First India-Ahmedabad Edition-20 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 42°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 174

INDIA

WORLD

3,22,941 49,51,720 3,301 1,06,446 719 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

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GUJARAT

12,141

CONFIRMED CASES

A crowd gathered at the Bandra Terminus to catch a migrant special train going to Bihar’s Purnia, in Bandra on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Still a long walk home...

In next two days Railways will double number of Shramik Specials to 400 daily; 200 extra time table passenger trains daily from June 1; online bookings soon; everyone can avail service

‘No need of state consent to run Shramik Specials’ New Delhi: The Railways on Tuesday said the consent of the destination states is not required to operate Shramik Special trains, hours after the Home Ministry issued a standard operating procedure for the national transporter to run these trains to ferry migrants to their native places.

“Consent of terminating state not necessary to run Shramik Special trains,” railway

spokesperson Rajesh Bajpai said. “After the new SoP, the implication is that no consent of receiving state is mandatory,” he said.

Earlier, a political storm had broken out when Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said that West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh were being laggard in approving these trains. MHA also issued a revised Standard Operating Turn on P7

RLYS TO RUN 200 NON-AC, II CLASS TRAINS DAILY FROM JUNE 1 New Delhi: Providing huge relief to people, specially in country’s small towns and cities, the railways will run 200 special passenger trains from June 1. These trains will have non-air conditioned second class coaches and will run daily. They will be plied in addition to the Shramik Special and the AC special trains which are currently being operated on the Rajdhani Turn on P7

Sonia to discuss migrants’ plight with Oppn on May 22

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of opposition parties on May 22 on the coronavirus crisis and the large movement of migrant labourers to their native states, sources said. They said Gandhi will chair the meeting on May 22 via video conferencing which is expected to be held at 3 pm. Turn on P7

CHAOS @

BANDRA STATION Mumbai: Hundreds of migrant labourers gathered on an approach road to Bandra Terminus here on Tuesday before the departure of a Shramik Special train, leading to chaos in the area for some time.

The crowd was later dispersed by police, a Western Railway official said. The incident comes over a month after hundreds of migrant workers had assembled near the Bandra station over their demand that arrangements be made for them to return to their native places in the wake of the coronavirus-enforced lockdown.

In a video clip of Tuesday’s incident that went viral on social media, Turn on P7

PURI: STATES HAVE TO DECIDE ON RESUMING DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

AMID TRUMP ‘THREAT’, WHO MEMBERS OK EVALUATION OF VIRUS RESPONSE

CYCLONE AMPHAN MOVES CLOSER TO ODISHA, MASS EVAC IN BENGAL

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday said that it is not up to Centre or his ministry alone to decide on resuming domestic flights and states where these flights will take off and land should be ready to allow operations in the spirit of cooperative federalism. Domestic flights in the country are prohibited since March 25 since first lockdown.

Geneva: Member states of the World Health Organisation have unanimously passed a resolution brought by European Union members, African nations and others calling for an independent comprehensive evaluation of the international response to the COVID-19 outbreak coordinated by the UN health agency.

The US has sharply criticised WHO and its relationship with China, where the outbreak erupted.

Bhubaneswar: Heavy rains lashed some parts of Odisha on Tuesday as super cyclone ‘Amphan’ moved closer to eastern coast as state govt stepped up efforts to evacuate people from low-lying areas. West Bengal govt too has evacuated one lakh people from the coastal districts and is in the process of shifting 1.5 lakh more cyclone nears the shores of the state.

P7

Hurriyat chief’s son killed in encounter

Hizbul Mujjahiddin Commander Junaid Sehari was killed in an encounter with security forces in Srinagar on Tuesday.

Srinagar: Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Junaid Ashraf Khan, son of Te h re e k - e - H u r r i yat chairman Mohammed Ashraf Khan, was among two terrorists killed in an encounter with security forces at Nawakadal area of Srinagar on Tuesday.

The other terrorist killed has been identified as Tariq Ahmed Sheikh from Pulwama “In last night operation two terrorists were killed. They have been identified as Junaid Ashraf Khan from Sri-

nagar and Tariq Ahmed Sheikh from Pulwama.

Junaid is the youngest son of Hurriyat’s chairman Mohammed Ashraf Khan,” Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh said at a press conference.

The DGP said Khan was the divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen and was looking after central Kashmir area also. He was wanted in multiple criminal cases.

Sheikh had joined Hizbul Mujahideen in March this year.

Turn on P7

Highest overnight rise with 395 new cases in 24 hrs, toll up by 25  State has 12,141 cases, 719 dead, 5,043 discharged; worryingly, new districts race towards 100-mark First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Ahmedabad and Surat are no longer the state government’s only headaches when it comes to fast-rising COVID-19 numbers, with districts such as Junagadh, Surendranagar and Jamnagar also seeing sudden jumps. In Kutch, where

the situation was under control for a long time, 35 new cases in four days have taken the total up to 52, meaning the district now has a case-doubling rate of three days.

In her shortest bulletin yet, Principal Secretary (health) Jayanti Ravi’s on Tuesday evening announced that 395 new cases have been

AMA APPEALS TO PVT HOSPS TO ADMIT COVID-19 PATIENTS

With the lockdown being relaxed in most parts of the state, a car passes a policeman as he moves aside a barricade from the 132ft road in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

reported in the past 24 hours. Twenty-five patients died, 239 were discharged, and 5,865 samples were tested.

However, health department data shows that the state is, or at least should be, wor-

ried. Of the 395 new cases reported in 21 districts, 262 occurred in Ahmedabad, 21 in Kutch, seven each in Jamnagar and Sabarkantha and five cases in Surendranagar.

Also worrying is

that Banaskantha, Anand, Rajkot, Aravalli and Mehsana are all racing towards the 100-mark, with 86, 83, 82, 82 and 80 cases, respectively. Numbers are increasing especially Turn on P7

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

CORONA WAR: MODI’S TEAM INDIA SPIRIT UNITES ALL CMs

02

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

1,558,498 RUSSIA 299,941 SPAIN 278,188 BRAZIL 262,545 UK 248,818 ITALY 226,699 FRANCE 179,927 GERMANY 177,728 TURKEY 151,615 IRAN 124,603 CANADA 79,070 S ARABIA 59,854 BELGIUM 55,791 MEXICO 51,633 CHILE 49,579

92,520 2,837 27,709 17,509 35,341 32,169 28,239 8,168 4,199 7,119 5,909 329 9,108 5,332 509

USA

+539 +115 +53 +656 +545 +162 +105 +45 +28 +62 +67 +9 +28 +155 +31

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO LAST UPDATED: MAY 19, 2020, 11:50 PM

IN GUJARAT TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

AHMEDABAD

8945 700 1156 82 114 82 36 190 53 71 86 13 22 52 80 53 28 5 42 2 46 82 53 51 28 15 3 8 2 10 12 12 1 2 12141

576 32 55 2 8 8 3 7 3 6 4 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 2 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 719

SURAT

Amphan heads for Bengal, Amit Shah assures Didi of help In a telephonic conversation with Banerjee, Shah discussed the preparedness in West Bengal conversation with Mamata Banerjee, Amit Shah discussed the arrangements and preparedness in West Bengal, where the cyclone is expected to land on Wednesday.

“The central govt is with you,” the Home Minister reportedly assured Mamata Banerjee, who had in recent days accused the centre of playing politics in Bengal - due for elections next year in the name of fight-

TOTAL CASES

VADODARA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. —FILE PHOTO

New Delhi: As super cyclone Amphan advanced towards Bengal and Odisha, Home Minister Amit Shah this morning spoke to Chief Ministers Mamata Banerjee and Navin Patnaik, and assured them of all possible help. Cyclone Amphan, equivalent of a category 5 hurricane, is gathering strength and is expected to hit the coast of Bengal late on Wednesday. More than 50 lakh people are being evacuated to safer places.

In a telephonic

DISTRICT

ing corona.

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba is meeting with the National Crisis Monitoring Committee to discuss how the National Disaster Response Force and defence forces, power and telecommunications departments are preparing their emergency response.

Cyclone “Amphan” developed into a super cyclone over the Bay of Bengal on Monday and has the potential to cause extensive damage in the coastal districts of WB when it makes landfall, the govt had said. —PTI

Home Minister Amit Shah. —FILE PHOTO

THE RESPONSE TO COVID-19 HAS REIGNITED SPIRIT OF COMPETITIVE FEDERALISM, & IT’S ALL PART OF A WELL-CALIBRATED STRATEGY New Delhi: Covid-19 seems to have strengthened India’s cooperative and competitive federalism – the two concepts Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been stressing on since 2014.

The pandemic has created an extraordinary situation which seeks extraordinary efforts between the Centre and states to work in coordination. The Modi government invoked the 1897 Epidemic Diseases Act and the post-2004 tsunami Disaster Management Act (DMA) of 2005 to assume extraordinary powers to impose four lockdowns.

Interestingly, it was Modi’s calibrated strategy to field the chief ministers of the 30 states at the forefront while playing the role of captain of the ship. For the first time, the PM conducted his cooperative federalism in the five virtual meetings with the chief ministers in full public glare. The whole country watched their interaction on TV. The pandemic has brought about quite a transformation with the Centre and states on the same page, bringing the strength of federalism to the fore.

Jharkhand CM Hemant

MODI’S STRATEGY

Soren has lauded the “strength of federalism” displayed by the cooperation among different states. “In this time of crisis, the strength of the federal structure has come to the fore. I spoke personally with various CMs — Kerala (Vijayan), Maha (Thackeray) and Delhi (Kejriwal) — where our people are stuck,” Soren said, adding that there was complete understanding among them.

There is also a competitive spirit among the chief ministers as they try to out-do each other in their performance against the coronavirus.

