First India-Ahmedabad Edition-28 August 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

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ALERT AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

WORLD

COVID-19 UPDATE

8,32,541 2,44,85,143 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 23,444 DEATHS 7,33,568 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 6,948 DEATHS 4,03,242 CASES

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RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 272

INDIA

GUJARAT

61,675 33,82,152 2,964 DEATHS

KARNATAKA 5,232 DEATHS 3,09,792 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

DELHI 4,369 DEATHS 1,67,604 CASES

91,329

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,005 DEATHS 76,015 CASES

FLOATING ON HOPE!

Floating vegetable markets, on the scenic Dal Lake of Kashmir, came into existence as a means of sustenance after Coronavirus pandemic hit the tourism sector the most. Many boatmen can be seen ferrying vegetables that are produced in the interiors of the lake, instead of tourists these days! —PHOTO BY PTI

‘ACT OF GOD’ MAY CONTRACT Atmanirbhar Bharat is for ECONOMY THIS FISCAL: SITA stable global order: PM My govt has been making efforts to end red tapism to help defence sector become self-reliant, says Modi

New Delhi: Claiming that an “Act of God” may result in contraction of economy this fiscal, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who chaired the 41st GST Council meeting, said the GST shortfall in FY21 was around Rs 2.35 lakh crore.

Following a marathon five-hour meeting, Sitharaman said two options of compensating states were discussed while asserting that there was no proposal to raise tax rates to make up for the shortfall.

The Centre on Thursday gave two options for compensating states on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to bridge revenue shortfall as the economy faces a prospect of contraction in

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that his government’s resolve for ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ is not inwardlooking, but aimed at boosting India’s capabilities and global peace, and also for helping the world economy become more stable.

Speaking at a defence industry outreach seminar, Modi said India’s self-reliance on defence capabilities will boost its standing of being a net security provider in the Indian Ocean, make it a defence supplier for many friendly countries and deepen strategic ties.

Wooing private players, he asserted that the import embargo on a number of defence

—PHOTO ANI

States stare at Rs 2.35 lakh crore GST revenue shortfall; Centre gives 2 options to borrow via RBI

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chairing 41st GST Council meeting via VC where MoS Finance Anurag Thakur, Finance Ministers of States and UTs and senior officers were also present.

current fiscal year due to COVID-19 crisis.

The first option provides a special window to states in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to provide Rs 97,000 crore at a reasonable rate of interest. This money can

then be repaid after five years from the collection of cess. The second option is that the entire GST compensation gap of Rs 2.35 lakh of this year can be met by states in consultation with the RBI. The Finance Minis-

ter chaired the meeting which was also attended by Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, finance ministers of various states and union territories and senior officers from the Centre and states.

Turn to P6

—PHOTO ANI

PM Modi addresses during Atmanirbhar Bharat Defence Industry Outreach Webinar via video conferencing on Thursday.

equipment is not only aimed at curbing imports but also giving a boost to the domestic industry. He said more items will be added to this import embargo list later.

He noted that India has long been one of the

biggest defence importers in the world and rued that enough attention was not paid to augmenting domestic production in the past despite the country having inherited a capable ecosystem at the time of Independence. Turn to P6

SC refuses permission for Muharram processions New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to pass orders to allow mourning processions across the country during Muharram while observing that it will lead to chaos and the targeting of a particular community for spreading COVID-19.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde said it will not pass orders that could risk the health of many people.

“You (petitiner’s advocate) are asking for vague directions for the whole community in the country. Jagannath Puri case was one specific place where Rath was to go from point A to B. If it was one specific place we can assess the danger and pass orders,” the bench told the advocate appearing for the petitioner.

Turn to P6

State will choose from Centre’s options for financial compensation Needing finances, state governments have requested Centre to take a loan and disburse compensation Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: With state revenues hit by the recession and the lockdown that followed the outbreak of COVID-19, the Centre’s revenue has been affected as well. Now, needing finances for administrative expenses and development projects, state govern-

ments have requested the Centre to take a loan and disburse compensations for revenue loss. In turn, the Central government has decided to give the states two options on how they would like to receive this compensation. The Gujarat government will take a call on the issue at a later date.

Gujarat’s Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who is also the

state’s finance minister, stated on Thursday that all aspects of the cur-

rent financial situation were discussed in the GST (Goods and Ser-

vices Tax) council. He added that the Centre has given the state the option of seeking compensation for revenues lost due to recession while asking it to wait to seek compensation for revenue lost due to the lockdown.

Patel also said that, in a video conference, almost all states had requested the Centre to borrow money and pay them compensation to offset their losses. The Centre can then recover this amount as cesses col-

lected on luxury items in imports and domestic sales.

The finance minister further stated that even the Central government’s revenue has witnessed a nose dive and so it is not in a position to compensate all the states at one go. Gujarat alone is expecting compensation of about Rs12,000 crore. If this is taken as the average, the Centre would have to pay the states and Union Territories a total of Rs 3 lakh crore to compensate for lost GST revenue.

The amount to be paid to each state and Union Territory will be calculated based on factors such as population, as well as data on numbers and growth of trade and industries.

Although Unlock 1.0 came into effect from July 01, consumer demand has not picked up since consumers have seen a decrease in purchasing capacity. This has affected revenue for both the state and Central governments.

Turn to P6

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02

THE STATE MAY BE LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION TO CURB CRIME, BUT IS IT MAKING THE RIGHT CALL? Haresh Jhala Gandhinagar: When the Central government in 2012 introduced the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) (POCSO) Bill, its motive was to curb the sexual abuse of children. If it had succeeded, crimes against children should have fallen.

Instead, the National Crime Record Bureau report for 2018, released in January 2020, states that Gujarat has seen a 28% rise in cases under the POCSO Act. As many as 1,671 cases were registered in 2017, and 2,127 were registered in 2018.

Just last month, the division bench of the Gujarat High Court expressed “a need” to educate love-struck college boys to save them from committing “mistakes” that were actually serious offences.

So, if this is the case with a major law like POSCO, where does that leave the state’s latest ordinance, on the issue of land-grabbing?

“There is no doubt that new Acts help in curbing crimes but— with the present machinery and manpower—the speed of justice delivery will remain the same. For fast delivery of justice, the state needs to double the present machinery and manpower,” feels advocate Anil Kella, member of the executive committee of the Bar Council of Gujarat.

As on August 27, there are 16 lakh cases pending in the state.

Of these, 1,26,721 have been pending for more than 15 years and about 4,772 cases have been pending for more than 30 years.

There are several reasons why these cases are pending, the first of which is the

NEW LAWS OR FASTER

JUSTICE DELIVERY?

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Ahmedabad Sessions Court.

shortfall in the number of courts and judges. Many Acts— such as the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, POCSO, and NIA (National Investigation Agency) Act—require the state to set up special courts.

In these courts, there is no appointment of special prosecutors. Moreover, the Supreme Court’s directive to avoid adjourning matters is not strictly implemented.

Advocate Sanjay Zala believes that just introducing new laws is not going to serve the motive of justice.

“It is said that justice delayed is justice denied. So it is important that justice is de-

PENDING CASES IN THE STATE

DISTRICT-WISE PENDING CASES

Civil cases Criminal cases

Total cases

District

42,8426

16,48,625

12,20,199

(Source: National Judicial Data Grid)

DISPOSED CASES IN THE STATE Civil cases Criminal cases

Total cases

22,08,409

87,86,636

65,78,220

(Source: National Judicial Data Grid)

Civil cases

Criminal cases Total cases

Ahmedabad 89,658

3,70,666

4,60,324

Rajkot

24,581

72,691

97,272

Vadodara

35,329

96,114

1,31,443

Surat

33,376

1,16,987

1,50,363

(Source: National Judicial Data Grid)

Districts

Court complexes

Establishments

Total disposed and pending cases

Total orders

Orders not uploaded

32

329

384

1,06,08,320

66,61,447

28,90,063

(Source: National Judicial Data Grid)

COURT JUDGE COUNT REPORT Presiding judges

In-charge courts

Links courts

Total courts

Empty courts

Courts closed (but cases are pending)

1,121

12

1

1,134

41

49 (1,833)

(Source: National Judicial Data Grid)

livered in a speedy manner.

However, there is no commitment on this count from either the state government or any political party. The result is that there is a shortage of judges and other legal staff, right from the high court to taluka-level courts,” he said.

Advocates Kella and Zala are both of the view that the state needs to create awareness about any recently introduced Act, even if it means considerable expenditure. “Without it, there is no meaning because people are unaware about the law,” Zala said.

Another advocate, who has appeared for the state government

on a few occasions and who asked for anonymity for fear of professional blowback, said, “The government claims that there is peace in the state because of good policing, which in turn has led to growth and development. But then it keeps introducing new Acts. If everything is under control, why does the government need new laws?”

This person added, “Justice is delayed even in fast-track courts.

There are a number of Supreme Court judgements calling for speedy trials in rape cases. Yet, the courts act only in a few cases. Civil cases are never a priority in the courts.”

CM Rupani approves seven town- MP Ramesh Dhaduk asks CM for compensation for farmers planning schemes in 1 day

 2 for AUDA, 1 for AMC, 2 for Gandhinagar and 1 for Rajkot First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has approved seven town-planning schemes, with the aim of helping the growth of Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Bhavnagar cities.

According to a statement issued by the state government on Thursday, Rupani has said that town-planning schemes for 17.86 hectares will be allocated land for socially and economically backward classes in two drafts.

The government is also looking to build social infrastructure, with as much as 22.15 hectares having been set aside

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani

for gardens and 23.23 hectares, for sports grounds.

The chief minister is determined to keep development growth rate high in the state, and that is only possible if urban bottlenecks are resolved.

Of the seven townplanning schemes approved on Thursday,

three are draft schemes, two are preliminary schemes and three are final townplanning schemes.

The state government has approved 50 townplanning schemes in the current fiscal.

In the past year, the state has approved 24 draft town-planning schemes, 16 prelimi-

nary schemes and seven final town-planning schemes. Rupani approved 100 town-planning schemes each for 2018 and 2019.

