First India-Jaipur Edition-02 May 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

28°C - 39°C

ALERT JAIPUR l SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 325

INDIA

WORLD

2,37,466 33,64,220 1,223 37,257 DEATHS

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

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CONFIRMED CASES

62

RAJASTHAN

2,666

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

11,11,510 SPAIN 242,988 ITALY 207,428 UK 177,454 GERMANY 163,542 TURKEY 122,392 RUSSIA 114,431 IRAN 95,646 CHINA 82,874

64,884 24,824 28,236 27,510 6,640 3,258 1,169 6,091 4,633

USA

HOLY BLISS

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO LAST UPDATED: MAY 1, 2020, 11:00 PM

IN RAJASTHAN

Covered in a thick layer of snow, the majestic Kedarnath Temple, decorated with 10 quintals of marigold flowers, stands tall after the portals were opened on Wednesday. Devotees are not allowed for darshan in the temple, which opened after a six-month-long winter break, due to ongoing pan-India lockdown in place because of coronavirus outbreak. First puja was performed on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

DISTRICT

1 GOAL, 2 WEEKS, LOCKDOWN 3.0 Stay home till State-wise division Miles to go... atleast May 17! of red, green zones New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 to further extend the lockdown for a further period of two weeks beyond May 4.

The current lockdown period is scheduled to end on May 3. “After a comprehensive review and in view of the lockdown measures having led to significant gains, the COVID-19 situation in the country, Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, today, to further extend the lockdown for a further period of two weeks beyond May 4, 2020,” read the order of the Home Ministry.

In red zones and outside containment zones, certain activities including plying of cycle rickshaws and autorickshaws, taxis and cab aggregators, intradistrict Turn on P6

PROHIBITED

RED ZONE Plying of cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws, running of taxis and cab aggregators, intra-district and inter-district plying of buses, barber shops, spas and saloons.

ORANGE ZONE Taxis & cabs permitted with 1 driver and 1 passenger only. Inter-district movement of individuals and vehicles for permitted activities only. Four wheelers with max 2 passengers besides driver and pillion on two-wheelers.

GREEN ZONE All activities are permitted except those prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zonal division.

+1028 +281 +269 +739 +17 +84 +96 +63 +3

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has listed 130 districts across the country in the red zone, 284 in orange zone and 319 in green zones based on incidence of cases of COVID-19, doubling rate, extent of testing and surveillance feedback.

This classification of districts is to be followed by states and UTs. Metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad have been designated as red zones in the new classification. The new classification of districts was

announced following a video conference chaired by the Cabinet Secretary on April 30 with the Chief Secretaries and Health secretaries of states.

“It is important to ensure that we identify pockets of critical interventions for a focused management of COVID -19 at the field level,” Union Health Ministry Secretary Preeti Sudan said in a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs. She said the districts were earlier designated as hotspots/red-zones, orange zones and green zones Turn on P6

Rlys announces 6 ‘Shramik Special’ trains to ferry stranded migrant workers, students

New Delhi: The Indian Railways began running special “shramik” trains on Friday to ferry migrant workers and others back home from various states where they were stranded since the nationwide lockdown began on March 25. It has already run the first such train with 1,200 passengers from Hyderabad to Jharkhand at 4:50 am on Friday.

Full report P6

TOTAL CASES

AJMER 161 ALWAR 9 BANSWARA 66 BARAN 1 BARMER 2 BHARATPUR 111 BHILWARA 37 BIKANER 37 CHITTORGARH 26 CHURU 14 DAUSA 21 DHOLPUR 12 DUNGARPUR 6 HANUMANGARH 11 JAIPUR 928 JAISALMER 35 JHALAWAR 40 JHUNJHUNU 42 JODHPUR 545 KARAULI 3 KOTA 204 NAGAUR 118 PALI 12 PRATAPGARH 2 RAJSAMAND 1 SWAI MADHOPUR 8 SIKAR 6 TONK 134 UDAIPUR 8 OTHER DIST. 2 2603 TOTAL OTHER (Italy) 2 EVACUEES 61 GRAND TOTAL 2666 SAMPLE RECEIVED SAMPLE NEGATIVE

INDIA: 77 DEATHS IN LAST 24 HOURS New Delhi: India on Friday reported the maximum number of 77 deaths due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours as compared to 67 deaths on Thursday. As many as 1,755 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 37,257, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

ARMED FORCES TO HONOR CORONA WARRIORS New Delhi: The armed forces will express their gratitude to all “corona warriors” by conducting fly-pasts, showering petals on hospitals treating COVID-19 patients and illuminating naval vessels, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat said on Friday. Addressing a special press briefing along with the three service chiefs, Gen Rawat said the nation stood together and showed resilience in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. “We are expressing our gratitude to all ‘corona warriors’ who are working hard to keep us safe,” he said. Indian Air Force will carry out fly-pasts across the country on May 3 to display gratitude to coronavirus warriors, the CDS said, Turn on P6

NEW TOTAL CASES DEATH

+11 — — — — — — — +7 — — — — — +21 — — — +35 — +7 — — — +1 — — — — — +82 — — +82

— 1 — — — 2 2 1 1 — — — — — 34 — — — 8 — 6 2 — — — — 2 1 — 2(UP) 62 — — 62

1,08543 1,00277

UNDER EXAMINATION

5,600

CORONA IN RAJASTHAN On Friday, 21 new Corona positive cases were reported in Jaipur. While at the same time, two persons, a 32-year-old man from Shastri Nagar and a 62-year resident of Khajana walon Ka Rasta died due to Covid-19 in Jaipur on Friday.

Centre starting trains due to our untiring efforts: Gehlot  Officials should ensure proper travel facilities for migrants, labourers  Guidelines to be strictly followed even under Lockdown 3.0 Kartikey Dev Singh Jaipur: With the Central Government accepting Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s suggestion of starting trains to ferry stranded migrants across the nation, Gehlot has now started

working on the future course of action.

As a result, on Friday, the seasoned administrator instructed officials to ensure proper facilities for those travelling into Rajasthan by establishing coordination. “Lists of registered migrants should

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot during a video conference where Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma, DB Gupta, Rajeeva Swarup and Amit Dhaka were also present.

be prepared and shared with concerned states,” Gehlot instructed the officials.

On Friday, Gehlot chaired a high-level meeting on lockdown and travel related is-

sues of migrants. “After our untiring efforts raising the demand for migrants the

Central Government has given permission to start special trains.

The state government

is in constant coordination with Central and other state governments and our aim is that migrants should not face any problem,” the Chief Minister said.

Stressing that it was due to ruthless containment and social distancing that we have been successful in containing Corona, Gehlot said, “lockdown protocol should be followed strictly in the third phase of lockdown also with relief to the per-

mitted categories. The guidelines issued by Centre and State should not be broken in any form for which people need to be informed.”

The Chief Minister further added, “ Apart from trains, roadways and private buses should be employed to bring back the migrants for which the officials should establish proper process. Additional officials should be deployed in the places where the special trains Turn on P6

NEWS JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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02

SILENCE IN THE STREETS

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

An almost deserted view of iconic Ghat Ki Guni Road, in Jaipur, at 1.50 PM on a hot Friday due to nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.

AFTER LOCKDOWN: RAJ TO GET APARTMENT OWNERSHIP ACT Abhishek Shrivastav

Jaipur: Rajasthan will soon implement Apartment Ownership Act. It has been pending for nearly 15 years. The act will provide huge relief to thousands of flat owners.

However, it will be implemented only once lockdown is over and the state government is able to function normally.

Town planning department has framed rules and sub rules after taking into account objections and suggestions given by stake holders in a workshop organised by the UDH. At present, flat own-

—Pic for representational purpose only

ers have no right over the land. Under the proposed act, the builder will have to issue sub lease in favour of flat buyers to give them right over the land. Deed of apartment will clearly spell rights of flat buyers on common area and other facilities. The builder will have to execute it within six months of allotment.

While, draft of rules and sub rules is ready, the town planning department will now have to send it to UDH department for approval who in turn will send it to the finance and law departments.

Chandrashekhar: A power centre in his own right Aishwary Pradhan Jaipur: In just three years, BJP’s state general secretary Chandrashekhar has a very well grasped party’s internal politics. With his calm and composed demeanour, he has proved to be one of the successful general secretaries of party in Rajasthan.

Chandrashekhar has a rare quality of a successful politician, speak less and listen more.

He came to this post in August 2017. The party needed someone with organisational skills in the run-up to assembly polls. The party may have lost the election but it was his hard work at booth level that ensured that the

party got a respectable number of seats against the widespread belief of a rout.

Chandrashekhar has now emerged as a power center in his own right.

However, what works in his favour is that he has kept cordial relations with everyone and better understanding with state presidents whether Ashok Parnami, Madan Lal Saini and

now Satish Poonia. Similarly, he has never had argument or differences with former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, LoP Gulab Chand Kataria or deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore.

Little surprise that today he got birthday wishes from everyone. But, the man himself chose to spent the day as yet another normal day working as per his routine.

Tourism Min highlights NEARLY 1,700 STUDENTS RETURN Paytm First Games: irregularities to CM Now play and earn TO WEST BENGAL FROM KOTA First India News Jaipur: Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh has become vocal once again and written a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot regarding the irregularities in the Tourism Corporation. In the letter, Singh requested to carry out the inquiry by an independent organization so that the zero-tolerance policy of the government could be established.

Moreover, the minister even suggested the names of some agencies for the job to CM Gehlot, like KPMG,

Vishvendra Singh

PWC, Ernst & Young, and Deloitte India. It was mentioned in the letter that due to COVID-19, the tourism industry is suffering significant losses, which has resulted in a massive decrease in tourism revenue of the state government.

Kolkata: Nearly 1,700 students returned to West Bengal on Friday from Rajasthan’s Kota -- the coaching hub for engineering and medical aspirants -- and have been put up at different camps for health checkups, an official said.

According to TMC leader and Asansol Mayor Jitendra Tiwari, the students, following their arrival in the town, were provided refreshments and taken to health camps, where they would have to undergo precautionary medical check-up.

“The buses carrying students (from Kota)

SPECIAL TRAINS FROM RAJ TO JHARKHAND

are coming to Asansol.

The students are then being taken to health

65 RAJ WORKERS SENT FROM ANDHRA

camps for check-up. We have arranged for 135 buses, which would fer-

ry the students to their respective homes, following completion of necessary formalities,” Tiwari said.

At least 800 more would be returning to Bengal from Rajasthan by the end of the day, the TMC leader said.

CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday had said that the process to bring back students stuck in Kota had been initiated and they would soon start journey back home. Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said the state has undertaken a massive exercise to bring the students home. —Agencies

AFTER STAGING STIR

Ambuja Cement workers finally homeward bound!

First India News Nagaur: The migrant workers employed in the Ambuja cement plant in Mundwa finally are being sent to their homes. 639 migrant workers were sent to Jaipur by buses arranged from Nagaur & Deedwana depots of RSRTC. Despite the presence of district administration and Abuja management, the workers flouted the guidelines openly. The

concept of social distancing was nowhere in sight as the workers boarded buses as mobs on a raid. This was happening despite administration imposing section 144 which prohibits assembly in such large numbers. No legal action was taken against the workers and they were sent to Jaipur. Workers will be boarding a special train from Jaipur to reach their native places in Bihar.

Workers protesting outside the Ambuja Cement plant

It is worth reminding that a large number of migrant work-

ers had attacked the plant security personnel and police de-

manding to be sent to their native places.

Police & security personnel were seen running for cover helplessly when the workers attacked. Police had registered a case of disrupting official duty against 700-800 migrant workers just to eyewash the incident.

Everyone seemed to be on the back foot and were forced to send the workers to Bihar on priority. Such was the

terror of the workers that Addl. SP Ram Kumar Kaswan, Tehsildar Pemaram Chodhary, Nayab Tehsildar Bhanwar Lal Sen, CO Lokesh Meena, Mundwa SHO Baldevram Chodhary, Bhawanda SHO Puranmal Meena, Unit head of Ambuja Cement Rishi Kumar Joshi, Dharmesh Chodhary along with RAC battalion and QRT commandoes were present to see the workers off the plant.

First India News Jaipur: Paytm First Games, the country’s leading gaming destination now offers rewards and cash prizes to its user every month.

With over one lakh people joining this platform every day, it has emerged as the go-to app to earn rewards by playing games online.

Some of the rewards can be directly credited into the user’s Paytm wallet or preferred bank account within a few minutes.

Paytm First games offer more than 300 games including Ludo,

Rummy, Tic Tac Toe, Break the Bake, Fantasy Football, and Fantasy Cricket and gives its users the opportunity to earn rewards and real money while sitting at home. The users can also utilize the winning points to buy discount vouchers of the leading brands on the platform.

Pilot sends message to 2 Lakh Cong workers First India News Jaipur: PCC Chief and Deputy CM Sachin Pilot sent a message to about 2 lakh Congress workers of the state via mobile. Pilot said, “I hope that you will be healthy and safe by following the instructions of the government and the rules of lockdown.

In the hour of this crisis, our corona warriors, including health workers, policemen and cleaning staff, are

risking their lives and are engaged in public service to keep us healthy. It is our moral responsibility to protect our health.”

He also congratulated workers on the occasion of International Labour Day and said workers hold significant importance in development and growth of the country.

Pilot has gone to Delhi and is expected to return to the state by Monday-Tuesday.

RAJASTHAN JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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BRIEF z Alwar: Two bike

riders died in an accident between their bike and a tempo in MundawarHarsauli-Bibirani road in Khairthal police station area of Alwar on Friday. The tempo driver fled from spot.

z Jaipur: Procure-

ment of mustard and gram at support price has started at 782 centres in state from Friday. Mustard and gram will be procured for next 3 months.

z Jaipur: Due to the

efforts of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla government procurement will be made of dull and light moisture wheat. FCI has passed the order regarding the procurement and fixed the prices as Rs 4.81 per quintal less than the MSP.

z Jaipur: BJP Na-

tional V-P Om Mathur reached his ancestral village by road on Friday to meet the corona warriors. He will also pay a visit to various places while following social distancing and take information about the relief works being done in the area.

z Jaipur: Rajasthan

Bar Council has extended date of application for help to needy advocates from May 3 to May 7. It has sought about 2,000 applications. Each applicant would be given Rs 5,000 financial assistance.

z Jaipur: Timings of

OPD in many hospitals, including SMS Medical College, have been changed in view of summers. Now, OPD will take place from 8 am to 2 pm till September 30. On Sunday and gazetted holidays, OPD timings will be from 9 am to 11 am. Every year, OPD timings change from April 1, but this time it was delayed due to coronavirus.

z Jaipur: With zero

revenue Aviation industry is finding it difficult to pay salaries. Although Indigo has promised its staff full salary this month but rest of the airlines seem unable to do so.

Spicejet has stopped paying its pilots while Go Air hasn’t yet paid the salary for of April.

Employees of ground handling agency Indo Thai are also facing similar situation.

JAIPUR IN RAJ’S RED ZONE WITH 7 OTHER DISTRICTS

Centre has declared 19 dists to be in orange zone, and 6 in green First India News

DISTRICT-WISE ZONES AND POSITIVE CASES

Jaipur: Central govt has extended the lockdown for two more weeks starting 4 May. MHA released orders to the effect on Friday. Before announcing the extension of the lockdown the govt divided each state in three zones, red, orange and green, depending on the spread of virus in each zone. Rajasthan has 8 districts out its total 33 in red zone. 19 have been put in the orange category while 6 districts are in green zone. Each district will be entitled to various relaxations depending upon its category.

RED ZONE 917 558 (47 evacuated from Iran) Kota 204 Ajmer 161 Bharatpur 111 Nagaur 118 Banswara 66 Jhalawar 40

Tonk 134 Jaisalmer 49 (14 evacuated from Iran) Dausa 21 Jhunjhunu 42 Hanumangarh 11 Bhilwara 37 Sawai Madhopur 8 Chittorgarh 26 Dugarpur 6

Central govt has divided the state in three categories where 8 districts are in Red zone viz.

Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Nagaur, Banswara & Jhala-

Udaipur Dholpur Sikar Alwar Bikaner Churu Pali Barmer Karauli Rajsamand

war), 16 in Orange zone viz. Tonk, Jaisalmer, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Hanumangarh, Bhilwara, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Sikar,

GREEN ZONE 8 12 6 9 37 14 12 2 3 2

Baran Bundi Ganganagar Jalore Sirohi Pratapgarh

1 0 0 0 0 1

* The numbers denote positive cases in each district

Alwar, Bikaner, Churu, Pali, Barmer, Karauli & Rajsamand and 6 districts in Green zone viz.

Baran, Bundi, Ganganagar, Jalore, Sirohi & Pratapgarh.

First India News Jaipur: A curfew has been imposed in three places in Malviya Nagar, Brahmapuri and Bhatta Basti police stations due to getting new corona positive cases.

Now, there is a curfew in 31 police station areas of the commissionerate. Police are monitoring the curfew areas through drones and CCTV cameras. Also, Nirbhaya Squad, QRT, ERT, STF, RAC and other teams are spreading awarenessthrough flag marches. A curfew has also been imposed within a 1 km radius in the Raja Park area under Adarsh Nagar police station and Sodala area after corona positive cases were found there.

‘Shramik Special’ to get people home

Shramik Special being prepared to be boarded at Jaipur Junction

Kashiram chaudhary Jaipur: CM Ashok Gehlot’s initiative has borne fruit as centre has decided to run special train to bring people back from other states.

A “Shramik Special” train will ferry them from Jaipur to Patna.

Railways on Friday announced six “Shramik Special” trains that would move migrant

Four in state die of corona, 82 ‘Centre should monitor new cases reported in 24 hours movement of migrants’ First India News Jaipur: Four corona deaths were reported in last 24 hours taking the total to 62 along with 82 new corona positive cases. Two of the deaths were reported from SMS hospital, Jaipur while one death each was reported from Jodhpur and Nagaur. 21 new cases came from Jaipur, 35 from Jodhpur,11 from Ajmer, 7 each from Chittorgarh & Kota and one from Rajasamnd were reported on Friday. The state total for corona positives stands at 2666. State has tested 108543 samples so far out of which 100277

Cop instructing the sanitisation of Police Assistance Booth in front of Hawa Mahal on Friday.

—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

have reported negative while reports for 5600 samples is awaited.

Jaipur has 928 cases followed by Jodhpur

545, Kota 204, Ajmer 161, Tonk 134, Nagaur 118, Bharatpur 111, Banswara 66, Jhunjhunu 42, Jhalawar 40, Bikaner &

Bhilwara 37 each, Jaisalmer 35, Chittorgarh 26, Dausa 21, Churu 14, Pali & Dholpur 12 each, Hanumangarh 11, Alwar 9, Sawai Madhopur & Udaipur 8 each, Dungarpur & Sikar 6 each, Karauli 3, Barmer, Pratapgarh & Rajasamnd with 2 cases each and Baran with one case. Apart from this 2 Italians, two from other states and 61 Indians evacuated from Iran also tested positive. 29 out of 33 districts officially corona infected now.

So far 1116 cases have turned negative. 714 patients have been discharged from hospitals.

workers, pilgrims, tourists, students, and others stranded at different places. First train from Jaipur left for Patna with 1200 migrant workers at 10 pm on Friday.

Rajasthan has got permission to operate 5 special trains, which would bring about 6,000 migrants to state daily. As of now, 8 lakh people have registered to come back to Rajasthan.

Mining workers ask for rights on DMFT fund

First India News

First India News

Jaipur: Speaking in a meeting of RTOs through video conferencing transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas said that Centre should monitor return of migrant workers, students and other people to their home states.

He said that there is no uniform policy and every state has its own understanding which is creating hurdles. He informed that buses that went to West Bengal and other states to bring back people, had to wait for permission.

Centre should ensure that such requirements

Jaipur: Mining is the second largest employment provider with 25 lakh workers getting jobs in 35000 mines spread across the state.

This unorganized army of workers has a dedicated DMFT fund of Rs 2500 crore but they haven’t received a single penny. Since they come under unorganized category of labour they are not qualified to benefit any welfare scheme by govt. Mining workers have been demanding a similar welfare board for years.

They rightly believe to have the first right on the use of DMFT fund.

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas

are fulfilled immediately. He also reviewed department’s work during lockdown and gave necessary instructions.

He said that running trains on CM’s demand was good but more trains are needed because road transportation is expensive and inadequate considering the number of migrants.

Raje hails centre’s guidelines Central government gives nod to liquor on bringing workers home sale, relief in sight for excise department First India News

First India News

Jaipur: Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has expressed happiness over the guidelines issued by the central government regarding the long-stranded migrant Rajasthanis in other states and urged the state government to provide all possible help when they come to the state.

Raje said that a complete plan should me made to take these people to their homes.

On the other hand,

Jaipur: In wake of reports of death from consumption of spurious liquor in Bharatpur’s Halena and some falling ill after drinking sanitizer manufactured

by Ganganagar Sugar Mills; Balwan Poonia of CPM, Bharat Singh Kundanpur of Congress and former BJP MLA Bhawani Singh Rajawat have demanded that liquor sale be started.

They argued that since liquor shops are

‘Centre should ensure workers’ safe return’ First India News Alwar: Former union minister Jitendra Singh said that the central government should ensure return of migrant workers to their home.

According to him, India’s 65% population is labour class. They are backbone of the country’s economy. However, he said that millions of workers have been living away from their home for livelihood.

“These people now want to go home but in

Jaipur Jodhpur

ORANGE ZONE

Three areas in Malviya Nagar under curfew

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA

in

03

Jitendra Singh

37 days of lockdown, their savings have finished and they are forced to walk back home,” he said.

Singh said that it was centre’s responsibility to provide trains and flights and food to them.

Vasundhara Raje

Raje’s interaction continues in various districts. In this episode, she gave a message of social distancing and awareness to the resi-

dents of Karauli district on Friday. From the former CM, 3100 masks were also given to the district administration.

closed there is fear of illegal liquor trade flourishing, besides there is fear of a fatal tragedy from consumption of spurious liquor.

Central government has permitted opening of liquor shops with

some riders. The move could benefit the state government if it allows liquor sale as excise is the second biggest source of revenue for it.

Last year it had set a target of Rs11000 crore but due to lockdown fell

short by Rs 1500 crore. It earned Rs 9500 crore at the end of financial year on March 31.

For the current financial the target had been Rs 12500 crore. However, due to lockdown government has been incurring Rs 3 crore loss per day and in 40 days of lockdown the loss is Rs 120 crore. Government on one side can earn much needed revenue but on the other there is risk of contagion as maintaining social distancing would be difficult.

Cops spread awareness via march JDA to restart projects stalled by lockdown

First India News Udaipur: To create awareness about COVID 19 and establish trust among people, Udaipur police took out a huge route march on Friday. SP Kailash Vishnoi led the march that was attended by senior officials.

The march began from district collector’s office. In the front was mounted police followed by women patrolling team, traffic police and senior police officials in 31 vehicles.

First India News

Udaipur police began the march from district collector’s office and ended at Chetak circle.

The march ended at Chetak circle after

passing through one dozen places. People

showered flowers on them.

Jaipur: JDA commissioner T Ravikant has asked officials to restart projects stalled due to lockdown. He said that social distancing guidelines must be adhered to during working.

Director engineering (first) NC Mathur said that work has commenced on Jhotwara elevated road from April 26. The JDA commissioner also directed Director engineering (second) V S Sunda to

start repair work.

He also discussed increasing revenue collection by collecting lease money, auctioning land, identifying new properties for auction.

He gave instruction for issuing tender for plantation before monsoon begins.

Ravikant discussed about services provided by citizen service center when the lockdown opens, besides preparations for making visitor passes and starting office work.

PERSPECTIVE JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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POST COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

IN-DEPTH

A SWEETENED DOSE OF LOCKDOWN 3.0

I

f you’ve not had a hair cut ever since the nation was locked down since March 25, your wait just got longer. On Friday the Union Home Ministry announced lockdown extension for another two weeks beyond May 4 till May 17. But that’s a minor price to pay in the bigger national interest of containing the spread of coronavirus.

While restrictions will remain firmly in place in the Red zones, the Orange and Green zones, in which the 733 districts have been divided, will importantly see the easing of curbs for a lot of economic activities to restart. It is still a guarded response of the Central government to concerns of the states over the revenue losses they were incurring but with the Covid-19 curve yet to flatten a cautious approach was needed.

The first major decision has been to allow movement of trains for ferrying migrant workers as buses were considered logistically impractical for long journeys under the circumstances. A train carrying the first batch of 1200 workers started its journey from Telangana for Jharkhand on Friday.

More such trains are likely to be introduced to mitigate the problems of workers, students, pilgrims and tourists stranded far away from their homes.

The other significant decision for Lockdown 03 is the permission to allow standalone liquor and paan shops to open in the Green zone (where there are no cases) with the caveat that there shouldn’t be more than five persons present at a time and a distance of six feet is maintained. With excise being an important source of revenue for several states like Maharashtra, Punjab, and Kerala the relaxation will be especially welcomed.

Movement of buses and taxis are now allowed in these zones through with curbs.

It is not that economic activity has not been allowed in the Red zones which have been segregated into urban and rural areas. To facilitate employment to rural workforce construction activities under MNREGA have been allowed. Also allowed are opening of offices but with only 33 percent staff. The remaining will have to work from home.

What really matters most for the economy is restarting industrial activity. Manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw materials, and intermediates; production units, which require continuous process and their supply chain have been allowed. Even MSMEs in rural areas of Red zones will be allowed to open. It has been left to the state governments to decide on the extent of relaxations to be given. So, while Kerala may consider liquor shops to do business, Uttar Pradesh has already banned the sale of meat, chicken, and liquor till May 30.

How far will these guidelines help in boosting economic activity when Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Noida and Greater Noida, all falling in Red zones, have too many hot spots is anybody’s guess?

KEEPING MSMEs INVESTMENT GRADE

With the Covid-19 crisis, all businesses have come to a halt, and MSMEs have been the worst hit

DR GS SANDHU The author is a retired IAS, Rajasthan

O

Needless to say, micro, small and medium enterprises contribute more than 30 percent to the total GDP, more than 40 percent to exports, and employ more than 11 crore people. In their growth lies the country’s growth

n April 17th, RBI Governor announced a Special Refinance Facility of Rs 15,000 crores for SIDBI to be provided to banks for onward lending to MSMEs. Thereafter SIDBI vide circular issued on 22 April, said: “In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Reserve Bank of India has provided a Special Liquidity Facility (SLF) of 15,000 crores to Sidbi to enable it to provide liquidity support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector and meet sectoral credit needs,”. While the circular did not specify the quantum of these loans, it said this support would be available to all eligible entities with investmentgrade ratings. Small businesses should have been in business for at least three years and must have an external rating of BBBor higher as on 31 March 2020.

A rating of BBB- is the lowest investment-grade rating for which banks are willing to lend. Any adverse development like the current Covid19 crisis can seriously impact the enterprise with its rating downgraded. Any rating below BBB- is considered junk rating and banks avoid lending to such entities or charge higher interest rates with additional security.

CREDIT RATING DOWNGRADES With the Covid19 crisis and lockdown, all businesses have come to a halt, and MSMEs have been the worst hit. In all likelihood, the ratings of a large number of MSMEs would be reviewed by the Credit Rating Agencies(CRAs) and a majority of them would fall below investment grade. Already a large segment of the rated sector is of poor credit quality. For instance, the mean rating of the rating universe of Crisil is BB i.e. below investment grade.

Also, of the bank loans rated by

Crisil almost over 70% are subinvestment grade. The experience of the other CRAs may not be materially different.

As a consequence of downgrades, the lending banks will jack up their interest rate on loans as rating determines the rate. This will be disastrous for the rated entities, particularly from the MSME sector. Their cost of borrowing will immediately increase and access to the financial market will be restricted.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? A way needs to be found out which will permit the CRAs to perform their function of flagging the risk level without compromising evaluation but without placing additional interest burden on the rated entity.

Towards that end, it may be worthwhile that instead of downgrading a rating, the concerned CRA should put the prevailing rating ‘under watch with negative implications’.

This watch should hold good for, say, nine months whereafter it can be reviewed and fresh rating accorded. In such an arrangement the concerned rating agency will be able to flag the risk, the rated entity (MSME unit) will not have to pay higher interest (as its rating stands unchanged) and it has sufficient time to take suitable measures. The govt of India would need to step in and

The government of India would need to step in and work out a solution in consultation with RBI, SEBI, and banks.

Thereafter SEBI can issue an advisory in this regard

D

mate change both force us to adapt to situations where a little more leeway results in a lot more damage. As the climate economist Gernot Wagner has noted, the pandemic in a sense replicates climate change at warp speed. This may explain why public opinion overwhelmingly considers global warming as serious a threat as COVID-19 and wants governments to emphasize climate action in the recovery. The pandemic has also provided a crash course on the collective implications of individual behavior.

Each of us has been compelled to recognize that our responsibilities vis-à-vis the community are more profound and cannot be fulfilled merely by paying taxes and making a few donations. This “pay and forget” attitude is clearly in-

Climate action is inherently global, whereas the fight against a pandemic has a much more local character

appropriate in a publichealth crisis – and in a climate crisis.

Moreover, the last few weeks have highlighted the narrowness of the stateversus-markets perspective on the challenge we face. As the economists Samuel Bowles and Wendy Carlin have argued, the solution will not come from some combination of gov-

of the pending amount of the accepted claim immediately as “on account “ payment. The balance amount can be released in due course. Such a measure will inject funds directly into the hands of industry/suppliers; thus kick-starting the economic cycle. This will also not add to the fiscal deficit.

A large portion of the pending payments would be on account of the supplies made to the state power companies which are in poor financial condition. In case the State Governments can set apart an amount to be used for making these payments it can be a big help to the concerned MSME units.

RESTRUCTURING OF EXISTING LOANS work out a solution in consultation with RBI, SEBI, and banks.

Thereafter SEBI can issue an advisory in this regard.

PENDING PAYMENTS Another help that can bring some liquidity to the MSMEs and keep them afloat is a release of all pending payments to them by the Central Government, State Governments, and PSUs. In most cases authorities will be, for good and justifiable reasons, reluctant to release full payment without due scrutiny which can be time-consuming and litigious. A via media can be found by releasing 75%

Building a post-pandemic world will not be easy ie-hard green militants regard it as obvious: the COVID-19 crisis only strengthens the urgent need for climate action.

But die-hard industrialists are equally convinced: there should be no higher priority than to repair a ravaged economy, postponing stricter environmental regulations if necessary.

The battle has started. Its outcome will define the post-pandemic world.

Both the public-health crisis and the climate crisis highlight the limits of humanity’s power over nature. Both remind us that the Anthropocene epoch may end badly. And both teach us that benign everyday behavior can result in catastrophic outcomes.

Defying linear reasoning, the pandemic and cli-

04

ernment decrees and market incentives. Communities whose members behave responsibly and gratefully toward one another are an indispensable part of the response. Even though the fundamental contribution of social capital and norms is not recorded in national accounts, we acknowledge it every time we applaud health-care and other essential workers. But while we must recognize these strong commonalities, we must also not overlook the obstacles to a transformation of our economic model created by the COVID-19 crisis. If anything, impediments to climate action will be even more formidable in the post-pandemic era than they were a few weeks ago.

For starters, climate action is inherently global,

whereas the fight against a pandemic has a much more local character. To burn a ton of carbon has exactly the same effect on Earth’s temperature wherever it is burned – which is why fighting climate change requires global agreements.

The same does not apply to the pandemic. Prudent individual behavior benefits relatives more than neighbors, neighbors more than residents of the same city, and compatriots more than foreigners.

Climate protection and public-health protection thus tap fundamentally different impulses. One leads us to regard ourselves as responsible citizens of the world, the other takes us back to our local roots and the shelter provided by national borders.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM

A one-time restructuring of loans to MSMEs that were in default but ‘standard’ as on January 1, 2019, was permitted

by RBI without an asset classification downgrade. Later RBI extended restructuring of such loans by one more year till March 31, 2021. Now a new dimension of the Covid19 crisis has been added which calls for addressing the issue of restructuring post-haste. Needless to say, micro, small and medium enterprises contribute more than 30 percent to the total GDP, more than 40 percent to exports, and employ more than 11 crore people. In their growth lies the country’s growth.

Top

TWEET Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Held a marathon meeting with captains of the logistics industry to transform freight operations of the Railways.Discussed a host of innovative suggestions from the industry towards making freight operations more efficient & scalable.

Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp LPG for cooking under #PMUY has ensured safety, security, health and well-being of more than 8 crore poor women in India. Free LPG cylinders under the PMGKY is helping them tackle the economic distress resulting from #Covid19 crisis.

Spiritual SPEAK

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

—Hebrews 11:1

Vol 1 Issue No. 325 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur.

Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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Initial results of plasma therapy are good: Kejri

Volunteers shower flower petals on cops & Corona warriors as a mark of gratitude for their services during lockdown in Bengaluru.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said plasma therapy was administered to a few COVID-19 patients and the initial results have been good.

“We were permitted

by Centre for the trial of plasma therapy at LNJP hospital. We administered it to a few patients. The first one among them was discharged after he made recovery. He was critical and in ICU but was discharged on Thursday. Initial results of the therapy are good,” Kejriwal said. He fur-

We conducted 2300 tests per 1 million people in Delhi on Friday. Total 1,100 people have been cured and discharged till date. On the other hand, the average of the entire country is around 500.

—Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister

ther stated that trails of plasma therapy are going on in Delhi.

“I feel happy that around 1,100 people who have recovered in Delhi,

we are getting in touch with them. Almost all of them are ready to donate plasma. I thank all those who have recovered and donating their

IN THE COURTYARD

SC seeks Delhi govt’s response on Sharjeel Imam’s plea on FIRs New Delhi: The SC sought a response from the Delhi government on a petition filed by JNU student Sharjeel Imam seeking to tag all FIRs filed against him and have them investigated by a single probe agency.

A two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan and also comprising Jus-

tice Sanjiv Khanna sought a detailed reply from Delhi govt within 10 days. Justice Bhushan said that there is

nothing wrong with registration of FIR when they come to know about some cognizable offence. Delhi Police recently slapped sedition and UAPA charges against Imam and alleged that he gave a speech that “promoted enmity” between people that led to riots in and around Delhi's JMI University on December 15. —Agencies

Delhi HC refuses to entertain plea on telcos

SC protects Bhushan from arrest for tweets

New Delhi: The Delhi HC refused to entertain a petition seeking directions to telecom firms and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for not charging offices, shops or business establishments which were “compulsorily” closed due to the lockdown amid the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19.

A division bench of HC presided over by Justices Vipin Sanghi & Yogesh Khanna hearing the matter via vc, observed that the SC has already dealt with a similar issue and the High Court is not inclined to entertain the plea. —Agencies

New Delhi: The SC protected lawyer Prashant Bhushan from arrest in an FIR lodged in Gujarat by a retired Army personnel Jaydev Joshi for hurting Hindu religious sentiment by using “opium” with Ramayana and Mahabharata. Prashant Bhushan had tweeted that “as crores starve, our heartless ministers celebrate consuming and feeding the opium of Ramayana and Mahabharata to the people.” —Agencies

LT GEN MANOJ PANDE IS CHIEF OF ANDAMAN & NICOBAR COMMAND New Delhi: Lieutenant General Manoj Pande has been appointed as the next chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command at Port Blair. This is the only tri-services operational command and focuses mainly on amphibious warfare. He is currently

posted at the Army headquarters. Lt Gen Raj Shukla appointed as the new Army training command chief at Shimla.

He is presently posted at the Army headquarters and would be in charge of looking after training aspects of the force.

plasma,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal also stated that around 40 buses are leaving from Delhi to Kota, Rajasthan to bring back the students who are stranded there due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

“Today, around 40 buses from Delhi are leaving for Kota, Rajasthan. I am hoping that by tomorrow these buses will come back,” Kejriwal said. Kejriwal also urged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers to help the needy people in their respective areas. —ANI

76 pilgrims tested positive after returning from Maha

Amritsar: As many as 76 people in Amritsar district, who recently returned from Nanded, Maharashra's Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, were tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.

“Among the devotees who have returned from Hazur Sahib to our district, around 300 have been tested, out of which 76 are positive,” said Om Parkash Soni, Punjab's Medical Education and Research Minister. The Sikh pilgrims were stranded at Sri Hazur Sahib Gurdwara in Maharashtra due to the sudden annuncement of nationwide lockdown. They started returning to Punjab from April 22. —ANI

‘AVAIL IR THERMAL SCANNERS AT BENGALURU FEVER CLINICS’ Bengaluru: Karnataka Health and Family welfare services Directorate on Friday instructed health officers to ensure availability of fingertip pulse oximeter and IR thermal scanners at every fever clinic in Bengaluru. “The District Health officers are hereby instructed to ensure availability of fingertip pulse oximeter and IR thermal scanners at every fever clinic of the district,” the Directorate of Health services said. “All ILI and SARI cases with SpO2 < 95 percent should be subjected for a COVID-19 swab test,” the order said.

‘Will decide on relaxation after assessing situation’ Mumbai: We will go ahead with patience and caution, said Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray asserting that the state government will give relaxations in lockdown after May 3 seeing the condition of specific areas.

“We will surely give relaxations after May 3 seeing the condition of specific areas but be cautious and co-operate, else whatever we have achieved in the past few days will be lost. So, we will go ahead with patience and caution,” Thackeray said. “I want people to not panic about COVID-19. It's only about starting the treatment on time. From few days old babies to 83 years old people have recov-

583 NEW CASES

ered and gone home.

People on ventilators have also recovered

well,” he said.

The ongoing lockdown, which was imposed to contain coronavirus is scheduled to end on May 3. Maharashtra as the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country and the state's tally stands at 10,498.

The CM said that lockdown is working as a “circuit breaker”.

“Yes cases are rising but most of the cases are of contacts. And most are already in quarantine. 75-80% people are asymptomatic of the disease so we are putting them in quarantine,” CM said. He also wished the people of the state on the occasion of Maharashtra Foundation Day and Labour Day. —ANI

G20 Digital Ministers seeks digital response New Delhi: Communications and Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad emphasised on the responsibility of G20 nations to focus on making inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of the ongo-

Sadhguru’s painting goes under hammer; fetches Rs 4.14 crore

Hyderabad: An abstract painting by Sadhguru, Founder, Isha Foundation titled ‘To Live Totally!’ was sold out for Rs 4.14 crore for the 5 x 5 ft canvas. The money will fund Isha’s pandemic relief efforts in rural Tamil Nadu around Isha Yoga Center.

Sadhguru announced that “whoever donates maximum amount for #BeattheVirus fund, will get the painting,” adding that “smaller copies of the painting” will also be available for buyers. #BeattheVirus is Isha’s on-ground campaign to prevent the pandemic from entering villages of

05

ing pandemic.

The Minister was attending an extraordinary virtual G20 Digital Economy Ministers meeting to discuss the challenges posed by the pandemic and to forge a global coordinated response harnessing Digital Technologies.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad highlighted the steps taken by Indian Government to contain the spread and offered the roadmap for the world to emulate.

The Minister also emphasized the importance to revive the economy while con-

tinuing the fight against COVID-19.

Union IT Minister said that next phase of digitalization is about applications that will impact livelihoods, accelerate various sectors, strengthen the supply chain and build a cyber safe world.

Bengal Govt calls Centre’s COVID-19 categorisation list ‘erroneous’ Kolkata: West Bengal government wrote to Centre to remove 6 districts from its list of 10 Red Zones in state. This move came hours after Centre issued a list of Green, Orange and Red Zones for the whole country after the nationwide lockdown is lifted on May 3.

Terming it an “erro-

neous assessment”, Principal Secretary of the West Bengal Health Department Bibek Kumar, in his letter to

Preeti Sudan, Secretary in Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kumar said, “With regards to the presentation made in the cabinet secretary's video conference with the states on April 30, as many as 10 districts of West Bengal were shown in the Red zone. This is an erroneous assessment.”

CLOUDS OF HOPE...

President of India @rashtra bhvn “On the occasion of Labour Day, best wishes to all our labour brothers and sisters who work tirelessly. This day is dedicated to honoring the hard work and dedication of our crores of our workers.”

—Ram Nath Kovind, Pesident of India

Thondamuthur block which has over 2lakh residents. —Agencies

Dark clouds hover over the sky on Ganga River during a nationwide lockdown imposed in the state to curb the spread of coronavirus in Patna on Friday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

PREPS ON TO OPEN BADRINATH DHAM PORTALS ON MAY 15 Dehradun: Preparations are in their final stage for the opening of the portals of Shri Badrinath Dham on May 15. Snow has been removed from the temple premises. And the water and power system has been restored.

Special attention is also being given to social distancing and wearing masks has been made

mandatory, informed Uttarakhand Chardham Devasthanam Board. The media in-charge of Devasthanam Board said that the staff officers of the Devasthanam Board had reached Badrinath Dham for preparations. Raman Ravinath, the Garhwal Commissioner and CEO of Devasthanam Board, had ordered the preparations.

5 ITBP JAWANS TEST POSITIVE IN DELHI IN LAST 48 HOURS New Delhi: Five Jawans of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 48 hours. “In the last 48 hours, five jawans of ITBP have tested COVID-19 positive in Delhi. Two of them were performing law and order duty in Delhi with the police,” said the ITBP. Earlier in the day, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had said that the people living in coronavirus 'Red Zones' will be screened again for COVID-19. He said that medical teams will conduct door-to-door health checkups.

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MAY DAY

Workers are the backbone of the nation, said party leaders Rahul Gandhi &Priyanka Gandhi

Cong highlights workers’ distress New Delhi: Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi on Friday, highlighted the plight of migrants due to continued lockdown as they greeted labourers on May Day, also called Labour Day, and said workers are the backbone of the nation, if they stopped, India will come to a standstill.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Greetings to crores of sisters and brothers on labour day. This country has been build on your struggle and bravery. We salute and support you at this time of crisis.”

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi also tweeted: “Lakhs of labourers have to migrate as crores of them are in crisis. The labourrs are backbone of this country if they stop the country will stop.

Please help them.”

Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi My heartiest congratulations to the millions of laborers and brothers of the country on International Workers' Day. This country is made up of the courage and struggle of the workers like you. My condolences and support are with you in this difficult time. We salute you. Jai Hind.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra @priyankagandhi Workers are not only the power of the country, they are the symbol of our collective will. # Majdur_divs millions of workers salute the recent # Mahaprsthan have suffered. Millions of workers are in crisis today. These workers are the axis of the country. If it stops then the country will stop. Helping them is the biggest task today.

The Congress also highlighted the plight of the migrants, who are stuck in different parts of the country and want to go home.

The party urged the government to start ply-

ing trains immediately.

The Congress party has been criticising PM Narendra Modi on the way the plight of the migrants have been handled by the government. —ANI

Cong attacks Order on migrants movement govt on Central a Tughlaqi Farman: Singhvi Vista Project New Delhi: The ConNew Delhi: Congress has attacked government on the Central Vista project which has been given priority by the Centre. It alleged the government fasttracked the project during the lockdown. Congress said that the nation is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and the government is in construction mode and asked the government to scrap the project which is to cost around Rs 20,000 crore.

A Govt of “Misplaced Priorities” & “ill-conceived Goals,” tweeted Randeep Surjewala, chief spokesperson of the party. Govt wants to go ahead with project only to satisfy its ego, the Congress said.

gress on Friday slammed the government over interstate movement of migrant labourers, saying it's a cruel joke that the Union government has asked the migrants to move by buses though trains would have been easier to move them to their native places.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that only two days ago, a “tughlaqi farmaan” was issued

by MHA,”which is very quaint and funny”. “It is as if it was issued by an ignorant and uncaring person.”

The government should allow trains to start from designated points to send the migrants back home.— PTI

Railways announced special trains for stranded migrant workers, students amid indications by officials that more such services are being planned in the coming days with the 40-day lockdown due to end on May 3 being extended for another two weeks. —PTI

New Delhi: The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has urged the government to provide a strong stimulus package to the newspaper industry which it said has lost over Rs 4,000 crore and is likely to suffer further losses of up to Rs 15,000 crore in the next six to seven months, if relief is not provided.

In a letter to I&B Secretary, INS said the newspaper industry is among the worst affected with hardly any revenues coming in from advertising or circulation during the pandemic.

New Delhi: The Centre said the production capacity of personal protection equipment (PPE) kits has increased from around 3,300 per day in March end to 1.8 lakh per day in one month, and will soon be above two lakh per day.

“From the production capacity of around 3,300 PPE kits per day in the March end, in one month, we have increased our capacity to 1.8 lakh PPE kits per day. It will soon be above two lakh per day. Our PPE kit needs will surely be met with,” said P D Vaghela, chairman, Empowered Group 3, which

A fiscal injection especially designed for the migrant labourers is the need of the hour.

Recent reports published say that in the duration of the lockdown, we have had an average 20 per cent increase in prices. Is this a double whammy?

—Abhishek Manu Singhvi

Senior Congress leader

1.87 Lakh PPE kits are being produced daily in the country.

has been mandated with the production and procurement of medical supplies in the nation's fight against COVID-19.

Vaghela said, “The demand for PPE kits has

been projected at 2.01 crore in India. We have placed orders for 2.22 crore kits out of which 1.42 crore kits are being procured in the domestic market. —ANI

New Delhi: A Delhi Court granted bail to corporate lobbyist Deepak T a l w a r, ar rested in a money laundering case related to receiving foreign funding illegally, saying that “further custody of the accused will not serve any purpose as the charge sheet in the case has already been filed.

The bail was granted on a personal bond of Rs 5 lakh. —PTI

New Delhi: 'Kamal Sandesh', the national mouthpiece of BJP is now available in digital medium, said party president JP Nadda.

“In difficult times of COVID-19, Hon'ble PM has urged to adopt innovative and digital ways of working. Following his ideas, BJP has used new ways to work effectively in lockdown. Now @KamalSandesh has also gone digital,” Nadda tweeted.

The ten-page long Kamal Sandesh is available in both Hindi and English. In the first digital

Also, Navy helicopters will shower flower petals on hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, the CDS said.

581.50 in Delhi, down from Rs 744 till Thursday. In Mumbai, it will now be available for Rs 579 per cylinder, compared to Rs 714.50 earlier.

This is the third straight monthly reduction in rates of non-subsidised LPG cylinders. It is also the steepest reduction in non-subsidised LPG price ever. —PTI

with railway officials so that passengers can reach their destination without delay and safely. It is our effort to get several trains ply through Rajasthan so that this challenging task is completed soon,” he said.

ous zones duly broad-basing the criteria. This classification is multi-factorial and takes into consideration incidence of cases, doubling rate, extent of testing and surveillance feedback to classify the districts,” Sudan said in her letter.

A district will be considered under green zone if there has been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far or there is no reported case since last 21 days in the district, according to the letter. —ANI

IAF to conduct... flanked by Army chief General M M Naravane, Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria. Gen Rawat said the Indian Air Force will conduct fly-pasts from Srinagar to Thiruvananthapuram, from Dibrugarh to Kutch as thanksgiving to the coronavirus warriors.

Fixed wing and fighter aircraft of the IAF will participate in the fly-pasts on May 3 evening, he said.

NAGENDRA KUMAR TO BE MEMBER CBIC?

If all goes well, Sungita Sharma will become new Member of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). She is a 1985 batch IRS (C&CE) officer presently posted in Mumbai.

WILL PRAVEEN GUPTA BE SENIOR ADVISOR BOB ?

Outgoing MD of the State Bank of India, Praveen Gupta is likely to be appointed Senior Advisor in the Bank of Baroda for a period of one year.

SURESH K REDDY TO BE NEXT AMBASSADOR TO BRAZIL

Suresh K Reddy, presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Federative Republic of Brazil. He is an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1991 batch.

FIVE ADDL JUDGES APPOINTED IN KARNATAKA HC

Shivashankar Amarannavar, Makkimane Ganeshaiah Uma, Vedavyasachar Srishananda, Hanchate Sanjeev Kumar and Padmaraj Nemachandra Desai have been appointed as Additional Judges of the Karnataka HC for a period of two years with effect from the date, they assume charge of their respective offices.

Justices Bibek Chaudhuri, Subhasis Dasgupta and Suvra Ghosh, Additional Judges of the Calcutta High Court have been appointed as permanent Judges of the Calcutta High Court with effect from the date, they assume charge of their respective offices.

BJP’s ‘Kamal Sandesh’ bulletin now goes digital

New Delhi: The price of non-subsidised LPG or market-price cooking gas was cut by over Rs 160 per cylinder.

Non-subsidised LPG price was cut by a record Rs 162.50 per cylinder in wake of a slump in benchmark international rates due to falling oil demand.

A 14.2 kg LPG cylinder will now cost Rs

According to insiders, newly appointed Chairman of the PESB Rajiv Kumar was tipped for CAG. He is former 1984 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre. Meanwhile , he has taken over as Chairman of the PESB on Thursday.

THREE ADDL JUDGES ELEVATED AS PERMANENT JUDGES IN CALCUTTA HC

Palghar lynching: 5 remanded to CID custody

LPG price cut by ` 160

RAJIV KUMAR WAS TIPPED FOR CAG?

SUNGITA SHARMA TO BE MEMBER CBIC?

Deepak Talwar granted bail in aviation case

Palghar: The five people, who were arrested in Palghar lynching case, were remanded to the custody of CID till May 13. As many as 115 people, including nine minors, have been arrested in the case. The case pertains to two sadhus and their driver, who were travelling from Kandivali in Mumbai to Gujarat. They were beaten to death on April 16, allegedly by Gadchinchle villagers in Palghar, after they suspected them of being thieves. —ANI

POWER Gallery

Chances of becoming DP Nagendra Kumar as new Member of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) are rated high. IRS (C&CE) officer of the 1985 batch, who is the youngest in his batch, is presently posted in Bangalore.

1st train with 1, 200 migrants ‘Newspaper biz PPE kits production rises to 1.8 lakh per from TS, leaves for J’khand could face losses of day, will go up to 2 lakh soon: Centre up to Rs 15,000 cr’ New Delhi/Hyderabad: The Railways rolled out non-stop “Shramik Special” trains to ferry migrant workers, students from various states where they were stranded since the nationwide lockdown began on March 25. In a meticulous pre-dawn operation that coincided with the International Labour Day and planned in virtual secrecy, the first train with 1,200 migrant workers departed from Hyderabad in Telangana to Hatia in Jharkhand at 4:50 am.

After more than a month of suspension of passenger services, the

06

INDIA’S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO UK, RUCHI GHANSHYAM RETIRES

India’s High Commissioner to UK, Ruchi Ghanshyam retired on April 30, 2020.She is the last Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1982 batch to have retired.

WILL KAUMUDI BE NEW DG OF ITBP?

Meeting of DG BPR&DVS Kaumudi with Home Minister, Amit Shah has fuelled speculations about his appointment as DG ITBP or BSF. He is 1986 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.

AJAY TIRKEY JOINS AS SECRETARY, WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Ajay Tirkey has taken over the charge as Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in Government of India. He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre. He succeeded Rabindra Panwar retired on April 30, 2020.

BAJAJ TAKES OVER AS SECRETARY, ECONOMIC AFFAIRS bulletin, the decisions taken by PM Narendra Modi for farmers amid the outbreak of coronavirus are mentioned.

The bulletin also has details of video conference meetings conducted by Nadda with various members of society. —ANI

Tarun Bajaj, Additional Secretary in Prime Minister’s Office, has taken over the charge as Secretary, Economic Affairs. He is a 1988 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre.

LT GEN RAJ SHUKLA APPOINTED CHIEF OF ARTRAC

Lt Gen Raj Shukla presently posted at Army HQ, has been appointed as GOC-in-C, Army Training Command (ARTRAC).

FROM PG 1 Centre starting... will pass. Priority should be given to send elders, children and pregnant women to the homes safely.” Gehlot also said that passes should be provided to those who want to travel in their own vehicles while help could be sought for vehicles from people who are willing to aid.

Interestingly, CS DB Gupta informed that labourers and migrants could pay the general ticket fee and travel in the special trains. “We are in constant touch

State-wise division... primarily based on the cumulative cases reported and the doubling rate.

“Since recovery rates have gone up, the districts are now being designated across vari-

Stay home... and inter-district plying of buses and barber shops, spas and salons will be prohibited in addition to those prohibited throughout India.

Sale of liquor has been allowed in all zones. However, if the shops are located in malls, marketing complexes and in containment areas, they cannot

open. A limited number of activities will remain prohibited across the country, irrespective of the zone, including travel by air, rail, metro and inter-state movement by road, running of schools, colleges, and other educational and training/ coaching institutions, the order said.

This came after PM Modi’s meeting with CMs of several states last month where some of them suggested extension of lockdown.

“No state/UT shall

stop the movement of cargo for cross land-border trade under treaties with neighbouring countries. No separate pass of any sort is needed for such movement, which is essential for maintaining the supply chain of goods and services across the country during the lockdown period,” the ministry said. “All other activities will be permitted activities, which are not specifically prohibited, or which are permitted with restrictions in the various zones under

these guidelines. However, states/ UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, and with the primary objective of keeping the spread of COVID-19 in check, may allow only select activities from out of the permitted activities with such restrictions as felt necessary,” it added. MHA said no separate/fresh permissions will be required from authorities for activities already permitted to operate under the guidelines on lockdown measures.

TALKING POINT JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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07

ALL MAJOR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS ARE OPENING UP ONLINE CHANNELS TO STAY CONNECTED WITH THEIR DEVOTEES. ONLINE LIVE DARSHANS, DONATIONS, AND POOJA BOOKING OPTIONS ARE MADE AVAILABLE FOR THE PUBLIC BY MANY INSTITUTIONS

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has forced religious congregations to stay at home after the doors have been closed to their churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and gurdwaras across Australia.

But religious life has not stopped. Congregations are discovering new ways to meet virtually on plenty of online video platforms.

Google searches for the word “prayer” have skyrocketed in recent months, apparently in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, for one, said his “prayer knees were getting a good workout” as he prayed for the nation and for religious communities facing the closure of sacred meeting spaces due to the pandemic.

And it is not just traditional religious communities that are coming together in virtual assembly.

Spiritual and therapeutic activities, such as yoga, meditation, martial arts and con-

RELIGIOUS GROUPS ARE EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY DURING THE LOCKDOWN

A TIME TO PRAY ONLINE

NOT THE SAME PERSONAL TOUCH

A

ll religions are dependent on their cultural contexts.

Throughout history, they have adapted to changed circumstances and new technology.

This current move to embrace live-streaming and video-conferencing is no different.

In fact, in this rapidly developing crisis, religious leaders have at times been ahead of political leaders.

For example, while leaders in the UK were debating whether to embrace a “herd immunity” strategy for the country, the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, made the call to cancel in-person church services and move to live-streaming instead.

Mega-churches in Australia, such as Hillsong and Gracepoint, have also transitioned to live-streaming their services with relative ease. Many other faiths are doing the same.

The Buddhist Society of Victoria has been live-streaming its Sun-

P

laces of worship cutting across religion, gods and saints have barred public entry in totality post the Covid-related lockdown announced by the Government. While daily rituals and prayers are conducted by a select group of priests and clerics, devotees are desisted from thronging in.

All major religious institutions are opening up online channels to stay connected with their devotees. Online live darshans, donations and pooja booking options are made available for public by many many institutions. A few cash-rich religious trusts are also reaching

scious dance classes, are also moving online for those Australians, particularly younger people, who identify as spiritual but not religious.

A global meditation, for example, was held earlier this month via YouTube to send healing and love to those struggling to cope during the pandemic.

Some yoga studios have even offered classes for free or via donation, challenging popular assumptions about links between spirituality and consumerism.

The resilience of these groups in the face of adversity backs up the argument of scholars such as Boston University sociologist Nancy T. Ammerman, who argue the spiritual and religious are not so distinct from one another as popular opinion would have us believe.

Religious and spiritual practices deliver something special when they are done socially – a deep sense of community and connection with something larger than ourselves.

W

day talks for several years now and has recently shifted its guided meditations online.

The East Melbourne Synagogue has similarly made its Monday lunchtime Jewish classes virtual, while many Hindu temples, such as Melbourne’s Durga and International Society for Krishna Consciousness, have moved their weekly assemblies online. Islamic leaders, meanwhile, have

out to the lockdown-afflicted people with relief materials and financial assistance.

With COVID-19 global pandemic the governing body of ISKCON (GBC) has advised all devotees across the globe to support the government body of their country by following due instructions.

All devotees have been advised to observe Isolation and not to visit the temple or even move out of their houses all across the globe.

ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Spiritual leader Radhanath Swami Maharaj said, “All our lec-

urged Muslims to stay home for the holy month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday, instead of breaking their fast in large gatherings in the evenings, as is customary.

For the 600,000 Muslims in Australia – as well as the hundreds of millions worldwide – this coming month will be very challenging.

The grand mufti of Australia has been offering weekly lessons following the Friday

prayer since the start of the pandemic.

These lessons will be expanded during Ramadan.

However, the Eid alFitr celebration at the end of Ramadan in late May will be a more muted affair. Normally, millions return to home towns and villages to celebrate with family, but none of this rich communal activity will be possible during the pandemic.

hile these technological changes have shown promise in meeting people’s more immediate spiritual concerns, months of self-isolation, rising unemployment, and mounting death tolls will surely present fresh challenges.

Especially worrying is the fact religious groups have long assisted newly arrived immigrants to settle in Australia. With many international students and people on temporary work visas struggling to find work and affordable housing during the pandemic, online community outreach by religious groups will likely not be enough.

Some religious groups and individuals are still helping the most needy in person, abiding by social-distancing measures. Father Bob Maguire’s Community Pantry Warehouse in Melbourne, for instance, is still offering food

packages, though its community meals in parks have been temporarily suspended.

And what about death and dying, of having to bid farewell online, and not being able to honour loved ones in funeral rites?

The lack of these rituals, which bring people together, will surely affect the process of grieving.

Being able to leverage the digital domain to connect virtually is

INDIA CONNECTS WITH ITS SPIRITUAL SIDE VIRTUALLY

SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION

CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI

DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

a great blessing in this crisis. But it is difficult to replace in-person human connection when we are at our most vulnerable.

Once we get through this, Australia’s rich religious and spiritual landscape will be awash again with colourful celebrations affirming the sanctity of realworld connection and community.

Nonetheless, some things will be forever

tures and classes, Sunday programmes and meditation continue in full swing even now but the difference is that now everything is happening online and not in person. We have requested all devotees to continue with their sadhana bhakti from their homes.”

“We have ensured that all devotees are connected with their respective temples in their city through online classes, meetings on zoom & hangouts and they can take online darshan of Radha Krishna deities and are advised to chant extra round for the benefit of mankind.

changed by the crisis.

And the new skills and online practices learned at this time will impact the ways Australians engage with the religious and spiritual into the future.

Religious freedom is just one of the basic liberties which European states continue to suspend as they cede emergency powers to executive governments in the name of public health.

Online yoga classes have been started for adults and separate online yoga classes for kids through Govardhan Eco Village. All retreats, yoga classes, conferences and Sunday feasts are all cancelled,” he added.

The trustees of Ajmer Sharif Dargah, the shrine of revered sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti, is contemplating whether to live telecast the daily proceedings to their devotees. On an average, the shrine attracts over 20,000 visitors; on Fridays and other important days, the tally counters cross 50,000 worshippers.

It is time to look within. Self discipline is the only way forward. Do not wait for the government or society to enforce rules, follow them voluntarily.

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

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Modified ‘relief’ for Thackeray l Maharashtra

Legislative Council polls to be held on May 21: ECI

l Uddhav personally

spoke to PM Modi 3 days back for help in conducting election

l Thackeray would have to step

down from the CM post at the end of six month period failing to be elected to MLC

First India News New Delhi: Friday could not have brought a better news in Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s political career. While it appeared that a sharp-edged sword hung precariously over the thread that holds Uddhav to his ‘power’ seat since the time limit of him being elected to the legislature was running out, Election Commission of India announced the election on 9 MLC seats on Friday, thereby paving the way for the Shiv Sena supremo to be elected and continue as Chief Minister. Polls for Maharashtra MLC will be held on May 21.

This occurred after Uddhav personally called up CM Narendra Modi for help in the process.

By now, Modi has far established himself as a statesman with strong political acumen, and he was not to be the one to let go of a rare opportunity. Displaying a large

Narendra Modi

Sunil Arora

Uddhav Thackeray

hearted approach towards another party with whom Modi has had personal connect (the late Bal Thackeray used to call Modi Gujarat Lion while the then Gujarat CM held Thackeray Senior in high regard and esteem), and with hope of ‘winning’ back the Shiv Sena, yet again into the NDA fold thinking of future, PM indeed ‘blessed’ Thackeray Junior.

On Friday, decision to hold polls on May 21 was taken by “full Commission” with ECs Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra in Delhi being joined by CEC Sunil Arora over video from the US where he is stuck up since

Corona pandemic broke in US and waiting for the first flight home. While a notification will be issued on May 4, nominations can be filed till May 11. The counting of votes will be held on May 21 evening, an hour after the conclusion of polls at 4 pm. Thackeray, was sworn in on November 28, 2019 and has time till May 27 to get elected to state legislature, failing which he will have to vacate CM post.

On Thursday, Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari had requested Election Commission to declare polls for nine vacant seats to MLC that fell vacant on April 24.

“The Commission noted that this has been the consistent practice in the past,” a statement released by ECI said. Commission also took note of representations from various political parties requesting it to hold polls. The poll panel also decided that Union Home Secretary, who is chairperson of National Executive Committee in ex-officio capacity under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, should depute an officer of suitable seniority to ensure that preventive measures are put in place in keeping with the provisions of the Act for the smooth conduct of the electoral process.

Incoming workers will be housed for 14 days: Raghu Vikas Sharma Jaipur: CM Ashok Gehlot has paved the way for the return of the stranded workers of the state with his consistent efforts but that’s just the beginning of a humongous task. There are almost 10 lakh migrants in the queue to return to their native state. Health minister Dr Raghu Sharma is keeping a hawk’s eye on each development in this regard.

CM Gehlot has instructed Dr Sharma of strict compliance of guidelines. Dr Sharma is also very categorical on the issue and says that there will be no compromise on guidelines and every incoming worker will have to remain quarantined for 14 day period. The health department along

Dr Archana Sharma Jaipur: The only thing that is certain in these times is uncertainty. And when certainty is out of grasp for anyone, governance becomes even more tedious. To seek the bare minimum comfort, we look towards our leaders—the ones we chose, who now have the onus of evading the unprecedented threat that is hovering above us and in our psyche. With the tumult that this virus has assailed, it is highly likely for anyone to turn the numbers into interpretations and interpretations into criticism with no better mo-

Health Min Dr Raghu Sharma

with other agencies has been alerted for the same. Since there are a lot of asymptomatic patients, screening will not solve the problem, hence Dr Sharma has instructed all district collectors to ensure to arrange for quarantine.

Meanwhile, CS DB Gupta is coordinating with the railway officials for arranging ‘Destination to Destination’ special trains for the migrant work-

ers. Central government has divided the state in three categories where 8 districts are in red zone (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Nagaur, Banswara & Jhalawar), 16 in orange (Tonk, Jaisalmer, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Hanumangarh, Bhilwara, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Sikar, Alwar, Bikaner, Churu, Pali, Barmer, Karauli & Rajsamand) and 6 districts in green zone (Baran, Bundi, Ganganagar, Jalore, Sirohi & Pratapgarh). Health department is planning accordingly as it was already on alert mode with curfew in most infection prone zones.

Congress MLA from Niwai Prashant Bairwa has also written a letter to CM requesting him to bring back Rajasthanis stuck in New Zealand.

Quarantined in Raj school, migrants get ‘akshar gyan’ Jaipur: Teachers of a government school in Nagaur have set a precedent amid the coronavirus-triggered lockdown by educating the stranded and quarantined migrant workers. About 19 migrants from Madhya Pradesh and Baran, quarantined in the Government Senior Higher Secondary School, Dodiyana in Nagaur have benefitted from daily classes during the quarantine and they can now read and write their names and understand counting from 0 to 10.

“Following lockdown, workers had undertaken long march to their homes, but they were stopped by authorities and quarantined, and we thought of giving ‘akshar gyan’,” teacher Sushil Kumar said. —PTI

2ND FRONT JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

Bringing students and workers home on top priority: DB Gupta Dr Rituraj Sharma Jaipur: Rajasthan has been at the forefront of the arrangements for Corona containment and bringing back the migrants through special trains. The man behind the swift and smooth functioning of the system is Chief Secretary DB Gupta.

We had a chance to interact with the CS, here are the excerpts from the interview. l Let us know about recent initiatives taken to bring back migrants, especially the initiative to run special trains for them?

We started a registration process from last Monday to know how many people are interested in going back to their states from Rajasthan and vice-versa.

And the situation now is that all our 235 lines are constantly busy and we have crossed the figure of 10 lakh for registration of which more than 8 lakh are of those who want to come back to Rajasthan, with over 2 lakh from Maharashtra. Now nodal officers of our districts are in contact with their counterparts of other states.

Earlier, when this started, it was left to only two states and we also didn’t have any written consent.

Our CM constantly asked centre to give us a written consent, which we eventually got. As the number of

DB Gupta

migrant was huge, using buses seemed pointless. So, we pressurised for special trains. Ultimately, I got a call from Home Ministry that they are allowing special trains. 5 trains will be provided daily with each train having a capacity of 1200 passengers. As a trial, two trains (from Jaipur and Kota) have been allotted. In the first round, students will go home followed by the labours. l By when do you expect the phase to bring back migrants accomplished?

At present, 6000 people would be going through 5 trains but, the number of trains may be increased in future.

Our top priority are the students and labour followed by separated individuals, pregnant women and senior citizen. Another important detail is that passenger would be charged according to their route. l Corona death toll continues to rise along with the num-

ber of positives, is it because the number of investigations have gone up?

We are trying to increase the count of investigations. And as soon as we are able to identify a positive, we will be able to quarantine and treat him/her.

However, limited testing kits is a big barrier in this mission.

Earlier, we used to send reports to Pune now we have certified 10 labs which can investigate and present the report in quick time. We started from 100 investigations per day and have now reached over 9,000 which will be increased to 10,000-11,000 soon. l PPE kit, ventilators and other equipment were asked to buy without tender, what is the situation now?

PPE kit and masks are used only once and disposed. We get free kits form ICMR Delhi which we try to get as many as possible. Concerned officers already have quotes of different manufacturing compa-

the news which has been taken over by this morbid virus.

With BJP at the Centre and Congress in the state, either of the two could have launched into the rhetoric of blame but for now, they seem to work in tandem.

The said Bhilwara Model has been lauded all over the world and comes as a silver lining of hope. It is a testament to the fact that this virus is not as formidable as it seems with all the vagueness shrouding it. For the time being, not much is

Aditi Nagar New Delhi: With a handful of political appointments being conducted on Thursday, there was a buzz that ‘winds of change’ have indeed started blowing and now political appointments would be done in full swing. However, elation of ‘hopeful’ individuals turned to nought on Friday when a fresh info was shared within political circles. Reliable sources have revealed that big political appoint-

CM Ashok Gehlot

known, but two things have become certain— this war with the undead

nies, they keep ordering equipment whenever required from lowest bidder. Formal tender process is not followed in emergency situations. For ventilators, we were earlier concerned over how this huge number would be met. Thankfully, despite positive case number crossing 2500, only 4-5 ventilators have been used till date. l You also played a key role in meeting the demand of govt employees to not to deduct their April pay. What was the reason for accepting this demand?

When the situation grieved in March, even state government employees also felt that there was a need of their participation in lending financial assistance to the government. All national associations took resolution to devote their 5-day salary to the CM relief fund.

In April, we had got enough liquidity and there was no point in deferring the salaries so we decided to disburse complete salaries. Moreover, there were complaints from the fourth class and LDC-level employees that they were not able to meet their liabilities with the March salary deferment. This was another reason for the complete salary approval for April.

RS polls before pol appointments in Raj? ments would not take place due to corona crisis since all senior leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Ashok Gehlot, Avinash Pande and Sachin Pilot are busy tackling pandemic.

Now, appointments may be postponed for at least a couple of months.

However, important appointments are currently being made in various committees. In last two days, about dozen appointments have been announced, including commissions & commit-

tees associated with Social Welfare Authority and Devasthan. Gehlot supporters got priority in making inroads in these committees.

If sources are to be believed, high command has given approval regarding appointments.

In first phase, constitutional and necessary political appointments would be made, in which individuals with Cong ideology would be preferred. Sonia, Pande and Gehlot have reportedly cleared most of major ap-

A LEADER DESPITE CRISIS

tive than pandering to their political agenda.

Fortunately, we see a semblance of unity in our federal structure with blame-game currently on the back foot.

During the last Video Conference with the Chief Ministers of the states, PM Modi deemed it apt to bring to notice the commendable work of Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot in containing the community spread of the virus in Bhilwara district. It was a pleasant change of pace in

08

entity can be won and that strong leadership can evade crisis, as seen

in Bhilwara and the whole of Rajasthan.

From sanitization to ration distribution, CM Gehlot has left no stone unturned with each congress leader working under his command to ensure the completion of all measures in their respective constituency.

The tenacity with which CM Gehlot works at evading the crisis was once witnessed before at the time of drought during his first regime in Rajasthan with NDA at the centre. When

no household in Rajasthan was left without an abundance of provisions.

In his video conference with the Prime Minister, he suggested the measures to ease the travel of migrants across the states. As a result of which myriads of students who were stuck in Kota are now able to go back to the familiar haven of their homes. To ensure the safety of resident Doctors, our frontline warriors, his government has arranged for their accommodation

pointments, which will be announced at appropriate time. Few months ago, Pilot had also given a few names to Pande, out of which some ‘symbolic faces’ may be considered. While political appointments may have to wait for sometime, sources reveal that before appointments would be made, EC would announce Rajya Sabha polls. Sources have divulged that polls for RS could be held by May end after which pol appointments would be made.

in suitable hotels.

With so many lives on stake and uncertainty shrouding everything, CM Gehlot never fails to address people, who stuck in deep apprehensions need to know about the status of the current situation and future measures. And CM Gehlot without any tactic of cult politics and mere token tokenism addresses the masses methodically, which is behoved of a true leader. In times of crisis, the real merit of a leader is tested, and it is safe to say Ashok Gehlot has stood the test of these times.

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09

JAIPUR, SATURDAY MAY 2, 2020

HANDLE

THE SOCIAL

I

DISTANCE

n ‘Too Hot to Handle,’ the latest reality show at Netflix, a group of attentionhungry youth gather together at a beachfront Mexican villa and attempt to forgo sexual contact of any kind in a bid for a $100,000 prize. Each violation of the rules, which, by the way, also bar self-gratification, brings a fine, starting at $3,000 for a kiss.

Like ‘Love Is Blind,’ which followed couples as they dated in “isolation pods” and got engaged before meeting face to face, ‘Too Hot to Handle’ is strangely well-timed in an era of social distancing and involuntary celibacy for millions. But while ‘Love Is Blind’ became a pop culture sensation, couples talked about the magic of “being back in the pods” as if they’d just returned from a honeymoon in Tahiti, not a windowless room on a soundstage in Atlanta, ‘Too Hot to Handle’ puts a knowing twist on the guilty pleasure of dating shows.

There’s no host, just a nar-

ration by comedian Desiree Burch targeting the contestant, an international crew of inked-up, musclebound bros, and Kardashian clones wearing bikinis that look like fetishwear Spanx, for being vapid, manipulative, excessively libidinous or all of the above.

Along with the usual day drinking and poolside lounging, there are group challenges designed to encourage personal growth and/or torment the randy singles, such as a session in Shibari, Japanese rope bondage.

There’s also an Alexa-like talking “robot” named Lana that plays the role of referee, announcing every time someone has breached the rules, taking what is the subtext in most other reality dating shows, slut-shaming, and making it explicit. And no one got in more trouble with Lana than Francesca Farago, a 27-year-old Canadian who captured the heart, or at least hormonal longings, of babyfaced Australian Harry Jowsey. The Instagram model managed to rack up $32,000 in fines over the course of the production, including $20,000 in a single night with Jowsey.

When she signed up to do the show last year, she was “very single” and had little idea of what she was in for; contestants only learned the rules once they’d arrived at the “retreat,” as they call it, but she left in a relationship. She and Jowsey briefly broke up after leaving Mexico but have reunited and are still very much together, though currently isolating in different countries. Farago spoke by phone from Vancouver about her unlikely journey to enlightenment.

On asking if she didn’t

‘Too Hot to Handle’ is strangely welltimed in an era of social distancing and involuntary celibacy for millions

know the rules of the competition before she signed on, Francesca said, “I was reached out to via Instagram DM by someone in production. ‘Hey we have this new reality show on Netflix, we thought you’d be perfect for it.’

She was asking me about my sex life, about my previous relationships. It was very sexually oriented. I was telling my friends about it and they’re like, ‘You’re not allowed, you’re going to get kidnapped.’ It was very sketchy at the beginning.”

Source: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-04-30/too-hot-to-handle-netflix-harry-francesca-update

ETC JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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SMART VILLAGES

IT’S TIME TO COME A

FA CE OF TH ED AY

BACK HOME

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

DR KRITIKA YADAV cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

mid corona crisis, the most affected section of the society is migrant labourers stranded in various states. After the countrywide lockdown announcement to curb the spread of corona virus, many of them started walking towards home. With efforts of various stakeholders like government’s continuous assurances, public support and nongovernmental organizations, we were able to contain a difficult situation for sometime. Though, many voices were raised meanwhile from different areas of the country for their safe transportation to home. As this time passes, we need to think of solutions for current and future situations both.

Let’s go to basics! Why do people migrate? If I need to answer then the answer is “Better livelihood opportunities”.

On 24 April, we celebrated “PANCHAYTI RAJ DIWAS” to reiterate the power of root democracy. This is the right time when we should realise the fundamentals of 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1993 and to make villages self reliant autonomous entities. This is the right time to enliven the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi’s Gram swaraj and Dr APJ Abul kalam’s PURA ( providing urban amenities to rural areas) vision.

According to Mahatma Gandhi, Gram swaraj meant making villages politically and economicaly independent units of democracy. Similar is the vision of Dr Kalam to provide livelihood opportunities to the rural population and improve the quality of life. He visualized four ingredients to make this vision successful; physical connectivity, electronic connectivity, knowledge connectivity leading to Economic activity.

We need to think of a viable model of Gram governance what we call it today as “Smart village model” where they are self sustainable and connected to the rest of the world. Smart village has the income generating opportunites, health & education facilities, roads, and access to energy. To achieve these focus areas in a village, cluster approach is helpful where each cluster should have its own plan, purpose and way of development. It can be implemented through coordinating with various stakeholders; Government & Non Government. We can learn from the experiences of successful villages in the country. In Rajasthan, we have Tilonia village in Ajmer district which is an exampIe of economic and social development for other villages. The Solar mamas of this village were commended by the United nations. I am sure, there must be many such other examples but now is the time to take GRAM GOVERNANCE on mission mode and stop the unnecessary migration to cities where people lack basic sanitation, health, education and proper livelihood opportunities as they are becoming overcrowded. Afterall, The best journey takes you home and home should be worthwhile to stay.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You must take care of the words coming out of your mouth, on work front today. Try to keep up the promises made with the people who matter to you, on romantic front. On the personal front, you are in a very peaceful state of mind as only harmony prevails at your place.

You will spend a lot of money on comfort today.

You can expect decent returns from your past investments. Family will help you by sharing some home burdens. On professional front, you will live upto the expectation of your boss and he will reward you big time.

A big opportunity is waiting for you in real estate business. You are good at budgeting and your finances are always under your control. You are a smart person so its not easy for other to fool you. You must keep away from people have talk negative.

You plan to acquire a new property and don’t worry things will go smoothly.

You are really in love. On academic front, sometimes you feel you are fully prepared and sometime you feel vice versa so don’t pay much attention to the feelings rather concentrate on your preparation.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You will surely pay off all your debt in coming times, be rest assured about that.

On the professional front, you have a strong bond with people in your professional life. On the family front, you must be able to open up with your parents or your spouse about your issues.

On the personal front, some of you may take to initiative to organise some event or a party. Looking at your love life, your lover has somewhat become your priority now, and that’s how it should be. On the personal front, someone close may need your care and support.

You will get the chance to renew old relationships in some family function or a gathering of some kind.

Some one of you may buy an office or a shop. You must believe in yourself before finding the right partner. Your cards show profit from your investment in stock market.

Eating right and in proportion is what you need right now. Those who have a wanderlust will soon find themselves going on frequents tours. You are famous in your social circle but don’t let that effect you in a way that you feel forced to do things.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

On the career front, you are good at sports and may pursue it as your career to earn a living. On the personal front, you must sit and think about all your savings, assets and finances before stepping into a new venture, so that you have everything that it takes.

There’s a good news for you- you may get the possession of your new house today. On the family front, you must pay heed to your parents’s advice. Congratulations in advance, as you will step into a new business which will run out to be successful in long run.

On the personal front, you are a wise soul but sometimes you go astray from your path, so the solution is to get in habit of meditating regularly. On the financial front, all the financial decision you will take today will only make you more secure, so think twice before any decision.

On the professional front, a huge profit from business cannot be ruled out for some. On a happy note, you may meet your childhood friends today.You must pay some heed to you father or the fatherly figure in your life as he give your the advice worth million dollars.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

KHUSHBHU BIJAPARI, Model

10

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

ETC JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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11

NEW PROJECT! F

ollowing her final outing in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, actress Daisy Ridley is in talks to take the lead role in Swedish crime thriller ‘The Ice beneath Her’. The movie project, which will be financed by STX, is based on the 2015 novel by Swedish author Camilla Grebe. The story is about a young woman found beheaded in a business tycoon’s hallway, a crime that resembles an earlier unsolved killing. It soon becomes a race against time.

—IANS

Billie Eilish

AIDING MUSICIANS

Daisy Ridley

B

Two tigers in one frame!

illie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and The Weekend are among music stars releasing cloth face masks to raise money for musicians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grande’s mask features a single tear drop reminiscent of her ‘No tears left to cry’ merchandise, Eilish’s offering includes her ‘Blohsh’ logo in neon green.

Bieber’s mask features his name in graffiti style lettering, and The Weeknd’s offering comes with XO on the front, adorned by a heart.

Meanwhile, Eilish urged her fans to take responsibility during the coronavirus pandemic through Instagram. “I’ve seen a lot of young people out in the world, all over the place, going to the club or going to the beach or just going out and hanging out, and it’s really irresponsible. Please take responsibility for your endurance of this,” she said. The artistes involved in the project belong to the Universal Music Group, and the charity is part of the company’s ‘We’ve Got You Covered’ initiative. The net proceeds of the masks will go to MusiCares, which is working to support the music community affected by the virus crisis.

—IANS

K

areena Kapoor Khan shared a rare picture on Instagram, in which, her uncle late actor, Rishi Kapoor, is seen sharing a happy moment with her late father-inlaw, legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.

Kareena captioned the image as “Two Tigers.” Rishi Kapoor is the brother of Kareena’s father, Randhir Kapoor, and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi is Kareena’s husband Saif Ali Khan’s father.

Also, on Thursday, Kareena posted a cute childhood picture of Rishi and her father Randhir Kapoor, and wrote: “The best boys I know... Papa and Chintu uncle.”

The image was a tribute to her uncle and the legend Rishi Kapoor, who passed away on Thursday after battling leukaemia for the past two years.

—IANS

... her Instagram post

RECALLS DAD’S

TEACHING ON B’DAY!

A

Kareena Kapoor Khan

s actor Anushka Sharm a Opening about the lesson ringed in her 32nd birthfrom her father that left a day on Friday, the sta r lasting impression on her, opened about how she bethe star added: “The thing lieved in herself, and rec alled her that he told me was no father’s saying that kep t her go- matter what situation ing forward in life succes sfully. you are in, no matter The actor considers her fa- how bad the situat ion ther Colonel Ajay Ku mar is, always do the right Sharma to be her gre atest thing and pray to god teacher. that you know what is “I went to Ar my Publi c the right thing to do is at School in Bang alore, and I that moment.” Th e have had some really good ‘Rab Ne Banadi Jodi’ teachers there, and I wa s very star said that those close to them, and they have sayings ‘stuck’ wit h had a very lasting impressi on her as she was so in my mind and my princi pal young and that she also. But my dad taught me ‘really look up’ to some invaluable lessons,” her father.

Anushka said.

—ANI Anushka Sharma

A GOOD SAMARITAN!

P

Ariana Grande

riyanka Chopra Jonas has joined hand with Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg to protect vulnerable children across the world from the coronavirus.

Priyanka Chopra took to social media to express her concern over the effect of Coronavirus on vulnerable children.

She tweeted: “It’s heartbreaking to see the effect

of Covid-19 on vulnerable children across the world.

They now have to cope with food shortages, strained healthcare systems, violence & lost education. We need to protect them.. the onus is on us.”

“Join me in supporting this much needed campaign by @UNICEF and @ GretaThunberg.” Priyanka and her American pop singer husband Nick Jonas contributed to several charities to lend support to

the ongoing battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Priyanka took to Twitter to announce that the couple has donated to organisations like the PMCARES Fund, Unicef, Feeding America and Goonj among many others. She also pledged to donate $100,000 to women doing their bit in health crisis.

—IANS Priyanka Chopra Jonas

CITY BUZZ JAIPUR | SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2020

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

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FURRY FRIENDS!

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS!

City First gets in touch with its readers from Rajasthan & Gujarat to know how having a pet at home is making their life easier during the lockdown!

CITY FIRST JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

There is Nothing more soothing and comforting during these stressful times just sitting and patting him. The dog is part of everything whether it’s your online school classes or important zoom meetings. The special cooking spree which is ON around the world our dog ‘Nobuddy’ also gets to eat new innovative dishes. No more waiting eyes- always enjoying the company of his loved ones.

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Jagdeesh Chandra personally conveyed Happy Birthday greetings to First India News Channel’s Director Virendra Choudhary, at his residence on Friday afternoon. In the wake of an ongoing Corona Lockdown, Choudhary spent it quietly with his family.

ALWAYS ON DUTY!

STRATEGIC APPROACH!

A CITY FIRST JAIPUR

D

espite the danger of corona infection and lockdown, Geetanjali Hospital continues to treat patients with a team of skilled doctors and staff. Recently, Geetanjali Hospital successfully treated a cardiac patient. The operation was also very high risk given the delicate heart condition of the patient. After the successful operation, the patient was discharged from the hospital in a normal condition.

The heart bypass surgery of 50-year-old Mohanlal Gurjar from Rajsamand was successfully completed by a team approach. The cardiac team that performs the highly complex treatment includes cardiac surgeon Dr Sanjay Gandhi, Dr Ajay Verma, Dr Parth Vaghela, Dr Kapil Bhargava, Dr Ramesh Patel, Dr Danny Mangalani, Dr Shalabh Agarwal, Dr Shubham Chelavat, Dr Sandeep, Dr Anil Sharma, Dr Nehru, Dr Ankur Gandhi, Dr Kalpesh Mistry, Dr Chintan Patel, Dr Archana Cath Lab, CTVS ICU and CTVS ICU team contributed well so that the operation was successfully carried out. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

s the government is setting the guidelines for a staggered exit from the 40-daylong lockdown starting 4 May and also setting the stage for a revival in economic activity that has ground to a standstill since last month, the chairman of CII Rajasthan, Vishal Baid, have appealed the State Government to allow interdistrict movement of labour in his statement. His statement reads, “State Government is requested to allow inter-district movement of labour post 3 May within the State through companyowned or hired transport. The industry can be advised to call labour once and then arrangements can be made near or within the factory till complete lockdown is over.”

—City First

any of us have been adjusting to new routines these past few weeks. Working from home comes with positives, like being nearer the biscuits and working in pyjamas.

But it also has challenges, like communicating with colleagues and keeping the children entertained.

Like us, many of our pet dogs are also likely to find this change difficult. And a bustling household and reduced exercise may mean our pups display more problem behaviours than usual – especially dogs easily overstimulated.

These are difficult times but being there for our pets will help to make the transition smoother for everyone. But it is also important to be flexible – the change to life in lockdown is tough on all of us, so if your dog regresses in his training, or displays new undesirable behaviours, be pa-

—SHWETA KHURANA

It’s such a delight & company to me as I am all alone during this lockdown period, they give me lots of positive vibes. I am blessed to have my three darling girls Poly Lisa & Laila with me who sleep in my room every night. I play with them, brush them, feed them & talk to them.

—SUDHIR MATHUR

tient and prepared to make adjustments and seek guidance from a force-free trainer if you need help.

Above all else, enjoy this time with your dog. While the world feels so unfamiliar, our pets are working hard to bring us joy. Let them know they are doing a great job!

New Opportunities

I have two dogs, one is a terrier and the other one is a Shih Tzu. My dogs are used to an active, outdoor life so, this lockdown has definitely taken a toll on them.

The silver lining is that they are thrilled that the family is home all day and they love cuddling up and playing fetch with everyone.

—NINA PANWALA

Lockdown is an opportunity to spend more time with our fur buddies. I am utilizing this time to train and indulge in fun activities with my dog at home. It has become a stress buster for me because it is helping us cope with boredom. Taking the pets on a walk has become an issue and their exercise remains a concern.

—AJITA SHARMA

BEAT THE VIRUS! CITY FIRST

CITY FIRST JAIPUR

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uring this time of unmatched challenges, the ARCH College of Design and Business have organised education initiatives using online platforms. According to the statement released by the college, the management has initiated online master classes, Interactive sessions and discussion for industry members, design students, and aspirants. Apart from this, they are inviting experts for conducting guest sessions. The management is also delivering online classes to their students to ensure timely completion of courses and keeping them engaged in a creative pursuit.

The statement also reads that their online entrance exam AIEED, which is in operation since 2011, has been the most effective for students in these times.

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n abstract painting by Sadhguru, Founder, Isha Foundation titled ‘To Live Totally!’ was sold out for Rs 4.14 crore for the 5x 5ft canvas. The money will fund Isha’s pandemic relief efforts in rural Tamil Nadu around Isha Yoga Center.

Sadhguru announced that “whoever donates the maximum amount for the #BeattheVirus fund, will get the painting,” adding that “smaller copies of the painting will also be available for buyers.” #BeattheVirus is Isha’s on-ground campaign to prevent the pandemic from entering the villages of Thondamuthur block which has over 2 lakh resi-

Sadhguru with the painting that fetched Rs 4.14 crore for Isha’s Pandemic Relief

dents. Every day, a task force of nearly 700 Isha volunteers deliver freshly cooked meals prepared in decentralized kitchens along with Nilavembu Kashayam, an immunity booster drink to the villages. Besides daily nourishment, volunteers are supporting administration efforts in awareness genera-

tion, the supply of essentials, and equipping frontline workers and first responders with protective equipment. A standby isolation ward has been set up by the local administration in the Pooluvapatti Primary Health Center (PHC). Isha is supporting the ward with medical infrastructure and other essentials.

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Memes are very popular on Instagram nowadays with popular accounts having lakhs of followers and China remains a popular punching bag on Instagram.

Gujarat: Jayanti Ravi, state principal secretary, Health and Family Welfare, visited COVID-19 affected area of Anand district, Khambhat on Friday. She reviewed the health situation in the city with local MLA and leaders and provided guidance.

Rajasthan: During the lockdown across the country, new project launches were postponed by the Builders due to lack of liquidity in the market hence, the buyers who are already in the process to buy a property will find lesser options in the current market. Director Apple Homes, Sanjay Gupta shared that the demand for residential housing will likely be a surge in the short term, and buying property will become affordable due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Rajasthan: Amidst the nationwide lockdown, Poornima Group has started an initiative of offering online certification courses to its teaching and non-teaching staff. Director of Poornima Group, Rahul Singhi shared that the main objectives of these industry oriented courses are to enhance the capability and bridge the gap between the industry and institute.

Gujarat: An artist gives final touches to an artwork aimed at creating awareness about novel coronavirus at Pallav Cross Road in Shastrinagar area of Ahmedabad. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Rajasthan: On behalf of the Institute of Technology and Public Welfare, Advocate Vikas Somani and his team initiated a campaign on Friday, in which, the team members are motivating people to hang Parinda filled with water and grains for birds at their homes.

Rajasthan: Amid the lockdown, Rajasthan Forum has initiated an online musical series ‘Sumiran’, in association with Shree Cement and Raghu Sinha Mala Mathur Charity Trust. In the eleventh episode of the series, Barmerbased Devu Khan Manganiyar presented folk music and also interacted with the audience during the session on Friday.

HAPPY B’DAY! IPS Umesh Mishra celebrated his birthday on 1 May, Friday. We wish him all the best!

Gujarat: A poster depicting the police, medical staff, sanitation workers, clean environment, chirping of birds and lighting of lamps, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was created by a retired Rajkot officer Pravin Vyas.

Rajasthan: HDFC Bank released #HumHaar NahiMaanenge (we will not give up), a collaborative song of hope, which is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of India and millions of Indians who are standing together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The song is composed

by Oscar and Grammy Award-winning musician AR Rahman, and the lyrics are penned by noted lyricist and poet, Prasoon Joshi.

Rajasthan: Google launched a new website focused on Covid-19 related security risks.

The site will inform about online risks and scams and help users to stay safe online. The website is currently available in Hindi and English language, and the content will soon be rolled out in other regional languages. The Google Threat Analysis Group has detected a range of scams such as phishing emails posing as messages from charities and NGOs battling COVID-19, directions from ‘administrators’ to employees working from home, and even notices spoofing healthcare providers.