First India-Ahmedabad Edition-18 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 42°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 172

INDIA

WORLD

3,14,683 47,71,676 3,025 95,648 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

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DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

659

GUJARAT

11,380

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

EXIT THAT NEVER HAPPENED

Lockdown extended till May 31  At the eleventh hour, govt changed the decision to ease out lockdown after Saturday’s tally of infected people rose to 4,788  Earlier, MHA was mulling 90% relaxation across the country, barring 30 districts  Domestic & international air travel, metro rail services still prohibited  Sports complexes & stadiums allowed to reopen sans spectators  IPL may take place  Categorisation of zones and inter-state movement of buses left to states —PHOTO BY PTI Two parrot chicks, holed up inside a tree hollow, seem to be giving us the message to stay indoors till May 31, as the government extended coronavirus-induced lockdown on Sunday.

New Delhi: Lockdown 4.0 will come into force on Monday, according to an order by the National Disaster Management Authority. This phase will be in effect till May 31 and will focus on a gradual revival of economic activities while keeping in mind the rising number of coronavirus cases across the country.

People were expecting major relaxations from Monday, but at the eleventh hour National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Sunday issued the order to continue coronavirus-induced lockdown measures till May 31. Accordingly, the National Executive com-

mittee has been asked to issue guidelines keeping in view economic activities.

Considering the fact that the lockdown measures need to be implemented for a further period in the country to contain the spread of COVID 19, NDMA, in the exercise of powers directed the Ministries/ Departments of Government of India, State Governments and State Authorities to continue the lockdown measures up to 31 May, 2020.

The Authority further directed NEC to issue modifications in the guidelines as necessary, keeping in view the need to open up economic activities while con-

taining the spread of COVID, the order added.

Now NEC headed by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla will issue fresh guidelines, which will be implemented from Monday. Maharashtra, Telangana and Punjab have already announced extension till May 31.

MHA also issued following directives: Wearing of face cover compulsory in public and workplaces, spitting in public and workplaces punishable with fine, social distancing to be followed by all people at all public places and during transport, marriage related gatherings to ensure social distancing Turn on P7

WHAT IS PROHIBITED  The activities that remain prohibited across India till May 31 as per MHA’s latest order are domestic & international air travel, metro rail services, schools, colleges and other educational institutions, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality services except those housing emergency service workers or being used as quarantine facilities. Restaurants will be allowed to operate kitchens for home delivery. All cinema halls, shopping malls, gyms, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars, auditoriums will remain closed.  While sports complexes and stadiums have been allowed to reopen, no spectators will be permitted to enter these venues.  All social, political, entertainment, academic, cultural, sports and religious functions/ gatherings also stand prohibited. Places of worship are to remain closed for the public.

SOME RELIEF  Union Territories given powers to delineate Red, Green and Orange Zones as situation demands.  Inter-state movement of passenger vehicles, buses have been allowed with mutual consent of states.  Only essential activities will be permitted in containment zones that will also be subjected to intensive tracing, house-to-house surveillance and other clinical interventions.

Last tranche to revive economy’s health!

IN GLOBAL COUNTRY TOTAL CASES USA RUSSIA SPAIN UK BRAZIL ITALY GERMANY

1,515,311 281,752 277,719 243,303 233,648 225,435 176,628

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

90,332 2,631 27,650 34,636 15,668 31,908 8,028

+219 +94 +87 +170 +35 +145 +1

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO LAST UPDATED: MAY 17, 2020, 11:00 PM

IN GUJARAT

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and MoS Finance Anurag Singh Thakur, in New Delhi on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Aditi Nagar/ Vaishali New Delhi: Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the fifth and last tranche of the Rs 20 lakh crore COVID-19 economic package as part of the “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-reliant India campaign)” on Sunday Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the reporters, she said, “In order to prove the resolve of the self-reliant India, land, labour, liquidi-

ty and laws, all have been emphasised in this package,” and added that, “We have announced several reforms in this regard and shall continue with the same today.”

She detailed seven steps ranging from MNREGA, health and education related sector, businesses, decriminalisation of Companies Act, Ease of Doing Business, Public Sector Enterprises- related steps, state governments and related resources. Turn on P7

INDIAN TROOPS REINFORCED IN LADAKH

GENERAL ATLANTIC TO INVEST IN JIO PLATFORMS

New Delhi: Ladakh is being closely monitored and Indian troops are being reinforced along the border with reports of China pitching tents near river Galwan, a 1962 flashpoint that has seen aggression in recent days, and increasing construction activities.

Reports indicate that China is increasing its presence along Line of Actual Control, the de facto border between the two, which has compelled India to fortify its strength.

New Delhi: After Facebook, General Atlantic has picked up stake in Reliance Industries’ Jio Platforms, for Rs 6,598.38 crore. The Mukesh Ambani firm Sunday announced that General Atlantic’s investment will translate into a “1.34% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis”. Jio Platforms is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited that works on digital apps, digital ecosystems and the mobile service.

DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

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

8429 660 1094 79 108 82 32 168 42 71 83 13 21 28 75 53 24 5 35 2 38 78 48 40 25 9 2 8 2 4 12 6 1 2 11380

524 32 51 2 8 8 2 6 2 6 4 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 2 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 659

DWARKA JUNAGADH RAJASTHAN AMRELI TOTAL

31 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 34

With conditional relaxation, Lockdown 4.0 could end sooner than you think!

Specifics awaited but Gujarat to be unlocked with conditions from Tuesday First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Hinting at major relaxations in the lockdown, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday evening said offices, mass transportation, trade and industries outside the containment areas will be allowed to resume from Tuesday with provisional conditions of following the

standard safety protocols associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.

However, a total shutdown will remain in place from 7pm to 7am.

The Chief Minister clarified that trade and industries will be allowed to operate outside containment areas, even in cities such as Ahmedabad, Vadodara

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani takes a meeting via video conference flanked by K Kailashnathan, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, on his left and Pradipsinh Jadeja, Minister of State for Home on his right.

—FILE PHOTO

and Surat. Offices and industries will be informed about how many hours they can operate.

Vehicles, including two-wheelers and autorickshaws will be allowed from Tuesday, with conditions.

With district collectors and commissioners expected to submit their containment zone plans on Monday, no further details can be expected at least until Monday evening.

Some 916 works have been completed and 4,688 are works under

progress in 33 districts of the state under the Sujalam Sufalam Jal Abhiyan (SSJA) programme, under which lakes, ponds and check dams are being desilted.

These projects are being undertaken with people’s participation.

Till date, SSJA has generated 11.42 lakh labour days of employment, said Ashwani Kumar, Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary to the Chief Minister.

Because of desilting, the conservation capacity of these water bod-

ies has increased by 23,500 lakh cubic feet.

The silt coming out of the water bodies is being provided free of cost to farmers, so that they can use it in their farms.

As of Saturday night, 447 Shramik trains have left Gujarat with 6,26,000 migrant workers for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and the north-eastern states.

The state has also announced that spitting in public will now attract a flat fine of Rs200.

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A GAME CHANGER AMIT SHAH IS ALL PRAISE FOR PM MODI, NIRMALA SITHARAMAN FOR STIMULUS PACKAGE

The Union Home Minister termed the decision on reimagining the Public Sector Enterprise Policy as PM Modi’s ‘futuristic vision and commitment towards a self-reliant India.’

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday hailed the announcements made under the final tranche of the economic package as a step in realising the idea of self-reliant India, which will prove to be a game-changer for health, education and business sectors.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for the economic package, Shah said that while Modi’s leadership in handling COVID-19 has outshined several developed nations, he has resolved to prepare India for any such pandemic in the future by strengthening and revamping India’s health sector.

“Today’s announcements

by Modi government will go a long way in realising the idea of Atma Nirbhar Bharat. These steps will prove to be a game-changer for health, education and business sectors, which will provide employment to crores of poor,” Shah tweeted.

He said the additional allocation of Rs 40,000 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) by Modi government will not only help in generating employment for the poor and migrant workers but will also help create durable livelihood assets, which will greatly boost the rural economy

and infrastructure.

Stressing on the government’s decision to increase the borrowing limit of states, he said that this will give the States extra resource of Rs 4.28 lakh crore. “The Centre had previously given: Rs 46,038 crore through devolution of taxes in April, Revenue Deficit Grants of Rs 12,390 crore and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) funds to the tune of Rs 11,000 crore.”

The Union Home Minister termed the decision on reimagining the Public Sector Enterprise Policy as Prime Minister Modi’s “futuristic vision and commitment towards a self-reliant India.”

—ANI

Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

—FILE PHOTO

Nehra shown the door, transferred to rural development Surat youth donates stem cells Gargi Raval Gandhinagar: After a tumultuous few months handling the COVID-19 outbreak in the city, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) commissioner Vijay Nehra, who was under home quarantine leave from May 5, has been sidelined to the position of commissioner of rural development and secretary of rural department on Sunday. The Gujarat Administration Department appointed Mukesh Kumar as the i n c u m b e n t Ahmedabad municipal commissioner.

Nehra, who was considered close to Prime

AMC commissioner Vijay Nehra

Minister Narendra Modi, ran out of luck when it came to his position as the AMC commissioner. An IAS officer of the 2001, he is believed to have been transferred due to his mismanagement of the

novel coronavirus outbreak in the city. Despite repeated warnings from seniors in the state and central government, Nehra acted independently without taking any senior officials of the municipal

corporation into confidence. His transfer was sanctioned swiftly on Sunday during a media briefing by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

“The order came late in the evening as Nehra’s home quarantine period was about to get over. Earlier, Nehra had announced on his social media accounts that his novel coronavirus result had come back negative and that he was ready to resume his duties as soon as possible,” said a senior officer from the secretariat.

