First India-Ahmedabad Edition-04 June 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

27°C - 40°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 189

INDIA

WORLD

COVID-19 UPDATE

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GUJARAT

3,84,642 65,13,891 6,087 2,16,429 1,122 18,117 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

#NISARGAEFFECT Two people died and three others were injured as Cyclone Nisarga wreaked havoc in rural parts of Pune in Maharashtra after making landfall in coastal Raigad district around 1 pm on Wednesday. The cyclone, however, did not cause any major damage on the southern coast of Gujarat.

Strong winds and high tides hit the beach ahead of cyclone ‘Nisarga’ landfall, in Surat on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Cabinet nod to 1 country 1 market for farmers Aditi Nagar New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendment to the six-a-and-half decade old Essential Commodities Act to deregulate food items, including cereals, pulses and onion, a move that will transform the farm sector and help raise farmers’ income.

The Cabinet also approved ‘The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020’ to ensure barrier free trade in agriculture produce.

The government also approved ‘The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020’ to empower farmers to engage with processors, aggregators, wholesalers, large

—PHOTO BY ANI

Amendment of Essential Commodities Act gives farmers freedom to sell his produce in any market across India

Foreign bizmen, technocrats can visit India after fresh visas New Delhi: For the first time since the nationwide lockdown was announced in March, the government has allowed foreign businessmen, healthcare professionals and engineers to visit India but they will have to obtain fresh visas.

In an order, the Home Ministry said the foreign nationals, holding a valid long-term multiple-entry business visa, would also have to get their travel documents

5 dead in boiler blast in factory in Guj’s Dahej A man buys freshly plucked ripened litchis from a local farmer inside a litchi garden in Tezpur.

retailers and exporters.

Announcing the Cabinet decisions, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, “This will go a long way in helping India’s farmers while also transforming the agriculture sector.”

The proposed amendment to the Essential

Commodities Act will allay fears of private investors of excessive regulatory interference, he said.

Tomar said that ‘The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020’ will promote barrier-free inter-state and intra-

state trade and commerce outside the physical premises of markets notified under State Agricultural Produce Marketing legislations.

“This is a historic-step in unlocking the vastly regulated agricultural markets in the country,” he said.

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Bharuch: Five workers of a chemical factory were killed and 40 others were injured on Wednesday in a huge fire triggered by a blast in the boiler at Dahej in Bharuch district of Gujarat, a senior officer said. He said toll is likely to go up as rescue operation is still on.

Full report P8

re-validated from the Indian missions.

“The Government of India has considered the matter regarding relaxation of the visa and travel restrictions for certain categories of

foreign nationals who need to come to India.

“It has been decided to permit the following categories of foreign nationals to come to India,” a home ministry statement said on Wednesday.

Those who are allowed to visit India are: foreign businessmen coming to India on a business visa (other than on B-3 visa for sports) in non-scheduled commercial and chartered flights. Turn on P6

‘Int’l flights as situation normalises’ New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri on Wednesday said government will consider restarting international flights. “We are continuously monitoring the situation and will consider restarting international flights as soon as situation normalises and poses no danger to our citizens.

We will also have to consider that countries, where we intend to fly, Turn on P6

End of good times for Mallya?

New Delhi: Indian fugitive business tycoon and founder of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines Vijay Mallya can be extradited to India in the coming days “anytime” as all the “legal process” has been completed, top sources in the government said on Wednesday.

The development comes in the wake of Mallya losing his appeal in the UK top court

on May 14 against his extradition to India.

A top Enforcement Department source related to the development said, “We will soon bring back Mallya

to India anytime in the coming days.” However, he remained tightlipped on the date of the extradition.

He said, “As he has lost his appeal in the UK Supreme Court there, we have completed all the legal process for his extradition.”

The teams of CBI and the ED are already working on the process of extradition to India.

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77 new cases in Surat gives state highest single-day jump in 75 days  24 HOURS: 485 CASES, 30

DEAD, 318 DISCHARGED  TOTAL: 18,117 CASES, 1,122 DEAD, 12,212 DISCHARGED First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state witnessed it highest single-day increase in numbers, with as many as 485 new cases being reported from across 19 districts. Surat accounted for 77 of these, while Gandhi-

nagar had 39 and Vadodara, 34. This must worry the government, coming as it does at a time when people have just begun to breathe easy with the relaxation in lockdown norms.

W o r r y i n g l y, Ahmedabad continues

A worker sanitizes the area where bodies of COVID-19 patients were cremated at a crematorium in Ahmedabad.

—FILE PHOTO

to be a hotspot with 13,063 cases--72% of the state’s total tally.

The city also accounts for 81% of the state’s death toll, despite its recovery rate of 73%.

In the past 24 hours, Ahmedabad reported 290 cases, including 22 from rural areas such as Viramgam (9), Sanand (7), Daskroi (3), Dholka (2) and Detroj (1). Two patients died in rural areas.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has served a no-

tice to Bodyline Hospital after it charged two patients referred from SVP Hospital COVID-19 treatment. The hospital has one day to respond to the notice or risk having its registration cancelled.

Also worrying are the numbers from Surat, which had hitherto seemed to have the situation under control. While the state health bulletin said 77 have emerged from Surat, the Surat Municipal Corporation press release states 96 cases:

85 from the city and 11 from rural areas.

The 39 cases reported in state capital Gandhinagar are another big blow to the authorities who claim that the situation is returning to normal. Here too, the state and local body have different figures; while the state says there were 39 cases in the past 24 hours, the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation press release states just six and District Panchayat reports 31 from rural areas.

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2020

STATE’S PUBLIC HEALTH PANEL IS LOW ON PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS

Eminent doctors get more berths on panel, experts say this could be because they can “market themselves” better Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: In times of a health crisis or an emergency, public health experts are the people who should be the ones consulted about the plan of action along with medical experts. Unfortunately, that is not the case with the COVID-19 outbreak wreaking havoc on the health of citizens. In fact, public health experts in the state have either been sidelined or are trying to help from behind the curtains.

While the National Task Force formed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) includes a number of public health experts, the state panel has more doctors than public health experts.

Public Health is the science of preventing disease and improving the health of people and their communities. Public health experts are professionals who are part of an ongoing system that protect people from disease and encourage them to change harmful behaviours.

As per the state’s claim, it has formed a doctors committee that will recommend steps for short-, medium-, longterm public health strategies. Rightfully, the panel should have eminent public health experts from the state, people who have served in community medicine for two to three decades. But, that is not the case.

Dr Jayendrasinh Jadeja, former head of Physiology Department of BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, expressed surprise at the list of doctors on the committee. Jadeja said, “There there is no doubt that they all are eminent doctors in their respective fields, but their services can be best used for treating COVID-19 patients or deciding the treatment course. But, if the state is talking about public policy and strategy then there should be professionals like Dr Vasudev Rawal or experienced persons from preventive and social medicine.”

COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

1,890,365 BRAZIL 560,737 RUSSIA 432,277 SPAIN 287,012 UK 279,856 ITALY 233,836 GERMANY 184,220 TURKEY 166,422 IRAN 160,696 FRANCE 151,325 CHILE 113,628 MEXICO 97,326 CANADA 93,040 S ARABIA 91,182 PAKISTAN 80,463

108,567 31,417 5,215 27,127 39,728 33,601 8,680 4,609 8,012 28,940 1,275 10,637 7,495 579 1,688

USA

+508 +139 +178 — +359 +71 +6 +24 +64 — +87 +470 +100 +30 +67

LAST UPDATED: JUNE 3, 2020, 11:30 PM

IN GUJARAT DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

13063 910 1140 42 SURAT 1794 73 RAJKOT 117 3 BHAVNAGAR 130 9 ANAND 102 10 BHARUCH 45 3 GANDHINAGAR 339 14 PATAN 86 6 PANCHMAHAL 92 10 BANASKANTHA 125 5 NARMADA 19 0 CHOTA UDEPUR 33 0 KUTCH 82 3 MEHSANA 129 6 BOTAD 59 1 DAHOD 41 0 PORBANDAR 12 2 JAMNAGAR 54 3 MORBI 4 0 SABARKANTHA 107 3 ARAVALLI 113 7 MAHISAGAR 116 2 KHEDA 77 4 GIR SOMNATH 45 0 VALSAD 41 1 TAPI 6 0 NAVSARI 28 1 DANG 2 0 SURENDRANAGAR 40 1 DWARKA 13 0 JUNAGADH 30 2 AMRELI 10 1 OTHER STATES 16 0 TOTAL 18117 1122 AHMEDABAD

VADODARA

A medical testing team comes out of a cluster quarantine area after collecting samples in Ahmedabad’s Dhalgarwad area.

Dr Jadeja says the state’s decision has struck a nerve since he could hardly find one or two persons with such a background on the panel.

He cites the National Task Force, where professionals like Dr DCS Reddy, Dr Shashi Kant, or like Dr Vinod Paul are on

the committee.

Dr Vihang Mazumdar, former head of the Preventive and Social Medicine Department at Vadodara’s SSG Hospital, does not mince his words, when he says, “It is possible that our bold opinions or views might be not

required, which would explain why there are so few experts from the public health sector on the committee. Most public health experts are part of the system and are aware of what shortcomings exist and where. So the first thing they will ask the

government to do is to address these issues.

No government likes this, so this could be another reason why experts from preventive and social medicine are not on board.”

A prominent public health expert, who has served the state for 30

Since they are part of the system, most public health experts are aware of its shortcomings. They will point these out to the government at the first chance. No government likes this, so this could be another reason why experts from preventive and social medicine are not on board.

— Dr Vihang Mazumdar, Former Head, Preventive and Social Medicine Department, SSG Hospital, Vadodara

There there is no doubt that they all are eminent doctors in their respective fields, but their services can be best used for treating COVID-19 patients or deciding the treatment course. But, if the state is talking about public policy and strategy then there should be professionals like Dr Vasudev Rawal or experienced persons from preventive and social medicine.

— Dr Jayendrasinh Jadeja, Former Head, Physiology Department, BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad

Likely to incentivise AI and start-ups with the aim of driving a new generation of entrepreneurs Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his Industries department is busy giving final touches to the Industries Policy 2020, which is expected to be released very soon. Watchers say it is likely to step up from the department’s traditional focus on manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals and petro-

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO

—FILE PHOTO

years, said, “It is wrong to assume that all doctors can have answers to public health issues. Those in the public health sector have worked among the people for a long time and hence understand the cycle of various diseases.” This person, who did not wish to be named for fear of professional blowback, said, it is possible that public health experts could not “market themselves” as well as the other doctors whom the government has put on the expert committee.

