First India-Ahmedabad Edition-16 July 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

27°C - 36°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

5,83,649 1,35,71,432 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA ,928 DEATHS 2,75,640 CASES 10,928

CONFIRMED CASES

DELHI 3,487 DEATHS 1,16,993 CASES

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 231

INDIA

24,915 9,68,117 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 2,167 DEATHS 1,51,820 CASES

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GUJARAT

2,080 DEATHS

KARNATAKA 933 DEATHS 47,253 CASES

44,648

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 530 DEATHS 26,437 CASES

GAME ON IN RAJ

AS PLAYERS SHOW THEIR MOVES!

Game of Thrones seems to be on in the desert state after Rajasthan’s political scene heated up when Sachin Pilot showed his rebellious streak, forcing CM Ashok Gehlot to sack his deputy, while alleging that the entire Pilot camp was playing in the hands of BJP. Hours after rebelling, Pilot said he was not joining the BJP, but kept all guessing by not spelling out his future course of action.

However, in what may come as a surprise, Rahul Gandhi’s statement at NSUI event, “If anybody wants to leave the party they will. It opens the door for young leaders like you,” gives a clear message that it is not possible to bury the hatchet now!

Pilot involved in horse trading, says Gehlot Kartikey Dev Singh Jaipur: In a rare and daring attack on his former deputy and PCC Chief Sachin Pilot, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday directly accused Pilot of being involved in horse trading.

The Congress veteran leader surprised everyone by claiming that he has the proof of horse trading in the state during Rajya Sab-

ha polls. Interacting with reporters, the chief minister, however, did not mention Pilot by his name but said the “former Pradesh Congress Committee president” was himself doing the deal. Our deputy chief minister and PCC president himself was doing the deal and was giving statements that no horse-trading was taking place. What clarification are you giving when you yourself were

involved? he asked.

“Speaking good English or giving a byte is not everything,” Gehlot said.

The veteran politician said he has proof that horse trading was being committed to topple his government. Gehlot reiterated that “he (Pilot) would have performed quite good had he “struggled in his youth” while also hitting out at the national media saying Turn on P6

Leaders going means chance for youth: RaGa New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while addressing student leaders associated with Congress’ students wing NSUI said that those young leaders who are quitting the party are actually in a way opening doors for the newer young leaders.

Citing sources, ANI reported that while addressing NSUI meeting on Wednesday, the former Congress President said, “If anybody wants to leave

the party they will. It opens the door for young leaders like you.” It is speculated that Rahul Gandhi took a dig on Sachin Pilot who has rebelled against Congress. In the virtual NSUI National Office Bearers’ meeting apart from Rahul Gandhi, KC Venugopal was also present.

However, later Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told ANI that “this story is factually incorrect”. —ANI

I am still a Congressman, not joining BJP: Pilot New Delhi: Former Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot on Wednesday said that he is “not” joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“I am not joining BJP,” said Pilot while adding “attempts to link me to the BJP are to malign me in the eyes of the Congress highCommand.” He pointed out that he had worked hard to defeat the BJP. “I have worked hard to

make Congress win in Rajasthan. Why will I work against my own party? I am still a member of the Congress party,” he insisted. “I would like to serve the people of Rajasthan,” he said categorically.

Regarding his next course of action, he said he will have to discuss with his followers about his next course.

The comments came a day after he was sacked as Rajasthan

Deputy Chief Minister and Pradesh Congress Committee chief by the party.

Meanwhile quashing Gehlot camp’s claims, Pilot said, “I did not have any communication with Congress president Sonia Gandhi ji and Rahul Gandhi ji.

Priyanka Gandhi ji spoke to me over phone.

It was a personal conversation. It did not lead to any resolution.

—Agencies

India-EU partnership vital for global stability: Modi

Gujarat on the road to recovery: Dy CM

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India-European Union partnership can play an important role in “economic reconstruction” as new problems have emerged globally after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the 15th India-EU summit, he said there is a need for more cooperation among democratic nations to deal with economic problems. “After COVID-19, new economic problems emerged globally. For this, we feel the need for more cooperation among

Haresh Jhala

democratic nations. Today, both the health and prosperity of our citizens are facing challenges. There are different types of pressures on the rules-based international order. Thus,

the India-EU partnership can play an important role in economic reconstruction, and in building human-centric and human-centric globalisation,” he said.

Turn on P6

Mortality rate down from 6.5% to 1.5% as doubling rate goes up to 32 days Gandhinagar: The state government on Wednesday claimed that Gujarat is on the mend, with marked improvements in the COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) and case doubling rate (CDR).

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who is also the state’s health minister, told the media that the CFR or mortality rate--which was 6.5% when the novel coronavirus first hit the state--has now fallen to 1.5%. Earlier, 50 persons were dying

STATE WILL RELEASE CROP RELIEF AS PER SDRF Agriculture Minister RC Faldu said that the agriculture department would conduct a survey on crop damage loss due to heavy rains and flood situation in some parts of the state. All farmers will be paid compensation as per the norms of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). Farmers whose agricultural land was washed away will be also be considered for relief. In addition, the state may also consider special relief packages if there is a demand for it, or if the losses are huge, Faldu said.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel

per day on average because of the novel coronavirus. This number has dropped to 15 per day in July, he said. So far, nine employees of the health

department have died due to COVID-19.

Patel added that the CDR, the number of days it takes of the count of cases to double, has increased to 32, as op-

posed to the nine days we saw in March and April.

HE attributed the improvement to the efforts of 4,910 teams from the state health department and various local bod-

ies, which have “worked hard to spread awareness, carried out doorto-door surveillance and brought patients to hospital for treatment”.

Turn on P6

NEWS

02

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020

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SURAT IN CRISIS

as nCov cases rise With the city’s hospitals critically short of beds and ventilators, patients are being referred to other cities

Ruchi Thakar & Haresh Jhala Surat: The city has 0.02 hospitals per lakh of its population of 44,67,797. This ratio did not seem like a big deal until June 01, when the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise in Surat. Today, not only is there a shortage of beds and ventilators leading to queues of patients heading out of the city, even the dead must wait their turn for cremation.

In the 45 days since Unlock 1.0 was implemented, the city has seen a roughly 400% increase in COVID-19 cases. It went from having 1,500 cases on June 01 to 7,540 cases on July 14--a five-fold increase. Sources attribute the rise to a failure on the part of the local administration and the state health department to consider the equation of virus spread in densely populated areas.

While the nation’s population density is 382 per square kilometres, this is 13,680 in Surat. A quick look at

Considering the present crisis, Surat city’s health infrastructure should be doubled. Fund allocation should see a manifold increase to meet the needs.

—Sharad Kapadia,

There was a spurt in the number of patients with low oxygen levels a few days back.

This led to a shortage of ventilators.

This crisis is giving us all lessons in the management of human and medical resources. Due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, I now end my day at 11 pm, as opposed to my normal 7 pm.

The bed shortage in the city means patients have to book in advance. We’re trying to manage but, if patients are serious, now we even refer them to other cities like Vadodara & A’bad.

—Dr Milan Modi, Pulmonologist, Surat

Pulmonologist, Surat

Managing Trustee, Surat Citizens Council

the table on zone-wise population density and cases clearly shows the correlation between density and virus spread.

For instance, the Southeastern zone has seen an increase of 88.3% rise in population over the past decade. Today, it accounts for 16.3% of the city’s COVID-19 cases, leading the list.

Another major issue seems to be the Surti belief in one’s own infallibility. “Many people say, ‘My immunity is good, so I will not get infected,’ and so don’t take any precautions like wearing a mask or maintaining social distance,” observed Sharad Kapadia, Managing Trustee

of the Surat Citizens Council.

He points out that this could be a bigger problem than the city’s infrastructure, but adds: “When it comes to health infrastructure,

—Dr Bhavesh Vaghani,

Surat is no better and no worse than any other city. But that does not mean we take things for granted. Once we overcome this crisis, we will need to invest in health infrastructure,” he said.

WARRIORS AT HIGHER RISK

W

hile it is difficult to say exactly how many frontline warriors--especially doctors and nurses--have been infected by the SarsCov-2 virus, sources in the medical fraternity say there has been a jump in these cases in recent times. These sources told First India that at least 110 doctors have tested positive, with more going into self-isolation at the first signs of illness.

“They don’t even wait to be tested,” one person said. Nurses and paramedical staff have also tested positive in large numbers. To plug the gap in terms of medical professionals, the state government has deputed 15 resident doctors from other centres to Surat.

Patients are also reporting infections later and this, combined with the spike in numbers, has led to a shortage of bed and ventilators. “Surat has very few hospitals that have more than 500 beds.

Even Surat Civil Hospital is nowhere near the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital (Asarwa) in terms of capacity, even though Surat population is close to Ahmedabad’s 60 lakh population,” Dr Bhavesh Vaghani, Pulmonologist of Swaas Chest and Allergy Clinic, told First India.

“In a pandemic, it is natural to feel that one is short of resources.

Finding solutions on

how to tackle it becomes more important. That is what we have been attempting by moving ventilators from private hospitals to government ones and vice versa as needed. Patients are still on waiting lists but, luckily, there has been a decrease in the number of patients needing emergency oxygen support,” said Dr Milan Modi, another pulmonologist in Surat.

Dr Vaghani is of the view that the city needs at least 500 to 700 beds to meet the need of the hour, while Dr Modi wants the city to get a minimum 50 to 60 ventilators on an emergency basis. Dr Modi also said many doctors have tested positive and some with mild symptoms have home quarantined.

Sources said the Chief Minister had promised the delivery of 200 ventilators to the city about 10 days back, but these have not yet reached their destination.

In the meantime, as Dr Modi puts it, “We are coping with the situation.”

COVID-19 data of Surat city Date

Confirmed Cases

June 14 June 23 June 27 June 29 June 02 June 05 July 07 July 09 July 12 July 14

Death Toll

2,600 3,529 4,171 4,530 5,084 5,693 6,098 6,525 7,112 7,540

104 141 155 165 190 222 235 255 292 320

(Source: AMC COVID-19 dashboard)

Age group-wise case data Age Group

Cases

Under 11 years 11 to 20 years 21 to 30 years 31 to 40 years 41 to 50 years 51 to 60 years 61 to 70 years 71 to 80 years 81 to 90 years 90 years and above

51 166 583 745 767 739 357 153 27 01

(Source: AMC COVID-19 dashboard)

Age group-wise death toll data Age Group Under 11 years 11 to 20 years 21 to 30 years 31 to 40 years 41 to 50 years 51 to 60 years 61 to 70 years 71 to 80 years 81 to 90 years 90 years and above

No. of Deaths 00 00 02 11 41 75 77 56 11 00

(Source: AMC COVID-19 dashboard)

T

SHORTAGE OF PYRES

AMBULANCES BURDENED

T

he authorities may have blinders on, but the rising number of COVID-19 deaths has local residents calling for traditional wood pyres to be pressed into service to supplement the capacity of gas furnaces. Abdul Malbari, trustee of Ekta Trust--which handles the cremation of those dying of Sars-CoV-2-related causes in Surat--told First India, “The various protocols mean that each cremation takes two to three hours since relatives of the deceased must wait for their turn.”

Since March, Ekta Trust has cremated 800 bodies in keeping with nCov guidelines. Ashwani Kumar Crematorium has 10 gas cremation chambers, while Umra and Kurukshetra have three each. All three crematoriums have around 18 traditional wood pyres.

he 108 medical emergency ambulance service fields about 100 calls every day from people asking them to shift ill relatives to hospital. The service has doubled the number of ambulances on COVID-19 duty from five to 10 but says it is still facing the heat.

“Even 10 ambulances do not feel like they are enough,” says Faiyaz Pathan, 108 programme manager, Surat. He says each ambulance responds to at least 10 calls per day.

“Since the last few days, 90% of the patients we pick up have needed oxygen support, meaning they patients’ oxygen levels are now dropping even before they call us,” he added.

Zone-wise percentage of cases Zone North South-East East A Central East B West South South-West

Case percentage (%) 25 16.3 13.3 11,7 9.7 9.2 7.4 7.4

(Source: AMC COVID-19 dashboard)

Zone-wise population density/km2 Zone Central South-East East North West South-West Surat city

Population 49,971 38,390 30,303 19,392 8,222 3,105 13,680

(Source: SMC as per 2011 census)

HIGH HOPES

Cong will not criticize, but provide solutions, says Hardik Patel 

The Patidar leader talks about urbanrural issues, COVID-19 & failure of the state govt, and explains what his party could do differently

Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: The newly appointed working president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Hardik Patel may have created ripples across the state with his critical statements about the state government. But now the Patidar leader told First India that Congress will focus on providing solutions to existing problems. He also stated

that the party plans to win the election, not by criticizing the government but, providing solutions to various issues.

“People are facing millions of problems.

We don’t want to criticize the government for their bad decisions but win people’s hearts by providing solutions and better options. I am sure that we will register a win in these elections,” said Patel.

The leader claimed that he has visited

over 6,000 villages out of a total of 18,000 in the state. “I will start working actively after visiting the Somnath Temple next week. Our focus will be to address the issues faced by the villagers. The party has already inducted 50 new members,” he said.

When asked about the issues of the urban areas, Patel said, “The issues encountered by people living in rural and urban areas are dif-

ferent. In the rural setup, farmers and agriculture-related issues are more prominent.

While in urban areas which comprises 80% of the middle-class families, major issues include unemployment and quality education issues.”

“The rising number of COVID-19 cases and the highest mortality rate of the state can be attributed to the BJP government’s failure to invest in quality hospital in-

frastructure,” asserted the leader. Patel also remarked that despite being in power for nearly three years, there has been no development for the people of the state.

“The BJP-led government has given priority to privatization in education, health, and most of the service sectors.

On the o t h e r

hand, common people lack the benefit of quality things. There are not enough doctors available to the government to fight off the novel coronavirus pandemic,” he stated.

Hardik Patel

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020

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Day of highs: 9,340 samples tested, 11,221 cases active 925 fresh cases and 10 deaths bring state’s total tally to 44,648 and death toll to 2,081 Gandhinagar: In its highest single-day number yet, the state government tested as many as 9,340 samples on Wednesday.

With 925 fresh cases being reported in the past 24 hours, Gujarat now has 11,221 active cases, also its highest number yet.

Surat tops the list of overnight cases with 236 cases, of which 173 were from the city and 63 from rural areas.

Five deaths were reported from Surat. After Surat and A h m e d ab a d — wh i ch reported 173 new cases, Vadodara had the third highest number with 77. Bhavnagar had 61 cases, Rajkot, 54, Junagadh, 43 and Surendranagar witnessed 32 cases. The rest came in from other districts and municipal corporation areas.

The state reported 10

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Haresh Jhala

OVERVIEW

A medic takes a swab from a passenger at the Ranip bus terminal in Ahmedabad.

deaths including two from Ahmedabad, and one each from Bhavnagar, Navsari and Gandhinagar. Of the total 11,221 active cases, 68 are on ventilator support.

In Vadodara, 559 samples were tested in the past 24 hours. Of these, 77 came back positive.

There are a total 803 active cases in the district, with 144 patients on oxy-

gen support and 41 on Bipap machines. Three patients died. With 14 new cases, Bharuch now has 521 cases.

In Surat, Officer on Special Duty Mahendra Patel told the media that SMIMER has signed a MOU with a private hospital, making 2,075 beds available for COVID-19 patients.

As many as 770 of these

beds are available. By July 20, another 1,000bed dedicated COVID-19 hospital will be available, with ICU and oxygen facilities. The kidney hospital will be converted into a dedicated Covid-19 hospital with 800 beds and will be ready by August 15.

Patel added that 1,500 persons from the diamond sector and 1,300

from the textile sector have been infected by the Sars-Cov-2 virus so far.

In Rajkot city, 39 new cases have emerged, including seven members of a single family. With this, the total positive cases in Rajkot is now 476. Rajkot city’s University Police Station was sanitized after an accused in custody tested positive.

Textile markets closed voluntarily until July 19 First India Bureau Surat: In the wake of a rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city, the Surat Textile Market Association along with a dozen other textile markets have taken a decision to voluntarily shut down shop until July 19.

After the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) issued new guidelines for textile markets, permission was granted to shops to stay open as per oddeven protocol. The market resumed operations in strict adherence to COVID-19 guidelines on Monday but only 35% shops remained open due to fear of virus transmission.

Following the announcement of voluntary closure by the city’s oldest and most lauded market, the Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) also asked other markets to remain closed voluntarily keeping with the current health crisis.

On Tuesday, office

Surat: After being assigned the task of screening people at district checkposts in Olpad and Mangrol talukas, members of the Surat District Primary Teachers’ Association have expressed their resentment and demanded withdrawal of the circular issued by Surat District Education Office.

The head of the association Kirit Patel said, “The teachers have already worked in close coordination with the government to conduct health surveys in containment zones, distribute ration supplies and medicines to people. It is unfair on them to work three shifts. The government should think of the teachers, their safety and rethink its decision.”

Ever since a surge of COVID-19 cases emerged in the diamond city, additional

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Surat’s teachers oppose checkpost duty assignment Ruchi Thakar

responsibilities have been assigned to teachers. According to the circular issued by the Surat District Education Office, over 42 teachers from Olpad and Mangrol talukas will be stationed at the checkposts in the district to assist police and health workers with

District Primary Teachers’ Association demands withdrawal of circular screening. With the schools closed and students receiving their lessons online, teachers have been tasked with additional duties by the DEO. Over 18 teachers of the Olpad taluka and 24 teachers of Mangrol taluka have been asked to report for duty at checkposts. All teachers will have to man their posts in three shifts from 8 am to 2 pm, 2 pm to 8 pm, and 8 pm to 8 am.

A textile market in Surat.

—Sanwar Prasad Budhia, FOSTTA President

bearers of 10- 12 city markets decided to voluntarily shut down until July 19, a move drive largely by fear of SMC’s heavy fines for guideline violations.

On the other hand, only 50% shops operated under the oddeven protocol.

Meanwhile, business leaders have mixed opinions over the closure. Merchant pioneer Narendra Sabu said, “The decision to close

Like city, state to get more rain Ahmedabad: The weatherman has predicted yet another heavy spell of rains for the state on Thursday.

Ahmedabad received a deluge on Wednesday evening accompanied by lightning and gusty winds.

It is likely that most

parts of the state will receive heavy showers which may last until the weekend. Most parts of South Gujarat along the coast, covering Vapi, Navsari, Valsad, and Surat districts are expected to be lashed with heavy rainfall on Thursday.

There is a cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea of the coast which will shift to-

wards the Northeast Arabian Sea adjoining Saurashtra. The upcoming rainfall will help reduce the water deficiency of the Gujarat region to some extent. The overall surplus of 31% rainfall for the complete state may help increase that number further. Also, the heavy rains may cause localized flooding and inundation of

low-lying areas.

Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Gandhinagar and Anand are likely to receive moderate to heavy showers in coming days. The driest locations of North Gujarat such as Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Patan, Palanpur, Mehsana, Deesa and Idar also stand to receive decent rainfall in this duration.

the Surat Textile Market is unfortunate. Market officials have been misleading traders by arbitrarily deciding to close until July 19. As a result, other markets have followed suit. The COVID-19 outbreak is not going to end in a few days, but is likely to go on for a year or so. Will the markets stay closed until then? The decision to shutdown should have been left to FOSTTA and SMC officials.”

Western A’bad sees 52% of July deaths

First India Bureau

A cyclist braves the thunderstorm that took Amdavadis by surprise after a relatively clear day on Wednesday.

—FILE PHOTO

The traders should have been consulted, but the committee members negotiated among themselves and decided to shut the market. The decision should have been taken by traders voluntarily.

AMC office.

First India Bureau

03

Ahmedabad: The western part of Ahmedabad hardly reported any COVID-19 cases when Jamalpur was a hotspot.

However, the situation has changed drastically, with more than 50% of new COVID-19 cases recorded in the last two weeks accounted for in that part of the city.

A total of 2,379 cases emerged this month, of which, 1,357 cases were from the western part of the city, that is comprised of three zones West Zone (611 cases, 22 deaths) North-West Zone (432 cases, 10

—FILE PHOTO

deaths) and the SouthWest Zone (315 cases and 14 deaths).Out of the total 88 deaths over the last two weeks, 46 were recorded from the western part.

Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) launched a helpline service called ‘COVID Santvana’ on Wednesday for all queries related to COVID-19. The service will provide psychological counselling to people coping with mental and psychological stress, tension resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak.

It will be operational from 9 am to 9 pm and can be availed of by dialling 1100.

TAKE STOCK FIRST

‘Univs will have to postpone exams if nCov situation not conducive’ 

The principal bench of the Gujarat high court including Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice JB Pardiwala gave the order on Wednesday

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The state High Court has allowed universities to conduct examinations as per University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. The court also observed that, if the COVID-19 situation worsens and it is not conducive, universities may have to postpone the examinations.

High Court Principal

Bench including Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice JB Pardiwala while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by former IPS Rahul Sharma and others, granted universities permission to hold exams both online and offline following prescribed COVID-19 protocol guidelines.

The court also gave a stipulation that all exams be conducted as per UGC’s revised guidelines.

The court observed, “Universities will have to take the final call on conducting exams physically. It goes without saying that it will be the burden and obligation of any university to conduct examinations in physical form in such a manner that the students are not put at any risk of any nature,” adding, “If the situation worsens or it is not conducive, then the court will have to postpone exams.”

A petitioner had approached the court with a prayer to direct universities to postpone exams since they had not carried out any risk assessment. The petitioner had also submitted that the students who had left for their native states will be at a great disadvantage if exams are held. While the petition was pending for hearing, UGC had come out with revised guidelines with more practical options.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

THE LONG WAIT FOR T20 WORLD CUP

T

he biggest disruption that Covid-19 pandemic has caused is to the sporting calendar. Novak Djokovic took the risk by hosting a charity tennis tournament but had to abandon it after he and some players tested positive. Chess is being played in the virtual world with half the thrill. Soccer returned to the stadiums minus the roar of the game’s ardent fans.

Cricket is taking tentative steps to make a comeback with West Indies playing England in England in empty stadiums under a new set of rules necessitated

by Covid-19 after nearly half of 2020 has flown by. If the pandemic hadn’t struck we would have been dissecting performances of teams and players in the Indian Premier League, along with analyzing India’s prospects in the Twenty20 World Cup. In April the Board for Control of Cricket in India decided to postpone the tournament indefinitely in view of Covid-19.

Cricket, after all, is Indians’ joie de vivre and they eagerly await the T20 World Cup which was scheduled to be held in Australia from September 18 to November 15. With the pandemic giving no respite, there are chances of the 16-team tournament being postponed. If the International Cricket Council so decides, the BCCI is ready with a threemonth window from September to November to conduct. The ball is in the ICC’s court which, as Sourav Ganguly has said, “is trying its level best to host the World Cup because it is a huge revenue earner” just as IPL is to the BCCI. Until then cricket lovers will have to wait with fingers crossed.

Rajasthan political fiasco and the archaic law of political defections DHRUV GUPTA Advocate, Supreme Court of India

A

INDIA CEMENTING BOND WITH EU

W

hether due to the coronavirus pandemic of which it is regarded as the source or its aggressive postures in the South China Sea, many countries are increasingly turning away from China. The deepening tension between the US and the Communist country is hastening the rebuilding of a new and reformed world order in which India is set to play a leading role. The India-European Union Summit which Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed virtually on Wednesday has to be viewed in this changing dynamic.

The EU and other world countries, which were heavily dependent on the Chinese supply chain before the pandemic outbreak, are now looking at India, among the largest democracies, as a new business hub. The prime minister had tweeted hoping that the summit “will further strengthen our economic as well as our cultural linkages”. Modi said in his address at the summit, “In the post-COVID world, there have been new challenges in the economic world globally. To solve this, democratic countries must come together,” in an oblique reference to undemocratic China.

The summit lays the foundation for a bigger role for India, which is scheduled to host the G20 meet in 2022, in the fast-changing world. There is a vast scope for India-EU partnership in technology and on climate, in the information and communications technology sector for strategic autonomy in the digital sphere. Pharmaceutical and health are the other sectors where the EU and India can forge a long term partnership. As Modi said, the joining of hands by EU and India “can play an important role in building human-centric and human-centric globalization”.

The act introduced the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India, providing for disqualification of members who voluntarily give up their membership of the political party or vote or abstain from voting, contrary to the directions of their party

midst the ongoing political fiasco in Rajasthan, which culminated in the removal of the Deputy CM and the Rajasthan PCC President from his ranks, one cannot help but draw parallels with recent and similar political disorders in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and look to the law to understand where the lacunae lay.

The public projection by the rebelling elected Members of the Rajasthan State Legislature, of having withdrawn the support to the State Government is not the first attempt of its kind and certainly not the last.

The history of what is now known as ‘political defection’ can be traced, as far back as, to the days of the Montford Reforms, however, it was the most infamous case of “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram”, where one Gaya Lal crossed the floor of the house several times within a fortnight, which provided the impetus to push for a law on anti-defection.

The “Committee on Defections”, set up in 1967 under the chairmanship of Shri. YB Chavan, the then Union Home Minister, to study the ills of political defections noted that the lure of office played a dominant part in the decisions of legislators to defect. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that a member should be bound to the party under whose aegis he/ she wins the election and therefore, such a defector should be barred from holding a ministerial post. After two unsuccessful attempts at introducing the law prohibiting political defections, in the years 1973 and 1978, it was finally introduced by the Constitution (Fifty-Second Amendment) Act, 1985.

The act introduced the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India, providing for disqualification of members who voluntarily give up their membership of the political party or vote or abstain from voting, contrary

to the directions of their party. However, interestingly, renunciation of membership of the legislature was not specified as a ground for disqualification. Further, while the law permitted a ‘split’ of at least one-third members from the party, no prohibition on post-defection appointment to ministerial posts was prescribed.

These problems were addressed subsequently under the Constitution (Ninety-first Amendment) Act, 2003, whereby, while party ‘split’ was prohibited altogether, the appointment to ministerial posts was restricted till such time the remaining term of the member expired or he was re-elected to the house, whichever was earlier. It is the latter part of the amendment which continues to be problematic, in as much as, despite disqualifying members for defection, the option to be re-elected in by-polls and then hold a ministerial post remains open for them. The example of Vishwajit Rane, a member of INC who, post his election, resigned from his party and joined the BJP and became a minister under the government, is an instance which highlights the need for amendment of this provision.

Another loophole in the law of anti-defection, as stated above, is that the law does not prohibit resigna-

ANOTHER LOOPHOLE IN THE LAW OF ANTIDEFECTION, AS STATED ABOVE, IS THAT THE LAW DOES NOT PROHIBIT RESIGNATIONS AS MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURES

tions as Members of the Legislatures but in fact, subjects it to the decision of the Speaker or the Chairperson, as the case may be. Consequently, the practice of mass resignations of members are frequently adopted to allege that the ruling government does not have the requisite numbers to continue to enjoy the support of the House. Although the State variants of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the State Legislature generally provide for moving of motions of no-confidence demonstrating a lack of confidence in the Council

THE POLITICS OF A COVID-19 VACCINE

T

he global toll of the COVID-19 pandemic is enormous: more than a half-million lives lost, hundreds of millions out of work, and trillions of dollars of wealth destroyed. And the disease has by no means run its course; hundreds of thousands more could well die from it.

Not surprisingly, there is tremendous interest in the development of a vaccine, with more than a hundred efforts under way around the world. Several look promising, and one or more may bear fruit – possibly faster than the several years or longer it normally takes to bring a vaccine on line.

But even if one or more vaccines emerge that promise to make people less susceptible to COVID-19, the public-health

04

problem will not be eliminated. As any medical expert will attest, vaccines are not panaceas.

They are but one tool in the medical arsenal.

No vaccine can be expected to produce complete or lasting immunity in all who take it. Millions will refuse to get vaccinated. And there is the brute fact that there are nearly eight billion men, women, and children on the planet. Manufacturing eight billion doses (or multiples of that if more than one dose is needed) of one or more vaccines and distributing them around the globe could require years, not months.

These are all matters of science, manufacturing, and logistics. They are sure to be difficult.

But the politics will be at least as challenging.

For starters, who will pay for any vaccine? Com-

Even if one or more vaccines emerge that promise to make people less susceptible to COVID-19, the public-health problem will not be eliminated

panies will expect to recoup their investment in research and development, along with the costs of production and distribution.

That is already tens of billions of dollars (and possibly much more) – before the question of profit is even introduced. There is also the related question of how companies that develop a vaccine will be compensated if they are re-

quired to license the patents and know-how to producers elsewhere.

The toughest political question of all, though, is likely to concern access.

Who should receive the initial doses of any vaccine? Who determines who is allowed into the queue and in what order?

What special advantages accrue to the country where a vaccine is developed? To what extent will wealthier countries crowd out poorer ones?

Will countries let geopolitics intrude, sharing the vaccine with friends and allies while forcing vulnerable populations in adversary countries to the back of the line?

At the national level, every government should start to think through how it will distribute those vaccines it produces or receives. One idea would be to administer

it first to health-care workers, followed by police, firefighters, the military, teachers, and other essential workers.

Governments must also consider what priority to give those at higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19, such as the elderly and those with preexisting conditions. Should a vaccine be free to some or all?

Recent history reinforces this skepticism.

COVID-19 emerged in China and quickly became a worldwide problem. Responses, though, have been mostly along national lines. Some countries have fared relatively well, thanks to their existing public health systems and political leadership; with others, it has been just the opposite.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATE.COM

of Ministers, the provisions are seldom resorted to and instead, the mechanism of mass resignations are adopted to reduce the numerical strength of the Government, thereby, shifting the onus on the Government to prove that it continues to enjoy the confidence of the House.

On the judicial front, it has been time and again observed and reiterated by the highest Court of the land that unprincipled defection is political and social evil. It is perceived as such by the legislature. The antidefection law must recognize the practical need to place the proprieties of political conduct above its theoretical assumptions of intellectual freedom.

The issue can, therefore, be resolved by making suitable amendments to the existing legislative framework, and simultaneously, by casting a corresponding obligation on the political parties to recognize the necessity for basic political morality and their obligations to one another, equally. Unless the problem is addressed in the sphere of political morality, coupled with suitable amendments being made to the law, State elections will lose their importance, thereby, affecting the quasi-federal structure of the Constitution.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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TWEET Nirmala Sitharaman @nsitharaman The Partial Credit Guarantee Scheme (PCGS) was revamped under the #AatmanirbharBharat Package to support the liability side of NBFCs by providing a 20% portfolio guarantee to Public Sector Banks for the purchase of Bonds/ Commercial Papers rated AA and below issued by NBFCs. Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal With a vision to foster a futureready workforce, today marks #5YearsofSkillIndia Mission. As envisaged by PM @NarendraModi ji, this initiative is empowering nation’s youth with market-relevant skills, training skill seekers beyond classrooms & helping them fulfil their dreams.

Spiritual SPEAK

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

—Amos 5:24

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Priyanka chides UP govt on law & order situation Citing a kidnapping case, the Cong leader challenged the Yogi govt New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday slammed Yogi Adityanath government over deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, citing a kidnapping case in Kanpur.

In a Facebook post, she said a young man was kidnapped by miscreants in Kanpur and his family was asked for a ransom for his release.

“The family collected Rs 30 lakh by selling their house and wedding jewellery. At the behest of the police, the family handed over the bag full of money to the kidnappers and the police could neither catch the miscreants, nor their son could be freed,” she said.

The family members of the kidnapped man are distraught, the Congress general secretary in-charge UP East added. “This is a case from Kanpur where such a big incident had taken place a few days ago.

Now you can imagine the state of law and order in UP from this,” Priyanka Gandhi said, referring to the Vikas Dubey episode.

Dubey, a wanted criminal, was shot dead on Friday last by police,

This is a case from Kanpur where such a big incident had taken place a few days ago. Now you can imagine the state of law and order in UP from this.

—Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress leader

INDIA LOSING POWER AND RESPECT EVERYWHERE, SAYS RAHUL New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on the government's foreign policy, saying the country is losing power and respect everywhere and the current dispensation does not know what to do. “India's global strategy is in tatters.

We are losing power and respect everywhere and the Government of India (GOI) has no idea what to do,” he tweeted. He cited a report that claimed that Iran has dropped India from the Chabahar rail project, citing funding delays. who claimed he was trying to flee after the car carrying him from Ujjain overturned on an isolated stretch of the highway on the out-

skirts of the city.

Dubey was wanted in connection with the ambush in Kanpur's Bikru village past midnight on July 2, killing

Follow all agreed protocols for border mgmt: India to China New Delhi: In the fourth round of military-level talks between the two countries that lasted nearly 15 hours, the Indian Army conveyed a “very clear” message to the Chinese side that status quo ante must be restored in eastern Ladakh, government sources said on Wednesday.

During the course of marathon military discussion, the Indian military also asked the Chinese army to adhere to all protocols, mutually agreed upon by both sides to resolve the border tensions and bring back the peace and tranquillity along LAC. “It was clearly conveyed to China that it must follow all the relevant provisions of agreements and protocols that govern management of the border by both the sides,” the sources said.

Now Muslim leaders slam Oli’s Ayodhya statement Lucknow: After Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's statement on 'real' Ayodhya being in Nepal, drew flak from Hindu saints and related outfits, it is now the Muslims leaders who have spoken out against the statement.

Iqbal Ansari, a plaintiff in the Babri title suit, said: “If Lord Hanuman gets angry on this issue, he will destroy Nepal with one stroke of his mace. After all, wherever Ram goes, Hanuman follows him.”

He said that the Nepal Prime Minister probably was not aware of the importance of Ayodhya in the country and in the world. “If he comes to Ayodhya, he will realise its importance and significance,” he said. Muslim cleric, Maulana Saif Abbas, also condemned the statement made by Oli and said that it was 'unfortunate and unacceptable'. He claimed that the Nepal Prime Minister was making such statements at the behest of China and Pakistan in an attempt to create unrest in India.

“Oli should not allow himself to become a puppet in the hands of others,” he said. Maulana demanded that Oli should immediately withdraw his statement and apologize. —Agencies

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday in the national capital.

Rajnath, CDS to attend DAC meet on arms supply New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and chiefs of the three services will attend a special Defence Acquisition Council meeting on Tuesday, informed Defence officials.

“The meeting is being held to speed up the procurement of weapons systems and ammunition for the armed forces,” said a defence official. Recently, Rajnath Singh visited Russia and discussed concerning the ongoing defence contracts with Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yury Ivanovich Borisov and was assured that the projects will be ex-

UNCHARTED TERRITORY

INDIA DISCUSSES BILATERAL TIES WITH RUSSIA'S DY FOREIGN MIN

The talks began at Chushul post on the Indian side at 11: 30 am on Tuesday and ended at around 2 am on July 15.

The meeting went on for 14.5 hours.

Fourth round of the military-level talks held at a designated meeting point in Chushul on Indian side of LAC. Lt Gen Harinder Singh, Commander of Lehbased 14 Corps led Indian delegation, while Chinese side was headed by Major General Liu Lin, Commander of the South Xinjiang military region. —Agencies

SC REFUSES PIL AGAINST DOMICILE RESERVATION IN GOVT JOBS New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea challenging the 100 per cent domicile reservation in public employment, prevalent in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao, while

eight policemen who had come to arrest him.

In a tweet, Priyanka also attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to media reports, first it was stated that the report of a deceased person was negative for coronavirus and the body was handed over to the person's family. Then it was said the report was positive, but the ambulance came to take the body after 16 hours, she said.

This happened in the home district of the CM in Gorakhpur, she said.

“Is this how the UP government is fighting coronavirus?” the Congress leader said.

refusing to hear the petition, asked the petitioner to approach the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

“Why are you saying it’s a pan-India affair? You can approach the Jammu and Kashmir High Court with your petition. Withdraw it and go back to the High Court,” the bench said after which petitioner withdrew his plea.

New Delhi: Indian Ambassador to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and discussed bilateral cooperation on global platforms including UNSC. Embassy of Russian Federation in India tweeted “Deputy Foreign Ministry Vershinin met with Ambassador of India to Russia Varma to discuss the cooperation at various international platforms, including in the context of India's election to the UN Security Council in 2021-2022 as a nonpermanent member” .

A tigress that had entered into a house in Baghmari area at Bagori range in Nagaon district yesterday was tranquilized and rescued today

Man involved in MLA’s death held Kolkata: CID team arrested Niloy Singh, in connection with the death case of BJP MLA Debendra Nath Roy, whose body was found hanging in West Bengal.

Suicide note recovered from the pocket of the deceased MLA, mentioned Niloy Sin-

BJP LEADER MEHRAJ DIN MALLA ABDUCTED, MANHUNT LAUNCHED Sopore: Mehraj Din Malla, BJP leader and Vice President of Municipal Committee (MC) Watergam in Sopore area of Baramulla district was abducted on Wednesday morning. Police have launched a manhunt in the area. Mehraj was abducted by an unknown person. Police have launched a search operation in the area, informed BJP Spokesperson, Kashmir. Recently, BJP leader Sheikh Waseem Bari at Bandipora, who along with his father and brother, was killed by the terrorists on July 8.

05

gh's name, police officials said. CID took charge of the investigation into the death of BJP MLA, who was found hanging on Monday morning in the Hemtabad area of Bengal's North Dinajpur district, on Wednesday.

This is the first arrest

made by the agency into the case.

West Bengal BJP leadership had called for a 12-hour bandh in the districts of North Bengal on Tuesday.

Members and workers of BJP state unit staged a protest in Kolkata alleging foul play. —ANI

MHA SEEKS SUGGESTIONS OVER RESTRICTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought suggestions from Director Generals (DGs) of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) on placing restrictions on the use of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram

by CAPF jawans. The Home Ministry has said that no ban has been

imposed on Facebook or any other application and previous communication was also sent asking for the suggestions on this issue. The ministry wants to have views and comments of the paramilitary on the issue. After getting the views from all forces, the Home Ministry will decide the further course of action.

DEF MIN TO VISIT LADAKH, SRINAGAR

ecuted soon.

Government sources said the Minister discussed on the supply of equipment and spares needed for the Russian-origin fighter aircraft including the Su-30MKIs and MiG-29s of the Air Force and the MiG29Ks of the Indi-

an Navy, the T-90 battle ranks for the Army and the Kilo-class submarines of the Navy along with other warships. The equipment was earlier supposed to be supplied to India through the sea route but was stuck there for several months due to COVID-19. —ANI

Delete Facebook or quit Army: HC New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Tuesday upheld the Indian Army’s ban on the use of social media platforms by its personnel. The court was adjudicating upon a plea entered by an army officer challenging the army’s recent decision to ask its personnel to delete 89 mobile applications including Facebook, Tinder, Instagram, We Chat and Snapchat to “plug leakage of information”.

The bench of Justices RS Endlaw and Asha Menon said that it found no reason to entertain the plea and “the question of granting any interim relief does not arise”.

“Especially when the matter has the potential of concerning the safety and security of the country,” the court said.

The officer posted in Jammu and Kashmir

who had filed the plea had argued that he used Facebook to communicate with his friends and family, including his daughter who lives abroad. He also said that once he deleted Facebook, he would lose all data and contacts.

The court did not appear impressed by the argument. It also advised the officer to quit the army if he is unwilling to delete Facebook.

“If you are so dear to FB, then put in your papers. See you have to make a choice, what do you want to do. You have other choices which are also irreversible,” the court said.

PRIEST SENTENCED FOR RAPING MINOR, WANTS TO MARRY HER Kochi: Former catholic priest Robin Vadakkumchery on Wednesday approached the Kerala HC seeking permission to marry the girl, whom he had raped when she was minor.Vadakkumchery was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment in connection with POCSO court in Thalassery last year for raping and impregnating a minor girl in Kannur. Robin and the victim approached the court jointly for this. He is also seeking permission to take the protection of the girl. The court will consider the petition on Friday.

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KEJRIWAL THANKS OPPN FOR SUPPORT Says, COVID-19 situation in Delhi is better than June, but war against the disease has not been won yet New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the current COVID-19 situation in the national capital is better than what it was in June, but the war against the disease has not been won yet.

He said had the Delhi government fought the virus alone, it would have "failed" and therefore his dispensation sought cooperation from the BJP-led Centre, NGOs, and other organisations.

"Our first principle was that this fight cannot be won alone," Kejriwal said. The chief minister said the AAP government will continue its preparations to deal with any spike in COVID-19 cases.

Addressing an online media briefing, the

3 LAKH TESTS DONE IN LAST 24 HOURS

chief minister said according to the Centre's formula, Delhi was expected to have 2.25 lakh cases by July 15, but at present, there are only 1.15 lakh cases.

As the COVID-19 cases had started rising in the first week of June, it was expected that there would be 1.34 lakh

active cases by July 15, but till date, there are only 18,600 active cases in the city.

"We are in better situation today, as compared to June, but it does not mean we have won the war (against COVID-19). We have yet to go a long way.

"There may be a spike

again in COVID-19 cases. We don't have to be complacent. We will not sit idle. We will have to be fully prepared," Kejriwal said.

The 'Delhi Model', which was recently praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is based on collective efforts by the AAP gov-

ernment, the Centre, other organisations and all political parties, he said and thanked the BJP the and Congress for their cooperation.

The chief minister said the Delhi government worked on three principles after realising that the fight against the COVID-19

pandemic cannot be won alone.

"If the Delhi government had thought it would win the fight against coronavirus alone, we would have failed. Our first principle was that this fight cannot be won alone.

"Our second principle was that we did not criticise our critics for their views about our work. We improved things after somebody flagged it. The third principle was that we did not accept defeat.

Had we accepted defeat, there would have been a surge in the numbers of deaths," he also said.

According to Kejriwal, the government scaled up testing for COVID-19 aggressively and daily 20,000 to 23,000 tests are being conducted in Delhi. —ANI

VCs must attend Safety of women, children top most virtual conference: priority of Modi govt: Amit Shah Urges Dhankhar Kolkata: The ViceChancellors (VCs) of all universities in West Bengal must attend the virtual conference "and desist partisan stance", Jagdeep Dhankhar, Governor, West Bengal said here on Wednesday.

"Keeping student welfare uppermost in mind, VCs must attend virtual conference and desist partisan stance.

Taking positive approach for the sake of education and students had an over reach. "Political Caging" of education would be disastrous and suicidal," tweeted Dhankhar.

Along with his tweet, he also shared the picture of a letter written

by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the Governor that read, "I would like to inform you that the VCs and universities are governed by their own statute and rules. They take guidance from the Higher Education Department as their administrative department." Banerjee further wrote that the Governor had already met with the higher education minister and secretary on Monday.

"Looking forward to virtual conference tomorrow (July 15) with VCs as regards student

Jagdeep Dhankhar

welfare. The conduct of VCs in not indicating open-ended issues of students not appreciated. Surely not in sync with their office. The primary concern ought to be student welfare and not otherwise," tweeted the governor on Tuesday. He added, "To break stalemate flagged issue @ MamataOfficial. Her stance is 'Universities and VCs are governed by their own statute and rules'. VCs must abide by the directive of Governor/Chancellor, respond as per Act so as to avoid unwholesome situations and attend virtual conference."

In June, the West Bengal Governor said he will soon hold a virtual conference with the VCs of all the universities in the state in the larger interest of the students. —ANI

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday that the safety of women and children is the top most priority of the Narendra Modi government.

The home minister’s comments came in the wake of the government launching a portal a few months ago for registering cyber crime complaints online.

“The safety and security of women and children is the top most priority of Modi government. There is also a special provision on cy-

Ashok Lavasa named as new ADB vice-prez New Delhi: Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa is set to join the Philippines-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) as vice president.

Lavasa still has over two years left in his term at the ECI. He would have retired as the Chief Election Commissioner in October 2022. As CEC, he would have conducted Assembly elections in UP, WB, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa, among other states.

His premature exit puts his colleague Sushil Chandra next in the line of succession. —ANI

SHAH CHAIRS MEET

06

POWER Gallery KAUN BANEGA SBI CHIEF

Arjit Basu Arjit Basu who is presently MD SBI is also a strong contender for the post. Professionally he is very sound but one minus point is he is retiring in November. One can wait and watch.

DA TO CENTRAL EMPLOYEES TO REMAIN FROZEN UNTIL 2021?

Dearness Allowance (DA) to the employees and officers of the Government of India is expected to remain frozen until 2021, according to sources.

WILL DR ANUP WADHAWAN MOVE TO UTTARAKHAND?

Latest information says that Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh, whose term expires on August 1, is not getting extension. In case he is denied extension, Secretary Commerce Dr Anup Wadhawan may be asked to return to the parent Uttarakhand cadre to take over as CS. Informed sources said that Dr Wadhawan is unwilling.

RAJESH BHUSHAN TO TAKE OVER AS NEW HEALTH SECRETARY ON AUG 1

Rajesh Bhushan will be taking over the charge as Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare on August 1, 2020 after the expiration of the extended term of Preeti Sudan in July this year.

VIJAY THAKUR SINGH TO RETIRE IN MEA

Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs, Ms. Vijay Thakur Singh is superannuating in September. She is 1985 batch IFS officer.

M K SURANA LIKELY TO GET EXTENSION AS CMD, HPCL

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas is likely to move an extension proposal of Mukesh Kumar Surana to the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). Surana, whose tenure is ending in March, 2021, may get extension upto April 30, 2022.

SC COLLEGIUM MEETINGS NOT HELD SINCE MID-MAY DUE TO COVID-19

The meetings of Supreme Court Collegium had not been taking place since Mid-may due to COVID-19 situation.

Amit Shah

bercrime.gov.in to report cyber crimes against women and children. You can visit the portal to report any such incident,” he tweeted.

This portal is an initiative of the central government to facilitate victims and complainants

to report cyber crime complaints online. This portal caters to complaints pertaining to cyber crimes only with special focus on cyber crimes against women and children. The complaints reported on this portal are dealt by law

enforcement agencies and police based on the information available in the complaints.

It is imperative to provide correct and accurate details while filing complaint for prompt action, an official said. —PTI

CBSE class 10 results out: Over 91% students pass exams New Delhi: Girls outshone boys yet again in class 10 examination, results of which were announced by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday, recording a pass percentage of 91.46.

There has been a marginal increase of 0.36 per cent in the pass percentage as against last year. However, the number of students scoring above 90 per cent and 95 per cent have reduced this year by 3 per cent and 1 per cent, respectively.

The board did not announce any merit list

DR. VIDHU P. NAIR IS NEW INDIAN AMBASSADOR TO TURKMENISTAN

Dr. Vidhu P. Nair has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Turkmenistan. The 2002 batch IFS officer, is presently Director in the External Affairs Ministry.

BHOLE AMIT GUNVANT APPOINTED OSD TO SANJAY SHAMRAO DHOTRE

Bhole Amit Gunvant has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty to Sanjay Shamrao Dhotre, Minister of State for Human Resources Development. He is a 2010 batch ICAS officer.

SIMANCHALA DASH GETS ONE YEAR EXTENSION IN ED

Principal Special Director in ED Simanchala Dash has been given one year extension in his tenure.

He is 1988 batch IRS (IT) officer.

TWO IAS OFFICERS GET NEW ASSIGNMENTS IN MP

Sachin Sinha has been appointed as Principal Secretary, Panchayat and Rural Development and Mal Singh Bhayadiya is now Additional Commissioner, Revenue and Ujjain Division in Madhya Pradesh. this year in view of the exceptional circumstances amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While girls have achieved a pass percentage of 93.31, pass percentage of boys and transgenders is 90.14 and 78.95, respectively.

Over 1.84 lakh scored

above 90 per cent and more than 41,000 students scored above 95 per cent marks. A total of 18.73 lakh students appeared in the exam, out of which 17.13 lakh passed. A total of 1.5 lakh student have been placed in compartment. —PTI

prescribe these tests.

The state government has yet not taken any decision on festivals, fairs or religious congregations, including Navratri, and is instead adopting a waitand-watch approach.

The state government will take a call at the appropriate time as per the guidelines from the Union Home Ministry, Patel also said.

the people had mandated a strong government and he had hoped to provide good governance to people. “You have seen how we have wporking for people in Corona pandemic. Our colleagues have been trapped in BJP’s web.

Fights do happen in politics, of ideology, policies, programs, but those fights can be understood. You want to leave you can go since with 2/3 majority, but you indulge with BJP in centre and involve in hob-nobbing, strike monetary deals with them,” Gehlot said.

The Chief Minister

ASHOK LAVASA TO JOIN ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

Ashok, Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India, will be joining as Vice President for Private Sector Operations and Public Private Partnerships in Asian Development Bank. He is whispered to be succeeding present incumbent Diwakar Gupta whose tenure is ending on August 31. Lavasa is a 1980 batch retired IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

FROM PG 1 India-EU...

Apart from the current challenges, the Prime Minister said that longterm challenges like climate change are also a priority for both India and the EU. “In our efforts to increase the use of renewable energy in India, we invite investment and technology from Europe. I hope that through this virtual summit our relations will gain momentum,” he said.

Terming India and the European Union “natural partners,” Prime Minister Modi called for creating an action-oriented agenda

to foster the partnership and said he is committed to making relations “deep and comprehensive” “Due to COVID-19, we had to postpone India-EU summit. It is good that we are able to come together today through a virtual medium. Like you, I am also committed to making our relations deep and comprehensive,” the Prime Minister said.

“For this, we must adopt a long-term strategic perspective. Along with this, an action-oriented agenda should be created, which can be implemented within the

stipulated time frame.

India and the EU are natural partners. Our partnership is also useful for peace and stability in the world. This reality has become even more evident in today’s global situation,” he added. —ANI

Gujarat on...

He also highlighted the role of the 925 Dhanvantri Raths deployed across the state in diagnosing patients, guiding them and--where required--also referring them to hospitals for further treatment.

Patel also said the recovery rate has im-

proved from 30% to 70%, which is how 30,550 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

He says the recovery rate is also good because all hospitals are equipped with medical equipment and ventilators. At present, 2,231 ventilators are in use across all governmentrun hospitals.

Until recently, only doctors with an MD (Doctor of Medicine) degree were permitted to prescribe tests for nCov in private laboratories.

With those norms relaxed, and even MBBS doctors can

Pilot involved... “it is supporting those who are involved in murdering democracy”. terming the developments to be unfortunate, Gehlot said that

said that those who are murdering democracy are seated in Delhi and indulged in horse trading. “Congress ensured Democracy survived in India for seventy years and did not let the nation become like Pakistan, but these people are murdering Democracy. The entire majority is seated with us but they are engrossed in horse trading,” he said.

Gehlot also stressed that had he not decided on keeping the Congress MLAs in hotel during Rajya Sabha elections, the game being played today would

have been played then.

On the question of ED and Income Tax action in state, Gehlot said, “why were these raids called? Will you use CBI, ED and I-T to threaten people? Where is Democracy headed? I am a third time Chief Minister, I have been in politics for forty years and this new generation is our future and we love them. I had said once that the leadership in nation had to go through hardships over the past forty years when they were in their youth. Hence after 40 years we are alive in politics,” Gehlot said.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020

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07

An estimated 50 million Indian tourists will have to call off their international travel plans this year. And that’s great for the local tourism industry

STAYCATIONS POPULAR

TOURISM TREND AFTER COVID-19

T

ravelling international is not going to be on the cards for a while. Apart from the fact that we can’t, countries, too haven’t opened borders for the Indian tourist. While the mode or means of travel may not be available, that is not going to stop us from travelling. With the itineraries becoming more domestic, there is a very high possibility that the new travel trend of staycations and short trips might just help in reviving the Indian tourism industry.

Resurgence of a decade-old trend

STAYCATIONS WILL BE THE NEW WAY TO HOLIDAY

V

arious Indian states have quarantine rules. Some require you to make a minimum 5 to 7-day stay bookings, others are suggesting a minimum period of 14 days. To travel some of the Indian states, you also need a medical certificate that states that you do not have Covid-19 infection. With so much effort going into planning and executing a trip, travellers would also want to stay back for a while and refresh themselves until they decide to head back.

Many hotels and boutique properties in India, are also now offering packages, that would allow people to work from respective properties.

Today, since most of us continue to work from home, all that is required is a good internet connection, even if you are sitting in the middle of the forest with a picnic basket. Knowing that there are only deadlines to emails and not to when you need to return to your hometown, being in a different location will definitely be a relief after spending more than 100 days within the four walls of your home.

Health and wellness will also take precedence. So, wellness resorts too, will have a lot of provisions in place in order to provide their guests with a safe environment. Manoj Khetan, the co-founder of Naad

Wellness, located in Sonipat, says, “Naad is up and running and now and being part of the healthcare industry, our safety and hygiene standards are at par with the country’s leading hospitals. The current practices included health screening of all employees before re-joining, infrared temperature screening of all guests and associates at the entrance, and at regular intervals, 100% focus on the sanitisation of the rooms, public areas, therapy rooms and medical equipment.”

TRAVEL BY ROAD TO BE THE MOST PREFERRED MODE OF TRANSPORT

taycation’s popularity has S peaked after the pandemic began (according to Google

A

s rules across various states have been relaxed, we are seeing that nothing is holding people back from hitting the highway. Yes, travelling by air might seem like the safest way to travel, but many people are opting to not go ahead with it until it is absolutely necessary. In fact, they are opting to pick up their car, or book a cab and embark on a road trip.

According to various news reports, as soon as Himachal Pradesh opened its borders, almost 700 people visited the state in 5 days. People are applying for e-passes in order to travel to different states. For some states, even that is not required. Road trips are still being considered as a safe mode of transport by people because it is allowing them to not come in contact with others.

Trends, at least) due to the restriction and risks involved in long-distance travel. For instance, the percentage of bookings made on Airbnb increased from one-third in February to over a half of all bookings in May. The tourism industry, which has suffered a sudden yet savage blow, is counting on this surge in staycations to recover. More and more luxury hotels, resorts, homestays and other players are designing staycation packages. This could, in turn, control the damage of the floundering economy as well.

E

ven as the number of Covid-19 cases in India is on the rise, travellers are taking shortdistance trips.

“We have already witnessed emergency travel primarily through personal vehicles, trains and flights, which is the first phase of things getting back on track for the sector.

In the second phase, customers will prefer short trips or staycations within the city or in nearby destinations in the same state,” explained Balu Ramachandran, senior vicepresident of travel portal Cleartrip.

VOCAL FOR LOCAL One such bubble could be Kerala, Ramachandran suggested, as the southern state’s response to prevent the pandemic has been garnering appreciation globally. As of July 7, Kerala had a total of 5,622 active cases of Covid-19.

Other such “bubbles” may emerge in the coming months as state governments start investing in measures that ensure safe tourism.

For instance, Goa, India’s most

popular beach holiday destination, has made coronavirus tests mandatory for tourists before entering the state and has forbidden private hotels that are not registered with the state’s tourism department to take bookings. On July 6, The Times of India newspaper reported that there had already been a surge in tourists arriving in Goa on private jets.

Similarly, the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand is welcoming back tourists and has announced certain restrictions on sightseeing to ensure social distancing.

4% ROOT FOR DOMESTIC DESTINATION

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e recently did a survey, and found that almost 74% people feel that the first trip post Covid will be to a domestic destination. There has been a massive buzz around going #VocalForLocal. We are already are seeing how people are adapting it in every other way of life and we will soon see it in travel too. There are many Indian destinations that are at par with international locations.

The Sam sand dunes will Jaisalmer will give a tough competition to the Sahara Desert. Also,

let’s not forget the iconic India Gate, which will leave you in awe compared to the Arc De Triumphe in Paris.

With discovery and a shift in choices, these initiatives will give opportunities to local businesses to flourish. From restaurants, to artisans and boutique properties that are run by locals and provide great experiences will catch on.

Discovery of domestic destinations as holiday locations might just be the band-aid that the Indian tourism industry need, in order to heal.

DOMESTIC TRAVEL THE NEW TRAVEL TREND FOR INDIANS

I

t can either be defined as the inability to travel abroad, or the wish to now explore the country, but industry experts predict that there is going to be a massive shift in how people go on holidays.

Travelling within the country is going to be a popular choice now because it will be far more accessible. Rohit Kapoor, CEO, India and South Asia for Oyo Rooms says, “In the second half of 2020 and 2021 domestic travel will pick up in India. Since travelling internationally would become more difficult due to structural reasons and a lot of other variables, people would prefer to explore their own country.” n SOURCE: AGENCIES n CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI n DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

Be compassionate with the aged and understanding with the young- you have been one and will be the other.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020

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This A’bad girl stuns all with 99.8% marks

CBSE CLASS 10 RESULTS: According to the national trend, number of students scoring above 90 & 95% has dropped this year Shishir Awasthi Ahmedabad: Breaking all records, Prachi Jindal of Delhi Public School’s Bopal branch in Ahmedabad scored a whopping 99.8 per cent in the CBSE class X examination this year even as the national trend showed a fall in the number of those scoring over 90 per cent marks.

Prachi has topped Gujarat getting 499/500 marks, while her own school’s Preeti Mishra and Sarin Patel followed closely with 98.8% and Kushal Shah, Yash Mehta and

HC asks State to arrange fees of jail inmates’ children

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday directed the State Education Department to provide school uniforms, textbooks, school fees and free notebooks to children of jail inmates.

A division bench of Justice Sonia Gokani and Justice N V Anjaria, in an order on jail inmate Anwar-ul Haq Ansari’s interim bail application, issued this direction to the State Government. In a short span, the jail inmate was granted bail twice and this was the third application, citing reasons to arrange school fees, books and uniforms for his children studying in Kendriya Vidyalaya.

The High Court directed the State Education Department to abide by Government Resolution dated May 19, 2005 and provide all education-related benefits to the jail inmates’ children.

COVID IMPACT

Prachi Jindal

Sangini Gandhi gave a tough competition scoring 98.6%. As many as 212 of over 400 students in the school scored more than 90%.

According to the national trend, as

Girls outshone boys yet again in the CBSE 10th exams this year.

suggested by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the number

of students scoring marks above 90 per cent and 95 per cent in the class 10 exams.

Over 1.84 lakh students have secured above 90 per cent marks which is three

per cent less than last year’s figure, according to data shared by the CBSE. In 2019,

over 2.2 lakh students were in this category comprising 12.78 per cent of the total number of students.

This year only 9.84 per cent of the total students have secured above 90 per cent marks. A total of 18.73 lakh students appeared in the exams in the country, out of which 17.13 lakh students passed.

The number of students scoring above 95 per cent has also decreased. In comparison to last year when more than 57,000 students had secured over 95 per cent in aggregate, this year 41,084 students fall

in this category.

However, in the class 12 results announced by the CBSE on Monday, the number of students scoring over 95 per cent was more than double the 2019 figure of 17,693.

While the 2020 examinations were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, 38,686 students scored above 95 per cent in the class 12 CBSE exams.

Similarly, the number of students who scored above 90 per cent also increased from about 94,000 students in 2019 to almost 1.6 lakh in 2020 in the class 12 exams.

Zydus begins human trials WOMAN STABS HUSBAND TO of its Covid-19 vaccine DEATH IN GANDHINAGAR First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: Zydus Cadila Ltd has started human clinical trials of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate as part of its phase I and II tests for its safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine.

“We look forward to the adaptive phase I/II clinical studies and gathering important data on ZyCoV-D in the months ahead,” Zydus Cadila Chairman Pankaj R. Patel said in a statement.

The company is conducting the trials at its Zydus Research Centre in Moraiya near Ahmedabad.

The Ahmedabad-

First India Bureau

Zydus Cadila begins human trials of its Covid vaccine candidate.

based company had earlier this month received an approval from the Drug Controller General of India V.G. Somani to conduct a phase I/II trial on 1,048 participants.

The 1,048 healthy participants will be divided into two

groups, with the first being given the vaccine candidate and the second a placebo.

Placebo is a substance with no therapeutic effect that is used only to act as a control arm of the trial against which the vaccine candidate will be compared.

Gandhinagar: In a gruesome episode that played out in Gujarat’s capital Gandhinagar, a woman allegedly stabbed her husband to death on Tuesday after an argument between the two went sour.

An FIR lodged at Sector-21 police station of Gandhinagar

by Arpit Patel, father of the victim Valji Patel, stated that Umiya Patel, his daughter-in law, who had gone to live with her husband just 10 days ago in a rented house, had a massive fight with him and she killed him.

SHOCKED!

Police investing gruesome murder in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar.

The matter came to light after the accused’s father, who lives in Mangrol, called the complainant living in Vadgam, and informed him that his daughter had called him from Gandhinagar. She was crying

A’bad sanitizer firm moves Supreme Court over ‘arbitrary’ 18% GST First India Bureau New Delhi : An Ahmedabad-based manufacturer of alcohol-based hand sanitizers has moved the Supreme Court challenging the “arbitrary” levy of 18% GST on such firms instead of 12% charged during the preGST period.

Regent Health Care’s Director Vivek Laxman Das Hundlani filed the plea “on the discriminatory

Advocate SK Singh (left) of Ahmedabad’s Regent Healthcare firm is fighting an important GST case.

approach of Government of India.”

The firm’s advocate SK Singh cited a July 7 news item in a business daily stating that

the Director-General of GST Intelligence circulated a list of 62 such manufacturers over 12% GST and directed officials to take

action.

Expressing fears of being exploited by the GST, he contended that manufacturers of these sanitizers come under the HSN code 3004 and not HSN code 3808, which is applicable to makers of insecticides.

This act is “arbitrary and against the Principle of Equability and infringement of Article 14 of the Constitution.”

This matter is likely to be listed in the next week.

profusely and told him that her husband was not speaking to her.

The couple had been married two-and-ahalf years ago and the victim earlier used to live alone in Gandhinagar and worked with a printer.

When the complainant, Narbat Patel, reached Gandhinagar to sort out the differences between the two, he was shocked to find Valji’s body lying on the floor of the house in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds.

A TEACHER’S INNOVATIVE APPROACH

School teacher Nitin Oza of Una town in Gujarat has found a unique way of testing what his students of class IX and X have learnt through his YouTube classes. He gives tests to them in the evening and they are expected to deposit their answer-sheets in metal drums on the school campus the next morning.

SOCIALLY DISTANCED?

THE COVID DIVIDE: Families pack off elders to old-age homes Owners of the old-age homes say that

many families fear that the elderly are susceptible to the infection

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Covid-19 crisis has separated friends and relatives in the name of social distancing alright, but it is also taking away elderly people and senior citizens from their homes.

This is why homes for the elderly in

Ahmedabad are increasingly receiving inquiries for availability of rooms. And the trend has accelerated after the lockdown.

Owners of the old-age homes say that a key reason for this is that the families fear that the elderly are susceptible to the infection.

“Our old-age home re-

ceives scores of inquiries everyday. One of them told me they have small children and since the elderly people can get infected easily, it is better to send them to an old-age home to protect the others,” an owner of one such facility said.

“There are so many inquiries but we are full. Many people have lost their jobs and this is also a key reason,” Suketu Nagarwadia, who runs an old-age home, said.

Old-age homes in Ahmedabad are packed to capacity ever since the lockdown.

Another issue is social distancing.

“Some families live in small houses where it is difficult to maintain a distance. As a result, we have had many people contacting us but we had to decline as we have full occupancy,” Nagarwadia added.

Meanwhile, with incomes shrinking the old-age homes too had to trim their budgets for essentials like rations and medi-

cines. Some of them are afraid that they might have to resort to a closure if the situation worsens.

“Old age homes, especially the smaller and mid-sized ones, have traditionally depended on donations from local philanthropic individuals and business communities. With the lockdown and economic recession, the same has totally dried up,” HelpAge India CEO Mathew Cherian told a news agency.

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CHEER ON Cheerleaders may not be intrinsic to Indian sports but they are here to stay in their native avtaar!

KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

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heerleaders was primarily an American concept till the IPL came to India bringing with it cheerleaders, cricket without borders, moolah and politics!

Of course, since it was India, the cheerleaders were graced with ‘sanskaar’ as they danced, jumped and twisted to keep the spirits high, of the players and the audience in their native avtaar!

With the present pandemic situation, there is not much to cheer about in the world of sports as of now though with the BCCI hoping to host the IPL 2020 in the September-October window if the T20 World Cup is postponed, City First brings a bit of cheer into your world!

So, those who had some aspirations of becoming a Cheerleader, there is hope yet. It may not be a long term career but there are certain skills that it can teach you which will guide you through your life. At the outset, let me warn you cheerleaders have to be physically very fit! You will learn to work in a team and the tips to be a good mentor. Fitness will become a mantra and you will shy

away from bad habits to keep up with your physically gruelling schedule and workouts!

Cheerleaders have amazing flexibility, athletic skills and sheer stamina.

Being positive is a critical part of being a cheerleader and you can easily become an influencer with the popularity you are sure to get. Cheerleading helps to develop a great sense of self-confidence and fearlessness; after dancing in front of thousands of fans, there is not a lot which can faze you!

Professional cheerleading opens many doors, offering a bridge to other careers, especially in the field of entertainment. So, go for it!

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UPS AND DOWNS OF A

RELATIONSHIP

A

s much as fans might want their favorite shows to run forever, all good things must come to an end, a fact that’s particularly true for network sitcoms. And after nine seasons and nine years, How I Met Your Mother, created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, closed out its run on CBS in 2014 (after premiering in 2005), finally solving a television mystery that lasted for almost a full decade.

For nine years, Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders), Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan), Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel), and Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) navigated life and love in New York City, all of which was set within the larger story of how Ted met the mother of his children. However, the show’s series finale stirred up some serious controversy after years of buildup when it aired in the spring of 2015, so we’re here to tell you why HIMYM’s grand finish felt, to many fans, like more of a splutter. After all this time, here’s the full explanation of How I Met Your Mother’s big ending.

From its very first episode, How I Met Your Mother made its mark on the television landscape by taking a typical sitcom and turning it directly on its head. Rather than simply tell the story of Ted Mosby, a Manhattan-based architect looking for love in all the wrong places, it places his tale within the context of a much-older Ted in 2030 telling his children the story of, well, how exactly he met their

mother. Voiced by Bob Saget (for some reason), Older Ted leads both his kids and the audience through the full story of how he met their mom, as well as all of the obstacles he encountered along the way.

This complex framework gave the show a unique spin and its mythology. Between Ted forgetting important details (like an ex-girlfriend he refers to as “Blahblah”) or his attempts to sanitize his past (“eating a sandwich” has nothing to do sandwiches whatsoever), this is a show that requires you to watch it in order and to pay attention, or you might have trouble understanding the intricate narrative.

Ultimately, How I Met Your Mother is a show about love, and during nine seasons, the five main characters experience plenty of ups and downs in their relationships. As the main character, Ted is a hopeless romantic, and in the very first episode, he spots Robin across the room and immediately falls for her.

The two ends updating throughout the show’s second season, but when they realize they want completely different things out of life, they ultimately split up and remain good friends. Afterward, both date other people, and Ted’s parade of girlfriends continually drum up suspense about which one might be “the Mother.”

As the most stable couple of the group, Lily and Marshall get engaged right at the start of the show, and despite a small blip where Lily leaves Marshall to attend art school in California,

the two get married and have children, marking every major life milestone together.

However, the show’s least likely couple ended up being one of its most important. Even though Barney Stinson spends the majority of the show operating as the world’s biggest womanizer, he eventually falls in love with commitment-phobic Robin, and the two get engaged as the show moves towards its conclusion.

Robin and Barney weren’t planned from the beginning, but thanks to palpable chemistry between Harris and Smulders, the writers decided to craft a storyline involving the two, and the rest was history.

Despite intense contract negotiations between CBS and the stars of How I Met Your Mother (Jason Segel, for example, reportedly almost walked away from the show to pursue his successful film career), the show was ultimately renewed for a ninth and final season, which kicked off during the fall of 2013 and concluded in the spring of 2014. Throughout its entire run, HIMYM made a name for itself thanks to its unconventional choices and unusual framework, and the show seriously upped the ante for its final season, making the risky choice to center almost the entire 24-episode season around the weekend of Robin and Barney’s wedding (with a few notable exceptions).

This structure was a gamble, and in the end, many viewers wondered why HIMYM made such a risky choice for its final season. Despite cameos from

stars like Lin-Manuel Miranda and returning turns from previous guest stars like Scrubs’ Sarah Chalke, Twin Peaks’ Kyle MacLachlan, and Once Upon a Time’s Jennifer Morrison, the uneven final season — which featured an entire episode in rhyme, as well as a tone-deaf conclusion to Barney and Marshall’s slap bet — felt stretched out and inconsistent for most fans, and the final blow of the finale was still yet to come.

Despite an uneven final season, there was at least one standout episode during HIMYM’s swan song, and that was the sixteenth episode of the season and 200th episode of the show overall, “How Your Mother Met Me.” After audiences officially met the Mother, played by the incredibly endearing Cristin Milioti (a Broadway ingenue who would go on to star in projects like Black Mirror and Modern Love) at the end of the eighth season, they clamored for more, and this episode provided all of the Mother backstory fans needed. Finally, viewers got the chance to see the entire narrative of the show through the Mother’s perspective. The episode perfectly contrasts her life with Ted’s, as she grieves the tragic loss of her boyfriend and moves on with her life, culminating in a heartfelt performance of Edith Piaf ’s “La Vie En Rose” — which, as it happens, she performs on a balcony right next to Ted’s hotel room. The episode was roundly praised by critics, marking a rare bright spot in HIMYM’s troubled final season.

As the show came to its conclusion, audiences wanted to see how their favorite characters ended the series, and the show’s most lovable couple, Marshall and Lily, had an eventful journey to the finish line. Throughout the series, Marshall, a bighearted lawyer who wants to save the environment, and Lily, a kindergarten teacher with a passion for art, always worked towards their goals while supporting one another, and their ending ultimately proved perfect for the inseparable sitcom couple.

After moving out of the show’s signature apartment — which Lily, Ted, and Marshall had shared for most of the se-

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020

ries — Marshall takes a job as a judge, a choice which causes some serious distress between the couple during the ninth season as they argue over Marshall’s job prospects just as Lily is offered a job opportunity in Rome. However, they manage to do both, living in Rome for a year before returning to New York, where Marshall takes a vacant position left behind by a judge in Queens. With three children — their youngest daughter, Daisy, was conceived during the final season — the two continue their lives together, and Marshall eventually runs for a position on the New York Supreme Court.

As much as fans might want their favorite shows to run forever, all good things must come to an end, a fact that’s particularly true for network sitcoms.

And after nine seasons and nine years, How I Met Your Mother, created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, closed out its run

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on CBS in 2014 (after premiering in 2005), finally solving a television mystery that lasted for almost a full decade.

FA CE OF TH ED AY

Sources: https://www.looper.com/175440/the-ending-of-how-i-met-your-mother-finally-explained/

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Abstention from voting for the important business changes should be avoided. If you are working on a commission then be rest assured that your income will be steady. Any hurdles arising on the professional front, will be faced by you without any fear.

Abolish any wrong practices in business and walk on the righteous path and then see ht miracles.

You will see your career graph rising no matter how whats the situation is around you. Your wife is your backbone and she doesn’t let you fall no matter what, she is your guardian.

Prattling in matters where your opinion is not welcomed must be avoided. You earn well and you don’t run away from your responsibilities. You are a strong person who has seen many struggles in the past and have reached here where you are today standing brave.

Noble causes catch you attention and you are always committed to such deeds. You will make best possible choice as far as your career is concerned just make sure you are fully interested in the same.

Somebody may over praise your spouse and you may feel insecure.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Gratuity can be expected by some, for other finances are in place. You will feel proud of your kid’s achievements and will go around telling everyone possible. You are a strong one when it comes to managing domestic chores and no one can beat you in managerial skills.

Hyperactive behaviour is not always negative sometimes you can use to achieve something not achievable by others. Those of you working for media companies will be happy with your salaries and for those who have been expecting their dues will get them on time.

Flinching with the fears in professional life doesn’t suit you, be courageous and learn to take your stands. You have some amazing friends and they are always there for you whenever you need them in happiness or sorrow. You are in love and distance doesn’t matter to you.

Pacify the situation rather aggravating because peace is more wonderful than anything. On professional front, luck favour you and you will always get out of ay trouble easily.

An important assignment must be taken care off and you should do it with full on dedication.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Intuit before taking any big decision in business related matters as you have a very strong intuitive power. You will give some money to your friends to help him/her and be rest assured you will surely get it back. Some relative comments may bother you but kindly don’t bother.

Harrowing tales effect you too deeply so avoid such kind of entertainment.

Excellent opportunities are coming your way as a result of excellent effort you made in the past.

You will do some fun filled activities with children today. It took lots of efforts to reach where you are today.

A Groovy appearance is going to win your spouse’s heart all over again. You will spend some money today after long time in doing some decoration of the house. Unexpected support is on the cards on the business front. You will have a long conversation with your lover today.

Dwindle hopes have never helped anyone therefore be motivated and stay positive, you never know when your time will change for good.

Initiates taken in work will give your fruitful results today. You have an excellent health and you eat expensive and healthy stuff.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

UNNATI MALHARKAR, Influencer

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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harlize Theron virtually appeared on the episode of ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ and opened up about how she’s talking about the Black Lives Matter movement with her adopted daughters Jackson, 8, and August, 5. “The day I became a parent, I just vowed that I would always tell them the truth— in a way that they could handle,” the 44-year-old actress said. “I feel like this is such an important moment for them—for all of us.”

The Oscar winner then spoke about how her children, who are both Black, have an awareness and how parents can “forget how aware our kids are.”

“I wanted them to know what this was all about, what happened to George Floyd and to so many other Black bodies that have died from this violence,” Theron continued. “I wanted them to have an awareness of how unfair and how unjust all of this is.”

—Agency

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STATE OF AWARENESS

Charlize Theron

GOOD NEWS!

8 YEARS OF COCKTAIL

D

G

ood news for Selenators, as the singing sensation Selena Gomez dropped a brand new video. Gomez teamed up with Trevor Daniel and dropped the stunning visual for their collaboration, Past Life. The music video, which released on Tuesday, shows the artists practising social distancing on Instagram Live amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Fans are then taken on a gorgeous journey of various landscapes around the world.

Directors Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia show viewers gorgeous shots of water, the mountains, the desert and more.

“I’m trying to be honest with my happiness/ Don’t know why I’m bad at this,” Daniel sings on the track. “And I don’t want to sit all in my sadness/I know it’s a habit of mine,” Gomez sings. “Perfect, perfect timing/I start but I don’t know how to end,” she continues. SuddenSelena Gomez ly, the camera stops and zooms in on Selena, taking viewers on a visual journey.

—Agency

eepika and Diana’s chemistry as friends in the film Cocktail was so easy that you felt that they weren’t performing on screen. Recently, as Cocktail completed 8 years, we found a heartfelt note penned by Diana Penty on Deepika’s personal website.

Diana wrote, “Deepika Padukone was one of my firsts. As my first co-actor in my first ever film, she made quite an impact, allaying my fears and giving me a memorable initiation into a world I had no clue about.

It’s important to remember that I was young, a professional model, who was suddenly plunged into a new universe that was filled with so many unknowns.

Deepika had many films under her belt by then, a rising star and yet she was so warm, with a smile that always made you feel welcome and part of the crew. I am still blown away when I see her transform into the many memorable characters. To cherish the movie and her character, Deepika changed her name on social media to Veronica.

—Agency

Diana Penty

WEIRD DEEPIKA

CORONA NEGATIVE Anupam Kher with his mother Dulari

J

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020

ust a few days back, Anupam Kher shared the news that his mother Dulari and brother Raju Kher, sister-in-law and niece had tested positive for COVID 19 and fans of the actor had taken to social media to pray for them. While Anupam’s brother and his family are home quarantined, his mom Dulari was admitted to the isolation ward of Kokilaben Hospital. Now, the senior star took to social media to share the latest health update about his mother’s well-being and also shared an important message.

Taking to Twitter and Instagram, Kher wrote, ‘Felt like Sharing with you

what I am feeling these days. Mom is trying to be her spirited self in the hospital although is not feeling hungry. Raju, Reema & Vrinda are home quarantined. Parents are so selfless. One must verbally tell them again and again that you love them. For them and for your own self ! #DulariRocks #Love #Selfless #Parents” With this, in the video, Anupam informed his fans that his mom was told that she has an infection and not COVID 19. But he also added that his mom understands as there are a lot of people surrounding him.

Meanwhile, his brother Raju and his family are taking care of themselves. A few days back, he also had undergone the test but it turned out negative. —Agency

A

Deepika Padukone and her posts

mid the lockdown, Deepika Padukone is spending time at home with hubby Ranveer Singh.

Often, the adorable couple gives fans a glimpse of their quarantine and it leaves everyone swooning. She kicked off an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Instagram to interact with her fans. Many questions were sent to Deepika and one of them included a curious fan asking about the actress’s weird talents. Seeing the same, Deepika had the coolest reply and it is bound to leave fans curious.

To this, the Chhapaak star shared that she would fly down to Bangalore to meet her parents Prakash and Ujjala Padukone and sister Anisha. The

actress has been spending time at home and not heading out at all. Deepika was last seen in Chhapaak. The film received critical acclaim but did not do well at the box office. Now, she will be seen in Shakun Batra’s next with Ananya Panday and Siddhant Chaturvedi.

—Agency

CITY BUZZ

BFF and More!

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What special care do you take of your pets during the rainy season, City First talks to pet lovers across to get special tips!

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2020

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CITY FIRST RAJASTHAN & GUJARAT

W

e all love our pets. Cats, Dogs, rabbits, parakeets add charm to our lives while keeping us healthier.

The maintenance of pets is an entirely different matter though. Not only do they have to be fed (naturally) and taken for walks but also groomed, kept clean, free from lice and other myriad stuff.

Come monsoon and the care has to be much more due to the humid season. Pets are prone to several infections in this weather. Cold, cough and pneumonia are your usual culprits.

Dogs usually suffer from Malassezia which causes itchy skin rashes and burns, whereas cats are prone to respiratory infections. We must try and avoid getting our pets wet in the rain and keep them as dry as possible.

Also, Vets say that it should be a priority to get our pets de-wormed by, as they are most susceptible to worms in the rainy season. Worm infection can lead to anaemia, general debility anorexia and dullness of coat. Also, many pets suffer from ‘Storm anxiety’, be sure to keep them warm and secure during a storm.

Major things to keep in mind is to keep their coat dry. Can use rain gears, also dog shoes. De-worm your pet. Give clean and boiled water. Food as per your vets’ instructions. Indulge in indoor activities like fetch game, tug of war, running indoors etc.

Also mental stimulation games like dog puzzle. Hide and seek. Enjoy monsoons with your furry buddy!

—SEEMS BHARUCHA

Keep them active Just as we have a workout routine, even pets need to stay active. A safety tip for dogs in the rainy season would be to use powders and medicated liquids to get rid of worms and ticks. Keep your pet’s fur dry and use an ideal rain gear as and when required Offer a diet rich in fibre. Boil water before you give it to your pet dog for drinking.

Create a secure resting space for the pooch to tackle fear caused by thunder.

—REENA S TANK

Pets are very delicate. I realized that when I got my first pet cat ‘June’.

They need a lot of care and more so during the monsoon season. So, for her comfort, I avoid turning on the AC and bathing her very often. I have also taken to ensure that no bugs enter the house from the windows, usually in the evening. What everyone can do is just keep their pets clean, dry and safe and let them enjoy the season.

Pets also need as much care in rainy seasons as we humans need. I have a cat as my pet.

I make sure that his paws are clean and he is groomed well whenever he comes back home.

I try to feed him with boiled water as they are also infection-prone in this weather. I also avoid giving him excess meat and oily food. These fur buddies just need this extra little care and love.

—S.AISHWARYA

HAPPY B’DAY!

Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal (left) and Degana MLA Vijaypal Mirdha celebrated their birthday on 15 July, Wednesday. We wish them all the best!

—SHERINAZ ENGINEER

—POOJA VASAVA

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: LOVE ACROSS GENERATIONS!

Vimla Lodha, mother of Anil Lodha celebrated her 80th birthday with simplicity on Wednesday with Jagdeesh Chandra and her family members. Seen here are (from left) Sunil Lodha, greatgrandchildren Vagmi and Manit, Anil Lodha and Pradeep.

Firstly let them enjoy the rains the wet mud, run around. Post every outdoor visit/walks ensure the paws are washed & dried. A warm chicken broth with veggies will make up for the much-needed immunity in the seasonal changes.

Vimla Lodha with her great-granddaughter Vagmi.

RAJASTHAN: The CBSE class 10 results came out on Wednesday and the students of Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School have done wonders. Hemakshi Bansal bagged the first position with 98.2% while Nehal Sarraf and Shalini Nakwal secured the second and third position.

RAJASTHAN: State president of all India Yadav Youth Women Wing, Kusum Yadav and Ex-chairman Ajay Yadav welcomed new Commissioner of Greater Nagar Nigam, Jaipur Dinesh Kumar Yadav and Commissioner in vigilance Rakesh Yadav on Tuesday.

IN THE PINK CITY! RAJASTHAN: Amid the ongoing political upheaval in Rajasthan, Rajendra Rathore Deputy, LoP got a few minutes at home which he preferred to spend with his beloved grandson Vishwaraj, taking the time to feed him ice cream and the smile on the face of the doting grandfather is proof of the immediate relaxation he experienced in this loving moment!

RAJASTHAN: Prabha Khaitan Foundation, in association with Siyahi, is going to organise an event, ‘Apni Bhasha Apne Log’ with Former Cabinet Minister, Government of Rajasthan, Bina Kak in conversation with Nand Bhardwaj on the stories of Vijaydan Detha, today at 6 pm, on zoom. The program aims to celebrate local/ regional literature and personal narratives to promote Rajasthani literature.

RAJASTHAN: A Jaipur based event company ‘Pink Concepts’ is going to release ‘India Kids Fashion Walk- Go Virtual’ on 18 July, where child models will be seen walking as on-ramp from their own house. CEO of Pink Concepts, Aman Verma shared that a huge number of kids from different cities of India have participated in our show.