First India-Ahmedabad Edition-27 August 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

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ALERT AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

8,26,136 2,41,90,119 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 23,089 DEATHS 7,18,711 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 6,839 DEATHS 3,97,261 CASES

RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 271

INDIA

GUJARAT

60,612 33,04,116 2,947 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 5,091 DEATHS 3,00,406 CASES

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DEATHS

DELHI 4,347 DEATHS 1,65,764 CASES

90,139

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 992 DEATHS 74,670 CASES

CMs OF OPPN PARTIES DISCUSS ‘BURNING ISSUES’ WITH SONIA

Phase II trial of Oxford vaccine begins in Pune

New Delhi: Chief Ministers belonging to various opposition parties on Wednesday got together and discussed the issue of GST compensation to states, with Congress President Sonia Gandhi saying the Centre’s refusal to reimburse the states was nothing short of betrayal of the people by the Modi government.

Sonia Gandhi convened a virtual meeting of Chief Ministers of opposition-ruled states to discuss the key issues confronting them.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states Amarinder Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and V Narayanasamy attended the meeting.

Gandhi said the issue of GST compensation being paid to states on time according to laws passed by Parliament is crucial but this is not

Pune: The Phase II human clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being manufactured by the city-based Serum Institute of India (SII), began at a medical college and hospital in Pune on Wednesday.

Two male volunteers were administered the vaccine at Bharti Vidyapeeth’s Medical College and Hospital, a senior office-bearer of the hospital said.

The trial began around 1 pm, he said.

“Doctors at the hospital administered the first shot of the ‘Covishield’ vaccine to a 32-year-old man after his reports of COVID-19 and antibodies tests came out negative,”

During a virtual meeting with Cong interim Prez, CMs of 7 states call for united fight against Modi govt UDDHAV THACKERAY

MAMATA BANERJEE

 It is never ‘Sattamev Jayate’ (power alone triumphs), it is ‘Satyamev Jayate’ (Truth alone triumphs) for us. We (opposition parties) are together, we have to work together and we will fight together.  We should decide whether we have to fight or fear the Central government. First we will have to decide darna hain ki ladna hain…ladna hain to ladna hain..we have to protect federalism.  Opposition CMs should speak louder as Centre is trying to suppress our voice.

BHUPESH BAGHEL Sonia Gandhi chairs a virtual meeting with Chief Ministers of 7 states to discuss various issues in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The refusal to compensate states on GST is nothing short of betrayal by Modi govt of states and the people. We have to work together and fight together against Central government.

—Sonia Gandhi happening.

She said dues have accumulated and the finances of all states have been affected badly, while the central government continues to profiteer from “unilateral” cesses which are nonshareable with states

and corner this revenue.

The Congress chief said the meeting was convened to help build a coordinated approach among like-minded parties on some important and pressing issues that impinge on the Centrestate relations. Turn to P6

 The Centre has not paid the GST compensation to the states for the last 4 months. Today, the situation is fearful.

 Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma have retained their spots at the top of the ICC One Day Internationals (ODI) rankings for batsmen, occupying the No.1 and No.2 spots respectively.  Australian batsman Steve Smith leads the pack among the Test batsmen, with Virat Kohli coming in at second position.  Indian wicket-keeper Lokesh Rahul makes his presence felt on the T20I

 The Centre will be responsible if students get affected during the exams. We will jointly fight the battle against the Central government on this issue.

HEMANT SOREN

 All of us in the meeting today should go to SC to file a review petition on the order to hold NEET and JEE exams.  They have not consulted us or any of my colleagues also. They have just gone and thrust new education policy on us; without knowing what they are planning. Without us knowing what is going to cost us.

batsmen rankings at the second spot behind Pakistan’s Babar Azam.  Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah holds the top spot in the ODI bowlers whereas Aussie pace spearhead Pat Cummins tops the Test rankings, and Afghan leg spinner Rashid Khan leads the T20I rankings.  In the team rankings, India is placed second in ODIs behind England whereas the Blues occupy the third spot in both Tests and T20Is.

 We had to get Rs 4,100 crore in May, June, but we have not received it. So how do we run government? Pandemic is ongoing, and we are not getting a single paisa... I can tell our state stands to get Rs 53,000 crore from Centre.

 Conducting NEET, JEE will lead to rise in Covid-19 cases.

AMARINDER SINGH

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah maintained their top spots

 If PM does not listen to us, then we all should approach SC on the issue.

V NARAYANASAMY

 The Covid-19 situation is getting worse. We’ve spent nearly Rs 500 crore, We’re in a situation where the finances of our states are completely down.

BLUES RETAIN SPOT IN ICC RANKINGS

 The exams (NEET/JEE) are in September. Why should the lives of students be put at risk? We have written to the PM, but there has been no response.

 The ruling party us using agencies against the opposition and undermining the federal structure of the country.  Exams must happen, but we are hurrying up. In my state we have very few centres. To accommodate these students, we will have to open all hotels and buses.

Chances of contracting Covid will be higher. The Centre must help by taking more time.  I think we should go to PM or the President before knocking door of SC.

‘N95 MASK BEST IN STOPPING CORONA SPREAD’ New Delhi: N95 masks may be the most effective at reducing the spread of novel coronavirus, according to a study by researchers, including those from ISRO, which suggests that any mask is better than no mask at preventing COVID-19.

The, study published in journal Physics of Fluids, found N95 masks to be the most effective at reducing the horizontal spread of a cough.

Medical Director of Bharti Vidyapeeth’s Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr Sanjay Lalwani, said.

Turn to P6

India writes to UN on Pak’s false claim of making statement in Security Council United Nations: India has formally written to the United Nations about Pakistan’s false claim of making a statement in a Security Council meeting on terrorism, which was not open to non-Council members.

India on Monday exposed Pakistan’s litany of lies it peddled in the UN after Islamabad’s UN envoy claimed to have given a statement in the Security Council meeting that was not open to non-members of the 15-nation UN body.

India has now formally written to the UN

and put on record about Pakistan’s claim that it had made a statement in the Council, which is false.

India on Monday had put out a strong pointby-point rebuttal of the

remarks that Pakistan said it made to the Security Council meeting.

The Pakistan Mission falsely claimed that its UN envoy Munir Akram had given a statement at the Secu-

rity Council debate on Report of the Secretary General on Threats to International Peace and Security posed by Terrorism Actions.

However, the Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security was not open to non-members of the Council.

A photograph of the meeting tweeted by the German Mission to the UN showed only envoys of the 15 Security Council members participating in the meeting. Pakistan is not a member of the Council.

Turn to P6

Rupani govt passes GLGP ordinance, to be tabled before the House Places burden of proof on the landgrabber; includes provisions for special courts and speedy trials First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s cabinet on Wednesday approved the Gujarat LandGrabbing Prohibition (GLGP) ordinance, which will now be tabled in the state Assembly. Once enacted, the Act will aim to protect individuals

and trusts from the land mafia.

The GLGP Act will cover land grabs in which land is stolen or transferred without the owners’ knowledge or permission as well as those in which a person or body misrepresents a parcel of land as belonging to them and seeks to procure one or more loans using the

land as collateral.

Announcing the decision, Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel said the state cabinet discussed all aspects of the ordinance before passing it. He also said that the state has passed the ordinance because it has been receiving a lot of complaints that the land mafia has been grabbing land.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the state admitted that there were instances of government officials

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani

being complicit in such land grabs and that it has also received many complaints from farmers and religious organizations about such land grabs.

With the ordinance, the Act will be implemented with immediate effect. Any police complaints filed under this ordinance will be investigated officers of Deputy Superintendent of Police rank or higher.

Those found guilty and convicted under GLGP will face 10 to

14 years imprisonment. The penalty will be equivalent to the Jantri rate.

For such cases, special courts will be formed. Moreover, trials in such cases trial will have to be completed within six months from the date of filing of the charge sheet. Hence, the state plans to appoint special public prosecutors to ensure speedy trials. Like other courts, these courts too will have the power to take suo motu action if any land-grabbing cases

come to its knowledge.

As in the case of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, the burden of proof will be on the land-grabber. If any company is involved in land-grabbing, the company representative and its owner will both be liable, as will all those involved in land deals, and the publicity of such land deals.

Even those developing any scheme on such grabbed land will be liable for punishment under the Act.

NEWS AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020

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ORDINANCE COMES 6 YEARS AFTER SC ASKED STATE TO TACKLE LAND-GRABBING, BUT HOW WILL IT BE USED ?

Haresh Jhala Ahmedabad: By passing the ordinance for the Gujarat LandGrabbing (Prohibition) (GLGP) Act on Wednesday, the state government has finally made some headway into dealing with the issue of landgrabbing.

Not only does the ordinance come six years after the Supreme Court directed the state to deal with the issue, but such laws have also been in place in other states for decades, whether it is the Andhra Pradesh LandGrabbing (Prohibition) Act 1982, the Assam Land-Grabbing (Prohibition) Act 2010, or the Karnataka Land-Grabbing (Prohibition) Act 2011.

Tamil Nadu even has an anti-land-grabbing cell under which it has been filing criminal cases against land-grabbers for decades.

In April 2014, the state government had admitted before the Supreme Court that there were as many as 12,000 cases centred on the illegal possession of pastoral (gauchar) land in the state. At the time, the apex court had observed the state government should formulate a scheme for the eviction of illegal and unauthorized occupants, and further observed that political connections should not be a reason for justifying the regularization of such illegal possession.

Two years after the Supreme Court had issued its directive before the state government, in 2016, regularized 33.88 lakh sq.m in major cities through an ordinance.

The state’s defence then was that some 70,000 families had been living on the disputed land since 1999.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER BUT WILL

GLGP SERVE ITS MOTIVE?

In 2016, the state revenue department had issued a notice to the Saurashtra Cricket Association for encroaching 2.5 hectares of government land adjacent to the Khanderi Stadium. —FILE PHOTO

The state had seized some 1.49 crore sq.m of land under the Urban Land Ceiling Act when it was in force--33.88 lakh sq.m had been used to construct houses or huts illegally.

The opposition has come down heavily on the government, claiming that the steps toward the creation of a new Act indicate that it is failing to effectively implement other extant Acts.

“If the government was using the existing Acts properly, they wouldn’t need a new

Act,” said Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani.

Citing the example of the Karnataka Land-Grabbing (prohibition) Act 2011, Dhanani pointed out that the first special court came up only five years after the enactment in the southern state.

He also alleged that the land mafia, like moneylenders, has seen manifold growth since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power.

“If the Act is to be genuinely implement-

The Ahmedabad district collectorate recovered 9,271 sq.m of land in Narol in 2018. One godown and 11 houses had come up illegally on government land worth Rs18 crore. —FILE PHOTO

ed, the state will have to first go after officers within the government with whose connivance the land was grabbed.

Those found guilty will have to be dealt with severely,” he said.

State spokesperson Bharat Pandya said the new Act will protect individuals and that there would be stern action against land-grabbers.

Interestingly, the government is the biggest victim of land-grabbing, since its parcels of pasto-

ral or wasteland are usually located in prime areas and cover large swathes.

In 2019, the state government had instructed other districts to follow the Vadodara model, in which Collector Shalini Agarwal had begun an initiative to use unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, to keep an eye on government land and thus curb land-grabbing.

In December 2019, the Revenue Minister in reply to an MLA’s

question had admitted that Gulmohar Greens and Country Club had encroached 24,058 sq.m of government land.

The state had then claimed that the club cleared the encroachment after local authorities took action.

Given that such allegations are very common against miners and even corporate companies, the big question now is: Will the state use the GLGP Act against the big fish, or just against the little ones?

Rain-battered roads are a nightmare for 91 dams at 100% capacity as everyone from the public to politicians several areas stay submerged  JMC & AMC get notices over the issue, MLA Thummar writes to DyCM Patel Gargi Raval Ahmedabad: The battered condition of state roads after rainfall is a menace that all citizens have to put up with during the monsoon season every year. The dismal shape of roadways was even admitted by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel after he visited Mehsana to take stock of the situation after heavy rainfall.

Fed up of the vicious cycle of rain, abysmal state of roads every monsoon, people as well politicians have either spoken out or initiated legal proceedings against local civic bodies across the state.

Junagadh-resident Tushar Sojitra has issued a notice to the Junagadh Municipal Corporation (JMC) under the

From a cave-in at Balol Nagar (top) and unmotorable roads in Vastral (bottom left), to a stretch that looks more like a dirt track than major road near the state high court, Ahmedabad shows in a nutshell why the monsoon has people across the state seeing red. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

Consumer Protection Act, 2019. He has demanded a compensation of Rs85,000 for economic loss, mental harassment, incompetence, a lapse in service and fees for the judicial advice.

He has demanded that the compensation be deposited in his account within 15 days, failing which, he will approach the state high court.

“Roads in Junagadh are uneven and mostly

dug up. When it rained, the roads developed numerous potholes. We are paying taxes and the municipal corporation is obligated to provide us with services, but they have failed to deliver

good roads,” he stated.

A similar notice was issued to the Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner on Wednesday by a Jashvant Vaghela, who has sought that he be paid Rs3.25 lakh as compensation within a week.

Lathi-Babra MLA Virji Thummar has written to Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel demanding immediate road repairs in Amreli, Saurashtra and Ahmedabad.

“As public representatives, we are accountable when it comes to providing services to our constituents. People are mocking us in the media and on social media as well. There is an immediate need to repair the damage sustained by roads,” Thummar wrote.

Revubha Vaghela, a resident of Vejalpur, has also written a letter to MLA Kishor Chauhan complaining about damaged roads. “Bad roads are causing more accidents, and people are sustaining serious injuries. Roads repairs should be taken care of immediately,” he stated.

A factory near Porbandar’s Bhaad village has been left almost entirely under water.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: While many parts have been left submerged and cut off by the furious monsoon, there is still a silver lining, at least in terms of water conservation.

As many as half of the state’s 205 dams are filled to capacity, and only 11 dams are still at less than 25% filled of their storage capacity. Sardar Sarovar Dam--the state’s largest, with a capacity of 2,43,976.15 million cubic feet, is at 73% of its total water storage capacity. The state has so

far stored 4,27,313 million cubic feet water in its 205 dams.

Overall, the intensity of rains decreased considerably over the past 24 hours.

The state has received 107% of its annual average rainfall, while the Kutch region has received 219.28%.

After a brief respite, heavy rainfall is expected to return over the coming weekend. There is a cyclonic circulation over southern Pakistan and its neighbourhood extending up to 5.8km above mean sea level tilt-

ing south-westwards with height. For Ahmedabad, the weatherman has predicted a partly cloudy sky with light to moderate rainfall very likely in some areas.

While heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in the Banaskantha district of the North Gujarat region, rainfall occurred at most places over the South Gujarat and Kutch regions, at many places over the North Gujarat region and at a few places over Saurashtra over the past 24 hours.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020

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HC to AMC: File fire safety report in 6 wks Court has opened petition to all buildings and not restricted it to hospitals; state sends three-member PIU team to look into GG Hosp fire First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The state high court, in an interim order, has directed the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to file an exhaustive affidavit on the implementation of the Fire Prevention and Safety Act within six weeks, before the issue is next heard, on September 30.

The first division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice JB Pardiwala was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Amit Panchal. The petitioner had raised the issue of the Shrey Hospital fire incident in which eight COVID-19 patients died. In its interim order, the court stated, “We are not restricting the scope of the petition to hospitals only, but it would encompass all buildings which require fire safety equipment to be necessarily installed as per the Act’s rules and regulations. The use of buildings is to be permitted only after the issuance of a No Objection Cer-

HC rejects Oza’s apology, may keep case going First India Bureau

tificate by the Fire Department.”

The order, which was passed last week and put in the public domain on Wednesday, said, “The state is also directed to share all required information in this regard. The court also made it clear that no further time would be granted for the report. In between the state should continue to take action for the implementation of the Fire Safety and Prevention Act.” The state high court noted that the petitioner had drawn attention towards news reports

V’dara court dismisses three complaints of public-order violations filed during lockdown Haresh Jhala Vadodara: The Vadodara judicial magistrate on Wednesday dismissed three cases of public order violations. The court has observed that the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 188 enforced order had not been executed by the executive magistrate before invoking the section

The court said the police had failed to produce an order of the executive magistrate. in the cases.

The cases had been filed with Bapod police station and the First Information reports (FIRs) stated that all

State’s confirmed nCov cases cross 90K, active cases near 15K Haresh Jhala

accused had violated public orders during the lockdown. The court, dismissing the cases, observed, “The police failed to produce an order of the executive magistrate, therefore, the cases cannot be entertained.”

This order by the court leaves the fate of more than 5,000 cases—all filed during Lockdown 1.0 and 2.0—hanging in the balance.

which mentioned 91 of over 2,022 hospitals in the city had not received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department.

Meanwhile, the state government has rushed three members of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) to look into the fire that broke out at the Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Jamnagar on Tuesday. The team includes structural, electrical and civil engineers, who have been tasked with making inquiries and submitting their report to the state.

Ahmedabad: Refusing to accept the apology of Yatin Oza, former president of the Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association, the state high court said the accusations questioning the court’s integrity mandate a case fit for court proceedings.

A detailed order of the court is awaited in this regard.

Oza had requested the court to pardon him and restore his designation as Senior Counsel.

Oza’s “unconditional apology” presented to the high court on August 14 by a representative had stated, “He had no intention to scandalize or lower the authority of the court.

REMEMBERING HER KINDNESS

Oza has already tendered his unconditional apology before the court in the subject proceedings and pursuant to the direction issued by the Supreme Court, once again, he is tendering his apology with an urge to discharge him of the notice of contempt issued in the instant proceedings.”

In June, the high court had initiated contempt of court proceedings against Oza for making scathing remarks against the court.

The court, in its order, has prohibited Oza from making, “any scandalous remarks, circulating any material or communicating directly or indirectly either himself or through others in relation to the subject matter of the contempt.”

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

SOME RELIEF

Gandhinagar: With 1,197 fresh cases of COVID-19 emerging across Gujarat on Wednesday, the state has now seen 90,139 positive cases. There are currently 14,884 active cases in the state, with 86 patients on ventilator support.

Again, Surat reported the highest number of cases, with 253. Of these, 168 were from the city and 85 were from rural areas. There are a total of 177 COVID-19 patients being treated at the New Civil Hospital and SMIMER Hospital, of which 10 are on ventilator support, 32 are on BiPAP machines and 81 are on oxygen in both hospitals.

Ahmedabad reported the second-highest number of cases in the state, with 163. Vadodara had 154 cases—120 in the city areas and 34 in rural areas. Some 2,349 samples were tested in the past 24 hours. There are

A child looks on as a medic collects a swab sample for a COVID-19 test in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO

1,197 cases and 17 deaths in 24 hours; tally now 90,139, death toll, 2,947 1,581 active cases there, with 165 patients on oxygen support and 61 on BiPAP machines and ventilators. The highest number of cases, 1,905, came from the

North Zone, while 1,479 came from the South zone, 1,632 came from rural areas and 34 from other districts and states.

The state health bulletin shows only 17 deaths across the state.

Five in Ahmedabad, four each in Surat and Rajkot, two in Vadodara, and one each from Dahod and Gir Somnath.

However, a local daily has reported that 23 COVID-19 patients died in Rajkot in the past 24 hours—20 at the civil hospital and three at private hospitals.

There were 77 positive cases in Rajkot city and 22 in rural areas. On Wednesday, nine more employees of Saurashtra university tested positive for COVID-19.

Other cases came in from Jamnagar (88), Bhavnagar (45), Gandhinagar (43), Amreli (34), Panchamahal (31), and Bharuch (29).

People of different faiths came together on Wednesday to honour Mother Teresa on her 110th birth anniversary. Now known as St Teresa of Kolkata, she was called the Saint of the Gutters during her lifetime for her work with the poorest of the poor.

`24.3 LAKH STOLEN FROM ATM IN SURAT First India Bureau Surat: In a lightning fast theft, a man wearing a raincoat and carrying an umbrella stole Rs24,20,500 from a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM within six to seven minutes on Wednesday. The crime occurred in the ATM

Theft executed in 6-7 mins was discovered after a staffer could not withdraw cash located on the ground floor of the Titanium Square Building near the Adajan-Hazira

Road.

The theft was discovered when the bank’s manager Ranjit Gopalbhai Vasava learnt that one of his colleagues had been unable to withdraw money from the machine. On receiving word about the theft, Adajan police rushed to the spot and started an investigation.

Vasava informed the police that despite being on leave on August 21, he had gone to the bank and deposited money in the ATM machine.

Primary investigation has revealed that the man fled with the money in a black bag. The police have been working to nab the accused with the help of CCTV cameras.

9 NSUI members go on hunger strike over NEET-JEE 

The organization has asked the government to find an alternative to having students physically sit for the exams

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Nine members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) on Wednesday began an indefinite hunger strike demanding the postponement of the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and fee waiver of six months for

students amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

NSUI president Neeraj Kundan commenced the hunger strike along with eight other members on Wednesday.

State NSUI members supported the strike using social media platforms as they did not receive permission to hold a physical protest. They have also

NSUI initiated a nationwide protest in New Delhi. The state unit supported it via social media.

demanded that varsities not conduct examinations due to the novel coronavirus health crisis.

Bhavik Solanki, general secretary of NSUI, alleged, “Neither the state education department nor the government have a plan to tackle the situation.

They should find an alternative to conducting physical exams, rather putting the lives

of thousands of students in danger.”

The body’s general secretary also highlighted the current flood-like situation and health crisis looming over the state and asserted that the government should roll back the examination notice.

“A student and his father were swept away in the floodwaters while on their way to

an examination centre for the Gujarat Common Entrance Test (GUJCET). The number of novel coronavirus cases has been increasing every day. If a student is asymptomatic but has been infected with the virus, he or she may pass it on to other students.

We must find another way to conduct the examinations,” Solanki pleaded.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020

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COUNTRIES SHOULD END GLOBAL POVERTY

JUSTICE SUNIL KUMAR GARG FORMER JUDGE RAJASTHAN HIGH COURT

T

he constant fact of wailing and weeping is one of the important symptoms of an intention to commit suicide as mentioned by George W. Brown and Tirril Harris in their book “Social Origins of Depression”.

Suicide is intentionally taking of one’s life. In other words, suicide is the initiation of an act leading to one’s own death. Conventional wisdom decrees that suicide is the escape route for the abnormal. A person who commits suicide; can adopt different methods in committing suicide; for example, use of firearms, poisoning especially drug, over drugs, hanging, inhalation of gas, etc. etc.

Normally one would not commit suicide unless there are strong and compelling reasons for it. Thus, ordinarily, there has to be a very pressing motive behind every case of suicide and society should try to understand the causes behind committing suicide.

Hon’ble Supreme Court took the occasion to deal with the point in question in a case reported in AIR 1984 SC page 1622 (Sharad Birdhichand Sarda Vs. State of Maharashtra) and in that case quoted some passages of an eminent psychiatrist Robert J. Kastenbaum from his book “Death, Society and Human Experience.” Hon’ble Supreme Court enumerated the causes of suicide in the following manner in that judgment:  The fact is that some people who

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commit suicide can be classified as psychotic or severely disturbed If we are concerned with the probability of suicide in very large populations, then mental and emotional disorder is a relevant variable to consider And it is only through a gross distortion of the actual circumstances that one could claim all suicides are enacted in a spell of madness Seen in these terms, suicide is simply one of the ways in which a relatively weak member of society loses out in the jungle-like struggle The individual does not destroy himself in the hope of thereby achieving a noble postmortem reputation or a place among the eternally blessed. Instead, he wishes to subtract himself from a life whose equality seems a worse evil than death The newly awakened spirit of hope and progress soon shadowed by a sense of disappointment and resignation that, it sometimes seemed, only death could swallow Revenge fantasies and their association with suicide are well known to people who give ear to those in emotional distress People who attempt suicide for reasons other than revenge may also on assumption that, in a sense, they will survive the death to benefit by its effect

Psychologists have viewed suicide as a means of handling aggressive impulses engendered by frustration. The Hon’ble Supreme Court again dealt with this aspect in a case reported in AIR 1994 SC page 1844 (P.Rathinam Vs. Union of India) and there enumerated the causes responsible for committing suicide in the following manner: “Various social forces like the economy, religion, and socio-economic status are responsible for suicides. There are various theories of suicide, to wit, sociological, psychological, biochemical, and environmental.”

“The causes of suicides are many and varying inasmuch as some owe their origin to sentiments or exasperation, frustration and revolution, some are the result of the feeling of burden, torture, and sadness. Some are caused by loss of employment, reverse of fortune, misery due to illness, family trouble, and thwarted love. Sometimes killing is in opposition to society and sometimes in opposition to particular persons. This happens when the person committing suicide nurses a feeling of unjust treatment, maltreatment, and cruelty. (See the ‘Causes of Suicide’ by Maurice Halbwecks (translated by Harold Goldbatt).

ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SUICIDE AND ITS LEGAL ASPECT The word ‘suicide’ has two facets in the Indian Penal Code. One is an attempt

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The causes of suicides are many and varying inasmuch as some owe their origin to sentiments or exasperation, frustration and revolution, some are the result of the feeling of burden, torture, and sadness.

Some are caused by loss of employment, reverse of fortune, misery due to illness, family trouble, and thwarted love

SUICIDE

&

ITS CAUSES to commit suicide which is punishable under section 309 IPC and the second is abetment of suicide which is punishable under section 306 IPC. First, we take up the case of attempt to commit suicide as envisaged by the Supreme Court in case reported in A.I.R. 1994 SC page 1844 (supra). The Hon’ble Supreme Court after dealing with various aspects of suicide in the above case came to the conclusion that the provision attempt to commit suicide which is punishable u/s 309 IPC is cruel, irrational provision and violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of India and further held that act of attempt to suicide has no baneful effect on society and it is not against religion, morality public policy.

Note: Thus by this judgment the Hon’ble Supreme Court has declared Section 309 IPC violative of Article 21 Constitution of India and has effaced Section 309 from Indian Penal Code.

The above proposition of law as held in a case 1994 SC page 1844 (supra) is now no longer good law as the above case stands over-ruled by the judgment of Constitutional Bench of five Judges of Supreme Court delivered on 21.03.96 reported in Supreme To-day 1996(3) page 1(Smt. Gian Kaur etc. Vs. State of Punjab etc.). In that case, the following law has been held down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court on Section 309 IPC:  Sections 306 and 309, Indian Penal

Code, are constitutionally valid.

 Article 21 of the Constitution of India 







does not include the ‘right to die.’

The ‘right to die’ if any is inherently inconsistent with the ‘right of life’ as ‘death’ with ‘life’.

Right to live with human dignity cannot be construed to include within its ambit the right to terminate natural life, at least before the commencement of the natural process of certain death.

‘Right to life’ is a natural right embodied in Article 21 but suicide is unnatural termination or extinction of life and, therefore, incompatible and inconsistent with the concept of ‘right to life’.

Section 309 IPC is not violative of Article 21 and Constitutionally valid.

ABETMENT OF SUICIDE AND ITS LEGAL ASPECT Abetment to commit suicide is punishable u/s 306 IPC and first, we take up its legal aspect.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court in it latter judgment Supreme To-day 1996(3) page 1 (supra) held that Section 306 IPC is constitutionally valid. Assisted suicide and assisted attempts to commit suicide are made punishable for cogent reasons in the interest of society. The abettor is viewed differently inasmuch he abets the extinguishment of life of another person and punishment or abetment is considered necessary to prevent abuse of the absence of such a penal provision. Sec-

THE WORD ‘SUICIDE’ HAS TWO FACETS IN THE INDIAN PENAL CODE. ONE IS AN ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SUICIDE WHICH IS PUNISHABLE UNDER SECTION 309 IPC AND THE SECOND IS ABETMENT OF SUICIDE WHICH IS PUNISHABLE UNDER SECTION 306 IPC

tion 306 IPC enacts a distinct offence which can survive independent of Section 309 and thereafter the Supreme Court held that both Sections 306 and 309 IPC are constitutionally valid.

CASES ON ABETMENT OF SUICIDE A person can abet the commission of an offence in any one of the three ways as set out in Sec. 107 IPC:  Instigating a person to commit an of-

fence; or

 Engaging in a conspiracy to commit it, or  Intentionally aiding a person to commit it.

n Introduction of New Section 113-A in Indian Evidence Act:

By Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act, 1983, a new section 498A has been introduced in Indian Penal Code and by the same Amendment Section 113A has been added in the Indian Evidence Act and it came into force with effect from 26.12.83. n Presumption as to abetment of suicide by a married woman: When the question is whether the commission of suicide by a woman had been abetted by her husband or any relative of her husband and it is shown that she had committed suicide within a period of seven years from the date of her marriage and that her husband or such relative of her husband had subjected her to cruelty, the court may presume, having regard to all the other circumstances of the case, that such suicide had been abetted by her husband or by such relative of her husband. These sections have been added to combat ever-growing menace of dowry death cases. n Section 113A has retrospective application: Whether this provision i.e. Section 113A has a retrospective application or not this question has been answered by Hon’ble Supreme Court in AIR 1990 SC page 209 (Gurubachan Singh Vs. Satpal

Singh & others) in the following manner:“The provisions of the said Section does not create any new offence and as such it does not create any substantial right but it is merely a matter of procedure of evidence and as such it is retrospective. n Requirement of proof beyond reasonable doubt applicable: The Hon’ble Supreme Court opined that even in offences against a women requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt by the prosecution has not stood altered even by the introduction of Section 498A IPC and Section 113A of Evidence Act. On this point, the case reported in AIR 1994 SC page 1418 (State of West Bengal Vs. Orilal Jayaswal) can be seen. n On investigation of suicide cases: The Hon’ble Supreme Court in a case reported in AIR 1985 SC page 195 (State of West Bengal & others Vs. Sampat Lal & others) felt the necessity and gave directions how investigation in cases of suicidal death should be made, in the following manner: “The conclusion of suicide should not be the basis upon which the investigation is made and further attention is devoted. It is quite likely that more material would come to light on the basis of which one or the other of the competing explanation for the death can find credibility and the investigation can then proceed in the right direction.” n Duty of the Court: The Hon’ble Supreme Court in a case reported in AIR 2013 SC 329 (V.V. Anvekar Vs. State ) has cast a duty on Court while dealing with cases of suicide in the following manner : “The Judges have to be sensitive to women’s problems. Assault on a woman offends her dignity. What effect it will have on a woman depends on facts and circumstances of each case. There cannot be any generalization on this issue. There is a phenomenal rise in crime against women and protection granted to women by the Constitution of India and other laws can be meaningful only if those who are entrusted with the job of doing justice are sensitized towards women’s problems.”

CHARGE U/S 302 OR 3-4B IPC, CONVICTION U/S 306 IPC In the case of Virendra Kumar Vs. State, (2007)9 SCC 211 it has been held that where the charge is under section 302 IPC but evidence produced before Court showed that charge u/s 306 IPC is made out as the accused husband used to taunt the deceased for not bringing adequate dowry, the conviction under section 306 IPC instead of sec. 302 IPC was proper even if no charge under section 306 IPC was framed.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

rillions of dollars have already been spent on the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and no one knows what the final bill will be. Is it possible to respond to a much longer crisis – global poverty – with even a fraction of these resources?

Richer countries are currently committed to spending 0.7% of their gross national income (GNI) on international development aid. This target was established by the Pearson Commission in 1969, and approved in a United Nations General Assembly resolution the following year. Countries reached this agreement a half-century ago in a world in which global poverty was at very high levels. At the time, the world was justifiably perceived in binary terms: The North was wealthy, and the South was poor.

Much has changed in the intervening 50 years. Some countries have met the 0.7% target, but many others have yet to do so. Many developing countries experienced rapid economic growth in the 2000s – not only China and India, but also a number of African countries. Although all gains are currently in jeopardy, prior to the pandemic, at least, the world had entered a new era, with fewer low-income countries. At the same time, the higher global ambitions set out in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), committed countries to end poverty in all its forms by 2030.

A new era needs a new approach. The COVID-19 pandemic makes this need even more urgent. My colleagues and I propose a scaled financial commitment to development, with a twist: it should be universal across all countries, rich and poor.

Before describing the proposal, it is necessary to ask what has changed since the 0.7%-of-GNI target was adopted. During this period, two “new middles” emerged. The first is an increase in the number of middle-income countries – now home to much of the developing world’s population. In many of these countries, aid levels are already low relative to domestic resources and non-public international flows. At the other end of the spectrum, about 30 countries remain “stuck” in terms of growth. These highly aid-dependent states are home to approximately 10% of the population of developing countries – not a “bottom billion,” but a bottom half-billion. The other “new middle” comprises those who have escaped poverty, but remain vulnerable to falling back into it. This group, as we show, represents more than two-thirds of the developing world’s people.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECTSYNDICTAE.COM

TOP TWEET Ravi Shankar Prasad @rsprasad The government announced increase in the FDI limit in defence manufacturing to 74 % from 49 % under the automatic route. This decision will give a big push to Make in India for the defence sector. #AatmaNirbharBharat Harsimrat Kaur Badal @HarsimratBadal_ On Women’s Equality Day, let’s cheer for women who are reclaiming their place under the sun. Let’s also pledge to strive to ensure equal opportunities for women in all walks of life. #WomensEqualityDay

SPIRITUAL SPEAK Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.

—Proverbs 12:25

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LAKHIMPUR KHERI RAPE: The incident took place on Monday when the girl had gone to a neighbouring town

Priyanka urges Guv to take cognisance New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday urged Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel to take cognizance of rape and murder of an 18-yearold girl who was found dead outside her village in Lakhimpur Kheri.

“Your Excellency, the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, the condition of women security is in a very bad shape in Uttar Pradesh. A girl from Lakhimpur was going to fill an online form while she was raped and brutally murdered.

Such incidents are taking place in Uttar Pradesh on a daily basis. Hope you understand its seriousness and take it into consideration,” she tweeted.

‘RBI confirms what I’ve been warning on’

Priyanka Gandhi

The incident took place on Monday when the girl had gone to a neighboring town to fill up an online scholarship application form.

Her post-mortem report has confirmed rape and Uttar Pradesh Police has formed three teams to investigate the matter. —PTI

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, in a fresh barb at the government, said that “distractions through media won't help the poor” as he tweeted about the Reserve Bank of India's latest warning on economic contraction amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“RBI has now confirmed what I have been warning for months,” the 50-year-old ex-Congress chief tweeted on Wednesday along with a news report.

He then made a few suggestions. “Government needs to: Spend more, not lend more.

Give money to the poor,

Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday registered an FIR against actor Rhea Chakraborty and others in Sushant Singh Rajput’s death after reports that drug was supplied to her and the late actor.

The case was registered under sections 20 (b), 28 and 29 of Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, which makes possessing, selling of drugs a crime.

The development comes after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing the money laundering angle, wrote to the NCB that during their investigation they found that drug was supplied to Rhea and Sushant.

Meanwhile, Rhea’s lawyers denied the allegations saying that she ‘has never consumed drugs in her life ever. She is ready for a blood test.’

On June 14, Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide in his apartment in Mumbai. The probe was handed over to

Rhea Chakraborty

THE SHOWCAUSE NOTICE

Rahul Gandhi

not tax cuts to industrialists. Restart economy by consumption.

“Distractions through media won't help the poor or make the economic disaster disappear,” he added.

On Tuesday, the RBI warned of economic contraction till September. “More protracted spread of the coronavi-

rus pandemic, deviations of the monsoon from the predicted normal rains and global financial market volatility are key downside risks to growth,” the central bank said in its annual document.

The pandemic has affected over 200 countries, bringing economic activity to a stand-

still, the RBI said.

The central bank also said that COVID-19 affected the supply of notes. “The supply of banknotes during 201920 was also lower by 23.3 per cent than in the previous year mainly due to the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and ensuing lockdown,” the report said.—Agencies

US blacklists 24 Chinese firms: officials Washington: The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions and restrictions on two dozen Chinese companies and associated officials for taking part in building artificial islands in disputed waters in the South China Sea. The 24 state-owned firms include subsidiaries of construction giant China Communications Construction Co., telecommunications firms and a unit of China Shipbuilding Group. The move was the latest step in Washington’s efforts to pressure Beijing over its military buildup in areas of South China Sea where sovereignty is contested by several countries.

The US Commerce

Department said the companies ‘enabled China to construct and militarize disputed outposts in the South China Sea.’ “Since 2013, the PRC has used its stateowned enterprises to dredge and reclaim more than 3,000 acres on disputed features in South China Sea, destabilizing the region and causing untold environmental devastation,” Mike Pompeo said in a statement. —Agencies

Covid recoveries exceed Choksi moves HC against Netflix ‘Bad Boy Billionaires’ active cases by 3.5 times IN THE COURTYARD

SUSHANT SINGH DEATH CASE

NCB registers FIR against Rhea and others

‘NEED TO SPEND MORE, NOT LEND MORE’

06

26/11 survivor moves HC for a home Mumbai: Devika Rotawan, one of the 26/11 Mumbai attack survivors and eyewitness is under acute financial stress and has requested the governDevika ment to fulRotawan fil the assurance given to her of providing a house under EWS Scheme. She has also filed a PIL in Bombay High Court. —ANI

New Delhi: Mehul Group), Kingfisher AirChoksi, the uncle of dia- lines chairman Vijay mantaire Nirav Modi, Mallya and Ramalinga Raju (Ex-chairhas moved the man of Satyam Delhi high court Computer Seragainst a docuvices). In his petimentary to be tion, Choksi has aired at OTT sought the postplatform Netflix. ponement of the The documen- Mehul Choksi d o c u m e n t a r y, tary titled ‘Bad Boy Billionaires’ focuss- which is slated to be rees on the fraud commit- leased on September 2. ted by many high-profile The petition, filed by lawbusiness tycoons in In- yer Vijay Aggarwal, furdia. The poster released ther said that Choksi got

by Netflix shows Chok- to know of the release on si’s nephew Nirav Modi, August 24 when he saw Subrata Roy (Sahara the trailer. —Agencies

PIL in SC seeks appointing govt nominees by one of the advocates on the Hindu side in the Ayodhya title dispute through advocate Vishnu Jain. The top court exercising powers under Article 142 of the Constitution allotted five acres of land to the Sunni Central Waqf Board. —PTI

New Delhi: A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to appoint a government nominee to the Ayodhya mosque trust, which was set up for the construction of the mosque.

The plea has been filed

New Delhi: The total number of COVID-19 recoveries in India has surged to 24,67,758 and exceeds the active cases of the infection by 3.5 times as on date, pushing the coronavirus recovery rate to over 76 per cent, the Union health ministry said on Wednesday. The record high recoveries have ensured that the number of active cases of COVID-19, which is the ‘actual caseload’ of the country, comprises only 21.87 percent of the total cases, it highlighted.

Recovery of 63,173 COVID-19 patients in 24 hours has resulted in 24,67,758 cumulative recoveries, according to the data updated at 8 AM. This has contributed to the rapidly widening chasm between the percentage of recovered cases and percentage of active cases, the

A medic collects a swab sample of a man for COVID-19 test at Civil Hospital, in Amritsar on Wednesday.

EX-ASSAM CM GOGOI TESTS POSITIVE

ministry said. There are 17,60,489 more recovered people than the active cases.

There are 7,07,267 active cases of coronavirus infection presently, it said. —PTI

PNB receives ` 24 cr as first tranche of recovery from US CBI by the Supreme Court after it upheld the validity of FIR lodged by Bihar Police in response to a plaint filed by Rajput’s father, KK Singh. —Agencies

New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday said that Punjab National Bank (PNB) has informed the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) that it has received USD 3.25 million (the equivalent of Rs. 24.33 crores) as the first tranche of recoveries in fugitive Nirav Modi case from the USA. “Upon liquidation of

the debtors' assets by the US Chapter 11 Trustee, a sum of $ 11.04 million (equivalent of Rs. 82.66 crore) is available for distribution to unsecured creditors including PNB. Further recovery therefrom is subject to other expenses and settlement of claims of other claimants,” MCA said in a release.

The Ministry also

marketing and this will destroy the MSP regime and adversely impact the PDS. “There has been a nationwide outcry against the Draft EIA Notification 2020 which is deeply anti-democratic. Laws meant to protect the environment, livelihoods and public health are being weakened,” she said, noting that the auction of coal mines has also been objected to by some chief ministers.

Public sector assets created over decades are being sold off, the Congress leader said, adding that some state governments

have expressed their strong opposition to this.

She also observed that six airports have already been given to private hands and the Railways which is the life-line of the country is also being privatised by the BJP-led central government.

Gandhi called for more such meetings of like-minded parties in the larger interest of the country and the public’s good. She also urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to talk to some of her counterparts in the larger interest of the public.

has initiated proceedings for disgorgement of monies from the perpetrators-- the entities promoted and/or controlled by Nirav Modi/ Mehul Choksi.

“Punjab National Bank Limited in 2018 informed the MCA that three companies promoted by Nirav Modi, namely Firestar Diamond, A. Jaffee and

Fantasy had filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in the Southern District of New York, United States of America,” MCA said.

PNB requested the MCA to support and join the bankruptcy proceedings in New York, USA in order to help PNB realize its claims in the debtors' assets. —Agencies

dates will be given the vaccine in the next seven days.

SII, the world’s largest vaccine maker has signed an agreement to manufacture the potential vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute of Oxford University in collaboration with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca. —PTI

the UN Security Council.

“We fail to comprehend where exactly did the Permanent Representative of Pakistan make his statement since the Security Council session today was not open to nonmembers. Be that as it may, the five big lies of Pakistan lies exposed, India’s Permanent Mission to the UN had said.

Calling out Pakistan’s lie that it has been a target of crossborder terrorism for decades, India had said a lie repeated a hundred times will not become truth. —PTI

FROM PG 1 CMs of...

“This refusal to compensate the states is nothing short of a betrayal by the Modi government and a betrayal of trust of the people of India,” she said at the meeting.

Gandhi noted that the GST was enacted as an example of “cooperative federalism” and the GST regime came into existence because the states agreed to forego their constitutional powers of taxation in the larger national interest and on the solemn promise of compulsory GST compensation

for a period of five years.

She also said that some announcements by the government like the National Education Policy should worry all of them.

“This is a setback for progressive, secular and scientific values and reveals insensitivity to what the states have been saying. Problems of students and examinations are being dealt with very uncaringly,” she said.

Gandhi observed that ordinances are being issued by the Centre without consulting states on agricultural

The meeting ended with Uddhav Thackeray saying that “we will have to work together and fight together”. Sonia Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee too echoed the same. —Agencies

Phase II trial...

Another 48-year-old male volunteer was also given the vaccine, he added. While the 32 yearold volunteer works for a private company, the other one is associated with the healthcare sector, he said.

“Before administering the vaccine, doctors checked their temperature, blood pressure and

heart beats,” he said.

Five volunteers had enrolled themselves for the trial after the doses were received from the SII on Tuesday, he added.

“The COVID-19 and antibodies tests were conducted on all the five volunteers. Of them, the reports of three volunteers’ antibodies test came out positive. So they became ineligible for the trial,” Dr Lalwani said.

“The two other volunteers, who were administered the vaccines are being monitored,” he said.

According to Dr Lalwani, in all, 25 candi-

India writes...

We have seen a statement put out by the Pakistan Mission to the UN, claiming that these remarks were made by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan at

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07

IT IS REALISTIC THAT WE WILL KNOW SOMETIME IN LATE 2020 WHETHER SOME COVID-19 VACCINES ARE SAFE, EXACTLY HOW EFFECTIVE THEY ARE AND WHICH ONES SHOULD BE USED TO VACCINATE THE POPULATION IN 2021

WHY SHOULD ONE BE OPTIMISTIC FOR

SPIKE GLYCOPROTEIN CONTAINS MULTIPLE TARGETS The spike protein has many locations where antibodies can bind to and neutralize the virus. That’s good news because with so many vulnerable spots, it will be difficult for the virus to mutate to avoid a vaccine. Multiple parts of the spike would need to mutate to evade neutralizing anti-spike antibodies. Too many mutations to the spike protein would change its structure and render it incapable of binding to ACE2, which is key to infecting human cells.

COVID-19 VACCINE? A

HUMAN IMMUNE SYSTEM CURES COVID-19 In as many as 99% of all COVID-19 cases, the patient recovers from the infection, and the virus is cleared from the body. Some of those who have had COVID-19 may have low levels of virus in the body for up to three months after infection. But in most cases these individuals can no longer transmit the virus to other people 10 days after first becoming sick. It should therefore be much easier to make a vaccine for the new coronavirus than for infections such as HIV where the immune system fails to cure it naturally. SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t mutate the way that HIV does, making it a much easier target for the immune system to subdue or for a vaccine to control.

VACCINE DISTRIBUTORS ARE BEING CONTRACTED NOW McKesson Corp., the largest vaccine distributor in the US, has already been contracted by the CDC to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine to sites – including clinics and hospitals – where the vaccine will be administered. I believe that it is realistic that we will know sometime in late 2020 whether some COVID-19 vaccines are safe, exactly how effective they are and which ones should be used to vaccinate the US population in 2021.

ACCELERATING VACCINE PRODUCTION AND DEPLOYMENT

SEVERAL DIFFERENT VACCINES IN DEVELOPMENT

Operation Warp Speed is paying for the production of millions of doses of vaccines and supporting vaccine manufacturing at an industrial scale even before researchers have demonstrated vaccine efficacy and safety.

The advantage of this strategy is that once a vaccine is proven safe in phase III trials, a stockpile of it will already exist and it can be distributed immediately without compromising full assessment of safety and efficacy.

This is a more prudent approach than that of Russia, which is vaccinating the public with a vaccine before it has been shown to be safe and effective in phase III.

The US government is supporting the development of several different vaccines via Operation Warp Speed. The goal of Operation Warp Speed is to deliver 300 million doses of a safe and effective vaccine by January 2021.

The US government is making a major investment, committing US$8 billion to seven different COVID-19 vaccines.

By supporting multiple COVID-19 vaccines, the government is hedging its bets. Only one of these vaccines needs to prove safe and effective in clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine to be made available to Americans in 2021.

PHASE III CLINICAL TRIALS ARE UNDERWAY

VACCINES PASSING THROUGH PHASE I AND II TRIALS

During a phase III trial, the final step in vaccine development process, the vaccine is tested on tens of thousands of individuals to determine if it works to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, and that it is safe.

The vaccine produced by Moderna and NIH and the vaccine from OxfordAstraZeneca began phase III trials in July. Other COVID-19 vaccines will be starting phase III within weeks.

Phase I and phase II trials test if a vaccine is safe and induces an immune response. Already the results to date from three different vaccine trials are promising, triggering the production of antispike neutralizing antibodies levels that are two- to four-fold higher than those seen in people who have recovered from COVID-19. Moderna, Oxford and Chinese company CanSino have all demonstrated the safety of their vaccines in phase I and phase II trials.

WE KNOW HOW TO MAKE A SAFE VACCINE Safety of a new COVID-19 vaccine is improved by researchers’ understanding of potential vaccine side effects and how to avoid them.

One side effect seen in the past was antibodydependent enhancement of infection. This occurs when antibodies don’t neutralize the virus but instead allow it to enter into cells via a receptor intended for antibodies. Researchers have found that by immunizing with the spike protein, high levels of neutralizing antibodies can be produced. This lessens the risk of enhancement.

A second potential problem posed by some vaccines is an allergic reaction that causes inflammation in the lung, as was seen in individuals who received a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine in the 1960s. This is dangerous because inflammation in the lung air spaces can make it difficult to breathe.

However, researchers have now learned how to design vaccines to avoid this allergic response.

ANTIBODIES TARGETING SPIKE PROTEIN PREVENT INFECTION

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: CP SHARMA

s fall approaches r a p i d l y, many are wondering if the race for a vaccine will bear fruit as early as January 2021.

I am a physicianscientist and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Virginia, where I care for patients and conduct research into COVID-19. I am occasionally asked how I can be sure that researchers will develop a successful vaccine to prevent COVID-19.

After all, we still don’t have one for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Here is where the current research stands, where I think we will be in five months and why you can be optimistic about the delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine.

A vaccine will protect, in part, by inducing the production of antibodies against the spike protein on the surface of SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The virus needs the spike protein to attach to and enter human cells to reproduce.

Researchers have shown that antibodies, like those made by the human immune system, bind to the spike protein, neutralize it and prevent the coronavirus from infecting cells in laboratory culture.

Vaccines in clinical trials have been shown to raise anti-spike antibodies that block virus infection in cells in the lab.

At least seven companies have developed monoclonal antibodies, laboratory-manufactured antibodies that recognize the spike protein. These antibodies are entering clinical trials to test their ability to prevent infection in those who are exposed, for example, through a household contact.

Monoclonal antibodies may also be effective for treatment. During an infection, a dose of these monoclonal antibodies could neutralize virus, giving the immune system a chance to catch up and manufacture its own antibodies to combat the pathogen.

Whosoever we may be we all need a connect, a network, a family, to share our sorrows and joys, Value them.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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DEJA VU? NGT wants pollution boards to have functional labs Green Tribunal has stated that pollution control infrastructure has to be proper Darshan Desai

HARD REALITY!

Ahmedabad: Yet again —yes one more time —pollution control boards in Gujarat and across the country have come under fire, with the National Green Tribunal asking them to pull up their socks and put their testing laboratories in order.

The National Green Tribunal Wednesday directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to ensure that steps are taken to strengthen the infrastructure of laboratories of state pollution control boards.

Asserting that the NGT has hit the State pollution boards where it hurts the most, leading Gujaratbased environmentalist Mahesh Pandya told First India, “Notwithstanding any number of orders by the NGT, it is the lack of political will that is the biggest hindrance.”

The green tribunal has asserted in an earlier pollution case that, “Industrial development cannot be done

while, noted that 23 state pollution control boards had filed Action Taken Reports (ATRs) informing it about prescribed minimum inspection frequency for environmental surveillance of industries. It directed the CPCB to ensure that 12 more State boards submit their ATRs within three months.

“The CPCB and state pollution control boards may take further steps for strengthening their monitor-

Covid-19 patient ends life in home isolation in Surat First India Bureau

Surat: Depressed over the deadly infection, a 64-year-old Covid-19 patient allegedly committed suicide while under home isolation in Varachha area of Gujarat’s Surat city, police said on Wednesday.

The sexagenarian hanged himself in the room he was isolated in at his apartment in a housing society on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, an official from Kapodra police station said.

A suicide note was recovered from the scene, in which the

A 64-year-old man committed suicide in Surat.

man stated that he was taking the extreme step as he tested positive for the deadly infection and no one should be held responsible for his death, he said.

The deceased had

tested positive for the infection on August 20 and was stressed because of it, the official said.

A case of accidental death has been registered in this regard, he added.

CONFERENCE OF SORTS!

Water pollution is worsening in several states, including Gujarat.

on the graves of human beings and should not be at the cost of air and water quality”.

In Gujarat, “which is arguably the most polluted state”, it has often happened that most laboratories just can’t detect anything though “you could see smelling, pungent, acidic coloured water for yourself and hundreds of complaints of non-potable water keep on coming,” says Pandya.

The NGT, mean-

08

ing and related infrastructure, including the infrastructure of laboratories,” a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel said.

The CPCB told the tribunal that it had engaged Dr. C.S. Sharma, retired scientist, for preparation of report for strengthening of Central laboratories and Regional Directorate laboratories at Bengaluru, Bhopal, Kolkata, Lucknow, Shillong and Vadodara.

“Gujarat has 23 regional centres of the pollution board in 33 districts. Let us hope the scientist’s reports are acted upon, and this is not proved futile as often,” Mahesh Pandya told this paper.

Wednesday’s direction by the NGT came during the hearing of a plea filed by journalist Shailesh Singh seeking a direction to close industrial units running without NOCs under water and air pollution laws.

A large number of Common Cranes were spotted at the Sabarmati river near Vasna Barrage in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

— PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Guj BJP chief suspends 38 1 more rape complaint RMC’s slum redevelopment councillors for defying whip against Jain monk scheme bags Elets Award First India Bureau

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Days after getting the State’s ministers to sit at the party headquarter in Gandhinagar twice a week, Gujarat BJP President CR Paatil has cracked the whip once again.

On Wednesday, he issued suspension orders to 38 councillors of six nagarpalikas in Saurashtra, Kutch and North Gujarat regions.

The action has been taken against them for “disrespecting” the mandate of the party during the August 24 elections for the posts of presidents and vicepresidents of these local

Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil cracks the whip again.

bodies.

According to an official release by the BJP, these councillors either remained absent during elections or cross-voted against the party’s official candidates.

While 14 of the 38 councillors are from Upleta nagarpalika in Rajkot, 13 others are from Rapar municipality in

Kutch and rest from other places.

The councillors had been elected from Khedbramha, Harij and Tharad in Banaskantha and Sabarkantha districts, Rapar in Kutch district, Upleta (Rajkot) and Talaja (Bhavnagar) for defying the party’s mandate.

Himmatnagar (North Gujarat): Yet another rape complaint has been filed by one more alleged victim of Jain monk Rajtilak Sagarji (Rajasaheb) of Idar in North Gujarat.

In her complaint late Tuesday night, the complainant alleged that eight years ago she was lured by the monk with a promise to marry her and then raped her. The monk is out on bail in the first rape complaint of June 23. In Tuesday’s complaint against Pawapuri Jalmandir Jain monk Rajtilak, the woman alleged that he had promised to marry her and take care of her.

First India Bureau

But, none of the promises were kept.

The first complaint against two monks, Rajtilak Sagarji and Maharaj Saheb Shree Kalyan Sagar Ji, was lodged by temple trustee Dr. Ashit Doshi. The followers alleged that these monks “are using black magic and money” and would threaten the women with dire consequences.

In June, videos were circulated with a woman seen sitting on Maharaj Rajtilak Saheb’s lap.

Rajkot: The Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s initiative, Bharat Nagar 7-B housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, has bagged the Elets Housing Award.

The award was declared during the online Elets National Housing Summit held from August 26 and August 28 August.

This is part of the RMC’s redevelopment work being carried out in the slum areas through public private partnership (PPP) policy under the PMAY -2013.

The work of Bharat Nagar slum area under the PPP scheme has

Rajkot Municipal Corporation’s housing scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana bags award.

been completed with 314 houses and 20 shops at the cost of Rs.34.55 crore.

The beneficiaries living in this slum area will get their own houses free of cost. Till the completion of the work, the residents were given Rs 3,500 as rent per month.

This scheme has G+6 construction pattern, which includes a

common plot, garden, elevators, drinking water facility, drainage and lighting. Work on the entire scheme was overseen by City Engineer (Special) Alpana Mitra and the housing department team under the direct supervision of RMC Commissioner Udit Agarwal.

CART BEFORE THE HORSE!

Guj tops exports potential ratings, but where are the exports? 

The Niti Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index 2020 released on Wednesday puts Rajasthan on the top among the landlocked States, while it calls initiatives taken by Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand worth emulating

First India Bureau New Delhi: Gujarat, being among the top 5 exporters among all the States, has topped the Niti Aayog’s Export Preparedness Index 2020, followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu respectively. Though the ratings jointly given by the Niti Aayog and the Institute of Competitiveness are no surprise for these industryfriendly states, the true picture lies in the sub-

text and the fine print.

And the true picture was revealed on Wednesday itself by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant and ViceChairman Rajeev Kumar, while announcing the export preparedness report.

It is like putting the cart before the horse.

Amitabh Kant said though India’s merchandise exports have grown over the last nearly five years, the Covid-19 crisis pulled down the ex-

Gujarat ranks top among the States with best exports preparedness.

ports by a whopping 60 per cent in April 2020.

But from what Rajeev Kumar revealed, it could not be squarely blamed on the pandemic. He said, “India’s per capita exports stood at USD 241, compared to South Korea’s USD 11,900 and China’s USD 18,000.”

Instead of directly saying that Gujarat and the country’s four other top exporting States are lagging, he cited these numbers to say, “so there is a huge potential

for growth of India’s exports” and added that the State must consider creating a separate department for exports promotion.

The report pointed out that at present, 70 per cent of India’s export has been dominated by five states – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Most Indian states performed well across the sub-pillars of exports diversification, transport connectivity

and infrastructure. The average score of on these counts was above 50 per cent, the report said.

The report indicates that there is little to celebrate in the sense that those featuring in the top 10 rankings, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala, are all coastal States.

They have, therefore, strong enabling and facilitating factors to promote exports.

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AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY AUGUST 27, 2020

ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

I

n the words of Tajdar Amrohi, “Shahjahan immortalised Mumtaz Mahal by building the Taj Mahal. Baba (my father Kamal Amrohi) immortalised his wife Meena Kumari by making Pakeezah for her.” I will not go into the story behind the making of Pakeezah which is as interesting if not more than Pakeezah itself but will strive to explain that why does this film remain with me even today.

Pakeezah is about Meena Kumari, everything else is just the gift wrapping for this amazing actress. It is not about the plot, the movie lives on in its songs, dialogues, the emotions with the backdrop of the real love story and Meena Kumari’s death.

The movie is an echo of everybody’s heart, to be loved and accepted for who we are.

There was something achingly beautiful about the love story that even the long timelapse in its making, from its Mahurat in January 1957 to its release in February 1972 and the deep physical changes

On Throwback Thursday, City First walks the path of poetry, love and tehzeeb with Pakeezah in Meena Kumari, could not take away.

Pakeezah celebrates the innocence of tawaif Meena Kumari like a lotus blooming in a muddy pond and it’s apt that Raj Kumar falls in love with her feet on a train. “Aapke paon dekhe, bahut haseen hain. Inhein zameen par mat utariyega... maile ho jaayenge …” and every woman sighed along with Meena Kumari.

The dialogue, costumes, music, the alaap in the background during emotionally wrought scenes is like the wailing of the mother Nargis

(Meena Kumari) for her daughter Sahibjaan, the train whistle like a lover calling out the beloved, the jhankhar of the ghunghroo and the songs… each add to the edifice that Pakeezah has become. But the songs are an entire world in themselves – ‘Chalo Dildar Chalo’, ‘Chalte Chalte’, ‘Inhi Logon Ne Le Liya’, ‘Mausam Hai Ashiqana’, ‘Thade Rahiyo’– masterpieces in every sense.

Every single dance scene is amazingly choreographed, the costumes, the sets, the jewellery – there is a minute attention to detail which gives a surreal feeling to the entire movie.

I found Meena Kumari amazingly graceful, her languid style of walking, the husky voice, the speaking eyes, the inherent atmosphere becomes heavy when she is on screen… the sadness in her eyes… real or for reel… just makes one fall even more in love!

Dildar Chalo…

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020

10

VIDYUT MARTIAL ARTIST OF B’wood POORVIKA AGRAWAL cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

V

idyut Jammwal is a 39-year-old actor, martial artist and stunt performer who has predominantly worked in Hindi films, born in Jammu, J&K. He is one of the three children born to an Army Officer. He is a trained martial artist in K a l a r i p ayat t u and was trained in an ashram in Palakkad, Kerala. He used to perform live-action shows after earning a degree in martial art and have performed in over 25 countries.

Jammwal made his debut in Bollywood with John Abraham starrer Force in 2011, a remake of Kaakha Kaakha on which he played a negative role and won multiple best debut awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. After beginning his career with negative roles, he bagged multiple negative roles in various action film later. In 2012, Jammwal made his debut in Tamil cinema with Billa II as the antagonist opposite Ajith Kumar which earned him critical appreciation.

His next Hindi-language film Commando saw him playing the protagonist and performing real-world combatbased action without the aid of stuntmen. The film was showcased internationally for the first time in July 2013 at the Fantasia Film Fest in Montreal, followed by screening at the Fantastic fest in Texas in September 2013.

FA CE OF TH ED AY

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Spouse’s suspicious nature can offend you but try and understand from where did this insecurity rise. Don’t hesitate from getting out of any ugly relationship. You need capital for your business and for that you need to pray hard. Intensive hard work is required on professional front.

You love your parents and you prefer to stay with them than anyone else. Do not carry the burden of any ugly relationship, set yourself free.

Explore within and then see the miracles. Motivate people rather than bringing down their spirit down with ruthlessness.

Parents sometime expects a lot from children but instead of retaliating explain them what you really desire to do. You have great ideas for future in mind, work in the same direction. Don’t waste time weeping for a relationship that has actually bought you no happiness.

You are very emotional and something people take advantage so stay alert all times. Set yourself free and then see how life will change. You deserve all the happiness of the world and don’t let anyone tell you anything else. Main agents of growth needs to be identified.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You seek relaxation and freedom from any toxic relationship in life. Don’t form opinions about anyone in a short time. You will get involved in serious relationship but don’t loose sight of your ambitions.

For your health sake start eating only that is good for your health.

Don’t care about people who give a damn to you.

Time is favourable to take a bold step which as per you will give happiness to you. On academic front, you may need to work harder but hard work shouldn’t disappoint you. Replacing old business model is not a wise thing.

You are your teachers favourite. Under any circumstances do not play with anyone emotions.

Your stars are favourable for your business. You are beautiful both inside and out and that why people adore you. Legacy will allow you to live independently.

If you are from medical field than now is the time to prove that you are god’s sent angel. Your spouse could get rigid in some matters. handle things with an open conversation rather than any argument. Your plans for future will just work fine so don’t worry.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Some of you will win the heart of your senior by your confidence at work place.

Don’t shy away from expressing your real self in front of the world and certainly don’t bother about what people will say. Agreement stating everything clearly between two parties is very important for a business.

You know how to get your work done by any means.

Don’t tolerate anyone’s nonsense and don’t let anyone ever victimise you. Things can change overnight if you decide and put your heart and mind into it.

You are blessed with world’ best lover. You are well off today.

Don’t give up on yourself and fight hard. A friend or relative will be around to help you emotionally cope u with something. To stay mentally fit is very very important. Excess of everything is bad therefore exercise in moderation. You have big dream and of many, building a house is one.

To avoid any negative consequences, finish your academic work on time.

You have a heart full of compassion you usually forgive those who have hurt you but you never forget. You will make the most of your time with your lover. Silly and pointless arguments must stop.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

KITTU SINGH, Model

He received positive feedback from international media[18] and action directors, calling him India’s answer to Bruce Lee and Tony Jaa.[19] After the success of Commando, he played a sharpshooter cop in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Bullett Raja. In 2014, he played a supporting positive role in the Tamil-language film Anjaan, alongside Suriya. In 2017, he starred in Commando 2, the sequel to Commando, which became a box office success. Baadshaho was his next release that year in which he played Army Officer Major Seher Singh, the movie did average business worldwide.

In 2019, Jammwal starred in American director Chuck Russell’s first Bollywood film Junglee and Commando 3. The latter saw him returning to the Commando series and became the most successful film in the franchise. His upcoming projects include Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Yaara, an official remake of the French film Les Lyonnais. Yaara was one of three films Vidyut signed for – the other two being large format films by director Ram Madhvani, creating an aura similar to the Hollywood flick 300.

He has also been part of several popular lists, including Most Desirable, Fittest men with Best Bodies, and Sexiest Men Alive.

Vidyut kicked off an initiative to teach self-defence techniques to college-going girls and working professionals and hosted a camp at a college festival in Mumbai 2014. In a 2018 PETA campaign for India’s National Nutrition Week, the actor showed off his muscular physique alongside the words “Kick the meat habit. Go vegan.” He, along with Kangana Ranaut was adjudged as PETA India’s Hottest Vegetarian Celebrities of 2013.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020

Cross-Border

LAST BREATH

Love Drama M

akers of Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh starrer untitled cross-border love drama, on Wednesday, dropped the first look poster of the characters portrayed by John Abraham and Aditi Rao Hydari in the film.

Hydari took to Instagram to share the first look poster of the special characters which features the two seated on a staircase. While John is seen sporting a turban, Aditi is seen wearing a ghagra and choli in the picture.

The duo will be seen portraying special roles in the film that revolves around Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh’s cross-border love story.

Helmed by Kaashvie Nair, the untitled film will be bankrolled by actor turned producer John Abraham, along with Bhushan Kumar, Divya Khosla Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Monisha Advani, Nikkhil Advani, and Madhu Bhojwani.

The shooting of the film resumed on August 24 after it being halted due to the coronavi-

Jatin Rajguru

J

...her post

rus pandemic induced shutdown of the entertainment industry.

—ANI Aditi Rao Hydari

atin Rajguru, a star secretary breathed his last breath as he passed away due to cancer on Wednesday morning. Jatin who was in his early sixties is survived by his wife and a son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter. The secretary’s son, Ruchit is famed still photographer in the film industry and is currently working on Laal Singh Chaddha that features Aamir Khan. Jatin was cremated on Wednesday.

Jatin used to a secretary for various Bollywood celebrities that include Sunny Deol, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu, Divya Bharti, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Aishwarya Rai, John Abraham, Sunil Shetty, Ameesha Patel, Dino Morea, Aftab Shivdasani, and a slew of other celebrities. Apart from that, Jatin was also the associate producer for Khoobsurat that starred Urmila Matondkar.

The sudden news of his demise came as a shock to the celebrities he worked with. —Agency

BUZZ...

Returned to her

POSTER OUT...

‘FIRST LOVE’

A

fter a break from filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bollywood actor Sara Ali Khan on Wednesday has returned to the shooting sets to face the camera all over again.

On her return to the shooting space, the actor took it to the social media platform to express her excitement. She hopped to the Instagram stories and posted a picture of a camera.

The 25-year-old actor wrote alongside: “Finally back to the first love of my life” followed by a heart emoticon. However, it is not yet clear what was she shooting for.

Khan was last seen in Imtiaz Ali ‘s ‘Love Aaj Kal’ where she is paired opposite to Kartik Aaryan.

The upcoming projects of the ‘Kedarnath’ star include ‘Coolie No 1’, a remake of Govinda and Karisma Kapoor starrer of the same name.

Khan will be seen opposite Varun Dhawan.

Besides, she has also been roped in for Bhushan Kumar and Aanand L. Rai’s next project ‘Atrangi Re’.

The forthcoming movie marks the first film in which the trio of Sara Ali Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Dhanush will be seen sharing the screen space.

—ANI

11

...poster of the album

W

e can’t contain our excitement as the collab of the year between BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez will be out on Friday. Titled Ice Cream, we’re

promised a summer anthem that will be all about some delectable fun. For BLACKPINK, Ice Cream is their second single to come out of a grand three-part comeback which culminates with BLACKPINK: The Album releasing on October 2. For Gomez, fresh off of the success of her album Rare which topped the Billboard 200 upon release. Commemorating the countdown with an Ice Cream D-2 Poster, we have the final piece of the puzzle being added to the quartet and that’s Lisa.

The 23-year-old rapper leaves BLINKS in a righteous mess with her red hot avatar. —Agency

JLO BEAUTY

J

...her post

Selena Gomez

ennifer Lopez is no stranger to the beauty industry. She has launched more than two dozen fragrances, had a blockbuster makeup collaboration with Inglot, and has probably inspired millions in hair-extension sales. Nearly two years ago, the singer teased fans by saying she’d be launching a skin-care line, and fans have been waiting with bated breath ever since. Now, it looks like JLO fans may finally be getting that and more. Recently, Lopez has been posting beautifully bronzed selfies on Instagram, writing in the caption, “Sunset glow...#JLoBeauty coming soon.” According to reports, a @jlobeauty Instagram account has already been made, but it was originally created in April 2018 to promote Lopez’s Inglot collection, and it hasn’t been updated for nearly a year.

—Agency Jennifer Lopez

SECOND BABY WELCOMED

G

Sara Ali Khan

rey’s Anatomy star Camilla Luddington delivered a baby on Wednesday! The actress, 36, has welcomed her second child with husband Matthew Alan, she captioned a photo of herself in the hospital with the new baby.

The couple’s new addition joins 3-year-old big sister Hayden, whose birth Luddington announced in April 2017. The new mom shared that “it feels amazing” to welcome their second child home. “Our family has been isolating since March, which has come with its challenges, but the upside is that it gave us a lot

...her post

of time to be able to prepare,” she says.

“Once I hit 37 weeks, I was willing him to come.

Our bubble feels complete now that he’s here.”

Although she’d been pregnant before, it was “much more stressful” this time around considering the COVID-19 crisis. “I had more daily anxiety,” Luddington revealed.

“Not only did I have concerns over contracting COVID and what that could potentially mean for my pregnancy, but I was also worried about things like my husband not being able to be present with me during the birth.”

—Agency

Camilla Luddington and Matthew Alan

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

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

D

ogs have a special place in everyone’s heart. No matter wherever you go, you tend to see them everywhere; in fact, most of the people upload their dog’s photos/videos on their social media handles more than their own. Cute, right? Reports show that this is what people love to see. To celebrate the special bond between dogs and humans and to encourage adoption, International Dog Day is celebrated every year on 26 August.

Well, it is universally agreed that dogs make for loyal companions, and are often considered a man’s best friend.

City First got in touch with a few of its readers from Rajasthan and Gujarat about their experience being a dog parent and how their pet has changed their life.

AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020

SPREADING

DURING THE DAY!

PAWSITIVITY City First got in touch with a few of its readers from Rajasthan & Gujarat to know about their experience being a dog parent on International Dog Day on Wednesday

Being a dog owner is not easy. Moments of frustration are bound to occur. But your dog’s unconditional love, unsinkable sprite and unbiased smiles can improve your health and well-being in many ways.

Dogs increase feelings of contentment and relaxation and can also help you live longer. So one easy way to reduce stress is by adopting a dog and having a cheerful life ahead.

—REENA TANK, GUJARAT

A panel discussion, Virtual Togi on ‘Women In Leadership Roles and Equality of Gender For a Sustainable World’ was organised on Wednesday, under the umbrella of Rotary Bangalore Southwest (RBSW) where Rotarian Anubha was seen in conversation with the panel comprised of First National President, FICCI Flo, Rajasthan, Neeta Boochra; Sunny Sebastian; Matangi Jayaram, and Associate Dean, Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Dr Kanupriya Sachdev.

I feel blessed to parent my three pet darlings Poly, Lisa and Laila. As I am a Bachelor, they are my children and they give me so much of selfless love and affection. The most adorable thing is that they always pull me to come home wherever I am. During the lockdown times, they were my company and I used to talk to them, brush them, bathe them and play with them. It is because of them I never feel lonely.

—SUDHIR MATHUR, RAJASTHAN

RAJASTHAN: On this occasion of Radhashtmi, Shri Krishna Balarama Temple, Jaipur organised a grand celebration, which was broadcast live on the temple’s YouTube channel ‘Hare Krishna Jaipur’.

The President of the temple, Chanchala Pati Das shared that on the occasion, Thakur Ji was dressed in new clothes and the temple was decorated with flowers.

I have always thought I rescued my dog unless recently realized it was her, who rescued me and changed my entire life for good. My gloomy days are gone forever and it’s filled with laughter and love.

All days are the best days with my dog. Due to her, I am more connected to nature now. We both hate visiting vets which makes us nervous. Losing my dog is the worst fear I carry each day.

—RUCHI SINGH, GUJARAT

CHUNAUTI LAUNCHED

UNDER NGIS

RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of the 110th birth anniversary of the great social worker, Mother Teresa, the Mother Teresa Foundation Institute, Jaipur organised a tree plantation drive at Shri Bajrang Bali Gowshala where the members fed cows with jaggery and fodder along with planting saplings.

CITY FIRST

S NEW OPENING! CITY FIRST

‘O

lha-O’ have opened its new store in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur where exquisite ethnic pieces for home and outdoor decor from the hinterlands of India are offered to bring about a pleasant rendezvous between people and the mesmerizing India handicrafts. During the opening, Co-Founders, Manju Choudhary and Ishita Choudhary shared that the brand offers

12

unique handcrafted products for their corporate or hotel requirements, they have also paved a way towards the better economic opportunities for local craftsmen. The collection includes iron craft, In-Room solutions, F&B solutions, kitchen solutions and banquet solutions for hotels.

All the products are handcrafted, functional, food-safe and are sustainable and are not manufactured at the cost of the environment. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

oftware Technology Parks of India (STPI), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India has brought in Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS) for start-ups and simultaneously, launched CHUNAUTI NextGen Startup Challenge Contest under this scheme. In this context, STPI- Jaipur organized a outreach webinar session on 25 August to reach-out the potential participants. The session was addressed by eminent personalities.

Dr Omkar Rai, Director General, STPI, and other eminent speakers and mentors like Rajneesh Agrawal, Director, STPI-Noida, Subodh Sachan, Director-STPI-HQ, Dr Ajay Data, MD, Data group of Industries, Jaipur, SK Surana, MD, Compucom Software Ltd. Jaipur, and Chintan Bakshi, CEO, Startup Oasis, Jaipur.

The session was moderated by Avadhesh Kumar, Additional Director and Officer In-Charge,

Dr Omkar Rai

STPI, Jaipur. The outreach webinar was well taken and more than 250 participants attended NGIS is a pioneering initiative by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India & STPI to build a world-class incubation ecosystem for identifying & nurturing start-ups working towards path-breaking software products for addressing the futuristic problems in business and society.

Along with MeitY, STPI, MSH, STPINEXT INITIATIVES, a vast spectrum of industry, academia, investment and funding agencies joined hands to support the innovative product.

GUJARAT: People were seen enjoying the rain shower with their raincoats on in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of Women’s Equality Day, Life artist films gave a message to end the fear of rape among women by releasing ‘Still Not Equal’, a monologue video on rising rape cases in the country.

The monologue was released on YouTube.

GUJARAT: The beauty of the heritage site wall in Ahemdabad being damaged by garbage on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJARAT: Shah Family performing the Ganesh puja as they arrange a Satynarayan Katha during five days celebration of Ganesh Mahotsav at their home in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI