First India-Ahmedabad Edition-15 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

29°C - 42°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 169

INDIA

WORLD

3,01,377 44,89,503 2,649 81,989 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

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DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

586

GUJARAT

9,592

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

FM’s 8 cr migrant workers to get foodgrains for 2 mths ECONOMIC TRANCHE: Sitharaman opens up goodie bag for migrants, farmers; Thakur emerges as key communicator to ‘RASOI’ 2ND media; One Ration Card to benefit 67 cr people; Rent, ration & free food for migrants; Special credit facility for street vendors Vaishali New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday announced free foodgrains for an estimated 8 crore migrant workers for next two months at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore. Announcing the second tranche of economic stimulus package, she said those migrant workers who do not have either central or state PDS card, will get 5 kilogram of grains per person and 1

kg of ‘chana’ for two months. Also, PDS ration cards will be made portable, allowing migrants to use their ration cards across states, she said adding this would benefit 67 crore beneficiaries or 83% of PDS beneficiaries, in 23 states by August.

By March 2021, 100% coverage under ‘One Nation One Ration Card’ will be done, she added. She said, Rs 10,000 crore has been spent in the last two months on creating

14.62 crore man-days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to help migrant workers and work has been offered to 2.33 crore wage seekers till May 13.

About 40-50% more persons have been enrolled as compared to May last year, she said.

Echoing Sitharaman’s sentiments, MoS Finance Anurag Thakur said “Today’s announcements is for poor section, migrant workers

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, MoS for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Thakur brief media on economic package in New Delhi on Thursday.

—ANI

and farmers. Modi government’s work towards farmers is appreciable.”

In fact, in the past two days since the Finance Ministry has been delving in the details of PM’s Rs20 lakh crore economic push, Thakur has emerged as key communicator with media with his command over Hindi and aiding FM in explaining the announcements in a much more comprehensive manner.

Modi and Amit

Corona effect: No Limo, Prez to have a small guest list!

TO ALSO FORGO 30% SALARY FOR A YEAR New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind has decided to forgo 30 per cent of his salary for a year in a bid to fund the fight against COVID-19 while the Rashtrapati Bhavan will take a number of measures to reduce its expenditure.

President Kovind had earlier contributed his one month’s salary to the PMCARES Fund in March.

The President has given instructions to the Rash-

President Ram Nath Kovind

trapati Bhavan to set an example by economising the expenditure, making

Indian troops maintaining ‘posture’ along border with China: Army Chief DIVINE BLESSINGS! The Badrinath Temple beautifully decorated in flowers on Thursday for the reopening of its portals at 4:30 am on Friday. Only 27 people, including the head priest, will be allowed when the portals reopen. Devotees are not allowed in view of the guidelines issued by the Centre amid Corona pandemic.

New Delhi: Indian troops were maintaining their “posture” along the border with China while infrastructure development in the frontier areas was on track, Army Chief Gen M M Naravane said on Thursday, days after personnel

of the two countries were locked in two separate incidents of violent face-offs.

Gen Naravane said the incidents in Eastern Ladakh and North Sikkim involved aggressive behaviour by Chinese and Indian troops resulting in

IN GUJARAT DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

AHMEDABAD

6910 605 983 66 103 82 32 146 34 68 83 13 21 14 73 53 20 4 33 2 27 76 47 33 22 6 2 8 2 3 12 4 1 1 9592

465 32 44 2 7 7 2 5 2 4 3 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 586

VADODARA

optimal usage of resources and dovetailing the saved money to combat Covid-19 and mitigate the people’s economic plight.

“In the President’s estimation, this will be a small but significant contribution to realise the government’s vision of making India self-reliant (Atmanirbhar) and energise the nation to take up the challenge to fight the pandemic Turn on P7

minor injuries to personnel from both the sides.

The Army Chief said both sides “disengaged” after dialogue and interaction at the local level.

“It is reiterated that both these incidents are neither Turn on P7

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

ALL TICKETS BOOKED FOR REGULAR TRAINS TILL JUNE 3O: RAILWAYS New Delhi: Bookings made before and during the lockdown period for journeys to be taken till June 30 on regular trains have been cancelled, the Railways said Thursday, indicating that normal passenger services are unlikely to resume by that date. However, Shramik Specials introduced on May 1 and special train services that started on May 12 will continue, the national transporter said in an order.

Railways’ Thursday order indicated that there would be no resumption of these services at least till the end of June.

UDDHAV, 8 OTHERS ELECTED UNOPPOSED TO STATE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and eight others got elected unopposed to the state Legislative Council.

Thursday was the last date of withdrawal of nominations and since no additional candidate was in the fray, all nine candidates whose applications were found in order were declared elected unopposed.

P7

WORK FROM HOME TO BE NEW NORMAL FOR GOVT OFFICES POST LOCKDOWN New Delhi: ‘Work from home’ may become a new normal post-lockdown for government employees to ensure social distancing norms till the coronavirus pandemic is checked. Draft guidelines in this regard have been circulated by the Personnel Ministry to all central government departments asking them to send their comments on it by May 21, failing which, it would be presumed that they are in agreement with the proposed draft.

Shah’s new team in Finance Ministry appears to be ‘made for each other’ since senior Sitharaman and young turk Thakur have a good understanding and work culture in the ministry. The duo are known to be close to Modi and Shah, both are silent performers, are known for their integrity, polite handling of affairs and are handling the important portfolio with grit.

Turn on P7

NAVSARI DANG SURENDRANAGAR DWARKA JUNAGADH RAJASTHAN AMRELI TOTAL

19 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20

Withdraw lockdown and learn to live with Covid: Patel State’s total discharge is 3,753, with 9,592 positive cases and 586 deaths; 324 cases, 20 dead and 191 discharged in 24 hrs First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state might be looking to withdraw lockdown and open up economic activities, even as we learn to live with COVID-19, which has now affected all 33 districts in Gujarat.

As many as 324 new

cases have been reported in the past 24 hours, when the state also saw 20 deaths and 191 recovered patients being discharged. With this, the total tally is now 9,592 positive cases, with 586 deaths and 3,753 recoveries. In Ahmedabad, 19 patients died in the past

Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi on Thursday visited Asarwa area of Ahmedabad city, where door-to-door surveillance is going on.

24 hours, when 265 new cases were reported and 135 recovered patients were discharged.

Although only 2,412 samples were tested in the past 24 hours, Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi has said that there is no compromise in sample testing since the state tops on samples tested per million with 1858.79 tests.

She also hinted that the state is inquiring into allegations that private labs have been testing asymptomatic

persons for COVID-19-and charging them heavily for the same-since this goes against guidelines issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel who also holds the Health portfolio hinted that the state might withdraw the lockdown while speaking to a regional channel on Thursday.

He said: “We will have to learn to live with corona, we can’t lock ourselves at home in far.

Trade and industry

have to function normally. State-run projects have started, and the state government is in no mood to continue the economic lockdown for long.”

He took stock of the ongoing Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway expansion construction work on Thursday morning and took a meeting at the Civil hospital in Ahmedabad in the evening.

Five new cases have been reported in Ahmedabad’s rural Turn on P7

NEWS AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020

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02

RAJASTHAN CONNECT

CHUDASAMA’S

‘UNLUCKY’

TRYST WITH NEIGHBOUR STATE AK JAIN ADVOCATE

T

he recent disqualification of senior minister Bhupender Chudasama by Gujarat High Court which declared his election from Dholka constituency as illegal could be believed to be a matter concerning Gujarat. However, much like Gujarat’s ‘economic victories’ are based on the hard work of the labor force from Rajasthan, it appears a similar turn of events has undergone in the ‘political victory’ of Gujarat’s Chudasama.

And this time the ‘hard-work’ has been done by a ‘laborious’ IAS from Rajasthan!

IAS Vinita Bohra, who retired recently in April 2020, was an observer and signatory to two election declarations, having a different number of postal ballots. Bohra, towards the end of her career, remained posted mostly in Udaipur division, as

Divisional Commissioner, Commissioner - Devsthan Department, and Additional Commissioner T.A.D. Bohra was added as a respondent in an election petition filed by Ashwini Bhai Rathore, the defeated Congress candidate in the year 2019 only. It is pertinent to mention here that the election commission of India also wrote to Chief Secretary of Rajasthan to Initiate disciplinary proceedings against Bohra for not following the direction of ECI. However, in May 2019, the election commission of India once again wrote to the Chief Secretary of Rajasthan to defer the disciplinary proceedings. Incidentally, it is the reply of Vinita Bohra, to the election petition, and further her admission to the evidence, which has caused the ‘harm’ to Bhupender Chudasama, as 429 postal ballots were not included in first result sheet, while they were shown as rejected in second result sheet, on the basis of which the court inferred the manipulation and misconduct in the counting

of votes, and election.

Incidentally, Ashok Gehlot, the current Chief Minister of Rajasthan was in charge of the Gujarat election, in the year 2017, as secretary of Congress party, but he became Chief Minister of Rajasthan in the year 2019 when Vinita Bohra submitted her reply and affidavit to the election petition.

Normally, the government officials are the formal party in election petitions, and they do not respond to the petition. Vinita Bohra not only appeared but also admitted the evidence produced by the petitioner, the defeated Congress candidate, Ashwini Bhai Rathore.

Bhupender Chudasma is not only a minister, but his name has been considered even for the position of Gujarat BJP chief, and he is one of the most influential ministers in the Rupani government. Incidentally, Chudasma was instrumental in the land case filed in Rajasthan against the then Governor of Gujarat Kamala Beniwal, which was the main cause of her exodus. Now, the Rajasthan connection has caused the loss of MLAship to Bhupender Chudasma.

Education Minister of Gujarat State Bhupendra Sinh Chudasama. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Wait over: Stranded Indians Dahod: Using poll rolls to detect Sr citizens back from London, Kuwait CONTAINING CORONA

First India Bureau Dahod: In the initial stage of the novel coronavirus outbreak, the Dahod district administration’s primary focus was to prevent spread of infection in the district and keep it to a minimum. After 53 days of lockdown, the priorities of the local administration have changed to protection of the most vulnerable sections of society. Dahod district collector Vijay Kharadi is now focused on screening and conducting health checkups of senior citizens and children under the age of 10 years.

Talking about the new

strategy’s objective Kharadi said, “In order to identify and locate senior citizens, we have made use of electoral lists. Each senior citizen is being traced for their health check-up because as per global data, if a senior citizen gets infected, the chances of their recovery are comparatively less than youths or people under the age of 50. So, if they are identified and regularly undergo check-ups, we will be able to treat them at the primary stage, which will help protect them better. Otherwise, late detection of the virus can cause serious health issues for them.”

He added, “Apart from senior citizens

Dahod Collector Vijay Kharadi and SP Hitesh Joysar at Kakaddkhila medical check post on MP border.

and children under the age of 10, we have also included pregnant women in the vulnerable group.

Our health team and a group of Asha workers have identified 9,138 pregnant wom-

en in the district.

There are 5,80,288 children under the age of 10. The district health team will conduct regular survey, health check-ups and also COVID-19 tests, if required.”

According to Kharadi, only surveillance or health check-ups will not help in the fight against the deadly virus.

“The need of the hour is to boost the immunity of the most vulnerable groups and to that end, Ayurvedi Ukala and tablets have been distributed among pregnant women, children and senior citizens. Around 97 PHC, CHC and wellness centres medical teams and a team of 31 doctors has been deployed,” he said.

“In preparation for the worst, two dedicated COVID-19 hospitals have been kept ready with a total capacity of 300 beds,” stated the collector.

Ahmedabad: As many as 349 people hailing from Gujarat were brought back here from Kuwait and London in two flights in the early hours of Thursday, an official said.

The flight from Kuwait carried 177 passengers while the one from London brought back 172 Gujarat residents, Ahmedabad district development officer Arun Mahesh Babu said.

After their screening at the Ahmedabad international airport, the passengers were sent to institutional quarantine centres, where they will kept for 14 days before being allowed to go home, said Babu, who is the

Temperature testing of a passenger arrived from London after a special flight landed at SVPI airport in Gujarat.

nodal officer for coordinating the arrival of such flights here.

On Wednesday, 244 students belonging to Gujarat were brought back from Philippines and the United States in

‘You borrow, we’ll pay the interest together,’ state says through Atma Nirbhar Gujarat Package BORROWERS TO PAY 2% ANNUAL INTEREST, WHILE THE GOVT WILL PAY 6% FOR LOANS UP TO `1 LAKH First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The State government with great pomp has announced the Atma Nirbhar Gujarat Package to help small business owners get back on their feet post lockdown. Under this programme, small players like barbers, grocery shop owners, dry-cleaners and elec-

tricians can borrow amounts of up to Rs 1 lakh from urban or district cooperative banks or credit societies. Borrowers will pay only 2% annual interest, while the state will pay 6% for a period of three years.

With this package, the government hopes to infuse around Rs5,000 crore in the market to stimulate

the state economy.

When Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced this package during a Live session on social media platform Facebook, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja were present with him. Rupani said if anyone goes to borrow money, the prevailing interest rate is around 12%.

However, if one borrows under the Atma Nirbhar Gujarat Package will have to pay just 2% annual interest for three years while the state will pay 6% on each

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani (Centre), flanked by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on his right and Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja on his left.

loan. There will be a moratorium of paying principal or interest for

the first six months.

Although the state government has not

shared specific data of how many small players are there in the

state, the chief minister said that at least 10 lakh small players are likely to borrow under the programme. This will add up to around Rs5,000 crore from urban and district cooperative banks and credit societies, meaning that the state’s simple calculation is that 10 lakh small players will borrow about Rs50,000 on average.

The Chief Minister said there are 220 urban cooperative banks with 1,000 branches and 18 district cooperatives bank with 1,400 branches. Borrowers will not have to

two flights.

The students had gone abroad to pursue higher studies, but got stranded there due to travel restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. —PTI

mortgage anything against borrowing.

Rupani has also requested Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani to direct the Cotton Corporation of India to start procurement of cotton from farmers at MSP. Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashwani Kumar has said that, so far, farmers have sold 40 lakh quintal of commodities through 127 market yards. The state government has procured Rs26 crore worth of wheat and 3,383 MT of tuvar or pigeon peas from farmers through the Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation, while GUJCOMASOL has procured 24,370 MT chana, and 3,757 MT mustard from farmers.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020

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Gujarat No 14 in health & welfare spending: Dhanani

LOP blames lack of adequate infrastructure, staff for state’s high COVID-19 death toll Ahmedabad: According to a declaration made by leader of the opposition in the State Legislative Assembly Paresh Dhanani on Thursday, the state ranked 14th in terms of total health expenditure.

Other states such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, and Mizoram fare better than Gujarat.

Of the total budget of the state government, it spends 5.3% on health and family welfare.

While Delhi ranks first with 12.5% expenditure, it is followed by Puducherry (8.3%), Assam (7.2%), Meghalaya (7.1%), and Goa (7%).

“The state is spending very little on medical, public health, and family welfare, as compared to many states. The highest death rate registered by Gujarat due to the COV-

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Gargi Raval

Medics collect samples for testing in Ahmedabad. Dhanani says there is a shortage of healthcare staff.

ID-19 outbreak is primarily due to less expenditure on the health sector. As a result, there is a dearth of medical and paramedical staff and the hospitals are also not equipped with adequate infrastructure,” said Dhanani.

He further stated, “It is pitiable that medical

and paramedical staff is being outsourced by the state. They are being underpaid since a huge chunk of money has been taken away by contractors and outsourcing companies.

The patients are not being properly treated in the hospitals, which is why there is a high

death ratio of COVID-19 deaths in the state.”

According to the leader of opposition, despite repeated requests, the government has paid no attention to strengthening health infrastructure in the state. “In my written communication with the state government, I

Containers with medical supply passes caught smuggling workers, liquor: DGP First India Bureau

PUBLIC ORDER

Gandhinagar: The state police is cracking down on those who misuse passes meant for the movement of essential commodities during the lockdown.

In the most recent such case, a shipping container with a medical supply pass was caught transporting workers. Similarly, a second such container was caught smuggling Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), DirectorGeneral of Police Shivanand Jha said on

FALLING BEHIND

DGP Shivanand Jha

Thursday.

In the first case, Anand district police intercepted the container, which was found to be carrying 105 workers bound for Maharashtra. In the second, Ba-

naskantha police recovered IMFL worth Rs 51 lakh. Cases have been filed against both transporters, including one case under the Prohibition Act in the case of the second container.

Both containers had medical passes issued by the district-level authorities.

Two more such cases have come to light in Rajkot, where two persons had got passes for inter-district travel on false reasons. Police have arrested both of them.

In the past 24 hours ,4,261 persons have been arrested in connection with 3,552 offences of violating public orders.

In addition, as many as 5,828 vehicles have been detained in the past 24 hours as well.

have repeatedly asked them to strengthen health infrastructure from block level to the district level. Even now, there is still time to boost health units with sufficient masks, sanitizers, PPE kits, and medical staff at primary health centres and other medical centres.”

03

Is AMC giving wrong addresses on purpose?

Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: Despite the government’s claims of sharing information about patients who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the system seems to be malfunctioning since the last few days, causing confusion among people. In a bid to keep people informed about infected patients, local civic body Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) had been sharing address details of positive cases.

This move was to ensure that people who lived nearby or in the same locality or housing society as the infected patients could stay alert and keep themselves safe.

But now, instead of addresses of corona positive patients, all that has been mentioned in the lists issued are names of hospitals where patients have been admitted. For instance, on Wednes-

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

Lack of centralized information desk cited among reasons for ‘address’ confusion day, AMC declared a 25year old male from room number 15064 of SVP Hospital as positive. Similarly, on Tuesday, a 25-year female was declared positive at the same hospital.

“The main intention of the list was to make people aware and help them stay alert. But, there are so many discrepancies in the list,

—FILE PHOTO

with only hospital names being issued instead of patient addresses. What are we to make of this? It is very misleading,” said Dinesh Sharma, leader of the opposition at AMC. An official at the civic body said, “This confusion is happening due to lack of a centralized desk with all the information. There are different teams working on the ground and reporting on COVID-19 positive cases. At times, patients give out their addresses in a hurry and even we struggle to locate their residences.”

Guj Congress launches app for migrants

LONG WAY TO GO

First India Bureau

Vendors and shop owners stand in a long queue outside the AMC’s sub-zonal office in Girdharnagar Ahmedabad, to get the city-issued health cards they need to reopen their businesses.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee on Thursday launched a mobile app called E-Janmitra.

Speaking about it, Gujarat Congress chief Amit Chavda said, “The app is a COVID-19 helpline, on which any citizen can share their problems. The party plans to use the app to resolve issues faced by the masses.

It will be useful to migrant workers along with novel coronavirus patients for food, monetary or other issues.”

One of six who spit on health Exorbitant pvt hosp charges are inhumane: HC workers tests +ve for COVID-19 First India Bureau

First India Bureau Surat: One of the six people detained in Surat last week for spitting on healthcare workers while they were conducting a survey has tested positive for COVID-19, raising concerns among health workers here.

Last week, after the court instructed the police to ensure that the

accused be tested for the Sars-CoV-2 virus, the six were taken to SMIMER Hospital for sample collection.

However, the doctors at the hospital refused to collect the samples of the accused since none of them showed any symptoms of infection. They turned the police away on the grounds that government guidelines disal-

low needless testing.

The matter was presented before the local court again which ordered the police to get the tests done.

The doctors again refused to test the accused and prison authorities also denied entry to them without a negative corona report. As a result, the court ordered the accused to be taken into judicial custody.

Ahmedabad: The state high court, which has been hearing COVID-19 cases suo moto, has taken serious note of hefty charges levied by private hospitals for treating Sars-CoV-2 infections and said these charges can be classified inhumane. It added that the state should take up the issue and ensure that these hospitals charge affordable fees.

The court warned of intervention and even cancelling of licences if private hospitals do not

budge on their stance.

A second division bench comprising of Justice JB Pardiwala

and Justice Ilesh Vora has come down heavily on private hospitals for charging hefty fees to treat corona patients.

The court observed, “The excessive charge in this critical war-like situation when humanity is fighting for survival is absolutely unjustified and deserves to be depreciated. When so many are clamouring for treatment, such hospitals remain out of reach for most patients.

In hard times, treatment offered by private hospitals should be reasonable and affordable.”

It also directed the state government to address the issue and resolve it at the earliest.

“If private hospitals do not budge and are determined to demand an exorbitant amount, then this court will have to take appropriate legal action and consequences will be bitter,” stated the court.

SO NEAR YET SO FAR

Virus turns two neighbouring villages into islands of isolation 

Sabarkantha police has banned entry of villagers from Ramuj in Aravalli district into Ranasan, due to the outbreak of Sars-CoV-2

First India Bureau Himmatnagar: The COVID-19 pandemic has isolated many corners of the state due to fear of infection.

This is also true of Ranasan in Sabarkantha and Ramuj in Aravalli. The two neighbouring villages have been cordoned off by police after a rise in COVID-19 cases in the Aravalli district, which is now in the red zone.

In order to discour-

age interaction between the two villages, the Sabarkantha police beat up farmers and villagers for attempting to enter Ranasan village.

Over the last week, a number of villagers and farmers have fallen victims to police atrocity.

Ramuj village sarpanch’s husband Bhavin Chaudhary has alleged that since two to three positive cases had been reported from their village, the attitude of the neighbouring village

ALTERNATIVES

Kanubhai and Saurin Chaudhary, victims of alleged police atrocities.

sarpanch and Sabarkantha police toward them has completely changed.

He added, “We are subject to lathis from the police if people from

our village head to Ranasan for diesel, dairy or essential items.”

Citing an example, Chaudhary said, “On Wednesday, when farmers Kanubhai Chaudhary and Saurin Chaudhary had gone to Ranasan to buy diesel, the police beat them up with lathis and forced them to return.”

On the other hand, Talod (Sabarkantha) police sub-inspector JH Swamy refuted allegations of police atrocity on villagers from Ramuj (Aravalli) district, but did confirm that their

entry had been banned in Ranasan and the Sabarkantha district.

Swamy justified the move by explaining that since Aravalli district fell under the red zone, and Sabarkantha was in orange zone, they could not allow entry of people from the red zone. He also added that until there is no change in norms, no person from Ramuj village will be allowed to enter Ranasan village or Sabarkantha district.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020

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GIG ECONOMY: JUSTICE IN DILEMMA THE POSSIBILITY OF AND NEED FOR THE LEGAL REGULATION OF THE GIG ECONOMY GARIMA ARORA The writer is a fourth-year law student from OP Jindal Global University

G

In India, the courts have limited themselves to cover only the organized sector within its approaches.

Gig economies remain to be out of focus and still aspire to be covered within the scope of applicability of the labor statutes to gain statutory and legal claims

ig economy can be defined as “a labor market characterized by the prevalence of shortterm contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.” Apps like Uber, Ola, Swiggy and Zomato have become an integral part of our urban lives and felicitate the working of the gig economy.

The need for legislating labor law arose in the industrial context as an attempt to balance the power relation between the employee and the employer. They were created with the belief of a fixed workplace and a recognized workforce. Labor laws entrenched the rights of the workers by authorizing recognition of unions, providing for protection at workplace and creating legal arrangements for peaceful settlement of industrial disputes. However, this understanding failed to comply with the emergence of the gig economy, as in such circumstances the legal relationship between the employer and the employee is difficult to determine and unstable.

Gig economies do not conform with the traditional framework of jobs with fixed working hours and office. It connects the service providers with their customers and pays the workers for the “gig” or service done by them.

Companies which run such platforms see these service providers as “independent contractors” and not as workers or employees. This raises an important legal concern with respect to the protection of the rights of such service providers under the labor law.

The Indian labor statutes categorically divide the workforce into workman and non-workman. Workman is a

worker who is engaged in “technical, manual and clerical” roles. Only the employees within the category of a workman are protected under the Industrial Dispute Act,1947. The employees who engage more in discharging managerial and supervisory responsibilities are covered under the category of nonworkman. These employees are not entitled to protections such as the provision of statutory notice before retrenchment or retrenchment compensation laid down in the Industrial Disputes Act. Since our labor employment law nowhere mentions the categories such as freelancers or consultants which are part of the gig economy, these workers are covered under other social welfare laws.

The law identifies an individual as an employee if he shares a master-servant relationship with his employer. The Indian courts, on several occasions, have previously adjudicated on the question of who qualifies as an employee. The primary test that the courts gave to determine the employee-employer re-

Gig economies are a changing societal trend and the law must revamp itself with it. In today’s time when employment opportunities are limited, the risk of excessive exploitation of freelance workers is high. The main objective behind labor laws was to remove the imbalance of bargain power between the employee and the employer, and in the world of the gig economy, its workers have little power and even lesser protection lationship was that of subordination and control.

This essentially means that if it is the employer who determines the type and manner of the work to be undertaken by the worker, the worker will be qualified as his employee. However, in subsequent cases it was decided that this test cannot be the sole deciding factor and an integrated approach should be adopted. It was held that if the employer has control over the means and modes as per which the contractor must finish his work, then there exists an employer-employee relationship between the employer and the workers hired by the contractor.

In India, the courts have limited themselves to cover only the organized sector within its approaches. Gig economies remain to be out of focus and still aspire to be covered within the scope of applicability of the labor statutes to gain statutory and legal claims.

The court cannot intervene with the fundamental assumption behind the drafting of the law, namely a designated workplace and an identifiable workforce. Thus, legislative intervention is necessary. The gig economy is growing day by day and especially after the current circumstances of a pandemic are over more and more peo-

ple will opt-in for services at their locations. It is important that the rights of such workers/employees be protected.

More so with apps such as Urban Clap coming in India, guaranteeing safety at workplace is important.

The exclusion of the workers of the gig economy from the definition of “workman” under the Industrial Disputes Act deprives them of protection under the same.

The law should expand its scope and identify them as workmen and not as independent contractors. The definition should be read purposively to best advance the aim of the legislation.

Moreover, the fact that the agreements between the owners of companies in the gig economy and the workers try to achieve something that is not what can be seen in reality. For instance, companies like Uber and Swiggy put various restrictions on their workers to tell them how they could work. These workers often face issues like wrongful termination and late payments. Hence, they are not independent enough to be categorized as

We’re on ‘coronacation’ while we wait for ‘lexit’

P

eople love creating words. In times of crisis, it’s a “sick” – in the good sense – way of pulling through.

From childhood, our “linguistic life has been one willingly given over to language play”, in the words of David Crystal. In fact, scientists have recently found learning new words can stimulate exactly those same pleasure circuits in our brain as sex, gambling, drugs and eating. The pleasure-associated region called the ventral striatum.

We’re leximaniacs at heart and, while the behaviour can occasionally seem dark, we can learn a thing or two by reflecting on those playful coinages that get us through “dicky” times.

LANGUAGE PLAY In the past, hard times birthed playful rhymes.

“seizing” effect it had on people. The word was subsequently taken up in British and American English.

In these times of Covid-19, there are the usual suspects: shortenings like “sanny” for hand sanitizer and “iso” for isolation, abbreviations like BCV for before corona virus and WFH for working from home, and compounds “corona moaner” meaning whingers and “zoombombing” meaning the intrusion into a video conference.

The 1930s Depression gave us playful reduplications based on Australian landmarks and towns – “ain’t no work in Bourke”; “everything’s wrong at Wollongong”; “things are crook at Tallarook”.

Wherever we’re facing the possibility of being “dicky” or “Tom [and]

Dick”, a rhyming slang for “sick”, we take comfort in language play. It’s one thing to feel “crook”, but it’s another thing again to feel as “crook as Rookwood”, a cemetery in Sydney; or to have a “wog”, synonymous with “bug”, likely from “pollywog”, and unrelated to the Italian/Greek “wog”.

Remedies may be found in language’s abilities to translate sores into plasters, to paraphrase William Gouge’s 1631 sermon on the plague. New slang enables us to face our fears head-on – just as when the Parisians began calling a late-18th century influenza “la grippe” to reflect the

WHAT’S NEW? What is interesting about Covid-19-lingo is the large number of creations that are blended expressions formed by combining two existing words. The new portmanteau then incorporates meaningful characteristics from both. Newly spawned “coronials” – corona + millennials – has

the predicted baby boom in late 2020 already covered.

“Blursday” has been around since at least 2007 but originally described the day spent hung over – it’s now been pressed into service because no one knows what day of the week it is anymore. The official disease name itself, “Covid-19”, is somewhere between a blend and an acronym because it takes in vowels to make the abbreviation pronounceable – CO from corona, VI from virus and D from disease.

True, we’ve been doing this sort of thing for centuries. “Flush” – flash + gush – dates from the 1500s. But it’s never been a terribly significant method of coinage. John Algeo’s study of neologisms over a 50-year period, from 1941 to 1991, showed blends counting for only 5% of the new words.

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04

an independent contractor.

An independent contractor has greater bargaining power and is not as dependent on their employers.

Countries such as the United Kingdom have passed judgments in favor of the workers of the gig economy by providing them protection under their labor laws. Recently, California has also taken a stand for them by suing gig companies such as Uber and Lyft for misclassifying their drivers as independent contractors.

It may be practically difficult to expand this definition as the underlying intent remains to be that all aspects of the employee’s professional life will be under the supervision of its employer, who has the power to hire or fire them, assign work, and pay remuneration. In the case of a freelance worker, these aspects cannot be under the employer’s aegis.

Thus, an alternate option could be a change in the writing of the legislation. The creation of a separate intermediate class of workmen as “freelance workers” can be added in the definitions clause of the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947, and hence legal and statutory benefits and protection can be extended to this class of workers.

Those belonging to this class would neither have all the rights and liabilities that the current class defined as workmen have nor would be as excluded as independent contractors. Their rights and liabilities should be balanced in a way that protects them but at the same time doesn’t do away with the nature of their autonomous behavior.

Gig economies are a changing societal trend and the law must revamp itself with it. In today’s time when employment opportunities are limited, the risk of excessive exploitation of freelance workers is high. The main objective behind labor laws was to remove the imbalance of bargain power between the employee and the employer, and in the world of the gig economy, its workers have little power and even lesser protection. It is absolutely needed that the protective regime of labor law extends its shelter to the workers of the gig economy.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp `70,000 cr boost to housing sector and middle-income group, EPF support for businesses and organised workers, plans worth `6000 crores for tribals under CAMPA funds, will provide relief, inject liquidity, create jobs and address the concerns of all. #AatmanirbharBharatPackage Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Our Government is working to: Make Right to Minimum Wages universal (presently applicable only to 30% of workers). Statutory concept of National Floor Wage introduced, will reduce regional disparity in minimum wages. #AatmaNirbharBharatPackage

Spiritual SPEAK

In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength. —Buddha

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06

‘MARKETS SHOULD OPEN ON ODD-EVEN BASIS’ Delhi CM Kejriwal had sought suggestions on relaxation of Coronavirus lockdown and whether the public transport system should begin New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said, the public suggested that market and market complexes should be opened on an odd-even basis while schools, barbershops, spas, salons, cinema halls, and swimming pools should remain closed.

Kejriwal had sought suggestions on the relaxation of lockdown, about the tenure and gravity of the relaxation, on the sectors that should get the relaxa-

tion, and whether the public transport system should begin.

Delhi government has received an overwhelming response from the public with over 5 lakh suggestions through messages, emails and calls on lockdown relaxations. “We had sought suggestions from people and we have received more than 5 lakh suggestions.

Based on these suggestions, we will send a proposal to the Centre,” said CM Kejriwal.

IN THE COURTYARD

Now a new dress code for advocates at SC

New Delhi: Amid COVID-19 outbreak, the Supreme Court of India has directed advocates that they may wear “plain white shirt/salwar-kameez/ saree, with a plain white neckband” during the hearings being done through Virtual Court System.

The circular issued on May 13 in the name of Secretary-General, Sanjeev S Kalgaonkar, read, “As a precautionary measure to con-

tain the spread of COVID-19 infection under prevailing conditions, the Competent Authority has been pleased to direct that advocates may wear 'plain white-shirt/ white-salwar-kameez/ white saree, with a plain-white neckband' during the hearings through Virtual Court System.” The system will stay in place till the “medical exigencies exist or until further orders.” —ANI

‘Imagine a system with no credit’

‘Release 3,300 Jamaatis from quarantine’

New Delhi: Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi has cleared the air from controversy relating to Ayodhya judgment, which did not name the author judges. He said, “Can you not imagine a system where the five judges have agreed on a conclusion... where they do not want to take credit?,” he said while speaking at a Webinar on Judicial Independence.

New Delhi: A plea has been filed in the Delhi HC to seek directions for the release of around 3,300 members of Tablighi Jamaat who were sent to various quarantine centres after the Markaaz fiasco in March & haven’t been released yet.

The petition filed by one Sabha Quadri through advocate Shahid Ali sought court’’s directions to Centre, Delhi government & Lt Guv on the guideline pertaining to 14-day quarantine of suspected coronavirus patients The matter is likely to come up for hearing on Friday. —PTI

SIX MIGRANTS KILLED RUN OVER

BY A BUS IN MUZAFFARNAGAR Muzaffarnagar: In a tragic news, at least six migrant workers were killed after they were hit by a Uttar Pradesh state bus near Muzaffarnagar on Wednesday night.

The accident happened at the Muzaffarnagar-Saharanpur highway at around 11 PM. The victims used to work in Punjab as daily wage

labourers and were walking back to their home in Bihar’s Gopalganj. Three other people are also said to be injured in the accident and have been admitted to a hospital. A case has been registered against the driver and a investigations have been launched by the police, informed the officials from police department.

SUGGESTIONS

A MCD vehicle sprays disinfectant on streets to contain infection at Dilshad Colony in New Delhi.

“We have received a lot of suggestions from many market associa-

should be opened. They said they can be opened on an odd-even basis,

half shops one day and the remaining half shops on the other day,”

India @ 2million tests: Min

IRCTC keeps record of travel address

New Delhi: Exuding confidence that India will achieve the testing capacity of 1 lakh COVID-19 tests per day before May 31, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said that the country will reach the mark of 2 million (i.e. 20 lakhs) coronavirus tests.

“Yesterday we have tested over 90,000 COVID-19 samples. We are continuously increasing our testing capacity. Though we had earlier said that we will increase our testing capacity to 1 lakhs tests per day before May 31, but we will achieve it before the

tions and most of them have said market and market complexes

due date. Today, we will reach 2 million tests countrywide,” said Vardhan. Union Health Minister Vardhan visited NCDC to inaugurate the COVID-19 realtime automated testing machine.NCDC is India's premier institute for research in epide-

‘No differences with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra’ New Delhi/Mumbai: After recent face-off with the Shiv Sena during MLC elections, the Congress said there are no differences within the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the government is running smoothly and fighting the current pandemic unitedly.

During the council elections, differences surfaced with the Shiv Sena and CM Uddhav Thackeray was upset when the Congress fielded two candidates, but later withdrew after pressure from its alliance partner.

PWD Minister Ashok Chavan said, “We wanted to contest two seats though we had less number in Assembly.

We didn''t have the number to elect the second candidate. Later we thought during Covid-19, we should not get into a contest & call every MLA to vote in

VIEWPOINT

miology and communicable disease control.

“Across the country, ICMR and NCDC have developed over 500 labs for testing COVID-19 samples. I came here to inaugurate Rosch company's Cobas 6800 machine. It is fully automated and can conduct 800 tests in a day, even if it is not operated in the night. I am dedicating this machine to the nation,” he said.

“In this series, two machines were installed earlier-one in ICMR, Bhuwanesar and one in National Institute of Virology, Pune.

The latest is installed here in NCDC. —ANI

New Delhi: The Indian Railways has started keeping records of the destination addresses of all passengers booking their tickets on the IRCTC website to help facilitate contact tracing in case COVID-19 infections are detected among them later.

“With effect from May 13, IRCTC taking destination address of all passengers booking tickets. This will help in contact tracing if required later,” Railway spokesperson RD Bajpai said while informing about it. —ANI

he said further.

“Most have suggested that schools and educational institutes should stay closed till summer vacations,” he added.

On the issue of allowing public transport to function, he said that the people have opined that taxis and auto-rickshaws should operate with the rule that one passenger should be allowed to sit in an auto-rickshaw and maximum two passengers to sit inside a cab and after every trip, the vehicles must be

disinfected.

“People have also suggested that buses be allowed to function with fewer passengers whilst maintaining social distancing. Some people have also said that metro services must resume partially and people have also suggested how metro services can resume partially,” he added. Many people said that hotels must remain closed while restaurants should remain open for take-away& home delivery only, he said. —ANI

FINDING JOY IN CRISIS

Children play in front of a mural painted on a wall, during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown in Bengaluru on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

II Phase: 32K stranded Indians to return New Delhi: Over 32,000 stranded Indians will be brought back home from 21 countries under the second phase of the government’s mega evacuation mission from May 16 to 22, official sources said on Thursday.

The government launched the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ on May 7 to evacuate Indians stranded in various countries due to coronavirus-related restrictions. “An additional 18

Passengers coming out as Air India’s special flight to Mangaluru from Dubai landed at Mangaluru International Airport.

countries to be covered under the second phase, which include Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, Italy, France, Ger-

many, Ireland, Canada, Japan, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Georgia, Tajikistan and

Armenia,” EAM Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

“As you can see, we are broadening the ambit every week in a phased manner keeping with our quarantine capacity, health protocols, etc. Till now 1,88,646 Indian nationals have registered to return on the portal,” he added. A total of 904 Indians were repatriated from the Maldives by Indian Navy ships. —PTI

Jaishankar applauds Fin ‘Troops ready for Min’s ‘bold initiatives’ season of intrusion’ the MLC elections.”

He said that the “coordination with the CM and his party is smooth and the government is serving the people as the three parties came together to offer better governance.” —ANI

GUNA MISHAP: CM CHOUHAN CONDOLES DEATH OF WORKERS Guna: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan offered condolences to the families of eight migrant labourers who died in a container-bus collision in Guna on Thursday. At least 8 migrant labourers died and around 54 received injuries after the container they were travelling in collided with a bus here at around 3 a.m.”Received the tragic news of the untimely demise of migrant labourers who were on their way back to Uttar Pradesh from Maharashtra. I pray to god for the peace of the departed souls,” tweeted the CM.

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday lauded Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcements under government’s Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package and described them as “bold initiatives”.

“Foreign Policy begins at home. A strong economy allows our voice to be heard in the world. Applaud FM @ nsitharaman’s bold initiatives under PM @ narendramodi’s leadership in reviving the MSME sector,” Jaishankar tweeted. —ANI

‘DEFENCE, OTHER MINISTRIES SHOULD FOLLOW CAPF CANTEENS’ New Delhi: RSS-affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) lauded Union Finance Ministry’s decision of not allowing global tenders for government purchases up to Rs 200 crore, & hoped that Defence and other ministries will toe the same line & only allow sale of local products in their canteens. The

affiliate, while appreciating government’s fiscal stimulus package, also demanded that foreign companies wanting to operate in India should forego royalties, besides leaving domestic market untouched, Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convenor of SJM said speaking on announcements made

by Finance Ministry.

New Delhi: Even as Pakistan is trying to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists, taking advantage of this weather when the snow melts, the security forces are actively guarding the borders BSF DG SS Deswal said, “Terrorists try to infiltrate into

J&K via riverine areas as they became accessible due to melting of snow in summer. In most cases, terrorists are neutralised at launching pads across the border. We are capable of thwarting any attempt of intrusion,” Deswal said. —ANI

VIJAY MALLYA CAN NOW BE EXTRADITED IN 28 DAYS New Delhi/London: Indian fugitive & former liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Thursday, lost his appeal in the UK Supreme Court against his extradition to India, clearing a major roadblock for the Narendra Modi government to bring him back in the next 28 days.The former parliamentarian, who ran India’’s largest spirits company, United Spirits, and founded the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, faces charges of fraud and money laundering worth $1.3 billion. He left India in March 2016 under the pretext of personal reasons.

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‘They’ve forgotten poor classes’

There is nothing for the middle class in Centre’s package, said P Chidambaram New Delhi: Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said that apart from a couple of liquidity and regulatory measures, there is no fiscal support for the middle class in the announcement made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

“There is nothing in today’s announcement for the middle class. I assume when you say middle class, you are referring to the tax-paying middle class as well as the non-tax paying middle class, which means people who have an income of about say

‘10 vaccine candidates under development’ New Delhi: A total of ten vaccine candidates for novel coronavirus are under development, said the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) on Thursday. The BIRAC, a Section 8 Company set up by the Union Government’s Department of Bio Technology (DBT) to nurture and promote the biotechnology industry in India, tweeted, “10 Vaccine candidates are under development with support from DBT under the A@ DBTIndia @BIRAC_2012 #COVID-19 Research Consortium.” It also said that the 10 proposals have been recommended for funding.

‘CENTRE NOT INTENTED TO PROTECT LIVES’

Rs 2.5 lakhs to Rs 3 lakhs a year to about Rs 10 lakhs a year. Now for them, there is nothing,” Chidambaram said.

“TDS has been reduced, but that’s only a defer-

ment of tax liability. It’s a liquidity measure, it’s not fiscal measure. The date of filing has been extended. That’s a regulatory measure. So, apart from a couple of

liquidity and regulatory measures, there is no fiscal support for the middle class,” he added.

Chidambaram stated that he is “not surprised” by this.

“When the government is not willing to lend fiscal financial support to the poorest classes, including the migrant workers, how do you expect this government to provide fiscal financial support to the middle class? They have forgotten the poorest classes completely and they are on the way to forgetting the middle class also,” he said.

Chidambaram also stated that the government is “refusing to acknowledge there is a huge humanitarian crisis, something which India has not seen since 1948.” —ANI

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said that the economic package announced by the central government will help the MSMEs. “Relief measures for MSME sector announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today are truly the roadmap to build ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. I believe that the economic package

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help MSMEs. Small, micro and medium industries will be boosted and it will increase job opportunities,” Chouhan told ANI. —ANI

105 more trains to ferry stranded migrants back home: Mamata

ED arrests Wadhawan bros in Yes Bank case

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said her government has made arrangements for 105 more trains to bring back people stuck in different parts of the country, amid claims by opposition that the state is not taking adequate measures to ferry them home.

Earlier, the government had given nod for 10 trains to facilitate the return of labourers, patients, tourists and students stranded in other states owing to the coronavirus-induced lockdown.Three of the 10 trains have reached the state so far.

“Towards our commitment to helping all our people stuck in different parts of the country and who want to return back to Bengal, I am pleased to announce that we have arranged 105 ad-

New Delhi: Enforcement Directorate arrested DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan in connection with its money laundering probe against Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor and others, officials said.

The brothers were remanded to 10-day ED custody by a special court in Mumbai, they said.

The Wadhawans are presently in jail after being arrested by the CBI, which is also probing the same case.

They were arrested underPMLA.They were also being probed by ED in another case linked to late gangster Iqbal Mirchi, were summoned by agency multiple times in Yes Bank case but they had cited the Covid-19 travel restrictions to skip summons. —PTI

ditional special trains.

“Over the coming days, these special trains will embark from different states for various destinations across Bengal bringing our people back home,” Banerjee tweeted on Thursday.She also shared the list of 105 trains which would leave from Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka and Rajasthan among other states over the

next few weeks.

The list suggested that three trains -- set to commence their journey from New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore Urban on May 16 -- were scheduled to reach New Coochbehar, Howrah and Malda Town respectively the following day. State government’s initiative to ferry stranded migrants in trains would continue till June 14. —PTI

There is a dense darkness and these are difficult times, have courage, all of us are standing for the safety of all of them.

We will ensure that their screams reach the government and they get the help they deserve. They are not the ordinary public of the country, they are the flag bearers of the country’s self-respect.

We will never let them bow down.

—Rahul Gandhi, Cong Leader

School-based test for ‘10L workers Maha: Uddhav elected failed students: CBSE ferried so far’ unopposed to Council New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), as a one-time measure has decided that all the failed students of class 9th and 11th will be provided with an opportunity to appear in a school-based test again.

Taking to Twitter, the HRD ministry said, “In view of the unprecedented circumstances of Covid-19, Union HRD Minister, @DrRPNishank has advised all

‘Centre’s package will help MSMEs’

CBSE schools to provide an opportunity to all students, who have failed in 9th and 11th to take online/offline tests. He has also asked schools to provide adequate time to the students for the preparations of re-tests.”

Schools, by providing remediation to such students, can conduct online/offline/innovative tests and may decide on promotion, the notification read. —ANI

New Delhi: Railway and Comerce Minister Piyush Goyal took to Twitter and wrote, “With the untiring efforts of railway employees, the Indian Railways has operated over 800 Shramik Special trains and transported over 10 lakh workers home along with their family members. I am proud of my employees that even in this worldwide crisis, they are working with full devotion in the service of the citizens.”

07

POWER Gallery MOD PUTS OFF ARMY RESTRUCTURING AMID COVID-19

The Ministry of Defence has temporarily put off Army restructuring in the current COVID-19 situation.

WHO WILL BE NEW PUNJAB CHIEF SECRETARY ?

If Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh is changed, then who will succeed him? It is said, tie is between the senior-most 1984 batch IAS officer, KBS Sidhu and 1985 batch IAS officer, Satish Chandra.

PESB MEETINGS ONLY AFTER DOMESTIC FLIGHTS RESUME

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) is expected to schedule selection meetings only after domestic flights return to normalcy.

SAURABH GUPTA RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE, GETS POSTING

Upon return from deputation, Saurabh Gupta has been appointed as DCIT (OSD) in the office of Pr. CCIT, Delhi Region. He is an IRS-IT officer.

IOB MD & CEO SEKAR’S TENURE ENDS IN JUNE; EXTENSION UNLIKELY

Indian Overseas Bank MD & CEO, Karnam Sekar’s tenure is ending on June 30, 2020. Whispers are in that he is unlikely to get extension.

SANJAY CHADHA IS ALSO CMD, MMTC & PEC LTD

Sanjay Chadha, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, has been given additional charges of CMD, MMTC & PEC Ltd. He is a 1985 batch IRSME officer.

PRADHAN TO JOIN FIU

Arjun Pradhan is all set to Join Financial Intelligence Unit-IND, Deptt of Revenue, on deputation basis for four years as Dy Director. He is a 2014 batch IRS(C&CE) officer.

ONE POST OF JUDICIAL MEMBER IN LOKPAL VACANT FOR LONG NOW

One post of Judicial Member in Lokpal, out of four sanctioned, had been lying vacant for a long time now. Whispers are in that no meetings have yet been held to fill up the post at the earliest.

SIVAGAMI SUNDARI NANDA PROMOTED TO DGP GRADE

Sivagami Sundari Nanda has been promoted to the DGP Grade. She is a 1988 batch IPS officer of AGMUT cadre.

ASHOK KUMAR APPOINTED AS DDG, POSTAL DIRECTORATE

Ashok Kumar has been appointed as DDG (CP & PMLA), Postal Directorate, New Delhi. He is a 1997 batch officer of the Indian Postal Services.

‘Bizmen don’t need free money’

Mumbai: In a huge relief to the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi, Maharashtra CM & Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray was elected unopposed as state Legistative Council member.

Uddhav”s election to the Council will provide stability to the 6-monthold Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Con-

gress alliance government in the state.

Thackeray, 59, has now become the second member from the state”s numero uno political family to enter the state legislature.

In October 2019, his son became the first one to win the Assembly elections from Worli segment. —Agencies

New Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan lauded Rs 3 lakh crore collateralfree loans announced by the Ministry of Finance as a stimulus package, saying that entrepreneurs don’t need free money but they certainly need ‘hassle-free’ money.

“Appreciate one thing that no entrepreneur needs free money. They need hassle-free money.

With this decision, the Central government has decided to handhold MS-

FM’s ‘rasoi’...

Meanwhile, on reforms in pipeline, Sitharaman said the government is for universal right to minimum wages and wants to remove regional disparity through a national floor wage.

She stressed upon the fact that the second tranche of economic stimulus package will be for the benefit of migrant workers, street vendors and small farmers.

She also announced a Rs70,000 crore boost to the housing and construction sectors that have been affected by the coronavirus out-

break and lockdown, by extending an interest subsidy scheme meant to help middle class families build or purchase a house. While unveiling the second tranche of PM Modi’s Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package for a coronavirus-hit economy, FM said a credit-linked subsidy scheme for middle-income groups that had been operationalised in May 2017 and expired on March 31 would be extended by 12 months to March 2021.

The move would provide housing and construction sectors by

stimulating demand for steel, cement, transportation, and other construction-related materials and activities. “We wish to give middle income groups, referring to lowest strata of the middle class (incomes between Rs 6 and Rs 18 lakh only) a scheme for subsidised housing. We are now offering a oneyear extension of the scheme - from March 2020 to March 2021,” Sitharaman said.

“This had already benefitted 3.3 lakh families. The extension by 12 months will benefit another 2.5 lakh middle income families and

MEs by giving them Rs 3 lakh crore,” Pradhan told ANI. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday announced that a series of liquidity measures for millions of small businesses reeling under the impact of COV-

generate a sudden demand in the housing sector,” she added.

Under PM Awas Yojana, a scheme will start for rental housing, where institutions and associations will be asked to provide affordable housing on their premises.

FM announced Rs3 lakh crore collateral-free automatic loans for businesses, including micro, small and medium enterprises, besides Rs 30,000 crore liquidity facility for non-banking finance companies.

Besides, there is a plan to re-skill re-

ID-19 lockdown including collateral-free automatic loans worth Rs 3 lakh crore. Pradhan said that the government will give priority to Indian entrepreneurs.

“They can bring technology from outside and tie-up with global companies and can bring low-cost capital.

We are going to occupy a place in the global supply chain,” added the Union Minister.

He said that all PSUs are assigned to give priority to MSMEs. —ANI

FROM PG 1 Withdraw lockdown... areas: four in Daskroi taluka and one in Dholka taluka. Till date, 127 cases have been reported here.

In Bhavnagar, 14 patients between the ages of six and 70 were discharged and home to self-isolate.

So far, there have been 102 positive cases here, of which 33 are under treatment and 64 have recovered and been discharged.

A newly married couple from Palanpur of Banaskantha district has donated Rs1,11,111 to the Prime Minister

Care Fund. They handed over the cheque to the district collector on Thursday.

Indian troops... co-related nor do they have any connection with other global or local activities,” he told journalists when asked about the face-offs.

“All such incidents are managed by established mechanisms where-in local formations from both sides resolve issues mutually as per established protocols and strategic guidelines given by the prime minister after the Wuhan and Mamal-

lapuram summits,” Gen Naravane said.

Corona effect... and continue our journey for development and prosperity simultaneously,” an official release from Rashtrapati Bhavan said.

“The President has decided to defer purchase of the Presidential Limousine which was to be used for ceremonial occasions.

The existing resources of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Government will be shared and used for such occasions,” read the release. —ANI

trenched workers. For street vendors, a liquidity provision of Rs 5,000 crore will be made to provide credit facility to 50 lakh street vendors.

Initial working capital will be of up to Rs 10,000 per person. This will be launched within a month. For the lower-middle-income group with an annual income of Rs 6 lakh to 18 lakh, a credit-linked subsidy scheme was introduced in May 2017 which was to last till March 31, 2020. This is being extended to March 31, 2021.

—With inputs from Agencies

Optimism and positive thinking are a way of life. One has to consistently work at it especially when the time is difficult.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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2ND FRONT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020

08

Guj, UP ‘pull chain’ on trains booked by Cong

UP Congress has alleged “political conspiracy” by BJP in denying permission to trains, while migrants from Rajasthan had arrived First India Bureau Ahmedabad: In a serious allegation, Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Kumar Lallu on Thursday accused the BJP Governments in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat of not giving permission to trains booked by his party for bringing stranded migrant labourers back home.

He said about 10 lakh labourers are stranded in other states.

“The Gujarat Congress had booked 12 trains from Surat for the migrant workers,

but the Collector there is not giving permission for it. Trains had been booked to bring people back to Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Faizabad, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Ballia and several other places,” he said.

About 19,200 labourers are stranded in Surat alone, and the District Magistrate there has said that he would allow the trains once the Uttar Pradesh government gives permission. Besides Surat, permission was also not being given to six trains

The Gujarat Congress had booked 12 trains from Surat for the migrant workers, but the Collector there is not giving permission for it. Trains had been booked to bring people back to Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Faizabad, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Ballia and several other places.

—Ajay Kumar Lallu, Uttar Pradesh Congress President

Allegations fly thick and fast over permission to migrants for UP trains.

and middleman associated with it are realising much more than the fare set for it,” Lallu said.

Accusing the BJP governments of indulging in a “political con-

spiracy” over the issue, he said earlier too the UP Congress had repeatedly asked the Yogi Adityanath dispensation to provide details of stranded labourers but got no reply.

The state Congress chief claimed that 13 trains booked by the Congress have brought thousands of migrants from Rajasthan to UP’s Ballia, Gorakhpur, Fatehpur, Jaunpur, Saharanpur, Gazipur, Kanpur, Lucknow, Sultanpur and other districts. He called upon the State Government to keep political rivalry aside during this pandemic and “allow the trains reserved by the Congress for he lping the migrants” reach home.

“The BJP governments had made the migrants believe that

they will be brought back for free. But, the reality is that the BJP

Ahmed bhai calls FM’s 2nd tranche ‘jumla package’

SpiceJet flies 4 kg diamonds to Surat

Aditi Nagar

First India Bureau

BJP workers as ‘railway booking agents’ for migrants going home?

New Delhi : The Congress on Thursday said the government’s economic package has so far fallen way short of what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised the country and called it a “jumla package”.

Veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel said, “It is not an economic package. It is an empty package wrapped with speeches from the last three days.”

Patel, who is AICC treasurer, stated, “The Finance Minister’s second day speech (on Thursday) once again re-emphasises that MNREGA is one of the biggest

Surat: Indian carrier SpiceJet on Thursday carried four kilograms of diamonds and other valuable cargo from Mumbai to Surat. The air cargo operator is flying 52 cargo flights today using its freighter and passenger planes in domestic and international routes. SpiceJet has operated close to 1126 cargo flights since the lockdown and carried around 7,500 tonnes of cargo, which is more than double of all domestic airlines together. Of these, 397 were international cargo flights. SpiceJet has also operated special cargo flights to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore and Bangkok.

safety nets for the vulnerable”.

Taunting the Narendra Modi dispensation, Ahmed Patel asserted in a press release that, ”Hope the government now stops mocking at this landmark policy of

from Valsad and five from Bharuch in Gujarat, he claimed.

the UPA government.”

“The migrants & the poor were having great expectations after the PM’s speech. Sadly,the government has turned a blind eye to their problems and is back to headline management,” the Congress leader said.

First India Bureau Surat: The BJP workers in Surat are learnt to be actively collecting bookings and money from stranded migrants for tickets on “shramik (worker)” trains being run by the Railways to transport them to their home states.

The “shramik” trains, which Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, claims to have ferried around 10 lakh migrants on around 800 trains, have been caught up in a major political controversy over who foots the bill, with the government coming under fire for making migrants pay for

GTU gets 82K forms for mock exams

PIL in SC challenges Gujarat’s decision to waive labour laws

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has received more than 82,000 registrations for the online mock exam to be held by the varsity from Friday. The examination will be for students of BE and BPharm who are in their second, fourth, or sixth semester. More than

5 lakh students are enrolled in various courses at colleges affiliated to GTU. A university source said, “About 95% students from BPharm have come forward to take the online exam which will be the first of its kind.”

Marks secured by the students in this examination will not be counted in the annual exam result.

New Delhi: A PIL was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the decisions of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to exempt industrial units from labour welfare statutes and allowing them to take steps like increasing daily and weekly working hours and depriving workers of their right to move

courts on the ground of COVID-19 pandemic.

The PIL alleged that these states wrongly used Section 5 of the Factories Act, 1948, which allows states to exempt industrial units from observing labour welfare stat-

utes during public emergency, and came out with notifications to allow such firms to effect increase in daily and weekly working hours, deprive workmen from approaching courts and exempt factories from undergoing routine inspections.

The plea filed by Pankaj Kumar Yadav has sought quashing of the notifications on the ground that they were violative of right of equality and life under the Constitution.

Migrants have alleged that BJP members were collecting money for train tickets.

their tickets.

The government and the ruling BJP responded by claiming the Railways paid 85 per cent of ticket prices with the states paying the remaining 15 per cent, indicating that tickets were free for the migrants left stranded.

MAN MACHINE

Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) gets Rs. 40.69 lakh robot ‘Bandicoot V 2.0’ for drainage cleaning, manhole cleaning and gas detection.

WHAT A SHAME!

Woman treks 1,000 km with handicapped son First India Bureau

A woman trekked 1,000 km from Surat to Madhya Pradesh with her physically challenged son on a makeshit stretcher.

Surat: Amid the tall claims of various governments of operating special trains and buses to ferry migrant workers home, many have been left disillusioned by high ticket fares and shortage of registration forms. As a result, thousands are either walking or cycling down insane distances.

A mother of three walked some 1,000 km to

HOBSON’S CHOICE!

Panna in Madhya Pradesh from Surat in Gujarat, carrying her disabled son on a makeshift palanquin.

A resident of Majhgawan village in Satna, Rajkumari had gone to Surat with her three sons looking for a job

but there was no work, thanks to the lockdown.

With her meagre savings dried up in two months, she prepared a palanquin made out of a single bamboo stick and put her disabled son in it, wrapped in a cloth, and started her arduous

However, migrant workers in Surat told reporters that they had paid up to Rs 850 for their ticket. They also said the tickets were priced above normal rates, despite government assurance they wouldn’t be charged for the jour-

ney home.

Now, BJP workers that a TV channel met in Surat have admitted to playing an active role in registering migrants on the trains and collecting money for the tickets. Bhavin Topiwala, the secretary of the BJP’s youth wing in Surat, showed us a wad of cash and a bunch of tickets.

“These are tickets for people going to Uttar Pradesh. Each ticket costs Rs 590, for the one going to Prayagraj. We got the migrant workers registered and then gave the list to the authorities. We then collected the money (from the workers),” he said.

walk home.

Rajkumari began trekking 1,100 km from Surat to Satna with her three sons, sometimes getting food and often not. The family of four even got a ride for a few kilometres.

It was only when she reached Panna, on her way to Satna, that some social workers and a journalist summoned the district administration, which arranged for a transport to her village.

Salon staff here give haircuts in PPE kits First India Bureau Nadiad (Kheda): Though they are not permitted to keep open, barber shops in Nadiad are working and giving haircuts to their customers fully dressed in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits.

While the customers visiting the salons wear masks and take necessary precautions, the shop owners say they follow all social distancing norms.

“We are taking all

precautions prescribed by the government to ensure that workers and customers do not contract COVID-19,” according to Vishal Limbachiya, a salon owner.’’ PPE is key to prevent transmission of the coronavirus not only in treatment centres but also in various other activities, like cleaning, waste management and safe burials, and communitycare related to the outbreak.

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY MAY 15, 2020

‘Chikni Chameli’

Deewani Mastani THERE MUST BE HARDLY A SOUL WHO LOVES DANCING AND HAS NOT GROOVED TO A SHREYA GHOSHAL NUMBER OR FOR THAT MATTER CROONED IT TO WOO A LOVED ONE!

KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

S

hreya Ghoshal not only has a huge fan following among Bollywood stars and music lovers but also in Hollywood and among other pop stars of the Western world.

During a recent interview, Singer Arzutra Garielle exclaimed that she was always fond of Bollywood despite being born and brought up in the UK all her life and she is highly inspired by Shreya Ghoshal’s music, and why not?

Shreya is one of the leading playback singers of Indian cinema with recorded songs in various Indian languages. The multiple hitmaker has unveiled yet another single ‘Nah won main’ before the countrywide lockdown, “I was thinking of releasing it later but I was not sure how long the lockdown would go on, so I just released it on my YouTube channel. It’s co-composed by me and my brother,” Shreya said.

Shreya said wanted to use the lockdown days to create more content for her YouTube channel. “I am

Shreya Ghoshal

trying to work on some stuff. It takes a little while to crack a good song. I am not a born composer; I am more of a singer than a composer. I do have a lot of projects that are coming to me, some nice compositions from friends so, I am collaborating with people and I am ideating. I have always wanted to create something that I want to sing. I don’t always

want to depend on a film. Film songs are limited to the story or the setting of the film,” added the ‘Teri ore’ hitmaker. Started her journey in Bollywood with ‘Devdas’, the singer has won many awards in the process. In 2017, Ghoshal became the first Indian singer to have her wax figurine in Madame Tussauds Museum.

Along with this, she has won approximately 38 Filmfare Award in 2019, 2018, 2017 and four National Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singing: ‘Bairi Piya’ for Devdas (2002), ‘Dheere Jalna’ for Paheli (2005), ‘Yeh Ishq Haaye’ for Jab We Met (2007), one award for both songs ‘Pherari Mon’ for the Bengali film Antaheen (2008) and ‘Jeev Rangla’ for the Marathi film Jogwa (2008).

She is the only playback singer to have been nominated in 4 out of the 5 nominations for the best playback singer for her songs in 2008 in IIFA 2008.

‘Deewani Mastani’

‘Ek Do Teen’

‘Ghoomar’ ‘Ooh La La’

‘Lahu Munh La

g Gaya’

‘Ghar More Pardesiya’

09

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020

10

QUARANTINE TIME JAI JOSHI

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

I

t was like yesterday we all were eating placeable street food, momos with red chutney, pani puri with ex-

tra salty water, giving our tongue the very chill of flavours and the remembrance of golden times we had eating them. All of a sudden, out of no where like a lighting in the a sky a bad news sent our world crashing and the changed the way we sociallise. Guess what the nature choose for the cause this catastrophy, just a peety bat. As the news reached our homes there

were tickets booked, and the India was given strict warning to rest at home and was put under lockdown. As we all know, these 35 days have been very tiring for each and every one of us. But there are some people for whom these days weren’t just tiring but rather deadly. These people are commonly mistaken for normal humans rather than being called heroes.

A CASE Dr Milind Baldi was on duty in a Covid-19 ward when a 46-year-old man was wheeled in with severe breathing difficulty. The man was scared for his life and kept repeating one question: “Will I survive?” The question was followed by a plea: “Please save me, I don’t want to die.”

Dr Baldi assured the man that he was going to do “everything possible to save him”.

These were the last words spoken between the two men. The pa-

tient was put on a ventilator, and died two days later. The doctor, who works in a hospital in the central Indian city of Indore, vividly remembers the 30 “terrifying minutes” after the patient was brought to his hospital. “He kept holding my hands. His eyes were full of fear and pain. I will never forget his face.” His death deeply affected Dr Baldi. “It ate away my soul from inside and left a lacuna in my heart.”

POLICE enforcing the lockdown and some 20,000 home quarantines, besides handling thousands of migrants hitting roads in their attempts to go home.

Police are also carrying out high-risk evacuations in coronavirus clusters like Nizamud-

Media organisations too have initiated work from home protocols. While it’s easier for digital media organisations, it is slightly complicated for traditional newsrooms given the elaborate production chain, be it designing and printing a newspaper, or shooting TV news shows.

Even so, the Indian Express, Indian Today magazine, the Times of India, and News 18 are some of the Big Media organisations that have moved fast to announce work from home measures. New me-

din Markaz. About 5,000 police are deployed in and around Delhi’s 71 containment zones at any given point in time.

Duties change rotationally. So far, eight police have tested positive and 75 others, including DCP Arya, are in quarantine.

dia organisations like Scroll, Quint and the News Minute have also completely or partially shut offices for now.

Here’s what we know of the measures being taken by these organisations after speaking to some employees there. News 18 announced work from home stating that it was a precautionary measure.

The channel has also suspended two of its shows that are production-heavy — Bottomline and Brasstacks, which are hosted by managing edi-

FA CE OF TH ED AY

MEDIA TEAM

Police in India have to use force against people breaking quarantine laws after the lockdown of 1.3 billion people to contain contagious coronavirus. Police remain vulnerably exposed to rising Covid-19 infections. They are guarding containment zones,

DOCTORS Most of the doctors are fighting the virus on daily basis, doctors some time end up taking on up to 300 cases a day, every day of the week. Even the people who are a little anx-

coronavirus positive or not). The only thing that doctors can do is check the person’s body temperature, and travel history, and then recommend home quarantine.

tor Kishore Ajwani and output editor Zakka Jacob. Regular news bulletins will replace these shows for the time being.

We dream of a day which could give us a break from the insane life which driven us. Ironically when the dream came true and the break came we are not in a position to celebrate it. Reason being the break came as a menace to real life. current lockdown makes most of us feel like a rehab in a rehab centre.

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Those of you who interact with customers on the name of profession must carefully deal with people.

Your family will be very supporting and will listen to all that you have to say today. Some of you may be in process of buying a big land. You may get rewarded for something.

It will be in your best interest to stay miles away from any form of rivalry.

You must openly go and discuss all your problems with your spouse as they will not only understand but will also show 100% support to you. On academic front, don’t focus on minor defeats.

You may win a lottery or something today as luck shines bright upon you today. On family front, you will find yourself very close to each other and it will be a very emotional feeling. It will be in your best interest to to keep your ears and eyes wide open to avoid any mistakes.

On professional front, make sure to take right decision at right time to avoid any regrets. You may meet your childhood friends today and spend quality time together. On academic front, you must work very hard to achieve your goals. You may be in a long distance relationship.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Stay away from the vicious circle of buying everything that you like. Homemakers will take a break from day to day responsibilities. Your loan will be sanctioned and you can buy your dream house. All your debts will be cleared. On academic front, you will come out with flying colours.

You must lend money to someone in desperate need. On business front, some of you may step into new venture. Because of your strong financial condition, you will be able to turn your ideas into action. You will get a sweet surprise from your sweetheart.

You will undertake the responsibilities which you were hesitating to take earlier. You and your spouse will change your house interiors as some big invest will take place in your house. You must do some charity and feed poor for your own satisfaction.

You have a tendency to save and thats how you always keep a check on what you spend. On work front, you may help resolve some issues between your colleagues.

Your kid will perform extremely well in their education institution. You will get a great news from your sibling.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Some of you are struggling to get desired body and shape, instead of worrying and giving up you must try harder. On academic front, you will surely win in the competition but all you need is faith in yourself. You must not talk about things which could take you partner in their past.

You are in great position as far as money is concerned.

Today avoid committing to anyone for anything related to money. On professional front, those of you working in marketing field must work hard to reach the required target. Love is in the air for you.

On financial front, you will start conserving money of some reason. You are a very confident person and your ability to see through problems will keep you in the limelight on professional front. Some of you may expect a baby. It’s important for you to your match with the frequency.

If you are willing to join the group of health conscious people then without a second thought go ahead.

Those of you who work on commission basis will see a boost in your earnings. A great advice from your colleague could help you in taking any responsibility.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

SAMIKSHA BHATT, Model

ious about their condition goes to the doctors in a government hospital because they know that the treatment there is free. But they have no means of checking (if they are

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020

OLD is GOLD! KIRTI CHAUHAN

kirti.chauhan@firstindia.co.in

In the era where the series with nudity, violence and reality shows are taking over, City First brings you the fact that today’s generation is still falling in love with old epics Alif Laila

T

Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Ramayan

Siya Ke Ram

Kh

ich

di

Mahabharat

The decision of airing of the popular serials of our time especially the mythological ones is a wise step and my kids are enjoying these shows. With every old serial, we have some or the other childhood memories associated, and it’s a great way to re-live those moments. With the shootings at a standstill, it was a smart play to reintroduce the old serials to today’s generation.

After watching the show ‘Mahabharat’ and ‘Ramayan’, I feel that all the characters are giving us an important message to learn like patience from Gandhari, the bond of love from Raam and Laxman, leadership skills from Dhritrashrta, the sacrifices from Sita, fierceness from Draupadi and so on.

I even observed that these shows have the solutions our day to day life issues.

—KANCHAN KHATANA

Dekh Bhai Dekh

Balika

Va d h u

—APRA KUCHHAL

Shrima

n Shrim

ati

Bigg Boss

—VIJAY KUMAWAT

Ma

h

h ab

ar

at

aan

Being a social worker and founder of an NGO ‘New Asha ki e-Kiran Sanstha’ in Jobner, I take it as my responsibility to show the epic shows like Ramayan and Mahabharat to the underprivileged children and locals living in my locality. On the projector screen, around 25-30 people enjoy watching the shows and even applaud when they find something nice happening on screen.

ktim

In the era of Sacred Games, Mirzapur, Four More Shots Please etc., watching 90’s top picks is like travelling to another world. I am not at all a daily soap person, but such incredible reruns have made me stick to TV and give a break to digital platforms.

Although, I observed that these shows have much more to offer as compared to the shows we watch online.

—ANKUR GARHWAL

Sha

he production of television and web shows has been halted for the time being in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which made broadcasters to rerun popular shows of the past to fill in the time slots. However, the shut down during COVID-19 has also given a break to the not so educating and typical SaasBahu daily soaps, and welcomed the authentic entertainment in the families.

While taking the initiative to broadcast the extremely popular mythological dramas - Ramayan and Mahabharat, Doordarshan took the people on a nostalgic trip during the lockdown. And, with its high demand, Ramayan became the highest-watched entertainment programme globally on 17 April, recording a viewership of 7.7 crores.

As reruns of old shows brought massive TRPs for Doordarshan, other GECs like Star Plus, Sony TV, ZEE TV etc., also started airing their classics to entertain the audiences.

As a matter of fact, the much-celebrated mythological adaptations and entertaining epics like Shri Krishna, Uttar Ramayan, Chanakya, Shaktimaan, Circus, Byomkesh Bakshi, Hum Paanch, Khichdi, Shriman Shrimati, Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai and Bigg Boss among others have successfully glued the younger generation to TV again and are also educating while entertaining.

Interestingly, these shows of the older generation are not only helping the younger generation to know what is it to have principles, disciplines and ethics in life; but also telling them how to give importance to relationships, value honesty and hard work above shortcuts and much more. City First got in touch with a few locals to know what changes they have observed after watching the epics of the golden era of television.

Byomkesh Bakshi

11

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CITY FIRST

T

arun Gupta, the food and lifestyle photographer, is all set to release a brand new web series ‘Masaldani’, which is conceptualized, shot and presented by him amidst the lockdown.

While talking about the series, he said, “This series is all about celebrating the desi flavours of ghar ka khaana, which are made delicious by the array of masalas that are made in Indian homes. Every Hindustani home has a ‘masaldani’ which is a part of our cooking process, hence this name has a lot of emotions attached to it.”

The eight-part series will be released on YouTube on 15 May and can be found at Tarun Gupta Photography page. In the series, the 4-minute crisp videos will showcase Indian

J19 Squad

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020

SPICY ‘MASALDANI’!

Tarun Gupta

masalas and quick recipes to make these aromatics at home.

The inspiration behind this series was the COVID-19 lockdown itself, says Tarun Gupta.

Each episode has been neatly

divided into two segments.

The viewer will get to know the recipe for a popular masala mix that can be made at home. The second part of the series, aptly named ‘Spice

Trails’ will trace the origin of the spice, the health benefits and some interesting stories.

Keeping the limited resources and the lock-down rules in place, Tarun Gupta has managed to shoot this exciting mini-series in a single room using the ‘chroma technique’ of film making. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

J19 Squad A SENSITIVE BUREAUCRAT SWATI JANGID

swati.jangid@firstindia.co.in

T

he music which represents Rajasthan’s culture and its language. J19 is a hard-rapping troupe established by Harsh and Pankaj who are known by the names young H and Pk Nimbark. Harsh Vyas is from Jodhpur and Pankaj Nimbark is from Bilara, Jodhpur. This troupe has reached to the pinnacle of success by getting lots of love from their viewers not only in Rajasthan but also all over India.

They have performed on national platform and promoted desi hip hop music with their many hit songs like Alfaaz and Maut. ‘Bandook’ is a gangster gang song which was literally liked by the youngsters. ‘Bholenath’ was again a super

hit, which gives a ride towards Bhole ki Bhakti. J19 has not only made songs or raps which attracts youngsters but also worked on social topics like women empowerment. The song ‘Kesariyo’ is delivering a social message of widow remarriage which touches the heart of the viewers and shows the emotions of the widow women, who is surviving in this orthodox culture of Rajasthan. While interacting with City First PK said, “we have not learned music from anywhere, we are just inspired and using our talent by making our own music and lyrics in our songs.” It boosts our willpower. J19 is self-established and is known for creating wonders through their words in Rajasthan’s music industry and moulding it into new fusion. J19 is producing their songs under the banner of the famous director Mr Dhruv Sankhla handling Dhruv records. J19 will be releasing their new album soon.

CITY FIRST

T

he COVID-19 crisis has moved us all and now we are shaken up by the sight of barefoot migrant workers. Sweat, hunger, no job and no money have made these migrants hopeless and to walk miles with an empty stomach is a whole another issue. Witnessing this situation, Dr Jitendra

12

Kumar Soni (IAS) presently serving as Project Director RUIDP and an additional charge of Commissioner Rajasthan Scout Guides, has come forward to distribute Charanpaduka to the needy migrants who are walking on roads to reach their destination. Govindevji Trust Jaipur and Inaya Foundation are a part of this Charanpaduka Campaign.

Secretary Inaya Foundation, Nitisha Sharma shared, “When we approached Rajasthan State Commissioner for Scout, Dr Jitendra Soni (IAS) for this noble cause of distributing charanpadhuka to migrant workers, he immediately gave approval and showed keen interest.”

Dr Soni shared an experience “Amid the hot scorching sun I saw a schoolboy running between the fields to reach school on time. Few copies in hand and he just kept on walking and walking BAREFOOT. This boy was so much eager to reach to school that nothing was stopping him. I feel the pain for the migrants who just wish to reach their home anyhow.”

“The satisfaction is the biggest reward when I see the innocent smile and inquisitiveness to wear these shoes,” said Dr Soni. A sensitive and responsible bureaucrat is also a writer, and his passion for writing has rewarded him with Youth Sahitya Academy award. He is known for his oratory and writing skills.

JAIPUR FORUM Rajasthan-based Bollywood actor and singer Ila Arun have joined the artist’s community ‘Rajasthan Forum’ and will now be actively promoting Rajasthani artists, informed Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. He also said that Ila has been appointed on the place of senior artist Late Surendra Pal Joshi.

HAPPY B’DAY!

Rajendra Singh Bidhuri and IPS Satyendra Kumar celebrated their birthdays on 14 May, Thursday. We wish them all the best!

WHAT’S HAPPENING! Gujarat: While the outbreak of COVID-19 has plunged the entire world into despair, in a forest near Toraniya Dungar in Vansda taluka of Navsari district, the flower of Kalimba has blossomed. The flower, which has an uncanny resemblance to the symbol of a novel coronavirus, seems to be sending a message of optimism. Nature, in its own way, has advised caution and bravery when it comes to fighting off the deadly virus.

Gujarat: Residents of Bhavaninagar in Vasna area go about their business as another day in lockdown comes to an end in Ahmedabad.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Rajasthan: Gunjan Singhal and Vineet Jain took an initiative during COVID-19 lockdown and started their new business ‘Seva Jaipur’ to deliver vegetables door-to-door. The duo made use of their event management skills and started with one vehicle in two days, which has now turned to three vehicles on regular rounds per day in the city.

Apart from providing fresh and organic vegetables, they are also supplying ration products.

Gujarat: A family riding on a pedal rickshaw holds an umbrella to protect themselves against the mid-day heat in Ahmedabad. —PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Rajasthan: FLO Jaipur Chapter is going to host their first virtual interactive web session for the year 2020-21 on ‘Boost your Immunity’ with Rujuta Diwekar on 16 May at 4pm. FLO’s Chairperson, Wanadana Parnami said, “In this unprecedented time, I wanted to begin with the most important subject for my members that is staying healthy with right diet and exercise regimes.”

Gujarat: The Labour and Employment department handed over 11 more Dhanvantari Arogya Raths (mobile medical units) to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for deployment in areas affected by COVID-19. “Five Dhanvantari Arogya Raths were already operational in Ahmedabad and four were handed over to AMC for conducting health checkups in areas affected by a novel coronavirus in April. As per Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s instructions, we have allotted 11 more raths to AMC today. These 20 raths will remain at the disposal of AMC for the time being, and help in the fight against the coronavirus,” said Vipul Mittra, additional chief secretary, Labour and Employment department.

Rajasthan: National award winner Swanand Kirkire, who is best known as a lyricist, screenplay writer, music director, singer, actor and soon going to be a director, was in the conversation with Bollywood singer and actor Ila Arun during an online session ‘Kalam’ on Thursday organised by Prabha Khaitan Foundation in association with We Care in Jaipur and presented by Shree Cement Ltd. This special KALAM session was organized in Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur simultaneously.

Rajasthan: Vardhman Jain, who is a 21-year-old student preparing for UPSC examinations, utilized the quarantine time and wrote a gripping fiction ‘Warrior of Fate’. The book talks about how the fate of man gives him success, in what form. He also tried to express the ups and downs in the life of his fictional character beautifully. The book is available online to buy and the collected money will be donated in CM relief fund for COVID-19.

Rajasthan: Amidst the nationwide lockdown, State President of BJP, Satish Poonia addressed the video conferencing of Help India online institution on Thursday.

Rajasthan: The ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival’ kicked off at Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) on Thursday, with the session topic ‘Story Making in Theatre’. The session was conducted by theatre artiste Vishal Bhatt. This learning session witnessed huge participation with around 300 viewers tuning in. On the occasion, Minister of Art and Culture, Government of Rajasthan, Dr BD Kalla shared a video message with the viewers, appreciating JKK decision to host the ‘Children’s Summer Festival’ on an online platform.