First India-Ahmedabad Edition-23 June 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

27°C - 38°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

4,71,997 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 6,283 DEATHS 1,35,796 CASES

91,19,364 CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 794 DEATHS 62,087 CASES

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 208

INDIA

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday modified its earlier order and allowed the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri to be held with the coordination of the Temple committee, State and Central government without compromising with the health issue pertaining to COVID-19.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde said that the apex court is only considering conducting the yatra in Puri and not anywhere else in Odisha. SC had earlier stayed the annual Rath Yatra at Jagannath Temple in Puri, Turn on P6

It makes me, as well as crores of devotees across India happy that PM @ narendramodi not only understood the sentiment of the devotees but also initiated consultations which ensured that the great traditions of our land are observed.

Amit Shah, Union Home Minister

CENTRE’S PLEA On Monday, too many senior advocates, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, argued for lifting the stay and allowing the Rath Yatra in a restricted manner. “It is a matter of faith for crores. If Lord Jagannath will not come out tomorrow, he cannot come out for 12 years as per traditions,” Mehta said while seeking urgent hearing. The Centre told the top court that the historic Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra in Puri can be allowed without public participation in view of COVID19 pandemic. “The tradition of centuries may not be stopped,” the Centre said, while seeking modification of the court’s June 18 order staying the Rath Yatra 2020.

GUJARAT

14,015 4,40,174 DEATHS

1,685

CONFIRMED CASES

DELHI 2,233 DEATHS 62,655 CASES

DEATHS

RAJASTHAN 356 DEATHS 15,232 CASES

CHARIOTS TO ROLL! SC allows annual Jagannath Rath Yatra at Puri sans public participation; Says state can even stop yatra or festivities if they feel it is going out of hand

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

27,880

CONFIRMED CASES

UTTAR PRADESH 569 DEATHS 18,322 CASES

Priests and policemen pull the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balarama, and Subhadra from the construction site (Ratha Khala), on Monday, to Jagannatha Temple for the annual Rath Yatra, scheduled to start from today, in Puri. —PHOTO BY PTI

Do not ‘politicise’ pandemic: WHO Lack of global leadership is ‘greatest threat’ in fighting Corona: Tedros Dubai: The lack of global leadership and unity to fight the coronavirus is a bigger threat that the outbreak itself, the head of the World Health Organization WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday, adding that politicisation of the pandemic had made it worse.

He did not elaborate but the WHO has been criticised by some members states, especially the United States which says it was too weak, too slow and too “China-cen-

tric” in tackling the disease.

Other members have called for a review into the pandemic, with Australia urging the WHO to have more powers, enabling it to respond more quickly to a health crisis. “The world is in desperate need of national unity and global solidarity. The politicisation of the pandemic has exacerbated it,” WHO chief said at a virtual health forum organised by the World Government Summit, an event organised by Dubai.

Turn on P6

Commanders sit on talking table to de-escalate tension New Delhi: India and China held Corps Commander-level meeting at Moldo on the Chinese side of the LAC opposite Chushul to discuss the ongoing dispute in Ladakh, Indian Army sources said on Monday.

This is the second meeting between the two Corps Commanders

after June 6 where they had agreed to disengage at multiple locations

and India had asked them to go back to preMay 4 military positions along the LAC. Meanwhile, to repel any transgression by the Chinese PLA in either western, middle or eastern sectors, India has deployed its specialised high altitude warfare forces along the 3,488 km LAC. Turn on P6

DEF MIN ON 3-DAY RUSSIA VISIT, TO SEEK EQUIPMENT FOR JETS New Delhi: Amid heightened tensions with China over boundary issue, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will request Russia to urgently supply spares and associated equipment to India for its fighter planes, submarines and battle tanks through air route instead of sea route using ships. Singh has left for Russia on a three-day visit where he would be meeting the top Russian political leadership and is expected to update them about the present situation on the Ladakh front where the Chinese Army has done a massive built upon Indian borders.

HC likely to grant conditional permission for Rath Yatra IF THE GREEN SIGNAL DOES COME IN, IT IS LIKELY TO BE FOR A SHORT ROUTE WITHOUT PUBLIC PARTICIPATION First India Bureau Ahmedabad: While it is still hearing petitions on the issue at the time of going to print, the Gujarat High Court is likely to follow the Supreme Court’s decision on the Puri Jagannath Yatra and allow the 143rd Jagannath Rath Yatra to take place in Ahmedabad on Tues-

day. If the permission does come in, it is likely to be for short routes. Also, it is unlikely that the general public would be allowed to join the procession. Although there was no official announcement as of midnight, rumours had spread like wildfire that the court had, in fact, permitted the yatra with several conditions.

Earlier in the day, the

—PHOTOS BY NANDAN DAVE

JUSTICE SHUKLA IS NEW LOKAYUKTA Retired Justice RH Shukla of the Gujarat High Court has been appointed as the state’s fifth Lokayukta. Justice Shukla had joined the legal profession back in 1981 and in 1994 was appointed Ahmedabad city civil and sessions judge. He had ordered airlines to pay compensation to victims of the 1988 plane crash in Ahmedabad. He was appointed as judge of the high court in 2009. Highly placed sources say Justice RH Shukla will be sworn in as Lokayukta on Tuesday.

CM Vijay Rupani offered prayers at the Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad on Monday.

high court had rejected petitions from the Hindu Yuva Vahini, Vishva Hindu Parishad and an individual petitioner, which had all pleaded that the court allow the three raths to leave the temple premises, even if

that meant the shortest routes and no public participation. All three petitions had cited the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday to grant conditional permission to Puri’s Jagannath Yatra.

The state HC was then approached by the Hindu Yuva Vahini with a review petition pleading that it grant permission for the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad and other parts of the state. The petitioner’s submission was that this was necessary to safeguard the right to profess and propagate religion guaranteed under Article 25 of the constitution. The petitioner also cited the fact that the Rath Yatra, first organized in 1878, has never been Turn on P6

NEWS AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

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

COVID SNARE

02

BAR COUNCIL DECIDES TO RELAX NORMS SO THAT THEY CAN SEEK OTHER JOBS

75,000 Gujarat lawyers stare at penury First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: The four phases of post-Covid-19 lockdown threw as many as 75,000 lawyers in Gujarat at the threshold of penury.

What is worse, they were bound by law against taking up any other profession. At long last, the Bar Council of Gujarat has come to their aid.

In a resolution passed by the State Bar Council on Sunday, it has been decided to temporarily relax the application of Section

35 of the Advocates Act, which prohibits practicing lawyers from holding the license to practice if they engage in any other profession, job or business other than legal practice. And the Bar Council of India has approved it.

It was revealed at the Sunday meeting of the Council that more than 75,000 lawyers had been thrown into grave financial crises during the last three months and could not meet their family respon-

sibilities.

It was resolved that the needy lawyers having licence

for legal practice could take up any other job/business for maintaining fi-

nancial stability, in keeping with the legal profession’s dignity. Such Lawyers

will be exempted from Section 35 of the Advocates Act till Dec 31, 2020,’ the

resolution states.

Significantly, only those lawyers, who are unable to carry out their familial responsibilities due to the present Covid-19 pandemic, may avail the benefit of this exemption.

The Council has also waived the late fees of Rs. 250 for renewal of Advocates Welfare Fund, due from September 1, 2019 onwards.

The Council informed that it has requested the Chief Justice’s Committee to start the function

of taluka and District Courts via video conferencing. It has been assured that the issue will be decided after considering the situation of COVID cases in those areas.

The Council has also resolved to take ‘strict action’ against lawyers who write against the Bar Council and other elected members, on social media.

Notices will be issues to such lawyers for deviation from professional ethics,’ the Resolution states.

IIT-Gn finds Covid gene in waste water Centre asks Guj about First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Scientists in India, led by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Gandhinagar, have for the first time detected genetic material of the novel coronavirus in waste water, a breakthrough that would facilitate use of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for realtime surveillance of COVID-19.

The IIT-Gandhinagar scientists have found that increased “gene copies” of the virus in Ahmedabad’s wastewater matched the incidence of the disease in the city.

WBE is a promising approach to understand the status of disease outbreak in a certain catchment by monitoring viral load in wastewater.

IIT gandhinagar

With this path-breaking study, India joins the ranks of a handful of countries doing wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for real-time surveillance of COVID-19.

—Andrew Singer, Environmental Microbiologist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Recent studies had reported that the novel coronavirus is present in the faeces of infected individuals. Genetic material (RNA) from the virus has been found in sewage entering treatment

@ahmedpatel

plants.

Because treatment plants collect wastewater across large regions, measuring the level of RNA in untreated wastewater may provide a valuable insight into the percentage of people

All the three SARSCoV-2 genes -- ORF1ab, N and S -- were found in the wastewater coming into the treatment plant, said the researchers, who have submitted their study for publication in the international journal ‘Science of the Total Environment’.

The scientists said the gene copy loading - the quantity of the genetic material of the virus - detected on May 27 was almost 10 times more than that detected on May 8.

This corresponded broadly with the trajectory of the incidence of the disease. The number of active COVID-19 patients in the Ahmedabad city was two times higher on May 27 than on May 8, they said.

Rath wrath: Four held in A’bad First India Bureau

Anguished to learn about the demise of Shri Vishvabandhu Gupta, editor Tej and Sun newspaper, Fmr President (Editors Guild) & ex-Member of Parliament. He has also been associated with Congress party. My condolences to the Gupta Parivar.

infected within a region, the researchers said.

The IIT-Gn scientists collaborated with the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC) and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) for this study. They studied wastewater samples collected on May 8 and May 27 from the Old Pirana Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Ahmedabad.

The plant receives up to 106 million litres per day (MLD) of effluent from the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, which is treating COVID-19 patients, explained Manish Kumar of the Discipline of Earth Sciences, IIT-GN, who stewarded the research effort.

Ahmedabad: Four members of various Hindu outfits have been detained as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order over their alleged plans to hold Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad defying Gujarat High Court orders.

The Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP), along with several other Hindu outfits had

planned to gather in Ahmedabad and make a representation to the Jagannath temple trustees to continue with the tradition of Rath Yatra.

The Ranip police in Ahmedabad had detained four persons, including Gujarat AHP president Nikunj Parikh. The AHP and Rashtriya Bajrang Dal’s Gujarat unit had openly opposed the High Court’s order ban-

ning the Yatra in view of the Covid-19 situation.

Demands by many Hindu outfits to hold the Rath Yatra on June 23 had gone viral on social media.

Police said AHP, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal had planned to gather at the Arjun Bhagat Ashram in Ahmedabad and forward a demand to the Jagannath temple trustees to hold the procession.

laws it wants repealed First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The Centre has asked the governments of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to specify the labour laws they have proposed to suspend for 36 months by taking the Ordinance route.

Gujarat and UP Governments had in May proposed to suspend key labour laws for a period of three years to attract investments flowing out of China following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Union government had sent its queries, asking the two states to specify which labour laws they plan to suspend through the proposed Ordinance. We have sent our response to the Central government, giving out the details,” a senior UP government official said, requesting anonymity. The state had received a query from the Union labour and employment ministry on June 8, the official added.

A senior Gujarat government official confirmed receipt of similar queries from the Central government and the State has already replied to it. Both the governments have sought to fully dismantle temporarily the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947

There is no question of removing labour laws. A proposal to do away with labour laws is not feasible to my view.

—Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Union Labour and Employment Minister

and the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act of 1970.

While several other labour laws will remain in force, those related to certain welfare schemes, licensing, working condition requirements and inspections for factories are sought to be abolished.

Both the governments had sent the draft Ordinance for the approval of the President after getting a nod from their respective Governors. Since labour is a concurrent subject under the Constitution of India, states can frame their own laws but need the Centre’s approval to make amendments to

central laws.

A final assent of the President is pending, though Union Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar has expressed his reluctance towards it and said last month “there is no question of removing labour laws. It is not feasible in my view.”

The BJP-ruled UP government had approved an Ordinance to exempt all manufacturing units for the next three years from almost all labour laws, while Gujarat later moved such an Ordinance for new units being set up in the State for a period of 1,200 days.

My only target is to remove BJP from Guj by 2022: Vaghela Immediate plans include working toward lifting Prohibition in the state and giving youth employment 

Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Gandhinagar/Rajkot: Days after he was removed from the post of Gujarat president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), senior leader and former Gujarat chief minister Shankarsinh Vaghela on Monday submitted his resignation from the posi-

tion of the party’s national general secretary. He also gave up being an active member of the party.

In his resignation letter Vaghela wrote, “On the day of change in the state presidency of the NCP and due to recent political development, despair has spread among all party workers, leaders and taluka, district and state func-

tionaries. I tender my resignation from the post of national general secretary of NCP and from active membership in the party.”

In an exclusive interview with First India soon after submitting his resignation to NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Vaghela talked about his political future and the reason for his decision to leave the party.

“I was not consulted when NCP decided to change Gujarat’s party president. It was not the way it should have happened,” he said.

NOTICE TO NCP MLA KANDHAL JADEJA

Shankarsinh Vaghela

When asked about being the party’s national general secretary, Vaghela replied, “The position of national general secretary has no meaning if the party’s existence is nowhere else apart from Maharashtra.”

On his future plans, Vaghela stated, “Now, my only target is to remove BJP from Gujarat by 2022. My immediate plan is to create a massive movement under the Praja Shakti Morcha with my supporters. They will speak out

on various issues prevalent in the state and work out an action plan in due time.”

He added, “I have worked hard over the years and now have no personal interest. Congress lacks the killer instinct. But, I am con-

fident about achieving my goals. The main agenda now is to lift the liquor prohibition in Gujarat and make the liquor easily available.

There is no point in artificial prohibition when liquor is readily available everywhere.

The second priority will be to address the unemployment issue.

There are 50 lakh educated unemployed people in Gujarat and we can give employment to 2 lakh youngsters every year.”

When asked if he wished to hang up his boots anytime soon, Vaghela quipped, “Why should I do that? Old wine, old doctors and old politicians are always appreciated. My goal is not to become a chief minister or the prime minister but to remove BJP from Gujarat and then from the Central government.”

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

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

Demands answers from the govt, urges it to publish actual COVID-19 data for scrutiny First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) released its report on the COVID-19 situation in Surat. The report has been titled, ‘An Analysis of Surat Municipal COVID-19 Updates: A Puzzle Unsolved on Monday.

“At the end of the second lockdown on May 3, there were over 1,173 COVID-19 test results pending. Why were test results kept pending for more than two months?

The first positive case was detected on March 16 and on May 31, 2020, the positive cases in Surat stood at 1,597 as given in the updates. But the number 1,662 is shown on the COVID dashboard, and 1,624 as a total of bifurcation provided and 1,399 as provided in the zonewise data by SMC,” said

CALL TO ACTION

Police personnel direct traffic while wearing PPE kits.

Krishnakant Chauhan of PUCL. He added, “These figures are from the same source, which is SMC, but do not match each other. Why is there such discrepancy or mismatch?”

At the end of the second lockdown on May 3, there was a difference of 104 cases in the daily cumulative

positive cases. When the fourth lockdown ended, the difference increased to 118 cases.

And that was not announced in the daily updates. “There was a difference of 78 cases during Lockdowns 1 & 2, 12 cases in Lockdown 3 and 10 cases during the fourth lockdown. The huge difference of 100 cases is

—FILE PHOTO

highest in the Limbayat zone which remains unexplained. Is the Limbayat zone being stigmatized with an agenda?,” said Rohit Prajapati, PUCL. The PUCL has sent their report to concerned authorities along with actionable recommendations. The organization wants that the state government

should proactively publish all important COVID-19 data with district/ city details, on its website for public viewing and scrutiny.

It should also set up an independent panel of experts and people of high integrity to investigate the glaring discrepancies and mismatch found in the Surat COVID-19 data.

State still peaking with 563 new cases in a day First India Bureau Gandhinagar: A day after it a record high of 580 new cases, the state has seen a slight downturn in numbers. However, Monday still brought 563 new cases from across the state, including 314 from Ahmedabad and 133 from Surat.

With this, the state’s two worst hit cities account for 56% and 24% of the total number of new cases. The rest came in from 23 districts.

With the fresh cases, Gujarat now has 27,880 cases and has seen 1,685 deaths related to novel coronavirus infections.

A statement issued by the state health department on Monday said as many as 560 patients were discharged in the preceding 24 hours. There are currently 6,278 active cases, with 67 critical patients on ventilators.

With 3,395 active cases, Ahmedabad accounts for 54% of the state’s to-

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

PUCL finds holes in data ‘management’ of outbreak

Jamalpur area in Ahmedabad remains shut.

tal. According to data from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the North zone has 746 active cases, the highest in the city.

According to the Surat Municipal Corporation, the city has recorded more than 100 cases per day for the past 10 days. On Monday, Surat district recorded 132 cases. At present, there are 900 active cases in the area under the jurisdiction of the SMC, where people in the 5160 age group are the worst hit both in terms of case numbers and fatalities. Worryingly, Katargam accounted for 41 new cases, the highest

foodie clients as Surtis stay in

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

The protesters had been planning to gherao the Assembly building.

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Around 40 Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) aspirants were detained by the police on Monday under the Epidemic Diseases Act while heading to the state Assembly, where they planned to stage a protest. The aspirants have been seeking employment for over a year now.

Male candidates are demanding in increase in posts, after the government increased the number of posts for women. The increase in positions for women also came after prolonged 24x7 protests by women candidates ear-

ly this year.

While the recruitment was announced in 2018, the exam to recruit for 9,713 vacant LRD posts-including 3,077 that were reserved for women--was conducted in January 2019 and the result was declared last November.

After the written examination, women candidates from the reserved categories had held protests, demanding that they be allowed to compete for women’s positions under the “open category”. The protests resulted in an increase in seats--from 1,834 to 3,248 for SEBC candidates, from 346 to 588 for SC, and from 476 to 511 for ST candidates.

Even usually popular eateries in Surat are nowhere near full capacity.

after relaxations. Also, there are those which have been operating with limited customers and business. It may be said that the novel coronavirus outbreak has affected change in people’s food habits who are avoiding eating out.

According to the Southern Gujarat Hotel and Restaurant Association, the hotel industry has suffered losses of about Rs200

crore in the past three months due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

So far, only 5% of the city’s restaurants have been functional during lunch hours, more than 30% are only providing takeaway services, and the rest have not commenced operations.

The Association’s Vice-President Sanat Relia said, “After the outbreak, the number of customers has de-

overnight hike in the area so far.

Meanwhile, across the state two districts reported COVID-19 cases in double digits: Vadodara has 44 new cases while Jamnagar has 10.

Gandhinagar, Junagadh and Narmada districts reported seven new cases each. Other districts which reported fresh cases are Anand (6), Bharuch (5), Mehsana (4), Bhavnagar (3), Patan (3), Kheda (3), Mahisagar (2), Sabarkantha (2), Botad(2), Gir Somnath (2), Valsad (2), Amreli (2) Banaskantha (1), Rajkot (1), Panchmahal (1), Kutch (1), Surendranagar (1) and Navsari (1).

Bharatsinh Solanki tests +ve for nCov

40 LRD aspirants Business owners miss their held before protest Surat: Post Unlock 1.0, the lockdown restrictions have been relaxed with businesses resuming operations across the state. But, the ground reality of food joints, restaurants and hotels in the South Gujarat region is that they are lacking customers. For instance, in Surat city, which is known globally for its local fare, several restaurants and hotels are on the brink of closure and have been severely affected by the lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

With people scared to venture out of their homes, let alone eat out in a restaurant, the number of customers at these businesses has become depleted.

There are a few hotels which have not even reopened for business

03

Ahmedabad: Former president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Bharatsinh Solanki was hospitalized on Monday after he tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Solanki, who has been admitted to the Banker Hospital in Vadodara, a candidate in the Rajya Sabha election held last Friday. As many as 170 other MLAs were also present at the Gujarat Assembly that day. Congress MLAs and party members have already quarantined themselves.

Shaktisinh Gohil, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha on Friday had spent a lot of the day with Solanki. He is now under home quarantine in New Delhi, after returning from a visit to Bihar.

GPCC chief Amit Chavda announced to the media that Solanki is in hospital, and stable. State Congress

—FILE PHOTO

creased and even gatherings have ceased.

People fear eating out which is the reason why restaurants/hotels are lacking business. Even for home deliveries, the restaurants have to pay a commission charge which is an added loss to the current businesses. Surat is a city where people love eating out but, the pandemic has completely turned it around.”

Bharatsinh Solanki

spokesperson Jayrajsinh Parmar told First India that the party’s MLAs had maintained social distancing even during the Rajya Sabha polls. “The members were in masks and kept proper social distance.

Still, as a precaution, they have quarantined themselves,” he said.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani called Solanki, inquired about his health, and wished him a speedy recovery.

Coincidentally, in the past, Congress lawmaker Imran Khedawala had tested positive shortly after a meeting with Rupani.

—PHOTOS BY NANDAN DAVE

For Jagannath temple trustees, the Rath Yatra show must go on

Preparations for the 143rd Rath Yatra continued to take place in full swing at the Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad on Monday. The procession is traditionally taken out on the second day of the Hindu month of Ashadhi, which falls on Tuesday, this year.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

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

IN-DEPTH

PURI TRINITY’S CHARIOTS SET TO ROLL WITH CURBS

WOMEN’S ROLE IN

REBUILDING

T

he coronavirus pandemic cast its shadow on the annual festival of Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra, or Chariot Festival, in Odisha’s Puri and in West Bengal sans the usual fanfare.

On June 18 the Apex Court refused permission for this year’s rath yatra because of the pandemic and safety of citizens. The court said that “Lord Jagannath will forgive us if we stay the Rath Yatra this year. In the interest of public health and safety of citizens, Rath Yatra can’t be allowed this year”. But on Monday a threejudge bench of the Supreme Court gave its nod for the iconic Chariot Festival in Puri only as “the tradition of centuries may not be stopped” but without the participation of the people.

Allowing an appeal by the Centre and Odisha, Chief Justice of India Justice SA Bobde, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice AS Bopanna reversed the earlier order. To address the court’s concerns over the Covid-19 outbreak, the Centre pleaded that yatra can be allowed without any public congregation.

Those familiar with Lord Jagannath’s Yatra know that there’s always a milling crowd of devotees who throng from all across the world to either pull or accompany the heavy wooden chariots over a distance of three kilometres twice during the nine-day festival. Without those thousands of devotees the yatra will be reduced to a ritual. As argued by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta even this ritual is important because “if Lord Jagannath will not come out tomorrow, he cannot come out for 12 years as per traditions”.

Tushar Mehta suggested that the Odisha government can impose a day’s curfew in Puri to prevent devotees from congregating for the event scheduled from June 23. The return journey of the Puri trinity of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balbhadra and Devi Subhadra is slated for July 1.

Mehta told the Bench, “All ‘sebayats’ and pandas who have tested negative (for Covid-19) can participate in rituals as may be decided by HH Shri Shankaracharya. People may not congregate and seek blessings on TV during the live telecast. Raja of Puri and the temple committee may supervise arrangements of these rituals.”

The annual yatra is in commemoration of Lord Jagannath’s yearly visit to Gundicha temple via maternal aunt’s home (Mausi Maa temple) near Saradha Bali Puri.

In Bengal, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has decided to go digital in view of the pandemic restrictions. The unique concept has been christened “Mercy on Wheels” in which 108 ISKCON community leaders will pull the “e-rathas” and bring the Lord into the houses of devotees.

There will be 200 devotees with the e-rathas.

In 24 hours from June 23-24 the digital yatra will celebrate the occasion covering six continents. Devotees, who can register themselves on an online portal, will offer prayers via video connections. The entire ceremony can be seen on digital media.

SHIVINA KUMARI

The writer is Executive Director of Princess Diya Kumari Foundation and a consultant for several international public health organizations

T

One of the most adversely affected groups of the Indian workforce has been women working in the informal economy; in India this, represents roughly 70 percent of the female workforce, about 106 million women. With unstable family incomes, we can expect a significant rise in the female workforce as women are now needed to straddle both roles of a traditional homemaker and a household income contributor

here is not a person that remains unaffected by COVID 19, I sometimes find myself waking up at odd hours of the night worrying for the women involved in our livelihood programs. How are they putting food on their tables? Are they being abused? What does the future hold for them? Do they have access to health care services if they fall sick? I have to accept the reality that some of them might not return to the programs for a multitude of reasons and I can only hope those that do not return are safe and have developed the skills to survive in life.

One of the most adversely affected groups of the Indian workforce has been women working in the informal economy; in India this, represents roughly 70 percent of the female workforce, about 106 million women. With unstable family incomes, we can expect a significant rise in the female workforce as women are now needed to straddle both roles of a traditional homemaker and a household income contributor. I feel that the female contribution to Indian households and its economy is poised for unprecedented growth. A slightly dated statistic showed that roughly 67 percent of the women that graduate do not work, the major reason behind which is a gender bias of expected roles. In an era where the new normal will be working from home, we have roughly 50 million unemployed female graduates just from the last 8 years who can join the workforce.

I find it slightly disheartening that the impact of COVID 19 on women has not been brought to the forefront in terms of issues being covered and discussed.

While videos go viral of migrant labourers in tears or debates rage on police bru-

A GENDER BIAS SHALL NOT TAKE INDIA INTO A NEWLY RESHUFFLING WORLD ORDER, WE NEED EVERY ABLE CITIZEN CONTRIBUTING TO STRENGTHENING OUR NATION ON THE PERILOUS JOURNEY AHEAD

tality. We are yet to see something depicting the mental health impacts on rural women waiting for the migrant men in their lives to return; the fallout that school closures have had on the girl child; the rise in teen pregnancies across the nation; the disruption of reproductive health services; and burdens of increased care duties during the lockdown. What has been reported though is a marked 100 percent increase in domestic violence and abuse. Another area not really expounded on is the unlikelihood of any fiscal stimulus packages reaching women in the workforce as majority of them are in the informal sector which will not be covered by these packages.

A gender bias shall not take India into a newly reshuffling world order, we need every able citizen contributing to strengthening our nation on the perilous journey ahead. I hope to see female business

leaders who understand what it is to bear financial responsibilities along with being caregivers to their families encourage and promote other women. Philanthropy to develop and support women’s livelihood programs has never been more crucial. Skill building will be key to helping non graduate women find avenues of income that can ease the burden on their households along with helping the small scale and unorganized sectors. Work from home opportunities will allow our 50 million unemployed female workforce with graduate degrees enter the formal sector. Some developed nations don’t have populations this size. We need to use our demographics to its maximum potential if we are to become a world leader.

The contribution of women to our economy has historically been undervalued, unpaid and normally invisible; this will no longer be the case. Supply chains were disrupted at the onset of the

Potential consequences of wearing face masks

I

f healthcare workers wear surgical masks, there is good evidence that it limits the spread of respiratory viral infections in hospitals. But there is no clear evidence that surgical masks protect members of the public from getting or passing on these sorts of infections – most likely because of incorrect use. For cloth masks worn by the public, the picture is even murkier.

Surgical masks are made up of several layers of non-woven plastic and can effectively filter very small particles, such as droplets of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). The masks typically contain an external waterproof layer and an internal absorbent layer.

Although masks made

04

from scarves, T-shirts or other fabrics can’t provide the same level of protection and durability as surgical masks, they can block some of the large droplets exhaled by the wearer, hence protecting others from viral exposure. But their ability to filter droplets depends on their construction. Multi-layered cloth masks are better at filtering but harder to breathe through. And they become wetter quicker than single-layer masks.

Here are four potential consequences that, unless mitigated against, could make things worse. Forewarned is forearmed.

THE BIG FOUR First, what’s become known as the Peltzman effect suggests that introducing one safety measure, such as car seatbelts, may

lead to other, compensatory risk behaviours, such as speeding. (If you perceive that your car is safer than usual, you might compensate for this by driving faster.) In the context of COVID-19, it has been ar-

gued that the wearing of a mask may make people feel safer, and hence minimise other protective behaviours which we know to be effective, such as social distancing and regular hand washing.

Although we don’t have clear evidence that this is happening during the pandemic, a few studies conducted before the outbreak found that people did indeed have worse hand hygiene when wearing a mask.

Second, to offer any protection, masks need to be worn correctly and consistently when in contact with other people. Most studies conducted so far – none of which were conducted during the current pandemic – didn’t explicitly look at the level of adherence to mask-wearing.

Those that did reported variable adherence, ranging from “good” to “poor”.

Third, masks may act as an extra transmission route or prompt other behaviour that transmits the virus, such as regular face touching. To stop masks being turned into alterna-

tive transmission routes, they need to be safely put on and taken off.

People touch their faces 15-23 times per hour on average – an itchy or poorly fitted mask may mean that people touch their eyes, nose and mouth even more regularly. After touching your mask, there’s a risk that your hands become contaminated, with the risk that you will then spread the virus to other surfaces, such as door handles, railings or tables.

Fourth, UK researchers have calculated that if the entire UK population started using disposable masks daily, it would create a significant environmental hazard, namely 42,000 tonnes of potentially contaminated and unrecyclable plastic waste per year..

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM

pandemic, and rural women’s livelihoods groups formed emergency teams to meet India’s immediate demand for protective gear and essentials. They have also supported local administrations to run community kitchens for those in need.

Women’s groups have collaborated with banks to provide door-to-door banking services and access to finance.

These women’s groups should be leveraged and skilled further for their ability to support local services and essentials.

I hope to see the Government of India ensure adequate if not equal representation of female leaders and women’s organisations in the COVID 19 response to provide solutions that include women in the rebuilding.

We need to search for solutions that provide greater security for women in the informal sector, possibly looking at incentives for those that develop skill building programs focused on women and their livelihoods.

Spain, in March 2020, approved an emergency measure unemployment benefit designed to help domestic workers affected since they went into lockdown due to the pandemic. Greater institutional support for female owned businesses is another possibility I hope to see considered and implemented.

Women in India are an untapped economy and I hope to see our nation turn adversity into opportunity.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda Dr Manmohan Singh can certainly share his wisdom on many subjects but the responsibilities of the office of the Prime Minister isn’t one of them. UPA personified systematic institutional erosion of that office, combined with disrespect for our armed forces.

NDA has reversed that!

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Railways’ innovative step to provide COVID-19 care in coaches has been initiated. 59 suspected patients admitted in Mau Junction in Varanasi division and 8 have already been discharged. We remain committed to doing whatever it takes to help India fight pandemic.

Spiritual SPEAK

Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law. —Buddha

Vol 1 Issue No. 208 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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

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

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

INDIA AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

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

COVID-19 UPDATE

05

We will also not retreat until we win both the wars Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference

‘We’ll win ‘war’ against China & its virus’ New Delhi: Amid India’s face-off with China along the LAC in Ladakh, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said India win both the ‘wars’ against China, one at the border & the one against coronavirus which originated from Wuhan. “Today we are fighting two wars against China - one at the border and another against the virus from China. Our 20 brave soldiers did not back down, we will also not retreat until we win both the wars,” Kejriwal said at a press conference.

His remark comes after 20 Indian Army personnel lost their lives in a violent face-off with Chinese troops at Ladakh’s Galwan valley on the intervening night of June 15 and 16.

“Our doctors, nurses, and soldiers are all fighting and the people of the country are standing beside them.

The entire country has to fight at both the fronts united. This should not be politicised. We have to fight against China and coronavirus,” Kejriwal said.

In the meantime, traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) burnt Chinese goods in Delhi’s main market Karol Bagh to demonstrate their resentment and anger against the killing of 20 Indian soldiers in clashes with the Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley last week.

“This demonstration is a reflection of the boiling anger in the

‘10 best practices to combat COVID-19’

Arvind Kejriwal briefs media on COVID19 situation in New Delhi.

69L TESTS DONE TILL JUNE 21: ICMR

hearts and minds of Indian traders and citizens against China’s continued antagonism towards India. Due to the prevailing state of COVID-19 pandemic, this demonstration was done by adopting all measures of social

Pakistan in Nowshera sector of Rajouri at about 5:30am, the spokesperson added.Lt Col Devender Anand, the a r m y ’ s spokesperson, said Indian troops responded strongly to enemy fire in Nowshera and that Havildar Karki was critically injured in the incident and later succumbed to his injuries. “Havildar Dipak Karki was a brave soldier. The nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” he added.

5.5 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE STRIKES MIZORAM, SAYS NCS Champhai: An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 on the Richter scale, occurred near Champhai, Mizoram at 4.10 am on Monday, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said.

The depth of the quake was 20 km while coordinates of epicentre are 23.22 (latitude)& 93.24 (longitude). “An earthquake of magnitude 5.5

The example of South Korea shows that a robust contact-tracing strategy is a must. In New Zealand, an innovative model encourages people to scan QR codes placed at different locations to create a repository of their movement.

—Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog

achieved through timely reporting of symptoms, early identification and admission of high-risk individuals.

The fourth is institutional quarantine -- the virus has to be tackled at the source and countries that were able to proactively impose quarantine on incom-

ing passengers at airports are better off today, he said.

The fifth practice should be stringent employment of containment measure. “Lockdowns cannot be a permanent solution and this is where stringent containment comes into the picture,” he added.

The sixth measure stressed that the maximum use of data analytics and to bring data transparency to draw meaningful insights to help guide strategies.

Seventh is the leverage technology. “Manual interventions have to be supplemented by cutting-edge technolo-

gies that should form the backbone of efforts,” he said. Moreover, enforcement plays a major role in ensuring that rules that have been instituted to curb the spread of the virus are observed strictly.

The ninth practice is online training and protocols that help impart knowledge to frontline workers to ensures that they are aware of the necessary protocols.

Lastly, Kant said that public adherence & community participation is a must since efforts of government are futile unless observed by citizens. —ANI

With an increase of 14,821 new ‘India’s recovery rate cases, India’s count @ 4,25,282 stands at 55.77 pc’

Army jawan killed in shelling by Pak Jammu: An Indian Army soldier was killed on Monday as Pakistan resorted to heavy crossborder shelling during the ongoing ceasefire violation at LoC in Rajouri district of J&K. H av i l d a r Dipak Karki was the fourth soldier to die on the LoC since June 5. A defence spokesperson said Pakistan violated the ceasefire in several sectors in Poonch and Rajouri districts earlier on Monday.

The ceasefire agreement was violated by

New Delhi: NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant shared ten best practices in a bid to bolster India’s efforts against Covid-19 pandemic. The first step says that testing has to be extensive since it is the most powerful tool to defeat Covid-19.

Second, he said that contact tracing has to be rigorous. “The example of South Korea shows that a robust contact-tracing strategy is a must.

The third practice that Kant advocates is the effective and timely treatment to ensure a high recovery rate, saying that it can be

on Richter scale, occurred 27 km south-southwest of Champhai, Mizoram at 04:10:52 (IST) today,” said NCS.Further details are awaited. Tremors were felt in north-east for second consecutive day.

On Sunday, a quake of magnitude 5.1on Ritcher scale, occurred 25 km east-northeast of Aizawl, Mizoram at 4.16 pm.

distancing and safety precautions,” the CAIT said. CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said that traders and consumers have shown tremendous support for boycott of Chinese goods. —Agencies

New Delhi: With an increase of 14,821 new cases and 445 deaths, India’s COVID-19 count reached 4,25,282 on Monday. According to the latest update by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), 13,699 deaths have been recorded due to the infection so far in the country.

The rise in confirmed cases today is lower than the highest spike of 15 thousand plus cases registered on Sunday. The count includes 1,74,387 active cases, and 2,37,196

A 1000 bed quarantine facility is being set up in Mumbai.

cured/discharged/migrated patients.

Maharashtra with 1,32,075 confirmed cases remains the worstaffected by the infection so far in the country.

The state’s count includes 60,161 active, 65,744 cured, discharged patients while 6,170 deaths have been reported due to the infection so far. —ANI

New Delhi: With 9,440 COVID-19 patients cured in the last 24 hours, the COVID-19 recovery rate of India has increased to 55.77 per cent, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said.

“During the last 24 hours, a total of 9,440 COVID-19 patients have been cured. A total of 2,37,195 patients have been cured of COVID-19 so far. The recovery rate is 55.77 per cent among COVID-19 patients,” the Ministry tweeted.

It said that the total

Delhi on red alert after terror threat

AWARENESS IS THE KEY...

Sand artist Ajay Rawat creates a beautiful sand sculpture on Corona Awareness in Pushkar on Monday.

BHARATSINH SOLANKI TESTS +VE FOR COVID-19 INFECTION Ahmedabad: Former president of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Bharatsinh Solanki was hospitalised on Monday after he tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. Solanki, who has been admitted to Banker Hospital in Vadodara, a candidate in the RS election held last Friday. As many as 170 other MLAs were also present at the Gujarat Assembly that day. Congress MLAs and party members have already quarantined themselves. GPCC chief Amit Chavda announced to the media that Solanki is in hospital, and stable.

AADITYA AGAINST PROPOSED MINE SITE AUCTION NEAR TIGER RESERVE Mumbai: Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray has opposed the proposed auction of a mine site near Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district.In his letter to Union minister for environment and forests Prakash Javadekar, Thackeray demanded that the area be protected.“I

number of recovered patients has crossed the number of active patients by 62,808.

“Presently, there are 1,74,387 active COVID-19 cases” the Ministry said.

“India also continues to widen the gap between recovered and active cases. COVID cases per lakh population is 30.04 while global average is more than its triple at 114.67. India has one of the lowest COVID cases per lakh population in the world,” Ministry said. —ANI

have written to the Union Minister for @moefcc Prakash Javadekar ji on the issue of the proposed auction of a mine site near Tadoba- Andhari Tiger Reserve, opposing the auction. We cannot have such destruction of our wildlife corridors,” the young Minister Thackeray tweeted on his Twitter handle.

—PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: Delhi Police forces have been put on high alert after intelligence reports about the possibility of four to five terrorists from J&K attempting to enter the national capital with an intention to carry out a terror attack.

Intelligence agencies have alerted police that the terrorists are likely to enter Delhi via road using a bus, car or taxi.

Delhi Police has been kept on high alert and an alert has also been issued at all bus stations and railway stations.All the District (DCP), Special Cell, Crime Branch and other units of Delhi have been placed on the alert.

SENSEX GAINS 180 POINTS, BROADER INDICES OUTPERFORM New Delhi: The Nifty Pharma index ended up 2.2%, while the bank index rose 1.74%. Shares of Cipla Ltd ended up 3.2% after the homegrown pharma major has announced the launch of its generic version of remdesivir, which has been authorised for emergency use in treatment of COVID-19 patients by the USFDA, under its brand name Cipremi. The USFDA had issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to Gilead Sciences Inc for emergency use of remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

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

WHY IS CHINA PRAISING PM MODI? Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been stepping up his attack against the govt over the Galwan Valley clash New Delhi: A tweet a day, or sometimes two, is how Rahul Gandhi has been stepping up his attack on the Modi government since 20 Indian soldiers died in a deadly clash against the Chinese troops in Ladakh.

On Monday, the Congress leader wanted to know why is China busy praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid tension in bilateral ties and fight over the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan area.

“China killed our soldiers. China took our land. Then, why is China praising Mr Modi during this conflict?” asked Gandhi, tagging a news report detailing how Chinese social media welcomed the PM’s comments on the border meet at Friday’s allparty meet.

At the meeting called to discuss the border situation with China, the PM categorically

China killed our soldiers.

China took our land. Then, why is China praising Mr Modi during this conflict?.

—Rahul Gandhi

Congress Leader

POLITICAL DOG FIGHT

pointed out that “neither has anyone entered Indian territory, nor is anyone present in Indian territory currently, and nor is any Indian post captured”. This led to howls of protest from the opposition seeking an explanation as to

I&B Minister inaugurates virtual India Pavilion

how the soldiers died on June 15.

A day later, in a clarification, PMO said Modi’s remarks had focused on June 15 face-off between Indian & Chinese soldiers at Galwan that led to loss of lives of 20 Indian soldiers.

New Delhi: Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that Congress should consider sending Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi to a “political playschool” to understand country’s culture, traditions and to get rid of his “lack of political knowledge”.

“The family should send its 50-year-old Pappu to a political playschool. Till he is not sent to a political playschool the feudalist approach & abusive language won’t stop.

He does not understand the country’s culture, traditions, & believes in baseless rumours to create a political ruckus.

‘Manmohan Singh gave over 43,000 km land to China as PM’ New Delhi: BJP President JP Nadda asked former PM Manmohan Singh to stop repeatedly insulting the Indian forces and questioning their valour. Nadda also accused Singh of “abjectly surrendering” significant portions of Indian land to China, and claimed that the former PM had presided over 600 Chinese incursions between 2010 and 2013. This came after Singh, in a letter to PM Modi, said that sacrifices of 20 Indian personnel killed during a face-off with Chinese troops at Galwan Valley cannot go in vain. Singh referred to Modi’s comments on border and said he must “always be mindful of implications of his words.”

New Delhi: Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Monday became the first Indian firm to hit a market valuation of USD 150 billion during the day.

In the morning trade, the company’s market valuation jumped Rs 28,248.97 crore to Rs 11,43,667 crore (USD 150 billion) on the BSE. However, it failed to

MINISTER SPEAK

the five-day-long film market, which runs parallel to festival, will go virtual this year. The film market closes on Friday. To promote collaborations , both business & artistic- the ministry will help Indian filmmakers to connect with global cinema leaders. —PTI

Lucknow: Light to moderate rains lashed many areas in eastern Uttar Pradesh and a few places in the western part of the state on Monday, the meteorological department said here.

There was thunderstorm and heavy downpour in isolated places in the eastern part of the state where the monsoon is active, it said.

The weather office said heavy rain is likely at isolated places in the eastern region and thunderstorm accompanied with lightening is expected at a few places across the state on Tuesday. —PTI

tioner prayed that the court allow the chariots out of the temple premises for the shortest yatra in the city. Petitioner has also clarified that it does not want the holy chariots to pass through the traditional route, just for them to be able to leave the temple premises for a symbolic Yatra.

Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition Paresh Dhanani had also called for the procession to be allowed, on the grounds that participation by four to five lakh people would “help aid herd immunity”.

