First India-Ahmedabad Edition-22 August 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

26°C - 32°C

ALERT

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

AHMEDABAD l SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 266

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

7,99,640 2,30,09,844 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 21,698 DEATHS 6,57,449 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 6,340 DEATHS 3,67,430 CASES

INDIA

GUJARAT

55,922 29,72,302 2,869 DEATHS

KARNATAKA 4,522 DEATHS 2,64,546 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 4,270 DEATHS 1,58,604 CASES

9 LIVES LOST, 8 HURT IN FIRE AT TELANGANA HYDEL POWER STN

84,466

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 933 DEATHS 67,954 CASES

GANPATI BAPPA MORIYA —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

Smoke from the fire at the station chokes only exit point leading to deaths

Fire broke out at Left Bank Power House in Srisailam, in Telangana, late last night on Thursday killing 9 people

Hyderabad: Nine people including seven employees of Telangana state power generation corporation (TSGenco) were killed and eight others injured—three of them seriously—in a major fire mishap at the Srisailam Left Bank Hydel Power Station (SLBHP) late on Thursday night, officials said.

The SLBHP is on the Telangana side of the Srisailam reservoir on Krishna river-- a joint irrigation project between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The power house was constructed inside a two-km long tunnel under the Nallamala hill range adjacent to the reservoir.

Though the authorities initially said there were 30 employees inside the power plant when the accident occurred at 10.30 pm, an official statement from TSGenco said there were only 17 employees inside.

“Eight of them managed to come out of the

NARENDRA MODI @NARENDRAMODI Fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest.

AMIT SHAH@AMITSHAH Deeply anguished to learn about the loss of lives due to tragic fire accident at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant in Telangana. My deepest condolences are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. station with injuries, nine others remained trapped inside as they were trying their best to put out the fire and save the power plant from being burnt completely,” the statement said.

The deceased employees of TSGenco were identified as deputy engineer Srinivas Goud, assistant engineers Venkat Rao, Mohan Kumar and Uzma Fathima, plant attendant Rambabu, junior attendant Kiran and Sundar Kumar. Two other employ-

ees of Amaron Batteries, Hyderabad – Vinesh Kumar and Mahesh Kumar-- were also trapped inside the power plant and were among those found dead.

“All of them tried to come out of the escape tunnel, but they did not succeed due to the thick plumes of smoke that engulfed the entire tunnel,” the statement said. Telangana power minister G Jagadeeshwar Reddy, agriculture minister S Niranjan Reddy, Turn to P6

Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on Saturday amidst strict corona protocols. On Friday, Sinjara was celebrated with deep abiding faith & simplicity at the famous Moti Dungari Ganesh Temple in Jaipur, where Mahant Kailash Sharma offered henna to Lord Ganesha.

New norm! Gloves, masks for voters Govt: JEE, NEET on as admit and more for Bihar polling booths cards out; exams on Sept 1 & 6 EC also issued norms concerning campaigning New Delhi: Voters will be provided with gloves to press the EVM button and COVID-19 patients in quarantine will be allowed to vote at the last hour of the polling day, according to broad guidelines issued by the EC on Friday for holding elections during the coronavirus pandemic.

The gloves will most likely be disposable.

Ex- Fin Secy Kumar is Election Commissioner

A separate set of guidelines would be issued for voters who are residing in areas notified as “containment zone”, the Election Commission said.

The commission has

recommended mandatory sanitisation of polling stations, preferably a day before the polls.

Thermal scanners would be placed at the entry point of every polling station.

Turn to P6

Former Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar has been appointed Election Commissioner, the Law Ministry said in notification on Friday night. Kumar will take charge the day Election Commissioner Ashok Lavasa leaves his office on August 31.

Lavasa is joining Asian Development Bank as its vice president.

New Delhi: The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for admission to IITs and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) - for admission to medical courses - will go ahead as scheduled, government sources said on Friday, days after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition by students to defer the exams due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Admit cards for the JEE (Main) exam have already been issued by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and around 6.5 lakh students (of the nearly 8.6 lakh who had registered)

have downloaded them, the sources added.

The JEE (Main) exam is scheduled to be held between September 1 and September 6. The NEET exam has been pencilled in for September 13.

Amid growing demand for the postpone-

ment of the examinations by students, BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy on Friday said that he has conveyed to education minister that NEET, JEE and other similar exams should be conducted after Diwali. Turn to P6

RS bypoll on Sept 11 for Singh’s seat New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Friday announced that it has decided to hold on September 11 by-elections to the Council of States from Uttar Pradesh to fill up a casual vacancy following the demise of Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh.

According to the Commission, elections will be held between 9 am and 4 pm on September 11, and counting of votes will begin at 5 pm on the same day. The issue of notification will take place on August 25 and the last day for making the nominations is September 1, Turn to P6

AMC on its toes after 32 cases emerge from a single society in 24 hrs First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has been testing around 20,000 samples every day for the past few days. However, with 32 cases emerging in a single residential society in the Maninagar area over a period of 24 hours, the

civic body will have to continue to remain on its toes.

Shopkeepers in the area have pulled down shutters as well.

On Thursday, 21 residents of Hemapark Society tested positive for COVID-19. Another 11 tested positive on Friday. All patients have been shifted to COVIDcare centres for treat-

—FILE PHOTO

1,204 cases and 14 fatalities bring state’s tally to 84,466 cases and death toll to 2,869

A medic takes a sample at a residential society during an AMC testing drive for COVID-19.

ment. The AMC has sealed the society and declared it a micro containment zone.

In the past 24 hours, the state has conducted 72,857 tests, of which 1,204 came back positive. There are now 14,320 active cases in the state, with 89 patients on ventilator support.

Surat has reported the highest number of cases with 251; of these, 169 were from the city and 82 from rural areas.

The New Civil Hospital is treating 132 patients,

of which nine are on ventilator support, 24 are on BiPAP machines and 83 are on oxygen support. Thirteen of the 108 COVID-19 patients at SMIMER Hospital are on ventilator support, 17 are on BiPAP machines and 46 are on oxygen support.

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation conducted 2,227 tests, of which 114 came back positive. There are now 1,270 active cases there, with 153 patients on oxygen support and 54 on Bi-

PAP machines. In Vadodara city, the highest (1,829) cases are from the North zone, followed by the South zone, which has 1,340 cases.

A special isolation and quarantine barrack has been created at the Rajkot sub-jail after 24 cases emerged there.

Symptomatic patients and those who came in contact with these patients are being kept there. Rajkot district collectorate has prepared a list of 90 private doctors, Turn to P6

NEWS AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

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

02

PLAYING TO THE GALLERY

Patil takes on factionalism and ‘imported’ leaders

CR Patil addresses a gathering of party workers in Rajkot on Friday.

BJP STATE UNIT PRESIDENT WAS IN RAJKOT ON DAY 3 OF HIS FOUR-DAY SAURASHTRA TOUR Haresh Jhala Rajkot: Keen to soothe ruffled feathers among the rank and file, CR Patil, the state unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has reiterated that he will not encourage the “import” of “readymade” leaders.

Patil had the same message while addressing party workers in Junagadh on Thursday and in Rajkot on Friday. “There is no need to bring leaders or workers from other parties. We

have 1.13 crore party workers, some of whom have complained of not being given enough importance or responsibilities. Workers and leaders will be elevated only on the basis of merit. Only those who deserve it will be given a party ticket to contest elections,” he said.

Patil was in Rajkot on Day 3 of his four-day tour of Saurashtra, which he began in GirSomnath on Wednesday.

The statement comes at a time when BJP party workers and taluka and dis-

trict-level leaders have been growing increasingly dissatisfied by the preference shown to those jumping ship from other parties, particularly the rival Congress. It is being seen as the new chief ’s attempt to boost morale within his party ahead of the by-elections for eight vacant seats in the state Assembly, which are slated to be held later this year.

While Patil is the first leader in recent time to publicly accept that there are factions, he has also asserted that it

Vijay Rupani and CR Patil

—FILE PHOTO

is an internal issue which will be handled within the party. “Anyone indulging in groupism will be taught a lesson and showed his place in the party,” he has said.

According to a Rajkot-based daily, Patil has come down heavily on factionalism since his current tour of Saurashtra has given him a sense of the divisions within the party. It said that Patil has seen opposition from the Rupani group and a section of the Patidar group.

It is to be noted that

Patil has been underplaying the boost that Patidar leader Hardik Patel, who is the working president of the Congress in Gujarat, could give his party.

Asked a question about Patel at a press conference on Friday, Patil responded with decided nonchalance.

“Who is Hardik Patel?” he asked the reporter.

Another local daily has reported that Patil also stressed during a party meeting that workers from Rajkot will not get special treatment simply because they happen to be

from the hometown of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. “Only merit will be counted when appointing officer bearers. This merit will be based on the voting numbers that workers and leaders bring to the polling booths,” he reportedly said.

Patil is targeting 182 seats in State Assembly elections. Citing the last two Lok Sabha elections results, when the BJP won all 26 seats, he encouraged workers by reminding them of their collective strength.

FOR PEOPLE: CM FORMS COP Gohil mediates Rajyaguru’s return to Congress party COMPLAINT UNITS IN 25 DISTS First India Bureau

MLAs appointed to each committee; PUC to cost more



First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s government took some important decisions on Friday. In addition to constituting District Police Complaint Authorities (DPCAs) for 25 districts, the state has also extended the deadline for stamp duty payment until October 31 and increased charges for the Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate.

Each of the 25 DPCAs also include two MLAs. It is to be noted that some MLAs in the state are currently facing more than one criminal case, and that too of a serious nature.

Rupani also digitally inaugurated 61 develop-

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani

OFFICIAL ORDER EXTENDS MUKIM’S TENURE

—FILE PHOTO

mental projects of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation--worth a total of Rs1,016 crore-through video conferencing from Gandhinagar. He said, “Our government is a public-centric one, which satisfies the hopes and expectations of the people and takes quick decisions.

Developmental steps and works are being carried out across various sectors in the state in a timely manner.”

