First India-Ahmedabad Edition-02 September 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

26°C - 33°C

ALERT

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AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 277

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

8,57,393 2,57,74,318 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 24,903 DEATHS 8,08,306 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 7,418 DEATHS 4,33,969 CASES

INDIA

66,448 37,59,515 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 5,837 DEATHS 3,51,481 CASES

REST IN PEACE, PRANAB DA!

GUJARAT

3,036 DEATHS

DELHI 4,462 DEATHS 1,77,060 CASES

—PHOTO BY ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in paying last respects to former President Pranab Mukherjee, in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pranab Da, as he was fondly called, was laid to rest with full military honours and his last rites were performed at Lodhi crematorium, under restrictions for COVID19.

MORE ON P5

96,435

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,069 DEATHS 83,163 CASES

Loan moratorium may be extended by 2 yrs: Centre to SC New Delhi: The Central government submitted before the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the loan moratorium period may get extended by up to two years in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy.

A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, was hearing two pleas filed Gajender Sharma and lawyer Vishal Tiwari seeking to extend the moratorium period to help borrowers in deferring their EMI payment on term loans amid the pandemic.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, submitted that the loan moratorium may be ex-

tended by two years.

The bench said that it will hear the matter tomorrow, after the Union of India, through the Solicitor General, files its reply in the moratorium issue. Mehta said that the affidavit was filed on Monday online.

The bench said that it has not received the affidavit yet.

“The lordship may go through it, the matter

China violated border consensus India’s hard hitting letter to while talks were on, says India FB: Your workers abusing PM —PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: India on Tuesday said China’s fresh attempt to change the status quo in the south bank area of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh is in “complete disregard” to the understandings reached between the two countries.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the Chinese side violated previously agreed understanding and engaged in “provocative military maneuvers” in the late night of August 29 and on August 30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the south bank area.

“As stated yesterday

by Indian Army, the Indian side responded to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive Turn to P6

Indian Air Force Chopper seen flying in Leh on Tuesday.

BORDER NOT YET DEMARCATED, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PROBLEMS: WANG Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said IndiaChina boundary is yet to be demarcated due to which there will always be problems and the two countries should implement consensuses between their leadership to not let differences from escalating into conflicts. China is ready to manage all issues through dialogue with India, said Wang, who is currently on a tour of Europe. In response to a question on China’s relations with India and Japan, he did not directly refer to latest provocative move by PLA in eastern Ladakh.

NSA DOVAL REVIEWS SITUATION AT BORDER New Delhi: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, along with top officials, reviewed the situation at the IndiaChina border, sources said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to call another high-level meeting later. This comes after the Indian Army thwarted an attempt by the Chinese Army to transgress into Indian areas near the southern bank of Pangong Tso near Chushul in Ladakh on the intervening night of Saturday and Turn to P6 Sunday.

New Delhi: In a strongly worded letter, India has raised the issue of free speech with social media giant Facebook, alleging that the platform is the “latest tool” being used to create “internal divisions and social disturbances” by vested groups.

In a letter written by Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, India has raised the need for country specific community guidelines and said that as a transactional digital platform, Facebook must not only be fair and neutral, but also visibly seen to be so.

The IT minister has also flagged the issue of FB employees running campaigns to discredit the democratic process of the country. “Indi-

Ravi Shankar Prasad

Mark Zuckerberg

viduals working in any organisation may have their individual likes or dislikes, but that must not have any bearing on the public policies and performance of the organisation. It seems from credible media reports that Facebook India team, right from the managing director to other senior officials is dominated by people

who belong to a particular political belief,” the letter says.

“I have been informed that in the runup to 2019 general elections in India, there was a concerted effort by Facebook Indian management to not just delete pages or substantially reduce to reach but also offer no records or right Turn to P6

may be taken up tomorrow or day after tomorrow. The interest on interest part, we have discussed with the RBI officers,” Mehta said.

Let the Union of India, Reserve Bank of India, and others sit together and find out a proper solution, the bench said, to which Mehta submitted no adversarial step are being taken.

Turn to P6

SC grants telco firms 10 yrs to pay AGR dues New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted telecom companies, including Airtel Bharti and Vodafone Idea, a period of 10 years to clear their pending adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the Central government.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra, passing the order through video conferencing, asked the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to decide on spectrum trading as part of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. The top court had, on July 20, reserved its order on the timeline for the payment of AGR dues by telecom companies after observing that the request Turn to P6

Some respite from rains likely; 15 districts launch crop survey No active system over the state, but rain in MP will cause a rise in Narmada levels First India Bureau Ahmedabad: While the rain is likely to give Gujarat a bit of a break in the coming days, rescue workers are expected to continue to have busy days ahead. The respite from the heavy rain comes at a time when the state government has initiated a

survey of crop damage in 15 districts. The state has sown 91.51% kharif crop this season compared to the last three years.

Relief Commissioner Harshad Patel on Tuesday announced that rainfall is likely to slow across the state since there is no active system over Gujarat. However, heavy rains in

NDRF personnel rescued a pregnant woman and two other persons trapped at Borbhatha village of Ankleshwar taluka in Bharuch district on Tuesday.

Madhya Pradesh will mean a constant rise in the level of water in the Narmada river. The level in the Sardar Sarovar Dam has already crossed 133m. Despite having released about 10 lakh cusecs of water, the reservoir is expected to receive another 11 lakh cusecs of water from upstream areas in the coming days.

The water released from the dam has affected villages and towns in Bharuch, Vadodara, and Narmada districts. The river

has crossed 133 feet and the Golden Bridge at Bharuch has reached 35 feet. After Bharuch, the Narmada river has now entered Ankleshwar city, leaving residential societies such as Jalaramnagar, Sridarshan, Nilmaghav and Rajeshnagar inundated. Around 500 people have been evacuated from these areas.

Following approval from Supreme Court, the dam will now be filled to its capacity of 138.68m. This is expect-

ed to cause a drop in the amount of water being released into the river.

Meanwhile, the heavy rains in most parts of Saurashtra have washed away crops including cotton, groundnut, sesame, urad, moong, and maize. Cotton and groundnut crops, in particular, have been severely affected due to the continuous rains. Most farms in Amreli district are still submerged. Jadavbhai Vastapara, Turn to P6

NEWS AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

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02

LEADERS OF THE OPPOSITION PARTY QUESTIONED BJP-LED GOVERNANCE AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

GOVT MISMANAGEMENT TO BLAME FOR GDP CRASH: CONG

(L to R) Hardik Patel, Arjun Modhwadia, Gulabsinh Rajput, Paresh Dhanani, Amit Chavda and Krishna Allavaru (in blue) at the launch of ‘Rozgar Do’ campaign at the GPCC office in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: A day after the government declared the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first quarter Congress put the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the worst slump on record. The government attributed the GDP decline to the novel coronavirus (Act of God) pandemic while the opposition party held the ruling party’s lack of management responsible for the damage to the nation’s economy.

Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani asserted that thousands of youngsters have become unemployed and are in need of jobs but

that the government has been diverting money to the corporate machinery. “As per the bank figures, around 70% of the loans passed have been allotted to the corporates, as lakhs of unemployed youths sit at home. As many as 68 lakh people have been affected by the floodlike situation in the state. The government needs to take action to save the economy,” he said.

Amit Chavda, president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) lamented that the BJP had been running the state for the past 22 years, but still hasn’t addressed the dearth of employment opportunities for youngsters. “Last year, we witnessed so many protests regarding

As per the bank figures, around 70% of the loans passed have been allotted to the corporates, as lakhs of unemployed youths sit at home. As many as 68 lakh people have been affected by the flood-like situation in the state. The government needs to take action to save the economy.

—Paresh Dhanani, Leader of Opposition

Last year, we witnessed so many protests regarding the prevalence of rampant unemployment among youths.

They demanded recruitment from the government and have continued to address the issue through online platforms despite the novel coronavirus pandemic. On top of that, the badly implemented lockdown due to the ongoing health crisis cost lakhs of people their jobs and are now running out of money. It is a question of survival now.

—Amit Chavda, GPCC president

Rupani govt to pass Goonda Act ordinance to rein in anti-social elements  Move comes close on the heels of the GLGP ordinance and expansion of PASA purview First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Furthering its efforts to crack down on crime, the state government plans to take up the Gujarat Goonda and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act and pass the ordinance on Wednesday. Tuesday’s announcement follows close on the heels of the state’s expansion of the purview of the Prevention of Anti Social Activities Act (PASA) Act last Saturday and the ordinance for the Gujarat Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act earlier in the week.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the new ordinance will help the state government tight-

—FILE PHOTO

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

en its grip on law and order, and ensure that anti-social elements face seven to ten years in jail and pay a fine of Rs50,000 if convicted under the Goonda Act. The District Executive Magistrate will be empowered to attach properties of the antisocial elements if the properties in question are bought or used for their offences.

The Goonda Act is expected to cover the ille-

gal alcohol trade, gambling, the sale of banned substances like drugs, kidnapping, and the transport and sale of illegal weapons. Witnesses in these offences will be provided government protection and secrecy will be maintained.

