23 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

26°C - 43°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 177

INDIA

WORLD

3,35,218 52,26,101 3,707 1,24,073 802 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

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DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

GUJARAT

13,273

CONFIRMED CASES

45 DEAD AS PLANE CRASHES IN KARACHI Karachi: At least 45 people were killed when a Pakistan International Airlines plane with 99 people on board crashed into a densely populated residential area near the Jinnah International Airport here on Friday, officials said, days after the COVID-19-induced travel restrictions were lifted.

Flight PK-8303 from Lahore was about to land in Karachi when it crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir, just a minute before its landing, they said.

The PIA Airbus A320 carrying 91 passengers and eight crew members has crashed landed into the Jinnah housing society located near the airport, a spokesperson of the national carrier said.

Earlier, a PIA spokesperson and many media reports said that there were 107 people on board the aircraft.

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Narendra Modi @narendramodi Deeply saddened by the loss of life due to a plane crash in Pakistan. Our condolences to the families of the deceased, and wishing speedy recovery to those injured.

#CycloneAmphan

Modi visits Bengal and Odisha gives `1,500 cr relief

PM Narendra Modi conducts aerial survey of areas affected due to Cyclone, in Bhubaneswar.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced Rs 1,000 crore relief package for West Bengal and Rs 2 lakh each for the kin of deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured in the destruction caused by cyclone Amphan. He also announced finan-

cial assistance of Rs 500 crore and ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to next of kin of deceased & Rs 50,000 to seriously injured for the affected in Odisha.

PM said all aspects relating to rehabilitation, reconstruction will be addressed and the Centre will always

stand with West Bengal in these testing time.

He heaped praise on CM Mamata Banerjee saying, “Under the leadership of CM Banerjee, West Bengal is doing its bit in fighting the crisis situation caused by cyclone Amphan,” Turn on P6

Bus Politics takes an ugly turn!

Economic package a cruel joke on the country; govt has no exit strategy: Sonia

First India Bureau

She said this while addressing meeting of 22 like-minded political parties via vc

Jaipur: The stand-off between BJP-led UP government and Congress party over buses has now taken an ugly turn with BSP chief Mayawati slamming Rajasthan government for demanding payment of over Rs 36 lakh for transporting students of UP from Kota to Agra and Jhansi, saying, the move shows its “depravity” and “inhumanity”.

There is no love lost between Mayawati and Rajasthan Congress since she has accused the party of poaching her 6 MLAs. Gehlot govt has sent a bill to UP government asking reimbursement for transporting students from Kota to UP. On this issue UP Dy CM Dinesh Sharma said the bill was the reflection of Congress’s doublespeak.

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi came down heavily on the government over the COVID-19 situation in the country on Friday and alleged that it has abandoned any pretence of being democratic and forgotten the spirit of federalism.

Addressing a meeting of 22 Opposition parties convened through video-conferencing to discuss the situation arising out of

Declare cyclone national calamity, demands Oppn

the coronavirus pandemic, she alleged that the government is uncertain about the crite-

AI RESUMES BOOKING OF DOMESTIC FLIGHTS New Delhi: Air India on Friday started booking for domestic flights amid lockdown. “We have started bookings for domestic flights,” said Air India in a statement. It will operate a total of 8,428 flights each week for the next three months from 25 May to 25 August as govt announced resumption of domestic flights.

ria for enforcing lockdowns and has no exit strategy from it.

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‘INDIA HAS ONLY 0.1 MILLION CASES’ New Delhi: In a country of 1.35 billion people, there are only 0.1 million cases of COVID-19, said Union Health and Family Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in his address after taking charge as the chairman of the WHO Executive Board on Friday. P6

New Delhi: Twenty-two Opposition parties urged the Centre on Friday to immediately declare the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan in Odisha and West Bengal as a national calamity and called for helping the two states. They said relief and rehabilitation should be the topmost priority at this juncture.

COVID-19 IMPACT: RBI CUTS KEY INTEREST RATES Mumbai: RBI on Friday reduced repo rate by 40 basis points to 4% and extended loan repayment moratorium for another three months up to August 31. As a result, the reverse repo rate stands at 3.35%, said RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. The monetary policy committee voted 5:1 in favour of the decision.

Guj sees 363 cases, 29 deaths and 392 discharged in 24 hrs  6,410 samples, the highest in a single day so far, were tested on Friday  Tally up to 13,273 cases with 802 dead and 5,880 discharged

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In ostrich fashion, the state health department seems to be burying its head in the sand when it comes to facing reality in the COVID-19 crisis. Since of late, it has been choosing to focus on what it calls the recovery rate, which is in fact merely a rate of discharge, even as it ignores the rising case numbers in districts like Surendranagar, Sabarkantha, and Junagadh.

The sole piece of good news is that sample testing seems to be on the

MORE VENTILATORS COULD HAVE SAVED MORE LIVES: CIVIL SUPERINTENDENT Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr MM Prabhakar in an interview on a local television channel admitted that the dedicated 1200-bed COVID-19 hospital had only 180 ventilators, and said they could have saved more lives if they had more ventilators. The state information press release states that the hospital has 212 ICU beds with ventilators. Dr Prabhakar added that the hospital has demanded more ventilators since 80% of patients prefer civil hospitals across the state.

Police and BSF jawans check and sanitize each person entering and exiting Ahmedabad’s red zone area of Jamalpur.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

rise again, with 6,410 samples—the highest in a single day so far—being tested on Friday.

The state has a total of 13,273 cases, of which 363 cases were reported in the

last 24 hours. Twenty-nine patients died bringing the state’s toll to 802. As many as 392 people were discharged bringing the state’s total to 5,880 discharges so far.

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NEWS AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

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GUJARAT: CONG, BJP HUFF & PUFF OVER DHAMAN-1 VENTILATORS

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

—Pic for representational purpose only

Ahmedabad: Even as the “inept” handling of the Covid-19 crisis has drawn considerable criticism for the Gujarat Government, the controversy over the alleged failure of the ‘Make In India’ Dhaman-1 ventilators seems to be proving the swan song of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

The Opposition Congress, that has often been proved too docile to take on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-guided State Government, is now going hammer and tongs against the present BJP dispensation in Gujarat. And is finding a resonance too.

The Congress has now made a serious allegation that the Gujarat

Government was “playing with the lives of coronavirus patients to promote ‘Dhaman-1’ ventilators made by a firm allegedly “owned by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s friend.”

Obviously put on the back foot, the BJP has dubbed the Congress’ allegations as baseless and said the opposition party was maligning the image of a local manufacturer after continuously defend to install the ventilators.

The government has also claimed that the machines were as good as any other ventilator and that it has been certified by a centrally accredited laboratory.

Rajkot-based firm Jyoti CNC developed Dhaman-1 brand of ventila-

G’nagar adopted strategy of contact tracing through nodal officers Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: The COVID-19 outbreak in the state has presented an enormous challenge to the government. In order to combat the deadly virus, all district collectors have been trying innovative methods to control its spread in their respective districts.

The Gandhinagar district collector Kuldeep Arya has adopted a strategy under which a nodal officer was appointed for each positive case reported. The responsibilities of the nodal officer assigned to a case involved tracing

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s government has again clarified that the odd-and-even system is meant only for shops and commercial establishments not dealing with essential commodities. Shops selling essential goods can open all seven days. Similarly, the government has issued circular stating that petrol pumps situated on highways can function around the clock; the fixed timing is only for petrol pumps situated within city limits.

and tracking down each person who had come in contact with a SarsCoV-2 positive case.

Elaborating on his plan of action, Gandhinagar district collector Kuldeep Arya told First India, “We primarily focused on contact tracing and appointed nodal officers to handle each case. Then, we worked on building adequate capacity in hospitals to tackle the outbreak,” he said.

Gandhinagar district collector Kuldeep Arya

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel launched Dhaman-1 in April.

—FILE PHOTO

tors and donated 866 of them to the government in April at a time when there was an acute shortage of these machines following the coronavirus outbreak. This is one of the explanations -- or defence -- that is being continuously provided

by Principal Secretary, Health, Jayanti Ravi.

The Gujarat unit of

the Congress, however, has termed these explanations as too weak and alleged that owner of Jyoti CNC, Parakramsinh Jadeja, is “Rupani’s friend” and so the government is going out of the way to defend this procurement.

“Dhaman-1 is not a ventilator at all. It’s just

a mechanized ambu bag to supply oxygen to the body. We are not against any company. But we firmly believe that these so-called ventilators were procured just to promote a company owned by the CM’s friend,” alleged Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi.

Doshi has pointedly asked the State Government to disclose how many patients were put on Dhaman-1 support and how many of them died.

The entire controversy was sparked off after the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, in a letter to the government, sought more advanced ventilators claiming that Dhaman-1 was unable to serve the purpose.

The BJP tried to take shelter under the claim that even HLL Life Care, a central PSU, has placed an order to procure 5,000 Dhaman-1. But inquiries by First India with HLL have revealed that this may not be true since the company has denied this (First India, May 21, 2020).

But the BJP continues to defend it. “We condemn Congress’ attempt to malign the reputation of a local manufacturer and donor. Congress must clarify whether they are against the concept of `Vocal For Local’.

This ventilator has received approval from three different testing entities,” said Gujarat BJP Spokesperson Bharat Pandya.

State finances bleeding? More than 13K crore revenue lost First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: The lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the state has not only adversely affected the health of citizens but also the state treasury.

The state has lodged an average loss of income to the tune of around Rs6,500 to 7,000 crore per month which means it has lost Rs13,000 to Rs14,000 crore in the last two months, excluding the VAT income usually garnered by the treasury.

With the state in a tight spot, relaxations in the lockdown have kicked off the economy but, it may take another month or two for the state to recover from the monetary blow.

By the time that happens,

1,631,838 97,019 RUSSIA 326,448 3,249 SPAIN 280,117 27,940 BRAZIL 314,769 20,267 UK 254,195 36,393 ITALY 228,658 32,616 FRANCE 181,826 28,215 GERMANY 179,410 8,325 TURKEY 154,500 4,276 IRAN 131,652 7,300 CANADA 81,767 6,180 S ARABIA 67,719 364 BELGIUM 56,511 9,212 MEXICO 59,567 6,510 CHILE 61,857 630

Border Security Force (BSF) personnel pass closed down shops while on patrol during lockdown in Danilimda area of Ahmedabad.

income loss may increase to a limit that forces the government to cut back on fund allocations for a few development projects in order to maintain the grants for health, education, food supply, water supply and agriculture.

The 2019-20 revised budget estimated for the revenue receipt was Rs14,9827.45 crore and

against that, the state had expected a revenue receipt of Rs16,2447.46 crore in the current financial year. An expenditure plan of Rs16,1658.07 crore was formed by the state on the basis of these revenue receipts.

When the state announced its intention to pay the salaries and pen-

sions of all government employees for the month of April on time earlier this month, the finance department had sprung into action calculating how much the government will have to shell out for the salaries and pensions for the month of May. Why was this question on its mind remains a mystery because, all trade and industries have been at a standstill since the lockdown on March 24.

Taking into account the state’s income of Rs6,873 crore in April 2019 (CGST/ SGST/IGST/Cess and Rs6,606 crore in May 2019, the state earned just a few hundred crores in April and May 2020. One of its major income resources, petrol and diesel did not generate money with sales dropping to just five percent in the month of April.

LAST UPDATED: MAY 22, 2020, 11:30 PM

IN GUJARAT DISTRICT

CM Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel taking a —FILE PHOTO meeting with officers via video conference.

Minister, Ashwani Kumar said here that APL (Above Poverty

Level)-1 cardholders in Ahmedabad are being given free rations

May. So far, 45 lakh families have benefited from the scheme. There are 68.80 lakh NFSA, Antyodaya and BPL cardholders in Gujarat. In April, around 3.25 crore people benefited from the free ration programme.

Kumar also said that, as of Thursday night, 699 trains had left from the state carrying 10.50 lakh migrant workers to their

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

9724 771 SURAT 1256 RAJKOT 83 BHAVNAGAR 114 ANAND 87 BHARUCH 37 GANDHINAGAR 201 PATAN 68 PANCHMANHAL 71 BANASKANTHA 99 NARMADA 13 CHOTA UDEPUR 22 KUTCH 64 MAHESANA 95 BOTAD 53 DAHOD 32 PORBANDAR 5 JAMNAGAR 46 MORBI 2 SABARKANTHA 63 ARAVALLI 93 MAHISAGAR 77 KHEDA 57 GIR SOMNATH 38 VALSAD 18 TAPI 3 NAVSARI 14 DANG 2 SURENDRANAGAR 21 DWARKA 12 JUNAGADH 18 AMRELI 2 OTHER STATES 5 TOTAL 13273 AHMEDABAD

VADODARA

SAMPLE RECEIVED SAMPLE NEGATIVE

645 35 57 2 8 9 3 10 4 6 4 0 0 1 4 1 0 0 2 0 3 3 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 802

26 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 29

1,72,562 1,59,289

UNDER EXAMINATION

0

APL-1 CARDHOLDERS IN A’BAD BEING GIVEN FREE RATIONS AT 750 FAIR PRICE SHOPS at 750 Fair Price Shops. Most of the 4.50 lakh APL-1 cardholders have benefited from the free ration programme, and the remaining will be covered by Saturday evening.

In the rest of the state, cardholders under NFSA (National Food Safety Act) are being given free rations for

+665 +150 — +185 +351 +130 — +16 +27 +51 +28 +13 +26 +420 +41

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO

Highway petrol pumps can function 24/7, no odd and even system for essential shops The state government’s clarifications are aimed at dispelling confusion, since many traders dealing in groceries and other essential goods were under the impression that they have to stay shut every alternate day.

Meanwhile, Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary to the Chief

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

USA

The Dhaman-1 controversy has come as a challenge to the Rupani Government’s clean image Darshan Desai

02

home states. By late Friday night, 55 more trains left the state with another 85,000 workers.

The state government is also increasing the number of beds it has available for patients of COVID-19 in Ahmedabad.

There will now be 1,906 beds in Medicity-as the Civil Hospital campus is officially

called--alone. This includes 1200 at the dedicated COVID-19 hospital, 262 at the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, 216 at the IKDRC (Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre) hospital and 228 at UN Mehta Hospital. There are 212 ICU beds with ventilators and multipara monitors at the dedicated COVID-19 facility. Around 336 beds have oxygen facilities, and the hospital has 96 dialysis units. As many as 612 assistant doctors and interns are serving at these hospitals around the clock.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

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GMSCL N95 mask price cap merely a suggestion for AMC Civic body ignores `49.61 ceiling, allows Amul parlours to sell them at `65 each Gargi Raval

NO REVISION

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Medical Services Corporation Limited (GMSCL) in a circular issued on March 30 had declared that the maximum selling price of the N95 mask would be Rs49.61.

However, in a curious move, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has ignored the GMSCL notification and granted permission to Amul parlours to charge Rs65 per mask.

“With the number of COVID-19 cases out of control, people are being left to fend for themselves. Since it is mandatory to wear masks in public, AMC gave permission to Amul parlours to sell N95 masks at an escalated price,

A man buys a mask at an Amul parlour in Ahmedabad.

way beyond the limit set by GMSCL. This is an open attempt at loot by the government,” said Manish Doshi, chief spokesperson of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee.

“The government is thinking of profit

even in such perilous times. There are many people who cannot afford to buy masks. The government must rationalize prices at this time. The entire system has spent crores of rupees without

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

tenders as the pandemic is an emergency,,” he added.

Nishit Vyas, general secretary of Gujarat Congress told First India, “There are many companies which have been manufacturing N95 masks since March.

But they are now available at competitive prices. Why is the government not revising the prices? This scam is just the tip of the iceberg. Are they fighting against the virus or promoting corruption?” questioned Vyas.

03

In ‘testing’ error, SVP discharges +ve patient Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: Blunders will never cease, it seems, at COVID-19 hospitals. After the Civil Hospital’s late admission gaffe, now Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital has come under scanner for negligence, when one of the admitted patients was discharged by hospital staff claiming that he had tested negative for novel coronavirus.

Vastral resident Harsh Asrani had tested positive for COVID-19 after his sample was taken on May 16.

Three days later, he was taken to the Civil Hospital for treatment.

“After my report came out positive, they said that all my family members had tested negative, except my father. He was admitted to the hospital on May 19 and discharged on May 21 when his report

Medical staff at SVP Hospital’s COVID-19 ward.

came back negative. A few hours later, at around midnight, he was called again and the hospital authorities informed him that he had tested positive.

Now, my whole family is in the hospital,” said Asrani.

According to Asrani’s claims, the hospital is chaotic and lacks proper management.

Meanwhile, officer on special duty Rajiv Gupta on Friday claimed that local civic body Ahmedabad Municipal Corpora-

—FILE PHOTO

tion (AMC) had achieved 38.1% percent rate of discharge on May 21, which was a jump from the 15.38% clocked on May 5. It is to be noted that former AMC commissioner Vijay Nehra went on leave on May 5. Two days later, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) revised the discharge policy of COVID-19 patients by granting discharge to asymptomatic patients without tests.

Politicos campaign for COVID-19 awareness

Locusts return, attack 31 Private hospital treatment for city cops villages in 9 districts of state

First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: Over the last few days, crops in 31 villages of 12 talukas in nine districts of the state have been affected by swarms of locusts.

These species of shorthorned grasshoppers have spread from North Gujarat to South Gujarat and Saurashtra regions. According to the state agriculture de-

Surat: In a campaign aimed at creating awareness about novel coronavirus in the City Light area of Surat, various politicians took to the streets and urged citizens to follow all guidelines set by the government.

The group of politicians included Member of Parliament (MP) CR Patil and MLA Harsh Sanghvi who marched with banners in hand and asked people to wash hands frequently, practice social distancing and not venture out needlessly.

The campaign, which started with police bandobast, saw Sanghavi urging people to cooperate with authorities and stay safe. MP Patil roped in a few shop owners and people on the streets into the campaign drive by presenting them with banners on COVID-19 and precautions to take to prevent infection. He also asked shopkeepers to wear masks at all times and keep sanitizing liquid at their shops for customers.

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

partment, disinfection work on lands affected by them has already commenced.

State agriculture minister RC Faldu said, “Locusts have hit Banaskantha, Patan, Kutch, Morbi, Surendranagar, Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Amreli.”

Around 150 to 2,000 hectares of agricultural area has been affected but, crops have not

MOBILE COVERAGE

been damaged on a large scale.

Faldu also assured farmers by stating that 276 teams have been deployed in the field for survey and disinfection. So far, 9,925 hectares of area has already been surveyed and locusts have been spotted on 190 hectares of land. The authorities have sprayed 173 kilo litres of insecticide across on 112 hectares.

Ahmedabad: City police personnel infected with Sars-CoV-2 will now be treated at private hospitals, with bills being borne by the department.

The move lends considerable weight to the complaints from the common man regarding the quality of healthcare being provided at the Civil Hospital.

When Ahmedabad traffic head constable Vishnuraj Chauhan ap-

—PHOT BY NANDAN DAVE

As many as 280 police personnel have been infected with COVID-19 in the line of duty in Ahmedabad.

—FILE PHOTO

proached SVP hospital on May 12, he was told to check with the Civil Hospital, since SVP was full.

BJMC interns allege senior doctors missing from action First India Bureau

A man rides a two-wheeler set up with a temporary shield to protect himself from the summer sun in Ahmedabad.

He was not tested despite presenting with COVID-19 symptoms.

Eventually, paid a private lab Rs4,500 to run

his samples, and tested positive. Even after this, it took considerable pressure from above for him to be admitted to the Civil Hospital and begin being treated.

City Control Room DCP Vijay Patel told the media that personnel in the eastern part of Ahmedabad will be treated at Shalby Hospital. They are in talks with a number of hospitals in the western part of the city.

Ahmedabad: Medical interns at BJ Medical College (BJMC) have accused their seniors of shirking duties, leaving them overburdened in a series of tweets. They say senior doctors have not been discharging their duties in the COVID-19 ward, leaving intern doctors alone to treat infected patients, and thus overburdened and exposed.

The tweets came from handle @bjmcinterns, which appears to have been created espe-

OVERTIRED

cially for the complaints.

One intern wrote, “We have often become victims of the frustration of senior doctors.”

The tweets also cover the need for justifi-

able work distribution among healthcare workers and say that intricate procedures needing special skills should be the responsibility of qualified doctors.

The interns point out that since they lack expertise, trainee doctors should only work as assistants in all procedures.

Additionally, BJMC interns also requested that all interns from colleges not equipped with COVID-19 wards be deputed at the 1,200bed dedicated hospital.

LOCKDOWN WOES

South Gujarat farmers worry King of Fruits will bring losses 

This year, the harvest has fallen to 30-35%, leaving more that 90 million kg of fruit on the trees and farmers expecting losses of approximately Rs15 crore

Tanvi Sharma Surat: It is referred to as the king of fruits but, mango has also not been left out from the effects of the lockdown. In fact, more than 10,000 farmers in South Gujarat face the possibility of losing crores in revenue this year.

“Surat APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee, which sold 19 crore kilograms of mangoes in the year

2019, has sold only 60 lakh kilograms of mangoes after the lockdown was imposed in March this year,” said Committee chairman Raman Jani.

Traders who sold millions of quintals of mangoes every year during the summer from March 20 to April 31, which amounts to 50 days, fear the worst in wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. With around 10 tonnes of mangoes being exported from Su-

rat every year, traders are worried that it will be impossible for them to send any of their produce abroad this year.

According to farmers, 60-70% of the mango crop was harvested last year while, this year the harvest has dropped to 30-35%. With over 90 million kilograms of mangoes hanging in the orchards, a minimum loss of approximately Rs15 crore is expected by farmers this year.

APMC secretary Nilesh Thorat said, “In 2019, over 1,89,941 quintals of mangoes were sold from APMCs across the state and 6-10 tonnes were exported overseas.

Despite a lull due to the lockdown, sales have started looking up since May 10, which has placated the farmers a bit.”

He added, “Farmers in South Gujarat stand to lose at least Rs10-15 crore income.”

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

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STRATEGISING BUSINESS AMIDST CORONA CRISIS

IN-DEPTH

BATTERED BENGAL NEEDS MONEY SANS POLITICS

DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THE STORIES OF ‘PANCHTANTRA’ ALOK GUPTA

F

or a state battling Covid-19 pandemic, Cyclone Ampham couldn’t have landed at a worse time. In the aftermath of devastation caused

by Ampham, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the loss of property could be to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore. For a state already reeling under a financial crisis due to lockdown, the loss will indeed be staggering. She described the havoc wreaked by the cyclone as “I have not seen such devastation in my life”.

Here were two natural calamities requiring different responses. To avoid Covid-19 one is supposed to wear masks and maintain social distance of six feet with one another. But when a cyclone is barrelling through with all its force, wearing mask and keeping distance become irrelevant as saving lives and property becomes the number one priority. Thanks to Sunderbans which lay in the path of the storm, major cities were saved far greater destruction. Authorities were now rushing relief to areas already hit by coronavirus.

What was good about the latest natural calamity was that bitterness between Kolkata and New Delhi has been kept aside for the time being. PM Modi undertook an aerial survey along with Mamata Banerjee. He announced an interim financial aid of Rs 1000 crore for relief and rehabilitation. He later held meetings with officials to discuss the situation.

The PM said in Basirhat, “Rs 1000 crore advance assistance will be given to West Bengal.

All aspects relating to rehabilitation and reconstruction will be addressed. We all want West Bengal to move ahead. The Centre will always stand with West Bengal in these testing times. We will work together to ensure that Bengal stands on its feet again.”

On PM’s financial aid Banerjee was guarded. She told journalists, “He (PM Modi) announced Rs 1,000 crore but did not clarify if it will be advance or package. He said he’ll decide later on but he said it may be advance also. In this hour of crisis, we all must work together.”

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar who is always at loggerheads with the chief minister, tweeted, “Super cyclone #Amphan has caused unprecedented havoc and disaster. People suffering is unimaginable. Urge all including NGOs to swing into action to provide relief to the needy. Am awaiting report @MamataOfficialso (sic) that all other steps @PMOIndia may be urgently taken.”

Mamata Banerjee has been complaining about lack of financial help from the Centre to fight Covid-19. “We have not received any financial help to fight the Covid-19 pandemic till date,” she said after Amphan left a trail of destruction. The centre and state will make separate assessments of the damage done by the cyclone to decide on the exact quantum of financial aid for the state. Hopefully, the two can keep politics aside in people’s interests.

The writer is President of the Estate Agents Association of India, Central Zone One

I

n this period of Lockdown, I got the chance to read again the stories of ‘Panchtantra’ which we all must have read or heard at least once in our childhood. The stories which were written in the 3rd Century BC are relevant in today’s time that it gives the feeling as if the stories have been written just today. Having crossed my childhood, adulthood and a part of my professional life too, I find the stories not only relevant to our personal lives but also to our corporate strategies. I have listed down some of the stories in brief which are most relevant to draw inspiration from and can be read to form the marketing and business strategies, especially amidst the corona crisis.

MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE

You cannot change reality.

In the zeal to take control of the market, it is common for the companies to over project their products.

Once the reality is exposed, not only they lose their new customers but also it leads to the cancellation of some existing orders

There lived a monkey on an apple tree by the side of a river in which lived a crocodile. They become friends. Monkey used to fetch the crocodile sweet apples every day, in turn, the crocodile used to take the monkey for a ride of the river. One day, while on the river tour with the monkey, the crocodile desires to take out the monkey’s heart. Hearing this monkey doesn’t panic and cooly responds that he has forgotten his heart at home on the tree.

Lesson learnt: One, in your difficult times, do not panic, remain calm and patient and tackle the situation with a solution. Two, be careful in choosing your channel partners. A lesson is learnt from the crocodile too that we shouldn’t get complacent and shouldn’t start celebrating until the target is achieved.

THE BLUE JACKAL A hungry jackal wandering in a jungle is chased by a group of dogs. The jackal falls into a tub of blue dye and becomes unrecognisable. He starts projecting himself as a representative of the god and tries to rule over

the dogs. The jackal’s false cover is blown in the rain and the dogs eventually kill him.

Lesson learnt: You cannot change reality. In the zeal to take control of the market, it is common for the companies to over project their products. Once the reality is exposed, not only they lose their new customers but also it leads to the cancellation of some existing orders.

We should not leave our fellow industry colleagues in difficult times. The government is likely to announce some industry-specific packages to counter the damage caused by the corona crisis

THE BRAHMIN AND THE THREE THIEVES A brahmin once gets a goat as his fees for conducting a ritual.

On his way home, he comes across a gang of three thieves, who turn by turn make him believe that what he has got is not a goat. The first thief makes him believe that the goat he is carrying is not a goat but a snake, the second thief makes him believe that the goat the brahmin is taking along with him is a dead cat and the third one makes him believe that the brahmin is carrying some wild plant on his shoulders. The brahmin, believing them, gets scared and abandons the goat which then the thieves relish on.

Lesson learnt: A lot of times, you are pulled down by others which makes you feel that your product is worthless. Quite a lot of ‘Start-Ups” abandon their projects or sell it to their rival competitors for peanuts falling prey to the

advises that their projects have no value, that they will not sustain in the market, that what they have incepted is not suitable for the current market etc.

PIGEONS CAUGHT IN A HUNTER’S NET Once a flock of pigeons gets caught in a net by a hunter. They, instead of fighting the problem individually and instead of trying to pull the net in their own directions decide to fly all together along with the net to

Learning the lessons of coronavirus pandemic

A

mong its many other effects, the COVID-19 crisis has intensified the preexisting geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. This tension has led many to warn of the “Thucydides trap,” a term coined by Harvard’s Graham T. Allison to refer to the heightened risk of conflict when an emerging power threatens to displace an established one.

Allison’s theory takes its name from the ancient Greek historian Thucydides’ chronicle of the Peloponnesian War, in which Sparta defeated the rising city-state of Athens.

One important detail of this historical touchstone has passed largely unnoticed, however, even amid the ongoing pandemic: the determining factor in

04

Sparta’s victory was a plague that killed about one-third of Athens’s population, including Pericles, the city’s leader.

Before COVID-19, however, Western societies had largely forgotten how much structural harm a disease can cause – even though cholera and malaria epidemics are currently ravaging the poorest parts of the world, and global AIDS and swine flu pandemics have killed many in recent decades.

Scientists had been warning us for years of an imminent pandemic of a respiratory virus equal in severity to the 1918-19 flu, yet we were insufficiently prepared to contain the spread of the new coronavirus. That was mainly due to the initial heedlessness shown by leaders in advanced economies, com-

The challenge is even greater in middle- or lowincome countries, owing to their fiscal capacity, large informal economies

bined with developing countries’ chronic vulnerability, which overshadows their greater experience in managing epidemics.

Although the coronavirus is having an impact across the board, owing to its virulence and the virtually unprecedented shutdown of much of the global economy, it is undoubtedly aggravating

pre-existing social inequalities within and among countries.

Every day, health workers and others with essential jobs risk infection, often without adequate protection, and for wages that do not reflect the fundamental value of their effort. Likewise, many sectors particularly affected by economic lockdowns face an uncertain future.

And the challenge is even greater in middle- or lowincome countries, owing to their meager fiscal capacity, large informal economies, precarious health-care systems, and deficient sanitation.

For all of these reasons, the severity of the current circumstances compels us to redesign our social contracts. In developed countries, where neglect of the real economy has allowed

inequalities to erode social cohesion, the most urgent priority is to protect workers in essential sectors adequately and compensate them materially – and not just with applause, albeit well-deserved – for their contribution to our wellbeing. In order to ensure a broad-based economic recovery, we must provide a minimum safety net for all those who have lost their jobs because of COVID-19.

Nor, of course, can less prosperous countries be forgotten. That means alleviating their debt burden, helping them to obtain medicines and medical supplies on equal terms, and guaranteeing their access to a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATE.COM

reach their friend, a mouse who cuts the net for them all.

Lesson learnt: We should not leave our fellow industry colleagues in difficult times.

The government is likely to announce some industryspecific packages to counter the damage caused by corona crisis. If the industry is united and raises its common, larger concerns in unison then only will it catch the eye of lawmakers.

THE RABBIT WHO KILLS THE LION This is one of the very wellknown stories of the ‘Panchtantra’ tales wherein a rabbit who is sent as the lion’s prey. He takes the lion to a well and shows him his image in the water and makes him hear his own roar echo through the well making him believe that there exists another lion like him. The lion jumps in the well to kill the other lion who never was.

Lesson learnt: We must focus on the solution rather than getting nervous with the problem. Big players in the market try to dictate their rules. But, if they are tackled well and shown the mirror that they too are vulnerable to failures and can be overtaken by a small player with a good idea, they too can be countered.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Our Odia people have been dauntless in the face of danger and possess an undaunted resolve to tide over crisis. PM @narendramodi ji’s govt. is committed to address all aspects related to the rehabilitation and reconstruction to ensure Odisha emerges stronger.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal The regulatory and policy announcements by RBI will help ease financial stress and preserve financial stability.

These include extension of the moratorium on loan EMIs upto August 31, 2020, increase in export credit limit and extension of time for payment on imports.

Spiritual SPEAK

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

Vol 1 Issue No. 177 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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

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CYCLONE AMPHAN

Kejri extends support to Mamata & Patnaik New Delhi: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal extended support to his counterparts in West Bengal and Odisha, Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik respectively, in the wake of the destruction caused by cyclone Amphan.

“Dear Mamata Banerjee didi, on behalf of the people of Delhi, I extend our full support and solidarity with you and the people of West Bengal in the wake of the destruction caused by cyclone Amphan. Kindly let us know if we could help in any manner in this hour of crisis,” Kejriwal tweeted.

In another post, he wrote, “Dear Naveen Patnaik, on behalf of people of Delhi, I extend our full support with you and the people of Odisha in the wake of the destruction caused by cyclone Amphan.

Kindly let us know if we could help in any manner in this hour of crisis.” Patnaik also spoke to Banerjee and offered to give all possible support to Bengal in view of damage caused by cyclone Amphan. —ANI

CM MAMATA THANKS PREZ NATH KOVIND FOR SUPPORT

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in conversation with Guv Jagdeep Dhankhar before receiving PM Narendra Modi at Kolkata Airport.

Dear Mamata Banerjee didi, on behalf of the people of Delhi, I extend our full support and solidarity with you and the people of West Bengal in the wake of the destruction caused by cyclone Amphan.

Kindly let us know if we could help in any manner in this hour of crisis.

The widespread devastation caused by cyclone Amphan in West Bengal and Odisha is disturbing.

My condolences to the families of those who have perished and I pray the injured make a speedy recovery. I offer my support to the brave people of these two states in this time of crisis.”

—Arvind Kejriwal,

—Rahul Gandhi,

Delhi CM

Congress Leader

RBI’S MOVE TO CUT REPO RATE

It will boost demand amid COVID-19: Goyal New Delhi: Union Minister Piyush Goyal welcomed the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) move to cut repo rate and reducing the reverse repo rate saying that it will boost demand amid COVID-19 by extending affordable credit to MSMEs and other businesses.

The RBI slashed the repo rate by 40 basis points to 4 % & extended loan repayment moratorium for another three months up to August 31. The reverse repo rate stands at 3.35%.

Repo rate is the rate at which a country’s central bank lends money to commercial banks, and the reverse repo rate is the rate at which it borrows from them. This comes as the country has been under lockdown for nearly two months to prevent the spread of coronavirus. —ANI

RESERVED TICKETS New Delhi: Railways opened its reservation counters for booking & cancellation of reserved tickets. “From today booking/cancellation of reserved tickets shall also be available at Post Offices, Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra licensees & through authorised agents of IRCTC along with Passenger Reservation System counters of reservation centres& Common Service Centers.”

INDIA POST OFFICE RESUMES BOOKING FOR INT’L SPEED POST New Delhi: India Post Office has resumed booking for international speed post to 15 countries and international tracked packet services to already available destinations amid the lockdown, said Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. While delivery timelines will depend on aviation services, the booking for other inter-

national parcel and letters remain suspended. “India Post Office resumes booking for International Speed Post to 15 countries & Int’l Tracked Packet Services to available destinations. Delivery timelines will depend on aviation services. Booking for other Int’l Parcel and Letters remain suspended,” Prasad tweeted.

“Welcome @RBI’s move to cut Repo Rate by 40 basis points from 4.4 % to 4% and reducing Reverse Repo Rate to 3.35%.

This will boost demand amid COVID-19 by extending affordable credit to MSMEs & other businesses, helping realise PM @NarendraModi ji’s vision of #AatmaNirbharBharat,” —Piyush Goyal, Railways Minister

Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expressed her gratitude to President Ram Nath Kovind for personally calling her to convey support amid the crisis in the state due to cyclone Amphan. Taking to Twitter, Banerjee wrote, “I sincerely thank the President Ram Nath Kovind Ji, for personally calling me to convey his support and concerns for the people of Bengal in this unprecedented time of crisis because of Amphan Cyclone. We are extremely grateful.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday conducted an aerial survey of areas affected by cyclone Amphan in West Bengal.

The PM was accompanied by Mamata Banerjee. The senior leaders were seen wearing masks as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. —ANI

IN THE COURTYARD

Compensation for workers:Plea in SC Artefacts at temple site validate faith: Ayodhya saints Ayodhya/Lucknow: The ‘’unearthing’’ of ancient religious artefacts from the Ram temple site in Ayodhya is being seen as a ‘’validation of the faith of millions of Hindus who believe that Ram was born here’’ by the saints in Ayodhya.

Acharya Satyendra Das, chief priest of the Ram temple, said, “The recovery of these items should be a lesson for those who had been denying that the mosque was built after demolishing the temple.”

Mahant Raju Das of the Hanuman Garhi temple said that the idols and artefacts found during the levelling of the temple site further underlined the court verdict which accepted that the temple existed here. “There should be no room for any doubt now,” the Mahant of the temple added expressing his views. —Agencies

Bomb threat against Yogi, police files FIR Lucknow: Police have registered an FIR after receiving a WhatsApp m e s s a g e threatening to kill UP CM Yogi Adityanath.The sender used objectionable language against Adityanath in the message sent on police headquarter’’s WhatsApp

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number, calling him a threat to particular community, a senior police officer said.

The unknown sender threatened to blow him up with a bomb. Senior officers were informed when the message was received around Thursday midnight. —PTI

New Delhi: A petition was filed in SCseeking directions to Central government and other authorities concerned to pay compensation to the family of all the migrant workers who died, or were injured during the lockdown.

The petition, filed by advocate Reepak Kansal, sought directions to the respond-

ents - concerned Authorities/ Department/ Governments to build up coordina-

HC DECLINES CONVICTION OF FORMER J’KHAND CM KODA New Delhi: Delhi HC declined to stay the conviction of former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda in a coal scam saying it will not be apt to facilitate him to contest polls for any public office, till he is finally acquitted. Justice Vibhu Bakhru said the wider opinion was that persons charged with crimes ought to be disqualified from contesting elections to public offices and therefore, it would not be apt to stay Koda’s conviction to overcome the disqualification incurred by him. —PTI

SUSPENSION OF FUNCTIONING OF HC EXTENDED TILL MAY 31 New Delhi: In view of fourth phase of COVID-19 lockdown, Delhi HC has further suspended the functioning of all subordinate courts and district court of Delhi till May 31.

Earlier the HC had suspended the functioning till May 23. It further ordered that the matters listed in the subordinate courts from May 26 to May 30 be adjourned en bloc. —ANI

tion & ensure health facilities to injured migrants worker at their respective place.

“The SC should also pass appropriate order directing the respondent to save migrants labourers from atrocities of police/security agencies during this nationwide COVID lockdown crisis,” it said. —ANI

‘Think of Permanent passes to journos’ New Delhi: Delhi HC has advised RS Media Advisory Committee to consider giving permanent passes to freelance journalists for the coverage of the parliamentary proceedings.

Justice Navin Chawla observed: “As noted here in above, there is no challenge to the decision of MAC taken in its meeting on 19.11.2011.

Therefore, this Court refrains itself from proceeding further with such consideration. However, it would be advisable for respondents to revisit its Guidelines for issuance of passes keeping in view Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.” —ANI

BHIMA KOREGAON CASE

Navlakha moves bail plea in HC New Delhi: Activist Gautam Navlakha, who is facing a probe by the NIA for his role in Bhima Koregaon violence case, moved Delhi HC seeking interim bail on medical grounds. The petition, filed through advocate Warisha Farasat, was heard by a bench of Justice Anup Jairam Bambani today. Navlakha is currently lodged in Delhi’s Tihar jail.

Navlakha, in his petition, said that he is a senior citizen suffering from colonic polyposis, chronic gastritis

and lactose intolerance and has recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure by the doctor at Safdarjung Hospital, which increases risk of his morbidity. Bail application said that Navlakha, who is 67-yrsold, is particularly vulnerable to catching any infections, especially in a crowded environment like prison.

Fadnavis, others stage ‘Sarkar Jagao’ protest Mumbai: Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders staged a ‘Sarkar Jagao’ demonstration outside their party office, demanding the state government to announce a Rs 50,000-crore package for farmers, labourers and workers of the unorganised sector.

“We have started the ‘Save Maharashtra’ campaign as it is the worst hit COVID-19 state. This campaign is not ‘Sarkar Bhagao An-

COLOUR-CODED MASK RULE IN SOUTHERN NAVAL COMMAND New Delhi: The Kochi-based Southern Naval Command of Indian Navy has asked its personnel to use colour-coded coronavirus masks that match their uniforms. The rule had to be implemented as personnel were wearing colourful masks in units and ships. They’ve been asked to put on white masks with white uniforms, and black or navy blue masks with other ceremonial uniforms, officials said. Defence Security Corps and fire services personnel wearing khakhi uniforms have been asked to wear khakhi masks.

Devendra Fadnavis along with party leaders holds placards as they demonstrate at party office in Mumbai.

dolan’, but ‘Sarkar Jagao Andolan’ he said.

Speaking about condition of farmers, he said: “Farmers are in dis-

tress. Kharif season is starting. Framers do not have money. The government should announce Rs 50,000 crore

AIR I NDIA RESUMES BOOKING FOR DOMESTIC FLIGHTS IN LOCKDOWN New Delhi: Air India started booking for domestic flights amid COVID-19 lockdown. “We have started bookings for domestic flights,” said Air India. The airlines will operate a total of 8,428 flights each week for the next three months from May 25 to August 25 as the Central government has announced the resumption of domestic

flights. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that minimum & maximum fare for three months has been set for domestic flight services, which resume from May 25. In case of Delhi, Mumbai, minimum fare would be Rs 3,500 for a journey between 90-120 minutes.

The maximum fare would be Rs 10,000.

package for those who work in villages and in unorganised sectors.”

Claiming that Uddhav Thackeray-led gov-

ernment in Maharashtra has failed on all fronts, he said: “Patients are not getting ambulances on time.

They die after sitting for 8 hours on roads, no food is available in quarantine centres and no beds in hospitals. Private hospitals are charging in lakhs and poor cannot afford treatment expenses. The government did not acquire any private hospitals even after announcing their acquisition.” —ANI

AFTER ANTI-PIRACY OPS, INS SUNAYNA RETURNS TO KOCHI Kochi: INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, has returned to Kochi after being deployed for 80-day anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden without entering any port.She was fuelled and provided supplies by the US and Indian Navy tankers during the period, Defence PRO, Kochi said. INS Sunayna, the second Saryu-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy, was designed and constructed indigenously by the Goa Shipyard Limited to undertake fleet support operations, coastal and offshore patrolling,

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‘India has only 0.1 million cases’ There are a total of 1,18,447 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, says Health Ministry New Delhi: In a country of 1.35 billion people, there are only 0.1 million cases of COVID-19, said Union Health and Family Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan.

“Today we have a mortality of 3 % only.

In a country of 1.35 billion, there are only 0.1 million cases of COVID19,” said Dr Vardhan in his address after taking charge as chairman of the WHO’s Executive Board. “India faced COVID-19 in a proactive and pre-emptive way, with unmatched scale and determination. The recovery rate is above 40and doubling rate is 13 days,” he added.

“I am aware I am entering this office at a time of global crisis on account of this pandemic. At a time, when we all understand that there will be many health challenges in the next two decades. All these challenges demand a shared response,” he said.

Dr Vardhan took up the new assignment at the 147th session of the WHO Executive Board,

Covid doubling rate now 13.3 days: Centre

DON’T POLITICISE A PANDEMIC SITUATION: NAQVI New Delhi: Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi alleged that Congress leaders are trying to politicise the coronavirus pandemic when they should rather “try to rebuild confidence among people”. “We were hoping to get a bill from Priyanka being held virtually.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus welcomed him for the new role: “I would

Gandhi for the pictures they clicked of the buses sent to Uttar Pradesh. If you have done some good for people, don’t quantify it in terms of money. We are waiting for the day when they [Congress] would send a bill to Yogiji for those pictures.”

like to congratulate and welcome Dr Harsh Vardhan on his election as the new chair. Dr Harsh Vardhan, you have a

tough act to follow but I’m sure you will do it with the same energy and commitment as Dr Nakatani.” —ANI

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Friday said that the doubling rate of Covid-19 cases now stands at 13.3 days, which is far better than 3.4 days since the beginning of the lockdown. Covid-19 cases would have also increased exponentially in the absence of the lockdown, it added.