In this context, Rupani said, “Our goal is to involve more and more people in developmental works, and increase urban wellbeing as well as ease of living.”

The state has also increased charges for PUC certificates. PUC certification for twowheeler has gone up by 50% to Rs30 from the previous Rs20.

Similarly, certification for four-wheelers that run on petrol will now cost Rs80, a 60% increase from the old charge of Rs50.

Ahmedabad: Rajkot strongman Indranil Rajyaguru is set to officially rejoin Congress party after a gap of two years. He had left the party in 2018 citing internal politics as the reason, but will be back again after mediation

by Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil.

“Though he left the party in 2018, he has always remained a Congress politician.

He resigned due to internal politics, soon after appointments of postholders were made in Rajkot without his consultation, when he was the district president. He was later on offered to contest in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but had refused,” said a source within the party.

In the run up to the Rajya Sabha elections, he helped Gohil convince several MLAs to support his nomination as a candidate. “It is known that there are

Shaktisinh Gohil

rivalries and internal politics within the party and there were many MLAs who favoured Solanki over Gohil. Rajyaguru was already back in March just ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections, but then his joining was postponed later to help Gohil,” added the source.

In March, the Congress leader had hinted at a possibility of him

—FILE PHOTO

rejoining the party when he said that, “Congress is the best democratic political party that is working for the people.”

Interestingly, ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections held in June this year, several MLAs belonging to the Saurashtra region of the state had stayed at Rajyaguru’s resort.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

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

03

COVID-19 patients found being treated in a temporary shed erected in the common area; AMC slaps fine, asks hosp to respond

Pvt hosp sets up OPD in residential society Gargi Raval

Ahmedabad: In yet another case of negligence by a private hospital in Ahmedabad, Bharti Vallabh Hospital located in Shahibaug area of the city has come under the scanner after it established an Out Patient Department (OPD) in the common plot of a residential society.

The hospital is run by a Dr Ramprakash Kothari.

According to residents, a makeshift shed has been erected where COVID-19 patients are being treated. However, it seems that the society members remained silent when the shed was being installed in the common plot. After learning that patients infected with novel coronavirus were undergoing treatment at the shed, residents of Jayeshwar Society and

THE AMC FACTOR

GMC issues notice to private lab for negligence First India Bureau

The makeshift ‘OPD’ that was set up to treat COVID-19 patients.

LR Apartment opposed the move by the hospital.

Talking about his interaction with the residents of the neighbouring societies, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Leader of Opposition Dinesh Sharma said that the COVID-19 protocol was not being fol-

lowed by the hospital.

“How can a hospital operate without securing necessary permissions from the local administration? Eight people lost their lives when a hospital did not acquire required fire equipment and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department. Now, yet an-

NOT QUITE UNLOCKED

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

other case of negligence has come to light where a hospital has been treating patients in a temporary shed,” stated Sharma.

On taking action against the hospital, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said that he will draw the attention of the hospital’s negligence to concerned au-

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

thorities. “We have to check whether the hospital was constructed on AMC’s plot or not. I will ask the AMC commissioner to look into the matter and also ensure that none of the local residents get infected with COVID-19 because of the hospital’s negligence,” he said.

Gandhinagar: The medical officer of Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) has issued a notice to Gandhinagar-based Shraddhadeep Laboratory for negligence. According to the notice issued by the civic body, the laboratory had been neglecting to inform people about their COVID-19 test results and sending their results directly to the state health department.

A resident of Gandhinagar’s Sector-24 had undergone a COVID-19 test and given a sample for testing to the laboratory, which came back

positive. Later, when the family members of the resident gave their samples to other laboratories for testing, they turned out to be negative.

“The laboratory did not give a satisfactory response to the family and sent their reports to the state health department without informing them. When the health department asked for a sample and copy of the report of the positive

patient, they failed to respond,” said the medical officer.

“We fear that the laboratory has been careless with the report. It looks like the lab has been fabricating such reports to make money. This is a really serious matter,” added the official.

The local civic body has granted the laboratory five days to respond to the notice issued by it.

Incessant rains bring movement on 131 roads across state to a halt First India Bureau

A man walks past the locked gates of Parimal Garden, a popular destination for joggers, in Ahmedabad.

Stalemate continues as pvt schools reject govt’s proposed 15-25% fee cut First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state government met with office bearers of various self-financed school management associations on Friday, to reach an agreement regarding the fees issue. However, the school management associations rejected the 15-25% cut in school fees pro-

posed by the state. In turn, the government has assured that another round of meetings will take place and an accord will be reached.

The meet, which gathered on the instructions of the state high court, saw participation from members of various self-financed school management associations. State Edu-

cation Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama asked private schools to give a discount of 15-25% on school fees. According to sources from the private management associations, the state’s proposal was unclear on whether it meant the cut only for the tuition fees or other charges.

Meanwhile, the proposal presented by the

self-financed school management associations was that they would consider giving a cutback on fees to students belonging to the economically backward class. They emphasized that this concession would not be available to all students but suggested that a committee be formed to decide the fee discount percentage.

Ahmedabad: As many as 131 roads in Gujarat, including a national highway and seven state highways, were shut for traffic as heavy rain battered several parts of the state on Friday, officials said.

With the formation of a low-pressure area, some parts of the state are likely to get very heavy rainfall on Saturday and Sunday, according to a warning issued by the India Meteorological Department.

Incessant rainfall since Friday morning resulted in water-logging and traffic chaos.

The state government said that moderate to

Commuters had a rough time as heavy rain on Thursday night and Friday morning left several streets, like this one in Sarkhej area, waterlogged in Ahmedabad.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

heavy rainfall was recorded in Kutch, and north, and south Gujarat on Friday.

Valsad, Mehsana, Kutch, Navsari, and Narmada districts received extremely heavy rain. Many roads in the

Olpad taluka in Surat has been left inundated by the recent rains.

state—one each in Kutch, Anand, Bharuch, Surat, Junagadh, Porbandar, and Gir Somnath districts— were shut for vehicular movement, an official statement said.

A building collapsed

in Bardoli due to heavy rains. However, no injuries were reported.

A check dam was damaged in Dhuli village of Morbi, which caused a flood-like situation since the stored water ran over.

Shetrunji Dam has overflowed for the first time in five years.

POLLUTED RIVERS

Centre pulls up Guj for failure to clean up Sabarmati, Tapi Central Ministry of Jal Shakti had set aside funds and set up a timeline for the state to clean up its major rivers 

Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: The Centre has chastened the state government for failing to clean up Gujarat’s major rivers despite funds being allotted specifically for the purpose.

Sources say that the Centre had allocated Rs444 crore in 2014 to clean the Sabarmati

river. Six years later, neither has the money been spent completely, nor is the river clean.

This project was supposed to have been completed by 2018. Now, the government has extended the deadline to 2021.

Similarly, the Centre had allocated Rs971 crore 14 months ago and Rs13 crore 16 months ago to be used

in the cleaning up of the Tapi river. These funds remain unused.

A sewage treatment plant was also meant to have been set up. This project didn’t even get off the ground.

Mahesh Pandya, director of Paryavaran Mitra, a non-governmental organization that works for the environment, told First In-

The Sabarmati river near Vasna Barrage.

—FILE PHOTO

dia, “In February, Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar had informed the Lok Sabha that 22 rivers and other channels are highly polluted. Even in November too, replying to a question, the Environment Minister made a similar statement.”

Pandya states that, worryingly, the letter from the Centre’s Ministry of Jal Shakti focuses more on the non-use of funds than

showing any real concern for clean water.

According to a study conducted by Paryavaran Mitra, the Sabarmati is only clean in the stretch that passes through Ahmedabad city.

“Once the river crosses Vasna barrage, no one is concerned about polluted river water,” Pandya said.

“Even during the lockdown, when the state and all other surveys were talking about

how clean the Sabarmati was, only the portion that passes through the city was clean. From Vasna to Vautha Sabarmati, the pollution was the same and never met the standards of the GPCB (Gujarat Pollution Control Board),” he said.

He added that his organization has been requesting the GPCB to conduct a study post Unlock 1.0 and share the status of these rivers, but to no avail.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

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

IN-DEPTH

GOOD GOING ON COVID-19 FRONT

O

n a day when the total number of Covid-19 cases zoomed past 29 lakh with a single day spike of 68,898 cases, came the news of how successful India has been in its fight against the novel coronavirus with whatever treatment is available. With all vaccine candidates for Covid-19 still in the final stage of trial, India’s recovery rate of over 74 per cent is praiseworthy as it helps remove any panic about the pandemic. Bringing cheer to health authorities, the highest single day increase in positive cases was matched by an almost equally high number of recoveries---62,282---in a day. The total recoveries have climbed to 21.5 lakh and the “active caseload” of the country stands at 6.92 lakh.

This can be described as a success story of coordinated efforts of doctors, efficient patient management in hospitals and the technical guidance provided to medics through technical guidance from AIIMS, New Delhi. Home quarantine under medical supervision helped reduce the burden on hospitals and saved patients the trauma of hospitalization and on their medical bills. The strategy has helped keep the case fatality rate of 1.89 per cent below the global average although 54,849 deaths is not a small number.

For a country of 1.3 billion people there’s still a case for stepping up testing even though over 8 lakh samples were tested on Thursday. More tests may mean more positive cases but that should not be worrisome as the healthcare system is now geared up for the challenge. This does not mean that people can lower their guard.

DEVOTION: BEING IN THE LAP OF THE DIVINE SADHGURU, ISHA FOUNDATION Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service

T

POLLS IN THE TIMES OF CORONAVIRUS

his land, this nation, this ancient civilization has been a source of tremendous talent and genius in the past. This talent and genius were essentially born not of study but of devotion. The greatest scientists, doctors, and mathematicians were all devotees par excellence, because, in devotion, you become inclusive. In inclusion, nothing is beyond you.

To be a devotee means to arrive at a different dimension of perception and intelligence, to drop the petty, and to invite the possibility of the Divine. A devotee does not sit on a diamond-studded throne, nor aspire for one.

