First India-Ahmedabad Edition-24 July 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 38°C

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

WORLD

COVID-19 UPDATE

6,32,836 1,55,10,588 CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 12,854 DEATHS 3,47,502 CASES

DELHI 3,745 DEATHS 1,27,364 CASES

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 239

INDIA

MORAL VICTORY Jaipur: The stage is set for bringing forth the ‘facts’ in the fortnight long battle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his nemesis Sachin Pilot. Hours after the Chief Minister told the reporters that the assembly session would be called “very soon”, Governor Kalrj Mishra gave his approval on calling the session from Monday ie July

27, after his twenty minute long meeting with the Chief Minister at Raj Bhawan on Thursday. During the meeting the Governor also reportedly enquired about the current political situation and about his majority from the Chief Minister. Highly placed sources revealed that the session would be called for three days during which Gehlot will present a vote of confidence. However, due to the Corona crisis, the

voting could be done online, in line with similar approach in a few other countries. Before leaving for Raj Bhawan, Gehlot met his ‘natural ally’ and Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Dr CP Joshi at his Civil Lines residence, may be on a courtesy call.

According to sources, Gehlot is overconfident of his clearing the floor test with a thumping majority.

One of the reason may be that at present all Gehlot camp MLAs are staying at ‘fortified’ Fairmont Hotel under a close supervision and therefore there is a little chance of any MLA defying the whip of the party to vote for Gehlot government. But at the same time, Pilot camp is also confident of Gehlot enjoying the support of only 88 MLAs against CM’s public claim of 102 MLAs’ support. So now all eyes are on Monday or Tuesday, when Gehlot is likely to face the Trust Vote.

Interestingly, there is a flip side to this development and that is on the part of the Governor Kalraj Mishra. Pilot camp was extremely hopeful that at this critical juncture, the Governor would not agree to the state government’s request on calling an assembly session. However, the Governor behaved in a different but constitutional manner.

Moreover, the entire development has two clear messages. First is that while working in a completely democratic manner, Union Home Ministry did not issue any direction or advice to the Governor in handling the present political crisis in his own con-

CM MEETS GUV; ASSEMBLY SESSION ON MONDAY;

GEHLOT CONFIDENT OF WINNING TRUST VOTE

stitutional manner. There is a second message too ie in the fight between Gehlot and Pilot camps, BJP’s top leadership does not intend to be involved.

Now, it is believed that since the process for assembly session has been initiated, a file in this regard can reach Raj Bhawan late in the night on which the Governor’s approval may be sought at night itself.

However, Thursday night’s ‘development’ has got tongues to roll and various pertinent questions are being raised in the political and bureaucratic circles. The first and extremely important question being if the trust vote goes Gehlot’s way, which it appears to be going, will that end the ‘war’ ongoing between Gehlot and Pilot camps? Secondly, will it also put an end to the tussle or face-off between Centre and State through the phone tapping and CBI entry ban in Rajasthan?

While the answer to this may not be clear as yet, however most of the political observers believe that answer to be a clear “NO”.

The first reason for this being that Pilot has literally closed all the doors of him returning to Congress fold since the former deputy chief minister hopes to settle his score for the alleged ‘humiliation or being

DEATHS

KARNATAKA 1,616 DEATHS 80,863 CASES

#RAJASTHANPOLITICALCRISIS

Aditi Nagar

2,257

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 3,232 DEATHS 1,92,964 CASES

FOR GEHLOT

GUJARAT

30,645 12,86,877 DEATHS

sidelined during the last one and a half years of his stay in Gehlot government.

This coupled with his natural ‘desire’ to be the Chief Minister. Secondly, even though he claimed that he will not join BJP, he has come closer to the saffron party during the last couple of weeks. Some people even say that Pilot and BJP are now ‘natural allies’.

On the other hand, after being upset and frustrated with Income Tax and Enforcement Directorate raids on his close confidantes and some of his close relatives, during the last ten day, Gehlot has gone more aggressive on the centre calling all these raids as political vendetta.

Meanwhile, Gehlot’s daring move to put a entry ban on CBI in Rajasthan has further worsened the state and centre’s relationship and therefore CBI appears to be all set to register a formal FIR in Rajsthan phone tapping case, which can have multiple repercussions. In this case, CBI is likely to enter Rajasthan via some other ‘central route’ or through the court, as it happened in West Bengal in Kolkata Police Commissioner case.

So, there is a slim possibility of some sort of ceasefire between Gehlot and Pilot camps and between Gehlot government and the centre.

PILOT TO HOLD MEETING Sacked Deputy CM Sachin Pilot will meet MLAs supporting him on Friday in Delhi where he is expected to hold a meeting with them to churn out upcoming strategy.

RAJ HC TO ANNOUNCE VERDICT TODAY The Rajasthan High Court will announce its judgement on the petition filed by Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident Congress MLAs, challenging the disqualification notices issued to them by the Assembly Speaker on Friday. The HC had on Wednesday requested the Speaker to defer action on disqualification notices till Friday.

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

52,563

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 594 DEATHS 33,220 CASES

SC TO JOSHI: VOICE OF DISSENT IN A DEMOCRACY CAN’T BE SHUT New Delhi: Voice of dissent in a democracy cannot be shut down, the Supreme Court said on Thursday as it questioned Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi on the reasons for initiating disqualification proceedings against 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

However, the Supreme

Court made it clear that the judgment of the High Court will be subject to the Apex Court’s verdict.

High Court will deliver its judgment in the matter on Friday, July 24. While SC will hear the matter next on July 27.

The top court’s observation came when senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Joshi, listed the reasons Turn on P6

CP Joshi

Sachin Pilot

EC defers bypolls for 1 LS, 7 Assembly seats New Delhi: The Election Commission has deferred by-elections for one Lok Sabha and seven assembly seats due to “some extraordinary circumstances peculiar to these constituencies” and the poll panel will meet on Friday to discuss scheduling of these bypolls.

The states where the bypolls have been deferred are --Valmiki Nagar Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, two assembly seats each in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, and one each in Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala. Most of these seats fell vacant due to the death of sitting members.

A senior EC official said the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation were two reasons behind the decision.

As per the electoral law,

EC has to hold bye-elections within 180 days (six months) of a seat falling vacant, another official pointed out.

The six-month deadline to hold by-elections in these eight seats was ending on different dates in July, August and September respectively.

When the EC assessed the situation, it found that it is difficult to adhere to the sixmonth deadline in these seats, and approached the Union law ministry to defer the polls, the official said.

Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, in certain cases, the EC, in consultation with the Central government (the Union law ministry), certifies that it is difficult to hold the by-election within the six-month period.

Turn on P6

LONG ROAD AHEAD

Only 17.61% of Ahmedabad has achieved seropositivity: AMC A SURVEY BY THE CIVIC BODY TOOK INTO ACCOUNT OVER 30K SAMPLES FROM JUNE 16 TO JULY 11 Haresh Jhala Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has claimed to have conducted the world’s most extensive serological survey which showed that there was no de-

velopment of herd immunity in the population of the city to novel coronavirus.

The results of the survey revealed that only 17.61% people in Ahmedabad have been infected by COVID-19.

This means that the city has not yet reached

the antibody prevalence threshold to effectively achieve herd immunity.

The total population of the city is estimated to be around seven million, of which, seropositivity has been achieved by less than 0.5%.

For a population to attain herd immunity, more than 70% of its total needs to be affected. According to the data accumulated in the survey, the se-

A health worker holds up the test kit of a COVID-19 swab sample.

ropositive rates of various zones of AMC stood at Central Zone (28.43%), North Zone (27.42%), East Zone (23.22%), South Zone (16.15%) and SouthEast Zone (13.43%).

The lowest seropositive rate was reported in the North-West Zone at 6.43%.

The serological survey conducted by the AMC took place between June 16 and July

11 and included a total sample bank of 29,891 samples, of which, over 5,263 tested positive for seropositivity.

Meanwhile, taking into consideration the level of seropositivity in different sections of the population, the rate in health workers was deemed to be 13.64%, while in the general population it was found to be 18.71%. In males, the

seropositivity rate was 18.71%, slightly higher than females who reported a rate of 17.98%.

The AMC released details of the serological survey only after an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study appeared claiming a seropositivity rate of 49% in Ahmedabad.

The civic body also stated that the ICMR study has not been Turn on P6

NEWS AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

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

Amit Shah launches

‘TREE PLANTATION DRIVE-2020’

BJP muscles its way to pick new GCMMF chairman, his deputy State BJP sent an envelope with names of new Amul bosses and the board had to only pass it Haresh Jhala

Home Minister Amit Shah launches a tree plantation drive, organised by the Union Coal Ministry, at his residence, in New Delhi on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi:Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the 'Tree Plantation Drive-2020', organised by the Ministry of Coal, here on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Home Minister said that under the drive trees will be planted on 6,000 acres of land in 38 districts across ten states. "Today, trees will be planted on 600-acre

land at 150 places. 5 lakh plants will be distributed," he said.

"In the blind race of development, we forget the mantra of Indian culture that nature is our mother and it cannot be exploited. This is the reason why the temperature of the earth is increasing and badly affected climate.

The world is afraid of climate change. There

is the only way which our saints and 'puranas' had told us that trees are friends of human and only trees can save us. Indian culture has accepted the importance of trees and encouraged it," he said.

The Home Minister also lauded several initiatives by the Coal Ministry.

"No one cared about labourers of mines of

coal and minerals. After the constitution of District Mineral Fund, the government has spent Rs 49,000 crore for the development of the region where mines were set up," he said.

