First India-Ahmedabad Edition-26 September 2020

AHMEDABAD l SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD 26°C - 35°C

 Legendary

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 301

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singer dies in hospital fighting COVID

 A voice master, who aced vocal ranges, singing over 40,000 songs S P Balasubrahmanyam JUNE 4, 1946 - SEPT 25, 2020

C

elebrated playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, who held sway over millions of fans with his golden voice rendering a record 40,000 plus songs over five decades, died on Friday at a hospital Chennai, plunging music lovers in grief.

After waging 52 days of grim battle for life following COVID-19 infection, the 74-year old

Alvida Balu!

singer suffered a cardio- respiratory arrest and the end came in the afternoon, a day after his condition turned extremely critical, a statement from MGM Healthcare, where he was treated, said.

“With profound grief, we regret to inform that he passed away at 13:04 hours,” it said.

However, the hospital said Balasubrahmanyam, popularly known as SPB, had tested nega-

ASHOK GEHLOT @ASHOKGEHLOT51 My heartfelt condolences at the passing away of legendary singer & music director Sh. S.P. Balasubrahmanyam. He leaves a huge void in the world of music & would be deeply missed.

May his family, friends & fans find strength in this time of grief & his soul rests in peace.

tive for COVID-19 on September 4.

Though at the time of admission, the pop-

ular singer himself had said in a video message that the infection was “very mild”

and he would return home in two days, his health deteriorated later and was put on life support measures - ventilator and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support.

Condolences poured in from the who’s who of the nation with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the film world paying rich tributes to the departed singer.

EC BLOWS CRUCIAL BIHAR POLL BUGLE

FROM OCT 28, OUTCOME ON NOV 10

SPB, who strode like a colossus in the film and stage music world with numerous hits in 16 languages, more dominantly in South Indian films -- especially Tamil and his mother tongue Telugu, is survived by wife, a son and a daughter.

A six-time national award winner, Balasubrahmanyam, honoured with Padma Shri in 2001 and Padma Bhushan in 2011 Turn to P6

DUNGARPUR BURNS

World’s first biggest election amidst corona pandemic

Aditi Nagar New Delhi: Bihar will vote on October 28, November 3 and 7 for a new government and the results will be announced on November 10, the Election Commission announced on Friday. The country’s biggest election in the coronavirus crisis will be held with many changes, including an extra voting hour and no physical contact during the campaign.

Announcing the three-phase election, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora called it a “leap of faith”, pointing out that medical and engineering exams JEE and NEET took place recently and a large number of students sat for them. “COVID doesn’t show any sign of going down. Some way had to be found to choose representatives and protect the health of people.

Life has to go on,” he told reporters.

“The world has changed significantly since the last elections, which were held for the Delhi assembly. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a new normal in every aspect of

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora with Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra (L) and Rajiv Kumar announces the schedule for the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020, at a press conference, in New Delhi on Friday.

—PHOTO BY PTI

PHASES AND SEATS

FIRST PHASE

October 28 will cover 71 assembly constituencies

SECOND-PHASE

November 3 will cover 94 seats

THIRD-PHASE

November 7 will cover 78 assembly seats

COUNTING November 10

our life,” Arora said.

“Bihar assembly polls will be one of the biggest elections globally to be held during prevail-

The world has changed significantly since the last elections, which were held for the Delhi assembly. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a new normal in every aspect of our life —Sunil Arora, Chief Election Commissioner  Voting will take place from 7 AM to 6 PM instead of the usual 5 AM  Covid patients, suspects will vote separately and there will be no physical contact during meetings and rallies

ing COVID-19 situation,” Arora added.

He also said special protocols have been readied for voters who

are COVID-positive patients. Besides, all voters will need to wear face masks and pass through thermal scan-

ners at polling booths, where they will also be given hand gloves before they cast their votes.

Some parties had demanded deferring the polls due to the pandemic, but Arora said special arrangements have been made for holding the elections during such difficult times.

Under the new guidelines, parties will need to ensure that social distancing norms are followed at public gatherings during the poll campaign.

Bihar has to elect a new 243-member assembly by November 29.

Voting will take place from 7 AM to 6 PM instead of 5 AM. Covid patients, suspects and those in quarantine will vote separately and there will be no physical contact during meetings and rallies, said the Chief Election Commissioner. Voters have to use masks and gloves. The number of phases have also been reduced from five to minimize infection. “COVID-19 patients can vote in the last hour of the day,” Arora said.

The powerful election body has also warned against the misuse of social media.

Turn to P6

The agitation intensified in Dungarpur where the protesters torched several vehicles, vandalised a petrol pump while continuing to block highway on the second consecutive day. Mobile internet services was suspended in the district after stone pelting and torching of vehicles by candidates of teachers recruitment examination.

Members of various farmers organisations gather in protest over farm bills, at Punjab-Haryana border on Friday. (Top) SAD President Sukhbir Badal and former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal ride a tractor during the protest. —PHOTOS BY PTI

Farmers up the ante in Punjab, Haryana, parts of UP over 3 Bills New Delhi: Over 265 farmers’ groups took to the streets today to block roads and carry out rallies and marches in a nationwide agitation against the controversial farm bills.

The protests will intensify, the farmers said, unless the bills are repealed. Opposition parties like the Congress, the RJD and the Trinamool, as well as 10 central trade unions, have voiced their support for the farmers.

Faced with the protests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the farm bills as “historic” and hit out at the opposition

for misleading the farmers. The government has said the bills will help farmers get better prices by allowing them to sell their produce at markets and prices of their choice.

Farmers, however, fear the loss of the price support system (MSP) and the entry of private players who, they say, will put small and marginal farmers at risk.

In Punjab, a “complete shutdown” was called for by 31 farmers’ groups protesting under the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) banner.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh earlier said Turn to P6

‘RAIL ROKO’ ANDOLAN TO CONTINUE UNABATED IN PUNJAB TILL SEPT 29 The “rail roko” that began in Amritsar and Ferozepur districts on Thurday continued on Friday and has been extended till Tuesday (September 29). In addition, to the above two districts, tracks will be blocked in Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Jalalabad, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Samiti said Friday evening.

Voda clinches `20,000 cr tax arbitration case against Centre Govt may have to refund `45 cr collected as tax New Delhi: Telecom giant Vodafone on Friday won a significant ruling against the Indian government in an international court over Rs 20,000 crore in dues which it had described as unfair.

The international arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled that the Indian government’s imposition of a tax liability Turn to P6

BONE OF CONTENTION IN FIGURES The tax dispute involving Rs 12,000 crore in interest and Rs 7,900 crore in penalties stems from Vodafone’s acquisition of the Indian mobile assets from Hutchison Whampoa in 2007

Two pro-farmer bills passed by Gujarat Legislative Assembly Land tenancy norms relaxed, submarket yards to facilitate higher financial yield of crop growers First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state assembly on Friday passed two bills aimed at boosting the agriculture sector and ensuring that farmers fetch higher prices for their produce. The Gujarat Tenancy and Agricultural Land (Amendment) Bill

(GTALA) and the Gujarat Agricultural Produce Market (Amendment) ordinance 2020 (GAPAO) sailed through the House with majority votes.

Elaborating on the bills, state Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel said, “The GTALA will play a very vital role in setting Gujarat apart from oth-

Jamalpur APMC in Ahmedabad

—FILE PHOTO

er states by increasing the scope of purchase and sale of agricultural land. The norms have been relaxed with the intention to bring back unutilized land into production as there is liability on the seller or buyer of that land.”

As per the amendment made in tenancy rules, any person interested in setting up an educational institution for agriculture, animal husbandry, crop research, among others, and wants to

acquire agricultural land will not require prior permission of their respective district collector. Once the land has been purchased, the new owner will have to collect a bonafide certificate from the district collector within a month.

On other hand, if a person has purchased agricultural land to set up industrial units, but could not do owing to any reason, he/she will now be able to sell that land by paying jantri

fees (minimum property value of land). The amount will vary depending upon the time elapsed from the purchase of the land.

Meanwhile, the assembly also passed the APMC ordinance.

Talking about the new ordinance, Minister of State Ishwarsinh Patel said, “With the introduction of new norms we have focused on removing all hurdles encountered by farmers while selling their produce.

Turn to P6

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AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

02

REVENUE COLLECTION SHORT OF `48.3K CRORE FROM TARGET; DIVIDEND FROM INVESTMENTS 0.13% IN 5 YEARS First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) report for the year 2018-19 tabled in the House on Friday revealed that the state’s revenue was lower than the target determined in the 14th Finance Commission. The report also mentioned that the fiscal deficit of the state had increased for the year 2018-19 and that Gujarat’s contribution to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at just seven percent.

According to the report, the state revenue for the 2018-19 financial year was to the tune of Rs8,553.33 crore, with non-tax revenue collection accounting for Rs1,656.98 crore. The 14th Finance Commission ascertained a target of Rs1, 28,483 crore for revenue collection, which fell short Rs48,380 crore and was logged at Rs80, 103 crore. Furthermore, the revenue surplus of the state was also Rs2,020 crore less than the estimated amount of Rs5,232 crore.

With 69% of the state’s revenue income dependent on its own sources, the development of other resources for revenue inflow has not been explored yet. The state is entitled to receive Rs7,322.47 crore as Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation from the central government.

The report also mentioned an increment in the fiscal deficit of the state. In the year 201718, the fiscal deficit was Rs21,366 crore and at the end of 2018-19, the number has climbed to Rs26,365 crore. This means that

‘CAG’ED GUJ IN A FISCAL MESS,

ALL CLAIMS QUASHED

CAG rubbishes state claim of covering 35K houses under water supply scheme First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has rubbished the state government’s claims of covering 35,996 households under its “Nal se Jal” programme. According to CAG’s 2018-19 report tabled in the Assembly, water bodies at the village level have insufficient water. Moreover, interthe state’s fiscal deficit has increased by Rs4,999 crore in the span of a year. Also, the state government paid an interest of 7.6% on the amount

nal water distribution networks have not been set up. It also cites damaged and insufficient pipes as a reason for the state’s failure to supply potable water in sufficient quantities to villages.

