7`Tfd dYZWed e` cVgZgZ_X VT`_`^j - Daily Pioneer

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I n his marathon meeting with Chief Ministers, his fifth one to review the pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday sought suggestions on reviving the battered econ- omy and scaling up all efforts to bring more “red” zones with high Covid-19 case load into “orange” or “green” zones. While the Prime Minister maintained that country has “largely succeeded” in con- trolling the pandemic, most of the Chief Ministers insisted on graded opening of the lock- down with at least five of them — Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh — even opposing the resumption of train services from Tuesday and asked the Centre to push it back, cau- tioning that it would make it harder to identify, isolate and test suspected coronavirus cases and could lead to chaos. It was decided to “redraw and narrow down” of the con- tainment zones in different States. The States were asked by the Centre to submit their re-drawn maps of contain- ment units showing areas of maximum coronavirus cases and the lowest ones by May 15, two days ahead of the last date of the extended lockdown. While saying that people should stay wherever they are and be on “high alert”, Modi said situation was “largely” under control. “There is glob- al recognition for India’s suc- cess in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and the Government of India appreciates the efforts made by all State Governments in this regard. Let us stay the course as we move forward together,” he said in the begin- ning of the meet. All States have raised con- cerns about the crisis for thou- sands of migrants, stranded because of the lockdown since March-end. Economic mea- sures to help migrants, small and medium industries and to help revive consumption were discussed. The Union Home Minister in intervention spoke about running special trains for the migrants. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa suggested dis- continuing district-wise demarcation to contain pan- demic. “We propose to do away with the district-wise demarcation into red, orange and green zones. Only con- tainment zones should be iden- tified and strictly cordoned. At least 50 to 100 meters around the known clusters may be declared as containment zones. Commercial activities includ- ing public transport should be allowed in non-containment zones,” he said. Continued on Page 6 S ingle-judge Bench of the Supreme Court would hear from May 13, appeals of bail and anticipatory bail matters in cases related to offences entail- ing jail term of up to seven years and application for trans- fer of cases. It is for the first time since its inception that the top court has provided for sitting of a sin- gle-judge Bench to hear mat- ters. The apex court till now normally used to sit in the combination of two or three judges, besides constitution benches. To reduce huge pendency of the cases, the apex court had Continued on Page 6 T he death of a patient in hos- pital due to Covid-19 will be considered as non-medico legal case and will not require post-mortem as it might leave the doctors and mortuary staff exposed to the virus in the body. At the same time, deaths of those with negative or incon- clusive test results but with symptoms of the coronavirus disease will be recorded as probable Covid-19 deaths, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has said in its recently released fresh guide- lines on recording Covid-19 deaths. The guidelines come in the wake of various queries from the doctors and hospitals treating the Covid-19 as well as symptomatic patients. So far over 2,000 people have suc- cumbed to the deadly viral infection in the country. In its guidance for appro- priate recording of Covid-10 deaths in the country, the ICMR said deaths with incon- clusive test results, but in which coronavirus symptoms are pre- sent will be recorded as “prob- able Covid-19” fatalities. Covid-19 would be record- ed as an “underlying cause of death” when leading to pneu- monia, cardiac injury and clot- ting in the bloodstream, among others, said the document. Explaining the public health significance of recording the cause of death in the Covid- 19 pandemic, ICMR said that Covid-19 is a new disease and is a pandemic affecting all communities and countries and a robust data is needed in India to measure the public health impact of the ailment and to plan for timely health interventions. Deaths in which tests are awaited with the presence of symptoms will be recorded as suspected deaths, while those testing negative but have symp- toms will be mentioned as clinically-epidemiologically diagnosed Covid-19, the guid- ance stated. It is likely that Covid-19 is the underlying cause of death (UCOD) that leads to pneumonia in most of the deaths due to Covid-19. Patients may present with other pre-existing co-morbid conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, ischemic heart disease, cancer and dia- betes mellitus. These condi- tions increase the risk of devel- oping respiratory infections, and may lead to complica- tions and severe disease in a Covid-19 positive patient. “These conditions are not considered as underlying cause of death as they have not directly caused death due to Covid-19. Continued on Page 6 T he Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website crashed after booking for tickets reopened for as many as 15 pairs of spe- cial trains on Monday. The website crashed after a surge in user traffic at 4 pm and after a delay of over two hours, it was back up again to take bookings for passenger trains which will run from Tuesday. The Ministry of Railways had announced to start oper- ations of 15 special trains (30 return journeys) from May 12 in a graded manner. Other reg- ular passenger services includ- ing all express, passenger and suburban services will remain cancelled until further order. The decision to restart train services was taken in consultation with Ministry of Health and Family welfare (MoHFW) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry said in a statement. “These special trains which have been started presently will have only air conditioned classes i.e. first, second and third AC. The fare structure for the “special trains” shall be as applicable for the regular time tabled Rajdhani trains (exclud- ing catering charges),” it said. Only online e-ticketing will be done through IRCTC web- site or through Mobile App and “Maximum Advance Reservation Period” (ARP) will be of maximum seven days, it added. Only confirmed e-tickets shall be booked. Booking of RAC or waiting list ticket and on board booking by ticket checking staff shall not be per- mitted. Current booking, tatkal and premium tatkal booking shall not be permitted. “No catering charges shall be included in the fare. Besides, provision for prepaid meal booking, e-catering shall be disabled. Continued on Page 6 A s India’s confirmed cases of Covid-19 crossed 70,000 mark on Monday while the death toll topped the 2,220 mark, the Government said some relatively large outbreaks have been noticed in particu- lar locations and it is important to focus on containment efforts to ensure that the country did not reach the community transmission stage. With Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh high num- bers, the total count reached 70,717 by 10.30 pm, a jump of 3,540 new cases during the day. This is the fifth day in a row when the country has seen new cases topping 30,000 mark. Maharashtra continues to be the epicentre of the coron- avirus spread with the State wit- nessing massive spike on daily basis. On Monday, the State added 1,230 cases and as many as 78 deaths. Maharashtra has now 23,409 cases and 869 deaths. Mumbai, the financial Capital of the country, has become the hotbed of the coro- navirus spread in the State where the number of cases has reached 14,521 and the death toll is over 500. After reporting 669 new cases on Sunday, Tamil Nadu’s march towards south continue on Monday also as it registered record 798 new cases to touch 8,002 confirmed cases. Rajasthan reported 174 new cases of coronavirus and five deaths, taking the total number of cases and deaths to 3,988 and 113, respectively. Uttar Pradesh too reported 109 new infections, taking the tally to 3,573. Gujarat reported 347 fresh cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, following which its total count reached 8,542. The State also reported 20 deaths in the last 24 hours, after which its death toll mounted to 513. Madhya Pradesh, which has seen exceptionally high death ratio, reported 171 new cases for a total of 3,785 and 228 deaths. Kerala on Monday report- ed seven fresh cases of coron- avirus which took its infection count to 519. Out of the total tally, 27 cases are currently active in the State. Of the new cases, four are from Kasargod and the patients had recently returned from Maharashtra. Palakkad, Malappuram, and Wayanad reported one case each on Monday. Eighteen more tested pos- itive in J&K on Monday to take the Union Territory’s coron- avirus tally to 879 while after 14 fresh cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, Karnataka’s total count has reached 862. This includes 31 deaths 426 recoveries. Five deaths and 124 new Covid-19 cases were reported in West Bengal, taking the total number of positive cases in the State to 2,063. Bihar reported 39 new cases to reach a total of 749 while Jharkhand continued to keep the disease under control by reporting just 4 new cases for a tally of 164. Continued on Page 6 M igrants are turning out to be nightmare for certain States which have somehow managed to contain the spread of coronavirus so far. These States are now haunted by the homecoming of tens of thousands of workers who are potential carrier of the deadly virus. Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have begun to wit- ness significant spike in Covid- 19 cases after return of the migrants. Majority of these migrants were not tested for coronavirus before they set out for their native places. On return, they are sent to quarantine after mere thermal screening. The scope of them acting as corona spreaders remains a high probability. The Centre in an affidavit in the Supreme Court had stated that almost a third of the migrants returning to their hometowns and villages could be infected with the novel coronavirus. But no efforts ever have been made to carry out bulk testing in case of migrants. As per the data of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Odisha reported 154 cases till May 1 which has become more than double to 377 after the migrant workers from Gujarat and other States returned in a big number. Among the 377 who tested positive, 290 had come from Gujarat and West Bengal. So far infections have been reported in 21 of the 30 districts of the State. Continued on Page 6 I n a bid to ferry migrants stranded in various parts of the country amid the nationwide lockdown due to coronavirus, 100 Shramik trains to run daily. Also, the Centre has asked States to assist migrants trudging back to their native places. The Maharashtra Government too announced launch of free bus services up to the borders of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat for migrant labour- ers, days after 16 workers, who were walking back home to MP were mowed down by a goods train in Aurangabad after they fell asleep on railway tracks. Continued on Page 6 A ssuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Uttar Pradesh would follow the guidelines of the Centre, Chief Minister Yo g i Adityanath admitted that migrant workers returning to UP were posing a big chal- lenge but the state govern- ment was working hard to ensure employment to them. “The migrant workers are posing a big challenge for us. So far, we have sent more than nine lakh workers and labourers to home quaran- tine. Out of this seven lakh workers have completed their home quarantine. We are preparing to give them jobs,” Yogi told the prime minister during his conver- sation with him through video conferencing on Monday. Yogi said that in the last four days, more than three lakh people had come to UP by buses and trains. “More than 10 lakh peo- ple will arrive in near future. Continued on Page 6 Indore: The National Highway Number 3, also called Mumbai- Agra Road that touches Indore in Madhya Pradesh through a bypass road, is seeing a steady stream of autorickshaws from the country’s commercial cap- ital as people move back to their native towns and villages amid the coronavirus-enforced lockdown that has rendered them jobless. Officials and eye- witnesses put the number of these three-wheelers from Mumbai crossing the Indore Bypass Road at 50 every hour. New Delhi: WHO’s Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan on Monday commended India for keeping the coronavirus cases and deaths very low com- pared to other countries and said it will play an important role in the development of a vaccine for Covid-19. She said the whole world has to be prepared for the ongoing transmission of infec- tion for “many many months and for perhaps years to come”. New Delhi: Three inmates of Tihar Jail have been put under quarantine after one of them, a rape accused, is suspected to have come in contact with a coronavirus-infected person, jail officials said on Monday. They said the man was lodged in a separate cell in cen- tral jail number 2 of Tihar along with two other inmates in a rape case and did not show any symptoms for Covid-19. G anglord-turned-politico Dhananjay Singh was arrested on charges of abduct- ing and threatening a project manager of a sewage treat- ment plant in Line Bazaar police station area of Jaunpur in the wee hours of Monday. A former parliamentarian from Jaunpur constituency, Singh was produced before a magistrate who sent him to a 14-day judicial remand on Monday afternoon. As per reports, Abhinav Singhal, project manager of a sewage treatment plant of Namami Gange project in Jaunpur, submitted a written complaint in Line Bazaar police station late Sunday night, alleging that Singh’s aides Praveen Singh and Vikram Singh forcibly took him to his residence. At the house, Singh issued abduction and death threats to him, Singhal alleged. Subsequently, a case was registered against Singh under sections 364, 386, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, his house was raided in the wee hours of Monday and he was arrested. Later in the after- noon, the accused was pro- duced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Vikas Singh, who rejected Singh’s bail plea and sent him to judicial custody for 14 days. On his way to Jaunpur district jail, Dhananjay Singh alleged that he was arrested at the behest of Jaunpur city MLA and Minister of State Girish Chand Yadav. He claimed that the charges against him were wrong and baseless.

Transcript of 7`Tfd dYZWed e` cVgZgZ_X VT`_`^j - Daily Pioneer

Page 1: 7`Tfd dYZWed e` cVgZgZ_X VT`_`^j - Daily Pioneer

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In his marathon meeting withChief Ministers, his fifth one

to review the pandemic, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onMonday sought suggestionson reviving the battered econ-omy and scaling up all effortsto bring more “red” zones withhigh Covid-19 case load into“orange” or “green” zones.

While the Prime Ministermaintained that country has“largely succeeded” in con-trolling the pandemic, most ofthe Chief Ministers insisted ongraded opening of the lock-down with at least five of them— Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,Telangana, Tamil Nadu andChhattisgarh — even opposingthe resumption of train servicesfrom Tuesday and asked theCentre to push it back, cau-tioning that it would make itharder to identify, isolate andtest suspected coronaviruscases and could lead to chaos.

It was decided to “redraw

and narrow down” of the con-tainment zones in differentStates. The States were askedby the Centre to submit theirre-drawn maps of contain-

ment units showing areas ofmaximum coronavirus casesand the lowest ones by May 15,two days ahead of the last dateof the extended lockdown.

While saying that peopleshould stay wherever they areand be on “high alert”, Modisaid situation was “largely”under control. “There is glob-

al recognition for India’s suc-cess in handling the Covid-19pandemic and the Governmentof India appreciates the effortsmade by all State Governmentsin this regard. Let us stay thecourse as we move forwardtogether,” he said in the begin-ning of the meet.

All States have raised con-cerns about the crisis for thou-sands of migrants, strandedbecause of the lockdown sinceMarch-end. Economic mea-sures to help migrants, smalland medium industries and tohelp revive consumption were

discussed. The Union HomeMinister in intervention spokeabout running special trains forthe migrants.

Karnataka Chief MinisterBS Yeddyurappa suggested dis-continuing district-wisedemarcation to contain pan-demic. “We propose to doaway with the district-wisedemarcation into red, orangeand green zones. Only con-tainment zones should be iden-tified and strictly cordoned. Atleast 50 to 100 meters aroundthe known clusters may bedeclared as containment zones.Commercial activities includ-ing public transport should beallowed in non-containmentzones,” he said.

Continued on Page 6

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Single-judge Bench of theSupreme Court would hear

from May 13, appeals of bailand anticipatory bail matters incases related to offences entail-ing jail term of up to sevenyears and application for trans-fer of cases.

It is for the first time sinceits inception that the top courthas provided for sitting of a sin-gle-judge Bench to hear mat-ters. The apex court till nownormally used to sit in thecombination of two or threejudges, besides constitutionbenches.

To reduce huge pendencyof the cases, the apex court had

Continued on Page 6

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The death of a patient in hos-pital due to Covid-19 will

be considered as non-medicolegal case and will not requirepost-mortem as it might leavethe doctors and mortuary staffexposed to the virus in thebody. At the same time, deathsof those with negative or incon-clusive test results but withsymptoms of the coronavirusdisease will be recorded asprobable Covid-19 deaths, theIndian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR) has said in itsrecently released fresh guide-lines on recording Covid-19deaths.

The guidelines come inthe wake of various queriesfrom the doctors and hospitalstreating the Covid-19 as well assymptomatic patients. So farover 2,000 people have suc-cumbed to the deadly viralinfection in the country.

In its guidance for appro-priate recording of Covid-10deaths in the country, theICMR said deaths with incon-clusive test results, but in whichcoronavirus symptoms are pre-sent will be recorded as “prob-able Covid-19” fatalities.

Covid-19 would be record-ed as an “underlying cause ofdeath” when leading to pneu-monia, cardiac injury and clot-ting in the bloodstream, amongothers, said the document.

Explaining the publichealth significance of recordingthe cause of death in the Covid-19 pandemic, ICMR said that

Covid-19 is a new disease andis a pandemic affecting allcommunities and countriesand a robust data is needed inIndia to measure the publichealth impact of the ailmentand to plan for timely healthinterventions.

Deaths in which tests areawaited with the presence ofsymptoms will be recorded assuspected deaths, while thosetesting negative but have symp-toms will be mentioned asclinically-epidemiologicallydiagnosed Covid-19, the guid-ance stated. It is likely thatCovid-19 is the underlyingcause of death (UCOD) thatleads to pneumonia in most ofthe deaths due to Covid-19.

Patients may present withother pre-existing co-morbidconditions such as asthma,chronic bronchitis, ischemicheart disease, cancer and dia-

betes mellitus. These condi-tions increase the risk of devel-oping respiratory infections,and may lead to complica-tions and severe disease in aCovid-19 positive patient.

“These conditions are notconsidered as underlying causeof death as they have notdirectly caused death due toCovid-19.

Continued on Page 6

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The Indian Railway Cateringand Tourism Corporation

(IRCTC) website crashed afterbooking for tickets reopenedfor as many as 15 pairs of spe-cial trains on Monday. Thewebsite crashed after a surge inuser traffic at 4 pm and after adelay of over two hours, it wasback up again to take bookingsfor passenger trains which willrun from Tuesday.

The Ministry of Railwayshad announced to start oper-ations of 15 special trains (30return journeys) from May 12in a graded manner. Other reg-ular passenger services includ-ing all express, passenger andsuburban services will remaincancelled until further order.

The decision to restarttrain services was taken inconsultation with Ministry of

Health and Family welfare(MoHFW) and Ministry ofHome Affairs (MHA), theMinistry said in a statement.

“These special trains whichhave been started presentlywill have only air conditionedclasses i.e. first, second and

third AC. The fare structure forthe “special trains” shall be asapplicable for the regular timetabled Rajdhani trains (exclud-ing catering charges),” it said.

Only online e-ticketing willbe done through IRCTC web-site or through Mobile App and“Maximum AdvanceReservation Period” (ARP) willbe of maximum seven days, itadded.

Only confirmed e-ticketsshall be booked. Booking ofRAC or waiting list ticket andon board booking by ticketchecking staff shall not be per-mitted. Current booking, tatkaland premium tatkal bookingshall not be permitted.

“No catering charges shallbe included in the fare. Besides,provision for prepaid mealbooking, e-catering shall bedisabled.

Continued on Page 6

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As India’s confirmed cases ofCovid-19 crossed 70,000

mark on Monday while thedeath toll topped the 2,220mark, the Government saidsome relatively large outbreakshave been noticed in particu-lar locations and it is importantto focus on containment effortsto ensure that the country didnot reach the communitytransmission stage.

With Maharashtra, Delhi,Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, TamilNadu, West Bengal andMadhya Pradesh high num-

bers, the total count reached70,717 by 10.30 pm, a jump of3,540 new cases during the day.This is the fifth day in a rowwhen the country has seen new cases topping 30,000mark.

Maharashtra continues tobe the epicentre of the coron-avirus spread with the State wit-nessing massive spike on dailybasis. On Monday, the Stateadded 1,230 cases and as manyas 78 deaths. Maharashtra has

now 23,409 cases and 869deaths. Mumbai, the financialCapital of the country, hasbecome the hotbed of the coro-navirus spread in the Statewhere the number of cases hasreached 14,521 and the deathtoll is over 500.

After reporting 669 newcases on Sunday, Tamil Nadu’smarch towards south continueon Monday also as it registeredrecord 798 new cases to touch8,002 confirmed cases.

Rajasthan reported 174new cases of coronavirus andfive deaths, taking the totalnumber of cases and deaths to3,988 and 113, respectively.Uttar Pradesh too reported109 new infections, taking thetally to 3,573.

Gujarat reported 347 freshcases of coronavirus in the last24 hours, following which itstotal count reached 8,542. The

State also reported 20 deaths inthe last 24 hours, after which itsdeath toll mounted to 513.

Madhya Pradesh, whichhas seen exceptionally highdeath ratio, reported 171 newcases for a total of 3,785 and228 deaths.

Kerala on Monday report-ed seven fresh cases of coron-avirus which took its infectioncount to 519. Out of the totaltally, 27 cases are currentlyactive in the State. Of the new

cases, four are from Kasargodand the patients had recentlyreturned from Maharashtra.Palakkad, Malappuram, andWayanad reported one caseeach on Monday.

Eighteen more tested pos-itive in J&K on Monday to takethe Union Territory’s coron-avirus tally to 879 while after 14fresh cases of coronavirus inthe last 24 hours, Karnataka’stotal count has reached 862.This includes 31 deaths 426recoveries.

Five deaths and 124 newCovid-19 cases were reportedin West Bengal, taking thetotal number of positive casesin the State to 2,063. Biharreported 39 new cases to reacha total of 749 while Jharkhandcontinued to keep the diseaseunder control by reporting just4 new cases for a tally of 164.

Continued on Page 6

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Migrants are turning out tobe nightmare for certain

States which have somehowmanaged to contain the spreadof coronavirus so far.

These States are nowhaunted by the homecoming oftens of thousands of workerswho are potential carrier of thedeadly virus. Bihar, Odisha,Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh andWest Bengal have begun to wit-ness significant spike in Covid-19 cases after return of themigrants.

Majority of these migrantswere not tested for coronavirusbefore they set out for theirnative places. On return, they aresent to quarantine after merethermal screening. The scope ofthem acting as corona spreadersremains a high probability.

The Centre in an affidavitin the Supreme Court hadstated that almost a third of themigrants returning to theirhometowns and villages couldbe infected with the novelcoronavirus. But no effortsever have been made to carryout bulk testing in case ofmigrants.

As per the data of theMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfare, Odisha reported 154cases till May 1 which hasbecome more than double to377 after the migrant workersfrom Gujarat and other Statesreturned in a big number.Among the 377 who testedpositive, 290 had come fromGujarat and West Bengal. So farinfections have been reported in21 of the 30 districts of the State.

Continued on Page 6

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In a bid to ferry migrantsstranded in various parts of

the country amid the nationwidelockdown due to coronavirus,100 Shramik trains to run daily.Also, the Centre has asked Statesto assist migrants trudging backto their native places.

The MaharashtraGovernment too announcedlaunch of free bus services up tothe borders of Madhya Pradeshand Gujarat for migrant labour-ers, days after 16 workers, whowere walking back home to MPwere mowed down by a goodstrain in Aurangabad after theyfell asleep on railway tracks.

Continued on Page 6

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Assuring Prime MinisterNarendra Modi that

Uttar Pradesh would followthe guidelines of the Centre,Chief Minister YogiAdityanath admitted thatmigrant workers returning toUP were posing a big chal-lenge but the state govern-ment was working hard toensure employment to them.

“The migrant workersare posing a big challenge forus. So far, we have sent morethan nine lakh workers andlabourers to home quaran-tine. Out of this seven lakhworkers have completedtheir home quarantine. Weare preparing to give themjobs,” Yogi told the primeminister during his conver-sation with him throughvideo conferencing onMonday. Yogi said that in thelast four days, more thanthree lakh people had cometo UP by buses and trains.

“More than 10 lakh peo-ple will arrive in near future.

Continued on Page 6

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Indore: The National HighwayNumber 3, also called Mumbai-Agra Road that touches Indorein Madhya Pradesh through abypass road, is seeing a steadystream of autorickshaws fromthe country’s commercial cap-ital as people move back totheir native towns and villagesamid the coronavirus-enforcedlockdown that has renderedthem jobless. Officials and eye-witnesses put the number ofthese three-wheelers fromMumbai crossing the IndoreBypass Road at 50 every hour.

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New Delhi: WHO’s ChiefScientist Soumya Swaminathanon Monday commended Indiafor keeping the coronaviruscases and deaths very low com-pared to other countries andsaid it will play an importantrole in the development of avaccine for Covid-19.

She said the whole worldhas to be prepared for theongoing transmission of infec-tion for “many many monthsand for perhaps years to come”.

New Delhi: Three inmates ofTihar Jail have been put underquarantine after one of them,a rape accused, is suspected tohave come in contact with acoronavirus-infected person,jail officials said on Monday.

They said the man waslodged in a separate cell in cen-tral jail number 2 of Tiharalong with two other inmatesin a rape case and did not showany symptoms for Covid-19.

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Ganglord-turned-politicoDhananjay Singh was

arrested on charges of abduct-ing and threatening a projectmanager of a sewage treat-ment plant in Line Bazaarpolice station area of Jaunpurin the wee hours of Monday.

A former parliamentarianfrom Jaunpur constituency,Singh was produced before amagistrate who sent him to a14-day judicial remand onMonday afternoon.

As per reports, AbhinavSinghal, project manager of asewage treatment plant ofNamami Gange project inJaunpur, submitted a writtencomplaint in Line Bazaarpolice station late Sundaynight, alleging that Singh’saides Praveen Singh andVikram Singh forcibly took

him to his residence. At thehouse, Singh issued abductionand death threats to him,Singhal alleged.

Subsequently, a case wasregistered against Singh undersections 364, 386, 504 and 506of the Indian Penal Code, hishouse was raided in the weehours of Monday and he wasarrested. Later in the after-noon, the accused was pro-duced in the court of ChiefJudicial Magistrate VikasSingh, who rejected Singh’sbail plea and sent him tojudicial custody for 14 days.

On his way to Jaunpurdistrict jail, Dhananjay Singhalleged that he was arrested atthe behest of Jaunpur cityMLA and Minister of StateGirish Chand Yadav. Heclaimed that the chargesagainst him were wrong andbaseless.

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As the fight against coronavirus entered a crucial stage,the Uttar Pradesh government claimed that youths,

particularly young males, were most vulnerable to thedreaded infection.

Principal Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad saidin Lucknow on Monday that data showed that the21-40 year age group was the most vulnerable to the dis-ease.

“As per data, the most positive coronavirus cases werefound in the 21-40 years age group constituting 48.7 percent of patients, followed by 41-60 years age group with25.5 per cent. In the 0-20 years bracket, the percentageof positive cases is 17.7 and the lowest is among 60 yearsand above age group — just 8.1 per cent,” he said.

Similarly, Prasad said the percentage of male posi-tive cases was 78.5 and that of female patients 21.5.

Talking about the utility of Arogya Setu app, princi-pal secretary said that the Health department had con-tacted 2,058 people following alerts given by the app andamong them, nine were detected positive for COVID-19.

The health official also said that there was an urgentneed to strengthen gram and mohalla surveillance sys-tem to monitor activities of home quarantined migrantworkers who had reached their native places in large num-bers in recent weeks.

“Any lapse on part of surveillance of these migrantworkers, could create a huge problem,” Prasad said.

� �� 52'#�74

Samajwadi Party chief AkhileshYadav accused the Bharatiya

Janata Party government of pur-suing politics of vendetta againstits political rivals.

He said that in the month ofRamzan, SP MP MohammadAzam Khan and his MLA wifeTazeen Fatma were being harassedin Sitapur jail.

The Khans have been lodgedin Sitapur jail since February 26 inconnection with the fake birth cer-tificate case of their son and for-mer SP MLA Abdullah Azam.

Akhilesh said that TazeenFatma was not getting propertreatment even after she sufferedinjuries and fractured an arm injail on May 9. He said that AzamKhan was also not well but he toowas not getting proper treatment.

“This is when Azam Khan isa respected influential leader andhis wife Tazeen Fatma is a notededucationist. Both are being per-secuted in jail and their image isbeing maligned just because oftheir affiliation with the SP,” hesaid. On return of migrant work-ers to UP villages in large num-bers, the SP chief said that the BJPregime had promised shelter toevery family by 2022, but hadfailed to provide even two squaremeals to millions of migrantworkers coming back to their vil-lages in the state.

“The poor of the country arefacing the brunt of a narcissisticgovernments at the Centre and inUP. If the government providesfood and employment, they willdefeat coronavirus without anyassistance from the government,”’said the SP chief.

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With the appeal to help in thefight against COVID-19, BahujanSamaj Party chief Mayawati saidthat the citizens could get goodnews from the prime minister dur-ing his video conference withchief ministers from across thecountry.

In a tweet, the BSP supremosaid, “This is the first relievingnews on the 48th day of lockdownimposed due to outbreak of coro-navirus that phase-wise railwaypassenger services will resumefrom tomorrow and bookingswill start from today. It is possiblethat we receive some good newsfrom the video-interaction of thePM with CMs of the states. Iappeal to the people to extendtheir full support.”

� �� 52'#�74

Death of migrant labourersheading home in road

mishaps continued as two per-sons were killed and sevenothers were injured when atruck carrying them fromHyderabad overturned inSahjanwa area of Gorakhpur onMonday morning.

As per reports, severallabourers of Bariyarpur vil-lage in Chowk police stationarea of Maharajganj werereturning from Hyderabad in atruck. Early Monday morning,the truck driver lost controlover the wheel and the vehicleturned upside down nearKasarwal area of Sahjanwaresulting in the death ofParushram Gaud (35) andRahul Kevat (25).

Seven others were alsoinjured in the accident.

After the mishap, the dri-ver and cleaner of the truck fledand the police were looking forthem after registering a case.

The injured were admittedto district hospital inGorakhpur where four werestated to be critical.

Later, Chief Minister YogiAdityanath condoled thedeaths of the migrant workersin Sahjanwa and expressedcondolences to the bereavedfamilies. The chief ministerdirected officials to provide Rs2 lakh each to the dependantsof the deceased, Rs 50000 to thecritically injured and propertreatment to the victims.

Meanwhile in Auraiya, twoyouths were killed while anoth-er was injured when a motor-

cycle and a bicycle collided inAjitmal area late on Sundayevening.

As per reports, MaheshChandra (42) and BalveerKumar (38) of OochaBahadurpur area of Ajitmalwere returning to their villageon a bicycle late on Sundayevening, when a motorcyclecoming from opposite direc-tion collided with it at OonchaJua road injuring three persons.They were rushed to a commu-nity health centre in Ajitmalwhere Mahesh Chandra andBalveer Kumar succumbed totheir injuries. Another critical-ly injured persons was referredto Saifai Medical College afterbeing administered primarytreatment.

In Moradabad, a mankilled his wife and later surren-dered to the police on Monday.

Baluram of PrajapatiwaliGali in Bilari had a tiff withwife Seema for not serving himdinner and instead chattingwith a friend on cell phone.Suspecting her of having anaffair, Baluram abused her.When asked to disconnect thecall, the wife allegedly threat-ened to get Baluram killedwith the help of her paramour.The couple later went to bedand upon waking up earlymorning, Baluram hackedSeema with an axe.

The couple were marriedin 2011 and have four children— three daughters (Tanisha,Ritika, Saumya) and a sonShiv. After ccommitting thecrime, Baluram walked to thenearets police station to surren-der.

� �� 52'#�74

Amid Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s fer-vent appeals to migrant workers to not walk

back to their native places, the Bharatiya JanataParty’s Uttar Pradesh unit decided to providefootwear to such workers once they entered thestate, besides food and water.

BJP general secretary (organisation) SunilBansal said that party workers had been askedto provide food, water and other essentials to

migrant workers coming by trains and footwearto those walking home on foot.

Bansal said it was pathetic to see peoplewalking bare foot towards their homes and saidthat partymen would give them footwear – chap-pal or shoes. “This all is being done with ‘sewabhav’. As a party, it is our responsibility to pro-vide food and other essentials to these workerswho are penniless and need support. As mem-bers of our society, we are extending this helpto them,” Bansal told The Pioneer on Monday.

The BJP leader said that the party was doingits bit since lockdown was imposed and had dis-tributed food among two crore people and rationkits among 35 lakh families.

“At local level, the leaders do it but at a big-ger scale, we work in collaboration with districtadministration as we believe that administrationis better placed to extend help to the needy,” hesaid. Earlier, opposition parties like Congress andSamajwadi Party derided the state governmentfor not allowing them to help the needy.

“Nobody is stopping anybody from helpingthe poor. As we are doing it in co-ordination withthe administration, they can do the same as well.Even NGOs (non-governmental organisations)are extending help and no one is stopping them,”Bansal said.

