First India-Jaipur Edition-12 May 2020

JAIPUR l TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

Emergence of a new

CONSENSUS

MAN ADITI NAGAR

T

hey say statesmanship is a dying art in politics.

But a few stalwarts like Ashok Gehlot has kept this tradition alive. On Sunday, Gehlot emerged as a great statesman engaging 115 legislators and parliamentarians for 12 gruelling hours in a quest to drive Covid-19 out of Rajasthan. In a rare instance of “participative politics” in this of late highly vindictive political environment, Gehlot roped in the rich experience of Opposition leaders like Vasundhara Raje, Gulab Chand Kataria and Rajendra Rathore for finding a solution to the pandemic which as thrown life out of gear in every sphere.

Gehlot’s noble demeanour once again established him as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, rather than just being the elected leader of Congress party which is in power.

By bringing in the expertise of Opposition leaders and former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Gehlot ensures that BJP also becomes accountable to people they represent. After all, BJP represents more than 35% in states assembly and 100% showdown in Parliament.

Political analysts believe that Gehlot’s master stroke of engaging Opposition will not only enhance his image as a ‘Statesman’ but will also help in silencing opposition voice.

This involvement of BJP in strategising fight against Covid-19 will pave a new system of governance in the country.

In the times of crisis, government should open all the windows, and let wisdom pour in, cutting across the party lines.

Gehlot in this time of crisis has an able aid in health minister Dr Raghu Sharma, who can claim a 58% record Corona recovery and the lowest death rate in Rajasthan with a meagre 2.83%. With a little over three years left in the Assembly elections, the third time Chief Minister has initiated a new brand of politics in Rajasthan, one that was needed from a long time… one that will remain for a long time to come.

At this moment, a Gandhi family loyalist and Rajasthan General Secretary Incharge Avinash Pande must be having a smile on his face with the resounding success of his close friend for almost three decades and senior colleague Gehlot!

RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 335

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JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

02

PEACOCKS TAKE OVER JAIGARH ROAD

A flock of Peacock and peahen capture a deserted road near Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur at 4.15 PM on Monday. Some areas of Jaipur witnessed scattered rainfall on Monday. Due to changing weather conditions, the dates of arrival and departure of monsoon have changed. The MeT revealed that monsoon will arrive in Rajasthan on June 25 instead of June 15. At the same time, instead of September 20, the monsoon will make a retreat on September 27. While, Jaipur’s date with Monsoon will be July 1, instead of June 25 said MeT sources.

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

UDH min’s relief for real estate The new rules will permit the builders to pay the amount in 3 rather than existing 2 years Abhishek Srivastava Jaipur: UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal has relaxed the rules betterment levy for the real estate sector and fulfilled their long standing demand. Relief provided by Minister Dhariwal is being considered as balm on the aching real estate industry with twin blows of slow economy and corona crisis.

Dhariwal has given his consent on the note sheet soon the UDH will

UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal

release the orders. As per existing rules the builders had to pay a betterment levy if he

went for additional construction apart from approved as per Buid Area Ratio (BAR). Builders

had give 25% as advance installment at the time of NOC of site maps and balance ib three installments of 25% each. Builders were required to deposit PDCs for the same.

The new rules will allow the builder to deposit first 25% installment 1 year after the site maps are approved.

This will let builder analyse the maker demand & decide accordingly whether he wants to stick to BAR or extend his construction.

New rules will also help the builder recover some money from the booking. The UDH in turn will be saved of the unnecessary litigation happening due to cheque bouncing on part of the builders. So the new rules will permit the builders to pay the amount in 3 rather than existing 2 years and the amount will be payable in 5 reduced EMIs of 20% each rather than existing 4 installments of 25% each.

BJP’s drive to ‘Employment provided serve workers to 24L people in 20 days’ First India News First India News

Jaipur: In accordance with the instructions given by BJP national president JP Nadda in VC held, BJP state chief Satish Poonia has announced to take Nadda’s instructions in form of a drive. Poonia informed that BJP workers will start a drive to serve migrant workers who are on way to their states on foot. BJP workers will not only provide them with slippers but also make arrangements for their halt & refreshment at various places en route.

Jaipur: Rajasthan has given record employment under MNREGA. The state has topped the country in adding number of new labourers and providing them employment.

Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot said that 24 lakh people have been provided employed under MNREGA in just 20 days. The Gehlot government has been emphasizing on linking as many people as possible with MNREGA to create

Sachin Pilot

livelihood opportunities for people in rural areas considering that many have been redundant jobless due to lockdown.

While only 62000 people had received employment till April 17, the number has now crossed 24 lakh on Monday.

SC relief: Raj can use Sisodiya Rani Ka Bagh for activities

Contempt petition against More areas No one to listen to residents’ ACS Singh, Dr Bhandari of SMS come under problems at Khetolai dist HC which was asked curfew in city continents for years to First India News First India News

First India News

Jaipur: A Contempt Petition has been filed

by Ramvir against Rohit Kumar Singh IAS & Principal SK Singh Secretary Medical & Health And Dr Sudhir Bhandari Principal, SMS Medical College Jaipur in High Court. This Contempt Petition is filed for not obeying the orders for

Jaipur: The Supreme Court has given a partial relief to state govt by permitting it to use Sisodiya Rani Ka Bagh for various activities from 8 am to 8 pm. But Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Ravindra Bhatt have banned use of laser lights, high decibel music and fireworks keeping the surrounding ecosystem in mind.

A view of Sisodiya Rani Ka Bagh in Jaipur.

The court also directed state govt to appoint a beautification expert for the heritage garden. The court said the expert will

monitor the development of memorial. The double bench also ordered to submit a report on such plans within a month.

with to provide N-95 Masks and safety gadgets as prescribed by WHO and due to this many health workers are suffering from Corona and have become its carrier.

The matter will be listed before a division bench comprising Justice Indrajeet Mahanty and Justice Satish Kumar Sharma. The matter will be argued through VC today by advocate SK Singh.

First India News

Jaipur: The coronavirus induced curfew has been imposed at 10 places in 8 police station areas of Jaipur Commissionerate on Monday due to finding positive patients from these places. On the other hand, the curfew was lifted in 3 police station areas after people have recovered from COVID-19. Curfew is imposed in 36 police stations of Jaipur.

Jaisalmer: Nondescript village of the district Khetolai made it to international headlines 22 years ago when in the words of former PM AB Vajpayee “Buddha smiled”.

It was the land of desert village Khetolai in the Pokharan subdivision that witnessed not one or two but five nuclear explosions the diplomatic tremors of which were felt across

come. It was 11 May when the first test was conducted and the residents of Khetolai rushed out of their houses fearing some natural calamity.

Now the word was let out and on 13 May more explosions were felt and before the planned sixth explosion could happen PM Vajpayee was conveyed the success of the tests by the scientists and he stopped the sixth explosion.

COMBATTING COVID-19

Convalescent Plasma Therapy – A ray of hope for serious patients First India News Jaipur: The entire world is fighting the coronavirus pandemic and till date there is no specific treatment proven to be effective for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College, Jaipur started Convalescent Plasma Therapy to treat serious coronavirus infected patient and it has given a ‘Ray of Hope’. So far, three successful convalescent plasma therapies have been conducted and all the three patients showed improvement.

The SMS team for successful COVID-19 Plasma transfusion is headed by Dr Sudhir Bhandari,

Senior Professor of Medicine and Principal and Controller, SMS Medical College, Jaipur with other members Dr Raman Sharma, Dr Sunita Bundas and Dr Ajeet Singh Shaktawat.

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which originated in Wuhan, China, has become a major concern all over the world. The infection induced by the SARSCoV-2 is named corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

SMS Medical College Principal Dr Sudhir Bhandari said that till date, no specific treatment has been proven to be effective for SARS-CoV-2 infection. World over Scientists are engaged

in research to find out specific treatment for this disease and as of now only supportive care such as oxygen supply in mild cases to invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is provided for the critically ill patients.

He said convalescent plasma or immune globulins have been used as an adjunct therapy to improve the survival rate of patients with SARS whose condition continue to deteriorate despite treatment with so far known modalities.

Convalescent Plasma therapy is to transfuse plasma (component of blood) containing antibodies donated by the

Dr Raman Sharma

Dr Sudhir Bhandari

recovered COVID-19 patient to the serious coronavirus patient.

Moreover, several studies showed a shorter hospital stay and lower mortality in patients who were treated with convalescent plasma than those who were not treated with convalescent plasma.

One possible explanation for the efficacy of convalescent plasma therapy is that the antibodies from convalescent

plasma might suppress viremia (the presence of viruses in the blood) by mopping up the inciting viral antigens.

Dr Bhandari said, “In endeavour to manage COVID 19 patient standard treatment protocols are being followed in addition to standard medical supportive treatment. We used Hydro-chloroquine and antiviral Lopinavir 400 mg and Ritonavir 100 mg for the first time in

Covid positive patient which ignited thought process and many research trials for treatment of Covid 19 cases.”

Elaborating further about plasma therapy, he said it was started at SMS hospital as per ICMR protocol for patients who qualify for the treatment. The donors of plasma are the Covid 19 patients who have recovered after 21 to 28 days of their illness, repeat RT PCR was done on them and found to be negative. Antibody detection Rapid test is done that shows a positive titer meaning that protective antibodies have formed in the recovered patient, then their plasma is obtained for donation which is then infused

into blood group matched recipient, who is suffering from active corona infection. The Plasma is obtained through an online separation technique in which RBCs are transfused back to the donor, he informed.

Dr Bhandari said, “So far, we have conducted 3 successful Covid Plasma therapies and all the 3 patients are showing improvement in their clinical state, oxygen saturation and d-dimer levels. We have included these patients with progressive disease as shown by clinical findings and HRCT chest scoring system.

All this is being done as per protocol of ICMR and with the permission of DCGI. The dose

required was 200 ml of plasma on two consecutive days.”

Convalescent plasma has previously been used against viral illnesses such as rabies, hepatitis B, polio, measles, influenza and Ebola. It was also used in recent outbreaks of MERS and SARS-1, where faster viral clearance following convalescent plasma therapy was observed.

As a consequence, convalescent plasma could provide immunity against disease by providing antibodies that neutralise the virus and prevent further damage. This is a form of passive immunisation, unlike a vaccine, which produced active immunity.

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

25°C - 43°C

ALERT JAIPUR l TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 335

INDIA

WORLD

2,85,363 42,28,896 2,294 70,766 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

RAJASTHAN

113

 PM: Economic activities will gain momentum in coming days  Maha, Telangana, Bihar, West Bengal seek lockdown extension  During the VC, Telangana CM asks PM not to operate passenger trains

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Chief Ministers of states on COVID-19 situation through video conferencing, in New Delhi on Monday.

—ANI PHOTO

FROM ZOJI LA TO KARGIL

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police has ensured the safe passage of over 900 trucks carrying essential supplies from the icy heights of Zoji La in Ladakh to the frozen slopes of Kargil in the past 21 days amid the ongoing lockdown. The land route through Zoji La pass serves as a lifeline for the nearly 1.5 lakh residents of Kargil. Due to efforts of ITBP, trucks carrying food and other items are reaching Kargil covering a distance of 100 km in about eight hours of time.

—PHOTO BY ANI

BADRINATH TEMPLE TO REOPEN ON MAY 15, DEVOTEES NOT ALLOWED Chamoli: Only 27 people, including the head priest, will be allowed when the portals of the Badrinath Temple reopen on May 15, officials said on Monday.

“Devotees will not be allowed entry into the temple during that time. The decision has been taken in view of the guidelines issued by the Centre amid Covid-19 pandemic,” Anil Chanyal, SDM, Joshimath, said. The ritual of extracting sesame oil for ‘Gaadu Ghada’ tradition was performed last week.

‘NO PLAN TO DEDUCT SALARY OF EMPLOYEES’ New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday clarified that there is no proposal by the government to carry out deduction in the salary of its employees. “Please ignore the fake news being circulated in a section of media. There is no proposal by the government to carry out deduction in the salary of its employees,” Singh tweeted. P7

cess will further gain steam in the coming days.

In the fifth video conference meeting with the Chief Ministers on Monday, the Prime Minister said that the country has a reasonably clear indication of the geographical spread including the worst affected areas. Interestingly, several Chief Ministers like West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao and Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami requested PM not to start passenger trains.

“We must realize that the fight against COV-

ID-19 has to be more focused now,” he said.

Modi said that the road ahead should be focused on reducing the spread of coronavirus and ensuring that precautions are taken.

“Going forward, the road ahead should be focused on reducing the spread and ensuring that all precautions are taken by people including social distancing norms by observing ‘Do Gaj Doori’.

Follow-up is of paramount importance and we must do so to the hilt,” he said. Meanwhile sources Turn on P7

Domestic flights may resume by May 18

Carry your own food, linen, arrive 90 min early for train travel!

New Delhi: The government is likely to allow airline companies resume operation of local passenger flights by 18 May, said sources. On Monday, a joint team of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security Office, Airports Authority of India, Delhi International Airport Limited and CISF under the Ministry of Civil Aviation visited Delhi airport before the resumption of flights and took a detailed note of preparedness.

The airlines are likely to begins operations from major routes like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, Turn on P7

New Delhi: The Railways has issued new guidelines for travel on 15 special trains from May 12, asking passengers to carry their own food and linen and arrive at stations at least 90 minutes before departure for health screening. It also said all passengers must wear face masks during the journey. For now, Railways has issued time table for trains between May 12 and May 20. They will run as daily, weekly or bi-weekly trains, as per the time table issued by the Railways. There are no trains on May 16 and May 19.

The 15 trains to run from Tuesday will be airconditioned and will run on full-capacity Turn on P7

MODI TERMS POKHRAN-II ‘LANDMARK MOMENT IN INDIA’S HISTORY’ New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Monday remembered the nuclear tests held in 1998 at Pokhran, Rajasthan, terming it an “exceptional achievement” and a “landmark moment in India’s history” and applauded all those using technology to enhance the quality of life. “On National Technology Day, our nation salutes all those who are leveraging technology to bring a positive difference in the lives of others,” PM tweeted. He also saluted those involved in research to defeat Corona.

3,988

DEATHS

‘Ensure rural India remains free from Corona’ New Delhi: ‘Jan Se Jag Tak’ (From People To The World), was the motto given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday at the end of his marathon meeting with Chief Ministers of states, highlighting the Centre’s mood to motivate the people to adopt a new lifestyle to evade Corona and also keep the economy up and running. Noting that the fight against COVID-19 has to be more focused now, PM Modi said economic activities have begun to pick up momentum in several parts of the country and the pro-

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TICKETS SOLD: TRAINS CHUG FROM TODAY Bookings for 15 special trains began on Monday evening on IRCTC website two hours behind the scheduled time. However, despite delay, all AC-1 and AC-3 tickets for the Howrah-New Delhi and BhubaneswarNew Delhi special trains were sold within the first 10 minutes. Earlier, the IRCTC website went unresponsive as bookings began at 4 pm.

‘ENSURE MIGRANTS DON’T WALK HOME’ New Delhi: Centre has asked states to ensure migrant labourers do not walk on the road or railway tracks to reach home. It asked them to counsel such labourers and put them in shelters.

Development comes in the backdrop of 16 labourers being crushed to death by a train near Aurangabad last week, and many also meeting fatal accidents routinely on roads while attempting to walk back to their homes.

CONFIRMED CASES

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

1,375,129 SPAIN 268,143 UK 223,060 RUSSIA 221,344 ITALY 219,814 GERMANY 171,999 BRAZIL 163,510 IRAN 109,286 CHINA 82,918 CANADA 69,157

81,099 26,744 32,065 2,009 30,739 7,569 11,207 6,685 4,633 4,907

USA

+312 +123 +210 +94 +179 +13 +84 +45 +2 +37

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

IN RAJASTHAN DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

AJMER 232 ALWAR 31 BANSWARA 66 BARAN 3 BARMER 7 BHARATPUR 119 BHILWARA 43 BIKANER 39 CHITTORGARH 141 CHURU 18 DAUSA 24 DHOLPUR 21 DUNGARPUR 11 HANUMANGARH 11 JAIPUR 1247 JAISALMER 37 JALORE 14 JHALAWAR 47 JHUNJHUNU 42 JODHPUR 886 KARAULI 7 KOTA 259 NAGAUR 131 PALI 67 PRATAPGARH 4 RAJSAMAND 20 SWAI MADHOPUR 10 SIKAR 9 SIROHI 11 TONK 142 UDAIPUR 182 OTHER DIST. 2 3883 TOTAL OTHER (Italy) 2 EVACUEES 61 BSF 42 GRAND TOTAL 3988 SAMPLE RECEIVED SAMPLE NEGATIVE

NEW TOTAL CASES DEATH

+12 +11 — — +3 +3 — — +5 +1 +2 — +1 — +28 +2 +6 — — +13 +2 +9 +9 +5 — +4 — — +7 +2 +49 — +174 — — — +174

5 1 1 — — 2 2 1 2 1 — — — — 59 — — — — 17 1 10 2 2 1 — 1 2 — 1 — 2(UP) 113 — — — 113

1,76,130 1,68,546

UNDER EXAMINATION

3,596

AAO SAATH CHALEIN

Gehlot suggests Modi to fight Corona, blossom economy; together!  Can’t buy foodgrains for poor anymore, CM informs PM as he urges for Centre’s support  Bring MNREGA like employment scheme for the urban poor: Gehlot  Demands permission for states to fix zones and implement restrictions on their own will

Naresh Sharma

CM Ashok Gehlot during a video conference with PM Narendra Modi on Monday, where Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma, Kuldeep Ranka, Rohit K Singh, Bhupendra Singh and Amit Dhaka were present.

Jaipur: His effective handling of Corona crisis in state has been appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the work done by Rajasthan Government has been lauded by the Union Government. It was thus befitting that an experienced administrator and politician like Ashok Gehlot provide suggestions on how to bring back states and nation out of the economic crisis and handle the corona infection too. And Gehlot provided the simplest answer of all : Fight-

ing Together!

When on Monday, PM Modi held a marathon VC with Chief Ministers of states Gehlot asserted that states cannot do anything in one vacuum while the Central Government would do something at its own level. Instead the three time Rajasthan Chief Minister said that States and Centre ‘will have to fight together to bring the economy back on track’.

Gehlot has urged PM Modi to start employment guarantee scheme for urban areas on the lines of MNREGA itself.

Turn on P7

RAJASTHAN JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

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04

Green flag for trains come with strict regulations, Raj gets 3 halts Kashiram Chaudhary Jaipur: Railway will begin operating 30 trains from Tuesday under modified rules. Rajasthan has three halts for trains as per the latest schedule.

Railway has advised commuters to only reach the station only if they have a confirmed ticket and compulsorily wear a face mask during entire journey following social distanc-

ing. People without confirmed tickets will not be allowed inside the stations.

All trains starting from Tuesday are A/C trains with no non A/C bogies.

Commuters have been asked to book their tickets only through IRCTC website as agents are not authorised to issue any tickets until further orders. No advance booking for more than 7 days will be possible in the

ANOTHER STEP TO PRIVATISATION?

new schedule.

There will be no waiting list or RAC tickets issued. As per new guidelines there will be no TTEs on the trains

and the tickets will be checked before commuters board the train.

In order to discourage non serious booking the railways will

FIVE DEATHS, 174 NEW CASES REPORTED IN STATE —PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

Jaipur: 5 corona deaths were reported in last 24 hours taking the total to 113. Jaipur & Pali reported two deaths each while Ajmer reported one corona death. Monday reported 174 new corona positive cases.

49 new cases were reported from latest hotspot Udaipur followed

by Jaipur with 28 positives, 13 from Jodhpur, 12 from Ajmer, 11 from Alwar, 9 cases each from Kota & Nagaur, 7 from Sirohi, 6 from Jalore, 5 each from Chittorgarh & Pali, 4 from Rajsamand, 3 each from Barmer & Bharatpur, 2 each from Dausa, Karauli, jaisalmer & Tonk, one from Churu.

The state total for corona positives stands at 3988. State has tested 176130 samples so far out of which 168546 have reported negative while reports for 3596

Area in Malviya Nagar Sector 1 being sanitised after a corona case was reported from here.

samples is awaited.

Jaipur leads the most positive cases tally with 1247 cases followed by Jodhpur 886, Kota 259, Ajmer 232, Udaipur 182, Tonk 142, Chittorgarh 141, Nagaur 131, Bharatpur 119, Pali 67, Banswara 66, Jhalawar 47, Bhilwara 43, Jhunjhunu 42, Bikaner 39, Jaisalmer 37, Alwar 31, Dausa 24, Dholpur 21,

Rajsamand 20, Churu 18, Jalore 14, Hanumangarh, Dungarpur & Sirohi 11 each, Sawai Madhopur 10, Sikar 9, Jalore 8, Karauli & Barmer 7 each, Pratapgarh 4 and Baran 3. Apart from this 42 BSF jawans, 2 Italians, two from other states, 61 Indians evacuated from Iran. 31 districts out of 33 are officially corona infected

Experts feel that train operations without TTEs and waiting lists are a step towards the privatisation of railways and in future trains might be operated on similar pattern.

State will have Ahmedabad - New Delhi train no. 02957 & 02958 stopping at Abu Road and Jaipur while Mumbai Central – New Delhi train no 02951 & 02952 will stop at Kota in the state.

Central team satisfied by situation in walled city

Addl municipal corp will strain economy, says PIL

‘Govt’s orders on epidemic out of HC’s jurisdiction’

First India News

Jaipur: State govt told HC that administrative orders given by it under Epidemic Act 1957 were out of its jurisdiction during the hearing of a petition by Yogesh Modi regarding quarantine centers in Jaipur city.

Appearing for state AG MS Singhvi requested HC to quash the petition with heavy fine as it has been filed without facts and preparation.