Shockingly, the report says that 10% of all households in the state is yet to get a single source of water. According to the CAG report, which focuses on eight borrowed from financial institutions.

The tall claims made by the state government about public sector units and their perfor-

districts, only 1,857 of 2,352 villages received water from 91 active Regional Water Supply

Scheme (RWSS) projects. Not only has the state government failed to put on record infor-

mation about failed RWSS projects, but it has also ignored unimplemented RWSS projects, the report says.

Worryingly, the staterun Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO), which is meant to work towards drinking water security and habitat improvement, neither reports nor returns unused public funds allotted for water-supply projects. Another issue

mances have been quashed by the CAG report. The state had invested a total amount of Rs92,804 crore in public sector companies, rural

cooperative banks, joint stock companies, cooperative institutes and various board/corporations but received returns worth only 0.13% in

the last five years.

The government had invested in 71 public sectors, of which 51 made a profit of Rs3,572 crore. On the other hand, 15 units

The state claims to supply water to 35,996 households.

IN THEIR CORNER

`1.4K crore released by state as loan to small businesses  At a minimal interest rate of 2% per annum, over 1.7 lakh people have availed of Atma Nirbhar Gujarat Sahay Yojana First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The Atma Nirbhar Gujarat Sahay Yojana was launched with the aim of lending a helping hand to small-time business owners and start-ups to help them become self-sustaining. Over 1.70 lakh beneficiaries have availed of loans under the scheme so far.

In the ongoing monsoon session of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani responded to a question posed about the scheme by Visnagar MLA Rushikesh Patel. “A total amount of Rs1,418 crore has been transferred to

—FILE PHOTO

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani

beneficiaries who need the cash flow through Direct Benefit Transfer,” he said.

He added that the loan assistance scheme has proved to be a boon for the daily earners and small business owners. The yojana includes bestowing a loan at an interest rate of only two percent per annum, a first in the history of the state.

Talking about the

COVID-19 pandemic, CM Rupani stated, “The lockdown has adversely affected trade, industry and businesses, especially smalltime traders and artisans. The state government initiated this scheme to grant loan assistance of Rs1 lakh to Rs2.50 lakh to such self-employed entrepreneurs.”

In response to a question about the Atma Nirbhar Guja-

rat Sahay Yojana, Minister of State Ishwarsinh Patel said, “Under the scheme, loan assistance of Rs1,647 crore has been sanctioned for more than 1.70 lakh applicants in the state so far. Also, out of approximately one and a half lakh small businesses who had applied for a loan, the loan amount has been credited directly to their accounts.”

highlighted by the CAG report is the lack of adequate quality testing of water. It found that existing state-run laboratories are short of highend water testing equipment. Plus, there are few laboratories at the taluka level. Multipurpose Health Workers teams are not equipped with fast testing kits for water quality.

In addition, the CAG report said that more than 20,000 out made a loss of Rs2,569 crore.

Taking into consideration the findings of the report, there is a need for the state to formulate appropriate

‘1,200 BED nCOV HOSP LACKS FIRE SAFETY GEAR’

10% of Guj households do not have a source of water; water supply not being tested properly of 1.30 lakh samples-15%--“failed the chemical examination conducted by government laboratories in 201516”. According to the report, Chhotaudepur, Dahod, Banaskantha, Panchmahal and Vadodara had high contamination of nitrate.

While worst affected by fluoride contamination were Dahod, Chhotaudepur, Banaskantha and Kheda, it stated. dividend policy on its investment in public sectors and board(s)/ corporations. Without that, it is less likely to receive good returns from its investments.

Bypoll schedule to come Sept 29, political parties say they’re ready First India Bureau Gandhinagar: With the Chief Election Commissioner of India announcing that the schedule for the by-elections for the eight vacant seats in the state’s legislative Assembly would be decided on September 29, political parties in the state say they are raring to go.

Addressing the media in New Delhi, CEC Sunil Arora on Friday said, “We have received many requests from different chief secretaries and even the chief election officers of various states requesting us to defer by-elections in their states. We have to consider all views and listen to them even if we do not agree with them before taking a final decision. So, to that end, we have convened a meeting on September 29, to discuss these issues in detail. A decision will be taken thereafter.”

Since Arora’s announcement, politi-

Gujarat Assembly

cal leaders in the state are keenly awaiting the dates of the bypolls to be held for the Assembly seats in Abdasa, Morbi, Limbdi, Dhari, Gadhda, Karjan, Kaprada and Dang.

Manish Doshi, the chief spokesperson for the Congress party in Gujarat, said that the party is already prepared for the byelections. “Our observers have visited all these constituencies and have received on-the-ground input from the people as well as party workers and local leaders. Once the dates are announced,

—FILE PHOTO

we will announce our candidates,” he said.

He added that party workers and voters will come together to defeat turncoats who further their self-interest at the cost of the people’s mandate.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesman Bhushan Bhatt said his party and party workers were always ready for elections. “As far as the eight seats are concerned, the party is confident of winning all eight, since the people have realized which party delivers on promises made to them,”

he said.

Bravado and posturing aside, there are already some rumours that Gujarat is likely among the states that would prefer to defer the polls.

“Rains have washed away many roads and damaged 35-40% crops. Farmers are unhappy and the COVID-19 situation is not under control. It is unlikely that the ruling party would want to go to the polls in such a situation,” said a source familiar with the matter.

It is to be noted that the Gujarat State Primary Teachers’ Association has made a representation to the state election commission to postpone civic body and panchayat polls. Sources said that a majority of office-bearers lean towards the Rashtriya Seva Sangh and that the association is unlikely to have made such a demand without permission from the Sangh top brass.

GUJARAT

Just 5% of +ve nCoV cases

HC notice to State, Home Dept on LRD recruitment

in Vadodara city are children

First India Bureau

1,442 fresh cases and 12 fatalities take state’s total tally to 1,30,391 cases, and death toll to 3,396 —FILE PHOTO

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Children in Vadodara seem to be lucky in terms of avoiding COVID-19 infections.

Of the total 11,195 confirmed cases in the city, only 559— just under 5%—were children. However, the rate of infection was higher in the 2150 age group, which accounted for 5,785 cases. The 51-90 age group accounted for another 4,714 patients.

Vadodara city conducted 4,381 samples in the past 24 hours, and detected 125 new positive cases. There are 1,555 active cases in the city, with 78 patients on BiPAP machines or ventilators and 179 on oxygen support.

In Surat, the situation shows no sign of improving despite the efforts of local authori-

DATA OVERVIEW

A little girl looks on as a medic takes a swab sample during a testing drive in Ahmedabad.

ties. Now, officials at the Surat Municipal Corporation is considering restricting movement from red zones to orange or buffer zones, since they feel that free movement could be the reason for the spread of the novel coronavirus.

There are now 2,518 active cases in Surat

district. Of the 172 patients being treated at the New Civil Hospital and SMIMER Hospital, 14 are on ventilators, 36 are on BiPAP machines and 79 are on oxygen support.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has identified seven new pockets and declared

03

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

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them as micro-containment zones. With this, the city now has 234 such micro-containment zones. The largest of these, as on Friday, is Sarjan Tower on Gurukul Road, which houses 230 persons. The second biggest such zone is the Stanza residential scheme, with a

population of 227.

In the past 24 hours, the state government has conducted 61,912 tests, 1,442 of which came back positive.

There are now 16,505 active cases in the state with 92 patients on ventilator support. Twelve patients died in the past 24 hours.

Ahmedabad: The High Court of Gujarat on Friday issued notices to the state government and the home department on the issue of recruitment to the Lokrakshak Dal (LRD) and has asked them file a reply before the next hearing, on October 06.

Bharvad Shelabhai and others have challenged the process for recruitment to the posts of Class-III LRD unarmed police constable, LRD armed police constable, and jail sepoy.

The petition has been filed through advocate Anand Yajnik.

As many as 316 aspiring candidates have contended that the recruitment process violates prescribed norms and pleaded that the court stay the recruitment process. In response, the court has issued notices to the government and home department.

The petitioners’ submission is that they had secured 87.75% marks,

Gujarat High Court.

but missed a place in the merit list by a whisker.

The cut-off marks for male candidates belonging to general category, Scheduled caste, Scheduled Tribes and SEBC were 88.25%, 81.75%, 71.00% and 84.50%, respectively.

They further submitted that looking at the chart showing the marks secured by the petitioners, it becomes clear that they are indeed meritorious. “But for an illegal and unconstitutional process culminating into ap-

—FILE PHOTO

pointments of more than 12000 LRD candidates, men and women petitioners would have been appointed in accordance with law,” the petitioner submitted.

The petitioner’s prayer is that the court set aside the LRD recruitment process and direct the state to start the recruitment process afresh from the beginning. Petitioners have also drawn the attention of the court that more than 5,000 women have been appointed after lowering the cut-off marks.

Patel still not allowed to visit other states: Sessions Court

Does AMC have different nCoV test than the Assembly?

Petition on Amul Dairy polls adjourned until Sept 28

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad City Civil and Sessions Court court on Friday rejected Hardik Patel’s plea to travel out of the state.

In his petition, the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader and working president of the Congress party in Gujarat had sought permission from the court to travel to other states for 90 days, citing his profile as a political leader.

He asked that he be allowed to travel for party work.

This plea was vehemently opposed by the state government on two grounds.

First, it pointed out that Patel was facing serious charges in a case of sedition and that he had not been cooperative during the trial. The state’s

Ahmedabad: Jamalpur MLA and councillor of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Imran Khedawala was not allowed to participate in the General Board meeting of local civic body because he did not get tested for COVID-19 with the rest of the corporation team.