Emphasising the improved mortality rate, the ministry said the Covid-19 fatality rate has dropped from 3.13 per cent to 3.02 per cent, and the authorities involved in tackling the viral infection are concentrating on containment measures and clinical management of cases. India is currently in the fourth phase of the lockdown which was imposed on March 25 to contain the outbreak of coronavirus.

“We need to save the country from deaths due to Covid-19,” the ministry said. —ANI

New Delhi: Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar launched NBA-UNDP India’s Biodiversity Samrakshan Internship Programme and addressed the virtual celebration of International Day for Biological Diversity on Friday.

In his address Javadekar stated that India has 2.5 % of the world’s land mass, 16 % of human as well as cattle population, but the country has still preserved around eight% of world’s bio-diversity.

“That is the strength and cultural impact of Indian philosophy. In India you live with nature and we think the whole universe and every life is precious life. Be it an ant, birds or any other animal.

This is how Indian philosophy gives us training to be with the nature and therefore India could preserve this kind of bio-diversity.”

THE UNVEILING

to come up with technological solutions to military challenges

The Central government recently announced that to reduce dependence on imports, the Defence Ministry would issue a list of military items, which

cannot be imported and have to be acquired from indigenous sources only.

The Army Vice Chief was addressing a webinar on defence industry

“We can teach the world how to preserve bio-diversity with our experiences which we are ready to share with others. I welcome those countries who want to improve their bio-diversity scenario to share our experiences with them,” he added. —ANI

stages of implementation by oil and gas companies. Pitching for Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Minister Pradhan called for complete indigenisation

BARRING ONE, NO 1986 BATCH IPS OFFICER IS DG IN CPO’S

Barring one in BPR&D, no 1986 batch IPS officer has been so far posted in any Central Police Organisation as DG. Half a dozen empanelled IPS officers of this batch are waiting in the wings.

WHO WILL SUCCEED ALOK PATERIA IN CISF?

WILL AGRAWAL BE NEXT CAC?

P K Agrawal, Addl Chief Advisor (Cost), is likely to be next Chief Advisor Cost (CAC) in the Ministry of Finance. After Ms Sethi, CAC, he is the senior most ICoS officer and belongs to 1985 batch.

I am aware I am entering this office at a time of global crisis on account of this pandemic.I feel deeply honoured to have the trust and faith of all of you. India, and my countrymen, too, feel privileged that this honour has been bestowed upon us. I will work to realise the collective vision of our organization, to build the collective capacity of all our member nations and to build a heroic collective leadership.

—Harsh Vardhan Health Minister

opportunities. In his speech, the Vice Chief urged startups & MSMEs to come up with technological solutions to military challenges & advised that the use of these technologies concurrently in civil domain will help bring down their costs. The Army Vice Chief also echoed the call for ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’, call given by PM Modi, saying the announcements will have positive impact on India’s defence acquisition. —ANI

Pradhan reviews projects worth `8000cr New Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday reviewed pipeline projects worth approximately Rs 8000-crore, under various stages of implementation and called for complete indigenisation in these projects.

“Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday reviewed pipeline projects worth approx. Rs. 8000 Crore, under various

POWER Gallery

Who will succeed Alok Pateria as Special DG in the CRPF on June 1 ? Although couple of 1988 and 1989 batch IPS officers are in the run but no name has so far been finalised.

Biodiversity Day: ‘Import ban list won’t restrict procurement’ Samrakshan Internship In his speech, the Vice Chief urged Programme unveiled startups & MSMEs New Delhi: At a time when the Centre is issuing a list of defence items that can’t be imported, Army Vice Chief Lt Gen SK Saini said the import ban list would not restrict forces from procuring niche technologies from abroad.

“The Army Vice Chief, however, assured that the import ban list will not restrict the forces to procure niche technologies from abroad,” said an Army release.

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in these projects,” said a press release from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. The press release further said, “GAIL is processing line pipe tenders of more than Rs 1000 crore for around 1 Lakh MT steel procurement by September 2020 for progressive supply of 800 Km line pipe from domestic bidders. This quantity is expected to be doubled by the end

of current financial year to boost Make in India initiatives and further the goal of a self-reliant India.”

Project work along the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga, JHBDPL pipeline, has resumed in full swing post lockdown and is gearing up to connect Eastern India with the West to Central natural gas pipeline corridor for boosting gasbased economy in the country. —Agencies

tions, West Bengal under the leadership of Mamata ji is fighting well. We are with them in these adverse times.”

Prime Modi reached West Bengal on Friday where Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Mamata Banerjee receive him. PM Modi, accompanied by Mamata,conducted aerial surveys of the cyclone-hit areas.

After this PM went to Odisa and was received

by CM Naveen Patnaik and Governor Ganeshi Lal on arrival at Bhubaneswar Airport.

PM also held a review meeting with senior officials and minister of

the state in Bhubaneswar where Patnaik, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Pratap Sarangi were also present. —ANI

KAILASH KUMAR AGGARWAL RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE

Kailash Kumar Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre on the grounds of availing promotion in the cadre. He is a 1987 batch IRSE (Civil) officer.

REENA SINHA PURI RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE

Reena Sinha Puri, Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Coal, has been given premature repatriation to her parent cadre on the grounds of availing promotion. She is a 1987 batch IRS-IT officer.

JUSTICE SANGITA DHINGRA SEHGAL LIKELY AS CHAIRPERSON, DSCDRC

Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal, Judge of the Delhi High Court who resigned w.e.f May 30, 2020 is likely to join as Chairperson of Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

RS DHILLON TO TAKE OVER AS CMD, PFC ON JUNE 1

Ravinder Singh Dhillon, Director (Project), PFC, will be taking over the charge as Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) on June 1, 2020. The tenure of present incumbent Rajiv Sharma is coming to an end in May. RAM NARAYAN DUBEY TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR (FIN), NCL ON JUNE 1

Ram Narayan Dubey, GM, CIL, will be taking over the charge as Director (Finance), Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) on June 1, 2020.

ANURAG SHARMA TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR (ONSHORE), ONGC ON JUNE 1

Anurag Sharma, ED, ONGC, will be taking over the charge as Director (Onshore), Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) on June 1, 2020. He will succeed incumbent Sanjay Kumar Moitra retiring in May. THREE AAI OFFICERS GET NEW ASSIGNMENTS

Manoj Gangal has been posted to RED, ER while A K Verma, GM (ATM), Ahmedabad will get the charge of APD, Ahmedabad and Capt. R K Malik, ED (Security) will look after the work of ED (Admn/HR) under the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

VIJAY PRAKASH RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE

Vijay Prakash, Director in the Department of Land Resources, has been given premature repatriation to his parent cadre with the condition of extended cooling off. He is a 1996 batch ITS officer.

RAJESH KUMAR SAHU APPOINTED AS DS/DIRECTOR, TOURISM

Rajesh Kumar Sahu has been appointed as Deputy Secretary/ Director in the Ministry of Tourism.

He is a 2010 batch IRS-C&CE officer.

FROM PG 1 Guj sees...

Of the 6,591 active cases in the state, Ahmedabad accounts for 5,421. The city has racked up a total of 9,724 cases, 645 deaths and 3,658 discharges.

Morbi and Dangs are the only two districts in the state to have zero active cases.

Surendranagar and Junagadh, both of which had zero cases a few weeks ago, now have 21 and 18, respectively. Sabarkantha now has 63 cases. Even Gandhinagar now has more than 200 cases.

More than 80 of the roughly 90 staffers at

the Ahmedabad Cancer Hospital have been infected with Sars-CoV-2, although most of them are asymptomatic. Four firemen have home-quarantined after presenting with a cough and cold.

Jamalpur Congress MLA Imran Khedawala has demanded that the authorities reclassify Jamalpur area as an orange or green zone since positive cases have reduced there.

Three employees of Cadila pharmaceuticals have died due to COVID-19 while 26 others are under treatment. The company’s

plant situated at Trasad was closed after reports that 21 employees tested positive.

In Mehsana, the second twin born to Hasumatiben from Molipur village has also tested positive.

After an inmate tested positive for COVID-19 at the Surat Lajpore jail, authorities there are taking steps to quarantine other inmates who had come in contact with the infected person.

45 dead...

Faisal Edhi of the Edhi welfare trust told re-

porters that so far 45 bodies have been recovered. 19 bodies have been shifted from the crash site to Jinnah hospital and another 20 to Civil hospital. The minister said there are three survivors including President of the Bank of Punjab Zafar Masood. He called up his mother to inform her of his well-being.

Modi visits... adding, “Dealing with COVID-19 requires social distancing whereas battling the Amphan cyclone requires people to move to safer areas.

Despite these contradic-

Economic package...

She said the government has “cruelly ignored” scores of migrant workers and the 13 crore families in the bottom half of the population as no financial relief has been provided to them.

“The prime minister’s announcement of a grand Rs 20 lakh crore package on May 12 and the finance minister

spelling out its details over the next five days have turned out to be a cruel joke on the country,” she said.

The Congress chief said there is no indication either as regards whether Parliament or its standing committees will be summoned to meet to discuss the situation. “The government has abandoned any pretence of being democratic and all power is now concentrated in only one office -- the PMO,” she said.

The Congress chief said it is the duty of the opposition to offer constructive criticism and

suggestions, and be the voice of the people.

The leaders of 22 opposition parties, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, JMM leader Hemant Soren, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, DMK leader M K Stalin and JD(S) leader HD Deve Gowda, besides CPI-M’s Sitaram Yechury and CPI’s D Raja participated. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, AK Antony, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Mallikarjun Kharge were also present. —ANI

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

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THE UNSPOKEN REASON FOR

LOCKDOWNS

Governments cannot openly admit that the “controlled easing” of COVID-19 lockdowns in fact means controlled progress toward so-called herd immunity to the virus. Much better, then, to pursue this objective silently, under a cloud of obfuscation, and hope that a vaccine will arrive before most of the population gets infected

T

he COVID-19 pandemic is the first major global crisis in human history to be treated as a mathematical problem, with governments regarding policy as the solution to a set of differential equations. Excluding a few outliers – including, of course, US President Donald Trump – most political leaders have slavishly deferred to “the science” in tackling the virus. The clearest example of this

was the UK government’s sudden shift on March 23 to an aggressive lockdown policy, following a nightmarish forecast by Imperial College London researchers of up to 550,000 deaths if nothing was done to combat the pandemic.

Such modeling is the correct scientific approach when the question debars experiment.

You can test a new drug by subjecting two groups of lab rats to identical conditions, ex-

cept for the drug they are given, or by administering it to randomly selected humans in clinical trials.

But you can’t deliberately insert a virus into a human population to test its effects, although some Nazi concentration-camp doctors did just that. Instead, scientists use their knowledge of the infectious pathogen to model a disease’s pattern of contagion, and then work out which policy interventions will modify it.

PREDICTIVE MODELING WAS DEVELOPED FOR MALARIA modeling Popedredictive was first develfor malaria over

a century ago by an almost-forgotten English doctor, Ronald Ross. In a fascinating 2020 book, the mathematician and epidemiologist Adam Kucharski showed how Ross first identified the mosquito as the infectious agent through experiments on birds. From this fact, he developed a predictive model of malaria transmission, which was later generalized as the SIR (Susceptible, Infected, and Recovered) model of contagious-disease epidemics.

The question that interested epidemiolo-

gists was not what triggers an epidemic, but what causes it to end.

They concluded that epidemics end naturally when enough people have had the disease so that further transmission rates decline.

Basically, the virus runs out of hosts in which it can reproduce itself.

In today’s jargon, the population develops “herd immunity.”

The science developed from Ross’s original model is almost universally accepted, and has been fruitfully applied in other contexts, like financial contagion. But no policymaker is prepared to allow a killer epidemic to run its natural course, because

the potential death toll would be unacceptable.

After all, the 191819 Spanish flu killed some 50-100 million people out of a global population of two billion: a death rate between 2.5% and 5%.

No one knew for sure what the COVID-19 death rate would have been had the spread of the coronavirus been uncontrolled.

Because there is currently no COVID-19 vaccine, governments have had to find other ways to prevent “excess deaths.” Most have opted for lockdowns, which remove entire populations from the path of the virus and thus deprive it of hosts.

SCIENCE CANNOT DETERMINE CORRECT COVID-19 RESPONSE wo months into the EuroTevidence pean lockdown, however, the suggests that these

measures on their own have not had much medical effect. For example, Sweden, with its exceptionally light lockdown, has had fewer COVID-19 deaths relative to its population than tightly locked-down Italy and Spain.

And while the United Kingdom and Germany have both been aggressively locked down, Germany has so far reported 96 deaths per million inhabitants, compared to 520 per million in the UK. The crucial difference between Germany and the UK seems to lie in their respective medical responses. Germany started mass testing, contact-tracing, and isolating the infected and exposed within a few days of confirming its first COVID-19 cases, thus giving itself a head start in slowing the virus’s spread.

The UK, by contrast, is hobbled by incoherence at the center of government and by what former foreign secretary David Owen (himself a medical doctor) has called the “structural vandalism” inflicted on the National Health Service by years of cuts, fragmentation, and centralization. As a result, the country lacked the medical tools for a German-style response.

Science cannot determine what the correct COVID-19 response should have been for each country. A model may be considered validated

if its predictions correspond to outcomes in real life. But in epidemiology, we can have confidence that this will happen only if a virus with known properties is allowed to run its natural course in a given population, or if there is a single intervention like a vaccine, the results of which can be accurately predicted.

Too many variables – including, say, medical capacity or cultural characteristics – scrambles

the model, and it starts spewing out scenarios and predictions like a demented robot. Today, epidemiologists cannot tell us what the effects of the current COVID-19 policy mix will be.

“We will know only in a year or so,” they say.

The outcome will therefore depend on politics. And the politics of COVID-19 are clear enough: governments could not risk the natural spread of infection, and thought it too

SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE

complicated or politically fraught to try to isolate only those most at risk of severe illness or death, namely the 15-20% of the population aged over 65.

The default policy response has been to slow the spread of natural immunity until a vaccine can be developed. What “flattening the curve” really means is spacing out the number of expected deaths over a period long enough for medical facilities to cope and a vaccine to kick in.

But this strategy has a terrible weakness: governments cannot keep their populations locked down until a vaccine arrives.

Apart from anything else, the economic cost would be unthinkable. So, they have to ease the lockdown gradually.

Doing this, however, lifts the cap on non-exposure gained from the lockdown. That is why no government has an explicit exit strategy: what political leaders call the “controlled easing” of lockdowns actually means controlled progress toward herd immunity.

Governments cannot openly avow this, because that would amount to admitting that herd immunity is the objective. And it is not yet even known whether and for how long infection confers immunity. Much better, then, to pursue this goal silently, under a cloud of obfuscation, and hope that a vaccine arrives before most of the population is infected.

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: ABHISHEK SHARMA

Our future, within certain limits, is still in our hands. Our attitude in the present will decide our future. Be hopeful and optimistic.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

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For 60% farmers, a good crop is much ado about nothing The extended lockdown forced many to keep their bumper harvests in stores First India Bureau New Delhi/ Ahmedabad: The Covid-19 crisis may not have hit the rural populace as much as their urban counterparts but its cascading effect has almost crippled the agriculture sector with more than 50 per cent farmers reporting heavy losses.

A survey of 1,500 farmers in 200 districts across 12 states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, has found that more than half the farmers who harvested their crops suffered a lower yield during the nationwide lockdown, as against the last season.

The lockdown also forced 55 per cent of the farmers to store their crops as they were un-

UNDER ‘WRAPS’ !

Out of the 63 per cent farmers who could harvest their crops, 22 per cent had to store it. Around 12 per cent farmers were still trying to sell their crop. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, 83 and 86 per cent of the respondents respectively harvested their crops, but only 18 and 10 per cent could sell it. able to sell them.

The survey was conducted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Public Health Foundation of India and Centre for Sustainable Agriculture from May 3 to May 15, 2020.

Farmers across Andhra Pradesh, Bi-

Shivam’s handicap too small for his will to top 12 th

Handicapped boy came off with flying colours in 12th Board exams.

First India Bureau Vadodara: Shivam Solanki, who lost his arms and a leg in an accident at the age of 12, has scored 92 per cent marks in the state board exams for the science stream of Class XII. Speaking to a section of the media, Solanki said: “I want to become a doctor. If not, I want to serve people by joining any other related services.”

“I used to study the whole day before the exams. Teachers used to revise the syllabus following which I have

scored 92.33 per cent,” he said. “I want to convey a message to the students, who have passed the exams, to work hard in the future to achieve their goals,” he added.

Solanki also encouraged the students who have scored less marks, to work harder and do well in the future.

Solanki’s father is a fourth class employee in Vadodara Municipal Corporation.

When Solanki was 12-year-old, he lost both his hands and one leg due to touching the high-tension wire.

because of issues related to the lockdown, said the survey.

Out of the 63 per cent farmers who could harvest their crops, 22 per cent had to store their crop due to lockdown related issues. Around 12 per cent farmers were still trying to sell their crop, while 44 per cent farmers managed to sell their produce.

In Gujarat and Rajasthan, for example, while 83 and 86 per cent of the respondents respectively harvested their crops, only 18 and 10 per cent respectively were able to sell it.

Around 52 per cent of the respondents were small and marginal farmers, 6.7 per cent were landless farmers, 19.9 per cent medium farmers and 20.7 per cent were large farmers.

har ,Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were roped in for the survey.

Losses for 40 per cent of the farmers who experienced a

yield loss, occurred from a lack of labour, storage or transport options, said the survey. Weather was also cited as a reason for the loss in yield by 80 per cent of the farmers.

Around 30 per cent of them were unable to harvest their crops

Woman throws two sons in well

Leopard attacks woman, her son

First India Bureau Vadodara: A woman threw her two sons in a well allegedly to kill them and escaped in the Rayanvadia village in Halol taluka of Panchmahal district. The incident took place on Thursday night over a petty squabble in the family.

Pratap Rathwa, a resident of Rayanvadia, told the police that he had gone to the Surya village during the day on Thursday.

He claimed that he returned home in the evening. At dinner time, he claims, he asked for food.

According to Rathwa, his wife Champa did not reply initially and then picked up a quarrel. Rathwa said Champa then called up her father. She later left home with their sons Pradeep (9) and Pratik (7). He claimed she went to a well in a farm nearby and threw her children in a well and escaped.

First India Bureau Rajkot: A woman and her son were attacked by a leopard in their farm on Friday morning in Amreli district of Gujarat. They were admitted to a hospital and their condition was stable.

Forest officials said the incident took place in Dhari area of Sarasiya range in Gir East division. A 40-year-old woman Railaben Ra-

faliya and her 15-yearold son Gaurang received injuries. There is a storage room in their farm in Bhader village where they had stored onions. The door of the storage was open and a leopard managed to get inside.

When Rasilaben and her son entered the storage room around 8.30 am, the leopard first attacked Rasilaben who sustained injuries.

3 migrants die in separate accidents First India Bureau Surat: Two migrant labourers travelling from Surat to Bijnor in western Uttar Pradesh were on Friday killed in an accident in Bulandshahr district, 102 km from Delhi. Their minitruck overturned after hitting an electric pole.

The survivors included a woman with her two young children who all went in an ambulance with the bodies.

Just a day ago on Thursday, a 57-year-old worker from Aska in Ganjam district reportedly died in a bus near Punjipathar in Lakhanpur block. He was returning along with other migrant workers from Gujarat.

It is unclear whether the man, Bhaskar Nahak, died of complications relating to Covid-19. He suddenly collapsed in the bus and his co-passengers immediately informed Aska BDO and Ganjam Collector of his death.

08

Newborn twins Gujarat’s youngest Covid-19 victims

Youngest Covid-19 patients in Gujarat; the twins, boy and girl, were born in Mehsana to a corona-positive woman

First India Bureau Mehsana: Twin brother and sister, born six days ago in North Gujarat’s Mehsana district, have tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the state’s youngest victims of the viral infection, an official said on Friday.

A woman from Molipur village in the district, who had tested positive for the virus, gave birth to twins at the Vadnagar Civil Hospital on May 16, said Manoj Daxini, district development officer.

It initially flummoxed the doctors since the boy was tested positive

and his twin sister was negative. The doctors later sought re-testing, to find now that both are infected.

“This is the first case in Gujarat where newborn infants, that too twins, have tested positive for coronavirus.

While the male infant tested positive on May 18, the baby girl’’s reports came on Friday,” he said.

Both are stable.

“The woman hails from Molipur village, where several COVID-19 cases were detected after three persons who had returned from Mumbai tested positive,” Daxini said.

SERPENTINE QUEUES

Bhachau. With the government launching a self-help scheme, long queues were seen in various parts of the State. But in Bhachau in Kutch, people queued up under a scorching to buy things, including pan-masala and beedi-cigarettes. A special Pan Masala Bazaar was set up at Sadbhavna Ground at Bhachau with the help of police.

Police book 7 for ‘indecent’ religious posts First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The cyber crime police has filed a complaint against seven people and a social media group for indecent posts against Hindu deities and Gods “intended to hurt religious sentiments and cause enmity between religious groups.”

A complaint was filed against Facebook account-holders Jagdish Goswami, Mo-

Cyber crime police book seven for indecent social media posts against deities.

hammad Ali, Mofizul Haque, Datta Tilewad, Sham Singh, Mohammad Irfan, Bilal Hussain and a Facebook

Public Group which had indecent posts.

According to the complaint filed by the cyber crime PSI, the

eight had posted “obscene photos and posts against Hindu Gods and deities to provoke and hurt Hindu sentiments.”

Jagdish Goswami had posted indecent photos of Hindu Gods and deities on May 17 and had made “vulgar comments.” Mohammad Ali had posted obscene comments on his wall against Hindu deities, Mofizul Haque had posted vulgar comments against Hindu scrip-

tures on his wall.