The officer also added that despite being in close proximity with New Delhi, he was transferred because of

his mismanagement.

“Prior to his transfer, the senior officials discussed the worsening health situation and that is why he has been transferred to the rural department. He tried to influence seniors and also create pressure on the political wing using his social media followers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the new municipal commissioner Mukesh Kumar had served the AMC in 2016-18 also and handled the spurt of swine flu cases and a flood in 2017 well.

The state has appointed Avantika Aulakh as the chairman of the Gujarat Maritime Board in place of Kumar.

to save 12-yr-old cancer patient First India Bureau Surat: Giving a new lease of life to a 12-year-old cancer patient undergoing treatment in Maharashtra, 24-year-old Harsh Gandhi from Surat, donated stem cells under the guidance of DATRI foundation. It is a nonprofit organization, with the largest unrelated blood stem cell donors registry, that helps patients with blood cancer and other fatal blood disorders to find an HLA matched donor to undergo a blood stem cell transplant.

Gandhi registered himself as a donor of blood cells at a camp organized by DATRI in 2016. When Harsh found out that his blood cells were a match with a cancer patient, he did not hesitate to donate even with the outbreak.

On donating stem cells to the patient, Harsh said, “I am very

happy that a few hours of courage can save someone’s life. While registering with DATRI, I never thought I would get the opportunity to save a life. Although the situation is far from normal in our country, with the battle against novel coronavirus, I wanted to come forward and save a life.”

With record high of 31 deaths in 1 day, Ahmedabad’s toll crosses 500 391 fresh cases in 24 hours brings tally up to 11,380 cases in state, total death toll up to 659 with 34 fatalities; 4,499 patients discharged so far First India Bureau Gandhinagar: With 31 fatalities reported in the past 24 hours, Ahmedabad witnessed its highest number of deaths in a single day since the COVID-19 outbreak began. This puts the city’s death toll at 524.

In the past 24 hours, Ahmedabad reported 276 new cases taking the tally to 8,429. The state now has 11,380 positive cases with 659 deaths after 391 fresh cases were reported in the past 24 hours. As many as 4,499 patients have been discharged.

However, worryingly,

A medic takes a sample for COVID-19 test.

14 of the 34 deaths in the past 24 hours occurred in patients with no co-morbidities.

After coming under heavy criticism for reducing the sample testing, the state has once

—FILE PHOTO

again increased sampled testing, with 5,193 samples being tested in the past 24 hours. In

57 days, the state has tested 1,43,600 samples, of which 1,32,220 were negative for SarsCoV-2 infection.

With a police sub-inspector testing positive, 10 personnel of the Ghatlodia police station have been quarantined.

Half the staff at the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute’s radiotherapy wing is being treated for COVID-19, with about 50 of the wing’s doctors, nursing staff and technicians being infected with Sars-CoV-2.

In Vadodara, Municipal Commission-

er Nalin Upadhyay has appointed a committee to look into the issue after staff at the Bhailalbhai Amin Hospital tested positive for the infection.

Sixty-one patients have been discharged and are under home quarantine, while 59 are being treated at Gotri GMERS, 57 at Ajwa, 33 at SSG General Hospital, and 46 in private hospitals.

Eleven fresh cases have been reported Surat’s rural areas in the past 24 hours--six from Choryasi, two each from Kamrej and Umarpada,

and one from Mangrol one case--bringing the tally there to 78.

An 11-year-old boy with a travel history to Surat has tested positive in Bagasara town of Amreli district. Amreli District Collector Aayush Oak said that the boy is under treatment at the Civil Hospital.

The area in Bagasara town has been declared a containment zone and disinfection activity will be taken up there. Anyone who had come in contact with the boy is homequarantined.

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Rajkot is best performer, Dhrol centre tops with 91% result, but only 44 students get A-1 grade First India Bureau

Revenue staff threaten to boycott duty First India Bureau Ahmedabad: After the death of 45-year-old deputy mamlatdaar Dinesh Rawal on Sunday, employees in the revenue department of the Collectorate have threatened to boycott COVID-19 duty, if their demand for protective gear is not met. Rawal, who died from complications from SarsCoV-2 infection, had been fighting the virus for several days. The news of his death has not gone down well within the revenue cadre and the Gujarat Mehsuli Karmachari Mahamandal (MKM).

MKM leader Ashish Balakhia said, “All our requests have been ignored. We have written to the revenue secretary, chief secretary and chief minister demanding sanitizers and masks.”

Balakhia added that 11 clerks, one deputy mamlatdaar and a mamlatdaar have been infected with the virus and 11 others are quarantined.

Ahmedabad district collector KK Nirala took to Twitter to condole Raval’s family.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) on Sunday announced that 83,111 of the 1.16 lakh students who took the Class XII Science Stream examinations in March have passed.

However, only 44 students from across the state managed to secure an A-1 grade this year.

Normally, students may collect their mark sheets from their respective schools as soon as the results are announced online.

This year, in keeping with the ongoing lockdown, the mark sheets were emailed to the students and also sent on their registered mobile numbers.

Boys did better than girls for the first time in three years. While 71.69% of male students cleared the ex-

amination, female students fell slightly behind at 70.85%.

Announcing the results on social media, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama on Sunday morning congratulated the top scorers and also consoled the 33,532 who did not pass.

Science stream exams were held at 139 centres and sub-centres. Dhrol centre in Jamnagar district topped the merit list, with 91.42% of students from this centre having passed. Limkheda was the worst performing centre, with just 23.02% clearing the exams. Rajkot tops the districtwise list, with 84.69% students passing, while Chhota Udepur is at the bottom with 32.64%.

There are 36 schools with 100% results, and 68 schools where less than 10% of students passed.

Ahmedabad Topper Neha Kumari Yadav and her father. Neha scored 98.86 percentile in the Class 12 Science Stream GSHSEB exams, the results of which were announced on Sunday.

STREET VENDOR’S DAUGHTER SCORES 98.86 PERCENTILE

SURAT BOY SCORES A-1 GRADE Surat’s Juhil Ashlaliya is one of only 44 students in the state to receive an A-1 grade in the Class XII Science Stream examinations, whose results were released on Sunday.

He aced his exams with a final score of 99.95 percentile. Hailing from a middle-class family, Juhil says he prepared for the exam by studying for two to three hours a day after school, at home.

“Since I did a little bit every day, I was not overly stressed when the exams rolled around,” he said. He dreams of becoming a software engineer.

State health dept ‘mismanages’ data —PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

GSHSEB Results: 71% clear Class XII Science Stream exams

The health department shared info about 700 cases of COVID-19 among super-spreaders like vegetable vendors in one day.

Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: The health department of the state government released inaccurate data on Saturday which attributed 709 cases in the city to the super spreaders group. However, this data was just reflected in the total positive cases of the city and not under fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours.

The civic body also did not reveal several details of the cases reported on Sunday, including number of tests conducted, ward-wise list of positive cases and death toll. In a press release issued by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on

Civil hosp says homegrown ventilator Dhaman-1 inadequate First India Bureau Ahmedabad: In a letter to the director of Gujarat Medical Services Corp. Ltd (GMSCL), Civil Hospital superintendent Dr MM Prabhakar has requested 100 ventilators to be shipped urgently to the hospital. According to Prabhakar, the locally made ventilators—Dhaman-1—are not effective enough for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Dr Prabhakar said that GMSCL’s Dhaman-1 and AGVA ventilators, provided to the hospital for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Unfortunately, the machines have not been achieving effective results and the hospital needs high-end ICU ventilators.

“There is an immediate need for 50 units of ventilators at a 1200-bed COVID-19 hospital and IKDRC (50 units), so kindly allocate said ma-

NOT ENOUGH

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel launched Dhaman-1 in April.

—FILE PHOTO

chines,” stated the letter.

However, Parakramsinh Jadeja of Jyoti

CNC Company which makes Dhaman-1, claimed that they are

yet to receive any complaints regarding the Dhaman-1.

Meanwhile, in a video being circulated on social media, a patient at the IKDRC can be seen struggling to get help from staff.

“The patient was visibly in pain. He was bleeding from his sides.

Plus, there was no urine bag and he was sitting in a bed full of urine and blood. The situation at Civil Hospital is worsening,” said Jamalpur MLA Imran Khedawala, who is a COVID-19 survivor.

State orders inquiry 36 hrs after death

LONG & WINDY ROAD

First India Bureau

Heavy winds knocked down the police checkpost at RTO Circle in Ahmedabad on Sunday morning.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Ahmedabad: The state government on Sunday ordered an inquiry into the death of a man found dead at the Danilimda BRTS bus stop. After the police ruled it as an accidental death, media reports forced the state to take action and order a probe. Senior IAS officer JP Gupta has been roped in to lead the investigation with a stipulation to submit a report in 24 hours.

Ganpat Mackwana, 67, a novel coronavirus patient was discharged

from a COVID-19 dedicated hospital on May 14, just four days after he was admitted for treatment.

As per reports, Mackwana’s son Dharmendra had little idea as to how his father managed to reach Danilimda BRTS bus stop, what happened to him and how he died.

On Sunday morning, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani ordered an inquiry into the matter to be led by former health secretary and current commercial tax commissioner JP Gupta.

With no options left, migrants begin long walk home First India Bureau Ahmedabad: As many as 6.26 lakh migrant workers have been sent to their home states on 447 Shramik trains, but there are still thousands stranded here in Gujarat. And many are at the end of their rope, leading to violent protests in some cases. Now, a number of them have begun to make the long journey home on foot.

Rehmat Sai is part of a group of at least 10 migrant workers who have begun the trek to their home states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

“For a long time, we were not sure what to do. But money is running out, food supply has decreased and there is pressure from our families to return home,” he says.