Government officials and public servants found abetting such people will face a prison term of no less than three years

but no more than 10 years. The chief minister has also made provisions in the ordinance for six months’ imprisonment without penalty and a fine of Rs10,000 for any act committed by thugs or goondas in violation of the Act. Prior permission is required from the concerned Range Inspector General or Police Commissioner before registering

such offences under the aforesaid Act. Goondas here are defined as those who threaten and bully people individually or in groups or those who engage in the destruction of public property. Such people will be punished under this law.

Special courts will be formed in order to deal with cases related to such cases to provide justice to the people in a speedy manner. Provisions for the same have been made already. Provisions have also been made to conduct hearings of such cases in other courts, apart from the designated courts.

Pending cases related to all the aforesaid offences will directly fall under the jurisdiction of the special courts formed for the same. The cases can also be transferred from one special court to the other, if required, a formal statement from the state government said.

the prevalence of rampant unemployment among youths.

They demanded recruitment from the government and have continued to address the issue through online platforms despite the novel coronavirus pandemic. On top of that, the badly implemented lockdown due to the ongoing health crisis cost lakhs of people their jobs and are now running out of money. It is a question of survival now,” asserted the leader.

The state unit of the Congress party launched a ‘Rozgar Do’ campaign to address the burning issue of unemployment. Addressing the media at the event, Krishna Allavaru, Joint Secretary of the Indian National Congress (INC) said,

“As the former party president, Rahul Gandhi had warned of an economic tsunami if the government doesn’t act. He had said that in February and the tsunami is now here.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe, but the Indian economy has been affected worst by it. Most of the countries are slowly recovering and showing improvement in the daily number of cases.

On the contrary, India is setting a new record in the number of cases every day.

Due to a lack of efficiency on part of the government, the people are struggling and being forced to bear the brunt of the economic mess,” stated Allavaru.

CONG MLA SEEKING RELIEF FOR FARMERS DETAINED

A farmer harvesting sugarcane at a field.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in many parts of the state and created flood-like situations. The incessant downpour has also damaged crops on thousands of acres of land, which has compelled farmers to seek compensation from the government.

Lending his support to the farmers’ cause, Congress Dhoraji MLA Lalit Vasoya was to stage a protest on the premises of the Rajkot deputy collector’s office on

Tuesday, but was detained by the police before he could reach the venue.

Meanwhile, leader of the opposition Paresh Dhanani has written to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani asking him to provide financial help to farmers on a priority basis. “There are many districts in the state where life has been disrupted due to heavy deluge of water. Around 190 people and more than 600 animals have been killed so far. The newly introduced Kisan Sahay Yojna has been put together in such a manner so as to ensure that the

—FILE PHOTO

government does not need to pay any compensation to farmers. Most of the points in the scheme do not make sense and are illogical.”

He added, “If the government really wants to help the farmers then a fresh survey on crop damage must be initiated as per the 2016 manual. We believe that around farmers have recorded losses to the tune of Rs25,000 crore due to heavy showers this year.

They need immediate action from the government in the form of compensation.”

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

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Is the state health dept manipulating nCoV data?

With 1,301 new cases and 14 fatalities, state’s tally is now 97,736 cases, with a death toll of 3,036 First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Discrepancies in the data shared by the state health department and that coming from the ground have raised questions on the veracity of the state’s data. For instance, Rajkot-based dailies have been reporting 15-20 COVID-19 deaths every day for the past few days. However, the state health bulletin does not reflect these numbers.

On Tuesday, Rajkotbased dailies reported 21 deaths. Of these, 19 reportedly occurred in the Civil Hospital and two in private hospitals.

The state health bulletin states that Rajkot had zero deaths. Similarly, in Ahmedabad, local reports say that some 110 migrant workers have tested positive at PSP Construction alone. A

HC TO UNLOCK

The state says it tested more than 78,000 samples for COVID-19 in 24 hours.

statement from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation says that one PSP construction site, at Thaltej, and the labour colony behind the GMDC Ground in Bodakdev have been declared as micro-containment zones. However, it does not mention how many of the roughly 300 la-

City Cong demands white paper on 3 years of road work

bourers at each of these sites have been infected by the Sars-CoV-2 virus.

A senior AMC officer—who asked not to be named for fear of professional blowback—told First India that, on average, 40-50 cases are reported every day from each zone. Given that there are eight zones in

—FILE PHOTO

Ahmedabad city, the official bulletins should show 320-400 confirmed cases on a daily basis.

However, the AMC and the state have both been reporting daily numbers in the 140-180 range.

Meanwhile, JP Modh, joint-secretary in the chief minister’s office and his family have test-

ed positive for COVID-19.

This is not likely to affect the CMO since Modh has been on leave for the more than a month.

Gujarat on Tuesday reported 14 deaths and a record high of 1,310 new cases. It conducted 78,070 tests in 24 hours. There are now 15,796 active cases in the state.

SMC receives `34 cr in advance property tax First India Bureau Surat: The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) in its drive to enforce COVID-19 protocols shut as many as 3,000 shops, and fined two diamond units and 217 persons, collecting a total of Rs1.6 lakh in fines in one day. The raids come on the same day that the local civic body announced that it had received Rs34 crore in advance property tax.

The sealed shops included as many as 2,607 grocers, seven paan and tobacco stores and 1,601 street vendors selling vegetables and other items.

The team also fined two diamond units in the Katargam area for not wearing masks and failing to keep regular details of the temperature of artisans.

The high advance property tax collection comes after the city announced a rebate of up to 30% for

The recent rains have left several of the city’s roads in disrepair. —FILE PHOTO

kh, and MLA Imran Khedawala.

“The ruling party must issue all the details regarding road work, including road resurfacing, from 2017.

What is the guarantee period of roads in Ahmedabad?” the letter also asked.

The Congress party also accused the AMC of trying to pass the buck by blaming the Metro authority for the bad shape of roads in Ahmedabad.

12 officers asked to vacate government quarters for allegedly stealing electricity First India Bureau Amreli: The Amreli superintendent of police has ordered 12 police officials to vacate their government quarters within two days of receiving the order, after allegations of electrical power theft against them surfaced. The

personnel involved in the power theft include two assistant sub-inspectors, two women constables and eight male constables.

In a press statement, Superintendent of Police (SP) Nirlipt Rai said that his office had received information about police personnel

Surat-based Roma Patel has been making idols of Lord Ganesha out of chocolate for the past four years 

Surat: A walk on the beach four years ago led to an epiphany for Surat-based chocolatier Roma Patel, who has since been making Ganpati idols out of chocolate. Even better, at the end of the festivities, these idols are immersed in milk and given to underprivileged chil-

those who paid the tax before August 31.

Under the scheme, those paying via digital transaction were to get a 2% discount, while senior citizens could claim an additional rebate of 10%.

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Tuesday said that it had recovered Rs 34 crore in a single day on Monday and Rs 128 crore over the past five days.

Many city residents have requested the

—FILE PHOTO

SMC to extend the deadline for the payment of advance property tax in light of the COVID-19 situation.

Official sources said that since April this year, 4.04 lakh property owners have paid a total of Rs444 crore in advance tax.

In the current fiscal, the civic body is expected to earn revenues of more than Rs 1,385 crore because of the relief provided in advance tax charges.

JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) aspirants maintain social distance as they patiently wait for security personnel to check their temperature before letting them into an exam centre in Ahmedabad’s Bopal area on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

getting an illegal power connection for the government accommodation allotted to them.

Furthermore, a team of officers carried out searches in the government residences of the accused officials and found that 12 of the homes had an illegal power connection.

According to sources at the state Roads and Buildings department, “Electrical power theft is an offence in the state. The power distribution companies involved will have to file complaints and recover charges based on past bills and even levy penalties.”

Food for the soul: Chocolate Ganpati’s yummy prasad First India Bureau

Surat Municipal Corporation.

Monks accused of sharing videos of female monks going to the toilet

MOVING FORWARD, CAREFULLY

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Congress party on Tuesday demanded a white paper on the road work carried out by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation— which is run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It has also submitted a memorandum to Mayor Bijal Patel on the issue.

In its letter, the opposition party said that the BJP-run civic body has failed to provide even basic amenities despite receiving thousands of rupees as taxes from its citizens.

“We are demanding an inquiry into the matter of damaged roads.

We also want a white paper from the ruling party regarding the road work conducted in the last three years,” stated the letter jointly signed by city president Shashikant Patel, leader of opposition Dinesh Sharma, MLA Gyasuddin Shai-

03

dren as prasad.

“About four years ago, I was taking a walk on Dumas beach when I noticed how many idols of Lord Ganesha had washed up on the shore after they were immersed in the sea.

This led me to start making environmentfriendly Ganpatis out of chocolate at home,” she told First India.

While she was con-

Roma Pate and her family members immersed the two-foot-high, 14kg Ganpati in 60 litres of milk and then gave that to local kids.

scious about the detrimental effects more traditional plaster of Paris idols had on the environment, Patel was also well aware of the religious aspects of the festival and did not want to dilute that.

“Since the whole idol is edible, I just let the idol dissolve in milk and then distribute that chocolate milk among unprivileged children as Bappa’s prasad,” she said.

