First India-Jaipur Edition-17 June 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

30°C - 44°C

ALERT JAIPUR l WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

WORLD

4,43,238 DEATHS

MAHARASHTRA 5,537 DEATHS 1,13,445 CASES

RAJASTHAN

11,888 3,53,206

CONFIRMED CASES

TAMIL NADU 528 DEATHS 48,019 CASES

RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 11

INDIA

81,95,030

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DEATHS

308

CONFIRMED CASES

DELHI 1,837 DEATHS 44,688 CASES

DEATHS

GUJARAT 1,534 DEATHS 24,628 CASES

13,216

CONFIRMED CASES

MADHYA PRADESH 476 DEATHS 11,070 CASES

20 INDIAN SOLDIERS MARTYRED, 43 CHINESE SOLDIERS KILLED IN CLASH AT 13,600 FEET HIGH GALWAN VALLEY

INDIAN ARMY THWARTS ‘TAKEOVER’ ATTEMPT

BY CHINA Kartikey Dev Singh

Jaipur: In what could be termed as a major ‘iron fist’ statement to the Chinese aggression in the Galwan valley area, the Indian Army has successfully thwarted an “attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo”. The clash did not witness use of firearms but hand to hand combat and stone pelting wherein twenty personnel of the Indian Army died protecting the boundaries of the nation, but not before inflicting an ever severe injury to the adversary. Although not confirmed by the Chinese Army or govern-

ment, however Indian intercepts reveal that Chinese Army lost 43 soldiers in the clash at hands of the Indian soldiers.

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LAC

GALWAN VALLEY

Galwan Ladakh Jammu & Kashmir

MAP not to scale For representational purpose only

GALWAN RIVER

INDIA

DEFENCE MIN RAJNATH SINGH REVIEWS LADAKH SITUATION New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, the three service chiefs & External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar over the recent developments in Eastern Ladakh on Tuesday. During the ongoing de-escalation process, a violent face-off took place between Indian & Chinese troops leading to the death of three Army personnel, including an officer and two soldiers, in Galwan Valley, Ladakh.

POINTS TO PONDER

Timely decisions helped in containing Corona: PM Modi New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that timely decisions have helped in containing coronavirus in the country. His remarks came at his meeting with the CMs & heads of 21 States & UTs on the COVID-19 situation in the country, held via vc. The PM said the key is to think of ways to energise the economy & reforms. He praised Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot for some labour reforms. “Today I will get to know ground reality from you, your suggestions will help in chalking out future strategy,” the PM said.

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AKSAI CHIN

LAC

INDIAN, CHINESE ARMY OFFICIALS HOLD MEETING New Delhi: Military commanders of Indian & Chinese armies met after India said one of its officers & two soldiers were killed in a “violent faceoff” in eastern Ladakh on Monday night, in first such incident in over four decades between neighbours.Indian Army said that there were casualties on both sides.“Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting to defuse the situation.

CHINA

STEROID DEXAMETHASONE REDUCES DEATHS AMONG PATIENTS

PM Narendra Modi speaks during the meeting with CMs of 21 states and Union Territories via video conferencing in New Delhi.

We are coming back to normalcy through unlock 1. If we follow, all the precautions and the SOPs, we will be able to battle it out with minimal damage. When India’s fight against Covid-19 will be analysed in future, this time will be remembered for how we worked together and served as an example of cooperative federalism.

—PM NARENDRA MODI

London: Giving low doses of steroid drug dexamethasone to patients with COVID-19 reduced death rates by around a third among those with most severe infection. The results, described as a “major breakthrough” by scientists leading the UK-led clinical trial known as RECOVERY, “This is a result that shows that if patients who have COVID-19 and are on ventilators are given dexamethasone, it will save lives,” said Martin Landray, an Oxford University professor who is co-leading the trial.

PLA TRIED TO CHANGE STATUS QUO: INDIA BLAMES CHINA  The army said that the incident came during the deescalation process underway in the Galwan valley.  All the deaths were from thrown stones, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.  Army chief General MM Naravane cancelled a scheduled visit to Pathankot on Tuesday.  This is the first casualty for India in a clash with PLA since 1975 when an Indian patrol was ambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh.

New Delhi: In its first comment on clash, the external affairs ministry said the violent faceoff happened “as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there”.“Both sides suffered casualties that could have been avoided had the agreement at the higher level been scrupulously followed by the Chinese side,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in response to queries on the border situation.“We remain firmly convinced of the need for the maintenance of peace in the border areas & the resolution of differences through dialogue. At the same time, we are also strongly committed to ensuring India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Srivastava said.

ECI to take cognisance of false affidavits filed by candidates New Delhi: A meeting of Election Commission comprising Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioners Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra, assisted by senior officers of the Commission, was held on Tuesday. Amongst other issues, the Commission discussed the matter of taking cognisance of complaints of false affidavits filed by some candidates along with their nominations, which adversely affects the rights of voters as well as impinges on the purity of electoral process.

“The Commission has reviewed this position and decided that, in pursuit of a level-playing field, it will take cognizance

CEC Sunil Arora

of complaints, which indicate serious omission on the part of the candidate, and refer such matters to the relevant investigating authorities on a case-to-case basis,” the Poll Body said.

The complaint regarding the omission of information in election affidavit has normally

—FILE PHOTO

been filed in courts.

“Filing of false affidavits by candidates during the nomination process, in terms of false or incomplete information, is a key challenge as it undermines the rights of voters to be fully informed about their political representatives,” the Commission noted.

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Two Indian staffers tortured in Pakistan New Delhi: India could consider reducing its diplomatic presence in Pakistan in light of the abduction and torture of two High Commission staffers who had stepped out on Monday, people familiar with the development told.

The two staffers were abducted by about 15 armed men from a petrol station in Islamabad’s upscale locality a short distance from the Indian mission, tortured for hours and framed for a road accident before being released. They have extensive injury marks to their neck, face, thighs and back.

New Delhi has not formally reacted to the abduction and torture of its staffers.

CM’S VC WITH MINISTERS, MLAS AND OFFICERS

Work on mission mode to make awareness campaign a success: CM Idea behind the campaign is to inform people about the risk posed by Corona & adopting preventive measures 10 Day awareness campaign is to start from June 21 Naresh Sharma Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that the State Government took decisions keeping in view all sections of the society and this resulted in successfully keeping Corona infection under control in

Rajasthan.

“Public awareness is very important to continue this success and for prevention from Corona,” he said. For this, a massive awareness campaign will start from June 21.

During the 10-day special awareness cam-

paign, the message about preventing the spread of Corona would be carried to villages, hamlets and colonies with the aim that people understand the risk of this disease and adopt the measures of prevention. “People need to undertake Turn on P6

NO PASS REQUIRED TO MOVE OUT OF RAJ

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot during a VC where, DB Gupta, Rajeeva Swarup,Rohit K Singh and others were present.

NEWS JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

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02

STAND TALL IN TOUGH TIMES

A View of the world second largest wall of historical Kumbhalgarh fort, a world heritage site situated in Aravali mountain ranges near Udaipur. Known as the Great Wall of India, this UNESCO World Heritage Site, located near Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh Fort has a wall that runs for 36 km, and is said to be the second longest continuous wall in the world, right after the Great Wall of China.

—PHOTO BY NADEEM KHAN

Private bus operators’ strike ends Full three-month (April, May and June) motor vehicle tax waived for private buses First India Bureau Jaipur: Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a meeting at CMR with senior officers of Finance, Transport, and Home departments took the crucial decision to provide relief to the private bus operators in the state. Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas announced the relief measures in presence of Transport Commissioner Ravi Jain, senior transport officers and representatives of the private bus operators union. The bus operators immediately took back their ongoing strike happily.

Transport Minister

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas along with other officials during the meeting on Tuesday.

said that CM Gehlot has waived off complete motor vehicle tax for the months of April, May, and June while there will be a waiver of 75% tax for July, 50% for August, and 25% tax for the month of Septem-

ber.

Khachariyawas said that the waiver given by CM Gehlot will act as a lifeline for the private bus operators who were agitating for the last two weeks due to lockdown hardships. He

said that the private bus operators needed time to recover from the setback due to Covid-19 induced lockdown. He assures that the state govt was firmly standing with all sections of society like

industrialists, farmers, poor, students, and traders. He said that private bus operators had extended their support to the govt for arranging Shramil Special buses during the lockdown crisis.

He assured the private bus operators that the state govt was seriously considering their other demands as well. Khachariyawas embalmed private bus operators by assuring them support if any bus operator was considering the surrender of RC due to prevailing hardships.

Private buses started functioning from Tuesday on their routes.

PWD task force meet held to discuss labour shortage First India Bureau Jaipur: PWD task force meeting was held on Tuesday under the supervision of CS DB Gupta to discuss the shortage of labour and to coordinate with works department to complete projects on work. A presentation of report of taskforce led

by ACS Veenu Gupta about works departments was also made in the meeting.

During the meeting feedback was taken about plan to reduce project cost. During corona crisis, it is a challenge to complete

Lawyer challenges the 1 dead, two injured in bikevoter list in RS polls truck collision near Alwar

Couple ends life in Jhalawar

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Jaipur: A Jaipur based lawyer Hemant Nahta has brought about a twist in story of Party wise tally related to Congress and BSP. Known for raising issues concerning vital public interest and many high profile matters, Nahta has filed a petition before the ECI that six BSP MLAs have been misrepresented to be Congress MLAs and any election on the basis of such a list, would be a nullity and void ab initio. Nahta has said that an administrative order of the

Speaker, cannot overturn the popular mandate, especially when the speaker was not acting as a tribunal while approving the change of party for BSP members.

As per Nahta, BSP MLAs are clearly disqualified and when BSP never merged in INC, the question of BSP Legislative party merging in Congress makes no difference. It has been demanded from ECI to ensure voting by 6 MLAs as BSP MLA only. The Election Commission has sought a reply from the Secretary Vidhan Sabha by 1200 Hours on June 17.

First India Bureau Alwar: In the collision of a truck and motorcycle near Goth ki Chauki on the Alwar-Sikandra Mega Highway on Tuesday afternoon, one person died on the spot while two got seriously injured. Angry with the accident, the locals set the truck on fire, which resulted in a long queue of vehicles on both sides of the road.

After getting the information, DSP Anjali Ajit Jorwal and Kotwal Harisingh Dhayal reached the spot with the police force and

took stock of the situation. The fire brigade managed to control the fire after about half an hour. The injured were taken to the CHC in 108 ambulances for primary treatment. They

were referred to Dausa for further treatment.

DSP Anjali Jorwal informed that Manish, Deepak, and Dharm Singh were returning to their village after attending a wedding ceremony in Alwar.

The truck hit their bike near Goth ki Chauki and bike rider Dharm Singh died on the spot. Police conducted the postmortem and handed over the dead body to the family.

The case has been filed and the police have started the investigation.

Jhalawar: Police reached the jungles of Khokhanda village on the information and found a couple hanging from a tree. The dead couple Kiran Bairwa (a minor) and Govind Bairwa worked in a local Kota stone factory and were said to be in love with each other. Police said that the family members of the couple were opposed to their marriage. The couple on realizing that they will not be accepted by families made an escapade to commit suicide together.

A NEW BEGINNING

‘Lady Singham’ to leave Raj cadre, join WB cadre!

Rajendra Chhabra Jaipur: Rajasthan’s ‘Lady Singham’ IAS Tejaswi Rana is leaving the desert state.

Rana is changing her cadre and transferring to West Bengal since her husband IPS Abhishek Gupta (2016 batch) is from WB cadre and currently posted as Additional SP in Darjeeling. The 2017 batch IAS Tejaswi had

her first posting as SDM in Chittorgarh and during her very first posting her actions earned her the name ‘Lady Singham’ among locals.

During the lockdown, Chittorgarh MLA Rajendra Singh Bidhuri had tried to flout the rule, however, without worrying that the MLA is a powerful politician, Rana taught him a lesson of

the law. This resulted in MLA trying to enforce some action

against Rana and when media picked up the tussle, the state

government called Tejaswi to Jaipur and made her joint CEO in Health Assurance Agency through its order issued on April 15, 2020.

People in the bureaucratic circles know that a senior and powerful IAS had helped Tejaswi. This IAS’s daughter is also a bureaucrat in the West Bengal cadre and is close to Tejas-

wi-Abhishek and it was the daughter on whose request the senior IAS helped Tejaswi.

Born in Haryana, a firebrand IAS officer is what Rajasthan is in dire need of, and had she stayed in Rajasthan she would have motivated other young IAS officers. She had secured all India 12th rank in the 2017 IAS examination.

CS DB Gupta

projects on time but same cost despite labour shortage. The report suggested ways of providing relaxation for different works in the same time period.

While discussing the report, it came to

light that finance department had issued a letter to clear payments of contractors of government boards, corporations and local self-bodies in a fortnight. The finance department has also issued notification for tax waiver on selling of high speed diesel.

During the presentation, Veenu Gupta also informed about similar steps to benefit from central government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ package.

Suggestions from other members of the task force were taken.

Police official crossing the lake.

A triangle of problems for the people of Jalore First India Bureau Jalore: A piece of false information regarding a minor being married in the Nehad area brought to light the plight of villagers which they have been facing for the last many years. The residents of the Nehad area have been suffering due to the triple curse of nature. The first reason for sorrow is the water in the Luni river, second is the overflow of the Narmada river which adds further to already collected water and the third is the swampy soil in the area which doesn’t let the collected water seep through and thus making local travel virtually impossible.

The acute problem came to light when police were trying to reach Koliyon ki Dhani in Sankariya village of

Suthri gram panchayat to check on a complaint of a juvenile wedding.

The police could not find a way to reach the village due to the river obstructing their way to it.

With no bridge on the river, police were about to return when villagers came to their rescue with their indigenous innovation called ‘Tadapa’. Tadapa is basically empty drums tied with wooden logs to keep them together. Empty drums keep floating on river water and the tied wooden logs help keep balance thus making it an innovative boat.

The police reached the village and found the complaint wrong but informed seniors of the water logging problem. Chitalwana SDM Masingaram expressed ignorance about the problem but assured of getting it inspected and find a solution to it.

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in

BRIEF z Jaipur: There has

been a continuous surge in petrol and diesel prices for the last 10 days. Petrol prices have been increased by Rs. 5.71 in 10 days and have reached Rs. 83.63, while diesel prices have reached Rs. 76.06, with an increase of Rs. 5.71.

The state government has increased these prices three times in the lockdown. z Churu: A woman committed suicide by burning herself by putting kerosene in Churu on Tuesday.

It has been the fifth suicide in the district in the last 36 hours.

The deceased had an argument with her sister. She breathed her last in PBM Hospital of Bikaner. SHO Raisingh reached the spot. z Dholpur: A 12-year-old boy got shot in the leg in Nagla Darvesha of Baseri in Dholpur and was admitted to Baseri CHC after the incident.

The reason for the incident has not been revealed yet. The police reached the spot after getting the information. z Jaipur: On Tuesday, the body temperature of several passengers at the departure gate of Jaipur Airport was reported more than the set standard due to scorching heat in the capital. Majorly, the people coming from other cities and villages by travelling for 3-4 hours were having a high body temperature during medical screening.

However, the temperature became normal after they sat under a covered area for 10-15 minutes. z Nagaur: Another soldier has lost his life in Lucknow Army Training Centre during training. The deceased Dinesh Saini fell after being unconscious while running during training.

Later, he died while undergoing treatment in the hospital.

He was a resident of Didwana in Nagaur.

On Monday, a Dakipura resident Kamal Jakhar, who was training with Saini, died in the centre. It is being reported that 8 jawans are ill at the moment.

STATE REPORTS 7 DEATHS, 235 NEW CASES IN LAST 24 HOURS

So far 9,962 patients have tested negative in consequent tests; 9,736 have been discharged First India Bureau Jaipur: The state reported 235 new cases of corona on Tuesday. 7 corona related deaths were reported in last 24 hours taking the death toll to 308. One death each was reported from Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Nagaur and Sirohi.

Tuesday witnessed maximum 69 new cases reported from Bharatpur taking the corona positive tally to 13216 followed by 41 from Jaipur, 20 from Udaipur, 18 from Jodhpur, 13 from Alwar, 11 from Sikar, 10 each from Jhunjhunu & Pali, 7 from Dausa, 6 each from Bikaner & Tonk, 4 each from Bhilwara & Sirohi, 3 from Jhalawar, 2 each from Dungapur, Jalore & Rajsamand

—PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMA Jaipur getting back on its feet while following precautionary guidelines.

Lodha and Abrar’s ‘talks’ gets attention The ‘closeness’ between independent MLA Sanyam Lodha and Congress MLA Danish Abrar is the talk of ‘town’ these days since invariably, other MLAs find them speaking with each other any time of the day.

While during the day the duo were seen conversing, probably over political issues and strategies, in the evening MLAs Rohita Bohra and Divya Maderna also joined them over political discussions.

Fitness regime of Congress ministers Minister BD Kalla was seen engrossed in his yogasana and meditation, while deputy whip Mahendra Choudhary indulged in cycling. Congress RS candidate Neeraj Dangi preferred to run a few miles.

In the morning MLAs indulged in individual physical activity, but in the evening, group activities were organised wherein yet again they enjoyed Cricket, football and badminton. Tikaram July batted and hit Gopal Meena for boundaries while Rafeek Khan adjudged the match as an Umpire. Education minister Govind Singh Dotasara showed his batting prowess while Manju Meghwal preferred to play badminton.

Legislative party meet today The meeting of legislative party will be organised on Wednesday under CM Ashok Gehlot. After the meeting the training for RS poll will be conducted.

Joshi’s talk on politics after Mahatma During the day a workshop was organized at the hotel wherein Chief Whip Dr Mahesh Joshi gave a talk on the political circumstances borne out of murder of Mahatma Gandhi. “After Gandhi’s murder, the fascists had accused Sardar Patel of failing to provide adequate security to Gandhi. Hurt by the accusations Patel had written his resignation however Pandit Nehru pacified Patel. In his letter, Nehru said that disagreements can not be bigger than nation. After Gandhi’s death we all have to work together. This incident proves that there were no differences between Patel and Nehru where till today BJP keeps on claiming about differences between them,” Joshi said.

Jhunjhunu 246, Jodhpur 2219, Karauli 45, Kota 548, Nagaur 555, Pali 819, Pratapgarh 14, Rajsamand 168, Sawai Madhopur 63, Sikar 406, Sirohi 312, Tonk 187 and Udaipur 624.

On Tuesday, Jaipur reported 41 new cases. 3

Official, sarpanch, 2 more held by ACB

Man kills self in desolate building

Raje continues talks 14-yr-old trafficked with party workers from Tripura to Raj

First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Aishwarya Pradhan

Jaipur: A person committed suicide by hanging himself in Harmara police station area. Police informed that they received information of a body hanging at a desolate structure near Safeda farm house. The police reached the spot and got the body down.

FSL team was called for further investigation.

Police recovered a mobile from the clothes of the deceased which helped identify him as Mahesh Sharma from Chomp village. The body was sent to Kanwatiya hospital for postmortem. There was no suicide note recovered from and the cause of death is unclear.

Jhalawar: Former CM Vasundhara Raje seems to be on her way to make a record of sorts by communicating with party leaders & workers through various digital and non digital mediums like audi bridge, VC, telephonic calls and video calls.

For the last four days Raje has been communicating with workers of Baran and Jhalawar at all levels. She has been telling them about PM Modi’s Atma Nirbhar Bharat Campaign and his special stimulus package to revive economy. During her communication Raje informs workers about the achievements of

Baran: ACB arrested three persons, accepting a bribe in return for passing bills of a girls hostel in Shahabad under the Sahariya Development project.

Complainant Mohd.

Idris Mansuri is acting principal of Model Residency school in Hanotiya and his wife Mobina is the warden of Sahariya Girls Hostel, Shahabad. The accused Ashish Sharma, assistant to additional ADM, Ajay Garg, superintendent Sahariya hostel and Ashok Kumar, superintendent model hostel Hanotiya had demanded Rs 2,500 to clear the bills and had taken advance of Rs 12,000.

They were caught taking Rs 13,000 balance of the deal by ACB team consisting of CI Ajit Bagdoliya, Dalbir Singh and Ramesh Arya. ACB is suspicious of involvement of additional ADM Mahendra Lodha in the case.

Meanwhile, Sri Ganganagar ACB arrested Sarpanch of Gram Panchayat Mukan Kamal taking a bribe of Rs 9,000 . The sarpanch had demanded Rs 13,000 from Gurdeep Singh of Chak 59F of Gram Panchayat Mukan to make an heir contract. The sarpanch took Rs 5,000 in the beginning. On he was arrested by ACB Sriganganagar SP Rajendra G and ASP Rajendra Dhidharia.

Vasundhara Raje

Modi govt in its first year in office in the current tenure.

Earlier Raje had communicated with all party MLAs and district presidents of the state along with other people’s representatives of BJP. She could not reach Jaipur to attend meeting of the legislative party on Tuesday and is expected to come on June 18. She is currently in Dholpur.

Jaipur: Mired in grinding poverty and thus ‘sold’ into marriage at a tender age, a 14-year-old girl trafficked from Tripura to Rajasthan stares at a bleak future even as authorities mull over their next course of action to reunite her with her family in Tripura.

The teenager is lodged at Swadhara Women Home (SWH) shelter at Jhunjhunu even as the State Commission of Protection of Child Rights’ (RSCPCR) senior member Shailendra Pandya has taken up up her case with the National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

To add to her woes, she is two-and-a-half

months pregnant.

Pandya said that once legal formalities are taken care of in Rajasthan, Tripura Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TCPCR) or other such organisations can take the teenager back.

However, Tripura Police, TCPCR besides her poverty-hit family living in Uttar Ratacherra village in Unakoti are allegedly not proactive in ensuring her return.

“The case was unearthed when she fled the man’s house. On May 2, the man filed a missing complaint in Mandawa police station.

Police traced her on May 4, but she refused and sought protection,” Pandya said.

50 isolation coaches sent to NWR Unpredictable flight schedules First India Bureau Jodhpur: Jodhpur Division of North-Western Railway zone has converted 150 sleeper coaches into isolation coaches for COVID-19 patients and sent 50 of them to Northern Railways.

Senior PRO Gopal Sharma said: “150 sleeper coaches in Jodhpur workshop were convert-

ed into isolation coaches by removing one berth in the three-tier sleeper

coach. 50 coaches out of these were sent to Northern Railway by

special teams.” “Mosquito nets were installed on the windows and in each coach a cabin was prepared for the doctor and nurse, in which medical equipment and oxygen cylinders have been arranged. In addition, a toilet of the coach was also converted into a bathroom, in addition to putting plastic curtains,” he added.

‘Make unified efforts to reduce T&D losses’ Jaipur: Energy minister Dr BD Kalla asked engineers of power companies to work with team spirit to reduce transmission and distribution (T&D) losses.

The minister was reviewing work of power companies, following CM Ashok Gehlot’s instructions, to reduce T&D losses. He asked them to improve over capacity transformers in areas with high T&D

snippets

mer 144, Bharatpur 1069, Bhilwara 196, Bikaner 138, Bundi 10, Chittorgarh 201, Churu 192, Dausa 95, Dholpur 188, Dungarpur 390, Ganganagar 26, Hanumangarh 43, Jaipur 2614, Jaisalmer 81, Jalore 204, Jhalawar 345,

ans one each from Ajmer, Barmer, Dholpur & Karauli along with 2 patients from other states.

The cumulative district wise tally on Tuesday is as follows – Ajmer 430, Alwar 313, Banswara 90, Baran 62, Bar-

RE-ENERGISED

Vikas Sharma

were reported from Jasinghpura Khor, 2 each from Chomun, Vijypura Road, Tulsidas Marg, Hotel Fern, Vidyadhar Nagar & Mansarovar and one each from Kotputli, Kanak Ghati, Jalmahal, Bas Badanpura, Nayla, Ramganj, Madhuvan Vatika, Somani Bhawan, Brahmapuri, Vaishali Nagar, Kanota, Ghatgate, Hotel Holiday Inn, Lal Kothi, Jagatpura, Surajpole, Civil Lines, Adarsh Nagar, Kartarpura & Tonk Phatak.

So far 9962 patients have turned negative after treatment. 9736 have been discharged from hospital while 2946 active cases are under treatment in various hospitals. The total number of corona positive migrant workers is 3762.

03

losses. He said that if needed agriculture feeder can be separated for this.

Dr Kalla said that to reduce T&D losses and increase revenue, a concrete plan is required.

Besides, intensive campaign should be launched to collect due revenue. He asked to distribute responsibilities to officers so as to control T&D losses.

He said that, superintending engineer, executive engineer and as-

Dr BD Kalla

sistant engineer should regularly monitor and visit areas under their charge and employees should be rewarded for

excellent work.

Principal Secretary Energy department and Discom chairman Ajitabh Sharma said

that T&D losses must be brought below 15%. He said that vigilance action should be planned and executed with adequate force. He also instructed for changing defunct meters immediately.

He asked executive engineers from areas with high ratio of T&D losses to work in planned and focused way. He said that divisions with poor performance must improve before the next VC.

still a bane for passengers Out of 5 new flights scheduled for June 16, only two operated First India Bureau Jaipur: Airlines are still struggling to put their act together and bring complete normalcy to its flight schedules and operations according to it.

There were five new flights scheduled for June 16 but only two could take off. The state of affairs at Jaipur airport can be gauged from the fact that it could not stick to execute its routine flight schedule so the issue of starting new flights is farfetched at this point.

Indigo had announced four new flights from Tuesday for Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. All Indigo could manage was fly its 6E-665 flight to Delhi. Its flight 6E-914

for Hyderabad is now scheduled to start from Wednesday.

Indigo is yet to announce a new schedule for the remaining two flights. Spicejet too had scheduled one flight SG866 for Hyderabad which operated as per schedule as a consolation for the airport.

Apart from these new flights there were four such flights which were pre scheduled and were to be operated in routine but couldn’t.

While Spicejet could not start its flight to Surat, Air Asia’s flight to Bengluru too remained grounded. Indigo flights

to Mumbai and Benglururu, 6E-218 and 6E839 respectively, couldn’t begin.

Airlines say that these will operate intermittently until proper passenger load is available. They cited quarantine rules by some state govts on certain routes also to be a big reason for low passenger load.

Over all the aviation sector has been stung by the coronavirus far too acutely and it seems things will take time to get back to normal, until then the unpredictability of the flights will be there for the passengers to bear.

PERSPECTIVE JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

POST-PANDEMIC

TRIBHUWANPATI

GREEN SHOOTS IN ECONOMY ‘ENCOURAGING’

A

O

n a day when coronavirus cases in India rose to over 3.43 lakh with 9,900 fatalities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow over casualties. “Death of even one Indian is unsettling”, he said but drew solace from the fact that the “toll was one of the lowest in the country”. The other bright spot in an otherwise gloomy scenario, he said, was the high recovery rate of over 50 per cent. As of Tuesday, the day the prime minister held a virtual meeting with some of the chief ministers, over 1.8 lakh Covid-19 patients had won their battle against the virus.

This, he said, was made possible by the timely decisions taken by the government. He was referring to the over two-month-long stringent lockdown which, ironically, threw the lives of millions of migrants in disarray and sent the economy in sleep mode. When all indicators point towards a grim economic situation, the prime minister struck an optimistic cord saying the economy was showing “green shoots”. “Green shoots” which the prime minister was referring to were power consumption and sale of fertilisers. Demand for power that had gone down has started increasing during Unlock 1.0. Similarly, fertiliser sales in May was twice that of last year during the same period. Modi said that compared to last year Kharif sowing was 12% to 13% more.

These, he said, were signs of improvement and “encourage us to move forward”. He hinted that the economy will be opened further but asked for suggestions from the chief ministers. One of the steps in that direction could be the resumption of international flights.

The prime minister’s virtual meeting was his sixth in which chief ministers of Punjab, Kerala, Goa, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and those of north-eastern states participated. Lieutenant-governors and administrators of some union territories also joined the discussions. The remaining chief ministers will be part of the virtual meeting to be held on Wednesday.

He said that the fight against the pandemic is a good example of cooperative federalism as the Centre and states were working together to prevent the virus from claiming lives the way it has done in other countries.

The prime minister warned not to even think of stepping out without a mask at present and again emphasised the need for do gaz kee dooree, use of sanitisers and hand-washing. As people throng markets, many with a reckless attitude, the PM warned that the preventive measures are still very important as the pandemic has still not gone. Don’t lower your guard, he urged.

Prime minister’s meeting was overshadowed by the confrontation between Indian and Chinese armies near Galwan valley along the Line of Actual Control. One commanding officer and two soldiers of the Indian Army died in the clash, the first in several decades. The situation remained tense along the LAC as India pondered over its response.

SAFE EARTH

Administrative officer & Scholar of international affairs

Today the geographical, political, religious boundaries have become irrelevant, as far as Corona is concerned. No person/nation can claim that I am greater / better than others. We all often live with an error of an incomplete perspective.

This small, invisible virus is attacking humans. It is not an inevitable tragedy

ll over the country and across the world, there have always been challenges before humankind and humanity had to deal with since its inception. In very ancient times there were many natural driving forces that led the world’s scenario all in its way. Humankind largely struggled with floods, wild animals, earthquakes, Tsunami, plague, etc. Nowadays it can be terrorism, war among nations, viruses, etc.

Humankind tries to deal with challenges, makes strategies, and is finally encouraged by holistic overcome.

Today the geographical, political, religious boundaries have become irrelevant, as far as Corona is concerned. No person/nation can claim that I am greater /better than others.

We all often live with an error of an incomplete perspective.

The tiny Coronavirus has explained this very well. This small, invisible virus is attacking humans. It is not an inevitable tragedy. It may be a big mistake that is to be corrected unitedly and consciously by humankind. Such tragedies or mistakes may occur in the future also. In that case, we will have to pay heavily if we humans are not strongly united.

Current time’s vigorous need is to step out collectively. Without looking back, we all must save the interests of future generations of human and non-human beings at our collaborative tables.

Viruses are not connected but we humans are, hence, we may perform better, and we may overcome. Environmental issues e.g. global warming, depletion of the Ozone layer, endangered species, throat choking pollution, etc are indicating enormous danger to Earth.

This danger is likely to increase sharply further. Wars among nations are a matter of great concern. First and Second World Wars were very harmful to humankind. Some so-called superpowers are not maintaining cordial relations even now.

Y.N. Harari observes that global solidarity is needed to overcome this pandemic. Bill Gates opines for a strong world organisation to deal with Corona type pandemic.

I believe that to be successful in the long term, humankind must determine this global

WORLD STATE IS AN ESSENTIAL REQUISITE TO TREASURE HUMANKIND’S EXISTENCE INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A WHOLE. IT MAY OPERATE SOMETHING LIKE THE PRESENT USA. THE HEAD OF THE WORLD STATE MAY BE LIKE THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA AND PRESENT NATIONS MAY FUNCTION LIKE PRESENT STATES OF THE USA

coordination and it can be achieved efficiently through a competent World Body. This World Body must be effectively supervising Health, Peace (including Defence), Environment related issues. There may be a 2 or 3 tier system to formulate this Body. 2 tiers likely to be formed as nations, World Body and 3 tiers as nations, regional forums (e.g. EU, SAARC) and World Body. Initial work should be done by Dec 2020 (i.e. within 1 year when the first Coronavirus was detected in China).

Further consolidation may be done by Dec 2022.

If this model does not work well then, the best feasible option is to constitute a WORLD STATE. Chief Concept is to wire and group all the nations under one umbrella. This will minimise war among nations and terrorism. It will also help in eradication of poverty, expansion of education. Initially, it may seem difficult. We may face myriads

of obstacles and hindrances but without compromising with our vision and mission, it is a wellproven truth that where there is a will, there is away. We will leave indelible prints of humankind and global coordination on the sands of eternity.

Wright Brothers were trying to make airplanes.

