First India-Ahmedabad Edition-29 September 2020

AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

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RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 304

PM MODI TO INAUGURATE SIX MEGA PROJECTS IN U’KHAND UNDER ‘NAMAMI GANGE’

PRADHAN SLAMS CONG OVER INDIA GATE INCIDENT

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD 26°C - 35°C

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CONTENTIOUS FARM BILLS

PROTESTS INTENSIFY

Farmers keep the pot boiling across nation on Bhagat’s birth anniv, even as Centre trying to convince them that bills would help deregulate agricultural markets & benefit them!

ACROSS INDIA New Delhi: A day after President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to three contentious farm bills, Opposition parties, including Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam staged wise spread protests in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Tamil Nadu.

Some unidentified 1520 Punjab Youth Congress members set ablaze a tractor near India Gate in Delhi at around 7.15 am on Monday. While setting the tractor on fire, the protesters raised slogans like ‘Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Amar rahe’ and ‘Kisan Virodhi, Narendra Modi’.

The alleged Punjab

ONLINE PORTAL ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINE LAUNCHED

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that, “An online portal about COVID-19 vaccine has been launched. Everyone will be able to go online to that portal and look up all contemporary researchdevelopment and clinical trials related information. It will also provide information about other vaccinations provided in the country.” He said first vaccine would likely be available in the first trimester of the upcoming year. P6

Youth Congress also raised slogans in favour of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), New Delhi, Eish Singhal, confirmed abut the incident and said that the identity of the individuals is being ascertained.

Delhi Congress president Anil Kumar and other party workers were detained by police during a protest against farm bills at Rajghat Meanwhile in Uttar Pradesh the police detained Congress workers, including state party chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, in Lucknow for protesting Turn on P6

PRAKASH JAVADEKAR @PRAKASHJAVDEKAR Congress workers brought tractors in the truck and set it on fire near India Gate. This is the drama of Congress. Therefore, the Congress was evicted from power by the people.

Punjab Youth Congress activists set on fire a tractor near India Gate during a protest against the new farm laws, in New Delhi on Monday. —PHOTO BY PTI

Override Farm Laws: Sonia to Cong-ruled states New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday asked states ruled by her party to consider bringing laws to overrule the cent r e ’ s far m

RAHUL GANDHI @RAHULGANDHI The agriculture laws are a death sentence to our farmers.

Their voice is crushed in Parliament and outside.

laws, which have provoked massive farmer protests in parts of the country.

“Hon’ble Congress President has asked the Congress-ruled states to explore the possibilities to pass laws in their states un-

der Article 254(2) of the constitution which allows the state legislatures to pass a law to override a Central law which then comes for President Assent (sic),” senior Congress leader KC Venugopal tweeted.

State law that Sonia

CEC, his team to Brahmos, Nirbhay & Akash to counter Chinese threat in Ladakh visit Bihar today New Delhi: The 500 km-range Brahmos cruise missile, 800 kmrange Nirbhay cruise missiles along with Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) with a capability to target aerial threats 40 km away are at the core of India’s stand-off weapon deterrence to PLA’s missile deployment in Xinjiang and Tibet regions.

While the PLA’s western theatre command has deployed stand-off weapons up to 2,000 km range and long-range SAMs in Tibet and Xinjiang after the Ladakh stand-off started, people familiar with the development said that supersonic Brahmos, subsonic Nirbhay as well as Akash have been deployed to counter

India to buy 72K more rifles from US

them by India in the worst-case scenario.

The Chinese deployment is not limited to occupied Aksai Chin but is located in depth positions from Kashgar, Hotan, Lhasa and Nyingchi along the 3,488 km LAC. India’s main stay in the stand-off weapons is the Brahmos air-to-

air and air-to-surface cruise missile with its 300 kg warhead which can take care of airstrips in Tibet and Xinjiang, or a warship in Indian Ocean.

The Brahmos missile has been deployed in sufficient numbers in the Ladakh sector with the option to deliver the stand-off Turn on P6

New Delhi: The defence ministry on Monday approved arms acquisitions worth another Rs 2,290 crore, including the procurement of 72,000 more assault rifles from the US, amid the ongoing military confrontation in eastern Ladakh with China Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) cleared the Rs 780 crore acquisition of the assault rifles from US firm SiG Sauer.

The DAC on Monday also gave the nod for the indigenous procurements of smart antiairfield Turn on P6

Guj IAS officer PD Vaghela is new TRAI chief

Dr Anita

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India led by CEC Sunil Arora accompanied by Election Commissioners Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar will be reaching Patna on Tuesday to review preparations for the upcoming Bihar Assembly election. They will reach Patna in the evening by

has referenced says that in a matter concerning concurrent subject, if a state legislature passes a law which is “repugnant to the parliament law”, if the state law gets the assent of president it will apply in the state.

the 4 pm Vistara flight and are expected to return to Delhi on October 1 after the Press Conference at Patna.

Turn on P6

New Delhi: Government on Monday appointed PD Vaghela, a 1986-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, as chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, replacing RS Sharma. Vaghela has been serving as Secy in Dept Pharmaceuticals. Centre also appointed 16 Joint Secretaries in various Departments.

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LOAN MORATORIUM: SC GIVES CENTRE ONE WEEK ON NEW PLAN New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to October 5 hearing on two public interest litigations (PILs) seeking an extension of the

moratorium period and waive off interest on the repayment of the loan amount in view the COVID-19 pandemic. A threejudge bench, headed

by Justice Ashok Bhushan, deferred the matter for October 5, after Solicitor General Tushar sought more time to place some relevant Turn on P6

BUSINESSES TO SHUT AT 10 PM IN 27 AREAS OF A’BAD Order comes a day after nodal officer Gupta hinted that lax Amdavadis were causing nCoV resurgence First India Bureau Ahmedabad: A day after Rajiv Gupta, the state-appointed nodal officer in charge of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak in Ahmedabad, passed the buck to the people of the city, the local civic body has come down on local

businesses.

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has announced a partial lockdown in as many as 27 areas of the city with immediate effect. No businesses, except for pharmacies, will be allowed to operate in these areas from 10 pm to 5 am until further notice. Turn on P6

Law Garden

Sindhu Bhavan Road

Opp. YMCA Club Road

 Prahladnagar road  YMCA to Kake ka Dhaba (Karnavati Club road)  Prahladnagar Garden to Palladium Circle (Corporate road)  But Bhavani Mandir to Anandnagar road  SG Highway  ISKCON Crossroads to Shapath 4 and 5 (including the service road)  Sindhu Bhavan Road  Bopal–Ambli Road  ISKCON to Bopal– Ambli Road  ISKCON–Ambli Road to

AREAS UNDER THE ORDER Hebatpur Road area  Science City road  Shilaj Circle to Science City Circle (200 ft SP Ring Road)  Ambli Circle to Vaishnodevi Circle (200 ft Sp Ring Road)  CG Road  Law Garden (Char Rasta, Happy Street, Municipal Market, Panchvati Circle)  Vastrapur Lake periphery  Drive-In Road  Mansi Circle to DriveIn Road

 Honest to Shyamal Crossroads (Prahladnagar 100 ft Road)  Shyamal Bridge to Jivraj Crossroads  Baliyadev Temple to Jivraj Crossroads  IIM Road  Shivranjani to Jodhpur Crossroads (on both sides of BRTS corridor)  Royal Akbar Tower pocket  Sonal Cinema to Ambar tower to Vishala Circle  Sarkhej Roza–Cadila Circle– Ujala Circle  Sanand Crossroads to Shantipur Crossroads

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AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

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POLICE JUSTIFIED MOVE BY DECLARING THAT THE PROTESTORS DID NOT SEEK THE REQUIRED PERMISSION FOR THE MARCH First India Bureau Ahmedabad: After the recently passed farm bills received assent from President Ramnath Kovind, protests and demonstrations against the new laws have cropped up across the state. The state unit of Congress party held a march to the Governor’s house (Raj Bhavan) on Monday to submit a memorandum expressing their dissent and voicing the plight of farmers. The party also termed the bills as ‘anti-agricultural’.

Several leaders of the opposition party were detained by police including state unit president Amit Chavda, leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani, among others. The police said that the leaders had not sought a permit for conducting the march, which led to a scuffle between them.

Talking about the farm bills, Chavda said, “The BJP is working to create a situation where farmers, the breadwinners of the world, are enslaved in this

country. The new law will end the APMC system. Companies will buy farmers’ produce at nominal prices and make profits by hoarding them.

The BJP is heading towards making our farmers poorer and mortgaging the country to a wealthy company. We have taken to the streets to protest that.”

“The BJP government does not even allow the farmers to protest in a democratic manner. They are working to bring back the same regime as was prevalent during the British rule, where no one had a voice and slavery was a practice,” he added.

Agreeing with Chavda’s assessment, Leader of Opposition Dhanani said, “The ‘anti-farmer’ BJP government has executed a well-planned conspiracy to snatch away the livelihood of farmers. If the APMC system crumbles, where will the farmers go to sell their produce? I think these anti-peasant, anti-labour, anti-poor

FARM BILLS: STIR INTENSIFIES,

CONG LEADERS DETAINED

—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI

laws will create preindependence India.”

“The ‘new East India companies’ will have a free hand to plunder the

hard-earned money of the poor. All such laws will be aggressively protested by the Congress in the coming days

through a non-violent medium,” he added.

Meanwhile, police detained around 25 protestors in Va-

dodara city before Congress leaders and activists left for Gandhinagar to take part in the march. It in-

NOW, BJP PLANS COUNTERMOVE TO STOP FARM BILL PROTESTERS

First India Bureau

Gandhinagar: After widespread protests against the new agricultural bills passed by the Lok Sabha, the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a meeting on Monday to formulate a plan to launch a counter-attack against the opposition and win back the confidence of farmers at the same time.

Party leaders met at the unit office ‘Kamalam’ in Gandhinagar, where the party’s national Joint General Secretary V Satish briefed them about the three bills that will ad-

The party will launch a statewide campaign to enlighten people about the benefits of the recently approved laws

BJP national Joint General Secy V Satish briefing party leaders at ‘Kamalam’ on Monday.

dress the needs of the agriculture and farming sectors.

Addressing the media, BJP state unit Vice-President IK

Jadeja said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Nar-

endra Modi, the central government has passed the farm bills.

The objective of these bills is to double the income of farmers by the year 2025. Opposition parties are spreading lies about the bills and their benefits, so now, the BJP Kisan Morcha will launch a statewide awareness programme. All villages will be covered by party workers and enlightened about the merit of the bills.”

In the wake of nationwide protests against the new farm bills, a national campaign will be launched by the BJP to curb the

attacks from opposition parties tarnishing the government’s image and also instigating farmers into protesting.

Meanwhile, sources from the party said that over the course of the meeting, no discussion was initiated about a state cabinet reshuffle.

Last week, party state unit president CR Patil had indicated that he would be returning to the state capital soon. But Patil was conspicuously absent from the meet held on Monday. He is currently under home quarantine after recovering from a COVID-19 infection.

LOOKING FORWARD

ARAVALLI GETS SEWERAGE PROJECT AS CM KEEPS THE DEVELOPMENT BALL ROLLING l Rupani laid the foundation stones for and dedicated other projects worth a total of `92.75 crore First India Bureau Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani laid the foundation stone for an underground sewerage project worth Rs70 crore in the newly created Aravalli district through video conferencing from Gandhinagar on Monday. On this occasion, he reiterated that his government is commit-

ted to developing an underground sewerage scheme, sewage treatment plants and 100% ‘Nal Se Jal’ in all the municipalities of the state.

In this context, he said, “With more than 45% of the population living in urban areas in the state, our cities have become modern. Basic facilities like light, water, sewerage, roads have also been developed.”

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani laid the foundation stone for a sewerage project in Aravalli district on Monday.

Rupani also laid the foundation stones for and dedicated other projects worth a total

of Rs92.75 crore, including the 124km-long underground sewerage line project worth

Rs69.84 crore through video conferencing.

Highlighting the state’s efforts to extend benefits of development to remote regions, Rupani said, “We do not work with the mantra of ‘Jya manvi, tya suvidha’ (roughly translated: development in areas with larger populations,” he said, adding, “We have not let the pace of development slow down even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.” The government has laid the foundation stone or and dedicated public projects worth Rs11,000 crore since the novel coronavi-

rus hit the state.

Rupani also inaugurated a 138-room boys’ hostel, constructed at a cost of Rs18 crore, various office buildings and building of animal husbandry department worth Rs1.20 crore on Monday.

The chief minister said that the state government is committed to providing adequate water, electricity and crop-insurance assistance to the state’s farmers, and state-ofthe-art equipment to those involved in animal husbandry.

cluded Mahisagar district Congress president, who was also detained for meeting his daughter

in Vadodara. Congress leaders called the police operation the ‘murder of democracy.’

Quantity limit set at 2,500kg for purchase of groundnut harvest

Groundnut on sale at Rajkot’s Bedi Market on Monday.

First India Bureau Rajkot: The state government announced that it will commence the procurement of groundnut from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs1,055 per 20 kilogram from October 21 onwards. The online registration for the drive will begin from October 1. A limit on the quantity of groundnut to be procured from one farmer has also been set by the government.

Each farmer will only be permitted to sell 2,500 kilogram of groundnut. Therefore, farmers have been cautioned not to bring all their harvest to APMCs expecting to sell all their produce.

All district collectors in Saurashtra region of the state have issued a notification declaring the procurement of groundnut at all Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs). The acquisition will be execut-

At a MSP of `1,055 per 20kg, the govt will procure the produce from farmers from Oct 21 ed by the Gujarat State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd at all APMC centres.

To ensure that no irregularities crop up and all farmers get equal opportunity, district collectors have decided to depute four deputy mamlatdars and four talatis, who will closely monitor and supervise the procurement.

After almost a fiveday break, farmers have started coming into APMCs with their groundnut harvest. As per reports, on Monday, over 16,000 bags (each bag of 50 kg) of groundnut entered the Bedi Market in Rajkot. Unfortunately, farmers were offering prices in the range of Rs570 to Rs990 for 20 kilogram, which is lower than the MSP of Rs1,055 declared by the state government.

GUJARAT AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

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Unlock effect: 978 cases, 20 deaths per day for 199 days

03

A’bad traders observe bandh to protest ‘police atrocities’

1,404 fresh cases, 12 deaths reported in 24 hours take tally to 1,34,623 cases, death toll to 3,431 First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The authorities has been quick to blame the “irresponsible public” for the spike in COVID-19 cases but it cannot wash its hands off the issue.

It is to be remembered that the government reopened the state—despite the upward curve— since it wanted to resume trade and industry, which had come to a virtual standstill in the two preceding months of lockdown.

The data is clear: Rolling back the lockdown has hit the state.

During the 66 days of lockdown, the state averaged 254 new cases and 16 deaths per day. Against that, Gujarat has seen an average of 978 new cases and 20 deaths per day for the 199 days since lockdown was lifted.

With 180 new cases emerging in 24 hours, Ahmedabad city has topped the state’s worst

STATE OVERVIEW

The usually bustling Sarangpur footwear market was deserted on Monday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

First India Bureau

COVID-19 testing drive in Ahmedabad.

hit list for the second consecutive day. Another 30 cases were reported in the district’s rural areas, bringing the total to 210 cases in a single day.

On Monday, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation identified nine new microcontainment zones, taking the total to 199 such zones in the city.

The state conduct-

ed 61,316 tests in the past 24 hours, of which 1,404 samples tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

There are now 16,716 active cases in the state, with 91 patients on ventilator support.

Twelve patients died in the past 24 horus: five from Surat, three from Ahmedabad, two from Rajkot and one each from Vadodara

—FILE PHOTO

and Bharuch.

Surat reported the next highest number of cases (302) after Ahmedabad. Of these, 176 emerged in the city and 126 in rural areas. There are 2,481 active cases in Surat.

Vadodara city tested 4,388 samples, and detected 121 new cases. There are now 1,574 active cases in the city. Of these, 182

patients are on oxygen support, while 61 are on BiPAP machines and ventilators.

New cases were also reported in Rajkot (148), Jamnagar (95), Mehsana (43), Gandhinagar (40), Kutch (37), Banaskantha (35), Junagadh (33), Bharuch (29), Surendranagar (29), Amreli (27) and Mahisagar (27).

Ahmedabad: In a bid to protest atrocities committed by police, shoe traders of Sarangpur market observed a voluntary bandh on Monday.

Two days ago, a shoe trader belonging to the area had been brutally beaten up by Khadia police for violating social distancing norms.

Another controversial move by police personnel was when a youth, who was reportedly sitting alone in his shop, was taken into custody by Kalupur police. The youngster was beaten up by cops when he declined to pay a fine of Rs1,000 by declaring that he had not violated

any norm.

A video was being circulated on social media wherein a shoe trader is seen showing bruises on his back. He

Cops have reportedly beaten up traders and levied unwarranted fines on them

can be heard saying that he was beaten ‘like a serious criminal’.

According to traders of the market, they are being fined for violating social distancing norms even when there are only two people in the shop. When asked about incidents in the market, Khadia police station inspector Piyush Patel

Rajkot sees 1st relapse as Surat plans nCoV follow-up centre

MEMORY OF A MARTYR

First India Bureau Rajkot/Surat: Rajkot has seen its first COVID-19 relapse, with a trader getting infected with the Sars-CoV-2 virus for the second time in one month.

Until now, relapses had only been noted within the medical fraternity, such as in the case of four doctors in Ahmedabad.

The worrying development could be a cause of alarm for the health department, given that cases in the city has seen a spike in fresh cases over the past two months. An increase in relapses would certainly test the government’s mettle further.

Local sources in Rajkot say that the trader first tested positive for COVID-19 in August. He was discharged from the hospital after treatment.

However, 20 days later, he received a letter saying

said, “One of the traders was not wearing a mask and had also insulted a police officer.

When imposed with a fine, he got verbally abusive. The trader has now written a formal apology and other traders have observed a spontaneous shutdown.

The police only levy fines on people who violate COVID-19 guidelines.”

In a similar incident, a policeman from Kalupur police station had demanded a fine from a trader for not maintaining social distancing, a few days ago. A scuffle broke out between the cop and the trader who protested against the fine by claiming that he had been inside his shop all by himself.

People came together to pay floral tribute to revolutionary freedom fighter and martyr Bhagat Singh on his 113th birth anniversary at Ahmedabad’s Khokhra area on Monday morning.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

—FILE PHOTO

Rajkot Civil Hospital.

that he had again tested positive for the disease.

Dr Nehal Sadhu, “There are relapses in COVID-19, but they are negligible compared to other diseases. So far as the Sars-CoV-2 virus is concerned, no research has been done to prove the cycle. But, in any viral disease, the second bout it is always milder than the first infection.”

Meanwhile, Surat continues to struggle with

the virus. Now, recovered patients are complaining about other health issues that have resulted from COVID-19.

With this in mind, the Surat Municipal Corporation plans to set up follow-up centres, where patients complaining of issues related to the heart, lungs and breathing will receive consultations and treatment.

While Surat is yet to see any cases of relapse,

the corporation does not want to be overconfident, and hence plans to closely monitor recovered patients through these follow-up centres.

The problem for Surat is that thousands of migrant workers pour into the city on a daily basis.

And despite multiple checkpoints where these inbound workers are tested, the infection rate has remained high in this group.

HC NOTICES IN BANAS DAIRY POLL ISSUE First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The state high court on Monday issued notices to the state government and the election officer of the Banaskantha District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (Banas Dairy). They have been asked to file a response re-

garding the Banas Dairy elections before October 1, when the matter has been kept for further hearing by the court.

Mavji Desai, ViceChairman of Banas Dairy has once again knocked on the doors of the High Court with a prayer to stay the procedure and execution of the notification regard-

ing dates of the dairy’s management committee elections issued by the election officer.

Desai’s contention is that the announcement of elections is in violation of the High Court order of his petition, wherein the court had stated that the registrar must abide by the state government’s resolution that allowed post-

ponement of cooperative society elections till December 2020.

The other submission made by the petitioner was regarding the term of the management committee that ends on December 15.

He pointed out that the polls were being held on October 19, two months before the tenure of the committee ends.

SUB PAR

As monsoon retreats, Dang & Valsad yet to receive 100% rainfall 

Districts which usually see the highest amount of showers lag behind this year; Kutch reports 272% of its average annual rain

First India Bureau Ahmedabad: The monsoon season usually commences its retreat from the state by the end of September. The rains have not let up yet, with the state receiving more than 100% than its annual average this year.

Most parts of the state received rainfall as per its own average but, the districts which usually receive the

highest amount of showers each year namely, Valsad and Dang, did not receive 100% of their rainfall average this monsoon.

The district of Dang, which receives an average of 2,377mm of rainfall annually, recorded 1,712mm of rainfall this year. This means that the region received only 67.65% of rainfall. In fact, the district has recorded the lowest amount of rainfall across the

Better than average rain in several parts of the state led to waterlogging and other woes. —FILE PHOTO

state this season.

Similarly, in the case of Valsad district, which receives 2,251mm of annual rainfall, has recorded 2,021mm of rainfall, which accounts for 89.74% of its usual average.

Contrary to its annual average of 412mm of rainfall, the Kutch region reported 1,121mm of showers this monsoon. This means that Kutch received 272.03% of its annual average of rains.

With a timely onset of rains this year, the state recorded showers in all of the four months of the monsoon season including June (122.24mm), July (228.66mm), August (644.51mm) and September (121.72mm).

On Monday, a total of nine districts received rainfall in the state. Talala taluka of Gir-Somnath received 25mm of showers, followed by Danta of Banaskantha, which recorded 13mm of rainfall.

PERSPECTIVE AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

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NEED AN ARMY OF ENTREPRENEURS

IN-DEPTH

TO UPLIFT ECONOMY

IS SAVING FAMILY’S HONOUR THE DUTY OF A WOMAN ALONE?

E

ducation and position are no guarantee that a man won’t treat his wife like a doormat. From diplomats to bureaucrats and senior police officers have all indulged in uncivilized acts of violence against their wives. Some years ago Anil Verma, who was ranked third in the Indian High Commission in London, assaulted his wife Paromita over a Christmas gift. Paromita ran out of the house and into the street with blood dripping from her face. British Foreign Office wanted Verma’s diplomatic immunity to be withdrawn but India recalled the officer. The External Affairs Ministry had then stated that “there is no question of condoning domestic violence”. But for all the disgrace Verma brought to the country, he was only reverted to his cadre state, West Bengal, and the matter was given a quiet burial.

In an equally condemnable incident, Madhya Pradesh Director-General of Police (Prosecution) Purushottam Sharma was caught on video brutally assaulting his wife of 32 years. The video shows Sharma slapping and pinning his wife who tries to defend herself. As the video went viral, Sharma displayed a patriarchal mindset and remained unapologetic. “My son should say why she was taking money (from me) and going on foreign trips. After enjoying so much comfort in life, she has an obligation towards her family to save its reputation,” Sharma told a journalist. He also said that it was not a crime but a family dispute. To put it mildly, there can’t be a more brazen argument. Because she was taking money from Sharma to enjoy the life she had no business to talk about her sufferings. Sharma very conveniently shrugged off his responsibility to save the family’s honour as a responsible officer and husband. Is it for a woman alone to protect her family’s reputation even after being physically abused?

The video was sent to Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra by the couple’s son Parth, who is a deputy commissioner in the Income-tax Department, with the request that a complaint is registered against his IPS father. Narottam Mishra’s response to journalists’ questions did not suggest that he would take stern action against Purushottam Sharma. For the time being Sharma has been relieved of his duties. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has promised action.

Under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act-2005 any act that “harms, injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well-being, whether mental or physical, of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse, and economic abuse” shall constitute domestic violence. To that extent, Purushottam Sharma’s action falls within the Act’s ambit.

Now that his wife has moved the state Women’s Commission and decided to forego the figurative big diamonds, the MP government should not dither from taking strong action against the officer.

DR GS SANDHU

THE AUTHOR IS A RETIRED IAS, RAJASTHAN

I

Due to prolonged slowdown, low demand, and uncertain future corporates are reluctant to invest and hire, they tend to adopt a wait and watch policy. This leaves it upon the government to step up public investment in large infrastructure projects to create jobs and reboot the economy

t was in 2017-18 when the unemployment rate jumped to 6.1% (45 years high) in India as per the National Sample Survey.

With the COVID pandemic and drastic contraction of about 24% in the economy, this has become much worse. The recent CMIE report shows about 21 million salaried jobs lost between April and August. And the informal sector has suffered even a steeper fall.

There are some worrying aspects of this scenario. First, the loss of jobs among the youth has been much higher than the job losses suffered by adults. Second, salaried jobs are very difficult to come back in the near future due to business uncertainties. Third, though many of the informal jobs may have come back there is a sharp fall in their incomes due to lower economic activity.

The impact on youth jobs has been brought out succinctly in a joint report published by Asian Development Bank and International Labour Organisation in August 2020. The report ‘Tackling the COVID-19 Youth Employment Crisis in Asia and the Pacific’ estimates that the youth unemployment rate in India would have stood at 29.5 percent (40.84 lakh) if containment was achieved in three months (by June) and is estimated to be at 32.5 percent (61.13 lakh) if containment is achieved within six months (by September). The report also finds that the last-in-first-out process followed by most enterprises results in younger workers losing jobs faster than adults.

If one looks around, activities like cinemas, theatres, educational institutions are still closed while some like hotels, resorts, restaurants, transport, aviation, exports, and other services are partially open, functioning with only about 1520% of their normal workforce.

BRINGING BACK JOBS Due to prolonged slowdown, low demand, and uncertain future corporates are reluctant to

invest and hire, they tend to adopt a wait and watch policy.

This leaves it upon the Government to step up public investment in large infrastructure projects to create jobs and reboot the economy. It helps to create a conducive environment for private investment also.

Thrust on Upskilling, SelfEmployment, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship- in fields like health, digital technology, e-commerce, logistics, freelancing for the ‘gig economy’. Added to this is the push to agriculture and agro-industries. A large and complex economy like India will need to adopt a multi-pronged approach in this regard.

If we look around, each State in India has numerous technical institutes providing courses at various levels- certificate/ diploma graduate/ post graduate/ doctoral degrees. Very few of the pass-outs are able to find jobs. And a minuscule of them turn into entrepreneurs. Lets take Rajasthan - there are about 2200 Institutes comprising of 38 Universities, 140 Engineering Colleges(33,000 seats), 151 Polytechnic Colleges (28,000 seats), 1900 ITIs (about 4 lac capacity for courses after 8th, 10th and 12th classes). Out of this huge number very few are able to get into some gainful employment and most of them add to the already swelling numbers of jobless persons.

Can we rejuvenate and reactivate these Institutes as Incubators to prepare the

A A SENSITIVE AND PROACTIVE APPROACH BY THE CENTRAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS SHOULD BE ADOPTED TO INVEST IN CREATING LOCAL INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP ECOSYSTEM WITH AVAILABLE RESOURCES

entrepreneurs for tomorrow? If we are able to transform a few of these Institutes into ‘Centres of Excellence’ (in the real sense and not merely on paper) and partly use them as Incubators/Accelerators (by upgrading infrastructure and connecting them to industry) to prepare some of the trained persons as entrepreneurs, it will make a big difference to the job market. This can be done with the help of reputed private sector players/other established Incubators in India.

Youth coming out of these Incubators can play a significant role in creating jobs particularly if the ventures are scalable. Even a few successes will bring about a sea change in the perception and thinking of the youth and many more will feel inspired to follow this path.

Even if some of these startups fail, the ecosystem should act as the support system to help them recover and reboot.

Government’s handholding

TRUMP AT THE UN: A FAILURE TO LEAD

T

rue to himself, US President Donald Trump completely failed to address any of the issues confronting the global community in his keynote speech to the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Instead, he used the platform to criticize China, to excoriate Iran, to boast of how big and dangerous the US military has become, and to urge every nation to close its borders to even the most hungry or persecuted migrants. He did, however, think it appropriate to support the right of all Americans to own as many guns as they want.

In the same speech, Trump made headlines with his words urging the world to hold China accountable for having “unleashed this plague on to the world,” in reference to

04

the COVID-19 pandemic, and for deliberately encouraging the coronavirus to spread. The White House cut these words from the transcript posted on its website. Perhaps even the administration’s press office did not have the stomach to publish such libel.

This speech to the UN was a moment when the leader of the free world — as a US president might once have been seen — could actually attempt to lead. The speech was an opportunity to inspire and to set out a roadmap to a better future. Trump chose to do the reverse. The world is facing a triple crisis of an international pandemic, economic collapse and climate emergency. Trump could only reach out for people to blame: the Chinese, Iranians or Venezuelans. He failed to mention that the United States has

the biggest coronavirus death toll of any country in the world, with over 200,000 dead and counting.

Nor did Trump comment on the millions out of work or that America’s west is burning at the same time

that its southeast is inundated by hurricane after hurricane. These are not just America’s problems: Trump did not address the dire straits of billions of non-Americans impacted by these dangers. Why would

he? This is the true measure of “America First.”

The American leadership vacuum is a grave danger to not just Americans but to us all. Trump’s failure to act early to stem coronavirus infections — a

deliberate decision he made to fatuously “avoid panic” — will likely cost the lives of tens of thousands more Americans on top of the current staggering death toll. The US withdrawal from the World Health Organization in the middle of the pandemic signaled that Trump wanted no part of the international leadership out of the health crisis. The resultant deaths will be beyond imagination.

As for the climate emergency, Trump has chosen to deny it. More than that, he has proceeded to undo everything previous US governments and the international community had done to try to save the planet from disaster. All of these crises are going to produce millions of refugees across the world.

Trump couldn’t care less.

SOURCE: FAIR OBSERVER

role becomes critical in the initial period.

Firstly, while maintaining an arms-length in managing the Incubators it should arrange initial funding/ mobilise CSR funds from the private sector. ( CSR funds of Rs 350-400 crores are generated annually in Rajasthan) Secondly, after the persons come out of the Incubator they must be provided financial support with seed money and marketing support.

Tie up with venture funds, private equity and angel investor groups is necessary for sustained financial support Detailed modalities can be worked out jointly with the mentors/private sector.

If other states too make similar efforts one can imagine the impact and the multiplier effect it will have on the national economy. The central government should play a leadership role in this regard.

CONCLUSION The job losses will persist postpandemic period for a long time adversely affecting economic growth. A a sensitive and proactive approach by the Central and State Governments should be adopted to invest in creating local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem with available resources. Such ecosystems would inspire confidence in the youth to come forward and be creators of jobs rather than job seekers.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

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TWEET Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank @DrRPNishank Extremely happy to note that over 96% of students appeared in the #JEE Advanced 2020 conducted by @iitdelhi on Sunday. With approx 3.4 lakh nodes, this is among the largest no. of nodes for any online exam in India.

Congratulations @ramgopal_rao for overseeing the arrangements.

Adhir Chowdhury @adhirrcinc The International day for Universal access to information is being celebrated today. I think that the epoch-making legislation of RIGHT TO INFORMATION act conceived and passed during UPA regime in India could be recognised as a befitting tribute to the essence of this day.

Spiritual SPEAK

It is better to strive in one’s own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another.

—Bhagavad Gita

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PM MODI HOLDS VIRTUAL SUMMIT Pradhan slams Cong over India Gate incident WITH DANISH COUNTERPART An MoU in the field of intellectual property cooperation between the two countries will be signed on the occasion, said Ministry of External Affairs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks with Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen during a virtual bilateral summit, in New Delhi on Monday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

cratic value-system, to work together.

Modi mentioned that the Covid-19 pandemic showed that excessive dependence of global supply chains on a single source can be risky.

He said that India is working with Japan and Australia towards diversification and resilience of supply chains adding that several like-minded nations can also be a part of this effort.

Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Fred-

eriksen began her address by thanking PM Modi for his greetings and added that she and her family would love to visit India once again.

Frederiksen further said,“ Today’s summit marks for Denmark a milestone on our bilateral relations, and our forward-looking agreement on green strategic partnership. We are proud that India looks at Denmark when it comes to the climate changes.” —ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen held a virtual summit on Monday to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Earlier, the external affairs ministry issued a statement which said that an MoU in the field of intellectual property cooperation between the two countries will be signed on the occasion.

As the virtual summit began, Prime Min-

NARENDRA MODI@NARENDRAMODI Spoke to respected Lata Didi and conveyed birthday greetings to her. Praying for her long and healthy life.

Lata Didi is a household name across the nation. I consider myself fortunate to have always received her affection and blessings. ister Modi firstly thanked Frederiksen for taking out time for this virutal interaction and also congratulated her on her wedding.

He also highlighted that the events of the

Agri laws are death sentence for farmers: RaGa New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the agriculture-related laws are a “death sentence” for farmers whose voice has been crushed both inside and outside Parliament. “The agriculture laws are a death sentence to our farmers. Their voice is crushed in Parliament and outside. Here is proof that democracy in India is dead,” he said on Twitter.

Gandhi tagged a news report along with his tweet that claimed that Opposition members demanding a division of votes were on their seats when the farm bills were passed in the Rajya Sabha, while the government said they were not.

Gandhi & Congress party have been demanding that farm legislations be withdrawn as they are not beneficial for farmers, who will be enslaved at the hands of private players and big businesses.

‘FARMERS WILL BECOME SELF SUFFICIENT’ New Delhi: Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said farmers will now become self-sufficient with new agriculture laws. “With the new agricultural laws, every farmer will now become self-sufficient. The number of crops purchased by govt from farmers has increased. For example, government did not buy moong crop in 2013-14. in 2019-20, 1.66L MT of moong was purchased by Modi govt,” he tweeted.

J&K: LET COMMANDER AMONG 2 TERRORISTS GUNNED DOWN Pulwama: Two terrorists were neutralised in a joint operation carried out on Sunday night by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir Police and Indian Army in Samboora, Awantipora of Pulwama, said Dilbag Singh, Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Singh said that one of the neutralised terrorists was a commander of the LeT. “Last night, during a joint operation by CRPF, Police and Army in Samboora, terrorists fired at us and attacked us with grenades. Forces retaliated following which an exchange of fire started.

The operation continued throughout the night.

past several months have made it clear how important it is for likeminded countries like India and Denmark, which share a rulesbased, transparent, humanitarian and demo-

New Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan slammed Congress after party’s youth workers allegedly burned down a tractor at India Gate in New Delhi as a mark of protest against the new agriculture-related laws.

Condemning the incident, Pradhan alleged that the Congress party is misleading the farmers on the issue and in the name of farmers, some anti-social elements are trying to spread anarchy.

“Today, Congress showed its true colours in Delhi. In the name of farmers, some anti-social elements are trying to spread anarchy. The incident is unfortunate.

They are trying to mislead farmers. Words fall short to condemn this incident,” news agency ANI quoted theUnion Petroleum Minister as saying.

His remarks came after five Punjab Congress youth workers were detained in connection with the protest and burning of a tractor near India Gate.

Members of various farmer organizations block a railway track during a protest against

CONG ASHAMED ENTIRE COUNTRY: JAVADEKAR New Delhi: Congress has ashamed the entire country and it has now become clear that it is misleading farmers to suit its political agenda, said Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Monday as Punjab Youth Congress workers had set a tractor on fire near India Gate earlier on Monday morning. “Congress has ashamed the entire country. Till now people have seen protests, but bringing a tractor on a truck to India Gate and setting it on fire is drama, we condemn it. Congress’ mask has come off now, under the pretext of farmers’ protest it is trying to suit its own political ends,” Javadekar said. the central government over agriculture related bills, at Nabha in Patiala, Thursday, September 24, 2020 Congress MP to move SC on Monday against contentious

Defence Min Rajnath Singh releases New Defence Acquisition Procedure New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday released the New Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) at the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting at South Block here.

“Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh released the New Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) at the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting in South Block today,” read a tweet from the Office of the Defence Minister. It said, The

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of the Indian Army MM Naravane during the unveiling of the new Defence Acquisitioon Procedure (DAP)-2020 Document, in New Delhi on Monday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

DAP 2020 has been aligned with PM Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat and empowering the Indian domestic industry through Make in India initiative.

“With the new FDI policy announced, the DAP 2020 has adequately included provisions to encourage FDI to establish manufacturing hubs both for import substitution and exports while protecting the interests of Indian domestic industry,” it added. —ANI

Not possible to defer civil services exam: UPSC tells SC New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has informed SC that the civil services exam (prelims) which is scheduled to be conducted on October 4 could not be postponed any further. The apex court will now hear the

tions.

The plea filed by Vasireddy Govardhana Sai Prakash and others on October 4 submitted that decision of UPSC to conduct the exam in accordance with revised calendar violates the rights of the petitioners and those simi-

plea on September 30 and asked UPSC to file an affidavit by today mentioning the reason behind not postponing the CSE exams.

The court was hearing a plea regarding the postponement of the CSE prelims considering the COVID-19 situa-

JIMEX-2020: NAVY, JMSDF SHIPS UNDERTAKE WEAPON DRILLS New Delhi: Indian Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) ships undertook weapon drills, seamanship evolutions and advanced exercises on second day of the fourth edition of India-Japan maritime bilateral exercise JIMEX between Indian Navy & JMSDF. It is being held in North Arabian Sea from Sept 26 - 28.

JIMEX series of exercises commenced in January 2012 with a special focus on maritime security cooperation. The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in October 2018 in Visakhapatnam.

MP: WIFE BEATER DG RELIOEVED OF DUTIES AFTER VIDEO GOES VIRAL Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government relieved ADG Purushottam Sharma of his duties after a video of him purportedly beating his wife went viral. In the video, Sharma is seen purportedly beating his wife in his living room, while two other people are trying to control the situation. Defending himself and terming it

a family dispute, Sharma accused his wife of stalking him and putting close circuit television cameras in their house.

“If I’m abusive, then she should’ve complained.

This is a family dispute, not a crime. I am neither a violent person nor a criminal. It is unfortunate that I have to go through this,” Sharma said.

larly situated, under Article 19 (1) (g) of the Constitution to practice their chosen profession of serving the public.

Seven hours long offline exam will be taken by approximately six lakh aspirants at test centres in 72 cities across the country. —PTI

farm bills About 15-20 Punjab Youth Congress workers arrived at the India Gate, New Delhi and tried to set a tractor on fire on Monday. —ANI

SC refuses to entertain PIL on TRAI’s new orders New Delhi: The Supreme Court refused to entertain a petition filed against a new directive of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) related to commercial SMSes and calls.

A bench of the Apex Court, headed by CJI SA Bobde, refused to entertain PIL filed by advocate Reepak Kansal and asked him to approach Delhi HC for relief. Senior lawyer Jitendra Mohan Sharma, appearing for the petitioner, sought appropriate directions against the TRAI directives and alleged that the new rules are in violation of citizens’ fundamental right to privacy.

Senior lawyer Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for TRAI, submitted that a similar matter was also earlier heard in the Delhi High Court.

After this, CJI Bobde asked the petitioner to approach the Delhi High Court for relief.

—ANI

SENSEX SOARS 593 POINTS, NIFTY CLOSES ABOVE 11,227 New Delhi: Markets ended on a positive note on Monday led by gains in auto and banking stocks. The BSE Sensex soared 592.97 points or 1.59 percent to end at 37,981.63; Nifty rallies 177.30 points or 1.6 percent to 11,227.55.Major gainers in the Sensex pack were IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, Powergrid, ONGC, Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, M&M, NTPC, Maruti, Bajaj Finserve and SBI, rising upto 7.85 percent. While major gainers were HUL, Infosys and Nestle, falling upto 0.66 percent.

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Covid-19 vaccine portal launched, all data linked to research: Vardhan ‘First vaccine would likely be available in the first trimester of the upcoming year,’ said Dr Harsh Vardhan New Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that an online portal has been launched which will provide information regarding COVID-19 vaccine research, launch date, among other information.

“An online portal about COVID-19 vaccine has been launched. Everyone will be able to go online to that portal and look up all contemporary research-development and clinical trials related information. It will also provide information about other vaccinations provided in the country,” Dr Harsh Vardhan told ANI. He also said that the first vaccine would likely be available in the first trimester of the upcoming year.

The Union Minister also released the 100year timeline history of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at the premises of the institution.

“Today’s a historic

UMA BHARTI ADMITTED TO AIIMS

T

day for ICMR. It’s an honour for me to release the 100-year timeline of the history of ICMR within its prem-

ises today. The contribution of scientists associated with it is commemorated and serves as an inspiration to up-

PM Modi to inaugurate six mega projects in Uttarakhand New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate six mega projects in Uttarakhand under the ‘Namami Gange Mission’ on Tuesday through a video conference.

The Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday that the projects include construction of a 68 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP), upgradation of the existing 27 MLD STP at Jagjeetpur in Haridwar and construction of an 18 MLD STP at Sarai in Haridwar.

He will also inaugurate ‘Ganga Avalokan’, the first museum on Ganga aimed at showcasing the culture, biodiversity and rejuvenation activities done in the river.

The museum is located at Chandi Ghat, Haridwar.

A book, ‘Rowing down the Ganges’, copublished by National Mission for Clean Ganga and Wildlife Institute of India will also be launched at the event, the PMO said.

The inauguration of 68 MLD Jagjeetpur project also marks completion of the first sewerage project taken up on hybrid annuity mode of PPP. In Rishikesh, a 26 MLD STP at Lakkadghat will be inaugurated, the PMO said.

South-west monsoon starts withdrawing: IMD New Delhi: Withdrawal of South-west monsoon from parts of west Rajasthan and Punjab will likely result in dry weather over most parts of north-west India during the next five days, while there would be scattered to fairly

widespread rainfall over the southern peninsula, said IMD. According to the IMD,

conditions are becoming favourable for further withdrawal of the South-west monsoon from some more parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh over the next twothree days.

coming scientists,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

The Union Health Minister said that it enlists contribution of the institute and its wings in promoting health and nutrition in the country.

Hailing ICMR the Union Minister said that it has risen to the occassion in view of the COVID-19 crisis and added that discussions were also held on the upcoming strategy.

India’s COVID-19 tally crossed the 60-lakh mark with a spike of 82,170 new cases and 1,039 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Monday.

As per the Ministry, India’s tally stands at 60,74,703 including 9,62,640 active cases.

The number of cured and discharged or migrated patients is currently at 50,16,521, apart from 95,542 deaths due to the disease.

—ANI

‘Feluda better than rapid Antigen Test’

Shah holds review meeting with senior officials of MHA

Additional fees in train fares for using redeveloped stations

New Delhi: More accurate than a rapid antigen test and almost as quick, India’s CRISPR ‘Feluda’ COVID-19 test that changes colour on detection of the SARSCoV-2 virus could be a cheaper, faster and simpler alternative to an RT-PCR diagnosis, say scientists.

Named after Satyajit Ray’s famed detective, the Feluda test, which is priced at Rs 500 and can deliver a result in 45 minutes, is able to differentiate SARS-CoV-2 from other coronaviruses even if genetic variations between them are minute.

The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) Feluda test, developed by the New Delhi-based CSIR-Institute of Genomics and

06

POWER Gallery 27 IAS OFFICERS RETIRING IN SEPTEMBER

As many as 27 IAS officers of various cadres and batches are retiring in September 2020. They include: D A Hawaldar of AGMUT cadre; Ajoy Kumar of Bihar; Dr P D Vaghela, M R Kothari, J R Dodiya, R B Rajyaguru of Gujarat; Keshni Anand Arora of Haryana; Brajmohan Kumar, Anil Kumar Singh of Jharkhand; Jaideep Govind, M Gopal Reddy, Janak Kumar Jain, Mahesh C Chaudhary and Dr Shrikant Pandey of Madhya Pradesh; Dr Kavita Gupta of Maharashtra; Satish Chandra of Punjab; Devendera Bhushan Gupta and Dr Madhukar Gupta of Rajasthan; Dr C Chandramouli of Tamil Nadu; Heera Lal Samariya of Telangana; Pankaj Chakraborty of Tripura; Abarar Ahmad and Man Mohan Chaudhary of Uttar Pradesh; Rajiv Sinha, Dibakar Mukhopadhyay, Nitya Sundar Trivedi and Madhumita Chaudhury of West Bengal cadre.

REVIEW OF 1988 BATCH IAS OFFICERS IN NOVEMBER?

Integrative Biology (IGIB) and the TATA Group, received regulatory approvals last week from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for commercial launch.

It meets high quality benchmarks with 96 per cent sensitivity and 98 per cent specificity for detecting the novel coronavirus, Debojyoti Chakraborty, a senior scientist at CSIR-IGIB and part of the team that developed the test, told PTI.

Review of 1988 batch IAS officers to the rank of Secretary in the Government of India is expected to take place in November. A couple of officers of this batch are to be empanelled.

PURUSHOTTAM SHARMA REMOVED AS DIRECTOR, PUBLIC PROSECUTION IN MP

Purushottam Sharma has been removed from the post of Director, Directorate of Public Prosecution in Madhya Pradesh. He is a 1986 batch IPS officer of MP cadre.

MP HC CHIEF JUSTICE TO GET FAREWELL OVATION THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCING

Ajay Kumar Mittal, Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court, will be accorded farewell ovation through video conferencing on his demitting office on September 29, 2020.

NITIN GUPTA PROMOTED TO PRINCIPAL CCIT GRADE

Nitin Gupta, DGIT (Inv.), Mumbai, has been promoted to the grade of Principal CCIT on an in-situ basis. He is an IRS-IT officer.

SHYAM BHAGAT NEGI APPOINTED AS JOINT SECRETARY, COAL

Shyam Bhagat Negi has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Coal. He is a 1990 batch IPS officer of HP cadre.

AMITABH KUMAR APPOINTED AS JOINT SECRETARY, COMMERCE

New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday held a review meeting with senior officials of the MHA. Several important matters and key issues were discussed in the meeting.

On Saturday, public representatives from Ladakh met Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Kiren Rijiju.

A three-member delegation of Ladakhi veteran leaders comprising former MPs Thiksay Rinpoche, Thupstan Chhewang and Chhering Dorje Lakrook, former Minister in the PDP-BJP government in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, on behalf of the people of Leh, Ladakh, met with the Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday.

Amitabh Kumar has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce. He is a 1992 batch IRS-C&CE officer.

ANURAG BAJPAI APPOINTED AS JOINT SECRETARY, DEFENCE

Image for representational purpose only.

New Delhi: Railway passengers may have to shell out additional Rs 10-Rs 35 for their ticket fares as user charges for availing redeveloped stations with state of the art amenities and to help the national transporter in raising funds for redeveloping more stations, sources indicated.

This is part of a proposal being finalised by the Railways which will soon be sent for Cabinet nod, the sources said.

The user fee, the sources said, will vary according to the class --

it would range between Rs 10 and Rs 35 with the higher price for AC first class passengers.

The Railways had earlier clarified that user fee would be levied only across stations which will be redeveloped and those that have high footfalls.

Of the 7,000 total railway stations in the country, around 7001,000 fall in this category, it had said.

This is the first time that such a fee, which is levied on air passengers, will be charged from rail users.

ties will approach court on it,” Stalin said.

Even Gujarat Congress workers staged a protest in Gandhinagar.

Around 100 members of the grand old party were detained by the police. Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda, Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani, Congress MLAs Baldevji Thakor, C J Chavda and other party members were protesting near Ambedkar statue near the Assembly complex.

However, when they started marching towards Raj Bhawan, the police detained them.

Meanwhile the Hary-

ana Congress has decided to hold a monthlong protest to raise its voice against the “ three black laws”. The state unit has will demonstrate from September 28 to October 31.

Congress MP TN Prathapan on Monday approached the Supreme Court against the Bills. —Agencies

Anurag Bajpai has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Defence Production. He is a 1994 batch IFS officer of Manipur cadre.

SANJAY LOHIYA APPOINTED AS JOINT SECRETARY, MINES

Sanjay Lohiya has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Mines. He is a 1994 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre.

MS REKHA YADAV APPOINTED AS JOINT SECRETARY, PANCHAYATI RAJ

Ms Rekha Yadav has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. She is a 1995 batch IRPS officer.

ASHEESH SHARMA APPOINTED AS JOINT SECRETARY, DOPT

Asheesh Sharma has been appointed as Joint Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).

1997 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre.

By arrangement with: http:// whispersinthecorridors.com

FROM PG 1 Businesses to...

It is to be noted that on Sunday, Gupta had shared some videos of Amdavadis violating COVID-19 norms.

The official statement announcing the directive, Gupta says the decision was taken because the AMC has noticed that young people have been seen to be gathering in groups needlessly. It adds that the decision to shut down businesses between 10 pm and 5 am was taken as a measure to protect the “city’s youth and their families, especially children and the elderly,” from

the Sars-CoV-2 virus.

The areas mentioned in the order cover prime locations that house cafes and restaurants that area popular among the youth as late evening hangouts.

Protests intensify... against the farm laws.

In an attempt to corner the BJP-led government at the Centre over the contentious farm bills Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, party MLAs staged a sit-in at the ancestral village of freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

AICC general secre-

tary Harish Rawat, state party chief Sunil Jakhar and Cabinet ministers participated in the dharna against the farm bills.

Meanwhile, Singh said that his government is mulling all options, including to safeguard the interests of the farmers. He is expected to have a word with lawyers soon to decide the next course of action.

In another development Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) also staged protests against the farm bills across Tamil Nadu. The party is protesting at

around 3,500 locations.

DMK president MK Stalin also participated in the protest against far bills in Keezhambi village of Kanchipuram.

He is also expected to visit many places where his party members are demonstrating.

The DMK chief has threatened to move court against the contentious bills.

“Our neighbouring state, Kerala is opposing and plan to approach the judiciary against the farm bills passed in Parliament.

We ask our state government to do the same or else opposition par-

Brahmos, Nirbhay... weapon from a Su-30 MKI fighter. While a limited number of Nirbhay subsonic missiles have been produced and deployed, the stand-off weapon system has a range that

can reach up to 1,000 km, and has both sea skimming and loitering capability. —Agencies

India to... weapons for Rs 970 crore and static HF trans-receiver sets for Rs 540 crore. The 13lakh strong Army has already inducted 72,400 SiG Sauer rifles, which are 7.62x51 mm caliber guns with an effective “kill” range of 500-metre, under a Rs 647 crore FTP deal inked in February last year.

CEC, his...

The ECI team includes Deputy Election Com-

missioners Sudeep Jain and Chandrabhushan Kumar. ECI had announced the dates for the highly-anticipated Bihar Assembly elections on September 25.

SC breather... documents before it, as asked by the apex court earlier. Mehta, appearing for the Union of India, submitted that the Central government is taking all kinds of steps on the matter and it is a serious concern for them and that it is almost in the advanced stage of taking a decision on the issue. —Agencies

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07

GOVERNMENTS, PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES AND DIGITAL CORPORATIONS NEED TO NOT ONLY PROMOTE DIGITAL LITERACY, BUT COMBAT WAYS IN WHICH THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MAY BE SPAWNING AN IRREVERSIBLE POST-TRUTH AGE, EVEN AFTER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC DISSIPATES MISINFORMATION DURING OUTBREAKS

M

isinformation has been pervasive in other recent large-scale outbreaks. In the 2018 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, suspicions were raised when the ruling government cancelled national elections in Ebola-affected areas, eliminating opposition votes.

Rumours are a second form of misinformation. One popular conspiracy theory held that the virus was developed as a means to wage a biological war against China. In China, a rumour spread that bioweapons research in a Wuhan laboratory resulted in the genetic engineering of COVID-19 that was then released. Such rumours may have even jeopardized the working relationship between Western scientists and their Chinese counterparts searching for a COVID-19 vaccine. Untrue, exaggerated and dubious medical claims and hoaxes are other common forms of misinformation. Various unproven natural and traditional remedies were proffered as cures to both Ebola and COVID-19, such as drinks that contained mint and spices like saffron and turmeric that spread in Iran through Twitter.

INFLUENCING OUTBREAK OUTCOMES

SOCIAL MEDIA BOTH A BLESSING AND A CURSE

W

e are facing an unprecedented crisis of public understanding. Western digital corporations and social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Reddit) and their Chinese equivalents (WeChat, Weibo, Tencent and Toutiao) are at the heart of this crisis. These platforms act as facilitators and multipliers of COVID-19-related misinformation.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), noted that urgent measures must now be taken to address the

“coronavirus infodemic.”

This infodemic compromises outbreak response and increases public confusion about who and what information sources to trust; generates fear and panic due to unverified rumours and exaggerated claims; and promotes xenophobic and racist forms of digital vigilantism and scapegoating.

Governments, public health authorities and digital corporations need to not only promote digital literacy, but combat ways in which the impact of social media may be spawning an irreversible post-truth age, even after the COVID-19 pandemic dissipates.

D

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

uring times of emergency and disaster, urgent questions arise and require immediate response.

The problem is that officials don’t consistently provide the accurate information that’s required very quickly. A post-truth society is one in which subjective opinions and unverified claims rival valid scientific and biomedical facts in their public influence. The need for evidence to support reasoned arguments becomes downplayed, while at the same time, the social norm concerning how and why people should be held accountable for what they say is weakened.

Scientists and other experts ultimately lose social legitimacy and authority in the eyes of the public because what they bring to the table is no longer valued. When complex emergencies arise, public officials are cautious about making premature pronouncements, instead carefully crafting statements to ensure accuracy and avoid the pitfalls of misinterpretation and exaggeration.

Somewhat paradoxically, this careful approach may also contribute to the formation of an information vacuum that rumours and falsehoods are all too ready to fill. In the digital age, the time needed to analyze, assess and communicate information cannot compete with the instantaneous spreading of misinformation on social media platforms. The impact of social media misinformation may be even more pronounced because of confirmation bias, the tendency to accept statements that reinforce our established views and to downplay statements that counter these views.

GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS The frequency of disease outbreaks like the one we’re currently witnessing will increase, given the ways in which connections between human beings and nature continue to intensify. Pandemics will require co-ordinated global response strategies. Digital corporations and social media platforms can and must be at the heart of these strategies, since their responses and willingness to collaborate with governments and public health officials will determine whether social media is viewed as a beneficial or pathological vector of pandemic response. At present, it’s imperative to develop policies and mechanisms that address the digital creation and spread of misinformation about disease outbreaks. To do this will require that biomedical knowledge about pandemics be supplemented by expertise about their social, political and cultural underpinnings.

Without that understanding, efforts to contain COVID-19 will be hindered by “spreading unnecessary panic and confusion, and driving division, when solidarity and collaboration are key to saving lives and ending the health crisis.”

MISINFORMATION & XENOPHOBIA

R

acist content spread through social media may reinforce already pre-existing biases and prejudices. Xenophobic reactions that emerged during the 2003 SARS outbreaks in Toronto, amongst other cities, are being repeated during the current COVID-19 pandemic. What’s different now is how easily social media can fuel this behaviour. A particularly poignant illustration is a viral WeChat rumour that a particular Chinese restaurant in Canada employed someone with COVID-19 and that health officials had closed the restaurant.

The restaurant lost 80 per cent of its revenue. Social media also facilitates a form of prejudiced collective organizing that, similar to crowdsourcing, rapidly enlists a large number of people, yet does so on the basis of questionable claims and beliefs.

An online petition compiled by 8,000 people north of Toronto demanded that the school board ban students whose family members had recently travelled to China from attending school.

THE INFORMATION VACUUM

D

uring the early stages of the 2003 SARS outbreak in China, people shared information about the outbreak through simple text messaging. Despite efforts by the government to not share information about the outbreak with the WHO, information about “atypical pneumonia” circulated widely. With COVID-19, the Chinese state’s censorship of and control over online content created an information vacuum. Despite this, citizens have used social media to express veiled criticism of government mismanagement and lack of government accountability. During the early stages of the outbreak, before the Chinese government was releasing any information, ophthalmologist Li Wenliang — a whistleblower for COVID-19 — posted messages on the spread of a SARS-like illness. As screenshots of his posts went viral, he was disciplined by local police for promoting “untrue speech.” Li died of complications from the virus on Feb. 7, 2020. News of his death dominated Chinese social media, with a flurry of messages expressing grief as well as anger directed at the government.

“Dr. Li Wenliang passed away” became the top search record on Weibo. State censors intervened to remove posts on Li’s death, but public outrage led to increased demands for free speech and greater information transparency from the government.

By contrast, as the outbreak intensifies, social media has taken on new and increased importance with the large-scale implementation of social distancing, quarantine measures and lockdowns of complete cities. Social media platforms have become a way to enable homebound people survive isolation and seek help, co-ordinate donations, entertain and socialize with each other.

If you want to lead, first lead yourself. Pay attention to your daily thoughts and actions, what do you do lead yourself and have a better day than yesterday?

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

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

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

10,04,613 3,34,66,682 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 35,751 DEATHS 13,51,153 CASES

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 9,383 DEATHS 5,86,397 CASES

INDIA

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

KARNATAKA 8,641 DEATHS 5,82,458 CASES

Shishir Awasthi

DILUTED LAWS!

Work on Surat Metro is likely to begin soon and people are worried their lands will be acquired for it.

ing the last 4 to 5 years.

The first phase, stretching across 21.61 kilometres, will connect the city from north to south by linking Sarthana area to Dream City.

As much as 16,500 square metres of the total 5,43,043 square-metre

land to be acquired for the entire Metro project is private land and good portions of this cut through densely populated areas between Bhesan, Saroli, Sarthana and Dream City areas.

According to Suratbased land rights activ-

DEATHS

DELHI 5,272 DEATHS 2,73,098 CASES

People fear diluted laws could snatch lands with low compensation ; as many as 700 properties may be acquired

Land and environment rights activists and the people they are working for are worried since the laws and norms governing land acquisition-related compensation and rehabilitation have been substantially amended dur-

GUJARAT

96,276 61,37,952 3,431 1,34,623

Buzz of Surat Metro work gives jitters to possible land-losers Surat: With the State Government’s controversial record on land acquisition, the possibility of Gujarat Metro Railway Corporation (GMRC) soon beginning work on the first phase of the Rs 12,020-crore 46.35 km Surat Metro is giving jitters to thousands of people who fear losing their land to the project.

The Surat Metro is likely to affect as many as 700 private properties for which the rehabilitation and resettlement cost is estimated at Rs 200 crore. The properties that are expected to be acquired include 120 residences and several commercial structures along with 48 shops at a textile market.

ist Krishnakant Chauhan, the metro corporation has not started issuing notices to those whose properties may be acquired there is already a sense of panic.

He points out that the compensation paid by the GMRC will be ac-

cording to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, but this has already been diluted in Gujarat. The social impact assessment clause that existed in the UPA Government’s central Act had been done away with by Gujarat in 2016 by drastically amending it to eventually help the industry, he points out.

Along with this, the State Government has not revised the Annual Statement of Rates, locally called jantri rates of land, since 2012. As a result, it pays compensation at only these rates, which are way less than the prevailing market rates, while acquiring land for any project.

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN 1,456 DEATHS 1,30,971 CASES

Gujarat cadre IAS officer PD Vaghela is new TRAI chief First India Bureau New Delhi: The government on Monday appointed PD Vaghela, a 1986-batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer as chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), replacing Ram Sewak Sharma.

Vaghela has been serving as a secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Dr. PD Vaghela, IAS, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals as Chairperson, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for a period of 3 years or until he attains the age of 65, or until further orders, whichever is the earliest,” the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in a notification

Guj firm directors fugitive Dairy sector faced lockdown economic offenders: Court

with smart planning: IRMA First India Bureau Anand: Even as every single activity, including supply of essentials like vegetables and ration, suffered in the Covid-19 crisis, people across the country received seamless supplies of milk and milk products despite initial challenges.

To understand the challenges faced by the dairy cooperatives during the lockdown, Verghese Kurien Centre of Excellence (VKCoE) at IRMA conducted a study on the effect of Covid-19 on the dairy cooperative sector of Gujarat.

The respondents of the survey were Ba-

The dairy sector ensured milk supply in Covid crisis. —FILE PHOTO

naskantha District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd and Rajkot District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd. These unions account for around 30 per cent of the total volume of milk pro-

cured (230 lakh liters/ day) by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), more known as AMUL. The survey found that village cooperative societies witnessed an increase in the supplies. The

milk pulling grew as unorganised players stopped procuring milk due to the shutdown of the hotel, restaurants and café segment.

The milk producer at the village level during Covid got uninterrupted supply of input services such as feed and fodder, artificial insemination, and veterinary services from district cooperative societies (DCS). This did have a direct effect on the quality and quantity of milk produced.

This could be a reason for surplus milk inflow at the village cooperative societies (VCS) level.

It is hereby declared that accused Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara, Dipti Chetan Jayantilal Sandesra and Hiteshkumar Narendrabhai Patel are fugitive economic offenders.”

Chetan Sandesara of Vadodara firm.

First India Bureau New Delhi: A Delhi sessions court on Monday declared 4 directors of a Gujaratbased pharma firm, Sterling Biotech, “fugitive economic offenders” in a 8,100-crore bank fraud case, following a petition by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Passing the order, Additional Sessions Judge

Dharmender Rana stated, “I have no hesitation in observing that this court is satisfied that the petitioner has successfully pleaded and proved that the respondents herein are fugitive economic offenders.”

The judge ordered, “It is hereby declared that accused Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara, Dipti Chetan Jayantilal Sandesra and Hiteshkumar

—FILE PHOTO

Narendrabhai Patel are fugitive economic offenders.”

The ED had told the court that the accused fled the country and were evading the process of law to face criminal prosecution.

According to the ED, the four allegedly manipulated figures in the balance sheets of their flagship companies and induced banks to sanction higher loans.

A farmer by default, Bharuch’s Jaimin now rolls in millions

First India Bureau Bharuch: Can an accidental farmer become a millionaire? Yes, if he has the vision to spot an opportunity and the knack to convert it into an enterprise.

Meet Jaimin Patel, who hails from Kavitha village in Bharuch district of Gujarat. For the

last 7 years, he has been into organic farming and makes a cool Rs 10 lakh a year.

He grows over a dozen fruits and vegetables on his farm and has buyers in at least 5 States. Jaimin has done his engineering with computer sciences and worked in a company for 7 years as a senior manager. Both

Jaimin Patel of Bharuch quit his job to become a farmer.

Guj cadre IAS official PD Vaghela

said.Sharma, a 1978 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service, has been at the helm of the regulatory affairs since August 10, 2015, leading the body for orderly growth and consumer protection in the twin sectors -- telecom & broadcasting.

In August 2018, he got a two-year extension.

Sharma had facilitated the adoption of net neutrality in India and introduced a new framework for broadcasting and cable services.

IIM-A climbs to 20th rank in Financial Times MiM First India Bureau

SPIRIT OF ENTERPRISE

A computer engineer, he quit his job to take to organic farming, and has never looked back

08

his parents were government doctors.

He quit his job to take to agriculture and is now a celebrity farmer of sorts.

“I had no prior interest in farming. The land was not even equal for agriculture, I didn’t even know about farms and went to my village only on the occasion of festivals,” he said.

“In 2011, a friend of mine was working on a polyhouse project. He wanted me to join him

but I wasn’t really keen and had no intention to quit my job. Then on his insistence, went to see the polyhouse with him.

I liked his idea,” recalls Jaimin.

“After this, while on my job, I roamed several States for 7-8 months and kept collecting information about polyhouses and farming,” he added.

Now, he has appointed at least 10 others “and this connects me to over 200 farmers.”

Ahmedabad: Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Udaipur have improved their performance in the Financial Times Masters in Management (MiM) Rankings 2020 for their flagship twoyear Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programmes.

IIM Calcutta fell four spots.

IIM-Ahmedabad climbed one spot from 21st rank last year to 20th rank this year, with IIM-Calcutta securing 21st rank after falling from 17th position last year. At 36th position, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S P Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) became the only privately run Indian BSchool in the top 50 ranks in the FT MiM Rankings 2020.

IIM-Bangalore shared the 36th position with IIM- Ahmedabad, rising from 44th rank last year.

IIM-Udaipur climbed four places from last year’s 76th rank to 72nd rank this year.

Around 114 MiM programmes took part in the ranking process in 2020, up from 111 last year. To be eligible for FT MiM Rankings, B-schools must have full-time, cohort-based programmes with a minimum of 30 graduates each year.

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09

AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

N E E S A H H E Y !

N A A Y I D A A V ANITA HADA

anita.hada@firstindianews.com

I

Winters are coming and we hope that the Corona pandemic will slow down by the end of the year and we can think of a vacation amid the mountains, in preparation...

City First drifts down the slope of songs shot amid the snow-clad mountains!

remember my first visit to a snow-clad mountain in Jammu Kashmir, it was somewhere in Gulmarg and I was barely 12 years when I touch upon a few that remain insisted on tumbling my all-time favourites. down the snowy hill screaming Shammi Kapoor going YAHOO YAHOO! The mountains have is naturally an all-time favourite always attracted our movie pro- with Kapoor bringing his sheer ducers and many a hummable physical energy to the song ably song has been shot amid the joined by the petite Saira Banu. pristine white snow as a back- Tujhe Dekha Tujhe Chaha is a drop for the hot romance of the song I liked because of Vijyanthicouple to date. There are many mala she looked beautiful in the ‘snowy songs’, today we will saree, Uttam Kumar does his bit and I liked it that she dresses war mly for like Rajshree when Shammi sings Meri mohabbat Jawan Rahegi, in a much softer romantic mood than Yahoo!

Gun Guna Rahein Hain Bhanvrein with Rajesh Khanna and Shar mila Tagore is another most hummable song, with Rafi and Asha with S D Buralon g

man and Anand Bakshi- things cant better and Khanna was at his nuance best. Though frankly, in a lovely chiffon saree Shar mila looked a tad underdressed! I adored the flowers in Palkon Ke Peeche Se Kya Tumne Keh Dala Ahain with Shar mila and Rajendra Kumar which ends among snowy slopes.

I was always rather amazed, as a child that the heroines did not feel the cold prancing about in sarees/westerns without the merest hint of a woollen clothing but with age came the wisdom of the saleability of the female form and hushed my queries.

Ye Kahan Aa Gay e Hum smoulders with reel and real -life chem istry as we move thro ugh snow, tulip s,

lakes and different rich locales but one has eyes only for Amitabh and Rekha.

Zara Sa Jhoom Lun Mein is cute. I loved the inebriated Kajol jumping in the snow and running helter-skelter, trying to smooch Shahrukh. The Khan aces his romantic look with Aishwarya in Humko Hamin Se Chura Lo but there is something about him Gerua that is unforgettable. Maybe it’s his chemistry with Kajol, the mind-bo ggling colours or locales of the song and then a lot of credit goes to Arijit. In recent years, nobody does romantic songs quite like Arijit. Whatever, Gerua does it right!

Ishq Wala Love stays with me for the bare tree with pink flowers and a boat full of sunflowers with Alia Bhatt amid the snowflakes.

Get YOUR song ready and come winters, let’s hope corona eases off and we get a chance to tumble down a snowy slope shouting YAHOO!

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AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

10

AAA Playing Important Role During

COVID-19 IN RURAL AREAS

GOVIND PAREEK

Joint Director PR, Govt. of Rajasthan

T

CM Ashok Gehlot

that taking precautions and being cautious is the only treatment for corona until the vaccine comes.

Initially, the corona was limited to the cities but has now spread even to villages. The ‘AAA’ (ASHA, AWW and ANM) together are working hard to make people aware in rural areas about this coronavirus and trying their best to control the increasing cases.

The AAAs are continuously asking the people to wear masks, maintain a social distance of six feet, frequently wash hands

FA CE OF TH ED AY

he Frontline Health Workers (FLWs) namely Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), Anganwadi Workers (AWW) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) of the health department are playing important role in the ongoing corona pandemic in Rajasthan. The FLWs are the backbone of an efficient rural health system. The role of ‘AAA’ (ASHA, AWW and ANM) to complement each other increases, especially in a crisis like COVID-19.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had interacted with the frontline workers and boosted their morale.

He asked them to make aware the people in rural areas about the corona pandemic.

Similarly, Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma too mentioned that the frontline workers are the spinal cord of the health system and they should work with commitment and dedication.

It has been clearly told by the State government

with soaps, not to crowd and move out of the house only if it is important.

The work of ASHAs started in March this year after getting the first case in Jaipur. These ASHAs played an important role in informing people about how the coronavirus spreads, precautions to be taken and measures to control it. The contribution of AAAs played a major role in disseminating the corona prevention message across the State especially during the outbreak in Bhilwara and Ramganj

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

area in Jaipur. Amid the corona pandemic, the frontline workers continued their routine work too.

Even during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the commitment of the Government of Rajasthan to ensure health for all of its people and not only just COVID-19 infected cases is commendable. The vision of health for all, especially for rural communities amid the current pandemic, can only be achieved through a collaborative effort – within the government departments, be-

women and adolescents, receive adequate information and services at the village level and are prepared for health emergencies.

Strong and effective implementation of convergence strategy would make the organic partnership of FLWs a more strategic and planned effort in the form of an institutionalised ‘AAA Platform’ that can bring about huge and positive transformation in the health scenario of the state and improve rural lives.

The Rajasthan government is committed to ‘Right to Health’ to ensure health services to everyone in the state. The government has also launched ‘Nirogi Rajasthan’ program under its commitment. The operationalization of AAA convergence platform will not only help improve the quality of rural health care by ensuring better service delivery at the grass roots level; it would effectively reduce maternal and child mortality, morbidity and undernutrition and build the foundation for a healthy and economically productive population in the state.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You will cater to the needs of your family in your best capacity and thats all matters in the end. Buying a new vehicle for commercial purpose is on the cards of some to expand your business which is doing really well right now. Someone’s guidance can change your ideologies.

Your spouse treats you like a king or a queen and you have nothing to complain about. There could be delays in your immigration for sure but it isn’t a long lost cause so do not search for reasons to feel sad. An idea can change your life and you knows it very well so get going.

You will exchange warm wishes with your old friends today. Its the time to focus on improving yourself rather questioning anyone. If you wish to mend relationships then people are just a call away, its your ego that guides you otherwise. You may somehow win something.

Some of you may desperately want to move out of the house or the city for the further education but may get stuck for some more time because of coronavirus. All the worries on family front will disappear if you decide to sit together and have discussions.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You will try your hand in new business venture and you will attract a good investor as well but be aware of your own devilish thoughts.

You really miss being around your lover as the current situation has inflicted fear in everyone’s heart. You will feel rejuvenated from work.

You can rely on your parents for career advice but in the end you must decide what is right for you. You may emotionally feel quite vulnerable today and may also decide to keep a distance fro anyone but thats not the way. You are a person of values and virtues.

You have good social networking that will help you a lot in coming time as far as your business endeavour are concerned . You will relive your childhood days by getting in touch with all your relatives via video call or something. You will have lots of achievements today.

You will have your good speed and efficient working skills by your side while dealing with a tough project but at the same time the only hindrance could be the pandemic situation so don’t over stress because of performance pressure. A shift in diet and you’ll see miracle.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You can expect a visible raise in salary and you can also expect some promotion in form of a change in office.

Please make sure to tell you lover today how much you love him/her and that what he/she really means to you.

Don’t try to prove anything to anyone but yourself.

You will succeed in impressing your lady with your smartness but you must also work on your sense expressions. Be a good friend and listen carefully sometimes thats all someone needs, someone who can listen without judging and you be that one today.

You are in desperate need of a reunion with your long lost family members but Corona situation is a huge barrier. You must take in consideration the location, purpose of site and price before buying a a property and also what the purpose. Homemakers will be in mood to save.

You better half will be hundred percent supportive for your business but could be helpless in some matters which are beyond his/her capacity to manage.

You may need care and love from your lover but you don’t express it.

Avoid brining your ego in office.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

ANAM DARBAR, Content Creator

tween government and private sector including non-government organisations, and most importantly between the government and people themselves.

Convergence plays a significant role in any programme that requires increasing the coverage, as no program or department has enough resources to cover and reach the last mile.

Convergence is not a new concept and has always been part and parcel of most of the programs in India such as the Village

Health and Nutrition Day (VHND), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Community Action for Health (CAH) as well as the more recent Mission Parivar Vikas (MPV) and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). The value of convergence has long been recognised and has been included as part of the government’s policies.

There are about more than 51 thousand ASHAs, more than 62 thousand AWW and over 16 thousand ANMs in Rajasthan. Each of them has a distinct role – while the ASHA mobilises the community to participate in healthcare programmes, the AWW is responsible for nutrition and health monitoring of young children and their mothers, and the ANM provides basic diagnosis, treatment or referral. Each of the FLWs knows their village, its families, their individual health issues and needs.

The AAAs are seen as a part of a village-based health and nutrition team that supports each other to ensure that the community, especially children,

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

11

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LATA DIDI

Asha Bhosle’s post

V

eteran singer Asha Bhosle on Monday travelled down the memory lane as she extended birthday greetings to her sister and legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar as she turned 91. Asha Bhosle took to Twitter and posted a monochrome picture from her childhood featuring herself, Lata Mangeshkar, and their other two sisters Meena Khadikar and Usha Mangeshkar. “Birthday Greetings to Lata Didi who is 91 today.

Lata Mangeshkar Remembering our childhood days thru this picture where Didi can be seen seated left and Meena Tai and I are seen standing behind her,” she tweeted along with the picture. Wishes poured in from all the corners for the Bharat Ratna award-winning singer earlier in the day with fans as well as Bollywood celebrities flooding the social media with congratulatory wishes for her. —ANI

WELCOMING A LITTLE MUNCHKIN

...her post

Kangana Ranaut

Tribute to the

LEGEND K

angana Ranaut on Monday took to Twitter to pay tribute to Bhagat Singh on the 113th birthday anniversary of the revolutionary freedom fighter. Alongside the photo of Bhagat Singh,

who played an instrumental role in India’s freedom movement, Kangana wrote, “Mera Rang de Basanti Chola O mera Rang De Basanti Chola... #BhagatSingh…”

That said, a few days back, Anushka Sharma expressed a sense of disappointment

over legendary cricketerturned commentator Sunil Gavaskar and his recent remarks.

Later, Kangana Ranaut criticized Gavaskar, however, she took a sly dig at Anushka Sharma, for indulging in ‘selective feminism’. Kangana Ranaut wrote on Twitter, “#Anushka remained quiet when I was threatened and called Haramkhor but today the same misogyny coming to bite her, I condemn the fact that she was dragged in to cricket by #SunilGavaskar but selective feminism is equally uncool …”

—Agency

...his post

F

or Game of Thrones fans, 2020 feels like a memorable year with regard to the cast’s personal lives. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson announced he has welcomed his firstborn with Kelsey Henson. The actor, who played Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, announced that he and Kalsey have welcomed a son.

Björnsson took to Instagram and revealed that the little munchkin arrived on Saturday, 26 September. Sharing photos on the platform, Björnsson Hafpor Julius with recounted the events that Kelsey Henson unfolded to his son’s arrival.

“After an extremely hard 2 hours and 19 mins of pushing our healthy, strong, beautiful boy arrived weighing 3530 grams, 52 cm long,” he wrote before adding, “To finish the most beautiful, awe inspiring labour was the most wonderful phone call to my daughter to introduce her to her new little brother.”

—Agency

NEW MEMBER IN PHOENIX

A

few months back, it was revealed that Joquin Pheonix and Rooney Mara were expecting their first child and that the Carol star was already six months pregnant at the time. Now, for some amazing news, the couple, who got engaged in May 2019, reportedly welcomed their first child last month.

Riddhima Kapoor’s post

Wishes for Baby Brother

R

Moreover, we also have a baby name which is an emotional dedication to a beloved Phoenix family member.

The happy news was confirmed by Gunda director Victor Kossakovsky at the 2020 Zurich Film Festival screening of his film for which Joaquin is the executive producer.

—Agency

THE SPECIAL LOGO Joquin Pheonix and Rooney Mara

iddhima Kapoor Sahni showered love over her younger brother and Bollywood’s heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor on early Monday as he ringed into his 38th birthday.

Riddhima took to Instagram to post a special birthday collage of her baby brother and penned down a short yet sweet birthday wish for the ‘Rockstar’ actor. The collage featured an array of pictures capturing moments between the brothersister duo.

It also featured a picture of Ranbir Kapoor with his late father and legendary actor Rishi Kapoor. “Happiest bday AWESOMENESS! Love you so much #mybabybrother #38andfab,” she wrote in the caption.

Riddhima also posted few pictures from the Birthday eve celebration of her brother on her Instagram stories.

—ANI

Ranbir Kapoor

PREGNANCY THROWBACK

S

...new logo of YRF

A

ditya Chopra on Sunday unveiled a new, special logo of Yash Raj Films that marks the starting of the big 50 year celebrations of the country’s biggest production house. The new logo captures the glorious journey of YRF and the country’s first and only integrated studio. The legacy company, in the nostalgic logo, captures the history of YRF that has worked with the biggest superstars of the last 50 years and entertained audiences with the biggest blockAditya Chopra busters in the history of Indian cinema. Aditya Chopra revealed the special logo today, the 88th birth anniversary of his iconic father, late Yash Chopra.

—ANI Sophie Turner

o p h i e Turner had her pregnancy under the wraps.

While sources had confirmed that she and Joe Jonas are preparing to welcome their firstborn, the couple chose to keep the news away from their social media platforms.

While paparazzi spotted the Game of Thrones alum stepping out, sporting the pregnancy glow and flaunting her baby bump, the duo was

...her post

tight-lipped about the experience and share no photos from Sophie’s pregnancy. They made no social media post

about welcoming Willa, their daughter, either.

However, it all changed as the actress posted a bunch of pho-

tos from her pregnancy.

Sophie shared three photos, flaunting her baby bump, snapped by the Jonas Brothers crooner. In the first photo, the X-Men: Dark Pheonix star was seen soaking up the sun while she stood in the pool with the couple’s pooch. The second photo shows the actress sporting a night suit while she cradles the baby bump and Joe has his hand on the bump. The photo also gives us a closer look at her wedding ring.

—Agency

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COURTESY VISIT!

NEHAL NAYAR

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Jagdeesh Chandra with the Editor of Lokmat, Rajendra Singh and Rashi Rathore during a courtesy visit at his residence on Monday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Rajesh Mangal ExState Convenor BJP CA Cell Rajasthan had his birthday on 28 September, Monday. Rajesh Mangal is presently at Patna totally occupied with the preparations for Bihar elections. He was expected to reach Jaipur on Monday to be with his family, which stays in Jaipur, on his birthday but could not make it as he was busy with work at Patna. We wish him all the best!

DURING THE DAY!

GUJARAT: The driver and the conductor of Rajasthan Roadways bus were seen at the top of their parked bus while watching the news of students agitations on filling up 1167 general category posts by the Supreme Court on Monday at Dungarpur road.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

GUJARAT: Every year the family of Gurmut Singh and Kashmir Singh decorates the outer part of their shop to celebrate the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh.

Even this time they uniquely celebrated the 113th Birth Anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh at Isanpur in Ahmedabad on Monday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

arlier this year, a group of 6 highschoolers - Arnav Ghatiwala, Anaya Gupta, Navya Sharma, Mihika Jain, Drishti Agarwal, and Saarthak Chaturvedi - from the organisation ‘Do Mutthi Ka Dum’ set out to mitigate the problem of open-defecation that plagues so many in their home state of Rajasthan. On their way to school each day, which is situated on the outskirts of the city and deep in the rural area, these 6 students observed something rather unsettling: everyone from young boys and girls to elderly men and women resorted to open defecation due to poverty.

Stirred by this fact, these students devoted themselves to uncovering the extent of this problem.

During their investigation, they stumbled upon Gayatri Gurjar from Pali Village. Bruised feet and worn down clothes, yet a smile that radiated sunshine, every aspect of her’s touched them. They were

AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

Do Mutthi Ka Dum Team ‘Do Mutthi Ka Dum’ with the villagers

soon slammed with the biggest challenge faced by the women - walking miles

into the farms to be able to defecate. This practice was dangerous, unhealthy, and simply agonizing. A three-hour walk through the village made them realise that it wasn’t just her, but 1000 other women and children who engaged in open-defecation in Pali. Thus began their crusade to end open defecation in Pali.

These students had a

INSIGHT IN TO HEALTH CITY FIRST

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webinar on ‘Know Your Urinary Health, Know Your Renal Robustness’ was organised on Sunday by Department of Science and Technology, Government of Rajasthan in collaboration with IAS Literary Society, Rajasthan and Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, where Head Urology-Andrology, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, Dr Sanjay Pandey outlined the various aspects of urinary health, kidney stones, genderspecific renal diseases as well as busting some common myths related to urinary and kidney health. Held as a part of YASH (Year of Awareness on Science and Health), 2020

Dialogue Series, the session was moderated by Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Mugdha Sinha.

The webinar began with Dr Pandey explaining the urinary system and the functions of its various organs. He said that urine is an important marker of overall health and well being.

Kidneys perform extremely important functions for the body like keeping bones healthy, removing waste products, making red blood cells, keeping blood pressure under control, among others.

Dr Pandey also spoke problems such as Stress Incontinence, Interstitial Cystitis among women and enlargement of prostate gland among men. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

RAJENDRA CHHABRA

RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of the death anniversary of Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Khan Dagar, an online programme ‘Dhrupad Sandhya’ was organised on Monday on the JKK Facebook page. The programme was organised under the joint aegis of the Department of Art and Culture, Rajasthan, Jawahar Kala Kendra and the Ustad Immamuddin Khan Dagar Indian Music Art & Culture Society (The Dagar Archives), Jaipur.

about the importance of using a toilet, the young changemakers managed to do it all. Today because of them, 80 toilets have already been built in Palimaking it completely open defecation free - and more than 500 individuals have been impacted in the village. They have also continued their work in a nearby village, with the same mission in mind. nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

A fabulous photoshoot took place by Faspro Fashion Academy with all the COVID-19 precautions stated by the government.

The concept of the shoot was designed by Ravi Sharma and Shaad Akhter, in which the outfits collection by Designer Upasana made the shoot even more interesting.

Director Faspro fashion academy, Mukesh Saini shared that no matter how slow things come back to the normal, with the team efforts, we can surely put some pace into the fashion industry.

RIFF 2021 Update CITY FIRST

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he 7th edition of the Rajasthan Inter national Film Festival (RIFF 2021) initiated by RIFF FILM CLUB and accredited by Federation of Film Societies of India, which was scheduled to be held from 20 to 24 January 2021 has been postponed to 20 to 24 Febru-

ary 2021 and will be held in a hybrid format with the Theme- Music in Cinema.

The Festival Director of Rajasthan International Film Festival, Somendra Harsh said that the decision to postpone RIFF is taken keeping in mind the COVID-19 situation. “It has also been decided to hold the festival from 20 to 24 February 2021.

HAPPY B’DAY!

IPS Shankar Dutt Sharma celebrated his birthday on 28 September, Monday.

We wish him all the best!

HITTING A CENTURY

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ubhadra Kumar Patni, known as ‘Laat Sahab’, has completed 100 years today. He has been active in Jaipur public life for the last 75 years. His allopathy medicine shop Standard Pharmacy in Johri Bazar, established in 1942, is still serving the people even after 78 years. Till the last year, even after attaining the age of 99 years, Laat Sahab used to regularly come to his shop though now he prefers to spend his time gardening.

Laat Sahab has the honour of being the first pharmacy graduate of the country. It was in 1937 that Banaras Hindu University started a 3-year Bachelor of Pharmacy course for the first time. Only 24 students along with Laat Saab were selected through an entrance test nation-

clear goal: they wanted to provide a toilet to every household in Pali and were dedicated to using their skills and resources to make this dream come true. Thus, over the course of only 14 days, they raised over 36 lakh Rupees or $50,000 through crowdfunding. From hiring contractors and monitoring construction to educating the villagers

A STEP AHEAD!

cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

GUJARAT: The students of Tamil Higher Secondary School of Khokhra uniquely protested and were seen studying inside Gujarat’s secondary and higher secondary campus as a part of their protest to get back at their school as DEO cancelled the school recognition at Gandhinagar on Monday.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

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Subhadra Kumar Patni

ally and among the two who finally managed to graduate.

He took a loan of 2500 rupees from his father Kapurchand Patni and established an allopathy medicine shop in Jaipur’s biggest and most prestigious market Johri Bazar by the name of Standard Pharmacy. It was

the largest shop in the market at the time, an era when only a few companies used to manufacture allopathic drugs. The medicines dispensed by Standard Pharmacy were the panacea for many of the people of Jaipur. Laat Sahab was fondly called ‘Doctor Sahab’ by most of the people then.

Laat Sahab never took Standard Pharmacy as a mere workplace but regarded it as a temple. He attended his medicine shop everyday right from the morning to the evening with every medicine dispensed under his own supervision. This was the reason that he earned the unflinching trust and the respect of the peo-

ple of Jaipur.

His childhood friends Mohanlal Soni, Kapoorchand Pandya, BL Ajmera, BL Chhabra and Sohan Lal Sogani came to his shop for years every day and chatted for long hours. With time and destiny today Laat Sahab is the only surviving member of that group.

He has lived a disciplined life while never compromising on his principles. Laat Sahab had a fancy for pans and his guests enjoy his handmade paans. Laat Sahab dispensed medicines throughout his life to others but it would have been a rare occasion that he himself had to take.