The BJP leader said that strict directions hadbeen given to volunteers not to use party sym-bol during social service. “Senior leaders wereeven asked to remove party flags from their cars,”he said.

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Lucknow (PNS): The Uttar Pradesh governmenttook a unique initiative for providing employment torural women entrepreneurs by setting up sugar canenurseries. Cane Commissioner Sanjay R Bhoosreddysaid in Lucknow on Monday that in addition to tra-ditional employment in cane regions, work on otheremployment possibilities was necessary in the inter-est of women workers.

“Sugarcane is cultivated on a large scale as a cashcrop in the state and immense possibilities ofemployment exist in cane-dominated areas.Preparation of nursery through single bud and budchip for cane sowing and income generation from dis-tribution of seedling can be easily adopted bywomen entrepreneurs as it is not labour-intensive,”Bhoosreddy said in a statement issued here onMonday. “For this, self-help groups can be trainedand encouraged to prepare cane nurseries through sin-gle bud and bud chip and rural women could beengaged through Women Employment GenerationProgramme. This will add dimension to cane culti-vation, increase productivity by adopting new sow-ing techniques and the introduction of new varietiesof cane,” the Cane Commissioner said.

� �� 52'#�74

Directing officials to arrangeone lakh beds for dedicat-

ed Covid hospitals across thestate, Chief Minister YogiAdityanath stressed that thegovernment would providetransport and food to migrantworkers returning from otherstates on foot or by bicycle.

At a meeting with Team 11officials in Lucknow onMonday, Yogi said that no oneshould be allowed to travel onfoot or by bicycle and they beprovided transport, food andother essentials besides check-ing them up medically.

“If anyone (travelling bybicycle, bike or on foot) isfound, they should be sent torespective districts after gettingpersonal details and medicalcheck-ups. Migrant labourersshould be treated with respectand be subjected to healthcheck-up in quarantine centrestoo,” he said.

The chief minister reaf-firmed that his government wasalso sending migrants of otherstates back to their native placesand asked officials to make adistrict-wise list of such per-sons.

“The state government isalso in touch with ExternalAffairs Ministry to send back2,000 Nepali citizens strandedin the state due to lock -down,”he said.

Yogi said that workersreaching the state were beingasked to fill a form regardingtheir skill as it would enablethem to get jobs easily.

“The government will pro-vide 20 lakh jobs to migrantworkers. Besides giving themfree transport up to theirhomes, free ration kits, they arealso being given Rs 1,000 cash,”the chief minister informed .

Yogi directed officials toadd 25,000 beds in Level-1,Level-2 and Level-3 Covid hos-pitals by May 20 and ensurebed capacity of one lakh byMay end. He said that besideseffective check on medicalinfection, it had to be ensuredthat there was no infectionfrom mandis.

‘’There will be an influx ofmigrant labourers during thenext ten days, hence alertnessat all levels is required withproper accountability,’’ he said.

Additional Chief SecretaryAwanish Awasthi said onMonday that 2.20 lakh migrantlabourers had already been

brought back to the state by 184special trains and another onelakh reached the state throughother means of transport. “Intotal, 3.23 lakh workers havereached the state in the pastfour days and every day, at least55 special trains are reachingUP,” he added.

“UP has been allocatedmaximum special trains formigrant workers and 55 trainswould be reaching 42 stationsof the state on Monday.Gorakhpur received a record 28trains carrying over 30,000workers while 28 trains reachedLucknow besides Kanpur (7),Jaunpur (9), Prayagraj (11),Gonda (8), Varanasi (8) andUnnao (7),” Awasthi said.

Asking employers toensure payment of honorariumto industrial workers duringlockdown, the chief ministersaid the workers should be

motivated to go to work inunits which have resumedoperations. He also directedthat food grain be distributedamong the labourers.

Awasthi said that IAS andsenior PCS officers had alreadybeen nominated to assist dis-trict magistrates in 75 districtsin overseeing quarantine cen-tres, shelter homes and com-munity kitchens for migrantsreturning to UP. He said thatthese officers should be askedto coordinate cleanliness, foodsupply etc. at quarantine cen-tres/shelter homes.

The additional chief secre-tary also said that the chiefminister had issued directive toramp up activities at medicalcolleges while nominating offi-cers in-charge (prabhari offi-cers) for Covid and non-Covidhospitals.

The chief minister alsoasserted that besides trainingdoctors and other health stafffor prevention against infec-tion, adequate quantity of per-sonal protective equipment(PPE) kits, N-95 masks andsanitiser should be provided tothem.

Meanwhile, on the chiefminister’s instructions, lock-down norms have been madestricter in Agra, Kanpur andMeerut, where a team of offi-cials have been rushed to con-trol the spread of coronavirus.

There are 475 hotspots in311 police station areas cover-ing 8.90 lakh houses and a pop-ulation of 49.92 lakh in thesedistricts.

� �� 52'#�74

Concession, relaxation andbailout packages are the

flavour of the season accentu-ated by coronavirus pandemicin India, especially UttarPradesh.

Keeping in sync, the sugarindustry honchos soughtbailout packages from the gov-ernment, citing huge lossesdue to demand slump and alsothe burden of paying upcane arrears in times of lock-down.

Uttar Pradesh Sugar MillsAssociation (UPSMA) submit-ted a memorandum to ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath, seek-ing cash subsidy. UPSMA chiefCB Patodia urged the govern-ment to bail out the industry bycash subsidy, which could helpaugment cash flow and ensurecontinuation of cane crushingoperations and payment ofcane arrears.

Highlighting stress areas,the UPSMA said that the lock-down brought in considerablehardship for the industry asinstitutional sale of sugardipped massively.

“The off take of sugar byvarious industries, like confec-tionery, sweets, chocolatesand aerated soft drinks, cameto a grinding halt. The demandfor sugar has been at itslowest in decades.Consequently, most mills areunable to sell even monthlyquota and are forced to storesugar in the open as factorygodowns have run out ofspace,” Patodia said.

“Market sentiments arelow and hence sugar pricesare on a downward spiral.We are hence finding it hard tosell even at minimum saleprice (MSP) fixed by theCentre,” the UPSMA lettersaid.

To add to their woes, saleof ethanol has dipped due tonon-lifting by oil marketingcompanies and power dues ofRs 1,500 crore on UP PowerCorporation (UPPCL) havenot been cleared for more thana year.

“Cash flow in the industry

has been severely impactedand the sugar mills’ revenue hasbeen tightly squeezed,” Patodiasaid.

To complicate the problemfurther, the current sugar sea-son has been prolonged asdiversion of cane to kolhus andkhandsari units and retail saleof cane juice has vanished dueto the lockdown and all thecane is now diverted back tothe mills.

With temperatures rising,the recovery of sugar fromcane is also going down, there-by further raising the cost ofproduction.

Reiterating that it has beenthe endeavour of sugar facto-ries to follow cane paymentcycle as far as possible, theletter says that mills are find-ing it difficult to meet caneprice payment obligation fur-ther.

“It is in this ‘hour of deepcrisis’ that the sugar industry islooking for a bailout to help thelargest industry in the state,with whom millions of peopleare directly connected,” Patodiasaid.

Earlier, a NITI Aayogtask force recently recommend-ed a slew of measures to aid theliquidity-starved industry.

These included, a cess at Rs50 per quintal (excludingexports) for three years, duringwhich about Rs 4,500 crorewould be garnered to helpprovide bridge funding or actas a comfort for banks givingsoft loans to mills for improv-ing technologies or paying tofarmers, a one-time increase inminimum selling price forsugar to Rs 33 per kg (from Rs31) to unburden mills, cappingof farmer’s land use for sugar-cane at 85 per cent of totalholding and a cash incentive ofRs 6,000 per hectare for farm-ers shifting to alternative cropsfrom sugarcane.

The report on sugarcaneand sugar industry by NITIAayog was submitted onApril 21 and has beenforwarded to ministries ofagriculture, commerce,finance and water resources foraction.

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Expressing doubts over credibil-ity of coronavirus testing in the

state, Uttar Pradesh Congresschief Ajay Kumar Lallu said thatthe government was hiding thenumber of infected people with thehelp of police and administration.

In a statement issued inLucknow on Monday, Lallu saidthat as compared to other states,the number of infection wasincreasing at a rapid rate in UPbut the government was fudgingfigures with the help of police andlocal authorities.

“It was reported in the mediathat the government is hiding thefigures of COVID-19 deaths.Also the figures of testing acrossthe state are very less,” he claimed.

Lallu said that the YogiAdityanath government’s much-hyped ‘Agra Model’ had proved tobe an abject failure as of the 3,467COVID-19 patients in the state,Agra alone had 756 cases. “TheUP government and UnionHealth Ministry presented the‘Agra Model’ to fight the pandem-

ic across the country and it waswidely publicised. In reality, theTaj City has been the worst affect-ed by the coronavirus. Theremoval of the chief medical offi-cer of Agra is a direct indicator ofthe government’s failure,” he said.

Lallu said that major cities likeMeerut and Kanpur too werebadly hit by the pandemic. “Thereality of the pandemic is beinghidden by exerting pressure ondoctors and scientists and thecommon man will suffer its con-sequences,” he alleged. TheCongress leader said that theYogi Adityanath government hadnot even been able to provide per-sonal protective equipment (PPE)kits to doctors, nurses and otherworkers. He also said that coron-avirus tests of many private labsauthorised by the government,were doubtful.

“A health department reportsaid that 10 coronavirus positivereports given by private labs inBahraich, Sitapur and Noida werefound to be negative after beingre-tested in government labs. Thisis very dangerous,” he added.

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� �� 52'#�74

Police on Monday arrested anacquaintance in connection

with the murder of RohitRajput in Gomti NagarExtension on May 10. Thepolice said that the accused,Amit Rajput aka Charsi, killedRohit when the latter refused togive him money for ganja.Rohit was found lying in poolof blood in Kaushalpuri local-ity on Sunday evening. Doctorssaid head injuries led to Rohit’sdeath. Rohit was a resident ofGardarian Purwa locality in thearea and worked as a labourer.

The police claimed thatRohit was acquainted withAmit and both were chillumaddicts. The police said Rohitmet Amit when he was passingvia a timber shop and bothstopped there. Amit askedRohit to give him money forganja but the latter refused. Averbal duel ensued duringwhich Amit picked a wooden

plank and attacked Rohit. “Theattack was so intense that Rohitdied in a single blow,” thepolice said, adding that theyalso recovered Amit’s bike.

However, victim’s familydoubted police claim and saidthe crime was executed bymore than one person. Theyalso flayed the police forterming him a chillum addictand demanded a thoroughprobe into the case.

The police insisted that thecase was worked out after prop-er surveillance of the accusedand on the basis of eyewitnessaccounts. The Commissioner ofPolice announced a cash rewardof Rs 5,000 for the police teamfor solving the case within 24hours. Rohit, who worked as alabourer, was out of work thesedays. He had left his housearound noon and did notreturn home. Around 6 pm, thefamily got a call from a police-man who informed them aboutRohit’s death.

Lucknow (PNS): A fraudsterwas arrested for impersonatinga high court judge and usingabusive language while makinga call on the CUG number ofthe DGP. The accused, identi-fied as Sooraj Patel ofLakhimpur Kheri, made thecall on Saturday and intro-duced himself as HC judge.The phone was initially attend-ed by the PSO of DGP and theaccused used abusive language.The PSO informed the DGPand later an FIR was registeredat Hazratganj Kotwali. Thepolice worked on the case andnabbed the accused. He report-edly owned up his crime.

� �� 52'#�74

National Technology Daywas celebrated in the city

as institutes organised webina-rs with well-known scientists.Lucknow University organiseda webinar on ‘BiomedicalApplications of RamanSpectroscopy’ with an interest-ing and informative lecture byProf Yukihiro Ozaki fromKwansei Gakuin University(Japan). The webinar witnessedthe participation of over 500participants. Ozaki talked aboutthe role of Raman Spectroscopyin medical field.

Ozaki talked about the sto-

ries and discovery of RamanEffect. He talked about theapplication of RamanSpectroscopy to biomedical sci-ence. He has investigated lensaging and cataract formation byRaman Spectroscopy. He alsotalked about the diagnosis ofcancer tissues in early stagethrough molecular informa-tion non-invasively and how itdepends on morphology, pro-tein detection, monitoring ofcancer in live mouse models.More than 500 researchers fromPoland, Malaysia, South Korea,Hungary, Japan, Taiwan, Nepaland different parts of India par-ticipated in the webinar.

Meanwhile, CentralInstitute of Medicinal andAromatic Plants (CIMAP) cel-ebrated National TechnologyDay through Facebook live.The National Technology Daylecture was delivered by ProfAnil K Gupta. DirectorPrabodh K Trivedi spoke aboutCIMAP technologies andprogress on the initiatives of theinstitute related to rural devel-opment post Covid-19 pan-demic. Gupta delivered a lec-ture on ‘Leveraging people’sknowledge and entrepreneurialpotential for transforming post-pandemic rural India’.

He said that the unprece-

dented urban to rural migrationhas unfolded new possibilitiesfor setting up decentralisedmicro and small enterprises togenerate jobs, use localresources and associatedknowledge effectively and trig-ger a horizontal market devel-opment (rural to rural) in addi-tion to vertical (rural to urban)supply chains.

He also discussed innova-tive mechanisms to make thenext phase of aroma missionmore entrepreneurial, net-worked, and inter-institutionalin nature.

Meanwhile, Indian Instituteof Toxicology Research cele-

brated National TechnologyDay through their social net-working platform. A lecture wasdelivered by Prof ThalappilPradeep from IIT-Madras, apioneer in the area of molecu-lar materials and surfaces. Hespoke on ‘Innovations in acad-emic institutions during andafter the pandemic’. He saidlooking at pandemics in thepast, science and technologyhas always provided the solu-tion. He said that the worldneeds sustainable solutions suchas sustainable livelihood, food,new packaging material andself-contained homes withmore focus on health”.

� �� 52'#�74

Awoman was killed fordowry allegedly by her

husband and in-laws in Parapolice station area on Saturdaynight. Police registered a caseof dowry death on Monday.The victim was identified asShashi Kashyap (24) of GarhiPeer Khan locality inThakurganj.

Her brother VinodKashyap said Shashi had mar-ried Sachin of Sadrauna local-ity in Para in 2018. As per hisclaim, Sachin was given giftsand cash as dowry at the timeof marriage but he and his fam-ily were demanding more.

Vinod said that besidesSachin, his mother, sister andsister’s husband used to tortureShashi demanding moredowry. “They also used to beatShashi to force her to bringmore dowry. She had narratedher ordeal with us on a num-ber of occasions in the past andwe always advised her to hangon as we were not in a positionto fulfill their demands,” Vinodalleged.

He said Sachin and hisfamily members killed Shashion Saturday night and hangedher body to make it look like acase of suicide. “We got toknow about Shashi’s deaththrough her neighbours inSadrauna and we reached herhouse. However, they hadcleaned the room and showedme Shashi’s body lying on thefloor,” Vinod claimed.

Police said a case of dowrydeath was registered and thefurther investigations wereunderway. “The body has beensent for autopsy, report of

which is awaited. We will probethe case if anything suspiciouscrops up in the autopsy report,”the police said.

Meanwhile, a 55-year-oldwoman, identified as MaltiDevi of Rani Kheda locality inMohanlalganj, died after a wall

of her house collapsed duringthe thunderstorm rains onSunday evening. Reports saidMalti was resting in the roomwhen the wall collapsed. Shesuffered grievous injuries andwas rushed to a hospital whereshe was declared brought dead.

� �� 52'#�74

Central Institute forSubtropical Horticulture

has developed a mobile app forhelping farmers and otherstakeholders during the cur-rent lockdown. CISH directorShailendra Rajan said therewas a need for a very simpleapp which could easily beused by the farmers who couldnot write messages and theirproblems to the scientists.

“During lockdown, thefarmers and scientists havebecome helpless because oflimited field visits and one-to-one meetings. Under such cir-cumstances, there are manychances of farmers being mis-guided in terms of pesticideapplication. Mobile app‘Bagwan Mitra’ has been devel-oped by CISH for the benefitof orchardists,” he said.

He added that the mobileapp is user-friendly with aspecial speech-to-text feature.“The benefit of this feature ishelpful for the farmers whocannot type the messages.They just need to speak in themobile and the message willdirectly be received by CISHthrough server. Farmers arenot able to describe the prob-lems or diseases in their cropson several occasions and thisapp will provide solution tothis problem as farmers can

send pictures of the diseasedplants along with the message.It will facilitate scientists indiagnosing and identifying thecorrect disease in the crops.Thus, right and proper treat-ment will reach the farmers fortheir diseased crops,” heexplained.

He said that the mobileapp would offer the informa-tion of the major pests, dis-eases and disorders along withtheir control. “The app mayprove to be a boon for educat-ed farmers. The key feature ofthis app is that it does notrequire any technical knowl-edge and one can easily learnits use. Need-based specialisedtrainings can be conductedwith the use of data capturedthrough this app. The app willhelp in identifying the trainingneeds and participants. This isa dynamic app and everydayupdates can help the farmer byproviding them useful infor-mation, not only for plantprotection but also for sever-al other advisories. Weatherforecast-based suggestions willbe one of the most importantfeatures for the users,” theCISH director said.

He said it would also helpin selecting the farmers for giv-ing awards as they can take aphotograph of crops ororchards and upload the sameon the server.

� �� 52'#�74

Prof Neeraj Mishra and histeam from Lucknow

University’s Physics depart-ment Lucknow has conducteda research on Ayurvedic med-icines’ effectiveness in combat-ing Covid-19. Mishra said itwas a joint research ofLucknow University and DDUGorakhpur University.

“Today, the world is introuble due to the Covid-19pandemic. India is blessedwith so many natural productswhose miraculous effects arenot completely known as yet.We have a number of com-pounds in plants and treesaround us which are frequent-ly used in Ayurvedic medi-cines,” Mishra said.

He said that the molecu-

lar modelling and docking-based research suggests thatmany such plants can be effec-tive to inhibit Covid-19.

“A total of 11 plants havebeen considered in thisresearch, including harsingar,aloe vera, giloy, ashwagandha,tulsi, neem, turmeric etc.According to the research,harsingar is found to be morepotent, followed by aloe veraand giloy. Turmeric, neem andashwagandha are also effectiveto some extent,” he said.

He added that the researchwas carried out by Ambrish KSrivastava from Physicsdepartment of DDUGorakhpur University in col-laboration with LucknowUniversity.

He pointed out that easyavailability and fewer or no

side-effects of herbal medicinescompelled them to explorethese natural products.“Although this is a preliminarystudy, it still provides a clue toexplore these natural productsfurther,” he said.

He added that he hadshared his research findingson Ayurvedic medicines beingeffective to combat Covid-19with the Ayush Ministry.

“Based on the researchinterests, the team has beenoffered a free six-month licenseof Discovery Studio, anadvanced drug discovery soft-ware from BIOVIA company.Recently, the research team hasalso initiated a research collab-oration with Bowie StateUniversity, United States. Thedetailed studies are inprogress” he added.

� �� 52'#�74

Bhatkhande Music InstituteDeemed University is con-

ducting online classes of all per-forming arts which form a partof its courses. Incharge of theuniversity Manoj Mishra said itwas a new and interesting expe-rience for them as teacherswhich could also be done infuture.

“The online classes fordances were conducted by theinstitute at first and when therewas a good response, Vice-Chancellor Shruti Sadolikardirected all the teachers to con-duct online classes,” said Mishra,who is having tabla classes. Hesaid he first started off withWhatsApp and later shifted toother apps for the online class-es. “We have these classes in the

morning hours and timings arefixed for each class. For me, thevisuals are important because itis through these that I canmonitor the fingers of studentswhile playing tabla,” he said.However, he admitted that therewere technical glitches in onlineclasses. Mishra said he had anadvantage because there wereless number of students in hisclasses. “I have six students ineach classes and hence it can beeasily managed. The advantageis that learning experience canbe used in the coming days too,”he added.

Mishra said they were alsoplanning to use this system ofteaching with four of the inter-national students from SriLanka who have been sent backin view of the lockdown.

“These students were sent

back a week ago and will be cur-rently in quarantine. The onlineclasses will begin when they areout of quarantine,” he said. He,however, admitted that therecould be no substitute to face-to-face teaching. “That is atotally different experience butnevertheless, technology is help-ing conduct classes,” he said.

Usha Banerjee, head of theMusicology department, saidshe was conducting theoryclasses on WhatsApp. “I put theaudio and pdf files of my lectureon WhatsApp groups and thestudents can go through thesame. They can also ask ques-tions to which I respond. Thereare students who ask for matterfrom books and thus I also putvarious chapters of the books onWhatsApp groups,” saidBanerjee.

� �� 52'#�74

Afull-blown controversyengulfed the Lucknow

police on Monday after a teamof crime branch (North) wasaccused of demanding Rs50,000 from a meat seller anddetaining him illegally inSafedabad, Barabanki.

The controversy eruptedwhen cops were seen pleadingto irate residents after beingexposed in a video which wentviral on social media. DCP(North) Shalini said an inquiryhad been set up. She said theteam had conducted a raid fol-lowing a tip-off about a gangsmuggling and selling meatduring lockdown.

“All the allegations, includ-ing the demand for money, will

be probed,” she said.In the viral video, a resi-

dent was heard confronting apoliceman, who introducedhimself as Nadeem, saying hehad sought permission for sell-ing meat (mutton and chicken)from the district administra-tion. The policeman asked thename of the man, who intro-duced himself as MohammedSharif. The cop allegedly triedto play the religion card but itfailed to cut the ice with theirate public. They later movedtowards a police vehicle inwhich a sub-inspector was sit-ting. They sought explanationfrom the police team for deten-tion of the meat seller anddemand for money.

Social media users pilloriedthe police for their conduct and

for conducting raid in anoth-er district instead of seeking thehelp of their counterparts there.

“In the video, the police-men looked to be on the backfoot. They were not arguingwith the public but were mak-

ing efforts to end the contro-versy, but to no avail. Thecops did not call Barabankipolice for help, not did theyseek their help in conductingthe raid,” sources said.

They said the Lucknowpolice had become proactive inlockdown and were crackingdown on sale of meat as it hasbeen prohibited under theEpidemic Diseases Act.

“This is not the first timethat cops put their seniors in adock. A couple of days back, aconstable had made an obsceneremark on the post of a womanactivist of Delhi,” the sourcessaid. They said the Lucknowpolice had earned accolades foreffective implementation oflockdown, but controversiescontinued to trouble them.

Lucknow (PNS): A committee,formed on May 6 to oversee theconduct of examinations atLucknow University, submittedits report on Monday. Mediaspokesperson DurgeshSrivastava said the committeehad asked for reduction in themovement of students appear-ing in the upcoming semesterexams and recommended selfcentres.

Evaluation of Masters-levelexaminations should be done intheir respective departmentsand that of graduate-level at theuniversity and few selectedcolleges, the panel recommend-ed. This decentralisation will behelpful in prevention of coro-navirus spread to a large extent.The students should be givenmore options in the questionpaper but without changing thepattern.

� �� 52'#�74

A70-year-old man inSadar area tested positive

for coronavirus on Monday.A senior official said thepatient was mainly stayinghome. and it was yet to betraced from where he con-tracted the infection. Hemight have been infected by someone residingin the colony, the officialsaid.

Meanwhi le , Distr ic tMagistrate Abhishek Prakashinspected Kaiserbagh veg-etable market on Monday.The DM said all medical,Nagar Nigam and adminis-trative teams were working inthe hotspot. Samples werebeing tested in every house-hold and the containmentzone was completely sealed,

he added.The DM told the resi-

dents to stay indoors as allthe essential commoditieswould be supplied to them.He also said that drones werebeing used to monitor thearea and sanitisation wasbeing carried outside andinside the houses.

The District Magistratealso carried out the inspec-tion of Alambagh bus stationwhere he gave directions forhome quarantine of thosecoming from other states.The ADM (E ast) said that the f irst f loor hadarrangements for the stay ofover 400 people.

A joint inspection wasalso carried out by the chiefmedical officer and a Centralgovernment team in theKaiserbagh vegetable market.

“The Central governmentteam will be visiting otherhotspots in the city as well,”the CMO said.

As many as 42 chief med-ical officer teams visited JagatNarain road, Gwynne road,Fatehganj, Nishat Hospital,Pir Jalil Khatkana, covering13,626 people in 3,146 hous-es. The surveillance contactteam collected nearly 310samples from across the city.

Meanwhile, state surveil-lance of f icer VikasenduAgarwal said that 109 newpatients had been detected inUP, taking the total count to3573. He said that the num-ber patients cured (1,758)surpassed that of active cases(1,735) on Monday. He saidthat 105 patients were dis-charged across the state onMonday.

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With the arrest of twoaccused on Monday,

police claimed to have workedout a case in which a 40-year-old woman was killed alleged-ly over extra-marital affair inMadiaon on May 8. Thosearrested were identified asAkash and his mother Rekha.

Akash’s father Khushiram,was also named as accused,but he was still on the lam.Khushiram was said to beinvolved in an affair with the40-year-old . Akash wasbooked for murder whileRekha charged with criminalconspiracy. Both the accusedreportedly confessed to theircrime and disclosed that theykilled the woman as she wasforcing Khushiram to give hera share in his 30 bigha land inSitapur.

As per the confession ofthe accused, Meena (namechanged) was forcingKhushiram to give her a sharein the land and Khushiram’swife Rekha came to knowabout it. As Rekha was awareof Khushiram’s closeness with

Meena, she feared losing hershare of land to Meena and sheincited Akash to such anextent that he agreed to elim-inate Meena.

On the other hand,Khushiram was also interest-ed in getting rid of Meena, sohe also joined them. On thefateful day, both Khushiramand Akash reached Meena’shouse when she was all aloneand killed her.

DCP (North) Shalini saidinitial probe revealed thatAkash was constantly in touchwith his mother Rekha sincethe day of incident. “Thepolice put Akash’s mobilephone on surveillance andgot to know about it. We laternabbed him from KanshiramColony in Hans Kheda ofPara on Monday,” she said.

Meena was found lying ina pool of blood and gasping forbreath at her house whensome neighbour reached thereto inquire of her well-being.Her daughter had lodged acase alleging the role ofKhushiram, his wife Rekhaand their son Akash on the dayof the incident.

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Mahatma Gandhi KashiVidyapeeth (MGKV) has

decided to provide online ques-tion banks to students so asthey could prepare for annualand semester examinationssaid to be conducted from firstweek of July.

The MGKV is conductingonline classes of various cours-es during lockdown. The stu-dents are also taking its advan-tage by attending the classes.But to make the students awareabout the question pattern andalso prepare them about theanswer to be given, the univer-sity has decided to draft ques-tion banks to help the studentsin their preparations about

examinations, informed theDean of Students’ WelfareFaculty Dr Banshidhar Pandeyadding that not only the grad-uate and postgraduate studentsbut also the research scholarsare being taught online throughvideo conferencing.

It may be noted here thatthe state government hasreleased new academic calen-dars for colleges and universi-ties under which the new aca-demic session is to begin fromJuly. Barring the firstyear/semester of graduate andpostgraduate, the classes ofnext year/semester are to berun from July 6. As per newcalendar, the admission processin the first semester of gradu-ate and postgraduate courses is

to be completed by August 14.The examination of final

year/semester of graduate andpostgraduate is to be conduct-ed the first so as the studentscould get admission in nextclasses. The university haschalked out plan to conductannual/semester examinationsof graduate and postgraduate.The examination of under-graduate is to be conducted in17 days, while the same of post-graduate would be conductedin 11 days. The varsity admin-istration is preparing for thesmooth conduct ofannual/semester examinationafter the relaxation from lock-down.

Meanwhile, the CentralBoard of Secondary Education

(CBSE) has decided the evalu-ation of answersheets fromhome. The answersheets ofboard examinations of HighSchool and Intermediate wouldbe made available to teachersfor the evaluation from homebecause of lockdown. But theteachers belonging to hotspotareas would not be providedthe answersheets for the eval-uation. The CBSE has decidedthe evaluation work with theexamination of remaining sub-jects to declare the results at theearliest. The board examinationof remaining 29 subjects ofclass XII is to be conductedfrom July 1 to 15. The CBSEhas decided not to conduct theboard examination of remain-ing subjects of High School.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)MP Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi

said that Ayurveda is progress-ing by linking itself with CSIR.‘Today Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is giving it intangible form what was con-ceptualised by Malviyaji about93 years earlier,’ he said, high-lighting the contributions ofMalviyaji who had establishedAyurveda as a discipline ofstudy in BHU in 1927. He wasaddressing the three-dayNational Webinar on ‘COVID-19: The Mahamana’s IndianVision in Global Context’organised by MahamanaMalviya Mission, BanarasHindu University (BHU) unithere on Sunday.

‘It could have progressed alot of in the past 60 years if gov-ernments have looked uponthis sector,’ he said, addingthat Ayurveda is a part of theVedas which was present in ourreligious texts. Surgery, whichis considered to be a part ofmodern medicine, has been

described thousands of yearsago in the Sushruta Samhitaand there are documentaryreferences of many surgeriesthat have been done through it.Due to ancient texts based onAyurveda, we have been able tosave many inventions fromgetting patent in other coun-tries.

Prof Kamal NayanDwivedi, former head,Department of Dravyaguna,BHU, described how Indiantraditions has always beenabout how to avoid any infec-tion and other kind of commu-nicable disease. ‘Now even thescientists approve of the anti-viral and anti-septic values ofcamphor, which has been inuse in Indian household sincelong, especially in aarti, etc.This session was concludedwith a practical demonstrationof Yoga and Paranayam so thatthe immunity can be developedto prevent the COVID-19infection.

In other sessions, ProfGirish Chandra Tripathi,Chairman, Uttar Pradesh State

Council of Higher Educationand former Vice-Chancellor(V-C) of BHU talked about theneed to re-think holistically onMahaman’s Vision of India.Dr. Usha Tripathi, researchofficer, Malviya MoolyaAnusheelan Kendra, BHU alsothrew light on Mahamana’sSwadeshi concept. In his pres-idential address Prof DevendraPratap Singh, ex-VC, LucknowUniversity and distinguishedprofessor of Indian Institute ofTechnology (IIT), BHU, saidthat Mahamana took a vow ofSwadeshi at the age of 21.Even before Gandhi, he wasinvolved in the idea of self pro-duction who also focused onthe need of industrialisation.

Dr. Balmukund Pandey,national organising secretary,Akhil Bharatiya Itihas SankalanYojana, New Delhi, appreciat-ed the relevance of this webi-nar in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Prof AwadheshPradhan, Department of Hindi,BHU, said that Malviyaji usedto say that this world is theform of God, therefore one

should serve that greatest enti-ty. Prof Arun Divakar NathVajpayee, former V-C ofHimachal Pradesh Universitysaid that Malviya ji gave moreimportance to knowledge thaneducation.

Prof Rama Shankar Dubey,V-C of Central University ofGujarat, Gandhinagar and vice-president of the mission saidthat when India was a Britishcolony, Malviyaji had envisagedsuch an education systemwhich embodied the basic ele-ments of ancient Indian cultureas well as the confluence ofmodernity.

Dr Prabhakar Upadhyay,joint organising secretary ofBHU unit, conducted theproceeding, while patronProf UP Shahi welcomed theguests.

This webinar was broad-casted on all social media plat-forms of Malviya Mission,including Facebook andYouTube channel. More than2000 registered participantshave become part of this webi-nar.

