First India-Ahmedabad Edition-21 June 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

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ALERT AHMEDABAD l SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

4,64,574 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 6,053 DEATHS 1,28,205 CASES

88,46,948 CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 704 DEATHS 56,845 CASES

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RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 206

INDIA

13,269 4,07,752 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DELHI 2,035 DEATHS 53,116 CASES

GUJARAT

1,639 DEATHS

RAJASTHAN 337 DEATHS 14,537 CASES

26,737

CONFIRMED CASES

UTTAR PRADESH 529 DEATHS 17,135 CASES

YOGA FOR

YOGA FOR HEALTH, YOGA AT HOME is the theme for this year’s International Yoga Day which is observed today. A powerful tool to deal with stress of uncertainty and isolation as the world is reeling under COVID-19 pandemic, Yoga can help keep anxiety and mental health in check, during quarantine period

A TWIST IN TALE?

‘Ready to counter any Modi led govt will not allow China to make unilateral change of contingency LAC border, strongly worded clarification issued by PMO said at LAC’

New Delhi: Amid growing confusion over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement post all-party meeting on Friday, a lot of questions were raised by different political party leaders on his remarks on the Galwan valley clash.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Saturday called as “mischievous interpretation” the criticism over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks at an allparty meeting that no one has entered Indian territory or captured any military post while referring to the Galwan Valley clash in eastern Ladakh.

“Neither anyone has intruded into our terri-

INDIA REBUTS CHINA’S GALWAN CLAIM New Delhi: In a pointed and categorical message to China, India has once again reiterated that Galwan Valley is historically its territory and New Delhi will not accept ‘untenable and exaggerated’ claims by China with regard to LAC. “The position with regard to Galwan Valley area has been historically clear. Attempts

by Chinese side to now advance exaggerated and untenable claims with regard to LAC there are not acceptable. They are not in accordance with China’s own position in past,” EAM spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Saturday. He said India never took any action across LAC and all infra built by India is naturally on its own side. tory nor taken over any post,” Modi had said post the all-party meet.

This statement seems to have created a lot of controversy, with politi-

cal parties attacking the Centre over his statement.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Saturday, PMO said focus of Modi’s re-

The PM’s observations that there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces.

PMO

marks at Friday’s meeting was the events of June 15 at Galwan that led to the loss of lives of 20 Indian military personnel.

Turn on P6

Will never let supreme sacrifice of braves go in vain: IAF Chief Telangana: IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Saturday said that the force is well prepared and suitably deployed to respond to any contingency and it will never let the sacrifice of the bravehearts of Galwan go in vain.

“It should be very clear that we are well prepared and suitably deployed to respond to any contingency. I assure the nation that we are determined to deliver and will never let the sacrifice of the braves of Galwan go in vain,” IAF Chief Air Turn on P6

26/11 attacks plotter Rana held in LA, faces extradition Los Angeles: A Pakistan born Canadian imprisoned for helping terrorist groups, has been arrested in Los Angeles to face murder charges in India for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which over 160 people were killed, US prosecutors said on Friday.

According to The Washington Post, the Chicago based business-

man Tahawwur Rana, was convicted of a crime related to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, although US prosecutors had failed to

PM MODI LAUNCHES GARIB KALYAN ROZGAR ABHIYAAN New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched an employment scheme for migrant workers, saying that during the coronavirusinduced lockdown the talent from cities returned to villages and it will now give a boost to development in rural areas.

Modi applauded the villagers for their efforts to fight coronavirus.

P6

prove a terrorism charge that connected him directly to the rampage during his 2011 trial. The Pakistan-born Canadian was serving a 14-year sentence at a Los Angeles federal prison before he was granted an early release last week because of poor health and about of coronavirus.

Turn on P6

CORONA EFFECT: KAWAD YATRA TO BE POSTPONED Dehradun: The CMs of Uttarakhand, UP and Haryana decided to postpone Kawad Yatra this year in view of COVID-19 crisis. In the VC on Saturday there was a collective agreement that for this year the Yatra should be postponed in view of the prevailing circumstances.

HC stay on Jagannath Rath Yatra breaks 142-year streak A SYMBOLIC YATRA WILL BE CONDUCTED WITHIN THE TEMPLE PREMISES ON TUESDAY First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Saturday stayed the Ahmedabad Jagannath Rath Yatra slated to take place on June 23. This is the first time in the procession’s 143-year history that the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings will not pass through the streets of the city.

However, the temple

trust will have a symbolic yatra within the premises on Tuesday.

On June 18, a private citizen Hitesh Chavda moved a Public Interest Litigation through advocate Aum Kotwal. The petitioner’s prayer was how the Jagannath Rath Yatra coudl be allowed when all religious congregations had been was banned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The petitioner had also pleaded for an urgent hearing.

The High Court held an urgent virtual hearing on Saturday evening. After hearing the petitioner and government, the court stayed the Rath Yatra and observed that allowing it could aid the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Under the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act, the state does not have the authority to grant permission for religious congregation. It was further argued that Clause-9 of the Ministry of Home Affairs order dated May 30 clearly states that the state shall

The dog squad checks the temple premises in the run-up to the Rath Yatra.

not dilute these guidelines under the Disaster Management Act 2005.

Abiding by the Central Government’s order, on June 07, the

—FILE PHOTO

state government also released a standard operating procedure

in which it clearly mentions that religious congregation is not permitted.

The Petitioner had also argued that Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in April had declared six wards namely Jamalpur, Kalupur, Shahpur, Dariyapur, Danilimda and Behrampura as containment zones. Four of these are on the customary route of the Yatra.

With lakhs of devotees eagerly waiting for the Rath Yatra to pass through the city, the procession could potentially become

disastrous and volatile, it was noted.

The Court clarified that the stay was granted for the whole state. It has called for reports from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Home Secretary and Police Commissioner seeking their reasons for not making a decision on the application for permission submitted by the Jagannath Mandir Trust. The matter will be heard on July 6.

Following the Supreme Court directions, no further activities relating to Rath Yatra is permitted to be carried out.

NEWS AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020

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SHAH BLASTS RAHUL, SAYS RISE ABOVE

PETTY POLITICS HOME MINISTER TWEETS TO GANDHI CLIP OF JAWAN’S FATHER... SAYS DON’T INDULGE IN POLITICS OVER NATION’S BORDERS ISSUES

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said that he should rise above petty politics. Gandhi had been attacking the government over the situation at the India-China border after clashes in Ladakh in which 20 Indian soldiers laid down their lives.

Shah tweeted a video of the father of an injured soldier lashing out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi advising the Wayanad MP to not “indulge in politics.”

“A brave armyman’s father speaks and he has

Union Home Minister tweeted video of a soldier’s father.

a very clear message for Mr. Rahul Gandhi.

At a time when the entire nation is united, Rahul Gandhi should also rise above petty politics and stand in solidarity with national interest,” Shah

tweeted along with a video. In a video message that has gone viral on social media, the father of the injured soldier is heard saying “The Indian Army is a strong army and can defeat China. Rahul Gandhi do not indulge in politics in this...my son fought in the army and will continue fighting in the army. I pray to God that he gets better soon.”

The video of the father’s message came within a day after Gandhi tweeted a video of the same man seen narrating a conversation with his son who recounted how he was

injured in the clash with Chinese soldiers at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Rahul Gandhi has been posting regularly on Twitter on the faceoff in Ladakh. Earlier on Saturday too he tweeted “PM has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression. If the land was Chinese: Why were our soldiers killed? Where were they killed?”. —ANI

Biz friendly Guj emerges as Spurt in Daman COVID-19 preferred investment hub count, borders with Guj sealed Ahmedabad: With its strategic location and business-friendly policies, Gujarat has rapidly emerged as a preferred destination for domestic and foreign direct investments.

The major sectors in which investments have poured in include textiles, chemicals, auto and auto components, plastics, energy and power besides food processing.

The western state provides a robust industrial ecosystem, transparent and investor-friendly policies, infrastructure and relentless government support to the enterprises in doing business. Over the years, Gujarat has been ranked among the top in Ease of Doing Business which led to double-digit growth rates. In the past five years, it registered an average growth rate of 10.14 per cent at constant price.

The state has developed 48 ports along the 1,600 km coastline which are backed with a widespread network of railroad connectivity. Besides special eco-

nomic zones, it has established special investment regions and smart industrial cities. Almost 40 per cent of DMIC passes through Gujarat.

State officials say the DMIC artery will help develop special investment regions like Dholera, Mandal Becharaji and Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR).

The 90 billion dollars dedicated freight corridor between Del-

hi and Mumbai passing through Gujarat connects major industrial nodes of the state. About 67 per cent of the work is already complete and the rest will be operational in the coming months.

India’s largest industrial greenfield development of over 920 sq km at Dholera Special Investment Region has a blanket environmental clearance which allows land allotment to be completed to an indus-

try within 17 days.

The region is expected to attract investment to the tune of 13 billion dollars. The world’s largest solar park with five gigawatts of capacity is being developed at Dholera Special Investment Region.

India’s first dedicated Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) in Dahej is spread across 453 sq km and has already attracted investments worth 11 billion dollars, creating employment for 1.32 lakh people.

Emerging as the world’s largest auto hub, Mandal Becharaji Special Investment Region (MBSIR) is a hotbed for Japanese automobile and auto component manufacturing industries.

Companies like Suzuki Motor Corp, Honda Motorcycles and Scooter India and Toyota Tsusho India have established their units within MBSIR. India’s first lithium-ion battery plant is also being set up within MBSIR by a consortium of Suzuki, Toshiba and Denso. —ANI

Daman: The number of COVID-19 positive patients in Daman district of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu (UTDNHDD) has gone up to 27 with eight fresh cases, following which the administration has sealed the district’s border with Gujarat border for a few days, officials said on Saturday.

Most of the 27 COVID-19 patients in Daman are factory workers who cross the border to work in industrial units at Vapi in neighbouring Gujarat and vice versa, the officials said. The eight fresh cases were reported on Friday.

“The district administration has closed all border check-posts with Gujarat for a few days due to clustering of cases near the border areas, and has declared several parts of Dabhel village, an industrial hub, as containment zones in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus,” an of-

ficial said.