Given that Khedawala had been tested for COVID-19 at the state Assembly on Sunday, Mayor Bijal Shah’s reluctance to accept that report raises the question as to whether the state and corporation teams are conducting different tests for the novel coronavirus.

Khedawala was surprised at being shown the door when he tried to attend the meeting being held at Tagore Hall on Friday. “I have been attending the state Assembly Session for the past five days based on this report. No one—not

The state opposed Patel’s plea to be allowed out of the state since he was facing serious charges and had not been cooperative during the trial second argument was that if he were to be allowed to travel to other states, he would create law and order problems in other states, too. So the gov-

—FILE PHOTO

ernment requested the court to reject his plea.

It is to be noted that the High Court of Gujarat, while granting Patel regular bail, had made it a condition that he would not travel outside the state. If he had to do so, he would first have to take permission from the court.

Patel reportedly faces over 20 cases, including two under Section 124A (sedition) of the IPC.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Hardik Patel.

—FILE PHOTO

Khedawala with the report of the test taken at the Assembly.

even cabinet ministers—told me it is not valid. However, the Ahmedabad Mayor said only the test report of the AMC test would be valid,” he later told the media.

Mayor Patel, on the other hand, said, “Testing was conducted for all councillors for two days.

I too took a test, but Khedawala did not. Had he taken the test at AMC he would have been allowed to attend the general board meeting.”

It is to be noted that, at this time, COVID-19 tests do not have an expiry date.

Ahmedabad: The High Court on Friday adjourned the petition challenging the state government’s interference in the elections of the chairman and vice-chairman of cooperative milk brand Amul.

The matter will now be heard on September 28.

Congress MLA Rajendrasinh Parmar and others have challenged the state government’s decision to appoint three nominees to the board of Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd. The panel led by sitting chairman Ramsinh Parmar had won the election, whose results were announced on August 31. The petitioner has submitted that, by nominating three members, the state government is

The election for the board had seen a good turnout.

trying to capture power in the Amul board.

On Friday, an advocate appearing for the government submitted that the election for the post of chairman and vice-chairman will be held by October 25.

However, this was strongly opposed by the petitioner’s lawyer, who argued that the chairman and vice chairman have to be elected by the management committee within 30 days from the day

the election results are announced. “The state government is intentionally delaying the election so that it can take control of the board,” the petitioner submitted.

The hearing in the Sumul Dairy elections petition has also been adjourned and will now be heard on September 28. There, too, the Congress party has challenged the state’s decision to appoint two nominees to the board.

NEW GROUND

RMC to develop ultra-modern school at cost of `19 crore in Rajkot To be built in Bhagwatipura, it will have 30 classrooms, three playgrounds, athletic track, rainwater harvesting facility 

First India Bureau Rajkot: The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) plans to build a school with ultra- modern facilities such as playgrounds for various sporting activities, an e-library, meeting hall, among others.

The project will cost the exchequer Rs19 crore and will be established in Bhagwatipura area of the city.

According to corporation sources, the

school will be developed on 26,201 square metres of land, where a twostorey building will be constructed. The school will have a total of 30 classrooms, staff room, canteen, kids’ toy room, computer laboratory, two activity rooms, meeting hall, rainwater harvesting facility, athletic track, as well as, football, volleyball and kabaddi grounds.

“Any investment for the betterment of education is always welcomed. Just because we are part of the Opposi-

An artist’s imagining of the proposed school.

tion bench does not mean that we always stand against everything the administration does,” said Vash-

rambhai Sagathiya, Leader of Opposition.

He added, “Never before has the corporation invested more than Rs5

crore in a school. It will be interesting to see what they have planned for this new school for which they have allo-

cated Rs19 crore.”

Sagathiya also questioned the investment amount and asserted that there was no need for three different playgrounds for sporting activities. “I have never heard of a primary school having a separate athletic track and three different grounds for sports,” he said.

Congress councillor Gayatriba Vaghela said, “In the same neighbourhood where the new school will be developed, there are other primary schools.

They have green or black chalkboards, poor infrastructure and insufficient staff.

So, why is the corporation not providing proper infrastructure or staff to these schools, but diverting its funds towards one school?”

She further added, “If the RMC decides to invest in existing schools and focus on their betterment, it can yield better results than opening new schools with socalled modern facilities and equipment.”

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

BIHAR ELECTIONS IN THE SHADOW OF PANDEMIC

HOW YOU EAT FOOD IS IMPORTANT SADHGURU, ISHA FOUNDATION

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service

W

hether Covid-19 cases and the consequent death toll are rising is no longer an issue as the Election Commission announced a three-phased poll in Bihar starting October 28. It will be the country’s first, and the world’s biggest, election during the pandemic. South Korea and Taiwan held their national elections a few months back.

Bihar is different from both South Korea and Taiwan in terms of numbers. It has 72 million voters, including 230,000 migrant voters, and 243 constituencies. The state has 174,000 Covid-19 cases. Although the number of recovered cases is also very high--- 160,000 -the fear of the virus infecting a larger number of people will always be there.

Aware of the risk involved the Election Commission has put certain precautions in place.

To begin with, more than 700,000 units of hand sanitisers, 44.6 million masks, 600,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) suits, 760,000 face shields, and 2.3 million gloves have been arranged for the polling staff. For the electorate, there will be 7.2 million single-use gloves to facilitate the casting of votes.

The problem of social distancing has also been addressed. Against the earlier figure of 1500, only 1000 voters will be allowed at a polling station. The voting time too has been increased by an hour. Voters will be provided with soaps, water, and hand sanitisers at the entry points and they will have to stand at least six feet apart, which will be a rare sight as the crowding of polling booths is not unusual.

When South Korea went to poll in April it was keenly watched as it was happening after the disruption of all political activities by the pandemic. It had set up 17,000 disinfected polling centres where 30 million voters cast their votes, including over 2,500 Covid-19 patients who voted at special booths set up for them or by mail. Taiwan also successfully held elections during the pandemic.

South Korea shared its success story at a webinar which was presided over by the Chief Commissioner of India. The webinar was attended by 45 countries and the experiences and ideas shared by them provided ideas for the Bihar electoral process. For instance, those infected would be allowed to vote in the closing hour of polling day under the watch of health officials. Those above 80 have been provided with the facility of postal ballots.

Bihar may offer an experience that will be hugely different from that of South Korea. In Korea, the 62 percent voter turnout was the highest since 1992. In Bihar, the voter turnout may be lower than 58 percent in 2015 partly due to the fear of Covid-19 and partly due to low voter enthusiasm. With restrictions on the number of vehicles and persons during campaigning and rallies, these will be elections with a difference.

Provided people do not violate protocols.

T

If you do not have reverence for that which sustains and nourishes you, it will go into you and affect you in various ways.

Do not underestimate the intelligence of life. Do not think the madness going on in your “bone box” is the only intelligence.

That is the lowest form of intelligence.

Everything else in the existence is super-intelligent

he process of eating and digestion, which turns food into human flesh and bone, is not a simple process. But though everybody is doing it, most people do not experience it. When I eat, I never talk because this process is such a big experience, not necessarily in terms of taste, but in the way, something that is not you is becoming you. On a daily basis, it is extremely important that you take food in with a certain respect. You will see that you will eat a quarter of the food that you are eating right now, and you will still be fine.

I have seen this with my great-grandmother. She lived to be 113 years of age. In the morning, they would give her breakfast, which she would take and feed to the ants, small animals, and birds. Almost two-thirds of the food would be over before she started eating.

People at home would scold her, “If you throw all the food, what will happen to you. You will die!” All the people who were advising her died, but she did not. She outlived her husband, children and a few of her grandchildren. When she gave away her food, she would be sitting there with tears flowing.

She was so blissful that the ants were eating. When people scolded her, “You are not eating anything. What will happen to you at this age”, she would reply, “I am already full.”

This was not a psychological or emotional feeling, it was real for her. When the ants ate, she ate. Her sustenance came from this every day and she was well-nourished. She lived to 113! That is proof enough, Nobody can argue with that.

If you were to actually experience this fabulous process of eating, where a vegetable, fruit, and whatever else is turned

into a human being, what a blissful experience it would be.

But most people just eat as a cow chews upon the cud, and then swallow it. That is not the way to approach the food that you eat.

If you do not have reverence for that which sustains and nourishes you, it will go into you and affect you in various ways. Do not underestimate the intelligence of life. Do not think the madness going on in your “bone box” is the only intelligence.

That is the lowest form of intelligence. Everything else in the existence is super-intelligent.

For example, did it ever happen that when you put an apple seed into the soil, a pear came out because the soil made a mistake? No. It is the same soil that turns into an apple or a pear, but a mistake has never happened. Soil is very intelligent. Life is intelligence. In the very air that you breathe, there is a phenomenal amount of intelligence.

You have to approach food in a certain way because it is going to become you. This is

YOU HAVE TO APPROACH FOOD IN A CERTAIN WAY BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BECOME YOU. THIS IS JUST LIKE GETTING MARRIED! I KNOW THAT HAS BECOME VERY UGLY THESE DAYS, BUT MARRIAGE ESSENTIALLY MEANS YOU ARE MAKING ANOTHER PERSON A PART OF YOUR LIFE

just like getting married! I know that has become very ugly these days, but marriage essentially means you are making another person a part of your life. You are trying to include another life.

Societies have always emphasized that marriage should be conducted with a certain sanctity. I would say eating has much more sanctity than marriage. Your daily meal has much more sanctity than

How climate targets can help economic recovery

W

ith the world gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers have turned their attention to economic stimulus and financial support of households and firms. As a result, many countries have been delaying the preparation and submission of their new emissions-reduction targets under the Paris climate agreement. These updated targets, known as nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, were originally due earlier this year, ahead of the COP26 climate-change conference in Glasgow, Scotland in November. But that, too, has been postponed.

The switch from summits to stimulus is understandable. But we should not lose sight of the important role that NDCs can play in economic recovery efforts.

04

NDCs are among the best vehicles for governments to articulate their vision of future economic growth and technological transformation, both of which have clear links to job creation.

Moreover, setting the targets provides a golden opportunity for countries to identify shovel-ready projects and activities that can deliver both climate and economic benefits.

Chile is a good example.

The government announced an updated climate pledge in April, together with a new climate bill that is currently before the National Congress. The updated NDC links climate action to sustainable development and a just energy transition. At its core is a commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and it is easy to see how the government’s pandemic response can help to

achieve this goal by accelerating the necessary transitions in the energy and transportation sectors.

But Chile’s new NDC also shows another front where countries’ economic recovery plans can receive a significant boost: naturebased solutions. The NDC demonstrates an understanding of the role nature can play in achieving carbon neutrality, as well as in adapting to the effects of climate change and recog-

nizing the importance of creating and maintaining natural carbon sinks.

For starters, Chile’s climate plan links ocean and climate health, while acknowledging the economic value of coastal ecosystems. We don’t need to look far for an example of how healthy marine ecosystems support local economies. In Mexico, in the Gulf of California and the Baja California Peninsula alone, marine ecosystems generate

$518 million in annual tourism revenues and directly account for at least 3,575 jobs. Given Chile’s extensive coastline, the possibilities are much likely orders of magnitude higher. The NDC does not disappoint in this regard: It includes a commitment to turn 25% of its exclusive economic zone into a protected area.

If properly implemented, this pledge would create new economic opportunities for the country.

The new NDC also significantly strengthens Chile’s commitments regarding forests. The government has doubled its target for sustainable forests management and restoration from 100,000 hectares to 200,000 hectares by 2030. Likewise, it will plant 200,000 hectares of new forests (up from 100,000 hectares), of which at least 100,000 hectares will com-

prise permanent forest cover and at least 70,000 hectares will be native species. Finally, Chile has said it will cut emissions from deforestation and land degradation by 25% by 2030.

The link to economic growth (albeit understudied and underappreciated) is clear here as well. Pursuing these targets will enable governments to create a variety of jobs, including foresters, botanists, machinery operators, and laborers. And restored landscapes offer additional benefits. A 2016 study by the World Resources Institute found that in Latin America, reviving degraded lands would yield $23 billion in net benefits over a period of 50 years. On average, farmers who restore their land can earn an extra $1,140 per hectare in net economic value.

SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE

all your prayers because if you do not eat for five days, you will not ask for God, you will ask for food.

If you do not know how to be reverential towards that which constantly nourishes you – the food that you eat, the earth that you walk upon, the water that you drink, the air that you breathe – you will not know the beauty of life. You will live, but you will not know how every little thing can be utterly beautiful. Every little thing in your life can be overwhelmingly beautiful if you approach it in the right sense. For many people, their marriage has become the most beautiful thing in their life. But for many other people, marriage has become the ugliest thing. The same is true with every aspect of your life. Everything can become the most beautiful aspect of your life or the ugliest aspect.

Food can become extremely ugly if you do it in a compulsive way. But the same food, if you approach it in a certain way, what a beautiful thing it is!

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp GOI under the leadership of PM Shri @narendramodi is committed to provide continuous supply of power to Odisha and also fulfil additional power demand by industrial, commercial and domestic consumers as a result of uptick in economic activities post lifting of the lockdown.

Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor In a bizarre move the government has constituted a National Culture Committee that contains no representation by any cultural entity.

Not one single painter, sculptor, musician, writer, film maker, craftsperson or dancer. Not a single woman. Is this some kind of farce?

Spiritual SPEAK

You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction. —Bhagavad Gita

Vol 1 Issue No. 301 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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‘Reforms in agriculture will benefit small farmers most’

PM appealed to all BJP karyakartas to reach out to farmers on the ground New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that reforms in agriculture will benefit small and marginalized farmers the most.

Speaking to party workers via video conferencing on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Deendayal Upadhaya, Prime Minister Modi said, "The reforms in agriculture will benefit most to small and marginal farmers. 85 out of 100 are farmers belong to this category and they are happy. For the first time, they got an option on the price of their produce. There is a tradition of selling in Mandis if a farmer wants he can sell there else outside Mandis.

Farmers can sell their produce as per his choice." The Prime Minister appealed to all BJP karyakartas to reach out to farmers on the ground and inform them using simple language about the impor-

PM MODI SPEAKS TO JAPAN'S NEW PM YOSHIHIDE SUGA

Previous governments used to make a complicated web of promises and laws which the farmers or labourers could never understand. Even after increasing production, the income of the farmers did not increase but their loans kept increasing.

—Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

tance and intricacies of the new farm reforms and how these will empower them. "Our ground connect will bust the lies and rumours being spread in the virtual world," the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi said, "Previous governments used to make a compli-

cated web of promises and laws which the farmers or labourers could never understand. Even after increasing production, the income of the farmers did not increase but their loans kept increasing. However, the BJP-led NDA government has constantly at-

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had a phone call with Japanese counterpart Yoshihide Suga and congratulated him on his appointment as Prime Minister of Japan and wished him success in achieving his goals. According to a statement from Prime Minister's Office, the two leaders agreed that the India-Japan Special Strategic and the global partnership has made great advances over the last few years and expressed their intention to further strengthen this relationship based upon mutual trust and shared values.

The two leaders concurred that the partnership between the two countries is even more relevant in today's times given the global challenges, including that of the COVID-19 pandemic. They emphasised that the economic architecture of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region must be premised on resilient supply chains and in this context welcomed cooperation between India, Japan and other like-minded countries. tempted to change this situation and has introduced reforms for the welfare of farmers."

Speaking on the founder of Jana Sangh, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, Modi said, "I was not lucky to have seen Pandit Deendayal Uppadhaya Ji in person but his thoughts, the

path shown by him, and his ideology give us inspiration and energy. As a country, to make India better, Deendayal ji's contribution will inspire generations to come. For BJP workers it is the path which he has shown that is encouraging and inspiring."

HC dismisses plea of ACC approves restructuring man accused in case of SAIL’s board for efficiency related to Tahir

New Delhi: The Delhi HC has dismissed the bail plea of a man accused in connection with the northeast Delhi violence case in which suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussain is also an accused.

A single-judge bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait dismissed the bail plea of Tanveer Malik, who was the part of the mob which attacked one Ajay and caused grievous injuries to him during the northeast Delhi violence, after taking note of the statements of witnesses who identified the accused as part of the violent

mob. "Moreover, the petitioner is involved in two other similar cases and the parity relied upon by the petitioner on order dated May 30, 2020, in an FIR registered at Dayalpur police station whereby the petitioner has been released on bail.

Malik, through his advocate Himal Akhtar, had sought regular bail in the matter for offences punishable under charges dealing with rioting, attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy, and other relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the restructuring of the board of SAIL. The 4 posts of CEOs of SAIL’s integrated steel plants are to be elevated as functional directors by designating them as directors-in-charge of Bokaro, Rourkela, Bhilai and one director-in-charge jointly for Burnpur and Durgapur steel plants,” the statement said.

The ACC has approved the restructuring of SAIL’s board.

The restructuring of the board will bring in greater efficiency, and decentralisation in the

company.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the restructuring of the board of SAIL. The 4 posts of CEOs of SAIL’s integrated steel plants are to be elevated as functional directors by designating them as directors-in-charge of Bokaro, Rourkela, Bhilai and one director-in-charge jointly for Burnpur and Durgapur steel plants,” the statement said.

DEENDAYAL UPADHYAYA’S BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

Shah, BJP leaders pay tribute to Jan Sang leader New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several BJP leaders paid tributes to Jan Sangh leader Deendayal Upadhyaya on his birth anniversary on Friday.

Speaking to reporters, Shah said, "Today crores of BJP workers and people of the country are paying tributes to Pandit Deendayal Ji. He gave birth to a new ideology when after attaining freedom, the country had to move forward. Instead of the western model, he chose an ideology that relies on the country's own resources. He laid the foundation of integral humanism and worked for the welfare of poor people." He also said that the Jan Sangh leader had also formed an organisation which worked as communication between government, the party, and the people.

"In the early stage in 1950s it was difficult but now BJP has

Amit Shah pays tribute to Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay.

become like an all-encompassing tree which shows how far fetched was Deendayal ji's vision," he said.

"Today BJP's organisation has transformed into the world's biggest organization politically, the foundation for which was laid by Deendayal ji and his associates," Shah added.

While in Delhi, BJP national president JP Nadda, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar, and Dr Harsh Vardhan paid tribute to Deendayal Upadhyaya and Syama Prasad Mookerjee at party's headquarters, on the birth anniversary of the former.

NCB questions Rakul Preet in drugs probe Mumbai: Actor Rakul ing by the Special InvesPreet Singh today ap- tigation Team, officials peared before the NCB said.

This is the to record her first time that statement in both Rakul connection Preet and with the agenPrakash apcy's drug peared for probe linked questioning to Sushant before the anSingh Rati-drug agency jput's death. that has D e e p i k a Rakul Preet Singh launched an P a d u ko n e ' s manager Karishma inquiry following chats Prakash has also retrieved from the reached the NCB office phone of arrested actor in Colaba for question- Rhea Chakraborty.

Priyanka Gandhi

Strengthen party at booth level: Priyanka

A small child being tested for COVID-19 at the camp arranged for Corona Rapid Test by the medical team in Ranchi.

novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the total tests done so far here to nearly 7 crore, while the national cumulative positivity rate stands at 8.44 per cent. The Tests Per Million (TPM) stand at 49,948 as of today, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.

This exponential surge in the daily testing capacities strongly

demonstrates the determined escalation of the testing infrastructure in the country.

“Evidence has revealed that higher numbers of testing subsequently leads to lowered positivity rate.

States that are testing the highest numbers are also reporting a gradual decline in the positivity rate,” the ministry said.

New Delhi: AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a meeting with Congleaders from Uttar Pradesh on Thursday through video conferencing.

During the course of the meeting she discussed issues related to preparations for the Assembly polls in the state scheduled for 2022 and strengthening the party's base in the state.

According to sources, it was decided at the meeting to launch the second phase of the action program to strengthen the party at the booth level which will begin from October 2.

In the first phase, organisation building program committees were set up till block level, across the state.

In parts of UP, escalating protests led to the Ay o d h y a - L u c k n o w highway being blocked.

Farmers also blocked the Delhi-Meerut highway in Modinagar near Ghaziabad. Farmers from the state’s Kheri district have also gathered in protest. —Agencies

ish Kumar, who heads a coalition in the state with the BJP, hopes to win a fourth term with the opposition RJD of jailed former chief minister Lalu Yadav and the Congress - his partners in the last election - challenging him.

EC blows...

“Anyone using social media for mischievous purposes such as for flaring communal tension during elections will have to face consequences; hate speech will be also dealt with harshly,” said Arora.

Chief Minister Nit-

Voda clinches... on Vodafone is in breach of the investment treaty agreement between India and the Netherlands, sources told news agency Reuters.

The tribunal, in its ruling, said the government must cease seeking the dues from Voda-

fone and should also pay over Rs 40 crore to the company as partial compensation for its legal costs, the source said.

“Vodafone has finally got justice. The government of India came with a retrospective amendment trying to recover the tax which the Supreme Court had struck down... The tribunal has today said that this action is violative of the bilateral investment treaty,” said Anuradha Dutt, managing partner of DMD Advocates, a New Delhibased firm which argued for Vodafone.

Government sources said that tribunal’s ruling meant that “no damages have been awarded against Government of India” but conceded that they will have to pay about Rs 40 crore which is 60 per cent of the tribunal’s administrative cost while the rest 40 per cent would be borne by Vodafone.

“Also, Government of India may have to refund the tax collected, which is about Rs 45 crore, only if it does not go for appeal against the award. Therefore, the total outgo would be around Rs 85 crore only.

‘TESTS IN INDIA NEAR 7-CR MARK, TALLY AT 58 L’ The Tests Per Million (TPM) stand at 49,948 as of Friday, the Union Health Ministry said

New Delhi: With another big single-day jump of 86,052 in new coronavirus cases, India’s Covid-19 tally crossed the 58 lakhmark on Friday. The total number of tests for detection of the novel coronavirus also neared the seven-crore mark in India today.

A record 14,92,409 tests have been conducted for detection of the

06

FROM PG 1 Two pro-farmer...

Now, state farmers will be permitted to travel to another state or to a market yard within state boundaries, where they will be able to command a good price for their harvest.”

Other benefits added in the amendment include allowing farmers to contest elections and become chairmen of APMCs and e-trading facilities. With an etrading facility, any warehouse, cold storage, silo will be allowed to be associated with purchase and sale of agricultural produce and they will be declared

sub-market yards. This will, in turn, provide farmers with multiple choices to sell their products.

Alvida Balu!... has sung over 40,000 songs in films and albums in 16 languages.

A recipient of a slew of other honours and awards, SPB was influenced by veteran singer Mohammed Rafi and had worked with generations of music composers.

Condolences poured in from the who’s who of the nation with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister

Narendra Modi paying rich tributes to the departed singer. Modi said the unfortunate demise of the singer has left “our cultural world” a lot poorer. —PTI

Farmers up... the Congress-led state government supports the farmers and no FIRs will be registered for violation of prohibitory orders. Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who resigned as Union Minister last week, joined protests in her constituency of Bathinda. The Akalis long-time BJP allies are said to be consider-

ing their ties with the ruling NDA. Apart from political leaders, Punjabi singers and actors also sat in on the protests. Sidhu Moosewala, a singer, said: “We will not stop our fight here. It will continue”.

Farmers also gathered in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida (which borders national capital Delhi), prompting deployment of police in riot gear to keep them from crossing the border. Around 200 farmers were stopped in Noida’s Sector 14A. After protesting for over three hours, they dispersed.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

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07

WE KNOW SMOKERS HOSPITALISED WITH COVID-19 ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME SEVERELY UNWELL AND DIE THAN NON-SMOKERS WITH THE DISEASE. AT ANY POINT IN TIME, MOST SMOKERS WANT TO QUIT. BUT COVID-19 PROVIDES THE IMPETUS TO DO IT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER

COVID-19 AND

SMOKING S

mokers are worried. A respiratory disease is running rampant across the globe and people with unhealthy lifestyle habits appear to be especially vulnerable. We know smokers hospitalised with COVID-19 are more likely to become severely unwell and die than non-smokers with the disease. At any point in time, most smokers want to quit. But COVID-19 provides the impetus to do it sooner rather than later. In our new study, we surveyed 1,204 adult smokers across Australia and the United Kingdom. We found the proportion intending to quit within the next two weeks almost tripled from around 10% of smokers before COVID-19 to 29% in April. Many more were thinking about quitting some time soon, and most wanted help to do so. Our research shows many people who smoke understand they can reduce their COVID-19 related risk by addressing their smoking. Given this, and the broader health gains associated with stopping smoking, we must ensure people who want to quit in the face of COVID-19 are supported.

TWO BIG RISKS TO OUR HEALTH

S

INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

W

hen asked whether they’d like to receive information about the risks of COVID-19 for smokers, almost half (45%) of our respondents said they would. This was especially the case among those wanting to quit very soon. As for where they wanted to get this information, participants most commonly chose government representatives (59%) and doctors (47%) as their preferred sources.

Television news was the most favoured information delivery channel (61%), followed by online news (36%), social media (31%) and email (31%).

As well as being receptive to information, our participants were keen

for support to help them quit.

Evidence-based forms of smoking cessation assistance include nicotine replacement therapy (for example, gum, patches and inhalers) and counselling.

Almost twothirds (61%) of our respondents ex-

pressed an interest in receiving nicotine replacement therapy to help them quit, which rose to more than three-quarters (77%) if it could be home-delivered and provided free of charge. Half (51%) wanted access to per-

sonal advice and support, such as that provided by Quitline. A similar number (49%) were receptive to being part of a text support program for smokers.

These results show us smokers are interested in forms of quitting assistance that can be delivered remotely. Making sure smokers know these sorts of things are available in lockdown could increase uptake, and in turn reduce smoking rates. It’s also important to note the social isolation associated with the pandemic may make people more vulnerable to the addictive effects of nicotine. So they may need extra support during this time.

trong groundwork in the form of anti-smoking campaigns, tobacco taxes, and smoke-free environment legislation has reduced smoking levels in Australia to a record low of 11%.

But even at this rate, smoking remains Australia’s numberone avoidable killer.

Smoking eventually kills up to twothirds of regular users, and the number of people dying from smoking-related diseases still dwarfs COVID-19 deaths.

Roughly eight million people around the world die each year from tobaccorelated diseases (such as cancer, stroke and heart disease), compared to the almost one mil-

lion deaths attributed to COVID-19 so far.

Of course, the infectious nature of COVID-19 brings its own set of challenges. But combined, we have a potent reason to prioritise encouraging and helping smokers to quit as soon as possible.

There has been speculation about whether smoking increases the risk of contracting COVID-19, or whether nicotine might actually

protect against the disease. The evidence remains unclear.

Regardless of whether smoking affects the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the first place, we know it increases the risk of dying from it.

Providing intensive quit support during the pandemic could facilitate a substantial boost to cessation rates and bring us closer to the day when smoking becomes history.

CAPITALISING ON THIS OPPORTUNITY

S

mokers’ increased risk from COVID-19 and the importance of encouraging smokers to quit to reduce their risk of a range of non-communicable diseases means health agencies around the world are sending messages about the importance of quitting now.

Our results suggest these statements should ideally be accompanied by explicit offers of help to quit in the form of nicotine replacement therapy and counselling. Investment in

these is cost-effective, and now is an ideal time to make them as widely available and affordable as possible.

Many smokers would also likely benefit from the use of mass media to provide more information about their greater risk if infected with COV-

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

ID-19. This heightened interest in quitting in the face of COVID-19 — reflected not only in our research, but elsewhere — represents a unique opportunity for governments and health agencies to help smokers quit, and stay off smoking for good.

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: CP SHARMA

For me a productive day is one in which I learn something from life, I rarely try to teach life anything!

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

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COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

9,90,113 3,26,04,878 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 34,761 DEATHS 13,00,757 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 9,148 DEATHS 5,69,370 CASES

INDIA

GUJARAT

93,374 58,97,117 3,396 1,30,391 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 8,417 DEATHS 5,57,212 CASES

THE STATE GOVT TRYING AGAIN TO GET PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND PARENTS ON THE SAME PAGE —FILE PHOTO

Gandhinagar: Driven to the wall by the vexed issue of school fees for the closure period, the Gujarat Government has again reached out to the private school managements and parents associations to arrive at a practicable solution early next week.

State Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama told First India, “I had called the representatives of school managements on Thursday and the parents separately on Friday.”

“I have asked both to appreciate the larger situation and to find a solution instead of fighting in the Gujarat High Court,” the Education Minister said. “I hope

CONSPIRACY?

Guj Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama hopes to resolve school fees issue by next week.

the issue will be resolved the earliest next week,” he added.

While he evaded any more discussion, sources claimed that the government had impressed upon the private schools to slash fees by 25%.

Meanwhile, the Oppo-

sition Congress has launched a broadside on the State Government alleging that the ruling party is conspiring with the private schools.

Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Paresh Dhanani alleged that the Gujarat Govern-

ment was hand in glove with the managements of the private schools.

He asserted, “The government is delaying the decision only because it wants to please the private schools while the parents are helpless.

The government had

DEATHS

DELHI 5,147 DEATHS 2,64,450 CASES

FEE ISSUE: Gujarat’s last-ditch effort to bring around private schools Shishir Awasthi

08

tried to pass the buck to the high court, but the latter has stated that the government can decide on the school fees.”