This year, Patel’s Bappa—made of

pure dark chocolate—weighed in at a whopping 14kg and stood two feet tall.

He was immersed in 60 litres of milk, which was then distributed to unprivileged children.

“For many of these kids, this Bappa’s prasad of chocolate milk is a once-a-year treat. I intend to continue this tradition for as long as possible, since the prasad spreads smiles and fills the stomachs of so many little Ganeshas,” she added.

The female monks of the Gadhada Swaminarayan temple who made the accusation.

First India Bureau Botad: The Gadhada Swaminarayan temple is in the news for wrong reasons once again. According to female monks of the temple, CCTV footage of them going to the toilet has been allegedly circulated online. Despite repeated attempts to lodge a complaint against the male monks, none of the local police stations have heeded their pleas. Therefore, the female monks have decided to take matters in their own hands and approach the state and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Women (NCW).

According to local sources, this latest controversy to emerge from the temple is the result of internal politics. Apparently, two groups

namely Acharya and Devpaksh are locked in a conflict to take the control of the temple management.

On the condition of anonymity, a female monk of the temple said, “On the night of

CCTV footage reportedly leaked online, police yet to file a complaint August 23, I was attending to my ablutions which was unfortunately captured by the CCTV camera installed near the Motiba Nu Mandir in the Swaminarayan temple complex.”

She alleged, “The footage has been circulated by the temple trust chairman Harjivan Swami, treasurer Laxminarayan Swami and their associate Vipul Bhagat. I requested the Gadhada police station to register complaints against the chairman and treasurer, but they have not filed one till now.”

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

HE DESERVED TO BE PM BUT DESTINY PLAYED SPOILSPORT

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370 WAS NOT A BRIDGE BUT A WALL THAT HAD TO BE DEMOLISHED

F

ew people would recall that sometime in the early eighties several senior ministers in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet, who were jealous of Pranab Mukherjee’s meteoric rise and proximity with the prime minister, put pressure on Mrs. Gandhi to send him to Uttar Pradesh as Governor. Indira Gandhi, who was fond of Pranab, settled the issue in her own inimitable way. In one of her cabinet meetings she said that she would have certainly sent Pranab to UP but language was an issue as the official work in UP was done in Hindi “and Pranab’s Hindi was horrendous”. He was Mrs G’s protégé after all!

Pranab Mukherjee, or Pranab da as he was popularly known, came to Delhi from the Mirati village in Birbhum district of West Bengal, strode India’s political firmament like a colossus, negotiating contradictions in politics with finesse. A manager par excellence, he traversed political, communal, secular, socialist, corporate and capitalist corridors with aplomb to make his way up the political ladder. Few leaders in the post-Independent India have managed such varied groups so cohesively and effortlessly. No wonder, he had as many friends in the opposition parties as he had in his own, the Congress. Probably that is why he was the most sought after man in his party for trouble-shooting especially when it came to Mamata Banerjee.

Pranab Mukherjee was India’s finance minister, defence minister, external affairs minister and home minister and served under three prime ministers---Indira Gandhi, Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh--- and was eminently qualified for the post of prime minister but that was not to be. It was like the witch telling Banquo in Macbeth, “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” After Indira Gandhi’s assassination he fell out with Rajiv Gandhi and was dropped from the cabinet in 1984.

From being a favourite of Indira Gandhi to a trust deficit between him and Sonia Gandhi who chose Manmohan Singh as prime minister bypassing Pranab Mukherjee. Independent-minded that he was, Pranab Mukherjee couldn’t fit into Sonia Gandhi’s scheme of things either as prime minister or as home minister. It was humiliating for the Bengali Brahmin and a seasoned politician to be addressing Manmohan Singh, whom he had appointed as Reserve Bank of India’s governor, as “Mr. Prime Minister Sir”. Mukherjee had the last laugh when Manmohan had to address him as ‘Mr. President Sir’ towards the end of UPA-2.

Mukherjee was an astute politician. Indira Gandhi would leave it to him to prevail over PV Narasimha Rao and R. Venkataraman on tricky issues in her absence. He had an elephantine memory and could recall file noting he made years ago.

He could recite the entire Chandi Path and other Sanskrit shlokas with ease.

Rest in peace, Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjee!

BRIG VETERAN ANIL GUPTA The author is a Jammu based veteran, political commentator, columnist, security and strategic analyst

T The Constitution of J&K formulated by the hand-chosen faithful of Sheikh Abdullah added Sections 6,7, 8 which further alienated the people of Jammu since it divided the citizens of India into permanent and non- permanent residents with the later denied basic fundamental rights available to all Indian citizens in rest of the country

he status quo lobby is once again raising the bogey of Article 370 being the bridge between Delhi and Srinagar which kept the accession alive. Some claim that 370 was given to them for acceding to India and some claim that it was meant to protect the Kashmiri identity. Nothing can be farther from the truth than this narrative spun from the idea of exclusivity that kept Kashmir aloof from rest of the nation preventing its complete integration with India, asserted Brig Veteran Anil Gupta, Spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party. 370 was never a bridge but a wall that isolated J&K from rest of the nation. Divisive Article 370 was responsible for the discriminatory Article 35A which made the wall further impregnable thus paving way for a ‘nation within a nation’.

While the Instrument of Accession signed by the then ruler Maharaja Hari Singh was full and final, the mainstream politicians in Kashmir kept ques-

tioning the state’s merger with the Republic of India claiming the special status granted to the then state by Article 370. Their intent became very clear when the Jammu region was allotted 30 seats as compared to Kashmir’s 45 seats in the Constituent Assembly. Subsequently, the nomination papers filed by the members of Praja Parishad, a political party representing the voice of the people of Jammu and demanding state’s complete integration with India were rejected on flimsy grounds and National Conference led by Sheikh Abdullah winning all 75 seats uncontested. This was the first major misuse of 370, the subsequent list of which is endless and was responsible for creating distrust between Kashmir and the other two regions of the state stated Brig Gupta.

The Constitution of J&K formulated by the hand-chosen faithful of Sheikh Abdullah added Sections 6,7, 8 which further alienated the people of Jammu since it divided the citizens of India into permanent and nonpermanent residents with the later denied basic fundamental rights available to all Indian citizens in the rest of the country. This firewalled the state’s complete integration with the country. The nationalist voices in the

The ill-effects of 370 and its misuse by the mainstream Kashmiri politicians have been very eloquently exposed by none other than the Chief Secretary who minced no words while talking of rampant institutionalised corruption

country led by Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee launched the struggle for the abrogation of these Articles which finally saw the light of the day on 05 August 2019. It was only after the demolition of the wall created by these two articles that one could proudly claim that all barriers preventing the full integration were dismantled asserted Brig Gupta.

The ill-effects of 370 and its misuse by the mainstream Kashmiri politicians have been very eloquently exposed by none other than the Chief Secretary who minced no words while talking of rampant institutionalised corruption. The

HOW MOUNTAINEERING HAS LEFT LANDSCAPES LITTERED AND DEGRADED

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s a historian of mountains in Europe, I have been struck by the environmental questions raised by the pandemic.

Early in lockdown, news outlets declared that Mount Everest, long wornout by queues and litter and human refuse, would finally have a chance to recover as the climbing season was cancelled.

Everest, and other mountain locations that saw restrictions imposed, sorely needed this moment of respite from the erosion, noise pollution, trampled flora and disrupted fauna that comes with climbing tourism.

As the world shut down, global carbon emissions

also dropped radically.

Hunting for positives in the early days of lockdown, people wondered whether the pandemic could produce answers to the environmental crisis.

But since restrictions eased, there has been depressing news. Revisited beauty spots have been scattered with litter.

With social distancing ongoing, the carbon emissions saved in lockdown are expected to be exceeded by pollution from individual car journeys – including long drives to faraway mountains. Inevitably, Mount Everest is about to reopen for the autumn climbing season.

Observing all this, I wonder whether my research into mountains might help explain how

we engage with the environment today – and even offer alternatives.

Looking to the future for mountains involves asking difficult questions. Answers

will need to include restrictions to protect wild landscapes – such as limiting the numbers on Mount Everest – and more robust governmental action for the envi-

ronment in general.

But it seems to me that we also need to put our choices as individuals up for question.

Over the past months, we

have all given up personal freedoms for a greater good.

If you love mountains, especially in the sense of wanting to place your own boots on their summits, what freedoms are you willing to give up to preserve them? The same goes for the wider outdoor environment. Are you prepared to help limit footfall in these places, and the carbon emissions needed to reach them?

The answer may be different for each person, but we need to reflect that not all our pursuits are essential to the enjoyment of the outdoors. Some of them are created by a culture with an increasingly unhealthy relationship with the environment.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

reaction of the political parties was on expected lines but no amount of justification by them can absolve them of their indulgence and patronising corruption. The alibi that the three decades of terrorism was responsible for lack of financial control is like adding salt to the wounds because of the huge amount of funds that poured in for development and countering terrorism demanded greater fiscal prudence and tighter financial control stated Brig Gupta.