Of the schemes approved on Thursday, two are for areas under the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority, one for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation areas, two for Gandhinagar and one for Rajkot.

The state government is of the opinion that timely approval of town-planning schemes will reduce encroachment and increase the planned development of the city. This way, the state believes, developing areas will get basic amenities on time instead of having to wait for a long time for roads, drainage and water supply to be developed.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The incessant rain has adversely affected crops, especially in the Saurashtra region, where it has rained constantly for the past month. With this in mind, Member of Parliament Ramesh Dhaduk has written a letter to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, asking that the latter declare a special package for the region’s farmers.

“There has been constant rain in Saurashtra for the last one month, especially in the Ghed region. Crops have been lost in Porbandar, Kutiyana, Mangrol, Keshod, and Upleta due to heavy rains.

Moreover, dams in these regions are also discharging excess water,” Dhaduk wrote in

Ramesh Dhaduk

A farmer tends his field.

his letter.

He said that villages of Porbandar and Junagadh are the worst affected due to this and they need immediate compensation.

“Since the rains arrived on time, farmers

sowed crops in large amounts. Initially, it was good rains, but then it has created havoc. The last two weeks have been a nightmare for farmers. Rivers are flooding and water has been reached the farms and crops have been

—FILE PHOTO

washed away completely. The farmers need immediate financial relief,” said Dhaduk.

In some regions, farmers have approached the local authorities demanding a survey for crop damage.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

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With 12L tests in 27 days, Guj has seen 20L tests so far

03

Intensity reduces but rain hits 107 talukas

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

1,190 cases, 17 fatalities take tally to 91,329 cases, death toll to 2,964 First India Bureau Gandhinagar: The state government, which conducted just 7,64,777 tests from mid-March to the end of July, has tested 12,81,174 samples so far this month. With this, the state has now tested 20,45,951 samples for the novel coronavirus.

In the past 24 hours, 1,190 more people have tested positive for COVID-19. With this, there are 14,864 active cases in the state, with 91 patients on ventilator support. On Thursday, the disease claimed the lives of 17 patients in nine districts. Five of these deaths occurred in Surat, while Ahmedabad and Rajkot had three each, and Amreli, Anand, Kutch, Patan, Vadodara and Valsad each had one death.

The highest number of fresh cases, 258, were reported in Surat; 169 in the city and 89 in rural areas.

Meanwhile, Va-

DATA ROUND-UP

People plant saplings in potholes on a waterlogged road in Ahmedabad, as a sign of protest.

First India Bureau

The state had only conducted 7,64,777 tests from mid-March to the end of July.

dodara reported 150 new cases in 24 hours.

Of these, 116 were from the city and 34 were from rural areas. After 2,355 tests in the past 24 hours, Vadodara now has 1,587 active cases, with 161 patients on oxygen support, 59 on BiPAP machines and ventilator support. The city’s North zone continues to top the list of

cases with 1,926, followed by the South zone with 1,493; 1,666 cases have come in from rural areas and 34 from other states and districts.

Ninety-six fresh cases were reported in Rajkot, with 66 cases emerging in the city and 30 in rural areas.

The state health bulletin has stated that three patients died due to

—FILE PHOTO

COVID-19. However, local dailies have reported as many as 13 COVID-19 deaths in a single day—10 more than the state’s figure.

Having received complaints from patients’ relatives that private hospitals are charging exorbitantly, the Rajkot District Collector has set up a committee to look into such allega-

tions. Any hospitals found guilty of overcharging will face grave action.

Other cases were reported in Ahmedabad (163), Jamnagar (89), Bhavnagar (51), Amreli (31), Panchmahal and Gandhinagar (28 each) and Kutch (27).

In Ahmedabad, MP Kirit Solanki has tested positive.

Gandhinagar: While the monsoon seems to have lessened in intensity over the past two days, rains still lashed 107 talukas of the state on Thursday. Further, the weatherman has forecast heavy rains for some parts of the state over the next two days.

According to the India Meteorological Department, there will be heavy rains this weekend, thanks to a cyclonic circulation over south-east-

ern Pakistan and its neighbourhood between 3.1km and 5.8km above mean sea level.

Heavy to very heavy rains are very likely to occur at isolated places in Anand district of the North Gujarat region, and in S u r e n d r a n a g a r, Bhavnagar and Botad districts of the Saurashtra region. Heavy rains are very likely at isolated places in Vadodara, Bharuch and Surat districts of the South Gujarat region, and in

Jamnagar, Porbandar, Dwarka, and Kutch districts of the SaurashtraKutch region.

Meanwhile, rainrelated tragedies continue to be reported across the state. Two minor siblings died after a wall collapsed. The collapse was triggered by a wall from an adjoining house crashing on a portion of their residential structure, in Baruch.

In another incident, a woman and her daughter died after drowning in a lake in Valbhipur in Palitana.

Faced with 8K road complaints, AMC fixes 900 potholes in a day

CLOSE SHAVE

Haresh Jhala

The driver of AMTS bus No 501 averted a major accident on Thursday when he discovered his brakes had failed. Rather than risk greater harm to his passengers and other commuters, he drove into a water-filled ditch, dug for Metro project work, at the Vaishnodevi Circle in Ahmedabad. The driver and four passengers suffered injuries.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

2 leaders +ve but no change to CR Patil plan First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Two members of the Bharatiya Janata Party who participated in state unit chief CR Patil’s Saurashtra tour have tested positive for COVID-19. They are being treated and have asked anyone who came in contact with them to get tested as

well. However, this has not made any dents in Patil’s plan to visit northern Gujarat for three days in the first week of September.

Majura constituency MLA Harsh Sanghvi was seen playing garba with other party leader while receiving Patil in Junagadh and BJP’s Surendranagar District Committee president

Dilip Patel shared a dais with Patil during the latter’s short visit to Surendranagar.

Still, BJP’s state unit is determined to proceed with Patil’s tour of North Gujarat, slated for early next month. According to an official announcement on Thursday, Patil’s next tour will kick off with a visit to the Ambaji Temple on

September 03. He will then visit Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Gandhinagar and Sabarkantha districts over the next three days.

Patil will dedicate an entire day for Banaskantha, one day for Aravalli and Sabarkantha, and cover Patan, Mehsana and Gandhinagar districts on the third day.

Ahmedabad: Having repaired 900 potholes in one day, the local civic body has admitted that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has received around 8,000 complaints regarding roads this monsoon season.

According to highly placed sources within the AMC, the decision to fix the 900 potholes followed a directive from Gandhinagar.

Officials say the roads which were repaired were not under the defect liability period, meaning they were older than two years.

It is to be noted that no new roads were made this year except near Motera stadium, ahead of the visit of US President Donald Trump in late February. The lockdown,

AMC workers fix potholes near Badshah Dairy in Ahmedabad’s Paldi area.

which was put in place in March after the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, affected other AMC projects.

Standing committee chairman Amul Bhatt said that the civic body has received around 8,000 complaints regarding damage to roads so far.

He added that a survey conducted across seven zones of the city found that none of the more than 300 roads

built in the last three years has suffered damage.

Bhatt also said most roads which witnessed damages had been dug up for work under the Metro project, drainage lines, drinking water lines, and storm water lines.

According to a senior engineer, the road repair work will last for a few days. “We have just started work.

Some of the roads are

heavily damaged while some of the roads need minor patches. We have started working on the major and main roads, while the minor and internal roads will be repaired phase-wise,” asserted the engineer.

He added that the city uses three methods to repair roads and that a cold mix and wet mix patchwork for road repairs are currently underway.

‘If Sabarmati had been a person, it would have died long ago’ First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Despite several remarks and directives from the Supreme Court, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), effluents being discharged into the Sabarmati river are still not being treated properly, ac-

cording to local environmental activist Rohit Prajapati.

“If the river had been a person, it would have died long ago due to pollution, since both sewage and chemical waste are dumped into it. You don’t need to test the level of COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) of the Sabarmati; even a passerby can tell how polluted it is judging by its smell and colour,” he said.

Environmental activist Rohit Prajapati at Gyaspur, where effluent is released into the Sabarmati river on Wednesday (left); clean water flowing through the same location in April, when industries were shut down due to the lockdown.

He added that the river seems to have a COD of more than 700800 at present.

“In addition, visibly discoloured water is being released into a dry part of the riverbed at Gyaspur, which is just 120km upstream of the Gulf of Khambhat.

This whole stretch is an environmental disaster.

The authorities need to crack down on those who are releasing improperly treated efflu-

ents into the river.”

He also expressed dismay that even the ongoing rains have not done much to dilute the effluents. “When I visited Gyaspur on Wednesday, I was expecting diluted effluents due to the heavy rains and water from the upper stream. But it was not the case.

The condition of the Sabarmati is really pitiable,” the activist told First India.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

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04

AICC SESSION HALF A YEAR AWAY TO NAME SONIA’S SUCCESSOR IS TOO LONG IN POLITICS TRIPTI NATH The writer is a senior Delhi based journalist. She has been writing on politics, diplomacy and social sector

T

Party insiders say that the letter by nearly two dozen veteran, middleaged and young Congressmen calling for an overhaul of the party may just be a starting point.

Nobody is willing to wait indefinitely to allow the BJP to move closer to its political slogan of a Congress mukt Bharat ( India free of Congress).

Congress watchers fear that if hard decisions are not taken well in time, the party high command should be prepared to face similar dissension as the one that surfaced before the recent CWC session

he Congress Working Committee recent decision authorising party interim President, Sonia Gandhi to continue leading the party till the next session of the All India Congress Committee, has led to murmurs of resentment.

There is unrest over indefinite delay in the transition of power despite the clamour for Rahul Gandhi’s return to steer the party before Bihar elections this year and Assembly elections next year. It defies logic as to why Rahul who has had enough exposure to public life and has been a member of Parliament since 2004 behaves like a reluctant bride when it comes to assuming responsibility.

Party insiders say that the candid letter by nearly two dozen Congressmen calling for a complete overhaul of the party should be treated with the urgency it deserves. Nobody is willing to wait indefinitely to allow the BJP to move closer to achieving its goal of a Congress mukt Bharat ( India free of Congress). Congress watchers fear that if the party high command overlooks constructive suggestions of the letter writers, it should be prepared to face similar dissension.

