First India-Ahmedabad Edition-06 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

27°C - 43°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 160

INDIA

WORLD

2,55,590 36,93,796 1,693 49,382 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

368

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

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GUJARAT

6,245

CONFIRMED CASES

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

1,224,324 SPAIN 250,561 ITALY 213,013 UK 194,990 GERMANY 166,490 RUSSIA 155,370 TURKEY 129,491 BRAZIL 108,620 IRAN 99,970 CHINA 82,881 CANADA 61,165 BELGIUM 50,509 N’LANDS 41,087

71,148 25,613 29,315 29,427 6,993 1,451 3,520 7,367 6,340 4,633 3,918 8,016 5,168

USA

+1227 +185 +236 +693 +15 +95 +60 +24 +63 +2 +64 +92 +86

A PLACE OF HOPE

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO LAST UPDATED: MAY 5, 2020, 11:00 PM

IN GUJARAT DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

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

4424 405 723 62 76 75 31 79 24 49 49 12 14 7 42 41 7 3 4 1 9 22 40 16 3 6 2 8 2 1 3 2 6245

273 30 33 1 5 6 2 4 1 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 368

DWARKA JUNAGADH TOTAL

SAMPLES TESTED NEGATIVE CASES UNDER EXAMINATION

0

39 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 49

89,632 83,387

FLIGHT PLAN! Week 1 of evacuation to see 64 flights to 13 nations; over 14,000 stranded Indians to be repatriated New Delhi: India is set to begin its largest overseas evacuation of stranded Indian nationals abroad since Independence. The operation to bring back Indians stranded in various countries due to airspace closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic will commence in a phased manner, the first phase to begin as early as this week.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has prepared a chart for the evacuation of over 14,000 Indian nationals stranded in 13 foreign countries by 64 flights in week 1 of the operation.

According to the MEA plan shared with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) that is set to begin from May 7, an approximate 14,800 passengers will be evacuated from 13 different countries. Flights from India will fly to the Philippines, Singapore, Bangladesh, UAE, UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, Phillippines, USA, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait. The first day of evacuation will see 10 flights repatriate 2300 Indians.

On Day 2, around 2050 Indian nationals will ar-

This airlift would be the largest since the Persian Gulf War evacuation of over 170,000 people from Kuwait in 1990.

—ANI FILE PHOTO

rive in Chennai, Kochi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Delhi from nine different countries, according to the plan. On Day 3, some 2050 stranded nationals are expected to arrive in Mumbai, Kochi, Lucknow and Delhi from 13 countries spread across the Middle East, Europe, South East Asia and USA. On Day 4 of the plan 1850 stranded nationals from eight different countries, including the USA, UK and the UAE will be evacuated.

Prior to boarding the evacuation flights, all persons coming to India are required to fill-up a form and

submit a copy each to the Health and Immigration Counter at arrival. This airlift would be the largest since the Persian Gulf War evacuation of over 170,000 people from Kuwait in 1990.

The government on Tuesday suspended all existing visas granted to foreign nationals, barring a few categories, till international air travel to and from India remains shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, an order said. In a separate order, the MHA said it has extended on ‘gratis’ basis the visas of foreigners stranded in India due the lockdown.

Turn on P6

Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska is a place of hope for the continued wisdom, restraint, and humility to preserve a sample of wild America! It is part of one of the largest internationally protected Biosphere Reserves in the world recognised by the United Nations as a World Heritage Site. The current Coronavisus Pandemic has pushed back park’s opening, until July 1.

Nehra under self quarantine First India News Gandhinagar: With Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra going into selfquarantine after two persons he had been in contact with later tested positive for COVID-19, the state on Tuesday announced that Mukesh Kumar, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Gujarat Maritime Board, will take over as Commissioner. An IAS officer and former city commissioner, Kumar is being brought in to control the spread of the virus.

Turn on P6

RaGa seeks economic elixir from Nobel laureate New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi held a dialogue with Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee on dealing with the economic fallout of COVID-19 as part of his series of deliberations with experts on economy and health.

India should come out with a large enough stimulus package to revive demand, Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee said on Tuesday, while favouring putting cash in the hands of the bot-

OVER 30 COVID-19 VACCINES BEING DEVELOPED IN INDIA: PMO New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of task force on Coronavirus Vaccine Development and took a detailed review of the current status of India’s efforts in vaccine development, drug discovery, diagnosis and testing.

“Indian vaccine companies have come across as innovators in early stage vaccine development research.

Similarly,Indian academia and start-ups have also pioneered in this area.

tom 60 per cent population to help boost the economy post lockdown.

Banerjee, while talking to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi through video-conferencing, suggested several measures like increasing people’s spending by giving money to help revive demand, give temporary ration cards for providing grains to the poor and for cancelling the debt for a quarter. Turn on P6

INDIA’S RECOVERY RATE IMPROVES, TOTAL CASES SEE BIGGEST JUMP New Delhi: India’s recovery rate improved to 28.17 per cent but the count of cases and deaths due to coronavirus witnessed highest increase with the total standing at 46,711. The Group of Ministers had in-depth deliberation on containment strategy and management aspects of COVID-19 as well as the measures being taken by the Centre and various states.

A’bad sees worst day yet with 39 dead, 349 new positive cases 441 new cases and 49 fatalities put state tally at 6,245 and death toll at 368 First India News Gandhinagar: In what is easily the state’s worst day in more than two months, Tuesday brought 49 deaths, 39 of which occurred in Ahmedabad.

There were no co-morbid conditions for 14 of these deaths, meaning the patients died only because of Sars-Cov-2.

The only slice of good news is that 186 patients were discharged after recovery.

In all, 441 new cases were recorded in the state in the last 24 hours, of which 349 were reported in Ahmedabad city. With this, the state has a total of 6,245 cases and a death toll of 368.

The numbers coming

K Kailashnathan, chief principal secretary to Chief Minister, Anil Mukim, chief secretary, Rajeev Gupta, additional chief secretary (Forest and Environment) and officer on special duty and in-charge municipal commissioner Mukesh Kumar assess Ahmedabad’s COVID-19 situation at the Riverfront office in the city on Tuesday.

in from the rural areas of the district are not promising either. Rural Ahmedabad reported 54 cases in a single day. Of these, 40 are from Daskroi taluka, five each from Sanand and Dholka, two from Bavla and one each from Dhandhuka and Viramgam.

While Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra announced that he was sequestering himself for 14 days in self-quarantine, it is likely that the state government has decided on a change

of guard, especially since Ahmedabad city on Tuesday accounted for about 79% of the state’s positive cases and deaths.

Soon after Nehra went into self-quarantine, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister K Kailashnathan, Chief Secretary Anil Mukim, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Environment) and officer on Special Duty Rajeev Gupta and Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gujarat Maritime Board and

in-charge Municipal Commissioner Mukesh Kumar rushed to Ahmedabad, where they held video conferences with deputy commissioners and other senior officers of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation at the River Front office in Ahmedabad.

According to sources, all four seniors officers took ward-wise reports and sought to know exactly the AMC was doing, and what it planned to do, to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Turn on P6

NEWS AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

—FILE PHOTO

MODI, SHAH, NADDA SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HARYANA CM! P

rime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda greeted Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on his birthday on Tuesday.

Khattar turned 66.

“Best wishes to Haryana CM@mlkhattar Ji on his birthday,” the prime minister tweeted.

“Manohar Lal Ji has been working assiduously for Haryana’s progress. May Almighty bless him with a long and healthy life in service of people,” he said.

Expressing his grati-

tude, Khattar praised Modi’’s leadership, saying India is fighting the coronavirus pandemic with its full capability.

“Under your robust leadership India is fighting Corona with full capacity & we are in a stronger position compared to other countries. On My birthday I pray to God for the well-being of my fellow countrymen,” the chief minister said in his reply.

Describing Khattar as a popular leader who has established good governance in the state with hard work and honesty, Amit Shah said Haryana would continue to march on the path

of progress and prosperity under him.

Greeting the chief minister, Nadda said Haryana was unitedly moving ahead in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic under his leadership.

Khattar also expressed his gratitude to Shah and Nadda for their wishes.

Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, whose party JJP is a coalition partner of the BJP in Haryana, also greeted Khattar on his birthday.

“Birthday wishes to Shri @mlkhattar Ji. Praying for his good health and long life,” Chautala tweeted. —PTI

‘HELLO’ BROTHER: MODI, ANTONIO COSTA SPEAK ON PHONE

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with his Portugese counterpart Antonio Costa on Tuesday during which both the leaders offered all possible help to each other in dealing with the coronavirus crisis.

The two leaders agreed to collaborate on research and innovation aimed at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The leaders noted that proactive national measures were helpful in containing the spread of the disease, an official statement said.

Modi thanked Costa

PM Narendra Modi with PM of Portugal Antonio Costa. —FILE PHOTO

for extending validity of visas of Indian travellers to Portugal who could not return because of the

lockdown.

Prime Minister Costa expressed his appreciation for the facilitation

provided by Indian authorities to Portuguese citizens in India.

In the course of their

conversation, Modi commended Costa for his effective handling of the health crisis.

It is widely believed that Portugal performed well in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two leaders agreed to remain in touch and consult each other on the evolving dimensions of the crisis as well as the post COVID-19 situation.

Modi also recalled the state visit of Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to India in February, the statement said.

—PTI

Registration for inter-state movement begins today, 42K have left for home SURAT’S DIAMOND WORKERS WILL SOON BE ABLE TO RETURN TO THEIR NATIVE VILLAGES First India News Gandhinagar: After helping out migrant workers of other states, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s government has taken on the task of ensuring workers get a chance to return to their native towns and villages within Gujarat’s borders. For this, online registration will begin from Wednesday.

Forest and Environ-

ment Minister Ganpat Vasava and other senior officers of Surat district held a meeting to chalk out a plan for the transportation of diamond workers from Surat to their native districts.

In the first step, like migrant workers from other states, diamond workers will have to get themselves registered on the government portal. Registration will begin

—FILE PHOTO

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani

from Wednesday.

Once the registration starts, a commit-

tee headed by Minister of State Kishor Kanani will decide whether

workers will leave in private vehicles or state transport ones

for their native districts, and from where.

A large chunk of workers is from Bhavnagar, Botad, and Amreli.

The committee will prepare a batch-wise list, and workers will be allowed to leave only on the basis of that list, said Ashwani Kumar, Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary to the Chief Minister.

These buses will take the Surat-Olpad-Ankleshwar-Jambusar road to Saurashtra. The state is trying to ensure that they don’t pass to city or red zone areas.

Diamond workers will have to undergo medical checks both before boarding or leaving Surat and after they reach their destinations. No one with the slightest symptom will be allowed to leave Surat.

If the person only presents the symptoms on arrival, he or she will be sent straight to institutional quarantine or hospitalized, Kumar added.

The state government has appealed to workers, asking them to

be patient, and has assured them it will see that those who want to return to their native villages or towns get transportation. Citing the example of migrant workers from other states, Kumar pointed out that 35 Shramik trains were arranged in just three days and 42,000 workers have boarded these trains for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa.

Similarly, three lakh workers were given permission to leave the state in buses and private vehicles.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020

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A’bad has abyssmal 15% recovery rate City’s rate of recovery is lower than that of other hotspots including Surat and Vadodara also lower than the state’s rate of 20%

We’re short of lab resources: Vijay Nehra

Gargi Raval

First India News

A man paints a COVID-19-themed message on a road in Ahmedabad. —PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

In Surat, so far, 706 patients have been admitted; of which 206 patients have been discharged.

Vadodara which has recorded the third highest cases in the state has a recovery rate of 38%. It has recorded 385 cases while 147 patients have got discharged.

Even the latest hotspot, Gandhinagar, has an 18% recovery rate.

Gandhinagar has reported 77 cases out of which 14 have been discharged.

According to Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra, the city now has 4,022 cases, of which 3,101 are active.

He said that the growth rate of active cases has gone down below 5% as of Tuesday. About 79 patients have been discharged, bringing the total to 691.

Ahmedabad: Since the onset, First India has questioned whether local authorities were under-utilizing their laboratory testing capacity or they had limited resources. On Tuesday, Ahmedabad municipal commissioner Vijay Nehra admitted, for the first time, that the city’s resources were, in fact, limited.

In his video bulletin,

Nehra stated the helpline numbers were receiving several calls regarding COVID-19 testing. “Not everyone needs to undergo testing. Some people fear that they might have contracted the virus and want a test to be conducted, which is not right. There are other citizens who want to get tested because a family member or office colleague has tested positive,” he said.

21 super spreaders test positive for Sars-Cov-2 in one locality in 24 hrs First India News Ahmedabad: Police, Fire Brigade and Health teams converged at the Haripura na Chhapra locality of the city’s Khokhra area on Tuesday morning after 21 vegetable vendors were confirmed to have been infected with Sars-CoV-2.

The vendors were tested as part of the AMC’s (Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation) random sampling drive to to check for infection among “super spreaders”—people who come into contact with many people

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Ahmedabad: With only 15% of the total patients admitted in Ahmedabad with a Sars-CoV-2 infection having recovered, the city has one of the worst recovery rate among the hotspots. It is only better than Panchmahal, where just five of the 45 cases were cured, giving it an 11% recovery rate.

According to a press release from the health department dated May 4, Ahmedabad district including the city area recorded 4,076 cases of COVID-19 since its outbreak in the city Of those admitted to hospital, 234 people have succumbed to the virus while 620 have been discharged. Another 3,222 patients are still undergoing treatment or are under observation in hospitals or care centres. These figures are worrying; more so, if you consider that Ahmedabad’s first COVID-19 patient stayed in the hospital for more than a month.

Meanwhile, the recovery rate across the state is 20%, which is to say, 1,195 people have discharged out of the total infected 5,804 patients as on May 4. Even other cities like Surat and Vadodara, which have been considered hotspots, have a better recovery rate than Ahmedabad.

A medical team at Haripura na Chhapra.

in the course of a day—such as vegetable vendors, milk parlour owners/operators and delivery personnel.

While the Fire and Emergency Services team was tasked with fumigating the area, the corporation has set about tracing any-

one with whom the infected persons may have come into contact over the past few days and putting them under self-quarantine.

At least 100-150 relatives and neighbours have been taken to institutional quarantine facilities, sources said,

adding that the entire area is being evacuated and fumigated.

As recently as Monday, Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra had appealed to the people to not purchase vegetables from vendors that don’t carry health screening cards issued by the corporation.

Sources say that the AMC has increased its sampling in the eastern parts of the city since the population density is higher there. Such a largescale sample testing of super spreaders has not been conducted in the western part yet.

He advised people who fear they have an infection to remain in quarantine for seven days and if they develop any symptoms after that, they should approach laboratories for a test.

“We cannot conduct unnecessary testing with limited resources available. Samples of only super-spreaders, senior citizens and symptomatic patients will be collected for test-

DGP: Red zones need micromanagement First India News Gandhinagar: In an attempt to restrict citizen movement from red zone areas to other areas of the city and vicea-versa, city police have decided to micromanage monitoring. “ W i t h help from social workers on the ground, police will manage movement of people from one zone to another. The aim is to ensure minimum movement in red zone areas and effectively implement the lockdown,” said Shivanand Jha,

Is Govt curbing unnecessary tests Stranded in Odisha, bus or trying to take control of testing? drivers seek help in video Ahmedabad: The state government recently instructed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved private laboratories to ask for permission before collecting a sample for COVID-19 testing. This move has given rise to doubt about the government’s intention. The big question remains, does the state want to control testing or curb unnecessary tests?

The decision has garnered differing views from pathologists. Those in favour of the decision say it will facilitate control of unnecessary testing. Those against it sus-

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Haresh Jhala

FOR & AGAINST

Medics check commuters’ temperatures in Raipur area.

pect the government intentions and feel that the state fears a jump in confirmed cases, if private laboratories are given a free-hand over testing. This might, in turn, sully the state government’s reputation, which is why the decision to control testing has been taken.

Dr Sandeep Shah, director of Supratech Laboratories agrees with the decision, “If everyone rushes to get tested, it can create several problems. The government is just looking to ensure that only genuine cases are addressed and I do not there is anything wrong in it,” he said.

A Mumbai-based pathologist, who asked not to be named said, “When the government’s own facilities have limited resources to test samples, issuing instructions to not conduct testing without permission hints at the government’s apprehension about the outcome.”

First India News Surat: In a bid to send migrant workers back to their native villages or towns, around 80 buses were operated from cities of Surat, Vadodara and Bharuch to Odisha. However, now, the drivers of these buses have reportedly been stranded there, with no access to food or water.

In a video which has gone viral on social media, drivers can be seen expressing their anguish at the treatment they received from authorities in Odisha.

They also state that they had been “imprisoned” in a field for two days, after travelling

A still from the viral video.

more than 2,000km to ferry the workers.

The drivers also alleged that they were not allowed to leave the field, and were charged Rs200 for each meal.

The drivers in the video stated, “We came to ensure these people reached their homes risking our lives. But,

we were bullied after we got here. Many bus drivers were forced to unload passengers at spots other than the designated place. The local administration is giving us a roundabout answer. We request the government to make arrangements for us to return home.”

Meanwhile, nine trains operated from Surat on Tuesday, to ferry migrant workers back to their native states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand.

Of the nine trains, four left for UP, while three trains sped on to Odisha, two were bound for Jharkhand and Bihar, respectively.

WHAT RULES?

State treats contact tracing protocol as mere suggestion 

A First India investigation finds that incomplete hospital and government records seem to be the norm, even as the state makes tall claims

First India News Ahmedabad/ Vadodara: Contact tracing is one of the most effective methods which can be employed to curtail the spread of COVID-19 infection. A three-step process involving the tracing, testing and treatment (TTT) of a corona positive patient, should ideally be implemented to ensure that the infection is contained. But, is the state government

actually following this protocol? The lack of proper information on hospital case forms and government records tell a different tale.

If we look at a few tracings made by the Vadodara crime branch, the first COVID-19 case of Nagarwada area was that of Firozkhan Pathan. He had visited Ahmedabad’s Danilimda and Astodia areas on March 16, but there is no information whatsoever about whom he

—FILE PHOTO

AMC’S GAFFE?

While testing and treatment are carried out at facilities like the Civil Hospital (in pic), third step, tracing, is often ignored.

met in Ahmedabad and on his return to Vadodara. Pathan’s record only mentions the possibility of him having

come in contact with a corona-infected person.

Similarly, Mumtazbibi Diwan, a resident of Gorwa, had no travel

history but, as per her record, contact with a carrier while purchasing vegetables has been cited as the reason for

ing,” asserted Nehra.

The municipal commissioner also called out people seeking a sense of security. “In these trying times, it is not prudent to seek a false sense of security by getting tested for COVID-19. If someone has come in contact with a positive patient, they must remain in quarantine for a week.

If they develop any symptoms, then they may get tested,” he said.

her infection. There is no mention of contact tracing.

The situation in Ahmedabad is also similar with incomplete hospital case registrations being the norm. It remains unclear whether the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is intentionally releasing incomplete records, or the hospital staff has been noting incomplete addresses while admitting patients.

Director-General of Police.

The DGP has made it clear that inter-district movement will be allowed only if citizens produce required passes from respective district authorities.

If any person is found travelling without permission, police will initiate action against them.

Meanwhile, police have registered a case against 204 migrant workers in Surat district for rioting and damage to public property. All accused have been arrested.

Rajkot NGO pays train fare of 1,200 migrants Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Rajkot: While the country’s two largest political parties were essentially posturing over the issue, local non-government organization (NGO) called Kanuda Mitra Mandal paid the train fare of migrant workers heading home from Rajkot and even provided them with food packets, water and masks.

After the workers took to the streets to demand arrangements for them to go back home, a special Shramik train received clearances required to carry workers to Uttar Pradesh.

The train carrying over 1,200 workers, left from Rajkot railway station on Tuesday at 6 am.

It will travel directly to Baliya, where all the workers will be put under quarantine, before they are allowed to go on to their respective villages/towns.

The NGO spent over Rs8.7 lakh to pay for the fare of migrant workers. “We were asked by the collectorate to contribute to relief efforts.