Vehicles holding valid e-passes are also not being allowed to enter Daman, he said.

Daman had reported its first two COVID-19 cases on June 9, a few days after the Union Territory said the district was coronavirus-free due to the strict implementation of lockdown measures.

“Out of the 27 cases in Daman, around 20 patients are factory workers who travel frequently through border check- posts.

Due to the clustering of cases near the areas bordering Gujarat, the district adminis-

tration has temporarily closed the border for a few days,” programme officer for communicable diseases, Meghal Shah said.

Diu district of the UT had also reported its first two cases on June 12.

The number of cases here has now risen to 10, with five new cases reported on Saturday alone, collector Saloni Rai said.

In a tweet, Rai said, “Five more cases tested positive today. All of them had travelled via flight to Diu and were under facility quarantine. Total active cases in Diu dis-

trict: ten.”

The number of cases in Dadra and Nagar Haveli also grew to 49.

With this, the UT of DNH, Daman and Diu has so far reported 85 cases, out of which 70 cases are active.

According to the health department of the UT administration, a total 27,239 samples have been collected for COVID-19 tests.

Results of 701 are awaited, it said.

A total 2,696 persons are under surveillance, including 1,597 in DNH, 615 in Daman and 484 in Diu. —PTI

CM dedicates four ST depots and five RTO offices to the state New projects are expected to serve lakhs of citizens, and help make the economy vibrant l

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In a bid to keep the show going and boost morale in troubled times, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday inaugurated four state transport (ST) bus depots and Regional Transport Offices (RTO) via video conferencing.

These four bus depots have been developed at

an investment of Rs9.80 crore, while the five RTOs cost Rs2.815 crore.

The new infrastructure is expected to serve lakhs of citizens in the coming days, and will also help to make the economy vibrant, an official release from the chief minister’s office said. As more people begin to travel again and also begin to visit RTO offices, others will also get more business,

thus kick-starting the cycle again.

Praising the speed at which the projects were completed, Rupani pointed out that the foundation stones were all laid during his tenure. Saturdays’ dedication highlights the fast delivery of public services.

Chief Minister Rupani inaugurated ST bus stops at Mansa in Gan-

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani with Transport Minister RC Faldu, Principal Secretary (Transport) Kamal Dayani and GSRTC Vice Chairman and Managing Director SJ Haider on his left, and Minister of State for Transport Ishwarsinh Patel on his right.

dhinagar, Lakhani in Banaskantha, Kukar Munda in Tapi, and in Chhota Udepur district.

The new RTOs are lo-

cated in Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, GirSomnath, Chhota Udepur and Anand. Transport Minister RC Faldu

and Minister of State for Transport Ishwarsinh Patel were present at the e-inauguration.At the worst point in the on-

going health crisis, ST services played a vital role in transporting migrant workers to their home states. In the last phase of the lockdown, the government had also started bus services in green and orange zone areas, which helped a lot to people to travel to district headquarters and even to their native towns and villages.

Just as the Railways form the lifeline of the nation, ST services form

the lifeline of rural Gujarat, connecting each and every village to the district headquarters and all nooks and corners of the state and even other states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.The state’s public sector state transport corporation has never bothered about loss or profit while serving the people. It has always taken care that passengers reach safe and on time to their destinations.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020

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Illegal arms: 9 detained, 54 539 new cases, but six micro-containment zones weapons seized in ATS raids

—FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau

Follows intensive 10-day investigation, involved search operations across the state Ahmedabad: The state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has unearthed an illegal arms operation being run in the state. After 10 days of investigation, the squad was able to trace at least 54 weapons that were sold illegally which included foreign-made pistols and revolvers. They also detained nine people in connection with illegal arms trade.

ATS picked up on information of a weapons seizure and arrest of hunters in the Kutch district a few days ago.

Upon inquiry, it was found that the weapons in the possession of the hunters were illegally bought unlicensed from Ahmedabad.

ATS Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) BP Rojiya told the media that he had

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

First India Bureau

WIDE NET

The weapons haul included foreign-made pistols and revolvers.

information about two men identified as Mustaq Baloch of Vankaner and Kot Gangad’s Vahidkhan Pathan who were in possession of illegal weapons. An ATS team carried out a search operation and discovered that both Baloch and Pathan carried a loaded pistol and revolver. They were ar-

‘I packed up the day Rupani became CM,’ says BJP MLA

rested near Naidu nursery at the Iscon Square off Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway in Ahmedabad on Friday.

During primary interrogation, both the accused confessed to purchasing weapons from Ahmedabad-based Tarun Gun House owner, a licensed shop located on the Jodhpur

village road.

Baloch and Pathan had purchased weapons from Tarun Gupta, the gun shop owner around two years ago. According to reports, they were not the only ones who had bought weapons without proper license documentation.

After recording their confession, the ATS

team, aided with assistance of their local teams carried out search operations at various places such as Amreli, Wankaner, Chotila, Ahmedabad (Kot-Gangad), Jamnagar (Ghichoda). The teams recovered foreign-made revolvers and pistols, as well as Indian-made weapons.

Gandhinagar: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has reduced the number of containment zones from 35 to just six within the city limits.

The development comes on a day when state reported as many as 539 new cases.

A statement issued by the AMC says that a population of 6,228 living in 1,614 houses in the city’s North, East, West and South West zones will now remain under the micro containment zones. As on Saturday morning, there are 3,691 active cases in the city limit area: 840 in the West zone, 713 in the East and 694 in the North zone, with the rest coming in from other areas. The city has reported a total of 1,266 deaths so far.

Meanwhile, in Vadodara there are 590 active cases, of which 109 are on oxygen and 37 on ventilators. New cases

Kalupur was the first containment zone in Ahmedabad.

Health Secretary Jayanti Ravi visited Surat, which saw 103 cases in a single day have emerged from Atladra, Tarsalli, Patthargate, Varsiya, Champaner, Bhatvada and Panigate. Cases still continue to emerge from Padra, Nandesari, Karjan and Karodiya areas. Five more cases have come from Karjan.

One positive case has come from Rajkot city, while five have been reported in Diu, and a doc-

tor and nurse have tested positive in Bhavnagar city.

Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi on Saturday visited Surat, which reported 103 cases in a single day, and took stock of the situation there. Some 20 doctors of civil hospital have tested positive.

In the past 24 hours, the state has tested 5,113 samples. There are 6,396 active cases in the state of which 66 are on ventilators. With 539 fresh cases, and 20 deaths in 24 hours, the state now has a total of 26,737 cases and 1,639 dead.

BJP to play ref in Morari-Manek feud

STAYING PREPARED

First India Bureau Rajkot: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Rajkot South MLA Govind Patel on Saturday addressed the media and said that he had given up hope of being a cabinet minister the day Vijay Rupani became the chief minister.

Having said that, Patel also clarified that he was “not unhappy” with the party.

The declaration comes a day after the Rajya Sabha polls, in which the BJP bagged three seats. In his address, Patel insisted that the party had given him opportunity and quashed rumours about him voting against the party.

A former Minister of State for Energy and Petroleum, Patel said that the day Rupani was sworn in as Gujarat Chief Minister, he had given up hope that he would get a seat in the cabinet. Therefore, he had packed up his things from Gandhinagar and returned to his

Bhupendrasinh Chudasama is mediating on behalf of the party.

First India Bureau Rajkot South MLA Govind Patel

constituency in Rajkot.

Patel also stated that someone from within the party was spreading false information about him and his loyalty. He highlighted his long association with the party, and said should vouch for his belief in the party’s ideologies.

This is not the first time that Patel has been suspected of being discordant with the party.

In February, he was in the news for having grievances with the Rajkot district collector for not clearing ‘Suchit Society’. They are residential societies that have been built on government land and need to be regularized.

Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority hands over air boats to the Ahmedabad Fire and Rescue Services. These 400-horsepower vessels are meant for use in shallow water during flood situations.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Parents demand school fee waiver First India Bureau Surat: With the COVID-19 outbreak showing no signs of slowing down in the city, parents of schoolchildren have come together to demand that six months’ worth of school fees be waived.

They say schools have been charging high fees for “online classes” even for children too young to read and

write on their own.

In this regard, members of the Tax Amnesty campaign committee had issued a toll free number for parents to register their complaints. Those in the know say the number received 15,000 calls in seven days.

“Schools have been shut for three months, but they are still taking fees for ‘online classes’.

They are also taking fees

Parents question the usefulness of online classes for kids too young to read or write for young children who do not even know how to write by themselves.

What is the point of online classes for them?” one parent asked.

This person said a number of parents are

now considering not sending their kids to “online school” and are asking for fees to be waived off for six months.

Meanwhile, some schools have begun to offer discounts on fees, if people pay for the year at one go. However, the Committee says this is a scam meant to mislead the parents, and lure them into paying more money.

Bhavnagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the state government have now stepped in to broker peace between selfproclaimed godman Morari Bapu, his followers and former Devbhoomi Dwarka MLA Pabubha Manek.

A call for bandh in Mahuva town of Bhavnagar district was made by well-wishers, local traders’ association and both leading political parties on Saturday that was obeyed by the people.

On behalf of the state government, state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and BJP chief spokesperson Bharat Pandya visited

preacher Morari Bapu at his residence in Talgajarda in Bhavnagar district. They attempted to convince Bapu not to insist that Manek apologize to him in person.

After meeting with Bapu, both Chudasama and Pandya addressed the media and said that everyone had condemned the attempt of attack on the preacher.

They also stated that the attack on him was “uncalled for”.

Few days ago, Morari Bapu had said something about Lord Krishna which did not go down well with his devotees. They had demanded an apology from the preacher with a visit to Dwarka. When Bapu did visit, he was attacked by Manek.

WASTED EFFORT

‘Origami’ flag misses out on Guinness Record due to lack of funds ‘Flag of Unity’ was made by 26,000 participants over 21 days 

Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Rajkot: A symbol of national pride and patriotism, the Indian national flag was recreated using Japanese paper art known as origami by Rajkotbased designer and architect Viraj Kumari Jadeja, which was unveiled at the 71st Republic Day cel-

ebration that took place in Rajkot this year. But, unfortunately, the art work, which was all set to be placed inside the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, is collecting dust in a corner of the Rajkot Collectorate.

The flag, which had been dubbed ‘Flag of Unity’, was made with the involvement of

around 26,000 participants who used origami to fold paper over a period of 21 days. It is claimed to be the world’s largest flag of any nation ever made using origami. On its unveiling, it was decided that the flag would be entered into the Guinness World Records, but no progress has been made on that front.

The flag has been made entirely of paper using origami art without glue or any kind of

Designer and architect Viraj Kumari Jadeja with the flag at the Rajkot Collectorate.

adhesive. Over 40,573 tricolour paper pegs were used like an interlocking system with each piece of paper weaved into another to create two marvellous designs on the front and back.

The paper flag stands at 9.99 feet long and 6.66 feet wide and weighs around 900 kilograms including the frame.

The flag is touted to be an architectural marvel because both sides of the flag produce different designs.

The flag failed to enter the Guinness World Records because the government backtracked due to the cost involved. “We applied to the Guinness World Records but, it was too costly and spending so much money for a record was deemed unnecessary. The flag is in the Collectorate office and we have not initiated any process to shift it to the Statue of Unity as of now,’” said a top official at the Collectorate.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

UNENDING ROW OVER CONG’s POSERS ON LAC

04

Never underestimate Chinese & their expertise in deception

A

row broke out after Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a statement on the Galwan valley clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were brutally killed told an all-party meeting that the Chinese had not transgressed the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh into the Indian territory. The all-party meeting was informed that the June 15 violence in Galwan happened because the Chinese tried to erect structures just across the LAC and refused to back off despite objections by Indian troops. Paying tributes to those martyred the prime minister said, “Those who tried to cross over into our territory were taught a befitting lesson by our brave sons of the soil.”

Because of them, there is no presence of Chinese on our side of the LAC, the PM said.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi also had a set of posers for the PM. She said that the meeting should have been called “immediately after the alleged Chinese intrusion in Ladakh on May 5. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused the PM of “surrendering” Indian territory to the Chinese. In a tweet, he asked, “If the land was Chinese, why were our soldiers killed?”

The PM’s Office called these a “mischievous interpretation” of what the PM had said. On June 19 China claimed that the Galwan valley was located on its side of the LAC although it has not been shown on the Chinese map since 1962.

As India weighs its options, the cry for boycotting Chinese goods and sponsorships has grown shriller. Over the years Chinese companies have tightened their stranglehold on the Indian to become India’s second-largest trade partner after America. While India’s share in China’s total imports is 0.9 percent, that of China’s in India is 15.3 percent.

From power plants, smartphones, telecom equipment, finished steel products, and computer parts to electrical appliances, Diwali lights, Ganesh-Lakshmi idols, and cycle air pumps, it exports a whole range of big and small items to India. The availability of cheap labour makes its products highly competitive against Indian goods. Whatever one may say about their quality, the pricing and attractiveness make Chinese goods popular with Indian buyers.

With WhatsApp forwards stoking the antiChina sentiment, India may close its doors on Chinese goods. But to expect a total ban on Chinese products may be neither practical nor feasible. Will the government consider starting a tariff war with China to at least slow down Chinese imports?

It remains to be seen how events unfold visà-vis China in the coming days. For the moment the government is under pressure over a perceived contradiction between the statements of the prime minister and S. Jaishankar, minister for external affairs. It also has to take a call on shutting the doors of the Indian economy on China. Until then we can dwell on our troops’ bravery and Chinese treachery.

K NATWAR SINGH The author is Former Minister of External Affairs of India

I All the heavyweight in the Ministry of External Affairs were vehemently opposed to the visit.

I succeeded in persuading Rajiv Gandhi to ignore these aging worthies. The visit was roaring success.

After thirty-four years Sino Indian relations improved.

Rajiv Gandhi held his own in his crucial meeting with Deng Xiao Ping, which was an achievement in itself

arrived in Peking (not yet Beijing) in early July 1956 to take up my post as a third secretary. I was twenty-five years of age. China of the time was an underdeveloped country, but with a strong Government and formidable leadership, with Mao Tse Tung as the undisputed head.

My main task was to learn the language which had no alphabet and four tones.

A tutor was employed to teach me what is the most difficult language in the world.

It is also one of the oldest.

I used to get up at 7 am and drive to Peking University in my Volkswagen, a forty-minute journey. All my teacher spoke only Chinese. To begin with, I was completely at sea. A week later I joined a class that was exclusively for foreign students.

The teachers spoke English and French but spoke these languages sparingly. At the at the end of six months, I could read, write, and speak Chinese fairly well.

I left China in the summer

of 1958, a queasy leftist and an admirer of Mao Tse Tung.

I also read two famous novels “The Dream of the Red Chamber” and “All Men are Brothers”, a favourite of Mao. I was never again posted to China. On April 20, 1960 Prime Minister Chou En-Lai and Marshal Chen Yi, the foreign minister arrived in New Delhi for talks on the border issue with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. I was appointed liaison officer attached to Prime Minister Chou-En Lai. I spent several hours with him each day.

In my long life, I have met dozens of great and famous men but very few were as impressive and refined as Chou.

It is neither the time nor the place to go into the details of discussions Chou had with Nehru and other leaders. In short, we blew it.

I next visited China in 1984, for Secretary-level talks. Next with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988. Finally in 2001 as leader of a Congress delegation.

All the heavyweight in the Ministry of External Affairs were vehemently opposed to the visit. I succeeded in persuading Rajiv Gandhi to ignore these aging worthies.

The visit was roaring success. After thirty-four years

Ever since 1956, I have followed the ups and downs of Sino Indian relations with interest, hope, and anxiety. The ongoing events in Ladhak and the Golwan Valley are worrying indeed

Sino Indian relations improved. Rajiv Gandhi held his own in his crucial meeting with Deng Xiao Ping, which was an achievement in itself.

Ever since 1956, I have followed the ups and downs of Sino Indian relations with interest, hope, and anxiety. The ongoing events in Ladhak and the Golwan Valley are worrying indeed.

On Friday evening the Prime Minister, after his meeting with the leaders of opposition parties addressed

India comes together during coronavirus pandemic

I

n 1968, German mathematician Dietrich Braess made a rather fascinating observation. When you added an additional road between points A and B, it slowed traffic down rather than speed it up. The Braess paradox, as it is now called, is a counterintuitive observation that has been studied and expanded for over half a century, with applications extending beyond mathematics and traffic management. Ian Gemp and Sridhar Mahadevan, of the University of Massachusetts, found applications of the Braess paradox in computing and artificial intelligence networks.

If that is too nerdy, let us take an example of sports.

The addition of a star player can unintentionally weaken team performance

due to over-reliance on that player. Simply put, in situations of crowding and limited capacity (system stress), the availability of options could actually worsen a situation instead of improving it. The COVID-19 crisis has given many systems the opportunity to stress-test their capacity.

Many developing nations in Africa, Latin Americas and Asia are especially vulnerable, given a lack of resources, testing and medical equipment.

Take India, which declared an ambitious lockdown to flatten the curve.

While fairly successful in controlling the spread — except for stray incidents of super-spreaders — has left many stranded and helpless. In an unmanageable democracy of India’s size, this would have led to mass starvation, medical emergencies and, in des-

peration, large-scale civil disobedience. But then, the Braess paradox kicked in.

While citizens of many developed nations waited for governments to take action, India saw communities pitching in to augment state capacity.

Sense of Community The sleepy coastal town of Pondicherry (or Puducherry) is retiree heaven.

Thousands of empty-nesters and couples move there in search of peace, camara-

derie and spirituality. Lockdown meant they wouldn’t have access to pharmacies, medical tests and facilities.

The Sri Aurobindo Ashram set up an outreach program the day lockdown was announced. Merging technology, grassroots volunteers and government machinery, this program now reaches out to thousands of seniors that need blood tests, medicines and, in some cases, even complex palliative care.

Sexuality is a taboo topic

in India. This means sex workers, intersex and eunuch communities as well as transsexuals often fall under the radar of public services. Sewa Bharti, a social organization in New Delhi, set up a distributed network of doctors available through a 24-hour helpline. A group of low-income sex workers contacted the organization through the helpline and, two weeks in, Sewa Bharti was distributing grocery kits to over 900 affected people. Those at the bottom of society’s pecking order are now top priority for this organization.

The Annamrita Foundation, in partnership with the Reliance Foundation, has repurposed its school kitchens and sends out 180,000 meals each day. If you thought that’s a staggering number, imagine this. If 1% of India’s popu-

lation is logistically impacted — locked down, immobile, daily-wage earners — we are talking about 13 million people. That is more people than London, Paris and Frankfurt put together.

Comprehending the scale of the challenge, the Akshaya Patra Foundation partnered with over 50 corporate houses, including Coca Cola, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Infosys and Walmart, and 100,000 online donors to provide over 30 million meals in April. Incidentally, former US President Barack Obama had acknowledged that “In just a few years, Akshaya Patra has become the largest single feeding programme in the world.” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi commended its effort, saying that “Akshaya Patra is that vessel in which food never ends.”

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the nation on TV, he said, “Neither has anyone entered our territory nor is any of our posts under anyone’s capture. In Ladhak, our twenty jawans got martyred. But they taught a lesson to those who were eyeing India territory… Today, we have the capability that none can dare to look towards us with ill intention.”

All leaders supported the Prime Minister, with the exception of Sonia Gandhi, who charged the government with, “loosing valuable the time between May 5 when the Chinese intrusions were first reported, and June 6, when talks between corps commanders took place.”

She continued, “Even after June 6 meeting efforts should have been made to talk directly, at the political and diplomatic levels, to the Chinese leadership.”

“We failed to use all avenues and the result is the loss of 20 lives”. This was hardly the occasion to adopt such a tone and use the word she used. Usually, her verbal restraint is praiseworthy.

One word of caution. We must never underestimate the Chinese and their expertise in deception.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Steel sector has an important role to play in the making of an #AatmanirbharBharat.

All stakeholders must come together and work with greater synergy to make our steel sector more vibrant, efficient and globally competitive.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Freight Loading Bounces Back on Track: Registering a surge in goods transportation, in June, Railways loads 91% of the freight loaded in the same period last year.

