First India-Ahmedabad Edition-25 November 2020

AHMEDABAD l WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

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ABDULLAHS’ HOUSE BUILT ON ENCROACHED LAND: JAMMU & KASHMIR ADMINISTRATION LIST

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 1

1ST ANNIVERSARY OF FIRST INDIA GUJARAT EDITION TODAY

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PRIME MINISTER’S VIDEO CONFERENCE WITH CHIEF MINISTERS OF 8 STATES

BRING COVID FATALITY RATE UNDER 1%: PM TELLS CMs

Our priority is to make vaccine available for all; States should put in the necessary mechanism including cold storage, said Modi

‘RUSSIA’S SPUTNIK V HAS EFFICACY OF OVER 95%’

Aditi Nagar New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cautioned states and union territories against any laxity in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and called for reducing positivity and fatality rates by focusing on curbing virus transmission.

Interacting with chief ministers, PM also called for more RT-PCR tests, even as he underlined that India’s COVID-19 situation is more stable than other countries in terms of recovery and fatality rates. Modi asked them to work towards bringing down the positive rate to nearly 5% and the fatality rate to under 1% and called for more RTPCR tests.

“We need to speed up our efforts to reduce transmission of the virus. Testing, confirmation, Turn to P6

Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Sadiq dies at 83

Lucknow: Prominent Shia cleric and All India Muslim Personal Law Board vice president Maulana Kalbe Sadiq died in Lucknow on Monday. He was 83.

Maulana breathed his last at around 10 pm at a private hospital here, his son Kalbe Sibtain said. He was admitted to ICU on November 17.

THE ATTENDEES The meeting was also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, while the chief ministers who participated in the virtual interaction include Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal, Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot, West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra’s Uddhav Thackeray, Chhattisgarh’s Bhupesh Baghel, Telangana’s K Chandrashekhar Rao and Gujarat’s Vijay Rupani.

We need to speed up our efforts to reduce transmission of the virus. Testing, confirmation, contact tracing and data must be given top priority.

—Narendra Modi, PM

New Delhi: The Russiadeveloped Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus has been found to be over 95 percent effective, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev said on Tuesday. In a virtual conference from Moscow, he said Sputnik V is not only one of the most effective but also among the affordable vaccines in the world. The vaccine has been developed

by Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and RDIF. RDIF CEO said the vaccine can be stored in temperatures ranging from 2-8° Celsius which is a very important factor in facilitating easy distribution. The efficacy of the vaccine is over 95% which is a great news for all, Dmitriev said.

Rajasthan triumphs on all parameters in Corona war: Gehlot

Naming Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu as only two states carrying out the reliable RT-PCR tests, Gehlot suggested to Modi to ask other states to follow suit Kartikey Dev Singh Jaipur: With a spike in Corona cases suddenly due to onset of winters, recently concluded festive season and weddings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a video conference with the Chief Ministers of 8 states including Rajasthan regarding Corona management. The Prime Minister spoke on managementparameters, on which the performance of Rajasthan has been excellent.

The Prime Minister said that bringing the death rate below one percent from the corona should be the main goal of all states.

“The cause of death of patients should be analyzed. It should be the effort of the states to keep the positivity

43 MORE CHINESE APPS Yogi’s masterstroke against BLOCKED BY INDIA ‘Love Jihad’ gets Cabinet nod

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday blocked access to 43 more Chinese mobile apps, including Alibaba Workbench, AliExpress, Alipay Cashier, CamCard and WeDate, for being prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and defence of the nation. The Ministry of Electronics and IT has issued the order for blocking the access of these apps by users in India based on the comprehensive reports received from Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, Ministry of Home Af-

fairs, an official release said.

Sources, meanwhile, said these apps have Chinese links.

“Government of India today issued an order under section 69A of the Information Technology Act blocking access to 43 mobile apps. This action was taken based on the inputs regarding these apps for engaging in activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order,” the release said.

Vishal Srivastav Lucknow: In a watershed moment for Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh, Cabinet approved a draft ordinance to deal with religious conversion for the sake of marriage, which could land violators in jail for up to 10 years.

The Cabinet gave its nod to the ordinance at its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on Tuesday. In recent weeks, BJP-run states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath

Pradesh have revealed plans to enact laws to counter alleged attempts to convert Hindu women to Islam in the guise of marriage, which Hindu activists refer to as love jihad .

“The way in which religious conversions are done using deceit, lies, force and dishonesty is heart wrenching, and it was necessary to have a law in this regard, Cabinet minister and UP government spokesperson Sidharth Nath Singh said.

He said that the punishment under the new law is a jail term from one and five years, and a fine of Rs 15,000. But if the woman involved is a minor or belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe, Turn to P6

Guj has 45K isolation beds for nCoV patients: CM In a virtual conference with PM Modi, Rupani assured that COVID-19 warriors will be priority for vaccination First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In a virtual meeting conducted on Tuesday, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the COVID-19 situation in the state. Other state government officials such as Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, Chief Principal Secretary to the CM K Kailashnathan, Chief Secre-

tary Anil Mukim were also a part of the interaction. Rupani assured PM Modi that the state was equipped to handle the pandemic and help patients.

The PM chaired the meet with chief ministers of various states via video conferencing to take stock of the pandemic status in the country.

The CM presented relevant data about health facilities for

(L to R) Additional Chief Secretary (Forest and Environment) Rajiv Gupta, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Chief Secretary Anil Mukim and Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue, incharge of Home and Health) Pankaj Kumar

nCOV patients and stated that out of 55,000 isolation ward beds, 45,000

were available for patients, which accounted for 82% of all isolation

beds in the state.

Commenting on the accessibility to a COV-

ID-19 vaccine, Rupani stated that when a viable one is made available, the government’s priority will be to ensure that it is administered to medical and para-medical staffers.

The CM also informed the prime minister that the state government had increased the number of health teams for general and community surveillance. He also spoke about the efforts of the 108 ambulance services and Dhanvantri Raths that have been instrumental Turn to P6

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot speaks during a meeting of PM Narendra Modi with Chief Ministers of States over the COVID-19 situation, through video conferencing in New Delhi on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

rate below 5 percent while increasing the number of investigations and making the society more aware to protect against Covid,” Modi emphasised.

Informing about corona situation and management in Rajasthan, Chief Minis-

ter Ashok Gehlot informed that Rajasthan has been at the forefront on all the parameters stated by the Prime Minister in the matter of winning the battle against Corona and is in a better position than other states.

Turn to P6

80TH ALL INDIA PRESIDING OFFICERS CONFERENCE

Constitution reinforces our democracy: Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla addressing a Press Conference in Gandhinagar Tuesday.

Aditi Nagar & Jyoti Rawat Gandhinagar: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who arrived in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, enroute to attend the 80th All India Presiding Officers Conference in Kevadia from 25 to 26 November, informed that the Conference will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on 25 November at 11 am and will be attended

by Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu.

“The Presiding Officers of all State Legislative Assemblies and Legislative Councils have been invited to the Conference and 27 have

confirmed their participation. Secretaries of State Legislatures and other senior officials are also expected to join,” Birla said.

Speaking on Constitution Day, falling on November 26, Birla observed that it is an important date in India’s democratic history, as this day is celebrated as Constitution Day. Observing that our Constitution reinforces our democracy and thereby strengthens people’s faith in parliamentary democracy, Birla said that Legislatures are the supreme fora to raise the issues that affect the masses.

Full report P2

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020

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Hardik Patel questions Guj govt’s ability to curtail nCoV

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla with President Ram Nath Kovind.

CP Joshi committee to recommend remedies for political defection: Om Birla The speaker of Lok Sabha made the announcement ahead of the All India Presiding Officers’ conference in Kevadia today First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The defection of eight MLAs in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Congress to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) earlier this year had sparked a discussion on legal loopholes for people’s representatives. “Defection is an issue and even though there is anti-defection law in place, people's representatives take advantage of loopholes. In order to plug such loopholes, the Lok Sabha has constituted a committee headed by Rajasthan Legislative Assembly Speaker CP Joshi that will recommend relevant solutions and submit a report to the central government.

It will suggest steps to amend the anti-defection law which will help incorporate them into the existing law,” said Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha .

Talking about the appointment of a deputy speaker in the Gujarat legislative assembly, Birla said that each state assembly is governed by its own set of rules. A deputy speaker has not been elected in the state assembly for almost two decades and the candidate is usually nominated by the opposition bench.

Meanwhile, an All India Presiding Officers’ conference slated to be organized at Kevadia will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on

The conference is slated to be held at Kevadia, home to the Statue of Unity.

Wednesday.

The event, which will be held on November 2526, will also be attended by Vice President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, M Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who will also serve as the chairperson of the conference.

Dignitaries from the Gujarat government including Chief Min-

ister Vijay Rupani, Governor Acharya Devvrat, among others will also participate in the conference.

The event will also be graced by 27 presiding officers of all state legislative assemblies and legislative councils along with secretaries of state legislatures and other senior officials.

Marked as the Con-

stitution Day, November 26 is an important date in India’s democratic history. This year is also being celebrated as the centenary year of the Presiding Officers’ Conference, which was started in 1921. The conference has proven to be a platform for government officials to share their experiences, ideas and

thoughts for strengthening the democratic process.

The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Harmonious Coordination between Legislature, Executive and Judiciary- Key to a Vibrant Democracy.’ The two day conference will conclude with an address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

Hardik Patel

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The working president of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Hardik Patel took to a social media platform to express his concern about the state government’s competency to handle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Attacking the government, Patel said that there was no difference in the number of cases reported in the initial months of the outbreak and those coming in now.

“The numbers of cases are the same so why the need for a curfew? Why wasn’t a curfew imposed at that time? Are the statistics wrong or the government’s decisions?” he questioned.

He further added that figures in the official data released by the government show marginal rise and fall in number of cases. “I believe that something is jum-

bled up. The state as well as central government (both run by the Bharatiya Janata Party) has served lies to the public during the pandemic. Gujarat is one of the worst affected states and the case numbers are rising but no concrete steps are being taken by the government.

