First India-Ahmedabad Edition-20 June 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

27°C - 37°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

4,58,990 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 5,893 DEATHS 1,24,331 CASES

86,84,943 CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 666 DEATHS 54,449 CASES

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 205

INDIA

12,904 3,92,536 DEATHS

DELHI 1,969 DEATHS 49,979 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TIME FOR TIT FOR TAT?

A damaged poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping lies on the ground during a protest against China. —REUTERS

Rajya Sabha polls: BJP wins 8, Cong 4 First India Bureau Jaipur: Voting was held on Friday for the 19 vacant Rajya Sabha seats in eight states for which counting of votes began at 5 pm. The polling took place at 9 am and continued till 4 pm. Voting for 18 seats were deferred due to the coronavirus pandemic. Of the 19 seats, four each are from Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two from Jharkhand, and one each from Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya.

The ruling Congress in Rajasthan won two Rajya Sabha while Opposition BJP managed to get one seat. While in Andhra Pradesh ruling YSR Congress bagged all four Rajya Sabha in the biennal election. Deputy CM Pilli Subhash Chan-

1,619 DEATHS

26,198

CONFIRMED CASES

UTTAR PRADESH 507 DEATHS 16,594 CASES

New Delhi: Even as the Indian Air Force (IAF) moved its assets including fighter aircraft to forward bases and airfields in view of the ongoing dispute with China, its chief RKS Bhadauria was on a twoday hush-hush visit to the Leh and Srinagar airbases, which would be the most critical for any operations to be carried out by the force in the Eastern Ladakh area.

Meanwhile, the Air Force has moved its critical frontline assets including the Sukhoi-30MKI, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar fighter aircraft fleet to advanced positions where they can fly in at a very short notice to carry out operations.

For providing air support to the Indian Army troops in the eastern Ladakh sector, the American Apache attack helicopters have been deployed in the close

vicinity of the areas where operations by the ground troops are taking place at the moment.

The Chinooks helicopters have also been deployed in and around the Leh airbase to provide the capability of rapid troops transportation and inter-valley troop transfer, in case such a situation emerges there. The Mi-17V5 medium-lift choppers are also playing an active role in the area in troops and material transportation there.

IAF Chief ’s visit assumes significance as it came soon after the top security brass of the country reviewed the situation and military options after the Chinese Army killed 20 Indian soldiers in a premeditated attack in the Galwan Valley area after making an attempt to unilaterally change the status of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

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PM: Neither anyone intruded into Delhi Health Min’s condition worsens, to our territory, nor took over any post get plasma therapy Ladakh standoff: Oppn stands behind PM; Sonia poses 7 questions; Modi says Indian forces were given ‘full freedom for taking any action necessary’ Aditi Nagar

dra Bose, minister Mopidevi Venkata Ramana, industrialist Parimal Nathwani & realtor Ayodhya Rami Reddy of YSRC got 38 votes each.

In Madhya Pradesh the BJP won two seats while Congress managed one. Veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh won from Congress while BJP’s Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sumer Singh Solanki got elected. Congress candidate and Dalit leader Phool Singh Barriya lost the election.

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GUJARAT

RAJASTHAN 333 DEATHS 14,156 CASES

 India deploys newly acquired Apaches in Ladakh  IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria visits Leh to review preparedness  Army too intensifies highaltitude tank drills & night-time parachute infiltration in region

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that neither has anyone intruded into Indian territory nor has anyone taken over any post.

In his closing remarks at an all-party meeting on the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Modi said the whole country is hurt and angry at what the Chinese have done. India wants peace and friendship, but its sovereignty is supreme, he said.

Indian forces are doing what they have to do to protect the country,

All-party virtual meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss India-China border situation, in New Delhi on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

whether it is in terms of deployment, action or counter-action, Modi told political leaders.

“Our patrolling capacity has increased due to newly built infra-

structure, especially along LAC,” he said.

The meeting saw leaders of major political parties putting across their views on the sensitive issue. The virtual

meeting began with participants paying tributes to the 20 Indian soldiers killed in the violent faceoff with Chinese troops in East Ladakh earlier this week.

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New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday, will be shifted to a private hospital and will be given plasma therapy, doctors said. The minister is experiencing difficulty in breathing and is running high fever. He has also developed pneumonia. “His latest CT scan report shows that the pneumonia patches in his lungs have increased. He experienced increased giddiness and tiredness today. The advice of doctors will be followed,” Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said. According to sources, he will be shifted to Max Hospital’s Saket facility in south Delhi. Home Minister Amit Shah tweet-

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain

ed on Friday to wish for his speedy recovery.

“Praying for the speedy recovery of Shri Satyendra Jain, Health Minister of Delhi who is battling with COVID-19 infection,” he tweeted.

Lt Governor Anil Baijal also wished him good health. “Praying for speedy recovery & good health of Hon’ble Minister, GNCTD @SatyendarJain ji,” he tweeted.

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Congress wins one; BJP three, with a little help from BTP FORMER GPCC CHIEF SOLANKI LEFT EMPTY-HANDED AS GOHIL AND ALL THREE BJP NOMINEES WIN RS SEATS First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The Bharatiya Tribal Party’s last-minute decision to abstain from voting in the Rajya Sabha elections on Friday cleared the path for the third Bharatiya Janata Party candidate.

With the two BTP MLAs choosing not to vote, the total tally

fell to 170, meaning each candidate needed just 34 votes to win. This meant that the BJP now needed 102 votes to send all three of its nominees to the upper house of Parliament. With 103 MLAs and the support of the sole MLA from the Nationalist Congress Party, it had 104 votes at the ready.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is flanked by winning RS nominees Narhari Amin, Abhay Bhardwaj and Ramila bara on his right, and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel on his left at the Vidhan Sabha on Friday.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

On the other hand, the Congress needed a total of 68 votes to put both its candidates through. With a strength of just 65 MLAs, it was short of three votes to achieve its dream.

As a result, Abhay Bhardwaj, Ramila Bara, Narhari Amin, and Shakisinh Gohil emerged as the four winners on Friday--the first three from the BJP and the fourth, from the Congress.

Bhardwaj, Bara and Gohil each got 36 votes, Amin got 32 and Bharatsinh Solan-

ki ended the day with just 30 votes. The surplus votes given to Bhardwaj and Bara transferred to Amin, ensuring his win.

This win marks a major comeback for Congress turncoat Amin, who will be in a seat of power after almost 25 years, when he was the deputy chief minister in the government of the late Chhabildas Mehta. It is interesting to note that Solanki--who lost to Amin on Friday--was the president of the Gujarat Pradesh Con-

gress Committee when Amin failed to get elected from the Matar seat in 2007.

There is no doubt that the BJP played its cards well. First, it got eight Congress MLAs to resign, then it gained the support of the only NCP MLA and, finally, it convinced the BTP to abstain.

This loss will likely have far-reaching implications for the Congress, especially since the party had sufficient votes to win when the election was first announced.

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NEWS AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020

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BJP candidate Abhay Bhardwaj arrives to cast his vote.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel at the Vidhan Sabha.

02

Veteran Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia at the Assembly.

BTP PULLS THE RUG OUT FROM Congress candidate Bharatsinh Solanki gets his hands sanitized.

UNDER CONGRESS WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER Abstinence plays a vital role in RS result, will put a strain on Cong-BTP alliance in Narmada district ahead of panchayat and civic body polls later this year, might even indicate upcoming collaboration with ruling party

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Friday’s Rajya Sabha election brought into sharp focus the power of a single vote or two, when Chhotu Vasava’s Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) abstained from voting. Vasava and his son Mahesh—the two BTP MLAs—pulled the rug out from under the Congress.

And they didn’t even have to actively do

anything. By not voting, the BTP almost certainly ensured a loss for Congress candidate Bharatsinh Solanki and a win for Narhari Amin, the third nominee of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Vasava’s official line is that neither the Congress and its rival BJP have supported his demand for the implementation of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals

with administrative control of Scheduled Areas as well as of the Scheduled Tribes residing in any state.

While highlighting Vasava’s prowess in bargaining, Friday also emphasized the importance of every single vote in this election. At the end of the day, two major parties—one with 103 votes and the other with 65 votes—had stood, cap in hand, before a

Chhotu Vasava

party that had two MLAs in the state Assembly.

Throughout the day, leaders from both BJP and Congress were

BJP ditches convention, votes for third choice first First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In a diabolical move, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) changed its voting strategy for the Rajya Sabha polls held on Friday.

For the first time ever, the party asked its MLAs to open the polls by voting for the third candidate nominated for a seat in the Upper House of the parliament.

Generally, when voting commences,

votes are polled for the first candidate of the party. The candidate which has to win votes from other parties is saved for last. But, this time, the party’s third candidate Narhari Amin was voted for first by MLAs. At the BJP legislative meeting on Thursday, each MLA was assigned their first, second and third choice for the RS election. They were then asked to write down

their preferences in the ascending order on ballot paper. Each MLA was also assigned a specific time to come in and vote at the state assembly.

Therefore, MLAs from Central Gujarat, Saurahstra and Kutch came in accordingly to cast their votes.

Once the voting for RS candidate Narhari Amin was over, the MLAs assigned to vote for Ramilaben Bara came in to cast their votes. It was only after

COMEBACK MAN NARHARI AMIN A seasoned politician, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Narhari Amin was nominated for the 2020 Rajya Sabha election as a wild card entry. His nomination was a shock to several peers within the party and also to the two Congress candidates. Born in Ahmedabad on June 5, 1955, Amin has been active in politics since he was a student leader in 1974. He was among the people who led the Navnirman Agitation in 1973-74, which led to the resignation of then Gujarat Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel. Later, Amin joined the Janata Dal under the leadership of Chimanbhai Patel. After Janata Dal Gujarat merged with Congress, he contested the Assembly election from Sabarmati and later from Matar but lost both times. In December 2012, he left Congress for the BJP on the eve of assembly elections after being denied a ticket.

that the MLAs assigned to vote for Abhay Bhardwaj as their first preference voted for him.

Another strategy incorporated by the party was that the MLAs voting for each candidate were assigned from different sections of caste and creed.

This measure was taken to ensure that voting is not affected by a candidate representing any particular community, caste or region.

VOTE OF THE NCP MLA The only MLA of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Kandhal Jadeja who attended Bharatiya Janata Party’s legislative meeting on Thursday, claimed to have voted according to the party whip. This means that Jadeja voted for the Congress candidate.

seen meeting Vasava throughout the day.

The media initially speculated that both parties were trying to convince the tribal leader to cast his vote.

However, as it turned out, the BJP had been Friday’s development will likely put a strain on the Congress-BTP alliance in the Narmada district panchayat—a relationship that is far from smooth. Last time, Chhotu Vasava

had bailed out Congress stalwart Ahmed Patel by voting for him but, even then, he had been under tremendous pressure from the ruling party.

As Congress has 10 of the 22 seats in the Narmada panchayat, with BTP and BJP holding six each, a break in the alliance could mean a fresh one between BTP and the BJP ahead of the district and local civic body elections.

LAST-DITCH EFFORTS FAIL TO SAVE CONG DREAM First India Bureau Ahmedabad: It seems the Congress party will never win the game of thrones--at least not in Gujarat.

When the Rajya Sabha election was announced earlier this year, the party had adequate votes to get its two nominees elected to the upper house of Parliament.

Since then, however, it’s been a downward spiral that has resulted in the party losing one Rajya Sabha seat to the BJP after a neck and neck race.

When five of its lawmakers resigned almost simultaneously, the rest were taken to Jaipur so that BJP could not lure them to defect. However, this month another three resigned, throwing the party off-kilter. So it came up with a strategy: it would gain two votes from the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) and one from independent MLA Jignesh Mevani.

The party allocated 35 first-preference votes to Shaktisinh Gohil with

the remaining votes for Bharatsinh Solanki.

Sources say the party could have managed three votes from the BJP in the form of cross-voting, which could have been helpful, but the BJP used two proxy votes in place of Kesarisinh Rajput and Shambhuji Thakor.

Later, senior Congress leader Gaurav Pandya raised an objection regarding the proxy votes. He also demanded Bhupendrasinh Chudasama’s vote be kept in reserve, since his election is sub-judice. “Both candidates have used proxy votes stating they are not well. This is a blatant lie, they are both fit to vote. On the other hand, Chudasama’s election has been declared void by the High Court, and the matter is pending in the Supreme Court. His vote should not be counted,” said Pandya.

The Congress had been confident of securing victories for both nominees until the afternoon, but failed to do so.

We were confident of winning all three seats.

Congress had lost its confidence and that is the reason that the Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani approached the apex court to stay the Rajya Sabha election.

—Vijay Rupani, Gujarat Chief Minister

All claims made by the Congress party of being in touch with our MLAs have fallen flat. Our MLAs have proved their loyalty by electing all three of our candidates.”.

—Jitu Vaghani, State BJP President

I am thankful to the party for putting its trust in me. When the election was declared and the party nominated Shaktisinh and me, we had thought it would be an easy win since we had the required number of votes. In the time between then and now, a lot happened: the BJP nominated a third candidate and threatened many MLAs. I am happy that all the Cong MLAs supported the party.

—Bharatsinh Solanki, Congress candidate

Both of us are thankful to Congress MLAs and the independent MLA. Despite having an insufficient votes, the BJP fielded three candidates.

This shows their lust for power. This election was delayed since we had enough votes to get two seats when the election was declared. The BJP has used the same tactics in this election that Ravana did when he disguised himself as a sadhu.

—Shaktisinh Gohil, Winning Congress candidate

Like everyone else who came to vote, Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja (left) and Leader of the Opposition Paresh Dhanani, sanitized their hands and took other precautions against COVID-19 at the Vidhan Sabha on Friday. —PHOTOS BY NANDAN DAVE

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020

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Two brothers, their four kids found dead in Ahmedabad flat

Rajkot designates private hospital for COVID-19

Reason behind the extreme step remains a mystery, police have initiated an investigation

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Rajkot: Due to a surge in the number of novel coronavirus positive cases in the city, a private hospital on Mavdi Road was declared as a designated COVID-19 hospital

by Rajkot municipal commissioner Udit Agarwal on Friday.

After relaxation in inter-state and interdistrict movement post Unlock 1.0, there has been a rise in positive cases in Rajkot.

Regarding the decision of a private designated hospital, Agarwal said, “Rather than keeping beds reserved at different hospitals, it is both preferable and beneficial to have designated COVID-19 hospitals. If there is a need for such hospitals in the future, more dedicated hospitals will be announced.”

Apart from the Ra-

Ahmedabad: Two brothers committed suicide after murdering their four children at a flat in Vinzol area of Ahmedabad. The suicides and murders have sent shockwaves throughout the city.

The news of the heinous crime came to light when the wives of both brothers went looking for their husbands and children on Thursday. Six bodies were recovered from the family’s old apartment by the police. The deceased have been identified as Amrish Rameshchandra Patel (42), Gaurang Rameshchandra Patel (40), Mayur Amrish Patel (12), Dhruv Gaurang Patel (12), Kirti Amrish Patel (9), Shanvi Gaurang Patel (7).

The reason for their actions is puzzling. The

Four villages merged under Rajkot city limit First India Bureau Rajkot: The area of Rajkot city has been extended with the addition of four villages including Mota Mauva, Munjka, Ghanteshwar, Madhapar and some part of the Manharpur -1 village lying in Madhapar. A notification in this regard was issued on Thursday by the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, Gandhinagar.

Currently, Rajkot is spread over an area of 129.21 square kilometres. With the additional area of the four new villages under its umbrella, the total area of the city will now be 163.32 square kilometres. The area contributed by each village includes Madhapar (10.61 sq. km), Ghanteshwar (8.32 sq. km), Munjka (8.01 sq. km), Mota Mauva (7.14 sq. km) and Manharpur (10.03 sq. km).

WHAT HAPPENED

The residential society where the bodies were found.

brothers lived separately with their families: one in Vatva and other in Hathijan. Before moving to his new place in Vatva, Gaurang Patel had been staying at Prayosha Residency with his family and had vacated it just six months ago. Bank notices have been displayed at the flat, indicating a financial problem.

According to a Vatva GIDC police station officer, both brothers left their houses on Wednesday afternoon saying that they were taking the children for a drive. Instead, they took them to the rented flat at Prayosha Residency in Vinzol.

Based on a primary investigation, police have concluded that both

brothers first killed their children and then committed suicide.

When they did not return till late evening, their wives started searching for them and found the family car parked in front of Prayosa Residency on Thursday evening.

When there was no response from the flat, they

called the police who broke open the door and discovered the bodies.

Assistant sub-inspector Narendrasinh Vaghela said, “On Thursday night around 10 pm, the wives of the deceased brothers had approached us. After gaining entry to the house, we found six bodies hanging in three rooms.”

Newly COVID-19 designated Star Synergy Hospital.

jkot Civil Hospital, Sars-CoV-2 patients will now be able to receive treatment at the Star Synergy Hospital earlier known as Sahyog Hospital located on the Mavdi main road in the west zone. While treatment is free at the Civil Hospital, those seeking treatment at the private designated hospital will have to pay charges. The fees have been fixed by local authorities for all hospitals designated as COVID-19 ones.

The daily charges

for the general ward has been kept up to Rs8,400, while the isolation ward with ventilator support will cost Rs17,800. If a patient is critical and requires isolation plus Intensive Care Unit (ICU) facilities, it will cost them Rs21,500.

The declaration of the designated Star Synergy Hospital comes after the contract of a private hospital was up and patients in the city could only seek treatment at the Civil Hospital.

93 new cases put Surat Petition against ‘physical’ univ exams tally inches from 3K First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: A former IPS officer has challenged the decision by universities in the state to conduct final exams non-virtually in the state high court. In his pe-

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state has witnessed another record overnight high with 540 new cases being registered in 24 hours. And with as many as 93 of these being reported in Surat, the diamond city is just three cases shy of 3,000.

Since Unlock 1.0 was implemented, the city has been witnessing very high numbers from areas which had negligible cases during lockdown. Another doctor from the local Civil Hospital and two private practitioners in Katargam are among the latest cases.

In Ahmedabad, an employee of the immigration department at Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport has tested positive. So far, 10 airport personnel have tested positive for Sars-CoV-2,

tition Rahul Sharma pleaded the court to direct universities to postpone the examinations for another month.

Sharma has challenged the resolution passed by the education department to hold ex-

aminations for the final year and semester final exams in June and July.

The petitioner’s submission is that the COVID-19 health crisis is still not under control. According to Sharma, the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines

Another CISF personnel at the Ahmedabad airport has tested positive for COVID-19.

—FILE PHOTO

including five CISF personnel and two from the immigration department.

The city has 3,604 active cases and 1,245 deaths, of which 19 occurred in the past 24 hours. There are 811 active cases from the North zone, 713 from the West zone, 653 from East zone and 1,427 from across the other four zones. The Hathijan branch of the Bank of Maharashtra was shut after seven employees tested positive.

Just a few days ago, 12 Bank of Baroda staffers were infected, because of which AMC has started customer contact tracing. From rural areas only 11 new cases have emerged.

Meanwhile in Vadodara, there are 587 active patients, of which 103 are on oxygen and 35 on ventilators, meaning 23.50% patients are in critical condition. In Rajkot’s Gondal taluka, four members of a family have tested positive for the virus.

A man repairs an umbrella in anticipation of the monsoons in Ahmedabad.

No grain, only long lines for Surat ration cardholders ISSUE AT HAND

There have been complaints that grains meant for the poor are being sold on the black market 

First India Bureau meant for non-NFSA (National Food Security Act) and NFSA cardholders and turning them away.