Commanders sit...

Specialised forces trained over the past decades to fight on the northern front have been pushed up to the frontier to impose military costs if the red flag goes up, add sources.

The Indian mountain troops are trained in guerrilla warfare and fighting in high altitude as shown by them in Kargil War, unlike the PLA which moves in infantry combat vehicles.

Meanwhile, Army chief General MM Naravane on Monday discussed the security situation with the top Army commanders in

continue the momentum and at the close of trade, the company’s market valuation re-

mained at Rs 11,07,620.56 crore (USD 145.68 billion). The heavyweight stock

HM Shri @AmitShah and the Hon’ble Supreme Court for upholding the sentiment of 4.5 crore Odias and honouring the faith of crores of Jagannath devotees across the globe. I welcome the momentous decision of Hon. SC to allow #Rath-

Tough job is ahead for Vikram Misri, India’s Ambassador to China, in Beijing as more than the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, he will be the contact person to put across India’s views to the Chinese Government and convey China’s views to India.

NO REGULAR DGP -TRIPURA GETS ONE TIME RELAXATIONWITH OFFICERS WITH 25 YRS’ SERVICE TO BE DGP

IPS OFFICER ATUL VERMA JOINS AS DG, COMPETITION COMMISSION OF INDIA

Dear Dr Singh and Congress Party, Please stop insulting our forces repeatedly, questioning their valour. You did this post the air strikes and surgical strikes.

Please understand the true meaning of national unity, especially in such times.

It’s never too late to improve.

1991 batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre has joined as Director General of the Competition Commission of India.He is presently ADG Home Guards in the state.

JAIDEEP MAZUMDAR TO ASSUME CHARGE AS AMBASSADOR TO AUSTRIA THIS WEEK

India’s Ambassador to Philippines, Jaideep Mazumdar is moving to Austria to assume charge as Ambassador in two or three days. He has also been appointed as Permanent Representative to International Atomic Energy Agency.

ROUTINE TRANSFERS OF SENIOR DEFENCE OFFICIALS CONTINUE

surged 2.53 per cent to a record high of Rs 1,804.10 during the day on the BSE. However, fag-end selling emerged at the counter and it declined 0.70 per cent to close at Rs 1,747.20.

On NSE, it erased all early gains & closed at Rs 1,752.50, 0.39% lower after rising 2.54 % to an alltime high of Rs 1,804.20 during the day. —PTI

Pradhan thanks PM Modi for respecting religious sentiments New Delhi: Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan expressed his gratitude towards PM Narendra Modi as SC has allowded to conduct the famous Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra.#RathYatra is not just a festival but it is an inseparable emotion for Odias. Lord Jagannath evokes unwavering love, devotion and reverence, he tweeted.

In yet another tweet, Pradhan wrote, Sincere gratitude to Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi,

TOUGH JOB AHEAD FOR VIKRAM MISRIINDIA’S AMBASSADOR IN CHINA

Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda

JAGANATH PURI RATH YATRA IN ODISHA

Vaishali

POWER Gallery

The Supreme Court has given a one-time relaxation to the Tripura Government to consider officers having 25 years’ of service for becoming Director General of Police. There has been no regular DGP in Tripura since the retirement of Akhil Shukla and Additional DGP, Rajiv Singh (1993) is in-charge DGP.

RIL HITS $150 BILLION MARKET CAP

Light to moderate rains in parts of eastern UP

Prakash Javadekar inaugurates the India Virtual Pavilion at Cannes Film Market 2020, in New Delhi on Monday.

New Delhi: Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday virtually inaugurated the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Market.

The film market includes virtual pavilions for institutions such as film funds and filming boards from across the globe as well as virtual booths for sales companies to screen their projects-in-work and connect with buyers.

The Cannes Film Festival, one of the biggest gatherings of filmmakers and cinema lovers, could not take place this year in May due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was announced in March that

‘50-YEAR-OLD PAPPU BE SENT TO POL PLAYSCHOOL’

06

Yatra celebrations in Puri without the congregation of devotees.

“When it comes to matters of faith, traditions & sentiments of crores of people, PM @ narendramodi’s govt. has always led from the front to uphold them. I also thank HH Shankaracharya Maharaj of @ govardhanmath, Gajapati Maharaj Shri Dibyasingha Deb ji, Chhatisa Niyog, Sevayat Samaj, govt. & people of Odisha & millions of devotees of Mahaprabhu Jagannath for their prayers, perseverance,” he tweeted.

Routine transfers of senior officers in all three wings of defence forces are continuing amid COVID-19 situation with full precautionary measures.

IRS OFFICER TO JOIN SFIO

Prasad Adelli is set to join Serious Fraud Investigation Organisation(SFIO), under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, as Addl Director on deputation basis for a period of five years. He is a 2002 batch IRS(C&CE) officer.

PRASENJIT SINGH TO JOIN AS JOINT SECRETARY, LOK SABHA

Prasenjit Singh, presently PrCIT-7, Mumbai, is expected to join as Joint Secretary in Lok Sabha Secretariat this week. An IRS-IT officer, Singh has been relieved by the Department for Lok Sabha Secretariat.

UP WANTS MORE IPS OFFICERS

After the introduction of CP system in Lucknow and Noida, the UP govt is sending a demand for more IPS officers in state. According to information, about 40 more IPS officers are required to meet the shortage.

TERM OF CHAIRMAN, MUMBAI PORT TRUST ENDS IN JULY

The deputation term of Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust, under the Ministry of Shipping, ends on July 31 this year. He is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

SC HEARINGS DURING RESCHEDULED SUMMER VACATIONS TO BE IN VC/ TELECONF MODE TILL JULY 3

During the first week of rescheduled summer vacations in Supreme Court, i.e., from June 22, 2020 - June 26, 2020, two Division Benches, one Court of Judges-in-Chamber & one Registrar Court will conduct hearings through Video Conferencing / tele conferencing mode; 2. During the second week of rescheduled summer vacations, i.e., from June 29, 2020 to July 3, 2020, two Benches in the whole week i.e., one on June 30, 2020 & second on July 3, 2020 will conduct hearings through VC / tele conferencing mode.

FROM PG 1 HC likely... cancelled in the last 142 years, and claimed it has become a symbol of unity and communal harmony.

Citing the High Court order dated June 20 staying the Rath Yatra, the petitioner said that--even if the Raths had not left the temple premises--devotees would have thronged the temple gate for a glimpse of the Raths.

This, in turn, would have created great chaos, thus defeating the very purpose of the writ petition.

As a result, the peti-

Delhi, officials said.

Both sides are planning to engage at diplomatic level soon. Officials on both sides are working out a schedule for talks and a meeting may take place soon.

Contours of talks are being chalked out and these can take place at multiple levels including Joint Secretary- level.

There is still no official word on the proposed meet from both sides.

Do not... “...The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself, it’s the lack of global solidarity and global leadership.”

He said some parts of international health regulations needed to be strengthened to make them “more fit for purpose”. He did not say which parts, only that they needed “coordinated, predictable, transparent, broad-based and flexible funding” to be fully implemented. —Agencies

Chariots to... which is slated to be held on June 23, and all activities related to the gathering in view of the coronavirus pandemic this year.

Hours after the Supreme Court decision

of allowing the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri to be held with the coordination of the Temple committee, State and Central government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that the entire nation is delighted by the decision.

In a series of tweets, he expressed his happiness over the Supreme Court’s decision. “Today is a special day for all of us, particularly our Odia sisters and brothers as well as devotees of Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath Ji. The entire nation is delight-

ed by the decision of the Supreme Court to ensure the Rath Yatra goes on,” he tweeted.

The top court on Monday pronounced the order after hearing a batch of intervention applications seeking modification of its earlier order of staying the annual Rath Yatra at Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri in view of COVID-19 pandemic.

SC noted that the State can stop the yatra or festivities if they feel it is going out of hand and added that it was aware of the situation and has passed the order accordingly.

Petitioner’s lawyer Pranay Kumar Mohapatra had earlier said that the pleas sought directions to allows holding of Yatra only at Puri, subject to some restrictions. According to Mohapatra, the plea said that Rath Yatra should be allowed to be held in Puri on its scheduled time and the entire district should be shut down completely.

“People should not be allowed to participate in the Rath Yatra and the temple area should be barricaded around 3 kilometres,” he added. —ANI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

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

07

Lockdown blues: Back ache as we work from home!

L

ockdown could be bad for you back. Thanks to measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, many of us are now working from home. This means you might not be moving around as much, and your home desk setup (and the posture you adopt while working) might not be as good as it should be. These are all things that can lead to back pain.

Common poor desk posture is actually very similar to the posture astronauts adopt during spaceflight in zerogravity. Usually this is a forward leaning posture with a forward head position and the loss of normal spinal curves. Being in space also has similar effects to staying in bed all day.

At the Aerospace Medicine and Rehabilitation Laboratory at Northumbria University, our team of researchers look into ways of keeping the spine healthy in astronauts during space missions. But this research can also be used to help those of us on Earth keep our spines healthy when working from home.

At a very basic level, the spine is a stack of 33 bones called vertebrae. In between the vertebrae are thick jellylike discs that provide space for the bones to move across the whole spine when we rotate or bend.

Alongside the vertebrae are many small and large muscles that either help stabilise the spine or help it generate movement. All these muscles are in a complex conversation with the brain in order to work together and maintain your upright posture and stability when sitting and moving. When even one of these vertebrae, discs or muscles becomes irritated, it can lead to back pain.

When you lean forward a lot you stop using the small postural muscles that control the spine’s normal curve. Over time, they become smaller, weaker, and don’t activate properly when needed. So if you’re working at home, you might find our advice to astronauts helpful.

Lockdown could be bad for you back. Many of us are now working from home, this means you might not be moving around as much, and your home desk setup (and the posture you adopt while working) might not be as good as it should be

4 TIPS TO HELP YOU KEEP YOUR SPINE HEALTHY S

ort out your setup While on the International Space Station, astronauts float rather than sitting. So they’re encouraged to keep a normal, upright position as much as possible, as well as exercising to maintain back strength. To keep good posture on Earth, making sure you set up your desk, chair and home office equipment correctly is key.

Ensure your screen is directly in front of you, with the middle of your screen at eye level. Be sure to sit back in a good chair that is upright and not reclined. Have your keyboard level, right in front of you, with your elbows by your side and at 90 degrees, ideally with wrists supported too. Make sure your feet are also flat on the floor in front of you.

HERE’S HOW TO PREVENT BACKPAIN WHILE WORKING FROM HOME 1. Use of a low back support Roll up a bath towel or sweatshirt into a log-like form. Place this horizontally in the small of your low back while you are sitting in a chair or couch. This will make you sit up straighter because if you slouch the support will not sit in the proper place, thus improving your posture.

2. Correction of desk set up Consider these to create a better working space that will naturally create better posture: a. Computer screen should be an arm’s length away from you b. Top of the computer screen should be at eye level c. Feet flat on the floor with your knees bent at a 90100 degree angle

M

ove Try to take a few moments to move around every one to two hours during the work day. For your spine this means gently rotating, leaning forwards, backwards and sideways. Avoid extreme ranges, and don’t use weights or resistance to do this. Think of it like oiling the joints and moving that oil around by gently moving them.

A

im for a “neutral” upright posture Try to avoid leaning forwards. Maybe even get someone to check your posture from the side. If you look hunched over, are leaning forwards, or craning your neck back to see your screen, then you have a high chance of developing spinal pain. You can reset to good posture by:  Aim to have your ear in line with your shoulder, and that this is in line over your hip.  Try to make sure your head is over your torso not sticking forwards, and that your head isn’t tilted up or down.  Ideally have a slightly inward arch in your lower back – but only a small one, as over doing it can hurt too.  If you’re experiencing back pain, a small pillow being placed behind your lower back may help, or lying on your back, on the floor, once or twice a day may help move your spine into a better position.

d. Back of knees should be about three finger widths from the edge of the chair 3. Move once every hour

E

xercise If, like our astronauts, you have some weak spinal stability muscles from poor posture – or not enough exercise from lockdown (or in their case, spaceflight) – some spinal exercises might help. Things like beginner level pilates exercises can help strengthen your spine.

But remember to gently suck in your belly button towards your spine (to about 30-40% of your max power but not 100%) during your exercise as this can help engage the right muscles. Remember to move around every hour or two. At the end of the day, a walk may also help minimise back pain and build strength.

Of course, being in gravity is ultimately different to floating in space. If you find your spinal problems aren’t improving, seeing a physiotherapist may be useful to getting specific exercises tailored to you.

Even if you just stand up and sit down, you should try to move once every hour. Sitting in the same position for a long period of time can lead to pain. Take a lap around the house or grab a snack if you need a reason to get up and move.

4. Exercises to help with posture Shoulder blade squeezes: While standing or sitting at your desk, squeeze your shoulder blades together without elevating your shoulders. The movement should come from the mid to low shoulder blades. Hold for 3-5 seconds and perform 15-20 repetitions. This can be done 1-2 times a day.

4 NUTRITIOUS WAYS TO REDUCE BACK PAIN 1. Switch to plant-based foods and cut on animal products.

2. Avoid trans fat and saturated fat. These are found in fried or processed foods and can boost inflammation.

3. Limit your sugar intake. Sugars are found in many carbohydrate-rich foods, so keep your daily serving of carbs to the suggested amount.

4. Replace white breads with healthy carbs such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, beans, peas and corn.

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: SITARAM SHARMA

Team work is essential to success.

We could have the best individuals in a team but if they don’t work together, success will not be ours.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia

2ND FRONT AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

08

Border bristles: No LAC lustre, but Modi-Shah combo will strategise ways to nab the Dragon

z Are the incidents along LAC leading to a war like situation?

Jagdeesh Chandra: You are absolutely right; we are slowly inching towards a war, of limited scale, with China in the near future. After the incident of international and national shame on June 15, there are only two options left for the central leadership either to let bygones be bygones and continue with business as usual at the South Block or avenge with a ‘tit for tat’ retaliatory action. Let me remind you that we have a deadly combination of Modi and Shah at the Centre, who are vision & execution personified. I believe both must have lost their sleep ever since this incident occurred and must be constantly thinking of ways to restore national pride. It doesn’t matter what statement you issue diplomatically but deep inside this, the nation knows what actually happened so, Indian forces have to march forward avenge our 20 martyrs with 40 Chinese army men and return with our Tricolour flying high, there isn’t any other option. This requires courage which this Modi-Shah duo has demonstrated by abrogating Article 370 in Kashmir and dispelling all theories surrounding it which predicted war with Pakistan and nuclear fallout. In fact, the handling of Kashmir issue by these two can be termed as one of the most successful political operations going by political developments post abrogation.

So be rest assured, the duo will definitely convey to China that this isn’t India of 1962 but 2020. z Was the June 15 incident pre- planned or something spontaneous which developed on the spot?

It seems to be a combination of two aspects, first- part of the larger conspiracy of China and second, few things go overboard in the heat of the moment also.

There were tensions building up right from May onwards. Five Major General level meetings took place, reassuring each other of peaceful resolution and on June 13, the Indian Army Chief said that all is well, but the unfortunate incident happens two days later.

Now the question is, what inspired China for this adventure? Among many reasons the first

is growing rivalry between the US and China, second is due to escalation of tensions amid the Corona crisis between the two, the increasing possibilities of US industries shifting their base to India and third, the growing image of Narendra Modi as a global leader, which is unacceptable to China. So all these reasons formed the basis of the larger conspiracy, which led China to adopt its tried and tested strategy of incursions like the way they have been doing in places like Doklam or Sikkim and elsewhere. z China has openly claimed possession of Galwan Valley after the incident of 15 June and now it is eyeing Chashool, so isn’t the confrontation between the countries almost certain?

Ironically, it is the pot calling the kettle black.

First you enter India’s territory, instigate violence and now you claim that the whole area belongs to you while discarding the fact that both countries were sitting in their areas just a few days ago.

So today, China openly claiming the possession of a particular territory, simply means confrontation. I feel a limited level war between the two is imminent. z If India and China actually go for a war, then how do you analyse the military power of India and do you think our Army will avenge 1962 defeat in 2020?

Military prowess is one aspect of war, but the other important aspect is the courage, conviction and morale of the Armed Forces. Let me tell you that the morale of Indian Armed Forces is on cloud nine, just waiting for a signal from the political leadership. Unlike 1962, nobody is asleep, but quite watchful. Now to the second part of your question, China is leaving India with no alternative. Till when will India put on with incursions off and on? Till when will the Indian political leadership issue technical statements based on briefing by the Armed Forces? Technically our leadership might be right in claiming that nobody entered or is holding our territory, but the common public perception is that China has infringed our territory. So, to clear the perception, Indian

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

Jagdeesh Chandra with Shweta Mishra, Aditi Nagar, Divya Tiwari and Akanksha Bhalla.

Editor-In-Chief of First India, Jagdeesh Chandra, in The New JC Show, gives a perfect analysis of current situation unfolding in the country, post Chinese aggression in the Galwan Valley and tells how India of 2020, is different from that of 1962 under a powerful PM Narendra Modi!

Armed Forces with capability, weaponry and strategic acumen will ultimately engage in a limited war and come out victorious. Mind you, this war will be limited to a particular area and not a full fledged war. z India lost 20 brave soldiers on June 15 and around 76 are reportedly injured, while there are varying figures emerging for Chinese casualties. Do you believe these figures?

Indian leadership including Modi, Shah and Rajnath Singh have put across the truth in front of the people and the international media too has reported similar casualty figures for India, but it is silent on the Chinese figures.

China itself is claiming 43, but it is highly unreliable and then now it is no more a question of figures for India, but a prestige issue to avenge its martyrs. Once that assault begins, then it will be the actual time of counting casualties. z How do you analyse the situation where the PM has categorically denied any intrusion or possession of our territory by the Chinese whereas, common perception is that China not only entered our territory, but is also holding on to a large area?

This is for the first time that PM Modi’s statement has not been taken on its face value by a large number of people in the country which otherwise, is a gospel truth for all. I think that in similar circumstances, no leadership even if it was Rahul or Sonia Gandhi, would have accepted any incursion.

So what PM Modi basically wanted to convey, was to reassure people of avenging the martyrs without sparing anybody. Statements at such times are more of diplomatic compulsions given purely based on technical analysis by the Armed Forces. PM Modi has his own input system, which should have conveyed him by now the way his statement is being taken by people in general and that the general perception accepts incursion by the Chinese in Indian territory for which he has to take corrective measures at the earliest. z If India and China go to war then what stand will the USA and Russia take?

I seriously doubt either of them taking an open stand with India and this will be India’s sole fight of honour. Russia has been our traditional friend, but during the last few decades, due to economic and diplomatic reasons, India has moved closer to the USA, so close that Modi-Trump friendship is fact accepted by the whole world. This has created distance between India and Russia. Then USA has its own compulsions which have forced the otherwise ‘Bull in the China Shop’ to say that it will not mediate between India and China.

Then Trump has to face his re-election later this year for which he is trying to woo Chinese President. Look at its wavering stand on aerial connectivity with China, that says all. So this may be called a conspiracy of circumstances that both the USA and Russia will not take an

open stand in case of a war with China. Another aspect is that India actually doesn’t need any support now the way it did earlier due to defence procurements. India in 2020, under a self- reliant PM like Modi, has self reliant Armed Forces, who don’t need that kind of support anymore. z How do you foresee the stand of China’s natural ally Pakistan in case India and China enter a war?

All my sympathies with Pakistan, if it opts for any misadventure with Indian borders, while India is busy at the Chinese side. My view is that India will take a day’s break from a long drawn battle with China and fulfill the unrealised dream of ModiShah of getting the POK back to India’s fold. z It is being alleged that even PM Modi has proved to be a lame PM like Nehru as far as China is concerned. How do you perceive it?

This theory too will fade away with time as the slogan of Rafale did earlier. You can’t compare 1962 with 2020, you can’t compare Nehru with Modi. Nehru was a ruler of his own era, Modi is ruler of this era. Nehru was a Hero of that century and Modi is the hero of this century. The difference is that in 1962, we were caught napping without any warning, but now, there was visible tension between the two countries and this incident happened. In 1962, we were backstabbed while sleeping, where as in 2020, we have been backstabbed while awake. There is no de-

nying that this has dented the image of PM Modi to a small extent leading some Modi detractors saying that it’s Modi’s turn to be another Nehru. z India is not only trying to corner China retaliating militarily, but also economically. Do you think PM Modi will disregard Indo-Chinese business relations and impose a ban on Chinese products in the country?

There undoubtedly is a lot of pressure from nationalistic groups, ideological organisations and common people to hit China economically after what it has done to India. But the balance of bilateral trade between the two countries, which favours China by a huge margin and India’s share in total Chinese foreign business, isn’t enough to achieve this aim.

This is a good thought and should be taken forward by India by creating a global platform against this global bully called China. But this is a highly sensitive issue and will be dealt with by PM Modi with due caution. A step has been initiated in this regard by stalling some projects allotted to Chinese companies so let’s see. z All political parties were on the same platform, while the PM held an all party meet. Sonia Gandhi came up with her questions as well.

How do you see this?

Narendra Modi is a born national hero, who handled the all party meet very well by taking them along.

Modi ensured that the meeting didn’t limit it-

self to a mere formality and that he was successful was clear from the body language of the Opposition leaders, who whole-heartedly supported their country’s PM. Sonia Gandhi very maturely raised her concerns which were very well taken by the PM. Both performed and scored with their duties for the nation as per their specific roles.

Sonia is the real hero for the Congress. z How do you see Rahul Gandhi as a responsible politician in the present standoff with China?

Rahul Gandhi has improved a lot as a politician breaking away from his past. In fact, the Corona crisis followed by a crisis with China, has given Rahul an opportunity to emerge as main Opposition political leader. His press conferences on the Corona crisis were quite sensible and appealing. On the Chinese issue too, he was successful in cornering the Central government by asking questions that appealed to the masses far more than the answers provided by the government. I think, he won the perception game here too only to be stopped by the ultimate warrior of this government, Amit Shah. But as far as popularity ratings go, Rahul is still no match for PM Modi, who is far ahead of him or anybody else in the country. z Do you consider this an utter failure of our foreign policy that even countries like Nepal are showing us tantrums?

Unfortunate times don’t come alone, but in battalions otherwise, if Amit

Shah decides to act against Nepal at 4 pm then the game would be over by 6.30 pm, but yes it’s a failure of our foreign policy. It is also unfortunate that Nepal under Chinese influence, is acting so unfriendly. India is on a forgiving mode for Nepal as of now, but we have to check the Chinese influence on our neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. z Q How do you see the current Chinese challenge amid the ongoing Corona crisis?

These are two different problems at two different levels. While the Corona crisis is something, which PM Modi was handling with cooperation from all state Chief Ministers and more or less, all CMs had started taking PM Modi as their friend, philosopher and guide.

They followed the guidelines given by him and also dissented, if the need arose. Since states make a nation, so, PM Modi has both good performing CMs like Kerala, Rajasthan and some other states as well states dissenting, but it’s a common concern for all. PM Modi should be credited with the way he has handled the Corona crisis by taking all political parties with him. Chinese stand off is an issue at a totally different level, which has come up as an added responsibility for the Modi government.

So, PM Modi has two simultaneous challenges, one the ongoing Corona crisis and second to think of retaliation to the Bully China, which now is an extra burden directly on the Central government.

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

09

AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY JUNE 23, 2020

Selecting the right pair of sunglasses while wearing the perfect outfit is a fashion necessity. City First brings to you a few tips that would help you choose just the right one for your face type!

SUNFULLY

YOURS! NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

O

ne of the major accessories that you need to carry while stepping out of the house is a pair of sunglasses. With various styles and types of shades (as they are known) available nowadays, you need to know the type that would suit your face cut the best. Sunglasses don’t just protect the eyes from radiation by the sun, but also add a charm to the entire outfit.

Ordering online is best looking at the current scenario, but the problem arises when you don’t really know what kind of sunglasses will go perfectly with your face type. In this case, City First has you all covered, as we bring you a few tips to select the perfect sunglasses to match. The main question here is- how to know the shape of your face? Stand in front of a mirror and outline your face; take a step back and you’ll see the exact shape of your face. Now you’re all set to pick out the perfect shades.

ROUND FACE: Go for a frame that is wider, like- cat-eye, rectangular, aviators and wayfarers.

TRIANGULAR FACE: Go for a frame that would make the upper half look broad, likeround, cat-eye and aviators.

OVAL FACE: Go for a frame that is as wide as the face, likeround, oval, rectangular, butterfly and aviators.

RECTANGULAR FACE: Go for a frame that is larger than the face to make it look b r o a d e r,

like- round and aviators.

HEART-SHAPED FACE: Go for a frame equal to the width of the face, like- small frames, round, wayfarers and aviators.

SQUARE FACE: Go for a frame that will balance the facial proportions, like- teardrop, round, oval, aviators, cat-eye and you can also go for frameless sunglasses.

The other factors that are to be kept in mind while choosing the right pair of sunglasses are: the right colour of the lens, go for the ones that fit into your budget (there are many out there that are way out of the league), buy one or two at a time (purchasing many sunglasses at the same time is not a good idea at all). Once bought, take care of them, keep them in their designated cover and clean lightly with a cotton cloth.

City First wishes you a rose-tinted view of the world, always!

ETC

AARYA

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

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

10

The family is the most potent drug in web series led by Sushmita Sen

I

of strength and cunning that she never knew existed.

Aarya’s troubles are manifold.

Khan (Vikas Kumar), a narcotics bureau officer, is hot on her heels. The attack on Tej sends Sangram and Jawahar to different corners of the room. Aarya’s children too threaten to crack from the pressure.

Mini-tornadoes chase every other character. Jawahar has a stormy bond with his wife Maya (Maya Sarao). Sangram tries to control his drug operation from behind bars. Shekhawat’s menace is jolted in the presence of his Russian partners. Khan struggles to gather evidence against Aarya.

The only calm in the storm is represented by Zorawar’s enforcer Daulat (Sikander Kher). He operates in the shadows and emerges whenever crisis strikes, which is nearly all the time.

Created

by Ram Madhva n i

FA CE OF TH ED AY

n the web series Aarya, crime runs in the family – or is it that the dynamics of the family lend themselves beautifully to crime?

The themes that guided the novel The Godfather and Francis Ford Coppola’s acclaimed screen adaptations also dictate events in Aarya, which is being streamed on Disney+ Hotstar. Sushmita Sen leads a sprawling cast and is at the heart of a serpentine plot that winds around a drug syndicate in Rajasthan.

Despite dealing with crookedness, frayed loyalties, betrayal, murder and blackmail, Aarya retains its faith in family values.

At its core is a woman whose maternal instincts propel her towards lawlessness and lead her to dirty her manicured hands in unimaginable ways.

Chandrachur Singh emerges out of the woodwork to play Tej Sareen, the head of a pharmaceutical company that sells opium-laced fake medicine on the side. With an elegantly furnished mansion, a happy brood that comprises wife Aarya (Sen) and three children, and classic Hindi movie songs for company, Tej revels in his poppy-fuelled prosperity.

It’s a facade, like much else in this land of luxe. Tej’s brotherin-law Sangram (Ankur Bhatia) and friend Jawahar (Namit Das) have swiped a Rs 300-crore heroin stash from local drug lord Shekhawat. Tej, however, refuses to play along.

Shekhawat (Manish Chaudhary) shows these men the cost of trampling on somebody else’s patch.

Aarya’s youngest son Adi (Pratyaksh Panwar) is the sole witness to an attempt on Tej’s life. As Tej hovers between life and death, Aarya is forced to step up and into the narcotics trade. She has tried to stay away from the business, which has enriched her father Zorawar (Jayant Kriplani) and brother Sangram. With Tej out of commission, Aarya must mine reserves

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

and Sandeep Modi, Aarya is an official remake of the popular Dutch show Penoza. Madhvani, Modi and Vinod Rawat have directed the intentionally messy screenplay by Sandeep Shrivastava and Anu Singh Choudhary. There is never a dull moment, what with Aarya careening between a tricky transaction one minute and her children the next. Sen is surrounded by stronger actors who dive deep to find the emotional core of their characters. The screen lights up whenever the camera moves away from Sen’s often immobile visage and focuses on Namit Das or Maya Sarao.

Sympathy-for-the-solitaireset saga is fittingly very good to look at. The slick production is beautifully lensed by Harshvir Oberai in cold, glistening tones that accentuate the themes of deception and disillusionment. The use of Hindi film music is especially inventive – and also an indication of the soppiness that lies beneath the poshness.

Bade Achche Lagte Hain, from the melodrama Balika Badhu (1976), is among the golden oldies that is dexter-

and the hollowness of the big discovery of the identity of Tej’s assailant.

In The Godfather Part II (1974), Michael Corleone’s obsession with his family name transforms him into a fratricidal monster.

Unfortunately for cinephiles, Coppola sought to soften the blow in the redundant The Godfather Part III (1990). Aarya takes its cues from both, sometimes to its peril.

Source: https://scroll.in

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Old acquaintances might open new doors for you and give you a leg up. So make sure you make the most of these opportunities to realise your dreams and ambitions. Your relationship might be marred by your petty insecurities and unreasonable suspicions. Change your attitude.

It’s time for you to stop pretending that everything is rosy in your life and face reality head on. Recognise your problems and dare to address them and rid yourself of them once and for all. This will bring you peace and help you make a new beginning in your life.

You will encounter delays that will annoy you. Don’t worry, however, as these should prove short-lived and you will soon find yourself back on track, having resolved any niggling problems once and for all.

Your personal finances still require a lot of attention and planning.

You’re very popular today, with many people seeking you out for advice and counsel. Persevere in spite of any difficulties that might occur since in that way you are sure to progress and be in a better position to achieve your goals. Don’t be afraid to reveal your love and affection.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

ou are surrounded by confusion and disruption.

Try not to let this affect you any longer than is strictly necessary, as this will cause you to l fall behind in your plans. But there would appear to be little chance of you letting this happen as you are so full of dynamism these days.

This is an exceedingly positive and hopeful day!

Many events will come to pleasantly surprise thrill you. You, in turn, will find it within yourself to respond confidently and come up with innovate solutions to problems that have been on your mind for a while now.

You are full to the brim with energy and enthusiasm today! This gives you the strength and appetite you need to make some important changes in your life, You are sure of yourself and what you want and this makes for a winning combination.

Unexpected developments will throw you off course today and upset you. Try to be prepared, as much as possible, and don’t let events cause a panic or worse, cause you to get stuck. Don’t cut any corners, act responsibly and use reason to make your decisions.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You have left too many doors open to the past and these loose threads are holding you back and weighing you down, not letting you move forward and plan your future.

Tidy up loose ends, close the door the past for good and move dynamically toward your goals.

There are certain situations in your life that are far from satisfactory. Take matters in your own two hands and dare to make the changes that you need and that will bring relief. If you think that you cannot possibly manage this all by yourself, then go canvass some opinions.

Unresolved matters and difficulties from the past rise back up the surface today, demanding your urgent and immediate attention. You’ll need to solve these problems decisively now.

Rest assured that once you’ve put the past behind you, you’ll feel more hopeful about the future.

You’re feeling very creative today and your energy and vitality are at their peak.

This is just what you need to enter a really constructive phase in your life when you can rid yourself of any negativity that’s been holding you. You’re sure of yourself and nothing can stand in your way.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

PARUL GUPTA, Food Blogger

ously woven into the plot.

In many other places too, the creators cleverly use film songs and give their lyrics renewed meaning.

And yet, there are many moments when Aarya feels like a very gorgeously packaged and overpriced grocery staple. Many scenes are stretched beyond repair, and the emotional moments seem overdirected. The endless toing and froing cannot conceal the banality of this family’s evil

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

11

TRIBUTE TO SSR

S

andip Singh, a close friend of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, on Sunday, shared a poster of his directorial debut -’Vande Bharatam’- and said that the film will be a tribute to the departed actor.

Sandip took to Instagram to share the first poster of the film and complimented it with a long note in memory of Rajput. Sandip further revealed that SSR had promised him that it will be his

Poster of the film

directorial debut with the ‘Kai Po Che!’ actor.

“You made me a promise.

We, the Bihari brothers, will one day rule this industry and be the inspiration/support system for all young dreamers like you and me bhai. You promised me that my directorial debut will be with you. Raaj Shaandilyaa wrote this and we were to produce this together,” he wrote in the caption.

“I need your belief, that faith you showed, that was

my strength. Now, with you gone...I’m lost...but I promise you this my brother. Now tell me how do I fulfil this dream?

Who will hold my hand like you did? Who will give me the power of SSR, my brother? I promise you this... I will make this film!,” he said.

He added that the film will be a tribute to the “loving memory of SSR, who inspired millions and gave them hope that anything is possible! Just dream it and believe it!.”

—ANI

‘Yoga has made me

Madonna

HAPPY MADONNA

STRONGER’ W

hile explaining how the practice has been beneficial for her, Manushi Chillar said, “Yoga has invaluable and innumerable health benefits and I’m proud that it is India’s gift to the world.”

The former Miss World says she is indebted to yoga for making her stronger physically and mentally and also recommended everyone to add yoga to their routines. “Yoga has become a sanctuary for so many people across the world and helped them in so many ways. I recommend everyone should add yoga to their routines to understand the benefits that one can unlock for themselves,” she said.

Not just physically, but

Manushi feels that performing yoga has made her “more aware, more conscious, and stronger” “I’ve enjoyed adding it to my rest days as it helps me maintain my flexibility,” she said. The 23-year-old star also says that yoga has enhanced her sense of focus.

“Yoga has taught me patience, taught me to discard things from my mind that’s unimportant. It’s helped my outlook towards life, made my focus sharper, and helped me make better life decisions,” she added.

Manushi Chillar will debut in Bollywood with the highly anticipated historical-drama ‘Prithviraj’ opposite Akshay Kumar. She will be playing the royal princess Sanyogita, whose tales of beauty mesmerised an entire nation.

—ANI

M

usician Madonna, who is a mother of six, wished herself on the occasion of Father’s Day on Sunday by posting adorable pictures with her kids.

Along with pictures, the ‘Crazy For You’ singer penned down a beautiful caption, wishing herself and every parent a ‘Happy Father’s Day’ for nurturing and guiding their children in the best way possible. “Happy Fathers Day to Me and to every parent out

Manushi Chillar

there doing their best to Nurture, Guide, Inspire, and Teach! #Lola #Rocco #David #Mercyjames #Estere #Stella,” the 61-year-old singer wrote in the caption.

Madonna is the biological mother to two of her six children and has adopted the rest four.

She had adopted her first child Davida Banda back in 2006 and then she adopted a boy in 2009. The last addition to her family were the twins she adopted from Malawi.

—ANI

..her post

CELEBRATING KABIR SINGH

A

s his romantic-thriller ‘Kabir Singh’ clocked one year on Sunday, actor Shahid Kapoor said that the movie will remain very special to him and extended thankfulness to everyone for the overwhelming love showered for his character in the movie. Taking to Instagram, the ‘Shaandaar’ actor wrote: “To all those who gave so much overwhelming love to such a complex, conflicted character. Thank you.”

He explained that the movie was just not a film for him, but an “emotional arc that was raw, bare, unabashed, honest, fearless and real.”

“In a time where people are quick to judge (others not themselves ), you understood him. You understood our interpretation of the angst of a broken heart. This one will always be special. So so special,” the ‘Jab We Met’ actor noted. The 39-yearold star also tagged his co-star Kiara Advani and the rest of the team and addressed that the movie would not have been possible without them. He wrapped up the post by saying:” Thank you all once again. And remember.

Keep it real and make it count. Be kind. —ANI Kiara Advani

THE BEST INVESTMENT

D

riving all Monday blues away, actor Shilpa Shetty Kundra shared a postworkout picture of herself on Monday and penned down a note on the importance of health.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra

Shilpa took to Instagram to post the picture in which she is seen wearing a black coloured sports bra with skin fit semi-patterned jeggings. The actor completed the look with a pair of pink coloured sports shoes. The ‘Dhadkan’ actor is seen slaying in a no make-up look in the picture.

The 45-year-old actor stressed that time is a

luxury for her as she has to look after various responsibilities.“Time is a luxury for me. On days when I am engulfed with work, responsibilities, duties, travels and trying to be the best mother, wife, professional... with so much happening simultaneously, it sometimes leaves me scrounging for time,” she wrote.

Sharing that she herself

finds it tough to get time or motivation to work on her health and fitness, Shilpa said: “While I try to motivate people to focus on their health, tending to my own health and fitness becomes tough sometimes (believe it or not). It ain’t as easy as it seems...So, I have been making the best of this precious time to focus on my health... because health is wealth.”

—ANI

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

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2020

12

FACEBOOK POSTS! Robert Vadra posted heart warming photos with his two children, Raihan and Miraya on social media on the occasion of Fathers’ Day on 21 June as he said a thank you to the Almighty for the relationship he shares with them. The throwback photo has Priyanka looking on as the kids sit with their father during an event.

“Cannot be more proud on this Father’s Day... of my two beautiful children, who are almost adults now. I’ve taught them and they teach me, everyday. I thank God for this Special relationship and for their good health”, he wrote on his Facebook account.

—Vaishali

Vaibhav Gehlot took to Facebook to motivate the people to participate actively in the COVID-19 Special Awareness Campaign launched by Rajasthan Government and requested people to motivate others too.

ROAD TO MY DREAMS During the session

YOGA THERAPY

SHRUTI DAINA LAL, A MODEL BY PROFESSION AND A COOK BY PASSION, SHARED HER JOURNEY OF BAKING AND COOKING WITH CITY FIRST IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

SWATI JANGID

swati.jangid@firstindia.co.in

S

Susan White CITY FIRST, RAJASTHAN

A

special Yoga Training session was organised on International Yoga Day by the Students’ Council of Poornima Group.

In this online live session, faculty and staff members and various students and alumnus of Poornima Group showed their presence.

This session was conducted by California (USA) based yoga trainer Susan White, where she described

several types of yoga and its benefits.

Giving information about different types of body movements and postures, she explained how they are helpful in keeping us fit. She demonstrated various asanas, meditation postures and pranayama and said that these are effective in keeping us fit and healthy. Susan also gave tips to make the body flexible and to connect with oneself through yoga. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

HAPPY B’DAY!

GUJARAT: Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Nitinbhai Patel spent his 64th birthday on Monday quietly without any celebration working throughout the day with a few special hours spent with his family.

TRAINING SESSION FOR DRIVERS

hruti Daina Lal from Jodhpur has a passion for modelling, with her hobbies being baking and cooking. Keeping a balance between both, she wants to make her future bright.

This year, she has registered herself in ‘Elite Miss Rajasthan’ and will try to make the best of whatever opportunity she gets. Baking and cooking are like science for her; its the chemistry between the ingredients and the person who makes it tastier by adding lots of love into it. Yes! She handles customers too, who loves her tasty cakes. While interacting with City First, Shruti said, “Baking is not a difficult task for me.” Remember, where there is a will, there’s a way. To learn baking and cooking she never joined any cooking classes and started learning it from

CITY FIRST, RAJASTHAN

M

Shruti Daina Lal

YouTube.

With the guidance of her mother, she has started delivering cakes which she bakes from her home and named it ‘Diana’s Kitchen’.

This Fathers’ Day was full of orders at Diana’s Kitchen.

Don’t wait for the correct time, time won’t say I am correct. You yourself have to analyse the correct time and start from where you stand and work with whatever tools you may have. We should keep our eyes on the stars and try to achieve what we want exactly.

uskaan Foundation for Road Safety and Rajasthan Roadways launched a three days’ workshop on COVID-19, Stress Management and Road Safety on Monday, for the drivers, conductors, mechanics and clerks of the department. The 75 minutes’ workshop was conducted in two shifts covering 70 trainees.

The training will further con-

tinue on 24 and 26 June at Central Sindhi Camp Bus Stand.

Shantanu Bhasin, Managing Trustee of Muskaan said that these workshops were important as they cleared various doubts about COVID-19 in the minds of the drivers going on long journeys carrying large number of people and then coming back to their families.

The detailed session of managing stress and keeping healthy was quite interactive. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

UTTAR PRADESH: Congressmen led by National Secretary, AICC, Vivek Bansal hanged the effigy of Chinese President Jinping at Dharmpur Courtyard, Aligarh on Sunday. During the event, Vivek Bansal shared that people are enraged by the action of China and they will have to bear the consequences of killing our Indian soldiers.

RAJASTHAN: Youth Congress leader Sagar Sharma has been spending time among people at Kekri, Ajmer from the past 17 days. On the 17th day of his tour, he visited various gram panchayats including Siyar, Gulgaon, Khawas, Bharai, Kadera, Pranhera and Bheemdawas where he communicated with people and listened to their problems.

HAPPY B’DAY!

RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of International Yoga Day, Yoga Expert Shwetal Kandhari of Udaipur shared her views on the usefulness and importance of yoga during a live session organised through an online app, which was joined by many people across the country.

UNANIMOUS DECISIONS! Help India State Treasurer, Hemant Khandelwal was unanimously elected as the State Vice President in Rajasthan Shooting Ball Association. Khandelwal was actively involved in the Help India Institute for the last 3 years and was looking after the work of the secretary of Churu district for the past one year. In the special presence of the Shooting Ball Federation of India, General Secretary Rajendra Tomar, Joint Secretary JP Katyan, Election Officer Jitendra Bijawat and Assistant Election Officer Gaurav Saini made a unanimous announcement in the presence of district associations.

—City First, Rajasthan

La Pelicula motion pictures and Dr Ayanjit Sen have come up with the unique concept of cloud short films. Dadasaheb Phalke film festival awardee, BBC award-winning music director and world-famous percussionist Abhishek Basu, has directed and written the screenplay. The film has been nominated at four international film festivals- Bizzarya Film Festival (Portugal), Filmarte Short Film Festival (Portugal), New Normal Short Film Festival (India), International film Di Rivoli (Italy).

Bhadra MLA Balwan Poonia (top) and BJP State media in-charge Vimal Katiyar celebrated their birthdays on 22 June, Monday. We wish them all the best!