First India-Jaipur Edition-29 April 2020

OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

CORONA

23°C - 38°C

ALERT JAIPUR l WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00

COVID-19 UPDATE

RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 322

WORLD

INDIA

2,14,105 31,02,666 977 DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

HAKUNA MATATA

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30,631

DEATHS

CONFIRMED CASES

52

RAJASTHAN

2,364

DEATHS

Scanning the horizon nervously, in their trademark style, this gang of meerkats remind us of Timon, the wisecracking meerkat from the famous movie Lion King! As the world reels under coronavirus pandemic, we are reminded of the song Hakuna Matata (there are no troubles) crooned by Timon, which teaches us that worrying about things, outside our control, is not a way of life!

CONFIRMED CASES

GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS COUNTRY TOTAL CASES

TOTAL NEW DEATHS DEATHS

10,19,823 SPAIN 232,128 ITALY 201,505 GERMANY 159,137 UK 157,149 TURKEY 114,653 RUSSIA 93,558 IRAN 92,584 CHINA 82,836

57,601 23,822 27,359 6,174 21,092 2,992 867 5,877 4,633

USA

+804 +301 +382 +48 +586 +92 +73 +71 +2

WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO

LAST UPDATED: APRIL 28, 2020, 11:00 PM

IN RAJASTHAN DISTRICT

INDIA FIGHTS BACK

‘PLASMA THERAPY Indigenous testing kits by May: Govt IN TRIAL STAGE’ No evidence yet to support it can be used for treatment, say experts New Delhi: The Health Ministry on Tuesday said currently plasma therapy is at experimental stage and there is no evidence yet to support that it can be used as treatment for COVID-19. Addressing a press briefing, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said currently there are no approved therapies for COVID-19 and there is not enough evidence to claim that plasma therapy can be used for treatment of the disease.

“ICMR has launched a national-level study to study efficacy of plasma therapy in treatment of COVID 19,” he

said. “Till ICMR concludes its study and a robust scientific proof is available, plasma therapy should be used only for research or trial purpose.

If plasma therapy is not used in proper manner under proper guidelines, Turn on P6

Will help in meeting target of one lakh tests per day by May 31 New Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday said that the country will be able to produce indigenous coronavirus-testing kits by May. “We will be able to produce RT-PCR and antibody test kits in India by May. All processes are in advanced stage and production will start after getting approval from ICMR. It will help us in meeting our target of one lakh tests per day by May 31,” the Union Health Minister said.

Meanwhile, issuing a detailed response over faulty anti-body testing kits, China has rejected

the claims by the ICMR. Chinese embassy spokesperson Ji Rong said in a statement issued early on Tuesday that the quality of medical products exported from China is ‘prioritized’, calling action taken as ‘unfair and irresponsible’.

Turn on P6

`68K cr loans of wilful defaulters written off: RBI New Delhi: Outstanding loans amounting to Rs 68,607 crore of top 50 wilful bank loan defaulters in the country including firms of Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya have been technically written off till September 30, 2019, the Reserve Bank of India said in a RTI reply.

Absconding dimantaire Choksi’s company Gitanjali Gems tops the list of these defaulters with a whopping amount of Rs 5,492 crore, according to the list.

This is followed by REI Agro with Rs 4,314 crore and Winsome Diamonds with Rs 4,076 crore. Rotomac Global Private Limited has funded advances of Rs 2,850 crore Turn on P6

Ashok Gehlot @ashokgehlot51 The revelation by RBI in an RTI query is shocking that Indian banks wrote off loans worth Rs 68,607 crores due from 50 top willful defaulters.

TOTAL CASES

AJMER 135 ALWAR 7 BANSWARA 63 BARMER 2 BHARATPUR 110 BHILWARA 35 BIKANER 37 CHITTORGARH 8 CHURU 14 DAUSA 21 DHOLPUR 9 DUNGARPUR 6 HANUMANGARH 11 JAIPUR 859 JAISALMER 35 JHALAWAR 40 JHUNJHUNU 42 JODHPUR 400 KARAULI 3 KOTA 189 NAGAUR 117 PALI 3 PRATAPGARH 2 RAJSAMAND 1 SWAI MADHOPUR 8 SIKAR 6 TONK 131 UDAIPUR 7 OTHER DIST. 0 2301 TOTAL OTHER (Italy) 2 EVACUEES 61 GRAND TOTAL 2364 SAMPLE RECEIVED SAMPLE NEGATIVE

ADB APPROVES $1.5 BILLION FINANCING TO INDIA Manila: Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday approved a 1.5 billion dollar loan to India to help fund its response to coronavirus pandemic. This includes support for immediate priorities like disease containment and prevention as well as social protection for the poor and economically vulnerable sections of the society, especially women and disadvantaged groups.

HOPE FOR VACCINE BY SEPT AS MONKEY TESTS ‘SUCCESSFUL’ London: Scientists at Oxford University say they are one step closer in developing a vaccine to stop the spread of Corona. Promising results were seen after six rhesus macaque monkeys were injected with a single dose of the university’s new vaccine. This means that vaccine trial involving more than 6,000 participants will be started by the end of next month to show vaccine is safe and effective.

RECOVERY RATE IN INDIA IMPROVES TO 23.3 PC New Delhi: A total of 6,869 people have been cured of coronavirus in India so far, taking the recovery rate to 23.3 per cent, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. A total of 1,543 new cases of coronavirus have been identified, which take the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 30,631, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry.

HOME ISOLATION OPTION FOR PATIENTS WITH MILD SYMPTOMS New Delhi: Union Ministry of Health has issued guidelines for home isolation of people who either have very mild COVID-19 symptoms or are in the pre-symptomatic phase.

Such patients with requisite self-isolation facility at their residence will now have the option for home isolation. Ministry asked people to download Aarogya Setu app on mobile & it should remain active at all times.

NEW TOTAL CASES DEATH

+11 — +1 — — — — — — — +4 — — +26 — — — +25 — +24 +1 — — — — +1 +8 +1 — +102 — — +102

— 1 — — 2 2 1 — — — — — — 27 — — — 7 — 6 1 — — — — 2 1 — 2(UP) 52 — — 52

92,506 85,834

UNDER EXAMINATION

4,308

CORONA IN RAJASTHAN On Tuesday 102 new positives were found in the state. In which 26 were from Jaipur. At the same time, state reported two deaths on Tuesday wherein a 60-year-old man died in Kota while another 70-year-old died in Jodhpur.

Never tried to take credit for Raj Model in Corona fight: Gehlot CM Gehlot’s efforts paid dividends on Tuesday when more than 1,500 stranded Rajasthanis returned home New Delhi: Lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his government’s efficiency in handling the coronavirus-induced crisis, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he has never tried to take credit for the efforts made collectively by all stakeholders in containing the pan-

demic in the state.

During a video conference held on April 27 between chief ministers and the Prime Minister, the ‘Rajasthan Model’ for controlling the spread of coronavirus right from the beginning received praise from Modi. Gehlot told PTI in an exclusive interview that his state

NO RELAXATION IN HOTSPOT AREAS: CM Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot clarified on Tuesday that no relaxation will be given to people residing in hotspot areas. Gehlot does not want that the hardships of the past one month goes to waste since if relaxations are given there is a chance of further spread of the virus. However, those residing in the green zone will be given relief as gehlot is now looking to better the economic health of Rajasthan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday praised Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s efforts in handling Corona crisis.

was ahead of the others in all aspects, including the number of COVID-19 tests. Gehlot said his government has placed orders for the

import of two ultramodern machines from the USA which will enable them to conduct additional four to five thousand tests on a dai-

ly basis. He said these machines, developed by Roush, will be delivered by the end of May. He added one machine will be used in Jaipur and the other in Jodhpur.

Jodhpur is also Gehlot’’s hometown.

Talking about the steps taken by the Rajasthan government to handle the health crisis, the chief minister said the state took the initiative to control the virus from spreading in the initial days of its spread in India.

“We were very early

to take measures by doing whatever was in our capacity. I not only spoke with the opposition parties but also with the religious and social leaders. I urged them to create awareness among people about the importance of staying at home. They all agreed, and they felt that they were being involved and are a part of the process,” Gehlot said.

He said this helped the government machinery and the medical staff immensely.

Turn on P6

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JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

02

A LONG JOURNEY? —PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA A man rides a bicycle, at 5.40 pm, past a tree that has shed white flowers, looking like cotton balls, on the road near Narayan Singh Circle in Jaipur. Most roads of the city wear a deserted look due to the nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.

Guv Mishra sanctions Coronavirus has ‘devastating Covid-19: `10L for PPE kits, N95 masks impact’ on Raj’s hotel industry First India News

It may take 8 to 10 months or even more to recover from the losses: Hoteliers Naveen Sharma Jaipur: Even though the lockdown is affecting the general public at present, the hoteliers are worried about the future of their business. Various private events, wedding ceremonies, and government conferences have been cancelled.

Due to which, the businessmen associated with the hotel business across the state, including Jaipur, are worrying about the expenses of the hotel, including the salary of the employees and electricity.

In such a situation, the hotel operators have made some demands from the government. z Removal of fix

bill for 6 months

z Considering

renewal of 2019-20 as 20211-22

z Reduction in

state GST

z Free electric-

ity and water for 6 months

—Picture for representational purpose only

A large number of tourists visit Jaipur every month, which

boosts the hotel and related businesses. The people associated with

the hotel industry are saying that 80% of advance bookings were

done in hotels, but all those bookings have been cancelled due to the lockdown.

According to Director of Fairmont Ratan Sharma, the lockdown is going to have the worst impact on the hotel industry. Director of JW Marriott Vikram Sukhani believes that it may take 8 to 10 months or even more to recover from the losses caused due to coronavirus. The hotel operators are saying that despite following proper hygiene, people would still avoid outside food for some time.

Jaipur: Governor Kalraj Mishra has sanctioned Rs 10 lakh from the governor relief fund for purchase of PPE kits and N95 masks. He informed the Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot about it over telephone.

Governor Kalraj Mishra said that these kits can be used in SMS hospital, RUHS and other hospitals of the state.

Governor Mishra takes daily feedback of efforts to fight the corona pandemic. He spoke to additional chief secretary (Health) Rohit Kumar Singh following which he ordered that Rs 10 lakh should be given to RMSCL.

Governor Kalraj Mishra receiving the poster of scholarship scheme from his chief privilege Govindram Jaiswal on Tuesday.

Governor Kalraj Mishra also presented the poster of corona warriors incentive scholarship scheme on Tuesday. Apex University has launched this scheme for the children

of corona warriors studying in its university. Governor Mishra’s OSD presented him this poster. The university has earmarked Rs one crore for this scholarship.

CM deriving political BJP’s Om Mathur provides equipment Pilot takes feedback mileage, alleges Poonia worth `14.89L to Pali’s Bangar hosp from Cong workers

regarding relief work

Deputy CM Sachin Pilot during the VC on Tuesday.

First India News Jaipur: Deputy CM and PCC chief Sachin Pilot on Tuesday held a VC with the Congress candidates for last Loksabha elections. Pilot took feedback from erstwhile candidates regarding the relief work being carried out in their areas.

The candidates suggested the PCC chief of ensuring proper distribution of ration and effective purchase of crops on MSP. They also thanked Pilot for get-

ting Rs 50,000 sanctioned for each village panchayat for mask & sanitizer distribution. Pilot on his end stressed a broad scheme to be taken up by central govt for getting the stranded workers back to their homes.

He said that due to the virus threat activities like raw boundary wall construction of the farms, toilet and pond construction was being encouraged which automatically implementation of social distancing.

First India News

First India News

Jaipur: BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Om Mathur has sanctioned equipment worth Rs 14.89 lakh to Bangar hospital in Pali. Mathur who belonged to Pali has provided BiPAP, ventilator, disposable masks, and humidifier. Medical college Principal Dr KC Agarwal informed that Mathur had recommended the purchase of

Patients at Bangar Hospital being provided with state-of-the-art medical equipment by MP Om Mathur.

15 BiPAP auto with integrated humidifier, 2 BiPAP AVAPS integrated humidifier and 10 Bi-

PAP disposable masks from his MPLAD fund, which will help patients.

Om Mathur has paid

homage to Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya.

On the birth anniversary of philosopher and theologian who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, Mathur said that he wrote Shankara Bhashya on Brahma Sutra & revived Sanatan dharma.

He also said that Shankaracharya was an inspiration for everyone for the way he tried to unite the world.

Lawyer versus Minister at Bharatpur!

First India News Bharatpur: A smart and shrewd lawyer versus a firebrand and powerful minister seems to be the ‘flavour of the season’. Well, senior advocate Poonam Chand Bhandari had given a complaint to Bharatpur SP against Tourism Minister Vishvendra Singh claiming that Singh roamed around without wearing a mask.

The lawyer had demanded the SP to register an FIR against the minister.

Poonam Chand Bhandari

Vishvendra Singh

In an interesting twist in the tale, Bhadari claimed that he has received two threat calls on his phone after he gave the complaint

to the police against the minister.

But Bhandari maintained that he will not bow down to pressure and will work according to

law.

Interestingly, on Tuesday, Bhandari wrote to Director General of Police Bhupendra Singh Yadav requesting him to register the FIR on the complaint given to Bharatpur SP since no FIR has been registered so far.

“Fifteen people have been arrested in an another case where people were not wearing masks. If no action is taken, I will be forced to file an application in the High Court,” Bhandari said in the letter sent to the DGP.

Jaipur: State BJP president Dr Satish Poonia has alleged that CM Ashok Gehlot is a politician by nature. He has been using PM Modi’s innocuous comments to derive political mileage. “No one knows what did the PM say and in what context he praised the CM but the latter who always thinks in terms of politics has been using it to

Dr Satish Poonia

gain mileage,” Poonia said. According to him, the PM was courteous.

He appreciates whenever someone does something good or innovative. He had appreciated sarpanches also.

OFF THE RECORD POWER STRUGGLE WITH THE POLICE WON’T END WELL

here has always been a power struggle between officers of dist administration and police now its Tassuming new proportions amid lockdown so much

so that the fight is out in open now. The police crossed limits and bashed one of the prominent employee posted at the collectorate. The incident took place on Sikar road where the police barricading the road stopped the PA of ADM (IV). The bitterness can be gauged by the statement used by the police while misbehaving the PA. They allegedly said “Enough of forced salutes to you people”. Earlier Shyam Nagar SHO Santra Meena and RAS Devyani also confronted which was reported to collector Jogaram. Even the RAS association had expressed its displeasure on the incident.

RAJASTHAN JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

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2 MORE DIE OF CORONA IN STATE, 102 NEW CASES DIAGNOSED IN LAST 24 HRS First India News

03

CS: Need system to arrange meals for women and children

Nature heals itself and we thrive on it, but what happens after lockdown?

Kota reports 6th death, so far 189 test +ve

33% recovery rate in state, highest in country: ACS

Nirmal Tiwari

First India News

Vikas Sharma

Kota: In addition to 6 new coronavirus cases reported in Kota on Tuesday, increasing the total cases to 189, sixth death has also been reported. It has also been revealed that most of the new cases are from Bajajkhana and Indra market areas.

Moreover, 3 more workers have tested positive among the workers of the plant of Suket’s road construction company. So far, 20 migrant laborers have been found positive. In Kota’s New Medical College, 113 patients have recovered after testing negative for the second time.

Jaipur: Corona cases may be rising but there is a silver lining for Rajasthan. It has maximum ratio of patient recovery in the country; death ratio is low and the rate of doubling cases is low than the national average.

According to additional chef secretary (health) Rohit Kumar Singh 33% corona patients in state have recovered, which is highest in the country. Rajasthan’s death rate of 1.87% is less than the national average of 3.13% and cases have been doubling in 11 days in Rajasthan than 9.2

Jaipur: Two corona deaths were reported in last 24 hours taking the total to 52 along with 102 new corona positive cases. Jodhpur and Kota reported one death each on Tuesday. 26 new cases came from Jaipur, 25 from Jodhpur, 24 from Kota, 11 from Ajmer, 8 from Tonk, 4 from Dholpur and one each from Banswara, Nagaur, Tonk & Udaipur. There were 2364 cases in state on Tuesday night. State has tested 92506 samples so far out of which 85834 tested negative while reports for 4308 samples is awaited.

Jaipur has 859 positive cases followed by Jodhpur 400, Kota 189, Ajmer 135, Tonk 131, Bharatpur 110, Nagaur

Drones are being used for making public announcements and surveillance in walled city area of Jaipur.

117, Banswara 63, Jhunjhunu 42, Jhalawar 40, Bikaner 37, Jaisalmer & Bhilwara 35 each, Dausa

21, Churu 14, Hanumangarh 11, Dholpur 9, Chittorgarh & Sawai Madhopur 8, Alwar &

—PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA

Jaipur: Covid-19 threat has forced mankind to lock itself inside their houses. This has drastically changed our life styles. Now we don’t wake up with blaring vehicle horns but hear birds chirping nearby.

The roads which use to be bumper to bumper from early morning to late night now are empty and serene. The air is much cleaner to breathe, the vision much better without smog and life slow but relaxed. All because of a forced lockdown due to corona threat but a lockdown which has brought us near to nature again.

—PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO

Pratapgarh with 2 cases each and Rajsamand one case. Apart from this 2 Italians and 61 In-

dians evacuated from Iran tested positive. 28 out of 33 districts are infected.

So far 770 patients have recovered. 584 have already been discharged from the hospitals and rest would follow the suite after they complete their mandatory quarantine period. 273 from Jaipur recovered, 5 from Alwar, 31 Banswara, 1 Barmer & Dholpur, 5 Ajmer, Bharatpur & Dungarpur, 30 Bhilwara, 36 Bikaner, 40 Jhunjhunu, 13 Churu, 7 Dausa, 2 Pali & Pratapgarh, 2 Hanumangarh & Karauli, 30 Jaisalmer, 20 Jhalawar, 81 Jodhpur, 98 Kota, 9 Nagaur, 35 Tonk, 2 Sikar, 4 Udaipur, 2 from other states, 2 Italians and 25 Indians evacuated from Iran also turned positive.

Pigeons flock outside Amer Fort during lockdown.

There are reports of people in certain cities able to see mountains hundreds of kms away, Ganga water is cleaner than ever before, pollution reduced drastically, much more time for

family members, daily needs reduced to a new and unimaginable level and above all rediscovering the nature around. Even the wild animals living in nearby forests are finding it

Migrant workers find way to thank locals for providing food First India News Sikar: Police intercepted 57 migrant

construction workers from Madhya Pradesh on the night of April 18 on Ranoli highway

Migrant workers from MP working while serving quarantine.

and quarantined them at Badhala ki dhani govt school.

Local villagers came forward and took care of the food for the quarantined workers, The workers also reciprocated by building a much needed kitchen in the school building.

Some villagers and the local SHO contributed towards the building material.

Udaipur 7 each, Dungarpur & Sikar 6 each, Udaipur 6, Karauli & Pali 3 each, Barmer &

strange without human intervention and venturing out of their habitat to see some. People are adopting hobbies ranging from reading to gardening. Lockdown has given the humans a break from the mess they themselves had accumulated over years.

The million dollar question is that what will happen once the lockdown is lifted? Will we get back to our old selves? Polluting indiscriminately, harnessing nature to the extent of exploitation, become part of the never ending rat race of materialism again and forget about the nature we are inseparable part of.

DB Gupta

First India News Jaipur: Chief Secretary DB Gupta chaired a meeting on Tuesday to discuss how to arrange meals for women and children.

He emphasised on creating a management system for it. The meeting was attended by K K Pathak, secretary of women & child development department and other officials. He also stressed on ensuring

Rohit Kumar Singh

days at national level.

Singh attributed this success to aggressive testing. Rajasthan has been conducting 1173 tests per 10 lakh compared to 450 at national level. “This is more than four times the national average,” he said.

Feather in the cap was recovery of two 90-year-old elderly peo-

monitoring of nutrition programme.

Aanganbari centres have been receiving nutritional meals regularly because of lockdown; therefore, CS took the meeting of high level committee to ensure nutritional meal through alternative means. They were also asked to ensure WHO and health department’s protocol of safeguarding self against corona during distrbution of food.

ple, who in less than a week recovered and were discharged from SMS hospital.

The ACS dismissed reports of less testing in Ramganj. “The contagion there is only in a limited area; therefore, our focus is on saving people’s lives. We have divided the area in to clusters for targeted sampling. We have included elderly, direct contact persons and people already suffering from other serious illness,” he said.

He clarified that if a worker tests positive, no action would be taken against factory owner and they are only asked to ensure distancing.

RSRTC to get `100 crore grant from govt

HELPING HANDS

First India News

Sanatan Seva Samiti, Khatipura along with Rotary Club Jaipur North, has been operating the Sanatan Ran Rasoi for the last 26 days to help the daily wage laborers, unemployed and destitute with support from 150 active members. Committee members Ganesh Singh, Himmat Singh and Bheem Singh informed that they will continue with the good work until the lockdown is lifted.

Jaipur: In order to help the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC) get over the financial crisis, the Gehlot government has provided a grant of Rs.100 crore.

The Finance Expenditure Department has given the approval to send the amount to the private account of the Corporation.

The economic condition of the Roadways is already bad and the only way it is able to arrange salary and pension for its employees and pensioners from time to time is after receiving a grant from the government. In such a situation, the Roadways would get a boost with the amount in the operation of buses for transporting migrants and after the lockdown.

Jpr Airport may reduce number of flights

PWD to provide employment to almost 1200 workers

First India News

First India News

Jaipur: Though the status of flight operations are not clear, it is expected that whenever it starts, the number of flights would fall by about 75%. However, different airlines have started booking tickets for May 16 and June 1.

But it is believed that flights would be operational only after May 31.

India’s largest airline IndiGo could significantly reduce number

of flights. Sources said that Jaipur Airport was operating 23 flights from Jaipur before lockdown, but now it would start with only 6 flights, one each to major cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. A similar effect would be seen with other airlines.

Jaipur Airport does not have adequate resources. Therefore, it won’t be possible to operate same number of flights as earlier.

SILVER LINING

Jaipur. PWD has decided to turn the modified lockdown into an opportunity to rejuvenate the life of workers dependent on the department. It has started work on 33 road projects in 10 districts providing work to almost 1200 workers.

State govt has permitted many industrial units to start production during the modified guidelines. Deputy

CM Sachin Pilot, who also holds the PWD portfolio, instructed ACS Veenu Gupta and other senior officers to take up 2678 projects in a planned manner providing maximum employment to the workers. Veenu Gupta along with Chief Engineer Sunil Gupta have planned construction of 8590 Kms of road projects worth Rs 3700 crore. This includes 13 projects of 212 Kms of national highway roads

HOW MANY AND WHERE?

—Pic for representation purpose only

worth Rs 1056 crore and 9 projects of Central road fund worth 423

crore.

NABARD has already sanctioned Rs 383 crore

under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund Scheme to take up 2252

Kms of road construction. This will have roads connecting villages to the highways and improving the village network itself.

Apart from this the PM rural road connect scheme too has 243 works worth Rs 1143 crore already sanctioned.

Pilot emphasized on all precautionary measures like washing hands repeatedly and wearing masks while working.

PERSPECTIVE JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

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COMBATING CORONA INDUCED RECESSION

IN-DEPTH

FEWER KITS IN HAND BUT THE FIGHT IS ON

PROF. ND MATHUR

A

s coronavirus cases in India neared the 30,000 mark, the rapid testing kits remained a debatable issue. After complaints from states about the Chinese kits giving faulty results, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) told them to stop using those kits. About 6.5 lakh rapid testing kits were imported from Chinese companies Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech and Zhuhai Livzon Diagnostics. They are called rapid kits since they give the results in 30 minutes. Initially, ICMR had suspended the use of kits for two days. After ICMR’s centres carried out validation tests the objections by states were found to be true. Now ICMR wants the kits to be returned.

This has raised two issues. One, the number of Covid-19 tests being carried out suffered a setback. As it is, given the population size the number of tests being done is perceived below.

The ICMR, however, disagrees. One study said that on April 19, 27, 824 samples were tested of 1,134 were found to be positive. Cumulatively, over 4 lakh samples had been tested until that date and five lakh tests by April 22. Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, ICMR’s head of Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases was quoted as saying sometime back “…we are conducting 24 tests out of which one comes out to be positive. Also, we have a huge population and not all people belong to vulnerable groups. Hence can’t say our testing ratio is low”.

India now intends to scale up testing to one lakh daily. Union health minister Harsh Vardhan recently said India will be able to make its own rapid test kits by May as all processes were in an advanced stage and production will begin after ICMR approval. Once these kits are ready the country would be able to carry out 100,000 tests covering a bigger section of the population daily.

The second issue that has come up is China’s response to the rejection of its testing kits. While the health ministry says that the country won’t lose a rupee if the kits are returned to suppliers, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi voiced “deep concern” with ICMR decisions and evaluation results. It also said that the kits had ICMR’s approval. After the National Institute of Virology’s validation, the kits were found to be satisfactory, the embassy claimed. Wondfo rejected the charge of supplying faulty vaccines and blamed the timing of tests for the variations.

This leaves us at a critical juncture.

Fewer rapid testing kits mean fewer tests at a time when a huge percentage of cases are asymptomatic. In Maharashtra 80 percent of cases are said to be asymptomatic, those who are infected but do not show symptoms. In Rajasthan, where around 70,000 tests had been done until a few days ago, the government is apprehensive of asymptomatic patients. Hopefully, lockdown will keep the virus in check.

The writer is a Director, School of Humanities and Social Sciences Manipal University, Jaipur

A

The world will be caught in a circular constellation or a vicious circle of recession. A vicious circle is one in which cause is the effect and vice versa. The unorganized sector’s business is closed. The huge working population is unemployed which will cause low income thereby low purchasing power leading to demand goods and services (except the pressure of demand for essential goods)

black swan incident leaves its mark and impact. Corona is one such incident. This pandemic will bring another economic pandemic that shall impact the economies of various countries. The pandemic has affected Dharavi and Buckingham Palace equally. Recession is an outcome of war or business cycles or risky uncertainties like a pandemic. Probably such incidents happen to provide sustainability to our madness towards the growth rush.

SPREAD OF RECESSION Developed and developing countries shall be equally affected badly as a consequence of COVID-19. The Indian economy is no exception to it. The aviation sector, rail transport, bus transport, shipping, the auto sector, textile, solar power, electric good industry, domestic and international tourism, pharmaceuticals, domestic trade, MSMEs, etc. shall be severely affected by falling of demand and shrinking propensity to consume.

CIRCULAR CONSTELLATION OF RECESSION The world will be caught in a circular constellation or a vicious circle of recession. A vicious circle is one in which cause is the effect and vice versa. The unorganized sector’s business is closed. The huge working population is unemployed which will cause low income thereby low purchasing power leading to demand goods and services (except the pressure of demand for essential goods). This will further cause low production leading to low income and thereby low level of purchasing power. So low purchasing power which is a cause of recession is the final effect too.

So there shall be needed to break through this vicious circle at any point by bailouts and welfare schemes or monetary and fiscal stimulations and booster dozes to the various sectors of the economy. Bottle-

necks have to be faced not only from demand-side but from the supply side too.

DECOUPLING IS NOT POSSIBLE After the establishment of WTO in 1995 dependency of one country over other countries has tremendously increased. No country can remain in isolation after joining the globalization bandwagon. China missed it in 1995 so realized later that trade isolation is harmful and was compelled to join WTO in 2001. In 2008 the world had faced a global recession due to the subprime crises and countries have witnessed that the decoupling theory fails to work as the world is more interdependent today.

NEED OF THE HOUR In the present scenario, the high growth rate or a high GDP growth rate are not the priorities. GDP at current prices and overall growth rate is bound to fall in this era. But the priority is to create alternative employment opportunities, giving broad and selective bailouts, effective PDS, cash transfers without leakages, food security, combating hoarding, expanding coverage of MGNREGA, old age pension distribution, etc. Relaxing labour market regulations, creating for lost activity, curbing trade through protectionism improving propensity to spend, initiating the process of reconstruction is the priority of the present era.

COMBATING STRATEGY The world is already in recession. The world is facing a double whammy of demand and supply shocks. Lending will freeze everywhere which will restrict production and disrupt the global value chain. The oil collapse is a further blow. The problem will spread in the banking system with NPAs proliferating.

As per the UN trade report, developing countries would require a relief package of around 187 lakh crore. Developed countries will have less investment by 225 lakh crore.

The reconstruction process has to be started by International organizations. Developed and developing countries will have to devise their monetary and fiscal measures in such a manner that the problem may get hit from various angles. At the national level Reserve Bank of India has already begun to make recession combating strategies by reducing CRR, repo and reserve repo, interest rate structure, deferment of EMIs and moratorium period, etc. RBI is devising a strategy of an easy monetary policy to confront recession. RBI has propagated zero-interest loans to boost investment thereby business activity and employment generation in the economy. These measures will bring liquidity and credit expansion in the economy. Not only quantitative monetary measures but qualitative monetary measures are being taken by RBI which will boost economic ac-

How South Korea stopped COVID-19 early

S

outh Korea experienced one of the world’s largest initial outbreaks of COVID-19 outside China.

But, unlike the United States and many European countries, we have been able to contain and drastically reduce the spread of the virus, at least so far – and without imposing a nationwide lockdown. Our response may provide insights that can help other governments and civil-society groups working to combat the pandemic.

SO, HOW DID WE DO IT? As is widely known, South Korea’s government focused on aggressive testing and contact tracing to contain community transmission, and established a strict triage system to protect health-care workers.

04

But testing and tracing alone did not stop the spread of the virus. The country’s civil society – including non-governmental organizations and trade unions – played a critical role by monitoring the situation closely, helping to hold the authorities accountable, and reaching the most vulnerable social groups.

The government procured high-quality diagnostic kits based on a tightly coordinated transfer of public-funded technology to private manufacturers, and quickly established a mass testing system in which public-health centers played a central part. These early interventions paid off: the country now has more than 600 testing sites, including 80 drive-through centers, capable of testing a total of 20,000 people per day. Moreover, individuals

South Korea’s civil-society organisations played a critical role by monitoring the situation closely, helping to hold the authorities accountable

with suspected COVID-19 symptoms and contact history are legally entitled to be tested free of charge.

Each time a new case was identified, local governments used contact tracing to quarantine potential carriers and publicly disclosed their individual travel histories in order to inform nearby residents of their potential exposure. This helped to contain infection clusters.

And the triage system in hospitals helped to prevent patients with severe symptoms from indiscriminately infecting health-care workers and other patients.

For contact tracing, the authorities relied on mobile-phone GPS data, creditcard transaction records, and CCTV footage. While this use of personal data is legal in South Korea and proved effective in combating the virus, it also raised significant privacy concerns. Over the last two months, some patients whose detailed travel history was made public have been blamed, as if they had recklessly put others at risk of infection. The country’s National Human Rights Commission and advocacy organizations have called for an appropriate balance between protecting the public and respecting individu-

al rights, and this debate continues today.

Trade unions, NGOs, and the public were also instrumental in pushing the government to protect vulnerable citizens, respect their basic human rights, and address the deeply rooted inequalities highlighted by social-distancing measures.

Many low-wage workers, for example, could not work remotely or take paid leave to support themselves and their families. A call center in southwest Seoul, where workers were crammed into a small, poorly ventilated office, emerged as one of the country’s biggest COVID-19 clusters. And one delivery worker died on the job, collapsing from exhaustion because of the huge increase in online orders.

FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATECOM

tivity in India in a long way. It is suggested that RBI must offer a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) loans as a qualitative monetary measure to get rid of recession and expanding credit in the desired direction.

KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS Fiscal measures will go a long way in this crisis. During Wall Street Crisis the British economist John Maynard Keynes worked on fiscal stimulant through his pump-priming strategy of deficit financing which made the collapsing economy of Great Britain alive.

Tax concession, subsidies, deficit financing, good governance, increasing public spending, and a mixed blend of easy monetary policy worked very well in combating Wall Street Crisis.

Govt of India must also create alternative employment for people by expanding frontiers of MGNREGA, increasing public spending, tax ease, investment-oriented monetary measures will help the Indian economy to conduct corona induced recession. It is suggested that Govt. of India must bring amendments to the FRBM Act. In, 2003 it restricts the government to increase the deficit as a percentage of GDP. FRBM Act only allows 0.5 deficit in addition to the prescribed range during severe stress but Covid-19 stress is so severe and requires amendment in FRBM provision.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

Top

TWEET Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Women in Odisha have shown exemplary grit and determination and are playing a crucial role in the fight against #COVID-19. Salute our #NariShakti for their #IspatiIrada for a happier and healthier Odisha. #OdishaFightsCorona #IndiaFightsCorona Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal Fulfilling dreams of North East India: 100 meter high & 555 meter long bridge over river Makru in Manipur will enable smooth movement of passenger & freight traffic. The bridge will enhance connectivity to the State & boost development in the region.

Spiritual SPEAK

You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself. —Buddha

Vol 1 Issue No. 322 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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05

COVID UPDATE

‘No case in 80 dists in last 7 days’

While 300 districts are non-hotspots, 129 districts with COVID-19 cases have been declared as hotspots, Health Min informed New Delhi: Eighty disShiv Sena tricts of the country UP CM ADITYANATH CHAIRS have reported no COVCOVID-19 REVIEW MEET seeks financial ID-19 cases over the last 7 days, Union Health aid for states Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan informed on Tuesday.

The Union Minister, through video conferencing, interacted with autonomous institutes and public sector units (PSUs) under the department of biotechnology.

“No fresh case has been reported in 80 districts since last 7 days. In 47 districts, no case has been reported in the last 14 days, while 39 districts have not reported a case since the last 21 days. Seventeen districts have not reported a case for last 28 days,” he said.

While 300 districts are non-hotspots, 129 districts with significant COVID-19 cases have been declared as hotspots, the Union Minister informed. In the past 24 hours, no fresh case has been reported from 16 districts. As India battles COVID-19, coronavirus cases on Tuesday soared to 29,435, including 21,632 active cases, 6869 cured/discharged patients and 934 deaths. —ANI

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan holds a review meeting via video conference with LG-Delhi, Delhi Health Minister, MCD Commissioners, DMs and DCPs of all districts of Delhi on Tuesday., as Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey looks on. — PHOTO BY ANI

Air India, Navy on standby for evacuation Dubai: India’s national carrier Air India and Indian Navy have been asked to be on standby with their aircraft and warships for the mass evacuation of Indians from Gulf countries as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.

“We are assessing the scenario and finding the plan to evacuate Indians from the Gulf countries. We have asked Air India

New guidelines for mild-symptom patients at home New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry has come up with guidelines for home isolation of people who either have very mild coronavirus symptoms or are in the pre-symptomatic phase. At present in India all suspected cases are quarantined in a hospital setting.

“As per existing guidelines, during the containment phase, the patients should be clinically assigned as very mild/mild, moderate or severe and accordingly admitted to COVID Care Centre, Dedicated COVID Health Centre or Dedicated COVID Hospital, respectively,” the ministry said in its new guidelines.

“However, very mild/ pre-symptomatic patients having the requisite facility at his/her residence for self-isolation will have the option for home isolation,” it said.

The patient should be clinically assigned as a very mild case or presymptomatic case by the treating medical officer. The Guidelines say, the patient should regularly inform his health status to the district surveillance officer for urther follow up.

The care giver and all close contacts of such individuals should take Hydroxychloroquine as a preventive medication according to the protocol and as prescribed by the treating medical officer.

The home isolation will end when symptoms are clinically resolved. —ANI

and Indian Navy for the detailed evacuation plan,” top government sources said.

Amid the coronavirus scare, thousands of

Indians have expressed willingness to come back to India from the Gulf countries, but due to suspension of air operations and other

modes of travel, they have been stuck there.

In response to the report, Consul General of India to Dubai Vipul told Khaleej Times, “We are still waiting for official confirmation from Delhi on this matter.

The mode of evacuation will be decided by the government of India and I am sure that Air India will be involved as well.” —ANI

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena demanded that the Centre declare a financial package for states from 10 % of the country’s GDP like several western countries to deal with the situation arising out of COVID-19 lockdown.

In its mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, Shiv Sena cited NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s letter to PM Modi in which the leader sough financial package for Maharashtra and said that the Centre should take “financial guardianship of states at this hour”. It highlighted that almost all states including Maharashtra are under heavy loan burden so the Union government should take a loan and distribute it to states instead of states left to borrow.the Shiv Sena said: “The Centre should declare a package for states from 10 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) as several western countries have done.” —ANI

Rules issued to import remains of patients New Delhi: The Centre has assured Delhi HC that the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been issued by it in the form of detailed guidelines for importation of human remains related to COVID-19.

The court was hearing a plea seeking direction to repatriate the mortal remains of a person who died in the UAE. Justice Sanjiv Sachdeva heard the

GHMC workers take an oath to protect the public in Hyderabad.

matter through video conferencing on Mon-

day and allowed the petitioner to withdraw

the plea after Counsel for the petitioner submitted that with the intervention of Central and Uttarakhand government and with the efforts of Roshan Raturi, Social Worker at the UAE, the mortal remains of the brother of the petitioner reached Delhi on Monday morning and were transported to Uttarakhand where the deceased’s last rites were performed. —ANI

MAKING PEOPLE AWARE...

A mannequin based coronavirus set-up on a vehicle ply on road to spread awareness to commuters during the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID19, in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.

—PHOTO BY ANI

HC grants bail to man facing cheating charges Keeping in view of the facts, current scenario and medical condition of the petitioner, the petitioner is granted interim bail for a period of 45 days.

—Sanjeev Sachdev, Justice, Delhi HC

condition of him furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000. “Keeping in view of the facts and

circumstances and also the present pandemic situation in the country and the medical condi-

tion of the petitioner, petitioner is granted interim bail for a period of 45 days on his fur-

nishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs. 50,000 to the satisfaction of the Superintendent Jail,” the court said.

The court also imposed a condition that the petitioner shall duly surrender to the concerned Superintendent Jail on the expiry of the period of 45 days of his release.

Counsel for the petitioner told the court that petitioner is diabetic and a patient of

TREAT COVID-19 AS OPPORTUNITY: PRASAD New Delhi: Minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad has asked state governments to treat COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity & prepare for the forthcoming boom in the electronics manufacturing sector. The comments of the minister came at a meeting with his state counterparts where he said that “anger against China can be used towards benefit for India’s manufacturing sector”. During his interaction with state CMs, IT ministers& officials, Prasad claimed that major opportunity in electronic manufacturing sector is likely to open up for India soon.

‘YSRCP, RESPONSIBLE FOR COVID-19 SURGE IN ANDHRA’ Amaravati: TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu accused Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government and SEC of causing a nonstop rise in coronavirus cases in the state.

In an open letter to the people of Andhra h, Naidu appealed them to protect themselves by personally taking all possible preventive measures . Alleging that the situation deteriorated ever since SEC gave a call for election preparedness despite nationwide lockdown, he said: “The YSRCP leaders began holding rallies, crowd based gatherings and door delivery of benefits. Such open violations of lockdown coupled with failure of official machinery led to the present nonstop rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.”

16-YR-OLD IS ASSAM’S YOUNGEST PATIENT

LEGAL EAGLE

New Delhi: Delhi High Court has granted interim bail to an undertrial prisoner, who was facing charges including cheating, forgery and criminal intimidation, etc, on medical grounds during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva, after hearing the submissions, on Monday granted interim bail to accused Yashpal Uppal for 45 days on

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath chaired a meeting with ‘COVID-19 management Team-11’ regarding the prevailing coronavirus situation in the state. According to the data of the Ministry of Health, till 11:55 am today, there are 1,955 coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh including 31 deaths.

hypertension and recently one of his thumbs had been amputated on account of the illness. The lawyer said that the petitioner is at high-risk in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The person is facing trial under Sections 420 (cheating, dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 448 (housetrespass), 468(forgery for cheating), 506 (criminal intimidation, 120B of the IPC. —ANI

Dispur : Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on said that a secondary contact of a Markaz attendee has tested COVID-19 positive in the state. “Alert ~ A 16-year-old girl from Salmara Bongaingaon, secondary contact of a Markaz attendee, has tested COVID-19 positive. The number of COVID-19 patients in Assam now stands at 36. However active hospital cases are 8,” Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted.

NITI AAYOG SEALED, AS EMPLOYEE TESTS POSITIVE

New Delhi: A NITI Aayog employee was tested positive for COVID-19 after which its building here has been sealed as a precautionary measure. “An employee working at NITI Bhavan has been detected positive with COVID-19. It was informed to authorities. NITI Aayog is following all the due protocols necessary as per the Ministry of Health guidelines. The building has been sealed,” the Aayog tweeted. “Disinfection and sanitisation of the building are underway.

Contacts of the single COVID-positive person have been asked to go on self-quarantine.”

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BJP helping loan defaulters: Cong New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday, slammed the government for writing off loans of top fifty wilful defaulters to the tune of Rs 68,607 crore, saying the government and the Finance Minister should come clean on it.

Congress charged the BJP with helping the defaulters. “Till April 24, Rs 68,607 crore have

Rs 8,048 cr have been written off of Mehul Choksi & Nirav Modi.Diamond merchant Jatin Mehta’s Rs 6, 048 cr have been written off.

—Randeep Surjewala, Cong Chief Spokesperson

been written off by the government.

The PM can not evade this question by keep-

ing silent,” said Congress Chief spokesper-

son Randeep Surjewala.

The Congress said Rahul Gandhi had asked this question in Parliament, but the government did not respond. “But now an RTI has revealed the magnitude of the waiver,” he said.

“As much as Rs 8,048 crore have been written off of Mahul Choksi and Nirav Modi. Anoth-

‘Bring out truth in Sadhus’ murder’ New Delhi: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has lashed out at the UP government for deteriorating law & order situation, rise of crime and murder of two saints in Bulandshahr on Tuesday.

She said, “Today in Bulandshahr, two sadhus were murdered while they were sleeping. The truth must come out after investigation in this heinous crime and at this stage no body should politicize this issue.”

“In UP before April 15, about 100 people have been murdered.

Three days back in Etah, five of a Pachauri family have been killed so mysteriously that no body knew what has happened,” she added.

She urged the UP government for fair probeto bring out the truth behind the murders as it is the state government’’s responsibility. Two sadhus were found murdered inside a Shiva temple at Pagona village of Bulandshahr district in on Tuesday.

Priyanka Gandhi

BOOK KILLERS: THACKERAY TO YOGI

Ashok Gehlot @ashokgehlot51 Condemn the brutal murder of two sadhus in UP’s #Bulandshahr in a temple.

There should be an inquiry & the culprits must be given harshest punishment

Mumbai: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray called up UP CM Yogi Adityanath & urged him to take stringent action against those involved in the killing of two sadhus in Bulandshahr. “I called up the UP CM and expressed concern over the brutal killings today. We are all with the (Uttar Pradesh) government in tackling such heinous crimes,” said Thackeray.

He pointed out that on April 16, a similar incident of two sadhus and their driver being lynched had taken place

Jitin Prasada demands Yogi’’s resignation

Uddhav Thackeray

in Palghar in which the Maharashtra government had initiated strong action. “We are hoping that you will follow suit and give strongest punishment to the accused in the (Bulandshahr) incident,” Thackeray said.

VHP HOLDS ‘SATVIK PROTEST’ New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad offerred ‘shraddhanjali’ or last respects on Tuesday evening to the deceased sants who lost their lives in Shiv Sena ruled Maharashtra’’s Palghar. However, it remained mum on the murder of two seers in BJP-ruled Bulandshahr district.

VHP Secretary General Milind Parande offerred ‘’shradhanjali’’ by lighting a lamp at 7 p.m. at the VHP headquarters

in Delhi’’s RK Puram. A message from the VHP says this is “to pay tribute to the immortal souls of the revered saints and their driver”.

Other senior members of the organization also participated in the event, which wasclaimed to be brief and keeping social distancing norms in mind.

The Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha and the VHP had jointly given a call for a ‘’Satvik Protest’’ on Tuesday in remembrance of the victims of the Palghar lynching. —Agencies

YOGI TO INTERACT WITH STUDENTS FROM KOTA UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will hold a vc with students, who were brought back to their homes from Kota, on Tuesday evening, an official said. According to the spokesman, the Chief Minister will enlighten the students about safety protocols prescribed to combat the deadly virus. More than 7,500 students who were brought back to the state from

FROM PG 1 Indigenous testing...

China also claimed that the statement made by ICMR is an example of ‘prejudice’. Ji, however, did not clarify who are the individuals she was referring to. At the same time, the spokesperson said China will continue to support India’s fight against the pandemic and will jointly work with New Delhi to overcome the challenge “at an early date” to protect people of the two countries from the infection. —PTI

New Delhi: After two Sadhus were found murdered in Bulandshahr the Congress has attacked the CM for deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Congress Working Committee member and former Union Minister Jitin Prasada has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The murder of the two Sadhus came after a family of five have been found dead under mysterious circumstances.

`68K cr loans... which have been technically written off and Kudos Chemie Ltd with Rs 2,326 crore, Ruchi Soya Industries Limited, now owned by Ramdev’s Patanjali, with Rs 2,212 crore and Zoom Developers Pvt Ltd with Rs 2,012 crore being the other companies. Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines figures in the list at number 9, with outstanding of Rs 1943 crore which have been technically written off by the banks.

Forever Precious Jewellery and Diamonds

Private Limited has loans of Rs 1,962 crore written off while Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited have Rs 1915 crore written off loans.

Choksi’s other firms Gili India and Nakshatra Brands also have loans of Rs 1,447 and Rs 1109 crore respectively written off.REI Agro of Jhunjhunwala brothers is already under the scanner of ED. The CBI and ED are also probing alleged fraud by the owners of Winsome Diamonds.

Vikram Kothari’s Rotomac is the

‘Plasma therapy... then it can also cause life threatening complications,” said Agarwal.

The official said that the doubling rate of coronavirus cases now stands at 10.2 days.

He further said that in the last 24 hours, 1,543 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported, taking the total cases to 29,435. “6,868 COVID-19 patients, which is 23.3 per cent of total cases, have recovered so far,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh. The national average is nine days. The recovery rate is also better in comparison of other states,” Gehlot said. He said in Rajasthan 88,000 people have been tested so far, whereby the state’’s rate of testing is 1,174 people per 10 lakh of population while the national ratio is 450 tests per 10 lakh people and in UP this ratio is 234 tests per 10 lakh.

Gehlot also said his government had been efficient in handling

the migrant labourers and students from other states who are stranded in Rajasthan as well as those from the state who are stuck in other parts of the country due to the lockdown.

“From Monday we have started the registration process of migrant labourers and students from Rajasthan who are stranded in other states, and those who belong to other states and want to go back.” He said that on the first day around

1,60,000 people from different states registered including 56,000 who belong to different states and want to go back.

“I never tried to take credit individually. Everyone deserves praise be it the common man, social or political activists or social and religious organizations,” he said. The CM said that given the social and geographical situation of Rajasthan, he is satisfied with the work done so far. “We are do-

fourth in the list. —PTI

Kota about a week ago, have been placed in 14-day quarantine in their homes. Yogi is also expected to appraise the students of online classes and inquire about their studies. —Agencies

er diamond merchant Jatin Mehta’s Rs 6,048 crore too have been written off, and so is the case with Kingfisher’s Vijay Mallya. Similar is the case with the relations of these defaulters,” said Surjewala.

The Congress said the “Jan-Dhan Gaban Yojna cannot go without knowledge of the govt’s top echelon.

Sensex jumps 371 pts, Nifty tops 9,300

06

POWER Gallery PMO WON’T HAVE SECRETARY?

There are indications that now PMO will not have a regular Secretary. Presently, PMO is having two retired Secretaries as Advisors to PM. They are Amarjeet Sinha and Bhaskar Khulbe.

IFS OFFICERS POSTING FILE CLEARED?

If sources are to be believed, the PMO has reportedly cleared the transfers and postings file of about half a dozen IFS officers. It is said that about half a dozen IFS officers likely to get new postings including in UK, EU, Austria , Finland and UN Rep at Geneva.

GAITRI ISSAR KUMAR LIKELY TO BE INDIA’S NEXT HIGH COMMISSIONER TO UK

Gaitri Issar Kumar, India’s Ambassador to European Union, is likely to be appointed as next High Commissioner to United Kingdom. She is an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1986 batch.

SANTOSH JHA TO BE INDIAN AMBASSADOR TO BRUSSELS ?

Santosh Jha, currently India’s envoy to Uzbekistan, is likely to be appointed India’s new Ambassador in Brussels.

WHO WILL BE NEW DG OF ITBP ?

Mumbai: Extending its gains for the second session, equity benchmark Sensex jumped 371 points on Tuesday driven by aggressive buying in financial stocks amid hopes of another stimulus package by the government.

After a volatile session, the 30-share BSE gauge settled 371.44 points or 1.17 per cent higher at 32,114.52. It hit an intra-day high of 32,199.91 and a low of 31,661.34.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty advanced 98.60 points, or 1.06 per cent, to close at 9,380.90.

IndusInd Bank was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 15%, followed by Bajaj Finance, HDFC, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Sun Pharma, Nestle India, NTPC, HCL Tech and Bajaj Auto were among the laggards.

RBI’s massive liquidity booster to the mutual fund industry continued to spur buying in financial stocks, traders said. —Agencies

Two militants killed in Shopian, ops on Srinagar: Two militants have been killed in ongoing encounter which broke between goverment forces and militants in Melhora Area of Zainapora in South Kashmir’s Shopian District on Tuesday. two militants were killed in a gunfight.

However identity of the slain militant is yet to be ascertained as operation is still underway Ajoint team of Police and army’s 55 RR

launched cordon and search operation in Melhora.

As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, triggering an encounter. —Agencies

ing 5,000 tests daily now.

We have already ordered COBASS 8800 machines from the USA and will get them delivered by the end of May. It will enable us to increase the number of tests by four to five thousand daily.” Refusing to predict when the health crisis would end and normalcy would return, Gehlot said some experts had said the pandemic-induced situation may drag on till June or July.

“As far as lifting the

lockdown is concerned, we have initiated a ‘’modified lockdown’’ from April 20. Under this 7,000 small, medium and big units across 288 places have been restarted and more than 50,000 labourers are back to work,” he said.

“Countries like USA, France, and Germany have announced hefty packages to deal with this crisis. Some have declared to allocate 12 percent while some are contributing 15 percent of their GDP but in In-

In case SS Deswal moves to the BSF, who will succeed him as DG of ITBP. Tie is said to be between two 1986 batch IPS officers, Jyotirmoy Chakravarty and MA Gnapathy.

THREE IRS - IT OFFICERS TRANSFERRED

Three IRS-IT officers - Prashant Bhushan of 1988 batch, Sanjay Bahadur of 1989 batch and Prakash Dube of 2001 batch – have been transferred. It is said they reportedly suggested to impose additional taxes on rich and a 4% Covid-19 cess on taxable income of over Rs 10 lakh.

GANGADHAR PANDA RETURNS TO PARENT CADRE

Upon return from deputation, Gangadhar Panda has been appointed as CIT (OSD) in the office of Pr CCIT Delhi Region. He is an IRS-IT officer.

CADRE OF NEHA YADAV TRANSFERRED TO ASSAM-MEGHALAYA

The cadre of Neha Yadav has been transferred from Tamil Nadu to Assam-Meghalaya on the grounds of marriage to Mridul Yadav, an IAS officer of 2017 batch. She is a 2019 batch IAS officer.

TENURE OF DAYAL AND DR NANDA ON HUDCO BOARD ENDS

The tenure of Pratima Dayal and Dr SK Nanda as Part time Non-Official (Independent) Directors on the Board of HUDCO has come to an end.

TWO SECRETARY EQUIVALENT OFFICERS TO RETIRE ON APRIL 30

Two officials equivalent to Secretary will retire by this month end. They are N Sivasailam Special Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Preetam Singh Secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Castes M/o Social Justice & Empowerment.

DDG PRASAR BHARTI GETS ONE YEAR EXTENSION

Col Vijay Kumar Shad, DDG (Admn) in Prasar Bharati, has been given extension in his deputation tenure for one year w e f June 11, 2020. Col Shad is from Military Services Branch.

JS LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT PREETI SRIVASTAVA TO RETIRE

Joint Secretary in Lok Sabha Secretariat Preeti Srivastava is retiring by this month end.

SADHU NARASIMHA REDDY JOINS AP GOVT ON DEPUTATION

Sadhu Narasimha Reddy, presently Additional Commissioner of GST and Central Excise, Visakhapatnam, has joined the Government of Andhra Pradesh on deputation. He is a 2006 batch IRS-C&CE officer.

FROM PG 1 Never tried...

“We took all the correct steps. We did maximum number of tests.

You will see that death rate is minimum (1.7 per cent) in our state while the national average is 3.3”.

He said that Rajasthan was ahead of the national average in other aspects also. “The doubling rate of coronavirus cases in Rajasthan is more than any other state. It is 11 in our state while five in Gujarat and seven in

dia the centre so far has not given even one percent of GDP,” he said.

On the World Day for Safety and Health at Work CM Ashok Gehlot said that everyone should take care of personal hygiene and wash their hands regularly while ensuring that they wear masks. “Our safety at work place is our responsibility. Take care of yourself and of your co-workers.

The Chief Minister also said that the recovery rate of Covid-19 pa-

tients in Rajasthan is better. “it is all due to the hard work and commitment of our doctors, health workers and cleanliness workers. I pray that all the patients across the nation recover soon and stay healthy,” he said.

Meanwhile due to the ongoing efforts of Gehlot, 40 buses carrying stranded individuals from various states entered from Rajasthan-MP border and headed to various cities —PTI

TALKING POINT JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

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07

Govt has recently notified an amendment (2020) to the Rules to bring all medical devices under a single regulatory framework. The rules ensure that all imported, as well as locally made medical devices, meet certain quality standards

ADITYA JAIN

Advocate on Record at Supreme Court of India

I

NEHA GYAMLANI

Advocate at Supreme Court of India

n the wake of reports of faulty test kits and protective gear purchased

by India from China, India’s medical device industry has been in limelight again which can hamper India’s fight against COVID -19.

In the past too, India has faced such failures over patient safety, quality control, and efficacy of the medical devices and equipment, be it Johnson’s and Johnson’s faulty hip transplants leading to disabilities in patients or use of unapproved drugeluting cardiac stents threatening cardiac care in India.

At the time when India has been looking at scaling up testing and surveillance due to increased disease burden, the significance of regulation, and monitoring of medical devices cannot be overemphasized.

Medical Devices, in general, mean any instrument, apparatus, implement, machine, implant, or other to be used for the specific medical purposes of diagnosis, prevention. monitoring, treatment, or alleviation of diseases or injuries, supporting or sustaining lives, control of conception, replacement, modification, support or providing information of physiological process. Ranging from simple thermometers, stethoscopes and tongue depressors to complex devices like pacemakers with microchip technology, ultrasound, etc., medical devices are essential for safe and effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of illness and disease.

Until recently, the healthcare stakeholders, i.e., doctors, patients, physicians, employers, insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and government were focused on the drugs and other pharmaceuticals.

There was a limited awareness which led to free hands on the medical devices regulation. Now, India attaches great significance to medical devices as they are quintessential to healthcare. The industry is expected to grow drastically over the next several years amidst the rising demands, high incomes and growing middle class, speed innovation and technology changes, increased public health awareness and spending and government health initiatives.

REGULATION OF MEDICAL DEVICES IN INDIA

UNIFORM REGIME FOR MEDICAL DEVICE INDUSTRY n January 2017, the MinIWelfare istry of Health and Family released the long-

awaited Medical Device Rules of 2017, which came into effect on Jan 1, 2018.

Upon implementation, these rules replaced the existing provision regulating Medical Devices under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act (DCA). Prior to implementation of the Act, the medical device industry in India was largely unregulated, except for a few devices specifically notified under DCA. The list of covered devices was limited (only 15 medical devices were included), and the DCA treated these devices as drugs rather than establishing regulations tailored to the medical device industry. The implementation of Medical Devices Rules 2017 attempted to establish a uniform regime for medical device manufacturing and marketing sector and to bring it at par with the global standards. It laid down a risk-based classification of medical devices.

The rules notified an increased number of medical

FUNDAMENTAL AND SYSTEMATIC ISSUES espite such widespread D significance, there were fundamental and

devices to be regulated and separate provisions for a clinical trial of medical devices to access safety, performance, and efficacy.

Certifying bodies for third party assessment was also notified. Strict registration and licensing norms and post-market surveillance to ensure safety, performance, and adaptability of the device were the key highlights.

Notifying 2017 rules was a step in the right direction. However, there still existed some gaps and ambiguities. Bringing into domain larger no of medical devices was the ultimate

aim with opportunities for domestic manufacturers to penetrate into the market.

The pricing of the devices was still determined by market forces resulting in out of pocket expenditures and poverty shocks. The country still witnessed scandals, the biggest of which was the faulty hip implant resulting in severe patient disabilities. Medical devices outside of these “notified” device categories, with unproven designs, poor quality control, limited defect traceability, and inconsistent reliability are freely circulated in the market.

systematic issues persisting in this industry. The most common concern is Device safety and efficacy.

Lack of regulatory systems with global standards has put a patient’s life at stake. Poor device safety and functionality have been crucially related to legislative loopholes which makes it easy for device makers to get their products in the market before proper testing.

Lack of quality product testing in India is another hurdle that results in substandard devices occupying the market. Rampant imports at a low cost not only lead to poor quality equipment but a big it is a big impediment to the domestic manufacturers as well. The absence of regulatory oversight and lack of reporting of failure of medical devices has added to the issues surrounding this sector. Other combinations of issues include malfunctioning of

the devices, instructions/ labeling/packaging issues, and lack of understanding of use related issues. As we’ve seen, though, each of these major problems with the health care device market has captured the attention of regulators and those concerned, the govt is yet to attain a safer and more transparent industry. In such a scenario, proper manufacturing, regulation, planning, assessment, acquisition, management, and use of medical devices which are of good quality, safe, and compatible with the settings in which they are used has become quintes-

sential. Indian medical devices and equipment sector with the majority of medical devices sold in India imported from other countries (currently 75%) went unregulated until the notification of Medical Devices Rule, 2017 came out. The Indian govt stepped up and initiated some reforms for improving the quality of the medical device sector. The CDSCO under the Ministry of Health regulates the safety, efficacy, and quality of notified medical devices under the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the Rules made thereunder.

ALL MEDICAL DEVICES UNDER SINGLE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK Taking a cue from the above, the government has recently notified an amendment (2020)to the Rules to bring all medical devices under a single regulatory framework. The new rules are to ensure that all imported, as well as locally made medical devices, meet certain quality standards, making it mandatory for all the devices to get certified by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), India’s drug regulatory authority. By the new definition of medical devices, the Union Govt expanded the scope of ‘medical devices’ to include all such devices, interestingly even a disinfectant has been included in the new definition of medical devices.

The Medical Device Rules, 2017, and the amendment Rules of 2020 have many attractive features that encourage the medical device sector in India. By introducing a single online portal, the registration process

has been streamlined. An audit by the notified bodies will further increase the manufacturing quality of devices.

A change in clinical trial requirements will encourage the innovation of new medical devices. The regulations will thus encourage domestic manufacturing and increased scrutiny of Import License documents. However, there are still some grey areas and it is important to bring these to the attention of the stakeholders. They include rapid testing to probe the risk associated with devices, securing the market for domestic manufacturers, which in turn will increase competition resultantly bringing down costs and reduction in imports, separate FDI Framework for medical device industry that is independent of regulations governing the pharmaceutical sector, penalising frauds exclusively for medical devices. Mere control through licensing, testing, and certification

could result in red-tapism, and delays in the final product reaching the market, which could, in turn, lead to a lack of timely treatment of patients.

Lastly, the industry is surviving a regulatory vacuum & regular patient safety concerns. The recent J&J hip implant frauds and the most recent ban on Transvaginal Pelvic Mesh by USFDA due to potent risk to women made the Indian regulators seriously think to look medical devices as a different sector altogether. It has become imperative to have a separate law as devices are engineering items and not medicine, continued attempts to regulate them as drugs are irrational. Separate penal provisions for the manufacturers or importers for faulty medical devices having adverse impacts on patients should be included in the existing provisions. Separate legislation for the same would be a welcome step.

DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

Sometimes you have to draw from the well of your innermost strength to get through a single day, Do it! Every day is worth it!

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2ND FRONT JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

Raj to test corona through CBNAAT machines: Raghu Vikas Sharma

Jaipur: The Rajasthan government will use tuberculosis-detection machines for coronavirus testing, Health Minister Raghu Sharma said. The government will test the coronavirus infection through TB-testing CBNAAT machines which will give results in an hour, he said.

The state does cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) for tuberculosis.

Dr Sharma said eight CBNAAT machines have been handed over from different districts to four medical colleges – SMS Medical College in Jaipur, SN Medical College in Jodhpur, PBM Hospital in Bikaner and New Medical College in Kota – of the state.

These machines can check a maximum of

Actor Irrfan Khan admitted to ICU for colon infection

Mumbai: Actor Irrfan Khan, who hails from Jaipur, has been admitted to the ICU at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, sources said.

The actor is currently under observation for a colon infection.

A statement from the actor’s official spokesperson read, “Yes it is true that Irrfan Khan is admitted to ICU at Kokilaben in Mumbai because of a colon infection. He is under doctor’s observation.” Irrfan in 2018 announced that he had been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour, and sought treatment abroad. He lost his mother Saeeda Begum on Saturday. —Agencies

four samples at a time, he said. The minister said free medicines for a month will be provided to all TB patients of the state.

While talking about the corona situation in state, Dr Sharma expressed happiness at the containment of the rate of corona spread in the state but also alert for the current hotpots. Dr Sharma is personally mon-

itoring the situation of every district and is active in formulating district specific strategy to contain the Covid-19 spread.

He said that he was taking along health, administrative and police personnel to combat corona. He said that the people who are violating the lockdown or curfew without valid reason are being dealt strictly. The Health Minister reit-

‘Keep caste names out of judicial/admn orders’ First India News

erated that more tests will let the real situation come forth. He said that at present the state was testing 6,000 samples everyday and soon the capacity will be increased to 10,000 samples per day. The minister said that state was able to drastically contain infection since April otherwise by now, the number of infected would have

been at least 4,500.

Dr Sharma said that it was the grit and spirit of the health workers and the vision of the state government that 768 positive patients have turned negative and as many as 584 have been discharged. The recovery of positive cases in such large numbers sends out a reassuring message to the people of the state.

Dr Sharma also briefed about the continuous sampling in Ramganj area and doing away with the pendency of reports. He was far too happy with 93,000 tests done so far which is a record in the country. The aggressive sampling strategy is turning out to be a milestone, he said.

Dr Sharma informed that state has demanded 1,500 ventilators, RNA extraction and PCR kits from the Centre.

Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court ordered that the caste of any person should not be mentioned in any judicial and administrative matter as it was against the constitution. The court gave the direction following a controversy triggered by the mention of caste in a bail order last week.

In the standing order put on the court website late on Monday night, the HC issued the direction in compliance with its earlier order.

In July 2018, a person named Bishan was not released on bail by the jail authorities for five days despite having been granted bail by HC, only because his caste on the order was

Jodhpur (rural) police’s team was trailing few smuggler when the car in which the cops were following the miscreants, developed a puncture near Bar in Pali district.

Ashok got down and was changing the tyre when Borunda SHO started removing the spent bullets from his gun. However, one bullet suddenly got fired in the process which hit Ashok in the neck,” officials revealed.

The man was immediately rushed to Bilara for treatment from

where he was referred to Mathuradas mathur hospital where his condition deteriorated resulting in his demise. A factual report on the matter has been sent to the Superintendent of Police. Earlier, SP Rahul Barhath said, the head constable was changing the tyre that got punctured while chasing the smugglers. While changing the tyre, the trigger of his pistol got pressed and the bullet hit him in neck. He was brought to MDM hospital where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.

First India News

Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma

Rajeev Gaur Jodhpur: A commando of special team of Jodhpur (rural) police succumbed after sustaining a bullet injury that was accidentally fired from a gun of the station house officer of Borunda police station. Though the man was rushed to hospital after the accident, he could not be saved. Till late on Tuesday night the deceased cop’s family did not give a report for initiating investigation in the matter.

According to the po-

Ashok Bishnoi

lice the deceased has been identified as head constable Ashok Bishnoi. “Ashok was a member of special team of Jodhpur rural police. On Tuesday,

Jaipur: Election process in Municipal Corporations of Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota has been postponed till the end of August, in wake of coronavirus outbreak. The decision was taken after the state election commission filed an application in the Rajasthan High Court. The government informed the court about the gravity of coronavirus situation.

‘Jaipur among 15 high case load places’ New Delhi: NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has identified 15 places including Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad as ‘high case load’ and said India’s success in battling COVID-19 is dependent on them.

Out of these 15, seven districts show particularly high case volumes, like Hyderabad (Telangana), Pune (Maharashtra),

Jaipur (Rajasthan), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Delhi.

Other high case load places that are ‘critical’ in the battle against COVID-19 include – Vadodara (Gujarat), Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Thane (Maha-

Amitabh Kant

rashtra), Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Surat (Gujarat).

“These 15 districts are critical in our battle against #Covid_19

Of them 7 show particularly high case volumes. India’s success in battling COVID-19 is dependent on them.

We must aggressively monitor, contain, test, treat in these districts!

We must win here,” Kant said in a tweet.

Kant, heads the Empowered Group (EG 6) on coordinating with private sector NGOs and international organisations. —PTI

Jalore Collector bars entry of Rajasthanis from Guj! New Delhi: Even as the Rajasthan Government has been going all out to bring back stranded Rajasthanis back to the home state and in this regard several initiatives have been taken, but there has been a twist in the tale. A recent order issued by the Jalore Collector has literally become the bane for thousands of Rajasthanis

not the same as mentioned in the police arrest memo. The court of Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma had then observed that an individual should not to be identified by his caste but by his parentage.

In an order which was passed earlier this month by the Rajasthan HC wherein Court refused to hear the matter which was conducted through video conferencing as a lawyer who appeared was wearing a vest.

When the order was uploaded, it was seen that his caste appeared on the side by his name. Following this, an advocate had written a letter addressed to CJI complaining in this regard highlighting the deep-rooted caste prejudices incorporated in a judicial order. Urging the Chief Justice to abolish such practices, the advocate said that such practices were against the principle of equality incorporated in the Indian Constitution.

Rajasthan Municipal polls Senior accidentally shoots commando deferred till August 31

CONTRADICTION GALORE!

Aditi Nagar

08

stranded in Gujarat, particularly in Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Bhavnagar districts.

Collector Himanshu Gupta has shot a letter to his counterparts in these districts which states, “the districts of Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara and Bhavnagar have been labelled as hot-spots of Covid-19 infection. It is a request not to provide permission to any Rajasthani to enter Jalore

Himanshu Gupta

district from the aforementioned places.

Kindly ensure that even if someone has a

pass or not, no person should enter Jalore district. No individual will be allowed to

enter Jalore district from these areas.”

The order, which raised several eyebrows falls in line with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs which says that those living in the red zone are not allowed to leave their homes and escape to some other place.

Interestingly, in context of return of migrants and stranded Rajasthanis, an environment of despair

is looming around such individuals as although the government has proclaimed applications can be submitted through the e-mitra app, portal or through helpline numbers, however these services appear to have been hit a roadblock as they are not working. Even the helpline number is non-responsive creating confusion among the migrants as to what should they do now!

It said that prohibitory orders are in force but if elections are allowed, the officials would be required to hold meetings. Besides, EVMs too will pose the danger of spread of contagion, therefore, it would be prudent to defer the elections till August 31. State election commission supported the state government over the postponement of elections process. It said that the election commission requires

state government machinery to conduct elections but at this point of time, the entire administration is busy in corona protection. The state election commission also said that a large number of people will come out to vote that would pose danger of contagion.

The high court accepted the state government and election commission’s plea and allowed them to approach the court in case the situation changes.

Raj’s son of the soil scores high in Modi govt Rajendra Chhabra Jaipur: Amid Covid-19 gloom there is a reason for Rajasthan to rejoice. Recent Secretary level reshuffle done by the Modi government in Delhi has a good news in form of Rajesh Verma. The 1987 batch IAS Verma has been deputed as Secretary (Corporate Affairs) in the coveted Finance Ministry. Although Verma is an Odisha cadre IAS but he basically hails from Rajasthan. He was born in Alwar in 1964 and also married in the state. He has many relatives residing in Rajasthan.

Apart from this, he has served the state on many posts between 1997-2003 while he was on inter-state deputation.

Verma has emotional roots in the state where he was born.

Rajesh Verma

Verma also shares special bonding with present ACS (Finance) of Rajasthan, Niranajan Arya and therefore can play an important role in safeguarding the state’s interests while deliberating from such an important post. Actually this becomes all the more important in the present scenario.

It is worth mentioning that Rajesh Verma before joining in Delhi in 2019 as Special Secretary in Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmer Welfare has also served as Secretary to the Odisha Chief Minister.

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09

JAIPUR, WEDNESDAY APRIL 29, 2020

Jacqueline Fernandez

THE DANCE SEQUENCES ARE THE HIGHLIGHT OF A BOLLYWOOD MOVIE AND OVER THE YEARS HAVE DEVELOPED THEIR OWN SIGNATURE STYLE OF DANCE

NEHAL NAYAR

nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

B

ollywood dances have impacted the public so much, that now it is an accepted dance form like others and the dance moves are now a familiar sight on Western TV and cinema screens. These dances are easy on the eye not just because of the beautiful gorgeous sets right from the time of Amrapali to Padmaavat, but also the doe-eyed Bollywood heroines who wooed the audiences, men and women alike, with their graceful dance moves, expressions, and sheer cinematic pizzazz. But beneath all this glamour is a series of historic symbols and tradi-

Vyjayanthimala

Waheeda Rehman

tions, which originate in India’s numerous traditional dance forms all brought to life by the heroines, the chorus group, and the Choreographer, who draws the strings.

With the success of Bollywood films, the dance has taken the world by storm and has now come into the global spotlight. Stars like Madonna, Shakira, and Britney Spears have incorporated the Bollywood style of Hema Malini

dance or music into their songs, videos, and stage shows.

Since songs and lyrics are a major component of the Bollywood songs and dance sequence, the two basic elements of classical Indian dance abhinaya (expression) and nritta (pure dance) play a critical role.

The emphasis in Indian dance is about storytelling and expressions contribute to that.

Most of the famous heroines of Bollywood

who excelled in dance have had a background of classical dance.

Bollywood dance has moved from classical, cabaret, disco to the freestyle which is in vogue today. The evolution of Bollywood dance is a process that is entirely Indian yet cross-cultural at the same time. And the best part is that you can learn it by watching, so put on the TV, watch the movies, practice and get ready for the wedding after the lockdown is over to show off your dancing skills!

Malaika Arora

Madhuri Dixit

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

and Rajinikanth

Deepika Padukone

Kareena Kapoor Khan

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 How do you perceive the background of the crisis?

See, the year 2019 ended ominously, with a six planet combination in Sagittarius, and a solar eclipse in Sagittarius on 26 December 2019.

Nature wields an unfathomable power and influence, and when nature is outraged, the chastisement which follows can be nothing short of a catastrophe.

Foretelling a catastrophic event would have no real meaning or value, if we as a human race, fail to understand the Natural laws which govern such catastrophic situations. It is one such law, The Law of Cosmic Habit Force (CHF), that is of special interest to us now. Hypnotic Rhythm (HR) is the pejorative sense of this law. The two terms, Cosmic Habit Force, and Hypnotic Rhythm, come to us from Napoleon Hill, the author of Think and Grow Rich, Outwitting the Devil, etc. In fact, hypnotic rhythm is the title of the sixth chapter of Hill’s work, Outwitting the Devil.

10

Cosmic Habit Force, and the Hypnotic Rhythm

Dr Meenakshi Sundaram is a wellknown astrologer, meta physician and a cosmic expert from Kota, Rajasthan. She talks with Chandan Sen about the cosmic factors and astrological influences leading to the current crisis and how it has impacted the earth, and its people.

CHANDAN SEN

JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

Jupiter and Saturn as Custodians of Natural Laws

drift in the water, until it gets caught up in a whirlpool, after which, it will swirl around, and be unable to escape the whirlpool.  Could you please elaborate on the CHF & HR? Cosmic Habit Force is the principle which underlies practically all habit for mations, and it is Nature’s way of cementing habits, to ensure higher levels of growth and development in the human race. However, this law works the same for all habits, both good and bad. Hypnotic Rhythm is the pejorative sense of this law and it is the shadow side of this law.

While Cosmic Habit Force is CONSCIOUS, the hypnotic rhythm is unconscious. It is the outcome of mental drifting and keeps us in a perpetual state of in-

action, the” I will do this, when that happens” attitude, for example. When negative habits and patterns of behavior get crystallised, the hypnotic rhythm has so to speak set in completely, and now the balance which Nature carefully maintains between productivity and destruction gets threatened.

 What does this mean for human beings?

What does this mean for human beings generally, is a good question.

Many of us are swirling around in the whirlpool

FA CE OF TH ED AY

 You mentioned Nature; what is Nature’s role in it?

Nature has a lofty purpose for human existence, and she enforces a law, which can aid the human race in CONSCIOUSLY repeating a mental thought, a feeling, an attitude, or a behaviour, until it becomes so practiced, that it is automatic, and almost second nature to us. By way of an example, Hill mentions what we may call the Whirlpool Effect. An object may float around or

YOUR DAY Horoscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva

 What about the influence of the planets?

Jupiter, is the preceptor of the gods, the wise counselor, and a great benefit. He is the planet of expansion. No building work of any real value can begin, without first pulling down old, outdated structures. Saturn, the old churl, as he is sometimes jokingly referred to, is responsible for pulling down old structures, which no longer serve any purpose. While Jupiter expands, Saturn contracts and limits.

Jupiter ‘s movement from the end of March 2019 to the end of June 2020 makes for an interesting watch. Saturn being in his own house is at the height of his own power. Jupiter has kept a watchful eye on his own house Sagittarius, stationing himself there for about three weeks in April 2019, retreating, progressing, and retrogressing almost at will. His tacking and turning has a strong message for all of mankind and is a wake-up call. We need to rouse ourselves from our stupor, break our own hypnotic rhythms, and step up to our own possibilities. The lesson is very clear.

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

APR 21 - MAY 20

MAY 21 - JUNE 21

JUNE 22 - JULY 23

LEO

VIRGO

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Professionally, 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 you don’t, you should not care about them.

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 to get married.

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 managed 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

AASHIKA BHATIA, Actress

of aimless actions.

Huge talents and vast potentials lie untapped within us. Dreams and ambitions sleep within us because we are caught up in the hypnotic rhythm of inaction. There is a planetary movement which has been silently going on from 30th March 2019 to roughly 30th June 2020. Contrary to what many people believe, man is not at the mercy of his stars. Astrology is neither random nor chaotic. It is a spiritual science, but its application is an art.

DEC 23 - JAN 20

JAN 21 - FEB 19

FEB20 - MARCH 20

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JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

Sing me to

HOLLYWOOD

sleep!

K

alki Koechlin welcomed a baby girl with her boyfriend Guy Hershberg on 7 February, this year. The couple named their little one Sappho. Since then, the loving mommy keeps sharing excerpts of her lovely moments with her little bundle of joy on her social media, and it’s an absolute delight to the eyes.

In the latest video shared by her, the actress can be seen singing a Portuguese lullaby for the baby, while playing the ukulele.

“Nessa Rua. This is a Portuguese lullaby I learnt when playing the Portuguese character Tara in the web series

11

IN THE AIR

A

n item in actress Emily Blunt’s bucket list was “to be lifted in the air by a bunch of men”, and she ticked it off after filming a song in the 2018 film, ‘Mary Poppins Returns’. Looking back at the most difficult and favourite song from the musical, Blunt said: “I would say my favourite was ‘Triple little light fantastic’, I mean who wouldn’t want to dance with 30 lamplighters. It’s been a dream it is a #lifegoal. Bucket list done - To be lifted in the air by a bunch of men. The hardest was ‘Cover is not the book’ because of the animation and it was g re e n screen!”

—IANS

Smoke. Watch out for the sparrows who make an appearance in our song,” wrote the actress.

Kalki’s fans reacted to the video, praising the actress for her singing skills. “This is the purest thing,” wrote one user, while another wrote, “Waooo this is so beautiful and soothing to hear.”

A few days ago, the actress had shared another video of herself singing an African lullaby for her baby. Kalki made her relationship official with Guy in September 2019. To announce the arrival of her little cotton ball, Kalki had taken to her Instagram handle and had shared the footprints of her baby doll.

—Agency

Emily Blunt

FAMILY-TIME

J Still from the video

Kalki Koechlin

Hitched officially!

E

sha Gupta made her relationship with boyfriend Manuel Campos Guallar Instagram official. On Monday, the actress took to her Instagram feed to share a picture with Manuel, who is a businessman based in Spain.

Sharing the picture, Esha wrote, “te amo mucho mi amor,” which translates to “I love you so much, my love.” In the picture, the couple are seen dressed in black and are posing with their arms around each other standing in what looks like a hotel lobby.

The actress has always been pretty secretive about her love life.

However, this is not the first time she is posting a picture with her boyfriend. Back in August of 2019, Esha had shared a picture with Manuel when she attended the Mabel Green Cup. —Agency

Kanika Kapoor

OFFERING ASSISTANCE

D

ays after recovering from Covid-19, Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor on Monday expressed the desire to donate her blood and plasma for research work on the pathogen and treatment of C o r o n av i r u s patients. The 42-year-old singer said that she wants to help others and hence she called up LucEsha Gupta; (inset) Her Instagram post

know’s King George’s Medical University (KGMU) hospital for donating her blood.

“This morning I called the hospital to tell them that I want to give my blood and plasma for research or helping others if possible. I want to do what I can to help,” Kapoor said.

The immune system of Covid-19 patients creates antibodies to attack the virus.

Kanika’s sixth coronavirus test came out negative on April 6 following which she was discharged from the hospital.

—ANI

GLORIOUS 14!

K

Kangana Ranaut

angana Ranaut made her Bollywood debut exactly 14 years ago with Anurag Basus ‘Gangster’. She went down memory lane and recalled how she had no funds to travel to receive her first best actress award.

On the 14th anniversary of her debut film, Kangana revealed how

essica is enjoying the quality family time as she quarantines amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. But it’s not all perfect moments for the Texas native as she isolates with her husband and three kids. She posted a photo of her in a bikini on Instagram as her son Ace hit a baseball that nearly collided with her face. The 39-year-old is seen basking in the sun while floating on a mat. The baseball splashing next to her head is also visible. She wrote: “Attempted gettin’ some sun and my son smacked a homerun from the driveway that almost nailed me in the face. Proof is in the splash.

Needless to say, I got off the mat.”

—IANS

she won best actress award for the film and didn’t have finances even to travel to Singapore to collect her award, and a friend collected it on her behalf.

She said, “I had no idea that I was nominated. When the team was leaving for the event, they asked me about my travel plans. I had no idea how to go to Singapore, where to stay, and I was too embarrassed to

even ask my crew about ticket prices. So I missed that opportunity.”

“When I won, Bobby Singh, DOP of ‘Gangster’ and ‘Queen’, who is sadly no more, called and said he is getting my trophy. I was thrilled and it’s one of my fondest memories,” she added.

Her upcoming projects include ‘Thalaivi’, ‘Dhaakad’ and ‘Tejas’.

—IANS

Jessica

QUARANTINE ROUTINE!

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nown for belting out hits like ‘Love story’, ‘Blank space’ and ‘Look what you made me do’, singer Taylor Swift is spending her lockdown hours cooking, sipping wine and listening to old classic numbers. “I love spending a full evening cooking a meal while sipping a glass of wine and listening to old music,” Swift said. She had earlier told the portal SiriusXM that she has been watching old films that she had not seen before. “A lot of people have been watching lots and lots of TV in this time of quarantine.” she said. —IANS Taylor Swift

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

JAIPUR | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

VITAMIN-

CITY FIRST JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD

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n these times of Corona Lockdown, overshadowed by collective tragedy and desolation, music can play a special role. It can fill us with uplifting emotions so badly needed, it can remind us of shared experiences with people we love and promote positive values. Music can lift our fears, entertain us, and deliver hope, optimism, and can charge us with positive energy.

For most of us, music is a lifeline to carry us through the day. It is scientifically proven that music enhances brain functioning. Besides, listening to music in an environment with other people also makes sure you don’t get distracted by other people’s noises. Music can do great things for your mood. If you want to feel happy, you can listen to songs that are happy and this works the other way around too.

CITY FIRST REACHES OUT TO DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC AND THE PLAYLIST FOR ITS READERS AS THEY LIVE IN THE LOCKDOWN PERIOD!

Speakers have turned into a constant ally amidst the lockdown that screams the emotions of isolation. The playlists are more mood reliant, from tuning in to old favourites from the likes of Bob Marley, Dixie Chicks and Bill Withers to grooving on RD Burman and Pritam. The emotional shifts are in constant harmony with the crescendo of music.

—AKSHARA SHARMA

SIMPLE, YET LOVABLE!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

S —FILE PHOTO

Rajasthan: Speaker Dr CP Joshi and his wife Prof (Dr) Hemlata Joshi completed 35 years of marriage on Tuesday. They spent a quiet day with their son Himanshu and daughter-in-law Devyani, in view of the Corona lockdown. On this occasion, Joshi gave Rs 1 Crore for the needy people of his constituency, Nathdwara from the MLA fund.

This amount will be used in providing food kits to daily labourers and also check-up and nutrition of pregnant women of the area.

ikar: Due to coronavirus, the effect of lockdown is now being seen on weddings as well. On Monday night, a wedding took place in Sikar, in which the groom arrived at the bride’s house on a Bullet with four people and the wedding ceremony was held, and the bride rode back with him on the bullet itself. Actually, a resident of Sheikhpura Kamal Sharma was to be married to Megha. But, due to the lockdown and social distancing, the family decided to get the marriage done in the presence of only four people. The parents of the bride and groom, along with the pandit, were wearing masks during the ceremony. The

LEARNING

Rajasthan: PCC General Secretary and RCA President Vaibhav Gehlot took part in the VC held by Deputy CM and PCC chief Sachin Pilot on Tuesday. In the VC with Lok Sabha candidates, Gehlot informed Pilot that the government mechanism is working very well in Jodhpur. DCC and Bhamashahs are ensuring that no one goes hungry in the area and are reaching out to each needy. The situation in rural Jodhpur is also under control. Pilot appreciated the efforts of Vaibhav Gehlot.

REVIVING GROWTH CITY FIRST JAIPUR

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ation while adhering to guidelines, wherein Industry Minister Satish Mahana believed that the state government is working on a longterm strategy to give momentum to the economy.

While speaking at the conference, Muktanand Agrawal, Commissioner Industries and Investments, Govt. of Rajasthan mentioned that the Govt. has created a high-level Task Force to bring the economy on track. There are many recommendations from the industry which are being considered by Task Force in areas such as wages, Power, GST refunds, MSME payments, etc. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

If Music is a Place — then Jazz is the City, Folk is the Wilderness, Rock is the Road, Classical is a Temple.

These days are quite tough but yes if we keep ourselves busy then the day is spent happily. Music plays a vital role to support our feelings. I love to listen to music in my earphones and dance with it. My morning starts with pump-up songs and my day ends with some inspirational music.

The weather in Ahmedabad is very hot so I prefer hearing music that gives me chills. It can either be peppy beat music or something that is meaningful to me. I always prefer to go on my music jam on earphones over speakers because I do not want to impose my music choices on anyone.

Music is the only thing that has kept me so patient and calm on frustrating days during the lockdown.

—NEELU SHARMA

—ANSHI SHAH

Jazz is my go-to genre when it comes to music but, the lockdown has made nostalgic. I put on my earphones every day to listen to Bollywood music from the early 2000s and 2010s (Yes! The original Masakali). My playlist these days consists of upbeat and peppy music so that I stay motivated.

The pandemic has taken a toll over lives, and keeping yourself distracted is the way to go@ —DISHA TIWARI

WHAT’S HAPPENING! Ahmedabad: A 500x40ft washable painting on the theme ‘Fighting Corona Gandhinagar’ was created by six local artists including Nagar Prajapati, Raju Shrimali and Prakash on CH Road in front of Gandhinagar Assembly. It took the artists 30 hours to make the painting using 45 litres of washable paint colours.

Ahmedabad: Members of a family perform their rituals inside their home on the fourth day of the holy month of Ramzan in the Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad city.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

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onfederation of Indian Industry organised the North India Virtual Conference on Reviving Growth in Challenging Time with the theme ‘Strategizing Businesses and Innovative Policy Reforms’ today over a virtual platform. The objective of the conference was to deliberate on the impact of Covid-19 and the emerging challenges and opportunities for the Indian Industry.

In the conference, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat joined as the Chief Guest, while, Minister of Industrial Development Government of Uttar Pradesh, Satish Mahana, joined as the Guest of Honour.

During the VC, CM Trivendra Singh Rawat said that the state government is working to improve the economic situ-

groom said that I am very happy to get married in this way. We have given a message to the society of not spending much on such events through the wedding and follow social distancing during the corona crisis. Due to the marriage being done in a very simple way, the bride was also happy.

—City First

Never stop

WORK@HOME!

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he Biosciences Department, School of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Science, Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) is organising Online Conference ‘COVID-19; Biotechnology: A Way Forward’ on 30 April from 4 pm to 8 pm. Leading Indian and global scientists, health professionals, and infectious disease experts will discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and possible solutions to combat this disease. During the conference, Prof. (Dr) Knollmann Ritschel, Professor of Pathology and Emerging Infectious Diseases, USA and Professor Dr. Amit Dinda, Department of Pathology from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi will deliver the keynote speech.

This online conference aims to explore the possibilities in Biotechnology, which could assist in combating and creating awareness about the pandemic. How the epidemic can be prevented by a combination of modern and Ayurvedic medicines will also be discussed by subject experts. The take-away from this conference will be how to direct interventions such as drug repurposing, Ayurvedic remedies along with the design of new vaccines can become essential tools to fight the pandemic.

Taking a new

INITIATIVE

CITY FIRST JAIPUR

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rabha Khaitan Foundation launched its new literary initiative ‘The Universe Writes’ with international writers, where the audience profile is made up of genuine readers who are interested in reading quality literature. The session will involve a conversation on the life and the books of the author and audience interaction. This initiative is being taken in association with Siyahi and Shree Cement Ltd. It is to be recalled that various literary series of Prabha Khaitan Foundation providing a platform for Indian writers, in a very short time, has become a premier book reading event in over 30 cities in India and abroad. Only about 30-35 selected guests are invited to these events, where the work and life of the author are discussed through an ‘in-conversation’ format with the author, followed by a question and answer session.

The first virtual session will take place on Thursday, 30 April, from 6 pm on Zoom with author Alan Friedman and Anil Dharker will be moderating the session. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

Ahmedabad: A farmer defies the scorching sun to graze his cattle on the dry lakebed at the Sarkhej Roza in Ahmedabad.

—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

Rajasthan: Amidst the ongoing epidemic, Adarsh Nagar MLA Rafiq Khan and Vice President FORTI Sajjan Singh presented 200 PPE safety kits to Dr Asha Verma on behalf of FORTI, for the safety of doctors and staff members of Zanana women’s hospital, Sanganeri gate on Tuesday.

Rajasthan: Amid the nationwide lockdown due to the pandemic, Jal Kalyan Vikas Samiti Jaipur and Pashupatinath Shiv Hanuman Mandir Trust Jaipur have collaborated to distribute sanitizers and masks in the areas nearby Pashupatinath Nagar and Dugdh Vihar. In this initiative, 500 masks and 40 litres of sanitizer were distributed by the members of the committees.