The only aspiration is to be in the lap of the Divine. This aspiration is not a desire to go somewhere. Only by changing one’s fundamental perception of all creation will one arrive upon the lap of the Divine.

C has begun consultations with political parties in preparation for the Bihar assembly elections which are likely to be held in October-November. As the pandemic is expected to be still around, the political parties have come up with interesting demands, including the one which seeks return of the ballot paper.

Since 2014 political parties have complained against manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVMs) by the BJP. The Election Commission and courts have consistently dismissed these allegations as no party/individual has been able to prove that EVMs can be tinkered with. The pandemic has given the opposition a chance to demand once again that instead of EVMs ballot papers should be used for voting. They argue that with hundreds of voters touching the EVM buttons, there is a strong risk of the virus spreading among them.

The other demands are also pandemic related.

One of them is insurance cover for voters just in case they catch the virus while voting. The other is for redefining “bribe” which should exclude free distribution of Covid-19 prevention kits.

The BJP has come up with the tricky demand of not allowing virtual poll campaign from jail. This is aimed at keeping Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav out of the poll fray as the former CM continues to wield substantial influence on a large segment of voters.

A TOOL TO BREAK LIMITATIONS Devotion is a tremendous tool to break all limitations within oneself. Whether it is psychological, emotional, or karmic restrictions – if there is a flood of devotion, it will carry one across all these boundaries effortlessly. With regular sadhana, it would need an enormous amount of work to remove these boundaries. But with sadhana that is done in a state of enormous devotion, you can ride the flood over all the boundaries that you have created within yourself. This includes the prisons of perception that have come up over a period of time.

Let us say you see nicely arranged flowers, it is common for human curiosity and intelligence to want to know who did this. If you see a work of art, you would like to know who did it. But incredibly, very few people, as they are engaged in life,

E

To be a devotee means to arrive at a different dimension of perception and intelligence, to drop the petty, and to invite the possibility of the Divine. A devotee does not sit on a diamondstudded throne, nor aspire for one

with a masterpiece of creation right here in the form of the human system, ask the question, “Who is the Creator?” And of course, people have readymade answers. Devotion is not a readymade answer. Devotion is a device to get there.

Devotion is not a deduction that one makes. Devotion is a way to rise beyond all deductions. Devotion is a way to create a flood that will carry you beyond all limitations and restrictions inexperience.

If you have given yourself in these twenty-one days, you have not only purified yourself but all spaces around you.

The nation and the world will immensely benefit from this.

And devotion is not a twentyone-day chore. You must continue to overflow with it on a daily basis. It is not something that you do, it is something that you live. It is like your breath. If the Grace of Bhairavi, if her footprint is established in your heart, you never have to worry about victory or failure, prosperity or poverty, life or death. For one who manages to land in the lap of the Divine, all these things are trivial and of no consequence.

ONLY BY CHANGING ONE’S FUNDAMENTAL PERCEPTION OF ALL CREATION WILL ONE ARRIVE UPON THE LAP OF THE DIVINE

RE-ESTABLISHING DEVOTION May this process that you havestarted truly overwhelm you because if the phenomenon of creationand the source of creation do not overwhelm you, you are not even fitto be a rock. If this does not overwhelm you, what does? Thegovernment symbol of Tamil Nadu is a temple. They chose this symbolbecause this land has been so steeped in devotion that wherever youwent, it always felt like a temple. Devotion was the main piece ofpeople’s lives here.

It is once again time tore-establish this. Otherwise, devoid of devotion, we will become likeany other creature. Then we will wonder why we are

Digital finance is the key to post-pandemic development

W

e are experiencing the sharpest decline in per capita income since 1870,” United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) António Guterres pointed out in a recent speech, warning that the COVID-19 crisis has put 70-100 million people at risk of being pushed into extreme poverty. Preventing that outcome will require concerted and comprehensive action to reboot and rebuild the global economy in a sustainable, inclusive way.

Technology – in particular, new digital-finance tools – can play an important role in this process.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital services – from telemedicine to remote work to online learning – have been a lifeline for the millions of people subjected to lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders.

“

‘

04

Digital finance has been essential to facilitate many of these processes, enabling people to pay for goods and services, receive compensation for their work, access social-assistance payments, and secure financial support, such as bank loans, for their distressed businesses.

Even before the pandemic, the need to harness the power of digital finance for the good of the planet and its citizens was increasingly being recognized. Indeed, that was the central goal of the UNSG’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, on which I have served for the last 18 months.

The task force includes government ministers, tech entrepreneurs, CEOs of banks and investment institutions, civil-society representatives, officials of multilateral institutions,

and intellectual leaders.

But our forthcoming final report, “People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future,” focuses on the needs of ordinary people.

The financial system, the report concludes, must

serve individual citizens, as savers, investors, borrowers, and taxpayers. It must leverage digital technology to put people back in the driver’s seat of their finances, so that they can invest in themselves and their families, communi-

ties, countries, and the planet. Governments, regulators, and financial institutions should support and facilitate the disruptions that will get us there.

There are already useful models of such disruption.

Africa – especially my coun-

try, Kenya – has led the way in embracing financial technology, beginning with mobile money. Kenya’s MPesa – a mobile phone-based money-transfer, payments, and micro-financing service – has been a powerful force for expanding financial inclusion. Since 2006, the share of Kenya’s population with access to financial services has surged from 26% to more than 82%.

Government agencies, too, have embraced online payments – a development that has boosted public confidence in digital financial services. Today, more than 90% of payments on Kenya’s centralized e-government platform (eCitizen) involve mobile money. Government- and central bankenabled innovation and a learning-by-doing approach have played a major role in driving this progress.

here. Because ifyou just eat, sleep, reproduce, and die one day, somewhere along theway, if you have a working brain, the question will come, “Why thehell am I here? What is the nature of my existence?”

BECOMING NATURALLY BLISSFUL Devotion is a powerful tool.It is a bulldozer that crushes all resistance within you. Withdevotion, everything gets unified.

The idea of the twenty-onedaysadhana is to make devotion a part of your life, every moment of yourlife. If in one place, you act devotional, and in the rest of theplaces, you are not, it simply means that you are pretentious. If itis real, if you are like that every moment of your life, witheverything in the world – that is devotion.

A heart that is devoid ofdevotion is a barren heart. It needs too much work and stimulation tomake it blissful. A heart that is filled with devotion is fertile.

Itwill naturally be blissful. We need a wave of devotion. If you aresoaked in devotion, blissfulness will simply happen. Please make ithappen for yourself and to as many people around you as possible.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank @DrRPNishank With the new reforms in #NEP2020, we will work towards the overall development of teachers & provide them with opportunities to enhance their leadership and management skills.

Harsimrat Kaur Badal @HarsimratBadal_ Pained by the loss of lives in the tragic fire accident at #Srisailam hydroelectric plant in Telangana. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery to those injured. #SrisailamFireAccident

Spiritual SPEAK

It is better to travel well than to arrive. —Buddha

SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE

Vol 1 Issue No.266 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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

To Receive Free Newspaper PDF Daily Whatsapp: http://bit.ly/whatsappahm

Telegram: https://t.me/firstindiaahmedabad Click the above link� & subscribe us on your preferred platform.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

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

05

‘Poor needs to be given money ‘Modi govt devoted to take financial inclusion to last mile’ directly to improve economy’ Vaishali

PM Modi has been attacking the unorganised economy in past six years, RaGa said New Delhi: Claiming that the organised and unorganised economies were struggling even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the situation will not improve until money is directly handed out to the farmers, labourers, and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

“Excerpts from my address during the Chhattisgarh Congress program on the birth anniversary of late Rajiv Gandhi. Organised and unorganised economies were in bad condition even before the COVID-19. The situation cannot improve until the money is given directly to farmers, labor-

Wherever there is a Congress government, we try to balance these two economies. If the unorganised economy is strong, then it can absorb any shock. But, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been attacking the unorganised economy in the past six years. There is a lot of money in the unorganised economy and Narendra Modi Ji wants to hand that money to the big businesses.

—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader

ers and MSMEs,” Gandhi tweeted, along with a clip of his August 20 address. In the video, Gandhi said that the Chhattisgarh government has been doing pioneering work in helping the poor, farmers, and small businesses through various schemes. “Many people in country have in-

curred a lot of losses in past few years. The government has been attacking the poor. There are two economies in India. One is the organised economy and another is the unorganised economy,” Gandhi said.

He said that the unorganised economy includes farmers, small

Gadkari launches Harit Path app to monitor plantations New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Friday launched Harit Path, a mobile app to monitor plantations through geo-tagging and webbased GIS-enabled monitoring tools.

“The app has been developed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to monitor location, growth, species details, maintenance activities, targets, achievements of each of its field units for each and every plant under all plantation projects,” said a release of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Gadkari launched the app while chairing a meeting to review New Green Highways Policy (Plantation) and to discuss the use of new technologies in road construction through VC.

While inaugurating the mobile app, Gadkari emphasised on strict monitoring of plantation and transplantation of trees. It should be our mission to save all the trees from being cut, he said.

—ANI

businesses and crores of poor people across the country. “Wherever there is a Congress government, we try to balance these two economies. If the unorganised economy is strong, then it can absorb any shock. But, PM Narendra Modi has been attacking the unorganised economy in past

the outbreak of COVID-19, related to the postponement of MLA funds, salary cut of ministers and legislators and preventing attacks on frontline workers.

The ordinances brought by state government are required to get the approval of the Legislature under constitutional obligation. After the passage of the Bill, the Governor will also have to approve them, after which they will be considered as finalised.

—ANI

3 MEMBERS OF ARMY TRIBUNAL GET EXTENSION New Delhi: SC has extended term of three Administrative Members of Armed Forces Tribunal for a period of two months. A threejudge bench headed by CJI SA Bobde passed the order. “As all connected matters will be heard on Sep 9, 2020, we deem it appropriate that term of three administrative members of Armed Forces Tribunal is extended for a period of two more months,” the bench said. —PTI

JAVADEKAR CONGRATULATES WINNERS OF SHORT FILM CONTEST New Delhi: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar congratulated the winners and participants of the online short film competition that was organised as a part of Independence Day Celebrations by the I&B Ministry along with NDFC . The theme for the entries revolved around

patriotism, equating it to ‘Atmanirbharta.’ “Heartiest congratulations to the winners of the NFDC Short Film Contest on the theme of ‘Patriotism-Marching towards Atmanirbharta’ and thank you to all the participants for their outstanding contribution in making this competition a roaring success,” he tweeted.

#PMKisan, #PMVVY. #DBT has been a winwin for both the govt. and the beneficiaries, especially in a rural economy like Odisha.”

“Launched in 2014, the much-appreciated and the world’s largest

Mumbai: SC allows Jain temples to stay open for Paryushan Mumbai: The Supreme Court allowed Jain temples at Dadar, Byculla and Chembur in Mumbai to be opened for worshippers for the last two days of the Paryushan festival on August 22 and 23 while observing Centre’s SOP on opening religious places.

A bench headed by CJ SA Bobde said this concession cannot be applied to any other temple or for Ganesh

Chaturthi celebrations which involve large congregations.

“We must make it clear that the order, in this case, does not extend to any other trust

or any other temples.

Our order is not intended to apply in any other case, particularly which involves large congregations of people which by their very nature cannot be controlled. We accordingly permit the petitioners to perform their prayers at temples of Dadar, Byculla and Chembur for the remaining days of Paryushan,” the bench said in its order. —Agencies

SC rejects plea on inquiry into Gogoi’s conduct as judge New Delhi: The SC declined to entertain a plea seeking a threejudge panel to probe into the conduct of former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who is now a Rajya Sabha MP, as a judge. A bench headed by Justice

rolls down cliff

Mandi: Three army personnel received injuries after an army truck they were travelling in rolled down the cliff in Padhar area of Mandi district on Friday, said Police.”Three Army personnel injured after an Army truck rolled down a cliff in Padhar area of Mandi district today,” said Gurdev Chand Sharma, SP, Mandi district.

More details of the accident are awaited, informed sources. —ANI

DHARMENDRA PRADHAN @DPRADHANBJP With focus from providing banking to ‘every household’ to providing banking to ‘every unbanked adult’, #ModiGovt is committed to take financial inclusion to the last mile. Jan Dhan has benefitted more than 1.5 crore poor people in Odisha covering more than 74 lakh households.

IN THE COURTYARD

UP govt to table 17 imp HP: 3 jawans Bills in Assembly today hurt after truck Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government would table 17 important Bills in the state assembly on Saturday and it is expected to be approved instantly.

These 17 Bills were slated to be tabled on Friday but due to death of a BJP member, the assembly was adjourned for the day.

Government is prepared to bring these bills & is ready to reply to queries of members.

The state government had implemented major ordinances after

six years. There is a lot of money in the unorganised economy and Narendra Modi Ji wants to hand that money to the big businesses,” he said.

“The unorganised sector is responsible for 90 per cent employment in the country. Narendra Modi has destroyed this system now.” —ANI

New Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday praised the work of Modi government since it came in power in 2014.

“With focus from providing banking to ‘every household’ to providing banking to ‘every unbanked adult’, #Modi Govt is committed to take financial inclusion to the last mile. Jan Dhan has benefitted more than 1.5 crore poor people in Odisha covering more than 74 lakh households,” he said in a tweet.

Further, minister said, “Benefits worth Rs 60,865 crore have been transferred directly to beneficiary accounts in Odisha for over 65 GOI schemes, like #PMUY, #PMAY,

Arun Mishra and comprising Justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari observed that the plea was not pressed for hearing since last year and it has now become remediless, as Gogoi has already retired.

The plea was filed two years ago seeking an in-house probe into commission & omission by former CJ, during his tenure as CJ. The bench noted Gogoi has demitted the office & plea has become infructuous.

financial inclusion initiative, #JanDhan has provided access to financial services and channelled government benefits to more than 40 crore beneficiaries across the country as on August, 2020,” he said.

RS bypoll on Sep 11 for filling seat

Late Amar Singh

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha bypoll to fill the seat vacated due to the death of former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh will be held on September 11, the Election Commission announced Friday.

Singh had died in a Singapore hospital on August 1 due to kidneyrelated complications.

His term as a Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh was till July, 2022.

The notification for the bypoll will be issued on August 25 and the election would be held on September 11, an EC statement said.

—PTI

‘High flash flood risk in MP, C’garh, Raj’ New Delhi: Some areas of East Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas of Chhattisgrah, West MP and adjoining areas of East Rajasthan and Gujarat sub-division are at high risk of flash floods for the next 24 hours, a Central Water Commission (CWC) official flood forecast informed on Friday.

LS, RS MAY SIT ON ALTERNATE DAYS DURING MONSOON SESSION New Delhi: The sittings of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are likely to be held on an alternate day basis during the forthcoming monsoon session of Parliament scheduled to begin from the second week of September. “The monsoon session of the Parliament is likely to begin from the second week of September and Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will be held on alternate days -- one day Lok Sabha and next day Rajya Sabha,” sources said. The move comes in an effort to maintain social distancing & thwart the spread of COVID-19.

Man sails in a boat on a flooded road in Kolkata. —PHOTO BY ANI

CBDT REFUNDS RS 88,652 CR TO OVER 24.64 L TAXPAYERS New Delhi: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has so far issued refunds worth over Rs 88,652 crores to more than 24.64 lakh taxpayers since the start of April, officials said. Income tax refunds worth Rs 28,180 crores have been issued to over 23 lakh cases, along with corporate tax refunds of Rs 60,472

crores to 1,58,280 cases.

“CBDT has, so far, issued refunds of over Rs 88,652 crores to more than 24.64 lakh taxpayers from April 1, 2020 onwards. Income tax refunds of Rs. 28,180 crores have been issued in 23,05,726 cases & corporate tax refunds of Rs 60,472 crores have been issued in 1,58,280 cases,” IT India tweeted.

“High Risk over some areas of East Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas of Chhattisgarh, West Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas of East Rajasthan and Gujarat sub-division,” the CWC said in a tweet.

Moreover, flash flood guidance of next six hours has been issued by the IMD for Konkan,

Goa and Belagavi District of Karnataka.

Coastal Karnataka is likely to receive rainfall in most places till August 25.

“A fresh Low-Pressure Area is likely to develop over Northwest Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood around 23rd August 2020,” the advisory stated.

—ANI

SENSEX ENDS 214 PTS HIGHER; NIFTY TOPS 11,350 Mumbai: Domestic equity benchmark Sensex jumped 214 points on Friday, led by buying in index-heavyweights HDFC twins and Asian Paints amid a rebound in global markets. After rallying 359 points during the day, the 30-share BSE index ended 214.33 points or 0.56% higher at 38,434.72. The NSE Nifty rose 59.40 points or 0.53% to close at 11,371.60. NTPC was the top gainer in Sensex pack, rallying around 5 per cent, followed by PowerGrid, Asian Paints, HDFC Bank, Sun Pharma, Nestle India, SBI and Axis Bank.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

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

06

COVID 19: With such high level of recoveries, India’s Rate has soared past 74% ensuring more and more patients are recovering

Highest-ever single day recoveries of 62,282 New Delhi: India has touched another peak of the highest recoveries of COVID-19 cases in a single day as 62,282 patients have recovered and been discharged in the past 24 hours, said the Union health ministry on Friday.

With more patients recovering and being discharged from the hospitals and home isolation (in case of mild and moderate cases), the total recoveries have crossed the 21.5 lakhmark till Friday (21,58,946). “The gap between recovered patients and active COVID-19 cases has increased and reached 1,466,918 so far. As a higher number of patient recover, their percentage rate continues to steeply rise along with the steady decline in percentage active coronavirus cases,” stated the Union Health Ministry in a press statement.

With such high level of recoveries, India’s Recovery Rate has soared past 74 per cent (74.28 per cent as on August 21) ensuring more and more patients are recovering. This is bolstered by 33 states and Union Territories reporting re-

‘Mukherjee remains haemodynamically stable’

The testing lab network in the country is being continuously strengthened, which as on today consists of 1,504 labs in the country; 978 labs in the government sector and 526 private labs. These include: Real-Time RT PCR labs: 772, TrueNat labs: 614 and CBNAAT based testing labs: 118. covery rate more than 50 per cent, it said.

The current active cases (692,028) compose the actual caseload of the country. “It is 23.82 per cent of the total positive cases today, registering a further drop in the last 24 hours. They are under active medical supervision,” said the health ministry adding that India’s Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is maintained below the global average. It is on a

continuous positive slide and currently stands at 1.89 per cent.

The current active cases (692,028) compose the actual caseload of the country. It is 23.82 per cent of the total positive cases today, registering a further drop in the last 24 hours. They are under active medical supervision. About 805,985 samples were tested in the last 24 hours for identification of the disease. —ANI

New Delhi: There was no change in the condition of former president Pranab Mukherjee and he remains haemodynamically stable and on ventilatory support, the hospital said on Friday.

Doctors attending to him said his vital parameters are being maintained. According to the doctors, a patient is haemodynamically stable when the blood circulation parameters – blood pressure, heart and pulse rate, are stable and normal.

Mukherjee was admitted to the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Can-

Pranab Mukherjee

tonment on August 10 and was operated for removal of a clot in the brain.

The family of the former president has been visiting him at the hospital. His son Abhijit Mukherjee had said that his father’s condition is stable and his vital parameters are under control.

—PTI

Nine security guards of Lalu test positive

Patna (Bihar): Nine security personnel deployed for the security of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav have tested positive for COVID-19.

“Nine security personnel deployed for Lalu Prasad's security, have tested positive for COVID-19. The security personnel have been removed from their duties,” Dr Umesh Prasad, physician of RJD chief said. “The Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) has requested concerned authorities to deploy nine new security personnel,” he added.

—ANI

DILIP KUMAR’S BROTHER ASLAM KHAN DIES AFTER TESTING POSITIVE New Delhi: Actor Dilip Kumar's youngest brother Aslam Khan, 88, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, has died, the actor's family friend Faisal Farooqui confirmed on Twitter (which was retweeted by Dilip Kumar). He tweeted, “Dilip Saab's youngest

brother, Aslam Khan, passed away this morning at Lilavati Hospital... We are from God and to Him we return.”

Dr Jalil Parkar, who oversaw Aslam Khan's treatment, also told news agency PTI, “Mr Aslam passed away due to COVID-19.

He had pneumonia

with diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. He had multiple organ failure. He died in the early hours of Friday.” Dilip Kumar's two brothers, Ehsaan Khan, 90, and Aslam Khan were admitted on August 15 after they complained of breathlessness.

—PTI

Sharp drop in sale of Ganpati idols

A woman gives a final coating on an idol of Ganesha, ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival, in New Delhi on Friday.

New Delhi: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to dampen festive spirits ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi as idol makers in the national capital said that footfall in the market hit new lows, slashing the sale by at least 80 per cent.

“This year, the footfall in the market is very low due to fear of infection. We have never seen this kind of situation during the festive season. The customers are purchasing the smaller one to twofoot idols. Business is only about 20 per cent as compared to previous years. We even had

WB OBSERVES BIWEEKLY LOCKDOWN

to buy the mud to make these idols at a higher price as it comes from Kolkata,” Satish Kumar, an idol maker said.

—ANI

LG inaugurates first phase ED records statement of Sushant’s sister CBI MOVES TO BANDRA POLICE STATION of Jammu ring road project SSR DEATH CASE Jammu: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday inaugurated the first phase of the Jammu ring road project on Friday, two years after its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The foundation stone for the 58.25 km-long Jammu ring road, the estimated cost of which was Rs 1,339 crore, was laid by Modi on May 19, 2018. Sinha flanked by Union minister Jitendra Singh inaugurated an 8 km stretch of road from Akhnoor to Kot Bhalwal in the outskirts of Jammu city.

“It is a moment of great pride for me to inaugurate the first phase of the Jammu Ring Road project, the foundation stone of which was laid by the prime minister in 2018,” he said, adding that it was a matter of happiness for the peo-

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is recording the statement of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Priyanka, informed the ED officials on Friday.

Priyanka is a nominee in Rajput's bank account, the officials said.

The ED had previously recorded the statement of KK Singh, father of Sushant Singh Rajput,

Manoj Sinha during the inauguration ceremony on Friday.

ple of Jammu.

Sinha said that in the last six years not only the country's political situation has changed but the work culture has changed as well. He told the officials that if the project gets completed before time, a provision to give incentives can be formulated.

Meanwhile, an official said the NHAI was constructing the Jammu Ring Road from Raya Morh.

The road is being constructed by EPC Contractors GayatriKMB JV appointed by NHAI and the work started in 2018.

“This section is the first phase of the ring road to be opened for public. It will significantly reduce the time for people travelling between the northern parts of Jammu to Akhnoor, Rajouri, Poonch and Kashmir,” the NHAI officer said. —PTI

prehensive probe by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) into the fire accident at SLBP. He appointed CID additional director general Govind Singh as inquiry officer to probe into the cause of the accident and submit a report to the government.

The chief minister expressed deep shock over the loss of nine lives in the mishap and said despite best efforts, those trapped inside could not be rescued.

Describing the accident as the most tragic, he conveyed his condolences to members of the bereaved families.

He wished speedy recovery to those critically injured in the accident.

Jagadeeshwar Reddy, who supervised the rescue operations, said the fire possibly erupted due to a short circuit in one of the electric panels of the power house and it spread to other parts. “Thick smoke engulfed the tunnel, making it difficult for the rescue teams to reach the place,” the minister said.

Fire extinguishers could not control the fire and ambulances could not reach the area.

Teams from the Nation-

Sushant and Priyanka

in the national capital on Monday in connection with a case related to the death of the actor, sources said. According to sources, Singh was

Pregnant buffalo killed for meat in Kerala, six held Malappuram: The Kerala Forest Department has arrested six men for allegedly killing a pregnant wild buffalo and seized 25 kilograms of meat from one of the accused in Malappuram district, said the Nilambur Forest Range Officer.

“The wild buffalo, which is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Conservation

Act, has been shot dead.

The wild buffalo was killed in a very brutal manner. About 25 kilograms of meat has been seized from the possession of one of the accused,” said Suresh, forest range officer.

The probe revealed that the accused hunted the buffalo at Puncha forest in Chakkikuzhi forest station limits.—ANI

al Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were pressed into service. Rescue teams from Singareni Collieries also joined the rescue operations.

According to TSGenco authorities, the power plant is located inside the tunnel at about 1.2 km from the entrance and the only way to reach the plant was through the tunnel. “But because of flames and heavy smoke, it was not possible to enter the tunnel. The rescue teams could enter the power house only by Friday af-

ternoon. But by that time, all the nine employees were unfortunately found dead,” the official statement said.

asked about the missing funds from Sushant's bank accounts.

The agency had on July 31 registered an ECIR in the case after a

FIR was filed by KK Singh, against Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28.

On August 19, while holding that the FIR

registered in Patna over the death of Bollywood actor was legitimate, the Supreme Court directed the CBI to investigate the case.

—ANI

Rohit among 5 to receive Khel Ratna New Delhi: Indian opening batsman Rohit Sharma will be conferred with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award while ace sprinter Dutee Chand will receive Arjuna Award on August 29 at the National Sports Awards ceremony.

Apart from Rohit, Mariyappan T. (Para Athletics), Manika Batra (Table Tennis),

Rohit Sharma

Vinesh (Wrestling) and Rani (Hockey) will also be conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Shutler Satwik

Sairaj Rankireddy, cricketer Ishant Sharma and shooter Manu Bhaker are among the 27 athletes who will be conferred with Arjuna Award.

Among other athletes, who will receive Arjuna Award are: Atanu Das (archery), Chirag Chandrasekhar Shetty (badminton), Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, etc. —Agencies

FROM PG 1 AMC on... who will be treating the 532 patients at COVIDcare centre in shifts.

Cases were also reported in Ahmedabad (179), Vadodara district (120), Rajkot (97), Jamnagar (77), Panchmahal (44) Kutch (38), Gandhinagar (34), Bharuch (31), Amreli (29) and Dahod (28).

9 lives...

TSGenco chairman and managing director D Prabhakar Rao rushed to the spot along with other senior officials.

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has ordered a com-

New norm! ...

Polling or paramedical staff will conduct thermal screening of voters at the entry point of a polling station, it said.

“There shall be maximum 1,000 electors instead of 1,500 electors in a polling station,” the guidelines said.

A group of five people, including candidates but excluding security personnel, is allowed to take part in door-to-door campaign-

ing. Public gatherings and rallies can be held subject to adherence to COVID-19 guidelines.

The district election officer should identify in advance dedicated grounds for public gatherings with clearly marked entry and exit points.

In all such identified grounds, the district election officer should put markers in advance to ensure social distancing norms are followed by the attendees.

Govt: JEE...

Taking to twitter the BJP MP said, “I have just spoken to the Min-

ister of Education suggesting that NEET and other exams be conducted after Deepavali.

The SC order the other day is not a bar since the Hon’ble Court has left the date to the government. I am sending an urgent letter to the PM just now.”

In another tweet on Friday Swamy wrote, “I have already tweeted as well as conveyed to Education Minister that NEET exams should be after Deepavali. Minister is holding an emergency meeting. Let us see. I was asked to intervene by you all at a very late stage after SC had

delivered its judgment.”

Government sources also said that of total candidates who had registered for the JEE, only 120 had had requested a change of cities and examination centres.

RS bypoll... the Election Commission said in a press note today. The scrutiny of nominations will take place on September 2 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is September 4. Rajya Sabha MP and former SP leader Amar Singh, 64, had passed away on August 1.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

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

07

AS THE PANDEMIC PROGRESSES, WE’RE GROWING INCREASINGLY AWARE THAT CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AFFECTS MULTIPLE PARTS OF THE BODY BEYOND THE LUNGS AND SKIN

HOW CORONAVIRUS

A

s the pandemic progresses, we’re growing increasingly aware COVID-19 affects multiple parts of the body beyond the lungs. That includes the skin.

We’ve seen reports of skin symptoms ranging from “COVID toes” to hair loss, and different types of rashes.

Some skin symptoms appear soon after infection, while others arise later or in more severe disease. Most get better with time.

Researchers are also beginning to work out what causes these skin conditions, whether it’s the body’s immune response to infection, or whether hormones are involved.

CAN AFFECT YOUR SKIN WHAT COULD BE CAUSING THESE SYMPTOMS? Some of the COVID-19 rashes are not caused by the virus itself, but by the body’s immune response to the virus.

For instance, research suggests some may be caused by over-activation of a part of the immune system known as the “complement” response.

This leads to the blood vessel damage seen in the chilblain-type symptoms (point 3 above) and in livedo (point 6).

HERE ARE SOME OF THESE SYMPTOMS, FROM THE MOST COMMON TO THE LEAST:

Complement activity is also increased in elderly people and may well explain many of the more serious COVID-19 outcomes we see in this age group.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY SKIN RASH IS COVID-19?

If you’re concerned about any skin symptoms, check them against the photos in this article.

Then you can consult your GP or dermatologist via a telehealth appointment for further advice.

You might be infectious. Get tested and selfisolate until you receive your test results. If you feel unwell, your GP or COVID clinic will be able to coordinate your care.

z Widespread small red bumps and multiple flat red

patches. These so-called maculopapular eruptions are associated with more severe disease.

z Redness of the whites of the eyes. This conjunc-

tivitis is most common later in the disease and in more severe disease.

z COVID-19 seri-

ous enough to take people to hospital also seems to be more common in people with malepattern baldness.

One study found up to 79% of hospital admissions for COVID-19 were balding men.

z Chilblain-like symptoms, commonly called ‘COVID

toes’. These can affect hands or feet, or both at the same time. The red-purple discoloured skin can be painful and itchy, and there are sometimes small blisters or pustules. These chilblain-like lesions often appear late in the disease, after other symptoms, and are most common in children.

z An increased

z Water blisters, or vesicular eruptions, are small fluid-

filled micro-blisters that may appear early in the disease or at any time, often on the hands. Middle aged patients suffer more commonly. The blisters last just over ten days, and are associated with medium-severity disease.

level of the hormone dihydrotestosterone is thought to increase the numbers of ACE2 receptors, which is how the virus enters the body.

In other words, male-pattern baldness may predispose people to more severe disease.

z Hair loss (telogen efflu-

vium) occurs in many severe illnesses, including COVID-19.

This is the body shutting down unnecessary activity in times of stress. Provided people’s iron levels are normal, the hair will recover in time.

z Hives or urticaria are pink or red itchy rashes that

may appear as blotches or raised red lumps (wheals).

They range from the size of a pinhead to a dinner plate. Swellings usually disappear within minutes to hours in one spot, but may come and go. Mostly hives clear within ten days. They occur at the same time as other symptoms, in all ages, and are associated with more severe disease.

z Rash associated with multisystem inflammatory z ‘Fishing net-like’ red-blue pattern on the skin, or livedo, sometimes with tiny bruises (purpura), is associ-

ated with more severe disease and older age groups. This pattern is thought to be due to blockages of the blood vessels that arise as part of the body’s immune response to the virus.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: CP SHARMA

syndrome in children or MIS-C. This “immune system overdrive” triggers an inflammation of the heart and blood vessels, resulting in blood clots and symptoms of shock. This very rare complication can occur up to three months after a child has had COVID-19.

To succeed, your team must not only share your vision but live it and be as hungry for it as you are.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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

2ND FRONT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

BOYCOTT? Dragon is still Guj’s key

supplier of APIs for Covid-19 vitamins

Guj CM announces stamp duty waiver for SSIs, start-ups

WITH SEAMLESS CHINESE SUPPLIES, VITAMIN C & MULTI-VITAMIN TABLETS FLOOD MARKETS

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: With a view to supporting the corona-ravaged small scale industry, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has under the Covid-19 Relief Package decided to waive stamp duty for smallscale sector and start-ups.

In all, the stamp duty waiver works out to Rs 7.75 crore.

According to the State Government, it has been decided to provide stamp duty waiver till October 31, 2020, to those start-ups, which have been sanctioned a loan of Rs. 50,000.

This would, in effect, benefit nearly 25,000 small industries and start-ups.

According to estimates, the stamp duty waiver would be worth Rs 1.75 crore to

Ahmedabad: Just around the time the Indian armed forces locked horns with China at the Galwan Valley and calls to boycott the Dragon were reaching a crescendo in June and July, Chinese pharma supplies picked up speed to meet the astronomically growing demand for immunity boosters.

Needless to say that Gujarat, the country’s pharmaceuticals hub, welcomed the Chinese supplies with both hands. Thanks to Covid-19 crisis, it had become difficult to meet the unprecedented demand for Vitamin C and other multi-vitamin tablets. And now, they are selling hotcakes.

Prescribed as an immunity booster that

VITAMIN ‘M’

Thanks to easy availability of Chinese raw materials, chemists now have huge stocks of multivitamins and other immunity boosters.

the supplies -- until the Chinese chipped in.

Industry sources said the Chinese supplies resumed much earlier than expected and domestic players also started seeing an opportunity in the immunity boosters.

A senior official in the Food and Drugs Control Administration said there was a time when Chinese Active Pharma ingredient (API) supplies were uncertain since Wuhan in China was under lockdown.

But now, with seam-

Gujarat HC asks govt to constitute RERA tribunal First India Bureau

Crime Branch nabs hardcore criminal after 2 months

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has asked the State Government to expedite the process of appointing members as well as the Chairperson to the Gujarat Real Estate Appellate Tribunal.

The court gave the directive on Thursday in a PIL filed by one Nipun Singhvi, seeking a declaration that the constitution of the Appellate Tribunal is ‘coram non judice’. Section 45 of the RERA Act prescribes that the Appellate Tribunal shall consist of a Chairperson and not less than two whole-time Members, of whom one shall be a Judicial member and other shall be a Technical or Administrative Member, to be appointed by the government.

The petitioner had prayed before the Court that an appropriate direction be made to the govern-

Vadodara: Sixty-five days after he disappeared from Wadi police station, the Crime Branch arrested notorious criminal Azharuddin Sindhi alias Aju Kaniyo on Friday.

Aju, who has 41 offences registered against him, was nabbed, along with his accomplice, from Mehsana after the Crime Branch police got information about him. He has been handed over to the Wadi police.

According to the police, Aju had fled the city immediately after escaping from the police station.

“He knew that once he goes absconding, the police will search for him in every nook and corner of the city.

So he left the city and headed towards Mehsana where he got help from a local contact,” said Jaydeepsinh Jadeja, DCP (Crime).

may help prevent coronavirus infection, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) tablets and other multi-vitamin substitutes for vitamin-D and zinc had witnessed a sudden spurt in demand, making it difficult for companies to manage

less Chinese supplies, there is no shortage of any kind of drug, either vitamin tablets or other Covid-19 medicines. “Additionally, many factories making vitamin tablets have already started functioning at an improved capacity utilisation of about 70-75 per

cent,” a pharma manufacturer said.

According to Mumbaibased Jagannath Shinde, President of All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), the stock situation with the chemists has also been streamlined over the past few weeks.

He pointed out that earlier there was also a shortage of branded vitamin products from leading players. But now even at the retail level, there are stocks to last even for two months.

Industry sources also disclosed that during the lockdown period in March-April, the prices of APIs, that is the raw material, for vitamins had more than doubled from 400-450 a kg for ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) to 900 amid rumours of shortage.

8

the small industries and start-ups.

Not only this, the Chief Minister has also decided to waive the stamp duty on a loan of Rs 10,000 availed under the Pradhan Mantri Street Vendors Atma Nirbhar Nidhi by the streetvendors and hawkers in the urban areas of the state.

The decision would benefit nearly 2 lakh street- vendors at a cost of Rs 6 crore to the State exchequer.

GUJJU BIZ SENSE

First India Bureau

THE QUORUM

ment to make the Tribunal functional by appointment of Chairperson and Technical and Administrative Members.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice JB Pardiwala disposed of the plea while asking the government to make

the appointments at the earliest.

The petition was disposed of after the Government Pleader submitted that the selection of Administrative and Technical Members had already been made, while the process for appointment of the Chairperson was also in advance stage of consultation.

A tour operator in Ahmedabad has diverted from his tourism business to support his staff and started selling Gujarati snacks from his office. Ajay Modi says, “Since our tourism business took a hit due to Covid-19, we opened this Gujarati snack store using our knowledge of namkeens.”

NOW, GANESH IDOLS MADE FROM COW DUNG First India Bureau

Vadodara: With increasing awareness about cleanliness, a Vadodara-based organisation has made ecofriendly ‘Vedic Ganesh idols’ for Ganesh Chaturthi on Saturday.

Mukesh Gupta, the Director of Kamdhenu Gau Amrita, said, “With Ganesh Chaturthi coming up, we are making

Vadodara artisans have made Ganesh idols from cow dung.

Ganesha idols using cow dung.” “The biggest advantage is that these idols can be dissolved in water at the time of immersion so one need not go to a river, they can immerse the idols in water tubs also, and they can be used as fertilizers,” Gupta said. Secondly, these idols are cheaper than those made from plaster of Paris (POP) or clay.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AHMED BHAI! CONGRESS’ MASTERMIND STRATEGIST AND BACKROOM BOY TURNS 71!

Dr. Anita

AHMED PATEL

New Delhi: It was the birthday of Rajya Sabha member and AICC Treasurer, the Congress Stalwart leader, Ahmed Patel on Friday.

Wishes poured in on social media and calls throughout the day. Patel celebrated it with simplicity with his family.

Among the first to wish him was Rajasthan

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who took to Twitter, as did Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and a host of other leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Dr. C P Joshi, Ajay Maken, Sachin Pilot, Avinash Pande, Mukul Wasnik, Raj Babbar, Javed Ansari, Raghu Sharma, Govind Singh Dotasara, Mahesh Joshi and almost all ministers of

Rajasthan government.

The list was endless.

This is Patel’s second stint as AICC treasurer, his earlier was from 1996 to 2000. A Rajya Sabha member from Gujarat, he is the indispensable ‘Old Guard’ of Gandhis and also the ‘link’ between the old and new generation Congress leaders.

Patel is affectionately called Babubhai by his friends and family

in Piraman, his native village near Bharuch, from where he has thrice been a Lok Sabha member. He is a much loved man in Gujarat among the Congress cadre and people.

Pirzada, a Cong leader says that Patel is popular as his public life has been clean and he is actively involved in various charitable institutions. Patel, who enjoys an equal respect and

credibility across all political platforms, is known for forging very critical political alliances for the Congress party, especially on the eve of elections. He is also considered as one of the best executors to implement his mentor and Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s mandate to the Congress Chief Ministers and other relevant party functionaries.

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

09

AHMEDABAD, SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 2020

Jacqueline Fernandez

LOOK-ALIKES’ VIDEO PODCAST

... with Amanda Cerny

B

ollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez and her lookalike Amanda Cerny have been roped in to do a video podcast together. Jacqueline Fernandez, one of the most influential celebrities from

India, has amassed an online following of well over 90 million on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Amanda Cerny is one of the most popular social media stars with over 45 million followers across YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Launching later this summer, ‘Feels Good’, with Amanda and Jacqueline, brings together these two “lost sisters” from different sides of the world to give weekly inspiring news story updates from around the globe, along with reviews and unexpected guests.

Conversations will revolve around about dating, wellness and culture, while delivering to audiences all that ‘Feels Good’. “We love what we do and to have a new platform to curate insightful conversations about wellness, culture, dating, inspiring news stories

along with the occasional unexpected guest and all that…well… Feels Good,” Jacqueline and Amanda said in a joint statement. The announcement that a deal has been inked with the two celebrities was made by podcast platform PodcastOne. —Agency

B’TOWN

Queen OWN ‘YOGA FILTER’ Still from her post

A

ctor and yoga enthusiast Shilpa Shetty Kundra on Friday launched her very own Instagram yoga filter, which directs the user to perform a yoga asana in a fun way every time they use it.

Shilpa who has always been an advocate of staying fit with yoga, took o Instagram to announce the ‘SSK Yoga’ filter and urged people to try the filter and perform the asanas. “It’s HERE!!! The new ‘SSK Yoga’ filter is here and I’m thrilled to share it with all of you. Every chance & every opportunity that we get to invest our time & energies into our well-being, should be grabbed; and when it can be done in a fun way, then it’s enjoyed even better,” she wrote in the caption.

—ANI

K

Twitter

angana Ranaut made her Twitter debut on Friday, her legion of fans made sure to give a warm welcome for the diva by making #BollywoodQueenOnTwitter trend on the micro-blogging site.

From recalling some of her remarks made on public platforms to her journey in the entertainment industry, thousands of the ‘Queen’ actor’s followers left no stone unturned to mark the day. One of her admirers wrote, “No one can stand front of Kangna, She is Fire and Brave Girl Most welcome Qween.”

While another user tweeted, “You are a true queen & loved by so many! I’m so happy that you joined Twitter”.

Reciprocating the love of her fans, Ranaut herself tweeted on how “heartwarming” it to see the hashtag of ‘BollywoodQueenOnTwitter’ trend. The 33-year-old actor took the audience by surprise by announcing her Twitter debut through a video message, where she talked about her social media debut and the reason behind joining it.

—ANI

Akshay Kumar

RASHMI ROCKET S Kangana Ranaut

Shilpa Shetty Kundra

A

... in ‘Rashmi Rocket’

INTO THE WILD

kshay Kumar will be featuring in a highly anticipated episode of wildlife adventure show ‘Into The Wild with Bear Grylls.’

“You thinking I mad... but mad only going into the wild,” wrote the ‘Mission Mangal’ actor as he shared an intriguing glimpse of the show. The video first shows a crocodile, the host of the show - 46-year-old Grylls, and Akshay Kumar in a river.

...with Bear Grylls

The clip, which has thrilling background music, also shows Grylls and Akshay Kumar swinging on ropes over a river with crocodiles snapping beneath them. It concludes with dates of the special episode.

The special show will premiere on September 11 on Dis-

covery Plus App and September 14 on Discovery Channel.

Grylls also posted a motion poster of the upcoming special on Instagram and noted, “Life is an adventure that is best lived boldly, and there are few better (madder ) adventure buddies than the legendary @akshaykumar #KhiladiOnDiscovery #IntoTheWildwithBearGrylls @discoveryplusindia @ discoverychannelin.”

—ANI

Taapsee Pannu

ports drama ‘Rashmi Rocket’ starring the fierce Taapsee Pannu commences shoot this November. Beginning in the salt pans of Kutch, Rashmi Rocket is about a young girl from a village, blessed with a gift - SPEED. She’s an incredibly fast runner. The village fondly knows her as ‘Rocket’. When she gets a chance to showcase her talent professionally, she excels but also realizes that the race to the finish line is peppered with many hurdles, and what seems like an athletic contest turns into her personal battle for respect, honour, and even her very identity.

Taking to their social media, RSVP movies posted, “Getting back on track, one lap at a time! #RashmiRocket to start shooting this November. #FridaysWithRSVP” I have been involved in this project from the very inception stage so that makes this one really special. Just before the pandemic I was already 3 months into my training period to transform into a physique closest to that of a sprinter.

This has been a long break but with the kind of subject it is I am excited to restart the journey from scratch again starting with my training.” says Taapsee.

—Agency

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

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

10

That Resides Within ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rahul Gaur is a marketing professional living in Gurgaon, who nourishes his soul with the written word.

Tweets from @rahuljigaur.

RAHUL GAUR

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

FA CE OF TH ED AY

R

am has been a huge part of my religiosity for as long as I remember - elders praying daily, fasting and reciting SunderkaanD and AkhanD Ramcharitmanas PaaThs and religiously watching Ramayan over TV. The individual journey of my knowing Ram has continuously evolved over time, starting with comics, turning later to gems like Narendra Kohli’s fabulous book series that brought Ram to me in an unprecedented and forceful way. “Manas Ka Hans” about Baba Tulsidas followed.

Hostel days too included Hanuman Chalisa and an occasional SunderkaanD PaaThs. Curiosity made me delve into some iconoclastic essays in various publications (re: Delhi Press’ Sarita) castigating Ram’s conduct, Dalit and feminist viewpoints perhaps.

Distilling these experiences, I realize, my relationship with Ram was never limited to a ritual-bound litany. It bloomed as a genuine love for him - a wise, brave, genteel, compassionate, graceful and just deity of a man. Yes he could falter.

ing in the evening wind. In the whole of Ramcharitmanas, this is one of those rare instances where Ram is genuinely angry, his compassionate self resurfacing the moment Saagar apologizes.

In the journey to Ram Mandir, this image was cherry picked and turned in to a permanent leitmotif, a sly symbolism to garb political aspirations in social and religious tones. The jubilant war cry – “Jai Shree Ram!”, hitherto But his basic decency and honorable intentions never left him. The Ram that I hold in high esteem is one who resides within me; is my nij-satya. I do not look for any miracles. It inspires me to be a better human being, it is my Ram. Simplistic, but works for me.

Watching the euphoria around Ayodhya and Ram Janmsthan Temple, I wish I could be happier about His shiny new abode and the glory it entails. But I look back at the rough and bloody road we have

taken to get here and I am caught in conflicting emotions.

Three decades back, competing political parties prodded the dangerous reptile of religious sectarianism out of their bag of tricks, in the name of correcting five centuries old historical wrongs. A phantom of “majority victimhood” was raised. Subjects of a modern day secular democracy fought their battles like in a medieval war, extracting their revenge of ’victimhood” from the “others” burying the law of the

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

land under the debris of a torn down building. It was as far away from Ram Rajya as possible.

In the long stasis after, the fault-lines grew harder, the political costs higher. Slowly, middle ground for compassion and co-existence shrunk. In place of karunavataram Ram, we found him in Saagar Sandhaan pose - a bare chested sinewy figure staring in the distance with resolute anger, his bow primed up for some action, his dhoti and his hair flutter-

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Someone really dear will show great sign of improvement in health condition. Something mystic will happen today and all your worries will vanish away. Its alright if are not able to meet everyone’s expectations, you can never satisfy everyone.

You have a good health thats because you don’t take your lifestyles easily and you are very particular about your eating habits. A job done well on professional front will bring a lot of appreciation for you. You love your spouse more than you can express.

You have a very progressive mindset and people are often jealous of the strong ones so do not bother to give explanation to anyone for who you are. You will easily manage to impress the one who could be your potential future life partner.

If you are thinking about devoting your time to spirituality then now is the time to give you all.

Adopting healthy lifestyle is the only option left with you now. You should value money and not spend it on useless things, control your temptation to buy things.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You will help someone recover from the heart break and this person will never forget how you helped him/her when it was needed.

You are right about things most of the time and your spouse has to agree in the end. Your expectations sometimes disappoints you, so be realistic.

Do not pretend to be someone that you are not, just to please someone who his out of your reach.

Do not compromise on your virtues no matter how much someone may try to instigate you. You sometimes get angry on pity matters so please work on your temperament.

Love those who deserve to be loved and discard the ones who are not true to you. You should not waste your time in convincing people about how right or wrong your methods are, just do your job confidently and leave the rest in the hands of God. You are mostly full of life.

Do not over exercise in temptation to see the results as early as possible, certain things take time so have patience. Getting too much into other people’s matter can go wrong for you only so avoid acting smart. You are very mature for your age.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

To stay true to yourself is the mantra of your life. You always do things if once you have decided to do so. You have to search for a stable job even if you have to compromise a bit on salary for now. Take care of your parents as they may need you. You may have to help your sibling.

Life has many colours and sometimes you have to open your eyes to visualise its beauty. Look around and you shall realise that you have far more than many people, search for reasons to be happy not to be full of complaints. You are a lovely host and people miss meeting you.

You are very professional when it comes to your office related work but at the same time you are very demanding too. You have a habit of pointing out mistakes on people’s faces. Good news is on the way and you academic results will play a very important role in it.

You are shy by nature and may sometime feel very awkward in a large gathering. You are a champion in some kind of sports.

You like to be independent and you cannot work under someone. You have a deep intuition power which never disappoints you.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

JYOTI GURJAR, Model

heard only during staging of Ramlilas began being used as a greeting and in some cases unfortunately to intimidate, humiliate and sneer.

As we have now come to this pass, it feels like something sublime from within me has been snatched out and turned in to an ugly commodity of politics. Though unsure about how much of my Ram I would find in all the grandeur at Ayodhya, I still have my faith intact. People around me have mostly moved on, relieved that a bitter chapter has been firmly shut. That gives me hope that new bridges can (will!) be built. Best wishes to all of us with what else but a chaupai from Ramcharit Manas – Sab nar karahin paraspar preeti / Chalahin swadharm nirat shruti neeti

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC

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

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

11

ANPATI BAPPA MORYA! Throwback to the time when B-town celebs took to their social media handles to wish their fans a happy ‘Ganesh Chaturthi’; the celebrations are going to be low-key this year!

Last year, the Bollywood fraternity celebrated the festival by bringing idols of Ganesha home. Celebs like Kangana Ranaut, Sonam Kapoor, Kartik Aaryan, along with many more took to their social media handles to wish fans on this auspicious day with special photos and videos!

Raj Kundra, Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Neeta Lulla

Vivek Oberoi with his family

Tusshar, Jeetendra, Ekta and Laksshya

Sonali Bendre

Kartik Aryan

Kriti Sanon

Larissa D’Souza Sudeep Nagarkar

AMAZING

JEALOUS TAYLOR

I

CHEERLEADER!

Still from the video

J

ennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox indulged in a game of pool recently.

The Friends stars, who are often seen spending time together, decided to hit the pool table this time around and boy, Jennifer showed the world that she is all of us when she picked up the cue stick. Snippets of the hilarious session were shared on social media and it left fans in splits. The video starts with Courteney showing off her winning streak while Jen miserably failing, The hilarious video was shared by both the stars on their respective Instagram accounts. Courteney shared the video with the caption, “I may have had a good night...but could my friend BE any cuter?”

—Agency

Mallika Sherawat

Jennifer Aniston

t’s been more than a decade since Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez became everyone’s best friend goals.

Through thick and thin and countless other things, these besties have been by each other’s side cheering on their accomplishments. When Gomez launched her cooking show Selena + Chef, a sweet surprise cameo by Swift was a Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez must and that’s what we got. In the latest episode of Selena + Chef, Selena FaceTimed Taylor when she was getting a cooking lesson from Roy Choi. An excited Gomez showed off her latest food creation to Swift and when asked what it was, Choi revealed they were making Korean barbecue Texas breakfast taco. An ecstatic Taylor told Selena, “If you don’t send me the recipe, we’re going to have words. I wanna be served that.” After Gomez introduced the 30-year-old singer as her best friend, Swift gushed, “I’m very jealous of your whole setup.”

Selena during the show —Agency

Karan Tacker with his family

PREGNANCY CRAVINGS

F

or most of us, 2020 is a tragic history lesson we’d like to erase from our minds but for Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik, it’s going to a year to remember. The ex-couple who patched up their relationship towards the beginning of 2020 will soon be entering parenthood as they are set to welcome their first child in September. Moreover, if reports are to be believed then ZiGi is going to be blessed with a baby girl.

As the 25-year-old supermodel is nearing her due date, Hadid has been updating Instagram with beautiful selfies and aesthetic posts much to the admiration of her 56.3 million followers.

Currently, the couple is back in New York but it seems as though the model is missing her time in Pennsylvania judging by the stunning images. Besides sharing pictures of the scenery surrounding their farmhouse, Hadid also posted some delicious food snaps ranging from cinnamon buns, strawberries, avocado rolls and arugula Caprese salads.

We wonder if these tasty food items were an array of Gigi’s pregnancy cravings!

Gigi Hadid —Agency

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

12

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2020

SAWAI PADMANABH PAYS FLORAL TRIBUTE CITY FIRST

P QUE...

QUEen Q1) My parents believe a lot in Astrology. Can Astrology and Astrologers accurately predict the future?

Ans. An interesting question, which has been plaguing mankind for centuries. Frankly, it is purely a matter of faith. Science has debunked Astrology as a pseudo-science while the believers swear by it. In some ways, astrology may seem scientific. It uses scientific knowledge about heavenly bodies, as well as scientific sounding tools, like star charts.

Some people use astrology to generate expectations about future events and people’s personalities, much as scientific ideas generate expectations. And some claim that astrology is supported by evidence — the experiences of people who feel that astrology has worked for them.

Personally, if your parents believe a lot in it, I am sure they have a hundred ways to guide you too towards it. You will ultimately have to find your own path and belief system. My advice, read up with an open mind and try to keep your counsel without alienating your parents. There is no harm in keeping the family peace by falling in with their plans where minor things are concerned, on the other hand changing your entire life pattern simply on the basis of some astrological prediction does not really make sense.

Q2) Due to the financial crisis, my family is pressuring me for money but due to the cost-cutting of the organisations, I’m unable to get the desired amount. What should I do?

Ans. Ans. The situation is critical and most of us are in this situation.

Look closely at your finances and see if you can spare some more amount for the family.

Can you add something to your kitty by taking up something on the side, a side job, something temporary for a few months? Be a little innovative and look for alternates, think out of the box. Also, sit down and discuss frankly with your family. I wouldn’t advise taking a loan as things are going to limp back to normal and no need to add extra stress to your life right now.

Have any questions?

Mail them to quequeenfirstindia@gmail.com; don’t worry, your name will not be disclosed!

admanabh Singh of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur on Friday paid a floral tribute to the statue of Late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, on the occasion of his 110th birth anniversary.

Senior officials of the City palace were also present on the occasion at the Ram Niwas Bagh.

In the afternoon, floral tributes were also paid to the photo of Late Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II at the Sarvatobhadra Chowk in City Palace. Executive Trustee, Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum Trust, Rama Dutt was present on the occasion. It is to be noted that owing to the current pandemic the ceremonies were kept low key. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

THE ARTIST WITHIN

FACEBOOK POST!

Immense Satisfaction

SHOBHA KHINVASARA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

... his post

B

ringing out the artist in you is extremely essential to maintain the inner peace. Dr Shobha Khinvasara, a management academician, whose love for painting has sustained over the years. She is a self taught artist who has dabbled in many mediums and the binding force of all her artistic output has been her creative flow of thoughts. She is also a spontaneous poet and her paintings are a tangible form of her creative expression.

Talking about art, she said, “I

R believe in the power of the Heart and I believe in the power of the art. So when heart and art combine, the power is tremendous.

Whereas, mind thinks, heart creates. Thoughts are thoughts unless you create them either through words or through art of any form to give them a meaning. I chose colours. I paint with

my Heart. Each of my themes is a creation of some idea that I generate by observation, interaction and understanding life.

When I create something new, I live the moments with utmost satisfaction and happiness. It is that happiness which reflects in my paintings. And this is what I aim for- to make everyone happy with my art.”

obert Vadra took to Facebook to share that he fed around 2000 people outside his office in memory of his late fatherin-law and former PM Rajiv Gandhi. He wrote, “I fed almost 2000 people, outside my office in memory of my late Father in law, Rajiv ji’s Birth anniversary. It just gives me soo much satisfaction to see the smile on the face of the children, women and elderly people who ate and took food home for their

Robert Vadra families. Next month will repeat a treat for the people who are in need.”

—Vaishali

WHAT’S HAPPENING! UTTAR PRADESH: Congressmen led by National Secretary, AICC, Vivek Bansal conducted thermal screening of children, old and young people along with the distribution of masks, Ayurvedic decoction and sanitization in Aligarh.

During the program, Congress officials also shared the necessary information about the prevention of corona.

Best Day for

New Beginnings

HAPPY B’DAY!

RAJASTHAN: A meeting for the ‘Swabhiman Mukti Divas -69’ was held in Jaipur which was attended by former State Minister Gopal Kesavat, Advocate Gopal Singh Rajbohra, Advocate Narendra Gajua, Advocate Kuldeep Singh Malawat, Dr Harish Jangam, Senior Congress leader Babulal Rana, IT Convenor, Lalit Saini and Satyendra Kumar Malawat, among others. Gopal Keshavat shared that CM Ashok Gehlot, PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotsara along with prominent congressman from each district is invited in the program which will take place on 31 August 2020.

MAHESH BANG

A

ccording to Vastu science, every Hindu home and all communities who follow Hinduism anywhere in the world should have a small statue of Lord Ganesha above the entrance of the main door of their house. A special shelf or small stand should be specially made for this deity above the door. In simple words, before you open your front door to enter your house, you should face Lord Ganesh situated above the door. This will protect you by preventing evil forces and obstacles from entering your home. It will also deflect negative energy and bring prosperity to your home. It removes the Vastu defects caused by an incorrectly positioned entrance door. It is believed that Lord Ganesha is always accompanied by his two wives, Riddhi (prosperity) and Siddhi (knowledge) so it is good to write Riddhi on the right side of Ganesha and Siddhi on the left.

All the writings alongside Ganesha should be done in red or orange.

Mahesh Bang

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

 Do not look at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi as this is considered inauspicious.  Do not keep three Ganeshas at your home, any other number is fine.  Avoid abstract paintings of Ganesha as they are not recommended as per Vastu.  One should take care that Ganesha is in full figurine and not just the trunk or upper half as you get nowadays.  Try not to install Ganesha with the trunk to his right.  It is believed that Lord Ganesha was born during midday, so it is best to worship during this time. However, the entire day is auspicious.  Lord Ganesh is easily pleased and showers his blessing’s on those who offer him twenty one ‘Durva’ grass.

IPS Priti Chandra (from top), IAS Abhay Kumar, IAS Indrajeet Yadav and IAS Abhishek Surana celebrated their birthdays on 21 August, Friday. We wish them all the best!

RAJASTHAN: The 1101 Foundation Day of ancient Sati Mata was celebrated with pomp in the village of Kesidda in Tonk district which was inaugurated by Sidra Sarpanch, Ram Sahay Meena and State President of Congress ST Morcha, Shankarlal Byadwal. During the occasion, Rajasthani religious hymns were sung. The villagers prepared the offering at their homes to protect themselves from COVID-19.

RAJASTHAN: The official Instagram account of JECRC University has got 10,000 followers. A team of dedicated students works for all the social media platforms of the university. The team representative, Karthik Saini, shared that JECRC University is the first private university of Rajasthan to get a huge number of followers. Also, the Facebook handle of the university has more than 1 lakh followers.

Vice-Chairman, Arpit Agarwal congratulated the team for the excellent efforts.

GUJARAT: Reflection of colours brightened up the roads as commuters passed by during rainfall in Ahmedabad on Thursday night.

— PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJARAT: Girls were seen playing in the old city area in Ahmedabad on Friday, after a really long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

—PHOTO

BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJARAT: Two women were shopping for Kevda Flowers for Kevda Trij fast in Ahmedabad on Friday. Kevda Trij is a ceremony observed mainly in Gujarat on the third day of the Shukla Paksha Bhadravo session, where married and unmarried women observe a fast, sing and offer Kevda flower to Goddess Parvati and God Shiva. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI