First India-Ahmedabad Edition-19 October 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

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AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 324

CLEARING

THE AIR! POLLUTION MAY

INCREASE VIRUS TRANSMISSIBILITY

COVID HAS PEAKED IN INDIA CAN BE REINED IN BY FEB: EXPERTS New Delhi: A government-appointed scientific committee has said the Covid-19 epidemic seems to have peaked and is now on the decline, and is likely to run its course by February next year.

The committee, headed by Professor M Vid-

yasagar of IIT Hyderabad, has used computer models to map the trajectory of the epidemic in the country. Its key finding has been that the disease is likely to have peaked in the middle of September, and the total number of infections in India is

unlikely to exceed 106 lakh (10.6 million). So far, 75 lakh people in India have been infected, of which nearly 66 lakh have recovered.

Meanwhile, senior doctors said that air pollution may increase transmissibility of the virus making people

BrahMos missile test fired from Arabian Sea

Various versions of the BrahMos including those which can be fired from warships, submarines and fighters jets have already been developed and successfully tested.

—FILE PHOTO

New Delhi: BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test fired on Sunday from the Indian Navy's indigenously-built stealth destroyer INS Chennai, hitting a target in the Arabian Sea, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) said on Sunday.

The missile hit the

target successfully with pin-point accuracy after performing highlevel and extremely complex manoeuvres.

BrahMos as 'prime strike weapon' will ensure the warship's invincibility by engaging naval surface targets at long ranges, thus making the destroyer another lethal platform of Indian Navy.

"BrahMos, the supersonic cruise missile was successfully test fired today on 18th October 2020 from Indian Navy's indigenouslybuilt stealth destroyer INS Chennai, hitting a target in the Arabian Sea. The missile hit the target successfully with pin-point accuracy," the DRDO said in a tweet.

—ANI

more vulnerable to the disease and aggravating COVID-19 situation.

They warned that those who have had the infection in the past may also have to face new challenges. With winters approaching and easing of the Turn to P6 Related reports p6

India Gate is barely visible as the air quality falls in the national capital.

NO FRESH LOCKDOWNS ‘KERALA PAYING PRICE FOR RECOMMENDED: GOVT PANEL NEGLIGENCE DURING ONAM’ New Delhi: No fresh lockdowns should be imposed on district or state level to contain the spread of COVID-19 unless there is an imminent danger of healthcare facilities being overwhelmed, according to a government-appointed committee chaired by IIT Hyderabad professor M Vidyasagar. The committee has also claimed that if all protocols are followed, the pandemic can be controlled by early next year with minimal active symptomatic infections by February-end.

Turn to P6

New Delhi: With Kerala witnessing a spike in coronavirus infections recently, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said the state was paying the “price for gross negligence” during Onam festivities when unlocking of services along with an increase in travel for trade and tourism led to the spread of COVID-19. The minister said this ought to serve as a good lesson for all the state governments that were being negligent in planning for the festival season. This festive season, charity must take precedence over celebrations, Vardhan said.

“My own celebrations too shall remain subdued due to the heart-rending impact of COVID-19 on lakhs of corona warriors across the world battling for us,” the minister stated.

PM’s address to go live Bully China preps for possible in 10 WB puja pandals military invasion of Taiwan!

Kolkata: The West Bengal BJP, as part of its strategy to connect with the masses during the festive season, has made arrangements to live-stream Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the people of the state, sources in the saffron party here said.

In a first, the state BJP Mahila Morcha—women’s wing of the party— will be organising Durga Puja at EZCC in Salt Lake. According to the sources, Modi’s virtual

address on ‘Maha Sasthi’ will set the tone for Durga puja this year.

“PM Narendra Modi ji’s address will be streamed live at EZCC as well as 10 other puja pandals across the state.

Turn to P6

Beijing: The presence of the People’s Liberation Army is increasing in China’s southeast coast as it prepares for a possible military invasion of Taiwan, according to defense observers cited by South China Morning Post.

According to the sources, Beijing is replacing its old DF-11s and DF-15s and deploying its most advanced hypersonic missile DF17 in the region.

Turn to P6

Democracy passing through most difficult time: Sonia attacks Centre New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday presided over a meeting of party’s general secretaries and state in-charge where she attacked the BJP-led government, saying the democracy was passing through “most difficult time”.

In a video message posted on Twitter by Congress from its offi-

cial handle, Gandhi is heard saying that her party’s aim is to keep struggling for the country. “Our root mantra is to serve people. Today, democracy is passing through its most difficult time, voice of victim is being suppressed.”

Turn to P6

PLA is prepearing for a possible military invasion of Taiwan.

SECOND WAVE OF FLOODS HIT PARTS OF HYD AS RAINS RETURN Hyderabad: A fresh spell of overnight heavy rains caused flooding on Sunday in parts of the city and left 3 people dead in separate rain-related incidents just days after it witnessed one of the worst deluges in recent times following unprecedented downpour in over a century, police and civic officials said.

The latest rains since Saturday evening led to lakes and other water bodies overflowing with the water inundating several low-lying areas, including parts of the city affected last week, here and the outskirts, they said. A total of 37,409 families were affected in various localities that were inundated in the city. P6

Horse-trading is a trait of Congress, not BJP: CR Patil The BJP state unit prez shoots down all allegations made by the opposition party on Sunday First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The state unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) CR Patil on Sunday accused Congress of horse-trading and denied all allegations made by the opposition party.

Currently on a tour

of South Gujarat, Patil initiated the political campaign for the Karjan seat on Sunday. Notably, BJP candidate for Karjan, Akshay Patel had stated on Saturday that he had been offered Rs52 crore to switch sides last year.

This statement came after Congress launched the ‘Gaddar

BJP state unit president CR Patil

Jaichando Jawaab Aapo’ (Traitors Respond) campaign against the defectors and accused them of being ‘bought’ by the BJP for Rs16 crore each.

In response to the horse-trading allegations, Patil said that the issue will not harm the BJP because those who resigned from their positions as MLAs have done so for larger public interest. “Congress was the one that had ‘bought’ everything even during

Chimanbhai Patel’s tenure as chief minister, and also when Shankarsinh Vaghela was the CM. Therefore, ‘buying’ and ‘selling’ is a habit that Congress suffers from,” he alleged.

He added, “The tickets granted to the turncoats were promised prior to my appointment as the state unit chief. The MLAs will have to present themselves before the people again after joining the party and get reelected if the people

provide them with a mandate.”

Talking about the campaign activities, Patil said, “People are excited. They have benefited from the work done by the state government and the schemes implemented by the central government. On the other hand, the way incumbent MLAs left Congress, shows increased distrust in the party.”

Patil and BJP organization general secretary Bhikhubhai Dalsania along

with the incharges and co-incharges of the state assembly seats up for polls have embarked on an organizational tour. On Sunday, the state unit chief and state vicepresident Bhargavabhai Bhatt were present in Karjan. While Bhikhubhai Dalsania and Shankar Chaudhary will travel to Morbi and Limbdi districts to provide guidance to party workers on election management and organizational matters.

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First India Bureau Ahmedabad: After the Bharatiya Janata Party, now Congress has prepared a list of 30 star campaigners from the party. It also includes veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel, who may be seen campaigning in the state for the upcoming state legislative assembly by-elections.

Senior leaders have already started campaigning in the constituencies where the election is slated to be held on November 3.

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, candidates have taken to reaching out to the voters through different mediums such as door-to-door campaigns, social media, among others.

The bypoll campaign planned by the opposition party is according to the taluka seat.

Meetings at the municipal level will be addressed by the party for all the eight constituencies up for by-elections on October 31.

Notably, it is for the first time that the party has appointed senior leaders as incharges for each seat.

Several meetings will be conducted by senior party leaders that will determine the issues each candidate will base their campaign on.

The star campaigners named by Congress include Ahmed Patel, Rajiv Satav, Amit Chavda, Paresh Dhanani, Deepak Babaria, Madhusudan Mistry, Arjun Modhwadia Siddharth Patel, Shaktisinh Gohil, Hardik Patel, Naresh Raval, Tushar Chaudhary, Lalji Desai, Ami Yagnik, Naran Rathwa, Jitendra Baghel, Biswaranjan Mohanty, Sagar Rayka, Kadir Pirzada, Jagdish Thakor, Raju Parmar, CJ Chavda, Shailesh Parmar, Dr Jitu Patel, Gaurav Pandya, Kishan Patel, Virji Thummar, Gyasuddin Shaikh and Ashok Punjabi.

But, the party has not included a state spokesperson on the campaign trail for the by-elections.

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

02

AHMED PATEL AMONG 30 NAMES IN

CONG’S STARRY POLL LIST THE VETERAN LEADER MAY BE SEEN IN ACTION ON THE BYPOLL CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Shaktisinh Gohil

Amit Chavda

Ashok Punjabi

Paresh Dhanani

Rajiv Satav

Siddharth Patel

Tushar Chaudhary

Virji Thummar

Hardik Patel

Ahmed Patel

Former Dang MLA Mangal Gavit joins BJP First India Bureau

State cabinet minister Ganpat Vasava welcoming Mangal Gavit to the party with a sweet.

Ahmedabad: Former Congress MLA from Dang district Mangal Gavit, along with 500 activists, formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by sporting a party scarf at an event in Ahwa on Sunday.

With Gavit’s induction into the ruling party, Dang politics has heated up. After resigning from his position as an MLA, Gavit had sought a ticket from the BJP in the by-elections but he was not granted one. Interestingly, he had attributed his

resignation to the fact that there had been no development in the state as there was a BJP government in power.

Post his induction into his new party, Gavit said, “I have joined the BJP for the development of Dang. Other leaders of the Dang Congress are also joining the BJP with me.”

On Gavit’s inclusion into the BJP, state cabinet minister Ganpat Vasava, who was present at the event in Ahwa spoke of gifting the Dang assembly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had

won from the traditionally Congress-favouring constituency by accumulating more than 50,000 votes.

“Gavit has voluntarily joined the BJP for the development of Dang district without putting forth any conditions,” he added.

Meanwhile, more than 100 members of the BJP’s IT cell joined Congress party on Sunday in the presence of party state unit president Amit Chavda. On the other hand, over 200 Congress workers joined the ruling party, including existing panchayat members, in Morbi.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Good chapter: ‘Wealthy’ parents to pitch in for ‘poor’ parents with fees l Udgam and Zebar School for Children have created a social platform where parents can pass on their 25% fee cut to parents in need of help First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Lending a hand to support parents struggling to pay the reduced school fee, Ahmedabadbased Udgam School for Children (USFC) and Zebar School for Children (ZSFC) have

launched an innovative campaign. The schools have come up with a social platform where financially sound parents can waive their right to the 25% reduction in fees in favour of those who are still finding it difficult to pay the

school fees of their children. In compliance with the state government’s resolution, both USFC and ZSFC had announced a relief of 25% in annual fees for the academic year 2020-21.

Speaking on this initiative, Manan Choksi, Executive Director, Udgam School For Children and Zebar School For Children said, “Though the state government has clarified the ambiguity surrounding school fees for the current academic year, we had received

Udgam School for Children.

many requests from parents asking for further reduction in fees citing multiple reasons such as job loss, increase in medical expenses.”

He added, “At the same time, many generous parents had approached us to extend their help by passing on their fee cut to the parents who needed it. Considering our own expenses, we were not able to reduce the fees beyond 25%. We realized the intensity of the situation and came up with

an idea to act as a bridge between both sets of parents.”

Parents can register themselves with the respective class teachers of their kids and express their need for extending or receiving help. The school management will then prepare a list of such parents and then pass on the relief. The schools will maintain complete confidentiality of the parents who have come forward to help, whilst keeping transparency regarding the application of their funds.

GUJARAT

Agriculture to be the growth engine for Gujarat’s economy

Good harvests in many crops could pump as much as `2,500 cr back into the market by Diwali Haresh Jhala

CASH CYCLE

Farmers tend to put off big purchases until just after their harvest is sold.

farmers will be paid about Rs300 crores at the Rajkot APMC alone over the next month,” he said.

Further, the Gondal market yard also expects a daily turnover of about Rs8 crore soon, meaning the monthly payout to farmers would be around Rs240-260 crore.

The Jasdan market yard already has a turnover is of Rs2-3 crore and, once fresh onion starts arriving, the Mahuva market

No mass promotions on the cards, education dept says —FILE PHOTO Many schools have indicated a return to campuses after Diwali.

Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: Gujarat’s education department has rubbished all rumours that primary schoolchildren would receive mass promotions for this academic year.

On Sunday, the department issued a clarification stating that the government currently has no plans for mass promotion of students in schools. The statement issued by the education department said: “At present, the government has no plans of

mass promotion of students in Classes I through VIII. News reports that the government is thinking about mass promotion of these students are false and baseless. People are requested not to get misled due to such reports.”

Several schools have indicated that they would resume on-campus education after Diwali. Given that academic sessions in schools have been on pause since March due to the pandemic, many schools have slashed their syllabi by 30% for this year.

yard will see a daily turnover of Rs6-7 seven crore, Sakhiya also said, adding, “If we count the bigger market yards—like Unjha, which has a higher turnover that ours does—the picture gets even brighter.”

He highlighted the fact that in most cases, farmers put off big purchases and other planned expenditure for the period immediately after the sale of their harvest. “The moment the farmers get

—FILE PHOTO

paid for their crops, they begin to make big purchases.

Starting from the input for the next season’s crop, to family needs, vehicles, fast-moving consumer goods, gold, jewellery, clothes—everything is bought in large numbers just after the harvest is sold—especially if there is an upcoming marriage in the family.

So, the festive season and the sale of crops will kick off the purchasing power of the rural market.”

He also firmly believes that, this time, the economy of the state as well as that of nation will be revived by the agriculture sector rather than the manufacturing, mining or service sectors.

As a final argument, he says that, even if farmers do not spend, they will then park their income in fixed deposits or other financial instruments, meaning that banks will have more cash on hand to put in the market.

Discussion on public health in times of COVID-19 held First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A 2018 study showed that outdoor air pollution causes 6,70,000 deaths each year in India.

The next year, the Centre launched a National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to reduce pollution levels by 20-30% by 2024 in 122 cities where current air pollution levels exceed the national standards. Yet, it took the nationwide lockdown to drastically reduce air pollution in India.

“COVID-19 has demonstrated that Indian cities too can have clean air and blue skies. Through the creation of scientifically guided source emission databases, critical early warning systems, and robust air quality management plans, cities in India can achieve good air quality,” said Dr Gufran Beig,

B’nagar downpour ruins 10K sacks of peanuts, onion First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The official monsoon season may have ended almost three weeks ago, but the rains do not seem ready to bid farewell to Gujarat.

Unseasonal rains lashed Bhavnagar on Sunday, drenching about 10,000 sacks of groundnut and onion crops that had come in for sale at the local market yard. In addition, several tonnes of other produce were also soaked in the intense downpour.

While Junagadh received more than inch of rainfall in an hour on Sunday, heavy rains were also reported in Morbi, Khambhaliya, Upleta, Kutiyana and Jamjodhpur. Parts of Ahmedabad also rain on Saturday night.

Onions in an APMC market yard.

In addition, a lightning strike caused significant damage to house in Bhavnagar which was being used as a storehouse of several types of electrical equipment. Lightning also caused one death in Dori village of Bhuj and injuries to two people near Upleta.

Meanwhile, Saurashtra is also experiencing the effects of a depression in the Arabian Sea, with many parts of the region reporting gusty

—FILE PHOTO

winds and lightning.

According to the meteorological department, heavy rains could continue until October 20 due to the deep depression.

While onion and groundnut crops have already reached the markets for sale in massive quantities, farmers fear that any more rain could severely damage a large portion of the cotton crop even before it reaches the market.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOTHER

Cops barely seem to notice the queues of devotees awaiting their turn for a glimpse of the goddess at the historic Bhadrakali temple on the second day of Navratri in Ahmedabad’s Old City area, on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Southward trend continues, nCoV could be slowing in Guj First India Bureau

Programme Director & Senior Scientist, SAFAR Programme, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology. He was one of several local and international experts speaking at a virtual roundtable discussion titled ‘Air Quality and Public Health in India: Risks from Climate Change and COVID-19’.

The discussion also looked at how air pollution has worsened the health impacts of the pandemic. “Continuous assessment of cru-

cial public health indicators has the potential to help us identify and prioritize interventions that can improve the effectiveness of climate change interventions. Measuring air quality linked health indicators can help Ahmedabad and other cities to achieve their NCAP targets and create healthy, sustainable communities,” said Dr Dileep Mavalankar, Director, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar (IIPH-G).

Gandhinagar: The recent downward trend continued on Sunday, with the state witnessing 1,091 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths over 24 hours.

With this, Gujarat has seen a total of 1,59,726 positive cases and 3,638 fatalities.

According to the COVID-19 bulletin issued by the health and family welfare department, Surat again had the highest number of fresh cases with 239. Cases also emerged in Ahmedabad (183), Vadodara (119), Rajkot (107), Jamnagar (84), Gandhinagar (46), Mehsana (38), Junagadh (32), Surendranagar (21), Sabarkantha (20), Am-

—FILE PHOTO

Rajkot: By some estimates, some Rs2,500 crore will be in the market by Diwali— which could be a game-changer for the state economy that has been hit by the triple whammy of the pandemic, lockdown and the economic downturn. Interestingly, this influx is expected to come from the agricultural sector, which looks set to rebound from its own recent worries, including monsoon-induced damage to about 30% of the crops in the state.

Cooperative leader and chairman of the Rajkot Agriculture Produce Market DK Sakhiya says that many crops have seen a good harvest. Citing the Rajkot APMC as an example, he told First India that the turnaround could be a game changer. “Our daily turnover is going to touch Rs10 crore. Farmers are bringing in huge quantities of crops for sale.

So, we estimate that

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AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

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The state has tested 53,74,429 samples for COVID-19 so far.

1,091 cases, nine deaths take state tally to 1,59,726 cases, death toll to 3,638 reli (19), Bhavnagar and Patan (18 each), Bharuch (17), Banaskantha and Kutch (15), Gir Somnath and Morbi (11 each), Anand, Narmada and

Panchamahal (10 each), Dahod (9), Devbhumi Dwarka and Kheda (7 each), Chhota Udepur and Navsari (5 each) Mahisagar (4), Aravalli and Valsad (3 each), Botad and Tapi (2 each) and Porbandar (1).

Of the nine reported deaths five were from Ahmedabad, two in Surat and one each in Gandhinagar and Vadodara.

BLESSINGS OF THE GODDESS

200-yr-old Madhupura temple to stream Mataji’s darshan on FB 

A trader established the religious site after bartering 17 pots of ghee for two idols—one of which is here, and the other is at the Utkantheshwar Mahadev temple

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The nineday festival of Navratri, celebrated in honour of the divine feminine holds a special value in the lives of Indians.

During this time, traditionally, devotees throng the famous Ambaji temple in Madhupura for a chance at a darshan of the goddess.

Religious intentions aside, the 200-year-old temple itself has a rich history, which draws

visitors during the festive season.

A few centuries ago, Narbheram Prabhuram Bhatt of Kapadvanj was a big trader of ghee.

Once, a sculptor came to Kapadvanj to sell two idols of Ambaji goddess. The sculptor asked Narbheram to buy the idols at a reasonable price. Narbheram said he could give 17 pots of ghee in exchange for the two idols since he could not afford to pay for it. The

The idol of Ambaji in the Madhupura temple.

sculptor accepted this offer and gave him the idols in exchange for 17 pots of ghee.

After taking the two idols from the sculptor, Narbheram sold all his belongings, including his house, and left for Ahmedabad for the betterment of his business. On the way, Narbheram gave an idol of Ambaji to the priest of the Utkantheshwar Mahadev temple. He asked for a piece of land for the construction of a

temple in Ahmedabad.

The trustees of the temple met and ceded to his request. They allotted a piece of land for the construction of the temple, where the statue of Ambaji Mata was set up. Fast-forward 200 years, and the deity is still worshipped at the same spot in Madhupura.

This Navratri, arrangements have been made to go out directly for darshan, said Nirav Bhatt, priest of the tem-

ple. “The darshan timing has been changed for devotees during Navratri. The temple was open till late at night until 11 pm. During the festival period, it will remain open until 9.30 pm instead. Devotees will not be able to participate in the morning and evening aarti,” he said.

For devotees, Mataji’s darshan will take place every day on the Madhupura Ambaji Facebook page.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

HUNGER IN INDIA TOO HIGH FOR COMFORT

W

hen it comes to managing the hunger of millions of poor, India’s performance has been disappointing as it continues to be in the “serious” category. It ranks 97 among 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2020. In the 2019 Index India ranked 102nd out of 117 countries. What is embarrassing is that in this year’s index Pakistan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh ranked higher than India at 88th, 77th, and 75th, respectively, although they too are in the “serious” category. Nepal at 73rd place and Sri Lanka at 64th are also better placed. Besides, these two countries are in the “moderate” category. In other words, neighbours have fared much better in fighting hunger than India.

What the hunger index tells us is that a big chunk of the population is undernourished with high wasting and stunting. In the case of stunting the Index recorded a rate of 37.4 percent. Stunting is a result of chronic undernourishment which retards linear growth or height of children under the age of five years. The rate of wasting, which happens due to inadequate nutrition, stands at 17.3 percent in India. In wasting, children have low weight for their height.

These data reveal the underside of India’s growth story. Undernourishment, wasting, and stunting prove that the level of deprivation in the country remains high despite various policies to improve the situation. Clearly, there’s some lacuna in implementation and monitoring also is weak.

The contributing states in India’s high rank in hunger index are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. The time for them to act is now.

‘NEW THINKING NEW DIMENSIONS’ DR LOKESH CHANDRA SHARMA THE WRITER IS ADPR AND EDITOR SUJAS

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INDIA TO FARE WORSE THAN BANGLADESH

T

he International Monetary Fund’s latest report on the World Economic Outlook has caught the country’s attention as it said that an average Bangladeshis per capita income in the 2020 calendar year is set to be higher than that of an average Indians. This was not the case until a few years ago when India was much ahead of its eastern neighbour. The gap narrowed due to Bangladesh’s rising exports, high savings, and investments. In India’s case, savings and investments remained low for which the blame can be put on the pandemic. The IMF predicts India’s per capita GDP to contract by 10.3 percent in 2020 to settle at $1877, while that of Bangladesh will rise by 4 percent to $1888. If the forecast comes true, India will also lag behind Bhutan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka. The decline will also be the third steepest fall globally after Spain and Italy.

The IMF forecast comes soon after the massive fall in the country’s Q1 GDP and Reserve Bank of India’s projected GDP contraction of 9.5 percent in the entire fiscal. That makes the IMF’s prediction even worse. However, the important aspect of the report is that India’s per capita is expected to grow at 8.2 percent, compared to Bangladesh’s 5.4 percent in 2021.

This does not mean that India’s economic growth story can be junked on the basis of the IMF report. To understand the report better one must consider the fact that India’s population is higher than that of Bangladesh. And the population is an important variable to calculate per capita income.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has also praised the Governor. He said that Mishra likes to work with out of the box thinking and his personality and work is unique.

“Mishra is the Governor who himself calls the Chief Minister, and worries about the state. During the corona pandemic, he spoke to MLAs and District Collectors.

His sensitivity, behavior, and personality are worthy of reverence.

Mishra is an experienced person and society is getting the benefits of the long political experience of Mishra

ajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, who completed one year in office last month, wants to make Rajbhawan an ideal example for the country for which he did something new every day while focusing his thinking and vision on the development of the state. The 2020 year has been challenging for the entire world due to coronavirus spread and amid the pandemic Mishra was very concerned for the health and livelihood of the people of Rajasthan and tirelessly tried to help the people of the state.

There was unique coordination among the Governor, Chief Minister, and the opposition and all tried to protect the state from the Covid-19. The governor has to act on constitutional grounds and the state government works for the allround development of the state. With the coordination of the Governor and the state government, round-the-clock development of the state takes place in a better way.

Mishra wants an overall development of Rajasthan and therefore he often talks with the chief minister and praises the state government for good works and if there is any deficiency, he calls the Chief Minister separately and holds talks.

In order to make Rajbhawan, Jaipur an ideal in the entire country, Mishra decided to build a constitution park here.

On the completion of one year as Rajasthan Governor, a book ‘New Thinking-New Dimensions’ was released by chief minister Ashok Gehlot and Speaker of legislative assembly CP Joshi.

The book, which is a compilation of works and achievements of one year, also has a detailed explanation of various points of higher education and things

RAJASTHAN ASSEMBLY SPEAKER CP JOSHI TERMED GOVERNOR AS THE GUIDE OF THE STATE AND SAID THE STATE IS PROGRESSING DUE TO HIS INSPIRATION. THE STATE HAS GOT THE COOPERATION OF THE GOVERNOR, CHIEF MINISTER, AND THE OPPOSITION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

about the development of Rajasthan.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has also praised the Governor. He said that Mishra likes to work with out of the box thinking and his personality and work is unique. “Mishra is the Governor who himself calls the Chief Minister, and worries about the state. During the corona pandemic, he spoke

to MLAs and District Collectors. His sensitivity, behavior, and personality are worthy of reverence. Mishra is an experienced person and society is getting the benefits of the long political experience of Mishra.

Rajasthan is fortunate to have got a Governor like him, who has got mixed with Rajasthan in a short time,” he had said during the book

COVID changed the way we use drugs and alcohol

D

uring crises and disasters, alcohol and other drug use often changes.

But the changes are not straightforward and impacts may be different for different groups of people.

There doesn’t seem to have been significant overall increases or decreases in alcohol or other drug use during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some groups are at increased risk. And access to treatment is more limited for those who need it.

IT’S A COMPLEX PICTURE There’s a bit of data around, but the picture is still not quite clear. As researchers from the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research at La Trobe University have argued in an editorial published today, we need more research to understand the influence

04

of the pandemic on use.

There were some early indicators of increases in Australians’ alcohol consumption as the pandemic hit, possibly related to increased stress. But that effect seemed to reduce as we settled into the new normal.

At the beginning of COVID-19 restrictions in March, Commonwealth Bank reported spending had increased on alcohol, but this was then reversed in April.

And in April, a study by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education found that most people who had stockpiled alcohol reported drinking more.

Also around the same time, Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed more people had increased their drinking (14.4%) than had decreased it (9.5%).

By May, the Australian National University found more people had decreased

their drinking (27%) than had increased it (20%). The Global Drug Survey between May and June found similar results among the mostly young people who responded.

However, alcohol use seemed to increase among some groups, possibly

those who are more vulnerable to harms.

In both the ABS and ANU studies, more women had increased their drinking than decreased it, which seemed to be related to higher stress linked to increased responsibilities at home.

In a survey of people who use illicit drugs, more people increased (41%) than decreased (33%) drinking.

And among people who inject drugs around 11% reported increased drinking.

There have also been indicators that family violence has increased during

this time. Alcohol and other drug use is a risk factor for family violence.

A survey of treatment services found that among services that reported changes in demand, most had an increase. Most services also reported that mental health problems, family violence and financial stress had all increased among people who use their services. These factors can make treatment more complex.

There is some evidence fewer people accessed medication treatment for opioids during the restrictions, like methadone.

COVID-19 restrictions have changed the way many services offer treatment. Most residential rehabilitation services have reduced the number of places available so they can ensure physical distancing.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

launch.

Rajasthan assembly Speaker CP Joshi termed Governor as the guide of the state and said the state is progressing due to his inspiration. The state has got the cooperation of the Governor, Chief Minister and the opposition during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The book was launched in a simple ceremony held at Raj Bhavan during which chief secretary Rajeeva Swarup, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Kuldeep Ranka, Secretary to the Legislative Assembly Pramil Kumar Mathur and Amit Mishra, son of the Governor were present.

The book has been published by the Governor’s Secretariat. The 168-page book, divided into thirty-six chapters, talks about the Governor’s own talk, his initiative, innovation, Rajasthan, Rajbhawan, and the functioning of the Governor’s Secretariat.

The inspiration for the book is Governor Kalraj Mishra himself. The Governor’s Secretary Subir Kumar directed the book and guidance was given by principal OSD Govind Ram Jaiswal and was edited by Dr Lokesh Chandra Sharma.

The book also has a combination of pictures of the Governor’s meetings and celebrations.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank @DrRPNishank Under the #NewEducationPolicy, all Higher Education Institutions will be transformed into large multidisciplinary universities and clusters. Watch the video to know more about the Institutional Restructuring and Consolidation. #NEPTransformingIndia KC Venugopal @kcvenugopalmp While the Union Govt & Kerala Govt are playing the blame game, the active cases are skyrocketing in Kerala & the entire country, putting the lives of people in grave danger. Now is the time for coordinated action to control the spread & to support the poor not play blame games.

Spiritual SPEAK

You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction. —Bhagavad Gita

Vol 1 Issue No. 324 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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05

I would even say that if the PM wants to say something against me just to satisfy the CM, he can, LJP President Chirag Paswan said

‘NO QUALMS ON CRITICISM, BUT BJP SHOULD USE WORDS WISELY’ Patna: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Chirag Paswan on Sunday said that he welcomed any attack on him by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and even by Prime Minister Narendra Modi if it satisfies Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's agenda, but he advised the leaders to “use the words wisely”. His remarks came a day after BJP leader and Union home minister Amit Shah commented on his “Hanuman of Modi” remark, saying “LJP president should not harbour any illusions”.