All states cannot perform at the same level because of their size, finances, development and other

reasons. It is clear that states like Odisha, Kerala and Rajasthan have done better than other states and the northeast has also fared well. In a rare gesture the PM has lavished praise on the performing chief ministers; Gehlot, Mamata Banerjee and Pinarayi Vijayan in particular in his virtual meetings.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Modi has been increasingly relying on building consensus among the state chieftains. Contrary to his image of an authoritarian leader, he has become a consensus-seeker.

For example, the PM told a meeting of CMs on April 11: “Any chief minister can speak to me anytime.

We should stand together shoulder-to-shoulder.”

Though the pandemic has enabled provincial chieftains to function in a spirit of cooperation and competition, the CMs had their share of grievances with Modi on issues like lack of resources, testing kits, migrant displacement and delay in getting their share of the GST compensation. But both set aside their differences and put up a united fight against the pandemic, importantly since health is a state subject. —PTI

RAJKOT BHAVNAGAR ANAND BHARUCH GANDHINAGAR PATAN PANCHMANHAL BANASKANTHA NARMADA CHOTA UDEPUR KUTCH MAHESANA BOTAD DAHOD PORBANDAR JAMNAGAR MORBI SABARKANTHA ARAVALLI MAHISAGAR KHEDA GIR SOMNATH VALSAD TAPI NAVSARI DANG SURENDRANAGAR DWARKA JUNAGADH RAJASTHAN AMRELI TOTAL

SAMPLE RECEIVED SAMPLE NEGATIVE

21 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25

1,54,674 1,42,533

UNDER EXAMINATION

0

Govt offices outside containment zones to work at full capacity New wing of UN Mehta Hospital named dedicated COVID-19 facility, will add 228 beds to dwindling supply First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s government has decided to keep all government offices closed in the containment zones.

It has also decided that government employees living in the containment zones will not have to report for duty.

However, those offices not in containment zones outside of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar will have to operate at full capacity, the Principal Secretary of the state’s General Administration Department Kamal Dayani said. The decision was announced in a circular, which added that

the order in effect until May 31.

There are more specific guidelines for offices situated in noncontainment zones in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar. Here, 100% Class I and II officers have to report for duty while 50% of staff of Class III rank and lower will report for duty.

All government employees working in the state capital but living in Ahmedabad’s noncontainment zones will have to report for duty in Gandhinagar. The

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

—FILE PHOTO

same applies to employees living in Gandhinagar and working in Ahmedabad offices.

Others can work from home, but they need to be available on email and their mobile phones.

With patient numbers still rising in Ahmedabad, dedicated COVID-19 facilities such as the ones at Civil Hospital, Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Hospital are full. So, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who is

also the health minister, has decided to convert the new building at the UN Mehta Hospital, with its 228 beds, into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital. Patel visited the hospital building on Tuesday morning along with Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue and overseeing Health) Pankaj Kumar, Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi and other officers.

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secre-

tary to the Chief Minister Ashwani Kumar said here that as of Monday night, 518 Shramik trains had left the state with 7.40 lakh migrant workers. On Tuesday, 39 trains carried 61,000 workers to their native states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and in the Northeast.

He added that agriculture activity is operating at its peak and farmers are now able to sell their products in market yards and are fetching good prices.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

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Relaxation order brings confusion to eastern A’bad

Restricted movement, blocked roads, shut businesses leave people bewildered Gargi Raval Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar: On Monday, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced relaxations in the ongoing lockdown. However, they came with a few stipulations which left people in the city confused.

As per Rupani’s announcement, the city was split into two parts the eastern and western part. With more cases of COVID-19, the eastern part was not provided with relaxations pertaining to businesses, movement of citizens.

On the other hand, businesses in the western part of the city were allowed to operate for a few hours.

Officer on special duty Rajiv Gupta presented another notification, on behalf of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), which said people from containment zones were not

ALTERNATIVE

A stool, a bench, a two-wheeler and a couple of empty barrels make up a makeshift barricade in the containment zone near the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation office. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

permitted to venture out of their areas.

This added to the confusion since there are people who live in noncontainment areas in the eastern part, but work in the western part of the city. With no public transportation available, people who do not own private vehicles will not

be able to go to work.

“Several flyovers connecting the eastern and western parts have been closed to the public. How can someone living in Khokhra or Isanpur travel to Ellisbridge without crossing Maninagar, which is a containment zone?

Also, the chief minister gave relaxation to

ST buses to begin plying again today

‘Let VS Hospital resume ops,’ says councillor

Buses at Geeta Mandir on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s announcement on Monday that Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses would resume operations several passengers to their nearest ST depots on Tuesday morning. However, they got a rude shock when they discovered that bus depots had not yet opened. Reportedly, buses will only begin to ferry passengers on Wednesday.

It took GSRTC top brass until late Tuesday evening to chalk out the way forward. GSRTC secretary SD Suthar said, “Around 7,000 trips

have been planned for Wednesday. The state is divided into five zones: Saurashtra, Kutch, North, Central and South Gujarat. State transport buses will be allowed to ferry within zones only. Only Kutch zone buses can ferry passengers to North Gujarat and Saurashtra regions,” he said.

Passengers may buy tickets online or in person. Buses will commence operations from 8 am to 6 pm. All passengers will have to reach the depot 30 minutes before departure, to be screened and sanitized. Every bus will only carry 30 passengers at a time and will not be permitted to pass through any containment zone.

business units in areas other than containment zones. But, the civic body forced the ones in the eastern part shut,” said Dinesh Sharma, leader of the opposition, AMC. He added, “I have received calls from BJP members about their units being shut down in the eastern

part. Also, how can people travel to other parts of the city if they do not have a vehicle?

There are many people who live in the eastern part but work near SG Highway. I feel hasty decisions have been taken without getting a sense of the ground realities.”

03

Rajkot, Surat get 5-star rating for zero garbage First India Bureau Rajkot/Surat: Surat and Rajkot on Tuesday became two of only six cities in the country to be awarded a five-star rating from the ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for Garbage Free Cities.

Gujarat Chief minister Vijay Rupani took to Twitter to congratulate the two cities. “Heartiest congratulations to the people of Rajkot and Surat on receiving 5 Star Rating for Garbage Free Cities. Star Rating Protocol was introduced in 2018 to institutionalize a mechanism to achieve Garbage Free status and achieve higher degrees of cleanliness amongst the cities,” he tweeted.

Speaking to First India in Rajkot, environment Engineer Nilesh Parmar said, “The ratings are based on parameters including garbage collection, cleanliness of area/ streets, road cleanliness, ward-wise segregation, waste process-

Ahmedabad had to settle for a three-star rating despite several campaigns and a last ditch effort that involved clearing large containers like these from the roads overnight. —FILE PHOTO

Heartiest congratulations to the people of Rajkot and Surat on receiving 5 Star Rating for Garbage Free Cities.

—Vijay Rupani, Gujarat Chief Minister

ing, debris management and city beautification. We have 100% door-to-door garbage collection and kept up the standards of other parameters.”

Rajkot was among the first city to have around 10,000 paintings done across the city on public and private walls. It has also installed various sculptures made out of waste at different circles and a fighter plane on

Kalavad road.

Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani congratulated the employees of the local civic body and the people of the city for this achievement.

In Surat, Mayor Dr Jagdish Patel said that awareness about hygiene has increased, and attributed this to the good waste disposal work being done by the municipality.

`16.5 crore: SMC spend on fighting Corona

HOME & AWAY

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: Jamalpur councillor Shahnawaz Shaikh held a protest on the premises of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) office on Tuesday. He demanded that the AMC-run VS Hospital resume operations.

“There are hundreds of cases adding up in the city every day. The administration is willingly hiring hospitals and paying high tariffs and ignoring the utility of its own hospital. It is imperative that VS Hospital open, for the benefit of the citizens,” said Shaikh.

He also gave a letter of memorandum to the municipal commissioner, deputy municipal commissioner of health and the mayor. “The hospital must reopen for patient care as soon as possible. It is a humble request. Other hospitals that have remained active do not take patients other than ones infected with COVID-19. We should utilize all resources at our disposal for the health of all citizens,” he stated.

Surat: The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the health as well as the wealth of citizens and the local administration. According to reports, the total expenditure by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) over the ongoing health crisis stands at Rs16.50 crore.

A major chunk of the expense Rs11.75 crore can be accounted for by the headquarters of the local civic body. The remaining amount of Rs4.74 crore has been spent by eight zones in the city, with Udhna zone accounting for the highest amount of expenditure at Rs3.06 crore. On the other hand, a total of Rs1.67 crore has been spent in the seven remaining zones, which begs the question as to why such a high amount was spent in the Udhna zone. The expenditure in Rander zone is Rs5.67 lakh, Central zone accounts for Rs4.61 lakh, with the Katargam, Varachha, Varachha B zones spending Rs41.66 lakh, Rs20.08 lakh and Rs6.94 lakh respectively.

A tearful little girl stares out from the back of a truck carrying some 140 Kashmiris, who have been living here in Ahmedabad for many years, to the Kalupur railway station on Tuesday. A group of Good Samaritans including former MLA Sabir Kabliwala helped them get registered and dropped them to the station from where they left for their home state. Kabliwala also paid their train fare.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

2 jawans felled by COVID-19: DGP First India Bureau Gandhinagar: While working to protect the citizens of the state during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, all police personnel have been risking their lives every day.

The state police force lost two more jawans to novel coronavirus on Wednesday.

With zero tolerance being shown towards

those attacking corona warriors, three more people have been booked under the Prevention of Anti- Social Activities Act (PASA) and sent to prison.

“We will pay tribute to the corona warriors who died while fighting the virus on Wednesday.

Police personnel will observe two minutes silence to remember those whose sacrifice will never be forgot-

ten,” said Shivanand Jha, Director-General of Police (DGP).

He added, “Police will not show any tolerance when it comes to people attacking corona warriors. A case was registered with Dindoli police station in Surat, one in Bharuch rural and another in its city area.

All three people have been arrested under PASA and sent to jail.”