Dhanani said the government’s intention was clear and had admitted in the assembly that in the last 2 years it had

closed 123 government schools and allowed 1,157 private schools to open. “There is a larger conspiracy of the government to wash its hands off education and pass it on to the private sector,” he alleged.

It may be recalled that the private schools had challenged the government’s notification against charging any fees till the physical classes started in the High Court. Later, on the court’s directive for a mutually acceptable solution the government asked the schools for a 25% reduction in fees.

This was also rejected by the private schools, which expressed readiness to reduce fees from 1% to 100% but on a case to case to basis and not a blanket waiver.

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,412 DEATHS 1,24,730 CASES

30 Khedut Samaj members held over farm bill protest First India Bureau Surat: Over 30 members of Gujarat Khedut Samaj were detained by the police on Friday while on their way to hand over a memorandum to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) in Olpad town of Surat district opposing the farm sector bills passed by the Parliament.

Supporting the nationwide call for a complete shutdown, hundreds of farmers under the aegis of GKS assembled at the main market area in Olpad town on Friday.

Before they could proceed to the SDM office, Olpad police detained 30 farmer leaders, including GKS State president Jayesh Patel and South Gujarat president Ramesh

Farmers staging protest in Surat.

Patel.

When the police were detaining the farmers, some of the members escaped from the spot and handed over the memorandum to SDM RC Patel. They have requested the President of India not to sign the bills.

Jayesh Patel said, “The central government should have taken consent of the farmers’ organisations before passing the three bills, which will ruin them.”

Centre nod to 250 IIM-A falls 10 Teachers’ protest forces highway electric buses for places to rank 50th to Udaipur, Shamlaji closed Surat, Rajkot in QS Global listings First India Bureau Mumbai: Even as it found a place in the top 100 management institutions globally, IIM-Ahmedabad has dropped ten places to be ranked 50th in the latest QS Global MBA rankings to be followed by its counterparts in Bangalore and Calcutta.

IIM-Ahmedabad was ranked 40th in the previous QS Global rankings and IIM-B has fallen from being at 44 to the 54th position now. Calcutta has managed 79th rank this time.

Indian School of Business, which has campuses in Hyderabad and Mohali

(Punjab), secured the 93rd position.

No other Indian institute has made it to the top 100 list. IIMLucknow and the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, were among the 100 to 200 positions.

Overall, the list is dominated by American business schools.

Stanford Graduate School of Business, Penn (Wharton) and MIT (Sloan) are the top three institutions, according to the QS Global MBA rankings for 2021.

Harvard Business School comes at the 4th place while HEC, Paris, is in the 5th position.

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Himmatnagar/ Udaipur: The protests over a teachers recruitment exam in Rajasthan has rubbed off on Gujarat with the highway connecting the neighbouring State being closed since Thursday and continued on Friday.

The agitation turned violent on the highway leading to prominent religious place Shamlaji on Thursday with the Aravalli police in North Gujarat stepping in to prevent the crowd from going berserk. As a result, the authorities have also shut down the Shamlaji-Udaipur national highway. The violence that erupted near

New Delhi: The Union Government on Friday announced that it had sanctioned 670 electric buses for Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Chandigarh. Besides this, the central government also announced that it had sanctioned 241 charging stations for cities spread across Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Port Blair.

The sanctions have been made under phase-2 of the FAME India scheme. The information regarding the approval by the Centre was revealed by Union Heavy Industries Minister Prakash Javadekar.

Of the 670 electric buses that have been sanctioned, Gujarat has been sanctioned the

Parts of the highway from North Guj to Rajasthan was closed followed protests over teachers’ recruitment.

Kankri Dungre saw heavy stone pelting and four cars being set on fire. The protest over reservation in Rajasthan also led to heavy deployment of police on the usually busy highway from Ahmedabad to wellknown tourist destination Udaipur in Rajasthan.The protestors have been demanding

that vacancies in a teachers recruitment examination in the unreserved section be filled with the Scheduled Tribe category candidates.

The candidates of the 2018 teachers’ recruitment exam have been protesting for over the past fortnight to press for their demand to fill 1,167 gen-

eral posts with ST category candidates in Rajasthan.

The police arrested 3 persons in connection with the violence in Dungarpur in Rajasthan and 2 police officials, including an assistant superintendent of police and a station house officer, sustained minor injuries.

maximum number of 250 buses.

Of these, 150 buses have been sanctioned for Surat Municipal Corporation, whereas the remaining 100 electric buses have been sanctioned for Rajkot. Also, 50 charging stations have been sanctioned for Surat. The neighbouring Maharashtra will get 240 buses, of which 100 buses each have been sanctioned for MSRTC and Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport, while the rest are for BEST in Mumbai.

BACK HOME!

Cutting corners, 70 diamond firms leaving Mumbai for Surat Firms are cutting costs by shifting, while awaiting the ambitious Diamond Bourse First India Bureau Surat: With the Covid-19 crisis forcing businesses the world over to restructure their survival and growth plans, at least 70 diamond firms are shifting base to Surat with a view to cut costs as well as in anticipation of the much-awaited Diamond Bourse.

Though, as of now, 8 out of 10 diamonds in the country are cut and polished in Surat, the businesses are based in Mumbai since all exports take place from there. Industry experts say that at least 60% to 70% of the trade will gradually shift to Surat.

According to Dinesh

Navadia, the Regional Chairman of the Gems and Jewellery Exports Promotion Council, “The Diamond Bourse should start working in 2021 and will be completely operational within a couple of years.” This would pull several diamond companies back to Surat.

Navadia told First India that post-Covid,

Several diamond units are shifting base from Mumbai to Surat.

—FILE PHOTO

the diamond firms are also looking at cutting costs. The businesses, which have been operating out of rented premises in Mumbai are returning, to cut down their rent on housing and office, while they owned properties in Surat. “For a more immediate reason, they are reducing such expenses,” he explained.

Industry watchers believe that with this

development, lakhs of migrant workers would start returning. Secondly, with many companies shifting from Mumbai to Surat the city’s real estate market is also likely to look up going forward.

Some housing projects have already started receiving inquiries for offices and flats from Mumbai-based diamond businessmen and units, say sources in the construction industry.

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09

AHMEDABAD, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

97th Today on the ar y of s r e iv n n a th ir b Kamra, i v a R , d n a n A Dev and an ardent fan e ‘The President of th v Anand e D n e e r g r e v E City First r fo s e it r w ’ Society favourite on one of his movies of Dev- Guide!

RAVI KAMRA

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

R

aju the convict comes out of the jail and the Jailor greets him for the FREEDOM - freedom or mirage.

We see birds flying off a leafless tree and the man with a suitcase in his hands walks away with heavy steps.

He ignores the sign board and the road to his city where he ruled as a Guide, as if feeling that there was no one waiting for him there.

And he takes a road to nowhere and here starts his destination less journey which no one knows where it shall take him. The background song in the voice of SD Burm a n and the lyrics

of

Wahan Kaun Hai Tera

GUIDE

Shailedra so aptly describe his situation and his mental trauma- “Musafir jayega kahan”. The viewer sees the miracle in the art of the Director Vijay Anand who shows the journeys as the crux of the movie. Flash back shows how Raju would win the hearts of the tourists talking to them in their native language, bubbling with verve he radiating charm. But he lost his profession, annoyed his own mother, lost his love and friends and conviced for fraud.

“Koi bhi teri Raah na dekhe Nain bichhaye na koi Dard se tere koi na tadpa Aank kisi ki na roi” And we see that the Guide who took every one to their destinations but here he war running towards wilderness. The film which seems to be a simple story of Raju but slowly it reveals that it is about a larger philosophy- the journey from mortality to spirituality. The becoming of a real hero from an ordinary city guide. In the closing shots of the film we see the poor villagers dancing in Joy as the rain pours- it is freedom from thirst, hun-

ger and pain and on the other side we see Raju, the swami who was on fast for the rains to come- serene, calm and enlightned. His love Rozy, his mother and his friend gaffur all have come back. But he has expeienced the ultimate reality, the ultimate freedom and has merged with the Almighty.

“Zindgi bikhar kar parkash ho gayi hai Lagta hai aaj har ichha poori hogi Par mazza dekho aaj koi ichha hi nanhi rahi” In the opening scenes of the film it was about physical and the closing scenes affirm that freedom is more than the physical, it is spiritual.

Dev Anand became immortal by giving us the film Guide. It was based on the novel by the famous Indian author RK Narayan written in 1960. And the film Guide, shot in Udaipur was released on 6 February, 1965. Guide which became a critical and commercial hit was made in two languages Hindi and English. But although the English version was not that hit but in Hindi it is an all time hit. The Filmfare gave seven

awards to the film In 1966. Dev Anand writes in his autobiography that the initial response from the audience was very cold. Soon, Guide started being talked about as no other film was. As the time passed, people found more and more meaning in it, and enjoyed seeing it again and again. It was declared all time classic for all ages and eras. The film became a legend so much so that after 42 years of its release it was screened in the Classic section in Canes Film Festival. Rozy’s character was played by Waheeda Rehman and Marco was played by Kishore Sahu. The film was directed by Vijay Anand, the younger brother of Dev Anand. Lyrics of Shailendra and music of SD Burman made the Guide songs an all time hit till today.

And the audience still say- “Gata rahe mera Dil.”

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RAINU SINGH

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

A

man so astonishingly handsome that a court had to advise him not to wear black colored clothes. The court feared that girls would jump off buildings to catch a glimpse of this irresistible person if heightened

by Black clothing!! Before the advent of Color Movies, his face lent the Silver luster to the screens.

This personification of Charm was a young Punjabi boy named, Dev Anand. His sparkling eyes, pursed lips, the natty dressing, the disarming nod, and velocious dialogue delivery bewitched audience!

Whenever this Adonis emerged from behind the clearing cigarette smoke, collective sighs filled movie theatres. Dev Anand soon became the quintessential movie actor, director & producer.

He further evolved into the perennial HERO of 114 Indian Movies over a period of 65 years.

Age could not touch him with its debilitating hand. Youthfulness dripped from his every pore up to his last and 88th year!!

Even when his movies were about charming rogues, incestuous relationships or other socalled “negative” roles, his overwhelming charm endeared him to his audience even more. Encompassing all the facets of Dev’s heroes was his iconic movie “Guide”. This will keep him immortal in Cinema. Mentioning hundreds of Awards here would only go to downplay his stature. He was a burning Meteor in

Cinema’s firmament.

Dev Anand, who had started his career with a monthly salary of 65/-, quickly befriended the likes of Guru Dutt and Kishore Kumar, and adopted their genes to create this Colossus of Hindi cinema. He became the third facet of Hindi Cinema’s Trinity along with the Icon of Icons (Dilip Kumar) and The Greatest Showman (Raj Kapoor), as part of Indian folklore. !!

Dev Sahib’s tumultuous love life was woven mainly around his heroines.

Though his romance with Suraiya is legendary, it was aborted as her conservative Muslim family objected. Dev was heartbroken, but being a man of infinite positivity he moved on. He then met the debutant Kalpana Kartik in his film, fell in love and married her.

Kalpana left films to take care of his house.

This “lucky” wedlock opened the doors to unbridled success. He went on to make highly successful films with Waheeda Rehman & Nutan.

As he aged, he picked younger heroines like Parveen Babi, Zeenat Aman & Tina Munim and gave them big breaks in his films.

Thus the word “EVERGREEN” became synonymous with the one and only DEV SAHAB!!

FA CE OF TH ED AY

DEV ANAND : T H

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

10

N C E H E A R R G M R E V E E

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Your family members may call you for some serious discussions about property. Your focus is love right now as you do not know for sure if your partner see his/her future with you or not. You will be happy with your finances today as you will make some huge profit from stocks.

Young couples in desperation should not go to places fir trip, please consider the current pandemic as the battle with the virus is not yet over. You will spend some time in just not thinking anything and relaxing your mind. You are as pure as possible.

You do not like doing household stuff but still you contribute as a responsible member of the family. With the support of your seniors, you will achieve more than you previously ever did. You are awestruck by someone’s captivating personality.

You are someone who never fails to amaze everyone with you outstanding performance on academic front. Sooner or later you will move out of family for studies so why being impatient. A candle night dinner could do the trick to resolve a fight with lover.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You desire pleasure in doing charity work and this satisfaction give you a kick in life. You like to create memories every now and then. You enjoy good food and cannot compromise with your taste buds.

You spouse may ask for something today.

Complete your work when it start with it and never leave it in between. Do not waste much time in infatuations . Kindly focus on studies right now and forget about the rest.

Your partner will always keep you satisfied. Believe it or not, you have it in you to make it big in life.

You are desperate to have someone in life but you don’t want to change for anyone or anything and relationships doesn’t work that way.

You are apple of your mother’s eyes and to you she means the whole world. Do not compromise with your feelings.

You love your younger sibling more than anything and you are always there for him/her. You sometimes get involved in other people’s matter even if you don’t want to, please avoid such situations. Your future is bright as you have become serious about your ambitions.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You may get a chance of a life time today as far as your career is concerned. You love for your spouse will become stronger. Focus on what you want and don’t worry about how you shall have it, universe is mystic. You believe in god but you also believe that nothing will happen on its own.

You need some change and you want to get out but the fear of covid situation does not let you.

Do not worry over small matters as this time shall pass off peacefully too. You may make a late loan payment but it will have no repercussions for you.

You love music whether listening or playing and some of you even wish to pursue it as a career. You will not get disappointed y your academic results, stay rest assured. If you wish to propose your partner for marriage than make it super special.

You will spend a pleasant day.

Those travelling to a distant place will find the going smooth and comfortable. You will be able to assert your ownership on a disputed property. Good professional guidance will see you improve your grades on the academic front. You will be in a cheerful mood.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

AAKRITI RANA, Content Creator

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

11

BALA-YAAD TERI AAYEGI! After a month-long battle at the ICU of MGM Healthcare in Chennai, 74-year-old legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away on Friday afternoon

S

Late SP Balasubrahmanyam

ripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam was a prolific Indian singer and actor. He was also known as S. P. B. and Balu in the media.

Balasubrahmanyam was born into an orthodox Telugu Brahmin family in Konetammapeta near Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. His father S. P. Sambamurthy was a well-known exponent of Harikatha and his sister S.P. Sailaja is a former actresssinger in Tollywood, married to Subhalekha Sudhakar.

Balusubrahmanyam took to singing as a hobby during his childhood. He developed an interest in music very early in his life, and had studied notations and learnt to play instruments such as harmonium and flute on his own while listening to his father. His father wanted Balu to become an engineer; this brought him to Ananthpur, where he enrolled for the Engineering course in JNTU. Later, he discontinued the course due to typhoid and then joined AMIE. Meanwhile, he also pursued his hobby and won awards at many singing competitions. There, he was identified as a good singer in annual college programmes. Some friends recommended him to sing in Madras and provided him with referrals.

In 1964, a Madras-based Telugu Cultural Organisation, organized a music competition for amateur singers. Balu won the first prize, and that proved to be a turning point in his

of style, technique and control.

These qualities allowed him express across various genres of Indian music, and he has been highly soughtafter by many of India’s film music composers.

Most of the introduction songs in Chiranjeevi and Rajinikanth films are sung by SPB. Most people feel that Balasubrahmanyam’s voice most suits Kamal Haasan. His songs of Maine Pyar Kiya and Saajan are still hugely popular and much listened to.

He virtually monopolised playback singing for more than 30 years in the Telugu, Kannada and Tamil cinema industries. His contemporary Dr. On 5th August 2020, S P Balasubrahmanyam got admitted at MGM Healthcare Hospital in Chennai, after testing positive for coronavirus and he recovered from COVID19 but he died on 25th, September 2020 at 1:04PM.

life. Music director SP Kodandapani took him under his wing. Offers then poured in from Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam movies. Before he became a full-fledged cinema singer, SPB was the leader of a light music troupe that comprised of: Balasubrahmanyam made his debut in film music as a singer in Dec 15, 1966, with Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna, a film scored by his mentor Kodandapani. He sang more than 40,000 songs since then in more than 5 different Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam. He holds the world record in the Guinness Book of World Records for having sung the most number of song recordings by any singer (the record for a female singer is held by Lata Mangeshkar).

His A gifted singer, he was highly regarded for his incredible vocal range, deep rich voice, and mastery

Dream collab with BTS

Empowering

STORY A

Cast of ‘Four More Shots Please!’

International Emmy Nomination

M

aking a mark on a global platform, two of the Amazon Prime Video’s original creations including the much-loved show - ‘Four More Shots Please!’ - have been nominated at the 2020 International Emmy Awards.

While Amazon Original Series ‘Four More Shots Please!’, produced

by Pritish Nandy Communications, has bagged a nomination in the ‘Best Comedy Series’ category, actor Arjun Mathur has received the nomination in the category of ‘Best Performance by an Actor’ for his character of Karan in the show ‘Made in Heaven’ produced by Tiger Baby and Excel Media and Entertainment. “We are thrilled with the nominations and are delighted to share this moment with Pritish

Nandy Communications, Tiger Baby and Excel Media and Entertainment,” said Aparna Purohit, Head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video.

Produced by Pritish Nandy Communications, ‘Four More Shots Please!’ is the only Indian title in the Best Comedy Series category and Arjun Mathur is also the only Indian artist to compete in the category of Best Performance by an Actor.

—ANI

mid the ongoing pandemic, Hrithik Roshan has been spending time at home with his family and the actor often binges on OTT series and films. Recently, Bhumi Pednekar and Konkona Sensharma starrer Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare released on Netflix and many loved it.

Taking to social media, Hrithik shared his thoughts about the film. The actor lauded the entire team of the film including Konkona, Bhumi, Kubbra and others and praised the performances.

Not just this, he even claimed that the story was empowering and a celebration of the human conflict. Sharing the same, he reviewed it and recommended the film to everyone. Hrithik wrote, “#DollyKittyAurWohChamakteSitare celebrates inner human conflicts, with an empowering story. Superb work by the entire team.” The actor previously too has reviewed several OTT shows and films.

—Agency

T

iger Shroff had released a dance video of BTS song Dynamite a few weeks back and surprised the Army with his killer moves.

Not just this, in a recent live session preceding the launch of his debut single Unbelievable on the music company’s YouTube Channel, Tiger answered a fan’s query about a dream collaboration with BTS. A fan asked Tiger when would they get to see his collaboration with the K Pop band.

Hearing the question, Tiger blushed and had an epic reply for it.

Tiger said that he feels BTS is the biggest group these days and that he is a big fan of them. He then recalled how he shot a VLOG on BTS song Dynamite. He explained that in times like this, one needs something light like BTS track Dynamite.

—Agency

Tiger Shroff

CUTEST CHEERLEADERS

T

Natasa and Hardik

D Konkana Sen and Bhumi Pednekar

he new daddy and India star allrounder Hardik Pandya is in UAE or the Indian Premiere League and besides his army of fans, Hardik newest fan on block is his son. The cricketer took to social media to post a photo of his son Agastya and wife Natasa wherein the mother-son duo are wearing the Mumbai Indians jersey while watching IPL on their television. Alongside the photo, Hardik captioned the picture as “Queen”. Well, we are totally jealous of Hardik and his cheerleaders. —ANI

RELEASING IN 2021

isney is pushing 2020 event movies ‘Black Widow’ and ‘West Side Story’ to next year amid challenges posed by the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel’s female superhero movie starring Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow had been set to hit

... his post

the big screen on November 6. It will now open May 7, 2021. Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ and ‘the Legend of the Ten Rings’ is being pushed from the May 7 date to July 9, 2021. (Marvel’s ‘Eternals’ also has a new date.)

Helmed by Steven Spielberg, ‘West Side Story’, from 20th Century and ‘Black Widow’ Amblin, is being delayed.

—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

GROOVE

Cricket legend Chris Gayle collaborated with singer Avina Shah for an exotic dance track ‘Groove’

B

QUE...

QUEen Q1. We have been married for 4 years and have a 2-year-old baby but we can’t talk about sex. I and my wife have a good sex life but she doesn’t want to talk or discuss any issue which crops up. What do I do?

Ans. Discussing sex in our society is still taboo unfortunately and not many people are comfortable with it. If your wife has grown up in a traditional household where sex and physical pleasure were frowned upon then it will take a lot more love and encouragement for her to open up. You can start with sexting- sending loving texts which include sexual fun, once she is comfortable with that then you can step up to calls and much later face to face discussions. These can later be talks about sex and demands pleasures as she grows more comfortable and confident.

Be patient and loving and be open also, hold her hand in public, hug her often and see the inhibitions melt away.

All the best!

Q2. I am a 14-year-old girl and I hate my elder brother who is 8 years elder to me. He is always telling me what to do, wear and where to go. He wants to control my life. My parents do not listen to my complaints. What should I do?

Ans. Ans. I can understand what both you and your brother are going through. For him, his baby sister is growing up and becoming a beautiful woman and he is worried. As a man, he probably sees how others respond to you and in his worry, he tries to control you, this is his way of trying to keep you safe. You are blossoming physically and mentally and becoming an adult. Naturally, you want to be independent and make your own decisions and respected as a person. You will have to find a balance. I am sure you don’t really ‘hate’ your brother, why don’t you start opening up with him? Discuss your days and issues with him, tell him how you are handling things.

Seek his trust and gently make him understand that you are an adult. On the other hand, listen to him. He has a fair idea of the rough and tumble of the world and can be your guide in a lot of matters.

Have any questions?

Mail them to quequeenfirstindia@gmail.com; don’t worry, your name will not be disclosed!

BEST WISHES!

12

IMPROVING Communication

TO THE BEATS

NEHAL NAYAR

ritish Indian singer Avina Shah has come out with a brand new dance song titled ‘Groove’ featuring none other than cricketing legend Chris Gayle, also known as the UniverseBoss.

Hard-hitting batsman Chris Gayle, who has lit up the IPL many times and has several records to his name, proves that his talents in music are just as spectacular.

It is incredible how Chris and Avina put together this unique music video during the lockdown period in different countries without meeting in person. With Chris’s exotic Caribbean flavour and Avina’s unique East meets West style, it is an invigorating combination that will certainly liven up our spirits in 2020.

After shooting the music video in Jamaica, Chris headed straight to Dubai

AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

CITY FIRST

T

Avina Shah

where he will be playing for the IPL with Kings Eleven Punjab. He quoted, “I love the track and the Groove!

It’s my first collaboration with a female artist, thanks to Avina and I’m really looking forward to this release.

It was a great experience shooting the music video as we wanted to bring the Jamaican flavour mixed with the Indian and Western sound. We managed to put together the whole project in a short space of time, big

up to the crew!”

Talking about the song, Avina shared, “This is definitely one of my favourite and memorable songs to date. It is a unique mix of English, Hindi and Punjabi and getting Chris on board is the highlight! He brings his Reggae Jamaican flavour to the track which has such a vibe. Chris is an absolute legend not only in sport but he is clearly a talented musician too. I am really happy with the sound that he brings to Groove and we can’t wait to see the response!” nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

Helping People Overseas

he valedictory session of Five Day workshop on Effective Communication and Presentation Skills by Department of English, SKIT in collaboration with Rajasthan Technical University, Kota under the funding programme of Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP-III) was organised on 25 September. The session started with welcoming of Chief Guest Prof. Meenakshi Raman, former Head HSS, BITS PILANI followed by the report reading by Dr Nidhi Sharma, Coordinator from SKIT. Then it was followed by a feedback session hosted

by Dr Shikha Agarwal, Coordinator from SKIT.

Feedback was very good and participants appreciated the workshop as an enriching and enlightening experience and fruitful in honing their skills for professional development.

Chief guest Prof. Raman congratulated the coordinators and organizing committee for successfully conducting the workshop and said these kinds of workshops are very useful in present times of COVID-19. The valedictory ceremony was technically coordinated by Dr. Sarita and moderated by Dr Neha Purohit, Head Department of English. The valedictory ceremony was closed by the formal Vote of Thanks given by Dr Irum Alvi, Coordinator of the workshop. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

CITY FIRST, GUJARAT

N MP and Gujarat State President CR Patil with Pallavi Jaiswal, from First India on Friday; she conveyed best wishes to him as he recently recovered from COVID-19.

HAPPY B’DAY!

eel Patel, a common man from Gandhinagar, who now lives in the US since the past several years, is a successful businessman.

He always helps the people from India in the US, like helping poor patients in hospitals, helping children to study, and they help people in other places too. He also helped hundreds of people during the Corona epidemic.

After that, when PM Narendra Modi started the self-reliant India scheme and asked the countrymen to become self-reliant, then Neel Patel, who was sitting abroad, had already done the work of making native, an indigenous app like Facebook - Twitter in India. On 15 August, he

Neel Patel

launched the Squeaks App, Whatsapp-like Swadeshi (NaaradApp), and then Phonepe-like Swadeshi (NaaradPay) App. Neel says that whatever profit will be made from this, except service charge, it will be spent on the education of poor children of India. He also thanked people that they became a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-reliant India campaign by downloading this app. cityfirstgujarat@gmail.com

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

T

MP Jalore-Sirohi Devji Patel celebrated his birthday in a simple way amid Corona conditions on 25 September, Friday. We wish him all the best!

CITY FIRST

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enowned obstetrician and gynecologist, Swati Garg has been appointed the new principal of Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Jaipur. Appointment letter to this effect was issued by President, Dr Sudhir Sachdev with the consent of Dr Vikas Swarnakar, Chairman of Mahatma Gandhi Medical University. She is the seventh and first female principal of the college. Dr Swati,

RAJASTHAN: Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) and Design Cohort of Department of Science and Technology is set to celebrate World Tourism Day on Sunday with a wide variety of programmes.

This will include an online learning class on architectural drawings, interactive talk session with experts on public art, slogan writing competition winner announcement and exciting quiz.

2020 JCB Prize for Literature

CITY FIRST

BJP Leader Prabhu Lal Saini celebrated his birthday with simplicity on 25 September, Friday. We wish him all the best!

RAJASTHAN: NSS Celebration Day was celebrated via a video conference at SS Jain Subodh PG College Jaipur on Thursday. During the event, program coordinator Dr Anshul Sharma, Dr Devendra Sharma, Dr Trisha Singhal, Dr Mukesh Chand Sharma and Dr Vishal Gautam were also present.

he JCB Prize for Literature celebrates the very finest achievements in Indian writing.

It is presented each year to a distinguished work of fiction by an Indian writer, as selected by the jury. The 2020 shortlist, as announced on Friday morning by Mita Kapur, Literary Director of the Prize, across the JCB Prize for Literature’s social media platforms is: n Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara (Penguin Random House India, 2020) n

Chosen Spirits by Samit Basu (Simon Schuster India, 2020)

n

These, Our Bodies, Possessed by Light by Dharini

Bhaskar (Hachette India, 2019) n

Moustache by S. Hareesh, translated from Malayalam by Jayasree Kalathil (HarperCollins, 2020)

n

Prelude to a Riot by Annie Zaidi (Aleph Book Company, 2019)

“We seem to be in a time travel capsule, while the world whizzes past us on our screens, spinning a whole new global narrative.

Though each of us is in

our own homes in different parts of the world, technology and our love for books have allowed us to form a warm little community, a meeting of minds.

Instead of being limited, we find ourselves reaching out more, engaging with the world in new and exciting ways. We’ve all had to change to adapt to the new world order, and the JCB Prize for Literature is no exception.,” said Mita Kapur. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

New Principal Appointed was acting as the Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from last 20 years.

On taking charge, Dr Swati Garg said that by giving this appointment in the Corona era, the trust, university management has placed on her will be successfully carried out. In the meantime, providing a safe infection-free environment to faculty members and clinical

doctors and students, applying recent changes in the medical curriculum, making students more skill-oriented in course development and introducing new UG and PG courses are her responsibilities.

Online classes will be continued. Government guidelines are still awaited to start the new academic session. The hospital is making sure to

Dr Swati Garg carry out deliveries in a safer environment.

Emeritus Chairman, Dr ML Swarnakar sent congratulations to Dr Swati Garg. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

GUJARAT: Women were seen shopping traditional clothes for the upcoming Navratri Festival at the Law Garden Crossroad in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Dr Anil Agarwal, Rajya Sabha MP and Chairperson, Shooting Ball Federation of India and his wife welcomed Ravindra Singh Tomar, the Secretary-General of the Federation along with OP Machra, Secretary of the Rajasthan Shooting Ball Federation. They also conveyed their gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and others for the inclusion of Shooting ball in the sports quota for the Union government job quota.

RAJASTHAN: With a message to aware people of the COVID-19 situation, more than 3000 national and international cyclists from around the world will be virtually cycling with Jaipurites on Sunday.

Director, Jaipur Runners Club, Mukesh Mishra informed about how to prevent this global epidemic and stay fit awareness drive this year Jaipur cyclothon is being organized on a Virtual Theme. ARL Rotary Jaipur Cyclothon is being organized by Rotary Club Jaipur Citizen; Jaipur Runners Club; ARL Infratech Pvt. Ltd.; Organic Sunrise Natural; Organic Farmers Producer Association of India; Jaipur Smart City and Rajasthan Association of United Kingdom.