First India-Ahmedabad Edition-16 June 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

25°C - 34°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

WORLD

COVID-19 UPDATE

4,37,054 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 3,128 DEATHS 1,10,744 CASES

80,60,443 CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 479 DEATHS 46,504 CASES

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 201

9,896

INDIA

DEATHS

DELHI 1,400 DEATHS 42,829 CASES

3,42,365

CONFIRMED CASES

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GUJARAT

1,506 DEATHS

RAJASTHAN 301 DEATHS 12,981 CASES

24,104

CONFIRMED CASES

UTTAR PRADESH 417 DEATHS 14,091 CASES —PHOTO BY PTI

AWAITING VISITORS A keeper of the Woburn Safari Park in Britain feeds a tower of giraffes, as the park reopened on Monday for the first time since the lockdown. Road Safari opened for visitors with online booking facility while respecting social distancing guidelines.

RELEASED BY PAK

Two officials of Indian High Commission Islamabad/New Delhi: Two officials of Indian High Commission in Pakistan, who went missing and were reportedly arrested earlier on Monday, have been released and are back at the Indian mission, sources said on Monday.

India had earlier in the day summoned Pakistan’s Charge d’affaires Syed Haider Shah and issued a demarche over the reported arrest of two officials in Islamabad. The sources said the demarche made it clear that there should be no interrogation or harassment of the Indian officials and the responsibility for the safety and security of the concerned diplomatic personnel lay squarely with the Paki-

Syed Hyder Shah, Pakistan’s Charge d’affaires to India leaves from MEA. He was summoned after two Indian officials working with Indian High Commission in Islamabad went missing.

—PHOTO BY ANI

stani authorities.

Pakistan was asked to return the two officials along with the official car to the High Commission immediately.

The Indian High Commission in Pakistan had said in the morning that two of its officials were missing and the matter had been taken up with

Islamabad.

“Two Indian High Commission officials are missing since morning while on official work.

The matter has been taken up with the Pakistani authorities,” Akhilesh Singh, First Secretary and spokesperson, Indian High Commission had told ANI. Turn on P6

‘India-Nepal bound Total lockdown in 4 dists by roti and beti’ of Tamil Nadu till June 30 New Delhi: Rejecting Nepal’s territorial claim, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted on Monday that the Lipulekh-Dharchula road falls very much in India and conveyed the Modi government’s willingness to sort out the “misunderstanding” with the neighbouring country through dialogue.

Singh stressed on the centuriesold ties between the two counties, not-

ing that they were not only social, geographical, historical and cultural but also spiritual.

India can never forget this reality and Indians can never have any bitterness towards Nepal, the defence minister added.

“Our relations are not only of this world, but also of the ‘other world’ and they cannot be changed even if someone wishes so,” he said at Turn on P6

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has been advised on scaling down lockdown relaxations and preventing the further spread of coronavirus, a member of an expert committee said here on Monday following a consultative meeting with Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

Amid continuing surge in the number of fresh coronavirus cases in the State, Dr P Kuganantham, a senior epidemiologist and member of the 19-member

MODI TO SPEAK WITH CMS ON JUNE 16, 17

12-day period of intense lockdown, starting from June 19, will cover Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur dists.

EK PALANISWAMI, Tamil Nadu CM

expert committee on COVID-19 set up by the government, said: “We have given advice (to the government) on cutting down relaxations and (further) prevent the spread of virus and

New Delhi: Amid an unabated rise in coronavirus cases in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a fresh round of consultations with chief ministers on Tuesday and Wednesday on ways to check the spread of the virus as India exits the lockdown. On Tuesday afternoon, Modi will hold a video-conference with chief ministers, Lt governors and administrators of 21 states and Union territories. These include Punjab, Kerala, Goa, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, the northeastern states and some UTs. The prime minister will interact with chief ministers of 15 states and the LG of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. These include high case load states like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. P2

the government will take a decision.”

The panel had about an hour and a half discussion with Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar and other top state officials.

This is the fifth meeting of the expert committee with the government and several experts including Dr Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist with WHO and Dr Prabhdeep Kaur, public health expert Turn on P6

2 MINOR EARTHQUAKES STRIKE GUJARAT’S BHACHAU REGION

New Delhi: Gujarat on Monday experienced two minor earthquakes at around 1 pm, a day after the region was hit by a 5.5 magnitude quake. The 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck 15 kilometers NorthNorth East of Bhachau at 12:57 pm. It was followed by another jolt of 3.6 magnitude about 11 km of Bhachau at 1.01 pm.

Rupani government makes petrol, diesel dearer by `2/litre REVENUE LOSS

`1,300

`2,000

`4,300

`8,500

`10,000

n GST n VAT ON PETROL AND DIESEL n STAMP DUTY n MOTOR VEHICLE TAX n ELECTRICITY DUTY

Estimated loss (` in crore)

CM APPROVES 25 TOWN PLANNING SCHEMES IN 3 MTHS

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in the past three months has approved 25 town planning schemes, of which six are draft schemes in Ahmedabad and one is a preliminary scheme.

In these schemes, at least 22 hectares of land will be reserved for public purposes including playground and EWS housing.

State government likely to suffer `26,100 cr revenue loss this year despite hike in fuel prices First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s government has decided to increase the cost of petrol and diesel by Rs2 per litre.

The hike, which comes in the form of Value

Added Tax (VAT), comes at a time when oil companies have already been increasing the prices of these fuels at steady intervals.

The decision is aimed at enabling the state to recover revenue losses, but the cascading effect will hit inflation, at a time when citizens are already burdened because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown.

Prior to announcing the increase in VAT on

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel with Adhia Committee’s final report.

—FILE PHOTO

petrol and diesel Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Nitin Patel said that the state is likely to suffer reve-

nue losses to the tune of Rs26,100 crore.

He added that, for the current fiscal, the state government had

estimated GST collection of Rs55,560 crore.

However, thanks to the lockdown and its after-effects, this collection is likely to remain less than Rs 45,000 crore--Rs10,000 crore less than the original estimate.

The state’s monthly VAT collection from petrol and diesel is usually Rs2,400 crore. However, the sale of these fuels was negligible in April and May. With trade and Turn on P6

NEWS AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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CHAVDA VERDICT

02

BY POINTING OUT THAT RC FALDU’S VOTE WAS DISQUALIFIED IN 2017, GPCC CHIEF SUGGESTS THAT THE UPCOMING RS POLLS MIGHT BRING SURPRISES

Cong to bounce back with RS polls

Gargi Raval

Gandhinagar: The Congress party in Gujarat may be down, but it is certainly not out. The state unit, which went into a position of defence after eight of its MLAs resigned, is now in offence mode. Its many meetings in the bastions of the defectors have been aimed at boosting voter confidence in the Congress. Now, those in the know say the Rajya Sabha elections, slated to be held this coming Friday, might bring a major surprise to both major political parties in the state.

Last week, Amit Chavda, president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) stated that the party has not given up hope of winning the two seats-for which it has fielded candidates--in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

He pointed out that, in 2017, senior BJP minister BJP minister RC Faldu made a mistake and his vote was disqualified.

Those in the know say that Chavda expects the same to happen this time as well.

“Unintentionally or intentionally, there may be some votes that will be disqualified. And that’s not counting crossvotes. The two candi-

BJP failed to provide Narmada water: LoP First India Bureau

Amit Chavda, president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.

dates fielded by the Congress, Shaktisinh Gohil and Bharatsinh Solanki, have the responsibility to win their seats,” said a senior source.

Chavda has already stated that Gohil, who was nominated by the party’s top brass, is to be given first preference. Now, with eight MLAs having resigned,

Solanki will be falling short.

“Yes, Solanki is falling short of a few votes,” the source told First India, “but BJP has fielded three candidates despite not having sufficient numbers. There is a chance that some BJP MLAs from north Gujarat and Saurashtra may indulge in cross-vot-

ing. The Congress is already is in contact with some of these BJP MLAs.” It is to be remembered that, although the BJP is considered to be a tightly run ship, Shankersinh Vaghela caused considerable damage to this image in 199596, when the thenBJP leader revolted.

With Vaghela still active in state politics, there is always the possibility that some dissatisfied BJP lawmakers could hit the party’s hopes in the upcoming polls.

The source further said that top leaders of the Congress party’s state unit will meet on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the RS polls.

While Solanki is active in reviving his contacts among his own caste, former chief minister Madhavsinh Solanki has also taken up his cause and is actively contacting some BJP MLAs. Hardik Patel has already made a public statement that lawmakers from Vadodara and Sabarkantha are in touch with the Congress party as they are dissatisfied with BJP.

Ahmedabad: The BJP government has failed to give Narmada water across Gujarat, alleged Leader of the Opposition, Paresh Dhanani.

He accused the incumbent BJP of hijacking the Narmada project for political gain. “The Congress government envisaged the Narmada project as a lifeline of Gujarat. As much as 85% of work on the dam was completed under non-BJP governments. Yet, the BJP government is always making claims to the project for political gain.

The government has failed on every front,” asserted Dhanani.

He further said that the Kutch region has not yet received water so far. “Why

isn’t the government diverting Narmada water to Kutch instead of letting it flow into the sea? The government is clueless about the actual work. They have snatched the public mandate given to Congress by power, position, and money but I have faith in the people of Gujarat. In the 2017 election, the BJP was stopped at the nervous nineties,” Dhanani said in

Gandhidham on Monday.

He added that people are rejecting BJP leaders. “When the people are raising their voice against the BJP in such time, the voices--the choices--are being wiped away. But days are not far when the people will crush the lotus symbol and the BJP party.”

On the topic of the upcoming Rajya Sabha election, another Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia said the BJP has always engaged in horsetrading. “In 2017, they had purchased 14 Congress MLAs. This time they have done the same. We will win two seats this time. We have strategies for the same,” said Modhwadia.

