First India-Ahmedabad Edition-23 August 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

26°C - 33°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

8,05,785 2,32,57,805 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 21,995 DEATHS 6,71,942 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 6,420 DEATHS 3,73,410 CASES

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 267

INDIA

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 4,615 DEATHS 2,71,876 CASES

New Delhi: In a likely major AICC reshuffle, Sachin Pilot may be appointed as one of the AICC general secretaries. Also, Jatin Prasad, Manik Tagore, Sushmita Dev, Pawan Khera, Supriya Shrinet, RPN Singh, Rajeev Satav, PL Poonia, Shakti Singh Gohil, Asha Kumari and Gulam Nabi Azad may be given important responsibilities in the party organisation.

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 944 DEATHS 69,264 CASES

Pakistan finally admits, ‘Dawood lives in Karachi’ New Delhi: Dawood Ibrahim, one of India’s most wanted men, lives in Karachi, the Pakistani government said on Saturday, after years of denying that it shelters the underworld don blamed for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts along with other terrorists. Pakistan’s admission came in a list of 88 banned terror groups disclosed as part of its efforts to wriggle out of tough financial sanctions for helping terrorists.

The country said it had imposed financial sanctions on the terror groups and their leaders, including Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim, by ordering the seizure

TERROR BIDS FOILED BY ALERT INDIAN FORCES ISIS operative with IEDs held in Delhi, strike averted

Aditi Nagar

85,678

In denial mode since yrs!

Pristine cloud formation above the mountains lend a captivating aura to Beas River as it witnesses rise in its water level due to heavy rains in past two days, in Kullu district on Saturday.

New Delhi: A major terror strike was averted with the arrest of a suspected operative of the ISIS, armed with two pressure cooker IEDS, from central Delhi’s Ridge Road area following a brief exchange of fire, Delhi Police officials said on Saturday.

Mustakeem Khan, alias Abu Yusuf, a resident of a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Balarampur district, who was under watch for over a year, planned to carry out a lone wolf strike at a high footfall area in the national capital, said P S Kushwah, DCP (Special Cell).

Turn to P6

DEATHS

DELHI 4,284 DEATHS 1,60,016 CASES

A SYMPHONY OF PEACE

Pilot maybe AICC general secretary

GUJARAT

56,830 30,42,219 2,883 DEATHS

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BSF personnel shot down 5 intruders in Tarn Taran on Saturday.

BSF kills 5 Pak armed intruders near border 1 terrorist killed in J&K encounter Baramulla: One terrorist was killed and two others are believed to be trapped in an encounter which is currently under way Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district today,

the police said.

The encounter broke out in the Check-i-Saloosa area of Kreeri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, the Central Reserve Police Force CRPF said.

Turn to P6

Chandig arh/New Delhi: The BSF shot dead five heavily armed Pakistani intruders along the India-Pakistan International Border in Punjab early Saturday, the force said.

This was the highest number of intruders killed in a single incident along the

3,300-km-long border with Pakistan in more than a decade, officials said.

Punjab shares a 553-km-long frontier with Pakistan, apart from Jammu, Rajasthan and Gujarat, which together constitute the remaining part of the IB. Turn to P6

of all of their properties and freezing of bank accounts.

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) put Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action by the end of 2019, but the deadline was extended later due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pakistani government issued two notifications on August 18 announcing sanctions on key figures of terror outfits such as 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-udDawa (JuD) chief Harfiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, Turn to P6

States told not to restrict people & goods movement New Delhi: Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to all Chief Secretaries, requesting them not to impose restrictions on inter-state and intrastate movement of persons and goods and services and to follow MHA guidelines.

The letter was written after it was found that some states have imposed restrictions at local level and were stopping such movement. Bhalla’s letter states, “It has, however, been reported that local level restrictions on

movement are being imposed by various districts/states. Such restrictions are creating problems in inter-State movement of goods and services and are impacting the supply chain, resulting in disruption of economic activities and employment, besides affecting supply of goods and services.”

The letter also says that such restrictions amount to violation of guidelines issued by MHA under provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Turn to P6

Govt conducts highest 75K tests, records highest 1,212 +ve cases Statewide tally is now 85,678 cases with a death toll of 2,883; 68,257 patients have been discharged Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: A day of record testing has brought with it Gujarat’s highest singleday jump in COVID-19 cases, with as many as 1,212 of the 75,258 samples tested in the past 24 hours coming back positive. With 14 fresh fatalities, there are now 14,538 active cases across the state,

with 85 patients on ventilator support.

With 238 new cases, Surat still continues to top the list; 166 of these cases emerged in the city and 72 came in from rural areas. Of the 123 patients being treated at the New Civil Hospital, 10 are on ventilator support, 14 on BiPAP machines and 66 are on oxygen support. Similarly, of the 95 COVID-19

Testing drive in Ahmedabad.

—FILE PHOTO

patients under treatment at SMIMER Hospital, 10 are on ventilator support, five are on BiPAP machines and 49 are on oxygen support.

Within Surat, Rander accounted for the highest number of cases (33), while Athwa area had 30. Varachha-B zone seems to be on the mend, with just nine cases being reported there.

Vadodara city tested 2,271 samples, and confirmed 115 new positive cases of SarsCoV-2 infection.

There are now 1,333

active cases in the city, with 148 patients on oxygen support and 58 on ventilator support. The North zone has reported the highest number of cases--1,845--while the South zone has recorded 1,361 cases.

Vadodara rural has had 1,502 cases and 33 are from other districts and states.

In addition, Ahmedabad had 179 new cases, Vadodara district, 122, Rajkot, 99, Jamnagar, 80, Amreli, 67, Bhavnagar, 58, Panchmahal, 36,

Junagadh and Bharuch, 32 each, Gandhinagar, 27, Mehsana, 26, and Kutch, 24.

One of the leading Navratri organisers in Gandhinagar, the Foram Group has decided to cancel this year’s festivities and will incur a loss of about Rs15 crore.

Apart from the four major districts, nine other districts across the state have reported more than 1,000 cases so far. Dang district has had the fewest number of cases with 41.

NEWS AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

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02

Plea to Centre to

PROMOTE DOMESTIC oilseed production Might be the only way to plug the gap of 15 million tonnes between domestic supply and demand Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: The Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEAI) has demanded that the central government implement the recommendations of the National Mission for Edible Oils at the earliest and earmark Rs4,0005,000 crore per annum to increase the production of mustard, groundnut and soybean. The association’s office-bearers have recently submitted a memorandum on the issue to the Department of Food and Distribution.

They say that the nation’s edible oil production has remained stagnant, even as imports continue to witness a year-on-year increase.

If the production of oilseeds and oil is not increased, the memorandum said, the import bill will become a big burden on the nation. The solution lies in increasing the area under oilseed cultivation and in increasing the import duty on ed-

REFINED EDIBLE OIL CONSUMPTION Refined oil

Quantity lakh (metric tonnes)

Palm

88

Soybean

50

Sunflower

25

Cotton oil seed

12

Rice bran

10

Tree-borne oils & others

5

Top 5 refined oils

190

SUGGESTED INCREASE IN IMPORT DUTY Oils

Current duty

Suggested duty

Crude soybean

35%

45%

Crude sunflower

35%

45%

Other soft oil

35%

45%

Crude palm

37.5%

50%

ible oil to discourage imports into the nation, they say.

SEAI executive director BV Mehta explained that the proposed expansion will not burden either the state or the Centre. “The nation collects Rs35,000 crore tax each year on the import of edible oils. It levies an oilseed-development cess of Rs2,500 to Rs3,000 per tonne on

CONSUMPTION GROWTH

imported edible oil per annum. From this revenue, the government will need to divert Rs4,000 for the expansion. So, the Centre will not need to make any budgetary allocations,” he said.

The association has suggested that the central government set a high MSP (minimum support price) in order to en-

courage farmers to expand oilseed cultivation. It also wants import duties to be linked with MSP and proportionately raised as and when MSP is hiked.

It also wants the government to introduce the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana--a scheme currently in place in Madhya Pradesh whereby the govern-

ment pays farmers the difference between official Minimum Support Price and the rate at which they sell their crops or Model Price whichever is higher-calling it a win-win situation for farmers and industry.

India imports palm oil on a large scale to meet the domestic demand. To reduce this, the government

should encourage palm plantation in the nation by declaring oil palm a plantation crop, the memo also said. Currently, oil palm is cultivated on three lakh hectares of land, even though India has a potential 1.9 million hectares over which to grow the crop.

At present, farmers across India grow oil-

NATIONAL VS WORLD OILSEED YIELD

seeds on 26-27 million hectares. The average yield is 1,000-1,100 kg.

Average production is 28-30 metric tonnes. Per capita, oil consumption is just 17.5 kg.

However, India’s produces 7.5-8 million tonnes of vegetable oil against that a demand of 23 million tonnes. This gap of 15 million tonnes can only be filled if

domestic production of oilseeds increases.

So far, the nation has not been in favour of introducing genetically modified (GM) edible oilseeds, but SEAI in its memorandum has advocated the introduction of GM seeds to increase oilseed yield and oil production. They estimate that doing so could increase oilseeds production by 15-20%.

EXPELLER OIL

NAL SE JAL

Rupani government to regularize illegal water connections Will only cost `500, as long as the applications are filed before December 31; more Vadodara localities brought under Disturbed Areas Act 

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s government on Saturday directed local civic bodies regularize illegal water connections for citizens who pay a fine of Rs500, as long as they apply for the process before December 31.

Rupani has directed all civic bodies to ensure that applications seeking to regularise such connections are prioritized. He has also instructed civic

bodies to prioritize all requests, even in slums.

The Chief Minister’s directive to prioritize the ‘Nal se Jal’ mission came during a video conference with municipal commissioners on Saturday.

During the video conference, Rupani also reviewed the COIVD-19 situation in urban areas. In addition, he asked local authorities to prioritize the rebuilding and resurfacing of roads that were damaged in the re-

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Saturday installed a clay Ganpati at his official residence to mark the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.

cent rains. He told them to begin repairs at the earliest, and not wait for the end of the monsoon unless absolutely unavoidable.

Considering the civic polls scheduled for the end of the year, he has asked all corporations to look into primary issues, like roads, drainage, street lights, water supply, etc., and to resolve all pending issues.

“Citizens should not have any complaints,” he said.

He also said that he wanted local bodies to make services faceless to reduce corruption, and asked them to use technology to the maximum to make the system transparent.

The Chief Minister

also advised local bodies to make maximum use of treated water.

Also on Saturday, the state government decided to implement the Disturbed Areas Act in more parts of Vadodara city. Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja announced that Bapod, Varasiya, Harni, Karelibaug police station areas are now covered under the Act. Henceforth, property in these localities cannot be bought or sold without the permission of the district collector. The action is meant to protect property owners from antisocial elements who forcefully buy property.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

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Dhari Panth

Vadodara

03

Mehsana

Gujarat has seen 91% of avg annual rain

Heavy rains have brought problems including flooding, drowning and disruptions in transportation First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The monsoon has been more than bountiful this year, with the state already having received 91%— 754.12mm—of its average annual rainfall of 831mm.

However, the incessant rain has also caused major problems.

As many as 102 roads, including nine state highways, have been shut to traffic and dams in Saurashtra are overflowing.

More than 1,000 people living in low-lying areas had to be relocated after water in the Aji dam breached its catchment capacity limit and caused flooding.

The excessive rains have also exacted a price in human lives.

Two siblings in Nasdi village of Savarkundla drowned while playing in the river. Their bod-

Villagers carry pregnant woman to hospital First India Bureau

ies have not been found, although search operations were still on at the time of filing this report.

More rains are likely, according to the weatherman. The low-pressure area over the North Bay of Bengal, coastal parts of Odisha and West Bengal has moved westward over parts of interior Odisha and Chhattisgarh. It has strengthened to a wellmarked low pressure and is likely to intensify further into a depression over land. This will be the first depression of the season and will have the distinction of forming over land. The weather system will track westward to move across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat, the India Meteorological Department said.

The further advance of the system is likely to cause very heavy rains over Gujarat on August 22-23.

Ahmedabad: On Saturday, a pregnant woman had to be physically carried to a hospital by her fellow villagers in Narmada district’s Mathasar, since there is no road for any ambulance to reach the village.

The incident comes at a time when the incessant rain has left people struggling for even basic needs and many villages and towns left completely

A still from the clip showing the villagers risking their lives.

isolated with roads having been washed away. Mathasar residents say that the rain has only made things worse in their village, which—like others in the vicinity of the

world’s tallest statue— lack proper roads even when it isn’t raining.

In a video that has since gained traction on social media, a group of villagers are seen risking their own

lives to carry the woman across a flooded road near an overflowing river in a makeshift stretcher. The villagers complained that there is no road connectivity in five villages, even after the Statue of Unity was constructed and other attractions like the Safari Park were added. They said they have been demanding that the government build proper roads for the last three years, but that these demands have been falling on deaf ears.

Manshukh Vasava, the Member of Parliament who represents this area, is aware of the pitiful state of infrastructure there. He admitted that people have been facing hardships due to the lack of a road network and connectivity. “I am aware that a few villages have this problem. Road work and other developmental infrastructure projects have been approved recently,” he said.

FURIOUS MONSOON SNATCHES AWAY DIGNITY IN DEATH First India Bureau Valsad: In another example of how poor infrastructure and rising waters are coming together to adversely common people, villagers in Nani Palsan village in Valsad district have to car-

ry their dead across a swollen river to cremate them.

The Damanganga river, which flows through Nani Palsan, is a shallow one for most of the year.

“During the monsoon, however, it overflows.

This makes it difficult to wade across with a

dead body and the various articles needed for the cremation ritual,” one villager said, adding, “We have to risk our lives every time we wish to perform the last rites of someone who passes away.

A video that did the rounds on social me-

dia on Saturday shows a group of villagers fording the river with a corpse in tow.

Villagers say that the government has not paid any heed to their requests and demands for a check dam-cum-causeway.

“We have presented

our issues to the authorities several times, but no action has been taken,” a villager said, adding, “The government claims to develop villages and making them selfsufficient, but we don’t even have basic infrastructure.”

2 kids die at AMC pumping station site First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: Two children drowned in a pit that had filled up with water due to the ongoing rains at the construction site for a pumping station in Danilimda. The pit had been dug ahead of building a water tank at the pumping station run by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

The children are believed to have entered the construction site illegally and jumped into the water to play, without knowing the depth of the pit, and then drowned.

Detractors have accused the AMC of negligence since the pit was not barricaded or otherwise marked, nor was there a city-appointed security guard on site. The contractor could not be reached for comment.

Surat photo studios fear obsolescence as pandemic threatens their existence

GANPATI BAPPA MORYA

Ruchi Thakar

Surat-based Dr Aditi Mittal has created a Ganpati from nuts and dry fruits, which will be distributed to nCoV patients later. —ANI

Surat: Kishore Thakur, who--until March— had supported his family as a professional photographer, now sells onions and bananas to make ends meet. He is not alone.

Studio photography is seen as a luxury, with demand depending on clients’ liquidity. Plus, with all public events on hold since the pandemic hit in March, photographers and studios say they fear going the way of camera film itself.

With photography still seen as a luxury, studios have fallen silent.

Parth Mehta, who runs Click Studio, said, “I have gone six months without work. 2020 will go down in history as a terrible year for those who survive on events

and photography. I had to borrow money to pay the EMI on my studio.

“We may be a smaller group than the textile or diamond industries, but we also contribute to the

ecoonomy. So, we also expect the government to take care of us when times are this tough,” said Vidhi Vashi, who has been a photographer for eight years.

“In this difficult time, if the government directly can’t declare an economic package for the photography industry, it must at least provide some relief to those those who have taken loans to buy equipment and run studios, said Dilip Gohil of the Surat Photographers Welfare Association.

SARCASTIC JIBES

‘Has BJP paid in advance for mask rule breach?’ Cong asks lll

Opposition points out that CR Patil’s recent tour ignored nCov norms; asks why the cops have not taken any action on the issue

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: State unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party CR Patil on Saturday concluded a fourday tour of Saurashtra, where he garnered a huge response from party supporters.

However, his rival party, the Congress has been quick to notice that Patil’s outing breached social distancing and other nor ms—including

wearing masks—as detailed under the Epidemic Diseases Act. Taking a potshot at recently appointed BJP chief and his supporters, Congress spokesperson Jayrajsinh Parmar asked if his political rivals have paid in advance for Congress party took a jibe on the BJP supporters and asked have they paid an advance on fines for breaking the rules.

“Soon after becom-

Congress headquarters being sanitized —FILE PHOTO

ing president, his rally in Surat was cancelled at the last moment, although people were already gathered. Just a few days ahead of this event, the high court had slammed the state government for not making a decision on the Rath Yatra procession. At this time, when we are facing the COVID-19 pandemic and when where all religious events and even functions have limited people’s presence, the

BJP is gathering en mass,” said Jayrajsinh Parmar, Congress spokesperson.

He further said the rules do not seem to apply to BJP and its supporters. “They hold processions, play garba, and gather in the hundreds, that too without masks. In their enthusiasm to welcome Patil, these people seem to be in the mood to give the Sars-CoV-2 virus a huge victory. Even worse, they use public roads

and public places for these rallies, and thus could spread the virus even further,” he said.

Parmar also called out the police for not taking action. “The police is a mute spectator.

They are watching the BJP show like the BJP has paid an advance fine for not wearing masks in public. Even their top leaders are advocating social distance but Patil wants to prove that he is superCM,” he said.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

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THE MAHATMA AND THE POET

IN-DEPTH

ISIS EXPANDING ITS FOOTPRINTS

I

n mid-July, the UN released a report on terrorism which said that there are “significant number” of Islamic State terrorists in the southern states of Kerala and Karnataka. The report, according to Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, was based on the arrests made by the state police and the NIA last year. On Monday, the NIA arrested a Bengaluru doctor Abdur Rahman, an ophthalmologist, for his alleged links with the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), an affiliate of the Syria-based terror group whose dream of a caliphate was decimated by the US. The ISKP case was registered in the national capital after the arrest of a Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Beigh in March this year.

That a section of brainwashed Muslim youths feel drawn towards ISIS is no secret. Early this month the ISIS claimed that three Indians were among the terrorists who launched an attack on a jail in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad in which 29 persons were killed. Last year, the NIA had arrested four men for their ties with the ISIS. In this context, the arrest of an alleged ISIS agent in Delhi on Saturday should come as no surprise. The ISIS is expanding its footprints in India with the help of its sympathisers. While it is scary, the alertness of security agencies ensures safety of citizens.

K NATWAR SINGH

The author is Former Minister of External Affairs of India

T

A LANDMARK ORDER ON TABLEEGHIS

W

ho wouldn’t remember Tablighi Jamaat members who were squarely blamed for the spread of coronavirus in Delhi and other parts of the country? In March the Delhi police had charged that a religious congregation held at its headquarters in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin area as being solely responsible for the increase in positive cases in the country.

The headquarters was sealed and hundreds of participants, including those from countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and the US, were quarantined.

Maulana Saad, the Jamaat chief, was booked for culpable homicide. A vicious anti-Muslim propaganda was launched on various social media platform. In a crackdown, all those who were part of the congregation were traced and arrested. Those from abroad found their visas revoked.

In June the Allahabad High Court ordered the release of Jamaat members on the completion of their quarantine period. Madras High Court allowed bail to 31 foreign Jamaatis and the Madhya Pradesh HC granted bail to six foreigners. These orders were limited to the release of proselytizers.

Bombay High Court’s Aurangabad Bench has gone beyond to dwell upon the role of Centre, freedom which foreigners can enjoy under various Articles of the Constitution.

Bombay High Court’s order is significant for its view on Tableeghi Jamaat which, it said, was “a movement for reformation”. Even more damaging was the statement that the arrests were made following specific instructions from the Centre and that the Centre’s action was mainly directed against Muslims. Social and religious tolerance is a necessity for the country’s integrity, the court said. Will the bhakts now troll the judges?

India’s freedom movement was unique. It was lead by a man, who even today is revered throughout the world. Gandhi was one of the greatest Indians of all time. His memory may be fading but not his luminescent character and thought. Even at the convention of the Democratic Party, his name was invoked

hat August is a month of historic importance for the country is a cliché. The Independence of India on August 15, 1947, was among the seminal events of the 20th century. It heralded the beginning of the end of colonialism. It freed hundreds of millions of our people from an unjust, undemocratic, arbitrary rule by the United Kingdom.

India’s freedom movement was unique. It was lead by a man, who even today is revered throughout the World. Gandhi was one of the greatest Indians of all time. His memory may be fading but not his luminescent character and thought. Even at the convention of the Democratic Party, his name was invoked.

August 8, 1942 is also a date to remember. On that memorable day Mahatma Gandhi launched the “Quit India” movement. Yet no reference was made to it on its 78the anniversary in the media. I don’t recall anyone in the Congress party re-calling the day. Why? Because we are indifferent to history.

The third memorable August date is the 7th. On that day in 1941, Rabindranath Tagore passed away in Calcutta at the age of eighty. This anniversary too was ignored. However “Jana Gana Man…..” will live forever.

Why I have mentioned Rabindranath Tagore is because I am reading, “The Mahatma and the Poet”. The book is compiled and edited

by Sabyasachi Bhattacharya. Here we read the GandhiTagore correspondence between 1915 and 1941. The book is a treasure trove.

A few days back Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that henceforth, government jobs in MP would go only to Madhya Pradeshes.

This reminded me of the announcement made by Chief Minister NT Rama Rao of Andhra in the mid nine-

teen eighties. Only Andhraites would be employed in Vizagapatam Steel Plant. I was then Minister of State for Steel. I requested a meeting with the formidable Chief Minister in Hyderabad. He invited me to lunch at his residence. He did not live in the official residence of the Chief Minister.

His own house was huge. Everything about Garu Rama Rao was huge. Our silver thalis had a dozen dishes. The Chief Minister kept goading me, “Minister, don’t be shy, eat, eat”. His own appetite was gargantuan. He was a wonderful host.

After lunch he asked me what he could do for me. I reminded him of his pronouncement about only Andhraites being given jobs at Vizag. I said this would not be possible.

“Why not”? he asked. I said under the constitution any Indian could get a job in any part of the country. Besides, the Vizag plant would supply steel to the whole country, not only to Andhra. The financial contribution of Andhra for its construction is minimal. Eventually, he conceded. Sportingly he said, “Minister, you win. Now let me show you my house.”

Garu Rama Rao was not only Chief Minister, but he was also looked upon by the people of Andhra as a semi-God.

FORMER PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA CALLED TRUMP INCOMPETENT AND NARCISSISTIC, WHO WAS TREATING THE PRESIDENCY “AS ONE MORE REALITY SHOW”

It happens every time during the monsoon, yet nothing is done to improve the drainage. The Millennium City of Gurugram’s infrastructure could not cope with flooding following the very heavy rainfall last Wednesday. This was not a good example of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Gurugram is supposed to be a model city. In reality it is a municipal nightmare. Even in dry weather, the roads within the city are in a deplorable state. The poor, as usual, suffer the most. Their thatched homes are washed away, their tiny homes are in waist-deep sewage water.

The powers that be don’t seem to care. Has the Haryana government-held anyone

A HEALTHY IMPROVEMENT ON GDP D

issatisfaction about GDP is g rowing.

Many economists, policymakers, and other critics question the ability of this central measure of government and social success to recognize the welfare gains from technology, account for environmental degradation, or capture rising inequality. With developments in artificial intelligence and robotics poised to produce considerable labor-market churn while also boosting GDP – a process likely to be accelerated by the ongoing pandemic – these complaints will soon grow louder.

Numerous alternative indicators have long been on offer, but one especially promising option is healthy life expectancy (HLE), a

04

metric that is easily understood and that has obvious importance to each of us individually.

Moreover, HLE is already being measured, and happens to address many of the factors that GDP might omit.

Poor environmental conditions, for example, are not conducive to long, healthy lives. And there is plenty of evidence to suggest that individuals who are happy and fulfilled also tend to live longer and remain healthy for longer. Even more to the point, longer healthier lives connect back to GDP itself. Just as rising GDP helps to provide the resources needed to support health, healthy populations support stronger GDP. Moreover, by targeting HLE specifically, governments could shine a brighter light on the issue of eco-

nomic inequality. Because the incomes of the very richest households may be several thousand times greater than those of the poorest households, average GDP is invariably larger than typical (median) income. But when it comes to life expectancy in the richest countries, the opposite is true. The outliers tend to be those who die young, so that typical (me-

dian) life expectancy is higher than average life expectancy.

This means that raising the average HLE can be achieved by raising the HLE of those at the bottom of the health distribution to that of the typical (median) person.

This not only makes targeting inequality more attractive, but does not require path-breaking

medical innovations to achieve longer lifespans – just the achievement of typical outcomes for more people. With this in mind, it is urgent to close the sizeable richpoor life-expectancy gap – around 15 years – in the United States.

As a metric for economic and social progress, targeting HLE implicitly acknowledges that aging is malleable (if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be a viable target).

It turns out that a range of behaviors and policies, as well as the environment we inhabit, influence how we age and how long we live. It is estimated that our genetics account for only onequarter of the factors contributing to how we age.

Given this malleability, it is crucial that governments focus on HLE for the maximum number of people.

Such a focus would also

help governments confront one of the biggest challenges of the future: societal aging. Given that every country in the world is expected to experience societal aging, focusing on how well we age becomes paramount.

This age malleability requires drawing a distinction between chronological and biological measures of age and focusing on the latter.

Yet, because so much government policy currently focuses on the non-malleable chronological metric, too many governments are unprepared for future demographic challenges such as overburdened health and pension systems. Rather than exploring ways to influence how we age, policymakers are focused almost entirely on the number of “old” people.

SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE

responsible. How many concerned officials have been suspended?

This monsoon misery is not confined to the National Capital Region. It is an annual all India phenomenon. At this rate the target of a 5 trillion economy must remain a dream.

At the Democratic Party’s convention at Delaware, the Clintons, the Obamas let President Donald Trump have it. Former President Barack Obama called Trump incompetent and narcissistic, who was treating the Presidency “as one more reality show.” “Trump hasn’t grown into the job because he can’t. The consequences of that failure are severe….”

Mrs. Michelle Obama said, “Work hard for what you want in life. Your word is your bond; you do what you say you are going to do. You treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.” Former Presidents Jimmy Carter (now 95) and Bill Clinton were just as critical.

President Trump’s troubles mount. His once-powerful chief political adviser, Steve Bannon has been arrested in Connecticut for fraud.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Nirmala Sitharaman @nsitharaman The first Rafale was handed over to India in October 2019. There is a year-wise phasing of how much offset obligation the companies/ OEMs have to fulfill. MoD informs me that claims of such obligations being fulfilled are coming in.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Many of @RahulGandhi’s Congress colleagues confide in private that Rahul’s obsession with Rafale to wash off his father’s sins is damaging the party. But if someone is wanting to self-destruct, who are we to complain? We invite him to fight 2024 elections on Rafale :)

Spiritual SPEAK

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

—Proverbs 4:23

Vol 1 Issue No. 267 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

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RAHUL SLAMS CENTRE OVER RAFALE DEAL

‘MONEY WAS STOLEN FROM INDIAN EXCHEQUER’

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a fresh attack on Centre alleging corruption and malfeasance in the purchase of Rafale fighter jets from French aircraft manufacturing company Dassault Aviation.

Citing a report, the Congress leader said the money was stolen from the Indian exchequer. The Gandhi scion also quoted Mahatma Gandhi in his tweet.

“Money was stolen from the Indian exchequer in Rafale. ‘Truth is one, paths are many,’ Mahatma Gandhi,” he tweeted.

India had signed a Rs 59,000-crore deal on September 23, 2016, for 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace major Dassault Aviation. A couple of weeks back, the five Rafale fighter jets touched down at Haryana’s Ambala after covering a distance of nearly 7,000 km to join the IAF. —PTI

RAHUL GANDHI @RAHULGANDHI Money was stolen from the Indian exchequer in Rafale. “Truth is one, paths are many.”

Mahatma Gandhi

BJP HITS BACK New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made a fresh attack on government over Rafale fighter aircraft deal, prompting Union Minister Piyush Goyal to hit back. In a sharp retort, Goyal, who is Railway Minister & a senior BJP leader, claimed that many in Congress have confided that Gandhi’s obsession with Rafale is damaging the party.

“Many of Rahul Gandhi’s Congress colleagues confide in private that Rahul’s obsession with Rafale to wash off his father’s sins is damaging the party. But if someone is wanting to self-destruct, who are we to complain? We invite him to fight the 2024 elections on Rafale,” Goyal tweeted.

‘CAG report on defence offset in next parl session’ New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the CAG report on defence offset performance will be tabled in the forthcoming session of Parliament.

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on offset performance was scheduled to be tabled in the last session of Parliament but could not be done as the session had to be curtailed following the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

“The C&AG Report No 20 of 2019...Defence Offset Performance was scheduled to be tabled in Parliament during the budget session (2020).

The session ended, before date, due to COVID. Now the report will be placed in the next session. The contents will be known only after that, Sitharaman said in a series of tweets.

There is a year-wise phasing of how much offset obligation the companies/OEMs have to fulfill, she said. —PTI

05

IN THE COURTYARD

Bombay HC junks FIRs against 29 Tablighi foreigners Mumbai: Quashing FIRs filed against 29 foreign nationals who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz in early March, the Bombay High Court has said there was no proof to show they had violated visa conditions and propagated Islam, or were responsible for the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

In a strongly worded judgment on Friday, the Aurangabad Bench of the court

said, “A political government tries to find a scapegoat when there is pandemic or calamity and the circumstances show that there is probability

that these foreigners were chosen to make them scapegoats.”

A Division Bench of Justices TV Nalawade and MG Sewlikar heard the petition.

PLEA IN SUPREME COURT SEEKS TO EXTEND MORATORIUM PERIOD TILL DECEMBER 31 New Delhi: A petition has been filed in SC seeking directions to all banks to extend moratorium period till December 31 to ensure helping borrowers in deferring their EMI payment on term loans. The petition, filed by lawyer Vishal Tiwari, sought directions, till court reopens, to all banks to adhere to extend moratorium period for lawyers/ service sector, transport and tourist industry, including drivers & other covered under these sectors & defer their EMI payment on term loans. Plea, which is likely to come up for hearing within a week, sought directions that respondents, Union of India & others, shall have to ensure that lending institutions shall not use any kind of illegal methods against borrowers for installment recovery. —ANI

‘Special train to transport essential products from Aug 23’ Bloomsbury India Mumbai: In continuation of running special trains to transport essential products during COVID-19 period, the Western Railway will start another train from August 23.

The train will depart from Dewas and reach Mumbai Central on August 25. The Western Railway began running four parcel special trains that include a milk special rake that

departed Bandra Terminus to Jammu Tawi and Porbandar to Shali-

Bihar: BJP may begin Seat-sharing talks Patna: BJP may begin seat-sharing talks with allies in poll-bound Bihar after its two-day state executive committee meeting that began on Saturday.

JP Nadda, the party chief, and BJP’s Bihar election in-charge, Devendra Fadnavis, and state in-charge Bhupendra Yadav will hold talks with chief minister Nitish Kumar and other top leaders of his JDU, in Patna next week.

The seat-sharing will be discussed at the state executive committee meeting. “This is an important meeting which

will begin with the address of Fadnavis. A political resolution will be passed on the first day and party national president [Nadda] will address the meeting on the concluding day,” said state BJP president Sanjay Jaiswal. The assembly elections in Bihar are due in OctoberNovember. —Agencies

EX- FINANCE SECY RAJIV KUMAR TO TAKE CHARGE AS EC ON SEPT 1 New Delhi: Former Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar, who was appointed as Election Commissioner on Friday following the resignation of Ashok Lavasa, will take charge of the office on September 1. “The President is pleased to appoint Rajiv Kumar, IAS (retd) (JH:1984) as the Election Commissioner

with effect from the date he assumes the office vice Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner who has resigned with effect from August 31,” a notification of Law Ministry said. Kumar is a former IAS officer from Jharkhand cadre. Lavasa will take up the position of vice-president at the Asian Development Bank.

mar parcel special. An indented rake left from Karambeli to New

Guwahati and a milk special train from Palanpur to Hind Terminal.

“Western Railway with its commitment towards nation is continuing to transport supply of essential commodities, during this difficult time of COVID-19. In continuation to this, one more parcel special is scheduled to run between Dewas and Mumbai Central,” Railways said. —ANI

TENDER FOR 44 VANDE BHARAT TRAINS CANCELLED: RAILWAYS New Delhi: The Indian Railways has cancelled its tender for manufacturing 44 sets of semi highspeed Vande Bharat Express trains. The Ministry said that a fresh tender will be floated within a week as per the revised public procurement (with a preference to Make in India) order. “Tender for manufacturing of 44 nos of semi high-speed train sets (Vande Bharat) has been cancelled. Fresh tender will be floated within a week as per Revised Public Procurement (Preference to Make in India) order,” Railways Ministry tweeted on Friday. The Railways, however, did not specify the reason.

INVOKING GAJANAN...

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari along with his family members, offer prayers to Lord Ganesha on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi at his residence in Nagpur on Saturday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

BJP MP DEMANDS CBI PROBE IN VISVA BHARATI VANDALISM CASE Kolkata: BJP MP Saumitra Khan met Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and submitted a letter demanding a CBI probe in the Visva Bharati vandalism incident.The police were just 100 metres away when the gate was broken with a JCB. So, we want CBI to investigate the Visva Bharati vandalism incident,” he said while speaking to the media after meeting the Governor. Recently, the locals at the campus had created a ruckus over the construction of a boundary wall near the Mela ground, which belongs to the University.

HIGH-LEVEL MEETING HELD OVER HEAVY RAINFALL: CHAUHAN Bhopal: Informing that a high-level meeting was held over the recent heavy rainfall in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Saturday said that he has issued necessary directions for the monitoring and relief work.”A high-level meeting was organised and I have given all the important

directives in the matter.

A 24X7 control room will operate from Bhopal.

Control rooms will also operate in all districts to monitor the situation,” Chauhan said. “Rainfall is a matter of happiness as Madhya Pradesh received less rainfall this year.

There are some problems associated with rainfall as well Chauhan told ANI.

withdraws book on 2020 Delhi riots

New Delhi: Bloomsbury India has withdrawn publication of their new book, Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story by Advocate Monica Arora, Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra. The publishing house stated, “Bloomsbury India had planned to release Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story in September, a book purportedly giving a factual report on the riots in Delhi in February 2020, based on investigations and interviews conducted by the authors. However, in view of very recent events including a virtual prepublication launch organised without our knowledge by the authors, with participation by parties of whom

the Publishers would not have approved, we have decided to withdraw publication of the book. Bloomsbury India strongly supports freedom of speech but also has a deep sense of responsibility towards society.”

The book, based on recent riots in capital, attracted flak ire when news of its launch circulated on social media, further informing that it would be attended by BJP leader Kapil Mishra, film director Vivek Agnihotri, OpIndia editor Nupur J Sharma and authors. Presence of the speakers triggered a controversy, with many saying that publication house was furthering a communal agenda. —Agencies

IT’S LOW KEY GANESHOTSAV AT FAMOUS LALBAUG MANDAL Mumbai: The Lalbaug Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal, one of the prominent mandals in Mumbai, is celebrating the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in smaller scale this year due to COVID-19 this year. According to the organisers, the faithful have been urged to take an online glimpse of Lord Ganesh from their homes. However, proper arrangements of sanitisers and temperature measurements have been made by the mandal for visitors, said Swapanil Parab, Secretary of Lalbaug Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal while speaking to ANI.

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06

Covid 19: India has world’s best recovery rate As far as numbers are concerned, our fatality rate, 1.87%, is low & we’ve probably the best recovery rate (75%) in world, says Dr Vardhan 14 MORE DEATHS, 1,412 FRESH CASES

A health worker collects swab sample from a man for COVID-19 infection at Mobile Testing van at East zone, in Delhi on Saturday.

New Delhi: While India has the lowest fatality rate due to COVID-19, it probably has the best recovery rate in the world, said Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Saturday.

Harsh Vardhan said that contrary to what the experts had claimed about the number of cases reaching 300 million in the country, including five-six million deaths, by July-August, India had less than three million cases, out of which 2.2 million have already recovered.

“As far as COVID-19 numbers are con-

Out of the three vaccine candidates, one has entered the third phase of trials.

We are confident that within this year we will provide the world with an effective vaccine to save the people.

—Dr Harsh Vardhan Union Health Minister

cerned, our fatality rate, 1.87 per cent, is really low and we have probably the best recovery rate (75 per cent) in the world. We have around 1,500 testing labs now. It is a great achievement in itself,” Harsh Vardhan said.

“Also we have achieved the target of testing 10 lakh tests per day six weeks before the set deadline. We now have 1,511 testing labs in the country,” he added.

He further said the Indian scientists are working very hard to develop a vaccine and provide it to the world. —ANI

New Delhi: Delhi recorded 1,412 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, the city’s biggest singleday spike in infections this month, bringing the infection tally to over 1.60 lakh while the death toll rose to 4,284, authorities said. Fourteen more fatalities linked to the novel coronavirus were recorded in the last 24 hours, they said.

According to the Delhi government’s health bulletin, a total of 19,435 tests — 6,090 RTPCR/CBNAAT/ TrueNat tests and 13,345 rapid antigen tests — have been conducted in the last 24 hours.

So far 14,12,363 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Delhi while the number of tests per million population stands at 74,334 in the city. —PTI

India conducts 1 million tests in last 24 hrs New Delhi: India has crossed a crucial milestone in the fight against COVID-19 by testing more than 10 lakh people in a single day, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

“In the last 24 hours, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has conducted 1 million tests with 10,23,836 tests done on

Thursday. India has achieved its resolve to test 10 lakh samples daily. With this achieve-

ment, the cumulative tests are more than 3.4 crores (3,44, 91, 073),” said Dr Lokesh Sharma,

Scientist-E at ICMR. The number of daily tests has been increasing in a steep climb. Average daily tests during the past three weeks also strongly depict the progress made in the enhancement of COVID-19 tests across the country, said the official.

Owing to aggressive testing in states and UTs, there is a commensurate decline in the positivity rate.

—ANI

‘Pranab deeply comatose, vital parameters stable’ INDIA’S TALLY NEARS THREE MILLION; 69,878 NEW CASES New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 tally neared the three million mark after 69,878 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday.

The total number of samples tested up to August 21 is 3,44,91,073 which is also inclusive of 10,23,836 samples tested on Friday, said the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). —ANI

New Delhi: Former ble and he continues to President Pranab be on ventilatory supMukherjee is deeply co- port. “The condition of former presimatose and is dent remains being treated unchanged this for respiratory morning. He is infection, acdeeply comacording to the tose and is beArmy Research ing treated for and Referral respiratory inHospital on Satfection. His viurday.

The hospital Pranab Mukherjee tal parameters are stable and said that Mukherjee's vital pa- he continues to be on rameters have not ventilatory support,” changed, adding that the update from the hoshis parameters are sta- pital read.

—ANI

UDHAMPUR-BARAMULLA CBI team visits Sushant’s flat, FB India: We are LG Manoj Sinha reviews status reconstructs sequence of events open, transparent of rail link construction and non-partisan Mumbai: A team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) visited actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s house in suburban Bandra on Saturday to reconstruct the sequence of events before he was found dead on June 14.

Forensic science experts were also part of the CBI team which wanted to reconstruct the sequence of events on June 14, an official said. As CBI sleuths and experts of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory arrived at Mont Blanc Apartments at 2.30 pm, a huge crowd of media persons and onlookers gathered at the spot. The probe team was inside the flat even after three hours, the official said.

The team first went to the building’s terrace and then entered the flat. From outside, they were seen clicking pictures of the bedroom and shooting video. —Agencies

CBI, Mumbai Police teams at Sushant’s residence on Saturday.

CBI QUIZZES COOK NEERAJ

Neeraj and Sidharth Pithani along with the CBI team outside the residence of Sushant on Saturday.

New Delhi: Facebook has always been an open, transparent and non-partisan platform which enables people to express themselves freely, said Ajit Mohan, Vice President, and MD, Facebook India.

The statement from the social media giant came on Friday after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT summoned representatives of the company on September 2 to hear their views on prevention of misuse of social media platforms, according to the Lok Sabha secretariat on Thursday.

Mohan said that the company aims to be an ally for India where the platforms preserve the ‘pluralistic character of a democracy’ by offer-

The platform ‘denounces hate in any form’ and their community standards have clear and detailed policies against hate speech, prohibiting attack on people on the basis of religion, ethnicity, caste, & national origin.

Ajit Mohan

ing the freedom for people to express, and for entrepreneurs to build new things. —Agencies

Srinagar (J&K): Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha reviewed the status of work on the Udhampur-Baramulla rail link, according to the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) of the J&K government on Saturday.

LG held a review meeting with the officials and directed them to finish the project by “August 2022, ahead of timeline.”

“Railways to run Vistadome coaches for attracting tourists. And DPRs for JammuPoonch and BaramullaKupwara rail links are at an advanced stage,” the DIPR tweeted.

The link project is highly essential to provide an alternative and a reliable transportation system to join Kashmir Valley to the Indian Railways network and the rest of the country. —ANI

Manoj Sinha during the review meeting on Saturday.

IAF OFFICER COMMITS SUICIDE Jammu: A warrant officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF) allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service pistol inside a camp here, officials said on Saturday. Inder Pal Singh, 53, a resident of UP, allegedly shot himself at Air Force Station Kalu Chak on the outskirts of Jammu on Friday. The officials said Singh's colleagues rushed him to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead. After conducting a postmortem, the body of the deceased was handed over to his family. The motive behind his taking such an extreme step was not known immediately, the police have started inquest proceedings, officials said.

FROM PG 1 In denial... and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. According to Pakistani authorities, Dawood Ibrahim’s address is “White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton” in Karachi, Pakistan. He also has other properties listed as “House Nu 37 - 30th Street - defence, Housing Authority, Karachi” and “Palatial bungalow in the hilly area of Noorabad in Karachi”.

India has long held that there is proof that Dawood Ibrahim, hunted for nearly three decades, has been living in Pakistan’s largest city and financial capital - an

assertion also confirmed by the UN. Pakistan, which had also denied Osama Bin Laden lived in the country, has been refuting the charge.

ISIS operative...

Khan, who was on a motorcycle, was caught on Friday night after a brief exchange of fire on the section of the Ridge Road between Dhaula Kuan and Karol Bagh.

The two IEDS he was found with were fully ready and just needed to be activated with a timer, police said.

Security was stepped up in the national capi-

tal and in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh following the arrest.

Khan had planned to strike in the national capital on August 15, but could not do so due to heavy security arrangements, Kushwah said.

Khan was to come to Delhi around August 15 to carry out terror strikes Now, he felt the security could be lax so he could come here. But he was nabbed, he told reporters.

He planned to use the pressure cooker IEDS in a heavy footfall area of the city, the police official said.

After planting IEDs, his plan was to wait for fresh instructions and then the next plan was to carry out fidayeen attacks. But he was not told about when and where the strike was to be carried out. A terror strike has been averted due to this operation,” Kushwah added.

1 terrorist...

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation after receiving specific and credible information about the presence of terrorists in the area, a police official said.

Terrorists fired at the

forces as they were conducting searches in the area. Security forces retaliated, resulting in an encounter in which one terrorist was killed.

His identity and group affiliation is being ascertained, the police official said.

PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com “An encounter started between joint troops of 176 Bn CRPF, SOG Kreeri, 52RR and terrorists during cordon and search operations (CASO) at 1145 hours. 1 terrorist neutralised, 2 more terrorists are believed to be trapped.

Firing continues,” the CRPF said. Police, Army and CRPF are part of the operation, the police said.

BSF kills...

A BSF spokesperson said troops recovered nine packets containing 9.92kg heroin, an AK-47 rifle, two magazines and 27 rounds, four 9mm Berretta pistols with seven magazines and 109 live rounds, two mobile phones and Rs610 in Pakistani currency after a gunbattle with the intruders near the Dal border post in Tarn Taran district.

The border post is

guarded by the 103rd battalion of the Border Security Force.

The spokesperson said BSF personnel noticed suspicious activity near the border around midnight and asked the intruders, who were wearing Tshirts or shirts and full pants, to surrender but they “did not pay any heed to the challenge” and opened fire on the troops.

“To stop any further misadventure and in self-defence, the BSF troops retaliated with fire in which five Pakistani armed intruders succumbed to bullet in-

juries,” he said.

BSF Inspector General (Punjab Frontier) Manipal Yadav told reporters during a press conference in Amarkot that the five men had “crossed the IB and entered into Indian territory”.

States told...

“Such restrictions at local level imposed by the District Administration or by the State Government, amount to violation of the guidelines issued by MHA under the provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005,” the letter read.

—ANI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

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WILL SUSHANT SINGH GET PADMA VIBHUSHAN? espite the absence of Sushant Singh Rajput, people’s craze for him is increasing, especially in Bihar, a new ‘passion’ for him is seen and this attitude of ‘Khalis Biharipan’ is so deep that the central government of BJP understood this. It was mentioned earlier that Sushant’s untimely death will become a big issue in the Bihar Assembly elections. According to highly placed sources, the central government is preparing, posthumously, to award the country’s highest civilian honour Padma Vibhushan to Sushant Singh Rajput. Sushant’s birthday falls on January 21 and civilian honours are announced around 25 January on the occasion of Republic Day. Meanwhile, after approving the recommendation of Bihar government, Modi government has handed over the case of Sushant’s death to CBI. Sushant’s case is making new revelations every day, and now a former R&AW intelligence agent NK Sood claims that Sushant’s death has

D

a connection to D Company, from where he was constantly receiving threats, claiming that he was so scared of these threats that he changed 50 SIM cards in a few days. Sometimes he parked their car in a secluded place and slept in it. Sood raises the question that Sushant, who wrote the scripts of two films, also had a habit of writing diaries regularly and if he had an absurd idea of suicide, he would have left some suicide note. Sood suspects Sushant’s filmmaker friend Sandeep Singh alleging that he has done the job by teaming up with Sushant’s servant. Sood also suspects that Sandeep used to share all the information related to Sushant with Karan Johar and Salman Khan.

Sood also reveals Salman’s relationship with the underworld. Now that the matter is with the CBI, it would be best to wait before reaching any such conclusion.

WHAT DOES SANJAY RAUT SELL? anjay Raut, the head of ‘diaper change’ politics in Thackeray

S

FIRST INDIA SUNDAY SPECIAL

has suddenly emerged as a villain in the eyes of North Indians.

North Indians are so hurt by his personality that his party Shiv Sena on social media came to be known as ‘Shava Sena’, Shava denoting a dead body.

When he started displaying much love towards Aditya Thackeray, junior Thackeray’s words also started to deteriorate and the BJP’s digital army targeted him in a bid to prove Aditya Thackeray as the ‘second Pappu’ after Rahul. He also came to be known as ‘Baby Penguin’ on social media.

BY TRIDIB RAMAN

SCINDIA IN A FIX y-elections are to be held in 24 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh. Earlier these by-elections were to be held in AugustSeptember, but due to the rising cases of Corona pandemic, the dates of these by-elections are being pushed forward. But if anyone’s credibility is tested in these by-elections, it is Jyotiraditya Scindia, the newcomer from the Congress to

B Sushant Singh Rajput

family, has got a rich reward in the Shiv Sena for his devotion towards the Thackeray family and has also launched a new ‘school’ in politics that a place can be made in politics only by singing praises.

Sanjay Raut

It is said that he has played an important role in putting the strain in the relations of Shiv Sena and BJP because he is deeply connected with NCP leader Sharad Pawar.

And this is the reason

Jyotiraditya Scindia

why he started raising the voice that Pawar should be made the next President of the country in June itself.

If sources are to be believed, his political ambitions started to shake up so much that there

was a time when he felt that he could become the CM of the state, but when his dream was broken, he got hospitalized. Raut, who has made a statement in the untimely death of Sushant Singh Rajput,

07

the BJP. CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan of Madhya Pradesh is also delighted, as he will continue with his government by the victory of only 9 of the Congress MLAs who joined BJP with Scindia. In such a situation, bringing back 22 of his MLAs is the biggest challenge before Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior. For example, Scindia’s most trusted confidant is likely to contest from Tulsiram Silavat’s Indore constituency, for which Scindia has paid a visit to Sumitra Tai (Mahajan), who still holds sway in Indore. Scindia knows that his influence is limited to Gwalior and Bhind only, so he has been waiting for the BJP and Sangh cadre to win the support of his other supporting MLAs, at a time when Shivraj is constantly afraid that Scindia’s new presence in the saffron party does not present any challenge to him.

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

Immersion of idols by many people together will not be in line with the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Therefore, some approaches can be taken for immersion that will avoid the dampening of festival spirit amidst Coronavirus outbreak

T

he holy festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated every year with great fervour in the country with thousands of devotees thronging temples and ‘Ganeshotsav pandals’ to offer their prayers.

Festivals in India are generally celebrated with all the frills, and the same is true for Ganesh Chaturthi.

Right from handpicking flowers and decking up puja rooms and pandals, to making modaks filled with coconut and jaggery, people tend to immerse themselves in a host of activities.

However, often, during the course of the celebration, we don’t realise the extent of harm we might be causing to the environment.

Many of the Ganesha idols that are sold in the market today are made of plastic, thermocol, PoP, and other nonboidegradable materials, which when immersed in water bodies have a detrimental effect on both the plant and animal life.

Even the rangoli colours available in the market, which are used for decorative purposes, are likely to be made up of hazardous substances like mica, acids, and glass powders.

Since these colours cannot be decomposed biologically, they tend to degrade the surrounding spaces.

It might not sound very significant, but even the plastic used to pack or give away the prasad adds to the existing pollution in the environment. Hence, this time around, let’s look at some ways in which you can celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi with all the pomp and ceremony, but without hurting the planet.

HOW TO CELEBRATE GANESH CHATURTHI IN ECO-FRIENDLY WAY OPT FOR CLAY GANESHA IDOL

Ganesha idols made from traditional clay are 100 per cent biodegradable and have the properties of dissolving into the water on immersion. As immersing idols in water bodies is not allowed this time, these idols can simply be immersed in a tub full of water inside the house as they dissolve in the water in some time.

GO FOR SMALL, SIMPLE GANESHA IDOL Though the festival brings in a lot of excitement among the devotees and many of them wish to go for grand or at least middle-sized idols, but the process of bidding adieu to big idols is tough this year. A small idol can be immersed in water at home.

KEEP YOUR GANESHA WITH YOU, OPT FOR TREE GANESHA IDOLS The concept of tree Ganesha idols was started by Mumbaibased artisan Dattadri Kothur a few years back but it is a well-known concept in the present day. These idols are made of natural colours, fertilisers, red soil and have a seed within them, which grows into a plant. So instead of immersing the idol, it can be placed into a pot and can be watered every day.

DIY YOUR OWN GANESHA IDOL

SOURCE: AGENCIES

This option is for the ones that have that artistic streak within them and can turn around a Ganesha idol out of recycled paper, organic paint, organic glue, and clay. A simple way is to create a dough using clay, organic glue, and paper pieces and then mould it into an idol, which can later be painted with the organic paint. All of the four materials used for making the idol are safe for the environment and

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

hence, the idol can be easily immersed in water, and then the water can be discarded in the backyard without harming the backyard plants. While the festival has arrived at a time of uncertainty, it is very important that people do not let the pandemic dampen the spirit of one of the biggest festivals in the country. The above-mentioned ways are completely socialdistance friendly and also eco-friendly.

DESIGN: CP SHARMA

Flowers... are proof that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. They are solace to the eyes and soul.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

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THE FUTURE BELONGS TO YOUNGSTERS WHILE THE PAST WAS OF SENIORS: AJAY MAKEN Editor-In-Chief of First India, Jagdeesh Chandra, in The New JC Show, speaks to newly appointed AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan, Ajay Maken on various issues pertaining to the recent political drama in state and how a master mind strategist Gehlot won the trust vote with a record margin of 75 vs 123 votes in Assembly z Jagdeesh Chandra: How did a science student come into politics?

Ajay Maken: I am the fourth generation Congressman. When I was taking my baby steps in politics, Late Lalit Maken was a metropolitan councillor then. I wanted to enter the student politics right from the beginning, so when I registered for chemistry (Hons) in Hansraj College in Delhi, I had the aim of contesting the college elections. In 1985, I won the DUSU president’s post in elections, ending the 14 year hiatus of NSUI in DUSU. z When did you fight the first election in the main stream politics?

I fought my first Assembly poll in 1993, which was for the Delhi Assembly. Only 14 Congressmen out of 70 won and I was one of them. I won first assembly election with 3,000 votes and from the same constituency, I won by 19,000 votes in 1998 and by 26,000 votes in 2003. It was then that Soniaji and late Sheilaji asked me to contest the Lok Sabha election from New Delhi seat against BJP’s Jagmohan, who was a strong candidate with a ‘clean image’ and had defeated RK Dhawan thrice and even Rajesh Khanna from the same seat. I contested against Jagmohan and defeated him. The party always recognised my contribution and gave me chances. Sheilaji made me the only Parliamentary Secretary in her government in 1998 and within a year, I was inducted in her cabinet with three most important portfolios Power, Transport and Tourism.

In 2003, I was made the speaker of Delhi Assembly. Important part is that when I became a minister in Sheilaji’s cabinet, I was the youngest minister and later at the age of 38-39, I was the youngest Speaker of any Assembly. z You were so close to Sheila Dixit that you were called her ‘blueeyed’ boy, then how come differences cropped up?

I believe that in politics, the young & budding leaders become ambitious and commit mistakes, but I still believe Sheila ji taught me a lot.

I learned from her, from Jaipal Reddy as his MoS UDH, from Chidamabarm as MoS Home under him, from Manmohan Singhji when he gave me independent charge of sports ministry and later inducted me in his cabinet as minister for Urban Housing

& Poverty Elevation. So these were the times when I literally was promoted four times in 10 years and was assumed as a new power centre in Delhi, which brought Sheilaji’s detractors to me. But I have never uttered a single statement against Sheila ji because I owe everything in my political career to her. I consider her as my mentor and mother. In 2007, Soniaji made me the incharge of Odisha, which had 34-35 LS seats and the youngest CWC member. In 2013, Soniaji again made me AICC general secretary with 2014 LS elections in view. So, the party has given me a lot. z How do you rate Sardar Manmohan Singh as a PM? There is no parallel to Manmohan Singh ji. India was fortunate to have him as the PM for 10 years. He not only was honest, knew administration, but also knew how to take the country forward with a ‘vision.’

He actually had the vision and style of functioning of a PM of a country. The entire world today acknowledges the fact that 20 crore people were elevated above the poverty line in his tenure from 20042014. All the schemes introduced during his tenure such MGNAREGA, right to Education, Right to Information, Food Security Bill, make him part of the history of country which will be written in golden words. z What is the basic difference between the style of functioning between MMS and Narendra Modi as PM? Narendra Modi is working as a CM, while being a PM and I say this from my experience of closely working as minister under both a state CM and country’s PM. See, basically in a state, the CM depends upon a bunch of honest and capable bureaucrats and majorly deals with politics most of the time while a PM at centre can’t function like that. A PM can never double as Finance Minister, Health Minister, External Affairs Minister and PM at the same time like a CM of a state does.

So basically, Modi unlike all other successful PMs doesn’t delegate power and functions. Indiraji was such a strong PM, but her ministers like Babu Jagjivan Ram or Sardar Swarna Singh or Shankar Dayal Sharma never had any problems with her of over interference in their work or lack of freedom to work.

But in case of Modi, its different.

Sushma

Ashok Gehlot

Swaraj became MEA, but nobody knew as she wasn’t taken along on important foreign visits

by PM Modi. This isn’t a criticism of Modi’s style of working but the difference between his & Singh sahab’s working. z How was your experience as Speaker of Delhi Assembly?

I had the chance of working as Assembly Speaker for about 7-8 months. A speaker first of all, should be neutral like late Somnath Mukherji said that he will always lean towards the left, which essentially means that the speaker should be leaning towards opposition. Secondly, the speaker should be firm and independent. z Do you feel that the speaker of Rajasthan Assembly, Dr CP Joshi is right when he feels that the judiciary is unduly interfering in his job?

The interference of judiciary on simply serving notices to MLAs was wrong & unfortunate.

The judiciary should have intervened only on any unconstitutional decision taken by the Speaker. This was perhaps for the first time that the judiciary intervened while the Speaker was in process of taking the MLAs’ response to a complaint made by a party to him. Judiciary can intervene when Speaker isn’t following constitutional provisions.

Ahmed Patel

decides to call a session and the Governor decides otherwise. Even Ahmed Patel tweeted that what will happen if the President doesn’t allow the PM and his cabinet not to convene the Parliament Session? So basically, all democratic institutions should be protected irrespective of party in power. The parties in power will change, but democracy will thrive, if its institutions are safe guarded. So, it is the duty of all parties cutting across the party lines. z You just mentioned Ahmed Patel. How do you rate his contribution to cause of Congress over decades?

There is no one like Ahmed Patel in Congress. He is the ace troubleshooter of the party.

Ahmed Bhai has played a big role in promoting the youngsters in the party. Whenever one visits him, he will invariably get a suggestion. One might dislike the suggestion initially, but on a deeper thought, the suggestion given by him, is always right because he

Ajay Maken

has feedback from all factions of the party. His suggestions, his wisdom and his experience have no parallel in the party. z Did Ahmed Bhai have any role to play in the recent political crisis in Rajasthan?

He definitely had a big role in diffusing the situation and as I said earlier, he is the ace troubleshooter of the party. But I don’t see the events as any kind of crisis because it basically was a dispute among family members. In fact, in hindsight, the biggest loser is BJP. It had set out to divide the Congress, but it itself stands exposed as a divided house.

Most of our fault lines have been filled, but BJP’s fault lines are there for everyone to see so, they should worry about their house now. z Do you also agree the culmination of the recent crisis was a miracle by Gehlot?

Yes, with the return of Sachin Pilot, it is. I would like to convey the youngsters that the future belongs to them. The past

z How do you react to the Governor taking extra time during Raj’s political crisis?

It was wrong too. The Governor has no role in deciding the ‘number of days notice’ required to convene an Assembly session. All the editorial pages across the country criticised it. Governor Kalraj Mishra’s public image has been clean.

We wish that he discharges his duties keeping with his earlier public image in future. z Do you think the disappointment & frustration of CM Gehlot on this issue was right?

I think he was right, because it was for the first time, that a state cabinet

Sachin Pilot

was of seniors. Youngsters should give due respect to the seniors, while the seniors should also ensure that the youngsters don’t have to face the hostilities, which they went through. The scene in Congress isn’t as bad as in the BJP, for, we have never sidelined our seniors by making them sit in ‘Margdarshak Mandal’. Soniaji and Rahulji have always tried to take along the energy of youth and the experience of seniors together.

You will see that this will help Congress bounce back. z Earlier we talked about your differences with Sheilaji. Do you find similar difference between the young & the old in Rajasthan?

You will find similar situations in all states and parties. During the transition period of change of guard, the strong likes & dislikes come to the fore. This transition has to be smoothened with youngsters respecting the seniors and the seniors taking the youngsters along. My endeavor

would be to take along the young Sachin Pilot, who is an asset to the party and popular among the youngsters, and politically and administratively vastly experienced Ashok Gehlot with a country wide image ‘together.’ The biggest challenge for me is to take along the best of both stalwarts. No other state in India has the kind of senior leadership that Congress has in Rajasthan. There is a long list of 7 time, 6 time and 5 time MLAs. We wish to take them along and this can only happen when there are no camps in the party. So my job is to take capable, genuine & neutral Congressmen along. z Do you consider 102 v/s 19 a trust deficit?

I see them as a single lot of 123 Congressmen. Remember, it is not the leaders, who produce a party, but it is the party that produces the leaders. So, no leader should have the misunderstanding that he is ‘indispensible.’ The party is the ‘leader producing factory’ and Rajasthan happens to be the biggest factory in the country, which has produced so many capable leaders which Congress is proud of.

On the face value, without voting Gehlot trust vote win was 75 (BJP) v/s 123 (Cong) but according to sources if actual voting would had taken place, the likely score was 71 v/s 123 because 4 BJP MLAs were reported absent from the House. z Will this 102-19 factor be in the background, when the Central Committee devises the power sharing formula for Raj? No. Capability, regional and caste balancing will be our focus, because we are left with 3 & a half years for the delivery of promises we made while coming to power. The people, who can deliver will be our focus. My immediate priority would be strengthening the party organisation as we have local body elections in October.

Jagdeesh Chandra greeting Ajay Maken in New Delhi on Friday.

But you need to have a time- frame to settle the pending dispute?

The pending issues will

be solved side- by- side.

The people have elected us to work 24x7, they will never forgive us for putting governance on the backburner for solving our mutual issues. So, we will strengthen the party.

Give good governance and solve the issues simultaneously. z Indira Rasoi scheme is a super hit experiment for 2023. How will you ensure that the scheme doesn’t fall flat in due course like other states?

If a CM like Ashok Gehlot with his kind of administrative skills, has launched the scheme, then there should be no doubt on the implementation. I remember when I was chairman screening committee, every survey gave the free medicine scheme by Gehlot 200 marks out of 100.

‘Indira Rasoi’ too will be implemented perfectly.

This is the reason why we want to use his administrative skills to sharpen the skills of our youngsters. z When did you first come in contact with Ashok Gehlot?

I first met him in 199192, when he was Union Textiles Minister under PM Narsimha Rao. You will be surprised that I was in constant touch with Rajesh Pilot as well. I was DUSU president then. These leaders use to motivate & encourage youngsters like us. Later in 2004, Gehlot sahab also became incharge of Delhi. z What mandate did Soniaji and Rahuji have given you for Rajasthan?

Soniaji and Rahulji have asked me to ensure that the experience and youthful energy ‘go together.’ As General Secretary, I am expected to make the party organisation more strong. When I say more strong, I wish to highlight tremendous organisation work done by my predecessor Avinash Pande ji. As PCC president, Sachin Pilot too had worked so hard and therefore, I say, I further will make it stronger. z Some people feel that the timing and modalities of departure of Avinash Pande wasn’t suiting his outstanding contribution…

I would like to praise his contribution to the organisation not only in Rajasthan, but also in Assam and Uttar Pradesh. Avinash Pande is an old NSUI, Youth Congress and seasoned party organisation man. There can be no two opinions about his organisational skills.

During the Show, ‘JC with Ajay Maken was trending all India on Twitter.

‘The New JC Show’ will telecast today at 2.25 pm on First India News.

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FROM GLITTERING GOLD MINIS TO STATEMENT SEQUIN SLEEVES, CITY FIRST GIVES AWAY THE TIPS TO DAZZLE YOUR FELLOW PARTYGOERS

GLITZY GLAMOROUS

GLITTER and ideas on how to make glitters look elegant on you.

GLITTER SHOES KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

W

hether you are heading to a party or a wedding, adding shimmer makes for an instant glitzy makeover. What earlier had a reputation for being over the top and ostentatious is now donned by one and all. Our celebrities are the biggest fans of this trend.

What’s interesting is that glitter hasn’t taken its form in muted, tiny accessories, but fulllength gowns, dresses, jackets and jumpsuits. Safe to say, there’s a wave of glitter and it’s here to say. You can also deck up in shimmer before heading out for a crazy night out.

This celebrity-approved trend is highly recommended to slay at New Year or Christmas celebrations.

Of course, it’s important not to overdo with glitter; hence, City First brings you some awesome ways

If you are a beginner to this trend, then start with glitter shoes. The footwear will brighten up any look, no matter if it’s neutral coloured.

Believe me, your outfit will look gorgeous and modern.

GLITTER JACKET

Those of you who want to take this trend to the next level, then the best way to do so is to throw on a glitter jacket. This garment is great for making your office outfit look cocktail party-friendly.

Go for a casual everyday look and complete it with a glitzy blazer to make it work for a cool party.

GLITTER DRESS, GLITTERED MAKEUP AND ACCESSORIES A fully glittered dress is an ideal garment for wearing to parties and night outs on the town. If you are afraid of wearing glitters on your garments, then you can always keep it on your accessories or make-up. Try it on hair accessories: glittery headbands, hair clips or bow. Another way to incorporate glitter is to use it in your makeup: glitter eyeshadows, lip tint or lip gloss.

WEAR IT DURING THE DAY

It takes a certain amount of confidence to wear sequins during the day and you can nail it by choosing a barelythere colour, such as nude or blush.

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ARIES

MAR 21 - APR 20 This week various news or events will make you feel depressed at times, feeling a desire for selfisolation from others. You need time to get rid of the accumulated tension inside yourself, to charge your batteries to move on to new “feats”. This week will be an important period for your spiritual growth and also brings the possibility of traveling for work or other specific purpose. It is a favourable time for the development of your financial affairs.

You will be able to count on the support of relatives if the need arises.

TAURUS

WEEKLY AUGUST 23 TO AUGUST 29

CARLA GUGINO’S BIRTHDAY FALLS ON 29 AUGUST. SHE WILL HAVE A GOOD YEAR WITH FOCUS ON FINANCIAL GAINS. THE YEAR BRINGS RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOVED ONES TO THE FORE . CARLA WILL NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO HER HEALTH AND DIET.

AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

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LIBRA

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22 This week you will focus on solving household problems at home and start preparing for the autumn-winter season. You can undertake repairs.

They may be more complex than you expected.

There may be other complications that affect your mood. Use this week to solve your family problems, even if they are related to intergenerational conflicts, inheritance conflicts and more. Think more before you start or deepen an argument with someone. Do not remove “skeletons from the wardrobe” as you have something to show.

SCORPIO

APR 21 - MAY 20

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

This week you will have more conversations or meetings related to your work or business and work will be a topic of conversation even with friends.

You have to make an important decision related to solving a problem for a person who has an irritable nature. Get ready to enjoy a surprise that someone has prepared for you. This will be something you will need, especially in this complex emotional period for you. Many of you will be looking for extra work to help support your family budget. You will follow the experiences of a relative who will travel.

This week avoid making hasty decisions, following only your own emotions or under the influence of the words of someone around you. Be careful when making or receiving promises. Do not make enemies yourself. During this week, your personal or family relations will require attention, in which misunderstandings will arise, mainly of a domestic or financial nature. During the week, many will solve a problem or have a commitment related to a property that is regularly taken care of. It is possible that, it has to do with neighbors.

GEMINI

MAY 21 - JUNE 21 This week you will seriously oppose the illconsidered decisions or actions of your relative, conflicts in your personal life this week will be more emotional. Their occurrence will not be accidental and there is probably some recurrence in them. Probably this week you will finally have the courage to make some final and difficult decisions. Your family relationship as a whole will go through a greater tension during these seven days. Different positions and views will arise about events or decisions concerning your home.

CANCER

JUNE 22 - JULY 23 You have a week ahead of you in which you will have to be careful with people you have known recently and to whom you have been favourable so far for various reasons. Probably this week they will make timid or outright attempts to enter your personal space that you will not allow. This week brings a high probability of separation or reunion with relatives who live in another locality.

During the week you can engage in a meeting or conversation related to your property problem or belongings. You may encounter money problems.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 23 - DEC 22

You have a week ahead of you in which you will experience many emotionally important events in the lives of loved ones, mostly women. This week you may be invited to a gathering on a pleasant occasion: birthday, name day, anniversary, engagement, wedding, etc. Make the most of this week to complete important home and family commitments before fall knocks on your door.

The week will be very favorable for the realization of your tasks. Almost everything will depend on your organization and preparation.

CAPRICORN DEC 23 - JAN 20

You will remember this week with an important event or decision that you will unexpectedly have to make. Maybe you will tell your relatives or friends about the events of this week, as something important that you went through with a lot of emotions and excitement. This will be a good time to have candid conversations with people you work with or with family members. This week will open for you a new chance for development, with greater opportunities to show your abilities and knowledge.

It is a time of inner growth and change yourself.

LEO

AQUARIUS

You have a week ahead of you that will favor making important decisions for you or your family. This week you will have the opportunity to implement an interesting idea related to home improvements. This will be a good time to move to a new home or apartment, etc. Many will receive important news related to a home or property they own or will end up with a serious commitment of a similar nature. Overall, this week will be important for your family and household chores.The conflicts will not lead to anything constructive or positive.

You will have several urgent commitments related to your home or property that your family owns.

Unexpected events and situations are likely in this regard. Various resolution issues will arise that may require a visit to a government or judicial institution. There will be conversations in your family about past events or people who have already moved to the other world. During these seven days you may get into a conflict that will be about money, but will be with people outside your home or with representatives of some institution.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

VIRGO

JAN 21 - FEB 19

PISCES

AUG 24 - SEP 23

FEB20 - MARCH 20

You will be required to be more active and responsible in your financial affairs and in providing real income in the family budget.

You have higher costs ahead of you, which you should not allow to surprise you. If this week you have focused on completing your plans and commitments that you started in the recent past, then focus your attention and energy entirely on that. This will not be a good week for a fresh start or big changes, but if you do start one, act carefully and think carefully about your every move.

You have a week ahead of you in which you will have to create harmony and understanding in relationships between people who have problematic relationships. These can be your children, parents, siblings and other relatives or friends. During this week, many will enjoy a good income from work, better sales or more customers.

A client, manager or business partner will help you to succeed or you will benefit financially from your actions together, in a team. This week promises that you will receive money from a salary.

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AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

CELEBS WISHES! T

he ten-day celebrations for Ganesh Chaturthi commenced on Saturday and B-Town celebs have taken to their respective social media accounts and conveyed their wishes to their friends and fans on this spe-

cial day. Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most looked forward festivals of our country. It celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. But unlike the previous years, this year the celebration will not be as grand with large social gatherings, thanks to the ongoing global

pandemic due to COVID-19.

While B-Town celebs might not be able to step outdoors to visit pandals and celebrate with fans, they have taken to their social media accounts and extended their warmest wishes to them on this special occasion.

—Agency

Anushka Sharma’s post

Kunal Kemmu’s post

Hema Malini’s post

Amitabh Bachchan’s post

Malaika Arora’s post

Kajol’s post

Reflecting

on past M iley Cyrus is reflecting on her discography.

The Wrecking Ball singer recently spoke about her past album, Younger Now and song Malibu, in a recent interview, about her latest single, Midnight Sky. When reflecting on old music, Miley said: “Actually, when I look at my career, there was really a two year or one year period that doesn’t really make sense. I think you and I probably know that it has to do kind of with that more like Younger Now, kind of ‘Malibu’ era. I think what happened in that, which does happen to a lot of people, and it’s not to villainize the partner, but you lose yourself in someone else sometimes,” she explained.

—Agency

Madhuri Dixit Nene’s post

LEGO LORD GANESH

G

anesh Chaturthi is a festival that is celebrated with grandeur in our country. It is the festival when believers welcome Lord Ganesh into their home with great passion and love. The 10-day celebration commenced on Saturday and while this year things are very much different compared to the previous years. Amongst celebrities who took to their social media to wish their family, friends, and fans on this special occasion is Kareena Kapoor Khan. The Jab We Met actress took to her Instagram account and uploaded a picture of her firstborn Taimur Ali Khan joining his hands in prayer in front of a beautifully crafted Ganpati Bappa statue made by legos.

—Agency

QUITS INSTAGRAM

S

ooraj Pancholi is the latest Bollywood celeb to have announced his exit from social media. The actor took to his Instagram account and uploaded a story stating he needs to breathe.

His exit was announced after his name was linked to the deaths of Sushant Singh Rajput w h o p a s s e d away in June, and his one-time manager Disha Salian who died a few days before the late actor.

Sooraj and his family stated that they had no connection to the death of Disha and Sushant. They also filed a police complaint regarding this. Sooraj stated that he had never met Disha. On Friday, Sooraj took to his Instagram account and deleted all his posts except one that he had posted on his birthday in November 2018.

—Agency

Miley Cyrus

Kareena Kapoor Khan & her post

Sooraj Pancholi & his post

THE INDIAN ‘MAKKHAN’

A ABOUT CAULDRON SISTERS

Ratika & Richa Khetan, two Sisters, started Cauldron Sisters in 2015. It started as an exotic food gift hamper business, but their love for food encouraged them to start culinary workshops, food deliveries, and slowly and gradually it turned huge as restaurants and cafes started approaching them for consultancy.

fter the world went nuts over Turmeric Latte and Dalgona Coffee that are originally Haldi wala doodh and fitti huyi coffee from India, it’s now the ‘Cultured Butter’ that’s trending in the West. Yes, our dear makkhan aka white butter, that’s made in every Indian household, is currently going viral and how! Honestly, we’re just glad that something as old as India’s civilisation is breaking the internet.

Remember how Lord Krishna was obsessed with makkhan? Yeah, that ancient.

In India, we use the malai (cream), found on the top of yoghurt, to make butter at home. It’s indeed a simple process

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the liquid-remains in this process is buttermilk (chhanch). In other words, the cultured butter is made from cultured (fermented) cream that contains live bacterial cultures. Just like your curd, it has a tangy flavour as well. In the West, they call it ‘crème Fraiche,’ a soured cream containing 10–45% butterfat, with a pH of approximately 4.5.

Have you ever tried eating this white butter with toast or garma-garam paranthas?

INGREDIENTS (FOR 6 SLICES OF BREAD)  1 cup chopped vegetables

because all you need to do is blend the cream in a mixer and collect the

frothy, creamy substance that appears on the top afterwards. This white but-

ter is what the world is now recognising as cultured butter. Interestingly,

(onion, tomato, cucumber).

You can add more veggies like capsicum, carrot, etc. according to their availability.  1/2 cup homemade white butter  Salt  Crushed black pepper

METHOD

 Mix all the finely chopped vegetables with butter, salt and pepper. Spread on bread (toasted or not) and enjoy!

WHAT ARE ITS BENEFITS?

 Remember when parents say how eating homemade ghee and butter can help provide lubrication between the joints? Well, turns out, it’s true!  White butter is a part of the essential diet for mothersto-be to ease the labour pain and delivery process. Nursing women are also suggested to consume it.  In Ayurveda, the white butter is said to heal insomnia, sexual weakness, ear problems, etc. So, the next time when you say no to homemade butter, come back and read this blog. Or, simply, check out the viral hashtag #CulturedButter on the internet! *wink wink*

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BODY POSITIVITY

permodel-like bodies. She wants to draw attention away from this trend and towards a more inclusive society.

Akanksha has been putting in efforts to change the stereotypical thought process and has shown that plus-size models are here to stay. Through her partnership with a variety of brands has caused designers to recognize a wider and more inclusive market, their marketing teams are still quite limited in terms of their model selection and advertising.

“Brands should be more liberal on considering

AHMEDABAD | SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2020

larger sizes a normal trend and an equal market”, she said.

While this change is slow but sure, Akanksha encourages those who are self-conscious to understand the fact that being able to laugh at yourself and accepting who you are with confidence is what makes you beautiful. Her message is directed not only at plus size women but women with leaner bodies too. People at both ends of the shape and size spectrum are criticized equally, which is a norm that we need to change.

Body positivity is a social issue that we need to discuss more and spread awareness.

She believes that having this sense-ofself is what inspires people to adopt change and be more open-minded about beauty in all shapes and sizes. “ If you don’t accept yourself, you will feel unaccepted by othe r s . ” When we doubt ourselves we give others the power to shame us. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Multifaceted personality POORVIKA AGARWAL

I

t was the birthday of Dr Ashok Panagariya on Saturday, 22 August which he celebrated with simplicity with his family. Dr Panagariya is one of the leading clinicians in Neurology in India who is known for quick diagnosis, analysis and holistic management.

He enjoys taking challenges on unresolved issues. Dr Panagariya is a multifaceted personality with a great blend of academics, research, leadership qualities and a philanthropic outlook.

Dr Panagariya was first to acquire the DM-Neurology in the state and took charge for developing the super-speciality for postgraduate training. With his effort, SMS Medical College become a postgraduate DM Neurology provider since 1998-99. This was a unique successful model of a partnership with a local NGO which not only helped the individuals in distress suffering from a superstitious disease like epilepsy but also created huge awareness. Dr Panagariya has

Dr Ashok Panagariya

nearly 35 years of teaching experience and has extrinsically contributed to International and national academic programmes. Apart from this, he is a very prominent clinical neurologist who has a huge patient base perhaps one of the largest in the country.

Dr Ashok Panagariya is a columnist with First India, his contributions to the edit page are highly appreciated in the highest echelons. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAGAR IMRAN TANK, KEKRI

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

A

kanksha Gupta is a 1st Runner Up of Ms India Curvy 2020 and Sub Title Winner for Beautiful Hair.

“It’s not about what size you wear, it’s about how you wear your size”, said Akanksha, a plus-size model and influencer who has a unique style of mixing fash-

S

ion and fun with an emphasis on body positivity.

“Labels! Fat. Slim.

Fair. Dark. Tall. Short.

They don’t matter.”

What matters the most is when you love your body and become comfortable with it.

She believes that her efforts will provide strong motivation for people to have confidence, love and acceptance for themselves, regardless of their size or shape.

It is well known that the fashion industry is dominated by su-

Akanksha Gupta

agar Sharma, Congress youth leader, celebrated his birthday on Saturday. On the occasion, Kekri assembly constituency was full of excitement and enthusiasm. The entire area of the constituency was covered with banner-posters. Sagar shared that he loves walking in the villages, meeting the villagers, listening to them, and solving their problems is close to his heart. “The love and trust that I get from the villagers mean a lot to me. Every person has come into the world with a specific motive. Similarly, I aim to do social service. I am always ready to take forward the poor and weak. I get

Sagar Sharma

spiritual satisfaction in working for the people,” Sagar said. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

GANESH POOJA

Robert Vadra Posted on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi

Jagdeesh Chandra with Avinash Pande during Ganesh Puja at his New Delhi residence on Saturday.

Dr. Mahesh Joshi performed Ganpati Puja at his residence with family.

Sudhir Mathur performing Ganesh puja at his residence.

Dr Anupama and daughter Nihu Soni.

Rajveer and Gauravi.

Abhimanyu and Suvarna Bansal with their daughter Shanaya

DURING THE DAY!

GUJARAT: In the presence of President, Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dinesh Nawadia, Vighnaharta Sri Ganesha Ji was established at the Chamber.

RAJASTHAN: Panth Films launched the poster of its new video song ‘Dil Yaara Ve’ on Saturday in Jaipur. The video song is going to be released on 26 August.

—PHOTOS BY SANTOSH SHARMA

RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, a grand and divine event was held at 250-year-old Kachhari Ganesh Temple followed by Maha aarti. Mahant Pandit Mahesh Kumar Bhaduka of the temple shared that special care was taken this time by following all the Corona Guidelines.