It was decided that free foodgrains would be provided to non-NFSA and NFSA card holders on different days. But, ration card holders have not been getting the benefit of the scheme announced by the government.

Social activist Hitesh Jasolia from Su-

direct each university to conduct a detailed assessment of the situation before taking a call on whether to conduct exams or not. If exams are held, they can do irreparable damage to society. The matter will be heard on Monday.

SUSTAINABLE ACTIONS

RACKETEERING

Surat: Complaints have started pouring in from ration card holders who say they have not received the benefits promised to them by the state government. Supplies at government ration shops are reportedly being sold on the black market in Surat. The shopkeepers at these fair price shops have been allegedly selling the ration

03

Representational photo of people waiting in line for rations.

rat has complained about the black market sale of food grains to the state government.

Jasolia even sent an ac-

companying video as proof of the sale, which has caused a stir in the city. As per reports, there may be a

major crackdown on shopkeepers selling government grain on the black market soon.

Talking about the is-

sue, Jasolia said, “Ration cardholders are being cheated off what is rightfully theirs, by people selling govern-

ment grain on the black market. The government should take immediate action against it.”

An official of the Gandhinagar Supply Department said that the matter will be thoroughly investigated.

Meanwhile, there was some commotion witnessed regarding the issue in the Limbayat area of the city on Thursday.

Ration cardholders went to authorities in their zone to express their displeasure and seek answers but returned without any acknowledgement.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

CONG FACES LOSS IN GUJARAT BUT GEHLOT DELIVERS

R

ajya Sabha election results on Friday went almost on predicted lines with the Congress winning two seats and the Bharatiya Janata Party one in Rajasthan, while the ruling BJP won two seats and Congress one in Madhya Pradesh in a reversal of results.

The fight got interesting in Gujarat where counting was yet to begin as the Congress was demanding invalidation of two BJP votes. The party argued that BJP MLA Bhupendrasinh Chudasma’s election was quashed by the high court. It also alleged that the other BJP MLA Kesarsinh cast his vote through a proxy. After the Election Commission overruled the objections, counting of votes began after a four-hour delay. While the BJP is confident of winning two seats the tussle is for the third seat. Congress which is sure of winning one seat was also eyeing that seat to register two victories. Eight Congress legislators had crossed over to the BJP before the polls to queer the pitch for the party.

Elections to 19 Rajya Sabha seats across eight states are crucial for the National Democratic Alliance for majority in the Upper House. It needs 30 seats for majority.

While voting for 18 seats was deferred due to coronavirus pandemic, the Election Commission later announced polls for four seats in Karnataka and one each in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

Both Rajasthan and Gujarat witnessed resort politics in the build-up to elections with the Congress accusing the BJP of poaching. The party sent its legislators to resorts fearing horse-trading. Rajasthan results showed that the Congress MLAs had voted as one.

Congratulating the winners Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tweeted, “Congratulations to Congress national general secretary KC Venugopal ji and Neeraj Dangi ji for winning #RajyaSabhaElections from #Rajasthan. It is a victory of ideology, policies and programmes of Congress Party under the leadership of CP Smt. # SoniaGandhi ji.”

Sachin Pilot said that the victors KC Venugopal and Neeraj Dangi would lend strength to the party in the Upper House. The winner for BJP was Rajendra Gehlot.

Ahead of polls both Gehlot and Pilot had exuded confidence of winning two seats. Earlier this week they asserted that the BJP will not be able to win a second seat.

In Madhya Pradesh, Congress deserter Jyotiradiya Scindia won the poll for the BJP, along with Sumer Singh Solanki. Giving him company in Rajya Sabha will be former chief minister and his rival Digvijay Singh of Congress. Digvijay Singh who keeps courting controversies with his statements had lost the Lok Sabha elections.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress Party won all the four seats from the state. For YSRCP it was a huge victory.

In Jharkhand the BJP grabbed one seat, with the JMM winning the other.

Earlier, HD Deve Gowda and Mallikarjun Kharge of Congress and two BJP MLAs won unopposed from Karnataka.

THE INVISIBLE PANDEMIC OF

DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE

GARIMA ARORA The writer is a fourth-year law student from OP Jindal Global University

T Psychological studies have noted that the number of domestic violence cases goes up whenever families spend more time together, such as summer holidays and other festival breaks. The main reason being the restricted regular outings resulting in more time at home and increased expectations from the women in the household

he spread of the Coronavirus has compelled countries around the globe to enforce a strict lockdown to contain its spread. On 25th March 2020, India joined the bandwagon and went under a complete lockdown to fight against the fast spread of the pandemic.

The uncertainty of the situation made it difficult for the government to come up with concrete schemes as it worked mostly based on adhoc administration. A lot of criticism was raised as certain sections of the society, namely the migrant laborers and poverty struck people felt helpless and disadvantaged with the coming in of the lockdown. One group that went largely unidentified for the provision of help was that of the victims of domestic violence.

The government advocated that in such circumstances being at home would be the safest thing to do, but what about the people for whom their own home is an unsafe space with an environment of abuse. As the term suggests, domestic violence can be understood as physical, sexual, or mental violence inflicted by an intimate partner, or abuse by any member of the household. The studies by the

World Health Organization suggest that one in every three women across the globe experience such a form of violence.

Psychological studies have noted that the number of domestic violence cases goes up whenever families spend more time together, such as summer holidays and other festival breaks. The main reason being the restricted regular outings resulting in more time at home and increased expectations from the women in the household.

The lockdown provides for a similar situation where abusers have more power to dictate, control, and ill-treat their partners/ family members. The occurrence of domestic violence has seen a drastic increase during Covid-19 in countries around the world including Brazil, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and close home in India.

The rates of domestic violence are significantly high in India even after the imposition of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. While the majority of victims of domestic violence cases are women, men too face it. However, the law does not grant them protection under the Act. As per the 2018 report published by the National Crime Research Bureau of India, a woman is subjected to domestic violence every 4.4 minutes. This number has definitely surged in the past two years and now even more than ever. The National Women Commission received

more than 300 domestic violence grievances within the first month of the lockdown itself.

It must also be noted that a large number of cases go unreported as either the victims are so intimidated by the abuser that they do not dare to complain or they lack the means to file one. The current situation of a lockdown only adds to the misery of such victims as they are “trapped” in their house with little or no means to report such cases.

Moreover, the spread of the coronavirus has limited interaction between people which

The rates of domestic violence are significantly high in India even after the imposition of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. While the majority of victims of domestic violence cases are women, men too face it

in turn has worsened the situation for those victims who don’t necessarily have access to mobile phones, emails, or other means of reporting.

There is an urgent need to fight the invisible pandemic of domestic violence as the number of cases increases on a daily basis. There needs to be an assertive nationwide movement for better implementation and execution of laws against the

How social media is changing our world S

ocial media platforms started out humbly, existing simply as a way to connect with old friends, share photographs and inform your social network of changes in your life. However, as social media continues to grow, the effect and influence it has on the world at large are undeniably far more impactful than initially envisioned.

Since late last year, social media has also been both a boon and a challenge to disseminating information on the spread of the coronavirus around the globe. The longer the pandemic lasts, the more entwined it becomes to both politics and our legal systems. In the modern world, social media platforms are now among the primary methods of disseminating political in

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be used to predict the next hot spots of infection.

Thanks to people’s vulnerability exposed in their Twitter feeds, Facebook pages and Instagram stories, there is plenty of social data for population health analysts to comb through. This same data could — and perhaps should — serve to help create public health policies during and after the pandemic.

formation regarding policy change and a vital tool in the fight against injustice.

Infodemic Social media has forever changed the way that humans interact with one another, removing the problem of proximity and time from the equation entirely. This ability to communicate near-instantaneously across massive distances to huge audiences has reshaped how people around the globe engage in activism and journalism, which often go hand in hand. In the United States alone, over half of social media users use these platforms to engage in activism and advocacy, and the effects of that use spread to all corners of the political and informational spectrum.

In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, the power of social media has been

seen in how its influence has changed as the virus spread. Early in March, Joan Donovan argued on Technology Review that social media could help combat the “infodemic” by creating headers and content unique to the coronavirus.

This content could then be used to help educate citizens. Yet in May, UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez was pointing to a new

contagion spreading around the world — a pandemic of misinformation. It has been fueled by social media use around the world and has resulted in both the unintentional spread of falsehoods as well as malicious actors creating fake news to fan the flames of fear.

Instead, one of the most effective uses for social media in the face of the novel coronavirus is how it could

Tangible and Effective The true power of social media’s ability to unite people in a cause can be traced back to the Arab Spring that began in 2011. The world looked on as social media was used in a way previously unseen, galvanizing a massive political movement without any sort of real discernible hierarchy. The effects of the Arab Spring are still being felt nearly a dec-

ade later across the Middle East and highlight just how powerful social media can be as a tool for political movements to blossom and grow. More recently, YouTube, one of the most rapidly growing social media platforms in the MENA region, was accused of removing content that showed evidence of the chemical attacks in Syria.

Now, it is highly unlikely that the world will see a political movement become effective without the use of social media platforms ever again. Technology continues to move forward with things like Facebook Live allowing for instantaneous video feeds during protests and apps that let protesters and activists communicate through encrypted messages.

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oppressors. In an attempt to be more accessible, the National Women Commission has introduced a WhatsApp number (7217735372) along with a hotline. However, it must be ensured that these hotlines are spontaneous with their responses to prevent maximum damage. Modes of mass communications such as news channels, radios, social media should be used strategically to spread awareness about domestic violence. People should be sensitized and made aware of the increased risks of domestic violence. They should be urged to report events where they suspect a case of domestic violence.

Some countries such as Australia and France have come up with a code in sign language which indicates that the person is facing domestic violence. This is a useful and needful step as it allows the victim to reach out for help without the abuser certainly knowing about it.

Introduction and awareness of such a code can help in rescuing the victims who cannot speak openly about it.

Since the home is not a safe space for all, the government along with NGOs should set up Safe Asylums for the victims of domestic violence where they can seek shelter.

With 2020 being the year of change, let’s change our society to be a better and safer space for all and curb the ill act of domestic violence.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Thank you Shri @rsprasad ji for your commitment in providing doorstep banking to the unbanked. @IPPBOnline is making financial inclusion for all Indians a reality and fulfilling PM Shri @narendramodi’s vision of making citizens financially secure and empowered.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Augmenting capability against COVID-19, Railways has converted 5231 non-AC coaches into isolation coaches. Curbing risk of contamination, the coaches are well ventilated with adequate natural lighting to benefit the patients.

Spiritual SPEAK

Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

—Proverbs 12:25

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LADAKH FACE-OFF

‘GOVERNMENT WAS FAST ASLEEP’ Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says the Chinese attack in Galwan, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, was pre-planned

New Delhi: Unrelenting in his attacks on the Centre over the Ladakh clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, Rahul Gandhi tweeted that it is “crystal clear” that the government was “fast asleep” and jawans paid the price.

He posted the fresh charge hours before an all-party meeting on the India-China that his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to attend.

“It’s now crystal clear that: 1. The Chinese attack in Galwan was preplanned. 2. GOI was fast asleep and denied the problem. 3. The price was paid by our martyred Jawans,” the Congress leader tweeted, sharing a report quoting junior defence minister Shripad Naik as saying the attack was planned.

Naik had said: “It is a matter of national security, there will be no compromise. We will not allow others to take our land. I pay tribute to all jawans who lost lives. The nation is proud of them that they made the supreme sacrifice. It won’t go in vain. It was pre-planned

by China and Indian forces will give a befitting reply.” “We were in talks with Chinese officials. Soldiers of both sides have demarche 2.5 KM. It is sad that China has attacked our soldiers in our territory and their soldiers have also been killed.” —ANI

PPE kits, food distributed by Congress across nation to mark RaGa’s birthday New Delhi: The Congress has decided to distribute 50 lakh food packets among the poor and personal protection equipment (PPE) kits and masks to corona warriors across the country on June 19 to mark the 50th birthday their former president Rahul Gandhi.

However, Gandhi has made it clear to his colleagues that he will not celebrate his birthday in view of the pandemic and the extraordinary difficulties faced by

‘No intelligence failure’ in Galwan Valley face-off’ New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that ‘there was no intelligence failure’ in the violent face-off in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, which claimed the lives of 20 Indian Army soldiers.

“There was no intelligence failure,” Singh said in the all-party meeting, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, on India-China border issue, as per sources. In the meeting, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi asked if there was an intelli-

gence failure.

Gandhi targetted the government over its handling of “intrusions” by China in Eastern Ladakh, saying it lost time, “failed” to use all avenues which resulted in the

loss of lives of 20 soldiers in the violent face-off in Galwan Valley and asked if there was an intelligence failure. Gandhi said that the opposition parties and people were still in the dark about many crucial aspects of the crisis.The meeting was attended

by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, EAM S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman & BJP chief JP Nadda.

—ANI

Packets of ration distributed to the needy on the occasion of Rahul Gandhi’s 50th birthday, at party HQs in New Delhi on Friday.

a party circular on Thursday.

“As you all know, the nation is mourning the tragic loss of our brave soldiers in the standoff at the border with China. In this context, the suggested programmes like distribution of food kits among the neediest people and community kitchens for the poor must be held with utmost reverence and respect to our brave soldiers,” Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said. —ANI

people, besides the death of 20 Indian soldiers in clashes with

Chinese army in Ladakh area on Monday night, according to

‘Send RSS people to guard border’

PM Modi is India’s strength: Andhra CM

New Delhi: Send RSS people, they will guard the border, said Congress leader Husain Dalwai while hitting out at Centre for allegedly sending soldiers to talk with Chinese troops ‘without any weapons’.“All-par ty meeting should have been called before. It is unfortunate that 20 of our were killed. They went there without weapons.... But those (from China) came with nail-studded rods. No one from their side died, only our jawans died,” Dalwai claimed while speaking to ANI.

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that PM Narendra Modi is India’s strength and said that China is trying to destabilise our country. “Thanks to PM that India’s reputation has risen globally. He has built key strategic partnerships across the world,” he said at the all-party virtual meeting with PM Modi to discuss the situation in India-China border areas, according to sources. The source further added: “You are our strength, PM. India has gained the envy of

many. They (China) are trying to destabilise India.” Twenty Indian soldiers lost their lives in the face-off which happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh.” —ANI

Congress attacks Jaishankar New Delhi: The Congress on Friday, continued to criticise Union Minister for External Affaris S Jaishankar for referring to the protocol on the question of the Indian soldiers being ‘unarmed’ during the face-off with the Chinese in the Galwan valley.

Congress leader Kapil Sibal said in a tweet, “No protocol can stand in the way of ‘self defence’ if our soldiers are attacked.” He said, “On the LAC an eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth and no protocol can prevent soldiers from carrying arms for protection. “Neither 1996 nor 2005 CBM’s prevent our soldiers from carrying weapons,” Sibal added in the tweet. Jaishankar on Thursday rebutted Rahul Gandhi on Twitter over the issue and said in a tweet, “Let us get the facts straight.

All troops on border duty always carry arms, especially when leaving post. “Those at Galwan on 15 June did so. Longstanding practice (as per 1996 & 2005 agreements) not to use firearms during faceoffs,” he wrote. —Agencies

AWAITING DEVOTEES

COVID-19 UPDATE

Central panel recommends rate caps at Delhi private hospitals for treatment Home Minister Amit Shah had constituted the panel under the NITI Aayog to fix these rates New Delhi: A committee set up to fix rates to be charged by private hospitals in Delhi for isolation beds, ICUs with and without ventilator support for patients of the coronavirus disease has given its recommendation, the MHA said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had constituted the panel under the member of the NITI Aayog to fix these rates “to provide relief to the common man in Delhi”, MHA said in a series of tweets.

“Committee has recommended Rs 800010000, 13000-15000 & 15000-18000 including PPE costs for isolation bed, ICUs without & with ventilator respectively to all hospitals as compared to current charges of Rs 2400025000, 34000-43000 & 44000-54000 (excluding PPE cost),” it said.

House- to- House health surveys were completed in 242 containment zones. “A total of 2.3 lakh people were surveyed,” it said.

Delhi’s infection tally stands at 49,979 & 1,969 people have died of Corona so far. —Agencies

Over 2L recovered so far: Govt

DELHI CONDUCTS 20,000 TESTS New Delhi: As many as 20,000 samples were tested in the national capital on Thursday, which is the highest number of tests conducted in the country in a day. Taking to Twitter, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said more testing will be done in coming days.

“In the coming days, we will conduct more testing,” he tweeted. India on Friday reported the highest single-day spike of 13,586 new COVID-19 cases and 336 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the MoHFW. —ANI

KEJRI’s APPEAL TO PEOPLE, NGOs New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, appealed to all NGOs and individuals to join in the fight against COVID-19.“Delhi will fight Corona together. I appeal to all NGOs and individuals to join in this effort on a large scale,” Kejriwal tweeted attaching a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DMMA) order. a Web based portal and a Dashboard shall be developed for the same.

COACHES INSPECTED

PHASE III TRIAL OF UMIFENOVIR

New Delhi: Railway Board Chairman Vinod Kumar Yadav visited Anand Vihar Terminal where 267 coaches converted to isolation wards for COVID-19 patients, equivalent to more than 4,000 beds, have been stationed. told ANI.

New Delhi: “CSIR constituent lab CSIR-CDRI Lucknow, has received permission for carrying out Phase III randomised, Double-blind, Placebocontrolled trial of efficacy, safety & tolerability of antiviral drug Umifenovir,” Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan tweeted.

New Delhi: With 10,386 patients having recovered from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, the total number of recovered patients has gone up to 2,04,710 and the recovery rate has increased to 53.79 per cent from 52.96 per cent on Thursday.

The Health Ministry said in a release that the trend in daily numbers shows an increasing rate of recovery and an increasing gap between active and recovered cases.

The increase in the proportion of recovered cases is a demonstration of India’s strategy of timely management of COVID-19, it said.

The number of government labs has increased to 703 and private labs to 257 taking the total number of labs in the country to 960.

The ministry said that 1,76,959 samples were tested in last 24 hours & the total number of samples tested so far is 64,26,627. —ANI

A view of the famous Kamakhya Temple wearing a deserted look amid COVID-19 lockdown restrictions imposed in Guwahati on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

5-day institutional quarantine must: Centre to Delhi Govt New Delhi: With the Centre stepping in to aid Delhi government in its fight against the Coronavirus, a difference of opinions seems to be brewing among the two.

Sources told that the MHA wants compulsory institutional quarantine for anyone who tests positive for COVID-19. If this SOP is implemented, anyone testing positive for Coronavirus whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, will be placed in institutional quarantine for a period of five days.

The patient will be

A view of a quarantine centre and isolation facility with 2600 beds for non-critical COVID-19 patients in Goregaon in Mumbai.

permitted to return home only if the symptoms subside.

On the other hand, the Delhi government is not in agreement with this idea. Until now, all

patients with mild or no symptoms were placed in home quarantine in New Delhi. At present, there are 8,500 patients who are observing home quarantine.

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SC asks Centre to ensure compliance of order to transport migrants back home New Delhi: The Supreme Court asked the Centre and States to ensure compliance of its June 9 order and transport all those migrant labourers wanting to go to their respective villages within the stipulated time period given by it.

A bench of the Apex Court headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan had passed the order after taking suo motu cognisance in the matter related to the plight of migrant labourers amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

The top court said that it’s June 9 order was very clear and asked the Central government and States to ensure that all migrants reach their home within 15 days.

The court asked the authorities concerned to ensure that no migrants have to pay anything to go back to their respective states, villages, and towns. Hearing the matter few days before the completion of the stipulated time period, the court also asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to speak with all the States & UTs to comply with the order dated June 9 in the matter.

SC asked Centre to ensure that due publicity is given to orders & fixed the matter for further hearing in July. —ANI

‘8 terrorists killed in 24 hrs’

Suspended J&K DSP Davinder granted bail New Delhi: A Delhi court granted bail to suspended J&K DSP Davinder Singh in connection with a terror case after Delhi police failed to file charge-sheet within the stipulated period. However, Singh will remain in prison as he is also undergoing judicial custody in a separate case of trying to terrorists to travel outside Jammu, which is being probed

by NIA. Special Judge Dharmender Rana granted bail to Singh and another co-accused, Irfan Shafi Mir, asking them to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of the like amount each. In

the bail plea moved by advocate MS Khan, both of them had cited that the chargesheet had not been filed within the requisite 90 days period, as prescribed under the law.

Singh, Mir& two other accused namely Javed Iqbal & Syed Naveed Mushtaq were arrested in case related to planning terror attacks in the national capital. Singh was suspended from the Jammu and Kashmir Police in January this year, after which a special cell had brought him to Delhi from Hira Nagar Jail in Jammu.

He was arrested in a case related to planning to execute terror attacks in Delhi and other parts of the country.

ORDER ON PIL ON LAWYERS RESERVED New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order on a petition seeking directions to the apex court’s secretarygeneral, registrar, and officers not to give preference to cases filed by influential lawyers and petitioners.

A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra reserved its judgement in the matter after hearing arguments from the petitioner and advocate Reepak Kansal.

“Why you have raised this issue?” the apex court asked the lawyer Reepak Kansal, to which, he replied that his writ petition seeking one nation one ration card was not listed. Kansal said that cases of many influential and popular lawyers were listed instead. —ANI

Srinagar: At least 8 terrorists have been killed by the security forces in the last 24 hours in Jammu and Kashmir in two different operations.

GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen Baggavalli Somashekar Raju and Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh held a joint press conference over encounters in Pampore’s Meej and Shopian’s Munand area.

“We have neutralised eight terrorists in two different operations in the last 24 hours. In one encounter in which we neutralised three terrorists who were next to the mosque. Extreme restraint was exercised by security forces to ensure that no damage was caused to the structure,” Lt Gen Raju said.

He complimented the people of Kashmir and said they believe in

New Delhi: Reliance Industries Limited has raised over Rs 1,68,818 crore in just 58 days through investments by global tech investors Rs 115,693.95 crore and Rights Issue, Rs 53,124.20 crore. With these investments, RIL has become a “net debtfree” company.

Expressing his gratification at this achievement, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani stated: “Today I am both delighted and humbled to announce that we have fulfilled our promise to the shareholders by making Reliance net debt-free much before our original schedule of March 31, 2021. Ex-

ceeding the expectations of our shareholders & all other stakeholders, again & yet again, is in the very DNA of Reliance.

Therefore, on proud occasion of becoming a net debt-free company, I wish to assure them that Reliance in its Golden Decade will set even more growth goals, & achieve them, in fulfilment of vision of our Founder, Dhirubhai Ambani, to increase our contribution to India’s prosperity.

said, “Considering the gravity of the matter, it is requested that the investigation shall be done immediately and

UP RAPE CASE action be taken against the culprit.”

“An action taken report be sent to the Commission by E-mail/

POWER Gallery TENSION AT BORDERS – BSF HAS NO FULL-TIME DG

As the tension grows at the borders, the Government of India is yet to appoint a full-time Director General of Border Security Force (BSF). Surjeet Singh Deswal, DG, ITBP, is holding an additional charge of the force.

WILL ARUN SINHA BE NEW DG OF ITBP?

In IPS hierarchy, it is believed that after a couple of months, SPG Chief Arun Kumar Sinha will be new ITBP DG. He is a 1987 batch IPS officer of Kerala cadre.

WILL RUCHI GHANSHYAM GET SOME ASSIGNMENT?

Outgoing High Commissioner, UK, Ruchi Ghanshyam is reportedly being considered for some assignment. She is a 1982 batch ex- IFS officer.

WHERE IS R N RAVI?

Given the present scenario, people are discussing in the corridors of power that where is China expert IPS officer R N Ravi. Ravi who is presently Governor Nagaland has dealt with China for 20 years when he was in service.

SBI’S CENTRAL BOARD GETS FOUR DIRECTORS

Four persons: Ketan S Vikamsey, Dr Ganesh Natarajan, Mrugank M Paranjape and B Venugopal have been elected as Directors on the Central Board of State Bank of India (SBI).

WILL J&K HAVE TWO SECRETARIATES?

Newly created UT J&K will have two Secretariates. One in Kashmir and another in Jammu.

According to a few reliable sources, 19 departments will function from Srinagar while remaining 18 departments will come under the Jammu Secretariat. Will it prove fruitful for the UT ?

CADRE OF GHUNCHA SANOBAR TRANSFERRED TO MP

The cadre of Ghuncha Sanobar has been transferred from Tripura to Madhya Pradesh on the grounds of marriage to Harsh Singh, a 2015 batch IAS officer. Sanobar is also a 2015 batch IAS officer.

UP HAS 36 POSTS OF ADDL CS

Joint press conference of GOC 15 Corps Lt Gen Baggavalli Somashekar Raju & J&K DGP Dilbag Singh in Srinagar.

Reliance raises over NCW takes suo motu cognisance `168,818 cr, becomes ‘net debt-free’ New Delhi: The National Commission for Women took suo motu cognisance to media reports highlighting the alleged rape of a 25-yearold woman from Uttar Pradesh on a moving bus by one of its drivers.

NCW chief Rekha Sharma in a letter to DGP, UP, HC Awasthi

peace.

“It is their belief which is leading to these successful operations and I am sure that at the end of next few months they will be able to take this process forward and ensure that normalcy is brought in,” he said.

He said that around 100 terrorists were neutralised in the last few months.

“In all these operations, we had just one or two civilian casualties which mean security forces exercised extraordinary restraint that is because we want to reconnect with the people,” he said.

He said that situation on the line of control is stable. “We will ensure that there will be no misadventure both from outside of LoC as well within it.” —ANI

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Fax,” the NCW said on the Monday incident that took place in an overnight bus travelling through Uttar Pradesh.

Sharma in her letter also expressed concern over the increasing crime against women despite the enactment of stringent laws in the country.

FIT ‘N’ FINE

Yoga guru Baba Ram Dev conducts ‘Yoga Protocol Rehearsal’ at Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar on Friday, ahead of International Yoga Day on June 21.

Maken is observer for Manipur New Delhi: Congress has appointed Ajay Maken as an observer to supervise political situation in Manipur after BJP gover nment was reduced to minority there following the withdrawal of support by MLAs. Ajay Maken and party’s state in- charge Gaurav Gogoi reached Imphal. Congress has staked claim to form the government and has sought removal of the speaker. Strength of BJP-led alliance govt has been reduced to a minority in Assembly, effective strength of which is 59. —Agencies

IAS fraternity is grateful to UP because of promotion of 21 IAS officers to the rank of ACS. Now UP will have 36 Additional Chief Secretaries posts. To adjust these officers, the state govt has created 20 new posts. Newly promoted IAS officers belong to the years 1988 & 1989 batches.

With this development, IAS officers in other states can mount pressure citing UP’s example.

PRASHANT KUMAR GETS PRESTIGIOUS ASSIGNMENT IN UP

Yogi Government has chosen Prashant Kumar to hold the prestigious as well as sensitive charge of ADG Law & Order. A 1990 batch IPS officer, Kumar is considered to be an ace performer in the IPS hierarchy.

SIX ITS OFFICERS GET NEW POSTINGS

DoT has posted six PTS officers to new places.

Accordingly, Tushar Kanti Pal, has been posted as Advisor at DGT HQs, He will also continue to look after the charge of DG Telecom, Aso Kumar Mittl to join as Sr DDG, Delhi LSA, GC Srivastava has been posted as Advisor, UP East LSA, Lucknow.

Nitin Jain as DDG, SPPI, Radhacharan Shakya as DDG, Satellite and Pushpendra Kumar Singh posted as DDG, Security Assurance.

PALKA SAHNI IS NEW RC BIHAR BHAWAN IN DELHI

Palka Sahni has been appointed new Resident Commissioner, Bihar Bhawan, in New Delhi.

A 2004 batch IAS officer, Sahni replaces Vipin Kumar, who is joining the GoI. VIJAY KHANDUJA APPOINTED AMBASSADOR TO ZIMBABWE

Vijay Khanduja, presently posted as Director in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Zimbabwe.

POST OF SURABHI SHARMA UPGRADED TO DIRECTOR LEVEL

The post of Surabhi Sharma has been upgraded as Director in the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. She is a 2006 batch IRS-IT officer.

FROM PG 1 Congress wins,...

Things could have gone very differently if the Congress had managed to sway even three or four BJP MLAs. If the first major setback for the Congress was the string of resignations, the second was assuming the support of the BTP, whose abstinence came as an unexpected slap in the face.

Still, the Congress was not about to accept defeat gracefully but instead challenged at least two BJP votes on technical grounds. They said that Education

Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama’s vote should be kept in reserve since the validity of his election is sub-judice. And they said that BJP MLA Kesarsinh Solanki’s vote should not be counted since there was a third person in the booth while he was voting.

But the Election Commission of India upheld the state Election officer’s decision.

All the Congress had managed to do was to hold up the counting process for five hours.

Bharatsinh Solanki’s defeat will now put a

question mark on his abilities as well as that of his cousin and GPCC chief Amit Chavda.

Moreover, while the party’s national spokesman may have won on Friday, Gohil’s win comes at a cost. At least a third of sitting Congress MLAs were unhappy with his nomination in the first place, and Friday’s result could well make the fault lines within the party more visible in the coming days.

Time for...

“The Air Force chief was on a two-day visit where he checked the operational readiness of

all the platforms that have been moved to the area in view of the Chinese aggression along the LAC in the Eastern Ladakh where more than 10,000 troops have been amassed by China,” government sources told ANI. In the first leg of his visit, he was in Leh on June 17 and from there he went to the Srinagar airbase on June 18.

Both these bases are closest to the Eastern Ladakh area and most suited to carry out any fighter aircraft operations in the mountainous terrain and also have a clear edge over

the Chinese, the sources said. —ANI

Rajya Sabha...

In Jharkhand the BJP and JMM have won one seat each with BJP candidate Deepak Prakash and JMM’s Shibu Soren being the winners. This will be Soren’s third term as a Rajya Sabha member.

In Meghalaya, the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) candidate Dr WR Kharlukhi won the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Meghalaya defeating Congress candidate Kennedy Khyriem.

In Mizoram, the Mizo National Front won the

lone seat with MNF’s K Vanlalvena being delcared the winner.

PM: Neither...

Most leaders, including Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackeray, expressed solidarity with the government in its response to Chinese aggression.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi poses seven questions to the government while Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhara Rao and BSP Chief Mayawati gave a strong endorsement of PM Modi’s policies.

Notably, Sonia Gandhi (Congress), MK Sta-

lin (DMK), N Chandrababu Naidu (TDP), YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (YSRCP), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Nitish Kumar (JDU), D Raja (CPI), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Naveen Patnaik (BJD), K Chandrasekhar Rao (TRS), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Sukhbir Badal (SAD), Chirag Paswan (LJP), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Hemant Soren (JMM) were among some of the prominent faces who attend the meeting chaired by PM Modi, along with Defence minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit

Shah and BJP chief J P Nadda. The government had invited presidents of major political parties for the meet.

Delhi Health...

COVID-19 on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) in the national capital after running high-grade fever and suffering sudden drop in oxygen levels. He had first tested negative for the virus. His second test, however, came positive. “Today my covid test found to be positive (sic),” he had written on Twitter. —PTI

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ACCORDING TO A RESEARCH, THE POVERTY IMPACT OF THE CRISIS WILL SOON BE FELT IN THREE KEY WAYS. THERE IS LIKELY TO BE MORE POVERTY. IT IS LIKELY TO BECOME MORE SEVERE. AND AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE LOCATION OF GLOBAL POVERTY WILL ALSO CHANGE

A

s COVID-19 slows in developed countries, the virus’s spread is speeding up in the developing world. Three-quarters of new cases detected each day are now in developing countries. And as the pandemic spreads, governments face juggling the health consequences with economic ones as this shifts to becoming an economic crisis.

Our research shows that the poverty impact of the crisis will soon be felt in three key ways.

There is likely to be more poverty. It is likely to become more severe. And as a consequence, the location of global poverty will also change.

Having looked at estimates from a range of sources – including the Asian Development Bank, Goldman Sachs, IMF and OECD – we considered three possible economic scenarios stemming from COVID-19, where global income and consumption contracted by 5%, 10% or 20%. We found that the economic shock of the worst-case scenario could result in up to 1.12

OVID-19 poses a C significant threat to developing countries,

as their health systems tend to be weaker. More severe cases have also been linked to high blood pressure, diabetes and air pollution, all of which are prevalent in developing countries. Meanwhile, there are suggestions that COVID-19 could hinder the treatment of

billion people worldwide living in extreme poverty – up from 727 million in 2018.

This confirms our earlier estimates that the coronavirus could push up to 400 million people into extreme poverty, defined by the World Bank as living on less than US$1.90 per day – the average poverty line in lowincome developing countries. This number rises to over 500 million if using the World Bank’s higher average poverty lines for lower middle-

CORONAVIRUS COULD DRIVE HALF A BILLION PEOPLE INTO

POVERTY

HOW TO RESPOND TO POVERTY PANDEMIC other illnesses such as TB, HIV/AIDS and chronic malaria.

But developing countries generally have a lower proportion of people at high risk from COVID-19 in terms of age (>70 years). As such, economic shocks may pose a greater relative risk to their populations.

The question emerges as to whether lockdowns are the best option to contain the virus in developing countries if they entail severe income losses. Estimates of the share of jobs that can be performed at home is less than 25% for many developing countries – much lower than the 40%

recorded in, for example, the USA and Finland. It’s as low as 5% in countries such as Madagascar and Mozambique.

Consequently, there’s also a clear need for a range of social safety-net policies. These already exist in many developing countries, but their coverage and funding needs to be expanded substantially.

ooking further ahead, Lbeyond the poverty impacts 2020 are closely

related to if or when an effective vaccine is developed. Even if we take the best-case scenario and a vaccine is discovered later this year, it’s uncertain how long it would take to reach the entire global population.

It could take years.

There is no guarantee

income (US$3.20) and upper middle-income (US$5.50) developing countries.

The potential increase is driven by millions of people living just above the poverty line. These people are likely to be badly affected because many of them work in the informal sector, where there is often little in the way of social security. Such a rise in extreme poverty would mark the first absolute increase in the global count since 1999 – and the

first since 1990 in terms of the proportion of the global population living in poverty.

On the intensity of poverty, the resources needed to lift the incomes of the poor to above the poverty line could increase by 60%, from US$446m a day in the absence of the crisis to above US$700m a day. For the existing extreme poor and those newly living in extreme poverty, their loss in income could amount to US$500m per day.

In terms of where poverty is located, it is likely to increase dramatically in middle-income developing countries in Asia, such as India, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines. This points to the fact that much of the previously poor population in these countries moved to just above the poverty line. In other words, these countries’ recent economic progress has been relatively fragile.

We’ll also likely see new poverty in countries where it has remained relatively high over the last three decades, such as Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the DRC.

THE LONG CRISIS developing countries would get access to the vaccine at a reasonable cost, or if everyone in developing countries would get the vaccine for free.

We could end up living in a new COVID-19 apartheid, with the vaccinated and non-vaccinated residing in separate areas and working in different

labour markets. This is a startling but very real possibility that no one is talking about much yet.

While this might sound far off, there are already some countries – such as Chile – issuing “immunity passports”.

Such passports might determine what work people can do by deter-

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

mining where they can go. This could leave the poorest without access to earning opportunities or only with lowerincome opportunities if their movement is restricted.

The crisis is increasingly looking like a long crisis. If so, it will have repercussions on global poverty for years to come.

DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

If you believe in something then you should be a living inspiration of that belief, best not to believe than do it half-heartedly.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020

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08

Guj’s ‘Study from Home’ AMA wants 54,000 Covid tests daily scheme comes a cropper?

First India Bureau

A study by Jan Vikas has found that Gujarat's 61% kids don't use online material First India Bureau

ONLY SOLUTION?

Ahmedabad: Introduced four days after the first national lockdown was announced, the Gujarat Government’s much-touted “Study from Home” scheme has been of little use to a majority of the students.

A survey carried out by civil society organisation Jan Vikas has found that as much as 61% of the children are unable to benefit from weekly online material because of various reasons. The survey among students of standard three to 10 finds that just about 13.57% children are able to “regularly use” the online material, which they get on social media, especially WhatsApp. The surveyors contacted 717 parents across seven districts, Ahmedabad, Anand, Panchmahals, Chhotaudepur, Kutch, Sabar-

“Study from Home” scheme of Gujarat has not found much traction.

kantha and Aravalli. It also included Ahmedabad city and the rural areas of 13 talukas of these districts.

The reasons why only a handful children benefit from this scheme are revealing. It was found that 257 parents (35.5%) did not have android phones and 61 (or 13.26%) among the rest 460 parents who have them do not use the in-

ternet. At least 84 parents (21.6%) do not get any online material and 40.49% children just do not use the material they get. More intriguing, is Ahmedabad city where 62.5% of the parents who have android phone and do use internet just do not get any online material and this is worse than the rural areas -- Anand 34.54%, Panchmahals 26.31%,

—FILE PHOTO

Chhotaudepur 24.48%, Kutch 39.06%, Sabarkantha 13.63%, and Aravalli 16.66%. The survey also finds that of the 717 parents, in 284 (39%) cases their children did use the online material, but it was pretty irregular. In 28% of cases (79) it was used just once, in 58 cases (20.42%) it was used twice; in 44 cases (15.49%) it was used thrice; in 31 cases

(10.91%) it was used four times; and only in 33 cases (11.61%) it was used five times.

The survey report estimates that it is possible to conclude that while there are 43.23 lakh children studying from standards three to eight in Gujarat schools, “about 26.37 lakh (61%) are deprived of the ‘study from home’ scheme.”

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA) has moved a petition in the Gujarat High Court challenging the State Government’s decision that only a doctor with an M.D. degree could prescribe a corona test, and demanded that at least 54,000 samples should be tested daily.

A division bench of the high court comprising Justice R M Chhaya and Justice Ilesh Vora is hearing a suo motu on corona and related issues, along with several PILs. The AMA has moved a fresh petition on Friday arguing that even an M.B.B.S doctor’s prescription should w0rk for corona tests since M.D. level physicians are not available in all corners.

The medical association has cited the instance of Delhi where 18,000 samples are being tested everyday as against the maximum average of

In Delhi, 18,000 samples are being tested everyday as against the maximum average of 4,500 in Gujarat.

—Ahmedabad Medical Association

4,500 in Gujarat, though it has a much larger population than Delhi. The AMA has demanded that at least 54,000 samples should be tested daily in the State.

The petitioner has also brought to the notice of the high court that though the State Government claims 19 private laboratories have been approved for testing, five are waiting for the State’s approval and even two government laboratories are waiting for approval.

The association has de-

manded that the State health department should also increase contact tracing and any suspected person should be identified and quarantined. Each district should have one laboratory for corona testing. The state government, in its reply, has stated for laboratory approval it will decide within eight days.

Meanwhile, the ICMR has categorically stated that its guidelines nowhere says that only an M.D. could prescribe a Covid test.

Parimal Nathwani wins Guj to release Narmada waters in 10 rivers RS seat from Andhra First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Government on Friday announced release of Narmada water in as many as 10 rivers.

The rivers to get richer with Narmada waters are, Heran, Dev, Karad, Kun,

First India Bureau Ahmedabad : Twotime Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand since 2008, Parimal Nathwani, who is also a Senior Group President of Reliance Industries, has been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh as a YSR Congress Party candidate.

Elated by his victory, Nathwani said, “I thank our dynamic and very popular leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and YSR Congress Party for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of this state.”“It has been a year since he became CM of AP and he has fulfilled nearly 90% of the promises made by him and will do a lot more for the overall development of the state,” Nathwani said.

Vatrak, Meshwo, Sabarmati, Rupen, Pushpavati and Banas.

The flow of water from the Narmada main canal has been increased from 11,000 to 13.000 cusecs to feed these rivers.

At present 1086 cusec water is being released

@ahmedpatel

for eight of these rivers, while water will be released soon in Meshwo and Panchavati rivers.

This has been made possible because of release of water from upstream areas of the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh where 83 hydro power

units are in operation.

An official press release said Narmada dam level as on Friday was 126.77 meter with live storage of 2481.60 million cubic meter. Dry rivers will be recharged and wells will be richer, thanks to release of Narmada waters.

CHUCK CHINESE!

Wishing Sh @ RahulGandhi a happy birthday with good health and prosperity.

Reliance Industries Senior Group President Parimal Nathwani thanks AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy on his election to Rajya Sabha.

The newly elected MP said, “I am fully committed to serving the people of Andhra Pradesh and will work along with the CM and his team. I will bring to the table my extensive experience gained during my 12 years as RS MP of

Jharkhand and several decades of experience at Reliance Industries.”

Nathwani, who works closely with RIL Chairman & MD Mukesh Ambani, considers Reliance patriarch Dhirubhai Ambani as his mentor and role model.

I condemn the attack on Shri Morari Bapu. One may disagree with other’s point of view but violence has no place in our society.

An eatery selling Chinese stuff in Vadodara has changed its name to Sainese food stall, while another offers jalebi for free on an order of Ganthiya or Fafda if you uninstall Chinese apps such as TikTok from your smart phone.

CRISIS V/S OPPORTUNITY

Saree capital gives you Covid-19 survival kit on one buy 

In a unique scheme, Surat textile traders come up with a matching Covid-19 friendly gift with the purchase if a saree

First India Bureau Surat: Business savvy Gujaratis, including those from other States who have been internalised in the State, wouldn’t normally go bankrupt.

They have out-of-thebox ideas, almost always.

And Surat, which is not only the country’s diamond capital but is also a hub of synthetic textiles, leads in this.

Take the case of a tex-

tile market in Surat, where sarees could mask almost the entire Gujarat, which has found a scheme that gives a Covid-friendly gift item with every saree you buy there.

As much as 60 per cent of the synthetic textiles -- also called art-silk or artificial silk -- manufactured in India is made in Surat.

The city boasts of at least 200 textile markets -large and small -- on

Textile traders in Surat come with a scheme to woo customers.

the Ring Road as well as smaller old city areas.

Textile traders here have come up with a novel sales talk. “Buy saree, fight hard against corona”. Under this campaign, if a customer wants to buy a saree made in Surat, the trader offers the customer a box called ‘Corona Kavach (corona guard)’. After all, this is a box of sarees.

They also provide masks that match

your saree, sanitizers, Ayurvedic infusion powder and homeopathic medicines in a box free with a saree.

According to the traders, saree is the choice of every woman and if they carry one with that box, the awareness to fight the virus only strengthens in every household.

Sarees here range in prices from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000.

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09

AHMEDABAD, SATURDAY JUNE 20, 2020

PUNCH IT WITH

PINK Rejoice! Pink is the colour of the season and we no longer need to defend our love for this colour as being stereotypical

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

T

rends come and go and come back again. Recycling is the word for the fashion industry and I don’t mean that in an organic world-saving way.

To name a few recyclables, Cargos, animal prints, oversized suits and of course, flared pants. The mustard yellow and the olive green, have made quite a few comebacks but thankfully not this year.

Though the colour in vogue since 2019 fall is a rather eclectic mix of bubble gum and hot pink, you can experiment as you like with this sweetest of colours.

In fashion trends tend to come and go quicker than the weather changes.

And while the colour pink underwent a huge revival a few seasons ago now, much to our delight, the uplifting shade isn’t going anywhere any time soon. From dusky delicate, rose hues to show-stopping electric pinks, the fun and joyful shade is definitely one of the colours to be seen in this season.

City first brings you a

few tips on how to wear pink.

Well, go all out! Wear it from head to toe, team it up with contrast footwear and shades and blush it on your cheekbones to stop the traffic.

Pink has been associated with the ultra-feminine look but if John Dwayne can sport a pink coat (and get away with it) you can also team up your all-pink ensemble with combat boots or sneakers. Accessories are the finishing touch on any look and adding a statement handbag and jewellery is another way to give your head-to-toe pink ensemble a point of difference.

Though wearing pink and red together has been considered one of the biggest fashion bloomers but now in the world of high fashion and street style, this old fashion rule has well and truly been forgotten. The traditional merging of green and blue with pink is an all-time favourite and always looks good.

Howsoever you might go in for pink in your look, remember it’s incomplete without painting your lips and nails to match!

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AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020

10

THE BEST SHOW EVER! F

rom the grim reality of dead-end jobs to the horrors of dating, the classic comedy still hits the mark.

As Monica Gellar once said to Rachel Green: “Welcome to the real world! It sucks – you’re going to love it.”

Could Friends be a more realistic depiction of twenty-something life? From the second Monica ushered Rachel into the world of poverty, dead-end jobs, and quarter-life crises, the series became a beacon for flailing twenty-somethings everywhere. And 20 years after its 1994 debut, it still holds up. New Girl or Girls, for example, which cover the same demographic, deliver great jokes and are fantastic shows, but they’re not a patch on Friends, which hits on aspects of mid-20s life that have universal appeal.

Take Rachel’s fall from privileged daddy’s girl to Central Perk waitress. The job was terrible and she didn’t have the option of bailing to “focus on blogging”.

Comparatively, Chandler, Monica, and Ross, had jobs which paid well enough to sustain not only their modest lifestyles, but made up for their less-

than-financially stable roommates – which became a point of contention in the season-two episode, The One With Five Steaks and an Eggplant.

However, instead of an overly dramatic blowout (see Marnie and Hannah’s fight in the first season of Girls), the group quarreled briefly – like most humans

to-late 20s. Throughout the series, only Joey’s acting career remained consistent (which rings true for anyone pursuing work in the arts), while the remaining five saw ups (Rachel tackles the fashion industry), downs (Chandler gets laid off and ends up in Kansas), and career changes. Even Ross – who was older and

would – then reunited as soon as Monica got fired at the episode’s end, when she found herself in the same lower income bracket that Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe had been trying to enlighten everyone about.

In fact, the constant job changeover in Friends embodies the career quest of many people in their mid-

had a PhD – left the museum to teach.

Meanwhile, the series’ approach to dating either served to entertain for one episode, or provided a season-long arc (one which usually ended in heartbreak, such as Monica and Richard, or Rachel and Ross). But regardless of each relationship’s length,

the characters still changed and grew: in season one’s The One With the Blackout, Joey perpetuates “the friend zone” myth as he encourages Ross to date Rachel, only to wrestle with the consequences when he develops feelings for Rachel in seasons eight and nine.

So 20 years after it first appeared on TV, Friends is

still the quintessential show about being twentysomething. It may lack smart phones and drugfuelled clubbing, but perhaps that’s why it holds up.

It tells a familiar story, one of working hard, attempting success, and trying to scrape enough together to eat dinner with people we actually like.

FA CE OF TH ED AY

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

The current astral energy may disrupt some of your best-laid plans,If you had been determined to follow one set course in a particular relationship, and this isn’t in your best interests, then the events that occur could turn things around in quite a dramatic fashion.

You may think that the events of today will unfold pretty much the same as normal, but you would be wrong. The current planetary alignment could indicate that a disruption may actually be a blessing in disguise, although you probably won’t see it in that way.

Today has romantic aspects to it so you should enjoy the day with your partner. Disputes will melt away in a mutual state of appreciation,as long as you don’t allow pride to spoil your relationship.

Use these favourable days to give love and get love in return.

You thrive on anything that is unexpected.So, the current aspect at play may actually do you quite a few favors. If you are able to attend a small party expect to be wooed by someone who is a far cry from the kind of person whom you are normally attracted to.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Today’s astral energy could mean you have quite an interesting day as far as love and romance is concerned. You could change your mind about one particular person several times in the space of a few hours. In fact, you may be trying to decide between two different people.

Things are certainly different, and if you had imagined that the day was going to be much like any other in terms of your love life, then you will have to think again. Current planetary energies mean that anything could happen. However, you will also have fun!

Today’s planetary energy could prove a surprise.

Your latest relationship may take a strange and bizarre twist, which you would not have been able to anticipate in anyway whatsoever. If you have been feeling down at heart, this could be the release you have been seeking!

Your feelings may seem to be all over the place, one minute you could find yourself very much in love, and the next minute irritated You could find this fluctuation in your emotions going on for most of the day, so don’t make any important relationship decisions. Wait!

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

The current aspect means you have quite an interesting day ahead of you. If it’s possible to go out on a first date, then you may find the chemistry between you almost irresistible. This could create a dilemma, as you really do not like to rush anything, least of all intimacy.

Partners are decidedly unpredictable today.

Whatever you’re able to get out and do, you could find that your plans get shifted and changed about, if you have decided to do something together. Don’t worry too much; it is the nature of the energy in the atmosphere.

The current astral environment may startle you into realizing that life is too short to hold your feelings back any longer. the only problem being that if you attempt to tell them how you feel today, it could all come out sounding rather strange, and you may not believe what you are saying.

If you are attempting to arrange a future social occasion, the current planetary energy may introduce a very unusual and unexpected element into the equation. Don’t let it worry you there is a creative element at work, go with the flow for now.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

MEDINI PATERIA, Model

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020

11

RECALLING THE CONVERSATION S

hraddha Kapoor said, “He was truly, one of a kind,” while sharing her memories of the late actor and her ‘Chhichhore’ costar Sushant Singh Rajput on Instagram. The demise of the ‘Kai Po Che’ actor has sent shock waves among celebrities and netizens alike, with many taking to the social media platforms to recall the times spent with Rajput. Kapoor penned a heartfelt note remembering the person Rajput was, as she said someone who is “full of humility, intelligence, curiosity about life, seeing beauty in everything, everywhere!

He danced to his own tune!”

“Been trying to accept what has happened and coming to terms with it is very difficult. There is a huge void... Sushant...!

Dearest Sush...!” her caption read.

“Apart from being a wonderful co-actor who put his heart and soul into his work, he was at his core, an amazing person. He cared for people and wanted to see them happy. His kind smile, the conversations we had at shoot about the Cosmos, different philosophies, the moments we spent together, were filled with magical wonderment!” she wrote.

Recalling her visit to his home with the whole movie gang, Shraddha added: “During a lovely musical and poetry filled get together at his home (he loved music and poetry), he showed me the moon from his telescope and I was so speechless that I could see it’s exquisite beauty up close!! He wanted to share that feeling!

—ANI

... her post

Shraddha Kapoor

A

fter the recent sudden demise of Sushant Singh Rajput, actor Kangana Ranaut who went public slamming nepotism in the Hindi film industry, has now revealed that she faced similar struggles like that of Sushant.

In a new statement, the “Queen” actor alleged that she was asked to apologise to Hrithik Roshan’s family in order to survive. Both Kangana and Hrithik had been in the public spotlight in the year 2016 over their alleged former relationship and legal battle.

The ‘Queen’ actor said: “Once Javed Akhtar had called me to

KANGANA WAS

THREATENED his house and told me that Rakesh Roshan and his family are very big people. If you don’t apologise to them, you will have nowhere to go. They will put you in jail, and eventually, the only path would be that of destruction...you will commit suicide. These were his words. Why did he think if I

don’t apologise to you will have nowhere to go.

She further continued, “Were there people calling Sushant? Were there people putting such thoughts into his mind? I have no idea, but obviously, he was in a similar situation.

—ANI

MARRIAGE IN A

BACKYARD CEREMONY

Late Sushant Singh Rajput

Memorialised ID

C

elebrations are in order for American actor Raven-Symone as she is officially a married woman.

According to Fox News, the 34-year-old actor revealed on June 18 that she got married to Miranda Maday in an intimate backyard ceremony. The ‘That’s So Raven’ star wrote alongside a picture on Instagram of her and her Raven Symone and Miranda Maday now-wife hugging each other, “I got married to a woman who understands me from trigger to joy, from breakfast to midnight snack, from stage to home. I love you Mrs. Pearman-Maday!”

—ANI

P

hoto-sharing application Instagram ‘memorialised’ the account of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead in his Mumbai residence recently.

“Remembering Sushant Singh Rajput. This account has been memorialised.

Memorialised accounts are a place to remember and celebrate someone’s life after they’ve passed away,” read the description on his account.

Once Instagram memorialises an account, nobody is allowed to log in to the account and the term ‘remembering’ gets added next to the name of the deceased person in the profile.

According to Instagram, posts shared by the deceased person cannot be modified once it gets memorialised and the posts remain visible to the audience that it was originally shared with.

Rajput allegedly committed suicide on June 14 by hanging himself, Mumbai Police said. Investigations in the untimely demise of the Bollywood actor is currently underway.

—ANI

Explains her reaction

T

Rachel Lindsay

elevision personality Rachel Lindsay during an online latenight talk show explained her reaction to why she didn’t completely praise ABC’s casting of Matt James as the first black ‘Bachelor.’

Though happy for Matt James, the ‘Bachelorette’ alum quite did not find the timing of casting appropriate by the show makers. Lindsay, who openly criticised the franchise for its lack of diversity in casting, joined Andy Cohen on his ‘Watch What Happens Live’ show on Wednesday night and addressed her feeling about the decision.

When asked for her reaction to the casting news, she said: “I’m excited that there’s a Black Bachelor... but I

hated the timing of it because it does seem like a reaction to what is happening in our country.”

“Did a man have to die in such a public way on a national stage for you to say now is the time for us to have a Black Bachelor?” The Hollywood Reporter quoted Lindsay as saying.

She continued to explain that the sudden casting seems to be “taking away from this moment.”

She also said she wished the network waited to announce James, who should be recognized as the “right man chosen” rather than one chosen “just for this time.”

—ANI

Kangana Ranaut

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SOLAR ECLIPSE

SURBHI GUPTA

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

T

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020

he Solar Eclipse or the ‘Surya Grahan’ is tomorrow, 21 June.

It will begin at 9:15 am and stay till 3:04 pm in the afternoon.

This grahan is going to be quite important for India, as 6 planets will be moving in opposite direction, which will bring huge changes in the country and even the world, to be precise.

This year the grahan is on the Mithun Rashi and it will majorly affect the people having Mithun Rashi. The grahan is going to be more on the negative side compared to the previous ones. 21 June is the year’s longest day and that is when this is happening, is not a good sign.

On 20 June 9:16 pm the ‘sutak’ will start and the surya grahan ‘madhya’ will happen at 12:10 pm the next day. The grahan ‘kaal’ would be from 9:15am till 3:04 pm, and one should not move outside the house during this period.

This grahan is bad for 8 Rashisthat are, Mithun, Vrishak, Kark, Tula, Vrishchik, Dhanu, Kumbh and Meen. It will be good for the following four rashis- Mesh, Makar, Kanya and Singha.

I suggest we all don’t move out during the grahan, avoid cutting hair and nails, before drinking water add Ganga jal to it, give grains to poor people and listen to Shiv Mantra during the grahan. I pray for you all to be safe.

12

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Do’s & Don’ts

NEW YORK: Dr. Shenika Shah, daughter of Pritam and Kavita Shah is the pride of her parents and community in USA. She is a doctor of Osteopathy and joined the US Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. In the year 2020, she graduated from medical school and was promoted to the post of captain.

Her father Pritam originally belongs to Pindwara in Rajasthan while Shenika was born and brought up in New York.

She studied in Herricks school and was active in extracurricular activities such as Bharatnatyam, karate and sports.

GUJARAT: Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Ahmedabad will be observing International Yoga Day on 21 June, Sunday. A plantation will be continued after the yoga day celebration.

NEW INDIA CITY FIRST, RAJASTHAN

HAPPY

Rahul Gandhi

BIRTHDAY!

Robert Vadra with Rahul Gandhi Vaibhav Gehlot Wishing Rahul Gandhi on his 50th birthday, Vaibhav Gehlot tweeted, “Warm wishes to Shri @RahulGandhi Ji on his birthday.

May God bless you with good health, happiness and long life. #HappyBirthdayRahulGandhiJi”

Robert Vadra, Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law and childhood friend tweeted, “Happy 50th Rahul!

From being friends in our teens to being a brother-in-law, we have come a long way!! I wished well for you then; I wish well for you now!

My support is always with you.

May the decade be yours! Lots of love always bro.”

RAJASTHAN: Amidst the Corona pandemic, the green Rotary province has laid the foundation for the Mega Tree Plantation Drive, under which a target has been set to plant around 129 clubs and about 500 different places. District Governor Rajesh Agarwal said that about 1 lakh saplings will be planted at 500 places, along with chanting 1 lakh Namokar Mantras, to get rid of the current epidemic.

N

ikhil Sawhney, Chairman, CII Northern Region, during a virtual press conference shared the agenda and focus areas of CII in the Northern Region for the year 2020-21. He highlighted that CII through its extensive network of State and Zonal Offices and 9 Centres of Excellence (COEs) across the country has worked very extensively with stakeholders to combat the impact of Covid-19 on economy & country at large.

“Our interventions on the ground range from policy advocacy, support services for businesses, and information services to providing real-time updates on policy announcements and working with the Central &

Nikhil Sawhney

State Governments by providing inputs on the next steps to tide over the health emergency,” he said.

The Chairman unveiled the theme of CII Northern Region for 2020-21 as Building India for a New World: Lives, Livelihood, Growth – A Collaborative North. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

RAJASTHAN: As a part of the ongoing ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival’ on Friday, viewers witnessed the second day of the online learning session on ‘Tabla Vadan’. It was conducted by tabla maestro, Dr Ankit Pareek. The session focused on Kaida, Taal Teental, Tihai, Tukda, and much more.

RAJASTHAN: Father’s Day Virtual Run is being organised on 21 June, Sunday by the Indian Institute of Event Management Research, where runners from all over the country will run in their respective cities and participate and show their love for the father.

GUJARAT: Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad was beautifully lit up on Friday evening, for the upcoming 143rd Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath Ji.

GUJARAT: National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadet Hiral Dod of Ahmedabad prepares for International Yoga Day to be marked on June 21.

RAJASTHAN: JK Lakshmipat University is all set to organize a live yoga session on 21 June, Sunday from 9 am to 10 am. The session will be organized especially for senior citizens, which is supported by Samarth Eldercare, Jaipur District Administration and NLCS Bhilwara.

Vandana Jain, Senior Faculty, Art of Living, will address the session, informed Dr RL Raina, Vice-Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University.