DGP Shivanand Jha

Outside containment, it’s business as usual, every other day Shops in commercial buildings may open on odd-and-even basis



First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A day after Chief Minister Vijay Rupani addressed announced a few relaxations during the lockdown, a video bulletin was released by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Tuesday. Officer on special

duty (OSD) Rajiv Gupta stated that businesses will be allowed to open in Ahmedabad except in containment zone areas.

“There are a few commercial units located in the same residential building complexes or in close proximity that can operate on an oddand-even number ba-

Offices may resume with limited staff. Everyone still needs to wear masks and take precautions. —Photo by HANIF SINDHI

sis,” Gupta said.

“The shops with odd numbers may stay

open for business on odd number dates while, shops with even

numbers will be permitted to operate on even number dates,” he explained.

Even though relaxations have been made effective, offices and businesses both government and private will only be allowed to be run by 33% of the total staff present at any given point of time.

Further, AMC has not granted permission to units falling in containment zones and the eastern part of the city.

“Only essential services have been permitted in containment zones and that too from 8 am to 3 pm. People living there are restricted from moving outside their areas.

While the curfew imposed in the city will be from 7 am to 7 pm,” said the officer.

The AMC also clearly stated that wearing a mask is mandatory for all citizens and those who do not follow the order will be charged Rs200 for each offence.

FEW FOOD JOINTS OPEN Ahmedabad: The state government has granted permission to restaurants to resume operations in non-containment areas from 8 am to 4 pm. But most businesses do not seem happy with the time stipulation made for food joints and restaurants.

“The state government has granted

permission to operate restaurants in non-containment areas from 8 am to 4 pm. These timings may suit only farsan and namkeen sellers or at the most those running exclusive lunch services, not others,” opined Narendra Somani, president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Gujarat.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

UP GOVERNMENT STOOPS BUT WILL IT CONQUER

THE LITTLE KNOWN

‘CABIN FEVER’

A

s lockdown 4.0 began, migrant workers found themselves caught in politics between the BJP and the Congress over the latter’s offer to provide buses to carry the distressed lot to their respective destinations in Uttar Pradesh. The government of Yogi Adityanath has been using one excuse after another to prevent the Congress from scoring a political goal as its main concern was not the plight of labourers but how to discredit the Congress for its offer. So it put up conditions which could easily be waived in the larger interest of the people.

When Congress general secretary Priyanka Vadra first wrote to Yogi Adityanath with the offer of help on May 16, UP govt did not respond for two days. Priyanka then tweeted, “Respected chief minister, I am requesting you this is not the time for politics. Thousands of labourers, migrant brothers and sisters without eating anything, are walking towards their homes. Let us help them, give permission to our buses.”

Earlier on Sunday Priyanka had posted a video of buses parked in a row on Twitter with the comment, “Our buses are standing at the border. Thousands of migrants and labourers are walking in the heat. Please give permission CM Yogi Adityanath ji, let us help our brothers and sisters.”

Yogi Adityanath retaliated by saying that Congress should be condemned for playing politics during Covid-19 pandemic. He held the party responsible for the Auraiya accident in which 26 migrants died claiming that one of the trucks involved in the accident came from Punjab and the other from Rajasthan.

Subsequently, the additional chief secretary (Home) of UP Awanish Awasthi in a letter to Priyanka’s secretary asked for a list of buses, names of driver/conductor and registration papers etc. After the Congress provided the details, Awasthi shot off another letter late on Monday night accepting the offer with the rider that the vehicles must reach Lucknow by 10 am on Tuesday.

It was not difficult to see UP government’s ploy but Congress ignored that and simply asked the futility of sending empty vehicles to Lucknow leaving the migrants ruing their fate. The argument made sense.

That UP govt was deliberately putting a spanner in the wheels was evident as it then came up with charges that the list provided by the Congress had registration numbers of autos, twowheelers and cars. Only 879 of them were buses.

Still, UP government asked Congress on Tuesday to send 500 buses to Ghaziabad and place another 500 at the disposal of DM, Gautam Buddh Nagar. This turned out to be a charade as buses remained parked near Rajasthan border adjoining Agra. District officials denied them permission to move to Ghaziabad.

Instead of allowing the 879 buses to ferry migrants, an FIR has now been lodged against Congress for listing other vehicles as buses. UP government has stooped, but will it conquer?

REKHA KUMAR The author is a personal development trainer, working with various government departments

A

“

The pandemic is affecting the mental health of many as they experience confusion, anxiety, and depression because of isolation and prolonged indoor living.

This is aptly termed as ‘cabin fever’

lways happy, always happy, every day the sun is shining...” is the way an old folk song began. But is this really the case? Not really. The pandemic is affecting the mental health of many as they experience confusion, anxiety, and depression because of isolation and prolonged indoor living. This is aptly termed as ‘cabin fever’. These are times when we seem to be making a lot of mistakes for apparently no reason at all.

What will aid us to keep our heads up? It is best to accept the reality and adjust accordingly.

We could make our routine activities easier by our mental attitude. Instead of yielding to the tendency to think negatively, try to think positive. A call to a friend can refresh us or playing an instrument or listening to a song can be soothing. Music can be a medicine when we are down. Also, by being reasonable and content, in an adverse situation, can help us to cope. Hope, that ‘this too will pass’, makes us look forward to something better.

Be tactful, considerate, and sympathetic towards your family when locked at home and make allowances for their irritability or moodiness. By sowing such seeds, we will reap a crop of the same when we are down.

Most of us know what it is like to experience a wave of sadness. Such a phase corrodes our confidence, self-esteem, and ability to think straight and make wise decisions. How can we support anyone in the family who is experiencing such feelings? Showing greater understanding, patience, and empathy can restore their sense of belonging.

This is the time to examine our daily routine. Can we cut down on time-wasting hobbies and gadgets and budget our time? We can set priorities, use the time to establish meaningful friend-

ISOLATION, INSECURITY, MONOTONOUS ROUTINE, HOME CONFLICTS, UNCERTAINTY HAS GIVEN RISE TO STRESS. IMPROVING COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL HELP US NOT TO FOCUS ON WORST-CASE SCENARIOS. WHEN SOMEONE IN THE FAMILY UPSETS US, WE MUST TRY TO STAY CALM AND GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE VIEWPOINT OF OTHERS

ships, and do some meaningful reading or write down our plans for future activities. We cannot always control our circumstances but can try to identify things that we can control.

In the current scenario, many are experiencing ‘money sickness syndrome’. They are stressed with money worries.

They are more aggressive and prone to negative thinking.

Budgeting our money carefully can help us have internal control, less strain, and positive feelings about ourselves.

Spend your time wisely by acquiring skills during this period and take care of your physical and emotional health. These are investments that will pay us back.

By making ‘learning new things’ a lifelong habit, will keep us happy.

Some experience headaches, tiredness, and disorientation due to common chemical odors from perfumes, body lotions, cleaning agents, paint, carpet,

tobacco smoke, room deodorizers, and other substances.

Such indoor air pollution causes ‘sick building syndrome’.

In air-conditioned rooms, carpets absorb various cleaners and solvents and then release them over a long period of time causing indoor air contamination. We all react differently to various agents, whether chemicals, germs, or viruses because of our genetic makeup, age, gender, health status, medications we take, pre-existing diseases, and lifestyle factors such as the use of alcohol or tobacco. Most people seem unaffected with a locked environment, others develop respiratory tract problems or get agitated and irritable.

These symptoms disappear when people have a change of environment. Others, when stressed are more chemically sensitive. What can help them to cope?

Minimise domestic chemicals. Chemical toxins weaken

Integration in the age of COVID-19 I

t wasn’t the usual end to our staff meeting.

This time, the head of our university department wrapped up the video conference by inviting her nine-year-old son to come and say hello to about a hundred colleagues.

It was an acknowledgement of the changes we have all adopted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The responses required to contain the spread of the virus have obliterated the boundaries that conventionally separate work from the rest of our lives.

It has left us questioning the old concept of worklife balance.

THE MYTH OF BALANCE The idea of work-life balance caught on the 1980s,

04

powered to a large extent by the increasing number of women in the paid workforce who also shouldered the bulk of home and family work.

While it is a concept somewhat hard to define and based on many assumptions, definitions of work-life balance tend to focus on the “absence of conflict” between professional and personal domains.

The intention is noble.

The problem, in the words of business scholar Stewart Friedman, is that “balance is bunk”: It’s a misguided metaphor because it assumes we must always make trade-offs among the four main aspects of our lives: work or school, home or family (however you define that), community (friends, neighbours, religious or

better integrate work and the rest of life in ways that engender “four-way wins” between work, home, community and self.

Integration also allows us the opportunity to throw away the idea of being the “perfect” partner or parent and instead work on being more open, honest, and even vulnerable

social groups), and self (mind, body, spirit).

Friedman, a professor at the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, founded the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project in 1991 to “produce knowledge for action on the relationship between work and the rest of life”.

A more realistic and more gratifying goal than balance, he argues, is to

MAKING INTEGRATION THE NEW NORMAL What would work-life integration look like in the age of COVID-19?

Perhaps it is a father who invites his children and partner to discuss a workplace challenge he is facing over dinner.

Working from home has been particularly onerous for families with kids cooped up and parents having to take on homeschooling duties. In this scenario, talking through a workplace issue enables the family to support each other and to feel a part of each other’s lives.

In the case of our departmental head introducing

her son at the end of the video conference, it reminded the rest of us about the demands of working at home at this time.

Her son, meanwhile, got a chance to better appreciate his mother’s work, with nearly a hundred little boxes of faces no doubt helping him to understand why she is not always available. It was an opportunity to increase empathy and understanding from both colleagues and family. It sent a positive message that all employees are entitled to this understanding.

Integration also allows us the opportunity to throw away the idea of being the “perfect” partner or parent and instead work on being more open, honest, and even vulnerable..

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immune systems leaving us more prone to viral infections.

Keep dry cleaned clothes in the closet after airing them in a ventilated place. Though it is not possible to avoid all contact with chemicals, learning relaxation, and breath control techniques help, so does nutrition, exercise, and good mental disposition.