Paresh Dhanani, LoP

Horn-tooting BJP starts ‘AWARENESS PUSH’ First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Now that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed his first year in office for a second consecutive term, a campaign to create awareness about the work done by the Central government has been initiated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In a bid to underline the success of the government’s tenure, a letter has been penned

by PM Modi, which will be distributed by party leaders and supporters in various parts of the country.

BJP state unit pres-

ident Jitu Vaghani visited people’s homes in Bhavnagar and dispensed the letter by the prime minister along with mask and sanitizers to them.

The letter contains details of the Centre’s initiatives such as the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution, bringing the situation in Jammu and Kashmir under control, among others. It also underlines its commitment to defeating novel coronavirus and bringing the nation’s economy back on track.

The PM has also appealed to the people to respect the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhi-

yan’ that will be aimed at increasing the manufacturing capacity of the nation thereby providing employment to people.

In the last one week, two virtual meetings have been conducted by two union ministers Prakash Javadekar (Forest and Environment) and Nitin Gadkari (Road Transport & Highways) with district office bearers of the state party unit. All members were briefed about the initiative’s successful implementation and the government’s modus operandi to put the country’s growth on the fast track.

BJP state unit president Jitu Vaghani handing the letter by PM Modi to voters.

Exit Lockdown: PM Modi to connect with CMs virtually

New Delhi: Amid an unabated rise in coronavirus cases in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a fresh round of consultations with Chief Ministers on Tuesday and Wednesday on ways to check the spread of the virus as India exits the lockdown.

On Tuesday afternoon, Modi will hold a video-conference with chief ministers, Lt governors and administrators of 21 States and Union territories.

These include Punjab, Kerala, Goa, Uttara-

khand, Jharkhand, the northeastern States and some UTs. He will interact with chief ministers of 15 States and the LG of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. These include high case load States like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The two-day virtual meet comes against the backdrop of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.

India saw a jump of over 11,000 novel cor-

onavirus cases for the third consecutive day on Monday, taking the total number of infections to over 3.32 lakh, while the toll

He will interact with CMs of 15 States and the LG of J&K on Wednesday

rose to 9,520 with 325 more deaths.

Under “Unlock 1”, several relaxations have been made for public and businesses to ensure that econom-

ic activities hit by the lockdown gather momentum.

Ahead of his meeting with chief ministers, the prime minister had on Saturday reviewed the steps being taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in areas with high case load and the road map for effective management of the situation.

Modi had suggested that the home minister and the health minister convene an emergency meeting with the Delhi Lt governor and chief minister and other of-

ficials to plan a “coordinated and comprehensive response” to handle the challenge posed by rising cases of COVID-19 in Delhi.

The meets suggested by the prime minister took place on Sunday. This would be the prime minister’s sixth round of consultation with the chief ministers, the last being on May 11.

Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with all the chief ministers over telephone in the last week of May, just before lockdown-4 was to end.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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Class XII General Stream gets average results 76.27% of candidates who took the exam passed, Patan tops in terms of pass percentage with 86.67% even as girls outdo boys across the state Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) on Monday declared the results of Class XII General Stream examinations for the academic year of 2019-20. Students from rural areas outperformed those from urban areas in the examinations this year.

Of the total number of students who appeared for the exams, 76.27% cleared them successfully.

For the second consecutive year, Patan topped the pass percentage of all 33 districts with 86.67% students clearing the exams. Fe-

3 killed by lightning as 15 districts receive rain First India Bureau

male candidates fared better than their male counterparts with pass percentages of 82.20% and 70.97% respectively.

Last year, the overall pass percentage was 73.27%. Patan district led in the previous academic year’s results too.

The least ranked district this year was Junagadh with a result of 58.26%.

The Soni examination centre in Banaskantha

I studied for five to six hours per day and used dance as stress relief. I’ve scored 98.9 percentile and am happy with my result. I hope to become an IAS officer.

Surat district leads the pack with 189 A1 grade students

T

he overall result secured by students from the Surat district stands at 80.66%, which is one percent lower than the last academic year of 2018-19. The district is ranked ninth in the entire state for this academic year. Out of the total 522 A-1 grade students in the state this year, 189 students be-

long to the Surat district. The district has also fared well in the number of students securing the A2 grade with 2,614 students, the highest in the state. Of the total number of students who appeared for the examinations from the district, 5,941 secured the B1 grade, 8,994 received the B2 grade.

Top-scorers from HB Kapadia school pose with their grades in Ahmedabad on Monday.

was the top-scoring centre with a pass percentage of 97.76% and the last in this category was Dolasa centre of Gir-

Somnath district. There was a marked improvement in the number of schools with 100% results -- 269 as compared

— Gayatri Gurjar, Commerce Stream

to 222 schools last year.

About 3,71,771 of the 3,73,159 enrolled candidates appeared for the exams, which were conducted at 476 centres across the state. Of these, 2,83,624 candidates passed, while 89,535 failed.

Around 454 students secured the A1 grade in the Gujarati language paper but 80,064 have failed the exam. Students fared better in the English language paper, with 56 students scor-

ing the A1 grade and 5,585 failing. In a shockingly low result, almost 33% of students who appeared for the Hindi language paper failed.

A GSHSEB officer said that none of these students will be provided the result marksheets due to the coronavirus outbreak. The board plans to come up with a procedure in this regard in 10 days and accordingly inform the respective District Education Officers.

Chudasama ‘confronted’ by A’bad defies govt efforts to drop citizens on social media case numbers, 300 is new normal First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, more and more elected representatives have begun to engage with citizens through social media platforms.

However, this did not bode well for state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama on Monday.

Not only was he questioned by angry parents of school children about the lack of exemption from school fees, he was also confronted by a few college students, who asked him to grant mass promotions to college students based on merit.

In a post on his Face-

First India Bureau

Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.

book account, Chudasama had appealed to citizens to follow all guidelines of the COVID-19 protocol.

The post received a lot of attention from parents of school children, college students including Parth Parmar, who commented with a request to put off the final year college exams and grant mass

—FILE PHOTO

promotion to final- year students on merit.

A private school teacher, who did not disclose his identity due to professional blowback, requested the minister to instruct private schools not to ask teachers to report to school for online classes, but allow them to work from home as they did before Unlock 1.0.

Gandhinagar: Dashing any hopes of the state government that new teams would bring COVID-19 under control in Ahmedabad, the city has neither seen a drop in cases nor in fatalities. Even on Monday, the city accounted for 57% of the 514 new cases recorded around the state, and 71% of all deaths.

Ahmedabad’s rural areas are not being spared either, with 34 new cases taking the total to 605. Dholka accounted for 13 of the new cases, while Viramgam accounted for seven.

Daskroi, Dhandhuka, and Sanand each accounted for four new

NSUI workers detained by cops amid protest demanding mass promotion First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) on Monday held protests across the state demanding mass promotion of college students. A few protesters near KK Shastri College in Ahmedabad were detained by police. The union organized protests before 50 colleges in the state.

Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the academic sessions of all colleges and universities have been sus-

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Gandhinagar: Three persons, including two fishermen were killed by lightning in GirSomnath district, while three others have been hospitalized. Lightning has also killed about a dozen heads of cattle, even as 15 districts reported rainfall.

Lilia taluka in Amreli district received the most rainfall in the state with 74mm. Valsad’s Dharampur came in second with 62mm of rain, while Amreli taluka had 50mm of rain.

Parts of the Gir forest received as much as 5 inches of rain in just one hour. With Kodinar taluka in Gir-Somnath district receiving 48mm of rain, the Droneshwar dam is overflowing.

However, this is good news for the 15 villages that are located downstream of the dam.

Seasonal rivers are flowing at two to three times their normal rate, creating flood-like situations. The Nagnesh and Nagadiya Sahi river are in a floodlike situation and Ranpur village has been cut off from its nearby areas.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

First India Bureau

The protesters were held during their silent protest.

pended since March.

Therefore, examinations have also been put off indefinitely by colleges. Therefore, the NSUI demanded that mass promotion be granted to college stu-

dents. “All students studying at the Gujarat University should be granted a promotion to the next year. Since, the state education minister has asserted that the next academic year will

not commence before August, it is high time that mass promotion is given to students,” said Nikhil Savani, General Secretary of NSUI. “The Guj University has declared that it will conduct a 100% online admission process for the next academic year.

But, several students have been facing difficulties in getting through the process. Also, since the university has not conducted examinations, it must return the exam fees to the students,” said Saiyad Subhan, Secretary of NSUI.

The state has tested just 4,942 samples in 24 hours. —FILE PHOTO

cases and Bavla and Mandal had one each. As many as 127 cases are still active in this region, and three more fatalities in the past 24 hours has taken the death toll to 41.

Statewide, there are now 24,104 cases with a death toll of 1,506.

There are 71 patients on ventilators and 5,855 are stable. The state has

tested 4,942 samples-the lowest this week--in the past 24 hours.

In Surat, anyone who had any recent dealings at the Mahidharpura diamond market has been asked to self-isolate for 14 days, after one person tested positive there. In addition, the regional nodal officer handling the out-

break has also tested positive and is receiving treatment at the Civil Hospital. Two more doctors, including a private practitioner, have also been infected.

In Vadodara, 489 patients are under treatment, with 91 on oxygen, and 34 on ventilators. In Bharuch, district nine persons have tested positive, eight of whom are from Jambusar town. The ninth is from Dambha village.

In Saurashtra, about half a dozen persons have tested positive, all with travel history of either Ahmedabad, Surat or Mumbai, hinting that Unlock 1.0 may be aiding the spread of the virus to less-affected areas.

NO TAKERS

With people still staying indoors, this pair of boats lie upturned and unattended along the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad on Monday.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Mavdi residents against private hospital as COVID-19 facility First India Bureau Rajkot: Owing to a surge in COVID-19 positive cases, people from other districts have started coming to Rajkot for medical assistance. In order to accommodate this inflow of patients, the local administration decided to look at private hospitals as potential COVID-19

treatment centres.

But, when a private hospital named Sahyog situated on the Mavdi Road expressed interest in treating COVID-19 positive patients, it encountered opposition from the residents in the area.