Dr Mazumdar has one more point to make. “The state feels that medical services can be run on contract.

That itself says how serious the state is about public health or preventive measures. How can anyone expect commitment or determination from a medical professional who is not going to be in service for more than a year or two, when public health is a long-term game?” he asks.

—FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau

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chemicals--which have hitherto been seen as integral to Gujarat’s identity--to also include valueadded products, artificial intelligence, the services sector in addition to renewable energy and defence production.

The term of the previous Industries Policy 2015 ended in December 2019, but was extended as the announcement of the new policy was de-

SAMPLE RECEIVED SAMPLE NEGATIVE

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani takes a meeting through video conferencing.

—FILE PHOTO

2,27,898 2,09,781

UNDER EXAMINATION

0

CM Vijay Rupani’s new industrial policy to focus on new-age sectors layed.

Sources told First India that value addition will be incentivized across sectors, especially for “basic” food and grains or horticultural products. The state is also likely to give more incentives and other benefits to entrepreneurs.

The new policy will focus on service sectors and new-age artificial intelligence and start-

22 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 30

ups. The concept is to drive a new generation of entrepreneurs in the state.

Earlier, the state had focused on renewable energy, and the automobile and defence sectors, and has been able to attract good investment in the renewable energy and auto sectors. However, defence production has not moved in line with expectations.

In the auto sector,

while a number of manufacturers set up plants, a number of them have since been hit by the recession with some no longer functioning at their installed capacity.

Similarly, the sector was also expected to bring in huge ancillary investments and generate employment. This has not happened since the auto industry has been facing a downturn for some time now.

Considering these past issues, it is very likely that the new policy will focus more on sectors that can provide services to other nations while keeping a base in Gujarat.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020

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bizman files SC GUJARAT DISCHARGES 60% City PIL against soft drinks PATIENTS FROM HOME STAY First India Bureau

Ahmedabad accounts for 2,903 of 3,283 patients who have recovered in the past 4 days First India Bureau Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar: If state government data is anything to go by, the state has discharged 60% COVID-19 patients from home-isolation in the last four days. According to the COVID-19 bulletin, over 3,283 patients in the state have been discharged and have successfully recovered from SarsCoV-2 since May 30.

The government has also stated that, until Tuesday, there were only 26.35% active patients in the state.

As many as 1,985 of the total number of patients discharged, were home-isolation cases from Ahmedabad. What this means is that those who were infected with novel coronavirus were not admitted to any COVID Care Centre or any other isolation facilities.

AMC standing committee to meet after 2-month gap

SKEWED DATA?

The COVID-care centre at Haj House in Ahmedabad’s Kalupur area.

The data shared by the state may be an attempt at “data management” by the authorities. This is because out of the total number of the patients discharges taken into account by the state, around 88% are from Ahmedabad.

According to the press release of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), the

city administration has discharged a whopping 2,903 patients over the past four days. As per the civic body, there are only 2,760 active patients as of Tuesday, a number which stood at 4,629 four days ago.

Interestingly, out of the 2,903 patients on which the civic body lay claim for discharge and recovery,

—FILE PHOTO

a total of 1,985 patients were under home isolation, 838 patients were in hospitals and 74 patients were put up at COVID Care Centres.

The highest number of the patients discharged in a single day in Gujarat was on Tuesday. The total patients discharged were 1,114, out of which, 1,019 were

from Ahmedabad. But, AMC’s release stated that 818 people were discharged from home-isolation.

Meanwhile, there are 2.35 lakh people under quarantine across the state, of which, 2.27 lakh are under home quarantine, and 7,375 have been quarantined at a COVID facility or centre.

Cyclone Nisarga leaves state waiting & watching First India Bureau

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: After a break of more than two months, the standing committee of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is set to meet on Thursday, four days after Unlock 1.0.

Even though the nation got into ‘unlock’ mode after four extended lockdowns, it took the local civic body four days to resume functioning in its regular mode.

Unlike other municipal corporations such as those in Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot, AMC did not conduct any general board or committee meetings since March.

While Surat moved its standing committee and general board meeting to digital platforms, the AMC stuck to meeting in person at its Usmapura zonal office.

After the lockdown was announced, the civic body suspended all meetings and handed the power of authority to the a d m i n i s t r a t ive wing. This was done to ensure that all functions ran smoothly.

It is likely that the standing committee will discuss funds and work to be done on roads, drainage and waterworks, ahead of the upcoming monsoon season.

Ahmedabad: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was moved before the Supreme Court by an Ahmedabad-based businessman seeking prohibition on manufacturing, sale and consumption of aerated beverages, specifically the brand Coca Cola and its subsidiary brand Thums Up. The matter is set to come up for hearing soon at the apex court.

In his petition, Umed Chavda submitted that these soft drinks were not good for health as they contain carbonated water and caffeine which can have an adverse effect on consumers. Chavda also stated that, none of these drinks indicate the ingredients used to manufacture them or their chemical composition.

He also cited four medical therapies including Ayurveda and submitted that there was evidence to suggest that these drinks were not

National Disaster Response Force personnel at Chapli Sheri beach in Daman.

—PHOTOS BY NANDAN DAVE

At Daman, fishing boats were anchored as a precaution.

A fisherman carries his net to higher ground in Daman.

NDRF member warns people to step back from the ocean.

People in Daman spent the morning watching the sky.

Ahmedabad: With the severe cyclonic storm Nisarga making landfall in the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, no untoward incidents were reported from southern Gujarat’s coastal regions.

“The situation is under control in the state after the Nisarga Cyclone made landfall in Maharashtra. All the coastal districts are stand by and making sure for zero casualties,” said Relief Commissioner Harshad Patel.

However, authorities had shifted 63,700 people living close to the coast in eight districts to safer places as a precautionary measure, he said.

About 33,000 people were evacuated in Valsad, 14,400 in Navsari, 8,727 in Surat, 3,066 in Bhavnagar, 2,086 in Amreli, 1,2020 in Bharuch, 761 in Anand and 228 in Gir-Somnath.

The Supreme Court of India.

—FILE PHOTO

GHCAA REJECTS OZA’S RESIGNATION

helpful to health and discipline.

Chavda also shared his suspicion that the company uses untreated water in the manufacture of these drinks. According to the petitioner, each bottle of Coca Cola contains 37 grams, or 10 teaspoons of sugar.

He also mentioned the World Health Organi-

zation’s recommended daily maximum of six teaspoons of sugar.

Another argument put forth was that the high sugar content can cause a spike in insulin in one’s body within 20 minutes of consumption. Regular consumption of these beverages can cause high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases and obesity.

It’s time for ‘lights, camera, action’ again First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state government has granted permission to production houses involved in creating Gujarati films and serials to resume shooting on the condition that they follow the state government guidelines.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashwani Kumar told First India that the government has decided to permit shooting of Gujarati films and serials.

Sources say that, at the very least, standard protocol such as social distancing will have to be followed while shooting. All all crew members on the floor will have to wear masks and sanitizers will have to be compulsory at the shoot location. All equipment will also have to be frequently sanitized. Producers and their teams will have to ensure that

LIMITATIONS

crowds do not gather at the locations.

However, this permission is only film and serial shooting, Kumar clarified. The state has yet not given any permissions for live concert, or club events. Similarly, music video shoots are not on the approved list, nor has permission been granted for prewedding or engagement shoots.

Various members of the film fraternity, including BJP’s Idar MLA and actor Hitu Kanodiya, and director-producer Abhilasha Ghoda had taken up the matter with the state government.

NGO to plant green cover on World Environment Day Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Rajkot: On World Environment Day (June 5), a Rajkot-based NGO will implement a unique idea to promote tree plantation and its importance to citizens. The Sadbhavna Trust will be planting trees for people looking to commemorate the occasion by making it a memorable one. All they would have to do is call the trust and name a place where they want the tree to grow.

A team from Sadbhavna will arrive to dig and plant the tree along with its guard and a radium name plate of the caller free of charge.

Six years ago, Vijay Dobaria, who was awarded Gujarat’s Van Pandit Award in 2019, wished to donate an amount of Rs7 lakh towards a cause. It was then that he came up with the idea to not just plant trees but, build an entire system which would care for the tree by watering it regularly.

While planting 10,000

LONG-TERM PLAN

Some of the trees planted by the NGO (left); Dobaria enjoys the shade from one of his trees.

trees in his native village of Fatepar in Padadhari taluka, Dobaria founded an NGO called Sadbhavna

Trust, which claims to have planted over 3,60,000 trees across the Rajkot district alone.

“We started plant-

ing trees for free around two years ago.

The only catch was that the people requesting our services

had to care for the plant for at least five years. This year, we thought of doing something new. So,

we introduced the inclusion of long lasting radium plates to the deal. Be it a birthday, wedding or death anniversary, we cater to all kinds of celebrations,” Dobaria told First India.

He added, “Our trust boasts of a team of 200 workers, 55 water tankers and 30 supervisors.

Every supervisor has to monitor around 5,000 trees planted by our organization. If any tree is damaged, dead or uprooted, the supervisor is held accountable.”

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

NISARGA SPARES MUMBAI AND COVID PATIENTS

NEW DAWN AFTER COVID-19 RETD MAJ GEN CP SINGH

The author is an ex-service man, social activist, career consultant and motivational speaker of repute

E

ven as the country’s east coast is still recovering from the havoc wreaked by Cyclone Ampham, the poetic sounding Nisarga (Nature) made landfall in Mumbai on Wednesday afternoon. Although it was the worst cyclone to hit the east coast, thankfully it was not even half as destructive as Ampham. Mercifully, it spared Mumbai, where it was expected to cause maximum damage and also Gujarat. With a wind speed of 110 kilometres per hour, the cyclone battered Alibag before lashing Raigad district. Mumbai, which is 100 km away from Alibag, was experiencing heavy rains. The airport was closed for operations till 7 pm. Bandra-Worli sea link has been shut for traffic. For Mumbaikars, however, the day was a page from a bad monsoon which they are used to facing every year.

For a state reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic with the highest number of cases and fatalities in the country, the approaching cyclone was like a nightmare as Mumbai waited for landfall with bated breath. With cyclone moving towards Raigad uprooting some trees and poles, moderate to heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds was predicted by the Met department.

At the end of the day, Mumbai could heave a sigh of relief that the cyclone had passed without causing much damage. But the disruption it caused in the State’s campaign against Covid-19 was huge. Maharashtra accounts for more than one-third of India’s total Covid-19 cases. Ways were devised to shift positive patients to safer places. Maintaining social distance during severe weather disturbance posed another big challenge but the government appeared to be ready for the exigency.

The cyclone posed a threat to the 1000-bed openair hospital for Covid-19 patients at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and another 200-bed hospital at Nature Park in Dharavi. The open-air hospital, the first of its kind in the country, set up by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has a 200-bed intensive care unit as well.

Earlier, MMRDA said in a statement, “The impending threat of Cyclone Nisarga is upon Mumbai. The hospital can sustain winds of up to 80-100 km per hour. However, with human lives at stake, as a precautionary measure, all the patients (about 150) are being shifted by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).” The government managed to shift the patients from the makeshift BKC hospital to hospitals in Sion and Worli on Tuesday.

In the case of Dharavi hospital, the BMC said that the patients did not require shifting. Unlike Ampham in West Bengal, which rendered thousands homeless and made the social distancing norm impractical, Mumbai had it easy.

The cyclone came and went but the pandemic is still there. What the government forgot was a group of migrant workers stranded under an over bridge near the Lokmanya Tilak terminus in Mumbai. Reports said they were hungry and exposed to the cyclonic storm and the pandemic until they found a Good Samaritan.

C

Opportunities don’t happen, you have to create them. The world perceives that China is responsible for this global tragedy of immeasurable proportions. After the virus spread across the globe, the Chinese now face ‘social distancing’ by the international community. From a geopolitical perspective, this crisis has given India an opportunity to position itself as an alternative manufacturing destination for global companies

orona pandemic has put a pall of gloom over the human race, threatening it’s very existence. The all mighty humans, armed with latest technologies, weapon systems, super computers having artificial intelligence, diagnostic tools, advance medication and abundance of resources have never felt so helpless against a tiny virus called COVID-19.

Human race has existed for millions of years and survived many such catastrophes. Just highlighting only two such pandemics. The Bubonic plague (Black Death) in the 14th century AD reduced the world’s population by over 100 million from 475 million at that time. It brought the Mongol Empire to its knees and it cut China off from Europe for centuries. Similarly, Spanish flu shook the world I 1918-20. Almost 50 million people perished in the world. After every such catastrophe, human race has come out stronger and more resilient to live for another day. However, the world has never been the same, as before.

Turbulent times like present one invariably change the existing geo-strategic trends. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed similar fury of nature. The world will sooner or later get over this Pandemic, the geo political realignment that it will cause, will have much larger ramifications and will result into a new world order that will emerge post corona times.

The key indicators of the present world order, in disarray, are as followsz UNO - The UNO being the

largest international forum, could have played a key role in containing the pandemic through its extensive humanitarian aid network but unfortunately it was found wanting. z USA no longer the only super power - Corona crisis seriously diminishes America’s credibility, globally. The loss of America’s superpower status will accentuate the transition to a Multi-polar World, post Corona. z China’s image takes a beating - China is being portrayed as villain instrumental in spread of corona virus. The

world has started social distancing itself from China. z Europe no longer in relevance - In a cruel twist of fate, the Europe is the hardest hit by corona virus. The failure to mobilize a pan-European response to the has dealt a blow to the EU. z Globalisation redefined - At a general level, more and more people are blaming globalization. All countries are busy fighting the corona within own resources since, Globalization has taken a back seat. A new edition of globalization will emerge in the post corona era. z Non-reliance on regional alliances - The regional alliances are by and large defunct or cosmetic in joint battles against corona. All the bonhomie of jointness soon got on backburner and each country is fighting their own battle.

But one thing is certainly predictable that the history of COVID-19 and new geopolitics will be scripted by the Victors on the global level and they will lead the world in the emerging New World Order. Though it’s very difficult to crystal gaze the post corona world, however, certain pointers are as follows:z The concept of superpowers

will be over for some time and a multipolar diffused world order will emerge. USA and China dominance in world affairs will recede. z A new template of globalization based on fairness, equality and humanity will emerge. z COVID-19 will undermine the basic tenets of global manufacturing. Companies will now rethink and shrink the multistep,

The world will sooner or later get over this Pandemic, the geo political realignment that it will cause, will have much larger ramifications and will result into a new world order that will emerge post corona times

multi-country supply chains.

z The pandemic will strengthen

the nationalism. The nations will become more and more self-reliant (atmanirbhar). Local will be preferred. z International travel for tourism, business, cultural exchanges, pilgrimages, education, knowledge sharing and geopolitics will take a major beating. z Large scale migrations across national frontiers and intra state will also reduce considerably. z These trends may trigger realignments where blocks of interdependency. Therefore, need based mutually interdependent regional alliance may come up. z Working norms for the industry may change. Work from

Deglobalisation will hurt growth everywhere

T

he post-pandemic world e c o n o m y seems likely to be a far less globalized economy, with political leaders and publics rejecting openness in a manner unlike anything seen since the tariff wars and competitive devaluations of the 1930s. And the byproduct will be not just slower growth, but a significant fall in national incomes for all but perhaps the largest and most diversified economies.

In his prescient 2001 book The End of Globalization, the Princeton economic historian Harold James showed how an earlier era of global economic and financial integration collapsed under the pressures of unexpected events during the Great Depres

04

sion of the 1930s, culminating in World War II. Today, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be accelerating another withdrawal from globalization.

The current retreat began with Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 US presidential election, which led to tariff wars between the United States and China. The pandemic will likely have an even larger negative longterm impact on trade, partly because governments increasingly recognize that they need to regard public-health capacity as a national-security imperative.

The risk today of a debilitating 1930s-style overshoot in deglobalization is massive, particularly if the US-China relationship continues to fray. And it is folly to think that a chaotic,

Globalisation has fueled economic inequalities among the approximately one billion people who live in advanced economies

crisis-driven retreat from globalization will not introduce more – and vastly more serious – problems.

Even the US, with its highly diversified economy, world-leading technology, and strong natural-resource base, could suffer a significant decline in real GDP as a result of deglobalization. For smaller econo-

mies and developing countries that are unable to reach critical mass in many sectors and often lack natural resources, a breakdown in trade would reverse many decades of growth. And that is before considering the long-lasting impact of social-distancing and quarantine measures.

The late economist Alberto Alesina, a towering figure in the field of political economy, argued that for a well-governed country in the age of globalization, small can be beautiful. But today, small countries that lack a close economic alliance with a large state or union face huge economic risks.

True, globalization has fueled economic inequalities among the approximately one billion people who live in advanced

economies. Trade competition has hammered lowwage workers in some sectors, even while making goods less expensive for everyone. Financial globalization has arguably had an even larger effect by increasing the profits of multinational corporations and offering new high-return foreign-investment instruments for the wealthy, especially since 1980.

To be sure, the current model of globalization needs adjusting, particularly by greatly strengthening the social safety net in advanced economies and – to the extent possible – in emerging markets, too. But building resilience does not mean tearing down the entire system and starting over again.

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home and digital linking will be predominant. This will reduce pressure on metro towns. z Social distancing will be the new norm with events and ceremonies confined to near and dears. Eating out will have to redefine itself. z Health and Hygiene will be the primary focus of nation states and considerable expenditure will be incurred to strengthen the same. z Economic recession will be a stark reality. Unemployment, poverty and social unrest over limited resources will follow.

Opportunities don’t happen, you have to create them. The world perceives that China is responsible for this global tragedy of immeasurable proportions. After the virus spread across the globe, the Chinese now face ‘social distancing’ by the international community.

From a geopolitical perspective, this crisis has given India an opportunity to position itself as an alternative manufacturing destination for global companies after the corona times. Today, we are in a position to negotiate as equal partners with the US, EU or Japan. India will play a pivotal role in the Emerging World Order with strong leadership and mature democratic credentials highlighted during Corona crisis, when high and mighty struggled. India can catapult itself to the centre stage of Emerging New World, post Corona, if it leverages Corona threat to it’s advantages.

21-century belongs to India.

Just wait and watch!!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Approval for liberalisation of regulatory environment for farmers and moving towards #OneNation, #OneMarket through amendment in Essential Commodities Act will ensure better price realisation for our ‘Annadatas’ and contribute to their overall welfare, well-being and prosperity.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Held a meeting with stakeholders from Real Estate & Construction Industry, one of India’s mega job creating sectors and a key driver of the economy. Discussed various measures to give a boost to affordable ‘Housing for All’ and providing relief to homebuyers & developers.

Spiritual SPEAK

The ignorant work for their own profit, Arjuna; the wise work for the welfare of the world, without thought for themselves. —Bhagavad Gita

Vol 1 Issue No. 189 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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‘Pls confirm, if no Chinese soldiers entered India’ Transparency is required in Ladakh, China issue, the Gandhi scion said New Delhi: Former Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi once again questioned the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre over the military standoff with China and asked if the government could confirm that no Chinese soldiers entered India.

In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, “Can Government of India please confirm that no Chinese soldiers have entered India?” He also attached a news report that said that India-China will hold top-level military meeting on June 6 in a bid to resolve the troop confrontation in eastern Ladakh, quoting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, where he also admitted that Chinese soldiers were present in a sizeable number in

Academic calendar for Classes 11, 12 released

New Delhi: The Union HRD Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today released an alternative academic calendar for classes 11 and 12.

The calendar has been developed by NCERT. “This calendar directs teachers on the use of various technological tools/social media tools to educate students while they are at home,” the minister wrote on Twitter while launching alternative academic calendar. For differently-abled students, link for audiobooks, radio programmes, video programme etc will also be included in the curriculum. “This will empower our students, teachers, school principals, and parents to find out positive ways to deal with Covid-19 using online teaching-learning resources & help in attainment of learning outcomes.” —ANI

FOCAL POINT

The government’s silence about the border situation with China is fuelling massive speculation and uncertainty at a time of crisis.

Government of India must come clean and tell India exactly what’’s happening. the high altitude.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi slammed Centre on May 29 & during his press conference in last week of May. In a tweet on May 29, Gandhi said, “The government’s silence about the border situation with China is fuelling massive speculation and uncertainty at a time of crisis. Government of India must come clean and tell In-

made clear. “I cannot see transparency. The issue of Ladakh and China is a live issue.

Transparency is required,” he said.

He was responding to a question on the faceoff on the LAC that was triggered after the Chinese objected to road construction and development of infrastructure by India within the Indian territory. —ANI

Bring back Odias stranded abroad, says Pradhan Vaishali

New Delhi: After being informed about the plight of Odias stranded abroad, BJP’s top leader from Odisha and Union Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan has requested the Centre to make arrangements to bring back the people.

Pradhan has requested that direct flights to Bhubaneswar from the gulf countries, UK and Sri Lanka be operated to bring back the people stranded there due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Shooting separate letters to his colleaguesExternal Affairs MInister, S Jaishankar and

Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri Pradhan sought the government’s intervention for arranging flights from these countries to bring back the stranded Odias.

Commending the work of Civil Aviation Ministry, Pradhan said he received a representation from Odia people living abroad requesting to be brought back

to Bhubaneswar.

Since they are in good numbers in these countries, direct flights may be arranged from cities such as Dubai, Doha, Dammam, Muscat, Bahrain, Colombo and London to Bhubaneswar, which would also make commercial sense for the airlines, Pradhan said in his letters. Inspite of being in Delhi, 1700 km away from Bhubaneswar, Pradhan has gone proactive in highlighting and taking up Odisha related issues with PM & Home Minister. This move is also being appreciated by Chief Minister at Bhubaneswar.

Raveesh Kumar is India’s next Ambassador to Finland New Delhi: Seasoned diplomat and former spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry Raveesh Kumar has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador to Finland.

Raveesh Kumar, a 1995-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, served as the spokesperson of the MEA from July 2017 to April 2020 during which he

PRIYANKA SLAMS YOGI GOVT OVER STAY ON TEACHERS’ APPOINTMENT Lucknow: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed UP CM Yogi Adityanth over stay on appointment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers, stating the youth are suffering the most due to negligence of his government.The attack

by Congress leader came hours after the Allahabad HC stayed the appoint-

dia exactly what’’s happening.”

On May 26, during his fourth address to media through vc, the former Congress chief had said, “The details of what happened along the border, the government should share with the people.”

He said what happened with Nepal and why, what is happening in Ladakh should be

ment of 69,000 assistant basic teachers. “69,000 teacher recruitment case: Once again the dreams of the youth of UP have been eclipsed. Due to the chaos of govt, all recruitments are stuck in court. The paper leak, cutoff controversy, fake evaluation - due to all these deficiencies of UP government’s system,” she tweeted.

deftly articulated India’s position on a number of sensitive issues including last year’s Balakot strike, reorganisation of Jammu

and Kashmir and the controversy surrounding the National Register of Citizens. “He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” sources in the Ministry of External Affairs said. Before becoming the MEA spokesperson, Kumar was serving as Consul General of India in Frankfurt.

In Finland, he succeeds Vani Rao. —PTI

DELHI: CHARGESHEET IN IB OFFICER’S MURDER CASE FILED New Delhi: Crime Branch officials filed a chargesheet in Delhi’’s Karkardooma court in connection with the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma during the riots that broke out in February. The chargesheet was filed in court of Metropolian Magistrate Richa Parihar and the matter will now be taken up for consideration on June 16. The case was registered for the murder of Ankit Sharma on February 25 evening, outside AAP leader Tahir Hussain’’s house in Khajuri Khas area, the police said.

Plasma therapy effective for severe patients: Study New York: A new trial has found that convalescent plasma therapy is a safe treatment option for patients with severe Covid-19 synptoms, say researchers as globally the coronavirus infection has affected over 6 lakh people and at least half of them have succumbed to the pandemic.

For the findings, published in The American Journal of Pathology, researchers from the Houston Methodist Hospital in the US, began clinical trials to transfuse plasma from recovered Covid-19 patients into critically ill patients on March 28. Results of the trial showed that 19 out of 25 patients (76 %) improved with the treatment and 11 were discharged from the hospital.

There were no serious adverse side effects caused by the plasma transfusion. —Agencies

05

‘1.37 lakh samples tested for COVID-19 in 24 hrs’ New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday said that a total 1,37,158 samples were tested in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of tests have reached 41,03,233 in the country.

So far, a total 681 laboratories across the country have been granted permission to conduct the test for the infection including 476 government laboratories and 205 private laboratories.

According to the Union Health Ministry, India registered its highest single-day spike of COVID-19 cases today with 8,909 new infections reported in the last 24 hours, taking the country’s tally to 2,07,615 while the death toll rose to 5,815.

The number of active COVID-19 cases stood to 1,01,497 while 1,00,303 people have cured/discharged. —ANI

A woman walks past a mural during the lockdown in Chennai.

GIVE ‘10,000 EACH TO MIGRANTS: CM MAMATA URGES CENTRE Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday appealed to the Centre to give one-time assistance of Rs 10,000 each to migrant workers amid the COVID-19 crisis. In a tweet, she said financial aid should also be provided to those engaged in the unorganised sector to help them cope with the ongoing economic crisis arising out of the lockdown. Banerjee suggested that a portion of the Prime Minister’’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES) could be used for the purpose. —ANI

IN THE COURTYARD

Action against those flouting laws: NGT

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal, while hearing matter pertaining to Visakhapatnam gas leak incident, has directed Andhra CS to identify & take appropriate actions against persons responsible for failure of law in permitting the company to operate without statutory clearances. A bench of NGT, headed by its Chairperson AK Goel, has listed the matter for further hearing on Nov 3. —ANI

‘India already called ‘Bharat’ in Statute’ New Delhi: Hearing a petition seeking direction to the Centre to amend the Constitution and change the name of the country from India to Bharat, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde told the petitioner that India is already called Bharat in the Constitution.

While declining to entertain the plea, the Supreme Court said the petition could be considered as a representation to the government.

A bench headed by CJI and comprising Justices A S Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy asked the petitioner’s counsel, “Why have you come here? India is already called Bharat in the Constitution.”

Advocate Ashwin Vaish, appearing for the Delhi-based petitioner, argued that the plea seeked amendment to Article 1 of the Constitution. To which, the CJI replied, “We can’t do that.”

He reiterated that India is already called Bharat in the Constitution. Vaish argued that the English name India did not represent the culture and tradition of the country; instead, its origin is Greek, and it is derived from the word ‘Indica’.

Vaish said that there are many examples where ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ was used, urged top court to allow him to make a representation before appropriate ministries. —ANI

Response on Bombay HC renaming PIL

New Delhi: SC issued a notice to the Central government & others on a public interest litigation (PIL), seeking to rename the Bombay HC as ‘Maharashtra High Court’. The plea was filed by retired labour court judge VP Patil.

“Issue notice to Centre & other respondents & we seek a detailed response from parties on this matter,” said a bench, headed by CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde. —ANI

SC seeks reply from journo on ED’s plea New Delhi: Supreme Court sought reply from journalist Upendra Rai, accused in a money laundering case related to alleged extortion and dubious financial transactions, on a plea of Enforcement Directorate challenging grant of bail to him.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna

and Hrishikesh Roy issued notice to Rai and sought his response.

The Enforcement Directorate has challenged the July 9, last year order of the Delhi High Court by which it had granted bail to Rai, who had spent 13 months in jail till then.

The high court had asked Rai as a bail condition that he would not

LEGAL FLAWS IN FORMS OF BJP’S RS CANDIDATES FROM MP: TANKHA New Delhi: Known SC lawyer and Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh, Vivek Tankha, has said that the result of Rajya Sabha elections in the state can be challenged in the court because there are legal errors in the nomination forms of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates. Tankha, in a tweet

in Hindi on Wednesday, said: “Rajya Sabha election (is) scheduled for June 19 in MP. (There are) three seats and four candidates. The victory and defeat depend on the process of the election.

As per the election law experts, big legal mistakes have happened in the acceptance of nomination forms of BJP candidates.

leave the country and would not try to influence any witness or tamper with the evidence of the prosecution.

Rai was arrested on June 8, 2018 by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), moments after he secured bail in a Central Bureau of Investigation case related to alleged extortion

and dubious financial transactions. The CBI had arrested him on May 3, 2018. ED had in HC opposed Rai’s bail plea saying that merely because bail has been granted to him in two predicate offences investigated by CBI could not be the sole criteria to grant him relief in the money laundering case. —PTI

23 MORE COVID-19 CASES IN U’KHAND, STATE TALLY@1,066 Dehradun: 23 more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Uttarakhand, taking the coronavirus tally in the state to 1,066 on Wednesday, said the state Health Department. Out of the total cases, 795 cases are active whereas 259 COVID-19 patients have recovered. The maximum number of cases has been reported from Nainital (284), followed by Dehradun (224), Tehri Garhwal (91) and Haridwar (86). In the last 7 days, the doubling rate is 7.24 days and the recovery rate for COVID-19 patients in the state is 24.30 percent.

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Cabinet approves setting up of PDCs in ministries This decision will boost to the economy, I&B Min, Javadekar said New Delhi: In a step to attract investment in the country, the union cabinet approved the setting up of an Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) and Project Development Cells (PDCs) in ministries and departments.

“We know the world situation. Now the industries are thinking to diversify their investments in different locations. To ensure that investment increases in India, an Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) has been formed and simultaneously in every ministry/department there will be Project Development Cells (PDCs),” Information

Sidhu likely to ditch Cong for AAP ahead of 2022 Pb polls

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which debuted in the Punjab Assembly polls in 2017, is trying to woo cricketer-turned-politician and former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu ahead of the assembly elections in the state in 2022.

While messages sent to Sidhu for comments remained unanswered, AAP’’s Punjab in-charge Jarnail Singh told, “Those who are willing to join the party with honest intentions are welcome, be it Sidhu.”

However, he said that he was not aware as to who were holding talks with the Congress leader.

According to sources, election strategist Prashant Kishor is working behind the scenes to get Sidhu into the AAP fold.

A top source close to Sidhu told IANS that on Tuesday evening during a WhatsApp call and exchange of messages with Kishor, Sidhu discussed the terms and conditions to join the AAP. —Agencies

RENAMING PORT

and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said. “This will make India more investmentfriendly and we also handhold the new indus-

tries,” he added.

There have been reports that several multinational companies are thinking of moving their manufacturing

bases out of China due to conditions created by COVID-19.

Javadekar said the decision of the cabinet will also give a flip to domestic industry and it will bring synergy between ministries and departments and among Centre and state governments in policy matters. This decision will give a boost to the economy and open up immense direct and indirect employment opportunities, he said.

“In projects which will come under their ministries, PDCs will do their hand-holding, provide land on time and help in other matters,” he said. —ANI

PSA against Shah Faesal, 2 PDP leaders revoked Srinagar: J&K administration has decided to release former IAS officer and head of J&K People’s Movement (JKPM) party Shah Faesal, and two PDP leaders from detention.

Faisal and PDP leaders Sartaj Madni and Peer Mansoor were booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) following their arrested in August last year.

“The PSA detention on the three is being lifted,” said an official. Former Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah welcomed their release but demanded the release of his political rival, Mehbooba Mufti, the PDP chief.

Omar Abdullah wrote on Twitter, “Good to hear @shahfaesal,

Security forces jawans stand guard during an encounter with the militants in Pulwama district.

Bhai who is a resident of Multan, Pakistan, and had participated in the Afghanistan war…he is an IED expert,” IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar

said in a press conference in Srinagar.

This is the second encounter in South Kashmir in the last 24 hours.

On Tuesday, two Jaish-

e-Mohammad militants were killed in an encounter in Pulwama district. The gunbattle took place in Saimoh Tral area on Tuesday

Speculations are rife that this time, an IFS officer may be appointed to the post.Till now, mostly IAS officers have been selected for this post.

Peer Mansoor & Sartaj Madani have been released from their unjust PSA detention.”

He demanded that other leaders including his party colleagues Ali Mohammad Sagar and Hilal Lone be released from house arrest. “Disappointed that @MehboobaMufti, Sagar Sb & Hilal Lone continue to be detained. It’s high time they are set free as well (sic),” tweeted Omar Abdullah. —Agencies

after joint forces launched a cordon following inputs about the presence of militants, according to J&K Police.”Other than the weapons such as two AK-47 rifles, pistols etc, we have also recovered a JeM flag from the site,” said a police officer who was part of the operation.

IG Kumar had said “it was a clean operation and no collateral damage took place during the encounter”.

There has been an increase in anti-militancy operations in the Valley since April. —Agencies

Air Marshal Reliance rights issue state govts so demand’ Suresh visits subscribed 1.59 times Halwara stn Mumbai: Reliance In- scribed 1.22 times.

Shramik Special trains operated since May 1. A senior Railway Ministry official said: “Some media queries received are if Shramik special trains have ended. This is not correct. Indian Railways will continue to run these trains till the time we get demand from any of the state governments.” —Agencies

while 106 were negative.

However, in a development that must be worrying local authorities, the fresh cases are being reported in new areas.

crore economic package announced to help those affected due to the lockdown clamped to fight the spread of COVID-19 disease. —PTI

Cabinet nod...

Tomar said that the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020’ will empower farmers for engaging with processors, aggregators, large retailers, exporters etc., on a level playing field without any fear of exploitation.

These proposals were part of the Rs 20 lakh

‘Int’l flights... are open to incoming foreign citizens,” Puri said in a series of tweets.

The Minister further informed that several more flights are being added in the third phase of Vande Bharat Mission and these flights will also carry outbound passengers to countries, which have no restrictions on taking them in. “So people can also avail these

CBDT MEMBER GUPTA TO GET EXTENSION?

WHO WILL SUCCEED DEEPAK AS INDIAN AMBASSADOR TO WTO – IAS OR IFS?

‘Spl trains to run till

New Delhi: Refuting reports that the Shramik Special trains will be coming to an end, the Railways on Wednesday said that till the time it gets demand from the state governments, it will continue to operate them.

Railways also said that it has ferried more than 58 lakh people in 4,197

POWER Gallery Informed sources said that Member of the CBDT, SK Gupta, who is superannuating in July, may get extension. He is a 1984 batch IRS (IT) officer.

J&K: Top JeM commander among three militants killed Srinagar: A top Jaishe-Mohammad commander was among three militants killed in an encounter with the security forces in Kangan area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday morning, J& K Police said, adding that arms and ammunition and other incriminating material were recovered from their possession.

One of the slain militants was an IED expert from Pakistan’s Multan.

“One of them is an active terrorist from Pakistan whose name is Abdul Rehman alias Fouji Baba or

06

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing standoff at LAC with China in eastern Ladakh, Air Marshal B Suresh, Air Officer Commanding-inChief of Western Air Command visited the air force station at Halwara in Punjab to assess the operational preparedness. Halwara is the base station of frontline fighter jets Sukhoi 30 MKIs. Air Commodore A. Bhadra, Air Officer Commanding, Air Force Station Halwara, received Air Marshal Suresh “He reviewed all measures taken against COVID-19 pandemic,” IAF sources said. —ANI

dustries Limited announced that it has achieved successful closure of India’s largest ever Rights Issue of Rs. 53,124.20 crore. It was subscribed approximately 1.59 times, cumulating to an overall commitment of over Rs.84,000 crore.

The Rights Issue saw a huge investor interest, including from lakhs of small investors and thousands of institutional investors, both Indian and foreign. The public portion of the Rights issue was sub-

The allotment of equity shares will happen on or about June 10, 2020.

The rights shares are expected to be listed on BSE & NSE on or around June 12, 2020 under separate ISIN. Company had launched a ampaign to create awareness about Rights issue, using multiple means of communication. These included television, radio, print, digital & social media, first-of-its-kind AI-based chatbot, emails, SMS to reach out to shareholders.

flights to return to the countries they wish to go,” he said. —ANI

design or other specialists who wish to travel to India on behalf of foreign business entities located in India.

This includes all manufacturing units, design units, software and IT units as well as financial sector companies (banking and non-banking financial sector firms).

Foreign technical specialists and engineers who want to visit India for installation, repair and maintenance of foreign-origin machinery and equipment facilities in India, on the invitation of a registered Indian business entity. These

could be for equipment installation, or is under warranty, or for after sales servicing or repair on commercial terms.

“The above categories of foreign nationals would have to obtain a fresh business visa or employment visa, as applicable, from the Indian missions and posts abroad,” the statement said. Also, foreign nationals holding a valid long-term multiple-entry business visa (other than B-3 visa for sports) issued by the Indian missions abroad would have to get the business visa re-validated from the Indian mission con-

JT SECY LEVEL OFFICERS FOR WORLD BANK & PMI ?

Whispers are in that the Govt could spring a surprise in the coming days by appointing two Joint Secretary level officers for one position each in World Bank and Permanent Mission of India at the UN in Geneva. The selection process is reported to be very stringent and only officers with fairly good qualifications and domain experience are being considered for the posts.

WILL JCA MEETING SELECT NEW CS FOR DELHI ?

Vijay Dey, Chief Secretary, Delhi has been empanelled as Secretary at the Centre. If he gets posting in GoI, UT Delhi will require a new Chief Secretary. JCA’s proposed meeting is scheduled for June 6.

AK SHARMA CONTINUES TO BE MODI’S MAN !

There was a time when it was said that AK Sharma is taking over as Secretary to the PM Narendra Modi. When he was moved from the PMO as Secretary MSME, so many rumours were spread against him. But now, PM has sent a message that he enjoys his confidence. Only on Monday, the Modi cabinet approved upward revision of MSME to improve country’s economy.

BORDER SECURITY FORCE YET TO GET FULLTIME DG

Border Security Force (BSF) is yet to get fulltime Director General. Surjeet Singh Deswal, DG, ITBP, is holding an additional charge of the force.

GAITRI I KUMAR APPOINTED HIGH COMMISSIONER TO UK

Gaitri I Kumar presently Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the European Union, has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. She is an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1986 batch.

EARLIER EMPANELLED IPS OFFICERS YET TO GET POSTINGS

Three IPS officers were empanelled as DG and equivalent at the Centre on March 16, 2020. But they all are still waiting for posting at the Centre.

They are- Asit Mohan Prasad of 1985 batch from Karnataka cadre, M Mahender Reddy of 1986 batch from Telangana cadre and Pradip Kapur of 1986 batch from Odisha cadre.

ONLY TWO 1986 BATCH IPS OFFICERS GOT POSTINGS

After ACC approval, 12 IPS officers of 1986 batch were empanelled as DG at the Centre in June 2016. According to information, among them only two IPS officers -YKS Kaumudi and Nasir Kamal-have been posted as DGs. Rest are awaiting postings. Kaumudi is DG, BPR&D while, Kamal is DG, NIC&FS. Four other IPS officers are posted as Spl DG, while rest are working in their respective cadres.

BHARTI APPOINTED UNDER SECRETARY, CIVIL AVIATION

Consequent upon his repatriation from deputation from National Highways Authority of lndia (NHAI), Shankra Nand Bharti, Under Secretary is posted at Ministry of Civil Aviation with immediate effect. He is a CSS officer.

FROM PG 1 77 new...

Eight of the 55 samples sent for testing by the Porbandar civil hospital have come back positive. The remaining 47 are negative. In the last two days, 16 defence personnel have tested positive in Porbandar.

A doctor having a travel history of Ahmedabad is tested positive in Rajkot city.

She had returned to the city on May 30. A jail inmate has also tested positive in the city.

In the past 24 hours, Vadodara has tested 140 samples of which 34 were confirmed positive

Foreign bizmen,...

Foreign healthcare professionals, health researchers, engineers and technicians who wish to come for technical work at Indian health sector facilities, including laboratories and factories.

This is subject to a letter of invitation from a recognised and registered healthcare facility, registered pharmaceutical company or accredited university in India. Foreign engineering, managerial,

cerned. Such foreign nationals would not be permitted to travel to India on the strength of any electronic visa obtained earlier. —PTI

End of...

A CBI source related to the development said that after his extradition, we will take his custody first as we were the first agency to file a case against him.

A major roadblock in the extradition was cleared on May 14 when Mallya lost the case.

Now the Narendra Modi government will have to bring him back in the next 28 days.

Since May 14, it has already been more than 20 days since the UK court rejected his plea.

The former parliamentarian, who ran India’s largest spirits company, United Spirits, and founded the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, faces charges of fraud and money laundering worth Rs9,000 crore. He left India in March 2016 under the pretext of personal reasons. Mallya has defrauded at least 17 Indian banks, drawing loans which he allegedly routed to gain full or partial stake in about 40 companies abroad.

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07

A PANDEMIC IS A PERFECT “ANXIETY STEW.” IT HAS ALL THE INGREDIENTS THAT GO INTO CAUSING WORRY EVEN IN PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT TYPICALLY ANXIETY-PRONE. THESE INCLUDE: UNCONTROLLABILITY, UNCERTAINTY AND HIGH CONSEQUENCE BE KIND TO YOURSELF (AND OTHERS)

through this LManyiving pandemic is tough. of us have not

been in this situation before. We have no rules or experience or role models to turn to.

We are making things up as we go along. You may be feeling lost, confused, anxious and worried. So is everyone else. These are all totally normal emotions. Allow yourself these feelings, have compassion and

patience for your own struggles.

Don’t try to push away your difficult feelings or force yourself to “think positive,” which is not a healthy coping mechanism, as it denies the reality of your current experience. All emotions are OK, even the tough ones, and trying to stuff them down and replace them with “positive thinking” is an impossible and unhealthy task.

anxiety-prone. These include: uncontrollability, uncertainty and high consequence.

