First India-Jaipur Edition-24 April 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

27°C - 41°C

ALERT AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 148

WORLD

1,88,088 26,92,674 721 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

INDIA

23,031

CONFIRMED CASES

112

CORONA WAR: MODI ‘TACKLE COVID, DON’T IMAGE GETS A BOOST MAKE HATRED VIRAL’ New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday accused the BJP of spreading the virus of communal prejudice and hatred in the country, asserting that “grave damage” is being done to social harmony Addressing a meeting of the Congress Working Committee, Gandhi said it should worry every Indian and her party will have to work hard to repair this damage.

“Let me also share with you The compassion, something that large-heartedness should worry and alacrity that each and every should be forthone of us as Incoming from the dians. When Centre is conspicu- we should be ous by its absence. tackling the c o ro n av i r u s Sonia Gandhi, Congress President unitedly, the BJP continues to spread the virus of communal prejudice and hatred,” she said.

“Grave damage is being done to our social harmony. Our party, we will have to work hard to repair that damage,” the Congress president added.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Turn on P6

‘STIGMA CAUSING RISE IN MORTALITY’

THE NEW SUPERHEROES A creative illustration has gone viral on various social media platforms, showing Superheroes saluting nursing staff who are going beyond their call of duty amid Corona crisis.

2020, to June 30, 2021.

“In view of the crisis arising out of COVID-19, it has been decided that the additional instalment of dearness allowance payable to Central Government employees and dearness relief to Central Government pensioners, due from January 1, 2020, shall not be paid,” the order said.

Turn on P6

New Delhi: The impact of corona pandemic and lockdown is now visible on defense deals as well. On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, three forces have been asked to stop the defence deals being done for their modernisation. The ministry says that we have taken this decision in view of the budget cuts due to Corona.

Full report on P6

CONFIRMED CASES

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

866,105 SPAIN 213,024 ITALY 189,973 GERMANY 151,285 UK 138,078 TURKEY 101,790 IRAN 87,026 CHINA 82,798 RUSSIA 62,773 BRAZIL 46,701 BELGIUM 42,797

48,809 22,157 25,549 5,367 18,738 2,491 5,481 4,632 555 2,940 6,490

USA

+1150 +440 +464 +52 +638 +115 +90 +5 +42 +34 +228

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO

IN GUJARAT DISTRICT

Bhopal: A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped in Madhya Pradesh by an unidentified person, who also damaged her eyes, a police official said on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday evening when the minor was playing outside her house with other kids, police said.

CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan has ordered immediate arrest of culprits.

Govt freezes DA hike till Corona effect on defence, ‘Nearly 20 pc patients July 2021, saves money deal of three forces on hold have recovered so far’ New Delhi: The Ministry of Finance on Thursday announced to freeze the hike in dearness allowance (DA) for the Central government employees and dearness relief (DR) for the central government pensioners till July next year.

According to Thursday’s order, no arrears will be paid for the period from January 1,

2,624

LAST UPDATED: APRIL 23, 2020, 11:00 PM

6-YR-OLD RAPED, EYES DAMAGED BY ACCUSED

New Delhi: AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria, told media that the stigma attached with coronavirus is causing an increase in mortality and morbidity rates. “People are coming to us only when symptoms worsen.

It is important to reach out to patients who are missing out of treatment because of the stigma and panic,” he said.

GUJARAT

DEATHS

93% OF INDIANS UNANIMOUSLY BELIEVE PM IS EFFECTIVELY HANDLING OUTBREAK: SURVEY GRAVE DAMAGE BEING DONE TO SOCIAL HARMONY, CONG WILL HAVE TO WORK HARD: SONIA

New Delhi: After witnessing rise in popularity of PM Narendra Modi from foreign countries and receiving appreciation from the likes of Bill Gates for his leadership, it is the turn of Indian citizens who expressed their trust and belief on PM Modi and his administration. In a survey conducted by IANS –C Voter, over 93 percent of people opined that Modi is handling the Corona crisis efMost Indians are fectively. increasingly non Interestingcomplacent when ly, the survey it comes to serifound out that ousness of coronathe percentage virus threat and of people behow seriously it lieving in should be taken Modi’s leaderIANS-CVoter ship shot up compared to the announcement of the first day of the lockdown. We are on the thirty second day of the nationwide lockdown due to the Coronavirus outbreak and have nine more days to go to complete the lockdown.

While 76.8 percent people had then believed in Modi, the second survey conducted during Turn on P6

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New Delhi: Nearly 20 per cent COVID-19 patients have recovered so far in the country, said Lav Agarwal, Jt Secy, Union Health Ministry on Thursday, while total cases of coronavirus have soared to 23,031.

Addressing a press conference here, Agarwal said, “With 1,409 new cases, there are 23,031 positive cases in India now. So far, 4,257

people have recovered including 388 people who recovered yesterday. This takes our recovery percentage to 19.89 per cent.” Agarwal said as on today, India has 12 districts that did not report a fresh case in last 28 days or more.

“78 districts in 23 States/UTs, which have not reported any fresh cases during the last 14 days,” he added. —ANI

TOTAL CASES

AHMEDABAD 1652 VADODARA 218 SURAT 456 BHAVNAGAR 33 RAJKOT 41 GANDHINAGAR 18 PATAN 15 BHARUCH 29 ANAND 33 PANCHMANHAL 12 CHOTA UDAIPUR 11 KUTCH 6 MAHESANA 7 PORBANDAR 3 GIR SOMNATH 3 DAHOD 4 BANASKANTHA 16 JAMNAGAR 1 MORBI 1 SABARKANTHA 3 BOTAD 11 KHEDA 5 ARAVALLI 18 NARMADA 12 MAHISAGAR 9 TAPI 1 VALSAD 4 NAVSARI 1 DANG 1 TOTAL

2624

SAMPLES TESTED NEGATIVE CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATH DEATH

69 11 13 5 0 2 1 2 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 112

7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 09

42,384 39,760

UNDER EXAMINATION

0

CORONA IN GUJARAT In some long-overdue good news, 79 recovered COVID-19 patients across the state were discharged on Thursday. However, Gujarat is still not out of trouble, with 217 fresh cases and nine deaths being reported in the past 24 hours. With this, the state has 2,624 cases and a death toll of 112.

For more, see P3

Forty-five recovered COVID-19 patients go home in Vadodara First India News

2 RECOVERED PATIENTS TEST +VE AGAIN

Vadodara: Sixty-yearold Sirinbanu Arab and 19-year-old Mehrin Shaikh were among 45 former COVID-19 patients to heave a collective sigh of relief as they headed home on Thursday after being discharged from the ITI Brahim Bawani Institute and Hostel in Vadodara’s Gotri area.

This is the largest group to be discharged after recovering from the disease at one time.

Patan: In the first such case in the state, and possibly the nation, two recovered COVID-19 patients were readmitted to the Patan Civil Hospital in Dharpur on Thursday morning after testing positive for the Sars-Cov-2 virus on Wednesday.

Confirming the news to First India, Patan’s District Development Officer DK Parekh said the patients are a 60-yearold man and a 55-year-old woman, both natives of Sidhpur. “As per the protocol, they were being kept at the quarantine

Doctors and medical staff waving goodbye to recovered patients as they left for home in Vadodara on Thursday.

As the group prepared to leave the Covid Care Centre (CCC) after almost 14 days there,

care centre after being discharged from hospital following a complete recovery.

One of their regular tests came back positive for the virus again, and hence they have been readmitted for further treatment,” he said. According to the state government data, Patan district has 15 confirmed cases as of April 23. Of these, one person has succumbed to the disease, while were 11 were discharged.

From these 11, two patients samples have come back positive again.

the group offered thanks to God, but also to the Vadodara city and district authorities

and Dr Mohammad Hussain, president of Muslim Doctors’ Association (MDA), the med-

ical fraternity and trustees of the Institute.

“As more and more patients were confirmed with infection, they were brought to Gotri GMERS hospital.

However, there was a staff shortage. So, Officer on Special Duty of the Vadodara district administration Vinod Rao talked with the MDA and trustees of the ITI Brahim Bawani Institute, and granted permission to start a CCC at the institute,” Turn on P6

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Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar

02

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

APPRECIATE INDIAN-ORIGIN DOCS AND NURSES: IRISH PM TO MODI

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi on We d n e s d a y discussed the coronavirus pandemic with his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar, during which the latter praised the role of Indian-origin doctors and nurses in fighting the virus in Ireland.

During the discussion, the two leaders agreed that India and Ireland can leverage their strengths in the pharmaceutical and medical fields to contribute to combating COVID-19. “Prime Minister Varadkar appreciated the role being played by Indian-origin doctors and nurses in fighting the infection in Ireland. The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Varadkar for the care and support be-

ing extended to the Indian citizens present in Ireland and promised to similarly facilitate Irish citizens in India,” an official statement said.

“The two leaders agreed that India and Ireland can leverage their strengths in the pharmaceutical and medical fields to contribute to the global fight against the pandemic. They also deliberated on the potential for strengthening India’s cooperation with Ireland, as well as with the EU, in the post-COVID context,” it added.

Earlier, Modi said that both India and Ireland will strengthen its partnership in health, science and technology, to address challenges in the aftermath of coronavirus.

“Discussed COV-

ID-19 pandemic with Ireland’s PM, Leo Varadkar. India and Ireland share similar approaches to many global issues. We will work together to further strengthen our partnership in health, science and technology, to jointly address challenges of the post-COVID world,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

With 1,486 new cases and 49 deaths in the last 24 hours, India’s total number of coronavirus positive cases rose to 20,471, with 652 deaths, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ireland has registered over 16,000 positive cases of the virus, with more than 700 deaths, as per US-based Johns Hopkins University. —ANI

FOOD PROCESSING UNITS IN URBAN AREAS, PREPAID MOBILE RECHARGE UTILITIES EXEMPTED FROM LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS: MHA New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) spokesperson Punya Salila Srivastava on Thursday clarified that in-house caregivers of senior citizens and prepaid mobile recharge utilities are exempted from lockdown restrictions.

She also informed that the food processing units in urban areas have also been exempted from the restrictions and the Ministry has also allowed activities related to import and export of horticulture produce.

“To ensure the availability of essentials, food processing units

Home Minister Amit Shah

in urban areas such as milk processing units, bread factories and flour mills have also been exempted,” said Srivastava during a press conference.

The country is under a lockdown which was initially meant for 21 days but was later extended till May 3 to contain coronavirus.

Srivastava said that the Home Ministry has also allowed shops selling electric fans to operate and the shops that sell educational books for students have also been allowed to operate.

“Considering that Indian seafarers are stranded and/or are not able to join duty and that seafarers from other countries may take place of Indian seafarers, MHA has issued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on sign-on/sign-off for Indian seafarers at Indian ports and their movement,” she said.

She also added that

the states are facilitating commercial activities as per MHA guidelines, in areas which are not hotspots or containment zones.

Home Ministry has written to states to ensure the security of medical professionals, asking them to work with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) local chapter and take requisite steps for the security of healthcare workers.

Meanwhile, India’s count of COVID-19 has climbed to 21,393 after 1,409 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today. —ANI

‘Exporters to work from Sat, free wheat & rice for NFSA card holders’ Collectors will give necessary permissions to exporters, who may operate within city limits First India News

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani during a video conference. —FILE PHOTO

Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Thursday decided to allow exporters to resume operations beginning April 25, in what seems to be another step geared towards preparing the state for lockdown to be lifted on May 3.

While medium, small and micro enterprises

(MSMEs) have been allowed to operate outside city limits, exporters are being to resume business within the city, but outside cluster containment areas.

Announcing the decision, Information and Broadcasting Secretary and Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashwani Kumar said exporters too will have to seek permis-

THE COMMON GOOD

The state has also announced that any donations by companies to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority to fight COVID-19 will be considered a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) contribution.

MSMES ON TRACK

Kumar said that the decision to relax lockdown norms for MSMEs is showing results, with 35,000 units operational in the state and 3.25 lakh workers back at work, as of Thursday. Industrial water consumption is at 50% of the normal rate at GIDC estates, indicating that many industries have resumed operations. sion from their respective district collectors and abide by norms laid down for MSMEs. Kumar advised exporters to start sub-

mitting applications for the requisite permission soon.

In another key decision, the Rupani government will now give

3.5 kg wheat and 1.5 kg rice free to cardholders under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). The distribution to the 66 lakh cardholders will start from April 25 and conclude on April 29. If anyone is left out during this period, they can approach their fair price shop (FPS) on April 30 for their free rations.

However, only those cardholders who regularly buy from FPS and who had availed benefits of the free ration programme run April 1-3 will get

benefits under the new programme.

State has also relaxed the lockdown norms for plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and personnel doing AC repairs and computer repairs.

The state government on Thursday transferred Rs1,000 to NFSA cardholders in eight municipal corporation limit areas. By evening, Rs113 crore was transferred to 11.35 lakh beneficiaries. Over the past four days, Rs340 crore has been transferred to 34 lakh beneficiaries.

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Rations have reached just 24% of people: NGO survey

Data says 60,000 families of the 2.5 lakh families surveyed have received govt benefits Ahmedabad: The state government claims to have distributed free rations to 3.6 crore cardholders of various categories, but new data from a city-based nongovernmental organization (NGO) says that only 24% of the people surveyed in Ahmedabad have benefited from the free-ration programme.

Nagrik Sashaktikarna Manch says data collated from its own survey and those of other NGOs shows that only 60,000 families of the total 2.5 lakh families surveyed had received the promised rations.

The Gujarat government had announced that it would release rations for April free of cost to BPL (below poverty line) and APL (above poverty line)–1 ration cardholders. It also assured the Gujarat High Court that it would provide free rations to citizens and families who are poor or from other states but

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

First India News

PROMISES

People line up outside a fair price shop in Ahmedabad’s Behrampura to collect rations.

working here as migrant labourers with no ration cards, under Anna Brahma Yojna.

“A quick survey was carried out taking the help of schoolteachers to enroll names of such families. This survey had 2.5 lakh families enrolled, but only 60,000 have been given rations.

Many of the names have been dropped (from the list),” said Jatin Seth of Nagrik Sashaktikarna Manch.

He added, “These families (who did not receive rations) are literally starving and in misery.

They have to depend on the generosity of neighbours, who are only a little better off themselves, to even survive.”

Seth wrote to the prime minister, chief ministers and a dozen senior bureaucrats regarding the issue on April 21 and has been asked to submit the names of the families

who have not received rations. “I have sent a list of 10,000 family names, and am still adding more names to my list,” he said.

The problem is not limited to Ahmedabad.

In Surat, only 50,000 of the 2.5 lakh BPL cardholders identified will receive the Rs1,000 promised to them under the National Food Security Act since the others do not have the proper documentation.

“We are trying to get all the bank details, but about half of all the ration cardholders either do not have a bank account linked with their ration card or have not updated their Aadhaar card in the system. The administration has tasked the Mamlatdar and civil supply officers gather all the data again,” said a senior officer in the Surat district administration, who did not wish to be named.

Assault corona warriors, face PASA action: DGP First India News Gandhinagar: Director-General of Police Shivanand Jha on Thursday warned citizens that state police will not show any leniency towards people who assault or attack doctors, health team, police and government employees on corona duty. He also added that the police had arrested 438 persons for defying curfew up till now.

The DGP stated that police will not tolerate misconduct, assault or attack on corona warriors and strict action will be taken against such people. He added that the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) has been invoked against 22 people under three different cases. In Jetpur, one person has been arrested for attacking police, in Sabarkantha district three people were arrested for attacking doctors and 11 people have been arrested in Aravalli district for attacking police personnel.

The curfew which

Director-General of Police Shivanand Jha.

A family peers out of a window in Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur area.

First India News Ahmedabad: In a briefing on Thursday, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) commissioner Vijay Nehra declared that seven out of a total of nine cluster areas under quarantine were no longer quarantined clusters. These include two clusters in Jamalpur, one in Khadia and four in Dariyapur.

“Nine areas of the central zone under AMC had been put under cluster quarantine. After full cooperation extended by the locals, seven of nine areas will not be under cluster quarantine anymore. The blockades outside on the

streets will be removed and women will be able to venture out during curfew-free hours to purchase the essential items,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a shocking incident, two health department officers were informed that they had contracted COVID-19, after a gap of nine days after testing. Also, another IAS officer Dilip Kumar Rana, Commissioner of Tribal Development, Gandhinagar has been transferred to AMC as Deputy Municipal Commissioner. He had been earlier assigned to supervise the COVID-19 Care Centre at Samaras hostel on April 20.

Gandhinagar: In some long-overdue good news, 79 recovered COVID-19 patients across the state were discharged on Thursday. However, Gujarat is still not out of trouble, with 217 fresh cases and nine deaths being reported in the past 24 hours. With this, the state has 2,624 cases and a death toll of 112.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Meanwhile, Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi asserted that the state is not manipulating figures but is, on the contrary, being very forthcoming with facts and figures.

She said, “Sample testing has not been reduced, nor will it be cut,” adding that the state is not comparing its data with any other state and hence has no reason to hide any in-

A medical team enters a sealed area in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

formation.

Of the 217 new cases,

FINALLY HOME

151 were reported from Ahmedabad, 41 from

had been imposed in some parts of Ahmedabad, Surat, and Rajkot, will end today at 6 am since no extension has been announced.

Four more complaints were lodged against attendees of the Jamaat, who were found roaming in an ambulance. Police have lodged complaints against those four and two others for assisting them. Another complaint was lodged

Students from Gujarat who had been stranded in Rajasthan’s Kota since the beginning of the lockdown arrived in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE

Surat, seven from Vadodara, five from Bharuch, and Dang district reported its first case. Ahmedabad accounted for seven of the nine deaths, while Vadodara and Surat reported one each.

In a related development, Surat’s Kiran Hospital has been sealed after 12 of its staff members were confirmed as being infected with Sars-Cov-2.

‘Don’t create hype over viral videos’ First India News

Ahmedabad: Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra on Thursday appealed to citizens not to highlight system failures through videos on social media. At a briefing on Thursday, Nehra said that sharing such videos will be a disservice to the people working to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement comes after videos by COVID-19 positive pa-

tients went viral on social media lamenting about the lack of facilities at COVID-19 dedicated hospitals. He also appealed to the media not to unnecessarily create hype around such viral videos.

In another video that went viral, patients are seen playing cricket in an open ground at Samras Hostel. Nehra indicated that it was a good sign that patients were physically fit but warned them not to break norms.

BOON OR BANE

Social media: grievance platform or headache for govt?

First India News Ahmedabad: The state administration has its hand full with the battle against the deadly novel coronavirus. As if that wasn’t enough, social media grievances surfacing online every day have added to its already full plate. With people using social media as a platform to share their complaints, its rampant usage has emerged as a new headache for the

state machinery.

For instance, a video clip of Class–II medical officer with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is doing rounds on social media. In the video, the officer shares that she received ill-treatment upon admission at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital. She goes on to lament that no senior officer of the local civic body has contacted her to ask about her

health nor are they taking her calls. She also complained that after serving in quarantined areas such as Jamalpur and Vastral, her leave request was not approved by her seniors.

When the issue was taken up with the Principal Secretary (Health) Jayanti Ravi, she acknowledged the video clip and assured that the officer in question will be provided with the treatment she requires.

—FILE PHOTO

CM OPENS SUB-REGISTRAR OFFICES

Quarantine over for 7 79 discharged but 217 new cases and 9 dead Walled City clusters First India News

03

In another video, a woman introducing herself as Dipa Santvani wanted to know why state government officials and bureaucrats were not visiting Civil Hospital. Citing media reports of eight deaths at the hospital due to COVID-19, she alleged that ministers and officers were scared of getting infected with SarsCoV-2 and therefore, were avoiding visits to the hospital.

against four people in Bharuch as they had travelled to Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh. One more complaint has been lodged against a Sura Jamaat attendee who returned to Gandhinagar. A total of 19 cases have been lodged against filed against Jamaatis.

Meanwhile, police commissioner Ashish Bhatia said that seven of the 35 police personnel infected with SarsCov-2, have recovered.

NID-G student’s doormat app merges safety, technology First India News Gandhinagar: A student of National Institute of Design (NID), Gandhinagar, Saksham Panda has developed an application named ‘Untapped’ and submitted it for the Global Grad Show initiative addressing the collateral issues of the COVID-19 pandemic.

An initiative by the Art Dubai Group, the GGG launched an open call for university professors and students around the world. The application phase ran between March 16 and April 2, receiving 390 entries by undergraduates, graduates, and professors from 125 universities in 40 countries around the world.

Panda’s application creates a mat to unlock the door with your feet thereby reducing the risk of infection through contact of surfaces. The doormat is connected to an electronic circuit and works based on sensors. Similar to entering passwords with buttons, users can tap a certain pattern with their foot to complete the lock functions.

All applications were evaluated by a jury comprising of experts in innovation, technology, and new ventures, who will determine the next assessment phase.

In the coming month, Global Grad Show will undertake a detailed analysis of the requirements of the recommended proposals, with a view to identifying which can be supported towards implementation.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

NO TIME FOR FEUD BETWEEN CENTRE AND STATES

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ith no political activity, no parliament session, judiciary just able to take up important cases, industries shut, people locked up in their houses, and virtual world dominating our lives these are indeed unprecedented times. Whatever unilateral steps the Centre takes to save Jaan and Jahaan the states are supposed to follow given the severity of the pandemic. But states could have been taken on board before the imposition of the lockdown. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel accused the Centre of triggering chaos by not consulting the state governments before the lockdown. The Centre claimed that the decision was taken as states like Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala delayed lockdowns. This was the first sign of Centre-state relations coming under strain.

The second factor for potential contention is Central assistance to states during COVID times. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for an increase in the state’s quota of wheat under the Food Security Act. He has rightfully demanded 30,000 tonnes of extra wheat, on the basis of the current population.

He also asked the Centre for a stimulus package for Rajasthan. He’s not the only one as other Congress-ruled states, including Punjab, have sought financial assistance arguing that without a big package, normalcy may be difficult to restore after the lockdown.

During their virtual meeting with the prime minister, chief ministers of Kerala, West Bengal and Telangana had also demanded a stimulus package.

Among other issues, financial assistance was among the points of discussion at the Congress Working Committee meeting held by Sonia Gandhi on a virtual platform. Puducherry chief minister V. Narayanasamy accused the Union government of not giving any financial assistance to the states.

The next flashpoint was between West Bengal and the Centre when the latter decided to send an Inter-Ministerial Central Team to inspect alleged violation of lockdown rules in some of the areas declared hotspots. Mamata Banerjee described the Centre’s decision to send the team as “unilateral, unjustified” and based on “figment of imagination”. The state government even restricted the team’s movement, following which the Centre wrote to the state accusing it of non-co-operation and warned of consequences for obstructing orders issued under the Disaster Management Act made further binding by the Supreme Court. A day later West Bengal fell in line. Denying non-co-operation, Mamata Banerjee said her government will follow all lockdown instructions from the Centre.

COVID-19 crisis is not the time for feuding.

Both Centre and states should look beyond political one-upmanship to work for the people who have been badly hit by the pandemic. If the Central government feels that meeting the states’ demand for financial assistance is necessary, then it should favourably be considered. With the FRBM Act in place to check fiscal deficit, states must be finding it difficult to meet the financial exigency. Can the Act be relaxed to bail them out?

COVID-19 AND JUDICIAL ACTIVISM AVIN CHHANGANI The writer is an Advocate, practising at Rajasthan High Court

L

The fact of the matter is that governments across party lines - have done a fairly decent job of dealing with this crisis, given the resources at their disposal.

Therefore, ordinarily, constitutional courts should be hesitant to enter PIL petitions, especially from “five star activists”

ife, as we knew it, has virtually come to a standstill due to COVID-19. The world is undergoing one of the most disruptive phases in the history of mankind. Modern life has been disrupted at a scale that the finest of human minds could not have fathomed. Several technocrats and epidemiologists have predicted that it would not be wise to expect a return to normalcy as we know it and that we would have to discover a ‘new normal’ once the dust settles. If this doomsday prediction comes true, we would have to bid adieu to movie halls, sporting arenas, and a whole host of avenues of entertainment and recreation.

In such a backdrop, several challenging issues have cropped up for our legal system as well. One of the most important issues facing the judiciary - and the legal fraternity at large - is, what should be the ambit and contours of judicial activism on the menace of COVID-19.

While there has always been a vibrant debate on judicial activism, it assumes particular significance in light of this unprecedented crisis. The fact of the matter is that governments - across party lines - have done a fairly decent job of dealing with this crisis, given the resources at their disposal.

Therefore, ordinarily, constitutional courts should be hesitant to enter PIL petitions, especially from “fivestar activists.”

However, this does not mean that judicial activism, in the context of COVID-19, is wholly undesirable. One positive instance of judicial activism is the timely intervention by the Hon’ble Rajasthan High Court, wherein the High Court took cognizance of the issue – upon a letter sent by an Advocate - and registered a PIL petition, entitled Suo Motu v/s State of Rajasthan. The said petition was

taken up by the High Court on March 24, 2020, and as many as seven directions were issued.

In this piece, I will throw light on the most important direction no. 5, which reads: “No person shall be allowed to come out without covering his face with masks even for the purchase of essential households or medicines or for any other emergent purpose.” Two aspects are noteworthy in this direction.

First, the vast sweep of it, which mandated that masks had to be worn by every person, even if he/she steps out to procure essential items or for any emergent purpose. Second, this direction of mandatory use of masks was issued at a time when authorities in India, and across the world, had not issued any such direction. As a matter of fact, until recently, WHO itself had been peddling the theory that masks do not have to be used by a person if he/she did not have symptoms of COVID-19. This position of WHO attracted significant opprobrium from infectious disease experts, who opined that this would lead to asymptomatic carriers (of the virus) spreading the disease. These experts also pointed out that the relatively better track re-

One of the most important issues facing the judiciary and the legal fraternity at large - is, what should be the ambit and contours of judicial activism on the menace of COVID-19

cord of countries like Japan and South Korea – in comparison to countries like Italy and France – could be explained by the widespread use of masks in these countries. Nonetheless, the WHO stubbornly refused to budge from its position.

However, with the passage of time, it has become indubitable that widespread use of masks is an integral element in the overall strategy to contain the virus. This position is vindicated by an

Why we must be wary of philanthropic contributions

T

he coronavirus pandemic has produced a surge in philanthropic giving from some of the world’s wealthiest people. Bill and Melinda Gates, longstanding champions of global health, have committed funds to research the disease and manufacture a vaccine when one becomes available.

Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, has pledged $1 billion for “global Covid-19 relief ”. Then there are Jack Ma, Li Ka-Shing, George Soros, Giorgio Armani and Jeff Bezos – other examples of billionaires giving staggering amounts of money to help alleviate the suffering caused by this global crisis.

Indeed, it is well deserved. But the situation also illustrates a profound imbalance in society.

04

MASTER AND SERVANT Consider for a moment whether you would agree to be a slave. Let’s say a kindly benefactor offered you a better standard of living than that which you currently enjoy, or can realistically aspire to, and credibly promises to treat you very well. The only condition is that they would own you.

Would you accept the offer? My suspicion is that most people would not.

Slavery is incontrovertibly wrong, though it is important to understand why. The depictions we see in popular culture often emphasise the cruelty and exploitation. These are terrible, but they are not at the core of what’s wrong with owning another person.

If they were, then we would not have a problem

The real problem with slavery lies in its structure as a social relationship, specifically with the distribution of power with the idea of a kindly benefactor. The real problem with slavery lies in its structure as a social relationship, specifically with the distribution of power.

Philosophers like Philip

Pettit have spent the past few decades putting forward a conception of liberty that uses slavery as the archetype of “unfreedom”. Unlike Thomas Hobbes or Isaiah Berlin, he doesn’t think of freedom as the absence of interference, but the absence of arbitrary interference.

Pettit argues that the problem with slavery is not that the slave is interfered with in a cruel or exploitative way, but simply that their owner has the capacity to interfere in their choices

at will. Well treated slaves may be in an enviable condition compared with abused slaves, but they still have no control over an owner’s power to interfere. This is what it means to be dominated.

Even in circumstances where an owner is benevolent, the slave will be aware that their choices are based on the master’s tacit permission. And if we are worried about domination, we must worry about billionaire philanthropy.

This becomes acute in times of crisis, because it leaves matters of life and death in the hands of a few powerful individuals who lack any constraints on their power other than their own conscience. Freedom is at risk when the imbalance of wealth and power is so stark. How healthy can it be that so many people in the world are utterly dependent on the generos-

ity of billionaires?

The provision of healthcare for millions of people rests on their goodwill and nothing else. They choose what to give, how to give it and who to give it to. They establish large organisations that have a profound influence on public bodies.

The Gates Foundation, for example, is the largest funder of the World Health Organization after the United States. The foundation’s influence shapes the global health agenda in a way that has been already been described as a “cartel”. Now that Donald Trump appears set to stop American funding for the WHO, the foundation will be even more important. Indeed, it has already committed an additional US$150 million.”

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order dated April 8, 2020, passed by Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, by way of which, compulsory use of masks was mandated. The said order states, in no uncertain terms, that wearing face masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus. To mitigate the difficulties of those who may be unable to obtain a mask, it has been clarified that even cloth masks can be used.

This is an effective arrangement, which also ensures that healthcare professionals do not face any shortage of masks.

Even the Delhi government has made the wearing of masks mandatory. It also bears noting that several other states are also contemplating adopting the same course of action.

Therefore, it becomes abundantly clear that the direction issued by Rajasthan High Court mandating compulsory use of masks was desirable, as it correctly identified masks as a significant deterrent to the quick spread of the disease. It was issued after ascertaining the true nature of the crisis and demonstrates that even in such extraordinary times, judicial activism cannot be completely written off.

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Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp The story of Hamid from Munshi Premchand’s Eidgaah served as an inspiration for PM @narendramodi to launch the @PMUjjwalaYojana.

The success of #PMUY is proof that books can have a lifechanging impact, not just on an individual’s life, but also for the masses. #WorldBookDay Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Continuing with diligent efforts for timely transportation of farm products, Railways did record foodgrain loading of 112 rakes, equal to 3.13 lakh tonnes, on 22nd April’20. From 1st to 22nd April, Railways transported 45.8 lakh tonnes of foodgrains.

Spiritual SPEAK

No one who does good work will ever come to a bad end, either here or in the world to come. —Bhagavad Gita

Vol 1 Issue No. 148 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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05

‘Issue of migrant workers be addressed first’ Govt should think about imposing lockdown in COVID-19 hotspots & lifting restrictions in green zones, Rahul Gandhi said in CWC meet New Delhi: Congress lawmaker Rahul Gandhi and her sister and party’s General Secteray Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday raised the issue of migrant workers who are stranded due to coronavirus induced lockdown at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting.

The former Congress chief stressed that the government should think about imposing lockdown in COVID-19 hotspots and consider about lifting restrictions in green zones.

“Issue of migrant workers needs to be addressed as a first priority. Lockdown is a mere pause button. As a Nation, we need to think of a transition from a lockdown to lockdown only in disease hotzones and commence-

PRIYANKA GANDHI SEEKS RELIEF PACKAGE FOR CHIKANKARI INDUSTRY

ment of activities in greenzones,” Rahul said, as per a tweet by Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala.

Congress leader Priyanka said that the government should allow stranded migrant workers to return home after testing and precautions.

“Compassion is the key to fight COVID-19 and not hostility to-

wards the victim of Corona. As times pass, we need to permit migrant workers to return home after due testing and precautions,” she said.

MHA said that there shall be no movement of labour outside State or UT where they are currently located. However, stranded labourers will be allowed to go to places of work within the State. —ANI

New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to announce a relief package for Lucknow’s ‘chikankari’ industry. In a tweet shared today, Priyanka said that the industry has been badly hit by lockdown necessitated due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Priyanka said that the small and medium industry had earlier suffered due to demonetisation and GST and now the lockdown has hit them hard. “Lucknow’s chikan industry has brought laurels to UP in India and abroad.

This industry which is already reeling due to demonetisation and GST has suffered badly

due to the lockdown,” she said.

“Uttar Pradesh government should immediately declare a relief package for the chikan industry and all other such small and medium industries and announce help to the labour working in them,” Priyanka said & attached a report highlighting the adverse impact of the lockdown on the ‘chikankari’ industry. The chikankari industry is a traditional craft of Lucknow. According to reports, the industry has suffered a loss of Rs 2,000 crore due to the lockdown.

She has written several letters to UP CM, suggesting ways to provide relief to poor due to the lockdown. —ANI

State finances in dire straits: PC New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram underlined that finances of states across the country are in “dire straits” amid the coronavirus lockdown, and said that they need urgent assistance. Chidambaram was speaking at the Congress Working Committee meeting held on Thursday.

“There are three major issues - 1. Finances of the States are in dire straits and they need urgent assistance. 2.

The state of health infrastructure needs to be addressed. 3. A humane policy for the return of migrant workers needs to be put in place,” Chidambaram said. Congress leader AK Antony said, “It is our responsi-

Arnab Goswami’s car attacked; two held Mumbai: Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami was allegedly attacked by two bikeborne persons late on Wednesday. The editor was returning home along with his wife when the attack took place. The attackers were caught by his security personnel and were handed over to the police. Both Arnab and his wife Samia Goswami were unhurt in the attack.

Goswami in his complaint to police said, “Around 12.15 am when we reached Ganpatrao Kadam Marg, two men followed our car and tried to overtake.”

These two attackers initially tried to identify the driver follow-

POLITICIANS CONDEMN ATTACK

Arnab Goswami

The pillion rider threw liquid all over the car on driver’s side.

ing which they stretched their arm pointing at him and then blocked his path.

“The pillion rider hit the right side driver window several times and then, these attackers realised that the car window was up and they couldn’t break through and immediately, the pillion rider

removed the liquid bottle from his pocket and threw liquid all over the car on the driver’s side where I was sitting,” said Goswami in his statement to police.

He further added that while the two were shouting and abusing him in Hindi, The police then recorded the statement of Goswami

following which a case was registered under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The two accused identified as Arun Borade and Prateek Mishra were arrested.

“We condemn #ArnabGoswamiAttacked request authorities strong action against the Gundas of Congress & protection to Arnab. I have requested Hon Governor Maharashtra & Mumbai Police Commissioner in this regard @BJP4India @ BJP4Maharashtra,” the BJP leader said in a tweet.

“We condemn the attempt to attack renowned journalist Arnab Goswami. Essentially, we condemn any attack on any journalist; this is against democracy and it is really ironical that those who preach tolerance have become so intolerant, therefore we condemn this attempt and we appeal to the collective wisdom that this is undemocratic; and as per present law definitely Police should take action if there is a complaint.”

—Kirit Somaiya

—Prakash Javadekar

Maharashtra BJP leader

The incident happened a day after an FIR was registered against Goswami for allegedly

I&B Minister

making derogatory remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi during his TV show.

‘COOPERATION AMONG CENTRE & STATES, KEY TO FIGHT CORONA’ New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Thursday, said that success of lockdown will be judged finally on the country’s ability to tackle COVID-19.

He also asserted that cooperation between the Centre and States is the key to success in the fight against the deadly virus. Former Prime Minister Singh made the remark durbility to act as watchdogs and ensure course correction. A large number of NRIs abroad must be permitted to return home after due

ing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, chaired by party’s interim President Sonia Gandhi. —ANI testing and in consultation with state governments by arranging special aircraft. Why isn’t India doing so?” he asked. —ANI

Allow liquor to flow freely in Maharashtra: Raj Thackeray to CM Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray on Thursday demanded that the state government should drop “moral issues” and permit liquor shops and restaurants to resume forthwith to enable it earn badly-needed revenues for its near-empty coffers.

In a letter to his cousin and CM Uddhav Thackeray, the MNS chief said that since March 18, the state is in lockdown, first till March 31, then till April 14 and now extended to May 3, with no certainty when it will be lifted.

Raj Thackeray said

that in such times, there is no harm in keeping this option (wine shops) open since it’’s not intended to cater to the needs of the alcohol consumers but to start generating income for the government. “The excise duty generated for the state via liquor amounts to Rs 41.66 crore daily, he said.

Palghar lynching premeditated, IndiGo to pay full salary to Sensex jumps 483 points to end top 5 accused left activists: VHP its employees for April at 31,863, Nifty rises 126 points New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad termed the Palghar lynching in Maharashtra a premeditated conspiracy, demanding a thorough investigation in the case. It has alleged that the top 5 accused are activists of left political parties active in that region.

“Despite a COVID-19 lockdown, who, since April 14, spread the rumour of child kidnapping gangs in the village? Three-four days ago, in the surrounding area, there was an

SCATHING ATTACK

attack on a doctor and a police officer who came to distribute relief material. Despite this, why was not enough police force sent?” asked Milind Parande, VHP Secre-

‘PURSUE MATTER OF 3-PRONGED STRATEGY WITH PM MODI’ Chandigarh: Following up on his letter to PM Narendra Modi, suggesting a 3-pronged strategy to bail out states from the COVID-19 crisis, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has now urged his counterparts in all the states to pursue the matter with the Centre. Singh has written to CMs to also write to PM,

urging him to consider the suggestions he had made to combat the crisis. Pointing out that it was a matter of concern, Singh in his letter to all CMs, highlighted that all states are reeling under the impact of shrinking revenues and heightened requirements of welfare and healthcare due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

tary General.

The VHP has alleged that the Maharashtra Chief Minister “wants to lessen the gravity of the case by calling it a ‘’galatfahmi’’ (misunderstanding)”. —Agencies

New Delhi: India’s largest carrier IndiGo has decided to pay full salary for the month of April to the majority of its employees.

In an e-mail to its employees on Thursday, IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta said: “In deference to our government’s wishes of not reducing pay during the lockdown, we have decided not to implement the previously announced pay cuts during the month of April.”

“However, your Excom members and SVPs

CPRF PASSING OUT PARADE FOR NEW OFFICERS VIA VC New Delhi: For the first time, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is going to organise the passing out parade of its newly inducted 51st batch of gazetted officers through video conferencing amid lockdown restrictions. Junior Home Minister G Kishan Reddy & DG CRPF AP Maheshwari will address the new batch of officers sitting in an auditorium through video conferencing. The CRPF decided to do e-passing out parade after induction of the latest batch of officers got delayed due to lockdown.

have volunteered to take pay cuts this month. For everyone else, you can expect your April salaries to be paid without the pay cuts,” said Dutta. A week earlier, IndiGo had asked the employees to take 10 to 20 per cent salary cuts.

Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex surged over 483 points on Thursday, tracking gains in IT and banking stocks as expectations of another stimulus package from the government enthused investor sentiment.

The 30-share index ended 483.53 points or 1.54 per cent higher at 31,863.08. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 126.60 points, or 1.38 per cent, to settle at 9,313.90.

Kotak Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 8 per

DELHI CONG STARTS KITCHEN IN OFFICE FOR MIGRANT WORKERS New Delhi: The Delhi unit of Congress opened “Congress ki Rasoi” on Thursday at party office to serve cooked food to migrant labours who are stranded in Delhi amid COVID-19 lockdown. PCC president Anil Chaudhry said: “This is the 95th kitchen opened today at Party office. Besides this, on the directions of party

president Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi, 94 kitchens are already operating from day one of the lockdown.” “Earlier, we were giving dry ration to the needy people and now we are serving cooked food to 50 thousand people on a daily basis across Delhi through our kitchen, and we will continue to serve food till the lockdown.”

‘GROWTH SLIPPING TO 0.8% IN FY21’

F

cent, followed by TCS, Infosys, ICICI Bank, HCL Tech and ONGC. Titan, HUL, PowerGrid, NTPC and Nestle India were among the laggards.Indian markets opened on a posi-

tive note tracking mostly positive global markets as oil prices were seen rebounding after catastrophic falls a few days back amid some decline in volatility, said experts. —PTI

ICMR APPROVES RAPID TEST KITS FOR ANDHRA PRADESH Amaravati: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved rapid testing kits from South Korea and the tests will be continued using these kits as per the protocol, said a government official. As many as 14,423 tests were conducted out of which 11,543 tests were conducted in red zone areas in Andhra Pradesh using rapid testing kits. “More than 30 cases have been tested positive in these tests and are being sent to PCR testing for confirmation,” said an official in a statement on Thursday.

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COVID-19 UPDATE Six viral testing labs set up with help of ICMR, are functional at various AFMS hosps

Defence Min reviews work of AFMS ‘PUT ON HOLD ACQUISITION PROCESSES’

New Delhi: A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the orders issued by the MHA and the Maharashtra government ordering payment of salaries to the workers during the nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

The MHA on March 29 issued an order mandating payment of salaries to industry workers with deduction, for the lockdown period.

On March 31, the Maharashtra government issued various directions to all private establishments not to terminate any workman, includ-

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a mobile lab named Mobile Virology Research & Diagnostics Laboratory developed by DRDO for conducting COVID19 screening in New Delhi.

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the functioning of Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and their assistance to civilian authorities to contain the spread of COVID-19 at a meeting here on Thursday.

Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, Director General AFMS Lt Gen Anup Banerji, Director General AFMS Lt Gen AK Hooda, Director General Medical Ser-

vices Surgeon Vice Admiral MV Singh & Director General Medical Services Air Marshal M S Butola attended the meeting. They briefed the Defence Minister about various actions taken in terms of issuing advisories to Armed Forces personnel, providing assistance to civilian authorities in respect of quarantine facilities, provisioning of hospitals and healthcare in the prevailing situation.

“On a request received from the Ministry of Health, quarantine facilities for civilians were created and are currently functional at six stations for civilian evacuees from Italy, Iran, China, Malaysia and Japan,” said a Defence Ministry release. “Standby quarantine facilities have also been created at other stations. Starting 1st Feb 2020 these facilities have housed 1,738 individuals.” —ANI

LENDING A HELPING HAND

The First Lady of India, Savita Kovind stitching face masks at Shakti Haat in the President’s Estate in New Delhi on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Alternative Academic Calendar out New Delhi: In order to engage students during their stay at home during the lockdown, Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Thursday released an Alternative Academic Calendar for upper primary classes (Classes VI to VIII).

“This Calendar provides guidelines to teachers on the use of various technological tools and social media tools available for imparting education in fun-filled, interesting ways, which can be used by learners, parents and teachers even while at home,” Pokhriyal said. —ANI

Plea in SC challenges full payment to workers in lockdown

PREZ ’S NOD FOR LAW TO PUNISH THOSE WHO ATTACK HEALTH WORKERS New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind has approved to promulgate The Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 which provides stricter punishments for attacks against health workers even as the country battles the coronavirus outbreak.

The Union Cabinet in its meeting held on Wednesday has approved the promulgation of the Ordinance to amend the Epidemic

Diseases Act, 1897 to “protect healthcare service personnel and property including their living/working premises against violence during epidemics.”

Javadekar felicitates COVID-19 warriors New Delhi: Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday presented the letter of appreciation to frontline COVID-19 warriors, which include healthcare workers, police personnel, bank staff, Postal Department employees, sanitation workers, and others. Minister Javadekar

ing temporary/contract workmen and pay wages for the period of lockdown even if any workman has not performed/ attended work.

“The losses of the petitioner will be multiplied and if the petitioner has to observe the said orders, March 29 and March 31, in its entirety, then the business itself ’ will become unsustainable and will have more far reaching consequences, affecting the livelihood of more people”, said Mumbaibased textile company Nagreeka Exports Limited, which moved the apex court challenging the constitutionality of these order. —Agencies

ment employees for their hard work during COVID-19. Attack on them will not be tolerated. That is why we have brought an ordinance against such acts.”

“We are giving them an appreciation letter with 40 people's signatures on it. We want to tell them we all appreciate their work.” —ANI

“The amendment makes acts of violence cognizable and nonbailable offences. Commission or abetment of such acts of violence shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of three months to five years, and with fine of Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 2,00,000/-,” the Ministry said in a release on Wednesday. Offences shall be investigated by an officer of rank of Inspector. —ANI

Delhi airport, major hub for med essentials

CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY USED AT VARIOUS CENTRES: AIIMS DIRECTOR

COVID-19 GROWTH CURVE HAS BEEN FLATTENED, SAYS DIRECTOR ICMR

New Delhi: AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria informed that the use of convalescent plasma therapy to treat COVID-19 patient has started at various centres in the country.” At various centres, we have now started using convalescent plasma that is the blood of C patients who have recovered. A large number of patients who have become alright, have come forward and have volunteered to donate their blood,”he said. —ANI

New Delhi: ICMR said that the growth curve of COVID-19 has been flattened but it is difficult to tell when it will reach its peak. “It is very difficult to tell that peak in corona cases will arrive by May 3 or when it will come. But it is very stable.

The positivity rate has been 4.5% throughout, one can say we have been able to flatten the curve.

However, difficult to predict it (peak),” Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General, ICMR said. —ANI

New Delhi : Centre has designated Delhi's IGI Airport as a major hub for “Import and Distribution” of COVID-19 related medical essentials. According to Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which operates and manages the airport: “Ever since the pandemic started gripping India, Delhi Airport is providing all the logistics support to handle, process and facilitate distribution of such consignments arriving at the airport to various parts of the country.”

“A 3,800 sq mt dedicated distribution facility has been made operational at the place. —ANI

the answers were sought from the people.

Until March 31, the percentage in support of Modi was 79.4, whereas the percentage shot upto 89.9 on April 1. By April 21, the total percentage in favour of Modi is at 93.5. The survey results may not go down well with Congress leaders as Modi’s popularity continue to rise. Furthermore, according to the survey, the Index of Preparedness has gone up sharply in the past one month while the Index of Complacency has gone down.

‘Tackle Covid... former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and top Congress leaders attended the meeting through video conference This is the second time the CWC, the Congress’ top decision-making body, is meeting through video-conferencing in the past three weeks ever since the lockdown was enforced to contain the coronavirus threat.

The Congress president said the coronavirus pandemic has increased disturbingly in

Prakash Javadekar gives appreciation letter to frontline warriors.

said: “We are felicitating doctors, nurses,

sanitation workers, police, bank and govern-

06

POWER Gallery WILL DEEPAK GET SHORT EXTENSION?

Tenure of JS Deepak (IAS:1982:UP) as Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to World Trade Organisation, Geneva is likely to be extended for a short period beginning June 1.

Whispers are in that the next appointment for the post could be from Indian Foreign Service (IFS) -possibly with IIM background again.

WILL SYED AKBARUDDIN GET SPECIAL SERVICE EXTENSION?

There are innumerable speculations being made in the Indian diplomatic circles in the United States that India’s permanent representative to UN, Syed Akbaruddin, who is retiring this month (April) could get extension as a special case in the current COVID19 situation. He is an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1985 batch.

IRS OFFICER SHEETAL JOINS CG GOVT ON DEPUTATION

Sheetal Shashwat Verma has been appointed as Special Secretary, Finance in Government of Chhattisgarh on deputation. She is an IRS-IT officer.

IRS OFFICER TO JOIN MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

Charan Preet Singh Bakshi will join the Ministry of Minority Affairs as JS under Central Staffing Scheme on deputation for five years. He is a 1992 batch IRS(C&CE) officer.

MANISH GUPTA APPOINTED DIRECTOR, CBDT

Manish Gupta has been appointed Director, InvIII Division, CBDT. He is an IRS-IT officer.

RASHMITA JHA PROMOTED AS CIT

Rashmita Jha has been promoted to the grade of Commissioner of Income Tax (CIT).

J KRISHNA KISHORE APPOINTED PCIT IN PRCCIT, NEW DELHI

J Krishna Kishore has been appointed as PCIT (OSD) in the office of Principal CCIT, New Delhi.

He is an IRS-IT officer.

THREE IAS OFFICERS OF UP CADRE EMPANELLED AS SECRETARY IN GOI

Three 1988 batch IAS officers of UP cadre have been empanelled as Secretary in Government of India. They are; Alok Kumar-I, Arvind Kumar and Ms S Radha Chauhan. Top Prev Next Click here for Your SANJAY KUMAR JHA TO TAKE OVER AS CMD, MIDHANI ON MAY 1

Sanjay Kumar Jha, Director, MIDHANI, whose appointment as Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD), Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), has been approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), will be taking over the charge on May 1, 2020 as tenure of incumbent Dr D K Likhi is ending on April 30, 2020.

SANDIP DAS TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR (FIN), BALMER LAWRIE ON MAY 1

Sandip Das, GM, BLC, will be succeeding present incumbent S S Khuntia as Director (Finance), Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited on May 1, 2020.

The tenure of Khuntia is ending in April this year.

DR G C DAS POSTED IN SER

Dr Gopal Chandra Das presently posted with East Coast Railway has been transferred and posted with South Eastern Railway. He is an IRMS officer.

VIJAY SHARMA BEING POSTED IN NFR

Vijay Sharma on his return from deputation to Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will be posted in Northeast Frontier Railway.He is an IRAS officer.

S N GUPTA APPOINTED CFO OF JAMMU & KASHMIR BANK

Jammu & Kashmir Bank has appointed Satya Narayan Gupta as Chief Financial Officer of the Bank.

FROM PG 1 Forty five... said community leader Zuber Goplani, adding, “Thereafter, all the patients that had been admitted to the Gotri hospital were shifted to the CCC. Thus, their journey from government care to community care began.” He asserts that while MDA members lent their support, government doctors took care of the medical treatment. Similarly, the government provided the food, while the community provided supplements such as

fruit and counselling.

“Some 79 patients were being treated at the Institute, 45 of them have been discharged after getting a second successive negative report for the virus,” Vadodara Municipal Corporation Medical Officer Dr Devesh Patel said.

The recovered patients are relieved and keen to do their bit for those still afflicted by Sars-Cov-2.

“As a return gift to the society and medical fraternity, I plan to donate plasma that can be

helpful to other patients to recover,” Zakir Hussain Saudagar said.

MDA’s Dr Hussain says patients still have a long way to go.

“Before they were discharged, I spent an hour counselling the recovered patients, where I gave them a list of do’s and don’ts, and strictly advised them to self isolate, even at home.”

Govt freezes...

It said that the additional instalments of dearness allowance and dearness relief due

from July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, shall also not be paid. It, however, said DA and DR at current rates will continue to be paid. —ANI

Corona war... the Lockdown 2.0 as of April 21st revealed surprising figure as 93.5 percent trust Modi is handling the crisis well.

The online survey has put forth the statement – “I think the Indian government is handling the coronavirus (outbreak) well” – was put forth before people between March 16 and April 21,

the past three weeks and called upon the government to increase testing for it. Gandhi said she has written several times to the PM since the lockdown was enforced and suggested several measures and constructive cooperation. Former prime minister Manmohan said the success of the lockdown will be judged finally on India’s ability to tackle COVID-19.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Puducherry CM V

Narayanasamy also expressed their views.

Bhupesh Baghel said unless the Centre rises to the occasion and provides financial assistance to states, how will the fight against COVID-19 be won.

Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy said the Union government has not given any assistance to the states. “How will states survive in times of crisis. We are not enemies but have to act and work together,” Narayanasamy said at the CWC meet.

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07

HOW TO AVOID CABIN FEVER

P

eople who suspect they may have come into contact with the coronavirus are being advised to self-isolate (stay at home) for 14 days. For some people, the idea of self-isolation may seem like a dream come true. For others, the idea of being cut off from the outside world, alone or with only a few close family members, will fill them with dread – ask any parent who has had to entertain two small children at home on a wet afternoon.

When people are stuck indoors for long periods of time, they can report getting “cabin fever” or feel like they are going “stir crazy”. However, there are some simple measures that you can take to help you adapt.

BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

R

esearch on the effects of loneliness suggest that when people lack social connections they are more likely to suffer from physical health problems.

For example, older adults who can’t leave their homes due to impaired mobility are more susceptible to illness, such as heart disease. And studies have found that polar research crews can suffer from reductions in their immune system.

The good news is that the period of self-isolation needed for coronavirus should not result in any marked changes in how your immune system works. But during self-isolation it may be a good idea to try to improve your immune response. Exercise and getting enough vitamins can help here (although contrary to some internet sources, they’re not a cure). Psychologists also believe that listening to upbeat music or watching a movie can also boost your immune function.

PERILS PERFECTIONISM OF

T

rying to find ways to make the most of time in lockdown has motivated many people to learn new skills, polish up old ones, and tackle old todo lists. Social media and the news present an abundance of stories about the amazing things people are accomplishing during lockdown.

There are tips on how to be the perfect parent, have the perfect at-home workout routine, and even bake the perfect loaf of bread.

It’s easy to think that this would help people’s mental health by giving them a sense of purpose and distraction. But for those prone to perfectionism, this information can fuel feelings of insecurity and selfdoubt. Striving to measure up to the examples on social media can take a further toll on mental health when projects fail because you don’t have the resources needed. Perfectionism can make you more vulnerable to poor wellbeing during lockdown.

SOCIAL COMPARISONS

DURING

UNREALISTIC STANDARDS AND SELF-CRITICISM

Perfectionism isn’t simply about striving to do your best. Instead it involves a tendency to have frequent thoughts about achieving ideal standards coupled with relentless striving to reach goals that are unrealistic.

Personality science has revealed that perfectionism comes in two main forms. One is characterised by overly critical and negative views of your own behaviour, and an excessive preoccupation with other people’s expectations of your performance. These self-critical perfectionists get little satisfaction even when they do bake a lovely loaf of sourdough bread. To them, it will never be as good as the loaf their friend baked.

The other form of perfectionism is more similar to the common idea of a perfectionist – someone who strives to meet very high standards. But there’s a catch.

It’s natural for people to compare themselves to others to get direction when they experience uncertainty. These social comparisons help us evaluate our performance and motivate self-improvement.

But for self-critical perfectionists, checking social media and the news for how others are dealing with lockdown can be a reminder that they are not accomplishing enough, not being the best parent, and falling short of what is expected. This can lead to worry and repetitive negative thoughts about not being perfect, which can increase risk for depression and distress.

L O C K D O W N

STRUCTURE YOUR DAY

F

EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONS

HEALTH

With regular exercise routines disrupted, people are turning to online fitness classes and videos to stay fit during lockdown. You might expect that perfectionism would give an advantage when it comes to staying healthy. But exposure to the “perfect” exercise routine promoted by ultra-fit exercise gurus can trigger feelings of inadequacy.

Self-critical perfectionists may respond by simply abandoning any attempt to stay fit. My research has shown that this form of perfectionism is linked to procrastination and poorer health.

Striving perfectionists, on the other hand, can go into exercise overdrive to try to become as ultra-fit as the online instructors, pushing themselves too much and increasing risk for exhaustion and injury. Neither extreme is healthy.

So how can perfectionists manage their wellbeing during lockdown? Learning to accept personal limitations and imperfections is crucial, but may be easier said than done. Once a perfectionist is reminded that they are not perfect, it is difficult for them to respond with acceptance and compassion towards their shortcomings – self-criticism is the default response. This is why it’s important to limit exposure to social media that promotes perfectionism.

Keeping things in perspective can also help. For example, is it really the end of the world if your sourdough starter failed?

More importantly, reminding ourselves that we are all imperfect and that we all struggle with failures and shortcomings is essential for practicing self-compassion. Showing ourselves the same kindness and acceptance that we would for a close friend who is struggling during lockdown is one way to cultivate this self-compassion.

In a recent tweet, J. K. Rowling blasted social media users who were “implying people are losers if they aren’t learning a new skill” during lockdown.

As she aptly noted, learning to accept our feelings and distress is “a better route back to good mental health than beating ourselves up for not being superhuman”.

DESIGN: CP SHARMA SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

or some people, self-isolation might still lead to some mild mental health issues. We know from people who have spent a winter in a polar research station that longer-term isolation and confinement is linked to psychological problems. One study found that in crews overwintering, over 60% reported feeling depressed or anxious; and nearly 50% felt more irritable and had problems with memory, sleeping and concentrating.

Obviously, coronavirus selfisolation won’t be as extreme or as long as for those exposed to an Arctic winter and so the impact on mental wellbeing is likely to be much less extreme.

But some people who are selfisolating may have difficulties with sleep (insomnia), feelings of restlessness or sadness, or start to feel demotivated.

To combat these problems, it is important to maintain a structure to your day. Having a set schedule for meal times and a set bedtime can help you to stay on track. Planning out activities and setting goals can also help keep you motivated and stop you feeling down.

MAINTAIN SOCIAL CONTACT

A

n obvious reason why isolated people may feel low or anxious is that they can’t draw on the support of friends and families to help them deal with the difficult situation and share their worries and concerns. Studies also suggest that without such social support, people may turn to less positive coping strategies, such as [drinking more alcohol].

So during self-isolation you should stay in contact with your social network.

This can be as simple as phoning a friend for a chat, sending someone an email or joining in with a discussion via social media. Reaching out to a friend has been shown to be better for your mental health than having a glass or two of wine in a bid to block out your worries.

Before you lose your patience totally at a given situation, think - Problem or Inconvenience?

Take the test of Reality!

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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2ND FRONT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020

Lockdown defers the Asiatic Lion census in Gir Sanctuary

A fresh call on the census will be taken only after corona situation gets better First India News Junagadh: The ongoing lockdown may have disturbed or postponed all the things for human beings but even the animals in the forest are bearing the brunt of coronavirus without getting infected with it. The state forest department has postponed the Asiatic Lion census for an indefinite period.

The much awaited and crucial census takes place once every five years and the figures are awaited not only in India but even the wild life lovers abroad.

Initially the census was to take place in the month of May but it was postponed to June and now it again has been postponed with no future date. The census of Asiatic lions in Gujarat’s Gir Wildlife Sanctuary has been deferred due to the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, a senior forest official said on Thursday. Gujarat has

The census of Asiatic lions in Gujarat’s Gir Wildlife Sanctuary has been deferred due to the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus. In view of the lockdown and rising number of corona cases in the state, the lion census will not take place in May. A decision on the census will be taken only after things become clear on the coronavirus situation and the lockdown.

—DT Vasavada, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Junagadh division

so far reported 2,407 coronavirus cases and 103 deaths due to the disease.”In view of the lockdown, the lion census will not take place in May. A decision on the census will be taken only after things become clear on the cor-

onavirus situation and the lockdown said DT Vasavada, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) of Junagadh division.

The state has succeeded in conserving lions in the Gir forest, where their numbers dwindled to just over a

dozen in the early 20th century.

The erstwhile Nawab of Junagadh, Mahabat Khan, had then banned shooting of lions.

Due to conservation efforts of the state authorities after Independence, the number of wild cats has stead-

ily gone up in Gir. At present, lions are found in seven districts Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath, Botad, Porbandar and Rajkot - surrounding the Gir forest area.

At times, they stray into farms in these districts and sometimes enter cities and towns located on the periphery of the sanctuary.

In 2018, lions in Gir faced a threat of infectious diseases.The state government in February last year said as many as 34 lions died in 2018 due to various diseases, including the canine distemper virus. The Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, which is the only abode of Asiatic lions, remains closed during the monsoon season, which is also the mating period of the big cats, another official said, adding that the census is most unlikely at that time. During the last census conducted in May 2015, 523 lions were found in the Gir forest.

08

Rly nurse makes ‘face shields’ for corona warriors First India News Rajkot: Adverse times throw in real heroes in true sense. While most of the middle and upper class are waiting patiently for the lockdown to get over, there are unlikely heroes or rather Corona Warriors emerging from within our society. They are not only performing heir routine duties flawlessly but also travelling that extra mile to make sure that that they contribute to these adverse times as positively as they can.

A nurse of Rajkot railway hospital is making face shields after fully completing her duty hours. She provides the face shields to the people who are working as corona warriors outside the hospital. This face shield covers the whole face.

The compassionate nurse Jyotsna Makwana said “People working in this crucial time like doctors, nurses, ward boys, sweeper and police are wearing masks but the masks available in the market don’t cover the whole face. The part of the

The nurse said that the masks available in the market don’t cover the whole face. The part of the eyes remains open and they may get infected because of half covered face.

People working in this crucial time like doctors, nurses, ward boys, sweeper and police are wearing masks but the masks available in the market don’t cover the whole face. The part of the eyes remains open and they may get infected because of half covered face.

—Jyotsana Makwana, Railway Nurse (Rajkot)

eyes remains open and they may get infected because of half covered face.”

The medical superintendent of the hospital RV Sharma said, “These shields are made by using the good quality of plastic films. She has made so far 25 such face shields after duty hours and we have distributed them in hospital staff ”.

Currently Makwana is making these shields everyday after her duty hours and very soon these face shields will

be made available to all the railway hospitals of Rajkot railway division, informed a senior railway official from Rajkot division.

Spending her own precious time to serve others has surprised many who work with Makwana and don’t hesitate to say that she has motivated them as well. All nurses are given the example of Florence the Nightingale but most forget in the heat of their daily routine.

Gujarat witnesses Battling lockdown: Three rise in forest fires month extension for DGP

Stranded AP fisherman dies in Gujarat

Maskless man booked for assault

First India News

First India News

First India News

First India News

Surat: Most of the nature lovers are happy with the good happening to the flora, fauna and environment in general due to the ongoing lockdown but an increased number of forest fires during lockdown are a cause of concern.

According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), between March 25 and April 22 this year, (the lockdown period), altogether 1,360 forest fire alerts have been issued across the state.

This is quite an increase compared to 1087 fire alerts during the corresponding period last year in the state, indicates FSI Forest Fire Alerts System 3.0. Forest of-

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat state govt on Thursday released the extension orders for the state police chief Shivanand Jha. Senior IPS officer Shivanand Jha was on Thursday given a three-month extension in service, till July-end, as Director General of Gujarat Police, according to a Personnel Ministry order.

Jha, a 1983-batch officer of the Indian Police Service, was due to superannuate at the end of this month. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved extension in Jha’s service for a peri-

Rajkot: Magupilli Koi Raju (28), a AP fisherman from Etcherla mandal in Srikakulam district, who got stranded at Veraval port in Gujarat due to the lockdown, died under suspicious circumstances on Wednesday morning.

His body was cremated in Veraval the same day. Raju had gone to Veraval port, around 190 km from Rajkot, from his native Matchyalesam village in Srikakulam in May 2019.

On Wednesday, his co-workers found him dead inside the cabin of the boat they have been confined to since the lockdown began.

Kheda: The police on Thursday arrested a man for allegedly assaulting a home guard on duty who stopped him for not wearing a face mask while travelling on his bike amid the lockdown imposed in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the complaint filed by Kirit Kumar Chavda, the accused, Abdul Razzak Khan Malek, was on his bike and entering Angadi village when Chavda stopped him to enquire as to why he was not wearing a face mask an d why he was outside despite the prohibitory orders during the lockdown.

This enraged Malek

ficials say that most of these fires are man-made and done intentionally to prove a point against a strictly law enforcing forest department.

Experts opine that the forest fire is one of the main reasons of forest degradation in the country and it isn’t a practice limited to Gujarat alone but is done in most parts of the country.

Shivanand Jha State police chief.

od of three months beyond his superannuation, i.e. 30 April 2020 in public interest, it said.

It was already being assumed that Jha would get the extension due to more than one reason.

Jha had been discharging his duties during lockdown to the satisfaction of present dispensation and it would have been fool hardy to change the head of the

force in the middle of this unprecedented crisis here a short staffed department was managing the successfully executing the lockdown guidelines.

It is expected that by July end the corona threat would be much less threatening, making it the right time for a new man to take over the reins of the department.

and he started abusing Chavda and even hit him.

Malek has been booked and arrested under IPC sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from doing his duty), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 186 and under sections of the Disaster Management Act.

Now, Guj CM Rupani jumps into Arnab-Sonia controversy!

First India News Jaipur/Ahmedabad: The objectionable and below dignity comments by well known TV journalist Arnab Goswami on Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi has attracted wide spread criticism from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari. There have been many FIRs registered against Goswami across the nation. Even the CWC meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi on Thursday took up the

matter. The legal cell of PCC has registered an FIR in all districts of the state including Jaipur demanding immediate arrest of the controversial journalist. Congress has cornered BJP by calling it a mute spectator to the insult of a woman since many Congressmen consider a tacit BJP support to Goswami.

Rajasthan Congress Chief Whip Dr Mahesh Joshi has called Arnab a BJP political stooge.

Archana Sharma too expressed her disgust at

the barb. Congress legal cell chief Sushil Sharma filed an FIR at the Vaishali Nagar police station in Jaipur and said that had the lockdown guidelines not been a restriction the Congressmen would have taken the fight to every street of the country. Another FIR was filed senior party leader from Pali, Shishupal Singh, former vice chairman, Child and Labor Board, Government of India. Moreover, in Gujarat around 35 police complaints were filed against Republic TV

Arnab Goswami

CM Vijay Rupani

head and news anchor Arnab Goswami across the state on Thursday.

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Amit Chavda and leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani have both filed a complaint

against Goswami for allegedly inciting communal hatred and defaming Congress in-charge president Sonia Gandhi.

Political pundits also say that it is due to the lockdown that Congress party has resorted to

country wide FIR drive against Arnab Goswami.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also condemned the physical attack on Republic Media Network’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and his wife and Republic TV Editor Samyabrata Ray Goswami on Wednesday night while they were on their way home from Republic’s studios in Mumbai at about 12.15 am.

Slamming the Congress, Rupani called it an act of cowardice. Rupa-

ni’s support to Arnab comes a day after Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Deputy CM Sachin Pilot condemned the senior journalist’s remarks and Gehlot demanded action against him by the Editor’s Guild. The journalist after his barb on Sonia Gandhi also alleged an attack on him by IYC workers late last night.

Arnab Goswami isn’t alone as he immediately got support from 300 member strong National Broadcasters Federation (NBF) which issued a

letter condemning the attack on its president Arnab Goswami.

The letter states that the NBF is shocked at the recent attempt to attack Goswami and his wife, by a section a particular political party, adding that it is deplorable that the political party, which allegedly claims to stand for Freedom of Expression, has resorted to personal attacks, including filing FIRs in various states, against Arnab Goswami, for performing his professional duty as a journalist.

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09

AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY APRIL 24, 2020

TIME

TO LEARN! T

amannaah Bhatia says “today we are like caged animals,” and says that the universe has given us a time to reflect on the fact.

“Lockdown is a need of the hour at this point of time and cases will multiply if we don’t adhere to social distancing rules and limit outdoor activities until an effective medical solution is derived,” Tamannaah said.

“This unprecedented crisis has taken so many

innocent lives and the economy is majorly hit especially the small businesses. Maybe the universe is teaching us a lesson for all the harm we have caused nature and animals,” she added. Tamannaah along with Letsallhelp.Org has extended help to migrant workers in Mumbai. They have been successful in mobilising over 50 tonnes of food products and have catered to the needs of over 10,000 people across the slums, shelters and

old age homes across Mumbai.

The actress feels “today we are like caged animals and the universe has given us a time to reflect on this.”

“The team at Letsallhelp.org and I have taken a pledge that no one goes to sleep without food during the lockdown and we are utilising this time to help the migrant workers with basic utilities. Please start the practice of donation in any form,” she added.

—IANS

Tamannaah Bhatia

LOVE

FAILS TO GUESS! A YOURSELF! nushka Sharma gave Instagram’s viral ‘Guess The Gibberish’ filter a shot, but she failed to come up with the right word.

Guess The Gibberish filter works by showing you seemingly meaningless words until you can crack it and arrive at the correct phrase. A user gets 10 seconds to figure out the right words.

The filer was created by a user named @gu_ christopher, and has caught on.

Anushka posted a video on Instagram story, where she is seen participating in the guessing game.

Her Gibberish filter read: “Stir Range Earth Inks.” In the video, she is seen repeating the sentence and finally decides the correct answer to be

‘Strange Things’, but the reply is actually ‘Stranger Things’.

Seeing her guess is wrong, Anushka calls herself “Bewakoof ladki.”

On the work front, Anushka is all set to come up with a new web series as a producer on Amazon Prime Video web series, bankrolled by her production house Clean Slate Company. —IANS

Making the most!

A

Anushka Sharma

laya F made an everlasting mark in the heart of the audiences with her debut in Jawaani Jaaneman. The audiences and critics alike loved how she aced her character. Alaya is making the most of her time watching films to grasp more knowledge.

Alaya is a lover of old school classics and is watching films that have where she can learn a lot in terms of acting, feel, speech delivery, body language and much more.

This will certainly help the actress in refining her skills. Clearly, the girl of the moment is enriching herself.

—Agency

... her Instagram post

T

Alaya F

DON’T CAST AWAY!

A Richa Chadha

ctress and an ardent animal lover Richa Chadha finds it ‘idiotic’ that people are abandoning pets due to the COVID-19 scare. She says just like there are stringent measures for adopting a child, the same should be done with pets. Richa, who has always campaigned for ‘adopt and not shop’ for pets and has cats at home, said: “It’s really idiotic. If somebody in your family gets COVID-19 will you throw them out? I think there should be a basic assessment of people’s mental state before they go and (get animals home). Just like when you want to adopt a child, you have a lot of stringent measures to follow, similarly with an animal it should be the same, I think.”

—IANS

aapsee Pannu has opened up about the incident the made her accept her flaws, and helped her acquire an identity.

In her latest post on Instagram, the actress talks about an incident that changed the way she perceives herself.

“This is like a BTS from a shoot I did for Gaurang.

I remember how I was concerned that my short hair won’t suit the sarees he makes Coz they r so traditional but he was so nonchalant about it n said we will use your original hair length, colour, texture, everything natural, everything YOU. That really made me think sometimes you just have to embrace how you look only then the world will embrace it. Shying away from how you look is never going to help you grow in life. The day I accepted my flaws was the day I came into my true self n my flaws helped me get a unique identity” she wrote.

—IANS

Taapsee Pannu

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020

10

T

one of those Jack Lemmony kind of names that sounds like a cough, but I don’t remember anyone saying it in the movie, just as nobody said “Chigurh” in “No Country for Old Men.” Those boys, what kidders.) Harry also looks for dates on the Web, and, in general terms, will happily date anyone. He and Linda meet, and seem to like each other, and then Linda and Chad find a computer disc at the gym. They read it and find it belongs to a CIA man named Osborne Cox (John

FA CE OF TH ED AY

he Coen brothers’ “Burn After Reading” is a screwball comedy that occasionally becomes something more. The characters are zany, the plot coils upon itself with dizzy zeal, and the roles seem like a perfect fit for the actors -- yes, even Brad Pitt, as Chad, a gum-chewing, fuzzyheaded physical fitness instructor. I’ve always thought of him as a fine actor, but here he reveals a dimension that, shall I say, we haven’t seen before.

What do I mean about “something more”? There is a poignance in the roles played by Frances McDormand and George Clooney, both looking for love in all the wrong places. She plays Linda Litzke, one of Chad’s fellow instructors, and is looking for her perfect match on the Web. This despite her conviction that she’s far from perfect. In a scene of astonishing frankness (using a body double, I think), she submits to a merciless going over by a plastic surgeon and decides to have some work done on her thighs, abdomen, breasts, underarms and eyes. “I’ve gotten about as far as this body can take me,” she decides.

Clooney is a happily married man named Harry Pfarrer. (It’s

Malkovich), who has just been fired for alcoholism. Cox is married to Katie (Tilda Swinton), who is also having an affair with Harry. You see how it goes.

No need to describe the plot. It goes around and around and comes out here, there, everywhere. All nicely put together, of course, but as an exercise, not an imperative. The movie’s success depends on the characters and the dialogue. Linda and Chad, who remind me a little of Rupert and Masha in “King of Comedy,”

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

try to peddle their disc to the Russian Embassy. Anything to raise money for that plastic surgery.

The CIA, baffled, gets involved. A gung-ho officer (David Rasche), confused but determined, reports to his CIA boss (J.K. Simmons, the dad in “Juno”). The boss doesn’t have much dialogue, but every line is a punch line.

The Malkovich character is a right proper SOB, one of those drunks who thinks he’s not an alcoholic because he prudently watches the second hand on the

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You may find yourself in a very perplexed position when it comes to money, unable to decide whether to spend money on fun to have an image in your circle or to be an odd one out. On academic front, your teachers will be extremely impressed with you.

You are on with your fitness regime and you will surely get the results you desperately desire. Going abroad for settlement is on cards and you must start with your preparations. On domestic front, you will be quite in demand and lots of things will keep you busy.

You will feel very refresh and energetic today. You worry without any reason so relax and enjoy what you have. You may get an unexpected career call that will change your life forever. Your spouse will pamper you in many ways today. You are very satisfied with how things are.

Those involved in export and import business will see a hike. You will complete all your pending task today . You will managed to sustain a peaceful environment at home. You will be very busy today on social front, as you can expect some calls from friends today.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You are great when it come to money management and you have a big heart for others. You will successfully complete the project, which kept you occupying for long.

Today is a very auspicious day for any kind of inauguration. You will be involved in lot of charity.

You are an outstanding home maker and you take care of your kids like no one can. You are very close to your parents and may visit them frequently going forward. On professional front, you will get the break that you have been expecting.

You may attend a social gathering.

You may feel financially secure but your ambitions have take away your sleep of the night, try and relax and sometime take it easy. You will soon meet a friend who can understand you and whose company will make you happy. Remember somethings take time

You are very jovial and kind hearted person. You are a very nice parent and always understand your kids but you must know when to stop pampering. You may bring a pet to your house and it will be the best decision in the recent times. You may feel a lot of pressure from family.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Money is flowing into your life from all directions and your spouse is your lucky charm. You must not be a part of any controversies and you know someone close to you involved then guide them and show them a way out.

A new vehicles is on cards, may also come as a gift from parents.

You may feel challenged on work front but its an healthy competition which will help you realise your true potential. On domestic front, do not indulge in any kind of argument with your parents just for the sake of it, sometime you need to understand their concern.

Your new business is doing good but you need to have some patience when it comes to profit. Your child may need your serious counselling so show them you are there. You make take your family along on a work trip.

Its time to take your love life to next level and be very open about it.

You have already proved your metal and your career is going great. Your friends may be helping but can also manipulate you sometimes so be careful. Those who matters will always understand you and those you don’t, you should not care about them. Understand your lover.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

KRITIKA AVASTHI, Actress

clock until it’s precisely 5 o’clock.

He’s a snarky, shaved-head, bowtie-wearing misanthrope who would be utterly amazed if he knew how his files got into the hands of two peons at a gym. As for Clooney, in one movie he’s the improbably handsome, superintelligent hero, and in the next, he’s the forlorn doofus. You wouldn’t believe what he’s constructing in his basement. The Coens say that this film completes their “idiot trilogy” with Clooney, after “O Brother, Where

Art Thou?” (2000) and “Intolerable Cruelty” (2003). Clooney as an idiot? As to the manner born.

Frances McDormand is wonderful. Here she channels a little of the go-getter determination of her state trooper in “Fargo.”

She’s innocent of deep thoughts, but nothing can stop her. From the first time I noticed her, in a great scene with Gene Hackman in “Mississippi Burning,” she has had that rare ability to seem correctly cast in every role.

This is not a great Coen brothers’ film. Nor is it one of their bewildering excursions off the deep end. It’s funny, sometimes delightful, sometimes a little sad, with dialogue that sounds perfectly logical until you listen a little more carefully and realize all of these people are mad. The movie is only 96 minutes long.

That’s long enough for a movie, but this time, I thought the end felt like it arrived a little arbitrarily.

Source: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/burn-after-reading-2008

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020

Sign of strength

DIE ANOTHER DAY : HALLE

S

inger Demi Lovato says it is a sign of strength’ seeking help with your mental health, amid COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s so important that people have these lines because sometimes you feel really alone and you don’t know where to turn or who to talk to.

You’re afraid that these thoughts you’re having are too dark, and you need guidance. That’s where this comes in. It can provide help to people who are struggling.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness,” she said.

“It’s a sign of strength. Oftentimes our society tells us that if we ask for help, we are weak. But the strongest thing someone can do is take that first step in getting help, whatever shape or form that is.” The 27-year-old singer, who has battled with mental health in the past, says she has really been enjoying focusing on the positives in lockdown. “I’ve been exercising and going on walks. I like walking my dogs. I was doing yoga in the beginning but kind of fell off. I’ll start that back up again.

Meditating anything that helps you focus and get centred is really good for you.

—IANS

Halle Berry

A

ctress Halle Berry has shared that ‘James Bond’ star Pierce Brosnan once saved her from choking while filming ‘Die Another Day’.

She made the revelation when she appeared on ‘The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon’. “I was supposed to be all sexy, trying to seduce him with a fig, and then I end

up choking on it and he had to get up and do the Heimlich,” said the actress, who was seen as Jinx in 2002’s ‘Die Another Day’.

“That was so not sexy. James Bond knows how to Heimlich! He was there for me, he will always be one of my favourite people in the whole world,” added the 53-year-old.

—IANS

Struggling with anxiety

S

Demi Lovato

It’s a sign of strength. Oftentimes our society tells us that if we ask for help, we are weak. But the strongest thing someone can do is take that first step in getting help, whatever shape or form that is.

BORN REVEALED TO DIE SECRET!

S

inger Kelly Clarkson has joked that her children River and Remington are depressing little toddlers because they love her track ‘Born to die’ from the ‘Trolls World Tour’ movie.

“We’ve watched it a few times now, they’re in love with which is so messed up -- but they’re in love with that song I sing, ‘Born to die.’ I’m like, ‘What?’

And then the second choice is ‘Just Sing.’ And I’m like, ‘How is that not your first choice, you depressing little toddlers?’

But anyway, they love it,” Clarkson told Brooke Reese on Apple Music.

—IANS

Naomi Campbell

S Kelly Clarkson

11

upermodel Naomi Campbell has admitted she eats only once a day to maintain her perfect frame. She made the confession when asked in an interview what her usual routine is for a Sunday. “I eat

my lunch. Lunch is my dinner, because I really only eat once a day,” Naomi said. But she does believe in some sweet treats. She said: “Sunday is my treat, so I’ll make desserts, my cakes and puddings.”

—IANS

Ellie Goulding

inger Ellie Goulding has opened up about her struggle with anxiety during lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, saying she is finding this quite hard. Goulding shared her struggles when she joined stars at the Global Citizen One World: Together at Home live concert on Saturday. The songstress admitted that she was finding the concept of performing to the online audience acequite hard” before delivering an acoustic rendition of some of her biggest hits. “I think it’s amazing that we’re all staying home keeping ourselves safe, keeping others safe. And amazing that we all get to be in something together, terrible as it is,” she said.

—IANS

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

Become a COVID-19 warrior!

CITY FIRST AHMEDABAD

C

oming to the aid of people caught in the novel coronavirus p a n d e m i c , Ahmedabad- based COVID-19 survivor Sumiti Singh donated blood plasma at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital in the city. Here is what she had to say about it…

“I donated my blood plasma today—a person who has recovered from COVID is able to make antibodies against it. And if you also do not have any pre-existing ailments you are considered a healthy individual and are allowed to donate your blood plasma for the benefit of patients who are in critical condition.

It is with great pride and joy that I am sharing that I fit all the necessary crite-

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020

ria required to donate plasma and was able to do so, at the Red Cross Ahmedabad.

The procedure to donate plasma is the same as blood donation. There is one needle that is used to draw blood from your body which runs through tubes that carry it into a machine. That machine separates the plasma from the blood. The same nee-

dle sends back blood to your body while the (yellowish-coloured) plasma is collected in a bag. It’s too cool! This happens through multiple cycles, until the time enough plasma is collected, based on the capacity you can donate. I donated 500ml of plasma.

This was my first blood plasma donation experi-

Sumiti Singh

ence. My feelings were oscillating between nervousness and excitement. I was unsure about the pro-

cedure and how I would feel thereafter. On the other hand, there was a desire to contribute my

bit to the war against COVID-19. If my effort helped anyone, anywhere, I was determined to go through with it.

If you decide to donate too, expect two needle pricks. The first one is to check if you have antibodies, which itself is a reconfirmation that you are COVID-19 negative. The second needle prick happens to draw out the blood and transfer it back in.

The whole process lasted for around 30-40 minutes.

I felt all right for most of the time, but there were 3-4 minutes during the donation when I felt nauseous and light-headed.

But the doctors at Red Cross helped me through it by putting me at ease.

The body will replenish its plasma within 24-48 hours and also develop antibodies, so there is no need to worry about the

12

fact that you might be susceptible to COVID-19 again. I was fearful of the same thing but my doubts were cleared by the doctors at SVP. They told me that only a small fraction of my antibodies will be given away and that my body would still have ample antibodies.

I write this note so that I can give a lay person’s perspective and share my experience. The doctors and medical staff in charge of collecting your blood plasma are more than willing to answer all your questions to help you make your decision.

Plasma therapy is under trials and there is no guarantee of success yet.

However, there is a chance that it might work and become the beacon of hope for all critical care COVID-19 patients.” cityfirstgujarat@gmail.com

Modern Problem needs

Modern Solutions!

CITY FIRST

R THE LEGACIES! KARISHMA GWALANI

Karishma.gwalani @firstindia.co.in

T

here is a reason why Rajasthan is called ‘Cultural Capital of India’ because it is still adhered to its diverse traditions, rich culture and iconic art.

While paintings are a significant part of Rajasthan’s vibrant culture, the new generation is losing touch with its ancient art forms. Renowned Artist Shanti Lal Joshi and his sons Vivek and Vijay Joshi of Shahpura School of paintings have taken upon themselves to sustain the marvellous art of Phad painting by putting various efforts for its revival.

“I started working with my father 8 years ago; however, our family has been creating Phad art from ages. In fact, 700-year-old Phad finds its origin in Shahpura, Rajasthan. It is a type of scroll painting, that narrates religious stories of local deities and gods,” said Phad Artisan from Shahpura.

On the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Vivek along with his family created 20 feet long Phad painting based on his life, which got a lot of recognition and appreciation from people across the country. They also made a pictorial biography on the life of Amitabh Bachchan.

Taking about the style of portraits, Vivek said, “Phad painting of Shahpura School style is very ancient, rare, and unique. The descendants of our ancestors are doing the work of art only by staying in Shahpura. Phad Chitra is a depiction of folk songs that are sung by Bhopa and Bhopi through the medium of an instrument.”

Through this ancient art, Vivek and Vijay had contributed to various social media campaigns. Recently, they have spread awareness amongst people, by creating a marvellous Phad painting, depicting various stages of the novel Coronavirus in India.

Being asked upon the popularity of Phad paintings, Vivek said, “People are losing touch with the ancient art and now it has become very important to sustain these art forms so

Shanti Lal Joshi

ajasthan: A Jaipurbased Health IT company ‘Health Gennie’, has launched a mobile app, which can be used to take all medical facilities from home such as teleconsultation with specialist doctors, medicines and lab test with free sample collection from home. Founder of Health Gennie, Sudhanshu Goyal shared that using this app, anyone could get complete care from the comfort of their home. There are lots of illness, which can be treated over teleconsultation and people doesn’t need to go to the doctor for it.

Doctors can talk to the patient and advice them on the treatment while maintaining social distancing. Users can also order medicines and lab tests at a very dis-

counted price and the sample is collected from their home for free. One very useful feature of Health Gennie is that users can manage their complete health records in this app and can share it anytime.

It also gives medicine reminders so elderly people can remember to take their medicines on time.

You can search for symptoms such as headache and pain, and the app tells you the cause of it and also suggests the right doctor for it.

Health Gennie has more than 1500 doctors, who have provided consultation to more than 1,00,000 users so far. Co-founder of Health Gennie, Himanshu Goyal shared that teleconsultation is the current need and it will grow very fast as it helps the doctors and the patients both in saving time and cost. cityfirstgujarat@gmail.com

LOVE FOR READING!

T Vijay Joshi

o celebrate ‘World Book Day’ amidst COVID-19 lockdown, Seedling International Academy, Jaipur collaborated with its students and faculty members to promote a lifelong love for reading. This was achieved by various digital learning portals like- Zoom, Hangouts and Google meet. The faculty members interacted with children through virtual classrooms and presented storytelling sessions, which proved to be magical. During the session, a great buzz of fun and excitement could be seen among students as they got involved in the world of fantasy.

The CEO and Director of

Academy Dr Sandeep Bakshi also joined the virtual classes.

He boosted young children with his words of wisdom and highlighted the importance of books at a time when everyone is under global lockdown.

—City First

Dr Jogaram and Rafiq Khan

THE GOOD DEED! CITY FIRST

R

ajasthan: MLA Rafiq Khan contributed to the CM COVID-19 Relief Fund from his MLA fund and handed over a cheque of Rs 60 lakh to the District Collector Dr Jogaram on Thursday. His contribution will give benefits to the residents of Adarsh Nagar Assembly constituency by distributing food items and daily essentials to them.

Prior to that, Khan has also contributed one crore, Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 1 lakh in the re-

lief fund to fight against the deadly coronavirus.

MLA Rafiq Khan also wrote a letter to MP Ramcharan Bohra, appealing to him to contribute as much as possible from his MLA LAD Fund for the purchase of food essentials. Khan also emphasised on requesting the Central for the distribution of food products through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). In his letter, he asked Bohra to help the Rajasthan Govt. getting the relief fund by writing a letter to the Central. cityfirstgujarat@gmail.com

REVITALIZING CRAFTS CITY FIRST AHMEDABAD

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oday, there is an urgent need to provide craft communities with alternative avenues for income. In order to achieve that goal, what expertise might designers lend to help craft communities become gainfully engaged at this time through which kinds of collaborative and organizational structures?

A few questions will come up in a panel discussion on the future of traditional craft techniques and their survival through design is set to be held featuring an all-women panel including Padma Shri Laila Tyabji, Founder of Dastkar, Neelam Chhiber, Co-founder of Industree Crafts Foundation, De-

vika Krishnan, CEO of Vayati Weaves, Dr Toolika Gupta, Director, Indian Institute of Crafts and Design and Christine Rai, Founder and CEO, India Inc. The event will be moderated by Suresh Venkat, content designer, journalist and curator.

WHAT: Resurgence of Crafts & Industry WHEN: April 24 | 5 pm - 6.30 pm

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Vivek Joshi

that our future generation can also witness the rich culture of India.

Even today, some people are unknown to Phad painting and that is precisely why we participate in a lot of exhibition across the globe.”

Apart from folk songs, Joshi’s have depicted many religious stories, historical events, Durga Chalisa, Hanuman Chalisa, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Shiva Chalisa, among many other artworks through Phad paintings.

Rajasthan: HDFC Bank deployed Mobile Automated Teller Machine (ATM) to assist customers during the lockdown in Jaipur city on Thursday. The Mobile ATM will reduce the need to move out of the locality to withdraw cash. The locations for deployment are being identified in consultation with all local municipal authorities across Jaipur city. The mobile ATM will be operational in each location for a specific period. During this period, the Mobile ATM will cover 3-5 stops in a day between 10 am and 5 pm.

Rajasthan: Amidst the ongoing novel Coronavirus, Jaipur Citizen Forum has arranged water bottles, food packets, tea, fruits, among many other essential items for Doctors, patients and staff of SMS Hospital, Jaipur this week. Along with this, the NGO is also providing food packets to needy people in various parts of the city.