First India-Ahmedabad Edition-02 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 43°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 156

INDIA

WORLD

2,37,466 33,64,220 1,223 37,257 DEATHS

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

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

CONFIRMED CASES

236

GUJARAT

4,721

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

11,11,510 SPAIN 242,988 ITALY 207,428 UK 177,454 GERMANY 163,542 TURKEY 122,392 RUSSIA 114,431 IRAN 95,646 CHINA 82,874

64,884 24,824 28,236 27,510 6,640 3,258 1,169 6,091 4,633

USA

HOLY BLISS

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO LAST UPDATED: MAY 1, 2020, 11:00 PM

IN GUJARAT

Covered in a thick layer of snow, the majestic Kedarnath Temple, decorated with 10 quintals of marigold flowers, stands tall after the portals were opened on Wednesday. Devotees are not allowed for darshan in the temple, which opened after a six-month-long winter break, due to ongoing pan-India lockdown in place because of coronavirus outbreak. First puja was performed on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

1 GOAL, 2 WEEKS, LOCKDOWN 3.0

Stay home till State-wise division Miles to go... atleast May 17! of red, green zones New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 to further extend the lockdown for a further period of two weeks beyond May 4.

The current lockdown period is scheduled to end on May 3. “After a comprehensive review and in view of the lockdown measures having led to significant gains, the COVID-19 situation in the country, Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, today, to further extend the lockdown for a further period of two weeks beyond May 4, 2020,” read the order of the Home Ministry.

In red zones and outside containment zones, certain activities including plying of cycle rickshaws and autorickshaws, taxis and cab aggregators, intradistrict Turn on P6

PROHIBITED

RED ZONE Plying of cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws, running of taxis and cab aggregators, intra-district and inter-district plying of buses, barber shops, spas and saloons.

ORANGE ZONE Taxis & cabs permitted with 1 driver and 1 passenger only. Inter-district movement of individuals and vehicles for permitted activities only. Four wheelers with max 2 passengers besides driver and pillion on two-wheelers.

GREEN ZONE All activities are permitted except those prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zonal division.

+1028 +281 +269 +739 +17 +84 +96 +63 +3

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has listed 130 districts across the country in the red zone, 284 in orange zone and 319 in green zones based on incidence of cases of COVID-19, doubling rate, extent of testing and surveillance feedback.

This classification of districts is to be followed by states and UTs. Metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad have been designated as red zones in the new classification. The new classification of districts was

announced following a video conference chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on April 30 with the Chief Secretaries and Health secretaries of states.

“It is important to ensure that we identify pockets of critical interventions for a focused management of COVID -19 at the field level,” Union Health Ministry Secretary Preeti Sudan said in a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs. She said the districts were earlier designated as hotspots/red-zones, orange zones and green zones Turn on P6

Rlys announces 6 ‘Shramik Special’ trains to ferry stranded migrant workers, students

New Delhi: The Indian Railways began running special “shramik” trains on Friday to ferry migrant workers and others back home from various states where they were stranded since the nationwide lockdown began on March 25. It has already run the first such train with 1,200 passengers from Hyderabad to Jharkhand at 4:50 am on Friday.

Full report P6

DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

AHMEDABAD VADODARA SURAT RAJKOT BHAVNAGAR ANAND BHARUCH GANDHINAGAR PATAN PANCHMAHAL BANASKANTHA NARMADA CHHOTA UDEPUR KUTCH MAHESANA BOTAD DAHOD PORBANDAR JAMNAGAR MORBI SABARKANTHA ARAVALLI MAHISAGAR KHEDA GIR SOMNATH VALSAD TAPI NAVSARI DANG SURENDRANAGAR

3293 308 644 58 47 74 31 49 18 37 29 12 13 7 11 21 5 3 2 1 3 19 17 6 3 5 1 6 2 1 4721

165 21 26 1 5 4 2 2 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 236

TOTAL

SAMPLES TESTED NEGATIVE CASES

INDIA: 77 DEATHS IN LAST 24 HOURS New Delhi: India on Friday reported the maximum number of 77 deaths due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours as compared to 67 deaths on Thursday. As many as 1,755 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 37,257, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

IAF TO CONDUCT FLY-PASTS FOR CORONA WARRIORS New Delhi: The armed forces will express their gratitude to all “corona warriors” by conducting fly-pasts, showering petals on hospitals treating COVID-19 patients and illuminating naval vessels, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said on Friday. Addressing a special press briefing along with the three service chiefs, Gen Rawat said the nation stood together and showed resilience in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. “We are expressing our gratitude to all ‘corona warriors’ who are working hard to keep us safe,” he said. Indian Air Force will carry out fly-pasts across the country on May 3 to display gratitude to coronavirus warriors, the CDS said, Turn on P6

16 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 22

68,774 64,053

UNDER EXAMINATION

0

CORONA IN GUJARAT

In the past 24 hours, the state has seen 326 new cases, 22 deaths, and 123 recoveries. With this, the overall total tally stands at 4,721, with a death toll of 236. As many as 89% of all positive cases come from Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara.

For more, see P3

Health Ministry’s Red, Orange, Green zoning has districts seeing red Districts with none or a few active cases are unhappy to be grouped with Rajkot in the orange zone First India News Ahmedabad: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released a list of districts falling under the red, orange and green zones. According to this dynamic list, Gujarat currently has nine districts in the red zone, 19 in the orange and five in

the green. The lack of clarity about the criteria used to determine the various zones has left many district administrators seeing red.

Many have demanded that the list be revised immediately, instead of waiting for it to be updated on a weekly basis.

The Ministry has stated the zoning is

DISTRICTS IDENTIFIED BY ZONE RED ZONE

ORANGE ZONE

GREEN ZONE

Ahmedabad

Rajkot

Amreli

Surat

Bharuch, Surendranagar

Junagadh

Vadodara

Botad, Jamnagar

Devbhumi Dwarka

Anand

Narmada, Tapi

Porbandar

Banaskantha

Chhota Udepur, Dangs

Morbi

Panchmahal

Mahisagar,Sabarkantha

Bhavnagar

Mehsana, Gir Somnath

Affected Area

Gandhinagar

Patan, Navsari

Not Affected Area

Aravalli

Kheda, Kutch

based on cumulative cases reported, and the doubling rate, since the recovery

rate has gone up. But still, some district authorities are not happy with the criteria.

For instance, Jamnagar and Rajkot are both in the orange zone, while Panchma-

hal, Banaskantha and Aravalli are in the red zone. According to state government

data, Jamnagar district does not have a single active case of COVID-19. Rajkot, on the other hand, has 58 positive cases and saw its first death on Wednesday. At the same time, Panchmahal has 34 cases and two deaths, Banaskantha has 28 positive cases and one death and Aravalli has 19 cases and one death.

In fact, the Jamnagar District Development Officer clarified that the issue will be taken up

with the state government and even with the Government of India to ensure that the district is put in the green zone and all norms of the green zone are implemented in the district.

It is also grating to some district administrators that districts with one active case, such as Surendranagar and Tapi, or two cases (Dangs) or three (Sabarkantha), have been grouped alongside Rajkot in the orange zone.

NEWS AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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

02

RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER MIKHAIL MISHUSTIN SAID HE HAS TO “OBSERVE SELF-ISOLATION” TO PROTECT HIS COLLEAGUES, SUGGESTING A TEMPORARY ACTING PRIME MINISTER FOR RUSSIA

COVID CONCERN

GET WELL SOON! MODI TO RUSSIAN COUNTERPART

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi wished fast recovery from COVID-19 to his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin, who was found infected with the highly infectious coronavirus on Thursday.

In a televised meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mishustin said he has to “observe selfisolation” to protect his colleagues, suggesting a temporary acting Prime Minister for Russia.

“My best wishes to Russian PM Mishustin for early recovery and good health. We stand with our close friend Russia in efforts to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. @GovernmentRF,” PM Modi tweeted this morning.

Putin swiftly signed a de-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

cree appointing First Deputy PM Andrei Belousov as a temporary replacement.

The Russian President assured Mishustin that contracting COVID-19 “can happen to anyone” and that no major decisions would be taken with-

out his input, news agency reported. “I hope that you stay able to work,” Putin told Mishustin, who is the highest Russian official to become infected.

Putin has not held any face-to-face meetings for weeks, according to the

Kremlin website, and was last shown in the same room as Mishustin on March 24.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also found infected with COVID-19 weeks ago. He has recovered now.

A spike of 7,099 confirmed infections in the last 24 hours brought Russia’s total to over one lakh cases and 1,073 deaths, according to the Russian govt’s daily coronavirus update. With its number of cases increasing by several thousand each day, Russia is now the European country registering the most new infections.

But Russia’s coronavirus death rate remains relatively low and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the country’s actions had helped it avoid the catastrophic “Italian scenario”.

—Agencies

PM discusses ways to reinforce defence, aerospace sectors New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held a detailed meeting to deliberate the potential reforms to ensure a robust and self-reliant defence industry in India that caters to short and long term needs of the armed forces and initiatives to give a boost to the economy in wake of the coronavirus situation.

During the meeting, PM Modi laid emphasis on positioning India among the top countries of the world in Defence and Aerospace sectors, from design to production, with the active participation of public and private sector fulfilling the twin objectives of self-reliance & exports.

He reviewed the proposed reforms for attracting domestic & foreign invest-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other ministers during the meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

ment in the defence sector,said PMO. It was discussed that defence expenditure should be economised and savings be channelised for strategic defence capital acquisition. Issues relating to defence procurement processes, offset policies, indigenisation of spares, transfer of technology were also deliberated.

Further, the discussion involved reforming of the functioning of the Ordnance factories, streamlining procurement procedures, focused resource allocation, encouraging R&D/ innovation, attracting investment in critical defence technologies and promotion of exports.

—Agencies

Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin. —FILE PHOTO

KEEPING IT GREEN: WHAT AMRELI ADMN IS DOING RIGHT! FIRST INDIA CHATS WITH COLLECTOR AYUSH OAK ON HOW HE MANAGES TO KEEP HIS DISTRICT CORONA-FREE Haresh Jhala Amreli: Despite its links with Ahmedabad and Surat--the two worst-hit cities in the state--Amreli district is one of three districts to remain free of SarsCov-2. This has been possible by using a combination of controlled entry, strict enforcement of protocol and a healthy level of coordination between the revenue department, police, and health departments.

As Collector Ayush Oak explains, “The first thing we did was channelize entry into the district. There are 300 entry points connecting with neighbouring districts Bhavnagar, Botad, Gir Somnath, Rajkot and Junagadh. We kept only 39 of these points open and screened anyone who entered the district. If the person was carrying a valid pass, he or she would be advised to home

Amreli Collector Aayush Oak at a checkpoint.

quarantine.

Those without passes had to undergo institutional quarantine for five days. If no symptoms were found after five days, they were released with advice to be home quarantined

for the next nine days.”

Post lockdown, 74,000 persons have entered the district. Each of these was screened and quarantined. This district has direct human links with Ahmedabad’s Bapunagar and Nikol,

Amreli Collector Aayush Oak

as well as Surat’s Varachha area, all of which are red or orange zones.

Yet, Amreli remains unaffected because, even if one person arrived from outside the district, the entire family was home quarantined. As a re-

sult, Amreli has 8,900 home-quarantined families, the highest in the state, Oak elaborated.

Moreover, the district has focused on testing, with random sampling bolstering the door-to-door sur-

veillance and health checks. The health team has carried out random 550 RT PCR tests. Every day, at least 50 such samples are collected and tested. At the Pipavav seaport, 10 random samples from drivers and others are collected each day. Similarly, random sampling is also conducted at the six major vegetable markets, with a view to keeping a check on potential super spreaders.

When the state police was looking for Jamaatis who had attended Sura congregations, Amreli district

administration with the help of Muslim clerics prepared a list of those who had attended events in Vadodara, Bharuch, Mumbai and Hydarabad. A random sampling of 31 attendees was carried out.

Oak’s next target is to protect senior citizens. “With the entire district being a green zone, there is a strong possibility that lockdown here will be lifted after May 3. In such a situation vulnerable senior citizens needs to be protected. So we will put a standard protocol in place for them and their families,: he said.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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

Ahmedabad accounts for 81% of fresh cases, 69% overall With 326 new cases and 22 deaths, the state now 4,721 cases, and a death toll of 236 First India News Gandhinagar: Even after 37 days in lockdown, Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara continue to be ground zero of the state’s current health crisis. As many as 89% of all positive cases of COVID-19 come from these three cities.

In the past 24 hours, the state has seen 326 new cases, 22 deaths, and 123 recoveries. With this, the overall total tally stands at 4,721, with a death toll of 236.

A total of 736 patients have been discharged.

Again, Ahmedabad had the highest number of positive cases, with 267 new cases being registered on Friday, including five inmates of Sabarmati Central Jail and a post-graduate medical student from the Civil hospital campus.

The city, which also reported 16 deaths in past 24 hour, now has

SUPERVISION

The 262-bed GCRI hospital is being converted into a dedicated hospital to treat COVID-19 patients.

3,293 or 69% of the state’s total cases. The city also leads in number of deaths. Its 165 fatalities account for almost 70% of all Sars-CoV-2-related deaths in the state.

While the reason for Ahmedabad’s constantly rising numbers remains unclear, the state government has decided to convert the 262-bed hospital at the Gujarat

Cops intervene after Samras residents demand amenities

Samras Hostel in Ahmedabad.

First India News Ahmedabad: The largest COVID Care Centre in the city Samras Hostel saw a protest from its occupants, comprising of asymptomatic patients, regarding a lack of basic amenities at the hostel.

The patients currently stationed there complained that there was no water to drink and that breakfast and lunch was not served on time.

The situation took a turn for the worse on Friday when police had to intervene and pacify the patients staying there. “Since Thursday, we haven’t received any bottled water. What we don’t understand is if this building is a hostel building, then it should

—FILE PHOTO

have a potable water system. But, we have been getting bottled water since we arrived here. But now, even that has not been provided to us,” said one of the patients at the hostel.

He added, “How can we survive this summer heat without any water?

The people here have a battle to fight against novel coronavirus.”

Nitin Sangwan, deputy municipal commissioner, said, “Each floor of the hostel building has a water filter. But, due to the floating number of patients, there are a few glitches that we are currently sorting out. There is a hostel mess though, where they can get food whenever they want.”

Cancer and Research Institute (GCRI) into a dedicated hospital to treat COVID-19 patients.

The state government in consultation with private doctors and members of Indian Medical Association have permitted open clinics and dispensaries to conduct and attend patients in OPDs. The state has also de-

cided to bear the cost of the coronavirus test conducted on pregnant women or any person undergoing surgery.

However, the condition is that only 77 lakh Maa Amrutam or Maa Vatsalya card holders can enjoy the benefit.

On Foundation Day, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held a meeting with nagarpalika and

municipal corporation members and village sarpanches and asked them to take pledge to keep villages, towns and cities free of the virus.

He also announced that the government would give free rations to APL1 category cardholders.

With this, some 61 lakh cardholders will benefit from the programme from May 07 to 11.

Docs protest, demand more precautions First India News Ahmedabad: Since the COVID-19 positive case toll has started to rise in the state, it has been an all-hands-on-deck situation. To that end, several doctors from other districts have been called to the city in order to support medical staff at Samras Hostel and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital.

But, a few doctors staged a protest on Friday demanding better precautionary measures at the workplace after five of them tested positive for novel coronavirus. According to the doctors, appropriate measures are not being taken to ensure that they do not get infected with the virus while caring for patients at work.

These doctors, who have been working in community health centres and primary health centres in different blocks of the district, have been provided with accommodation at Club O7 in Shela.

First India News

Rajkot: After two cases of people selling tobacco, cigarettes, bidi, betel nut and other items from home were reported in the city in the past four days, Rajkot police issued a statement on Friday banning sale of such items during the lockdown period.

According to the state-

Paan and tobacco shops were the first to tbe shut. —FILE PHOTO

CM’s wife posts video in support of ‘Vijay Sankalp’ Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Rajkot: Standing behind her husband’s declaration of ‘Vijay Sankalp’ against novel coronavirus, Anjali Rupani, wife of state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, posted a video of herself urging citizens to join the campaign.

The chief minister on Friday urged people to wear masks, wash their hands often and practice social distancing. Commemorating the occasion of Gujarat Day, he asked citizens to upload a photo or video taking the vow using the hash tag ‘Vijay Sankalp’.

Those who were

ment, if people are found selling tobacco, paan, cigarettes and other items despite the ban, then strict action will be initiated for violation of the notification. The police also warned of legal consequences for people who spit in public places.

Meanwhile, the police on Friday felicitated four residential societies from four zones of the city for

DGP Shivanand Jha.

First India News Ahmedabad: State police have arrested two persons, one each from Sabarkantha and Morbi district for assaulting corona warriors, both are arrested under PASA. State police have blocked 553 social media accounts and arrested 5,337 for violations of public orders, Director-General of Police Shivanand Jha said. He added that 20 such cases have been registered till date and 46 persons booked under PASA. On Thursday night

—FILE PHOTO

stone pelting took place on police in Godhra town and this connection police have field FIRs against 200 persons for rioting and under the Disaster management Act and Epidemic Diseases Act. Jha said that some police personnel infected with Sars-CoV-2 have recovered and resumed duty. Those under treatment are stable.

In the past 24 hours, 25 cases have been filed for spreading rumours and hatred on social media. Till date 585 cases are registered and 1,229 have been arrested.

First India News

Anjali Rupani

quick to upload their videos included former deputy mayor of Rajkot Darshita Shah and Rajkot police commissioner Manoj Agarwal.

In her video, Anjali Rupani can be heard saying, “Let us follow the chief minister’s instructions and make Gujarat safe from corona.”

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Friday declared three more wards of the city part of the red zone, due to growing number of COVID-19 cases detected this week.

Municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra announced that Saraspur, Asarwa, and Gomtipur have been added to the list of wards in the red zone, which brings the tally to nine. Earlier, six red zone wards announced by the local civic body were Khadia, Jamalpur, Dariyapur,

First India News

Family members had to step in to carry the body into the crematorium (left); the facility is sanitized.

van driver who just dropped the body at the location and left. Therefore, in order to get the

strictly adhering to lockdown guidelines. These societies include Tanishq Apartment near Trikon Baug, Avantika Park on Bolbala Road, Garden City on Sadhu Vaswani Road and Haridwar Heights on Nana Mahuva Road. So far, around 5,253 cases have been lodged for lockdown violation and over 16,527 vehicles have been detained.

body into the cremation ground, Thakor’s family members had to step in. Since, barring

GOOD JOB

Civic body places three more city wards in red zone, total now nine

A cop patrols a quarantined cluster in a red zone. —FILE PHOTO

Shahpur, Danilimda, and Behrampura.

In a video briefing on Friday, Nehra said the decision was taken after reviewing the situation.

Hearse driver puts family of corona fatality at risk

After Somaji breathed his last his body was driven to the VS Crematorium by a

2 held under PASA for assaulting corona warriors

Strict action against paan, tobacco sellers

INEXPLICABLE

Ahmedabad: With the COVID-19 pandemic raging in the city, proper precautions while taking care of a corona patient or performing last rites of a deceased patient is of paramount importance. But, this protocol was broken by the sons and relatives of a deceased patient Somaji Thakor, resident of Behrampura, who passed away on Friday morning.

03

—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

one, none of them had nay protective gear on while carrying the body, it is likely that

they might have contracted Sars-CoV-2 infection.

Dr Badal Gandhi, casualty medical officer, said, “There must have been a misunderstanding between the morgue van driver and municipal health team. Usually, a driver is accompanied by a stretcher bearer and if, in this particular case, the stretcher bearer was not accompanying the driver, we will look into it.”

Interestingly, all nine wards in the red zone are located on the eastern side of the Sabarmati River that divides the city into two parts.

The number of wards in the orange zone stand at 39, while there is not a single green zone in the city. A green zone can only be declared when not a single case is reported for 28 days.

Further, with the lockdown extended for two more weeks, no relaxations have been issued for the red zone.

The orange zone may receive partial relaxation and the green zone will, for the most part, return to the pre-COVID-19 situation, barring a few restrictions related to mass gathering and transportation.

MLA pays `500 fine for public spitting First India News Rajkot: Breaking sanitary protocol, a Rajkot East MLA of the Bharatiya Janata Party Arvind Raiyani was caught spitting in a community kitchen on camera. Raiyani initially denied the incident, but when the video was shown to him, he accepted his mistake and paid a fine of Rs500.

In the video which viral on Friday afternoon, he is seen with Rajkot BJP president Kamlesh Mirani and leader Nitin

Bhardwaj. After Mirani and Bhardwaj leave, Raiyani is clearly visible when he removes his face mask and spits on the floor of the community kitchen, which he and other BJP leaders have been running to serve food to those in need.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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

POST COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

IN-DEPTH

KEEPING MSMEs INVESTMENT GRADE

A SWEETENED DOSE OF LOCKDOWN 3.0

With the Covid-19 crisis, all businesses have come to a halt, and MSMEs have been the worst hit

I

f you’ve not had a hair cut ever since the nation was locked down since March 25, your wait just got longer. On Friday the Union Home Ministry announced lockdown extension for another two weeks beyond May 4 till May 17. But that’s a minor price to pay in the bigger national interest of containing the spread of coronavirus.

While restrictions will remain firmly in place in the Red zones, the Orange and Green zones, in which the 733 districts have been divided, will importantly see the easing of curbs for a lot of economic activities to restart. It is still a guarded response of the Central government to concerns of the states over the revenue losses they were incurring but with the Covid-19 curve yet to flatten a cautious approach was needed.

The first major decision has been to allow movement of trains for ferrying migrant workers as buses were considered logistically impractical for long journeys under the circumstances. A train carrying the first batch of 1200 workers started its journey from Telangana for Jharkhand on Friday.

More such trains are likely to be introduced to mitigate the problems of workers, students, pilgrims and tourists stranded far away from their homes.

The other significant decision for Lockdown 03 is the permission to allow standalone liquor and paan shops to open in the Green zone (where there are no cases) with the caveat that there shouldn’t be more than five persons present at a time and a distance of six feet is maintained. With excise being an important source of revenue for several states like Maharashtra, Punjab, and Kerala the relaxation will be especially welcomed.

Movement of buses and taxis are now allowed in these zones through with curbs.

It is not that economic activity has not been allowed in the Red zones which have been segregated into urban and rural areas. To facilitate employment to rural workforce construction activities under MNREGA have been allowed. Also allowed are opening of offices but with only 33 percent staff. The remaining will have to work from home.

What really matters most for the economy is restarting industrial activity. Manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw materials, and intermediates; production units, which require continuous process and their supply chain have been allowed. Even MSMEs in rural areas of Red zones will be allowed to open. It has been left to the state governments to decide on the extent of relaxations to be given. So, while Kerala may consider liquor shops to do business, Uttar Pradesh has already banned the sale of meat, chicken, and liquor till May 30.

How far will these guidelines help in boosting economic activity when Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Noida and Greater Noida, all falling in Red zones, have too many hot spots is anybody’s guess?

DR GS SANDHU The author is a retired IAS, Rajasthan

O

Needless to say, micro, small and medium enterprises contribute more than 30 percent to the total GDP, more than 40 percent to exports, and employ more than 11 crore people. In their growth lies the country’s growth

n April 17th, RBI Governor announced a Special Refinance Facility of Rs 15,000 crores for SIDBI to be provided to banks for onward lending to MSMEs. Thereafter SIDBI vide circular issued on 22 April, said: “In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Reserve Bank of India has provided a Special Liquidity Facility (SLF) of 15,000 crores to Sidbi to enable it to provide liquidity support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector and meet sectoral credit needs,”. While the circular did not specify the quantum of these loans, it said this support would be available to all eligible entities with investmentgrade ratings. Small businesses should have been in business for at least three years and must have an external rating of BBBor higher as on 31 March 2020.

A rating of BBB- is the lowest investment-grade rating for which banks are willing to lend. Any adverse development like the current Covid19 crisis can seriously impact the enterprise with its rating downgraded. Any rating below BBB- is considered junk rating and banks avoid lending to such entities or charge higher interest rates with additional security.

CREDIT RATING DOWNGRADES With the Covid19 crisis and lockdown, all businesses have come to a halt, and MSMEs have been the worst hit. In all likelihood, the ratings of a large number of MSMEs would be reviewed by the Credit Rating Agencies(CRAs) and a majority of them would fall below investment grade. Already a large segment of the rated sector is of poor credit quality. For instance, the mean rating of the rating universe of Crisil is BB i.e. below investment grade.

Also, of the bank loans rated by

Crisil almost over 70% are subinvestment grade. The experience of the other CRAs may not be materially different.

As a consequence of downgrades, the lending banks will jack up their interest rate on loans as rating determines the rate. This will be disastrous for the rated entities, particularly from the MSME sector. Their cost of borrowing will immediately increase and access to the financial market will be restricted.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? A way needs to be found out which will permit the CRAs to perform their function of flagging the risk level without compromising evaluation but without placing additional interest burden on the rated entity.

Towards that end, it may be worthwhile that instead of downgrading a rating, the concerned CRA should put the prevailing rating ‘under watch with negative implications’.

This watch should hold good for, say, nine months whereafter it can be reviewed and fresh rating accorded. In such an arrangement the concerned rating agency will be able to flag the risk, the rated entity (MSME unit) will not have to pay higher interest (as its rating stands unchanged) and it has sufficient time to take suitable measures. The govt of India would need to step in and

The government of India would need to step in and work out a solution in consultation with RBI, SEBI, and banks.

Thereafter SEBI can issue an advisory in this regard

D

mate change both force us to adapt to situations where a little more leeway results in a lot more damage. As the climate economist Gernot Wagner has noted, the pandemic in a sense replicates climate change at warp speed. This may explain why public opinion overwhelmingly considers global warming as serious a threat as COVID-19 and wants governments to emphasize climate action in the recovery. The pandemic has also provided a crash course on the collective implications of individual behavior.

Each of us has been compelled to recognize that our responsibilities vis-à-vis the community are more profound and cannot be fulfilled merely by paying taxes and making a few donations. This “pay and forget” attitude is clearly in-

Climate action is inherently global, whereas the fight against a pandemic has a much more local character

appropriate in a publichealth crisis – and in a climate crisis.

Moreover, the last few weeks have highlighted the narrowness of the stateversus-markets perspective on the challenge we face. As the economists Samuel Bowles and Wendy Carlin have argued, the solution will not come from some combination of gov-

of the pending amount of the accepted claim immediately as “on account “ payment. The balance amount can be released in due course. Such a measure will inject funds directly into the hands of industry/suppliers; thus kick-starting the economic cycle. This will also not add to the fiscal deficit.

A large portion of the pending payments would be on account of the supplies made to the state power companies which are in poor financial condition. In case the State Governments can set apart an amount to be used for making these payments it can be a big help to the concerned MSME units.

RESTRUCTURING OF EXISTING LOANS work out a solution in consultation with RBI, SEBI, and banks.

Thereafter SEBI can issue an advisory in this regard.

PENDING PAYMENTS Another help that can bring some liquidity to the MSMEs and keep them afloat is a release of all pending payments to them by the Central Government, State Governments, and PSUs. In most cases authorities will be, for good and justifiable reasons, reluctant to release full payment without due scrutiny which can be time-consuming and litigious. A via media can be found by releasing 75%

Building a post-pandemic world will not be easy ie-hard green militants regard it as obvious: the COVID-19 crisis only strengthens the urgent need for climate action.

But die-hard industrialists are equally convinced: there should be no higher priority than to repair a ravaged economy, postponing stricter environmental regulations if necessary.

The battle has started. Its outcome will define the post-pandemic world.

Both the public-health crisis and the climate crisis highlight the limits of humanity’s power over nature. Both remind us that the Anthropocene epoch may end badly. And both teach us that benign everyday behavior can result in catastrophic outcomes.

Defying linear reasoning, the pandemic and cli-

04

ernment decrees and market incentives. Communities whose members behave responsibly and gratefully toward one another are an indispensable part of the response. Even though the fundamental contribution of social capital and norms is not recorded in national accounts, we acknowledge it every time we applaud health-care and other essential workers. But while we must recognize these strong commonalities, we must also not overlook the obstacles to a transformation of our economic model created by the COVID-19 crisis. If anything, impediments to climate action will be even more formidable in the post-pandemic era than they were a few weeks ago.

For starters, climate action is inherently global,

whereas the fight against a pandemic has a much more local character. To burn a ton of carbon has exactly the same effect on Earth’s temperature wherever it is burned – which is why fighting climate change requires global agreements.

The same does not apply to the pandemic. Prudent individual behavior benefits relatives more than neighbors, neighbors more than residents of the same city, and compatriots more than foreigners.

Climate protection and public-health protection thus tap fundamentally different impulses. One leads us to regard ourselves as responsible citizens of the world, the other takes us back to our local roots and the shelter provided by national borders.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM

A one-time restructuring of loans to MSMEs that were in default but ‘standard’ as on January 1, 2019, was permitted

by RBI without an asset classification downgrade. Later RBI extended restructuring of such loans by one more year till March 31, 2021. Now a new dimension of the Covid19 crisis has been added which calls for addressing the issue of restructuring post-haste. Needless to say, micro, small and medium enterprises contribute more than 30 percent to the total GDP, more than 40 percent to exports, and employ more than 11 crore people. In their growth lies the country’s growth.

Top

TWEET Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Held a marathon meeting with captains of the logistics industry to transform freight operations of the Railways.Discussed a host of innovative suggestions from the industry towards making freight operations more efficient & scalable.

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp LPG for cooking under #PMUY has ensured safety, security, health and well-being of more than 8 crore poor women in India. Free LPG cylinders under the PMGKY is helping them tackle the economic distress resulting from #Covid19 crisis.

Spiritual SPEAK

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

—Hebrews 11:1

Vol 1 Issue No. 156 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

INDIA AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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

Initial results of plasma therapy are good: Kejri

Volunteers shower flower petals on cops & Corona warriors as a mark of gratitude for their services during lockdown in Bengaluru.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said plasma therapy was administered to a few COVID-19 patients and the initial results have been good.

“We were permitted

by Centre for the trial of plasma therapy at LNJP hospital. We administered it to a few patients. The first one among them was discharged after he made recovery. He was critical and in ICU but was discharged on Thursday. Initial results of the therapy are good,” Kejriwal said. He fur-

We conducted 2300 tests per 1 million people in Delhi on Friday. Total 1,100 people have been cured and discharged till date. On the other hand, the average of the entire country is around 500.

—Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister

ther stated that trails of plasma therapy are going on in Delhi.

“I feel happy that around 1,100 people who have recovered in Delhi,

we are getting in touch with them. Almost all of them are ready to donate plasma. I thank all those who have recovered and donating their

IN THE COURTYARD

SC seeks Delhi govt’s response on Sharjeel Imam’s plea on FIRs New Delhi: The SC sought a response from the Delhi government on a petition filed by JNU student Sharjeel Imam seeking to tag all FIRs filed against him and have them investigated by a single probe agency.

A two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and also comprising Jus-

tice Sanjiv Khanna sought a detailed reply from Delhi govt within 10 days. Justice Bhushan said that there is

nothing wrong with registration of FIR when they come to know about some cognizable offence. Delhi Police recently slapped sedition and UAPA charges against Imam and alleged that he gave a speech that “promoted enmity” between people that led to riots in and around Delhi's JMI University on December 15. —Agencies

Delhi HC refuses to entertain plea on telcos

SC protects Bhushan from arrest for tweets

New Delhi: The Delhi HC refused to entertain a petition seeking directions to telecom firms and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for not charging offices, shops or business establishments which were “compulsorily” closed due to the lockdown amid the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19.