When they finally decided to take a train

back, they were stumped.

Forget berths on trains, they were not even allowed onto the station.

“We reached Kalupur railway station but, without a ticket, we were not allowed to enter. We tried in vain for a week to get train tickets, and eventually decided to just walk home,” he says. Home for Sai is UP’s Bahraich district, about 1,200km from Ahmedabad.

Migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are trying to return to their home state on foot from Ahmedabad. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

He estimates that the trek will take his group about 15 days to finish, if they take the DahodIndore-Jhansi route to Kanpur. If they go via Udaipur, Jaipur and Gwalior to Kanpur, the distance increases to 1,376km. “If we take that route, then the trip will take about 18 days,” Sai says.

Similarly, another group led by Milan Giri is also considering the

03

trek. “We have been trying to get transportation for a month now, with no luck,” Giri said.

On Sunday, they group walked at least 30km from Sabarmati to Kalupur station and back to Subhash Bridge.

They were then asked to go to Kaligam. “If we don’t get place on a train, we will have no option but to walk to our native village in Bihar,” he said.

Sunday evening mentioned 7,305 cases in the AMC city limit, while Saturday’s evening press note issued by the state health department mentioned 8,144 cases.

Even adding the 135 positive cases in Ahmedabad district to the AMC’s 7,305 does not bring the total 8,144 cases in Ahmedabad.

A senior AMC official said the number of super-spreaders was included in daily reports.

“The number of super spreaders (709) counted until now are figures in totality and not of the last 10 days. Even we are puzzled by the health department’s move. Many have been asked to remain tightlipped,” he said.

No leaving without nod from home state: DGP

DGP Shivanand Jha

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: As per the latest police guidelines, no one is allowed to cross state borders without prior permission from their home state. The move could cause more grief to migrant workers walking to their native states. Also, trains to Odisha have been cancelled due to a cyclone warning.

“Some migrant workers are trying to return to their native state by walking the distance. The police have asked them to stay wherever they are because without the approval of the home state, they will not be allowed to cross borders. Workers wishing to walk home have to register with their home state and be granted permission before we can allow them to go,” said Director-General of Police Shivanand Jha. Meanwhile, Shramik trains to Odisha have been cancelled for the next three days after the weather department warned of a cyclone on the eastern coast.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020

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DIFFERENT STROKES - TIMELY AND WELL CRAFTED PACKAGE

The comprehensive package is widely expected to make a difference-a perceptible difference-to the ground realities to the India of today

KALRAJ MISHRA Governor of Rajasthan

T

In line with the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (selfreliant India) outlined on May 12, 2020, the Finance Minister Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman announced three Special economic packages of Rs 20 lakh crores from May 13-15 2020.

This works out to 10 percent of India’s GDP. This comprehensive package is founded on the five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat, viz., Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography, and Demand.

he thesis of the inherent nature of the crisis in the capitalist system, the inevitability of the boom-and-bust cycles can be substantiated both by the incisive analysis of Karl Marx, the immediacy of the internal contradictions of capitalism and the fact that the capitalist system has moved from crisis to crisis with disruptive effects.

But the fault-lines today are truly real and worrisome.

This time is different!

In line with the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) outlined on May 12, 2020, the Finance Minister Mrs Nirmala Sitharaman announced three Special economic packages of Rs 20 lakh crores from May 13-15 2020. This works out to 10 percent of India’s GDP. This comprehensive package is founded on the five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat, viz., Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography, and Demand. It is, therefore, contextually significant in resuscitating India’s economy and consolidating India’s position in the comity of nations at the present juncture. This package caters to various sections cottage industry, MSMEs, labours, middle class, and industries among others.

The range and sweep of the measures announced are reminiscent of the New Deal. This was a series of programmes and projects instituted during the Great Depression by President Franklin Roosevelt to restore prosperity to Americans. While the package meets the needs of various sections across the development spectrum, it is focused on the cottage industry, MSMEs, labourers, middle class, industries, etc. This provides the basic raison d’être of this extremely welcome package in driving the country’s inexorable self-reliance march and facilitating the transition from local to global products.

This package is widely expected to make a difference-a perceptible difference-to the ground realities to the India of today. It would, therefore, be of interest not only to all those engaged in the process and pattern of development but also to the marginalised and the vulnerable sections of the population - what Mahatma Gandhi called “the teeming millions of India”.

Let me clarify at the outset that this package should not be seen as a one-off measure or in the silo. It constitutes an important element of the series of ongoing measures initiated by the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India in the last two months, viz., the economic

stimulus package announced on March 26, 2020, and the unscheduled Monetary Policy on March 27, 2020, followed by another Monetary Policy on April 17, 2020. The last four day’s big bang Policy pronouncement may well be followed by other measures in facilitating a V-shaped recovery of the Indian economy.

This wide-ranging Policy includes an important relaxation in EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund), Special Rs 30,000 crore liquidity scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC), Housing Finance Companies (HFC) & Micro Finance Institutions (MFI), and partial Rs 45,000 crore credit guarantee scheme for NBFC. There are also other serious measures like an infusion of Rs 90,000 crore in Discoms for improving liquidity, crucial relaxation to contractors and real estate, material moves in the realm of direct taxes, and a renewed thrust on MSMEs. The package having 1.70 lakh crore for Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna, raising of Ways and Means Advances limits of states by 60%, liquidity enhancement of Rs 1,37,000 Crore by reducing CRR, Special refinance facilities to NABARD, SIDBI, and the NHB. In view of the constraints of space and my deep and enduring interest in MSMEs, let me here focus on MSMEs. MSMEs have a vast network of about 6.3 crore units, a share of around 30 percent in GDP, 45 percent in total manufacturing output and employment of around 11 crores, next only to Indian agriculture. But MSMEs are quite vulnerable and lack the strength to withstand the vicissitudes of an increasingly interlinked global economy- “vasudhaiva kutumbkam” (the world is a community), as we in India have said for thousands of years.

DEFINITIONAL AND CONCEPTUAL CHANGES The definition of small and medium enterprises is not uniform with 60 definitions

We are today faced with a huge crisis. But we have overcome trials of adversity in the past; with confidence, dedication, and steadfast pursuit of well-defined goals, we would emerge unscathed in the trial of prosperity. As Ram Dhari Singh wrote powerfully decades ago: Sonani! Karo prayadhan abhya, bavi itihass tumhara hai, ye nakht ama ke bujhte hai, sara aakash tumhara hai. (Commander, march on-the future history is yours. The stars of the sky are fading; the entire sky is yours.)

in about 75 countries. The main criteria relate to the size of employment and the quantum of capital investment/fixed assets. While in the European Union (EU) countries SMEs employ less than 500 employees, in East Asia SMEs employ 50-100 workers. To provide a level playing field and to foster an enabling environment, the limit for investment in plant and machinery has been significantly revised upward.

The turnover criteria, which provides a realistic measure for banks and financial institutions to evaluate creditworthiness, has also now been included to lead to cheaper and hassle-free credit access. Some startups which have taken off could also fulfill the proposed definition of MSME and thereby benefit from the liquidity provision as also fiscal and other benefits.

IMPORTANT DEFINITIONAL CHANGES ARE a. Micro: Limit revised upward Investment up to 1 crore (as against the earlier limit of Rs 25 lakh) and Turnover up to 5 crore b. Small: Limit revised upward Investment up to Rs 10 crores (earlier Rs5 crores) and Turnover up to Rs 50 crore. c. Medium: Limit revised upward Investment up to Rs 20 crore (earlier Rs 10 crores for manufacturing enterprises and Rs 10 crores for ser-

vices enterprise) and Turnover up to Rs 100 crore. d. No difference in the manufacturing and service sector for MSMEs.

RENEWED THRUST ON STRATEGIC ROLE OF BANKS Banks account for 90 percent of the total formal credit outstanding to MSMEs and NBFCs for the remaining 10 percent. Of the Rs 15 lakh crore, about a third is in loans of less than Rs 1 crore each.

This segment has also exhibited the lowest NPAs of 4-8 percent, while at the upper end, NPAs are 15-18 percent.

But banks have not been sufficiently forthcoming in supporting MSMEs for various reasons.

In these difficult COVID 19 times, liquidity and cash crunch have increasingly emerged as a major concern for MSMEs. The manner in which the sector will evolve will have important implications for the sustenance and growth of MSMEs. Accordingly, the May 13 package launched major initiatives significantly boosting liquidity for the sector. These are: 1. Collateral Free Automatic Loan to MSME: The Rs 3 lakh crore collateral-free automatic loan for businesses, including MSMEs will benefit 45 lakh small businesses. Those MSMEs with Rs 25 crores outstanding in loans and Rs 100 crore turnover will get

credit guarantee-backed loans of four-year tenure.

Interest will be capped.

There will be a 12-month moratorium on principal repayment. The Scheme can be availed till Oct 31.

MSMEs from government and PSUs will be cleared in 45 days. This should be taken care of very diligently because the payment to MSMEs within 90 days is a major issue.

2. Subordinate Debt for Stressed MSMEs: The government will also take the burden of Rs 20,000 crore subordinated debt, benefitting 2 lakh such businesses. Government to provide Rs 4,000 crore towards partial credit guarantee support to banks.

Banks will lend money to promoters who can use it to infuse it as equity. In my view, this facility can be provided to healthy MSMEs to save them from being stressed. The Revival and Rehabilitation of MSMEs can be implemented in a more practical manner keeping in view the liquidity situation and refinance facilitates provided to Banks. RBI has already issued guidelines on this in the year 2015.

6. The MSMEs who are not using the Bank credit facilities can now be given the MUDRA type of assistance in this COVID phase.