Isolation, insecurity, monotonous routine, home conflicts, uncertainty has given rise to stress. Improving communication with family and friends will help us not to focus on worst-case scenarios. When someone in the family upsets us, we must try to stay calm and gain insight into the viewpoint of others.

Forgiving is good medicine.

A depressed heart and a gloomy face can be lifted up by observing delicate flowers and plants. Decorate your home environment with colorful plants.

Being, in a green peaceful environment, is relaxing. Taking care of plants is absorbing and rewarding and can be a good exercise. When gardens move indoors, they become intimate companions. Every new leaf can be watched from the earliest infancy. These delightful gifts of nature can cheer our mood.

So wherever we are, whatever we do, by planning and making good choices, we can be tranquil and happy each day.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp The most disastrous situations can lead to promising opportunities with the right kind of leadership.

Out-of-the-box thinking & a multi-pronged approach, PM @ narendramodi ji’s work after Kutch earthquake is a pointer to his vision for post-Covid India.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Make in India Powers Railway Manufacturing: 12,000 horsepower Locomotive Engine, built in Madhepura, Bihar departed from Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Station in UP. The powerful & fast electric loco will cut down emission & operating cost & revolutionise freight movement in India.

Spiritual SPEAK

Those who cannot renounce attachment to the results of their work are far from the path. —Bhagavad Gita

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MIGRANT CRISIS

Cheap politics: Cong slams UP govt after row over buses for workers Congress claimed that 700 buses were at the Rajasthan-UP border, but were not being allowed to enter New Delhi: The Congress accused the Uttar Pradesh government of doing cheap politics by stopping 1,000 buses arranged by the party to ferry migrant labourers from entering the state.

At a digital press conference, Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and Rajiv Shukla claimed that the buses are standing at Rajasthan-UP border but are not being allowed to enter the state because the officials on the ground don’t have orders.

“The Uttar Pradesh administration wrote a letter to us at 11 in the night (on Monday), asking us to send the buses to Lucknow complete with all the papers - like fitness certificate, PUC certificate, driving license etc - by 10 am on Tuesday. Look at their behaviour - they are asking for papers, and don’t care about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the state (migrants walking towards their home). We replied within two hours, but got a response at 11.05 am the next day saying bring 500 buses to Ghaziabad and 500 to Noida,” said Surjewala.

“We replied saying the buses are coming from far away states like Ra-

Scooters, autos in list of buses: Min

Mr Adityanath, you said that service to man is service to god. When there is Modiji’s rally, you make all the arrangements like food, transport etc. But today, these buses are not acceptable to you because they have been arranged

by Congress? This is cheap politics.

—Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress Leader

jasthan and will reach by 5 pm today. And hundreds of buses are standing at the border, but officials are not allowing them to enter saying they don’t have orders,” Surjewala added.

He then called UP government “insensitive” and condemned the state administration’s behaviour.

“Mr Adityanath, you said that service to man is service to god. When there is Modiji’s rally, you make all the arrangements like food, transport etc. But today, these buses are not acceptable to you because they have been ar-

SP leader, son shot dead in UP’s Sambhal

New Delhi: A SP leader and his son were shot dead in UP’s Sambhal, allegedly after a dispute with a few villagers over construction of a road. A video of the two being gunned down has also emerged. According to Additional SP, Sambhal, Alok Kumar Jayswal, Chhote Lal Diwakar and his son Sunil were shot dead in broad daylight over a dispute regarding a road being constructed under the

MGNREGA scheme in Shamsoi village. Diwakar’s wife is the village pradhan. “We have registered an FIR, against five men that we have identified as well as a few others who are unidentified. They are locals. The dispute was regarding road being constructed in that area. The accused shot at the two victims and escaped.

We have formed teams to arrest them,” Jayswal said.

‘MISSING’ POSTERS OF KAMAL NATH, HIS SON APPEAR IN MP Chhindwara: ‘Missing’ posters of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath have been put up in Chhindwara amid the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. Kamal Nath is an MLA from the Chhindwara Vidhan Sabha seat, while Nakul Nath is a Member of Parliament

from Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency. “The people of Chhindwara are searching for the missing Chhindwara MLA and MP during this time of crisis.

Whosoever gets them to Chhindwara will be given a cash reward of Rs 21,000,” read the posters put up in area. However, the name of publisher has not been mentioned.

ranged by Congress?

This is cheap politics,” said Surjewala.

Rajeev Shukla said around 700 buses are standing at UP border, waiting for order from the state government to enter.“We humbly request you to stop this kind of politics. We want to cooperate, not do politics,” said Surjewala. “This is for a noble cause, our migrant workers need these buses. Don’t take their curse, help us in this endeavour.”

U P Congress claimed to have submitted the list of 1,000 buses to the Yogi government. —ANI

New Delhi: A day after UP government accepted Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s offer to arrange 1,000 buses to ferry migrant workers to their home districts, state minister Sidharth Nath Singh alleged that the buses had registration numbers of scooters, three-wheelers and goods carriers. “In the preliminary checking of the numbers, it has been found that the numbers mentioned in the list as that of buses are actually of scooters, three-wheelers and goods carriers.” Singh said Priyanka &Rahul Gandhi had no sympathy for the migrants and just wanted to politicise their issue. —ANI

PRIYANKA VADRA THANKS CM YOGI

Responding to letter by UP CM Yogi seeking details of 1000 buses run

by Congress party Cong Gen Secy Priyanka Gandhi said that help has been extended as its duty towards the poor and is a way to fight deadly pandemic ‘positively.’

DEMAND TO SEND 1000 EMPTY BUSES TO LKO INHUMANE’

S

andeep Singh, Private Secretary of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wrote to Awanish Awasthi, U Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Home) in which he said: “Migrant workers are stranded at Uttar Pradesh border, especially Delhi-UP border.

At a time when thousands of them are walking on roads and have gathered at Uttar Pradesh border for registration, sending 1,000 empty buses to Lucknow is not only a waste of time and resources but also inhumane,” Singh added.

9 labourers killed in Bhagalpur Patna: At least 9 migrant labourers have died in a truck and bus collision in Bhagalpur in Bihar on Tuesday morning. Several others have been injured in the accident after the truck the labourers were travelling in fell off the road. The accident took place in in Naugachhia of Bhagalpur. According to ANI, at least 9 labourers have died in the accident. Rescue operation is underway. In another such accident involving migrant labourers, a bus hit a truck in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal in the early hours of Tuesday.

Three migrant labourers and a bus driver were killed and 22 others injured after their bus hit a stationary truck in Yavatmal district. The accident took place at Kolwan village around 3.30 am when the bus was on way from Solapur to Nagpur railway station where the labourers were supposed to board a Shramik Special train to reach their native places in Jharkhand. —ANI

06

IN THE COURTYARD

Plea in HC for people not getting ration New Delhi: A petition has been moved in Delhi High Court rasing concern over plight of thousands of persons in the national capital who are not being distributed rations despite having the e-coupons issued

by Delhi government.

The petition, slated to come up for hearing today, sought directions to respondents to ensure that appropriate quantity of rations is distributed to e-coupoun holders who have not being delivered rations till date under the public distribution system.

Petitioner, Shabnam, is a law student residing in Sultanpuri Area of Delhi who saw the plight of these persons lining at the ration centres.

It also sought direction to authorities to publish/ issue a detailed list of the quantity of rations which ought to be distributed at the ration distribution centres. —ANI

VIZAG GAS LEAK: SC REFUSES TO INTERFERE WITH NGT ORDER New Delhi: The SC refused to immediately interfere with a National Green Tribunal order directing LG Polymers to deposit Rs 50 crores for damage caused by a gas leak in Visakhapatnam, in which at least 12 people were killed.

A bench of the apex court, headed

by Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, refused to pass any immediate interference to the National Green Tribunal order while hearing a petition filed by the LG Polymers challenging the

order of the NGT. We can’t interfere at this stage as the matter is seized of by the NGT, the court said during the hearing of the petition regarding the same.

The top court said that the matter can be raised before the NGT on June 1 and kept it pending for consideration on June 8. —ANI

‘From 100 to 1 lakh cases in 64 days’

Nadda hails J&K govt’s domicile rules

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 cases climbed from 100 to one lakh in 64 days, which is more than twice the number of days when compared to the United States and Spain, as per statistics

by Worldometers. Worldometers, run by an international team of developers, researchers, and volunteers, gives live world statistics on population and disease count, among others.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total COVID-19 cases in the country reached 1,01,139 with a singleday jump of 4,970 cases.

As many as 134 deaths were reported due to the disease in the past 24 hours, taking the toll to 3,163. —ANI

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader and party national president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday welcomed the new domicile rules gazetted in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Equality and dignity for all,” Nadda tweeted as J&K government notified J&K Grant of Domicile Certificate Rules, 2020, which specify the conditions and the process to obtain the documents required tor applying to jobs and avail other privileges.

COVID-19 UPDATE

MAHA LOCKDOWN 4.0

No taxis, hair saloons in red zones, says govt Employees wear protective suits working inside a lab in Jammu.

WORKPLACE GUIDELINES New Delhi: As India entered the fourth phase of its nationwide lockdown with relaxations and offices and working places opening, the Union Ministry of Health has issued guidelines on preventive and response measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in workplace settings.According to the guidelines there is no need to close the entire office building and stall work in other areas of the office, and work can be resumed after disinfection as per laid down protocol if there are one or two cases of coronavirus reported.

FRESH CHANCE FOR STUDENTS TO APPLY FOR JEE-MAINS New Delhi: “In view of representations received from various Indian students who were scheduled to join colleges abroad but are now keen to pursue their studies in India due to changed circumstances arising out of COVID-19, the National Testing Agency has decided to give an opportunity,” HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said. The application window for Joint Entrance Exam (JEE-Mains), which opened today, will have to be completed by May 24. The exam will be held across the country from July 18-23.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government retained most of the lockdown curbs it had imposed in the previous phase, including ban on taxis and hair saloons in red zones. The revised guidelines for lockdown 4.0 will be applicable post May 22. Areas outside municipal corporation in Mumbai and Pune have been excluded from the red zone.

There are also restrictions on private vehicles — both four

UP CONG CHIEF DRAGGED WHILE ON DHARNA OVER ISSUE OF BUSES Lucknow: An FIR has been registered against Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s personal secretary Sandeep Singh and party’s Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Kumar Lallu in Hazratganj Police station of Lucknow, police said.Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief was dragged and removed by the police

from the Agra-Rajasthan border in Uncha Nangla area where he had staged a sit-in protest demanding that buses, his party had arranged to ferry back migrants to their homes, be allowed to enter Uttar Pradesh. Policemen were seen holding him by his feet and shoulders and dragging him away from the spot.

Medic collects swab sample.

and two wheelers — in red and orange zones. Only those stepping out on essential work are allowed in red zones. In orange, taxis and rickshaws are allowed with limits on number of passengers. —ANI

IAF SHELVES 3 MAJOR PROJECTS FOR MAKE IN INDIA New Delhi: Amid PM Modi’s government push for indigenisation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has shelved three major acquisition projects worth over Rs 8,000 crore. ”We are not going forward with the additional Pilatus basic trainer aircraft that we were intending to (buy). Additional Hawks (trainer aircraft) were in the plans but at the moment, that has been shelved. There was a Jaguar re-engining plan which was totally imported and we have shelved that project,” Air Force Chief RKS Bhadauria told ANI in an interview.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

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Cyclone Amphan to cross Bengal, Bangladesh coasts on May 20: IMD It is one of the most intense cyclones, which has been formed in the Bay of Bengal after the year 1999 New Delhi: Cyclone Amphan will cross West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts by Wednesday night with a very devastating windspeed which is expected to cause large scale and extensive damage to structures, India Meteorological Department (IMD) chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said today.

“Amphan is the most intense cyclone - the second super cyclone which has been formed in the Bay of Bengal after 1999. We are utilizing all tools and technologies to monitor it. The current wind speed of Amphan is around 200 240 kmph, it is moving North-Northwest direction at 15 kmph, but we expect this speed to increase,” Mohapatra said in a press briefing here.

“Amphan will cross West Bengal and Bangladesh coasts between Digha and Hatia Island tomorrow afternoon/ evening, speed during landfall will be in the range of 155 - 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph, a very devastating speed,” he said.

Speaking further, the IMD chief said: “The devastating wind speed

POWER Gallery MERGER OF RLY SERVICES UNLIKELY THIS YEAR

Whispers are in that the proposed merger of all Railway services into Indian Railway Management Service may not happen this year due to the dreadful COVID-19 situation.

WHO WILL BE CHAIRMAN EXECUTIVE BOARD OF WHO ?

This time one Indian Official is going to be the Chairman of the World Health Organisation (WHO) & is believed to be appointed this month.

BSF LIKELY TO GET NEW CHIEF THIS MONTH

If sources are to be believed, headless BSF is likely to get a regular new DG by the end of this month. The said post is lying vacant since March 10 this year. Presently, SS Deshwal, DG, ITBP is holding the additional charge of DG, BSF. Fishermen bring their boats to the coast after the warning of Cyclone ‘Amphan’ in Paradip.

Amphan is the most intense cyclone - the second super cyclone - which has been formed in the Bay of Bengal after 1999. We are utilizing all tools and technologies to monitor it.

—Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD Chief

is expected to cause large scale and extensive damage to structures, poles, thatched and asbestos houses, hoardings, trees. We are expecting high wind speed and heavy rainfall to occur together.”

IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in North coastal Odisha and extremely heavy rainfall in East and West Medin-

Nepal’s new map features ‘parts of India’

Map also includes disputed territories of Kalapani & Lipulekh.

Kathmandu: Nepal cabinet has endorsed a new political map incorporating disputed territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani. Nepal claims the Indian territories as its own.

Yubraj Khatiwada, Minister of Finance and Information and Communication, announced that a new political map of Nepal is being issued. “The updated map of Nepal presented by the Ministry of Land Manage-

07

ment in today’s Council of Ministers meeting has been endorsed. The new map incorporates northern, southern, western and eastern International borderlines as well as includes the political and administrative arrangements,” Khatiwada, also the government spokesperson said on Monday.

“This new map will be used in all kinds of documents which has been enforced on by government,” he added. —ANI

ipur, South and North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hoogli, Kolkata and adjoining districts. “As far as Bengal is concerned, districts which can be possibly affected are North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore from tomorrow afternoon till night. Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah will face wind speed of 110-120 kmph.”

—ANI

CBI books 2 ex-army generals New Delhi: In a major development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against two retired Major Generals and two others for allegedly tampering with the Limited Departmental Competitive Examination marks in 2002, for wrongful selection of 44 candidates for promotion.

According to the CBI FIR, accused Major General (retired) M.V. Bhat was then a Brigadier and was posted as the Director of Survey Training Institute, Hyderabad, while Major General (retired) KRMK Balaji Rao was also a Brigadier and worked with the Institute as the Deputy Surveyor General. The CBI had launched an inquiry into the allegation in October 2018.

Police offical addresses in mike for security in Kolkata.

41 teams deployed in Odisha, WB New Delhi : A total of 41 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in both Odisha and West Bengal including 7 reserves teams in the view of cyclone Amphan, said agency chief SN Pradhan on Tuesday adding that the NDRF is facing the “dual” challenge of COVID-19 and a cyclone.

‘NDRF headquarters and other agencies are doing the

monitoring. 15 teams are deployed in Odisha. They are carrying out awareness drives, communication drives, and evacuation. 19 teams are deployed in West Bengal, 2 are in standby there. A total of 41 teams have been deployed in both states including 7 reserves teams,” Pradhan said “We have learnt some lesson from the experience of Fani,” NDRF Chief SN Pradhan said. —ANI

Cabinet Secy chairs meeting of NCMC New Delhi : Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba chaired the third meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) to review preparedness of states and central ministries to deal with the cyclonic storm ‘Amphan’. According to a release, he asked state governments to ensure timely evacuation of people from low-lying areas in cyclone path and to maintain adequate quantities of essential supplies such as food, drinking water and medicines. —ANI

Rajkot, Indore, Navi Mumbai are ‘5-star garbage-free’ cities New Delhi: The government released a rating of cities for their garbage management, giving the top ‘five-star garbage-free’ tag to six cities including Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur and Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, while saying that the Swachh Bharat Mission has been the “greatest strength” in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced the results of garbage-free star rating for the cities.A total of 141 cities have been rated — six of them 5-star, 65 of three-star, 70 one-star.

Apart from Ambikapur and Indore, Gujarat’s Rajkot and Surat, Karnataka’s Mysore and Maharashtra’s Navi

TARUN KAPOOR APPOINTED CHAIRMAN, PETRONET LNG LIMITED

Tarun Kapoor, Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, has been appointed Additional Director and Chairman, Petronet LNG Limited.

FOREIGN ASSIGNMENT TENURE OF GARIMA BHATNAGAR EXTENDED

The foreign assignment tenure of Garima Bhatnagar, working as Chief Mission Management and Support Section P-5 (Step-V), Department of Peacekeeping Operations, United Nations Police Division (UNPD), New York, has been extended upto July 14, 2021. She is a 1994 batch IPS officer of AGMUT cadre.

RAJESH VERMA TO JOIN AS SECRETARY, CORPORATE AFFAIRS ON JUNE 1

Rajesh Verma will be taking over the charge as Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs on June 1, 2020. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre.

RAJESH CHATURVEDI TO JOIN AS SECRETARY, CHEMICALS & PETROCHEMICALS ON JUNE 1

Rajaesh Kumar Chaturvedi will be taking over the charge as Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals on June 1, 2020. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.

AJIT KUMAR SRIVASTAV TO TAKE OVER AS DIRECTOR (DB), BEML ON JUNE 1

Ajit Kumar Srivastav, CGM, BEML, will be taking over the charge as Director (Defence Business), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) on June 1, 2020. He will succeed R H Muralidhara retiring in May this year.

RAJESH SHRIVASTAVA NEXT IN LINE TO REPLACE DR PRAKASHAM AS HEAD OF FORESTS IN MP ?

Govt released a rating of cities for their garbage management.

Mumbai have been rated five-star.

New Delhi, Haryana’s Karnal; Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati and Vijayawada; Chandigarh; Chhattisgarh’s Bhilai Nagar; Gujarat’s Ahmedabad; MP’s Bhopal; and Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur are among ‘three-star garbage-free rating, Puri said.

Among the ‘one-star garbage free cities’ are: Delhi Cantonment,

Rohtak, Gwalior, Maheshwar, Khandwa, Badnawar and Hathod; & Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Vyara. “In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the present situation could have been much worse had it not been for the critical part that Swachh Bharat Mission has played in last five years to ensure a high degree of cleanliness urban areas,” he said.

mainline which is close to their existing location,” the railways said.

The railways also said it has asked the state governments to identify and locate the migrants who are walking on roads to go to their home states and transport them to the nearest main line railway station after registering them the nearest district headquarters.

It has also asked the states to give a list of these travellers to the Railway Authorities so that arrangements can be made for their further travel through Shramik specials.

—ANI

Sonia to...

The sources said that Congress has invited opposition parties and the focus of the meeting will be on coronavirus crisis with an emphasis on the “tremendous difficulties” faced by migrant labourers returning to their homes in different states.

Sources said NCP chief Sharad Pawar, JMM leader Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, TMC chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, DMK leader MK Stalin, CPI-M’s Sitaram Yechury, RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav are among leaders from 20 parties like-

A 1984 batch IFS officer, Rajesh Shrivastava is expected to succeed Dr U Prakasham as PCCF & Head of Forests in Madhya Pradesh. Dr Prakasham, who belongs to a 1983 batch IFS officer, is due to retire on May 31, 2020.

GIRDHAR RAO IN RACE FOR HEAD OF FORESTS IN MP ?

A 1985 batch IFS officer, Girdhar Rao is also said to be in the race for the post of PCCF & Head of Forests in Madhya Pradesh. Dr Prakasham, who is a 1983 batch IFS officer, is due to retire on May 31, 2020.

P SURESH POSTED IN SCR

P Suresh on repatriation from deputation to Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has been posted in South Central Railway. He is an IRSEE officer.

FROM PG 1 Highest overnight... fast in Banaskantha, Aravalli and Mehsana. The state’s tally is now 12,141, with a death toll of 719. As many as 5,043 patients have been discharged. In Vadodara, 13 of the 242 patients under treatment are in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, the state high court through a circular has instructed district courts to not issue any order regarding the functioning of their courts during the lockdown period without consulting high court.

‘No need...

Procedure (SOP) on the movement of stranded

workers by trains during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown.

The Home Ministry has directed states and Union Territories to designate nodal authorities and make necessary arrangements for receiving and sending such stranded persons.

“Movement of Shramik special trains shall be permitted by the Ministry of Railways (MoR), in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),” the Ministry said in the letter.

The Ministry said the train schedule including stoppages and destination shall be finalised by the Railways Ministry

based on the requirements of States/ UTs and shall be communicated by MoR to the States/ UTs for making suitable arrangements for sending and receiving such stranded workers. It also directed officials to mandatorily conduct screening of passengers before boarding the trains. —ANI

Rlys to... routes connecting 15 major cities to Delhi.

All categories of passengers will be allowed to book tickets which will be available online.

“Indian Railways will run 200 non-AC trains daily as per the time ta-

ble from June 1, whose online booking will start soon,” tweeted Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. While the railways is yet to state which routes these trains will run on, officials said they could cater to the smaller towns and cities.

Railways said the move to start these 200 trains would also be helpful for migrants who can avail these trains if they are unable to board the Shramik Special trains.

“Efforts will be made such that they (migrants) will be able to board trains from Railway Station Head on

ly to take part in the meeting. —ANI

Chaos @ Bandra... a large number of migrants were seen carrying their luggages and running towards the gate of the Bandra Terminus.

The crowd started gathering in the area around 11 am, sources said.

The Western Railway in a statement later said a Shramik Special train was scheduled for Purnia from the Bandra Terminus in which passengers registered with the state authorities were to travel. However, many people, who were not registered and not

called by the state authorities, gathered on a road and a bridge near the station, it said.

The crowd outside the station was later dispersed by police, a railway official said.

Hurriyat chief’s...

Two weapons and ammunition were recovered from their possession, the police said.

Earlier in the day, a member of police special operation group was injured in the encounter. Jammu and Kashmir Police said the operation was launched on a credible police input last night.

—ANI

Moderation is the key to physical good health, we must be moderate in food and exercise but we must be excessive in hard work and creativity to succeed.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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A little relaxation and Guj unlocks itself on Day One LOCKDOWN 4.0: Thousands thronged streets to buy non-essential items

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: As though waiting for just one cue, Ahmedabadis in the western parts of the city and people in other non-containment zones of Gujarat unlocked themselves from their homes to come out in droves to buy non- essentials, including cigarettes and paan masala, and other things.

The Gujarat Government had on Monday evening announced several relaxations, including opening of markets and shops only in noncontainment zones, from Tuesday, though the fourth phase of lockdown continued the ordeal for those stuck in red zones.

The government has allowed shops and other commercial establishments in non-containment zones to remain open between 8 am and 4 pm. In Ahmedabd’s 11 containment zones com-

‘TWIN CITIES’!

A number of people rushed to mobile stores, like this one in Ahmedabad’s Bodakdev area, on Tuesday to get their phones fixed.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

prising 12.68 lakh people, on the other hand, no shops barring those selling essential items were allowed.

Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat account for the maximum coronavirus case load in Gujarat, which reported 11,746 cases and 694 deaths as on Monday.

Citizens in Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot also came out much relieved and

HC Bar seeks more virtual courts for quick redressal

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association (GHCAA) has written to Chief Justice Vikram Nath seeking more courts for hearing of cases through video conferencing, days after senior lawyers made similar requests “in the interest of justice”.

Citing examples of Supreme Court and Bombay High Court, GHCAA president Yatin Oza, in his letter on Monday, stated, “Be pleased to be good

enough to increase the number of Benches to hear the matter by virtual courts for speedy disposal of the cases. The Bombay High Court is fully functional and practically all the judges sit in the courtroom and matters are taken up either by way of physical hearing or virtual hearing.” He sought a helpline to redress issues being faced by lawyers while filing cases online. “One permanent helpline number be notified,” Oza wrote.

were seen thronging the markets in large numbers.

While Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday said that business and commercial establishments need to follow the “odd-even” formula in shopping and office complexes, wherein only 50 per cent establishments will remain open on any given day.

Many shops opened in western parts of

Major fire at Ankleshwar

Ahmedabad, except those located in malls and shopping complexes.

In Ahmedabad and Surat, people came out in their own vehicles leading to traffic jams in some areas. At many places, people seemed to have least bothered about maintaining social distancing norms regarding vehicles.

Not much activity was seen in Ahmedabad’

main shopping area of CG Road and those areas where most of the shops are located inside malls and shopping complexes.

In Raopura area of Vadodara, not much crowd was seen even though many shops reopened. People queued up in large numbers outside paan-masala shops that were allowed to reopen in many parts of the state.

Cong MLA seeks NHRC help over A’bad Covid toll First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Gujarat Congress MLA Gyasuddin Shaikh on Tuesday sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission, alleging that negligence and improper treatment of COVID-19 patients in Ahmedabad Civil Hospital is leading to high number of deaths.

In a letter to the NHRC, Shaikh also alleged that the situation is similar in other government-run hospitals where senior doctors are “shying away from treating COVID-19 patients and handing over the responsibility to junior doctors and para medical staff.”

“The high mortality rate of coronavirus patients in Ahmedabad is due to improper treatment and negligence of doctors and authorities,” the legislator asserted.

“It has come to my notice that doctors are not aware about the death of a patient even after three

Ganjam/Surat: It has been three days after her husband’s death in a Covid-19 hospital in Odisha, but his wife Rosie is unable to take his body home since their village has refused entry to the entire family though his corona report was negative.

Purna Chandra Gowda of Haripur village in Jagannath Prasad block of Ganjam district returned home from Surat on March 11 when his son was born.

Though he reached there long before the lockdown, he spent 14 days under quarantine at his home and did not develop any Covid-19 symptoms.

But two months later, on May 11, Gowda suddenly had trouble breathing, after which his family admitted him to Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur town of Ganjam. The next day, May 12, he was moved to Covid-19

The high mortality rate of coronavirus patients in Ahmedabad is due to improper treatment and negligence of doctors and authorities. It has come to my notice that doctors are not aware about the death of a patient even after three hours.

—Gyasuddin Shaikh, Congress MLA from Dariapur

hours. Relatives are also not informed about the treatment or progress in health of the patients,” the Opposition MLA said in a video message.

Because of such practices, a very high number of coronavirus patients have died in the

Rajkot: Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. And this is what these two young girls seem to have discovered to ensure social distancing as well as remain together. When they snaked around on the streets in Rajkot on this at least 10foot long bicycle, everyone stopped, watched and some made videos.

The design of the bicycle is such that there is a three-foot distance between the rider and the pillion.

Ankleshwar: A major fire broke out at a chemical factory in Ankleshwar town of Bharuch district on Tuesday evening. No one was injured. The blaze started in a paint thinner producing factory around 4 pm and the flames spread rapidly. According to fire officials, around five employees of the factory were present inside at the time of the incident. They had first heard a loud sound and then noticed the fire, officials said.

Ten firefighters were pressed into service.

Infected woman delivers twins, one is positive Vadnagar: Doctors here are baffled after a corona-infected woman gave birth to twins with one of them testing positive and anoth-

er negative for the virus. This is the first such case in Gujarat.

Hasumati Parmar of Mollipura on Saturday gave birth to twins at the Medical Hospital in Vadnagar. Since the

mother was infected, samples of both newborns were also sent for examination.

Doctors were surprised when the reports of the infants came late Monday night. The

baby body has tested positive while his twin sister’s report was negative. The samples are once again being sent for re-examination.

Vadnagar Medical College Superintendent

Inhumane face of corona : Wife fails to get hubby’s body First India Bureau

Congress MLA has complained to NHRC about functioning of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

NECESSITY BREEDS INVENTION!

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

An Odia worker, who returned from Surat, died at a Covid hospital in Odisha but his report was negative for corona.

hospital Sitalapalli area of the city on recommendations from the doctors.

He died on May 16 in Covid-19 Hospital, though the cause of death is not yet known.

The State Government announced his death the next day, attributing it to the deadly virus.

However, hours later, the government backed down, stating that his report had come negative for the virus. Incidentally, the same day another youth in Ganjam district, who had returned from Surat, succumbed to Covid-19.

Now, the people of Haripur village have laid siege on the mortuary to ensure Gowda’s body was not taken to the village.

08

Since Gowda had returned from Surat, was home-quarantined and later admitted to corona hospital, people think his family may spread the virus in the village though his report was negative.

—Vijay Amrita Kulange, Ganjam District Collector

HD Palekar suspects the boy’s report may be wrong. Breast feeding has also not been provided to children, who have been kept together and he thinks the reports could not be different.

civil hospital, he said.

“Thus, to safeguard the basic human rights of patients, I have written to NHRC today and sought its intervention.

I have also demanded an investigation into the overall functioning of the civil hospital,” he said.

Upper caste man kills Dalit woman, takes poison First India Bureau Rajkot: A Dalit woman was allegedly murdered by a man from the upper caste in a village in Rajkot district on Tuesday, with her husband alleging that the accused tried to rape his wife. The police, however, ruled out any caste angle to the crime at this stage.

The incident took place at around 7:30 am when the victim and two other women were on their way to an agricultural farm in the village, the police said.

Later, he consumed poison in an attempt to commit suicide. His condition was reported to be critical. The Dalit woman, a mother of two, died on the spot, adding that the accused also assaulted and injured the two other women with the victim.

Covid-19 claims life of another Odia migrant First India Bureau Surat: Another Odia migrant worker died of Covid-19 in Surat on Tuesday. Earlier, a youth from Ganjam district had died in Surat following alleged police brutality.

The deceased has been identified as Krushna Govind Bisoyi of Badula village in Jharpali panchayat under Dharakot block of Ganjam district.

The 27-year-old was working in a cotton

factory in Surat. He was sick for the last few days. Accordingly, he was asked to go through a health check-up and he tested positive for coronavirus.

He was undergoing treatment at a COVID hospital and reportedly died at about 12 noon on Tuesday.

Villagers of Badula have demanded compensation to the next of the kin of the deceased given the poverty of the victim family.

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09

AHMEDABAD, WEDNESDAY MAY 20, 2020

Deepika Padukone

Husn Ke Lakhon Rang...

Cabaret as a dance form has been much celebrated in real and reel life, City First revisits some of the popular cabaret dancers and the change in the dance form!

Helen

RUCHIKA SODHI cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

1960’s

Bindu

was the era of Cabaret in Bollywood where these numbers were very much the crowd pullers. The songs would be a part of the movie, with the plot often woven in, unlike the item numbers of today. Also, the female lead rarely performed the cabaret in those days whereas now the top stars take the lead in the item numbers.

The first name which pops into mind is naturally Helen who brought a sensuous grace to each of her dances though Cuckoo was the first cabaret dancer of Bollywood. Actresses like Aruna Irani, Bindu, Jayshree T and Padma Khanna carried on into the 70’s, setting the screen on fire.

In fact, the word which comes to mind is

Jayshree T

Aruna Irani

Padma Khanna

graceful and sultry when we think of these beauties, vulgarity was never a part of the Hindi movie cabaret scene. I can’t think of anybody who matches the sexy moves of Helen even today, just think ‘Piya Tu Ab To Aaja’ or for that matter Aruna Irani with ‘Sapna Mera Tut Gaya’.

Faryal was a popular dancer with ‘Yeh Duniya To Hai Bas Paise Ki’ as one of her best songs. No cabaret list can be complete without the Padma Khanna number ‘Husn Ke Lakhon Rang’.

Rekha, the star who holds a special place in every heart is one of the best dancers as we all

know but she stunned her fans when she did cabaret for the song ‘Kaisi Paheli Zindagani’ in the movie Parineeta.

Kareena, the star of the Kapoor family is a naturally sexy dancer oozing oomph as she did in ‘Yeh Mera Dil’ in ‘Don’. For a moment there, I did forget Helen’s original. Both, Deepika Padukone or Priyanka Chopra, the queens of Bollywood, are absolutely amazing dancers bringing a deeprooted grace to their moves leading to sultry and sexy confidence in their dances.

Today, the cabaret or the item songs are here to stay and in fact, are highly popular at the wedding and ladies’ sangeet too. So, swing those hips and call out to the love of your life…‘Piya Tu Ab To Aaja’!

Mahi Gill

Kareena Kapoor Khan Richa Chaddha

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

10

THE HELPING HAND! LUNARAM DARJI cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Jalore: Corona pandemic has affected all aspects of the lives of people across the country. The devastating effect of COVID-19 is more visible on the workers stranded in places far away from their roots. There are thousands of workers employed in the interior decoration industry who have migrated from states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to work in economic centers like Mumbai. Narsi Group from Rajasthan too employs a large number of people in Mumbai, who have come from various states. Even this industry is suffering due to the Corona epidemic infused lock-

down. But unlike others, Narsi Kulariya, MD of Narsi Group is unfazed by the current setback and is already planning a big revival for the post-COVID-19 era. Narsi Kulariya believes in PM Modi’s skill development programme to the core and had been instrumental in training a large number of youngsters for the interior design industry. Now when all of a sudden Corona struck Kulariya knew exactly what to do, he didn’t wait for anything and extended his hand of help to the stranded workers by transferring money to their bank accounts so that they didn’t feel the pinch of the lockdown on their daily needs.

Narsi Kulariya waited for a while to see the probabilities of the lockdown being lifted. He always has been a man deeply rooted in his native state Rajasthan despite becoming a big

FA CE OF TH ED AY

name in the interior industry with business expanding beyond the borders of India. A simple man like Narsi Kulariya employing more than 5000 workers realized that his workers would like to be close to their homes and near & dear ones in this hour of crisis.

So he started getting in touch with senior officers o arrange for his workers to travel back home. He called Congress state General Secretary Pukhraj Parashar who was eager to help him in his endeavor. Narsi Kulariya got central minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s help to arrange for a special train from Mumbai.

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

His personal rapport with senior officers in states came in handy and his brother Bhanwar Kulariya & Poonam Kulariya strongly stood behind their elder brother. Finally, the Kulariya brothers were able to get 1200 workers from Mumbai to Rajasthan through a spe-

cial train.

These workers hailed from areas like Bikaner, Nokha and Jodhpur. So the younger brothers Bhanwar and Poonam Kulariya arranged for buses to carry the workers from the railway stations to their respective places. Arrangements

for proper refreshments for workers were made at the railway station before the workers started their onward journey. Local administration and police officers along with local MLA Bihari Lal helped the Narsi Group initiative. Narsi Kulariya has helped his workers in their hour of distress and this is an inspiration for other industrialists across the country. Now he eagerly awaits for the crisis to get over so that he along with brothers Bhanwar and Poonam can once more take the interior industry to a new height bringing prosperity not only for them, workers but for India as well.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Your family always supports you for everything so that ways you always feel strong. You will try different forms of yoga and meditation to feel better. Your lover will ask you questions about future so be ready with the truth and handle the things with wisdom.

You will get closer to each other in family and a good understanding will develop amongst you all. Spend a romantic evening with your lover even if via technology. You are person who always ensures the happiness of the elders. You will be able to bag a lucrative deal.

You enjoy a good health because you always take care good care of what you eat. Do something special for your dear one and express your gratitude towards them. You will become a good fun loving sincere spouse. You can get the financial stability that you want.

On academic front you will raise your performance bar by utilising the current time in improving yourself.

Romance is all that is on your mind and you are desperate to meet your lover but safety is more important than anything else. Take good care of your health.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You help people when they need you and that is why so many people love you and want to remain associated with you. You have a beautiful soul and you are a person of depth. Love inspires you and make you a better person. Taking right steps in right direction is all that you need.

You may be dying to meet someone close so technology is a big blessing in your life right now, You don’t need reminders from anybody you sincerely do all your work on your own on academic front.

You care about poor and you will do what you can to help them.

You will get one step closer to your goal on professional front.

Academically you are a strong one and no matter what the situation is you keep yourself up to date. You will get a good break on professional front in coming times.

There will be an improve in health.

Don’t annoy your parents for things that may or may not happen in future, maintain peace at present.

Impressing your partner is on your cards and you may do anything to succeed in your endeavour. You will get money from the unexpected quarters.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You are a person who is able to solve all the riddles and surprise everyone. You can get some favours from your friends if you are in any need. You will get extra attention than usual, from your partner. You will go out of your way to feed hungry people. You can expect to get payment from someone.

Marriage is on cards even amidst these changing times. You will be able to do negotiation in business matters. Without any fear just enrol for higher studies, when the right times comes you will find your way.

Those who are in debt will see some relief.

You are the shining light in the times of darkness for your parents. Make efforts to maintain all the harmony in your family. You are very romantic by nature and your partner is always longing for you. You have many friends as you are a social person. Make wise investments if you want rich dividends.

You have many aspirations on academic front and the good thing is that you do all that you can to out stand. Get in touch with friends from whom you haven’t heard for a long time.Financial problems are a things of the past for you. Money keeps flowing your life all the time.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

DARSHANA SORATHIYA, Actor

Narsi Kulariya waited for a while to see the probabilities of the lockdown being lifted. He always has been a man deeply rooted in his native state Rajasthan despite becoming a big name in the interior industry with business expanding beyond the borders of India. A simple man like Narsi Kulariya employing more than 5000 workers realized that his workers would like to be close to their homes.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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BE FIT

MENTALLY!

D

eepika Padukone, who has long been spreading awareness about mental health disorders, curated a wellness guide for people struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Padukone posted the wellness guide on Twitter and asked people not to hesitate to seek support when going through emotional turmoil.

“Do not hesitate to seek support when you are feeling overwhelmed. #YouAreNotAlone. Click on my Instagram Wellness Guide for ideas and advice on nurturing your #MentalHealth during this period of uncertainty and beyond,” she tweeted. Padukone’s mental wellness guide consists of tips to address the mental health, a list of daily routine activities for taking care of the mind, and other important tips

to cope with stress and anxiety.

Earlier this year, the actor was also awarded the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos for spreading awareness about the importance of mental health. Padukone started voicing her opinion on the importance of mental health through her ‘The Live Love Laugh Foundation (TLLLF) in June 2015.

Through the programme, the actor launched nationwide awareness as well as destigmatisation campaigns. The foundation raises awareness about mental health disorders and organises training sessions, research and lecture series that feature some of the well-known thinkers and achievers.

—ANI

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

11

‘Malang’ in trend!

A

fter charting a successful run at the box office earlier this year, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Disha Patani, Anil Kapoor and Kunal Kemmu starrer Mohit Suri’s Malang released on OTT platform on 15 May and has been ranking at #1 spot in India on the platform owing to the exceptional response from the viewers.

What’s more, the movie is also trending in Top 10 in 11 other countries across the world as of today viz-UAE, Canada, Singa-

Still from the movie

pore, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Qatar, Pakistan and Bangladesh with more countries getting added to this list daily.

While Malang is setting new benchmarks on this OTT platform, its makers are already working on its sequel ‘Malang 2’. Producer, Ankur Garg says, “We are thankful to the audience who have shown such a phenomenal response to our film Malang after the theatres, now on OTT. While people are enjoying Malang on Netflix- Yes, we are coming up with Malang 2. Mohit and Luv are working on the sequel and more details will follow soon!”

—Agency

An adorable wish!

Anil and Sunita Kapoor (left) and Sonam K Ahuja

A

ctor Anil Kapoor and wife Sunita completed 36 years of marriage on Tuesday, and their elder daughter, actress Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, took to Instagram and shared a few pictures of the couple, wishing them on the occasion.

“Happy happy anniversary parents.. I love you so much and miss you so much. 36 years married and 11 years of dating! Insane ! Your love story is the best kind filled with love laughter and family and because angst only belongs in films not real life.

“Love you love you love you . ps ( you both also produced the three most confident and crazy children ) we hope we make you proud,” wrote Sonam. Sunita, too, wished her husband on social media on their special day. “My Husband is My Happy Place” Happy 36th anniversary.. love you beyond time,” she posted. A few days back, Anil shared a couple of pictures on Instagram where he is seen honing his carrom skills with Sunita amid the lockdown.

—IANS Deepika Padukone

CITY OF LOVER!

Katy Perry

CRAVING

T

aylor Swift had the biggest surprise for her fans as she live-tweeted songs from ‘City of Lover Concert’ after her 2020 tour got cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The young songstress had to call off many performances and concerts due to the global pandemic. Hence, she decided to surprise fans and give them a glimpse of what the ‘City of Lover’ Concert would have looked like. Taylor Swift performed acoustics of her songs and teased the fans.

The songs were shot last September at Paris’s L’Olympia Theater after Taylor Swift’s seventh album Lover came out. “It was the best album release party I could’ve wished for,” Taylor Swift tweeted. “A lot of these songs on this album that just came out, I’ve never played live before. And I was thinking about how I’d really like to play some of these songs for the very first time, and I was thinking maybe the best way to do it would be just playing the songs acoustically, the way that I wrote them,” the 30-year-old singer gushed.

—IANS

Indian Food!

K

Taylor Swift

aty Perry has entered her third trimester and she’s having cravings like any other aspiring mother. The 35-year-old singer has often opened up on experiencing pregnancy blues amidst the Coronavirus lockdown. During a live Facebook chat, Katy Perry revealed that she’s finding it difficult to stay at home with so many people around and she escapes to her car every now and then to enjoy some ‘me time’. While Katy is having her share of good and bad days during her pregnancy, the songstress admits she’s been craving for Indian food.

Expecting moms often experience swings of food cravings and its spicy Indian food for Katy Perry. “Well, in the very beginning it was like give me Indian food or get out of the way,” she revealed. “I have never wanted more spice than I do want in my life now. So it’s all about spice, how hot can my mouth get,” Katy Perry admitted.

—IANS

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City First talks to a few Salon owners in Jaipur, as they finally open to the public after almost 2 months’ lockdown!

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2020

GET.. SET.. GO!

—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

12

Looks salon is all set to give grooming services with WHO guidelines of Hygiene and Safety. Starting from the entry, to service execution, to billing, sanitization safety protocols are followed to ensure clients’ safety. Salon has a sanitization entry bar, the staff wears PPE Kits the whole time while working, and for clients all disposables things are being used, like disposable towels, linen, etc.

Let all the fear go away, when you come to Looks Salon. We care for you!

—Dr JYOTI CHAUDHARY, LOOKS SALON

Precautions being taken at LOOKS Salon CITY FIRST

G

rooming is something that everyone has been waiting for, and for the people in Jaipur, the day is finally here. The salons in the Pink City opened on Tuesday to the public, with maximum protection, sanitization, and safety. City First got in touch with a few of the owners and asked them about the precautions they are taking, and the kind of safety they are assuring to their customers, which would keep not just the customers safe, but the staff safe as well. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

S

rajan The Spark Apex is presenting all the patrons of Srajan together on one platform to interact with the viewers on Wednesday. The event will run live on Facebook in India at 8.30 PM, UK at 4 PM and Canada at 11 AM. During the online event, Chief Patron IPS Prasanna Khamesra, renowned Ghazal Maestros Ustad Rajkumar Rizvi, Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Ustad Mohammad Hussain, World Fame Percussionist Drummist Anandan Sivamani, renowned Flutist Pt. Ronu Majumdar and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah fame renowned Poet/Actor Shailesh Lodha will come live on the platform to chit chat with their fans.

We promise to maintain the utmost hygiene level with our set protocols to make you feel the highest level of comfort. As a safety measure, we’ve placed infrared thermometers at the entry and regular checks shall be taken for everyone entering the premises. We’ve taken the liberty to perform proper sanitization at regular intervals of the premises for your safety. We’ve placed sterilization stations for all our types of equipment to ensure there are no traces of unwanted bacteria. We’ve taken the liberty to develop specialised PPE Kits containing disposable suits, hand gloves, caps, hair-nets, face shields, and masks.

—DEEPALI CHUGH, SIZZLIN SCIZZORS

EXTENDING HELP!

BUZZ!

Srajan The Spark Apex

Services being taken with full precautions at Hashtag Blunt Salon

CITY FIRST

W

ith the recent announcement of Lockdown 4.0, leading educational institute JK Lakshmipat University, in association with the District Administration of Jaipur, Samarth Community and NLCS Bhilwara has extended the operations of its helpline ‘Sharing-Caring’ for senior citizens across Rajasthan. The helpline which was initially operating for the Jaipur region now extends its operations for the entire Rajasthan and within a month, the helpline saw a huge response from the elderly people of Jaipur and received more than 1300 calls, with more than a 100 calls per day in the

“Jaise Chamke Juggnu Bina Roshni Ke, Chamke Vaise Jhoomar Jaise Nache Angan Me Vaise Rani Ghume Ghoomar”

initial days. The helpline number 7428518030 is run by a dedicated team of JKLU faculty, staff and students. Elderly citizens can call between 9 AM and 7 PM if they feel stressed or worried, need essentials such as food, medicines, medical support or consultation, need information on COVID 19, want to talk to one of the volunteers, or wish to learn about using technology to help in times of COVID-19 informed Dr R L Raina, Vice-Chancellor, JK Lakshmipat University. District Collector, Dr Joga Ram who launched this noble initiative also appreciated the move amid extended lockdown and facilitated administrative support for its smooth operations. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

We at Hashtag Blunt Salon are and would be following the guidelines laid by the government. We have equipped our staff with PPE kits, face masks, face shields, gloves and sanitizer. To maintain social distancing, we have reduced a number of chairs (work station) by 50% and are requesting our customers to take prior appointments before they drop in to reduce any gathering in our waiting area. Personal protection kits to our staff, sanitizer at every work station, disposable face masks, hand gloves are now our main weapons to keep ourselves and our customers safe.

—MANISHA PANDEL, HASHTAG BLUNT SALON

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Rajasthan: Anil Lodha, Editor-in-Chief, A1TV celebrated his birthday with simplicity at home with his family and Jagdeesh Chandra.

Seen here with him are, his sister Mamta, son Utkarsh with his daughter Vagmi. Anil Lodha’s mother Bimla Lodha is next to him as he cuts the cake, along with daughterin-law Bharti and niece Prachi.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Twirling with Grace

GHOOMAR

Rajasthan: Ajay Dabur, a student from St. Edmund’s School class XII C in Jawahar Nagar, paid a tribute to the corona warriors through his artworks.

Rajasthan: On the fifth day of the ongoing ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival’, viewers learned about the religious folk painting of Rajasthan ‘Phar Painting’. The session was conducted by visual artist, Manoj Joshi from Chittorgarh. During the online learning session, viewers learned about the history of Phar Painting, its oral traditions, how to prepare the canvas, elements of a Phar painting, types of colours used and much more. The session witnessed participation from over 280 viewers.

SWATI JANGID

swati.jangid@firstindia.co.in

CITY FIRST, JODHPUR

S

eema Rathore, an artist from Rajasthan has been helping many aspiring dancers to learn the Ghoomar Dance, as she is training young girls and ladies. The Ghoomar dance form became more popular with the film ‘Padmavat’, and now almost every woman wants to ‘twirl gracefully’.

Other than Ghoomar, she also conducts Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Bollywood dance workshops, as she has always been in the field of dancing since her childhood. She has always remained at the forefront when it comes to dancing, at various junctures like marriage parties, competitions and other cultural events. Even before she knew, her interest in dance turned

Seema Rathore

into her passion, and she started working hard to create a career in this field. Finally, she started her own dance academy, ‘Rhythm Dance Academy’ and made everyone learn the traditional dance of Rajasthan, along with other dance forms. With her exceptional talent, she has attracted not only the people in Jodhpur, but also the foreigners.

She even participated in various big competitions organised at the city level, where she was bold enough to beat more than 80 dancers, and to emerge as a winner in the traditional dance category. She says, “Dance is something which can lift you up, creating

positive aura all around.” Her exceptional talent has helped her to bag prestigious awards like, ‘India Star Icon Award of the State’. This award is regarded as the prestigious one in the country, and has attracted the authorities to facilitate talents from across the country. She bagged the award for the category of traditional dance. She is the only lady from Rajasthan to achieve this award, which is given to people with exceptional talents. The young choreographer calls Ghoomar a legacy, which has the potential to save the youth community from the culture of destruction and prejudice.

Gujarat: Police personnel at the Krishnanagar police station observed two minutes’ silence to mourn the passing of their colleague Head Constable Bharatji Somji, who died due to COVID-19.

Gujarat: Man performs puja as he reopens his street garage on Ashram Road in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Gujarat: Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel paid tribute to Catherine, Head Nurse of Civil Hospital, who died after contracting Sars-CoV-2 while on duty at the dedicated COVID-19 Hospital. He commended her contribution as a warrior in the fight against the disease.