The Home Minister also paid tributes to Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Chandra Shekhar Azad on their 'jayanti'.

"Lokmanya Tilak and Chandrashekhar

Azad both sacrificed their lives for the country. No one can forget the contribution of Tilak in India's independence movement.

His slogan 'freedom is my birthright' still inspires India's youth. Azad never thought of bowing down to Britishers and inspired people with movement," he said. —ANI

02

Anand: Using its political influence, the ruling BJP on Thursday thrust upon a new chairman and vice-chairman on the board of the Rs 52,000 crore Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation’s (GCMMF) and surprised one and all in the powerful dairy sector of the State. As many as 36 lakh dairy farmers depend on the Federation.

Sabarkantha District Milk Producers Union chief Shamal Patel is the new chairman and Valamjibhai Humbal of Kutch Dairy is vice-chairman. The announcement has surprised many since there were speculations that former Gujarat health minister and key North Gujarat leader Shankar Chaudhary could replace outgoing chief Ramsinh Parmar.

Chairman Shamal Patel and vice chairman Valamjibhai Humbal.

It is also surprising that a Sabarkantha dairy chairman has been made the chief of GCMMF for the second time.

The July 23 election process was supposed to be a continuation of the convention when the chairmen of all the 18 milk producer union members of the GCMMF would unanimously decide the chairman. The election was only a formality.

Since the founder Dr. Verghese Kurien of GCMMF retired till 2015, the leader of the Federation was unanimously picked by the board members, who are chairmen of their respective district dairies. In 2015, Panchmahals Dairy chief Jetha Bharwad was adamant on becoming the chairman but the board was against him. So, the BJP got the Federation law amended and creat-

Women cooperative members of the GCMMF.

ed a vice-chairman post for Bharwad.

This time, ever since the Cooperatives Registrar declared elections for the two posts on July 23, there was speculation as to who the board members would pick for the key posts.

The answer came in an envelope, brought by BJP’s two leaders State Vice-President IK Jadeja and General Secretary Shabdsharan Brahmbhatt. They were shocked to hear the names of Patel and Humbal. Like a general election, Kutch Dairy chairman Humbal reached the GCMMF headquarters with the BJP’s mandate.

Later, BJP leader IK Jadeja announced that the GCMMF Board had unanimously elected Shamal Patel as chairman and Valamji Humbal as vice-chairman.

—FILE PHOTO

Govt empowers state marine police to ensure coastal security An ordinance was passed to amend the Gujarat Fisheries Act; fishing boats from other states to be fined for law violation First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In order to strengthen its coastal security, the state government has amended the Gujarat Fisheries Act, 2003 by passing an ordinance at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Through the amendment, the state empowered marine police to carry out search and seizure of fishing boats within state ter-

ritory. Therefore, under the new ordinance, fishing boats from other states will be fined for indulging in fishing activities in state waters.

Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja, in his announcement, stated, “It was necessary for the marine security laws to be strictly implemented.

To that end, the state police force needed more power to enforce the law.

SERVE TO PROTECT

Minister of State for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja

That is the reason for the ordinance, through which, changes were introduced in the Fisheries Act. Now, any police officer commanding the rank of police sub-inspector or above will be

Fishing boats anchored at the Porbandar harbour (File Photo)

able to carry out search and seizure of fishing boats, if found violating the law.”

Jadeja reiterated, “No fishing boat will be able to venture into the ‘No Fishing Zone’

declared in the central government’s public notification dated May 1993. A sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) will also be entitled to decide on punishment for the

fishing boat owner and its captain for crossing the International Maritime Border Line (IMBL) or fishing in the no fishing zone.”

The state cabinet min-

ister admitted that one of the major attractions for state fishermen was the fish ‘Lalpari’, which commands a good price in the market. In order to make a quick buck, fishermen often cross

the IMBL, which grants Pakistani authorities to apprehend their fishing boats and detain them.

The new ordinance will effectively empower state police to search and seize not just boats, even vessels, crafts or any other mechanical boat.

Now, fishing boats from other states will be fined one lakh rupees or five times the amount fetched by the sale of the catch, for fishing in state waters. The sub-divisional magistrate holds the power to levy the penalty on fishermen found violating the law.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

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

State records 1000 hattrick of new nCov cases

The total tally of cases in Guj reaches 52,563, while the death toll stands at 2,257 POLITICOS DOWN

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Keeping with its 1K streak, the state reported 1,078 new COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day. In a bid to defend the rapid surge in cases, the state government put out a statement claiming that Gujarat stood at the 12th position among states where new cases have emerged. It also failed to mention that the virus has now been spreading faster in rural areas after wreaking havoc in urban areas.

In the past 24 hours, over 31 districts and eight municipal corporations reported 1,078 new cases, with 28 deaths recorded in eight districts. The highest number of cases emerged in Surat (256), of which, 181 cases

A health worker collects a swab sample from a man in Ahmedabad.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

were from the city and 75 were from rural areas. Other districts where new Sars-CoV-2 cases were recorded include Ahmedabad (210), Vadodara (82), Rajkot (69), Junagadh (43), Narmada (40), Bhavnagar (39), Jamnagar (34), Bharuch (27), Dahod and Surendranagar (31

each), Mehsana and Patan (23 each).

The deadly virus also took the lives of four frontline warriors which included three doctors from Vadodara and Surat and one male nurse from the diamond city. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost its Junagadh councillor

Raju Nandvani.

The quick transmission of novel coronavirus in the state has instilled a sense of fear among people and merchants, with more markets cutting down on business hours. The Bhavnagar Market Yard will remain closed till July 31 and the Patan Traders’ Association took a decision to stay operational only until 2 pm until the same date. Two days ago, the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC) ordered all pan masala shop owners to

pull down their shutters for a week. But, now the civic body has allowed them to operate under strict conditions.

Further, the state Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) seized stocks of duplicate Tocilizumab injections from Surat and Chhota Udepur. The government body also booked the Surat manager of pharmaceutical giant Cipla for suspected involvement in black marketeering.

03

BJP prefers ‘criminals’ in its top ranks: Modhwadia First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Expressing his displeasure at the recent appointment of CR Patil as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state unit president, former chief of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Arjun Modhwadia stated that the ruling party favoured criminals to fill its ranks.

“If one considers the example of the union home minister or the new appointment of the BJP state president, it is clear that a criminal background is preferred by the party when making a political appointment,” he alleged.

The leader asserted that the BJP had a tradition to award top posts to those who have been involved in the highest degree of crimes. “The party likes criminals. The longer criminal record one has, the higher position they get. Corrup-

Former GPCC President Arjun Modhwadia

tion also makes it easy for them to score a promotion. That is what the BJP has established by appointing people with maligned reputations to their top ranks,” stated Modhwadia.

Claiming CR Patil’s appointment to be an ‘insult to the public’, the former GPCC chief remarked, “I don’t understand how the BJP was so helpless when it came to appointing a person with a criminal background. It is certainly a blot on the

state’s pride.”

He added, “They are reversing all our values and sacrificing them. It is their prerogative to choose their state party president, even if they don’t consider the welfare of their own members.

But, such ‘criminals’ are a blot on the state’s pride, especially someone who was suspended from the police, was caught red-handed while smuggling liquor and has over 107 court cases against him.”

No overcrowding in jails, precautions in place, says Govt

HAATHI MERE SAATHI

First India Bureau

A mahout showers his elephant ‘Laxmi’ with affection during a training session at the Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad on Thursday. After being inducted as the new handler of an elephant, a mahout attempts to break the ice by ‘communicating’ with the gentle giant through loving gestures.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Saurashtra to get another spell of rainfall First India Bureau Ahmedabad: After a short intermission from rains, the Saurashtra and South Gujarat region of the state are expected to receive heavy showers for the next three days, according to the weatherman.

The weather bulletin mentioned the occur-

rence of heavy rainfall at isolated places in the district of Saurashtra namely the Rajkot district. Rainfall was also reported at a few places in the South Gujarat and North Gujarat regions on Wednesday.

The forecast indicates light thunderstorms with lightning with surface winds of less than 40

kmph (in gust) accompanied by moderate rain are very likely at isolated places in all districts of the Gujarat region including Saurashtra and Kutch. Also, a deluge may occur at isolated places in the districts of the South Gujarat region namely Dang, Valsad, and also in Daman, Dadra

Nagar Haveli. The districts of Amreli, Bhavnagar and Gir Somnath in Saurashtra may also receive spells of rain.

Monsoon seems to have been on hold in Saurashtra for the past seven days. Yet, a few dams in the region have reported receiving good water supply from the upper stream.

Ahmedabad: In its response to the state high court, the government reiterated that state jails were not overcrowded and that enough precautions were being taken by various jail administrations to prevent COVID-19 transmission among prisoners.

It also stated that the inmate capacity of all prisons put together in the state stood at 13,724 and with over 12,720 inmates currently serving terms in state jails, there was no question of overcrowding. With regular health checkups and proper sanitizing facilities in place, prison authorities have taken measures to ensure good health of all prisoners.

‘Prisoners practice social distancing to ensure minimum physical contact with one another. The authorities have installed additional wash basins for their use and also put sani-

—FILE PHOTO

Gujarat High Court.

tizers in place for cleanliness. Periodic sanitization and fumigation of cells are also carried out.

There are isolation and quarantine facilities which have been set up inside prisons.

The samples of inmates are also regularly taken for testing,” stated the government in its reply.

“There are elaborate arrangements for medical care with teams being called every morning for health checkups of those entering

the prisons for the first time, or for those who have returned after release. Those who return to jails are compulsorily put under quarantine, and their sample testing is also conducted, followed by submission of their daily reports to higher authorities,” it added.

Another major issue faced by prison authorities was the extension of bails, paroles and furloughs of inmates already outside prison premises. A concern re-

garding spread of COVID-19 infection among other inmates was put forth by the Additional Director General of Police (prisons) in front of the High Power Committee. It resulted in the extension of bail, parole or furlough of inmates considering the pandemic situation.

The state also opined that no NGO had any right to override the decision of the High Power Committee or cast doubt on its credibility.

FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

RKA urges people to go eco-friendly with ‘Gomaya Ganesha’ Idols made from cow dung to be promoted by the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog



Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Rajkot: The festival of Ganesh Chathurthi is incomplete without the idol of Lord Ganesha. In a bid to promote an eco-friendly version of the idol, the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) has come up with ‘Gomaya Ganesha’,

which is made from cow dung.

Speaking to First India, Dr Vallabh Kathiria, chairman of the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog and former union minister said, “This move will provide a boost to Gau Seva (cow service) and also help youngsters and women entrepreneurs become self-

reliant. Skill development in this field will lead to more job opportunities in the rural sector, thereby preventing migration to cities. This will help the rural economy take a step in the direction of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.”

Dr Kathiria advocated the purchase, installation and worship of Lord Ganesha idols made from indigenous cow breeds amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“It has been scientifi-

Dr Vallabh Kathiria, Chairman of the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog with a ‘Gomaya Ganesha’ idol .

cally proven that cow dung prevents radiation in the environment. These ‘Gomaya Ganesha’ idols will not only protect families from harmful radiation but also enhance the purity of places it is installed at. After the culmination of the festival, the idols can either be immersed in water or buried in the ground, which will provide food to marine life and bio-fertilizer to plants,” he remarked.

“A large number of people across the country have already commenced making such idols, which may range from 3 inches to 12 inches in height. The Aayog plans to act as a facilitator for those interested in making these idols.

They require very few ingredients such as cow dung, clay, guar gum, pulplizer machine and oil,” he added.

The RKA was formed in 2019 with the objective of working towards the con-

servation, development and protection of indigenous breeds of cows along with promotion of cowbased farming, health products, environment conservation, empowering entrepreneurs and generation of employment opportunities through cow-based industries. The government body expects around five lakh such idols to be sold this year during Ganesh Chaturthi.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

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

IN-DEPTH

PLASMA NOT A MAGIC BULLET FOR COVID-19

ASSESSMENT MARKING A PERSON

AS ‘FAILED’ IS DEMORALISING

E

arly this month Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated Plasma Bank for treating Covid-19 patients. Kejriwal is upbeat about plasma therapy as a cure for the virus. Every day he can be seen on TV exhorting those who have recovered from Covid-19 to come forward and donate their plasma for the country’s first such bank. Kejriwal believes that plasma had shown positive results. After permission from the Central government for trial in Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, the first patient who was administered the therapy was in the intensive care unit. He recovered, strengthening the Delhi CM’s faith in the cure. The national capital has 1.26 lakh cases and 3719 fatalities but it has an impressive recovery rate of over 84 per cent prompting the chief minister to claim victory over the novel corona virus.

Encouraged by Delhi’s results, Maharashtra, one of the worst-hit states by the pandemic, Kerala and Odisha also decided to rely on plasma cure. These states, too, set up plasma banks. Kerala’s second plasma bank was inaugurated in Wayanad a few days back.

Other states keen to use the therapy include Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

So what is this plasma therapy all about?

People who have recovered from Covid-19 develop antibodies against the disease in their blood. This is known as convalescent plasma which, when transfused in a seriously ill patient, helps boost his/her immune response. The therapy was first used

by German physiologist Emil von Behring in 1901 to cure diphtheria. Behring went on to win the Nobel Prize.

Despite plasma banks coming up in several states and the demand going up manifold, the therapy is not considered to be a magic bullet.

If some patients have been cured, the condition of others has worsened. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is also cautious about its efficacy. In fact clinical trials were conducted at 52 institutions on data collected from about 350 patients. The findings of this pan-India study have been submitted to the ICMR. Many of the investigators found the therapy to be effective on patients with moderately serious illness.

Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS, Delhi, is of the view that the therapy has been tried only on very few patients and only a few have responded well to the treatment. According to Guleria, “It is just one part of the treatment strategy. It is not something which will dramatically make a difference.”

Even as expert findings are awaited, unscrupulous elements were trying to make the most of the buzz around plasma cure. There is obviously no dearth of people wanting to exploit human misery for pecuniary gains.

How else does one explain the brazen blackmarketing of the antibodies, even by some donors, as is being reported from Delhi?

MEENAKSHI HOOJA The writer is a Retd IAS officer and former Member, Central Administrative Tribunal

I

In a developing society where all out efforts are essential to promote literacy and education such a process of grading and assessment which marks a person as ‘failed’ is a demoralising factor in the spread of knowledge and understanding

t is not uncommon to hear from boys and girls when they are young or later when they grow up, or from their parents and guardians that they could not pass the Standard 10th or 12 th Board and are eighth or ninth/ tenth fail. Such statements appear simple and factual but are actually a reflection of a much deeper problem of society, and the educational and assessment system.

As we all know information, knowledge, understanding and even wisdom come to a person from a variety of sources; these include his/her immediate and extended family and broader social environment, schools, colleges other educational institutions, media and newspapers, and of course books and the experiences of life.

In the society, where some benchmarking of the knowledge and skills of a person is required, the certification system provides that assessment. The various Boards of examination grade a person according to how he/she has performed on the basis of what they have worked out as a required level of knowledge. Thus some do very well in the exams, some do alright and some are not able to even pass and thereby ‘fail’.

In a developing society where all out efforts are essential to promote literacy and education such a process of grading and assessment which marks a person as ‘failed’ is a demoralising factor in the spread of knowledge and understanding. It not only upsets a person and the family and becomes a social stigma for ever, discourages further learning, but also does not assess properly what a person knows in a positive manner.

Knowledge, skills and talent are vast and diverse, and standardising for grading them is tough as each one of us has a different skill set.

However they are required for comparative and competitive marking and to set some sort of ranking . However it cannot become the be all and end all for the pursuit of knowledge, as so happens when a person who does not clear the school examination, gets barred from entry to higher education.

So what is the way out? One obvious way is to continue with the present system of grading, and those who have not been able to clear the regular exams go into open schooling, open higher education or find their talent in new and different sectors which do not require certificates of education. However, this will benefit very limited people and would require extraordinary efforts, which few will be able to make, to find new avenues or hone their skills outside of the regular system. Many or most will remain with the fail or not pass mark. They will get ordinary jobs in low skilled sectors and there will be little recognition or push to their latent and undiscovered talent.

As an alternative it is suggested that the educational institutions and authorities may issue certificates of passing to those who have not cleared all the required subject examinations. For a 10th standard exam a person who has not cleared the

A PLAIN CERTIFICATE OF PASSING (WITHOUT MENTION OF FAILURES) WITHOUT ANY REFERENCE TO A DEGREE AND WOULD KEEP THE PERSON MOTIVATED

compulsory English exam, in his certificate only the subjects where he has passed maybe mentioned. For e.g. it may be that Sri Ashok Kumar has passed in Hindi, Maths , History and Geography exams of the 10th standard level, and there need not be any reference to the fact that he has not passed in English. This will be treated as a certificate of having cleared the the 10 th standard level with four subjects only. In a way it will be a plain Certificate of passing (without mention of failures) without any reference

How to protect journos from online bullying

F

rance is one of the few countries that have introduced laws that address cyberharassment, including that aimed at journalists.

Others would do well to emulate it.

Online harassment of journalists is a growing problem, with harassers often targeting those who write about trolls, whitesupremacist groups, and other nasty patches of the web’s underbelly. And women journalists are the most vulnerable – particularly when they cover supposedly “male” topics such as sports, says Sarah Guinee, who researched online harassment as a Patti Birch fellow for gender and media freedom at the New Yorkbased Committee to Protect Journalists.

Generally, journalism

04

associations and defenders of free expression tend to agree with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that in a “marketplace of ideas,” all ideas should be on the table, and the best ones will win out. In other words, we should fight bad information and ideas with better information and ideas.

But the online behavior addressed by France’s legislation goes well beyond normal exchange of information and ideas. For starters, the sheer quantity of hostility creates a crowding-out effect, so that much online speech that should be heard cannot be.

Moreover, online abusers often use different tactics than those used offline.

Digital harassment can include doxing (publishing someone’s home address or other personal information online), pile-ons

Big technology companies are both unwilling and unable fully to address the the cyberharassment problem by themselves

(where many people attack one person), dissemination of disturbing images, revenge porn, impersonation, and cyberstalking.

In many countries, journalists facing harassment are told simply to ignore it, or to report on their harassers. But the latter takes time and energy, and can lead to a backlash. True, journalists such as Gusta-

vo Gorriti in Peru, and Anton Harber and Thandeka Gqubele in South Africa, have sued for defamation following online abuse.

More often, however, media representatives targeted by online harassment censor themselves.

When the marketplace of ideas is not functioning properly – as is currently the case online – regulation is needed. The issue vexing policymakers is whether existing legislation will suffice to address online harassment. In a 2019 report, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the International Press Institute concluded that journalists should have recourse to targeted cyberlaws that provide for “swift, low-cost, low-burden remedies” in the event of online attacks.

France has been ahead of other countries on this front. In 2014, French law defined online harassment for the first time; until then, such cases had been processed in the same way as those involving offline harassment. And a 2018 law against sexual and sexist violence closed most loopholes regarding cyberharassment by broadening its legal definition. As a result, French law now protects all citizens, including journalists, from doxing, defamation, insult, and online and offline harassment. Although France’s Constitutional Council recently ruled against the law, it left intact the part that created a specialized prosecutor focused on online crimes, including online harassment.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECT-SYNDICATE.ORG

to a degree and would keep the person motivated and contain the feeling of being a failure.

The next step could be to allow such individuals to take the exam again in say English in this case, on an open school pattern and they can get a certificate accordingly from the same Board . This will also reduce the negative feelings with what is called supplementary or compartment. The Certificate of passing and such conduct of examination (regular and open combined from the same Board ) could perhaps go a long way in bringing in positivity amongst students and their parents and guardians and give them hope for the future.

At the same time the subjects for teaching in house or receiving training from outside, especially vocational ones need to be increased and added to the curriculum so that both the student and society can benefit from it.

It would ensure that development of skills and talents prevailing in the society do not go unnoticed or are neglected. Young and old with their knowledge and learning would thus be facilitated to make themselves and the society skilled and knowledgeable.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp From ushering women-centric initiatives to providing equal opportunities to women to serve the nation, sanction for permanent commission to women officers in the #IndianArmy by Modi Govt. has again proved that this govt is committed to women empowerment & women-led development.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Technology adoption can be phase-wise. We need to prepare the nation and educate & skill our people to absorb technology.

The rapid skilling programme can bridge the gap between the technological savvy and the rest.

Spiritual SPEAK

For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

—Psalm 1:6

Vol 1 Issue No. 239 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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

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

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

INDIA AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

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

‘NORTHEAST HAS POTENTIAL TO BECOME INDIA’S GROWTH ENGINE’

05

RIL breaks into top 50 most valued firms globally, ranks 48

The mantra of peace, progress and prosperity is echoing in the Northeast, PM New Delhi: Northeast has the potential to become India’s growth engine, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday while asserting that peace has now established in the region.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone for the Manipur Water Supply Project today, through video conferencing, he highlighted that modern infrastructure is being built to improve connectivity.

“The Northeast has the potential to become the growth engine of the country. Day by day my faith is getting deeper because peace is now being established in the entire region. The mantra of peace, progress and prosperity is echoing in the Northeast,” the PM said.

Modern infrastructure is being built in Northeast emphasising that connectivity in the region is important, not for only ease of living, but also for achieving the goal for self-reliant India. —ANI

WATER SUPPLY PROJECT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing at the foundation stone laying ceremony for Water Supply project in Manipur, through video conference, in New Delhi on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: The Manipur Water Supply Project is an important component of efforts of State government to achieve the goal of ‘Har Ghar Jal’ by 2024. The project outlay is about Rs 3054.58 Crores with a loan component funded by the New Development Bank.

Jal Jeevan Mission is to provide safe drinking water to every rural household.

‘One lakh water connections being given every day’ New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said one lakh water connections are being given every day in the country and added that this has become possible as ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ is moving forward as a mass movement.

His remarks came after he laid the foundation stone for the Ma-

nipur Water Supply Project today through video conferencing. “Today

about one lakh water connections are being given every day in the country. Every day, we are removing such a big worry of water from the lives of one lakh mothers and sisters, making their lives easier,” the Prime Minister said.

“This acceleration is also possible because ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ is

moving forward as a mass movement. People of the village, especially sisters and public representatives are deciding where the pipes will lay, where the water will be sourced, where the tank will be built, and how much budget will be made,” he said.

Speaking on the Ma-

nipur Water Supply Project, the Prime Minister said: “Today is a big day for millions of Manipur colleagues including Imphal, especially our sisters. Manipur water supply project will be completed at a cost of about Rs 3,000 crore & is going to reduce water problems of the people.” —ANI

New Delhi: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd has broken into the top 50 most valued companies globally after it became the first company with market capitalisation of over Rs 13 lakh crore.

The oil-to-telecom conglomerate is ranked 48th in market cap globally, according to stock market data.

Globally, Saudi Aramco is the company with the highest market cap of USD 1.7 trillion, followed by Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet.

Reliance on Thursday, closed at Rs 2,060.65 on the BSE,

up 2.82 per cent over the previous day’s close. This gave the firm a m-cap of over Rs 13 lakh crore.

Together with the firm’s partly-paid shares that were issued in the recent rights issue and are traded separately, the company had a combined m-cap of Rs 13.5 lakh crore or over USD 181 billion.

No Indian company has ever crossed an m-cap of Rs 13 lakh crore. This is higher than Chevron’s about USD 170 billion m-cap as well as likes of Oracle, Unilever, Bank of China, BHP Group, Royal Dutch Shell and SoftBank Group.—PTI

IN THE COURTYARD

Delhi HC grants bail to former Fortis promoter Shivinder Singh MONEY LAUNDERING CASE

FLORAL

TRIBUTES...

BJP activists paying tributes to freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad to mark his birth anniversary in Bhopal on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

New Delhi: Delhi High Court granted bail to former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh in a money laundering case related to alleged misappropriation of funds at Religare Finvest Ltd (RFL).

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, who pronounced the order through video conferencing, granted the relief to Shivinder in

furnishing of a person bond of Rs one crore and two sureties by family members of Rs 25 lakh each.

The judge also directed the investigating officer of the ED to request the Bureau of

Immigration to open LOC in Shivinder’s name to prevent any unannounced exit from the country.The HC imposed various other bail conditions on him, including that he shall not tamper with the evidence or influence witnesses, directly or indirectly.

He was arrested in the money laundering case last year. HC had reserved its order on bail plea on July 16 after hearing arguments from the counsel for Shivinder & ED.—PTI

SC agrees to hear plea against ‘Pak blocked review of Jadhav’s case’ UGC circular on final term exams New Delhi: India on Thursday accused Pakistan of blocking all avenues for an effective review of the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, sentenced to death for alleged involvement in spying, and said it reserved its rights to avail of further remedies.

A day after the Pakistan

government petitioned the Islamabad high court to appoint a lawyer to represent Jadhav for filing a review petition against his death sentence, the external affairs ministry charged Islamabad with systematically blocking access to the former naval officer, not provid-

DEMAND FOR CHINESE RAKHIS FALL AHEAD OF RAKSHABANDHAN New Delhi: Ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival, the demand for Chinese rakhis have fallen this year, according to shopkeepers from several parts of the country.

People are refusing to buy Chinese rakhis due to tensions between India and China. Women are preferring India-made rakhis to Chinese rakhis.

The locals also intend to boost the Indian economy by buying local rakhis for the upcoming festival.

According to some reliable sources, the local traders are also not buying or selling Chinese rakhis for Rakshabandhan. The traders said that India-made rakhis are also increasing employment among locals.

Kulbhushan Jadhav

ing documents related to his case and violating

the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) order for a review of his conviction. “[Pakistan] has blocked all the avenues for an effective remedy available for India,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told a weekly briefing. —Agencies

SSR SUICIDE: POLICE TO SUMMON KANGANA RANAUT Mumbai: Mumbai Police will soon issue summons to actor Kangana Ranaut to record her statement in connection with suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, officials said. A day after Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide, Kangana Ranaut had released a two-minute video speaking highly of the deceased actor and accusing certain sections of the film industry of not acknowledging the star’s talent.She had also said that some of the last social media posts by the actor made it evident that he was struggling to survive in the industry.

New Delhi: The SC agreed to hear within the next two days a plea challenging a UGC circular and seeking cancellation of final year examination in wake of COVID-19 pandemic. A bench of Justice Nageswara Rao posted the matter

for hearing before a bench of Justice Ashok Bhushan. As

AI FORMS PANEL FOR SURPLUS MANPOWER TO BE SENT ON LWP New Delhi: National carrier Air India has started the process of identification for redundant or surplus employees in the company to be sent on compulsory leave without pay (LWP) for a period from six months up to five years.

“Air India has constituted a committee for ‘identification of redundant/surplus manpower resources’.

The Committee to submit its report to the regional director’s office by August 11 for review,” according to a letter accessed by ANI. The board of the airlines has approved a scheme for sending employees on leave without pay for a time period ranging from six months to two years which can be extended up to five years.

many as 31 students from different universities across India approached the apex court to quash the UGC circular dated July 6 whereby all universities have been asked to wrap up the final examinations before September 30.—ANI

TABLIGHI JAMAAT

198 Indonesians set free by court after paying fine

New Delhi: A Delhi court allowed 198 Indonesians to walk free on payment of varying fines, after they accepted mild charges under the plea bargain process, related to various violations including visa norms while attending the Tablighi Jamaat event here during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Metropolitan Magistrate Vasundhara Azad allowed 100 Indonesians to walk free on payment of a fine of Rs 5,000 each, said advocates Ashima Mandla, Fahim Khan and Ahmed Khan, appearing for them.

They were directed to deposit their fines to PM CARES Fund. —PTI

HIMACHAL: NADDA WISHES BJP PREZ KASHYAP ON B’DAY New Delhi: BJP president JP Nadda extended greetings to Suresh Kumar Kashyap, party’s Himachal Pradesh unit president and Shimla MP, on his 49th birthday. “Happy birthday to Himachal Pradesh unit president Suresh Kumar Kashyap.

I have full faith that you will continue to work for the all-round development of the people of Himachal along with empowering the organisation. I wish God gives you good health and longevity,” he tweeted. Notably, Nadda appointed Kashyap as BJP’s Himacha unit president on Wednesday.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

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

‘PM Modi is 100% focused ‘Time decided for on building own image’ ‘Bhumi Pujan’ is RAM TEMPLE

India has to ‘psychologically’ deal with Chinese from a position of strength New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, alleged that “India’s captured institutions” are all busy building the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Prime Minister is 100 per cent focused on building his own image.

India’s captured institutions are all busy doing this task. One man’s image is not a substitute for a national vision,” he tweeted while posting a video on the microblogging site. In continuation of his video series focusing on border tension with the neighbouring country and other issues, the Congress leader posted another video on Twitter today and attacked

VOICING CONCERN

Rahul Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not having a vision and said this is the reason “why China is in there”, indicating Chinese troops are still inside Indian territory.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi suggested that India has to “psychologically” deal with

Chinese from a position of strength and said that the country needs to have a global vision.

“Psychologically you have to deal with Chinese from a position of strength. If you deal with them from a position of strength, you can work with them,

you can get what you need and it can actually be done. If they sense weakness, then you had it. The first thing is you are not going to take on China without a vision and I don’t mean a national vision, but an international vision,” he said in the video. —ANI

‘inauspicious’ Ayodhya: As preparations are underway for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, revered seer Shankracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati on Thursday said that the time fixed for the ‘Bhumi Pujan’ ceremony is an ‘inauspicious moment’.

“We are Ram devotees, we will be happy if anyone builds the temple of Ram, but for that- appropriate date and auspicious time should be chosen. There should not be politics in this. Due to politics, the issues of Hindus get knocked down. The temple was being built with the public’s money, their opinion should be sought as well,” he said —ANI

Shankaracharya Swaropanand Saraswati speaks to media.

MAKING A REMARK

Assam floods: 91 people killed, India’s tally reaches 12L 123 animals dead in Kaziranga New Delhi: With the highest-ever singleday spike of 45,720 cases, India’s COVID-19 tally crossed the 12-lakh mark on Thursday, while the death-toll mounted to 29,861 with a record 1,129 fatalities in a day, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The country crossed the 12-lakh mark just three days after it crossed the 11lakh milestone.

The coronavirus caseload in the country surged to 12,38,635, while 7,82,606 people have recovered so far in the country.

Thus 63.18 % people have recovered so far.

The total number of confirmed cases includes foreigners.

Of the 1,129 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 518 are from Tamil Nadu, 280 from Maharashtra, 65 from Andhra Pradesh, 55 from Karnataka, 39 from West Bengal, 34 from Uttar Pradesh, 29 from Delhi, 28 from Gujarat, 14 from Madhya Pradesh and 10 from J&K. There are 4,26,167 active cases presently in the country. —ANI

A cyclist crosses barricade set up to block the entry in a red zone area during lockdown in Srinagar.

India’s second nat’l-level plasma bank opens in TN Chennai: After national capital, India’s second national-level plasma bank was opened in Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 2.34 crore, C Vijaybhaskar, Health Minister, Tamil Nadu said. “We were earlier conducting the plasma method on a trial basis. Four people in Madurai successfully underwent the process in the early

PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA @priyankagandhi This is the condition of Mahoba’s Women’s Hospital. You must have seen the chaotic conditions in hospitals of Bareilly, Lucknow.

CM is interested in hiding these conditions, not improving them.”

HAMMER missiles to make Rafale more lethal!

New Delhi: With the Rafales arriving in the country in the middle of a dispute with China, the Indian Air Force is further boosting the capabilities of the combat aircraft by equipping it with the HAMMER missiles from France.

The order for the HAMMER standoff missiles with the capability to take out any types of targets at the range of around 60-70 kms is being processed under the emergency powers for acquisition given to the armed forc-

stages and a few more banks will be set up in nearby districts. We now have the approval of the ICMR & have opened the second plasma bank at national level with a total budget of Rs 2.34 crore,” said Vijaybhaskar. After a COVID-19 patient is discharged, he has to wait for 14 days before he can donate the plasma. —ANI

es by the Narendra Modi government. “The order for the HAMMER missiles is being processed and the French authorities have agreed to supply them to us at a short notice for our Rafale combat aircraft,” government sources told ANI. In view of the urgent requirement for these missiles by the Air Force, the French authorities would be delivering the systems to India from the existing stock meant for some other customer, they said. —ANI

Guwahati: Nearly 27 lakh people of 25 out of 33 districts in Assam have been affected due to severe floods. The death toll due to the floods has now reached 91 in the state after two people drowned in flood waters in Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar districts.

In Kaziranga National Park, 123 wild animals, including 12 rhinos, have also died due to flood. The dead include 93 deers, four wild buffaloes, and others.

POWER Gallery DESH DEEPAK VERMA TO GET EXTENSION ?

According to indications, present Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha may be given extension on September 1. He is the former 1978 batch IAS officer of UP cadre.

32 IAS OFFICERS RETIRING IN JULY 2020

As many as 32 IAS officers of various cadres and batches are retiring in July 2020. They are: SM Raju of Bihar; N Baijendra Kumar, Lakhan Singh Ken, Bharat Lal Banjare of Chhattisgarh; PK Parmar of Gujarat; Ganesh Kumar of Jharkhand; Parmesh Pandey of Karnataka; Saleena Singh, Ramesh Sheoram Thete and Narendra Singh Parmar of MP; Sanjay Bhatia, Dr DG Mhaisekar, Shivaji R Jondhale & Dilip M Shinde of Maharashtra; Dr J Suresh Babu of Manipur; Bibhuti Bhusan Patnaik of Odisha; Shivdular Singh Dhillon of Punjab; Mukesh Kumar Sharma, Sanjay Dixit, Dr Narendra Kumar Gupta & Pradeep Kumar Borad of Rajasthan; LB Chettri of Sikkim; Ruolkhumlien Buhril & K Shanmugam of Tamil Nadu; Ajay Mishra & K Dharma Reddy of Telangana; Mahendra Kumar & Santosh Kumar Rai of UP; Utpal Kumar Singh of Uttarakhand & Rabindranath Roy & Naba Gopal Hira of West Bengal cadre.

WHERE ARE THE ORDERS OF ASHWINI BHATIA FOR MD OF SBI?

COVID-19 UPDATE:

mark: Health Ministry

06

Two key bank appointments, of Sengupta and Rao, were made on July 21, but there has been no word about Ashwani Bhatia, Deputy Managing Director, Mutual Fund Business, State Bank of India Ltd. He was to be elevated as the MD of the bank. Will a separate order be issued or has the appointment been shelved ? No firm information is available in this regard.

MERGER OF LOK SABHA AND RAJYA SABHA TV SOON

Merger of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha TV is expected in a couple of months. The Final decision for merger has already been taken.

TENURE OF DAVID RASQUINHA AS MD, EXIM BANK EXTENDED

The tenure of David Rasquinha as Managing Director, Export Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has been extended until May 31, 2021.

Flood-hit Villagers move to a safer place in Morigaon district.

Following incessant rains, the water level of Brahmaputra river and its tributaries have been increasing, turning the

Permanent commission for women in Army

current flood situation worse. NDRF, SDRF teams have so far rescued 78,317 people from flood-hit areas.

Babri demolition: MM Joshi deposes before CBI court

New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence has issued an order for grant of Permanent Commission to women officers in the Army.

In a landmark judgement, the apex court in February had directed that all serving women officers recruited under the Short Service Commission scheme will have to be considered for Permanent Commission.

Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand said the government order paved the way for empowering of women officers to shoulder “larger roles” in the Army.

“The order specifies grant of permanent commission to Short Service Commissioned (SSC) women officers in all 10 streams of the Indian Army,” he said.

Col Anand said 10 streams where permanent commission are being made available include army air defence, signals, engineers, army aviation, electronics and mechanical engineers, army service corps and intelligence corps. At present, the Army offers permanent commission to women officers in two branches -- judge advocate general & education. —PTI

Lucknow: A special CBI court recorded the statement of BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case. The statement of the 86-year-old leader was recorded in the court of Special Judge S K Yadav through video conferencing.

Former Dy PM LK Advani (92) is likely to record his statement in a similar manner on Friday. The Babri mosque demolition trial is presently at the stage of recording of statements of the 32 accused in the case under Section 313 of CrPC. —PTI

written by one of its senior officers to the law ministry regarding the eight bypolls is “causing some confusion”, the EC said and clarified that it was only “in respect of eight constituencies regarding which a reference to Ministry of Law and Justice was made ... due to some extraordinary circumstances peculiar to these constituencies.”

its claims of conducting the world’s biggest survey, AMC cited the examples studies executed in Spain and USA.

by the Speaker before the HC was that no fresh notices will be issued.

The Supreme Court eventually ordered that while there will be no restraint on the Rajasthan High Court in proceeding with the matter, its judgment will be subject to the outcome of the proceedings before SC. A bench headed

by Justice Arun Mishra said, “This is not a simple matter and these MLAs are elected representatives. Voice of dissent in democracy cannot be shut down , the bench observed. We are trying to find out whether this process (disqual-

HUKUM SINGH MEENA TO RETURN TO PARENT CADRE IN AUG ?

Hukum Singh Meena working as Joint Secretary in the Department of Land Resources on central deputation, is expected to return to parent cadre in August, 2020. He is a 1992 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre.

GYANESHWAR SINGH TO MOVE TO HP BHAWAN IN DELHI !

Gyaneshwar Singh is likely to move to the Himachal Pradesh Bhawan in Delhi. He is a 1999 batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh.

POST OF AJIT KUMAR UPGRADED AS DIRECTOR, MHA

The post of Ajit Kumar has been upgraded as Director in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

He is a 2006 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre.

ARUN MISRA TO TAKE OVER AS CEO, HINDUSTAN ZINC ON AUG 1

Arun Misra, Deputy CEO, has been promoted as Chief Executive Officer, Hindustan Zinc. He will take over the charge on August 1, 2020.

RIVA GANGULY DAS APPOINTED AS SECRETARY (EAST), MEA

Riva Ganguly Das, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh, has been appointed as Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

She is a 1986 batch IFS officer.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 EC defers...

Using this provision, the poll panel issued a certificate on July 22 to defer the elections in these eight seats.

In a statement, the Commission said on Thursday that “this matter of timing etc of by-elections is also slotted for discussion in the Election Commission meeting to be held tomorrow” (Friday).

The statement said the total number of by-elections due is 56 assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat (including the eight deferred).

However, a letter

Only 17.61%... declared officially and it had taken only 469 samples into consideration in early May. Further, to support

SC to... for starting disqualification proceedings and said that these MLAs did not attend party meetings and conspired to destabilise their own government. Senior Advocates Harish Salve and Mukul Rohatgi, representing Pilot’s rebel faction, told the Court that Speaker himself had deferred the proceedings on his own volition twice. Moreover, the submissions made

ification) was permissible or not.” Responding to a query of the bench, Sibal said, “These MLAs had gone to Haryana, stayed at a hotel and gave TV bites that they want floor test.”

He said the issue as to whether the disqualification process is permissible or not cannot be taken note of by the court at this stage. Our grievance is purely constitutional and there cannot be any order till decision is taken by the speaker.”

During the hearing, the bench asked Sibal whether a disqualification notice can be is-

sued to MLAs for not attending the meetings and can it be taken as stand against the party.

The bench’s observation came when Sibal said that there was a notice issued by the Chief Whip of the party to all MLAs to attend the meetings.

At the outset, Joshi told the top court that the state high court has no jurisdiction to restrain him from conducting disqualification proceedings till July 24 against 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including sacked deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

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

07

QUARANTINE

BUBBLES LIMIT COVID RISK WHEN DONE RIGHT

Staying indoors, avoiding all contact with friends or family and having food and groceries delivered would be the best way to limit your risk of catching SARS-CoV-2

A

fter three months of lockdowns, many people around the world are turning to quarantine bubbles, pandemic pods or quaranteams in an effort to balance the risks of the pandemic with the emotional and social needs of life.

When done carefully, the research shows that quarantine bubbles can effectively limit the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 while allowing people to have much needed social interactions with their friends and family.

REDUCE RISK IF YOU CAN’T ELIMINATE IT A quaranteam is a small group of people who form their own social circle to quarantine together – and a perfect example of a harm reduction strategy.

Harm reduction is a pragmatic public health concept that explicitly acknowledges that all risk cannot be eliminated, so it encourages the reduction of risk. Harm reduction approaches also take into consideration the intersection of biological, psychological and social factors that influence both health and behavior.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS TOO Staying indoors, avoiding all contact with friends or family and having food and groceries delivered would be the best way to limit your risk of catching SARS-CoV-2. But the risks of the pandemic extend beyond the harm from infection.

Health encompasses mental as well as physical well-being.

The negative mental health impacts of the pandemic are already starting to become evident. A recent survey of U.S. adults found that 13.6% reported symptoms of serious psychological distress, up from 3.9% in 2018. A quarter of people 18 to 29 years old reported serious psychological distress, the highest levels of all ages groups. Many people are experiencing anxiety and depression due to the pandemic or were already living with these challenges.

Loneliness certainly doesn’t help.

Loneliness and social isolation in-

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: RAKSHITA PAREEK DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

crease the risk for depression and anxiety and can also lead to increases in the risk for serious physical diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke and premature death.

Quaranteams, therefore, are not simply a convenient idea because they let people see their friends and family. Isolation poses serious health risks that social bubbles can help alleviate while improving social well-being and quality of life.

SOCIAL NETWORK THEORY SHOWS THAT QUARANTEAMS WORK Social relationships enhance well-being and mental health but they also act as a vehicle for infection transmission. As people around the world emerge from lockdowns, this is the conundrum: How do we increase social interaction while limiting the risk of spread?

A recent study used social network theory – how information spreads among groups of people – and infectious disease models to see if quaranteams would work in this pandemic.

To do that, the researchers built computer models of social interactions to measure how the virus spread. They built a model of typical behavior, of typical behavior but with only half the number of interactions and of three different social distancing approaches that also had half the

number of interactions as normal. The first social distancing scenario grouped people by characteristics– people would only see people of a similar age, for example. The second scenario grouped people by local communities and limited inter-community interaction. The last scenario limited interactions to small social groups of mixed characteristics from various locations – i.e. quarantine bubbles.

All of the social distancing measures reduced the severity of the pandemic and were also better than simply reducing interactions at random, but the quaranteam approach was the most effective at flattening the curve. Compared to no social distancing, quarantine bubbles would delay the peak of infections by 37%, decrease the height of the peak by 60% and result in 30% fewer infected individuals overall.

HOW TO BUILD A QUARANTINE BUBBLE To make an effective quaranteam, here’s what you need to do. First, everyone must agree to follow the rules and be honest and open about their actions. Individual behavior can put the whole team at risk and the foundation of a quaranteam is trust. Teams should also talk in advance about what to do if someone breaks the rules or is exposed to an infected person. If someone starts to show symptoms, everyone should agree to self-isolate for 14 days.

Second, everyone must decide how much risk is acceptable and establish rules that reflect this decision. For example, some people

might feel OK about having a close family member visit but others may not. Our family has agreed that we only visit with friends outside, not inside, and that everyone must wear masks at all times.

Finally, people need to actually follow the rules, comply with physical distancing outside of the quaranteam and be forthcoming if they think they may have been exposed.

THE RISKS OF JOINING A QUARANTEAM Any increase in social contact is inherently more risky right now. There are two important ideas in particular that a person should consider when thinking about how much risk they’re willing to take. The first is asymptomatic spread.

Current data suggests that at any given time, anywhere between 20% and 45% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic and able to transmit the virus to others. The best way to know if someone is infected or not is to get tested, so some people might consider requiring testing before agreeing to join a quaranteam.

The second thing to consider is that consequences of getting sick are not the same for everyone. If you or someone you live with has another health condition – like asthma, diabetes, a heart condition or a compromised immune system – the assessment of risk and reward from a quaranteam should change.

The consequences of a high-risk person developing COVID-19 are much more serious.

There is always something ahead till you are alive and you can make it better or change it by your efforts today.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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

2ND FRONT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

SCARY: 22% schools in India have rickety buildings, Guj no exception

Guj Govt to impart online education to school students

A GOVERNMENT SURVEY IN 12 STATES ALSO REVEALS THAT 31% SCHOOL BUILDINGS HAVE CRACKS

First India Bureau

Shishir Awasthi

Gandhinagar: With self-financed schools having discontinued online education from Thursday, the State Education Department has taken it upon itself to provide online education to students in English or Gujarati mediums free of cost via Vande Gujarat TV channels, DD Girnar TV channel and YouTube.

In an official statement, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said he had discussed the issue with Gujarat Council of Education Research and Training (GCERT) and Gujarat State Education Board (GSEB) officials and asked them to urgently start preparations to provide online education to students.

UNFRIENDLY

New Delhi : As many as 22 per cent of schools across the country, including economically prosperous states like Gujarat, are operating from old or dilapidated buildings.

This has been revealed in an empirical study by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The study report on “Safe and Secure School Environment” was based on a survey of 26,071 schools across 12 states according to different indicators.

It covered several districts in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Rajasthan, while a few districts were also covered in Odisha, Mizoram,

A government school in Jamiyatpura village, 14 km from the Chief Minister’s office in Gandhinagar.

Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Jharkhand and Chandigarh.

The survey showed that 22 per cent of schools are operating from old or dilapidated buildings, while 31 per cent schools reported cracks in structures.

Nineteen per cent of

the schools were located near rail tracks, whereas only one per cent had speed breakers with zebra crossing signs for safety and security of children.

Another major finding in the report was that only 74 per cent schools have in-built

water facilities in toilets and in the rest students have to carry water from outside.

“This is an alarming situation. It puts student’s health and physical safety at risk,” the report said.

It further found that only 49 per cent schools

‘RT-PCR tests not accurate, more tests not a solution’ First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The State Government has claimed in the Gujarat High Court that all tests conducted through Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) technique are not cent per cent accurate and only 70 per cent results are reliable. The government has stated this in its reply to queries raised by the high court in a suo motu petition on corona and related issues. The court is also hearing other public interest litigations over the issue.

The State informed the court it has not been checking or treating asymptomatic corona patients and that it is testing on an average 7,000 to 8,000 samples daily according to the ICMR guidelines.

The State Health Department has argued that since RT-PCR tests were not giving 100 per

cent accurate results, if it treats more people and hand out negative results the people might

HIGH COURT NO TO QUASH ARRESTS IN GOLD SMUGGLING CASE

take the situation lightly and this can create more problems. It said such situations could build unnecessary pressure on the health team working on the ground. So, at present, it is conducting antigen tests.

On high prices of Tocilizumab injections, the government claimed it had no control on the pricing since it is manufactured by a Switzerland-based multinational pharma company and local firm Cipla imports and markets it. The government had put up a request for 4,597 injections at lower prices, but it received only 2,320 injection. Actually, these injections are for joint pains, but these are used to treat corona patients too. The government is also using Remdesivir injection and Favilavir tablets for the treatment of corona patients.

have disabled-friendly toilets. “In terms of inclusiveness, provision of disabled-friendly toilets within the premises is an equally significant indicator. As per our data, only 49 per cent schools have such a facility. It is an issue that needs to be ad-

dressed,” it said.

On mid-day meals (MDM), the report said only 57 per cent of children are satisfied with the quality of food, while 81.5 per cent schools provide mid-day meals. However, the report said that only 56 per cent of those 81.51 per cent is providing food as per the prescribed menu.

“Only 57 per cent of children are satisfied with the quality of food.

There have been cases where the food was not even fit for consumption and children have been sick. They are not even being provided food in the required quantity (61 per cent). It is not surprising that if the food was not prepared as per the menu, the nutritive value in the food provided is only 60 percent of time,” the report noted.

First India Bureau

New Gujarat BJP President CR Patil called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi (top) and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday. They congratulated him and expressed confidence that the State BJP organisation will strengthen under him and the party will once again get a majority in 2022 assembly elections.

Concerned citizen knocks HC doors to put off by-polls A PIL has sought HC’s directive to the Election Commission to put off assembly byelections in view of alarming Covid-19 situation

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A concerned citizen has moved a Public Interest Litigation in the Gujarat High Court seeking a directive to the Election Commission to defer the byelections to eight assembly seats in view of the Covid-19 spread in the State.

Seeking the high court’s intervention, Farsubhai Goklani pointed out that he was forced to move the PIL after his letter to the State Chief Electoral Officer for this elicited no response from the

Election Commission of India.

Goklani submitted that when he drafted the petition on July 7, Gujarat had 37,550 positive corona cases and

1977 persons had lost their lives. “Even after two long months of complete lockdown, we were not successful in breaking the chain and spread of corona,” he

The fees dispute is going from bad to worse. After the State Government decided that private schools can’t charge fees for the COVID-19 lockdown period, the schools decided to suspend online classes.

After the government resolution (GR) was announced, private schools’ associations retorted by suspending all academic and administrative work from Thursday till the decision is withdrawn calling it “unreasonable and unacceptable”.

This follows several public interest litigations (PILs) in the Gujarat High Court by parents to stop private schools from charging tuition fees, citing economic difficulties during the lockdown.

Ambaji Temple gets ISO 9001 certificate

NEW INNINGS

RAISING ALARM



08

contended.

And added that, “On the contrary, there is a spike in the cases not only in the State but also in the country. Because of this some States have even reimposed the lockdown.”

The by-elections for eight assembly seats would have 18,71,612 eligible voters who will be exercising their franchise at 2,494 polling stations. “There are all possibilities that people with mild symptoms may visit polling booths and exercise their right, which may well trigger the spread of coronavi-

rus,” the petitioner said.

He pointed out that the high court had denied permission for Rath Yatra, the Union Home Ministry prohibited religious congregations and any gatherings beyond 50 people for social events in view of the spread of the virus. Curfew has been imposed from 10 pm to 5 am across the State to reduce public movement.

Considering all these facts, the court must in the larger public interest direct the Election Commission to defer the byelections.

Ambaji: The famous religious Adhya Shakti Peeth Ambaji Dham, located in North Gujarat, has become the first ISO 9001: 2015 certified pilgrimage place in Gujarat. The UK-based International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) selected the Ambaji Temple for the ISO certification for the efficient management of the temple premises, amenities developed at Gabbar hill as well as lodging and boarding facilities for tourists offered at the institutions run by the Temple trust.

The certificate is valid for 3-years. CM Vijay Rupani on Thursday handed over the ISO 9001: 2015 Certificate to Mamta Verma, Tourism Secretary, Banaskantha Collector Sandip Sagle and Ashasuri Ambaji Mata Devsthan Trust Chairman in Gandhinagar.

@ahmedpatel

The national lockdown was an opportunity for the BJP government to contain the corona virus.

They instead used it to try and contain the Opposition. ..............................................................................

With more than 1000 deaths in last 24 hours , the pandemic continues to surge while the government is pretending nothing has happened.

Decisive Governance is missing when the nation needs it most.

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

09

AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY JULY 24, 2020

City First presents you the sister duos who have succeeded in spilling their charisma in the Indian film industry and are quite the bombshell ‘behans’!

YE BANDHAN TO...

KARISHMA GWALANI karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

FITNESS FREAKS

Amrita Arora and Malaika Arora

B

ollywood is the place where people try their luck hard to survive in this glamorous industry. Some of them come from a cinema background and others come without any backing in the industry. Interestingly, like many celebs with the Bollywood background, even outsiders too brought their siblings into the business of cinema. Some of the successful examples are of Kajol-Tanishaa-Rani, Karisma-Kareena, Shilpa and Shamita Shetty, SalmanArbaaz-Sohail. While some of them are a big hit on the cinema front, others have not made much noise in public.

The Kapoor’s have always had the reputation of stick-

ing together as a family. If Karishma Kapoor remained at the top in the era of the 1990s, Kareena has a lengthy career comparing her elder sister. Kareena started her career in the year 2000 and remains in the top slot list of actresses.

We did not know much about Kriti Sanon’s younger sister, Nupur until she did cover versions of songs like ‘Teri Galiyaan’ and ‘Bekarar Karke’. Nupur is currently not under media surveillance like her sister but wishes to pursue her career as a singer.

The hot babes with envious figures- Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora are like two peas in a pod. Malaika Arora is one of the celebrated item dancers associated with Bollywood cinema; however, her younger sister amrita showed face in a few Bollywood films, though not successful.

One of the stylish Bollywood sisters Shilpa Shetty

Kundra and Shamita Shetty is the BFF sisters who share the high-end style, great sister love like any other sister siblings. However, Shamita couldn’t sustain in Bollywood too long.

Like every other sister siblings, Riya and Raima Sen love, argue and makeup together. Raima is staying away from the media glare, but she is quite a sensation on social media, and on the other hand, Riya is doing a few films and is spotted at various Bollywood events, award shows, and parties.

Kajol and her baby sister Tanisha Mukherjee share a strong sibling bond while Kajol is still fave of all, Tanisha acting skills didn’t shine well on Bollywood The Chopra sisters are busy taking over the world.

If Priyanka Chopra has become a global icon in a short period, back home, cousin Parineeti Chopra is making the right noise with her choice of work.

SIMPLY SUPER

Riya and Raima Sen

SENSATIONAL

EXPRESSION QUEENS

Parineeti Chopra and Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Kajol and Tanisha Mukherjee

Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Shamita Shetty

BEAUTY QUEENS

SOULMATES

Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan

FAST FRIENDS

Kriti and Nupur Sanon

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

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

10

RANBIR: As sweet as BARFI! E

is not afraid of taking risks and experimenting with his characters, Kapoor surely has it all. Born to one of the biggest heartthrobs of the ‘70s and ‘80s Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor’s son decided to make a debut in Bollywood. However, Saawariya in 2007 boomed at the box office & Ranbir became an one-hit-wonder had all praises. Later, Ranbir went on to do romantic comedies like Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008 and Anjani Anjaani in 2010, ruling the hearts of the females who started seeing him as Shah Rukh Khan of the modern age. The young Kapoor lad proved his mettle in the acting front with Rocket Singh: Salesman of The Year. He chose Raajneeti playing the Arjun of the modern era. His portrayal of a man hurt deeply by his own kin’s deed and taking on a cold and shrewd world of politics made people gasp in admiration. Rockstar unleashed all that was in Ranbir, the viewer couldn’t see Kapoor as an

very year Bollywood witnesses hundreds of starstruck entrants – from filmy and nonfilmy backgrounds.

Everyone comes with a determination to be the next big thing. However, sadly, not many have what it takes to be the next Akshay Kumar or Shahrukh Khan.

Many vanished without a trace. But there are some, who go on to become superstars like Ranbir Kapoor. A majestic charmer, a man with great looks, an actor who

actor but Jordon. The intensity, the rage, the heartbreak, and his dream, Kapoor showed it all. In Wake Up Sid he mirrored the life of every college-goer who wanted to find an ambition. Later in 2013, Ranbir jumped to the light-hearted romance in YJHD, How a free-spirited guy who is lost in the bright shine of the unexplored world learned a valuable lesson at his bff ’s wedding. The actor then again experimented with his choice played a deaf and dumb, adorable protagonist in Barfi. He believes in personal space at a time when the biggest of the stars are discussing everything on social platforms he only comes out during the promotions and maintains a low profile. He later went on doing amazing roles in movies like Sanju among others, where he was applauded for his great acting skills.

It’s safe to say that with actors like him in the industry, Bollywood is in safe hands!

Ranbir Kapoor

FA CE OF TH ED AY

A still from ‘Áe Dil Hai Mushkil’

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Casual behaviour in office is not a sign of sensibility and you may punish someone today for doing the same. You will start cutting corners on onwards just to do some thing big for your child in future. You have many talents but the best one is related to your creativity.

Bawling over small matter is not an adult behaviour, its alright and things will be fine. Monetarily your parents pamper you every now and then and there is nothing to worry really. You are soon going to be a parent and you must already start taking responsibility.

Vitality plays a very important role in ones life and you are full of it. You are always looking forward in life to try something new and experience as much as you can. You take everything positively even your failures and thats your secret of success. You love harmony.

Detachment ia not always bad, if too much attachment is hurting than the prior one is the best option. You will show improvement in your work and as your are growing in life lots of good things will start to happen. You will start buying things which were only a dream in the past.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Erroneous calculations in business can make a lot of difference therefore hire the best candidate for the job.

If you want something than you will make sure to have it anyhow. Your financial worries will cease to exists in coming times. Overstraining will affect your health.

Ferocity when directed in a good direction can help otherwise it could be dangerous. You love to eat fruits and vegetable and you try to remain as natural as possible. You value time and you never waste time, each moment of your life you are doing something or the other.

Jumbling clothes in room and any apartment gives you more stress than you can imagine specially for youngsters, keep your room tidy so that you can think clearly. Health is wealth you have heard this many times and you have never taken it seriously but you must now.

Hulking problem are nothing to you because you are a mentally sorted person, you know how to deal with issues. Your have reached a place in life where your words are enough to get things done. Sooner or later you will be moving abroad but until then you should enjoy.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Intricacy of your work are out standing, you have admirer all around. You are someone who doesn’t hesitate in spending on his/her loved ones. You something say things to people at wrong time and wrong place, please don’t. Look at the larger picture of life and be thanful for everything.

Luscious tastes is your weakness and you can spend to any extent for it.

Think over some matter gain when you have a cool mind.

Brining your job or business stress at home is not your way, you like to keep your family away from worries.

You always amaze your spouse.

Overblown by situations and then thinking too deep about it should be totally avoided.

Marketing business can make you super rich but you need to put an efficient team together. Wealth is very important for you and you will do anything to earn it. You are interested in multiple business.

Avaricious and greedy people is a big turn off point for you. You will prevent someone close from making a big mistake today.

You over worry about your kids, take a bit easy please. Your efforts in making someone’s career will not go in vain. You pray everyday.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

PRATIBHA JOSHI, Artist

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC

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

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

11

Fake followers’ scam A

s per the latest news reports, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone could be questioned by the Mumbai police in relation to the fake social media followers scam. News reports further add that Mumbai police has been investigating the case with respect to the paid and fake followers. Now, the latest news update states that actors Deepika Paduko n e

and Priyanka Chopra could also get questioned by the Mumbai police concerning the fake social media followers scam. Not just Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra, there are nearly 176 high profile accounts which reportedly include Bollywood celebrities, sports personalities and Builders among the highprofile people who reportedly will be interrogated by the Mumbai police.

According to media reports, Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner of Police Vinay Kumar Chaubey

Deepika Padukone

has stated that they have found around 54 firms who have a hand in the fake social media followers scam. He further goes on to add that a team involving the Crime Branch and the Cyber Cell has been formed in order to provide assistance in the investigation of the fake social media followers scam. The news reports also state that a man named A b h i s h e k Dinesh Daude has reportedly been arrested by the Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIU) of Mumbai Police in relation to making fake social media accounts.

—Agency

SLAYLENA!

B

lessed are those celebrity friends who flood our timelines with adorable unseen photos of our favourite stars.

Selena Gomez celebrated her 28th birthday on July 22. The singer maintained a low profile on social media but her friends went all out to celebrate their best friend’s birthday. Selena’s friend anna collins posted a bunch of photos featuring Selena and her pooches on her Instagram stories and celebrated the lose you to love me hitmaker. The numerous photos hinted at what an adorable dog mamma Sel is!

... her post

Sharing a mix of six photos and videos, anna gave us a look at how much Selena loves her pooches. These photos featured the singer sleeping, hanging out and cuddling the dogs on several occasions. Apart

from giving us a look at “Doglena”, anna also shared a cute photo of Selena with a halo and deemed her “Slaylena.”

—Agency

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Selena Gomez

A

Kangana Ranaut

Always wanted to study filmmaking

S

haring an unseen throwback picture, actor Kangana Ranaut’s team on Wednesday shared that she studied filmmaking after rising to success with ‘Queen.’

The team of the 33-year-old actor further revealed that she always wanted to study filmmaking but she could not due to financial constraints and she later fulfilled her dream after earning enough money.

“Major #throwback to the winter of 2014, when Kangana was in New York at her film school. This was taken during one of her sessions of screenwriting. #KanganaRanaut always wanted to study filmmaking, but she never had enough money to be able to afford it,” the ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ actor’s team wrote.

“So, when she earned enough after blockbuster #Queen she gifted herself the education she always wanted. She was 27 at this time. Goes to show one is never too old to learn,” the team added.

The picture sees Ranaut wearing a black coloured jacket which she paired with a pair of denim and pink coloured boots. She is seen seated in a classroom with other filmmaking students.

Although she is personally not active on social media, the ‘Gangster’ actor’s team keeps posting insights about her personal and professional lives on social media.

—ANI

Hilary Duff

Exciting UPDATE

Post by her team

ctress Hilary Duff recently revealed that the reboot is still being worked on.

The revamped show Lizzie McGuire has been down a rocky road, the show was originally scheduled to come to Disney+ in August 2019 but has faced several delays after original creator Terri Minsky left over creative differences, and production was halted. At the time, Disney said they wanted to put a new lens on the series, which was described as a show about Lizzie as a 30-year-old woman living her dream life in New York City.

After the series Love, Victor was moved from Disney+ to Hulu due to “adult themes” (per The Hollywood Reporter), star Hilary Duff spoke out on Instagram, asking for Lizzie to follow suit. Since then, there have been few updates, but now, in an interview, Duff said that the reboot is still happening.

“We are very much still in conversation with them a couple of times a week, which is really nice,” she said. “We started shooting, and then obviously that got on hold for a couple of different reasons not involving the pandemic,” Duff continues. “But you know what, I have high hopes that we are going to make it work.”

—Agency

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

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020

12

Ladies of the Shekhawat family in Jaipur celebrating Teej

FESTIVAL OF LOVE

Ladies in the Pink City celebrated Teej, the ‘festival of love’ on Thursday. This festival is celebrated primarily by girls and women with prayer rituals followed by songs and dancing, as it is dedicated to Goddess Parvati uniting with Lord Shiva.

Lehariya colour block on Saree by designer Shalu Aggarwal from Jaipur

PRIDE OF INDIA CITY FIRST

R

oposo launched the ‘Pride of India’ program, a collaboration with Indian achievers like Babita Phogat, Chandro Tomar, Neel Ghose and Sangram Singh on Thursday. The multifaceted program recognizes remarkable Indians by providing them with a platform to mentor and inspire fellow Indians.

The inaugural phase of the program kickstarts with Babita Phogat, India’s first gold medal winner in women’s

Heavenly Abode City First

F

ormer IAS Dr Dinesh Chandra left for heavenly abode on Thursday; he was the father of Senior IRS Manisha Chandra and fatherin-law of IPS Amrit Kalash, ADG Home Guard.

As the news reached near and dear ones, a wave of grief swept all. The last rites took place at Lal Kothi Mokshadham on Thursday afternoon.

Late Dinesh Chandra was the Chief Secretary of Punjab and his daughter Manisha Chandra is currently posted as TDS Commissioner. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

HAPPY B’DAY!

wrestling at the Commonwealth Games, Chandro Tomar aka Shooter Dadi, who at the age of 88 years is the oldest woman sharpshooter in the world, Sangram Singh, the world’s best wrestler (as per World Wrestling Professionals), and Neel Ghose, whose Robin Hood Army is on a mission to feed 30 Million Citizens.

Each ‘Pride of India’ mentor will have a Roposo profile to share their experiences and

RAJASTHAN: Kavita Suthar, a well-known dietician and nutritionist of Jaipur, said that she is very excited to work out the diet and nutrition of army professionals Kavita has completed her Bachelor in Nutrition study from Udaipur, and training from CIMS Hospital Ahmedabad and Krishna Hospital Anand in 2018. Through this profession, her objective is to improve people’s eating habits and nutrition intake and work towards a healthy society.

RAJASTHAN: National Co-Convenor and State President, Rohit Deval of All India Charan Gadhavi Mahasabha has appointed Bhupendra Singh Ratnu of Jaipur as a General Secretary in the State Executive.

Making Memories The first original song of the Saavn, sung by Girish Thakur on Lord Shiva, under the banner of Dreamz Music was launched on 23 July. Music director Adhiraj Kumawat shared that this music will also be available on Saavn, Gaana, Google Play Music, Spotify and iTunes Apps.

City First

IAS Peeyush Samariya celebrated his birthday on 23 July, Thursday.

We wish him all the best!

life lessons with other aspiring Indians through innovative Roposo-styled short-video capsules.

The series will comprise of the following: ChandroTomar’s life lessons around persistence, dedication and discipline; Sangram Singh’s tips on physical wellness; Neel Ghose’s insights on providing meals for the less fortunate; Babita Phogat’s talk about selfdefence techniques. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

W

omen officers and employees of the Pink City celebrated Teej at the Rajasthan Housing Board headquarters on Thursday. On the occasion, Housing Board Commis-

sioner and the Chief Guest for the event Pawan Arora greeted everyone present there. The women gathered for the joyful occasion and hummed their favourite songs at the program which was organised for them. The program was conducted by Ra-

jasthan Housing Board Secretary Sanchita Vishnoi.

Financial Advisor Rekha Bhaskar, Estate Manager Kashmiri Kaur Raan, Land Revenue Officer Dr Prabha Vyas and various other senior officials and employees were also present in the program. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

RAJASTHAN: Vedanshi Jain, a student of Children’s Academy, has secured the first position in the ICSE board. On attaining 95.20% marks, Vedanshi said that she used to give about 10 to 12 hours a day to her studies, to meet her target with a fixed time table.

GUJARAT: A self-learned and self-made Mehndi Artist from 2008 and winner of few awards, Kashmira Ghadiali showcased her new design for Shravan season. She takes Mehndi classes and travels across the world to put the same too.