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PAGES: 72 VOL.8 | ISSUE: 3, APRIL, 2020

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | FEBRUARY 2020

EDITORIAL

VOL:8 I SSUE: 3 I APRIL, 2020 `30 Editor -in-Chief B. G. Rajeswar

Chief of The Bureau D. Bal Reddy

Correspondents P. Vishnuvardhan Reddy P. Ramamohana Reddy M. Vittal Setty, Mallesh Babu, G.P. Nagaraju

Reporters M.Praveen Kumar Mandha Ravi Kumar

Photographers M. Vijay Bhaskar S. Sridhar, Shair Ali Baig Cover & Layout ACK. Venkata Srujan General Manager Mohd. Nizamuddin

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enerally, whatever may be the situation, elected governments, particularly in India, believe in offering sops to its people in an attempt to build vote bank. But the present dispensation has taken harsh measures and announced 21 day lockdown to stop spread of deadly coronavirus. But it appears the efforts to break the chain of spread has failed due to lack of support from some corners, possibly such as the outbreak in Nizamuddin Markaz, defiant attempts by the migrants to return to their native places and wilful violators of the lockdown just for fun.

India felt it was fortunate till March 29 when the spread was slow and the recovery percentage was also good. However, it all changed on March 30 when Tablighi Jamaat members increasingly tested positive to Covid-19.

These members did not think it necessary to approach the authorities even after repeated appeals and disclosed about their travel to Nizamuddin and back to their native places. None of them even informed the authorities about the presence of huge number of foreign preachers including Chinese nationals at the congregation.

Now Tablighi Jamaat is seen as the biggest carrier of coronavirus in South Asia. In this backdrop, it is necessary that the government think of imposing restrictions on foreign preachers visiting India on a large scale and mingle with locals in the name of religious freedom.

The state governments are not keeping any vigil on these foreign preachers on the pretext that they have entered India with valid papers and that they have not violated any laws. Hence, it is time for the union government to think whether the preachers are restraining themselves to dissemination of sacred values or preparing ground for ‘unwanted elements’, and amend the laws accordingly. As of now, the top priority of the governments should be to chase away the deadly coronavirus with the support of people. Editor-in-Chief

Note: Focus/Infocus features are marketing initiatives, any legal disputes comes under the jurisdiction of courts in Hyderabad

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

CONTENT

MP: Chouhan wins trust vote 9

Kanika forces political elite into quarantine 21

COVID-19 to permanently hit global economic activity 15

Coronavirus could kill 22 lakh Americans 25

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

CONTENT

84% Indians believe govt is handling the outbreak well 31

C'garh encounter: 17 missing cop's bodies found 36

Chatty kids do get good marks at school 52

Want to live longer? Eat less 57 THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

DEFENSE

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n a big boost to 'Make-in-India', the Ministry of Defence paved the way for procurement of 83 indigenous Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' for the Indian Air Force. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved

procurement of 83 Tejas fighters for the IAF. The proposal will now be placed for consideration of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The DAC has also approved for acquisition of indigenous defence equipment for about Rs 1,300 crore. The proposals were for procurement of Aerial Fuses and TwinDome Simulators for Hawk Mk32 aircraft for the IAF. The first meeting of Acquisition Wing of DAC after separation of duties between Department of Defence (DoD) and Department of Military Affairs (DMA) was held on Wednesday. The Acquisition Wing being the secretariat of the

MoD paves way for procurement of 83 Tejas ďŹ ghters for IAF

DAC would be overall charge of the capital acquisition process. Light Combat Aircraft 'Tejas' is indigenously designed by Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). While orders of 40 Tejas aircraft had been placed with HAL in initial configurations, the council paved the way for procurement of 83 of the more advanced Mk1A version of the aircraft from HAL by finalising contractual and other issues. "This procurement will be a

major boost to 'Make in India' as the aircraft is indigenously designed, developed and manufactured with participation of several local vendors apart from HAL," the Ministry of Defence said. "The DAC also approved an amendment to the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016 to enable review by a costing committee of bids submitted by joint ventures of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs)/Ordnance Factory Board (OFB)/DRDO," the ministry said. This will bring about more transparency in costs and compress the timelines for negotiation of the contract, the ministry added.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

NEWS WORLD

Yes, Dawood Ibrahim Lives In Karachi: UN Group Accepts India’s Claim

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ndia’ s most-wanted criminal Dawood Ibrahim does live in Pakistan’s Karachi, a United Nations committee has endorsed, by accepting six of the nine addresses that New Delhi had submitted as the terrorist’s hideouts in that country. In a validation of India’s stand that the man it has hunted for over two decades has been shielded by Islamabad, the UN Security Council’s ISIL and al Qaeda Sanctions Committee has amended its entry on Dawood by adding these addresses. The committee, however, has struck off three addresses saying they are incorrect. One of them, sources say, belongs to Islamabad’s envoy to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi. Pakistan, which had all along denied that Dawood is hiding in

Karachi, has issued yet another denial. The Pakistan Foreign Office has issued a statement saying the information given by India to the UN committee is false and that India’s aim is to malign Pakistan and undermine its efforts to curb terrorism. The 59-year-old mafia don is accused of plotting the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai in which 257 people were killed and 700 were injured. He is also accused of masterminding other terror attacks and faces multiple charges of money laundering and extortion. India and the US also accuse Dawood of financing terror groups including al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba. India’s dossier was meant to be shared by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval with his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz last year, but their meeting was cancelled over Islamabad insisting on

meeting with Kashmiri separatists. According to the document Dawood is known to frequently change his locations and addresses in Pakistan. He has amassed immense property in Pakistan and moves under the protection of Pakistani agencies. Dawood was listed by the sanctions committee in 2003 and the entry has been amended in 2006, 2007 and 2010. The latest changes were made in March 2020. As a UN-designated terrorist, Dawood can face the blocking of his wealth and accounts, a travel and arms ban. In March, Dawood joined his family via Skype in the celebrations of the wedding of his nephew to the daughter of a Mumbai businessman. His nephew Alishah Parkar, is the son of the gangster’s sister, Haseena Parkar, who died two years ago and was a senior member of his mafia.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

POLITICAL

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ormer Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, who put up a brave face throughout the fortnight-long crisis before his unexpected surrender, poured out his emotions in a 20-minute press conference before proceeding to hand in his papers to the Governor. He singled out Jyotiraditya Scindia, the key character in the long drama preceding the fall of the Congress government, for special treatment. Scindia ended his 18year association with the Congress to join the BJP and whisked away most of his supporters to Bengaluru to oust the Kamal Nath ministry. "One ambitious and powerhungry Maharaja rejected by the public and his 22 greedy MLAs and the BJP conspired to kill democratic values," Kamal Nath said. "People of the state won't forgive these greedy rebels who betrayed them," he added. "No one could point a finger at me during the previous 15 years of BJP rule in Madhya Pradesh. I had never phoned Chief Minister or any minister for a favour. If I did it was for Chhindwara's development," Kamal Nath said. "But during my 15-month rule, BJP didn't like people-centric works of my government. Right from day one the BJP tried to destabilise my government." Kamal Nath alleged that the 22 rebel Congress MLAs were kept captive in Bengaluru by the BJP. A long motorcade accompanied him with all the remaining Cabinet ministers also joining him in tendering their resignations. The council of ministers normally hands the resignations to the Chief Minister. "I never indulged in politics of

Kamal Nath blasts Scindia

auction and horse-trading," Kamal Nath said. "I have practiced clean politics based on values, and the people stand witness to it. I took over the office of CM on December 17, 2018. I believe in politics of development. In my career I have pursued it. I was handed a mandate for five years to give a new identity to the state." "BJP killed the democratic values with conspiratorial politics. I have proved my majority on the floor of the house thrice during my

stint...but BJP betrayed the people of the state by destabilising the government," he said. Kamal Nath listed the accomplishments of his government during the past 15 months including the farm loan waiver and development of cow shelters. He claimed that 400 promises made in the election manifesto were completed in 15 months. He said that the BJP was scared of a performing government.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

POLITICAL

MP: Chouhan wins unanimous trust vote

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ith the Opposition abstaining due to "Corona curfew" the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan won a unanimous trust vote. The Assembly proceedings began at 11 a.m. but not a single Congress MLA arrived to attend the House and the vote of confidence turned into a farcical exercise. All MLAs favoured the government. Earlier Narmada Prasad Prajapati resigned as the Speaker and MLA Jagdish Deora completed the proceedings as pro-tem Speaker. The session was then adjourned till March 27.

After the demise of two members and resignation of 22 the strength of the Legislative Assembly is 206. The abstaining Congress has 92 members and it has a support of two Independents. Besides, there are two of BSP, one of SP and two independent MLAs. BJP would have normally needed 104 votes to prove its majority. It has 107 MLAs. While presenting the trust vote Chouhan said that the Governor has asked his government to prove majority in 15 days while it has earned it on day one itself. After 15 months and six days, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has become the Chief Minister of the state again.

Chouhan is the only leader of the state to hold this post for the fourth time. In view of the corona crisis, only 40 people were called to the oath ceremony. The seating arrangement ensured a distance of at least one meter between each invitee. Barring Doordarshan and ANI no media representatives were invited. After taking the oath, Chouhan said the only priority now is to prevent spread of Corona virus. This is a big challenge. I will first review the situation and take immediate decisions. After the Assembly session, he appointed Iqbal Singh Bains as the new Chief Secretary of the state replacing Gopal Reddy.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVER STORY

Covid-19 Tablighi Jamaat, Migrants & violators likely carriers of virus E

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ven as the Indian government has received global appreciation for its measures to prevent spared of Coronavirus, trouble appears to be brewing within the country from the foreign preachers of Tablighi Jamaat and those attended the preachings at New Delhi, the returning migrants and

the gross violators of lockdown guidelines. About 2,000 people from different parts of the country gathered in Nizamuddin Markaz in New Delhi. About 200 people, mostly Islamic preachers from different countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Kyrgyzstan, were also present during the congregation. What more! The foreign

preachers after the congregation travelled to different states in India by trains and stayed in mosques in respective states. During their stay, the preachers met thousands of followers of Islam during prayers and also individually. Even the Indian citizens returning from Nizamuddin Markaz travelled by trains and met hundreds of people before many of them were tested positive

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVER STORY

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVER STORY for Covid-19. Despite appeals by the authorities, neither individual participants nor the preachers came forward and informed the authorities that they had attended the religious congregation either out of recklessness or out of fear of being quarantined. Now, most of the foreign preachers, found taking shelter in mosques in different states, have tested positive for Covid-19 Also, several participants in the congregation from different states are slowly getting tested positive for Covid-19, resulting in huge increase in the number of people affected with coronavirus. It appears the governmentâ€™s effort to break the chain by imposing lockdown may not find success as the chain of Covid-19 is getting bigger and bigger by the day with more and more participants and foreign preachers who attended the congregation are testing positive to Covid-19. Sources say each of the Covid19 positive cases out of the 2000 participants of the congregation and around 200 foreign preachers could have come into contact with several thousands of people. And those who have come in contact with such Covid-19 positive case will take at least two weeks before developing Covid-19 symptoms. In this gap, unknowingly, all those people will in turn come in contact with several more thousands and in this way, the chain will only grow bigger instead of breaking, the sources said. In view of this, administration is on its toes now and taking all possible measures to identify all those who have attended the congregation and appeals are made to all those people who have either travelled in the trains, buses or THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVER STORY

other vehicles along with the people who have attended the congregation to come forward and undergo coronavirus tests. However, it has to be seen whether people will respond to the appeals and come forward for tests. Meanwhile, it is emerging that Tablighi Jamaat members have become the biggest carriers of coronavirus in South Asia as every year in February and March, over a million Islamic preachers from around the world visit South Asian and South East Asian countries for a celebration of Islam and proselytization programmes. After the outbreak of novel coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan city of Hubei province of China in December, many countries imposed travel restrictions. However, Tablighi Jamaat went ahead with its preplanned celebrations, sources said. In this backdrop, it is not clear

how the administration failed to foresee the trouble and why travel permission was not refused to foreign preachers. Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) sought investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the visit by Indonesians and other foreign preachers. While this is one cause of serious worry for the authorities in fighting coronavirus, another is the returning migrants to different states, particularly migrant workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Thousands of migrant workers are violating lockdown guidelines and risking even their lives to go back to their native places after the lockdown was announced. The employers, contractors and local administration where the migrant workers are employed, failed to

give them confidence that they will not be starved during the lockdown period or even if the lockdown is extended. Thousands of migrant workers along with their families tried to return to their native places on foot walking miles. But they were detained in borders following orders from the central government to seal the state borders. These migrant workers, assembled in hundreds without any protective measures, pose serious threat in the areas where they are detained for being quarantined for 14 days or to the respective states if they reached their native places skipping screening for Covid-19. Reports say over 45,000 people had reached the UP towns bordering Bihar and more than 100,000 were expected by March 30 evening. The exodus of workers from

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVER STORY

Delhi has created serious problem to the state governments. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had expressed displeasure at the migrant workers being sent back to Bihar. Following the mass exodus of migrant labourers from cities to their villages in different states Union Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba through video conferencing

with officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, state Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police decided to "seal" the district and state borders. Only movement of goods was allowed. District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police will be made personally responsible for implementation of the directions. Adding more trouble to the

already worried administration is the violators of lockdown in urban areas. Hundreds of reckless people, mostly youth, are not taking the advice seriously and roaming in the open though there was no need for them. Further, guzzlers are making rounds of the colonies to find liquor stocks. Many such people are coming on the roads on the pretext of buying medicine, groceries or some other essential goods. Fed up with the violations, the administration has decided to take action as per law for violating lockdown guidelines. But what the violators have failed to recognise is that they might become carriers to coronavirus during community spread stage. On the whole, the latest figures indicate increased threat of Covid19 and it would be not as easy as the government planned to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVID-19 SPECIAL 15

COVID-19 to permanently hit global economic activity: Moody's T

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he rapid spread of coronavirus causing widespread business closures and unprecedented restrictions on social interactions will result in a permanent hit to global economic activity this year, Moody's Investors Service has said in latest global macroeconomic report. It said that a sharp contraction of the global economy, at least in the second quarter, appears imminent and uncertainty will remain for at least several months as to how long it will take to contain the spread of the virus and how businesses and households will cope with the resulting financial losses The Moody's report said that the short-term economic costs of Covid-19 outbreak are likely to be steep, the world over while the long-term consequences will depend not only on the depth and duration of the hit to economic output, but on whether it will cause lasting damage to balance sheets of households and businesses. Though the damage from the virus outbreak would be widespread, the Moody's Investors Service said that strong and targeted policy measures could limit the economic damage to household finances and the balance sheets of the non-financial sector. Policy measures with the objective of preventing job losses and business failures will likely yield superior long-term outcomes than traditional stimulus measures. In

addition, a swift and strong response will help contain the damage to the economy better than a tepid or delayed response, it said. While the shock could disrupt many sectors, the burden will weigh disproportionately on the transportation sector, the energy industry, hospitality, healthcare and consumer services, especially hotels, restaurants and leisure. "In the worst case, entire industries could be destroyed. The detrimental effects will likely be more acute in some regions than others," the report said. The ongoing crisis is also taking a toll on financial markets with global indices experiencing a persistent fall and closing at unprecedented lows. "Continued dislocation in financial markets

beyond a month or two could create its own self-fulfilling downward spiral. A sharp rise in defaults could also put pressure on bank balance sheets. Additionally, fiscal stimulus measures, which will support growth, will also lead to further increases in sovereign debt levels, which are already high in many countries," Moody's said. Emerging market currencies have sharply depreciated vis-a-vis the US dollar because of safehaven flows. The report said that emerging market economies will remain vulnerable to heightened volatility of cross-border capital flows over the next few years. Oil producing countries and regions will experience much higher stress if oil prices remain around $30 per barrel over an extended period.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

16 COVID-19 SPECIAL

COVID-19 testing kits to be developed using RNA imaging

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mid the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis, Canadian researchers will use a pioneering imaging technology - called Mango, for its bright colour - to develop coronavirus testing kits, says a new study. According to the findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada, developed Mango to sensitively detect RNA molecules, helping to improve viral screening for viruses such as the coronavirus while enabling basic discoveries into the functioning of cells. The latest study by researchers, Peter Unrau and Lena Dolgosheina, involves using Mango to detect individual molecules of RNA within a living cell. "We are made of molecules so when something goes wrong within a cell it happens at the molecular level, said study lead author Peter

Unrau from Simon Fraser University in Canada. "We are using the Mango system as a catalyst, to allow us to not only extend fundamental research questions but also to detect pathogens like the coronavirus, faster and more efficiently," Unrau added. According to the researchers, the Mango system consists of an RNA Mango aptamer that binds tightly and specifically to a fluorescent dye. The aptamer acts like a magnet - targeting and binding those dye molecules. The dye becomes excitable when bound and glows brightly. RNA molecules modified to contain the aptamer 'magnet' now stand out from the other parts of the cell, which makes it much easier for researchers to see and study RNA molecules under a microscope, they said. "Cell regulation takes place at the level of RNA. For a long time, the focus has been on protein but it is RNA and not protein that regu-

lates the vast majority of processes within a cell," Unrau said. RNA Mango dyes are currently available from Applied Biological Materials (ABM) in Richmond, B.C. The coronavirus research made possible by Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding will allow the team to develop an isothermal testing methodology, known as Mango NASBA (nucleic acid sequencebased amplification). The Mango NASBA kits can be used to test for the coronavirus, which is a positive strand RNA virus. ABM is actively involved with this project as a partner and will supply the enzymes and buffers needed, which the SFU team originally developed. "Mango technology is state of the art and the development of effective cures for cancer and other diseases demand better imaging methodologies to rapidly learn how cells work in detail," Unrau added.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVID-19 SPECIAL 17

Hydroxychloroquine, Azithromycin combination eďŹ€ective against COVID-19 T

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he Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has found the combination of Hydroxygloroquine and Azithromycin to be very effective against the dreaded coronavirus. According to the Gujarat government, the ministry will shortly be framing the protocols for the medicines to be authorised for the treatment of coronavirus in the country.

Jayanti Ravi, Principal Secretary of Health and family welfare Department, Gujarat, said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a video conference meeting with the pharmaceutical companies in the country, where a Gujarat representative discussed on the combination of hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin to be very effective against the coronavirus. There are scientific evidences establishing that fact too."

"Shortly the ministry will be issuing the protocols for the medication for the treatment of corona, maybe this evening," added Ravi. The Gujarat health secretary said, "The Cabinet secretary of the Union government held a video conference with all the state's chief secretaries and health secretaries and reviewed the situation across the nation. It was found that the Janata Curfew met an overwhelming response across the nation."

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

18 COVID-19 SPECIAL

US FDA approves test that diagnose T

COVID-19 in 45 minutes

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he US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorised the first-ever rapid test that can diagnose COVID-19 disease in 45 minutes. California-based company Cepheid is manufacturing the rapid test kits which would start shipping in a week, reports CNN. "An accurate test delivered close to the patient can be transformative -- and help alleviate the pressure that the emergence of the 2019-nCoV outbreak has put on healthcare facilities that need to

properly allocate their respiratory isolation resources," Dr David Persing, chief medical and technology officer at Cepheid, was quoted as saying in the report. More than a quarter of Americans are under a semi-lockdown under orders from governors of five states. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, the confirmed cases of new coronavirus in the US reached 26,747 on March 22, with 340 deaths. Only China and Italy have higher levels of coronavirus cases than the US now.

US President Donald Trump recently claimed chloroquine - one of the oldest and best-known antimalarial drugs -- had been approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). "We're going to be able to make that drug available almost immediately. And that's where the FDA has been so great. They've gone through the approval process - it's been approved," he said during a White House briefing. The FDA, however, made it clear the drug has not been approved for treating those infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

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s a preventive measure against coronavirus, IIT and AIIMS alumni Debayan Saha and Shashi Ranjan have developed a device called 'Airlens Minus Corona' that will travel on streets to sterilise the city. It will go to hospitals, bus stops, railway stations, shopping malls and other public places to sterilise the surfaces which may cause the spread of the coronavirus. According to the duo, the power lies in electrifying water droplets to kill coronavirus. They invented a new way to kill coronavirus using charged or ionised water droplets. Water droplets can be ionised using 'Corona Discharge'. Such ionised water droplets can help in the oxidation of viral proteins into non-harmful molecules. Oxidation is one of the most potent antimicrobial tools. This technique can potentially sterilise the entire city, they said. There are several ways by which viruses can be inactivated alcohol (such as ethanol or IPA) is one of them and alcohol-based hand sanitisers are useful for individuals or for sanitising surfaces on a smaller scale but insufficient in such an emergency to use them for sanitising entire cities. With a solution naming this technology as Airlens Minus Corona (Corona), it clears up the coronavirus using the electrical energy of corona- 'Fighting Corona With Corona'. Earlier, the duo has also invented devices like PM Minus 2.5 to help curb vehicular pollution and Airlens which is a car air sanitiser.

COVID-19 SPECIAL 19

IIT, AIIMS alumni invents device to stop coronavirus

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVID-19 SPECIAL

COVID-19: French researcher reports

successful drug trial

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mid the novel coronavirus scare around the world, a French researcher has reported successful trial of a new treatment line for COVID-19, with early tests suggesting it can stop the virus from becoming contagious in just six days. According to connexionfrance.com, Professor Didier Raoult from hospital 'Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire (IHU Mediterranee), put up a video to explain the trials held earlier in March. Raoult, an infectious diseases specialist, was tasked by the French government to research possible treatment for the novel coronavirus. According to the professor, the first COVID-19 patients he treated

with drug chloroquine saw rapid and effective speeding of their healing process, and a sharp decrease in the amount of time they remained contagious. Chloroquine -which is normally used to prevent and treat malaria - was administered via drug Plaquenil. "We included everyone who was in agreement to be treated, which was almost everyone. Two towns in the protocol, Nice and Avignon, gave us infected patients who had not yet received treatment," Raoult was quoted as saying by connexionfrance.com. According to the media report, the treatment was offered to 24 patients, who were among the first to become infected in the southeast of France, and who had voluntarily admitted themselves to hospital for the process.

Patients were given 600mcg per day for 10 days. They were closely monitored, as the drug can interact with other medication, and cause severe side effects in some cases, it added. "We were able to ascertain that patients who had not received Plaquenil (drug containing hydroxychloroquine) were still contagious after six days, but of those who received Plaquenil, only 25 per cent were still contagious after the given period," he added. Chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine have previously been used to treat coronavirus patients in China, in ongoing COVID-19 clinical trials. Kaletra, a US-based antiviral drug used to treat HIV, is another medicine that is being tested in the fight against the deadly virus.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVID-19 SPECIAL 21

Kanika Kapoor forces political elite into quarantine B

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ollywood Singer Kanika Kapoor has brought political elite to its knees. The UK returned singer who has now been tested positive for coronavirus has thrown the political elite of the country into quarantine after she attended multiple bashes in Lucknow. Former BSP MP Akbar Ahmed Dumpy threw a birthday party on March 14 which was attended by many socialites and royals. In the list were Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh, Congress leader Jitin Prasada, Rajasthan's former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and her MP son Dushyant Singh among others. But among the others was Kanika Kapoor. The party was one among the three hosted by the father-in-law of former Union minister Jitin Prasada which high profile dignitaries attended. The singer stayed at Shalimar Gallante in Mahanagar in Lucknow and later another person from the same building has been found positive, said sources. The singer had also been interacting with her friends in the high-rise building where her parents stay in Mahanagar area. She also paid a visit to her uncle's family in Kanpur. Next, the Health Minister of Uttar Pradesh, goes to the cabinet meeting where he meets Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputies -- Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya. Ironically, the huddle was meant to discuss how to contain the spread of the virus which has been deemed a pandemic by WHO. Singh also met his other cabinet colleagues and later a press conference was also held. He even met top bureaucrats including the Health Department officials. In the meanwhile, Kanika Kapoor continued to mingle with neighbours and admirers across the length and breadth of Lucknow, even obliging for selfie requests. THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVID-19 SPECIAL

Meanwhile, Dushyant Singh flew back to the national capital and headed straight to the Parliament. He met leaders of all hues. Former Union Minister Anupriya Patel was one of them. She took to Twitter to announce: ""I met Dushyant Singh at an event yesterday. As a precautionary mea sure, I have placed myself under self-isolation. I will follow the government's directions on this." Singh was also spotted chating with Union Minister Pralhad Patel. He also attended a standing committee of Transport, Tourism and Culture where he met Trinamool Congress member Derek O' Brien among many. The Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha member said it is a very serious matter if Singh is under isolation as he was sitting near to him two days ago. In turn, Rajya Sabha AAP MP Sanjay Singh announced he will go in for self quarantine as he had been

meeting O'Brien. Media persons were also scared as many of them from different organisations had spoken to Singh when he was present in Parliament after attending the party where Kanika Kapoor was present. In the action following, Uttar Pradesh's Yogi Adityanath government has directed Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash to submit a report within 24 hours on the parties attended by Bollywood singer in the state capital. But that doesn't seem to have worked as the mayhem continued. The Taj Hotel where Kanika Kapoor attended a party, has been closed till further orders, according to the orders issued by the District Magistrate. Meanwhile, Adityanath has ordered sanitisation of Lucknow, Noida and Kanpur, places Kanika Kapoor and those who met her visited. UP Health minister, who

has now self-quarantined himself, had visited Noida recently. What's more? The Chief Minister, after talking to the Health Minister, has also ordered the closure of all malls and restaurants in the state. "Sanitisation will be a massive exercise in which possible suspects will be tracked and checked. We do not want any further spurt in the number of Corona patients. Kanika Kapoor has interacted with an unimaginably large number of people and we cannot take chances," said a medical official. While Dushyant Singh's test report has come negative, according to BJP sources, the government is wary about the health hazard, nevertheless. It all started with one non disclosure by the singer which has now put many including highprofile politicians on edge.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

COVID-19 SPECIAL

Italian docs saw strange pneumonia I

cases before COVID-19 outbreak THE NEWS BUREAU

talian general practitioners saw strange pneumonia cases as early as November 2019, which could mean the virus was circulating in parts of the country before doctors became aware of the novel coronavirus outbreak in China last December, a US radio outlet reported. The report published by National Public Radio (NPR) cited Giuseppe Remuzzi, co-author of a recent paper in The Lancet about Italy's epidemic, reports Xinhua news agency. According to the report, some

question why Italy was caught off guard when the virus outbreak was revealed on February 21. Remuzzi said he was hearing information about it from general practitioners. "They remember having seen very strange pneumonia, very severe, particularly in old people in December and even November," the report quoted Remuzzi as saying. "This means that the virus was circulating, at least in (the northern region of) Lombardy and before we were aware of this outbreak occurring in China." Remuzzi believed other coun-

tries can learn important lessons from Italy. The takeaways include how to swiftly convert a general hospital into a coronavirus care unit with specially trained doctors and nurses, said the NPR report. Italy reported 6,557 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, raising the total to 53,578 since the pandemic first broke out in its north on February 21. Last week, it surpassed China's death toll, making it the worst-hit country in terms of global fatalities. As of March 22, Italy registered 4,825 deaths, while China reported 3,144 fatalities.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL 25

Coronavirus could kill 22 lakh Americans, warns study

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n the absence of a vaccine and drastic measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the disease may kill as many as 22 lakh people in the US and over 5 lakh in the UK, according to new projections by London's Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team. The study predicted that in the absence of control measures, as much as 81 per cent of the population in the US and the UK may get infected during the course of the coronavirus epidemic. "In total, in an unmitigated epidemic, we would predict approximately 510,000 deaths in GB (Great Britain) and 2.2 million in the US, not accounting for the potential negative effects of health systems being overwhelmed on mortality," said the study. For the study, the researchers applied a previously published microsimulation model to two countries: the UK and the US. The results of the study prompted both the US and the UK to ramp up efforts to suppress the epidemic. In fact, the researchers concluded that a strategy of "suppression" would prove to be more effective than "mitigation" in reducing deaths and preventing healthcare systems being overwhelmed. A strategy of "mitigation" focuses on slowing but not necessarily stopping epidemic spread -reducing peak healthcare demand

while protecting those most at risk of severe disease from infection. The "suppression" strategy aims to reverse epidemic growth, reducing case numbers to low levels and maintaining that situation indefinitely, according to the study which modelled the impact of different non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on the number of deaths and the healthcare system. "We show that in the UK and US context, suppression will minimally require a combination of social distancing of the entire population, home isolation of cases and household quarantine of their family members," the study authors wrote. "This may need to be supplemented by school and university

closures, though it should be recognised that such closures may have negative impacts on health systems due to increased absenteeism," they added. The researchers, however, noted that while the experience in China and now South Korea shows that suppression is possible in the short term, it remains to be seen whether it is possible long-term, and whether the social and economic costs of the interventions adopted thus far can be reduced. "Our Report 9 on #COVID19 shouldn't be a surprise, but itâ€™s not an easy read. This virus is just too severe. Flattening the curve not so different from containment," one of the study authors, Steven Riley, said in a tweet.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL

Undocumented cases fuelling fast spread of COVID-19: Study

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esearchers have found that undetected cases, many of which were likely not severely symptomatic, were largely responsible for the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in China. The study, published in the journal Science, revealed that 86 per cent of all infections were undocumented prior to January 23 Wuhan travel shutdown. Per person, these undocumented infections were half (52 per cent) as contagious as documented infections yet were the source of two-thirds of documented infections, according to the research. "The explosion of COVID-19 cases in China was largely driven by individuals with mild, limited, or no symptoms who went undetected. Depending on their conta-

giousness and numbers, undetected cases can expose a far greater portion of the population to virus than would otherwise occur," said study co-author Jeffrey Shaman, Professor at Columbia University in the US. "We find for COVID-19 in China these undetected infected individuals are numerous and contagious. These stealth transmissions will continue to present a major challenge to the containment of this outbreak going forward," Shaman added. Government control efforts and population awareness have reduced the rate of spread of the virus in China; after travel restrictions and control measures were imposed, it spread less quickly, the study has revealed. For the findings, the researchers used a computer model that draws on observations of reported infection and spread within China in

conjunction with mobility data from January 10-23 and January 24-February 8. They cautioned that major changes to care-seeking or patient documentation practices, as well as rapid developments with regard to travel restrictions and control measures, may make predictions difficult. "Heightened awareness of the outbreak, increased use of personal protective measures, and travel restriction have helped reduce the overall force of infection; however, it is unclear whether this reduction will be sufficient to fully stem the virus spread," Shaman said. "If the novel coronavirus follows the pattern of 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza, it will also spread globally and become a fifth endemic coronavirus within the human population," Shaman added.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL 27

CCMB likely to come up with cost-eďŹ€ective diagnostic kits

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hile people in India are locked down inside their homes and are busy keeping themselves away from coronavirus infection, there is good news as the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is likely to come up with "cost-effective and accurate diagnostic kits for wide distribution." "We are helping our incubating companies; they have come out with ideas and we are supporting them. We are testing and validating the diagnostic kits proposed by them. We may come up with some good kits though it may take at least 2-3 weeks if everything goes well. Quality and accuracy of the kits are the most important things. If the kits give 100 per cent results, then only they will be approved,"

said R.K. Mishra, Director, CCMB, Hyderabad. The CCMB also plans to culture the novel coronavirus or SARS-nCOV2. Mishra said that the institution has facilities for this and they have got the approvals from the government too, but they are yet to receive sample and kits to initiate the culture. "In the meantime, our facilities are set and we are actually training people who are going for the testing in other recognised places in the city," he said. There are five government designated testing centres in Telangana state. The CCMB has trained 25 people so that they can go and do the testing in these centres. Some of the labs where the COVID-19 testing will be done include the Nizam's Institute Of Medical Sciences (NIMS) Hyder-

abad, Gandhi Hospital, Osmania General Hospital, Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases or the Fever Hospital and the Warangal Hospital. The Centre for DNA Finger Printing and Diagnostics (CDFD) is also likely to be added to this group. "Vaccine and drug development are another aspect of fighting the virus. But, as of now CCMB is neither working on the vaccine nor on the drug development. "We have no expertise for working on this. However, when the virus is being cultured, we will try to set up a system as it can be used for screening" said Mishra. He told that may be CCMB's sister organisation the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) is working for repurposing of drugs, as making a new drug is a longterm process," a statement said.

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28 COVID-19 SPECIAL

India may see 13 lakh cases by mid-May, claims scientists group

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otwithstanding the fact that India has done well in controlling the number of confirmed cases compared to other countries in the early phase of the pandemic, the country may see up to 13 lakh cases by mid-May if the numbers keep growing like this, a group of scientists has warned. According to researchers with the COV-IND-19 Study Group, an interdisciplinary group of scholars and data scientists, the frequency of testing has been very low in India as only 11,500 subjects have been tested as of March 18. "When there is no approved vaccine or drug for treating COVID-19, entering phase 2 or phase 3 of escalation will have devastating consequences on the already overstretched healthcare

system of India," the scientists wrote in a post on Medium. As seen for other countries like the US or Italy, COVID-19 enters gradually and then explodes suddenly. "Our current estimates are at best underestimates for India based on early phase data, given the low frequency and scale of testing in India," the group said. The rate of growth of COVID19 cases in India until March 19 seems to follow the pattern of US with a lag of around 13 days, just like US numbers were similar to that of Italy by 11 days in the early stages of the pandemic. Specific vulnerable populations have been identified to be at higher risk of severity and fatality from COVID-19 infection: older persons and persons with pre-existing medical conditions. "India has the most over-

stretched healthcare system where it is hard to provide care in times of "normal" patient volume," said the scientists. The number of hospital beds per 1,000 people in India is only 0.7, compared to 6.5 in France, 11.5 in South Korea, 4.2 in China, 3.4 in Italy, 2.9 in the UK, 2.8 in the US, and 1.5 in Iran. Beyond the fragile population characterized by health and economic indicators, we have to remember that healthcare and front-line workers are among the most vulnerable in India, the study authors cautioned. While announcing a total lockdown for 1.3 billion people in India for 21 days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that if we don't follow a complete lockdown for the coming 21 days, the nation will go back 21 years and many families will be devastated.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL 29

Lockdown to bring in behavioural T

change in people: Experts

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he nationwide three-week lockdown announced incited panic among the citizens but experts feel that there might be behavioural changes in the people. Dr Nimesh G Desai, Psychiatrist & Director, Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences (IHBAS) in Delhi told IANS, "This is an abnormal situation which has never been before. Therefore, some abnormal behaviour of people has to be considered as normal. People will certainly show signs of emotional distress, anxiety and social isolation, but do we have choice? Others need to understand and should not react to their abnormal behaviour. Most vulnerable will be children, elderly people and people already having mental ailments. They may show restlessness. To

lessen its impact, this is the time to follow one's creative urge. Reason and logic have to take a back seat only one thing has to be followedbe in your homes and stay safe." He also said that had such situation arose a decade ago, it would have been even more difficult but thanks to social media and the Internet that people can spend their time easily by watching films and reading e-books. Of course the time is challenging. Dr. Roma Kumar, Senior Consultant and Clinical Psychologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital told IANS: "The most common emotional and behavioural reaction at this time will be anxiety and panic about worst possible outcomes. People may feel like worrying, shocked and sleepless about complete uncertain future. They may go through prolonged boredom and

loneliness. They may develop hypochondriacal fear regarding cough, sore throat and fever and hoard PPE and other survival items, even in the long run." She said: "Primary prevention and early intervention can help everyone. We need to practice mental wellness. It's time for self love, self expression, building self esteem, accepting, trusting and forgiving oneself, and self empowerment." She advised people to express their feelings. "People may also suffer in their relationships. This may lead to emotional manipulation in some cases. Build a community and engage with them, your friends, partners or whoever is there for you, Talk to them. Use the power of internet and connectivity," said Kumar.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL

45% Indians blame â€˜foreign power' for Covid-19

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veryone loves a good conspiracy theory, even if it is about coronavirus spread. According to the IANS C-VOTER Gallup International Association Corona Tracker 1, an exclusive first global poll on Covid-19, 45 per cent Indians believe that a foreign power/other force is deliberately causing the spread of coronavirus. Though 33 per cent Indians rubbished the theory, the fact that 45 per cent believe in the conspiracy theory says something. Meanwhile, 44.5 per cent said "a foreign power/other force is de-

liberately causing the spread of coronavirus." When asked who they think are behind it, 75.1 per cent blamed China. Indians aren't alone who believe in the conspiracy theory. Globally, 36 per cent said that they believe a foreign power/other force is deliberately causing the spread of coronavirus. Among other countries, 18 per cent in Germany, 21 per cent in the US, 20 per cent in Italy, 23 per cent in Pakistan and 29 per cent in France find logic in that theory. In countries like Ecuador, the number of believers in the conspiracy theory is 52 per cent.

The survey was conducted in 22 countries around the world. In each country, a representative sample of men and women was interviewed over the last two weeks either face to face, via telephone or online. The margin of error for the survey is between 3 and 5 per cent at 95 per cent confidence level. More than 20,000 interviews were conducted globally for this survey. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in India rose to 424 on Monday, as per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Eight people have succumbed to the virus till now.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL 31

84% Indians believe govt is handling the outbreak well

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n astounding 84 per cent of people in India believe that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is handling the unprecedented coronavirus outbreak well. According to a survey conducted by IANS C-VOTER Gallup International Association, India ranks second in the world when it comes to people having faith in

how their government is handling the entire situation. The survey had put forth a flurry of questions before the people of 22 countries, seeking their views on the pandemic. More than 20,000 people were interviewed via telephone or online for the survey. In the survey, 58 per cent Indians strongly agreed and 26 per cent merely agreed with a statement -- I think the government is

handling the coronavirus well. Fourteen per cent of people, however, disagreed with it. In contrast, 72 per cent of Italians, 60 per cent of Pakistanis and 42 per cent of people belonging to the US agreed with the statement. Over 15,000 people have died from Covid-19 globally. In India, the number of cases have surged past 420, with eight people succumbing to the dreaded virus.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL

Centre announces Rs 170,000 cr relief package

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he Centre has announced a Rs 170,000 crore worth of relief package to protect the weaker sections of the society from the economic fallout of COVID-19, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. Announcing the relief package, the Finance Minister said the PM Garib Kalyan Yojana will benefit migrant workers and rural poor and the women. The minister said the scheme will work via direct cash transfer, as one set of measures, while another set will include food security-related measures. "We do not want anyone to

remain hungry, so we will be giving enough to take care of their foodgrain requirement, protein requirement in terms of pulses," the minister said. "On the other hand, they should also not remain without money in hand. So several measures through DBT are being taken so that money reaches them so that they can have money in their hand Rs. 50 lakh insurance cover for medics Sitharaman also announced that doctors, paramedics, nurses, 'Asha' workers, cleaning workers involved in the fight against coronavirus pandemic and treating affected patients would be extended medical insurance cover of

Rs 50 lakh each. Addressing the media, Sitharaman said that the scheme will help 20 lakh health professionals and wrokers across the country, in case they want to avail it. She applauded the role played by doctors and other workers in the health sector and said that they are being called 'gods in white attire' by the public and coronavirus- affected patients alike. The measures may come as a major relief for the health workers who put their lives at stake while treating coronavirus patients. Several doctors across the world, including India, have been infected by the deadly virus.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL 33

Scientists in 2007 warned China was a 'time bomb' for COVID-19 A

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s the world battles growing new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has killed thousands of people, a study that appeared 12 years back then claimed that the situation in China was a "time bomb" for a dangerous virus outbreak. Published by the journal Clinical Microbiology Reviews in 2007, the researchers noted that the "presence of a large reservoir of SARSCoV-like viruses in horseshoe bats, together with the culture of eating exotic mammals in southern China,

is a time bomb". The cause for concern was due to the culture of eating exotic mammals in southern China. "The possibility of the reemergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and other novel viruses from animals or laboratories and therefore the need for preparedness should not be ignored," warned the study. Coronaviruses are well known to undergo genetic recombination, which may lead to new genotypes and outbreaks. It's been 17 years since a respi-

ratory virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) appeared in China. By the time the global SARS outbreak was contained, the virus spread to over 8,000 people worldwide and killed almost 800. The new coronavirus, SARSCoV-2 which causes the disease COVID-19, surpassed the 2003 SARS outbreak long back. It has killed over 14,500 people and infected over 2.40 lakh people globally, according to the latest data from John Hopkins University's Coronavirus resource Center.

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34 COVID-19 SPECIAL

Vigilante groups ostracise AI crew bringing Indians back home

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ir India has said that its crew who have successfully evacuated stranded Indians in several coronavirus-hit countries are ostracised by vigilante groups including their neighbours and Resident Welfare Associations (RWA). In a statement, the national carrier appealed to law enforcement agencies to see that its crew members are treated with respect as every other citizen. It said that the airline has taken every precaution to ensure the safety of its crew and protect their well being for each and every flight. "However, it is alarming to note that in many localities, vigilante Resident Welfare Associations and neighbours have started ostracising the crew, obstructing them from performing their duty or even calling in the police, simply because the crew travelled abroad

in the course of their duty. These vigilantes have conveniently forgotten that many a spouse, parent, sibling, child and near and dear ones have been brought home safe and secure from affected countries thanks to the heroic efforts of these Air India crew," the Air India statement said. "We would like to appeal to all concerned, particularly the law enforcement agencies, to ensure that our crew are treated with the courtesy, respect and freedom that every citizen of this country deserves especially in light of the fact of their having undertaken flight duties to affected countries to bring back Indian citizens." In January 2020, guidelines for crew members and operational staff were issued by Air India Medical wherein a detailed protocol to handle passengers and selfcare was formulated. Air India has always ensured that sufficient hand sanitisers,

gloves and masks for the crew as well as for passengers are made available on board, it said, adding that crew members who are landing in India from affected cities are sent on home quarantine and also to designated hospitals for checkup as part of the protocol. Hazmat suits are also placed in the cockpit for use in aircraft by crew in the event of any suspect COVID-19 on board. "These thorough safety measures have been providing adequate protection to our crew, who have been discharging their duties in as selfless a way like doctors or nurse, paramedics and other agencies who are out in the field for fellow Indians," it said. Air India has played a critical role in bringing back stranded Indians from several countries affected by the coronavirus crisis. Mid March, a Boeing 777 aircraft of Air India brought back 263 Indians from Rome.

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COVID-19 SPECIAL 35

IndiGo says some of its employees also ostracised

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day after the national carrier Air India said that its crew members which helped fly Indians back home during the coronavirus crisis were being ostracised by their communities, budget airline IndiGo said that there have been cases of its employees facing the same situation due to their duty and travel history. The airline sought support of the public towards its operating staff during such a difficult time. "There are some instances when our employees have been ostracised from their communities as a result of their line of duty and travel history," said an IndiGo statement. It noted that IndiGo employees are supporting passengers who

have to travel during these days and the airline has taken every possible precaution for their crew members' protection from infection during their duties. "We have adequate protocols for self-quarantine in place in case its required. We are in line with respect to the DGCA guidelines and all advisories/guidelines issued, and these are being followed rigorously." The airline noted that as the nation gave a standing ovation to the "heroes" for their fight against this pandemic on March 22, its operational crew, in all areas, play an "equally important" role to keep vital services intact. "Our colleagues have been working selflessly to serve the country at this critical juncture. Our employees have been the front-

runners in bringing our citizens back to the country and enabling them to reach their hometowns even during restricted movements. Please support our operating colleagues in such a difficult time." The Ministry of Civil Aviation has announced that the operations of domestic scheduled commercial airlines will cease with effect from the midnight of March 24 in view of the coronavirus scare. Earlier in the day, aviation sector regulator, Director General of Civil Aviation, said there are no restrictions on domestic and foreign air operators to carry out cargo operations. All international passenger flights have already been prohibited from landing in India for a week from Sunday to contain the spread of coronavirus.

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THE NATION

C'garh encounter: 17 missing cop's bodies found

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ll the 17 bodies of the missing security personnel following a gunbattle with Maoists in forests of Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district were recovered, police said. Of the 17 bodies, 12 are of District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and five of Special Task Force (STF), state police sources said requesting anonymity. As per the police, the bodies were recovered during a search operation conducted by a joint team of DRG, STF and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite unit of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The

search operation was conducted in Sukma's forested area around 12 noon on Sunday. The slain security personnel were among a group of nearly 600 personnel belonging to a joint team of DRG, STF and CoBRA unit of CRPF that had launched an antiMaoist operation from three sides towards Elmagunda in Sukma on Saturday. The operation was conducted by the security personnel based on inputs about a huge gathering of Maoists there. The encounter took place around 2.30 p.m. near Korajguda hills in Chintagufa area when the joint team of security forces was out on the operation. When the team was advancing

through Korajguda hills, located around 450 km from the state capital Raipur, the exchange of fire broke out between the two sides near Minpa village by a group of around 250 heavily armed ultras, leaving 15 personnel injured. The gun battle lasted about twoand-a-half hours following which 17 personnel were found to be missing. Earlier, the police in a statement said 14 police personnel were injured and 13 were missing after the gunfight. The injured personnel were airlifted to Raipur and admitted to a private hospital where the condition of two of them is stated to be critical, an official said.

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THE NATION

LS passes Bill to declare 5 PPP mode

IIITs of national importance

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he Lok Sabha passed a Bill on March 20 that seeks to declare five Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) in publicprivate partnership mode as institutions of national importance along with existing 15 Indian Institutes of Information Technology. Replying to the debate over the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said the Bill

seeks to declare five IIITs set up under the PPP mode in Surat, Bhopal, Bhagalpur, Agartala, and Raichur as institutions of national importance. Currently, these institutes are registered as Societies under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and do not have the power to grant degrees or diplomas. On being declared institutions of national importance, the five institutes will be granted the power to grant degrees. The Bill, which was introduced in the lower House on March 4,

seeks amendment to the Indian Institutes of Information Technology Act, 2014 and the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Publicprivate Partnership) Act, 2017. The Indian Institutes of Information Technology (Public-Private Partnership) Act, 2017 declares certain Indian Institutes of Information Technology established under Public-Private Partnership mode as institutions of national importance. Under the Act, 15 institutes are currently incorporated as institutions of national importance.

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THE NATION

IIT-M research shows concrete made from clay may replace cement

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ndian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has said its new study shows that concrete made from clay fly ash and limestone hold promise as replacements for cement. The IIT-M researchers have provided clarity on the link between microstructural development and durability performance of concrete through their investigation on concrete with ternary blended cements, which will help the construction industry to produce more eco-friendly concrete than available now. Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world - seven cubic kilometres of concrete are manufactured each year, which works to one cubic metre of concrete for every human on earth.

Conventional concrete is made of cement, fine aggregate particles such as sand and coarse aggregate particles from rock, mixed with water; this mixture hardens with time because of the reaction of cement with water, the Institute said. Modern concrete, however, includes chemical and mineral additives that impart unique properties. It is common today to find the cement to be a mixture of two or three different ingredients. The current research, funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, deals with the exploration of properties of a threecomponent cement. "Worldwide, there are research efforts in developing alternative concrete additives and energy efficient binders that can produce a more sustainable form of concrete. The UN Environment Programme

(UNEP) has stressed on the need for cement substitution to decarbonise cement industry," said Professor Manu Santhanam, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras. According to the researchers, the study unravels the complex nature of interactions of this threecomponent system involving ordinary cement, limestone powder and calcined clay, called LC3, which leads to the production of highly durable concrete in aggressive environments such as sea water. The research team studied the role of physical structure alterations on three binder types - plain Portland cement, fly ash-based binder and calcined clay-limestone binder (LC3). The researchers adopted a fundamental approach based on cement chemistry and identified the chemical composition of the

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THE NATION blended cement system as a critical factor in the development of nanoscale pore structure, which is the key to concrete durability. The evolution of pore structure decides the permeability of concrete to water and aggressive chemicals - the finer the pore structure, the lesser the permeability. Ternary blended systems such as LC3 impart a finer pore structure to concrete at early ages, which is not possible with plain cement or even fly ash blended cement. Further, the unique reaction chemistry of the three components in LC3 results in a complex arrangement of cement reaction products, which make the concrete microstructure denser and helps to attain strength and durability at an early age. "While several composite cementitious materials are being explored, clear understanding of the microstructure-dependant factors that lead to these superior perform-

ance characteristics in concrete is not yet available," Santhanam added. The governing factors controlling durability performance must be analysed in order to understand how the various components contribute to the performance of the concrete, according to the Institute. "Our primary focus was always to understand the behaviour at the scale of cement reaction and further integrate this information with concrete performance, which is a challenging task," said study

co-author Yuvaraj Dhandapani, PhD Student. "Since we have clarified and fine-tuned performance at the microscale, all type of concretes made with LC3 could attain superior performance to ingress of water or chlorides along with excellent early strength development," Dhandapani added. "To facilitate practical adoption, we have also confirmed these characteristics on a range of different concrete types used in the construction activities," he added.

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THE NATION

Crowd celebrates as Nirbhaya convicts hanged ďŹ nally

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s the clock struck 5.30 a.m. on March 20 the crowd assembled outside the Tihar Jail burst into celebration and even distributed sweets. Slogans of 'Nirbhaya zindabad' and 'long live Nirbhaya' were also raised. As the countdown to the hanging of four death-row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case entered its final phase, the crowd loudly did the final countdown; a handful of posters reading "thanks to judiciary" and "the morning of justice" also were propped up outside the Tihar Jail premises. The four rapists were finally hanged seven years after they and two others brutally gang raped the 23-year-old physiotherapy student and left her to die by the roadside.

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THE NATION

'India constitutionally secular, CAA doesn't violate fundamental rights'

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he Centre, in a preliminary affidavit, responded point-bypoint to the criticism against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying that India is constitutionally secular, and also told the Supreme Court that the act does not violate any fundamental right provisions of the Constitution and therefore, the question of violation of constitutional morality does not arise. The amended law seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim migrants belonging to the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, Jain and Parsi communities who came to the

country from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014 due to religious persecution. The affidavit filed by B.C. Joshi, Director in Ministry of Home Affairs, said that CAA is a narrowly-tailored legislation seeking to address the specific problem which awaited a solution since several decades, and it does not affect the legal, democratic or secular rights of any Indian citizen. The Centre said that equal protection of the laws guaranteed by Article 14 of the Constitution does not mean that all laws must be general in character and universal in application and that the legisla-

ture no longer has the power of distinguishing and classifying persons or things for the purposes of legislation. "It is humbly submitted that the only requirement prior to making a particular classification or a special legislation (as is in the CAA) is that the legislative classification must not be based on any arbitrary classification and should be based on an intelligible differentia having a reasonable relation to the object which the legislature seeks to attain," it said. The Centre insisted unlike the particular neighbouring countries, "India is a constitutionally secular country and further has a large population of persons belonging to the classified communities already residing as Indian citizens". It contended that the CAA is a "benign piece" of legislation which seeks to provide a relaxation, in the nature of an amnesty, to specific communities from the specified countries with a clear cut-off date. After considering the totality of factors, including factors of international geopolitics, the demographic profile of nations surrounding the particular neighbouring countries, the situation of or the presence of other persons of classified communities in other nations surrounding the neighbouring classified countries and the presence of state religions/theocratic regimes in other countries surrounding the neighbouring classified countries, the Centre said it

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THE NATION "makes it amply clear that India represents the sole rational and logically feasible place to seek shelter for the said communities". The Centre's affidavit said: "It is submitted that constitutional morality is not an unruly horse and cannot become an independent basis for challenging the constitutionality of validly enacted legislations." It maintained that the CAA, 2019 does not confer any arbitrary or unguided powers upon the executive. "Under Section 6B(1) the Central Government or a specified authority would grant citizenship only in a manner where certain conditions & restrictions would be

satisfied by the applicant. Appropriate rules under Section 6B are being framed to clearly lay down these conditions, restrictions and manner of grant of citizenship." "It is submitted that the CAA is a specific amendment which seeks to tackle a specific problem prevalent in the specified countries i.e. persecution on the ground of religion in light of the undisputable theocratic constitutional position in the specified countries, the systematic functioning of such States and the perception of fear that may be prevalent amongst minorities as per the de facto situation in the said countries." Addressing the issue of citizen-

ship for Rohingyas, the Centre said that thousands of Rohingyas have come into India, mainly through Bangladesh, in search of better economic opportunities. "It is submitted that the Rohingyas are not on the same footing as the religiously persecuted minorities who have fled into India from the particular neighbouring countries," said the Centre. Seeking to keep out CAA out of judicial review, it said: "It is submitted that by the very nature of the question regarding citizenship of the country and issues pertaining thereto, the said subject matter may not be within the scope of judicial review and may not be justiciable."

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THE NATION

On 101th day Shaheen Bagh protest site cleared

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he 101-day long Shaheen Bagh protest that was termed as 'heart of anti-CAA protests in India', was cleared by the Delhi Police on March 24 morning at around 7 O'clock. Police say the site had to be cleared following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the curfew imposed in Delhi to stop the spread of the deadly virus. According to the police, no force was used during the process, however several protesters, who refused to leave the venue despite continuous persuasion, had to be taken into detention. Deputy Commissioner of Police R.P. Meena said, "Police requested them to vacate the place but they refused. So, police cleared the area and detained a few protesters."

The Delhi Police also said, "All protest sites have been cleared -Jaffrabad, Jamia and Turkman Gate. Some persons have been detained at all these places as well." The agitation at Shaheen Bagh began on December 15 after the police action in Jamia Millia Islamia where the police allegedly used force against the anti-CAA protesters in which many students were injured. According to the locals of Shaheen Bagh, police reached the protest site at around 6.45 a.m. and asked the protesters to vacate the site citing the curfew but they refused which led to their detention. "We were following precautions for protection against COVID-19, only five of us were sitting on the site but the police did not allow us to protest. They have

removed us forcibly," one of the women protesters said. Meanwhile, the site remains heavily guarded by police force to stop protesters from assembling again, however the road connecting Noida to Delhi is still not open for public because of the ongoing curfew in the national capital. According to officials in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), the civic body will now clean up the site and try to repair the damage. The Public Works Department will also carry out the repair and cleaning process. Shaheen Bagh had become a symbol of anti-CAA protest and was replicated in some other parts of the country. However, amid the fear of COVID-19 spread, protests at other places were also called off. Shaheen Bagh protesters had tweeted on the day of the Janata Curfew after a petrol bomb was hurled at the barricades, "We are committed to cooperating with the law of the land and request all our well wishers and sympathisers to abide by the same. We are all in this together. We will come back stronger. This is not over. "In spite of all this, and in line with the State directives issued to contain the COVID 19 threat facing our nation, we bravely continue our protest today with only five women protesters marking their resistance on behalf of all of us at Shaheen Bagh," the protesters had said earlier.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

THE NATION

Kolkata college girl arrested for LeT links

THE NEWS BUREAU

21-year-old girl student of a reputed state-run Kolkata college has been arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police from near the IndiaBangladesh border in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district for being an alleged linkperson of Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The accused, identified as Tania Parveen, was nabbed from the remote Mawalipur village under Baduria police station after a yearlong surveillance, the police said. A

group of STF officers raided the village on March 19 and picked up Parveen from her house. A case has been registered against the first year M.A. Arabic student of Maulana Azad College

under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) related to sedition, religious incitement and criminal conspiracy. She was produced before a sessions court in Barasat, which remanded her to police custody for 14 days. The police sleuths had become suspicious about Parveen's activities after getting to know that there were regular transactions of crores of rupees in her bank account. Parveen is alleged to have been involved in brain washing the local youth into the ideology of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

NGT directs states, UTs to form

environment monitoring cell

THE NEWS BUREAU

he National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed all the states and union territories to constitute an environment monitoring

cell to ensure compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed environment monitoring

cells to be set up in the office of chief secretaries of the states and union territories within one month from March 23. "Any continued failure will result in liability of every Local Body to pay compensation from 01.04.2020 till compliance," the order stated. The compensation will be deposited with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) which will spend the money "on the restoration of the environment". The bench also comprising Justices Sheo Kumar Singh and Nagin Nanda was hearing a matter pertaining to three dumping zones in the national capital - Bhalswa, Gazipur and Okhla.The committee has been directed to submit its report within two months.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

46 SCIENCE & TECH

Every 2nd car to be electric one globally in 2050

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n 2050, every second car on the streets could be electric which would reduce global CO2 emissions by up to 1.5 gigatons per year -- equivalent to the total current CO2 emissions of Russia, a new study has predicted. Under current conditions, driving an electric car is better for the climate than conventional petrol cars in 95 per cent of the world, said researchers. It is a known fact that electric cars are friendlier to the environment and produce fewer greenhouse gases than petrol vehicles. "The answer is clear: to reduce carbon emissions, we should choose electric cars and household heat pumps over fossil-fuel alternatives," said study lead author Florian Knobloch from the Radboud University in the Netherlands. The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, found that average lifetime emis-

sions from electric cars are up to 70 per cent lower than petrol cars in countries like Sweden and France (which get most of their electricity from renewables and nuclear), and around 30 per cent lower in the UK. In a few years, even inefficient electric cars will be less emissionintensive than most new petrol cars in most countries, as electricity generation is expected to be less carbon-intensive than today. The research team also looked at electric household heat pumps, and found that these too produce lower emissions than fossil-fuel alternatives in 95 per cent of the world. Heat pumps could reduce global CO2 emissions in 2050 by up to 0.8 gigatons per year roughly equal to Germany's current annual emissions, it added. The study examined the current and future emissions of different types of vehicles and home heating options worldwide. It divided the world into 59 regions to account

for differences in power generation and technology. In 53 of these regions - including all of Europe, the US and China - the findings show electric cars and heat pumps are already less emission-intensive than fossil-fuel alternatives. These 53 regions represent 95 per cent of global transport and heating demand and, with energy production decarbonising worldwide, Knobloch said the "last few debatable cases will soon disappear". The researchers carried out a life-cycle assessment in which they not only calculated greenhouse gas emissions generated when using cars and heating systems, but also in the production chain and waste processing. "Taking into account emissions from manufacturing and ongoing energy use, it's clear that we should encourage the switch to electric cars and household heat pumps without any regrets," Knobloch noted.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

SCIENCE & TECH 47

Curiosity Mars rover takes stunning selďŹ e during record climb

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ASA's Curiosity Mars rover recently set a record for the steepest terrain it's ever climbed and in the process, took a selfie, capturing the scene just below â€˜Greenheugh pediment which is a broad sheet of rock that sits atop a hill. In front of the rover is a hole it drilled while sampling a bedrock target called "Hutton." The entire selfie is a 360-degree panorama stitched together from 86 images relayed to Earth, NASA

said in a statement. The selfie captures the rover about 11 feet below the point where it climbed onto the crumbling pediment. Since 2014, Curiosity has been rolling up Mount Sharp, a five-km tail mountain at the center of Gale Crater. "Rover operators at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California carefully map out each drive to make sure Curiosity will be safe," said NASA. Before the climb, Curiosity used the black-and-white Naviga-

tion Cameras located on its mast to, for the first time, record a short movie of its "selfie stick," otherwise known as its robotic arm. "We get asked so often how Curiosity takes a selfie," said Doug Ellison, a Curiosity camera operator at JPL. "We thought the best way to explain it would be to let the rover show everyone from its own point of view just how it's done". Curiosity's mission is to study whether the Martian environment could have supported microbial life billions of years ago.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

TECH TROUBLE

Smartphones main reason for sleep deprivation among Indians

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whopping 92 per cent Indians check their phones just before going to sleep, said a study which revealed that digital services have emerged as a major sleep disruptor, adversely affecting the health of people. Of the 50,000 responses collected for the study, 54 per cent said they indulged in social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms late into the night, a 2x increase

over last year, said the Great Indian Sleep Scorecard (GISS) 2020, an annual study by sleep solutions provider Wakefit.co. Nearly one third of the respondents acknowledged that avoiding digital devices would improve their quality of sleep. "We have seen sleep being forsaken for a long time now and people increasingly succumbing to lifestyle pressures. The third edition of the survey sees a rise in addiction to digital devices and

sleep being the first casualty of this trend," Chaitanya Ramalingegowda, Co-founder and Director, Wakefit.co, said in a statement. Sleep deprivation has been known to impact immunity, metabolism and mood, while increasing the chances of chronic lifestyle ailments such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. While digital devices formed the majority of the respondents' cause for staying up late, work induced stress also ranked high with 33 per cent attribution. Compared to last year's survey, there was also an 80 per cent increase in the number of people who do not go to bed with their partners. People in the age group between 25-34 showed maximum signs of sleep-related problems, according to the study. The Great Indian Sleep Scorecard is an ongoing survey and the 2020 edition received over 50,000 responses, recorded from March 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020. It spans across all Indian cities and records insights across age groups, starting from 18 years.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

TECH TROUBLE 49

Smartphones may make your headaches worse: AIIMS S

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martphone users who suffer from regular headaches and migraines may be more likely to use painkillers and find less relief, say researchers at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). For the study, published in the jorunal Neurology: Clinical Practice, researchers have identified 400 people in India with a primary headache condition, which includes migraine, tension headache and other headache types that are not due to another condition. "While the results need to be confirmed with larger and more rigorous studies, the findings are concerning, as smartphone use is growing rapidly and has been linked to a number of symptoms, with headache being the most common," said study author Deepti Vibha, from AIIMS in New Delhi. According to the researchers, the study does not prove that smartphone use causes greater use of pain medication and less relief; it only shows an association. For the findings, the research team asked the people about their smartphone use and their headaches and medication use. Of the 400 people, 206 were smartphone users and 194 were non-users. People who did not use smartphones were older, had a lower education level and were more likely to have a low socioeconomic status than those who did use smart-

phones. The smartphone users were more likely to take pain-relieving drugs for their headaches than nonusers, with 96 per cent of smartphone users taking the drugs as compared to 81 per cent of nonusers. Smartphone users took an average of eight pills per month compared to five pills per month for non-users, the study said. Smartphone users also reported less relief from the medication, with 84 per cent gaining moderate or complete relief of headache pain compared to 94 per cent of nonusers. However, the study did not find any difference between the two groups in how often headaches occurred, how long they lasted or how severe they were.

The researchers noted that the study only examined people at one point in time; it did not follow them to look for changes over time. "The root of the problem is not yet clear. Is it a user's neck position? Or the phone's lighting? Or eye strain? Or the stress of being connected at all times? Answers will likely emerge in upcoming years and eventually guide strategies for more sustainable use of the devices," said Heidi Moawad, member of the American Academy of Neurology. "Features such as hands-free settings, voice activation and audio functions could potentially hold the key to helping smartphone users benefit from their phones without exacerbating their headaches," Moawad added.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

LIFE STYLE

Vegetarians enjoy better sex lives than meat eaters

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oing vegetarian or vegan is a new fad to lose weight and stay healthy but an interesting survey has revealed that vegetarians are best lovers and have more sex than meat eaters. Not only this, the survey reported by UK-based Hucknall Dispatch said that non-vegetarians are "selfish in bed and unhappy in their sex lives compared to vegetarians". The majority of vegetarians (57 per cent) said they make love threefour times a week compared to most meat eaters who only enjoyed the action between the sheets onetwo times a week (49 per cent). "Nearly 84 per cent of vegetarians report that they are satisfied in their sex lives, compared to only 59

per cent of meat eaters". Nearly 500 vegetarians - of which 38 per cent were vegans and 500 non-vegetarian people were surveyed by UK's largest extra-marital portal IllicitEncounters.com to reach this conclusion. "Vegetarians eat foods that are known for their aphrodisiac properties - Maca, fenugreek leaves, ginseng, aniseed. There is a host of different veggies that are natural aphrodisiacs that promote sexual excitement," Illicit Encounters. com's Jessica Leoni was quoted as saying in the report. Interestingly, 95 per cent of the vegan participants said they were satisfied with their sex lives. Vegetarians enjoy making out (92 per cent), foreplay (88 per cent) and dirty talk (48 per cent) - way

more than meat eaters (79 per cent, 68 per cent and and 35 per cent, respectively). Least enjoyable for both vegetarians (26 per cent) and meat eaters (15 per cent) was bondage. "I just thought it was an agerelated thing. Now I'm on a plant based diet, I have more energy and I'm more open to trying out new things," Heather, 39, and a vegan was quoted as saying. Plant-based foods are heavy in zinc and vitamins B, which can increase libido -- bananas, chickpeas and, avocados, in particular, are good for this. Going vegan can also increase serotonin levels, which can both boost sex drive and increase happiness.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

LIFE STYLE

Facebook detox leads to healthier and happier life

THE NEWS BUREAU

ant to live healthier and happier life? Reducing the amount of time spent on social media platforms, such as Facebook, every day could be enough to prevent addictive behaviour, increase well-being and support a healthier lifestyle, say researchers. For the findings, published in the journal 'Computers in Human Behaviour', the research team recruited 286 people for the study who were on Facebook for an average of at least 25 minutes a day. The average usage time per day was a good hour. All participants were tested prior to the study, one week into it, at the end of the two-week experi-

ment, and finally one month and three months later. Using online questionnaires, the research team surveyed the way they used Facebook, their well-being and their lifestyle. The results showed that participants in the group that had reduced their Facebook usage time used the platform less, both actively and passively. "This is significant, because passive use in particular leads to people comparing themselves with others and thus experiencing envy and a reduction in psychological well-being," said study lead researcher Julia Brailovskaia from Ruhr University in Germany. According to the researchers, participants who reduced their Facebook usage time, moreover,

smoked fewer cigarettes than before, were more active physically and showed fewer depressive symptoms than the control group. Their life satisfaction increased. "After the two-week period of Facebook detox, these effects, i.e. the improvement of well-being and a healthier lifestyle, lasted until the final checks three months after the experiment," Brailovskaia said. This is an indication that simply reducing the amount of time spent on Facebook every day could be enough to prevent addictive behaviour, increase well-being and support a healthier lifestyle, the researchers said. "It's not necessary to give up the platform altogether," Brailovskaia concluded.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

LIFE STYLE

Chatty kids do get good marks at school

THE NEWS BUREAU

ear parents, if you want to boost your childâ€™s academic performance, let them chat more. Researchers have found that young children go on to achieve more academic success when their verbal skills are enhanced. The study, by researchers at the University of York in the UK, looked at why children from wealthier and well-educated family backgrounds tend to do better at school. The researchers found that children from families of higher socioeconomic status had better language abilities at nursery school age and that these verbal skills boosted their later academic performance throughout the school. "Our findings show that a child's learning at home, when they are under five, is really important to their chances of later academic success," said study lead author Sophie von Stumm, Professor at

the University of York. For the findings, published in the journal Child Development, the researchers looked at data from nearly 700 British children. The children's pre-school ability was tested at four-years-old and their educational outcomes were tracked throughout school up until the age of 16. According to the researchers, differences in language skills between children explained around 50 per cent of the effect of family background on children's achievement in the first year of school. This achievement gap widened over the course of their education, the study suggests. "Children from more advantaged backgrounds are more familiar before starting school with the language patterns and linguistic codes that are used in formal educational settings and are expected by teachers," Stumm said. "Not all children get the same start in life, but this study high-

lights the importance of helping parents of all backgrounds to engage with their children in activities which enhance verbal skills such as reading bedtime stories and engaging the child in conversations," Stumm added. According to the researchers, activities designed to improve verbal skills boost cognitive, social and emotional development, in addition to benefitting parent-child bonding. The researchers also looked at non-verbal ability at nursery school age and found that it had a smaller, but never-the-less significant role in explaining the link between background inequalities and academic success. Children from high socioeconomic backgrounds were at an advantage when it came to their non-verbal skills - such as solving puzzles, drawing shapes and copying actions - before they started school, the researchers said.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

LIFE STYLE

With these simple ways Your hair can grow faster A

THE NEWS LIFESTYLE DESK

re dry and frizzy hair is your problem during this monsoon, you have reached the right page! These essential hair care tips will help. The rainy season has something about it which makes us let ourselves loose and dance in the water. As the raindrops drench our whole body, we get a sense of peace and serenity. It is the season where we feel the most romantic. But the rainy season brings a lot more than that. With monsoon comes various health and beauty issues; be it your skin, hair or general health, you feel the need to take special care of yourself. “How to grow my hair long?” is a question many women seek an answer for. Long hair can be styled in myriad ways, and even helps amp up one’s look. But one needs to bear in mind that long hair needs a lot more time and care for it to remain healthy and shiny. It requires a special hair care routine

that needs to be followed along with regular deep conditioning treatments. If you too are looking for an answer to the above question, you have reached the right page! Here are some suggestions from an expert. These few simple ways that can help you grow your hair faster. It is one of the most common problems that many people with long hair face. Make sure to regularly condition your hair with the right conditioner that suits your hair type. If you have any mineral deficiency, make sure to rectify it. Drink plenty of water to drain the toxins which get accumulated in your body and affect the growth of your hair. Also have a protein-rich diet that includes spinach, paneer and milk. Long hair needs a special hair care routine that needs to be followed along with regular deep conditioning treatment. It is a hair disorder which frequently affects those who do not follow a proper diet. This condition suggests that although the hair

cycle is normal, the root is not strong enough to sustain the pressure of a fully-grown hair. Correction of diet under the supervision of a trichologist can help tackle the condition. It is common for those with long hair to experience tangling. One should be extremely regular with oiling and conditioning the hair. If possible go for a deep conditioning treatment once a week to prevent tangling of hair. Dry hair is common among those with really long hair. Ensure that you drink enough water, oil your hair regularly and also condition it so that your hair stays healthy and shiny. Soak fenugreek (methi) seeds in water overnight. Strain the water the next day and use this water to wash your hair. Methi is effective for many hair problems like hair fall, dandruff and dryness. Mix two spoons of curd with an egg and apply it on your hair for 15-20 minutes. Use this mixture as a conditioner after you shampoo your hair. It will make your hair soft and shiny.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

HEALTH

Too much or too little sleep not good for heart: Study

THE NEWS BUREAU

etting too much or too little sleep, may be bad for your heart, say researchers, adding that people who get seven or eight hours of sleep per night have less stiffness in their arteries, which is associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease or suffering a stroke. "The message, based on our findings, is 'sleep well, but not too well.' Getting too little sleep appears bad for your health but too much seems to be harmful as well," said study lead author Evangelos Oikonomou from Yale University in the US. For this analysis, researchers assessed sleep patterns in 1,752 people living in the Corinthia region of Greece using a standard

questionnaire. They ranged in age from 40 to 98 years, with a mean age of 64 years old Participants were then divided into one of four groups based on self-reported sleep duration: normal (seven to eight hours a night), short sleep duration (six to seven hours a night), very short sleep duration (less than six hours a night) or long sleep duration (greater than eight hours a night). At the time of the study, each participant also underwent ultrasound imaging to measure the thickness of the inner part of the arterial wall. Thickening of the arterial walls reflects plaque buildup and is associated with an increased risk of stroke and other cardiovascular events.

The researchers found that even after accounting for other known risk factors for heart disease or stroke, people who slept less than six hours or more than eight hours a night had significantly greater odds of having plaque buildup in the walls of their carotid arteries-a 54 per cent and 39 per cent increase, respectively--compared with those who got seven or eight hours of shut eye. The study adds to mounting evidence that sleep patterns, similar to diet and exercise, may play a defining role in someone's cardiovascular risk. "We don't fully understand the relationship between sleep and cardiovascular health. It could be that sympathetic nervous system withdrawal or a slowing [of this system] that occurs during sleep may act as a recovery phase for [usual] vascular and cardiac strain," Oikonomou said. "Moreover, short sleep duration may be associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors--for example, unhealthy diet, stress, being overweight or greater alcohol consumption--whereas longer sleep duration may be associated with a less active lifestyle pattern and lower physical activity," Oikonomou added. The research is scheduled to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology on March 2830 in the US.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

HEALTH

Taking hot bath daily good for your heart

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esearchers have found that regular hot tub bathing is linked to a lower risk of mortality from heart disease and stroke. According to the study, published in the journal Heart, the higher the dose, the better it seems to be for cardiovascular health, with a daily hot bath seemingly more protective than a once or twice weekly one. "We found that frequent tub bathing was significantly associated with a lower risk of hypertension, suggesting that a beneficial effect of tub bathing on risk of [cardiovascular disease] may in part be due to a reduced risk of developing hypertension," said the study researchers in Japan. Having a bath is associated with good sleep quality and better selfrated health, but it's not clear what its long term impact might be on cardiovascular disease risk, including heart attack, sudden cardiac death and stroke. To explore this, the researchers drew on participants in The Japan Public Health Centre-based Study Cohort 1, a population-based tracking study of more than 61,000 middle-aged adults (45 to 59 years). At the start of the study in 1990, some 43,000 participants completed a detailed questionnaire on their bathing habits and potentially influential factors: lifestyle, to

include exercise, diet, alcohol intake, weight (BMI); average sleep duration; and medical history and current medicines use. Each participant was monitored until death or completion of the study at the end of December 2009, whichever came first, with the final analysis based on 30,076 people. During the monitoring period, 2097 cases of cardiovascular disease occurred: 275 heart attacks; 53 sudden cardiac deaths; and 1769 strokes. After taking account of potentially influential factors, analysis of the data showed that compared with a once or twice weekly bath or no bath at all, a daily hot bath was associated with a 28 per cent lower overall risk of cardiovascular disease, and a 26 per cent lower overall risk of stroke. The frequency of tub bathing wasn't associated with a heightened risk of sudden cardiac death, or

with a particular type of stroke, called subarachnoid haemorrhage (bleed into the space surrounding the brain), the researchers said. Further analysis of preferred water temperature indicated 26 per cent lower and 35 per cent lower risks of overall cardiovascular disease for warm and hot water, respectively. But no significant associations emerged for overall stroke risk and water temperature. After excluding those participants who developed the cardiovascular disease within five or 10 years of the start of the study, the associations found weren't quite as strong, but nevertheless still remained statistically significant. According to the researchers, this is an observational study, and as such, can't establish cause, added to which changes in bathing frequency weren't tracked during the monitoring period.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

FOOD

Follow plant-based diet, avoid junk food for healthy heart

THE NEWS BUREAU

ollowing plant-based diet and avoiding junk food like sweets, refined grains and juice are likely to have healthy heart as compared to people who don't eat a plantbased diet, a new study suggests. For the findings, researchers tracked eating behaviour and the development of heart disease among more than 2,000 Greek adults over a 10-year period, beginning in 2002. Participants were asked to complete a detailed food frequency survey at the time of enrollment, after five years and after 10 years. "The findings highlight that even a small reduction in the daily consumption of animal-based products--principally the less healthy foods, such as processed meat products--accompanied by an increase in healthy plant-based foods

may contribute to better cardiovascular health," said study's lead author Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Professor at Harokopio University of Athens in Greece. At the end of the study period, researchers analysed the relationship between diet and the development of cardiovascular disease using a dietary index that divided participants into three groups based on the number of animal-based foods (which included meats as well as animal-derived products such as eggs and dairy) they consumed per day. Overall, men eating fewer animal-based foods were 25 per cent less likely to develop heart disease compared to men eating more animal-based foods. The same overall trend was seen in women, but the relationship was less strong, with an overall risk reduction of about 11 per cent

among women eating the fewest animal-based foods. Focusing in on participants who followed a more plant-based diet, researchers then categorised each participant's diet as either healthy (reflecting increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, oils and tea or coffee) or unhealthy (reflecting increased consumption of juices, sweetened beverages, refined grains, potatoes and sweets). Only participants following a healthful plant-based diet had a significant reduction in cardiovascular risk compared to those who ate more animal-based products. Differences in eating patternsand associated cardiovascular risk reduction-were also observed between women and men. In general, men ate about three times per day while women tended to snack more, eating four to five times daily. At the same time, women showed a more dramatic increase in heart disease risk when eating an unhealthy plant-based diet and a more dramatic reduction in risk when eating a healthful plant-based diet compared to men who fell into the same two categories. This suggests that snacking on healthful foods can be beneficial while snacking on unhealthy foods can bring higher risks, the researchers said. The research is scheduled to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology on March 28-30 in the US.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

FOOD

Want to live longer? Eat less

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f you want to live longer, reduce levels of inflammation throughout your body and delay the onset of age-related diseases -- eat less food, say researchers. According to a study, published in the journal Cell, researchers from the US and China provided the most detailed report of the cellular effects of a calorie-restricted diet in rats. While the benefits of caloric restriction have long been known, the new results show how this restriction can protect against aging in cellular pathways. "We already knew that calorie restriction increases life span, but now we've shown all the changes that occur at a single-cell level to cause that," said study senior author Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte from the Salk Institute in the US "This gives us targets that we may eventually be able to act on with drugs to treat aging in humans," Belmonte added. For the findings, the research

team compared rats who ate 30 per cent fewer calories with rats on normal diets. The diet of animals in the age group of 18-27 months was controlled. (In humans, this would be roughly equivalent to someone following a calorie-restricted diet from the age of 50 to 70.) The research team isolated and analysed a total of 168,703 cells from 40 cell types in the 56 rats from starting as well as during the conclusion of the diet. The cells came from fat tissues, liver, kidney, aorta, skin, bone marrow, brain and muscle. In each isolated cell, the researchers used single-cell geneticsequencing technology to measure the activity levels of genes. They also looked at the overall composition of cell types within any given tissue. Then, they compared old and young mice on each diet. Many of the changes that occurred as rats on the normal diet grew older didn't occur in rats on a restricted diet; even in old age, many of the tissues and cells of animals on the diet closely resem-

bled those of young rats. Overall, 57 per cent of the agerelated changes in cell composition seen in the tissues of rats on a normal diet were not present in the rats on the calorie restricted diet, the study said. "This approach not only told us the effect of calorie restriction on these cell types, but also provided the most complete and detailed study of what happens at a singlecell level during aging," said study researcher Guang-Hui Liu from Chinese Academy of Sciences in China. According to the study, some of the cells and genes most affected by the diet related to immunity, inflammation and lipid metabolism. The number of immune cells in nearly every tissue studied dramatically increased as control rats aged but was not affected by age in rats with restricted calories. In brown adipose tissue--one type of fat tissue-a calorie-restricted diet reverted the expression levels of many anti-inflammatory genes to those seen in young animals, the research said.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

FOOD

Being Nut-wise: Busting the myths about almonds

THE NEWS BUREAU

lmonds are known to be one of the most popular nuts, and while they are enjoyed by people across the globe, there are some age-old myths associated with them. But, it's time to leave behind all the common myths and understand them in a better and wiser manner. We often hear 5-6 almonds are the sufficient quantity for daily consumption. However, it is recommended to consume an ounce of almonds (approximately 23 almonds) to get the health benefits. Almonds are a healthy source of energy and munching on a handful of almonds (30 grams/ 23 almonds) may help you stay active. Not just this, researchers also estimated that a daily serving of almonds (30 grams/ 23 almonds) may improve both short-term and long-term markers of blood sugar control in those with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes. Consumption of almonds is frequently linked to weight gain and it is commonly believed that almonds are calorie-laden. However, studies have shown that a handful of almonds may have satiating properties that promote feelings of fullness, which may keep hunger at bay between meals. In addition to this, studies have found that snacking on almonds also reduced

central adiposity (belly fat) and waist circumference. Thus, eating almonds has been shown to contribute towards weight management. It's likely for most people to come across the latest news that's

making the rounds, about almonds not being vegan. The Vegan Society defines veganism as "a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." While the definition highlights that veganism aims to exclude animal use, cruelty and exploitation, it is also important to acknowledge the fact

that it is practically impossible to live in a world where we are completely independent of animals. Due to modern lifestyles, our food system relies heavily on farms that utilize bees to pollinate the crops. Therefore, veganism, in its true sense, is rather about doing one's best not to cause harm to animals. Almonds, are in fact, filled with nutritional benefits and have a significant role to play in aiding a healthier lifestyle. Consuming almonds as a morning ritual only is an ageold tradition in India. However, you can consume almonds at any time during the day. Almonds are a versatile nut, and can be eaten in any form - raw, as a snack and as part of a meal or a dessert. Whether at home, work or on the go, a handful of almonds are a convenient snack that can be eaten anywhere, any time of the day and through the year. You could keep some almonds handy in a tiffin box so you'll always have your perfect daily portion. Eating soaked almonds over raw almonds is a popular myth. However, contrary to this, soaked almonds are only easier to chew, and have no impact on the nutritional benefits of almonds. Crunchy to eat, and rich in Vitamin B2, Vitamin E, magnesium and phosphorous, almonds are a powerhouse of nutrition, be it in any form.

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

The 4 P’S OF A FOOD

You don’t have to be an entrepreneur

GREAT JOB

THE NEWS - FEATURES DESK

eing an entrepreneur, an owner, a starter, a founder, is pretty attractive now. It’s seen as being a job with freedom, flexibility, control, and enormous moneymaking potential. These days, it’s seemingly every millennial’s dream to start and run a successful company. Everyone wants to be a CEO and pitch to billionaire investors. Entrepreneurship is seen as the best way to secure a great and fulfilling career, bar none. What’s often missing from this picture, however, are the downsides of being your own boss. When you peel away the shiny coating of entrepreneurial life, it’s an exhausting role that requires long hours, great personal investment of both time and money. It is far more stress than your average performance. Yet even when people are at least somewhat aware of these downsides, they still try to force themselves into taking that route. Even when their heart’s not in it — they don’t want to put in the hours, they don’t have a solid business idea, and they’re always planning rather than executing — they still beat themselves up over this fact. Many men and women only see two options for their career: 1) being their own boss, or 2) working for

some other person. Grinding it out as an employee in some deadening, unfulfilling, soul-sucking job. Fortunately, this is a truly false dichotomy. It’s in fact very possible to have all the makings of a great, satisfying job and the majority of the benefits of being an entrepreneur while still working for someone else. As long as you find a job with the 4 P’s. The 4 P’s of a Fulfilling Job According to Noah Kagan who, though a founder of multiple companies himself, acknowledges “being a founder actually kind of sucks” — being an employee can be just as good a gig as being an entrepreneur, as long as your job excels in 4 categories: Product, Purpose, Pay, and People. The product can actually be subsumed into Purpose; the output or service you help facilitate through your work is inextricably tied into its overarching meaning. Safely that

another “P” can be added in its place: Position — the role you play and your day-to-day functions. If you don’t feel like starting your own company is for you, it’s still possible to secure employment that’s just as satisfying as entrepreneurship if you look for the following Ps: Purpose: You care about the product, service, and/or mission of the company. People are drawn to starting their own business because the service/product is often something they’re passionate about. That’s all well and good, but you can also seek employment with a company that’s already doing something you care about and has the infrastructure in place to continue doing it for many years. That’s a far easier path than starting from scratch. Noah told that he always looked for jobs with companies with a great product or mission (and he worked for many of

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WORK LIFE

them!), and only started his own companies when he truly couldn’t find anyone that was providing what he wanted. Understand that even if a lot of people think a certain company or job is “cool,” it may not personally line up with your unique interests and values. It’s a lot easier to come to work every day when you believe in what a company is doing. It’s more enjoyable to do your job when you feel that, even in small ways, you’re working at something that makes people’s lives a little better, healthier, or just more fun. Position: You enjoy most of your day-to-day tasks and job functions. So you’ve found a company that has a mission you really align with; do you also have a job function that you enjoy? Do you find fulfilment in your day-to-day tasks? Many would-be entrepreneurs think the day-to-day work of being a founder is far more glamorous than it really is. Rather than being in meetings with important prospects and doing creative, big-picture dreaming and blueprinting, the reality is a bit duller. You end up doing those things to some extent,

but more of your time is taken up with administrative tasks, legal business, accounting and HR work, and answering emails and phone calls. It’s more like 80% busywork and 20% fun, big-picture company-building. Being an employee with more of a niche title may better suit your skills and interests, and actually, significantly increase the amount of time you spend on fulfilling tasks. Even if that title is somewhat generic — like “Manager” — you still have a more narrow framework for your daily and weekly tasks than a business owner. You have more of a defined purpose and role. While no job will be 100% fun or fulfilling, if the core of what you do is enjoyable, you’re in a good position. Rather than being fooled into thinking that being an entrepreneur is all fun and games and day-to-day freedom, seek out roles that are a little more defined and that actually, line up with where your skills and interests intersect. Pay: You’re paid what you’re worth. A large part of job satisfaction is feeling like you’re being paid what

you’re worth and in line with what you offer your company. This may seem shallow at first blush, but that’s just the truth of it. As Brett learned from Jonathan Clements, money does, in fact, buy happiness up to a certain point. If you think being an entrepreneur would net you more cash than working for the man, think again. It can take years before you’re making more money than you would as an employee somewhere. And in that decade, you could have moved up the ladder to a high-paying managerial or executive position. In fact, the average salary for entrepreneurs is declining and is now lower than the average middle manager’s salary. How do know if you’re being compensated well? Payscale.com, salary.com, glassdoor.com offer good looks at average salaries for various industries and geographic locations. A Mumbaikar’s salary will be higher than your Hyderabadi’s salary, but the cost of living in Mumbai is also way higher. Another factor to consider is your benefits package. Vacation, health care and other insurance, retirement contributions, and additional benefits can be worth up to 30% of your salary

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WORK LIFE

People: How are your coworkers? Are they hardworking? Kind? If you’ve been in toxic work environments, or on the other hand very pleasant workplaces, you know how important the people around you are to your job satisfaction. You spend 48+ hours a week with your coworkers, just during scheduled work time. When you factor in lunch breaks, networking events, and company social outings, many folks are spending more time with coworkers than their own family. That makes for some pretty miserable days and weeks if your coworkers are disrespectful, mean-spirited, lazy, or just plain unpleasant. When you’re an employee rather than an owner, you can commiserate and enjoy camaraderie with coworkers on a level that just isn’t the same. It’s like the difference between military officers and enlisted men; the latter are expected to be friendly with their men, but not get too familiar. They have to stay a little aloof while the men on the ground cut loose and form deep bonds. It can be lonely at the top. While you may think that being an entrepreneur is the only way to end up with a good team around you. There are a lot of great companies out there that are full of great people. And the reality is that no matter where you are, there are bound to be both good apples and bad. Even

when you’re the one in charge. Applying the 4 Ps With Nuance and Good Sense If you can find a job with all 4 of the above P’s, you’ll have almost certainly landed a gig that’s just as good (and maybe better) than being an entrepreneur. But it’s important to note that you don’t have to have all these things in place right at the outset of starting a job (and maybe ever). A second consideration to keep in mind is that if 3 of the 4 P’s are really strong, it may not matter, at least for a while, if one is missing. For example, you may not believe strongly in the company’s Purpose, but if you’re compensated well and enjoy your coworkers, that may be enough for you to be satisfied and even really enjoy your job. Finally, it’s possible for a job to start out having all 4 P’s, but then lose some as your coworkers change, your responsibilities shift, or the fulfilment you find in your tasks ebbs over time. In fact, this scenario is rather likely! Popular culture would have you believe that if you don’t become an entrepreneur, you’re doomed to the life of a bored, unsatisfied, underpaid worker drone. But in reality, while going into business for yourself can be a great path for some, it’s equally possible to find a fulfilling career working for someone else.

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62 WOMEN POWER

Women tend to run more sophisticated political campaigns

THE NEWS BUREAU

omen run more sophisticated political campaigns for office than men, says David Niven, a leading political researcher. For the study, Niven analysed 1,351 candidate responses to detailed questionnaires provided by the League of Women Voters in races across the nation in 2016. Those races ranged from local school boards and city councils all the way up to the US Senate. In a study, scheduled to be published in the journal Political Research Quarterly, the researchers found that women tend to run more sophisticated campaigns even when the odds are against them.

"Women tend to take the prospect of a political campaign more seriously, and their campaigns reflect that. Even when a woman is running in a difficult district, she is likely to make a serious effort," said David Niven, Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati in the US. "By contrast, men will run for office at the drop of a hat. In long shot circumstances, men's campaigns tend to be very amateurish," Niven added. Niven's measure of campaign sophistication is based on how many details candidates provided in their responses. The study found that more successful candidates tended to answer questions with general, thematic re-

sponses, while less successful candidates wallowed in specifics. "Overall, we found that women candidates are less likely to get caught up in details that, quite frankly, can lose votes and get in the way of the candidate's message," he said. The bottom line here is that women run more sophisticated campaigns in general, but that doesn't mean they are rewarded commensurately by the voters, according to the researchers. Niven is continuing his analysis of the League of Women Voter guides from the 2018 midterm elections and will also analyze the guides and outcomes from the 2020.

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SPORTS

Can't wait forever, BCCI should start women's IPL by 2021: Mithali

THE NEWS BUREAU

ndia ODI captain Mithali Raj has said BCCI should not "wait forever" to organise the women's Indian Premier League (IPL), and believes the inaugural tournament should be held in 2021. She also said that the women's IPL, unlike the men's edition, could initially be on a "smaller scale". "I personally feel they should start a women's IPL by next year, even if it's on a slightly smaller scale and with some changes in rules, such as, say, have five to six foreign players in the first edition instead of four as is the case with the men's IPL," Mithali told ESPNcricinfo.

The BCCI has hosted Women's IPL exhibition matches in the last two years but has said a fullfledged tournament will take some time to take shape. In this year's Women's T20 Challenge tournament, a total of seven matches are scheduled to be played in the tournament during the IPL Playoff week in Jaipur. However, with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent nation-wide lockdown, the possibility to the tournament being held remains highly unlikely. While accepting that India currently doesn't have the depth in women's cricket, Mithali suggested existing IPL franchises could own teams to facilitate the women's

tournament. "I agree we don't have the depth in the domestic pool yet, but the key is to get the existing franchises to form teams, even if (only) five or six of them are keen to begin the process because in any case, the BCCI was going to have four teams (in the Women's T20 Challenge)," she said. "You cannot wait forever; you have to begin at some point, and gradually, year by year, you can keep evolving the league and then bring it down to four foreign players," she added. Earlier, Sunil Gavaskar had also urged BCCI President Sourav Ganguly to come up with a plan to organise a Women's IPL in the country from 2021.

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CULTURE

Prasar Bharti in talks to re-telecast P

Ramayan, Mahabharat

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rasar Bharti is in talks to work out a deal with the rights holders of the epic tele-serials "Ramayan" and "Mahabharat", to re-telecast these shows once again during the 21-day nationwide lockdown by popular demand. Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar said, "Yes we are working on the same with the Rights Holders. Will update shortly. Stay tuned," Shekhar wrote on his official Twitter handle, @shashidigital. With India coming to a standstill owing to the national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, many on social media have written

how these shows were hugely popular at one time. People also noted how life on Sunday mornings would come to a standstill when these serials were telecast on Doordarshan National. "Dear @narendramodi ji @PrakashJavdekar ji Please consider asking DD, and advising other channels, to telecast Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana and B R Chopra's Mahabharata daily. Perhaps two episodes a day each. They acted as magnets in quarantining people back then. They still can," tweeted a user identified as @pranasutra, reports theprint.in. Others said that these mythologcal shows would help reduce stress at a time when normal life had become paralysed owing to

the lockdown. Some suggested back-to-back telecast of the serials, to enable a binge-watching sort of mood. Ramanand Sagar's "Ramayan" starred Arun Govil as Ram and Deepika Chikhalia as Sita, with Arvind Trivedi playing Raavan and Dara Singh essaying Hanuman. The series originally ran from 25 January 1987 to 31 July 1988. BR Chopra's "Mahabharat" featured Nitish Bhardwaj as Krishna and Roopa Ganguly as Draupadi, with Gajendra Chauhan, Praveen Kumar, Arjun, Sameer Chitre and Sanjeev Chitre as the Pandavas, and Punit Issar playing Duryodhana. The show ran originally from 2 October 1988 to 24 June 1990.

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EDU-VOICE

PROF. G. NARSIMULU

Spiritual education is a pricey package now

he state government of Telangana wanted to constitute an Education Commission to provide Value-based, moral-ethical education to the students of the state. Recently speaking in a meeting Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said education system failed to control the criminal mentality among the educated students and behaving like Inhumans. Further, he has announced that plans to take advice from spiritual gurus and monks like Sri China Jeeyar Swamy and former DGPS for enhancing Telangana education system. He announced the next academic year onwards curriculum is prepared by integrating Ethical and Moral values and taught to the students. During times of traditional Gurukula system of education where the teacher was given a prominent role To mould the student character based on the calibre and needs of the society. The teacher used to identify the skills and capacities of the students and appropriate education Apara Vidya means material Vidya and Para Vidya means spiritual knowledge was imparted. To

see the good in others work and to elevate our country and society are very much missing in the present system. Para Vidya and Apara Vidya of the Gurukul system of ancient India gave an advantage to the students as responsible citizens of the country and respect the elders in the society. During the regime of the British government the entire Gurukula education System and self sufficient village economy was destroyed. British government introduced Macaulay education system and the system only aimed to produce Servants to help the administration of the government machinery and English was medium of instruction. The feudal landlords and middle class used to join this new culture and rejecting the traditional culture and more passionated to materialistic education and behaving as if they are Britishers Mahatma Gandhiji during the freedom struggle realized the need for changes in the education system and wanted that education system should integrate hand mind and craftsmanship and make village economy self sufficient. His New

Education system was named as NAI TALIM. After Independence of India the then government under prime minister of late Jawaharlal Nehru established several universities and constituted new education commission under Kothari and named Kothari education commission 1964 Under this policy entire country 10+2+3 education system with Mother's tongue as first language and second language Hindi and third language will be English was introduced. The Freedom fighters-who were Gandhiji followers stated educational institutions on a purely non-profit basis to provide education for the children of poorest of poor in the society. The Vivevakavardhini Group of schools, Madapati Hanmantha Rao girls schools, CSI church schools SaintAnns school Were some of the prominent educational institutions in Hyderabad. The academic and value-based education Was imparted. With increased attraction towards engineering and medicinal courses, the majority of the parents wanted their wards to study these courses by enrolling them into

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EDU-VOICE

coaching classes run by Chukka Ramiah and Krishna Murthy IIT coaching at Hyderabad. The coaching centres like SriChaitanya group and Narayana stated Intermediate classes along with IIT and Emcet long term coaching classes. The job opportunities in the USA and other countries for software personnelâ€™s made the parents and students oriented more of these courses. The family bonding in Indian families was replaced with materialistic things. The children after education in India who migrated to the USA never look after their elderly family members and whenever their services needed as servant maids to look after their children were asked to join with them for a short period. After their children become capable of joining per schools they never look after their parents as they were more of materialist nature and never bothered the spiritual path in their entire life. The USA based NRI families are financially sound but mentally they are lacking peace and spending sleepless nights. Their children are also behaving much more than their parents. Drugs and sexual life at teenage common to them. This made NRI families think of the importance of wisdom and PARA VIDYA. Chaganti Koteshwar Rao and Garikapaty pravachanams on several issues pertaining spiritual knowledge through YouTube channels made Indian and NRI based youths think of important of Indian culture and inheritance of spiritual values and

this made them money alone is not enough but something linkage between soul and nature missing. Hence they are looking after institutes and Sadugurus offering various yogic courses and arranging Various Japams etc and charging heavy fees. Dr Prateep Joshi a famous Astrologer and running YouTube channel giving guidance on online to Indian and foreign nationals charging heavy fees. But like Apara vidya the Para Vidya(spiritual education) too is highly commercialized in India now. Certain channels in Telugu used sponsored programmes of astrology gurus to take up certain poojas on certain times and dates at the particular temple will give a fortune to your families. It was reported three months back a temple in Nalgonda district on a particular date and time more than fifty thousands of devotees paid a visit and this had created traffic problems. Naduri Srinivas a software person at Bangalore turned as spiritual master urged not to go these socalled Gurus but spend their time on doing Narayana selva and helping needy people. To replace the present education system with inculcating moral and ethical values in school education system by the chief minister of Telangana is laudable and Indian traditional Gurukulams Used to give equal importance to spiritual and Materialistic education. An education commission constituted with The saints and retired police personnel by the Telangana government will definitely give proper direction to make students more entrepreneurs and having seeds of Indian heritage and culture not meagrely employees of the government machinery.

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(The author is a Retired professor, Life Long Education Osmania university, Hyderabad Telangana state)

DEFENCE COLUMN 67

WG CDR TJ REDDY VSM (RETD)

Tackling the Corona crisis

The Armed forces are always there to help T

he nation is facing an unprecedented situation of uncertainty arising out of COVID-19. The 21 day total lockdown of the nation has begun. Nation is at WAR – a war of a different kind the mighty Indian armed forces have never fought. In the days to come the role of the military may expand if the civilian infrastructure is unable to cope with the projections. And the military has never let down during tough times. With the Defence ministry deploying resources in the aid of civilian authorities, IAF aircraft have evacuated hundreds of Indian nationals and others belonging to friendly countries like Maldives, Bangladesh, US, Myanmar, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru from COVID-19 affected countries such as China, Japan, Italy and Iran. India is the only country in the world to evacuate its citizens six times(and counting) and evacuated the most number of foreign nationals. The Army has established extensive quarantine facilities at Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Manesar to together provide for 1600 civilians to handle these evacuated personnel. Nearly two battalions of troops have vacated their living accommodation /barracks for setting up

these national-level facilities, which include hygienic living and dining facilities including the facility for performing religious rituals. Military bases are being turned into quarantine facilities to protect the nation – in the process, they expose themselves along with medical and paramedical staff to protect others. For those in uniform, irrespective of colour, there is no luxury of selfisolation or talk about their plight. In all these, for the military, there are other issues too to confront with – spreading disinformation campaign by the real enemies. America is already facing such campaign on COVID 19 with coordinated efforts to disparage their efforts towards containing the pandemic. As the Coronavirus continues its relentless march across the world, panic and fear affect all. The military has been drafted already to help enforce lockdown in many countries as other measures have not been effective. Soldiers are helping to transport the sick to military hospitals with spare capacity and setting up a Military Hospital with additional intensive care beds. As of now, commitment from Government has been enormous, coming in praise from World Health Organisation (WHO). Our

nation has pulled out all the stops as far as action on the pandemic goes. We are moving with speed, scale and determination to contain the spread and mitigate the virus. Prime Minister Modi has made a fervent appeal to the nation warning the citizens of the consequences of laxity and complacency. Prime Minister not only looked at the situation from the nation’s point of view but has recently conducted SAARC video conference, showing the way to other countries. The spread of the pandemic in the neighbourhood countries would spell doom to India and it was a statesmanly strategy to enhance public confidence in the ability of SAARC countries to handle the emerging situation effectively. As for the military, various steps have been taken across the country to contain the virus and prevent any occurrences among serving and veteran community. All places where crowding is likely to take place, like unit run canteens, institutes, swimming pools have closed until further orders. Similarly, attendance at Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics is being regulated. The beneficiaries have been extended one time sanction to reimburse the expenditure under in-

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68 DEFENCE COLUMN

dividual reimbursement of medical claims towards purchase of onemonth requirement of all prescribed medicines for the month of April 2020 following the guidelines by WHO to avoid movements and avoid crowding, particularly necessary as a large number of veterans fall in the category of senior and super senior citizens. Military can always be trusted to ruthlessly enforce compliance to all or any instructions issued by the Government and in consonance with directions received from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare as well as Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), as part of a joint effort to combat the corona threat. The moment first confirmed case (a 34-year-old jawan whose father had returned from a pilgrimage from Iran and he was on casual leave to his village in Kerala) of coronavirus at Leh was detected, a virtual lockdown of the Ladakh Regimental Centre there was forced and ten jawans in contact with the patient were quarantined besides stopping all leave related movements. Official gatherings & social functions have been cancelled. Military has also issued a slew of instructions including

‘Work from Home’ to reduce the strength of personnel working at Headquarters and some peace formations. Like Police, the scope for the staggered approach of work from home is severely restricted at active and forward military units/formations, and cannot afford to lower guard from any sneak and opportune attempts from an uncouth enemy. The uncertain nature of the spread of the virus which may have a bearing on the health and welfare of those at home will be an issue to contend with, particularly with total stoppage of air and rail movements, in case of an emergency, an inalienable feature of military service. Such quarantines for a soldier are a normal feature, the lockdown on the LOC is part of his duty. He does not have the luxury of disobeying, the countrymen should, therefore, have no bother to observe lockdown for a limited duration for their sake and country’s sake. So, for now: Stay safe and let others be safe. Lockdown is temporary – this too shall pass. Coronavirus gallops on. The world is groping for measures to contain it. The curative vaccine is a far cry as of now. Anything that

can help contain the spread of virus must be done. Indian Armed Forces would support the nation with all it’s mite to augment the effort. Armed Forces have as always one religion: it is now CORONA NEGATIVE and ready to fight the war against fast-spreading religion CORONA POSITIVE. Tailpiece: The Indian civilization, is one of the most advanced in the world, has been way ahead of its time with gifting the world the Namaste- which is now propagated by every world leader. Ancient India idealised vegetarianism and expounded Ayurveda, and as a result, did not come in contact with any serious threat from plagues/ diseases in its millenniums of existence. India NEVER created any pandemic in the history of its existence. Long Live India. (Author A Wing Commander from Administration branch in the IAF, was a Fighter Controller who actively participated in 1965 and 1971 wars. He was awarded VSM (VishishtSeva Medal) by the President of India in January 1976. He is currently the President of Air Force Association AP &Telangana branch. Views expressed by the author are personal)

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SHOBHA’S PAT ON MIND 69

DR SHOBHA RAJU

The sign of humility & equality World learning to say Namasthe

was in the third and fourth standards. A drama company in our colony used to rehearse different dramas. I used to get engrossed in their rehearsals. Once, they were rehearsing “Sri Seetha Ramanjaneya Yuddham”. Poems are very important in dramas based on epics. By virtue of my grasping power, I learnt all the poems. I used to sing them for my mother after coming back from rehearsals. My mother used to explain the meanings of the poems to me. It was the battle scene. Rama asks Anjaneya to leave Yayati Raju to Him as He promised saint Viswamitra that He would punish Yayati Raju for offending the saint. But by then Anjaneya would have given word to His own mother, Anjana Devi, that He would protect Yayati from being killed. So Anjaneya politely refuses to hand over Yayati. In the above context, there are a lot of famous and interesting poems. In one of the poems, Rama

quotes all the instances in which, He helped Anjaneya. In another poem, Anjaneya also quotes all the instances, in which He helped Rama. As a girl of six/seven years, I felt it was not in good taste to boast of the helps each did to each other, though they were saying the facts. Later as a girl of fourteen/ fifteen years, I saw “Sri Seetha Ramanjaneya Yuddham” directed by Sri Bapu. In this too, I didn’t relish Rama quoting instances in which He helped Anjaneya and asked Him to relieve Yayati. Rama was all-powerful yet very humble all the times. In this scene, he appeared to be a bit different. I empathised with Anjaneya, who also quotes instances in which He helped Rama. But he quotes in a subdued tone that is always filled with devotion to Rama and with the repentance. Repentance is for having given a word to His mother Anjana Devi, in the name of Rama Himself, that He would save Yayati, - not knowing that Rama

has already given a word to Viswamitra to punish Yayati. However much one might contribute or help the other or however much meritorious one could be, if one boasts of his help or merit boisterously, it will not be in good taste. As a kid and as a teenager I felt it. I wrote an application once again to the then CM in 1996, requesting him to allot an extent of land to Annamacharya Bhavana Vahini. It was perused by a High Court Judge. He said, “We appreciate the reason why you want it. But you didn’t strengthen your request by mentioning your service, awards, merits and all”. As I expressed my sensitivity to write about myself, he said, “That’s why you are not getting your due. You must talk about yourself. Otherwise, how do the people know?”. Listening to his elaborate reasoning to write about myself, I started to attempt. Right from the beginning, something within me started feeling very uncomfortable. I was of nature from childhood that

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70 SHOBHA’S PAT ON MIND

while I help others, I create a feeling in them that I am being helped by them. My love & concern for them would be so. Somehow, I completed writing about myself. The next day Poornanna, our Rakhee brother came to our house. Just to gain moral support, I showed the letter to him. “Is this the Shobhamma, I know, who wrote this letter? She is very humble. Won’t boast. What’s this?” He said, shocked. I was dead for a while listening to his comments.“It feels repulsive when one talks of one’s own achievements. You get a negative result”, he said. He was echoing my thoughts. As a child, as a teenager and as an adult (me in three different stages of age), felt it be not in good taste to boast about one’s own self, be it, Gods or humans. A realised soul cannot be egoistic for he sees entire creation as one whole. Whom are we looking down when the whole creation is one? Those who do not have a holistic approach to humanity is not a

Sanatanist (one who practices Sanatana Dharma). Dear Readers! I was much relieved when I came to know that the scene of “Sri Ramanjaneya Yuddham” isn’t there in original Ramayanam written by saint Valmiki. It’s added later in different versions of Ramayanam just to emphasize the importance of Ramanama and Bhakti (Devotion). As Rama shoots the most formidable “Rama banam” (arrow of Rama), Hanuman sits in meditation chanting the sacred name of Rama as Rama Nama is more powerful than Rama banam. Our Sanatana Dharma is the most valuable and has much science behind it. We are all very proud (humbly) about it. But in this hour. of unprecedented crisis, when Carona is threatening the world, if the foreign leaders adopted “Namasthe”, it could be a matter of pleasantness to us. In this toughest time of Carona, it was so heartening to see the foreign leaders greeting each other with “Namasthe” instead of shaking hands. Lo! Entire social

media went berserk. Even I did. Trump of USA, Leo Varadkar of Ireland, Prince Charles of Britain, Emmanuel Macron of France, Netanyahu of Israel and so many world leaders greeting each other with our “Namasthe”! There is a great percentage of good in our culture and tradition. There is something great in other systems also. Let us share. Let us prove our systems through experiments and establish their values. Our philosophies shouldn’t be confined to the dais and TV shows. It should shine in practical application. How do I wish our ancestors had explained the rationality and science behind our rituals? They were just asked to follow blindly. When the questions were dealt like arrogance and most of the times had no answers, the rituals were looked down like dead habits. Namasthe is truly a sign of humility and equality! Not of arrogance. Namasthe! (Author is a well-known musician, Devotional singer, writer and composer.)

THE NEWS YOU LIKE | APRIL 2020

The News You Like April, 2020

RNI No: APENG/2013/48048 P.R. No. RNP/HD/1187/2020-22 (DOP: 1st of Every Month; DOP: 8/9-4-2020)