3. Fund of Funds (FoF) for MSMEs: MSMEs face a severe shortage of Equit: Hence the government will also create a fund of funds for MSME with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore. This Fund is expected to infuse Rs 50,000 crore equity in MSMEs with growth potential and viability. FoF will be operated through a Mother Fund and few daughter funds.

The Fund structure will help leverage Rs. 50,000 crore funds at daughter funds level. This will help MSMEs to expand size and capacity and also encourage them to get listed on the main board of Stock Exchanges.

4. Government Tenders: Global tenders will be disallowed up to 200 crores to help MSMEs to compete and supply in government tenders.

5. E-market linkage for MSME: All receivables of

CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS We are today faced with a huge crisis. But we have overcome trials of adversity in the past; with confidence, dedication, and steadfast pursuit of well-defined goals, we would emerge unscathed in the trial of prosperity. As Ram Dhari Singh wrote powerfully decades ago: Sonani!

Karo prayadhan abhya, bavi itihass tumhara hai, ye nakht ama ke bujhte hai, sara aakash tumhara hai.

(Commander, march on-the future history is yours. The stars of the sky are fading; the entire sky is yours.)

Hence, while keeping faith in the innate dynamism and potential of the Indian people, we must look at all innovative out of box options to extricate ourselves from this vicious circle and to trigger a virtuous circle of regenerative growth and transformation to meet the challenges of today and the expectations of tomorrow. This would also widen the economic base of the country and sustain the innovative products and processes of small scale and cottage industries. The Policy would help to achieve sustainable growth both at the regional and the national level without increasing the fiscal deficit beyond manageable proportions.

As President Franklin D. Roosevelt stressed On March 4, 1933, in the wake of the Great Depression, “First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself ”.

This Policy certainly goes some way ahead in removing this sense of fear. We shall overcome. This too will pass!

Vol 1 Issue No. 172 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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‘MIGRANTS SHOULDN’T WALK HOME’ It should be ensured that the workers do not resort to walking on road and on railway tracks, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that authorities have been asked to make sure that migrant workers stranded in the state do not face any problems amid the ongoing nation-wide lockdown to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. He said trains will be arranged for the migrants, as many as needed.

The order issued to the authorities, a copy of which was tweeted

by Kejriwal said: “It should be ensured that migrant workers do not resort to walking on road and on railway tracks.”

The migrants should be appropriately counselled if they are found walking, taken to nearby shelters and provided with food and water till such time they are facilitated to board the “Shramik” special trains or buses to their native places, the order added.

“There should be proper cooperation with railways in running of more number of 'Shramik' special trains so that travel of stranded migrant workers is facilitated at a faster rate,” it said.

The CM told officials that all “Shramik” special trains should be received without any hindrance

‘COVID-19 spread high, but not affecting all parts of India’

Arvind Kejriwal

60-YR-OLD MIGRANT DIES

Migrant labourers wait at Gazipur border to return to their native places, during the ongoing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in New Delhi on Sunday.

‘Govt devoted towards safe return of stranded people’

and asked them to “facilitate faster movement of stranded migrant workers to their native places.” —ANI

Lucknow: UP CM Yogi Adityanath said that the state government is committed to ensuring the safe return of the migrant labourers of the state stranded elsewhere in the country.

“The field officers should establish communication with other state officials to ensure the return of migrant

A cyclist wearing a mask, passes near a mural during the ongoing COVID-19 nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Coronavirus in Guwahati.

—PHOTO BY ANI

10 more BSF men test +ve der treatment at designated COVID-19 healthcare hospitals.

“Since yesterday, 13 (all from Delhi) personnel who had tested positive earlier, have been discharged,”

ONE HIZBUL TERRORIST KILLED IN KASHMIR’s DODA DISTRICT Jammu: One Tahir Ahmad Bhat, belonging to Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit was killed in an encounter occurred in Doda district of J&K said Inspector General of Police, Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh.

Late-night a cordon was laid with the help of police, Army, CRPF and SSB and the entire village was cordoned off.

‘Allow us to help labourers’ New Delhi: Congress leader and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday took to Twitter and asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to grant permission to help migrant labourers amid the coronavirus crisis.

She said that the buses are there at the border while thousands of “nation-building migrant workers” are walking in the sun.

“Our buses are there at the borders... grant per-

mission and let us help our brothers and sisters,” she said.

“Blank announcements and cheap politics will not work. Oper-

ate more trains, run more buses. We have asked for permission for 1,000 buses. Let us serve,” she posted in a tweet on Sunday.

There are many labourers on every side of the border of UP. They are walking in the sun, today they are being kept standing for hours. They are not allowed through. They have no work for the last 50 days. Livelihood is at a standstill,” Gandhi’s tweet read. —ANI

‘Go pick up their bags, Cyclone Amphan: 17 NDRF teams deployed in Odisha, WB do something’

SAFETY FIRST...

New Delhi: Ten more COVID-19 cases were reported in the Border Security Force (BSF) in the last 24 hours, said officials on Sunday.

All the new positive cases reported are un-

labourers on Shramik Special trains. The labourers should be provided with food and water,” the Chief Minister said. “The arrangement of quarantine should also be made for them.

Efforts should be made to arrange for their employment after the quarantine period gets over,” he said. —ANI

—PHOTO BY PTI

New Delhi: The containment policy of COVID-19 needs a differential approach in India as the virus spread is high in the population but it is not uniformly affecting all parts of country, stated the latest updated containment plan for large outbreak area. According to the document, a large outbreak is defined as a localised increase in COVID-19 cases within a defined geographic area e.g., in a village, town, or city.

So far, the health ministry has denied that country has entered the community transmission phase of coronavirus, but updated containment strategy has jotted out steps that need to be taken for a large outbreak of infection. “This suggests that while spread of COVID-19 in our population could be high, it's unlikely that it will be uniformly affecting all parts of the country. This calls for a differential approach to different regions of the country while mounting a strong containment effort in a hotspot.” —ANI

said BSF. The nationwide tally of coronavirus cases on Sunday stood at 90,927 including 2,872 deaths and 34,109 discharged/migrated patients. —ANI

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman lashed out at Congress party over the movement of migrants labourers amid the coronavirus crisis and requested the opposition to come together to help stranded migrant labourers.

“I am urging the opposition party very politely, folding my hands and requesting them here. We must all come together and help migrant labourers in this crisis,” the finance minister said.

Sitharaman said that the Centre joined hands with various state governments to run special trains for the migrant labourers. “We ensured that lakhs of migrant workers reach their native places, get food, essentials. Yet many are on the roads, walking back home, it is painful,” she said. —ANI

NAXAL ENCOUNTER: 2 SECURITY PERSONNEL KILLED Gadchiroli: Two security personnel have lost their lives & three others have sustained injuries in an encounter with Naxals in Poyarkothi-Koparshi forest in Bhamragarh, Maharashtra Police said. Sub-Inspector of Police Dhanaji Honmane and constable Kishor Atram were killed in an ambush set up by Naxals. The clash took place in the forest near Aldandi-Gundurwahi village under Kothi police station in Bhamragad taluka. Three jawans were injured in the encounter and one of them is in critical condition, police said.

It would have been better if he (Rahul) had walked with them while carrying their children, luggage. The Congress party terms us ‘dramebaaz’ every day, what happened yesterday? Was yesterday the time to sit and talk with migrants who were walking on the streets? Is it not ‘dramebaazi’?

—Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Finance Minister

Marine police personnel patrol Puri beach to prevent tourists and fishermen from venturing into the sea due to Cyclone Amphan in Puri on Sunday.

New Delhi: Seventeen teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Odisha and West Bengal in view of the approaching cyclone ‘Amphan’, the chief of the force said on Sunday.

NDRF Director General S N Pradhan said in a video message that the federal contingency force is “watching the situation closely from the headquarters and we are in touch with

TAMIL NADU EXTENDS COVID-19 LOCKDOWN TILL MAY 31 Chennai: Tamil Nadu government extended the lockdown till May 31 in view of the spike in number of coronavirus cases. According to the latest order issued by the government, “the schools, colleges and other research institutions will remain closed until further orders. Also, the places of worship and

where people converge in a large number shall remain closed.” “Gyms, beaches, parks, swimming pools, sports centres and other halls are also to remain closed during the lockdown period,” it read. The public transport, flight, rail, bus and inter-state and local rail services will remain closed, the order stated.

state governments, the Indian Meteorological Department and all stakeholder agencies”.

Cyclone ‘Amphan’, according to an IMD report on early Sunday, is developing into a severe cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal and can become a very severe cyclonic storm potentially in the next 24 hours, he said.

Pradhan said seven teams of the force have been deployed in West Bengal. These teams

are in six districts -South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Howrah and Hooghly.

In Odisha, 10 teams have been deployed in seven districts -- Puri, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Bhadrak, Balasore and Mayurbhanj. One team of NDRF consists of around 45 personnel.

These teams are already been deployed for preparations. —PTI

TV ACTOR MANMEET GREWAL COMMITS SUICIDE Mumbai: TV actor Manmeet Grewal, who worked on shows like Aadat Se Majboor and Kuldeepak, committed suicide after struggling with dwindling finances amid lockdown, family friend-producer Manjit Singh Rajput said.Manmeet Grewal, who was originally from Punjab, hanged himself on Friday night at his Kharghar residence here where he lived with his wife. He was 32. Manjit Singh Rajput, who had known Manmeet for seven years, said the actor was facing “financial crisis” and wasn’t able to earn due to the lockdown.