“He (Nitish Kumar) has wasted most of the time to show how LJP and BJP are divided.

The Chief Minister is fielding all big BJP leaders to speak against me. I just want to say that they are free to speak against me. I would even say that if the Prime Minister wants to say something against me just to satisfy the chief minister, he can,” Chirag told ANI here.

Chirag also said that

LJP President Chirag Paswan speaks to media as he performs rituals of his father, in Patna on Sunday.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar should thank BJP for following the coalition religiously.

“Nitish Kumar Ji should thank the BJP colleagues that despite all the resentment against the Chief Minister, they are playing coalition religiously and every day they give certificates to Nitish Kumar Ji that they are not with Chirag,” he tweeted.

Chirag again thanked PM Modi for supporting him during his tough phase and inspired him to bring out 'Bihar first Bihari first' vision document.

“Prime Minister is in my heart. Prime Minister Modi was standing with me when I was alone outside my father's ICU. He gave such an honour to my father. Should I forget all that? He has loved like a father, this is my

personal belief just like religion,” Chirag Paswan said.

“I have brought the 'Bihar first Bihari first' vision document after getting inspired by PM Modi. He is my inspiration,” he added.

Criticising the Bihar Chief Minister, Chirag said, “I believe Bihar CM's stopped envisioning policies and become saturated. He is antiyouth and dismisses young leaders, calling

Guv writes to Mamata ‘RaGa should be over custodial death called Rahul Lahori’ Kolkata: West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar wrote to state CM Mamata Banerjee over the custodial death of one Madan Ghorai.

The letter read, “Recent custodial death of Madan Ghorai alias Kalipada Ghorai of village Kanakpur in East Midnapore district, is yet another horrifying instance of dehumanising torture, assault and death in custody.”

“There is outrage at such lawlessness in state and outside, and consequent to October

Jagdeep Dhankhar

8 police excesses Balwinder Singh is already poster boy for blatant Human Right violations in the State,” it said.

“Madam Chief Minister, high time you redeem your constitutional oath and enforce rule of law.” —ANI

New Delhi: Soon after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor's criticism of the Union government on its handling of COVID-19, condition of Muslims and treatment meted to Indian citizens from the Northeast on a Pakistan-based platform, BJP has rechristened Rahul Gandhi as Rahul Lahori.

BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra said “We in BJP will start calling him Rahul

Sanjay Raut

SEEMA MUSTAFA CHOSEN AS PREZ OF EDITORS GUILD OF INDIA New Delhi: Seema Mustafa, the Editor of The Citizen, has been elected as President of the Editors Guild of India. The announcement came after the results of an online election held on October 16 were declared. In the same election, Hardnews editor Sanjay Kapoor was elected as General Secretary. Anant Nath,

the Editor of The Caravan, was elected unopposed as Treasurer, the statement said. Mustafa succeeds Shekhar Gupta, the Editor-in-Chief of ThePrint, while Kapoor and Mr Nath will take over from AK Bhattacharya, the Editorial Director of Business Standard, and Sheela Bhatt, the Contributing Editor of Rediff.com, respectively.

ghar district in April, Sena leader Sanjay Raut claimed that similar incidents in other parts of the country were not viewed with same fervor. “Two sadhus were murdered by a mob in Palghar and this incident created a furore in the country. In the last four days, four sadhus were killed in UP

them inexperienced but himself started as a young activist during the JP movement. We are aware too and can think for Bihar. The state has given him 15 years already.”

LJP will not contest seats where BJP will be contesting, however, it will fight against Janata Dal (United) in polls Bihar with 243 Assembly seats will go to polls on Oct 28, November 3 & Nov 7. —ANI

Nitish Kumar is visionless, has ruined Bihar, says Tejashwi Patna: RJD leader and Mahag athbandhan's Chief Minister face Tejashwi Yadav has hit back at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar accusing him of being a visionless leader. “Nitish Kumar's first and last love is the CM's chair. Does he have a vision for Bihar? If yes, then why doesn't he share it? How will he eliminate unemployment? Why does he not speak on migration, poverty, starvation?

Youth knows that if NDA isn't defeated, such a useless government won't do anything for the unemployed,” Tejashwi Yadav said.

“In the greed of power, Nitish-BJP has ruined two generations of Bihar. Due to the wrong policies and decisions of the Chief Minister, today Bihar has become the centre of unemployment. Why does the CM never speak on these important issues?”—ANI

Patna: Amid the ongoing campaining in Bihar for the ensuing State Assembly polls, Bihar BJP poll incharge Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that people's trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not only benefit his party but also its allies.

“A lot of enthusiasm is seen among people, wherever we go in Bihar and take Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name. The country and its people have placed their trust in PM Modi. This trust will benefit not only us but also our allies,” Fadnavis, who is a former chief minister of Maharashtra told reporters.

The BJP and the JDU had agreed to contest on 121-122 seats respectively in the 243-member assembly. The JDU, which has a share of 122 seats according to the understanding, has given seats to Hindustani Awaam Morcha of Jitin Ram Manjhi from its quota.

BJP had earlier this week formally inducted the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) into the Na-

A lot of enthusiasm is seen among people, wherever we go in Bihar and take Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name. The country and its people have placed their trust in PM Modi. This trust will benefit not only us but also our allies.

—Devendra Fadnavis Bihar BJP poll in-charge

tional Democratic Alliance (NDA) and assigned the party 11 seats as part of seat distribution among allies for the Bihar polls.

—ANI

Gandhis hit out at UP govt over women safety Akhilesh Yadav

‘UP govt has surrendered before criminals’

Sambit Patra

Lahori and henceforth I too will address Rahul Gandhi as Rahul Lahori. A debut rally for him has already been done in Pakistan by Tharoor,” the BJP leader added. —ANI

Palghar incident is adharma:Raut Mumbai: Shiv Sena claimed double standards by media in its response to fatal attacks on sadhus, alleging that such deaths were portrayed as ‘adharma,’ when they happen in Maharashtra but are brushed of as ‘incidents’ elsewhere.

Referring to killing of two sadhus in Pal-

—PHOTO BY ANI

Tejashwi Yadav

‘People’s trust in PM Modi will benefit BJP and allies’

and one in Rajasthan.

In Rajasthan, the priest was burned to death.

Nothing happened,” Raut wrote in party mouthpiece “Saamana”. “When Palghar incident took place it is ‘adharma’ & if this happens in other places then it is just an incident. How is this possible?” he asked. —ANI

UP: EX- JAWAN ACCUSED OF KILLING MAN IN COPS, HELD Delhi: A former army man accused of shooting another man dead in presence of the police in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested.

Dhirendra Singh - who had filed a “surrender application” at a court in Ballia - was caught on the Lucknow-Faizabad highway, said the Special Task Force. STF said he had fled to Bihar after the shooting and at the time of arrest, had returned to Lucknow, probably to find a hideout with someone he knew. A surrender application allows an accused to surrender directly before the court.

Save criminals, Rahul Gandhi said, tagging a report claiming a BJP MLA saving a criminal.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government over media reports of rising incidents of crime against women in the state. Instead of protecting women, the state government was trying to “save criminals”, the Congress MP said, tagging a report which claimed that a BJP MLA allegedly took away a man accused of harassing a woman from police custody.

“How it started “Beti Bachao” (save daughter), how it's going “Apradhi Bachao” (save criminals),” the Congress leader tweeted sharing the report on the social media platform.

According to the media report, the BJP MLA forcefully entered a police station along with his party workers and took away an accused in a molestation case.

The report was also shared by Gandhi's sis-

2 WOMEN JUMP OUT OF RUNNING CAB AFTER DRIVER MOLESTS ONE Amritsar: Two women in Amritsar sustained injuries after they jumped out of a running cab when its driver allegedly tried to molest one of them, police said. A third woman was also in the cab and was rescued by locals who chased and intercepted the vehicle when they saw the duo jumping out of the taxi, police said,

adding that the driver was later arrested. SHO Robin Hans informed, “When the taxi was on the way, its driver started molesting one of the three women. But as she resisted, he started to increase the vehicle’s speed. However, she, along with one more woman, jumped out of the running cab,” the SHO said.

ter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who questioned the state government for the allegedly deteorating law and order situation in the state.

“Will the UP CM tell that this is happening under which “mission”? “Beti bachao” (Save daughters) or “Apradhi bachao” (save criminals)?”

Vadra tweeted.

The Congress has stepped up its attack on UP government particularly after the Hathras incident. —ANI

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav charged the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday with surrendering before criminal elements because of which women are not safe in the state.

“Sisters and daughters cannot be safe till the BJP government is there in Uttar Pradesh as this government has surrendered before criminal elements,” he said in a statement issued by the party.

Daughters, mothers, sisters, villages and cities are different but their fate is the same, Mr Yadav said. The state is fast turning into “barbaric Hatya Pradesh” he said. —PTI

HATHRAS VICTIM’S FAMILY PROBED BY CBI FOR 5 HOURS Hathras: The CBI questioned family members of Hathras incident victim for almost five hours. The CBI is probing the torture and alleged gang rape of 20-year old Dalit woman who died in a Delhi hospital last month. The victim’s sister-in-law said the team asked her questions related to the case. “They did not ask me many questions. They asked me about Chotu, but I don’t know him.

They have taken victim’s clothes with them. They carried out questioning for hours. We did not face any pressure,” she said.

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PM Modi hails New Zealand counterpart’s poll victory BARC India slams Republic TV

‘Congratulations to PM of NZ, Jacinda Ardern’ New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern on her resounding victory for a second term in office.

“My heartiest congratulations to the PM of NZ, Jacinda Ardern, on her resounding victory. Recall our last meet a year ago and look forward to working together for taking India-New Zealand relationship to a higher level,” Modi said in a tweet.