Spiritual SPEAK

If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature.

—Buddha

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CORONA UPDATE

India records highest single-day spike of 14,516 COVID-19 cases ACCORDING TO HEALTH MINISTRY, THE DEATH TOLL HAS GONE UP TO 12,948 IN THE COUNTRY WITH 375 PERSONS SUCCUMBING TO THE DEADLY INFECTION

New Delhi: With the highest single-day increase of 14,516 COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, India's coronavirus count stood at 3,95,048 on Saturday.

The death toll has gone up to 12,948 in the country with 375 persons succumbing to the infection. According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of cases includes 1,68,269 active cases, 2,13,831 cured/discharged/migrated and 12,948 deaths.

Maharashtra with 1,24,331 cases continues to be the worst-affected state in the country with 55,665 active cases while 62,773 patients have been cured and discharged in the state so far. The death toll due to COVID-19 stands at 5,893 in the state.

48-hour lockdown imposed in Dehradun

Glenmark launches drug for Coronavirus

The number of confirmed cases in Tamil Nadu also crossed the 50 thousand mark on Saturday and reached 54,449.

A health worker wearing a protective suit checks temperature of a woman before taking her swab sample for COVID-19 test in New Delhi on Saturday.

—PHOTO BY PTI

5-day institutional quarantine order rolled back New Delhi: Lt Governor of Delhi, Anil Baijal has withdrawn the controversial order issued by him which stated that anyone found positive for coronavirus in the national capital will have to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine for five days.

LG Delhi@LtGovDelhi Regarding institutional isolation, only those COVID positive cases which do not require hospitalisation on clinical assessment & do not have adequate facilities for home isolation would be required to undergo institutional isolation.

The Delhi government had opposed the order, stating that dis-

mantling its home isolation strategy could have an adverse effect.

Dehradun: In the view of surging cases of COVID-19 in Uttarakhand, a 48-hour lockdown has been imposed in Dehradun, Shweta Chaubey, Superintendent of Police, Dehradun city said on Saturday.

According to the SP, the lockdown was imposed on Friday evening and will be lifted on Monday morning at 7 am. “A 48-hour lockdown has been imposed in Dehradun in the backdrop of increasing cases of COVID-19. The lockdown was imposed on Friday evening and will be lifted on Monday at 7 am,” Chaubey said.

Shops except those which are selling essential commodities are allowed to run during this period, added the senior police official.

According to the Union Health Ministry, the state has reported 2,177 cases of COVID-19 including 718 active cases, 1,433 recovered and 26 deaths so far.

—ANI

Hoping 10 mn people will join me on Yoga Day: Min New Delhi: Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Patel said he hopes that 10 million people will join him in performing Surya Namaskar on this year’s International Day of Yoga on Sunday.

With the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic looming large, International Day of Yoga will be celebrated on digital media platforms sans mass gatherings and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message would be the highlight of the occasion.

Yoga Day will go digital for the first time since June 21, 2015, when it began to be celebrated annually across the world, coinciding with the Summer Solstice each year.

This year’s theme is ‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’ and people will be able to join the cele-

DIGITAL OBSERVANCE

New Delhi: With the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic looming large, International Day of Yoga will be celebrated on digital media platforms and PM Modi’s message would be the highlight of the occasion. Yoga Day will go digital for the first time since June 21, 2015, when it began to be celebrated annually. People will be able to join the celebrations virtually at 7 am on June 21.

brations virtually at 7 am on June 21.

I will perform Surya Namaskar at Purana Qila and I urge everybody to join me in performing Surya Namaskar from their homes. PM Narendra Modi has given the gift of Yoga Day to the world and we should practice Yoga in our daily life, he said. —PTI

No decision on resuming Pak spy drone shot down by BSF in Kathua district international flights: Puri New Delhi: No decision on resuming international flight operations has been made so far. “The exact time when we will resume international flight depends on other countries to be open to receive flights,” Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. India resumed domestic passenger flights from May 25 after a gap of two months amid the coronavirus pandemic. International passenger flights continue to remain suspended even now.

“Any suggestion that i n t e r n a t i o n a l traffic has opened up and we are the only one not to open up

750 FLIGHTS FOR STRANDED

New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri addressed a press conference and noted that at least 750 private domestic carriers, along with 300 Air India flights, will operate in the coming days as part of the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’ to bring back Indians stranded abroad in the third and fourth phases of Vande Bharat Mission,” he added.

‘ADOPT SWADESHI PRODUCTS TO BREAK CHINA ECONOMICALLY’ Rewa: MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has appealed to people to adopt swadeshi products while boycotting Chinese goods to break the neighbouring country economically.”India’s gallant defence forces shall give a fitting response to China. I urge to my brothers and sisters to demolish China economically,” said Singh.

He said it is the duty of every citizen to encourage and adopt swadeshi products as guided by PM Modi. Chouhan had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore, a house/plot and a government job to one family member of Naik Deepak Kumar from Rewa, who lost his life in the face-off with China in Galwan valley.

needs reality check. The exact time when we will resume international flight depends on the other countries to be open to receive flights,” he said. “...In the absence of a decision on resumption of international civil aviation which will depend on other countries opening up, we are left with no option but to continue what I call evacuation and repatriation flights under managed and controlled condition,” the minister added.

Futhermore, Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said “There is a significant amount of traffic between India&North American continent.

We may think of opening flights on a case to case basis.” —ANI

New Delhi: One more attempt by Pakistani agencies to drop weapons across the international border using drones has been foiled by the Border Security Forces at Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir.

Upon conducting a thorough search of the payload on the Paki-

MAN RAKES IN RS 49 LAKH VIA ILLEGAL TOBACCO SALE Mumbai: A 27-year-old man has earned eye-popping Rs 49.14 lakh by selling banned gutkha & other tobacco products during the lockdown.

Police also seized gutkha worth Rs 5.53 lakh from the arrested accused Rakesh Kumar Gupta, a resident of suburban Mankhurd, during a raid.

Sale of tobacco and related products remains banned during the lockdown under the Disaster Management Act 2005. “Police found huge cash and a large number of tobacco substances, which were stocked to sale at higher prices, with Gupta.

stani drone, arms and ammunition have been recovered.

A security official said, “One US-made M4 rifle, two magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition, and seven grenades have been recovered.

Primary investigation suggests that this delivery was being made for

one ‘Ali Bhai’ as the payload was carrying his name.”

The official added, “

The drone is eight-feet wide blade-to-blade and seems to have been controlled by the Pakistani picket opposite the Panesar Post of the BSF on this side of the Kathua sector.”

These acts by Pakistani agencies are aimed at arming Jaishe-Mohammad terror-

ists, who are active in Kashmir and trying to carry out terrorist acts of violence and disrupt peace and order.

Similar attempts to smuggle weapons have been foiled earlier in other areas bordering Pakistan, especially in Kupwara, Rajouri & Jammu sectors. —ANI

SOCIAL DISTANCING GOES FOR A TOSS! Labourers on a boat defying social distancing norms as they go for water-hyacinth cleaning work towards the wetland area of Dankuni, in Hooghly on Saturday.

PUDUCHERRY REPORTS 30 COVID-19 +CASES DAILY: GUV BEDI Puducherry: Puducherry Governor Kiran Bedi said that though the Union Territory has a small population it is reporting 30 COVID-19 positive cases everyday, hence, people need to be very careful and protect their lives and livelihood. “We are getting 30 active COVID cases everyday in a small population like Puducherry. If our

law enforcement, medical staff and sanitation workers will also get affected then who will protect us?

We have to be very careful and protect our lives and livelihood,” said Bedi.

“This is not the time for small functions and not the time to invite people.

We must wear a mask, keep sanitation and social distance,” she added.

J&K: 4 CIVILIANS INJURED IN CEASEFIRE VIOLATION Baramulla: Pakistan on Saturday, violated ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rampur sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district, informed a few reliable sources.

Four civilians have been injured in the ceasefire incident. The unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan was through the firing of mortars and other weapons, which started in the morning hours. A befitting reply is being given by the Indian Army. Earlier on Friday, Pakistan violated ceasefire in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district.

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PM MODI LAUNCHES EMPLOYMENT SCHEME FOR MIGRANT WORKERS New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched an employment scheme for migrant workers, saying that during the coronavirus-induced lockdown the talent from cities returned to villages and it will now give a boost to development in rural areas.

Launching the ‘Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan’, Modi said there are some people who may not appreciate efforts of villagers in the fight against the novel coronavirus but he applauds them for their efforts. The way villages have fought coronavirus has taught a big lesson to the cities, he added.

New Delhi: The Congress on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remark that neither is anyone inside India’s territory nor has anyone captured its posts, with Rahul Gandhi accusing Modi of having “surrendered” Indian territory to Chinese aggression.

“PM has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression.

If the land was Chinese: Why were our soldiers killed? Where were they killed,” he asked on Twitter, tag-

Pradhan thanks PM for connecting 4 dists of Odisha to Abhiyaan

PM Narendra Modi addresses during the launch of ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ through video conferencing, in New Delhi on Saturday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Talent has returned from cities during the lockdown, those whose labour and skills were behind the rapid growth of cities will now boost development of villages with the help of this scheme, he said.

The Garib Kalyan

Rozgar Abhiyaan was launched by Modi via video conference in a village in Katihar district of Bihar in the presence of CMs of five states - Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and a minister from

‘PM has surrendered Indian territory to Chinese aggression’ ging the prime minister’s remark.

In a statement on the all-party meeting called by Modi on Friday to discuss the situation at the India-China border, the government said, “At the outset, PM clarified that neither

is anyone inside our territory nor is any of our post captured.”

A host of senior Congress leaders have hit out at PM, asking if there is no intrusion what is the fuss about and why flag meetings for deescalation of borders

Odisha. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore will be implemented on mission mode in 125 days in 116 districts of the six states to which the maximum number of the migrant workers have returned. —PTI are being held.

The categorical statement by PM came in the wake of reports that Chinese military has transgressed into the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control, the de-facto border, in several areas of eastern Ladakh including Pangong Tso and Galwan Valley.

EAM S Jaishankar in a conversation with his China counterpart conveyed that the Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan Valley on “our side of LAC.”—PTI

Solar eclipse 2020: India to witness ‘Ring of Fire’ today Hyderabad: The first visible eclipse of the decade, classified as the ‘Annular Solar Eclipse’ and popularly known as the ‘Ring of Fire’, will occur on June 21.

The annular phase will be visible only in few places of northern India, while the rest of the country will observe this event partially, a press release from Planetary Society, India said on Friday.

Across the world the eclipse in various phases will occur between 9.16 AM IST-3.04 PM IST. The greatest phase of the eclipse will be at 12.10 PM. “In India depending on the location of a per-

New Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for connecting 4 districts of Odisha namely, Ganjam, Bhadrak, Bolangir and Baleshwar along with the states of Bihar and Jharkhand to ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’.

In a tweet, Pradhan said, “I thank PM Narendra Modi for connecting 4 districts of Odisha - Ganjam, Bhadrak, Bolangir & Baleshwar along with the states of Bihar & Jharkhand to ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ & focusing on the overall development of Eastern India.” Prime Minister Narendra

In one of the biggest recruitment exercises, Indian Railway has selected 56,378 candidates for the post of Assistant Loco Pilots and Technicians against the 64,371 vacancies. Indian Railways is formulating a viable strategy to conduct a massive examination of 1.25 crore applicants and scheduling of all the processes while observing all norms in COVID-19 situation.

VIJAY KHANDUJA APPOINTED AMBASSADOR TO ZIMBABWE

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

SRIKAR REDDY APPOINTED OSD, COMMERCE

Srikar R Reddy has been appointed as OSD (JS level), Department of Commerce for a period of three years. He is a 2001 batch IFS officer.

D MADHUKAR NAIK APPOINTED PS TO MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI

D Madhukar Naik has been appointed Private Secretary to Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister for Minority Affairs. He is a 2002 batch IDES officer.

MAHESH CHANDRAN APPOINTED OSD TO MURALEEDHARAN

Mahesh Chandran R, Chief Manager (Law), SBI, Mumbai, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty to Muraleedhran, Minister of State for External Affairs.

PALLAVI AGARWAL RELIEVED TO JOIN AS MEMBER SECRETARY, NMA

Pallavi Agarwal has been relieved to join as Member Secretary, National Monuments Authority (NMA) under the Ministry of Culture, New Delhi on deputation basis. She is an IRS-IT officer.

ALLAHABAD HC JUSTICE PANKAJ JAISWAL TO RETIRE ON SEPT 30

Justice Pankaj Jaiswal, Judge of Allahabad High Court, will retire on September 30, 2020.

HP HRC GETS CHAIRPERSON IN JUSTICE PS RANA Dharmendra Pradhan with PM Narendra Modi.

Heavy showers likely in parts of Madhya Pradesh: IMD

rope, Middle East, Asia (except North and Eastern Russia), Indonesia, among others.

Though the central path of the eclipse begins it journey in Congo (Africa), in India it traverses from Suratgarh (Rajasthan), Sirsa and Kurukshetra (Hary-

ana), Dehradhun, Chamoli and Joshimath in Uttarakhand thus giving people in these areas the opportunity to observe the Sun as a ring of fire. After its stint in India it will continue towards China, Taiwan and end in Pacific Ocean, —PTI

clean chit to China over the standoff.

“The sacrifices of the soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment foiled the attempt of the Chinese side to erect structures and also cleared the attempted transgression at this point of the LAC on that day,” the PMO said.

“The words of the prime minister ‘those who tried to transgress our land were taught a befitting lesson by our brave sons of soil’, succinctly summed up the ethos and the values of our armed forces,” it said.

The PMO said Modi assured that India’s

armed forces will leave no stone unturned to protect the country’s borders.

“Attempts are being made in some quarters to give a mischievous interpretation to remarks by the prime minister at the all-party meeting on Friday,” it said. —ANI

June 15-16 during an attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo during the de-escalation in eastern Ladakh.

Speaking about the current border situation with China, he said: “We are aware of the situation, be it on LAC or beyond, be it their air deployments, their posture and kind of deployments. We’ve full analysis and we have taken necessary action that we need to take to handle any contingency that may come up.”

“We are monitoring all the moments and we are aware of the full sit-

uation,” he added.

He further said that in spite of the “unacceptable Chinese action” at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, which claimed lives of 20 Indian Army personnel, efforts are underway to ensure that the current situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is resolved peacefully.

He asserted that the IAF is determined to deliver and the development at the LAC in Ladakh is a small snapshot of what the force is required to handle at short notice.

The IAF Chief further appealed to people

10 pm on Saturday.

Bhuvan Chandra Uniyal, the priest of Badrinath Dham, said that ‘Sutak’

which started from 10.25 pm on Saturday, will remain till 1.53 pm on Sunday. . This will be the first solar eclipse of the year 2020 in which the moon will cover the Sun, making it a ‘fire ring’ during the maximum phase of the eclipse.

BIGGEST RECRUITMENT IN INDIA56,378 PERSONS SELECTED IN RAILWAYS

Dimple Verma has been promoted to the rank of ACS in Uttar Pradesh. She is a 1989 batch IAS officer.

son from the central path, the eclipse, mostly in the partial phase, will be visible between 9.56 AM to 2.29 PM,” it said.

Across the world this is visible in the region covering Africa except Western and Southern parts, South East Eu-

Dehradun: Ahead of solar eclipse, all the Chardham temples in Uttarakhand will remain closed from 10 pm on Saturday till Sunday afternoon. Due to the solar eclipse, the temple of Badrinath-Kedarnath and Gangotri-Yamunotri will remain closed from

POWER Gallery

DIMPLE VERMA IS NOW ACS IN UP

Bhopal: As rains lashed parts of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, IMD said the state has recorded 142% excess rainfall since June 1.

Heavy showers were likely at some places in Sidhi, Singrauli, Rewa, Mandla and Balaghat districts, senior meteorologist G D Mishra said.

“The rest of the state, barring Gwalior, Bhind and Jabalpur districts, has received excess rainfall. The state has recorded 131.7 mm rainfall since June 1,” he said. The usual rainfall recorded in this period was 54.5 mm and going by this, the state has received 142 % excess rainfall, he added. —PTI

CHARDHAM TEMPLES TO REMAIN SHUT TILL SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Modi on Saturday launched the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan on Saturday through video conferencing.

This Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan with a duration of 125 days, will work in mission mode and involve focused implementation of 25 categories of works or activities in 116 districts, each with a large concentration of returnee workers in 6 states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Odisha.

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi in his speech credited workers for giving him the idea of starting this welfare scheme. —ANI

06

—FILE PHOTO

Retired Justice PS Rana has been appointed as Chairperson, Human Rights Commission in Himachal Pradesh.

Defence Min to attend 75th Victory Day parade in Moscow New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay a three-day visit to Russia beginning Monday to attend a grand military parade in Moscow to mark the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Germany in the Second World War. The defence minister’s visit comes in the midst of an escalating border standoff between India and China, particularly after the killing of 20 Indian Army personnel by Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh’s Galwan Valley on June 15.

“Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay a visit to Moscow to attend the victory parade

on June 24 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Second World War,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

Officials said Singh is going ahead with the visit, notwithstanding the border row with China, due to India’s decades-old military ties with Russia.

“I wish a safe journey to Defence Minister of strategic partner

India @rajnathsingh who is scheduled to depart to Moscow on Monday to witness the Great Victory Day Military Parade on June 24,” Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev tweeted.

The parade was originally scheduled on May 9, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A tri-service 75-member Indian military contingent has already reached Moscow to participate in the parade.

“The visit of the defence minister will strengthen the longstanding special and privileged strategic partnership between India and Russia,” the ministry said. —PTI

in Chicago in 2011 of providing material support to the Pakistan based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which planned the Mumbai terror attack and for supporting a never-carried-out plot to attack a Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed in 2005.

He was accused of allowing David Coleman Headley to open a branch of his Chicago-based immigration law business in Mumbai as a cover story and travel as a representative of the company in Denmark.

Rana has been

charged “with murder and murder conspiracy in India, according to court documents”, he had however been cleared of the more serious charge of “providing support for the attacks in Mumbai.”

“Rana’s lawyer said at trial that he had been duped by his high school buddy, Headley, an admitted terrorist who plotted the Mumbai attacks. The defence called Headley, the government’s chief witness who testified to avoid the death penalty, a habitual liar and manipulator,” according to the article. —ANI

FROM PG 1 A Twist...

“The prime minister’s observations that there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC (Line of Actual Control) pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces,” it said.

The Congress as well as a number of strategic affairs experts raised questions over Modi’s remarks asking if there was no transgression by the Chinese military in Galwan Valley then where did Indian soldiers die.

They also wondered whether Modi gave a

‘Ready to...

Chief Marshal Bhadauria said here. Bhadauria was speaking at the Combined Graduation Parade (CGP) at Air Force Academy in Hyderabad.

His remarks come days after 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the violent face-off on

to join him in paying tribute Colonel Santosh Babu and his brave men who made the sacrifice while defending the LAC in Galwan valley.

“The gallant actions in a highly-challenging situation have demonstrated our resolve to protect India’s sovereignty at any cost,” the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief said. —ANI

26/11 attacks...

However, “he was not able to get out of prison before being arrested to face extradition to India,” prosecutors were quoted as saying.

Rana was convicted

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Yoga Day will go digital for the first time since June 21, 2015, when it began to be celebrated annually across the world, coinciding with the Summer Solstice each year. This year's theme is 'Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’ and people will be able to join the celebrations virtually at 7 am

YOGA GOES

VIRTUAL! W

ith the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic looming large, International Day of Yoga on Sunday will be celebrated on digital media platforms sans mass gatherings and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message would be the highlight of the occasion.

Yoga Day will go digital for the first time since June 21, 2015, when it began to be celebrated annually across the world, coinciding with the Summer Solstice each year.

This year’s theme is “Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’’ and people will be able to join the celebrations virtually at 7 am on June 21. The Indian missions abroad are trying to reach out to the people through digital media as well as through the network of institutions which support yoga, officials said.

The Ministry of AYUSH had planned to hold a grand event in Leh, but cancelled it due to the pandemic. On December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as ‘’International Day of Yoga’’, months after PM Modi had proposed the idea. A message from Prime Minister Modi will be the highlight of the International Day of Yoga which will be observed on electronic and digital platforms on June 21, the AYUSH ministry said on Thursday.

“Due to the current global health emergency due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the focus this year is less on such celebrations and more on people performing Yoga at their respective homes with participation of the entire family,” the ministry said.

The prime minister’s remarks will be televised at 6.30 am, a statement by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) said.

As has been the practice in International Day of Yoga (IDY) observation, the PM’s message will be followed by a live demonstration of a 45-minute Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) by a team from Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga. The CYP drill has been designed keeping in mind people of different age groups and of varied walks of life, the ministry had said in its statement.

“Yoga is found to be especially relevant in the pandemic situation, since its practice leads to both physical and mental wellbeing, and increases the individual’s ability to fight diseases,” it said.

PM Modi on Thursday had urged people, in a video message, to observe the day from the confines of their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year, the event will highlight the utility of yoga for indi-

viduals, to develop immunity to combat the global pandemic and strengthen the community in managing some of the significant aspects of this crisis,” Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, president, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) had said earlier this month.

The ministry and ICCR, through the ‘’My Life - My Yoga’’ video blogging competition which was launched by the prime minister on May 31, has sought to raise awareness about yoga and inspire people to prepare for and become active participants in the observation of IDY 2020.

The contest has two legs -- the first one consisting of an international video blogging contest wherein the winners will be picked within a country. This will be followed by global prize winners who will be selected from different countries.

To enter the contest, participants were required to upload a three-minute video of three yogic practices (‘kriya’’, ‘asana’’, ‘pranayama’’, ‘bandha’’ or ‘mudra’’), including a short video message/ description on how the said yogic practices influenced their lives.

The videos could be uploaded on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the contest hashtag #MyLifeMyYogaINDIA and appropriate category hashtag.

Entries could be submitted by participants under three categories-- youth (male and female aged under 18), adults (male and female above 18 years) and yoga professionals (male and female), Kotecha said.

This made it a total of six categories in all. For India contestants, prizes worth Rs 1 lakh, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 will be given for first, second and third positions within each of the categories. The Indian missions abroad will give away prizes in each country.

At the global level, cash prizes worth USD 2,500, USD 1,500 and USD 1,000 along with a trophy and certificate will be given to those ranking first, second and third, respectively.

The blogging contest which has started on various digital platforms such as MyGov.gov.in will end on Sunday. The jury will then later collectively decide and announce the names of the winners.

Yoga programmes are organised across the globe by Indian missions every year, but this year will be different. Several missions are organizing digital events to mark the occasion.

Thousands of yoga enthusiasts in Texas and adjoining US states are all set to roll out their mats to bend and twist their bodies in complex postures from the safety of their homes with acclaimed yoga guru Baba Ramdev on livestream to mark the International Day of Yoga on Sunday.

Five asanas working professionals can do at workstations

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ith the coronavirus pandemic forcing everyone to stay at home, our bedrooms now resemble our offices. But that is no reason we don’t

have any time for workout anymore. If anything, this is a good time to practice or learn yoga. There are several yoga exercises that can be done at one’s worksta-

SEATED ARM RAISES

tion or, in this case, our houses. On the occasion of the International Day of Yoga, here is a list of exercises that can be done during work hours:

NECK-SWINGS

hile being seated on your chair, raise both your arms towards W the air. Stretch and hold for five seconds. Place your left palm over the right elbow and stretch your arms apart. Repeat with the other arm. Do 20 repetitions. This will relieve the hand muscles of the constant stress due to the over-use of the computer and mobile phone.

CALF RAISES wing your neck to the right, left, back and front. Move them S slowly from side to side to the count of five. Repeat 10 times. This will help ease the tension in the neck and relieve any minor sprains.

LEG RAISES AND ROTATION

alf raises are a simple set of exercises that can be done standC ing near the workstation, in the washroom or even the canteen.

For this exercise, raise your toes as high as you can. Hold for three seconds and then lower them slowly. Repeat 30 times or till you feel a burn in the calf muscles. This will help prevent swelling of feet due to sitting in one place and can also help tone the calves.

hile seated on your chair, lift your feet parallel to the ground.

W Rotate your feet clockwise and anti-clockwise three times each. Bring them back to the original position. Repeat 10 times.

This will help tone the hamstring muscles.

EYE FOCUS EXERCISES yes are the most ignored Edespite during workouts. This is the fact that they are

your palms together till you feel them radiate heat. Cover your eyes immediately with your palms and close your eyes for 20 seconds. Repeat five times. Working out does not necessarily mean spending hours at the gym while leading a sedentary lifestyle in office. Apart from the abovementioned exercises, aim to eat healthy. Besides, make it a habit to get up from your chair every one hour and walk 50 steps. Your body will thank you later.

the most exposed to artificial lights and glare from the computer and mobile phone.

Three sets of eye exercises can help reduce the strain on them. First, stare away from your computer and blink for 30 seconds. Repeat at least 10 times during office hours.

Second, stare at an object that is at least 50 feet away. Blink normally while doing this.

Repeat five times. Third, rub SOURCE: PTI

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: SITARAM SHARMA

The aim of birth and life is joyful learning and growth.

Problems and troubles come to help us grow.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020

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WHY ARE WE AFRAID OF POINTING FINGERS AT CHINA? rashant Kishor (PK) was once the apple of the eye of Modi and BJP and had a very important role in framing the election strategy for 2014. Just check out one of his latest tweets- The war against Corona was won in 21 days and nobody turned up to fight against China. Now what is left, is economic development well that will be taken care of by govt data personnel…. there is no need to worry as the govt says that everything is alright. And to become Atma Nirbhar (Self Reliant) just keep following our election campaign. Even if you ignore the implacability of this statement, how will you turn a blind eye to what PM Modi said on Indo-Chinese standoff in the all party meeting – Neither has anyone intruded into our territory nor has anyone taken over any post. Nobody can dare to take even an inch of our land. Now look at the irony that the Minister of State for Defence, Sri Pad Nayak in his recent Goa visit, told

P

the media in clear terms that India will not spare the Chinese as they attacked our soldiers by intruding on our land.

Meanwhile, how can you forget all the Bhakt News channels harping on the story that the Chinese have taken over two thirds of the 134 Km long Pangong Lake. The Chinese soldiers are still here and no Indian can think of setting foot over here. So the question is where did the skirmish take place on June 15 ?

We all are certain that the Indian soldiers didn’t enter the Chinese territory, so it means that the Chinese invaded our territory and attacked our soldiers. China is still declaring the Galwan valley to be its territory.

Why is nobody giving a befitting reply to China?

WHAT DOES CHINA WANT ? hy is China treating India as an enemy? In the changed scenario, the race to become a ‘super- power’ has been redefined with the whole world behaving in a typical bipolar way and the world is clearly divided between the USA & China. Earlier, Pakistan was

W

FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL

BY TRIDIB RAMAN

Narendra Modi

Rahul Gandhi

Ajit Doval

Prashant Kishor

piggy-backing the USA as the latter had made it a base for its war in Afghanistan. Drubbed by it, Pakistan took refuge in the Chinese patronage. China had its eyes on taming India too. In the 18 meetings held between PM Modi and Xi Jinping in the last 6 years, China had the same calculation in its mind. Then came an era, when Narsinmha Rao led India as a new symbol of economic liberalisation, which continued during the Vajpayee’s regime as well. China

kept observing the developments as it saw Indian-US ties grow stronger.

Finally, ‘Namaste Trump’ by PM Modi took Chinese concerns to unprecedented heights only to be complimented

by BJP IT cell’s propaganda holding Wuhan responsible for the spread of Corona. This made China take out its famous weapon, dagger.

vant when you find that NSA Ajit Doval was involved in talks with China for a long time now.

When NSA Doval received the news of Chinese infiltration in Ladakh region on May 4, he called up his Chinese counterpart to seek an explanation on the intrusion. The Chinese counterpart is said to have placated Doval asking him not to worry about small tensions at the border. It seems strange that NSA Doval believed his Chinese counterpart in his simplicity.

WE AREN’T FLAWLESS! hen Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked the reason for our soldiers being weaponless while patrolling, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar immediately replied that it was in accordance with an agreement between India and China that the soldiers will not be carrying any weapons during patrolling. Army sources say that this was being practiced ever since the agreements of 1993, 1996 and 2005 so that no acci-

DID DOVAL FALTER? hat does one do one when affection creates distance?

Well that is quite rele-

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Promoters of housing societies move HC against govt for non-compliance of 2018 order First India Bureau

NO MOVEMENT!

had in July that year directed the applicant societies to approach the Gandhinagar District Collector and the Housing Commissioner of the Gujarat Housing Board. The court had directed the authorities concerned to take necessary steps “immedi-

FACT CHECKER OR FAKE TAKER? ver since the PIB started its fact checking mechanism, it has on many occasions, declared many factual news as ‘fake.’ Most glaring example is of the news that appeared when the tension between India and China had just started surfacing in the Galwan valley in Ladakh. The news said that the UP Special Task Force had issued an advisory to its jawans to delete all the Chinese Apps from their mobiles and also ask their families to do so. They were given a list of 52 Chinese Apps as ready reckoner. The PIB ‘Fact Checker’ immediately refuted it as fake news and said that the UP STF had issued no such advisory.

E

Government faces contempt plea for not giving HC staff land Ahmedabad: Promoters of three housing societies have moved a contempt of court petition in the Gujarat High Court against several government officers, including Chief Secretary Anil Mukim, for non-compliance of a 2018 order pertaining to land allotment and construction of buildings for court staffers.

In 2018, the promoters of three cooperative societies had sought the court’s direction to provide land for construction of residential flats for officers and employees of the high court and the office of the government pleader.

Two land parcels in Gandhinagar – one at Zundal and another at Adalaj – were also identified for the purpose.

A division bench

dental use of weapons make us subject to international mockery.

Sources say that CDS Bipin Rawat had alerted the Army Chief on this.

ately without any delay for allotment of land and to take up construction on the land in question.”

However, in the fresh contempt petition filed nearly two years later, the cooperative societies have submitted that despite the petitioners following due process

on their part, there has been little to no progress with regard to the allotment of land and the construction of high-rise buildings for officers and employees of the HC, including class four employees.

On June 19, the court instructed Gandhinagar Collector

Kuldeep Arya to file an affidavit by June 30, vetted by Mukim, detailing the chronology of events that have taken place since the 2018 court judgment was passed.

The matter is expected to be taken up for further hearing on July 6.

W

Leopard dies in territorial combat

RAM MANDIR CONSTRUCTION POSTPONED. ishwa Hindu Parishad has post-

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poned the construction date of the Ram Temple yet again, this time until July 2. The logic forwarded by VHP is that it is being done as a mark of respect for the 23 martyred soldiers at the Indo-Chinese LAC. But sources say that the postponement is due to an old dispute between VHP and the Modi govt and yet another date could be announced, if the dispute continues.

AND IN THE END… he IT cell of BJP has been blaming Jawahar Lal Nehru for failure of our foreign & defence policy. For example, Nehru is blamed for losing Aksai Chin to China who still holds it.

And now since we have lost the Pangong Lake to China as Chinese have been claiming openly, one awaits a tweet from BJP IT cell with another Nehru photograph blaming him for losing the Pangong Lake too.

T

The author is a journalist and political commentator and views expressed are his personal

Big fire at Vadodara agro unit, none hurt

First India Bureau Vadodara: A five-yearold male leopard died during a territorial fight with another beast in Chhota Udepur district on Saturday, but not before it had attacked and injured a farmer “in agitation.”

The beast injured a farmer Kanu Solanki at his farm before falling in a pit. Forest officials said it must have attacked Solanki in agitation. The Forest Department said the leopard must have had a fight with another male leopard around three days ago near Ghutanvad village resulting in grievous injuries.

“The leopard must have roamed around with injuries for two to three days. The other leopard must have also been injured and we have launched a search for it,” said Deputy Conservator of Forests Nilesh Pandya. Once the other animal is found, it will be tranquilized so that its injuries can be treated.

A major fire reduced an agro-based industrial unit to ashes.

First India Bureau Vadodara : A major fire on Saturday morning completely gutted an agro-based factory in the Waghodia estate of the Gujarat industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) near Vadodara on Saturday morning.

Firefighters were battling with the flames for many hours till the evening. Official sources said no casualties were reported.

The fire broke out in a shed of Jay Agro Industry around 4 a.m., at a place where a large quantity of inflammable solvent was stocked.

At the time of the

fire, there were around 40 to 50 employees working in the factory, who all escaped to safety. Initially, four to five fire engines were rushed to the place, but the flames got more intense due to the heavy wind and spread to four other sheds and soon engulfed the whole factory.

Around 22 to 25 fire engines were trying to douse the fire, including some private fire fighting vehicles, brought from nearby companies. According to the available information there has been no casualty reported so far but the factory has been gutted in the fire.

Gujarat to have digital ‘#DoYogaBeatCorona’ campaign 

On International Yoga Day today, CM Vijay Rupani’s FB page will see celebrities holding special sessions

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Determined to celebrate the International Yoga Day on Sunday despite the Covid-19 outbreak that has assumed pandemic proportions, the Gujarat Government has planned to observe the day digitally to maintain the social distancing protocol.

As the ancient Indian practice of Yoga is cele-

brated every year across the world on June 21, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani feels a stronger need to propagate yoga as a tool to build immunity against the corona virus. The Chief Minister has launched the ‘#DoYogaBeatCorona’ campaign, with great emphasis on the positive impacts of Yoga in increasing immunity and boosting the mental health of people.

Rupani has stated

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani performing yoga.

that in this time of lockdown and isolation, it is all the more important

to take care of one’s mental and physical health and that Yoga

helps in both these aspects of an individual’s well being.

But since large gatherings are prohibited and advised against in this time of the pandemic outbreak, the State Government has come up with a series of initiatives to involve its citizens in the celebration.

From June 21, a sixday state-wise initiative will be carried out in which several celebri-

ties will conduct Facebook live Yoga events from the page of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

During these sessions, they would speak about and teach techniques of yoga, meditation and Pranayam.

Some of the names of these celebrities involve Baba Ramdev and Sadhguru, who will interact with the people via Rupani’s Facebook page.

This would also not only be a one-way talk

but a participatory initiative where people will be asked to upload their pictures with the hashtag: #DoYogaBeatCorona. From Friday, they were asked to upload their pictures whilst performing their favourite asanas.

Apart from this several fitness experts like Sapna Vyas, and cricketers like Ravindra Jadeja and Cheteshwar Pujara will also take part.

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YOGA IS THE PATH TO LIBERATION AND FREEDOM FROM FEAR, FEAR OF FAILURE, THE FEAR OF PAIN, AND THE FEAR OF CHANGE. YOGA TRANSCENDS BORDERS AND IS AS POPULAR ABROAD AS IT IS IN INDIA

ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

Y

oga is a philosophical, ethical, spiritual, and physical practice. It is based on ancient texts written thousands of years ago. In Western countries, one mainly knows about the physical part: the practice of “Asanas” (postures and movements) and breath control (”Pranayama”).

It’s true that yoga has a special relationship to us, to India.

While yoga is not a singular tradition, India is usually seen as the land of its birth. In recent years, the government has made worldwide headlines with its promotion of yoga. We now have a national yoga ministry and extensively promote, today June 20, as International Day of Yoga. But yoga has also long

The

POWER of

YOGA!

been a participatory culture with practitioners in many different places.

Late 19th-century advocates of yoga, such as Swami Vivekananda, thought that the practice could represent a distinctively Indian contribution to the world.

When Iyengar’s now-classic Light on Yoga appeared for an international English-reading audience, it represented Indian cultural heritage in empowering rather than embattled ways.

While we usually think of Light on Yoga as a set of physical instructions, it also offers cultural instructions about how to consider the practice. Iyengar’s manual brought together philosophical description, imaginative storytelling and scientific language.

Anticipating today’s hot question of whether yoga is religious, Light on Yoga suggests that yoga is not exactly a religion in itself: Instead, “it is a science of religions, the study of which will enable a sadhaka the better to appreciate his faith.”

The ultimate objective of yoga practice is the harmony of the body and the mind. This balance then leads to the liberation of the soul. It was this idea of spiritual freedom, envisioned by many later practitioners as emancipation from the pressures of capitalist ideologies, that contributed to the further spread of yoga in totality -asanas and pranayama, in the West.

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AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020

10

HEALING NOTES! tain road ahead because of an unmeasurable, indefinable, defiant enemy; music can, and is serving as a monumental psychological leveler.

KARTIK BAJORIA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

CREATIVE EXPRESSION!

B

FA CE OF TH ED AY

efore a crucial match, listening to Eye Of The Tiger or Sadda Haq sets our pulses racing!

After a long day at work, nursing that well-deserved drink, we drift off to the lilting strains of Koi Ye Kaise Batae by Jagjit Singh from the soundtrack of Arth. Or unwind mind & body with some soulful Blues or the poignant wisdom of Tujhse Naraz Nahi Zindagi. Lovers bask in each other’s scent as they playfully tease, serenaded by Tum Ho, or the soothing Sade. Even the great Shakespeare dramatically submitted to the awesome power of music when his Twelfth Night character Duke Orsino commands, “If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it..’!

That music transcends race & rank, caste & creed, nationality and notional differences, is undeniable.

Music, for those who are exponents, students and practitioners of it, and for listeners, casual or serious, informed or amateur, even to ordinary folk, encompasses a myriad of attributes.

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY!

The involuntary tapping of one’s feet at the faintest whiff of a Bhangra Beat is clear evidence of the innately stress-busting quality of music. Working professional, students, the elderly, the young & restless, we all find solace in some form

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

HEAL THE SELF, HEAL THE WORLD!

When I was recovering from Cancer, I used to listen to music all the time. It

A SIGN OF THE TIMES!

Ultimately, music’s higher purpose, not unlike any other art-form, is to record, preserve, and reflect on the times. Be they bygone eras through cultural & musical legacy, or current sociology through popular culture and music.

On World Music Day, we ought to remind ourselves of divine gift that music is, and reiterate to ourselves and to the world, Heal The World, with music!

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Stay calm, listen carefully and refrain from overreacting. Getting along will require discipline.

Don’t start something you cannot finish. Concentrate on making self-improvements and peace of mind. A new approach to an old idea looks promising.

You’ll crave change, but unless you have everything in place, sit tight. A little time spent organizing and preparing will ensure your success.

Fond memories will lead to searching online for someone from your past and beware you might them too, don’t dwell too much.

You’ll have the stamina and discipline to get things done. Declutter your space to make room for the changes you want to make to your lifestyle. Cutting down on the amount of stuff you have will also reduce your responsibilities. Be open and speak up.

Check to make sure all your documents are updated. Be prepared to make a move regarding your investments, pending settlements or legal issues, or a health concern that needs your attention.

Clear vision, facts and figures will lead to positive change.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Emotional decisions will not turn out as planned.

Take a step back, and concentrate on personal goals you can make in the confines of your own space. Aiming for perfection will raise self-awareness and a greater understanding of what it is you want.

You’ll come up with a plan that works well. Time and energy will be all it takes to put your plan into motion.

There will be plenty of time and room for expansion once you have mastered preliminary groundwork.

Plan well and focus on your goals.

Take care of your responsibilities. Your words won’t mean much if you don’t follow through.

Letting emotions take over and turn an uneasy situation into utter chaos will set you back. Leave no room for error or criticism. Take a deep breath and calm down to focus.

Take care of money matters, contracts and documents that need updating. Consider creative ways to lower your overhead and to invest in you, your skills and whatever you want to pursue.

Monitor a change regarding a partnership very carefully.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Take care of pressing matters at home. Listen to everyone’s concerns, and monitor the situation before putting rules in place. A good deed will be appreciated and rewarded. Take care of your health, and nurture meaningful relationships. a shopping trip will be full of fun.

Take care of pressing matters at home. Listen to everyone’s concerns, and monitor the situation before putting rules in place. Act the leader that you are. A good deed will be appreciated and rewarded. Take care of your health, and nurture meaningful relationships.

Keeping busy will help you avoid an argument with someone who lives with you. Making physical and personal changes that encourage looking and feeling your best are worth considering. Start a fitness program, yoga or aerobics, will be of great benefit in the long run.

Keep your emotions tucked away someplace safe. Offer compassion and understanding, and you will find it easier to keep your opinions to yourself. A positive attitude will encourage others to pitch in and help you improve your current situation.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

SALONI TOTLA, Fashion Blogger

or genre of music. The calming character of music is particularly pertinent in today’s scenario, with many of us experiencing varying degrees of stress, anxiety, depression even, ever since the world has been witnessing the covid 19 pandemic.

Trapped in our homes, too scared to venture out, with cases of the virus and resultant deaths spiking, jobs and livelihoods lost, careers hanging in the balance, and a largely uncer-

Music also is, from a human being’s formative years, a wonderfully creative pursuit. Young children who seem inclined artistically, if exposed to music, can go on to adopt music into their lives, and by consequence, not just a cathartic creative vent but also its many positive characteristics such as its ataractic impulse, its judgement and bias-free tranquillity, and its ability to touch the soul. People who inculcate music into their lives tend to be happier, feel more fulfilled, are more content and view life through a slightly different, less-harsh, more optimistic and sensitive lens.

The best part about this, is one doesn’t HAVE to practice music professionally, as a career or as a job, to derive the above mentioned benefits from it.

Even as a lifelong hobby, a little bit of music, every day, will strike the ‘right note’!

helped me heal, not just physically but perhaps more crucially, psychologically. The same alleviating aspect of music is applied, as a prescribed therapy, across the world, in a slew of medical situations, by a vast number of medical practitioners. That’s as far as music’s individual-healing capacity is concerned.

Arguably its even greater healing dynamism can be seen across borders, when cross-country tensions are diffused by cultural engagement, of which music is an indispensable and integral part. Warring nations, warn-torn and ravaged countries, gain from the bountiful heling touch of music, directly, or even indirectly, when music is used to raise funds, awareness and propagate action & advocacy. It isn’t a coincidence that the king of pop sang a song titled ‘Heal The World’.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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Bollywood celebs who are totally into yoga are proof enough that yoga is a boon not just for health and fitness but also for looks. The Divas of Bollywood swear by yoga as a cure-all.

AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020

11

Malaika Arora has always been one of the fittest celebrities in Bollywood.

She’s taken her passion for yoga one step ahead by investing in a yoga startup and opened a yoga studio in Mumbai.

“Everybody has a different outlet, for me, I found that in yoga. It helped me at a very precarious stage in my life and I’m grateful,” she says.

ON THE GO

WITH YOGA For Shilpa Shetty, the secret behind her slim waistline is a daily dose of yoga that she has continued for years. She has released numerous DVDs and given several tips on how to lose weight through yoga and attain good health. The favourite yoga poses of Shilpa includes Padahastasana (for flat tummy), Dhanurasana (to strengthen back muscles), Bhujangasana (regulates the metabolism effectively), Vrikshasana (for perfect stability and balance) and Ardha Salabhasana (good for the nervous system.

For Bollywood beauty Jacqueline Fernandez, yoga is a perfect stress buster. It’s also something that helps her detoxify her skin.

“You sweat out all the toxins while practising,” she says. A firm believer of ‘a healthy mind resides in a healthy body’, yoga has always been an indispensable part of her fitness regimen. “I have been doing it as far as I can remember,” she says.

And after almost a decade of practising it, Nargis Fakhri is a devoted practitioner of Hatha yoga today. “It was pretty tough for me at first but I loved the way I felt afterwards, so I continued to go on,” says Fakhri. What worked for her was the feeling of accomplishment she experienced when she was able to do the asanas.

In her own words, yoga has been a sort of mental and physical transformation for her.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s weight loss wasn’t easy, considering she had a baby and some work commitments to fulfil.

The diva is not a gym person and does not follow any specific workout. In one of her interviews, she admitted that she was never serious about the workout and prefers yoga sessions over workout.

According to her, yoga is the best way to keep the powerful fit and flexible. She indulges in jogs and brisk walks first thing in the morning, followed by a 45 minute yoga session, which also include power yoga.

Many people are curious to know the secret behind Amisha Patel’s toned body as well as fitness. She shared that she does not believe in a monotonous workout as she considers it to be bad. She feels that Yoga is one of the best ways to keep your body healthy and maintain the figure at the same time.

“I work out for an hour every day when I am not shooting. I often try new Yoga exercises to keep my workout schedule exciting.”

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AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2020

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PAPA KEHTE HAIN… CITY FIRST RAJASTHAN & GUJARAT

I

t’s Fathers’ day today and though we need no special day to love, adore and care for the most special man in our life, still this day is a reminder that Dads are special!

Fathers are special for so many reasons, they provide a sense of security and safety within the home and put aside their own desires and dreams to fulfil the same of their family.

A dad might say NO but he has your best interests at heart, many a time he carries the burdens deep within and amidst the storms of life, Dads provide a stable foundation City First, send all the dads across a big HUG and a THANK YOU on behalf of its readers and also talks to a few of its readers on ‘the message they would like to give to their fathers on this special day. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in We might not say this often but the world without you and all the other dads out there, wouldn’t be so great. Over the years, you have always managed to teach us what’s right and what’s wrong. You have shown us how to be brave with unflattering love that you gave.

There is no possible way we could pay you back for all that you have done for us growing up. Happy Father’s day to the man who made us what we are today. We love you, Papa!

—ARCHI AND DHARA SEERWANI

THE CURRENT

DEAR DAD (BOTH OF YOU)

Thank you is a very small word to express my deepest gratitude.

One of you is responsible for my existence in this world and the other added meaning to it. One of you have raised me with ingrained values and the other continued with that ethos. Both of you today have taken a step backwards to give me that forefront.

I know both of you are the pillars on which I stand. I will try not to let you down. I promise I will continue to walk that path with the utmost integrity.

—APRA KUCHHAL

For all those times when I craved for something far from home, only my father could console me. On this day, I would like to wish my Dad a very Happy Father’s Day and thank him for standing by me all my life. —DIPALI JOSHI

Dad, for all the time you were there for me and I didn’t say. For all the time showing me the way and I didn’t say. For always being patient with me even when I made it difficult for you and I didn’t say. For believing in me and encouraging me to dream and I didn’t say. I didn’t say, thank you. Thank you, Dad, for being the best father one could only imagine.

Happy Father’s Day —KIMBERLY FERNANDEZ

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

astrological scenario MAHESH BANG

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

A

strologer Mahesh Bang has predicted that the protest in America will settle within two weeks and there will be peace regarding this matter. This after demonstrations erupted in cities across the US in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in the hands of police.

In 2018, Bang predicted that according to America’s horoscope, it will be in its worst time until next year and covid19 case will increase rapidly.

Bang was recently recognised internationally for predicting the onset of the pandemic which the world is still grappling with.

According to his research approximately every 20 years, whenever the two major planets Jupiter and Saturn come close to each other by being situated together in one zodiac sign, retrograde and less than 30 degrees to each other, this alignment has a negative global impact and poses a cloud of danger. The three big, influential and largely populated countries, namely America, China and India are negatively affected as per their horoscope. Bang said there were negative forecasts for China pushing it into war or prejudice from other

countries. In 1962 and 1963 when the same planets were aligned, there was the Indo-China war.

Now according to Bang’s calculation, the very same combination is on the verge of alignment, the build-up is being seen with the India and China conflict and Hong Kong protests which are causing difficulties for China. The current India-China tension will not lead to war now, but from November 20, 2020, to April 4, 2021, when again these planets will be together, the probability increases astrologically and there will be peak tension between India and China or America and China. This could lead to an economical war or a small war between India and China at the border or second wave of COVID-19.

In the last 100 years’ cycle, when these planets were aligned, the biggest Historical events were;  1920 - Spanish flu 

1939 to 1945 - Second World War

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1962 & 63 - Indo-China tensions & war

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1981 - Beginning of the HIV Virus

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1999 to 2001 - Kargil War (worldwide anxiety about a nuclear bomb being used), massive earthquake in Bhuj in Gujarat, 9/11 twin tower incident

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Dec 2019 to 30 June 2020 - horrific Australian fires, America-Iran tussle, Volcano and earthquakes, American riots and worldwide protest and now COVID 19 pandemic.

GUJARAT: To celebrate the occasion of International Yoga Day 2020, Anuvrat- Jeevan Vigyan Academy, Surat is going to organise a session on ‘Doing Yoga and Beating Corona’, today at 8 AM, featuring C R Paatil in the conversation with Alka Sankhala.

RAJASTHAN: Grandchildren of Senior Journalist Rajendra Chhabra, Avika and Aarav along with their mother, Swati Chhabra are all set to practice Yoga and spread awareness to commemorate the International Yoga Day today.

GUJARAT: As per the guidelines of AYUSH ministry, all 36 Ayush dispensaries of Vadodara district performed a digital as well as a live demonstration of Yoga practices, to commemorate the International Yoga Day, and spread the awareness about the importance of Yoga through all social media platforms.

GUJARAT: To celebrate the occasion of World Music Day, Majestic Music Festival is going to organise an Instagram live session featuring Milan, Barely Unknown, RJ Swapnil and Krunal, today at 8 PM.

HAPPY B’DAY!

MLA Shrimadhopur Deependra Singh (left) and MLA Chomu Ramlal Sharma celebrated their birthdays on 20 June, Saturday. We wish them all the best!

GUJARAT: During the ongoing semilockdown, more than a thousand schoolgoing children of Vadodara of 9th and 10th standard have initiated a project named CHIEF (Children and elders are friends), to help the elderly by giving them food packets, ration kits and medicines in need.

GUJARAT: MLA Harsh Sanghavi, Constituency Majura, is all set to celebrate International Yoga Day. To mark the occasion and spread the awareness, he shared a picture on Facebook and captioned it, “What’s your favourite yoga pose? Mine is this. #DoYogaBeatCorona”

GUJARAT: Amidst the ongoing fight against the pandemic, Sankalp Sari from Surat has been preparing two lakh packets of Saree including homoeopathic medicine and masks. These packets will be delivered from village to village so that women can get health protection along with sari.