

—Buddha

Vol 1 Issue No. 216 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, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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

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05

‘BJP SAYS MAKE IN INDIA BUT BUYS FROM CHINA’ RaGa hit out at PM Modi-led government claiming that imports from China have increased under NDA regime

New Delhi: Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his ambitious Make in India project, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday referred to data to show a jump in imports from China since 2014, the year the BJP government came to power.

This also comes a day after the Centre banned 59 Chinese apps to send a strong signal to the neighbouring country amid the Galwan faceoff.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi drew a comparison of imports made during the UPA and BJP regime. He tweeted: “Facts don’t lie. BJP says: Make in India. BJP does: Buy from China.”

The graph shared by the Congress leader shows that between 2008 to 2014, the imports from China remained below 14 per cent, while it jumped to 18 per cent during the BJP-led NDA rule.

Citing the “emergent nature of threats” from mobile applications, in-

UP GOVERNMENT USING POLICE AS ‘TOOL OF OPPRESSION,’ SAYS PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi Facts don’t lie.

BJP says: Make in India. BJP does: Buy from China.

The graph shared by Rahul Gandhi shows that imports from China jumped to 18% during NDA rule.

cluding popular ones of Chinese origin such as TikTok, ShareIt, UCBrowser, Club Factory and CamScanner, the Centre Monday banned 59 apps based on information that they were engaged in activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity”, defence, security and public order.The move is seen as a retaliatory step amid the tense bor-

der standoff between India and China that led to 20 Indian Army personnel being killed on June 15. State-owned telecom companies have since moved to keep Chinese vendors out of their network upgradation tenders.

“The Ministry of Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources, including sev-

eral reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India,” the government said in a statement.This is a matter of very deep and immediate concern, it said. —Agencies

Fuel price money goes to poor, not middlemen, says Pradhan Vaishali

plains Congress-ruled states also hiking tax on fuel, if Congress is against the idea.

The Minister’s counter comes after Sonia & Rahul upped the ante over the issue of fuel price hike. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has asked government to stop ‘profiteering’ from the petrol and diesel prices. His mother and Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi said, “I along with Congress workers and citizens, demand that Government should take back the hike in prices of diesel and petrol in these tough times.”

New Delhi: After Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi demanded a rollback of fuel price hike and Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Centre is ‘profiteering,’ Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan hit back at Congress, saying the collected money was used for welfare measures instead of personal benefit as allegedly prevalent during the Congress era.

Pradhan said, “I once again reiterate to Madam Sonia Gandhiji that Modiji has transferred

more than Rs 65,000 crore to 42 crore people in the last 3 months.”

Making a strong allegation against Congress, the Minister remarked, “Unlike Congress’ legacy of transferring money into the accounts of middlemen, ‘National Daamad,’ ‘The Family’

Film on girl, who cycled 1,200 km

‘Need to scale up aviation assets to lower logistics cost’

New Delhi: The story of Jyoti Kumari Paswan, who bought a second-hand cycle with her entire family savings and cycled from Haryana’s Gurgaon to her home in Bihar to escape lockdown distress, with her injured father riding pillion, will soon be immortalised on screen and is to set go on the floors from August.

New Delhi: India needs to scale up use of its aviation assets such as grounded aircraft and less-used airports for cargo handling so that logistics costs decline and export of resources such as fish, vegetables and fruits become viable, transport minister Nitin Gadkari said.

In an online interaction with members of

5 TERRORISTS KILLED IN ANANTNAG IN LAST 24 HRS Srinagar: Five terrorists have been killed in the last 24 hours in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, police said.”Two hardcore terrorists were killed in an encounter in Waghama area of Anantnag. In last 24 hrs, Anantnag Police and security forces have neutralised five terrorists,” police official Vijay Kumar said. “There was information about three militants. One of them was commander of JKIF, Jahid Dar who was successful in sneaking out. The police, army and the CRPF personnel have cordoned off the area,” he added.

and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Modiji’s DBT is about putting money in the hands of the poor, farmers, migrant workforce and women.”

He also reiterated what BJP President J P Nadda has been saying in many of his virtual rallies, asking what ex-

Domestic Air Cargo Agents Association of India. “The government will support your efforts.

The point is we need to get maximum work done by our assets and elicit maximum utility to keep costs low,” the minister said, adding that the country needs to bring down its logistic cost from the currently estimated 13%.

In India the cost is much higher than nations such as China and the US, he added.

‘LALJI TANDON’S CONDITION SERIOUS BUT UNDER CONTROL’ Lucknow: Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya on Tuesday, visited the Medanta Hospital here to enquire about the health of Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon, a senior doctor said.“The condition of Governor of Madhya Pradesh Lalji Tandon is stable. He is still on critical care ventilator support through

tracheostomy. A team of medical experts is working for best medical treatment,” Medanta Hospital’s Medical Director Rakesh Kapoor said in the medical bulletin issued here.“Today (on Tuesday), Governor of Uttarakhand Baby Rani Maurya visited Medanta, Lucknow to know the well-being of Lalji Tandon,” he added.

The whole country knows that China has snatched India’s land. We all know the Chinese are at four places in Ladakh. Please tell the country how you will evict the Chinese troops and when?

—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader

New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday slammed the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government over the arrest of party’s minority cell chairman Shahnawaz Alam and said the government is using police as a ‘tool of oppression.’ In a series of tweets, she said that police action is repressive and undemocratic. “Congress leaders and activists are committed to raising their voice on public issues. The BJP government can stop other parties from raising their voice, not our party, by making UP police a tool of oppression...

Look at how the UP Police picked up the chairman of our minority cell in the dark of night,” she tweeted. The senior Congress leader also posted a video of the incident along with the tweet.”First, our state president was kept in jail for four weeks on fake charges. This police action is repressive and undemocratic. Congress workers are not afraid of police sticks and fake cases,” she said.UP Congress Minority cell chief, Shahnawaz Alam was arrested by the police late on Monday in connection with anti-CAA protest on December 19, 2019.

JAVADEKAR HAILS MODI’S DECISION ON APP BAN New Delhi: Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar hailed Modi government’’s decision to ban 59 Chinese applications, connecting the move to ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat.’ Taking to social media, Javadekar remarked, “The whole country has appreciated decision of @narendramodi govt to ban 59 Chinese Apps. This will give fillip to Indian Startups; they will come up with better versions very soon. This is a right step towards #AtmaNirbharBharat.” Modi govt banned 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, WeChat & UC Browser and Xiaomi’’s Mi Community over national security concerns amid strained India-China relations after death of 20 Indian soldiers in Galwan Valley clash with Chinese PLA troops in eastern Ladakh. Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has issued a list of these apps that are now banned in country.

IN THE COURTYARD

‘Addl exams for those who can’t appear in July schedule’ Kochi: The Kerala University on Tuesday, informed the Kerala High Court that it has taken a decision to conduct additional examinations for candidates who cannot appear for the examinations scheduled from July 1 due to COVID-19 pandemic.

“Such exams will be treated as special examinations and no additional fee will be collected for the same.

Also, the special examination will not be treat-

HC extends time for EIA 2020 ideas New Delhi: Delhi HC indicated that it might extend the time granted to the general public to give their suggestions for Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) 2020. A bench of CJ DN Patel & Justice Prateek Jalan, while partly allowing a PIL seeking extension of time for public to submit suggestions, said that a detailed order will be passed later on. —ANI

ed as a supplementary examination and will have the legal status of an ordinary examination,” the Kerala University submitted. In the light of such sub-

missions, a single bench of Justice CS Dias turned down the pleas seeking directions to stay the Kerala University exams scheduled to be held from July 1.

The court also directed the V-C of varsity to take a decision on the representations filed by the petitioners.

The court was considering two writ petitions - one filed by 23 PG students and the other filed by a law student. —ANI

No CCTV footage available in TN custody deaths: Court Chennai/New Delhi: Security footage has been erased at the Sathankulam police station in Tamil Nadu where a man and his son were detained before they died of excessive wounds, allegedly from beatings, an inquiry report submitted to the Madras HC reveals.

The court was told that there is no CCTV footage of police station available from June 19, the day Jeyaraj and his son Beniks were arrested for keeping their mobile phone shop in Santhankulam, Tuticorin, open beyond permitted hours during the lockdown. The report submitted also reveals that cops being probed tried their best to block investigations and one constable “jumped over a wall and escaped” when asked to hand over his stick as evidence.

EAM HOLDS DISCUSSIONS’ WITH FRENCH COUNTERPART New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a wide-ranging discussion with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian during which the two leaders discussed issues of contemporary security and political importance.The discussion between them came after India& France exchanged views at foreign secretary-level on regional& global issues of mutual interest.Jaishankar, in a tweet, said, “Wide-ranging discussion with French FM @JY_LeDrian. Covered issues of contemporary security& political importance.”

Mamata announces free ration till July 2021

New Delhi: Soon after PM Narendra Modi extended the Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) till November-end, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee y announced that the her government will provide free ration to beneficiaries till June next year. “The Centre’s ration policy should be to provide ration to each and every one of the 130 crore population of the country,” she said.

The scheme, started to distribute ration among poor after lockdown was announced, was to end on Tuesday .

The scheme involves providing additional 5 kg foodgrain free to 80 cr beneficiaries. Initially, it was for three months, April, May & June only. Notably, many state CMs and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had written to the PM to extend it.

ELDERLY MAN SHOT DEAD BY UNIDENTIFIED ASSAILANTS IN UP Bulandshahr: An elderly man was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district, police said on Tuesday. The victim, identified as Singh, was killed on Monday night at his automobile workshop on Gulaothi-Sikandrabad road, they said.The next morning Singh’s son found the body in a pit

near the workshop, police said. A pair of bloodstained slippers and a cartridge was also found near the body, they said.

Singh’s relative said he did not have enmity with anyone. Police and forensic teams reached the spot and an investigation is underway, Sikandrabad Circle Officer Gopal Choudhary said.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

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53 BSF PERSONNEL TEST POSITIVE

New Delhi: 53 more Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, as per information provided by the BSF. An official statement by the BSF informed that a total of 1,018 coronavirus cases have been reported so far amongst its personnel. This includes 345 active cases and 659 recoveries. While four have succumbed to the infection.

CORONA UPDATE

NEED TO BE ALERT AGAINST COVID-19: MODI

‘DEATH RATE IN TELANGANA AT 1.7%’

Hyderabad: state Health Minister Eatala Rajendra said,”In our state, only 247 have died due to coronavirus. 1.7 per cent is the rate of death in Telangana, while it is 3 per cent in the country,” the minister said while addressing a press conference on Monday.

He said that 10,666 positive cases have been reported so far including 7,250 active cases in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.”

POST OF KAVITHA PADMANABHAN UPGRADED AS DIRECTOR, PMO

The post of Kavitha Padmanabhan has been upgraded as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office. She is a 2006 batch IAS officer of AssamMeghalaya cadre.

POST OF ABHISHEK SHUKLA UPGRADED AS DIRECTOR, PMO

RAVI SHANKAR APPOINTED JOINT SECRETARY & SOCIAL SECRETARY TO PRESIDENT

Ravi Shankar, Joint Secretary (MER), Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as Joint Secretary-cum-Social Secretary to the President.

He is a 1995 batch IFS officer.

VENUGOPAL RE-APPOINTED ATTORNEY GENERAL

KK Venugopal has been reappointed as the Attorney General for India for another one year.

TUSHAR MEHTA IS SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR ANOTHER THREE YEARS

Senior Advocate Tushar Mehta has been appointed Solicitor General of India for another three years.

RAJU IS NEW ASG SC

Senior counsel Suryaprakash V Raju, practising Gujarat lawyer, has been appointed Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India of the Supreme Court.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairing the high-level meeting to review the planning and preparations for vaccination against Covid-19, through video conferencing, in New Delhi on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI PHOTO

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, said that negligence in personal and social behaviour has been increasing after ‘Unlock 1’ on June 1 and noted that there is need to be alert and follow norms as was done during the lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

In address to the nation, the Prime Minister also asked people to be careful against cough and cold in the rainy season. "We are entering into Unlock 2.

We are also entering into season where cold, cough, fever cases increase. I request citizens to take care of themselves. It is true that if we look at the death rate due to coronavirus, then India is in a better position than many countries of the world. Timely lockdown and other decisions have saved the lives of millions of peo-

SHRIKANT MADHAV TO TAKE OVER AS CHAIRMAN, IOCL ON JULY 1

PM LAYS DOWN 4 PRINCIPLES @ VACCINE REVIEW MEET New Delhi: PM Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparations being undertaken for vaccination against Covid-19 as and when a vaccine is available. directed officials to evaluate various technology tools to ensure efficient and timely vaccination in due course of time. He also directed that detailed planning should be undertaken immediately. The PM outlined four guiding principles that would form the foundation of this national effort. First, ple in India," he said.

"Since Unlock 1, negligence in personal and social behavior is also increasing. At first, we were very cautious about the mask, about two-yard distancing, washing hands several times a day for 20 sec-

that vulnerable groups should be identified and prioritized for early vaccination, for example doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, nonmedical frontline corona onds. During lockdown, rules were followed seriously. Now the governments, local bodies and citizens need to show alertness in the same manner," he said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday, issued new

warriors, and vulnerable people among general population; second, that vaccination of “anyone, anywhere” should take place, ie without imposition of any domicile related restrictions for getting the vaccine; third, that vaccination must be affordable and universal - no person should be left behind; and fourth, that entire process from production to vaccination should be monitored and supported in real time with the use of technology. guidelines for Unlock 2 which will come into force from July 1. The new norms have extended the process of phased re-opening of activities including the calibrated expansion of domestic flights and passenger trains. —ANI

‘Recovery rate in India inches closer to 60%’ New Delhi: The recovery rate among patients further has improved to 59.07% even as number of cases continues to rise, govt said .The total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India rose to 5,66,840 on Tuesday with the death toll jumping to 16,893.

This shows that the fatality rate among COVID-19 patients in India is 2.98%.While there are 2,15,125 active cases, all under active medical supervision, 3,34,821 patients have been cured and discharged. As on date, there are 1,19,696 more recovered patients than COVID-19 active cases, the MoHFW said. During the last 24 hours, a total of 13,099 COVID-19 patients have been cured, it said.

—ANI

With 18,522 new cases, India’s tally over 5.66L New Delhi: India’s tally of the coronavirus disease mounted to 566,840 and death toll stood at 16,893 on Tuesday, a day after the Centre issued guidelines for Unlock 2, Union Health Ministry data showed.There were 18,522 new infections and 418 fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to the Covid-19 dashboard of the health ministry.The number of

POWER Gallery The post of Abhishek Shukla has been upgraded as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office. He is a 2006 batch IFS officer.

CONTAINMENT ZONES IN MUMBAI @ 750

Mumbai: The total number of COVID-19 containment zones in Mumbai is presently at 750, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday. As per the BMC, there are 10,88,032 households in these containment zones with a population of 47,13,779 and 25,931 total COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, 67 more Maharashtra Police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 4,810 and death toll to 59 in the force.

06

Covid-19 patients cured of the respiratory disease continued to be more than active cases as 13,099 people were sent home between Monday and Tuesday morning. There were 334,821 discharges pushing the recovery rate to 59%.According to the Health Ministry, there are 215,125 active cases of the coronavirus disease.

—ANI

1.5 lakh ASHAs in UP tracked over 30.43L migrant returnees

A child asks for hand sanitizer as Healthcare workers checking the residents at colony in the slum area for COVID-19. —PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: Amid COVID-19 pandemic, ASHA workers have played a critical role in supporting UP government in managing the coronavirus crisis. With the surge in COVID-19 cases in country and influx of migrant population from hotspot areas, one

of the major challenges in UP was to cater to healthcare needs of returnees and arrest the spread in its rural population. As per Health Ministry, UP’s 1.5 lakh ASHAs have tracked over nearly 30.43 lakh migrant returnees in two phases.

—ANI

an cyberspace, Ministry of Information Technology said.

—ANI

test in May, but received the official intimation on June 29. “We have got a letter from the state government on Monday and will start conducting tests for COVID-19 today,” a laboratory management official said on Tuesday.

The Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Paresh Dhanani said, “The BJP government has taken charge of COVID-19 in Delhi just to harass the nonBJP government, while their home pitch is witnessing a bumper rise in the cases daily. The state government is intentionally infecting

Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Director (Refineries), IOCL, will be taking over the charge as Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) on July 1, 2020. He will succeed present incumbent Sanjiv Singh retiring in June, 2020.

K SANJAYAN APPOINTED AS DEPUTY SECRETARY, UPSC

Upon return from central deputation, K Sanjayan has been appointed as Deputy Secretary, UPSC. He is a CSS officer.

YP DHEWAL APPOINTED AS DEPUTY SECRETARY, COMMERCE

After return from leave, Y P Dhewal has been appointed as Deputy Secretary, Commerce. He is a CSS officer.

PUSHP LATA BHARDWAJ APPOINTED SC’S VACATION OFFICER FOR SEPT 2020

Pushp Lata Bhardwaj, Deputy Registrar in the Supreme Court, has been appointed as Vacation Officer in the Supreme Court for month of September 2020.

ANIL C SINGH RE-APPOINTED ASG FOR BOMBAY HC

Anil C Singh has been re-appointed as Additional Solicitor General for Bombay High Court for a period of three years w.e.f July 1, 2020.

5 ASGS GET FRESH TENURE IN SUPREME COURT

Additional Solicitor Generals in the Supreme Court Vikramjit Banerjee, Aman Lekhi Madhavi Godaria Diwan, KM Nataraj and Sanjay Jain have been re-appointed for a period of three years w.e.f July 1, 2020.

SATYA PAL JAIN RE-APPOINTED ASG FOR P&H HC

Satya Pal Jain has been re-appointed as Additional Solicitor General for Punjab and Haryana High Court for a period of three years w.e.f July 1, 2020.

5 SR ADVOCATES APPOINTED ASG IN SUPREME COURT

Senior advocates Balbir Singh, Suryaprakash V Raju, Rupinder Singh Suri, N Venkataraman, Jayant K Sud and Ashwariya K Bhati have been appointed as Additional Solicitor General for Supreme Court for a period of three years.

YJ DASTOOR APPOINTED ASG IN CALCUTTA HC

Senior Advocate Yezdezard Jehangir Dastoor has been appointed as Additional Advocate General for Calcutta High Court for a period of three years.

CHETAN SHARMA APPOINTED ASG FOR DELHI HC

Senior Advocate Chetan Sharma has been appointed as Additional Advocate General for Delhi High Court for a period of three years.

FROM PG 1 Wooing Bihar?...

“The scheme will provide 80 crore people with free grains, will now be applicable in July, August, September, October and November too.

The government, during these five months, will give each family member 5-kilogram wheat or 5 kilogram rice free of cost, apart from this each family will get free one kg of chana (chick peas) too every month,” he added.

The Prime Minister further said that the extension of this scheme will require an additional expense of Rs 90 thousand crore.

“If we add the expenses incurred during the past three months then it totals to around Rs 1.5 lakh crore,” he further said.

The scheme was announced by the Centre as part of the first rescue package during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme ends on June 30.

The scheme, announced for a three month period, covered 80 crore ration cardholders. Each household was provided 5 kg of food grains (rice or wheat) and 1 kg of pulses (only channa) free of cost. Already, 21 states -- both BJP-ruled and

Opposition-led governments -- had appealed to the Centre to extend the scheme for another three months till September.

—ANI

Shayar RaGa... at the Prime Minister and said that he “walked around the Panda in the room” and “did not talk about anything useful”.

“Seventeen minutes of walking carefully around the Panda in the room.. Kyon PM Ji- abh kuch kaam ki baat ho jaaye?,” she tweeted.

Appain! China...

A senior official at the IT Ministry said the prime

reason to block the apps under section 69 A of Information Technology Act is to stop the violation and threat to the security of the state and public order and to plug the data leaks.

“Almost all of them have some preferential Chinese interest. Few are from countries like Singapore. However, the majority have parent companies which are Chinese,” the official said.

This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure the safety and sovereignty of Indi-

Lethargy in...

If they get permission, these laboratories can add to the number of tests conducted,” said a state health department official. The ICMR granted permission to a total of 53 laboratories in the state to conduct COVID-19 testing. Out of these, 34 were government-run and 19 were privately-owned ones.

One of the private labs, Gujarat Pathology Lab and Diagnostic Centre in Ahmedabad, was approved to conduct the

people by not increasing the number of tests, and by not making them available for free and at reasonable rates.”

The state health department official added, “Neither slashing test rates nor increasing the number of tests was initiated by the state government. There has either been Central government interference or political pressure.

The state health officers and the ruling party have not taken any suo motu action. Due to this lethargic attitude, many people have been infected and many lives have been lost.”

Nepal ruling... and was blaming India to divert attention, according to a report in the website of newspaper The Himalayan Times.

PM Oli had last week accused New Delhi of orchestrating efforts to topple him in an effort to put the rival faction led by co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on a back foot. Oli, speaking at an event on Sunday, had claimed that his rivals were trying to pull the rug from under his feet because he had brought out a new political map that had upset Nepal’s giant neighbour.

—ANI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

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07

The COVID-19 pandemic is the largest synchronised shock the world has experienced in generations.

But this crisis will not be the last of its kind. We urgently need to learn as much as we can from the current experience and adapt international development practices and research accordingly

LEARNING FROM THE

A

s with so much else, international development has been severely affected by the coronav i r us pandemic.

How might we use these lessons to reshape the sector, rather than returning to the status quo?

For starters, the crisis has reminded us that nature still reigns supreme, and it should spur us to step up efforts to mitigate and adapt to other systemic threats, particularly climate change, which will continue to be the biggest threat to development. According to the Climate Impact Lab, global warming could lead to as many as 1.5 million excess deaths per year in India by 2100, rivaling the toll of all infectious diseases combined. In addition to applying our current scientific knowledge to existing problems – from improving environmental auditing to deploying flood-resistant varieties of rice – we need to accelerate innovations that reduce carbon dioxide emissions and pollution, help communities adapt to climate change, and provide access to clean energy. And, most important, we must pilot and evaluate new initiatives, and scale those with the biggest impact.

The pandemic has also taught us that public health is about more than physical illnesses. For many people – particularly in developing countries – staying home simply isn’t a safe option. Domestic violence, including both physical and emotional abuse, is expected to rise sharply as a result of lockdowns. Extended periods of isolation could exacerbate anxiety, depression, and other related mental health conditions.

And those battling addictions are struggling to get the support they need.

Rather than hoping these problems will simply disappear whenever the lockdowns are lifted (they won’t), we should acknowledge that mental health

LOCKDOWN

has long been a neglected issue in policy debates.

Yet another lesson from the crisis is that there can be no substitute for government. Over the past decade, many international funders and development organizations have tried to bypass governments, owing to concerns about corruption or red tape. But the pandemic has made clear that governments are the leading actors when it comes to containing infectious diseases, administering development policies, providing social protection to the unemployed, and alleviating poverty. That is why we at MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL) have focused on building long-term partnerships with governments and are now supporting them in scaling up evidence-based policies.

Governments also need to be able to transfer cash to vulnerable citizens quickly. While the United States and other advanced

economies have managed to transfer emergency funds directly to their citizens, many other countries that have introduced household stimulus checks, cash transfers, or other social protections have failed to deliver them to those who need support the most. Clearly, these countries need to rethink how they identify the poorest individuals, so that they can provide them with digital forms of identity and other requisites of financial inclusion. In the future, these will be the key components of the social safety net for countries at all stages of development.

Another critical issue is education. Although learning is possible outside of physical schools, the pandemic is sure to set back education for many children. Helping them keep up is thus an urgent priority. With schools closed, the obvious response is to pursue Internet-based teaching. Research shows that

SOURCE: PROJ ECT SYNDICAT E

CONCEPT: DIVY A HEMNANI

software allowing students to move at their own pace can be effective.

But remote learning obviously isn’t an option for students who lack Internet access, have special needs, or share one computer or phone among many family members. These children’s

DESIGN: SITARA M SHARMA

educations have effectively been put on hold during the pandemic, as was already the case for many of the world’s refugees, over half of whom are children.

It will be crucial to help these children catch up when the time comes.

Here, research shows that

intensive, repeated “learning camps” in which students are grouped at their current learning level, rather than by age or grade, can be immensely helpful.

From Brazil’s favelas and India’s migrant caravans to France’s banlieues and communities of color in the US, it is the poor who have borne the brunt of COVID-19’s health, economic, and psychological costs. But reaching those most in need of useful information is a major challenge, because conventional media channels can go only so far, and misinformation is rife on social media. Thus, researchers are testing whether recruiting well-connected individuals or “influencers” would ensure that messages are disseminated reliably through pre-existing social networks.

In the meantime, the pandemic has pushed policymakers everywhere to experiment with different strategies for encouraging social distancing, hand washing, and other infection-prevention measures.

They could consider making some of the existing cash transfers conditional on healthy behavior, as research has found this to be an effective way to mitigate the spread of the virus and improve overall health.

This is another strategy that need not be limited to the current crisis. For example, in non-pandemic times, receiving cash disbursements could depend on whether one’s children have been vaccinated or had an annual check-up.

Policies that encourage healthier lifestyles have become increasingly urgent, given the rising threat from largely preventable non-communicable diseases, which already kill more than 40 million people worldwide each year.

In the absence of in-person data collection during the lockdown, many social science researchers have shifted to using administrative data. The data that governments and non-governmental organizations already collect could be enormously useful in testing the efficacy of new programs. J-PAL’s Innovations in Data and Experiments for Action (IDEA) Initiative, for example, is building partnerships to help governments improve their use of administrative data. The crisis has also forced many research projects to collect data through phone surveys. Again, lessons learned from this work will inform research that uses phone surveys for data collection well into the future, enabling governments and NGOs to gather much more accurate information in real time from the communities they serve.

The COVID-19 pandemic is the largest synchronized shock the world has experienced in generations. But this crisis will not be the last of its kind. We urgently need to learn as much as we can from the current experience and adapt international development practices and research accordingly. We must not allow ourselves to be caught off-guard again.

It is good to plan and execute every action with precision but if all your thoughts and actions are not fueled by passion, it will have little meaning in the long run.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

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UNLOCK 2.0

08

With a surge of Corona cases during Unlock1.0 in Surat, the State Govt is taking no chances this time

Surat forces diamond units to down shutters

Darshan Desai

Surat : With Surat emerging as the new corona hotspot in Gujarat during Unlock1.0 and the diamond industry taking the major blame for it by giving a go-by to all social distancing and related norms, the Surat Municipal Corporation has ordered shut many diamond polishing units.

What came as a shocker on the very first day of the closure, however, was that the diamond market in Mahidharpura was not only open, but crowds of diamond traders also thronged there. Later the mar-

ket was forced to close by the police within minutes.

This, despite the fact that the SMC had declared Hira Bazar of Mahidharpura as a new cluster containment zone covering 1,262 houses. Simultaneously, just ahead of Unlock Phase II, beginning from July 1, Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani has also issued a notification banning all street food vending in the city’s containment clusters, including Varachha, Sarthana and Katargam areas.

Surat, on Monday, recorded the highest single day spike of 217

SHEEN LOST?

The Hira Bazar in Surat's Mahidharpura was forced to close down on Tuesday after diamond units defied social distancing norms.

fresh COVID-19 cases.

Since enforcement of ‘Unlock 1’, the number of infected persons in the diamond

IIT-Gandhinagar's AIbased tool to detect corona

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: When every single new finding contributes to the unending fight against the dreaded corona virus, researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) have developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)based deep learning tool for detection of COVID-19 from chest X-ray images. This online tool indicates the probability if a person is infected with COVID-19, which can be used for quick preliminary diagnosis before the medical test.

The tool has been developed by Kushpal Singh Yadav, an M.Tech student of Computer Science & Engineering, under the guidance of Prof Krishna Prasad Miyapuram, Associate Professor of Cognitive Science and Computer Science. The system is now live as a web-interface on http://covidxray.iitgn.ac.in/. The format of

Given the limited testing facilities for COVID19, there is a rush to develop AI tools for quick analysis using x-rays. Developing a reliable tool requires the combination of right algorithms and data. This is where our tool would prove useful, that can be trained for diagnostic purposes and made available for wider use.

city has been climbing at a steep rate. It had the second highest tally of coronavirus cases in Gujarat with

4,630 positive cases and 155 deaths, as on Monday night.

The major areas where the maximum

‘Catch Me If You Can’ conman held First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A 23-year-old man has been arrested in Gujarat for allegedly cheating 15 different firms of at least Rs 50 lakh through forgery in the last four years, apparently inspired by the Hollywood movie, ‘Catch Me If You Can’.

The accused, Jay Soni, acquired specialisation in forging documents and hiding his real identity to fraudulently withdraw money from banks, according to the crime branch. “It all started

in 2015 when Soni and his father Ramesh Soni watched the movie ‘Catch Me If You Can’, which was based on the life of American cheque forger and con man Frank Abagnale,” a crime branch official said.

Soni was arrested on Monday after a detailed probe into his modus operandi which involved not leaving behind any clue about his real identity or whereabouts.

Nine complaints of cheating and forgery were filed against Soni in Gujarat and six in Jaipur.

positive cases have been found are Varachha, Sarthana, and Katargam which have been marked as containment

clusters by the health authorities. These areas are dominated mostly by the diamond polishing businesses.

A late-night notification by the SMC about the diamond units stated, “Despite various guidelines issued by the central and state governments regarding COVID-19, it has been observed that in some of Surat’s diamond units, social distancing is not being maintained and mandatory wearing of masks is being flouted, resulting in the workers and staff of such diamond units and their families getting in-

fected. This has resulted in increasing the virus outbreak in Surat.”

The Commissioner declared an area in the North zone Katargam as a containment cluster and prohibited all the diamond units inside the cluster to function for a week. Eleven areas in Katargam have been identified and declared as clusters.

In another notification, the SMC banned all the street food vendors in the East zone A (Varachha), New East zone (Sarthana) and North zone (Katargam) and all the areas declared as containment clusters.

Their (ED officials) train runs slow on narrow gauge : Ahmed Patel Dr. Anita New Delhi: Soon after Enforcement Directorate officials questioned him, for the second time, in the Sterling Biotech case, Congress’ Rajya Sabha member and AICC Treasurer Ahmed Patel on Tuesday appeared confidence-per-

sonified, as he said, “Their train runs like a slow narrow gauge train, to impress their bosses that they interrogated Ahmed Patel for long hours.” Patel was also questioned last Saturday at his residence in the same case.

Referring to the ED officials as the “friends of my well-wishers (read PM Narendra Modi and HM Amit Shah)”, Patel told reporters, “They said they still have a few more things to ask and so will come again on Thursday.” Patel, then told reporters in the same vein, “So, you also come then.”

“I told them they are most welcome to come any number of times they wish,” Ahmed Patel taunted.

—Prof Krishna Prasad Miyapuram, IIT-Gandhinagar

any test image of a new person will be automatically transformed and diagnosed using the AI tool. The result is available within a few seconds.

Prof Krishna Prasad Miyapuram and Kushpal Singh Yadav said, “Given the limited testing facilities for COVID19, there is a rush to develop AI tools for quick analysis using xrays. Developing a reliable tool requires the combination of right algorithms and data.

This is where our tool would prove useful, that can be trained for diagnostic purposes

and made available for wider use.”

The researchers pooled the data of Xray images of COVID-19 infected patients as well as healthy persons from different sources. They trained a machine learning architecture using deep learning algorithms with these images. This model has 12 layers of neural network similar to the neurons in the human brain. The tool also uses images from other lung infections such as tuberculosis and pneumonia.

BANKING ON FAITH! People lighted oil lamps inside a mosque during a special prayer meeting for the victims of the dreaded coronavirus in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, even as cases continue to rise while the State enters into the Unlock2.0 phase.

—PHOTOS BY NANDAN DAVE

RAY OF HOPE

When internet married Kutchi artisans to the market

Traditional artisans of Gujarat’s handicrafts hit by lockdown 

Shishir Awasthi Bhuj (Kutch): Ajrakhpur, a tiny village near Bhuj in Kutch, is a known name on the maps of designers, design schools and artists across the world. The village derives its name from the art of Ajrakh — block printing using natural dyes derived from indigo, henna, turmeric, pomegranate,

iron and mud.

The Covid-induced lockdown seemed to have sounded the death knell of the artisans here during the last four months, till they discovered the genius of the Internet.

Several shopping portals and traders used to approach Sufiyan Khatri, a ninth-generation Ajrakh craftsman and resident of

With their businesses hit by lockdown, Kutchi artisans are going online to sell their wares.

Ajrakhpur, to put up his products online but he was happy the way he was. He used to tell them that neither he nor did the other artisans feel the need.

But now, with hardly anyone reaching Ajrakhpur, the artisans here are taking to the internet. “This is the only way to survive, it seems,” says Khatri.

This now holds true not only for the craftspeople of Ajrakhpur, but also for thousands of other artisans in Gu-

jarat’s handicraft hub, Kutch, who are into weaving, embroidery, bell metal craft, leather work and the rare Rogan art, among several such.

Hitherto happy in their rural milieu, these artisans are now adapting to the changing times by creating social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram, launching their own websites, organising and participating in online exhibitions, and approaching clients through these new me-

diums. And, their efforts are bearing fruits as sales are picking up.

Sufiyan has created an account on Etsy, an online shopping portal, specialising in handicrafts.

Incidentally, he received his first online order on March 25, the first day of the nationwide lockdown, from a client in Italy, which once was among the worst Coronaaffected countries. By now, he has also received orders from the UK and the US, all of which have been shipped.

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City First brings you some helpful tips to refresh your looks; get the best tips to invest in your hair- it is the crown you never take off!

YEH RESHMI ZULFEIN some of the hair colours that can give you a chic look!

BLONDE ISHIKA DHABHAI

ishika.dhabhai@firstindia.co.in

A

few years ago, spotting coloured hair was a rare sight and the only way to dye hair was through henna.

However, from henna to the most eccentric of shades, hair colour has witnessed a sea change from being a necessity to an essential fashion statement. Today, if someone has a thought of changing their look, then they can get it done in the blink of an eye by just changing the colour of their hair. The best part is, it’s not just with women; this trend is applicable to the men too.

Since the trend is not going anytime soon, we have listed

If you want to go for a different look altogether, then blonde is something you can choose. If you think that the actual blonde colour is too much, then you can also opt for a warm yellow tone that resembles the colour.

SILVER BLONDE

If you have a dark skin tone, then look no further. This is the perfect shade that can enhance your look.

MAUVE

Most of us have always been a huge fan of ‘Barbie’s pink’ hair colour. If you’re one of them, then this is the shade for you; however, for the people with dark skin tones, tints like pastel pink can be too harsh against your skin.

PASTELS

If you need a bold, out of ordinary hair colour, then just go for the pastels. We’re talking about pastel pink, pastel blue, and everything in between.

CARAMEL HIGHLIGHTS

If someone has a dark brown hair colour, they can add beautiful caramel highlights to refresh their look. Caramelcoloured highlights will attract light to hit your hair, giving it an instant dimension - like you spent hours under the sun at the beach. Also, it’s a prime hair colour for those who have a fair skin tone.

ASH BROWN

This cool-toned brown colour is a popular choice among the ladies because this shade goes with every length of hair, from cropped to long.

09

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

10

A Powerfully Feminist, Revisionist Tale

B

writer who makes her directorial debut on the Netflix original. Bulbbul — a period supernatural tale set in Bengal — centres on the folklore of chudail, a woman who rises from the dead (with inverted legs) after an unnatural death. The English subtitles translate it as “demon-woman” but her behaviour on Bulbbul is more akin to a vampire.

Though Dutt erases the misogynistic and patriarchal overtones of chudail to put a feminist spin on the story, she doesn’t add to it in any meaningful manner. Moreover, Bulbbul’s Bengal setting makes zero sense. Not a single character talks in anything but Hindi, and the film doesn’t use the localised term for chudail. It may as well be set in any part of (British) India.

Though you wouldn’t even know Bulbbul was set in British India by simply watching the film, since there’s no trace of the British, except for a throwaway dialogue. Or the three words of on-screen text at the very beginning, which states “1881, Bengal Presidency”.

The Netflix film opens with

FA CE OF TH ED AY

ulbbul, the latest Indian original from Netflix, is a disaster.

In a smarter film, its title character — Mrs. Bulbbul Chaudhary (Tripti Dimri, from Laila Majnu) — would have made a fascinating villain. For most of Bulbbul, she’s adorned in the most exquisite sarees and jewellery. Whenever she’s sitting idle, which is nearly always, as the lady of the house, Bulbbul fans herself with peacock feathers. And she makes no attempt to hide her true feelings, smiling ear-to-ear or heartily laughing at the predicament of others.

Unfortunately, Bulbbul is stuck in a drab, inert, and ridiculous film, the kind whose plot you can entirely predict after watching the first few minutes.

It’s only the film’s characters — except for Bulbbul — who fail to see otherwise, to the point where it all feels like a giant prank, as if they are merely pretending to act oblivious.

Nearly all of that is down to writer-director Anvita Dutt, a lyricist and dialogue

a child marriage, as a young Bulbbul (Ruchi Mahajan, from Yeh Teri Galiyan) is wedded off to a much older man, Indranil Thakur (Rahul Bose, from Shaurya).

Bulbbul tries to throw viewers off by employing a hap-

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

py background score and featuring a friend her age in Satyajeet Thakur (Varun Paras Buddhadev, from Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai), but it does such a poor job that it serves as an early indicator of the film’s predictability.

of men, which are attributed to a chudail by village folk, for the bite marks on the victims. And the other consists of flashbacks, as we witness Bulbbul continue to pine after Satya and suffer a litany of atrocities from everyone else in the household. It’s obvious to everyone and their grandma that Bulbbul had a thing for Satya and that she’s the chudail — something she all but hints at on multiple occasions — but it takes ages for the other characters to figure it out. And to make matters worse, Bulbbul keeps on hammering home the same point across multiple scenes, wasting time on a film that runs just 90 minutes.

The amateurish writing and direction is matched by a lazy background score on Bulbbul, consisting of generic tunes that seem like the first search result you’d get on Google after typing “horror music”. That’s surprising given Amit Trivedi is the composer, known for his work on the likes of Andhadhun, Dev.D, and Udaan. That lack of originality translates as both op-

pressive and over-the-top, which is also the case with the saturated tones of red — the cinematographer is Siddharth Diwan (Queen) and the production designer Meenal Agarwal (Dum Laga Ke Haisha) — that bake night-time scenes to convey a sense of dread. Diwan’s camera work is the only technical aspect of Bulbbul that doesn’t call attention to itself, with the other departments seemingly succumbing to the director’s wishes.

All that ultimately results in a catastrophe of epic proportions. Its rote, tired dialogues will make you roll your eyes. The tonal dissonance and foolish characters will pull you out of the movie. And it doesn’t have anything worthwhile to say about male entitlement and the treatment of women. In the hands of a more capable writer-director, Bulbbul would’ve upended viewer’s expectations from a movie about the folklore of chudail, than merely play into them. It could also have been Netflix’s first Bengali-language original.

Source: https://gadgets.ndtv.com/

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Adhere to the terms of your job and there is nothing to worry. Be efficient and innovative in your work. You need to keep a check on your emotions as you may feel overwhelmed. A good reputation in market will help you in long run. Care about those who matters in your life.

Obnoxious behaviour should be avoided at all cost in business matters.

You have a contagious smile and use it in your best ability.

Times are tough but where there is a will there is a way. With changing times there is a change in demand and supply therefore try to come up.

Procuring goods on time will remain your priority for today as far as your business is concerned.

Don’t be confused when it comes to making decision regarding your future, trust your instincts and forge ahead. Spirituality is the answer to your problems in every aspect of life.

Valiant and pivot is how you can be defined. You manage to find solutions to all your problems. You are on the threshold of achieving something that you wanted for a long time. On person’s loss is another person’s benefit and right now you are the one who will gain from this.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Demeanour plays an important role when it come to being a part of an elite group and you never disappoint. Wealth tickles in and your dry spell on financial front ends. You are always looking forward to try something new on business front and you never settle for anything but best.

Whining over the what has been lost is not a sensible thing to do, move ahead with time and with immense faith in yourself give your best shot in something new. You will find a mentor who will give a shape to your ideas. You will get attracted to someone with absolute opposite.

Judicious use of time is the need of this hour. You may have to struggle a little but your future is very bright.

Many small failures in life acts as a stepping stone towards success so never let yourself feel discouraged with temporary setbacks. Your achievements speaks for yourself.

Devouring one book after the another is your current hobby and you have completely dedicated yourself to it. Work from home is a new trend but that doesn’t give you the liberty to take it. Dedication is must in these trial times as source of income is a blessing.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Sycophants are always around but it depends on you if you wish to be influenced by them or not. A sentence of motivation can really cheer someone up and change their life so deal with a youngster. You will feel energetic today to do things which you have been planning to do for a long.

Bickering around is a waste of time rather invest yourself building strong relationships. An exciting opportunity will knock at your door and will provide you a chance to make money. Your seniors will acknowledge you efforts in work and will truly admire your dedication.

Endowment received to give wings to your dream must be appreciated and used in the right direction. Time is a valuable asset so do not waste it. You are very conscious of your karma and you believe in action and reactions. Its still not too late to regain your ground on academic front as well.

Immaculately dressed is how people define you.

People may misunderstand your silence but in the end people see you for who you truly are.

Considering the alarming health crisis, you must watch what you eat as your body is your only precious temple now in this pandemic.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

FATEHJEET KAUR, Model

Bulbbul is the only one convinced she was due to marry Satya.

Fast forward two decades as Satya (Avinash Tiwary, reunited with Laila Majnu co-star Dimri) returns from London, where he’s been studying to be a lawyer. In the five years he’s been gone, Bulbbul (Dimri) has assumed her aforementioned status as the lady of the house. Her husband is nowhere to be seen, her bumbling fool of a brotherin-law is dead, and his widow and her scheming sisterin-law Binodini (Pauli Dam, from Hate Story) has been forced to shave her head and out of the palatial house.

The relationship between Bulbbul and Binodini is like a relic from the soap opera era, full of jealousy and pettiness. (Strangely, there are no kids to be seen anywhere, which is curious given being baby-factories was deemed as the only reason for women’s existence in those times.)

The film’s story unfolds in two parallel timelines thereafter. There’s the one in 1901 as Satya investigates a series of murders, solely

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

11

QUARANTINE

POUNDS! A

Kylie Jenner & her post

merican reality TV star Kylie Jenner shared a throwback picture reminiscing about pre-COVID times’ figure. The 22-year-old ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ star shared throwback video to her Instagram Stories, wherein she posted the flick of herself donning a twopiece bikini. The makeup mogul captioned the clip from January, “OK, cutting off these quarantine pounds starting tomorrow.” Over the weekend, the Kardashian-Jenner clan rang in Khloe Kardashian’s 36th birthday at Jenner’s posh 36.5 USD million estate in the lavish Holmby Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the family is also still riding high on the reported news of rapper Kanye West’s Yeezy 10year partnership deal with Gap which he’s said to have finalised for undisclosed terms. The deal, which can be revisited and renewed after five years, is anticipated to generate some 1 billion USD in annual sales for the Gap brand that had already seen a global revenue figure of 4.6 billion USD last year.

—ANI

BEST WISHES THE FIRST

SHOT

K

areena Kapoor Khan who completed 20 years in the industry on Tuesday shared her ‘first shot’ taken for the movie ‘Refugee’ and thanked her fans for the overwhelming support.

With more than 55 films and an impressive array of roles under her belt, Khan credited fans for their “love, support, and strength” throughout her journey. The ‘Jab We Met’ actor took to Instagram and recalled her ‘first shot’ from the 2000 released movie -- a close-up shot that was taken at 4 am.

“I woke up this morning at 4, looked in the mirror, and said to myself that this was the best decision I could have ever taken,” the diva captioned the post.

Marking her “20 years of hard work, dedication, and selfconfidence,” she continued her note of thanks to fans.

The ‘Heroine’ actor, further thanked the director of ‘Refugee’ JP Dutta for giving her the movie, and also Abhishek Bachchan, for being the “sweetest co-star.”

Given that, Abhishek Bachchan, too, is celebrating the 20 years of his journey in the Bollywood today.

—ANI

Kareena Kapoor Khan; (inset) Her post

P

riyanka Chopra Jonas conveyed the sweetest wish to the ‘Game of Thrones’ star Sophie Turner and musician Joe Jonas on the occasion of their first wedding anniversary.

The ‘Baywatch’ star put out an adorable picture of the muchloved couple on her Instagram Story and extended the anniversary wishes. Turner tied the knot with her beau Joe

Jonas last year on June 29, 2019. Chopra shared a throwback picture of Sophie and Joe from the day of their wedding and the picture is sure to make anyone nostalgic. Along with the picture, the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ star left a sweet caption for them which reads, “Love you both.”

Chopra, who is a part of the Jonas family, is married to Joe’s brother Nick Jonas.

Nick and Chopra tied the knot in 2018 and have been inseparable ever since.

—ANI

Priyanka Chopra Jonas & her post

BEST NEWS OF

LOCKDOWN

A

mid the rise in tensions at the Indo-China border, the Government of India yesterday took a decision to ban a certain number of Chinese mobile applications including the very popular video app, TikTok. This move by the government brought cheer to some and one of them is Malaika Arora. The Bollywood star took to social media to celebrate the ban on the video application that was used by people to create video content. Malaika was among the first to hail this move.

The diva took to social media to share a photo of the news being flashed on her television as she welcomed the TiKTok ban in India. Malaika expressed relief and rejoiced that due to the ban on TikTok, people will no longer have to see ‘ridiculous’ videos made by content creators. Taking to her Instagram story, Malaika wrote, “Best news of lockdown….finally we will not be subjected to people’s ridiculous videos.”

—Agency

BUZZ...

STAFF TESTED +VE

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amir Khan on Tuesday issued a statement and confirmed that some of his staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, while the rest of his family members have tested negative. Khan also announced that he was taking his mother for a COVID-19 test and urged his fans to pray for her test to come out as negative. The ‘3 Idiots’ star put out the statement on Instagram and said, “This is to inform you that some of my staff have tested positive.”

—ANI

Malaika Arora

Aamir Khan

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

PLEA HEARD! CITY FIRST

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rem Bhandari had raised the issue of the fact that Law has to be for the people and have a humanitarian face through the pages of First India. He had demanded from the Foreign and Home Ministries that USA citizens of Indian origin who do not have an OCI card yet and are not allowed to travel to India on VISA or emergency VISA even in the emergency hospitalisation of a parent in India or tragic demise of a parent, should be allowed to travel to India. First India had carried the issue prominently. Tuesday was a day of achievement for Bhandari when he received the order facilitating his request, sent

IMPACT!

by the Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Whatsapp at 4:54 am, US time.

On Tuesday, Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreign Division issued orders that certain categories will be permitted to enter India like the minor children OCI card-

Prem Bhadari

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It was the birthday of Rajya Sabha MP and BJP National General Secretary Bhupendra Yadav on Tuesday. He spent the day immersed in party work and refused any celebration taking into account the soldiers martyred on China border and the pandemic situation. He did make time to participate in a family puja ceremony, feed fodder to the cows and donate foodgrains and masks to the poor.

Leaders and cadre from across sent him wishes which he accepted gracefully.

holders whose parents are Indian nationals and married couples where one spouse is an OCI cardholder and the other is an Indian National.

Bhandari has won accolades and the gratitude of lakhs as the order also allows OCI cardholders who wish

to come to India on account of family emergencies like critical medical conditions of immediate family members or death.

Students who are OCI holders where at least either of their parents is an Indian citizen or an ECI cardholder.

Bhandari conveyed his gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Home Affairs for such a quick redressal of the woes of the people and also to the Foreign Secretary Shringla and Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla. He also thanked Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Sigh Kharola for the support extended during Vande Bharat Mission.

Bhandari said he would continue to work for the cause of Indian nationals in the USA and raise his voice for them. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

VAN MAHOTSAV 2020

During Van Mahotsav, an annual one-week tree-planting festival starting from today in the country, City First encourages its readers to plant a sapling and take care of it!

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

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LIFE SAVERS

On Doctors’ Day, City First honours the Life Savers and as a part of it reached out to Doctors from Rajasthan & Gujarat. We bring you their stories of the Corona Pandemic and how they dealt with it!

SPEAKUP I am a cancer specialist dealing with lots of immunocompromised patients of cancer on chemotherapy. The severity of COVID is very high in such patients. To prevent infection with hand hygiene and Mask is of utmost importance. We try to advise them to practice social distance with at least 1 meter. We also advise them not to go outside of home except for their treatment and do it at the nearest place to home.

—DR KUSHAL PATEL Due to this current pandemic of COVID 19, people are facing many physical and mental health issues and people are quite concerned about this. So, ‘Spinex Global’ has come up, with helping out people, in this situation in two ways. Firstly, we have come up with an immunity-boosting programme, to enhance immunity, which will be very helpful in fighting the COVID situation. Secondly, we have been organizing many webinars for the last 2 months, on various medical and health-related topics. These webinars have created awareness among the general population. —DR NIRAJ BHANSALI I deal with patients with facial cosmetics and facial surgery needs. We at ‘Teeth and Face Clinic’ have incorporated face shield, thermal scanning, N-95 masks, sanitizers and use of PPE kits in our practice, and advise patients to strictly maintain social distancing, use of sanitizers and avoid roaming around without cause and report to the nearest COVID testing centers if symptomatic.

—DR ASHILESH VERMA

VALUES FOR LIFE

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

CITY FIRST

RAJASTHAN: 18 years old Eshan Harsh from Jaipur has been invited to be the Jury of the Online Mobile Photography Contest organised by the Upcoming Photographers Official on Instagram. Eshan is the Youngest Jury member as well as the only Indian among the Jury Panel. Eshan Harsh apart from being a photographer is also a Filmmaker and Actor.

NEW DELHI: The Appointments Committee appointed new Assistant Solicitor Generals for the Supreme Court, for a period of three years. Aishwarya Bhati is the only woman among the six ASGs.

RAJASTHAN: Monika Bhati, Assistant Programmer of Medicines at Medical College from Jodhpur got an appreciation certificate by the District Collector Prakash Rajpurohit for ensuring the availability of medicines during this COVID-19 pandemic.

RAJASTHAN: Shakti Film Production is going to organise an online program, ‘Shakti Warrior Honors 2020’, under which dedicated talents in the fields of social service, social, medical, sanitation, education, administration, journalism, and environment, will be felicitated for their social work. Vishnu Tak has been appointed as the brand ambassador of this program.

RAJASTHAN: Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) has been continuously active through its creative programmes and activities even in the lockdown period during the COVID pandemic. JKK has announced the winners of the online competition held in the visual arts category (paintings and prints) made during the lockdown period today. The competition was organized by JKK from 1 May to 10 May 2020 for artists residing in Rajasthan.

RAJASTHAN: Tariq Naqvi from Jaipur and his family has provided around 3300 Ration kits for the needy from March 22, till date.

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K Parashar participated in a webinar organised

by Pt. Ravishankar University, Raipur, Chattisgarh where he delivered a lecture on the values of Madan Mohan Malviya’s life and their relevance today. He talked about his positive, social, moral, human, political values, amongst many others. Talking about the relevance of his point of view on media, he said, he was never inclined towards the advertisement or any other monetary aspects of the media but he always encouraged poetry writers by giving them space in his newspaper. He was Editor for various newspapers, both in Hindi and English. Malviya always believed that the most important of all the religions is Patriotism. Paternal devotion was one of the most important values of Malviya’s life. He dedicated his entire life to the nation. Even during his journey of advocacy, he did not take any charges or fees for the cases of poor and needy people, neither did he take any case where he had to lie to win, nor did he compromise with his values and principles. That’s the kind of great man Madan Mohan Malviya was and his values are relevant even today, Parashar said. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in