The letter seeking a revival of the party and “ full time and effective leadership”, was reportedly debated for a full seven hours- including by the daring letter writers in the stormy CWC meeting by 52 members but did not yield any dramatic results. Sonia Gandhi, who has been the interim president of the party since August 2019, had offered to resign on the expiry of her term on August 10. She asked the CWC to start the process to find a new chief but many leaders, including former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, urged her to continue until such time as the new president is elected.

Summing up party cadre

sentiments, a Congress worker remarked, “It does not really help if Sonia and Rahul keep taking turns on party presidency.

At least the letter by the Congress leaders has served as a wake-up call. It seems they have sensed a threat and figured out that they miscalculated their permanence. They now fear a real non-Gandhi opponent may dethrone them. Sonia’s health is not on her side. Rahul is reluctant. So, why don’t they bring Priyanka Gandhi who is a natural leader and has a striking resemblance to her charismatic grandmother and the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi? “ It is now expected that the All India Congress Committee will meet sometime in the New Year to elect Sonia Gandhi’s successor.

It is worth recalling that it took a lot of cheerleading and clamour to coax Rahul Gandhi to steer the Congress and finally, the day dawned in December 2017, when he did take over as Congress President, amid celebrations.

His elevation enthused the young party cadres about

IT IS WORTH RECALLING THAT IT TOOK A LOT OF CHEERLEADING AND CLAMOUR TO COAX RAHUL GANDHI TO STEER THE CONGRESS AND FINALLY THE DAY DAWNED IN DECEMBER 2017 WHEN HE DID TAKE OVER AS CONGRESS PRESIDENT AMID CELEBRATIONS

a new look Congress and gave the veterans a chance to check out the gene pool of the great-grandson of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

In an interview in March, former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said that Rahul Gandhi owes it to the Congress to resume presidentship and dispel uncertainty about the future leadership issue as the party does not have the luxury of time. “We know that when Rahul Gandhi resigned and a process was initiated to identify other leaders, not a single name emerged as an alternative.”

Perceived to be a reluctant politician, Rahul decided to resign within 18 months of taking charge

as Party President. Along with the party’s rout in the 2019 polls, came the Congress humiliating defeat in the the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, a stronghold of the party in Uttar Pradesh and a seat Rahul had held from 2004 to 2019.

This safe Congress seat has been represented by four members of the Nehru–Gandhi family but was breached

by Union Minister Smriti Irani of the BJP. Irani who had lost to Rahul Gandhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls managed to defeat Congress chief Rahul Gandhi by 55,120 votes in the 2019 elections.

Thankfully, Rahul won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, by a large margin.

In his formal resigna-

tion as Party President on July 3 last year, Rahul said, “ As President of the Congress Party, I am responsible for the loss of the 2019 election.”

Former Union Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar who was unfairly suspended from the Congress says, “The Gandhis are keeping the party together. The Congress needs another Panchmarhi like session because it will give us an opportunity for an ideological dialogue. “ Asked if there is room for a non-Gandhi to take charge of the party. Aiyar who can feel the pulse of the party said, “ Can I envisage the Congress without the Gandhis? I have been through it. Narasimha Rao was President of the Congress. Then, he was followed by Sitaram Kesri. In these eight years, the Congress party split into several parts. Even I walked out. We have found out that it is the Congress party that gives us the most important requirement of any political party- its unity. The Gandhis are keeping the party together. Even top leaders who could be candidates

O

n Tuesday, the Reserve Bank of India painted a grim picture of the economy and the forecast was even more dismal. For the first time, the economy is likely to contract, and regaining the pre-COVID momentum soon is unlikely due to the severe impact on consumption. The RBI said in its annual report, “Private consumption has lost its discretionary elements across the board, particularly transport services, hospitality, recreation, and cultural activities,” with the urban consumption demand suffering a bigger blow and the poorest being the hardest hit.

States, where separate

lockdowns were equally responsible for the contraction of the economy, are not in a happy situation either.

With the COVID-hit states shutting down economic activities that could have given a boost to consumption and employment, capital expenditure and payment of salaries to employees of health and education sectors have been delayed for lack of funds. The states nurtured hopes of getting

the last four months’ compensation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), which accounts for nearly 42 percent of their tax revenues.

But disappointment was in store for them at the GST Council meeting chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who described the economic situation as an “extraordinary act of God.” With the economic activity remaining at a standstill for months, a shortfall of Rs 2.35 lakh crore in GST collection for fiscal 2021 is estimated. The finance minister has given the states one week’s time to consider the two options placed before them to meet the financial crunch.

Eventually, the Centre may turn to the RBI for relief.

CENTRE MAY HAVE ITS WAY ON NEET, JEE

T

he question of whether the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) and the Joint Entrance Examinations (Main) should be held in view of the pandemic finds that some Opposition-ruled states and the Centre are not on the same page. At a video conference with Sonia Gandhi, chief ministers of seven nonBJP ruled states like West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Puducherry it was agreed that they would file a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Centre’s decision to hold the two examinations in September.

Mamata Banerjee of West

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

IN-DEPTH

AN ‘ACT OF GOD’ IS RUINING ECONOMY

for the post of the party President feel that under them, it would be difficult to keep the party together.

There is no point in having a very educated leader who can keep the party together. Therefore, they CWC asked Sonia Gandhi to continue and when the AICC session takes place six months later, we will make up our minds.”

Interestingly, both Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have said on many occasions that the Congress President should be out of the Gandhi family.

Sonia Gandhi offered to resign before the CWC meeting and asked the apex decision-making body to start the process to find a new chief. Despite the heated debate over the letter, many leaders, including former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh urged her to continue until such time as the new president is elected.

Although the leaked letter was labelled by many as a letter bomb that would create a rift in the party, nothing of the sort happened. In an exemplary display of political astuteness, Sonia Gandhi managed to keep the flock together by calling the Congress “one big family” which has differences and different views on many occasions but in the end, it comes together as one.

Asked to respond to the public perception that the Congress does not have a true democracy in its ranks, Aiyar said, “ Just look at the composition of the 23 letter writers. Several of them have risked their position. There is no reprimand.

No action has been taken against them and most important of all, the four representatives in the working committee of the 23 signatories have accepted the CWC resolution.”

While the young party cadres find themselves fairly directionless in the absence of an active full-time party President, party insiders say that the transition of power from Sonia Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi cannot be shelved indefinitely as an AICC session half a year away is too long in Politics.

Bengal said that announcement of exam dates when the movement of trains and flights was not smooth, will mean difficulty for students in reaching their exam centres. Uddhav Thackeray concurred with Mamata’s view. Odisha and the DMK of Tamil Nadu also opposed the move.

The Supreme Court has already dismissed a petition seeking deferment of the two exams. A Bench

headed by Justice Arun Mishra said, “Life cannot be stopped. We have to move ahead with all safeguards…Covid may continue for a year more. Are you going to wait for another year? The SolicitorGeneral also assured the court that all precautions will be put in place in view of the pandemic. Another petition at this juncture would be pointless.

If the Centre is to be believed over 10 lakh out of 15.97 lakh NEET aspirants and 7.5 lakh out of 8.5 lakh JEE aspirants have downloaded admit cards for the exams to be held in September. For students, the choice between the fear of virus and career is a difficult one.

The tug of war is on.

TWEET Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank @DrRPNishank #NEP2020 facilitates India’s journey towards a knowledge economy. The policy will make education holistic & give students the flexibility to make their own choices. This approach will help the nation in meeting UN’s sustainable development goals by 2030. #NEPTransformingIndia Shashi Tharoor @ShashiTharoor Salaried professionals &the middle class are hurting, as @RahulGandhi rightly points out. The crushing weight of fuel prices, inflation, unemployment are ignored & healthcare & education neglected by this Govt. All of us in @ProfCong stand behind @INCIndia in demanding justice

Spiritual SPEAK

A self-realised person who is free from lust and anger, and who has subdued the mind and senses easily attains nirvana. —Bhagavad Gita

Vol 1 Issue No. 272 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.

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STUDENTS WANT JEE, NEET EXAMS CONDUCTED AT ALL COST: POKHRIYAL New Delhi: Over 17 lakh candidates have already downloaded their admit cards for JEE and NEET, and this shows that the students want the exams to be conducted at any cost, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said on Thursday.

The minister’s comments come against the backdrop of a growing chorus for postponement of the medical and engineering entrance exams in view of spike in COVID-19 cases.

“National Testing Agency (NTA) officials told me that over 7 lakh candidates have downloaded JEE-Main admit cards while over 10 lakh aspirants have downloaded NEET admit cards. This shows that students want the exams be held at any cost,” Pokhriyal said.

“We have received mails from students and parents who are in favour of holding exams as they have been preparing for the exams from at least two three years,” he added.

MK STALIN URGES CMS OF 4 STATES TO APPROACH SC ON NEET, JEE Chennai: DMK President MK Stalin has written a letter to CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Odisha to approach SC for postponement the NEET and the JEE exams due to coronavirus pandemic. The letter said that the decision had been taken to postpone the exam in June 2020 mainly because the conditions were not conducive & there was hope that normality will return soon. —ANI

The students are everyone’s children.

There is no ‘government’s side’ or opposition in this matter. The future, career and safety of the students are our topmost priority. After several requests from parents and students from across the country, it has been decided that the exams will take place as scheduled.

—Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Union Education Minister

While the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) is scheduled to be held on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE-

Main has been planned from September 1-6.

Around 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for JEE Main and 15.97 lakh students have reg-

istered for NEET.These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

CONG PROTEST POLITICALLY MOTIVATED: BJP

ODISHA CM DIALS PM MODI TO CANCEL EXAM

Hyderabad: Telangana BJP leader NV Subhash said, “The Oppn stuck to their guns without really understanding the concerns of students.

The demand of Sonia Gandhi & CMs of its allied parties is nothing but a political drama.”