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Migrants create ruckus over ‘No entry’ order

UP CM Yogi Adityanath had ordered district officials to stop the entry of migrants coming on foot, cycles or trucks New Delhi: Thousands of people, arms laden with small children and baggage, running pellmell on a highway as cars zip past - this was what Mathura witnessed Sunday evening after the Uttar Pradesh government stopped entry of migrants following multiple deaths on the highway. Many labourers, who were making their way back into the state had died -some from exhaustion and malnourishment, others in accidents.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Yogi Adity-

‘Mamata will pay heavy price in polls’

New Delhi: Accusing the Mamata Banerjee government of “abject failure” in handling the COVID-19 situation and the migrant workers' crisis, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said the Trinamool should be ready to “pay a heavy price” for it in the next assembly election in West Bengal.

He also dismissed the Congress's criticism that the coronavirus lockdown was “poorly planned”, alleging the party was “politically bankrupt.”

“We don't believe in doing politics during crisis. But what Mamata Banerjee has been doing in Bengal in the name of handling the crisis is condemnable.

“They are more interested in hiding the figures, rather than treating patients. Now, when the lies stand exposed, she is removing bureaucrats.

She should resign from the posts of CM & health minister,” he said. —PTI

anath had ordered district officials to stop the entry of migrants and their families coming on foot, cycles or trucks, They were also told to organize food and shelter for the people and buses to ferry them to their villages.

Since afternoon, the order was implemented in towns on state borders. But in several places, including Mathura, the migrants toppled the barricades and streamed in.

Shocking videos from the spot showed hordes of migrants, throwing caution to the

Migrant workers block Mathura-Agra Highway as they demand that arrangements be made by the govt to send them to their homes in different districts of Uttar Pradesh in Raipura Jat area on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

winds, run alongside speeding vehicles.

There was no question of social distancing,

‘Can’t use stadiums as quarantine centres’ Mumbai: Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut supported the Mumbai civic body's move to take over some premises of the Wankhede stadium for converting it into a COVID-19 quarantine facility, and suggested making a similar facility at the Brabourne stadium.

However, Maharashtra Cabinet minister opposed Sanjay Raut's suggestion, saying grounds of stadiums have mud base and they won't be usable during monsoons.

Welcoming the BMC's move, Raut in a Twitter post on Sunday said, All resources need to be utilised in Mumbai to fight against #Covid_19India. Good call on taking up Wankhede stadium to develop a quarantine

Sanjay ji, we cant take the grounds of the stadiums or playgrounds because they have a mud base and they wont be usable during monsoons.

An open space with a solid/ concrete base is usable and its being done already.

—Aaditya Thackeray, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister

facility.

However, Raut's suggestion was turned down by Aadtiya Thackeray. —Agencies

no policemen in sight either.

Many complained that the administration had made

no arrangements for food or shelter.

The situation was similar in the border dis-

trict of Prayagraj, where migrants from Madhya Pradesh were pouring in through Rewa.

“Around 15 or 20,000 people suddenly turned up yesterday. We have been making efforts to send them home. Ninety buses ran till morning... more buses ae coming. We have been taking people to shelter homes and looking after them. We have apealed to epople to cooperate with us,” said Sarvesh Ram Mishra, the District Magistrate of Mathura.

The deaths on the highway have become a recurring event since the Central government started special trains to

ferry migrants home.

Many, after going without proper food and shelter for weeks since the lockdown started on March 25, found it impossible to register and wait for trains.

Packed like sardines on trucks, tempos and three-wheelers they set off for their villages.

Many just walked. On Saturday, 26 migrants who were trying to return to home, were killed when two trucks they were travelling in, collided in Auraiya district, around 200 km from the state capital Lucknow. —Agencies

Functioning of HC suspended till May 23

‘Will ensure implementation’

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Saturday decided to restrict its and district courts' functioning to urgent matters only till May 23, in view of the prevalent situation of COVID-19 pandemic.

As per the government data, till now the coronavirus has infected 85,940 persons and claimed 2,752 lives in India.

The Administrative Committee of HC, headed by Chief Justice D N Patel, decided the restriction would be in place till May 23 and the urgent matters would continue to be heard by video conferencing. “...the functioning of the High Court of Delhi shall continue to remain suspended till May 23 on same terms. —ANI

New Delhi: Expressing happiness over the defence reforms announced by the government, as they will ensure timely implementation of modernisation projects, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said that all issues for indigenisation of military weaponry, ammunition and equipment have been coordinated.

General Rawat was commenting on the announcements made by the Finance Minister on Saturday in which she notified the increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in defence sector from the existing 49 per cent to 74 per cent.

CDS LAUDS DEFENCE REFORMS

General Rawat was commenting on announcements made by the Finance Minister in which she notified the increase in FDI limit in defence sector

She had also announced the creation of a list of weapons and equipment whose import would be banned in the country, apart from a separate budgetary provision for acquisition from the domestic defence industry.

“We have been working together for adopt-

ing the whole-of-Government approach. All issues that are facilitating indigenisation in military weaponry, ammunition and equipment have been coordinated. We are happy to see the announcements because these will ensure timely implementation,” General Rawat

told ANI. The CDS said that research and development in the defence sector “will witness a different approach where there can no longer be avoidable time and cost overruns.”

His comment comes against the backdrop of delays in several projects in the defence sector in the last few decades. General Rawat said the scope for private industry provided in the announcements “will usher in competitiveness”.

On the increase in FDI limit, he said, “This will facilitate technology transfers and Defence corridors taking shape in right earnest.” —ANI

‘Fillip to health sector will be helpful’ Flight bookings to resume after Centre’s directions: Air India New Delhi: BJP national president JP Nadda on Sunday lauded the announcements made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the last tranche of the economic package, saying that increased public expenditure on health will enhance the country's capability to meet challenges and future requirements.

“FM Nirmala Sitharaman Ji has today announced an additional allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for MGNREGS scheme. I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji for his con-

cern and timely initiative to provide adequate work and income-earn-

ing opportunities to migrant families returning home,” Nadda

tweeted.

“Increased public expenditure on health, investments in ramping up health infrastructure, creation of infectious disease blocks in all districts and setting up of integrated public health labs at block levels will enhance our capability to meet health challenges & future requirements,” he said in another tweet.

The BJP chief said that the new public sector enterprise policy will help the PSUs focus on strategic sectors “This will give a massive push to our economy,” he added. —ANI

ers, adequate gaps between shifts, staggering the lunch breaks of staff. —ANI

health will be increased.

The investments at grassroots for health and wellness centres both at rural and urban levels will be getting ramped up. All the districts will have infectious disease hospital blocks. This apart, public health labs will be set up at block levels.

Sitharaman also spoke about the technology-driven education through DIKSHA. She said that PM e-VIDYA programme for multimode access to digital and online education will be immediately launched. She added that there will be one

earmarked TV channel for class 1-12, and there will be extensive use of radio, community radio and podcasts, special e-content for the visually and hearing-impaired students.

Top 100 universities have been permitted to start online courses by May 30, she added.

Debts that are related to the COVID-19 shall be excluded from defaults under IBC and further added that no fresh insolvency proceeding will be initiated up to 1 year, FM said.

For MSMEs, a special insolvency framework is going to be notified

FM Nirmala Sitharaman Ji has today announced an additional allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for MGNREGS scheme.

I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji for his concern and timely initiative to provide adequate work and income-earning opportunities to migrant families returning home.

—JP Nadda, BJP National President

New Delhi: Air India issued a clarification regarding news on resumption of domestic flightssaying that the flight bookings will resume after “receipt of directions” from the government.

“Air India flight bookings are currently closed and will resume after receipt of directions from Government of India,” Air India said. The national carrier said that there is an internal Air India email circulating on WhatsApp. “The

contents of this email have been misunderstood in various media reports. Commencement of Commercial Domestic/International flights is not in the purview of Air India,” it further said.

Passengers are requested to follow the Ministry of Civil Aviation & Air India Twitter handles and respective websites for official announcement regarding the resumption of flight operations. —ANI

under section 240-A of the IBC. The minimum threshold to initiate the insolvency proceedings is raised to Rs 1 crore from the earlier Rs 1 lakh, this will broadly insulate MSMEs, the minister said. Under the Companies Act, majority of compoundable offences sections will be shifted to internal adjudicating mechanisms.

Direct listing of securities by the public companies can be done in permitted foreign jurisdictions. Separately she said that private companies which list non-convertible debentures (NCDs) on the stock ex-

changes will not to be considered as listed companies. FM announced public sector enterprise policy. She said that India needs a policy wherein the private sector will be allowed to participate in all the sectors while the public sector enterprises will still continue to play a key role.

Speaking on the support which has been extended to state governments, FM said, “Like the Centre, the state is also witnessing a sharp drop in revenues. Over Rs 46,038 crore were devolved as tax revenue to states.

Over Rs 12,000 crore were also dispensed on time.

The Health Ministry has also released over Rs 14,000 crore. The RBI in a very timely step has increased ways of advancing limits for states by 60 per cent. The number of days a state can be in an overdraft situation in a quarter have been raised.”

FM announced that “Part of the borrowing (by states) will be linked to specific reforms.

From 0-3 per cent, it will be unconditional. Upto 4.5 per cent, it will be released in four tranches.

The last 0.5 per cent will be given as soon as the milestones are reached in at least three of the conditions.” —ANI

FROM PG 1 Exit that... and the maximum 50 guests to be allowed, funeral/last rites related gatherings to ensure social distancing and the maximum 20 guests to be allowed, consumption of liquor, paan, gutka and tobacco in public places not allowed, shops to ensure minimum 6 feet of distance between customers and shall not allow more than 5 people at one time.

MHA also issued additional directives for workplaces saying as far as possible, practice of work from home should be followed, staggering of work/

business hours shall be followed in offices, workplaces, shops, markets and industrial and commercial establishments, provision for thermal scanning, hand wash and sanitiser will be made at all entry and exit points and common areas, frequent sanitisation of entire workplace, common facilities and all points which come into human contact eg door handles etc. shall be ensured, including between shifts All persons in charge of workplaces shall ensure social distancing through adequate distance between work-

Last tranche...

