First India-Jaipur Edition-27 April 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

23°C - 37°C

ALERT JAIPUR l MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 320

WORLD

2,05,929 29,71,533 880 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

DEATHS

INDIA

27,886

CONFIRMED CASES

PM’s agenda with CMs: Lockdown exit plan, state-specific progress Aditi Nagar New Delhi: Almost a week before the extended lockdown ends, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Chief Ministers of all states and Union territories via video conference on Monday.

PM will talk on the way ahead in the fight against the novel coronavirus, amid indications that the discussions could also focus on a

graded exit from the ongoing lockdown.

According to sources, the three-point agenda of this meeting is mainly focused on Corona lock-down and epidemic, steps taken to prevent corona infection, status and containment in states and union territories and following the guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry on April 20 and steps to be

Prime Minister Narendra Modi seen wearing a mask during video-conferencing with the Chief Ministers over COVID19, in New Delhi on April 11.

—FILE PHOTO

41

In upcoming interaction today PM is expected to seek views of states in lifting lockdown, which is in place till May 3

taken after May 3, the last date of extended lockdown period.

This will be the third video conference of the prime minister with the chief ministers after the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.

Sources in the government indicated that besides discussing the way forward in dealing with the pandemic, the discussion could also focus on a “graded” exit from the

lockdown which is in place till May 3.

PM is also likely to take up state-specific issues and formulate a common exit plan.

The Centre and the state governments have been giving gradual relaxation in various fields and sectors to boost economic activities as also to provide relief to people.

But some states are willing to extend the lockdown Turn on P6

In Mann Ki Baat, PM said each person Says masks will become a new Lauds state governments for their symbol of a civilised society fighting this war as per their capacity proactive role against pandemic

KEY TAKE AWAYS FROM MANN KI BAAT  People seeing humane, sensitive side of cops  Government has come up with digital platform to help link Covid warriors  Feels ‘very proud’ when world leaders thank India for help in COVID-19 crisis  Helping poor is our topmost priority  Farmers ensuring no

one goes to bed hungry  Our fight akin to ‘Mahayagya’, everyone eager to contribute  Festivals teach us to fight against bad times  Celebrate Ramadan at home, maintain physical distancing  Change habits; Apply mask, don’t spit anywhere

RAJASTHAN

2,185

DEATHS

A PEOPLE-DRIVEN BATTLE!

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said India’s “people-driven” battle against COVID-19 is the only way for the country to overcome the pandemic, and asked people to shun any complacency that they will not be infected by the coronavirus because it has so far not affected the places where they live or work.

In his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ broadcast, Modi said the country is in the middle of a ‘yudh’ (war) and asserted that people have to continue being careful and take precautions.

His note of caution comes against the backdrop of the Union government and states relaxing lockdown norms to revive economic activities.

Turn on P6

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Biggest 1 day spike in corona cases in India

Bhagwat: India never discriminates in helping

New Delhi:Last week into the extended lockdown, the countrywide toll due to Covid-19 rose to 880 and the number of cases climbed to 2,7890 on Sunday, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The country has reported 55 deaths and 1,975 cases in the last 24 hours even as all the eyes are now on the video conference between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief ministers on Monday.

Deaths were reported from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat, Delhi, UP, J&K and Tamil Nadu.

Nagpur: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that India never discriminates and is helping other countries with medicines during COVID-19 pandemic.

“Coronavirus is a new disease. We are getting to know more about it as we are getting closer to the disease. All efforts are being made to mitigate this problem,” said Bhagwat in an online address on “Current scenario and our role.” He said that India has suffered a loss, but still sent the medicines to other countries, which were banned for exporting to other countries. “India never discriminates. We work for all,” said Bhagwat.

India, a major producer

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

of hydroxychloroquine, has promised to supply the drug to 55 countries including Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. The medication, which is used in COVID-19 therapy, has already been supplied to the United States, Afghanistan, Mauritius, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and Seychelles. Turn on P6

CONFIRMED CASES

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

975,798 SPAIN 226,629 ITALY 197,675 GERMANY 157,120 UK 152,840 TURKEY 110,130 IRAN 90,481 CHINA 82,827 RUSSIA 80,949

54,941 23,190 26,644 5,896 20,732 2,805 5,710 4,632 747

USA

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO

LAST UPDATED: APRIL 26, 2020, 11:00 PM

IN RAJASTHAN DISTRICT

TOTAL CASES

AJMER 123 ALWAR 7 BANSWARA 62 BARMER 2 BHARATPUR 110 BHILWARA 33 BIKANER 37 CHITTORGARH 1 CHURU 14 DAUSA 21 DHOLPUR 5 DUNGARPUR 6 HANUMANGARH 11 JAIPUR 808 JAISALMER 34 JHALAWAR 30 JHUNJHUNU 42 JODHPUR 364 KARAULI 3 KOTA 158 NAGAUR 113 PALI 2 PRATAPGARH 2 RAJSAMAND 1 SWAI MADHOPUR 8 SIKAR 5 TONK 115 UDAIPUR 5 OTHER DIST. 0 2122 TOTAL OTHER (Italy) 2 EVACUEES 61 GRAND TOTAL 2185 SAMPLE RECEIVED

4 MILITANTS KILLED, ARMY OFFICER HURT IN KULGAM SHOOTOUT Srinagar: Four militants were killed in a brief shootout in Asthal village of Kulgam.

Police said militants evening attacked patrolling party of 9 RR in Asthal on Sunday.

Forces retaliated resulting in the encounter. Four militants were killed while one army officer identified as Major Patel has also received bullet injury.

SOUTH KOREA SAYS KIM JONG UN IS ‘ALIVE AND WELL’ Seoul: A special train possibly belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was spotted this week at a resort town in the country, according to satellite images reviewed by a Washington-based North Korea monitoring project, amid conflicting reports about Kim’s health and whereabouts, a Reuters report said. Meanwhile, South Korea continued to pour water on mounting speculation about the health of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, telling CNN he is “alive and well.” “Our government position is firm,” Moon Chungin, the top foreign policy adviser to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, told CNN. “Kim Jong Un is alive and well.”

‘CORONA CASES DROP TO ZERO IN WUHAN HOSP FOR 1ST TIME’ Beijing: Number of hospitalised Covid-19 patients in China’s Wuhan, where virus first emerged before turning out to be a pandemic, on Sunday dropped to zero for the first time, marking yet another milestone for the city which was opened up on April 8 after a 76-day lockdown. The last patient in Wuhan was cured on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

+685 +288 +260 +19 +413 +99 +60 +4 +66

SAMPLE NEGATIVE

NEW TOTAL CASES DEATH

+11 — +1 — +1 — — — — — +2 — +1 +16 — +1 — +38 — +9 +20 — — — — +1 — +1 — +102 — — +102

— 1 — — 1 2 1 — — — — — — 21 — — — 5 — 4 1 — — — — 2 1 — 2(UP) 41 — — 41

82,942 75,670

UNDER EXAMINATION

5,087

CORONA IN RAJASTHAN 102 cases of corona were reported in state on Sunday. Of these 20 were from Nagaur, 23 in Jodhpur, 11 in Ajmer, 16 in Jaipur, 3 in Kota, 2 in Dhaulpur, while one each was found infected in Jhalawar, Bharatpur and Hanumangarh.

41 people have died so far in state.

Prepare yourself mentally for lockdown extension: Gehlot CM BATS FOR TRACKING OF QUARANTINED INDIVIDUALS THROUGH APP, SEEKS COOPERATION FROM PEOPLE TO FIGHT OFF CORONAVIRUS Naresh Sharma Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday hinted that the lockdown might not be removed in the country on 3rd May. Gehlot, who is scheduled to hold a video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday,

expressed his opinion that the modified lockdown should be removed in phases and not suddenly.

Ahead of his discussion with Prime Minister, Gehlot said that PM Modi has already taken feedback from across the nation and “I don’t think that the lockdown will be removed on 3rd

May.” Divulging on his opinion Gehlot further said, “each state has its own circumstance.

Hence removal of lockdown should be taken considering the situation in these states.”

Interestingly, talking to a media house, Gehlot said that people should be mentally prepared for extension of lock-

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot

down. Notably, the Chief Minister also supported tracking of individuals under quarantine. “If any person breaks the rules, legal action will be taken against them. We will conduct online tracking of those under quarantine through Covid-19 Quarantine Alert System and Raj Covind-19 Info app,” the Chief Minister said.

“The final call on lifting of lockdown will be taken after thoroughly discuss-

ing the situation in each district of Rajasthan and number of patients in each district.

The Rajasthan Government will leave no stone unturned to fight off Corona,” Gehlot stressed, and added, “Government wants to bring all the stranded Rajasthanis back but they will have to cooperate with us since we will follow the medical protocol to the hilt.”

Prior to this the Chief Minister held a

meeting with his core group to finalize the points of discussion during the VC with PM. Meanwhile, Gehlot has activated the entire bureaucratic system to bring back stranded Rajasthanis back to the home state. While various bureaucrats have been made nodal officials, now arrangements are being made regarding transport and quarantine facilities and soon the ‘home coming’ of these stranded individuals will start.

NEWS JAIPUR | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020

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‘TAX THE SUPER-RICH TO FUND CORONA FIGHT’ CBDT initiates inquiry on IRS officers for unsolicited report on corona funding Mumbai: A group of senior tax officers has suggested a super-rich tax and a higher levy on foreign companies to keep the cash till running as part of short term measures to help the government fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The suggestions are part of a paper titled ‘Force’, which stands for ‘Fiscal Options & Response to the COVID-19 Epidemic’, submitted by the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Associa-

tion to CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) Chairman P C Mody.

According to the paper, dated April 23, tax relief should be restricted to honest and compliant taxpayers, especially those filing returns on time as there have been many instances of non-filing of returns, increase in non-deductions and withholding of TDS apart from rising under-reporting of tax liabilities through bogus

CBDT INITIATES PROBE ON IRS OFFICERS

A farmer looks distressed as they are incurring losses due to lack of labourers during the harvest season of Rabi crops amid COVID-19 lockdown, in Chhatarpur, in Madhya Pradesh.

—PHOTO BY ANI

loss claims.

The central government has frozen the inflation-linked allowance for its employees

and pensioners, a move that will help it save around Rs 37,000 crore.

Some of the short term measures suggest-

ed in the paper include a super-rich tax by raising the highest slab rate to 40 per cent for those with an income above

Saavdhani hati, durghatna ghati: PM warns during Mann ki Baat

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged citizens of areas which have not been affected by COVID-19 to not get caught in the “trap of over-confidence” and follow all precautions to keep the disease at bay.

“To my countrymen, I urge, let us not at all get caught in the trap of over-confidence, let us not harbour a feeling that if corona has not yet reached our city, our village, our street or our office, it is not going to reach now. Never make such a mistake,” Modi said during his monthly “Mann ki Baat” programme. “The experi-

ence of the world is narrating a lot to us. And, here in our country, we are always reminded again and again - ‘saavdhani hati, durghatna ghati’,” he said. The PM stressed on “no negligence” at the local level or elsewhere.

“In over-enthusiasm, there should be no negligence at the local level or elsewhere. We will always have to remain cautious. And, I will reiterate, always maintain a safe distance and keep yourself healthy,” said the Prime Minister.

He also informed that the govt has come up with a digital platform to link volunteers of so-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

cial organizations, representatives of civil society & local adm.

“My dear countrymen, with utmost humility and deepest respect, I bow to this sen-

timent displayed by 130 crore countrymen. To facilitate your selfless endeavour towards our country, as per your inclination and time, the government has come

Despite govt’s appeal: Private schools pressurising parents to deposit fees First India News Jaipur: The private schools which were somehow keeping silent until now have started building pressure on the parents to deposit the pending school fees.

Schools are sending text messages to the parents repeatedly. This is despite the state government already appealing the private schools not to force any parent to deposit fees amid lockdown.

Pic for representational purpose only.

Education minister Govind Singh Dotasara says that no school will be allowed

to force any parent and no such case has been reported until now.

On the other hand,

private school owners also are in a fix. Most of them have been running online classes have kept the staff working which has to be paid their salaries but without fees, the sole source of income, they aren’t paying the salaries.

The ball as of now is in government’s court as what steps it takes to relieve both the helpless parents and the aggrieved school managements.

up with a Digital Platform ...it is called covidwarriors.gov.in ... I repeatcovidwarriors. gov.in,” said the Prime Minister. “Through the medium of this platform, the govt has linked volunteers of social organizations, representatives of civil society and local administration with each other.

It did not take long for 1.25 cr people to be part of this portal. They comprise Doctors, Nurses, ASHA-ANM workers, our friends from NCC, professionals from myriad fields... all of them have made the platform their own,” he added.

—ANI

Nagaur emerging as new Covid-19 hotspot in Raj First India News Nagaur. After a brief gap the dist is becoming a hotspot for the coronavirus. 20 new cases came up on Sunday taking the total number to 113. Basni has contributed maximum to this number as 102 cases have been reported from here. So far 2135 samples have been tested and 1581 have reported negative. Also, Ladnu reported 6, Parbatsar 3 & one each from Kuchaman city & Roon.

Rs 1 crore from 30 per cent and re-introduction of wealth tax for those with over Rs 5 crore annual income.

Soldier commits suicide by shooting himself First India News Jodhpur: Nayak Rajesh Kumar of 103 Air Defence committed suicide in the Shikargarh Army area on Sunday by shooting himself with his duty rifle.

Army personnel living in neighbouring barracks rushed to his barrack on hearing the gunshot. Ratanada police reached the spot on information with FSl team and kept the body of Nayak at MG hospital mortuary. The body of deceased Odisha resident was handed over to Army officers after conducting the postmortem. The police is yet investigating the cause informed SI Budhram.

SHORT TERM REFERS TO A TIME PERIOD OF 3-6 MONTHS As per the paper, a copy of which is with PTI, the surcharge introduced in the Budget 2021 on the super-rich may generate only Rs 2,700 crore to the exchequer and therefore the call to up the tax slab on the super-rich. Individuals having a taxable income of Rs 1 crore are considered as super-rich.

THE PAPER HAS BEEN PREPARED

BY A GROUP OF 50 IRS OFFICERS The group has also suggested that the ultra-

rich be taxed through two alternative ways which can be imposed for a limited time. One, up the highest slab rate to 40 per cent on income of over Rs 1 crore from 30 per cent now and two, re-introduce wealth tax for those with a net wealth of Rs 5 crore.

For the medium term, 9-12 months time period, the paper has suggested raising additional revenue from foreign companies operating in the country by hiking the surcharge on their income from the present 2 per cent for Rs 1-10 crore and at 5 per cent on incomes exceeding Rs 10 crore.

—PTI

Double days of work under MGNREGA: Pilot demands Centre First India News Jaipur: PCC Chief and Deputy CM Sachin Pilot has written a letter to the Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar demanding relief to the 1.13 crore MGNREGA workers of the state in the current adverse circumstances. Pilot has also demanded that the entire wage per capita should be paid per day to MGNREGA labourers up to a maximum limit of 100 days during the period of lockdown.

Pilot added that MGNREGA is the lifeline of rural labourers and daily workers,

Sachin Pilot

small marginal farmers, agricultural labourers, and construction workers have been the worst affected due to the lockdown.

Therefore, in order to provide financial support to the affected people in the year 2020-21, 100 days of employment fixed under MGNREGA should be increased to 200 days per family.

Choudhary hits out at Cong for neglecting farmers in state First India News Jaipur: Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Kailash Choudhary have accused the Congress govt of the state of completely failing in defeating coronavirus and treating the farmers as not their own. On Sunday, Chaudhary addressed a press conference through VC from his residence. During the VC, the Union Minister informed about various

Kailash Choudhary

schemes initiated by central govt and various steps taken for the convenience of farmers during the lockdown.

Chaudhary said that due to lack of adequate procurement centres in

the state, procurement of wheat, mustard, and gram has not started this time.

A total of 719 procurement centres have been set up in 11341 panchayats of Rajasthan, which is very less.

Where the purchase of Kharif crops has been completed in other states, it has not even started properly in Rajasthan. It shows the negligence of the state government towards their farmers.

RSRTC fulfils CM’s mission to ply students, workers in ‘record time’ Post-lockdown, Rajasthan Roadways has 5-point agenda to ply buses: Naveen Jain

ASHOK SHARMA Senior Journalist

Jaipur: In many ways, there has been a ‘response like no other’ from Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to Covid19. He was deeply concerned when large contingent of poor migrant labourers were made to walk hundreds of kilometres, and students

were struck in Kota because of ‘sudden’ lockdown. “This is a moment that tests our humanity,” Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, and roped in Rajasthan Roadways to rescue them. Chairman and Managing Director of Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) Naveen Jain discusses his Corporation’s current and future strategies in an interview to Ashok Sharma. Excerpts from the interview:  Q1: How well were you prepared when you took the exercise to ferry migrant labourers and stranded students?

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot takes a briefing from Naveen Jain, as Health Minister Raghu Sharma looks on, at an event in Jaipur. —FILE PHOTO

A safe transportation of migrant labourers and stranded students during these difficult times is complicated and not without risk but complying with lockdown protocol

around 12,000 students from Kota were sent back to their homes using 400 buses. It’s time when we must trust on government machinery.  Q2: If a decision is taken to ferry the

passengers again, what will be “normal’ like for Rajasthan Roadways?

The sanitation aspect has been stepped up at all the bus terminals.

And this will be normal in the coming months. We are ready with 5-point agenda draft. To ensure sanitation of bus stations and buses, we have procured sufficient stock of sodium hydrochloride; For social distancing, in a 47-seater bus, only 60% capacity will be used; For the safety purpose, the bus conductor and driver will be given mask, gloves, and sanitiser; Mentoring is also

our priority. Bus conductor will brief passengers about various precautions; and Roadways terminals will have hand washing stations for passengers.

With these 5-point agenda and other ‘commonsense initiatives, I am hopeful that we will be able to give infection free transportation services.  Q3: How did you manage the first mission of shifting migrant workers during the lockdown?

You must be aware, recently when RSRTC went ahead with its first mission to rescue around 25,000 migrant workers from Gujarat

border and took them to their respective districts in Rajasthan, CM Gehlot praised the Roadways move, saying other State governments should follow suit.  Q4: How quickly, and in what way were you able to accomplish the mission when labourers waited on the roads without food or water to return to their home districts?

Yes, it was an emotional moment to hear of around 25,000 poor labourers reported to be walking down the Agra Highway.

Rajasthan Roadways geared up to reduce their agony and

pressed free bus fleet into service and all of them were accommodated in our sanitised buses within a span of 20 hour.  Q5:How did you deal with sending thousands of Kota students back home?

Around 400 Rajasthan and UP Roadways buses were deployed to shift around 12,000 Kota students to their home districts. These missions could be accomplished because of Chief Minister’s innovation, who gave us timely clearance. I myself ensured smooth and safe transportation at ground zero. We were really fast in our operation.

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BRIEF  Sikar: Under the Disaster Management Act, a case has been filed against a resident of Idgah Road Ismail for calling his wife secretly from a corona hotspot in Jaipur Ramganj to Sikar without permission of the administration, despite the lockdown imposed for the prevention of coronavirus spread.  Jaipur: The samples of 118 media personnel came negative. The tests were done by SMS Medical College.  Jaipur: Instructions from Home Department regarding Quarantine Centres. The instructions are issued for people coming from the other states.

Registration should be done by making check posts in the border districts of the state and the local people should inform the administration of the people who are reaching in the village directly. Regular information shall be given to Patwari, Tehsildar or SDM. If any person comes from outside, that individual has to stay at home in the Quarantine for 14 days. Violator should be kept in the isolation centre. Quarantine centre should be built in villages that do not allow outsiders.

ACS Home department Rajiv Swaroop issued instructions.  Jaipur: PTET exam which was supposed to be conducted on May 10 is now going to be rescheduled. 4 lakh 80 thousand candidates have filed the applications to appear for the paper. But the exam is now postponed until further orders.  Kota: A case against former MLA Bhavani Singh Rajawat is filed in Vigyanagar police station of Kota. Rajawat is accused of making proactive inflammatory speech. Rajawat released a video of proactive speech.

3-DAY-OLD CHILD YOUNGEST CASE, 7 DIE, 102 FOUND +VE First India News

Jaipur: A three day old infant tested corona positive after her mother was diagnosed positive. The baby is the youngest victim of Covid-19 in the state so far.

So far 629 patients have recovered. 263 have already been discharged from the hospitals and rest would follow the suite after they complete their mandatory quarantine period. The patients who turned positive are from across the state with 4 from Alwar, 21 Banswara, 1 Barmer & Dholpur, 5 Ajmer, Bharatpur & Dungarpur, 30 Bhilwara, 32 Bikaner & Jhunjhunu, 11 Churu, 7 Dausa, 2 Pali, Pratapgarh, Hanumangarh & Karauli, 26 Jaisalmer,

Area at Aankado Ka Rasta, Kishanpole Bazar in Jaipur, from where a positive case was found, being sealed and sanitised by the authorities on Sunday.

—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

16 Jhalawar, 50 Jodhpur, 80 Kota, & Nagaur, 32 Tonk, 1 Sikar, 4 Udaipur, 2 from other states, 2 Italians and 25 Indians evacuated from Iran also turned positive however one Italian died after recovery.

7 corona deaths were reported on Sunday 3 in

Jodhpur and 2 in Jaipur while one was reported from Sikar and one man from Uttar Pradesh also died taking the state toll to 41. Sunday reported 102 new cases out of which 38 came from Jodhpur, 20 from Nagaur, 16 from Jaipur, 11 from Ajmer, 9 from

Baran: The news of First India has had a big impact in Baran. First India had reported about the inconvenience, including food, water, and other facilities, in the quarantine centre for girls coming from outside in the girls’ hostel of the Government College on College

A view of the statue of Gangaur procession at Rambagh Circle during the thunderstorm and heavy rainfall on Sunday evening in Jaipur.

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

Naveen Sharma Jaipur: Temperature fluctuations are being recorded in the state for the past few days.

Along with it, the storms and rainy season has also started.

After the heat for the last 3 days, light to moderate rain was recorded in many places,

which has decreased the temperature.

Later in the afternoon, the weather changed in Jaipur, Dholpur, Ajmer and Bandikui and rains were witnessed with strong winds, due to which the mercury dropped by up to 12 degrees. In Jaipur, weather suddenly changed

on Sunday evening and it rained for about 30 minutes with a strong thunderstorm.

Meteorological Department has also issued a yellow alert in 20 districts of the state for the next 3 days, informing that rain and thunderstorms would occur in those districts on April 27, 28 and 30.

sistants and medical department doctors are also posted in the affected areas.

Police forces have been deployed to barricade the affected areas. Meanwhile, Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital management has also made strong arrangements to deal with the situation.

Ajmer: The number of coronavirus cases is rising in Ajmer and reached 123 on Sunday.

According to Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr KK Soni the screening has been further strengthened.

Along with this, paramedical Anganwadi as-

Udaipur. The lake city celebrated its 468th foundation day on Sunday unceremoniously amid ongoing lockdown. It was on auspicious day of Akshay Tritiya on 15 April in 1553 that Maharana Udai Singh had laid the foundation stone of the city. The historic Udaiban canon was fired from the Machla Magra as Maharna Udai Singh laid the foundation stone of the royal palace.

Bharatpur: A dead woman was found COVID-19 positive in the district on Sunday.

CMHO Dr Kaptan Singh said that a 20-year-old pregnant woman of Kherli Gurjar Gram Panchayat of Vair tehsil was taken to Bhusawar Community Health Centre on April 23 after she started experiencing labour pain.

The doctor informed about the possibility of the child dying in the womb and referred her to Janana Hospital at 3 am on April 24. At 5 am, the woman was asked to go to Jaipur for treatment, where she died during the operation.

CMHO also said that a 58-year-old patient of Bayana Kasipada has also been found infected with coronavirus.

Residents near Gopalpura bypass and Triveni Nagar welcoming the Nirbhaya squad.

—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

First India News Jaipur: Jaipur DCP West Kavendra Sagar put tight pressure on the liquor mafia. Cops arrested a liquor smuggler in Harmada recovering a huge amount of alcohol. During questioning , police got information about a female smuggler who was later arrested.

First India News

First India News

First India News

First India News

City cops under DCP Sagar rein in liquor mafia, Three held

At least 35 liters of illicit liquor was recovered from her. A young man was also arrested smuggling illegal country liquor on his bike.

Sagar said “Police is holding the reins on the liquor mafias who are increasing during the lockdown, and Police crackdown will continue even further”.

Temp drops again, MeT ‘Unhealthy’ quarantine centre shifted in Baran predicts thunderstorms

Ajmer turns into hotspot with 123 cases

No big b’day party on Udaipur’s 468th

Kota, 2 from Dholpur aand one each from Banswara, Bharatpur, Jhalawar, Hanumangarh and Udaipur.

State has tested 82942 samples so far out of which 75670 have reported negative while reports for 5087 samples is awaited.

Pregnant lady dies, found corona positive

03

15-month-old kid recovers, 88% in Jaisalmer win against corona First India News Jaisalmer: The corona pandemic is almost under control in Pokhran despite multiple chains. Even a 15-month-old, who was tested positive around 10 days ago, has won over coronavirus in Pokhran. The parents of the kid Adil were tested negative and he was sent to Jodhpur for treatment with his mother.

In Pokhran, 34 posi-

15-mth-old Adil, who won the corona battle, with his mother.

tive case were found in 16 days. But, since finding the first case, 21

days ago, 30 patients have been discharged from the hospital.

Pokhran is faring very well compared to other areas. In Bhilwara, the first patient was reported on March 20 and there are 33 corona cases, but all of them have not recovered yet.

The patients from Pokhran are being treated in Jodhpur. The 88% recovery rate of Jaisalmer is better than the rest of the state.

Unhygienic condition at the quarantine centre in Baran.

Road in Baran.

After the news, the district administration came into action and District Collector Indra Singh Rao ordered to change the quarantine centre to a private marriage garden located at Kota Road. On this, the students and women living in the quarantine centre have thanked First India.

PERSPECTIVE JAIPUR | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020

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IN-DEPTH

FIGHT AGAINST CORONA IS PEOPLE-DRIVEN

LET’S SAVE HUMANITY: LOVE IN THE TIMES OF CORONA

Persian scholar of medicine, Ibn Sina (980-1037) came up with the idea of quarantine DR ASHISH GAUR

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to the people through his fourth Mann ki Baat this year by calling the fight against coronavirus is people-driven. Everyone is contributing his/her best to the country’s fight against the deadly virus, the prime minister said and extolled all those contributing their mite to the national cause. Farmers found a special mention as they are toiling when the whole country is locked down.

“Our farmers are working day and night in their fields to ensure that no one goes hungry. There are people who are giving up rents and there are people who are giving up their pension,” Modi said.

“People of our country are fighting this war along with the administration. We are also fighting poverty. All of us are soldiers in this fight,” he said.

Indeed, the imposition of lockdown without prior warning has been the most upsetting part of the battle against the deadly virus. Lakhs - migrant workforce, students, and many others - found themselves stranded. With all work coming to a halt, people were rendered jobless and without money far from their native place. They trudged their way back, braving police’s lathi blows and hunger. Many made it, others were detained and quarantined until governments turned empathetic and started sending them back. A word of praise from the PM for the people will go a long way in this ongoing battle. With Twitter being misused for spreading Islamophobia in the country, a noxious atmosphere of hate and distrust was gaining hold. When the country needed unity and sanity, efforts were being made by a section of society to divide and spread madness. In that context the prime minister’s call for special prayers during Ramzan to ward off coronavirus was significant. Saying that the pandemic has changed the way we celebrate festivals, Modi said that during last year’s Ramzan one wouldn’t have imagined a situation like the present one and exhorted Muslims for special prayers. “This Ramzan we should pray more than before to ensure that before Eid the world gets rid of this coronavirus. I am sure we will strengthen this fight by following orders of the district administration,” he said.

Life after Covid-19 is bound to change drastically from the days before coronavirus, or BC as many prefer to call it. Masks would become an essential part of our person, at least for those not wanting to throw caution to the wind. “It has become a part of our daily lives. It has not happened before,” Modi said, calling it a new reality. If people indeed start donning masks and stay “do guz” (two yards) apart from one another, it would be a revolutionary change in our behaviour. If only people would heed his advice and stop spitting, the country will become so much cleaner and healthier.

The writer is a health care professional in Cardiac surgery and Cardiac Transplantation department in Mumbai

W

Vivid scientific theories and numerous research-backed articles are finding a place in front lines these days claiming to have found the treatment of this pandemic.

Though only time would declare the real solution behind the viral eradication, up-till then we shall learn a drug a day from social media

e are hit by the coronavirus and the whole nation is locked down for 21 days. As history would have it, word quarantine means 40 days isolation, and the first incident happened in the 14th century in Venice to prevent the spread of Bubonic plague, when the ships returning from the sea were quarantined for 40 days. It was the Persian scholar of medicine, Ibn Sina (980-1037) who first came up with the idea of quarantine to prevent the spread of diseases. He suspected that some diseases were spread by microorganisms; to prevent human-to-human contamination, he came up with the method of isolating people for 40 days. He called this method alArba’iniya (“the forty”).

In these days of self-isolation, we have few words added in our day to day dictionary which was probably left isolated in the English language i.e, Quarantine, and social distancing. Obviously we were all made to learn and repeat a few words daily like Corona, masks, and hand hygiene.

Coming to from where I started, When we get trained to practice surgery or for that matter to examine any patient, we are taught hand washing (scrubbing in medical language), social distancing -standing 3 feet away form anyone who is not sterile (surgically clean) and to wear mask always to prevent contamination.

As we have the situation turned into a nightmare, the three basic steps of training again come to the forefront of our rescue. So I would love to say “The whole world is operation table now.”

Vivid scientific theories and numerous research-backed articles are finding a place in front lines these days claiming to have found the treatment of this pandemic. Though only time would declare the real solution behind the viral eradica-

tion, up-till then we shall learn a drug a day from social media.

To nail the science behind immunogenicity and viral spread, I would retract your senses to Darwin’s theory of evolution that we read at some stage in our school which precisely claims “survival of the fittest “ and to understand any epidemic /pandemic Darwin shall always come to our rescue.

Long before apes and plants evolved, viruses contributed to the rise of cellular life. Bacteria were the first to evolve from prototypes. The virus was on earth more than 3.5 billion years ago and branching of the human lineage from the one that produced great apes (orang-utans, chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas) in Africa happened sometime between 6 and 7 million years ago. So progeny wise we are younger and at their la la land.

So we know now, who invaded whom?

In these difficult times, the thing which has also evolved or rather surfaced with a viral pandemic is religious outrage, bigotry, and hatred towards the medical community by selec-

As Rumi would have said it: “This too shall pass” and as poet Emily Dickinson would have proclaimed “Hope is the thing with feathers” we would eventually be able to save humans out of this catastrophe

tive groups. Though we may find a drug to stop the deaths and to treat the affected lungs, unfortunately, we won’t ever be able to evolve

What COVID-19 reveals about the US and China

T

here is nothing like a pandemic to expose systemic differences. For China and the US, which were locked in an ideologically driven competition even before the COVID-19 crisis, those differences are stark.

But the two countries have at least one thing in common: when this is all over, they will need to rethink their social contracts.

To curb virus transmission, China and the US have implemented social-distancing measures, which – together with the unemployment they produce – have broken the cycle of earning and spending that sustains global growth. Yet the type of public-health measures pursued – and their outcomes – have diverged sharply. China’s draconian lockdowns produced a dramatic decline

04

in new cases, whereas America’s delayed and fragmented response allowed infections – and the death toll – to mount.

This divergence is often attributed to political differences: Chinese central planning allows for more resolute action. But this explanation misses the extent to which the US and Chinese growth models have shaped their responses – and the financial and economic effects.

In the US, decades of neoliberal policies have led to a dependence on debtfinanced consumption.

Americans saved little but borrowed a lot. Thanks to the “exorbitant privilege” afforded by the US dollar’s position as the leading global reserve currency, so did the government. Fiscal and current-account deficits swelled.

Inflation, however, re-

International Monetary Fund estimates that world GDP will contract by 3% this year. China’s shrank by 6.8% in the first quarter

mained low, even when the US Federal Reserve pursued expansionary policies, largely because of the positive supply shocks produced by the integration of China and other developing countries into the global economy. The Fed is taking that route again during the pandemic, slashing interest rates and expanding its balance sheet by more

than $2.4 trillion in the past six weeks to prevent a systemic liquidity shortage.

The US financial system has also built up excessive leverage while becoming increasingly disconnected from the real economy. Wall Street firms trade among themselves, rather than serving Main Street. Corporations rely more on capital markets than on banks.

Moreover, despite advancements in electronic payments, households and small businesses continue to operate mainly in less efficient cash, paper checks, and credit cards. The US Treasury is delivering pandemic stimulus payments through direct deposits and mailed checks.

Technology platforms have capitalized on this debt-driven growth model, pushing endless consumption by users – through, say, targeted ads – with less

concern for supporting those attempting to generate income online. The “gig economy” exemplifies this one-way dynamic: a platform like Uber is optimized for sales and provides workers with the bare minimum of training and protection, while regulators take a hands-off approach.

It has long been clear that the US model is financially, environmentally, and – given skyrocketing inequality – socially unsustainable. But the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that any disruption of the debtconsumption cycle threatens to trigger collapse almost immediately: as soon as incomes are interrupted, private financial institutions curtail credit, fearing non-performing loans.

Consumption plummets, depleting incomes further.

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any drug in any laboratory which would treat religious bigotry.

So as we spend time with our loved ones in confinement, watching the daily doses of religious serials, having good homemade food, and sleeping comfortably in those cushioned ac rooms we must never forget the few unprivileged people who scattered outside on the dry, hot, deserted and lifeless roads.

We must also not forget to talk to our innersoles in solitude, for which you won’t ever have to hunt for a cave or climb the Himalayas, and ask ourselves; Is it really the way God wanted things to happen? Does our moral allow us to see such hatred brewing and above all: will you be able to explain the logic behind religious bigotry to innocent minds of your progeny?

As Rumi would have said it: “This too shall pass” and as poetic as Emily Dickinson would have proclaimed “Hope is the thing with feathers” we would eventually be able to save humans out of this catastrophe.

But as mother nature is stopping by to take a deep breathe let’s save humanity along too.

Top

TWEET Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Double the Grain Ear of rice: Railways is plying Annapoorna trains, a combination of two foodgrain loaded trains for efficient & timely transportation of essential goods.

Railways is committed to ensure adequate food supplies for fellow citizens during COVID-19 lockdown.

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump I never said the pandemic was a Hoax! Who would say such a thing? I said that the Do Nothing Democrats, together with their Mainstream Media partners, are the Hoax. They have been called out & embarrassed on this, even admitting they were wrong, but continue to spread the lie!

Spiritual SPEAK

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?—Romans 8:31

Vol 1 Issue No. 320 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur.

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

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CORONA UPDATE

Malls & markets in Delhi will continue to remain shut & only standalone neighbourhood shops will be opened

MALLS, MARKETS TO STAY SHUT: KEJRIWAL New Delhi: Malls and markets in Delhi will continue to remain shut and only standalone neighbourhood shops will be allowed to open, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said this afternoon after the central government allowed an ease in the nationwide restrictions over coronavirus in a late-night order on Friday.

“Last week, we had decided not to ease restrictions after the centre's order on relaxing shutdown in non-affected areas. We had decided to review the situation again in a week (on April 27),” CM Arvind Kejriwal said during a vc.

“We have now decided to stick to centre's (latest) guidelines. In Delhi, markets, market complexes or malls will not reopen. Only standalone neighbourhood shops will be allowed to open. In containment zones, nothing changes.

These are the areas where we are restricting movement,” he said, adding that “no other

Centre decided to open certain shops, we are implementing it here too. Medical stores, grocery stores, fruits, vegetable shops, dairy will remain open. Besides this, standalone shops in residential areas, neighbourhood shops will also open. No shopping complex or market will open. No shops will open in containment zones. Apart from that, for the next one week, till May 3, we are not allowing anything to open.

—Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister

relaxations will be allowed” till May 3 when the second phase of the countrywide lockdown is scheduled to end.

“These are very challenging times. We will plan the road ahead after a discussion with the central govern-

Health Min Dr Harsh Vardhan visits AIIMS Trauma Centre

Health Min Dr Harsh Vardhan visits AIIMS Trauma Centre, converted into dedicated COVID-19 Hosp.

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday visited AIIMS Trauma Centre, which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital.

Earlier on April 24, Dr Harsh Vardhan and MoS, Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Choubey had held a meeting via video conferencing with state Health Ministers to review actions on COVID-19 management. In the video conference,

STAFFER@ AIIMS, RISHEKESH TESTS+VE

Dr Vardhan urged them to ensure that no unnecessary stigma is attached to COVID-19 and said that we need to identify people infected with COVID-19

and treat them.

A total of 26,496 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in India. 5,804 people have recovered or migrated. —ANI

ment,” he said.

The national capital, which has 95 containment zones spread across all 11 districts, has so far reported nearly 2,500 coronavirus cases, inlcuding 53 deaths. It its order, the Union Home Ministry on Friday allowed all the shops in the residential areas - except those in malls - to reopen in a huge relief to shopkeepers and buyers amid a countrywide shutdown. The relaxation is not applicable to containment zones.

All restaurants, salons, barber shops, liquor stores will remain closed, the government clarified later, adding that e-commerce companies can only sell essential items. Malls, cinemas, gymnasiums, sports complexes, swimming pools, bars and auditoriums also continue to remain shut.

Only 50% staff will be allowed in shops that reopen. Masks, gloves & adherence to social distancing norms is mandatory. —Agencies

MP ‘Happiness Department’ to reduce stress of patients Bhopal: The BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government has decided to have a separate “Happiness Department” and use its services to reduce the stress of coronavirus patients and boost the morale of those at the forefront of the battle against the disease. CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, during his previous tenure, set up the “Anand Vibhag” (happiness department) in 2016. But, after the Congress came to power in the state in 2018, it merged the happiness department with the “Adhyatmik Vibhag” (spiritual department).

Now, Chouhan has directed the officials to demerge it, and engage the Happiness Department in fight against COVID-19. The CM has said those infected by the coronavirus should be treated in a joyous environment. —ANI

‘80% patients asymptomatic in Maha’ Mumbai: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said “80 % patients of coronavirus were asymptomatic” in his state – which has the largest number of COVID-19 patients in the country.

Maharashtra currently has 7,628 cases, more than a quarter of over 26,000 cases in the country. A chunk of them are from Mumbai, the country’s financial capital.

The CM said his state will take a decision on extending the lockdown by the end of this month. “We will take a call on what to do after the 30th,”

Matrix, importer of kits, which was seeking full payment upfront before delivering them.

The two companies

have entered into an agreement with Matrix, over the distribution of the test kits in the country. Justice Najmi Wa-

ziri issued the direction to all three companies to import 10 lakh test kits from China and distribute them here at a

Thackeray said. For now, he said, “We are restarting some things. I am going to study (the plan) it this evening. We have to see how we return to normalcy slowly”. Giving examples of urgent requirements, he said, “Doctors should start their clinics. Dialysis centers should

be started”. Meanwhile, he asked the people to have patience, saying without lockdown, there is “no other choice” at the moment.”It is not like the coronavirus is suddenly going away.

There is no proof of her immunity. We have to keep the high risk group safe,” he said.

100 COPS INFECTED, 2 DIE Mumbai: More than 100 cops have contracted highly contagious illness, which has infected over 26,000 people in country and killed at least 800. Two of these policemen from Mumbai have died, the city police tweeted. “Painful to know that two of our policemen have lost their lives fighting coronavirus.

Their families will be supported as per government's policy,” said CM Uddhav.

Bihar: 2 automatic RNA extraction machines ordered from Singapore

Dehradun: As many as 2,189 cases were lodged & 10,062 people have been arrested for the breach of lockdown norms in Uttarakhand.

“Out of the total, 39 cases were registered & 391 people were arrested on Sunday,” Police said. Under the MV Act, challans have been issued against 25,033 vehicles. —ANI

Patna: Bihar government has ordered two automatic RNA extraction machines, said the Principal Secretary of Health, Sanjay Kumar on Sunday.

“Right now the RNA extraction is done manually. The state government has ordered two automatic RNA extraction machines, one for RMRI

Recovered patients leave the NMCH in Patna on Sunday.

and the other for IGMS. They have been ordered from Singapore, we expect them to be here by monthend or the first week of May,” said Sanjay Kumar. Earlier in the day, with nine more persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Bihar, the total number of cases in the state reached 251. —ANI

STAY SAFE...

A graffiti is made on a road in Lucknow to make people aware about the COVID-19 and also to spread the message of staying indoors during the second phase of the lockdown to stay safe from the deadly Coronavirus.

—PHOTO BY ANI

81 MORE CASES IN ANDHRA PRADESH ficer Arja Srikanth, as many as 6768 samples are tested in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours from 9 AM Saturday to 9 AM Sunday.

81 of them are detected positive for COVID-19.

So far, the total number of cases in the state is 1097 and active cases are 835.

Amaravati: Eightyone more COVID-19 cases have been reported from Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases in the state to 1097.

According to a media bulletin released

by Andhra Pradesh state COVID Nodal Of-

Make test kits available at lowest cost: HC THE DIRECTIVE

UDDHAV TO INTERACT WITH PM MODI TODAY

10,000 held for breaching lockdown norms

LEGAL MATTER

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed that COVID-19 related tests should be made available to the general public at the lowest cost possible as the country is going through an unprecedented medical crisis affecting public order.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Rare Metabolics and Aark Pharmaceuticals, seeking the release of 7.24 lakh COVID-19 test kits from respondent

05

price not beyond Rs 400 per kit inclusive of GST. “The country is going through an unprecedented medical crisis affecting public order.

People have been cloistered in their homes or constrained to stay wherever they were on March 24. A profit mark-up of Rs 155 that is 61% on the landed cost price of Rs 245 is much on the higher side and in any case more than sufficient for the seller,” Wazir said.—ANI

Delhi: Babu Jagjivan Ram Hosp closed, after staff gets infected New Delhi: A second hospital in Delhi has been sealed in 24 hours after 44 staff including doctors were found infected with coronavirus. Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in north-west Delhi's Jahangirpuri will remain sealed until building has been completely sanitised. Patients who are already receiving critical care are still being looked after but no new patients will be taken in, the hospital said.The latest sealing

Paramilitary personnel stand guard at the Hindu Rao Hospital.

comes less than 24 hours after a nurse at Hindu Rao Hospital who had been working at different sections of

the building for the last two weeks tested positive for coronavirus, the officials from the hospital said. —ANI

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‘Being patient is the need of the hour’ CDS General Bipin Rawat said that the medical directions are being regularly issued by the DGAFMS New Delhi: The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army, General Bipin Rawat, on Sunday said that the armed forces personnel understand their responsibility at this time when India is battling the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak.

“As far as defence services are concerned, we do understand our responsibility that at this time when the nation is fighting against COVID-19 menace, the defence services must operate beyond the mandate and come to the support of our people and government in whatever way we can,” General Rawat told news agency ANI. “In order to do so, we

As far as defence services are concerned, we do understand our responsibility that at this time when the nation is fighting against COVID-19 menace, the defence services must operate beyond the mandate and come to the support of our people and government in whatever way we can.

BEING SECURE

—General Bipin Rawat, CDS

There would be problems in these challenging times but we have to learn to live with them.

It cannot be business as usual. These are the times when certain directions have been issued and they have to be adhered to if we want to fight the COVID-19 menace. I think our nation has done well. We will continue to do well if

the directions issued from time to time are adhered to,” he said.

General Rawat, while referring to the lockdown, said this is not the time to be impatient.

“We do know when the country is under lockdown and people are told to stay indoors, they tend to become impatient. This is not the time to be impatient.

Patience is very important to ensure that we remain disciplined.

Maintaining discipline in armed forces is not very difficult as we are accustomed to being in discipline but to maintain patience is the need of the hour,” he said “I am very happy to inform you that all our people have downloaded the Aarogya Setu application.” —ANI

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‘Revamp Corona testing in country’ India has to scale up testing from current 40,000 to 1L tests per day

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged PM Modi to clear “bottlenecks” and ramp up coronavirus testing in the country.

Quoting experts, Gandhi said “random testing is the key to beating the virus”. India has to scale up Covid-19 testing from the cur-

rent 40,000 to one lakh tests per day, he said. “Experts agree that mass random testing is the key to beating Corona. In India, a bottle neck is stopping us from scaling testing from the current 40,000 per day to 1 lakh tests a day, for which test kits are already in stock. —PTI

have to first ensure that we remain safe from COVID-19 because if our own sailors, soldiers and airmen get affected by this virus, how are we going to support our people. That is why we have issued very strict directions on social distancing, wearing of masks and ensuring that people who re-

quire to be in quarantine remain in quarantine,” said the CDS. He said that the medical directions are being regularly issued by the Director-General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) and that all meetings and conferences are taking place through video conferencing.

“We are attending

meetings organised by the Cabinet Secretary and we are attending meetings of the Ministry of Health. Whatever directions are coming, are percolating down to the rank and file and we are ensuring that these reach in the right time and right manner. This is very important for us to maintain strict discipline and patience.

SC heard 593 matters, delivered verdicts in 215 cases in lockdown

DHFL promoters, Wadhwan brothers, taken in CBI custody

Big bureaucratic reshuffle in Modi govt; AK Sharma, Tarun Bajaj move out from PMO

New Delhi: DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan, accused in the Yes BankDHFL fraud cases, have been taken into CBI custody, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said.

“A #CBI team has taken both Kapil & Dhiraj Wadhwan into custody. @SataraPolice has given them all required assistance & an escort vehicle with 1 3 guard upto Mumbai on a written request. The arrest procedures are going on. #LawEqualForAll,” the minister tweeted.

Out on bail since Feb 21, they were placed in institutional quarantine at Panchgani on April 9 after they had traveled from Khandala family's farmhouse in Mahabaleshwar violating lockdown. —PTI

New Delhi: In a major reshuffle in top bureaucracy of the Narendra Modi government, senior IAS officers A.K. Sharma and Tarun Bajaj were on Sunday moved out of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Bajaj, a 1988-batch Haryana cadre officer, has been appointed as Secretary, Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance and will take over upon superannuation of incumbent Atanu Chakraborty on April 30. He is presently posted as Additional Secretary in PMO, said a Ministry of Personnel order.

Sharma, a 1988-batch IAS of Gujarat cadre and also an Additional Secretary in the PMO, has been appointed Secretary, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

New Delhi: The Supreme Court heard 593 matters via video-conferencing and delivered judgement in 215 of them in a month during the unprecedented nationwide lockdown.

As COVID-19 infections spread in the country, the Supreme Court shut its doors to litigants and lawyers on March 23, two days before the lockdown came into force, but opened up to a virtual new way of functioning, albeit with a reduced strength.

In normal times, the apex court dispose of nearly 3,500 cases on an average a month. Twothree benches have been taking up “urgent” matters in virtual courtrooms daily during the lockdown period as compared to up to 16 benches hearing cases in normal times.

A total of 87 benches heard 593 cases on 17 working days between Match 23 and April 24.

Though the first phase of the nationwide lockdown for containing the spread of coronavi-

rus started on March 25, the apex court had issued a circular on March 23 restricting entry of advocates and litigants in its premises.

The circular had said that only matters involving extreme urgency would be heard by the top court through video-conferencing during the lockdown, which has now been extended till May 3. The data released by the top court said that as on April 24, the apex court had disposed of 84 review petitions.

It said that out of 87 benches, 34 heard main matters while 53 benches took up review petitions for adjudication. The data said that 390 main matters, along with 203 connected cases, were heard during this period.

It said verdicts were delivered in 215 cases, out of which 174 were connected matters.

SC judges, hearing matters via vc, have been provided with internet connectivity with speed of up to 100Mbps. —PTI

There was no party hosted by me: Kanika New Delhi: Days after recovering from Corona & getting discharged from Lucknow's SGPGI, Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor said that “no party was hosted” by her in Lucknow and that there have been several “wrong exchanges of information” about her. She took to Instagram to open up about her diagnosis —ANI

and will take over upon superannuation of the present incumbent Arun Kumar Panda on April 30. The decision was taken on Sunday by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by the Prime Minister.

As per the order, Sudhanshu Pandey will be new Union Food Secretary, Pradeep Kumar Tripathi the new Steel Secretary, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) Vice Chairman Tarun Kapoor the new Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas, CBSE Chairperson Anita Karwal will be the new Secretary, Education and Literacy, and Rajesh Bhushan Officer on Special Duty in Department of Health and Family Welfare.

Union Health Secre-

Preeti Sudan

tary Preeti Sudan has got a three-month extension, said a Ministry of Personnel order. A 1983 batch IAS officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, she was to retire from service on April 30.

The ACC approved her extension for a period of “three months beyond the date of her superannuation on April 30, 2020 or until

further orders, whichever is earlier”.

Amit Khare, a 1985-batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre and currently Secretary, Higher Education, has been given additional charge of the post of Secretary, Information and Broadcasting on appointment of incumbent Ravi Mittal as Secretary, Sports.

Ravi Kant, Secretary, Food and Public Distribution has been appointed as Secretary, Ex-Servicemen Welfare in Ministry of Defence given the coming superannuation of present incumbent Sanjeevanee Kutty on April 30.

Secretary, New and Renewable Energy, Anand Kumar has been appointed as Secretary, Culture.

These were among 23

IAS officers of the rank from Additional Secretary, Special Secretary and Secretary who were on Sunday appointed in various central government departments as part of the bureaucratic reshuffle.

A total of 10 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers have been given in-situ upgradation to the level of Special Secretary in the rank and pay of Secretary of Central government, as a measure personal to the them, by temporarily upgrading the posts held by them.

These are Jyoti Arora, B Anand, Neel Kamal Darbari, Bidyut Bihari Swain, Apurva Chandra, Rajiv Bansal, Ali Raza Rizvi, Praveen Kr. Srivastava, Arvind Singh and Indevar Pandey.

Mum Police sends Arnab 2 probe notices Mumbai: Mumbai Police has sent Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami two notices in a 12 hour period for immediate interrogation for questioning Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s silence on Palghar sadhu lynching.

According to a statement issued by Goswami, as a law abiding citizen, he will cooperate with investigation & will appear for in-

Arnab Goswami

terrogation on Monday. He further urged Mumbai Police to show similar alacrity

in investigating the attack on him and his wife which was carried out on the intervening night of 23rd and 24th April allegedly by Youth Congress workers over his remarks on Sonia Gandhi alias Antonia Maino. He says that despite his repeated requests to the Mumbai Police to mention role of Vadra Congress & its leadership

in the attack, the police has refused to do so. He has also shared further facts with Mumbai Police so that the role of Vadra Congress is not erased. “I am sure the Mumbai Police will not sidestep detailed evidence available on the role of the Vadra Congress and delete the element of conspiracy and assault in the attack,” his statement said.

FROM PG 1 PM’s agenda... beyond May 3 to ensure that coronavirus cases remain under control.

Though, the exact time of meeting is yet to be confirmed, reports have claimed that the video meeting could also focus on a graded exit from the ongoing lockdown, which is in place till May 3.

Bhagwat: India...

The RSS chief also appealed to the people to join the government in this collective effort to

combat COVID-19 and reach out to everyone who needs help.

“When the people were bound by some rules and guidelines, they felt that they are being prohibited from doing certain things.

RSS made a decision in March itself and cancelled all its programmes till June end,” he said.

“But some people might feel that the government is prohibiting our programmes. We are working not for the

publicity of our works but for the betterment of society. Everyone should work for the society in these hard times with dedication,” added Bhagwat.

Emphasising on the unfortunate incidents reported amidst COVID-19 lockdown, he said: “There is no dearth of people who instigate others. It gives birth to anger. Anger gives birth to imprudence. It gives rise to extremist acts. We know that there are

forces which reap benefit out of it and they are making attempts.” —ANI

A people-driven...

“I urge you not to get overconfident.

You should in your over-enthusiasm not think that if the coronavirus has not yet reached your city, village, street or office, it is not going to reach now. Never make such a mistake. The experience of the world tells us a lot in this regard,” he said.

Modi referred to a

popular Hindi idiom ‘Sawdhani hati, durghatna ghati’ (accident happens when caution is lowered) to make his point. In his 30-minute address, Modi hailed states, emergency workers and civil society groups for their contribution in combating the pandemic, and said that the resolve shown by the people of the country has led to the beginning of a transformation with businesses, offices, educational institutions, medical sec-

tor rapidly undergoing new changes.

With the country under a lockdown since March 24 midnight, he said India’s people-driven battle against the pandemic will be discussed when the world discusses the crisis later.

“India’s fight against the coronavirus is people-driven in the truest sense of the term.

Along with people, government and administration are fighting it as well... This is the only way we can win over

the virus,” he said.

Citing a Sanskrit shloka, he said. “Fire, debt and illness, if taken lightly, grow again at the first opportunity, assuming dangerous proportions, so it is important to treat them completely. Therefore, in over-enthusiasm, there should be no negligence. We will always have to remain cautious.” Lauding the contribution of people in terms of helping the poor with food and medicines, he likened the

exercise with ‘mahayagya’ in which everybody is eager to contribute. “We are fortunate that today the whole country, each and every citizen of the country, every person is a soldier in this battle and also leading the battle,” he said. India’s decision to export medicines needed by several countries, including developed nations, has earned it praise from world leaders, Modi said, noting that it did so as part of its ethos.

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THE INTEGRATION OF PRINCELY STATES DR SANJEEV CHOPRA IAS & Director, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration Mussoorie and Honorary Curator, Valley of Words: Literature and Arts Festival, Dehradun

T

his week, readers will see two maps – one printed in 1947, when India was still a Dominion and the one published in 1950 when India became a Republic, and the description on the masthead reads INDIA: Showing the Position of Indian States under the New Constitution. However, this column will focus on the integration of the princely states, as these are no longer clubbed under the very broad categories of Punjab States, the Madras States, and the States of Western, Deccan, Eastern, and Central states.

Of the 571 states covered under the doctrine of Paramountcy of the Crown, only nine went to the Dominion of Pakistan. These included Bhawalpur, Chitral, Hunza, Kalat, Khairpur, Kharan, Las Bela, Mekran, Swat and 562 came to India. The procrastination of the Ruler of J&K, the intransigence of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the abortive effort of the Jam Saheb of Junagadh to opt for Pakistan are widely known.

Lesser known is the fact that the kingdom of Kalat, also called the Khanate of Kalat in the Balochistan province of Pakistan wanted to accede to India, and even sent their representative to call on Maulana Abdul Kalam and VP Menon, the Secretary (later Adviser) to the Ministry of States, but India did not accept the offer, mainly because this would have gone against the accepted principles of geographical continuity and/ or the demographic profile of the state. India was veering to the view that while the views of the Ruler were important, they could not be the sole reason for determining the accession of a state to a Dominion. Of greater surprise is the revelation that Jodhpur was considering the very ‘tempting offers’ by Jinnah to join Pakistan. In a confidential note, the High Commissioner of UK at New Delhi wrote to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO ), London: ‘ as you probably know, this is not the first time that His Highness( Jodhpur) has been considering the relative benefits to Jodhpur of accession to Pakistan, rather than India. he is said to have been offered by Mr. Jinnah, certain facilities, including free use of the port of Karachi’. In another dispatch, it was reported that Jinnah compared the Rajputs to Pathans, and said that all Rajputs will have the right to bear (personal) arms without any license throughout the territory of Pakistan.

The High Commissioner also mentioned that in turn, Sardar Patel ‘deemed it expedient to undertake that His Highness’s Rajputs should continue to carry and import arms without restriction, that food should be provided, and the highest priority given to the building of a railway from Jodhpur to Cutch to open a port .’

We go back to the map of 1950 which gives a much clearer picture of India, and

The column focuses on the integration of the princely states, as these are no longer clubbed under the very broad categories of Punjab States, the Madras States, and the States of Western, Deccan, Eastern, and Central states

all the 562 princely states in India, covering 45% of India’s area (with a population of 98 million) are clearly integrated. Raj Pramukhs chosen from amongst the erstwhile rulers headed the Union of

States (PEPSU: Patiala and East Punjab States Union), Saurashtra (all the twelve salute states, including Bhavnagar, Nawanagar, Junagadh and the 107 limited jurisdictional states, and 329 non-ju-

risdictional areas), Rajasthan Union led by Udaipur, Madhya Bharat (or the Malwa Union comprising, amongst others Gwalior and Indore, but excluding Bhopal) and Travancore – Cochin. The

larger states: J&K, Hyderabad, and Mysore with their geographical boundaries still intact were also under the Raj Pramukhs. Collectively, these are referred to as Part B states. This category

(as well as Part C and Part D states) continued till 1956.

We now come to a category called Group C states. These comprised states /groups of states under a Chief Commissioner. While Himachal Pradesh (erstwhile twentythree Punjab Hill states and Vindhya Pradesh ( thirty-five states of Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand with the Ruler of Rewa as the Rajpramukh) were created by the merger, Ajmer, Bilaspur, Coorg, Cutch, Ajmer, Bhopal, Manipur, and Tripura retained their former boundaries.

These, along with Delhi are part C states. The only Part D state was Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and this was administered directly by New Delhi.

Many other states were merged with the neighbouring provinces, as for example Cooch Behar with West Bengal, Banganpallie, and Pudukkottai with Tamil Nadu. Orissa got twenty-three states in addition to Mayurbhanj, and CP and Berar got another fourteen. Baroda and Kolhapur, along with sixteen jurisdictional states from Deccan joined Bombay. Pataudi and Loharu were merged with East Punjab. Benares, Rampur, and Tehri Garhwal were to merge with United Provinces (UP).

One must also draw the reader’s attention to the Union of Matsya states ( Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, and Karauli ) and Rajputana ( nine states including Bikaner, Jaipur, and Jodhpur) which were so short-lived that they never appeared on any map of India, for by the time the 1950 map was printed, these had all merged into the Union of Rajasthan. It may also be mentioned that the Rajpramukh of Madhya Bharat and the Governors of Assam and Central Provinces and Berar had special responsibilities with regard to the large tribal-dominated tracts as the delegated charter of the Union of India.

How were these states to be administered? The legal basis was derived from the ExtraProvincial Jurisdiction Act 1947 (now repealed), which enables the Government of India to exercise the necessary power in States where, under an agreement, jurisdiction, power, and authority are transferred to the Government of India. As the report of the Ministry of States (1949) put it: this procedure is, as well be readily seen, is a half-way house between complete separateness and full integration.

We now come to Sikkim and Bhutan. In an internal report published by the Commonwealth Relations Office in January 1949 under the title ‘Indian States – Developments since the Transfer of Power in August 1947 – the description for these states in the Remarks column reads ‘ Himalayan state whose status is somewhat dissimilar from others.

Agreements whereby, under Treaty obligations, the foreign policy and external relations are subordinated to that of India are likely to continue.

Incidentally, following major unrest in Sikkim, the administration of the state had come under India for a brief period in 1948-49, but the Chogyal (as the temporal cum spiritual head of Sikkim was called) resumed his administration before India became a Republic. Twenty-five years later Sikkim first became an Associate state, and then a full-fledged state of the Indian Union.

DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

Training requires control over the body and mind, the mind plays a more important role, be it training for a physical activity like Marathon or a spiritual one like ‘sadhana’.

2ND FRONT

—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India

POSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21

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Mechanism being drawn to bring back stranded Rajasthanis n Incoming people will be isolated

or home quarantined n Good News: From 8 days, infection now doubling in 12 days Vikas Sharma Jaipur: Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma has said that the state government is in process of developing a mechanism to bring back non-resident Rajasthani and Rajasthani workers stranded in other

states without breaking the social distancing norms. Dr Sharma informed that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot himself was mulling over the issue with officers. Advertisements to this effect have been released in other states.

The incoming Rajasthani people will

Jain Social Group Topaz Charitable Trust donated 400 PPE Kits to Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma.

be isolated, home quarantined or will be quarantined insti-

tutionally as per the situation.

Sharma expressed

BRINGING RAJASTHANIS HOME

Nodal Officers appointed to handle separate states CS DB Gupta, issued 2 separate orders and fixed responsibility of these officers Dr Rituraj Sharma Jaipur: Working round the clock to bring stranded Rajasthanis back from other states, the Gehlot government has formed a team making IAS and other officers as nodal officers, in order to ease the process of bringing Rajasthanis back. Chief Secretary DB Gupta being the chairman of the State Executive Committee of Disaster Management, has issued two separate orders and fixed the responsibility of these officers.

CM Gehlot’s repeated requests from the Centre and detailed guidelines issued by Union Home Ministry on April 19, finally led to the State Executive Committee of Disaster Management sending different officials to migrants stranded in different states,

—FILE PHOTO

CS DB Gupta

with one point order - to bring people back home.

Owing to a large number of IAS and IPS being from various states of the nation, the government has given

Officer

(State)

z IAS P Ramesh and IPS Janga

Srinivasa Rao

(Andhra Pradesh) (Assam)

z IAS Dr. Om Prakash z IAS Naveen Mahajan and

IPS Bhupendra Sahu (Gujarat) z IAS Hemant Kumar Gera (Haryana) z IPS Dinesh MN (Karnataka) z IPS Biju George Joseph (Kerala) z IAS K Pathak (Madhya Pradesh)

Jodh couple ties knot, families take part via video conference Jodhpur: A couple in Jodhpur tied the knot at a temple with the families witnessing the rituals via video conference.

The couple, however, followed all the preventive measures, including wearing masks. “My grandfather is ill and he wanted the wedding to be performed on the date that was fixed before the lockdown. Social distancing norms were followed during the wedding,” said groom Varun Dhadhania.

They also have donated Rs 4 lakh to PM National Relief Fund

them responsibility to handle the issue in their parent state for the simple reason that they would have good connect with locals in these states.

and Rs 1.01 lakh to CM COVID-19 Fund.

In another ceremony in Delhi, Naresh Ahluwalia, approached police requesting them to help him and his family reach Arya Samaj Mandir in Greater Kailash-I for his son Kaushal’s wedding.

“The wedding was fixed 3-4 months ago, all preparations had been done.

They were facing a lot of trouble, they approached our seniors, took permission from the SHO and after his consent, the police helped them in whatever way they could,” said ACP (Kalkaji) Govind Sharma. —ANI

These officers will not only solve the problem of Rajasthani workers trapped in the bound states by establishing rapport with the respective state governments departments and agencies, but will also ensure to provide water, food and other assistance to the workers of other states trapped in Rajasthan. One major aspect of this development is that the officials will have to strictly enforce the safety and medical protocols of screening and social distancing.

z IPS Sunil Dutt (Punjab) z IAS Bhaskar Sawant and IPS Chu-

naram Jat (Maharashtra)

z IAS Bishnu Charan Malik and

IPS UR Sahu

z IAS R Venkateswaran and

V Saravanan Kumar

(Orissa)

(Tamil Nadu)

z IAS Pravin Gupta (Uttar Pradesh) z IPS Sanjay Aggarwal (Uttarakhand) z IAS Ashwini Bhagat (West Bengal)

his satisfaction on measures taken by the government to control

the spread of virus infection in the state. “Effective steps by the health department have ensured that the rate of infection has drastically reduced after 14 April. Earlier the rate of doubling of Corona infection was 8 days which is 12 days now,” informed the health minister further adding, “Had the rate been unchecked then there would be 3400 infected persons as of now.”

He said there were

Javadekar assures NBF to look into key issues

Srinagar: As many as 376 students from Jammu and Kashmir, who were stranded in Rajasthan’s Kota, would return to the Union Territory on Monday as all arrangements have been finalised, officials said. “376 J&K students in Kota set to return tomorrow. All arrangements finalised. This follows recent return of students and others who were in Jaisalmer and other places. Appeal: Please be patient. Govt is working hard to facilitate all,” government spokesperson Rohit Kansal said in a tweet.

While he gave no further details, officials said the students, who were stranded in Kota due to the nationwide lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, left the Rajasthan town on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir State Road Transport Corporation buses and were expected to reach home on Monday. —PTI

Jaipur: Nearly six days back, News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) had requested Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar for an appointment for a video conference to apprise him of important and pressing issues before the media industry amidst the ongoing lockdown due to COVID-19. On Sunday, the I&B minister and the NBF Governing Board held a video conference to discuss on the ‘ C o m p r e h e n s ive Stimulus Package for News Broadcasters’ which NBF had submitted earlier.

After an hour long discussion on the various challenges, the minister assured that he would look into the key issues impacting the larger section of news broadcasters.

Javadekar has given a

First India News

Newly appointed Chief Justice of Orissa HC Justice Mohammed Rafiq left for Bhubaneshwar from Jaipur Airport on Sunday at 11 am with his family in a special aircraft of Orissa government. He was accompanied by wife Seema Rafiq, son Naved Rafiq, Daughterin-law Sana and grandson Master Shahzil. HC Registrar Nirmal Singh Medatwal, Academic registrar Bharatbhushan Gupta and protocol officer Mukesh Sharma were also present at the airport. Justice Mohammed Rafiq will be sworn in as the 31st Chief Justice of Orissa High Court on Monday at 9 am. Orissa Governor Prof Ganeshilal Mathur will administer the oath in the auditorium near Raj Bhavan.

—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

Justice Lodha instructs to terminate rape victim’s pregnancy, provides `1.5 lakh aid Jaipur: On the instruction of Senior Judge of Rajasthan HC and Executive Chairman of RALSA, Justice Sangeet Lodha, medical examination of a minor rape victim was carried out as well her 12-week fetus was also aborted. The girl

been discharged after full recovery. Rajasthan was only state to have tested 83,000 samples.

Government is increasing testing capacity and has capacity of 5256 tests per day. Government has already ordered COBAS 8800 machine for Jaipur & Jodhpur which will enable 3-4000 extra tests every day. Government is also seriously trying to increase testing facilities in other parts of the state,” Dr Sharma said.

376 students set to return to J&K from Kota on Mon

JUSTICE MOHD RAFIQ TO TAKE OATH TODAY

Nizam Kantaliya

hardly any states which have controlled the pandemic so effectively with so many tests. Elaborating the situation Sharma said that there are 6.60 lakh people in the state who are home quarantined while approximately 33,000 were quarantined institutionally with 1,143 infected admitted to various hospitals.

“So far 518 corona patients have turned negative after treatment and 244 have already

started the was also prosearch. On findvided financial ing the girl, it assistance of was found that Rs 1.5 lakh. she was raped A 15-year-old and was preggirl went missnant. After that, ing on November 20, 2019 Justice Sangeet Lodha District Legal Services Aufrom Amet police station area. After thority referred the mather family members re- ter to RALSA Chairman. ported the matter, police On RALSA Chairman’s

directions, a team counseled girl and her family and provided all kinds of medical facilities. Doctors of the medical college had reported the girl being 12 weeks pregnant.

Amidst the lockdown, Justice Lodha made special arrangements for all facilities and transport to the minor rape victim.

I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar

positive response to look into the reduction in charges for satellite and bandwidth and treating FTA News channels separate from GECs and pay channels, and considering them as a preferred medium for public awareness campaigns during ‘Combat COVID-19’ period.

Sources divulge that the biggest assurance has been of the ministry in consultation with MCA will consider advertisement spending on public awareness campaigns as CSR activity.

“Among television industry, only news

—FILE PHOTO

broadcasters are on toes 24/7 and government could come up with special package to boost morale of ‘media warrior’. Media warriors serving selflessly should be incentivised through special packages, rebate and other avenues possible. State government should differentiate between pay channels and FTA to support them as FTA channels are dependent only on one stream of revenue whereas as they operate on same expenses at par with pay channels,” said Mahipal Singh, Convener NBF.

Corona woes: Dholpur magician now sells veggies in dingy lanes

Coronavirus has brought tough times for Raju Mahor alias RJ Samrat Jadugar.

Dholpur: A magician who once captivated the audience and received thunderous applause for his mesmerizing tricks is now forced to sell vegetables in the congested lanes of Dholpur district. The coronavirus pandemic has brought tough times for 38-year-old Raju Mahor alias RJ Samrat Jadugar, forcing him to become a vegetable vendor leaving behind his 15 years of profession as a magician.

Hailing from Rajakhera town of Dholpur, which shares

border with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Mahor’s story resembles that of many others whose lives have taken a hit due to the deadly pandemic and the subsequent lockdown across the country.

The coronavirus crisis has shut my entire business. Over a dozen staff members who worked with me are now sitting at home due to the lockdown. When I thought about paying house rent and run my family, I did not see any other option but to sell vegetables, Mahor said. —PTI

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09

Making their way back into the fashion scene embellished tassels have taken the world by storm

KIRTI CHAUHAN

kirti.chauhan@firstindia.co.in

F

ringes or tassels are no longer just an over the top fashion statement, they are actually very versatile tucked on to clothes and accessories. It is a definite fun element and is quite literally hanging almost everywhere we look, right from tassel shoes, earrings, neckpieces, bracelets, handbags, headbands, and of course clothes like dresses, top, skirts, bralette, saree, blouse, lehenga etc.

Not just today, this embellishment has been in and out of fashion for well over a hundred years. Since ancient times, they have been used as ornaments to enhance the beauty of clothing worn by both men and women.

Bollywood seems to be a big fan of fringes, how can we forget the beau-

TASSEL

DAZZLE!

tiful dance number ‘Zara Zara Touch Me’ by Katrina Kaif, in which the B-wood beauty dazzled in blue tassel dress and later Kat was seen grooving in a white-sliver fringe dress on the song ‘Malang’.

This isn’t it! Many other divas ooze oomph in a fringe dress including Nora Fatehi in the song ‘Dilbar’, Jacqueline Fernandez in the reprised version of ‘Ek Do Teen’ and Disha Patani in her latest item song ‘Do You Love Me’ among others. Priyanka Chopra Jonas was looking nothing less than a goddess in golden tassels in the track ‘Asalaam-e-Ishqum’.

Interestingly, even in the current scenario, this piece of art has been adopted by males too, as Billy Porter incorporated tassels to his mechanical hat to add an extra dramatic touch at Grammys last year.

In-fact, these

hangings in combination with cowrie shells, coins, lead and glass beads, mirrors and buttons, have successfully caught eyeballs on runways, awards shows, parties or any kind of celebrations.

Well, for a fact, be it a summer or winter fashion, tassels are incredibly easy to amalgamate into your wardrobe.

You can spot it being used in a variety of styles, from rugged suede jackets to glamorous party dresses, from the sleeves of a leather jacket to your saree blouse, from subtly accenting the hem of a skirt to saree pallu or scarf, from fringy flats to jazzy heels, from handbags to jewellery, the chic astounding trend is winning all seasons. And, since, we are under lockdown; it is the right time to give our wardrobe a tassel touch. Take inspiration from your favourite icons and put the lockdown into tassel mode!

ETC JAIPUR | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020

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10

Nothing is Permanent SHALBHA SARDA cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

A

FA CE OF TH ED AY

few weeks ago, I was very busy with a fulltime job, some parttime writing gigs, and interiors of my new house. The kids had their exams, my husband was working day and night shifts and my mother in law was keeping company to a constant stream of guests. I was getting a little wistful and wanted some time for each other at home. My husband had often said to “ be careful about what you wish for”. But come-on, none of us saw this coming. To be fair, having the house literally to myself, with everyone inside 24x7, without maids wasn’t exactly my plan.

It’s been more than a month now since we are all homebound due to the Coronavirus. I have kept my self-entertained for the initial weeks of quarantine. I cooked a lot, attended Zoom tambolas, Bollywood games, and watched Ramayana until the point “mangal bhavan amangal haari” echoed even in my sleep.

I personally took it upon myself to awaken my inner enlightenment. To accomplish that I developed a new skill set, read, meditated, and spent quality time with children. But now the repetition of cooking, cleaning, washing is making me feel captive. My usual Monday Blues have a whole new meaning when I assume my multi-handed avatar of a goddess with blue bottles of Harpic, Lysol, Colin, Dettol, and Surf each morning. The words sweeping and swabbing have become weeping and sobbing for me.

My husband encourages me satirically for getting pro at “maid in India”. He wishes to see me happy and smiling. But I complain that he is a typical Indian male not used to help in domestic chores. He gets up to do something. The most he could manage is to take a circuitous route to the bathroom to not crash upon my angry goddess avatar. I continue murmuring how my teenage son has become disrespectful and the seven-yearold hasn’t learned to clean up.

Yes, there is gratitude for having a job, a constant supply of food, everyone in the family be-

ing healthy, and a stack of toilet paper that is yet to be used. I once read in a book “when there are no real problems to deal with we make imaginary ones”. I have a tendency to feel trapped, to sense a false permanence in the present situation. I start to think that the way things are today would be my life forever. I forget that life changes.

When at peace I recall the time when I was a young mother. How the days passed slowly but the years flew by. I did enjoy mothering babies often enough, but I didn’t have to feel joy while changing the diapers and cleaning food bits from the floor. I have forgotten those things today and only remember the rush of affection I had for my babies. The way I’d sniff their heads and say things like “I could eat you up.

This too shall pass and one day maids will ring the morning bell, I would go to work, write, complete my undone house and guests will pour in. Within no time I will start to complain about my original reasons for busyness. Is it yet time to get back into that grind, I ponder?

It’s an emotional whiplash to go from wishing for a few more weeks with the family to being tired of all the domestic work created from their presence. But one day when this is over what will probably be left to remember is my long talk with my 13-year-old son who was a fresh victim of the trauma of puberty, the snakes and ladders with my 7 year old and the status of being the only companion of husband. I will have good memories when I look at this chapter of life as much as much as I hate the reason for it. But for now, I won’t force myself to enjoy every minute, because I know I won’t.

I’ll just remind myselfThis isn’t forever.

This too shall pass.

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

CANCER

You are on with your fitness regime and you will surely get the results you desperately desire. Going abroad for settlement is on cards and you must start with your preparations. On domestic front, you will be quite in demand and lots of things will keep you busy.

You may feel financially secure but your ambitions have take away your sleep of the night, try and relax and sometime take it easy. You will soon meet a friend who can understand you and whose company will make you happy. Remember somethings take time.

You may feel challenged on work front but its an healthy competition which will help you realise your true potential. On domestic front, do not indulge in any kind of argument with your parents just for the sake of it, sometime you need to understand their concern.

Your new business is doing good but you need to have some patience when it comes to profit.

Your child may need your serious counselling so show them you are there. You make take your family along on a work trip. Its time to take your love life to next level.

MAR 21 - APR 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

On professional front, you have already proved your metal and your career is going great. Your friends may be helping but can also manipulate you sometimes so be careful. Those who matters will always understand you and those who don’t, you should not care.

You are very jovial and kind hearted person. You are a very nice parent and always understand your kids but you must know when to stop pampering. You may bring a pet to your house and it will be the best decision in the recent times. You may feel a lot of pressure from family.

Money is flowing into your life from all directions and your spouse is your lucky charm. You must not be a part of any controversies and you know someone close to you involved then guide them and show them a way out. A new vehicles is on cards, may also come as a gift.

You will feel very refresh and energetic today. You worry without any reason so relax and enjoy what you have. You may get an unexpected career call that will change your life forever. Your spouse will pamper you in many ways today. You are very satisfied with everything.

JULY 24 - AUGUST 23

AUG 24 - SEP 23

SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22

OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Those involved in export and import business will see a hike. You will complete all your pending task today.

You will manage to sustain a peaceful environment. You will be very busy today, as you can expect some calls from friends today. You will at ease sponsor your kid’s dream education.

You are great when it come to money management and you have a big heart for others. You will successfully complete the project, which kept you occupying for long. Today is a very auspicious day for any kind of inauguration. You will be involved in lot of charity.

You are an outstanding home maker and you take care of your kids like no one can. You are very close to your parents and may visit them frequently going forward. On professional front, you will get the break that you have been expecting.

You may get a job offer.

You may find yourself in a very perplexed position when it comes to money, unable to decide whether to spend money on fun to have an image in your circle or to be an odd one out. Your teachers will be extremely impressed with you. You will enjoy your parents company.

NOV 23 - DEC 22

ADITI SHARMA, Model

APR 21 - MAY 20

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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ACES THE

LIKE

mother, like daughter!

CHALLENGE! T amannaah Bhatia recently took part in the ongoing viral #PillowChallenge, and she pulled it off with the help of her Gucci belt. The Pillow Challenge is one of the viral trends doing the rounds during the global COVID-19 lockdown. People taking the challenge have to tie a pillow to them like a dress using a belt, and post a picture or video of the pose on social media. Taking to Instagram, Tamannaah posted a picture in which she is seen lying on a floor while striking a stunning pose with a pillow. She accessorised ... her Instagram po st with Gucci belt and red high heels.

“I’m off to club bed featuring DJ pillow and MC blanket! ” she captioned the post.

—IANS

S Tamannaah Bhatia

TRUE DESI GIRL!

P

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

riyanka Chopra Jonas on Sunday stole the hearts of her followers by sharing a picture of her in a stunning blue saree.

The 37-year-old star took to Instagram to share the beautiful picture and mentioned that she felt like wearing a saree.

Taking it to the captions, ‘The Sky is Pink’ actor wrote: “Felt like wearing a saree. So I did...At home. Miss everyone.@nickjonas” In the shared picture, the ‘Baywatch’ actor who is standing next to husband Nick Jonas, is looking gorgeous in a blue coloured saree with white leaf prints on it.

She completed the desi look by wearing silver bangles.

The ‘Fashion’ actor is currently staying indoors with her singer husband Nick Jonas in the United States.

Recently, Chopra pledged USD 100,000 in total to four incredible women who rose above the challeng-

11

... her Instagram post

unny Leone calls herself a ‘lucky mommy’ to have a daughter who is ‘so so pretty’. Sunny has posted a video with Nisha in which the mother and daughter are smiling. Their beauty is enhanced with the rose tiara filter. “Nisha is so so pretty!! I’m a lucky mommy!

With the sweetest heart!!!”

Sunny captioned the video.

Sunny and her husband Daniel Weber had adopted Nisha in 2017.

Meanwhile, Sunny, who has three kids - Nisha, Noah Singh, and Asher Singh - had earlier posted a picture on Instagram, sharing how difficult it is to make kids wear masks in times of coro n av i r u s crisis.

—IANS

... her Instagram post

es to make a difference during the coronavirus crises.

Moreover, she along with Nick donated to several organisations including PM CARES Fund, Goonj, Feeding America and others to combat COVID-19.

—ANI

YouTube TEACHERS!

M

odel Karlie Kloss and actor Ken Jeong have landed new roles as substitute teachers, as part of a new YouTube originals series to educate children during the COVID-19 lockdown. ‘Celebrity Substitute’ will feature famous faces holding online classes for those stuck at home. Kloss, who founded the free ‘Kode With Klossy’ camp for teen girls in 2015, will give lessons on computer coding. ‘The Hangover’ actor Jeong will draw on his history as a former doctor to give a virtual biology lesson.

—IANS

Sunny Leone

C Cameron Diaz Karlie Kloss and Ken Jeong

The Polar Opposites

ameron Diaz and her husband Benji Madden embraced parenthood earlier this year. The two welcomed their first child together, a baby girl, in January, and they named her Raddix. Even though it has been just three months, the two have already figured out a parenting schedule that is work-

ing wonders for them. Diaz recently reflected on her life with baby Raddix and revealed that she and her husband are on opposite sleep schedules and they take care of the baby in shifts. When one sleeps, the other one takes care of their daughter. “Benji wants to go to bed late, and I like to go to bed early…” she mentioned. —IANS

CITY BUZZ JAIPUR | MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020

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12

KUCH NAYA HO JAAYE?

Being in isolation might be a great time to try something new.

We talk to some of our readers from Jaipur & Ahmedabad if they have picked up something new in the lockdown period!

CITY FIRST JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

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uring the National Lockdown, one thing is for sure- this time is perfect for learning or doing all the things that we have been putting off for a lifetime because we did not have time. Also, keeping yourself stimulated and finding new ways to learn essential skills can make the eventual return to work smoother, or open doors to new opportunities in the future.

Devoting some of our quarantine time to self-education makes sense. Besides helping to bolster your career during this economic uncertainty, learning a new skill can give you a sense of control that will help cope with anxiety engendered by the epidemic.

As James Wallman says in his book ‘Time and How to Spend It’, personal growth is central to many psychological theories of long-term happiness. So although an hour listening to a lecture may not be as enticing as the instant gratification of reality TV or social media, it will lead to greater life-satisfaction in the long term. “You could say that humans are like bicycles: if you’re not heading towards something you fall over,” Wallman says. And when we are social distancing, online courses are one of the best ways to do that. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Quarantine is making us creative day by day. Some people are busy being creative in cooking, some in makeup tricks and some in decorating their house by using waste material. I am a homemaker and studied arts.

From my childhood I love painting. In this lockdown, I am using glass bottles and doing painting making them attractive and a beautiful piece for decorating my home.

—SHWETA BHATI

PRACHI KUMAR

T The major missing of this Lockdown is the outing with friends and having street food. Since cooking keeps you and your mind away from all the negative thoughts and makes everyone’s stomach happy, I have started experimenting with a few dishes, and also come up with a few things of my own.

—RUCHI SATWANI

You can also learn about Art. Take a tour of Google’s arts and culture collection has virtual tours of 500 top attractions around the world, including national galleries from around the world, individual artist museums, and even the Eiffel Tower.

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n intercontinental musical concert was organised on Sunday, where many artists participated live through the Zoom App from their homes in India, UK and the US. Many music lovers logged in simultaneously from different parts of the world through the Zoom app. This concert was conceptualised by Rohit Mathur from the US, who owns a meditation club and has 150 regular participants. Niyati Bharadwaj, Keerti Mutha, Dr Khanna amongst many other renowned singers from across the globe participated in this virtual singing concert. A Pathologist from Jodhpur, Dr Vivek Bharadwaj, who is pursuing music from the last 37 years, shared that technology not only brings us closer but also helps to spread the message of love and harmony through music.

—City First

HAPPY B’DAY!

IAS Vinita Srivastava celebrated her birthday on 26 April, Sunday. We wish her all the best!

—SIMRAN CHAWLA

I have been hosting online live sessions with more than 20 musicians on my music venture ‘Sunday Secret Sessions’. I also conduct online classes for my vocal coaching students.

—NICOLETTE GORE

CONCERT A RAY OF

TIME!

Staying indoors all the time means there is no dearth of free time. After attending online lectures and finishing a few household chores, I am left with plenty of time in the day.

I have taken up learning hand-lettering and faux calligraphy. The tutorials on YouTube and Pinterest are very helpful and personally speaking, the process is very therapeutic and calming for me.

cityfirstgujarat@gmail.com

he lockdown has made it impossible (illegal, really!) for people to venture out of their homes and go on about their routine. It has granted us time to spend with our families, something which we often cannot do due to busy schedules. Personally, it has given me the opportunity to try all the things I have wanted to do and learn.

A little introspection and self-growth are a few things you might just achieve during this lockdown.

The first week of the lockdown I got really good at a board game called ‘Sequence’ because that is all I remember doing. But, I soon realized that I needed more than Netflix and card games to keep my mind engaged.

Here are a few things I dabbled in…

ONLINE COURSES

I decided to sign up for a couple of Coursera courses for free. I signed

Embrace your creative side other people paint on YouTube.

SING ALONG

up for finance, marketing, macroeconomics and also an intro to the Korean language.

I have been following YouTube a few singing coaches and practicing my vocals. There may be a list of movie songs that I intend to master by the end of the quarantine period.

School of YouTube I have always wanted to learn economics and philosophy, so I watched educational videos on a YouTube channel called Crash Course.

NEW LANGUAGE

WORLD OF COMICS

I picked up the script for Korean and was able to read and write it pretty quickly. I downloaded several language learning apps especially to increase my Korean vocabulary.

PAINTING FRENZY

I practiced new techniques with water-colours and am usually working on five paintings at a time. I also spent time watching

Reading and watching movies still continues at a regular pace but I have also gotten into the habit of reading online comic books.

COOKING FOR THE SOUL

What’s a lockdown without good food? Being an amateur baker, I have tried to replicate several chocolate cake recipes. Most of them have turned out surprisingly good!

WHAT’S HAPPENING!

HOPE!

CITY FIRST JAIPUR

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aipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari wrote a letter to the Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs, Govt. of India, Harsh Vardhan Shringla highlighting the unforeseen hardships being faced by stranded Indians in the US. In his letter, Bhandari said that these people, whether travelling for business or leisure, were Prem Bhandari absolutely unprepared, logistically and financially, for an unprecedentedly long stay on foreign land.

Many of them have no relatives or friends in the US to help them and each visa extension application is costing $455, that too with no certainty about the probable return date.

Considering the health of the fellow Indians, who are presently stuck in the US due to air travel ban and as they are at an increased risk of infection, Bhandari requested Shringla to consider the possibility of a rescue plan for such Indians in consultation with medical experts and administration in both countries to ensure their repatriation while ensuring minimal health risk to them or to others in India on their return. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Rajasthan: Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma received a cheque of Rs 51,000 from Gaurav Gaur, Mona Gautam, Akanksha Bhalla and Yasheel Pandel on behalf of Elite Miss Rajasthan for the CM Relief Fund to fight against Coronavirus. Senior Congress leader Dharmendra Rathore was also present.

Rajasthan: During the Covid-19 lockdown, Aarav and Avika dabbled in art while staying at home between studying and reading for leisure. As rightly said, “We learn more in a crisis than in comfort.”

Ahmedabad: Ration being distributed to villagers in Sinor taluka of Vadodara district. Every person observed social distancing during the distribution of food grains.

Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad mayor Bijal Patel with Col Avesh (commanding officer of the girls’ battalion) and NCC Cadets who donated 1,000 hand-stitched face masks for the underprivileged.

Rajasthan: Live Music Terrace Session by Vishal Kaushik (Guitara The Band) was held on Sunday evening, all the residents of Gayatri Nagar colony, Jaipur were informed on WhatApp to be on their own terrace at 6 pm to enjoy the live music session. The effort was appreciated by the audience.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Rajasthan: During the countrywide lockdown amidst Coronavirus, Akshaya Patra Foundation has provided food to more than 3 million people across India since 25 April.

Along with this, 5000 ration kits have been distributed to needy families. Akshaya Patra, Jagatpura, is providing two-meals per day to approximately 44,000 people from various areas of the Jaipur city.

Ahmedabad: The head priest of the Jagannath Temple, Dilip Dasji performing Akha Trij puja, marking the beginning of preparations for the annual rath yatra, in Ahmedabad on Sunday.