Besides following public health guidelines, there is little any one individual can do to control the spread of the virus or the magnitude of the pandemic. How this will unfold locally and around the world is highly uncertain, and there is no shortage of speculation (much of it not based on evidence). Humans dislike uncertainty and

tend to “fill-in-theblanks” in situations like this, which often results in highly improbable worst-case scenarios.

Finally, the consequences of not getting it right are high: you or family members contracting the virus, potential sickness and untold deaths worldwide.

Add to this job loss and financial strain, social isolation and loneliness, close contact that may lead to arguments or abuse, stress of working

from home while being responsible for childcare and homeschooling, and worrying about far away or elderly family members. It is no wonder there are reports of escalating mental health problems. In these circumstances we need to look out for one another and do what we can to ease the burden.

It’s a tough situation, but there are actions individuals can take to cope with the circumstances and ease the suffering.

MANAGE YOUR FEELINGS uncontrollability, Ttiallyheuncertainty and potenhigh consequences of COVID-19 can cause anxiety even in people who aren’t prone to it.

Find a safe and controlled way to acknowledge and express your difficult emotions, for example by writing them down in a journal or letter, talking to a friend, getting physical exer-

cise or practising yoga or meditation. If your symptoms are severe and interfering with your ability to function, contact a mental health professional. Above all, think about how you would respond to a friend struggling in this situation, and apply that same compassion and advice to yourself; then turn it towards others.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR

BE REALISTIC, LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS is not realistic to Iall:tthink you can do it homeschool your

kids; work fulltime from home; maintain a perfect (clean, orderly) household; and take care of yourself and others.

The drawbacks of perfectionism are well known.

Instead, try prioritizing one or two things, and let the others slide a little.

Leave the teaching to the teachers and focus on parenting. Take time out for self-care. Remind yourself not to worry if you let work projects slide a little, the laundry and dishes pile up for a while or the kids get a little extra screen time.

You’ll get to it all when

H

alf of Canadians reported a worsening of their mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic in an April poll. In Alberta, a similar government poll found 74 per cent of Albertans felt the pandemic had negatively affected their mental health.

These stats are not surprising, because a pandemic is a perfect “anxiety stew.” It has all the ingredients that go into causing worry even in people who are not typically

MENTAL HEALTH

you can.

Focus on your high priority items and don’t expect too much of yourself.

MAKE THE BEST OF THE SITUATION

ere you need to H distinguish between things you can control

KEEP YOUR ROUTINES

atching up on sleep is C great, but it would be better not to sleep until

noon every day. Keep your schedules and routines much as they were before, with modifications to suit your new routine.

Have set times to work, set times for meals, activities and a relatively regular bedtime. Don’t drink much more alcohol than usual, and cut back if you’re having more than a couple of drinks per day.

and things you cannot. In particular, you are totally in control of your response to the situation. Accepting the uncertainties of the future, while at the same time identifying areas in your life you can control is a good place to start.

Can you go out for a walk in the fresh air and sunshine? Then do that every day. If your kids are around more now without school and other activities, can

you try to involve them in household chores and teach them how to cook and do laundry?

Are you able to catch up on sleep a bit? Our society is so chronically sleep-deprived, this is a great opportunity to get some needed rest, and the benefits are myriad.

Can you think of ways to help others in your neighbourhood?

Volunteer whatever skills you have if time permits; volunteers are happier and may even live longer.

STICK TO RELIABLE SOURCES FOR THE FACTS (AND SKIP THE DROSS) one or two Ptionicksources of informathat you trust, such

as Health Canada or reliable news sources. If social media makes you feel anxious and angry, avoid the threat of “social contagion” and take a break. There are many negative side-effects of social media consumption, so consider limiting your scrolling time to 20 minutes or so, once or twice a day, or skip the social media altogether.

We can learn a lot from slowing down and taking care of one another. Once this

passes, take the opportunity to carefully consider what you really want to add back into your life. Maybe this slower pace isn’t such a bad thing. Maybe getting back to “full speed ahead” is not the best choice for you or for our society. Before diving right back in as society begins to reopen, we need to mindfully contemplate what life lessons we can take away from this extraordinary time.

KEEP PHYSICAL — NOT SOCIAL — DISTANCE FROM OTHERS

easy to become soIaret’sciallyadvised isolated when we to keep away

from others, especially for people who live alone.

Make a special effort to keep in touch with family, friends and colleagues though email, FaceTime, video conferencing and plain old phone calls.

Make appointments with your friends to meet for a call just as you would for in-person get-togethers.

Have Zoom parties and share some food or drinks with your friends and catch up on a regular basis. The health benefits of social support are many.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

One of the best ways to ensure a bit of peace in life and proper working of all your five senses is to invest in a garden, a garden with a balance of shrubs, flowers, a tree here and there, grass and a few cacti too.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020

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Major fire claims 5 lives at Dahej unit Officials said the toll could go up, while at least 57 injured persons have been hospitalised; hundreds evacuated to safer places

Factory mishaps took nearly 1,000 lives in 5 yrs First India Bureau

YET ANOTHER EXPLOSION: A major fire at a pesticide unit in Dahej in South Gujarat left five workers killed and more than 57 of them sustained burn injuries.

First India Bureau Dahej (South Gujarat): At least five workers were killed and 57 more sustained burn injuries in a massive explosion followed by fire at a pesticide company located in the Dahej special economic zone (SEZ) in the Bharuch district on Wednesday.

The death toll was likely to go up as the rescue operation was still on at the incident site.

“So far we have confirmed the death of five employees. Some bodies were recovered from the factory, while others died in hospital. The rescue operation is still underway,” Bharuch Superintendent of Police RV Chudasama said.

As many as 57 injured

workers were shifted to various hospitals in Bharuch and near Vadodara city, he said.

Plants containing poisonous chemicals are also located near the factory where the blast took place so more people are likely to be evacuated from nearby areas.

While the exact reason for the explosion was not immediately known, officials said that there was a fire in the storage area of the company, Yashashvi Rasayan Pvt Ltd, around 12 noon.

Nearly 15 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames which started subsidizing by 4 pm. Bharuch District Collector MD Modiya said 4,800 people

Guj High Court rejects Asaram’s bail plea First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Citing the gravity of his offences and possibility of his huge number of followers aggravating the Covid-19 situation, Justice AS Supehia of Gujarat High Court on Wednesday rejected the temporary bail application of godman Asaram, convicted in a rape case.

Moving the application of Asaram, who is in judicial custody and lodged in Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan, advocate Mita Panchal sought temporary bail citing the present global pandemic and the High Court and the Supreme

Court’s orders with regard to the Covid-19 situation, given that he is 84 and suffers from various ailments. And some Jodhpur jail inmates had also contracted the virus.

Opposing the bail, the Assistant Public Prosecutor said the Supreme Court had already rejected his regular bail and that the Rajasthan Jail authorities were taking ample precautions against Covid-19 situation.

The High Court observed that Asaram was involved in very serious offences and his regular bail was also not granted by the apex court.

We have issued closure notice to the company, our inspectors will be reaching the site and conducting an investigation not only in this unit but even adjoining tanks. The company will have to pay compensation to the victims and bear hospital bills for injured workers.

—Vipul Mittra, Additional Chief Secretary

The emission of volatile organic carbon due to thick smoke was much above threshold levels, but it is under control now.

—AV Shah, GPCB Member-Secretary

At least 4,800 people from two villages, Luwara and Lakhigam, close to the unit, were evacuated to the multipurpose centre in Bharuch.

(Labour and Employment)

—MD Modiya, Bharuch District Collector

from two villages, Luwara a nd Lakhigam, close to the unit, were shifted to the multipurpose centre in Bharuch.

The blast could be heard in a 20 km area and also some villages of Bhavnagar district that lies on the other side of Gulf of Cambay.

Thick plumes were visible up to Bhavnagar too, while units in the vicinity of 2 km of Yashasvi Chemicals were also impacted. Sources said window panes of a Petronet LNG office nearby were shattered by the blast. “Due to fire, the tanks storing hydrogen, sulphur dioxide, xylene and ethanol are at risk,” said senior officials of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board.

Gandhinagar: Wednesday’s explosion at a pesticide unit in Dahej is only an addition to the continuing trend of industrial accidents along the “Golden Corridor” stretching from Mehsana in North Gujarat to Dahej, Ankleshwar and Vapi in the South Gujarat. According to the numbers given by the Gujarat Government in the State Assembly, as many as 989 workers died in 895 accidents in industrial units registered under the Factories Act during the last five years as on September 2018. This number is between October 1, 2013 and September 30, 2018.

Another set of data released by the Director of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), which functions under the state labour and employment department, shows there were

168 industrial accidents between January and November in 2019.

Most accidents and deaths, by the State Government’s own admission, occurred in large companies like Reliance Industries Limited, Tata Group, Essar Group, Nirma Limited and Welspun Group.

According to the government, Gujarat had over 31,500 factories employing more than 16.93 lakh workers. The largest number of workers died inside industrial units in Surat district, 163, which alone accounts for 16.5 per cent of the deaths.

Similarly, 133 workers died in Ahmedabad and 123 lost their lives in Bharuch.

Over Rs 81.06 crore has been paid in compensation for these deaths, the state government told the Assembly in the written reply.

Bedade axed as women’s cricket coach

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation faces teachers’ ire for Covid duty

Gujarat Govt promotes four IPS officials

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Vadodara : The Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) has sacked former India player Atul Bedade as Head Coach of senior women’s team while withdrawing his suspension on allegations of sexual harassment levelled by some players. The matter came up for discussion during the Apex Council meeting held on Tuesday. Bedade was suspended earlier in March, till further inquiry after multiple players accused him of sexual harassment and public shaming.

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has come in for criticism for roping in municipal school teachers to work in COVID-19 hospitals in the city. The teachers are expected to assist in coordinating the work of other workers and accompany medical teams to locations where coronavirus cases have been detected.

AMC School Board Administrator L D Desai told reporters that 100 teachers have been sent across hospitals where they will be help-

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Government has promoted four 2017 batch IPS officers.

ASPs Premsukh Delu (Amreli), Amit Vasava (Veraval) and Ravindra Patel (Vadodara Rural) have been promoted as Commandants in SRPF while ASP Praveen Kumar has been promoted as DCP. Delu has been promoted as Commandant in Rajula SRPF Group 21, Patel as Commandant in Vadodara SRPF Group 2 while Vasava is new Commandant of Medana SRPF Group-2 in Banaskantha.

AMC school teachers angry that they have been given Covid duty, sans precautions.

ing with the coordination work from the help desk. “In a global pandemic situation, every resource needs to be put in use,” Desai said.

This move has invited the wrath of the teacher associations. Bhaskar

Patel, president, Gujarat State School Management Federation, said the lives of teachers are being put to serious health risk while four teachers had already succumbed to the virus while performing COV-

ID-19 related duties.

“AMC Commissioner is well within his right to deploy teachers, but it would have been better if their lives were not risked,” Patel said.

A municipal teacher deployed to a private hospital rued that such deployments are now a part of their job profile. Their tasks include coordinating with housing societies where COVID-19 cases have been detected and also accompany medical teams. He claimed many teachers were also being denied protective gear like PPE kits.

LOCKDOWN EFFECT

CORONA ROAR: Guj drops five-yearly lion census First India Bureau Gandhinagar : If the Covid-enforced lockdown brought a halt to all human and commercial activities, it has also affected the muchawaited five-yearly census of the majestic Asiatic lion in Gir forests of Gujarat.

The State Forest Department on Wednesday clarified that it would just be conducting a lion observation activity on June 5 and 6

and not a lion census.

The census of lions, which was to be carried out last month, had to be put off in view of the coronavirus-triggered lockdown, it said.

The Junagadh forest department, under whose jurisdiction the Gir Wildlife sanctuary falls, clarified this amid reports that the state government would carry out the lion census on Friday and Saturday with only forest depart-

Gujarat Forest Department and wildlife enthusiasts will miss the lion census this time, thanks to corona.

ment staff. “On every full moon day, we ask

the forest department personnel to observe li-

ons in the areas assigned to the staff. We will take up a similar exercise from 2 pm on on June 5 to 2 pm on June 6,” Chief Conservator of Forests, D T Vasavda, said in a statement.

“This is not a lion census. Lion census is carried out every five years in an extensive manner. Large number of central and state government officials, wildlife lovers, NGOs and members of National

Board of Wildlife are involved in it,” he said.

The last census was carried out in 2015 and it was supposed to be held during summer this year. But due to the lockdown, it was not possible, he said.

“This full moon day observation exercise will be carried and rough estimation of figures arrived at will be used for internal policy making for the safety of lions,” he said.

@ahmedpatel There has been a rise in industrial accidents in Bharuch dist,today in Dahej ppl lost their lives.

The buck stops with the state govt to ensure factories have completed safety audits. We are concerned that recent changes to labour laws will incentivise unsafe work conditions.

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Rejuvenate Refresh yourself this summer and opt for a detox once in a while, not just to lose weight, but to keep yourself energized too!

Yourself

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

T

here are many people who have followed a great routine during the lockdown, while there were many who just lazed around and ate whatever was served to them or whatever junk they could find. But at the end of the day, one must always remember that there is a limit to what the body can take. For this, City First tells you a few ways by which you can detox using drinks and food items, in order to rejuvenate your body from all the toxins that made your body their home.

Some of the best detox drinks to drive away those toxins are: lemon-cucumber infused water, ginger-turmeric-honey concoction, beetroot smoothie, and lemon-green tea, while the best items to use in your det o x

food are: avocado, broccoli, garlic, ginger, watermelon, beetroot and brown rice, among others.

City First got in touch with a few of its readers from Jaipur, Jodhpur and Ahmedabad, to know about how they like to take a break and detox their body.

Ratika Bhargava from Jaipur said, “Summers are so cool for detox with loads of options around- watermelons, cucumber, tomato juice, what not! Kairi paani being my favourite, I don’t miss eating when I’m loaded with all these lovely mango based smoothies and drinks. Because I eat lot of spicy food, these drinks keep me

off any kind of spice,” while Varsha Mehta from Jodhpur stated, “Lemon with some ginger and with warm water in it, I love to have that in summer, as it makes me feel fresh and energetic. Full of Vitamin C, this antioxidant is great for fighting free-radicals which can have a negative impact on the body.”

Talking to the ones in Ahmedabad, Kirti Gupta mentioned, “A refreshing jug of lemonade is my go-to drink in the summer. It keeps the taste buds active and satiated. I also add chia or basil seeds, some jaljeera powder, and c o a r s e l y chopped mint leaves to add a punch of freshness to my drink,” while Shruti Saraf said, “Due to its high water content, watermelon salad comes to the rescue during the scorching heat of summer. I just sprinkle a little mustard powder over sliced w at e rmelon when serving to enhance its flavours. This salad is packed with Vitamin A and C and lends an amazing glow to the skin too.”

09

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SHOUTOUT TO TEAM ‘CANDLE’ On Different Pages K A

Madhuri Dixit Nene

fter the success of her signing debut ‘Candle,’ the ageless beauty Madhuri Dixit Nene on Tuesday shared some cherished moments from the studio in Los Angeles, where the ‘hope anthem’ was recorded, and gave a shout out to the team members who helped the actor bring her passion for music to life.

The ‘Kalank’ actor put out a post on Instagram wherein she shared some behind the scenes pictures featuring the team and the recording studio where they worked on the song. The pictures show Madhuri Dixit, her husband Shriram Nene, Narinder Singh, Jules and Raja Kumari. In the pictures, Raja Kumari is seen along with Madhuri while they have a conversation for song production, in the studio.

im Kardashian and Kanye West have been married for 6 years now. The couple exchanged engagement rings in October 2014 and got married on May 24 with extravagant wedding shenanigans in Italy. Kim and Kanye have had their fair share of struggles in their relationship ever since the two got together. Like many other couples, the two are also having a tough time amidst the lockdown. As the Coronavirus scare continues to haunt people across the globe, social distancing has become the new

Along with the picture, the ‘Devdas’ actor wrote, “Some cherished moments from the studio in LA where we recorded #Candle. It has been a wonderful journey and I made a lot of good friends along the way. “ Giving a shout out to the ‘Candle’ team, the actor wrote, “Big shoutout to my amazing team who helped me bring my passion for music to life. #DreamTeam #CandleOfHope.” The recently launched song ‘Candle’ intends to bring high hopes and positivity among people amid these trying times.

—ANI

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

normal resulting in people being confined to their homes. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are also trying to cope with the situation and stay positive amidst the crisis.

A source close to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West said that the couple is having conflicts with each other from time to time as they are quarantined at their home. Both, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are occupied with different things and “are on different pages” while social distancing together.

—Agency

‘This year feels RELENTLESS’

A

FA CE OF TH ED AY

ctor Priyanka Chopra Jonas said, “This year feels relentless,” urging Mumbai residents to take precautionary measures in view of Cyclone Nisarga.

The cyclone storm is approaching the north coast of Maharashtra with a speed of 11 kilometres per hour, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday.

Sharing Mumbai’s famous Bandra-Worli Sea Link road picture on her Instagram story, the actor wrote: “Cyclone Nisarga is making its way to Mumbai, my beloved home city of more than 20 million people, including my mom and brother.”

“Mumbai hasn’t experienced a serious cyclone landfall since 1891, and at a time when the world is so desperate, this could be especially devastating,” the ‘Don’ actor added.

“This year feels relentless. Please, everyone, ... her post find cover, take precautions, and follow the guidelines outlines. Please stay safe everyone, “ said Chopra as she shared a swipe up link to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) page that details the Do’s and Don’ts for Mumbaikars to take on Cyclone Nisarga.

Earlier, the IMD had stated that the severe cyclonic storm is expected to impact the Maharashtra coast by the afternoon/evening of June 3.

On Tuesday, actor Vicky Kaushal shared a picture of the cloudy sky on the photo-sharing platform and hoped that the “first showers only bring relief and joy and not too much drama.” The ‘Raazi’ actor also urged people to stay safe.

—ANI Priyanka Chopra Jonas

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

Auctioning Bare Body

J

Jennifer Aniston

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You are on the top of the world as far as your physical fitness is concerned. On domestic front, you will be the beacon of light to bring everyone close to each other. You may apply for a loan to buy assets. You may sponsor a trip for someone really close.

It will be great for you to stay associated with some social cause. You may find yourself getting irritated from a family youngster but remember even you were at their age once so take it easy. You may plan for a trip abroad with near and dear ones.

On financial front, you can switch to spending mode for sometime and treat yourself and family with all the goodness. Those of you interested in sports will give an outstanding performance today. You must stop worrying about your family’s youngster.

You are a strong person and can manage everything no matter what. On financial front, your investments keep you financially strong. On professional front, you can expect lots of appreciation today and some recognition is in store for you.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You are blessed with good intuitive power today.

Financially, you will continue to add to your wealth and you will be quite well off.

On work front, you will take up all the pending work. You throw a party at home to meet all your near and dear ones. Prepare for your journey.

You will plan your finances to achieve something big or lets say to step into a big business. At home, your kids may demand your time more than ever today so make sure not to disappoint them. Keep your wife happy as she is your lucky charm.

With the support of a close on you will feel extremely positive today. On work front, you must make sure to complete all the work on time. On domestic front, your spouse will need your help as far as domestic chores are concerned. You will bond really well with your kids.

You are growing more and more health conscious about your health and physique which is a good thing. You may spend money on your house interiors but keep yourself reminded of a limit. On work front, you will put forward your best skills on the display.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You are satisfied with your health status and you are in a very good financial condition. If you job involves customer interaction then be prepared you may have to deal with rowdy customer so be prepared with your tactics. You may go on a very relaxing and refreshing trip with your family.

Shed your lethargy and get going to the gym. You will spend lot of time today reminiscing your childhood memories. You will also find yourself quite spiritually inclined. On professional front, you will forge ahead by being more organised.

Family support is all you need.

You may feel the urge to start a new health practice.

Money will flow into your life from unexpected source.

Some of you may go for a trip Soon there will be a hike in your income. On professional front, You will be given the charge of something important.

Doctors will excel in their profession.

Keep up with your good health and yoga is a great practice if you decide to add it to your fitness regime. On work front, avoid any negligence because you may be under secret supervision. Your family needs your attention. Your friends may give you a surprise.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

AHELI BANERJEE, Influencer

ennifer Aniston has been doing her bit in order to help the healthcare workers and the victims suffering from Coronavirus and also the people facing its impact.

Last month, the Friends alum gave a USD 10000 gift card to a nurse who tested positive for COVID-19 after working on the frontline. She also taped to raise money for charity through Friends virtual reunion. And most recently, Jen has collaborated with her photographer friend, Mark Seliger

and auctioned her bare body picture in order to raise funds for Coronavirus relief.

The picture was taken in 1995 when Jennifer Aniston starred in ‘Friends’ and rose to fame playing Rachel Green in the sitcom. “My dear friend @ markseliger teamed up with @radvocacy and @christiesinc to auction 25 of his portraits - including mine - for COVID-19 relief...

100% of sales proceeds of this portrait will go to @NAFClinics, an organization which provides free coronavirus testing and care nationwide to the medically underserved. Thank you again to Mark for allowing me to be part of this,” Jen revealed on Instagram.

—Agency

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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11

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL B

ollywood gives rise to many stars every year and also faces a lot of flak for nepotism. But there are some stars who despite facing all odds, made a name for themselves in the industry. Here’s a look at a few of the top names.

Source: https://www.herzindagi.com/

PRIYANKA CHOPRA

ANUSHKA SHARMA Anushka might have been a model with great ramp presence but she had no filmy backing. Yet, she ended up making her debut for YRF movie with none other than Shah Rukh Khan. The actress says that the absence of desperation of being in a Yash Raj movie worked in her favour. Today, Anushka Sharma is one of the highestpaid actresses in India and also produced the movie NH10 which was a success at the box office.

Priyanka is the perfect example of how to juggle being a model, actor, singer and producer. After being crowned Miss World in 2000, she made her debut as the second female lead in The Hero: Love Story Of A Spy. Her negative role in Aitraaz was appreciated but her later films bombed and showed her in similar roles. With no special backing in the movie industry, Priyanka continued getting flop projects like Love Story 2050, Drona, Chamku, after which she was declared a failure. But critical acclaim came her way for roles in Fashion, Kaminey, Barfi and she eventually landed in the hit biopic Mary Kom. She made her debut in US as a singer in 2012, headlined the American TV series Quantico in 2015 and formed her production company Purple Pebble Pictures which produced the National Award winning Marathi film Ventilator in 2016.

VIDYA BALAN Vidya started out with the TV show Hum Paanch but was getting cast mainly for advertisements. She had no filmy background in studies, being a Masters in Sociology from Mumbai University. But it was her debut in the Bengali movie Bhalo Theko which launched her into the cine world. She had tough luck in the movie industry down south where a stalled project with superstar Mohanlal led to her exit from 12 more movies.

She later credited Pradeep Sarkar for casting her in the music videos of Euphoria and in the movie Parineeta which even won her awards for best debut. She did a string of flops but came back with a bang only with Paa, Ishqiya and The Dirty Picture. The last of these won her the National Film Award for Best Actress.

DEEPIKA PADUKONE Being the daughter of badminton player Prakash Padukone didn’t mean that Deepika would follow the same path. She entered modelling instead and made her debut with Farah Khan’s Om Shaanti Om. 20102011 was a bad time for Deepika as she had a string of five flops, struggled with mental health issues and a breakup but she turned her weaknesses into her strength, giving stirring performances in Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram Leela and Tamasha. She forayed in Hollywood in 2016 and also launched her clothing brand All About You.

KANGANA RANAUT Kangana proudly wears the badge of being an outsider who made it big in Bollywood. This girl from Himachal made a sensational debut with the Bhatt production Gangster. After this, she was handed a bunch of neurotic roles in movies like Raaz: The Mystery Continues, Krrish 3 and even forgettable duds like Vaada Raha. But Kangana bounced back with strong roles in Queen and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, turned heads at Cannes, became a top fashionista, struggled through scrutiny of her controversial relationships and still continues to reign Bollywood.

47 YEARS DOWN THE LINE B ollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan shared his interesting wedding story with fans as he celebrated his 47th wedding anniversary with wife-actor Jaya Bachchan on Wednesday.

The ‘Sholay’ actor took to Instagram to post multiple wedding pictures with Jaya Bachchan and penned a caption, revealing some secrets that led to their marriage.

The 77-year-old star began narrating the marriage story in the captions by noting his 1973 released film ‘Zanjeer’, which had Jaya Bachchan as the female lead.

“Had decided if Zanjeer would succeed, we would along with a few

Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan

... his post

friends go to London for the first time .. My Father asked who you going with? When I told him who, he said you must marry her before you go .. else you don’t go... So ..

I obeyed .. !!,” Big B wrote in the caption.

The seasoned actor also shared four photos made in one collage, that saw the Bollywood’s lovely couple sitting in the mandap and performing the marriage rituals.

Jaya was dolled up in the red bridal lehenga, while Bachchan was seen wearing an off-white sherwani.

Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan tied the knot on June 3, 1973. The couple later in their life welcomed two children, daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda and son Abhishek Bachchan.

—ANI

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DREAM BIG

ACHIEVE BIGGER! City First got in touch with Aasif Khan from Paatal Lok, where he shared a few insights into his journey!

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

P

aatal Lok is one of the most talked-about web series that was released during the lockdown period, and Aasif Khan’s character ‘Kabir’ was loved by all. Aasif, a resident of Chittor, Rajasthan, in an exclusive interview with City First said, “I was never good in studies, and always knew that I would do something dif-

ferent. Back in 2003, I was inspired by the show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ to be a standup comedian, and pursued the same for 6 years.”

He added, “In 2010, I decided to shift to Mumbai to pursue my career, but with no resources, it was extremely difficult to survive. Since I didn’t have any professional training in acting, I was always marked under the ‘NOT FIT’ category in the auditions. It was a tough time, as I used to work as a waiter in various hotels in the city, and go for auditions side by side.”

“I was informed about theatre classes in Jaipur at Jawahar Kala Kendra and Ravin-

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

dra Manch, and eventually took them up. 6 years passed in a blink, and my skills in acting became better with every passing day. After I thought I was prepared enough to not get rejected, I went back to the city of dreams Mumbai, became a casting associate, and also auditioned for a few roles,” Aasif stated.

His first few films were ‘Toilet- Ek Prem Katha’ and ‘Pari’ as a junior artist, which eventually lead to great roles in ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Jamtara’, ‘Panchayat’ and ‘Paatal Lok’.

He has a few more projects lined up like ‘Mirzapur 2’ and ‘Paglet’ to name a few.

WORLD CYCLING DAY! New Delhi: On 3 June, World Cycling Day, Robert Vadra put up a motivating post on Facebook: “With ‘World Bicycling day’, being today, enjoyed riding twice... Early at 6 am, and could not resist cycling again this evening, in the rain. Got drenched but was fully worth it. My Tip - living with the Corona Virus, we must be exercising a bit more to build our immunity. Also now, working out in gyms with too many people, could be a problem. Natural forms of being in the open cycling and running, calisthenics exercises and weight training at home, will be safer. Stick to all norms and make it your lifestyle. Stay safe, stay strong.”

—Vaishali

Robert Vadra

Uttar Pradesh: Congressmen led by National Secretary, AICC, Vivek Bansal protested against the increase in prices of LPG by the central government. The norms of social distancing were also followed during the protest at Dharampur Courtyard on Maris Road, Aligarh, on Wednesday.

FACEBOOK POST!

R

andeep Surjewala, In-charge AICC Communications celebrated his birthday with simplicity on Wednesday, June 3. He started the day with seeking the blessings of his beloved mother at Narwana, Haryana and also completed the three-day drive of distribution of PPE kits, masks and sanitizers to all doctors and nursing staff of private and government hospitals across Kaithal, Jind and Kurukshetra. Greetings and wishes poured in from across for the popular grassroot leader of Haryana. Congress stalwarts Avinash Pandey, CM Ashok Gehlot, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, CP Joshi tweeted their greetings. Dr. Raghu Sharma, Sandeep Choudhary, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Archana Sharma, Mamta Bhupesh, Krishna Poonia, Vaibhav Gehlot, Deepender Hooda, Rohan Gupta, Qazi Nizamuddin, Rukshmani Kumari, Dheeraj Gurjar also extended their wishes via telephone and social media and a large number of well-wishers and friends also wished him all the best on Social media platforms.

A silent performer Surjewala, with his excellent media performance, is slowly emerging as a new power centre around Rahul Gandhi. In fact, he is a man to watch in the coming times.

—City First

Rajasthan: Amidst the ongoing semi-lockdown, an online workshop ‘Fiesta Online’ is going to be organised on 5 June, by Rajasthan Studio, where 15 well-known celebrities of the state will meet the contestants on their respective genres. This workshop will be held on Zoom, for which participants will have to register.

Vaibhav Gehlot

AWARDED!

Randeep Surjewala

Rajasthan: INMA, the Internal News Media Association, announced the winners of the Global Media Awards 2020 in a live broadcast on Tuesday, in which, Rajasthan’s Rashtradoot won second place in the special awards category titled ‘Best Initiative in Response to COVID-19’ in the regional brands’ group for its humanitarian efforts in maintaining employee dignity, hawker welfare, upkeep of circulation and reader engagement.

Connecting with SpaceX Dragon crew CITY FIRST AHMEDABAD

A

ham radio enthusiast from Ahmedabad on Wednesday got a response from SpaceX Crew Dragon’s astronauts while trying to connect with the International Space Station (ISS).

Adhir Saiyadh, a computer engineer, said that he was trying to connect with the ISS when he suddenly received a response from the Dragon capsule which docked with the orbital outpost on Sunday. “I was on a video call with my student regarding the ISS. He asked me if we could connect with the sta-

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WHAT’S HAPPENING!

NEHAL NAYAR

Aasif Khan

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2020

Adhir Saiyadh

tion. I decided to try and connect while I was on the video

call. I coincidentally got connected to their frequency and

received a response from the capsule and experienced a video call type connection,” said Adhir.

“We were in the middle of an e-lecture when this capsule passed over Ahmedabad.

I tried to connect to the ISS and but instead connected with the Dragon capsule.

They even acknowledged the call,” added Adhir.

US billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX built the Dragon module that lifted off from the Florida spaceport on May 30, after days of delay. This was the first launch from US soil since NASA retired its space shuttle programme in 2011.

—ANI

Rajasthan: Women Mentors’ Forum organised a workshop for all its participants to train them in the art of delivering a successful Elevator Pitch.

The workshop was conducted by the Director of an IT company and currently the President of Women’s wing of Laghu Udhyog Bharti, Anju Singh. The session aims to encourage MentorMentee Engagement to develop women’s leadership.

Rajasthan: Amitava Chatterjee has assumed the position of Chief General Manager of Rajasthan head of State Bank of India, Jaipur Circle.

He took the Charge from Ravendra Panday, who is now promoted to the position of Deputy Managing Director bank’s digital head. Before this, Amitava Chatterjee was working as General Manager at Bangalore.

Rajasthan: On the occasion of the 15th death anniversary of the Employee Union leader Hanuman Singh, a tribute program was held at Jal Bhavan on Wednesday. Employee Union leaders, sports associations, sportspersons and family members paid tribute while practicing social distancing at the event.