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MONEY 8SURGE IN CORONAVIRUS CASES MAYPUT ECONOMIC RECOVERY AT RISK

ANALYSIS 7GEOPOLITICS TRUMPS

GEOECONOMICS

SPORTS 12CLINICAL CSK REGAIN

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PRABHAS-NAGASHWIN FILM TO

LAUNCH ONDIWALI

SONY'S PROFIT ZOOMS TO RECORD LEVELON VIDEO GAMES, ‘DEMON SLAYER’

Sony's January-March profit zoomed eight-fold to 107 billion yen (USD 982 million)from a year earlier as people stuck at

home during the coronavirus pandemicturned to the Japanese electronics andentertainment company's video games andother visual content. Sony Corp. reported arecord profit of 1.17 trillion yen (USD 11billion) for the fiscal year that ended March 31,roughly doubling from 582 billion yen theprevious fiscal year. The popularity of the “DemonSlayer” animation film also helped, along with solid sales in mobilegame applications and digital content. Demand persists for thePlayStation 5 game console, which went on sale last year.

US RUSHING ASSISTANCE TO INDIA TOCOMBAT COVID SURGE: JOE BIDEN

Washington, Apr 28 (PTI) The US is rushinga whole series of help, including life-saving drugs and machinery, that India

needs to combat the massive surge inCOVID-19 cases, President Joe Biden hassaid, as he again recalled New Delhi'sassistance to America when it was in a "bind"due to the pandemic. Biden spoke at lengthwith Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Mondayand conveyed solidarity with India in its fightagainst the viral disease. "We are sending immediatelya whole series of help that he needs, including providing for thoseRemdesivir and other drugs that are able to deal with this," Bidentold reporters at a White House news conference on Tuesday.

MAHA GIVES RS 1,500 EACH TO 9.17LAKH CONSTRUCTION WORKERS

The Maharashtra government has transferredRs 1,500 in the bank accounts of each ofthe 9.17 lakh registered construction

workers as assistance in view of theCOVID-19-induced restrictions, stateLabour Minister Hasan Mushrif said onWednesday. There are 13 lakh registeredactive construction workers in the state, anofficial statement said. Mushrif said the reliefhas been given to workers as Rs 137.61 crorehas been transferred into the respective accounts of9.17 lakh labourers in "just four days". The Maharashtra Buildingand Other Construction Workers' Welfare Board is implementingthe decision to assist the workers, it said.

FOUR-DAY LOCKDOWN IN GOA FROMTODAY AS CASES SPIKE: CM

The Goa government on Wednesdaydecided to impose a strict lockdownin the state beginning April 29 till

May 3, Chief Minister Pramod Sawantsaid. Speaking to reporters, he saidessential services and industries willbe exempted from the purview of thelockdown but public transport will notbe allowed. "The lockdown will comeinto force on Thursday evening andremain effective till Monday morning to breakthe chain of the coronavirus transmission," he said. Goa onTuesday reported 2,110 fresh cases and 31 deaths, taking thetally to 81,908 and the toll to 1,086, the government had said.

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n Kosuri Amarnath, Hyderabad,Editor, Scribes News

n Sridhar Dharmasanam, Editor MaaHyderabad

n Chinta Nagaraju, Siddipet District,TS, Reporter, Eenadu newspaper

n P. Ramesh, Karimnagar, TSn Bura Ramesh, Vemulawada,

Sircilla District, Telanganan Jayaprakash, Karimnagar,

Telanganan BS Ramachandra Rao,

Visakhapatnam, AP, formerjournalist with Sakshi

n Sainath, Nirmal Dist, Telangana,Reporter, 99TV

n D. Ashok, Nizamabad District, TS,Reporter, Andhra Bhoomi newspaper

n Prabhakar Reddy, Kadapa, APn Surya Prakash, Visakhapatnam, APn P. Tataiah, Ongole, Andhra Pradesh

n Srinivas, Yacharam, Telangana,Reporter, Andhra Jyothi Telugu Daily

n Kalpana, Hyderabad, Telangana,CEO, Bathukamma TV

n Chandrashekar Naidu, Srikakulam,AP, Reporter, NTV

n Syed Shabaz, Kodangal,Vikarabad Dist, TS. Reporter, TV.n Ramzan Ali, Karimnagar,TS. Senior sub-editor, Eenadu.n Madiraju Giri, Shadnagar,RR Dist, TS. Reporter, ABN

Andhra Jyothi.n K. Srinivas Goud (32), a

reporter for Hindi Milap, Karimnagarn Sammi Reddy (50), Vemanapalli

mandal, Vaartha newspapern Manoj, 33, Hyderabadn M. Parthasarathy, Tirupatin Madhusudan Reddy, Tirupatin N Seshacharyulu, 56, Nellore

In the battle against Covid-19, journalists across the globe have worked shoulder

to shoulder with doctors, nurses, paramedical staff as well as healthcareproviders and experts in various fields related to health and medicine to put

things in perspective: be it a lowdown on Covid-19 caseloads, reproduction numberof the virus, positivity, recovery, mortality, analyses of countless data-drivenstudies relating to coronavirus, updates on what the governments are doing or notdoing to help contain the virus, or 'ground' reports on the huge piles of bodiescurrently burning in makeshift crematoriums. In the process, thesewarriors, wielding pens or cameras, have been sucked into the danceof death triggered by the pandemic. The Pioneer joins journalisticcircles in paying tributes to these intrepid Indian journalists who havelost their lives after contracting Covid-19 in line of duty.

Journos, you remain etched in our memory

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Brahm Kanchibotla, 66, New YorkGulshan Ewing, 92, LondonPankaj Kulshrestha, 50, AgraRoshan Dias, 46, MumbaiYogesh Kumar, 53Haresh Munwani, 70, MumbaiJaved Jivani, 84, MumbaiDavinder Pal Singh, ChandigarhK. Ch. Ratnam, 75, OdishaNeelanshu Shukla, 30, Lucknow, UPTarun Sisodia, 37, New DelhiMotichand Bedbuthe, UsmanabadSopan Bongane, ThaneAshok Tupe, AhmednagarPrakash Deshmukh, MumbaiShyam Sarma, MumbaiRajiv Ketan, GorakhpurSanjiv Sinha, DhanbadRavinder Kumar, 30, HPNaresh Bajaj, 57, AboharArun Kumar Verma, 68, PatnaGowripura Chandru, 54, BengaluruS. Yadavatti, 49, BengaluruRonny Roy, Kolkata, WBPankaj Kulashrestha, AgraE. Velmurugan, 41, ChennaiPriyadarshi Patnaik, 46,HinjilicutSimanchal Panda, OdishaRamanathan, ChennaiJai Deep, PatialaRantu Das, 54, GuwahatiAshok Churi, 71, PalgharPandurang Raikar, 42, PuneSolman Sahu, Balasore, OdishaRahul Dolare, 49, AurangabadSrinivasa Rao, JaggaiahpetFlorent C Pereira, 67, ChennaiGolap Saikia, 52, GuwahatiAshwani Kapoor, 70, LudhianaHarish Choubey, 60, JabalpurAnil Srivastava, 68, BastiAmi Adhar Nidar, 50, AgraManoj Binwal, 55, IndorePavan Hettur, 35, MysuruKishore Bhimani, 80, KolkataKrishna Mohan Sharma, 63, Patnaitendra Debbarma, 46, AgartalaAshim Dutta, 65, SilcharDhaneswar Rabha, 38, TanglaP. Kumar Pradhan, 35, BhubaneswarRakesh Taneja, 51, FaridabadPankaj Shukla, 50, NoidaRajiv Katara, 60, New DelhiManglesh Dabral, 72, New DelhiD. Vijayamohan, 65, New DelhiMani Kumar Rai, 53, SiliguriNandkumar Sonar, 50, Ahmednagar

Vikas Sharma, 35, NoidaAarti Shejwalkar, 31, MumbaiAnjay Bohra, 50, JaipurKamal Dixit, BhopalKailassinh Pardeshi, 55, SaamanaPramod Srivastava, 48, LucknowSabaji Mohan PalkarFatima Zakaria, 85Kapil Datta, 65, New DelhiPradeep Arya, 58, BilaspurJatish Khamari, 46, BhubaneswarAnkit Shukla, 35, LucknowVinay Srivastava, 65, LucknowB. Goverdhan Joshi, 67, BhopalJamal Ahmad, BhopalSacchidanand Gupta ‘Sacche', LucknowHimanshu Joshi, LucknowPawan Mishra, LucknowWaseem, LucknowTavishi Srivastava, 73, LucknowChanchal Pal ChauhanAshish Yechury, 34, New DelhiBharath, 32, PuducherryChandan Jaiswal, New DelhiVivek Bendre, 59, MumbaiSadanand Shinde, 64, Mumbai

Tanmoy Chakraborty, 39, AgartalaShailesh Raval, GujaratJodu Chutia, AssamNaresh Behera, OdishaKarunakar Sahu, Odisha

Manoj Kumar Sahu, OdishaGovind Behera, OdishaSukhnandan Gavai, UlhasnagarJairam Sawant, MaharashtraAmjad Badshah, 45, JharsugudaYogesh Sharma, AhmedabadAiyushman Dutta Guwahati, AssamKakoli Bhattacharya, 51, New DelhiRadhakrishna Muralidhar, New DelhiManikant Thakur, New DelhiNarendra Kaushal, RishikeshRajesh Mishra, IndoreDurga Prasad Shukla, Bakshi KaTalab, Uttar PradeshBrijendra Patel, 50, AgraShivanandan Sahu, 38, KaushambiPrashant Saxena, BareillyRohitash Gupta, 36, BareillyNootan Saxena, 42, BareillyRam Prakash Gupta, BiharBijan Sarkar, New DelhiSanjay Srivastava, New DelhiK.K. Sharma (Guddu), IndoreSalil Jain, Indore, Madhya PradeshRauf Khan, Indore, Madhya PradeshPrakash Gangaram Desai, 68, SangliG.S. Yadav, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

CM’s Covid rapidtest result negativePNS n HYDERABAD

Chief Minister K.ChandrasekharRao, who has been in isolation athis farmhouse, underwent Covidtests on Wednesday.

The Chief Minister's personalphysician Dr.M.V Rao and histeam conducted Rapid Antigenand RT-CPR and other tests onKCR. The Rapid Antigen testresult came negative, while theresult of RT PCR test will beknown on Thursday.

ML MELLY MAITREYI n HYDERABAD

The second wave of the pandem-ic, with corona cases surging acrossTelangana, has started stabilizing,particularly over the last few days,though the next three to fourweeks are crucial to flatten theCovid-19 curve.

Dr.G.Srinivasa Rao, Director ofPublic Health, said that, thanks tovarious measures taken by theState government to contain thepandemic and the cooperationextended by people, there was'some improvement' in the lastone week.

Addressing a media conferenceat his office here on Wednesday, DrSrinivasa Rao said that over the lastfour weeks people had realized theimportance of Covid- appropriatebehaviour and a majority of peo-

ple were wearing masks, observingphysical distance, and avoidingcongregations.

The impact on controlling thepandemic would be greater if peo-ple took precautions and observed

preventive measures, aside from theefforts of the government and var-ious institutions. "If people extend-ed the same cooperation, then byMay-end itself, we can gain controlover the pandemic, instead of wait-ing till June or July," he said.

So far, 45 lakh people above 45years of age and healthcare andfrontline workers have been vacci-nated. Dr.Srinivas Rao said therewas no need for panic and anxiety.In the first wave, the recovery ratewas 99.5 per cent and even in thesecond wave the overall recoverywould be 99 per cent.

Next 4 weeks crucial to bringdown Covid second wave: DPHn Situation improving, thanks to the state government's measures and people'scooperation n Only those with breathing difficulties should seek hospital beds

CoWIN servers crash, as Covid vaccine registration for 18+ beginsPNS n HYDERABAD

Although the Union HealthMinistry has opened registrationsfor COVID-19 vaccines to beadministered to those in theexpanded age group of 18-44 yearsfrom May 1, many people areunable to register on CoWIN por-tal, which went public at 4:00 pmon Wednesday for the purpose, orvia Arogya Setu app. Many report-edly tried registering on CoWinportal soon after 4:00 pm, but faileddue to server issues.

Apart from the Co-WIN portal,the Arogya Setu app also wentdown. They both crashed as soonas the registrations opened on

Wednesday. Many people com-plained that registrations in theCoWIN portal were successfulonly for those in the age group of45 years and above.

Crematoriums in Hydcashing on Covid 2nd wavePackages for performing last ritesANUSHA PUPPALAn HYDERABAD

Cashing in on the surge in coron-avirus cases and deaths, some ofthe crematoriums in the city, alongwith heartless, avaricious middle-men, are offering pricey packagesfor performing the last rites ofthose who died of COVID-19.

There are differing packagesavailable for the last journey, frommortuary to burial ground.Middlemen are reportedly offeringpackages that can go up to Rs80,000 each.

All this is happening because,due to lack of space in mortuar-ies, hospitals are asking the rela-tives of the deceased to take awaythe bodies. The relatives are forcedto look for ambulances and freez-ers to preserve the bodies until the

next day for funerals as they can'ttake the bodies home due toCOVID-19 protocol.T-BJP cornered for its

huge election ralliesBJP says not violated Covid protocolPNS n HYDERABAD

While the Union governmentheaded by the Bharatiya JanataParty is facing flak for not takingproactive steps to contain the sec-ond wave of Covid -19 ragingacross the country, the Telanganaunit of BJP has given scope for fur-ther criticism by holding huge ral-lies, in stark violation of the Covidprotocol, in connection with theongoing elections to the urbanlocal bodies.

On Wednesday, the last day forcampaigning, the BJP held megacampaign rallies in Warangal,Khammam and other places. The

BJP, in its official Twitter handle,tweeted big rally pictures and laterremoved the photos after receivingcriticism from the public.

Politicos become ‘paper tigers’, courtesy CovidSNCN ACHARYULUn HYDERABAD

Covid -19 has changed not onlypeople's lifestyle, but also work cul-ture. In particular, coronavirus haschanged the functioning of politi-cal parties and their offices. Lockedin, political parties have all become'paper tigers' - the term they use todescribe one another in the polit-ical arena.

Political leaders and workershave stopped coming to their mainoffices. Some political parties haveofficially announced the closure oftheir headquarters in view of the

Covid pandemic. Before the outbreak of Corona

the offices of political parties werea beehive of activity, with party

leaders, workers, visitors havingback-to-back meetings. Besides,the main political parties used toconduct at least two to threemedia conferences daily. Beatreporters, cameramen and elec-tronic media representatives usedto regularly cover activities ofvarious parties.

These days no political leader,worker or media person is seen inany political party's office in theTelugu states. Due to this, the officesof various political parties in theTelugu states wear a deserted look.

Covishield price forstates reduced to Rs 300PNS n NEW DELHI

Serum Institute of India'sCovishield will cost states Rs 300instead of Rs 400, CEO AdarPoonawalla tweeted today, callingit a "philanthropic gesture".

"As a philanthropic gesture onbehalf of Serum Institute of India,I hereby reduce the price to thestates from Rs.400 to Rs.300 perdose, effective immediately; thiswill save thousands of crores ofstate funds going forward. Thiswill enable more vaccinationsand save countless lives," MrPoonawalla wrote in his tweet.

The higher prices of vaccinesfor states and private hospitalshave provoked anger and debatesince Serum made the announce-ment weeks ago.

27 lakhs hits per minuteA

s Covid vaccination registrationprocess opened, the centre's

website for the drive - CoWIN --seemed to malfunction at first.Many complained that the site hadcrashed but the glitches were soonfixed.The CoWIN site is gettingalmost 27 lakh hits a minute,government sources said.

How to enrol for vax

Whom to complain about side effects

FAQ on vaccination

P3

Covaxin ‘found toneutralise’ Indian 617variant: US adviserPNS n NEW DELHI

Covaxin, India's home-grownCovid vaccine produced byBharat Biotech, has been foundto neutralise the B.1.617 variantor the Indian double mutantstrain, White House ChiefMedical Adviser Anthony Faucisaid on Tuesday.

"Now, this is something wherewe're still gaining data on adaily basis.

So far, 45 lakhpeople above

45 years of ageand healthcare

and frontlineworkers

have beenvaccinated

Representational Photo

Representational Photo

140+ Indianjournlists

fell prey to Covid

Journlistsfrom Telugustates whosuccumbed

to Covid

More than lack ofoxygen, undueanxiety killsCovid patients

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hyderabad 02HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | APRIL 29, 2021

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More than lack of oxygen, undueanxiety kills Coronavirus patientsPNS n HYDERABAD

A condition known as ‘hyper-carbia’, which means excessivelevels of carbon-dioxide inone’s bloodstream, is provingto be the bane for Covid-19patients.

The condition can lead toheart stroke and also that ofthe brain. It can lead to forma-tion of blood clots and alsohormonal imbalance.

The condition is believed tobe one of the reasons for thedeath of some Covid-19patients.

There are many examplesthat present a plausible expla-nation how hypercarbia hasled to death of patients whotested positive for the virus.

Sairam, a 40-year-old manfrom Vijayawada, tested pos-itive for the virus. Heremained asymptomatic.However, he got himselfadmitted to a hospital. Hisoxygen levels plummeted andhe frequently spoke to hisnear and dear expressing con-cern at being infected. Afterreceiving treatment for five

days, he breathed his last. In another case, Koti, a 38-

year-old man from Nunnavillage, tested positive for thevirus a week ago. He gotadmitted to a Covid-19 hospi-tal for treatment. From thehospital, he used to call up hisfamily and friends and tellthem that there was somethingbothering him. He spoke overthe phone always setting asidethe oxygen cap. As a result, he

died of hypercarbia. In fact, 90 per cent of

Covid-19 patients are undersevere stress and complicatingtheir cases and inching closerto death instead of defeatingthe virus successfully.

In April, the virus claimedlives of over 64 in the region.Doctors say that 50 percent ofthe fatalities were due to severeanxiety. They advise thepatients to remain confident

and receive treatment withoutunduly worrying whether theywould recover.

While a healthy personbreathes 12-16 times a minute,Covid patients, out of anxiety,breathe more rapidly therebypumping requisite quantity ofoxygen into the bloodstream.

This leads to increasing lev-els of carbon-dioxide levels inblood. As a result, the patientpasses out due to the hypercar-bia impact on the brain. He isalso at risk of suffering heartstroke. Moreover, Covidpatients are at risk of forma-tion of blood clots. When inanxiety, the blood supply rateincreases. The blood clotsobstruct free flow of blood andcan lead to heart and brainstrokes. There is likelihood ofCovid patients collapsing sud-denly. Moreover, it can lead tohormonal imbalance in them.

The patients should havethe positive attitude thatreceiving good treatment willhelp them recover from thevirus. Without becominghyper anxious, the patientsshould perform breathing

exercises, take nutritious food. Those who receive treat-

ment while in home isolationshould check oxygen levels asfrequently as possible.Performing light exercises,patients should receive thetreatment with the confidenceof recovering soon. In suchpersons, the virus can bedefeated without any side-effects.

However, the patients undu-ly worrying about their recov-ery will lead to steep fall inoxygen levels.

The stress levels by them-selves will destroy their con-fidence and even if they getoxygen support, they areunable to recover. Splitting ofblood vessels, reduction inthe lungs oxygen imbibingcapacity and many other prob-lems surface.

The key is to nurse a posi-tive outlook and remain con-fident.

Unlike earlier, the mutationin the second wave is extreme-ly virulent. As such, manypatients are requiring oxygensupport.

Continued from page 1

About 80 per cent of thosewho were vaccinated wouldnot get the disease and even ifthey contracted the infection,they would recover quickly.

The DPH said, as the ChiefMinister announced, the Stategovernment would give vac-cine free of cost to thoseabove 18 years. They shouldstart registering themselves inCoWIN website, though theywould not be able to book theslots for some time.Guidelines related to vaccina-tion schedule of people above

18 years from May 1 would beissued in a day or two.

Those above 45 years tooshould book slots for vaccina-tion to avoid waiting andcrowding at the centres.Priority would be given tothose requiring second dose.

Dr Srinivasa Rao said thatTelangana was in a betterposition in terms of beds,medicines, and the ChiefMinister and Chief Secretarywere supervising the situation.Committees of IAS officerswere monitoring the situationrelating to beds, medicinesand injections. Due to panic

and anxiety as well as lack ofawareness, people with mildsymptoms were rushing tohospitals and seeking admis-sions out of fear. This wouldcreate artificial shortage ofbeds. Infected persons wouldneed hospitalization only ifthey experience any breathingdifficulty and 85 per cent ofCovid positive people do notrequire hospitalization. Onecould take treatment as perdoctor's advice at home or atan isolation centre, accordingto Dr Srinivasa Rao.

The DPH is of the view thatpeople should go for Covid

tests only if flu-like symptomslike cold, cough and fever per-sist for two to three days. Thisway they would help spare testkits for the needy. Peoplegoing for tests as a matter ofprecaution might unneces-sarily expose themselves to thevirus by mingling with per-sons having Covid symptoms.

The DPH said the State hasover 50,000 beds, includingover 18,000 beds with oxygenfacility and over 10,000 ICUbeds. The government wasfurther augmenting the beds.

Director of MedicalEducation Dr Ramesh Reddy

said there was no dearth ofoxygen in TS hospitals as thestate government had rampedup oxygen lines to beds andimproved oxygen storagecapacity in 23 governmenthospitals. The nodal officerswere monitoring oxygenstocks, he added.

The drivers of emergencyambulance 108 would havethe details of availability ofbeds and take the patients tothe nearest hospital.Remdesivir injections shouldbe used only as per guidelinesand only if oxygen saturationlevels were below 92, he said.

Continued from page 1

From May 1, as vaccinationsopen to all adults, states andprivate entities can buy dosesdirectly from manufacturersunder the Centre's liberal-

ized policy to tackle the explo-sion of Covid cases State gov-ernments and private hospitalscan order up to 50 per cent ofSerum's Covishield andBharat Biotech's Covaxin toinoculate the younger popu-

lation, while the centre willbuy the other half to contin-ue vaccinating those above 45free of cost. Serum said itwould continue to providevaccines to the centre at ? 150a shot.

Next 4 weeks crucial to bring down Covid...

Continued from page 1

When citizens in 18-44 agegroup tried registering onCoWIN app, an alert read:"Currently registrations areopen only for citizen olderthan 45 years only".

Twenty-eight-year-oldDheeraj from Manikonda said:"I have been trying to registersince 4:00 pm as advised on thewebsite of Union HealthMinistry. For the first 40 min-utes the server was down asexpected. Then, after tryingmultiple times, finally I got reg-istered after an hour. Later Isuccessfully registered thenames of my wife and sister.But when we tried to book theslots, there are no vaccinationcentres in and around the areafalling under our Pin Code.Then I tried with the district

details, which is Rangareddy,but got to know that the vac-cine is available only for 45+".

"In the current situation,vaccine is one of the importantthings people are looking for.It is devastating to see theyoung ones losing their lives inthe second wave. CoWIN.in isnot efficient and effective. Asmost of them tried to register,it resulted in failure. In mycase, while I tried schedulingmy slot in Medchal district, itsaid there are no details avail-able. I would request the gov-ernment to deal with it muchmore effectively and easily sothat everyone gets vaccinatedwithout having any issues",said Shashidhar Vuppala, aresident of Hyderabad.

Santosh Thallam,28-year-old resident of Hyderabad,said, "I found it really difficult

to register in the first placetoday as the server was down;for the first one hour serverwas very slow. Later, I did notreceive OTP till the next onehour as the site was very slow.So far, we could only registernames register as no slots wereavailable as vaccine centresare not allotted yet".

Meanwhile, the UnionHealth Ministry stated that ifanyone is unable to register,they can refresh the app oropen it after closing. Theycan also try opening the por-tal in incognito mode aftersometime. The HealthMinistry also requested citi-zens to remain patient.Everyone will get to registerand be vaccinated at the earli-est. Sometimes the servercrashes if load is high, theMinistry added.

CoWIN servers crash, as Covid vaccine registration for 18+ begins

Continued from page 1

Sai Teja, an activist from Feedthe Needy, said, "One of myfriend's colleague was chargedRs 82,000 by a private hospi-tal in Kukatpally, stating thatthey will arrange an ambu-lance. The ambulance chargedsuch a huge amount for a dis-tance of just 6 km.

In another incident, a pri-vate ambulance charged Rs32,000 for ambulance and afreezer as a person expired ina private hospital and thehospital refused to keep thebody overnight. The hospitalasked family members to takeaway the body due to lack ofmortuary. Crematoriums donot accept bodies after 7pm.With mental agony and leftwith no other alternative, thepatient 's family hadapproached us as we are offer-ing the last ride services inHyderabad city. They are

seeking help; so, we have topreserve the body till morn-ing. So, we arranged an ambu-lance with freezer to keep thebody for the night and cre-mated the body next morn-ing."

He further added, "Thecost for keeping the body infreezer, along with the ambu-lance, had cost Rs 32,000. Inthis Covid second wave, thegovernment should work onalternative arrangements incases where private hospitalsare not able to preserve thebodies and crematoriums willnot take bodies after 7pm, asper COVID SOP, bodies can'tbe taken home or apartment.

It is a sad state of affairsthat for preserving a Covidcorpus body for one nightcost Rs 32,000 due to lack ofmortuary and no options leftto pay proper homage to theCovid deceased patients".

Vinay Vangala, a social

activist from Feed the Needy,Hyderabad said: "Many ofour loved ones have lost theirfamily members due to thispandemic and still some areon death beds. We can onlysupport them with our loveand care during this crisis. Itis very unfortunate that theyhave been harassed by themiddlemen from mortuaryroom to burial ground".

He adds, "Everyone has togo through this process; it willnot be different for the peo-ple who are harassing theaffected families during thedifficult time. The Govt has togive proper guidelines toensure the burial grounds arecharging as per the prescribedrates to save public from thislooting.

Middlemen are demandingabout Rs 80,000 amount as apackage from mortuary toburial ground. There is no billfor this also".

Crematoriums in Hyd cashing...

CM’s Covid rapid test result...Continued from page 1

KCR tested positive on April 19 and went into isolation at hisfarmhouse. Two days later, he underwent CT scan and othertests at Yashoda Hospital, where the reports were normal.Minister for IT and Industry KT Rama Rao and MP SantoshKumar, who had accompanied the Chief Minister to YashodaHospital, subsequently tested positive for Covid and went intohome isolation.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTIONS

In view of GWMC electionMamnoor and Geesugondapolice conducted flag march intheir jurisdiction on Wednesday

Covaxin ‘found toneutralise’ Indian 617variant: US adviserContinued from page 1

But the most recent data waslooking at convalescent seraof COVID-19 cases in peoplewho received the vaccineused in India, the Covaxin.And it was found to neu-tralise the 617 variant," hesaid, according to newsagency PTI.

"So despite the real difficul-ty that we're seeing in India,vaccination could be a very,very important antidoteagainst this," Dr Fauci wasquoted as telling reporters.

"So I'll stop there with thefinal statement. The one thingyou can gather from every-thing I've said: that it's very

important to get vaccinated."Covaxin was developed by

Bharat Biotech in partnershipwith National Institute ofVirology and the IndianCouncil of Medical Research(ICMR) and was approvedfor emergency use on January3 while still in clinical trial.

Trial results later showedthe vaccine has an efficacy of78 per cent, according toICMR.

The B.1.617 variant, most-ly found in Covid cases inMaharashtra and Delhi, hasthree new spike protein muta-tions. This variant is said to bepushing the deadly secondsurge in Covid across thecountry.

Case bookedfor comments against CM,KCR on TwitterPNS n HYDERABAD

The Hyderabad CentralCrime Station (CCS) policetook suo motu cognisance ofderogatory comments post-ed against Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao, ITMinister KT Rama Rao andother politicians and celebri-ties by unidentified personson a Twitter account thatclaimed to be a parodyaccount of the late actressTelangana Shakuntala withher photo as profile picture.

The twitter handle wasbeing maintained by somemiscreants to post derogato-ry comments targeting var-ious personalities. The CCSpolice booked a case and areinvestigating.

MNC managerseeks sexual favour from jobseeker, held PNS n HYDERABAD

The Jubilee Hills policebooked the manager of aprivate firm in the city forsexually harassing a womanon the pretext of providing ajob.

Police said the suspect,identified as Sumanth, 30,who worked briefly as anassistant general manager ofa firm on Jubilee Hills RoadNo.36, collected the phonenumber of the 25-year-oldvictim from Himayathnagar,when the latter recently wentto attend an interview.

He started chatting withher on WhatsApp andpromised to provide her asuitable job using his con-tacts. For the last few days, hestarted harassing her by send-ing sexually explicit contentand demanding sexual favorsfrom her in exchange for thejob. Unable to take furtherharassment, the womanapproached the police andlodged a complaint onTuesday, based on which acase was booked and investi-gation taken up.

Covishield price for states....

Politicos become‘paper tigers’...Continued from page 1

The political parties have con-fined themselves to issuingstatements. If there is anythingimportant to share with themedia, some political leadersare conducting 'zoom' confer-ences. There is no activity onthe ground by any politicalparty. Generally political lead-ers belittle their opponents as'paper tiger', but now almostall political parties havebecome paper tigers as theyhave confined themselves toissuing press statements. Mostof the leaders are staying putin their residences. The partyoffice bearers are not comingto their offices.

Generally opposition partiestake up agitations to highlightanti--people policies of thestate governments. Now theopposition parties have 'sus-pended' their agitations inTelugu states against therespective State governments.The leaders and party workersare afraid of coming out fromtheir homes due to corona andgovernment restrictions on

huge gatherings in view of theCovid -19 pandemic.

In one way, local leaders ofopposition parties are happy asthere are no calls for agitationsfrom their high commands. Toconduct any agitation, therelated expenditure has to beborne by local party leaders.The party head office wouldnot give any financial help toconduct agitations.

Some political parties havearranged control rooms tohelp Covid patients. If anypatient calls the control roomfor any help like vaccine, ven-tilator or oxygen, the politicalleaders of the respective par-ties will speak over phone tothe persons concerned andrequest them to help the call-ing patients appropriately.

Due to corona, the stategovernments are not in a posi-tion to conduct full Budgetsessions of Assemblies. Whilethe Telangana government cutshort the Budget session, theAndhra Pradesh governmentchose to issue an ordinance onbudget without even conduct-ing the Assembly session.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Telangana State ElectionCommission said it has madeelaborate arrangements for theelections to be held in twomunicipal corporations andfive municipalities on Friday.

Polling will also be held forthe by-elections to four wards infour municipalities and oneward in GHMC SEC CParthasarathi on Wednesdayheld a review on the elections tothe Greater Warangal andKhammam MunicipalCorporations and Siddipet,Jadcherla, Atchampet Kothur,and Nakrekal municipalities

He instructed all the con-cerned to monitor the electionsclosely following the guide-lines issued by the SEC in viewof the Covid-19 and to conductelections in safe and peacefulmanner. A total of 11,59,112voters including 5,84,963women are eligible to cast theirvotes in these elections. Asmany as 1,307 candidatesincluding 480 independentsare in the fray in two corpora-tions and five municipalities.Fourteen candidates are testing

their political fortunes in fourwards, while five candidates arein fray in Lingojiguda ward inGHMC.

The poll authorities have setup 1,539 polling stations andwill deploy 9,809 polling per-sonnel for smooth conduct ofelections. To ensure complianceof Covid-19 protocol, theauthorities have procured28,810 masks, 14,505 faceshields, 22,910 hand gloves,18,455 bottles of hand sanitiz-er and 22,230 rings marked forqueues of voters at polling sta-tions indicating social distanc-ing. The guidelines include sani-tisers to be made available at theentry of polling station, socialdistancing to be maintained asper Covid guidelines, use ofArogyaSetu App by all personsinvolved in elections, mandato-ry sanitisation of polling stations,marking to demonstrate socialdistancing for queue lines nearpolling stations, kit containingone mask, sanitizer and faceshield to be given to everypolling personnel, postal ballotfor voters who tested Covid pos-itive after April 15 and PPE kitsto the staff carrying ballot boxes.

Arrangements in placefor TS municipal polls

T-BJP corneredfor its hugeelection ralliesContinued from page 1

When The Pioneer confront-ed BJP's social media organiz-ers on the removal pictures,they could not give reasons.They said it was done in thenormal process and that therewere no instructions in thisregard from the party.

Meanwhile, BJP Telanganaunit chief spokesperson KKrishna Sagar Rao con-demned the TRS andCongress for blaming the BJPover spike in Covid cases.

Speaking to The Pioneer, heasserted that the BJP could notsit at home without campaign-ing in view of the elections. Heclaimed that the BJP was seek-ing votes from people by fol-lowing Covid protocol.

When asked about BJPposting huge rally photos inTwitter and later removingthem, Krishna Sagar Rao saidthat he was not aware aboutthis. He alleged that the single-point agenda of all opposition

parties across the nation, espe-cially in Telangana, was pure-ly political: to blame the BJPand the central governmentfor everything.

Krishna Sagar Rao said thatin Telangana the State ElectionCommission ( SEC) was mon-itoring the election process."What do they expect fromBJP? Do they want the BJP tosit at home and not to cam-paign?"

He pointed out that theSEC had decided to stick to itselection schedule. KrishnaSagar Rao alleged that thestate government was behindthe 'plot' to complete theelection process before 2ndMay to see that there was noBJP impact on future elec-tions.

It may be recalled that theresults of elections to five stateAssembles and several bye-elections, includingNagarjuna Sagar Asembly byeelection in Telangana, will beannounced on 2nd May.

HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | APRIL 29, 2021hyderabad 03

CITY LIGHTS

VAX REGISTRATIONFOR 18+ BEGINSR

egistrations havebegun for Indiansabove the age

group of 18 for vaccinationagainst Covid from 4 pmon Wednesday. Theadministering of vaccina-tion will begin onSaturday.

A tweet from the offi-cial handle of AarogyaSetu, the Central gov-ernment's mobileapplication for con-tact-tracing and dis-semination of med-ical advisories, read,"Registration for 18plus to begin onhttp://cowin.gov.in,Aarogya Setu App &UMANG App at 4 PM on28th April. Appointmentsat State government cen-

ters and private centersdepending on how manyvaccination centers areready on 1st May forvaccination of 18plus."

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN REGISTERFOR THE VACCINATION

w Go to https://www.cowin.gov.in/home and click on the"register/sign-in" option.

w Enter your mobile number andgenerate OTP.

w Enter the OTP and "verify" it.

w Following the verification of yourmobile number with OTP, registeryourself with required details suchas name, age, gender and photo ID.

w Click on "Register" and then goto the "Schedule" option.

w Enter the pin code of yourarea or select from the list ofstates, followed by districts.

w Select your preferredvaccination centre, date andtime and "Confirm".

People desirous to get theirvaccine can receive their jabonly upon registering theirname in www.cowin.gov.in. Aspeople are still unaware of howto get their name registeredthe following FAQs will helpthem to register their names inthe portal to receive the jab.Q: Where can one register theirname to receive vaccine?A: To register the name, peopleshould open the linkwww.cowin.gov.in and click onthe tab 'register/sign-in yourself'to register their names. Should one install a mobile appto receive the vaccine shot?There is no authorised mobileapplication to administervaccines. People should registertheir names only through coWINportal or using Arogya Setu. Who can register with the portal?All those who crossed 18 yearscan register. How can one get confirmationfor registeration?As soon as your vaccinationschedule is confirmed, the dayof the vaccination and time andother details are sent to yourmobile through SMS.

Is it not possible to administervaccine without prior appointment?The CVCs give appointment toonly a limited number ofpersons for vaccination. In steadof going there withoutappointment and wasting thetime, the government advisesthe people to take appointment. Is it compulsory to receive thesecond dose of the vaccine?To derive complete benefit, oneshould receive two doses of thevaccine. They should take thesame kind of vaccine in twodoses to derive benefit. When the second dose of thevaccine should be taken?Within four to six weeks oftaking the first dose, one shouldtake the second dose of Covaxin.Similarly, within six to eightweeks of receiving the first doseof Covishield, one should takethe second dose. Will the portal schedules thesecond dose of the vaccine?Yes. The portal helps one to getappointment for the second dose. Whether the vaccine is free ofcost at all CVCs? No. the vaccine will beadministered free of cost only in

government hospital. The privatehospitals collect fees foradministering the vaccine. Can one have choice over thevaccine?All vaccines are equally good.Therefore, they can receivewhatever vaccine that is availablethere. What certificates should onecarry at the time of vaccination?People should take thecertificates issued to them at thetime of registration for thevaccine. In case of side effects, whoshould be consulted?The person can consult the CVCwhere he received the vaccineshot or calling up authorities ontoll-free number 1075 or onhelpline number 9111-23978046 or 0120-4473222 or consultingthe authorities throughnvoc2019@gov.in

FAQs about registering for Covid vax

PNS n HYDERABAD

People should not delay takingCovid vaccine as this will givevirus an opportunity to devel-op new variants and some ofthem may reduce the efficacyof current vaccines, say health-care experts.

They believe that those nottaking the vaccine are doing agreat injustice to their near anddear ones.

Government of India hasannounced that all individualsaged above 18 years would beeligible to get Covid-19 vacci-nation starting May 1. Thismust be considered as the endgame for the deadly pandem-ic to be driven out of India butthis would not be achieved ifthe young and the old hesitateto take vaccine, say the experts.

Dr. Mervin Leo, ClusterCOO, Gleneagles GlobalHospitals believes that Covid-19 virus still has many hostsleft to replicate in, and it hasmore opportunity to random-ly develop new variants. "Someof these variants may reduce

the efficacy of the currentvaccine, which is surely not adesirable scenario to be in.Hence, it is important peopleencourage each other to getvaccinated at the earliest andensure the virus is driven outof our lives before it gets to us,"he said.

Healthcare facilities acrossHyderabad are ramping uptheir capacity to vaccinatemore population in the weeksahead. They believe vaccina-tion for all is the most defini-tive step in the fight againstcoronavirus.

"Vaccination for all is aboutcontrolling the pandemic at apopulation level throughreaching herd immunity, andthe objective cannot beachieved unless each and everyone joins the movement andget themselves vaccinated.Fight against coronavirusrequires a community effort,and everybody must step for-ward in and get their vaccines,so that we can break the chainof transmission from one per-son to another," said Dr. RiyazKhan, CEO, ContinentalHospitals.

Vaccination must be consideredas the endgame for CoronavirusDelaying vax will give virus opportunity to develop variants

PNS n HYDERABAD

Telangana hit a new high infatalities due to Covid as 56more people succumbed to thevirus during the 24-hour peri-od.

This is the highest numberof daily toll since outbreak ofthe pandemic last year. Thestate had reported 52 fatalitieson Tuesday.

The overall toll has mount-ed to 2,150. The case fatalityrate stands at 0.5 per cent ascompared to the national aver-age of 1.1 per cent.

The state reported 8,061new Covid cases, down from10,122 on Tuesday. The num-bers appear to have comedown due to relatively lownumber of tests conductedduring the 24-hour period.

The government and pri-vate laboratories tested 82,270samples during the 24-hourperiod as compared to 99,638on Tuesday.

The fresh Covid casespushed the state's cumulativetally to 4,19,966.

The number of active casesjumped to 72,133. A total of5,093 people recovered fromthe virus during the last 24hours, taking the total numberof recoveries to 3,45,683.

The recovery rate hasslipped further to 82.31 percent as compared to thenational average of 82.3 percent. The health authoritiestested 82,270 samples, takingthe total number of tests tomore than 1.27 crore. Samplestested per million populationimproved to 3,42,519.

56 more succumb to Covid in state

PNS n HYDERABAD

Appointment of two internalexaminers for the practicalexaminations, which have beenscheduled from April 26 toMay 3, for Gandhi MedicalCollege (GMC) has shockedthe MBBS final year studentsas the two examiners hadrecently argued in front of thestudents bringing the differ-ences among top professors ofOrthopaedics department ofthe college to the fore.

However, the problem wasresolved with the interven-tion of the college authorities.The Kaloji Narayana RaoUniversity of Health Sciencesappointed Prof N AravindKumar as the examiner for theexaminations. However, on

April 26 the university author-ities issued orders appointingProf B Valya as the examiner,leading to confusion amongthe students on the exam day.

The medical studentsappeared for practical exami-nations. At the examinationcentre, both the professorsresorted to arguments in frontof the students, as both of themclaimed to be the examinersand offered to conduct theexaminations to the bewilder-ment of the students.

The differences among thedoctors in Orthopaedic wingare going on for over twoyears. While Valya is the HoDof Orthopaedics, another pro-fessor Satyanarayana has beenappointed as the HoD as perthe rules. The doctors havebeen divided into two groupsas the HoDs fight among them-selves for the custody of theHoD’s room. The two groupsapparently clashed on severaloccasions. The problem remai-ned unsolved even at the inter-vention of the officials.

The differences inOrthopaedic department havebeen posing problems not onlyto the students but also to thepatients. Therefore, the inter-vention of top officials issought to resolve the problems.

PNS n HYDERABAD

The Rachakonda Police SOTalong with the Medipallypolice caught two persons oncharges of selling Remdesivirinjection vials in the blackmarket on Tuesday.

The arrested persons wereidentified as K Anjan Kumar,29, a private employee fromAler in Yadadri-Bhongir dis-trict and K Bhaskar Rao, 39,a medical shop owner fromNacharam. Following a tip-off that some persons wereblackmarketing Remdesivirvials at higher prices to cus-tomers at Medilife MedicalStores, Boduppal, the policeteam reached the spot andcaught them.

Differences in Orthopaedics wingof Gandhi pose problem to students

PNS n HYDERABAD

Television actor LakshmiNarasimha Reddy was arrest-ed on Wednesday on charges ofcheating a businesswoman tothe tune of Rs 85 lakh here,police said.

He had taken the money

from Sindhura Reddy forinvestment into real estate butfailed to develop the propertyor return her money. Policealso arrested a woman identi-fied as Jayanti Goud who wasalso threatening the victim onbehalf of Narasimha Reddy.

Narasimha Reddy, who is

the husband of TV anchorShyamala, had approachedSindhura Reddy and invitedher to make the investment. Hetold her that he owns four acresof land land valued Rs 100crore in Gandipet area inHyderabad and plans to builda swimming pool, pub and

game zone there.Sindhura Reddy, in her com-

plaint to the police, said shepaid Rs 85 lakh in the form ofcash and cheques in 2017 butno construction was taken up.When she demanded hermoney back, he started threat-ening her.

TV actor held for cheating businesswoman

2 held for selling Remdesivir vials in black market

Rachakonda Police Commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat onWednesday launched free ambulance services by technologyservices provider SmartIMS for people in non-Covid-19 medical

emergencies. Bhagwat said people in need of going to medicalcheckups could use these services, which were available free of costand round the clock. SmartIMS associated with StanPlus Redambulance services, were providing the ambulances fully equippedwith oxygen, ventilation and other emergency facilities. Seniorcitizens, pregnant women and disabled persons in non criticalemergencies could utilize these services to visit hospitals, diagnosticcentres and blood banks.These ambulances will be active for the nexttwo months under the Rachakonda Commissionerate region.

Cops launch free ambulance for non-Corona emergencies

The University of Hyderabad (UoH) has been ranked among thetop institutions in the Global Round University Ranking (RUR)Ranking 2021. Out of the 13 Indian institutions figuring in the

RUR rankings, UoH was the only university to be ranked after IISc,the IITs and IISER-Pune, in the top six in India, the UoH said onWednesday. The university's global rank stands at 350 in 2021,showing an improvement from the 363 position in 2020, theuniversity said, adding that it's teaching rank was at 84 globally. TheRUR Rankings Agency in partnership with Clarivate Analyticsannounced the release of RUR 2021 World University Rankings onTuesday. The RUR is an international ranking of leading worlduniversities published by the RUR Ranking Agency (Moscow,Russia).

UoH among top institutions in the Global RUR Rankings 2021

BIE mulls promoting Inter II yr students based on I yr marksPNS n HYDERABAD

With Coronavirus cases surgingin the state, and the TelanganaState Board of IntermediateEducation (TSBEI) beingunable to conduct exams forIntermediate students, theBoard is considering a propos-al to assign second year studentsthe same marks they scoredduring their first year.

Experts deem that the cur-rent situation in Telangana isnot conducive to hold secondyear exams and that there is

hardly any chance of the exam-inations being held now.

The state government ofTelangana had announced ear-lier that a high level meetingwill be held in the first week ofJune to take a final decisionregarding the exams.

However, experts have saidthat there is no possibility ofthe Covid pandemic recedingby then.

If the Intermediate secondyear is delayed further, then itwill create problem for theentrance exams of engineering,

medicine, NITs, IITs and othersuch exams. The slow checking

by private lecturers will furtherdelay the result, and com-

pound the issue. Moreover,only 20 to 25 days regular class-es were held during the currentacademic year of 2020-21.

Considering all these factors,TSBIE officials are reviewinghow to assign marks to the stu-dents if the exams are can-celled. In case of students notagreeing to the marks assignedto them, it has been learnt, theyare considering to provide anopportunity to such students towrite exams.

There is a proposal to assignpractical marks on the basis of

science records of students aswell.

The Secretary of TSBIE,Syed Umer Jaleel, has instruct-ed all colleges to dispatch themarks of Ethics, Human Valuesand Environment educationassignments by May 3. He alsowarned college managementsnot to link the assignmentmarks with their fees. Strictaction shall be taken if parentscomplained that their wards'assignments were not takendue to non payment of fees, heinformed.

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

Technology can enable work-from-home option; yet, it can-not ensure that all techies are insound, working condition. Withmany employees of IT firms ortheir family members fallingprey to Covid, the available staffare complaining of increasedworkload, while tech companiesdecry decreased productivity.

Several techies have report-ed that their workload hasincreased, particularly after amember of their team or his orher immediate family membergot infected.

Employees of several com-panies like Accenture, Deloitteand JPMC working inHyderabad have confirmedthat there has been additionalpressure on projects.

An employee of JPMC,speaking to The Pioneer oncondition of anonymity,revealed: "There is increasedworkload due to rising infec-tions and team mates taking off.

It is not just the employee, evenif their family member getsinfected; the team member hasto be available for them. So,eventually they are not availableat work for 14 days or more. Butour company is taking goodcare on the employee side, asthere is a helpline, even ambu-lance, apart from addressing ourqueries". Another techie fromDeloitte, who wished not to benamed, confirmed increase inworkload in some teams. Thetechie said that this was notevident across the board, butjust in some teams.

With the US and othercountries restoring operations,the inflow of work has

increased. Bharani KumarAroll of Hysea said, "Some ofthe people are getting impact-ed and there is a marginal dropin productivity. In terms ofquantification, whether it is theemployee who is impacted orhis family member, it stillaffects the employee; so, thereis some impact on productiv-ity. There is difference in Wave1 and Wave 2 of the pandem-ic. In Wave 1, we had chal-lenges on the demand side andthe supply side. But in Wave 2,it is impacting the supply side,which is us, but not thedemand side. In America,Europe things are picking upand opening up, which leads todemand rising and improvingrecruitment here".

However, HYSEA expectsthat 60-70% of employees willreturn to office by the end ofthe year. Bharani said, "TheTelangana government doesn'thave restrictions on how manycome back to offices. About 60-70% might return to offices bythe year end."

PNS n HYDERABAD

Some of the IT firms in the citywill be conducting on-campusvaccination drives for techies.Several employees of firms,including those of Infosys,Accenture and Deloitte, haveconfirmed that they have atailored vaccination approach.City-based IT companies haveplanned to facilitate vaccinationfor not only employees, butalso their dependants. Anemployee from Deloitte said,"As part of the vaccinationsupport program, our companywill reimburse the cost of thevaccine for all the employeesand the family membersincluded in the medicalinsurance plan.The reimburse-ment is for both the doses atthe government rate and notprivate rates". Accenture too iscovering the cost of vaccina-tions for its employees.

An employee from Infosys saidthat the firm was seekingapprovals for vaccination driveon campus. The techie added,"The vaccination drive startedon campus in other cities andnot yet in Hyderabad. However,if we are getting inoculatedoutside, we can get the costreimbursed even for the familymembers.To give impetus tothe vaccination drive and createawareness, IT associations arelooking at solutions to make iteasier for employees to get thejab Bharani Kumar Aroll ofHYSEA said, "We have tied upwith hospitals to do vaccinationon campus or off the campus.Because of shortage of supply,there were some challenges,but it will resume as soon asthe vaccine supply is restored.Hospitals will set up camps oncampuses or IT firms will havescheduled slots in hospitals toget vaccination done.

Vaccination drives in IT firmsThe Telangana

government doesn'thave restrictions on

how many comeback to offices. About

60-70% might return tooffices by the year end.

— BHARANI, TTeecchhiiee

Productivity in IT firms hit astechies get infected by Covid

hyderabad 04HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | APRIL 29, 2021

P ANAND KUMAR

n NARSAPUR

People were facing difficultydue to a severe shortage ofrapid antigen kits for conduct-ing Covid test in the govern-ment hospitals and primaryhealth centres (PHCs) acrossthe districts of Telangana,especially in the Narsapurconstituency of Medak district.

Out of 200 people who vis-ited the Narsapur area hospi-tal on Wednesday, only 50 ofthem got a Coronavirus test.Boards of 'No stock test kits'were displayed at theReddipalli primary health cen-tre. Similarly, hundreds ofpeople were making roundsfor corona testing toSivampeta, Koudipalli,Veldurthi, Hutnoor andKolcharam PHCs. The med-ical staff told the patients thatthere was a shortage of rapidantigen test kits, so they couldnot do tests for all the people.

The people expressed theirire at the medical staff as theywere standing in queue linessince morning for tests, nowthey were saying there were notest kits.

The people alleged that thestate government wasannouncing that it was takingmeasures in a big way to con-trol the coronavirus in thestate, but there were no prop-er facilities at the village level.They appealed to the officialsof state and central govern-ment to protect them from thecorona pandemic as it wasdevastating the state.

Shortage of RAT kits haltscorona testing in districts

NS RAO

n WARANGAL

Panic gripped the erstwhileWarangal district as news of25 deaths of corona patients in24 hours in the MahatmaGandhi Memorial Hospital,Warangal, spread. The biggesthospital in north Telangana hasof late been facing severalproblems, including lack ofexperienced doctors, otherstaff and equipment.Observerssaid the hospital is in adeplorable condition now. Inthe last month 10 deaths had

been reported. The familymembers of many patientshave alleged their patients havenot been receiving propertreatment in the MGMHospital. The massive spreadof corona in the second wavehas put the hospital undertremendous duress. However,never in the past had so manypatients died in such a shortspan in the hospital, sourcessaid. Recently, TelanganaHealth Minister Eatala Rajenderhad visited the hospital. OnWednesday another stateMinister E Dayakar Rao visited

the hospital. Both the ministershad reviewed the prevailingsituation at the hospital. Thestate has taken all precautionsto give good health service tothe people in these tryingtimes, Minister Dayakar Raosaid. Very soon we will providethe hospital with more doctors,the minister said. The TRSgovernment gives top priorityto better treatment, theminister said. The role of theHealth department has, in thewake of the second wave ofcorona, has become veryimportant, the Minister said.

25 patients succumb to Covidin 24 hours at MGM Hospital

ML MELLY MAITREYI

n HYDERABAD

Several rights organisationsunder the umbrella ofTelangana Praja Assemblyexpressed their alarm at thedecision of the Telangana gov-ernment to declare 16 demo-cratic organisations as unlaw-ful and requested it to with-draw the GO No 73 immedi-ately.

The GO 73 was issued onMarch 30, 2021 under theTelangana Public Security Act,1992 with effect from thatdate declaring 16 organisationsas unlawful associations.

In a joint statement,Telangana Praja Assembly andother organisations said thatthe freedom of associationwas available to every Indiancitizen under the Constitutionof India.

They said that as democra-tic groups they stronglybelieved in the freedom of cit-izens to organise for social jus-tice and on various issues ofState policy and the unilateraldeclaration of the governmentterming some associations asunlawful was unacceptableand undemocratic.

At a time when the countrywas reeling under the pandem-ic, nothing should be moreimportant than saving livesand public health now and thegovernment should not resort

to any undemocratic and illconceived actions in theseextra-ordinary times.

The reasons cited by thegovernment in the GO fordeclaring the associations asunlawful were vague andsweeping without any onus onthe government to prove com-mission of unlawful actions.The GO also found fault withthe associations for question-ing the Central or State gov-ernments which were therights of any citizen.

They wondered howprotesting against the FarmLaws, which even theTelangana government initial-ly opposed, was crime. Whenthe Telangana Assembly itselfpassed a resolution againstthe unconstitutional CAA-

NRC-NPR, how did opposingthem become a reason fordeclaring the 16 organisationsas 'unlawful'.

The statement issued byJeevan Kumar of HumanRights Forum, MeeraSanghamitra of NationalAlliance of People'sMovements, Kanneganti Raviof Rythu Swarajya Vedika, PShankar of Dalit Bahujan Frontand others said that ever sincethe formation of Telangana in2014, the attacks on the rightto organise and dissent havebeen incessant. From the clo-sure of Dharna Chowk to therecent NIA raids on activists inTelugu States, the democraticspace to question the failuresand excesses of the State haveshrunk completely.

‘UNLAWFUL' ASSOCIATIONS

PNS n RAJANNA SIRCILLA

TPCC secretary Adi Srinivas,in-charge of Vemulawadaconstituency, said that theCentral and State govern-ments had failed to curb thespread of Coronavirus.Government hospitals shouldbe readied on a war footingso that those could provideoxygen as well as Remdesivirand medicines to those affect-ed by corona.

If there is a shortage ofambulances, ambulance facil-ities should be set up imme-diately at a rate of at least twoper zone, he said. A 50-bedcovid hospital should be setup temporarily at each zonalcentre. Corona should also beincluded in Arogyasree, hesaid.

He said that if the govern-ments had learned theirlessons properly from thefirst phase of corona, theywould not have been foundwanting in the second surgeof the disease and it wouldnot have been so severe in thesecond stage. Covid deathswere on the rise, he said,adding that action should betaken at this juncture.

He reminded that even inthe past, dengue had comeand most of the poor hadspent up to lakhs of rupees inthe hospital and even then itwas not included inArogyasree.

Even now many familiesaffected by the corona arebeing treated at private covidhospitals costing them mil-lions of rupees. They couldhave been treated in govern-ment hospitals, he said.

‘Centre, state failed to curb Covid spread'

PNS n WARANGAL

The role of micro-observers inthe conduct of election pollingis crucial, said election gener-al observer Christina JedChong. On Wednesday, UrbanDistrict Collector Rajiv Gandhialong with Hanuman andGreater Commissioner PamelaSatpathy were the generalobservers of the election.

The Warangal MetropolitanCorporation conducted train-ing for micro-observers onelections at VishnupriyaGardens on Hunter Road. Onthis occasion, she said thatmunicipal elections are beingheld in 66 wards in the greaterarea and 878 polling stationshave been set up, taking intoaccount past experiences.

As many as 167 polling sta-tions were categorized as crit-ical, 159 as hypersensitive, 203as sensitive out of 529 pollingstations. The arrangementswere being made for live web-casting at 46 centers with

CCTV and BSML feasibility.The rest of the polling stationswill be under the supervisionof micro-observers.

He said micro-observersshould perform their dutieseffectively in order to conductelection polling as an armory.She suggested that on the dayof polling, micro-observersshould reach the polling sta-tions by 6 am and observe thepolling process. Micro-observers should ensure thatpolling agents comply withstate election commissionguidelines on making ballot

boxes on polling day, setting upstickers on them, only agentswith pre-issued identity cardsat polling stations, monitoringmaterials required for pollingand monitoring the registra-tion of individual details ofexercising the right to vote.Micro-observers had a keyresponsibility to ensure thesecrecy of the ballot and thatthere should be no webcastingon the voting compartments inpolling stations to ensure thatpeople exercise their right tovote with complete freedomand peace.

Micro-observers to play key role in election management

PNS n RAJANNA SIRCILLA

A group of villagers protestedagainst Vemulavada MLAChennamaneni Ramesh Babuat the Ambedkar statue inRajanna Sircilla on Wednesdayfor staying in Germany for thepast 13 months.

Independent MLA candi-date Burra Ravi Teja Gowdalleged that the TRS legislatorforwarded a message statingthat he should protect hishealth as already two legisla-tors died of Coronavirus inTelangana as the health condi-

tion in India was not con-ducive. Ravi Teja Gowda saidthe TRS MLA admitted thatthere was no proper healthsystem in India and hence, hewas staying in Germany.

Chief Minister KCR and ITMinister KTR were alsoinfected with the Covid andthey could get high-level cor-porate treatment, he saidadding that but the commonpeople, journalists and low-level employees were losingtheir lives due to lack of prop-er medical care, besides sell-ing their properties.

Villagers protest against MLA for staying abroad

PNS n MEDAK

Telangana Pradesh CongressCommittee (PCC) OrganisingSecretary MyadamBalakrishna onW e d n e s d a ydemanded that therice stocks lying inthe governmentschools should bedistributed to thepoor and the needy.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Balakrishna saidthousands of metric tonnes ofrice piled up in the govern-ment high schools in Medakdistrict. He recalled that therice stocks were eaten bybandicoots during the lock-down last year. When thepoor people were starving

without food, how far it wasjustifiable to waste rice leftoverin the schools, he asked.

He said there were plenty ofrice stocks and other essen-

tial commodities in thegurukul schools andother colleges. Thegovernment shouldidentify these stocksand take immediate

action to supply themto needy persons.

Otherwise, lakhs ofrupees of public money wouldget damage without useful tonone, he added.

He also urged the govern-ment to provide succour to thelow-level employees workingin schools and the governmentshould think over this andmake a decision.

Distribute rice stocks inschools to needy: TPCC

PNS n HYDERABAD

Senior journalist SridharDharmasanam passed awaydue to Covid at the TIMShospital here on Wednesday.He was the Editor of MaaHyderabad and a TVProducer and Director.

Chief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao hasmourned the death ofDharmasanam who partici-pated actively in theTelangana movementthrough his Maa Hyderabadorganisation. Rao conveyedhis condolences to mem-bers of the bereaved family.

Sridhar earlier workedwith three English newspa-pers and was associated withJain TV and a few maga-zines.

PNS n MAHBUBNAGAR

Farmers are required to bringquality grains to the purchas-ing centres to avail the supportprice said Minister for Excise,Sports, Culture and Tourism VSrinivas Gowd while inspect-ing the purchasing yards inPalakonda and Mahabubnagarin the district on Wednesday.

He said that the setting upof the purchasing centres evenduring Covid times showedthe government's thoughtful-ness towards the welfare of thefarmers. "The state govern-ment has set up grain purchas-ing centres for the welfare offarmers and is buying harvest-ed grains from farmers tohelp them in this pandemicsituation also," he said.

He also said that arrange-ments have been made to paythe money to the farmersimmediately for their harvest-ed grains which completed allthe process in the purchasingcentres itself.

Further he appealed to thefarmers to bring quality grainto the centres considering theissue of poor-quality grainsbeing encountered with dur-ing weighing in the purchas-ing centres as it takes doubletime for the officials to sepa-rate low-grade grains andhigh-grade grains in the cen-tres.

The Minister said, the stategovernment had introducedRythu Bandhu and RythuBheema schemes for the wel-fare of farmers and furtherthey would provide irrigationwater to every acre in the dis-trict through the Palamuru-Rangareddy upliftmentscheme, which was headingfor completion by the end ofthis year.

The event was attended byMarket Committee ChairmanAmarender Raju, marketingcommittee directors, assistantdirector and district civil sup-plies Manager Jagadish andothers.

PNS n SIDDIPET

District Collector VenkatramiReddy has directed districtauthorities to ensure rationaluse of oxygen cylinders in thedistrict by taking steps to runthe oxygen plant here to run atits full potential of producing13,000 litres per day and tomaintain 7000 cylinders asbuffer stock after meeting theoxygen requirements of Covidpatients in the district.

He asked the officials toensure that the existing cylin-ders are maximum used to treatCovid pateints. He asked themto review the oxygen availabil-ity in the district on dailybasis. If the demand for oxygensurges, he told the officials toensure that there would be noshortage of oxygen.

Addressing district medicaland district authorities andmedical college principal

through tele conference modefrom his Mulug camp office onthe premises of HorticultureUniversity here on Wednesday,the district collector askedthem to ensure that the 70-bedCovid Care Centre in Siddipetnight shelter, near the DistrictHeadquarters GovernmentHospital, be revived. He want-ed the officials to provide allamenities there - includingfood and medicines anddeploying medical personnel.

Later, he asked the authori-ties to revive the Covid CareCentre located in Dr BabuJagjivanram Bhavan depend-ing on the need.

He asked the additional col-lector to issue orders indicat-ing job chart to the officialsand staff to run the Covid CareCentre effectively in his name.He wanted the authorities toinspect these centres very oftenand ensure that better ameni-

ties are provided to thepatients.

The medical and healthdepartment officials have beenasked to show initiative inincreasing the oxygen beds inthe district. He wanted theofficials to prepare Plan-A andPlan-B to provide betteramenities to Covid patientsunder any circumstances as theCovid cases are on the rise.Under Plan-A, better medicarein government hospitalsshould be prepared, whereasthe Plan-B should focus ongovernment authorities takingover private hospitals to pro-vide Covid-19 treatment andprepare an action plan gather-ing details of private hospitalsin the district within five days.

Additional CollectorMuzammil Khan, districtmedical and health officerManohar and others were pre-sent on the occasion.

‘Ensure rational use of oxygen’

PNS n PEDDAPALLI

The public hearing scheduledto be held at Godavarikhanion SSCL open cast mining onWednesday has been postpo-ned in view of spurt in Covidcases due to second wave.

Earlier, Manthani MLA DSridhar Babu and people ofvarious colonies and villagesurged the SCCL authorities topostpone the public hearing.

However, the authoritiesmade arrangements for pub-lic hearing setting aside theirrepresentations. After theCongress in-charge filed awrit in High Court againstthe public hearing. The HCordered to postpone the pub-lic hearing.

Telangana loses another journo to Coronavirus

‘Bring quality grains to purchase centres'

Ruling partyfaces troublefrom rebels inGWMC polls PNS n WARANGAL

The rebels have created a bigproblem in the GWMCelections this time.

The ruling TRS has feltthe rebel heat the most.Many were interested to geta TRS ticket in this GWMCelection.

However, persons deniedticket had filed their nomi-nation and stayed in the frayas independents. In almostfive divisions of the munic-ipality the TRS faced theworst problems due to thepresence of rebel candi-dates.

Three persons evenattempted suicide afterbeing denied TRS tickets.Attempts had been made toappease the rebels and final-ly coax them to withdrawingnomination.

However, many who didnot get party ticket stayed inthe fray as independent can-didates creating problemsfor the ruling TRS.

The main contestants inthis election are from TRS,C ongress and BJP.Observers feel that coronawill also take its toll on thiselection.

PNS n WARANGAL

Violating the norms set by theelection commission WarangalEast MLA N Narender heldmeeting with the locals inShivanagar area of Warangaltown.

On Wednesday, the MLAcalled the locals to attend themeeting arranged in theAryavysya Sangham meetinghall in Shivanagar to discussthe GWMC elections due on

April 30. Soon after the localshad gathered, the MLAreached the meeting hall anddirected the cadre to demon-strate how to successfully castvotes. Coming to know aboutthe meeting, local channel

scribes went to the meetingplace to cover the meeting.Enraged MLA loyalists broughtthe presence of the media per-sons to the notice of the MLAand obstructed the media per-sons physically from coveringthe meeting. They also abusedthe media persons in filthy,unprintable language.

Scribes raised the issue inthe joint press conference ofthe district collector and thecommissioner of police.

Responding to the queries CPsaid that they were examiningthe video and the photographsand later will take up the issuewith the EC.

As per EC guidelines,Tuesday was the last day of pollcampaign for GWMC elec-tions; however, the MLA heldthe meeting in the Shivanagararea on Wednesday and thevideos and photographs of themeeting went viral in socialmedia groups.

PNS n SIDDIPET

The two-town police onWednesday recovered liquorbottles worth Rs 1,38,000stored in the cellar of a build-ing which is under construc-tion on Road Number 4 inAdarsh Nagar of the town.

On a tip off, MCC team'stwo-town SI Sriram and oth-ers went to the building andfound 311 Royal Stag halfbottles and 12 Blender's Pridefull bottles worth Rs 1.38 lakhstored in the building.

The team also seized TataAce auto, which belongs toHaji and a motor cycle, whichwas deserted by Imran onseeing the police. The Two-Town CI Prasuram Goudsaid that the liquor was storedillegally to induce voters inthe municipal elections here.

He warned of stern actionagainst anyone illegallyhoarding liquor in housesand supplying it to voters toinduce them and runningbelt shops.

If there are any anti-socialactivities going on in villagesunder three-town police sta-tion should be intimated bydialling 100 or alert the policeon WhatsApp number7901100100. The names ofthose who furnish informa-tion would be maintained asstrictly confidential, he said.

Cops recover liquor bottles worth Rs 1.3Lfrom a cellar

Hearing on SCCL open cast mining deferred in view of spurt in Covid

MLA holds meeting violating EC norms

‘Govt must withdraw GO 73’ The statement by the organisationssaid that, from the closure of DharnaChowk to the recent NIA raids onactivists in Telugu States, thedemocratic space to question thefailures andexcesses ofthe statehave shrunk

PNS n SIDDIPET

Additional collector cummunicipal commissioner ofSiddipet, Muzammil Khan andassistant municipal commis-sioner Narsaya inspectedpolling stations in 43 wards ofthe Siddipet municipality onthe account of municipal cor-poration elections for SiddipetMunicipality due on April 30.

He went through all theinformation regarding precau-

tionary measures followed onthe day of elections and min-imum basic facilities availableto the voters in the polling sta-tions. The duo examined theramp, toilets, electric boards

and other things in polling sta-tions. He said that no onewould be allowed to cast votewithout a mask and everyoneshould follow all the Covidprecautionary measures whilestanding in the queue in thepolling stations. They furthersaid all the voters wouldundergo temperature checkin the polling stations andthose who would be foundwith covid symptoms wouldnot be allowed to vote.

Addl Collector inspects poll steps

HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | APRIL 29, 2021 nation 05

With just two days to gobefore Covid vaccinationopens for the people

above 18 years and only twodays after Maharashtraadministered the highestnumber of 5 lakh doese in aday, reports of the shortage ofthe vaccines poured in fromvarious parts of the state on Wednesday including Mumbai, officialssaid. In Mumbai, people stood in long queues outside thevaccinationcentres in scorching heat and humidity but were left disappointed.Several people complained that at some of the 75 functional centres outof the total 135 in Mumbai, the vaccine stock got over within a couple ofhours after the process began in the morning. The situation was nodifferent in cities like Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad, Nashik and Nagpurwhere people stood up in long queues for hours for receiving the shotsbut left fuming and frustrated. "Citizens need to book an appointmentthrough the government for inoculation, but in some centres thevaccination carried out on a walk-in basis also. However, with the casesrising, more people started rushing for vaccination, but they wereaffected by the shortage of supply, " a Mumbai civic body official said.

The police have booked a man hereunder the Epidemic Act, accusinghim of creating fear among the

people after he went on Twitter askingfor an oxygen cylinder for his 88-year-old relative. "Need oxygen cylinder,ASAP," Shashank Yadav had tweetedon Monday, and tagged Bollywood actor Sonu Sood. On Tuesday,Union minister and Amethi MP Smriti Irani tweeted in response, "CalledShashank thrice...no response on the number shared by you in yourtweet." She also said she had alerted the District Magistrate and AmethiPolice to find the person and help him. When asked about the matter,Superintendent of Police Dinesh Singh said on Wednesday Yadav hadtweeted for a distant relative. "When he was called, he did not pick up.We thought he might be in some problem and therefore he was notpicking up the phone. So we used surveillance and tracked his locationand reached his house, where he was found sleeping," Singh said.

INDIA CORNER

At least 123 peopleincluding 15 securitypersonnel tested positive

for Covid in Arunachal Pradesh,pushing the total caseload inthe northeastern state to17,898, a senior healthdepartment official said here on Wednesday. Of the fresh cases, 109were detected through rapid antigen tests, while nine through RT-PCR and five through TrueNAT methods, SSO Dr Lobsang Jampasaid. Barring 13, all the fresh cases are asymptomatic, the officialsaid. Thirty fresh cases were reported from the Capital ComplexRegion, Lower Dibang Valley (22), Lower Subansiri (15), Papumpare(14), eight each from Tawang and East Siang and West Kameng (6),he said. Four fresh cases were also reported from West Siang, threeeach from Changlang and Lower Siang, two each from Lohit,Namsai and Tirap and one each from Pakke Kessang, East Kameng,Leparada and Anjaw district respectively, the SSO said.

Maha: Vaccine shortage leaveshopefuls fuming and frustrated

Arunachal Pradesh reports123 new Covid cases

Senior INLD leader AbhaySingh Chautala has hit out atthe BJP-JJP government in

Haryana over its COVID-19management, saying the thesituation in the state is worsethan that of Delhi."The situation inHaryana is worse than that ofDelhi. There is no bed available inthe hospitals, there is a shortageof oxygen. "This government does not have any right to stay in power.Forget about providing the basic needs to the people, they have evenfailed to give them emergency services," Chautala told reporters here onTuesday. He said state Health Minister Anil Vij should resign for thealleged failure in the handling of the situation. Haryana has registered asharp rise in the numbers of COVID-19 cases and fatalities this month.

Haryana's Covid situation worsethan Delhi’s: Abhay Chautala

Man booked for seekingoxygen cylinder on Twitter

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court hasallowed Vedanta to operate itsclosed oxygen plant atTuticorin in Tamil Nadu inview of "national requirement"amid the raging COVID-19pandemic.

A bench of Justices D YChandrachud, L NageswaraRao and S Ravindra Bhatdirected the Tamil Nadu gov-ernment to form an oversightcommittee to oversee the func-tioning of the plant.

It was closed in May 2018after 13 people in the area werekilled in police firing duringprotests over pollution con-cerns related to the company'scopper smelting operations.

“We are inclined to allow theprayer (of Vedanta) for permit-ting the operation of the oxy-gen plant on a stand-alonebasis for meeting the nationalrequirements during the pan-demic.

“This shall not create anyequities in favour of the appli-cant to demand or expect therunning of the plant as a wholein the future. The present orderis being passed only in view ofthe present need to enhancethe availability of medical gradeoxygen at this time,” the benchsaid its Tuesday's order

uploaded on Wednesday.Accepting the memo filed on

behalf of Tamil Nadu, the apexcourt asked the state govern-ment to form a committeecomprising Collector, Tuticorinas Chairperson,Superintendent of Police ofTuticorin, Sub Collector ofTuticorin, DistrictEnvironmental Engineer, statepollution control board, a gov-ernment officer having techni-cal knowledge of oxygen plantsand two environmentalexperts.

“The environmental expertsare to be chosen by the tenth

respondent (organisation ofaffected families) from a panelproposed by the UnionMinistry of Environment,Forests and Climate Change.The MOEF shall indicate theproposed names for the panelto the State of Tamil Naduwithin a period of four work-ing days.

The affected families' organ-isation "shall be at liberty toindicate its choice of any twomembers from the paneldrawn up by the MOEF, with-in two days thereafter, failingwhich, the names of the twoexperts shall be nominated by

the State of Tamil Nadu fromout of the panel”, the benchsaid.

The top court made it clearthat the plant shall be operat-ed only for the purpose of pro-ducing medical grade oxygenand for no other purpose.

“The applicant shall notunder the present order beentitled to enter upon the cop-per smelting plant or any of itsappurtenant facilities, includ-ing for maintenance.

The applicant shall abide byall previous directions whichhave been issued by this Court,save and except for the present

modification permitting it tooperate only the oxygen plant,”the bench said.

The role of the Committee tobe nominated by the state gov-ernment will be to oversee theproper functioning of the oxy-gen plant in compliance withthe above directions, it said.

The apex court said the oxy-gen plant shall be run andmanaged by the Vedanta sub-ject to such directions as maybe issued by the Committee tosecure compliance with envi-ronmental and safety norms.

“Before allowing the entry ofany of the workers into theplant, the applicant shall sub-mit to the Committee a planindicating the number of work-ers and other technical andnon-technical staff essentialfor running the oxygen plant.

“The Committee shall ondue verification take a decisionon the number of persons to bepermitted within the premisesof the plant for the purposeonly of managing and conduct-ing the oxygen productionfacility,” it said.

The committee will be at lib-erty to engage with the resi-dents of the area to redress anylegitimate concern in regard tothe nature or modalities foroperating the oxygen plant ona stand-alone basis, it said.

SC allows Vedanta to run oxygenplant in TN to meet requirement

1 in 4 experience side effectsfrom Covishields: LancetPNS n NEW DELHI

One in four people experiencemild, short lived systemic sideeffects after receiving eitherthe COVID-19 preventive byPfizer or AstraZeneca vac-cine -- known as Covishield inIndia -- with headache, fatigueand tenderness the most com-mon symptoms, according toa study published in the LancetInfectious Diseases journal.

The researchers from King'sCollege London in the UKalso found that most systemicside effects -- meaning sideeffects excluding where theinjection took place -- peakedwithin the first 24 hours fol-lowing vaccination and usual-ly lasted 1-2 days.

The analysis of data fromthe ZOE COVID SymptomStudy app found much fewerside effects in the generalpopulation with both thePfizer and AstraZeneca vac-cines than reported in trials.

The study also reports a sig-nificant decrease of infectionrates from 12 to 21 days afterthe first dose of the Pfizer (58per cent reduction) andAstraZeneca (39 per centreduction) vaccines comparedto a control group.

The drop in infection atleast 21 days after the first dosefor Pfizer is 69 per cent and forAstraZeneca 60 per cent,according to the study.

Systemic effectsincluded headache, fatigue,chills and shiver, diarrhoea,fever, arthralgia, myalgia, andnausea.

Local side effects -- mean-ing side effects where theinjection took place in the arm-- included pain at the site ofinjection, swelling, tender-ness, redness, itch, warmthand swollen armpit glands.

"The data should reassuremany people that in the realworld, after effects of the vac-cine are usually mild andshort-lived, especially in theover 50's who are most at riskof the infection," said ProfessorTim Spector, lead scientist onthe ZOE COVID SymptomStudy app and Professor atKing's College London.

The data comes from627,383 users of the ZOECOVID Symptom Study app

who self-reported systemicand local effects within eightdays of receiving one or twodoses of the Pfizer vaccine orone dose of the AstraZenecavaccine between December 8and March 10. The study alsofound that side effects weremore common among peopleunder 55 years of age andamong women.

Participants who had a con-firmed case of prior COVID-19 were three times morelikely to have side effects thataffect the whole body afterreceiving doses of the Pfizervaccine than those withoutknown infection.

Those with a confirmedcase of prior COVID-19 num-ber were almost twice morelikely to have side effects thataffect the whole body after thefirst dose of the AstraZenecavaccine.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Indigenously-developed lightcombat aircraft Tejas has beencleared to carry fifth genera-tion Python-5 air-to-air missileas part of its weapons packagethat would significantlyenhance the combat prowess ofthe jet, officials said onWednesday.

The decision to allow Tejasto carry the missile came onTuesday following a series oftrials to validate the perfor-mance of the aircraft, they said.

"Tejas added the 5th gener-ation Python-5 air-to-air mis-sile in its air-to-air weaponscapability on Tuesday. Trialswere also aimed to validateenhanced capability of alreadyintegrated Derby beyond visu-al range AAM on Tejas," saidan official.

He said the test firing at Goacompleted a series of missiletrials to validate performanceof the aircraft under extreme-ly challenging scenarios.

"Derby missile achieveddirect hit on a high speed

maneuvering aerial target andthe Python missiles alsoachieved 100 per cent hits,thereby validating their com-plete capability. The trials metall their planned objectives,"the official said.

Prior to these trials, exten-sive missile carriage flight testswere conducted at Bengaluruto assess integration of the mis-sile with the aircraft systems onboard the Tejas.

"Python-5 missile live firingwas conducted to validate tar-get engagement from allaspects as well as beyond visu-al ranges. In all the live firings,missiles hit the aerial target,"the official said.

Tejas, manufactured bystate-run aerospace behemothHindustan Aeronautics Ltd,is a single engine and highlyagile multi-role supersonicfighter aircraft capable of oper-ating in high-threat air envi-ronments.

The aircraft is a potent plat-form for air combat and offen-sive air support missions whilereconnaissance and anti-shipoperations are its secondaryroles. In February, the govern-ment sealed a Rs 48,000 croredeal with the HAL to procure83 Tejas light combat aircraftin the biggest-ever indigenousdefence procurement pro-gramme.

Tejas cleared to carryPython-5 air-to-air missile

PNS n NEW DELHI

Senior Congress leader PChidambaram onWednesday said he wasappalled by the healthminister's statement thatthere is no shortage ofoxygen or vaccines in thecountry and asked peopleto "revolt" against a gov-ernment that is "assum-ing them to be fools".

"I am appalled by thestatement of the UnionHealth Minister thatthere is no shortage ofoxygen or vaccines orRemedesivir. "I am alsoappalled by the statementof the UP CM that thereis no shortage of vaccinesin UP," he said on Twitter.

He asked whether allthe television channelswere telecasting fake visu-als and all the newspaperstories incorrect.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Even the darkest cloud, it issaid, has a silver lining. Andbecause most oft-quotedclichés are rooted in reality,myriad acts of kindness, be ithome cooked meals for the illor arranging an oxygen cylin-der, are shining through India'sgravest health emergency.

As India reports upwards ofof 3.5 lakh fresh Covid cases aday, people infected and isolat-ed find that succour is close athand – sometimes neighboursand other times a facelessname on social media reachingout to help in any which way.

Just so they can, without anymotive in mind. From peopleoffering to run errands andhome kitchens deliveringmeals to organisations andindividuals stepping in to sup-ply oxygen cylinders, oximetersand the like, the goodnessruns like an undercurrentthrough the tragic times.

And so, realising that entirefamilies are in quarantine inmany homes in her city andthere is no one to cook nour-ishing meals for them,Chennai's Rama Parthasarathyopened up her kitchen onApril 14, Tamil New Year Day.The 61-year-old dishes outhealthy preparations – all veg-

etarian – and sends the foodthrough portals like Dunzo orPorter for a nominal fee. Theinspiration for Rama's Kitchen,she said, came when her sonAravindh's friend asked if shecould food to the home quar-antined as they are not in aposition to cook at home.

The story is replicated inumpteen localities across thelength and breadth of the coun-try from Chennai to Chandigarh.Lists of home kitchens and thalimeals, sometimes at a nominalprice and other times free, havebeen circulating on WhatsAppgroups, Twitter and other socialmedia platforms. Communitykitchens have opened up in

gated communities. In manyplaces, including Mumbaiand Gurgaon, neighbourshave set up a roster system toensure that all quarantinedfamilies in their complexes areprovided food.

Help comes in many shapesand sizes. Gopi's e-rickshaw inLucknow is one of them. Withcases rising in the UttarPradesh capital, the 45-year-oldhasn't been getting much busi-ness but is busy helping thosein Shivaji Nagar locality. Hegets milk, newspapers and veg-etables for those who can'tmove out from their homes,and often medicines and evenX-Ray reports and the like.

Indians reach out with helpinghand as Covid spirals

PNS n NEW DELHI

With municipal-run cremato-riums facing a shortage ofwood for funeral pyres in theface of surging Covid-19 fatal-ities, North Delhi Mayor JaiPrakash Wednesday urged CMArvind Kejriwal to direct theforest department ensuresmooth supply of firewood tothese facilities. The nationalcapital has reported 4,063 Covid-19 deaths in April so far, over2,500 of them in the past sevendays alone in the terrorising sec-ond wave of the pandemic. In allof February, the death toll was 57,

and in March 117. "As you are aware that the

number of deaths due toCOVID-19 is on the rise andto cremate the bodies in thetraditional manner a largeamount of wood is required.

"This is to request you todirect the forest department toensure steady supply of fire-

wood to these crematoriumswithout fail," Prakash said inhis letter to Kejriwal.

As Covid-19 wreaks havoc,there is a queue not just at thehospitals, but also at cremato-riums. Such is the flow of thebodies that crematoriums havestarted building additionalplatforms to accommodatethem. He added in his letter,"Kindly give appropriate direc-tions to the forest departmentso that the crematoriums cancontinue doing their workuninterrupted and thebereaved families are not putinto any kind of trouble."

PNS n CHENNAI

No preventive, precautionarymeasure to tackle Covid wastaken by the Central and TamilNadu governments during thegap between the first and sec-ond waves of the pandemic,DMK president M K Stalinalleged on Wednesday.

PM Modi should announcethat Covid vaccines would beprovided free of cost to peo-ple and implement it immedi-ately, he said. Urging the uniongovernment to 'save people'and avoid getting blamed inthe pages of history, he saidinformation from northernstates on the Covid scenario

heightened fear. The informa-tion was that hospitals had nobeds, medicine, oxygen andvaccines and 'not available' wasthe refrain one found in newsreports from northern states,Stalin said.

Not only the two govern-ments learnt lessons fromthe'wrong committed' duringthe first wave, but they did abigger 'second wrong.' "Noprotective, precautionary mea-sures were taken by Centraland TN governments duringthe intervening six monthperiod between the first andsecond waves of Covid and weare seeing its result now infront of our eyes," he alleged.

Declare vaccinesfree for all: Stalin

‘Ensure smooth supply offirewood to crematoriums’

PNS n PORT BLAIR

Forty-eight more people test-ed positive for COVID-19 inAndaman and NicobarIslands, pushing the coron-avirus tally in the union terri-tory of 5,764,a health depart-ment official said onWednesday. Forty-one newCOVID-19 cases were detect-ed during contact tracingwhile seven were airportarrivals, the official said.

Passengers arriving by flightfrom other places have under-go Rapid Antigen Test beforethey are allowed entry into theislands. The union territorynow has 136 active COVID-19

cases with 133 patients inSouth Andaman district andthree in North and MiddleAndaman district. TheNicobar district has no activeCovid case at present, he said.

Forty-two people recoveredfrom the disease in the last 24hours, taking the total numberof COVID-19 recoveries in thearchipelago to 5,562.

Andaman records48 new Covid cases

PNS n MUMBAI

The lockdown in Maharashtrawill be extended by another 15days beyond April 30, statePublic Health Minister RajeshTope said on Wednesday.

He said all members of thecabinet, who participatedin ameeting chaired by ChiefMinister Uddhav Thackeray,pitched for such extension.

"It (the lockdown) will beextended by 15 days," Topesaid. In view of the alarmingrise in the COVID-19 cases,the Maharashtra governmenton April 4 announced a week-

end lockdown and restric-tions on the movement ofpeople in the night during theweekdays till April 30.

The government had alsoclamped other restrictions likethe closure of private offices,theatres and salons to curb theunprecedented surge in thecases.

Maha lockdown to beextended by 15 days

PNS n SHIMLAA woman died and sixhouses were gutted in a firein Himachal Pradesh'sShimla district onWednesday, police said.

Bimla Devi died in theincident in Fanel village inthe district's Kotkhai area.The fire broke out at herhouse and then spread tothe others, AdditionalSuperintendent of PoliceParveer Thakur said.

An investigation isunderway to ascertain thecause of the fire, he added.

Fire killswoman; 6houses burnt

‘Appalled byVardhan'sstatement onCovid’

European products and, havingtasted success in China,believed they could dominateIndia. Also, Korean carmakersDaewoo and Hyundai withrelatively fresher models, par-ticularly the Matiz and Santro,respectively, had recentlyarrived. It was not as if Suzukidid not have products to com-pete with the Koreans but therelations between Suzuki andthe Government of India, theirjoint-venture partner in MarutiSuzuki, had nosedived. Thepartners were equal sharehold-ers and everything worked “inturns” but the Government’sappointment of RSSLNBhaskarudu as the ManagingDirector (MD) ruptured rela-tions with Osamu Suzuki. Onlyafter the fear of Maruti Suzukipotentially becoming irrele-vant after the sales success ofthe Matiz and Santro did thepartners relent, agreeing onKhattar as the MD.

Khattar had left the IndianAdministrative Service andjoined Maruti on the advice ofRC Bhargava, an ex-IAS offi-cer who established the com-pany and still serves asChairman. From the UPcadre, he joined Maruti Suzukias the Director, Marketing, in1993. He told me once that hisintroduction to marketingstarted in 1983 when, heading

the Tea Board of India’s oper-ations in London, he thoughtit would be a good idea to useIndia’s World Cup team to tryand sell Indian tea. As weknow, the Kapil Dev-led teamwent on to an epic victory andthe campaign was a success.

But most importantly,Khattar’s role was to mend theties between the partners andpersuade Suzuki MotorCorporation to send new tech-nology and models over toIndia. The WagonR was alreadyscheduled for launch but it wassupplemented by the Alto. TheMaruti 800 and Zen, whichwere India’s most popular smallcars at the time, felt relativelyold-fashioned compared to thenew Korean competition. TheWagonR and Alto changed themarket for Maruti. It is a testa-ment to those launches that theAlto remains one of India’s bestselling cars alongside the Swift,another car in whose develop-ment and production Khattarplayed an integral role. Heensured that Indian engineershad a say in the Swift’s devel-opment and also negotiatedwith the Haryana Governmentfor a massive new factory atManesar to build this new car.I was fortunate to be the veryfirst journalist to be allowedaccess to this factory for a coverstory I wrote for Business Today

where I was at the time.Khattar’s maniacal obses-

sion with controlling costs andreducing wastage transformedthe company. He implementedthe Kaizen system that dramat-ically reduced problems withfinished cars at the end of theline, improving processes atsuppliers and on the finalassembly line. Bringing in ele-ments of the Just-In-Time pro-duction system, he broughtinventory costs down forMaruti as well as vendors. Heslashed inefficient dealers andadded new suppliers whenothers were not up to the task.

Despite all his globe-trot-ting on work and remainingimmensely busy, he alwayshad time to answer his phoneand meet up for a cup of tea. Iwill be eternally grateful for histime, and I regret that I did notkeep in touch with him overthe past few years. But I willremember him as the manwho transformed the Indianautomotive industry by keep-ing Maruti Suzuki not just rel-evant but as the big daddy. Inno other major automotivemarket in the world does onecompany own half the marketlike Maruti does in India, andthat is Jagdish Khattar’s legacy.

(The author is ManagingEditor, The Pioneer. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

It’s been more than a year since the Union Government acknowledged the onslaughtof the COVID-19 virus and obligated the citizenry to officially follow the hard lock-down rules. It led to myriad problems of a severe nature: People stayed indoors and

were affected by loneliness leading to mental health or psychological issues; industriesand businesses shut down, leading to a sudden spike in unemployment; all intra- andinter-State travel was banned, and public transport was taken off the roads. The sum

total of it all was that the multitudes of jobless migrantlabourers, with their malnourished families in tow andworldly possessions balanced precariously on theirhead or hanging from shoulders, had to walk hundredsof kilometres under the sweltering sun back to theirnative places. The arduous journey claimed many alife. The heart-wrenching scenes, after the people’spatience wore thin when the situation didn’t signifi-cantly improve for months, steadily turned the publicmood against the establishment. And so it remaineduntil the second wave of COVID-19 erupted.

However, having grown wiser with its last lock-down experiment and unwilling to further stir the swell

of public disillusionment, the Centre this time round chose not to invite the blame on itsdoor and did two clever things. First, it allowed the individual States to decide if any curbswere necessary in their respective provinces; and, two, it explicitly and unequivocallystated that there won’t be any “lockdown” per se this time. Surely, the restrictions arenot as universal as last time but these are no less severe in their degree of limitation.Only these have been given new, fancy names to distinguish them from last year’s hardlockdown. For instance, if one were to look out the window during the “day/night/week-end curfew” in Delhi or Noida-Ghaziabad, the eerie silence and the sight of vast vacantroads give one the sense of déjà vu. On weekdays, the roadside markets and other shopsare forcibly shut before 8 pm by lathi-wielding cops and loudspeaker-toting police jeeps.Even the revenue-generating avenues such as alcohol vends are not operational in Delhifor over a week now and in the NCR during the weekends. Not much has changed on theground since last year, so the question remains: Doesn’t naming it something else butretaining its intrinsic “lockdown” spirit amount to cheating the public by the politicians?

Coronavirus may have grown into a deadly scourge in India, thanks to the criminalapathy by every section of our society and important stakeholders of our democ-racy, but no lessons have been learnt yet. Even after the Madras High Court (HC)

fumed that the Election Commission was singularly responsible for the spread of thevirus, mass mobilisation continues unabated for the local body elections in Uttar Pradeshand Telangana. The Allahabad HC on Tuesday issued notices to the State ElectionCommission (SEC) to respond to a news report that 135 officials have so far died ofCOVID-19 during the four-phase panchayat elections and asked it to explain why it failedto enforce the COVID protocols. In a damning criticism, the HC said: “It appears that nei-

ther the police nor the EC did anything to save thepeople on election duty from getting infected.” It’s hightime that the judiciary took tough measures againstthose who plunged the country’s most populous Stateinto a frenzy of electioneering when COVID-19 wasat its peak. The election started on April 15, whenIndia was clocking more than two lakh cases a day,and will end today. It’s needless to point out that mas-sive political mobilisation goes into such elections andCOVID-appropriate protocols are tossed aside by thecontestants and their supporters. The fact that theState Government didn’t do anything to postpone theseelections makes it equally culpable.

One hopes that in future, the judiciary will take a proactive view of such situa-tions and come down hard on the institutions that prostrate before the political lead-ership and compromise the well-being of the State and nation. The situation in Telanganais equally chaotic. Television channels are flooded with the footage of massive ral-lies and road shows as part of the political mobilisation for the civic body elections.But the SEC once again showed criminal apathy by declaring on Tuesday that thepolls to two municipal corporations and five municipalities would be held as sched-uled on April 30. Several political parties and activists had urged the SEC to post-pone the urban body polls but to no avail. C Partha Sarathi, the SEC, said the elec-tions would be held “with strict adherence to all COVID-19 regulations”. Doesn’t heknow that any such exercise could jeopardise the lives of lakhs of people? It’s timefor all political parties to come together and resolve to put off elections till normal-cy returns. The HCs and the Supreme Court should also take cognisance of suchcriminal apathy by the SEC officials and sentence a few of them to jail to sensitisethe lot of them about the grave danger lurking in the air. It’s heartening to note thatthe Supreme Court has said it will not intervene to stop the HCs from hearing suchmatters of public interest. The observation is significant as it comes just days afterthe apex court reversed a decision by the Allahabad HC telling the UP Governmentto impose strict lockdown in five districts. When the executive and bureaucracy fail,the judiciary must step in. Thankfully, it’s finally happening.

Eyes shut tight

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | APRIL 29, 2021

06

What's in a name?‘Janata curfew' or ‘local restrictions', the curbs

are almost as distressing as in the hard lockdown

Maruti Suzuki India's former MD should be remembered forwhat he did with the company, not his later failures

PICTALK

A worker cleans a monument for heroes of Krasnodon who died fighting against the Nazi troops in World War II PTI

HE TRANSFORMEDTHE INDIAN

AUTOMOTIVEINDUSTRY BY

KEEPING MARUTISUZUKI NOT JUSTRELEVANT BUT ASTHE BIG DADDY. INNO OTHER MAJOR

AUTOMOTIVEMARKET IN THE

WORLD DOES ONECOMPANY OWN

HALF THE MARKETLIKE MARUTI DOES

IN INDIA, AND THAT IS THELEGACY OF

JAGDISH KHATTAR

KUSHAN MITRA

Neither politicians nor the poll panel seem to have learnt any lessons from the courts' censure

RememberingJagdish Khattar

It might not be the best wayto start an obituary, but thelast time Jagdish Khattar wasin news before his passing

away on April 26 was last yearwhen the Central Bureau ofInvestigation chargesheeted himfor conspiring to defraud thePunjab National Bank of `110crore. This surrounded his one-stop shop for car sales and servicecalled ‘Carnation’, which he hadbegun as a 65-year-old after heretired from the helm at MarutiSuzuki. ‘Carnation’ was a goodidea at the time, indeed such a ser-vice remains a good idea, but onereason it failed was that many ofthose who Khattar had countedupon to help him, did not cometo the table. The man who culti-vated an entire generation ofleaders in the automotive indus-try was let down by some of them.Of course, the argument can bemade that the industry did notwant to help Khattar establish abusiness which would directlyimpact their dealers’ main revenuestream, but a professionally runthird-party service might havesucceeded and its failure wasunfortunate, maybe undeserved,just like the case against Khattar.

Now that it is out of the way,I will remember Khattar sitting inhis corner office at the LifeInsurance Corporation buildingon Delhi’s KG Marg, sipping teawith me and my former colleagueDeepak Joshi. The HindustanTimes office where I worked at thetime was a two-minute walkaway. What is remarkable aboutthis was that I was just starting outas an automotive industryreporter and Khattar was in themidst of transforming India’slargest carmaker. Yet he was gen-erous with his time and patientwith my queries. Not every auto-motive industry chieftain waslike that, although I will say thatBVR Subbu at Hyundai was alsoextremely good with journalists.Khattar understood the power ofcommunication for marketing.

He had taken the helm atMaruti Suzuki in mid-1999 andone must remember the state ofthe Indian automotive market andMaruti Suzuki at the time. Themarket was being transformed bythe entry of foreign carmakers; theAmericans Ford and GeneralMotors had come with their

The BJP Governmentat the Centre promotesthe concept of onenation, one election;why is there differentpricing for vaccines?

DMK president

— MK Stalin

SOUNDBITEBEAT THE COVID SOCIAL STIGMASir — At a time when COVID-19 cases arerising exponentially, the most importantthing apart from breaking the chain of virustransmission is to break the social stigmaattached with the infection. Also, there is aneed to deal with the mental issues the pan-demic has created. The stigma can under-mine social cohesion and prompt possiblesocial isolation of groups, which might con-tribute to a situation where the virus is morelikely to spread. This can result in moresevere health problems. People who areinfected with the virus should also be givenpsychological counselling for free by theGovernment. The Government shouldengage experts and mental health profes-sionals for this purpose.

Many incidents have been reportedwhere people are dying of fear once they testpositive for Coronavirus. On the other hand,there are many ignorant people who stereo-type and discriminate against those infect-ed. Such treatment negatively affects thosewith the disease as well as their caregivers,family, friends and communities. Peoplemust not panic and remember that the rateof recovery is very high as compared to thedeath rate. People who have recovered fromCOVID should come forward, donate plas-ma and spread positivity. Not every personwho tests positive requires a hospital bed oroxygen. It’s mostly for patients who arealready suffering with comorbidities andthose who start the treatment quite late. Weneed to be aware, but must not panic.

Ravi Teja Kathuripalli | Hyderabad

DELHI GOVT MUST ACT EXPEDITIOUSLYSir — It made sense for the Delhi HighCourt to rebuke the Arvind Kejriwal-ledAAP Government on the poor supply ofmedical oxygen supply and handling of thepandemic. It should be a matter of shamefor the AAP and Kejriwal that the court saidif the Government was unable to handle thesituation, it will ask the Central Governmentto send its officers and take over.

Strong observations by the Bench like“enough is enough” and “set your house in

order”, speak volumes about the incompe-tence of the Delhi Government to managethe crisis. The High Court asked the DelhiGovernment to take over an oxygen refill-ing plant with immediate effect and servedcontempt notices to five other refillers. Thehospitals in Delhi are facing an acuteshortage of oxygen. On April 23, as manyas 25 “sickest” Coronavirus patients diedovernight in a hospital due to the scarcityof oxygen. A day later, at least 20 patientsdied in another hospital. The DelhiGovernment needs to pull up its socks andstop the black-marketing immediately.

Bhagwan Thadani | Mumbai

REIN IN BLACK-MARKETING OF REMDESIVIRSir — The Delhi Police has done a com-mendable job by busting two inter-Stategangs with the arrest of four persons whowere allegedly black-marketing Remdesivir

vials in the Capital. Remdesivir is one of themost sought after experimental drugs for thetreatment of COVID and States like Delhi,Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradeshare facing its shortage. Investigations mustbe carried out at the biggest wholesale med-icine market of Asia, Bhagirath Palace inChandni Chowk.

Black-marketing of several medicinesand other equipment is done with theinvolvement of local authorities. It is timeto rein in such illegal activities. India is fac-ing an existential crisis and black-market-ing of medicines and medical oxygenweakens its fight against the virus. Thoseinvolved in the sale and purchase of illegalmedicines must not be spared.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal | New Delhi

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Hail Australian cricketer Pat Cummins andhis countryman former pacer Brett Lee forgenerously donating to help India in its

fight against the raging COVID-19 pandemic.Cummins on Monday won lots of hearts whenhe announced a $50,000 donation towards thePM CARES fund for oxygen supplies inIndia’s hospitals ravaged by the deadly secondwave of the pandemic. Lee has decided todonate one bitcoin to help India. This shouldbe an eye-opener for Indian players who,despite being rich, are reluctant to donate. Thestatement of Lee, which he posted on Twitter,speaks volumes about his love for India and

Indians. He said that the love and affection thathe got from the people of India, both duringhis professional career and even after his retire-ment, holds a special place in his heart and itsaddens him deeply to see the people suffer-ing due to the ongoing pandemic.

We should be thankful to these internation-al players who have not only shared their loveand affection but have also opened their pursestrings for us in these trying times. On the con-trary, Indian cricketers, who enjoy all the wealthand fortune and are hailed as heroes here, haveonly disappointed us. The big question is, hasany of our players donated to the PM CARESfund? Indian cricketers earn a lot of moneythrough advertisements, being brand ambas-sadors and other promotional events apart fromtheir salary for playing matches. They own cost-ly bikes and high-end cars and most of themhave bungalows in big metropolitan cities inIndia and abroad. Cricket is like a religion inour country and cricketers are like gods. Butit seems that these gods care little for thosewho are devoted to them.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee | Faridabad

Lesson for Indian Richie Riches

We stand insolidarity with Indiaand commend itshealthcare workersfor saving lives.

New Zealand Foreign Minister— Nanaia Mahuta

I would like to say thatthis is not the time forself-pity becausepeople who are reallybattling this, don'thave the time to feeldisheartened.

Actor— Kangana Ranaut

We are working tobring down themortality rate, but it isnot the responsibilityof the doctors alone.Please reach out tovillagers who have symptoms to getthemselves tested and hospitalised ifthey test positive.

Goa Chief Minister

— Pramod Sawant

Rishabh Pant isgrowing every day asa captain and personand would have learnta lot about himself inDelhi Capitals' narrow

defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalorein the IPL.

Cricket coach— Ricky Ponting

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

Geopolitics trumpsgeoeconomics

DELHI HAS HARDLY BEEN ABLE TO ARRANGE FOR

TANKERS THOUGH MANY DAYS HAVE PASSED SINCE THE

CENTRE MADE THE ALLOTMENT OF OXYGEN.

—UNION HOME SECRETARY

AJAY BHALLA

THERE IS SHORTAGE OF TANKERS. WE ARE IMPORTING

18 TANKERS FROM BANGKOK. ONCE THEY ARRIVE, THE

PROBLEM IN TRANSPORTING OXYGEN WILL END.

—DELHI CM

ARVIND KEJRIWAL

The “thawing process” in Indo-Pak relationswhich appeared to have begun inFebruary-end with the sudden announce-

ment by the Director Generals of MilitaryOperations (DGMOs) of both nations of a cease-fire on the Line of Control (LoC) and the desireto implement in letter and spirit the 2003Ceasefire Agreement, came to an equally sud-den end early this month. It happened whenPrime Minister Imran Khan’s beloved Pakistanenacted a comedy of errors which many referto as a “flip-flop” or “Khan’s U-turn.” The state-ments emanating from Pakistan in the monthof March, especially during the stage-managedIslamabad Security Dialogue, raised a ray of hopeof some improvement in the extremely bitterrelations between the two countries, that wereadversely affecting not only bilateral ties but theentire South Asian region as well.

The trigger for all this was provided by theworsening economy of Pakistan which manyeconomists said was “on the verge of collapse.”It emerged from the Islamabad SecurityDialogue that the neighbouring nation hadrealised the mistake it made in investing heav-ily in geopolitics at the cost of geoeconomics.It also realised that it was paying a heavy pricefor its unilateral decision to suspend all tradewith India post the events of August 5, 2019 inrelation to Kashmir, which has been a bone ofcontention between the two neighbours for longand has been termed as it’s “jugular vein” by abelligerent Pakistan.

It is a well-known fact that anti-India sen-timents form the bedrock of Pakistan’s internalpolicy and geopolitics. This sentiment has timeand again been exploited to its advantage by thepolitical and military leadership in Pakistan tocome out of various adversities faced by thecountry. “It grows and diminishes with therequirements of Pakistan’s foreign policy,” saysKhurram Husain, a Pakistani business journal-ist. This India-bashing may have benefittedRawalpindi, that dictates the nation’s India pol-icy rather than Islamabad, but definitely madeno economic sense.

Hence it was music to the ears when at theIslamabad Dialogue, Pakistan’s Army chiefGeneral Qamar Bajwa talked of a shift inPakistan’s strategy from geopolitics to geoeco-nomics. It received support from Imran Khanwho talked of making Pakistan a gateway to theCentral Asian republic nations’ economy andalso act as a bridge between the South Asian andCentral Asian economies. Realising that hisnation’s economy was in the doldrums it madebetter economic sense to Khan to buy goodsurgently needed by his country from where theywere available at cheaper rates. Hence, the PrimeMinister wearing the hat of the nation’sCommerce and Finance Minister as well, signedon a note to purchase cotton and sugar fromIndia, thus setting in motion a reversal of his ear-lier decision not to trade with us.

Hence, Pakistan’s newly-appointed FinanceMinister Hammad Azhar announced inIslamabad, “In our neighbouring country, inIndia, the price of sugar is much lower than inPakistan. So we have decided to open sugar tradewith India, to the limit of 5,00,000 tonnes in the

private sector.” He also announcedthat the ban on the import of rawcotton from India would be lifted“by the end of June.” “There is alarge demand for cotton inPakistan right now. Our exportshave increased in textiles and thecotton crop was not good last year.So, we allowed imports of cottonfrom all over the world, but it isnot allowed from India and thatcauses a direct impact on (smalland medium enterprises),” he said.Another contributory factor wasthe ban on Chinese Xinjiang cot-ton and products made thereof bythe United States (US) andEuropean Union (EU) nations,which are a major source for thelocal industry.

Year-on-year, the price of sugarhas risen by more than 17 per cent,causing great resentment againstthe Imran Khan Government.

The announcement was madeby Azhar in his capacity as thehead of the EconomicCoordination Committee whichearlier had given a green signal tothe proposal. Though there was noofficial response from the Indianside, for those following the “thaw-ing process” of the hostilitiesbetween the two neighbours, it wasa welcome decision.

However in a classic case of the“left hand not knowing what theright hand is doing,” theannouncement was followed bythe unfortunate Cabinet decisionof deferring the trade and holdingit hostage to oft-repeated insis-tence by Pakistan of “no improve-ment in Indo-Pak relations till

abrogation of Article 370 isrepealed.”

The whole episode is termedas a comedy of errors becauseImran Khan, during the Cabinetmeeting, flayed the FinanceMinister and asked Azhar whoauthorised him to resume tradewith India? The beleagueredFinance Minister had no optionbut to name Imran Khan himself.The “U-turn Khan” lost no time intoeing the line of the hardliners inthe Cabinet led by ForeignMinister Shah Mehmood Qureshi,who felt short-changed for notbeing consulted by the PrimeMinister before allowing such animportant measure. Pressure fromChina, which naturally was peev-ed due to the ban on its cotton, isalso believed to be anothercausative factor.

In the end Azhar was removedfrom the office of Finance Ministerin mid-April, less than a monthafter his appointment and replacedby ex-Pakistan Peoples PartyMinister Shaukat Fayyaz AhmedTarin who was also given the addi-tional portfolio of revenue. Theflip-flop and the removal of theFinance Minister clearly indicatesthat Imran Khan hardly wields anypower and is incapable of ensur-ing unanimity even within hisCabinet, let alone a national con-sensus.

Even more surprising is theaudacity of the hardliners to takeon the Army chief, a rarity inPakistani politics. Pakistan Armyis very keen for the thaw in rela-tions between the two neighbours

because it needs some breathingspace and time to rejuvenate themorale of its army which has beenbadly battered by the Indian Armyon the LoC.

The dwindling economy andthe burden of repayment of loansis also adversely affecting thearmy’s upgradation and moderni-sation programme. This explainsthe army chief ’s keenness for ashift towards geoeconomics, whichseems to be more out of compul-sion rather than conviction. Butcertainly, he failed to change themindset of hardliners in thePakistan Army or he has lost hisclout since he is on extension, adecision that has not gone downwell with the other ambitiousGenerals.

The sum total of the U-turn byKhan is that Pakistan is not yetgrown up enough to give up itsbelief of India being an existentialthreat. One wonders for how longcan Pakistan afford to behave likean ostrich? As of now, the pro-posed shift from geopolitics togeoeconomics appears merely tobe loud thinking without evolvinga consensus. It would need seriousgroundwork to fructify into real-ity. Till Pakistan readies to walk thetalk, it would make prudent eco-nomic sense to let the “thawingprocess” continue and not hold ithostage to a single-point agenda.The recent trade U-turn byPakistan clearly demonstrates howgeopolitical considerations —rather than economic considera-tions or rational thinking — drivepolicymaking in Pakistan.

The sum total of the U-turn by Prime Minister Imran Khan is that Pakistan is notyet grown up enough to give up its belief of India being an existential threat

NIRAJ BORA

ONE WONDERS FORHOW LONG CAN

PAKISTAN AFFORDTO BEHAVE LIKE AN

OSTRICH? AS OFNOW, THE

PROPOSED SHIFTFROM GEOPOLITICSTO GEOECONOMICS

APPEARS MERELYTO BE LOUD

THINKING WITHOUTEVOLVING A

CONSENSUS. ITWOULD NEED

SERIOUS GROUNDWORK TO

FRUCTIFY INTOREALITY. TILL

PAKISTAN READIESTO WALK THE TALK,

IT WOULD MAKE PRUDENT

ECONOMIC SENSETO LET THE

‘THAWINGPROCESS’

CONTINUE AND NOTHOLD IT HOSTAGE

TO A SINGLE-POINTAGENDA

There are some things in life that we do involuntarily, like breath-ing. Or, for instance, while driving we apply the brakes withouteven thinking about it. This also applies to our money manag-

ing and financial habits. Having good financial habits is a rarity.Sometimes it’s the simplest of activities that cause poor financialhabits and can be avoided by following a few simple rules.

Save first, spend later: When you are assigned to complete atask within one week, you are most likely to take the entire sevendays to finish it. However, if the same task needs to be wrapped upin five days, you will do it anyhow. It’s the same with spending money.As soon as you get paid, you tend to start spending it by first pay-ing all your bills and then indulging in shopping. You tend to spendhigher than you intended to and this results in fewer savings.Financially-smart people do the exact opposite. So, it’s better to puta portion of your earnings into an automated deduction mode forinvestments. Take care of all your other expenses after you do this.

Needs vs wants: Thinking that making more money is a wayto be financially free is a mistake many of us make. Until and unlessyou don’t respect your hard-earned money, your spending will expandto consume all your earnings. No matter how much you earn, yourexpenses will keep on increasing with your rising income. So, mak-ing more money and letting your expenses eat all of them will getyou in some serious financial trouble. Saving first and spending lateris the way to get financial freedom. Even for rich people, it doesn’tstop at a big bungalow, or a luxury car. It will go on to owning a pri-vate plane, a yacht, a private island and so on. Do you think thereis any amount of money that is sufficient to fulfil unending desires?The answer is an emphatic “no.” The key is to differentiate betweenyour needs and wants. Ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” By goingafter benefits like rewards and discounts that credit cards offer, peo-ple end up spending way more than they would have spent other-wise. This just cancels out all the benefits of having these credit cards.Buying something you don’t need, even at a discount is an avoid-able spend.

Keep track of your money: If you are not sure about how you’respending every month, then it’s time to consolidate everything. Youcan do this in many ways. One of the easiest methods is to use amoney management app. There are quite a few of them out therethat can help you keep track of your transactions. Organising yourfinances can be a good start to managing your money better.

Don’t compete or compare: Everyone around you has differ-ent tastes and budgets. Be it in cars, food, travel, clothing and otheraccessories. So if you are one of those people who try to keep upwith everyone even when their budget doesn’t allow them to, thenthis is going to leave you in debt. Also, don’t be fooled by the lav-ish social media posts of some of your friends that show their exot-ic lifestyle. Doing things as a status symbol will trap you for the restof your life.

We live in a society where almost everyone carries a debt ontheir shoulder. Just because everyone lives with debt doesn’t makeit normal for you to have it too. Don’t make it a habit to get yourresources on loans every time. Get them on debt only when nec-essary and pay it off soon to avoid ongoing interest every time.

Once you begin saving money, set aside a weekend to learnabout investing and get started on that path as soon as you can.

(The writer is founder, Surmount Business Advisors. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

The oil age was triggeredby the invention ofkerosene in 1846 and

got further consolidated withthe development of the oildrilling process in 1859. Boththese events accelerated theuse of oil which, in turn,fueled global economic pros-perity. The period from theend of the second World Warto the early 1970s saw anuninterrupted oil boom as therising oil output matched anever-increasing oil consump-tion globally.

But as the oil-fedeconomies started to see thecollateral damage unleashedby fossil fuels in the form ofclimate change, the popular-ity of oil started to wanepost the 1970s. This also her-alded the advent of renewableenergy.

Today, renewable energyis steadily gaining momen-tum and preference over tra-

ditional energy sources suchas fossil fuels. Perhaps thebiggest energy rush after thegreat oil boom is the haste tobuild renewable energycapacity and to harness crit-ical minerals required tomanufacture rechargeablebatteries in large scale.

This is understandablegiven the fact that India aimsto generate 40 per cent of itsenergy needs from renewablesources by 2030 and aspires tobecome a country with 30-40per cent electric vehicles(EVs). India’s overdepen-dence on fossil fuel left thenation at the whims of theOrganisation of thePetroleum ExportingCountries (OPEC) in terms ofproduction and prices for avery long time.

But this scenario canchange by having controlover the critical raw materi-als needed for building a sus-

tainable renewable energyregime.

However, seeing the cur-rent state, India seems to beeverything but self-reliant inthe renewable energy sector.In 2019-20, India importedabout `8,500 crore worth ofLithium (Li)-ion batteries. Itwas the same in 2018-19,which saw a six-fold rise ascompared to 2014-15.

India’s dependence onglobal resources, especiallyChinese inputs, to feed itsrenewable energy ambitionsis flawed to say the least. Ourenergy transition cannot takeplace by simply importing thenecessary products.

The recent tension withChina and the subsequentconstraints in sourcing therenewable energy productsand raw material have shownhow India’s dependence onthe OPEC is now merelyshifting to Chinese suppliers

who wield a considerableclout in the global market ofrenewable energy raw mate-rial.

As India is transitingfrom a fossil fuel-economy toan electro one, the local pro-duction of renewable energycomponents, especially bat-teries, assumes unparalleled

significance. As a first steptowards gaining self-reliancein the renewable energy sec-tor, India must concentrate onsecuring control over essen-tial components and criticalminerals required for manu-facturing batteries on a colos-sal scale.

Worryingly, China hasalready developed enviablehegemony over the 17 rareearth elements that play a piv-otal role in the making ofrechargeable batteries.According to a 2019 workingpaper of the Organisationfor Economic Co-operationand Development (OECD),eight of the 14 large cobaltmining firms in Congo arenow Chinese-owned.Significantly, they accountfor half of Congo’s cobaltoutput.

Some of the elementssuch as neodymium, molyb-denum, titanium, lithium,

cobalt and vanadium haveelectrical and magnetic prop-erties that can help storewind, hydel and solar energy.These elements are availableacross the world only in somegeographical pockets andIndia must have continuedavailability of these elementsfor transiting to a green econ-omy.

In order to counter thegrowing Chinese dominanceover rare earth elements,India must step up its cross-national collaborations andquickly secure the minesthrough investment and co-ownership, so that the rawmaterial for energising thecountry’s future is safe.Similarly, aggressive and eco-friendly rare earth elementprospecting must be taken upto discover new mines inIndia and elsewhere.

This will not only de-riskthe raw material supply chain

but will also foreclose anyChinese strategy to monop-olise the global market in rareearth elements. Furthermore,India must also invest instate-of-the-art research thatcan focus on reducing depen-dence over rare earth ele-ments such as cobalt onwhose availability China isdeveloping a stranglehold.

The coming years willwitness a considerable shiftfrom oil to rare earth miner-als. This will mark a newchapter in global geopolitics.In the past, developedeconomies built their pros-perity by riding on the fossilfuel boom. This is true eventoday. India, too, must devel-op the ability to independent-ly transit to green energy byharnessing the potential ofrare earth materials. This willusher in a green economythat is prosperous as well asgood for the planet.

In order to counter the growing Chinese dominance in rare earth elements, India must step up its cross-national collaborations and secure mines

HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | APRIL 29, 2021

07

www.dailypioneer.com facebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

FIRSTCOLUMN

DITCH YOUR POORFINANCIAL HABITS

Sometimes, the simplest of activities result in bad financial management. These can be easily avoided

ANIL GUPTA

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The writer is aJammu-based veteran,political commentator,columnist, security andstrategic analyst. The

views expressed are personal.

Independent transition to renewable energy critical for India

KOTA SRIRAJ

The writer is an environmental journalist.

The views expressed are personal.

HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | APRIL 29, 2021 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

Two Indian firms, RelianceIndustries' technology

arm Jio Platforms and e-learning startup Byju's havefigured in the TimeMagazine's first-ever list of100 most influentialcompanies. On its website,Time said companies

shaping the future are at the heart of the first ever TIME100 MostInfluential Companies. To assemble it, TIME solicited nominationsacross sectors including healthcare, entertainment, transportation,technology and evaluated each one on key factors, includingrelevance, impact, innovation, leadership, ambition and success. Theresult is a diverse array of 100 institutions, from the tech startupengineering a smarter way to recycle to the cryptocurrency firmreimagining the future of money to the pharma titans creating thevaccines of tomorrow (and today).

Jio, Byju's in first-ever list of100 most influential companies

Hyundai Motor India onWednesday announced a Rs

20-crore COVID-19 relief packagethrough its philanthropic arm fora series of initiatives to offerinfrastructural assistance to themost affected states ofMaharashtra, Delhi, Haryana,Telangana and TamilNadu.Through the fresh step in

continuation to its ongoing COVID-19 relief programmes,Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) will deploy resourcesto set up oxygen generating plants in hospitals, to aid criticalpatients and help hospitals become self-sufficient in oxygen,Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) said in a statement.Besides,the foundation will also aid the installation of medicarefacilities and provide support staff to various hospitals andcater to their operational cost for the next three months andfurther if needed, it added.

Hyundai Motor Ind announces Rs 20-cr Covid relief package

Hero MotoCorp on Wednesdayunveiled the prices of the lat-

est Harley-Davidson range in thecountry The bikes are taggedbetween Rs 10.11 lakh and Rs34.99 lakh in India (ex-show-room). The 2021 Iron 883 ispriced at Rs 10.11 lakh, Forty-Eight at Rs 11.75 lakh, Softail

Standard at Rs 15.25 lakh, Street Bob at Rs 15.99 lakh, Fat Bob atRs 16.75 lakh, Pan America 1250 at Rs 16.9 lakh and Pan America1250 Special at Rs 19.99 lakh. Similarly, Fat Boy is tagged at Rs 20.9lakh, Heritage Classic at Rs 21.49 lakh, Electra Glide Standard at Rs24.99 lakh, Road King at Rs 26.99 lakh, Street Glide Special at Rs31.99 lakh and Road Glide Special at Rs 34.99 lakh. “We are excitedto open the bookings for the 2021 range of Harley-Davidson motor-cycles in India. The line-up is now strengthened with the introductionof the Pan America Adventure Tourer," Hero MotoCorp Head -Premium Segment Business Unit Ravi Avalur said in a statement.

Hero MotoCorp unveils pricesof latest Harley-Davidson range

MSN Laboratories onWednesday said it has

launched the generic versionof antiviral drug Favipiravir in800 mg strength for treatingmild and moderate COVID-19patients.The company's drugto be sold under the brandname 'Favilow 800 mg' ispriced at Rs 144 per tablet

and will be available across pharmacies, MSN Laboratories said in astatement."In the light of increasing COVID-19 cases in India, afford-able treatment options are the need of the hour to flatten the curve.We are sure that our product Favilow 800 would help support thenation's efforts in overcoming the COVID crisis," MSN GroupChairman and Managing Director MSN Reddy said.The company hadlaunched the drug in the strengths of 200 mg and 400 mg in August2020, the statement said.

MSN Labs launches genericFavipiravir tablets for Covid

PNS n MUMABAI

Extending its gains for thethird straight session, equitybenchmark Sensex rallied 790points on Wednesday, led bygains in financial stocks amida positive trend in global mar-kets.

The 30-share BSE indexended 789.70 points or 1.61per cent higher at 49,733.84.

Similarly, the broader NSENifty surged 211.50 points or1.44 per cent to 14,864.55.

Bajaj Finance was the topgainer in the Sensex pack,soaring around 8 per cent, fol-

lowed by IndusInd Bank, BajajFinserv, ICICI Bank, KotakBank, SBI, Bajaj Auto andHDFC Bank.

On the other hand, NestleIndia, HCL Tech, L&T, DrReddy's and TCS were amongthe laggards. "Superior Q4results and vaccine optimismbuoyed domestic markets totrade on a positive footing forthe third consecutive dayahead of the US FederalReserve interest rate decision,”said Vinod Nair, Head ofResearch at Geojit FinancialServices. Strong buying inter-est was seen in banking and

auto stocks with enhancedbusiness prospects which islikely to be maintained, headded. Further, short coveringahead of derivatives expiryalso contributed recent rally,analysts said. Elsewhere inAsia, bourses in Shanghai,Hong Kong and Tokyo endedon a positive note, while Seoulwas in the red.

Bourses in Europe weretrading with gains in mid-ses-sion deals.

Meanwhile, international oilbenchmark Brent crude wastrading 0.23 per cent higher atUSD 65.82 per barrel.

Sensex soars 790 pts, Nifty tops14,850 as financial stocks shine

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Indian economy is pro-jected to grow at 11 per centin the current financial yearamid the "strong" vaccinedrive, said ADB onWednesday, while cautioningthat the recent surge inCOVID cases may put thecountry's economic recoveryat "risk".

"India's economy is expect-ed to grow 11 per cent in fis-cal year (FY) 2021, whichends on March 31, 2022, amida strong vaccine drive," ADBsaid in its flagship AsianDevelopment Outlook (ADO)2021 released on Wednesday.

However, the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB)cautioned that the surge inCOVID-19 cases may put thecountry's economic recoveryat risk.

For FY2022, India's GDP isexpected to expand at 7 percent, it added.

Further, it said the grossdomestic product (GDP) of

South Asia is expected torebound to 9.5 per cent thisyear, following a contractionof 6 per cent in 2020, beforemoder-a t i n gto 6.6p e rc e n tn e x ty e a r(2022), it said.

ADB said the economicgrowth in developingAsia is set to rebound to7.3 per cent this year,supported by ahealthy globalrecovery andan earlyprogresso n

COVID-19 vaccines. The pro-jected resurgence follows a 0.2per cent contraction last year.

"The region's growth isforecast to moderate to 5.3 per

cent in 2022.Excluding thenewly industrial-ized economies of

Hong Kong,C h i n a ;

t h eRepublic of Korea;

Singapore; and Taipei,China, developing Asia's

economic activity is expect-ed to grow 7.7 per cent thisyear and 5.6 per cent in 2022,"said the report.

The report projects thatmost economies in developingAsia will see healthy growththis year and in 2022.

Developing Asiacompris

es 46 members of ADBlist on the basis of geo-graphic group. Theseinclude new industrializedeconomies, countries inCentral Asia, East Asia,South Asia, Southeast Asiaand the Pacific.

The report said in China,strong exports and a gradualrecovery in household con-sumption will boost eco-nomic activity this year.

China's gross domesticproduct (GDP) is forecast toexpand 8.1 per cent in 2021and 5.5 per cent in 2022. EastAsia's GDP is expected togrow 7.4 per cent in 2021 and5.1 per cent in 2022, it said.

The report said risingexports are boosting someeconomies in Developing Asiaamid strengthening globaleconomic activity, including arebound in manufacturing.

Progress on the productionand delivery of COVID-19vaccines has contributed tothis momentum, but the pan-demic remains the biggestrisk for the region as potentialdelays in vaccine rollouts orsignificant new outbreakscould undermine growth.

Increasing geopolitical ten-sions, production bottlenecks,financial turmoil from tight-ening financial conditions,and long-term scarring likelearning losses due to schoolclosures are among other riskfactors, said the report.

Growth is gaining momen-tum across developing Asia,but renewed COVID-19 out-breaks pose a threat to recov-ery, said ADB ChiefEconomist Yasuyuki Sawada.

"Economies in the regionare on diverging paths. Theirtrajectories are shaped by theextent of domestic outbreaks,the pace of their vaccine roll-outs, and how much they arebenefiting from the globalrecovery," Sawada said.

Surge in coronavirus cases mayput economic recovery at risk

PNS n MUMBAI

The RBI Committee on AssetReconstruction Companies,which will review the existinglegal and regulatory frame-work applicable to ARCs, onWednesday invited views andsuggestions from stakeholders.

The suggestions could begiven to the committee tillMay 31, 2021.

On April 19, RBI had set upa committee to undertake acomprehensive review of theworking of asset reconstruc-tion companies (ARCs) in the

financial sector ecosystem andrecommend suitable measuresfor enabling them to meet thegrowing requirements.

The central bank had con-stituted the Committee underthe chairmanship ofSudarshan Sen, formerExecutive Director, ReserveBank of India.

As per the terms of refer-ence of the committee, thepanel will review the existinglegal and regulatory frame-work applicable to ARCs andrecommend measures toimprove efficacy of ARCs.

PNS n NEW DELHI

S&P Global Ratings onWednesday said the secondwave of COVID infectionsposes downside risks to India'sGDP and heightens the possi-bility of business disruptions.

The second wave brings inuncertainty and a drawn-outCOVID outbreak will impedeIndia's recovery, it said.

"This may prompt us torevise our base-case assump-tion of 11 per cent growth overfiscal 2021-2022, particularly ifthe government is forced toreimpose broad containmentmeasures," S&P said in a state-ment.

Last week another global

rating agency Fitch had pro-jected India's economic growthin current fiscal at 12.8 percent, while Moody's InvestorsService had earlier this monthsaid that the second wave ofCOVID infections presents a

risk to India's growth forecast,but a double digit GDP growthis likely in 2021 given the lowlevel of activity last year.

As per official estimates,Indian economy contracted 8per cent in the 2020-21 fiscal,

which ended March 31, 2021.S&P said the country

already faces a permanent lossof output versus its pre-pan-demic path, suggesting a long-term production deficit equiv-alent to about 10 per cent ofGDP, it added. "India's escalat-ing second wave of COVID-19infections is serious. In addi-tion to the substantial loss oflife and significant humanitar-ian concerns, S&P GlobalRatings believes the outbreakposes downside risks to GDPand heightens the possibility ofbusiness disruptions," it said.

India reported a record3,60,960 new infections onWednesday, bringing its total toover 1.79 crore.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The second wave of the pan-demic in India will derail thegrowth momentum of thesmartphone segment in thecountry, and the supply crunchin key imported componentsmay lead to rise in the averageselling price, according toresearch firm Canalys.

Smartphone shipment inIndia grew 11 per cent in theMarch 2021 quarter to 37.1million units, from 33.5 mil-lion units in the year-ago peri-od, as per Canalys data.

The research firm saidsmartphone shipments inIndia is expected to plunge inthe second quarter due to thesecond wave of COVID-19.

"As the geographical distri-bution of cases varies widely, anationwide lockdown seemsunlikely. But regional lock-

downs could hamper transportof raw materials and devicesdue to limited inter-state trav-el.

"Hence, for smartphonebrands and channels, buildingup optimum inventory couldprove to be a hurdle in the sec-ond half of the year," CanalysAnalyst Sanyam Chaurasiasaid.

Canalys Analyst Varun

Kannan said looking furtherinto 2021, unfavourablemacroeconomic factors willlead to a rising smartphoneaverage selling price (ASP).

"A combination of the ongo-ing supply crunch on keyimported components and aweaker Rupee will make itincreasingly difficult for ven-dors to maintain margins atcurrent price levels.”

Resurgence of Corona to derailgrowth of smartphone segment

PNS n NEW DELHI

Gold prices plunged byRs 505 to Rs 46,518 per10 gram in the nationalcapital on Wednesdayfollowing a fall in theglobal metal prices,according to HDFC.

In the previous trade,the precious metal hadclosed at Rs 47,023 per 10gram. In-tandem withweak gold prices, silveralso declined by Rs 828 toRs 67,312 per kg from Rs68,140 per kg in the pre-vious trade. In the inter-national market, gold wasquoting lower at USD1,769 per ounce and sil-ver was flat at USD 26.02per ounce.

Gold plungesby Rs 505,silver declinesby Rs 828

RBI Committee on ARCs invitessuggestions from stakeholders

PNS n NEW DELHI

Mining dependents in Goahave raised concerns over theprolonged delays in the courthearing of the state's miningcase pending in the SupremeCourt for over a year withouta single hearing, GMPF onWednesday said.

In a statement, the GoaMining People's Front (GMPF)said it has "appealed to the cen-tral government for prayingthe apex court for urgent con-sideration of the Goa miningcase and give a hearing datebefore the court closes forsummer vacation from May 15onwards".

Else, GMPF added, thecentral government has toconsider a legislative cure toresolve Goa Mining stalemate.

This is needed to stop thefurther economic collapse ofthe state, the umbrella body ofmining dependents said in astatement.

Highlighting that miningsupports to the livelihood ofover three lakh persons in thestate, GMPF said that in thiseconomic crisis due toCOVID-19, the central gov-ernment has to consider leg-islative amendment rather thanwaiting for the Supreme Courtto decide on the fate of overthree lakh mining dependents.

It claimed that over 60,000people have lost their directemployment with the quashingof leases of 88 mines in Goa bythe Supreme Court in 2018.The unemployment situationhas further worsened in thestate with the second wave ofthe pandemic, which has shat-tered the tourism industry yetagain in the state, it added.

PNS n MUMBAI

The rupee rose by 30 paise toclose at 74.36 (provisional)against the US dollar onWednesday, extending itsgains for a third day on theback of strong rally in domes-tic equities.

At the interbank forexmarket, the local unit openedat 74.49 against the greenbackand witnessed an intra-dayhigh of 74.29 and a low of74.50.

It finally ended at 74.36against the American curren-cy, registering a rise of 30 paiseover its previous closing. OnTuesday, the rupee had settledat 74.66 against the American

currency.This is the third straight ses-

sion of gain for the rupee, dur-ing which it appreciated by 65paise.

"Indian Rupee appreciatedon the back rise in risk appetitein domestic markets.

However, sharp gains wereprevented on strong dollarand continued FII outflows,"said Saif Mukadam, ResearchAnalyst, Sharekhan by BNPParibas.

Further, concerns over ris-ing COVID-19 cases in Indiaand lockdown restriction insome states weighed oninvestor sentiment and cappedthe gains for the local unit,Mukadam said.

Rupee extendsgains for 3rd day

PNS n MUMBAI

Limited incentives andpoor cost economics fortrucks in the VehicleScrappage Policy, coupledwith lack of addressablevolumes for other seg-ments is unlikely to drivefreight transporters toreplace their old vehicleswith new ones, a reportsaid on Wednesday.

Though the scrappagevolume of buses, PVs andtwo-wheelers is expectedto be limited as well, thepolicy's impact on newcommercial vehicle (CV)sales could be sizeable,based on addressable vol-ume, ratings agency CrisilResearch said in its report.

Under the proposedpolicy, a scrapped vehiclewill be offered a monetaryvalue close to 4-6 per centof the showroom value.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Infrastructure investment trustIndiGrid's public issue of non-convertible debt securities hasbeen subscribed nearly 10fold within hours of openingon Wednesday.

IndiGrid's NCDs issue basesize was of Rs 100 crore witha green shoe option of addi-tional Rs 900 crore.

Through the issue of non-convertible debt securitiesIndiGrid aims to raise up to Rs1,000 crore.

According to latest data ofthe subscription of the issue,bids were received for96,50,352 (965.04 per cent)against the 10,00,000 NCDs ofRs 1,000 each on offer with agreen shoe option of 90,00,000NCDs.

The issue opened onWednesday and is scheduledto close on May 5.

Earlier this month, the

Insurance Regulatory andDevelopment Authority(IRDA) had allowed insurancefirms to invest in debt securi-ties of infrastructure and realestate investment trusts.

There was interest frominsurance firms in this non-convertible debt securities(NCD) issue as well.

A meeting of the allotmentcommittee of the board ofdirectors of IndiGridInvestment Managers Ltd, act-ing in the capacity ofInvestment Manager to IndiaGrid Trust (IndiGrid) washeld on April 22, 2021.

Limited incentivesunlikely to drivevehicle owners togo for scrappage

GMPF raises concern over delays incourt hearing of Goa mining case

Second COVID wave poses downsiderisks to India's economic growth: S&P

IndiGrid NCD issueoversubscribed ten times,to raise Rs 1,000 crore

RACHEL DAMMALA

he second wave ofCovid has hitIndia hard. Thelack of resources,medicines, doc-tors, oxygen cylin-

ders, hospital beds, and morehave only revealed the coun-try’s crippled health system.But what the pandemic hasalso revealed is the simpleheroes in ourselves that wenever knew we had in us. Wesee several people helpinglakhs on Twitter, Instagram,Facebook, and elsewhere.

Hyderabad, in specific, hasbeen extremely active on var-ious social networking sitesto ensure help — of any kind— reaches people of all strataduring these days of chaos.Whatever kind of help you’re

looking for — food, essentialkits, oxygen cylinders, beds,consultation, remdesevirinjections, vaccines, dataregarding all of these, verifiedcontacts of people offeringthese — you name it, youhave them all online!

One such organisationhelping people amid this cri-sis is Young Journos. It start-ed with two journalists in thecity who have been helpingfamilies of journalists who’refighting the deadly virus. Thegroup then grew and todayhas over 20 journalists in thecity working every day tohelp people from their frater-nity. “Initially, we pooled inmoney from our pockets andthen when we realised thatthe numbers were going upwith each passing day and weneed more funds. But beforewe could ask for them our-

selves, we had several peoplecoming forward and extend-ing both monetary help andhelp in the form of variousresources. We had families,politicians, and others helpus,” shares Mahendar Reddy.He adds that a total of 120-150 calls are received bythem every day. “Our essen-tials kit consists of threekinds of fruit — Apples,pomegranates, and oranges,three kinds of dry fruits —cashew nuts, almonds andraisins, masks, sanitisers, andmedicines. All these cost upto 1200-1500 per kit. We hadsome people wanting todonate rice, hopefully, we’llbe able to add rice, oil, andspices to the kit soon,” headds.

The team of journalists’work starts early in themorning, where they go

about distributing and thenset off to work on their jobs,cover stories and press meets,and then return to finishother duties. With an averageage group of 22-35, the teamhas been doing a commend-able job, having helped morethan 100+ families until thetime of writing this article.The group that is currentlyactive only in Hyderabad,

says they’re looking toexpand to other districts ofTelangana too, soon, oncethings come under controlhere. One can reach out tothem bydialing

9704283062,9492306808.

Another such sim-ple hero doing his buthumbly is Sai Charan.The pharmaceuticalemployee has put aside hiswork for more than a weeknow so he could help peoplein whatever he can –resources, or direct them tothose who could help them.“Ten days ago when a familyin my neighbourhood testedpositive for Covid and didn’thave access to basic needs, Itried my best to help them.Post that, I realised that therewere many who lacked suchessential help, and decided todo whatever I can that’s inmy control. I helped manyothers with groceries, medi-cines, directions to the rightdatabase, and contacts. I thenput up my number on

Twitterand have been receiving callsnonstop since then,” informsCharan who sleep for just anhour or two per day.

“Earlier, we had morerequests for food and essen-tials. Then requests aboutoxygen cylinders, remdesevir,beds began coming. Now, Ilook up numbers on theinternet, talk to them, findout if they’re true, and put uponly verified numbers, data-base. It’s all real-time infor-mation checked and verifiedby me. More and more peo-ple have offered to help,

youngsters fromSecunderabad, Madhapur,and Boduppal have expressedtheir wish to join the cause.There have been times I was-n’t able to always be of help,but I hope that won’t happen,and that everyone whocomes asking for helpreceives it,” adds Charan whocan be reached out on9392826327.

Others like the pageFreeKitchen on Instagramand others have been up andabout ensuring nobody goeshungry. They’re putting outimportant information ontheir pages, directing peopleto useful resources for food,injections, oxygen cylinders,and beds. The communityhas indeed grown closer thanever.

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

ThursdayApril 29, 2021

T

HEROES INSIDE THESIMPLEST OF US

oday, a look ismore cosmopoli-tan than region-specific! Theconcept of hav-ing a fashion

house headed by an emi-nent designer changed thewhole scenario of retailing.What’s more eye-grabbingsince the 21st century hasbegun is displaying clothesthrough fashion shows as awestern concept which hasnow become a commonfashion event! Touted asIndia's most exclusive luxu-ry wedding exhibition, thevirtual edit of the VogueWedding Show allows oneto enjoy personal interac-tions and with India’s lead-ing wedding couturedesigner brands like AmitAggarwal, Anita Dongre,

Falguni Shane Peacock,Gaurav Gupta, Jade byMonica & Karishma,Manish Malhotra, RahulMishra, Sabyasachi,Shantanu & Nikhil, Shivan& Narresh, Shyamal &Bhumika and TarunTahiliani, amongst manyothers, who will be show-casing their latest Springand Summer 2021 bridalcollections.

Better known as theSpencer sisters, Sylla andNergish were the duo whostarted the idea of a fashioncatwalk in India! And bynow in 2021, who wouldhave known ofCoronavirus, a pandemicthat’s affecting nearly everycountry in the world, takingthe biggest events of theworld to a digital format.

Every budding designer hasstarted experimenting withfashion trends and styles, somuch so that they are allgeared up for internationalexposure at all levels!There’s no stopping themnow. The renowned Indianfashion designer says thatwe have always been awareof ‘fast fashion’ beingexploitative and unsustain-able! “While at some pointin time, it brought a kind ofexcitement to the consumer,it had been blown way outof proportion without anyconsideration of environ-ment and people that con-tribute to making ourclothes. Not to forget how itaffects the psychology ofthe consumer by manipu-lating them into wanting tobuy pieces of clothing thatthey don’t need in excessiveamounts. While the ongo-ing pandemic has highlight-ed the importance of natur-al resources and personalrelationships to the con-sumer, we observe anincreased demand forclothing that is versatile,trans-seasonal, and clas-sic—especially in the luxuryindustry. But the focus isshifting to longevity, arti-sanal value, craftsmanshipand emotional relevance ofthe product and this may bea step in the right direc-tion.”

So, when one hears‘Bloom’, it’s a term used byRahul to describe his latestspring collection! As thefounder and designer ofthis synonymous label,Rahul is now changing thewhole bridal fashion scenein India. “Our coutureSpring Festive 2021 collec-tion, ‘Bloom’ is the return tosimplistic beauty post ourrecent showcase at the Paris

Haute Couture Week! Itfeatures a variety of classicsilhouettes with our identi-fiable, intricate handembroidery details thatelaborate the inspirationborrowed from Mughalarchitecture, foliage, and anewfound love for mush-rooms. The surfaces fea-ture meticulously placedfoliage, a variety of exot-ic mushrooms in bril-liant hues, or a maze ofidentical french knots inunderstated pastels imi-tating a Mughal jaali.The intention for thecollection had been tofeature quintessentialmix media techniqueswhile staying true to ouridentity of subtle glamourand sustainable, craft-cen-tric pieces. A collection thatis relevant for a consumerin India, just the way it isfor a woman in France,Japan, or the US! It caters toa luxury consumer but alsoholds the sensibility to livein couture on a day-to-daybasis,” he adds.

Bringing Jayanti ReddyCouture 2021 collection onthe palate for all, thedesigner believes couture inthe truest sense is aboutrespect for detail! By decid-ing to celebrate the timelesspillars that helped defineher label’s identity that is itshandwoven textiles, boldand scrumptious colorschemes expressing anamalgamation of passion,beauty, grace, and confi-dence, he wants to embodythe traditional values.Talking about the new shiftinto virtual events, thedesigner elaborates andsays, “I would like to thinkof this change as a respon-sive, dynamic development!People spend a lot of time

in the digital realm — now,more than ever and it’s con-tinually being enriched bycommunity-driven dia-logues. The same applies todigital fashion presentationstoo. The response and dia-logue-building are moreinstantaneous and far-reaching in a shorter periodof time in terms of impact.As far as novel changes areconcerned, I’d love to seemore creative applicationsenter the mix, that makesthe experience of digitalshows more interactive forthe audience. Maybe in thefuture, we’ll get to see out-of-the-box usage of AI tech-nology. This latest editshowcases a blend of old-world intricacy and con-temporary glamour. Thisprompted contemplation onthe subject of truly timelessstyle, we were inspired tofocus on the simple butvery significant elements ofthe Jayanti Reddy ethos thatwe know will always standthe test of time, rising aboveand beyond the tempera-mental and fickle trends.”

While we got in touch

withJade by

Monica &Karishma, shethinks fastfashion hasmade sartoriallanguage easyand accessibleto everyonebut on theother hand, shedoesn't thinkthat we can

ignore its impact on theenvironment or the toll it’sbeen taking on the Indianhandicraft and artisanalcommunity. “We’re losingour heritage crafts and tech-niques to this. While I don’tthink we can do away withfast fashion entirely, I dothink awareness aroundmindful consumption andethical practices needs to bethe long way to go. I see adeviation from traditionallehengas, and a preferencefor lighter skirts, breezygowns, and versatile coordi-nated sets when it comes tothe bridal fashion scene.The beauty of an intimatewedding is in the comfort itbrings and the clothing isgoing to reflect that!”

A Summer Memoir byMonica & Karishma isinspired by the idea oftogetherness, the time abride spends with her lovedones, and the memories shemakes with them. Thepieces are handcraftedusing their signature tech-niques like ‘ek taar’, ombreand hues, carrying this verydreamy quality.

ou spend hours andhours at the gymworking hard tosculpt your musclesand look good and

stay fit. You probably stare inthe array of mirrors all aroundto admire your handy work.But, do you pay as much atten-tion to your skin?

Physical activity necessitatesa special focus on skin care.Gyms are breeding grounds forall kinds of bacteria and germson machines, benches andlocker rooms. Also, sweat is thebody’s physiological responseto heightened metabolic activi-ty and while, ‘breaking into asweat’ is a good thing, thedownside is that it provides ahabitat for germs and fungi.

Here are a few tips totake care of commonproblems gym-goersface:

¬The first thing to dobefore you leave for the gym istake a warm shower to cleanyour skin off sweat while it alsoserves to elevate your bodytemperature, thus warming upyour muscles. Next, use a facescrub to exfoliate dead skincells and allow the pores tobreathe.¬Wear washed and cleanedapparel that is preferably madeof fabric that wicks away sweat,breathes and keeps you dry. Itwill prevent chaffing, whichcould result in rashes.¬ It is worthwhile using aspecially formulated roll-on

deodorant which contains sil-ver-ions technology that isknown to reduce odour caus-ing bacteria. ¬Use an anti-blister creamor gel to keep your skin safefrom callouses and blisters aris-ing out of friction.¬Avoid touching your facewhile exercising because yourskin’s pores open up while youperspire. ¬You’ve groaned andgrunted through those absburning crunches on one ofthe gym mats and it's drenchedin your sweat. Did you take amoment to ponder that it hasbeen used before and thatentire colonies of bacteriacould be swarming on thesweat from an earlier workouton the same mat? It is a goodidea to use an anti-bacterialwipe on the mat before you useit.¬Hydrate constantly whileyou work out because bodycells when replete with fluidgive an excellent glow to theskin. Conversely, dehydratedskin will accentuate wrinkles.¬Aloe vera while moistur-ising your skin, also containsminerals and amino acids thatdetoxify and contain inflam-mation. You can add it to anelectrolyte as part of yourhydration.¬ Shower after you workoutby using an anti-bacterialshower to fight problems likeacne and ring worm.

(The writer Daniel Vaz is aMarathon Coach)

Skincare for the gym

FASHION IN THE TRUE SENSE

T

Y

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

10

Hyderabad Thursday April 29, 2021what’s brewing?

FUN

Akshay Kumar, Twinkle Khannadonate 100 oxygen concentrators

kshay Kumar andTwinkle Khannaare doing their bitto fight againstCovid-19.

As India is bat-tling the second wave of thenovel coronavirus pandemic,Akshay Kumar and TwinkleKhanna are trying to do theirpart to fight the crisis. Thecouple has donated 100 oxy-gen concentrators. Twinkletook to Instagram to urgeeveryone to do whatever theycan to help fight Covid-19.She also wrote that she wasin a 'bit of a hole' for sometime as her family was facinghealth issues. Akshay Kumarrecently recovered fromCovid-19 after getting treat-ment at a Mumbai hospital.

Taking to InstagramTwinkle shared how she andAkshay have donated 100oxygen concentrators andasked others to do their bit.Her post read, “Wonderfulnews-Dr Drashnika Patel &Dr Govind Bankani ofLondon Elite Health throughDaivik Foundation are donat-ing 120 oxygen concentratorsand as @akshaykumar and Ihave managed to get ourhands on 100 as well, we have

a total of 220. Thank you forthe leads. Let's all do our bit(sic).”

She captioned the post, “Ithink for the last few weekswith members of my ownfamily ill I have been in a bitof a hole. But I couldn’t staythere for long. I implore all ofyou in your own way to dowhatever you can so we canlook back at this bleak

moment and at least say ittook the worst but it broughtout the best in all of us.#ILookForSilverLinings (sic).”

Recently, Gautam Gambhirrevealed that Akshay Kumarhas donated Rs 1 crore to hisfoundation for coronavirusrelief.

He wrote on Twitter,“Every help in this gloomcomes as a ray of hope.

Thanks a lot @akshaykumarfor committing Rs 1 crore to#GGF for food, meds andoxygen for the needy! Godbless (sic).”

Twinkle Khanna andAkshay Kumar tied the knoton January 17, 2001.

Their son Aarav was bornin 2002 and they welcomedtheir daughter Nitara in2012.

hanush-starrerJagameThandhiram will bereleased on Netflixon June 18, thestreaming giant

announced on Tuesdayevening. Sharing a newposter of the movie in whicha smiling Dhanush is seensporting shades, Netflix

wrote, “Suruli oda aatathapaaka naanga ready! Neengaready ah?#JagameThandhiram comingon 18th June (sic).”

Jagame Thandhiram isdirected by Karthik Subbaraj.The filmmaker has previous-ly worked with Dhanush’sfather-in-law and superstarRajinikanth in the 2019

release Petta.According to the makers,

Dhanush plays a ‘nomadicgangster’ by the name ofSuruli in the film. Suruli willface a dilemma when he hasto choose between good andevil.

The release of JagameThandhiram is being awaitedwith bated breath by not onlythe fans of Dhanush, but bydirector Karthik Subbarajhimself, who has called themovie his ‘dream film.’“Jagame Thandhiram is mydream film that was madewith the ambition of telling agripping story about a global-ly prevalent issue through alocally rooted character in amost interesting and enter-taining way. Audiences willyet again see Dhanush bringhis immense talent andentertainment to the tableacross 190 countries onNetflix. Produced by YNOTStudios and RelianceEntertainment, JagameThandhiram will be availableworldwide on Netflix on June18th,” the director said in astatement.

Jagame Thandhiram out

on Netflix on June 18

cheana Shay justgave birth, andshe’s alreadyopening up aboutthe details of herlabor, including a

serious medical condition.“Almost 24 hours after

being induced, my bloodpressure was extremely ele-vated,” Shay, 35, explainedrecently via Instagram.

She was first diagnosedwith preeclampsia, a preg-nancy complication wherehigh blood pressure canaffect the liver and kidneys.However, the issue pro-gressed and she explainedit “turned into HELLP syn-drome,” which is a severeform of preeclampsia,according to Mayo Clinic.

HELLP stands forhemolysis (destruction ofred blood cells), elevatedliver enzymes and lowplatelet count. HELLP syn-drome can be a life-threat-ening complication forboth mom and baby, and ittypically requires theimmediate delivery of theinfant.

Shay, however, was actu-ally diagnosed after shegave birth to daughterSummer Moon HoneyDavies on Monday, April

26.“My doctor said I was

lucky, and we caught thisjust in time to treat as it’svery unusual to be caughtso late, in postpartum,” sheexplained.

The reality star, whoshares her newborn withboyfriend Brock Davies,recalled being “on a mag-nesium drip that made meextremely lethargic and flu-like, shivering uncontrol-lably to the point where Ifelt like I was seizing.”

Symptoms of postpar-tum preeclampsia includehigh blood pressure, severeheadaches, changes invision, upper abdominalpain and decreased urina-tion.

The causes ofpreeclampsia and HELLPsyndrome are unknown,but those dealing with dia-betes, obesity, high bloodpressure and having multi-ples (twins, triplets etc.) areat greater risk.

“I am still being moni-tored closely for elevatedliver enzymes and lowblood platelets and not surehow much longer we willbe here,” Shay revealed.

Summer is the first childfor Shay and the third for

Davies, 30, who has twochildren from a prior rela-tionship.

Despite the health issues,Shay and Davies were ingood spirits heading intothe delivery room.“Scheana is so excited tomeet her baby girl,” thesource told a news agencyon Sunday, April 25, afterthey arrived at the hospi-tal. “Brock is by herside and can’t waitto meet theirdaughter.”

It isn’t clearhow long Shaywill be onmaternityleave.

TheVanderpumpRules cast isexpected tostart filmingseason 9 ofthe Bravoreality seriesin early May,Us confirmed.Shay won’t bethe only newmom on PumpRules. LalaKent welcomedher daughter,Ocean, inMarch.

orean pop band BTSannounced a come-back in May with anew digital single.

The group surprisedfans with a livestream

countdown to the news earlierlast evening. Not much to thesurprise of all, over 800,000 fanstuned in to the surprise video. Itlasted an hour and followed thejourney of a small animated

cube of butter with BTS’ logo asit slowly melted into the shapeof a heart. The bright yellowvideo also featured sounds of abusy kitchen and a timer count-ing down to the announcement.

Once the clock ran out,the livestream briefly dis-played the word ‘Butter’and what we think was thetrack’s release date, May21, 2021.

As per a press releasefrom BTS’ label Big HitMusic, Butter will exploredance pop.

Earlier this year, the Kpop band BTSannounced a brand newcompilation album BTS,the Best, set for a Junerelease, and dropped itslead single Film Out onApril 1.

The group was alsoin news recently forbeing named theambassadors for lux-ury label LouisVuitton.

Scheana Shay reveals HELLP syndromediagnosis after daughter’s birth

K

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BTS announce return in May with new single Butter

n some good news, stardirector Anil Ravipudihas tested negative forthe novel coronavirus.On Wednesday, he tookto Twitter to share the

news with his fans and followersand said that he feels much betternow.

On April 13, Anil Ravipudi hadtested positive for Covid 19 and heisolated himself and followed allprescribed instructions. Afteralmost two weeks, the director hastested negative for the virus.

Sharing the statement, he wrote,“I was detected with Covid 19 viruson the 13th of April 2021. I person-ally called up all the people whowere in contact with me before thatand made sure they isolated them-selves and took precautions. I isolat-ed myself since then and followedall prescribed instructions. Today Itested negative and am feeling muchbetter. I just wanted to thank every-one who wished me after knowing

about the situ-ation. Irequest eachand everyone of youto get vacci-nated andprotect your-self from thisvirus.”

Anil Ravipudi is cur-rently directing a multi-starrer F3with Venkatesh and Varun Tej inlead roles. The film is a sequel tothe director’s blockbuster movie F2.

ctor Allu Arjun on Wednesday took to social media toannounce that he tested positive for coronavirus. The actorwrote, “I have isolated myself at home and have been fol-lowing all the protocols. I request all my fans and well-wishers to not worry about me as I am doing fine.”

Actor Allu Arjun is the latest person from theTollywood film industry to come in contact with the coron-avirus. Allu Arjun’s next release is Pushpa which is slatedfor an August 13 release. Recently, Pushpa's first look waslaunched. The introduction offers a peek into the worldof Pushpa, a relentless man who will stop at nothing tobeat the odds. The character revela-tion shows Allu Arjun’smakeover for the film,visuals of forests inAndhra Pradesh, andcomes with themusic of Devi SriPrasad.

Based on trueevents, Pushparevolves aroundthe red sandersheist in the hillsof Andhra Pradesh. Withthis film, the audience willsee Allu Arjun and RashmikaMandanna, sharing screenspace for the first time. The filmis directed by Sukumar, withsound by Oscar-winner ResulPookutty.

A lot of people have beenwishing the Stylish Star aspeedy recovery.

However, his AlaVaikunthapurramuloo co-star Pooja Hegde has a funresponse to Bunny’s tweet.Replying to Allu Arjun’spost, Pooja Hegde wrote,“Buntu seems to be givingAmulya company! Takecare @alluarjun. Sendingyou some healing light andenergy you’ll be healthy inno time!” (Buntu andAmulya are characternames of Allu Arjun andPooja Hegde inTrivikram’s AlaVaikunthapurramuloo.)

A few days ago, PoojaHegde also tested posi-tive for Coronavirus.She is also under iso-lation but is active onsocial media. Pooja isin plans to hold a livesession on Instagram,to interact with fans.

Pooja also recentlytook part in a Yogasession online andshared the samewith her fans.

11

Hyderabad Thursday April 29, 2021 tollywood

uper Star Rajinikanthis one of the very fewheroes in India who iscontinuing shootingfor his upcoming film,despite the Covid heat.

The star’s upcoming movieAnnaatthe is being directed bySiruthai Siva of Vedalam andViswasam fame.

The shooting for the film is

currently going on in Hyderabadand now, it has been said that themovie’s shooting has moved toIKEA showroom near Gachibowliin the city. The shooting is pro-gressing at a brisk pace.

Actress Nanyanthara is playingthe female lead and the actresshas landed in Hyderabad andjoined the shooting. The combi-nation sequences between

Rajinikanth and Nayanthara willbe picturised in this schedulewhich will go on for the next cou-ple of days.

Sun Pictures is the productionhouse that is funding the movie.Annaatthe is supposed to bereleased for Diwali but with thedelay in production, the releasedate looks like it'll most likelypushed to a later date.

RAJINIKANTH INTOWN FOR SHOOT

he second wave ofCoronavirus is wreakinghavoc in every part of thecountry and with new lock-downs and restrictions inplace, a number of shoots

have been indefinitely postponed. Oneof the films to be affected by the pan-demic is Nag Ashwin’s global filmwhich is a science fiction drama star-ring young Rebel Star Prabhas,Deepika Padukone, and AmitabhBachchan.

Nag Ashwin’s big-budget entertain-er was supposed to hit the floors thisJune but the shoot of the film nowstands postponed. Now according tothe latest buzz in the film industry, the

upcoming untitled project of Prabhaswith Nag Ashwin will be launched onthe occasion of this Diwali with a for-mal pooja ceremony and the regularshoot will commence soon after.

In the meantime, Prabhas is likelyto resume the shoot of the upcomingmuch-hyped film Adipurush underthe direction of Om Raut which hasKriti Sanon as the leading lady.

Prabhas has few films in his kitty atthe moment. Apart from Nag Ashwin’sfilm, Baahuabli star is sharing thescreen space with Pooja Hegde in theupcoming romantic drama, RadheShyam. He is also part of the actiondrama Salaar which is helmed by KGFfame Prashanth Neel.

ass Maharaja RaviTeja and directorAnil Ravipudihave collaboratedon the projectRaja The Great.

This movie breathed new lifeinto Ravi Teja’s career at atime when the actor wasstruggling with flops, back toback. Ravi Teja is now com-mitted to multiple projects.Fans have been waiting forthe two to come togetheragain.

After the super hit ofKrack, the actor has complet-ed the shooting of Khiladi.He has projects lined up withdirectors like Trinadha RaoNakkina and SharatMandava.

The latest speculation isthat Ravi Teja is going toteam up with director AnilRavipudi again. It is said thatthe project is said to be thesequel of Raja The Great.The movie will materialiseafter both the star hero andthe director have completedtheir committed projects.

More details and an offi-cial confirmation about thesame are awaited.

Anil Ravipudi beats Coronavirus

Allu ArjuncontractsCOVID

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Prabhas-Nag Ashwinfilm to launch on Diwali

Raja The Greatsequel on the cards?

12AB HASN'T PLAYED COMPETITIVE CRICKET FOR 5 MONTHS, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT HIM

BAT IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE HE DOESN'T PLAYINTERNATIONAL CRICKET ANYMORE

— VIRAT KOHLI

CAPTAIN’S CALLHYDERABAD | THURSDAY | APRIL 29, 2021

PLAYER RUNS

1. Shikhar Dhawan (DC) 265

2. KL Rahul (PBKS) 240

3. Glenn Maxwell (RCB) 223

PLAYER WKTS

1. Harshal Patel (RCB) 17

2. Avesh Khan (DC) 12

3. Rahul Chahar (MI) 9

MOST SIXES

1. Jonny Bairstow (SRH) 14

2. KL Rahul (PBKS) 11

3. Glenn Maxwell (RCB) 10

SUMMER SLAM

MOTION PICTURE

WOMEN'S T20 CHALLENGE UNLIKELY The three-team Women's T20 challenge, which is heldduring the IPL, is unlikely to go ahead this year giventhe current restrictions imposed by countries on airtravel with India due to the massive spike in Covid-19cases here. “Getting Indian players quarantined is notan issue even now but no foreign player is keen totravel in the current climate. We can find a window laterwhen things get better,” a top BCCI source said.

CLARITY OF MIND, PLANS HELPED JD RR pacer Jaydev Unadkat said clarity of mind hashelped him to make a good start to this IPL season andhe wants to build on the momentum going forward. “Ifeel I've had a good start. I've had clarity of mind andclarity of plans this season, something that has workedfor me so far,” Unadkat said. “It is only a couple ofgames for me and is still early days, something I'mlooking to build on as we move forward.”

‘DO WHATEVER TO STAY SAFE’ Jamaican sprint star Yohan Blake has sent his love toIndia as the country battles a lethal second wave of theCovid-19 pandemic, “begging” the people to do all thatthey can to stay safe. “Just want to take this time tosend my love to India. I am begging everyone please dowhat you can to stay safe. I know it may be difficult butimagine if we work together,” Blake tweeted.

4s 622

6s 274

boundarymeter

ZOYSA BANNED FOR 6 YRSDUBAI: Former SL seamer and coach NuwanZoysa was banned from all cricket for six yearsafter being found guilty of trying to fix matchesand failing to disclose corrupt approaches.

RIZWAN ENTERS TOP-10 DUBAI: Pakistan's Mohammed Rizwan madean entry into top-10 of T20I rankings. The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman's gain fiveslots to reach 10th position.

DJOKOVIC WITHDRAWS MADRID: Novak Djokovic has pulled out of theMadrid Open, the tournament organisersannounced on Wednesday.

GIGGS DENIES CHARGES MANCHESTER: Wales manager Ryan Giggsappeared in court on Wednesday and deniedassaulting two women, including a formergirlfriend who is he accused of coercivelycontrolling with violence.

MARSCH TO COACH LEIPZIG BERLIN: Salzburg's American coach JesseMarsch has agreed terms to succeed JulianNagelsmann at RB Leipzig, German mediareported on Wednesday.

DECISION DELAY ON LOCAL FANS TOKYO: 2020 Tokyo Olympics organisers onWednesday said they won't decide how manyspectators — if any — can attend the Gamesuntil June, as coronavirus surges raise freshuncertainty. Agencies

shortpasses

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VVSSTODAYTODAYLIVE FROM

3:30PM IST

STAR SSPORTS 11 NNETWORK

VSLIVE FROM

7:30PM IST

STAR SSPORTS 11 NNETWORK

PTI n AHMEDABAD

Kolkata Knight Riders’ floundering bat-ting will be put to test once again as

they look to build a winning momentumagainst a star-studded Delhi Capitals hereon Thursday.

KKR’s batting woes emanate right fromthe top with the highly talented ShubmanGill continuing his poor run — 89 runsfrom six outings.

While their bowling, especially the‘master-apprentice’ spin duo of SunilNarine and Varun Chakravarthy, have donean excellent job in restricting the opposi-tions, KKR’s top-order batting has hurtthem the most.

Chasing an easy 124 against PunjabKings in their last match, KKR’s top-ordercut a sorry figure to be at 17 for 3 insidethree overs before skipper Eoin Morgan ledfrom the front to snap their four-match los-ing streak.

Against a DC batting line-up boastingtournament’s leading run getter ShikharDhawan (265 runs), Prithvi Shaw, SteveSmith and the dangerous Rishabh Pant,KKR can’t afford any more slip-up if theywant to continue their ascent in the IPL

points table.First-up, Morgan will have to fix the

Gill conundrum. With scores of 15, 33, 21,0, 11 and 9, the opener has failed toimpress. It would not be a bad ploy to dropGill down the order and bring backNarine to open with Rahul Tripathi.

The top-order reshuffle may be theway forward as the likes of Morgan,Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik lookedto have found their mojo in the middle.

Thursday’s clash will see a mini battlebetween the Caribbean duo of Russell andShimron Hetmyer who will be anxious todo well after the Capitals suffered an ago-nising one-run defeat against RoyalChallengers Bangalore on Tuesday.

KKR batting will be put to test againstthe likes of Ishant, Kagiso Rabada andyoung gun Avesh Khan, while the spin duoof Amit Mishra and Axar Patel will alsolook to make an impact.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Defending championsMumbai Indians will

look to sort out their mid-dle-order woes and bringtheir campaign back ontrack when they take on aninconsistent RajasthanRoyals here on Thursday.

MI are coming into thematch after suffering back-to-back losses and need tostart the Delhi leg afresh.

The Sanju Samson-ledRajasthan have lost thrice inthe tournament so far andwill seek to build on the six-wicket win over KolkataKnight Riders in the previ-ous match.

Mumbai skipper RohitSharma (201 runs) has got starts buthasn’t played a big knock and theMumbaikar would be itching to getone as would be his opening partnerQuinton De Kock (47 runs).

But Mumbai’s middle-order,which boasts of hard-hitting batsmenlike Suryakumar Yadav (154 runs),Ishan Kishan (73 runs), HardikPandya (36 runs), Krunal Pandya (29runs) and Kieron Pollard (65 runs),hasn’t fired in unison so far.

The middle-order can pummelany good attack into submission onany given day and Rohit would hopefor their batting to click on Thursdaywhen the action shifts to the FerozShah Kotla ground.

In the bowling department,pace duo of Trent Boult (6wickets) and Jasprit Bumrah(4 wickets) have been excep-tional, particularly at thedeath.

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar(9 wickets) and Krunal (3wickets) have also beenimpressive and willagain need to play theirparts to perfection.

Pollard is used asthe fifth or the sixthbowler even asHardik plays solelyas a batsman.

Mumbai, however,might play AdamMilne in place ofJayant Yadav.

Rajasthan, on theother hand, have a lotof issues to ponderover, particularly inthe absence of keyforeign players - JofraArcher, Ben Stokes,Liam Livingstone

and Andrew Tye.RR are yet to have a settled open-

ing combination. They tried MananVohra (42 runs) and Yashasvi Jaiswal(22 runs) at the top but both failedto convert their starts.

Englishman Jos Buttler wouldneed to score big to compliment hisskipper Sanju Samson, who is theteam’s leading run-scorer (187)despite being inconsistent.

And the likes Shivam Dube,David Miller and Riyan Parag, wouldhave to support the top-order bychipping in with much-needed con-tributions.

All-rounder Chris Morris (9wickets and 48 runs) has blown hot

and cold and will again be underpressure to deliver his highprice tag.

Left-arm pacer ChetanSakariya (7 wickets) has been

a revelation, while the experi-enced duo of Jaydev

Unadkat (4 wickets)and Mustaf izur

Rahman (4 wickets)have been decent. The

three left-arm pacersalong with Morris,

however, need to be con-sistent.

Leg-spinner RahulTewatia has got just onewicket from five games,while Shreyas Gopal,

another leggie, has gonewicket-less in the two

games he has played.Tewatia’s role

would be crucial ifthe Royals aim to con-

tain the MI batting line-up, keeping in mind Amit

Mishra’s performancefor Delhi.

Matches 26Delhi CCapitals 11Kolkata KKnight RRiders 14

LAST YEAR’S MATCHES

Delhi Capitals defeated Kolkata

Knight Riders by 18 runs in

Sharjah

Kolkata Knight Riders beat

Delhi Capitals by 59 runs in

Abu DhabiFaisel FFeatures

VENUE: NARENDRA MODI STADIUM, AHMEDABAD

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 22Mumbai IIndians 11Rajasthan RRoyals 11

LAST YEAR’S MATCHES

Mumbai Indians defeated

Rajasthan Royals by 57 runs in

Abu Dhabi

Rajasthan Royals beat Mumbai

Indians by 8 wickets in Abu

DhabiFaisel FFeatures

VENUE: ARUN JAITLEY STADIUM, DELHI

HEAD TO HEAD

Punjab Kings batsman Mandeep Singh and his son RajveerSingh pose for photo with cricket bat @PunjabKingsIPL

AFP nMADRID

Karim Benzema came to RealMadrid’s rescue again on

Tuesday, his acrobatic volley earn-ing them a 1-1 draw against animpressive Chelsea side in the firstleg of the Champions Leaguesemi-final.

Christian Pulisic grabbedChelsea a deserved away goal ina soaking wet contest atValdebebas but they might regretnot pulling away, with the strug-gling Timo Werner again missinga golden chance.

It means Madrid will be sat-isfied too, after recovering froma chastening opening half anhour before Benzema’s brillianceleft the tie in the balance.

Eden Hazard was given 24minutes off the bench against hisformer club but he was unable toadd a late twist.

Benzema’s goal was his 71st inthe Champions League, makinghim the joint-fourth top scorer inthe competition’s history withRaul, behind only CristianoRonaldo, Lionel Messi and RobertLewandowski.

“We should have won the firsthalf,” said Chelsea coach ThomasTuchel. “We should have scoredat least one more.”

“The result is fair,” saidZinedine Zidane. “Our first halfwasn’t the best, their pressurecaused us difficulties but weadapted and in the second half wewere better.”

Benzema comes to Real rescue

PTI n KARACHI

Pakistan’s skipper BabarAzam on Wednesday

dismissed criticism thathe was a powerless cap-tain, who tookdictation fromhead coach,Misbah-ul-Haq.

The top ODIbatsman frequent-ly faces accusationsof being a captainwithout authority andrecently former skipperShoaib Malik in tweetsinferred that Babar wasnot taking independentdecisions.

Some other formercaptains and playershave also advised Babarto be more authorita-tive as captain.

Babar said in a vir-tual press conferencethat the debate overwhether he was a cap-tain with authorityshould end now.

“I don’t understandbut frequently it is said in

press conferences and in themedia that I don’t haveauthority and don’t takeindependent decisions,”

Babar said.“I want to make it

clear once and for allthat I have total

control and sayin team selec-tion and othermatters. I han-dle everything

on the field and Idecide the playing

eleven with themanagement

giving their input. Iknow what my respon-sibilities are as captain,”he said.

Babar also made itclear he had no issueswith the head coach andwhether Pakistan need-ed a white ball coach wasthe domain of PCB.

“The team manage-ment is fully supporting

every player, so I amhappy,” he said.

I’ve total control in team &selection matters: Babar

MI look to overcomemiddle-order woes

KKR's floundering battingface strong Delhi test

PTI n AUCKLAND

New Zealand cricketers in the ongoingIPL might travel with the Indian

Players for the World Test Championshipsfinal in June as they can’t come back homeand then depart for England due to strictquarantine protocols, the country’s play-ers’ union chief has indicated.

The likes of captain Kane Williamson,Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and MitchellSantner are among 10 New Zealand play-ers in the different franchises of the IPL.

New Zealand has named a 20-mem-ber team for the two-match Test series inEngland starting on June 2 and the squadwill be trimmed to 15 for the WTC finalagainst India, starting on June 18 atSouthampton.

“...They can’t very well come home, dothe two weeks isolation and then go toEngland, so they’re going to have to bethere (India) until the round-robin finish-es, or the final series,” NZ Cricket PlayersAssociation chief executive Heath Millssaid when asked about the possibility.

“Then we’ve got other players who arecoming home - logistically there’s not a lotof flights. It’s not easy to sort out the logis-tics. We’re working closely with NZCricket and they’re in touch with theBCCI and the ICC,” Mills was quoted assaying by stuff.co.nz.

Not all the 10 players in the IPL arein the New Zealand squad bound forEngland. Scott Kuggeleijn, JimmyNeesham, Adam Milne, Finn Allen,Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert are notin the team.

Mills said New Zealand Cricket hasbeen in close contact with the players,their respective IPL teams, the BCCI, ICCand also with the England and WalesCricket Board.

He said the NZ players in the IPL arecertainly anxious after the ban on flightsfrom India in the wake of the unprece-dented surge in Covid-19 cases, but no onehas indicated any desire to return home.The flight ban, which began on April 11,ends Wednesday midnight.

Kiwis may travel toUK for WTC finalwith Indian players

SCOREBOARDSUNRISERS HYDERABAD (171-3)

David WWarner c Jadeja b Ngidi 57Jonny BBairstow c D Chahar b S Curran 7Manish PPandey c du Plessis b Ngidi 61Kane WWilliamson not out 26 Kedar JJadhav not out 12Extras (b 0, lb 2, w 6, nb 0, p 0) 8Total (3 wkts, 20 Overs) 171Did nnot bbat: Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, JagadeeshaSuchith, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, SiddarthKaulFall oof WWickets: 22-1 (Jonny Bairstow, 3.2), 128-2(David Warner, 17.1), 134-3 (Manish Pandey, 17.5)BowlingDeepak CChahar 3-0-21-0Sam CCurran 4-0-30-1Shardul TThakur 4-0-44-0Moeen AAli 2-0-16-0Lungi NNgidi 4-0-35-2Ravindra JJadeja 3-0-23-0

PTI n AHMEDABAD

Achartered flight to bringback Australian cricketers

after the IPL in India is underconsideration, the country’splayers union said onWednesday even as sportsminister Richard Colbeckmade it clear that such amove has not yet been clearedby the Government DownUnder.

Australian Cricketers’Association (ACA) chief ToddGreenberg said CricketAustralia will talk to the IPLfranchise owners on thisarrangement but concededthat it will not be a simplething.

“That’s one of the conver-sations we’re having withCricket Australia at themoment about whether ornot that’s something that’s

available to us,” Greenbergsaid on 2GB radio as quotedby Sydney Morning Herald.

“We can also work with allthe owners of the PremierLeague franchises who areeffectively contracting theplayers. There’s certainly aconversation to be had aboutthat,” he added.

“They're not simple thingsto organise, as you’d imagine.If we can try to find a seam-

less approach to get themhome safely that’s somethingbetween us and CA and ourplayers that we’ll work on.”

The BCCI has alreadyassured the IPL’s foreignrecruits that their safe returnhome will be its responsibili-ty once the tournament endson May 30.

Any such chartered flightwould require the approval ofthe Australian Government

and Colbeck said no decisionhas been taken on this matteras yet.

“There aren’t any deci-sions that have been made yetwith respect to (approval fora charter flight for) the crick-eters,” Colbeck told ABC radio.

“One of the reasons for thepause was to give our hotelquarantine a little bit of spacebecause of the load we’ve seenout of India,” he said.

Chartered flight for Oz players after IPL under consideration: ACA chief

PTI n NEW DELHI

CSK openers Ruturaj Gaikwad andFaf du Plessis have put CSK on thebrink of victory. Chasing a total of

172, the duo have put a 129-run open-ing stand. Both players have got fiftiesand set the platform for an easy win forCSK. SRH bowlers have struggled tocontain the runs or get wickets beforeRashid Khaan took three wickets inquick succession. He dismissed Gaikwadfor 75 while du Plessi departed for 56.

SRH were never able to get the accel-erate despite a 105 run partnershipbetween David Warner and ManishPandey. Quick-fire cameos by KaneWilliamson and Kedar Jadhav in the finalovers took SRH to 171. unrisers Hyderabad rode on contrastinghalf-centuries from Manish Pandey andskipper David Warner along with acameo from Kane Williamson to post171 for 3 in 20 overs against CSK hereon Wednesday.

Warner (57 off 55 balls) and Pandey(61 off 46 balls) added 106 runs for thesecond wicket at the Kotla but it wasWilliamson’s 26 not out off 10 balls andKedar Jadhav’s 12 off 4 balls whichensured a competitive total for SRH.

Lungi Ngidi was the best bowler forCSK, returning figures of 2 for 35 from4 overs while Sam Curran (1/30) got theother wicket.

Warner, who passed 10,000 T20 runsduring the course of his innings,appeared frustrated at times at theinability to force the pace on a trackwhere ball wasn’t always coming onto thebat. His 50th IPL half-century hadthree fours and two sixes but it was nothis usual aggressive, bustling knock. Hecould not get going and his powerful hitswent straight to the fielders.

Ngidi ended Warner’s misery byhaving caught (by Jadeja) attempting abig shot off a widish delivery.

Pandey, in contrast, was faster. Back

Clinical CSK regain top spotThe Chennai Super Kings hunt down SRH's 171 with 9 balls to spare

Kane Williamson in action against CSK @IPL

in the side after being dropped follow-ing a few patchy knocks, the Karnatakaright-hander showed intent from thebeginning. He hit Moeen Ali for a hugesix early in his innings but could not getthe big hits on a consistent basis.ss

POINTS TABLEP W L NRR PTS

1 CSK 6 5 1 +1.475 10

2 RCB 6 5 1 +0.089 10

3 DC 6 4 2 +0.269 8

4 MI 5 2 3 -0.032 4

5 KKR 6 2 4 -0.305 4

6 PBKS 6 2 4 -0.608 4

7 RR 5 2 3 -0.681 4

8 SRH 6 1 5 -0.264 2