��� �� ����������� 55 6 . !

One more case of coron-avirus was reported in

Prayagraj district here onMonday taking the count ofCOVID-19 cases to 18.

Coronavirus infection wasconfirmed in the youth whoreturned from Mumbai. He isa taxi driver and after theinfection is confirmed, he wasadmitted to Level-1 CovidHospital, Kotwa CHC. At thesame time, his companion whohas also come from Mumbaialong with the taxi driver hasalso been kept in quarantine.His report is likely to come lateon Monday evening or Tuesdaymorning.

A 30-year-old youth resi-dent of Diha village inKarchana tehsil used to drive a

taxi in Mumbai. Two days ago,he had left for his home fromMumba by his taxi. He wasalso accompanied by a familyof Sadaupur Barethi ofSaidabad. They reachedPrayagraj on Saturday evening.None of them had symptomssimilar to coronavirus.

At the behest of familymembers, they went to SRNHospital to have their checkupdone before going home, whilesending wife and son home.Due to being a travel history ofMumbai, both were tested byadmitting them to the suspectward of the SRNH. It wasfound that a young manbelonging to Diha village test-ed positive for corona, while hispartner’s test got invalidated.His test report wiil be out bylate Monday evening.

Nodal officer Dr RishiSahay said that the taxi driverhas been admitted to KotwaCHC after coronavirus wasconfirmed in him. The reportof his partner is yet to come.Apart from this, one patienteach of Pratapgarh andFatehpur have also been admit-ted to Kotwa CHC. Now a totalof 15 patients have been admit-ted in L-1 Kotwa.

Dr Rishi Sahai further saidthat on Sunday, ten teams of theHealth department went door-to-door in the Lukerganjarea.By evening, every housewas covered there. The teamreached 18,848 homes and car-ried out screening operation ofabout 85,000 people do far.

Another coronavirus-infected case has been found inPratapgarh district. The 19-

year-old youth was foundCOVID-19 positive. He hailsfrom Ema village in Kundatehsil area. He used to live inRae Bareli and runs tempo toeke out his living. He was teat-ed there only. A few days agothe young man came to hishome. With receiving thisnew case, the number of coro-na infected patients has nowgone six in the Pratapgarh dis-trict. At the same time, sixother positive patients havebecome healthy.

CMO Dr AK Srivastavasaid that the corona virus-infected case has been con-firmed here. The youngman who was foundpositive, has been sent to the L-1 Covid-19 Hospital, KotwaCHC in Prayagraj, DrSrivastava added.

��� �� ����������� 55 6 . !

North Central Railway(NCR) will run Jhansi-

Gorakhpur and Agra Cantt-Barauni Junction outgoingShramik special trains.

Subsequent to the Ministryof Home Affairs order regard-ing movement of migrantworkers, pilgrims, tourists, stu-dents and other persons strand-ed at different places by specialtrains, Indian Railways haddecided to operate ‘ShramikSpecial’ trains.

As on May 11, 2020, a totalof 49,624 migrants have beensafely brought in at differentstations on NCR in 42 termi-nating trains. These 42 trainswere terminated at various sta-tions of North Central Railwaylike Sonbhadra( 1 train) ,Prayagraj Jn.(14 trains),Fatehpur(2 trains) ,Etah (1train) , Etawah( 1 train)Aligarh(1 train), Kanpur (7

trains), Agra Cantt.(4 trains),Gwalior (5 trains), Orai(2trains), Banda (1 train),Chattarpur (3 trains) .

These trains have ferriedmigrants from cities likeSabarmati , Surat , Ahemdabad,Palanpur , Godhra ,Viramgam,Mehsana, Morabi, Navsari,Dahod, Vadodara,Surendranagar, Kanhangad,K u r n o o l ,Ankleshwar,Bengaluru, Pune,New Delhi, Rewadi, Ludhiana,Thivim etc.

Beside large number ofincoming trains , two out goingtrains from Jhansi toGorakhpur of 22 coaches andAgra Cantt to Barauni of 20coach composition are alsooriginating on Monday whichwill add to first outgoing trainoperated by North Centralfrom Aligarh to Purnea Jn onMay 8, 2020.

YOUTH DUPED: Ayouth Amit Kumar Singh res-

ident of Nawab Yusuf Road wasduped of � 28,000 in the nameof buying a sanitiaer.

The victim has lodged areport against the accusedManjeet Kumar at the CivilLines police station here onMonday. Amit told the policesaid he approached a person tobuy a sanitiser. Then he wasduped during online paymentby the fraudster.

Similarly, Prabal KumarDwivedi was deprived of �15,000 in the name of sendingcouriers. A student residing inAN Jha Hostel has filed a caseat the Colonelganj police sta-tion on the basis of the mobilenumber.

Meanwhile, a case hascome to light related to ShwetaYadav living in Kachchi SadakDaraganj for being cheatedaround � 5,000 and threateningto kill her.

The girl student has lodgeda report against unidentified

persons at Daraganj police sta-tion.

Shweta told the police thatshe had sent online fees to herteacher when the fraudoccurred. When she called thehelpline number, she wasthreatened with dire conse-quences.

Meanwhile, police person-nel in the city and rural areasare constantly patrolling toprevent people from steppingout of their house to follow thelockdown. The police havearrested at least seven peoplefrom different places for leav-ing the house without valid rea-son.

During this, six cases werefiled against 32 people includ-ing Colonelganj, Mau Aima,Nawabganj police station.During the day, the policechecked more than 8,000 vehi-cles today, of which 813 werechallaned, while nine vehicleswere seized.

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One more COVID-19patient was found on

Monday and the report of thepatient, who is admitted atSuper Specialty Hospital inBanaras Hindu University(BHU), was confirmed fromMedanta Hospital. He belongsto Daranagar (Maigdagin) area.Earlier, one positive coronapatient was from Pratappurunder Mirza Murad police sta-tion. With these two patients,the number of COVID-19patients in the district hasincreased to 83. Out of which48 have been discharged, whileone died and at present thereare only 34 active patients.

According to ChiefMedical Officer (CMO) DrVB Singh, 50 samples were sentfor tests and out of these sam-ples, 21 were collected by ESIHospital, five by Pt Deen DayalUpadhyay (DDU) Hospital, 18from BHU and six fromPratappur. So far, 2,936 sampleswere sent for testing and thereports of 2,814 have beenreceived and 122 are awaited.Out of the, 2,737 were foundnegative. On Monday, 92reports were received and all ofthem were negative. It alsoincluded the reports of threepolicemen belong to hotspotsJai Prakash Nagar and ShivajiNagar. Pratappur has becomethe 27th hotspot and out ofthem, three (Gangapur, Lohtaand Bajardiha) have alreadybecome green zones, whilefour includingNa k k hig hat ,Pi t arkunda ,Arjunpur and Madauli) areorange zones.

Amid the pleasant news ofdischarge of 15 patients fromthe hospital on Sunday, the dis-trict has also experienced awarning signal when a person,who works as a garage mechan-ic in Mumbai, was found pos-itive. He is relative of a womanthat was found positive earlierin Mirzapur. He, along withthat woman and other relatives,came here recently in car fromMumbai. He belongs toPratappur. When his relativewoman belonging to adjoiningKachwa area in Mirzapur wasfound positive, the SDM (Raja

Talab) sent him for quarantineat ESI Hospital and hisCOVID-19 sample report wasfound positive. Later, he wasshifted to isolation ward ofDDU Hospital.

Meanwhile, amidst theongoing fight against coron-avirus pandemic, UP Ministerof State (Independent Charge)Ravindra Jaiswal inspectedKashi Vishwanath temple hereon Monday. He claimed therecent rumours over damagesin Kailash temple tower inpremises were wrong. Healleged that some oppositionparty leaders and priests hadcreated controversies thoughregular Saptrishi Aarti is beingobserved in the temple. He alsoheld a meeting with DivisionalCommissioner DeepakAgrawal and Chief ExecutiveOfficer (CEO) of temple man-

agement Vishal Singh andexpressed his concern over thenefarious designs of some self-ish gains to create controversieswhen the government is fight-ing against the COVID-19pandemic.

Earlier, the process of send-ing stranded people continuedas hundreds were sent to Biharby buses. The Roadways buseswould drop the passengers atMohania in Kaimur districtand then the arrangements oftheir onwards travel would bemade by Bihar Government.However, several families weredisappointed when theyreached SampurnanandSanskrit University (SSU)premises for going to variousdistricts of UP but there wereno arrangements for such trav-el. Due to some misunder-standing these families, along

with women and children,reached there with hope thatthere would also be arrange-ments for them. The life hasstarted returning to normalcyslowly with some relaxationsgiven with the changes in tim-ing of market opening.Thoughat most of the places the peo-ple themselves maintaining thesocial distancing norms, atmany places it was seen thatthey were not serious to followthe same. CMO inspectedhotspot Madanpura and RevariTalab and gave some instruc-tions to the concerned healthteams as several cases werefound from there. Besides,senior judge and secretary ofLegal Service Authority SudhaSingh inspected quarantinecentre at Parmanandpur andasked about those being keptthere.

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Around 1,200 students fromthe city’s coaching hub left

for their home districts inabout 40 buses from theCentral Park in Shastri Nagaron Monday. District adminis-tration, health and police offi-cials were present to monitortheir departure. Prior to board-ing the bus, all the studentswere examined by the team ofhealth department.

Since the announcement oflockdown, these students, both

boys and girls, were stranded intheir coaching centres. With nomoney left, these students werefacing difficulty in even arrang-ing two square meals and hadurged the district administra-tion to make arrangement tosend them home.

On Monday morning, theadministration finally madearrangements for their depar-ture. Cops form Kakadeo andSwaroop Nagar police stationsbesides Rapid Action Forcepersonnel were present at theCentral Park to maintain order.

After registration, all thestudents underwent medicalexamination prior to boardingthe bus. Lunch packets, miner-al water and masks were dis-tributed to the students by thedistrict administration.

Additional City Magistrate(VI) Abhishek Singh said nostudent was charged any farefor his/her destination and theentire expenses were borne bythe state government.

These students left forAmbedkar Nagar, Mau,Ghazipur, Basti, Ballia,

Kannauj, Farrukhabad,Shahjahanpur, Hardoi etc.

Swaroop Nagar CircleOfficer Ajit Singh Chauhansaid norms of social distancingwere followed during departureof students.

MLA Surendra Maithanialso reached the spot totake stock of the situation. Hesaid the state government hadmade comfortable arrange-ments for the return of work-ers and students stranded inother places during the lock-down.

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Kanpur District MagistrateDr BR Tiwari, while wel-

coming the discharge of 36COVID-19 patients fromKanshiram Hospital atRamadevi on Monday, saidwith this 95 coronavirus infect-ed persons had been fullycured in the district.

He said there was a grad-ual decline in the coronavirusactive cases, which were below200 for the first time. Heexpressed the hope that thenumber of active cases in thedistrict would further declinein the near future.

Dr Tiwari said all theCOVID-19 patients dischargedon Monday were from hotspotareas. He said these patientswere discharged from hospitalafter their second test reportcame negative.

The district magistratepraised doctors, health workersand policemen who were work-ing tirelessly to contain thespread of coronavirus.

He said smart and randomsampling and rapid tracking

and tracing of the suspects hadhelped in checking the pace of

spread of coronavirus in thecity.

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Uttar Pradesh StateIndustrial DevelopmentCorporation (UPSIDC) ChiefExecutive Officer and nodalofficer for Covid, Anil Garg,directed that district authoritiesto strictly enforce lockdown inview of thousands of migrantworkers returning fromGujarat.

He also asked the officialsto double the testing of coron-avirus suspects.

The nodal officer stressedon special monitoring at therailway stations were these

migrant workers would disem-bark from trains. He said theworkers should be allowed toproceed to their final destina-tions only after thermal screen-ing.

He also directed the offi-cials to go for more randomsampling in view of the sharprise in COVID-19 cases inKanpur.

The migrant workers whoreturned from Ahmedabadpainted a dreadful picture ofGujarat where coronavirus isspreading at an alarming rate.They felt safe on return to theirnative place.

However, from the timeliquor shops opened andmigrant workers started pour-ing into the city, there has beena constant rise in COVID-19patients.

The number of coronaviruspositive cases reached 301 withone more person succumbingto COVID-19 in the city dur-ing the past 24 hours, takingthe toll to seven.

The rise in coronaviruspositive cases in the city hasbecome a cause of concern forthe district administration.

The Kanpur medicalauthorities have sent 6,896

swab samples to laboratoriesfor test and till date 5,946 ofthem have been found to benegative while 644 reports areawaited. The official records ofthe LLR Hospital show that 95COVID-19 patients have beencured and sent back to theirrespective homes.

As per the CMO controlroom records, 31.03 per centCOVID-19 patients in the 10-18 years age group, 55.17 percent in 18-50 years age groupand 13.80 per cent. above 50years age have been cured. A 72year old man is among thosewho have defeated COVID-19.

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MLA Sadhana Singh alongwith her team distrib-

uted 437 sacks of relief mate-rials among the poor and needyin Dulhipur, Purani, Kaithapur,Parahupur and Chandauli cityof the area on Sunday. Amongthe BJP workers present on theoccasion were Raghav Singh,Bhagwati Srivastava, SunilSrivastava, Dilip Sonkar, AshokSonkar, Vinod Sonkar,Dashrath Maurya, RajeshYadav, Ritesh Mishra, AtuleshPatel, Santosh Jaiswal, AshokJaiswal, Urruj Haider,Parmanand Patel and KrishnaSharma.

Another report said thatformer MP Ramkishun Yadavreached when to the house ofa rickshaw-puller Ramdularand give ration to his mother,Biranji Devi, in Alampur vil-lage under the Alinagar policestation on Sunday.

At the same time heassured them benefits of gov-ernment schemes. He urged thevillagers to fully support thispoor family. On the occasion,the District Panchayat mem-bers are Mulayam Singh Yadav,Kedar Yadav, Lalji Yadav,Shyamji Yadav, MahendraYadav.

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Around half-a-dozen per-

sons from both sides wereinjured when two groupsclashed with each other inGureni village under theDhanapur police station onSunday. It is learnt thatVindhyanchali Devi, a resi-dent of the village, was gettingthe work done with the help ofa tractor when AwadheshKumar, a resident of the village,asked her to stop it. The mat-ter soon took an ugly turnwhen an argument took placeover it and they hurled choic-est of expletives at one anoth-er. In it lathis and poles wereused as a result of whichAvadhesh Kumar (54), Kailash(52), Shripati (76) and Vaibhav

Deep (15) were hurt from onegroup. Besides VindhyanchaliDevi (50) and Abhishek (15)years were also injured fromfrom the other side.Complaints were lodged at thelocal police station from boththe sides in this connection.Police registered a case and gotthe injured treated at the com-munity health centre and start-ed carrying out the next pro-ceedings. According to anoth-er report, some persons werebeaten up with sticks and axein connection with a molesta-tion case in Sarauli village inMarufpur outpost under Baluapolice station area. As a resulteight persons were badly

injured. Of them three werereferred to the district hospital.The police registered a caseagainst four persons in thisconnection and was engagedin further proceedings.

According to a report,Savru Ram, a resident of Saraulivillage, was working along withhis family in the field at somedistance. His daughter,Manisha, was all alone in hishouse and working there. Someyouths from the village enteredSavaru’s house and molestedthe girl. When she rushed outscreaming her family membersrushed there. At this the youthsattacked them with sticks, polesand an axe. As a result SavruRam (50), Surendra (30),Neelam Devi (45), Manisha(17), Dhananjaya (22), Ramrati(50), Prince (18) andRambachan (55) were serious-ly injured. On being informedby the villagers the policereached there and sent all theinjured to the primary healthcentre located in Chahaniafrom where three people werereferred to the district hospital.The police have registered acase against four people inthis connection on a com-plaint of Savru Ram. In thiscontext Balua police stationSanjay Kumar Singh said thataction is being taken againstfour people by filing a case.Soon all the culprits would bearrested and sent to jail.

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Ayouth was murdered neara pond in Indraprastha

Nagar Colony under theChiluatal police station Sundayevening. The young man usedto work in a company. On get-ting information police reachedthe spot, took the body of thedeceased into custody and sentit for the post-mortem exami-nation. According to infor-mation, Satish (24), son ofBaburam, a resident ofCharagwan under the Shahpurpolice station, used to work ina company. He was staying athome before the lockdown.His family members said thataround 11 am on Sunday hewent left the house and wenttowards the Karim Nagar inter-section. On the other hand,some people belonging toKarim Nagar village went

towards the pond and saw thebody of a youngman was lyingthere. The locals informed thepolice that Chiluatal policeabout it, which reached thespot and took the body intotheir custody.

A muffler was wrappedaround the victim’s neck. It isfeared that he was strangulat-ed to death with it. There weremark of burns on his arm andbruises on the head.

According to eyewitnesses,the victim often went towardsthe area where the quarters ofGDA were being built. As aresult he could be identified.Police recovered �24,960 incash, a mobile phone and a cig-arette packet from the youth'strousers. The forensic teamtoo investigated matter alongthe police. The youth was mar-ried and had a son. His wifewas pregnant at present. Police

said that action would be takenon the basis of the post-mortem examination reportand complaint.

Another report said thatfollowing a fight with her hus-band a married woman com-mitted suicide by hanging her-self from a fan in Marad villageof Sahajanwa police station onSunday afternoon. Police hadtaken her husband and moth-er-in-law into custody in thisconnection. According toinformation, Lal Nishad, a res-ident of Marad village, wasmarried to Sadhana four yearsago. Lal Nishad’s father Hublaland his two brothers, Sugrivaand Rahul, worked inMumbai. Lal Nishad returnedto the village on April 25 andwas quarantined at a school.After completing the quaran-tine period he reached homeon Saturday and had a dispute

with his wife Sadhana oversomething.

Lal Nishad gave informa-tion about the quarrel to herfather, Ramjeet. On Sundaymorning Lal Nishad went outand his mother Kunti Devi hadgone to the banks of Rapti rivergrazing the buffalo. Meanwhile,Sadhana committed suicide.When Lal Nishad returnedhome in the afternoon hefound room closed from inside.When there was no responsefrom inside he broke the latchand opened the door and foundSadhana’s body hanging fromthe fan. He informed her fam-ily members about the matter.Meanwhile, someone gaveinformation about it to thepolice. After which CircleOfficer Dinesh Kumar Singhand Station House Officer(SHO) Dinesh Kumar Mishrareached the spot.

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In order to make people aware about fol-lowing the lockdown guidelines police

took out a route march at all the head-quarters of police stations of the district onSunday. The route marches were wereattended by the circle officers (COs), stationofficers (SOs) and AdditionalSuperintendents of Police (ASPs) con-cerned. The route march in Kachhawanwas led by ASP Prakash Swaroop Pandeyand he told the people that precaution wasmore important than treatment. He madeit clear that entire machinery was active inthe larger interest of the common people soit was their duty people to follow the normsof lockdown and stay at home.

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The body of an unidentified old man

was found lying near military camp underthe Dehat Kotwali police station hererecently. On getting information about thematter Karanpur police outpost incharge tookthe body of the victim into his custody forcompleting the legal formalities along withascertaining the identity of the deceased.Another report said that Ranjeet alias Guddu(5), a resident of Pattikala village under theAhrauraa police station, died when he fell intoa here. Meanwhile a 50-year-old man waselectrocuted while doing some work inRajapur village under the Lalganj police sta-tion. According to a report received here,Rajendra alias Munnu Patel (50), a residentof Rajapur village under the Lalganj policestation, was electrocuted. He was brought tothe district hospital in an injured sate wherehe died on Sunday afternoon. The inchargeof Lahangpur police outpost took the bodyof the victim into his possession for com-pleting the legal formalities.

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Senior Congress leaderMumtaz Ali 250 ration kits

were distributed among thepoor and needy people inStation Road, PaliwalChauraha, Chhawani, PeeliKothi and Gurdwara street inBanda city on Sunday. Ali saidthat these ration kits werebeing distributed on theinstructions of former ministerNaseemuddin Siddiqui.

Among those who distrib-uted these ration kits wereOm Prakash Gupta, SaiyadAltmash, Sanjay Trivedi, Jugnu,Ram Kishore Mishra and SakirMansoor alias Chhota Bhaiand Shamsher. Congress leaderAli said that ration kits werebeing arranged for the needyand poor by former ministerand MLC Naseemuddin

Siddiqui. Ali said that specialattention was being paid tomaintain social distancing dur-ing the distribution of rationkits among the needy and poor.Congress leader that he wasreceiving more than four dozencalls on his mobile number formaking them available at theirhomes. Mumtaz Ali said thatthese ration kits were seperatelybeing sent to the houses ofhandicapped and helpless peo-ple of Banda city. Ali said thatformer minister NaseemuddinSiddiqui had asked him that noone should remain hungry inentire district. Ali said that hisaim was to serve the humani-ty during the present crisis.

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An 18-year-old BTech stu-dent committed suicide by

shooting himself with a coun-trymade pistol on his chest inBasarahai village under theKalinjar police station onSunday. As a result he died onthe spot.

When his parents returnedfrom the barn and saw theywere shocked to find the bodyof their son and informed thepolice about it. Thereafter offi-cer incharge Gudha police out-post Rajesh Kumar reached thespot and sent the body of thedeceased for the post-mortemexamination.

Officer incharge Kumarsaid that the father of thedeceased had told the policethat his son was mentally upsetand was undergoing treatmentin Prayagraj district. The policehave recovered the 12 borecountrymade pistol which wasused for committing suicide.

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Multifaceted efforts arebeing made by North

Eastern Railway (NER) admin-istration to prevent novel coro-navirus infection and its staffwas engaged in it with fullenthusiasm. Necessary materi-als are being transported byensuring movement of goodsand parcel trains and variousworks are being done for pre-vention of Covid-19.

Apart from it during thelockdown period while thefear of infection remains dis-tribution of face masks, sani-tisers and relief materialsamong the needy was beingdone continuously by railway-men. Personnel doing com-mendable work in such a dif-ficult situation are being hon-oured by the NER administra-tion by being declared ‘Coronawarriors of the day’ every day.Three such railwaymen werehonoured on May 9, ChiefPublic Relations Officer(CPRO) Pankaj Kumar Singhsaid.

Reports said that RashidBeg Mirza, working on the postof inspector at RailwayProtection Force post,Azamgarh, provided ration to27 helpless and needy familiesthere and its surrounding areasduring the ongoing nation-wide lockdown period. Apart

from it he distributed 1,500food packets, masks and vita-min C tablets among the needy.

For it which he was honouredby being declared ‘Corona war-rior of the Day’ of Varanasidivision.

Similarly Apoorv SwapnilKatyayan, who was serving assenior section engineer, ITCentre, Lucknow Junction, wasmaking videos, presentations,e-books etc on various protec-tive efforts being made by thedivision for boosting themorale of officials and employ-ees during the ongoing nation-wide lockdown period andposting them on social media.

Apart from it he extended

technical support to officersand employees with the help ofvarious tools. He also helped

them in overcoming problemswhich they faced while work-ing from home and on e-officeportal. He made an e-bookavailable on the website of thedivision during lockdown. Forit he was honoured by beingdeclared ‘Corona warriors ofthe Day’ of Lucknow division.

On the other hand,Randeep Kumar, working asinspector at RailwayProtection Force Post,Kathgodam, was providingfood to eight coolies and twohelpless people at night everyday in view of Covid-19 pan-

demic outbreak. He maderation available to 139 labour-ers working in Gola river in

collaboration with the LittleFoundation, Haldwani,Nainital thrice. He made thepublic aware regarding covid-19 pandemic by launching adrive. For it he was honouredby being declared ‘Corona war-rior of the day’ of Izzatnagardivision.

The North Eastern Railwayadministration will continue tohonor and reward its person-nel who had done such com-mendable work during thelockdown period.

Northeast Railway wasproud of such employees.

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Three persons were arrestedfor attacking a constable on

May 7 when he went to solve adispute among the people inBamhraula village under theMarka police station.

Reports said that StationOfficer Marka police stationRamashrey Yadav and sub-inspector along with constablesarrested Akhilesh Dwivedi andRajaram Dwivedi, both sons ofRam Swaroop Dwivedi, and

Suneeta, wife of Prem Chandrafrom Kureha Barambaba ofthe village on Sunday.

Station Officer MarkaRamashrey Yadav said thatFIR was lodged under section147, 148, 149, 307, 332, 353,504,1 88, 269 and 270 of theIndian Penal Code (IPC) a fewdays ago in which four personswere named and 10 otherunidentified persons. SO saidthat the raids were being con-ducted to arrest the remainingaccused in the case.

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A 26-year-old woman suc-cumbed to her burns hererecently. According to a reportreceived here, Anusuiya, wife ofJagdeesh, had got burnt aftershe had poured kerosene onher clothes and set them afirein Kharaunch village on Friday.She was admitted to theDistrict Hospital Banda in aserious condition where shedied. The police have sent thebody for the post-mortem

examination. SHO NarainiGirendra Singh said that a dis-pute between the family mem-bers of both sides resulted insuicide. He said that Anusuiyawas married to Jagdish aboutsix months ago. He said that thedeceased had gone to her par-ents’ place in Guthillapurwawhere her family membershad insulted her husband overto some issue. As Anusuiya washurt she committed suicide bysetting herself afire after return-ing to her house.

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A gang of unidentifiedthieves struck at a house in

Basdiya village under theKhamaria police outpost underthe Isanagar police station hererecently an decamped withvaluables worth �1.50 lakh,including cash, gold and silverornaments from there recent-ly. According to a reportreceived here, a gang of uniden-tified thieves first sneaked intothe house of the victim, Amit,a resident of the village, withthe help of stairs from its roof.They then broke open thelocks of the boxes kept in the

rooms and took away valuablesworth lakhs of rupees, includ-ing jewellery, �60,000 in cash,two mobile phones and costlyclothes from there.

Besides they broke openthe lock of the house of hisneighbour, Rajesh Yadav, andtook away a sack containing 50kilogram sugar from there.Reprots said that Rajesh Yadavhad gone to his ancestral vil-lage, Pachgahra, at that timewhen the theft occurred.

On getting informationoutpost incharge Mahesh Tyagiinspected the spot. He said thatthey had received a complaintin this connection. He said thatcase would be registered after

investigation. MeanwhileRitesh Jaiswal belonging toSaraswati Devi Colony underKotwali Sadar area said that thethieves had targeted his firm ofagricultural instruments onMela Maidan Road andescaped with �5,000 in cashand other articles from there.They also broke the closed-cir-cuit television cameras (CCTV)installed in the nearby areasand they entered the shop bybreaking open its locks. Besidesthey took �9,000 and an LEDfrom the agricultural firm ofJasmer Singh. Both the firmowners had lodged a com-plaint with the police in thisconnection.

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Under the drive of Police- Public Annapoorna Bankso that no one remained any hungry during lock-

down period, Jamalpur police provided lunch packetsto 500 people on Sunday. About the distribution sta-tion officer of (SO) Jamalpur Ashwini Tiwari said thatmost of the needy were genuine persons. He furthersaid that most of the beneficiaries came to the policestation on time for collecting the relief materials. Someothers who lived in far-flung areas were provided helpby the men in khaki at their foorstep, he added. In caseof emergency policemen helped the needy with theirown resources, he said. He praised his colleagues whowere dedicated to helping all the needy during the ongo-ing nationwide lockdown in force to check spread ofcoronavirus and followed the norms, including socialdistancing, during the distribution of the food items.

Meanwhile, Prema Devi(50) a resident ofMahugarh village under the Halia police station diedwhen lightning struck her on Sunday. On getting infor-mation the SO reached on the spot and took the bodyinto custody for completing the legal formalities.

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Three persons who had fall-en on the road after the

loader on which they weretravelling overturned after itsfront tyre burst were crushed todeath by a truck on Sunday.According to a report, Natthu(70), son of Parga, Lalu (50),son of Dirgaj, and Ram Milan(55), son of Bhoora, all resi-dents of Majhila village felldown from a loader on thenational highway when its fronttyre got burst and it over-turned in Khairar village underthe Mataundh police station onSunday. They were crushed bythe speeding truck on Jhansi-Mirzapur national highway.While Natthu died on the spotLalu and Rammilan wererushed to the district hospitalin serious condition wherethey died. The police had senttheir bodies for the postmortem examination. ASPLKB Pal said that the SHOMataundh has been directed toget the absconding truck driverarrested and impounded thetruck. ASP said that the policehad lodged an FIR underMotor Vehicles Act, 1988.

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MLA Prakash Dwivedi saidthat 200 ration kits were

distributed among the poorand needy in Swaraj Colony,Jail Road, Karbala and Kyotaraareas in the city on Monday.Those who distributed theseration kits were city presidentBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)Rajesh Gupta, city general sec-retary, BJP, Santosh Rajput,city vice-president, BJP,Pradeep Srivastava, PramodTripathi, Rajat Seth, PushkarDwivedi and AnurudhaTripathi. MLA Dwivedi saidthat 5,000 lunch packets werealso distributed among theneedy and poor in differentparts of the city on Monday.These areas included Chhoti

Bazar, Khutla, AliganjChauraha, Atarra Chungi,Chhawani, PadmakarChauraha, Babulal Chauraha,

Ramleela Road, Civil Lines,Gayatri Nagar, Kalu Kuwan,Sarvodaya Nagar, Station Road,railway station, Roadways bus

stand, Maharana Pratap chau-raha, Bangalipura, NoniyaMohal, Katra, Muktidham,Sankat Mochan, Ashok ki Lat,DM colony, Awas Vikas, IndiraNagar, jheel ka purwa. MLAdwivedi said that his aim wasthat mo one should be left hun-gry. Dwivedi said that his partyworkers were advising the peo-ple to wear face masks andmaintain social distancingwhile coming out of their hous-es to public places.

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Two siblings a six-year-oldboy and five-year-old girldrowned while bathing in apond in Palhari village underthe Bisanda police station.SHO Bisanda Pratima Singh

said that Rekha Devi had cometo her parents’ place about oneweek ago. While she was busyin domestic work her bothchildren went to a nearby pondand went into the area wherewater was deep and drowned.

Meanwhile NagendraSingh alias Bhola (40), son ofRamraj Singh, drowned in apond in Godhani village underthe Tindwari police station.Pradhan Ramesh ChandraPandey got the body of thedeceased fished out. Policehave sent it body for the post-mortem examination. The wifeof the deceased, Hemlata,alleged that her husband wasmurdered. However, SHOTindwari said that the deceasedwas addicted to liquor andhad died due to drowning.

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The evaluation of answer-sheets of UP Board exam-

inations will be done fromTuesday. However, evaluationwill not be done in hotspotareas of the district. The teach-ers residing in hotspot areaswill not be engaged in thiswork. This information was

given to mediapersons byDistrict Inspector of Schools(DIOS) Banda Vinod Kumaron Sunday.

He said that this evaluationwould be done in AdarshBajrang Vidyalaya andGovernment Inter College inthe city only.

DIOS Kumar said thatsocial distancing would be

maintained and thermalscreening of every examinerwould be done before theirentry at the evaluation centre.DIOS Kumar said that onelakh answersheets of HighSchool and 1.25 lakh ofIntermediate classes would bedone. Kumar said that earlier54,000 answersheets hadalready been evaluated.

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During a drive launched on thedirective Superintendent of

Police Manilal Patidar a team con-stituted by inspector inchargeAbhimanyu Yadav arrested awoman along with 15 litres ofsemi-prepared illicit country liquor.

Reports said that the teamarrested the accused identified asSonam (32) , wife of Jitendra, a res-ident of Churari Kabutara Deraunder the Kulpahar police stationin the district on Sunday. Thearrest was made from ChurariKabootara Dera area. Police recov-ered 15 litres of illicit semi-preparedcountry liquor kept in a containerfrom her possession. A case underSection 60 of the Excise Act wasregistered against the accused as per

the rules. The police team whichmade the arrest comprised sub-inspector Raghunath Yadav andwoman constable Sunita Devi.

On the other hand, a team con-stituted by inspector CharkhariRakesh Kumar Saroj arrested oneaccused from an area in front ofmazar on Supa Road in Charkharion Monday. He was identified asHarkishore Rajput alias Bhaiyan,son of Kamta Prasad, a resident ofSalat village under the Charkharipolice station in the district and 1.5kg ganja, a pistol of 315 bore and alive cartridge from a van recoveredfrom his possession.A case was reg-istered against him under relevantsections of law. The team whichmade the arrest comprised S-ITribhuvan Singh and constablesRahul Yadav and Ankit Yadav.

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Aman committed suicide by hanginghimself here. However, what com-

pelled him to take this extreme step wasnot still clear, last reports received heresaid. According to information receivedhere, Vijendra Singh (40), a resident ofBabura Parashurampatti village, wasposted as a sanitation worker inUnchdeeh village. At present he wasdeployed in Parashurampatti village forcarrying out the work. After dinner onSaturday he went to sleep in his room.On Sunday his family saw him hangingfrom ceiling. On getting informationSHO Vindhyachal Ved Prakash Raireached the spot, took his body into cus-tody for completing the legal formalities.Meanwhile Banarsi (65), a resident ofAahi village under the Kachhawan policestation, was scorched in lightning strike.He was sent to Varanasi for treatment.

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Jammu: A patient admitted inthe Chest disease hospital diedon Monday taking the totaldeath toll due to Covid-19 inJammu & Kashmir to 10. Fourdays ago, 32-year-old son of thepatient too had died after he hadcontracted coronavirus infectionwhile attending to his ailingfather in the Super Specialty hos-pital.

Meanwhile, 18 new positivecases of coronavirus were detect-ed, 12 from Kashmir divisionand 6 from Jammu division onMonday taking the total tally to879 cases. Out of 12 new cases,11 cases were detected positivefrom Kulgam district alonewhile 1 patient tested positive inBaramulla. In addtion, 44patients, all from Kashmir, weredischarged from hospitals aftercomplete recvovery.

So far , more than 51,000samples have been tested acrossJammu & Kashmir and 427

patients have recovered.According to Shailendra

Mishra, SSP, Kathua, "3 moretested positive for covid atBillawar, taking the toll up to 05in Kathua district. All 3 werealready in quarantine and wereidentified at Lakhanpur corridor.Let’s keep our guard up."

Three cases were detectedfrom Jammu. One of the patientfrom New Plot area of Jammuwas already admitted in theGMC, Jammu and one eachfrom Nagrota and Bhatindi,with a travel history toAhmedabad tested positive dur-ing screening at the gateway ofJammu and Kashmir inLakhanpur.

On the other hand, ChiefSecretary BVR SubrahmanyamMonday visited Jammu railwaystation to review arrangementsfor stranded passengers, reach-ing here via special trains fromTuesday. PNS

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Expatriate workers whoreached Kerala during the

last two days brought withthem more coronavirus patientsto the State which had on lastThursday declared that the pan-demic curve has been flattened.

According to a release by KK Shylaja, Kerala Minister ofHealth, seven persons havebeen tested positive for coron-avirus in the State on Monday.Out of this, four persons hadreached the State fromMaharashtra, one person fromChennai and another fromKuwait. An individual inWayanadu district who testedpositive on Monday got itthrough a contact.

The Minister said that 27persons are under treatment invarious hospitals in the State for

the pandemic. “Till Sunday,1,307 persons returned to theState from foreign countries. Wehave put 650 persons underhome observation while 641have been admitted to covidcare centres and 16 to varioushospitals for observation. Thereare 229 pregnant women amongthe expatriates who reachedthe State,” said the minister’srelease.

The release further saidthat 27, 986 persons are underobservation in the State. Out ofthis 27,545 are in their houseswhile 441 are in hospitals. 157perosns have been admitted tohospitals on Monday. Thereare 34 coronavirus hotspots inthe State.

Earlier in the day, a womanwho reached Kochi by INS JalAshwa from Male on Sundaygave birth to a baby boy in a

Kochi hospital. The youngmother and her close relationsthanked the Indian Navy for thehelp rendered by them duringthe journey. The ship ferried 698passengers inclusing 440Keralaites from Male to Kochi.INS Magar, another ship hasalready reached Male to trans-port 200 more passengers toKochi and is expected to arriveat Kochi in the next two days.

Meanwhile the KeralaGovernment on Monday issueda special order allowing the3,595 toddy shops in the Stateto open from Wednesday. Theshops would function from 9am to 7 pm. Tipplers may haveto buy the bottles and take ithome because they are notallowed to consume the toddyin the shop. The business wouldbe held as per the coronavirusnorms and regulations,

Chennai: In a gruesome inci-dent, a 14-year old schoolgirlwas set on fire in Tamil Nadu'sVillupuram district by twomen connected to the rulingAIADMK party. The girl, whohad suffered 95 per cent burns,died on Monday, police said.

According to police,Jayashree, daughter of smallshop-owner Jayapal, had givena statement to the magistratenaming two persons - G.Murugan and K.Kaliaperumal- as the persons who had sether on fire.

The crime occurred onSunday at Sirumadurai locali-ty near Thiruvennainallurwhen the girl was alone at herhouse.

On hearing the girl's criesand the smoke coming out of

her house, neighbours rushedin and were shocked. They tookthe girl to the governmenthospital where she breathed herlast.

Police told IANS thatMurugan and Kaliaperumalhave been taken into custodyand are being questioned.

According to a police offi-cial, there had been a previousenmity between the girl's fatherand the alleged killers.

Meanwhile, major opposi-tion parties have demandedsevere punishment to thekillers.

Demanding quick andsevere punishment to the twoaccused, including a formermunicipal councillor, opposi-tion DMK's President M.K.Stalin on Monday claimed that

the duo tied the hands and legsof Jayashree, stuffed her mouthwith a cloth, and set her afire.

The girl was admitted in agovernment hospital with 95per cent burn injuries, and inher dying declaration to a mag-istrate, named the twoAIADMK members as the cul-prits, he added.

According to Stalin, it is thesecond such crime of burningalive a student by AIADMKmembers. A bus was set ablazein Dharmapuri, in which three

girl students of Tamil NaduAgricultural University wereburnt alive in 2000.

Stalin urged the police toact impartially and ensure thestrictest punishment to theculprits.

Similarly, PMK FounderS.Ramadoss said whatever bethe previous enmity, the grue-some act of burning alive aschool girl cannot be permit-ted. Ramadoss, in a tweet, saidthe killers should be speedilypunished in such a way that itremains as a lesson for suchkillers.

MDMK General SecretaryVaiko too demanded a speedyand severe punishment for thekillers. Meanwhile the rulingAIADMK is silent on the issue. IANS

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Bengaluru: ReinforcingKarnataka's Covid-19 combatefforts, a mobile fever clinic hasbeen inaugurated. "Covidmobile fever clinic has beeninaugurated," tweeted ChiefMinister B.S. Yediyurappa, hereon Monday.

The makeshift clinic, set upin a remodelled KSRTC bus,was inaugurated by the ChiefMinister at his home officeKrishna.

Bengaluru South memberof Parliament Tejasvi Suryasaid his office along with otherentities developed the mobilefever clinic. "We have madeavailable swab collection facil-ities for Covid, CBC, CRP andESR tests in five such clinics,"said Surya. The KarnatakaGovernment has deployed ahost of innovative solutions tocombat Covid-19. IANS

Chennai: Tamil Nadu ChiefMinister K. Palaniswami onMonday said migrant workersliving in the state will be sentback home in phases with thepermission of the respectivestate governments.

In a statement issued here,Palaniswami said 9,000 migrantworkers with the permission ofthe respective state govern-ments have been sent backhome in special trains.

The remaining migrantworkers will be sent back homein a week's time with the per-mission of the respective stategovernments, he said.

He requested the migrantworkers to remain in the campstill such time. IANS

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He further added, “All domestic and interna-tional travel should not be permitted at least till theend of May.”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeraywas of opinion that any order on lockdown shouldbe taken cautiously as the threat of peak in coro-navirus cases looms large.

“Cases are expected to peak in May, it may peakin June or July also. I’ve read Wuhan is witnessinga second wave of cases, even the WHO haswarned about this. So, I suggest that any action onlockdown must be taken cautiously,” he said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked foropening up of economic activities in Delhi exceptin the containment zones.

Most of the States, including Bihar, AndhraPradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab, want-ed extension of the lockdown with a carefully-craft-ed strategy to revive economic activities across thecountry. States requested the Centre to re-sched-ule the debt saying they were in “massive debt”.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh pitchedfor continuing the lockdown but backed by fiscaland economic empowerment of the States, to savelives and secure livelihood.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi KPalaniswami wanted refinancing support of Rs 2,500crore to the State Industrial Investment Corporationthrough IDBI and commercial banks.

Opposition-ruled States like Punjab,Chhattisgarh and West Bengal said that States need-ed to be given greater flexibility in micro-planningas part of a carefully planned exit strategy, encom-passing both Covid-19 containment and a definedpath of economic revival.

At least five CMs opposed running of passen-ger trains and resumption of flights. Raising objec-tion to the operation of passenger trains fromTuesday, Telangana Chief Minister KC Rao backedPalaniswami’s stance of not running trains until nextmonth. The two Chief Ministers were further joinedby Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy andChhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel in opposing themove.

Rao was of view that resuming train serviceswould lead to a lot more chaos in terms of identi-fying people who’ve been infected, testing and quar-antining. Tamil Nadu CM said trains should not berun to Chennai which has recently seen spurt incoronavirus cases.

Rao , along with others, urged Modi toreschedule the Centre’s debt on the States and askedfor more Special Protection Equipment and otherhealth kits.

“All the States are under massive financial bur-den and no State is in a stage to clear the debt tothe Centre.” Rao requests the PM to ‘reschedule’debts that States need to pay to the Centre, like theway farmer loans have been deferred”, said theTelangana CM.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan MohanReddy said it was important to reopen agricultur-al markets, public transport, markets and shoppingmalls with some SOPs to prevent infections.“Normalcy will revive the economy,” Reddy report-edly said. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel soughtindependence in decision making saying “StateGovernments should get the right to take decisionson handling of economic activities within theirStates. They should also get the responsibility todeclare red, green and orange zones.”

The BJP-ruled Tripura CM Biplab Deb said,“The North-East will work together and will fast

track its economic activities.” He urged the PM thatthe NE corridor should be connected by road fromBangladesh, so that trade and business activity canbe accelerated. He also sought for GST collectionfrom the Centre.

Manipur CM N Biren Singh said, “Strandedpeople are coming back and we will now face thechallenge. We will screen them at railway stationand will send them to respective homes and askthem to home quarantine. The lockdown should begradually opened and only economic activitiesshould be allowed with strict protocol.”

Though the number of cases showed thebiggest jump on Monday, India also has a signifi-cantly improved recovery rate of 31 per cent. OnMonday the number of coronavirus patients is67,152 with 4,213 new cases in the last 24 hours.

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In the Ganjam district, the epicentre of Covid-19, cases are spiralling with 125 migrants testingpositive on returning from Surat. On Sunday, 83tested positive in the State, all of whom were migrantworkers barring one. The State Government is wor-ried by the prospect of cases ballooning in the nextcouple of weeks as 4-5 lakh more migrants are like-ly to return to Odisha.

Bihar reported 466 cases till May 1 which hasgone up to 707 till May 10, thanks to the home-coming of a large number of migrants. In Bihar,nearly 70 per cent of the new cases since May 1 havebeen detected in migrant workers. As many as 100migrants tested positive on Saturday and 44 onSunday taking the tally to 707. According toPrincipal Secretary (Health) Sanjay Kumar, goingby the experience over the past 10 days, almost 60per cent to 70 per cent of the tested samples whichcame positive were of people who came from out-side the State.

In Jharkhand, one-third of the 160 positive casesspread over 13 districts have been reported in thepast one week, around the time that migrant work-ers began to reach their home States. There is a spikeof 50 per cent when compared to 113 cases the Statereported till May 1. On Saturday, 22 migrants whoreturned from Surat tested positive for the coron-avirus disease in the highest single-day tally in theState. Rajasthan coronavirus tally has reached 3,898as compared to 2,666 cases till May 1. Majority ofnew cases were reported from the border districtsof Gujarat, from where the migrant workers havereturned.

West Bengal reported 795 cases till May 1,which increased to 1,939 by May 11, more than dou-bling in just 10 days.

UP has reported 3,467 cases so far as comparedto 2,328 cases till May 1. Officials said that caseshave increased after arrival of migrants from otherStates. The Covid-19 cases in the State of AndhraPradesh have reached 2,018. As many as 38 casestested positive during the last 24 hours. Twenty-sixof them have returned from Gujarat, one fromKarnataka and eight from the Chittoor district.

The situation could worsen in most of theseStates as the migrants workers are expected to returnin much bigger numbers in the coming days andweeks.

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We have introduced labour reforms to employ20 lakh people,” he said.

Realising that his government had drawn a lotof flak for bringing in labour reforms, the chief min-ister said that it was necessary to implement labourreforms so as to invite industries to set up their unitsin UP.

“These (labour reforms) will be implementedonly where new units will be set up. Besides, it willalso be applicable in those old units where newlabourers are being employed,” he said.

Elaborating on the welfare scheme his gov-ernment has implemented, Yogi said that under thePradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, 2.34 crorefarmers had received two instalments of �2,000 eachwhile under the Jan Dhan Yojana, �500 had beendeposited twice in the accounts of woman accountholders. Besides, he said, under the Ujjwalascheme, 1.47 crore people had been given LPGcylinders twice.

Yogi said that so far, food grains had been dis-tributed to 3.32 crore ration card holders underPradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in April.

“On May 1, food grains were distributed to13.28 crore people on 3.19 crore ration cards. Thisincludes distribution of free food grains on 95 lakhration cards. Besides, Two months’ pension amount-ing to �871.46 crore was released to 86,71,781 ben-eficiaries under various pension schemes,” he said.

“We have started industries in the green zone.In orange zone too, the operation of industries willstart in accordance with the Central government’sguidelines,” he said. The chief minister said in UttarPradesh, more than 15 lakh labourers were currentlyemployed.

“We have started emergency services in hos-pitals. Instructions have been given to start emer-gency services at the rates of Ayushman BharatScheme in 660 private hospitals all over UP. Thisfacility has been made available in government hos-pitals in all 75 districts. We have also startedtelemedicine,” Yogi informed the prime minister.

UP has started purchasing wheat from April 15and 120.52 lakh quintals of wheat has been procuredfrom 2,26,461 farmers through 5,858 governmentpurchasing centres, the chief minister added.

Yogi said that 4.89 lakh stray cattle had beenprotected by opening 5,029 cow protection centresin the state. He said the supply of fodder for the cat-tle was ensured in all districts and 2,461 fodderbanks had been established across the state,

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Official said on Monday that the Railways willnow run 100 ‘Shramik Special’ trains daily, addingthat 468 such trains have been operated since May1 ferrying home over five lakh migrants strandedin various parts of the country.

The Railways also decided to carry around 1,700passengers on board these trains instead of the cur-rent 1,200 and the railway zones have also beenasked to provide three stops in the destination stateother than the terminating station, at the requestof the state governments.

The central government has noted with greatconcern that migrant workers continue to walk onroads and railway tracks, Union Home SecretaryAjay Bhalla said in a letter to chief secretaries of allstates and union territories and asked them toensure that such people are provided shelter andfood till such time they are facilitated to board thespecial trains or buses to their native places.

The opposition has been critical of the Centre’shandling of the situation, accusing it of not doingenough to ease the hard ships of the migrant work-ers, many of whom have lost their jobs during the

lockdown which started on March 25.These people have been desperate to reach their

native places, but with public transport suspend-ed and movement restricted, many have resortedto walking or using whatever private vehicles areavailable, facing immense hardships and even risk-ing their lives. Accidents involving migrants on themove are being reported daily from variousstates.Returning home to Uttar Pradesh fromTelangana, two migrant labourers were killed andseven others injured after a truck they had hitcheda ride on to take a break from walking overturnedin Gorakhpur district in UP on Monday, police said.

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While Punjab reported 54 new cases to reacha total of 1,877 cases and 31 deaths, Haryana report-ed 27 cases to reach a total of 730 cases and 11deaths.

However, on the positive side, recovery ratesurged to 31.15 per cent with 20,917 Covid-19patients cured till now. “The recovery rate standsat 31.14 per cent, which is a significant developmentover last Sunday’s 26.59 per cent,” said Lav Agarwal,Joint Secretary with the Union Health Ministry atthe press conference here.

The Health Ministry avoided mentioning thenumber of fatalities and remained in the denialmode whether it constitutes a community trans-mission or not, during the press conference.

Asked by the media whether or not the coun-try has entered the community transmission stage,Agarwal said: “We have found a few clusters andhave noticed relatively large outbreak in a few places.Even the Director, AIIMS said that if we do not con-tain the zones properly, the rate of transmission willbecome higher. Therefore it is important for us tomaintain at this stage only and scale up contain-ment efforts and ensure that we don’t go at the com-munity transmission stage.”

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However, the IRCTC shall make provision forlimited eatables and packaged drinking water onpayment basis. Information to this effect shall bemade available to passengers during time of book-ing ticket,” it said.

Passengers are encouraged to carry their ownfood and drinking water. Dry, ready-to-eat food andbottled water shall be provided on demand, insidethe trains on payment basis, it said. “All passengersshall be compulsorily screened and only asympto-matic passengers are allowed to board the train,” itadded.

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Also, a patient may have many co-morbid con-ditions but only those that have contributed to deathshould be recorded,” the guidance document stat-ed.

The health research body has set up ICMR-NCDIR e-Mortality (e-Mor) software for record-ing the cause of death.

In its final draft ‘Standard Guidelines forMedico-legal autopsy in Covid-19 deaths in India,’the ICMR said that the invasive techniques shouldnot be adopted for forensic autopsy in Covid-19death cases as doctors and other mortuary staff are

exposed to potentially dangerous health risks dueto organ fluids and secretions.

Some of the cases of suspected Covid-19death which are brought dead to hospitals arelabelled by emergency doctors as MLC and the bodyis sent to the mortuary and police are informedwhich may need post-mortem examination for clar-ity in the cause of death.

“The forensic autopsy of these cases may bewaived off,” the draft guidelines said.

Some of the cases are suicide, homicide or acci-dent and may be positive or suspected case of thenovel coronavirus infection. After the inquest pro-cedure, if any crime is not suspected, police havethe authority to waive off conduction of medico-legal autopsy, even though labelled as medico-legalcase.

“The investigating police officer must proac-tively take steps to waive off unnecessary autopsiesduring such pandemic situation,” the draft docu-ment said.

“The body must be taken to the burial/crema-tion ground in presence of law enforcing agencies,where not more than five relatives of the deceasedshould be allowed,” it said.

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made certain amendments to the SupremeCourt Rules, 2013, in September last year which stat-ed that single-judge bench would hear appeals inbail and anticipatory bail matters in offencesentailing jail term of up to seven years.

As per a notice issued by the top court on itswebsite on Monday, besides other amendments thecompetent authority has provided that certain cat-egories of matters may be “heard and disposed offinally by a judge sitting singly nominated by theChief Justice”.

“Special Leave Petitions arising out of grant, dis-missal or rejection of bail application or anticipa-tory bail application in the matters filed against theorder passed under section 437, section 438 or sec-tion 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973(2 of 1974) involving the offences punishable withsentence up to seven years imprisonment,” thenotice said.

It further said that single judge would also hearapplication for transfer of cases under section 406of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and alsoapplication of urgent nature for transfer of casesunder section 25 of the Code of Civil Procedure(CPC).

“Take further notice that the matters referredto above will be listed before judge sitting singlyw.E.F May 13, 2020,” the notice said. A gazette noti-fication was issued on September 17 last year,through which the apex court had amended theSupreme Court Rules, 2013.

Earlier, as per Supreme Court Rules, 2013 andolder rules, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) had thepower to appoint one or

more judges to hear all matters of an urgentnature during summer vacation or winter holidays.

The Supreme Court website said, “The origi-nal Constitution of 1950 envisaged a Supreme Courtwith a Chief Justice and 7 puisne Judges - leavingit to Parliament to increase this number”.

It said, “In the early years, all the Judges of theSupreme Court sat together to hear the cases pre-sented before them. As the work of the Courtincreased and arrears of cases began to cumulate,Parliament increased the number of Judges from8 in 1950 to 11 in 1956, 14 in 1960, 18 in 1978 and

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In the Chief Ministers’ meet-ing with Prime Minister

Narendra Modi on Monday,West Bengal CM MamataBanerjee raised the issue of theCentre targeting her State,sources in the StateGovernment said.

The Bengal Chief Ministerreportedly told the PrimeMinister how her State admin-istration was being singled outby the Centre at a time whenall the sides should work incohesion to fight corona pan-demic.

Raising the issue of theCentre repeatedly pulling upBengal for alleged dilution oflockdown protocols, the CMreportedly told the PM that herState had worked according tothe central guidelines andhence it should not have been

targeted the way it had been forthe past several weeks.

Asserting that this was notthe time to play politicsBanerjee told the PrimeMinister that the CentralGovernment was workingaccording to a “script.”

She raised the issue of theInter-Ministerial CentralTeams being sent to Bengal fora “hostile review” of the situa-tions whereas the StateGovernment was only follow-ing the rules made by theCentre. She said that Bengalwas a border State with a highdensity of population andhence the policies on the Stateshould be made with care andcaution, sources said.

Wondering why the Centrewas not clearing the State’sdues she reportedly said thather Government had to bearhuge burden of providing free

ration to the entire populationbesides bearing the cost oftreatment of the people.

She also said that no trainfare should be extracted fromthe migrant workers who werereturning from other States,sources said.

Earlier her nephew andTMC MP Abhishek Banerjeeslammed the Centre for notconsulting the Chief Ministersbefore the ‘lockdown one’.

“The Centre is holdingmeeting with the ChiefMinisters before the lockdown2 or lockdown 3 but it did notconsult them before the lock-down 1 because it thoughtthat the corona crisis will blowover on its own and then theCentre will be able to take cred-it for fighting it out alone… Butnow when the pandemic isspreading Centre is consultingthe Chief Minister,” he said.

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Mumbai’s Dharavi slumerupted once again on

Monday, as 57 more persons test-ed positive for Covid-19, takingthe total number of infectedcases in Asia’s biggest slum to 916.

A day after two more per-sons succumbed to coronavirustaking the total number of deathsto 29 and 26 others tested posi-tive in Dharavi, 57 new infectedcases were reported from variousparts of this densely populatedslum. Matunga Labour camp,which has emerged as the mostaffected area, reported as manyas eight Covid-19 positive caseson Monday. There was a seven-teen- year-old among the sevennewly infected persons, whocomprised a 71-year-old manand others were in the age groupof 31 years and 53 years. Six newinfected cases had been report-ed from Matunga Labour campon Sunday.

Dharavi Cross Road area was

another where as many as sixcases were reported on Monday.

Like in the previous days,new infected cases were report-ed from most of the localities inthis densely populated slum. What is worrying thehealth authorities is that duringthe last 40 days since the outbreakof the pandemic in Dharavi,there have already been 29 deathsin this slum, while the infectedcases have crossed the 900-mark (916).

Despite creating contain-ment zones and isolating the“contacts”, the authorities have sofar not been able to arrest thespread of the pandemic in thisslum. Dharavi, a slum spreadover 240 hectare area that is hometo more than 4 lakh people, hasbeen an area of concern for theBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) ever sincethe first couple deaths andinfected cases were reportedfrom this slum in the first weekof April.

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The Government on Monday clar-ified that only passengers with e-

ticket will be allowed access to rail-way stations and they will be med-ically screened and only asympto-matic persons would be allowed toboard the train. This has been doneto maintain social distancing.

The Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) issued standard operatingprocedures saying passengers mustadhere to social distancing and wearface masks.

“Movement of passengers to &fro and entry at the railway stationwould be permitted only on con-firmed e-ticket. There would becompulsory medical screening of allpassengers. Only asymptomatic per-sons would be allowed to board thetrain. During the travel and at therailway stations, strict adherence toHealth/hygiene protocols and socialdistancing must be observed.

All passengers would be provid-ed with hand sanitiser at entry andexit points at station and in coach-es. Further, it would be ensured thatall passengers wear face covers/masks at entry and during travel.

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The Union Home Ministryon Monday directed the

States to provide securityand ensure smooth move-ment of medical profession-als and operation of estab-lishments including privateclinics. The Ministry alsotold the States to facilitate thesmooth movement of the

trains carr ying migrantlabourers and prevent themfrom walking through therailway tracks.

Home Secretary AjayBhalla, in a letter, told theState Chief Secretaries thatprivate clinics and nursinghomes must be allowed toopen for the service of allkind of patients.

“MHA has written to allStates/UTs pointing out that

unhindered movement of allmedical professionals isessential for meeting publichealth requirements and sav-ing precious human lives.Any restriction on the move-ment of medical profession-als and para-medical staffcan lead to severe constraintsin rendering COVID andnon-COVID medical ser-vices. In the view of above,the communication empha-

sises that all State/ UTGovernments should ensuresmooth movement of allmedical professionals, nurs-es, para medical, sanitationpersonnel and ambulances.

“This would help in ren-dering all COVID and non-COVID medical services topatients without any con-straint. It was also stated thatthe inter-State movement ofall above mentioned profes-

sionals may be facilitated bythe States/UTs. It has beenfurther emphasised that allprivate clinics, nursing homesand labs, with all their med-ical professional and staff, beallowed to open.

This would facilitate incatering to all patients,COVID and non-COVIDemergencies, without anyhindrance and relieve theburden on hospitals,” said

the MHA in statement. On the migrant labourer,

the MHA asked the states toprevent them from walkingthrough the railway tracksand speedy facilitation of‘Shramik Express’, the specialtrains for the migrant labourers.

The Centre also asked theStates to co-operate for moretrains for the transportationof the labour force.

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In a touching gesture, theNavy on Monday felicitated

a young woman, one of the 698Indian nationals evacuatedfrom Maldives and brought toKochi, Kerala on Sunday andwho delivered a baby boyshortly after disembarkation.

The Indian Navy warshipINS Jalashwa had brought theIndians from Male whileanother warship INS Magar onMonday docked at Tuticorin,Tamil Nadu with 200 moreIndians evacuated fromMaldives. Incidentally, thewoman, a nurse by profession,returned on the ‘Mother’s Day’and was felicitated on the eveof the ‘Nurses’ Day.’ Moreover,she had undergone miscar-riage on some earlier occasions.

Giving details about thefelicitation, navy officials saidthe young mother Sonia Jacobwas honoured by the SouthernNaval Command (SNC) atKinder Multispeciality

Hospital, Ernakulam. The SNCrepresentative, LieutenantCommander Remya Savy metSonia’s parents KA and BeenaJacob as the COVID protocolsprevented physical contact withthe passengers.

The Naval officer pre-sented the parents with a flo-ral bouquet and conveyedgreetings and best wishes tothe extended family on behalfof the Flag Off icerCommanding-in-Chief SNCon the much awaited newarrival into the family whileexpressing the happiness inthe Navy being instrumentalin bringing Sonia Jacob to themotherland on “Mother’sDay” and into a long cher-ished Motherhood.

Remya subsequently alsoconnected with Sonia andShijo, her spouse, who areboth under institutional quar-antine, via videocall and con-gratulated the proud parentswishing the baby boy health,happiness and a long life. The

family members on their partconveyed the gratitude andappreciation of Sonia to theNavy for the care and comfortaccorded to her on board thenaval ship throughout thepassage.

Later, Remya said it isindeed a proud moment for allpersonnel in the Navy, par-ticularly the crew of INSJalashwa to be associated withthis special moment in thecouple’s life considering thenumber of miscarriages whichoccurred previously withSonia. She highlighted thefact that it was also special forher to be able to wish Soniawho is a nurse by profession,on the eve of the “Nurse’s day”in the backdrop of CoViD19pandemic. ManagingDirector, Kinder HospitalPraveen Kumar Arjunan andChief Operating OfficerNarain Gunaseelan Pillai andother hospital staff memberswere also present on the occa-sion.

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Obesity is associated with ahigher risk of developing

severe symptoms and compli-cations of coronavirus disease,independent of other illnesses,such as cardiovascular disease,according to researchers, whohave alerted that it is a risk fac-tor that needs attention.

In their article publishedin the latest journal ofCurrent Science, theresearchers said that obesity,a comorbidity not well docu-mented in the Covid-19 pan-demic, is now being identifiedas a risk factor for severeviral-19 infection, includingin those less than 60 years ofage.

“We suggest that weightsand heights be recorded in allcase-record forms and epi-demiologic surveillance toolsto assess the associations ofbody mass index with infec-tion status and disease out-comes. Obese individualsshould be closely monitoredin view of the r isk ofincreased severity of COVID-

19 infection,” said AnuragBhargava and MadhaviBhargava, both fromYenepoya Medical College,Mangalore.

Mortality in Covid-19infection has been related toage and the presence ofcomorbidities, among whichhypertension, cardiovasculardisease and diabetes are themost common.

A recent meta-analysisshowed that the pooled preva-lence of hypertension, car-diovascular disease and dia-betes was 16.3 per cent, 12.1per cent and 7.8 per cent%respectively, in hospitalizedpatients, pointed out theresearchers.

Obesity is one of the com-monest underlying comor-bidities worldwide. However,none of the studies in the sys-tematic review mention theprevalence of obesity in theCovid-19 cases. Obesity is apotential confounder of theassociation between hyper-tension, diabetes and out-comes in Covid-19 infection,and should therefore be

assessed, they added.The researchers’ views

came following observationthat how obesity was identi-fied as a novel risk factor forincreased disease severity andmortality reported in theinfluenza A (H1N1) pan-

demic. “It is pertinent to notethat obesity is also a risk fac-tor for the severity of otherviral infections like denguefever in children.”

In the case of influenza A(H1N1) infection, later workhighlighted several other

implications of obesity whichmight be relevant to COVID-19 infection.

It would also be impor-tant to examine whetherlower prevalence of obesity incountries like India is linkedto lower mortality due toCovid-19 infection.

The database of patientswith Covid-19 infection inIndia and other countriesshould have information onBMI. This will confirm theinitial observations of obesi-ty as a risk factor for severeCovid-19 infection in a larg-er number of patients.

It will also reveal whethera low BMI confers risk or pro-tection against adverse out-comes in Covid-19 infection.Hence, obese individualsshould be more careful aboutpreventive measures duringthe pandemic, said theresearchers.

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Days after asking the defenceindustries to be ready with

a plan to ramp up productionto the optimum level after thelockdown is lifted, DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh onMonday stressed the need forIndia to become self-reliant and“net exporter of technology.”He also lauded the DefenceResearch and DevelopmentOrganisation(DRDO)for com-ing out with at least 50 items inthe ongoing fight againstCOVID-19.

Addressing the scientists ofthe DRDO on the NationalTechnology Day (NTD) herethrough video conference, theminister stressed that there isno alternative to indigenoustechnology and indigenousmanufacture. “We will be trulyself-reliant only when Indiasucceeds in becoming a netexporter instead of a netimporter of technology,” hesaid. The National TechnologyDay is observed to commem-orate the nuclear tests con-ducted by India in 1998 thatsymbolized successful achieve-ments of home grown tech-nologies.

While calling upon thecountry’s pool of experts tocontribute to make India atechnological powerhouse,Singh said the government andpeople fully support theirfuture endeavours in this direc-tion.

On the role of the defencesector in the national effort tofight the corona pandemic, theminister said defence organi-sations are tackling the chal-lenges posed by COVID-19using state-of-the-art technol-ogy. India’s defence forces andResearch & Developmentefforts have contributed signif-

icantly in finding solutions tothe challenges posed by thisinvisible enemy.

He added the DRDO hasdeveloped more than 50 prod-ucts in the last 3-4 months, likebio suit, sanitiser dispenser,PPE kits through its continuousefforts to contribute to thefight against COVID-19. “The

indomitable spirit of ourdefence industry has increasedthe opportunity for mass pro-duction of these high qualityproducts in record time,” Singhsaid.

He said, “NationalTechnology Day is an oppor-tunity to take stock of ourtechnological advancements

and if we are to emerge as atechnological force then weshould know what to do.

This year’s NationalTechnology Day 2020 was cel-ebrated at the DRDO to com-memorate and pay tribute tothe dedication, determination,and sacrifice of scientists andengineers, who have worked forachieving a national techno-logical identity with the success

of Shakti-Pokhran 2. On thisoccasion, a webinar was heldand a Presentation on DRDOtechnologies to fight againstCOVID-19 was given.

Member Niti Aayog andformer DRDO chief V KSaraswat in his address said theDRDO must provide morefocus on life sciences laborato-ries and “must revive work onbio-defence programme”. He

also emphasised on the need forthe development of more robot-ic devices where the DRDO hasstrong base. Principal ScientificAdvisor (PSA) to theGovernment of India K VijayRaghavan emphasised the needof developing IT enabled tech-nologies and applications.

DRDO chief G SatheeshReddy appealed to all to reded-icate themselves to the service

of the nation by providing cut-ting edge technologies for mak-ing the country strong andself-reliant. He also said duringlockdown, products should besupplied all over the worldadding “delayed delivery is nodelivery.” The DRDO has devel-oped 53 products to fightCOVID-19, Reddy said andsome of the systems wereinducted in record time.

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��Obesity is one of the commonest underlying comor-bidities worldwide. However, none of the studies in the systematicreview mention the prevalence of obesity in the Covid-19 cases.Obesity is a potential confounder of the association betweenhypertension, diabetes and outcomes in Covid-19 infection, andshould therefore be assessed, they added

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The BSF on Monday report-ed six new Covid-19 cases

followed by four in the CRPFand one in ITBP, taking thetally of patients in the para-military forces to 764.

While the Indo TibetanBorder Police (ITBP) reportedone positive case on Monday,one infected personnel recov-ered from the viral pandemicin the last 24 hours, an officialspokesperson said, adding atotal of 156 infected persons inits ranks are admitted at vari-ous hospitals.

As many as 26 personnel ofITBP are undergoing treat-ment at AIIMS, Jhajjar,Haryana, two patients areadmitted at Safdarjung Hospitalhere and one at LNJP Hospitalin the national capital.

Besides these cases, 127ITBP personnel infected with

novel corona virus are under-going treatment at CAPFReferral Hospital, GreaterNoida. One ITBP infected per-son has recovered from the dis-ease.

The CAPF ReferralHospital is also managing 28patients of BSF followed by fourinfected persons from CRPFand one each from CISF andNSG apart from a civilian.Four family members of ITBPpersonnel are also admitted inthe referral hospital.

The Border Security Force(BSF) on Monday reported a

total of six infected persons inits ranks-one each in Delhi andTripura and four in Kolkata.

A BSF spokesperson saidall the patents are undergoingtreatment at designated Covidhealth care hospitals.

One patient from 126Battalion in Delhi and admit-ted at AIIMS, Jhajjar, has recov-ered after treatment.

In the Central ReservePolice Force (CRPF), four newCovid-19 patients were report-ed and the tally of patients inthe paramilitary is 240 out ofwhich one had died and threehave recovered after undergo-ing treatment.

One Covid patient of 39Battalion who was admitted atSharda Hospital in Noida hasbeen discharged after recoveryfrom the disease. Presently, thedischarged patient has beenunder home quarantine, aCRPF official said.

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Against the backdrop of theCovid-19 pandemic, as

many as 177 new mandis from10 States and Union Territories,including 26 in Punjab and 17in Haryana, were integratedwith the e-NAM platform formarketing of agricultural pro-duce on Monday, taking thetotal number of mandis inte-grated with it to 962. The man-dis integrated include those inGujarat (17), Haryana (26),Jammu and Kashmir (1), Kerala(5), Maharashtra (54), Odisha(15), Punjab (17), Rajasthan(25), Tamil Nadu (13) andWest Bengal (1).

Launching the new mandisthrough video conferencing,Union Agriculture MinisterNarendra Singh Tomar saidefforts should be made to

strengthen e-NAM further tobenefit the farmers. Right now,farmers auction their agricul-ture produce at 6,900-oddAPMC (Agriculture ProduceMarketing Committees) man-dis spread across the nation.Some agriculturists are alsousing online bidding through e-NAM platform.

Earlier, 785 mandis wereintegrated with eNAM across17 States and 2 UTs, with a userbase of 1.66 crore farmers, 1.30lakh traders and 71,911 com-mission agents. According tothe ministry, as many as 1.66crore farmers, 1.30 lakh tradersand 71,911 commission agentsare using e-NAM platform.

Commodities, worth over� 1 lakh crore, have been trad-ed on the e-NAM as on May 9this year. The volumes of tradestood at 3.43 crore tonnes and37.93 lakh bamboo and

coconuts.

That apart, digital pay-ments worth � 708 crore weremade through the eNAM plat-form, benefitting more than1.25 lakh farmers.

A total of 236 mandis par-ticipated in inter-mandi tradeacross 12 States, whereas 13states/UTs have participated inthe trade, allowing farmers to

interact directly with distantly

located traders.At present, 150 commodi-

ties, including foodgrains,oilseeds, fibers, vegetables andfruits, are being traded oneNAM. More than 1,005 FPOshave been registered on eNAMplatform and have traded 2,900tonnes of agri-produce worth�7.92 crores.

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Amid privacy concernsraised by various quarters

about Aarogya Setu,Government's digital platformto track Covid-19 patients, theCentre on Monday sought toallay fears saying that it is"completely safe" and it hasbeen ensured that user data arenot compromised.

Ajay Sahni, Chairman ofEmpowered Group 9, said at apress briefing here that “AarogyaSetu app has been downloadedin 9.8 crore smartphones so far.It will be available on Jio featuresmartphones from tomorrow.We've worked a lot on data pri-vacy of Aarogya Setu users &made sure that user data are notcompromised.”

Recently a French hackerhad unearthed one too manyprivacy issues with the app,causing apprehension about cit-izens’ privacy.

Countering the claims,Sahni said that the App has beendeveloped to formulate healthresponses that "not only containthe epidemic but also protect the

health and safety of the com-munity at large."

These health responsesrequire data of individuals forthe management of the Covid-19 pandemic, syndromic map-ping, contact tracing, and com-munication between them.

“The Aarogya Setu is des-ignated to carry out most ofthese responses and needs con-fidential information of indi-viduals. The informationincludes travel history, deviceinformation, location data, con-tact data, demography, and self-assessment data, which is col-lected by the app only after theuser has permitted it.”

The officer said that no datawould be retained beyond theperiod as deemed necessary tofulfil the purposes. At maxi-mum, the contact, location,and self-assessment data shouldbe "permanently" erased after180 days from the day they wererecorded by the app. However,the demographic data couldstill be retained by NIC for aslong as the Protocol related tothe covid-19 pandemic remainsinto effect.

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Page 8: 7`Tfd dYZWed e` cVgZgZ_X VT`_`^j - Daily Pioneer

As the Coronavirus movesremorselessly across theworld and medical expertssurmise that it could be withus for another two to three

years, its lasting legacy will be painfulfor those at the bottom rung of society,those marginally above and those in themiddle. With three successive lock-downs, India has managed to keep mor-talities low but now, as tentative movesare made to reopen the economy, theanticipated spike in cases has begun.

Civil society across the nation roseas one to ensure that no one went hun-gry in the cities; at least two nutritiousmeals were provided daily in every clus-ter where unemployed labour resided;those with facilities to cook themselveswere given dry rations as State agencieschipped in. Without the Herculeanefforts of ordinary middle class men andwomen, it would have been impossibleto avert starvation deaths in such a largecountry but India did it.

Events of the last few days, howev-er, show that India’s poor, the migrantand daily wage earners got tired ofstanding in lines for food amid grow-ing uncertainty over employment. It isone thing to line up for food cooked fora religious occasion as communitysharing is deeply ingrained in Indian tra-dition but these hard-working souls felttheir self-respect undermined when thelockdown was extended, twice.Ironically, State transport to their dis-tant homes arrived almost simultane-ously with the resumption of some eco-nomic activity. Sadly, some felt sohomesick that they began walking; 16migrants fell asleep on a railway trackin Maharashtra and were mowed downby a freight train at night. It wasnobody’s fault but the incident added tothe national anguish.

Overall, the economic forecast isgrim. Understandably, many smallbusinesses and small manufacturerscould not sustain without income butmany well-off organisations alsoannounced lay-offs. Amid the gloom,Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh andGujarat announced major reforms toattract investments to their States.

In Bhopal, Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhan made major changesin the Agriculture Produce MarketingCommittee (APMC) to put the pro-ducer-farmer on top of the trade,rather than the middleman or APMCthat have traditionally pocketed theirprofits. Henceforth, farmers can selltheir crops to any buyer if they cannegotiate higher prices than theGovernment-stipulated minimum sup-port price (MSP), or go to the mandifor MSP. This will benefit farmers withhigher quality crops.

Madhya Pradesh has alsopermitted private mandis withtrading facilities, yards and evencold storage chains; they canoperate throughout the State ona single licence. These mandis willcharge a single fee for a transac-tion and won’t pay commissionsfor crops purchased at non-baselocations. The prevailing prices inall mandis will be made public.While mandi tax rates remainand farmers will have to bearsome cost of sales, the new ruleshelp promote Farmer ProduceOrganisations (FPOs). An elec-tronic retail facility will allowfarmers to find buyers outside theState, on the lines of the e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) launched by the PrimeMinister in 2016.

Simultaneously, Chouhanhas tweaked labour laws for thenext three years to attract indus-try to the State. He has put an endto “inspector raj” by relaxingdepartmental inspections andpaperwork and allowed factoriesto structure shifts to maximiseproductivity. The MadhyaPradesh Industrial Employment(Permanent Order) Act, 1961, isbeing modified to exempt facto-ries employing up to 100 work-ers from the provisions of the Act.All new factories will be exempt-ed from vexatious provisions inthe Factories Act, 1948.

Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath, too, is aggres-sively wooing investments, sus-pending the Uttar PradeshTemporary Exemption fromLabour Laws Ordinance for threeyears. This will impact bothexisting and new industrial units.The State hopes to attract indus-

try that may withdraw fromChina in the wake of theCOVID-19 pandemic and reviveits flagging economy. However, ithas clarified that it is retainingimportant legislations such as theBonded Labour Act of 1976,Employee Compensation Act of1923, Building and OtherConstruction Workers’ Act of1996, Maternity Act, EqualRemuneration Act, Child LabourAct and Section 5 of the Paymentof Wages Act. But the enforce-ment wing will not be permittedto raid factories on minorgrounds.

Gujarat has avoided theRajasthan route that permits fac-tories with less than 300 workersto retrench workers at will,though it allows units in specialeconomic zones (SEZs) to lay offworkers without Governmentsanction, regardless of the num-ber of workers; however, in 2015,it increased the wages due toretrenched workers from 45 daysto 60 days. Gujarat also amend-ed the definition of “employer”under the Minimum Wages Actto cover outsourcing agencies andcontractors, among others, whowill have to pay minimum wagesto contractual workers.

The State is racing to woonew investments by announcinga 1,200-day holiday from labourlaws (barring Minimum WagesAct, Industrial Safety Rules andThe Employee CompensationAct) for new units. ChiefMinister Vijay Rupani has madeapprovals for setting up newindustries completely online, tobe granted within 15 days andland allotted within seven days.The idea is to attract industries

and multinational companiesfrom Japan, the US, Korea andEurope that may want to relocatefrom China.

Gujarat has already ear-marked around 33,000 hectaresof land at Khoraj, Sanand, DahejSEZ, Dholera SEZ and other pri-vate SEZs. It has reduced thepaperwork to a single annualreturn scheme for factories.Further, it has permitted com-pounding of offences under theIndustrial Disputes Act,Minimum Wages Act, Paymentof Bonus Act, Contract LabourAct, Payment of Gratuity Act,Motor Transport Workers Act,Equal Remuneration Act andBeedi Cigar Workers Act, toallow time-saving out-of-courtsettlements at higher fines.

The Bharatiya MazdoorSangh (BMS) and other labourunions are concerned that Statesare using the need to empowerindustries to snatch away therights of the workers. They warnthat at a time when over 100 mil-lion people are jobless, suchmeasures may not bring eco-nomic revival as lack of employ-ee welfare systems and in theabsence of dispute settlementmechanisms, labour productiv-ity could be impacted. TheCentre, however, is enthusiasti-cally backing the reform mea-sures as the industry has longbeen demanding labour reforms.In fact, the Confederation ofIndian Industry was quick to wel-come the moves, though onlytime will tell if these measures cankickstart the economy.

(The author is a senior journalist. Views expressed are personal)

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Sir — To open up the economyor keep it shut for an uncertaintime is a question that manynations are forced to reckon within Corona times. The US is notwanting in COVID-19 testinginfrastructure but has got into aneedless political wrangle in acrucial election year.

While US President DonaldTrump retains a unique prerog-ative to allocate funds to theStates, his greater fixation on theeconomy is pitting him againstthose concerned about thehumanitarian aspect. Here, heseems to be progressively losinggrip. Back home in India, we arehandicapped both by our lack ofmassive testing and an economythat is fragile. Though the Centreand State Governments havelargely found common purposetill now, a delay in reviving theeconomy can bring in differ-ences. That will affect not onlythe economy but governance,too. The Government’s deci-sion to resume limited operationof passenger trains is a step in theright direction.

R NarayananNavi Mumbai

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Sir — In a rather belated move,the Government has allowedmigrant workers, students,

tourists and pilgrims to return totheir homes amid the growingCoronavirus crisis. Why hadthey not been allowed to gohome at a time when the coun-try had only a few hundred

cases? Would that not have beenbetter than to allow movementnow, when the number of caseshas crossed 67,000? Why was anationwide lockdown imposedwithout giving stranded people

enough time to go back to theirhometowns or villages?

The number of shockingincidents in which migrantworkers are victims has grownexponentially of late. The deathof 16 migrant workers, whowere crushed under the wheelsof a train, was horrible. Theymust have been truly exhaustedto fall asleep on rail tracks. If thelockdown had been properlyplanned, such horrifying inci-dents could have been avoided.

Ibne GiasuddinMumbai

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Sir — The death of the 16labourers in Maharashtra hap-pened solely due to the suddenannouncement of a lockdownand the denial of transport tothem for weeks. It is a pity thatwhile no one was ready to givethem even �5 when they werealive, after their death, theGovernment has immediatelyannounced �5 lakh as grant.

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The right communication strategy andleveraging technology is an important pol-icy to deal with the COVID-19 pandem-

ic. As we move ahead to the critical stage where-in certain activities have been allowed in Greenand Orange Zones, there is a need for a commu-nication strategy that helps drive behaviouralchange and ushers in an era whereby we can learnto live with the virus. This requires effective two-way communication between the citizens and theGovernment, which has been the core strengthof MyGov till now. It has been the endeavour ofMyGov to act as a bridge between citizens andthe Government and ensure citizen participationand information dissemination on platforms thatmost people use.

When the pandemic began, it was realisedthat words and phrases like “quarantine”, “socialdistancing” and “lockdown” needed to be com-municated well as most people didn’t know whatthese terms meant. Social distancing was an alienconcept. Hence, epidemiologists and healthexperts came up with Dos and Don’ts for prevent-ing the spread of the Coronavirus. Fake news andmyth busters posed another challenge thatMyGov had to deal with. We had all kinds of con-spiracy theories being bandied about, rangingfrom a Wuhan laboratory experiment gone wrongto use of hot water and garlic to kill the virus.There was a need to bust these myths and focuson making interventions like the use of masksand washing hands properly for 20 seconds thenorm. This was done with explanatory infograph-ics and videos that helped explain all these in sim-ple language.

Towards this objective, MyGov India, the cit-izen engagement platform of the Governmentlaunched several initiatives on its MyGov.in plat-form as also its dedicated COVID-19 page, coro-na.mygov.in to support the communicationefforts of the Ministry of Health and FamilyWelfare. MyGov has a presence on almost allsocial media platforms that include not only theconventional ones like Facebook, Instagram,Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn but for the COVID-19 campaign, MyGov is also using unconvention-al platforms like Telegram, TikTok, Helo, VMateand Likee, with an objective to reach out to allsections of people by leveraging all channels andplatforms.

Content was created in multiple languagesand also sign language to ensure that everyonebecame part of the communication process.Videos from reputed doctors were made to ensureclear and correct messaging. MyGov alsolaunched its MyGov Saathi Chatbot that is avail-able on WhatsApp & FB Messenger and is alsoavailable on https://mygov.in andhttps://self4society.mygov.in. MyGov Saathi is amobile-enabled platform and uses a menu-dri-ven approach, allowing users to select availableoptions such as “Latest update on Coronavirusin India”, “State-level status”, “Useful alerts” and“Where to get help” to access information. It pro-vides ready access to COVID-19 related resourcessuch as latest updates, helplines, advisoriesfrom various Central and State Governmentdepartments as well as access to Self4Society ini-tiatives, including donation and volunteeringopportunities.

Another key feature of the campaign is the

ability to ensure adherence to lockdownregulations which are among thestrictest in the world and have con-tributed greatly in limiting the spreadof the pandemic till now. This was madepossible by the Prime Minister’s call forthe “Janata (people’s) curfew”, cheeringand clapping for healthcare profession-als, the 9PM-9Minute lamp-lightinginitiative, showering of petals on hos-pitals and so on. Some may not find anymerit or value in these initiatives butwhen we did the sentiment analysis ofthe social media posts, it was found thata vast majority of people supportedthese measures.

We also launched the pledgesaround these campaigns — JanataCurfew Pledge, Stay Home, Stay SafePledge and Fight Against Corona —which saw the participation of lakhs ofpeople. The Citizens’ Ideas andSuggestions page saw more than1,00,000 suggestions coming from cit-izens. The Innovation Challenge fortechnological solutions launched onMyGov led to brilliant ideas and solu-tions — including those on contacttracing, which has now evolved into theAarogya Setu app. The quiz onCOVID-19 has seen almost 1,00,000entries.

These initiatives help the people getinvolved and once they are engaged,they feel part of the overall solution tothe pandemic. It has been a veryimportant part of our communicationsstrategy.

The launch of the Aarogya Setu appis an important part of the Coronaviruscampaign. Given the questions raisedby some with regard to privacy issues,it was essential to communicate clear-ly what the app does, why it is requiredand how privacy is built into the appby design. This was done by innovativeuse of graphics and videos. Evencelebrities like Ajay Devgn helped in

creating the #SetuMeraBodyguard cam-paign which was also endorsed by sim-ilar videos by regional language super-stars like Nirahua in Bhojpuri and AnujSharma in Chhattisgarhi.

Top cricketers helped in the#TeamMaskForce campaign that pro-moted use of masks. Campaigns aroundthese hashtags were launched on socialmedia platforms that helped in gettinguser-generated content even in region-al languages that contributed to carry-ing the message far and wide.

The lockdown instructions were amajor challenge for us. The feedbackwas that many people were finding itdifficult to interpret the directionsand there was a lot of confusion onwhat to do. Immediately, MyGovdemystified the directions and instruc-tions by coming up with simple, easyto read and understand infographicswhich became very popular. These werealso translated in various languageswith the help and support of a volun-teer group who did it pro bono.

With the lockdown, came the chal-lenge of catering to the migrant labour-ers and there were a lot of issues regard-ing shelter homes and feeding centresfor the poor and urban homeless.MyGov collaborated with Google Mapsand Map My India and put details ofshelters and feeding homes of around750 cities on Maps so that they wereeasy to find and locate. Google alsolaunched a messaging service forMyGov on Google Maps which hasbeen integrated with the Saathi Chatbotto answer queries instantly.

When the Myth Busters infograph-ic was released, it became viral and mil-lions of people shared it. A suggestionwas received to make it available inaudio format. Accordingly, these, as alsoCOVID-19 updates, were convertedinto audio podcasts as part of MyGovSamvaad. These podcasts were also

shared with more than 200 CommunityRadio Stations who translated the con-tent and helped expand the outreach ofCOVID-19 messaging. Further, it wasfelt that we also need to address anxi-ety and stress specially for people dur-ing the lockdown. So, an initiative called“Positive Harmonies” was launched inwhich prominent musicians fromacross the country created specialnumbers for MyGov along with theirmessages to help manage the crisis. Thishas become very popular. One key fea-ture of all these endeavours has beenthat all of this was managed by ourteams while working from home. Teammembers collaborated across citiesand came up with brilliant innovations.We greatly benefitted from collabora-tions with top technology companies,media, volunteers and variousGovernment departments. Innovationand collaboration seem to be ourstrength that has not only helped us inour communications but will ulti-mately help us tide over this crisis.

As India completes almost sixweeks of the lockdown, one realises thatsome of the learnings from this crisiswill help us in future, too. It is possi-ble to work remotely and not everyoneneeds to commute daily for work. Thereare collaboration tools available that canhelp get output, that in some cases canbe better than what is possible now. Ifemployees save three hours of commutetime, it will make them happier.

Other benefits will be lesser trafficand congestion, a smaller carbon foot-print and we may be addressing issuesof climate change, too. In the days tocome, one expects that more and morecompanies will adopt this and it willgreatly transform lives.

(The writer is CEO MyGov andPresident & CEO, National eGovernance Division. Views expressedare personal.)

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Even as corporates, MSMEs, infor-mal sector workers and othersimpacted by the pandemic are

demanding relief packages from theCentre, the States, too, have given theGovernment their wish list and fiveStates have collectively sought close to�2,25,000 crore. While Maharashtrahas asked for �50,000 crore,Chhattisgarh wants �30,000 crore,Kerala, �80,000 crore, Rajasthan�40,000 crore and West Bengal hasdemanded �25,000 crore as immedi-ate compensation for the revenue losssuffered because of the nationwidelockdown. Rajasthan Chief Minister,Ashok Gehlot has also proposed set-ting up of a �1,00,000 crore national

COVID-19 management fund fromwhich the States can get money as andwhen needed. This is supported byMamata, who also wants �10,000 to begiven to every worker from the unor-ganised sector, tea gardens, MSMEsand farmers.

The Punjab Chief Minister,Amarinder Singh, has asked for rev-enue grant for the next three months,with flexibility to spend as per localconditions; bonus to farmers for stag-gered purchase of wheat; direct cashassistance to daily-wage industrialand agricultural labourers.

This is in addition to other pend-ing demands such as immediate releaseof GST compensation for December2019–January 2020; increase in theborrowing limit from three per cent ofthe State GDP under the FiscalResponsibility and BudgetManagement (FRBM) Act to five percent; suspending repayment of allState development loans for a periodof three months; allowing flexi-fundsunder Centrally Sponsored Schemes(CSS) for COVID-19 management andfurther increase in their Ways andMeans Advances (WAMA) limit which

helps them borrow more; deferringpayment of GST Advance Tax and ITfor six months by MSMEs.

In a crisis, when the devastationcaused is widespread and the atmos-phere is surcharged, any demand,even if it happens to be unreasonable(for instance Maharashtra has soughtuntied assistance of �1,00,000 crore)carries enormous appeal. But thisraises the bigger question, what is therealistic amount that States ought to beasking for?

This depends a lot on the assis-tance already announced by the Centrefor beneficiaries under the latter’sown package. So, what is it that theCentre is giving?

The Centre has promised torelease during the first ten months ofthe current financial year till January2021, 70 per cent of the share of theCentral taxes to States (as per the 15thFinance Commission recommenda-tion) which works out to �5,50,000crore. This is based on Budget projec-tion of total devolution to States atabout �8,00,000 crore. Thus, even if theCentre’s tax collection declines, whichis inevitable due to the pandemic, the

funds available to States won’t face anycut. It has also released a portion of thepending GST compensation despitefacing a shortfall in cess collection. Forthis purpose, it has not only used the�30,000 crore surplus from the previ-ous year but also intends to borrowmoney to ensure that all dues arecleared. The Government has givenhelp to States through release of firstinstalment of money for the Centrally-funded schemes.

Besides, the RBI has allowed 60per cent increase in the Ways andMeans Advances (WMA) limit ofStates (these borrowings are intendedto help them tide over temporary mis-matches in cash flows of their receiptsand expenditures; however, this moneyneeds to be returned within threemonths of availing) over and above thelevel as on March 31.

Invoking the recommendation ofthe NK Singh Committee on review ofthe FRBM Act (2003), which permitsbreach of the fiscal deficit (FD) targetby 0.5 per cent in exceptional circum-stances, the Centre has also allowedStates to breach the cap of three percent of State GDP by 0.5 per cent.

The funds available through theabove four routes should help inaddressing the resource crunch facedby States. The increase in WMA limitby 60 per cent will put about �50,000crore at their disposal. Likewise, relax-ation in the FRBM limit gives themadditional leeway. For instance,Maharashtra will be able to borrow�15,000 crore extra (0.5 per cent ofabout �30,00,000 crore being the StateGDP). Further, States getting theirshare of taxes from Centre’s kitty alsohelps immensely. As far as GST com-pensation is concerned, the Centre isdoing its best to clear pending dues.

In addition, under the PM GareebKalyan Scheme (PMGKS), the Centreis giving �1,70,000 crore directly to thebeneficiaries. This includes five kg ofrice or wheat per person per month for“free” to around 80 crore people forthree months; ex-gratia of �500 permonth to Women Jan Dhan accountholders; �2,000 under PM-KISAN toabout nine crore farmers; ex-gratiaamount of �1,000 for three crore wid-ows and senior citizens; free gas cylin-ders to 8.3 crore Women Ujjawalascheme beneficiaries and �20 hike in

wages under the MGNREGA. Furthermore, States can use the

nearly �31,000 crore welfare fund forbuilding and construction labourers tohelp them; funds under the districtmineral fund for testing activities, med-ical screening and providing healthcareto fight the pandemic. The Centre isalso paying the EPF contribution ofboth the employer and the employeeor 24 per cent for three months.

The benefits under the aboveschemes are accruing to tens of mil-lions, spread all over the States, whichthe latter need to consider while arriv-ing at their requirement.

Likewise, measures taken by theRBI to give more credit, reduce cost ofcredit and ease norms for stressedassets are helping entities — both informal and informal sector — locat-ed in States. The boost provided bymassive liquidity injection of close to�5,00,000 crore at mere 4.4 per centalso needs to be suitably captured intheir calculations. The States shouldonly ask for “incremental” support, ifrequired.

But, that is not happening. Forinstance, when Maharashtra wants

�1,00,000 crore, the argument given isthat this is needed “to compensate forthe revenue loss due to lockdown.” Isthe Centre to believe that Maharashtrahas lost this much revenue in 40 days?This is bizarre. If, this is the projectedloss for the whole year, then also thedemand for releasing it immediately isuntenable.

How the situation will unfold afterthe lockdown ends, no one can predict.One can’t rule out a V-shaped recov-ery. In that case, the revenue loss dueto the pandemic would be much less.Even if there is contraction in the econ-omy and loss is huge, then also Statescan afford to wait for the help to comelater. The States need to take an objec-tive and reasonable view. They shouldcorrectly assess the amount needed forApril–June. Then consider what isalready being given by the Centre andthe RBI. If funds are still needed,request for the incremental only shouldbe put up. The States should under-stand that the Centre doesn’t haveunlimited funds and accordingly mod-erate their demands.

(The writer is a New Delhi-basedpolicy analyst)

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After the Government’smove to raise its market

borrowing programme forthe current financial year by� 4.2 lakh crore, a foreignbrokerage on Monday esti-mated the fiscal deficit tocome at 5.8 per cent of theGDP in FY21 as against thebudget target of 3.5 per cent.

In a report, analysts atBank of America also reviseddown their GDP growth esti-mate to 0.5 per cent for thecurrent fiscal year, as againstthe earlier estimate of 1.5 per

cent adding that they fear thatthe lockdown my extendbeyond May.

It can be noted that dueto the heavy dip in growth -it was supposed to hit adecadal low of 5 per cent inFY20 as per official estimates- the Government is forced tospend the extra to helprestrict the impact of thecoronavirus (COVID-19)pandemic on the economy.

Even though a wider fis-cal deficit raises concerns onmacroeconomic stability,many experts have backed themove to spend more.

“We now forecast thecenter’s fiscal deficit at 5.8 percent of GDP (from 4.8 percent earlier) versus 3.5 percent as budgeted for FY21,with growth likely to slip to

0.5 per cent (from 1.5 percent) with the lockdown setto extend beyond May,” theanalysts pencilled. The bro-kerage said the states will alsohave fiscal slippages rangingfrom 0.50 to 1 percentagepoint of their budgeted tar-gets for the current financialyear. On likely routes offunding the fiscal deficit, itsaid the options before poli-cymakers may include openmarket operations by theReserve Bank(RBI) with anew calendar being put outby Governor Shaktikanta Dasto comfort markets, a directmonetisation where RBI candirect ly subscr ibe toGovernment debt or incen-tivising banks to put theirsurplus in money markets, itsaid. From a revenue gener-

ation perspective, it suggest-ed a 5 per cent COVID-19cess for those earning above�5 lakh, which can yield theexchequer � 20,000 crore.Moreover, the higher taxes onoil will deliver �1 lakh crore,it estimated.

It said Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman maysoon announce a secondround of fiscal stimuluswhich may cost 0.75 per centof the GDP, as against the firstone of �1.70 lakh crore whichwas 0.35 per cent of the GDP.

The focus of the newpackage will be on smallbusinesses, real estate andthe banking sector, it said,adding that this is afterassuming a slip in growth to0.5 per cent, the brokeragesaid.

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The centuries old wholesalespice market, Khari Bawli,

a paradise for spice connois-seurs and dealers, and night-mare for those who dreadcrowd, wore a deserted look onMonday with barely 10-12shops open and no buyersaround.

In normal days, businesscontinues amid chaos causedby carriages parked in the mid-dle of road, shops extending tothe footpath, and thousandstrying to elbow each other inthis market, known for spicesand dry fruits.

“We have enough stock of

red chillies and other spices,like coriander powder, blackpepper, cardamom (elaichi)and cumin (jeera). But there areonly few buyers. We have Patnaand Kashmiri chillies. Buthardly anyone to sell to,” saidKrishna Mittal, a shop ownerin the market, who opened theoutlet as soon as the govern-ment relaxed lockdown norms.

There were only one whitevan and a couple of personalvehicles on the road in the mar-ket where finding parkingspace in normal days is next toimpossible. Few carriages wereparked and locked outside shutshops. Majority of the labourforce -- migrants workers from

UP and Bihar -- have left fortheir native places.

The area outside HariRam’s shop on the main roadalways remained cluttered. Butsince the lockdown, deafeningsilence has replaced that. Suchis the situation that chirping ofbirds could be heard.

A shop owner, who openedhis outlet only to take outsome necessary documents,told IANS, most outstationtraders were not coming asDelhi was a red zone.

“They used to buy in bulk.Moreover, no hotels and cater-ing companies are buyingingredients either,” said ShivParshad, a trader.

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Union Minister NitinGadkari on Monday said

he expects the Centre to unveila financial package in two-three days, observing that thesituation “was very bad” despitethe three-month moratoriumon loan repayments announcedby the RBI. The Minister forMSME, and Road Transportand Highways said the Govtstands with the industry but italso needs to understand theGovt’s limitations.

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Benchmark Sensex gave upall its early gains to end 81

points lower on Monday,dragged by losses in financialstocks as lenders beefing upprovisions against COVID-19risks stoked slippages worry.

Besides, spiking COVID-19 cases in the country andtepid cues from global marketsweighed on investor sentiment.

After gyrating over 800points during the day, the 30-share index settled 81.48 pts or0.26 per cent lower at31,561.22. Similarly, NSE Niftyfell 12.30 pts, or 0.13 per cent,to 9,239.20. ICICI Bank was thetop laggard in the Sensex pack,cracking over 5 per cent, fol-lowed by Kotak Bank, HUL,HDFC, IndusInd Bank, HDFCBank and Nestle India.

On the other hand, HeroMotoCorp, Bajaj Auto, Maruti,TCS and HCL Tech wereamong the gainers.

Joining peers, ICICI Bank

made COVID-19 related pro-visions of Rs 2,725 crore to fur-ther strengthen the balancesheet -- causing worries on fis-cal slippages front. “Indianmarket opened on a positivenote following global cues astrade-war fears receded andmore countries announcedplans to ease their lockdownrestrictions amid hopes of glob-al economies reopening,” saidNarendra Solanki, Head-Equity Research(Fundamental), Anand Rathi.

The traders also took noteof Prime Minister Modi’s meet-

ing with chief ministers of allstates which is expected todiscuss the plan for exit fromthe ongoing nationwide lock-down to prevent the spread ofcoronavirus.

However, the marketcouldn’t hold the strength dur-ing the day as selling pressurewas witnessed in heavy indexweighing sectors like financialand bank stocks, erasing major-ity of gains in afternoon sessionas COVID-19 related one timeprovision were seen undercut-ting the earnings on the finan-cial companies, he added.

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Global stocks were mixedMonday as investors

looked past dismal Americanjobs and other data towardhopes for a global recoveryfrom the coronavirus pan-demic. European marketsopened down while mostAsian markets advanced.Wall Street futures swungbetween gains and losses. US

shares gained despite a gov-ernment report thatAmerican employers cut arecord-setting 20.5 millionjobs in April.

Investor optimism isgaining as China and someother countries begin torevive their economies. Butwith infection numbers stillrising in the United States,Brazil and some other coun-tries, analysts warn a global

recovery might be some wayoff.”While the argument thatfor ward-looking markethopes of recovery shouldoverride backward lookingeconomic gloom may not begroundless, it inevitablyunderstates inherent fragili-ties and risks,” Riki Ogawa ofMizuho Bank said in a report.

In early trading, London’sFTSE 100 was off 6 points at5,929.72 and Germany’s DAX

lost 0 .2% to 10,876.78.France’s CAC 40 declined0.6% to 4,521.51.On WallStreet, the future for thebenchmark S&P 500 Indexwas down 0.3% and that forthe Dow Jones IndustrialAverage lost 0.2%. Both werepositive earlier in the day.

On Friday, the S&P 500Index rose 1.7% and the Dowadded 1.9%. The Nasdaqcomposite rose 1.6%.

Script Open High Low LTPHDFCBANK 939.00 954.00 914.30 915.95RELIANCE 1582.00 1614.85 1572.00 1576.75ICICIBANK 344.90 344.90 318.15 320.10KOTAKBANK 1240.00 1251.35 1185.00 1189.05HDFC 1715.00 1721.70 1652.45 1658.95GODREJCP 508.90 523.60 505.10 515.70TATAMOTORS 81.85 90.45 81.55 86.10BAJFINANCE 2079.90 2092.30 1994.45 2016.45HINDUNILVR 2084.90 2115.15 2036.10 2049.85MARICO 304.00 304.55 301.25 302.65INDUSINDBK 451.00 458.50 429.00 433.40IDEA 4.19 4.78 4.19 4.58SBIN 169.00 169.00 165.00 165.45MARUTI 4744.80 5013.25 4731.00 4931.95TCS 1920.00 1952.10 1909.85 1935.30AXISBANK 391.00 393.25 377.10 379.95RBLBANK 122.00 122.45 114.10 117.05LUPIN 844.00 857.50 832.80 849.55MOTHERSUMI 78.00 85.00 78.00 80.45HEROMOTOCO 2011.00 2134.25 1990.00 2085.85AUROPHARMA 652.00 673.40 647.10 664.10ZEEL 155.70 161.80 153.10 155.50ASIANPAINT 1580.00 1601.10 1555.00 1569.25BHARTIARTL 535.00 548.40 533.00 536.10HONAUT 26671.00 27061.30 26459.90 26869.60BATAINDIA 1325.00 1334.00 1302.00 1321.25SRTRANSFIN 757.80 767.60 726.10 736.80HINDPETRO 199.95 201.00 191.95 192.80TORNTPHARM 2452.35 2507.85 2444.55 2494.15INDIGO 964.90 994.10 952.50 961.35TATASTEEL 277.00 282.95 275.10 276.20SUNPHARMA* 473.20 475.20 461.35 463.25FRETAIL 84.60 84.60 80.70 84.00DRREDDY 4000.00 4000.00 3851.00 3865.25M&MFIN 166.00 168.00 156.80 157.65CHOLAFIN 149.00 154.40 142.80 152.10IBULHSGFIN 127.00 127.00 121.10 122.35ESCORTS 752.95 776.30 742.35 755.05STAR 426.00 435.15 412.55 416.15CUMMINSIND 359.20 375.40 358.05 365.25INFY 680.00 698.40 677.70 682.75ITC 160.30 163.50 158.10 158.45HDFCLIFE 535.00 538.75 522.80 525.20BAJAJ-AUTO 2438.00 2623.90 2433.20 2565.50CIPLA 600.00 600.70 583.85 586.10BANDHANBNK 247.90 250.60 237.65 239.60PEL 892.20 941.65 892.20 932.25ASHOKLEY 48.20 49.45 46.50 48.80TITAN 852.00 852.00 824.10 830.00BRITANNIA 3020.00 3082.60 2993.60 3055.15VEDL 78.35 80.45 78.15 79.60M&M 388.00 401.85 384.40 390.25LT 822.00 827.00 816.60 821.50BPCL 329.80 330.20 311.35 314.75JUSTDIAL 349.90 355.35 337.70 345.90CADILAHC 333.70 333.70 324.50 328.55NESTLEIND 17770.00 17915.50 17500.00 17567.35LAURUSLABS 443.00 448.25 425.85 428.60IGL 472.25 499.80 472.25 496.00BAJAJFINSV 4688.00 4715.40 4540.05 4557.30JINDALSTEL 90.00 92.25 88.80 89.60ENDURANCE 614.30 637.15 610.30 634.90WOCKPHARMA 264.00 266.60 249.00 257.00L&TFH 57.55 59.05 56.90 57.20BIOCON 359.20 363.75 350.00 351.60HCLTECH 526.40 534.85 521.55 527.75SPICEJET 40.60 40.95 39.70 40.95HDFCAMC 2535.00 2641.10 2522.40 2541.40EICHERMOT 13901.30 14535.00 13901.30 14286.25TVSMOTOR 325.00 341.20 317.15 334.20ACC 1152.00 1188.25 1152.00 1169.50HINDALCO 119.80 121.35 117.60 119.80TATACONSUM 350.00 365.00 349.75 354.95DIVISLAB 2275.00 2355.00 2275.00 2326.20ONGC 75.90 78.15 74.70 77.00COLPAL 1366.20 1375.00 1340.95 1355.95FEDERALBNK 43.00 44.65 42.75 43.20MFSL 453.00 471.00 438.00 441.25GRASIM 497.80 512.40 485.00 504.45JSWSTEEL 171.95 176.30 169.00 174.60CEATLTD 736.00 747.00 727.45 739.25BHARATFORG 283.00 295.30 281.70 286.70INFRATEL 175.50 187.65 173.75 183.30ICICIPRULI 405.90 409.00 394.10 397.40SUNTV 386.00 394.35 380.80 392.30GLENMARK 336.30 339.50 329.20 335.40UPL 367.95 378.50 366.75 368.05MANAPPURAM 123.00 123.00 115.60 117.00MGL 879.00 904.75 865.00 900.65BANKBARODA 42.00 42.00 40.55 41.00VIPIND 221.00 234.80 220.00 223.80TATAPOWER 29.30 29.30 27.15 27.35CANFINHOME 303.00 308.65 298.50 307.00NIITTECH 1404.95 1466.45 1401.25 1435.65APOLLOHOSP 1349.90 1349.90 1283.55 1305.15BANKINDIA 32.95 32.95 31.65 32.65ULTRACEMCO 3325.00 3448.50 3325.00 3360.95HAVELLS 491.15 493.05 477.35 488.70APOLLOTYRE 90.05 94.35 90.05 93.10DEEPAKNI 534.95 546.30 515.00 517.85UJJIVAN 167.45 172.80 166.70 170.20IOC 75.95 76.30 74.85 75.35INFIBEAM 51.20 51.65 47.15 51.55BHEL 22.70 23.00 22.15 22.60MUTHOOTFIN 821.75 842.60 816.00 825.20HEXAWARE 238.80 255.85 231.00 251.80BEL 61.00 61.95 59.40 60.25ICICIGI 1252.35 1313.55 1250.35 1296.45

LICHSGFIN 268.00 272.70 265.35 268.15KAJARIACER 343.00 345.45 329.00 332.15HINDZINC 176.30 185.50 176.30 181.85PAGEIND 17135.90 17617.30 17121.60 17380.20DLF 132.50 135.40 131.25 133.10DABUR 453.95 454.25 443.95 446.50AUBANK 407.00 419.35 399.85 399.85TECHM 543.00 543.60 528.25 530.20AMARAJABAT 550.00 574.00 544.30 568.25BALKRISIND 896.00 934.10 895.60 928.50JUBLFOOD 1567.10 1605.45 1565.00 1569.10RECLTD 89.90 91.55 88.10 89.10PVR 902.00 919.85 893.15 902.20COALINDIA 131.50 131.50 128.15 128.50SBILIFE 774.00 774.00 745.15 750.05TATAMTRDVR 35.15 38.15 34.90 36.00CANBK 80.80 81.00 78.55 78.75NTPC 88.50 89.45 85.90 86.65WIPRO 185.00 189.90 184.20 184.80INDIACEM 99.00 103.45 99.00 100.55ADANIGAS 109.25 111.20 105.55 106.30SHREECEM 19045.00 19293.20 18824.75 18901.30PFC 85.00 86.10 82.00 84.10GODREJPROP 629.90 635.00 612.80 621.25CYIENT 208.00 209.70 193.00 200.95AMBUJACEM 170.70 174.65 170.50 174.00DMART 2299.50 2352.00 2261.00 2310.45MINDTREE 885.00 920.00 885.00 890.60MRF 59425.50 59425.50 58350.00 58872.75VOLTAS 463.50 472.50 458.30 468.30PIDILITIND 1392.95 1392.95 1358.95 1377.65ADANIPORTS 287.00 293.10 285.80 289.95STRTECH* 97.40 97.40 94.25 95.20UNIONBANK 24.00 24.15 23.65 23.80BERGEPAINT 458.15 460.25 447.00 452.70PETRONET 227.40 237.25 227.15 233.85LTI 1615.00 1675.00 1600.00 1611.80UBL 903.55 903.55 881.00 885.75PNB 29.60 29.60 28.75 28.85ADANIENT 137.00 143.30 137.00 140.05SRF 3624.00 3653.00 3555.90 3576.05GNFC 137.95 138.50 134.00 134.20GAIL 92.90 94.60 91.50 92.10NAVINFLUOR 1454.10 1480.00 1421.00 1429.65SIEMENS 1045.00 1058.80 1017.90 1028.70RITES 238.00 245.90 237.10 240.80GRAPHITE 194.00 198.20 180.65 182.50SUZLON 2.73 2.73 2.47 2.60

NCC 24.00 24.05 23.35 23.50RAMCOCEM 527.60 541.25 526.90 530.00NAM-INDIA 242.95 247.00 237.65 238.70ADANIGREEN 208.00 222.70 208.00 222.50VGUARD 171.00 172.15 168.20 169.85FORCEMOT 810.95 861.50 805.00 816.55EQUITAS 49.60 51.15 48.90 49.25NAUKRI 2685.00 2719.10 2557.60 2569.10DCBBANK 69.25 70.00 63.50 63.70TATAELXSI 797.00 797.00 770.55 777.30SAIL 28.90 28.95 28.25 28.45RAJESHEXPO 548.00 548.00 527.95 540.70PFIZER 4608.00 4625.00 4497.85 4506.20ISEC 371.50 371.50 350.65 362.55GODREJIND 249.00 262.20 248.00 254.90OMAXE 157.50 160.00 156.80 159.45TORNTPOWER 302.05 307.15 297.00 300.65ADANIPOWER 30.00 30.50 29.50 29.60MCX 1130.85 1133.95 1105.30 1116.10CASTROLIND 126.60 127.25 118.40 119.50HATHWAY 21.00 22.70 20.30 22.70FCONSUMER 9.84 9.84 8.92 8.92VINATIORGA 981.00 999.80 964.00 987.20IDFCFIRSTB 20.40 20.75 20.25 20.40GODFRYPHLP 963.75 965.80 938.85 951.40BOSCHLTD 9950.00 9975.65 9804.00 9860.15POWERGRID 160.00 162.35 158.50 158.85JUBILANT 390.00 403.00 385.85 401.05ABBOTINDIA 17915.40 18023.15 17696.70 17896.00JBCHEPHARM 659.40 659.40 636.55 643.85HEG 758.00 786.25 748.85 754.20GMRINFRA 17.80 18.10 17.60 17.95SONATSOFTW 213.10 215.35 205.40 207.45INDHOTEL 67.40 68.30 65.15 66.05HEIDELBERG 145.70 156.40 145.70 154.05CESC 627.95 634.80 604.45 607.45OFSS 2548.00 2573.55 2451.00 2491.80CGCL 145.60 145.60 137.50 138.90LALPATHLAB 1570.00 1570.25 1545.30 1554.70EXIDEIND 149.00 149.95 146.55 148.25ITI 81.95 84.20 80.55 80.85SPARC 135.75 135.75 131.40 132.05BEML 566.20 572.95 553.80 558.95MIDHANI 202.50 204.70 199.30 202.05

SOUTHBANK 5.55 5.65 5.32 5.35IDBI 20.30 20.35 19.40 19.95PRESTIGE 167.05 169.25 158.05 159.00CONCOR 358.75 369.25 356.50 364.95GRANULES 158.80 161.50 154.55 155.70JMFINANCIL 64.70 66.20 63.75 64.10GODREJAGRO 402.25 410.00 392.00 395.60GMM 3619.85 3680.00 3608.00 3634.00IBREALEST 49.35 50.15 46.60 47.10JAICORPLTD 67.40 67.95 65.35 65.90GUJGAS 245.00 254.80 245.00 251.70CHAMBLFERT 126.00 129.90 125.00 127.10IPCALAB 1551.90 1578.00 1545.35 1557.65ABFRL 109.00 109.00 104.90 105.40IRCON 85.00 89.50 85.00 86.15TV18BRDCST 20.30 21.25 19.90 21.00NATIONALUM 28.95 28.95 27.90 28.00MRPL 30.30 30.35 28.50 28.70POLYCAB 696.00 697.75 672.55 674.75FORTIS 125.60 126.00 123.15 124.25PIIND 1546.25 1546.25 1513.60 1517.80RAYMOND 228.00 231.90 224.00 224.753MINDIA 18889.95 18890.00 18101.00 18189.75BDL 218.15 232.75 214.00 228.40NOCIL 85.00 86.20 84.05 84.45HAWKINCOOK 4417.00 4490.00 4283.60 4317.55BBTC 855.00 874.90 853.00 855.85SKFINDIA 1520.00 1520.00 1420.00 1441.80AVANTI 409.80 409.80 392.10 393.85RADICO 307.95 308.85 302.70 303.80ALKEM 2613.05 2620.05 2564.90 2595.70KTKBANK 40.00 40.65 37.70 38.50EIDPARRY 165.70 165.95 156.35 158.35NMDC 73.50 74.90 72.15 72.40RPOWER 1.80 1.82 1.78 1.78APLLTD 784.00 789.00 774.40 778.25AEGISLOG 178.75 182.65 174.05 181.00RALLIS 218.95 219.50 214.35 218.45SOBHA 186.50 186.75 180.20 186.75REDINGTON 83.80 87.05 81.85 85.70LTTS 1179.75 1225.00 1175.00 1179.35MPHASIS 747.00 789.00 747.00 777.10JKPAPER* 96.10 99.65 95.10 95.70SCHNEIDER 77.55 78.10 75.20 75.90DIXON 4343.15 4387.00 4220.00 4234.50RELINFRA 20.00 20.00 18.10 18.30JKLAKSHMI 194.90 205.90 191.00 191.80TCIEXP 676.00 676.00 600.60 607.35ATUL 4730.45 4740.00 4635.00 4643.05ABCAPITAL 43.60 44.00 42.50 42.75SUNTECK 158.95 165.65 153.50 161.00HINDCOPPER 24.20 24.55 23.70 23.80FINOLEXIND 385.00 388.50 357.00 359.75VBL 620.00 629.10 602.70 617.65EMAMILTD* 184.85 198.00 169.00 179.70SCI 41.00 41.20 39.85 39.95DEEPAKFERT 102.30 102.30 98.00 98.20VENKYS 1069.90 1090.00 1047.35 1054.80INDIANB 47.00 47.35 45.70 46.40PNBHOUSING 180.00 181.75 174.05 174.80RESPONIND 81.25 82.50 81.25 82.20KANSAINER 360.00 368.00 356.60 360.70CROMPTON 211.90 215.75 206.45 214.25OBEROIRLTY 330.05 336.70 318.00 328.80FLFL 163.70 163.70 148.20 151.85SANOFI 7855.50 8008.00 7855.50 7934.90TRENT 464.55 466.25 449.15 450.55VARROC 149.50 150.45 139.65 139.75RELAXO 603.60 617.45 603.60 612.65INOXLEISUR 206.00 208.65 201.80 203.80RCF 38.40 38.40 37.00 37.25MEGH 46.50 46.85 45.30 45.55MHRIL 127.00 150.90 124.55 148.30NATCOPHARM 627.95 627.95 612.20 613.80KALPATPOWR 204.90 205.65 198.00 199.50FSL 33.35 33.35 31.10 31.45OIL 88.75 90.00 87.30 87.80TIMKEN 848.80 861.20 842.50 848.50NETWORK18 23.40 23.45 22.90 23.45AJANTPHARM 1477.50 1486.40 1461.20 1479.65BLISSGVS 96.40 96.50 93.85 95.40NBCC 19.00 19.00 17.75 18.00RAIN 69.00 71.35 68.65 69.60IRB 65.00 65.75 62.50 62.75CRISIL 1510.00 1573.50 1510.00 1523.20JKTYRE 52.40 56.00 51.50 52.10KEC 199.85 201.00 196.75 198.00JISLJALEQS 9.50 9.50 8.78 8.78LINDEINDIA 522.50 532.70 518.90 523.90QUESS 184.00 186.35 176.00 177.25SWANENERGY 100.25 101.00 99.95 100.25BAJAJELEC 361.30 365.00 351.25 361.50GSPL 193.50 194.00 186.60 189.85MINDAIND 245.55 252.30 243.50 245.55SYNGENE 323.00 323.25 315.55 317.25BALRAMCHIN 100.00 100.00 94.10 95.35JAMNAAUTO 24.90 25.60 24.20 24.75BIRLACORPN 392.00 402.30 386.25 397.90TNPL 94.70 94.70 88.30 88.35SUDARSCHEM 372.05 379.60 366.40 371.40COCHINSHIP 231.10 242.30 229.75 240.35FINEORG 1936.05 1969.45 1909.30 1917.50ASTRAZEN 3168.00 3168.00 3078.00 3082.90GUJALKALI 340.00 340.00 315.80 319.20PGHH 10140.50 10163.70 10001.00 10049.35NESCO 420.40 424.70 411.00 412.25CREDITACC 421.00 427.00 403.10 403.10PGHL 4100.00 4119.20 4083.80 4099.15PERSISTENT 528.10 539.95 516.30 528.70

ENGINERSIN 63.45 63.75 61.05 61.15HUDCO 22.80 22.80 21.20 21.30BAJAJHLDNG 1916.95 1919.65 1890.05 1904.30DELTACORP* 69.30 70.90 68.25 68.55TATAMETALI 435.00 435.65 425.50 428.65DCMSHRIRAM 252.95 254.15 240.35 241.25ORIENTELEC 176.95 176.95 166.50 170.05GLAXO 1450.75 1452.00 1415.00 1420.00APLAPOLLO 1300.00 1300.00 1207.15 1212.90METROPOLIS 1206.00 1212.05 1190.00 1209.10WELCORP 64.15 64.90 60.30 60.65BRIGADE 108.00 108.55 98.45 101.85ADANITRANS 198.00 198.80 194.00 197.00COROMANDEL 612.60 627.20 612.60 619.05IEX 147.50 147.50 143.50 144.65BOMDYEING 48.50 48.70 46.80 47.00ASTRAL 915.00 915.00 874.80 878.45TRIDENT 4.73 4.78 4.60 4.69JSWENERGY 41.50 41.50 39.70 39.80AKZOINDIA 1905.00 1914.20 1884.00 1890.10MINDACORP 60.85 61.45 57.60 57.95BAJAJCON 144.00 144.00 133.80 134.50PHILIPCARB 74.75 76.20 74.50 75.05J&KBANK 13.45 13.45 12.70 12.77JINDALSAW 51.65 52.10 50.25 50.50EIHOTEL 69.00 69.00 62.60 63.80DBL 245.00 246.60 238.00 238.80AMBER 1100.60 1126.75 1067.00 1074.30TATACOFFEE 72.50 73.50 71.90 72.10TVSSRICHAK 1058.00 1100.80 1040.00 1075.50GILLETTE 4964.60 4967.15 4885.00 4891.50ALKYLAMINE 1784.30 1825.30 1763.20 1768.15WHIRLPOOL 1913.75 1913.75 1882.65 1891.75GESHIP 225.30 225.30 213.00 213.95NIACL 119.25 120.70 118.10 119.10HAL 507.70 507.70 496.00 496.65RELCAPITAL 8.50 8.50 8.50 8.50BASF 976.00 1015.00 971.00 1000.50CAPPL 330.05 330.30 323.00 325.10NHPC 20.00 20.25 20.00 20.00KRBL 188.00 188.00 180.00 184.60ERIS 493.80 497.00 484.55 490.55CHENNPETRO 58.85 58.85 57.00 57.25PTC 37.90 38.05 37.35 37.45BAYERCROP 4649.95 4665.00 4623.95 4644.75GAYAPROJ 19.21 19.21 17.39 17.39CUB 139.50 139.50 133.15 133.95WELSPUNIND 24.50 24.80 23.80 24.00MOIL 128.10 128.65 124.25 124.55SUPREMEIND 957.85 1001.70 957.85 973.45UFLEX 173.45 173.90 171.25 172.50SHK 54.15 54.15 51.00 51.30AAVAS 1030.95 1085.00 1030.95 1036.40JYOTHYLAB 108.70 108.70 102.75 104.10TAKE 54.00 56.50 54.00 55.00IDFC 14.27 14.55 13.90 13.95DBCORP 70.35 70.70 66.75 67.15ZENSARTECH 82.50 87.80 81.75 82.65PARAGMILK 90.00 90.00 86.00 87.10GARFIBRES 1272.00 1272.00 1263.25 1270.00DALBHARAT* 510.40 510.40 504.10 504.55ZYDUSWELL 1340.00 1340.00 1276.80 1283.50GICRE 129.90 130.50 128.65 130.25ASHOKA 60.30 60.50 58.20 58.35DCAL* 75.35 78.55 75.30 76.65CENTURYPLY 110.10 111.60 108.65 109.35HSCL 46.30 46.70 45.20 45.35SYMPHONY 840.00 880.00 822.80 828.10RVNL 17.00 17.15 17.00 17.15GPPL 55.05 56.05 54.20 54.80WABAG 112.10 114.00 107.65 108.90PCJEWELLER 11.49 11.49 10.90 11.16BALMLAWRIE 95.00 95.45 93.40 93.70DISHTV 4.76 4.76 4.66 4.68ORIENTCEM 39.25 39.25 35.95 36.05TTKPRESTIG 4689.75 4862.10 4689.75 4773.30MAHLOG 251.90 255.80 245.25 248.65JKCEMENT 1094.70 1095.05 1060.95 1072.35WESTLIFE 289.00 291.90 285.00 287.05GALAXYSURF 1389.15 1390.80 1330.70 1339.05BLUESTARCO 500.00 500.00 465.30 470.95IFCI 3.93 4.02 3.90 3.90GREAVESCOT 77.10 77.20 74.60 74.80DHFL 11.66 11.92 11.62 11.68KNRCON 196.15 197.20 186.00 186.75ASTERDM 97.30 100.00 96.60 97.35KEI 265.40 275.70 259.90 261.90SUNDRMFAST 314.20 316.00 302.00 304.40GSFC 42.00 42.00 40.25 40.70UCOBANK 12.00 12.03 11.54 11.61MAHSEAMLES 198.50 199.00 194.00 194.45THERMAX 705.90 707.95 699.75 701.15ALLCARGO 68.95 72.00 67.35 67.50NLCINDIA 44.50 44.50 42.25 42.85LAKSHVILAS 13.77 13.77 13.30 13.64MOTILALOFS* 502.75 520.10 502.75 510.80EDELWEISS 39.50 39.90 39.50 39.90SADBHAV 62.65 62.65 62.65 62.65CARERATING 374.00 378.00 366.65 370.10MAHINDCIE 99.70 102.50 94.80 98.20JTEKTINDIA 49.80 50.50 47.60 48.20TIINDIA 368.00 373.35 342.35 351.00CERA 2176.00 2261.25 2149.20 2195.60SJVN 20.80 20.90 20.25 20.40CHOLAHLDNG 282.80 282.80 267.85 270.50FDC 251.00 257.40 249.30 250.05ECLERX 446.00 447.90 430.00 432.45GEPIL 405.95 420.30 399.00 400.45LEMONTREE 17.50 17.55 16.55 16.75

ADVENZYMES 140.00 144.40 138.00 138.05AIAENG 1578.25 1611.00 1558.85 1565.40BLUEDART 2175.95 2200.00 2121.00 2132.20VSTIND 2839.50 2840.50 2800.30 2811.20RATNAMANI 885.00 890.35 879.25 887.80SHILPAMED 374.80 375.00 358.00 361.10IIFL 70.15 70.15 66.50 67.80SIS 362.00 369.30 357.05 365.15SUPRAJIT 114.15 114.60 111.50 113.05JCHAC 2305.95 2305.95 2257.05 2268.10SCHAEFFLER 3333.80 3333.80 3283.25 3309.95HFCL 10.30 10.55 10.20 10.25GDL 89.05 89.05 84.00 84.55MAHSCOOTER 2011.10 2031.00 1952.50 2002.10LAOPALA 177.00 177.00 160.60 163.90PRSMJOHNSN 32.35 32.75 31.55 32.00DHANUKA 454.50 459.65 417.00 449.10ESSELPRO 175.70 178.90 173.00 175.00GICHSGFIN 65.00 67.90 64.85 65.10MAHABANK 8.90 8.96 8.84 8.87KPITTECH 54.05 55.70 50.45 50.50PHOENIXLTD 532.55 532.55 517.60 520.20THYROCARE 503.00 507.95 500.85 502.20

VAIBHAVGBL 1006.95 1016.55 989.25 991.40TATAINVEST 696.60 700.30 687.80 689.75ITDCEM 35.20 36.00 35.20 35.35GMDCLTD 36.70 37.30 35.80 35.90INTELLECT 70.70 70.80 70.70 70.80LUXIND 894.25 902.00 890.10 894.70VTL 638.00 650.00 626.20 626.50GRINDWELL 501.15 519.00 486.95 497.60STARCEMENT 71.00 71.00 67.90 68.05LAXMIMACH 2466.85 2524.95 2466.85 2499.60IBULISL 40.40 40.40 38.25 38.50IFBIND 380.00 382.20 373.70 381.00VRLLOG 157.00 157.00 153.00 154.85PNCINFRA 109.65 109.90 104.00 106.35GHCL 100.50 102.70 97.55 97.85JAGRAN 39.80 40.85 39.10 39.95FINCABLES 229.95 230.30 223.00 224.25GRSE 139.40 141.95 138.55 138.85CENTRALBK 15.00 15.10 14.65 14.70CARBORUNIV 215.70 217.75 211.85 214.25ITDC 149.60 150.30 145.95 146.45NH 274.55 275.65 266.75 270.35IOB 7.24 7.24 7.05 7.14CCL 188.25 191.00 186.05 190.15INOXWIND 25.30 25.30 24.65 25.25MAHLIFE 185.95 185.95 176.00 178.55INDOSTAR 277.15 278.35 275.15 276.00MMTC 14.03 14.03 13.72 13.78SHOPERSTOP 164.90 165.40 162.50 162.85JSLHISAR 44.10 44.10 42.10 42.75ARVINDFASN 135.00 140.00 131.00 133.00HIMATSEIDE 49.95 51.20 48.20 48.55GULFOILLUB 566.00 568.00 551.40 555.05REPCOHOME 121.65 123.10 119.00 123.05TIMETECHNO 30.70 31.65 30.30 31.10JSL 28.90 28.95 28.45 28.45ORIENTREF 142.00 142.00 137.05 138.45HERITGFOOD 247.95 252.00 245.00 246.55WABCOINDIA 6220.00 6270.00 6217.40 6246.80TEJASNET 36.85 36.95 35.00 35.15NAVNETEDUL 71.05 73.00 70.45 70.55GET&D 74.55 75.75 71.25 72.30SOMANYCERA 99.85 99.85 97.45 98.15SHRIRAMCIT 726.75 726.75 707.55 712.55NILKAMAL 1033.00 1033.00 1006.15 1010.30ESABINDIA 1074.00 1074.00 1056.40 1072.00KSB 450.00 454.35 440.45 443.25MASFIN 570.00 591.40 552.00 561.60NBVENTURES 36.45 36.45 34.90 35.30VMART 1658.80 1658.80 1632.00 1642.10TVTODAY 180.00 186.10 180.00 183.70SHANKARA 258.25 258.30 249.35 251.30TEAMLEASE 1563.85 1563.85 1535.95 1538.10KPRMILL 434.90 434.90 414.30 418.10CENTRUM 10.25 10.50 9.96 10.35SOLARINDS 872.00 878.85 872.00 875.15TCNSBRANDS 377.75 382.35 372.10 372.30MAXINDIA 59.00 59.60 58.75 59.35CHALET 134.00 134.85 131.75 131.75SFL 1390.00 1390.00 1390.00 1390.00

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 9348.15 9439.90 9219.95 9239.20 -12.30HEROMOTOCO2015.00 2134.80 1990.00 2082.10 119.50TATAMOTORS 81.45 90.65 81.40 85.85 4.80INFRATEL 174.25 187.70 173.00 184.55 10.30BAJAJ-AUTO 2430.00 2624.95 2428.00 2560.60 141.55MARUTI 4750.00 5014.60 4730.15 4923.00 268.85GRASIM 489.20 512.50 484.75 506.20 19.90VEDL 78.85 80.50 78.00 80.35 2.95ZEEL 153.95 161.85 153.25 155.85 5.20JSWSTEEL 170.00 176.40 168.75 174.20 5.55EICHERMOT 14059.95 14550.00 14000.00 14277.00 418.15HINDALCO 118.95 121.40 117.55 119.80 2.70TCS 1909.00 1951.40 1909.00 1936.00 42.60BRITANNIA 3029.00 3083.40 2991.85 3060.00 65.35ADANIPORTS 285.20 293.25 285.20 290.95 5.90HCLTECH 526.00 534.90 521.20 527.00 8.60ULTRACEMCO 3355.00 3450.00 3330.10 3360.00 54.20BHARTIARTL 533.05 548.50 532.10 538.40 8.35IOC 75.55 76.30 74.80 75.45 1.10INFY 682.50 698.55 678.00 683.75 9.55UPL 367.00 378.60 366.50 369.75 5.15ONGC 76.00 78.15 74.50 77.05 1.05TATASTEEL 275.55 283.00 275.00 276.65 3.75SHREECEM 19099.00 19299.00 18812.75 18945.00 212.25RELIANCE 1580.00 1615.00 1572.30 1575.00 13.20LT 821.20 827.50 816.35 822.00 6.05ITC 160.00 163.50 158.00 159.25 1.00WIPRO 185.00 189.95 184.10 184.95 0.95TITAN 848.45 851.40 824.00 836.25 3.40GAIL 92.00 94.60 91.40 91.70 0.35M&M 388.50 402.00 384.35 387.90 1.20BAJFINANCE 2070.00 2092.70 1995.30 2023.70 -0.45POWERGRID 159.30 162.40 158.35 158.80 -0.20NTPC 88.20 89.45 85.85 86.85 -0.15AXISBANK 391.00 393.50 376.85 380.50 -1.55ASIANPAINT 1583.00 1599.00 1555.00 1571.00 -7.40COALINDIA 130.15 131.05 128.05 128.25 -0.75CIPLA 600.95 600.95 583.45 587.75 -4.15SUNPHARMA 473.70 475.55 461.30 465.50 -3.50BAJAJFINSV 4687.30 4717.70 4540.10 4565.00 -36.00SBIN 167.95 168.90 165.00 165.25 -1.40TECHM 541.50 543.80 527.20 531.00 -5.20INDUSINDBK 450.00 458.75 428.80 435.90 -4.45NESTLEIND 17770.00 17920.00 17490.00 17569.00 -233.95HDFCBANK 937.00 954.00 914.00 915.90 -13.15HDFC 1712.50 1722.00 1652.10 1660.00 -29.70HINDUNILVR 2083.00 2116.55 2035.95 2044.70 -44.75KOTAKBANK 1240.55 1252.30 1185.00 1186.40 -31.05DRREDDY 3977.80 3977.80 3848.05 3866.00 -118.00BPCL 326.00 330.35 311.30 314.50 -10.25ICICIBANK 341.00 343.55 318.20 322.10 -15.60

SE 500B

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 23182.35 23371.80 23161.90 23201.45 241.95IDEA 4.25 4.80 4.20 4.55 0.35MOTHERSUMI 78.50 85.00 78.10 80.60 3.60HINDZINC 178.35 185.50 178.35 183.50 8.20ICICIGI 1250.00 1314.00 1246.00 1293.00 57.85INDIGO 953.00 994.00 951.20 968.95 40.90PEL 895.00 942.00 895.00 924.30 38.50PETRONET 226.90 237.55 226.00 233.50 8.85GODREJCP 508.00 523.95 505.05 518.85 19.30ASHOKLEY 47.55 49.40 46.55 48.80 1.75AMBUJACEM 170.15 174.70 170.15 174.25 4.90PAGEIND 17063.15 17620.00 17063.15 17400.00 417.10DMART 2280.00 2358.00 2270.00 2310.00 55.00CADILAHC 332.80 333.00 325.20 328.90 7.65LUPIN 843.95 857.70 832.05 852.80 17.80DLF 133.00 135.40 131.10 132.80 2.65CONCOR 359.00 369.35 356.70 365.95 7.20OFSS 2510.00 2579.00 2470.00 2500.00 47.85AUROPHARMA 651.00 673.50 647.25 664.50 11.85NIACL 119.20 120.80 118.05 119.15 1.70ACC 1162.00 1187.95 1160.05 1169.70 15.90BAJAJHLDNG 1894.95 1938.25 1883.75 1902.30 25.35DIVISLAB 2319.00 2356.00 2310.05 2330.00 29.20GICRE 129.65 130.50 128.50 130.45 1.45BOSCHLTD 9868.00 9990.00 9801.65 9899.00 106.85MARICO 301.70 304.90 300.25 302.95 2.70HDFCLIFE 529.75 539.00 522.50 524.00 3.95PIDILITIND 1380.00 1388.40 1358.40 1378.00 9.65L&TFH 57.50 59.10 56.90 57.15 0.40ADANITRANS 193.00 198.90 192.15 197.00 0.70HAVELLS 492.00 493.40 476.75 488.50 1.05PGHH 10052.00 10168.95 9999.00 10050.05 22.10DABUR 450.00 454.70 443.50 446.95 0.15ICICIPRULI 401.00 408.80 394.00 400.05 -0.05NHPC 20.00 20.25 19.90 19.90 -0.05COLPAL 1370.00 1375.90 1340.05 1354.00 -5.50PFC 84.90 86.15 82.00 83.65 -0.40BANKBARODA 41.85 41.85 40.55 40.90 -0.20BANDHANBNK 246.95 250.85 237.50 238.80 -1.20BERGEPAINT 463.90 463.90 446.65 452.55 -2.85UBL 890.50 901.70 880.25 884.00 -6.10SRTRANSFIN 759.80 767.90 726.05 738.10 -6.30IBULHSGFIN 126.00 126.40 121.15 122.15 -1.10NMDC 73.80 74.95 72.10 72.35 -0.80SIEMENS 1056.40 1058.80 1017.50 1029.95 -13.40PNB 29.40 29.50 28.70 28.80 -0.40MCDOWELL-N 505.50 509.65 491.65 493.60 -7.75SBILIFE 770.95 770.95 744.85 747.00 -13.05BIOCON 359.45 363.80 350.05 352.45 -6.80HINDPETRO 198.00 201.20 191.80 192.00 -4.95HDFCAMC 2525.00 2645.95 2501.30 2545.95 -73.30

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Plastic spacing barriers andmillions of masks appeared

on the streets of Europe’s newlyreopened cities Monday, asFrance and Belgium emergedfrom lockdowns, theNetherlands sent children backto school and Spain let peopleeat outdoors.

All faced the delicate bal-ance of trying to restart bat-tered economies without caus-ing a second wave of coron-avirus infections.

Fears of infection spikes incountries that eased theirrestrictions have been borne outover the past few days inGermany, where new clusterswere linked to three slaughter-houses; in Wuhan, the Chinesecity where the virus started; andin South Korea, where onenightclub customer was linkedto a 85 new cases.

Health officials in the U.S.will be watching closely in thecoming days for any resur-gence of the virus two weeksafter states began graduallyreopening.

Authorities have warnedthat the scourge could comeback with a vengeance withoutwidespread testing and tracingof infected people’s contacts,and efforts to assemble contact-tracing teams are underway inEurope and the US.

While some countries such

as Germany have establishedrobust tracing abilities, othercountries are far behind. Britainabandoned an initial effort inmid-March when the virus’srapid spread made it impossi-ble. Now it is recruiting 18,000people to do the legwork oftracking contacts.

Britain and other countriesare also developing contact-tracing cellphone apps thatcan show whether someone hascrossed paths with an infectedperson.

In the hardest-hit corner ofthe US, contact tracers in NewYork began online trainingMonday. A May 15 goal forreopening parts of the statehinges on the ability to trackthe spread of the virus.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo set arequirement of 30 contact trac-ers per 100,000 residents forareas to reopen. That translatesto about 6,000 workersstatewide.

Contract tracing across therest of the US is a patchwork ofapproaches and readiness levels.

In loosening up the coun-try’s lockdown, German author-ities have spelled out a specificlevel of infection that couldlead to the reimposition ofrestrictions in local areas. Othercountries — and US states —have been vague about whatwould be enough to triggeranother clampdown.

With Monday’s partial

reopening, the French did nothave to carry forms allowingthem to leave their homes.Crowds formed at some metrostations in Paris, but the city’snotorious traffic jams wereabsent. Only half the stores onthe Champs-Elysees were open.

Parisian hairdressersplanned to charge a fee for thedisposable protective gear theywill have to give customers.Walk-ins will be a thing of thepast, said Brigitte L’Hoste, man-ager of the Hair de Beauté salon.

“The face of beauty willchange, meaning clients won’tcome here to relax. Clients willcome because they need to,”said Aurelie Bollini, a beauti-cian at the salon. “They willcome and aim at getting themaximum done in the shortesttime possible.”

In South Korea, the gov-ernment clamped down again,halting school reopeningsplanned for this week andreimposing restrictions onnightclubs and bars. It is tryingto track down 5,500 patrons ofa Seoul nightlife district bychecking credit-card transac-tions, cellphone records andsecurity camera footage.

In China, ShanghaiDisneyland reopened but withlimited visitors who had to wearface masks and have their tem-peratures checked.

Roughly half of Spain’s 47million people shifted into

looser restrictions, beginning tosocialize, shop in small storesand sit outdoors at restaurants.Its biggest cities, Madrid andBarcelona, remained underlockdown.

Spanish hotels were allowed

to open with precautions, buttheir financial prospects werebleak with people not allowed totravel outside their provincesand few flights from overseas.

“Unfortunately this year’sbusiness is lost already. It’s going

to be catastrophic,” said ManuelDomínguez, manager at Seville’sDoña María Hotel.

In Belgium, Brussels’ City2shopping mall reopened, and“everyone was impatient toopen their shops, see their

customers, so it is a reliefdespite the tremendous workthey did to adapt their shops,to create paths with entries andexits for customers,” said man-ager Jurgen De Gelas.

British Prime Minister BorisJohnson announced a modesteasing of the country’s lockdownbut urged citizens not to squan-der the progress made. Somepeople, however, were confusedas the government shifted its slo-gan from “Stay at Home” to “StayAlert.” Scotland, Wales andNorthern Ireland stuck withthe old motto.

At the risk of more confu-sion, the British government didan about-face on masks Monday,telling people to cover theirmouth and nose in stores and onbuses and subways.

People in jobs that cannotbe done at home “should beactively encouraged to go towork” this week, Johnson said.He also set a goal of June 1 tobegin reopening schools andshops if Britain can control newinfections. Johnson himself isthe only world leader to suffera serious bout of COVID-19.

At London’s Waterlootrain station, not everyonewas convinced. “I am nervousabout going back, because I havea family and they have been iso-lating since the start. I feel likeI am now putting them at risk,”said Peter Osu, 45, who wasreturning to work at a con-

struction site.In the US, Trump adminis-

tration officials spoke opti-mistically about a relativelyquick economic rebound fromthe pandemic — but thenannounced that Vice PresidentMike Pence is “self-isolating”after an aide tested positive.

The US has seen 1.3 mil-lion confirmed infections andabout 80,000 deaths, the mostin the world by far, accordingto a tally by Johns HopkinsUniversity. Worldwide, 4 mil-lion people have been report-ed infected and more than2,80,000 have died, over150,000 of them in Europe.Health experts believe all thosenumbers understate the truetoll of the outbreak.

Dr Christopher Murray,director of the University ofWashington institute that hascreated a widely cited model pro-jecting the course of the out-break, said that moves by statesto reopen businesses “will trans-late into more cases and deathsin 10 days from now.” Infectionsand deaths are going up morethan expected in Illinois,Arizona, Florida and California,he said. In South Africa, author-ities in Cape Town and the sur-rounding province consideredreimposing a stricter lockdownas the area became the country’scoronavirus hotspot. Theprovince accounts for about halfof South Africa’s 200 virus deaths.

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Moscow: Russia has reporteda record 11,656 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours,raising the total number ofinfections to 221,344, the coun-try’s coronavirus response cen-tre said ont Monday.

The more than 10,000 sin-gle-day increase has nowentered the ninth day, Xinhuanews agency.

The death toll grew by 94to 2,009, while 39,801 peoplehave recovered, including arecord of 5,495 over the last 24hours, the statement said.

Moscow, the country’sworst-hit region, confirmed6,169 new cases in the past 24hours, taking its total to115,909.

Russia’s consumer rightsand human well-being watch-dog said on Monday that247,842 people were undermedical observation as ofSunday. IANS

Tehran: A missile fired duringan Iranian training exercisemistakenly struck a naval ves-sel instead of its intended tar-get in waters near the strategicStrait of Hormuz, killing 19sailors and wounding 15 oth-ers, Iranian authorities said onMonday.

The bungled training exer-cises took place on Sunday andraised new questions aboutthe readiness of the IslamicRepublic’s armed forces amidheightened tensions with US,just months after they acci-dentally shot down a Ukrainianjetliner near Tehran, killing176 passengers.

It also comes soon after atense naval encounter betweenIranian and US forces in thenearby Persian Gulf.

President Donald Trump

withdrew the US from Tehran’snuclear deal with world pow-ers two years ago, launching amaximum pressure campaignagainst Iran that has pushed thearchrivals to the verge of con-flict repeatedly.

Analysts have warnedregional tensions likely willincrease again. This week alsomarks the one-year anniversaryof attacks on oil tankers nearthe strait that the US blamed onIran.

Sunday’s friendly fire inci-dent struck the Iranian navyvessel Konarak near the port ofJask, some 1,270 kilometers(790 miles) southeast of Tehranin the Gulf of Oman, theIranian army said in a state-ment.

Iran’s regular Navy typicallypatrols those waters, while ves-

sels from the paramilitaryRevolutionary Guard usuallypatrol the Persian Gulf.

The Konarak, a Hendijan-class support ship taking partin the exercise, came too closeto a target and the missilestruck it, state TV said.Authorities did not identify theship that fired the missile,though semiofficial media inIran identified it as the Iraniandestroyer Jamaran.

The Konarak had beenputting targets out for otherships to target, state TV said.

Initially, officials said onlyone sailor had been killed.That number quickly changedto 19. A local hospital admit-ted 12 sailors and treatedanother three with slightwounds, the state-run IRNAnews agency reported. AP

Washington: Inspired by thecheetah, scientists have devel-oped a new type of soft robotthat can move over three timesfaster on solid surfaces or in thewater than previous genera-tions of such machines.

The new soft robots arealso capable of grabbing objectsdelicately — or with sufficientstrength to lift heavy objects,according to the research pub-lished in the journal ScienceAdvances. Cheetahs are thefastest creatures on land, andthey derive their speed andpower from the flexing of theirspines, said Jie Yin, an assistantprofessor at North CarolinaState University in the US.

“We were inspired by the

cheetah to create a type of softrobot that has a spring-pow-ered, ‘bistable’ spine, meaningthat the robot has two stablestates. We can switch betweenthese stable states rapidly bypumping air into channels thatline the soft, silicone robot,” Yinsaid.

“Switching between thetwo states releases a significantamount of energy, allowingthe robot to quickly exert forceagainst the ground. Thisenables the robot to gallopacross the surface, meaningthat its feet leave the ground,”said Yin. Previous soft robots,the researchers said, werecrawlers, remaining in contactwith the ground at all times,which limits their speed.

They said the fastest softrobots until now could move atspeeds of up to 0.8 body lengthsper second on flat, solid sur-faces.

The new class of softrobots, which are called“Leveraging Elastic instabilitiesfor Amplified Performance”(LEAP), are able to reachspeeds of up to 2.7 body lengthsper second— more than threetimes faster— at a low actuationfrequency of about 3 Hertz,according to the researchers.

These new robots are alsocapable of running up steepinclines, which can be chal-lenging or impossible for softrobots that exert less forceagainst the ground, theysaid. PTI

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Four back-to-back roadsidebombs exploded in a north-

ern district of Afghanistan’scapital Kabul on Monday,wounding four civilians includ-ing a child, police said.

Kabul police spokesmanFerdaws Faramarz said a clear-ance team was at the site of theattacks.

Terrorists have carried outseveral roadside bombings androcket attacks in Kabul andother parts of the country inrecent weeks, but Monday’sfour consecutive explosionsappeared to be the first coor-dinated effort for some months.

The Taliban has not carriedout any large attacks in the citysince they signed a landmarkwithdrawal deal with the US inFebruary, meant to pave theway for peace in the country.

No group has claimed theattacks.

The explosions come asauthorities are trying to imposea lockdown in the capital tocurb the spread of coronavirusin the country.

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Pakistan’s Opposition partieson Monday accused

Prime Minister Imran Khan’sGovernment of mishandlingthe coronavirus crisis, as the total number of the Covid-19 patients in the country roseto 31,684.

During a NationalAssembly session convenedafter a gap of nearly twomonths, Pakistan MuslimLeague-Nawaz (PML-N) leaderand former Defence MinisterKhawaja Asif led the criticism.

Deputy Speaker QasimKhan Suri chaired the sessionin the absence of Speaker AsadQaiser who is recovering fromthe coronavirus.

The meeting is the firstsince the outbreak of Covid-19

in the country.Asif said that the federal

government was confused overthe issue of how to handle thecoronavirus crisis.

“The current situation thatwe are in is due to the approx-imately two months-long neg-

ligence showed by theGovernment. When we hadfewer deaths, the entire coun-try was completely shut down.Now that we are seeing a dan-gerous spike in cases, they areeasing lockdown restrictions,”he said.

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The US Federal Bureau ofInvestigation and cyberse-

curity experts believe Chinesehackers are trying to stealresearch on developing a vac-cine against coronavirus, twonewspapers reported Monday.

The FBI and Departmentof Homeland Security are plan-ning to release a warning aboutthe Chinese hacking as gov-ernments and private firmsrace to develop a vaccine forCovid-19, the Wall StreetJournal and New York Timesreported.The hackers are alsotargeting information and intel-lectual property on treatmentsand testing for Covid-19.

US officials alleged that thehackers are linked to theChinese Government, thereports say.The official warningcould come within days.

In Beijing Foreign Affairsministry spokesman Zhao Lijianrejected the allegation, sayingChina firmly opposes all cyberattacks. “We are leading theworld in Covid-19 treatment andvaccine research. It is immoral totarget China with rumors andslanders in the absence of anyevidence,” Zhao said. The warn-ing would add to a series of alertsand reports accusing govern-ment-backed hackers in Iran,North Korea, Russia and Chinaof malicious activity related to thepandemic, from pumping outfalse news to targeting workersand scientists.

The New York Times saidit could be a prelude to offi-cially-sanctioned counterat-tacks by US agencies involvedin cyber warfare, including thePentagon’s Cyber Commandand the National SecurityAgency.Last week in a jointmessage Britain and the UnitedStates warned of a rise in cyberattacks against health profes-sionals involved in the coron-avirus response by organisedcriminals “often linked withother state actors.”

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Italy’s transport minister saystourists from abroad won’t

have to go into quarantineonce they are able to visitagain. Presently during pan-demic travel restrictions, for-eigners can enter Italy for as long as five days but onlyfor work reasons. Then theymust leave.

Transport Minister PaolaDe Micheli told the foreignpress association in Rome onMonday that when thatrestriction can be lifteddepends on how coronavirusinfection rates are running inspecific countries.

When visitors for pleasureeventually can resume travel to Italy, “we can’t insistthat a tourist comes and goesinto quarantine,” the minister said.

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United Nations: Internationaltourism could shrink by awhopping 60-80 per cent in2020 due to the Covid-19 pan-demic, resulting in the revenueloss of $910 billion to $1.2 tril-lion and placing millions oflivelihoods at risk, according tothe World TourismOrganization (UNWTO).

The pandemic, spreadacross every country on theplanet, has so far infected 4.1million people and killed282,719 people. The US hasbeen the worst-affected coun-try with 1.3 million confirmedcoronavirus cases and nearly80,000 deaths.

The global internationalagency said the pandemic hasalready caused a 22 per cent fallin international tourist arrivalsduring the first quarter of 2020.According to the UN’s spe-cialised agency, the global healthcrisis could lead to an annualtourism decline between 60 percent and 80 per cent whencompared with the 2019 figures.

“This places millions oflivelihoods at risk and threat-ens to roll back progress madein advancing the SustainableDevelopment Goals,” it said.

“The world is facing anunprecedented health and eco-nomic crisis. Tourism has been

hit hard, with millions of jobs atrisk in one of the most labour-intensive sectors of the econo-my,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvilisaid. Available data reported bydestinations point to a 22 percent decline in arrivals in thefirst three months of the year,according to the latest UNWTOWorld Tourism Barometer.

Arrivals in March droppedsharply by 57 per cent follow-ing the start of a lockdown inmany countries, as well as thewidespread introduction oftravel restrictions and the clo-sure of airports and nationalborders. AFP

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To be precise, keeping your handsclean was amongst the first few

recommendations that the globalorganizations suggested to the world-wide people, amid the COVID-19pandemic. The measure was specifi-cally suggested to fight and break thechain of the coronavirus transmissionthat was occurring worldwide.Covering the mouth and nose wereother recommendations that theworld adhered to for eradicating thisvirus.

But as the market demand forhand sanitisers surged drastically,people also raised the question aboutits usefulness and effectiveness. Thecommon question being, are handsanitisers really safe to use? Realisingthe need to debunk the query, wethought of taking an initiative of high-lighting several pointers related to theeffectiveness of the hand sanitisers.

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Citing the medical reports, it’sstated that the alcohol-based handsanitisers are compelling as compared

to the ordinary ones. But here’s a catchthat needs to be addressed by all ofus. A lot of people have also claimedthat the over usage of such hand sani-tisers can lead to an issue like handdermatitis.

So it’s good to stay protected, butjust assure not to overdo it as it can

give birth to some other disease, rais-ing your concern towards your over-all health.

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If you believe that overdoingthings can always work in your favor,

then you might need to rethink this.Hand sanitisers have the potential tokill the germs up to an extent. Butoverusing it can lead to several skin-based issues like psoriasis, dryness ofthe skin, rashes, eczema, dry eczema,and dermatitis.

So if you are using sanitisers, con-sider using it in a fixed proportionrather than overdoing it. Otherwise,it might take a toll on your healthyskin which can turn out to be a mat-ter of concern.

�������������� �����One can simply switch to using

normal soaps for washing hands ifyou are having any doubt about theeffectiveness of hand sanitisers.Consider using an antiseptic soapespecially amid this pandemic.Though remember that even soapsabsorb the skin’s moisture, making itdry and itchy in some situations. Thusit’s suggested to always use a goodmoisturiser after washing your hands,be both sanitisers or soaps.

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���&� �-�%���%$������2% ��&� �The spread of COVID-19 across the world is constantly

increasing. India is home to over 25 lakh cancer patients, withroughly eight lakh new cases added up every year. Nearly six lakhpeople die of the disease. Cancer patients are more susceptible toCOVID-19 than individuals without the disease because of theircompromised immune system and various other factors like anti-cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy andimmunotherapy.

Not everyone will get sick. But like the flu virus, there aredefinitely people who are more at risk. People who are older (par-ticularly over 60) and people with underlying health conditions,such as chronic lung disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes,chronic kidney disease and cancer appear to be at higher riskfor major complications. That includes admission to intensivecare and even death.

The early data from China, and reports from the ground inother countries of local transmission is that our cancer patientsare going to be at increased risk, infact cancer patients record-ed a 40 per cent mortality rate much higher than any other sam-ple groups. So we’re taking all these factors into considerationwhile treating cancer patients now.

Patients with hematologic (blood) malignancies we believewill have the biggest risk. Also, patients who are in activechemotherapy and those who have undergone bone marrowtransplants. Those are the ones with the most profoundimmune deficits.

Immunosuppressed and cancer patients should be extra cau-tious and treat this like a bad fluseason. There is also a concernamong of patients of what hap-pens if one stops, delays orswitches the cancer treatment.There is a need to do varioustests to assess their conditionand progress of the disease,chemotherapy and radiotherapy,every week, especially for aggres-sive types of cancer.

Cancer patients with sched-uled appointments should keepthem, unless they’re experienc-ing coronavirus symptoms.Those with symptoms are askedto wear a mask, which decreas-es the spread of viruses and bac-teria.

If you develop symptoms of coronavirus such as high fever,a deep dry cough, fatigue and shortness of breath, the first andforemost step is to let someone know, call your provider and tellthem if you have respiratory symptoms. Sometimes, they mayadvise you to stay home or can provide guidelines and protectyou when you walk in the door depends on your symptoms andcondition. And if the symptoms are minor just stay home.Remember, it’s still flu and cold season.

Your family is important and you don’t want to avoid them,but if someone in your household gets sick, use some social dis-tancing. Wear gloves, have them sleep in a different room if youcan, make sure you wipe down areas with some sort of bleachwipes and keep washing your hands regularly. That’s really impor-tant.

It’s also crucial not to bring a sick family member into yourcancer treatment center. We need less people who are ill, not more,You don’t want someone going in with you even if they only haveminor symptoms. It’s important to bring just one caregiver withyou to treatment, not your entire family.

There is an importance of sleep in recharging the immunesystem. Sleep deprivation is one of the most potent ways of sup-pressing the immune system. Everybody has a different thresh-old but if you’re not getting a minimum of six or seven or, ide-ally, eight hours of sleep a night, there’s demonstrable scientif-ic evidence that the immune system may be compromised.

Also try doing light exercises, preferably something aerobic,like walking or jogging, which will get the heart pumping. Takea walk in the fresh air may be in your balcony or garden sinceyou cannot go out due to lockdown.

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���� ���Kachchi kairi, orraw mango, is etched in all ofour summer memories, asstrongly as are the scorchingwinds, the uncomfortable heatand the relentless sun.Drinking juice of raw mangoduring summers is more than amere exercise in palatepleasing. The drink reduces theeffects of intense heat andprevents dehydration, bystopping excessive lossof sodium chlorideand iron from thebody. Theseminerals oftentend to leach outinto yoursweat, durings u m m e r s ,making youdehydrated.

Raw mango is also con-sumed for its action againstgastrointestinal disorders,which tend to go up during thesummers. It is often prescribedto people with morning sick-ness, constipation, diarrhoea,chronic dyspepsia and indiges-tion.

Raw mangoes are great forthe liver, and are believed totreat liver ailments. Having alittle bit of raw mango powdercures the afternoon drowsiness

that often takes effectafter your meals.

This is because itgives your bodyan energy boost

that wakes you upand helpsyou perform

well.

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As the time is passing by, entireworld is witnessing newinsights in regard to novel

corona virus and its effects onhuman body almost every day.Considering COVID-19 to be a res-piratory disease,initially the majorfocus is on lungs and their function-ing but it has also been found thatother pre-existing diseases pose anadditional risk of getting infection.People with, pre-existing diseases likeDiabetes Mellitus, hypertension,bronchial asthma, on chemotherapyfor cancer, on dialysis and with lowerimmunity are at much higher riskthan normal individuals of gettingCOVID-19 disease with seriousconsequences. In recent times newinsights have suggested obesity anadditional risk factor in this regard.

CDC (Centres for DiseaseControl and Prevention) now listssevere obesity as a risk factor forsevere COVID-19; it states thatBMI (Body Mass Index) of 40 orabove is a risk factor for COVID-19.Now the mere fact that incoun-tries like USA, a significant popu-lation is already suffering fromsevere obesity and getting infectedat the same time, which thus mightbe leading to this observation andconsequent hypothesis but still itshould beof major concern.

What really makes obesity a riskfactor for COVID-19, and how it canbe dealt with let’s have a glimpse intothe explanation:

Obese people have lower level ofimmunity due to inflammation dri-ven by certain cells in the fat tissue

, they start experiencing breathless-ness even after doing minor phys-ical work, as the process of oxygensupply to the various parts of thebody is compromised. As a resultthey are at the higher risk of a num-ber of diseases, and COVID-19 isone of them as well. In the presentscenario during lockdown morethan normal eating and no physicalactivity can add to this risk of gain-ing weight and subsequent conse-quences.

Change your approach: First andforemost thing to be kept in mindis that an obese person is already ata major risk of diabetes, cardiovas-cular diseases, high blood pressure,arthritis even cancer. While gettinginfected with novel corona virusentirely depends upon coming incontact with an infected person andfomites, an obese person is at high-er risk of Covid infection, due tothese coexisting diseases Obesitybeing one of them .

Time has come when obesityshould also be dealt as a challengein a country where in some cas-esobese people are culturally calledhealthy or khaatey peetey ghar ke.This is particularly important espe-cially among children as obesity isnotably on a rise and this is a sec-tion of population along with theelderly is already vulnerable to theinfection.

It’s more about overall wellbeingthan only about COVID-19: Thispandemic has increased awarenessand made people serious abouttheir health. So should be the case

with obese people as well. Theyshould be more responsible towardstheir own health and not become apart of the chain of covid-19 dissem-ination and start accepting a healthylife style from today itself. Followingare few points to be kept in mind:� Follow the rules of lockdown,stay

at home andtake extra precautionsin maintaining basic hygiene. � Add immunity boosters to yourmeals like tulsi, ginger, turmeric andtake Vitamin C.� Follow a healthy diet plan. Consulta dietician or nutritionist if need beand make a balanced diet chartaccordingly which leaves little scopeof weight gain. Increase your waterintake if allowed as per your healthor pre-existing ailment.� It may well be a starting point dur-ing this lockdown to lose weight andimprove your health quotient.� Start with mild exercise or simpleyoga asanas at home and then slow-ly speed up the process. There are anumber of exercises which can bedone at home without extra equip-ment and lesser space, for that pur-pose you can take help of socialmedia or follow some fitness experton YouTube. � Keep in contact with your con-cerned doctor if already sufferingfrom any disease or have been fol-lowing some medication.

These times convey a strongmessage to be followed that COVID-19 is not merely about precautionsrather now it’s more about people’sentire wellbeing and future health.Always remember we cannot defeatthis pandemic merely with treat-ment rather with healthy lifestyleand positive attitude in life will bringsignificant change in the world tofight COVID-19 better.������� ������������������ �� ����)��$��� ��"

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Yoga has proved to be instrumental in theimprovement of immune function.

One clear mechanism for this efficacy hasbeen the evolution of the new field of psy-choneuroimmunology, which has provid-ed very strong evidence for the role of psy-chological state on the immune system.While chronic stress and negative moodstates such as anger, anxiety and depressionhave a significant effect in compromisingimmune function; many research studieshave shown that yoga practices are an effec-tive stress management strategy.

Another way that yoga may enhanceour immune function indirectly is byenhancing mind-body awareness. Itimproves healthy behaviors such as gettingadequate sleep, exercise and nutrition,which are contributors to proper immunefunctioning. Whether yoga works by somemechanism to directly stimulate immunefunction apart from the indirect pathwaysis yet to be determined.

Given its positive potential, there is ahigh possibility that yoga practices can actas preventive techniques against infec-tious diseases, and more specifically, of res-piratory-related infectious diseases such asupper respiratory tract infections (URTI’s).With outbreaks and pandemics of coron-aviruses, including severe acute respirato-ry syndrome (SARS), Middle East respira-tory syndrome (MERS), and COVID-19,which are the leading cause of morbidityand mortality from infectious disease inter-nationally, yoga can extend a helping hand.

A well-known ancient ancillary yogapractice called jala neti kriya, referred to asnasal saline irrigation (NSI), involves flush-ing of the nasal passages with a salt watersolution using a neti pot. It has been recog-nised within Western medicine since thelate 1800’s as an effective therapy for treat-ment of nasal and sinus congestion due toallergens or URTI’s. It is hypothesised tofunction by thinning mucous, improvingmucociliary clearance, decreasing edema,and reducing antigens in the nasal and sinuscavities and thereby enhancing the nasalmucosa’s ability to resist the effects of infec-tious agents, inflammatory mediators andirritants. NSIs are now commonly pre-scribed in everyday clinical practice as aURTI treatment.

Taken together, the research on poten-tial efficacy of contemplative mind-bodyinterventions on prevention of URTI’s isencouraging. Along with enhancement ofimmune function by removing the inhibito-ry effect of mood impairment and stress onthe immune system; yoga and meditationpractices have a direct effect in enhancinghygienic preventive behaviors. Though thelatter is a valuable indirect strategy, appli-cation of jala neti could be considered tobe a direct-acting preventive behavioralstrategy for URTI’s. Though there are moreresearches going on to prove the directimpact of yoga on mind, body and soul,time will prove the positive impact of yogaon healthy individuals as well as more sus-ceptible population such as the elderly.������� ��������!-�!���� ������)�������-�,��������B���)��������#�� � � ��C�*���� �� ����������������������-

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Shattered after her graduaterecital was cancelled amid

Coronavirus scare, Brooke Meadnearly gave up. Faced withrecording the concert alone, athome, the 23-year-old viola stu-dent stopped practicing alto-gether.

But then, the music took anamazing turn. After seeking outadvice in an online question-and-answer session with thePhiladelphia Orchestra, she wasinvited to perform her recital onthe renowned body’s live webcastas the lead-in to a rebroadcast ofone of its performances.

That allowed her to reachhundreds of classical music fansaround the world who otherwisewouldn’t have got a chance tohear her play, had her perfor-mance gone on as originallyplanned at Temple University’sPhiladelphia campus.

“It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster emotionally, just thinkingabout going from a packed hall tono hall, to having possibly torecord yourself, to then havingthis virtual audience,” Mead said.

In the online session, Meadasked the orchestra’s assistantprincipal cellist, Yumi Kendall,how she should deal with her dis-appointment. Mead had doneintern-level work for the orches-tra from September to March,and Kendall recognised hername.

“Instinctively, I just raised myhand,” Kendall said. “I said, ‘Oh,OK. I’ll be there. You have anaudience of at least one and I’lldefinitely be there’.”

People watching the discus-

sion chimed in: They wanted tobe a part of Mead’s audience, too.The orchestra’s president andCEO, Matias Tarnopolsky, decid-ed then and there to incorporateMead’s recital into the organisa-tion’s online platform.

Mead felt re-energised. Herapartment became her stage. Herin-person audience was limited tojust roommates and a dog (thecats were too noisy to let into theroom where she performed).

Mead and Kendall, whoserved as master of ceremoniesfor the online recital, ran throughthe program ahead of time towork out logistical kinks. The liveshow — pieces by German com-posers Johann Sebastian Bach

and Jean Paul Hindemith, andAmerican folk musician JayUngar’s Ashokan Farewell — wentoff without a hitch.

When the university cancelledgatherings in mid-March, spurredby widespread social distancingmeasures, Mead didn’t really thinkshe was entitled to be disappoint-ed.

Coronavirus was killing peo-ple, among them was also her part-ner’s percussion instructor, long-time Philadelphia Orchestra musi-cian Alan Abel, who died the dayafter her performance at age 91.Doctors and nurses were riskingtheir health to save others. Andhere she was, mourning the loss ofa concert.

But music has been Mead’s life.She fell in love with it around whenshe was two, when her college pro-fessor mother took her to children’smusic classes on her campus inLancaster, Pennsylvania. She start-ed playing the viola in third grade.

Now, as she looks to a careeras an orchestra performer oradministrator, she has a momen-to to inspire her — a printout toremind her of all the wonderfulfeedback she received during herrecital, virtual cheers and scores ofemojis — clapping hands, smilingfaces and lots of fire.

“I get to read the real-timereactions to my performance forthe rest of my life,” Mead said.

—AP

The almost shutting down ofthe world and the restric-tions around us has made

not just adults but even childrenmiss being outdoors. Staying athome all day can become tiresomefor these active energy bundlesand we need to think creatively tomake staying at home fun forthem. The Montessori teachingmethod fits in perfectly at thistime and can be used to deviseactivities with things that are eas-ily available at home. Children canlearn important skills in a fun wayand stay happily engaged.

Core Montessori ideas aresupported by a strong body of evi-dence in developmental psychol-ogy. Dr Montessori was a physi-cian and brought an observation-based, practical and holisticapproach to the learning anddevelopment. Though over 100years old, its concepts are extreme-ly relevant in an age where chil-dren are exposed to screens evenbefore getting their first tooth.Here are a few simple activity ideasthat you can be done at homewithout any fancy equipment. Asingle activity can apply to morethan one concept and can betweaked to suit any situation.

��� �7��� �Children learn best with

hands-on experience. Researchhas shown that we are more like-ly to remember a concept andunderstand it clearly when we doit on our own, rather than read-ing or simply hearing about it.�Involve them in simple choreswith clear and precise step-by-stepinstructions and appropriatechild-sized tools. Let them keeptoys back on shelves or stackbooks by size. Putting clothes inthe laundry basket, sorting clothesby colour or texture, placing cut-

lery in the correct shelves orfolding small clothes helps buildcognitive skills and logical think-ing. Older children can help setand clear the table or wipe sur-faces. This also instills a sense ofdiscipline, confidence and accom-plishment.�Learning new words andspelling can become a fun activ-ity by enacting the words throughcharades and forming letters usingbody parts.�Science is best understood withexperiments. Seeds like corianderand fenugreek planted in dis-carded containers are perfectopportunities to observe stages ofplant growth. Growing sproutscan demonstrate germination anddouble up as a healthy snack.Experiments with baking in thekitchen can yield delicious out-comes.�Water play can be used to under-stand measurement, volume andgravity right from an early agewhen a child scoops and pourswater into different containers.

��������� ������The Montessori methods are

largely self-motivated as kids learnbetter when they are interested ina subject. They are free to choosewhat and how they want to learnwith reasonable boundaries set bythe parent.�Encourage storytelling wherechildren are free to build a storyaccording to their imaginationand modify vocabulary learningactivities as per the theme. Openended discussion gives the childmore opportunity to think cre-atively and share thoughts.�If a child is interested in build-ings and bridges, let them useblocks to build a tower. Ask themto make the base in different mate-rials and size to understand its

impact.�Don’t give away the answers butjust enough information to piqueinterest. This encourages chil-dren to think and challenge theirbrain.

�� ��7�����Most Montessori materials

are designed to engage all thesenses. These can be easily repli-cated at home with everydayitems.�Tactile development is believedto lead to cognitive thinking. Achild’s sense of touch is highlydeveloped right from birth. Playdough can be made easily athome and used for kneading,pinching and shaping to homefine motor skills. Shapes andalphabets cut out of sandpaper ortextured material make learningfun.�Different surfaces throughoutthe house can be a great sensoryexperience for the child. Let themexplore rough and smooth floors,textures of wood and stone and

reflective mirrors.�Create a set that activates thesense of smell. Toddlers will reactdifferently to the aroma of cinna-mon, lemon, cloves or mild per-fume.�Playing with a rattle is afavourite activity for infants.Move the rattle to vary the volumeand direction of the sound or usebells or drum on the table with aspoon. The child also under-stands spatial context and a senseof direction through this simpleactivity.

���� ��� � ������Faced with so many options,

children tend to get distracted attimes. Enabling them to directtheir attention in a certain direc-tion improves concentration.�Goal-oriented activities helpchannel effort and focus. Forbabies, this could mean kicking aball or grasping a favourite toy.�Use a mat or tray to placeobjects that relate to a certainactivity. This directs focus on

what is in front rather than allover the place. Similar to a workdesk for adults, this defines aworkspace and increases concen-tration.�Children get confused with ifthey are faced with too manychoices and will feel empoweredwhen allowed to make simpledecisions. Limit the number oftoys that a child plays with toavoid over-stimulation and bore-dom within a short period of time.�Schedules and routines give asense of order and familiarity.Follow a set time for meals, napsand bedtime with activities thatcan be associated with them.Reading a bedtime story, dimminglights and a massage are signals ofbedtime.

������ �� �� ������ � �

Moving the limbs help thebrain cells build a connectionbetween a specific movementand its outcome.�For infants, grasping objectslike a toy kept just out of reachencourages movement, dexteri-ty and development of fine motorskills.�The benefits of tummy time areimmense. Activities done by ababy while s/he is on his/herbelly build core strength, neckand upper arm muscles. Let thebaby crawl and explore, withoutworrying about dirty knees andlegs.�Use coloured tape or chalk todraw zigzag lines on the floorwith arrows or create a simpleobstacle course using shoes orsoft toys. Children will enjoynavigating the path with addi-tional rules of jumping, skippingor running at different points ofthe course. Cushions can becomelanding points and a rolled up

rug could work as a balancebeam.

����� ���������Children love to act like adults

and doing things that they see theirparents do. Activities designedaround this make them feel likegrown-ups and are perfect oppor-tunities for you to bond with yourchild.�Age appropriate tasks like carry-ing a jug and watering the plants aresimple things that kids will enjoydoing.�Working and learning together canbe more fun at times. Set up a playdesk or a pretend desk where yourchild can work with you. A simplejigsaw puzzle, a favourite book orcolours can keep them busy whileyou work.�Set things that they may requirewithin reach. Providing a stool in thebathroom for easy access to the sink,fixing the towel hook at a lowerheight, child-safe scissors or plasticknives for them to cut parboiled veg-etables and fruit gives the child achance to become independent.

�� ��� ��� ����When children misbehave, tak-

ing a deep breath before reacting issometimes all it takes to restore calm.�Respond to the child’s feelings andneeds in a sensitive manner. Askingwhy they did something helps themshare their thoughts through opencommunication.�While being strict on rules, be will-ing to discuss the reasons and alterthem if needed.�Consider taking away the freedomto choose for a while, while stillallowing them to do certain activi-ties. This instills the importance offollowing rules and the value of free-dom of choice.

(The authors are the co-foundersof KinderPass.)

In the midst of people practis-ing self-isolation, in response

to the Coronavirus pandemic,filmmaker Shirish Kunder’s MrsSerial Killer is streaming onNetflix and continues to be atrend on the platform.

What emerges as the high-light of the OTT film is ManojBajpayee’s performance. Theactor essays the role of DrMrityunjay Mukherjee, who is agynaecologist and a suspectedserial killer whose wife is deter-mined to prove his innocence bycopying the impugned crime.

Shirish’s whodunnit cap-tures Bajpayee in his elementwith his performances and char-acteristic quirks in the film.When asked about landing therole, the actor said, “Shirishcame to me at the last minuteand I somehow realised thateven if the role is not so lengthy,I will have a great time shootingwith him. He has got a great wayand style of telling the storywithout losing its mainstreamelements.”

With rave reviewsfor his performanceand his latest OTTventure beingappreciated bymany, Bajpayeeis grateful to theviewers. Heexpresses, “Itis over-whelmingto see somuch love

and adoration that I have got. Iwill always be thankful to them.And will think twice beforechoosing anything and shallalways keep them in mind thatthey’re waiting for somethingnew and unique from me.”

The actor who has beenloved for his previous digital out-ings is very much in favour ofOTT platforms. He says,“Whatever content was madeand scheduled for this time isgetting released accordingly. Theshows and films take a lot of timeto be made, so you can’t justrelease it just because there is alockdown. To make a film orshow, there are certain stages for

its completion.Once the

lockdownis over, allthe OTTplatforms

and con-tent aregoing to bein demand.”

�����4�������7�="74A.�0A-!A7�� ���A #77���=�@.�.����������������� ����� ���������"� ��������������������� ����������������������������� ��� ���� ������������������������

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Page 14: 7`Tfd dYZWed e` cVgZgZ_X VT`_`^j - Daily Pioneer

�������� Tennis ace Sania Mirza onMonday became the first Indian to winthe Fed Cup Heart Award for her success-ful return to the court post motherhood.

Sania won the award forAsia/Oceania zone after securing awhopping 10,000 plus votes out of the

total 16,985 cast for this year’s threeregional Group I nominees.

The Fed Cup Heart Award winnerswere determined via online voting by fanswhich went on for a week starting fromMay 1.

Sania’s vote share of over 60 per centof the total votes is a testimony to theglobal popularity of the Indian star at theFed Cup competition.

“It’s an honour to win the Fed CupHeart Award as the first Indian. I dedi-cate this award to the entire country and

to all my fans and thank everyone for vot-ing for me. I hope to bring more laurelsto the country in the future,” she said ina statement issued by the All India TennisAssociation (AITA).

Sania made a comeback to Fed Cupafter four years and helped India quali-fy for the play-offs for the first time inhistory.

After giving birth to her son, Izhaanin October 2018, Sania returned to thecourt in January this year and instantlyachieved success by clinching the

women’s doubles title at HobartInternational alongside Nadiia Kichenok.

Former world number one in dou-bles and six-time Grand Slam champi-on Sania beat Indonesia’s 16-year-oldPriska Madelyn Nugroho for the awardin Asia/Oceania regional category.

The winners from each categoryreceived $2000 as prize money, which the33-year-old Hyderabadi decided todonate to the Chief Minister’s ReliefFund to fight against the Covid-19pandemic. PTI

������(������������������ ����� !"�!#!#

����"2". �

Former India openerGautam Gambhir feels theBCCI should behave like a

statesman amid the current cri-sis and he would have a lot morerespect for the richest cricketbody if the national team toursAustralia later this year.

Gambhir was reacting toBCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal’sstatement that if required, theIndian team could go into quar-antine upon their arrival DownUnder for the scheduled tour inthe Australian summer.

However, the need for twoweeks quarantine will only ariseif the preceding T20 World Cupdoesn’t take place in Australia.

“Good on BCCI, fabulous.Good on them. This is a veryvery positive sign, because Ithink they are looking at a farbigger picture, that it will changethe mood of the entire countryas well.

“It is not only about winningseries in Australia, which is veryvery important. But it will changethe mood of both the countriesas well, not only India, but prob-ably for Australia as well,”Gambhir said on Star Sportsshow Cricket Connected.

India are scheduled to playfour Tests Down Under and ifthe tour doesn’t take place,Cricket Australia could lose asmuch as 300 million A$.

“And then you have got to bestatesman as well, when BCCI,they are probably the richestboard and probably the mostpowerful board in the world, so

they need to look at a bigger pic-ture as well and that is whatprobably they have done.

“If India look to tourAustralia, I have got a lot ofrespect then for BCCI…,” addedthe southpaw.

The 38-year-old Gambhir,who played 58 Tests and 147ODIS, also took a jibe at worldbody ICC on the recent Testrankings, where Australia

dethroned India to be the num-ber one side. India slipped to thethird spot.

“No, I am not surprised,because I don’t believe in all theserankings, points system, proba-bly the worst was the points sys-tem what was there in World TestChampionship, you get samepoints if you win a Test matchaway from home, that’s ridicu-lous…,” said Gambhir, who is

known for his straight talk.Questioning Australia’s rise

to the top, Gambhir said theteam was particularly pathetic insub-continent conditions.

“If you have to see from theoverall impact point of view, yesIndia has lost a Test series awayfrom home, they have won inAustralia, but they have been themost competitive side, handsdown, they won a Test match in

South Africa, they won a Testmatch in England and probablynot many other countries havedone that.

“....Because Australia, I haveserious serious doubts, on what

front you have you givenAustralia the number one Testranking, because they have beenpathetic away from home, espe-cially in sub-continent…,” signedoff Gambhir.

�� �� � Former Englandcaptain Alastair Cook hasincluded current India skip-per Virat Kohli in his list ofbatsmen who came close tomatching genius of legendaryWest Indies batter Brian Lara.

Lara, who is the onlybatsman to score 400 in a Testinning, had retired after scor-ing 11,953 runs in 131 Testsand 10,505 runs in 299 ODIs.

During a Q&A sessionwith the Sunday Times, Cookrecalled a 2004 tour gamewhere the legendary WestIndies batsman had scored acentury in a session to leavehim awestruck.

“I was part of an MCCteam that played West Indiesat Arundel in the first matchof their 2004 tour,” Cooksaid.

“We had a decent bowl-ing attack — Simon Jones,Matthew Hoggard and MinPatel, all of whom wereEngland players.

“Brian Lara scored a cen-tury between Lunch and Teawhich made me realise I waswitnessing another level ofbatsmanship altogether. Itwas genius at work,” headded.

Apart from Kohli, theother players who found spotin Cook’s list were RickyPonting, Jacques Kallis andKumar Sangakkara.

According to the formerleft-handed England opener,Kohli finds a spot in the listbecause of his sheer ability toscore runs freely across for-mats.

“Now you would have toput Virat Kohli in that group,especially for his ability toscore so freely in all three for-mats,” Cook said. IANS

������Real Madrid’s players returned to work at theclub’s training ground on Monday ahead of the plannedresumption of La Liga next month.

After finding no positive cases from tests for coro-navirus last week, Madrid players arrived at Valdebebasto train for the first time in two months.

Madrid were one of the first clubs to go into quar-antine after a basketball player tested positive for coro-navirus on March 12, the same day La Liga suspend-ed all competitive fixtures.

But after almost nine weeks training at home,Zinedine Zidane’s players initiated the first phase ofLa Liga’s training programme, that includes playersworking individually, with a maximum of six on a pitchat once.

“Divided into two rotations and on variouspitches, Real Madrid footballers carried out their firstindividual exercises with and without the ball,” the clubsaid in a statement, with several photographs of theplayers in action.

Eden Hazard was among those pictured running,the Belgian returning after undergoing surgery on hisright foot in the United States on March 5.

Thibaut Courtois, Gareth Bale and Marcelo werealso training alone while Zidane wore a mask as hegave out instructions.

Madrid preferred to wait until Monday to begintraining again, after other clubs like Barcelona, Sevillaand Villarreal resumed on Friday.

Barcelona are two points ahead of Real Madrid atthe top of the table.

La Liga’s plan is for players to progress through astaggered schedule that will see them train alone, insmall groups and then finally in larger team sessions.

The league’s president Javier Tebas told Movistaron Sunday night he hopes games might be able torestart behind closed doors on June 12.

Tebas said the remaining 11 rounds of La Ligamatches would be played over 35 days, with fixtureson every day over that period. AFP

�������� India’s national bad-minton coach Pullela Gopichandwants BWF to come up with “rad-ical” solutions to restart the sportsmoothly in a post Covid-19world, suggesting that conductingmore tournaments at a singlevenue could be the way forward.

The coronavirus outbreak,which has so far infected over 41lakh people worldwide, forced theBadminton World Federation tosuspend all events, including theOlympic qualifiers, till end of July.

“BWF should talk to healthpeople and revise the formatitself, the tournament structureitself and do whatever is required,”Gopichand said.

“My view is if somethingradical needs to be done, then let’sdo it and let’s go ahead with thesport,” he said.

In a bid to salvage the inter-national circuit, the governingbody had postponed importantevents such as the Thomas andUber Cup Final (October 3-11),

besides asking for fresh slots fromrespective countries, includingIndia, to conduct the suspendedOlympic qualifiers.

“My concern is that, you aretrying to shift the dates, probablythere needs to be a change inthinking. If the same thing con-tinues, and the whole entourageis travelling again to different

countries then it is again riskingplayers,” Gopichand said.

Shuttlers travel almost everyweek to a new tournament duringthe badminton season. Gopichandsaid this should change.

“I would say, planning of thetournaments has to be such thatplayers can actually stay at oneplace and play more number oftournaments. It could be the nextnormal,” he said.

There is speculation that thesport might initially return with-out fans in the wake of the glob-al health crisis.

Gopichand believes one wayof going about things is to segre-gate the players on the basis oftheir respective formats — men’ssingles, women’s singles and dou-bles — and then conducting tour-naments in three different coun-tries simultaneously.

“If there are no spectators, andit is a TV and internet sport thenhow does it matter whether youare conducting it in three differ-

ent places, just lock the players inone place for three weeks.

“Instead of doing the tourna-ments say Indonesia, Malaysia andSingapore in three different places,do it in one place,” he said.

Indonesia, Malaysia andSingapore were scheduled to hostthree crucial Olympic qualifiersalong with India before all theevents had to be suspended.

“You give men’s singles to onecountry, give women’s singles toone country and doubles to onecountry. So parallelly three tour-nament can happen. In this way,players will not have to travel somuch, they can be quarantined,”he said.

“If it is a draw of 32, it is only16 matches per day. We can oper-ate just two courts maximum, sothat you don’t have to mix withmany players.

“So basically, if you really haveto move, you probably have tolook at a radical change in format,”he explained. PTI

���� �34�!356�

The Sports Ministry on Monday grantedrecognition to 54 national federations till

September this year, leaving out the govern-ing bodies of archery, golf, gymnastics andparalympics among others.

In the revised list, the ministry grantedfresh recognition to the All India CarromFederation.

The Paralympic Committee of India(PCI), Rowing Federation of India (RFI) andSchool Games Federation of India (SGFI)were the ones denied affiliation.

While the PCI initially found a place inthe 2019 annual recognition list, it was de-recognised by the ministry in September lastyear for violating the National Sports Code.

PCI Secretary General Gursharan Singhsaid that the PCI could not submit someimportant documents to the sports ministrydue to the lockdown and that was why it wasnot given recognition.

Just like PCI, the RFI and the SushilKumar-led SGFI too were part of 2019 listbut were de-recognised earlier this year forviolating the 2011 National Sports Code andmismanagement respectively.

The ministry also continued to denyrecognition to the Archery Association ofIndia (AAI), the Indian Golf Union (IGU),the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI)and the Taekwondo Federation of India.

While recognition to NSFs is usuallyannual, this time the ministry has decidedto offer it only till September this year,prompting questions from the IndianOlympic Association (IOA) presidentNarinder Batra.

“Why September 2020 and why not tillDecember 2020,” Batra questioned.

Sports Ministry officials did not imme-diately respond to calls for an explanation onthe matter.

Ministry’s recognition is of great signif-icance to small NSFs as they mostly dependon the Government’s yearly funding tomanage their day-to-day expenses.

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Pakistan might play more Testmatches during their tour of

England if it goes ahead asscheduled in July after theWindies pulled out of an assign-ment there in June owing to theCovid-19 pandemic.

The Pakistan Cricket Boardand the England Cricket Boardofficials are due to have a videoconference on May 18 to discusshow they should proceed withthe tour given the situationbecause of the pandemic.

“At present we have to playthree Tests and three T20Is butthe number of Tests could beincreased and the tour could starta bit early in July,” a PCB sourcesaid.

The source said that theECB could offer to organise afour or five Test series againstPakistan if the West Indies tourdidn’t go ahead.

Issues that are likely to bediscussed in the May 18 meet area quarantine period for Pakistaniplayers when they arrive in

England in July and limiting thevenues for the matches and play-ing before empty stadiums.

PCB CEO Wasim Khan con-firmed the video conference butsaid so far, the ECB has not spo-ken to them on increasing thenumber of matches on the tourwhich is scheduled between Julyand September.

“Things will be clear after themeeting but whatever decisionwe take we will consult our cap-tains and head coaches beforegiving any confirmation,” Khansaid.

The PCB has so far keptmum on the chances of theseries taking place in Englandbecause of the Covid-19 situa-tion.

But with the BritishGovernment announcement toease the lockdown in the coun-try, it appears Pakistan could betouring on schedule.

Pakistan is also scheduled toplay an ODI series against Irelandwhile in UK but that series couldbe rescheduled and also be heldin England.

���� . ('357�

Barcelona football star Gerard Piqueon Sunday said he was “pessimistic”

that the Davis Cup Finals, which hiscompany finances, would be held inMadrid this year.

Pique’s Kosmos investment grouphas a 25-year deal worth $3 billion withthe International Tennis Federation.

However, he believes that theNovember 23-29 finals in theSpanish capital could fall victim tothe coronavirus.

“There is alot of uncertain-ty, we try to beaware of whatthe Governmentsays regardingsports and towhether we can putspectators inside the CajaMagica,” Pique told

Movistar television.“I would say I am a bit pes-

simistic, because a Davis Cup withoutfans is difficult.

“I think that nobody at themoment has the certainty that we canput fans in or if it will have to be behindclosed doors. As the days go by, I sup-pose we will have a little more clarity.”

Spain, one of the worst-affectedcountries by the pandemic, starteda four-phase plan last week to relaxthe strict confinement rules applied

since mid-March.In the more advanced

phases of the plan, a maximumof 400 people will be allowedto attend open-air events andjust 50 if they are heldindoors.

Spain won the first edi-tion of the new-look Davis

Cup in 2019, beating Canada 2-0 in the final in Madrid.

�� � � !6 #

Bangladesh all-rounderShakib Al Hasan said it

will be challenging for him topick-up the game from wherehe left off when he finallyreturns to the field after serv-ing his suspension.

Shakib was banned fromall forms of the game for twoyears, one year of that sus-pended, in October 2019 forbreaching ICC’s Anti-corrup-tion Code.

He can finally return tothe game on October 29 thisyear and according to Shakib,the biggest challenge for himwill be to reach the lofty stan-dards he had set for himselfbefore the enforced break.

Shakib was at his absolutebest in the 2019 World Cup ashe slammed 606 runs in 8innings and also picked up 11wickets. He slammed two cen-turies and five half-centuriesduring the group stage butfailed to power the team intothe knockouts.

“First of all, I want toreturn to the game. I willreturn to the game after 4-5months,” Shakib was quoted assaying by DW Bangla as perCricbuzz.

“No other decision will betaken before that. The biggestchallenge is to be able to startagain from where I hadstopped, that is what I’mexpecting from myself.

“Wish I can start fromwhere I ended up. That is thechallenge for me, nothingelse,” he added.

Shakib was suspended forfailing to report corruptapproaches and he said onehas to sometimes pay forbeing ignorant. He alsorevealed his mental healthtook a beating during histime way from the game.

“I have realized that thereare certain things that you justcannot take lightly due toignorance and probably that isthe biggest lesson I learntduring this time,” Shakib said.

“It is very difficult time forme because at the back of themind you always think that Iam not playing or not beingable to play.

For me making sure thatI am not depressed is extreme-ly important as I am lockeddown in my house.”

�� �� 5 67(3

Pakistan pacer HarisRauf heaped praise

on Melbourne Stars’skipper Glenn Maxwelland stated theAustralian helped inbuilding his confidencethat eventually led to thepacer shining in the lastedition of the Big BashLeague (BBL).

He revealed thatMaxwell went out ofthe way to support himright through the courseof the tournament andthat led to him picking20 wickets in his maid-en BBL campaign.

“I feel that coachDavid Hussey and cap-tain Glenn Maxwell’sconfidence in my abili-ties was the key factor inmy excellent perfor-mances in the BBL,”Rauf was quoted as say-ing by PakPassion.net.

“Maxwell had extra-

ordinary confidence inmy ability to bowl andused me where I was ofmost use to the team.

“He went out of hisway to support mewhilst we were on thefield and for my part, Irepaid him by bowlingto the plan and to thefields he set for me,” headded.

Rauf also spokeabout his admirationfor South Africa speed-ster Dale Steyn, with

whom he shared thedressing room in theBBL last term. He spokeabout the things thatSteyn taught him duringtheir brief stint togeth-er and how it helpedhim better his game.

“Dale Steyn hasbeen my role modelever since I started toplay cricket and to be inthe same team as him atthe BBL was absolutelythrilling,” Rauf said.

“I was very happy tomeet him, and I can tellyou that he is a wonder-ful teacher. He gave metips in the nets and gaveme a lot of advice abouthow to go about mygame and what attitudeto adopt.

“In particular, hetold me about theaggression that I need tohave as a fast bowler andsince then I have tried toadopt that attitude formyself,” he added.

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�������� “M S Dhoni is whathe is because of his unbiasedopinions,” said former Indiaplayer R P Singh, recalling aselection controversy in 2008when the pacer lost his place inthe team to Irfan Pathan.

A media report in 2008 hadclaimed that Dhoni wanted RPSingh instead of Pathan for apart of the home ODI seriesagainst England. Withoutacknowledging the claims of thereport, the then Indian captainhad called the selection meet-ing leak as “disgusting and dis-respectful”.

Looking back at that inci-dent and his career of 14 Tests,58 ODIs and 10 T20s, RP Singhsaid he had no hard feelingsover his axing.

“I don’t think I was affect-ed by the leak. The Englandseries we are talking about, Ididn’t get a wicket in Indore.Obviously people think theywill get 2 or 3 more chances. Butit was not meant to be. Some get5 chances, some get 10 chancesthe lucky ones,” the 34-year-old,whose last game for India camein 2011, told Sports Tak.

“But many times it hashappened to me, whenever myperformance dipped, I was

directly sent to play domesticcricket. Sometimes, people tendto stay with the team even iftheir performance dips and getgood quality practice. Themoment you go to domesticcricket, you won’t get that qual-ity competition.”

He said Dhoni was a faircaptain and their friendshipnever affected the wicketkeep-er batsman’s decisions for theteam.

“We (Dhoni and I) had adiscussion about where I couldimprove, what I can do to getbetter. I know MS Dhoni.Friendship is a different thing,but leading the country is dif-ferent altogether. At thatmoment, I think he pushed theones who he thought were bet-ter. I think he pushed peoplewhom he thought would followthe plans better.

“This is why MS Dhoni isMS Dhoni today. His unbiasedopinions on cricket and deci-sion making. I didn’t play asmuch as I should have becausemaybe my speed dipped andmy swing dipped. Everythingelse is secondary. If I hadimproved then, I would haveplayed more. But I am happywith whatever I achieved.” PTI

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