AG also presented list of all quarantine centers readied for patients and separate residential accommodation for doctors, selection of which was administrative step taken as per guidelines issued by Centre & WHO and beyond the scope of questioning by the petitioner, he said. ASG RD Rastogi appearing for the Centre said that guidelines by centre don’t permit a quarantine centre in a residential area. Justice Indrajit Mohanty listed the case again 18 May.

First India News

2324 cases so far came negative after treatment, 2059 have been discharged First India News

levy heavy cancellation charges. Any ticket will only be cancelled up to 24 hours prior to journey and the cancellation charges will be 50% of the total charges.

There will be no food booking for any journey and only packed water & snacks will be available on the train during journey.

The facility of providing bed sheets and blankets too has been stopped.

as of now.

Good news is that so far 2324 cases have turned negative from positive. 2059 have been discharged from the hospital after treatment while rest will also be discharged after their mandatory quarantine period.

28 new cases reported in Jaipur were distributed across the district.

Jaipur: A health team from central government inspected the walled city area in Jaipur on Monday, in its drive to keep vigil on various hotspots in the country.

Team consisting of Dr Bannerji, Dr Das, Dr Naveen, Dr Jaideep, DPM Akhilesh Sharma along with several other other government officials visited the walled city area, which is by far the most active hotspot in the state capital.

They specifically visited the containment zones of epicenter Ramganj , Subhash Chowk and the adjoining area.

CMHO (I) Narottam Sharma briefed the team regarding activities like survey, screening, sampling and curfew apart from efforts made by the health department so far. According to CMHO the central team expressed satisfaction on the situation.

Jaipur: Home Department issued the revised standard operating procedure movement and pass during the lockdown. CM had tried to simplify the movement pass process in the modified lockdown. As per the new guidelines, the pass is not required for travelling from one district to another in approved activities of emergency situations. However, the concerned person must carry the company and personal IDs. At the same time, Collector or SP will issue

passes in containment zones and curfew areas.

If someone wants to go out of state from a private vehicle, registration has to be done on e-Mitra for an online pass issued by the district administration or one can contact the helpline of state war room at 181. In addition, offline passes can also be applied to various offices and district level officers.

In the case of travel through bus or train with an emergency pass, it would be issued only for the medical emergency and demise of a family member.

in

BRIEF

 Jaipur: A captive in the

central prison at Ghatgate was found corona positive on Monday and has been sent to quarantine. Jail Superintendent Rakesh Mohan Sharma said that two people had come to the Bajaj Nagar police station in connection with a theft, out of which Jaisinghpura Khor resident Shahzad alias Munnu Khan has been reported positive. The head constable of the police station has also been tested.  Jaipur: Despite 448 blockades in the day and 118 during the night, four cases of bike thefts were

reported from Mansarovar, Bajaj Nagar and Shivdaspura police station areas on Monday.  Sawai Madhopur: MP Dr Kirodi Lal Meena met District Collector Nannu Mal Paharia and complained about the fraud in the distribution of ration during the lockdown. Collector assured investigation. District SP Sudhir Chaudhary was also present.  Jaipur: MP Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, “On this day in 1998, our scientists exploited technology and demonstrated their achievement

nicipal corporations into two, by two orders, on October 18 and November 5. The combined annual budget of two Municipal Corporations in Jaipur would be Rs 2046.49 crore instead of Rs 1528.48 crore for one municipal corporation, which means an extra financial burden of Rs 518 crore.

“When the state government has deducted salaries of its employees because of COVID 19, then this additional burden on state exchequer is unwarranted,” the petitioner.

Labourers gather on streets, forced back inside by cops

Rules for lockdown travel passes revised First India News

Jaipur: Creation of two municipal corporations in place of existing one in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota has been challenged in HC. The PIL cited weak financial condition of the state because of corona for cancellation of twin municipal corporations in these cities.

Priya Yadav stated in her PIL that because of corona, financial condition of state has weakened. It cannot afford the financial burden of additional municipal corporations.

Bifurcation of Jaipur Municipal Corporation alone will create burden of Rs 518 crore on the exchequer. Therefore, she sought deferment of creation of an extra municipal corporation for the time being. Her lawyer Mahi Yadav said that government divided Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota mu-

‘REPLY BY MAY 20’

First India News

First India News

SAFETY FIRST

A statue of Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was seen adorned by a face mask on Monday.

in Pokhran. Our scientists have always been at the forefront of technology in various fields. This year, let’s focus on using science and technology to reorganise our economy.”  Jaipur: High Court heard the matter of releasing 2.65 lakh metric ton pulses kept on the ports of the country.

Petitioners pleaded that pulses worth crores of rupees are getting spoiled.

On the other hand, on behalf of DGFT, ASG RD Rastogi said that petitions of pulses importers are filed in various high courts of the country and DGFT has

filed 102 transfer petitions against them in SC. Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty has ordered to list the case after two weeks.  Ajmer: Water Supply Department AEN Brijendra Singh Meena, who was posted in Ajmer City Block 3, has been suspended for negligence during duty amidst the corona crisis.  Baran: A child died due to falling of a wall in Kachara village of Atru in Baran. Also, a labourer couple got seriously injured and was taken to the district hospital for treatment. The incident

Jaipur: During the lockdown, thousands of people living in rented houses in Painter Colony of Nahari Ka Naka area Shastri Nagar got to the streets on Monday afternoon, demanding to go back to their villages.

Due to a curfew imposed in the area, the police had sent people back to their homes using force. After getting the information about the situation, authorities reached the spot and found out that they want to get their ration increased and want more

occurred while digging the foundation of a house.  Jaipur: In the new excise policy, issuing a bill of liquor sale has been made mandatory by the orders of the Excise Commissioner, but liquor mafias are not bothered about the directives issued by the government. The sale and recovered amount can be matched if only all the bills are issued. As per information, more than Rs. 1 crore overrate is being recovered in Jaipur alone. It is possible due to the tie-up between the excise inspectors and liquor sellers.

Police ensuring peace after labourers in Nahari ka Naka area were sent back to their homes.

—PHOTO BY NAIM KHAN

rice instead of flour.

DCP Rajiv Pachar said that all these people are from West Bengal. Their demand has

been told to the District Collector. Also, extra police force has been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

Corona suspect hangs self, tests negative First India News Ajmer: A corona suspect committed suicide on Monday. He was admitted in hospital on Sunday. His sample was collected in the evening, which turned out to be negative.

According to Dr Sanjeev Maheshwari of Jawahar Lal Nehru hospital, Pankaj Yadav hanged himself around 5 in the morning in bathroom, using a bed

sheet to create a noose.

He was allegedly mentally disturbed. Dy SP (Ajmer North) Priyanka Raghuvanshi said that a suicide note has beenfound.

Meanwhile, the 17 year old girl who died on May 17 turned out to be positive. She had been living with her father in Dargah area since April. Many of them tested positive making it a potential hot spot.

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COVID-19 UPDATE

With 60 patients recovered in last 24 hrs, the cumulative recovered patients stand at 2,129 & 5,031 active cases reported

‘No death in Delhi in 24 hrs’ New Delhi: No death due to COVID-19 was reported in the last 24 hours, read the Delhi government health bulletin on Monday.

“No death due to COVID-19 reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours. The death toll currently stands at 73,” read the bulletin. “310 persons tested positive in the national capital today; taking the total number of positive cases to 7233,” it read.

With 60 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, the cumulative recovered patients stand at 2,129 and the total number of active coronavirus cases in the national capital is 5,031 cases.

India’s COVID-19 count reached 67,152 on Monday, according to MoHFW. —ANI

PREZ KOVIND HAILS SCIENTISTS A doctor wears protective shield as he checks patients at the OPD of Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi.

India’s hidden ability has been highlighted as we are developing ventilators, PPEs, masks, sanitizers via new technologies. The theme of Technology Day this time is to re-boost our economy using Science and Technology. Today it has become very important to work on science that can find solutions to people’s problems, we call it ‘purpose science’ or ‘purpose economy.

—Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister

IN THE COURTYARD

Sharjeel Imam moves HC against trial court’s order

New Delhi: Former JNU student Sharjeel Imam moved Delhi HC, challenging the order of a trial court that gave 3 months additional time to the Delhi Police to file chargesheet against him in the case related to alleged inflammatory speeches during the protests against CAA and NRC. The plea was mentioned before the court and is likely to be listed on May 14.

Sharjeel has challenged Delhi’s Patiala House Court’s April 25 order by which the Delhi Police was granted further time, beyond the statutory 90 days, to conclude its investigation filed against him under the stringent Unlawful Activities Act. He has also sought default bail in the matter which was dismissed by Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana. He was arrested on Jan 28 in case related to violent protests against CAA near the Jamia University in December last year. —ANI

SC extends protection to Arnab New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Monday extended till further hearing the interim protection granted to Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami in connection with several FIRs registered against him for allegedly defaming Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. A bench headed by Justice Dr DY Chandrachud and also comprising Justice MR Shah reserved its order on a plea seeking investigation in the matter by a probe agency other than Mumbai Police.

SC SAYS NO TO 4G IN JAMMUKASHMIR FOR NOW New Delhi: SC declined to restore 4G Internet services in Jammu & Kashmir for now, emphasizing the necessity to strike a balance between national security and public need.

A bench comprising Justices NV Ramana, R Subhash Reddy and BR Gavai said it is appropriate to constitute a special committee comprising secretaries at national and state level -- to look into the entire matter. —ANI

SHRAM SHAKTI BHAWAN SEALED AFTER EMPLOYEE TESTS POSITIVE New Delhi: Delhi’s Shram Shakti Bhawan was sealed on Sunday after an employee working in the Ministry of Power tested positive for COVID-19.

The Ministry of Power has an office in the Shram Shakti Bhawan building that has now been sealed as per protocols.The entire office premises are being sanitized thorough-

05

ly. All the employees have been advised to work from home till further orders.Moreover, the people who had come in contact with the employee, who had been tested positive for coronavirus, had been asked to quarantine themselves at home.Some of the government offices had to be sealed after staff tested positive.

There are already a slew of FIRs against the petitioner for his show. The nature of the investigation in the matter has clearly shown that this is a tactic against the petitioner,” advocate Harish Salve told the apex court adding that the police is interrogating Goswami for over 12 hours.

The apex court, had on April 24, said that no coercive action should be taken against Goswami for three weeks during which he can seek anticipatory bail and other reliefs.

During the hearing

held on Monday, advocate Harish Salve appearing for Goswami told the top court that the investigation in connection with the FIRs against his client was not being conducted in a proper manner.

—Agencies

SC single judge bench to hear transfer cases New Delhi: Come May 13, the SC will have a single judge bench to hear special leave petitions arising out of bail order and all kinds of transfer cases.

In the backdrop of growing pendency of cases, the decision of the apex court assumes significance, as for the first time since its inception a single judge bench will hear transfer petitions and special leave petitions arising out of bail orders with respect to offences punishable up to seven years imprisonment. Till now, the Supreme Court had a

minimum of two judges hearing any case.

Court number 1, which is presided over

by CJI, also sits in the combination of three judges. A notice from the apex court said that the competent authority in exercise of the powers conferred

by Article 145 of the Constitution. —PTI

VANDE BHARAT EVACUATION FLIGHT FROM US ARRIVES Hyderabad: The GMR Hyderabad International Airport on Monday handled the arrival of the second evacuation flight under Vande Bharat Mission from the United States of America on May 11. The national carrier - Air India flight - AI 1617 - from San Francisco (USA) arrived via Mumbai at the Hyderabad International Airport today at 09.22 am with 118 Indian citizens stranded in the USA.Later in the day, GMR Hyderabad International Airport is all set to receive another batch of Indian citizens from Abu Dhabi (UAE).

“We recognise science and technology as the key instruments for inclusive progress. Our scientists and technologists are also on the frontlines of the global battle against COVID-19, making the nation proud.”

‘COVID-19 cases likely to peak in May’

WHO lauds India’s Corona fight

Mumbai: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said that the COVID-19 cases are expected to peak in May and suggested that any action on lockdown must be taken cautiously.

“Cases are expected to peak in May, it may peak in June or July also. I have read Wuhan is witnessing a second wave of cases, even WHO has warned about this. So, I suggest that any action on lockdown must be taken cautiously,” Thackeray said during PM Modi’s fifth vc meeting with Chief Ministers. “I request that if the need arises the state should be given central forces as police are under heavy pressure and their personnel are also getting infected,” he said. —ANI

New Delhi: World Health Organisation’s Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Monday, commended India for keeping the coronavirus cases and deaths very low compared to other countries and said it will play an important role in the development of a vaccine for COVID-19. She said the whole world has to be prepared for the ongoing transmission of infection for “many many months and for perhaps years to come”.

Swaminathan said it is not just enough to develop and test the vaccine, but it is also crucial to manufacturing it, scale-up procurement, and get health systems to vaccinate populations. Speaking on the National Tech-

Uddhav files papers for MLC polls Mumbai: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, accompanied by wife Rashmi and sons Aaditya and Tejas, filed his nomination papers for the Maharashtra Legislative Council election on Monday. He becomes the second member from the Thackeray family to contest an election after his son and minister Aaditya, who contested assembly polls in October 2019.

With Congress deciding to withdraw one of its candidates from the upcoming Legislative Council polls on Sunday evening, the elections to

Ex- PM Dr Manmohan Singh stable at AIIMS New Delhi: Former PM and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh, who was admitted to the AIIMS in Delhi on Sunday evening, is stable and currently under observation with specialists examining him, news agency ANI reported on Monday morning quoting sources. The Congress leader was rushed to hospital after he complained of chest pain. He was admitted to a ward at the cardio-neurosciences tower at about 8.45 pm under Dr Nitish Naik, a professor of cardiology at the AIIMS. Singh, 87, is still under observation at the cardio ward of the hospital. —ANI

Uddhav Thackeray files nomination for MLC polls in Mumbai.

the nine seats will be unopposed. Thackeray will be elected to the Upper House of the state legislature without an election being held.

Senior leaders from the Shiv Sena, Sanjay Raut, Subhash Desai,

Aarogya Setu ‘privacy-first’ by design: Kant New Delhi: The government’s Aarogya Setu mobile application is based on “privacy-first by design” principle keeping in mind the safety and privacy of users’ data, said Amitabh Kant, CEO of Niti Aayog.

He further added that the user data from the app would only be provided to those government officials who were directly in charge of containing the spread of the coronavirus in India.” —ANI

Ensure smooth movement of health workers, says MHA New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs directed the states & UTs to facilitate unhindered movement of all h e a l t h workers and sanitation pers o n n e l amid the nationwide lockdown to control the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to the chief secretaries of states, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said that restrictions on movement of healthcare workers at some places had been flagged during a vc chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajeev Gauba.” The services of medical and para-

ONLY 27 PEOPLE ALLOWED FOR BADRINATH TEMPLE REOPENING Chamoli: Only 27 people, including the head priest, will be allowed when the portals of the Badrinath Temple reopen on May 15. “Devotees will not be allowed entry into the temple during that time.

The decision has been taken in view of the guidelines issued by the Centre amid Covid-19 pandemic,” Anil Chanyal, SDM,

Eknath Shinde, among others, were also present with the CM at the Vidhan Bhawan. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, NCP’s Jayant Patil. Cong leaders Ashok Chavan & Balasaheb Thorat were also present. —ANI

nology Day, Swaminathan said, “I would like to commend and congratulate the minister and colleagues for having contained so far the COVID pandemic in India and having kept both the number of cases and the number of deaths very low compared to other countries.”

All participants, including Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan, addressed the conference online. —PTI

Joshimath, said. On April 29, the portals of Kedarnath Temple were thrown open after a six-monthlong winter break. There also pilgrims were prohibited from visiting the shrine because of coronavirus lockdown. U’khand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat had said that Badrinath shrine will be opened on May 15 at 4:30 am.

‘END HOME ISOLATION AFTER 17 DAYS’

medical staff are urgently required to meet the challenge of Covid-19 pandemic,” he wrote. “Furthermore, the existing staff, apart from this duty, also has to render normal responsibilities, such as conducting immunisa-

tion programmes, handling the onset of vector and other seasonal diseases, & meeting emergencies.” Bhalla said restrictions on the movement of health workers could severely affect emergency medical services. —ANI

ICICI BANK SHARES SLUMP 5% DESPITE Q4 PROFIT RISE Mumbai: Share price of ICICI Bank plunged over 5%, despite an improved quarterly result. The analysts attributed the slump to lower-than-expected rise in profits. At 2.26 p.m, the bank’s share was trading on BSE at Rs 321.70, lower by Rs 16.05 or 4.75% from the previous close.On Saturday, the bank reported a 26% year-on-year rise in standalone net profit for fourth quarter of 2019-20 at Rs 1,221 crore. The bank made provisions, excluding those linked to Covid-19 and tax, worth Rs 3,242 crore in Q4.

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IN-DEPTH

PICKING UP THE THREADS SLOWLY BUT SURELY

W

ith the 54-day nationwide lockdown ending on May 17, PM Narendra Modi held a video conference with chief ministers to get their views on the way forward. “We will be able to determine the direction our country is headed based on suggestions you provide today,” the PM told the chief ministers.

Should the lockdown be lifted completely or gradually? Or, should it be extended until the COVID 19 cases in the country reach a plateau?

Opinions differ. What binds all the stakeholders is the concern for the economy which is tottering and a future which is bleak. The PM gave a broad hint of how the future might unfold after May 17. “Slowly, economic activities have started to pick up in the country. In the coming days, this process will further increase.

We must realise that fight against Covid-19 has to be more focused now,” the PM was quoted as saying. What it may mean is that life versus livelihood dilemma could end soon as we learn to co-exist with the novel coronavirus.

In this context, the Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel sought the Centre’s permission for states to define red, orange, and green zones. His Gujarat counterpart was for lockdown only in containment zones as “economic activities can’t be suspended for long”.

The centre is aware of the consequences of an airtight shutdown and seems to have come to terms with the novel coronavirus. Train services have therefore been resumed in a limited way. Importantly, asymptomatic persons will be allowed to travel on these trains.

It involves a risk which the government feels is worth taking to restore some sanity and normality. Air travel with all the necessary restrictions could well be the next to be allowed, although Tamil Nadu chief minister N. Palaniswami urged the prime minister not to allow air travel till May 31. In view of the growing number of Covid-19 cases in the state, he was against the resumption of train services too. Fearing the spread of the virus, Telangana CM K. Chandrashekhar Rao also opposed the movement of trains. Their views were shared by chief ministers of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot requested the Centre for an economic package and increasing the number of trains for migrants. He also sought curbs on movement from Red Zone to Green Zone. Chief ministers of Punjab, Gujarat, and Telangana rooted for extension of lockdown.

Once again it was Mamata Banerjee who used the opportunity to attack the PM for “playing politics” over the pandemic and discriminating between the states. “Don’t bulldoze the federal structure when we are doing our best,” she was quoted as saying.

On his part, the PM said, “There is global recognition of India’s success in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and govt of India appreciates the efforts made by all state governments in this regard.”

DISEASE-FREE ISN’T THE SAME AS HAPPY DR ASHOK PANAGARIYA The writer is a Padamshri awardee, a former vice-chancellor and Director SMS university hospital

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as ‘A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity.’ Herein lies, the role of understanding the mind and using its positive attributes to achieve happiness

hat the current generation is living through is unprecedented in world history. A major part of the population around the world is under lockdown, courtesy the pandemic set in motion by the coronavirus (COVID-19). Irrespective of whether an individual is infected or not, most of us have been forced to stay and work from home, unable to step out even for our daily supplies. It isn’t surprising that a number of individuals are feeling low and wondering if they are headed toward depression.

Does being healthy in the body ensure a healthy mind and a happy spirit? Not necessarily. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as ‘A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity.’ Herein lies, the role of understanding the mind and using its positive attributes to achieve happiness.

Human health has always been the epicentre of debate, not only for medical scientists but also for philosophers and religious leaders.

The scientific and esoteric or spiritual traditions have remained clearly at odds with one another since the time of Galileo. The rift peaked in the late 19th century when mankind was asked to choose between science and the supernatural.

Ever since newer discoveries began in the 20th century, the divide between science and philosophy has gradually been getting blurred.

For once, each is coming closer to the other and the fact has been aptly summed up in the WHO definition.

The human mind is a product of billions of years of cosmic and biological evolution.

Followers of the Philosophical Science of Mind (PSM) believe it includes the best in science,

ACCORDING TO PSM, EVERY INDIVIDUAL OWES THE COURSE OF HIS OR HER LIFE, SUCCESS OR FAILURE, HEALTH OR SICKNESS, HAPPINESS OR DISAPPOINTMENT TO A MENTAL PROCESS. THE MENTAL PROCESS, IT BELIEVES, FUNCTIONS ACCORDING TO A UNIVERSAL LAW BASED ON SPIRITUALITY

religion, and philosophy. According to PSM, every individual owes the course of his or her life, success or failure, health or sickness, happiness or disappointment to a mental process. The mental process, it believes, functions according to a universal law based on spirituality.

This lays down the grounds for the recommendation of spiritual healing for the mind through affirmative prayer and meditation.

PSM believes that through prayers and meditation, an individual becomes more attuned to God’s nature. The proponents of PSM do not accept the affiliation with Scientology but often talk of

Spirituality.

When we talk of Science of Mind in neurological terms, the role of electrical and chemical events can be proven scientifically. The neural network brings about changes in the thought process, consciousness, and pleasure system. Chemical substances like serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, and endorphins produce a sense of wellbeing, pleasurable experiences, and effective memory and painfree positive emotions.

The Philosophical Science of Mind also believes that healing of the ailing can occur through the religious power of the mind. A scientist talking about the mind feels it contributes to heal-

Is coronavirus pandemic killing democracy?

T

he economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis occupy almost everyone’s thoughts and conversations.

And for good reason: the European Union, for one, is headed toward the worst recession in its history, with the economy expected to shrink by 7-12% this year.

But far less is being said about the danger the pandemic poses to democracy, even though the signals are similarly ominous.

The EU acted fast to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic. The European Central Bank launched exceptional monetary measures, and the EU introduced a recovery and reconstruction package amounting to 1-1.5 trillion ($1.1-1.6 trillion). Differences over how to finance an EU rescue package re

06

main, but the primary objective is straightforward: to achieve a rapid V-shaped recovery, though a slower U-shaped recovery remains a distinct possibility.

Beyond a straightforward economic recovery, however, is the widely shared ambition of building a greener, more digitized European economy.

Virtually everyone agrees that the COVID-19 crisis represents an important opportunity to accelerate such a transformation, though the jury is still out on whether the EU will seize it.

The outcome will depend partly on the pandemic’s impact on Europe’s political institutions. And, so far, there are serious reasons to worry.

From an institutional perspective, the biggest threat comes from Germany’s Federal Constitution-

The global media are so consumed by the public-health and economic consequences of COVID-19 that they apparently have little space for the political implications

al Court, which recently ruled that the German government had violated the country’s Basic Law by failing to monitor adequately the ECB’s publicsector asset purchases.

This ruling is not only remarkably detached from reality – saving the European economy must be the top priority today – but also reflects open contempt

for the EU Treaties.

Juridical responsibility for the ECB – including oversight over whether it is overstepping its mandate – belongs to the Court of Justice of the EU, which deemed the ECB’s asset purchases legal in 2018. Yet the German court, using utterly torturous logic, claims that it is not bound by that ruling – all in an effort to impose German economic prejudices on the rest of the EU. Far more worrying, however, are populist efforts to use the crisis to undermine democracy.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a case in point. Having spent the last decade attacking the free press, NGOs, and political opponents, Orbán has used the COVID-19 crisis as pretext to push through legislation that enables him to rule by decree

indefinitely. This is Europe’s first such dictatorial démarche since Adolf Hitler’s Enabling Act of 1933.

In Russia, the assaults on democratic institutions are even cruder. Three doctors treating COVID-19 patients have mysteriously fallen out of windows in recent weeks, after questioning or criticizing the country’s handling of the crisis. One cannot help but recall the fate of Jan Masaryk, the Czechoslovak foreign minister who was found dead below his apartment window in March 1948, two weeks after the Communist takeover.

This trend is hardly limited to Europe. The world’s largest democracies – the United States, Brazil, and India – are also in growing peril.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATE.COM

ing by activation of the neural network, while a cure is likely to occur after correct diagnosis and wholesome treatment that helps a person find his peace along with his health.

Thus the best for mankind would be a holistic approach merging science with philosophy by learning newer developments in science and understanding spirituality.

However, a word of caution: Spirituality could help prevent lifestyle disease and may facilitate recovery but only scientific treatments, that too after proper diagnoses, can control or cure diseases.

If the raging pandemic has taught us anything, it is the importance of mental well-being and finding that which brings us peace as the crux of overall well-being. Not all of us have a bee or will be infected by the virus. But hiding in our houses trying to dodge an invisible enemy is nibbling away at our sanity and hope. We might not be diseased, but we could be far from being happy. This is where science and philosophy can heal us and make us whole.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp On #NationalTechnologyDay, I salute the hard work of our scientists, which has ensured a stronger and safer India. Their achievements have brought immense glory to the nation.

May we continue leveraging the power of technology for the progress and prosperity of our country.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Thanks to the determination & perseverance of our scientists under Minister @DrHarshVardhan ji’s leadership, India has developed 1st indigenous anti-SARS-CoV-2 human IgG ELISA test kit for COVID-19.

PM @NarendraModi ji’s resolve to enhance detection of COVID-19 is bearing results

Spiritual SPEAK

In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength. —Buddha

Vol 1 Issue No. 335 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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‘Labourers can’t be exploited’ The issue could lead to another face-off between the government and the opposition New Delhi: After many states amended labour laws to restart economic activity in view of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Congress lashed out at the state governments and said that labourers could not be subjected to exploitation.

Congress former President Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Monday, “Many states are amending their labour laws to help businesses restart. While we are all working together to battle the Coronavirus, this battle can’t be an excuse to trample on human rights, allow un-

Sero-survey to be held in select dists New Delhi: MoHFW decided to conduct a population-based serosurvey in select districts across the country, saying there is a need to establish systematic surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 infections across the country. The Ministry said this surveillance will be in addition to routine testing “Besides facility-based surveillance, ICMR/ NCDC is initiating a population-based sero-survey in selected districts,” it added. —ANI

Many states are amending their labour laws to help businesses restart.While we are all working together to battle the Coronavirus, this battle can’t be an excuse to trample on human rights, allow unsafe work places and silence their voice.

—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader

safe work spaces, exploit workers & silence their voice. There can be no compromise on these fundamental principles.”

The issue could lead to another face-off be-

tween the government and the opposition after the migrant labourers issue.

The Uttar Pradesh government on May 8 had finalised an ordinance suspending a majority of the labour

laws in the state for three years.

The state cabinet had cleared the Uttar Pradesh Temporary Exemption from Labour Laws Ordinance, thereby suspending more than 30 labour

laws in the state.

CM Yogi Adityanath had said recently that Uttar Pradesh would amend the labour laws to attract new investments, especially from China. According to sources, there are more than 40 kinds of labour laws in the labour department, some of which are now redundant. About eight of them are being retained under the ordinance.

MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced wide-ranging changes in labour laws to stimulate economic activity in the state. —ANI

Labour law amendment not without Centre’s approval: Cong New Delhi: After labour Laws were suspended by the BJP Governments in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, the Congress said it is shocking and heartbreaking that at a time when the entire nation is dealing with an unprecedented pandemic which has disproportionately ravaged and devastated the lives of the poor, the Modi Government has taken this as an opportunity to deprive the labourers of their rights.

The Congress spokesperson Shakti Singh Gohil alleged, “These laws are in the Concurrent

DIFFERENCES OVER TRAIN SERVICES

List, no such suspension can take place without the explicit approval of the Central Government.”

The party has demanded that the Modi Government should deny any permissions that strip workers of their basic rights and

have the potential of diminishing their livelihoods. The Congress asked that the trade unions be consulted before such an adverse step is taken.

The labourers are already getting inhuman treatment in the wake of the hastily an-

nounced lockdown which gave a barely four-hour notice to migrants. “This is shameful & highlights the true nature of this ‘’SuitBoot ki Sarkar.’’ Factories will end up becoming ‘’sweat shops’’ and forced labour camps,” Gohil added. —ANI

‘Centre should start road, air transport too’ New Delhi: Congress welcomes Centre’s decision to restart operations of inter-state passenger trains, same “modest opening” should be started with road transport and air transport, said Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram.

Taking to Twitter, PC wrote, “We welcome the decision of the government to cautiously start operations of interstate passenger trains.

The same modest opening should be started with road transport and air transport.” —ANI

‘No pay cuts for Central govt staff’ New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh clarified that there is no proposal by the g ove r n ment to carry out deduction in the salary of its employees.

“Please ignore the fake news being circulated in a section of media.

There is no proposal by the government to carry out deduction in the salary of its employees,” Singh tweeted.

Earlier, the Ministry of Finance announced to freeze the hike in DA for the central government employees. —ANI

FROM PG 1 Gehlot suggests...

“The livelihood of poor, laborers and needy people living on daily wages has been badly affected due to the lockdown.

For them to continue to get employment, it is necessary that the Center should consider bringing such a scheme for urban areas also like MNREGA,” he suggested. He also urged to provide minimum 200 days employment to the laborers under MNREGA in rural areas.

CM said that from now the Central and State Governments will have to fight on a double front. “On one hand, the there is the ongoing battle to save lives from Corona and on the other hand there is the fight to save livelihood and bring economy back on track.

Lockdown has adversely affected the revenue collection of the Center and the states. Without the help of the Center it is impossible that the states can cope with this crisis. For this, it is necessary that the Center should provide a comprehensive economic stimulus package at the earliest. All sectors including MSME, manufacturing, service, tourism, real estate need support. For economic revival, it is necessary that there are measures that increase the purchasing power of the people, provide them employment and provide relief to the industries as well,” he said.

He also said that the biggest priority for the Central and State Governments at this time is to help the needy. “The unemployment rate has gone up to 37.8 percent, which is the highest.

Lockdown announced by the Center has been followed by the State Governments and the public displaying strong will and determination. In the next phase, states should be empowered to fix various zones and implement restrictions. In line with the central government’s standard guidelines, states should be empowered so that they can decide at the local level which activities they are to be exempted and which are to be banned,” the Chief Minister suggested to PM and other CMs. Giving his suggestions on how to support farmers, Gehlot said that it should be the priority that the farmers get right price for their produce. “Thus, it is necessary that the limit of purchase of wheat, gram and mustard at the minimum support price should be increased from 25 percent to 50 percent of agricultural production.,” he said while also seeking assistance from Centre to control the locust menace in 12 districts of Rajasthan.

Gehlot also reiterated his demand of a special stimulus package for industries and businesses saying that epidemic has had an ad-

verse effect on the industry and business world. “In such a situation, the Center should provide a comprehensive economic stimulus package to rescue them, as provided in 2008 by former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh,” he said.

Gehlot also asked the Prime Minister to increase the net loan limit to the states from 3 percent of GDP to 5 percent without any conditions.

He suggested increasing the fiscal deficit limit from 3 percent of GDP to 5 percent for 6 months under the FRBM Act. Moreover, the Chief Minister said that due to the local conditions and economic condition of every state due to Corona, the period of compensation given to the states under GST by 2022 should be increased by 5 years.

Gehlot said GoI should release the first installment of the amount of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes without any condition at the earliest. “The process of releasing the amount has been made difficult, which is unfair. The new policy of need-based allocation in states on centrally sponsored schemes is not appropriate. Central government should encourage fiscal expenditure to revive the economy in this challenging time,” he said.

CM also asked the PM to increase the number of beneficiaries under the National

Food Security Scheme.

He told the Prime Minister that the state government would not be able to provide food grains every month, since it had already purchased six crore kilograms of food grains at market rate to be distributed, in view of the adverse financial situation due to the lockdown. He requested the Central Government to help these underprivileged people get the benefit of food security.

Carry your... on the Rajdhani routes, from Delhi to all major cities of the country.

Since the trains will be operated amidst the ongoing nationwide lockdown, only passengers with confirmed e-tickets shall be allowed to enter the station. The movement of passengers as well as that of the driver of the vehicle transporting them to and from the railway station shall be allowed on the basis of the confirmed e-ticket, it said.

Domestic flights... which are commercially more viable as compared to only shorter distance flights that would be restricted to green zones, which are mostly tier II and tier III cities. The DGCA, on May 2, had issued a circular to extend the suspension of domestic and international commercial flight operations till May 17.

‘Ensure rural... maintain that the deci-

sion to remove lockdown will be left on the state governments, but at a later stage.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were also present in the meeting.

The Prime Minister said, “we have to ensure that rural India remains free from this crisis”.

Modi said that there is “global recognition for India’s success in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.” He stated that the Government of India appreciates the efforts made by all state governments in this regard.

“Let us stay the course as we move forward together,” the Prime Minister said. “Moreover, over the past few weeks, officials have understood operating procedures in a time such as this, right up to the district level. Yesterday again, Cabinet Secretary briefed the Chief Secretaries and Health Secretaries on the current situation and the steps being taken by us,” he added.

Before taking a considered view, Prime Minister Modi said “this time we decided to invite all Chief Ministers to speak.”

Maharashtra, Telangana and West Bengal governments also sought an extension of the coronavirus lockdown. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh suggested that the coronavirus lockdown be extended, “but with a carefully crafted strategy,

backed by fiscal and economic empowerment of the states, to save lives and secure livehood.”

Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami asked PM not to resume passenger train services in the state till May 31. He also urged him not to allow regular air services.

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, said state governments should get the right to take decisions on handling of economic activities.

While Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao too urged PM not to resume the passenger train services. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the Centre for “playing politics” over the issue and opposed the resumption of passenger train services.

07

POWER Gallery WILL AJOY MEHTA BE SPECIAL ADVISOR IN MAHARASHTRA?

Maharashtra CS Ajoy Mehta who is all set to retire on June 30, in view of the Carona crisis, may be made Special Advisor. He is 1984 batch IAS officer.

DEPUTATION OF THREE IPS OFFICERS EXTENDED

The ACC has approved the proposal to extend the tenure of three IPS officers, who are presently working in different CAPFs/CPOs upto June 30 this year. They are Alok Kumar Mittal, Haryana cadre, IG, NIA, Raju Bhatnagar, IG, CRPF and Ritu Arora, Odisha cadre, IG, CISF. Their deputation tenure was already over between March 25 to May 3, 2020.

IPS OFFICER IN UTTARAKHAND SEEKS VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT

IPS officer from Uttarakhand, Dr Asim Srivastava is reported to have applied for Voluntary Retirement. He is presently ADC to the Governor.

UBI NON EXEC CHAIRMAN KEWAL HANDA MAY GET EXTENSION

There are fresh whispers that Union Bank of India ‘s Part-time Non Executive Chairman Kewal Handa may be granted an extension. The Govt may also go for a consultation with the Bank’s Board early next month to decide on the issue.

SBI SHAREHOLDER DIRECTORS’ ELECTION ON JUNE 17

SBI shareholders are reportedly out to elect four shareholder Directors of the Bank on June 17, 2020 in a general meeting to be organised in Mumbai.

TRIBUNAL APPOINTMENTS STUCK IN PMO ?

Tribunal appointments are reported to have been stuck in PMO. Rules for Tribunal appointments have been revised recently, but the whole process has been completed with old rules & there are very few candidates, who fulfill the condition of 25 years’ of practice.

VR HEGDE TO RETURN TO PARENT CADRE AFTER SEVEN-YEARS

A seven-year deputation of VR Hegde, is coming to an end in the first week of July this year. He is a 2000 batch ISS officer.

ARVIND KUMAR IS BACK TO MADHYA PRADESH

After completion of central deputation period, Arvind Kumar is back to the parent Madhya Pradesh cadre. He is a 1988 batch IPS officer.

RITU DHILLON RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE

Ritu Dhillon, Member Secretary, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), has been repatriated on the grounds of availing promotion in the cadre. She is a 1996 batch IA&AS officer.

GOI YET TO FILL POST OF CHAIRMAN, CBSE

The Government is yet to fill the post of Chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). A vacancy of this post has arisen after incumbent Anita Karwal’s appointment as Secretary, School Education.

PANKAJ KUMAR GOSWAMI TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR (OPE), OIL INDIA ON JUNE 1

Pankaj Kumar Goswami, CGM, OIL, will be taking over the charge as Director (Operations), Oil India Limited (OIL) on June 1, 2020. He will succeed PK Sharma retiring this month.

33 BIHAR CADRE IAS OFFICERS ON CENTRAL DEPUTATION

According to latest information, 33 IAS officers of Bihar cadre are presently on central deputation.

Among them, five are Secretaries of different ministry/department in GoI.

New discharge policy for patients New Delhi: As India’s COVID-19 count surges to 67,152, Union Health Ministry on Monday issued a revised discharge policy for COIVD-19 patients under which a person having mild infection can be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset and if there is no fever for three days. “As per the revised policy, mild, very mild, pre-symptomatic cases admitted to COVID care facility can be discharged after 10 days of symptom onset and if there is no fever

for three days,” said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, during a press briefing here on Monday. “Discharge policy has been changed because several countries have changed

their policy from testbased strategy to symptom and timebased strategy.

We have also changed it based on this,” said Agarwal. It was not meant for home or facility quarantine patients, he said. —ANI

Today, on International Nurses Day, let us take a moment to thank each of these wonderful healthcare workers who have nursed us back to health earlier and now stand guard against Corona.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21

JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

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GEHLOT-RAJE ‘MERGING’ TO BEAT CORONAVIRUS! Aishwary Pradhan

Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has developed himself into a leader who has acceptability past party lines. With his third term ongoing as the CM of the desert state, Gehlot has shown another facet to his political image, ie that of a leader who believes in taking the opposition along. As a result the Congress stalwart does not shy away from complimenting or lauding those who have taken a positive step for the state.

As a result of his ‘new approach’, Gehlot held a video conference with MLAs and MPs from all parties of the state. An interesting discussion occurred between the now three time Chief Minister Gehlot and two time Chief Minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje.

During the VC, while

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with former CM Vasundhara Raje.

FOR THE PEOPLE

Raje stayed connected for a whopping twelve hours, she also pointed out that Gehlot had been doing a good

work putting the facilities developed in BJP rule, ‘to good work’. Gehlot smiled, and in return thanked

Dose of relief: RHB waives off penalty on due interest

Shivendra Parmar Jaipur: At a time when the economy has been badly hit and people have been losing jobs, the Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB) has provided a huge relief to its customers. The board has announced major concessions in interest up to one hundred percent on the remaining instalments of purchased homes.

RHB commissioner Pawan Arora informed on Monday that keeping in line with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s budget announcement, 50 to 100 percent penalty on due interest amount will be waived off for all categories of houses.

He said that UDH has issued orders to this effect.

According to Arora, a hundred percent rebate

will be given on the interest penalty, on the total payment of all due instalments. This will be applicable to EWS, LIG and MIG-A houses allotted from January 1, 2001.

Similarly, fifty percent concession will be given for aggregate payment of all due instalments on MIG-B and HIG houses. The rebate will be given until June 30, 2020.

—FILE PHOTO

Raje while also appreciating her being connected for the marathon meeting.

The two leaders, who have been at opposite ends of the political spectrum in their careers, have come together to provide relief to the people whom, between themselves, they served for over two decades as CMs!

Raj: Over 39k migrants, students sent home by trains First India News Jaipur: Over 39,500 migrant workers and students who were stranded in Rajasthan due to the COVID19-induced lockdown have been sent to their home states on special trains, an official said.

Also, 4,600 people have reached Rajasthan from other states by these trains. More than 39,500 migrant workers and students have been sent from Rajasthan to their home states by 33 Shramik Special trains, a railways spokesperson said.

19 Shramik Special trains were run by NWR while 14 were run by the West Central Railway, he said.

Over 22,500 migrants and were transported to their destinations by special trains run by the North Western Railway whereas over 16,500 were sent to their home state by 14 special trains run by the West Central Railway, a railways spokesperson said. —PTI

Agri mandi strike extended till May 15 Jaipur: The traders’ strike in 247 mandis across Rajasthan against the 2 per cent Krishak Kalyan charge levied by the state government on the purchase and sale of agricultural goods will continue till May 15, a traders’ body said on Monday.

On May 5, state government had imposed Krishak Kalyan charge of 2% on all agricultural purchase and sale in mandis for financing the

Rs 1,000 crore Farmers’ Welfare Fund. President of Rajasthan Food Trade Association Babu Lal Gupta said the strike has been extended till May 15 as government did not take any positive step.

Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Naresh Pal Gangwar said farmers and traders will not bear burden of farmers’ welfare fees imposed on the purchase and sale of produce in the agricultural produce market. —PTI

‘Death rate in Raj lower than national average’ Vikas Sharma Jaipur: Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma is upbeat on the success of vision of CM Ashok Gehlot executed near to perfection by his team in the health department. Releasing the latest health data, Dr Sharma said that Rajasthan has better health parameters compared to any other state in the country as far as war against coronavirus is concerned. The rate of doubling of the positive patients is 18 days which is far more than national average of 12 days. Dr Sharma said that the corona death rate in the state is 2.83 per cent which again is lower than national corona death rate of 3.3 per cent. He said this death rate will further be reduced with the use of plasma therapy in Jaipur and Jodhpur.

Health Minister’s visible happiness was

Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma

justified by the recovery rate by the corona patients. State boasts that 58 per cent of its patients have turned negative after treatment which is way ahead than the national average of 29.9 per cent. Adding icing to the cake was the fact that the rate of infection in the state is also low compared to other states. The rate of getting corona positive in Rajasthan is 2.35 per cent against national average of 3.92 per cent. He gave the credit of the success to the strong health infrastructure, dedicated and efficient health professionals and the

navirus lockdown.

During the five-day live sessions of ‘Paramash’ campaign, a team of senior doctors will provide health consultancy on the Facebook and YouTube platforms of the Narayan Seva Sansthan (NSS) for an

will of the patients.

Health Minster clarified that anybody coming in from other state will have to compulsorily remain in quarantine for 14 days.

He also inform that in the areas where curfew is imposed, people will have to take travel permission from the collector.

In case of distress, if officers are inaccessible, people can register complaints on 181. He expressed satisfaction over increase in the stoppage of trains. Dr Sharma also congratulated SMS hospital staff for successfully treating a woman’s broken claw.

Rajasthan satark hai!: No mercy for offenders during lockdown First India News Jaipur: Since lockdown came into force, the police have issued challans for 2.84 lakh vehicles and seized 1.28 lakh of them under the motor vehicle act. The police have also earned Rs five crore from fine.

ADG (Crime) BL Soni informed that 14,400 people have been arrested for disturbing peace under

BL Soni

the CrPC. He said that 2700 cases of lockdown violations were registered and action taken

Med-consultancy for differently-abled Udaipur: A non-governmental organisation in Udaipur city of Rajasthan has started an online medicalconsultancy session for the differentlyabled people to address their health concerns amid the coro-

08

against more than 5600 persons has been taken.

409 people were arrested for attack on corona warriors. 199 cases have been registered for spreading rumours and fake news on social media, he added. The police have been keeping hawk’s eye on black marketers. 121 cases have been registered against shopkeepers found indulging in black marketing.

AVINASH PANDE @avinashpandeinc On this day in 1998, Under the able leadership of former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee ji, India conducted successful nuclear tests in Pokhran.

On #NationalTechnologyDay let’s pay respect to our eminent scientists and leaders for showcasing India’s might of technology.

hour from 10 am till Thursday.

Non-COVID-19 patients will be provided free medical and necessary counselling regarding common ailments, doctor Manas Ranjan Sahu of the Narayana Seva Sansthan Hospital said.

CORONA WARRIOR

Rajendra Chhabra Jaipur: Food and Civil Supplies and Disaster Management Secretary Siddharth Mahajan is playing a very important role in the fight against corona, silently. To ensure that food supplies reach every nook and corner of the state is his department’s responsibility. He also holds additional charge of the Disaster Management department. So, this young 2003 batch IAS is shouldering responsibility of two important departments during pressing corona times. His long field experience is coming handy to him. He has been Collector of Sirohi, Baran, Sawai Madhopur and Jodhpur

‘Maha’ work for Janta’s relief! apart from capital Jaipur thus has served in the field in 5 districts for 8 years. He also has been Special Secretary in the Finance department for two years.

Mahajan took over responsibilities of the current two departments in June 2019. He was in the process of understanding nittygritty of the two that suddenly statewide lockdown was announced. Food producing industrial units seized production and the ration and provision stores across the state had their shutters down. Managing supplies of ration and

essentials during a lockdown situation was everything but an easy task.

It is here that the 8-year field grilling came to the fore in handling the challenges. He activated his team, took the cooperation of the police and established a supply chain right up to every township and village. For this, he got 13,000 retailers, 1,500 wholesalers to open their shops and 500 mills to resume production.

In the course of two months, there have been mammoth 3 crore 30 lakh dry ration and cooked food packets distributed in the state. 7.6 lakh metric ton wheat was lifted

Siddharth Mahajan

and 4.6 lakh metric tons distributed. Since the distribution at the PDS shops was done without using POS machines, Mahajan had to burn the midnight oil for being extra cautious in supervision and monitoring. This resulted in

100 FIRs against back marketers, 360 challans in two months and recovery of fines of over Rs 15 lakh. In the 10 days of May alone, 4 lakh 60 thousand tons of wheat has been distributed under NFSA with 10 Kg wheat to each person. 1

Kg pulses for each family are on the way to be distributed. Mahajan happens to be a key player in Gehlot’s team to implement his basic mandate ‘Koi Bhukha Na Soye’ during ongoing Corona crisis.

In order to keep the humongous operations smooth, Mahajan has headquarters at Jaipur assisted by district-level control rooms. Call centres help people reach out to the department in case of need or complaint. Siddharth Mahajan is working overtime as he has to be in regular touch with each district collector.

Ration and food packet

distribution in Jaipur has required extra attention which entailed travelling to CMR. Disaster management is a different ball game altogether with different responsibilities and totally different set of skills. Here Mahajan working in close coordination with the Home department had to jointly or separately issue many emergency orders and advisories from time to time. His department has released many orders to aid the labourers, tenants and common men. Most issues regarding migrant workers are being handled by the disaster management de-

partment so appointment orders of committee members and nodal officers are also handled

by Mahajan. Department has its own State Disaster Relief Management Fund which has given Rs 282 crore to med department, Rs 83 crore to district collectors and Rs 3 crore to others so far.

Siddharth Mahajan has an open invitation from the Lok Sabha speaker to join as his OSD. Mahajan’s parents reside in Delhi so even he was all set to move. He was awaiting permission from the state government but instead came the news of the scary pandemic so we have Siddharth Mahajan dutifully discharging his responsibilities in the war against COVID-19.

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DURING LOCKDOWN A LOT OF US HAVE GONE DOWN THE MEMORY LANE VIA MOVIES AND REVISITED THE OLD AND GOLDEN ERA OF FILMSTARS. CITY FIRST EXPLORES TWO OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OF HOLLYWOOD AND BOLLYWOOD!

THE MYSTERIOUS

M FACTOR! RUCHIKA SODHI cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

M

adhubala and Marilyn Monore had more in common than just their breath-taking ethereal beauty, they both had the same charm which reached out and left a sigh in the heart along with a twinkle in the eye, of the viewer. Look at their smiles, the head thrown back, the sheer abandonment and the glow, you will see an uncanny similarity.

Both the actresses are remembered for their beauty more than their acting, they wanted to be taken as serious actresses but it was always their face which was in demand.

Madhubala did prove her versatility as an actress

but Monroe’s desire for meaningful films remained unfulfilled as her films mostly established her as a nothing more than a ‘beautiful blonde’.

They both were in the news because of the men in their lives and in fact, these affairs later inspired filmmakers to make movies on these themes and My Week With Marilyn and Khoya Khoya Chand, based on Marilyn and Madhubala’s life hit the screens.

Marilyn and Madhubala both extensively made news because of their alleged affairs. In fact, these affairs later inspired filmmakers to make movies on these themes and films like- My Week With Marilyn and Khoya Khoya Chand.

But the fact remains that both of them had such lives that they were far more dramatic than any film they had worked in. The tragic love affairs, the aura of unhappiness

that surrounded them, ill health, poverty, the rise to stardom- their lives were a script for any superhit.

Both of them came from poor family backgrounds and became extremely successful film stars and supported their families. They both had short careers and a search for the perfect love dogged their life. They died young, bearing names they made so famous that no one remembers their real names any longer.

Their popularity crossed the borders of their nation and both have postage stamps featuring them.

Marilyn and Madhubala, both died at 36 years, at the peak of their beauty forever frozen in the dreams of lakhs, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Today, regardless of generation they remain as poster girls, on trivia and many a pillow.

Goddesses of beauty, that’s what they were!

09

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JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

10

‘NOBODY WILL SLEEP HUNGRY’

JOGARAM HONOURS THE CM’S WORDS! D

in cooperation of various organizations and the District Collectorate Employees Union President Amit Jaiman & Gen. Secretary Pradeep Rathore ensured that the whole system worked nonstop. Civil Defence team under deputy controller Jagdish Rawat ensured their role was perfect.

Collector Dr Jogaram accepts without hesitation that the whole system would have collapsed without the active support of dedicated officers and personnel. Tahsildar Narendra Jain & Balbeer Singh, XEN Smart City Ajay Kumar Sindhu became an important part of the food distribution system. Dr Jogaram can’t stop praising his dedicated team of 600 which includes teachers, BLO, Civil Defence Volunteers apart from administration and Smart City personnel who have been tirelessly working since 23 March every day from 7 am to 11 pm without any leave. The team has lived the CM Gehlot’s motto in spite of curfew in the walled city area follow-

FA CE OF TH ED AY

istrict administration of Jaipur completed its 50 days of ensuring two square of meals to the poor, needy, destitute and the migrant workers under the able guidance of Collector Jogaram.

It all started with 10001200 food packets on 23 March which continues with numbers swelling to lakhs. District administration with cooperation from other govt department employees and various organizations is working tirelessly to make CM Ashok Gehlot’s vision of ‘Nobody will sleep hungry’ true on the ground.

Collector Jogaram says that the challenges due to Covid-19 were new to the administration but the biggest challenge was to ensure food delivery to the needy keeping the medical aspect at the fore. There was one front where dry ration & PDS material was distributed but on the other hand, the administration was to quickly & accurately analyse & deliver cooked food as per demand on the ground.

The task of preparing food in such large quantities, transport it and deliver it was both labour & time intensive. Initially, the food was prepared at 13 Rein Basera and 20 Akshay Patra locations but soon the demand grew.

It was here that a team under JMC commissioner VP Singh was constituted in which the Jaipur Smart City Project CEO Lokbandhu and his team pulled their socks for the herculean task. They not only ensured timely food preparation & distribution while following social distancing but also found remedies to bottlenecks in the system immediately maintain the quality of the food.

Additional collector (II) Purushottam Sharma designed the structure of food preparation & distribution, DSO Kanisk Saini brought

ing all guidelines of the health department.

Smart City CEO Lokbandhu informed that the information regarding the needy persons is collected through the control room at the collectorate, war room, BLO surveys, mobile phones of district officers.

Calls from other states and distress calls. As soon as the information id received the nearest of the 53 distribution center is informed which ensures quick delivery. An attempt is also made to give compliance to the informant. Lokbandhu said that since it was foodrelated issue so every effort to maintain the quality of the food prepared is made.

All food ingredients like flour, oil and spices used are Agmarked and the food is very often checked by the officials themselves. Regular inspections and sampling is a routine to ensure quality.

Apart from serving the needy in Jaipur officers have also ensured that the thousands of migrant work-

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ers arriving & leaving via trains too are served. All departing workers from Jaipur are given packed food for the way. Whenever there was any requirement from any hospital, field office or labour camps the food delivery was ensured.

When CM Ashok Gehlot made an appeal for help, many NGOs and private organizations started the food service but there was duplicity of efforts so the district administration got all under one umbrella and 150 organizations like Jain Terapanthi, Kuhad Trust, Radhaswami Satsang, Jain Rasoi, Akshay Patra, Heerawla Industrial association, Sitapura industrial association, etc joined hands. District administration ensured legalities like permissions, passes, conveyance, etc didn’t act as a barrier for them. The District administration team used an App to monitor and fulfill the food demand which arose suddenly. The team has pledged to continue until the crisis is over.

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Your company will give reward and this will boost your morale to work even harder. On work front, sky is the limit for you. You may travel abroad for an official trip. If people are misbehaving or doing wrong to you then its their karma, you must not dare and cause any bad karma.

You will implement your ideas when it comes to decoration on home front.

Be wise with money, spending on things that are not important is a sheer waste. Plan your date keeping little little things in mind to make your partner happy and show them your love for them.

You will soon find a business partner who will change your life for the good. Except your spouse you must not reply on anyone for money. Your kid will make you proud. Do things to bring excitement and fun in your life. You may have to adjust for sometime in current job.

Do not take too much tension for things that are beyond your control. On family front, you will do everything in your capacity to make things right no matter how tough it is. Be careful of what you speak and in front of whom you speak. Take your spouse for a romantic evening.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

You may be travelling a lot in coming time. You will get a lump sum amount of money which was due for long time. You will do what best for your children even if that involves a bit of strictness. On romantic front, your heart may be saying one thing and mind something else.

Your colleagues will help you ease down your burden at work. Overkilling on financial front can burn your fingers so you must knows about the limits. When it comes to your studies you must invest your majority of time in revising. You may need someone today emotionally.

You are full of hight spirit and ready to conquer the world but you must be able to feel the same way for long time, this shouldn’t be a mere temporary excitement. You will undertake the toughest job at work which other refuse to take in order to get your superiors on your side.

Keep control on your emotions and take a stand against wrong even if it is someone elder. You have lot of money to fulfil your desires. Its alright to accept your mistake if you decide to learn from them. You are dying to spend time with your lover as you have been a bit away.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You are wealthy but the real wealth is how much love and affection you have for others to offer. Take care of yourself and prepare in advance if you are going on a long journey. Be true to yourself and to others as relationships are very fragile, once broken can never be the same again.

Dont trust anyone blindly when it comes to taking business decisions as you and only you knows what best for you. Your family is panning a surprise for you. Your mother does for you things which no one can and you two share a very special bond.

Don’t get pushed to do things.

Keep both your ears and eyes open before investing your money in some scheme. Your business needs some creativity or some other kind of change. You will shine bright in office today. Your spouse will express sincere gratitude to you in a special way today. Don’t spoil your health.

You are regular with your fitness plans and you are desperate to have a good body. A huge monetary benefit will come to you when you are not expecting anything at all.

Keep making good deeds and a lot of goodness will come back to you.

Your spouse may be a little upset.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

BARKHA SINGH, Actress

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

11

‘Want to get ready’ A

mid lockdown, television actress Karishma Tanna says she wants to get ready for events and wear make-up. Karishma took to Instagram, where she shared a beautiful black and white photograph of herself.

“I want to get ready for events.. I want to wear Indian clothes.. I wanna wear make-up.. I wanna do my hair... Just being positive. It will all fall in place one day! Stay strong. Stay sane,” she captioned the image.

Karishma recently got operated for an ingrown nail amid the nationwide lockdown. She even did the inverted yoga pose with her injured foot taking the help of a wall. On the work front, the actress, who is known for her roles in TV shows like ‘Naagin’, ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, ‘Naagarjuna: Ek Yodha’ and ‘Qayamat Ki Raat’, is currently part of the action reality show ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 10’ (KKK 10), which has been shot in Bulgaria. —IANS

Karishma Tanna; (inset) Her Instagram post

Big Little Lies!

A

Reese Witherspoon

ctress Reese Witherspoon says she wants singer-actress Jennifer Lopez and rapper Ice Cube to join the team of ‘Big Little Lies’ in season three. During an Instagram Live with co-star Laura Dern, the actors joked about the rapper joining the cast. “Ice Cube should be in ‘Big Little Lies 3’,” Witherspoon said, with Dern responding: “’Hello?

Obviously!’” Witherspoon then asked: “It would be really fun to hear who out there who do you guys want to be in Big Little Lies 3?” To which, Dern added: “Who would be your dream new character to arrive in the world of the Monterey Five?”

—IANS

UP IN THE SKY!

A

s the country remains under lockdown, actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja on Monday expressed her desire to be able to fly in the sky. The 34-year-old actor posted a picture of herself wearing a white coloured flared gown.

In the picture, Ahuja is seen in standing with both her hands in the air just like she is attempting to fly. Expressing her desire to fly, the ‘Delhi 6’ actor wrote in the caption, “I want to fly out into the sky.”

The ‘Veere Di Wedding’ actor is living in her South-Delhi based house and is staying inside ever since the coronavirus induced lockdown was imposed.

—ANI

Justin and Hailey Bieber

Biebers on

watch!

M ... her Instagram post Sonam K Ahuja

odel Hailey Bieber is very much into skincare and is helping her husband, pop singer Justin Bieber, with his acne breakout problems. “Justin has really really really nice skin naturally. Over the last two years he has been struggling with ... adult onset acne breakouts. I’m super into skincare, especially because we’ve had a lot of time in this quarantine. I told him that by the time we exit this quarantine he is going to have glowing perfect skin so we are going to work on that,” Hailey said during their Facebook series titled ‘The Biebers on Watch’.

—IANS

Life is short!

J

Jacqueline Fernandez

acqueline Fer nandez has stumbled upon life-altering realisations amid the ongoing lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The actress says she has realised that life is too short, and it is important to make the most of the tim e we have in our hands.

“Honestly, the biggest lesson has been that when it comes to humankind we are pretty irre levant, which means that we are extremely blessed to be on this planet because the planet would go on with us or without us.

So, we have to be grateful and give back.

T hat’s the realisation -- we take

Earth for granted,” Jacqueline said, while reflecting upon how the lockdown has been a lear ning period for her. “(Another lesson is that) life is short. We need to be doing things that we enjoy doing and love. We should be spending time with the people we love because you are her one day and gone the nex t.

We really have to make the mos t out of life. It is such a lesson.

These are the two main things I have realised during this per iod,” added the actress, who is spending her lockdown with superstar Salman Khan and others at his farmhouse in Panvel.

Amid the shutdown, she is making the most of her time by enjoying moments, evident in her recent Instagram posts.

—IANS

Poster of ‘Paatal Lok’

A NEW WORLD!

T

he announcement of Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming original Paatal Lok has been making waves all across. The most awaited series will be streaming from 15 May, where Jaideep Ahlawat is playing the lead role as Hathiram Chaudhary. Creator of the show, Sudip Sharma tells us how Jaideep was

his first choice for the role. He shares, “I was confident that I wanted Jaideep to play the lead role in Paatal Lok. I have never worked with him before, but have always admired the effort he brings on screen. I was aware that Jaideep is from Haryana and could bring that authenticity to the role.”

—Agency

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—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020

12

CELEBRATING ALL MOTHERS CITY FIRST AHMEDABAD

D Pigeons fly over the deserted streets near Prem Darwaja during the ongoing shutdown in Ahmedabad.

edicated to all mothers, Gujarati singer Jigardhan Gadhvi has crooned a Hindi track called ‘Maa’. The song is a beautiful rendition of soulful lyrics which celebrate all mothers. It has been composed by music director duo Kedar and Bhargav, written by Milind Gadhavi and produced by Mahesh

Danannavar under the Indi Pop music label.

Maa is a soothing song which cherishes the memories of childhood and time spent with mothers.

‘Maa’ song is available on all streaming platforms for songs including YouTube, Gaana, Jio Saavn, Wynk Music, Hungama Music, Amazon

Prime Music, Raaga, Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes store, MX Music, Google Play and around 200 other platforms across the world.

Indie Pop music label is a platform to showcase the finest original indie music.

Founded by Mahesh Danannavar, the label is committed to promoting new musical talent and rising stars. cityfirstgujarat@gmail.com

TRIBUTE TO THE LEGEND

Irrfan Khan

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he demise of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan hit Indians harder than one thought because, for most of us, it felt like a personal loss.

That is probably why the villagers in Igatpuri village in Maharashtra have decided to name a locality after him.

Irrfan was closely associated with the villagers and on countless occasions, had even come to their aid. According to reports, it began with Irrfan bought a plot of

land in the village and once he began interacting with the villagers who lived nearby, he realised how deprived they were and decided to help with the development of the village.

The whole village had been mourning since the actor died a couple of weeks ago and have decided to rename the locality in which Irrfan’s house is situated, Hero-chi-wadi which literally means the locality of a hero.

—Agency

SETTING BENCHMARK

CITY FIRST

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TC Hotels has announced the launch of its path-breaking ‘WeAssure’ initiative, in collaboration with medical professionals and disinfection experts to further enhance the existing hygiene and cleaning protocols. The guests of ITC Hotels will be reassured by accreditation by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH), the leading standards organisation for sanitation, hygiene, safety and infection control practices. ITC Hotels is also partnering with DNV GL Business Assurance, one of the world’s leading certification bodies, to ensure stringent clinical levels of hygiene and safety. These assur-

ance certifications will stand testimony to the rigorous hygiene protocol being put in place to ensure the safety of guests and associates at ITC Hotels, across India.

Executive DirectorITC, Nakul Anand shared, “We are committed to delivering world-class luxury experiences that address the most important needs of wellbeing and safety through responsible practices that are immensely relevant in the unprecedented circumstances we face today. The stringent program specifications reassure guests of visibly stringent cleanliness and disinfection processes that benchmark clinically hygienic standards, offering guests’ unparalleled comfort with peace of mind.” cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY DR JOGENDRA SHARMA

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orona is declared a pandemic, disturbed the health system globally. The corona virus pandemic is being compared to a battlefield, with health workers seen as the frontline soldiers in the war against the disease. There is certainly truth to that, insofar as doctors and nurses in many countries now face an unprecedented workload in saving lives, with a heightened risk of contagion from corona virus and with the growing prospect of having to make difficult medical decisions in terms of allocating resources and continuing treatment.

Dr Jogendra Sharma, President Awardee, Principal, GCON Jaipur Nodal Officer, Nursing Corona Warriors

It’s in these times of crisis where communities come together even more. All health professionals are equally contribute in this COVID-19 war. But specifically nurses who are on frontline taking risk of saving life in this crucial situation and their working hours are longest (12-14 hours) in comparison to other health professionals. Nurses in India working at every point of work like indoors, ICU’s, field for survey (hotspot area), and in sample collection too.

Nurses face extended work hours in already stressful conditions where there are staff shortages, and it cannot be denied that this will exact a psychological pressure in the form of burnout and emotional distress, as well as generate anxiety about the nurses’ safety and that of their families if they are exposed to the corona virus.

Nurses took this pandemic as a challenge and continuous fighting since February 2020 .

They are away from family, children since a long time. Nurses are following their ideal Ms. Florence Nightangale on her 200 birth year.

Nurses are working in extraordinary circumstances i n which they

find themselves, working 1214 hours in bulky Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), rationing masks, pleading with roommates who no longer want to live with them, and giving versions of the truth about their work to their families back home.

But this situation provide nurses a feel of recognition among all professionals ,their respect has increased pan India.

Caring, nurturing, and protecting are 3 of the many adjectives that describe motherhood and nursing.

(ANA) .This disaster raise the head and respect of nurses globally specially in India

where an initiative taken by honorable prime minister to clap for nurses and other health workers.

Prime minister, chief ministers of all states,social media ,print media all recognizing nurses as warriors in this biological war. India has enlighten lamps, mobile flash lights, deepak and clapped for showing gratitude to nurses..

The International Council of Nurses (ICN), along with the World Health Organization (WHO), has turned its focus onto the enormous toll that the virus is having on nurses caring for patients in affected areas.

Nurses have to be very careful while on job. They should use PPE’s in correct manner as guidelines given

by MOHFW and State health ministry. Nurses can ensure following their hospital’s protocol of using face masks for patients who they suspect are infected. Above all, proper handwashing is always the most important step they can take.

Standard, contact, and airborne precautions should be used by all healthcare workers. Respiratory hygiene in essential for saving themselves from getting infection.

Social distancing is another weapon to fight against corona virus.

Most important thing anyone can do to stop the spread of the virus and protect themselves is to continue to practice proper handwashing techniques, including using soap and water and scrubbing for at least one minute.

In the coming weeks, the WHO plans to issue guidance in supporting the mental health of the staff caring for people affected by the virus. “Many nurses will be working long stressful shifts during which they are exposed to a great deal of human suffering,” the ICN explained in a statement.

“Their mental wellbeing is extremely important if they are to be able to continue to provide the highest quality care possible.”

Stay home Stay Safe !

Jai Bharat ! cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

LIFE SAVING RESEARCH!

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he Ministry of AYUSH has recently released that Arsenic album 30 is an Immunity Booster officially. In this series, a notification was issued by the Ministry of AYUSH on 21 April asking for proposals from homeopathy medicines to conduct COVID-19 research. Director of Homeopathy Research Hospital, Jaipur, Dr Rajeev Nagar

has sent a proposal for Preventive Ars-Iod and Curative Chininum Ars medicines of COVID-19.

Dr Nagar informed that my mentor, Dr MP Jain’s 40 years ex-

perience and my experience of 20 years have proved that arsenic iod symptoms are found in diseases like coronavirus. In these symptoms, this drug works as a panacea. If hydroxyl chlorine is given to these patients, then the symptoms of chininum ars start in the patients and these patients are cured with chinum ars. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

VAIBHAV GEHLOT @VaibhavGehlot80 I pray for good health of former Prime Minister Dr #ManmohanSingh ji and wish him a speedy recovery.

Get Well Soon Sir