Since we had already decided to distribute food packets and other things, we were asked to bear the entire expense of the fare, which we did,” said Krunal Maniyar, a member of the NGO.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020

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SONIA’S FREE TICKET TO MIGRANTS

IN-DEPTH

TIPPLERS SET GOVERNMENT COFFERS RINGING

D

runkards coming to the rescue of a tottering economy read one WhatsApp message with the visual of a falling graph of the economy being supported by a man with a bottle. If dry throats rushed to quench their thirst fearing another freeze on the sale of alcohol, they couldn’t be blamed for such has been the unpredictability of recent times. Come rain, hail or storm, they were ready to brave it all for the hic of it. And they did, standing in long serpentine queues from early in the morning throwing social distancing protocol to the wind. At least in Mumbai and Delhi policemen made some futile attempts to remind the tipplers of the danger of coming too close to one another but, hic, nobody cared. At some places individuals bought at least one year’s supply worth Rs 1 lakh, assuming they don’t drink like a fish to remain sizzled all day long, at other the bill showed Rs 52,000.

The chaos that prevailed was unnerving as the fear of the coronavirus is real. Those who may not have had a drop to drink during the 40 days of lockdown obviously could not wait and rushed out like the migrant labourers swarming Anand Vihar after the sudden announcement of nationwide lockdown. Like in the case of migrants, several governments were caught unprepared for the unprecedented turnout.

Though strongly criticised for putting people’s lives at risk, these governments, especially Delhi where four shops had to be shut and Maharashtra, were not complaining as Bacchanals were filling their empty coffers with money, something which the Central government is yet to provide.

As the economic crisis grows bigger by the day, the states have been asking for a financial package which the Central government has still not announced, leaving the states to fend for themselves. Under the circumstances, excise revenue was the best way out and thankfully the Union home ministry allowed the sale of liquor and left the final decision to the states. Some states like Kerala did not permit any liquor shop to open. Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh, which earn 10 percent to more than 20 percent revenue from liquor sale, allowed the shops to open on Monday.

Such was the response of tipplers that the Delhi government decided to cash in on the opportunity and announced a 70 percent hike in prices of alcohol, including beer. In Andhra Pradesh, the government hiked liquor prices for the second time in three days. After a 25 percent hike on Sunday, the government raised the prices by another 50 percent on Monday. Punjab was also mulling a corona tax on alcohol.

Those who thought that the price hike would keep the drinkers away must have been left wondering after seeing long queues in Delhi on Tuesday.

A MASTER-STROKE & ‘ONE-WAY’ TICKET FOR CONGRESS PARTY? KARTIKEY DEV SINGH THE WRITER IS BUREAU CHIEF, FIRST INDIA, JAIPUR @KartikeyBanethi

T

Sonia’s ‘masterstroke’ announcement that Congress will provide for a fare of the labourers stranded in various states and looking to return home, could be the ‘silver’ lining’ that the party had been looking for all this while

he grand-old party - Indian National Congress - has been going through a rough phase, when it comes to its ‘goodwill’ in the public. The crisis started when BJP’s Narendra Modi ascended to the PMO, prior to which the Congress party was going from strength to strength, at least in its own wisdom. For the past six years, the marked difference has been witnessed in Congress’s ‘management’ of its politics to the tune that it had to tread on the same ‘communal’ Hinduism path that it accused BJP of treading on.

With Rahul Gandhi reaching temples to claiming to be a ‘Janeudhari Brahmin’, all of Congress’s strategies failed. Towards the later half it did dealt a blow to the saffron party which had seated itself in 17 states, but even then it is being seen as standing on loose footing when compared to its nemesis BJP if we consider giving international leadership by a national leader.

And perhaps it is time to change the dynamics of politics and turn the tide to its favor. But how does a national party reinvent itself, especially in current Corona times when mentioning the word politics is enough to paint a grey image on any party.

It appears that the Congress matriarch - Sonia Gandhi - had an ace up its sleeve, well it looks like so, at least for now.

Sonia’s ‘masterstroke’ announcement that Congress will provide for a fare of the labourers stranded in various states and looking to return home, could be the ‘silver’ lining’ that the party had been looking for all this while. It is certainly a bold decision, simply because it denotes one thing, the party leadership wants to grab the bull by its horns and turn the ‘tide’ in its favor. But like every coin, this story has a flip side too. The Con-

gress leadership quickly learned that although people were paying to get a train ticket, the fact that the state government was collecting the money was painting a sad PR picture. Since the Centre wanted to wash its hands off the ire of labourers, it asked the state to do its dirty work.

But the Congress also has its fair share of strategic thinkers who vetted Mrs. Gandhi’s thoughts on free ride. Thus, hitting two birds with one stone, Sonia announced free tickets to the migrants. With the decision, not only did Mrs Gandhi save its governments in three states and a coalition government in Maharashtra from bad rep drawn from Centre’s ‘strategic political thinking’, but also managed to get its old voter - the poor section - to look at Congress with hope, yet again.

Hope, that it had planted in the BJP over the years.

And Congress’s regional governments were not far in implementing the idea. Even

CONGRESS LEADERSHIP QUICKLY LEARNED THAT ALTHOUGH PEOPLE WERE PAYING TO GET A TRAIN TICKET, THE FACT THAT THE STATE GOVERNMENT WAS COLLECTING THE MONEY WAS PAINTING A SAD PR PICTURE

though the state coffers are barely holding, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Ge-

Climate action can help to fight pandemics T

he COVID-19 crisis has brought economies around the world to a standstill. Huge swaths of manufacturing have been idled, and sectors such as aviation and tourism are largely shuttered. Amid all the economic ruin, some have pointed to a supposed silver lining: cleaner air.

But while it is true that today’s lower air pollution will temporarily spare some people’s health, it is also true that winds are much calmer in the eye of a hurricane.

Last year, roughly six million people worldwide died as a consequence of air pollution produced from burning fossil fuels. Such pollution will likely lead to nearly as many deaths in 2020, despite the cleaner air

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resulting from COVID-19 lockdowns. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels causes heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, and diabetes. Children who breathe contaminated air are more likely to suffer from asthma. And polluted air can also harm pregnant women, resulting in premature or underweight babies.

But we can reduce this growing toll on our health. As our economies kick back into gear after the threat from COVID-19 passes, we should implement climate solutions that will not only prevent the harms caused by air pollution, but also might just forestall the next pandemic.

A recent study by some of my Harvard colleagues provided the first clear evidence that a small increase

Protect communities against risks from COVID-19 and future pandemics, and help to ensure a livable climate for future generations

in long-term exposure to particulate-matter air pollution can significantly increase the odds of someone dying from COVID-19. This effect was apparent even after accounting for other factors, such as pre-existing health conditions, socioeconomic status, and access to health care.

Likewise, other researchers had previously shown that air pollution made people more likely

to die from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), another coronavirus. A 2003 study found that someone living in a highly polluted area of China was more than twice as likely to die from SARS than someone living in an area with cleaner air. Chinese cities with high or moderate levels of air pollution had death rates of 8.9% and 7.5% respectively, compared to a 4% rate in areas with low air pollution. Past research has also shown that air pollution can accelerate the spread of respiratory infections.

Given this, it is no surprise that communities already suffering from air pollution – often communities of color and the poor – have been particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.

These populations are now

experiencing a double burden: severe illness in the form of COVID-19, in addition to the well-known longterm harms from breathing contaminated air. ll this deepens existing economic and social injustices. Poorer people are more likely to be laid off during the current pandemic, even in wealthier countries, and are also more likely to be exposed to the virus.

Governments can help to end this vicious cycle by speeding up climate action, including by adopting renewable energy and preventing deforestation. By addressing the factors that drive the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, such policies will protect everyone, especially those most at risk..

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATE.COM

hlot by taking a major initiative, announced that the state government will take on this additional burden on itself so that the people are not troubled. However, now it will be curious to watch how other Congress Chief Ministers manage to bear this extra burden in critical corona crisis.

This, to many political observers, appears as a befitting reply to the Centre government trying to corner the Congress amid the crisis. They say, Cometh The Hour, Cometh The Man. well, for Congress, it was the matriarch that did a man’s job of saving the ‘family’.

Will the Congress manage to paint another pretty picture in the minds of lakhs of voters through this move remains to be seen, for the moment, the Congress has averted a major threat and has certainly gained a little momentum on political front, against a formidable force in the BJP, where does it go from here, remains to be seen.

Top

TWEET Ahmed Patel @ahmedpatel Railways collected Rs 3.5 cr by running trains last week. This money came from poor migrants who had no income since last 2 months yet some propaganda factories claimed this was untrue.

Congress is committeed to support any individual-who can’t afford to pay-to board these trains.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal In a new, innovative move, Railways has deployed the use of automatic remote controlled carts for giving various items to patients.Fulfilling the requirements of patients in a timely manner, this utility device enables medical fraternity to maintain distance & be safe.

Spiritual SPEAK

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace. —Buddha

Vol 1 Issue No. 160 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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‘Medics contracting corona, worrisome’ We are ensuring that everyone is oriented on the proper use of PPEs & proper infection prevention measures, said Joint Secy, Lav Agarwal New Delhi: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday said that it a matter of concern that health professionals are contracting coronavirus.

“For us, it is a matter of concern if any health professional gets infected. It is particularly important for all of us to ensure we take precautions while dealing with cases. There are two sets of cases we have found. First is while attending medical duties and second is someone getting infected and in process being

Union Minister for Health Dr Harsh Vardhan chairing a high-level meeting to review the preparedness of COVID-19 in New Delhi.

a professional also got infected,” said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, during the regular me-

dia briefing on COVID-19 situation. “We have been working with all the states and others to ensure that everyone is oriented on the prop-

er use of PPEs and proper infection prevention measures. We have come with rational use of PPEs even in hospitals dealing with non-

8 more cases in K’taka, state tally @ 659

PAYING TRIBUTES...

President Ram Nath Kovind pays tributes to Giani Zail Singh, former President of India, on his birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Bengaluru: 8 more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Karnataka, taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to 659, the state Health Department said.

“8 more COVID-19 cases reported in Karnataka between yesterday 5 pm & 12 pm today. The total number of cases in the state is now at 659, including 324 discharged and 28 deaths,” said the state Health Department. These are from Bengaluru Urban, Bagalakote, Ballari, Dakshina Kannada Bhatkal, Uttara Kannada. —ANI

BJP seeks CM Mamata’s resignation over West Bengal’s COVID-19 data New Delhi: After the West Bengal government released fresh data about the COVID-19 situation in the state, the BJP launched a scathing attack on it. State BJP in-charge and party General Secretary Kailash Vijayavargiya alleged that instead of focusing on COVID-19 the Mamata government is fighting with the Centre and the Governor. In such a situation the people of West Bengal are sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

According to the data released by Health Ministry on Tuesday morning, there were 1,259 coronavirus-infected people in Bengal, out of which 218 were discharged from hospital, while the death toll has seen a tremendous increase. As of Tuesday morning, 133 people had died. —ANI

Rajnath Singh congratulates NCC New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated 17 Directorates of NCC for their contribution in battle against Coronavirus. “Reviewed the contribution of 17 NCC Directorates in India’s fight against COVID-19 via VC facility. I con-

gratulate @HQ_DG_ NCC for their positive

role and contribution, he tweeted.” —ANI

CISF STAFF DONATES ONE-DAY SALARY IN PM-CARES FUND

TS RELEASES RS 12L FOR TESTING OF JOURNOS

New Delhi: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel have donated their one-day salary worth Rs 16.23 crore to the PMCARES Fund as their financial contribution towards fight against the coronaviurs pandemic. CISF Director General Rajesh Ranjan handed over a cheque of Rs 162,382,357 to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

More than 1.62 lakh CISF personnel donated their one-day salary to the PM-CARES Fund.

Hyderabad: The Telangana government on released Rs 12 lakh for the testing and the treatment of journalists, who have tested positive for the coronavirus. “The Government of Telangana has taken all steps for the containment of the spread of the coronavirus. The government has released Rs 12 lakh to take care of testing and treatment of journalists,” said an official statement.State govt had remitted Rs 75,000 in cash for primary contact testing.

KASHI VIDVAT PARISHAD WANTS TEMPLES TO REOPEN Varanasi: The Kashi Vidvat Parishad, a revered body of scholars & saints, has appealed to UP CM Yogi Adityanath to allow opening of temples. “If ‘’madiralaya’’ (liquor shops) can be opened, then why not ‘’devalaya’’ (temple) which will provide peace to people,” said Ram Narain Dwiwedi, Secretary of Parishad.

Rajnath Singh reviews contribution of 17 NCC directorates via vc.

He said, “Temples should be allowed to open for a shorter period of time. We have famous temples like Kashi Vishwanath, Sankat Mochan and Durga temple and we will ensure social distancing is followed by devotees.” in any case, devotees always stand in queues for ‘’darshan’’ and the practice will be strictly followed again, he said.

WOMAN IAS OFFICER RESIGNS FEARING PERSONAL SAFETY ON DUTY Chandigarh: A 2014 batch woman IAS officer of Haryana cadre resigned from the service, citing apprehensions of ‘personal safety on government duty’. “I do hereby most humbly submit to you my resignation from the post of Indian Administative Service with immediate effect that is effective from date May 4 forenoon. The reason for submitting the resignation is personal safety on government duty,” the letter read. The officer, Rani Nagar, tendered her resignation through a letter to CS, Government of Haryana, on May 4.

COVID patients,” he said.

The remarks came after several cases of health professionals contracting coronavi-

rus were reportedacross the country.

Agarwal also informed that the doubling time of coronavirus cases in the country has improved from 3.4 days before lockdown to 12 days now.

“Lockdown has yielded very positive results, doubling time has improved from 3.4 days before lockdown to 12 days now. At the same time, it is important that we sustain the momentum,” he said.

The Joint Secretary also said that a Group of Ministers held its

14th meeting on COVID-19 chaired by Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

Infrastructure, such as PPE, oxygen and oxygen cylinders, ventilators and N95 masks, was reviewed in the meeting, he said.

Speaking further, Agarwal said: “We are very comfortable in terms of managing COVID-19 as of now but any laxity at field level in terms of management and any lack of cooperation in social distancing may have its consequences.” —ANI

I held a review meeting with the officials of Delhi government and city’s municipal corporations over the preparedness to deal with vectorborne diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and malaria. It is important to take measures to control these diseases.

—Dr Harsh Vardhan, Health Minister, New Delhi

IN THE COURTYARD

SC refuses to entertain Mahua Moitra’s plea on CSR funds New Delhi: The SC has refused to entertain Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s plea challenging the validity of the MCA circular for excluding relief funds of chief ministers from receiving contribution by compaanies under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The top court said the petitioner being a Member of Parliament can debate it in the House whether the state should get the CSR benefit or not, as she has not challenged the law in her plea. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B R Gavai, hearing the plea through video conferencing, said there was no merit in the petition and was allowed to withdraw the petition.

Moitra had challenged the validity of the circular issued by the MCA of April 10, which had said contributions to Chief Ministers Relief Fund and State Relief Fund for Covid-19 cannot be claimed as CSR spending by the corporate.

‘Indians stranded abroad will be brought back’

Mahua Moitra

—FILE PHOTO

SC REFUSES TO ENTERTAIN PLEA ON SALARY CUTS FOR COPS New Delhi: The SC refused to entertain a petition filed by former ACP Bhanupratap Barge challenging the salary cut and the lack of PPEs in many states for police personnel who are on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus.

“We can’t pass any order in the petition.

We are sorry. Everybody is going through a very difficult time.

These are policy matters. There can’t be a super-government,” said a bench of the apex court, headed

by Justice Ashok Bhushan. —ANI

DELHI HC REFUSES STAY ON STREAMING OF A WEBSERIES New Delhi: The Delhi HC refused to grant interim stay on streaming of web series ‘Hasmukh’ on Netflix. “...if an ad interim injunction is granted, it would amount to interference in the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by our Constitution to the defend-

ants,” the court said.

The plaintiff, who is an advocate, had moved the court to restrain Netflix from further airing or streaming of the episodes of web series ‘Hasmukh’, particularly Episode 4 of Season 1 that contained derogatory remarks against legal fraternity. —ANI

—ANI

Plea on MHA’s order on rent dismissed New Delhi: The SC refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the Centre to ensure compliance with the MHA order directing landlords to neither ask students and labourers to vacate the premises nor to seek rent for a month during

the COVID-19 lockdown.

A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, which was hearing the matter through videoconferencing, dismissed the plea and said the apex court cannot implement the orders of the government. —ANI

DATES OF IIT-JEWE AND NEET EXAMINATIONS ANNOUNCED New Delhi: Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal announced the dates of NEET and IIT-JEE examinations which had been postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The NEET exam will be held on 26th July while the IIT-JEE (Main) examination will be held on 18th, 20th, 21st, 22nd,

and 23rd July. The IIT-JEE examination will be held in August this year and the date will be announced later. NEET is the qualifying test for MBBS and BDS programs in Indian medical and dental colleges. It is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) while the JEE is for admission into the premier IITs.

New Delhi: The Centre informed the Supreme Court that May 7 onwards it will begin bringing back Indian citizens stranded due to the nationwide lockdown and travel restrictions in place in various countries.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan comprising Justice SK Kaul & BR Gavai that only May 7 onwards Indian citizens could be brought back in special flights, including those Indians stuck in Nepal. —ANI

SC junks plea for quashing 75,000 FIRs for violation New Delhi: The Supreme Court declined to entertain a PIL by former UP police chief Vikram Singh seeking direction to quash nearly 75,000 FIRs registered for violating orders of lockdown and petty offences during the coronavirus pandemic.A bench comprising Justice Ashok Bhushan, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and BR Gavai questioned Singh’’s counsel, “You want there should be no FIR and this (Section 188 IPC) should not be invoked...then how can the lockdown be enforced?” The bench wondered why such petitions were coming to the apex court? —ANI

STUDENT HELD FOR POSTING PHOTOS IN ‘BOYS LOCKER ROOM’ New Delhi: After the leaked screenshots of a private Instagram chat group stirred up a storm over rape culture in India, the Delhi Police has apprehended a school student in connection with the case, or what is now being called #BoysLockerRoom group case. The Boys Locker Room incident came to light after a girl from south Delhi shared the screenshot on social media exposing the said group and scores of similar groups. The police said they have identified almost all the 21 group members and all of them will be examined.

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Railways ran 62 Special trains for migrants, ferried 70,000 travellers These trains are being run to transport stranded people at different places in the country due to lockdown New Delhi: The Minis67 Shramik try of Home Affairs informed that 62 special trains being run trains have been run by since May 1 the Railways for migrant workers carrying around 70,000 travellers.

“Indian Railways have run 62 special trains till now for migrant workers carrying about 70,000 travellers.

13 more such trains expected to run today,” Punya Salila Srivastava, Joint Secretary, MHA told reporters here at a press conference. The special trains are being run to transport migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students and other persons stranded at different places in the country

Migrants labors family members wait to board a bus from P D’Mello Road to Kalyan in Mumbai.

due to lockdown.

The countrywide COVID-19 lockdown, which was scheduled to end on May 3, has been extended by another two weeks till May 17.

Srivastava said that a gathering of not more

than 50 persons is allowed at wedding functions, and not more than 20 persons at last rites of deceased persons, to maintain social distancing.

“Everyone has to wear face covers/masks

speed NEWS BRAHMINS BEING TARGETED IN UP: JITIN PRASADA New Delhi: Congress leader Jitin Prasada has claimed that Brahmins in UP were subjected to targeted killing. He questioned CM Yogi Adityanath when this “suppression of one community” will end and why no action had been taken against the culprits. “Brah-

mins are being targeted in this regime.

Criminals are taking advantage of the lockdown since the victims or their families cannot seek justice as district officials are not meeting anybody.

Where do he people go to seek justice?” the Congress leader said.

ARMY CHIEF VISITS EASTERN FIELD

3 INDIAN PHOTOJOURNOS WIN PULITZER

Kolkata: Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane visited various field formations in Eastern India from May 4 to May 5 May which included Sukna, Binnaguri and Panagarh.During his two day visit, he was briefed by formation commanders on operational readiness of the formations & other important issues.

