First India-Ahmedabad Edition-13 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 42°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 167

INDIA

WORLD

2,90,453 43,10,783 2,415 74,243 DEATHS

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

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537

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

GUJARAT

8,904

CONFIRMED CASES

`20 lakh cr economic balm for Atmanirbhar Bharat Entire nation curious to decode India has resources, talent &  Lockdown 4.0 to have new & different rules; info before May 18 Modi’s mega economic package we must be vocal for local

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

IN GUJARAT DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

AHMEDABAD

6353 574 944 66 97 80 32 142 29 65 81 13 17 14 59 53 20 3 30 2 27 75 46 32 17 6 2 8 2 3 4 3 1 8904

421 32 40 2 7 7 2 5 1 4 3 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 537

VADODARA SURAT RAJKOT BHAVNAGAR ANAND BHARUCH GANDHINAGAR PATAN PANCHMANHAL BANASKANTHA NARMADA CHOTA UDEPUR KUTCH MAHESANA BOTAD DAHOD PORBANDAR JAMNAGAR MORBI SABARKANTHA ARAVALLI MAHISAGAR KHEDA GIR SOMNATH VALSAD TAPI NAVSARI DANG SURENDRANAGAR DWARKA JUNAGADH RAJASTHAN TOTAL

21 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24

New Delhi: Stressing that “we have to protect ourselves and move ahead as well”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation, on Tuesday night, announced a special economic package amounting to Rs20 lakh crore to deal with Corona crisis. In another major announcement, the PM said the fourth phase of nationwide lockdown would be different and have new rules and guidelines.

“I announce a special economic package today. This will play an important role in the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.’ The announcements made by the government on Covid-19, decisions of RBI and Tuesday’s package totals to Rs20 Lakh crore. This is 10 per cent of India’s GDP,” PM Narendra Modi added.

Emphasising that the special economic package would focus on



HC invalidates victory of senior minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama on grounds of manipulation and malpractice He will challenge the decision in the Supreme Court First India Bureau

lowed in violation of the Election Commission’s rules. So the election result is declared null and void. And there were irregularities in the counting process (as well).”

The court further observed that, “Returning officer (Dhaval Jani) has manipulated the election

MAHA ALLOWS HOME DELIVERY OF LIQUOR WITH SOME GUIDELINES Mumbai: The Excise Department of the Maharashtra government has allowed the home delivery of liquor with certain guidelines and precautions which are to be followed during its delivery. As per the guidelines, the “licensee shall sell the IMFL - spirits, beer, mild liquor, wines only in respect of the liquor for which he is licensed to sell.”

ginning Wednesday, Finance Minister will announce details of special economic package,” PM Modi said.

Calling it an unprec-

land, labour, liquidity and laws, PM said it would benefit labourers, farmers, honest tax payers, MSMEs and cottage industry. “Be-

GUJ LAW MIN’S POLL WIN DECLARED VOID Ahmedabad: In a jolt to the Vijay Rupani-led state goverment, the Gujarat High Court on Tuesday overturned the election of Law and Parliamentary Affairs minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.

The Court observed that he won the 2017 Assembly election from the Dholka constituency using corrupt practices. As a result, it rejected Chudasama’s prayer to stay its judgement.

Pronouncing the judgement through video conference, the single-judge bench of Justice Paresh Upadhyay observed: “Illegal procedure was fol-

edented crisis, the PM said making the country self-reliant was only way to make 21st century belong to India. “India’s self-reliance will be based on five pillars — economy, infrastructure, technology driven system, vibrant demography and demand,” he said.

“When India speaks of self-reliance, it does not advocate for a selfcentered system. In India’s self-reliance there is a concern for the

MODISPEAK

records and had illegally excluded counting of postal ballot votes, keeping all seniors and observers in the dark.”

The 2017 Assembly election result of the Dholka constituency was challenged in the High Court by the defeated Turn on P6

‘OUR MORTALITY RATE LOWEST IN WORLD’ New Delhi: India can now do one lakh COVID-19 tests per day, said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday. He said country’s mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world with 3.2%. Global rate is around 7-7.5% cent. Our recovery rate is at 31.7%. ,” Harsh Vardhan said.

P6

whole world’s happiness, cooperation and peace,” PM Modi said.

With the third phase of the lockdown expiring on May 17, PM Modi said the next phase would be different and have new rules and guidelines. “Based on the suggestions by states, information related to lockdown 4 will be given to you before 18th May. We will fight corona and we will move forward,” the PM said.

Turn on P6

IAF deploys jets as Chinese choppers seen near Ladakh New Delhi: Tension is simmering along the India-China border with troops of the two countries maintaining a close watch on each other in the Pangong Tso lake area in Eastern Ladakh, days after nearly 250 soldiers from both sides were engaged in a violent faceoff that left many of them injured, sources have confirmed.

At least a couple of Chinese military helicopters were spotted flying close to the undemarcated Sino-India border in the area after the fierce face-off on May 5 following which a fleet of Sukhoi-30 jets of the Indian Air Force too carried out sorties there, the sources said.

The troops on both sides held on to their respective Turn on P6

Civil aviation ministry has come out with a draft SOP for restarting commercial air passenger services in the country. —PHOTO BY ANI

‘No cabin bags, 80-yr and above can’t fly’ New Delhi: Filling up of a detailed questionnaire related to COVID-19, carrying no cabin baggage, using Aarogya Setu app and reaching airport at least two hours before a flight departure might well be among the requirements for air passengers during the initial phase after resumption of commercial flights.

The civil aviation ministry has come out with a draft Standard Operating

JeM TERROR MODULE BUSTED IN J&K, 4 ASSOCIATES HELD Awantipora: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday busted a terror module of proscribed outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad and arrested four associates in Awantipora of Pulwama district. According to the police, the four associates have been identified as Shabir Ahmad Parray, Sheeraz Ahmad Dar, Shafat Ahmad Mir and Ishfaq Ahmad Shah.

Procedure (SOP) for restarting commercial air passenger services in the country, which remain suspended since March 25 in the wake of the lockdown to curb spreading of coronavirus infections.

Green status on Aarogya Setu app, web checkin, and temperature checks for all domestic departing and arriving passengers have also been proposed.

Turn on P6

VANDE BHARAT II PHASE FROM MAY 16-22 New Delhi: Second phase of Vande Bharat Mission will be launched from May 16-22 during which 149 flights, including feeder flights, will be operated to bring back Indians from 31 countries, sources said.

It will bring back Indians from 31 countries.

466 discharges and 362 new cases leave Gujarat hopeful  State’s 36% recovery rate higher than national average  State tally at 8,904 cases with a death toll of 537, A’bad sees 267 new cases, 392 discharges First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Recovered patients outnumbered new cases in the state for the first time ever, with 466 patients being discharged in 11 districts on Tuesday.

While there have been 362 new cases and 24 fa-

talities in the state over the past 24 hours, the authorities seem to be focusing on the silver lining.

The evening bulletin from the health department saw special mention of recovered patients of all ages, from twin infants to

GUJARAT DISCHARGE RATE AS ON 12.05.20

92-year-old. And Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held a video confer-

ence with nursing staff to mark the occasion of International

Nurses Day, where he thanked them for their commitment and

dedication.

The state’s total tally is 8,904 positive cases with a death toll of 537.

A total of 3,246 patients have been discharged.

The manifold improvement in the state’s recovery rate is noteworthy.

“At one point, our recovery rate was 15%. Then, it fell to 6.3%. Now, having recovered, it is at 36.5%--higher than the national recovery average,” said Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary (Health).

In encouraging news

from Ahmedabad, the city followed the state in recoveries (392) outnumbering new cases (267). This also means that the city saw one less new positive case in the last 24 hours than it did in the previous 24hour cycle. However, 21 deaths were reported on Tuesday--two more than on Monday. Till date, 1,874 patients have been discharged in the city.

The health department has changed its sample testing strategy to keep up with the spread of the Sars-CoV-2 virus across the state.

In the last 24 hours, health teams have collected more sample from Devbhumi Dwarka, Mehsana, Bharuch, Junagadh, Panchmahal and other districts, where more positive cases were reported over the past few days. The state daily’s sample testing capacity is around 3,000. In the past 24 hours, 3,066 samples have been tested.

The state also claims to keep track of patients’ health for a week after their discharge via regular telephone calls.

NEWS AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

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02

HC nullifies Chudasama’s

2017 VICTORY,

but Speaker may go slow Chudasama is still an MLA, unless Speaker or EC say otherwise Haresh Jhala Ahmedabad: Although the Gujarat high court on Tuesday invalidated Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama’s Dholka Assembly election results, he will continue to remain a Member of the Legislative Assembly until the Speaker disqualifies him. Moreover, the party does not seem too keen on pressuring Chudasama to step down as minister, either.

Sources from within the party indicated that--before the order even reaches the office of either the Election Commission or the Speaker--the High Court’s verdict will likely be challenged before the Supreme Court, in an attempt to get a stay against the judgment. This will be a political bailout for

the ruling party.

These sources also said that the party cannot afford to lose another MLA with the Rajya Sabha looming. Elections for four seats were to be conducted in March but were postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

With the situation on the verge of returning to normal, the election commission might declare the election date at any time.

It is currently a very close fight between candidates from the Congress and the BJP. Losing one more MLA will make chances bleak for the BJP’s third candidate and ruin its plans of having all three of its candidates elected to the Rajya Sabha. Thus, losing an MLA becomes a politically suicidal step, which no shrewd political party will take.

The second argument is that Chudasama does not need to resign from the council of ministers until he is disqualified as an MLA by the Assembly.

Even if it reaches the Assembly, the Speaker or the Assembly Secretary may take time to interpret the judgment before taking a final call. This will give Chudasama as well as the ruling party a bit of time to breathe.

With this development, three assembly seats--Dwarka and Mova Hadaf in addition to Dholka--will fall vacant on technical grounds. Interestingly, 20 other petitions are pending before the high court regarding seats where MLAs won by a very thin margin.

Extra vigil kept Valsad safe from Maha Covid Good Samaritans help Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: Situated as it is in close proximity to Maharashtra, it would have been easy for COVID-19 numbers to have gone through the roof in Valsad.

However, the district administration’s early vigilance ensured that things went differently. There have been a total of six positive cases in the district, of which one person is still ill.

“We started keeping a vigil on the border ever since cases began to be reported in Maharastra. This was even before the Janata Curfew was announced. We’d asked those migrants to

MORE SERVICES SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO FUNCTION, CM TOLD PM AS STATE BEGINS RETURNING TO NORMAL First India Bureau Gandhinagar: For what its worth, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s Office, on Tuesday, made public the details of video conference between Rupani and PM Narendra Modi. This has come, at a time when all other Chief Ministers across the nation, have already informed their public of the feedback they pro-

decide either to stay back or to leave for their native towns and villages saying there will be no movement across state borders henceforth,” said CR Kharsan, district collector.

The collector added that other than the urban pockets, the rural part had kept a movement register.

“The local health staff was intimated whenever some outsider or someone with travel history reached any new pocket. Then the person was screened. For the urban pockets like Vapi, Valsad, Umargam, and Sarigam, stores selling essential merchandise was kept open for a few hours

CR Kharsan, district collector, Valsad

and it was mandatory to practise social distancing,” asserted the collector.

Despite the presence of thousands of GIDC and migrant workers,

the district has not seen any uproar or protest.

“As many as 5,000 GIDC units involved in essential and pharmamanufacturing are operating as per the Cen-

tre’s directions. So, many migrants do have work. During the lockdown, the authorities made sure that they were given both rations and salaries. So there was no question of any kind of unrest,” remarked the officer.

However, four trains have departed from Valsad carrying migrant daily wagers who wanted to go home. Another two trains will leave Valsad soon, the collector said.

The district administration also acquired machinery from GIDCs for sanitization. According to the officers, those machines were manufactured in Valsad and were exported to China.

rural Rajkot to remain safe First India Bureau Rajkot: So far, there has been one positive case of COVID-19 reported from Rajkot’s rural areas. That person, too, has a travel history.

Rajkot District Development Officer (DDO) Anil Ranavasiya believes that proactive measures and consistent actions have helped keep the novel coronavirus out of the rural areas here.

He explained, “The first thing we did in January was to form committees in each village. The committee’s primary task was to ensure that health screen-

Rajkot District Development Officer Anil Ranavasiya

ings and surveys were done earnestly. The second task was to check entry into the villages.

To this end, a team of about 20 youths was formed in each village.

These acted as sentries to guard all entries.”

Unusually tight-lipped CMO keeps state waiting 24 hours on discussion between Rupani and PM vided to the PM, nearly twenty four hours back.

Yet it took a new day for the Gujarat CMO and more particularly Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashwani Kumar, to ‘rise up’ from a deep slumber and provide a ‘half cooked pie’.

Well, firstly, Kumar did not even share a photograph of the video conference, having posted a random picture of Rupani. But more serious was his ‘detailing’ of

the meeting having merely hinted about the CM’s presentation to Modi on Monday.

‘Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the state is returning to normalcy’, the detail said. According to Kumar, Rupani cited that MSMEs and industries have resumed operations.

Trade and industry are functioning normally in Jamnagar, Junagadh and 156 other Nagar Palika areas while keeping with COVID-19 protocols.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashwnani Kumar.

Rupani also suggested that more areas and services be conditionally allowed to resume operations since the spread of the virus is being controlled with the help of district administrations and the health team.

Kumar also said Rupani has decided to allow trade and industry to operate in non-containment zones in Rajkot city from May 14.

This permission will be granted by the district collector. All stakeholders will have

to ensure workers’ safety and follow prescribed guidelines.

Physical distancing is to be maintained even on the industry floor.

On Tuesday afternoon, Rupani held a video conference with district collectors, superintendents of police and range inspector-generals and took their feedback on the ground situation.

They also discussed what measures should be taken if lockdown is relaxed further.

The state is consider-

He added that an isolation centre was also set up in each village.

“Anyone coming from outside, especially from another district, was isolated. Anyone showing symptoms was also isolated. We took their vehicle keys and kept them at the village panchayat office,” he said.

All leading streets of each village were fumigated and health centres disinfected daily said the DDO. He added that workers employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act also receive health check-ups on a daily basis.

ing granting permission to more services such as taxis and autorickshaws to resume operations.

So far, the state government has helped 2.80 lakh migrant workers to return home on 233 trains.

On Tuesday, 31 more trains left from Gujarat, heading towards Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Since the state government has allowed MSMEs to operate in rural areas, eight lakh workers are back at their jobs. Power consumption is also on the rise in the state, with daily consumption reaching 70% of the normal rate.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

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NIGHTMARE: Family of 5 ‘mourn’ treatment at IKDRC

Patient undergoing dialysis tests positive, passes on infection to other family members I got discharged from Samras Hostel on Monday, along with three family members. My younger sister is still undergoing treatment at the COVID-19 hospital in the Civil Hospital.

The last 11 days have been nothing short of a nightmare for our family.

Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: “Going for treatment to Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) was the biggest mistake of our life,” said Janardan Rajput, a resident of Vatva area.

Rajput’s 17-year-old sister was undergoing dialysis for a kidney issue at the hospital before the first lockdown was announced. Now, the whole family has been infected with Sars-Cov-2.

“I got discharged from Samras Hostel on Monday evening, along with three of my family members. My younger sister is still undergoing treatment at the COVID-19 hospital, as she also has kidney issues. The last 11 days have been nothing short of a nightmare,” said Rajput.

He expressed confusion about his wife’s case. He stated, “My wife tested negative for COVID-19 at first, but then

—Janardan Rajput, A file photo of IKDRC with an inset of the sign outside the Rajput residence.

her second report had some error and according to the third report on Sunday, she was declared positive. However, she got discharged from the care centre the same day.

Interestingly, her report was mentioned AMC’s list as positive too but she had already been sent home.”

Recalling the family’s struggles in the last fortnight, Rajput said,

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: On Monday evening, city crime branch detained online journalist Dhaval Patel and filed a non-bailable criminal case against him on charges of sedition. Patel’s arrest has sparked a sharp reaction against the state government from fellow journalists and politicians, who have condemned the act.

“After Patel was taken into custody, he underwent a COVID-19 test.

The next course of action will be decided upon only after his test results come back,” said Deepen Bhadran, deputy commissioner, Ahmedabad crime branch.

The opposition Congress has demanded that the case be withdrawn.

“If a journalist can be arrested for airing news about a change of guard in the state, then BJP leader Subramaniam Swamy should be arrested too. Even he had tweeted something to

NO DICE

this effect. I appeal to the state to withdraw the criminal case against the journalist,” former chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela said.

All India Congress Committee national spokesperson, Shaktisinh Gohil said, “The CM should have a big heart and an appetite to digest criticism. I condemn the criminal offence registered against a journalist. Even if the journalist made a mistake, the chief minister should be kind enough to pardon him.”

On April 20, Rajput’s sister was running a fever following which she was tested for novel coronavirus.

Rajput said, “My sister’s report came back positive on May and she is in the hospital since then. Later, all the family members were tested and taken to Tapi Flats in Nikol apart from my father who was admitted to Samras Hostel. Grad-

ually, we were all shifted to Samras.”

According to Rajput, the treatment of the family was not handled well by the doctors at Samras. They also had to wait for over five hours to board a bus to go home and no one practised social distancing in the bus. The family was also dropped at a place halfway to their residence.

HC verdict leaves BJP shocked, Cong satisfied First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The state high court’s verdict invalidating BJP senior leader and education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama’s 2017 assembly election result has sent shockwaves in political circles. While the opposition party Congress has welcomed the court’s decision, the ruling party plans to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

“The high court judgment is shocking but, we will challenge the judgment in the Supreme Court soon. According to legal experts, if an election is abrogated then one stands to lose the MLA seat. The decision lies with Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, who will take it only after sound legal consultation from experts,” said deputy chief minister Nitin Patel.

According to BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya, the high court judgment was unexpected. “We will appeal before the Supreme Court and we have faith

First India Bureau Vadodara: Around 19 migrant workers have been running pillar to post for help to return to their native state of Uttar Pradesh safely. After being dropped on the outskirts of Vadodara by a hired tempo, the group has been left with limited financial resources.

Meet Vijay Kumar, a migrant worker from UP, who had a stitching

job at a factory in Ahmedabad. After the lockdown was imposed, he has had no work to earn a livelihood. When the state and central government announced Shramik trains to transport migrant workers, Vijay and others tried their luck and filed out a form online.

After receiving no response to their applications, the group hired a tempo for Uttar Pradesh.

Migrants in Ahmedabad wait for transport that will take them to the railway station, to return to their homes in UP and Bihar.

He said, “It was our bad luck that the tempo driver dropped us at the

Follow quarantine or face action: DGP to students coming home First India Bureau Gandhinagar: As students stranded abroad beginning to arrive in the city, the DirectorGeneral of Police Shivanand Jha made it very clear that they will all have to follow quarantine guidelines strictly. Anyone failing to do so will invite police action, he said, while appealing to friends and relatives to avoid meeting them until they are out of quarantine.

DGP Shivanand Jha

The first batch of Indian students stranded abroad arrived in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Jha said that their families have to follow the standard protocols related to COVID-19, and that the police will

keep tabs on them.

He said the decision was taken to rule out any possibility that they might be infected with the Sars-CoV-2 virus, and thus curb the spread of COVID-19.

In the past 24 hours, police have registered three cases in Tapi Ahmedabad and Rajkot against persons selling tobacco and smuggling Indian-made foreign liquor, with IMFL worth Rs1.92 lakh being seized

by Tapi Police.

Golden Square on the outskirts of Vadodara.

Somehow, we managed

DSDA vice president writes to CM urging action on this front Ahmedabad: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, several global conglomerates with establishments in China have expressed interest in exploring alternate geographical destinations to set up operations.

With the Centre very keen on luring foreign investors to the shores,

that justice will be dispensed by the apex court,” he said.

On the other hand, the court’s verdict was welcomed by the opposition party Congress.

“Truth alone triumphs, and it has been proved once again. The Congress candidate from Dholka constituency Ashwin Rathod was intimidated by police, system, and financial power. But, he did not bow down and contin-

ued his fight,” said state Congress president Amit Chavda.

Jayrajsinh Parmar, spokesperson of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) stated, “The way irregularities were revealed in the 2017 victory of Bhupendrasinh Chudasama in Dholka constituency, it is clear that the 2017 BJP government was not formed on legal grounds.

Chudasama must resign immediately.”

An artist’s vision of Dholera SIR.

ness hub, Chudasama stated, “Gujarat has been always one of the top investment destinations, because of its

proactive and enterprising government approach. Coupled with sound infrastructure support, land and la-

bour availability, good port facility, road connectivity and 24 x 7 power supply, it has the potential to become the preferred location for setting up business operations in India.”

Chudasama also highlighted Dholera SIR as the premium destination for the foreign investors. “Dholera Special Investment Region has been planned under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project and is the first

to reach the city and our group comprising of me and 18 others have been visiting the collector’s office for permission since the last three days, but have not succeeded. We have now decided to return to Ahmedabad.”

Struggling with a similar situation is Shripad Boishakh and eight other migrant workers. They were employed at a construction site near Samtalave in

Vadodara. On Monday, the contractor paid the workers Rs700 each and left.

Expressing his despair, Shripad said, “After purchasing a train ticket to Bihar, we will be left with just Rs100 each. We do not know whether to save the money or spend it on food and water. All we want to do is to get home safely but we do not know if that will happen or not.”

Elephants walk past shuttered store fronts on a deserted street in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Dholera SIR: Destination next for global firms? in a letter to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, the Dholera SIR Developers Association (DSDA) vice-president Rajdipsinh Chudasama requested Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) to be considered as one of the destinations for the foreign companies.

Elaborating on the state’s merits as a busi-

—Nitin Patel, Deputy Chief Minister

LUMBERING ON

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY

First India Bureau

We will challenge the judgment in the Supreme Court soon. According to legal experts, if an election is abrogated then one stands to lose the MLA seat. The decision lies with Chudasama, who will take it only after legal consultation from experts.

Migrant workers at god’s mercy in Vadodara —PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Oppn condemns journalist’s arrest on sedition charges

“It was my sister who tested positive first.

Then, my father and I had to plead to the hospital authorities to conduct our tests and the results were positive.

Only my mother’s test came back negative.”

He added, “I am worried for my sister who is all alone in the hospital.

And, there is no proper facility for sanitation and cleanliness.”

Brother of patient

03

Greenfield smart city with the biggest town planning in India. It has a dedicated freight corridor along with a stateof-art world class infrastructure including easy port, rail and airport connectivity.”

He added, “I urge the state to explore talks and invite firms looking for potential alternatives and introduce Dholera SIR as the destination to boost business operations, employment generation.”

AMC makes U-turn on digital payments First India Bureau Ahmedabad: In yet another about-turn, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has decided against making digital payments compulsory for the sale of essential commodities, just a day after Officer on Special Duty Rajiv Gupta said that the city would go cashless once the shutdown was relaxed on Friday.

However, stores selling groceries, vegetables and fruits and flour

mills will be reopen from May 15 provided the shop keepers undergo health screening and get a health card.

Meanwhile, doctors and paramedical staff at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital went on strike for two hours demanding PPE kits.

They wound up their protest after receiving assurances by the authorities. The civic body also clarified that there will not be any AMTS bus operation in the city for the public.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

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A ROAD MAP FOR THE NEW NORMAL

IN-DEPTH

LOCKDOWN 4.0 COMES WITH A HUGE STIMULUS

MAHENDRA SINGH

G

et ready for the much anticipated lockdown 4.0 beyond May 17 and learn to live with the virus which is going to be part of our lives for a very long time. That’s nothing to feel depressed about as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised the shutdown to be “completely different” from the earlier three phases as “we must not restrict our lives around coronavirus.” The details of the next lockdown, to be decided by each state, will be known to us before May 18. The prime minister said he saw an opportunity in the crisis unleashed by the pandemic to upgrade country’s health infrastructure, More important than extending the lockdown for another 15 days was the prime minister’s announcement on special economic package which the industry and state governments were clamouring for. The Rs 20 lakh crore, or 10 per cent of the gross domestic product, stimulus is aimed at creating ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (self-reliant India campaign). This would probably be supplementing the ‘Make in India’ campaign started by the prime minister earlier. Modi said that India was today producing 2 lakh PPEs and N95 masks each everyday to explain how the adversity has been used as an opportunity.

How much of the package will be devoted to poor, farmers and middle class, is not yet known as Modi refrained from sharing details at this stage. It is likely that beginning Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will share the details of the package. Some industry honchos were buoyed by the announcement of stimulus which will have emphasis on land, labour, liquidity and laws besides the promised “substantial big ticket reforms” in coming days. These reforms are aimed at negating the disastrous impact Covid-19 has had on the economy.

Whatever details once could glean from the prime minister’s speech was that “every Indian must be vocal for local,” in order to make the country self-reliant at a time when the world is looking at India not only for investment but also as supplier of essential goods in place of China.

To meet that challenge the prime minister said the self-reliance will be based on economy, infrastructure, technology driven system, vibrant demography and demand. Along with demand he also mentioned cost of doing business and ease of doing business and strengthening of supply chain to make the country competitive.

India’s Rs 20 lakh-crore package is fourth after Germany, UK and US and shows the government’s strong intent to take the country forward. According to the Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramaniam, however, the revival packages of other countries were exaggerated.

Some states were however muted in their response as the PM made no mention of how will they be aided to meet their finances in the face of dried up sources of revenue. Rajasthan Chief Minister, for instance, had sought Rs 1 lakh- crore to bail out states.

DG Income Tax Investigation, Rajasthan

T

Right now, we need a road map for the new normal. That, unfortunately, is still not concretised.

Preparedness in the economic field has been woefully inadequate, given the breathing space that the successive lockdowns had provided

o ease the lockdown or to continue is globally a hotly debated topic. We tend to divide society into advocates and opponents of extending the curfew on free movement and rush to impute motives for the individual choices expressed. A pragmatic approach involving the taking of acceptable risks to cater to the needs of most sections of the population may be called for at this stage rather than a rigid bipartisan attitude. While it is true that the rich have access to reserves to see them through a period of economic inactivity, that capability also has its limits. They have a vested interest in restarting their businesses as the prolonged absence of regular cash flow is affecting them adversely too. Some of the biggest enthusiasts for an easing of the lockdown are the rich even though they can afford it better.

The results of our lockdowns have been mixed. The positive cases and deaths have been kept in check in India as compared to the global experience, yet breaking the chain of infection is nowhere in sight. It is practically impossible to prevent all movements that create new clusters of the outbreak, short of issuing shoot at sight orders. Regular leakages, in the context of our densely populated urban centres, has meant that the spread of infection and death have continued to multiply despite the lockdowns. The different phases of the lockdown have purchased precious time for us, yet lockdowns, by themselves, are not an ultimate solution. The moot question is whether that time gained has been utilised to organise the medical infrastructure to handle the growing number of positive cases expected. Largely yes. Our testing, tracing, and quarantine capabilities have improved by leaps and bounds over the last two months.

The ultimate goal is to minimise loss of life. Death by starvation also results in loss of life. As lockdowns have proved to be incapable of completely stamping out Covid-19, we have to accept that coronavirus will be a part of our environment for many more months. The only way forward is to learn to live with it. Our hope remains that a vaccine for mass use is available soon.

However, the vaccine needs to be developed first, tested for its effectiveness and potentially harmful side effects, and finally produced on a mass scale to reach everyone. Natural vaccination by way of herd immunity – a process whereby the bodies of people infected and recovered from Covid-19 learn to produce antibodies giving them protection from subsequent infection - is likely to be a parallel development.

Acquiring both the artificial and natural immunity, remain long drawn processes.

In the meantime, the economic hardships will continue to mount. We simply have to get back to work.

The new normal for the world may see face masks, physical distancing, a heightened awareness of hygiene, work from home, and home delivery of many goods are not only familiar but also mandatory.

The new normal for the world may see face masks, physical distancing, a heightened awareness of hygiene, work from home, and home delivery of many goods are not only familiar but also mandatory

Right now, we need a road map for the new normal. That, unfortunately, is still not concretised. Preparedness in the economic field has been woefully inadequate, given the breathing space that the successive lockdowns had provided. Desperate migrant labourers having to undertake painful trudges back to their distant homes is unfortunate. We could have anticipated their plight and prepared for an orderly system rather than fire fighting once their movement had commenced. For businesses to restart it is not adequate that

Kerala fared better than others in COVID-19 crisis

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s India’s 1.3 billion people struggle to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the country’s 28 states stands head and shoulders above the rest. Kerala, in southwestern India, has been so successful in “flattening the curve” that many now speak admiringly of a “Kerala Model” for handling public-health emergencies.

Kerala was the first Indian state to report a case of COVID-19 – a medical student who had arrived from Wuhan, China, at the end of January. When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown on March 24, Kerala had the most cases of any state. Yet today, it ranks low on the list of confirmed cases,

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and high on the list of COVID-19 recoveries.

Moreover, the state’s fatality rate (0.53%) is the lowest in India, and it has managed to limit the spread of the virus without inflicting any of the human suffering seen in other parts of the country.

Kerala’s formula for success has been straightforward. Publichealth authorities have prioritized early detection through extensive testing, widespread contact tracing, and 28-day quarantines for all those infected (the rest of India, following the World Health Organization’s guidance, has required only 14 days).

Since issuing its initial COVID-19 alert on January 18, the state has screened all arrivals at its four international airports, and immediately hospitalized or

The state has a long tradition of investing in its people and institutions, and of fostering a civic and political culture of mutual respect, trust, and compassion

quarantined suspected cases. On February 4, Kerala declared COVID-19 a state-level disaster, and shut schools, restricted public gatherings, and instituted lockdowns in early March. By the time the central government had followed suit weeks later, Kerala had already deployed more than 30,000 health workers and placed tens of thousands of people in quarantine.

Kerala’s COVID-19 response emerged from a template that long preceded the current crisis.

Among Indian states, it is unique for having allocated significant resources to public-health infrastructure, devolved power and funding to village-level bodies, and established a social system that promotes community participation and public cooperation.

In addition to having the highest literacy rate in India (94%), Kerala also boasts a declining birth rate, higher life expectancy, more empowered women, and stronger welfare support for the indigent and the marginalized. People do not beg or starve in Kerala. The state offers universal access to health care and medical information, and respects all residents as rights-bearing

citizens. No one is treated as a mere subject, as is common in many other Indian states. Throughout the current crisis, Kerala’s educated populace has behaved responsibly, limiting community transmission, cooperating with authorities, and seeking prompt treatment as needed.

This institutional and political culture is not the result of some oneoff policy. Kerala has spent generations creating the infrastructure to support social development, placing it far ahead of the rest of India on many key indicators. In addition to its rights-based welfare system, it has a vibrant civil society, free and independent media, and a competitive political system.

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order to that effect is issued.

Forward and backward linkages, standard operating procedures for physical distancing and sanitisation of the work environment need to be formulated and placed in the public domain well before the easing of the lockdown is announced.

Beyond the government and its administration, there is a civil society. It has competent specialists, NGOs in touch with the ground realities, and well-meaning businessmen keen to restart their commercial operations. A collaborative effort involving all stakeholders can alone throw up viable options to manage this pandemic. There are a large number of Government officers and staff who are attending office but are largely under-employed because of the lockdown. They could be co-opted for such outreach efforts. Engagement of the masses in this common endeavour is a must to move from an elitist topdown management style to a people’s movement against this common threat. New norms have to be broadly acceptable before we can expect everyone to strictly adhere to them. Without universal cooperation, success in controlling this pandemic would be an uphill task.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Nurses are at the centre of our healthcare system. They provide compassionate and expert care to patients. On this #InternationalNursesDay, gratitude to all the nurses for the incredible work they are doing to safeguard our nation’s health by sacrificing their own well-being.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Cheering megaphone Railways restores 3 Special Trains from New Delhi today, in which a total of 3,461 passengers will travel.

Restoring passenger train services in a graded manner, 8 trains in all are departing from various cities across the country today.

Spiritual SPEAK

Even the wise are confused about what is action and what is inaction. —Bhagavad Gita

Vol 1 Issue No. 167 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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COVID-19

30 new SSBs helpful in fighting Corona About 20 such SSBs are already pressed into service as COVID-19 hospitals in different GMCs in 8 states, under PMSSY New Delhi: As the country grapples with COVID-19, at least 30 newly developed Super Speciality Blocks (SSBs) at various Government Medical Colleges proved helpful as dedicated facilities for treating coronavirus patients.

Adding up to 8443 hospital beds, including 1600 ICU beds, and 938 high-end ventilators, these SSBs gave an immense boost to health care infrastructure at the time of COVID-19 pandemic.

“When this crisis started, the Centre directed all government medical colleges to prepare a dedicated block for coronavirus patients. As these SSBs were newly constructed, they turned out to be quite handy for setting up COVID-19 hospitals in GMCs, across the nation” said a senior official at health ministry.”

— ANI

Air India staffer tests positive, office sealed

An NDRF person carries out sanitisation work in Varanasi.

‘72% TOBACCO USERS TRIED TO QUIT DURING LOCKDOWN’

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total of 72% of India’s combustible tobacco users between the ages of 18-24 years old have attempted to quit smoking during the lockdown, followed by 69% of combustible tobacco aged 25-39, suggests a recent survey conducted by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.Around 66% of those surveyed (ages 1869) expressed their desire to quit smoking amid COVID-19 for health reasons. A total of 6,801 tobacco and nicotine users in five countries -- India, the US, the UK, Italy, and South Africa - were interviewed for the survey, during the period starting April 4 and ending April 14, 2020.

New Delhi: The office of national carrier Air India was sealed in Delhi on Tuesday after one of the staff members tested positive for coronavirus disease Covid-19. “Airlines House has been sealed for Tuesday and Wednesday,” news agency PTI quoted an official as saying. The official said that the employee was diagnosed with Covid-19 on May 7, through the RT-PCR test, and tested positive on Monday evening. The employee first had fever which subsided with the help of medicines but then the staffer started having soar throat and respiratory symptoms. He got himself tested on Sunday and was sent to RMLHospital in Delhi after it. —ANI

MIGRANT CRISIS

‘About 6.48L people transported through Shramik trains so far’ New Delhi: A total of 542 ‘Shramik’ special trains have been operationalised from various states across the country, in which 448 trains had reached their destinations and 94 trains are in transit, as on Tuesday. About 6.48 lakh passengers have been transported through these trains.

These 448 trains terminated in various states like Andhra Pradesh (1), Bihar (117), Chhattisgarh (1), Himachal Pradesh (1), Jharkhand (27), Karnataka (1), Madhya Pradesh (38), Maharashtra (3), Odisha (29), Rajasthan(4), Tamil Nadu (1), Telangana(2), Uttar Pradesh (221) and West Bengal(2).

These trains have ferried migrants to cities like Tiruchirappalli, Titlagarh, Barauni, Khandwa, Jagannathpur, Khurda Road, Prayagraj, Chhapra, Balia, Gaya, Purnia, Varanasi, Darbhanga, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Jaunpur, Hatia, Danapur, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, etc.

Screening of passengers is ensured before boarding the train, Rlys said. —ANI

Employees at the Air India HQ that was sealed on Tuesday.

9 MORE BSF PERSONNEL COVID-19 +VE

New Delhi: BSF reported nine new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. Among the positive cases reported, six are from Delhi, two from Tripura and one from Kolkata. According to BSF, all the people who tested positive are under treatment at designated COVID health care hospitals.

2 MORE ITBP JAWANS INFECTED

New Delhi: Two more jawans of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.”Total 159 ITBP personnel have tested positive, while one has recovered,” ITBP said in a statement. 3,604 more COVID-19 cases are reported in the last 24 hrs.

New Delhi: The Congress has again questioned the PM Cares Fund & demanded an independent audit from CAG. The party questioned why the fund is not being spent on Covid-19 patients. Party Senior spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “Our only worry with PM Cares Fund is that it’s not being spent on the victims of Covid-19 which use can be both direct and incidental.”

“We only demand an independent audit by CAG or any other credible independent agency and daily updates.

Not too much to ask from a

People being thermal scanned at Danapur station in Patna.

ASYMPTOMATIC PEOPLE WITH TICKETS CAN TRAVEL New Delhi: As the Indian Railways gears up to partially resume its passenger train operations from Tuesday, Railways Executive Director RD Bajpai informed that only asymptomatic persons with confirmed tickets will be allowed to board trains. Speaking to ANI about the development, Railways Executive Director, RD Bajpai said, “Social distancing norms will be followed at stations and on the trains. Only asymptomatic persons and those with confirmed tickets can travel.

Rlys generate over Rs 16 cr from ticket bookings New Delhi: The Indian Railways have generated over Rs 16 crore and issued seat reservations to 82,317 passengers in just over a day- since it started bookings for passenger train services, informed the Railways officials on Tuesday.On May 10, the Indian Railways had announced that it will run 15 pairs of trains and that the bookings for the passenger trains will start from Monday.

New Delhi: The Railway Protection Force (RPF) is ready with all security measures for helping those who are travelling on the passenger trains from Tuesday onwards.

RPF’s Director-General (DG), Arun Kumar, said that the force is ready to help passengers and to conduct screenings at the railway stations. “Proper security arrangements have been made by the RPF regarding the special trains which will run today. As the Shramik special trains have been running, the force is aware of the arrangements needed. Health screening of passengers will be conducted at the boarding as well as deboarding stations.

—ANI

Arun Kumar

developed a fever after his system reacted to a new medication, said the AIIMS on Monday. Two days after the admission, Manmohan Singh has now been discharged. According to the doctors, his condition was stable on Monday. Hospital sources said Manmohan Singh underwent a series of medical tests in the two days of his hospital stay.

2G MOBILE DATA SERVICES RESTORED IN KASHMIR Srinagar: 2G mobile data services will be restored in Kashmir Valley from May 12, except in Pulwama and Shopian districts according to the Jammu and Kashmir administration. “Mobile data services shall be restored forthwith in the Kashmir valley, except in Pulwama and Shopian districts. The internet speed shall, however, remain restricted to 2G only across the Union Territory. It shall be effective from May 12,” the J-K administration said in an order.

Internet services were suspended in J-K in August last year after the abrogation of Article 370.

public fund,” added Singhvi.

Congress has been alleging that PM Modi is “hostile to requirement” & “decisions to be taken during the Covid-19 pandemic for the welfare of the people.”

“History will remember PM Modi as the PM who didn’t care about people’s lives,” Congress tweeted.

—ANI

Abhishek Manu Singhvi

APPRISING THE GUV ABOUT STATE SITUATION A BJP delegation comprising Locket Chatterjee, MP, Arjun Singh MP, Mukul Roy, Member, National Council, Pratap Banerjee, General Secretary and Sabyasachi Dutta, MLA, called on the WB Governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday and raised concerns about the alarming communal situation in the state.

They referred to recent incidents of communal violence in Malda and Murshidabad in particular.

RPF ready to resume services

EX-PM MANMOHAN SINGH DISCHARGED FROM AIIMS New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been discharged from AIIMS, New Delhi on Tuesday afternoon.

Manmohan Singh was admitted to AIIMS on Sunday evening after he complained of chest pain and uneasiness. Manmohan Singh was admitted to the cardio-thoracic ward of AIIMS on Sunday. He had

‘PM Cares Fund must be spent on covid patients’

IN THE COURTYARD

Notice to CBI on Yadav’s plea PALGHAR LYNCHING CASE

Maharashtra: 18 more held

by Police’s CID Wing New Delhi: SC issued notice to the CBI on a petition filed by controversial UP politician DP Yadav, who is serving life imprisonment in connection with a murder case, seeking bail on medical grounds.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice L Nageshwar Rao, Justice S Abdul Nazeer & Sanjiv Khanna issued notice seeking its response and slated the matter for hearing after a week. —ANI

Mumbai: Eighteen more people have been arrested by Maharashtra Police’s CID in the Palghar lynching case, officials said.

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) is probing the incident in which three persons, including two seers, who were lynched by a mob of villagers in neighbouring Palghar district last month.

With the latest arrests, the number of those held in connection with the case has gone up to 134. —PTI

ARMED ASSAILANTS LOOT BANK IN MATHURA; FLEE WITH RS 21 L CASH Mathura: Amid a nationwide lockdown to contain COVID-19 infections, four armed assailants robbed a rural bank in Mathura and decamped with over Rs 21 lakh cash.

The four robbers looted Damodarpura branch of Gramin Bank of Aryavarta in the afternoon when only three staff members were present, they said.A bank

staff Narendra Chaudhary was among those present in when the incident took place.Chaudhary said one masked person entered the bank and put a gun to his head. Soon after, three other people came inside the bank and pointed pistols at assistant manager Neelam Singh and cashier Srishti Saxena, threatening them to stay quiet, he said.

HC rejects prearrest bail pleas of Wadhawan bros Mumbai: Bombay HC rejected two separate anticipatory bail pleas each filed by Dheeraj and Kapil Wadhawan of DHFL Group in the proceedings initiated against them by the ED in connection with the Yes Bank scam.

—Agencies

Former C’garh CM Ajit Jogi critical: Docs New Delhi: Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi’s condition is “very critical” and he continues to be on ventilator support, doctors said on Tuesday. He had slipped into coma a day after being put on a ventilator due to cardiac arrest.The 74-year-old leader and first CM of Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi, was admitted to a Hospital in Raipur on Saturday. The doctors have started “audio therapy” by making him listen to his favourite songs on earphones, with neurological activities of Jogi, “almost nil” as he remains in coma.—ANI

MAHA: GOVT ALLOWS EXPORT UNITS OF JEWELLERY TO START Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has allowed designated export units of diamond and jewellery to commence operations with a limited workforce during the lockdown. It is perceived as a significant move as the city houses Bharat Diamond Bourse and SEEPZ, two of India’s largest jewellery export designated zones. Pramod Kumar Agrawal, Chairman, GJEPC said, “Bharat Diamond Bourse and SEEPZ in Mumbai are major centres which have a huge backlog of orders and we are happy that these centres will be operational in the next few days.”

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‘India can do 1 lakh tests every day’ Country’s Covid-19 mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world with 3.2%, Dr Harsh Vardhan said New Delhi: India can now do one lakh COVID-19 tests per day, said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday while interacting with senior officials of various districts of Jammu and Kashmir over coronavirus via video-conferencing.

The minister also said that the country’s COVID-19 mortality rate is one of the lowest in the world with 3.2 per cent.

“As we are seeing continuously of late, our recovery rate is getting better every day.

Today our recovery rate is at 31.7%. In fight against COVID-19, our mortality rate is almost the lowest in the world.

Today the mortality rate is around 3.2%, in several states it is even less than this. The global fatality rate is around 7-7.5 per cent,” Harsh Vardhan said.—ANI

Red zones in WB to be divided into 3 categories, says Mamata

Medical worker collects the nasal swab for testing in Agartala.

MP: Chouhan slams Didi

There are 347 govt labs and 137 pvt labs in the country.In Feb, we had only one lab in Pune. India now has 484 labs.

—Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister

speed NEWS PUNJAB AIMS TO CLEAN VILLAGE PONDS BY JUNE 10 Chandigarh: Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa launched a campaign for the cleaning of village ponds in the State.The Minister has appealed to the officers of the department and Panchayats to complete the work of cleaning the ponds by June 10

before the start of paddy season. An official statement quoted Minister Bajwa, saying that the cleaning of ponds was closely related tocleanliness of the villages, and hence this work should be done on a priority basis. Officers would visit various districts to solve peoples’ problems related to it.

6TH SPECIAL TRAIN WITH 1000 WORKERS DEPARTS SAS Nagar: Providing relief to hundreds of migrant workers, the sixth Shramik special train carrying 1,201 workers, who were stranded due to the lockdown, left from SAS Nagar Mohali railway station to Bihar’s Chhapra city on Tuesday,

Railway sources said. At the station, officials were seen waving goodbye to the labourers as the train left the platform. Circles were drawn on the platform to ensure social distancing guidelines were adhered to by all while boarding the train.

VILLAGE IN U’KHAND SEALED AFTER FIRST COVID-19 CASE Uttarkashi: The Uttarkashi administration has sealed the Dungi village under the Dunda block of the district after the first coronavirus positive case was reported here. “The administration has declared the Devidhar area of

the Dungi village as a containment zone and sealed all roads leading up to the village,” District Magistrate Dr Aashish Chauhan said. “Movement of people in the village has also been restricted. All 250 people will be screened,” he said.

Bhopal: MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Now someone has an objection that advisory is being sent

by Home Minister. It is to help states so that they can deal with coronavirus. Someone has an issue with the central team being sent to their state. If the central team arrives you should welcome them.

There is no point in opposing the Centre during this period.”

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that the red zones in the state will be broken into three categories but added that no changes will be imposed on containment zones. “Red zones will be further divided into three categories -- a, b and c. Police will figure it out. However, there

Mamata Banerjee

are no changes in containment zones,” Banerjee said in a press conference here. —ANI

AIR POLLUTION LEVELS IN DELHI DROP BY 49%

New Delhi: Pursuant to the stringent nationwide lockdown, skies in the national capital have turned an Azure blue and the air has become breathable due to 49 per cent reduction in the air quality index (AQI).According to a study conducted by IIT Delhi, the country has witnessed 43, 31, 10, & 18% decreases in PM 2.5, PM 10, CO, and NO2 levels during the lockdown.

Red zones will be further divided into three categories- a, b and c.

Police will figure it out. However, there are no changes in containment zones.

—Mamata Banerjee, CM, West Bengal

ICMR BEGINS SERO-SURVEY

New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) announced that it is conducting a community-based sero-survey to estimate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Indian population. The household-level crosssectional survey will cover 24,000 adults distributed equally across four strata of districts categorised on the basis of reported cases of covid-19.

6037 Indians returned since May 7: Govt

Maha: CM Uddhav to enter legislative council unopposed

New Delhi: A total of 6037 Indians have been flown back to India in 31 inbound flights operated by Air India and Air India Express under Vande Bharat Mission in 5 days beginning from May 7, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Tuesday.

Government started Vande Bharat Mission, what the Ministry said was “one of the largest initiatives to repatriate nationals back to India” on May 7. —ANI

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and eight other candidates in the fray for the May 21 polls to the legislative council, are set to get elected to the Upper House unopposed.

Five out of the 14 nominations were either withdrawn or rejected over technical ground, leaving only nine candidates in the fray for the same number of seats, said an official from Chief Elec-

toral Office of Maharashtra.

The Maharashtra Legislative Council election is scheduled for nine seats for which 14 nominations were re-

ceived. Out of these, Dr Ajit Gopchade and Sandeep Lele of the BJP withdrew their nominations.

“Two dummy forms submitted by Kiran Pawaskar and Shivajirao Garje from the NCP were also withdrawn, said the official.

It means, including chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, all the nine candidates will get elected to the Upper House of the state legislature unopposed, the official said.—PTI

Empowering nurses will directly empower women, reiterates IMA New Delhi: Nursing has evolved into a highly sophisticated profession requiring its own dignified space and skillsets, said the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tuesday, stressing the fact that empowering nurses will directly empower women.

In a statement, coinciding with the International Nurses Day, the IMA highlighted the dedication and recalled the services nurses put.

Child malnutrition led to 68 % underfive fatalities in India

“Nurses remain the bridge between science and human touch.

Handling a patient with compassion yet with competence is a chal-

lenge. Many times patients recall the services of nurses with gratitude,” said the doctor’s largest body, Indian Medical Association. —ANI

New Delhi: Child and maternal malnutrition were behind 68 per cent of the under-five fatalities in India, while low birth weight and short gestation led to 83 per cent of neonatal deaths from 2000 to 2017, according to findings of the India StateLevel Disease Burden Initiative released on Tuesday.

the returning officer (Dhaval Jani) were hand in glove, thus establishing corrupt practice in the election.

One of the petitioner’s submissions was, “According to the election commission release, the total voter turnout was 1,59,946.

Against that, when the result was declared by the returning officer the total number of votes counted were 1,59,917, thus there was a difference of 29 votes.”

hension of further escalation in tension, the sources said when asked about the face-off.

They said tension was still prevailing in the area, though both sides agreed to disengage during a meeting of local commanders on May 6.

“The situation remains tense,” said a source adding some troops are being kept by both sides in the area following the face-off.

When asked, an Army spokesperson said: “Incidents of face-off and aggressive behaviour occur on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Pa-

trols disengage after local level interaction and dialogue. Temporary and short duration faceoffs occur as boundary is not resolved.”

“I clarify that there is no continuing face-off at the Pangong Tso lake.

There is no build-up of armed troops in the area,” he said.

The sources said the spotting of Chinese helicopters in the area was nothing unusual as India too flies a fleet of military choppers in the area from three bases in the region.

IAF sources said a range of its aircraft, which also comprises

Nurses & Docs celebrate ‘International Nurses Day’ in Guwahati.

06

POWER Gallery ALL HCS HAVE REGULAR CJS FIRST TIME IN MANY MONTHS

This is the first time in many months that all High Courts in the country have regular Chief Justices.

STILL HUGE NUMBER OF VACANCIES OF PERMANENT JUDGES IN HCs

There are huge number of vacancies of permanent Judges still remaining in most of High Courts across the country.

GOVT MAY PREFER INSIDER FOR UBI’S MD & CEO POST ?

Whispers are in that Govt may prefer an insider for the post of MD & CEO of Union Bank of India considering the fact that the bank has just absorbed two smaller banks and an insider would be in the better know of the amalgamation process.

WILL CS OF PUNJAB BE CHANGED ?

Uncertainty prevails over the continuation of Dr Karan Avtar Singh as Chief Secretary of Punjab.

Capt Amrinder Singh had brought him as CS in May 2017. It is said that, instead of CS, Addl Chief Secretary (Home) Satish Chandra attended the Cabinet Meeting on Monday. According to sources, some ministers have told the CM that they will not attend the Cabinet meeting if CS Singh is present.

Now CM has to take the final decision in this regard.

CS is a 1984 batch IAS officer.

MORE SSC PERSONNEL IN THREE DEFENCE WINGS LIKELY

There are whispers that the Govt may allow greater number of personnel to be appointed for Short Service Commission in all three defence wings.

SANJAY CHADHA LIKELY TO GET ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF CMD OF MMTC ?

Sanjay Chadha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is expected to get additional charge of CMD of MMTC. He is a 1985 batch IRSME officer.

UPSC CHAIRMAN TO RETIRE IN AUGUST

Arvind Saxena, Chairman of UPSC, is schedule to superannuate on August 7 this year. He is a 1978 batch Indian Postal Service officer holding the post of the Chairman since June 20, 2018.

PRABAL BASU LIKELY TO GET SECOND TERM AS CMD, BLC

Prabal Basu, Chairman & Managing Director of Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited (BLC), is expected to get extension for second term till October 31, 2023. His five year tenure is coming to an end in July this year.

WHAT IS FUTURE OF PEC LTD WITHOUT FULLTIME CMD ?

The post of full time Chairman & Managing Director, PEC Limited has been lying vacant since incumbent M Nagaraj joined HUDCO. Meanwhile, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had held a selection meeting on November 7, 2019, but did not find suitable candidate for the same.

The Government of India is yet to take decision on the candidate after the Board recommended the concerned Ministry to choose an appropriate course of further action for selection.

SR EXECS OF MERGED BANKS AWAITING PORTFOLIOS IN ANCHOR BANKS

Whispers are in that many of the senior management executives of small banks, who merged with Anchor banks, are still without any portfolios as COVID-19 situation is delaying their suitable placements.

DR MADHU SHARMA APPOINTED DEPUTY COA, HEALTH

Dr Madhu Sharma has been appointed as Deputy Controller of Accounts, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Dr Sharma is a 2011 batch ICAS officer.

FROM PG 1 `20 lakh cr...

The PM said when the Covid-19 crisis started, not even a single PPE kit was manufactured in India and only a few N95 masks were available.

“Today 2 Lakh PPE kits and 2 Lakh N95 masks are manufactured in India daily,” PM Modi said.

Modi said humanity would not accept defeat from the coronavirus but the people have to stay safe and move forward. “We had never seen or heard about such a crisis ever before. This is definitely unimaginable for mankind. It is unprecedented. But humanity will not accept

defeat from this virus.

We have to not only protect ourselves but also move forward,” said Modi. Talking about the gravity of the virus, Modi said: “It has been four months the world is fighting COVID-19. More than 42 lakh people from different countries have been infected by COVID-19. More than 2.75 lakh people have lost their lives due to the virus. In India too many families have lost their dear ones, I express my condolences to them.”

“Today when the entire world is in crisis, we will have to further firm our resolve,” he added.

Guj law...

Congress candidate Ashwin Rathod on the grounds that Chudasama had won the election with a thin margin of 327 votes and that the returning officer did not count 429 postal ballot votes. If those had been counted, the result would change. He had also alleged in the petition that the returning officer had not counted 29 votes from EVM. Citing the order, the petitioner’s advocate Sharvil Majmudar stated that the court has concluded that the BJP candidate Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and

IAF deploys... positions and even reinforcements were brought in an appre-

Sukhoi-30 jets, have been carrying out routine sorties in the region including on May 6, adding there was no violation of Indian airspace in the area by the Chinese side. The IAF conducts routine sorties in the region from Leh and Thoise airbases.

‘No cabin...

The draft SOP, accessed

by PTI, has also mooted rostering the same set of cabin and cockpit crew as long as possible in order to prevent possible cross contamination.

Not just for passengers, the draft SOP has

suggested measures that could be followed by security agencies as well as airport operators, including doing away with identity card checks at airport entry gates and ensuring social distancing requirements.

Another suggestion is to keep three rows of an aircraft vacant for isolating any passenger who has a medical emergency onboard. The draft SOP was prepared after discussions with stakeholders, including airlines & airport operators. Comments have been sought from stakeholders, said sources.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

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07

COVID-19 IMPACT

AZAD SINGH RATHORE Writer, Defence & Foreign Policy Analyst

D

earness Allowance (DA) is an additional allowance, calculated based on currency inflation and inflation rate, paid to the government and public sector employees and pensioners, in India. DA is a part of the monthly payout to employees along with basic salary, as an additional amount. Dearness allowance is a percentage of basic salary, paid to hedge the impact of inflation.

Amidst all the bad news regarding the effects of coronavirus, there was some good news for government employees i.e. a four percent increase in DA announced by the central government, which corresponds to a raise from 17 percent to 21 percent on 13 March 2020. This decision would have come into effect from January 1, 2020. This order was received with great enthusiasm among the employees under the Central Government including soldiers/officers of the Indian Army and paramilitary troops expressed great happiness about this.

But this moment of happiness did not last long, when on April 20th the Central Government decided to cancel the disbursement of DA to retired and serving Central Government employees in view of the crisis arising out of COVID-19. This was very disappointing for central employees including armed forces. For government all employees are equal, but there is a difference in the amount of risk faced by other civil em-

DA DEARER THAN SOLDIERS

ployees as compared with front line soldiers guarding our boarders on day to day basis.

With this decision, the Airmen, soldiers, sailors, and retired fighters of our defense services and their families who take pensions will be deeply impacted. The freezing of dearness allowance will affect about 1,500,000 serving men and women - 1,265,000 in the Army, 83,500 in the Navy, and 155,000 in the Air Force, the figure will be much higher if paramilitary forces are included. Whereas all the defense personnel has already contributed one day’s salary to the PMCARES fund, without any orders, suo motu, as responsibility towards the nation.

In the current scenario, where a large number of civil staff has been ordered to stay at home with the restriction of coming to the workplace, on the other side our armed forces from the Siachen to the southern naval base in the Indian ocean, from the deserted Thar to the dense forests of Nagaland is relentlessly working in the same manner as before. Today they are not only fighting with the additional risk of saving themselves and their comrades from a deadly virus, but also constantly fighting with the terrorists and the intruders, and defeating their every evil intention.

Today our armed forces are facing double trouble. In this situation, even if they want, they cannot follow all precautionary steps and protocol

ALL DEFENCE EMPLOYEES CONTRIBUTED A DAY’S SALARY TO THE PM-CARES FUND. THIS FREEZE ON SALARIES AND PENSIONS WILL COST THEM SIGNIFICANTLY MORE - ABOUT `15,000 TO `20,000 IN A YEAR FOR AN ENTRY-LEVEL SOLDIER, SAILOR OR AIRMAN

measures to avoid corona infection in their daily routine, like cooking food for the whole troop at the same place in the mess is a non-avoidable compulsion. For border patrolling and other

movements, it is not possible to move with extra vehicles and maintain physical distancing or to keep the weapons or wireless sets sanitise at all times or to sit in a bunker at a distance from a

buddy or fellow officer; and even if they did so it would serve as an invitation to much bigger and serious danger.

Recently a few COVID positive cases were found in paramilitary forces. To add to this,

we have lost a large number of our brave soldiers in many terrorist incidents and counter-insurgency operations recently, that took place at different places in the country.

From Jammu and

Kashmir to Naxalite affected states we are constantly getting news of ambush and attacks on search operations & convoys of armed forces. Just a few days back, we lost officers of higher ranks like Colonel and Major fighting the terrorists along with Jawans.

This suspension of dearness allowance on salaries and pensions will give them a hit of about Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 in a year even for entry-level soldiers, sailors, or airmen. For the officer or a soldier who has been in service for more than 10 years, the amount is about 70 thousand to 1 lakh per annum, which is sizeable. There is a disappointment amongst our disciplined army personnel and officers, but they cannot be shaken by this decision. Their motto “Obey every order” and “Country before family” doesn’t allow their conscience to utter a single word against it.

A well-known economist and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issues said that it is not necessary to stop the allowances of the armed forces. He has also asked the present government to consider the withdrawal of this order. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also shown his anguish to the government’s order and requested the central government to withdraw this decision.

For a moment, consider the game of cards, where the ace of trump is the are gamechanger, one can very well relate to the cru-

cial role played by Indian armed forces as saviors of mankind in times of severe distress or unrest particularly during natural calamities. Also not to forget, Indian Army was entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring good health of our citizens, who were rescued and brought back home from Iran and other countries, due to worsening of Covid-19 pandemic across the Globe by establishing COVID treatment centers at unidentified army locations near Jaisalmer and Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

At present, India has survived to a great extent from the devastation of this global epidemic and is in good condition. Although, during this time new heroes of humanity have emerged but never can understate the role of our brave soldiers, who are our alltime heroes. They must not be taken for granted at any point in time.

No amount of justification is enough to cut down salaries of armed forces who fight with all odds day in and day out. Instead, other investments like central vista could be put on hold for saving money.

Today, in this difficult time, all of us and the government must stand together in support of our Army men and avoid any further hardships for them like payroll cut. The present central government must withdraw the order of pay cut for the army and paramilitary forces. A country is as strong or as safe as the handful of its men who lay their life in protecting it.

Remember, tomorrow is another day. A new day, you can start afresh to fulfill your dreams and renew your commitments to yourself.

Keep faith, things will fall in place.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

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Powerloom rat-tat stops, Surat units stare at losses The `80K crore synthetic textile industry in Surat bears the brunt of the lockdown First India Bureau

ADOPTING CHANGE

Surat: The textile industry in Surat, which produces 60 per cent of the synthetic sarees in the country accounting a turnover of a whopping Rs 80,000 crore, is faced with huge losses following the nationwide lockdown.

According to Jitubhai Vakharia, President, South Gujarat Textile Processors’ Association, there may be an estimated loss of over Rs 1,000 crore if the lockdown is extended. He said, “Close to Rs 800-1,000 crore loss could be incurred by the textile industry itself as the lockdown might be extended.”

Speaking about the lakhs of workers engaged in the industry, Vakharia claimed, “The craftsmen are anxious, so we decided to pro-

vide ration after every fortnight to ensure that they do not go hungry.”

He even claims that the industrialists assisted workers who wished to go home to their native places with Rs 1,000 each.

“With help from the Pandesara Police, we have been able to send back quite a few

139 Gujarati students return home

Train with 1,000 people leaves A’bad

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: A special flight from Manila with 139 Gujarati students stranded in the Philippines landed at the Ahmedabad airport on Tuesday morning.

They had gone to the Philippines for higher studies and got stuck there due to lockdown.

An official State Government release said, “139 students were evacuated from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. They reached the Ahmedabad airport on Tuesday morning in a special flight.” After their arrival, they were sent to their respective districts where they will be kept under institutional quarantine for 14 days, it said.

State authorities earlier announced that nearly 1,000 students hailing from Gujarat will be brought back from different countries. This exercise is part of the Centre’s ‘Vande Bharat Mission.’

Ahmedabad: After 50 days, a special train carrying around 1,000 passengers, most of whom were stranded, left for New Delhi from the Sabarmati railway station here on Tuesday evening. Twenty-five passengers were not allowed to board as they were found to have high temperature, officials said. The passengers, who had booked the tickets online, were screened at the main gate of the station to check if they had coro-

The long lockdown has brought the bustling Surat textile industry to a standstill.

workers by train and bus.”

Vakharia agrees more needs to be done.

“The arrangements made to send workers back to their states are not enough. Even if we keep going at this rate, it will take close to a month to do so,” he said.

Meanwhile, he wel-

comed that the railways have partially resumed passenger train services after over one and a half months. He said, “We whole-heartedly welcome this decision of the Central Government to re-start the trains.”

Vakharia said the government must provide soft

loans to the textile industry to kick-start economic activities.

“Whatever money the government gives us, it must be considered a soft loan at an interest of 2-3 per cent and we will pay the government back in a few years.

Once we get the money, we can resume our business,” he added.

Ahmed asks PM to keep in touch with CMs, even later First India Bureau New Delhi: The Congress has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that his engagement with the Chief Ministers remains a regular feature beyond the corona crisis, since this had hardly happened during the last six years.

Congress veteran and close Sonia Gandhi aide Ahmed Patel stated this and added that such regular meetings between the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers would strengthen the federal structure. “In the last 6 years such meetings have rarely been held,” he said.

Ahmed Patel tweeted, “It is important to institutionalise the recent frequent meetings even after we overcome this (coronavirus) pandemic.”

His statement came after the Prime Minister met Chief Ministers on Mon-

day, where several CMs pointed out that states should decide on opening up the economy badly affected by lockdown across the country to contain coronavirus.

Most CMs underlined the need to strengthen the medical and health infrastructure in the country. The CMs also highlighted the importance of compulsory quarantine for all those who have returned from abroad.

Congress has been

HOME SWEET HOME! 31 more Shramik Express trains are leaving from Gujarat with laborers who want to visit their native places outside Gujarat.

Out of 31 trains operating today, 19 are for Uttar Pradesh, 4 for Bihar, 3 for Odisha, 2 each for Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and 1 for Uttarakhand. 11 trains including 8 for UP and 3 for Bihar will leave Ahmedabad. 3 trains for UP will leave from Vadodara. 6 trains will leave from Surat in which 2 are for UP, and 1 each for Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Odisha.

navirus symptoms.

A disinfectant was also sprayed on their luggage. While special trains for migrant workers are already plying, it had been almost 50 days since a train carrying ordinary passengers left from Ahmedabad, said officials. The fully air conditioned train will reach Delhi around 8 am on Wednesday after covering a distance of 864 kilometres, stopping at Palanpur, Abu Road, Jaipur and Gurugram on the way.

Hacker questions Guj declaring names of Covid patients First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Ethical hacker Elliot Alderson, who came to limelight when he raised concerns regarding security issues with the government’s Aarogya Setu app, has now reacted on a month-old tweet of Gujarat Information De-

partment, stating that it is putting personal data of COVID-19 patients in Ahmedabad on Google Maps.

In a tweet, Alderson wonders, “Do you think it’s a good idea to pinpoint the houses of #Covid19 patients and deaths publicly on your website? Even

08

sick or dead, you deserve privacy.”

In the Information Department tweet, the government has said the details of a patient can be accessed by clicking on the red spot, indicating a positive case. That was tweeted on April 17.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corpora-

tion (AMC) too had said the names of those who have been found COVID-19 positive will be declared in public “so that other people who could have potentially come in contact with them can voluntarily inform the authorities and isolate themselves.”

raising government’s “one-sided decisions” during the pandemic.

Party leader Rahul Gandhi also pointed out during his press conference that states should be left to decide on local issues.

“I want a strong Indian leader to stand in front of this disease -- be it a collector or a farmer. The zones are being decided at the nationallevel even as the CMs say these should be decided at the statelevel,” Rahul said.

Unable to repay his debt, man ends life First India Bureau Surat: An employee in a milk dairy ended life at his residence in Puna area here on Monday under pressure from a private financier. The deceased left behind a suicide note mentioning that he was unable to repay his debt due to lockdown and is taking the extreme step following threats from the financier.

Body of Arvind Kawad, 27, from Vikram Nagar in Punagam was found on Monday from his residence when he was alone. He hung himself by a rope from an iron rod on the ceiling.

His suicide note said, “I am being threatened by my financier that if I don’t pay money in two days, they will kill me. And due to lockdown I am unable to repay.”

BRIDGING THE GAP

For these naive adivasis, Covid lexicon means little First India Bureau

Woman tribal volunteer happy to ‘rediscover’ the mobile phone.

Tapi: Words like ‘quarantine’ and ‘social distancing’ may have become household words, but few would know that this is still not so among the poor and the Adivasis in the rural hinterlands. Many don’t even know the use of WhatsApp and the concept of conference calls.

That’s where Megha Mandali, a cooperative of 1,000 tribal women farmers in Tapi district

in South Gujarat, has stepped in. And is spreading awareness about COVID-19 among tribal women who are first time mobile users, through WhatsApp since personal group meetings are not possible. Megha Mandali usually provides training in organic farming and methods of sustainable agriculture.

The Megha Mandali team developed a training programme that could be delivered through mobile phones

We speak to them in Gamit, which is the local language of the tribals and they can connect better and even send questions which makes them feel more comfortable.

—Lataben via conference calls. It initially trained 20 master trainers and each one of them is now imparting the knowledge to 140 community leaders and members. A trainer conducts four sessions

over four days with 4-5 women through conference calls. At the end of each session, graphics pertaining to the topics discussed are also sent to the women through WhatsApp. Lataben, president of

Megha Mandali, says, “We never realized that mobile phones could also be used for training purposes, other than calling.

It was a little difficult -- we had to learn how to add several women and hold a conference call, and train a group of people without meeting them.”

She says the State Government sends awareness messages but there are English words like “quarantine” which these women haven’t heard of.

Lataben says, “We speak to them in Gamit, which is the local language of the tribals and they can connect better and even send questions which makes them feel more comfortable.”

Secondly, women are now familiarized with tools like WhatsApp and conference calls. Though very few of them have Android phones since the men keep them, Megha Mandali borrowed it from them for training.

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09

AHMEDABAD, WEDNESDAY MAY 13, 2020

Alexa Bliss vs Asuka

DANGAL HAI! FROM 1956 TILL NOW, THE EVOLUTION OF WOMEN IN WRESTLING IS FAR FROM OVER BUT IT IS A GOOD TIME TO BE IN THE INDUSTRY!

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

I

n 1956, the Fabulous Moolah won the National Wrestling Alliance championship and that was the beginning of a change in professional wrestling.

She was the icon that has resulted in women today becoming the most sought after thing in the Wrestling industry during the last five years. Also, it has resulted in the very first woman to ever win a World Championship title.

Around 1994 the Attitude Era, The World Wrestling Federation, and World Championship Wrestling began battling it out to produce edgier content to win over TRP on TV. Initially, women wrestling with its swearing and scantily clad women in tights were a sideshow to the men wrestling relegated to short two-

Sarah Logan

Becky Lynch vs Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair

minute matches or sexy type matches like the infamous Bra and Panties match which could be won only when winner managed to strip the loser to their underwear. Although these matches were used as a quick way to keep the male audience engaged, they helped to catapult some female wrestlers to stardom, namely two women: Lita and

Trish Stratus.

On 6 December 2004, both of these sparred, but this time for the main event, this match was the culmination of the investment from fans and enough pull backstage to allow the women to actually perform though it was Aj Lee who turned it around, fighting for women wres-

Mandy Rose

tlers to be taken seriously.

It was the Sasha Banks vs.

Bayley for the NXT Women’s Championship match which made women wrestling the craze that it is now. Both women were a part of the Four Horsewomen, a nickname for the best four female wrestlers, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Bayley, and Becky Lynch, not only in NXT but all of WWE. The match was considered to be Match of the Year throughout all of the wrestling industry. Media outlets gave high praise of the match and cemented the start of the women’s revolution.

Since the groundbreaking match in Brooklyn, women in WWE have been in main event Raw, Smackdown and NXT numerous times. A new class of women’s wrestlers has begun to make their mark on the industry, and some of the best storylines in all of the wrestling involved women.

Liv Morgan

Bayley

Alexa Bliss

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

10

THE SALON LESS LIFE SHALBHA SARDA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

O

FA CE OF TH ED AY

f all the things the coronavirus has taught us the most important thing is acceptance. We accepted that everything that happened around wasn’t from some science fiction movie. And It was also a time for reckoning for many women to accept their looks emerging from a salon less life.

Being a man had been easy when it came to beauty maintenance. It had always been uber-cool to shave the head, grow a man bun, sport a beard, or pull off a salt and pepper look for them. But it is a global crisis that has got all the women to be a part of ‘be the natural club’. Most of the women carry mental pressure to live in a constant state of appeasing. They try to keep up with ingrained and ubiquitous body practices that denote youthfulness; perhaps long black hair, soft manicured hands, smooth hairless limbs. Well, this category of women is horrifically underprepared for this particular party.

I belong somewhere in the middle. I am the procrastinating type. I keep on postponing my salon visits unless someone else asks me or just give me an unsaid look. I was way due to visit a salon before the first phase of lockdown. But with the onset of panic, I got too busy clamoring to the grocery stores that last-minute trip to the salon

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

shaped eyebrows, a teenager mustache, and some chin raise beard. I keep wearing full-lengths even when its summer for I worry that an accidental prickly brush on my husband’s legs while binging on our favorite show together might turn into a horrifying recoil. As much as he is all into women empowerment he would not like me competing here for sure!

But to be honest just like wearing pajamas all day initially felt criminal, accepting that I can’t do anything about my body hair at this time has given me a feeling of liberation. I am now in the mood of giving rest to plucking and peeling till the lockdown 1, 2, 3,…..n keeps extending.

I now have a vague memory of the world that was

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You are on with your fitness regime and you will surely get the results you desperately desire. Going abroad for settlement is on cards and you must start with your preparations. On domestic front, you will be quite in demand and lots of things will keep you busy.

You may feel financially secure but your ambitions have take away your sleep of the night, try and relax and sometime take it easy. You will soon meet a friend who can understand you and whose company will make you happy. Remember somethings take time.

You may feel challenged on work front but its an healthy competition which will help you realise your true potential. On domestic front, do not indulge in any kind of argument with your parents just for the sake of it, sometime you need to understand their concern.

Your new business is doing good but you need to have some patience when it comes to profit.

Your child may need your serious counselling so show them you are there. You make take your family along on a work trip. Its time to take your love life to next level.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

On professional front, you have already proved your metal and your career is going great. Your friends may be helping but can also manipulate you sometimes so be careful. Those who matters will always understand you and those you don’t, you should not care.

You are very jovial and kind hearted person. You are a very nice parent and always understand your kids but you must know when to stop pampering. You may bring a pet to your house and it will be the best decision in the recent times. You may feel a lot of pressure to get married.

Money is flowing into your life from all directions and your spouse is your lucky charm. You must not be a part of any controversies and you know someone close to you involved then guide them and show them a way out. A new vehicles is on cards, may also come as a gift.

You will feel very refresh and energetic today. You worry without any reason so relax and enjoy what you have. You may get an unexpected career call that will change your life forever. Your spouse will pamper you in many ways today. You are very satisfied with your love life.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Those involved in export and import business will see a hike. You will complete all your pending task today .

You will managed to sustain a peaceful environment at home. You will be very busy, as you can expect some calls from friends today. You will at ease sponsor your kid’s dream education.

You are great when it come to money management and you have a big heart for others. You will successfully complete the project, which kept you occupying for long. Today is a very auspicious day for any kind of inauguration. You will be involved in lot of charity.

You are an outstanding home maker and you take care of your kids like no one can. You are very close to your parents and may visit them frequently going forward. On professional front, you will get the break that you have been expecting.

You may get a job offer.

You may find yourself in a very perplexed position when it comes to money, unable to decide whether to spend money on fun to have an image in your circle or to be an odd one out. Your teachers will be extremely impressed with you. You will enjoy your parents company.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

DOLLY JALAN, Artist & Model

didn’t cross my mind. Anyways I wasn’t brave enough to rule out social distancing to get my eyebrows and upper lips being plucked with one end of the thread rubbing my face and the other end in between someone else’s teeth close enough to kiss my face!

After a few weeks of lockdown, I asked a friend what was she doing to keep herself pretty? She was going to prepare some home wax she said. The next day I found her on the video call with halfburnt and a half was undone hair over her lips. She partly reminded me of Charlie Chaplin. I wanted to laugh but sighed instead and said the most encouraging words to her “its ok, we don’t have to go out without masks for any foreseeable future”. In my mind, I had already given up on the idea of any DIY waxing at home. My body hair grows at a higher rate than corona but I decided to let them run wild for a while.

It is 40 days since then and my entire body is revealing a dark secret that I had successfully hidden till now from everyone. It is my semi ape looking version in its full glory. There are amoeba-

before. I have forgotten how pretty I looked in the mirror of the car while I drove back from a salon. In addition to it fading away are the silent shrieks coming from every pore of my body lying helplessly, half-naked, like a sacrificial goat with two women spreading and peeling the hot liquid on my body?

And so is the patience that I once had to sit for a long treatment of facials, pedicures, and hair coloring.

While there is so much talk of enlightenment going on these days I think for the time being we women have attained bodily enlightenment. We embraced all our bodily flaws like never before. Just like we embraced all the domestic chores that have been thrown upon us.

We accepted a version of ourselves that wasn’t so pretty just as we discovered another version of us who could shift their mode from a person attending webinars to sweeping and cooking in a fraction of second.

I quote a lot of Frida Kahlo to my friends these days who rejected the stereotypes of beauty back then. And I also tell them what’s with body hair? How glamorous can we look doing jhadoo poncha anyways?

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

11

Birthday in US! B

ollywood’s sunshine Sunny Leone turns 39 years old today and will be celebrating her birthday in Los Angeles with her family. She along with her husband Daniel Weber, and their children Nisha, Noah, and Asher flew to the US a few days back, amid COVID-19 pandemic because she feels her children would be safer there against this ‘invisible killer’.

On mother’s day, Leone posted a photo with her children on Insta-

gram and explained that she decided to move to the US as she felt it would be safer for her children there.

Her husband, Daniel Weber too shared a photo with “Quarantine part 2. Not so bad now,” written on it.

He captioned the Instagram photo, “Getting better with the new vibes.”

Obviously there are questions that their followers want answers to, considering there is a worldwide ban on travel. So one Instagram user asked Daniel how he managed to travel to the US. Daniel replied saying, “klm govt flight.”

Sunny and Daniel, who are US citizens, lived in LA before they decided to move to India in 2012 when Sunny started her Bollywood career. The two had tied the knot in 2011. —Agency

The ultra-

VISUALS!

P

op star Katy Perry has shared an ultrasound video that has left her fans amused, especially with her caption of the clip. In the video, Katy seems convinced, her unborn daughter is giving her the finger! The singer took to Instagram and shared the video from the doctor’s clinic while getting an ultrasound done. “When your unborn daughter gives you a middle finger from the womb you know you’re in for it #happymothersdaytome,” she captioned the clip. Katy is expecting a baby with fiance, actor Orlando Bloom. She had reKaty Perry; (inset) Her Instagram post cently shared that she is missing drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy.

—IANS

... her Instagram post

EXPLORING

Sunny Leone

TERE BINA...

D ays after teasing the audience with short clips, actor Salman Khan on Tuesday dropped the official romantic video track ‘Tere Bina’ featuring him and Jacqueline Fernandez. The 54-year-old star took to Twitter to share the song with his followers.

“Maine yeh gaana banaya, gaya, shoot kiya aur post kiya aap ke liye, ab aap bhi yeh gaana suno, gaao, aur aap ke swag mai shoot karo ghar pe, post karo, share karo, tag karo n enjoy karo...” he tweeted. The four-minute and 20-second video, shot at Khan’s farmhouse, shows the duo enjoying and spending time together.

The video takes a flashback to the painting sequence and ends on a note where Khan

spends time with a young girl who possesses similar traits as Jacqueline. The song has been sung by Salman himself and was set to tune by Ajay Bhatia while the lyrics have been penned by Shabbir Ahmed.

When the lockdown was announced, Salman along with a few family members and close industry friends were at his Panvel farmhouse. They have spent the last seven weeks at the farm, coming up with interesting ways to keep themselves productive and create content for the audience.

—ANI

TALKING A WALK!

P

riyanka Chopra Jonas has shared a photograph of herself stepping out of the house for the first time in two months amid the ongoing lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Priyanka took to Instagram and shared a photograph of her sporting a designed face mask.

“Eyes are never quiet.

different arenas!

A

ctress Elle Fanning, best known for her roles in ‘The Neon Demon’ and ‘Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil’, would like to explore the arena of direction.

“It’s something that I do want to do badly.

You’ve just got to find the right story.

What is it that you want to tell? Is it going to be personal?

Is it not? Are you going to write it? Are you not? A lot of big questions. I will for sure one day,” Elle Elle Fanning said.

—IANS

Jacqueline Fernandez; (inset) Poster of the song

Jennifer Lopez

#FirstDayOutIn2Months Thanks for the masks @avoyermagyan,” she wrote alongside the picture. Designer Manish Malhotra commented: “Your eyes Sparkle always.”

Actress Esha Gupta dropped a smiling emoji with heart eyes. Recently, Priyanka shared a picture of herself cuddling her two pet dogs Diana and Gino. Alongside the adorable image, she captioned: “Sunshine is better with cuddles.”

—IANS

GREATEST JOY AND CHALLENGE

A

ctress-singer Jennifer Lopez says motherhood has been her greatest joy as well as biggest challenge. The superstar opened up about parenting through an Instagram post, with many pictures of herself with her twins, Max and Emme, 12. “Being a mom is my greatest joy and happiness,” said the 50-year-old star. “My biggest challenge and my greatest triumph,” she added. In one image, Max is seen sleeping on his mother’s lap while she held Emme’s hand. Another one showed the diva’s son at her side in the studio while the others are happy selfies of the family.

—IANS

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

AHMEDABAD | WEDNSEDAY, MAY 13, 2020

NURSING I

12

AN ARTISANS DUO! CITY FIRST

the World to Health

n an ongoing webinar series ‘Hum-Tum’, organised by Jaipur Citizen Forum, the celebrated Indian Fashion Designer, Raghavendra Rathore was seen in the conversation with CEO of Amrapali, Tarang Arora on Sunday.

The Webinar focused on their childhood and journey, their collaboration on the design school in Jaipur, designing for Bollywood Films and a lot more. Raghavendra Rathore was introduced by the Chairman of JCF, Rajiv Arora and Founder of Amrapali Jewels, Tarang Arora. Talking

Rajiv Arora

Tarang Arora

about his childhood, Raghavendra mentioned that his dream to be a designer changed his life. The duo went out to express their keen interest and love for designing jewellery and clothing which became their respective careers and spoke about their asso-

Raghavendra Rathore

ciation with Bollywood films and renowned celebrities. Both Tarang and Raghavendra have worked in movies and created a larger exposure for their respective brands. Raghavendra recalled an incredible experience of working with Amitabh Bachchan and Saif

Ali Khan; while, Tarang recalled working in movies like Bahubali, Manikarnika, and to name a few. Talking about the COVID- 19 effects on the fashion and jewellery industry, both the brands believe the artisans are the wheels that keep India’s Indigenous handmade luxury industry moving.

Raghavendra mentions that the artisans will be the new-age designers and designers will have to revamp their vision. He believes the lockdown has taught us the value of time and pushed us to lead a more conscious and sustainable life and is hoping for a better time post lockdown.

LET INDIANS travel back home

ther on Green Card or H-1B visas and want to travel back everal Indians in the home but cannot leave their US, either on the H-1B kids who are Americans by work visa or Green birth. He wrote that those who Card having children have lost their jobs, their H1b who are American citizens by work permits can’t be extendbirth, are being prevented ed without a new job. He added, “Considering from travelling to Instaggering 20.5 mildia aboard the special lion people getting repatriation flights unemployed, 14.7% being run by Air Inthe unemployment dia amidst the cororate, in a short perinavirus-linked global od of 5-6 weeks, it travel restrictions. will be very difficult According to the for these H1b visa regulations issued by holders to get a job the Indian govern- Prem Bhandari ment last month and updated in the next 30 days to legally last week, all existing Indian stay in the USA. They want to visa holders, and visa-free travel, and according to the travel facility, granted to OCI order, they can travel to India, cardholders who are not in In- but their minor children hold dia, have been suspended till OCl and are not allowed to restrictions on international travel to India.”

“We would like to express air travel remains.

Jaipur Foot USA Chairman our disappointment with the Prem Bhandari wrote a letter discrimination between OCIs to Union Home Secretary Ajay and citizens in respect of enKumar Bhalla on Monday and tering India at this critical said that the May 5 travel advi- stage when many OCIs have sory has created multiple lawfully built their homes, painful issues for the OCI families and businesses in Incardholders in the US and also dia,” he added. to Indian citizens who are eicityfirst@firstindia.co.in CITY FIRST

S Dr TARUN VYAS

T

he year 2020 dawned with disaster all across the globe for mankind. The dreaded microbe has chosen ‘Humans’ as its prey and made them fall on its back foot. And our nature has shown us a glimpse of its supremacy and warned us not to meddle with its loss.

As nature is healing itself, there are some human beings like the ‘Nurses’ who are lending a healing hand to the prey of this deadly virus. Loaded with layers of protective gear, standing tall and unexhausted amidst all odds and untoward conditions,

Dr Tarun Vyas

Nurses are nursing the world to health.

While putting all untiring efforts with no selfish motive, a Nurse is deliver-

ing hope, health, smile, and life to the present world and suffering mankind, rising above all caste and creed.

In this scenario, where humans are in lockdown, nurses have unleashed themselves for humanity.

Their selfless sacrifice, the contagious smile of hope and help for all those in pain and suffering, has made people understand and realise their true value.

I salute the Nurses, the modern-day ‘nightingales’ for their supreme dedication, godly gifted healing touch, continuous hard work, soulful passion and ultimate motto to serve humanity. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

WHAT’S HAPPENING! Rajasthan: The occasion of International Nurses Day was celebrated at the Government Secretariat, Jaipur, under the chairmanship of State Vice President of Rajasthan Nurses Association, Ram Godara, on Tuesday. During the occasion, the norms of social distancing were also followed considering the current situation of a global pandemic.

Skilling the labour force CITY FIRST

C

II Rajasthan organised an Interaction with Niraj Kumar Pawan, Secretary- Labour, Government of Rajasthan and Prateek Jhajharia, Commissioner Labour, Govt of Rajasthan, digitally on various issues being faced by Industry related to the availability of Labour Post opening of Lockdown.

During the session, Niraj Kumar Pawan said, “Approx 1 Lakh labour migrated to other states but 3 lakh labour comes back to Rajasthan.

We request industry to retrain and utilise this manpower for our industry.” According to him, RSLDC will provide training as per the need of the industry and

urged CII to share the list of sectors where skill training is required for the labour which comes from other states.

Pratik Jhajharia said, “We have already simplified the process of interdistrict and inter-state transport of labour and staff through companyowned/hired vehicle.”

While welcoming the participants Vishal Baid, Chairman, CII Rajasthan informed that during the lockdown 3.0 phase, wherein we witness most of the entrepreneurs and businessmen took steps to start business operations, there were major discussions with respect to the labour too. We are pleased to inform that almost all CII suggestions were accepted and notification issued.

TWEETED!

Rajasthan: Amidst the ongoing pandemic, BJP’s National Vice President and Rajya Sabha MP, Om Prakash Mathur donated 100 PPE kit for the safety of frontline doctors and staffs of SMS Hospital, Jaipur on Tuesday. The kits were handed over to Dr Sudhir Bhandari in the presence of Deputy Principal Dr Deepak Mathur, Dr Sandeep Mathur, JK Lawn Hospital’s Superintendent Dr Ashok Gupta, Dr Praveen, Dr Priyanshu Mathur and Dr Yogesh Yadav.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Rajasthan: Jaipur’s art and culture hub, Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) is going to organise an ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival’ by field experts from 14 May to 27 June. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration took the decision to go the online route with the sessions and the programmes will be streamed live on JKK’s Facebook handle. Director-General, JKK, Kiran Soni Gupta shared that the Visual Arts learning will be organised from 18 May between 10 am to 11 am and Performing Arts learning will be organised from 14 May between 5pm to 6 pm.

Ahmedabad: Fifteen-monthold Shravan lies fast asleep in a hammock in Ahmedabad’s Kalupur area, blissfully unaware that his parents are out looking for food for the family amid the shutdown.

HAPPY B’DAY!

IAS Sandesh Nayak celebrated his birthday on 12 May, Tuesday. We wish him all the best!

Rajasthan: The students of Poornima Group received an offer letter for placement in more than 150 companies before the lockdown period and till now all hiring partners including Infosys, TCS, Capgemini, Pinnacle, and Infotech has shown commitment to honour all offers made to students of Poornima. which clearly indicates the trust and faith recruiters have for Poornima Group and its students.

Rajasthan: FICCI FLO’S baton of Chairpersonship was passed on from Chairperson Shweta Chopra (2019-20) to Chairperson, Wandana Parnami (2020-21). The national ceremony of Change of Guard Virtually was organised on Monday, where Wandana announced that FLO Jaipur Chapter would soon be launching an e-commerce website for selling artifacts made by women artisans in Rajasthan, thereby connecting them virtually to rest of the world.

Rajasthan: To keep the children occupied during COVID-19 amid the lockdown, KP Productions organised an online contest ‘Talent Bash’, where more than 500 participants from different age groups took part in painting, singing and dance category. In the contest, the creative paintings made

by Khushi Saini and Jhilmil Chauhan bagged the first prize in the ting category, wherein Ashish Shukla won the winning title in the dance category. In the singing category, Anirudh Dhadich topped the chart and won the title. The winners will be rewarded with E-certificate and gift hampers.