Wilber Wright was a bit upset in 1901 AD and he told his brother Orville Wright that it may take 50 more years for a human to fly. But then they both tried seriously and achieved it in 1903 AD. Orville Wright wrote,” if we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true is true, there would be little hope of advance”. A sweet dream of humankind fulfilled by them.

WORLD STATE is an essential requisite to treasure humankind’s existence individually and as a whole. It may operate something like the present USA. The Head of the World

Even seeing nature on a screen can improve your mood

A

re you feeling anxious or irritated during the c o r o n av i r u s lockdown? Do you constantly want to get up and move? Maybe you need a moment to engage with nature.

Getting into the great outdoors is difficult at right now. But our research soon to be published in Australian Forestry shows you can improve your mood by experiencing nature indoors.

This could mean placing a few pot plants in the corner of your home office, or even just looking at photos of plants.

Our work adds to a compelling body of research that shows being around nature directly benefits our mental health.

BIOPHILIA Public gardens and parks, street verges with trees

and bushes, and even rooftop gardens bring us a broad range of benefits – boosting physical health, reducing air pollution, and even lowering crime rates.

But inside, in your hastily constructed home office or home school room, you may be unable to take full advantage of urban nature.

Embracing the notion of “biophilia” – the innate human affinity with nature – while locked down inside may improve your productivity and even your health.

The biophilia hypothesis argues modern day humans evolved from hundreds of generations of ancestors whose survival required them to study, understand and rely on nature. So a disconnection from nature today can cause significant issues for humans, such as a decline in psy-

Our work adds to a compelling body of research that shows being around nature directly benefits our mental health

04

chological health.

In practice at home, connecting with nature might mean having large windows overlooking the garden. You can also improve working conditions by having natural materials in your office or school room, such as wooden furniture, natural stones and pot plants.

INDOOR PLANTS Our research has demonstrated that even a small number of plants hanging in pockets on along a busy corridor provide enough nature to influence our physiological and psychological perceptions.

These plants even caused behavioural differences, where people would change

their route through a building to come into contact with the indoor plants.

We surveyed 104 people, and 40% of the respondents reported their mood and emotions improved in the presence of indoor plants.

They felt “relaxed and grounded” and “more interested”. The presence of indoor greenery provides a place to “relax from routine” and it made the space “significantly more pleasant to work in”.

As one person reported: When I first saw the plants up on the wall brought a smile to my face.

Whenever I walk down the stairs or walk past I mostly always feel compelled to look at the plants on the wall. Not with any anxiety or negative thoughts, rather, at how pleasant and what a great idea it is.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM

State may be like the president of the USA and present nations may function like present states of the USA. There can be Union, concurrent, state list for the division of work as categorised in India. Health, Peace (including Defence), Environment affairs must be covered in the Union List. The huge expenditure on military and weapons may be slashed and should be used for education, health, housing, etc.

The Head of the World State should be a real caretaker and not a dictator.

We learn from history that unification or consolidation of states in India, the USA, Italy, Germany, etc has been better for their overall development. Hence, we may expect that unification or consolidation of the whole Earth will be better for the overall development of Humanity. we are not safe without global unity. Global unity is very necessary and doable.

I would like to quote Bertolt Brecht here “ One who does not know the truth is merely an idiot. But one who knows it and calls it a lie is a criminal”. And the truth, in this case, is, we are to sincerely try for real global unity for Safe Earth and humankind. The Corona challenge has incidentally provided a good opportunity to achieve this as soon as possible.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Oil and gas sector is one of the largest end users of steel products. The growth trajectory of oil & gas industry and increasing demand for capital goods and steel ancillary products will create opportunities for more synergies and will also create more demand for domestic steel.

Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Bringing a smile to children’s faces & supporting craftsmen, Railways distributes goody bags with Channapatna toys on Shramik trains in Bengaluru

Spiritual SPEAK

If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature. —Buddha

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05

NATION MOURNS MARTYRDOM OF INDIAN SOLDIERS New Delhi: The Indian soldiers killed in a ‘violent face-off ’ with Chinese soldiers late Monday night at Ladakh’s Galwan Valley have been identified as Colonel B Santosh Babu, who was from Suryapet in Telangana, Havildar Palani from Tamil Nadu and Sepoy Ojha from Jharkhand.

Army sources said that they were not shot but died during a physical confrontation, involving stones and batons, with Chinese

troops who had entered Indian territory.

Colonel B Santosh Babu, the Commanding Officer (CO) of the 16 Bihar regiment was a native of Suryapet district in Telangana.

“I am both sad and happy,” said Santosh’s mother Manjula, while speaking about her son’s death to the media.

Breaking into tears, she added, “I am happy that my son sacrificed his life for the country but as a mother, I grieve his loss. He is my only son.”

Colonel B Santosh Babu

Havildar Palani

Sepoy Ojha

Palani, a 40-year-old havildar belonged from a nondescript village in Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district.

Palani, who joined the

Indian Army at the age of 18 and has been in service for the past 20 years, hailed from Kadukalur village in Tiruvadanai taluk of the backward

Ramanathapuram district. The army man is survived by his wife Vanathi Devi and children—Prasanna and Devi.

—Agencies

Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi

Ashok Gehlot @ashokgehlot51

Words cannot describe the pain I feel for the officers and men who sacrificed their lives for our country. My condolences to all their loved ones. We stand with you in this difficult time.

Salute the martyrdom of an Indian Army officer and two soldiers, who made the supreme sacrifice in a ‘violent face-off’ with the Chinese troops in Ladakh’s #Galwanvalley. My heartfelt condolence to the bereaved families. The entire nation stands with them in this moment of grief.

Asaduddin Owaisi @asadowaisi We lost at least 20 soldiers to Chinese aggression in #GalwanValley, this number could rise in future.My condolences to martyrs’ families in this difficult time. We’ll be forever grateful for their sacrifice. This is a horrible loss that we he’d last faced 40 years ago

COVID-19

‘INDIA’S RECOVERY RATE RISES TO 52.47 PC’ The rise in the recovery rates is indicative of the fact that more than half of the positive cases have recovered, the Ministry said

New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday informed that the recovery rate of patients suffering from COVID-19 has risen to 52.47 per cent in the country, indicative of the fact that “more than half of positive cases have recovered” from the disease.

On Monday, the Health Ministry reported that India’s recovery rate was 51.08 per cent.

“The recovery rate rises to 52.47 per cent, which is indicative of the fact that more than half of positive cases have recovered from the disease,” the Health Ministry added.

—ANI

DELHI HEALTH MINISTER JAIN TESTS NEGATIVE

New Delhi: Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday tested negative for COVID-19.

Although the Minister still has a fever, his condition is stable. The Minister was admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital after he complained of high fever and difficulty in breathing on Monday.

A health worker collects a blood sample of a sanitation worker during a free health checkup at a makeshift camp, amid the ongoing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown, in Vijayawada on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY PTI

Testing capacity reaches 3 lakhs samples a day: Health Ministry New Delhi: India has tested 59,21,069 COVID-19 samples and the country now has the capacity to test 3 lakh samples per day, said Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Tuesday.

In a release, the Health Ministry said, “The testing capacity for detecting the coro-

navirus in infected persons in the country is continuously being ramped up. The country

now has the capacity to test 3 lakh samples per day. The total number of samples tested thus far is 59,21,069 with 1,54,935 samples tested in the last 24 hours.” “A network of 907 labs has been created in the country as on date. This includes 659 labs in the government sector and 248 in the private sector,” it added.

—ANI

3 STATES REACH AGREEMENT WITH PVT SECTOR FOR BUDGET TREATMENT New Delhi: As part of efforts to provide reasonable health care to COVID-19 patients, some states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP, Telangana and MP have reached an agreement with private sector, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. Amid reports of a likely shortage of healthcare infrastructure, the ministry had on Monday asked states and UTs to proactively engage with private healthcare providers to facilitate enhanced bed availability and critical care health facilities and to ensure fair and transparent charges for services provided. “Some states like TN, Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP, Rajasthan, Telangana, Karnataka and MP have already taken the initiative,” the ministry said.

Sensex rallies over 700 pts amid strong global cues

Ram temple trust steps into virtual world

Decision to resume international flights in coming month: Puri

Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex rallied over 700 points in early trade on Tuesday led by rebound in financial stocks amid strong cues from global equities.

After touching a high of 34,022.01, the 30-share index was trading 725.86 points, or 2.18 per cent, higher at 33,954.66.

Similarly, NSE Nifty surged 201.10 points, or 2.05 per cent, to 10,014.80.

All Sensex components were trading in the positive territory with Tata Steel as the top gainer in the pack, jumping around 5 per cent.

ICICI Bank, HDFC, Bajaj Finance, IndusInd Bank, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Kotak Bank and SBI were also among the gainers.

In the previous ses-

Ayodhya: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust is going to enter the virtual world soon. In addition to Twitter and Facebook, the trust is also preparing to launch its official website.

Trust member Dr Anil Mishra told IANS that the Facebook page has already been launched. A letter has been sent to Twitter to get it’’s handle verified.

Now, all updates related to temple construction will be posted here for the information of the people.

He said, “Work is going on for the website. It will be launched the moment it is ready. A date for its launch will also be announced as soon as possible.” —ANI

New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday expressed confidence that the decision to resume international flights will be taken in the coming month. “We are confident that in the coming month we will start taking decisions on resuming international flights, I do not want to put a timeline here all stakeholders and passengers need to be taken into confidence,” Puri said while addressing a webinar-’Reposing the Faith in Flying’ --organised by GMR group.

Centre intimated all stakeholders and passengers that the decision to resume international flights is not easy, as it requires talking to

THERE IS NEED FOR LIQUIDITY IN MARKET: NITIN Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that without increasing the liquidity in the market the wheel of economy cannot be accelerated. While addressing, MSME and Infrastructure-Paving the growth path in the PostCOVID World event, the Union Minister said, “I accept that there are problems - related with banks, with demand and supply, with liquidity.”

sion, the BSE barometer settled 552.09 points, or 1.63 per cent, lower at 33,228.80, while the broader Nifty tumbled 159.20 points, or 1.60 per cent, to close at 9,813.70.

TAJ MANSINGH HOTEL IS NOW A COVID-19 FACILITY

New Delhi: Delhi’s 5-Star Taj Mansingh Hotel will now be attached with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital to help the city deal with surging coronavirus cases. The administration issued orders on Tuesday under which the hotel will have the responsibility of providing rooms and food to patients. It will also be in charge of housekeeping duties.

3000 ‘Made in India ventilators’ distributed to hosps

PIC FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE ONLY

New Delhi: As a part of ‘Make in India’ initiative, the central government has started distributing indigenous ventilators to hospitals across the country to fight against the Covid pandemic. In the first slot, about 3000 domestic ventilators have been distributed to states. Ventilators are life-saving medical equipment required for Covid patients, as some of them tend to develop acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS).

On May 1, the Union Health Ministry, in a press statement, had indicated the projected demand of 75,000 ventila-

Reduce import dependence in steel sector: Pradhan India to double its refining capacity by 2030 to 450-500 million to meet domestic demand Vaishali

Hardeep Singh Puri

ATF PRICE INCREASE

all the states in the country and the international agencies.

tors till June. Accordingly, orders were rushed including the requirements of the state governments.

“So far, atleast 3000 country-made ventilators have been distributed to states, which will be placed in various hospitals; few are under dispatch,” a senior government official confirmed to ANI. In the coming days, the domestic production of ventilators is going to speed up, added the official.

Taking forward Make in India initiative, local manufacturers of ventilators were also identified.

—ANI

New Delhi: As a move to strengthen the idea of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has stressed enhancing domestic steel usage in the country and reducing import dependence for meeting oil & gas sector’s steel requirements.

Addressing a webinar, he said that Steel and Oil & gas sectors have close linkage, and it is time to take it to a new pedestal.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for the making of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, Pradhan explained the concept of ‘Aatmanirbhar

Dharmendra Pradhan

Bharat’ saying that it is a strong Bharat with robust manufacturing sector, self-reliant yet globally integrated economy.

“Having strong linkage with the sectors like construction, oil & gas, automobiles, machinery among others, the Indian steel sector has got a fundamental role to play in realizing India’s dream of becoming Atmanirbhar Bharat. Indian steel

sector can strive to be a major player at the global stage, only after it fulfills all the domestic requirements. Domestic players should rise to the occasion so that cost does not escalate in our efforts to promote localization of supply chain,” he stressed.

In the oil and gas sector, the Minister said that it has seen a tremendous transformation over last six years on the back of pro-investment policies. The sector is undergoing tremendous growth, be it in refineries, pipelines, gas terminals, storage capacity, gas cylinders, retail outlets, and all these require a large amount of steel.

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Sonia Gandhi writes to PM, urges Centre to roll back hike in fuel prices New Delhi: Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday shot-off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel and urged the Centre to immediately roll back hike on fuel prices.

In the letter, she urged the Centre to immediately roll back hikes on fuel prices and pass the benefit of low crude oil prices to the citizens. She stated that it is the duty and responsibility of the Central government to alleviate suffering and not put the people to still greater hardship.

“Your government is seeking to earn an additional revenue of nearly Rs 2,60,000 crores by these ill-advised hikes in excise duty and increases in the prices of petrol and diesel. As it is, people across the board are facing unimaginable hardships what to say of widespread fear and insecurity. These price increases are saddling our motto with an additional burden of this enormous magnitude that is neither justified nor appropriate. It is the duty and responsibility of government to alleviate suffering and

not put the people to still greater hardship,” the letter read.

“I urge you to roll back these increase an pass on the benefit of low oil prices directly to the citizens of the country. If you wish for them to be ‘self-reliant’ then do not place financial fetters on their ability to move forward. And I am once again obliged to repeat what I have said before: please use the government’s resources to put money directly into the hands of those who need it in time of severe hardships,” she wrote in the letter.

On Tuesday morning, fuel prices were hiked in Delhi. Petrol saw a hike of Rs 0.47 per litre, which led to the price reaching at 76.73 per litre. While for diesel, the rate was hiked

by Rs 0.57, making it reach the price of Rs 75.19 per litre. —ANI

File reply on misuse of migrants’ funds New Delhi: Delhi HC on Tuesday asked Centre, Delhi government and others to file their response on a plea seeking CBI probe into alleged misappropriation of Rs 3,200 crore cess funds meant for construction and migrant workers.

A division bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rajnish Bhatnagar also asked the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and Delhi Construction Workers’ Welfare Board to file their reply on the matter and listed it for further hearing on July 2.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by Vinod Kumar Shukla, president of an NGO named Deendayal Upadhyaya

PRIYANKA TARGETS BJPLED UP GOVT

Lucknow: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the BJP-led UP government saying that the state secretariat has become a hub of corruption under the present government.

She , in a tweet, said that the scam in the Animal Husbandry Department has exposed the entire corrupt system of state government. —ANI

Why hesitating to show red-eye to China?: Sibal New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal questioned PM Narendra Modi over the border matter with China in Galwan Valley, saying ‘why he is hesitating to show red-eye to China in Ladakh’?

“Double faced politics. Modi Ji use to accuse the UPA for not showing red eye to China when it crosses LAC. Modi ji, now why are

you hesitating to show red-eye to China in Ladakh?,” he tweeted.

“And when Nepal is showing you red-eye then why do you now want to have a dialogue.

Where is your 56-inch chest?.”

A couple of days back, Rahul Gandhi also questioned government over Chinese aggression in Ladakh and targeted PM.

‘SAAMANA ARTICLE NOT WHOLE TRUTH’

Mumbai: Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat on Tuesday said that whatever is written in the editorial of Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana is not complete truth and is based on little information. Thorat said that he wants to meet Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to discuss some demands that are in the interest of people.

Stop profiteering from middle class and poor’s misery: RaGa to Modi New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the increase in the prices of petrol and diesel and urged to ‘stop profiteering from the misery of middle class and poor’.

“PM Modi, these tragic times dictate putting money directly in the hands of the middle class

Why not give insurance cover for mental illness: SC

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

and poor. STOP profiteering from their misery. #ModiStopLoot-

ingIndia,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted attaching a letter of Congress

Tihar jail gets more time in Kapoor’s plea

Sanstha, also seeking a CAG probe into the diversion of massive funds that were meant for migrants and construction workers.

Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra and lawyers Yogesh Pachauri, R Balaji and Nachiketa Joshi, appearing for the petitioner, argued the matter and, added that some incriminating documents annexed with the petition show rampant corruption by the Delhi government and Welfare Board.

New Delhi: Amid the raging debate over the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who is alleged to have been suffering from depression before his apparently died by suicide on June 14, Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Centre and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) on a PIL seeking direction to all insurance companies to extend medical insurance for treatment of mental illness.

A bench comprising Justices Rohinton Fali Nariman, Navin Sinha and BR Gavai issued the notice and sought replies from the Centre and IRDA. —Agencies

New Delhi: Delhi HC granted more time to Tihar Jail authorities to file status and medical reports on a plea filed by Ravi Kapoor, a convict in Jigisha Ghose murder case, seeking parole for a period of eight weeks on medical grounds.

A bench of Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani on Monday showed displeasure with the authorities for the delay in filing the required report on time and said that “despite last order dated June 5, 2020, neither a status report has been filed by the State nor has the updated nominal roll or medical status report been received from the Jail Superintendent”. Additional standing counsel

Ranbir Singh Kundu submitted that a status report was filed on June 13, but added that the same was returned by the registry with some objections.

Kundu sought further time, which the court allowed and posted the matter for June 22.

Ashutosh Kaushik, counsel for the petitioner, had earlier told the court that the petitioner is suffering from lifethreatening disease, various other medical conditions such as hearing loss, difficulty in breathing, psychiatric illness, fistula, disc problems, and urological problems. A medical status report of Kapoor dated May 2 has also been submitted before the court.

—ANI

members, MLAs, senior department officers, Collectors, Superintendents of Police, Chief Medical & Health Officers of various districts attended the video conference.

The Chief Minister said, “State Government is utilising this hour of crisis to strengthen health infrastructure across Rajasthan. This is evident from the fact that when the first infection was reported here, we did not have any facility to test and today we have offered help to the neighbouring states to conduct 5,000 tests per day.”

He said that the efforts initiated by the State Government for ‘ruthless containment’, doorto-door screening, testing and treatment of non-corona diseases, OPD services through 550 mobile vans, institutional deliveries, regular vaccination etc. were being praised widely.

While speaking about the awareness campaign, Gehlot said that the idea behind this was to carry the message of risk posed by Corona infection and preventive measures to the remotest places using the local language so that people belonging to all sections

of the society understand it better. “Services of folk artists, who earn their livelihood through street plays, folk songs, puppeteering etc would be taken for this awareness campaign,” he said further adding that this would provide the folk artists some economic aid as well.

During the conference, Medical & Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma said that Corona testing facilities had been developed in 17 districts and the department would soon achieve the target of having this facility in all the districts.

Indian Army......

The clash reportedly occurred on the intervening night of 15-16th June while the de-escalation process was going on. While on Tuesday morning reports came in that three Indian Army men, a colonel and two jawans had were martyred while serving the country, by evening the number swelled to 43. Initially China accepted the clash but later turned its tempo and issued warning to India. As the situation developed, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with CDS General Bipin

interim President Sonia Gandhi. In the letter, Sonia Gandhi urged the Centre to immediately roll back hikes on fuel prices and pass the benefit of low crude oil prices to the citizens.

She stated, in the letter, that it is the duty and responsibility of the Central government to alleviate suffering and not put the people to still greater hardship. —ANI

UP Cong chief gets bail in documents forgery case Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu.

The Congress leader was arrested from Agra on May 20 on charges of fraud and forgery in the list of 1,000 buses submitted to the Yogi Adityanath government for ferrying migrant labourers.

The state government had claimed that the list of buses submitted by the Congress carried registration numbers of two-wheelers, autos and ambulances.

The Congress leader’’s bail plea was earlier rejected by the session’s court.

06

POWER Gallery MORE NEW PVT BANKS ON CARDS ?

Whispers are that the Govt could allow certain industrial houses to set up banks in the country on recommendation of NITI Aayog.

MAJOR LATERAL ENTRY IN NITI AYOG!

For the first time about 40 senior level appointments have been made in the Niti Ayog by lateral entry. All such new appointments are made from the open market. As many as 20 have already joined.

MEETING TO SELECT SEBI CHIEF POSTPONED?

Scheduled meeting to select SEBI Chief on June 12 was reportedly postponed ONLY ONE OFFICER OUT OF SIX FROM MP EMPANELLED AS DG IN GOI

Only one IPS officer of 1987 batch, out of total six eligible from Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been empanelled for DG and equivalent posts in Government of India.

JYOTI KALASH IS ALSO IN RACE FOR CMD, HUDCO

A 1990 batch IAS officer of Nagaland cadre, Jyoti Kalash is also in the race for the post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO).

SANTOSH JHA APPOINTED AMBASSADOR TO BELGIUM

Santosh Jha, presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of Uzbekistan, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Belgium. The Indian Foreign Service officer of 1993 batch will also be accredited as Ambassador of India to the European Union.

NC SARAVANAN PROMOTED TO CHIEF CONSERVATOR OF FORESTS GRADE

NC Saravanan, presently on deputation to ICFRE, Dehradun, has been promoted to the grade of Chief Conservator of Forests. He is a 2002 batch IFS officer of AGMUT cadre.

TR SWAIN IS NEW INTELIGENCE CHIEF IN J&K

TR Swain, awaiting orders of posting in the Home Department, J&K, has been made new Intelligence Chief of the Union Territory. He is 1991 batch IPS officer of J&K cadre.

DR B SRINIVAS POSTED AS COMMANDANT, HOME GUARDS, J&K

Dr B Srinivas has been posted as Commandant General, Home Guards, Civil Defence, State Disaster Rescue Force, J&K. He is 1990 batch IPS officer of J&K cadre.

SANJAY GOYAL IS NEW HEALTH COMMISSIONER IN MADHYA PRADESH

On return from foreign training Sanjay Goyal has been appointed Health Commissioner in Madhya Pradesh. He is 2003 batch IAS officer.

PRALAY MONDAL QUITTING AXIS BANK AS ED ( RETAIL BANKING)

Pralay Mondal, Executive Director (Retail Banking) of Axis Bank, has informed the Bank that he would like to pursue other career opportunities and as such has resigned from the services of the Bank, with effect from September 14, 2020.

NAVDEEP SINGH BRAR INDUCTED AS SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE, CBI

Navdeep Singh Brar has been inducted as Superintendent of Police (SP) in Central Bureau of Investigation. He is a 2012 batch IPS officer of AGMUT cadre.

DEPUTATION TENURE OF KIRAN AS SP, CBI EXTENDED

The deputation tenure of Kiran S as Superintendent of Police (SP) in Central Bureau of Investigation has been extended upto June 8, 2021. He is a 2008 batch IPS officer of UP cadre.

FROM PG 1 Work on... safety measures such as washing hands frequently, maintaining 2-yards distance, not stepping out without face mask and not spitting in public places; a part of their lifestyle. The public representatives, officers, employees, social organisations, personnel at grassroots level are required to work on mission mode to make this campaign successful, “Gehlot said while reviewing the Corona situation through a video -conference from the CMR on Tuesday. State Cabinet

Rawat and COAS General Naravane, who apprised the minister of the matter. Singh held two meetings over the issue on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a Major-General level talk was initiated between the two armies Military commanders of the two armies, as Major General Abhijit Bapat, commander of the Karu-based HQs 3 Infantry Division and his Chinese counterpart steered the talks at the site of the clash to defuse tensions.

Timely decisions...

“Timing matters a lot in overcoming any crisis.

Timely decisions have helped a lot in containing coronavirus in the country,” he said. —ANI

ECI to...

The Commission said any denial or false disclosure would tantamount to vitiating the integrity of elections. “Commission views the erosion of this fundamental right as an affront to the democratic ideals which underpin the system of government,” thePoll Body said.

The Commission said furnishing false information in election affidavits is a devious design to defeat the

right of the voter to be informed and transparency in elections.

The ECI has been long pushing for reforms to consider including the filing of a false affidavit as a corrupt practice.

A candidate contesting an election has to file an affidavit called Form 26 in which he has to furnish information on the assets, liabilities, educational qualification and details of criminal antecedents if any.

The current penalty for lying in an affidavit filed before the EC is imprisonment of up to six months, or fine, or both.

TALKING POINT JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

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Avinash Pande, Vishvendra Singh, Subhash Garg, Sanyam Lodha, BD Kalla, Govind Singh Dotasara, Bhanwar Singh Bhati, Mamta Bhupesh, Safia Zubair and others during the session.

Divya Maderna, Danish Abrar, Sanyam Lodha and Rohit Bohra.

SESSIONS, SPORTS AND MUSIC

The temperature is on the rise in Rajasthan as the state awaits the monsoon and also the Rajya Sabha Elections, which is due on June 19. During the day on Tuesday, the MLAs stayed indoors and attended the session by Piyush Babele wherein he put forth his views on various subjects. Sports and outdoor activities beckoned as the evening rolled in followed by a musical night which was enjoyed by all

MLAs during the session at Hotel JW Marriott on Tuesday.

CM Ashok Gehlot, Raghu Sharma, Neeraj Dangi, Mahendra Choudhary, Mahesh Joshi and others.

Rajendra Vidhudi.

MLAs (inset) during the VC with Dholpur administration.

Mamta Bhupesh, Neeraj Dangi, JP Chandeliya and Mahendra Choudhary.

Mamta Bhupesh and other MLAs.

Joginder Awana, Rajkumar Sharma, Rajendra Gudha, Saleh Mohammad,

Joginder Awana, Rajendra Gudha, Deepchand Khairiya, Lakhan Singh and Sandeep Yadav.

Mahadev Singh Khandela, Deep Chand Khairiya, Murari Lal Meena, Bharosi Lal Jatav, Dharmendra Rathore, Rajendra Singh Gudha and Lakhan Singh Meena.

Joginder Awana with Randeep Surjewala.

Artists perform during the musical evening organised at Hotel JW Marriott in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Prayer is communicating with God. It can be any language, chanted, whispered, written, thought or acted, God will know.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21

JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

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Guj govt neglected health After Cong, BJP shifts MLAs sector, says Ahmed bhai to hotel ahead of RS polls Gargi Raval

Ahmedabad: Veteran Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Tuesday took to social media to accuse the BJPrun Gujarat government of drastically reducing its healthcare expenditure over the years. He alleged that the state has not been paying sufficient attention to healthcare, especially at a time when the number of COVID-19 cases has been increasing steadily.

On average, the state has been reporting 400 new cases every day for the past month, Patel pointed out in his attack on the government. He also shared data which indicates that Gujarat has among the lowest immunization coverages in the country.

“In 20 years, Gujarat is one of a handful of states where immunization coverage has declined. Before 2000, healthcare accounted for 4.3% of Gujarat’s expenditure. In 2018, it ac-

Questions why A’bad-based pvt labs charge `4,500 for a test that costs `2,200 in Mumbai

Ahmed Patel

counted for roughly 0.72%. The entire state is paying the price for a flawed model,” the Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat tweeted.

According to the data shared by Patel, Gujarat ranks 33rd among the total 36 states and Union Territories in achieving full immunization.

As of June 15, Gujarat had a total of 24,104

COVID-19 cases and a death toll of 1,506.

Patel also questioned the cost of COVID-19 testing in Gujarat’s private laboratories. In a tweet, he asked why Ahmedabad-based private laboratories are charging Rs4,500 for a test that costs Rs2,200 in Mumbai.

President of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, Amit Chav-

da echoed the senior leader’s concerns on the cost of testing at a press conference in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, where he accused the BJP government of being a mute spectator to the looting of people in name of testing.

“Why is Gujarat’s mortality rate the highest in the country? Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi not tweeting when people of his state are dying in such large numbers?

It was the high court that stepped in and even allowed COVID-19 testing in private laboratories,” Chavda said.

He said it was the state government’s responsibility to ensure that rates of tests remain affordable for people. “If charges (for tests) are Rs2,200 and Rs2,900 in Mumbai and Andhra Pradesh, respectively, why are Gujarat labs are charging Rs4,500? People are being fleeced and the government remains only a mute spectator to this loot,” alleged Chavda.

First India Bureau

Jaipur: At a time when Rajasthan Congress MLAs are camping in JW Marriott hotel in Jaipur to prevent the alleged poaching threat from rival camp in view of ensuing Rajya Sabha polls on June 19, the BJP has also decided to shift its MLAs to another plush property of the city, Crowne Plaza from Tuesday onwards.

BJP and RLP legislators were taken to the hotel on Tonk Road in four buses after a joint meeting at the BJP headquarters. During the meeting, the MLAs were told to be disciplined and were issued a warning not to make any mistake in voting.

The meeting was attended by BJP’s National General Secretary and Observer Muralidhar Rao, National Joint Secretary (Organisation) V Satish, State President Dr Satish Poonia, LoP Gulab Chand Kataria, Deputy LoP

Rajendra Rathore at the gate of Crowne Plaza hotel looks on as the hotel staff screen the BJP MLAs. (Right) Kiran Maheshwari arrives at the hotel on Tuesday

Rajendra Rathore and State General Secretary (organisation) Chandrashekhar.

While addressing the MLAs, Muralidhar Rao said “people have been facing struggling with corona and financial constraints but Congress leaders and MLAs are not worried about people. They have been enjoying in seven star hotel for past one week.

They have been playing cards there, what good can they do for the people,” Rao said.

BJP state president Satish Poonia said, “A two-day workshop to

be conducted for MLAs ahead of voting for Rajya Sabha polls. For this, the MLAs will be shifted to Jaipur’s Crown Plaza hotel.

Discussions will also be held on their performance in their respective constituencies.”

Five BJP MLAs, Vasundhara Raje, Kailash Meghwal, Siddhi Kumari, Suryakanta Vyas and Kalpana Raje did not attend the meeting in Crowne Plaza on Tuesday due to personal reasons. However, official sources confirmed that former CM Vasundhara

Raje will reach Jaipur on June 18 to join the MLAs. Deputy LoP Rajendra Rathore, while reacting to health minister Dr Raghu Sharma’s statement said, “it is difficult to say when and what statement he might give. I am always worried about his health.” According to Rathore, he has known chief whip Dr Mahesh Joshi and Dr Raghu Sharma for many years but both of them have spent less time in the assembly because they win elections once and lose the next time.

CM’s instruction to RSRTC Poonia talks org A ‘miffed’ Ramesh Meena helped migrants reach home matters with Shah joins Congress MLAs at hotel First India Bureau

First India Bureau

Jaipur: As Corona entered state on March 24, scenario kept on changing with many important developments taking place. In 3rd week of March, state government had anticipated that impact of Corona would be much greater and was quick in assessing and announcing lockdown.

PM Modi announced lockdown from March 25 after which many unpredictable things started happening.

The immediate thing, which was evident, was the movement of labourers. CM Ashok Gehlot was again quite active in responding to these sudden developments and gave suitable instructions to RSRTC Officials to take care of the labourers.

RSRTC took up this challenge quite-well

Jaipur: Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Meena reached Hotel JW Marriot and made the Congress family complete before the crucial Rajya Sabha polls. Meena, a hardcore Congressman, was miffed on certain issues and maintained a distance from the camp. The strategy to get Meena to the camp started two days ago.

Congress central observer TS Singh Deo and Devendra Yadav were deputed by state incharge Avinash Pande to get the Dang chieftain to the camp.

Obviously, Pande was aware that Meena had been with Yadav when he was contesting in Delhi assembly polls.

Even Yadav had solicited Meena’s advice on fielding Congress candi-

Amit Shah

CM Ashok Gehlot

First India Bureau

and from March 26 to March 31, more than 1.25 lakh migrants were ferried by buses.

In 3rd week of April, movement was allowed for labourers.

Indian Railways also announced trains coming to or departing from different railway stations and it was a tough task to help the people reach station and also to drop the passengers arriving at different stations to their districts.

‘Labour Special Bus’ was another idea by CM

Jaipur: State BJP president Dr Satish Poonia spoke with Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday. According to sources, they discussed organisational matters and strategy.

Dr Poonia also gave feedback to Shah.

Meanwhile, Dr Poonia once again attacked CM Ashok Gehlot. He said, “when Bhairon Singh Shekhawat went to US for treatment, a conspiracy was hatched to bring down his government and Shekhawat had to return

in which buses were sent to many far off places.

When people approached sensitive CM explaining him important problem of those families, who were waiting to go to Haridwar for performing immersion of ashes, Gehlot was quick in starting ‘Moksh Kalash Special Buses’. RSRTC’s CMD Naveen Jain monitored all these operations under the able guidance of ACS Transport Rajeeva Swarup and ACS Industries Subodh Agrawal.

Satish Poonia

from the US hurriedly.

At that time, MLAs were offered money.”

According to him, Gehlot was PCC chief at that time and the entire game took place in his knowledge. He is reminiscing about his old tricks and making fake allegation against BJP. “Gehlot has done elephant trading twice,” he said alluding to merger of BSP in the Congress. He said that entire drama was only to show one of his party leaders in poor light in front of party high command. No one is buying and no one is up for sale.

Cong Mins attack BJP over party ideology First India Bureau Jaipur: As the polling day for Rajya Sabha polls draws closer, Congress seems to be confident of its victory and therefore doesn’t want to leave any chance to counter allegations made by BJP. Chief Whip Dr Mahesh Joshi took a dig at BJP state president Satish Poonia’s remarks on Congress camping its MLAs. He teased BJP for following the Congress footsteps of camping its MLAs.

Speaking on horse trading, Joshi said that people should be ready for some surprises on the polling day of RS polls. He assured that Congress will not resort to political vendetta.

Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma came down heavily on BJP leader Rajendra Rathore and his party.

Sharma said that the BJP should change its name to Horse Trading Corporation due to its specialization in it. He took a shot at the ‘Ekant Manav Vad’ theory pro-

Dr Raghu Sharma

Dr Mahesh Joshi

pounded by one of the founders of BJP ideology Deendayal Upadhyay.

Dr Sharma said that BJP has left Upadhyay’s Ekant Manav Vad and resorted to Ekant Money Vad. He cornered

Pratap Singh Khachariyawas

Rathore by questioning his stature in party. He said that Rathore hasn’t been able to carve a niche for himself due to his style of functioning.

Dr Sharma said Rathore should self

introspect rather than getting jealous of his counterparts.

He sarcastically said that Rathore may try his best but RSS knows him and can’t be fooled.

Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas too lambasted BJP for alleging Congress for splurging money on camping its MLAs as it was now doing the same. He said the internal conflicts within BJP have forced it to camp its MLAs in a hotel.

Ramesh Meena

dates in last assembly polls on about a dozen seats of Eastern Dhoondhad area. Both Deo and Yadav went to Meena’s residence to hear him out. When the news of Deputy CM Sachin Pilot returning to Hotel came, Meena’s arrival gained credence.

Meena’s annoyance on certain issues with the senior in the party was known to all but his commitment to the party was also equally pronounced.

Senior party leaders didn’t approve of his attitude at such a cru-

cial juncture and Meena made the seniors aware of his issues.

When Congress candidate KC Venugopl reached Jaipur, Pande assured him of placating Meena as he had achieved the similar feat earlier as well. Meena’s arrival was almost certain by late Monday night and Tuesday morning there was a room booked in his name. It is being said that his loyalty towards Congress was used strategically by Deo who told him how he was one of the CM post contenders after Chattisgarh elections but could not make it and yet he didn’t get disappointed as politics has its own ups and downs. Ramesh Meena has understood the sensitivity of the situation to the relief of Congress.

Cong to honour corona warriors on Rahul’s birthday, informs Pilot First India Bureau Jaipur: Former AICC president Rahul Gandhi would not celebrate his birthday this time. Rahul’s birthday is on Friday.

However, his supporters and Congress workers have decided to celebrate it in a novel way. They would observe it as corona warriors’ day. PCC would organise felicitation programme.

PCC chief Sachin Pilot said

that the party would honour corona warriors and district and block congress committees have been given instruction to felicitate doctors, Health workers and oth-

er corona warriors. All of them would be given PPE kits and masks.

Interestingly, on Tuesday, Pilot stayed inside his room at the Marriott hotel itself where Congress MLAs have been housed ahead of the Rajya Sabha poll and met the MLAs in his room.

Transport minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas met Pilot and the duo spend time discussing political matters.

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09

JAIPUR, WEDNESDAY JUNE 17, 2020

A TWIST TO THE WRIST

From perfect pieces of traditional jewellery to direct reflection on the sense of fashion, City First digs into the traditional and contemporary approach to bangles!

KARISHMA GWALANI

karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in

R

emember the classic songs ‘Mere haathon mein nau nau chudiyan hai,’ ‘Bole chudiyan-bole kangana,’ and ‘Khanak khan chudiyaan’ which ultimately embodies the significance of bangles in the Bollywood romance, and why not? What better way to celebrate love than

to depict it through the tinkle of the bang?

Ever wondered what is so special about them that every Indian woman, both married and unmarried chooses to adorn these? They are designed to give every woman a choice in her own look, as they can mix and match different bangles until they discovers their favourite combination. Even every goddess idol that has been so far discovered is seen wearing bangles.

Bangles are traditionally a part of the solah shringar of Indian brides. It is mandatory for newlywed brides and would-be-brides to wear bangles made of glass, gold or other metals as they signify the long life of the husband. Traditionally, breaking of the bridal glass or lac bangles is considered inauspicious.

Facts say that the ruins from Mohenjo-Daro excavations show that bangles were even made of copper, shell and terracotta. They were originally painted with black or red designs and were worn both by men and women. Over the years, it

was believed that the use of bangles helps increase blood circulation.

Talking about the significance of colours in bangles, did you know that every colour worn at different points in time signify different things? For example, red is worn at weddings to signify prosperity; Green, on the other hand, denotes good luck and fertility. Silver stands for strength; while, purple represents independence and gold is symbolic of prosperity and fortune.

However, with the woman no longer being confined to home after marriage, the age-old tradition of wearing wedding symbols daily has taken a backseat and these are now reserved for special days only. For daily wear, women now wear kadas or a single thick bracelet with trendier, geometric designs nudging into the market of traditional designs. However, tradition still plays a significant role during an Indian wedding, where we see the brides wearing bangles on their wedding day and for some months after it, as they flaunt their status as a newly-married bride.

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JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

Two years on from its first sleeper-hit series, the dark, Thelma and Louisestyle tale returns with a bleak, brilliant new chapter

pline of her mother, who forces her to memo rise the world’s capital cities and eat lipstick. She retreats into a grim blankness and rejects the education she was supposed to have. In the first series, James believed himself to be a psychopath, but judging by what we see of Bonnie, we are about to meet the real thing. Her approach to wooing the object of her affections is quite unique and certainly memorable, and her connection to James and Alyssa quickly becomes apparent. It nicely sets up a thorny tangle for series two to unravel, and a potentially monstrous showdown.

Like the first series, this inhabits a highly stylised world that is not fixed in any time or place. It feels a little American, a little English, a bit 70s, a bit 90s. The cars and buildings are both glamorous and gloomy, much like the show itself. It is, however, always good-looking, and exquisite in its attention to the smaller points. There are lingering shots of food – a bloody burger, a hospital meal arranged carefully on a tidy tray. It is, at times, gorgeous, nowhere more so than in its details, from the cover of a philosophy book to the dusty wine bottles in the bar of a creepy hotel.

A couple of years have passed since Alyssa was a fugitive from the law, and her family, with some trimming and pruning, has moved to a cafe in the woods with an aunt. Life has moved on, and Alyssa is attempting to move with it, but she is fading rapidly, under the illusion of making a go of normal life.

As Alyssa, Jessica Barden is remarkable once again, just the right side of bratty, with that implication of deep pain.

But it’s the pace that makes it sing. Of course there were some manoeuvres to pull off, to bring all of the characters back into the fray, but it has been done with as little clumsiness as possible. Huge, gasp-inducing plot points happen quickly and without fanfare, and then we move on. There is no hanging around, waiting for the action to get going. In much the same way as a brilliantly made 90-minute film makes you wonder why any director needs three and a half hours for a single movie, these 20-minute instalments are hymns to brevity. It is gruesome and violent and scatalogical, but then it is funny and pointed and wry, and then it defers to a tender look, or an affectionate touch, and shows its heart.

Lesser shows would give you whiplash, but the tone here is uniquely its own.

W

hen The End of the F***ing World (Channel 4) first aired in 2017, it was a slow burn that crackled into life and became a vibrant hit. Though it was largely missed when it first appeared on television, it picked up an international audience a year later on Netflix. In a world of prestige television, it ploughed its own furrow and did things its own way. Its episodes were compact and lean, its overthe-top style paid homage to its graphic novel heritage while maintaining a particular dourness, and its True Romance-esque central love story was far more sweet than its violent setting should have allowed for, given that it started with James deciding to kill Alyssa, and ended with him laid out on a beach having sacrificed himself for her.

It also seemed like a watertight story, relatively un-sequel-able (though in the name of Big Little Lies, we should have learned by now that a neat ending is unlikely to stop a success in its tracks.)

So here we are, with series two, and a request that reviewers do not give anything away, which makes certain aspects of it tricky to discuss.

Even so, there is enough of a shift to see how this will work just as well as its predecessor.

The first series saw the duo’s runaway road trip ending in Thelma and Louise-ish abandon, as the police caught up with their crimes. Series two’s opening episode (there are eight, stripped across the week in pairs) moves away from the two of them almost entirely, giving us the pitchblack story of Bonnie, via an excellent, career-making performance from Naomi Ackie, who stood out similarly in 2016’s Lady Macbeth.

One of the skills of this show is its light touch when it comes to humour, which arrives unexpectedly, in the bleakest of moments. The writing is fantastically dry – even a line as stark as “I killed someone” earns a laugh, through the addition of a pause, and the explanatory addition of “on purpose”. Bonnie is a librarian raised under the cruel disci-

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/

FA CE OF TH ED AY

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

Tensions about money or friendship can surface, dear Aries, but answers or insights are in the pipeline.

It can be a time for looking for new ways to approach problems. You could be feeling a pleasing sense of belonging and understanding with someone close to you.

You can be a bit impatient with routines and methods that you’ve been using for so long that you’ve become bored. Insights will follow shortly, but for now, you’re motivated to find new approaches. Verbalizing an issue or writing things out can bring on a new perspective.

You can experience some impatience or disagreements today and tomorrow which will be resolved soon. While annoying, they’re leading you to new approaches and fabulous insights. Still, playing with ideas, if things remain light and open, can be useful.

There can be frustrations with friends or disagreements with beliefs and ideologies. Conversations can lead to breakthroughs in thinking, or they might stimulate a whole new line of thought, even an unusual one, that inspires you. It’s best to keep things open-ended.

MAR 21 - APR 20

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

While you’re craving some predictability today, dear Leo, the day’s energies can feel a little unsteady. Try not to rely heavily on others or plans just for now, as things may not go as planned. Today and tomorrow can be good for learning a new way to handle a financial matter or a new approach.

Several influences point to the need to refresh your thinking or methods.

Someone in your life can be brusque or impatient today, Still, it might lead you on a new path that works well for you. Your increased sensitivity might also contribute to some rising tensions.

There can be some motivation to take on new challenges, You may not know where to start, or you might be expecting too much from yourself, too soon. Start small, do little things that are different, and vary your routine. You might consider this as a time of a shift.

People are inclined to give you feedback, even if you’re not seeking it! You may feel a bit off-center by a sense that someone’s not reliable or indifferent. Try not to let others’ moods define your day, they may be too wrapped up in their own issues to worry too much about yours.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

There can be tensions in spots today,particularly if you’re doing the same old things or relating in unhealthy ways. Fortunately, new approaches and insights are up and coming. For now, agitations can stir you enough to want to make changes.

Taking action may need to wait.

While you’re in generally good humor, you could feel just a little out of step, particularly when it comes to saying the right thing. The desire to share is strong, but you could find that others are indecisive, and you’re vacillating as well. Worries have a way of moving to the foreground.

There is an emphasis on your spending habits, possessions, and desires these days, and ideally, you’re coming to a better understanding of how you should handle your money. you can be quite temperamental about these things and about whether others value you.

Tensions can be stirring, and while mild, they can lead you to a mission to make improvements. Get in touch with the true reason for your discontent rather than chalk it up to something insignificant. Try to settle your mind, as it could very well be racing with plans.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

SAKSHI SAINI, Model

10

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

11

Sonakshi

slams people W

ithout naming anyone, actor Sonakshi Sinha on Tuesday in a social media post lashed out at “certain people trying to garner publicity” from the demise of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput (SSR).

The ‘Dabangg’ girl took to Twitter and posted a statement where she is seen urging people not to spread negativity using the death of the ‘Kai Po Che!’ actor. “The problem with wrestling with pigs is that you get dirty and the pig enjoys it. To certain people trying to garner publicity and highlight THEIR issues using the death of a member of our fraternity...

PLEASE just stop,” wrote Sinha.

“Your spewing negativity, hate, and toxicity is really not required right now. Have some respect for the departed. Really,” she added.

The 33-year-old actor did not name or address the post to any specific person.

“Certain people are just disgusting and will always be,” she wrote along with the note.

The ‘Akira’ actor has also posted the same note on her Instagram stories.

SSR had allegedly killed himself by hanging at his Bandra residence in Mumbai on Sunday. However, no suicide note has been recovered from Rajput’s residence, police said. His last rites were performed earlier today at Mumbai’s Vile Parle amid heavy downpours.

—ANI

Sonakshi Sinha

EXPRESSING

LOVE

Still from the video

‘My 3 am Call’ S

... her post

Diving into the next year

haring a video compilation of all her happy moments with her mother Madhu Chopra, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas on Wednesday wished her mom a happy birthday. The ‘Baywatch’ actor posted the video on Instagram and complimented it with a sweet note in the caption. “My backbone, my strength, my 3am call, my inspiration, my best friend, my mother, my everything. Happy birthday mom!” she wrote.

The actor, who is currently living with her musician husband Nick Jonas in America, further said that she is missing celebrating mother’s birthday with her. “I miss you so much right now and am missing our ritual of spending the day together. I will see you soon.

Love you loads @ chopramm2001,” Jonas wrote in the caption.

Scores of netizens including celebrities commented on the Instagram post to wish the superstar’s mother on her birthday.

—ANI

... her post

A

ctor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja who recently returned to Mumbai from New Delhi to celebrate her 35th birthday with her family on Thursday dug out a monochrome family portrait and captioned it with a Mother Teresa quote.

Sonam took to Instagram to post the picture which beautifully captures the strong family bond that the ‘Neerja’ actor enjoys with her family.

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja

“”What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” Mother Teresa,” she wrote in the caption. The picture features Sonam posing with her fashion designer husband Anand Ahuja, her parents Anil Kapoor and Sunita Kapoor, and her siblings.

The actor’s fans and close relatives showered the post with scores of comments.

The 35-year-old actor has been quite active on social media and has also been raising awareness about the coronavirus pandemic.

—ANI

A

s Courteney Cox celebrated her 56th birthday on Tuesday, the hot mamma flaunted her bikini body in her Instagram post. As her birthday post, Cox shared a slow-mo video of herself, clad in a black bikini looking like a million bucks, diving into the pool with an enthusiastic zest for life.

Somebody needs to tell the actress to stop looking so gorgeous because, hot damn! Meanwhile, Lisa Kudrow took to her Instagram page to share the most adorable photos of the best friends cuddling together along with Courteney’s cute dogs, which are of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breed.

—Agency

PRICELESS BIRTHDAY WISH

Raj Babbar’s post

V

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

eteran actor Raj Babbar on Tuesday extended birthday wishes to his ‘favourite’ superstar Mithun Chakraborty on his 68th birthday and recalled the good old days with a priceless throwback picture. The ‘Tevar’ star put out the monochromatic photograph on Twitter in which the two veterans are seen sharing a lighter moment. Along with the picture he wrote, “Birthday wishes to superstar & my favourite #MithunChakraborty ji. He came & he conquered the scene! Dancing sensation that he is, he added knew dimension to our movies.” —ANI

Mithun Chakraborty

Courteney Cox

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

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JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 2020

TRUE HOBBIES NEVER FADE

DIAMANTAIRE ARUN MEHTA PASSES AWAY

SWATI JANGID

swati.jangid@firstindia.co.in

N

eeru Jangid from Jodhpur is a freelance artist and a homemaker. Her journey as an artist started in 2018 at the age of 35. Though she was good at art since childhood, she was more into sports during her school times; canvas and paints were just a summer hobby for her.

Her husband was the one who saw her hidden talent and motivated her to go forward in the field of art. That is when she exhibited her paintings, and Neeru’s work

Late Arun Mehta CITY FIRST GUJARAT

Neeru Jangid

was appreciated by many artists and this lifted her confidence and she started boosting herself as an artist. This further motivated her to grab

BUZZ...

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live session on ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’, featuring Anupam Kher, is going to be organised by FICCI FLO, on 18 June.

—CITY FIRST

the brushes and go on!

She started participating in competitions, exhibitions and also got awarded. She also organised

a ‘Charity Summer Live Art Workshop’ for kids and it went really well. She collected more than 100 paintings of the

budding artists, including herself, and organized an exhibition and then donated the earnings to MDM Hospital, Jodhpur. While interact-

ing with City First, Neeru said, “This lockdown made my artist mode on and it was a very fun time for me, as well as my family”.

IMPACT OF LOCKDOWN ON CHILD HEALTH

mpact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on child health was studied by physicians at JK Lone Hospital, Jaipur. This study was conceived by Dr Ashok Gupta, Medical Superintendent & Senior Professor, Department of Pediatrics at JK Lone Hospital, Jaipur. Under the direction of Dr Gupta, this study was carried out

by Dr Ramesh Chaudhary, Dr Dhan Raj Bagri, Dr Kamlesh Agarwal, Dr Vivek Athwani and Dr

Team of Doctors at JK Lone Hospital, Jaipur

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

about 45% of the children stopped sleeping as soon as they went to bed, whereas these children used to fall asleep as soon as going to bed. About 50% of these children have difficulty in the onset of sleep after going to bed for 20 to 60 minutes and 17% of the children would wake up in the middle of their sleep at night and they take 20 to 30 minutes to get back to sleep.

—CITY FIRST

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

Senior Journalist Rajendra Chhabra celebrated his birthday with family and close friends on Tuesday. Jagdeesh Chandra also personally wished Chhabra on this special day; seen here with them are (from left) Aarav, Chavi, Yash, Pulkit, Chitralekha, Avika and Swati.

RAJASTHAN: As a part of the ongoing ‘Online Learning – Children’s Summer Festival,’ an online learning session on ‘Warli Painting’ was conducted by Artist, Anil Vangad from Maharashtra, on Tuesday. The session introduced the basics of Warli painting, where the artist also explained the small details of village life that added charm to the art session.

Anil Sharma.

Through a few questionnaires, the medical team collected information on the average screen time of children before and after lockdown, which showed that after lockdown; almost all children had a screen time increase of 2-3 times (5 hrs/day from 2 hrs/ day). Call it reduced physical activity due to lockdown or the result of increased screen time, but

T

he diamond industry in Surat and Mumbai remained completely shut on Tuesday, to mourn the death of Arun Mehta, industry doyen and founder of the world’s leading diamond company ‘Rosy Blue’.

Mehta, the ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of the industry passed away on Monday at his residence in Mumbai.

In the late 1970s, Mehta was one of the pioneers of the diamond industry and he founded B Arunkumar and Company, which was later rechristened to Rosy Blue. His participation and efforts in a number of trade organisations contributed immensely to the growth of the whole industry. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

GUJARAT: All the police officers including Vadodara Police Commissioner, Anupam Singh Gehlot paid tribute to Assistant Sub Inspector, Magan Baria of Surat who died fighting with Coronavirus.

GUJARAT: Dixit Modi, a pani puri vendor’s son from Vadodara made his father proud by scoring 99.68 percentile with 88% in HSC. He intends to study Bcom after this, to start working towards becoming a Chartered Accountant.

RAJASTHAN: The Rajasthan Bus Tourist Association has requested the state government for a tax waiver.

President, Ashok Kaishot and Vice-president, Ravi Saini of the association, shared that their point is ‘No useno tax’.

GUJARAT: Maintaining its track record of the highest number of A1 grade-holders in the state, 189 students from Surat city and district have secured the top grade in class XII general stream exams, and the results for which were announced on Monday. Rajkot with 108 students came second, while 40 students from Ahmedabad city and 16 from Ahmedabad rural secured the A1 grade.

RAJASTHAN: An online session was organised

by Poornima Institute of Hotel Management (PIHM), on the topic of ‘Planning Careers in the Digital Age and After Covid-19’. During the session, Former Principal, Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Dr Sudhir Andrews, gave various tips to participants for the success in this digital world.

HAPPY B’DAY!

During this ongoing pandemic, Nilima Joy from Assam’s Goalghat district delivered a baby girl while returning to the state, on a Sharmik Special train from Kerala, on Monday. She named her ‘Quarantina’.

GUJARAT: Anjali Dubey, the daughter of a Surat-based auto driver, made her father proud by scoring 99.99 percentile in the Senior Secondary Board Examination of Commerce Stream.

IPS Tejaswini Gautam celebrated her birthday on 16 June, Tuesday. We wish her all the best!