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dialled PM Narendra Modi requesting him to postpone NEET and JEE-2020 examinations in the view of COVID-19 pandemic and heavy flood in the state.

DELAY IN JEE, NEET WILL LEAD TO ‘ZERO YEAR,’ SAY IIT EXPERTS New Delhi: Further delay in conducting medical and engineering entrance exams NEET and JEE will lead to a ‘zero academic year’ and any quick alternative to the crucial exams will dilute the quality of education and have cascading effects, according to Directors of several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The IIT Directors appealed to students to trust the institutions conducting the exam.

—PTI

India may set up unified air defence command in Oct New Delhi: Amid the ongoing conflict with China, the Department of Military Affairs has hastened the process of restructuring the armed forces as the new air defence command under the IAF may come up at Prayagraj around the second week of October this year.

The air defence command is proposed to be set up alongside the Central Command Headquarters of the IAF which controls important air bases including Agra, Gwalior and Bareilly.

The aim of the command is to combine the resources of the three services under one command and activate it to protect the air space of

Army Chief releases book on national security Army Chief General MM Naravane released a book titled “National Security Challenges: Young Scholars’ Perspective” penned by university students. The authors all university students ranging from undergraduate level to doctoral candidates have written on varied themes concerning national security. the country. The Department of Military Affairs under CDS General Bipin Rawat has been given the mandate to create joint military commands. —ANI

IN THE COURTYARD Our victory that Cong will have full-time ON PM SC reserves order on Mallya’s plea PIL president after six months, says Azad CARES FUND New Delhi: Senior Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, who was among 23 leaders who sent a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi calling for sweeping changes in the party, on Thursday strongly pitched for elections to the Congress Working Committee and said the party chief should be elected and it is their “victory” that the party will have “full-time president” after six months.

He also pitched for elections to the key organisational posts of state chief and district

chief. “Anyone who has a genuine interest in the internal working dynamics of Congress would welcome our proposal to have every state and district president as being elected. The

entire Congress Working Committee should be elected,” Azad said.

Azad, who is LoP in Rajya Sabha, defended the move to write the letter and said their effort was to make the

party strong and active and those who simply got “appointment cards” continue to oppose their proposal.

Answering a query, Azad referred to the stormy meeting of the Congress Working Committee and said both Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi showed statesmanship. “In fact Rahul Gandhi & Sonia Gandhi said let’s do election within a month but we said it’s not possible, So it’s our victory that after six months we will have a full-time president,” he said. —ANI

‘Unfortunate, Prasada is being targeted in UP’ New Delhi: Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who was among those who wrote a letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking organisational overhaul, alleged that party leader Jitin Prasada is being targeted in UP & termed it as ‘unfortunate.’ Prasada, a former union minister, was among the signatories to the letter that sought an active and

full-time party president. Prasad is also a special invitee to the CWC.

RAJNATH SINGH LAUNCHES ‘DGNCC’ APP FOR NCC CADETS New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a mobile application to assist in online training of NCC cadets in the country. “In view of the restrictions imposed

by COVID-19, training of NCC (National Cadet Corps) cadets has been affected adversely as it is mostly contact-based training,” the Ministry of

Defence said in a statement. Since schools and colleges are not likely to open in the near future, it was felt that training to NCC cadets should be imparted utilising the digital medium. The mobile app, called “DGNCC”, aims at providing NCC cadets all training materials on one platform, the statement added.

“Unfortunate that Jitin Prasada is being officially targeted in UP. Congress needs to target the BJP with surgical strikes instead of wasting its energy by targeting its own,” Sibal said on Twitter.

Reacting to it, another Congress leader, Manish Tewari who was also a signatory to the letter, posted a single word “Prescient” on

Twitter.

The Lakhimpur Kheri District Congress reportedly passed a resolution demanding action against Prasad, a leader from UP, & has accused his family of being against Gandhi family. Jitender Prasad, father of Jitin Prasada, had also unsuccessfully contested for post of Congress Prez against Sonia Gandhi in past.

‘PHASE 6 OF VANDE BHARAT MISSION TO BEGIN FROM SEPT 1’ New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs said the phase 6 of the Vande Bharat Mission to repatriate Indians stranded abroad due to COVID-19 pandemic will begin on September 1. Speaking on Vande Bharat Mission’s Phase 5, Anurag Srivastava, MEA Spokesperson, said the phase will culminate on August 31. “Phase 6 of Vande Bharat Mission scheduled to begin on Sept 1, based on an assessment of demand by our missions abroad, flights are being rescheduled by Air India group & private carriers,” he said.

seeking review of 2017 order

New Delhi: The SC reserved its order on a plea filed by fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya seeking a review of its May 2017 order holding him guilty of contempt for transferring USD 40 million to his children in violation of the court’s order.

A bench of Justice UU Lalit and Justice Ashok Bhushan reserved the order after

CORONIL: SC REFUSES TO ENTERTAIN PIL New Delhi: SC declined to entertain a plea by Chennai-based firm assailing a Madras HC order that stayed a Rs 10 lakh penalty on Patanjali Ayurved and restrained it from using the trademark Coronil. A bench comprising CJ SA Bobde & Justices AS Bopanna & V Ramasubramanian allowed the petitioner to withdraw plea. The top court also allowed the petitioner to pursue the matter in the Madras HC.

hearing both the parties in the case.

It further said that there were two allegations against Mallya,

HC STAYS IBC PROCEEDINGS AGAINST ANIL AMBANI New Delhi/ Mumbai: Delhi HC stayed bankruptcy proceedings against Anil Ambani in a case where he had furnished personal guarantee for loans extended to Reliance Communications (RCom) and Reliance Infratel. A Division Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar also restrained Ambani from transferring, encumbering or dealing or disposing of any of his assets or his rights or beneficial interest till the next date of hearing, October 6. The proceedings against the petitioner under Part-III of the IBC (Individual Insolvency) shall remain stayed, the Delhi HC order said. The court also made it clear that proceedings will continue against the corporate debtor. Notices have been issued to the Centre, SBI and others.

‘PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE BUSINESS NOT TO BE LEAKED’ New Delhi: Rajya Sabha chairperson M Venkaiah Naidu has written to heads of Parliamentary committees to ensure that proceedings of the committees related to the subject matters or legislative bills under their consideration and examination are not leaked to the media. In the letter, Naidu has asked

failure to disclose his assests and siphoning off money. Mallya is an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines and is presently in the United Kingdom.

Earlier, the apex court had asked Mallya about the ‘truthfulness’ of his disclosure of assets & transfer of money to his children.

committee chairpersons to urge the members of their respective committees to strictly adhere to the existing provisions and directions related to confidentiality and refrain from divulging information to the media till the reports are presented to the House. The RS chairperson said it is not permissible to do so.

DISMISSED

Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay HC dismissed a PIL seeking a declaration of funds received by the Prime Minister’s Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM CARES), a charitable trust created by the Union government amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All reliefs sought in the plea are refused, a division bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Anil Kilor said while dismissing the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Arvind Waghmare.

HC MAY HEAR GUNJAN SAXENA MOVIE PIL TODAY New Delhi: The Delhi HC is likely to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against Jahnvi Kapoor starrer Netflix movie “Gunjan Saxena – The Kargil Girl” on Friday, seeking a stay on the streaming of the film, alleging that it portrays a negative image of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The petition filed by NGO Justice For Rights Foundation through advocate Amit Kumar Sharma is likely to come up for hearing before the High court on Friday, August 28.

INDIAN RAILWAYS SET TO MEET ALL ENERGY NEEDS BY 2030 New Delhi: Indian Railways would meet its energy consumption needs of more than 33 billion units by 2030, said Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal during a meeting with key stakeholders on Thursday, adding that solar plants of 20 GW capacity would be installed by the same year on the Railways’ vacant land. In a bid to empower Indian Railways to be energy self-sufficient (Atma Nirbhar), solar power plants are expected to be available on a mega scale and boundary walls along the track would also be constructed.

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India’s Covid count crosses 33L mark 75,760 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours Keep special vigil in 4 New Delhi: After 75,760 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, India’s coronavirus tally crossed 33-lakh mark on Thursday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW).

With 1,023 new deaths, the cumulative toll has reached 60,472 deaths. The COVID-19 case tally in the country climbed to 33,10,235 including 7,25,991 active cases, 25,23,772 cured/discharged/migrated.

With 1,73,195 cases, Maharashtra has the highest number of active cases and 23,089 patients succumbed to the disease in the state.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 9,24,998 samples were tested on Wednesday and over 3.85 crore samples have been tested so far.

According to the Union Health Ministry, Delhi has a recovery rate of 90 per cent followed by Tamil Nadu with 85 per cent.

Bihar stood at number three with a recovery rate of 83.80 %. Assam has the lowest CFR of 0.27% in the country. —ANI

dists:Yogi to officials

A woman disinfects the bench before giving swab sample to a health worker in New Delhi.

3 Nat’l Sports Award winners test positive New Delhi: Three winners of this year’s National Sports Awards, including badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, have tested positive for COVID-19 and will not attend the virtual ceremony on August 29, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on Thursday.

The SAI said that 65 of the 74 awardees will attend the first-ever virtual National Sports Awards from its centres across the country due

to the pandemic.

“There are 74 awards in seven categories. Total 65 award winners will be attending the function, Nine award winners will not attend due to several reasons like being quarantined, tested positive, ill health or not in the country etc,” the SAI said in a statement.

“Three award winners after having tested positive will not attend the function,” it added without giving names.

Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar infected Chandigarh: Union MoS for social justice and empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar, 63, tested positive for Covid-19.

Gurjar, who is the BJP MP from Faridabad, tweeted saying, “I have tested positive and am undergoing treatment. I urge all those who came in my contact over the past few days to take coronavirus seriously and get themselves tested,” he said.

CBI is doing its job well: Adv New Delhi: Vikas Singh, lawyer of Sushant Singh Rajput’s father KK Singh, said if the CBI takes actor Rhea Chakraborty into custody without any hard evidence and she gets bail, then the entire exercise would be counter-productive.