Now that the administration has identified those who were responsible for the present mess, it is incumbent on it to take the strictest possible action against them.

While the net is being tightened on the small fish, many big fish who ruled the state are still roaming free and polluting the environment which the administration desires to clean. The disease is also rampant among the top echelons of administration.

Brig Gupta demanded immediate action against those involved in various scams during the NC-Congress regime of 2008-14, JKCA scam, Roshni Scam and other land grabbers to show that the administration is willing to walk the talk.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp A towering statesman, a scholar par-excellence, an astute academic,Pranab da left many a lasting impression on many of us. A sea of knowledge, Pranab babu could recite sanskrit shlokas and deliberate on parliamentary procedures with equal aplomb.

K C Venugopal @kcvenugopalmp For the first time in 40 years India is facing a catastrophic contraction of its economy. It is not an act of God, it is not due to global volatility. The only cause is an incompetent govt & its systematic attack on our economic foundation.

-23.9% is Modi ji’s legacy.

Spiritual SPEAK

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.

—Proverbs 11:30

Vol 1 Issue No. 277 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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

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NATION BIDS TEARFUL ADIEU TO PRANAB MUKHERJEE The former President was taken for the last rites in a hearse van instead of the gun carriage with the pall- bearers wearing personal protect equipment (PPE) kits as per the Covid-19 protocol

New Delhi: Former President and Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjee’s last rites were performed with full military honour at the Lodhi Road crematorium in south Delhi on Tuesday amid strict adherence to social distancing norms because of the raging Covid-19 outbreak that forced a limited presence of family and his friends.

The former President (84) died on Monday evening, 22 days after has admitted to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in south Delhi to undergo a surgical procedure to remove a brain clot from which he never recovered.

Mukherjee’s mortal remains were brought to his residence at 10, Rajaji Marg earlier on Tuesday morning, where President Kovind, PM Modi, V-P M Venkaiah Naidu, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, LS Speaker Om Birla, former PM Manmohan Singh, BJP president JP Nadda, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Delhi CM Kejriwal chiefs of three services paid their tribute.

Irreparable loss for Dr Kafeel Khan the country: Shah cleared of NSA charges: Priyanka

Abhijit Mukherjee, son of late Pranab Mukherjee, pays respects during the funeral of the former president, at Lodhi Road cremation ground in New Delhi, Tuesday, —PHOTOS BY PTI

President Ram Nath Kovind pays his last respects to former President Pranab Mukherjee at his residence, 10 Rajaji Marg in New Delhi on Tuesday.

UNION CABINET’S TRIBUTE The Union Cabinet observed a two-minute silence in memory of Mukherjee, who had served as the Union minister for finance, defence and external affairs during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA) rule between 2004 and 2014, among his other portfolios and roles in his long and distinguished career in public life. “The cabinet expresses profound sorrow at the sad demise of Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India. In his passing away, the country has lost a distinguished leader and an outstanding parliamentarian,” the Cabinet said in a resolution.

Ruining of economy began with demonetisation: RaGa New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Centre over the GDP slump, with former party chief Rahul Gandhi alleging that the “ruining” of the economy began with demonetisation and the government thereafter introduced one “erroneous” policy after another.

The country’s economy suffered its worst slump on record in April-June, with the gross domestic product (GDP) contracting by 23.9 per cent as the coronavirus-related lockdown weighed on the already declining consumer demand and investment. “GDP -23.9.

The ruining of the country’s economy began with demonetisation. Since then, the government introduced

Rahul Gandhi

one erroneous policy after another,” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also alleged that the government was responsible for the slump in the economy.

Rahul had spoken of an ‘economic tsunami’ six months ago, while government announced a package just for ‘show’ and look at the condition now, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted. —PTI

DELHI HC HOLDS PHYSICAL COURTS AFTER 5-MONTH GAP New Delhi: The legal fraternity gave a mixed response to the commencement of physical hearings by the Delhi HC on Tuesday, after a gap of more than five months, with several lawyers asking the court that their matters be heard via video conferencing. The high court has been conducting hearings through

video conferencing since March 24 to contain the spread of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Two division benches, one of CJ D N Patel & Justice Prateek Jalan and other of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar & three single judges Justices Jayant Nath, V K Rao & Yogesh Khanna held physical hearing.

Demand answers for family: Raina New Delhi: Former India cricketer Suresh Raina, who pulled out of IPL citing personal reasons, demanded a thorough probe into the violent attack on his aunt’s family in Punjab, revealing that after his uncle, his cousin has also died.

The 33-year-old returned to country last week from UAE, where the league will begin on September 19.

In his first statement, Raina, said, “What happened to my family is (sic) Punjab was beyond horrible. My uncle was slaughtered to death, my bua & both my cousins had sever (sic) injuries. Unfortunately my cousin also passed away last night after battling for life for days. My bua is still very very critical & is on life support.”

New Delhi: Expressing condolences over the death of former President Pranab Mukherjee, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that it is an irreparable loss for the country.

The Minister said that Mukherjee had mastery in the art of keeping everyone together. “It is shocking that Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjee is no more. He worked in Indian politics for several decades. Whether he was in the government or in Opposition, his speeches gave good debates to the country,” he said.

“Pranab Mukherjee had mastery in the art of keeping everyone together. When in power, he always struck a balance with those in Opposition. When in Opposition, he never stepped away from playing a constructive role,” he said.

Recalling the former President’s role in Indian politics, Shah said that Mukherjee is a

Amit Shah

source of inspiration for youth who want to join politics.

“When he became President, he added to the prestige of the post.

He took a big decision of opening the doors of Rashtrapati Bhavan for people.

He always raised India’s pride. It is an irreparable loss for the country. Those who want to join politics, if they want to learn how to work being non-controversial they should look at Mukherjee’s life,” he said.

Mukherjee, 84, passed away on Monday. The country is observing a seven-day state mourning following the demise of Mukherjee. —ANI

New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court Tuesday dismissed charges filed against Dr Kafeel Khan under the National Security Act (NSA) and ordered his immediate release. Khan has been lodged at the Mathura jail in Uttar Pradesh since January 29, 2020.

The bench, headed

by Chief Justice Govind Mathur and comprising Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh, was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Khan’s mother Nuzhat Parveen, who sought his release on grounds that he had been detained illegally.

In her petition, Parveen said her son had been granted bail in February, but the NSA was invoked against him before he could be released.

Parveen said he was

IN THE COURTYARD

Delhi violence: Statutory bail plea of Gulfisha rejected New Delhi: A Delhi court has rejected statutory bail plea of Gulfisha Fatima, who was arrested in connection with a case related to the violence which took place in northeast Delhi in February this year.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat dismissed Fatima’s statutory bail plea saying that it was “without merit”. Fatima had sought statutory bail on the ground that the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, which was probing the matter, had not filed a chargesheet within the stipulated time period. She has also challenged a trail court

order dated June 29 which extended the period for the completion of investigation in the matter till August 29.

She was arrested on April 11 & currently under judicial custody.

On March 6, the Crime Branch had registered an FIR under several sections of IPC regarding a criminal conspiracy to cause communal riots. —ANI

DELHI HC ADJOURNS TO SEPT 7 HEARING ON MEHUL CHOKSI’S PLEA New Delhi: Delhi HC adjourned for September 7 hearing on a plea filed by diamantaire Mehul Choksi, who is accused in the PNB scam, seeking prescreening of a documentary titled “Bad Boy Billionaires”.

A division bench of CJ DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan listed plea for September 7.

Earlier, a singlejudge bench of Justice Naveen Chawla, while refusing to grant him a preview, had said that there are no regulations to control the content on the OTT media service, and asked him to approach the

—ANI

SENSEX SURGES 400 PTS IN EARLY TRADE; NIFTY TOPS 11,500 Mumbai: The BSE benchmark Sensex jumped nearly 400 points in early trade tracking gains in index majors Kotak Bank, HDFC twins and ICICI Bank amid mixed cues from global markets.

After opening on a choppy note, the BSE Sensex was trading 399.53 points or 1.03% higher at 39,027.82; while the NSE Nifty was up 116.70 points or 1.02% at 11,504.20. IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, surging around 4%, followed by NTPC, Tata Steel, Bajaj Finance, SBI, Asian Paints, M&M, Kotak Bank.

WOMAN IPS OFFICER TO HEAD SRINAGAR SECTOR FOR CRPF New Delhi: For the first time, a female IPS officer has been appointed as Inspector General (IG) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Srinagar sector, one of the terrorist-affected areas in Jammu and Kashmir.Charu Sinha, IPS officer of the 1996-batch Telangana cadre, will now be heading the Srinagar sector

for CRPF as the Inspector General. This is not the first time when she has been assigned such a tough task, earlier also, she had worked as IG, the Bihar sector in CRPF and has dealt with Naxals.

Under her leadership, various anti-Naxals operations were carried out.

Later, she was transferred to IG Jammu in CRPF.

appropriate forum or file a civil suit in the matter.

The documentary, scheduled for release on Netflix on September 2, is said to be based on the rise and fall of India’s most infamous billionaires including Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi other business tycoons accused in several alleged scams. —ANI

PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA @PRIYANKAGANDHI The Allahabad High Court today ordered the removal of NSA and immediate release of Dr Kafeel Khan. It is expected that the UP government will release Dr. Kafeel Khan without any malice. not released for four days after he was given bail, therefore making his detention illegal.

Khan was accused of delivering a provocative speech at the Aligarh Muslim Universit on December 10, 2019 during the anti CAA protests.

In mid-August, the UP government extended Khan’s detention by another three months. —Agencies

Bihar: 500 kg cannabis seized by NCB Patna: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Patna Zonal Unit has arrested five persons and seized over 500 kilograms of cannabis from their possession in Bihar.

The accused have been identified as Amit Kumar, Sanjay Chauhan, Manoj Ray, Saistanand and Bipin Ray. “Acting on specific information, NCB Zonal Unit Patna on August 30, seized 589.4 kgs of Ganja from Zero mile, Patna, Bihar from a container truck having to conceal the contraband. Amit Kumar, who was driving the said container truck, was arrested along with seized Ganja. Also arrested Sanjay Chauhan sitting in the same truck as a helper. at Didarganj toll plaza, Patna in the early hours of August 31,” NCB said.” —ANI

ODISHA: KONARK SUN TEMPLE RE-OPENS FOR TOURISTS Puri: The Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha reopened on Tuesday for visitors after more than five months due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The Konark Temple is a world famous tourist attraction. Though other monuments protected by the ASI in Odisha, like the Raja Rani temple, Udaygiri, Khandagiri, Lalitgiri Buddhist monuments were re-opened earlier, the Konark temple received visitors only today, Superintending Officer of ASI, Arun Kumar Mallick said. Mallik said visitors are allowed entry to the temple following all norms.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

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India’s recovery rate nears 76.94% COVID-19 tally mounted to 36,91,166, while recoveries surged to 28,39,882, according to Ministry data

06

POWER Gallery REVIEW OF 1992 BATCH IAS FINAL?

Review of 1992 batch IAS officers for empanelment to the rank of Additional Secretary in Government of India is believed to have been finalised. Result is awaited.

CHALLA SREENIVASULU SETTY IN RESERVE LIST OF SBI CHAIRMAN

Tourists undergo thermal screening as they visit Itimadud-Daulah, at Fatehpur Sikri in Agra on Tuesday.

‘56 percent of new cases in 24 hrs from Maha, Andhra, K’taka, TN, UP’ People wearing masks walk past a graffiti depicting the corona warriors, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, in New Delhi on Saturday.

New Delhi: With 69,921 people testing positive for coronavirus infection on Tuesday, India's COVID-19 tally mounted to 36,91,166, while recoveries surged to 28,39,882, pushing the recovery rate to 76.94 per cent, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The death toll, meanwhile, climbed to 65,288 with 819 new fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined further and now stands at 1.77 per cent.

There are 7,85,996 active cases which consti-

NEXT ROUND OF SERO-SURVEY BEGINS

T

tutes 21.29 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 and went past 30 lakh on Au-

SSR case: CBI starts questioning Rhea’s parents

Keshav, chef of late Bollywood actor SSR, arrives at DRDO guest house for questioning by the CBI, in Mumbai, Tuesday.

Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty's parents were seen arriving at the DRDO guest house today for questioning by the CBI in connection with the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, a police official said. This is the first time that Rhea Chakraborty's parents are being questioned by the CBI in the SSR case.

Both of Chakraborty's parents have been named in the FIR filed in Patna by Mr Rajput's father accusing them of

mentally harassing his son, taking money from him and playing a role in his death.

While Chakraborty and her brother have not been called for questioning so far today, Mr Rajput's assistant Neeraj Singh, his flatmate Siddharth Pithani, cook Keshav and former manager Shruti Modi have all arrived at the guest house in suburban Mumbai's Kalina for further questioning on day 12 of the CBI investigation. —PTI

gust 23.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative 4,33,24,834 samples have been tested up to August 31, 10,16,920 of them on Monday.

Maha govt cancels e-pass for inter-district Mumbai: Maharashtra government has cancelled the e-pass requirement for inter-district travel from September 2.

“No e-pass will be required for inter-district movement in Maharashtra from September 2,” said State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in a video message on August 31. The State has also allowed passenger movement by private bus, mini bus and other operators.

Of the 819 fresh deaths, 184 were reported from Maharashtra, 113 from Karnataka, 91 from Tamil Nadu, 85 from Andhra Pradesh, 63 from Uttar Pradesh, 52 from West Bengal, 49 from Punjab, 20 from Madhya Pradesh, 18 from Delhi, 14 from Gujarat, 13 from Rajasthan, 12 from Uttarakhand, and 10 each from Assam, Odisha and Tripura.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR,” the ministry said on its website, adding the state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

New Delhi: Five states — Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh — have accounted for over half of the total COVID-19 cases and close to 60 per cent of the recoveries reported in the last 24 hours, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.

Cumulatively, these five states reported 536 deaths in a day which is over 65 per cent of the total fatalities. India reported 69,921 new instances of coronavirus infection in 24 hours taking the country’s tally of cases to 36,91,166. The

death toll mounted to 65,288 with 819 more fatalities being reported during the same period, the official data updated on Tuesday 8 am showed.

In these 24 hours, Maha reported 11,852 new coronavirus infections, Andhra Pradesh 10,004, Karnataka 6,495, TN 5,956 and UP 4,782. These five states have also reported the maximum number of patients that were cured and discharged in 24 hours, cumulatively accounting for 58.04 per cent of the total 65,081 people who have recovered during the period across the country. —PTI

‘More spl trains being planned’ New Delhi: To ease passenger movement in high-demand areas, the Railways will run more special trains apart from the 230 plying currently, for which consent has been sought from state governments, an official said.

The Railway ministry spokesperson, however, did not say how many trains will be added to the network.

Currently, all regular passenger services are suspended due to the coronavirus crisis.

Sources said the an-

GOYAL REVIEWS PROGRESS OF DFCCIL

IPS OFFICER GOES ON INTERCADRE DEPUTATION

Madhya Pradesh cadre 2006 batch IPS officer Himani Khanna is going on inter-cadre deputation for three years to Chhattisgarh.

DR KSHTRAPATI SHIVAJI IS ALSO SECRETARY, STATISTICS

Dr Kshtrapati Shivaji has been assigned an additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation till the appointment of a regular incumbent.

NRA TO HAVE 10 MEMBERS

The govt has announced the structure of the National Recruitment Agency(NRA). It will be a 10 officers body, Chairman and nine Members. Secretary, DoPT or his representative, Representative of Railway Ministry, Representative of Deptt of Financial Services, Chairman of SSC, RRB,IBPS, Two experts from the field of Academics and Secretary &Controller of Examination will be the Member Secretary of NRA. According to govt order, the Chairman of the NRA will be of the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, to be appointed by the Govt.

Secretary and Controller of Examinations shall be of the level of Joint Secretary to the Government of India, to be appointed on deputation basis.

SHAMBHU KUMARAN IS ALSO AMBASSADOR TO REPUBLIC OF PALAU

Shambhu S Kumaran has been concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Palau.

DDA DEPUTATION TENURE OF DR. KUMAR EXTENDED

The Prasar Bharti Secretariat has extended the tenure of Dr Sanjay Kumar, DDA in DG, DD office, to one year till August 21 next year. He is from JNU. SPEAKER RETIRES TWO JDS OF LS & RELIEVED

nouncement for the new trains will be made in a couple of days.

“More special trains

are being planned. State governments are being consulted,” the railway spokesperson said.—PTI

‘27% more rainfall than normal in Aug’ New Delhi: The country received 27 per cent more rainfall than normal in August, the fourth highest amount in the last 120 years, the IMD said.

The overall rainfall recorded in India from June 1 to August 31 was 10 per cent more than normal, the IMD said on Monday. The official rainfall season in the

Game in SBI is not over. After suggesting Dinesh Kumar Khara’s name for the SBI Chairman, the Banks Board Bureau, has kept Challa Sreenivasulu Setty’s name in the waitlist. It means that in case of any eventualities, the Bank Bureau is ready with second in command. Is this is a procedural protocol to avoid hasty hunting for the right candidate in case of untoward incidents. Top sources, however, said that never in the past the BBB announced the name of the selected candidate for Chairman’s post.

Students are being shifted to Jajpur town using a boat.

country is from June 1 to September 30.

“August has recorded

27 per cent more rainfall than normal,” RK Jenamani, scientist

tives,” he said.

“We have taken up the matter of recent provocative and aggressive actions with the Chinese side through both diplomatic and military channels and have urged them to discipline and control their frontline troops from undertaking such provocative actions,” he added.

southern bank of Pangong lake, Indian Army sources said.

“On the night of August 29/30, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo,” said Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand in a statement on Monday. —ANI

with IMD's national weather forecasting centre, said. In its forecast for August last month, the IMD had predicted rainfall of 97 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) with an error margin of plus or minus 9 per cent.

Monsoon in the range of 96-104 per cent of the LPA is considered normal. —PTI

Om Birla, Speaker, Lok Sabha has retired two Join Directors, Translation, in public interest and relieved them on August 31,2020. According to Notification the action against Pranav Kumar and Smt Kaveri Jeswal have been taken by exercising the power conferred by clause(j) of Rule 56 of FR with Rule 9 of the Lok Sabha Secretariat (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules 1955.

R K MAHAJAN IS CHAIRMAN, BIHAR PSC SOON AFTER RETIREMENT

R K Mahajan has been appointed Chairman, Bihar Public Service Commission after his retirement on September 1, 2020. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

RAJIV KUMAR TAKES OVER AS NEW ELECTION COMMISSIONER

Rajiv Kumar, Chairman PESB, has assumed charge as the new Election Commissioner (EC) of India. He is a 1984 batch retired IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Some respite... a farmer living in Chamardi village of Babra, destroyed his cotton crop planted across 25 bighas (approx. 40,475 sq.m) due to rain on Tuesday.

Three people, including two youths and a minor, drowned in Botad district, and two youths drowned in a check dam near Rajula.

Loan moratorium...

“I am saying with a great sense of responsibility.

Harish Salve also spoke with the bankers association. Most of the issues are addressed,” the Solicitor General said.

“We have also to hear the interest in interest part also,” said Justice MR Shah, one of the judges in the three-judge bench hearing the matter.

While Tiwari in his plea sought directions to extend the moratorium period to help borrowers in deferring their EMI payment on term loans amid the pandemic, Sharma’s plea sought directions for waiver of interest on the loan repayment during the moratorium. —ANI

China violated... measures along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and

defend the territorial integrity,” he said in response to a media query on the issue.

The MEA spokesperson further said the actions and behaviour of the Chinese side since earlier this year along the LAC have been in “clear violation” of the bilateral agreements and protocols concluded between the two countries to ensure peace and tranquility on the border.

“Such actions are also in complete disregard to the understandings reached between the two foreign ministers as also the Special Representa-

NSA Doval...

Meanwhile, the meeting of brigade commander of the Indian Army with his Chinese counterpart is underway in Chushul/Moldo to discuss issues related to the situation on the

SC grants... of telecom companies seeking 15 to 20 years for

the payment of AGR dues in a staggered manner was unreasonable.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by the Central government through the Department of Telecommunication seeking the approval of a formula allowing telecom service providers to make annual installments of unpaid or remaining AGR dues in next 20 years or more.

The plea said if the telecom companies face proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, it will have adverse impacts on competition and ser-

vice in the telecom sector.

The telecom companies, during the hearing, had also sought a period of 15-20 years for the repayment of AGR dues.

On February 14, the Supreme Court had directed telecom companies to pay the AGR-related liabilities to the government by March 17. Thereafter, the telecom companies had partly or fully paid their self-assessed AGR dues to the Central government.—ANI

India’s hard... of appeal to affected

people who are supportive of the right of the Centre ideology. I’m also aware that dozens of emails written to Facebook management received no response,” the letter says.

The letter comes in the wake of a controversy stoked by a report in the Wall Street Journal, alleging that Facebook showed a bias in not taking down content from the BJP supported pages or accounts that flouted norms and that its head of public policy in India, Ankhi Das, showed support for the BJP.

NEWS AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

COOPERATE

estimates, around 15,000 years ago, the population of Europe was only 29,000, and the population of the whole world was less than half a million. With

ALTRUISM AND EGALITARIANISM of the above, there seems little reason Iandntoview assume that traits such as racism, warfare male domination should have been selected

INDIVIDUALS WHO BEHAVED RUTHLESSLY WOULD BE LESS LIKELY TO SURVIVE SINCE THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN OSTRACISED FROM THEIR GROUPS

T

here has long been a general assumption that human beings are essentially selfish. We are apparently ruthless, with strong impulses to compete against each other for resources and to accumulate power and possessions.

If we are kind to one another, it’s usually because we have ulterior motives. If we are good, it’s only because we have managed to control and transcend our innate selfishness and brutality.

This bleak view of human nature is closely associated with the science writer Richard Dawkins, whose book The Selfish Gene became popular because it fitted so well with

(and helped to justify) the competitive and individualistic ethos of late 20th-century societies.

Like many others, Dawkins justifies his views with reference to the field of evolutionary psychology. Evolutionary psychology theorises that presentday human traits developed in prehistoric times, during what is

termed the “environment of evolutionary adaptedness”.

This is usually seen as a period of intense competition when life was a kind of Roman gladiatorial battle in which only the traits that gave people a survival advantage were selected and all others fell by the wayside.

And because people’s survival depended on

access to resources – think rivers, forests and animals – there was bound to be competition and conflict between rival groups, which led to the development of traits like racism and warfare.

This seems logical.

But in fact the assumption it’s based on – that prehistoric life was a desperate struggle for survival – is false.

by evolution – as they would have been of little benefit to us. Individuals who behaved selfishly and ruthlessly would be less likely to survive since they would have been ostracised from their groups. It makes more sense then to see traits such as cooperation, egalitarianism, altruism and peacefulness as natural to human beings. These were the traits that have been prevalent in human life for tens of thousands of years. Of course, you might argue that if this is the case, why do present-day humans often behave so selfishly and ruthlessly? Why are these negative traits so normal in many cultures? Perhaps though these traits should be seen as the result of environmental and psychological factors.

Research has shown repeatedly that when the natural habitats of primates are disrupted, they tend to become more violent and hierarchical. So it could well be that the same thing has has happened to us, since we gave up the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. In my book The Fall, I suggest that the end of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle and the advent of farming was connected to a psychological change that occurred in some groups. There was a new sense of individuality and separateness, which led a new selfishness, and ultimately to hierarchical societies, patriarchy and warfare.

such a small population densities, it seems unlikely that prehistoric hunter-gatherer groups had to compete against each other or had any need to develop ruth-

lessness and competitiveness or to go to war.

Indeed, many anthropologists now agree that war is a late development in human history, arising with the first agricultural settlements.

CONTEMPORARY EVIDENCE also significant evidence from conTin thehere’s temporary hunter-gatherer groups who live same way as prehistoric humans. One of

the striking things about such groups is their egalitarianism.

As the anthropologist Bruce Knauft has remarked, hunter-gatherers are characterised by “extreme political and sexual egalitarianism”.

Individuals in such groups don’t accumulate their own property and possessions. They have a moral obligation to share everything. They also have methods of preserving egalitarianism by ensuring that status differences don’t arise.

The !Kung of southern Africa, for example, swap arrows before going hunting and when an animal is killed, the credit does not go to the person who fired the arrow, but to the person who the arrow belongs to. And if a person becomes too domineering or arrogant, the other members of the group ostracise them.

Typically in such groups, men have no authority over women. Women usually choose their own marriage partners, decide what work they want to do and work whenever they choose to. And if a marriage breaks down, they have custody rights over their children.

Many anthropologists agree that such egalitarian societies were normal until a few thousand years ago when population growth led to the development of farming and a settled lifestyle.

DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

HARDWIRED TO

world was very sparsely populated. So it is likely there was an abundance of resources for hunter-gatherer groups.

According to some

PREHISTORIC ABUNDANCE

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

HUMANS ARE

important to Ithet’sremember that in prehistoric era, the

07

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

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As humans we owe our allegiance, to justice and to humanity. We must strive for our country to be righteous as well as strong.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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2ND FRONT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

08

One, a PSI whose job is to protect people; Other, a pastor who preaches compassion. These two are the opposite

A POLICEMAN & A PASTOR IN THE DOCK PSI faces rape, abduction charges, family Ahmedabad pastor booked files habeas corpus for daughter’s custody under POCSO for sending Haresh Jhala Dahod: Consider this -a divorced woman is allegedly kidnapped and raped, her family has to file a habeas corpus petition and also move the Gujarat High Court to get an FIR lodged. Yes, this would have been any other similar crime, but here the accused is none other than a Police Sub-Inspector!

The facts of the case sum it all up. Dahod Rural Police Station officer Kiranbhai told First India that on Sunday night Dhruvi (name changed) lodged a criminal complaint against PSI Umesh Nalwaya for kidnapping and rape.

Umesh Nalwaya is presently posted with the traffic division in Vadodara city.

According to her, she

minor girl lewd pictures

RAPE ACCUSED COP!

First India Bureau

and the police officer belong to the same caste and were from neighbouring villages. They met at a social function in 2016 and then fell in love. In 2018, the Police Sub-Inspector lured her with a promise of marriage and got her divorced.

One more PIL in Guj HC against school fees for lockdown

—FILE PHOTO

But, later the cop and a friend of his kidnapped her and illegally confined her at different places.

Sources said the victim’s family had to approach the high court and file a habeas corpus petition to get the custody of the victim. And

only after the court’s intervention, the police could get the custody of the woman.

Subsequently, even to get her complaint registered, the victim and her family had to approach the court.

Finally an offence was registered, but 36

hours later, nothing had moved. The case is being investigated

by Deputy Superintendent of Police Paresh Solanki. He told First India that the investigation had just begun and very soon the accused would be arrested.

Ahmedabad: Priests are supposed to be practising celibacy.

But there are some who don’t. Now, a 16-year-old girl, a student of class-11 in a local school in Ahmedabad’s Amraiwadi area, has filed a police complaint under POCSO Act against a pastor of Ecclesia Church, located in Rabari Colony area.

According to the complaint, the accused pastor was in possession of naked pictures of the girl and was forcing her to embrace Christian faith. This came to light after he sent video clips to the girl’s

Pastor Gulabchand.

relatives, perhaps to blackmail them.

The girl had visited the church on December 25 last year with a neighbor woman. The pastor, Gulabchand, had asked her to bring her parents to the church but she didn’t convey this to her parents.

A few days later,

Gulabchand’s relative called her father and invited him to the church. They visited him there with their daughter. Later, the pastor himself went to their place offer religious prayers.

The pastor sent the girl a photograph with a kiss symbol and wrote ‘I love you’. He would also follow her and asked her to undress over video calls. Then he started threatening her with death if she revealed anything to her father and did not adopt Christianity. Then, he sent her naked pictures to her uncle.

This is when they filed a complaint.

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS’ BOARD TO Cinema halls, GET 20 MORE DHANVANTARI VANS swimming pools to First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board has received an approval from the State Government to buy 20 more ‘Dhanvantari Arogya Raths’ , the mobile medical units, to add to its

existing fleet of 34 vans.

An MoU for this was signed between the Board, State Health Department and GVK EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) on Tuesday, in the presence of Labour and Employment Dilip Thakore and ACS (Labour and

Employment) Vipul Mittra.

The Board, that works under the Labour and Employment department, had first rolled out the Dhanvantari Arogya Raths in December 2015, to provide medical services to construction workers at construction sites and

‘kadiya nakas’ (worker markets).

“The 34 raths have catered to more than 21.35 lakh construction workers and have helped provide doorstep medical services to them during these critical times. This is why we are acquiring 20 more raths,” the labour minister said.

remain closed in Guj

—FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday sought replies from the State Government, the University Grants Commission and the Fee Regulatory Committee on yet another public interest litigation (PIL) against higher educational institutions charging full fees for the post-Covid-19 lockdown period.

A bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice JB Pardiwala posted the matter for September 4. The PIL has been filed by civil rights organisation Bridge Forum for All, which works on women’s

issues.

Seeking the high court’s intervention, the PIL has pointed out that the educational institutions are not justified in charging full fees for the lockdown period given that most of the services are closed.

The petitioner has cited the instances of library charges, computer & IT charges, activity charges, gym and hostel charges and stated that the institutions were already saving money on these charges.

Senior Supreme Court advocate Gopal S a n k a r a n a r aya n a n , with advocate Ronith Joy, appeared for the petitioner.

First India Bureau

CIVIL OBEDIENCE!

In keeping with the Covid-19 protocol as well as environmental concerns, people in Gujarat are immersing Lord Ganesh statues at their home in a bucket of water on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Ahmedabad: Even as the State Government eases the lockdown restrictions, cinema halls, swimming pools and entertainment parks will still remain closed in Gujarat during September.

However, as part of easing of lockdown norms under ‘’Unlock 4’’, restrictions on shop timings, which was 9 pm earlier, have been done away with, while restaurants have been allowed to operate till 11 pm, with no time curbs on takeaway service.

The guidelines, issued on Monday, stated that open air theatres can start from September 21.

Going by the Centre’s notification, the State Government decided not to allow schools, colleges, educational institutions to open during the month, though online classes will be encouraged.

The guidelines stipulated that parks and shopping malls will be allowed to operate without restrictions but with proper precaution to check the spread of Covid-19.

Bus services will operate at 50 per cent capacity outside containment zones in Ahmedabad and Surat, two of the worst coronavirus affected districts, while they can run at 60 per cent capacity in other cities of the state.

MAJOR RELIEF: HC scraps Guj resolution on reducing women’s quota Under the GR, if a backward caste woman candidate clears recruitment test under open category, one seat from the reserved quota would be reduced 

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: In a huge relief to backward class aspirants for government jobs, the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday scrapped the State Government’s controversial resolution of August 01,2018, and observed that all the meritorious candidates, irrespective of their castes and class, could compete for the open merit category.

Under the controversial government resolution (GR), if a backward caste woman candidate clears the recruitment test under the open category, one seat from the reserved quota would be reduced though there is 33% quota for women.

This had become a major bone of contention with lakhs of backward class youngsters launching a pitched agitation during the re-

—FILE PHOTO

cruitment of Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) consta-

bles and turned out to be a huge political issue.

The high court has concluded that the GR is unjust. The first division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice J B Pardiwala, while deciding the case, concluded, “The posts, reserved in favour of General Category (Women), are available for all women from the State of Gujarat, and that would include women belonging to the reserved categories such

as OBCs, SCs and STs.” The bench further observed, “All women, irrespective of whether they belong, or do not belong, to the reserved category are entitled to compete for posts earmarked in favour of women under the General Category. There is no reservation for posts in the General Category, and horizontal reservation in favour of women in the General Category

is available to be filled up from amongst all women irrespective of their caste status.”

The high court observed, “A woman, not belonging to the reserved category (OBC, SC and ST), is not entitled to compete for posts reserved in favour of Other Backward Classes (Women), Scheduled Castes (Women) and Scheduled Tribes (Women).”

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Irresistible

TEE-TREND City First talks about how simple words on a garment are the way for people to express their personality with confidence and without being labelled!

Style the slogan tee with jog1. gers and sneakers if you want to go down the athleisure route and wear it while travelling.

KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

T

he humble T-shirt that we don so effortlessly today has had quite the history. From being a casual outfit to sending out a message, T-shirts are now in a fashion league of their own. Slogan tees that have swiftly gained popularity, had their beginnings in London in the ’60s. It ushered in a political wave in the ’70s when Vivienne Westwood and her partner Malcolm McLaren sold the famous T-shirts featuring a Swastika and an inverted crucifix under the word ‘Destroy’. Since then, the slogan tees have made their way from being simple street style fashion to ramp-worthy fashion. And it has been used in tactical ways, either sporting tongue-in-cheek humour or making a political statement. Our very own celebrities have taken to this trend on countless occasions. Slogan T-shirts provide a way for customers to express their personality with confidence without being labelled. They give a dramatic effect when featured on a T-shirt. It is a good conversation method and suits people of all ages and background. We rounded up a few tips to style and rock this trend.

Wear your slogan tee for a 2. night out. Tuck it into a high waist skirt, add layered necklaces and throw on a pair of high heels to complete the look.

Keep it simple with a pair of 3. jeans. You can wear it with a pair of ripped jeans and flats for a more casual look or skinny jeans with ballerina flats or heels for a more chic vibe.

For a 4. look that’s

suitable for an evening out or a meeting, you can style it with a tailored black blazer and boots.

Throw on 5. a trench or oversized

denim jacket for a layered look.

You can wear this with shorts or leggings.

09

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

10

A Triple THREAT GURMAN SINGH cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

H

FA CE OF TH ED AY

ugh Jackman, an Australian performer who was considered—a “triple threat” successful actor, dancer, and singer. He was perhaps best known for his action movies and stage musicals.

He is also best known for playing Wolverine/James Howlett/Logan in the XMen film series (2000–2018), a role for which he holds the Guinness World Record for “longest career as a live-action Marvel superhero”. he made his acting debut as King Arthur in a production of Camelot when he was just five years old. He landed a role in the 10-part TV prison drama Correlli (1995).

Jackman won fans as attractive bad boy Kevin Jones. in 1996. That same year he took to the stage, scoring the lead in the Australian premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation of Billy Wilder’s noir classic Sunset Boulevard. That performance led Jackman to London’s Royal National Theatre, where he won the role of Curly in a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! (1998). The sold-out run set box-office records. Jackman next turned to film, making his Hollywood debut in X-Men (2000), in which his portrayal of the tortured antihero Wolverine established him as a bankable action star. Jackman made his Broadway debut in 2003 as singer-songwriter Peter Allen in the biographical musical The Boy from Oz for which he also won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

For American filmgoers who were unfamiliar with his work in Oklahoma!, Jackman’s flamboyantly spot-on performance was a revelation and it won him a Tony Award in 2004.

An established star both in Hollywood and on Broadway, he is also recognized for his lead roles in films such as the romantic comedy Kate & Leopold, the action film Van Helsing, the drama The Prestige, the fantasy drama The Fountain, the period romance Australia, the film version of Les Misérables, the thriller Prisoners (2013), In 2017 Jackman starred in Logan, the 10th film in which he appeared as Wolverine, and later that year he portrayed P.T. Barnum in the musical The Greatest Showman.

In 2019 he also staged a world tour (titled The Man. The Music. The Show.), which featured singing, dancing, and storytelling.

In 2012 Jackman received a special Tony Award for his varied contributions to the Broadway community.

^ `b cl o pm v lr o fj ^d b

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

On academic front, Instead of flaunting your preparation this time try to be quiet and concentrate on being the best by getting out standing results. Someone is in love with you but you may not realise so keep your eyes wide open. Seize any opportunity to get on financial front.

Those planning to put all your savings in business will sure shot get the success. Don’t let love break your heart, stay strong no matter what. You are a pure soul and thats shown in your charity work that you do on everyday basis. You get protection from everywhere.

Acquiring a new land for investment sake is on the cards. Spend time with your family today. You will get surely get success in wining the heart of the one you desire just don’t give up till the very end. Tolerance power is both your strength and weakness.

You have a great career and you take it very seriously. You make others laugh and people love to talk to you as spending time these days is not an ideal thing to do. You are desperate for a big break on business front. You’ll get Free of charge complimentary benefits.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You love to devote time to spirituality and you don’t compromise on it. You may risk anything for love and this person is anyway worth it. You will win the hearts of your parents by making some kind gesture. Greedy company must be avoided at any cost, such people are a big problem.

Don’t resist your romantic feeling. Pampering your child is good but only till a certain age, when the chicks start growing you have to teach them how to fly on their own.

You are very calculative about everything and that an awesome quality.

Those looking for an ideal life partner will meet one soon. Necessity for a peaceful life for you is a life full of money. For those whose survive on salaries can totally expect some bonus. If someone has helped you in the past than remember to do the same.

A time consuming task is no big deal for as you as no one can match your speed. Your monetary situations have improved drastically but you still make all the efforts to cut corners where ever possible.

Don’t be scared of the work. You have a job that requires skills.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You love your kids more than anything in the world and can do anything for them. You have always been among the best in the class and this will pay big time in coming times. You have a blissful married life and you couldn’t have asked for a better partner. You have surplus of energy.

You share a good understanding with you sibling and they are always there for you no matter what. Your spouse madly loves you and can do anything for you. Your success is foretold therefore stop at nothing. Easing your pains from the past is the best option.

Your temptation are irresistible but you don’t fall prey to them. You will grow financially stronger than ever. Love life is very important for you and you can do anything to please your partner no matter what it takes.

Respect elders always. Association with people is the best decision.

Life can be tough at times and even than it only teaches you something.

Family support is inevitable. Make the most of your time if you get to spend time with you lover today. You are saving day and night seeing the current situations.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

AASHNA HEGDE, Content Creator

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

Good news from Ed

RAISING AWARENESS

About Proper Nutrition O

n the occasion of National Nutrition Week, former Miss World and actor Manushi Chhillar, has started a social media campaign aimed at raising awareness about eating right and shared her journey with health and nutrition.

In a video that she shared on Instagram, Chhillar is seen sharing how she started consuming healthy food to stay fit while she was preparing for the 'Miss India' beauty pageant while studying in college. "I have been told repeatedly that we are what we eat and we have to be very cognizant about what we intake. Proper nutrition has manifold

health benefits and through my social media, I intend to tell as many people as possible, about the positives one can unlock by eating right," she said.

Chhillar who comes from a medical background further credits her doctor parents for inculcating the knowledge of proper nutrition within her.

"My parents are doctors and they have always told me that our eating habits and the food we eat defines our total health.

With this learning, I have been able to lead a very balanced life because awareness about nutrition is key for anyone to understand whether they are planning their meals correctly," the 23-year-old actor said.

"Malnutrition can really damage us from inside and I will use my social media to drive home as much awareness as possible through National Nutrition Week," she added.

The 23-year-old stunner further reveals that she is a big fitness and nutrition enthusiast.

"There are a few things that I'm deeply passionate about and health and nutrition is definitely on top of that chart. I will show people how I eat and balance my diet so that I keep cravings at bay and also ensure I give proper breaks to my body between meals," she said.

"It's a fun social media awareness campaign and I hope to connect with as many like-minded people as possible and jam with them," the former Miss India added. The ethereal beauty, who will be seen soon opposite actor Akshay Kumar in the big-budget period-drama 'Prithviraj,' is known for her fitness and her wellbuilt physique. —ANI

Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn

E Manushi Chhillar

A Disha Patani

DOG LOVER

ctor Disha Patani on Tuesday treated her fans to an adorable picture as she showers love on her furry friend. The actor proved that she is a true blue pet lover as she channelled her love for her four-legged friend.

The 'Malang' star posted to Instagram, an endearing picture which features the actor

IT’S OFFICIAL E

mma Roberts recently confirmed her pregnancy over Instagram with boyfriend Garrett Hedlund by sharing a picture of her growing baby bump. The 29-year-old actress who’s best known for her iconic role in Scream Queens took to Instagram on Sunday to officially confirm that she is expecting her first child with boyfriend and also revealed that they’re having a boy.

“Me…and my two favourite guys,” Emma wrote along with a few photos showing off her baby bump while posing with the 35-year-old actor. The post also marks the first time Emma shared photos with Garrett on her social media. —Agency

Emma Roberts

Paris Hilton

11

and her pet dog caught in a moment of affection. In the picture, Patani is seen holding the face of her pet and adorably looking at him. In the snap, captured at her home, the 'M.S. Dhoni' star is seen sporting a comfy look in a white figure-hugging dress. The actor looked gorgeous donning a low make up look. Keeping the caption simple, Patani left a flower emoji with the picture. —ANI

... her post

'LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD'

P

aris Hilton is celebrating a milestone in her relationship with boyfriend Carter Reum. On Saturday, Hilton, 39, shared a heartfelt Instagram photo of herself and Reum, 39, to celebrate the couple's anniversary. "When we first met, I had no idea of the amazing journey I was about to embark on," she began her caption. "My life was always empty like I was missing something." "But when I met you," the socialite added, "I knew you were the one. You’ve filled my heart with so much love. I believe that everything happens for a reason because everything in my life, all the good and the bad, has led me right to you."

Hilton continued, "You are my reason for me being so happy and feeling like the luckiest girl in the world! I love making you happy and promise to make you smile forever.

Love so much handsome!

Happy anniversary!" —Agency

d Sheeran has been away from social media for months now.

However, the international singer broke his break to announce he and his wife Cherry Seaborn have welcomed a daughter. The couple had kept the details of the pregnancy under tight wraps. However, a few weeks ago, news broke out that Ed and Cherry were soon going to embrace parenthood.

The singer announced the arrival of their little one on Instagram with a sweet. He revealed that the couple welcomed the little one last week.

The Shape of You hitmaker wrote, "Ello! A

... his post

quick message from me as I have some personal news that I wanted to share with you... Last week, with the help of an amazing delivery team, Cherry gave birth to our beautiful and healthy daughter." He revealed that the couple has named the little one Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran.

—Agency

‘GANPATI FESTIVAL BRINGS BACK MY CHILDHOOD’

Still from his post

A

s the nation observed the 10-day festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi, Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan on Tuesday shared his thought saying “Ganpati festival always brings back my childhood.”

The 46-year-old actor on Instagram shared a video-clip that saw his family performing the rituals of Ganpati Visarjan. The ‘War’ actor noted that Lord Ganesh has been his “dearest” and said: “as a child, I really felt that he listened to me. Still do ...”

“Perhaps all our festivals are centered around making the child in us feel comforted, united, surrounded by friends and family showering love upon you for no specific reason. At least that’s what it always was about for me. More than

Hrithik Roshan

religion, it was about love,” Roshan wrote alongside the video.

The video featured his family -parents Rakesh and Pinky Roshan and also his kids, ex-wife Sussanne Khan bidding their beloved Ganpati Bappa adieu in an affectionate, eco-friendly manner.

—ANI

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CONGRATULATIONS & CELEBRATIONS Shubhra and Saurabh were wed in a beautiful heartfelt ceremony on Tuesday at Rajputana Sheraton, Jaipur. Shubhra is the daughter of Dr Rakesh Kumar and Dr Sangeeta Saxena and Saurabh is the son of Mamta and Neeraj Prakash. We bring you some moments of the wedding and also of the ladies sangeet, which was on Monday.

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

12

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

(From left) Sanjeev and Meenu Srivastava, Nikhil and Nandini Arora, Dr Rakesh and Dr Sangeeta

Nandini Arora

DURING THE DAY!

RAJASTHAN: Residents of Ajmer city on Tuesday during the Ganpati Visarjan.

—PHOTO BY ANAND SHARMA

Phera Ceremony

Sunil Arora and Jagdeesh Chandra with the newly weds Shubhra and Saurabh along with Nandini Arora

GUJARAT: Khushi Sheth, an 18-year-old from Ahmedabad, and a 2nd-year student of Psychology is also the ‘Youngest Achology Certified Life Coach’ and the Founder of an online organization named ‘Happy To Help,’ where she offers coaching and consultation services to people facing mental health issues, for free.

(From left) Jagdeesh Chandra, Sanjeev Srivastava, Sunil Arora and Mohd. Fahad

(From left) Rahul Kumar, Dr Rakesh Kumar and Dr Sangeeta Saxena, Saurabh and Shubra, Nandini, Ritu and Sunil Arora, Nikhil Arora with daughter Iram

(From left) Saurabh and Shubhra, Ritu and Sunil Arora, Neeraj Prakash and Mamta

Follow us :

HAPPY B’DAY!

IAS V Srinivas (top) and IPS Satyaveer Singh celebrated their birthdays on 1 September, Tuesday.

We wish them all the best!