Even health facilities and services such as doctors, hospitals, COVID-19 centres, among others, have not been upgraded by the government,” he alleged.

On the other hand, Patel also stated that the Congress party and its workers will accept the decisions made by the government to curtail the virus.

“The government needs to take strong action. An all-party meeting must be called to discuss possible solutions.

A blueprint needs to be drawn up enlisting steps to make Gujarat nCoV-free.”

PANDEMIC WOES

Shortage of COVID-19 beds at private hospitals in Ahmedabad The number of vacant beds, which has always hovered around 150, has lowered to 143 amid surge in cases First India Bureau Ahmedabad: As the city rides the second wave of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals are receiving a high influx of patients for treatment. As a result, private designated COVID-19 hospitals are

running short of beds. According to data released early on Tuesday, local civic body Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has designated 80 private hospitals for admitting novel coronavirus patients. As per its estimate, currently

there are 2,800 beds allocated but only 143 beds remain vacant.

Despite adding more beds to its repertoire, the number of vacant beds designated by the civic body have always hovered around 150. According to the Ahmedabad Medical Association (AMA), there is a waiting list at city hospitals for admission.

“If the current situation persists, then there will be shortage of beds for all cat-

Medical staffers fear city may run short of beds soon.

—FILE PHOTO

egories of patients.

There are very few beds available that are equipped with ventilators,” said one of the doctors working at a private hospital.

With 143 vacant beds, it is for the first time that the number of empty beds at private hospitals in Ahmedabad has fallen below the number 150.

Currently, there are 1,056 patients admitted in isolation wards at private hospitals with

only 62 beds unoccupied.

Similarly, 981 patients are admitted in the High Dependency Unit(s) (HDUs) which has left only 59 beds vacant. The Intensive Care Unit(s) (ICU)s reported 388 patients without ventilators with only 11 bed vacancies. Additionally, 168 patients have been admitted to the ICU with ventilator support, leaving 11 beds unoccupied for further intake.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020

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NO ENTRY: Commercial vehicles banned in Ahmedabad during day

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3 held for running virtual sex call centre in Vadodara

Light and heavy commercial vehicles prohibited in the city from 8 am to 9 pm to curb road accidents, air pollution Ahmedabad: Police Commissioner Sanjay Srivastava on Tuesday issued a notification prohibiting the entry of light and heavy commercial vehicles into areas under the city limit from 8 am to 9 pm in an effort to curb road accidents and air pollution.

However, these vehicles may visit the Regional Transport Office between 10 am and 6 pm, the notification clarified.

This means that trucks and private buses a capacity of 50-60 seats will not be allowed in the city limit area during the day time for commercial purposes but mini bus-

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

First India Bureau

EXCEPTIONS

Private buses with a capacity of 50-60 seats will no longer be allowed in Ahmedabad during the day.

es with a 30-33 seat capacity remain unaffected.

In addition, light commercial vehicles carrying essential commodities such as milk,

vegetables, fruits, petrol and diesel can ply in the city from 9 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 9 pm. While the notification is meant to be in the interest of the pub-

lic, it is likely to adversely affect small transporters whose livelihoods are dependent on plying commodities, fast-moving consumer goods, industri-

al raw materials and raw materials for the real estate sector.

There is also some confusion on the specificities under the notification. Tractor op-

erator Bharat Vanjara told First India, “There are at least 50 such Vanjara families here in Memnagar area ferrying sand for the realestate sector and disposing of waste. We are now uncertain whether we can continue operations. Is the ban only from entering the city?

Will vehicle registered at the Ahmedabad RTO also face problems?”

Another small transport owner, Bharat Bhati, says his primary business is connected with the wood and marble sector. He operates a light truck, the Tata 407, and says his main concern is that he and other similar operators will now have to pay huge bribes to the traffic police, or face living hand-to-mouth.

NO LOCKDOWN AS STATE CROSSES 2-L MARK First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: ACS (Home) Pankaj Kumar on Tuesday night reiterated that the state will not be going into lockdown again , even as more than 1,500 cases were reported, taking the Gujarat past the twolakh-mark in terms of COVID-19 cases.

This includes 48 employees of the state High Court who have

20 gamblers arrested at hotel owned

by BJP leader First India Bureau Junagadh: The Junagadh Special Operation Group (SOG) on Monday evening raided a hotel and arrested 20 persons including two women gambling in a hotel owned by a BJP leader.

Acting on information that someone had been running a gambling den at the Essel Park hotel situated near the Sakkarbaug area, police raided the hotel and found 18 men and two women gambling there. The police also seized Rs14 lakh cash and other goods, including cars, worth an estimated Rs35 lakh.

The hotel—owned by Karshan Dhaduk, former city president of the Bharatiya Janata Party—is closed to customers. However, the office and part of commercial the complex was functional.

The gamblers were from Junagadh as well as Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Devbhumi Dwarka.

Police have lodged complaints against all 20 persons at the Junagadh B division police station under the Gujarat Gambling act and other IPC sections.

1,510 cases, 16 fatalities take state tally to 2,00,409 cases, toll to 3,892 tested positive for the virus in the past few days.

Kumar’s announcement comes on the same day that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation added 350 beds in private hospi-

As many as 48 High Court employees have tested positive for nCoV.

Police detain man for raping 60-year-old woman in Deesa First India Bureau Palanpur: Personnel from the Deesa Rural police have detained a 30-year-old man for allegedly raping a 60-year-old woman at knifepoint on Sunday night. She has been sent for a medical check-up.

In her complaint, the woman told the police that Dhakhubha Darbar had first attempted to molest her on Sunday evening. However, she managed to escape from his clutches. She took shelter at a neigh-

The accused beat up her husband, held a knife to her throat, and fled after the rape bour’s house and called her son. The family then decided to file a complaint on Monday morning.

That night, after her son returned to their home in the village, the woman went to sleep near the well in their field, as is her custom.

Later that night, she said in her complaint,

tals, 150 beds in Covidcare centres and eight new hospitals for the treatment of COVID-19.

The sixth floor of the AMC building has been sealed due to a high number of cases.

The state saw doubledigit deaths for the second consecutive day, with Ahmedabad reporting 12 fatalities. Surat witnessed three deaths and Botad, one.

Ahmedabad continues to lead in the num-

ber of cases with 346 new cases being reported in 24 hours. Surat follows with 286, Vadodara, with 181, Rajkot, 128, Gandhinagar, 74, Banaskantha 47, Patan 46, and Mehsana with 43, among others.

Surat mayor Dr Jagdish Patel has tested positive and urged people to get tested as well.

Gujarat now has 14,044 active cases, with 94 patients on ventilator support.

Cops seized 11 laptops, two web cameras, one mobile phone, two TV sets, two routers, two sex toys and a car in the raid.

First India Bureau Vadodara: City police arrested three persons in connection with an adult live chat website on Monday evening and seized Rs6.63 lakh of goods including 11 laptops, two web cameras, one mobile phone, two TV sets, two routers, two sex toys and a car. The site has now been blocked, and an investigation is underway.

According to JP Road Police Inspector JP Gosai, the main accused Nilesh Gupta had developed the website which offered free adult webcam, live sex and free sex chat and amateur videos.

The site was being operated out of a residential property in Vadodara’s Akota area.

Gupta’s partner, identified as Ami Parmar, is absconding, but police have arrested Gupta and two other women in a raid.

Inspector Gosai told the media that Ami was in charge of recruiting

and training the “girls”.

The modus operandi was simple. The women would begin by chatting with visitors and then direct those interested in a more “personal” interaction to a payment gateway.

Once payment was made, the caller would receive a token number, which was to be presented to the girl.

With payment out of the way, the caller was then given access to a private video chat, where they received varying degrees of adult entertainment.

The women were paid Rs18,000-20,000 each while Gupta and Parmar netted Rs50,00060,000 per employee. In the past two years, they have hired as many as 30 women “telecallers” and earned approximately Rs1.75 crore by exploiting them. There are currently eight women working at the call centre—six from the city, one from Surat and another from Uttar Pradesh.

TESTING THE WATERS

Darbar returned to her farm. When her husband—who suffers from night blindness— tried to intervene, Darbar beat him up and dragged her to a small room on the farm. He held a knife to her throat, raped her, and then fled. Thereafter, the woman sought help and also called her son.

The police, who were informed of the crime on Monday evening, have picked up Darbar and are now awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test in order to arrest him.

Pakistan’s marine securities conducted exercise along the International Maritime Border line on Sunday and Monday.

ANNUAL STRUGGLE

Salt pan workers left parched despite plentiful rainfall Kutch received 300% of its annual average rain this monsoon, but people do not have water to drink here Gargi Raval Kutch: Barely two months after the southwest monsoon gave Kutch 300% of its annual average rainfall, salt pan workers here are struggling for water.

Around 3,000 members of the Agaria community made their

annual trip to the Kharaghoda pocket of Kutch to begin work in the state’s celebrated salt mines. And, like every year, they are now waiting for the state government to provide them with water for drinking and bathing.

“We usually carry enough rations and

A woman labourer rakes salt in a Kutch salt farm.

water for two months when we arrive. Then, the state government

supplies us with tankers. These are meant to arrive before Diwali,

—FILE PHOTO

but usually get delayed. This year, it is particularly bad. We

are still waiting,” one member of the Agaria community told First India, adding, “We have to walk for kilometres to quench our thirst. Our daily work includes hours of standing in mud and sand. And despite working in the dirt all day, we cannot bathe due to the water scarcity. We hardly have water to drink, so bathing has become a luxury we cannot afford.”

Ambu Patel, a social worker from within

the Agaria community, said, “Work in the salt farms has been on for more than two months, but there is no water supply from the government. This is every year’s saga. Last year, around 100 workers had protested at the Patdi revenue office, and sent formal requests to the Gandhinagar office. Even after these protests, it took the government three to four days to even reach out to these people.”

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020

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04

IN-DEPTH

PM TAKES CHARGE OF COVID-19 SITUATION

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s the race for a vaccine to fight the coronavirus enters the final lap sending hopes of a cure soaring, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a few things clear to the chief ministers of several states in a video conference on Tuesday. The important point made by the prime minister was that as of now he had no idea about the vaccine’s price (an expensive vaccine may be unaffordable for the masses) or how many doses would be required to be administered for developing antibodies.

The other issue concerning the vaccines has been about its distribution. Who should be vaccinated first, frontline warriors like doctors and other medical staff or senior citizens and others in the more vulnerable category?

According to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Mr. Modi outlined a plan as per which the vaccine will be given to frontline health workers, who number around one crore in the first stage. In the second stage, it will be given to police personnel and sanitary workers and those above 50 years of age will be covered in the third stage. People with comorbidity will get the vaccine in the fourth stage.

The prime minister called the vaccination programme a national commitment and urged the states to send a detailed action plan explaining how the vaccine will reach the lowest denominator.

India has a good record in executing vaccination programmes, be it the anti-polio drive or universal immunisation for child survival and safe motherhood. The Covid vaccine distribution could prove to be more challenging but not really impossible to handle.

HONOUR

THY

SOLDIER RETD. COL ANUPAM JAITLY Defence expert, Motivational speaker & Corporate Trainer

GUPKAR ‘GANG’ LEADERS NOW ‘LAND-GRABBERS’

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he Gupkar Alliance will find it difficult to contest the District Development Council elections after Farooq Abdullah’s name emerged in the Roshni Land scam, described as J&K’s biggest. A CBI inquiry was ordered into the scam, estimated to be around Rs 25,000 crore, by the state high court in October. The Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act, also called the Roshni Act, was passed by the state government headed by Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2001. The Act aimed at “conferring 20.55 lakh Kanal of state land to the occupants”. The Act was repealed by the then Governor Satya Pal Malik in 2018 as it failed to realise the desired objectives.

The J&K administration has in a list named Farooq Abdullah, who heads the Gupkar Alliance, and his son Omar Abdullah as the biggest beneficiaries of the Roshni Act and declared their Jammu residence was built over illegally possessed the land. Abdullahs have denied the charge. Several other leaders, including former PDP leader Haseeb Drabu, from different regional political parties, have also been named in the list.

The naming of these leaders in the land scam comes at a time when they are preparing to jointly contest the District Development Council elections. They have been called the Gupkar ‘gang’ and have been accused of seeking help from China to resolve the Kashmir issue. With the new epithet of “land-grabbers” against their names, the Gupkar leaders have to fight, along with the DDC polls, another battle for survival. A weakened Gupkar Alliance will leave the poll field open for the BJP.

The dissatisfaction amongst serving officers and soldiers today is noticeable and alarming. DMA under CDS instead of telling the present day govt that it’s their responsibility to arrange funds for national security has proposed a scaled-down pension and retirement policy

he current era of a pandemic has witnessed unprecedented turmoil in the socio- economic environment. It has not only slowed down the economy but also has been a catalyst in bringing about systemic changes. My concern here as a soldier is regarding the diabolical changes being made in the basic structure and ethos of established Defense practices which somehow or the other are detrimental and de- motivating to the glorious honor of the soldier.

Currently strange proposals are being talked about Armed forces at a time when India faces Military challenges on two fronts, Pakistan and China.

It appears from the financial measures being adopted, that it’s only our Armed forces who are responsible for the economic slowdown of the country. Our policymakers feel that the Military power of a country flows out of its economic strength. It is a misnomer. If parallels are an index of observations and hypothesis, I would refer to China that attained independence two years later than India and at the time of the Korean war was no match to the American

economy. Yet, it used its manpower to flex its military muscles and send cold sweat down American spine. It was its policies as well as the motivational drive for their mammoth Army, that ensured the growth of its economy from nowhere to $15 trillion. While India still struggles to reach the $3 trillion mark after 72 years of independence.

The Defense Forces today are facing a severe crunch on the very basic needs for its war machine to be well lubricated.

And therefore, as a nation, we have to decide on our priorities of loan waiver to farmers, subsidies, financial packages to rich industrialists and writing off lakhs of crores of NPA in banks vis--vis the expenditure on our national security.

In my personal opinion, the next war will be fought by the soldier depending upon his perception of how his country respects the Veterans (sooner or later he shall stand in line with them) The authorities must remember, that it’s not just the weapons and equipment that makes a dependable Army but the honor and respect of the man behind the war machine.

When the PMF and police forces in a country becomes more lucrative and financially viable options, India will find it difficult to get the right leadership for its defense forces.

Paradoxically, more than the external forces of political

PARADOXICALLY, MORE THAN THE EXTERNAL FORCES OF POLITICAL MASTERS AND BUREAUCRACY, IT IS THE ELEMENTS WITHIN THE ARMED FORCES WHO ARE DOING DAMAGE TO SOLDIERS’ MOTIVATION AND MORALE

masters and bureaucracy, it is the elements within the Armed forces who are doing damage to soldiers’ motivation and morale. May I say, somewhere, it’s Army’s higher echelons responsible for proposing strange measures to mobilize funds for modernization of the force at the very cost of Army itself.

The dissatisfaction amongst serving officers and soldiers today is noticeable and alarming.

DMA under CDS instead of telling the present day govt that it’s their responsibility to arrange funds for national security has proposed a scaled-down pension and retirement policy. Cutting down on CSDs, Officers Messes and manpower will do nothing except cutting down on the traditions, ethos, and culture of the fighting machine that gave us

‘Human work’ is the key to ending income inequality

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new report from the Inter national Monetary Fund says that COVID-19 will increase income inequality in emerging markets and developing countries, “further widening the gap between rich and poor” and increasing the urgency for “investment in retraining and reskilling programs [that] can boost reemployment prospects for adaptable workers whose job duties may see long-term changes as a result of the pandemic.”

For many years, these countries have been challenged by disaffected youth along with “wide inequality in education, and large gaps remaining in economic opportunities for women.”

The report further

warns that “COVID-19 is expected to make inequality even worse than past crises since measures to contain the pandemic have had disproportionate effects on vulnerable workers and women.” Even before the pandemic, growing income inequality had become a stubborn feature of global economies, but that doesn’t mean we should accept it — or the social devastation it’s likely to cause.

TRAGIC RISE IN INEQUALITY The rise in inequality isn’t just tragic for the millions who are directly affected. We see it reflected in the growing allure of authoritarianism, in the fearmongering directed at lower-income groups, and in the despair and hopelessness of those who feel left out

and left behind. The accelerating increase in inequality is dangerous for the future of societies and for the planet.

Ironically, the two groups who have fared best in recent decades are the very poor and the very rich. The global decline in extreme poverty is one of the most important developments of recent times. Between 1990 to 2015, the extreme poverty rate dropped from nearly

36% to 10%. At the other extreme, the very rich have done quite well. In the last 10 years, the number of billionaires around the world has nearly doubled. In 2018, the 26 richest people in the world held as much wealth as did the entire bottom half of the global population — some 3.8 billion people. More to the point, from 1990 to 2015, the share of income going to the top 1% increased in four out of five

countries around the world.

This massive redistribution of wealth means that the world can no longer be neatly sorted into “developed” and “developing” countries.

The global distribution of wealth is now more of a continuum. But the good news ends there, and the trend is inescapably clear: Wealth inequality is growing around the world. In the United States, it’s rising not just because the rich are getting richer, but because since 2000, incomes at the lower end of the scale have stagnated or fallen. Inequality in the US is the highest among the G7 countries, and the wealth gap between America’s richest and poorest families more than doubled from 1989 to 2016. Between 2007 and 2018, median

income in black households fell from 63% to 61% of median white household income.

COVID-19 has worsened things considerably. The pandemic has hit poor countries particularly hard, with experts estimating that as many as 115 million people could fall back into extreme poverty in 2020 alone. Unemployment in most countries has risen the most for people in lower-paid jobs. In the US, unemployment among those with less than a high school diploma reached 21.2% in April, while for those with a postsecondary degree it peaked at 8.4%. According to the World Economic Forum, the impact of COVID-19 on workers with lower levels of education will be even worse than the global financial crisis of 2008.

SOURCE: FAIR OBSERVER

victory in all wars and that held the nation’s head high in natural calamities as well, when all other institutions failed.

I clearly remember as a young Capt. I would walk into govt offices with confidence and elan.

But over the years, I have seen diminishing respect for the forces due to undue politicization of the Army. Here, I would like to quote history: When General MacArthur was Chief of US in 1931, President Roosevelt had proposed to cut down the defense budget…When General did not agree, Roosevelt dismissed him and that’s when the General got up from his chair and said “Mr. President, in the next war when an American soldier with the enemy bayonet piercing his abdomen spits out his last curse, I do not want the name to be MacArthur but Roosevelt.” Needless to say, the president reversed his decision! Alas, India after Manekshaw has never seen a Chief with such courage of conviction and mettle.

How true are the worlds of Sun Tzu when he says “I’m not scared of an army of Tigers lead by a sheep but an Army of sheep led by a Tiger”. So, friends It’s not the turn of the Army but the civil society at large to decide, what National Security they desire and therefore, what Role, Respect and Honor be bestowed upon THY SOLDIERS. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dr Harsh Vardhan @drharshvardhan Black small squareTidal wave of about to 1-1.5m likely to inundate low lying areas of north coastal districts of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry. Black small squareExtremely Heavy rainfall expected in pockets of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & southern Andhra Pradesh & Telangana over next 24-48 hours Jagat Prakash Nadda @JPNadda Veer Lachit Borphukan was a General of Ahom army whose unparalleled heroism & bravery is an inspiration not only to Assam but to whole India. He also played a crucial role in protecting Assam Culture. I pay homage to the valorous General on his jayanti.

Spiritual SPEAK

There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires. —Buddha

Vol 2 Issue No. 1 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-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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Chronology samajhiye: RaGa’s dig at Centre over RBI proposal for banks

05

Abdullahs’ house built on encroached land: JK administration list

RBI panel has also recommended raising cap on promoters’ stake in pvt sector banks to 26% New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked people to understand the “chronology” of the measures proposed to reshape the domestic banking industry in another swipe at the Centre. Gandhi was using a phrase by Union home minister Amit Shah to explain the BJP’s plans to implement a nationwide National Register of Citizens. Shah had use “aap chronology samajhiye (understand the chronology)” last year.

“Chronology samajhiye: First, karz maafi for few big companies.

Next, huge tax cuts for companies. Now, give people’s savings directly to banks set up by these same companies. #SuitBootkiSarkar,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

The former Congress president’s tweet comes in the backdrop of an internal Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel’s proposal to allow large

Pralhad Joshi slams RaGa’s ‘PR driven media strategy’ jibe

Rahul Gandhis’ tweet comes in the backdrop of an internal RBI panel’s proposal to allow large corporates to act as promoters of banks after necessary amendments to the Banking Regulations Act,1949.

corporates to act as promoters of banks after necessary amendments to the Banking Regulations Act,1949 “to deal with connected lending and exposures between the banks and other financial and non-financial group entities”.

The RBI panel has also recommended raising

the cap on promoters’ stake in private sector banks to 26%.

The central bank had constituted an IWG on June 12 this year to review extant ownership guidelines for Indian private sector banks.

The committee’s report was made public last Friday and RBI has

THE ISSUE

on being asked about Rahul Gandhi’s tweet over the issue. —ANI

Jammu: Former CMsFarooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah have been named by the J&K administration in a list which alleges that their residential house in Jammu is built over illegally-possessed land, a charge denied by the father-son duo. The administration of the union territory as directed by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court to make public land given under the controversial Roshni land scheme, since scrapped by a court, came out with the list of beneficiaries.

On Tuesday, it came out with a list of those who had allegedly en-

croached land other than those given under the scheme.

The list also highlighted the headquarters of their National Conference in both Srinagar and Jammu were legalised under the controversial Roshni Act. Reacting to the fresh list, party vice president Omar Abdullah said, “The news attributing to sources that Dr Farooq Abdullah is a beneficiary of the Roshni Act is completely false and is being spread with a malicious intent.

Both his houses at Jammu and Srinagar have nothing to do with the said Act. —PTI

Sacked BSF jawan’s plea challenging Mumbai Police files charges PM Modi’s election in Varanasi quashed against 12 in fake TRP scam

President Ram Nath Kovind along with First Lady Savita Kovind offers prayers at the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

Leaders, citizens pay last respects to former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi

New Delhi : The SC y rejected the plea filed by dismissed BSF constable Tej Bahadur against the election of PM Narendra Modi from Varanasi LS constituency in UP. A threejudge bench of the apex court, headed by CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde, rejected the plea. The apex court had, on November 18, reserved its verdict after hearing from the respective parties.

Lawyer Pradeep Yadav had made all the detailed submissions for the petitioner Tej

Bahadur, whereas senior lawyer and legal expert Harish Salve had argued for PM Modi before SC. The dismissed BSF constable had filed an appeal before SC, challenging the Alla-

habad HC, which had dismissed his appeal on the ground that neither he is a voter from Varanasi constituency nor he had represented himself in the election against PM Modi. —ANI

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police on Tuesday filed a charge sheet in a court here in the alleged TRP (Television Rating Points) rigging scam.

The charge sheet was submitted before a magistrate’s court by the police’s Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU), which is conducting a probe into the case, an official said. The crime branch has so far arrested 12 persons, including Republic TV’s distribution head and owners of two other channels, in connection with the case, he said.

The fake TRP scam

came to light last month when rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group, alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers.

Hansa had been tasked with installing barometers, which record viewership data (which channel has been watched and for how long) at sample households.

TRP is important as the advertising revenue of channels depends on it.

—PTI

SC mulls issuing notice to Maharashtra ‘Amrapali’s Anil Sharma hasn’t deposited `250 crore’ Assembly Speaker in a letter to Arnab

Janata Bhawan staff pays last tributes to Tarun Gogoi in Guwahati.

shetra,” Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) secretary Bhupen Bora told ANI. “The cremation will be conducted on November 26,” he added.

Gogoi, 84, died on

INDIA TEST-FIRES LAND-ATTACK VERSION OF BRAHMOS MISSILE New Delhi: India on Tuesday test-fired a land-attack version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “The target of the missile was on another island there. More details awaited,” reported ANI. “The supersonic cruise missile was testfired at 10 AM today and it

Farooq Abdullah interacts with son Omar Abdullah during an allparty meeting in Srinagar.

—FILE PHOTO

IN THE COURTYARD

PAYING OBEISANCE

Guwahati: Leaders from various political parties and citizens paid their last respects to the mortal remains of former Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi at his Guwahati residence on Tuesday.

“We will take former CM Tarun Gogoi’s body from his residence to Congress headquarters at Rajeev Bhawan in the city. We will also take his body to Assam Secretariat and State Assembly. Subsequently, we will take his mortal remains to the Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalak-

sought comments by January 15, 2021, “before taking a view in the matter”.

Well run large NBFCs with an asset size of Rs 50,000 crore and above, including those owned by a corporate house, may be considered for conversion into banks.

—Agencies

New Delhi: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his comments on the Centre’s handling of China, stating that “if we have lost our land to China before it is because of Congress party and its wrong policies from 1962”.

“At least Rahul Gandhi and Congress should not raise this issue.

If we have lost our land to China before it is because of Congress party and its wrong policies from 1962. They should first sort their party matters and then talk,” Joshi told ANI

successfully hit its target.

The test was conducted by the Indian Army which has many regiments of the DRDO-developed Missile system. The strike range of BrahMos missile has now been enhanced to over 400 km.” This development comes amid reports India will carry out “multiple live tests” of the supersonic missile.

Monday evening at Guwahati Medical College where he was on ventilation after suffering a multi-organ failure. He had tested positive for COVID-19 in August.

—PTI

New Delhi: Amrapali home buyers apprised SC that real estate group’s promoter Anil Sharma has not deposited Rs 250 crores as per directions of top court.

“More than Rs 250 crores siphoned money was required to be deposited by him as per the judgment of July 23, 2019, but the same has still not been done,” Amrapali home buyers’

25 PAK PRISONERS INCLUDING 20 FISHERMEN REPATRIATED Attari: As many as 25 Pakistani prisoners, including 20 fishermen returned home from the Attari-Wagah border after being released by the Indian authorities on Tuesday. Arunpal Singh, Protocol Officer said, “These fishermen had entered India mistakenly and have completed their imprisonment. They are being handed over to Pakistan.”Mohammad, a fisherman from Karachi said, “I am going back to Pakistan after around four years. I would like to requests both the governments to send back the remaining fishermen.”

advocate ML Lahoty submitted to the apex court bench, headed by Justice Uday Umesh Lalit.

The court has taken this on a serious note of submissions made by Lahoty and also rejected all bogus defenses on behalf of Amrapali & directed that needful be done after the dues are verified by receiver and forensic auditors. —ANI

New Delhi: The SC observed that it is contemplating issuing notice to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker while hearing a plea by Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami challenging the showcause notice issued by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for initiation of breach of privilege motion against him. The notice was issued for Goswa-

RAM TEMPLE: VHP TO LAUNCH DRIVE TO COLLECT FUNDS New Delhi:The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliate Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), along with Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, is set to launch a nationwide campaign to collect funds for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. The VHP will embark on the ambitious campaign to crowdsource

funds for the temple construction, on January 15 and will continue till February 27. To review the preparations of soon to be launched mega campaign, members of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust are set to meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Patna in the first week of December.

mi’s reporting in connection with case of death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing Goswami, submitted be-

fore a bench headed by CJ SA Bobde that a notice should be issued to the Speaker in matter.

On Nov 6, top court had asked Maharashtra Legislative Assembly asst secy to show cause in two weeks why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for his October 13 letter to Goswami for showing Assembly notice in court.

GANJA WORTH RS 1.3 CRORE SEIZED IN JABALPUR; 3 HELD Bhopal: The Narcotics Control Bureau has arrested three persons from MP’s Jabalpur district for allegedly smuggling 879.53 kg of ganja from Odisha, an official said. Based on a tip-off, a truck was recently intercepted in Jabalpur district and contraband, which was concealed in the rear of the vehicle, was seized, director of NCB’s Indore-based regional office Amit Ghawate said.

According to officials, the value of the consignment is estimated to be around Rs 1.3 crore in black market. Further probe is underway.

INDIA AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020

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06

High severity of third wave of COVID-19 in POWER Gallery capital due to many factors: Kejriwal to PM WHO WILL BE NEW CHAIRMAN OF NHRC?

Coronavirus pandemic & air pollution is a major issue in Delhi

PM Modi warns India for possible side-effects of Covid-19 vaccine

A health worker collects swab samples of a man for the COVID-19 test, in New Delhi on Tuesday.

New Delhi: At a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said the high severity of the third wave of COVID-19 in the national capital is due to many factors, pollution being an important one, sources

DoT accepts proposal on ‘0’ prefix for all calls New Delhi: Callers will soon be required to add ‘0’ prefix for making calls from landlines to mobile phones in the country, with the telecom department asking telcos to make necessary arrangements

by January 1 to implement the new system. The department has accepted sectoral regulator Trai’s recommendation for having the ‘0’ prefix for such calls, a move that will create sufficient numbering space for telecom services. The Department of Telecom (DoT) in a circular on `modification of dialling pattern from fixed line numbers to cellular mobile numbers’ said in order to ensure adequate numbering resources for fixed line and mobile services, Trai’s recommendations dated May 29, 2020 have been accepted by the Department.

said Kejriwal told the PM that Delhi saw the peak of 8,600 coronavirus cases on November 10 during the third wave and since then, the number of cases as well as the positivity rate are steadily decreasing.

The CM hoped that the trend would continue in the national capital.

Pollution is an important factor. At the meeting with the prime minister, Kejriwal also sought the reservation of the additional 1,000 ICU beds in the central government-run hospitals in Delhi for coronavirus patients till the third wave of the infection lasts in the city.

New Delhi: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that COVID-19 vaccine could lead to side-effects in some people, as even popular medicines do, and that the government would only go by science in finalising one for the country. The comments came ahead of the possible launch of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine by early next year in India, the country with the world’s second-highest number of Covid infections after the US . “Even medicines popular for 20 years & used by hundreds of thousands of people lead to reactions in some, even today,” PM said in a video conference with the chief ministers.

Delhi schools not opening anytime soon: Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia New Delhi: Delhi deputy chief minster Manish Sisodia called on all governments to come together as a “team” to fight the double whammy of the rise in coronavirus cases and air pollution.

Manish Sisodia said that it is a problem that plagues the whole of North India and not just Delhi.

Manish Sisodia also ruled out any possibility of schools reopening anytime soon saying that as a parent he would not send his kids to school unless he was sure they would be safe. “States need to forget their politics and come together as a team,” Manish

SUBODH JAISWAL TO BE DG NSG?

Maharashtra DGP Subodh Jaiswal is being tipped to be new DG of the NSG. SHAMBHU NATH SINGH REPATRIATED TO PARENT CADRE

Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia

Sisodia said Addressing an issue that’s on top of every parent’s mind, Manish Sisodia that he does not think the time is right to reopen schools. Delhi has recorded over 5.34 lakh cases since the pandemic began. Of these, more than 8,500 are deaths linked to virus. The active caseload is currently over 37,000.

Army Chief reviews Cyclone Nivar: Section 144 in security situation in Puducherry till November 26; North East region PM Modi assures full support Dimapur: Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Mukund Naravane, arrived at Dimapur, on Monday, on a three-day visit to review the security situation in North East Region. According to an official press release, “On arrival at Dimapur, the Army Chief was briefed

by Lieutenant General, Anil Chauhan; General Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Command and Lieutenant General R P Kalita, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Spear Corps on operational preparedness along the Northern borders as well as operations in hinterland of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. On November 24, the COAS visited various Army and Assam Rifles Headquarters in Nagaland and Manipur to make a firsthand assessment of the ground situation. The COAS interacted extensively with the troops deployed in the remote areas and appreciated their state of operational preparedness, morale

General Manoj Mukund Naravane

and conduct of people friendly operations. Later in the evening, General Naravane called on the Governor of Nagaland, RN Ravi and CM, Neiphiu Rio to discuss prevailing security situation in the State and assured the wholehearted support of the Army and Assam Rifles in maintaining peace and tranquility in the state and ensuring security along the Indo-Myanmar border. As part of Indian Army’s efforts in contributing towards the development and equitable opportunities to all sections of the society, a new residential facility to be run by Assam Rifles will be inaugurated by the COAS on November 25 prior to his return to New Delhi.

New Delhi: The government of Puducherry today imposed Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code in the Union Territory. Puducherry’s district magistrate Purva Garg said the order shall come into force from 9 pm on November 24 and will remain in effect till 6 am on November 26.

PM Modi said he had spoken to Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswamy & Puducherry CM Narayanasami. “Assured all possible support from the Centre. I pray for the safety and well-being of those living in the affected areas,” he tweeted. 30 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been pressed into action across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry as Cyclone Nivar moves towards the southern coast of India, NDRF informed. Nearly 12 teams of disaster relief body have been deployed, while 18 are on standby across the region, monitoring the situation.

Who will succeed Justice H L Dattu as Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) next month. Latest grapevine has it that former CJI Justice Arun Mishra may be new Chairman of the NHRC. If Justice Mishra is not appointed Chairman then the post will remain vacant for four months till the superannuation of present CJI Justice S A Bobde.

Shambhu Nath Singh, Special Director, Intelligence Bureau (IB), has been prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre, in relaxation of the IPS Tenure Policy.

LT. GEN. SANJEEV SHARMA MAY GET NEW POSTING

Lieutenant General Sanjeev Sharma, General Officer Commanding, 11 Corps, Western Command, is likely to get new posting orders soon.

INTER-CADRE DEPUTATION OF RANJLT KUMAR SINGH EXTENDED

Inter-cadre deputation of Dr. Ranjlt Kumar Singh, from Gujarat to Bihar cadre, has been extended for a period of two years beyond January 7, 2021.

He is a 2008 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre.

INTER-CADRE DEPUTATION OF ARCHANA PATNAIK EXTENDED

The inter-cadre deputation tenure of Ms Archana Patnaik - from Tamil Nadu cadre to Odisha cadre - has been extended for a period of two years beyond December 17.2020. She is a 2002 batch IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.

SEVEN-YEAR DEPUTATION TENURE OF ADITYA JOSHI ENDS

Seven-year central deputation tenure of Aditya Joshi, working as Director, CVC, has come to an end. He is a 1995 batch IRAS officer.

SHORTAGE OF IPS OFFICERS IN AP

There is a shortage of 29 IPS officers in Andhra Pradesh. Instead of the sanctioned posts of 144, there are presently only 115 IPS officers in the state.

WHO WILL BE NEW CMD OF FCI ?

D V Prasad, IAS, KN(‘81), presently the Chairman and Managing Director of Food Corporation of India (Central PSU under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution) is due for superannuation on November 30.

Fishing boats are placed on land as the Bay of Bengal sea is rough ahead of Cyclone Nivar to cross the state, at Patinambakkam beach in Chennai on Tuesday. —PHOTO BY ANI

Rahul Gandhi appeals to Cong to offer assistance to people New Delhi: Former Congress Party President and a Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi has appealed to his party members, on Tuesday, to provide assistance to people in battling Cyclone Nivar that is approaching Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said, “Cyclone Nivar

is making its presence felt in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Please follow all safety measures. I appeal to all Congress workers to provide assistance to those in need. Stay indoors, stay safe.”

IMD said that the cyclone has a wind speed of 100-110 kmph and gusting to 120 kmph.

P N PANDEY PROMOTED TO COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AND CENTRAL EXCISE GRADE

Pashupati Nath Pandey has been empanelled for promotion to the grade of Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise in the Indian Revenue Service (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs). He is an IRS officer.

SINGH TO JOIN FINANCIAL SERVICES, FINANCE MINISTRY

Sushil Kumar Singh is set to join the deptt of financial services in the ministry of finance as Director, He is a 2006 batch IDAS officer. He will join his new assignment next month.

ADDITIONAL CHARGE TO PURWAR EXTENDED FOR SIX MORE MONTHS

The DoT has extended the additional charge of the post of CMD, MTML to P K Purwar , CMD, BSNL to six more months till April 14, 2021.

By arrangement with: http: // whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Bring Covid... contact tracing and data must be given top priority,” he said.

Modi said the government is keeping a close watch on the development of vaccines and is in contact with Indian developers and manufacturers, along with global regulators, governments of other countries, multilateral institutions and international companies.

He added that it will be ensured that the vaccine for citizens will meet all necessary scientific criteria.

He underlined that just like the focus in the

fight against COVID-19 has been on saving each and every life, the priority will be to ensure that the vaccine reaches everyone.

A massive network of testing to treatment is running well in the entire country and it is being regularly widened, the prime minister said.

Modi has held several rounds of virtual meetings with states over the coronavirus situation so far.

The latest high-level meeting to review the status and preparedness of COVID-19 response and manage-

ment had a special emphasis on eight high focus states, Haryana, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and West Bengal.

The modalities of COVID-19 vaccine delivery, distribution and administration were also discussed during the meeting. —Agencies

Rajasthan triumphs...

“Due to the efforts of the state government, the death rate in the state has remained consistently below one percent, at only 0.89 percent. A detailed analy-

sis of the causes of death in Rajasthan has been arranged from the earliest times in Corona,” Gehlot said.

Gehlot suggested to the Prime Minister that RTPCR tests are the most reliable in the world.

“Like Rajasthan in all states of the country, 100% test should be done by RTPCR method instead of rapid antigen test.

Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are the only two states in the country where 100 per cent of the investigations are being conducted using RTPCR method.

About 42 lakh investigations have been done from RTPCR in Rajasthan. The case positivity rate is 5.8 percent in the state, which is much better than the national average of 6.89 percent.

Guj has... in ensuring timely provision of healthcare to affected patients, without any delay. He stated that the sample testing for novel coronavirus had been increased by the state with over 70,000 tests conducted on November 23.

Talking about the ‘Sanjeevani Corona Ghar Seva’ initiative for pa-

tients under home isolation in Ahmedabad, Rupani said that nearly 3,000 calls are received each day and necessary treatment is provided through 700 Sanjeevani Raths deployed by the state. “A large number of tests are also being conducted at railway stations, commercial complexes, highways, among other places.

Nearly 11 lakh tests have been conducted in Ahmedabad till date,” he said. In conclusion, while assuring the PM about the state’s preparedness to tackle the pandemic, Rupani said that curfew had been

implemented in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara to aid the fight against the virus and curtail the number of cases.

Yogi’s masterstroke...

“The way in which religious conversions are done using deceit, lies, force and dishonesty is heart wrenching, and it was necessary to have a law in this regard, Cabinet minister and UP government spokesperson Sidharth Nath Singh said.

He said that the punishment under the new law is a jail term from

one and five years, and a fine of Rs 15,000.

But if the woman involved is a minor or belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe, the jail term would range from three to 10 years, he said. The fine would increase to Rs 25,000.

In the case of mass conversions, the punishment is from three years to 10 years and a fine of Rs 50,000 on the organisations which indulge in it,” the minister told reporters.

Singh said if anyone wants to change religion after marriage, then he or she can do so.

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School’s out,

for good reason!

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT OUTBREAKS IN AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLS z Schools didn’t appear to be a major

driver of the epidemic in Victoria, although most students switched to remote learning around the peak of the second wave.

z However, schools did contribute to

community transmission to some extent. This was made clear by the Al-Taqwa College cluster, which was linked to outbreaks in Melbourne’s public housing towers.

z When researchers analysed cases

in Victorian schools that occurred between the start of the epidemic and the end of August 2020, they found infections in schools mirrored what was happening in the community overall. They also found 66% of all infections in schools were limited to a single person.

z Most students in Victoria switched

to remote learning at the peak of the second wave. Shutterstock

z This might seem encouraging, but

we have to remember this virus is characterised by superspreading events. We now know that about 10% of infected people are responsible for about 80% of secondary COVID-19 cases.

z Two major studies from Hong Kong

and India revealed about 70% of people didn’t transmit the virus to anyone. The problem is the remainder can potentially infect a lot of people.

z What happened in Victorian schools

was entirely consistent with this.

Children may transmit the novel coronavirus at the same rate as adults ZOË HYDE

Epidemiologist, University of Western Australia

T

he role children, and consequently schools, play in the COVID-19 pandemic has been hard to work out, but that puzzle is now finally starting to be solved.

The latest research shows infections in children frequently go undetected, and that children are just as susceptible as adults to infection. Children likely transmit the virus at a similar rate to

adults as well.

While children are thankfully much less likely than adults to get seriously ill, the same isn’t true for the adults that care for them. Evidence suggests schools have been a driver of the second wave in Europe and elsewhere. This means the safety of schools needs an urgent rethink.

IT’S HARD TO DETECT COVID-19 IN CHILDREN

Infections with SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in children are generally much milder than in adults and easy to overlook. A study from South Korea found the majority of children had symptoms mild enough to go unrecognised, and only 9% were diagnosed at the time of symptom onset.

Researchers used an antibody test (which can de-

tect if a person had the virus previously and recovered) to screen a representative sample of nearly 12,000 children from the general population in Germany. They found the majority of cases in children had been missed. In itself, that’s not surprising, because many cases in adults are missed, too.

But what made this study important, was that it showed young and older children were similarly likely to have been infected.

Official testing in Germany had suggested young children were much less likely to be infected than teenagers, but this wasn’t true. Younger children with infections just weren’t getting tested. The study also found that nearly half of infected children were asymptomatic.

This is about twice what’s

typically seen in adults.

BUT CHILDREN DO TRANSMIT THE VIRUS

We’ve known for a while that around the same amount of viral genetic material can be found in the nose and throat of both children and adults.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean children will transmit the same way adults do. Because children have a smaller lung capacity and are less likely to have symptoms, they might release less virus into the environment.

However, a new study conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found children and adults were similarly likely to transmit the virus to their household contacts.

Another study, of more than 84,000 cases and their close contacts, in India,

z The risk associated with schools

rises with the level of community transmission. The picture internationally has made this clear.

07

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT OUTBREAKS IN SCHOOLS, INTERNATIONALLY z After schools reopened in Montreal, Canada, school clusters quickly outnumbered those in workplaces and healthcare settings combined. President of the Quebec Association of Infectious Disease Microbiologists, Karl Weiss, said z Schools were the driver to start the

second wave in Quebec, although the government did not recognize it.

z A report by Israel’s Ministry of Health

concluded school reopening played at least some role in accelerating the epidemic there, and that schools may contribute to the spread of the virus unless community transmission is low.

In the Czech Republic, a rapid surge in cases following the reopening of schools prompted the mayor of Prague to describe schools as “COVID trading exchanges”.

z The opposite pattern has been seen

when schools have closed. England just witnessed a drop in new cases, followed by a return to growth, coinciding with the half-term school holidays. This was before any lockdown measures were introduced in the country.

z These observations are consistent with

a study examining the effect of imposing and lifting different restrictions in 131 countries. Researchers found school closures were associated with a reduction in R—the measure of how fast the virus is spreading—while reopening schools was associated with an increase.

z The risk has been spelled out most

clearly by the president of the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s equivalent of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last week, he reported the virus is being carried into schools, and also back out into the community.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO It won’t be possible to control the pandemic if we don’t fully address transmission by children. This means we need to take a proactive approach to schools.

School closures have a role to play as well. But they must be carefully considered because of the harms associated with them. But these harms are likely outweighed by the harms of an unmitigated epidemic.

At a minimum, precautionary measures should include the use of face masks by staff and students (including primary school students). Schools should also improve ventilation and indoor air quality, reduce class sizes, and ensure kids and staff practise hand hygiene.

In regions with high levels of community transmission, temporary school closures should be considered. While a lockdown without school closures can probably still reduce transmission, it is unlikely to be maximally effective.

found children and young adults were especially likely to transmit the virus.

Most of the children in these studies likely had symptoms. So, it’s unclear if asymptomatic children

transmit the virus in the same way.

But outbreaks in childcare centres have shown transmission by children who don’t show symptoms still occurs. During an outbreak at two childcare

centres in Utah, asymptomatic children transmitted the virus to their family members, which resulted in the hospitalisation of one parent.

Source: THECONVERSATION.COM

I congratulate the First India team on completing one successful year of the Gujarat edition. A year of credible journalism which has made a mark. Keep it up!

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020

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WORLD

COVID-19 UPDATE

INDIA

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

UTTAR PRADESH 7,582 DEATHS 5,28,833 CASES

DEATHS

KARNATAKA 11,695 DEATHS 8,76,425 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

Patel was given chadar, flowers to offer in violation of health safety norms; FIR filed against dargah First India Bureau

SPECIAL FAVOUR?

Congress leader Hardik Patel visited famous Ajmer dargah on Sunday.

im Faizal Niyazi has claimed that he did not make the chadar and other items available to the Congress leader.

Police said that there was a ban on offering

2 Scottish varsities, A’bad Univ to work on climate change

Three varsities sign MoU for joint study.

Ahmedabad: Two Scottish universities St Andrews and Aberdeen have joined Ahmedabad University to investigate new approaches to the management of coastal wetland habitats in India following research funding from the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) Scottish Asia Partnerships Higher Education Research Fund.

Their project, ‘Sustainable Coastal Habitats, Blue Carbon and the Challenges of Net Zero’ will focus on India’s coastal wetlands and mangrove forests as important blue carbon systems which can deliver sustainable management solutions for coastal environments and their communities.

It is led by the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at St Andrews.

The fund is a new grant scheme to enhance the existing international research partnerships between

—FILE PHOTO

Scottish universities and partners in India, Japan and Pakistan.

The university said, “Mangrove forests are unsustainably exploited in many of India’s unprotected coastal wetlands, due to factors including pressures from land-use change and deforestation.

Mangrove forests provide livelihoods to India’s rural people, along with important ecosystem services like nursery grounds for coastal fisheries.”

The research team will investigate naturebased solutions that point to a sustainable future for highly threatened coastal habitats in India and demonstrate their ability to contribute to the implementation of an emissions inventory for national greenhouse gases, and deliver new opportunities for emerging climate change and green recovery plans in India.

“Our project offers the opportunity to help meet the global health and challenges caused

by Covid-19.”

flowers and other things while worshipping to help check the viral infection but these were used when Patel visited the dargah and so a case had been registered against

the khadim.

He claimed that he had no idea as to who provided Patel the chadar and flowers and the police should have stopped him at that time.

DEATHS

DELHI 8,621 DEATHS 5,40,541 CASES

Covid-19 protocol puts Hardik visit to Ajmer dargah in trouble

First India Bureau

GUJARAT

1,408,289 5,98,14,258 1,34,661 92,15,929 3,892 2,00,409

MAHARASHTRA 46,683 DEATHS 17,89,800 CASES

Ajmer: Gujarat Congress working president and maverick Patidar leader Hardik Patel’s visit to the famous dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer on Sunday has triggered a controversy after objections were raised about his offering chadar and flowers at the mausoleum.

Worship material like flowers are banned at all religious places across Rajasthan in view of the spread of the corona infection.

The police have filed a case against the khadim, who facilitated Patel in offering Ziyarat under the Rajasthan Epidemic Diseases Act. However, the khad-

08

“It is possible that some party supporter provided the chadar, flowers etc. and then put it on the head of Hardik Patel in keeping with the Sufi tradition.

But I did not provide

such material,” he insisted.

Faizal said it was disappointing that despite a Congress Government in place in Rajasthan, a case was being filed regarding the ziyarat of Hardik Patel.

Waqf Board Chairman Khanu Khan Budhwali and his supporters were also present during Hardik Patel’s visit. Other khadims have criticised the “overreaction” of the Ajmer dargah.

The police action assumes significance as a large number of pilgrims are visiting the dargah every day and such offering of flowers and chadar by one visitor may encourage others to do the same too.

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 2,200 DEATHS 2,50,482 CASES

SMC staff attempts suicide after threats by lender First India Bureau Surat: A trainee at the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) attempted suicide on Tuesday due to the severe financial crisis he was facing. He had taken a loan from a private money lender at 10% interest. He had returned Rs 24 lakh in the past one year and had to pay Rs 13 lakh more.

Anil Kailash was working at Udhna zone office for the past 20 months. On Tuesday noon, he tried committing suicide by consuming excessive sleeping pills. His friends witnessed him vomiting and soon called 108 emergency services. He was sent to SMIMER medical college for treatment.

Anil’s wife informed in her state-

Surat Municipal Corporation

ment that previously the lender had agreed that only Rs 15 lakh remained to be paid.

They sold their house for Rs 13 lakh to repay the remaining money. However, the money lender threatened Anil when his cheque of Rs 30 lakh bounced, resulting in his taking the extreme step.

Tata Capital recovery agent Intense screening, testing hits debtor with cricket bat at public places by RMC First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: A recovery agent of a private company hit a debtor with a cricket bat after his recovery attempts failed.

According to a complaint with the Anandnagar police station, the recovery agency of Tata Capital hit the debtor, who had got a personal loan from the company and failed to pay the interest, with a bat.

Jagdev Kori, 40, a resident of Krushnadham Avas in Vejalpur, works in a marketing firm in Shilaj. In 2017, he took a personal loan from Tata Capital to tide over a financial

Rajkot: With an aim to break the chain of coronavirus spread, the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) started the screening and testing of people at the railway station, bus station and airport from Tuesday.

This is one of the various actions, along with erecting testing booths, movement of Dhanvantari rath, Sanjivani rath, 104 rath seva, Covid-19 testing vehicle and free corona check-ups at various health centres, initiated by RMC to ensure early detection of Covid-19 cases, especially caused due to travellers entering the city

problem.

He had paid the interest on the loan for over a year. Later, he was unable to pay the interest and Sanjay Desai, the recovery agent, often harassed him on the phone. On Monday, Sanjay and an un-

known person reached Kori’s home and demanded money. He told them that he did not have the money and that he would reach a settlement with the company over the loan.

After this, Sanjay hit him with the bat.

RMC steps up screening of people for Covid-19.

from other places.

The corporation has also set up health checkup camps, especially in areas where a large number of hawkers gather. Such camps were conducted at Laxminagar hawkers’ zone and Mangalwari bazaar area on Tuesday.

Here, the RMC health team firstly conducts primary testing through Thermal screening and

Pulse Oximeter, and upon diagnosing Covid symptoms further testing is conducted on the spot.

Rajkot city reported 95 and 48 positive cases on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

The corporation fined people who were found without masks.

There were a total 41 cases and Rs. 41,000 were collected as fine.

CONTROVERSIAL GUNFIGHT

Court frees 2 cops in Sadiq Jamal encounter Youngster Sadiq was accused of plotting to assassinate the then Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi, in 2003 First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The Special CBI Court on Tuesday discharged 2 police officers in the controversial alleged fake encounter case of Sadiq Jamal for want of adequate evidence.

CBI Court’s Special Judge Bharat Dave exonerated Ramjibhai Laxmanbhai Mavani and Ajaypalsingh Siyaram Yadav from all the

charges in the case.

Discharging them, the Court observed, “Looking at the complete record of the case and going through the documents submitted here, this Court finds that there is no sufficient ground for proceeding against the present applicants.”

“There is no ground for presuming that these applicants have commit-

ted an offence” under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including for criminal conspiracy, the court said.

A complaint was filed

against Sadiq Jamal and 6 others in 2003 accusing them of committing serious offences like hatching a conspiracy to wage a war against the Central Government as

well as to assassinate the then Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, and other political leaders.

According to complainant Jaysinh G. Par-

mar, on January 12, 2003, he had received information that Sadiq Jamal was coming from near Galaxy Cinema in Naroda area at 23:30 hours to meet a colleague. He and other officers had kept a watch in civvies and spotted Sadiq coming by foot around 1:15 hours.

Just as constable Yadav lunged forward to catch him, Sadiq opened fire from his revolver. Parmar and police inspector Saiyed fired back from their service revolvers in self defence, resulting in Sadiq’s death.

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD, WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2020

CHIC COWGIRL FASHION CITY FIRST HAS PUT TOGETHER A GUIDE TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN FOLLOW THE COWGIRL FASHION, AND ACE THE LOOK IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY!

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

M

ost of the women have been tomboys in their early childhood, and that’s probably their ultimate comfort zone.

May it be the peer pressure of the surroundings or the group or the sudden change in the personalities, these tomboys eventually start dressing up way more than usual. But at the end of the day, dressing up comfortably and decently is what they also opt for, and the Cowgirl Fashion is something that is a total comfort zone, come what may!

When it comes to cowgirl fashion, the first thing that pops up in the head is denim and boots, right? Well, that is the best way to combine everyday western fashion with high fashion. This kind of fashion also doesn’t fail to showcase the woman’s personality and her love for the culture.

With the flood of western outfits across the globe, this kind of fashion includes clothes that are classic, yet follow an individual style.

City First has put together a guide to find out how you can follow the cowgirl fashion, and ace the look in your own sweet way!

GO DENIM: One of the most common things needed in cowgirl fashion is a denim outfit. You can either opt for a denim shirt or denim

jeans, or you can also go denim-on-denim.

APT BOOTS: A woman’s boots fit way differently than men- the boots for women have a slightly lifted heel to shape the legs. Make sure to pick out just the right and appropriate one, and you’ll be good to go.

MATCHING HAT: Based on the kind and colour of the outfit that you are opting for, get a hat of a contrasting colour. This would make your outfit look even more appealing, and give you a classy look.

SHIRTS: Button-down shirts are something that would never compromise on your look. These look as classy as ever, and would up your fashion game on the go.

CLASSY BELT: One last thing that would top the cowgirl fashion look is a classy belt. There are so many kinds of belts available on e-commerce platforms- all you have to do is select the best one to ace the look.

09

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020

10

Lazerbeam Magic ADHIRAJ SINGH RATHORE ADHIRAJ IS A 17 YEARS OLD STUDENT OF JEYASHREE PERIWAL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

A

Our designs and customized signs are made from high quality LED materials making them cost-effective, durable and safer than traditional glass neon’s while still providing an incredible visual impact.

FA CE OF TH ED AY

s a young boy when I used to travel for the Summer holidays to any of the overseas destinations with my parents. I was always fascinated by neon design and signs which were visible in various restaurants, hotels and malls. I felt there was a vacuum for such designer lights and signs in our city!

Since I wanted to start up my venture and I thought I could try my hands-on making and delivering these kinds of fun and funky lights!

We light up your life we design aesthetic neon signs. We sell a Mood rather than a product.

YOUR DAY Horoscope by

Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

A happy reunion of sorts is in the offing on the family front. Regular workouts and eating right is your mantra for keeping fit. A piece of immovable property can come to you through a will or gift. You will put in the required efforts on the professional or academic front.

This is the time to muster all your resources for tackling something complicated on the work front. A new line of treatment for an old ailment is likely to work wonders.

A family event may keep you entertained. You are likely to benefit from a property related matter.

Focus on health will become your priority and will have a positive outcome on your fitness.

Family support will be crucial against those who are trying to tarnish your image on the social front. Initiative taken on the property front is likely to benefit.

Stringent cost-cutting measures may find you growing financially strong.

Not much is likely to be achieved on a business trip, but it may open new opportunities.

Devoting some time for physical fitness is indicated for some and will help keep them fit.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Chances of winning a deal become bright through your efforts on the business front. You are likely to resolve to come back in shape and start an exercise regimen.

Family will be supportive and look after your needs. Someone you are working closely with may attract you.

Some of you will resolve to come back in shape and may even join a gym.

Financially, it is advisable to remain tight fisted. A long-winded project is likely to near completion.

Family will bestow its love, as you continue to excel in your field. Some urgent issues may be addressed.

Some of you are set to add to your wealth. You will find people acknowledging your skills and talents at work. Those unwell are set to show remarkable recovery. Your plans for a new business are likely to materialise, so get ready for the new beginnings on its way.

You are likely to resolve to come back in shape and start an exercise regimen.

Taking a ride with your near and dear ones will be fun.

Someone is likely to become your mentor and help you out of a situation on the academic front.There is a possibility of a suitable match.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You will be in a happy state as far as finances are concerned. Marketing people are likely to be at their selling best. A peaceful domestic environment will help you unwind.

Someone is likely to spoon feed you on the academic front. Those feeling left out should take time to introspect.

Your confidence is likely to win the day for you on the professional front.

Some of you can strike a friendship that may turn into something serious. Those pursuing sports may find themselves in excellent.Legal issues involving property are likely to be in your favour.

Monetary condition is set to improve as money comes to you from various sources.

Your confidence is likely to win the day for you on the professional front. Something is likely to happen on the academic front which may go in your favour. Life will surprise you in a beautiful way.

You will manage to remain regular in your fitness schedule. Guidance of your near and dear ones will prove a great help. This is a good time to sell an asset as you are likely to get a good price for it. Those preparing for competitive exams are likely to find the going easy.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

TANNY BHATTACHARJEE, Health Influencer

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020

11

RED CARPET...

M

egan Fox just made her official red carpet debut with boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly! The two stepped out for the 2020 American Music Awards on November 22, which took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Although Meg-

an and Machine Gun Kelly have been spotted out in Los Angeles together, this is their first official red carpet event together.

Later on in the night, Megan also supported her man! The 34-year-old actress took to the stage at the 2020 American Music Awards to introduce boyfriend‘s performance. “Once in a lifetime, magic can happen. But this next performer, we’ve all been under his spell since his debut in 2012,” Megan said before the 30-year-old rapper took the stage.

—Agency

Megan Fox

CRAZY FUN

S ...still from Dhoom 2

14 YEARS OF ‘DHOOM 2’

A

s the 2006 action-thriller ‘Dhoom 2’ clocked 14 years on the horizon of Indian cinema, choreographer Shiamak Davar shared his experience making the two megastars Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan groove to hit numbers from the superhit. Davar shared that he had two of the best dancers of the industry Hrithik and Aishwarya in Yash Raj Films’ blockbuster ‘Dhoom: 2’ and he created magic with the two. “In Dhoom: 2, I had Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan.

Being probably the coolest dancers ever, it wasn’t very difficult for me to make them look cool because they are cool and I love the fact that I was given a chance to work,” said Davar.

—ANI

Taapsee Pannu’s post

haring a glimpse of what she terms as ‘crazy’ fun, actor Taapsee Pannu who seems to be on a picture sharing spree from her upcoming sports drama ‘Rashmi Rocket’ on Tuesday treated fans to ‘the boot camp-like schedule’ she went through for the film.

Talking about the best unwinding after complet-

ing the ‘boot camp schedule 1’, the ‘Thappad’ star in the caption hinted that she is running towards the shooting of her next flick ‘Loop Lapeta’, (an Indian adaptation of Tom Tykwer’s 1998 German hit Run Lola Run).

She noted in the caption, “The boot camp like schedule 1 gets done, now running towards the lola family.”

—ANI

For a noble cause

...still from Delhi Crime

‘DELHI CRIME’ AWARDED

A

Michael B Jordan

with Jimmy Kimmel during his recent appearance, as they were talking about his new moustache.

The facial hair, which he dubbed Murphy, was born out of quarantine. “I never had time to actually sit in one place and grow my facial hair where I didn’t have to get it groomed,” he shared.

—Agency

...still from Jennifer Lopez’s performance

Performance with Maluma

J

ennifer Lopez‘s 2020 American Music Awards performance has been raising some eyebrows. The 51-year-old entertainer gave a super sultry performance with Maluma during the awards show on November 22. While performing Pa’ Ti and Lonely

from their upcoming movie Marry Me, Jennifer rocked a black, skintight bodysuit, while sporting short, wet-looking hair. Shortly after her performance, fans took to Twitter to compare Jennifer‘s performance to Beyonce‘s performance.

—Agency

Lost In The World

I

n what comes as a proud moment for India, Netflix web series ‘Delhi Crime’ has won the ‘Best Drama Series’ award at the 48th International Emmys. The International Emmy Awards Twitter handle announced the news of the major achievement. It read, “The International Emmy for Drama Series goes to “Delhi Crime” produced by @NetflixIndia, #India! #iemmys #iemmyWIN.” The Netflix series is based on the horrific 2012 Delhi gang-rape. The cast of the web show comprised Shefali Shah playing the lead as Deputy Commissioner Vartika Chaturvedi. It also starred Abhilasha Singh, Rasika Dugal, Rajesh Tailang, and others in key roles.

—ANI

K

Kim and Kanye West

Reminiscing

Childhood Days

M

ichael B. Jordan is joining the masses and signing up for OnlyFans. The 33-year-old actor, who was just named People‘s Sexiest Man Alive, opened up about his reason behind joining the explicit site, and it turns out, it’s for a noble cause.

“I’m actually going to start one, but like all the proceeds I want to go towards a barber school because during the quarantine, you know, there’s been so many businesses and schools that shut d o w n , ” Michael shared

...her post

im Kardashian is telling an unknown story about husband Kanye West‘s song, Lost In The World. The 40-year-old reality star revealed that the song was actually based off a poem Kanye had written her for her 30th birthday. “For those that don’t know the story of Lost In The World on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy…

Kanye couldn’t come

up with some lyrics and then realized he had them, it was what he wrote me for my 30th birthday card,” Kim shared on Instagram this morning.

She added that he had taken “the poem he wrote me and made it the song.

Happy 10 year anniversary MBDTF.” In the following story, Kim also showed off the birthday card with Kanye‘s handwritten poem which became the first verse of the song.

—Agency

lia Bhatt has been spreading positive vibes all around over social media. In her recent post on Tuesday, the actor shared a video recalling her childhood. Recalling her childhood, the ‘Kalank’ star shared a heartwarming video of her playing with two abandoned kids. The adorable video pictures the star with a cheerful smile, donning a casual pastel pink tee, playing stone paper scissors with the kids. A day before the following day, the star posted a video with the same theme in which she is wearing a pastel blue dress, twirling, jumping, and playing with the kids.

With the video, the actor quoted, “Childhood!

A time when the world feels like your playground,” w i t h emoticons of earth a n d green heart.

Alia Bhatt —ANI

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

Successful Treatment

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Naunand Kanwar celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary on 24 November.

Shekhawat spent the day campaigning for the Panchayati Raj elections in his Lok Sabha constituency of Jodhpur.

CITY FIRST

A

utologous bone marrow transplant for a multiple myeloma patient was successfully performed at the Sri Ram Cancer Centre, Mahatma Gandhi Hospital at Sitapura. The Director of the Cancer Centre and Head of Department of Medical Oncology Dr Hemant Malhotra informed that bone marrow transplant facilities are available at only selected centres in the country and now Mahatma Gandhi Hospital will also be offering this on a regular basis. There is no need to go to metro cities to get bone marrow transplantation. Recently, helpline services for Bone Marrow Transplant are also started at the hospital.

Dr Ajay Yadav Medical Oncologist informed that the patient was diagnosed as having Multiple myeloma in May this year. He was having complains of bone

DURING THE DAY! Right to left: Dr Naveen Gupta, Dr Hemant Malhotra, treated patient, Dr Ajay Yadav and Dr Prashant Kumbhaj

pains and the lump in the chest region. The disease was initially treated with chemotherapy and it was responded well. After which autologous bone marrow transplant was performed this

month. The patient was admitted in strict isolation for nearly a month and was discharged in a healthy state on Monday.

BMT team members at MGH: Dr Hemant Malhotra, Dr Ajay

Yadav, Dr Naveen Gupta, Dr Prashant Kumbhaj, Dr Sandeep Bairwa, Dr Ankur Punia and Dr RM Jaiswal gave success to this unique bone marrow transplant. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

JNU’s medical health support CENTER OF EXCELLENCE CITY FIRST

M

ohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur is going to establish ‘Center of Excellence’ in Prajapati Brahmakumari Ishwariya University. The Center of Excellence will serve as the spiritual bridge of both universities. The step was important to make students feel connected to their religion and civilizational culture and to embrace education with the culture so that our stu-

dents can become the future masters of the country. The university has tried to give a message to the students that they have to adopt culture with education and become a good citizen.

Vice-Chancellor of Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Prof. Amerika Singh said that the work of universities is not only to award degrees but also to find effective and scientific solutions to the problems of society, state and systems and to fulfil the current demands of higher education. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

CHILDREN debate in crisis

CITY FIRST

D

uring the ‘Digital Baal Mela’ on Tuesday, the participants debated on the topic ‘How the online classes became a problem in the financial crisis’.

Anandi Agarwal of the Pratapgarh district was one of the participants of the debate.

3-year old Viyana Kain from Haryana is the youngest participant in the digital fair.

‘Digital Baal Mela’ is the first digital fair for kids that is being organised in the country. It focuses on bringing out the talent of children, which spreading awareness about the current ongoing pandemic. The fair will go on till 14 December. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

12

AHMEDABAD | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2020

Anandi Agarwal

Dr Sandeep Bakshi CITY FIRST

J

NU Hospital has launched a massive campaign to provide free non-Covid medical care to the poor, the destitute and the underprivileged segments of society. The Hospital endeavours to provide medicines, consultation, surgical intervention and care as well as rehabilitation to those who cannot afford it owing to financial constraints.

CITY FIRST

O

n the 110th birth anniversary of Lala Lakshmipat Singhania, chief architect of JK Organisation, JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur organised a virtual celebration to mark Founder’s Day on Tuesday. The event also coincided with the university’s Eighth Convocation, which felicitated students of the graduating batch of 2020 for PhD, MTech, BTech, MBA, BBA, BCom and PGDAR. Sanjiv Mehta, Chairman, and Managing Director, Hindustan Unilever Limited,

The Chancellor of Jaipur National University, Dr Sandeep Bakshi stated that the hospital has been driven to undertake this step in the larger interest of communities debilitated by a financial crunch in current times. The poor and the financially backward can now avail maternity services, newborn and child care, dental care, mental health support and other emergency services at the Hospital at absolutely no cost. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

FOUNDER’S DAY graced the dual celebrations as the Chief Guest.

Led by the Chancellor Bharat Hari Singhania and Vice-Chancellor Dr R.L. Raina, the programme was attended by dignitaries including the Pro-Chancellor Dr R.P. Sing-

hania, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Asheesh Gupta, Member of Board of Management H.P. Singhania, other Members of the Board of Management and Academic Council, faculty, staff, graduate students and their parents. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Condolences!

V Viyana Kain

eteran and the senior-most active Journalist in Rajasthan, Dheerendra Jain, breathed his last on Tuesday, 24 November. The 83-year-old Jain was admitted to hospital with Covid symptoms last week and despite all efforts by the hospital doctors, he could not be saved. Jain’s last rites were performed at

Adarsh Nagar crematorium on Tuesday morning. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gahlot and senior politician Vijay Darda were personally enquiring about his health daily. Jain leaves behind his well-accomplished family- wife Kamlesh Jain who was a wellknown news editor and broadcaster on Akashvani for more than two

GUJ: Various used PPE kits were seen laying on Gujarat University road a day after curfew was withdrawn in the city on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

RAJ: The not-for-profit NIIT University (NU) hosted the 12th Annual Lecture delivered by Dr Naresh Trehan, Padma Bhushan awardee, Founder & Chairman of Medanta Medicity. He spoke on ‘Building Your Future in COVID Times’ at the annual event held online on Monday.

RAJ: To curb the rise in crime of women and children safety, a unique initiative was taken by Ajmer Zila Prasashan District Collector Dr Prakash Raj Purohit in association with Govindevji Trust, Jaipur and Inaya foundation in Central Jail for the prisoners for both men and women separately and in railway junction for Kulis and vendors, to have an awareness workshop on ‘Moral values and Good-Bad touch’ under the awaz campaign for the safety of women and children by Rajasthan Police.

FROM UTTAR PRADESH...

Bollywood actor Mukesh Rishi spotted at a shop while eating Samosa in Lucknow on Tuesday He is in the city to shoot for his upcoming movie ‘Tawaif’.

Ashutosh Gangan, GM Northern Railway visited the Charbagh Railway Station to inspect the railway arrangements in view of COVID-19 in Lucknow on Tuesday.

On the last day of the traffic month, the eunuchs organised a traffic awareness program to encouraged the people to follow the traffic rules and wear helmets and use seat belts while driving at Hazratganj crossing in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Late Dheerendra Jain

decades, and three daughters, well-known journalist daughter Anubha Jain, Masterchef daughter Rashmi, and Educationist Richa.

—City First

DJ Narain’s performance during the Century Year Celebration of Lucknow University on Tuesday.

—PHOTOS BY SUMIT KUMAR