“CBI is doing its job well and no one should find faults in it. However, if the CBI takes Rhea Chakraborty into custody without any hard evidence and she gets bail, then the entire exercise would be counter-productive,” Vikas Singh told media here. Singh further asked why Rhea did not inform Sushant’s family if the actor was facing any mental issue.

“Eight hard disks, which were destroyed

by Rhea indicates some sort of conspiracy in the death of Sushant.

She destroyed hard disks to hide evidence that can be used in the future against her,” he

NCB team to start ‘analysing network’ of drug ring

said. If the ‘drug issue’ as reported by some media channels is true, may widen the scope of probe, he had said.

Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) team from Mumbai has been asked to start “analysing the network” of the drug ring in the city in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput death case. Moreover, it has also been asked to look into the overall Bollywood drug network as well. “Meanwhile, a

team has been formed and left from Delhi for investigation in the drugs-related matter in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case,” Rakesh Asthana, Director General, NCB said.

The NCB on Wednesday registered a case against actor Rhea Chakraborty & others in connection with the case. —ANI

CBI questions Rhea’s brother Showik Mumbai: Actor Rhea Chakraborty’s brother Showik Chakraborty arrived at the DRDO guest for questioning by the CBI, which is probing actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case, a police official said.

This is the first time that a member from Rhea Chakraborty’s

family is being questioned by the (CBI) in the case of Rajput’s death. —ANI

There is a threat to my life and my family’s life. Only asking for assistance, to cooperate with the various agencies that have asked us.

—Rhea Chakraborty, Actor

Lucknow: UP CM Yogi Adityanath directed the officials to maintain special vigil in Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar ,Gorakhpur and Shahjahanpur and further strengthen the medical facilities in the four districts in view of the COVID-19 situation.

In a meeting with senior officials, he stressed the need for continuing all efforts to break the chain of infection, for which, he said surveillance, contact-tracing and doorto-door survey play an important role. —PTI

UP MINISTER TESTS POSITIVE

ment is agreed upon by GST Council, we can proceed fast and clear these dues and also take care of the rest of financial year,” said Sitharaman. These options will be available only for this year. In April 2021, the Council will review and decide action for the fifth year.

Sitharaman said the first option has two legs. One: the Centre facilitating states through RBI in getting loans for the portion arising out of GST implementation. Two: the gap arising in compensation due to the extraordinary situation

and Act of God in the form of COVID-19.

She emphasised there will be no rate increases to make up for the shortfall in cess.

Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Panday said the total GST compensation to be paid during April to July is Rs 1.5 lakh crore as there was hardly any GST collection due to COVID-19 nationwide lockdown. The annual GST compensation requirement is estimated to be about Rs 3 lakh crore and cess collection is expected to be around Rs 65,000 crore, leaving the Centre with

an annual compensation gap of Rs 2.35 lakh crore. —ANI

SC refuses...

“We cannot pass general orders. It is not possible to give general directions. It will create chaos and a particular community will be targeted for spreading COVID,” the Chief Justice said.

The apex court said it will not pass orders that could risk the health of so many people, the Bench observed while asking petitioner Sipte Mohammad that he may approach the High Court.

KAUN BANEGA TRAI CHAIRMAN ?

The name of former 1983 batch IAS officer, Binoy Kumar is also in circulation for the post of Chairman TRAI. Secretary MoS, P Srivastava to get extension ?

Grapevine has it that Secretary and Chief Statistician, Pravin Srivastava is being given six months’ extension. He is scheduled to retire on August 31. Though another one year extension to CBDT Chairman PC Mody beginning September 1 is considered a certainty. Now it is learnt that top bureaucracy is now supporting candidature of the CBDT Member SK Gupta for the post of Chairman. However, the entire picture will clear in a couple of days.

As many as 16 IAS officers of various cadres and batches are retiring in August, 2020. They include: Aninido Majumdar of AGMUT cadre; Hector Marwein, Lona R Sangma, Sajeeda Ismal Rashid and Alak Kumar Saharia of Assam-Meghalaya; Rajneesh Mahajan, Durgesh Nandan, Uday Kumar Singh of Bihar; AA Ramanuj of Gujarat; Praveen Kumar of Haryana; Dr Ashok Kumar Bhargava of Madhya Pradesh; RR Mane of Maharashtra; Dr Suhel Akhtar of Manipur; Dr Karan Avtar Singh, Kahan Singh Pannu of Punjab; Ram Chandra Dhenwal of Rajasthan.

CS, Delhi likely to join Govt of India

Vijay Dev is likely to join the Govt of India. He is already empanelled as Secretary at the Centre.

A 1987 batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer, Dev is presently posted as the Chief Secretary in Delhi government. ing,” Gandhi tweeted.

He also attached his previous tweet on the topic. He had hit out at Centre over RBI’s latest warning on economic contraction.—Agencies

Pak team visits Dera Baba Nanak

Four IPS officers likely to be transferred from Delhi Police

Four AGMUT cadre IPS officers are likely to be transferred from Delhi police. They are - Satish Golcha, RS Krishnia, Niraj Thakur and Anand Mohan. These IPS officers are posted as Special Commissioner in Delhi Police.

Four IPS officers likely to join Delhi Police

Four AGMUT cadre IPS officers are likely to join the Delhi Police. They are Balaji Srivastava, SBK Singh, Sanjay Beniwal and Deependra Pathak.

They are all ADG level officers and have completed their tenure outside Delhi.

Transfers & postings of Railway officers

Chandigarh: A fourmember survey team from Pakistan on Thursday held a meeting with Indian officials over the construction of a part of a bridge under the Kartarpur corridor project in their territory.

India had already constructed its 100-meter long portion of the bridge as part of the Kartarpur corridor project. Pakistan is yet to build the bridge on its side.

The meeting took place on the Indian side of the bridge at Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab’s Gurdaspur

district, officials said.

Theirs (Pakistan) was a survey team.

They were four persons led by a senior surveyor while three others were assisting him, said Jatinder Singh, V-P of Ceigall India Limited, which executed the construction work of the corridor.

They came here to survey the 100-meter bridge which we have constructed on our side, said Singh.

He said Pakistan is to build a 260-meter portion of the bridge over the low-lying area in its territory. —ANI

FROM PG 1 ‘Act of god’...

“Two options were placed before states.

We told them that we will facilitate talking with RBI and help getting G-security linked interest rates so that each state does not have to struggle for loans,” said Sitharaman.

“The states have requested us to lay down both options in detail, and give them seven full working days to deliberate on it and get back. A brief GST Council meeting may be held again,” she said.

“Once the arrange-

POWER Gallery

16 IAS officers retiring in August

RaGa targets Centre over vaccine, says, ‘No signs of it’ New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has once again lashed out at the central government for not having a vaccine to fight the coronavirus disease which has affected over three million people in India. “A fair and inclusive Covid vaccine access strategy should have been in place by now. But there are still no signs of it. GOI’s unpreparedness is alarm-

06

The plea had sought a direction to take out Muharram processions by the Shia community. —ANI

State will...

The finance minister will meet senior officers of the finance department and the chief commissioner of the GST council later this week and discuss the options given by the Centre, to find the one which will best help the state to meet its financial needs.

The state needs at least Rs4,000 crore per month to make payments including pen-

sions for the state employees, and Rs2,0003,000 crore for debt repayment.

Atmanirbhar Bharat...

Asserting that a new mindset has emerged on his government’s watch, he said it is working to boost domestic manufacturing and developing new technologies with the maximum role for the private sector. His government has opened the way for 74 per cent FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in defence production through automatic route, he noted.

Chetna Meena has been transferred from North Western Railways to South East Central Railways, while Vikram Singh Shekhawat was posted to CORE and PKB Meshram gets posting to West Central Railways. Similarly, A K Srivastava has been appointed to South Eastern Railways; Aditya Mangal as ADRM/JP and Neeraj Mouriya was posted on North Western Railways after returning from training.

Interviews for Chairman, State Bank of India on Aug 28

The Bank Board Bureau (BBB) will hold interviews for the post of Chairman, State Bank of India (SBI) on August 28, 2020.

Review of extension to EDs in Public Sector Banks on Aug 28

The Bank Board Bureau (BBB) will be deliberating on the agenda of extension of Executive Directors in Public Sector Banks (PSBs) on August 28, 2020.

Review of eligible candidates for EDs in Public Sector Banks on Aug 28

The Bank Board Bureau (BBB) will review eligible candidates for the position of Executive Directors (EDs) in Public Sector Banks (PSBs) on August 28, 2020.

By arrangement with : http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

Govt’s nod to 78 new air routes under UDAN 4.0

New Delhi: After three successful rounds of bidding, the Civil Aviation Ministry has approved 78 new routes under the fourth round of Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’ (UDAN) scheme to further enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas of the

country. According to the Ministry, the NorthEast Region, hilly states & islands have been given priority in approval process for new routes. 29 served, eight unserved, including two heliports, one water aerodrome, & two underserved airports have been included in list for approved routes.

TALKING POINT AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

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ETV ke 25 Saal

BEMISAAL! ETV celebrated it’s Silver Anniversary with a simple cake cutting ceremony at Hyderabad where Sujay, grandson of Ramoji Rao cut the cake

ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

H

Ramoji’s vision and mandate across the Network!

ETV Network has a loyal and established viewership among the Telugu speaking population across the world. It is said that around 7 crore viewers watch ETV daily and about 1.5 crores watch ETV channels at any given point of time.

The 25-year milestone assumes significance in terms of several benchmarks and standards that the network had set consistently. ETV Network is also the first Indian private satellite channel to establish a state-of-the-art private earth station in the country for a robust uplinking facility. The journey began way back on 27th August 1995 when the network launched the first channel, ETV Telugu – the maiden Telugu infotainment channel, tapping the cultural ethos and striking a chord with millions of

yderabad: ETV Network competed a glorious 25 years in the infotainment industry on 27 August.

The journey that began in 1995 went on to set new benchmarks in the regional broadcast arena, making ETV as one of the popular television channel networks. Eenadu Television Pvt Ltd, popularly called ETV Network, successfully completed 25 years presenting diverse content and in-depth infotainment to enthrall viewers on Thursday.

The founder of ETV Network, Ramoji Rao, known as Chairman Garu to his team who is like family to him and Telugu Bidda to the Telugu people among whom he enjoys huge popularity is a simple man with a far-sighted vision and a positive approach to life and work. K Bapineedu, CEO ETV Network has been at his side throughout, a key figure in ensuri n g Ramoji Rao hugs Sujay

Ramoji Rao, Bapineedu, Vijayeswari, Sailaja, Reches, Sahari, Sujay, Brihati, Sohana, Vinay, Kiron and Rama Mohana Rao —FILE PHOTO

Ramoji Rao and Jagdeesh Chandra On completion of a glorious 25 years tenure, I personally salute and congratulate a towering Shri Ramoji Rao and his deputy and Man Friday Bapi ji for creating a new history in the history of regional television in this country. They are the pioneers of this field. Even today, at 84 years of age, Shri Ramoji continues to be a source of inspiration for all of us. When I joined ETV as CEO in 2008, for the first four years I worked under the leadership of Shri Ramoji with Bapineedu ji, Rajesh, Madhu and others and it was a wonderful experience of learning and joy; so much that after years they are still family to me.

After that for another five years, I worked with Reliance under the leadership of Mukesh Bhai and Manoj Bhai, the new face of ETV as News18, which was a memorable era too, as was my time with Rahul Joshi.

I have been indeed fortunate that I got a lot of love and affection along with a free hand under both leaderships, ETV and Reliance and I am really grateful to them.

—JAGDEESH CHANDRA

viewers. Spearheading the growth of the regional television channels in India, ETV Network has the distinction of being South India’s first 24 hours entertainment satel-

lite television channel.

ETV Network went on to command a prominent position through high-quality entertainment and responsible journalism. Today, ETV Network owns a bouquet of channels across different genres which includes news, health, lifestyle, food, pure

Ramoji Rao with Bapineedu and Sujay

Another major achievement is the Ramoji Film City, built by Ramoji Rao in 1996 an integrated film studio complex located in Hyderabad, India. Spread over 1666 acres, it is the largest integrated film city in the world and as such has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the larg-

est studio complex in the world. The Guardian described Ramoji Film City as a “city within a city.” It is also a popular tourism and recreation centre, containing natural and artificial attractions including an amusement park.

Around 1.5 million tourists visit the place every year.

IMPORTANT AS CARDIO MOST OF US DON’T EVEN LIFT—BUT WE SHOULD

STRENGTH IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS CARDIO Muscle-strengthening exercise is also known as strength, weight or resistance training, or simply “lifting weights”. It includes the use of weight machines, exercise bands, handheld weights, or our own body weight (such as push-ups, sit-ups or planking). It’s typically performed at fitness centres and gyms, but can also be done at home. More than 30 years of clinical research has shown that muscle-strengthening exercise increases muscle mass, strength and bone mineral density. It improves our body’s capacity to clear sugar and fat from the bloodstream, and improves our ability to perform everyday activities such as walking up stairs or getting in and out of a chair. It can also reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. In our research, we reviewed the evidence from several large studies and found muscle-strengthening exercise is associated with a reduced risk of early death, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Importantly, these health benefits remained evident even after accounting for aerobic exercise and other factors such as age, sex, education, income, body mass index, depression and high blood pressure. Compared with aerobic exercise like jogging, clinical studies show that muscle-strengthening exercise has greater effects on age-related diseases such as sarcopenia (muscle wasting), cognitive decline and physical function. This is particularly significant considering we have an aging population in Australia. Declines in muscle mass and cognitive function are predicted to be among the key 21st-century health challenges.

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

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entertainment, reality shows and more.

A much-appreciated show is the “Padutha Theeyaga” – the celebrated music talent show hosted

by Padmabhushan SP Balasubrahmanyam. Padutha Theeyaga, a timeless music show and has been consistently alluring music lovers and connoisseurs. It is a feast of sorts for music lovers where the legendary singer descended on the TV show and transformed it with his magnetic presence. The show can be termed as the most impacting platform to launch new talent and to date has contributed scores of promising singers to the entertainment industry. Some of these singers have attained star status in the course of time.

STRENGTH TRAINING IS AS

WANT TO REDUCE BODY FAT, INCREASE LEAN MUSCLE MASS AND BURN CALORIES MORE EFFICIENTLY? STRENGTH TRAINING TO THE RESCUE! STRENGTH TRAINING IS A KEY COMPONENT OF OVERALL HEALTH AND FITNESS FOR EVERYONE

e often get bombarded with the message “regular physical activity is the key to good health and well-being”.

To most of us, when we hear “physical activity”, we typically think of aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, and cycling. But recent evidence suggests muscle-strengthening exercise is very beneficial to our health.

In our study, published today, we argue musclestrengthening exercise deserves to be considered just as important as aerobic exercise.

And the good news is strength training can be done by anyone, anywhere — and you don’t need fancy equipment.

Sujay cutting the cake with family members

While the health benefits of muscle-strengthening exercise are clear, the reality is most adults don’t do it, or don’t do it enough. Data from multiple countries show only 10-30% of adults meet the muscle-strengthening exercise guidelines of two or more days per week. Australian adults reported among the lowest levels of strength training in the world. Our data from more than 1.6 million US adults show nearly twice as many do no muscle-strengthening exercise at all, compared with those who do no aerobic exercise. The reasons fewer people do strength training than aerobic exercise are complex. In part, it might be because muscle-strengthening exercise has only been included in guidelines for less than a decade, compared with almost 50 years of promoting aerobic exercise. Strength training therefore has been considered by some physical activity and public health scientists as the “forgotten” or “neglected” guideline.

HERE’S HOW TO GET STARTED Unlike most aerobic exercise, strength training can be done at home. It can also be done without extensive equipment, using our own body weight. This makes it a great form of exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people are confined to their homes or otherwise restriced in where they can go. If you are currently doing no muscle-strengthening exercise, getting started, even a little bit, will likely have immediate health benefits.

Guidelines recommend exercising all major muscle groups at least twice a week: legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms. This could include bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats or lunges, or using resistance bands or hand-held weights.

GOVERNMENTS NEED TO STEP UP

Many people find aerobic exercise difficult, impossible, or simply unpleasant. For these people, strength training provides a different way to exercise.The evidence supporting the health benefits of muscle-strengthening exercise, coupled with its low participation levels, provides a compelling case to promote this type of exercise. But historically, physical activity promotion has generally focused on aerobic exercise. If governments expect more people to do muscle-strengthening exercise, they need to provide support. One strategy may be to provide affordable access to community fitness centres, home-based equipment, and fitness trainers. And media campaigns endorsing musclestrengthening exercise could also be important for challenging negative stereotypes such as excessive muscle gain. It’s unlikely any of these strategies will be successful individually, so we’ll have to tackle the problem on a few different fronts.

Time is a great Equalizer. All of us have exactly the same number of hours and minutes daily, to use sensibly or while away.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

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It isn’t so ‘butterly’ to export Amul dairy products illegally The Delhi High Court has issued stern directives to the Customs authorities to prevent “unauthorised” exports of Amul products Shishir Awasthi New Delhi: In a revealing directive, the Delhi High Court has blown the lid off “illegal and unauthorised” exports of milk and milk products made under the name of the country’s biggest dairy brand Amul by private companies.

While Amul has stated that it has a list of private firms parallely exporting Amul products without any authorisation, the Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Customs authorities to restrain such exports and seek necessary certification before allowing this. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which markets the Amul brand across the country and abroad,

Delhi High Court has given a strong order against “illegal” exports of Amul milk products.

had filed a suit against an exporter, Capital Ventures, seeking to prevent “illegal and unauthorized export of Amul milk and milk products.”

The Delhi High Court directed the Customs authorities to mandatorily seek the requisite certificates and approvals issued by the Export Inspection Council from all the exporters of milk and milk products before allowing such consignments.

GCMMF, through its advocate Abhishek Singh, had pointed out that it exported all Amul products direct-

NO HANKY-PANKY

ly to ensure quality check and in strict compliance of the statutory prerequisites and did not allow any exporter.

Meanwhile, Capital Ventures conceded that it did not have the statutory approvals and gave an undertak-

ing to the effect that it would not export Amul products without obtaining the necessary approvals and certificates. The Delhi High Court order has come as a major relief for Amul since it had found that a huge “illegal and parallel ex-

port” of its products, which are meant for sale within the territory of India only but were being exported without any authorization, approvals or certificates.The milk federation has also asserted that it is in the process of drawing up a list of such export houses across the country, which have been illegally exporting its products. It reiterated that all Amul products were being exported directly after thorough quality checks and there were no private exporters at all.

Amul officials informed that this is only the first case, the cooperative has decided to ensure that this illegal exports are stopped completely.

“In order to completely uproot such illegal and parallel exports, Amul is determined to take necessary action against such exporters under the Customs Act, which would also include launching prosecution against such exporters under such provisions which would invite imprisonment up to 3 years,” the GCMMF asserted.

08

Now, a PIL for permission to Ganesh, Navratri festivities First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Hours after the Supreme Court rejected a petition seeking permission for Muharram processions because of the Covid-19 crisis, a citizen moved a public interest litigation in the Gujarat High Court seeking permission for Ganesh Visarjan and Navratri celebrations. The petitioner argued that the government had granted permission to manufacturing units, traders, restaurants and other commercial activities to resume and even the temples were opened, but the government had prohibited Ganesh Visarjan

A PIL has been filed in Gujarat High Court pleading for permission for Ganesh Visarjan and Navratri.

and the respective police commissioners and district collectors had issued related orders. The PIL contended that even the Election Commission had permitted doorto-door campaigns by political party workers for the by-polls. The only condition is that a fivemember group can carry out a campaign. It said

even Supreme Court had recently permitted religious rituals to Jain community members during the festival of Paryushan. The petitioner pleaded that people should be allowed to carry out Ganesh Visarjan and play garba under strict Covid-19 protocol of social distancing and other rules.

Two minor girls killed, their sister hurt in wall collapse First India Bureau Bharuch: Two minor girls were buried alive and their sister was injured when a wall of their house collapsed at a village in Bharuch district on Thursday morning. The collapse was triggered by a wall from an adjoining house crashing on a portion of their residential structure, a police official said.

While 12-year-old Virali Parmar and Heena

Two minor girls were killed in a wall collapse in Bharuch.

Parmar (13) were buried alive under the debris, their third sister Bhumika has been hospitalised with injuries.

The incident took place at Nondhni village under Jambusar taluka when the three sisters were sleeping in their room, said police sub-inspector VR Prajapati. “When they were asleep in their semipucca house early today morning, a wall of adjoining house fell on their house, which triggered the collapse of the wall and some portion of the roof, killing two sisters on the spot”, said Prajapati.

Docs turning plasma donors Ink factory catches Dhanani claims ` 3.40 lakh in CM Rupani’s hometown fire in Valsad dist, crore missing from banks no casualty

Masuma Bharmal Jariwala Rajkot: With plasma donations of recovered patients being advocated by several experts as a tool to develop antibodies against the dreaded coronavirus, several doctors who may have beaten Covid-19 in Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s hometown Rajkot are volunteering to help.

At least four doctors — two each from government and private hospitals —and a nursing staff, besides 12 others, have already donated their plasma at the Civil Hospital in Rajkot since June. One more doctor was expected at the Civil Hospital on Friday. Ac-

First India Bureau

Several doctors are volunteering to donate plasma after recovering from Covid-19 in Rajkot.

cording to Dr Gauravi Dhruva, Dean at the government PDU Medical College here, around 40 to 50 doctors have tested positive after the number of corona cases picked up in the past one month.

A patient can donate after meeting the requirements after 28 days of being discharged. She

said, “The recovery rate of patients administered plasma has been found to be around 50 per cent, and in certain cases recovery rates are very good. Simultaneously, it needs to be close monitored lest the condition of the ailing does not deteriorate after administering plasma.”

Valsad: A major fire broke out at an ink manufacturing factory in South Gujarat’s Valsad district on Thursday morning, but there were no casualties, according to an official.

The blaze erupted around 6 am in the factory located in the Sarigam industrial area of Valsad, located over 130 km from Surat and about 370 km from Ahmedabad.

Valsad District Collector R R Raval told reporters that while the exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained, the fire spread on the premises due to the chemicals used to manufacture ink.

“No one was killed or injured in the incident. Eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot and they took about three hours to douse the flames.

Cooling operation is currently underway,” he said.

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: Gujarat Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani on Thursday said the BJP Government was working against the common man even during the pandemic, while it had recommended loan waiver to the tune of Rs 6,60,000 crore to select businessmen. As a result, the NPAs of banks had increased by 600% in five years.

On the other hand the central government was recovering interests from the people instead of announcing waiver of loans for the common man, Dhanani said in a press release. He stated

Paresh Dhanani

that during the last five years, as much as Rs3,40,299 crore had gone missing from nationalized banks in various frauds.

He said, “The government has announced Rs20 lakh crore relief package for Covid-19 but even experts are unable to identify the beneficiaries, but it is clear

that a huge amount has been withdrawn from the banks.”

He said banks had looted people on the pretext of different charges and collected Rs15,000 crore. He pointed out that, “Rs9,000 crore have been recovered from people for not maintaining a minimum balance.”

UNFAIR POLICE?

Gandhinagar cops rough up tribal witness in accidental death case 

A labour rights organisation has alleged the migrant worker was beaten up because he was not willing to retract his statements

First India Bureau Gandhinagar: In a shocking case, a tribal migrant worker called in as a witness in an accidental death was allegedly roughed up by the Gandhinagar Police just because the cops were not happy with his replies.

The issue has been raised by the Majur Adhikar Manch (MAM), an Ahmedabad-based labour rights organization, which has alleged

that the worker was “beaten up” by the police while he had gone to give his statement in an accidental death case.

The tribal, Ter Singh, who is resident of village Margala in Fatehpura taluka in Dahod district, had to be taken to the Civil Hospital for a Medico Legal Report (MLR), the Manch said.

Ter Singh was called by police to give a statement in the accidental

Representational picture.

death of a migrant tribal worker in Indroda village of Gandhinagar.

Sangada Babubhai Somabhai, also from the same taluka, was working as a loader in the tractor of Pankaj Thakor. His body was discovered in the village on August 14.

After a local municipal councilor Hasmukh Makwana informed the police, a case was filed. Ter Singh, who also worked there and

claims to have witnessed the accident, had gone back home.

He was called to give a statement at the Infocity Police Station of Gandhinagar as a witness in the case, MAM said.

On Wednesday, Ter Singh reached the police station with a team of MAM activists. The police took his statement under camera.

“However, he was severely beaten up in front of the municipal

councillor and other influential persons in order to force him to retract his statement”, MAM asserted.

“MAM team took Ter Singh to the Civil Hospital and got MLR done. The MLR confirms the beating by the police. We demand strict action against the guilty police personnel and demand an impartial inquiry into the suspicious death of Sangada Babubhai”, MAM said.

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SHADE

THAT FITS ALL CITY FIRST TALKS ABOUT THE DIFFERENT SHADES OF ‘NUDE’ AND HOW FASHION IS FINALLY EMBRACING SHADES FOR ALL SKIN TONES!

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

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hen someone says ‘nude’, the first thing that comes into the mind is bare skin.

Well, that’s exactly what the colour isnude is not just one colour. As there are various skin tones everywhere, there are various shades of nude as well. Originally named after the Western-European centric Caucasian skin tone, nude is close to beige in terms of being a pale shade of the mixture of brown and white.

Earlier, the colors ‘nude’ and ‘flesh’ were referred to lighter skin tones. But over time, the definition continued to change in regards to the strong and extensive consumer demand for beauty and fashion products for people with darker skin colours. The brands eventually started creating products beyond beige and pink and included the palette of rich brown colours to their list.

Nude is the new trend at present- may it be nude makeup, nude look, nude outfit and even nude lingerie for that fact. From lipsticks to shoes, this colour has become one of the most popular choices for consumers. Want to keep it simple? Go nude.

Want to look elegant? Go nude.

Want to look comfortable yet classy? GO NUDE! Christian Louboutin, one of the most renowned French fashion designers once stated, “Nude is not a colour, it’s a concept,” which in fact, is very true to so many levels. Nude is the colour that correlates to a skin tone and is not a predetermined shade that only works for a privileged group in society.

Shoes, undergarments, foundation and lipstick are the biggest culprits of selling nude colours that are hardly flattering to any woman who doesn’t have a light skin tone, and this is what we need to change!

09

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10

KARTIK ARYAN

Self-Made

ACTOR GURMAN SINGH cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

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FA CE OF TH ED AY

he young actor Kartik Aryan believes there is no shortcut to success. It was an advertisement for an audition that led Kartik to bag (2011) Pyaar Ka Punchnama. The actor set foot in the Bollywood film industry with a buddy film about the romantic tribulations faced by three young men, which was directed

by Luv Ranjan. His witty and hilarious acting was loved by the audience as well as the critics. The movie made him everyone’s favourite.

Yet Kartik continued to go unrecognized, uncelebrated and unsung… Later, he went on to play the romantic interest of the lead female characters in Akaash Vani (2013) and Kaanchi: The Unbreakable (2014), but these films failed to propel his career forward. After four years of ennui came the superhit Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 in 2015 and Later in 2018 Blockbuster film Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety and 2019 film Luka Chuppi gave him validation as an actor. His Characters in the films changed his life. He played the role of a ‘best friend’ and a ‘news reporter’ respectively because of that he got many options to do the kind of roles he wanted to since the beginning. It seems like he is looking forward to do characterdriven roles.

Drum-rolled the fact that he was no accident. The unassuming actor had arrived and that he could pull in the crores. Kartik Aaryan, who is riding on the success of back-to-back hits, is a hot favorite right now, with filmmakers queuing up outside his door. It catapulted Kartik to the A-list of new generation stars. Top filmmaker like Imtiaz Ali have placed his bets on him in his superhit film ‘Pati Patni Aur Woh’ and ‘Love Aaj Kal 2’ which are both entertaining and engaging. Beautiful girls like Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday can’t have enough of him. Kartik Aaryan is a rare breed, who cut through dynasty and discrimination to carve his success trail. Life is coming up beautifully for him along with bigger opportunities and responsibilities and he has become more conscious of his choices.

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

On family front, an amazing time is indicated with kids. You will find yourself in overall peace today. Much praises on the way on academic front. You will feel romantic today but your spouse or partner may not feel the same, so give them time.

You believe in good looks and you do anything to appear different in a good way. Don’t be over stick with your children, give them some freedom to live and think their way.

Your lover may be waiting for an answer so make sure to respond on time to avoid any fight.

Don’t lose your relationship with people you love by getting under the influence of some people who are over protective about you. If you love someone then give you all to one and let the time decide the course. Humorous nature and positive outlook is what defines you.

You are brilliant with your strategies and no one can beat you in that. You will build up your assets. You can expect someone’s call today who will give you a very good news. Do not take any elder’s health lightly.

You will find some relief o academic front today.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Don’t be careless with your medication, specially for middle age group. A family youngster may cause some trouble but thats due to boredom so try and understand and deal with the problem accordingly. Falling in love is good but its takes effort to build a relationship.

Today’s agenda should to be help someone who is in desperate need. Give love and care and you will get the same in return so before expecting you must first learn to give. Your talents will open many doors for you. A long life is good but the quality of life is the best thing.

Your efforts on professional front will make others feel guilty about not trying that hard.

You have an active lifestyle and thats how you are perfectly healthy. Peace prevails at home and everyone will contribute to your happiness. A friendly relationship is important.

Those in touring job have seen a setback lately but you will bounce back in coming times. Property through inheritance is on the cards Implementing some ideas on home front is not easy for now you may have to wait. Choose your subject as per your liking.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Domestic heaven is all you need today, pampering from the spouse is the chart. You will get fame in your profession if you decide to do something different and innovative. Be a bit lenient with you kids today and do not over pressurise them. Being calculative about your budget is good.

You are satisfied with the kind of payment you are getting for now. There is a chance that you may us your hobby to earn extra money as a side thing. You have all the resources but you need to understand its importance and know how to use them to your benefit.

Your spouse is not at all demanding you are lucky to have him/her. Peace within is peace outside, its not too late to make your relations good again with people who were once close.

Postponing studies related decision should be made after serious considerations.

You will invest lot of time today in doing stocks online. Someone’s guidance will prove to be God’s sent message on academic front. If you are planning to get married as of now then be prepared for a small event. Fixed opinions is good in certain cases, and bad too.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

KRITIKA KHANDELWAL, Makeup Artist

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC

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11

EXPECTING THEIR FIRST

A

n u s h k a Sharma and Virat Kohli have been married for a couple of years now and have always been giving major couple goals. From their love story being a perfect one, to now taking on new roles, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are all set to become parents.

Announcing the big news, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli took to their Instagram handles to share a picture of them standing together, where she’s flaunting her baby bump. They wrote, “And then, we were three! Arriving Jan 2021.” The internet is already going crazy over the big news.

—Agency

...their post

Viral Kohli and Anushka Sharma

THE INVISIBLE

DISEASE

BUZZ

EVANS AND DODGER

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...his post

LOVE ALL THE WAY

A

ctor-director Farhan Akhtar on Thursday poured his heart out for his girlfriend and singer Shibani Dandekar as she ringed in her 40th birthday.

The ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ actor took to Instagram to share an adorable note along with a picture with his lady love. In the picture, the love birds twinned in black and they are all smiles for the photo. Shibani looks cute as she leaned on the ‘Rock On’ actor’s shoulders.

“You will always have my shoulder to lean on. Happy birthday, @shibanidandekar .. love you,” Akhtar wrote.

The duo is one of the most followed and loved couples of the B-town. They keep treating fans with adorable pictures on social media.

—ANI

Shibani Dandekar

Bella Hadid

upermodel Bella Hadid is opening up about her honest experience with Lyme disease and what she faces on a daily basis. “The truth. The invisible disease…” Bella wrote on her Instagram Story, resharing a graphic from “Palestine on a Plate” author Joudie Kalla. The graphic featured many symptoms that those ...her post with the illness can face, and Bella revealed which she grapples with.

“Every day I feel at least 10 of these attributes without fail … since I was probably 14, but more aggressively when I turned 18,” the now 23-year-old model wrote. Bella checked off symptoms like headaches, brain fog, insomnia, sensitivity to light and noise, anxiety, confusion, nausea, disordered eating, joint pain, and weight gain and loss.

—Agency

Chris Evans and Dodger

D

ogs make everything better, even a photo of the man who played Captain America. Break out the tissues, because Chris Evans’ International Dog Day photo with his pup Dodger will probably make you shed a few tears. The actor tweeted the image on Wednesday and it just might be Evans and Dodger’s best picture yet.

As you can see below, Evans took a selfie with Dodger in bed. He adorably cradled his pup in his arms and smiled at the camera. Dodger also looks super comfortable and who can blame him? The Red Sea Diving Resort actor simply captioned his tweet, “#nationaldogday.”

—Agency

HAPPY COUPLE

STAY HEALTHY

A

day after she claimed that several Bollywood celebrities are into narcotics, actor Kangana Ranaut on Thursday motivated people to consume healthy and natural food items.

The ‘Queen’ actor took to Twitter to share a picture of herself holding a glass full of fresh sugarcane juice and said that while drugs bring people down, healthy and nutritious food items such as fruit juices take them up. “Drugs might take you high for sometime but inevitably it throws you down into the depths of depression, consume things that only take you up never down, earth has so much to offer, look at this freshly squeezed chilled sugarcane juice with a pinch of pink salt and lemon juice,” she tweeted.

The picture showed the 33-year-old actor seated in her car wearing a white coloured kurta and posing with the glass of sugarcane juice.

Kangana, who is vocal about her opinions on the Sushant Singh Rajput death

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom

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Kangana Ranaut & her post

case, on Wednesday made a remark on social media that “if Narcotics Control Bureau enters Bollywood, many Alisters will be behind bars.”

—ANI

he world has become a brighter place thanks to Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom’s good news.

As revealed by the proud parents themselves, Perry and Bloom welcomed a baby girl who they gave the precious name: Daisy Dove Bloom. Fans of the 35-year-old singer will be pleasantly surprised by the name as it’s related to Katy’s recent hit single Daisies.

In a heartwarming statement to UNICEF, the couple began, “We are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of our daughter.”

Katy and Orlando acknowledged how they’re lucky to have a peaceful birthing experience as not everyone is able to have that. Sharing some hardhitting facts, the couple noted how there’s a shortage of healthcare workers while every eleven seconds, a pregnant woman or newborn dies from preventable causes. Due to COVID-19, many newborn lives are at risk because of lack of access to water, soap, vaccines and medicines that can prevent diseases which breaks Perry and Bloom’s hearts as parents to a newborn. The pair empathises with struggling parents now more than ever.

—Agency

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SHALBHA SARDA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

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could be the best year to stay close to nature.

ANTICIPATE YOUR TRAVEL NEEDS-

THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE PLANNING

CITY FIRST

I

n Geetanjali Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur, patients are being treated smoothly following all the rule and guidelines of the COVID-19.

Surgeons and their team of Geetanjali Cancer Center, Dr Ashish Jakhetia and Dr Arun Pandey, Medical Oncologist Dr Ankit Agarwal, Surgeon of Heart Disease Department, Dr Sanjay Gandhi, Anaesthetist Dr

12

How do we begin to travel?

he travel industry had been experiencing its graph soaring upward to an all-time high until the arrival of the coronavirus.

To travel wasn’t just an activity confined to pleasure or business but people derived psychological, physical, and emotional fulfillment with their travel experiences. With the comfort of technology and availability of information with a click of a button people kept their fears aside and ventured across countries and continents freely until a few months ago. It isn’t unfair to say that the globalization of travel also led to the globalization of diseases. The year 2020 began with the spread of the coronavirus.

In a skip of a heartbeat, it uprooted our dreams of traveling far and beyond and the only place we ended up traveling was a circuitous route to the kitchen, living room, and bedroom of our modest homes.

How to travel - Travel close to home. Opt-out of longhaul travel, Skip the flight drive your vehicle instead.

A road trip is a great idea!

Driving allows you to keep up social distancing while you commute, have greater control of your environment and the people around you. If you don’t have your

AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

car renting a car could be an option as opposed to using public transport.

Accommodation optionsAlthough many large resorts and hotel chains have

upped their cleaning and hygiene practices by frequent sanitization and contactless check inns but still if you want to skip as many interactions with staff and

other guests as possible, Airbnb or vacation rental may be your best bet. Moreover, If you’re a fan of the outdoors, give resort camping or glamping a try. 2020

CHAMPIONS OF GMCH Naveen Patidar, ICU Incharge, Dr Sanjay Paliwal, OT Incharge, Avinash gave a new life to the patient af-

ter successful operation of malignant mesothelioma of the 36-year-old patient for 10 hours.

The issue was very serious as the 36-year-old patient was complaining of chest pain, cough, breathlessness for a long time, after which the local doctor analyzed and confirmed

SPOTTED!

that the lungs were filled with water. In this case, the plura of the patient was removed after a challenging operation of 10 hours. Since the patient has to live on one lung after the operation, this operation is done for several selected patients only. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Packing -You’ll pack differently this time. Health and hygiene will take over fashion. Don’t forget to pack many cotton masks that aren’t just a lot more comfortable to wear in Indian climate but you can also mix and match them, wash and hang them dry just like your swimsuit. Good Hand sanitizers are back in stock keep them handy both in your purse and your car with an alcohol content of more than 60%. Make our medicine kit to last you for the entire trip.

THINGS TO REMEMBER DURING TRAVEL-

Stops- Avoid making too many stops along the way for the gas, food, or bathroom breaks which can put you in close contact with other people and frequently-touched surfaces. Post your restroom break don’t forget to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth until you wash your hands. It would be safest to carry your food. If you do decide to eat outside use drive-through, takeout, and curbside pick-up options. Prefer outdoordining in case you have to use a restaurant set up.

CITY FIRST

T

his year, as the world works through a new normal, Teamwork Arts, the producer of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, and the British Library is going to organise a virtual edition of the annual JLF London, with the magnificent piazza of the British Library replaced by the boundless

Avoid - Being in a containment zone or an area that is experiencing high levels of COVID-19 spread is where you don’t want to be. You can check the levels and proximity of cases by the Arogya Setu app. Keep away from crowds or public places such as bars, malls, indoor restaurants, or a social gathering.

The wound inflicted by the coronavirus to the travel industry is deep. Although we are getting used to things but we are still not healed. Things will gradually recover to a new normal and adjust to the change. Doesn’t travel and adjustments go hand in hand after all?

JLF LONDON possibilities of the internet.

Everything else remains the same - the magic of discourse, the caravan of ideas, the camaraderie of people, and the seamless flow of knowledge. The edition has been

scheduled from 11 to 13 September 2020. This chapter of JLF London at the British Library will mark the annual literary event’s seventh edition. The Festival will be streamed on all official social media handles of JLF. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

DURING THE DAY!

RAJASTHAN: To celebrate the occasion of Muharram, Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Dargah, Ajmer is beautifully decorated with lights. The occasion also witnessed the ritual of mehndi on the 7th day of Muharram on Thursday. On this day, Muslims prepare a Mehendi consisting of oil lamps, which children place on top of their heads to join the procession.

Soha Ali Khan along with her daughter Inaaya was spotted at Jaipur Airport on Thursday, as they are in the city to shoot for a web-series. Naseeruddin Shah is also said to be in Jaipur.

GUJARAT: Girls practicing Garba in Ahmedabad on Thursday, for the upcoming Navratri Festival while taking utmost precautions due to the COVID-19 situation.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJARAT: The night life of Ahmedabad city is slowly coming back to life, as people are seen spending time with each other at the heritage site Astodiya Darwaja on Thursday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI