ˆ · 2020-06-15 · October 2016, India and ... have gone viral on social media ... agencies...

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H ours after India lodged a strong protest, Pakistani authorities on Monday evening released two Indian High Commission staffers in Islamabad, who were report- edly arrested for their alleged involvement in a “hit and run accident”. Top Government sources confirmed that the two Indian staffers were released by Pakistani authorities and they are back at the Indian High Commission. Sources said Pakistan charge d’affaires Syed Hyder Shah was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs and issued a demarche. Simultaneously, in Islamabad the Indian High Commission took up with the Pakistan authorities the issue of the missing staffers, they added. The Indians, both dri- vers, reportedly went missing since 8 am. This incident comes days after two Pakistani officials at the Pakistan High Commission here were accused of espi- onage and deported. The two staffers Abid Hussain and Mohammad Tahir worked in the visa section. The Delhi Police caught them while they were report- edly obtaining sensitive docu- ments relating to India’s secu- rity installations from an Indian national in exchange for money, sources said. Incidentally, this was the first time in four years that an official of the Pakistan High Commission was expelled. In October 2016, India and Pakistan had expelled officials from each other’s missions for spying. Pakistan had sum- moned a senior Indian diplo- mat to register a strong protest over the decision. This incident comes against the backdrop of sever- al top Indian diplomats being subjected to aggressive tailing in Islamabad by the Pakistani security agencies over the last several days. India has protest- ed against the excessive sur- veillance. The vehicle of India’s Charge d’affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia was chased by the ISI recently. A biker was seen following the official’s car. In March, the Indian High Commission in Pakistan sent a strong protest note to the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad protesting against the harass- ment of its officers and staff. In the note, India cited 13 such instances just in March and asked Pakistan to put an end to them. The Government also said Pakistan should investigate the incidents urgently and instruct the relevant agencies to ensure that these do not recur. India and Pakistan down- graded their diplomatic ties in August, after J&K’s special sta- tus under Article 370 was revoked. Both countries have recalled their High Commissioners, and Deputy High Commissioners. W hile the medical experts and scientists are busy looking for a cure and vaccine for coronavirus, in several parts of the country people have started worshipping corona as a “goddess’ to appease its worth. There have been several instances of people offering animal sacrifices and puja in parts of UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and West Bengal to woo the corona goddess. Several videos and images have gone viral on social media in which many people mostly women could be seen per- forming puja of ‘corona mai or devi’. They believe that it is the only way to put an end to the deadly coronavirus pandemic. In Kerala, a native of Kadakkal district, identified as Anilan, has installed an idol which looks similar to the coronavirus at a makeshift shrine next to his house. He conducts daily rituals in front of the thermocol idol. But he doesn’t allow visitors as he staunchly believes in the sci- ence behind “break the chain” campaign. According to report, he is ready to offer “prasadam” to those who reach out to him by mail. In Jharkhand’s Koderma district, villagers sacrificed 400 goats to please “corona mai” in a bid to ward off the coron- avirus. In Bihar, “corona devi” has emerged as a goddess for many villages of Nalanda, Gopalganj, Saran, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur, Arrah and Buxar. In Patna, vil- lagers of Kosut and Bahuara and Anishabad are putting alum (fitkiri) in from their door to ward of the virus. In many blocks of Buxar, there have been reports of women offering worship to the ‘corona devi’ after taking a holy dip in the Ganga and light- ing incense. In Sarveshwarnath Temple in Brahmapura, Muzaffarpur, women have been performing the ritual by offering laddoo, flowers and sesame seeds to chase away the virus. W ith Tamil Nadu on Monday reporting 44 deaths due to Covid-19, the highest for a single day, taking the toll to 479 and infection tally to 46,504 in the State, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced “max- imised restricted lockdown” from June 19 to June 30 in four districts — Chennai Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur. This also includes full scale shutdown on two Sundays, the government added. Now persons planning to make a trip to Chennai and the three neighboring districts are advised to reschedule their travel plans as the above men- tioned places have become no- go areas. The announcement came after a cabinet meeting, which included the CM and health experts. Use of cabs, autos and pri- vate vehicles will not be allowed except for emergency medical purposes. Government offices will function with 33 per cent employees. However, secre- tariat, health, police, revenue, electricity, treasuries, Aavin, local bodies, labour, coopera- tion and food departments can function with sufficient num- ber of employees. However, the lockdown will have exceptions for hospitals, diagnostic labs, pharmacies, ambulance and hearse vans to function but movement of taxis, auto rickshaws, and other pri- vate vehicles will be banned except for medical emergencies, stated the Government. W ith fraudsters seeking to exploit the Covid-19 cri- sis to rake in the moolah, the CBI has issued alerts to all State/Union Territory police agencies relating to rise in online advance payment scams and use of methanol for counterfeiting hand sanitisers. The CBI alerts to the law enforcement agencies are based on Interpol inputs. Online advance payment scams involve instances of criminals approaching as ven- dors of personal protection equipment (PPE) and other protective equipment suppliers related to Covid-19 pandemic and entering business transac- tions with clients online. After receipt of payment via bank transfers, the fraudulent ven- dors do not make any delivery of the committed items. Methanol in hand sanitis- ers can be highly toxic and dan- gerous for the human body. According to the inputs from the Interpol, instances, in other countries, of use of methanol for preparing spurious hand sanitisers have come to the fore. “Instances have been reported in other countries where due to huge demand for hand sanitisers during Covid-19 pandemic, use of methanol was detected to pro- duce counterfeit hand sanitisers. Methanol can be highly toxic and dangerous for the human body,” a CBI spokesperson said. Based on inputs from Interpol, the CBI had last month alerted the States/Union Territories/Central Agencies on a threat from a malicious soft- ware that uses a banking Trojan Cerberus which deploys its app to trick users into installing it on their smartphones. “Based on inputs received from Interpol, CBI has issued an alert relating to a banking Trojan known as Cerberus. This malicious software takes advantage of Covid-19 Pandemic to impersonate and send SMS using the lure of Covid-19 related content to download the embedded mali- cious link, which deploys its malicious app usually spread via phishing campaigns to trick users into installing it on their smartphones,” the CBI which is the nodal agency for Interpol in India had said last month. W ith the new-found syn- ergy between the Centre and the Delhi Government in the wake of spike in Covid cases in Delhi, the Governments are pulling out all stops to escalate the fight against the pandemic to a war- footing level. Several crucial develop- ments took place in Delhi on Monday from Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairing an all-party meeting urging political parties to bury dif- ference and join hands to bat- tle Covid-19 to the Railways saying they are all set to pro- vide 250 coaches with 4,000 Covid beds by Tuesday. The move came after Shah on Sunday had announced 500 isolation ward coaches for 8,000 Covid-19 patients in Delhi. However, most striking announcement was that of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh who said a new test for coronavirus dis- ease will be made available in Delhi costing only 450 and providing results in 15 min- utes. In the day, Shah paid a sur- prise visit to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital to review arrangements related to Covid-19, directing the Delhi Chief Secretary to install CCTV cameras in corona wards of every designated hos- pital in the national Capital for proper monitoring, and set up alternative canteens for uninterrupted supply of food to patients. “We have stationed 50 iso- lation ward coaches at ShakurBasti railway station. By Tuesday evening, 180 iso- lation ward coaches at Anand Vihar station and another 20 will be stationed at other rail- way stations in Delhi,” a Railways official said. Leaders of the BJP, AAP, the Congress and the BSP attended the meeting with the Home Minister, who had on Sunday announced a slew of measures, including ramping up of testing facilities, after holding discussions with the Delhi Government and the civic bodies on the coron- avirus crisis. Pitching for political unity O n Monday, as many as 146 persons tested positive for Covid-19, pushing the State’s total tally to 4,055. Of the new cases, 128 were detected from quarantine cen- tres while 18 are local contacts. Kandhamal district report- ed the highest 48 cases while Cuttack and Bhadrak reported 19 each, Ganjam and Baleswar districts eight each, Khordha seven, Angul six, Rayagada five, Jagatsinghpur and Sundargarh and Nayagarh four each, Subarnapur two and Sambalpur one. Nine Odisha Fire Service personnel, who had returned from West Bengal, also tested positive for the virus. However, a total of 146 per- sons recovered on the day, taking the total recoveries to 2, 854 so far. Out of the 146, 26 were from Cuttack district, 23 from Khordha, 18 from Ganjam, 13 from Mayurbhanj, 12 from Gajapati, 11 each from Bhadrak and Balangir, five each from Kandhamal, Koraput and Rayagada, four from Kalahandi, three each from Jajpur and Nayagarh, two each from Dhenkanal, Nuapada and Puri and one from Jagatsinghpur district. A day after two elephants were found dead under mysterious conditions in the Gurubeda Reserve Forest, Additional PCCF Shashi Pal and RCCF, Rourkela Bhanja Kishore Swain reached the spot and conducted an inquiry on Monday. They found winding wires and insulators which were sus- pected to have been used by the poachers to trap the two jum- bos, including a tusker, in 11- KV electric current. After elec- trocution, the poachers cut off the tusks of the tusker and the trunk of the female elephant. Sources said Pal expressed deep anguish over the ele- phants’ “killing” for ivory and said strong action would be taken against the persons involved. Locals lamented that ele- phant poaching is on the rise in Keonjar district despite the fact that the Government is spending huge amounts of money out of the CAMPA funds. As many as 18 jumbos have died since incumbent DFO Santosh Kumar Joshi joined office in September 2017. to inspire confidence among the people, Shah appealed to the representatives of the four parties to urge their workers to ensure implementation of the Delhi Government’s coron- avirus guidelines on the ground.

Transcript of ˆ · 2020-06-15 · October 2016, India and ... have gone viral on social media ... agencies...

Page 1: ˆ · 2020-06-15 · October 2016, India and ... have gone viral on social media ... agencies relating to rise in online

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Hours after India lodged astrong protest, Pakistani

authorities on Monday eveningreleased two Indian HighCommission staffers inIslamabad, who were report-edly arrested for their allegedinvolvement in a “hit and runaccident”.

Top Government sourcesconfirmed that the two Indianstaffers were released byPakistani authorities and theyare back at the Indian HighCommission.

Sources said Pakistancharge d’affaires Syed HyderShah was summoned to the

Ministry of External Affairsand issued a demarche.Simultaneously, in Islamabadthe Indian High Commissiontook up with the Pakistanauthorities the issue of themissing staffers, they added. The Indians, both dri-vers, reportedly went missingsince 8 am.

This incident comes daysafter two Pakistani officials atthe Pakistan High Commissionhere were accused of espi-onage and deported. The twostaffers Abid Hussain andMohammad Tahir worked inthe visa section.

The Delhi Police caughtthem while they were report-

edly obtaining sensitive docu-ments relating to India’s secu-rity installations from an Indiannational in exchange formoney, sources said.

Incidentally, this was thefirst time in four years that anofficial of the Pakistan HighCommission was expelled. InOctober 2016, India and

Pakistan had expelled officialsfrom each other’s missions forspying. Pakistan had sum-moned a senior Indian diplo-mat to register a strong protestover the decision.

This incident comesagainst the backdrop of sever-al top Indian diplomats beingsubjected to aggressive tailing

in Islamabad by the Pakistanisecurity agencies over the lastseveral days. India has protest-ed against the excessive sur-veillance.

The vehicle of India’sCharge d’affaires GauravAhluwalia was chased by theISI recently. A biker was seenfollowing the official’s car.

In March, the Indian HighCommission in Pakistan sent astrong protest note to theForeign Ministry in Islamabadprotesting against the harass-ment of its officers and staff.

In the note, India cited 13such instances just in March andasked Pakistan to put an end tothem. The Government alsosaid Pakistan should investigatethe incidents urgently andinstruct the relevant agencies toensure that these do not recur.

India and Pakistan down-graded their diplomatic ties inAugust, after J&K’s special sta-tus under Article 370 was revoked. Both countries haverecalled their HighCommissioners, and DeputyHigh Commissioners.

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While the medical expertsand scientists are busy

looking for a cure and vaccinefor coronavirus, in several partsof the country people havestarted worshipping corona asa “goddess’ to appease its worth.

There have been severalinstances of people offeringanimal sacrifices and puja inparts of UP, Bihar, Jharkhand,Assam and West Bengal towoo the corona goddess.

Several videos and images

have gone viral on social mediain which many people mostlywomen could be seen per-forming puja of ‘corona mai ordevi’. They believe that it is theonly way to put an end to thedeadly coronavirus pandemic.

In Kerala, a native ofKadakkal district, identifiedas Anilan, has installed an idolwhich looks similar to thecoronavirus at a makeshiftshrine next to his house. Heconducts daily rituals in frontof the thermocol idol. But hedoesn’t allow visitors as he

staunchly believes in the sci-ence behind “break the chain”campaign. According to report,he is ready to offer “prasadam”to those who reach out to himby mail.

In Jharkhand’s Kodermadistrict, villagers sacrificed 400goats to please “corona mai” ina bid to ward off the coron-avirus.

In Bihar, “corona devi” hasemerged as a goddess for manyvillages of Nalanda, Gopalganj,Saran, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur,Arrah and Buxar. In Patna, vil-

lagers of Kosut and Bahuaraand Anishabad are puttingalum (fitkiri) in from their doorto ward of the virus.

In many blocks of Buxar,there have been reports ofwomen offering worship tothe ‘corona devi’ after taking aholy dip in the Ganga and light-ing incense.

In Sarveshwarnath Templein Brahmapura, Muzaffarpur,women have been performingthe ritual by offering laddoo,flowers and sesame seeds tochase away the virus.

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With Tamil Nadu onMonday reporting 44

deaths due to Covid-19, thehighest for a single day, takingthe toll to 479 and infectiontally to 46,504 in the State,Chief Minister Edappadi KPalaniswami announced “max-imised restricted lockdown”from June 19 to June 30 in fourdistricts — Chennai Chennai,Kanchipuram, Chengalpattuand Tiruvallur. This alsoincludes full scale shutdown ontwo Sundays, the governmentadded.

Now persons planning tomake a trip to Chennai and thethree neighboring districts areadvised to reschedule theirtravel plans as the above men-tioned places have become no-go areas.

The announcement cameafter a cabinet meeting, whichincluded the CM and healthexperts.

Use of cabs, autos and pri-vate vehicles will not be allowed

except for emergency medicalpurposes. Government officeswill function with 33 per centemployees. However, secre-tariat, health, police, revenue,electricity, treasuries, Aavin,local bodies, labour, coopera-tion and food departments canfunction with sufficient num-ber of employees.

However, the lockdown willhave exceptions for hospitals,diagnostic labs, pharmacies,ambulance and hearse vans tofunction but movement of taxis,auto rickshaws, and other pri-vate vehicles will be bannedexcept for medical emergencies,stated the Government.

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With fraudsters seeking toexploit the Covid-19 cri-

sis to rake in the moolah, theCBI has issued alerts to allState/Union Territory policeagencies relating to rise in onlineadvance payment scams and useof methanol for counterfeitinghand sanitisers. The CBI alertsto the law enforcement agenciesare based on Interpol inputs.

Online advance paymentscams involve instances ofcriminals approaching as ven-dors of personal protectionequipment (PPE) and otherprotective equipment suppliersrelated to Covid-19 pandemicand entering business transac-tions with clients online. Afterreceipt of payment via banktransfers, the fraudulent ven-dors do not make any deliveryof the committed items.

Methanol in hand sanitis-ers can be highly toxic and dan-gerous for the human body.According to the inputs fromthe Interpol, instances, in othercountries, of use of methanolfor preparing spurious handsanitisers have come to the fore.

“Instances have been

reported in other countrieswhere due to huge demand forhand sanitisers during Covid-19 pandemic, use ofmethanol was detected to pro-duce counterfeit hand sanitisers.Methanol can be highly toxicand dangerous for the humanbody,” a CBI spokesperson said.

Based on inputs fromInterpol, the CBI had last monthalerted the States/UnionTerritories/Central Agencies ona threat from a malicious soft-ware that uses a banking TrojanCerberus which deploys its appto trick users into installing it ontheir smartphones.

“Based on inputs receivedfrom Interpol, CBI has issuedan alert relating to a bankingTrojan known as Cerberus.This malicious software takesadvantage of Covid-19Pandemic to impersonate andsend SMS using the lure ofCovid-19 related content todownload the embedded mali-cious link, which deploys itsmalicious app usually spreadvia phishing campaigns to trickusers into installing it on theirsmartphones,” the CBI which isthe nodal agency for Interpol inIndia had said last month.

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With the new-found syn-ergy between the Centre

and the Delhi Government inthe wake of spike in Covidcases in Delhi, theGovernments are pulling outall stops to escalate the fightagainst the pandemic to a war-footing level.

Several crucial develop-ments took place in Delhi onMonday from Union HomeMinister Amit Shah chairingan all-party meeting urgingpolitical parties to bury dif-ference and join hands to bat-tle Covid-19 to the Railwayssaying they are all set to pro-vide 250 coaches with 4,000Covid beds by Tuesday. Themove came after Shah onSunday had announced 500isolation ward coaches for8,000 Covid-19 patients inDelhi.

However, most strikingannouncement was that ofAam Aadmi Party (AAP)leader Sanjay Singh who saida new test for coronavirus dis-ease will be made available inDelhi costing only �450 andproviding results in 15 min-

utes.In the day, Shah paid a sur-

prise visit to Lok Nayak JaiPrakash Narayan Hospital toreview arrangements related toCovid-19, directing the DelhiChief Secretary to installCCTV cameras in coronawards of every designated hos-pital in the national Capital forproper monitoring, and setup alternative canteens foruninterrupted supply of foodto patients.

“We have stationed 50 iso-lation ward coaches atShakurBasti railway station.By Tuesday evening, 180 iso-lation ward coaches at AnandVihar station and another 20will be stationed at other rail-way stations in Delhi,” aRailways official said.

Leaders of the BJP, AAP,the Congress and the BSPattended the meeting with theHome Minister, who had onSunday announced a slew ofmeasures, including rampingup of testing facilities, afterholding discussions with theDelhi Government and thecivic bodies on the coron-avirus crisis.

Pitching for political unity

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On Monday, as many as 146persons tested positive for

Covid-19, pushing the State’stotal tally to 4,055.

Of the new cases, 128 weredetected from quarantine cen-tres while 18 are local contacts.

Kandhamal district report-ed the highest 48 cases whileCuttack and Bhadrak reported19 each, Ganjam and Baleswardistricts eight each, Khordhaseven, Angul six, Rayagadafive, Jagatsinghpur and

Sundargarh and Nayagarh foureach, Subarnapur two andSambalpur one.

Nine Odisha Fire Servicepersonnel, who had returnedfrom West Bengal, also testedpositive for the virus.

However, a total of 146 per-sons recovered on the day,taking the total recoveries to 2,854 so far.

Out of the 146, 26 werefrom Cuttack district, 23 fromKhordha, 18 from Ganjam, 13from Mayurbhanj, 12 fromGajapati, 11 each from Bhadrakand Balangir, five each fromKandhamal, Koraput andRayagada, four fromKalahandi, three each fromJajpur and Nayagarh, two eachfrom Dhenkanal, Nuapada andPuri and one fromJagatsinghpur district.

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Aday after two elephantswere found dead under

mysterious conditions in theGurubeda Reserve Forest,Additional PCCF Shashi Paland RCCF, Rourkela BhanjaKishore Swain reached the spotand conducted an inquiry onMonday.

They found winding wiresand insulators which were sus-pected to have been used by thepoachers to trap the two jum-

bos, including a tusker, in 11-KV electric current. After elec-trocution, the poachers cut offthe tusks of the tusker and thetrunk of the female elephant.

Sources said Pal expresseddeep anguish over the ele-phants’ “killing” for ivory andsaid strong action would betaken against the personsinvolved.

Locals lamented that ele-phant poaching is on the rise inKeonjar district despite thefact that the Government isspending huge amounts ofmoney out of the CAMPAfunds. As many as 18 jumboshave died since incumbentDFO Santosh Kumar Joshijoined office in September2017.

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to inspire confidence amongthe people, Shah appealed tothe representatives of the fourparties to urge their workers to

ensure implementation of theDelhi Government’s coron-avirus guidelines on theground.

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Aparajita, which literallymeans the unconquerable,

has proved it in real life.Successes came to AparajitaSarangi as if dreams cometrue. She was selected to theIAS in her first innings and waselected to the 17th Lok sabhain her maiden political endeav-our. The iron behind her soulstood against all odds and sheclimbed to the pulpit ofParliament breaking all theadamantine chains. The wheelhas now turned a full circle forher and her transition from abureaucrat of the ivory towersto a mass leader has beencomplete. A lady with a win-some personality, she has nowbeen chosen as a BJP State vice-president. In an interview toThe Pioneer, she spoke toSugyan Choudhury on theprevailing political issues in theState.

What’s your feeling afterbeing made BJP State vice-president?

I am extremely happy. Ihumbly accept the honour. Iam grateful to Hon’ble PMModiji, party national presidentMr JP Nada and, of course,thankful to BJP State presidentMr Samir Mohanty for havingreposed faith in me to strength-en the party through this post.

How far shall the newteam strengthen the BJP Staterank and file?

Of course, this has beendone with much deliberationand after a lot of consultationsby the party supremo in Delhi.The party top leaders andthink tanks have consultedthose who are at the helm ofaffairs in the State. I find thenew team members commit-ted, very positive and active. Iam extremely optimistic thatthe party shall charter itsdesired course in the rightdirection.

Some observers say thatby this revamping drive, theState BJP has earned moreenemies than friends. Is ittrue?

You can’t satisfy all. This isthe law of nature and the lawof the world. To every action,there is always an equal andopposite reaction. This isNewton’s third law. We should-n’t be swayed away by suchtalks and criticism. The partycan’t satisfy them all. I don’tthink people who have notbeen included are bad. I havegreat love and regards for them,but I must say all those exclud-ed should do their best for the

party and patiently wait fortheir turn to come. As youknow, the BJP culture as initi-ated by PM Modi, Party pres-ident Nada, and Amit Shah isvery unlike the other parties.The neo BJP culture is to spotout talents and accommodatethem in the party’s mainstream.Those who are aggrieved todaymay find their berths readytomorrow.

Amit Shah has calledupon your party workers toensure Odisha as an invinci-ble BJP citadel. How is possi-ble without altering the per-

sonal chemistry of relation-ship that exists between Modiand Naveen Patnaik?

Home Minister Amit Shahis confident that Odisha wouldbe in the hands of BJP and thata BJP Government could pro-vide better rule than the presentBJD regime. Le’s confine our-selves to what Shahji has askedus to do. We are working at our37,606 booths and we are hope-ful to improve and strengthenour position in the State in daysahead. I tell you honestly thatthere is no confusion in thisregard. You mediapersons arereading too much between thelines.

What’s your observationregarding the scam alleged byyour party over purchase ofmasks and PPE kits by theState Government?

Certainly, I stand by myparty. Four and a half crore ofOdias know what has hap-pened in the deal. There is acomplete lack of transparencyin the purchases. We are takenaghast when we come to knowabout the prices at which theother State Governments havepaid for similar items. In myopinion, there should havebeen open tender taking care ofthe price and the quality of thematerials, but all these havebeen thrown to the winds.This is as clear as the broaddaylight.

Could you explain whatthe PM means by “Vocal forthe Locals”?

In my opinion, we shouldall emulate what the PMbelieves in the concept of“Vocal for the Locals”. There isacute unemployment inOdisha. Our boys and girls aregoing outside. Of course, noone denies them to go forgreener pastures. It should be

a boost factor, not a pushed fac-tor for the unemployed youthsto go outside. But why shouldthere be distress migration forjobs at textile factories in Suratand brick kilns of Hyderabad?Why should not there be soundpharmaceuticals companies inOdisha to accommodate ouryouths in their own soil? Thecountry’s 35% of iron ore is inOdisha and 84% of the State’sexports is iron ore and C gradealuminium. I believe if there isvalue addition to it, our youthscould be suitably employedhere. In 2008, 2009 and in 2010,the State Government hadsigned many MoUs for estab-lishment of biotech, industrial,aluminium parks, but whathas happened to it ultimately?There were programmes like“Make in Odisha”, but there wasno transparency in it. It ulti-mately ended not with a bangbut with a whimper. I am nottalking to you as someone inthe opposition party but as acitizen of Odisha who is deeplyconcerned about the sorry stateof affairs going on here. Thepeople now watch closely thescam in purchasing PPE kitsand masks. This is aGovernment of doles and dealsthe people have now come torealise this. We also have thecountry’s 75% of bauxite and98% of chromite deposits. Whyshould then we rank 24th interm of GDP per capita incomeamong 28 States? Why can’t wefigure in the first, second orthird? We are also bestowedwith 480 km of bewitching sea-coast line ideal for tourism. TheState Government must answerto the four and a half crore ofpeople why should they lan-guish in acute poverty?

What are your plans forthe development of your con-stituency?

I have just completed oneyear. I have felt the pulse of thepeople of my constituency. Ihave made a need-based assess-ment of theirs. I have achievedmany thinks to my credit andhave more things on pipeline interms of catering to their needs.I have been interacting withthem regularly. I am bringingout a report card in regard tomy achievements by the end ofthis month.

How do you assess yourparty’s performance in the2024 elections?

We are now working as afamily. The new team has justcome with the new president.We are hopeful we’ll achievesanguine success in 2024.

Are you proud as a daugh-ter of Bihar or as a daughter-in-law of Odisha?

It is indeed a difficult ques-tion (laughter). I am proud asboth. As a daughter-in-law’s jobis to set the home right, I amlooking at Odisha in the sameway. I love Odishan culture;and am in deep love withOdisha and its people.

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Of the seven new Covid-19cases reported from

Khordha district on Monday,five were from the capital cityBhubaneswar.

Of the new cases, threewere from home quarantineand two local contacts underthe Bhubaneswar MunicipalCorporation (BMC) limits, saidthe BMC in a tweet.

Among the home quaran-tine cases, there was a 31-year-old man fromChintamaniswar near theBudheswari Temple, who has arecent travel history to NewDelhi.

A 41-year-old man fromthe Patia area found positivehas a travel history to Saudi

Arabia.A case of Kolathia of the

Khandagiri area is a 26-year-old woman. She has a travelhistory to Midnapore in WestBengal.

The local contact casesincluded a 37-year-old woman,a resident of Behera Sahi inNayapalli, who had returned toBhubaneswar from anotherdistrict on June 8.

And another is a 28–year-old, an employee of a privatehospital, who had returnedfrom another district on June11.

With this, the total Covide-19 patient tally in Bhubaneswarrose to 127 with 52 active and71 recovered cases. Till date,three patients have succumbedto the disease in the city.

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Of the new coronaviruscases detected in Cuttack

district on Monday, a six-year-old girl of Arunodaya Nagar inCuttack city tested positive.

The girl has a recent trav-el history to Mumbai. She is amember of a family, of whicha previous case had beenreported on Saturday. She test-ed positive in a quarantinecentre, said the CuttackMunicipal Corporation(CMC).

With this, the total cases in

Cuttack city rose to 24 withnine active cases. As of now, 15patients have recovered fromthe disease in the city. Theremaining 18 cases werereported from Cuttack ruralareas.

On Monday, while onecase was detected in Mahanga,four cases were from Kanpur inNarasinghpur area, four casesfrom Badamba and nine fromSubarnapur in Banki, informedthe district administration.

All the cases have travelhistories and the returneeswere in quarantine centreswhen their test results came outpositive for the virus.

With 19 fresh cases inCuttack, the tally in the districtsurged to 342, of which 202cases are active and 139 haverecovered so far. One has diedin the district.

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After completion of the SnanYatra, servitors of the

Jagannath Temple here are nowoptimistic of the RathYatrascheduled on June 23 despitethe Covid-19 pandemic.

The servitors are hopefulthat the Rath Yatra could besuccessful like the Snan Yatraif the Government allows it.

Hereditary carpenters,craftsmen, artisans, swingersand painters engaged day inand day out in works don’t wishthe Rath Yatra is postponed inview of the pandemic. Sincethey are giving a final touch toarts and crafts on chariots,their sentiment would be hurt,

if the Yatra is stopped.In last three days several

meetings have been held in the

temple office discussing issuesrelating to the fest amid acovid situation. It is learnt that

a section of servitors present inmeeting agreed to pull thechariots alone without public

participation.After suggestion, the SJTA

is found steady in preparationsas a week is left in hand. It isstill not clear on whether or notthe participants from commu-nity will go for covid test,before starting their work.

However, an internalgrinding within the servitorcommunity has erupted fol-lowing car pulling by them.Many servitors were foundsplit with many contendingthe job as deviation of theirrights and prestige.

Manmohan Mahapatra, apratihari servitor, opposed theproposal as illegitimate by theirtradition. Similar is SinghariJulu Kar, who told it is rights ofdevotees not servitors.

Amid uncertainty the car-penters suggested minimum ofsix to seven hundred people areneeded per chariot during thepulling. With help of fourropes people will pull the carskeeping social distancing of 6feet in-between.

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Once again, thePatitapabana Bana atop

the Jagannath Temple herewas torn into pieces onMonday leaving people appre-hensive of something inaus-picious happening in future.

Just two days beforeCyclone Amphan hit theOdisha coast, the holy flagattached to the shrine’sNilachakra had snapped offon May 18. A similar incidenthad also happened duringCyclone Fani last year. Earlieron March 19, the Bana hadcaught fire from a diya placednear the Nilachakra.

It was suspected that theflag was torn on Monday dueto lightning raising question onthe earthing system of thetemple.

Two years ago, a team ofengineers from GeneralElectrical Department (GED),Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) and the Shree JagannathTemple Administration (SJTA)had inspected the earthing sys-tem of the temple. The teamhad then informed that eight of

the 12 spikes of the lightningarrester fixed at the temple’sAnlabedha had broken.

Meanwhile, heavy rainslashed the pilgrim town onMonday leading to halting ofthe chariot construction workdue to waterlogging on theBada Danda.

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Henceforth, the fresh min-eral block auction process

would be fast-tracked withtimeline stipulation for eachblock. The Union Governmenthas requested the State admin-istration in this regard.

Meanwhile, internationalsteel majors, includingArcellorMittal, have lauded theState Government for trans-parency in the auction of min-eral blocks.

“The mining auctionprocess designed by you is oneof the best. The people haveseen the transparency in yourgovernance. As an interna-tional company, we see this asvery important for us,” com-pany chairman Lakshmi Mittal

told Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik during a video confer-ence on Saturday.

Sources said the UnionGovernment has also appreci-ated the State’s efforts in thisregard, sources said. Notably,the Odisha Government hadsuccessfully auctioned 23 iron,manganese and chrome oreblocks having resources worthRs.4.87 Lakh crore by March18, 2020. The State got whop-ping 144 per cent premium inauction of the Guali iron oremines. The blocks comprised11 in Keonjhar, eight inSundargarh, three in Jajpurand one in Mayurbhanj.

Now more mineral blocksare set to be auctioned.

Recently, Union MinesMinister Pralhad Joshi

reviewed the status ofGeological Reports (GR) sub-mitted by the GSI and theMineral ExplorationCorporation Limited (MECL).He asked the Union Secretaryto be in touch with StateGovernments and extendgreater facilitations.

While Covid -19 hasslowed down the auctionprocess in the mineral sector,the Ministry of Mines hasurged the State Government toexpedite the process. KeepingCovid crisis in mind, the UnionGovernment has waived stipu-lations on utilising funds fromDistrict Mineral Foundation(DMF) for virus control.

The State can now establishspecial Covid hospitals with theDMF.

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Nine personnel of theOdisha Fire Service (OFS)

tested positive for Covid-19 inthe State on Monday. Theywere among the 146 new casesreported on the day.

The infected personnel hadrecently returned from cycloneAmphan duty in West Bengal.

They were in quarantineafter returning from neigh-bouring State. They were foundpositive following swab testconducted on June 14,said theInformation and PublicRelations Department.

Notably, on Sunday 13 per-sonnel of the National DisasterResponse Force (NDRF),Odisha Disaster ResponseAction Force (ODRAF) andOdisha Fire Service were test-ed positive.

Earlier on June 9, 12 OFSpersonnel had tested positivefor the virus. They had comeback from West Bengal afterbeing involved in the cyclonerestoration work.

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Former Union MinisterSrikant Kumar Jena on

Monday alleged a huge scam inpurchase of masks, PPEs, san-itizers and gloves and urgedChief Minister Naveen Patnaikto publish a whitepaper withdetailed clarifications to ques-tions raised over the procure-ments.

In a letter, Jena said trans-fer of a senior IAS officer fromthe responsibility of procure-ment has confirmed the cor-ruption aspect.

He demanded that the

Government should make itpublic the total numbers ofmasks (both N95 and 3 layergeneral masks) and PersonalProtection Equipments (PPEs)purchased, their prices andtime of purchases and theirutilisation details.

Jena too wanted that theGovernment give details onfunds spent for establishmentof Covid Hospitals since someprivate hospitals are supportedby the Government.

“In this hour of humantragedy no one should politicisethe issue. But asking a questionabout corruption in mask pur-chase is not politics. I hope theGovernment will come outwith a white paper givingdetails in the public interest,”urged Jena.

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Keonjhar Zilla ParishadVice-President Akhaya

Kumar Sahoo and three oth-ers were arrested for violat-ing Covid-19 guidelines dur-ing the ongoing lockdown.

While the lockdown 5.0,enforceable till June 30, pro-hibits social gatherings,Sahoo arranged a feast formore than 50 persons tocelebrate Raja festival atRamchandrapur, a fewmeters from theRamchandrapur police sta-tion.

Being informed, the policereached the spot and arrested

Sahoo and three others for vio-lation Covid guidelines.

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Ov e r s e a ss t r a n d e d

migrants fromOdisha, whowere eagerlywaiting to maketheir way backto home Stateon a specialf light in theUAE amid the Covid-19 pan-demic, were overwhelmedwhen they heard a voice of awoman pilot welcoming themin Odia language on the aus-picious occasion of Raja festi-val.

The passengers onboardwelcomed her speech withclaps as she started withextending ‘Raja’ wishes to all ofthem.

Captain MadhusmitaPatnaik, a native ofBhubaneswar and now a resi-dent of Dubai, took off thechartered plane carrying 215stranded Odias from Sharjah.The flight landed at the

Bhubaneswar airport.In a video message at Air

Arabia office in the UAE justbefore departure to Odisha,Captain Patnaik said, “It is aproud moment for us to takeour State people on a specialf light by Air Arabia toBhubaneswar from Sharjah.The Odia Society here hashelped us for the mission.”

The young and dynamicwoman has been working withthe Air Arabia for five years.Earlier, she was flying flights ofdifferent airlines in India. Shewas pilot of leading airlinesincluding GoAir, Kingfisherand Air Deccan.

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The Begunia police onMonday arrested and

court-forwarded five personsin connection with the bloodyassault on a woman inRoutapada gram panchayat onSunday night.

According to a complaintlodged by Swayamprva Jena,wife of Manornajnan Sahoo, ofRoutapada, as many as 10people of Kolatanga villagearmed with lethal weaponsentered her house and attempt-ed to kidnap her. As sheprotested, the miscreantsassaulted her and snatchedaway a gold chain from herneck. She was then hospi-tasied.

However, villagers man-aged to nab three of the cul-prits, Sushant Paikaraya, Samitimember Bibekananda Routrayand Arabinda Behera andthrashed them severely. Later,police rushed Sushant andArabinda to the AIIMS,Bhubaneswar for treatment.

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The State Government hasdecided to opt for new

technological tools for its pris-ons keeping in view the Covid-19 pandemic.

DG Prisons SantoshUpadhyay held discussionswith senior officials of theState prison administration onJune 11 in this regard.

In fact, the StateGovernment has earmarkedfunds to strengthen the facili-ties, security, infrastructureand housing aspects of the 86prisons across the State.

As per official reports,keeping the Covid-19 pan-demic in view, for the first timejails will be equipped withorganic waste convertors, drycleaning equipment(washerextractors) to wash linens usedby prisoners, sprayer machinesand vacuum cleaners and floor

scrubbers for sanitizing pur-pose.

All the items will be pro-cured through GeM ofGovernment of India at com-petitive prices. Besides, LEDsearch lights, CCTV camerasand other infrastructure will bein place, officials said.

Looking at the congestionin the prisons, the jail admin-istration has taken up decon-gestion of jails in Malkangiri,Jeypore, Nuapada, Sambalpur,Baliguda, Phulbani, Kodala,Brahmapur, and Banki keepingin view the social distancing.

While ‘zero tolerance’ oncorruption, occurrence of anytype of clandestine activities,violence, violation of custodi-al rights inside prisons aretaken seriously, pointed out DGPrisons Upadhyay.

He urged all the SPs, DCPsand district Collectors to col-lect intelligence in this regardand conduct surprise raids toinsulate prisons and keep theseinstitutions free from contra-bands andmobile etc. Stringentdisciplinary action has beentaken against the prison per-

sonnel found involved inundisciplined conduct, offi-cials said.

Comprehensive Policy ontransfer and posting of PrisonPersonnel is being formulatedto disciplining wrongdoers andensuring proper accountabili-ty and responsibility, said theofficials.

While timely grievance andwelfare activities of prison ler-sonnel are redressed, residen-tial satisfaction for them hasbeen given a boost with newresidential projects coming upat 44 prisons across the State.In the meantime, as social wel-fare measure, Rs 16 lakh hasbeen earmarked for rehabilita-tion and self-employment gen-eration for the convicts andBPL family members, officialsrevealed.

Two new prisons of 500capacity each will be activatedsoon during this year, whichwill increase prison strength to88. A state of the art jail acad-emy has been readied to pro-vide comprehensive training tothe prison and correctionalpersonnel, officials informed.

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Large numbers of migrantworkers have already

entered into Sundargarh dis-trict and still many more areto arrive. Consequently, itwill be a great challenge forthe district administrationto engage the returnees.

The industrial scenario inSundargarh district is not goodas a number of industries areclosed and some others are onthe verge of closure. The DMFCell and block officials of thedistrict are now reportedlydoing a survey to know theskills of the migrant workersafter their return followingwhich the district administra-tion will work out a plan to pro-vide them jobs in the district,it is known.

According to sources,against registrat ion ofaround 40,000 migrants ofthe district since May 3,about 14,000 migrant work-ers have returned toSundargarh district so far.Sources said many decidednot to come to their home-town, thinking of quaran-

tine and also of little jobprospect in the district.Significantly, a team underthe distr ic t HealthDepartment is going to theTMCs and quarantine centresto counsel the returnees.

"I have talked to theSundargarh Collector for pro-viding job to the returnees inthe district and the Collectorhas also given assurance toprovide employment," saidChairperson, Zilla Parisad,Sundargarh,Emma Ekka " It isobviously a challenging task toprovide job to the returneesbut the district administrationshould provide them jobs indifferent fields as early as pos-sible," Ekka added.

"The DMF Cell and blockof f ic ia ls are meetingreturnees and taking datafrom them to know abouttheir skills. We have provid-ed jobs to a number ofunkilled returnees under theMGNREGA. We are alsoworking out to provide jobsto the skilled ones," saidProject Director, DistrictRural Development Agency,Sundargarh, BS Patel.

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An elderly person died ofelectrocution after coming

in contact with a high-voltagepower cable near Koilimundavillage under Chandahandiblock in Nabarangpur districton Monday morning. Thedeceased was identified asDiyalu Takri (65), a resident ofKoilimunda.

A 33-KV power cable waslying on a farmland after itsnapped a few days ago.Villagers of Koilimunda hadinformed the electricity officein this regard. However, the

officials had not disconnectedpower from the electric pole.

Sources said the deceasedTakri had paid Rs 200 from hisold age pension money to anelectricity official for discon-nection of power. However,the issue was still unresolved.

Takri’s electrocutionsparked tension as the elec-tricity officials did not reach thespot for long hours.

Till the last report came in,the family members did notallow police to send the bodyfor postmortem demandingcompensation for loss of a life.

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Arailway dumping yard pro-ject at Handapa of Angul

district, which is only 200meters away from nearby vil-lages, faced protest from thelocal inhabitants. The aggriev-ed people blocked road anddidn't allow coal loded trucksto the yard alleging severe pol-lution and traffic conjunction.

The project is being con-structed at Gundurimunda,near Handapa railway station,to transport and dump coal bya private company.

The Talcher-Sambalpurrailway line has separated theSC and ST dominatedGundurimunda village causinglots of inconveniences to thepeople of at least five villages to

get easy acessto health,education ,transport andm a r k e t i n gfacilities .After contin-uous agita-tion, theRailways hasconstructed apush bridgeand side-concrete roadto give pas-sage to the villagers. However,in the meantime, a coal yard isbeing constructed at this spot.

"The coal transportationactivities in the narrow villageroad by M/S MM Logistic hascreated maximum traffic con-juction and severe pollution inthe whole area for which peo-ple have obstructed the trans-portation, " local activist lead-ing the movement KhirodBehera.

The commercial activitiesin the village road has causedinconveniences to the people ofaround eight panchayaysnamely Handapa, Katranga,Bileinali, Dhaurakotha,Luhamunda, Tulukapasi,Nakchi and Gaon Boinda,alleged Ward Member,Gundurimunda PankajiniBehera.

Opposing the dumppingyard at just 200 meters away

from their village and trans-portation of coal in the villageroad, Rasananda Naik , PinkiNaik Ranjana Naik, SahebaBehera, Babuli Behera andPramoda Behera told that bythe illegal activities therewould be heavy pollution in 40villages of the area. Besides,large paddy field and watersource will be affected.

The affected people havegiven petitions to the districtadministration and the StatePollution Controll Boardagainst the highly pollutingdumping yard.

When contacted,Athamallik MLA Ramesh Saisaid, "There is no industry andmajor business actvity in unde-veloped Atthamallik -Kishorenagar area. The coaltransportation activities andDumppimg Yard near Handaparailway station will providesome employment opportuni-ty to the local people.”

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The year 2020 has turnedinto a critical year for the

planet earth that brought theworld to its knees due to thepandemic Covid-19.Worldwide loss of human lives,rising unemployment and tum-bling economy have highlight-ed how interfering too muchwith natural ecosystem can

wreak havoc. Our exis-tence and quality of lifedepends upon the healthof the nature, but formore than two centurieswe have exploited thenatural resources of theearth, disrupted the sta-bility and functioning ofthe ecosystem.

This year on theWorld Environment Dayon June 5, the pressingenvironmental issue toraise awareness was on“biodiversity” which is

crucial for maintenance ofmany interlinked ecosystemssuch as chemical compositionof ocean, atmosphere and con-trol of population of flora andfauna. We need to understandthe world’s ecosystem by know-ing reasons for the loss of bio-diversity and to develop effec-tive strategies for preventingtheir degradation for a sus-tainable earth.

According to research find-ings, anthropogenic climatechange has initiated rapid melt-ing of glaciers, increasing itsproportion by 60 times than itwas prior to 1850 leading toglobal sea level rise. This cata-strophic outcome threatensentire biomes starting fromendangered polar bears, pen-guins to the miniscule phyto-plankton and species dwellingin small islands. High intake ofcarbon dioxide from theatmosphere is making theocean more acidic as the pH(inverse of hydrogen ion con-centration) decreases, whichhas far reaching implication forthe water chemistry and crea-tures living in it. Coral bleach-ing was all time high from2014-2017 due to rise in seasurface temperature. Bleachingdrives out the coloured algaecalled zoonxanthellae that livesymbiotically in the reefs forc-ing a quarter of marine biodi-

versity to disappear perma-nently. Large scale industrialfishing in oceans has surpassed155 million tonnes annually tomeet the global seafooddemand. Such rampant fishingupset the delicate ecologicalfunction of marine food chainand disturbs seabed biodiver-sity.

Rapid growth in our pop-ulation has spurred over-whelming demand for welfare.To meet the never endingdemand for food, water, shel-ter and energy, excessive use ofnatural resources and wasteproductions are degrading theharmony of natural ecosys-tem.

The rate of loss of forest hasreached about 26 millionhectares a year, an area largerthan the size of the UnitedKingdom despite pledges ofrestoration made by federalGovernments. Release of car-bon dioxide gas from the

industries by burning the coaland oil, toxic runoff from thechemical wastes as well asradioactive wastes are deterio-rating the quality of the air webreathe, the water we drink andthe ground we walk on.Greenhouse gas emissions havedoubled since 1980, raisingthe average global temperatureby at least 0.7 degree Celsius.

Just before the industrialrevolution the global averagecarbon dioxide was about 280ppm (parts per million) andreached 416 ppm in April 2020which shows that the rate ofincrease is 100 times faster thanthe increase that occurredwhen the last ice age ended.Our growing love for comfortand luxury has increased thenumber of gas guzzlers inroads resulting rapid increasein the carbon foot prints.

Wildlife poaching, traf-ficking of exotic species ofanimals from their natural

habitat have detrimentalimpact on the biodiversity.Invasive alien species of bothflora and fauna cost the glob-al economy over a trillion dol-lar each year.

Climate change certainlycauses biological stress leadingto drop in species diversity andthere are minor mass extinc-tions. A ministerial declarationof the United NationsEnvironment Assembly(UNEA) says “any threat to ourenvironment is a threat to ourhealth, our society, our ecosys-tem, our security, our well-being and our very survival”.We need to undertake theresponsibility to restore theenvironment of our planet toavoid extreme uncertainties infuture and make it sustainable.

(Dr Mallick is an AssistantProfessor, Department ofGeology, Utkal University, Mob:7873276818)

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Even as the administration has re-imposedlockdown restrictions in Ganjam district till

June 30, four youths flouted the rules on thestreets of Brahmapur city and shot a TikTokvideo of their act.

In the video selfie, one of the youths wasseen admitting the offence blatantly saying heand his three friends are “fearless”. All of themwere seen roaming by two motorcycles.

As the video went viral and came to thenotice of the Bada Bazar police, the four weredetained at police station. They later signed anundertaking and were released.

The four made another video in which theyapologised for their acts and pledged not torepeat it. They also urged people not to comeout of their houses for non-essential purposesduring the lockdown period.

Notably, district Collector Vijay AmrutaKulange has placed Ganjam under lockdown tillJune 30 to curb any community transmission ofcoronavirus. The lockdown is in force from 12

pm to 7 am every day. However, there is relax-ation for the public from 7 am to 12 noon. Theessential services are available during the peri-od.

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The Ganjam district admin-istration on Monday sealed

Big Bazar’s Ganesh Market,one of the busiest wholesalemarkets in Brahmapur city,after shops located in it werefound defying lockdown rules.

While the administrationhas enforced lockdown till

June 30, many non-essentialshops dealing with electronicappliances and mobile phonesand services at Ganesh Marketwere found open. On receivingthe information on operationof the non-essential shops, ateam led by Ganjam Sub-Collector Shinde DattatrayaBhausaheb went to the spot andsealed the market till June 30.

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In a horrendous inci-dent, a 28-year-old

man on Mondaykilled his aunt atKarakachia villageunder the Khuntapolice limits inMayurbhanj districtand surrenderedbefore police with thewoman’s severed head.

According toreports, accusedBudharam Singh’sfour-year-old daugh-ter had died a weekago following an ill-ness. Budharam was suspectingthat sorcery by his auntDemphar Singh (60) had led tohis daughter’s death.

Around 11 am on Monday,

Budharam attacked Dempharwith a sharp weapon atNuasahi Chhak severing herhead from the body. Policearrested him when he was

heading towards the policestation holding the head.

A case was registered inthis connection and furtherprobe was underway.

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Amarried man and his para-mour were found hanging

from a tree at Gitilata villageunder the Tiring police stationin Mayurbhanj district onMonday.

The deceased were identi-fied as Rameswar Patra (24),son of one Srihari Patra ofGitilata village, and SabitaPatra (21), daughter of oneGhasia Nayak of the same vil-lage.

Sources said Rameswarwas married and had devel-oped an illicit affair with Sabita.Both were in love with eachother. It is suspected that thetwo took the extreme step dueto love failure. Few locals spot-ted bodies of the two hangingfrom a tree near the village inmorning and informed police.

Later, police reached thespot and sent the bodies forpostmortem and began aninvestigation.

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Farmer leaders, trade union leaders, social activists and the mem-bers of AIKKS observed June 15 as, “All India Demands Day”

here on Monday raising several demands. Instead of implementingthe directives and recommendations of utilizing the lockdownto pursue neoliberal policies aggressively in all sectors and moreparticularly in the agricultural sector, the Modi-led Governmentis busy in pursuing lockdown after lockdown without any visionand roadmap that has ruined the agricultural sectors and forcedthe farmers to come on the road, the farmer leaders alleged.

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The Union Jal ShaktiMinistry has allocated Rs

2,522 crore under the Jal JeevanMission scheme for Rajasthanin view the drought and waterscarcity problems and groundwater pollution in the state,which is almost two-and-a-halftimes the amount given in thelast fiscal.

"While Rs 1,051 crore wasgiven to Rajasthan in the lastfinancial year, Rs 2,522 crorehas been allocated under the JalJeevan Mission this year, whichis almost two- and-a-half timesthe allocation made in the lastfiscal," a statement from the

Ministry said.The Ministry said Rs 1,145

crore were also allocated toprovide drinking water to flu-oride-affected habitations inthe desert state.

In the present situation, thestate will have more than Rs3,500 crore as the central share,including this year''s funds, itsaid.

Union Jal Shakti MinisterGajendra Singh Shekhawat ina letter to Chief Minister AshokGehlot recently had drawn hisattention to the "slow pace" ofwater life mission in the state.

The Minister said thatthere will be no shortage offunds for Rajasthan as the state

government has more than Rs7,000 crore available to providedomestic tap water connectionsthis year.

Pointing out that cleandrinking water remains a chal-lenge in Rajasthan, the JalShakti Minister said drought-prone areas remained a causeof concern, apart from desertand chemical pollutants in theground water in rural areas.

Shekhawat expressed hiscommitment to speed up thework of Jal Jeevan Mission inRajasthan and sought to bringGehlot''s attention to the factthat only 1 lakh tap connec-tions were released as against18 lakh last year.

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In the ongoing process todefuse tension at the Line of

Actual Control(LAC) inEastern Ladakh, Brigadierand Colonel level officers ofIndia and China on Mondayheld talks at the LAC. Thefocus of the talks was toresolve the ongoing stand-offin the Galwan area. The twosides also reviewed the pace ofmutual disengagement fromother face-off sites,

Giving details of the lat-est round of talks, sourcessaid here the parleys tookplace in the Galwan area andcentred on de-escalation atPatrolling Points (PP) 14 and17A. They said ground levelmilitary talks have been goingon regularly to resolve thestandoffs and it is an incre-mental process, sources stat-ed.

With both the countrieshaving announced their will-ingness to address the con-frontations through diplo-matic and military talks, atleast five rounds of talks tookplace in the last few days.They included Major Generallevel talks, of which tworounds were held last weekafter the Corps Commanderlevel talks on June 6. Therehave also been a series of talksat the Brigadier and Colonellevel. Officials also said thelimited “disengagement”agreed between both sidesearlier is work in progress andis underway.

Army Chief General M MNaravane had said lastSaturday that troops of Indiaand China are “disengaging”in a phased manner from thestandoff areas along the bor-der following the series ofground talks and lot of dis-engagement has happened inthe Galwan river area.

After the month-longstandoff at several locationson the border, at the CorpsCommanders level talksbetween Lt General HarinderSingh and Major General LiuLin last week, both sidesmutually agreed on five loca-tions of conflict, PatrollingPoint (PP) 14, 15, 17A, Northbank of Pangong Tso andChushul.

They also agreed on par-tial disengagement from someof these places.

Officials said at Galwanarea limited “disengagement”had commenced earlier andsuch limited de-escalation atPP 15, 17A and Gogra areaswas agreed at the CorpsCommander level.

It was also learnt that inall areas except the Finger 4area of Pangong Tso are see-ing some disengagement andcan be resolved at the locallevel. Pangong Tso remains amajor area of concern wherethe Chinese troops havemoved up to Finger 4 areaand dug in in Indian territo-ry. The next round of CorpsCommander level talks havenot been decided yet wherethis issue will come up, theysaid.

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Elections to nine Bihar LegislativeCouncil seats and election to Andhra

Pradesh Legislative Council (or UpperHouse) will be held on July 6.

According to an ElectionCommission statement, nine members ofthe Bihar Legislative Council had retiredon May 6. April 3, the Commission hadannounced postponement of the polls dueto the coronavirus pandemic and thecountrywide lockdown. According tofresh dates, the notification for the elec-tions would be issued on June 18 and thepolls will be held on July 6. The count-ing will take place on July 6 evening itselfafter the conclusion of the polling as perlaid down norms. Members of the BiharLegislative Assembly (MLAs) will electnine new MLCs in the elections. MLCs

are usually elected by four types of elec-tors -- MLAs, Graduates, Teachers andmembers of local authorities.

The EC has also announced that theby-election to Andhra Pradesh LegislativeCouncil (or Upper House) will be held onJuly 6. A press release by the EC said thatthe election is being held to fill one “casu-al vacancy” in the Andhra PradeshLegislative Council since a memberDokka Manikya Vara Prasad resigned onMarh 9. His term was scheduled to endon March 29, 2023.

The council works like Rajya Sabha.Once in two years, one-third of its mem-bers retire and new members are electedby local bodies representatives, assemblymembers, graduates, and teachers. Somemembers are also nominated. The coun-cil was revived in 2007 after a gap of near-ly 20 years.

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The average temperature overIndia is projected to rise by 4.4

degrees Celsius and the intensity ofheat waves is likely to increase by 3-4 times by the end of this century,the Ministry of Earth Sciences’(MoES) report on the "Assessmentof Climate Change over the IndianRegion", has maintained. Accordingto the report, the sea level will riseby 30 cm during the period.

"By the end of the twenty-firstcentury, average temperature overIndia is projected to rise by approx-imately 4.4 degrees Celsius," thereport said. India's average temper-ature has risen by around 0.7 degreeCelsius during 1901-2018, largely onaccount of Green House Gases-induced warming. The report hasbeen prepared by the Centre for

Climate Change Research, a cellunder MoES'' Indian Institute ofTropical Meteorology, Pune.

The report said that in the 30-year period between 1986 and 2015,temperatures of the warmest dayand the coldest night of the yearhave risen by about 0.63 degreesCelsius and 0.4 degree Celsius,respectively. By the end of the cen-tury, the temperatures of thewarmest day and the coldest nightare projected to rise by approxi-mately 4.7 degrees Celsius and 5.5degrees Celsius, respectively, accord-ing to the report.

The frequencies of occurrenceof warm days and warm nights areprojected to increase by 55 per centand 70 per cent, it says. "The fre-quency of summer (April-June)heat waves over India is projected tobe 3 to 4 times higher by the end of

the twenty-first century," the reportstates.

The average duration of heatwave events is also projected toapproximately double. The com-bined rise in surface temperatureand humidity, amplification of heatstress is expected across India, par-ticularly over the Indo-Gangetic andIndus river basins, the report notes.Rapid changes in India’s climate willput stress on ecosystems, agricul-tural output and freshwaterresources, and also cause damage toinfrastructure, the report added.

Sea Surface Temperature (SST)of the tropical Indian Ocean hasrisen by a degree Celsius on averageduring 1951-2015, markedly high-er than the global average SSTwarming of 0.7 degree Celsius, overthe same period, the report states.

Sea Surface Temperatures does

have an influence over the IndianOcean. The Indian Ocean Dipole islinked to the SSTs of the IndianOcean. A positive IOD, linked to the

cooling/warming of the IndianOcean waters, generally helps tohave a good monsoon.

Sea-level in the North Indian

Ocean (NIO) has risen at a rate of1.06-1.75 millimetre per year dur-ing 1874-2004 and has acceleratedto 3.3 millimetre per year in the last

two and a half decades (1993-2017), which is comparable to thecurrent rate of global mean sea-levelrise. At the end of the twenty-firstcentury, steric sea level in the NIOis projected to rise by approxi-mately 300 millimetres relative tothe average over 1986-2005.

The summer monsoon precip-itation (June to September) overIndia has also declined by around 6per cent from 1951 to 2015, withnotable decreases over the Indo-Gangetic Plains and the WesternGhats, it said. “India has witnesseda rise in average temperature; adecrease in monsoon precipitation;a rise in extreme temperature andrainfall events, droughts, and sealevels; and an increase in the inten-sity of severe cyclones, alongsideother changes in the monsoon system.

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Union Minister of State forPersonnel, PG and Pensions Dr

Jitendra Singh on Monday launchedthe ‘Feedback Call Centres on PublicGrievances’ and interacted live withcitizens whose grievances have beensuccessfully redressed on the Covid-19 National Monitor for PublicGrievances.

Singh complimented theDepartment of AdministrativeReforms and Public Grievances(DARPG) on reaching the mile-stone of redressing over one lakhCovid-19 public grievances so far.

About 1.28 lakh coronavirus-related public grievances have beenfiled with the central government andthe Centre on Monday launched callcentres in different cities and lan-guages to seek feedback on such pub-lic grievances.

This is the first time that asenior minister of government hasinteracted live with citizens whohad filed grievances related to thepandemic and also paved way forother ministries to take up citizengrievances in an effective manneralong with a feedback mechanism,the statement issued by the PersonnelMinistry said.

"The feedback call centres wouldseek feedback from individual citi-zens on citizen satisfaction on 1.28lakh COVID-19 public grievancesthat have been filed on CPGRAMS(Centralized Public GrievanceRedress and Monitoring System) forthe period March 30, 2020 to May 30,2020,"

The DARPG has in collaborationwith BSNL operationalised feedbackcall centres in Bhubaneswar,Guwahati, Jamshedpur, Vadodara,Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Ajmer,

Guntur, Coimbatore and Guntakalwith 1,406 call centre operators, thestatement said.

Feedback call centres wouldoperate in several languages includ-ing Hindi, English, Gujarati, Marathi,Punjabi, Kannada, Konkani,Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Oriya,Bengali, Assamese and Rajasthani,the statement said. On the occasion,Singh interacted with four citizenswhose grievances were redressed onthe Covid-19 national monitor with-in a period of three days.

Amongst the citizens who inter-acted with the minister were RenukaV Parasappagol resident of Bijapur,Karnataka whose grievance of arefund from Canara Bank wasredressed by Department of FinancialServices.

Others with whom the ministerinteracted were GordhanbhaiJethabhai Patel resident of Vadodara,Gujarat whose grievance of a refundof mature MIS (Monthly InvestmentScheme) investment was redressed byDepartment of Posts.

Lakshminarayanan, a resident ofDelhi, had a grievance related to thetreatment of his daughter with HCQ(Hydroxychloroquine) which wasredressed by the AIIMS andMrithinjayan, a resident of Chennai,Tamil Nadu, whose grievance relat-ed to acceptance of monthly instal-ments of deposits was approved bythe Department of Posts, it said.

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Ahead of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi's meeting with

Chief Ministers, former Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi onMonday criticised the four lock-downs enforced to contain thespread of coronavirus, saying thatthe wrong curve has been flattened.He shared a chart to prove hisclaim.

At the same time, the formerCongress chief also targeted theGovernment over increase in petroland diesel prices, saying the mid-dle class and the poor pay for the"gifts crony capitalists get".

Quoting Albert Einstein, Rahulsaid, this lockdown proves, "Theonly thing more dangerous thanignorance is arrogance."

The graph posted by himshows the state of the economy andthe number of fatalities due to coro-navirus in India at the start of

March. The live graph then depict-ed how the economy has been bat-tered during the lockdown periodwhile the number of deaths hasincreased.

Rahul has been relentlesslytargeting the government over theCovid-19 crisis, accusing the gov-ernment of failing to impose thelockdown properly and complete-ly destroying the country's econo-my.

He has also been holding reg-ular discussions with intellectualsand policy makers like former RBIgovernor Raghuram Rajan, Nobellaureate Abhijit Banerjee, industri-alist Rajiv Bajaj, dormer US diplo-mat Nicholas Burns, Harvard pro-fessor Ashish Jha and Swedishphysician Johan Giesecke to holddiscussions over the Covid-19 cri-sis.

The Congress leader had ear-

lier interaction with industrialistRajiv Bajaj who had said that Indiahas flattened the "wrong curve",pointing to the decline in GDP.

Another graph posted by Rahulwas to show that prices of petroland diesel were low in May 2014under the UPA despite high crudecost globally, but the NDA gov-ernment raised the excise duty onpetrol by 258.47 per cent and ondiesel by 819.94 per cent as on June15, 2020.

"Middle class and the poor payfor the gifts the crony capitalistsget," Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter.

He also used a hashtag inHindi that translates to "Shame ona government that loots".

The statement came on a dayoil companies raised petrol anddiesel prices by 48 paise per litreand diesel by 23 paise a litre. Thisis the ninth daily increase in ratesin a row since oil companies onJune 7 restarted revising prices in

line with costs.Rahul also said that on May 16,

2014, when the Congress-led UPAwas in power, the internationalcrude oil price was USD 107.09 perbarrel, while it is USD 40.66 on June15, 2020, when the NDA is in gov-ernment.

Despite the crude costing USD66.43 less per barrel, petrol anddiesel prices now are higher thanwhat they were in 2014, he said.

The Congress has beendemanding that petrol and dieselprices be brought under the ambitof GST.

The opposition party has alsodemanded a rollback of exciseduty hikes on petrol, diesel tobring down their prices.

The Congress has said the gov-ernment is earning out of thepockets of the poor by imposinghigh taxes on petrol and diesel,depriving the common man thebenefit of lower crude oil prices.

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At a time when India andChina are engaged in a

face-off at the Line of ActualControl (LAC) in EasternLadakh, the annual report by anoted Swedish think tankStockholm International PeaceResearch Institute (SIPRI) haspointed out that in the last oneyear both the nations haveincreased their nuclearweapons stockpile. WhileIndia’s arch rival Pakistan toohas added to its strength, worldover all the nuclear weapon-possessing nations also con-tinued to modernize theirnuclear arsenal.

The annual report wasreleased on Monday.

In its report, SIPRI alsonoted that as per numbersChina and Pakistan have morenuclear warheads than India.“China is in the middle of a sig-nificant modernization of itsnuclear arsenal. It is develop-ing a so-called nuclear triad forthe first time, made up of new

land- and sea-based missilesand nuclear-capable aircraft.India and Pakistan are slowlyincreasing the size and diver-sity of their nuclear forces...”itsaid. India already clearedhas the ‘triad’ ability –described as platforms whichcan launch a nuclear warheadfrom air, land or from undersea.

China’s nuclear arsenal hasgone up from 290 warheads in2019 to 320 in 2020 whileIndia’s arsenal has gone upfrom 130-140 warheads in2019 to 150 in 2020. Pakistan’sarsenal was estimated to bebetween 150-160 in 2019 andhas reached 160 in 2020. BothChina and Pakistan continue tohave larger nuclear arsenalsthan India.

The nuclear arsenals ofthe nuclear-armed states otherthan the US and Russia areconsiderably smaller but allthese states are either develop-ing or deploying new weaponsystems or have announcedtheir intention to do so, itnoted.

Together the nine nuclear-armed states - the US, Russia,United Kingdom, France,China, India, Pakistan, Israeland North Korea - possessed anestimated 13,400 nuclearweapons at the start of 2020which marked a decrease froman estimated 13,865 nuclearweapons at the beginning of2019.

The decrease in the over-all numbers was largely due tothe dismantlement of retirednuclear weapons by Russia andthe US which together possessover 90% of global nuclearweapons.

Observing that availabilityof reliable information on thestatus of the nuclear arsenalsand capabilities of the nuclear-armed states varies consider-ably, the report said, “the gov-ernments of India and Pakistanmake statements about some oftheir missile tests but providelittle information about thestatus or size of their arsenals.”

The US has disclosedimportant information aboutits stockpile and nuclear capa-

bilities but in 2019 the USadministration ended the prac-tice of publicly disclosing thesize of the US stockpile, thereport stated.

The US and Russia havereduced their nuclear arsenalsunder the 2010 New StrategicArms Reduction Treaty (NewSTART) but it will lapse inFebruary 2021 unless both par-ties agree to prolong it.However, discussions to extendNew START or negotiate a newtreaty made no progress withthe US insistence that China

must join any future nucleararms reduction talks, whichChina has categorically ruledout.

“The deadlock over NewSTART and the collapse of the1987 Soviet–US Treaty on theElimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-RangeMissiles (INF Treaty) in 2019suggest that the era of bilater-al nuclear arms control agree-ments between Russia and theUS might be coming to an end,”the report cited Shannon Kile,Director of SIPRI’s nuclear dis-

armament, arms control andnon-proliferation programme.

Russia and the US havealready announced extensiveplans to replace and modern-ize their nuclear warheads anddelivery systems. “Both coun-tries have also given new orexpanded roles to nuclearweapons in their military plansand doctrines, which marks asignificant reversal of the post-cold war trend towards thegradual marginalization ofnuclear weapons,” the reportadded.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh onMonday cited India’s roti-beti

(livelihood and marriage) relationwith Nepal to iron out differences butat the same time asserted that theLipulekh-Dharchula road falls verymuch in India.

Conveying the ModiGovernment’s willingness to sort outthe "misunderstanding" with theneighbouring country through dia-logue, Singh stressed on the centuries-old ties between the two counties, not-ing that they were not only social, geo-

graphical, historical and cultural butalso spiritual. India can never forgetthis reality and Indians can never haveany bitterness towards Nepal, thedefence minister added.

"Our relations are not only of thisworld, but also of the ''other world'' andthey cannot be changed even if some-one wishes so," he said at a BJP’s vir-tual rally for Uttarakhand, the state inwhose border region the road has beenbuilt.

"These are no ordinary ties and weare bound by ''roti'' and ''beti'' (liveli-hood and marriage). No power in theworld can break it," Singh said.

The bilateral ties between the two

countries came under strain afterSingh inaugurated a 80-km-longstrategically-crucial road connectingthe Lipulekh pass with Dharchula inUttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal’s Parliament had onSaturday unanimously voted to amendthe Constitution to update the coun-try''s new political map, laying claimover three strategically key areas,including Lipulekh, along the borderwith India.

"If the Lipulekh-Dharchula roadhas given rise to some misunder-standing among the people of Nepal,I believe we can sit together to addressit. We can do it through dialogue," the

defence minister said.Singh, however, reiterated India''s

stand that the 80-km road had beenbuilt in Indian territory, whileacknowledging that this had causedsome misunderstanding in Nepal.

The road will shorten the durationof the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimageby six days, according to Singh.

Nepal had reacted sharply to theinauguration of the road, claiming thatit passed through Nepalese territory.India rejected the claim asserting thatthe road lies completely within its ter-ritory.

Nepal had last month released therevised political and administrative

map of the country laying claim overthe strategically key areas, more thansix months after India published a newmap in November.

At pains to highlight the deep tiesbetween the two countries, the defenceminister spoke about the valour of theGorkha regiment, whose soldiers aremostly drawn from Nepal, and notedthat its battle cry is "Maha Kali, AayoGorkhali" (Goddess Kali, Gorkhasare here).

"How can the India-Nepal rela-tions be broken?" he asked. "No mat-ter how much fencing one does acrossDharchula, these ties cannot be ended,"he said.

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Maharashtra’s former ChiefMinister and senior

Congress leader Prithviraj Chavanhas written to Civil AviationMinister Hardeep Singh Puri,rooting for the cash refund for theair tickets cancelled during thelockdown period.

“I have written to Minister ofCivil Aviation @HardeepSPuri todirect the airline operators to pro-vide cash refunds for air ticketscancelled during lockdown in aspecific time frame. Not refundingthe cost of air tickets for cancelledflights is an abuse of the consumerrights,” Chavan tweeted.

In his letter to the CivilAviation Minister, Chavan wrote:“Indian fliers, who were com-pelled to cancel air tickets follow-ing the nationwide lockdownannouncement, are therefore enti-tled to cash refunds. According tothe Consumer Protection Act, the

contract between a consumer andan airline gives a right to the for-mer to get a cash refund”.

Chavan noted that theunprecedented lockdown, whichbegan on March 25, had broughtbusinesses to a screeching halt,prompting airlines across theworld to cancel suddenly an esti-mated 4.5 million flights.

“Many airlines including AirIndia are not honouring this con-tract and compelling the passen-gers to accept vouchers for futuretravel. In some cases, the airlinesare misinforming the consumerson refund policies,” Chavan stat-ed.

Chavan said that MumbaiGrahak Panchayat, Mumbai-based

consumer rights organisation hadrecently sought the intervention ofthe United Nations Conference onTrade and Development (UNC-TAD) by drawing their attentionto the United Nations Guidelinesfor Consumer Protection(UNGCP)”.

“On 4th June, the UNCTADcalled upon governments of mem-ber states (India being amongthem) to adequately protect con-sumers by ‘enforcing protectionlaws against abusive business prac-tices such as penalties or fees andbreach of refund rights’,” Mr.Chavan observed.

Chavan went onto urged theminister to issue a clarification onrefund policies and direct the air-line operators to prevent abuse ofconsumer rights while providinga choice of cash refunds with set-tlement within a specific timeperiod.

It may be recalled that onFriday last the Supreme Court had

asked the Centre to take a stand onrefunding by airlines on cancella-tion of tickets during the lock-down, and suggested that the air-line operators must extend thecredit period for two years.

Hearing a plea filed by PravasiLegal Cell, a SC bench comprisingJustices Ashok Bhushan, SanjayKishan Kaul and M.R. Shah hadsuggested that a credit note by air-lines must have a life of at least 2years, and for any route, if that isthe way out.

In its plea filed through itsadvocate Jose Abraham, thePravasi Legal Cell had urged thetop court to declare non-refund-ing of the amount of the tickets byairlines as “illegal and violative ofthe Civil Aviation Requirement”issued by the DGCA. The peti-tioner contended that airlines,instead of providing full refund ofthe amount collected for can-celled tickets, are providing acredit shelf, valid up to one year.

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The death toll due to covid-19 in Tamil Nadu touched

479 with 44 persons succumb-ing to the pandemic onMonday, according to the med-ical bulletin issued by the StateGovernment.

This is the highest numberof deaths recorded on a singleday since the pandemic brokeout early this year. The Statealso saw 1,843 persons testingpositive for coronavirus onMonday taking the total num-ber of cases tested positive tilldate in the State to 46,504.

The bulletin said a total of25,344 patients have beencured of the disease and dis-charged from hospitals acrossthe State and this has broughtdown the number of activecoronavirus patients in theState to 20,678.

Addressing the media,Health Minister Dr C VijayaBaskar pleaded with the peoplein the State to observe without

failure the guidelines issued bythe Government, viz, wearingface masks and maintainingsocial distancing. “The gov-ernment is doing everything atits disposal and going the extrasteps to control the pandemic.Tamil Nadu has tested a totalof 7.29 lakh persons till date forthe pandemic. On Mondaymore than 18,000 persons weretested all over the State, said theminister.

Out of the 44 who breathedtheir last on Monday, 11 diedwithout comorbid conditionswhile the remaining 33 had co-morbid issues (they were suf-fering from serious ailmentslike Diabetes/Miletus, kidneyrelated diseases and hyperten-sion, said the bulletin.

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Maharashtra Chief Minister UddhavThackeray’s father-in-law and Saamana

editor Rashmi Thackeray’s father MadhavPatankar died on Sunday after prolonged ill-ness. Patankar — who had ailing for quitesome time and he had recently been admit-ted to Criticare hospital at Andheri in northMumbai – was 79. His last rites were per-formed on Monday morning.

Patankar ran a family business of chem-ical production. He lived at Bandra (east) nearThackeray’s private residence “Matoshri”.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari con-veyed his condolences to Uddhav Thackerayon the demise of the latter's father in law.

Mourning the bereavement of RashmiThackeray, NCP MP Supriya Sule tweeted:“Deeply Saddened to hear about the demiseof Shri. Madhav Patankar - Father of Mrs.Rashmi Uddhav Thackeray. My HeartfeltCondolences. May He rest in peace. MyThoughts and Prayers with the Patankar andThackeray Family”.

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Asenior Minister in MamataBanerjee’s Cabinet has

accused the Union Governmentand a private airlines of crimi-nal negligence in letting twocorona infected passengers to flyin from Chennai to Kolkata.

Bengal Minister SubhenduAdhikary on Monday said thata person called Indrajit Doluiwho tested positive for the virusalong with an acquaintance wasallowed to travel in a private air-lines to Kolkata compromisinga number of other passengerssafety.

“The swab of this man andhis acquaintance was collectedon June 12 where after thereports came out three dayslater. Both of them tested posi-tive. In spite of that they pur-chased tickets of a Kolkatabound flight and travelled backto this city,” Adhikary allegedsaying “this is the instance ofutmost and criminal negligencenot only on the part of theAirlines but also the CivilAviation Ministry,” which

should have screened them atthe airport itself.

“The infected persons whobelong to East Midnapore dis-trict are irresponsible but whatabout the Airlines and theMinistry who put at risk thesafety of so many passengerswho travelled with them on thesaid day?” the Minister asked.

Meanwhile, the Bengal BJPon Monday staged rallies atvarious points of Kolkataprotesting against the lack-adaisical approach of the StateGovernment in tackling theCorona cases. “Already we havecrossed 10,000 mark and thenumber of infected patients areincreasing by the hour… where-as the Government seems to besleeping,” said BJP leader LocketChatterjee.

Elsewhere, the EasternRailways have started conduct-ing feasibility study of startingsuburban train service in andaround Kolkata. The reportswould be submitted before theauthorities in a week’s time,sources said adding decisionswould be taken thereafter.

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The administration of the UnionTerritory of Jammu & Kashmir is

keen on inviting private investors toinvest in the education sector throughEducation Investment Policy-2020 (EIP-2020).

Chairing a high level meeting onMonday, Principal Secretary, SchoolEducation Department, Dr AsgarHassan Samoon said the government iscommitted to facilitate private playersto further improve the education sce-nario in the region.

While welcoming investment inthe education sector, Dr Samoon saidthat the government is committed andwants to create a conducive atmospherefor creation of a state-of-art education-al ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir byfostering the spirit of creativity and nur-turing a culture of scientific temper andcritical thinking.

Maintaining that there is scope forthe establishment of private universitiesin J&K, Dr Samoon said there is a needto attract the investors for the estab-lishment of these private universities.Large number of students study outsideJammu & Kashmir in the absence ofprofessional colleges and other infra-structure support.

According to official sources,

“threadbare discussions were held whileseeking inputs from the investors toestablish private colleges and universi-ties and to explore opportunities toattract private investors for the same.The meeting was convened to discussimplementation of EIP-2020 with sev-eral private stakeholders.

The meeting was attended byCommissioner Secretary HigherEducation, Talat Parvez Rohella;Directors of School EducationJammu/Kashmir and Chairperson J&KBoard of School Education, VeenaPandita via video conferencing. MissionDirector, Skill DevelopmentDepartment, besides several privatestakeholders also attended the meeting.

The meeting also discussed varioussuggestions from the prospectiveinvestors and it was informed that in thisregard an empowered ‘Single WindowClearance Body’ would be made oper-ational soon for granting time boundapprovals and clearances for setting upof new private schools/ residentialschools / colleges/technical educationinstitutes/ universities etc. On the occa-sion, the private investors also gave theirinputs and suggested several measuresto raise the educational standards in J&Kwhile maintaining that they are ready toinvest in the education sector throughthe EIP-2020.

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Mithun Kumar, a Mehndiartist from Bhagalpur dis-

trict of Bihar has made Jammu,popularly known as 'city oftemples', his second home forthe last 17 years. He is current-ly running a designer 'Mehndi'shop outside the Bahu Fortpremises. A famous 'kali' matatemple is located inside thefort.

Before the lockdown start-ed, Mithun used to earn at-least�500 per day or some timesmore than that depending onthe total number of footfallsinside the temple complex.

Along with Mithu, morethan 200 other shopkeepers,selling pooja material, sweetsand snacks were dependent onpilgrims/tourists visiting the

temple complex.But ever since nationwide

lock down started in the lastweek of March 2020, theseshopkeepers and daily wageearners have been struggling tocope up and sustain them-selves.

Last week, when the centreGovernment circulated stan-dard operating proceduresahead of reopening of religiousplaces from June 8, hopes ofMithun Kumar and others wereraised but the local authoritiesdisallowed opening of religiousplaces till further orders.

Speaking to The Pioneer,while standing outside his shop,Mithun Kumar said, “it is hightime the Government shouldallow them to reopen theirshops so that they can survive”.

He said, “whatever savings

they had in theirpocket they hadspent the same tosustain them-selves. Now theyare struggling tosurvive. We areout of work forabout threemonths now.How do we sur-vive in future wereally don't know”.

When askedwhy he didn'treturn home,Mithun claimed,“i have spent all my childhoodhere in Jammu. Every thing ishere, how do we leave thisplace and go back to our village.We have nothing left behind”.“Even if we go back, how will wesurvive even there. There are no

means to earn out livelihood”.He appealed to the govern-ment to provide them somehelp.

Talking about hardshipsthey faced during the lock downperiod, Mithun Kumar told

The Pioneer, “when it came todistribution of ration supplieswe were left out of the list ofbeneficiaries as we were listed asoutsiders”. He claimed, “we sur-vived on help from each otherin the market area during thesetough times.

Another shop keeper inthe area Raj Kumar, who runsa sweet shop told The Pioneer,”before Navratra festival start-ed we have to shut down ourshops due to outbreak of Covid-19”.

“For over two months we

were facing miseries and strug-gling to cope up. Without earn-ing a single penny only we knowhow we have managed to sur-vive during these tough times “.“No one from the governmentcame to inquire about ourplight”.

Pawan Kumar, President ofthe Bahu Fort shopkeepers asso-ciation is lending a helpinghand to large number of beg-gars, destitute staying in the areasince lock down.

He feeds them food twice aday. He alleged that the localauthorities have not taken adecision to throw open theshops. He said, no oneapproached us during the lockdown period.All the shopkeep-ers in the area are suffering inthe absence of reopening of reli-gious places .

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Cliff House, the official resi-dence of Kerala Chief Minister,

became the venue for a marriagefor the first time in its history.Mohammed Riyaz, president of theDemocratic Youth Federation ofIndia (DYFI), the militant youthwing of the CPI(M) tied nuptialknot with Veena, daughter ofChief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ata small but elegant function heldat the Cliff House on Monday.Veena, an IT graduate is the man-aging director of ExalogicSolutions

The day happened to be thefirst day of the Malayalam monthof Mithuna that comes amidstJyeshtha. “It is the most auspiciousday available in the coming monthsand there is nothing surprising inthem choosing this day for the

marriage,” said UnnikrishnaPanickar, South India’s leadingastrologer and thantrick scholar.

The bride and bridegroomexchanged garlands at 10 am in thepresence of their close relations.The star of the show turned out tobe the five -year-old son of Veenaby her first marriage. For bothRiyaz and Veena, this is their sec-ond marriage. Riyaz has two sonsby his first marriage.

Pinarayi Vijayan, his wifeKamala, Koliyakode KrishnanNair, a prominent figure inThruvananthapuram’s cultural andpolitical circle were the leadinglights who were present during themarriage ceremony. Later in theday, the chief minister hosted areception as part of the celebrationswhich was graced by his cabinetcolleagues and party supremoKodiyeri Balakrishnan.

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Robbing Peter to pay Paul is a much heard com-plaint in political narration. But Inspector

Ayyal Raju of Subramanyapuram Police Stationin Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district was in for a sur-prise when he came across a person who ‘robbedpeople to preach Paul’.

The person arrested turned out to be VijayanSamuel, a pastor who was into full time evange-lisation and proselytization in Madurai city andsuburbs. He was having plentiful harvests as therewas no dearth of souls in the region. But ‘Paul’smelt rat somewhere along Samuel’s harvesting andthe pastor is cooling his heels in theThirumangalam prison since Saturday. Samuel wasthe rising star among all the evangelists workingin Madurai as he preached, prayed and prosely-tised all across the city. Luck ran out on Saturdaymorning when his scooty developed an enginetrouble. Anxious to reach the prayer meeting intime, Samuel took the two-wheeler to a roadsidegarage.The mechanic in charge of the workshopwho attended to the complaint identified the vehi-cle which belonged to one of his regular customers.He rang up the owner of the vehicle to checkwhether the latter had disposed off the vehicle. Thereal owner told him that his two-wheeler has beenmissing for the last two days. As Samuel left forthe prayer meeting, the mechanic alerted theSubramaniapuram Police Station. A team underAyyal Raju reached the garage and waited for thearrival of Samuel. By this time the original ownertoo had come to the workshop. When Samuelturned up, he was taken into custody by the police.The Pastor did not object but went on deliveringthe message of St Mathews to the cops.

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The “Selfish Giant” who returned tohaunt a North Kolkata locality after

he threw off two toddlers from fourthfloor balcony has confessed to thepolice that he was irritated by the dinthe little ones created while playing infront of his door.

The heart-curdling incident tookplace on Sunday in the Burrabazar areaof Kolkata where a characteristicallyangry man Shiv Kumar Gupta threwtwo-year-old Shivam off the fourth floorcommon balcony that led to his and hisneighbours’ doors while the toddler wasplaying with his sister and elder broth-er Vishal, who is about 5-year-old.

The accused confessed to the policethat he was a habitual boozer and couldnot control his anger when he wasdrunk. He reportedly confessed that thechildren were first lured with somechana choor (dry snacks) before hecaught Shivam, the youngest one andthrew him off the balcony. The victimdied instantly.

The victim’s sister however managedto wriggle out of Gupta’s clasp and ranto safety before calling in her parentsand the neighbours.

Meanwhile, eliminating the tot

would not calm Gupta back to his sens-es even as he grabbed a trembling Vishaland threw him off too. The second vic-tim however survived the attack andcurrently battling for his life in aKolkata hospital.

Gupta a real estate broker with asmall transport business is known havetold the police that he could not toler-ate the din created by the children evenas they played around.

He had repeatedly warned their par-ents and even had picked up altercationswith them.

“He always complained about thechildren playing at the balcony. Hewould shout whenever a ball entered hisroom. But we thought that he was anintolerant eccentric and ignored him.But we could not think in wildest of ourdreams that he would do this to the lit-tle children,” a neighbor said adding theparents were forced to let the youngstersplay in the balcony as they were afraidof their getting infected with corona ifthey were sent to play in the parks.

Meanwhile the man who was arrest-ed on Sunday was remanded to 14-days’judicial custody, sources said adding hehas been charged with Section 302(murder) and 307 (attempt to murder)of the Indian Penal Code.

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After 84 days of completeclosure, the Western and

Central Railways resumedskeletal services on theirrespective main suburban lines,while the CR operated serviceson the Harbour line to cater tothe essential category employ-ees of the MaharashtraGovernment.

The Western and CentralRailway resumed their ser-vices in the wake of repeatedrequests by Maharashtra ChiefMinister Uddhav Thackeraywho felt that the resumption ofsuburban train services for theongoing unlocking process.The Western and CentralRailways together started 440services.

While the Western Railwayis 60 pairs of its 12 car subur-ban services - total 120 - inboth direction betweenChurchgate and Dahanu Road,the Central Railway is running100 services on either side onits Main line – fromChhatrapati Shivaji MaharajTerminus (CSMT) to Thane,Kalyan, Karjat and Kasara and70 services on either sides ofHarbour line – CSMT to Panvel

The WR and CR will oper-ate their services between 05.30

hrs and 23.30 hrs. TheMaharashtra government willbe the nodal authority for thispurpose.

Approximately 1.25 lakhemployees of essential servicesof state government are expect-ed to commute by these speciallimited services. During nor-mal times, more than eight mil-lion commute daily on thesuburban networks of boththe railways every day.

The Western and CentralRailways have stated these spe-cial suburban services. Theseservices are not for general pas-

sengers/public and will bestrictly for those engaged inessential services only.

Travelling authority willbe applicable as per normalprocedure over WR and CRand certain booking windowswill be opened for the same.

The Railway workman spe-cial trains will continue to runand the RPF will be deployedat various stations.

According to thespokespersons of the two rail-ways, entry will be given at sta-tions through ID cards ofemployees but later the state

employees will be issued QRbased E-passes which will alsobar colour coding to enableswiffer ticket checking withcoordination by the StateGovernment.

Both the Railways – asalso the state government--will ensure multiple rounds ofchecking to ensure only essen-tial workers board these trains.

The state government willhave to ensure all those allowedto travel are done so afterensuring that they are med-ically fit and do not comefrom a containment zone.

To allow adequate socialdistancing in the coaches,unlike its seating capacity toaccommodate about 1,200 per-sons, only about 700 com-muters shall be allowed pertrain.

Further the state govern-ment has been advised to stag-ger the timings of its offices forworkers coming from differentareas to ensure there is nocrowding at the stations andinside the trains.

The WR and CRspokespersons have requestedthe state government employ-ees not to rush to the stationsbut follow medical and socialprotocols as mandated forCovid-19.

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh reported 246new coronavirus cases till 9 am on Monday,taking the state's total tally to 5,086 and activecases to 2,231, the state Nodal Officer said.

With 2 more corona deaths in the 24 hourstill 9 am on Monday, the total death tollclimbed to 86. One death was reported inKurnool district and another in Anantapur dis-trict.

On Monday, Andhra Pradesh's mortalityrate dipped to 1.33 per cent from 1.43 per centearlier on. As per data released on Monday,Andhra Pradesh holds 9th position on thiscount among the Indian states. India's mor-tality rate was 2.86 per cent on Monday.

As many as 47 more patients were dis-charged from hospitals on Monday, taking thestate tally to 2,770. The state tested 15,633 sam-ples on Sunday, and 15,173 in 24 hours till 9am on Monday, the officer said.

Monday also witnessed an increase incorona cases among returnees from otherstates -- 1,159 cases compared with Sunday's1,107 cases. As many as 22 persons in this cat-egory were discharged from hospitals.

Among foreign returnees, 6 new caseswere detected, taking the total to 210 and activecases to 187 on Monday. IANS

Agra: The number of Covid-19patients rose to 1,035 in Agrawith 15 new cases reported tillMonday morning. One moreperson died due to the diseasetaking the death toll to 62,health officials said.

District Magistrate P.N.Singh said that 869 patientshave recovered so far.

The number of contain-ment zones in the rural areashas gone up, as villages werereporting new cases each day,after the return of migrantworkers. Agra now has 43 con-tainment zones in urban areasand 27 in rural areas. IANS

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Page 6: ˆ · 2020-06-15 · October 2016, India and ... have gone viral on social media ... agencies relating to rise in online

The Indian Constitution hasbeen amended 104 timesand many of the modifica-tions, including the onespassed by Parliament dur-

ing the dreaded Emergency, havebeen extensively discussed. But therehas not been sufficient debate on theamendment that started it all — thecontroversial “First Amendment.” Itwas mooted by the first PrimeMinister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru,in May 1951 within 15 months of theadoption of the Constitution the pre-vious year. The intent was to imposerestrictions on freedom of speech andother fundamental rights and to saveanti-zamindari laws. These amend-ments, which were carried out by theProvisional Parliament, were meant toovercome judicial verdicts that struckdown laws that affected the Press andindividual freedom.

The statement of Objects andReasons appended to the FirstAmendment Act said that certain dif-ficulties had cropped up in the work-ing of the Constitution because ofjudicial decisions, especially withregard to the fundamental rights. Thecitizen’s right to freedom of speech andexpression, guaranteed under Article19(1)(a), “had been held by somecourts to be so comprehensive as notto render a person culpable even if headvocates murder and other crimes ofviolence.” Therefore, restrictions weresought to be fortified in the name of“public order”, “friendly relationswith foreign states” and “incitementto an offence.”

There is much debate on the useand misuse of the sedition law thesedays but what is not well known is thatone of the purposes of Nehru’s FirstAmendment was to fortify Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)under which the charge of sedition ispinned on individuals for speaking orwriting against the State.

Credit goes to TripurdamanSingh, a post-doctoral fellow at theInstitute of Commonwealth Studies,University of London, for throwinglight on the politics surrounding thisevent in his exceptionally readablebook, Sixteen Stormy Days — TheStory of the First Amendment to theConstitution of India, published byPenguin.

The First Amendment needs to beremembered for many things, includ-ing the first major clash between thePresident and the Prime Minister; theintroduction of “reasonable restric-tions” in Article 19(2) in theConstitution; and the idea of placinglegislation in the Ninth Schedule so asto insulate them from judicial review.

It is indeed a fascinatingstory with many sub-plots suchas the debate over “reasonablerestrictions.” Nehru wanted toimpose “restrictions” on free-dom of speech and expressionin the light of some cases per-taining to the media. In RomeshThappar vs the State of Madras,the Supreme Court had held inMay 1950 that a Madras Statelaw barring entry and circula-tion of the petitioner’s magazine,Crossroads, on the ground thatit disturbed “public order” wasunconstitutional as theConstitution did not provide forit. Further, it said, “liberty of cir-culation is as essential to thatfreedom (of propagation ofideas) as that of the publication.”In Brij Bhushan vs the State ofDelhi (the Organiser case), themagazine was subjected to pre-censorship because the thenNehru Government did notlike what it was saying aboutPakistan. The magazine chal-lenged the order and theSupreme Court held that pre-censorship violated Article19(1)(a). In Master Tara Singh’scase, the East Punjab HighCourt had held that Section124(A) (sedition) and Section153(A) of the IPC were violativeof the fundamental rights guar-anteed under Article 19.

Nehru felt frustrated bythese judicial pronouncementsand wanted to remedy the sit-uation via the FirstAmendment. He wanted

restrictions imposed on thefreedom of speech and expres-sion in the name of “publicorder”, “friendly relations withforeign states” and “incitementto an offence.” Senior parlia-mentarians, including mem-bers of the Congress, wantedthe restrictions to be circum-scribed by the word “reason-able.” Nehru did not like it onebit. In the midst of the ragingcontroversy, he wrote to TTKrishnamachari, Congressleader and MP, and confessedthat he did not like the word“reasonable” before “restric-tions” because it would be aninvitation for every such case togo to the courts.

However, eventually, heyielded when he found thatthere were many in theCongress Parliamentary Party(CPP) who disagreed with him.In fact, as the author notes, 77MPs wrote to him asking for afree vote on the FirstAmendment. That was whenNehru realised that the gamewas up and he gave in to thepopular demand to make therestrictions “reasonable.”Thanks to Syama PrasadMukherjee, Acharya Kripalaniand other stalwarts in theCongress, the Supreme Courthas had the constitutional man-date over the last seven decadesto examine whether the lawsmade by Parliament and theState legislatures, imposingrestrictions on free speech, are

“reasonable” or not. Former President Rajendra

Prasad, Syama PrasadMukherjee, Acharya Kripalani,HN Kunzru and many otherleading parliamentarians ques-tioned Nehru’s intentions andwarned him about the danger-ous precedent he was creating.But Nehru was adamant — thejudiciary and the Press had tobe reined in. The leaders feltthat the Constitution should, ifnecessary, be amended after thefirst general election and theconstitution of the two Houses— the Lok Sabha and the RajyaSabha. They argued that a sin-gle chamber, the ProvisionalParliament, was not competentto amend the Constitutionwhen Article 368 prescribedthe procedure to be followed bythe two Houses.

During the debate,Kameshwar Singh accusedNehru of “sowing the seed ofexecutive despotism.” SyamaPrasad Mukherjee had saidthat Nehru was “disfiguring”the Constitution by bringing in“public order” as a restriction.He said, “It is the beginning ofthe encroachment of liberty ofthe people of free India.” Hiswords have proved to beprophetic.

The President repeatedlyclashed with Nehru on the lat-ter’s proposals and even askedsenior Congress leader, AlladiKrishnaswamy Aiyyar, whetherhe could give his assent to an

unconstitutional legislationwhen he is under oath to “pre-serve, protect and defend” theConstitution.

The First Amendment alsointroduced Article 31(B), toadd the Ninth Schedule, whichthe author describes as a“Constitutional vault,” to barjudicial review of laws placed inthe schedule. Syama PrasadMukherjee warned Nehruagainst creating such a prece-dent and said, “any nonsensi-cal law can be put there” andplaced beyond judicial review.Sure enough, Nehru’s daughter,former Prime Minister IndiraGandhi, misused this provisionon many occasions.

Tripurdaman Singh callsthe Ninth Schedule “constitu-tional skulduggery” and says itgranted constitutional protec-tion to the Constitution’sabusers. All the evidence hegathers compels the author todeliver a harsh indictment. Hesays, “In the reckless, impetu-ous bid to establish theGovernment’s supremacy andopen the constitutional doorsto the Congress’ social revolu-tion…all caution had beenthrown to the wind. The cre-ation of the Nehruvian Statedemanded constitutionalblood — and the PrimeMinister and his acolytes werewilling to spill it...”

(The writer is an author spe-cialising in democracy studies.Views expressed are personal.)

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Sir — The hospitality sector is themost vulnerable in terms ofinstant loss of employment and,hence, deserves serious attentionin this time of economic rebuild.The travel bug remains helplessagainst COVID-19. Withoutenthusiastic and extensive trav-el, the hospitality sector will con-tinue to remain in a coma. Fortravel to resume, safety assuranceis needed, which is not yet insight. The hotel and tourismindustry has static assets to main-tain as opposed to travel that hasassets highly vulnerable to pro-longed disuse. Thus, they requireprimary and generous succour.

France and Germany haveput in massive outlay to theirnational airlines. Unless a con-certed and global approach to avi-ation is adopted by all nations, thetravel industry cannot be animat-ed. Perhaps, we may find a solu-tion for COVID earlier than theresuscitation of travel per se.Theimpetus for movement of peopleis related to industrial and busi-ness activity. Hence, a huge stim-ulus spending on large infra pro-jects, public housing and micro,small and medium enterprises is

a must. Unlike the 2008 econom-ic crisis, where financial arterieswere damaged, COVID haspunctured blood vessels of everyeconomic organ.

R NarayananNavi Mumbai

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Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Roti vs paratha” (June 15).India is a vast country. Foodvariety here encompasses a widevariety of regional and tradition-

al cuisines native to the country.A huge list of just the types ofrotis can only be found in ourculinary heritage.

Thus, the Karnataka benchof the Authority of AdvanceRuling (AAR)’s ruling that

ready-to-eat parota needs to beheated or further processed forhuman consumption and, hence,is liable for 18 per cent GST isbizarre and regressive.

Further, the entire purposeof introducing GST was to doaway with multiple tax system.Certainly, this is not happening.Authorities must focus onimproving the economy’s healthby introducing measures toincrease demand rather thanfocussing on rotis and parotas.

SK PrabhakarGurugram

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Sir — Petrol and diesel priceshave seen a rise for the ninthconsecutive day. The increasedprices of fuel have had a cascad-ing effect on the overall price ofall items of daily consumption.To alleviate the suffering of thepeople, the Government mustroll back the hike and reducethe prices of petrol and dieselwithout delay.

KshitijVia email

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With the relaxation of the lockdown in non-containment zones, the spike in the num-ber of Coronavirus cases is setting new

records daily. India has reached the 3,33,255-markand the country now has the dubious distinctionof ranking fourth in the world. What is even moreconcerning is the fact that the pandemic is spread-ing evenly across India. The percentage of cases inthe worst-affected States like Maharashtra, Gujaratand Rajasthan is going down whereas the numberof infections is rising in north-eastern States,Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Goa. Ladakh added198 infections in one day, taking the cases up to 437.

However, despite all the risks associated withthe easing of the lockdown, it was a necessary stepto save the collapsing economy of the country andthe livelihoods of the people. Therefore, we needto manage our actions in a manner in which we canbalance economic activities and containment of theCoronavirus infection.

To achieve this, the Government has undertak-en a slew of measures. The Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) issued a notification allowing religiousplaces, hotels, restaurants and shopping malls toopen from June 8 under the Standard OperationProcedures (SOPs) issued by the Ministry ofHealth and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Accordingto these SOPs, it is mandatory to maintain a dis-tance of six feet at all public places and use a faceshield or mask.

However, it is not clear how these measures aregoing to be monitored. The MHA has issued penal-ty provisions to hold any person violating these mea-sures liable under the Disaster Management Act,2005. Nevertheless, there is no reliable mechanismto spot violations and ensure compliance. In the caseof offices, employers have been entrusted with theresponsibility of ensuring installation of the AarogyaSetu app by all employees. This measure has drawna lot of flak as the responsibility has been shiftedto a non-State actor who might find it difficult toensure compliance with the SOPs. People are ques-tioning the fairness of this move.

To address this question, let us go back in time.In the 1990s, the Indian leather industry was hit afterGermany banned two commonly-used chemicals,pentachlorophenol (PCP) and Azo dyes. At that timethe leather industry was the fourth-largest foreignexchange earner for India and Germany was thelargest export market. PCP and Azo dyes were wide-ly used in the tanning and dyeing of leather as theywere cheap and easy to produce. Banning the useof these chemicals was ineffective from the pointof view of compliance as nearly 75 per cent of India’stanneries were small in scale. The banned chemi-cals could have always entered the value chainthrough spatially-fragmented upstream processes.However, if these chemicals were not checked, thenthe products sent to Germany would have got reject-ed after testing and exports would have incurredhuge losses. This would have impacted the liveli-hood of thousands of informal workers in tanner-ies.

This situation is very similar to the present one,where it is very difficult to ensure compliance andnon-compliance would cause loss of life and liveli-hoods. However, the Government of that time han-dled the situation deftly. It bought time fromGermany to reorganise the process and initiatedtechnology transfer from Germany for testing of fin-ished leather goods. It also banned production ofthe prohibited chemicals and dyes. It was easier tomonitor the chemical producers as 60 per cent ofthe industry’s output was coming from large firmsand 40 per cent from small and medium firms. Thus,the input producers became enforcers of the ban.

This is the same as entrusting employerswith the responsibility of ensuring employ-ees’ compliance with the Aarogya Setumandate. It would reduce the cost of mon-itoring as it is easier to monitor employ-ers rather than employees and mayincrease compliance at the end.

In the case of leather exports, theGovernment took a few additional mea-sures and with the help of the CentralLeather Research Institute (CLRI), smalltanneries were imparted technical know-how and guidance to use the approvedchemicals. Plus, the chemical and dyemanufacturers were encouraged to inno-vate and make approved dyes, which theydid. In this whole exercise, compliance wasnot State-driven.

Meenu Tewari and Poonam Pillai intheir research paper, Global standards andthe dynamics of environmental compliancein India’s leather industry, published inOxford Development Studies in 2005argued that the Government engendereda process of negotiated collective action,taking into account the exporters, firmsacross the value chain, business associa-tions, research and development institutesand regional environmental agencies.The conformity was based on a peer-mon-itoring system; hence the Government wasnot overburdened with the cost of com-pliance. The resultant acquiescence waswidespread even among the small firmsthat were difficult to monitor.

Let us consider another, more recentcase. This is the success story of a societyin peri-urban Bengaluru in complyingwith improved water management prac-tices and the Karnataka State PollutionControl Board’s (KSPCB) zero liquiddischarge norms. A residential society,Rainbow Drive on Sarjapur road madeconstant efforts to build institutions at thelevel of the society for sustainable watermanagement and finally comply with Statenorms.

Without sustainable water manage-ment practices, the society would haveencountered a major water crisis in the

near future. So Rainbow Drive took aseries of measures, including banning ofprivate borewell drilling, water pricing andmandatory water harvesting.

In 2015, the society became the firstresidential society in Bengaluru to applyto the KSPCB to recharge the groundwa-ter table. The society has also installed aSewage Treatment Plant to comply withthe KSPCB’s discharge norms, althoughit is yet to comply with it fully. Throughthe peer monitoring system, the societyensured compliance within and upheld itsresponsibility to obey Government rules.

The two cases discussed above showthat citizens or stakeholders have toshare the responsibility of compliance withany Government regulation. It is impos-sible for the Government to ensure fullacquiescence due to the prohibitive mon-itoring cost if stakeholders are many andsegregated.

Conformity is plausible only when cit-izens take the responsibility of peer mon-itoring within a group by setting up a for-mal or informal institution. TheGovernment may monitor only the insti-tution, which in turn would monitor theindividuals. If the Government attemptsto monitor each individual, then it wouldencounter the problem of omission andcommission.

Hence, if the Government hasentrusted the employers to ensure that theemployees download the Aarogya Setuapp, then it is a rational policy decision.Thus, the cost of monitoring would getinternalised by employers, in whose inter-est the lockdown was relaxed. The officesshould be held responsible to implementthe SOPs and the offices that are not fol-lowing the rules should be penalised fortheir failure to do so.

However, it is imperative to build con-fidence that the data will not be misused.The trust and confidence between theGovernment and its citizens is the key tosuccess in the war against the Coronavirus.The citizens or stakeholders should formlocal institutions within their group to

devise a strategy for the containment ofthe Coronavirus and thus make compli-ance easier. Close supervision of over 135crore citizens by the Government is anunachievable goal.

It is true that law enforcement agen-cies like the police are keeping a watch oncitizens in many cities and imposing finesif they are found violating social distanc-ing norms. But this is not very effectiveas they cannot monitor everyone, always.

For instance, people would repositionthemselves as and when the police patrolvehicle approaches the shopping centres,only to huddle back when it leaves. Itshould be the responsibility of the mar-ket associations to maintain social distanc-ing norms. They should develop rules bywhich they can impose fines on shopkeep-ers who fail to enforce the norms amongcustomers. If every shopkeeper does so,then customers would also appreciate itand fall in line. The police may in turnhold the association responsible for theenforcement of rules and sanction thosewho fail to maintain order.

This does not suggest that theGovernment remains passive about com-pliance with norms. It should facilitate theprocess to make offices, business or citi-zens’ associations responsible. It shouldprovide more timely and clear informa-tion to avoid the spread of the disease. TheGovernment should counsel and trainoffices and associations on the formationof local institutions.

The most important element of a localinstitution is provision of penalty for notconforming. This would develop trustbetween the implementing authorities andother stakeholders and further betweenthe authorities and the Government.Compliance can only be co-produced byboth the Government and citizensthrough development of trust betweenthem. It cannot be produced by only oneof them.

(The writer is Associate Professor,Institute of Rural Management, Anand. Theviews expressed are personal)

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In international politics, one has tobe watchful about learning lessonsfrom history. Else, in the words of

Winston Churchill, “Those who failto learn from history are condemnedto repeat it.” This applies to Chinamore than ever as it is responding toglobal criticism over the pandemicwith aggressive posturing; by precip-itating a deeper crisis in Hong Kongand a stand-off with India at the bor-der. The same logic applies to thecontemporary global politics amidthe outbreak and its reshaping dis-

courses in a post-Covid world, asmany experts are putting it.

Across the globe, mistrust amongallies is high, cooperation remainsnon-existent and many countriesseem inclined to go their own nation-alist way. While the nature of the pan-demic is certainly global, the fightagainst the crisis is being fought onseveral loosely-tied and fragmentedunilateral fronts.

I gather this argument fromsome classical readings into the“practices and policies” pursued bythe supreme Chinese leadership inthe past, led by Chairman Mao.This is well explained in The ChinaQuestions. Basically, in 1912, a youngMao was gifted a book by his teacherthat became the “guiding thought” forhis life and politics. From the LongMarch in 1934 to his guerrilla wardays in Yanan, Mao kept the book byhis side and frequently referred to the

same during his conversations withparty officials.

The book titled, ComprehensiveMirror in Aid of Governance, waspublished in 1084 and was edited bySima Guang. He was a Chinese his-torian, an intellectual and politicianin the Northern Song dynasty. Thebook was an insightful account onChinese history and lessons on gov-ernance from great Chinese emper-ors. Mao’s obsession with the bookwas primarily cultivated by the corechallenge, which many rulers face inhistory: How to stay in power?

Contemporary China is verydifferent from the ancient one. It isno more a traditional agrarian, socialeconomy and is a well-developedmodern State with “high economicprowess” backed by big urban centres,high production and manufacturingbases, rapid connectivity and a grow-ing knowledge economy. The China

Model by Daniel Bell captures thiseconomic transformation in the lastfour decades. Once a “secludedempire”, China is now the world’slargest exporter and second-largestdestination for Foreign DirectInvestment (FDI). Given the context,the book that Mao cherished holdssome key lessons for the present rul-ing establishment in China. Thefirst lesson being that no dynasty canrule forever. The once-powerful Tangregime in China (618-987) had tocome to an end after 289 years.Nevertheless, while the “right to beruled” simply rests with Chinese cit-izens, history does hold some lessonsfor them on the subject. The erosionof the long-practised system of “col-lective leadership” and “power con-solidation” in present-day China,does face harder times to come.

The second lesson states that eliterebellion is the most important cause

of dynastic fall. The political elite haveboth the knowledge and resources tochallenge the system. In the name ofpromoting the “rule of law”, since2012 the Communist Party of China(CPC) leadership has been runningan “anti-graft campaign” targettinghigh-level party and military officials,some business and State-ownedenterprises (SOEs) heads on accountof corruption.

The campaign has found over 1.5million Government officials guiltyof a variety of corruption-relatedcharges, also drawing political ben-efit for the presidency but dissuadinga large section of political elite inChina.

The third lesson holds the viewthat emperors who designate loyaland competent successors are likelyto be successful. In Indian history,too, many conflicts arose as incum-bent rulers failed to address the

question of succession. In the presentsituation, it remains unclear who willsucceed the current presidency inChina. Most certainly, the way theyhandle this subject shall be a “posi-tive indicator” regarding the futurepolitical landscape of China.

The pandemic, the ongoingUS-China trade war and the playingup of “hegemonic politics” around thecrisis is weakening the foundationsof global humanitarian relief worksand the role of key international agen-cies. At the time, when the idea of“developmental partnership” aspushed forward by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in relation to Chinawas gathering acceptance and the“Wuhan Spirit” was positively reshap-ing bilateral discourse, the presentstand-off on the border and frequentcases of Chinese incursions across theLine of Actual Control are severelyaffecting mutual ties between both

the countries.By unapologetically absolving

itself from the responsibility of theoutbreak and increasing the militarybuild-up across the Indian border andthe South China Sea, China seems tobe shifting to “more assertive politics.”This not only limits the Chinese “softpower” appeal and its gains from sus-tained economic growth, but provesto be a “judgment in a hurry” by theChinese leadership which is failing tolearn lessons from its own past andis drawing global attention on bleakdiplomatic moves.

From AB Vajpayee’s visit toChina in 1979 to the Chennai infor-mal summit in 2019 under Modi, theseries of Chinese endeavours at theborder does nothing except “raisingthe trust deficit” in India-Chinarelations.

(The writer is Assistant Professor,Deshbandhu College, DU.)

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Paris is rediscovering its joiede vivre, as cafes and

restaurants reopen for the firsttime since the fast-spreadingcoronavirus forced them toclose their doors on March 14.

Many customers seemedto shrug off masks and socialdistancing as they streamedback to their neighborhoodbistros for a morning espressoor a three-course lunchMonday, free to resume theirlifestyles by a surpriseannouncement from theFrench president himself.

“ We will rediscover ...The art of living, our taste forfreedom,” PresidentEmmanuel Macron said in atelevised address to the nationSunday night, citing progressin fighting the virus. “ We willrediscover France.”

After two months of beingtotally shut down as part ofFrance’s strict virus lockdownmeasures, restaurants outsidethe Paris region opened earli-er this month. Since June 2,Paris cafes have been allowed

to serve people outside but notopen their doors.

Before Macron’s speech,the full reopening wasn’texpected until later this month.

At the Café Des Anges inthe heart of the Bastille neigh-borhood of Paris, customersseemed happy to reconnectand talked about the need toremain careful — yet almost noone wore a mask. France hasthe world’s f ifth-highestrecorded toll from the virus, at29,410 dead.

“ It’s like a renaissance, butwith caution,” said customerMarie-Elisabeth Vilaine.

The reopening Mondaycaught many restaurant own-ers off guard — just like theabrupt closure three monthsago, when the prime ministerannounced at 8 pm. On aSaturday that all the country’srestaurants had to shut downby midnight.

Paris seemed especiallydepressing as restaurants, thelifeblood of the city, stoodshuttered, chairs stackedagainst the windows, menusgathering dust.

Seoul: South Korea’s presidentcalled on North Korea to stopraising animosities and return totalks, saying Monday the rivalsmust not reverse the peacedeals that he and North Koreanleader Kim Jong Un reachedduring 2018 summits.

President Moon Jae-in’sefforts to defuse rising ani-mosities came as North Koreathreatened Friday to destroy aliaison office and take unspec-ified military steps against SouthKorea.

If made, the office’s demo-lition could pose a serious set-back to Moon’s efforts to restoreKorean reconciliation and finda negotiated solution of theNorth Korean nuclear issue.

“ North Korea must notsever communications and cre-ate tensions to turn back theclock to a past confrontationalperiod,” Moon said during ameeting with top presidentialadvisers, according to his office.“ We must not push back thepledges of peace that ChairmanKim Jong Un and I made” intwo summits in 2018.

Moon, a liberal who metKim three times in 2018, wasbehind now-dormant diploma-cy between Pyongyang andWashington, including the firstsummit between Kim andPresident Donald Trump inSingapore in 2018.

During two of the threeinter-Korean summits, Moonand Kim agreed to achievedenuclearization of the KoreanPeninsula and take other stepsto boost exchanges and dialdown a military standoff.

Those summits initiallyhelped to improve their coun-tries’ ties significantly, beforetheir relations became strainedagain after the breakdown of asecond Kim-Trump summit inVietnam in early 2019.

North Korea has recentlyunleashed a slew of harshrhetoric against South Korea,accusing it of failing to preventactivists from launching propa-ganda leaflets across their bor-der. In an apparent bid to sootheNorth Korea, Moon’s govern-ment vowed to ban civilianleafleting campaign. But NorthKorea has said the South Koreanresponse lacks sincerity.

Some observers say NorthKorea is extremely frustratedbecause Seoul has failed tobreak away from Washingtonand revive stalled joint eco-nomic projects held back byU.S.-led sanctions.

They also speculate NorthKorea initially thought Moonwould help it win badly need-ed sanctions relief but got upsetafter Kim returned home emptyhanded from the 2019 summitwith Trump. AP

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British Prime Minister BorisJohnson on Monday

announced a new cross-gov-ernment commission to tack-le racism and all other formsof inequality in the UK, inresponse to the worldwideanti-racism Black Lives Matterprotests.

Johnson said that it is notpossible to ignore the manythousands who joined theprotests in Britain over thepast few weeks, in the wake ofthe killing of 46-year-oldAfrican-American GeorgeFloyd in Minneapolis in policecustody.

“ No one who cares aboutthis country can ignore themany thousands of peoplewho have joined the BlackLives Matter movement toprotest peacefully, as most ofthem have, in the last fewdays,” the UK PM writes in‘The Daily Telegraph’.

“ It is no use just sayingthat we have made hugeprogress in tackling racism.There is much more that weneed to do; and we will. It istime for a cross-governmentalcommission to look at allaspects of inequality — inemployment, in health out-comes, in academic and allother walks of life,” he said.

Beijing: China has begun themass testing of hundreds ofpeople who had visited aBeijing wholesale marketwhich sparked a fresh bout ofcoronavirus cases even as thecountry reported 67 newCOVID-19 infections includ-ing 42 in the capital.

In a bid to stem the spreadof the contagion, the authori-ties in Beijing have conductedthe nucleic acid test on 29,386people who had visited theXinfadi wholesale market sinceMay 30, Gao Xiaojun,

spokesman for the BeijingHealth Commission, said onMonday.

The market became ahotspot after it reported severalnew COVID-19 cases. Out ofall the samples, 12,973 camenegative and the rest are await-ing results, Gao told the media.

The National HealthCommission (NHC) in itsdaily report on Monday saidthat 49 new confirmedCOVID-19 cases and 18asymptomatic cases werereported on Sunday.

As of Sunday, 112 peoplewith asymptomatic symptomswere still under quarantine.Asymptomatic cases, alsoknown as silent spreaders, arethe patients who have testedCOVID-19 positive but devel-op no symptoms such as fever,cough or sore throat. However,they pose a risk of spreadingthe disease to others.

The Beijing MunicipalHealth Commission onMonday said that the cityreported 36 new confirmeddomestically-transmitted

COVID-19 cases and six newasymptomatic cases.

The official media onSunday said that eight peopletested positive in the capital.

By Sunday, Beijing hasreported 499 confirmeddomestically-transmittedCOVID-19 cases since January,including 411 who have beendischarged from hospitals afterrecovery and nine deaths, thecommission said. There werestill 79 patients receiving med-ical treatment and sevenasymptomatic cases under

medical observation, the staterun-Xinhua news agencyreported.

So far, 174 importedCOVID-19 cases have beenreported in the capital, withone still hospitalised. TheNHC said that three caseswere reported in Hebeiprovince on Sunday.

It said that 3,852 closecontacts were still under med-ical observation after 392 peo-ple were discharged frommedical observation onSunday. PTI

Accra: Ghana’s president hasannounced that HealthMinister Kwaku Agyemang-Manu has contracted COVID-19 and is undergoing treatmentat a hospital.

In a state broadcast onSunday night, President NanaAkufo-Addo said the healthminister had “ contracted thevirus in his line of duty” lead-ing the West African nation’sfight against COVID-19.

Ghana has one of highestnumber of confirmed cases inAfrica because of its robust test-ing, with more than 11,400cases. Health authorities havereported 51 deaths.

News of the health minis-ter’s illness further fueled wor-ries as Ghana’s universities pre-pared to reopen Monday sostudents in their final year ofstudy can take exams.

“ If the health minister iscontracting the disease, what isthe guarantee that my son willbe safe?” said Peter Owusu,who son studies at theUniversity of Cape Coast. AP

Miami: More than 40,000cruise ship workers are stillstuck at sea because of concernsabout the coronavirus.

The Miami Herald reportsthat at least 42,000 workersremain trapped on cruise shipswithout paychecks, and somestill are suffering from COVID-19, three months after theindustry shut down.

Cruise lines stopped sailingin mid-March after severalhigh-profile outbreaks at sea.More than 600 people fell illaboard Carnival Corp.’s

Diamond Princess while it wasquarantined off Japan, forexample. Fourteen passengersdied.

The U.S. Centers forDisease Control has prohibit-ed cruises in U.S. Watersthrough July 24.

Some cruise ship workershave started being repatriatedto their home countries. About3,000 Carnival Cruise Lineworkers got off in Croatia ear-lier this month to catch ridesand f lights home acrossEurope. AP

Washington: A makeshiftmemorial has popped up at afast-food restaurant where ablack man was fatally shot bya white Atlanta police officer,one of the latest deaths ofblack men that have ignited anew wave of anti-racismprotests across the country.

Early Sunday, Atlantapolice announced that an offi-cer, Garrett Rolfe, had beenfired following the fatal shoot-ing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, onFriday night, and another offi-cer, Devin Brosnan, had beenplaced on administrative duty.

On Saturday, MayorKeisha Lance Bottoms hadcalled for the immediate firingof the officer who opened fireon Brooks and announced thatshe had accepted the resigna-tion of Police Chief ErikaShields.

“ I do not believe that thiswas a justified use of deadlyforce,” Bottoms said.

Roughly 150 protestersmarched outside the Wendy’srestaurant outside whereBrooks was shot, reignitingdemonstrations that had large-ly simmered in the Georgiacapital nearly three weeks afterGeorge Floyd, another blackman, died after a whiteMinneapolis police officerpressed a knee to his neck.Both Rolfe and Brosnan arewhite.

The Wendy’s was setaflame at one point Saturdaynight, although the fire was outbefore midnight. The Georgia

Bureau of Investigation saidthat Brooks, who was seen onbody camera video sleeping ina car blocking the Wendy’sdrive thru, failed a sobriety testand was shot in a struggle overa police Taser.

Atlanta police said Sundaythat 36 people had been arrest-ed in connection with theprotests, but gave no furtherdetails.

Meanwhile, the rapidlyunfolding movement to takedown Confederate statues inthe US grew over the weekend.

In Richmond, Virginia, apolice SUV drove up on a curband struck multiple protesterswho were blocking the vehicle’spath during a demonstrationSaturday night at the Robert ELee statue, which has becomea gathering place for racial jus-tice demonstrations. No oneappeared to be seriouslyinjured, according to theRichmond Times-Dispatch.

In messages posted onTwitter early Sunday morning,the Richmond PoliceDepartment said police areinvestigating the incident,including what it called “ a pos-sible assault” on an officer whowas inside the vehicle.

The department said it isalso investigating reports onsocial media “ that a person inthe crowd may have beenstruck by the vehicle.”Spokespersons for the depart-ment did not immediatelyrespond to an email seekingcomment Sunday morning.

In Philadelphia, a group ofabout 100 people, some carry-ing guns and baseball bats,gathered around a statue ofChristopher Columbus inPhiladelphia on Saturday, say-ing they intended to protect itfrom vandals amid recentprotests.

“ It would be over my deadbody before they got to this stat-ue,” Anthony Ruggiero, 41, toldThe Philadelphia Inquirer. “This is a part of history.” MayorJim Kenney condemned the “groups of armed individuals‘protecting’” the statue in aTwitter post on Sunday.

Meanwhile, three peoplewere charged in the vandalismof a Christopher Columbusstatue in Providence, RhodeIsland.

Protesters in New Orleanstore down a bust of a slaveowner Saturday who left partof his fortune to New Orleans’schools and then took theremains to the MississippiRiver and rolled it down thebanks into the water.

And in Tahlequah,Oklahoma, the CherokeeNation’s principal chiefwatched as two Confederatemonuments were removed thatwere placed in its tribal head-quarters nearly a century agoby the Daughters of theConfederacy. Also Saturday,members of the ClemsonUniversity football team ledhundreds of demonstrators onthe school’s campus in SouthCarolina. AP

Moscow: A Russian court onMonday sentenced an Americanbusinessman to 16 years inprison on spying charges, a sen-tence that he and his brotherrejected as being political.

The Moscow City Courtread out the conviction of PaulWhelan on charges of espi-onage and sentenced him to 16years in a maximum securityprison colony. The trial was heldbehind closed doors.

Whelan, who was arrestedin Moscow in December 2018,has insisted on his innocence,saying he was set up.

Speaking after the verdict,US Ambassador John Sullivandenounced the secret trial inwhich no evidence was pro-duced as an egregious violationof human rights and interna-tional legal norms. He describedWhelan’s conviction as a mock-ery of justice and demanded hisimmediate release.

Whelan’s brother David saidlawyers will appeal the verdictthat he denounced as political,adding in a statement that “ thecourt’s decision merely com-pletes the final piece of this bro-ken judicial process.”

“ We had hoped that thecourt might show some inde-pendence but, in the end,Russian judges are political, notlegal, entities,” the statementsaid. “ We look to the US gov-ernment to immediately takesteps to bring Paul home.” AP

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Woodstock (US): A sheriff inVirginia has apologized to ablack pastor in Virginia whodescribed being arrested aftercalling 911 on a group ofwhite people who threatenedto kill him after trying todump a refrigerator on hisproperty.

Shenandoah CountySheriff Timothy Carter madethe apology to Leon K.

McCray Sr. Of WoodstockFriday, announcing hate crimeand assault charges againstthe five people involved andsaying a weapons chargeagainst the pastor would bedropped.

McCray described theevents leading to his arrest ina sermon to parishioners atLighthouse Church &Marketplace Ministries

International.He said he was visiting an

apartment he owns inEdinburg on June 1 when henoticed a man and a womandragging a refrigerator fromanother property into hisdumpster, and they becameirate when he asked them toleave.

McCray said they threat-ened him and returned with

three more people, attackinghim physically, saying “ theydon’t give a darn” about “ myblack life and the Black LivesMatter stuff,” and telling himthey would “ kill” him.

McCray said they backedup when he drew his legal con-cealed weapon to “ save” hislife, giving him enough time tocall 911. Arriving deputiesthen took his gun while talk-

ing with the five, who contin-ued threatening and yellingracist epithets at him.

They wouldn’t let him tellhis side, he said; instead, hewas “ handcuffed in front ofthe mob,” for brandishing thehandgun, and was driven awayin handcuffs while the groupstood with other deputies,waving at him as he wentdown the road. AP

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Lahore: University graduates inPakistan’s Punjab province willnot get the degree withoutcompleting a compulsory read-ing of the Quran with its trans-lation, according to a notifica-tion issued by the government.

Punjab province GovernorChaudhry Mohammad Sarwarissued the notification onSunday making it mandatoryfor all the students in the uni-versities (except non-Muslims)to learn the Quran with Urdutranslation.

“ University graduates willnot be awarded degree if they donot study the Quran with trans-lation,” the notification says.

It further says: “ Lecturers

in all the universities — pub-lic and private — of Punjab willteach Quran with translation toall students. The holy book willbe taught separately from thesubject of Islamic studies whichis already being taught in all theuniversities.

Governor Sarwar, who isalso the chancellor of univer-sities in Punjab, said the gov-ernment has made mandatoryfor all the university students toread Quran with translation,failing for which will deprivethem of their degree.

“ The historical decision toteach the Quran with Urdutranslation has been imple-mented. This will be a com-

pulsory subject in universitiesof Punjab without which adegree won’t be awarded,” hesaid.

Sarwar said there is a planto bring amendments to theConstitution for making teach-ing of Quran translation com-pulsory for all students.

In April, he had formed aseven-member committee ofvice-chancellors to submit rec-ommendations on how tomake the teaching of the Quranwith translation compulsory inall provincial universities.

Minorities in the Muslim-majority Pakistan make up lessthan five per cent of the coun-try’’s total population. PTI

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Jerusalem: Israeli PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahuis on trial for accepting giftsfrom wealthy friends.

But that has not stoppedhim from seeking another giftfrom a wealthy friend to payfor his multimillion-dollarlegal defense.

The awkward arrange-ment opens a window into thevery ties with billionairefriends that plungedNetanyahu into legal troubleand sheds light on the inter-section of money and Israelipolitics.

Netanyahu has asked anIsraeli oversight committee toallow a 10 million shekel ($2.9million) donation fromSpencer Partrich, a Michigan-

based real estate magnate, tofund his legal defense.

Because Partrich also hap-pens to be a witness in one ofthe cases, the committee hasasked the country’s attorneygeneral for his opinion on thematter.

The request for financialaid from a friend is not illegal,and Israeli politicians have along tradition of hobnobbingwith wealthy Jewish support-ers abroad. But to some, theoptics of Netanyahu’s requestare sketchy. “ It is a problemthat we have prime ministerswho have ties to moguls,” saidTomer Naor, of the Movementfor Quality Government inIsrael, a good governancegroup. Pfeffer said. AP

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Prices in the wholesale mar-ket fell to a 4.5-year low level

in May, recording a deflation of3.21 per cent, due to sharpdecline in fuel and power itemseven as food articles turnedexpensive. The Wholesale PriceIndex has hit its lowest levelsince November 2015, whendeflation was 3.7 per cent.

“The annual rate of infla-tion, based on monthly WPI,stood at (-3.21 per cent) (pro-visional) for the month of May,2020 as compared to 2.79 percent during the correspondingmonth of the previous year,” theCommerce and IndustryMinistry said on Monday.

However, inflation in foodarticles during May stood at1.13 per cent, as against 2.55per cent in April.

WPI inflation in pulsescontinued to remain in double

digits at 11.91 per cent, against12.31 per cent in April. In pota-to, inflation was 52.25 per cent,even as vegetables witnessed adeflation of 12.48 per cent inMay. Inflation in protein-richitems like egg, meat and fishwas 1.94 per cent in May. Datacollected by the Govt at theretail level, which was releasedlast week, showed a year-on-year rise in food inflation at9.28 per cent in May, led bypulses, meat and fish, and oilsand fats. In fuel and power bas-ket, deflation stood at 19.83 percent in May, as against 10.12per cent in the previous month.

Manufactured productstoo witnessed deflation of 0.42per cent during the month.

Due to the nationwidelockdown imposed on March25, the ministry had releasedtruncated WPI inflation datafor the month of April, with fig-ures of food, primary articlesand fuel and power.

However, it has advised itsfield offices to collect price datathrough electronic means andthe final index for the monthwould be released next month.

“Price data is collectedfrom selected institutional

sources and industrial estab-lishments spread across thecountry online through webbased portal maintained bythe National InformaticsCentre,” the Ministry said.

The final print of MarchWPI inflation stood at 0.42 percent as compared to its provi-sional levels of 1 per cent report-ed on April 14, 2020, the min-istry said. ICRA PrincipalEconomist Aditi Nayar said,while the rise in prices of somecommodities like crude oil, mayarrest the fall in the WPI goingahead, easing food price pressureportend a welcome moderationin retail food inflation.

The minutes of theMonetary Policy Committee’slast meeting revealed a con-siderable degree of alarm fromsome of its members, she said.

“Accordingly, we expectthe MPC to continue to priori-tise alleviating the pain causedby the fall in economic activity,over management of inflationthat will almost certainly turnout to be moderate in the nearterm. Therefore, we expectanother 25 bps cut in the reporate, whenever the MPC choos-es to meet next,” Nayar said.

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Indian stock benchmarks onMonday crashed over 1.6

per cent in line with global sell-offs as fears over a second waveof coronavirus infections insome countries dented eco-nomic recovery hopes.

The BSE barometerSensex tanked 552.09 points or1.63 points to close at33,228.80. Intra-day, the indexfell over 857 points beforestaging a mild recovery towardsthe fag-end of the session.

Likewise, the NSE Niftytumbled 159.20 points or 1.60per cent to settle at 9,813.70.

On the Sensex chart,IndusInd Bank was the top lag-gard, plunging about 7 percent, followed by Axis Bank,Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank,NTPC, Tata Steel, ITC andHDFC Bank. On the otherhand, Reliance Industries, HCLTech, Sun Pharma and ONGCclosed with gains.

Sectorally, BSE bankex,realty, finance, capital goodsand power indices ended up to

3.53 per cent lower.While energy and health-

care indices jumped up to 0.90per cent. In the broader market, midcap index fell 1.15per cent, while smallcap endedflat. “Indian benchmark indicesfell on June 15 on the back ofweak global cues. The marketsfell and recovered part of thelosses in line with the move-ment in European indices andDow Futures…,” DeepakJasani, He ad Retail Research,HDFC Securities, said.

Global shares sank as aresurgence of coronavirus casesin China and other countriesdeepened pessimism overprospects for a global eco-nomic recovery, he added.

Bourses in Shanghai, HongKong, Tokyo and Seoul tankedup to 4.76 per cent. Stockexchanges in Europe were alsotrading lower. International oilbenchmark Brent crude futuresfell 0.93 per cent to USD 38.37per barrel.

Meanwhile, the � depreci-ated by 19 paise to close at amore than six-week low of76.03 on Monday as weakdomestic equities and sustainedforeign fund outflows weighedon investor sentiment.

Forex traders said riskappetite has waned amid con-cerns over the second wave ofCovid-19 globally. � openedweak at 75.93 at the interbankforex market.

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Contracting for the thirdstraight month, India’s

exports declined 36.47 per centin May to $19.05 billion, main-ly on account of drop in ship-ments by key sectors such aspetroleum, textiles, engineer-ing, gems and jewellery.Imports too plunged 51 percent to $22.2 billion in May,leaving a trade deficit of $ 3.15billion, compared to $15.36 bil-lion in the same month previ-ous year, according to the datareleased by the Commerce andIndustry Ministry. DuringApril-May 2020, the exports fell47.54 per cent to $29.41 billion,while imports shrank by 5.67per cent to $39.32 billion.

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India may impose anti-dump-ing duty on imports of

Polystyrene, used in refrigera-tors and air conditioners, fromIran, Malaysia, Singapore,Chinese Taipei, UAE and theUS with a view to guarddomestic players from cheapimports from these countries.

Ineos Styrolution India Ltdand Supreme Petrochem Ltdhad filed the application for

imposition of the anti-dump-ing duty on imports of poly-styrene from these nations.

After conducting a probe,the commerce ministry’s inves-tigation arm DirectorateGeneral of Trade Remedies(DGTR) has recommendedimposition of the anti-dump-ing duty on the product fromthese six countries. The dutyrecommended is in the rangeof USD 35 per tonne to USD

474 per tonne. The direc-

torate in a notification said thatin its probe, it has establishedthat dumping is happeningand it was impacting thedomestic industry.

“The authority is of theview that imposition of defin-itive anti dumping duty isrequired to offset dumpingand injury. The authority,therefore, considers it necessaryand recommends imposition ofanti-dumping duty on theimports,” it said.

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In a significant trend in theIndian housing market, the

difference between the readyreckoner rates (RRR) or circlerates and the actual marketprices of property in the majorcities has declined over the pastfew years, according to a reportby Anarock PropertyConsultants.The report showedthat over the past five years, therise in circle rates have beenmuch more than the growth inmarket price of properties.

It noted that from a morethan 100% difference betweenthe two rates in certain areas inMumbai, Pune, Gurugram andothers in 2015, some localitiesnow show a mere 6 % variation.

Ready reckoner rates, alsoknown as circle rates or guid-ance values, are the minimumvalues set by a State Govtbelow which a property cannotbe registered.Each area withina city has its own RR rate onwhich stamp duty is calculat-ed. In the last 4-5 years, moststate authorities regularlyincreased the circle rates in

cities to align them with mar-ket values. However, marketvalues increased only margin-ally in the same period.

The average circle rates atJogeshwari East in Mumbaistood at �11,571 per squarefoot in 2015 and currently, it is�15,143 per square foot, anincrease of over 31% in 5 years.The market value of propertyduring this period increasedonly 6%, from �16,300 persquare foot in 2015 to �17,280per square foot.

Dwarka Expressway inGurugram saw circle rates riseby 43 per cent in the last fouryears, from Rs 2,900 per squarefoot in 2016 to nearly Rs 4,133per square foot in 2020.However, market values in thisperiod increased only by 10 percent, showed the report. Othercities show some equally inter-esting trends, it said.

Anuj Puri, Chairman ofAnarock Property Consultants,said: “The gap between marketvalues and RR/circle rates inmany areas is as low as 6-7 percent, equal or even negative.”

He said that registering a

property below circle rates isnot permissible. Section 43CAof the I-T Act says that devel-opers or sellers will attractpenalties for selling lower thanRR rates. Moreover, even ifbuyers somehow purchasedproperty below the circle rates,they will bear an additional taxburden as the differencebetween two rates is taxable,both in the hands of the buyerand seller.

“Reducing RR rates wouldreduce stamp duty on proper-ty purchase, thereby boostingbuyer demand and also pro-viding relief to developers asthe multiple premiums theypay to the state governmentsare linked to the RR rates,” Purisaid. The report noted that themajor advantage of thisreduced gap is that it discour-ages ‘black money’ transac-tions. The primary sales mar-ket in tier-I cities currentlyoffers limited scope for unac-counted cash infusions becauseof the minimal gap between thestate-notified circle rates andthe market value quoted bydevelopers in such regions.

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The Government is going allout to ensure that liquidi-

ty concerns of the MSME sec-tor are addressed on priorityunder its Emergency CreditLine Guarantee Scheme(ECLGS).

As part of this, FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamanon Monday chaired a meetingwith private banks and NBFCto take stock of their pre-paredness to provide liquidityto the sector.

Public sector banks are atthe forefront of providing cred-it to MSMEs. In fact, 12 PSBshave disbursed Rs 14,690.84crore worth of loans under the

scheme upto June 9. But privatesector’s performance has beenrather slow.

“FM Smt. @nsitharamanchairing a meeting throughVC with Major Pvt Banks &NBFC to ensure effective rollout of ECLGS and uninter-rupted/smooth liquidity toIndian MSMEs in this difficulttime,” the Finance Ministrytweeted on Monday.

The meeting was expectedto discuss how the private sec-tor can also play a role in sup-porting measures that areaimed at uplifting the overalleconomic mood in the countryand prevent business fromentering into deep crisis bykeeping funds flow open.

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Mumbai: The Governmentwill have to chart out a freshglide path to bring down thefiscal deficit once the normal-cy is restored, an article pub-lished in the monthly bulletin of the Reserve Bankhas suggested.

The Union Government’sfiscal situation is expected toworsen in view of the low taxrealisation, higher expenditureon healthcare and overall dis-ruption in economic activitiesfollowing the coronavirus out-break. The country’s fiscaldeficit soared to a seven-yearhigh of 4.6 per cent of the GrossDomestic Product (GDP) in2019-20, as per the latest dataprovided by the ControllerGeneral of Accounts (CGA).

The Government, whileunveiling the budget proposalsfor 2020-21 in February, had pro-posed to bring down the fiscaldeficit to 3.5 per cent of the GDP.The budget was presented abouttwo months before the countryaffected lockdown on March 25to deal with the Covid-19 pan-demic. “The deterioration inprovisional accounts for 2019-20can be attributed to tax revenueshortfall, both cyclical and struc-tural,” said the RBI article.

Given that the budget esti-mates of 2020-21 were pro-jected on the basis of 2019-20RE, a shortfall in tax revenuecollections in 2019-20(Provisional Accounts) vis-à-vis 2019-20 (Revised Estimates)may distort the fiscal arithmeticfor 2020-21. PTI

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)����-����������������� ����?%.8/�!�������������-���@��������!������ ���� �������New Delhi: Tata Motors onMonday reported a consoli-dated net loss of �9,863.73crore in the fourth quarterended March 31, with the coro-navirus-induced lockdown tak-ing a toll on British arm JLR aswell as its domestic business.

The company had posted anet profit of �1,108.66 crore inthe January-March period ofthe financial year 2018-19.

Its revenue from operationsstood at �62,492.96 crore in theMarch 2020 quarter, comparedwith �86,422.33 crore in thecorresponding period a yearago, Tata Motors said in astatement.

On a standalone basis, thecompany reported a net lossfrom continuing operations at�4,871.05 crore in the fourthquarter ended March 31, 2020.It had reported a net profit of�106.19 crore in the same peri-od of the financial year 2018-19. The company’s British armJaguar Land Rover (JLR)reported a loss of 501 millionpounds in the quarter underreview, while the revenue wasat 5.4 billion pounds. For thefinancial year 2019-20, TataMotors reported a consolidat-ed net loss of �11,975.23 crore,compared with �28,724.2 crorein 2018-19. PTI

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As the world has been under lockdown,Teamwork Arts, producer of the iconic Jaipur

Literature Festival, launched the JLF Brave NewWorld, an online literary series of conversationsbetween the world’s greatest writers and thinkers,in which the sprawling grounds of Diggi Palace werereplaced by the boundless possibilities of the inter-net. The ongoing series, which continues to explorethemes critical to current times, along with a hostof ideas and perspectives, aims to connect commu-nities of book-lovers across geographies.

The series began with a session where formerpolitician and author Bruno Maçães and writer andjournalist Sujeev Shakya talked about these trans-formed times and how the lessons of Nepal, Chinaand Europe highlight our past, present and future,and what the rebirth of these nations could meanfor the world and global affairs. Writer and broad-caster Bee Rowlatt and Baroness Helena KennedyQC explored the need to protect the forum inter-

num — our private and mental space — from theincursions of digital technology. Exploring food,memory and culture, celebrity chef and restaura-teur Asma Khan, alongside writer and translatorRakhshanda Jalil, spoke movingly of the bonds offood and memory, friendship and community,across cultures and continents, and in the specialplaces they call home.

Well, this week, the Dalai Lama will be seen inconversation with author Pico Iyer. The session willshowcase lessons from the life and teachings of the14th Dalai Lama, where he will share his profoundwisdom with JLF Brave New World viewers. Sharinghis thoughts with Iyer, Dalai Lama will talk aboutfinding love and peace in our confused, divided andchaotic world and of the universal value of compas-sion in these troubled times.

Looking forward to the session, Iyer said, “I firstvisited His Holiness at his home in Dharamsala 46years ago this summer when I was 17 and through-

out my younger years, I kept visiting him on all hisearly trips to the US while also making the first ofmy visits to Tibet. In 2008, I described the first 34years of our talks together in a book, The Open Road,and for 10 Novembers in the recent years, I have trav-elled with Dalai Lama across Japan, from Okinawato the Tsnami-stricken areas around Tohoku, sittingin on his private audiences, attending all his publiclectures and getting to witness his constant instruc-tion on compassion, attention and thoughtfulnesseverywhere from roadside convenience stores to busyhotel lobbies. My articles on him have featured formore than 30 years, in international daily’s and mag-azines. Among the events I have done with him,everywhere from New York to Los Angeles, I wasalso at the JLF in 2013 when His Holiness visited theFestival. It has been quite a journey.”

William Dalrymple, writer, historian and Co-director of the JLF, said, “It has been both a plea-sure and privilege to co-direct Brave New World andto be part of bringing such a fabulous, glitteringstream of literary brilliance into so many homes atsuch a difficult time.”

Sanjoy K Roy, managing director, said, “JLFBrave New World and its viewership figures of over700,000 in these two months have shown that worldover, audience are curious and seek the free flow ofknowledge, science, and information.”

During these hard times it will be enlighteningfor the audience to listen to the Dalai Lama and sharehis infinite wisdom. He has very rightfully said,“Ancient Indian tradition describes the creation,abiding and destruction of worlds over time.Among the causes of such destruction are armedconflict and disease, which seem to accord with whatwe are experiencing today. However, despite theenormous challenges we face, living beings, includ-ing humans, have shown a remarkable ability to sur-vive.”

The Dalai Lama had visited the JLF back in 2013when he spoke about the essence of knowledge andhow he still considers himself a student of theNalanda Tradition.

At JLF Brave New World, the session with him,titled The Seed of Compassion, will be live streamedon Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at 9 am IST and arepeat telecast can be seen at 7.30 pm IST, the sameevening. Audiences will be able to access the ses-sion on the Festival’s official social media platformsincluding Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The series has reached out to over 3.34 mil-lion people with 5.1 million impressions in its first50 episodes, held thrice weekly, with two sessionseach day.

Naa police ko pata chala, naaJoy ke baap ko. Sab soch rahe hainsuicide hai. Post-mortem reportmein aaya hai maut ka karan —intense pressure on wind pipe,resulting in choking (asphyxiation).Woh bewakuf soch rahe hain galepe pressure padne ki wajah se marrgaya par pichle kuch saalon se jodeemag par pressure pad raha hai,uska kya? Woh toh report mein haihi nahi. Yeh engineers bade chalakhote hain, aisi koi machine hi nahibanayi jo deemag ka pressurenaap sake. Banate toh pata chaljata ki yeh suicide nahi murderhai...”

Aamir Khan’s dialogue fromthe film 3 Idiots (2009)couldn’t explain the reali-

ty of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’slife better. Once again, money andfame couldn’t buy happiness.Once again, the reality has provento be way different than what itseems from the outside. Onceagain, good mental health andinner peace have proven to be theneed of the hour.

There have been endless con-versations and debates aroundmental depression. However, untiland unless we come across anexample of a big name gettingaffected, it doesn’t hit us as much.And social media, after Sushant’sdeath, is evidence of how badly wehave been reminded of this. Weforget how important it is toaddress this issue as it has becomeas life-threatening as a critical dis-ease. This certainly shows that no

matter what the unprecedentedscale of human tragedy around us,people never learn. They oftenforget that every other person isfighting a battle that they knownothing about. Hence, it raises aquestion about instilling this sen-sitivity permanently in people. Wedon’t need examples of DeepikaPadukone’s depression battle orSushant’s suicide!

Dr Anuneet Sabharwal, apsychiatrist, tells us that it isvery important for all of us tomake sure that we “listen beforewe speak.” Allowing people toopenly talk about their feelings,emotions and struggles withoutjudging them will create a safeenvironment for them. We allhave so much going on in ourlives on regular basis — not to for-get the ongoing Coronavirus pan-demic. Experts suggest that if wetake the time to be kind to otherpeople, we can reap the emotion-al dividends. It can really make adifference, especially for peoplewho are vulnerable or struggling.

Therapists believe that men-tal pain appears to be less dramat-ic than the physical one. However,it is more common and alsomuch harder to bear. Researchsuggests that approximately onein five adults experience someform of mental health issue in ayear. “The topic of mental illnesshas been difficult to openly dis-cuss over the years. Many peoplestill view mental health with astigma. It’s high time that we

move mental health to the fore-front of conversation topics.Talking about it on a regular basiswill normalise it. Encouragingpeople to seek professional helpis important,” says Dr Anuneet.

The lives we lead and theexperiences we go through havean effect on our minds and on ouremotions. Who defines what isnormal and what’s crazy? “Thefear of being judged, shame, lackof insight and unavailability stopone from seeking emotional andmental succour. Let us remindeach other that our mental healthis in our own hands and that thereshould be no reason for us to seekanyone’s approval or the so-called‘validation’ to be able to makedecisions and lead a meaningfullife with some support. So ifyou’re concerned about yourmental health, don’t hesitate to

seek advice as it is you who hasto take the first step,” feels DrTabassum Sheikh, ClinicalPsychologist, Apollo TeleHealth.

As a person who has had alived experience with mental ill-ness, Deepika Padukone, in anInstagram post, stressed on theimportance of reaching out. Shereminded us that it is importantto talk, communicate and seekhelp. “Remember, you are notalone! We are in this together.And most importantly, there ishope,” she wrote. Deepika hasbeen working consistently to helppeople suffering from depres-sion over the past few years.

There is always a ray of hopein every adverse situation. “Themore you represent something onscreen, the more it gets nor-malised. The survivors need tounderstand that they are not

alone. Together, we can win thisfight!” shares Dr Shanu Srivastava,senior psychologist, Indian SpinalInjuries Centre, New Delhi.

When it comes to ranking ofdifferent countries, according tothe World Health Organisation,India is the most depressed coun-try in the world, followed byChina and the USA. These are themost affected nations by anxiety,schizophrenia and bipolar disor-der. Indian cricketer RobinUthappa had also recentlyrevealed that he battled clinicaldepression and suicidal thoughtsfor nearly two years during hiscareer, a phase when cricket wasperhaps the only thing that kepthim from “jumping off a balcony.”He shared that we need to speakabout what we feel within. We arestronger than we know. It is com-pletely okay to not be okay, and

fine to be not fine.There are many more exam-

ples of people who didn’t wantdepression to define them andbecome their identity. Alia Bhatt’ssister Shaheen Bhatt was diag-nosed with clinical depressionwhen she was just 12 years old.Shaheen, in her book — I’veNever Been (un) Happier —shared her struggle of battling thismental illness. She chose to writeabout her journey with depres-sion, experiences and how she haslearnt from it. Alia featured in afilm, Dear Zindagi, which wasabout the process of therapy andgetting back into the groove of life.

Psychiatrist Dr Anju Sharma,Sound and Energy Master and theFounder of Musical Healing Band— Sound of Infinity, tells us thatwith the lockdown and the pre-vailing scenario of gloom anddoom, many people have beenfacing troubles in relationships,losing money and jobs and star-ing at uncertainty, which impactthe mental peace of a person. Shesays, “The basic process of heal-ing will always be communica-tion. It’s important to let the neg-ative emotions out.”

So what should we do whenwe feel low, have suicidal thoughtsracing through our mind andhave no one to share our feelingsor understand them? If you arestruggling to open up about yourmental health, here are a few tipsfrom experts:�One of the main causes ofdepression is the feeling of beingmisunderstood. Even when youare around people, it leads to a ter-rible ongoing loneliness. If youfeel that ‘nobody understandsme’, extricate yourself from the sit-uation and take a moment to slowdown. Take a few deep breaths,perhaps even try chanting aum.One should feel the vibration ofaum in the cellular system of thebody.�Painting, sketching or simplyplaying with colours help ourmind to calm down.� Another interesting way to dealwith your lows is to write downthe issues and the feelings on apaper and tear it off into smallpieces.�Remember that problems aretemporary, but suicide is perma-nent. Taking your own life isnever the right solution to anychallenge you may be facing. It’sabout finding solutions to yourproblem rather than finding prob-lems to every solution. One mustreconcile oneself to one’s strengthsand confidence, and be sure ofgoing around the obstacle inhis/her path.

Before you go, was there some-thing I could’ve said to make yourheart beat better? If only I’d haveknown you had a storm to weath-er...

Well, the song Before You Goby Lewis Capaldi makes sensenow more than ever.

Actor AbhishekBachchan makes his

digital on-screen debutwith Breathe, alongsidethe return of actor AmitSadh in his award-win-ning role as seniorinspector Kabir Sawant.He was lauded for hisperformance in the firstchapter of the series.The Amazon Originalalso features one ofSouth India’s actor,Nithya Menen, whomakes her digital debuttoo. Sayami Kher alsojoins the cast in aprominent role.

“We are happy tobring an all-new avatarof Breathe,” said directorMayank Sharma. Headded: “While eachcharacter in the showhas its own story to tell,viewers will discoverjust how intriguinglythese storylines eventu-ally get interwoven.

With this new chapter Iam excited to take peo-ple on a new roller-coaster journey of emo-tions and thrills thatwill leave you gaspingfor breath.”

“We are extremelyexcited to bring a newshow Breathe: Into TheShadows. We are confi-dent that our customerswill love this edge-of-the-seat emotionalthriller across India andbeyond,” said AparnaPurohit, Head of IndiaOriginals , AmazonPrime Video.

It is produced byA b u n d a n t i aEntertainment and writ-ten by Bhavani Iyer,Vikram Tuli, ArshadSyed and MayankSharma.

(The ser ies willlaunch on AmazonPrime Video in over 200countries on July 10.)

BE KINDTOYOUR MIND

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Page 11: ˆ · 2020-06-15 · October 2016, India and ... have gone viral on social media ... agencies relating to rise in online

The present unprecedented situationdue to the novel pandemic owes a lot

to the viable changes we are goingthrough. Though the prolonged lock-down has controlled the spread to someextent, but now with the reopening andmeasures being relaxed a bit, theremight be a spike in the numbers of theaffected. Amongst the list of vulnerablecommunities prone to get infected toCOVID-19, Government has addedpregnant women as well. Therefore, it istime that we take a few additional mea-sures during pregnancy to be resilient.It is always better to take precautionsrather than curing later.

A few safety guides for pregnantwomen specifically are:

Maintaining hygiene: Currently themost important aspect for any individ-ual and more so for pregnant ladies is toensure hygiene is maintained. Try not totouch your face after going out andimmediately wash yourself and changeclothes. Ensure you wear mask and sani-

tise hands at regular intervals. Carrying your own food andwater: It is best to avoid eating

outside. While cravings arevery natural, it is moreimportant to be safe cur-rently. Carry own set of

meals for regular intervals and at least twolitres of warm water. Have steamed andcooked food instead of raw.

Avoid public restrooms: While thetendency to use restrooms is extremelyhigh during pregnancies, do try and avoidcrowded public restrooms. In officepremises, ensure you wipe the seat beforeuse and do not forget to thoroughly washhands later. If there is an option of car-rying your own bidet or stand and peefunnels, do not hesitate.

Limit the surfaces that you are tend

to touch: It would be good idea to not useyour dominant hand regularly. Startusing the less preferred hand whileopening doors and picking things to limitthe surfaces you touch.

Consult a doctor: Do not ignore anydiscomfort even if you feel it is a minorrunning nose or a cough. Immediatelycontact your doctor for further guidance

Working mothers: Try and utilise allthe benefits provided by the company. Ifwork from home is an option, thatwould be advisable. While it is best to

commute by your own vehicle, in case itis not an option, do opt for cab serviceprovided by company as corporates areadhering to strict protocols.

Immunity boosters: Consideringthe present situation, women need to bemore careful during their pregnancy andkeep a regular check on their immunitysystem. Other than regular supplements,it is advisable to take iron and calciumsupplements along with rich proteinpost consulting their respective doctors.Furthermore, Vitamin C, D & E wouldalso be recommended. Fluids and citrusfruits, tender coconuts, lime juice and anyVitamin C enriched fruits are advisable.

Stay positive, happy and exercise:The last and the most important advicewould be, to not be paranoid and overthink. It is important to have a positiveoutlook and not ignore yourself and thebaby. The key to a safe delivery andhealthy baby is a happy and healthy moth-er. So keep exercising inside the house,regularly walking in the nearest park orneighborhood with safety precautions canhave positive impact. It is a good idea todo some meditation as well for mentalpeace and wellness.

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It’s a dangerous strokeThe COVID-19 is an infectious disease with a high incidence

of a symptomatic disease. As per a study, worldwide 80 per-cent of the COVID-19 cases show mild symptoms.

Attack on brainAll serious viral respiratory illnesses may be complicated

with neurological complication.There are three ways in which COVID-19 may impact the

brain: � Direct involvement of the brain or vessels or nerves by thevirus. For example Loss of smell is a very prominent featureof COVID-19 infection which can be the beginning of man-ifestation of COVID-19.� Immunological damage to the brain or nerve� Involvement of the brain by the systematic factor. Eg sep-sis, metabolic disturbances including low oxygen or high car-bon dioxide.

Serious manifestation of brainCOVID-19 may also affect the central nervous system with

neurological symptoms likeheadaches, dizziness, loss oftaste and smell, and impairedconsciousness. Some patientsexperience formation of clot inmultiple circulation resultingin strokes, heart attacks, pul-monary embolism, and othercomplications.

A stroke occurs whenthere is an interruption of aflow of blood to the braineither as reduced/flow orspillage of blood (hemor-rhage). It can often kill braincells if not treated immediate-ly. Symptoms of a stroke rangefrom the inability to move oneside of the body to difficultyspeaking or forming words.Some people experience a lossof coordination and signs ofvertigo.

Coronavirus attacks thelungs resulting in severeinflammation as they fill withfluid, ultimately reducing theirability to fulfil their intendedpurpose: transferring oxygen

from the lungs to the blood stream via red blood cells.Do not delay treatmentStroke patients may have significant recovery if they get

appropriate treatment within the golden hour (four-five hours)for intravenous thrombosis and six hours for mechanicalthrombosis.

Treatment: A clot-busting drug known as tissue plasmino-gen activator (TPA,) the first line treatment, as well as endovas-cular or catheter-based approaches (in delayed presentations)could be lifesaving.

While the risks of clotting related to COVID-19 are nowapparent, many patients who experience stroke-like symptomsincluding weakness, difficulty speaking, dizziness or numb-ness have been reluctant to seek care in the emergency depart-ment-for fear of exposure to the virus itself. Yet this delay toseek care could be disastrous, with life-altering consequences(paralysis, loss ability to think or speak) including death.

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It is also considered asantioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.A lot of peoplec o n s u m etamarind totreat constipa-tion, liver andgallbladder problems,and stomach disorders. Itis also used to treatcolds and fever.

Pregnant women usetamarind to treat nausea. It is

given to children to treatintestinal worms. An extract oftamarind seeds is used in eyedrops for dry eyes. Along withits ability to stop weight gain,it also inhibits the enzymealpha-amylase, which mainlystops carbohydrates from beingabsorbed which is good tomonitor blood sugar in

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If we talk about pre-COVID-19phase, there is a huge gapbetween demand and supply of

blood in our country. One need tounderstand that blood donation is auniversal phenomenon globally.Data suggest that this gap is more inlow income countries than highincome countries where voluntaryblood donation is more which can belinked to awareness and education.

Now, considering COVID-19pandemic era, the imposition oflockdown which was very muchneeded, but the entire pandemic par-tially hit the blood donation process.

There are guidelines issued byNational Blood Transfusion Council(NBTC) in regard to blood donationand precautions to be followed whilecollecting blood. Blood donationscamps are now avoided as it mayincrease the risk of gathering andsocial distancing is the need ofhour.

Huge number of patients requir-ing regular transfusion dependsupon voluntary blood donation,this chain must not be broken amidpandemic.

Reports suggest the antibodieshave been found in recoveredpatients of COVID-19, and a num-ber of people have come forward todonate platelets. It is giving success-ful results as well which is being usedon clinical trials basis orInvestigational new drug.

The concept of blood donationis wide, it is not merely limited to theunits of blood, it is more about thecomponents of blood needed for dif-ferent diseases:-�Red blood cells are kept at 2 to 6°Cfor up to 42 days� Plasma can be stored for one yearat -40°C or lower� Platelets at 22°C for 5 days

Platelets can be separated on amachine as per the requirement ina short span.

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When COVID-19 hit the country inMarch, it brought a surge in stress

and fear, alongside constant economicdownfall. Our places of comfort wereturned to 9 to 5 workstations. Lockdownand social distancing became the newtrend. We had our new buddies — a facemask, a hand sanitiser and a pair of gloves.

With so much going around, and theuncertainty of what is yet to come, mostof us were looking for a safe space, some-thing to help us fill the void. In times likesuch the only thing that came to our res-cue was that bar of chocolate, or that bagof chips.

There were two reasons driving thisconstant pattern of behaviour. First of allsome of were just bored as life suddenlybecame sedentary, and secondly becausewe were stressed, which was furtheraccompanied by weight gain, due to bothexcessive eating and constant stress.

Stress prepares the body for fight-or-flight response by inducing the secretionof cortisol hormone into the blood stream,which in turn effects physical, mental, andemotional wellbeing if not handled prop-erly. In long term it acts as a factor forweight gain, as cortisol is also a significantappetite stimulant, hence we are alwayslooking out for food.

The body is currently working underemotional response system, which triggersour brain to eliminate the disturbancecaused due to stress and anxiety, hencegoing for some amount of emotional eat-ing is okay, after-all they are called com-fort foods for a reason. In case eating isthe only way by which you are coping withthis situation, seek professional help.

We all are dealing with the difficulttimes, something none of us were pre-pared for. Our priorities have shifted frombeing a gym freak to just surviving thehardships, or recreating the foods that weall crave.

This year has been screaming in somany ways that we are overpowered bynegative thoughts and emotions. We allneed to accept that it is okay to be wor-ried, but we can’t be just that. We need tofeel the emotion and get out of it, shift thefocus to self love and appreciation.Meditation, yoga and dancing anythingthat helps you keep the stress away wouldwork. Do things you always wanted to do,learn that instrument or maybe take thatcourse. Life is hard for all of us, talk toyour loved ones as they could be strug-gling amidst all of this.

Keep a constant check on your phys-ical health and take care of the kids andthe elder ones. If you can’t bring the neur-al noise at ease, write a journal, paint orsketch.

If needed seek extra support, and don’tbe afraid to ask for it. Everybody aroundus is struggling in their own way. Don’tlet this difficult time kill your essence oflife.

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process and a greatest way to helpmankind which doesn’t involve anyrisk if done with every related pre-caution. It is blessing in itself.

All aseptic precautions will betaken at the time of blood donationand only disposable instruments(use and throw) will be used for safe-ty. You cannot get any infection/dis-ease by donating blood howeverminor local reaction may occur.

Talking about COVID-19 time,it is completely safe to donate blood,but don’t go in groups. Temperaturescreening is done at the entrance of

the hospital for each and every per-son including donors. Only onedonor is allowed in the donor roomand after proper sanitisation of thedonor’s couches and equipmentsnext donor is called, each and everyprecaution is maintained like use offace masks, social distancing andsanitisation measures to preventany infection.

Donors are asked to call andinform the blood bank if they feel anyflu like symptoms within 48 hours or14 days after donating blood.

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1� ������Donating blood is equal to sav-

ing lives, but there are a num-ber of misconceptions in this regardwhich need to be dealt with. As itis said that a donor has to be healthyat the time of donation, but it does-n’t not mean that you have to be inperfect health and you have nevertaken/taking any medicines. Thereis a well laid criteria for acceptanceof people as blood donors. If you areon certain medications like for

high blood pressure, high choles-terols, multivitamins (the list isexhaustive) then of course you areeligible for the blood donationafter the brief clinical examinationby the doctor in the blood bank.

As we are going through a dif-ficult period of pandemic, the hos-pital is taking adequate precautionsregarding social distancing andsanitisation. Blood donation is avital process in healthcare and it has

saved countless lives and continuesto do so. Every healthy personbetween 18-65 years should comeforward to donate blood.

There should be a gap of threemonths between two blood dona-tions and before blood donation,haemoglobin should be more than12.5 g%.)���'� ���� ����������D�E����%����������%

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Page 12: ˆ · 2020-06-15 · October 2016, India and ... have gone viral on social media ... agencies relating to rise in online

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Marcelo celebrated by taking aknee as Real Madrid returnedfrom three months away fol-

lowing the coronavirus suspension bybeating Eibar 3-1 on Sunday.

After scoring Madrid’s third goal inthe 37th minute, Marcelo droppedonto his left knee and raised hisclinched right fist into the air, apparent-ly in support of the Black Lives Mattermovement.

Madrid’s win may have come at acost as Eden Hazard and Sergio Ramoswere both substituted early in the sec-ond half and were seen with ice packsstrapped to them while sitting in thestands.

Hazard was making his first startsince February and his icepack appeared to be aroundhis troublesome right ankle,which he injured inNovember and February,before undergoing surgeryin March.

“We knew Eden would lack a bit ofrhythm playing the whole game,” coachZinedine Zidane said.

“He played well for an hour, he tooka knock which was a scare but at half-time he said he was fine. He is happywith what he has done and we are happywith him.”

Madrid’s win means they reduce thegap behind league leaders Barcelonaback to two points after the Catalansthrashed Real Mallorca 4-0 on Saturday.

Madrid struck in the fourth minute

after a superb strike from Toni Kroosbefore Ramos tucked away Hazard’spass on the counter-attack.

Eibar pulled one back in the secondhalf through Pedro Bigas but neverfound the second to make Madrid ner-vous, despite a brief spell of pressure.

Before going off, Hazard was busy,the Belgian involved in all three goals.

His weaving run through midfieldled to Kroos’ shot and it was his effort

that was cleared out to Marcelo, whodrove into the corner.

After a miserable opening season inSpain, it was a bright start for Hazard,who could now redeem himself by play-ing a crucial role in the run-in, if he canstay injury-free.

Perhaps even more impressivethough was Karim Benzema, wholinked up brilliantly with Hazard andwas unfortunate not to get the goal an

excellent all-round performancedeserved.

Gareth Bale started on the benchbut came on and could start against

Valencia on Thursday.Zidane is likely to rotate heavily

over the next few weeks, with the gamescoming thick and fast.

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Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is thebest fielder in the game right now, according

to Australian batting star Steve Smith, who alsorated KL Rahul as the most impressive among theyounger crop.

Smith, whoanswered questionssent in by his fans onInstagram on Sunday,also said the IndianPremier League is hisfavourite tournamentto play in.

Jadeja known forhis quick and sharpfielding tactics hasearned praise fromseveral former playersand respect from thecurrent stars andSmith is no different.

Asked who the best fielder in the current lotof players Smith simply replied stating it wasJadeja.

When quizzed about which Indian player hasimpressed him the most, the Australian battingmainstay said: “KL Rahul. Very good player!”

Rahul, who has played 36 Tests, 32 ODIs and42 T20Is for Indian, has become a regular mem-ber of the national team in white-ball cricket.Besides showcasing his skills with the willow,Rahul also bears the responsibility of being thewicketkeeper in the limited overs format.

The Rajasthan Royals batsman, who rated hisfirst innings his 144 at Birmingham in the first.

Ashes Test last year as his favourite Testknock till date, said (IPL) is his favourite tour-nament.

“Tough to beat the IPL. Playing with andagainst the best players from around the world.”

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Former India opener Gautam Gambhirbelieves that Mahendra Singh Dhoni

would have been a different player with allbatting records in his kitty had the Indiancaptain opted batting one down in 50-overformat.

Gambhir was asked to chose betweencurrent India skipper Virat Kohli andDhoni, to chase down a target.

“It’s very difficult to compare both ofthem because one bats at No. 3, one batsat No. 6 or 7,” Gambhir said on Star Sportsshow ‘Cricket Connected’.

According to Gambhir, with the kindof flat pitches on offer and quality of cur-rent bowling attacks in world cricket now,the Jharkhand dasher could have brokenmost of the records had he batted at three.

“Probably, I would have taken MSDhoni. MS Dhoni batting at No. 3 on flatwickets, with the quality of bowling attacknow in world cricket.

"Look at Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, WestIndies, in the current situation, with thekind of quality in international cricket thereis, MS Dhoni would have probably brokenmost of the records,” added the southpaw,who is a member of both 2007 and 2011World Cup winning Indian team.

Dhoni in his career usually batted lowerdown the order and was more of a finish-er.

The former left-handed opener felt thatDhoni would have been the most excitingcricketer in the world had he not captainedIndia and batted up the order at numberthree.

“Probably, world cricket has missed onething and that is MS didn’t bat at No. Three. Had MS not captained India and battedat No. Three, probably world cricketwould have seen a completely differentplayer, probably he could have got many

more runs, he would have broken manymore records.”

However former India speedster IrfanPathan had a different viewpoint.

Pathan said that if one comparesDhoni to Kohli at number three, Kohliwould have been a better option.

“But MS had all the chance to bat at No.3, he didn't. Look, I really believe that if youcompare Virat and Mahendra Singh Dhonibatting at No. 3, I still feel Virat has a bet-ter technique.

“There’s nothing that I am taking awayfrom Mahendra Singh Dhoni, obviously hehas been an absolute legend of the game.Everyone has their own opinion. I will stilltake Virat any day,” said Pathan on the sameshow.

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Country's top sprinterHima Das, who had

a stellar 2018, has beennominated for the presti-gious 'Khel Ratna' by thestate government ofAssam.

Assam sports secre-tary Dulal Chandra Dassent the letter of recom-mendation to the sportsministry on June 5.

The 20-year-old fromDhing village in Assam isone of the youngest nom-

inees for Khel Ratna thisyear.

India's first track ath-lete to win a global title atU20 WorldChampionship inTampere, Finland in2018, Hima will com-pete with ace javelinthrower Neeraj Chopra,wrestler Vinesh Phogat,TT player Manika Batra,women's hockey captainRani Rampal and crick-eter Rohit Sharma forcountry's highest sport-ing honour.

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Mohammad Azharuddin would notbat an eyelid and jump at it

straight away if he is given the oppor-tunity to coach the Indian cricket teamin the future, the former India captainhas said.

“Yes, I am ready to give it a shot. IfI get an opportunity to work with theIndian team, I would jump at it with-out batting an eyelid,” Azharuddintold Gulf News in an interview.

Azharuddin wondered why toomany ‘support staff ' travel with teamsthese days.

“I am amazed to see so many peo-ple accompanying the team these days.For example, my specialisation is in bat-ting and fielding and hence if I coachany team, I don’t really need a battingcoach. Isn’t it?” explained

Azhar who is now the President ofthe Hyderabad Cricket Association(HCA).

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Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder andAston Villa boss Dean Smith said they

were aware the eyes of the world would beon their match when they relaunch thePremier League on Wednesday.

The high-flying Blades travel to VillaPark for the first game in the English top-flight after a three-month suspension.

Later on Wednesday, ManchesterCity host Arsenal, with 92 games packedinto just five-and-a-half weeks.

“First game back is going to be a little bitdifferent, what we understand is the magni-tude of the game, the coverage of the game,”Wilder said at his pre-match video press con-ference on Monday.

“Villa-Sheffield United was aChampionship game last year andwould possibly have been seventh oreighth on (BBC’s) Match Of The Dayand now it is 6:00 pm on the TV andworldwide coverage.

“From our point of view wewant to put on a good show andmake sure we play well.”

Sheffield United, who have 10games to play, are seventh in thetable, chasing Champions Leaguefootball.

They could move up to fifthplace with three points at VillaPark, but Wilder will not allowhimself to get distracted by talk ofEurope.

“If it gets to the situation wherewe are one or two games out and we are

still in a fantastic position then we will pos-sibly talk about that,” said Wilder.

“But at the moment we have quarter ofa season to go, near enough. I am sure that

you have seen the fixture list as such as I haveseen it. There are some incredible chal-lenges in front of us.”

��������������Villa manager Smith, whose side are

in the relegation places, said it was anhonour to be playing the first game in the

English top-flight since March.Victory over the Blades, their game in

hand over their relegation rivals, would takethem out of the drop zone with nine match-es remaining.

“The eyes of the world will be on us andwe are looking forward to it,” said Smith.

“The players have been itching to getback,” he added.

Smith questioned the temporaryrule change to allow five substitu-

tions during games, saying itwould benefit certain clubs.Teams can also name nine sub-stitutes instead of seven.

“I wasn’t for it,” he said. “Ijust believe we started the sea-son with certain rules and now

we have changed it. I suppose ithelps the clubs with the biggersquads. “There was talk to changeit because there is more risk ofinjury but having more subs does-n’t help that. I just wanted it to stayas it was. I think Sheffield United

were the same.”

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Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Iker Casillasannounced on Monday he was ending his bid to run

for the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation(RFEF) due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pan-demic.

“I would like to inform you that I have decided notto run for the upcoming RFEF elections,”the Porto goal-keeper wrote on social media.

The 39-year-oldsaid he was pullingout of the race for thetop job in Spanishfootball as a result ofthe “exceptionalsocial, economic andhealth situation thatour country is suffer-ing”.

He said theCovid-19 outbreakwhich has claimedover 27,000 victimsin the country hadrelegated the electioninto “second place”.

Casillas, who ledSpain to their firstWorld Cup title in2010, hadannounced his inten-tion to stand againstcurrent RFEF presi-dent Luis Rubialesback in February.

His defection now leaves the way clear for Rubialesto gain a second mandate in the election scheduled forAugust 17.

Casillas played 167 times for Spain, also winning twoEuros in 2008 and 2012, and made more than 700 appear-ances for Real Madrid, with whom he won five La Ligatitles and the Champions League three times, before join-ing Porto in 2015.

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Formula One chiefs want to stage tworaces in Shanghai this season after

the Chinese Grand Prix was postponedbecause of the coronavirus, the city’ssports boss said on Monday, addingthere was no final decision.

The Chinese Grand Prix, original-ly scheduled for April 19, was post-poned in February but Formula Oneappears determined to race in the coun-try — one of the sport's key markets —in the second half of this year.

Asked if there would be two GrandPrix in Shanghai instead of the usualone, Xu Bin, director of the city’ssports bureau, told Shanghai People’sRadio: “This was proposed by the F1management company.

“Everyone knows that F1 has offi-cially announced that they haveresumed the first eight European racesthis year, but none of them are in Asia.”

Xu added: “We are still communi-cating with F1 to see if there is any pos-sibility of hosting two races in Shanghai,but there is no final decision yet.

“Of course we should see how thevirus is being controlled.”

China, where the coronavirusemerged late last year, had seen a sig-nificant drop in the number of infec-tions and deaths. However, the coun-try is now racing to control a fresh out-break in the capital Beijing.

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Emotional Novak Djokovicbroke down in tears in front

of an enthusiastic home crowd inBelgrade after he failed to makethe final in the first leg of hisBalkans charity tennis tourna-ment on Sunday.

“I am not crying because Imissed the finals. I am just over-whelmed by emotion becausethis reminds me of my child-hood,” the world number onetold 4,000 fans packed into theNovak Tennis Centre on thebanks of the Danube.

“It’s been an emotional fewdays and I want to thank every-one who supported the event andmade it happen.”

To a standing ovation, the33-year-old added: “I love you alland thank you so much forcoming.”

Third-ranked Dominic ,number seven Zverev and GrigorDimitrov, the world 19, alsotook part in the Adria Tour eventthat got underway on Saturday.

The four headline stars werejoined by Serbian ATP players —Viktor Troicki, Filip Krajinovicand Dusan Lajovic.

Two big surprises markedthe first day — Djokovic lost toKrajinovic in three sets andDimitrov went down in two

against late call-up NikolaMilojevic. Djokovic’s win againstZverev on Sunday was notenough to secure him a place inthe final which saw Thiem defeatKrajinovic 4-3, 2-4, 4-2.

On June 20 and 21, theAdria Tour tournament willmove to Zadar, on Croatia'sAdriatic coast.

Djokovic will be joined thereby Croatia's 2014 US Open win-ner Marin Cilic and Borna Coric.

The final stop in Bosniawill be in the northwestern townof Banja Luka on July 3 and 4.

The tournament will closeon July 5 with an exhibitionmatch in Sarajevo betweenDjokovic and Bosnia’s DamirDzumhur.

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Bayern Munich coach HansiFlick wants his side to “seal

the deal” and wrap up an eighthconsecutive Bundesliga title onTuesday with victory at relega-tion-threatened WerderBremen.

Top scorer RobertLewandowski and ThomasMueller, one shy of the recordfor assists in a single season, areboth available again after miss-ing BorussiaMoenchengladbach match dueto suspension.

Victory at Bremen, whereBayern have won all 12 gamesover the last decade, will clincha record-extending 30th leaguetitle, and the first leg of apotential treble in Flick's debutseason in charge.

“We want to finish thejob on Tuesday. That isour goal. We have anexcellent run and want tocontinue our winningstreak," said Flick, whostepped in when NikoKovac was sacked lastNovember.

“The target is to winagain in Bremen. Wewant to just seal the deal.”

Bayern have won their last10 league games and anothervictory on Tuesday would leavethem an unassailable 10 points

clear before second-placedBorussia Dortmund, whohave three matches left,host strugglers Mainz onWednesday.

“It’s our plan to bring it(the trophy) back home," saidmidfielder Leon Goretzka.

Lewandowski, the league'sleading scorer with 30 goals thisterm, netted twice while

Mueller, who is sitting on 20assists, also got on the score-sheet when Bayern thrashedBremen 6-1 when the sides metin December.

Poland star Lewandowskihas struck 45 goals in all com-petitions this campaign andneeds one more to establish anew Bundesliga personal best,having also reached the 30-goalplateau in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

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Hima Das nominated for Khel Ratna award

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Barcelona coach Quique Setienrejoiced on Monday in having key

players like Lionel Messi and LuisSuarez fit for the hectic La Liga titlerun-in ahead of hosting strugglingLeganes at a Camp Nou devoid of fans.

Suarez made his first appearancesince knee surgery in January, replac-ing Antoine Griezmann in the secondhalf of Barca’s 4-0 stroll in Mallorca onSaturday.

And Messi’s two assists, a goal, and90 minutes played suggest Barca's cap-tain has overcome the tightness in histhigh from earli-er this month.

Setien’s sidewelcome Leganeson Tuesday whiletwo points clearof Real Madrid, who face Valencia 48hours later.

Explaining the Griezmann substi-tution the coach said the FrenchWorld Cup winner was an “undeni-able” plus for his team.

“He’s played in practically everymatch but now there are more play-ers and you have to spread game timearound more.

“As the matches come and go

there will be changes.The idea is that all theplayers are fresh, thatthey can handle therun of games with the

guarantee of not getting injured so thatthey can all give their best.”

Turning to Messi he praised hisace act’s performance: “That’s why he'sthe best player in the world and we arefortunate to have him.”

“Let’s hope that it won't have anyeffect on us and that we play well andwin.

“Football loses some of its fuelwhen staged in front of empty stands.”

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