The government will allocate an additional Rs 40,000 crore over and above the budget estimate, the finance minister said. The budget estimate for MNREGA scheme was Rs 61,000 crore. Sitharaman said that it will generate 300 crore more person-days of work and it will be addressing the need for work for the returning migrants.

FM added that the public expenditure on

Experiences are the biggest takeaway from any travel of incident. A mind that is changed by a new experience can never go back to its old self.

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2ND FRONT AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020

Lockdown 4.0 yes, but Gujaratis foresee fresh start to life later

08

Guj decongests jails, frees 2,500 inmates

A Gujarat University survey has found that the people have taken the corona crisis in their stride First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Even as the Centre announced lockdown 4.0 of 14 more days till May 31, people in Gujarat are already hopeful of a “fresh new start” after the long break.

This is the finding of a latest study conducted by the Gujarat University in association with Mehrizm Foundation, a non-profit organization.

The study conducted

by Gujarat University’s department of psychology and the Mehrizm Foundation surveyed over 700 people in Gujarat to determine the impact of lockdown and people’s overall outlook on the same.

The study showed that despite the current crisis, people are hope-

INTERNET HELPS

Gujaratis hope to do well after the lockdown is completely lifted.

ful of things returning to normal post the nationwide lockdown imposed to combat the pandemic.

While responding to the question about work productivity being affected because of lock-

down, 31 per cent of respondents agreed that the lockdown had an impact on their productivity, while 14 per cent ‘strongly agreed’ to the statement.

“Usually, one would assume that because of

the lockdown the work productivity must have been affected. But this depends on the occupation as well,” the report reads.

Over 23 per cent of participants were concerned about their

health as well, having negative thoughts about the same. While over 31.46 per cent were feeling worried about their finances.

The report also highlighted how people attempt to cope with the

lockdown.

People are turning to the internet to find ways to cope with the current situation. Over 70 per cent of the participants agreed with the statement that the internet had helped them deal with the current situation.

Over 60 per cent of respondents were in agreement with the statement that humour had helped them to cope with tension amid lockdown.

Gujarat University, in association with the foundation, has also recently launched a mental health helpline number +91 9555825001 for people dealing with mental health issues amid lockdown bringing over 50 certified psychologists on board for the same.

Gujarat Government has released many prisoners to decongest jails.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: As many as 2,500 prisoners have been released from 28 jails across Gujarat since the coronavirus outbreak.

They have been released on parole, interim bail and furlough to de-congest the overcrowded jails and contain the spread of coronavirus among the inmates. There were some 14,000 prisoners in various jails of the state, Additional Director General of Police, Prisons, K L N Rao said.

Transfer of judges Migrants attack journo, cops brutally brings NCLT to halt in Ahmedabad Masuma Bharmal Jariwala

Rajkot: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has asked the police to initiate stern action against migrant labourers who brutally thrashed a local TV channel reporter at the VeravalShapar Industrial area near Rajkot on Sunday morning.

The reporter, Hardik Joshi, from

Work at the National Company Law Tribunal comes to a halt in Ahmedabad.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Even as a number of cases under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 and the Companies Act 2016 are pending at the National Company Law Tribunal in Ahmedabad, the transfer of two judicial members has now brought the NCLT in Gujarat to a complete standstill.

It has already been pointed out many times in Ahmedabad that the operation of NCLT is slow and protracted. This transfer has now hit the state

harder.

In a letter to the principal bench, the Gujarat High Court Advocates Association said in response to the issue that many claims under the IBC and the Companies Act are currently pending from across the country.

In such circumstances, the transfer of the two members from the NCLT, Ahmedabad, will be a major impediment to the ongoing proceedings. All of these claims will be re-run by annulling the hearings so far, the letter stated.

FRICTION WITH POLICE

ABP Asmita Gujarati channel was filming a road blockade created by the migrants from

Odisha trains put off after cyclone threat First India Bureau Surat: With a strong cyclone brewing, the Odisha Government has cancelled all trains taking migrants back home from Surat.

As many as 80 trains, which were expected to leave for Odisha from Surat, would now have to wait. This would dash all hopes of the thousands of restless Odia workers who are desperate to go home even if they have to buy their tickets at a premium.

Workers are being sent home by train from Surat every day even as the lockdown continues. After the first train left for Orissa from Surat city on May 2, the trains continued to run.

As many as 147 trains have departed from Surat to six states, including Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan from May 2 to May 16.

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He received head injuries and got five stitches at a local hospi-

tal. Rajkot Rural SP Balram Meena and three other policemen also sustained injuries in the stone-pelting by the mob of workers.

Speaking to First India, Rajkot range IG Sandeep Singh said, “Three trains were supposed to leave for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Sunday morning and one at noon. But two trains going to Bihar

got postponed to May 21, while the UP train was rescheduled for 5 pm. The message was passed on to them by the Collectorate but it was misinterpreted as the trains being cancelled. This enraged the crowds, who beat up all and sundry. The police also lobbed teargas shells.

Twenty-nine people have been arrested.

HEART-WARMING NEWS!

A 30-year old Covid19 positive mother from Molipur in Vadnagar taluka, gives birth to twins (one male child and the other female) in Government medical college, Vadnagar, North Gujarat. All three are doing well.

“We have released nearly 2,500 as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines and recommendations of the high- level committee,” he said.

Of these prisoners, nearly 1,000 were released on interim bail, 800 on parole, and 700 on furlough, he said.

The Supreme Court had in March directed all states to constitute high-level committees to consider releasing on parole or interim bail prisoners for offences entailing up to sevenyear jail term, to decongest prisons.

Student hangs himself after failing in exam

First India Bureau Surat: Unable to bear the shock of his failure in the 12th Science Board exams, 17-yearold Nisark Partiwala allegedly committed suicide. The results were announced on Sunday.

His family found the body of Nisark hanging by a ceiling fan in the main hall of their home at Diwali Baug Society in the city’s Rander area.

He was immediately taken to a private hospital, where the doctors on duty declared him dead. The police have taken possession of the student’s body and sent it to the Civil Hospital for post mortem.

DESPERATE SITUATION

Sahib ek purani chappal de do - pleads migrant First India Bureau Surat: From hunger to sweltering heat and tragic accidents, hapless migrant workers walking and cycling insane distances to home face all kinds of hardships that few in the cities could even imagine.

Listen to this story of a poor worker walking barefoot in temperatures hovering around 45 to 50 degrees celsius.

“Khana to mil jaye-

ga, sahib ek purani chappal de do,” said 32-year-old Tiloki Kumar, as he showed the boils and cuts on his feet. Tiloki is one among the thousands who have been walking down to their homes from Gujarat and other States. Tiloki, a resident of Pipraich in Gorakhpur, said that he worked in a garment unit in Surat and had decided to walk down after he could not get

The sufferings of migrant workers continue as they walk long distances to go home.

on to the train.

“I got myself regis-

tered for the Shramik train and waited for a

week. No one called up and finally we decided to walk back home. It is better to die at home than in an unknown place,” he bemoaned. He said his slippers had given way even before he entered the borders of Uttar Pradesh. “I have been walking barefoot and my boils are also bleeding. I still have to walk more than 300 kilometers,” he said.

Thakur, another mi-

grant in the group said that while people were offering them food and water along the way, footwear was now posing a major problem.

“The sole of my shoe has come off so I have tied a piece of cloth over it. We can go without food for a day or two but walking is impossible in this condition,” he said. Both Triloki and Thakur refuse money — “Where will we buy slippers?” they ask.

@ahmedpatel The arrest of Delhi Congress Committee president Anil Chaudhary by the Delhi Police is a wrong decision at the wrong time. Is it a crime to help destitute and hapless labourers at this critical time?

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

09

AHMEDABAD, MONDAY MAY 18, 2020

WHITE IS NOT A MERE ABSENCE OF COLOUR, IT IS A SHINING AND AFFIRMATIVE THING, AS FIERCE AS RED, AS DEFINITE AS BLACK. CITY FIRST EXPLORES THE POWER OF THIS MILDEST AND STRONGEST OF COLOURS!

WHY WHITE? ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

I

t’s been almost 2 months since the #Lockdown and if you are increasingly only wanting to wear white colour, don’t worry. Many people use white as a reminder of better days like youth, a time when their lives were easier and less complicated. White also indicates the completion of a cycle in your life, the desire for white may increase when your life is moving in a new direction maybe a new job or a relationship.

White is inherently a positive colour associated with understanding, goodness, innocence and spirituality. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity. As the opposite of black, movies, books, print media, and television typically depict the good guy in white and the bad guy in black.

White has a predominant association with sterility and cleanliness which is why it is the colour of choice for hospitals etc. It is only lately that the softer hues of blue and green have entered the medical arena, earlier white was the only colour used in medical institutions.

The human eye sees white as a bright and brilliant colour which can cause headaches in case of bright light.

Like any other colour the cultural ethos of white differs. In the West, it is the colour worn by brides while in the East, white is the colour of morning and funerals. Angels wear white and also white gemstones are said to help create new

beginnings, remove prejudice and pre-conceived notions, to see the innocence in others, and to clear emotional clutter and silence the inner critic. White pearls remain an eternal favourite. White is an inclusive, impartial colour, favouring no single hue and its basic feature is equality, implying fairness and impartiality, neutrality and independence.

Babies come into the world with a perfect balance of white, a plain canvas ready to colour with the richness of all their life experiences.

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

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020

10

NATURE’S LOCKDOWN

NASEEM AKHTAR

W

ell before March, a pair of pigeons made this birdhouse in our balcony, their home, nested, laid eggs, hatched them, two chicks - we saw them grow. The chicks, who were fully grown, were big shammers. They refused to fly. Guess they had taken the Lockdown too seriously, and having grown under the shadow of a retired Fauji, and a strict disciplinarian at that were not willing to defy Modi’s Lakshman Rekha. Two of them plus the

A

midst this Lockdown, Mother Nature is at her best in our Balcony. We have visitors who pay flying visits, maintaining Social Distancing norms. Sparrows, besides nightingales, doves, 7-sisters, hummingbirds, bluebirds, wren, etc visit the artificial waterpoints created for them, & generally chirp & enjoy the three-tiered balcony garden.

Father Pigeon & the Mother Pigeon played havoc in our balcony.

We could not switch on the fan, lest any of them gets injured. We could not switch on the AC for a month, because it would cause discomfort to the chicks. Having had enough of their quarantining, and enough of dust & dirt, I decided to set them free. I brought a stool, climbed up to the birdhouse, caught both these shammers, & set them free. Off they went on their Air Experience sortie, cleared especially by a Qualified Flying Instructor. What graceful fliers, the two of them, a pleasure to see them taking wings.

T

hoping like e! as seen below, ome spice to the tal ves would do e th at a mad, th How can you have condufind this place more Fauji & be deprived of -free. ict cive, relatively confl Border skirmishes? doves e th , For 2-3 days We had ain, ag me Well, here you are ca , ed ey of doves came, surv and , off w been spotting a pair fle , ks loo me. had closer ho w ne a d fin I to . wanting with twigs not ap- retur ned did ily fam A n eo es. pig ey e Th lieve my sing in couldn’t be prove of this trespas er of twigs, mb nu ge lar g in fretheir area, resultin the balcony, was a it was dropped in quent clashes. That ator that the in to sure-shot dic es pir Um ird Th the time for attempted building to me to doves had t lef s wa it e, en erv int t - only to be seen to keep a nest & lef do the balancing act, er balcony, at logI shifted in the oth everyone happy. So with the pigeons, wooden gerheads the location - got a . installed once again bracket fabricated &

hen better sense prevailed. The doves returned to their new ho me.

Now, it was the tur n of the pigeons to resor t to border violations. My wife had had enough of the pigeons . Unilaterally, she assumed the role of the Independent UN Ob server & raised the issue befor e the UN Security Council. I wa s assigned the role of the sole UN Peacekeeping Force. I stepp ed in, lock stock and barrel, ar med to the

S

teeth, sacrificing my after noon sleep, compelling the pigeons to withdraw. With war clouds vanished from the ho rizon, the doves returned to the ir territory, and have been seen ne sting. All through, it has been observed, with great seriousness , that my wife, being the sole UN Independent Observer, wa s indeed biased, with the scale tilting in favour of the doves. Th is lack of the Element of Neutr ality is going to be hotly deba ted in the next session of the UN Security Council Meeting.

FA CE OF TH ED AY

Air Commodore Naseem Akhtar, SC, VSM

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You may feel low because of minor health issues. You may feel a little bothered due to not being able to pay the loan payments on time. In professional life, your competing and extrovert nature may bring you to the limelight in the eyes of those who matter to you.

To maintain a good health to need follow the prescribed treatment. Now is the time when you will gain the financial stability. Lots of distractions at workplace can make you lose your focus and pose hindrances in completing the work within the deadline.

You are strict with your exercise and fitness routine which helps you to maintain the perfect health.

Be wise and careful before you make any decisions related to your finances. You will receive the help from your friend or colleague in completing the over load of work.

You are in good shape and you have a good health.

Due to too many expenses you may try and search for more ways to make money. It may be a struggle with you to cope with the work load today. You will spend nice time with your family, full of laughter and bliss.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You must take care of what you eat, it’s the key to the good health. You must exercise to feel fit and energetic. You may by something expensive that you wanted for a long time. Work harder to get the promotion or raise. Make best efforts to mend relationships.

You must learn to keep calm and cool when you are in stressful situations to maintain good physical health. Money may prevent you from overspending today. You will feel content because of your hard work and dedication and also because of your capacity to handle workload.

You will get the reward of eating right and working out, in the form of good health. Your extra earning may tempt you to spend more in luxury items. On professional front, because of workload you may get forced to devote more hours in office.

You are happy with your health and you continue to exercise to remain in shape. It may be a hard time for you to decide whether to spend the money you have in enjoying with friends or to save for the odd moments. You may struggle with loss of content or the file.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Avoid dieting or following any extreme methods to loose weight as it may have reverse effects. Spend wisely or you may land up exhausting all your savings. All your hard work in office today will help you in the future.

Avoid using any hard words with having conversation.

Your health remains fine therefore you can afford a cheat meal today. Money will flow into your life from all the directions. On professional front, the work allotted to you will completed efficiently on time. The bachelor in your family may have to wait for the right moment.

It’s the time to start minding what you put in your belly as it has direct impact on your health and how you feel. You must have enough savings in your account to cater to your needs during adverse times. If you bad want to do something in life, your family will show you hundred percent support.

You will be satisfied with your health today. Don’t take financial decisions unless you are sure of its future implications. You will leave no stone unturned to convince your seniors that you’re a capable candidate for the promotion. You may soon meet people.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

JANNAT ZUBAIR, Actor

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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

LOCKDOWN 4.0 A

CITY FIRST JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

Entering the fourth phase of the National Lockdown, City First gets in touch with its readers from Rajasthan & Gujarat to know their opinion on the same!

fter almost 2 months since the National Lockdown has come into action, and people are eagerly waiting for the time when they can step out and have a happening schedule again. The lockdown which was supposed to be lifted on 17 May, has now been extended (AGAIN!) to 31 May and is literally testing the patience of everyone.

Keeping the guidelines in mind, the airports remain closed, the hotels and restaurants remain shut, the operation of the metro is not allowed, the religious places will not be allowed to open, and so on. But there is a piece of good news for the sports lovers- the sports matches will take place, but without any audience; everything will be telecasted LIVE. City First got in touch with a few of its readers to know about how they have been dealing with the current situation- are they making the best use of the time available, or are they getting frustrated with every passing day?

Let’s find out.

It has not been easy sitting at home for more than 50 days, especially for someone like me! But, thanks to this lockdown, I started doing so many things which I never would have otherwise. I started cooking and also dabbled in yoga. I have utilized this time explore cinema and books too. Lockdown 4.0 was disappointment and frustrating for sure.

Every day, there is a different battle. For freelancers like me, the uncertainty is very testing both financially and mentally. Being used to managing two to three projects at a time, to not being able to do anything is definitely a phase I never thought I would experience. But, I remind myself everyday that this lockdown has been worse for some people.

—POOJA VASAVA

—NAZIYA KHAN

Although I am itching to go out and have a normal life again, I have not let the lockdown extension sadden me. Instead, I am choosing to stay positive and hone my skills which would help me in my profession, and eventually make the best and most of the time, that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Since I live in Mumbai, this lockdown has been a blessing in disguise for me, because I got a chance to spend more time with my parents in Jaipur. But I still hope that everything comes back to normal as soon as possible so that we can all go back to work. Till then, I hope everyone is staying safe and positive.

—ALMIRA D’COSTA

—KAPIL MITLANI

I agree that it is really difficult to stay at home and not being able to work, but at the same time, I believe it’s time to pursue something that you always wanted to do, but didn’t have enough time for it. I feel it’s really important for us to plan our future very thoroughly, as we have enough time to think about how we want to move forward in life.

—SHUBHAM JAIN

A

Sheher Mahro Jodhpur - RV SWATI JANGID

swati.jangid@firstindia.co.in

HAPPY B’DAY!

IPS A Ponnuchamy (top) and IPS HG Raghavendra Suhasaa celebrated their birthdays on 17 May, Sunday. We wish them all the best!

R

aghuveer Singh Rajpurohit, a common boy turned singing star from Nagore, Makrana had a dream to make good songs and entertain people. He used to write speeches from his school time and his elder brother Dinesh told him that, “One day, you will become a rapper.” After completing his schooling, he came to Jodhpur for further studies, and side by side developed his talent for singing and writing rap songs. He wanted to make a career out of it, but he wasn’t financially stable. His schedule throughout the day wasstudying during the day at college and working during the night at a call centre. Wasting no time, he launched his first song ‘Mahre Desh Padharo’ with Ismile Khan Langa Group. Finally, RV got into the track of becoming a star. He worked with Karan Kundra in MTV heticket, Bindass Play’s

‘Bollywood Republic’ and many more artists not only from Rajasthan, but also from Punjab, Delhi and Mumbai too. His songs released one after the other, ‘Dug Dug’, ‘Sheher Mahro Jodhpur’, ‘Raja’, and so on. Finally, he got selected at the reality show ‘India’s Got Talent’, where he performed with Ismail khan Langa group, and he went up to the semifinals in the same.

Raghuveer Singh Rajpurohit

12

WHAT’S HAPPENING! Rajasthan: Vaibhav Gehlot paid his condolences, through social media, on the death of Senior Congress leader Shri Hanuman Sahay Vyas and prayed to Almighty to grant the family courage in this hour of grief.

In a separate post on Facebook, on the occasion of World Telecommunications Day, he also gave a message of Stay Safe and remain in touch through telecom methods in these COVID-19 times.

Rajasthan: During the ongoing global pandemic, a Jodhpur based Electronic Engineer, Srinath Bohra, developed an application that can help police personnel in communicating information amongst the people on a large scale, in just a few minutes.

Rajasthan: Amidst the ongoing pandemic, Adarshnagar MLA Rafiq Khan, along with the Captain of Rambagh Golf Club, Yogendra Singh, met UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal at his residence and handed over a cheque of Rupees 7.50 Lacs as a contribution to Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Relief Fund on behalf of Rambagh Golf club on Saturday.

HELPING HAND!

midst the countrywide lockdown, the tourism industry is believed to impact almost 10% of GDP and has already seen over one-quarter of accumulated losses.

To ensure the survival of the tourism industry, FAITH has proposed a dedicated interest and collateral-free long term fund for paying salaries and operating costs for a minimum of 12 months of complete waiver of fixed central, state statutory and banking liabilities without any penal or compounding interest.

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020

RV became the star of rap fusion, and all the Bollywood stars sitting in the jury panel appreciated his work. While interacting with City First, Raghuveer said, “One should see dreams and continuously work hard to fulfil them.”

He is also about to launch Rajasthan’s first hip-hop rap album with Mr Maxx and Dev Singh in the coming month. RV is blessed with great writing skills and he will always thank Jodhpur for loving him and his songs.

Rajasthan: CREDAI Rajasthan Woman Wing organised a Zoom session on the topic ‘Enabling Finances in Disabling Environment’ on Saturday, in which more than 3000 CREDAI members took part. During the webinar, the key speaker Indian Banks Association Chief Executive Sunil Mehta discussed the problems and opportunities to be faced by the real estate finance industry post-COVID-19. The session was moderated by CREDAI Rajasthan Woman Wing State Coordinator, and Mangalam Build Developers Director Amrita Gupta.

Rajasthan: Dr Sribhavani Rakesh, who is a freelance Medical Writer and winner of beauty pageant ‘Mrs United Nations World 2018’, is spreading awareness on Women Health issues on various platforms. She firmly believes in the concept of universal sisterhood, which embarks on the strong pillars of love, integrity, respect and joy. She had also organised ‘The Women Achievers Awards’ in Bengaluru in 2019, where women from various fields and backgrounds across the globe were recognised for their work.

Rajasthan: On the fourth day of the ongoing ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival’, the visual arts online learning sessions will begin with ‘Calligraphy’ at Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) on today from 10 am to 11 am.

It will be conducted by visual artist, Harishankar Balothia. At the session, viewers will be guided through the basics of modern calligraphy, typography, ink flow, pen pressure, shapes and learn to develop their own unique style.

Rajasthan: Kusum Yadav wrote a letter to the Chief Medical and Health Officer for the people who came in contact with Corona positive patients and are being kept isolated under their observation for more than 14 days. She asked to put the people in home quarantine now for another 14 days, after relieving them from hospitals. Ajay Yadav also submitted a memorandum regarding the same issue to the Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Nauratam Sharma during their meeting and said that quarantining at home will provide them a better mental and emotional support to deal with the situation.

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

LOCKDOWN 4.0 A

CITY FIRST JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

Entering the fourth phase of the National Lockdown, City First gets in touch with its readers from Rajasthan & Gujarat to know their opinion on the same!

fter almost 2 months since the National Lockdown has come into action, and people are eagerly waiting for the time when they can step out and have a happening schedule again. The lockdown which was supposed to be lifted on 17 May, has now been extended (AGAIN!) to 31 May and is literally testing the patience of everyone.

Keeping the guidelines in mind, the airports remain closed, the hotels and restaurants remain shut, the operation of the metro is not allowed, the religious places will not be allowed to open, and so on. But there is a piece of good news for the sports lovers- the sports matches will take place, but without any audience; everything will be telecasted LIVE. City First got in touch with a few of its readers to know about how they have been dealing with the current situation- are they making the best use of the time available, or are they getting frustrated with every passing day?

Let’s find out.

It has not been easy sitting at home for more than 50 days, especially for someone like me! But, thanks to this lockdown, I started doing so many things which I never would have otherwise. I started cooking and also dabbled in yoga. I have utilized this time explore cinema and books too. Lockdown 4.0 was disappointment and frustrating for sure.

Every day, there is a different battle. For freelancers like me, the uncertainty is very testing both financially and mentally. Being used to managing two to three projects at a time, to not being able to do anything is definitely a phase I never thought I would experience. But, I remind myself everyday that this lockdown has been worse for some people.

—POOJA VASAVA

—NAZIYA KHAN

Although I am itching to go out and have a normal life again, I have not let the lockdown extension sadden me. Instead, I am choosing to stay positive and hone my skills which would help me in my profession, and eventually make the best and most of the time, that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Since I live in Mumbai, this lockdown has been a blessing in disguise for me, because I got a chance to spend more time with my parents in Jaipur. But I still hope that everything comes back to normal as soon as possible so that we can all go back to work. Till then, I hope everyone is staying safe and positive.

—ALMIRA D’COSTA

—KAPIL MITLANI

I agree that it is really difficult to stay at home and not being able to work, but at the same time, I believe it’s time to pursue something that you always wanted to do, but didn’t have enough time for it. I feel it’s really important for us to plan our future very thoroughly, as we have enough time to think about how we want to move forward in life.

—SHUBHAM JAIN

A

Sheher Mahro Jodhpur - RV SWATI JANGID

swati.jangid@firstindia.co.in

HAPPY B’DAY!

IPS A Ponnuchamy (top) and IPS HG Raghavendra Suhasaa celebrated their birthdays on 17 May, Sunday. We wish them all the best!

R

aghuveer Singh Rajpurohit, a common boy turned singing star from Nagore, Makrana had a dream to make good songs and entertain people. He used to write speeches from his school time and his elder brother Dinesh told him that, “One day, you will become a rapper.” After completing his schooling, he came to Jodhpur for further studies, and side by side developed his talent for singing and writing rap songs. He wanted to make a career out of it, but he wasn’t financially stable. His schedule throughout the day wasstudying during the day at college and working during the night at a call centre. Wasting no time, he launched his first song ‘Mahre Desh Padharo’ with Ismile Khan Langa Group. Finally, RV got into the track of becoming a star. He worked with Karan Kundra in MTV heticket, Bindass Play’s

12

WHAT’S HAPPENING! Rajasthan: Vaibhav Gehlot paid his condolences, through social media, on the death of Senior Congress leader Shri Hanuman Sahay Vyas and prayed to Almighty to grant the family courage in this hour of grief.

In a separate post on Facebook, on the occasion of World Telecommunications Day, he also gave a message of Stay Safe and remain in touch through telecom methods in these COVID-19 times.

Rajasthan: During the ongoing global pandemic, a Jodhpur based Electronic Engineer, Srinath Bohra, developed an application that can help police personnel in communicating information amongst the people on a large scale, in just a few minutes.

Rajasthan: Amidst the ongoing pandemic, Adarshnagar MLA Rafiq Khan, along with the Captain of Rambagh Golf Club, Yogendra Singh, met UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal at his residence and handed over a cheque of Rupees 7.50 Lacs as a contribution to Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Relief Fund on behalf of Rambagh Golf club on Saturday.

HELPING HAND!

midst the countrywide lockdown, the tourism industry is believed to impact almost 10% of GDP and has already seen over one-quarter of accumulated losses.

To ensure the survival of the tourism industry, FAITH has proposed a dedicated interest and collateral-free long term fund for paying salaries and operating costs for a minimum of 12 months of complete waiver of fixed central, state statutory and banking liabilities without any penal or compounding interest.

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MAY 18, 2020

‘Bollywood Republic’ and many more artists not only from Rajasthan, but also from Punjab, Delhi and Mumbai too. His songs released one after the other, ‘Dug Dug’, ‘Sheher Mahro Jodhpur’, ‘Raja’, and so on. Finally, he got selected at the reality show ‘India’s Got Talent’, where he performed with Ismail khan Langa group, and he went up to the semifinals in the same.

Rajasthan: CREDAI Rajasthan Woman Wing organised a Zoom session on the topic ‘Enabling Finances in Disabling Environment’ on Saturday, in which more than 3000 CREDAI members took part. During the webinar, the key speaker Indian Banks Association Chief Executive Sunil Mehta discussed the problems and opportunities to be faced by the real estate finance industry post-COVID-19. The session was moderated by CREDAI Rajasthan Woman Wing State Coordinator, and Mangalam Build Developers Director Amrita Gupta.

Rajasthan: Dr Sribhavani Rakesh, who is a freelance Medical Writer and winner of beauty pageant ‘Mrs United Nations World 2018’, is spreading awareness on Women Health issues on various platforms. She firmly believes in the concept of universal sisterhood, which embarks on the strong pillars of love, integrity, respect and joy. She had also organised ‘The Women Achievers Awards’ in Bengaluru in 2019, where women from various fields and backgrounds across the globe were recognised for their work.

Rajasthan: On the fourth day of the ongoing ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival’, the visual arts online learning sessions will begin with ‘Calligraphy’ at Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) on today from 10 am to 11 am.

It will be conducted by visual artist, Harishankar Balothia. At the session, viewers will be guided through the basics of modern calligraphy, typography, ink flow, pen pressure, shapes and learn to develop their own unique style.

R Raghuveer Singh Rajpurohit

V became the star of rap fusion, and all the Bollywood stars sitting in the jury panel appreciated his work. While interacting with City First, Raghuveer said, “One should see dreams and continuously work hard to fulfil them.”

He is also about to launch Rajasthan’s first hip-hop rap album with Mr Maxx and Dev Singh in the coming month. RV is blessed with great writing skills and he will always thank Jodhpur for loving him and his songs.

Rajasthan: Kusum Yadav wrote a letter to the Chief Medical and Health Officer for the people who came in contact with Corona positive patients and are being kept isolated under their observation for more than 14 days. She asked to put the people in home quarantine now for another 14 days, after relieving them from hospitals. Ajay Yadav also submitted a memorandum regarding the same issue to the Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Nauratam Sharma during their meeting and said that quarantining at home will provide them a better mental and emotional support to deal with the situation.