Ardern has served as the 40th Prime Minister of New Zealand and leader of the Labour Party since 2017.

New Zealand voted to award Ardern a second term in office on Saturday. Ardern’s liberal

Narendra Modi @narendramodi

PM Narendra Modi congratulates his NZ counterpart Jacinda Ardern on her resounding victory for a second term in office.

Labour Party won a historic mandate by securing 49 per cent of the vote in comparison to the 27 per cent bagged by its primary challenger, the conservative Na-

tional Party.

In fact, this is the first time since New Zealand implemented a proportional voting system 24 years ago that a single party won an outright

My heartiest congratulations to the PM of New Zealand @jacindaardern on her resounding victory. Recall our last meet a year ago and look forward to working together for taking India-NZ relationship to a higher level. majority of seats in Parliament. Ardern was voted to the top job in 2017 when her Labour Party entered into an alliance with two other parties.—Agencies

‘THIS NAVRATRI BE MINDFUL OF YOUR ROLE IN DEFEATING COVID’

‘We must let charity take precedence’ New Delhi: Union minister for health and family welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday urged the citizens to be mindful of their role in defeating Covid-19 during upcoming festivities. “This Navratri I urge you to be mindful of your role in defeating Covid-19. As we bow down in prayer, we must keep the sacrifice of lakhs of Corona warriors in our thoughts, those who’ve lost their lives and those who’re battling the dreaded disease to save us,” he said as he answered many inquisitive social media interactors on the sixth episode of ‘Sunday Samvaad’.

India’s Covid-19 tally reaches 74,94,552 New Delhi: With a spike of 61,871 new COVID-19 cases and 1,033 deaths, India’s Covid-19 count reached 74,94,552 on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

It includes 7,83,311 active cases & 1,033 deaths in 24 hours. Maharashtra is the worst affected state by in the country.

Mumbai: Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has slammed news channel Republic network for disclosing confidential communication and misrepresenting the same.

“BARC India has not commented on the ongoing investigation and it is providing necessary assistance to the law enforcement agency,” the body said in a statement released on Sunday.

“BARC India is highly disappointed with the actions of the Republic network by disclosing private and confidential communications and misrepresenting the same. BARC India reiterates that it has not commented on the ongoing investigation and without prejudice to BARC India’s rights, it expresses its dismay at the actions of the Republic Network,” it further read.

Gorakhpur will be devp into a textile hub: Yogi Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that Gorakhpur will be developed into a textile sector hub.

The chief minister made this announcement on Sunday during his brief visit here.

It will give an impetus to the ready-made garment industry in eastern Uttar Pradesh, he dadded.

Besides boosting the textile industry that also falls in the category of One District One Product (ODOP), it will also generate employment opportunities for the workers who have returned to the state from various places during the lockdown.

The chief minister, while interacting with the representatives of the Chamber of Industries (COI) of Gorakhpur, said that in order to

Yogi Adityanath

UP CM LAUDS EFFORTS OF COI

encourage self-employment, the government is also planning to establish a big training centre. According to a survey, about 12,000 migrant workers associated with the textile industries have come back to Gorakhpur and adjoining districts during

SHAH OFFERS PRAYERS

Bharat Biotech inks deal with Washington Univ for vax

A team of doctors check patients at CWG village Covid-19 care centre, near Akshardham in New Delhi on Sunday.—PHOTO BY PTI

He exhorted citizens to honour the PM’s call for ‘Jan Andolan’ and religiously follow Covid appropriate behaviour reiterating that celebrations must be limited to

homes and practised in a traditional fashion.

We must let charity take precedence, donate with a large heart to under-privileged,” said Dr Harsh. ANI

‘No mutation of coronavirus has been detected in India’ New Delhi: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that as of now no mutation of coronavirus has been detected in India.

Dr Harsh Vardhan remarked that although there are no intranasal COVID-19 vaccines under trial in India at the moment, Serum India and Bharat Biotech are

Dr Harsh Vardhan

expected to pursue clinical trials of such vaccines in India in the coming months on receipt of regulatory approval.

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday informed that Bharat Biotech will develop an intranasal vaccine for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The minister said that the Hyderabad-based drugs and vaccine research and manufacturing company has entered into an agreement with Washington University and St. Louis University for the trials of the nasal vaccine candidate.

“It (Bharat Biotech) has entered into an agreement with Washington University’s School of Medicine under which the company will conduct trials, produce and market an intranasal vaccine for the COVID-19,” Vardhan told virtually at Sunday Samvaad.

06

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday offered prayers at the Bahuchara Mata temple in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. On the occasion of Navratri, he took part in the arti at the temple which is located in his paternal hometown, Mansa. He had also urged people to follow all COVID-19 related guidelines and stay safe during the festive season.

the lockdown.

“The government is making serious efforts for employing them at places near their native places and most of them have already been employed. Bigger industrialist should also come forward,” UP chief minister Yogi added.—ANI

‘Pollution draw back can’t be resolved in a day’ New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said the pollution problem cannot be resolved in a day and continuous efforts are needed to tackle each of the contributing factors.

“Dust suppressant and water sprinklers are used to tackle it. We have also been asking all agencies, governments and corporations, to close unpaved roads,” Javadekar said.“Air shed is large and includes Rajasthan, Haryana, UP,” he adds. —PTI

2nd wave of floods hit parts of Hyd Hyderabad: A fresh spell of overnight heavy rains caused flooding on Sunday in parts of the city and left three people dead in separate rainrelated incidents just days after it witnessed one of the worst deluges in recent times following unprecedented downpour in over a century, police and civic officials said.

A total of 37,409 families were affected in various localities that were inundated in city

due to floods and ration kits and blankets were being distributed among them, a release from

GHMC said. At least 3 people including two children died in rainrelated incidents report-

both the Marine Corps and Rocket Force bases in Fujian and Guangdong have expanded.

“The size of some of the missile bases in the Eastern and Southern theatre commands have even doubled in recent years, showing the PLA is stepping up preparations for a war targeting Taiwan,” the further stated.

The information regarding the possible deployment of hypersonic missile comes amid heightened tensions between China and the US, with issues pertaining to disagreements over Taiwan and the COVID-19 pandemic.

During an inspection of the PLA’s Marine Corps in Chaozhou City, Xinhua said Xi told the soldiers to “maintain a state of high alert” and called on them to be “absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable”.

China in recent years has also increased military drills around Taiwan, with almost 40 Chinese warplanes crossing the median line between the mainland and Taiwan on September 1819 -- one of several sorties the island’s President Tsai Ing-wen called a “threat of force.” —ANI

Democracy assing...

GHMC personnel carries out a rescue operation to move floodaffected people to a safer place following heavy rains, at Hafiz Baba Nagar in Hyderabad on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY PTI

ed from different parts of the city over the past 24 hours here, police and civic officials said. A five-year-old girl died early Sunday in a wall collapse while a 4-year boy died after falling in a pit at a construction site which was filled with rain water. The Met forecast more rains till October 21. Meanwhile, bodies of 2 people were washed away in Gaganpahad area here following heavy rains on Sunday.—PTI

FROM PG 1 Covid has... coronavirus-induced lockdown, Delhi-NCR is bracing for months of poor air quality. The national capital’s air quality was in the ‘poor’ category on Sunday morning. According to doctors, respiratory illnesses like viral influenza increase with a spike in pollution levels as poor air quality leads to inflammation in the lungs making it more vulnerable for the virus to penetrate.

“It would be a taxing time for testing centres as they have to cater to people with coronavirus and also non-COVID patients with similar symptoms,” said Dr

Neeraj Nischal, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at AIIMS. —Agencies

No fresh...

The 10-member panel which conducted a study on “Progression of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Prognosis and Lockdown Impacts” has pointed out that with no lockdown, the pandemic would have hit India very hard with a peak load of over 1.40 crore cases arriving in June. “The existing personal safety protocols need to continue in full measure. Otherwise we will see a sharp rise in infections.

PM’s address...

Bully China...

The names of the ten pandals are yet to be finalized,” BJP state vicepresident Partap Banerjee said.

Various cultural programmes, including gigs by folk artistes, have been lined up at EZCC next week. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s wife Dona, a reputed Odissi danseuse, and her troupe will be performing at the inauguration ceremony, Banerjee said.

Eyes set on Assembly elections, likely to held in April-May next year, both the TMC, BJP are going all out to woo people and strengthen their vote banks.

“The DF-17 hypersonic missile will gradually replace the old DF-11s and DF-15s that were deployed in the southeast region for decades,” the source was quoted by SCMP. Even though Taiwan has never been controlled by China’s ruling party, Chinese authorities insist that the self-governing island is an integral part of their territory, with president Xi Jinping refusing to rule out a military force to capture it if necessary.

According to the Canada-based Kanwa Defence Review, satellite images show that

The Congress will hold a nationwide protest against the Hathras incident on October 26.

The party will also protest against the farm laws at all party district headquarters on October 31, said Congress sources.

The decision was taken during AICC meeting chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi with the general secretaries and incharges.

She has asked all the general secretaries and state incharges to reach out to people and farmers who are in distress.

“Atrocities on Dalits have reached a new zenith. Instead of honor-

ing the law and granting adequate protection to India’s daughters, BJP governments are siding with the criminals. The voice of oppressed families is being suppressed by the agencies of the State. Is this the new Raj Dharma?” said Sonia Gandhi during the meeting.

“To take on these challenges and stand with the people is what defines the Congress. I am confident that all of you would toil hard and stand up to the forces attacking India and its people. Let us join hands to defeat the antidemocracy and autocratic designs of BJP,” she added. —ANI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

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07

Masked communication!

HOW TO PUT YOUR

POINT ACROSS

BODY LANGUAGE

Y

Y

ou wear y o u r mask, keep six feet between yourself and others and are committed to safety. But the measures that help minimize your risk of COVID-19 can also have an impact on your interactions with others.