The others including Datta Tilewad, Sham Singh, Mohammad Irfan, Bilal Hussain and the Facebook Group had also posted “provocative and obscene” comments on their walls and in the group. Data Tilawat who claimed that his social media group has 2,100 active members posted such pictures. Dinesh Kumar Swarnkar too had posted adverse comments against Hindu deities.

STRONG WORDS

Patients should not be treated like animals at Civil Hospital: HC First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has taken a serious note of the alleged ill-treatment to Covid-19 patients at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad and stated that the patients should not feel they are being treated like animals.

Second Division Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Ilesh Vora is hearing a suo moto petition

ISSUES GALORE!

initiated by the high court itself clubbed with other PILs. The other PILs covered a wide range of related issues like the

incessant corona spread, facilities at government hospitals, exorbitant charges levied by private hospitals to treat

corona patients, issues of migrant workers and new discharge policy implemented by the State Government.

The bench observed that poor and needy people come to the civil hospital for treatment and they should be treated on humanitari-

an grounds. When a patient leaves hospital, he should feel satisfied with the treatment received.

The court also cited

several news items published in newspapers criticising the hospital environment and asserted that this was not at all an acceptable situation.

A dvo c at e - G e n e r a l Kamal Trivedi assured the court on behalf of the State that within one week, the government will try to resolve these issues. The Advocate-General submitted a 142-page action taken report on various subjects like arrangements

being made for migrant workers to send them home, testing capacity and facilities in the state and other issues.

The high court refrained from passing any order about the decision of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to go for a complete week-long lockdown from May 6.

On this, the bench observed that the officers would have to take harsh decisions to control the situation.

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SUMMERY IN AND OUT!

Flowery comfortable cotton dresses are the perfect way to beat the heat and as temperatures continue to rise and the online shopping and other options open, stock up on yours!

KARISHMA GWALANI

karishma.gwalani@ firstindia.co.in

N

o matter how many dresses we have squeezed into our overstuffed closet, we can always justify browsing the year’s summer dress trends and buying a few more.

From simple cotton sundresses to silky shifts, these summer dresses are in our wardrobes for years, but that does not mean we should not treat ourselves to a trendy piece or two when the s e a s o n changes.

Summer is definitely one of the

most fun times of the year to play around with your style and summer dresses are without a doubt the easiest way to perfect your seasonal style. You don’t need to worry about coordinating complicated outfits, just throw it on, add a pair of shoes, a designer handbag and you’re done.

Whether you’re after something casual or a style that’s a bit fancier, a dress is a great way to ensure you feel confident. Long-time back, the long summer dress was considered to be reserved for celebrity’s domain, but the fashion industry has made a remarkable improvement in recent years and that has changed the complete scenario. Now, there are so many dressing styles available in the market that fits your budget and can give you a stunning look

with easy to pull-off style.

You can play with the evergreen sleeveless dresses, mini skirts, backless bandeau, tied with a Knot bikini, spaghetti strap striped, belted and wraps waists, and of course, you can wear whatever your little heart desires. Moreover, minimalist linen high-cut, belts and hoops, underwire tops are always a safe trend.

Be it for clothes or accessories, the more information you have the better. If the summer season is giving you a tough fight against sunburn, then you give it much more tough fight with your minimalistic style. Whether white or colourful, mini or maxi, dresses are the statement pieces and they will help you to look effortlessly laid-back.

09

ETC AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

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NEERA SINGH

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

I

choice, a calling, and a way of life for certain people.

Not everyone can don the uniform and the camou-

FA CE OF TH ED AY

n these times of the Corona pandemic, all that we think of is how deadly it is and how to protect ourselves. For the last two months, what we have been counting are the positive cases and deaths due to corona. We have been doing anything and everything to keep ourselves safe- Be it locked down in our houses or remaining away from our near and dear ones etc. We have been showing tremendous solidarity towards COVID WARRIORS and have been conveying thanks by clapping, lighting diyas, and by showering flowers. Everyone thinks that these people are risking their lives for our safety, working hard for hours wearing uncomfortable PPEs. Here a question comes to my mind. I want to ask my fellow countrymen, have you ever counted, how many of our soldiers have died (martyred) while serving our country. Have we ever shown gratitude to them like COVID WARRIORS? We all take martyrdom as such a casual thing.

It hurts to even think that for our society, it’s such a normal course for a soldier to give up his life because it’s his job and he is paid for it.

We have to understand that nobody can be paid to die. Supreme sacrifice for the motherland is totally a choice by people with a heart of steel. Joining the Army is a conscious

LET’S NOT FORGET

flage as gallantly as they do. It’s a general conception that the life of army personnel is very rosy and

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

exciting. EXCITING… Yes, it is because every single day is a battle between life and death. Guarding the frontiers, staying for months in a jungle without proper food, water and sleep, leaving behind their spouses, children and parents, may look exciting only to bystanders. One requires grit, determination, courage, fortitude and a nerve of steel to do what they do and yet smile.

Whether it is standing in -25°C at the Siachen Glacier, sitting in ambush

vice before self. The nation and countrymen come first, always and every time. Defense Forces are the last hope of the Nation and they never fail, whether it’s guarding the borders or anti-terrorist operations or natural calamity or even pandemic. We never leave the task unfinished, be it revenge for Uri or Pulwama or Handwara.

‘Are we actually worthy of this sacrifice?` I urge my countrymen to please be worthy of the sacrifices made by these brave men. Take out a little time to show your love and solidarity towards them.

Shower some flowers to the warriors when they come home wrapped in tricolour. Pray for their safety and their families. Light a few diyas to remember them and express our gratitude towards them and their families who so heroically send them to borders. Pray for these brave hearts, who continue to do the nation proud, by exhibiting indomitable spirit in the line of duty. Please salute their valour, their supreme sacrifice and pay homage to them. And never ever call them “bechare”. Because they deserve praise and NOT sympathy; they are strong in their heart and their mind, benevolently dedicated to the tricolour; they are whom we call the fearless Army men.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

whole night for terrorists in the valley, or carrying out surgical strikes across LOC – they do it all, every

day and with no fuss.

The army truly exemplifies their motto- ‘Seva Parmo Dharam’, meaning ser-

Neera Singh has been an active m ember of the Army Officer’s Wives Assoc iation for 35 years and very passionate a bout the Army way of life.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Health wise you are doing good and if you are worried about extra pounds then you must indulge yourself in regular fitness regime. On work front, today you may need to put in extra effort to receive any appreciation from the boss.

You are keeping up well with the fitness routine that you have recently started following. On professional front, you will get all mental and work support from your colleagues.

You may also be asked to meet someone important to fix a deal, make sure you put in all your efforts.

You may be willing to join some new fitness class, without hesitation go ahead. Professionally, you must stay alert as someone could be planning a plot against you. You may feel bored with your current job or work but don’t make quick decisions as these are very temporary feelings.

To avoid any stomach related issue you must take care of what you eat. You must take your close ones into your confidence so that you can discuss all your worries with them openly. Favour the one who is right, don’t be bias towards anyone. You must try harder.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

No pain no gain, remember this when it comes to building a strong physique.

You need to work hard to get positive results to justify the financial risks that you have taken in the past. Some of you may feel tempted to enter the world of real estate business.

Today you may feel a little low health wise but it’s quite temporary. This may not be the right time to try and convince people about your aspirations as they may simply reject your views. But that doesn’t mean that your path is not correct, keep moving ahead with confidence.

Get up from the bed and go for a walk, it’s not the time to feel lethargic. You must not trust anyone just like that, they may have an axe to grind. On professional front, your boss will appreciate you for all the efforts you have been putting into the projects lately.

Try to wake up early every day as this alone may change the way you feel.

Your pockets are full of money today so go ahead and spend a some on leisure. On professional front, be straightforward about money. Before entering into any business with your client you must talk.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You are very careless about what you put in your belly, high time to mend your ways. You may keep an eye on someone to take advantage of it later but that not a good practice. On professional front, it may get totally necessary for you to upgrade your skills for any promotion.

Meditate every morning to keep your mind relaxed.

You must not feel effected by what other think about you. Your wish to settle outside the current city or country may come true very soon. Overall business of the company may threaten your job position.

Your health needs attention and you must take all the protective measures well and in advance. On professional front, you may be assigned with lot of responsibilities and you may find it difficult to cope up with the work pressure. Your income will increase.

Your health may start to suffer because of your tight work schedule. On the other hand taking time off is also not possible. Your family expects you to give more time. On academic front, some of you are very careless and this ongoing behavior can ruin things for you so be careful.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

AKSHARA SHARMA, Writer

10

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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A

fter ‘Gulabo S i t a b o ’ , ‘Shakuntala Devi’ and ‘Ghoomketu’, the Urvashi Rautela-starrer ‘Virgin Bhanupriya’ is the latest Bollywood film to confirm a release on an OTT platform, bypassing a traditional theatre opening.

“We are in conversation now to release it directly on OTT. Looking at the current situation, and the revenue one is getting from OTT, this seems like a good option than waiting when there is so much uncertainty in terms of opening of theatres,” said the film’s producer Mahendra Dhariwal. ‘Virgin Bhanupriya’ also stars Gautam Gulati, Archana Puran Singh, Delnaaz Irani, Rajiv Gupta and Brijendra Kala, Niki Aneja Walia and Rumana Molla.

Bhanupriya played

by Urvashi is a collegegoing conservative girl who decides to lose her virginity. She thinks it should be the easiest thing in today’s world.

However, all her attempts go in vain.

—IANS

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

11

‘VIRGIN Bhanupriya’ all set!

Jennifer Garner

A

ctress Jennifer Garner is happy that her former husband, actor Ben Affleck, has moved on and found love in actress Ana de Armas. Garner and Affleck called off their 10-year marriage in 2015, and their divorce got finalised in 2018. The 48-year-old actress, who shares Violet, Seraphina and Samuel with Affleck, is glad that Affleck is in a good and healthy place. “They have worked hard to get in a good place with each other,” said a source, adding “Garner is always polite and trusts Ben and lets him do what he wants when he’s with the kids”. “Although it’s sad in a way to see him move on and be so happy, she is ultimately happy that he is happy and in a good and healthy place with his life. That’s what she ultimately wants for the father of her kids,” added the source.

—IANS

Urvashi Rautela

Equal pay is must!

MISSES THE

S

BEACH!

outhern star Tamannaah Bhatia says the remuneration an actress gets for working in a film is entirely her ‘prerogative to determine her financial worth’, adding that the choice to re-consider the remuneration also lies with her. “’Remunerations is entirely an actresses’ prerogative to determine her financial worth and the choice of re-consideration on the remuneration rests finally with her and nobody else,” Tamannaah said on the subject of what actresses are paid.

“We need to demolish these unbiased perceptions of an actress not deserving remunerations in higher brackets similar to an actor. Why is it that the same questions are never raised when it is pertaining to an actor? As an integral part of the film industry, actresses too, have worked very hard to reach where their destinations and every film needs a female lead just like a male lead to be successful. Why can’t a female actress enjoy the tag of being the highest paid or is it just a male entitlement? New decade, new mindset, new rules is the order of the day,” she added.

On the other hand, the actress also refuted reports claiming that she refused to essay the role of Ravi Teja’s love interest in director Trinadh Rao’s upcoming comedy drama, which is backed by People Media Factory.

—IANS

A

Ileana D’Cruz; (inset) Her post

mid lockdown, actress Ileana D’Cruz says she misses the beach. Ileana took to Instagram and shared a stunning photograph of herself in a white cutout swimsuit.

“I miss the beach. @colstonjulian,” she captioned the image, shot by ace photographer Colston Julian. She shared a few photographs on her Instagram Stories, where she posted a glass of wine and wrote: “A little me time.” Recently, she shared a photograph of herself hugging her mother Samira D’Cruz and said that she’s a big cuddler. Ileana took to Instagram, where she shared a photograph of the motherdaughter duo. In the image, Ileana and her mother are seen looking at the camera while hugging.

On the work front, Ileana will next be seen alongside Abhishek Bachchan in Ajay Devgn’s production ‘The Big Bull’, a film reportedly based on India’s biggest securities scam of 1992.

—IANS

Tamannah Bhatia

W

hipping up yummy treats in our kitchen has multitude of advantages. Apart from satisfying our taste buds it also uplifts our psyche. A large section of the population has taken to baking , during lockdown times. Infact, Baking had been found to be a therapeutic activity , which eases depression and anxiety.

LOCKDOWN

Cooking Cravings

ABOUT ISHA SWARUP Isha’s Kitchen by Isha Swarup is where creativity in cooking, innovation in recipes and passion for food flows. Isha loves to design food in most artistic fashion, fusing cuisines in a manner which suits Indian palette.

In recent years Cheesecakes have become very popular in India, though we have been making our own cheesecakes , like Mava Barfi , kalakand , Sandesh ,Milk cake etc.

Similarly, in state of Odisha a divine sweet delicacy ‘ Chhena Poda ‘ is very popular. It is offered to Lord Jagannath as Prasad. . I have infused little modern technique and twist to this recipe and it is one of the most liked creations of mine. I thank my Oriya friend for introducing me ,to this delicacy

INGREDIENTS  Full cream milk- 2 litre

batter should be of cake consistency.

 Reserve the drained whey.

 Mix illachi powder and nuts in the batter

 White vinegar-4 tsp or use whatever required for curdling milk

 When Chhena stops steaming , then put in a blender and blend.

 Pour batter in a prepared cake tin. Cover the cake tin loosely, with a foil.

 Sugar -1 cup

 Be very careful to release steam as the lid of the blender might fly on account of steam pressure

 Bake for 30 mins at 180 degree centigrade. Then remove the foil and bake again for 10 minutes

 Add sugar and blend again. Keep blending till you get a very smooth paste. Keep opening the lid of the blender in between to release steam.

Also, your mixer might heat up . So keep giving 1 minute breaks to the machine, at regular intervals.

 The edges will become dark brown and the top will be crusty brown. If not, then bake for 5 minutes more. Take out from oven and let it cool in the tin.

 Hari illachi owder -1/2 tsp  Kishmish – cut into 2 pieces -1 tbsp  Kaju - diced into 4 pieces – 10 no  Badam – diced into 4pieces -10 no

METHOD

 Preheat the oven to 180 degree centigrade  Grease a baking tin and line it with parchment/ butter paper.  Boil milk and switch of the flame  Add vinegar and let it stand for 2 minutes  The paneer will separate from whey.

Chhena Poda

care not to press ,to squeeze water

 Sooji – 4 tsp

 Desi ghee – 1 tbsp

CHHENA PODA

Good Place!



Drain the Chhena. Take

 Take out the Chhena mixture in a Parat and add ghee and sooji.  Mix the batter properly with a whisk. Do use few teaspoons of reserved whey if required  Cover the batter and keep for one hour. The sooji will swell and give body to the batter. Add 1-2 tsp whey, to adjust consistency of batter .The

 Slice and serve

NOTES

 The quality of product will depend on the quality of Chhena. Use cows milk for better results  Cannot use paneer.  Can use lemon juice instead of vinegar.  Can’t substitute ghee with any oil.  Quantity of sugar can be varied according to taste.

I have given standard quantity .

CITY BUZZ AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2020

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

Eid Al-Fitr in INVESTMENT

THE GREAT CITY FIRST

R

eliance Industries Limited and Jio Platforms Limited, India’s leading digital services platform, announced on Friday that KKR will invest 11,367 crores into Jio Platforms.

This transaction values Jio Platforms at an equity value of 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of 5.16 lakh crore. This is KKR’s largest investment in Asia and will translate into a 2.32% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. Over the last month, leading technology investors, such as, Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista, General Atlantic and KKR have announced aggregate investments of 78,562 crores into Jio Platforms.

Jio Platforms has made significant investments across its digital ecosystem, powered by leading technologies spanning broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain. Jio’s vision is to enable a Digital India for 1.3 billion people and businesses across the country, including small

LOCKDOWN CITY FIRST JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

Mukesh Ambani

merchants, micro-businesses and farmers so that all of them can enjoy the fruits of inclusive growth.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said, “I am delighted to welcome KKR, one of the world’s most respected financial investors, as a valued partner in our onward march to growing and transforming the Indian digital ecosystem for the benefit of all Indians. KKR shares our ambitious goal of building a premier Digital Society in India.

KKR has a proven track record of being a valuable partner to industry-leading franchises and has been committed to India for many years.

We are looking forward to leveraging KKR’s global platform, industry knowledge and operational expertise to further grow Jio.” cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

FACEBOOK POST!

A

s Islam’s Holiest month comes to an end with Eid al-Fitr coming up in a day or two as per the sighting of the moon, the faithful prepare to celebrate with the Corona lockdown measures in place.

Eid al-Fitr is a joyous moment for the community and traditionally is held with large gatherings, giftgiving and sharing meals with friends and family.

The month of Ramzan was also held with a major difference this year as the community went online to keep in touch and gathered virtually during Iftaar. The routine may have remained much the same with prayers and fasting but the entire community has missed the gatherings and the Namaaz at the Masjid.

City First talks to some people to ask how they are planning to celebrate Eid amidst these COVID-19 times. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

City First gets in touch with its readers from Rajasthan & Gujarat about how they would be celebrating Eid with their family during the lockdown period!

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Following an entire month of fasting dedicatedly, everybody awaits EID. Be that as it may, this Eid is unquestionably going to be an alternate one, on the grounds that the traditions are to be avoided. Rather than embracing one another and wishing EID Mubarak, we are going to wish everybody over calls and messages. My sister and I are intending to prepare food for our parents this time, rather than our mom doing the same.

—SABIR AHMED This time, we will follow the rules laid down by the government due to the Corona pandemic and stay at home.

We will celebrate Eid at home by cooking, praying, eating with joy and hope. I don’t want to spend any kind of money going out. I will help any needy with that money, which I would go and spend in the market for Eid. Me and my family pray to God that soon everything gets normal and God takes away Corona from our beautiful country.

—KASIF MOHAMMAD

This is my first Eid celebration after my wedding. As per the custom, it should be celebrated at my maternal house. But, due to lockdown I will not able to visit my parent’s place, which is very disheartening.

Also, Eid is all about meeting your loved ones and spending time with them while gorging on a sumptuous spread. However, respecting the regulations, we have decided to not meet each other in person but connect on video calls all day.

—NAZIYA KHAN

The most vivid memories I have of Eid celebrations are shopping with my sisters, aroma of mehendi, my father coming back from the mosque after offering morning Eid prayers, having family and friends visit and sharing the delicious food made by mom! This year it is going to be a different kind of Eid. No hugging, no shopping, no visiting people! But when I think about it, Eid is more about the spirit of celebration, be it eating sweets together on video calls or praying at home and staying safe.

—TABINDA USMANI

‘HAAN MAI POLICE’ Vaibhav Gehlot

SWATI JANGID

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

swati.jangid@firstindia.co.in

A Gujarat: With salons back in business, a woman gets her ‘lockdown eyebrows’ threaded in Ahmedabad’s Satellite area; both service providers and clients have taken all necessary precautions against COVID-19.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Naveen Tewari Rajasthan: Roposo, one of India’s leading video-sharing social networking platform is also made in India and is owned by Glance. Roposo’s powerful video creation and editing tools allow users to share their life, showcase their hidden talents and voice their opinion on relevant issues in their native language. Founder and CEO of ROPOSO, Naveen Tewari shared that entertainment does not need to be based on violence, vulgarity, hate, cruelty and objectification of women.

Gujarat: A monkey takes a nap on the branch of a mango tree to escape the afternoon heat as the mercury soars in Ahmedabad.

Rajasthan: During the countrywide lockdown, Arpit Sharma, Harshit Khandelwal, Mahendra Sharma and their team is actively participating in the campaign Self-reliant India by spreading awareness about the indigenous goods and the positive effects it brings.

Rajasthan: Jairangam Theatre Lab is organising an online learning series ‘The Show Must Go On’ for the artists on the topics related to dealing with aspects, fear, logistics, limitlessness, digital challenges, and tax complicacies for the artists and groups in this challenging time.

The three-day series will begin from 23 May, where artists including Pavan Jha, CA Raghuveer Singh Poonia, Puneet Issar, Atul Satya Koushik, Sanjeev Sachdev, and Makarand Deshpande will be performing live.

Gujarat: Harsh Sanghvi, MLA from the Majura area of Surat, has been seen many times doing his work among the people in the continuous Koro epidemic. Today in Surat, Harsh Sanghvi and Navsari MP CR Patil came on the road and saw the public benefiting from the Aarogya Setu application.

poetry film, ‘Haan Mai Police’, written and directed by Himanshu Chauhan from Jodhpur, is winning hearts across the state.

Himanshu runs his own event company, and is associated with Rajasthan Police through his ‘Garv Organisation’, which exclusively conducts patriotic and cultural events for the uniformed forces. Garv includes Rajasthan Police, BSF, ITBP, CRPF, RTC and Jodhpur Police, and is designed to promote awareness among the people and the youth of our country, about the fact that uniformed forces are not just the saviours of law, but the pillars of our safe and justice-friendly society.

This poetry film expresses the selfless functioning of the police department, and shows under what circumstances the ‘Police Department’ works in this pandemic. This poetry is dedicated to all those police personnel who have been working tirelessly, as Corona warriors being at forefront. It shows how they are standing up for each and every

call of their duty and performing their responsibilities unquestioningly for public safety as a protector, friend and savior. This video is edited and shot by Nicky Chitara - Kuldeep Studio.

This Poetry film is conveying the message of this poem through these police officers who proudly says ‘Haan Mai Police’. Seen in the video are: Police Commissioner Jodhpur Prafulla Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Dharmendra Singh Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Preeti Chandra, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Police Umesh Ojha, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Police, Nirmala Vishnoi, Assistant Commissioner of Police Niraj Sharma, Manoj Parihar, and Shakti Team.

Gujarat: The Ahmed Shah mosque remains locked on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan in Ahmedabad, due to the ongoing lockdown.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE