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India’s MSME Gets ‘Survival Kit’ From World Bank’s ERP

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The World Bank and the Government of India recently signed the $750 million agreement for the MSME Emergency Response Program (ERP) to support the increased flow of finance into the hands of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The MSME ERP of the World Bank will address the immediate liquidity and credit needs of about 1.5 million viable MSMEs to help them survive the impact of the current shock and protect millions of jobs. This is the first step among a broader set of reforms that are needed to propel the MSME sector over time. The Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Sameer Kumar Khare said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the MSME sector leading to loss of livelihoods and jobs. The Government of India is focused on ensuring that the abundant financial sector liquidity available flow to NBFCs, and that banks which have turned extremely risk averse, continue taking exposures in the economy by lending to NBFCs”. The World Bank Group, including its private sector arm – the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has decided to suppor t the government’s initiatives to protect the MSME sector by Unlocking liquidity, Strengthening NBFCs and SBFs and Enabling Financial Innovations. India’s financial system benefited from early and decisive measures taken by the RBI and the Government of India (GOI) to infuse liquidity into the market. This program will support government’s efforts to channel that liquidity to the MSME sector by de-risking lending from banks and Non-Banking Financial Companies to MSMEs through a range of instruments. Importantly, improving the funding capacity of key market-oriented channels of credit, such as the NBFCs and SFBs, will help them respond to the urgent and varied needs of the MSMEs. The entire development would include supporting government’s refinance facility for NBFCs. On the other hands, the IFC is also providing direct support to SFBs through loans or other means. The facts suggest that only about 8% of MSMEs are served by formal credit channels. The program will incentivize and mainstream the use of genetic and digital financial services. Besides, the digital platforms will play an important role by enabling lenders, suppliers, and buyers reach firms faster and at a lower cost, especially small enterprises that currently may not have access to the formal channels. The World Bank, Country Director in India, Junaid Ahmad believes that the MSME sector is central to India’s growth and job creation and it will be a key factor in the pace of the country’s economic recovery after the pandemic. “The immediate need is to ensure that the liquidity infused into the system by the government is accessed by MSMEs. Equally important is to strengthen the overall financial ecosystem for MSMEs”, he added. Hence, in order to achieve these objectives by furthering the role of NBFCs and SCBs as effective financial intermediaries and leveraging fintech to broaden the reach of finance into the MSME sector.

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BRIEFING COVER STORY

NATIONAL

India, UAE Discusses Regional Cooperation on Various Issues

‘DRY CLEANING & LAUNDRY’ EMERGES AS A LIFE SAVING KIT AMID CORONA CRISIS

INTERNATIONAL

OPINIONS

Fear Grows-Up after ‘Virus Cluster’ Split Generations in France

BUSINESS OUTLOOK

Beirut Incident, a Wakeup Call for Indian Customs

IN-DEPTH

‘Digital Experience Awards – 2020’ Again Goes to Torry Harris

September 2020

World’s First Atomic Bombing – ‘Major Fallout of Political Hypocrisy’

OBSERVER DAWN

BRIEFING

40 8

DEFENCE Following Escalation of Border Tension, Indian Navy Pass Strong Message to China

LIFESTYLE Internet addiction is affecting the health of the youth

INTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;L BIZ Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Unprecedented Loss to Champagne Sales

SPECIAL STORY Construction of Ram Mandir Began with Bhoomi Poojan

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

DIGITAL TIPS How to Take a Social Media Detox and Improve Your Mental Health

FOOD Coconut: The fruit of Nature

National

AICC SEEKS JPC PROBE IN SPREADING HATE THROUGH FACEBOOK

eiterating its demand for a Joint Parliamentary committee probe into the spreading of hatred in the country through Facebook and WhatsApp, the Congress on Monday said that Facebook should take immediate remedial measures. Addressing a press conference, through video conferencing, here, AICC spokesperson Supriya Srinate said ,' Democracy is being weakened by spreading hatred and hatred in the country through Facebook and WhatsApp. We once again reiterate our demand for a JPC probe because no action which weakens our democracy and disturbs our social harmony will be tolerated. We also expect Facebook global to look into discrepancies that exist in its India operations and we hope Facebook will take immediate remedial measures.' Accusing Facebook of inaction in the matter, she said, 'with all responsibility I will say that Facebook’s inaction destabilizes our democracy. More often than not Facebook takes no action and even worse allows objectionable Content to continue despite being brought to notice. Facebook is replete with hate posts that continue to fester animosity and it is now clear that despite being reported by its own team no action is taken.' The Congress spokesperson said that 'if any social media platform will undermine 'our democracy, then questions will definitely be asked in this regard and the government should answer these

questions. The Congress spokesperson said that through social media, attempts are being made to spread hatred and create rift in society and no one can be allowed to divide the country in this way and work irresponsibly. The Congress spokesperson said the BJP government should have taken action against WhatsApp for spreading false news, but instead of doing so, it is attacking Congress leaders.

INDIA, UAE DISCUSS REGIONAL COOPERATION ON VARIOUS ISSUES

he Two giant nations, India and UAE, has on August 17, 2020 discussed the regional issues related to their neighborhood and cooperation at the United Nations and other multilateral fora. Both the countries held the 13th Session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting on Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation virtually. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan co-chaired

the meeting. In a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry said, “On August 13, the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) was also held virtually between Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa & Overseas Indian Affairs) in the Ministry of External Affairs Sanjay Bhattacharyya and UAE Assistant Minister of Economic and Trade Affairs Abdul Nasser Al Shaali”. In preparation for the JCM and SOM, virtual meetings of the members of the 5 Sub-Committees from India and the UAE on Overview and High-level exchanges like: Economic, Trade and Investment cooperation, Consular & Community Affairs cooperation, Defense and security cooperation, and Education, culture and youth cooperation were held on August 10 and 11, 2020. It also said that wide-ranging discussions were held in a friendly, frank and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the strong bilateral ties between the two strategic partners. Noting the close political relations between the two countries, both sides expressed satisfaction over the sustenance of momentum in the bilateral relations in various areas for mutual benefit under the aegis of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in ongoing areas and also to explore cooperation in newer areas reflecting the changing times. In this context, both sides welcomed the close cooperation during the last few months in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed a joint strategy to offset the economic and social impact of the pandemic on both countries.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

National

MHRD TURNS MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

resident of India, Ram Nath Kovind, has on August 18, 2020, gave his approval to change the name of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). Ministry of HRD has been officially renamed the - Ministry of Education (MoE).

The name change was done based on the recommendations of the draft New Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which was prepared by a panel of experts led by former Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chief K Kasturirangan. A gazette notification was also published regarding the Ministry of Education. The Union Education Minister, Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, tweeted, “HRD Ministry will henceforth be called as Shiksha Mantralaya/Education Ministry”. According to the gazette notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat on August 14, "Ministry of Human Resource Development (Manav Sansadhan Vikas Mantralaya), the heading Ministry of Education (Shiksha Mantralaya), shall be substituted”. Earlier, the Union Cabinet approved the Draft National Education Policy 2020 and the name-change on the same day, i.e., July 29. MHRD's official website and social media pages of education minister changed to the Ministry of Education on August 4, 2020. President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to change of name on August 14, 2020. The URL of MHRD was not yet changed. People can continue to reach the website - mhrd.gov.in. In 1985, the Ministry of Education renamed as the HRD Ministry during the tenure of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The NEP was introduced and changed the name to MHRD in 1992.

MOB OF PROTESTORS VANDALIZE ICONIC ‘VISVA-BHARATI'S POUS MELA GROUND

ess than a month of the approval of the New Education Policy (NEP), 2020, that 'promises' overall development in country's arena of education, the mayhem in Shantiniketan has maligned Ravindra Nath Tagore's abode inviting wrath of educationists and intellectuals home and abroad. The more than a A 1,00-strong mob opposed to the construction of a fence around Visva-Bharati's 'Pous Mela' ground vandalized the iconic campus on August 17, 2020, prompting, PM Narendra Modi, who is also the Chancellor, to dial the vice-chancellor before the authorities announced an "indefinite closure" of the acclaimed Institute established by the Nobel Laureate in 1921.

hour vandalism by the mob inside the reputed educational Institute has invited wide-spread condemnations from educationists, not only in country, but also from some 'friendly' Nations

The more than a hour vandalism by the mob inside the reputed educational Institute has invited wide-spread condemnations from educationists, not only in country, but also from some 'friendly' Nations. Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has said in Kolkata that she did not want to interfere in the affairs of a central university. Banerjee, however, said, the state was ready to offer whatever support the VC wanted. Meanwhile, reports from Ashanta Shantiniketan said, eight people have so far been arrested in connection with the violence and 12 FIRs have been lodged.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

International

FEAR GROWS-UP AFTER ‘VIRUS CLUSTER’ SPLIT GENERATIONS IN FRANCE

he cluster on the Quiberon peninsula, with growing infections, was thought to have originated with a supermarket summer worker, who partied with others at a nightspot.

It all has turned a textbook case of the virus pitting generations against each other. A Senior Government officer, a former soldier and intelligence officer in his 50s, have not minced their words in decrying the irresponsibility of young people. Especially those are vacationing or living there in large numbers for festivities at night and ignoring the danger, are most affected. The official, Patrice Faure, prefect of Brittany's Morbihan region, personally served a two-month closure order on a Quiberon discotheque, the Hacienda Cafe. Among the nightspots where nowinfected people congregated, it skirted a national coronavirus ban on nightclubbing by converting itself into a late-night watering hole, blocking off its dance floor with tables and bar stools. Proprietors said the regional newspaper Ouest-France that they urged patrons to wear masks. They also appealed the youngsters on holiday to be careful, but they didn't listen.

He said, “At the hospital, we sense the arrival of the second wave”. Cycling recently through the French capital, Vaillant-Foulquier, said, “I saw that the bars on the big boulevards had been turned into nightspots, full inside and outside, everyone was dancing, no masks, Quiberon has nothing, absolutely no respect for social distancing”. made maskHe said, “The young are accused a lot of not being wearing responsible, but it's not just the young”. Romain mandatory on Arnal, a 20-year-old student, is among those who have some of its busiest streets, been letting their hair — and their guard — down in joining other Quiberon. He vacations there every year, hooking up vacation with a holiday sweetheart whom he first met in the towns in going resort three summers ago. further than

Although authorities insist the outbreak is under control, the peninsula that used to be a sardine-fishing hub has become a flashpoint for fears that France is going backward in the epidemic that has infected more than 185,000 and killed at least 30,200 in the country. the national requirement Infection rates are creeping up and authorities warn that He added, “When we’re in smaller groups, with for masks in all people are disregarding pleas to use common sense as friends, we don’t really pay attention, even if it’s people indoor public millions revel in the country's July-August break. In Paris, we’ve just met. We invite each other over, with no spaces nurse Damien Vaillant-Foulquier worries that a second masks on, obviously”. Worried by the infection spike, wave of infections will derail the plans that he and his Arnal says he has gone to a makeshift testing station wife, also a nurse, have made to join the exodus in mid-August. His set up in Quiberon to contain the outbreak, but has been foiled hospital, which managed to empty its ICU wards after weathering by the long lines. Authorities have urged that everyone get tested, the initial wave, already is seeing new COVID-19 patients and especially the Hacienda's partygoers. That's a mammoth task on asking trainee nurses if they'll be around later in the summer to the peninsula, where the population swells from 5,000 to 60,000 work, he said. in the summer. Quiberon has made mask-wearing mandatory on some of its busiest streets, joining other vacation towns in going further than the national requirement for masks in all indoor public spaces. And it slapped nighttime curfews on beaches and public parks, concerned that young people without symptoms could spread the coronavirus to the less-healthy. “I hope, or at least I imagine, that they have no desire to spread the virus to their parents, their grandparents, their neighbors, uncles and aunts”, Faure said adding that it was extremely inopportune to party today like in 2019. Fishing guide Alexandre Lesage, 39, says he feels for the generation he sees trying to enjoy itself at the same spots and beaches where he spent his youth, free of the uncertain future now facing young people confronting a job market in coronavirus turmoil.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

International

BEIJING URGES WASHINGTON TO UNDERSTAND GRAVITY OF SELLING ARMS TO TAIWAN

hina has urged United States to fully understand the seriousness of selling a large batch of US fighter jets to Taiwan and abandon the plan, Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said. The US Department of Defense said on Friday that it had approved a $62 billion military sale of 90 F-16 fighter jets, 66 of which were for Taiwan. The main contractor for the transaction is Lockheed Martin. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in turn, announced that Beijing would impose sanctions against the main contractor of the transaction, Lockheed Martin. “China has always resolutely opposed the sale of US weapons to Taiwan, this violates the principle of 'One China' policy and the provisions of the three US-China joint communiques, jeopardizing China's sovereignty and security interests," the spokesman said. “China's determination to defend its sovereignty and security interests is resolute, we call on the United States to fully realize the seriousness of the arms sales to Taiwan, strictly adhere to the 'One China' policy and the provisions of the three US-China joint communiqués, stop arms sales to Taiwan and any contacts between the military of the United States and Taiwan to avoid serious damage to US-China relations, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," the diplomat added.

Official relations between the central Chinese authorities and Taiwan stopped in 1949 when the Kuomintang government, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taipei after being defeated by the Chinese Communist Party and established the Republic of China on the island. Informal contacts resumed in the 1980s.

US: KAMLA HARRIS APPOINTS SABRINA SINGH AS HER PRESS SECRETARY

n a bid to woo the more than four million Indian Americans in the US ahead of the November elections, Democratic VicePresidential candidate, Kamala Harris, has appointed Sabrina Singh as her press secretary. The appointment of the 32-year-old, Sabrina is seen as a move to counter the reports that Kamala Harris has strong views about Kashmir and in favor of Pakistan. The reports could adversely affect her chances in the coming elections. Sabrina Singh, through her twitter handle, however confirmed that she was excited to join Harris. Indian Americans are one of the fastest growing, wealthiest

and most educated demographic groups in the US. They constitute a strong vote bank in the US and naturally politicians work hard to woo them. Kamala Harris has strong views on Kashmir but has refrained from taking a strident position on it so far. However, her statement last year that Kashmiris are’ ’not alone’’ and her Party was ‘’keeping track’’ on the situation, has been strongly criticized in India. In January Sabrina Singh was appointed national spokesperson for Michael Bloomberg’s Presidential campaign. The appointment of the 32-yearold, Sabrina is seen as a move to counter the reports that Kamala Harris has strong views about Kashmir and in favor of Pakistan. The reports could adversely affect her chances in the coming elections

Millionaire Bloomberg, a three-term former mayor of New York City, had announced his White House run last November as a Democratic aspirant. Coming with a varied experience in politics Sabrina Singh also served as a regional communications director for Hillary Clinton’s Presidential campaign in 2016. Married to Mike Smith, Sabrina Singh comes from a family deep-rooted in American politics. Her grandfather JJ Singh was the head of India League of America, back in the 1940s.

Sabrina Singh’s family belonged to Abbottabad (now in Pakistan). The family came to the US before partition in 1947.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

International

GOLD BARS FOUND IN SECRET VAULT OF HUGO CHAVEZ’S ERSTWHILE NURSE

t was 2014 and Venezuela’s former treasurer Claudia Díaz was looking for a safe haven to store the unexplained wealth, she had accumulated over the years. The then president, Hugo Chávez, who she once served as a nurse, had recently died and with the election of Nicolás Maduro, the nation’s politics and relations with the U.S. were in tumult. So, Díaz allegedly turned to one of the oldest ways of moving vast sums of money anonymously buying Gold. In quick succession a shell company established in the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines that she allegedly controlled purchased 250 gold bars valued at more than $9.5 million, according to court records from Liechtenstein. The bars, weighing a kilogram (2.2 pounds) each, were stored at a private vault in the tiny European principality available to Díaz and her son after his 18th birthday. A few years later, a nearly identical amount of bullion was sold by a representative of Díaz, with much of the proceeds deposited into a Swiss bank. Those transactions are now at the center of an international criminal investigation into the network of shell companies and dodgy Swiss bankers that have helped turn Venezuela into one of the most corrupt countries in the world. While as much as $300 billion is estimated to have been raided from Venezuela’s state coffers in two decades of socialist rule, investigators’ understanding of how the dirty money was laundered is still emerging. The physical transfer of heavy gold bars that were never seen previously in court records — underscores the creative lengths to which some Venezuelans have gone to hide their stolen wealth. With a reputation for secrecy and the world’s highest income per capita, the German-speaking microstate of Liechtenstein has long been a banking magnet for the world’s uber-rich. But like neighboring Switzerland, with whom it shares a currency and customs union, its reputation as a freewheeling offshore financial center has been rocked by scandal. Spurred by pressure from the U.S., which has indicted numerous Venezuelan officials and sanctioned Maduro’s government for financial crimes throughout the world, the two countries are now doing their utmost to expose corruption in Venezuela. “Venezuela has become a virtual pariah”, said Michael Levi, an expert on financial crimes in Europe and professor at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom. Tightlipped bankers were happy to take their money for years but now everybody is avoiding the country at all costs not just to protect their reputations but to avoid regulatory and even criminal penalties. Details of the investigation into Díaz and five alleged associates come from a 14-page legal assistance request sent Nov. 22, 2019, by a court in Liechtenstein and the response two weeks later by prosecutors in Geneva pledging cooperation. The state court in Liechtenstein confirmed the authenticity of the request. Switzerland’s Attorney General’s office said it transmitted the information in May but is not conducting any criminal proceedings at the moment. Díaz was virtually unknown until, she and her husband, who is a former security adviser to Chávez, appeared in 2016 in a dump of secret financial documents known as the Panama Papers, which provided a rare look at how some of the world’s richest people hide their money. Authorities raided the couple’s Caracas home and seized what they described as a collection of luxury cars, artwork, and documents related to real estate holdings inside and out of Venezuela.

The gold bars were kept inside a private vault, number G1, at Liemeta AG that was leased by Díaz in 2014

in 2013. In 2011, Chávez named her Venezuela’s national treasurer. She was replaced when Chávez’s successor Maduro was elected in 2013. Díaz and her husband, Adrián Velásquez, currently live in Madrid, where they were briefly arrested in 2018 on a Venezuelan warrant. In addition to the probe in Liechtenstein, the couple has been sanctioned in the United States for their alleged involvement in a $2.4 billion currency scheme. Besides, they are identified as unnamed co-conspirators in a Miami federal indictment against Díaz’s predecessor as treasurer. Spanish prosecutors are also investigating their purchase of a $1.8 million apartment in Madrid. Ismael Oliver, the Madrid-based lawyer of both Díaz and her husband, said that his clients had no knowledge, official or otherwise of the investigation by Liechtenstein. Oliver said, “She radically denies having had any gold ingots or any bank account in Liechtenstein”. The gold bars allegedly belonging to Díaz represent just a small fraction of the total amount looted from Venezuela. But they stand as a powerful symbol of the boundless greed that fed a slew of intermediaries, from white-shoe boutique asset managers to some of Europe’s oldest banks. The gold bars were kept inside a private vault, number G1, at Liemeta AG that was leased by Díaz in 2014 for around 20,000 Swiss francs ($21,700) a year, according to the request by Judge Roger Beck of the court in Liechtenstein. Access to the vault was restricted to Díaz and her young son after his 18th birthday. But Díaz authorized a financier from a two-generation Swiss banking family to withdraw the vault’s contents that was allegedly done in two transactions — in December 2014 and November 2015. Diaz remains ensconced in Madrid. She insists that her considerable savings are the result of a lifetime of honest work and that she never once misappropriated state funds. She insists her legal problems all stem from her refusal to go along with what she considered Maduro’s illegal orders in the confusing aftermath of Chavez’s death. For now, she is under no pressure to explain her wealth. Last year, Spain’s National Court blocked her extradition to Venezuela, deeming credible her fears that she could face torture if sent back home.

Díaz, 46, was a former petty officer in Venezuela’s navy who took care of an ailing Chávez before the Venezuelan leader died of cancer

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

(Courtesy: Associated Press)

International

DIGITAL TRADE AGREEMENT SIGNED BETWEEN AUSTRALIA & SINGAPORE

n a view to broaden economic engagement between the two countries, the Australia and Singapore have signed a Digital Economy Agreement (DEA) in the first week of August 2020. The agreement was signed in a virtual signing ceremony on Thursday after negotiations were finalized in March. The Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Simon Birmingham said that the deal would be a major boost to Australia's economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis and it would help to expand the scope of our economic engagement with our largest two-way trading partner in Southeast Asia. He said, “As we begin the economic recovery from COVID-19, this agreement will reduce barriers and boost opportunities for Australian businesses to reach more customers and further tap into the Singaporean market”. The agreement will deliver practical improvements to lower costs and make it easier for exporters to do business, including in areas of personal data protection, e-invoicing, paperless customs procedures, and electronic certification for agricultural exports. He also said that the agreement builds on Australia and Singapore's leading roles in negotiating new international rules on e-commerce

in the World Trade Organization to better facilitate the growing volumes of digital trade across the globe. These are some of the most ambitious digital trade rules Australia has ever negotiated, and this agreement will serve as benchmark for other digital trade rule negotiations within our region”, Birmingham added.

OVER 135 KILLED, 5000 INJURED IN BEIRUT MASSIVE BLAST

ore than 135 people were killed and OVER 5,000 injured, in a massive explosion that rocked Beirut on August 4, 2020. The sudden devastation overwhelmed a country already struggling with both the coronavirus pandemic and a severe economic and financial crisis. For hours after the explosion, the most destructive in all of Lebanon’s troubled history, ambulances rushed in from around the country to carry away the wounded. Hospitals quickly filled beyond capacity, pleading for blood supplies, and generators to keep their lights on.

Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi said that the blast was caused by the detonation of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse at the dock ever since it was confiscated from a cargo ship in 2014. According to the eyewitnesses, an orange cloud spread over

the sky soon after the toxic nitrogen dioxide gas was released during explosion. Media report revealed that the fire appeared to spread to a nearby building, triggering the more massive explosion, sending up a mushroom cloud and generating a shock wave. Charbel Haj, who works at the port, said the blast started as small explosions like firecrackers. The blast was stunning even for a city that has seen a 15-year civil war, suicide bombings, bombardment by Israel and political assassinations. “It was a real horror show. I haven’t seen anything like that since the days of the (civil) war,” said Marwan Ramadan, who was about 500 meters (yards) from the port. The Health Minister, Hassan Hamad, said initially the toll was about 70 dead and almost 3,000 were wounded in the incident but the toll rose to 135 and the number of victims were over 5000.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

Business Outlook

‘DIGITAL EXPERIENCE AWARDS – 2020’ AGAIN GOES TO TORRY HARRIS Three is one of Ireland's leading mobile operators with 35% market share and 2.2 million customers (as of March 2019). The ‘3Vision’, Three Ireland's Digital Transformation Initiative won the UK DXA award in partnership with THIS, who built the integration backbone to enable a smooth transformation. THIS specializes in enabling meaningful digital ecosystems through API-driven integration solutions. Torry Harris Learning (THL) is a guided, step-by-step digital skills learning platform tailored to enterprise needs. THL offers a unique combination of face-to-face training alongside superior, world-wide online expertise and mentorship in smaller groups, to enable hands-on application of Digital skills.

or the second consecutive year, Torry Harris Integration Solutions (THIS) has won two important UK Digital Experience Awards (UKDXA). The UK DXA recognizes digital excellence and innovation. It honors organizations and teams providing exceptional customer experience through the use of digital technology. Torry Harris won silver in two categories: Digital Change and Transformation (Telecoms) – in partnership with Three, Ireland; and Best Online User Experience Initiative – for Torry Harris Learning, a B2B education platform for digital skills.

The Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Shuba Sridhar, Torry Harris, says, "We are glad to be recognized for our efforts in democratizing digital through our services and products. We are today working with large enterprises to equip them with an 'SME empowerment kit', as SMEs in particular, hard hit by physical constraints in the current climate, acutely need to be digitally connected and empowered towards identifying sales and service opportunities.

ACCENTURE TO TRANSFORM, ENHANCE RBL BANK’S IT

he Private sector lender RBL Bank has on August 18, 2020 said that Accenture will transform and enhance the future readiness of the Bank's information technology (IT) systems and accelerate its digital transformation journey. The engagement will enable RBL Bank to offer next-generation banking services, enhance the resilience and scalability of its systems and business processes, and improve its operational efficiency. As a key step in this journey, Accenture will provide managed services and help RBL Bank modernize and consolidate its large and disparate applications environment, which will help streamline and automate key business processes such as finance and compliance, human resources and sales. Accenture will also create a flexible and more responsive technology backbone for RBL Bank by using its expertise in DevOps and Agile working methodology to enable the continuous roll-out of improved digital capabilities and long-term system improvements while helping the bank manage IT costs more effectively. The CIO, RBL Bank, Sankarson Banerjee, said, “RBL Bank's engagement with Accenture is designed to achieve strategic outcomes that support our vision of being a futuristic, digital bank. In collaboration with Accenture, we aim to create an even more agile organization with a robust culture of innovation”. “The banking industry is going through unprecedented disruption, and we

believe that digital-native structures will be key drivers of future growth. We look forward to using our deep banking industry knowledge and digital capabilities to support RBL Bank in its journey to becoming a truly digital bank”, said the Market Unit Lead, Accenture (India), Piyush N. Singh. Singh is also the Lead - Growth and Strategic Client Relationships, Asia Pacific and Latam, Accenture.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Business Outlook

RINL, POSCO TO BUILD 5 MTPA GREENFIELD STEEL PLANT IN VIZAG green field plant. The steel ministry facilitated the meeting. A Steel Ministry note said, “During the meeting, it was agreed to set up a JWG consisting of representatives from Posco and RINL to facilitate the implementation of the MoU signed between the two companies regarding investment on land owned by RINL. The JWG would meet regularly to expedite the implementation of the MoU”.

he state-run Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) and Korean steel major Posco have set up a joint working group (JWG) to facilitate the implementation of the initial pact signed between them for 5 MTPA green field steel plant in Vizag. The estimated investment is about Rs 35,000 crore. Recently, the PMO had stepped up to facilitate domestic manufacturing of high-grade steel with the help of Japanese and Korean companies. Representatives of the two companies had on July 23, 2020 discussed through a video conference the way forward for the proposed

“During the meeting, it was agreed to set up a JWG consisting of representatives from Posco and RINL to facilitate the implementation of the MoU signed between the two companies regarding investment on land owned by RINL

“There would one representative from each side in the JWG”, said the RINL Chairman and MD, PK Rath. The representatives of Posco have already made a number of visits to the RINL’s lone steel-making facility in Vizag to get a first-hand experience of the existing facility, where RINL operates a 6.3-mtpa unit, and explore the means and ways to execute the proposed steel unit. The Steel Ministry has been talking with the Korean steel mills to set up a 5 MPTA steel plant through a joint venture for the past couple of months. The PMO had earlier instructed the steel ministry to hold discussions with the concerned ministries/parties to facilitate domestic manufacturing of high-grade steel with the help of Japanese and Korean companies.

WORLD’S FIRST FHE STANDARD TECHNICAL COMMITTEE LAUNCHED

n a bid to develop global standards for flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) spanning design, materials, manufacturing, packaging and systems and to drive industry growth, the SEMI has announced the formation of a new standards committee.

Unanimously endorsed by members of the SEMI North America Regional Standards Committee (NARSC) and approved by the SEMI International Standards Committee (ISC), the technical committee is the world's first to focus on flexible hybrid electronics standards. The SEMI Standards Flexible Hybrid Electronics Global Technical Committee has established its first chapter in Taiwan. The SEMI Chief Marketing Officer, Terry Tsao, who is also the president of SEMI Taiwan "The SEMI Standards Flexible Hybrid Electronics Global Technical Committee sets out to clear development bottlenecks facing the industry and establish unified measurement standards for flexible smart textile, automotive, Internet of Things (IoT) and related devices”. The Taiwan chapter looks forward to kicking off the development of international industry standards that help Taiwan's

FHE sector promote industry growth by reducing costs and increasing competition. Initial work of the SEMI Standards Flexible Hybrid Electronics Global Technical Committee will include establishing working groups to draft measurement standards; building industry consensus on the need for materials, equipment and manufacturing standards, and developing standards to accelerate the introduction of related FHE technologies into diverse consumer end markets. “We are very pleased to see the establishment of the SEMI Standards Flexible Hybrid Electronics Global Technical Committee and are proud to be part of the working committee to draft the standards”, said Steve Huang, executive director of Taipei-based AiQ Smart Clothing, an innovator with a significant pool of smart textile IP.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

Opinion

BEIRUT INCIDENT, A WAKEUP CALL FOR INDIAN CUSTOMS By Aditya Venketesh

in 85 inland container depots (ICDs) and CFSs revealed that there were 469 containers of hazardous waste lying uncovered for periods ranging from 1-17 years. These included live bombs, war material scrap in three ICDs in Rajasthan, 92 containers of used tyres, metal scrap and hazardous chemicals in one CFS under JNPT Port, 15 containers of hazardous cargo at ICD Tughlakabad in Delhi, and 50 containers of mixed waste in ICD In an instruction Moradabad, UP.

he deadly accident in Beirut (Lebanon), the utter destruction of everything in the vicinity, and the massive loss of life and property carries a lesson for all public authorities. The catastrophe has shown to the world the outcome of neglect and callous disregard in storing hazardous cargo. Within a day of that tragedy, news broke of an untended consignment of ammonium nitrate seized in 2015 at the Chennai Port by customs. As per a notice issued by Chennai Customs, the chemical had been kept in safe custody at a container freight station (CFS) in Manali near Chennai. It was said “they had seized 740 tonnes of imported ammonium nitrate in 2015 due to import policy restrictions prescribed by the Government of India under the Customs Act 1962 read with Explosive Act 1884 and Ammonium Nitrate rules, 2012.” The customs notice denied any delay in disposal and claimed that it was taken up promptly.

issued to all field formations dated August 10, 2020, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) directed field offices to complete disposal between August 11 and September 15, as per prescribed guidelines

Nonetheless, customs are now in hyper-drive by targeting time-bound disposal of all seized and uncleared cargoes. In an instruction issued to all field formations dated August 10, 2020, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) directed field offices to complete disposal between August 11 and September 15, as per prescribed guidelines. This is not for the first time that the CBIC has launched such a drive. These are a regular occurrence in the professional lives of officers in the field and this shows that the underlying cause remains unaddressed. In fact, as a response to any crisis, the easiest thing for policymakers is to issue such directives to wash their hands off and throw the blame on the hapless officers in the field. The CAG’s Audit Report No. 16 of 2018 tabled before Parliament in January 2019 noted that a check conducted on March 31, 2017,

It’s not that the CAG has raised these concerns for the first time. Its earlier reports (10 of 2004, 12 of 2014, five of 2016) have repeatedly prodded the department to improve compliance. The CBIC ought to have removed legal hurdles in speedy disposal of goods. The field formation detections of such cargo have highlighted the vulnerabilities in the policies relating to handling of import cargo.

Earlier this year there were reports of a large operation by Mundra Customs in which it found 300 containers with nearly 3,000 tonnes of filth, showing that India is becoming a dumping ground for solid municipal waste generated by developed countries. Officials were quoted having said that most importers were from Rajkot and Morbi districts and they were getting handsome incentives for accepting the waste. Such imports could cause an epidemic or even risk radioactive substances being dumped in India. The problem is not so complex as to defy the solution. It is the general ineptitude and obstinacy in not correcting missteps, which exacerbates any problem. We need to divide the cargo into two classes. There is cargo that has been seized due to an offence punishable under the Customs Act and becomes a matter involving courts and judicial proceedings. Any actions relating to such cargo

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Opinion ammonium nitrate in Chennai was found stored). Law is clear that if any cargo is not claimed by any importer within 30 days, the custodian shall auction the same. Now, that’s a hoodwink. Custodians can’t go about disposing the cargo on their own. A notice has to be served upon the importer, and the process is dependent on customs inspections, compliance and assessment. Customs have absolute regulatory control over the custodians, though through a badly drafted regulation—the Handling of Cargo in Customs Area Regulation 2009.

are, so to say, sub judice. Let’s ignore this category for now. The other class is what we call unclaimed/ abandoned (like Mundra cases). And these are not few.

The regulations even require the custodians to provide “free of cost furnished office accommodation with required amenities and facilities and residential accommodation and transportation facilities for customs staff” (in which part of the civilized world could such a regulation have been made). There are hundreds of cargo custodians ranging from airports to ports and The Beirut ICDs/CFSs. Each of the custodians has a ‘regulator’ in incident is a the form of local commissioner. So how do scores of wakeup call for commissioners and hundreds of custodians stacked in Indian customs. Every crisis carries a myriad of micro-regulatory ecosystem lead to good within a seed implementation? But customs policymakers don’t like of opportunity. addressing difficult questions. It’s time that

When cargo lands at any Indian port, the master of the ship files a cargo manifest. This document contains the name of the importer and but no business identification number. All countries require shipping lines to declare policymakers The Beirut incident is a wakeup call for Indian customs. such identification numbers in manifests, for example focus on building Every crisis carries within a seed of opportunity. It’s a VAT number in the case of the EU (in India’s case, improved IT time that policymakers focus on building improved it should be Import Export Code Number). Globally, systems for tracing and IT systems for tracing and accounting of goods. It’s such data is a key element for risk management based accounting time to stop re-labeling old wine in new bottles and on which crucial decisions on cargo surveillance are of goods instead fundamentally tone up customs. Launching new taken. The absence of this crucial data link that connects program for the sake of tweets and eyeballs is not for imported cargo to its importer in India is owed to the Import Manifest Regulations 1971, and remains to be corrected the bureaucracy. The focus should be on the larger question: the failure of policy and putting in place a robust and technology-driven till date. mechanism to trace and investigate all such unclaimed cargoes, which Apparently, the CBIC attempted to fix this anomaly by issuing inherently involve either dumping of toxins into India or some form the Sea Cargo Manifest and Transhipment Regulations, 2018. This of banking fraud. piece of work is regarded by trade and industry as so complex that it attracted multiple representations. Even customs field offices (Courtesy: Financial Express) continue to struggle with them and even after two years these are still to be implemented. One fails to understand why a new regulation was necessary when an amendment in the existing regulation would have achieved as much. The second checkpoint for customs is to monitor cargo of ‘interest’; it is at the point of storage at ports or container depots (that’s where

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

Opinion

SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT

STOKING FIRE OF

BIHARI PRIDE FOR A POLITICAL CAUSE By Sidharth Mishra

ormer Union Minister Shatrughan Sinha and late film actor Sushant Singh Rajput worked in the same Mumbai film industry and also came from the same state of Bihar. The similarity ends here. While Sinha has had a very long inning and closely identified with his roots winning the title of ‘Bihari Babu’, Rajput’s career pales in comparison. Actually, till his suicide made headlines, not very many would have known that the talented actor came from Bihar.

Bihar’s tryst with Mumbai film industry doesn’t start with Shatrughan Sinha, nor would it end with Sushant Singh Rajput. In fact, recently we heard of actor Kum Kum, a heartthrob of the 1950s and 60s, passing away. She too came from Bihar and that too from landed gentry. Films are not only about actors, they are as much about directors, lyricists, music directors, editors, writers, dress designers, so on and so forth. The list of people from Bihar who made it good and enjoyed much bigger status than Rajput too is pretty long with Prakash Jha, Neeraj Pandey, Manoj Bajpai, Sanjai Mishra, Vinay Pathak, Pankaj Tripathi, music director Chitragupt and his sons Anand-Milind, lyricist Shailendra to name a few.

and Juhu Chowpatty during the Chhath festivities. One of the factors which made the belligerent Maharashtrian sun-nationalism, so identifiable with Mumbai, reconcile to Bihari identity was the ‘influence’ which people from the state now wield in the different social layers of the metropolis.

It’s very surprising that

Thus, it’s very surprising that an officer of Indian Police Service, Vinay Tiwari, belonging to the Bihar cadre was ordered to be quarantined on his arrival to investigate the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. In addition to the Bihari presence, there also exists a very strong network of the All India Service officers but still Tiwari was not extended social courtesies.

Before we take our discussion forward, let’s also an officer of Indian Police remind ourselves that Mumbai Police of today Service, Vinay Tiwari, It has to be appreciated that Tiwari’s mission in do not have the same social composition which belonging to the Bihar the city was not investigative but political. His it had in the 1970s or may be till the early 1980s. cadre was ordered to be agenda had more to do with building a passion Given the high success rate that students from quarantined on his arrival around Bihari identity and in the process put the Bihar have in the civil services examination, it to investigate the Sushant role of the Mumbai Police in the dock. No selfshould not surprise anybody that the top echelons Singh Rajput death case. respecting police organization would allow this. Maharashtra Police have a fair Bihari presence. In addition to the Bihari So poor, Tiwari faced the ignominy for carrying Similarly, the Bihari presence in bureaucracy presence, there also exists out the command of his superiors, whose interests and the crucial departments of income tax, a very strong network do not necessarily lie in helping the criminal central excise and customs, given that Mumbai of the All India Service justice system. is the financial Capital, too is substantial. In any officers but still Tiwari social structure, there is the downward percolation was not extended social The Director General of Bihar Police, Gupteshwar of influence, and it goes without saying, and courtesies Pandey, is not an ‘apolitical’ person. This is not just rightly so, that Bihari presence in Mumbai’s a matter of perception but a statement of fact. ruling oligarchy has helped many a migrant from the eastern state He had taken retirement from the police in 2009 to contest Lok find a toehold in the city. If one needed an evidence it was all Sabha polls on the ticket of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which there in the huge mass trying to escape from the city in face he was denied. He had to swallow his pride to withdraw his plea of Covid19 pandemic or their large presence at Girgaum for retirement and returned to active policing.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Opinion

In the election year, Bihar goes to polls in winters this year to elect members of the legislative assembly, when the ruling combine finds its popularity at an all-time low, stoking the fire of Bihari identity and pride certainly is an apposite political idea. It’s another matter that Bihari pride and lives of scores of Bihari migrants did not bother the Bihar government when the pandemic broke out in end-March this year as it completely disowned them.

Today Bihar government’s performance in fighting the pandemic is nothing to write home about. The lack of preparedness to handle a crisis which was looming large for some time is for all to see. Add to this is the annual fury of floods which is making the concrete barrages fall like sand banks exposing corruption in implementation of the government projects. Under the circumstances, attempts to float conspiracy theories around Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, helps overcome a very negative narrative about the Bihar government in both the

mainstream and social media. DGP Pandey is more than a willing accomplice in his government’s attempt to salvage its badly soiled reputation. Given the divided opposition and the perception of there being no alternative may still make Chief Minister Nitish Kumar win at the husting. However, by joining the chorus of so-called upholding of Bihari identity, Kumar may well be playing with fire.

Today a Bihari is not only a voter in his home state but part of both administrative structure and subaltern masses, to use Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words, from Lakshadweep to Ladakh and from Andaman to Somnath. Raising a cantankerous noise on Bihari identity would prove to be counterproductive for Bihari well-being outside the state. This is a point that is being grievously missed by the political leadership of the state. Meanwhile, taking a serious note of the Bihar Police appeals, the Apex Court has on August 19, 2020 ordered that the CBI would take over the investigation into the Bollywood start, actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. The Court has also asked the Mumbai police to hand over all evidence it has collected to the agency. The SC’s order is now being considered as big win for Bihar in its tussle with Maharashtra. The SC also said the FIR registered in Patna based on a complaint filed by Sushant Singh's father was correct and Bihar was competent to ask the CBI to investigate the case. A fair, competent and impartial probe is the need of the hour to stop speculation, said the top court. (Courtesy: Capital Khabar)

September 2020

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In-Depth

WORLD’S FIRST ATOMIC BOMBING – ‘MAJOR FALLOUT OF POLITICAL HYPOCRISY’

The U.S. dropped its first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people.

n August 6, 1945, the World’s first atomic bombing was witnessed only after the United States used atomic weaponry during wartime against Japanese troops. It dropped atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima killing approximately 80,000 people on the spot and injuring almost 35,000 people. Besides, over 60,000 victims succumbed to their injuries. This 75th Anniversary of Bombing is however being termed as a fallout of hypocrisy that was marked as a part of the Japanese government's refusal to sign a nuclear weapons ban treaty. Highlighting it as a failure of the Japanese Government, Mayor Kazumi Matsui urged world leaders to be more committed to nuclear disarmament. In his peace declaration Matsui has said, “I ask the Japanese government to heed the appeal of the (bombing survivors) to sign, ratify and become a party to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons”. As the only nation to suffer a nuclear attack, Japan must persuade the global public to unite with the spirit of Hiroshima. His speech highlights what survivors feel is the hypocrisy of Japan’s government, which hosts 50,000 American troops and is protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Tokyo has not signed the nuclear weapons ban treaty adopted in 2017, despite its non-nuclear pledge, a failure to act that the atomic bombing survivors and pacifist groups call insincere. The U.S. dropped its first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. The U.S. dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000. Japan surrendered Aug. 15, ending World War II and it’s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. Some survivors and their relatives prayed at the park’s cenotaph before the ceremony. The registry of the atomic bombing victims is stored at the cenotaph, whose inscription reads – Let all the souls here rest in peace for we shall not repeat the mistake. However, Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, in his speech at the ceremony, said Japan is committed to nuclear weapons ban but a nuclear free world cannot be achieved overnight and that it has to start from dialogue between opposite sides. The Japanese PM said, “Japan's position is to serve as a bridge between different sides and patiently promote their dialogue and actions to achieve a world without nuclear weapons”. He added that the nuclear policies were divided

amid a harsh security environment. As such, it is necessary to create common ground first, Abe said. The U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, while speaking in his video messaging from New York, said “The only way to totally eliminate nuclear risk is to totally eliminate nuclear weapons”. Guterres said, “Seventy-five years is far too long not to have learned that the possession of nuclear weapons diminishes, rather than reinforces, security”. Many peace events, including their talks, leading up to the anniversary had been cancelled due to the coronavirus, but some survivors have teamed with young students or pacifist groups to speak at online events, sometimes connecting with international audiences. The elderly survivors, whose average age now exceeds 83, have on the 75th anniversary, falling on August 5, 2020, lamented the slow progress of nuclear disarmament. They expressed anger over what they said was the Japanese government’s reluctance to help and listen to those who suffered from the atomic bombing. A 47-year-old man, Manabu Iwasa, came to the park to pray for his father, a survivor of the deadly nuclear bombing in Japan. He added, “Japan apparently sides with the U.S. and make more effort toward nuclear weapons ban”.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

In-Depth

WHETHER LIFE EXISTED ON MARS?

he Red Planet, Mars, is again in news. That too, for a relevant cause that may show the reflux or climatic changes on the planet. The question, whether the ancient life could have existed on Mars centers on the water, that had once flowed there? The answer may be in assertive or negative but new research published during the first week of August 2020, suggests that many of the Red Planet's valleys were gouged by icy glaciers not rivers. The study in Nature Geoscience that comes amid a flurry of new Mars missions trying to discover if the now-barren planet ever hosted life casts doubt on a dominant theory that the planet once had a warm, wet climate with abundant liquid water that sculpted the landscape. Researchers from Canada and the United States examined more than 10,000 Martian valleys and compared them to channels on Earth that were carved under glaciers. A lead author, Anna Grau Galofre, in a statement released by the University of British Columbia said, “For the last 40 years, since Mars's valleys were first discovered, the assumption was that rivers once flowed on Mars, eroding and originating all of these valleys”. But these formations come in a huge variety "suggesting that many processes were at play to carve them," she added.

The study

Researchers found similarities between some Martian valleys and the sub-glacial channels of Devon Island, in the Canadian Arctic, which has been nicknamed ‘Mars on Earth’ for its barren, freezing conditions and hosted NASA space training missions.

authors said their findings suggest that some Martian valleys could

more protection and stability of underlying water, as well as providing shelter from solar radiation in the absence of a magnetic field - something Mars once had, but which disappeared billions of years ago," the University of British Columbia statement said. The research comes after NASA launched its latest Mars rover, Perseverance, to look for signs of ancient microbial life on the Red Planet. If all goes to plan, Perseverance will reach Mars on February 18, 2021 and collect rock samples that could provide invaluable clues about whether there was ever past life on Mars. However, the retrieval and analysis is not expected before the 2030s. China has also launched its first Mars rover, which should arrive by May 2021.

have been The study authors said their findings suggest that some formed some Martian valleys could have been formed some 3.8 billion 3.8 billion years years ago by melt water beneath ice sheets, which they said would align with climate modeling predicting ago by melt that the planet would have been much cooler in its water beneath ancient past. A co-author, Mark Jellinek, “The findings ice sheets demonstrate that only a fraction of valley networks match patterns typical of surface water erosion, which is in marked contrast to the conventional view”. Nature Geoscience Anna Grau Galofre, who is the lead the research studies, in her noted that understanding climate conditions in the first billion years statement, which was released by the University of British Columbia, of Mars' history is important in determining whether the planet was recently reads – “Over the past 40 years, soon after the valleys were ever habitable. The study authors said that icy temperatures could first discovered on the Mars, it was assumed that rivers once flowed in fact have better supported ancient life. "A sheet of ice would lend on the red planet, eroding and originating all of these valleys”.

September 2020

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In-Depth

ASSERTIVE INDIA ON WARPATH, CASUALTY IS SADAK 2 MOVIE WITH OVER 6 MIL DISLIKES By Aditya Venketesh

he debate on nepotism and suspected murder of Sushant Singh Rajput continues to make headlines in the country and seem unstoppable as popular sentiment for SSR remains electrically high across the country. Drug, sex, sleaze, abuse, nepotism, the money of drug cartel in the industry and PAGE -3 party are common in Bollywood, it’s hardly bothered anyone as of now. But over the past few years, it gradually turned to be the headlines of various media groups. In recent times, it has emerged as one of the most debated subjects, not only among the Bollywood stars, instead across the country. The ace Bollywood star, Kangana Ranaut, who bagged many prestigious awards in her kitty, seemed to pioneer this movement in recent times. She made seething allegations against most of the stalwarts in the Bollywood including the biggies of Bollywood like: Javed Akhtar, Troika of Khans and Roshan’s family, who was dragged into legal battle in the court. Recently, she castigated the prejudices inflicted on the new comers with hardly any background in the industry. Ranaut also hit hard on Bollywood cabal during her candid interview to many national channels on the subject of nepotism and step motherly treatment to the actors, coming from outside of big Bollywood family.

The latest hit is the movie of Mahesh Bhatt’s Sadak sequel, whose teaser was launched on August 12, 2020, in a view with maximizing sympathy due to hospitalization of Sanjay Dutt

With SSR's alleged murder, she was first one to castigate the Bollywood cabal and made huge allegation, even asked the Mumbai police to record her statement, however, recently, after so much uproar in the media, Mumbai police sent her notice to record her statement. Now, Nepotism and the suspected murder of SSR seem to hit hard Bollywood, and the latest causality is the film of Mahesh Bhatt, whose shoddy career has always been subject to huge controversy.

Bhat’s son, Rahul Bhatt, was among one of the suspects in the much publicized 26/11 Mumbai bomb blast case, due to his association with David Headly, an American terrorist of Pakistani origin, who had conspired the 26/11 Mumbai bomb blast. Although, his name was cleared by the Mumbai police, but experts still believe that Rahul Bhat must be investigated thoroughly. Clean cheat by the Mumbai police are seen with so much suspicion. There is an all-out war between the fans of SSR and Bollywood's so called cabal. It looks like that fans are in winning streak, as they started to hit hard and hard with their non-stop campaign against those Bollywood cabals.

The latest hit is the movie of Mahesh Bhatt’s Sadak sequel, whose teaser was launched on August 12, 2020, in a view with maximizing sympathy due to hospitalization of Sanjay Dutt. The Bollywood actor was diagnosed suspected lung cancer. However, with so much aggressive campaign launched by the fans of SSR was spearheaded by Bollywood’s queen, Kangana Ranaut, apart from her close aides and many friends of SSR, made a huge campaign against Sadak 2 movie. While this story was being written, this movie had already received over 6 million dislikes. It looks like that it would be one of worst affected Bollywood movie through such a massive aggressive campaign against it. The relentless campaign against Sadak 2 movie, directed by controversial Mahesh Bhat, could badly affect the financial proposition of the movie and send a scaring signal to the Bollywood biggies. Its resurgent and aspiration to reinvent itself through cultural awakening, reviving its age-old ‘sanatan dharna’ and asserting themselves as a torch bearer of Indian nationalism cannot be over looked and set aside through propaganda campaign by so called Bollywood cabal.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

In-Depth

SOMETIMES, POLITICS OFFERS GREENER PASTURES TO PERSONAL IN ‘WHITE HOUSE’

very now and then politics offers way to the personal at the White House. It has seen 18 weddings and at least 10 people are known to have died there, including two presidents and three first ladies.

It will serve Friday as a place of mourning for President Donald Trump and his family, with a private memorial service for the president's younger brother, Robert, who died last week at 71. The president, has described Robert as “not just my brother. He was my best friend”. Abraham Lincoln and Calvin Coolidge both mourned the loss of a son while serving as president, Willie Lincoln in 1862 and Calvin Coolidge Jr. in 1924. The memorial services for both children began in the White House. Unlike Willie Lincoln and Calvin Coolidge Jr, Robert Trump did not live at the White House. Nevertheless, it's completely within the president's ability to honour him with a service there, said Anita McBride, who served in three presidential administrations, including as first lady Laura Bush's chief of staff.

“The White House is a very complex place. It's an office, it's a museum and it's a home,” McBride said. “We loan it to the president for the time he or she is living there. Coming from that perspective, we need to be understanding of some decisions that they make in a case like this”. When Trump explained why he wanted to have a service for his brother at the White House, he said: “I think he'd be greatly honored. He loves our country. He loved our country so much. He was so proud of what we were doing and what we are doing for our country. So I think it would be appropriate”. Robert Trump began his career on Wall Street working in corporate finance but later joined the family business, managing real estate holdings as a top executive in the Trump Organization. “When he worked in the Trump Organization, he was known as the nice Trump”, Gwenda Blair, a Trump family biographer, told The Associated Press. “Robert was the one people would try to get to intervene if there was a problem”. In the 1980s, Donald Trump tapped Robert Trump to oversee an Atlantic City casino project, calling him the perfect fit

for the job. When that project cannibalized his other casinos, though, “he pointed the finger of blame at Robert”, said Blair, author, The Trumps: Three Generations that Built an Empire. A Boston University graduate, Robert Trump later managed the Brooklyn portion of his father Fred Trump's real estate empire, which was eventually sold. Within a week of the memorial service, Trump will use the White House for another unusual purpose — his nomination acceptance speech. He had hoped to give the speech in Charlotte, North Carolina, or Jacksonville, Florida, but had to cancel because of the coronavirus pandemic. He settled on the White House and large amounts of scaffolding on the South Lawn indicated it won't be a simple affair. “That's not going to go over well with everybody, but in this case, the president will be damned if he does, damned if he's doesn't," said McBride, director of the Legacies of America's First Ladies initiative at American University.

September 2020

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Cover Story

‘DRY CLEANING & LAUNDRY’ EMERGES AS A LIFE SAVING KIT AMID CORONA CRISIS With growing fears of Coronavirus disease, the importance of personal and public hygiene turned to be a key concern for one and all. Besides, using masks, following social distancing measures, washing hands, cleaning foods and groceries, it’s your ‘Laundry’ that ensures safety for you and your family. “If you wish to maintain your hygiene on a regular basis, especially when you visit outside, removing your clothes, you had worn, is mandatory. It is more important when you use public conveyances and interact with people. When someone sneezes or coughs in front of you, possible scattering of virus in or around your clothes cannot be ruled out. These may in later stage turn more dangerous”, said Himja Bhan, the Director Cloud Dhobi, adding that the Dry Cleaning and Laundry may appear as one of the vital parts of life saving kit during the Corona periods.

Photos by : Sachin Kumar

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

HIMJA BHAN Director

Cover Story

DRY CLEANING AND LAUNDRY INDUSTRIES Present Scenario The Dry Cleaning and Laundry services market comprises sales of ‘dry cleaning and laundry’ services and related goods by the concerned entities. These include the kind of entities that function under coin-operated or similar self-service laundries and dry cleaner, provide dry cleaning and laundry services and/or supply, on a rental or contract basis, laundered items like: uniforms, gowns and shop towels etc. The global dry-cleaning and laundry services market size reached a value of nearly $118.9 billion in 2018, having grown at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% since 2014. Now, it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.9% to nearly $180.0 billion by 2022. While, the Indian market is on its starting phase, the dry cleaning and laundry industries in the UK, US and China is comparatively matured. A report published in the Forbes suggests that Indian laundry market is estimated to be about $ 76 Billion, wherein almost 97% of the market is still unorganized. Indian laundry market gracefully stands with an estimated size of Rs. 2,20,000 Crores. The annual growth of the market is over $ 10 Billion. As such, Cloud Dhobi’s target market is the Organized laundry sector, currently estimated as INR 480 crores ($69 Million). Its target market for retail laundry is likely to stand double in days to

come, probably after a year or two. As need and demand for the laundry services in retail market is rising, it has been found that people hardly have 7-8 hours a week to manage laundry that has now become a huge pain point.

Dry Cleaning and Laundry Services in India and Abroad In contrast, the USA is leading a matured laundry market across the world with over 55000 Laundromat densities. China secured the second matured laundry market with over 25000 Laundromat densities. India is the second fastest growing major economy after China. The organized players, here, are cashing on this opportunity by entering into the unorganized laundry market in a big way. Despite, widespread presence of global and domestic laundries across the region, there are a large number of unorganized sectors waiting to be tapped. Organized laundry market includes commercial laundry market of about INR 6,400 crores ($ 915 Million) and professionally managed startup laundry markets of INR 600 crores ($ 86 Million). The retail market is growing at about 40% CAGR and there is a significant market potential in institutional markets like: Railways, hotels, airlines, healthcare and resorts.

Cloud Dhobi: Significance Unlike myriads of other Dry Cleaning & Laundry companies that have simply been offering collections and delivery services at doorstep, the Cloud Dhobi differs in its work on hub and spoke model. Hubs are located in close proximity with the housing clusters in the target market. The trained riders bring-in loads to the hub for collection and segregation. And then, these loads are sent to de-centralized laundry locations. The App also has an added feature of full stack tracking, having three interfaces meant to connect the customer, rider and the office. Besides, all are centrally controlled via a computer program so that everything could be smoothened. Collection and Delivery services are considered as the key USPs of the ‘Dry Cleaning and Laundry’ industry in the incumbent market. And hence, in order to fasten these services, the Cloud Dhobi has developed mobile applicationbased services. These services would be available in both, the iOS and Android platforms. As the application based market is growing day by day, it will certainly enhance the customer services and the business in many ways. “We are offering our services in such a way that we can save the time of our customers”, said Anant Bhan, the Managing Director, Cloud Dhobi.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

Cover Story An Overview The most important point is that the customers often deny services from where they have already observed bad experiences. Some of the companies are gradually losing their temperaments as well as the customer base because of false promises and tall claims. Hence, the Cloud Dhobi will not leave any stone unturned in making the customers realize about the rightfulness, clarity, punctuality, the transparency of this business. What we have found is, normally the startups, backed by larger business houses like: Jyoti Laboratories and Amazon, apart from the ones with angel investors, have so far shown mixed results. On the other hands, the business that failed to flourish, often lacked many vital objects or erred in many ways. Reasons behind it are: they did not focus much on customer acquisition and retention – (nobody spent adequately on advertising and customer feedback), but invested haphazardly in their own equipments and did not use the available low-cost laundry capacity equipments in the market, they offered wide services (garments to shoes and house cleaning), but failed to focus on key market of laundry etc. Only those businesses seem to be successful which focused on the market segment they are operating a web based in or working on ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) model and are generally using franchises for doing laundry, rather than by themselves (in webbased model). However, almost all of them have not really invested in proactive customer acquisition.

Special Significance Since we work on the hub and spoke model, especially in case of pick up and drop services, Cloud Dhobi differs from others. Mostly, the hubs are located in close proximity with the housing clusters in the target market. Our trained riders bring-in loads to the hub for collection and/or segregation. From the hubs, loads are set to decentralized laundry locations. The App also has an added feature of full stack tracking, which run on an algorithm aimed at optimizing riders, hubs and de-centralized laundry utilization. The App has three interfaces, one aimed towards the customer, another one for the rider and third one for laundry and they are also centrally controlled via a computer program. Another unique feature of the App is tagging the clothes with bar codes for better facilitation to the customers. This feature is under integration testing and Cloud Dhobi requires additional resources for training and usage of this feature of the App. This market prefers to pick up and drop service and that is the key USP of our business. Currently Application based market is small but growing fast, we have developed a mobile application-based service (available both on iOS and Android platform).

Cloud Dhobi works on a guaranteed commitment model where we provide high quality service in a timely manner, thus, providing convenience to our customers.

Promised by Cloud Dhobi High Quality Service, Timely Delivery with a guarantee policy, Digital Invoicing, Full Stack Tracking, 12 hours customer care (With 24 hours customers service), and 72-120 hour redressal policy.

Scope of Dry Cleaning and Laundry Industries Significantly, India’s laundry service market is expected to grow at a double-digit CAGR on account of increasing working-class population in the days to come. Laundry is a necessary and timeconsuming task and a number of local washer-men have significantly reduced in the past, presenting an opportunity for laundry-based startups. These companies are hiring professional washer man and partners in order to cater to the needs of customers who want convenience and high -quality cleaning of clothes. Also the trend of using Eco-friendly chemicals is gaining prominence and laundry-based companies are switching toward sustainable practices so as to save water, energy, and reduce operational costs. In India, laundry service market can be segmented based on sector, business type, service, end user, payment method and region. In terms of sector, the market can be bifurcated into unorganized and organized. The market penetration of organized sector is only 3 - 5% in comparison with the unorganized sectors. However, the former sector is anticipated to witness growth in the forthcoming years on account of emergence of laundry-based startups.

Our Services 1. Drycleaning.

2. Sofa Drycleaning. 3. Carpet Cleaning.

4.Shoe Drycleaning. 5.Steam Ironing.

6. Premium Laundry.

7.Laundry - Wash & Iron. • Wash & Fold. 8.Regular Ironing. Among them, wash & iron is the preferred choice of the customers. Our target market is the Organized laundry sector, currently estimated as INR 480 crores ($69 Million), [INR 245 crores estimated in year 2015 growing at 40% CAGR] with an adjacent self-washing market of INR 6,480 crores ($926 Million) [INR 4,500 crores in 2015 growing @ 20% CAGR] ; thereby a total market of

Since we work on hub and spoke model, especially in case of pick up and drop services, Cloud Dhobi differs from others.

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Cover Story

Cloud Dhobi’s main focus is on such housing groups or clusters where majorities of service men or those bound under routine activities reside

INR 6,960 crores [$1 billion], Retail market is split 65% in metros and 35% in tier II cities. As such, our target relevant market for retail laundry stands double by itself in the upcoming years as the need and demand for laundry services in the retail market is on a rise.

These markets prefer to do laundry once or twice a week, and we have accordingly adjusted our minimum basket size. Market values prompt service with hygienic cleaning. These features are specifically imbedded in our KPIs.

It has been found that people hardly get 7-8 hours in a week to manage their laundries, hence becoming huge panic for them. Recent analysis and studies reveal that on an average, people often spend about INR 2000 on washing, which includes INR 500 to the maid, INR 200-300 on the detergents, INR 500-700 to the Dhobi for ironing. Despite having all facilities and required resources like: a maid and an ironing guy at one’s disposal, people are unable to get convenient, reliable and quality services. As such, in order to provide the customers with all possible facilities, we have started our operations in Delhi NCR. Besides, we are expanding our services at the growth rate of 20%.

In this business, Cloud Dhobi has adopted a sustainable approach like: using high quality equipments that have low emissions as well as other relevant qualities. We are using the kind of machine that consumes very low electricity as well as the low quantity of water.

Main Focus The Cloud Dhobi’s main focus is on such housing groups or clusters where majorities of service men or those bound under routine activities reside. Besides, we are also focusing on student areas and the localities dominated by various kinds of professionals. Areas, where monthly family income ranges from INR 75k /month to 200k / month, are among others where we lay utmost emphasis. These groups, mostly contribute about 75% of the family spread market.

Market Trends Mostly, the players focus on the technology as well as the infrastructure. Technology in both: front-end and in customer acquisition or retention, and in the laundry, by reducing dependence on human labor to generate repeatable quality. These days, players are mostly focusing on the de-centralized laundries and stepping up to avail franchise to expand geographically. This industry is consolidating by larger businesses buying out smaller ones.

Pricing Trends In the market per kg rate, per piece rate as well as a mixed model pricing is available. The most used is per kg rate with minimum order or basket size of 4 kgs. The actual rate varies from Rs.45 to 65 per kg for wash and fold and Rs.79 to Rs. 89 for wash and iron. Average rate for minimum basket size of 4kgs is about Rs.65 for wash and fold and Rs.85 for wash and iron. Some players charge against pick and drop, in addition. On the other hands, additional charges pose for the services like: antiseptic cleaning, fabric treatment etc. This apart, some players often charge for express services. While, the standard delivery is considered between 48 hrs – 72 hrs, the delivery within 24 hrs is treated as premium.

De-Centralized Laundries, Cost Structure We have identified franchises which work as our de-centralized laundries in East Delhi, South Delhi (2 centers) and Noida. The available capacity of each is about 100 kg/day. The Cloud Dhobi outsource the wash and fold services at about INR 25/kg and wash and iron at INR 45/kg.

Expansion Plan Cloud Dhobi believes in walking together with its peers and plans to work on a collaborative model, instead of a franchisee one, only. It will help by streamlining operations and improving services to customers.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

Interview

We believe in reliability, trust building and transparency... At the outset, please accept our heartiest congratulations and best wishes for leading potential business – Laundry and Dry Cleaning, under the aegis of ‘CLOUD DHOBI’ in New Delhi. How do you feel after getting involved in this challenging business? To this, Mr Bhan thanked the entire OD team for their best wishes and positivity towards this promising business. “I am really delighted to launch ‘dry cleaning and laundry services’ across the NCR. As more than 97% business of this sector is unorganized, our efforts to systemize and regularize these services would, of course, bring a revolutionary change in the society”, Bhan emphasized. “Besides taking care of the cleanliness of customers’ clothes and other products, our endeavor is to save their time so that they could utilize their precious time for their own. Another fact is that this growing business would engage many youngsters, including skilled and nonskilled. Those willing to run an outlet under the name of ‘Cloud Dhobi’ can seek our franchise. Through, these all we can help the younger generations, small scale investors and other sections of the society”, Bhan smiled.

ANANT BHAN MD, CLOUD DHOBI

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Interview

“We believe in reliability, trust building and transparency rather than just running a business to earn money”, these were the words of Anant Bhan, the MD, Cloud Dhobi, a startup that offers dry cleaning and laundry services in Delhi NCR. Mr Bhan studied at the University of Masssachussets & returned to serve his Nation. During an exclusive interview with the Observer Dawn, English Magazine, Bhan put forth his analytical views and expertise adding –“We want our customers to get their time back”. Excerpts of his thoughts are as given...

Further, we would like to know about the main vision of ‘Cloud Dhbi’. Can you please express your views on the mission and work culture of your dream business under the banner of ‘Cloud Dhobi’? Ans: Cloud Dhobi’s vision has been carved out by its employees, keeping its necessary mandates in mind. The vision narrates about improving the quality of life of the customers by providing them with equitable, quick, reliable, prompt and sustainable laundry and dry cleaning services. It is important to mention here that the Cloud Dhobi is an organization that believes in individual as well as collaborative work culture. Here, we value commitment, integrity and innovations. We have an efficient team of experts, hardworking, punctual and responsible workforces unanimously involved in achieving our common goal. As of now, we have three branches in different places across the NCR and we have launched another outlet in Gurgaon on the occasion of the company’s first anniversary on August 16, 2020. Further, we have a commitment from ourselves that the company will have at least one THE VISION or two new branches every year on the occasion of NARRATES ABOUT the Company’s anniversary.

What is your development plan and strategy for all-around growth of ‘Cloud Dhobi’?

What are the basic sets of goal that you wish to earn from your business?

Ans: As often seen, every successful businessman keeps transparency in his or her set of goals. The ‘set of goal’ means, the kind of development that we expect after certain time period. When we launch a business or whatever, we have multiple goals like: the kind of values we expect from the society, Like: the social goal, the kind of confidence we want to earn through our services or products – moral goal and the amount of money we expect in a certain time period – financial goal. And of course it all depends upon every individual, what they keep in his/her priority list.

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE CUSTOMERS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH EQUITABLE, QUICK, RELIABLE, PROMPT AND SUSTAINABLE LAUNDRY AND DRY CLEANING SERVICES

Ans: As discussed above, we are committed to open at least one branch every year on the occasion of the Company’s anniversary. Besides, we have adopted certain conducts for our employees, especially the collection and delivery boys, like: providing them with special dress code, making them committed to the customers and few others. See, if we are success in offering the required services within the given time frame, we can win the battle. And, no doubt we are exerting our utmost efforts to fulfill the customers’ need. Cloud Dhobi, even, cares for a tinny demand or micro need of our valuable customers. As soon as, we get feedback or suggestion from any customer, our well wisher or anybody else, we work on them. As per our plan we have set up everything in such a way that collection and delivery from various strategic points would be easier than now.

When we talk about Laundry industry, mostly the service providers can earn money as much as they want, but hardly get expected respects from the society or the confidence that may provide them with expected moral values or so. As such, our primary motive is to earn value for the industry so that our staff or those indulged in this business can get proper value in the society.

September 2020

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Interview

To what extent you are success in your mission? Ans: It would be too early to comment on the length of success we have achieved as of now. It has just been a year since we took off our dream project. The company, ‘Cloud Dhobi’, observed its first anniversary on August 16, 2020. The hard work, selfless devotion and sincerity of the company staffs over the past one year have created a hope of rays. If everything goes well, possibilities of expected outcomes and success cannot be ruled out. In short, it can be said that all-around cooperation of my family, friends and company staffs drew our dream project on track to achieve success.

What is the present condition of ‘Dry Cleaning and Laundry’ industry in the Indian market? How do you feel that you will be successful in the days to come?

Ans: Since time immemorial, it emerged as a traditional business for a particular section of Indian society. But over the

past few decades, various other sections adopted it as a part of normal business or profession and made it a sustainable source of income. Despite several efforts, this industry could not grow as much as it could have grown up over the decades due to several reasons. Not being sensitive towards customers’ need, ignoring the grievances of small traders in this profession and ignoring the legal norms, etc are among few other factors that have diminished the value of this industry in the market.

What exactly attracted you to choose ‘Dry-Cleaning and Laundry’ as a business, especially when you had adequate resources and multiple options to set your career/business in other directions? Ans: I am not pursuing this profession just to earn money and set my career. Instead, it’s all about some facts of this profession that drew my attention towards ‘Dry Cleaning and Laundry’. There are two foremost reasons that forced me to take this business/profession as a challenge and make it a successful venture of my life. These are: Firstly, my mother’s tight schedule, where, I noticed her pursuing all household and office activities, together. Besides, she devoted her valuable time in dry cleaning and laundry works, amid a busy schedule. When I contemplated over these issues, I learnt that there were hundreds of mothers, sisters, wives or other sections of women that were, perhaps, facing the same situation. Therefore, I decided to ‘Give My Mother Their Time Back’, so that she, along with other such women, could use their time for themselves. Secondly, I observed that people involved in this business or profession hardly get respects in the society. As such, I want to earn dignity for them through trust building and rationalizing the profession/ business of ‘Dry-Cleaning and Laundry’. If everything goes well, these professionals would also expect same dignity as others like: Zomato, Ola, Uber etc.

AS MY GOAL IS SOMEHOW RELATED TO ENTIRE SOCIETY AND NOT JUST WITH ME, IT WOULD TAKE TIME. BUT OF COURSE, I AM IN MY WAY FORWARD

It has been over a year since you took off this business. Do you feel that you could achieve your foremost goal or you are in a way to achieve it? Ans: As my goal is somehow related to the entire society, not just with me, it would take time. But of course, I am on my way forward. Soon after starting operations, we exerted all efforts and received a proper response from the customers as well as the well wishers. However, we realized a little difference between the goals we had set before launching this business and the outcomes. But no doubt, the days are not so far when our dream will come true.

Initially, we had started tagging the clothes so that we could make our customers realized that they were re-using their new clothes, but it was denied by the customers. Ultimately, we had to stop tagging. Another point is that the customers were not aware about basic difference between dry cleaning and laundry. And hence, what we faced was just because of lack of awareness among the customers.

What are the best advices you have received regarding growth and development of your business as of now? Ans: See knowledge is something that can never be confined or measured. This is such a thing that you can get from anywhere or anybody. Even you can get grateful advice from a Rickshaw puller, a micro level professional or from your own employees, it hardly matters which post he/she belongs. In my school of thoughts, I have received most fruitful advices from my own employees including the manager and other staffs.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Fashion

THESE DESIGNER MASKS ARE A MUST-HAVE IN YOUR WARDROBE

“W

e will have to learn to live with Corona”, people are taking this suggestion of experts seriously. That’s why stylish and designer masks have also reached the market. Now, at the times when it is a necessity to wear masks then why not wear masks of your choice. Businessmen have also understood this thinking of the people. In such a situation, masks of different colors and patterns are being sold at the shops. People are also interested in them. At the same time, some people are making colorful masks at home. Online sales are also being made in large numbers. The masks are being made from cotton to khadi and linen fabric. Colorful masks are not only bringing positivity in people in the time of a global pandemic, but they have also become synonymous with fashion.

Separate masks for boys and girls

variety of masks are available in the market. Their demand is gradually increasing. People are demanding masks in different patterns and designs. Masks of different designs and colors will arrive in the coming days. There are different masks available for boys and girls.

Prepared at home

asks of suitable material are also being made at households these days. They also match the dresses. They can be washed and used repeatedly. This also saves money and masks can be customised according to your choice.

Bored with simple masks

Wash well after use

eople can use masks made at home to avoid corona, but after using the mask once, wash it thoroughly for 5-6 hours of sunlight. Dry in shade and never give your mask to another person to wear.

September 2020

eople are getting bored with simple masks and are also incorporating masks in fashion. Casual and party wear masks will soon be available in the markets, given the demand for masks is increasing. By the way, the demand for colorful masks has started increasing during lockdown.

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Defence

FOLLOWING ESCALATION OF BORDER TENSION, INDIAN NAVY PASS STRONG MESSAGE TO CHINA

he Indian Navy has passed a clear message to Beijing through its aggressive deployment of almost all frontline warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean Region. It all happened following escalation in the border row in eastern Ladakh, though it all has been registered by China. Soon after the border tension escalated manifold in the wake of the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, the Indian Navy deployed a range of its frontline warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to send a clear message to China. Government sources revealed the government would adopt a multi-pronged approach involving the Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Naval forces, apart from diplomacy and economic measures to send a clear signal to China that its misadventure in eastern Ladakh was not at all acceptable to India. The officials added that the three service chiefs are engaged in deliberations on almost a daily basis to ensure a coordinated approach in dealing with the situation as well as to make China understand about India's clear message. All these three

services are coordinating on the military response to the border row, sources said. The Indian Navy has significantly expanded its deployment in the IOR deploying a plethora of warships and submarines to create pressure points on China as the maritime space around the Malacca Strait is very critical for its supply chain through sea routes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our message has already been registered by the Chinese authoritiesâ&#x20AC;?, said a source, without explaining. In a question asked by this correspondent, the authorities said there was no visible increase in forays by Chinese ships in the IOR. They said the reason could be the PLA Navy's excessive deployment of resources in the South China Sea following the strong opposition by the US to Beijing's expansive territorial claims in the region. The US sent a number of its warships to the South China Sea to demonstrate freedom of navigation and rallying support to countries that have territorial disputes with China over the region. The Indian Navy is also ramping up its operational cooperation with various friendly naval forces like the US Navy and Japan Maritime Self Defense Force in view of the fast evolving regional security landscape. Following the Galwan Valley clashes, the

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

IAF deployed almost all its frontline fighter jets like Sukhoi 30 MKI, Jaguar and Mirage 2000 aircraft in the key frontier air bases in eastern Ladakh and elsewhere along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Indian Air Force has been carrying out night time combat air patrols over the eastern Ladakh region in an apparent message to China that it was ready to deal with any eventualities in the mountainous region. Significantly, the Indian Army has enhanced deployment after the clashes in Galwan Valley that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. Following the Galwan Valley incident, the government has given the armed forces "full freedom" to give a "befitting" response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC. Soon after the last round of military talks, government sources said the Indian side conveyed a "very clear" message to the Chinese army that status quo ante must be restored in eastern Ladakh and it will have to follow all mutually agreed protocols for border management to bring back peace and tranquility.

Defence

‘RAFALE’ MORE EFFICIENT THAN CHINA’S J-20

RAFALE

ndia’s Air Marshal, R Nambiar (Retd), who flight tested the Rafale fighter jets for India, has said that Rafale is superior to the China’s Jet Chengdu fighter, J-20. It is believed to be a 5th Generation fighter and is probably at the best a 3.5 generation aircraft. It has got a third generation engine as we have in the Sukhoi, Nambiar said. The stealth characteristics of the J-20 are also under suspicion, say experts based on several analysis done by the Indian Air Force. The J-20 was hyped to be a highly stealthy aircraft and that it could conceal itself in operations and not be easily detected. The experts believe that if J-20 was the best, why China would go for the Russian Su35. But the Russian jets too, might not be able to compete with the Rafale. Nambiar said, “The Su35 is also no match to the Rafale with its weapons, superior sensors and fully integrated architecture. The capability to super cruise even with four missiles, stealth characteristics all put together makes the Rafale far more potent than Su35”.

The experts believe that if J-20 was the best, why China would go for the Russian Su35. But the Russian jets too, might not be able to compete with the Rafale. Nambiar said, “The Su35 is also no match to the Rafale with its weapons, superior sensors and fully integrated architecture

September 2020

CHINA’S J-20

Noticeably, the J-20 uses the same engine as Su30. But the Rafale engine is better in terms of reliability, longevity and maintainability. The IAF officials say that Rafale can lift load up to 1.5 times its weight, which means it can carry weapons and fuel much more capacity than the J-20. The biggest difference is that Rafale is an omni-role aircraft. It can carry out at least four missions in one sortie while the J-20 cannot carry out multiple missions is one go. The Rafale is battle hardened and has been used in Afghanistan, Libya and Syria while the J-20 has not been part of any action. Also, the meteor missile in Rafale makes it far more potent than the J-20 or the Su30. The fighter jet is armed with potent meteor and scalp missiles that will enhance air strike capabilities and air dominance of the Indian Air Force. The meteor is a beyond visual range long air-to-air missile with a range of 150 km. Scalp is a longrange cruise missile with a range of 200 km that can be launched from the aircraft for deep strikes to hit fixed and stationary targets in land or water.

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Int'l Biz

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC CAUSES UNPRECEDENTED LOSS TO CHAMPAGNE SALES

or months, since the lockdown came into force, Champagne has lost its fizz. The cork on weddings, dining out, parties and international travel, all the important key sales components for the French luxury wine were largely affected. As the turnover fell by one third, a hammering unmatched and worse than the Great Depression, the producers in the eastern Champagne region of France believe that say they have lost an estimated 1.7 billion Euros ($2 billion) in sales for the year 2020. Thibaut Le Mailloux of the Champagne Committee, also known as CIVC, representing some 16,000 winemakers said, “The businessmen expected about 100 million bottles to be languishing unsold in their cellars by the end of the year. We are experiencing a crisis that we evaluate to be even worse than the Great Depression of 1929”. Realizing the urgency of the problem, the CIVC is launching unprecedented damage-limitation measures. Like oil-producing countries, the committee regulates the size of the harvest each year to avoid the kind of excess production that would cause bottle prices to plummet. At a meeting scheduled for Aug. 18, it's expected to impose a cap so tight that record quantities of grapes will be destroyed or sold to distilleries at discounted prices. The prospect alarms smaller producers, who are more vulnerable than the big houses. The Anselme Selosse, of Jacques Selosse Champagnes, termed it an insult to nature that champagne's famous grapes might even be destined to produce alcohol for hand sanitizer, as is happening in other wine-producing regions such as Alsace after demand spiked during the pandemic. Referring to the industry as a whole, Selose said, “We are to destroy and we pay for them to be destroyed. It’s nothing but a catastrophe. Champagne has never lived through anything like this before, even in the World Wars”. He also said that they have never experienced a sudden one-third fall in sales. Over one hundred million bottles unsold.

festivities and a lack of celebratory group events. The new branding strategy for his, and other champagne companies, will seek to highlight the wine's status as a naturally, and often organically, produced quality drink from a historic French region.

At a meeting scheduled for Aug. 18, it's expected to impose a cap so tight that record quantities of grapes will be destroyed or sold to distilleries at discounted prices

Major producers such as Vranken-Pommery predict that the crisis could last for years. Paul Francois Vranken, the founder of Vranken-Pommory Monopole, said, “It should not be forgotten that (champagne) has lived through every single war. But with the other crises, there was a way out. For now, there is no way out, unless we find a vaccine”. Vranken said the very essence of champagne marketing- as a drink quaffed at parties and weddings -- needs to be reevaluated to reflect the new normal: Fewer

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Vranken said, “Even if the bars and the nightclubs are closed for five years, we don’t plan on missing out on customers. There will be a very big change to our marketing that highlights the grandeur of our wines”. Selosse, who produces many “natural“ champagnes with no added sugar, also hopes the pandemic will encourage thought about future champagne marketing and how the multi-billion dollar industry is restructured. He would like to see a more cooperative side to production. Selosse said adaptability has served champagne well in the past, helping it evolve from a dessert wine in the 19th century to the modern day dry version named brut. He even thinks that this is a minority view among producers and the industry could move away from effervescence and be able to produce all sorts of wine.

Int'l Biz

COUNTRIES WHERE CENTRAL BANKS ISSUE DIGITAL CURRENCIES By Arjun Kharpal

rypto -currency, Bitcoin and Facebook-backed, Libra could play a role in a world, where the central banks have globally started to issue their own digital currencies. While both have had their critics, Raghuram Rajan, former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, said that the two digital currencies could have a place when central banks enter the fray. “I would like to think that these private currencies are also in competition with the central bank digital currency”, Rajan told the media. Digital currencies are likely to have big implications for the role central banks and retail lenders play in the world and could change the face of the entire financial system. While the idea is still being debated, central banks would likely issue digital versions of fiat currencies. The People’s Bank of China is already doing pilots, while other central banks are considering whether to issue their own. Bitcoin is a “decentralized” crypto-currency meaning it has no central authority governing its issuance, unlike fiat currencies. It is built on so-called block-chain technology, which at its simplest level, is an immutable public ledger of Bitcoin transactions. Bitcoin has often been criticized as being a speculative asset. Legendary investor Warren Buffett said earlier this year that it has “no value’. Libra takes a more centralized approach. It is a project that was proposed by a Facebook-led consortium of companies last year. But Libra drew heavy criticism from regulators, particularly because of its ties to Facebook and its murky track record

of data privacy. The idea is for Libra to be a so-called “stable coin” which would be backed by a basket of global currencies. That would keep its value stable in contrast with the volatility that has been seen in Bitcoin. Libra has scaled down some of its ambitions. Earlier this year, the Libra Association applied to obtain approval from regulators to issue a digital currency backed by one currency. That would mean the consortium’s digital coin may be equivalent to a euro or a U.S. dollar, for example.

Digital currencies are likely to have big implications for the role central banks and retail lenders play in the world and could change the face of the entire financial system

do that. Nevertheless it has value because others think it has value”.

Rajan said that Bitcoin is a “speculative asset” rather than one that is used for transactions on a large scale. He said investors have often flocked to Bitcoin when traditional assets such as bonds are less attractive. Rajan said, “In that sense, Bitcoin is a little bit like gold, in fact, gold has some value because we value it for jewelry, but Bitcoin you can’t even

“On the other hand, Libra is an attempt to create a currency which is used for transacting. And that the whole idea is not to hold it as a speculative asset, which increases in value, but use it for transactions”, he added. The former central banker said that having a private digital currency that had a “monopoly” would be “problematic”. But ultimately there will be competing private digital currencies with different roles. “So the bottom line I think is different private currencies will do different things and it may be Bitcoin has value going forward just as a store of value, or as a speculative asset. While Libra may be the kind of currency which is used more for transacting”, Rajan said. The same issue is true of private digital currencies. But Rajan said that there may be need to “integrate the data” between these competing digital currencies “because you don’t want the whole thing to be Balkanized”. (Courtesy: CNBC)

September 2020

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Int'l Biz

DESPITE TENSIONS WITH US, CHINA EXERTS EFFORT TO IMPROVE ITS FUTURE ECONOMY By Evelyn Cheng

f media reports are to be believed, China is likely to turn the largest economy of the world in the next few years. The giant nation is now preparing for a major shift in international trade and business. The Chinese government has come out with yet another batch of policy terms to bolster its own economy. This time, this giant nation is under the vague umbrella of “dual circulation”. Apart from rocked by the Coronavirus pandemic, China has been facing multiple tensions with the U.S. and various other countries of the world. The phrase refers broadly to two circles of economic activity — internal and external — with greater emphasis than before on business at home. The jury is out on whether “dual circulation” reflects a major change in Beijing’s economic policy, or how new the concept is at all. Notably, the high-level political talk comes just months before authorities plan to release China’s economic blueprint for the next half decade – the 14th Five Year Plan. Growing public discussion in the last few weeks has also helped crystallize some of the implications for global trade. The ICBC International, the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of the giant state-owned Chinese bank, has put out a series of notes in the last few weeks on “dual circulation”. One of the reports discussed the implications of the Chinese policy for the next round of globalization. In an essential e-mail, Stephen Olson, a research fellow at the nonprofit Hinrich Foundation, said, “The ‘dual circulation’ policy demonstrates China’s recognition that it won’t be able to rely on trade as much for the next two decades, as it did for the previous two”. He also noted that the pursuit of deep economic integration with China was increasingly seen in the US as a strategic mistake that worked out extremely well for China, but considerably less well for the US. The China’s trade disputes with the U.S. over the last two years have reduced the flow of goods between the two countries. In an individual country basis, the U.S. is still China’s largest destination for exports. But last year, amid escalating trade tensions, North America ceded the spot for top trading partner to the European Union, according to China Customs data accessed through the Wind Information database. In 2020, there are almost 10 countries that have made up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) became China’s largest trading partner, the data showed.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Int'l Biz

businesses shift their focus to the domestic market. “Turning China’s exports inward in reality is a good thing, so our economy can develop stably and grow”, Xu Hongcai, deputy director of the Economics Policy Commission at the China Association of Policy Science, said in a phone interview last week, according to a CNBC translation of his Mandarin-language remarks. This is good for the rest of the world. For all the talk of boosting domestic consumption, what Beijing envisions is not necessarily what will happen, particularly in the next several months.

“My country’s position in the to a CNBC translation of his The ICBC world economy will continue Chinese statement. As the International, to rise, our ties with the global Chinese market has grown the Hong economy will become closer, and the challenges of crossKong-based and the market opportunity border trade have increased, subsidiary we offer to other countries more foreign companies are of the giant will broaden, and (we will) adopting a “in China, for state-owned become a massive gravitational China” strategy. Beijing has Chinese bank, field for attracting international welcomed the investment and has put out a goods and key resources”, made significant efforts to keep series of notes Chinese President Xi Jinping the businesses in the country said in a speech last week, while despite geopolitical tensions. in the last few hearing suggestions for China’s In July 2020, China recorded weeks on “dual upcoming five-year plan. 12.2% growth in foreign direct circulation” That’s according to a CNBC investment from a year ago translation of the Chinese text to $9.05 billion, according to carried by state media. China has its own the Ministry of Commerce. That marked litany of problems to deal with. Some of a fourth-straight month of increase since them are new, such as torrential floods in the height of the coronavirus outbreak in the southern part of the country this year early February. In contrast, global foreign that followed the shock of the coronavirus direct investment flows are expected to outbreak. Other long-standing issues have fall 30% amid the pandemic, according to only become more pronounced, such a report in May from the Organization for as high reliance on debt for growth and Economic Cooperation and Development. an environment that favors state-owned “Capital is king. If you offer more ... enterprises to privately run businesses. certainty than other (countries) there The private sector generates most of the will be people coming to invest”, Bruce jobs in the country. From the perspective Pang, head of macro and strategy research of Yan Se, chief economist at Founder at China Renaissance, said in a phone Securities, greater policy emphasis on the interview, according to a CNBC translation Chinese market is partly a reminder to local of his Mandarin-language remarks. To Pang, governments about the work they must do these trends in foreign investment and to improve the domestic environment. He changes in Chinese exports were already expects further policy support will come for happening, and have only accelerated since foreign investment into China, and crossthe coronavirus outbreak. Authorities and border e-commerce. That’s according companies are also trying to help Chinese

September 2020

Right now, “(domestic) demand is recovering, but it is difficult for much of the demand to recover to what it was prior to the epidemic,” Xu said. The overall demand has declined because there are substitutes. As such, people need to find other kinds of jobs, and so this period of transition is more painful. After gross domestic product contracted by 6.8% in the first quarter, the surprise 3.2% increase in the second quarter was supported by an increase in investment, particularly for real estate. Retail sales still declined 1.1% in July, as growth in online shopping was not enough to offset the overall drop. “Consumption will not be the economic driver this year or next year for sure. It will be investment and exports,” Dan Wang, Shanghai-based chief economist at Hang Seng China, said in a phone interview last week. To increase consumption or its contribution to growth, China will have to do some major reform in its income distribution, and a big difficulty in doing that is the state-owned enterprise reform. But longer term, the pressure is accelerating for China to make that shift toward relying more on its own market. One of the reasons China is pursing “dual circulation” is that since the country is growing in global prominence, whatever it does will have a significant effect as other countries reassess how dependent they want to be on the Asian giant, Wang said.

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(Courtesy: CNBC)

Special Story

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya on 5th August. Shila includes Nanda, Bhadra, Jaya, Rikta, Poorna, Ajita, Aparajita, Shukla and Saubhagyani

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Special Story

CONSTRUCTION OF

WAIT OF FIVE HUNDRED YEARS ENDED, STRUGGLE OF HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS BROUGHT SUCCESS

At last the moment has come, which the devotees had been waiting for almost five hundred years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya on 5th August. Shila includes Nanda, Bhadra, Jaya, Rikta, Poorna, Ajita, Aparajita, Shukla and Saubhagyani. After the worship, these rocks will be kept safe in the Ram temple. Again In the depths of the sanctum sanctorum for the foundation, they will be placed just below the throne of Ramlala. Earlier, PM Modi reached Ayodhya for laying the foundation stone of Ram Janmabhoomi temple. He first offered prayers to Lord Hanuman after reaching Hanumangarhi and then reached the Ram Janmabhoomi area and offered obeisance to Lord Rama. He was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Wearing a traditional

dhoti-kurta, Modi left for the Ram Janmabhoomi area after offering prayers at the temple for a while. On reaching the Ram Janmabhoomi, the Prime Minister offered obeisance to Lord Rama and planted a plant of Parijat there. Prime Minister Narendra Damodar Das Modi inaugurated the Ram mandir. He laid foundations of the Ram temple in Ayodhya among auspicious mantra chanting. He became the first Prime Minister to worship Ramlala at Hanuman Garhi. Before him Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee did visit Ayodhya as Prime Minister, but they could not see Ramlala. Ram temple has been a burning subject in the country for hundreds of years. The Babri Masjid was built here in the year 1528 by demolishing the Ram temple illegally. The battle of struggle for hundreds of years, the heroism of the movements and the restraint of the people is the result that the dream of building a Ram temple is finally fulfilled. The Ram temple is the center of faith of crores of Hindus, the result of those who sacrificed their lives. The battle of Ram temple has been going on since the 15th century. First of all in 1528, the Mughal raid Babur's commander Mir Baki broke the structure of the Ram temple and built the Babri Masjid here. After this, in 1885, this case first reached the court during the British rule. You will be surprised to know that the Ram temple case has fought a legal battle for the entire 135 years.

September 2020

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Special Story

oday is a historic and glorious day for India. Bhoomi Poojan and foundation stone of the grand Ram temple was performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram, which has written a golden chapter in the history of great Indian culture and civilization and heralded a new era. - Construction of Ram temple in Ayodhyaji has been a symbol of faith of Hindus around the world for centuries. Today, PM Modi and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra have done the work of honoring the faith of crores of people by performing Bhoomi

Pujan of Ram temple, for which I express my heartfelt gratitude. - The ideals and thoughts of Lord Shree Rama reside in the soul of India. His character and philosophy of life is the cornerstone of Indian culture. With the construction of Ram temple, this auspicious land will rise again in the world with its full splendor. Coordination of religion and development will also generate employment opportunities. The construction of this grand Prabhu Shri Ram temple shows the strong and decisive

leadership of PM Modi. My heartiest congratulations to all Indians on this unforgettable day. The Modi government will always be committed to protecting and preserving Indian culture and its values. -Prabhu Sri Rama temple construction is the result of centuries of constant sacrifice, struggle, penance and sacrifice of innumerable name-anonymous Rama devotees. On this day, I salute all those ascetics who fought for this priceless heritage of Sanatan culture for so many years. Jai Shree Ram!

rime Minister Narendra Modi worshiped the land of Ram temple and laid the foundation stone of the temple. During this, PM Modi said in his address that a grand temple will now be constructed for our Ramlala who are living under sack and tent. Today, Ramjanmabhoomi has been freed from this disturbance that has been going on and is going to stand up again. -PM Modi said that Ram is fabricated in our mind, has got mixed within us. If you want to do some work, then we look to Lord Rama for inspiration, you see the amazing power of Lord Rama. Buildings were destroyed, there was a lot of effort to eradicate existence, but Rama is still in our mind, the basis of our culture. Shri Ram is the dignity of India, Shri Ram is the dignity Purushottam. PM Modi said that due to the conditions created by the corona, this program of bhumi pujan is happening among many dignities. The country has presented a similar example of dignity in Shriram's work. He said that the water of soil and rivers brought from the temples and temples across the country, its people, its culture and its feelings, has become the power here today. Really, this is neither ghost nor future.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Special Story

nion chief Mohan Bhagwat said that many people could not come due to the epidemic, LK Advani has not been able to come. The work towards making self-reliant is going on in the country, today after the epidemic; the whole world is looking for new paths. As the temple is built, Ayodhya of Rama should also be built. The temple that should be built in our mind and the fraud should be left. The Sangh chief said that the spirit of effort is in our spirit. Lord Rama is an example. All belong to Rama and all of them are Rama. It is for all Indians. no exception. Mohan Bhagwat said that for this grand work, the religion for which Lord Shri Ram is known, which gives the message of happiness and peace to the world, we have to make our mind also Ayodhya. We have to make our mind a temple.

Mohan Bhagwat said that for this grand work, the religion for which Lord Shri Ram is known, which gives the message of happiness and peace to the world, we have to make our mind also Ayodhya. We have to make our mind a temple. On the occasion of laying the foundation of Ram temple, Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said that there is an atmosphere of joy in the people after the completion of centuries by the construction of the temple.

ogi Adityanath addressed after laying the foundation of Ram temple. He said that many of our generations had gone in waiting for this watch. Many people sacrificed to dream of building the Ram temple. - Avadhpuri, which was waiting for 500 years to realize, has today completed its opportunity to embody the feelings of the entire country: Yogi Adityanath Even though the Ram temple trusts the construction work of the Ram temple, we are all committed to making this city glorious without disturbing the physical development and cultural diffusion of the entire Avadhpuri: Yogi Adityanath

September 2020

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Lifestyle

INTERNET ADDICTION IS AFFECTING

THE HEALTH OF THE YOUTH ONLINE GAMES, SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEB SERIES ARE MAKING YOU SICK

obile has now become an important part of people's life. From watching videos, listening to songs, playing games, finding time and setting alarms, mobile has become the only medium for all the activities. In such a situation, most people tend to stick to their smartphones all the time. This chasm of social media and web series is making the youth sick. According to a recent research, due to spending more

time on social media, web series, TV and computer, many diseases are developing in children and young people. A study has shown that use of social media, watching TV and excessive use of computer are increasing the symptoms of anxiety in adolescents and youth. According to the study published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, if you spend more

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

time on social media, TV and computer, then during this period, the symptoms of anxiety start appearing. This research revealed that symptoms of anxiety were found to decrease after the decreased use of television, social media and computer. In a study at the University of Montreal, Canada, the team found symptoms of depression from social media use and TV

Lifestyle viewing among adolescents and youth involved in the test. The team included about 4 thousand teenagers aged 12 to 16 in Canada in their study. These teenagers were asked about the time spent in front of the screen. They responded to the self-report questionnaire which showed that if their screen time is reduced, control over these symptoms can be found. Along with this, a study conducted in the UK has revealed that checking the smartphone first thing in the morning is harmful to health. According to a survey of around 2000 people in the UK, waking up and checking mobile first thing in the morning starts with stress, which affects the performance of the brain by impacting the working process. According to experts, after getting up, thinking about the same subject increases stress and anxiety levels. The survey has revealed that after waking up, firstly checking the mobile and thinking about past events leads to a decrease in concentration due to which daily routine and lifestyle are affected.

Games, social media and web series are the reason for internet addiction The prospect of watching online web series and playing games is making teenagers and young people sick. Experts have claimed in media reports that games, social media and web series have become the major causes of Internet addiction.

THE SECOND COUNTRY WITH THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF INTERNET USERS IN THE WORLD IS INDIA

ndia is the second largest country in the world after China in terms of Internet users. In addition to being the largest market for smartphones globally, data prices in India are among the lowest in the world. In such a situation, it is obvious that the number of Internet users here is quite high. There are currently around 800 million Internet users in terms of Kantar-IMRB study and Cisco Annual Internet Report data. According to a report by Kantar-IMRB, the number of Internet users in India was around 56 crores in December 2018, which increased to around 66 crores by the end of 2019. According to such an estimate, at present the figure is around 80 crores. Along with this, due to the rapid increase in the number of Internet users in India, by 2023, this figure will reach 90 million in the country. Currently, this number is around 80 crores. The world's leading

India is the second largest country in the world after China in terms of Internet users. In addition to being the largest market for smartphones globally, data prices in India are among the lowest in the world

September 2020

networking and software company Cisco made this claim in a report. According to the Cisco report, by 2023, 64 percent of the country's population will be connected to the Internet. Cisco's Internet Report 2018-2023 states that in the year 2018, the number of Internet users in India was 763 million which will increase to 907 million by 2023 which is 64% of the country's population.

According to TRAI, mobile subscribers are more than the adult population in the country According to the latest data of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI), the number of mobile users in the country has reached 115.14 crores; while according to the 2011 census the number of adults in India is about 108.85 crores. It is clear from these figures that mobile subscriber population is 6.29 crores more than the adult population in the country. However, in this context of TRAI it is said that many people keep more than one mobile, hence only such data of mobile subscriber has come out. TRAI said that mobile users are increasing in number due to wide access to internet and cheap data. TRAI claims that the number of mobile subscriber will increase further. Actually India is not only the largest market for smartphones, but the cost of data is also lower here than in other countries of the world. Now, when the Internet rates are the cheapest in the country globally, then the number of Internet users here is definitely more.

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Lifestyle According to media reports, Indian Internet users spend more than 35% of their phone time on entertainment

than half of the users said that they did not even think about switching off or taking a break on social media handles on t h e i r s m a r t p h o n e s . H o w e v e r, m o s t of them believed that frequent use of smartphones had adverse effects on their behavior and health and that they started having mental stress, irritability and anxiety etc.

More than 35 percent of phone time is spent on entertainment

Physicians claim that gaming, social media and web series are the three main reasons for the addiction of Internet in youth and adolescents. Among them is gaming at number one, followed by social media at number two and web series at number three. He told that the habit of games, social media and web series is a part of behavior addiction. People from every age group, from children to the elderly, are becoming victims of these, but the number of young people in the age group of 15 to 30 years is much higher.

We spend one third of the time in the day on Smartphones Internet and digital addiction has increased so much that most of us spend almost one

third of the time in a day i.e., 5 hours on our smartphones. This was revealed in a study last year. The study was conducted by Cyber Media Research (CMR) in association with Chinese smart phone maker Vivo. According to this report, an average user spends about 1800 hours on a mobile phone every year. The researchers prepared this report after interacting with about 20,000 people. The survey interviewed 64 percent of men and 36 percent of women. More

According to media reports, Indian Internet users spend more than 35% of their phone time on entertainment. Data from one study shows that in the year 2019, the number of Indians watching online videos was 33.5 million and the number of users using audio streaming was 16 crores. During the Data from one lockdown, people spent more study shows time on the Internet than that in the year before. On the basis of this, it 2019, can be said that currently the number the number of Indians of Indians watching online videos has watching online increased significantly compared videos was 33.5 to the previous. It is estimated million and the that currently the number of number of users online video watchers in the country is more than 45 million using audio and the number of users using streaming was audio streaming has crossed 16 crores the threshold of nearly 200 million.

'INTERNET ADDICTION WORKS LIKE A DRUG'

ccording to psychologist Dr. Sanjeev Tyagi; online game, social media and web series are like drugs, until the victims sees the entire web series, they do not feel like doing any other work. They say that teenagers and young people should avoid web addiction; otherwise they can be subjected to many mental illnesses in the future. Because of the web addiction, teenagers and young people suffer from depression, concentration, hunger, sleepiness, physical weakness, isolation, obesity, anxiety, fear etc. There are changes in them at the physical, social and behavioral level. Irritation increases in adolescents and young people after they are away from normal activities, as well as socially isolated, silent and depressed. Parents need to pay more attention to such young children. Counseling of the victim is necessary to get rid of the addiction of web addiction, so that the mood can be elevated. They should concentrate on outdoor games with at least eight hours of sleep and meditate to increase concentration.

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Lifestyle

TYPES OF INTERNET

ADDICTION T

oday, internet and computer use are embedded in contemporary society and have changed the way we live our lives more than any other technological medium yet. Despite this, we still know fairly little about the effects of internet addiction on our psychological functioning, mental health, and general well-being. Just last year, data from the Pew Research Center showed that 77% of Americans join internet on a daily basis. While many believe that surfing the web or binging cat videos on YouTube is a relatively nontoxic act, there are some people who spend so much of their time using a computer or on the internet that it has begun to obstruct their daily lives. When an action or desire becomes a difficulty, taking precedence over the most important aspects of one’s life – relationships, work, school – it can become classified as an addiction.

Internet addiction is a broad term that covers a range of behaviors and impulse-control problems involving internet, personal computer, and mobile technology. While there are no officially accepted criteria to diagnose an internet addiction yet, researchers have identified 5 subcategories of specific types of computer and internet addictions.

Cybersex Addiction A Cybersex addiction is one of the more self-explanatory internet addictions. It involves online pornography, adult websites, sexual fantasy/adult chat rooms, and XXX web-cam services among others. An obsession with any of these services can be harmful to one’s ability to form real-world sexual, romantic, or intimate relationships. Treatment options are available for those with cybersex addictions, typically in the form of intervention followed by ongoing inpatient or outpatient therapy.

Net Compulsions Net compulsions concern interactive activities online that can be extremely harmful, such as online gambling, trading stocks, online auctions, and compulsive online shopping. These habits can have a damaging impact on one’s financial stability and disrupt job-related duties. Spending or losing excessive amounts of money can also cause stress in one’s relationships. With instant and easy access to online casinos and stores, it is easy for those who are already susceptible to a gambling or spending addiction to get hooked online.

Cyber or online relationship addicts are deeply involved with finding and maintaining relationships online

opportunity to find information so easily has turned into an unmanageable urge to gather and organize data. In some cases, information seeking is a sign of pre-existing, obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

Online Relationship Addiction

C o m m o n l y, c o m p u l s i v e information-seeking can also reduce work productivity and potentially lead to job termination. Depending on A Cybersex the severity of the addiction, addiction is treatment options can range one of the more from different therapy self-explanatory modalities – which target internet changing compulsive behavior addictions. It and developing coping involves online strategies – to medication. pornography,

Cyber or online relationship addicts are deeply involved with finding and maintaining relationships online, often forgetting and neglecting realadult websites, life family and friends. Typically, sexual fantasy/ online relationships are formed Computer or adult chat in chat rooms or different social Gaming Addiction rooms, and networking sites but can occur Computer addiction also XXX web-cam anywhere you can interact with referred to as computer gaming services among people online. Often, people addiction, involves online and others who pursue online relationships offline activities that can be do so while concealing their real done with a computer. identity and appearance – this modern phenomenon led to the creation of As computers became more widely the term “catfish.” available, games such as Solitaire, Tetris, and Minesweeper were programmed After being consumed by an online social life i n t o t h e i r s o f t w a r e . Re s e a r c h e r s and persona, a person may be left with limited quickly found that obsessive computer social skills and unrealistic expectations game playing was become a problem concerning in-person interactions. Many in certain settings. Office employees times, this leads to an inability to make would spend excessive amounts of time real-world connections, in turn, making playing these games causing a notable them more dependent on their virtual decrease in productivity. relationships. Counseling or therapy is typically required to treat this addiction and Today, not only are these classic games ensure lasting behavioral changes. still available, but so are thousands of new ones. Computer addiction is the Compulsive Information Seeking oldest type of internet/computer The internet provides users with a wealth addiction, and it is still prevalent and of data and knowledge. For some, the harmful today.

September 2020

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Lifestyle

RE-DECORATING YOUR KIDS ROOM? MARK THESE TIPS

he way we look at our home has a profound effect on our life. According to psychology, happiness begins from home. A person’s success depends on how well do they think about themselves. Moreover, everyone has a different concept of living. Apart from keeping our body healthy, skin glowing and bank-balance huge, one of the most important factors that affect the way we live is our surroundings. The wrong environment at home shows a negative effect on our body, whereas the positive environment helps in keeping our mind and body energetic, plus we always feel enthusiastic and cherish. It is needless to say the home decor is one of the most important factors in creating a good stressfree environment. When giving your kid’s room a makeover think about the little details that will make your child happy. Think about bringing in new furniture especially the kids beds and other items. Seeing your kids sleep soundly makes you feel content. It is fact that children have a habit of spending most of their time playing on their own or with friends. Sometimes parents and grandparents too give them company. As with most children they like to spend moments in their own bedroom, parents should make sure that their kid’s room is made comfortable for which they should first introduce cozy kids beds. Besides, parents should focus more on interiors that will reflect on their innocent and candid personalities. Recreate your child’s living space with interior designs that reflect on style, fun, coziness, practicality and comfort. Bedroom decoration is definitely a daunting task; especially if it is about recreating the room of your child. Subtle detailing in the children’s room can work miracles. Remember the type of decor you choose for their room will have an impact on the psyche of your kids. Children’s bedrooms should be cozy, safe and cheerful. It should evoke a feeling of warmth. Your child should be happy about their room. While picking the shade for bedroom walls do not forget to make the walls appealing. You can work on the ceilings and much more. Also, the choice of furniture you bring in to the room is a decisive factor indicating a lot more about the vibes that are about to be set in. From beds and cupboards to study and couch, you can pick furniture which will offer maximum utility. Here are

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Lifestyle

To help your kids stay organized, keep things at their height. Closet storage, benches and coat racks will all be used more often if kids can get to them easily. Try adding a few bins to conceal their toys and other items

10 more tips for you to keep in mind while redecorating your kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; room: 1. To help your kids stay organized, keep things at their height. Closet storage, benches and coat racks will all be used more often if kids can get to them easily. Try adding a few bins to conceal their toys and other items. 2. Most craft and hobby stores sell an additive to paint that allows it to glow in the dark. Try painting stars and a moon on your child's ceiling or a cityscape around the edge of the room. This will get them excited about turning out the lights at night. 3. Try creating a continuous art center by painting a wall with chalkboard paint. You can get chalkboard paint in the color of your choice.

4. Removable wall decals are becoming increasingly affordable and the range of patterns and styles grows every day. Call them temporary wall tattoos and let your kid have fun decorating their room in a way you know you won't have to fix later. 5. Kids are collectors, so make collecting easy. Pictures and postcards don't always have to be stuck to a corkboard. Try hanging them from strings in front of a window or clipping them to a string along the wall to create an interactive border in a room. 6. All kids want display space. Galvanized metal is fairly inexpensive and can be purchased in sheets at most home improvement stores. Just mount on the wall and you have an instant magnetic board.

September 2020

7. Check your local art and crafts store for peel-and-stick cork. You can cut out any shape, simply peel off the backing and attach to any wall for fun pin-up space. 8. Rather than a traditional growth chart put a border around the room. Each month you can use non-toxic, water-based paint to put the child's handprint in the border. Watch them grow together. 9. Be sure to include multiple kinds of lighting in a kid's room. Overall lighting is a necessity but so is a reading light. It may even help them find the bathroom in the middle of the night. 10. If you are painting a dresser or other furniture you know the child will grow out of be sure to let them help. The child could also put their signature on it with personal handprints or fingerprints for a polka-dot design.

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Digital Tips

HOW TO TAKE A SOCIAL MEDIA

DETOX MENTAL

AND IMPROVE YOUR

HEALTH

ead this and analyse if this seems familiar: You wake up in the morning and you reach for the phone first thing in the morning and check your notifications. If this rang a bell, you’ve probably fell a victim to the addiction of phone.We dedicate a lot of time surfing our phones. The amount of mental energy we give our phones, specifically social media, could be put to much better use.

Social media, in its inception, was harmless fun. Now, it has evolved to be part of our daily lives. It’s how we consume most of our information, and it influences everything from elections to public discourse. But social media is not real life. As much influence, or seeming influence, it has; it’s a curated and selective sample of what’s actually going on in the world. Many people are beginning to discover this. There has been a recent trend of people consciously reducing their social media use. Some have even gone full cold

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turkey and deleted their social media accounts. However, you don’t need to do that. A social media detox may just be enough for you if you’re experiencing the anxiety and stress that comes with social media use.

What is a social media detox? A social media detox is a conscious elimination of social media use and consumption for a set period of time. Generally, most social media detoxes are 30 days, but some people do 7 days or even a yearlong social media detox. Ideally, you’re completely eliminating social media use and consumption. This means deleting and removing all social media apps from your phone and in some cases where it’s possible, temporarily disabling your social media accounts. If you feel like social media has taken over your life, if it preoccupies your mind, or if you find yourself constantly and habitually reaching for your phone, these might be signs that it’s time for a break.

Digital Tips or mission. It isn’t really about connecting you with people, it’s about keeping you and your brain addicted. It gets to the point where you’re no longer really in control of your digital habits. It becomes compulsive. You check your feed first thing in the morning, you check it every time you get a notification, and you’re glued to your screen even when you’re trying to spend quality time with real people.

How to take a social media detox?

Clear your mind We’re sucked into this online world of pretty filters on models and influencers, a friend’s curated version of their life in photos and captions, and news headlines designed to spark an emotional reaction. This is all a recipe for a disaster when it comes to our mental health. Imagine how much better use of your time and mental energy could go into the things you actually care about or changes you can actually effect on the world. Taking a break from social media gives you a chance to take a step back and really evaluate what’s most important in your life and what is a much better use of your time and mental space.

Take back control of your digital habits It also gives you back control of your phone and your digital habits. Social media apps and websites are designed to get you addicted to the feedback loops, notifications, likes, and instant gratification it gives you. Every time you pull down the screen and refresh, hoping for a new notification or like, you’re pulling down that slot machine arm hoping there’s something new to stimulate you. And when there’s a new Like, Favourite, or Comment, you get a little bit of a dopamine hit.

This is intentional. These apps and websites have been optimized and iterated on for years by behaviour scientists and psychologists hired by these tech companies to keep you engaged with their application. Why? So you keep coming back and stay on their platform longer. The longer you stay on their platform, and the more you keep coming back, the more ads they can serve you. The more ads they can serve you, the more money they can make from you. This creates an incentive for these tech companies to optimize their platforms against the spirit of their original intention

Benefits of a Social Media Detox

When you start a social media detox, you may find yourself a little bored. That compulsion to open Twitter or Instagram whenever your phone is in your hand will need to be replaced with something. The amount of time you spend on your phone will have to be used for something else, hopefully, something much more productive.

Inevitably, what will happen after a week or so is with more and more mental clutter out of the way, you’ll no longer fall prey to the worry of the day that makes the headlines, feeds or trends on social media.With enough time, you’ll find yourself being more positive.You’ll also find yourself comparing yourself less to other people. This will help lower your anxiety significantly.

Most people check their phones first thing in the morning, and some of those people immediately open up a social media app upon waking. They see that alert and notification and they need to investigate it.This sets the tone for the rest of the morning, and sometimes even the rest of the day.Intentionally staying away from social media forces you to use your time either in the mornings, or during your commute to work, or while your morning coffee, in a different way. Instead of reading a feed, read a book. Instead of taking some photos for Instagram, take a quick morning walk.

September 2020

Here’s the step-by-step process to take a social media detox. On the surface, it may seem simple, but we’re going to walk through it anyway to ensure you’re set up for success with it. 1. Tell people: The first step to taking a social media detox is to tell people. Tell people you interact with that you’ll be offline for a while. This will do a few things. First, it will keep you accountable. If you’re back within a few days Tweeting or posting photos, the people you told will hopefully call you out on it. This will help you stick with the detox.Secondly, it will let people know you haven’t disappeared if you wind up sticking with it. Most people won’t really care, and some may not even notice. 2. Delete the apps and block the websites: The next step is to delete the social media apps from your mobile devices, especially your phone. This step is required. I can almost guarantee you that you will not succeed if you keep the apps on your phone during the detox, or you try to rationalize to yourself that you’ll only check them once a week.For this to work, you’ll need to disconnect completely. If that seems too hard (or even impossible), try a shorter detox. 3. Plan what you will do during your detox: The last step is to plan what you will do during your detox and actually fill your time with the things you plan to do.You may wind up surprised at how much time you’ll find during the day that you otherwise would have occupied with your social media habit. The first step to a successful social media detox is merely trying it. Even if you’re hesitant or unsure if you can do it, try it for a weekend. See how you feel after 2 or 3 consecutive days of being off of social media.

Like how you feel? Try a week and slowly progress to a full month. Many people find that after their social media detoxes, they never want to come back. It’s often the first step to not only a much calmer and simpler life, but to disconnecting from social media for good.

OBSERVER DAWN

Career

CONFUSED BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR? HERE’S A COMPARISON

ecently, in response to a notice of peon openings, released by the Government, hundreds of applications were received by the postgraduates and Ph.D. candidates. Yes, you read it right. Postgraduates did apply for this job. It raises a question, why job seekers in India are so crazy about Government Jobs? The reason behind this new-found craze for government jobs is a misconception in the minds of today’s youth. Most of them are under a false impression that a government job is ‘not demanding’, ‘has no targets’ and ‘provides a lot of benefits’. Most of all, it comes with ‘job security’, even though the pay is low compared to a job in the private sector. Most of our country's potential youth is already out there, searching for a job. Government jobs have always inspired us due to its salient features such as job security, with little risk of job loss, mainly when private-sector employment opportunities are not safe. Well, the reality is different. Let us see how.

People think that the pay and benefits of a government job always better than those of private jobs. At entrylevel, State government jobs pay the best salaries, not the lowest

1. While many people might wish to have a government job, they might not be able to attain it due to limited vacancies and tough competition. You need to invest adequate time on exam preparation for selection exams and fulfill other criteria to get one. Private companies relatively have more jobs and there are more chances of people getting recruited.

2. People think that the pay and benefits of a government job always better than those of private jobs. At entry-level, State government jobs pay the best salaries, not the lowest. When it comes to ‘other benefits’, like a maternity benefit or a medical benefit, government organizations clearly are a better choice over the private sector. Now, let us look at the downside. Salaries in government organizations are attractive only at the entry-level. As years roll, what a government employee earns along with the ‘benefits’ he enjoys, is far less than what his private counterpart gets. A competent employee, working in a private company, can move up to the

level of AVP or VP within 15 years. However, an employee in a government organization, in 15 years, may become a senior clerk or superintendent, earning just one-third of what an employee in a private organization earns. So, a job that provides attractive salary today will become a liability within 10- 15 years. Competent employees get frustrated when their merit is not recognized and duly rewarded.

3. Another popular misconception is that government jobs are less demanding, have no targets and are ‘permanent’. The reality is that government jobs are no longer as cushy and comfy as they used to be once. The government is working on deliberate policies to deal with non-performers. In fact, several departments have already come up with detailed guidelines to deal with non-performers and officers of doubtful integrity. This means, now, government employees not performing their duties duly, misbehaving and taking work casually can no longer hold on to their jobs. On the

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Career o t h e r h a n d , u n l i k e e a r l i e r, t h e government is creating contractual roles, based on human resource necessary for a specific project. So, not all government jobs will be ‘permanent’ anymore. In addition, the government is considering outsourcing some of the jobs to the private sector. 4. Another sought-after feature of government jobs is lifelong pension after your retirement. This is the main reason why everyone in India prefers government jobs. For future your entire life is insured, you do not need any other kind of insurance plans. After you retire from the job you do not have to worry about working somewhere else. In private jobs there is no such thing as pension, only monthly salary is provided.

Government jobs offer better leave policy as compared to private jobs. The number of leaves and types of leaves are more in government sector. Also, approval of leaves is more flexible and employee-friendly than private jobs

5. Government jobs offer better leave policy as compared to private jobs. The number of leaves and types of leaves are more in government sector. Also, approval of leaves is more flexible and employee-friendly than private jobs. In most of the private companies, you will be assigned with not more than 20 leaves in a year. The approval of leaves also depends on the work load and availability of backup. 6. As compared to private jobs, the stress level for work is lesser in government sector. This is because the publicsector work towards long-term goals and the work pressure mostly varies depending on time like end of economic year, festivals etc. On the other hand, private sector majorly focuses on shortterm goals and work on deadlines. At times, these deadlines can add up to an employee’s stress level. 7. Last but not the least, Indians want government jobs for greater social acceptability. A man who is an IAS or IPS officer has a greater respect in a society compared to a man in any other profession. Respect and greater social acceptability is still very important factor even today. Hence Indians would like to go for a government job. These are some of the striking differences between government and private job. Now, it’s up to you to make the choice. There are advantages and disadvantages of both private and government job and irrespective of the sector, you will experience ups and downs in your career. Whatever is the choice, it is important that you make an informed decision. Jobs in government and private sectors come with their advantages and disadvantages. Job seekers must choose based on their risk-appetite.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

Health

HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE: A TALE OF MANY CONSPIRACIES …

“Much Publicized Hydroxychloroquine is Gradually Falling Prey to Global Conspiracies” – Experts

By Aditya Venketesh

onspiracy in Medicine Sector is not a new phenomenon, Instead, it’s an old trick against any ‘cheap & effective’ medicine by Pharma cartel. In recent times it has become more serious as the big and renowned medical research institutions, like: Lancet & NEJM have dragged its feet into the conspiracy, as alleged by many in the medical fraternity. Now, the question arises as why some of the coveted Journals have ensured space to such a concocted theory, especially in times of huge crisis of human survival. What was the pressure or the hurry that snowballed into huge controversy and brought a huge dent into the credibility of such premium institutions? A multinational registry analysis published in the Lancet, few months ago, found that those who received Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) had significantly higher risk of death compared to those who did not. The study concluded that individuals treated with HCQ were also more prone to developing arrhythmia that can lead to sudden cardiac death. After this investigation, the HCQ protocol was also immediately dropped by the WHO and this created immense controversy around the world.

study on HCQ, and they cited that the data collected from 96000 patients across six continents may be faulty, and just after these two Journal’s retraction, WHO on 3rd June took a U-turn on HCQ. The whole drama was unfolding in a systematic manner that shows that entire controversy was just to stop India's large-scale production of HCQ and put pause on large scale delivery of HCQ to other parts of the world. India has more than decades of experience in handling HCQ with proven efficacy in certain diseases with no major side effect in it. Since the outbreak of this pandemic, India has been using HCQ asa prophylactic & early symptom disease and this practice has yielded positive result in containing the outbreak, particularly, the mortality rate in check. The use of HCQ in combination of Aazithromycin proved that low cost & tested medicine could work but anti HCQ lobby was always in favour of Remdesivir

The study by the Lancet came as rude shock to India as India has been using HCQ for fairly long time to treat malaria and other diseases with no major side effect. Experts also discarded this study on the ground of faulty methodology applied by the Lancet, as they produced only the negative side of this study, and they did not produce the plausible positive impact of this medicine. The ICMR also contested this study based on dosage given to COVID-19 patients, they recommend 2400 mg in 5 days, however, trial conducted by the Lancet used 9600 mg dosage in 10 days. So, the dosages used in the trial were so high and this showed the faulty approach of the research during such a high-profile trial in such unprecedented time of pandemic. However, after lot of hue and cry from medical fraternity, Lancet & NEJM were forced to retract from this observational

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Health

A multinational registry analysis published in the Lancet, few months ago, found that those who received Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) had significantly higher risk of death compared to those who did not. The study concluded that individuals treated with HCQ were also more prone to developing arrhythmia that can lead to sudden cardiac death

and other costly medicine to prop up pharma cartel and companies like Gilead & UNITAID (based in China & funded by Gate foundation and George Soros). This controversy is also backed and propelled by big Chinese firm UNITAID as well CCP to discredit India as India is the largest producer of HCQ and its cheaply available in the market. It is to be understood that conspiracy theory erupted from promoting Remdesiviras as wonder medicine for COVID-19 treatment in the month of

May, ultimately, the biggest causalities was HCQ as it was cheap, effective & easily available in the market and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efficacy was consistently being monitored with so much success in various quarter. The connivance of media along with pharma cabal enabled the super hype of Remdesivir and it resulted in 12% rise in the share price of Gilead sciences in the month of April, even the premium magazine like Fortune gave it a very positive headline as first ever medicine for coronavirus treatment, however, this

September 2020

hype just subsided later on. Initial study of Remdesivir suggested it insufficient antiviral drug in treating coronavirus. Initial preliminary findings support the use of Remdesivir for patients who are hospitalized with COVID-19 and require supplemental oxygen therapy. And It should be given before the start of pulmonary disease and not after to get result. However, given high mortality rate despite the use of Remdesivir, it is clear that treatment with an antiviral drug alone is not likely to be sufficient and promotion of this antiviral drug was just for other reasons just to sabotage HCQâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s positive headlines and bring attention to this repackaged drug which was initially meant for Ebola treatment. Remdevsivir was actually manufactured for Ebola but it failed and its commercial proposition was badly hit. Now coming to the positive side of news that has been pouring from many countries as how HCQ provided a cheap & strong weapon to fight this pandemic and all these stories suggest that HCQ in combination other medicines are more lethal in fighting coronavirus than any other medicine available in the market.

OBSERVER DAWN

Health Extensive, Positive Global Studies on HCQ The PrEP, PEP, and early treatment studies show high effectiveness, while late treatment shows mixed results. The graph shows the effectiveness of early HCQ use in those countries where it’s being used as protocol to contain coronavirus. The graph clearly shows the difference in mortality. However, some section of media continued with agenda of discrediting HCQ on many occasions despite many retrospective analyses has confirmed its efficacy on early symptom & as a prophylaxis. This is some of the many stories that validate that HCQ with few combinations of drugs like zinc and Azithromycin can work as wonder, if it is applied at early stage, you are simply out of hospital and can save millions of lives. Recently at Festus Manor care center at USA, a trial was conducted on 52 patients who were monitored & given HCQ or HCQ with combinations and other 10 patients were not given HCQ, the result was astonishing and all those who were treated with HCQ were fully recovered and those who were not given HCQ died. There are many stories by the doctors who are treating COVID-19 patient with HCQ at early stage are getting unprecedented recovery result but at the same time, the conspiracy theory against HCQ is being spread in a big way. Now, the survey, conducted by global health care polling company Sermo, asked 6,227 physicians in 30 countries to find out what

works against the virus. The poll found that 37 percent of those treating COVID-19 patients rated Hydroxychloroquine as the “most effective therapy.” The physicians picked Hydroxychloroquine from a list of 15 choices. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons has recently filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA for “irrational interference” by the FDA with timely access to Hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19. So, the views& counterviews are pouring in the media, however, truth is that, if above combination is applied at early stage, it can save millions of lives, particularly, in India as well as in other developing countries, where health care systems are in shambles and access to costly medicine is simply out of reach to people living in these underdeveloped & developing countries. The Yale epidemiologist, Dr. Harvey Risch revelation on HCQ finally sent succour to the medical world, said in an interview with Fox News' Laura Ingraham, he thinks Hydroxychloroquine could save 75,000 to 100,000 lives if the drug was widely used to treat coronavirus. This has bolstered the proponents of HCQ that they were right that prophylactic and early use of HCQ in treating COVID-19 patients can reduce the mortality rate and save millions of lives. But propaganda war is being waged on the basis of political tribalism & polarization and the causality is obviously the most cheapest and widely available drug HCQ whose efficacy in bringing mortality rate

The recent study on HCQ efficacy by Henry ford health system was published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, the peer-reviewed, open-access online publication of the International Society of Infectious Diseases (ISID.org} clearly shows the reduction in mortality in the COVID-19 patients with no abnormalities in the heart

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

down in many countries, like Italy, Brazil India, Morocco and others is proven, many observational studies shows that HCQ is one of the cheapest & the best COVID-19 medicine is available to world which can help in controlling this outbreak in a big way if applied cautiously with certain protocol. The recent study on HCQ efficacy by Henry ford health system was published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, the peer-reviewed, open-access online publication of the International Society of Infectious Diseases (ISID.org} clearly shows the reduction in mortality in the COVID-19 patients with no abnormalities in the heart. In a large-scale retrospective analysis of 2,541 patients hospitalized between March 10 and May 2, 2020 across the system’s six hospitals, the study found 13% of those treated with Hydroxychloroquine alone died compared to 26.4% not treated with Hydroxychloroquine. None of the patients had documented serious heart abnormalities; however, patients were monitored for a heart condition routinely pointed to as a reason to avoid the drug as a treatment for COVID-19. It was one of the most valuable studies conducted to clear the air on HCQ efficacy. Recently one of the doctors from USA made huge claim on HCQ as he claimed to have treated successfully with his Zelenko protocol.Dr. Zev Vladimir Zelenko's treatment consisted of zinc, low dose Hydroxychloroquine, and Azithromycin. His study examines outcomes resulting from the early treatment of patients after their first visit to the doctor’s office. Using simple risk stratification criteria, Dr. Zelenko identified which patients required prescriptions for the triple drug therapy, and prescribed these medications for five days. This has resulted in amazing outcome in COVID19 patients and helped in containing mortality rate in big way. The main results show that out of all 141 patients, who were treated with the triple therapy, only 2.8% (4/141) were hospitalized compared to 15.4% of an untreated control group (58/377), with odds ratio 0.16, 95% CI 0.06-0.5; p<0.001. Only 0.71% (1/141) patients died in the treatment group, versus 3.5% (13/377) in the untreated group (odds ratio 0.2, 95% CI 0.03-1.5; p=0.16). “Hydroxychloroquine’s main function is to allow zinc to enter the cell, while zinc is a virus killer”, Dr. Zelenko added. “Azithromycin prevents secondary bacterial infection in the lungs, and reduces the risk of pulmonary complications. So, zinc is the bullet, Hydroxychloroquine is the gun, and Azithromycin is the protective vest. Dr. Zelenko's research is based

Health but the manner in which the data was collected in such a hurry to prove that HCQ is unsafe and ineffective, and denial of hospital authority to passing of any such kind of data to Surgisphere including some one of the data collected from Australia that they analysed of 73 patient who died by 21st April due to COVID-19 infection, however ,it was actually 67 patients in the original record, and the methodology applied in the research were not consistent with medico ethics. There is allegation of data concealment on the basis that the data procured by the Surgisphere can’t be made public citing legal and privacy reason. Scientists also confronted the authenticity of this retrospective observational study as retrospective observational studies, which look backwards and examine exposures to suspect risks or protections are more prone to error than prospective studies. The Lancet study simply used a large amount of hospital data — now called into question — to see what effects Hydroxychloroquine had on some patients that were administered the drug, compared to those who were not.

The PrEP, PEP, and early treatment studies show high effectiveness, while late treatment shows mixed results. The graph shows the effectiveness of early HCQ use in those countries where it’s being used as protocol to contain coronavirus. The graph clearly shows the difference in mortality

on retrospective analysis and based on peered review so his research has much authenticity in unravelling the truth of Hydroxychloroquine and expose the Pharma cartel including the most coveted medical journal as suggested by my medical experts in this area. In line with international protocol, India has initiated several studies on it, one of study by the Vadodra administration of health was started in June consisted of 3.42 lakh

As such, it may be concluded that there are so many inconsistencies in the whole episode of Lancet publication on HCQ’s efficacy.

administered people, that’s a huge number and concluded its analysis as positive with no side effect as of now and this drive is still going on. The same combination of drug was used those was used in Zelenko protocol by Dr.Vladmir Zev Zelenko.It was finally concluded that HCQ alone can’t deliver ,it needs Azithromycin & Zinc to give the best result in COVID-19 cases. The well managed media uproar was based on three assumption, first, HCQ is dangerous, second, it does not work and third, the recent trial conducted by Surgisphere says, its ineffective. However, such cynical assumptions were demolished by the doctors & medical scientists on the basis of logical facts &data. The conglomerates of 250 scientists concluded that trial conducted by Surgisphere was completely flawed. The first rebuttal was that Surgisphere is small company and handling such a big amount of data was not possible and even contacted by those hospitals where the data was collected completely denied that they have given their data to Surgisphere. Secondly, the studies share some of the same authors, including Sapan Desai, who runs this small & little known Surgisphere so conflict of interest is also clearly evident in the study. Thirdly, Dial -a -study method is a complete in violation of standard protocols applied in such a very sensitive issue of research. Observational studies are cornerstone of any research

September 2020

Story of sabotage, lies and fabrication go unending for HCQ as the new report emerges that FDA has clearly sabotaged the use of HCQ despite the fact that on July 29th documents from a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) presentation reveal, however, that the “qualifying criteria” for extending EUA to the drug appear to have been met: it “may be effective” and that “no adequate, approved, and available alternative” exists. This reflects the collusion of Pharma cartel with top-notch who were hell bent on blocking the use of HCQ and save EUA (Emergency authorization use) for Remdesivir and upcoming vaccine for COVID-19. However, the controversy on HCQ efficacy will continue and rebuttal will also rise as fiercely as the opposition till randomized controlled trial is done while adopting transparency & medico-ethics with top level independent monitoring & audit. As damaged done by the top two journals, the Lancet & New England journal of Medicine in connivance with certain Pharma cabal can’t be restored so easily and the independent voices in medical fraternity would not be carried away so easily by such an unethical tactics. HCQ was always safe as it has been used by India and other countries for many decades safely and its efficacy with certain combinations of medicine could give some outstanding result in containing COVID-19 pandemic.

OBSERVER DAWN

Food

SPECIAL ON WORLD COCONUT DAY

COCONUT: THE FRUIT OF NATURE

e all are familiar with this fruit. Coconut or copra is being used in auspicious works since time immemorial. Coconut water or coconut kernel is used for health whereas, coconut oil for eating. It is believed that the English name of coconut was given by a Portuguese sailor in the 16th century. When he saw the three eyes of the coconut, he named it coco because it resembled the face of a human. In Portuguese, coco means smiling face. Later nut was added to it. By the way, the highest number of coconuts in the world are found in the Philippines; Indonesia is at second and India at third. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh are the largest producers of coconut in our country.

GOOD FOR HEALTH

There are three stages of coconut: 1. Raw or watery coconut: This is the initial stage of coconut. It is green in color and people drink its water. This is called the tender coconut or Daab. After 9 months of pollination, the coconut water is ready. Many times it has light creamy kernel in addition to water. It is very beneficial. 2. Coconut with kernel or coir: Coconut with kernel is brown in color and is found inside the shell. The amount of water is significantly reduced and amount of fat increases. Coconut kernel is ready after about 12 months of pollination. It is also used on auspicious occasions. 3. Dried coconut or copra: It is also called Gola. This is the third stage of coconut. It does not contain water. It is mainly used to extract oil. It is also used to enhance taste in sweets etc. It is very high in fat, so it should be consumed in moderation. Here we are informing you more about the benefits of Coconut.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

• Coconut has been in use for hundreds of years, especially in South India. It increases good cholesterol. Also, it has zero cholesterol. • Coconut oil is mostly used for cooking in South India. However, in the recent past, the use of coconut oil has increased throughout the country for certain bakery items. Nevertheless, in North India, coconut oil is used more for scalp application and massage. • The lauric acid present in it helps in increasing the immunity and good cholesterol of the body. • Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) of coconut oil can be helpful in reducing epileptic seizures in children. • In some studies, it has also been found beneficial in Alzheimer’s (old age amnesia). • The fatty acids present in it prevent hunger. In such a situation it is good for those wanting to lose weight. • It fights fungal infections. • It is a better source of energy. It goes directly into the liver and can be used immediately to get energy. • It is beneficial in skin problem. Also used in some cosmetic products.

Food

The trend of coconut water has increased significantly in recent times. It is considered one of the most natural and best drinks.

COCONUT WATER - This is a pure drink, with no adulteration.

There are mainly two types of coconut oil found in the market:

KINDS OF COCONUT OIL

Virgin coconut oil: It is also known as cold compressed oil. It is very pure oil. It is not heated while preparing. It contains a good amount of anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals, especially lauric acid and vitamin E. It does not contain trans fatty acids, but the problem is that its shelf life is short (about 18 months) i.e. it does not last long.

BENEFITS

Coconut kernel is loved by many people. A large number of people offer and distribute coconut kernel as Prasad in India.

- Potassium and magnesium present in it are good for blood circulation. - It is anti-microbial which helps in reducing weight, removing pimples and increasing immunity. - It kills the worms present in the stomach. - Drinking coconut water after exercising or working hard is very beneficial. This compensates for the salts released from the sweat. - It has natural sweetness, so diabetic patients can also consume.

Refined coconut oil: Like the rest of the refined oils, it also undergoes the process of refining, bleaching and adding preservatives. Dirt is separated in refining. Then bleaching is done to lighten the color and finally deodouring to eliminate the natural smell of oil. In this process, oil is heated and chemicals are also added. This reduces the good qualities of coconut oil. It is not considered very beneficial for health.

COCONUT KERNEL:

- The electrolytes present in it (potassium, magnesium etc.) are in the same proportion as those in our body. Coconut water is more beneficial than lemon-sugar solution in dehydration or diarrhea etc.

- It is beneficial to drink when you feel tired because it is a good source of energy. - It is easily digested and can therefore be given to young children. - Keeps the body cool. Giving coconut water to the patient is very beneficial if heat stroke occurs. - It can also be helpful in eliminating kidney stone. - Anti-oxidants present in it reduce the effect of increasing age.

BENEFITS

- It contains a good amount of fiber, vitamins and minerals. - It is natural anti-bacterial. - It is beneficial in digestive disorders because the fiber is very high. - Feeding mothers need immediate energy hence; it is very beneficial for them. - Also good for growing children.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

Tour & Travel

THESE HISTORIC BUILDINGS OF INDIA ARE

THE EPITOME OF LOVE Monuments always remind us of historical importance. Built as a symbol of love, these buildings include some of the most important forts and palaces in the country. These historic buildings are still preserved as an example of love. Witnessing some of the most epic stories of love, sacrifice and duty, these historical monuments have told the saga of their love to every generation. They also bear witness to some of the saddest and eternal love stories. The majestic walls of these historical monuments built in the architecture and sculpture of ancient times make the mind happy.

TAJ MAHAL, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

here is no greater symbol of grand and royal love in this entire world than the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal, built of white marble, was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal between 1631 and 1648. His wife died during childbirth. Mumtaz Mahal was buried inside this mausoleum, a reminiscent of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. Shah Jahan was also buried next to his tomb. There is also a huge garden outside the Taj Mahal building which is rarely seen today. The example of love, Tajmahal is included in the Seven Wonders of the World. The Taj Mahal is phenomenal not in its beauty alone that shines forth, but in the deep planning and design that went into its making, and the ethereal idea of immortalizing love. Delicate carvings in marble vie with gorgeous pietra dura for attention. Lapis-lazuli, Cornelian, Mother of pearl, Agate and Emerald are inlaid in floral and geometrical patterns in the marble itself. Work on this enchanting mausoleum on the bank of Yamuna started in 1631 and it took 22 years to complete with the help of an estimated 20,000 workers.

The Taj is an experience of its own kind, while on the one hand its magnanimity is so sublime, so on the other the exquisite inlay work and detailed craftsmanship together with the calligraphy is simply amazing. The combination simply leaves one absolutely mesmerized. The sheer splendour of the mausoleum is consummate, and the vastness is simply monumental. The tomb is at the northern end with an expanse of greenery and fountains between it and the gateways. The ceiling is adorned with floral patterns and the dĂŠcor of floors with geometric designs. The inner of the main structure is in lakhauri [a kind of earthen brick], which have been carefully covered with marble, whereas the adjoining structures are covered with red sandstone. Majestic and sensuous, glistening brightly in the afternoon sun, the bulbous dome and minarets with a slight inward tilt, have all been inscribed meticulously with the Holy Verses bringingforth the arabesque ornamentation. The white marble from Makrana in Rajasthan has added its own natural beauty to this mausoleum that attracts tourists from all over the world.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020

Tour & Travel

MASTANI MAHAL, Shaniwarwada Fort, Pune, Maharashtra

haniwarwada Fort, built by Peshwa Bajirao in the year 1730, has been witness to many historical events. The pride and honor of Pune has been the home of Shaniwarwada fort first Bajirao and his beautiful second wife Mastani. Peshwa Bajirao's family refused to legally accept Mastani as a wife due to differences in their religious allegiance.

Bajirao in Shanivarwada for a while and entered the fortress through the Natakshala Gate, which eventually came to be called Mastani Darwaza since it was almost exclusively used by her. However, with Bajirao’s family’s reluctance to accept Mastani as their daughter-inlaw, Bajirao constructed a separate residence for her at Kothrud, on the outskirts of Pune in 1734.

Therefore, Bajirao built Mastani Mahal in Shaniwarwada Fort where both of them lived together. However, Mastani's palace has been destroyed and it no longer exists but its remains still exist. Supposed to be the daughter of Bundelkhand king Chhatrasal Bundela, Mastani was Bajirao’s second wife. Mastani did live with

While nothing of the residence, known as Mastani Mahal, exists, the Mrutyunjay Temple stands on the site where Bajirao and Mastani’s romance blossomed. However, not all is lost. The interiors of the palace were at some point dismantled and were reconstructed at the Raja Kelkar Museum.

CHITTORGARH FORT, Udaipur, Rajasthan

he Chittorgarh Fort, built in the 7th century, is not only one of the largest forts in India but is also listed in the UNESCO Heritage Site. The main attraction of the monument is the palace of the three-storied ancient white queen Padmavati, which is built on the side of the lotus pool. This fort is not only huge but also its architecture and craftsmanship surprise the tourists. The fort itself is adorned with intricately carved Jain temples, ornamental columns, reservoirs, underground cellars and much more exquisite architectural displays. The royal Chittorgarh Fort is a symbol of the historical love story of Rani Padmini and Raja Ratan Rawal Singh. The king won Rani Padmini at Swayamvar after hard trials and exams and brought her to the Chittorgarh Fort as her beloved queen. The walls of the fort resonate with stories of their mythological love story. By coming here, you can see the grandeur and history of the fort.

Chittorgarh resonates with stories of Rajputana bravery, pride and passion. The bards of Rajasthan sing tales of courage and sacrifice recounting stories that are known to every child and adult in the city. Chittorgarh is named after its most imposing structure, the Chittorgarh Fort which stands atop a 180 metre high hill and is spread across 700 acres. Chittorgarh Fort has had a tumultuous past. This bastion of the Rajputs has faced violent attacks thrice in its entire history. The first was in 1303 when the Sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khilji, who was enamoured by Queen Padmini, launched an attack to abduct her. More than two centuries later, in 1533, it was Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, who caused immense destruction. Four decades later, in 1568, Mughal Emperor Akbar attacked and seized the fort. It was finally in 1616, under the rule of Mughal Emperor Jahangir that the fort was returned to the Rajputs.

September 2020

OBSERVER DAWN

Tour & Travel

ROOPMATI MANDAP, Mandu, Madhya Pradesh

ituated on a picturesque plateau, Roopmati's pavilion is famous for heritage and historical architecture. This fort is located in the city of Mandu. The interesting and attractive architecture of Roopmati Pavilion at an altitude of 366 meters from the grounds is most liked by tourists. It has square pavilions, huge hemispherical domes and arches. The Narmada River is also visible from this domed Roopmati pavilion which flows down 366 meters. Mandu is popular for the legendary love story of Prince Baz Bahadur and Rani Roopmati. Sultan Baz Bahadur, the last independent ruler of Mandu fell in love with the melodious voice of Rupmati, the queen of Malwa. The ruler proposed to marry Rupmati but Queen Rupmati laid a condition that if the king would build a palace from where she could see her beloved Narmada river, she would marry him.

Thus the Roopmati Mandapa came into existence and it is a witness to the eternal love story of both of them. Floating over its own reflection, the Jahaz Mahal in Mandu looks like a ship that's about to sail. However, for centuries this ship made of stone and mortar never did. Instead, it stood floating over the twin lakes, bearing a silent witness to Mandu's long, rich and varied history. The city of Mandu is adorned with spell-binding Afghan architecture surrounded by baobab trees, native to Africa. The grand palaces are still alive with royal romance while the gateways (darwazas) speak of a history of imperial conquests. A walk through Mandu will leave you awe-struck, the way you used to be listening to stories from grandparents.

OBSERVER DAWN September 2020