In fact, in order to showcase their displeasure at the potential arrangement, residents took to the streets

on Monday. It has also been learnt that they plan to make a representation before the collector to ensure that the Sahyog Hospital is not turned into a COVID-19 hospital.

Mavdi councillor Vijay Vak said, “Rajkot’s biggest vegetable market is located in this area.

There are around 2,000 vegetable vendors selling their produce here.

People protested at Rajkot’s Sahyog Hospital at Monday.

The area is also a residential one with congested by-lanes. All we ask is that instead of allowing Sahyog to treat COVID-19 patients, the administration engages other big hospitals away from the residential areas. People here are not against treatment of COVID-19 patients here, but only feel that it should be the last resort.”

So far, apart from Civil

Hospital, a COVID-19 facility has been set up at one private hospital in the city. However, their contract with the government ended on Monday. That was why Sahyog Hospital showed interest in starting a COVID-19 facility, but local opposition has put the matter on hold. This has left Civil Hospital as the only option for novel coronavirus patients.

CAUSE & EFFECT

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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HISTORY MEN!

IN-DEPTH

DEATH SNATCHES A TALENTED CINE ACTOR

DR SANJEEV CHOPRA The author is an IAS & Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration Mussoorie and Honorary Curator, Valley of Words: Literature and Arts Festival, Dehradun

I

t will be inappropriate to repeat the clichéd ‘those whom God loves, die young’ for the talented Sushant Singh Rajput for the simple reason that his was not a case of natural death. He was only 34, too young to die the way he did and leave his family, fans and fellow actors mourning. Sushant committed suicide by hanging on Sunday, June 14.

On June 3, 2020 Sushant Singh Rajput remembered his mother in an emotional Instagram post. He wrote, “Blurred past evaporating from teardrops/ Unending dreams carving an arc of smile/and a fleeting life, negotiating between the two…Maa”. The post had 2,523,472 likes and garnered over 1.5 lakh comments. He had 11.2 million followers on Instagram, yet somewhere deep down he was lonely. That makes one thing clear, virtual world offers no support to a tormented mind.

The young strapping actor who gained fame, but no recognition from a nepotism-infested film industry, for essaying memorable roles in Chhichhore, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, Kai Po Che, Kedarnath, Raabta and a few others, tragically ended his life one doesn’t know why.

Some say he was suffering from depression as he did not get due recognition from an industry. Others like Kangana Ranaut blame mafia-like groups which have a stranglehold on the film industry and ensure that artistes not in their camp are hounded out as the cause.

His shocked co-actors and fans find it hard to believe that Sushant committed suicide as it went against what he said in Chhichhore. In the film Sushant plays an engineer whose son tries to commit suicide by jumping off a high rise. To aid his son’s recovery, he recounts his own journey as an engineering student and how he overcame odds with the help of friends.

The message he conveys through the film was not to commit suicide in any situation. Ironically in real life Sushant could not fight the demons in his mind, and those out hurting the morale of young artistes in Bollywood.

Sushant was a man of varied interests, astrophysics being one of them. He was a science buff, wrote director Abhishek Kapoor. He concluded his note with, “stay interstellar”. An astrophysicist Dr Karan Jani had this to say, “Our conversations would go into the abstracts from String theory to Sartre…I rarely get such insightful conversations…”

Whatever may have led Sushant to take the extreme step, the fact is that depression is the second leading cause of death in India. The problem with depression is that many people shy away from mentioning it, while others are unaware of the condition which is often confused with sadness and pessimism.

Sushant has passed on to join other stars on the firmament. A quote aptly describes his demise, “Destiny plays its cards in a way that no one can comprehend.” The show will go on.

T

History Men is a tribute to the historical scholarship, collaboration, and friendship between these three scholars of Indian history, but also shows and highlights the various factions of the Indian History Congress, the public and private scandals of the university system, the petty intrigue, and cunning employed by colleagues to oust each other from government committees and public honours

CA Raghavan made a name for himself as a distinguished diplomat representing the country as the High Commissioner to Pakistan and Singapore, both countries with strong historical connections to India. His book on Pakistan ‘ The People Next Door: The Curious History of India’s Relations with Pakistan’ is hailed as a classic story of two nations divided by contesting ideologies and an arbitrary line which takes no account of natural alignments. Earlier his work ‘Attendant Lords: Bairam Khan and Abdur Rahim, Courtiers and Poets in Mughal India’ received the Habib Memorial Prize from the Indian History Congress in 2017.

Post his superannuation, as Chairman of the ICWA he is still very active in the academic and literary circuits giving regular talks and presentations on issues concerning India’s neighbourhood and her security. But this column is to discuss another dimension: that of TCA Raghavan as a professional historian, and his tribute to three distinguished history scholars: Jadunath Sarkar, GS Sardesai, and Raghubir Sinh. As students of history, we are aware of the seminal contributions of all three of them: Jadunath Sarkar (1870-1958) on the Mughals, GS Sardesai (1865-1959) on the Marathas and Raghubir Sinh (1908-1991) on the Rajputs. History Men is a tribute to the historical scholarship, collaboration, and friendship between these three scholars of Indian history, but also shows and highlights the various factions of the Indian History Congress, the public and private scandals of the university system, the petty intrigue, and cunning employed by colleagues to oust each other from government committees and public honours.

Although Sardesai was the eldest of the three, it was Jadunath Sarkar who was

the centre of this triangular association with the bulk of the extant correspondence consisting of letters between him and GS Sardesai on one axis, and with Raghubir Sinh on the other. We have fewer letters between Sardesai and Sinh. Their collaboration was for understanding India’s past in the later Mughal period, and this required that Sarkar had access to records of the Maratha sources, and Sardesai for the Persian sources on Marathas as the two forces were opposed to each other, but also intertwined.

Raghubir’s research was on Malwa in Transition or a Century of Anarchy (16981766). So their interests and their tracts were quite complementary.

Sardesai had joined the service of Baroda state immediately after his graduation from Elphinstone College in 1888 and was soon asked to be the tutor to the young prince, but his passion for historical research was so strong that he sought retirement after putting in 37 years as Sardesai master.

He moved to Kamshet, in 1925 as a small village near Pune where his brother, a doctor had built a bungalow, and he wrote the eight-volume Marathi Riyasat and the two-volume British Riyasat, which established his reputation in Maratha history – within the state, but it was his lecture on Maratha History at

History Men then goes on to describe history as discipline, struggle and heritage, and in each of these chapters, the historical perspective and nuance of these three scholars come to the fore. A great read for all those who want to look at history from the lens of Indian historians!

the Patna University which finally established his reputation. These were published at Sarkar’s insistence as the Main Currents of Maratha History.

The youngest of the three, Raghubir Sinh, was also unlike the two senior academic dons in the sense that he was not middle class, but the heir to a state which was entitled to an eleven gun salute and the title of His Highness. And what led him to study history was the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia

Hitchcock’s famous fright film broke all the rules

N

ovember 1959.

Film director Alfred Hitchcock is at his commercial and critical peak after the successes of Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1959). So what does he do next? A black-and-white madefor-TV movie hastily shot, with no big-name actors and a leading actress who takes a shower, and … well, we’ll come to that.

Psycho (1960) remains Hitchcock’s most celebrated film. But it is really two films, glued together by the most iconic scene in cinema history.

Part one is a run-ofthe-mill morality tale.

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40,000 from her Phoenix employee, and goes on the run. Guilt-stricken, she

04

pulls into a deserted motel and chats with the owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).

He seems friendly enough – he makes her sandwiches and talks fondly about his mother – and Marion resolves to return the money.

Part two is a whodunnit. Marion’s sister (Vera Miles) and her lover (John Gavin) investigate her disappearance, and trace her steps back to the motel. Soon, they begin to have suspicions about Norman.

THRILLER WITH A TWIST Audiences saw things in Psycho that had never been shown before on screen. A toilet flushing. A murderer who goes unpunished. A post-coital Leigh, lying on a bed, dressed only in white underwear, while Gavin

Hitchcock, the master of suspense, never actually shows knife slicing flesh. Everything is implied, through liberal doses of chocolate sauce, hacked watermelons, Bernard Herrmann’s screeching violins, and Leigh’s blood-curdling screams stands topless over her.

All of Hitchcock’s trademark obsessions are on show: voyeurism, the dom-

inant matriarchal figure, the blonde heroine, the untrustworthy cop.

Over his career, Hitch-

cock had always flouted Hollywood’s Production Code, those rigid rules that had been in place since the 1930s that prohibited onscreen nudity, sex and violence. Nowhere is Hitchcock’s brazen censor-defying clearer than in Psycho’s “shower scene”.

Hitchcock, the master of suspense, never actually shows knife slicing flesh.

Everything is implied, through liberal doses of chocolate sauce, hacked watermelons, Bernard Herrmann’s screeching violins, and Leigh’s bloodcurdling screams.

In one 60-second scene, Hitchcock shatters all the rules. It’s the most famous of all bait and switches: you expect one thing, but get another. Up to that point, no film had killed off its lead character so early in the story (nowadays, such an audacious

which led to the overthrow of Tsar Nicholas. That evening, his father advised him ‘no one knows what the future holds, and it is possible that the princely states will face great change, and may well come to an end. It is therefore essential that you should be fully educated, and learn to stand on your own feet’.

And thus he became a historian, first, ding his Ph.D. and publishing Pre medieval India (in Hindi ) in 1931, with Jadunath Sarkar endorsing he book with fulsome praise ‘ it strikes a new line by locating History not as a ‘ record of cores and follies of mankind, but as a movement of humanity. He attempts to give us the philosophy of Indian history – the why and how of things – during that period, and I this way distinctly enriched our vernacular literature ‘. And then Sarkar agreed to be his D Litt guide and the work Malwa in Transition saw the light of the day.

History Men then goes on to describe History as Discipline, Struggle and Heritage, and in each of these chapters, the historical perspective and nuance of these three scholars come to the fore. A great read for all those who want to look at history from the lens of Indian historians!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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twist shows up everywhere, from The Lion King to Games of Thrones). As Leigh slides down the blinding white tiles, arm outstretched, a new kind of cinema is born: twisted, shocking, primal.

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Digitally inaugurated Indian Gas Exchange Ltd. @IgxIndia, India’s first automated national-level gas trading platform, as a part of PM Shri @narendramodi’s vision of establishing next-gen energy infrastructure in the country and to make India a gas-based economy.

INVENTING THE CINEMA EVENT Hitchcock famously ordered cinemas to not let any latecomers into screenings of Psycho, to keep the element of surprise.

Previously, cinema-goers could wander into a film midway through, watch the last half, and then stick around for the restart to catch up on what they had missed. When your leading lady is butchered 45 minutes in, the film makes little sense if you arrive late – hence Hitchcock’s decree.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal PM @NarendraModi ji has taken several farsighted & prompt decisions to mitigate impact of COVID-19. Relief to various sections of society, ramping up medical infrastructure & enforcement of lockdown are some major steps taken as #IndiaFightsCorona

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Spiritual SPEAK

Know that all creatures have evolved from this twofold energy, and Brahman is the origin as well as the dissolution of the entire universe. —Bhagavad Gita

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RAGA QUOTES EINSTEIN TO ATTACK GOVT ON COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

‘Arrogance more vicious than ignorance’ The Congress leader also shared a graph that showed how the 4 lockdowns have flattened the wrong curve of the economy New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the gover nment using a quote of world-renowned physicist Albert Einstein on Monday, saying the only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance.

“This lockdown proves that: ‘The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance’,” he wrote on Twitter quoting Einstein.

Gandhi also shared a graph that showed how the four lockdowns have flattened the wrong curve of the economy, instead of COVID-19 deaths, which are rising in the country.

The former Congress president has been critical of the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic by imposing lockdowns, which he has claimed as failure as they have not given the desired results. He has also accused the government of arrogance and not listening to the voice of the opposition. —ANI

‘No Delhi lockdown is being planned’

A view of a wholesale vegetable market showing no respect to social distancing guidelines, during ongoing COVID-19 lockdown in Jammu on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

COVID-19 test: TS fixes rates for pvt hosps Hyderabad: Telangana gave permission to ICMR-approved private labs and diagnostic centres to conduct Covid-19 tests and capped the cost of test at Rs 2,200.

The government also capped treatment cost at private hospitals.

The cost per day for admission in isolation ward in a private hospital has been capped at

Rs 4,000. Treatment without ventilator in ICU room has been

OVER 57.7L TESTS DONE SO FAR: ICMR

capped at Rs 7,500 per day while treatment with ventilator in ICU has been capped at Rs 9,000 per day. “If any lab or diagnostic centre or any private hospital is found exploiting people or patients by overcharging, we will take strict action like seizing the facility or blacklisting it,” warned CS Somesh Kumar. —ANI

New Delhi: The SC pulled up automobile associations, including Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA), noting that its order on relaxations for sale and registration of BS 4 vehicles has been flouted by dealers.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra and also comprising Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Indira Banerjee was hearing a case related to the relaxation in the sale and registration of vehicles, compliant with BS 4 emission norms.

The bench said that its earlier order on relaxations for sale and registration of BS 4 vehicles has been apparently flouted by auto-

mobile dealers. The apex court observed that it had allowed the sale and registration of 1.05 lakh BS 4 vehicles, but 2.55 lakh vehicles have been sold since then.The top court sought the details of the sale and registrations of vehicles by FADA by Friday. The court also asked the Ministry of Road Transport to submit details of BS 4 vehicles sold and registered after the court's March 27 order. —Agencies

CISCE class 10, 12 pupils can opt out of pending exams Mumbai: The Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) informed Bombay HC that it will not force students to appear for remaining examinations for Class 10 and 12 in July, 2020.

The Council said that students can either appear for pending exams as per the revised schedule or they could opt out of the remaining exams, in which case the final results will be based on performance in internal assessment or pre-board exams.

CM SPEAK

increase testing and other important initiatives. However, no party at the meeting suggested a reimposition of lockdown to tackle the rise in coronavirus cases. —Agencies

Airlines can book middle seats, says HC

‘India source of trusted talent for global economy’

Mumbai: In a relief to both domestic and international airlines, the Bombay High Court allowed them to fill up middle seats, in compliance with the May 31 circular issued by the Civil Aviation, on the condition that passengers wear ‘wrap around’ gowns and that standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are followed.

A division bench of Justices S J Kathawalla and S P Tavade passed the judgement, through vc, on a plea filed by Air India pilot Deven Kanani, who alleged that national carrier Air India had

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said that India is an essential source of ''trusted talent'' for the global economy, and human resources are at the core of India's engagement with the world.

“India is today a critical source of trusted talent and competitive skills for the global economy. Human resources are at the core of our engagement with the world,” he said at the keynote address of 3rd Annual Conference, Protectors of Emigrants.

“The focus of the conference would be to focus on the policy and practices pertaining to all aspect of migration.

And this is a very im-

IN THE COURTYARD

SC pulls up auto industry bodies for flouting orders

New Delhi: No reimposition of lockdown is being planned in Delhi, tweeted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, quelling rumours of a possible shutdown amid a sharp rise in the coronavirus cases in the national capital.

The first nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25 to stem the spread of the disease and since then it has been extended four times. Presently, the lockdown is only in containment zones till June 30.

“Many people are speculating whether another lockdown in Delhi in being planned.

There are no such plans,” said CM Kejriwal. Earlier in the day, Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting of all the parties of Delhi to discuss the coronavirus crisis in the city.

The government said that the Centre and the AAP dispensation have agreed on an immediate action plan to increase capacity of beds,

violated social distancing norms while evacuating Indians stranded abroad on special flights. The plea was submitted through advocate Abhilash Panickar.

On June 4, the bench had reserved the matter for final order. In its interim order, the court had directed all domestic and international airlines to comply with the DGCA rules till its final hearing. —Agencies

Dr. S. Jaishankar addresses the inaugural session of the 3rd Annual Conference of Protectors of Emigrants in New Delhi.

portant responsibility and one that has acquired even greater responsibility in the light coronavirus pandemic,” he added.

He said that the focus of the government has been to provide better opportunities and welfare measures to prospective migrants.

We have been engaged in negotiation with the foreign governments to provide ease of travel and opportunity through migration and mobility agreements,” he added.

Protectors of emigrants can grant emigrant clearance under Emigration Act, 1983.

IN CONTROVERSY

FIR against Digvijaya Singh over ‘edited’ video of MP CM Chouhan Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Police registered an FIR against Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh and 11 others on Monday in a case of circulation of an alleged “edited” video of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s old statement on the liquor policy of the previous Kamal Nath government.

Singh said he had no objection to the FIR against him, but the police should also investigate the source of the video and who “edited” it. On Sunday night, leaders of the ruling

BJP submitted a complaint to the police, demanding that an FIR be lodged against Singh for tweeting the alleged “edited” video.

In the video, Chouhan is purportedly seen commenting on the liquor policy of the previous Kamal Nath government.”On the basis of the complaint, a case has been registered against 12 people, including Digivijaya Singh and Avinash Kadbe (MP Congress’ social media coordinator),” Additional Superintendent of Police Nishchal Jharia told PTI. They

STORY SO FAR

O

have been charged under IPC Sections 500 (defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 505 (2) (public mischief) and 465 (forgery), the official said.Jharia said the FIR was regis-

tered after the complaint received from BJP leaders was found to be “right” in preliminary investigation.

“Further action would be taken after the investigation, he said.

Reacting to the devel-

opment, Digvijaya Singh said the BJP is upset as he raised an issue of cheating in CM’s constituency.

“The BJP has been fuming and is perturbed since I wrote to Chouhan that tribals in

his constituency Budhni were duped of Rs 450 crore by his agents. No action was taken during Chouhan’s (previous) tenure. I wrote to him that if no action would be taken, I will be forced to sit on a dharna

at the CM’s residence, Singh told reporters.

He also demanded an FIR against those who duped the tribals in Chouhan’s constituency. “I dont have any objection to the FIR (against him), but it should be investigated what is the source (of video) and who edited this? The BJP and ModiShah bhakts edited Rahul Gandhi’s video and circulated it and are running fake news.

Action should also be taken against them,” he said. State Congress president and former Chief Minister Kamal

Nath criticised the action against Digvijaya Singh. “The BJP government is continuously showing its malicious thinking by taking oppressive action against Congress leaders in the state, Nath said.

He said the BJP government is setting a “wrong tradition” in the state.BJP are constantly doing dirty politics against Congress leaders and trying to spoil their image, they have made false complaints against Digvijaya Singh over a viral video, he said. —PTI

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MONSOON ACTIVE OVER WEST, CENTRAL, EAST INDIA A motorist rides through a flooded street in Puri.

Commuters wade through a water-logged road after heavy downpour in Patna.

New Delhi: IMD on Monday, stated that fairly widespread to widespread rainfall is likely to continue over Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar during the next two-three days.

It also stated that an east-west trough runs from northwest Rajasthan to Gangetic West Bengal at lower tropospheric levels and an east-west shear zone

THE FORECAST “Under the influence of above systems, fairly widespread to widespread rainfall very likely to continue over Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar during next 2-3 days; Scattered heavy to very heavy falls and isolated extremely heavy falls over Konkan and Goa,” the IMD stated. is seen from Sub-Himalayan West Bengal to north Konkan across the cyclonic circulation

AMARNATH YATRA

Mahant announces Chhari-Mubarak pooja calendar

Mumbai would continue to receive heavy rains.

23% SURPLUS RAIN IN ODISHA Bhubaneswar: Odisha received 23 per cent surplus rainfall against normal 79.2 per cent between June 1 to June 15 this year, said HR Biswas, IMD Bhubaneshwar director on Monday. “Odisha received 97.4 mm rainfall i.e. 23 per cent access rain against normal 79.2 per cent from June 1 to June 15.

over southeast UP, south MP, north Madhya Maharashtra between 3.1 and 5.8 km

Mumbai: In a districtwise forecast, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar for Monday and Tuesday. The IMD warned of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall along the west coast of Maharashtra and the southern state.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of India also warned the citizens of incessant rainfall quoting IMD. Orange alert has been issued to warn the citizens to be prepared.

The remaining districts of the west coast, parts of central Maharashtra as well as isolated areas of Vidarbha and Marathwada are also to receive incessant rainfall. Heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely in Goa & Konkan region during the next 24 hours. It has been three days since the monsoons have arrived in southern Maharashtra. —ANI

Delhi govt’s reply sought on inmates’ plea New Delhi: The Delhi HC issued notice to Delhi government on a plea seeking quashing of a circular dated March 25 suspending legal consultation of the inmates with advocates of their choice in Delhi prison in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

The petition, filed by lawyer Ajit P Singh through advocate Lav Kumar Agrawal, is

Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in Sunderbani New Delhi: Mahant Deependra Giri, the custodian of the holy mace of Lord Shiva, has announced the schedule for the Chhari-Mubarak rituals for this year’s Amarnath Yatra and said the pilgrimage will be “a low-key affair” in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Mahant Deependra Giri Ji told that this year Yatra is going to be a lowkey affair keeping in view of COVID-19 pandemic,” a press release said on Monday. Giving details of the ChhariMubarak pooja, he said

above mean sea level.

“Under the influence of above systems, fairly widespread to wide-

spread rainfall very likely to continue over Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand & Bihar during next 2-3 days; Scattered heavy rain and isolated extremely heavy falls over Konkan and Goa, isolated very heavy falls over central India and Bihar, Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal during next 2-3 days,” IMD further stated. —ANI

Orange alert issued for Mum, Thane and Palghar

that as per traditions, ‘Bhoomi-Pujan’, ‘Navgrah Pujan’ and ‘Dhawajarohan’ rituals, that mark the commencement of the Amarnath Yatra, will be performed at Pahalgam on ‘AshadPurnima’ on July 5.

After performing Chhari-Pujan at Dashnami Akhara Srinagar on of ‘Nag-Panchami’ on July 25, Mahant Giri will carry the holy mace to the holy shrine of Swami Amarnath to have ‘Darshan’ on the auspicious occasion of ‘Shravan-Purnima’ on August 3. —ANI

Rajouri: Pakistan on Monday, violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district on Monday, the army officials informed.

The ceasefire violations by Pakistan took place at 2.30 pm. The Indian Army is retaliating befittingly.

On June 14, one Indian Army jawan lost his life in unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials told ANI. —ANI

nue collection will be less than normal. Even after increasing VAT on petrol and diesel, the state is likely to have to borrow Rs24,000-25,000 crore to meet expenses due to the massive revenue loss. There will be an adverse impact on development work too.

Uttarakhand, the state in whose border region the road has been built.

“These are no ordinary ties and we are bound by ‘roti’ and ‘beti’ (livelihood and marriage). No power in the world can break it,” Singh said.

The bilateral ties between the two countries came under strain after Singh inaugurated a 80-km-long strategically-crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal’s Parliament had on Saturday unanimously voted to amend the Constitution to up-

seeking to allow legal interviews between jail inmates with the advocates of their choice.

A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel

and Justice Prateek Jalan asked Delhi government to file a reply on the petition and listed the matter for hearing on June 29.

The petitioner submitted that the circular issued by the Director General (Prison), who is working under the respondent government, has violated Article 21 of the Constitution of India by not allowing the inmates of Delhi Prison to take legal advice & consultations via personal meetings & peruse their cases by way of Advocate of their choice. —ANI

POWER Gallery WILL BANSAL BE APPOINTED COMMISSIONER, GCC?

Name of Pankaj Kumar Bansal is doing the rounds for the post of Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). He is a 1997 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

HOW MANY 1987 BATCH IPS OFFICERS WILL JOIN GOI?

It is said that out of the total empanelled 15 IPS officers of the 1987 batch, only a couple of officers are expected to join the GoI. Others are said to be comfortable in their respective states. Many of them are already DGP in their states.

THREE 1988 BATCH IPS OFFICERS HOLDING INDEPENDENT POSITION

While about half a dozen IPS officers of the 1986 batch are waiting in the wings, three 1988 batch IPS officers are holding independent assignments. They include Jharkhand cadre IPS officer SN Pradhan, who is DG NDRF, West Bengal cadre IPS officer Ram Phal Pawar, who is DG NCRB and Gujarat cadre IPS officer Atul Karwal, who is Director National Police Academy, Hyderabad.

BNN MURTHY RELIEVED TO JOIN KARNATAKA CADRE

The Government of Andhra Pradesh has relieved BNN Murthy in order to join Karnataka cadre on inter- cadre deputation for a period of three years. He is a 2007 batch IFS officer of AP cadre.

NO IPS OFFICER FROM UP EMPANELLED AS DG IN GOI

No IPS officer of the 1987 batch from Uttar Pradesh, has been empanelled for holding either DG or equivalent post despite having had four eligible officers of this batch.

THREE VACANCIES OF SPECIAL DIRECTORS IN ED

There are currently three vacancies of Special Director located at Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh in ED. There are reports that the vacancies may be filled up in a couple of months.

FORMER IAS OFFICER TO JOIN PATANJALI GROUP?

Former 2005 batch IAS officer of UP cadre, Nagendra Prasad Singh is likely to join the Patanjali Group in Haridwar.

FOUR AGMUT CADRE IAS OFFICERS TRANSFERRED TO DELHI

Four officers of AGMUT cadre have been transferred to Delhi Government. They are: Gaurav Singh Rajawat, Vikram Singh Malik, Avinash Kumar and Monica Priyadarshini.

TANMAY KUMAR IS ALSO DIRECTOR, NHPC LIMITED

VIZAG GAS LEAK

Naidu writes to kin of 15 victims, announces `50,000 assistance Amaravati: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu has written letters to the kin of 15 victims, who lost their lives in the LG Polymers gas leak tragedy in Visakhapatnam, and assured them financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each.

In his letters, the TDP chief said that he had planned to personally meet the victims’ families to hand over Rs 50,000 financial assistance to each of them but the govern-

ment was not giving him permission to visit Visakhapatnam.

He added that one flight was cancelled when he

was about to go to the port city. The TDP leaders will be visiting all the bereaved families and assistance would be directly deposited to their bank accounts.

He further said the kin of victims that the loss caused couldn’t be compensated. Styrene gas, which leaked from gas plant of LG Polymers in RR Venkatapuram village in Visakhapatnam district on May 7, had claimed over 10 lives and had left several people ill. —ANI

date the country’s new political map, laying claim over three strategically key areas, including Lipulekh, along the border with India.

“If the Lipulekh-Dharchula road has given rise to some misunderstanding among the people of Nepal, I believe we can sit together to address it.

We can do it through dialogue,” the defence minister said.

Singh, however, reiterated India’s stand that the 80-km road had been built in Indian territory, while acknowledging that this had caused some misunder-

standing in Nepal.

The road will shorten the duration of the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage by six days, according to Singh.

Nepal had reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road, claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory.

Nepal had last month released the revised political and administrative map of the country laying claim over the strategically key areas, more than six months after India published a

new map in November.

At pains to highlight the deep ties between the two countries, the defence minister spoke about the valour of the Gorkha regiment, whose soldiers are mostly drawn from Nepal, and noted that its battle cry is “Maha Kali, Aayo Gorkhali” (Goddess Kali, Gorkhas are here).

“How can the India-Nepal relations be broken?” he asked. “No matter how much fencing one does across Dharchula, these ties cannot be ended,” he said.

The government has also been working to reduce India’s depen-

N Chandrababu Naidu

06

Tanmay Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, has been appointed as Government Nominee Director on the Board of NHPC Limited. He is a 1993 batch IAS officer.

TWO CENTRALLY DEPUTED IAS OFFICERS ATTACHED TO DELHI GOVT

Two IAS officers, who are on deputation to Govt of India, are being attached to Delhi govt in order to tackle increasing cases of COVID-19. They are: SCL Das and Sajjan Singh Yadav. Das is a 1992 batch IAS and presently posted as DG, Hydrocarbons, in the Ministry of Petroleum and Yadav, a 1995 batch IAS is Joint Secretary, WCD. It is said that the HM has reportedly directed attachment to these two IAS officers to Delhi Govt.

VINAY AMBADE GIVEN ADDL CHARGE OF CHAIRMAN, RRB, CHANDIGARH

Vinay Ambade, presently posted as Chairman, Railway Recruitment Board, Jammu, has been assigned additional charge as Chairman, Railway Recruitment Board, Chandigarh.

FROM PG 1 Rupani government... industry yet to bounce back, even after Unlock 1.0 was implemented, the state fears it will lose Rs8,500 crore from VAT. The state government’s monthly mandatory expenses of salaries and pensions amount to Rs4,000 crore. It has already borrowed Rs6,000 crore to pay these bills over the past two months, sources say.

The Finance Minister clearly stated that the economy will take at least six to eight months to get back on track. Until then, reve-

Two officials...

The incident took place days after two Pakistani officials at Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi were deported for espionage activities in India. —ANI ‘India-Nepal... a BJP’s virtual rally for

dence on imports in the defence sector by boosting domestic manufacturing and exports of defence equipment. It has set an export target of USD 5 billion by 2024, he said.

According to Singh, India has progressed a lot under the six years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government and its economy had become fifth largest in the world from the ninth earlier. —PTI

Total lockdown... with Indian Council for Medical Research- National Institute of Epidemiology here took part

in the meeting through a virtual link.

On Sunday, Tamil Nadu registered 1,974 new coronavirus cases pushing the overall tally to 44,661 and 38 people died of the virus, raising the fatality count to 435 in the state.

Dr V Ramasubramanian, a member of the expert committee, said the rise in the number of cases was on expected lines.

Though there was ‘psychological stress’ & several people feared the pandemic, they did not take adequate precautions and it was a dichotomy, he said.—ANI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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07

THREE WAYS CORONAVIRUS MAY PERMANENTLY CHANGE OUR LIVES T

he realisation that life is going to change for a good while is starting to take hold.

To flatten the curve of the COVID-19 outbreak, radical measures of social distancing are currently being rolled out in an increasing number of countries.

People are being urged – or instructed – to isolate themselves at home. In many countries, schools are closed.

The same is true of theatres, bars, and cinemas. Travel for both leisure and business is advised against. Borders are shutting.

Most people presume that all these measures to combat the virus will be temporary, and that at some point — in two, six, or perhaps 12 months — life will be back to normal and business as usual. To some extent, this may be true. But many changes could well be permanent.

Social systems, be it whole economies or individual organisations, are inert and very hard to change.

Over time, firms develop into complex and bureaucratic structures, with so many ingrained routines that they are almost impossible to change. Economies too follow a largely path-dependent trajectory.

This means that they usually resist radical change, and instead follow a path which more often than not is triggered by a small event or historical accident. Even if the Democratic presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders, and his supporters might like to see it, the US will never become Denmark.

But in times of fundamental crisis, a window of opportunity for change opens up. Sometimes, this window of opportunity is purposefully leveraged to change the course of action.

For example, in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in 2011, Chancellor Angela Merkel decided, quite haphazardly, that Germany would discontinue its reliance on nuclear power. In other cases, revolutionary change happens almost by accident, as was the case with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Research in the social sciences has long made the observation that sociopolitical change often occurs in sudden bursts: a social system remains stable for a long period of time, until an external shock disrupts it and sets in motion a new trajectory.

Coronavirus may well be such an external shock, fundamentally reshaping some areas of how we live our lives. Rather than simply bouncing back and reverting to the precoronavirus state, some changes may be permanent. In three areas of our economic lives, changes brought about by coronavirus may well prove much more long-lasting than currently anticipated.

Social systems, be it whole economies or individual organisations, are inert and very hard to change. Over time, firms develop into complex and bureaucratic structures, with so many ingrained routines that they are almost impossible to change

Working remotely

F

lexible working arrangements are more and more widespread.

But extensive working from home is considered bad for individuals, because they tend to work more hours. It also has downsides for organisations, because it raises coordination costs and critical advantages of being physically present are lost, such as building relationships and a team spirit.

Business travel

B

usiness travel is often considered critical for the success of whole organisations and the effectiveness of running them. It is certainly true that face-to-face meetings help build relationships and trust, which is often crucial for making a project succeed. But now that businesses and other organisations are being forced to radically cut down or stop business travel, they may realise that it’s not so essential after all – as

For these reasons, there are signs that the classic physical office space has recently witnessed something of a revival: some pioneers of working remotely have called their workers back to the office. But now that working remotely is a necessity, both

employers and employees will have to build competencies and work out how to do it effectively. Individuals will be forced to build new routines, and organisations will have to find ways to create online spaces for colleagues to interact outside of formal meetings.

Good workplace relationships are critical for innovation and the resilience of an organisation. It remains to be seen what might act as the virtual water cooler – a place where colleagues meet, gossip, and innovate.

Coronavirus may force us collectively to become better at working remotely, which could then emerge as a viable alternative to working in downtown offices.

long as they find working. Now that employees have to rely on Skype or Zoom calls, rather than flying around the globe to meet in person, they may realise that video conferencing is a good alternative: one that is more flexible, family-friendly, and more environmentally sustainable. Employers, meanwhile, will see the possibility for drastic cost-cutting. So in the future, we may see significantly lower levels of business travel.

Industry disruption

M

any industries were already undergoing significant disruption before coronavirus hit. The measures taken to fight coronavirus will accelerate these seismic shifts.

Streaming services, for example, threaten the business model of established content creation and distribution, and Amazon is becoming a dominant superdisrupter of a wide variety of industries.

The “stay-at-home-economy” necessitated by coronavirus will dramatically accelerate the shift from the old to the new, making questions of market concentration and the possible need for regulation even more important.

Change will come from both the demand and the supply side. An increasing number of people will start using these services, and start liking them, and becoming loyal customers. And the supply

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

side will also change. Incumbents will be weakened and might even go out of business, and disruptors will continue to invest from a strengthened position.

In other fields the change will be equally dramatic and possibly for good. For example, higher education has been slow in moving into the online teaching space, but now that the sector is forced to deliver modules online, universities are unlikely to totally revert back to the previous status quo. There are huge opportunities offered by online education – in terms of new markets for students and cheaper delivery thanks to economies of scale.

Change happens in bursts, and coronavirus may constitute a critical external shock transforming parts of our lives. While we think of the current changes to our lives as temporary, they may well be permanent.

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: SITARAM SHARMA

Experience is important but don’t allow it to become a hurdle to take up new challenges in unchartered territories.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

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08

COVID CARE

This govt facility beats pvt hospitals THE CORONA RECOVERY RATE AT SURAT CIVIL HOSPITAL IS 66% ,WHILE IT IS JUST ABOUT 45% IN PRIVATE FACILITIES

Darshan Desai Surat: Gujarat continues to surprise.

Days after the Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad faced strong strictures from the Gujarat High Court for its mishandling of Covid-19 care, there are numbers emerging from Surat to testify that more patients have recovered and less succumbed to the deadly virus at the government facility there than the private ones.

The difference is evident. The recovery rate of Covid-19 patients at the Surat Civil Hospital is 66.78 per cent and the fatality rate 3 per cent while private hospitals -- despite all reputation -- show a recovery percentage of 45 per cent and mortality of 6 per cent. (See graphic) According to official numbers from the Civil Hospital, 2,481 patients were treated there till June 12. Of these, 1,657 patients recovered and 80 died, while the rest are under treatment.

Surat Municipal Corporation’s Health Department informs that as on the same date, 89

RATE IF PATIENT GOES TO PRIVATE HOSPITAL HIMSELF  Ward cost Rs. 9000 per day.  HDU cost Rs.Rs. 12,600 per day.  Isolation+ICU cost Rs. 18,050 per day.  Ventilation+Isolation+ICU cost Rs. 21,850 per day.

RATE IF PATIENT REFERRED BY THE MUNICIPAL CORPORATION  Ward cost Rs.4500 per day.  HDU cost Rs. 6,750 per day.  Isolation+ICU cost Rs. 9000 per day.  Ventilation+Isolation+ICU cost Rs. 11,250 per day.

Hospital

BAPS Hospital

Patients Treated Discharged Deaths

Government

2481

1665

80

Private

197

89

12

75

Prannath Hospital 75 Sparkle Hospital 45

Doctor interacting with a patient at a private hospital in Surat.

It isn’t right to compare private hospitals with government, it is too early. Government hospitals get large number of patients as against the private ones. The stage at which a patient reaches the private facility should also be seen.

—Dr Parul Vadgama, Indian Medical Association, Surat

out of 197 patients treated at the private designated Covid hospi-

tals recovered and 12 died.

Only 8 out of 408

We have come know about exorbitant charges taken by some private hospitals and we are looking into it on priority. As for better recovery, it depends when the patient reaches a hospital.

—Banchhanidhi Pani, Surat Municipal Commissioner

active patients at the Civil Hospital are on ventilators, while

more than 15 out of 96 active patients in private hospitals are

on ventilators. The condition of others is also critical.

Against this, corona patients have to cough up anywhere from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12 lakh for treatment at the private hospitals, though the Covid rates have been capped by the government.

When a Covid-19 patient is admitted at a private hospital, thousands of rupees are billed for X-ray, sonography, CT scan, lab ex-

aminations and medicine, which have not been regulated. After these examination reports, a corona test is done.

If the report is positive, they charge from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 12 lakh depending on the condition of the patient. The same checks are done at the Civil Hospital, but the charges are very nominal if not free. (See graphic) Doctors and other

First India Bureau

Dahej: An FIR for culpable homicide has been filed against seven officials of Yashaswi Rasayan, the chemical factory where an explosion left 10 workers dead and 77 others injured on June 3. All workers were migrants.

The police complaint was filed against Atalbhai Kumar Mandal, a contractual employee, Mahesh Galchar, tank operator, Bharat Agrawal, production in charge, Dharam Thummar, the unit head, Alok Panda, in charge of keeping Dimethyl Sulphate, Mitesh Patel, the liquid storage farm area head, and Yunus Khaliwala, the security in-

15 HOTSPOT

Ahmedabad and Surat are among those accounting for 64% cases.

Ahmedabad, Thane, Pune, Indore, Kolkata, Jaipur, Surat, Hyderabad, Aurangabad, Jodhpur, Gurugram and Chengalpattu.

LocalCircles asked citizens in 14 districts whether a one month complete lockdown is needed in their respective district at this junc-

Three held for ‘cheating doctor of `59,000’ Ahmedabad: Days after an Ahmedabadbased doctor was allegedly cheated of Rs 59,000 under the guise of being offered a VIP phone number, the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell arrested three persons in the case, claiming that the group has been running the racket since December 2018.

75

Mahavir Hospital 75

FIR slapped on Dahej firm for killer blast

First India Bureau

Venus Hospital

GOVERNMENT VERSUS PRIVATE HOSPITALS

74% people in A’bad, Surat, 13 other cities for one more phase of lockdown Ahmedabad: As many as 74 per cent of the citizens believe that a one-month complete lockdown in high virus load districts, including the worst-affected Ahmedabad city and Surat in Gujarat, is needed to contain the Covid-19 spread in India, according to a LocalCircles survey.

LocalCircles poll in 14 high virus load districts suggest that majority of the citizens in these districts are in favour of a one month complete lockdown.

The top 15 districts with highest virus load as identified by Niti Aayog include Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai,

TOTAL BEDS AVAILABLE AT PRIVATE HOSPITALS

An FIR was lodged at Cyber Crime Cell police station in Ahmedabad on June 13 by 57-yearold Dr Vishwamohan Thakur, a resident of Adani Shantigram near Vaishno Devi circle in the city, who had alleged that he was cheated of Rs 59,000 on January 20 after being promised a VIP number from an accused claiming to be a representative of telecom major Airtel.

tion to contain the spread of Covid-19, percentage of citizens that responded with a yes were Delhi (79 per cent), Mumbai (64 per cent), Chennai (61 per cent), Ahmedabad (73 per cent), Thane (50 per cent), Pune (60 per cent), Indore (67 per cent), Kolkata (52 per

cent), Gurugram (59 per cent), Jaipur (53 per cent), Surat (57 per cent), Aurangabad (80 per cent) and Jodhpur (75 per cent).

With the average number of Covid-19 cases in India rising to approximately 11,000 per day, and the health infrastructure unable

to cope in most places, people were asked if a complete one-month lockdown needs to be implemented in these top 15 districts which currently contribute 64 per cent of the cases in India.

First India Bureau

charge, under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including culpable homicide due to negligence and negligence.

The complaint states that in the event leading to the blast of the tank filled with chemicals at Yashaswi Pvt Ltd that is located inside Dahej SEZ, Bharuch on June 2, Mahesh Galchar told Atalbhai Mandal to empty the two tanks that stored Nitric acid and Dimethyl Sulphate into storage tanks and asked him to attach the connecting hoses.

But the hoses were cross-connected and some 18 ton of Nitric acid had been mixed with 25 ton of Dimethyl Sulphate.

Here, patients’ relatives run from pillar to post First India Bureau Surat: It is often that relatives at the Surat Civil Hospital are left in suspense about the conditions of their near and dear ones fighting the deadly coronavirus.

The reason?

Unmanned inquiry desk.

A family member of one of such patients told First India, pleading anonymity, “I don’t

Anxious relatives of patients at Civil Hospital.

receive any information from the desk. I get to know his condi-

tion once a day with the help of one of my familiar doctors.”

He said family members of other patients also face this difficulty and said the hospital must make the necessary arrangements.

Member of another family whose patient is admitted at the Civil hospital, says, “Where should we go to find out about the condition of our family member admitted in critical condition to the hospital? We don’t

get any information from the inquiry desk. We are constantly worried and this issue should be sorted immediately.

When asked, Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr Preeti Kapadia said, “Employees are assigned rotation-wise duty. But if they report absent, I will investigate the matter. We will also allocate three medical officers for this.”

paramedical staff work in three shifts at the Civil Hospital and over 70 doctors are involved in treating patients in one shift.

Surat Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr Preeti Kapadia said, “People don’t need to panic. We are doing good treatment. The government is giving us all the resources.

The entire hospital is working as a team to treat the patients of Corona.”

Teacher held with fake currency First India Bureau Godhra: A government school teacher was held with fake currency with a face value of Rs 12,300 in Panchmahal district, police said on Monday.

Ramkishan Patel (40) was held on a tip-off from Pavagadh village on Sunday night and 65 fake notes were seized from his car, Inspector PN Sinh said. “Fifty notes were of 200 denomination, 13 notes of 100 denomination and two notes of 500 denomination.

Patel, a resident of Lunawada taluka in Mahisagar district, was handed over to the special operations group of Panchmahal police for further probe,” he said.

“Primary probe has revealed Patel is a teacher at a govt school in Kavali village in Panchmahal. He acquired these notes from one Mukesh of Lunawada and intended to circulate it,” said SOG inspector KP Jadeja.

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09

AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY JUNE 16, 2020

Nicole Scherzinger

JAI HO! After all these years here is the real reason behind the split of Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

W

ith the return of the singing reality show ‘The Masked Singer’ in the United Kingdom, the question about Nicole Scherzinger, one of the judges of the show, has made headlines again with the question ‘What was the

... with Lewis Hamilton

REAL reason behind the split of her and Lewis Hamilton?

The couple met back in 2007, and after an on-andoff dating for a few years, they split up in 2016, as their relationship faced a lot of problems since the couple was in a long-distance relationship. Lewis had also previously mentioned that the relationship was “tough to hold down” because of the distance.

Later in 2017, Lewis mentioned that they had parted ways as their relationship got in the way for his love of cars.

He said, “My cars are my babies. I used to say when I had a girlfriend, ‘I’m taking one of the girls out, so you can come if you want, but you come second when it comes to the cars.’”

Later when Nicole was asked about the same, she said, “I don’t see anything negative, I think it’s quite natural when people separate and go their own ways and you just have to be adult about it and just always wish the other person happiness, suc-

cess and love like sincerely and I do.”

Nicole Scherzinger is an American singer, actor, dancer and songwriter, and rose to fame as the lead singer of the ‘Pussycat Dolls’, one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time. Whereas, Lewis Hamilton is a British racing driver, who had won his first World Drivers’ Championship in 2008.

Scherzinger, the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, wrote the English version of ‘Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)’, the song appeared on the rerelease of the group’s second studio album Doll Domination (2008).

Scherzinger was hesitant at first, stating in an interview that, “ I was scared to death to touch it, afraid for people to hear it before I even wrote it.”

Scherzinger put her “heart into writing the lyrics and put in themes from the film Slumdog Millionaire.

Love and destiny were elements from the movie that she put into the track”. She stated that she “prayed every night to do this right.”

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AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

10

DEDICATION, PROFESSIONALISM AND COMPASSION FOR SUCCESS! LUNARAM DARJI cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Mumbai: India’s largest interior decoration company, Mumbai based Narsi Group has achieved yet another feat and that also during the real difficult times of Covid-19 epidemic. Narsi Group has successfully finished the complete interior work of Pune based Covid-19 Care Centre, run by renowned Wipro Group.

Narsi Group under its CMD, Narsi Kularia has many feathers on its decorated cap but this assignment was a challenge in itself as the interior work of the hospital was to be com-

Narsi Kularia

pleted in 45 days which is a tough task even during normal days. Completing it in a stipulated period when the coronavirus epidemic was unleashing itself in Maharashtra was a huge challenge.

The situation was further aggravated as all the labour involved in the interior work had reverse migrated to their homes thus making the job an uphill task. CMD, Narsi Kularaia

FA CE OF TH ED AY

Jagdish Kularia

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

and Group Director, Jagdish Kularia took the job of interior decoration of a 504 bedded COVID dedicated hospital as a mission. They both were aware of the challenges like shortage of labour, all markets closed and no means of transport.

Another big challenge was to maintain social distancing on the site, to keep the labour safe from the infection, which would make the progress of the work slow.

Narsi Kularia said that there is a special satisfaction in the hospital project as it would serve humanity when it needs attention and care. Another point worth mentioning is that Narsi Group has been involved with the Skill India scheme for a good time now and has successfully trained thousands of young people by paving way for them to get employed.

Group Director, Jagdish Kularia also credited the success of the project to his team members who worked 24x7 and made the working site their home for the whole period. He said, it is hard work of such people, which makes the Narsi Group what it is today. Jagdish Kularia said he finds himself to be lucky to have led such a dedicated team.

Both Kularia brothers have many dreams to make true and are eagerly awaiting for the corona crisis to pass over so that they can continue their march towards success which is carved out of dedication, hard work and professionalism with compassion at the core of every activity.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

On professional front, you networking skills will be really helpful for you.

Someone in your environment will boost your morale.

Look for long term benefits rather than concentrating on the short ones.

An outing with family with prove to be very educational in nature.

It will be good for your health if you stay miles away from stress or do some exercises that will help you to remain more calm.

Family is your one big strength and they will always stand by you. For students, you must give your everything to your assignment.

You can expect good returns from your business. You like to serve people and do the best you can for them. You will soon get a hike in salary. You will be a part of a big project which will be very famous and so will you be alongside. You may have many social affairs.

You will outsmart your colleagues in office today.

You may feel tempted to do something big for someone but your must also keep in mind your limits. Your professional life is good full of fun ad well as challenges and you get learn something new everyday.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You will spend a very comfortable relaxing day today. Life is good and easy for you though you sometimes struggles with emotions but thats normal. Your spouse will surprise you with good food today.

Your patience will pay on academic front. You’re an introvert.

You need not worry about your finances as they are in safe hands. You must not wait for someone to motivate you, trust yourself and derive motivation from within. Keep your ego in check on professional front to avoid any unnecessary problems. Don’t spoon feed anyone.

You will spend majority of your day in taking care of your spouse and kids and catering to their needs. You will deliver all the work expected from you on time and you can expect magical results. Never see yourself with doubt, have faith in yourself and be confident.

Life is good for you and you always tends to express gratitude to the almighty. You are brave just like a lion and your capabilities speak for yourself. Your efforts on business front won’t go waste. Make sure to do whatever it takes to keep your relationships straight.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You are socially sometime involved in backbiting and you must refrain at all costs from doing that as it can cause permanent damage to your relationships. You always feel emotional secure and for you letting go of things that aren’t good for you is easy. You will make a good parent.

Keep growing in the business of self improvement as someday you will do something big and will make everyone proud. You must introduce yourself to new fitness programs if the current ones have stop challenging you. Family is your strength as well as your weakness.

It will be good for you to go on a business trip as it will be good change for you. You will successfully fetch a good price for your property. Your kid will help you if there is any financial requirement. Life will bring many exciting opportunities to your life but its you who needs to understand.

Your stars support a lot of travelling, may be within the country or outside depending on your pocket, You may take help from your father as far as career advice is concerned as he always tends to give you the right advice. You will achieve all your goals as far as you focus.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

PRIYA SHARMA, Model

But Narsi and Jagdish Kularia went ahead and finished the assigned job including the completion of ICUs and ventilators within 45 days. CEO Atish too played an important role in meeting the deadline. It was the result of perfect leadership under Narsi and Jagdish Kularia that their team could perform and deliver in total adverse conditions.

Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thakre digi-

tally inaugurated the dedicated Covid-19 Care Centre, while WIPRO CEO, Rishad Premji and Senior Vice President, Hariprasad Hegde were present at the centre. Narsi Group was facilitated during the function for its professionalism.

Senior VP Hariprasad Hegde handed over an appreciation letter to Siddarth Sharma of the Narsi Group for completing the work of 504 bedded hospital in a record time of only 45 days.

It is noteworthy that the largest interior decoration group today, Narsi Group, started its journey in 1986 with only 5 people which now boasts of employing thousands of workers working across the globe. CMD Narsi Kularia attributed the success to the dedication and professionalism of his team which took the job as a mission and ensured that it was completed in 45 days as per the commitment. Narsi Kularia said that he was proud of every member of his team who has accomplished this difficult task in most adverse and demanding conditions.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

11

‘REMEMBER,

ALONE’ T

aking cues from her own e x p e r i e n c e, actor Deepika Padukone on Sunday reiterated the need to talk, communicate and reach out to those who may be depressed or battling from mental illnesses.

The post comes within hours of the sudden demise of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his Bandra residence in Mumbai.

Deepika shared a written statement on Twitter, which read: “As a person who has had a lived experience with mental illness, I cannot stress enough about the importance of reaching out.”

She urged her legion of followers to “talk, communicate, express and seek help” during such an hour of need.

The ‘Padmaavat’ actor wrapped up the post by assuring nobody is alone in this

battle, and there is always a “hope.”

“Remember, you are not alone. We are in this together. And most importantly there is hope,” the statement read.

The 34-year-old actor has always been on the frontline when it comes to spreading awareness about the importance of mental health.

Padukone started voicing her opinion on the importance of mental health through her foundation ‘The Live Love Laugh Foundation’ (TLLLF) in June 2015. Through the platform, the actor keeps launching nationwide awareness as well as destigmatisation campaigns.

—ANI

Deepika Padukone

CONCERNED! B

eyoncé penned a powerful open letter, demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, who was shot fatally by police in her own home.

The songstress wrote the letter to Kentucky Attorney General, Daniel Cameron, and called for criminal charges against three cops involved in Taylor’s shooting.

Beyoncé urged Cameron to “take swift and decisive action in charging the officers” involved in the shooting. On March 13, Taylor, who was studying to become a nurse, was shot eight times by cops.

It was reported that the cops were conducting a narcotics investigation; however, no drugs were found at her Louisville home. “Three months have passed and zero arrests have been made, and no officers have been fired,” the ‘Crazy In Love’ singer wrote in the letter. She further asked Cameron to take concrete action to prove that a black woman’s life matters. “Your office has both the power and the responsibility to bring justice to Breonna Taylor, and demonstrate the value of a Black woman’s life,” she wrote.

—Agency

P

laying the role of Aunt May in Spider-Man series, Marisa Tomei regrets the decision of taking up mother roles. Even though the Spider-Man franchise is as big as it gets, the actress has concerns about the kind of roles that she has picked for herself. Marisa Tomei plays Aunt May, a mother figure to Tom Holland aka Peter Parker in the MCU movies and the actress will once again be seen playing the role of a mother in her upcoming movie ‘The King of Staten Island’.

—Agency

Marisa Tomei

‘I know where I’m going’

R

eese Witherspoon has been making the headlines ever since she confirmed Legally Blonde 3 on the cards with director Mindy Kaling coming on board to write the film’s script. While the actress is gearing up for her upcoming projects, she has an important view on life and death. Reese Witherspoon shared the same with her co-star Nicole Kidman revealing that she does not fear death. The ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ actress claimed she knows where she’s going after death so it doesn’t scare her.

Nicole recalled a time in which she told Reese that she often thinks about death and asked her, “Do you ever think about dying? Because I think about it all the time.” To which she had a very calm response.

—Agency

Your office has both the power and the responsibility to bring justice to Breonna Taylor, and demonstrate the value of a Black woman’s life.

DEMANDING JUSTICE

YOU’RE NOT

Beyonce

Reese Witherspoon

ALIA SHARES SUN-KISSED PICTURE

A

lia Bhatt delighted her fans by sharing her picture of enjoying ‘Sunlight Sunday’ as she wakes up in the morning.

The ‘Gully Boy’ star put out a post on Instagram wherein Alia is seen all smiles and it seems like the picture is the ‘Highway’ actor’s wake up picture as she has a pillow kept by her side. In the snap, Alia Alia Bhatt

looks gorgeous as she embraces her peachy glow and the dimpled cheek, while the sunlight falls into her luscious strands and face making her glow even more.

Along with the picture, the ‘Dear Zindagi’ actor wrote, “happy sunlight Sunday.”

Alia also thanked Anushka Sharma and said that she inspired Alia to go on sunlight hunt in my house, “ p.s - thank you my dearest @anushkasharma for inspiring me to go on sunlight hunt in my house May the

light always be with you. ( and me ) .” (along with two sunshine emojis) Anushka too was quick to hit like and wrote in the comment section, “always count on me for random inspiration.” (with grinning squinting Face, two hearts and a hugging face emoji) The post on the photosharing platform garnered more than 5 lakh likes from fans and celebrity followers including Bhumi Pednekar.

Lately, Bhatt has been quite active on all her social media accounts. —ANI

..her post

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AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020

12

WEDDING BLISS S

CITY FIRST AJMER

enior journalist and blogger of Ajmer, SP Mittal’s son Harshit was married to Saloni, daughter of Ashok Agarwal, in a beautifully simple heartfelt ceremony, at Paradiso Resort, Ajmer, where all the precautions of Corona were adhered to.

Jagdeesh Chandra personally blessed the newly-weds on the occasion and conveyed his best wishes to the family.

The wedding was attended by BJP State President Satish Poonia, MLA Ajmer (South) Anita Bhadel and MLA Pushkar Suresh Rawat. Dr Priyakhel Hada and Dr Gopal Baheti, renowned medical practitioners also came to bless the couple. Ramchandra Choudhary, who is associated with Ajmer Dairy and local Councillor Neeraj Jain were there in person, as were friends from the media including Regional Editor, Dainik Bhaskar Ramesh Agarwal, Suresh Kasliwal and Sanjay Mathur. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

(From left) Anita Bhadel, Satish Poonia, Jagdeesh Chandra, SP Mittal and Suresh Rawat

BRIDE & GROOM: Saloni and Harshit

NO COMPROMISES Pink City-based Model Mona Gautam shares with City First as to how she feels education is important, no matter what you do in life!

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

E

ducation plays a really important role in whatever you do, and compromising on the same should never be an option. Mona Gautam, a renowned Model from Jaipur feels the same, as she has never let anything come between her studies- not even modelling.

Talking about the same, Mona said, “It was tough for me to cope-up with my studies along with work, as I usually leave home in the morning and come back at night; but I somehow managed to score well in my exams. I believe it is really important to focus on your studies with whatever you have chosen to be your career, as education is something that must never be compromised upon.”

On asking about her journey as a Model, she said, “My journey started back in 2017, when I had registered myself in the beauty pageant ‘Elite Miss Rajasthan’, and attained the title of ‘Miss Rising Star’.

My mentor Gaurav Gaur, and the Director of the same beau-

HAPPY B’DAY!

MLA Behror Baljeet Yadav (from top), Mahwa MLA Om Prakash Hudla and IPS Ram Murti Joshi celebrated their birthdays on 15 June, Monday. We wish them all the best!

Handi Restaurant, Jaipur

Safe & Sumptuous CITY FIRST

T Mona Gautam

ty pageant has been my biggest support, and everything has been possible because of his continuous efforts.” She added, “My experience since then has been simply amazing, and the best thing is that I get to learn a lot from every experience.”

Mona sees herself as an actor and a super-model in the future, and mentioned, “I was thinking to move to Mumbai this year, but the global pandemic made it impossible for me, but I’m definitely going once everything gets back to normal.”

he popular Handi Restaurant in Jaipur is now open for dine-in and home delivery, and both the outlets- MI Road and Vaishali Nagar are back to serving the customers with full precautions to ensure the safety of the customers and staff.

The kitchen staff has been trained to prepare safe and hygienic food, with the food work stations being periodically sanitized.

The food served to the guests is being served in dishes at safe temperatures with the minimum touch of staff.

Also, the option of disposable crockery is giv-

en to the customers at no extra cost.

The restaurant tables, chairs and side stations are being periodically sanitized and disinfected too. Social distancing is maintained, as the sitting plan in the restaurants is changed and covers are reduced.

The cutlery, crockery and glassware is being used are is being cleaned using high-quality commercial-grade washing solutions. The staff involved in the clearance wears disposable gloves that are removed after every clearance and hands are being regularly sanitized. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

RAJASTHAN: As a part of the ongoing ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival’, an online learning session on ‘Mono Print’ by artist, Harshit Vaishnav from Bhilwara was held on Monday. The Live session approached ‘Mono Print’ in a unique manner with a focus on using a variety of materials and paints to create textures.

RAJASTHAN: A campaign, ‘Raddi- Ek Aagaz’, run by Greenland Education Committee, is an initiative where anyone can contribute to provide education to children and help them during the epidemic. The contribution in this campaign has already started and the first ones to contribute to this noble cause were, IAS officer Dr Om Prakash Chaudhary and his wife RJS Chief Judicial Magistrate, Geeta Chaudhary.

RAJASTHAN: A World Wide webcast was organised by JNU Medical College and Hospital in collaboration with the Jain ENT Hospital, on Monday, where more than 20000 ENT surgeons attended the session. The Topic of the webcast was ‘Temporal bone dissection,’ demonstrating the structure with 3D Anatomy of Inner Ear.

RAJASTHAN: During the ongoing Fiesta Online, organised by Rajasthan Studio, a virtual workshop carnival was held on Makeup Artistry by a highly-acclaimed celebrity makeup artist and the founder of salon chains, Sizzlin Scizzors, Deepali Chugh, where she talked about the stepby-step tutorial of the insta-worthy ultra-glam makeup look.

GUJARAT: On the occasion of World Blood Donation Day, 114 bottles of blood were collected at the blood donation camp organised in collaboration with the HOPE NGO of Surat.