As you stroll the aisle of a supermarket, you approach someone who looks familiar. To avoid an awkward exchange, you flash them a friendly smile. It’s not until you pass you remember: Your smile was hidden behind a mask. Unloading your groceries at home, you see your neighbor. You excitedly ask her how she is, but when she doesn’t respond, you worry your mask has muffled your voice.

As the head coach for Mississippi State University’s Speech and Debate Team, my job is to teach effective communication.

Without question, masks have disrupted social interactions. But communication has many components. You can adjust and enhance your communication by focusing on some of the other pieces that aren’t hidden behind a mask.

ou might be surprised how much information is conveyed by the body itself.

For instance, when someone is happy, they stand up straighter and lift their head; when they are sad, they slouch and drop their head; and when they are angry, their whole body tenses up. Learning how people use their bodies to convey emotion may help reduce the uncertainty you feel when communicating with someone in a mask.

Become aware of your own body language, too. When engaged in a conversation, you can appear more attentive by turning your body toward the individual, leaning in or nodding. To let another person know you want to start speaking, straighten your posture, hold up your index finger or nod more frequently.

Finally, be aware that imitating the posture of another person can increase how much they like you and even agree with you.

THE VOICE

D

on’t forget the impact of your voice. It’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. Along with the actual words, you also use volume, tone, pauses and fillers to convey your message. For instance, a lower-pitched whisper may denote sadness or insecurity, whereas a higherpitched shout could show anger or intensity.

Try this – say the phrase “I didn’t see you there” as if you were scared. Now pretend you are happy. Now confused. Chances are, anyone

THE FACE

F

acial expressions are the primary way people exhibit emotion and decipher the feelings of others. Happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, fear and surprise can be communicated through facial expressions alone. But when part of the face is masked, it becomes more difficult to recognize these cues.

If you cannot read someone else’s emotional state, your ability to empathize with them may be compromised. Likewise, if your own mask is hiding your emotional state, others may not be able to empathize with you.

Wearing a mask can also

make you feel more distracted and self-conscious, further weakening your connection to others.

Fortunately, you can regain some control over communication by working with what you have left – the eyes. If you want to increase understanding with a masked individual, you should look them in the eyes – which may be easier said than done. Eye contact triggers self-consciousness, consumes extra brain power and becomes uncomfortable after only three seconds. But bear in mind, eye contact can also make you appear more intelligent and trustworthy.

listening to you could easily identify your emotions without even seeing you. While studies show that masks do not significantly alter your voice, you may feel that your speech gets muffled when wearing a mask.

If you feel the need to speak louder, just be aware that raising your voice can alter the message you are trying to send. Changing the tone of your voice can change the whole conversation, so instead of increasing volume, try improving enunciation.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

W

hile masks may make conversations feel more daunting, you are equipped to communicate, even with part of your face concealed.

Before your next interaction with a friend, think of ways to improve your connection. Pull your hair back so they can see your eyes clearly and find a quiet place to talk.

Use your body and voice to convey the emotions you fear your mask might hide. Maybe most importantly, don’t expect it to go perfectly. Just like any conversation, mistakes will be made.

SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE

When someone can’t understand you, try rephrasing your statement, saying it a bit more slowly and enunciating more. If you are struggling to understand someone else, try to ask close-ended questions, like “Do you want to go to the park?” instead of open-ended ones, like “Where do you want to go?”

By all means, continue the proper measures to keep yourself safe, but don’t neglect your relationships as a consequence. Social distance doesn’t have to mean socially distant.

CONCEPT: MONI SHARMA

DESIGN: CP SHARMA

A promise is a powerful thing. It is a commitment of self, our efforts and also a message of hope for the coming day. A promise is faith in ourselves and the goodness of the world.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

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COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

INDIA

08

GUJARAT

11,16,927 4,01,50,986 1,14,621 75,46,882 3,638 1,59,726 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 42,115 DEATHS 15,95,381 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 10,642 DEATHS 6,87,400 CASES

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 10,478 DEATHS 7,65,586 CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 6,009 DEATHS 3,31,017 CASES

KEEP ‘SANYAM’: CM Rupani’s caller tune appeals people

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,747 DEATHS 1,73,266 CASES

Fake ‘Aquaguard’ makers nabbed in Ahmedabad

Facing criticism for banning Navratri events, Gujarat CM hardsells the Covid reason Darshan Desai Gandhinagar: For the last two days, Gujaratis are surprised to hear Chief Minister Vijay Rupani speaking in their cell phone caller tune instead of the six-month-old habit of a woman’s voice advising Corona care.

Aware of the criticism his government is facing for banning all Navratri events and the handling of the Covid-19 crisis, Rupani is going all-out to urge people to appreciate the situation and exercise restraint this season.

The caller tune has Rupani asking people to exercise “Sanyam (selfrestraint)” during the Navratri festival, maintain social distance, wear masks and keep using soaps and sanitizers. However, to ensure it does not get repetitive, his voice could be heard on an average 4 to 5 times out of some 10 calls made from a cell phone.

Days after he got himself tested for the dreaded virus twice to demon-

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has lent his voice to a cell phone caller tune with an appeal to people to exercise restraint this Navratri.

SUPREME IRONY!

strate the importance of timely Covid-19 tests and coined a new slogan, “Test is the Best”, the Chief Minister has been stressing yet again that the pandemic has assumed serious proportions.

There had been serious criticism among the medical fraternity and strictures from the Gujarat High Court about woefully inadequate testing for the virus for more than 4 months till mid-July.

ELEPHANT ON THE ROAD (OR IN ROOM)!

Till then, the highest number of daily tests was just 6,000 whereas other States were already testing people in 5 figures for long. The government had significantly increased the tests much later in Au-

gust and thereafter, after which Rupani gave the “test is best” slogan.

As on Sunday, Gujarat had over 1.59 lakh positive cases and 3,638 deaths, with 14,436 active cases.

The nine-day dance festival is a tepid affair this year because of the Covid-19 scare. And the State Government’s decision to ban all large gatherings has irked many.

The social media is replete with criticism that the government had no fear of Covid-19 while continuing with the State Assembly by-elections on November 3. Similarly, the Opposition also joined the media to ask how were political rallies of BJP President CR Paatil allowed. He himself got infected later.

As against this, ironically, the State Election Commission had postponed the elections to local selfgovernments, including key municipal corporations, by 3 months though they were scheduled in December.

Eureka Forbes has approached Naroda Police Station against makers of duplicate products.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Naroda Police have arrested 2 persons after a complaint by leading water purifier and vacuumcleaner brand Eureka Forbes that detected and seized huge stock of duplicate products worth Rs 15.56 lakh in Ahmedabad.

The seizure includes 2,000 cartridges and 150 units of RO Consumable kits fraudulently carrying the Eureka Forbes brand name and having duplicated several visual features of the company’s products.

Subsequently, the

of the seized products had violated copyrights of EFL and ‘Aquaguard’ brand names, it said.

In an official statement, Shashank Sinha, Chief Transformation Officer of Eureka Forbes said, “Fighting malpractices such as these has been a sustained battle for us at EFL. The consumers are often lured with lower prices, and end up buying fake or assembled products, while we always encourage to verify genuineness of the product by focusing on delivery and post-sales service.”

2 BTP CANDIDATES AMONG 102 VALID NOMINATIONS FOR NOV 3 BYPOLLS

First India Bureau

An elephant with the mahout over it crossing the busy Jamalpur Cross-roads near Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

— PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

firm filed an FIR and the Naroda Police arrested Nirajsingh Vinodsingh Bhadoria and Rahul Mukeshlal Oberoi, partners of ‘R Pure Water Technology’, under the Copyright Act and various sections of the IndianPenal Code (IPC).

The company stated in the complaint that the substandard spares carried the names and address of Eureka Forbes as manufacturers and also its contact details and email ID to register complaints. This creates confusion among the customers to tell the genuine parts from the duplicates.

The manufacturers

Gandhinagar: Two candidates from veteran Adivasi leader Chhotubhai Vasava’s Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) are among the 102 candidates whose nominations were found valid for bypolls to 8 Gujarat Assembly seats after scrutiny of forms for the November 3 vote.

The BTP has fielded Mahendra Vasava and Babubhai Gavit from Karjan and Dangs (Scheduled Tribe) re-

With the scrutiny of forms done, there are 102 valid nominations for the Nov 3 assembly bypolls in Gujarat.

spectively.

Nomination forms of 33 candidates were re-

jected out of a total 135 received in a scrutiny, though the final num-

ber of contestants would be known after the last date of withdrawal on October 19, a release from the State Chief Electoral Office said.

As of now, Morbi leads with 20 candidates, followed by Abdasa with 19, Limbdi 14, Gadhada 13, Dhari 12, Karjan 11, Dang 9 and Kaprada 4, it added.

Nominations of 75 Independents and those from lesser known outfits like Bahujan Mukti Party, Bharatiya Jana Parishad, Bahujan Maha

Party, Vyavastha Parivartan Party, Yuva Jan Jagruti Party and Rashtravadi Jan Chetna Party also have been found valid, the press release said.

The BJP’s Pradyumnsinh Jadeja and Congress’ Shantilal Shendhani are main contestants from Abdasa, while the fight is between BJP’s Kiritsinh Rana and Congress’ Chetan Khachar in Limbdi, and in Morbi, BJP’s Brijesh Merja is pitted against Congress’ Jayantilal Patel.

MAHATMA’S CENTURION VIDYAPITH

‘Excessive urbanisation has queered the pitch for Covid-19 fight’ On Gujarat Vidyapith’s 101st Foundation Day, Gandhi’s grandson says wrong policies have ‘displaced huge populations’ Darshan Desai Ahmedabad: Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Sunday spoke like a true messenger of the Father of the Nation as he quite poignantly conveyed that India could have been better placed to fight Covid-19

pandemic if it had not got carried away by an excess of urbanisation and industrialisation.