Jammu: Three Associated Press(AP) photographers from J&K have won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography for their “striking images of life” in J&K following abrogation of Article 370. Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand, the three photographers, were among the winners announced virtually on Monday.

and maintain #DoGajKiDoori in public places; spitting in public places is a punishable offence, use of paan, gutka, alcohol and tobacco in these places is prohibited,” Srivastava said. —ANI

—Punya Salila Srivastava, Jt Secy, MHA

COVID-19

Some states reported late about COVID-19 cases, deaths: Ministry

were moving the court under Article 32 without making any representation before Centre.

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday said it has noted the highest figures in new cases as well as in fatalities of novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours and that it was because some states delayed reporting deaths.

About West Bengal, where there has been a political controversy over the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, Joint Secretary of the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal said, “We followed up with certain states as we were not receiving reports of cases and deaths on time from them. After this, the cases have been reported and there is a sudden spike in deaths reported in the past 24 hours.”

“The new cases reported in the last 24 hours are 3,900 and new deaths are 195. It is the highest number so far.”

The Joint Health Secretary also said that as the country is dealing with a highly infectious disease, the reporting of the cases should on time for better case management. “Timely reporting of cases is very important so that timely actions are taken. The delay may affect the efforts.” —ANI

RaGa seeks...

He was deliberating on the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with Gandhi as part of a series of dialogues broadcast on Congress’ social media handles.

The Nobel laureate debunked the theory that only a strongman could take the right decision during such a pandemic, saying it has proved disastrous in the US and Brazil.

“The US and Brazil are two countries that are messing up right and left. These are two ‘strongmen’ behaving like... pretending like

they understand anything... but even what they say every day is kind of laughable. If anyone wanted to believe in the strongman theory, this is the time to disabuse themselves,” he said.

Noting that the real concerns are if the economy will revive, he said, “I think we should try to be optimistic about the survival of the overall economic well-being of the country. Just take the right actions.”

Gandhi suggested that states should be given options and be al-

Ramesh’s plea on food security dismissed New Delhi: SC declined to entertain a plea by senior Cong leader Jairam Ramesh on direction to Centre & states to ensure universal coverage of food security during coronavirus pandemic. Justices Ashok Bhushan, Sanjay Kishan Kaul & BR Gavai noted that people

Indian Railways have run 62 special trains till now for migrants and 13 more such trains were started on Tuesday.

New Delhi: By deploying 67 Shramik Special trains, the Indian Railways has transported over 67,000 migrant workers stranded across the country, according to officials here on Tuesday.

Till Monday, the national transporter had run 55 trains. On the number of people ferried, the railway official said every train carried around 1,000 people.

“Thus, so far, we have transported around 67,000 passengers,” the railway official said. —ANI

69 BSF personnel tested +ve

Medical staff take a selfie with police band contingents in Bhopal.

At least 1,020 patients have been cured in last 24 hrs, which took total number of cured patients to 12,726. The recovery rate is 27.41% & doubling rate stands at 12 days.

—Lav Agarwal, Joint Secy, MoH FW

Hyderabad: Sixtynine personnel of BSF working in different BSF installations have so far tested positive for coronavirus and two have covered and the rest are undergoing treatment.

It was stated that during the essential and operations duties, the BSF personnel have contracted the infection. BSF HQs in New Delhi has been on put to a complete disinfection process, after head constablegot infected. —ANI

Tribal Affairs Ministry ties up with Art of Living to provide free ration New Delhi: TRIFEDhas tied up with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living, under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Under this agreement, monthly ration kits worth Rs 1,000 will be given to tribal families across India. The Ministry informed that it is also going to provide of working capital to the artisans. It is asking financial institutions to provide soft loans to the artisans. —ANI

INDIA PRODUCES 2L PPE KITS PER DAY

06

POWER Gallery GOVT IN NO HURRY TO APPOINT DG BSF !

Govt seems not to be in a hurry to appoint new DG of BSF, which is lying vacant since March 9 this year. According to sources, names of five IPS officers are doing the rounds for the post.

FOUR VACANCIES OF MEMBER IN CBIC

By August, there will be four vacancies of Member in the CBIC. New appointments are now awaited.

JINTENDRA KUMAR SONKAR JOINS UTTARAKHAND GOVT ON DEPUTATION

Jitendra Kumar Sonkar has joined Uttarakhand Government on deputation and been posted as Joint Secretary to the Secretariat of Governor. He is an IRS-IT officer.

RAHUL CHHABRA APPOINTED AS SECRETARY ECONOMIC RELATIONS IN MEA

Rahul Chhabra, High Commissioner of India to Kenya, has been appointed as Secretary Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs. He is a 1987 batch IFS officer.

MORE GUJARAT CADRE IAS OFFICERS TO OPT FOR GOI !

After the recent empanelment of Secretary rank IAS officers, now more IAS officers are aspiring to join the GoI. Maximum number of six IAS officers of Gujarat cadre were empanelled as Secretary last month.

SEVEN-YEAR DEPUTATION OF ADITYA JOSHI ENDS IN MAY

Seven-year deputation tenure of Aditya Joshi, working as Director, Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), is coming to an end on May 6, 2020.

He is a 1995 batch IRAS officer.

RS DHILLON TO TAKE OVER AS CMD, PFC ON JUNE 1

Ravinder Singh Dhillon, Director (Project), PFC, will be taking over the charge as Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) on June 1, 2020. The tenure of present incumbent Rajiv Sharma is coming to an end in May. KAPIL KUMAR GUPTA TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR (FIN), MMTC ON JUNE 1

Kapil Kumar Gupta, GM, EIL, will be taking over the charge as Director (Finance), Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation of India (MMTC) on June 1, 2020. He will succeed present incumbent Umesh Sharma retiring in May this year.

1999 BATCH IRSS OFFICERS YET TO BE EMPANELLED FOR SAG PROMOTION

The 1999 batch IRSS officers have still not been empanelled for Senior Administrative Grade promotion in the Railways.

UTTAM KUMAR SHARMA TO RETURN TO PARENT CADRE IN JUNE

Uttam Kumar Sharma presently working as Additional Professor at Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, will be returning to parent cadre on June 30, 2020. Sharma, who belongs to a 1999 batch IFS officer of MP cadre, is allowed to be repatriated.

DR PRAFULLA KUMAR PRUSTY APPOINTED PCIT IN PCCIT OFFICE, DELHI

New Delhi: India, which was not manufacturing even a single personal protective equipment (PPE) kit, has now achieved an almost unrealistic goal of producing 2.06 lakh PPE kits daily within two months after the coronavirus outbreak. The highest single-day production of PPE kits, around 2.06 lakh kits, was recorded on May 2, a senior official told.

Dr Prafulla Kumar Prusty has been appointed as Principal Commissioner of Income Tax (PCIT OSD) in the office of PCCIT, Delhi Region. He is an IRS-IT officer.

RICHA KHODA APPOINTED CIT IN PCCIT, JAIPUR

Richa Khoda has been appointed as CIT (OSD) in the office of PCCIT, Jaipur, Rajasthan region. She is an IRS-IT officer.

FROM PG 1 A’bad sees...

Sources said that the four senior officers shared their own opinions about the ground situation at the end of the meeting. Incharge commissioner Mukesh Kumar and Officer on Special Duty Rajeev Gupta will work out an action plan that will cover everything from increasing sample testing to treatment, increasing bed capacities and corona-care centres, and how to effectively maintain the lockdown in the city.

lowed to decide themselves on the lockdown, to which Banerjee agreed.

Banerjee said it was important for India to announce a large enough stimulus package to deal with the crisis on the lines of what the US, Japan and the Europe are doing.

Flight plan!...

The extension will be for a period of 30 days beyond opening of international travel in the country.

The ministry also said it has kept in abeyance multiple-entry

life-long visas given to Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders till international travel remains suspended.

However, the OCI card holders who are already in India can stay in the country for “any length of time”, it said.

All existing visas granted to foreigners -except those belonging to diplomatic, official, UN international organisations, employment and project categories -- shall remain suspended till prohibition on international air travel of passengers

from and to India is lifted by the government, the order said.

In the other order, the Home Ministry said regular visa, e-visa or stay stipulation of foreign nationals whose visas have expired post-midnight February 1 or would expire during the ban on international air travel from India would be extended on ‘GRATIS’ basis just on submission of an online application.

Such extensions would be for a period up to 30 days from the date of lifting of prohibition on international air

travel without any overstay penalty, it said.

In its third order, the Ministry said the right of multiple-entry on lifelong visa for OCI card-holders will continue to be kept in abeyance till the prohibition on international air travel to and from India.

Nehra under...

Sources say that Kumar has already taken charge and begun assessing the situation.

The state government has taken two more major decisions.

First, Addl CS (Revenue) Pankaj Kumar has

been appointed Special Officer on Duty and assigned to supervise the entire Health department. By appointing an ACS-level officer to oversee the department, the state government seems to have signalled its dissatisfaction with Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi.

Second, Addl CS (Forest and Environment) Rajeev Kumar Gupta will now supervise and monitor Ahmedabad district, including the city. Last week, he was assigned to Gandhinagar district.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020

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COL ASHUTOSH SHARMA, THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF 21 RASHTRIYA RIFLES WHO WAS MARTYRED DURING AN ANTITERROR OPERATION IN NORTH KASHMIR, WAS CREMATED WITH FULL MILITARY HONOURS IN JAIPUR ON TUESDAY

C

ol Ashutosh Sharma, the commanding officer of 21 Rashtriya Rifles who was killed during an anti-terror operation in north Kashmir, was cremated with full military honours 61 cavalry polo ground on Tuesday. CM Ashok Gehlot paid floral tribute to the martyr and observed a two-minute silence as mark of respect to him.

CM Gehlot met martyr’s mother, brother, daughter, and wife Pallavi and conveyed his condolences. Gehlot paid respect to the Late Col. Sharma’s mother by touching her feet. He saluted the martyrdom and said that Late Colonel belonged to the land of warriors and he has made everyone proud by sacrificing himself while combating with the terrorists in Handwara. He reiterated that all Indians’s stand united in the war against terror. CM said he prays for the departed soul.

Army Welfare Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria, Principal Secretary Sandeep Verma, Jaipur Collector Jogaram, Commander Alok Karel and many officers from Army & police paid their respects to the martyr. Earlier Late Colonel was ceremoniously paid respect by his family and then the martyr’s body was taken for cremation on Ajmer road.

Army band paid its tributes by playing traditional army tunes on the occasion. Colonel Ashutosh Sharma was accorded full honours during his last rites as per the govt protocol.

Late Colonel’s wife Pallavi said that her husband always wanted to sacrifice his life for the country. She said that he always lived like a tiger and never complained of anything. Commander Alok Karel said that Colonel Ashutosh represents every martyred son of the country. People accompanying the last journey of the martyr showered flowers all the way to the cremation place. Jaipur (rural) MP Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore also paid his respects at the polo ground.

Ab Tumhare Hawale

Watan Sathiyon

Last respects being paid to Martyr Col Ashutosh Sharma at Jaipur Military Station on Tuesday. He was the commanding officer of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles unit and lost his life in an encounter in Handwara, Jammu & Kashmir. —PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

People react as Col. Ashutosh Sharma’s funeral procession leaves Jaipur Military Station on its way to cremation ground on Tuesday.

An Army truck carrying the mortal remains of Colonel Ashutosh Sharma is followed by large number of vehicles, on its way to the cremation ground, in Jaipur.

TRISHAKTI: Col. Sharma’s wife Pallavi Sharma - in a white kurta - and their young daughter Tamanna rose above their grief and were seen saluting the officer. His mother Sudha Sharma too paid him tribute.

Anand Srivastav and Rajyavardhan Rathore pays tribute to Col. Ashutosh Sharma at Jaipur Military Station.

Wife of Col. Ashutosh Sharma reacts as she holds the tricolour during the funeral ceremony of the martyr in Jaipur.

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, Jogaram and Lalchand Kataria pay their last respects to martyr Col. Ashutosh Sharma in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Brother and wife of Col. Sharma perform last rites of the martyr, who was killed in an encounter with militants in Handwara, in Jaipur on Tuesday..

The beginning is most important, it makes a lot of sense to plan and start well, rather than try and improve things as you go on.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020

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New global study reveals Gir lions are genetically the least diverse

@ahmedpatel The BJP Government has charged Rs 76 lakh from 10,800 migrant workers, who left by nine trains from Surat. *The Centre has a BJP Government, so has Gujarat. * Now, who is tarnishing whose image? * Who is lying to whom? * And what is the crime of the workers?

THE FINDINGS HAVE HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION OF THESE CHARISMATIC BEASTS First India News

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“In theory, it might be argued that they’d be at least biologically fitter if some genetic diversity was introduced.

Possibly, from one of the other related populations outside India,” explains Dr Gilbert.

But scepticism galore.

For one, lions in India are seen as the pride of the country and “many would not want to see them ‘polluted’ with non-Indian lineages.”

Besides, such introductions of non-native species have had worse outcomes. For example, when new wolves were introduced on Isle Royale, in the US, to conserve the native ones, the previously inbred wolf population crashed.

Genetic studies, like the one here, can also stir up conversations on conservation.

“If you want to help fix species in trouble, through management, you need to know what the population looked like originally to make informed decisions,” says Dr Gilbert. These findings help at analysing the direct impact of the last 100+ years on the species and its genome.

Junagadh: A new study, that may spark off a fresh debate on wildlife conservation, has revealed that the Asiatic lions found only in the Gir forests of Gujarat have low genetic diversity and this may be a cause for concern.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), also finds that though the origins of Asiatic lions could be traced to the northern lineage they shared a fifth of their genetic structure with the southern lineage.

However, it found no evidence that these lions were recently introduced from outside India.

“Lions are absolutely a keystone species, and the health of lions generally reflects the health of the total ecosystem,” says Dr Ross Barnett from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, who is one of the authors of the study.

“Studying lions gives us an excellent ‘big picture’ of general trends,” he adds.

“We looked at it from the whole genome angle. This al-

lows us to get not only a robust answer on how the different populations of lions relate but also study the diversity in the remaining populations,” says Dr Thomas Gilbert. He is a professor at the University of Copenhagen and a co-author of the study.

“The new results illustrate the power of the genomics in revealing lost secrets of prehistory by reading the DNA footprints of ancient and modern spe-

Junagadh risks losing green status

1,100 Gujaratis in five nations to be flown back

Relief of 16 paisa per unit in power tariff

First India News

First India News

First India News

First India News

Junagadh: Junagadh district, which had been declared a green zone earlier because of almost no Covid-19 cases, now risks losing this status with at least two positive cases being detected in Bhesan Community Health Centre.

Junagadh District Development Officer (DDO) Praveen Chaudhary informed that the administration has begun tracing all contacts of the infected persons.

Samples of high-risk contacts will be collected while other contacts are being quarantined.

Ahmedabad: At least 1,100 people stranded in five countries will be brought back to Gujarat in the first week of global evacuation process beginning on Thursday.

According to the details provided by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, the Sardar Vallabbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad will receive flights from Philippines (Manila), Kuwait (Kuwait City), Singapore (Singapore), United Kingdom (London) and United States (New York) on day 1, (Philippines), 2(Singapore), 4(USA), 5(UK) and 6(Kuwait) of the

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Government has announced Rs. 310 crore relief to over 1.30 crore power consumers in the State with a 16 paise per unit reduction in fuel surcharge levied by State-owned power companies.

According to Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, “As decided by Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission, per unit Rs. 2.06 paise fuel surcharge was levied during January-March and Rs 1.90 per unit in the April-June period. A reduction of 16 paise per unit would result into Rs. 310 crore relief to power consumers.

Palanpur: On Monday evening due to the development of local low depression a cyclone had developed over the Banaskantha district. Because of heavy wind blow a BSNL tower had collapsed and two persons including a child died.

District Collector Sandip Sagale told First India that because of heavy wind and even rains, a wall had collapsed in which one person died and two of his family members were also injured. In another incident child died because of hut collapsed.

—FILE PHOTO

NEW CONSERVATION LESSONS

cies,” says another coauthor Dr Stephen J. O’Brien from Nova Southeastern University, USA. Speaking of Indian lions, Dr Gilbert says, “They are well known to be very inbred as

the population is tiny.” Their analysis found that the two samples of Indian lions were almost identical, with inbreeding as a result of dwindling numbers since the 18th century.

Sardar Vallabbhai Patel International Airport.

first week of evacuation process initiated by the Government.

Going by the schedule, a flight from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila will bring 250 people to Ahmedabad on May 7, followed by a contingent of as many others from

—FILE PHOTO

Singapore on May 9.

A flight from New York will land in Ahmedabad with 300 passengers on May 11, while another with 250 on board would arrive on the same day from London. And on May 13, a flight will bring home 200 people from Kuwait.

By the 20th century, only 20 lions remained in the Kathiawar Peninsula in Gujarat. “The risks are that there could be both an elevation of deleterious mutations in the population, and a lack of diversity in things like the immune system-related genes,” he warns.

These findings have enormous implications for the conservation of these charismatic lions across the world, and especially for the vulnerable populations in Gir.

(Translated from Hindi)

Migrant movement: Opp demands Chief Minister’s resignation First India News Gandhinagar: Tightening the screws on the Gujarat Government over the issue of ticket charges from migrant workers leaving by special trains, Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Dhanani said that if his party was wrong in saying that the workers were being charged, “I will resign, but if your government is lying, you must resign.”

Rupani asserted that the government that always provided free trav-

FIRE CAUSES PANIC!

A fire on the third floor of the Surat District Collectorate on Tuesday evening reduced to ashes important documents possibly related to the corona pandemic. Although the fire was brought under control within a few minutes, it had already destroyed several documents since it occurred in the record room in the B Wing of the Collectorate. Initially, a staffer there mistook it as some fumigation effort in the building when he saw billowing out of there but went upstairs to discover the fire.

Paresh Dhanani

el to people for its PR events is not willing to spend for the poor migrant workers, who have been without work for long.

The issue has snowballed into a political slugfest after Congress’ interim President Sonia Gandhi announced that her party will bear the expenses of the workers’ travel.

2 persons died in cyclone in Banaskantha

Seeking to go home, pregnant woman knocks at Collector’s door First India News

A pregnant woman reached the Surat District Collectorate on Tuesday.

Surat : Every single worker thrown jobless by the extended lockdown is in a sorry state and each one of them has a story to tell. But this case of a pregnant woman in Surat, who is the wife of an employed textile artisan, almost sums up the situation.

A resident of Amrakunj Society at Vijay Chowk in Surat’s Varachha Road area,

Vanita Butani, 28, wants to go home to Saurashtra with her husband and deliver her first baby in her native region, but is unable to do so though the government is making arrangements for the travel of workers.

Waiting in vain for approval of her online application seeking permission to leave for Saurashtra, she, along with her husband Kiritbhai, finally knocked

WAITING FOR GODOT!

the doors of the Surat District Collector. Her husband, who works in an embroidery unit in Surat, is unemployed for over two months.

She pleaded at the District Collectorate here on Tuesday that, “Sir, I am seven months pregnant. I did not get online per-

mission, so I have come to you.” The couple feels they will take care of her and their first child better in their native region.

They belong to Jetpur taluka (tehsil) in Saurashtra’s Rajkot district.

Their neighbours have been taking her care for over a month but now they wish to go to their native place.

They have been married for one and a half years.

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AHMEDABAD, WEDNESDAY MAY 6, 2020

DEEP-VEER RAAS LILA

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone

Deepika eating Nutella

THE FIRE IN THE CHEMISTRY OF BOLLYWOOD’S RAM-LEELA, DEEPIKA PADUKONE AND RANVEER SINGH, IS MAKING THE WORLD GO GAGA WITH THEIR LOVE DURING LOCKDOWN

Ranveer gushing over the food cooked by Deepika

KIRTI CHAUHAN

kirti.chauhan@firstindia.co.in

B

e it on-screen or offscreen, reel or real, the quirky and adorable Bollywood couple Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, aka DeepVeer, have time and again made the nation fall for their magnetic electrifying chemistry. Ever since the couple shared the silver screen for the first time with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’, they have been grabbing eyeballs. This isn’t it- the lovebirds are using the quarantine period to enjoy the quality time together, while setting major couple goals.

The fire in their chemistry is doing the rounds on the internet, while the couple is setting goals for their fans by showing them how to make the best and productive use of this leisure time with a loved one. From workout to sleeping, cooking to eating, sharing mushy moments to throwbacks, the lovers are flooding the social

When Ranveer gave his heart to Deepika at IIFA 2015

media with pictures and videos, and giving us a sneak peek into their quarantine time together.

While the loving wife is wiping off all hubby’s favourite Nutella boxes, she’s also making up for it by cooking a four-course meal for him, including a variety of dishes like Chopped Thai Salad, Vegetable Tom Yum Soup, Green Thai Curry with rice, Cake and so much more. Well, we can clearly see that Singh could not stop raving about wifey’s cooking skills and also gushing over the food.

The heartthrob Ranveer and the confident demeanour Deepika got married at the luxurious villa in Lake Como, Italy, in November 2018 after dating for six years, with Kannadiga wedding rituals on the 14th, followed by North Indian style wedding, a day after.

Love at first sight, as they say,

is what happened with Singh when he first saw Deepika at the Zee Cine Awards in Macau, wearing a stunning silver gown. Their romance flourished during the filming of ‘Goliyon Ke Rasleela Ram-Leela’ in 2013. It was when they were shooting for the song ‘Ang Laga De’, when they fell for each other, said Terence Lewis, who choreographed the song.

As we all know, Ranveer is super cool when it comes to PDA and the most awaited moment happened in 2015 when he went down on his knees at the IIFA Awards to propose his lady love.

Since then, their PDA on social media began to make headlines.

They have worked together in movies like ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and ‘Padmaavat’, and it was DeePee, who convinced him to do a cameo in the film ‘Finding Fanny’. They will be soon sharing the screen space in Kabir Khan’s ‘‘83’.

Amid the corona outbreak, the duo is extending their support to help combat the pandemic in the country, and have donated an undisclosed amount to the PM CARES Fund. Ranveer also joined the home-concert ‘I For India’ held on Sunday on Facebook Live, to raise funds, and rapped the song ‘Doori’ from Gully Boy.

Ranveer wrote while posting the pic, ‘Double the Endorphin-rush when she’s around!’

Deepika trying on her cooking skills Deepika’s post workout picture

Ranveer tagged them as Micky and Minnie saying, ‘Dil ka raasta pet se hoke jaata hai’

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020

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HELLFIRE

disguised as

Relaxation SIDDHARTH KAUSHIK cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

L

FA CE OF TH ED AY

OCKDOWN, what do we understand by this?? A complete standstill time or say in layman’s language don’t go out and stay where you are (unless it is very essential).

Simpler, as our honourable PM Modi requested with the Corona placard in Hindi stating KOi ROad pe NA nikle. So now when we have understood the meaning let’s think WHY was it imposed?

A story before that, what if you were forcefully made to diet for a good long period to check weight, and before even reaching 10% of the desired result you are given a big bucket of ice cream to eat alone. Eating that would bring you to square one , then what would be the meaning of putting you on a forced diet that gave you so much trouble, worth it?

Coming back to the Lockdown, why? To completely eradicate the contagious Coronavirus I believe, if not, at least a situation where we say that it is under complete control. We knew the quest wouldn’t be easy and would bring unplanned and unforeseen situations which would keep us away from the conquest, but acting and resolving new issues on a dynamic flow was indis-

pensable by the government.

The lockdown was supposed to end or relaxations to be granted when an area comes in the position where administration can comfortably control it, that is why the lockdown was imposed in the first place. Certainly not to buy time, definitely not for 42 days. People claim “if lockdown wasn’t imposed we would have had a minimum four hundred thousand cases already”, true that, though would sound logical only if we keep up the same intense fight. BUT, this can’t be - what didn’t happen in MARCH would now happen in MAY, the ‘40 days late but same OUTCOME if the lockdown was never imposed.

Choices, a strange word. Our situations are completely encompassed with this word. It bridges the gap bet w e e n where we are and where we will be. It becomes difficult when we have to choose between two bad options, what the governments (union and state) are going through right now. 1- Curb coronavirus , 2- handle the economic crisis knocking on the door and

N W O D CK O L N W O KD C LO

LOC KDO WN LOC KDO WN

N W DO K C LOC LO KDO N h a v e WN W L spread coronaO OCK virus then D in DOless K C W cases and N how social distancLO ing in trains are prac-

let the guard down.

H e r e comes the play of wisdom and the best decision would be choosing Worse over Worst.

Which unfortunately isn’t happening.

New Zealand started the lockdown with a 2 day shopping window as

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

the cases were less, unlike “Aaj raat 12 Baje..” and so gave the relaxation in lockdown or called it off when situations came under control (the number of cases in NZ vs IND shouldn’t be a debate point but percentage) India’s migrant workers faced hardship and helplessness for more than a month, why wasn’t the commute possible much earlier and why is it possible now?? How they would

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You will help someone in financial need because you are blessed with money.

On work front, time limit may put pressure on you to complete the project. You will get lots of family love today. You may buy a new vehicle for yourself or someone close. Your lover is very loyal.

Today is the day to celebrate your achievements. You may get a promotion or raise in salary on work front. On business front, you may travel to places to spread your business and you will surely succeed. On academic front, you may excel in your results.

Today you are in mood to set everything at right place. You may do some charity today out of conscious. Do not intervene in others’ matters as it will only effect your image in the end. On work front, you may hire some eligible candidates.

You remain in upbeat mood because of your strong financial condition.

On work front, its the time to complete all the pending task and keep up with the good work. You may be an inspiration to someone on social front. Keep the communication going strong.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You may buy some expensive stuff for your house. You must make it a habit to get up early in the morning and start meditating. On work front, you may travel outside the city because of professional commitments. Your elder sibling may play a key role in your career.

Refrain from spending on things that you don’t need to save on wasteful expenditure. On professional front, you may have to work till late due to work load. You may spend quality time with your grand parents. Your friends may give you a surprise.

You must not eat unhealthy food from roadside. You are a good manager of finances but overconfidence is not good therefore evaluate carefully. On domestic front, you have a very peaceful environment at home. You may travel abroad to meet a close relative.

You are growing financially strong day by day but mind your investments. On work front, you will learn something new today. Some of you may soon go abroad for permanent settlement along with your spouse if you are married. You will become more famous and in demand.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You will feel very positive today and you will spread the same energy to your surroundings. On professional front, you will be entrusted with some difficult task considering your capabilities. Your kids may keep you very busy today on domestic front.

Excellent opportunities will knock at your door today.

Those going for job interview will surely succeed. On work front, avoid pulling anyone’s leg as they could take it seriously. You will attend a social gathering today, meeting your close ones. You may go on an exotic trip.

Today on financial front, you will put your money to some good use. On professional front, you have marked your name with golden ink because of your hard work. Your near and dear one may need your help so be there for them.

On academic front, you will have an angel in your environment.

You are contend with your financial status and you have a great life therefore always remember to express your gratitude to the universe. You must make sure to be by the side of your spouse when they need you. You will get some unexpected gain today.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

RAVINA SWAMI, Model

tised with current increased cases?

No problem, mistakes happen, the governments did a good job otherwise. But, what about now?

Apparently, Our governments’ financial condition is similar to a daily wage earner, if they keep earning, good enough, else they can’t manage for long, heavily dependent on petrol/diesel , liquor, GST. Undoubtedly the country has to come back to its feet, relaxation in green zones or even orange zones were practical. The relaxations given in RED ZONES will turn Suicidal, Like allowing private companies to work with 1/3rd of staff (an arduous regulation), 7to7 pseudo curfew or opening of LIQUOR stores, the government expects strict social distancing norms to be followed in high spirits? Just the queues alone outside the shops can’t be regulated, social distancing non

sober is a far fetched dream, not for red zone at least. But the government has welcomed the high flyers with open arms to help the economy. Medicines saving lives, Alcohol saving economy.

Is this the correct time to do so?? Countrywide strict lockdown was imposed when a double digit number of new cases were surfacing and now such relaxations in RED when the country is witnessing almost a 4000 new cases surge per day with 46,000+ cases and counting?

Couldn’t the government wait one more week and see how the relaxations go in the Green/orange zone as a test before risking it in RED? What we have witnessed by far is just a glimpse of the actual mammoth we are about to face.

This is the time to be more cautious and careful than ever, especially with the red zones relaxations. By far, you had to dodge the police and embarrassment when you were going out. Now you have to Dodge coronavirus and death.

Remember, now the guard is down , don’t get KNOCKED OUT.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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FOR MUSIC!

T

reated a small studio set up at home. The picture of her home studio comes a day after her ex beau Justin Bieber announced he is collaborating with Ariana Grande. In the picture, Selena is seated on the floor with the studio set up on full display “Makeshift studio so I can work f r o m home,” she captioned t h e photo on Inst a gram.

—IANS

... her Instagram post

Lounging at home like!

W Urvashi Rautela’s Instagram post

B

ollywood actress and former beauty queen Urvashi Rautela seems too inspired by Kareena Kapoor Khan’s ‘Poo’ act in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...’, going by her latest Instagram video post.

Urvashi took to Instagram and shared a video where she sways with the music. She is dressed in a white blazer and blue shirt, and she completes her look with bold red lips and hair tied in a neat ponytail.

Alongside the picture, she wrote the famous dialogue mouthed by Kareena as ‘Poo’ in the film: “How dare you? ‘Tumhara koi haq nai banta ki tum

Still from the video

itni khoobsurat lago’ Not fair : Poo Kkkg... #channellingmyinnerpoo.”

Apart from this, Urvashi is treating her fans with hot and glamorous bikini pictures of her, while refreshing her old vacation memories. She also shared a gorgeous pool picture of her in Pink bikini on Tuesday and captioned it, “Women like u don’t happen often. Never forget how rare u are.” On the work front, ‘Beat pe thumka’, a peppy wedding number featuring Urvashi has just been released. The song is from her upcoming comedy flick ‘Virgin Bhanupriya’.

—IANS

Selena Gomez

A SNEAK PEEK INTO HELL!

A

mazon’s latest announcement of their web series Paatal Lok has created quite a hustle-bustle in the industry. The makers started off by releasing the teaser followed by character posters back to back. And now, the trailer is finally here. The makers took to their social media and shared, “yeh hai #PaatalLok, yahan ke safed jhoot aur kaale sach mein farak karna mushkil hai.

—Agency

Poster of ‘Paatal Lok’

PERFECT QUARANTINE BOYFRIEND: KATE

A

ture, smart and creative. ctress Kate BeckHe entertains her with insale is enmusic, they cook joying the and watch movies. ongoing She thinks he is lockdown with Cathe perfect nadian musician quarantine Goody Grace, boyfriend.” whom she reportBeckinsale and edly thinks is the Kate Beckinsale Grace were first spotperfect quarantine ted together earlier last boyfriend. “They are still quarantined together at her month holding hands on a hike home,” a source said. “Kate en- outside Los Angeles. A source joys his company,” said the said at the time that they’ve source. “She finds him very ma- been together for months.—IANS

LEARNING SQUAD!

A

Margot Robbie

11

INSPIRED

BY POO!

No lockdown he international singer Selena Gomez has been in the news lately for her recently released songs, ‘Boyfriend’, ‘She and Souvenir’.

While fans cannot get enough of the new songs, the singer has now teased there is more coming our way. Selena recently shared a photo from her home to reveal s h e has rec-

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020

ctress Margot Robbie is set to get banjo lessons from English-American singer Marcus Mumford. The ‘Suicide Squad’ actress thought of learning the musical instrument while self-isolating at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “I went out to buy myself a banjo! I’m learning French right now, too, and I was like: ‘Now’s the time’, because I’ve always wanted

to play the banjo,” Robbie said. To which, Mulligan replied: “I know someone who could give you lessons on FaceTime. He is really, really bored, he would 100 per cent give you lessons. I’ll hook you up.” While Robbie is learning banjo, Mulligan is learning to knit. —IANS

Sonam K Ahuja

hen it comes to fashion, Sonam K Ahuja plays the game well. The actor is on a photo-sharing spree these days and shared six images from an indoor photoshoot on Instagram.

Not only are the pictures glamorous, but the actor also managed to bring the captions relevant to the current time when everybody is staying indoors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The first picture among the series has Kapoor effortlessly lying on a pink coloured furry couch.

For the captions, the ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ actor wrote: “Lounging at home like.. Mean-

while, dubbing the second picture as the ‘Quarantine look 2’.”

With a middle partied, voluminous hair left open, she is seen sitting on regal throne-like furniture as she strikes the pose. For another Aerial shot picture in the series, where ‘Neerja’ actor is seen lying on the bed in a beautiful black outfit, she wrote in captions: “Pjs in bed?

Not me... “ Sonam Kapoor is quite active on social media when it comes to sharing throwback pictures. Lately, the ‘Delhi-6’ actor shared a throwback picture where she is seen in a red velvet lehenga, draped with a sheer yellow dupatta, channelling her inner ‘Anaarkali’ moment.

—ANI

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020

City First asks its readers as to what their plans are, in the third phase of the National Lockdown!

CITY FIRST JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

A

t the beginning of last week, everyone was really excited to meet their friends, and the people they love, after more than a month. But little did they know that the National Lockdown was going to be extended, but for good of course.

So now, the process of working from home has been extended, the people have to wait longer to meet their loved ones, and last but not the least, come up with more ideas to pass their time at home, till the next orders arrive.

City First got in touch with a few of its readers in Jaipur and Ahmedabad to ask as to how they have been killing or spending their time until now, and how they plan to do it further, making it interesting not just for them, but for their family members as well. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Rajasthan: Samachar Jagat Founder and Editor, Rajendra Godha celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the newspaper with his family members on Tuesday in Lockdown. Seen here with him are (on left) Nishant Godha (younger son) Trishla Godha (wife) Dolly Godha (daughter); on the right , Shailendra Godha (elder son) Priyanka Godha (daughter in law) Divik & Viya Godha (grandchildren).

WHAT’S NEXT? With the lockdown extended for two more weeks, being safe is the only thing that matters right now. I plan to continue working on myself, be it cooking, catching up on books, movies, TV series, or updating playlists. But, what all of us should remember is to look for the silver lining in all this chaos, because despite the clouds because life surely has shown us how we take even little things for granted.

Rajasthan: Director-General of Police, Bhupendra Singh was provided with homeopathy immunity booster supplements for police personnel on behalf of the Homeopathy Department of the State Government on Tuesday, where Homeopathy Department physician Dr Suresh Kumar, Dr Rajendra Acharya, Dr Neetu Meena and Dr Nirmala Sonwal informed the Director-General about the usefulness of Immunity Booster Arsenic ALB 30 in the presence of Additional Director General Narasimha Rao.

—NIDHI SINGH PAL

During the third phase of the lockdown, along with my existing Work from Home (WFH) responsibilities and project work, I am learning to make dishes that usually require an oven. I might foster a stray dog too if the opportunity presents itself. Also, I plan to regularly check up on my loved ones at least once in a couple of days.

I never though Lockdown could be so productive for me. For Lockdown 3.0 I’ll continue to feed as many stray animals as possible around my locality. Additionally, I never thought baking could be so much fun. So I’m learning to bake from my mom. And last but not least creating plenty of Tiktok videos.

—GIRISH VALECHA

—NITIKA PANJWANI

HOME

HAPPY B’DAY!

COMING CITY FIRST

C

Surya Namaskar

KARONA! CITY FIRST

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(From top) MLA Sadulpur Krishna Poonia, Minister Udai Lal Anjana, IAS Mahesh Chandra Sharma and IAS LN Meena celebrated their birthdays on 5 May, Tuesday. We wish them all the best!

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o salute the spirit of corona warriors, the Yoga institute from Jaipur ‘FitYog’ organised a unique Surya Namaskar exercise session online on Sunday morning. FitYog Instructor Arvind Singh informed that the session was conducted online through Facebook Live, in which more than 500 people from various countries including India, Australia, New York, Bangkok and Dubai among others took part in it and also paid their tribute to the frontline health workers. He also informed that every participant will be honoured by ‘ecertificate’ from the institute.

Surya Namaskar is also known as the sun salutation pose, stretches your abdominal muscles, and tones the abs, helping you get rid of the access fat around the tummy, aiding weight loss.

It is one of the most effective and timetested natural immunity boosters that can lead to a healthy, sickness-free body.

Constituting of 12 different postures, it is a form of expressing gratitude to this source of all life on earth.

n interactive webinar session is going to be held by Indian Heritage Hotels Associations (IHHA) with the industry leaders at 11.30 am today, where the topic of webinar will be ‘Indian Heritage Hotels and the Impact of COVID-19’. The webinar will witness the participation of Ad-

ommunity leaders have welcomed the move of the Indian government which on Monday announced that special flights facilitating the return of Indian nationals stranded abroad on compelling grounds would begin in a phased manner from May 7. “This is for the first time in my memory that such an evacuation effort is being carried out by the Indian government for its citizens in the US,” Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari said.

Bhandari, who had been receiving calls from various stranded Indians, sometimes from students seeking accommodation, or visitors who had run out of medicine, last week wrote a letter to Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola, bringing to their attention the grave situation. In the letter, he said: “There are a large number of students who have run out of money. They don’t have a place to stay. What is more worrisome is the fact that this uncertainty is having a

Prem Bhandari

toll on their mental and physical health”. A large number of Indian visitors, in particular senior citizens and parents of those working in the US, have run out of their essential medicines.

To get the medicine, even with a traveler’s health insurance, is often not affordable.

“The evacuation flight is the need of the hour. This shows how much this government cares for its citizens,” Bhandari said. In a separate letter last week, Bhandari requested Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to waive off the visa extension fee of USD 455 given the exceptional circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic. On behalf of the NRI’s and people stuck abroad social activist Bhandari conveyed his gratitude to Narendra Modi, Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Pradeep Singh Kharola for their empathy towards the issue. The Indian government in a statement said that medical screening of passengers would be done before the flight.

INTERACTIVE SESSION! ditional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Dr Rupinder Brar, Principal Secretary Tourism, Art and Culture, Government of Rajasthan, Sreya Guha, President of IHHA, Maharaja Gajsingh of

Marwar – Jodhpur. Other participants of the session will include Honorary General Secretary, IHHA, Randhir Vikram Singh, Vice President, IHHA, Jose Dominic, Managing Director, Sita, TCI, Dis-

tant Frontiers and Go Vacations, Dipak Deva, President Association of Domestic Tour Operations of India, PP Khanna, Director of The House of MG, Abhay Mangaldas.

—City First

Rajasthan: Saptak Society of Music Art and Culture has organised a 20-day online musical event on Facebook to give a musical tribute to our corona warriors, in which two members daily are presenting songs in Devotional, Classical, Semiclassical, Folk, Sufi and Gazals among other categories. The event will run until 20 May.

Rajasthan: Amidst the corona outbreak, a riding group from Jaipur ‘Royal Batallion of Bullets (RBB)’ have taken an initiative to feed the helpless people and animals including dog, cow, monkey etc. on the streets, who are suffering due to the nationwide lockdown. RBB riders Amit Singh, Rajveer Singh, Harsh Tanwani and Kavya are offering their support to people in their respective localities and are feeding around 300 dependants daily.

Gujarat: Prison inmates at Ahmedabad Central Jail have made Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits for jail hospitals which will be delivered to 28 prisons across the state.

They have also made more than 50,000 masks for medical workers.

Rajasthan: Amidst the countrywide lockdown, CSC Karauli District Manager, Deepak Sharma, Asha Singh and entrepreneur Hindoun city donated 250 sanitary napkins for the women of rural area, to Development officer Karauli, Neeraj Sharma, under the unique initiative of ‘Stree Swabhimaan Abhiyaan’ on Tuesday.

Corona Warriors Wedding: Dr Mahesh Joshi from SMS Hospital Jaipur and Dr Prama Dubey from AIMS Jodhpur got married with permission of administration amid the ongoing Corona lockdown in Ajmer on Tuesday. They have taken 5 days’ leave for the marriage.