A division bench of HC presided over by Justices Vipin Sanghi & Yogesh Khanna hearing the matter via vc, observed that the SC has already dealt with a similar issue and the High Court is not inclined to entertain the plea. —Agencies

New Delhi: The SC protected lawyer Prashant Bhushan from arrest in an FIR lodged in Gujarat by a retired Army personnel Jaydev Joshi for hurting Hindu religious sentiment by using “opium” with Ramayana and Mahabharata. Prashant Bhushan had tweeted that “as crores starve, our heartless ministers celebrate consuming and feeding the opium of Ramayana and Mahabharata to the people.” —Agencies

LT GEN MANOJ PANDE IS CHIEF OF ANDAMAN & NICOBAR COMMAND New Delhi: Lieutenant General Manoj Pande has been appointed as the next chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command at Port Blair. This is the only tri-services operational command and focuses mainly on amphibious warfare. He is currently

posted at the Army headquarters. Lt Gen Raj Shukla appointed as the new Army training command chief at Shimla.

He is presently posted at the Army headquarters and would be in charge of looking after training aspects of the force.

plasma,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal also stated that around 40 buses are leaving from Delhi to Kota, Rajasthan to bring back the students who are stranded there due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

“Today, around 40 buses from Delhi are leaving for Kota, Rajasthan. I am hoping that by tomorrow these buses will come back,” Kejriwal said. Kejriwal also urged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers to help the needy people in their respective areas. —ANI

76 pilgrims tested positive after returning from Maha

Amritsar: As many as 76 people in Amritsar district, who recently returned from Nanded, Maharashra's Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, were tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.

“Among the devotees who have returned from Hazur Sahib to our district, around 300 have been tested, out of which 76 are positive,” said Om Parkash Soni, Punjab's Medical Education and Research Minister. The Sikh pilgrims were stranded at Sri Hazur Sahib Gurdwara in Maharashtra due to the sudden annuncement of nationwide lockdown. They started returning to Punjab from April 22. —ANI

‘AVAIL IR THERMAL SCANNERS AT BENGALURU FEVER CLINICS’ Bengaluru: Karnataka Health and Family welfare services Directorate on Friday instructed health officers to ensure availability of fingertip pulse oximeter and IR thermal scanners at every fever clinic in Bengaluru. “The District Health officers are hereby instructed to ensure availability of fingertip pulse oximeter and IR thermal scanners at every fever clinic of the district,” the Directorate of Health services said. “All ILI and SARI cases with SpO2 < 95 percent should be subjected for a COVID-19 swab test,” the order said.

‘Will decide on relaxation after assessing situation’ Mumbai: We will go ahead with patience and caution, said Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray asserting that the state government will give relaxations in lockdown after May 3 seeing the condition of specific areas.

“We will surely give relaxations after May 3 seeing the condition of specific areas but be cautious and co-operate, else whatever we have achieved in the past few days will be lost. So, we will go ahead with patience and caution,” Thackeray said. “I want people to not panic about COVID-19. It's only about starting the treatment on time. From few days old babies to 83 years old people have recov-

583 NEW CASES

ered and gone home.

People on ventilators have also recovered

well,” he said.

The ongoing lockdown, which was imposed to contain coronavirus is scheduled to end on May 3. Maharashtra as the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country and the state's tally stands at 10,498.

The CM said that lockdown is working as a “circuit breaker”.

“Yes cases are rising but most of the cases are of contacts. And most are already in quarantine. 75-80% people are asymptomatic of the disease so we are putting them in quarantine,” CM said. He also wished the people of the state on the occasion of Maharashtra Foundation Day and Labour Day. —ANI

G20 Digital Ministers seeks digital response New Delhi: Communications and Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad emphasised on the responsibility of G20 nations to focus on making inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of the ongo-

Sadhguru’s painting goes under hammer; fetches Rs 4.14 crore

Hyderabad: An abstract painting by Sadhguru, Founder, Isha Foundation titled ‘To Live Totally!’ was sold out for Rs 4.14 crore for the 5 x 5 ft canvas. The money will fund Isha’s pandemic relief efforts in rural Tamil Nadu around Isha Yoga Center.

Sadhguru announced that “whoever donates maximum amount for #BeattheVirus fund, will get the painting,” adding that “smaller copies of the painting” will also be available for buyers. #BeattheVirus is Isha’s on-ground campaign to prevent the pandemic from entering villages of

05

ing pandemic.

The Minister was attending an extraordinary virtual G20 Digital Economy Ministers meeting to discuss the challenges posed by the pandemic and to forge a global coordinated response harnessing Digital Technologies.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad highlighted the steps taken by Indian Government to contain the spread and offered the roadmap for the world to emulate.

The Minister also emphasized the importance to revive the economy while con-

tinuing the fight against COVID-19.

Union IT Minister said that next phase of digitalization is about applications that will impact livelihoods, accelerate various sectors, strengthen the supply chain and build a cyber safe world.

Bengal Govt calls Centre’s COVID-19 categorisation list ‘erroneous’ Kolkata: West Bengal government wrote to Centre to remove 6 districts from its list of 10 Red Zones in state. This move came hours after Centre issued a list of Green, Orange and Red Zones for the whole country after the nationwide lockdown is lifted on May 3.

Terming it an “erro-

neous assessment”, Principal Secretary of the West Bengal Health Department Bibek Kumar, in his letter to

Preeti Sudan, Secretary in Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kumar said, “With regards to the presentation made in the cabinet secretary's video conference with the states on April 30, as many as 10 districts of West Bengal were shown in the Red zone. This is an erroneous assessment.”

CLOUDS OF HOPE...

President of India @rashtra bhvn “On the occasion of Labour Day, best wishes to all our labour brothers and sisters who work tirelessly. This day is dedicated to honoring the hard work and dedication of our crores of our workers.”

—Ram Nath Kovind, Pesident of India

Thondamuthur block which has over 2lakh residents. —Agencies

Dark clouds hover over the sky on Ganga River during a nationwide lockdown imposed in the state to curb the spread of coronavirus in Patna on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

PREPS ON TO OPEN BADRINATH DHAM PORTALS ON MAY 15 Dehradun: Preparations are in their final stage for the opening of the portals of Shri Badrinath Dham on May 15. Snow has been removed from the temple premises. And the water and power system has been restored.

Special attention is also being given to social distancing and wearing masks has been made

mandatory, informed Uttarakhand Chardham Devasthanam Board. The media in-charge of Devasthanam Board said that the staff officers of the Devasthanam Board had reached Badrinath Dham for preparations. Raman Ravinath, the Garhwal Commissioner and CEO of Devasthanam Board, had ordered the preparations.

5 ITBP JAWANS TEST POSITIVE IN DELHI IN LAST 48 HOURS New Delhi: Five Jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 48 hours. “In the last 48 hours, five jawans of ITBP have tested COVID-19 positive in Delhi. Two of them were performing law and order duty in Delhi with the police,” said the ITBP. Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the people living in coronavirus 'Red Zones' will be screened again for COVID-19. He said that medical teams will conduct door-to-door health checkups.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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

MAY DAY

Workers are the backbone of the nation, said party leaders Rahul Gandhi &Priyanka Gandhi

Cong highlights workers’ distress New Delhi: Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi on Friday, highlighted the plight of migrants due to continued lockdown as they greeted labourers on May Day, also called Labour Day, and said workers are the backbone of the nation, if they stopped, India will come to a standstill.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Greetings to crores of sisters and brothers on labour day. This country has been build on your struggle and bravery. We salute and support you at this time of crisis.”

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi also tweeted: “Lakhs of labourers have to migrate as crores of them are in crisis. The labourrs are backbone of this country if they stop the country will stop.

Please help them.”

Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi My heartiest congratulations to the millions of laborers and brothers of the country on International Workers' Day. This country is made up of the courage and struggle of the workers like you. My condolences and support are with you in this difficult time. We salute you. Jai Hind.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra @priyankagandhi Workers are not only the power of the country, they are the symbol of our collective will. # Majdur_divs millions of workers salute the recent # Mahaprsthan have suffered. Millions of workers are in crisis today. These workers are the axis of the country. If it stops then the country will stop. Helping them is the biggest task today.

The Congress also highlighted the plight of the migrants, who are stuck in different parts of the country and want to go home.

The party urged the government to start ply-

ing trains immediately.

The Congress party has been criticising PM Narendra Modi on the way the plight of the migrants have been handled by the government. —ANI

Cong attacks Order on migrants movement govt on Central a Tughlaqi Farman: Singhvi Vista Project New Delhi: The ConNew Delhi: Congress has attacked government on the Central Vista project which has been given priority by the Centre. It alleged the government fasttracked the project during the lockdown. Congress said that the nation is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and the government is in construction mode and asked the government to scrap the project which is to cost around Rs 20,000 crore.

A Govt of “Misplaced Priorities” & “ill-conceived Goals,” tweeted Randeep Surjewala, chief spokesperson of the party. Govt wants to go ahead with project only to satisfy its ego, the Congress said.

gress on Friday slammed the government over interstate movement of migrant labourers, saying it's a cruel joke that the Union government has asked the migrants to move by buses though trains would have been easier to move them to their native places.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that only two days ago, a “tughlaqi farmaan” was issued

by MHA,”which is very quaint and funny”. “It is as if it was issued by an ignorant and uncaring person.”

The government should allow trains to start from designated points to send the migrants back home.— PTI

Railways announced special trains for stranded migrant workers, students amid indications by officials that more such services are being planned in the coming days with the 40-day lockdown due to end on May 3 being extended for another two weeks. —PTI

New Delhi: The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has urged the government to provide a strong stimulus package to the newspaper industry which it said has lost over Rs 4,000 crore and is likely to suffer further losses of up to Rs 15,000 crore in the next six to seven months, if relief is not provided.

In a letter to I&B Secretary, INS said the newspaper industry is among the worst affected with hardly any revenues coming in from advertising or circulation during the pandemic.

New Delhi: The Centre said the production capacity of personal protection equipment (PPE) kits has increased from around 3,300 per day in March end to 1.8 lakh per day in one month, and will soon be above two lakh per day.

“From the production capacity of around 3,300 PPE kits per day in the March end, in one month, we have increased our capacity to 1.8 lakh PPE kits per day. It will soon be above two lakh per day. Our PPE kit needs will surely be met with,” said P D Vaghela, chairman, Empowered Group 3, which

A fiscal injection especially designed for the migrant labourers is the need of the hour.

Recent reports published say that in the duration of the lockdown, we have had an average 20 per cent increase in prices. Is this a double whammy?

—Abhishek Manu Singhvi

Senior Congress leader

1.87 Lakh PPE kits are being produced daily in the country.

has been mandated with the production and procurement of medical supplies in the nation's fight against COVID-19.

Vaghela said, “The demand for PPE kits has

been projected at 2.01 crore in India. We have placed orders for 2.22 crore kits out of which 1.42 crore kits are being procured in the domestic market. —ANI

New Delhi: A Delhi Court granted bail to corporate lobbyist Deepak T a l w a r, ar rested in a money laundering case related to receiving foreign funding illegally, saying that “further custody of the accused will not serve any purpose as the charge sheet in the case has already been filed.

The bail was granted on a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh. —PTI

New Delhi: 'Kamal Sandesh', the national mouthpiece of BJP is now available in digital medium, said party president JP Nadda.

“In difficult times of COVID-19, Hon'ble PM has urged to adopt innovative and digital ways of working. Following his ideas, BJP has used new ways to work effectively in lockdown. Now @KamalSandesh has also gone digital,” Nadda tweeted.

The ten-page long Kamal Sandesh is available in both Hindi and English. In the first digital

continue to operate such as transit arrangement for foreign national(s) in India; release of quarantine persons; movement of stranded labour within states/ UTs; sign-on and signoff of Indian seafarers, movement of stranded migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons by road and rail.”—ANI

581.50 in Delhi, down from Rs 744 till Thursday. In Mumbai, it will now be available for Rs 579 per cylinder, compared to Rs 714.50 earlier.

This is the third straight monthly reduction in rates of non-subsidised LPG cylinders. It is also the steepest reduction in non-subsidised LPG price ever. —PTI

metro and inter-state movement by road, running of schools, colleges, and other educational and training/ coaching institutions, the order said.

This came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with chief ministers of several states last month where some of them suggested extension of lockdown.

“No state/UT shall stop the movement of cargo for cross land-border trade under treaties with neighbouring

countries. No separate pass of any sort is needed for such movement, which is essential for maintaining the supply chain of goods and services across the country during the lockdown period,” the ministry said.

“All other activities will be permitted activities, which are not specifically prohibited, or which are permitted with restrictions in the various zones under these guidelines. However, states/ UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, and with

the primary objective of keeping the spread of COVID-19 in check, may allow only select activities from out of the permitted activities with such restrictions as felt necessary,” it added.

The ministry said that no separate/fresh permissions will be required from authorities for activities already permitted to operate under the guidelines on lockdown measures up to May 3, 2020.

“The Standard Operating Protocols (SOPs) issued by MHA will

If all goes well, Sungita Sharma will become new Member of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). She is a 1985 batch IRS (C&CE) officer presently posted in Mumbai.

WILL PRAVEEN GUPTA BE SENIOR ADVISOR BOB ?

Outgoing MD of the State Bank of India, Praveen Gupta is likely to be appointed Senior Advisor in the Bank of Baroda for a period of one year.

SURESH K REDDY TO BE NEXT AMBASSADOR TO BRAZIL

Suresh K Reddy, presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Federative Republic of Brazil. He is an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1991 batch.

FIVE ADDL JUDGES APPOINTED IN KARNATAKA HC

Shivashankar Amarannavar, Makkimane Ganeshaiah Uma, Vedavyasachar Srishananda, Hanchate Sanjeev Kumar and Padmaraj Nemachandra Desai have been appointed as Additional Judges of the Karnataka HC for a period of two years with effect from the date, they assume charge of their respective offices.

Justices Bibek Chaudhuri, Subhasis Dasgupta and Suvra Ghosh, Additional Judges of the Calcutta High Court have been appointed as permanent Judges of the Calcutta High Court with effect from the date, they assume charge of their respective offices.

BJP’s ‘Kamal Sandesh’ bulletin now goes digital

New Delhi: The price of non-subsidised LPG or market-price cooking gas was cut by over Rs 160 per cylinder.

Non-subsidised LPG price was cut by a record Rs 162.50 per cylinder in wake of a slump in benchmark international rates due to falling oil demand.

A 14.2 kg LPG cylinder will now cost Rs

NAGENDRA KUMAR TO BE MEMBER CBIC?

THREE ADDL JUDGES ELEVATED AS PERMANENT JUDGES IN CALCUTTA HC

Palghar lynching: 5 remanded to CID custody

LPG price cut by ` 160

RAJIV KUMAR WAS TIPPED FOR CAG?

According to insiders, newly appointed Chairman of the PESB Rajiv Kumar was tipped for CAG. He is former 1984 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre. Meanwhile , he has taken over as Chairman of the PESB on Thursday.

SUNGITA SHARMA TO BE MEMBER CBIC?

Deepak Talwar granted bail in aviation case

Palghar: The five people, who were arrested in Palghar lynching case, were remanded to the custody of CID till May 13. As many as 115 people, including nine minors, have been arrested in the case. The case pertains to two sadhus and their driver, who were travelling from Kandivali in Mumbai to Gujarat. They were beaten to death on April 16, allegedly by Gadchinchle villagers in Palghar, after they suspected them of being thieves. —ANI

POWER Gallery

Chances of becoming DP Nagendra Kumar as new Member of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) are rated high. IRS (C&CE) officer of the 1985 batch, who is the youngest in his batch, is presently posted in Bangalore.

1st train with 1, 200 migrants ‘Newspaper biz PPE kits production rises to 1.8 lakh per from TS, leaves for J’khand could face losses of day, will go up to 2 lakh soon: Centre up to Rs 15,000 cr’ New Delhi/Hyderabad: The Railways rolled out non-stop “Shramik Special” trains to ferry migrant workers, students from various states where they were stranded since the nationwide lockdown began on March 25. In a meticulous pre-dawn operation that coincided with the International Labour Day and planned in virtual secrecy, the first train with 1,200 migrant workers departed from Hyderabad in Telangana to Hatia in Jharkhand at 4:50 am.

After more than a month of suspension of passenger services, the

06

INDIA’S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO UK, RUCHI GHANSHYAM RETIRES

India’s High Commissioner to UK, Ruchi Ghanshyam retired on April 30, 2020.She is the last Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1982 batch to have retired.

WILL KAUMUDI BE NEW DG OF ITBP?

Meeting of DG BPR&DVS Kaumudi with Home Minister, Amit Shah has fuelled speculations about his appointment as DG ITBP or BSF. He is 1986 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.

AJAY TIRKEY JOINS AS SECRETARY, WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Ajay Tirkey has taken over the charge as Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in Government of India. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre. He succeeded Rabindra Panwar retired on April 30, 2020.

BAJAJ TAKES OVER AS SECRETARY, ECONOMIC AFFAIRS bulletin, the decisions taken by PM Narendra Modi for farmers amid the outbreak of coronavirus are mentioned.

The bulletin also has details of video conference meetings conducted by Nadda with various members of society. —ANI

Tarun Bajaj, Additional Secretary in Prime Minister’s Office, has taken over the charge as Secretary, Economic Affairs. He is a 1988 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

LT GEN RAJ SHUKLA APPOINTED CHIEF OF ARTRAC

Lt Gen Raj Shukla presently posted at Army HQ, has been appointed as GOC-in-C, Army Training Command (ARTRAC).

FROM PG 1 Stay home... and inter-district plying of buses and barber shops, spas and salons will be prohibited in addition to those prohibited throughout India.

Sale of liquor has been allowed in all zones. However, if the shops are located in malls, marketing complexes and in containment areas, they cannot open. A limited number of activities will remain prohibited across the country, irrespective of the zone, including travel by air, rail,

State-wise division... primarily based on the cumulative cases reported and the doubling rate.

“Since recovery rates have gone up, the districts are now being designated across various zones duly broad-basing the criteria. This classification is multi-factorial and takes into consideration incidence of cases, doubling rate, extent of testing and surveillance feedback to classify the districts,” Sudan said in her letter.

A district will be considered under green zone if there has been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far or there

is no reported case since last 21 days in the district, according to the letter. —ANI

IAF to conduct... flanked by Army chief General M M Naravane, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria.

Gen Rawat said the Indian Air Force will conduct fly-pasts from Srinagar to Thiruvananthapuram, from Dibrugarh to Kutch as thanksgiving to the coronavirus warriors.

Fixed wing and fighter aircraft of the IAF will participate in the fly-pasts on May 3 evening, he said.

Also, Navy helicopters will shower flower petals on hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, the CDS said.

The Army will conduct mountain band displays along some COVID-19 hospitals in almost every district, while naval ships will conduct special drill and illuminate vessels to convey gratitude to corona warriors, Gen Rawat said.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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

07

ALL MAJOR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS ARE OPENING UP ONLINE CHANNELS TO STAY CONNECTED WITH THEIR DEVOTEES. ONLINE LIVE DARSHANS, DONATIONS, AND POOJA BOOKING OPTIONS ARE MADE AVAILABLE FOR THE PUBLIC BY MANY INSTITUTIONS

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has forced religious congregations to stay at home after the doors have been closed to their churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and gurdwaras across Australia.

But religious life has not stopped. Congregations are discovering new ways to meet virtually on plenty of online video platforms.

Google searches for the word “prayer” have skyrocketed in recent months, apparently in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, for one, said his “prayer knees were getting a good workout” as he prayed for the nation and for religious communities facing the closure of sacred meeting spaces due to the pandemic.

And it is not just traditional religious communities that are coming together in virtual assembly.

Spiritual and therapeutic activities, such as yoga, meditation, martial arts and con-

RELIGIOUS GROUPS ARE EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY DURING THE LOCKDOWN

A TIME TO PRAY ONLINE

NOT THE SAME PERSONAL TOUCH

A

ll religions are dependent on their cultural contexts.

Throughout history, they have adapted to changed circumstances and new technology.

This current move to embrace live-streaming and video-conferencing is no different.

In fact, in this rapidly developing crisis, religious leaders have at times been ahead of political leaders.

For example, while leaders in the UK were debating whether to embrace a “herd immunity” strategy for the country, the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, made the call to cancel in-person church services and move to live-streaming instead.

Mega-churches in Australia, such as Hillsong and Gracepoint, have also transitioned to live-streaming their services with relative ease. Many other faiths are doing the same.

The Buddhist Society of Victoria has been live-streaming its Sun-

P

laces of worship cutting across religion, gods and saints have barred public entry in totality post the Covid-related lockdown announced by the Government. While daily rituals and prayers are conducted by a select group of priests and clerics, devotees are desisted from thronging in.

All major religious institutions are opening up online channels to stay connected with their devotees. Online live darshans, donations and pooja booking options are made available for public by many many institutions. A few cash-rich religious trusts are also reaching

scious dance classes, are also moving online for those Australians, particularly younger people, who identify as spiritual but not religious.

A global meditation, for example, was held earlier this month via YouTube to send healing and love to those struggling to cope during the pandemic.

Some yoga studios have even offered classes for free or via donation, challenging popular assumptions about links between spirituality and consumerism.

The resilience of these groups in the face of adversity backs up the argument of scholars such as Boston University sociologist Nancy T. Ammerman, who argue the spiritual and religious are not so distinct from one another as popular opinion would have us believe.

Religious and spiritual practices deliver something special when they are done socially – a deep sense of community and connection with something larger than ourselves.

W

day talks for several years now and has recently shifted its guided meditations online.

The East Melbourne Synagogue has similarly made its Monday lunchtime Jewish classes virtual, while many Hindu temples, such as Melbourne’s Durga and International Society for Krishna Consciousness, have moved their weekly assemblies online. Islamic leaders, meanwhile, have

out to the lockdown-afflicted people with relief materials and financial assistance.

With COVID-19 global pandemic the governing body of ISKCON (GBC) has advised all devotees across the globe to support the government body of their country by following due instructions.

All devotees have been advised to observe Isolation and not to visit the temple or even move out of their houses all across the globe.

ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Spiritual leader Radhanath Swami Maharaj said, “All our lec-

urged Muslims to stay home for the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday, instead of breaking their fast in large gatherings in the evenings, as is customary.

For the 600,000 Muslims in Australia – as well as the hundreds of millions worldwide – this coming month will be very challenging.

The grand mufti of Australia has been offering weekly lessons following the Friday

prayer since the start of the pandemic.

These lessons will be expanded during Ramadan.

However, the Eid alFitr celebration at the end of Ramadan in late May will be a more muted affair. Normally, millions return to home towns and villages to celebrate with family, but none of this rich communal activity will be possible during the pandemic.

hile these technological changes have shown promise in meeting people’s more immediate spiritual concerns, months of self-isolation, rising unemployment, and mounting death tolls will surely present fresh challenges.

Especially worrying is the fact religious groups have long assisted newly arrived immigrants to settle in Australia. With many international students and people on temporary work visas struggling to find work and affordable housing during the pandemic, online community outreach by religious groups will likely not be enough.

Some religious groups and individuals are still helping the most needy in person, abiding by social-distancing measures. Father Bob Maguire’s Community Pantry Warehouse in Melbourne, for instance, is still offering food

packages, though its community meals in parks have been temporarily suspended.

And what about death and dying, of having to bid farewell online, and not being able to honour loved ones in funeral rites?

The lack of these rituals, which bring people together, will surely affect the process of grieving.

Being able to leverage the digital domain to connect virtually is

INDIA CONNECTS WITH ITS SPIRITUAL SIDE VIRTUALLY

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

a great blessing in this crisis. But it is difficult to replace in-person human connection when we are at our most vulnerable.

Once we get through this, Australia’s rich religious and spiritual landscape will be awash again with colourful celebrations affirming the sanctity of realworld connection and community.

Nonetheless, some things will be forever

tures and classes, Sunday programmes and meditation continue in full swing even now but the difference is that now everything is happening online and not in person. We have requested all devotees to continue with their sadhana bhakti from their homes.”

“We have ensured that all devotees are connected with their respective temples in their city through online classes, meetings on zoom & hangouts and they can take online darshan of Radha Krishna deities and are advised to chant extra round for the benefit of mankind.

changed by the crisis.

And the new skills and online practices learned at this time will impact the ways Australians engage with the religious and spiritual into the future.

Religious freedom is just one of the basic liberties which European states continue to suspend as they cede emergency powers to executive governments in the name of public health.

Online yoga classes have been started for adults and separate online yoga classes for kids through Govardhan Eco Village. All retreats, yoga classes, conferences and Sunday feasts are all cancelled,” he added.

The trustees of Ajmer Sharif Dargah, the shrine of revered sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, is contemplating whether to live telecast the daily proceedings to their devotees. On an average, the shrine attracts over 20,000 visitors; on Fridays and other important days, the tally counters cross 50,000 worshippers.

It is time to look within. Self discipline is the only way forward. Do not wait for the government or society to enforce rules, follow them voluntarily.

2ND FRONT Waste water test to gauge Corona spread —Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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

08

We have only tested slightly more than 9 lakh persons, far less than the number required. In this situation, WBE could be a boon First India News Gandhinagar: The political set up has its own limitations in accepting the fact that India is conducting far less number of tests than required for is vast population to detect exact spread of Civid-19 but scientists of the Gujarat have not only admitted the truth but have also come up with a far reaching substitute, if successful. Taking a cue from country’s successful Polio surveillance programme, scientists will be analyzing waste (sewage) water to gauge the spread of coronavirus in the state. Wastewater epidemiology is a valuable tool to monitor the

spread of the novel coronavirus in communities, said Manish Kumar of the Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar, who is working with an international team of collaborators on the project.The wastewaterbased epidemiology (WBE) global collaboration comprises over 50 institutes and researchers headed by Kyle James Bibby of the University of Notre Dame in the US. The Indian numbers, so far, tell their story. With a population of 1.3 billion we have only tested just slightly more than 9 lakh persons till Friday as per ICMR. Over the last five

13 undertrials escape from subjail in Gujarat

The current testing method is not enough to tell the exact situation of the coronavirus infection in India. Even if the people show symptoms for novel coronavirus,it will take three to 15 days actually to detect it, we will use WBE instead to gauge the virus spread much quickly.

—Manish Kumar, IIT, Gandhinagar

days, India has been averaging 49,800 tests a day. The number of tests have almost doubled in the last eight days. India had conducted just about five lakh tests from 23 March to 22 April but

this is still not enough to gauge the spread of the disease.”The current testing method is not enough to tell the exact situation of the coronavirus infection in India.

Even if the people

show symptoms for novel coronavirus,it will take three to 15 days actually to detect it,” said Kumar, assistant professor at the Department of Earth Sciences.

He said India’s polio

monitoring system, which uses a similar surveillance method, could come handy in the fight against coronavirus. It is a published fact that if somebody is infected with the novel coronavirus, they will excrete it through their body, in the form of faeces and urine, which in turn can be detected in wastewater, Kumar added.

According to Masaki Kitajima, a world renowned environmental virologist from Japan’s Hokkaido University, the presence of genetic material of novel coronavirus provides an opportunity to use wastewater as a sur-

veillance tool for the “invasion, prevalence, molecular epidemiology, and potential eradication of the virus in a community”.

“We are not going to detect the live coronavirus in wastewater but their RNA (genetic material in viruses) present in sewage water. This collected sample will then be used in gene sequencing to assess how much genetic material of coronavirus is available,” he said.

Kumar explained that the results can then be extrapolated for a genetic material estimation of the wastewater and assigned with a probable number of people infected in a

GTU to test efficacy of available hand sanitizers First India News Ahmedabad: Immediately after Covid-19 pandemic broke out the health advisories made hand sanitisers one of the most frequently used commodities. Majority of the users are still not aware of the exact specifications of a ideal hand sanitiser. Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has initiated research on hand sanitizer with testing by

the Department of Pharmacy. GTU will come out with exact specifications for alcohol based hand sanitiser. GTU has found during research that hand sanitizers only work ef-

fectively if the alcohol content is 60% -95%.

Basic protective measures have been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to take care of one’s health in times

of global epidemics such as Covid-19. Washing your hands with soap or using a hand sanitizer can help fight the corona virus.

Research method has been developed by the professors of the Graduate School of Pharmacy of GTU to check the quality of hand sanitizer available in the market. The use and price of sanitizers has increased in recent times. This research

will be helpful in the coming days to ensure that manufacturers do not distribute counterfeit goods incorrectly to take advantage of the situation.The research method has been developed by Kashyap Thummar and co-starrer Mehria using the Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectrophotometer (FT-IS) tool. In which the quality of alcohol based hand sanitizer can be checked.

Sub-jail in Dahod district

First India News Dahod: At least 13 undertrial prisoners lodged in a sub-jail in Dahod district of Gujarat escaped after breaking the door locks of their rooms and barrack early on Friday, officials said.

The incident took place around 3 am in the sub-jail of Devgadh-Baria town in Dahod district when 13 undertrial prisoners facing serious charges, such as rape and murder, escaped after breaking the locks of their rooms and barrack, District Superintendent of Police, Hitesh Joysar, said.

“They first broke the locks and then escaped by jumping

over the wall of the sub-jail. The incident happened despite the presence of jail guards. We have launched a massive search operation to nab the escaped inmates,” Joysar said.

In-charge jailor of Devgadh-Baria sub-jail, Punamchand Rana, later lodged a police complaint against the 13 prisoners.

“Out of around the 80 prisoners lodged in the sub- jail, 13 inmates kept in room number 3 and 4 of barrack number 1 broke the locks on the doors of their rooms and barrack to escape,” he said.

In the complaint, Rana also sought action against four jail guards for their negligence.

Gohil demands FIR Gujarati NRI and philanthropist against BJP MP abducted in Mozambique First India News

Ahmedabad: Senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil has written a letter to CM Vijay Rupani demanding legal action against Amreli MP Naranbhai Kachdiya, district BJP functionary Kaushik Vekaria and city BJP president Tushar Joshi for violating secrecy norms at board exam evaluation centres. The letter states that, ‘the act by the three BJP members violates the very purpose of evaluation of the board exam answer sheets in total secrecy’. He demanded that an FIR be filed against the three immediately and a judicial inquiry

First India News

Cong leader Shaktisinh Gohil

also conducted as per the provisions of Section 7 of the Secondary Education Act and the Indian Penal Code. This was to ensure that the credibility of the government’s process is maintained among the 1.5 million students appearing for the board exams, the letter said.

Porbandar: Rizwan Adatia became the latest victim of spate of abduction crimes in Mozambique. His car was found abandoned near Matola.

It is believed that Rizwan was returning home from market at 11 pm when abductors stopped his self driven car abd forcibly took him hostage.

Rizwan was self driving and alone in the car following social distancing due to Covid-19 breakout.

Rizwan Adatia is the Chairman of COGEF group which spans across 11 countries

RED TAPE

Defeated cancer but can’t come home First India News Surat: When Vinod Sharma sent his wife to Surat to get his 7 year old daughter treated for cancer, he had little hope. Efficient doctors and blessings of almighty the treatment was successful and his daughter was discharged from the hospital.

Since then he has been pleading with the district administration for an e pass

NO CHANCE TO PASS THROUGH

to permit his wife and daughter to travel from Surat but to no avail. District administration has repeatedly refusing the e pass. Vinod

Sharma has no idea when will his wife and daughter be permitted to travel home.

This isn’t story of one person as out of

3180 applications for e pass only 275 passes have been given. In some cases people have not been permitted to travel by their own vehicle as announced earlier.

Then there are lakhs of people stranded with no money or resources which qualify for a legal permission. Such people might have nothing but they don’t lack in grit & determination.

Three migrant workers demonstrated this by travelling to Ganjam district in Odisha on their bicycles covering mammoth journey of more than 16000 Kms. Pintu Swain (28) of Bishnuchakra village in Buguda block, Babuli Behera (40) of Dhunkapada village in Polasara block, and Karpur Nahak (42) of Balichhai village in Aska block reached Ganjam on Tuesday.

Bizman Rizwan Adatia with Chief Minister Rupani.

and his group employs 3500 people.

Adatia hails from Porbandar town of Saurashtra and is founder of Rizwan Adatia Foundation.

As a leading philanthropist he has adopt-

ed Maliya Hatina village in Gujarat and also runs several other social welfare schemes in Saurashtra. Rizwan is considered to be one of the big time overseas admirers of PM Modi.

given locality or community. “I have sent the protocol to several institutes in India like in IIT Chennai, IIT Roorkee, IIT Guwahati and JNU Delhi, so we all can do sampling following one protocol,” he noted. He added that the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission (GSBTM) are providing his team all the cooperation to accomplish the work. “I believe that Kumar’s team will certainly provide considerable insights into WBE’s global application,” Kuroda, who has published several papers on the fate of viruses and pharmaceuticals in urban waters of Japan and Vietnam.

Crocodile takes a walk on Kala Ghoda

First India News Vadodara: A crocodile ventured out of nearby Vishwamitri river and ventured ou to the Kala Ghoda circle on Wednesday night. Cops stationed there could see something crawling on the main road.

On clos inspection they realized it was a 4 feet long reptile which seemed to have come out of nearby Vishwamitri river which is home to hundreds of such crocs.The cops immediately called up forest officials and Gujarat Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) volunteers who rushed to the spot.

The reptile first crawled near the temple on Kala Ghoda circle stretch and then sat in the middle of the road. It had a free run as there was no traffic on the road until it was caught and sent back to safety.

THE SURVIVORS

According to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), 19 patients who recovered from COVID-19 have been discharged from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital.

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

09

AHMEDABAD, SATURDAY MAY 2, 2020

HANDLE

THE SOCIAL

I

DISTANCE

n ‘Too Hot to Handle,’ the latest reality show at Netflix, a group of attentionhungry youth gather together at a beachfront Mexican villa and attempt to forgo sexual contact of any kind in a bid for a $100,000 prize. Each violation of the rules, which, by the way, also bar self-gratification, brings a fine, starting at $3,000 for a kiss.

Like ‘Love Is Blind,’ which followed couples as they dated in “isolation pods” and got engaged before meeting face to face, ‘Too Hot to Handle’ is strangely well-timed in an era of social distancing and involuntary celibacy for millions. But while ‘Love Is Blind’ became a pop culture sensation, couples talked about the magic of “being back in the pods” as if they’d just returned from a honeymoon in Tahiti, not a windowless room on a soundstage in Atlanta, ‘Too Hot to Handle’ puts a knowing twist on the guilty pleasure of dating shows.

There’s no host, just a nar-

ration by comedian Desiree Burch targeting the contestant, an international crew of inked-up, musclebound bros, and Kardashian clones wearing bikinis that look like fetishwear Spanx, for being vapid, manipulative, excessively libidinous or all of the above.

Along with the usual day drinking and poolside lounging, there are group challenges designed to encourage personal growth and/or torment the randy singles, such as a session in Shibari, Japanese rope bondage.

There’s also an Alexa-like talking “robot” named Lana that plays the role of referee, announcing every time someone has breached the rules, taking what is the subtext in most other reality dating shows, slut-shaming, and making it explicit. And no one got in more trouble with Lana than Francesca Farago, a 27-year-old Canadian who captured the heart, or at least hormonal longings, of babyfaced Australian Harry Jowsey. The Instagram model managed to rack up $32,000 in fines over the course of the production, including $20,000 in a single night with Jowsey.

When she signed up to do the show last year, she was “very single” and had little idea of what she was in for; contestants only learned the rules once they’d arrived at the “retreat,” as they call it, but she left in a relationship. She and Jowsey briefly broke up after leaving Mexico but have reunited and are still very much together, though currently isolating in different countries. Farago spoke by phone from Vancouver about her unlikely journey to enlightenment.

On asking if she didn’t

‘Too Hot to Handle’ is strangely welltimed in an era of social distancing and involuntary celibacy for millions

know the rules of the competition before she signed on, Francesca said, “I was reached out to via Instagram DM by someone in production. ‘Hey we have this new reality show on Netflix, we thought you’d be perfect for it.’

She was asking me about my sex life, about my previous relationships. It was very sexually oriented. I was telling my friends about it and they’re like, ‘You’re not allowed, you’re going to get kidnapped.’ It was very sketchy at the beginning.”

Source: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-04-30/too-hot-to-handle-netflix-harry-francesca-update

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

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

SMART VILLAGES

IT’S TIME TO COME A

FA CE OF TH ED AY

BACK HOME

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

DR KRITIKA YADAV cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

mid corona crisis, the most affected section of the society is migrant labourers stranded in various states. After the countrywide lockdown announcement to curb the spread of corona virus, many of them started walking towards home. With efforts of various stakeholders like government’s continuous assurances, public support and nongovernmental organizations, we were able to contain a difficult situation for sometime. Though, many voices were raised meanwhile from different areas of the country for their safe transportation to home. As this time passes, we need to think of solutions for current and future situations both.

Let’s go to basics! Why do people migrate? If I need to answer then the answer is “Better livelihood opportunities”.

On 24 April, we celebrated “PANCHAYTI RAJ DIWAS” to reiterate the power of root democracy. This is the right time when we should realise the fundamentals of 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1993 and to make villages self reliant autonomous entities. This is the right time to enliven the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi’s Gram swaraj and Dr APJ Abul kalam’s PURA ( providing urban amenities to rural areas) vision.

According to Mahatma Gandhi, Gram swaraj meant making villages politically and economicaly independent units of democracy. Similar is the vision of Dr Kalam to provide livelihood opportunities to the rural population and improve the quality of life. He visualized four ingredients to make this vision successful; physical connectivity, electronic connectivity, knowledge connectivity leading to Economic activity.

We need to think of a viable model of Gram governance what we call it today as “Smart village model” where they are self sustainable and connected to the rest of the world. Smart village has the income generating opportunites, health & education facilities, roads, and access to energy. To achieve these focus areas in a village, cluster approach is helpful where each cluster should have its own plan, purpose and way of development. It can be implemented through coordinating with various stakeholders; Government & Non Government. We can learn from the experiences of successful villages in the country. In Rajasthan, we have Tilonia village in Ajmer district which is an exampIe of economic and social development for other villages. The Solar mamas of this village were commended by the United nations. I am sure, there must be many such other examples but now is the time to take GRAM GOVERNANCE on mission mode and stop the unnecessary migration to cities where people lack basic sanitation, health, education and proper livelihood opportunities as they are becoming overcrowded. Afterall, The best journey takes you home and home should be worthwhile to stay.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You must take care of the words coming out of your mouth, on work front today. Try to keep up the promises made with the people who matter to you, on romantic front. On the personal front, you are in a very peaceful state of mind as only harmony prevails at your place.

You will spend a lot of money on comfort today.

You can expect decent returns from your past investments. Family will help you by sharing some home burdens. On professional front, you will live upto the expectation of your boss and he will reward you big time.

A big opportunity is waiting for you in real estate business. You are good at budgeting and your finances are always under your control. You are a smart person so its not easy for other to fool you. You must keep away from people have talk negative.

You plan to acquire a new property and don’t worry things will go smoothly.

You are really in love. On academic front, sometimes you feel you are fully prepared and sometime you feel vice versa so don’t pay much attention to the feelings rather concentrate on your preparation.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You will surely pay off all your debt in coming times, be rest assured about that.

On the professional front, you have a strong bond with people in your professional life. On the family front, you must be able to open up with your parents or your spouse about your issues.

On the personal front, some of you may take to initiative to organise some event or a party. Looking at your love life, your lover has somewhat become your priority now, and that’s how it should be. On the personal front, someone close may need your care and support.

You will get the chance to renew old relationships in some family function or a gathering of some kind.

Some one of you may buy an office or a shop. You must believe in yourself before finding the right partner. Your cards show profit from your investment in stock market.

Eating right and in proportion is what you need right now. Those who have a wanderlust will soon find themselves going on frequents tours. You are famous in your social circle but don’t let that effect you in a way that you feel forced to do things.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

On the career front, you are good at sports and may pursue it as your career to earn a living. On the personal front, you must sit and think about all your savings, assets and finances before stepping into a new venture, so that you have everything that it takes.

There’s a good news for you- you may get the possession of your new house today. On the family front, you must pay heed to your parents’s advice. Congratulations in advance, as you will step into a new business which will run out to be successful in long run.

On the personal front, you are a wise soul but sometimes you go astray from your path, so the solution is to get in habit of meditating regularly. On the financial front, all the financial decision you will take today will only make you more secure, so think twice before any decision.

On the professional front, a huge profit from business cannot be ruled out for some. On a happy note, you may meet your childhood friends today.You must pay some heed to you father or the fatherly figure in your life as he give your the advice worth million dollars.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

KHUSHBHU BIJAPARI, Model

10

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

11

NEW PROJECT! F

ollowing her final outing in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, actress Daisy Ridley is in talks to take the lead role in Swedish crime thriller ‘The Ice beneath Her’. The movie project, which will be financed by STX, is based on the 2015 novel by Swedish author Camilla Grebe. The story is about a young woman found beheaded in a business tycoon’s hallway, a crime that resembles an earlier unsolved killing. It soon becomes a race against time.

—IANS

Billie Eilish

AIDING MUSICIANS

Daisy Ridley

B

Two tigers in one frame!

illie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and The Weekend are among music stars releasing cloth face masks to raise money for musicians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grande’s mask features a single tear drop reminiscent of her ‘No tears left to cry’ merchandise, Eilish’s offering includes her ‘Blohsh’ logo in neon green.

Bieber’s mask features his name in graffiti style lettering, and The Weeknd’s offering comes with XO on the front, adorned by a heart.

Meanwhile, Eilish urged her fans to take responsibility during the coronavirus pandemic through Instagram. “I’ve seen a lot of young people out in the world, all over the place, going to the club or going to the beach or just going out and hanging out, and it’s really irresponsible. Please take responsibility for your endurance of this,” she said. The artistes involved in the project belong to the Universal Music Group, and the charity is part of the company’s ‘We’ve Got You Covered’ initiative. The net proceeds of the masks will go to MusiCares, which is working to support the music community affected by the virus crisis.

—IANS

K

areena Kapoor Khan shared a rare picture on Instagram, in which, her uncle late actor, Rishi Kapoor, is seen sharing a happy moment with her late father-inlaw, legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

Kareena captioned the image as “Two Tigers.” Rishi Kapoor is the brother of Kareena’s father, Randhir Kapoor, and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi is Kareena’s husband Saif Ali Khan’s father.

Also, on Thursday, Kareena posted a cute childhood picture of Rishi and her father Randhir Kapoor, and wrote: “The best boys I know... Papa and Chintu uncle.”

The image was a tribute to her uncle and the legend Rishi Kapoor, who passed away on Thursday after battling leukaemia for the past two years.

—IANS

... her Instagram post

RECALLS DAD’S

TEACHING ON B’DAY!

A

Kareena Kapoor Khan

s actor Anushka Sharm a Opening about the lesson ringed in her 32nd birthfrom her father that left a day on Friday, the sta r lasting impression on her, opened about how she bethe star added: “The thing lieved in herself, and rec alled her that he told me was no father’s saying that kep t her go- matter what situation ing forward in life succes sfully. you are in, no matter The actor considers her fa- how bad the situat ion ther Colonel Ajay Ku mar is, always do the right Sharma to be her gre atest thing and pray to god teacher. that you know what is “I went to Ar my Publi c the right thing to do is at School in Bang alore, and I that moment.” Th e have had some really good ‘Rab Ne Banadi Jodi’ teachers there, and I wa s very star said that those close to them, and they have sayings ‘stuck’ wit h had a very lasting impressi on her as she was so in my mind and my princi pal young and that she also. But my dad taught me ‘really look up’ to some invaluable lessons,” her father.

Anushka said.

—ANI Anushka Sharma

A GOOD SAMARITAN!

P

Ariana Grande

riyanka Chopra Jonas has joined hand with Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg to protect vulnerable children across the world from the coronavirus.

Priyanka Chopra took to social media to express her concern over the effect of Coronavirus on vulnerable children.

She tweeted: “It’s heartbreaking to see the effect

of Covid-19 on vulnerable children across the world.

They now have to cope with food shortages, strained healthcare systems, violence & lost education. We need to protect them.. the onus is on us.”

“Join me in supporting this much needed campaign by @UNICEF and @ GretaThunberg.” Priyanka and her American pop singer husband Nick Jonas contributed to several charities to lend support to

the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Priyanka took to Twitter to announce that the couple has donated to organisations like the PMCARES Fund, Unicef, Feeding America and Goonj among many others. She also pledged to donate $100,000 to women doing their bit in health crisis.

—IANS Priyanka Chopra Jonas

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

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

12

FURRY FRIENDS!

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS!

City First gets in touch with its readers from Rajasthan & Gujarat to know how having a pet at home is making their life easier during the lockdown!

CITY FIRST JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

There is Nothing more soothing and comforting during these stressful times just sitting and patting him. The dog is part of everything whether it’s your online school classes or important zoom meetings. The special cooking spree which is ON around the world our dog ‘Nobuddy’ also gets to eat new innovative dishes. No more waiting eyes- always enjoying the company of his loved ones.

M

Jagdeesh Chandra personally conveyed Happy Birthday greetings to First India News Channel’s Director Virendra Choudhary, at his residence on Friday afternoon. In the wake of an ongoing Corona Lockdown, Choudhary spent it quietly with his family.

ALWAYS ON DUTY!

STRATEGIC APPROACH!

A CITY FIRST JAIPUR

D

espite the danger of corona infection and lockdown, Geetanjali Hospital continues to treat patients with a team of skilled doctors and staff. Recently, Geetanjali Hospital successfully treated a cardiac patient. The operation was also very high risk given the delicate heart condition of the patient. After the successful operation, the patient was discharged from the hospital in a normal condition.

The heart bypass surgery of 50-year-old Mohanlal Gurjar from Rajsamand was successfully completed by a team approach. The cardiac team that performs the highly complex treatment includes cardiac surgeon Dr Sanjay Gandhi, Dr Ajay Verma, Dr Parth Vaghela, Dr Kapil Bhargava, Dr Ramesh Patel, Dr Danny Mangalani, Dr Shalabh Agarwal, Dr Shubham Chelavat, Dr Sandeep, Dr Anil Sharma, Dr Nehru, Dr Ankur Gandhi, Dr Kalpesh Mistry, Dr Chintan Patel, Dr Archana Cath Lab, CTVS ICU and CTVS ICU team contributed well so that the operation was successfully carried out. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

s the government is setting the guidelines for a staggered exit from the 40-daylong lockdown starting 4 May and also setting the stage for a revival in economic activity that has ground to a standstill since last month, the chairman of CII Rajasthan, Vishal Baid, have appealed the State Government to allow interdistrict movement of labour in his statement. His statement reads, “State Government is requested to allow inter-district movement of labour post 3 May within the State through companyowned or hired transport. The industry can be advised to call labour once and then arrangements can be made near or within the factory till complete lockdown is over.”

—City First

any of us have been adjusting to new routines these past few weeks. Working from home comes with positives, like being nearer the biscuits and working in pyjamas.

But it also has challenges, like communicating with colleagues and keeping the children entertained.

Like us, many of our pet dogs are also likely to find this change difficult. And a bustling household and reduced exercise may mean our pups display more problem behaviours than usual – especially dogs easily overstimulated.

These are difficult times but being there for our pets will help to make the transition smoother for everyone. But it is also important to be flexible – the change to life in lockdown is tough on all of us, so if your dog regresses in his training, or displays new undesirable behaviours, be pa-

—SHWETA KHURANA

It’s such a delight & company to me as I am all alone during this lockdown period, they give me lots of positive vibes. I am blessed to have my three darling girls Poly Lisa & Laila with me who sleep in my room every night. I play with them, brush them, feed them & talk to them.

—SUDHIR MATHUR

tient and prepared to make adjustments and seek guidance from a force-free trainer if you need help.

Above all else, enjoy this time with your dog. While the world feels so unfamiliar, our pets are working hard to bring us joy. Let them know they are doing a great job!

New Opportunities

I have two dogs, one is a terrier and the other one is a Shih Tzu. My dogs are used to an active, outdoor life so, this lockdown has definitely taken a toll on them.

The silver lining is that they are thrilled that the family is home all day and they love cuddling up and playing fetch with everyone.

—NINA PANWALA

Lockdown is an opportunity to spend more time with our fur buddies. I am utilizing this time to train and indulge in fun activities with my dog at home. It has become a stress buster for me because it is helping us cope with boredom. Taking the pets on a walk has become an issue and their exercise remains a concern.

—AJITA SHARMA

BEAT THE VIRUS! CITY FIRST

CITY FIRST JAIPUR

D

uring this time of unmatched challenges, the ARCH College of Design and Business have organised education initiatives using online platforms. According to the statement released by the college, the management has initiated online master classes, Interactive sessions and discussion for industry members, design students, and aspirants. Apart from this, they are inviting experts for conducting guest sessions. The management is also delivering online classes to their students to ensure timely completion of courses and keeping them engaged in a creative pursuit.

The statement also reads that their online entrance exam AIEED, which is in operation since 2011, has been the most effective for students in these times.

A

n abstract painting by Sadhguru, Founder, Isha Foundation titled ‘To Live Totally!’ was sold out for Rs 4.14 crore for the 5x 5ft canvas. The money will fund Isha’s pandemic relief efforts in rural Tamil Nadu around Isha Yoga Center.

Sadhguru announced that “whoever donates the maximum amount for the #BeattheVirus fund, will get the painting,” adding that “smaller copies of the painting will also be available for buyers.” #BeattheVirus is Isha’s on-ground campaign to prevent the pandemic from entering the villages of Thondamuthur block which has over 2 lakh resi-

Sadhguru with the painting that fetched Rs 4.14 crore for Isha’s Pandemic Relief

dents. Every day, a task force of nearly 700 Isha volunteers deliver freshly cooked meals prepared in decentralized kitchens along with Nilavembu Kashayam, an immunity booster drink to the villages. Besides daily nourishment, volunteers are supporting administration efforts in awareness genera-

tion, the supply of essentials, and equipping frontline workers and first responders with protective equipment. A standby isolation ward has been set up by the local administration in the Pooluvapatti Primary Health Center (PHC). Isha is supporting the ward with medical infrastructure and other essentials.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Memes are very popular on Instagram nowadays with popular accounts having lakhs of followers and China remains a popular punching bag on Instagram.

Gujarat: Jayanti Ravi, state principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare, visited COVID-19 affected area of Anand district, Khambhat on Friday. She reviewed the health situation in the city with local MLA and leaders and provided guidance.

Rajasthan: During the lockdown across the country, new project launches were postponed by the Builders due to lack of liquidity in the market hence, the buyers who are already in the process to buy a property will find lesser options in the current market. Director Apple Homes, Sanjay Gupta shared that the demand for residential housing will likely be a surge in the short term, and buying property will become affordable due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Rajasthan: Amidst the nationwide lockdown, Poornima Group has started an initiative of offering online certification courses to its teaching and non-teaching staff. Director of Poornima Group, Rahul Singhi shared that the main objectives of these industry oriented courses are to enhance the capability and bridge the gap between the industry and institute.

Gujarat: An artist gives final touches to an artwork aimed at creating awareness about novel coronavirus at Pallav Cross Road in Shastrinagar area of Ahmedabad. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Rajasthan: On behalf of the Institute of Technology and Public Welfare, Advocate Vikas Somani and his team initiated a campaign on Friday, in which, the team members are motivating people to hang Parinda filled with water and grains for birds at their homes.

Rajasthan: Amid the lockdown, Rajasthan Forum has initiated an online musical series ‘Sumiran’, in association with Shree Cement and Raghu Sinha Mala Mathur Charity Trust. In the eleventh episode of the series, Barmerbased Devu Khan Manganiyar presented folk music and also interacted with the audience during the session on Friday.

HAPPY B’DAY! IPS Umesh Mishra celebrated his birthday on 1 May, Friday. We wish him all the best!

Gujarat: A poster depicting the police, medical staff, sanitation workers, clean environment, chirping of birds and lighting of lamps, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was created by a retired Rajkot officer Pravin Vyas.

Rajasthan: HDFC Bank released #HumHaar NahiMaanenge (we will not give up), a collaborative song of hope, which is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of India and millions of Indians who are standing together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The song is composed

by Oscar and Grammy Award-winning musician AR Rahman, and the lyrics are penned by noted lyricist and poet, Prasoon Joshi.

Rajasthan: Google launched a new website focused on Covid-19 related security risks.

The site will inform about online risks and scams and help users to stay safe online. The website is currently available in Hindi and English language, and the content will soon be rolled out in other regional languages. The Google Threat Analysis Group has detected a range of scams such as phishing emails posing as messages from charities and NGOs battling COVID-19, directions from ‘administrators’ to employees working from home, and even notices spoofing healthcare providers.