The occasion could not have been more apt than the 101st Foundation Day of the haloed Gujarat Vidyapith set up by the Mahatma on October 18, 1920, in the real spirit of swadeshi and

‘nai taleem.’ A retired diplomat and former West Bengal Governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi delivered his video address in Hindi.

Making a strong case to reconsider the country’s economic policy, he said if India had followed a more holistic politicoeconomic policy it could

Gujarat Vidyapith, which was set up by Mahatma Gandhi on October 18, 1920, entered its 101st year on Sunday.

have handled the corona crisis differently. The policy since Independence and continuing now has caused huge urbanisation and migration of farmers towards cities.

He asserted that the policies had “unsettled a huge population” and was forcing farmers to migrate to the cities in large numbers. And, this only spurred the pandemic. “Economic policy of liberalisation, privatisation, or globalisation, whatever we call it,

caused a huge population unsettlement, and not resettlement. The way the population is growing in cities is fanning today’s pandemic,” Gandhi said.

“Will not the pandemic increase due to the movement of the population towards the city? It is more than necessary today to reconsider our economic policy,” he said. “Had we followed a different policy, we should have got more hospitals, hostels for

nurses, lab technicians, and not giant industrial projects at government level, and large numbers of temples, mosques, at social level.

“If this goes away, the threat of a new pandemic will remain, unless issues of massive population displacement, urban squalor, lack of hygiene and negligence of people are addressed. “This pandemic has come after 100 years, but who knows, a new virus may emerge every year,” Gandhi said.

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SHOOT THE 2-PIECE CITY FIRST DRAWS YOUR ATTENTION TO SOME SOLID IDEAS, TO CREATE FLATTERING TWO-PIECE SHOTS IN A FEW SIMPLE WAYS; BECAUSE WHY NOT?

let’s be real, they don’t always fit into everyone’s schedule. If that’s the case always find spots of shade that give a soft light. Also, shadows are good and can create a moody and more professional editorial look to your shots.

KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

P

osing in a bikini is a tough job. It’s not always as easy as it sounds, is it? I mean, we’ve all been there: you choose a cute, flattering suit to wear to the beach and you’re feeling confident. You want to show it off, whether it’s because your look is a brandnew purchase or you just happen to match with your beach towel. But then, once you get all set up, well, what the heck do you do?

We aren’t all supermodels, so at the risk, you feel any bit awkward about launching yourself in front of the camera, we came up with some ideas for you.

PLAY WITH CONFIDENCE The first step is that you need to make sure that you are confident in your own skin.

This doesn’t mean that you have to be a certain size.

LOCATION

When it comes to location sometimes Beach is ideal but it’s

CHOOSE FLATTERING ANGLES

not always necessary. Sometimes it’s best to get a little creative to give a fresh approach to your swimwear line. You can use a backyard location with a pool.

Always keep at eye on shadows, backgrounds, and spaces that can offer great coverage if shot.

SHOOT NATURAL LIGHT

Always choose natural light over studio especially when shooting swimwear lines. When working in natural light, golden hours work best. But

Getting the right angles means doing a few test shots to see what you want. A makeup artist that is familiar with bikini shoots can help give your models have a sunkissed glow. If you can’t afford a makeup artist don’t worry! To get great shots direct your poses that feel natural.

If something is not working, play around with the background and unconventional poses. It’s good to stay within the rules of photography but it’s also okay to break them.

We know a lot of work goes behind a perfect bikini shot, but someone’s gotta do it. If it’s not Kim Kardashian, it might as well be you.

09

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AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

10

Helen Reddy’s music made

women feel invincible S

how business”, Helen Reddy once said, “was the only business that allowed you to earn the same salary as a man and to keep your name”.

The singer and actress best known for her trailblazing feminist anthem I Am Woman has died in Los Angeles, aged 78. She was one of the most famous Australians in the world during the 1970s, and an icon of women’s liberation.

Born in Melbourne in 1941 to vaudeville performers Max Reddy and Stella Lamond, Reddy learned to sing, dance and play piano as a child. By her late teens,

she was performing in her father’s touring show.

At 20, she married the musician Kenneth Weate.

The marriage was brief and, after it was over, she and her daughter Traci moved to Sydney.

Ambitious and keen to try her luck in the United States, in 1966 she entered and won a singing competition. A trip to the US and a recording contract were her prize. Arriving in New York with three-year-old Traci, the promised contract evaporated. Reddy performed in clubs in the US and Canada to stay afloat.

She had the good fortune, however, to meet the expat

Australian journalist Lilian Roxon (author of the groundbreaking Rock Encyclopedia) who organised a rent party for Reddy on her birthday. There, she met her second husband (and manager) Jeff Wald. They married shortly after, moving to Los Angeles in 1968.

PERSISTENCE

Reddy and Wald initially encountered resistance from the music industry when trying to build her career. But their persistence paid off: in 1970 she recorded a cover of I Don’t Know How to Love Him from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. The song made it to number 13 in the US charts and number one in Australia.

After moving to Los Angeles, Reddy became involved in the women’s movement. As she recalled

in her 2005 memoir, The Woman I Am, her growing interest in women’s liberation drove her to try to find songs that expressed her pride in being female.

Unable to find one, she “finally realised I was going to have to write the song myself ”. While Ray Burton wrote the music, the lyrics to I Am Woman were Reddy’s.

‘SHE MAKES EVERYTHING POSSIBLE’

While I Am Woman made Reddy famous, her Grammy acceptance speech in 1973 made her notorious: thanking “God, because she makes everything possible”.

Her win was said by Brisbane’s Courier Mail at the time to have “sent a thrill through the bra-less bosoms of Women’s Liberationists around the world.”

Reddy followed I Am

Woman with a string of pop hits over the following five years including Delta Dawn and Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady.

She built a successful career in television, film and theatre, with roles in Airport 1975 (1974) and Pete’s Dragon (1977), guest appearances in TV series including The Love Boat (1977–87) and Fantasy Island (1977– 84), and even had her own variety program, The Helen Reddy Show in 1973. She was awarded a star on the Hollywood walk of fame the following year.

She performed until the early 2000s, released her memoir in 2005, and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006.

While she kept a lower profile in the last years of her life, she appeared in the 2017 Women’s March in the US. A biopic directed by Unjoo Moon, I Am Woman, was released on Stan just last month.

Source: https://theconversation.com/helen-reddys-music-made-women-feel-invincible-147179

FA CE OF TH ED AY

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Be careful while negotiating with someone about family related matter to avoid getting short changed. Professionally all the hard work that you have done in the past will pay you now and that will give a boost to your career. You may try other options to make money.

If you own a business then there is a good news, your project is likely to become financially viable. Before taking up any other work in hands, focus and prioritise getting things in order at your workplace. In social life, the initiative that you took in the past with give fruitful results.

Please learn to manage your time as any addiction to pastime hobbies can make your work suffer. You are innovative and full of ideas in you office work. The member of your family may need some counselling and this change his/ her for better, make sure to fully cooperate.

You must not live your life in fear because of anything even if it’s covid right now, just keep safe and try to live a normal life. Karma is real and nobody can escape from the consequences if one tries and go against the people who stood by at the hour of need.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Life is beautiful and embrace people if they love and respect you, without really doubting too much.

All those working on a commission basis may have to drive a hard bargain to have their way. You will work towards something that is not easily doable.

You will no longer continue to have a laid back attitude at work and the change in your behaviour will impress your boss. You will also continue to poke your nose in other people’s business. Rejoice as family outing is on the cards today and you will have a lot of fun together.

Your Proximity to someone may be alarming for your spouse so either come clear or make sure there is no misunderstanding. If you are self employed then you may plan to get into an allied field for results.

Academically you may need to try hard for your chances to increase.

Be very honest in the matter of hearts. Please show support to a younger one in your family to increase their performance level on academic front. You may get time for leisure pursuits but don’t get disappointed by limited options as covid has caused problems.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

If you want to stand out then take initiatives at workplace as this will add to your professional reputation.

Do not allow any one’s intervention if you are assigned a duty to take care of a project as you are entrusted with this responsibility because of a reason and your ought to achieve it.

You see life from a different perspective and you don’t need to explain the whole world. As you do not have any definite objective in life, you may continue to remain perplexed until or unless you decide to get focused. Do not be bias towards who needs to be pulled up.

Your senior may be keeping an eye on everyone and this is the time for you to impress them by all your upto date work. To avoid any humiliation please take your tasks seriously when it comes to studies.

Adopt a helping attitude and assist people who are in need.

You have the capability of persuading people, use it for someone’s benefit.

Tensions at home will be perceptible but you will succeed in cooling down the temperament of the family member. Try to give your best at work if you want to impress yours seniors and your colleagues.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

RUPAL VERMA, Artist

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC

CHEESY DATE

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AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

Gigi Hadid

I

t has been a few weeks since Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid welcomed their daughter. Although the model and singer haven’t revealed the name of the little one, we’ve got a couple of glimpses of baby ZiGi. While it is understandable that the little munchkin has the couple busy, Gigi and Zayn are making sure to take some time out and enjoy a few date nights. The new mama took to her Instagram Stories and shared a glimpse of their latest date night.

Though the Pillow Talk crooner and model weren’t seen in the frame, Gigi shared a picture of a plate of “cheesy garlic pull apart” and announced that it was a meal that ZiGi were enjoying on their date.

—Agency

SUNDAY BINGE Shahid Kapoor in ‘Jersey’

Schedule Wrap for ‘Jersey’

A

it to Twitter, the 39-yearold star wrote, “It’s a wrap on this schedule of #Jersey. I would like to thank the Govt of Uttarakhand for supporting and putting in place efficient policies that enabled us to safely shoot and wrap the schedule of our film in the many beautiful locations of the state.”

—ANI

SPIRITUAL Shilpa Shetty Kundra

orging on piping hot jalebis in chilly Manali, actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra sharing a glimpse of her ‘Sunday Binge’ said that she just can’t resist the deliciousness of the sweet.

The actor noted in the caption,” Weather: Super Cold Jalebi: Super Hot (delicious and crunchy ) Some matches are truly made in heaven. All necessary precautions were taken before we indulged ourselves; and I, finally, did a #SundayBinge on the sets after sooo looonnggg, but I just couldn’t resist.”

—ANI

...her post

AFRAID OF LOVE

T

he drama surrounding Demi Lovato and Max Ehrich’s abrupt end to their engagement came as a shock to everyone. Now, it looks like Ehrich has taken some inspiration from his exfiancée to use music as a catalyst of removing out your frustrations of a broken relationship.

Making his singing de-

G

ctor Shahid Kapoor on Sunday completed the schedule of the upcoming sports drama ‘Jersey’ in Uttarakhand.

The ‘Kabir Singh’ actor also extended his heartfelt gratitude to the Uttarakhand Government for their support during the shooting of the film. Taking

11

Max Ehrich & Demi Lovato

but, Max recently dropped a new single titled Afraid along with a melancholic music video which sees the 29-year-old actor playing the piano in front a green screen as the earth, sea, desert, city life and more engulf him.

The Walk. Ride. Rodeo. star sings the blues about how he’s afraid to love someone with his whole heart.

—Agency

AAPKO BADHAAI BADHAAI DO

Rajkummar Rao & Bhumi Pednekar

A

ctors Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao will begin shooting for their upcoming project ‘Badhaai Do’ in January 2021.

The ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ actor announced the news on her Twitter where both the actors were seen congratulating each other as they shake hands, like the film title. “Aye @RajkummarRao time to say #BadhaaiDo, let’s meet on the set, January 2021. Bring it on @JungleePictures,” tweeted Pednekar. The makers of 2018 comedy-drama ‘Badhai Ho’ announced the second part of the franchise titled ‘Badhai Do’ in March. —ANI

‘Badhaai Ho’ turns 2

S

anya Malhotra is undeniably one of the most talented and versatile actress. Her confidence and detailed character work shines in all her roles. She wedged her way into

our heart as the wonderful Renee Sharma from Badhaai Ho and never left.

As the movie turns 2, Sanya says that the movie will always hold a special place in her life and has been an incredible experience working on it. She excudes, “What I really liked about Badhaai ho was the script - the unconventional story. Badhaai Ho was not just an ordinary experience for me, it was a pathbreaking project for me. I worked really hard on the movie and it will always be close to my heart.”

—Agency

Emotional performance

I

Will Smith with Sadhguru

I

ndian spiritual leader Sadhguru recently bonded with Hollywood actor Will Smith and shared pictures from their rendezvous. Sadhguru took to Instagram and shared a bunch of photos with the actor in the frame. In the first photo, the spiritual leader was seen posing with The Fresh Prince of BelAir star before a picture revealed Smith and Sadhguru shared a hearty laugh. In another picture, Smith and Sadhguru were seen deep in their conversation as Sadhguru keenly listened. —Agency

Justin Bieber

t was a Holy and Lonely night on Saturday Night Live courtesy Justin Bieber. The international singer brought the two recently tracks on the stage this weekend and it was a sight to watch. The 25-year-old singer first performed Holy. The SNL stage was transformed into a make-do chapel where Justin was seen wearing a white turtle neck and a pair of dark coloured pants topped with a winter hat. The singer sang the most portion of the song solo before Chance The Rapper joined him. As the duo approached the ending.

—Agency

Sanya Malhotra

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AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2020

THE NAVRATRI

12

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

EDIT!

RAJ: A beautiful art using pencil colours on the occasion of Navratri was made by Anupama Purohit from Jaipur.

Introducing Gaatha, the new collection of jewellery by Harit Zaveri Jewellers in Ahmedabad CITY FIRST, GUJARAT

G

aatha in Sankskrit means a verse of a poem. Storytelling through jewellery is one of the highlights

by Harit Zaveri Jewellers who for generations have helped women

design their dreams by their ornaments. Each new collection has a narrative of its own that transfers you to that place in time. The Gaatha range is just that, jewellery that is timeless, unique masterpieces that remind you of your ancestors who have left behind heirlooms for generations to come.

These heirlooms take you down memory lane, to think of the time your grandmother’s wrinkled hands, as she

pulled out that red velvet potli, kept safely inside amidst her treasured memories. As hearts skipped a beat and your watchful eyes waited in awe to see what she was about to unveil, on her finger would gleam an old ruby wedding ring which shone bright as her eyes still young in her ancient beloved face.

Enveloped in layers and layers of beautiful stories, narrating each story one by one in her caring voice, she re-

vealed the timeless treasures and tales kept close to her heart for ages.

With Navratri being one of the most celebrated Hindu festivals, the newest collection Gaatha is an opulent display of modern craftsmanship merging seamlessly with the traditional. Conventional kundan and polki sets are featured in this range that promise to make every special occasion even more memorable. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

RIGHT TO DREAM

ALL ABOUT EYES CITY FIRST

I

VIRTUAL REALITY CEREMONY CITY FIRST

E

stablished with a vision to bring about innovation in higher education and learning in emerging areas of the knowledge society, the not-for-profit NIIT University (NU) organised its 10thConvocation Ceremony in the Virtual Reality mode, keeping in view the safety measures triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virtual Convocation Ceremony was attended by outgoing students and their parents, current students, industry leaders, prominent guests, and faculty members.

Nandan Nilekani, the chief guest on the occasion, congratulated all the students on their success. He hailed NIIT University for keeping technology as one of the core principles and using cutting-edge tech to overcome the challenges in these difficult times. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

I

n the ongoing online series on Facebook

by Rajasthan Progressive Writers Association today popular story writer and journalist Tasneem Khan was in conversation with the noted story writer Manish Vaidya.

Tasneem said that every child has the right to dream but they cannot be fulfilled unless their family agrees. In a reply

to a question she said that she was the first girl from her community in Didwana who attended the college and subsequently joined the world of journalism and literature. She further added that her well-educated mother constantly inspired her to read literature and literary magazines which encouraged her to dream and gave the courage to get into this field. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

RAJ: Campus placement season has begun for Poornima Group’s students. For batch 2021, virtual placements are being conducted by various national and multinational companies. In the next month, students of Poornima Group will have online recruitment drives by about 25 companies. It is expected to select more than 700 students.

RAJ: Rajasthan’s talented violinist Gulzar Hussain started the Net theatre series program with Raag Kalyan on Saturday. Gulzar took a plunge and presented ‘Pal pal mori baahein fadke’ composed by the Ustad Fayyaz Khan of Agra house. Gulzar also performed ondemand from an online audience. The program was started by anchor and journalist Sunil Sushila Sharma.

RAJ: In the hard times of the Corona pandemic, ration kits were distributed to the needy families. Organizer, Michael Castelino makes sure that on 15th of every month, 20 people receive a kit of dry ration material. Dr Ritu Mehra distributed ration kits to the families.

Aatmanirbhar Bharat

York. He was a great supporter of Jaipur foot and because of Dr Mulay’s motivation they had the first Jaipur foot U.S.A camp held in Kolhapur in 2014.

Prem Bhandari also Gyaneshwer Muley welcomed by Prem Bhandari and others told that he at Jodhpur airport, when he came to inaugurate the Passport Mela called Dr Dnyaneshwar Muya Academic and Scien- lay as the ‘Passport man CITY FIRST tific Sampark (PRAB- of India’.

During his time, amn y a n e s h w a r HASS)’, under the Mulay has been chairmanship of Dr ple of passport offices appointed as the Dnyaneshwar Mulay, a were open in places like Udaipur, Head of Inter- member of National Rajasthan Ministerial Committee Human Rights Com- Jhalawar, etc, lakhs of mission, India and a passports were distribto connect PIO/NRI former career dip- uted and most imporScientific and Aclomat. This is in tantly a Passport fare ademic Commualignment with was held in Jodhpur nity with India. the Prime Minis- where he visited. He Council of Scienter’s vision of ‘Aat- was happy to report tific and Industrial that he will be working Research (CSIR) has manirbhar Bharat’.

Prem Bhandari said with Dr Mulay in Modi’s constituted an Interministerial Working he had a great time vision of AatmanirbGroup to work towards working with Dr Dn- har Bharat and take the development of a yaneshwar Mulay when this initiative to new single national Portal he was the Consulate heights. titled ‘Pravasi Bharati- General of India, New cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

—FILE PHOTO

n a live webinar—‘Keep Your Eyes, Keep Your Vision Intact’ hosted by the IAS Literary Society, Rajasthan on their Facebook page, viewers learned about how to take care of their eyes and different eye conditions on Saturday evening. The webinar was addressed by Head Retina - Ophthalmology, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Dr Niren Dongre. He was in conversation with Secretary,

IAS Literary Society, Rajasthan, Mugdha Sinha. The webinar was held as a part of YASH (Year of Awareness on Science and Health), 2020 Dialogue Series.

Talking about the condition of dry eyes, Dr Dongre said that increased lifespan of the population, people wearing contact lenses, increased usage if computers, more number of people getting LASIK, pollution and dry environment are a few causes of dry eyes. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

CITY FIRST

RAJ: Rajasthan Fashion Awards Season 4 will be organised virtually on 25 October by Rajasthan Dreams Fashion in Jaipur with Gaurav Pratap Singh and Charu Singh as the organisers. The brand ambassador of the event will be celebrity astrologer Surabhi Gupta, while Bollywood actress Pooja Chopra will be the celebrity guest.

D

GUJ: Women performing garba in the compound of a housing society on AEC Road in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJ: The ban on commercial garba events has not dampened the festive spirit of revellers, as a woman was seen purchasing traditional ornaments from a vendor on the second day of Navratri in Lal Darwaza Market in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI