At least 700 severe and seri - Daily Pioneer

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A t least 700 severe and seri- ous adverse events have been reported from across the country post-Covid vaccina- tion since nationwide inocula- tion drive began on January 16. The cases are under scanner in India in the wake of the glob- al concerns over rare or unusu- al types of blood clots after administration of the AstraZeneca-Oxford University shots. Meanwhile, India reported over 1.33 lakh cases in 24 hours on Friday, while the 679 people died of Covid-19. Sources in the Union Health Ministry said the national committee on adverse events following immunsation (AEFI) is closely monitoring the cases and relooking at some of the unusual technical parameters following reports by the European regulator and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The result of the analysis is likely to be finalised by the end of this week, said the sources. They said the review is sig- nificant as globally regulators are waiting for India’s data because of a large number of doses of Covid vaccine being administered here. At over 83 million, AstraZeneca’s Covishield vaccine accounts for 90 per cent of the doses administered in India so far. The remaining 8.1 million doses are of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. “Besides, we also have a large-scale AEFI monitoring and assessment mechanism already in place for the uni- versal child immunisation pro- gramme,” he added. On Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) confirmed that the cases of blood clots with low blood platelets were associated with the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but should still be listed as very rare side effects. In fact, till March 29 when over 6 crore people were inoc- ulated, nearly, 180 people died after getting the vaccine while 617 adverse events have been reported in India. This means that 29.2 per cent of these AEFI cases resulted in deaths. However, not a single case has been attributed to deaths due to the vaccine. Instead, the Ministry has found that most of the persons who succumbed to their illness had co-morbidities. Continued on Page 11 E ven as the Election Commission of India slapped a second notice on Mamata Banerjee, this time for asking her supporters to block- ade the Central forces and then vote because “they are Amit Shah’s men,” a defiant Bengal Chief Minister alleged Home Minister Amit Shah was trying to incite violence in the State and egging on the police to engage in unethical acts. The TMC supremo advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to control Shah, alleging that he may incite riots in the State. “I have not seen such a ‘gunda’ (gangster), ‘dangabaaz’ (rioteer) Home Minister in my entire life. Amit Shah is more dangerous than a tiger. People fear talking to him. I will urge PM Narendra Modi to control Amit Shah first. He is inciting riots here,” news agency PTI quoted Mamata saying this while addressing a rally in Memari in Purba. On his part, the Union Home Minister on Friday pledged “common sense” to the Bengal Chief Minister inform- ing her about how the CPF functioned during the elec- tions. “Mamata Didi has been holding the Home Ministry responsible for controlling the conduct of the Central forces during the elections… but a lit- tle common sense would make her think differently… in fact during the elections the Central forces are not controlled by the Union Home Ministry but by the Election Commission,” Shah told mediapersons adding he had not seen a Chief Minister acting in a manner the way she did. Saying that Mamata’s out- burst was the result of her fear of losing the elections, the Home Minister said, “Mamata Banerjee’s outburst only indi- cates that she is losing the elec- tions … the frustration is evi- dent from her regular attack on the Central forces… In fact I have never seen a Chief Minister or party chief asking the people to gherao the Central forces.” He wondered whether by using such words she was trying to create anar- chy. “Is she trying to create anarchy? I do not understand,” Shah said. Continued on Page 11 T o thwart possible attempts of horse-trading by the rul- ing BJP, Assam’s minority- based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) on Friday sent all its candidates of the recently-concluded Assembly elections to Congress-ruled Rajasthan in a chartered plane, perhaps being the first case when election contestants, not MLAs, have been put in a secure place. As many as 22 candidates of the Opposition alliance led by the Congress in Assam have been flown to Jaipur amid fears that the BJP may try to lure them away ahead of elec- tion results due early next month. The candidates from Mahajot alliance are from the Maulana Badruddin Ajmal- led AIUDF. AIUDF is a com- ponent of Assam’s 10-party and Congress-led grand alliance of Opposition. It was formed two months back to oust the BJP from power. They have been kept in the same Fairmont resort in Jaipur where Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had put his MLAs last July during the party’s internal crisis led by Sachin Pilot. “It’s now a trend since the BJP tries to break the Congress after losing elections. So they (allies) want to take guard,” AICC chief spokesman Congress’s Randeep Singh Surjewala said confirming the developments. Speculation is rife the can- didates could be taken further to Dubai from Rajasthan as the results of the keenly-contested Assam elections will scheduled to be declared on May 2 comes closer. “All of us have just landed in Rajasthan. The Rajasthan Government has made arrangements for our stay,” one of the AIUDF candidates said as quoted by a Assam daily. He mentioned the AIUDF chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal though have not accom- panied the team since he is in Mumbai. Continued on Page 11 I ntensifying their protest against the three farm laws, the farmers protesting at Delhi borders will block the key Kundali-Manesar-Palwal high- way for 24 hours starting Saturday morning. “Tomorrow, on April 10, the KMP-KGP highway will be blocked for 24 hours (from 8 am, 10th April to 8 am 11th April) as a warning to the gov- ernment,” the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of the protesting farmer unions, said in a statement on Friday. The KMP stands for Kundali-Manesar-Palwal expressway and the KGP for Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal expressway. The move is a part of the farmers’ strategy for protest this month. E ven as Covid-19 cases are surging despite ramping up of the vaccination drive each passing day, the Government is bracing up for a new worry as the virus is infecting even those people, including large number of doctors, who have already taken both doses of vaccines. This might hamper the health services at a time when the country is witnessing a sec- ond wave. Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the department of community medicine at Safdarjung Hospital, said infection among doctors even after getting vac- cination can impair the func- tionality of services that are being provided. “If doctors go for quarantine or get sick, who will provide healthcare ser- vices,” he cautioned. For instance, at least 37 doctors in Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital have tested pos- itive for the coronavirus and five of them have been admit- ted for treatment. Similarly, about 40 doctors have tested positive in a hos- pital in the last few days. Around half of them belong to the general surgery depart- ment, nine of the urology department and three of the department of medicine. Most of them had taken the vaccine in the first phase of the vacci- nation that was launched from January 16. Studies say the “Peltzman Effect”, might be one of the rea- sons. The term is used to indi- cate that when safety mea- sures are mandated, people’s perception of risk decreases, making them take riskier deci- sions. The Peltzman Effect has been termed after Sam Peltzman, an economist at the University of Chicago. According to the theory, Peltzman postulated that man- dating the use of seatbelts in automobiles led to more acci- dents. This implies that safety perception increases the appetite for risks. In other terms, people become more careful when they sense greater risk and less careful if they feel more protected. Continued on Page 11 M aharashtra Minister Vijay Wadettiwar on Friday said that a three-week long lockdown was required in the State to bring the coro- navirus cases under control. Having only a weekend lockdown was not enough for the State considering the rise in numbers, he said. “We are doing all we can to check the spread, but it requires strong manpower. We will soon make available five lakh doctors, including those who are completing their postgraduation,” the Relief and Rehabilitation Minister told a TV channel. We need to bring curbs on the movement of railways and stop crowding in public places to prevent the com- munity spread and save peo- ple’s lives, Wadettiwar said. “As Relief and Rehabilitation Minister, I would demand that instead of just a weekend lockdown,we should go for a three-week long strict lockdown. It is required to check the com- munity spread,” he said. B ritain’s Prince Philip — the Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away at the age of 99 on Friday morning — made three memorable royal visits to India in his long years of accompanying the 94-year-old monarch during her nearly 69-year reign. The UK’s longest-serving royal consort joined the Queen in India in 1959, 1961, 1983 and 1997 — during which he made quite an impression with his sense of humour, which often also got him into some controversy. “Deeply saddened at sad demise of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, an iconic pillar of the British monarchy, regarded by his people and world with the highest esteem and affection. India had the honour of receiving him and HM The Queen on four mem- orable occasions,” the Indian High Commission in London said in a statement. Continued on Page 11 Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the stock of coronavirus vaccine in the state will finish in next two days and urged him to immediately provide at least 30 lakh doses. W ith the surge in novel coronavirus infection cases in the state, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered that all offices – both government and private – in the worst-affected districts will work at 50 per cent capac- ity and has also issued order for setting up three dedicated Covid hospitals in state capital Lucknow. He also asked the officials to ramp up Covid testing to over two lakh per day. “All government and non- government offices in Lucknow, Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi and Prayagraj should operate with 50 per cent human resource of their capac- ity or on shift basis. Work from home culture should be pro- moted in these four districts,” Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in a high-level meeting here on Friday. The chief minister instruct- ed the officials concerned to conduct Covid testing work at full capacity. “Conduct two lakh Covid tests every day and out of these one lakh tests must be done using RT-PRC method,” he added. Yogi Adityanath also asked the officials to set up three new dedicated Covid hospitals in the state capital in the next three days. These dedicated Covid hospitals will have iso- lation beds, ventilators, BiPAP and High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) machines. The chief minister direct- ed that a 300-bed Covid hos- pital should be operated in Balrampur Hospital in Lucknow while Era Medical College and TS Mishra Medical College be converted into Covid hospitals. Yogi said that after the spread of COVID-19 infection in several districts of UP, the government had already ramped up health facil- ities in the state. “Patients from other places also come to Lucknow for treatment hence the state cap- ital should have better medical infrastructure,” he said and asked the officials to make arrangements for additional human resources so that the patients could get better med- ical facilities. The chief minis- ter also issued directive to increase Covid vaccinations in Lucknow, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Agra, Gorakhpur, Meerut and Varanasi. He said that for effective prevention of COVID-19, action should be taken in accordance with the mantra of 'Test, Trace, Treat'. In Uttar Pradesh, there are around 125 laboratories in the public sector and 104 in the private sector for Covid tests. The chief minister also emphasised to maintain ade- quate availability of oxygen, health personnel, medicines, medical equipment and back- ups in Covid hospitals. He also issued guidelines for increasing the beds of Level-2 and Level-3 Covid hospitals. “There will be no dearth of resources and the hospital administration should inform the government immediately in case of any need,” he said. He ordered the senior officials to ensure vigilance and complete compliance with the Covid protocol, including social dis- tancing and shift-wise working in the offices. The chief minis- ter said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called for the celebration of Tika Utsav from the birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule on April 11 to the birth anniver- sary of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar on April 14, 2021. He said on the call of the prime minister, Tika Utsav would be organised in the entire state. He said that peo- ple of the targeted age group of the state should participate in the Tika Utsav. He directed the officials to chalk out an action plan for the successful organi- sation of Tika Utsav and said that special attention should be paid to social distancing and mandatory use of masks in this programme. Meanwhile, The chief min- ister said that for the purpose of awareness of Covid vacci- nation and other necessary discussions related to novel coronavirus, a special 3-day programme would start in the presence of Governor Anandiben Patel. On 11 April, Governor Anandiben Patel will hold discussions with the pres- idents of political parties and party leaders. On April 12 the governor and chief minister will hold a special dialogue with all the mayors and coun- cilors. In the same sequence, on April 13, the governor and the chief minister will have a dia- logue with the religious leaders. He directed the officials to ensure all preparations for these events. D espite night curfew being clamped in nine districts of the state from Thursday, the surge in novel coronavirus infections is gathering momen- tum as on Friday a record 9,695 positive cases were reported during the past 24 hours across Uttar Pradesh. This is the highest ever num- ber of such cases in a day in the state. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said here on Friday that the active cases in the state had now reached 48,306. He said Covid tests of 1.97 lakh people were done in the last 24 hours out of which 86,000 samples were tested with RT-PCR. He said so far, 3,63,44,993 samples had been tested in the state. Till date 9,039 people have suc- cumbed to novel coronavirus in the state. Lucknow has turned into a hotspot as during the last 24 hours, 2,934 new coronavirus positive cases were reported in the state capital while 14 COVID-19 patients died. After Lucknow, 1,016 positive cases were reported in Prayagraj and 845 in Varanasi. A naval drill by the US Navy earlier this week in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has raised eye- brows as no prior consent from New Delhi was taken for the strategic exercise, which was in total disregard of internation- al conventions. However, the US has claimed it has abided by the international laws. This exercise without approval by India came at a time when the two countries are marching ahead to forge closer strategic and defence ties. Moreover, the two countries, now part of the Quadrilateral last year, held the Malabar series of exercises along with Japan and Australia. Taking exception to the exercise, the External Affairs Ministry said here on Friday India has expressed its con- cerns to the US through diplo- matic channels. A Ministry statement said UN Convention on Law of the Sea did not authorise other states to carry out military exercises or manoeuvres, in particular those involving use of weapons, in EEZ and on continental shelf, without con- sent of coastal state. It further said the US war- ship USS John Paul Jones was continuously monitored tran- siting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits. “We have conveyed our con- cerns regarding this passage through our EEZ to the Government of the USA through diplomatic channels,” the MEA statement said. The US informed about its drill when a statement by the US Navy 7th fleet said it con- ducted Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) within India’s exclusive economic zone off the Lakshadweep Islands without India’s permission. “On April 7, 2021, the USS John Paul Jones asserted Continued on Page 11

Transcript of At least 700 severe and seri - Daily Pioneer

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At least 700 severe and seri-ous adverse events have

been reported from across thecountry post-Covid vaccina-tion since nationwide inocula-tion drive began on January 16.The cases are under scanner inIndia in the wake of the glob-al concerns over rare or unusu-al types of blood clots afteradministration of theA s t r a Z e n e c a - O x f o r dUniversity shots.

Meanwhile, India reportedover 1.33 lakh cases in 24hours on Friday, while the 679people died of Covid-19.

Sources in the UnionHealth Ministry said thenational committee on adverseevents following immunsation(AEFI) is closely monitoringthe cases and relooking atsome of the unusual technicalparameters following reportsby the European regulator andthe World Health Organisation(WHO).

The result of the analysis islikely to be finalised by the endof this week, said the sources.

They said the review is sig-nificant as globally regulatorsare waiting for India’s data

because of a large number ofdoses of Covid vaccine beingadministered here. At over 83million, AstraZeneca’sCovishield vaccine accountsfor 90 per cent of the dosesadministered in India so far.The remaining 8.1 milliondoses are of Bharat Biotech’sCovaxin.

“Besides, we also have alarge-scale AEFI monitoringand assessment mechanismalready in place for the uni-versal child immunisation pro-gramme,” he added.

On Wednesday, theEuropean Medicines Agency(EMA) confirmed that thecases of blood clots with lowblood platelets were associatedwith the administration of theAstraZeneca vaccine, butshould still be listed as very rareside effects.

In fact, till March 29 whenover 6 crore people were inoc-ulated, nearly, 180 people diedafter getting the vaccine while617 adverse events have beenreported in India. This meansthat 29.2 per cent of theseAEFI cases resulted in deaths.However, not a single case hasbeen attributed to deaths due tothe vaccine.

Instead, the Ministry hasfound that most of the personswho succumbed to their illnesshad co-morbidities.

Continued on Page 11

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Even as the ElectionCommission of India

slapped a second notice onMamata Banerjee, this time forasking her supporters to block-ade the Central forces andthen vote because “they areAmit Shah’s men,” a defiantBengal Chief Minister allegedHome Minister Amit Shah wastrying to incite violence in theState and egging on the policeto engage in unethical acts.

The TMC supremoadvised Prime MinisterNarendra Modi to controlShah, alleging that he mayincite riots in the State.

“I have not seen such a‘gunda’ (gangster), ‘dangabaaz’(rioteer) Home Minister in myentire life. Amit Shah is moredangerous than a tiger. Peoplefear talking to him. I will urge

PM Narendra Modi to controlAmit Shah first. He is incitingriots here,” news agency PTIquoted Mamata saying thiswhile addressing a rally inMemari in Purba.

On his part, the UnionHome Minister on Fridaypledged “common sense” to theBengal Chief Minister inform-ing her about how the CPFfunctioned during the elec-tions.

“Mamata Didi has been

holding the Home Ministryresponsible for controlling theconduct of the Central forcesduring the elections… but a lit-tle common sense would makeher think differently… in factduring the elections the Centralforces are not controlled by theUnion Home Ministry but bythe Election Commission,”Shah told mediapersons addinghe had not seen a ChiefMinister acting in a manner theway she did.

Saying that Mamata’s out-burst was the result of her fearof losing the elections, theHome Minister said, “MamataBanerjee’s outburst only indi-cates that she is losing the elec-tions … the frustration is evi-dent from her regular attack onthe Central forces… In fact Ihave never seen a ChiefMinister or party chief askingthe people to gherao theCentral forces.” He wonderedwhether by using such wordsshe was trying to create anar-chy. “Is she trying to createanarchy? I do not understand,”Shah said.

Continued on Page 11

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To thwart possible attemptsof horse-trading by the rul-

ing BJP, Assam’s minority-based All India UnitedDemocratic Front (AIUDF)on Friday sent all its candidatesof the recently-concludedAssembly elections toCongress-ruled Rajasthan in achartered plane, perhaps beingthe first case when electioncontestants, not MLAs, havebeen put in a secure place.

As many as 22 candidatesof the Opposition alliance ledby the Congress in Assam havebeen flown to Jaipur amidfears that the BJP may try tolure them away ahead of elec-tion results due early nextmonth. The candidates fromMahajot alliance are from theMaulana Badruddin Ajmal-

led AIUDF. AIUDF is a com-ponent of Assam’s 10-partyand Congress-led grandalliance of Opposition. It wasformed two months back tooust the BJP from power.

They have been kept in thesame Fairmont resort in Jaipurwhere Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot had put hisMLAs last July during theparty’s internal crisis led bySachin Pilot.

“It’s now a trend since theBJP tries to break the Congress

after losing elections. So they(allies) want to take guard,”AICC chief spokesmanCongress’s Randeep SinghSurjewala said confirming thedevelopments.

Speculation is rife the can-didates could be taken furtherto Dubai from Rajasthan as theresults of the keenly-contestedAssam elections will scheduledto be declared on May 2 comescloser.

“All of us have just landedin Rajasthan. The RajasthanGovernment has madearrangements for our stay,”one of the AIUDF candidatessaid as quoted by a Assam daily.He mentioned the AIUDFchief Maulana BadruddinAjmal though have not accom-panied the team since he is inMumbai.

Continued on Page 11

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Intensifying their protestagainst the three farm laws,

the farmers protesting at Delhiborders will block the keyKundali-Manesar-Palwal high-way for 24 hours startingSaturday morning.

“Tomorrow, on April 10,the KMP-KGP highway will beblocked for 24 hours (from 8am, 10th April to 8 am 11thApril) as a warning to the gov-ernment,” the Samyukt KisanMorcha, an umbrella body ofthe protesting farmer unions,said in a statement on Friday.

The KMP stands forKundal i-Manesar-Palwalexpressway and the KGP forKundli-Ghaziabad-Palwalexpressway.

The move is a part of thefarmers’ strategy for protest thismonth.

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Even as Covid-19 cases aresurging despite ramping up

of the vaccination drive eachpassing day, the Government isbracing up for a new worry asthe virus is infecting eventhose people, including largenumber of doctors, who havealready taken both doses ofvaccines.

This might hamper thehealth services at a time whenthe country is witnessing a sec-ond wave.

Dr Jugal Kishore, head ofthe department of communitymedicine at SafdarjungHospital, said infection amongdoctors even after getting vac-cination can impair the func-tionality of services that arebeing provided. “If doctors gofor quarantine or get sick, whowill provide healthcare ser-vices,” he cautioned.

For instance, at least 37doctors in Delhi’s Sir GangaRam Hospital have tested pos-

itive for the coronavirus andfive of them have been admit-ted for treatment.

Similarly, about 40 doctorshave tested positive in a hos-pital in the last few days.Around half of them belong tothe general surgery depart-ment, nine of the urology

department and three of thedepartment of medicine. Mostof them had taken the vaccinein the first phase of the vacci-nation that was launched fromJanuary 16.

Studies say the “PeltzmanEffect”, might be one of the rea-sons. The term is used to indi-cate that when safety mea-sures are mandated, people’sperception of risk decreases,making them take riskier deci-sions.

The Peltzman Effect hasbeen termed after SamPeltzman, an economist at theUniversity of Chicago.According to the theory,Peltzman postulated that man-dating the use of seatbelts inautomobiles led to more acci-dents. This implies that safetyperception increases theappetite for risks. In otherterms, people become morecareful when they sense greaterrisk and less careful if they feelmore protected.

Continued on Page 11

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Maharashtra MinisterVijay Wadettiwar on

Friday said that a three-weeklong lockdown was requiredin the State to bring the coro-navirus cases under control.

Having only a weekendlockdown was not enoughfor the State considering therise in numbers, he said.

“We are doing all we canto check the spread, but itrequires strong manpower.We will soon make availablefive lakh doctors, includingthose who are completingtheir postgraduation,” theRelief and RehabilitationMinister told a TV channel.

We need to bring curbson the movement of railwaysand stop crowding in publicplaces to prevent the com-munity spread and save peo-ple’s lives, Wadettiwar said.

“As Relief andRehabilitation Minister, Iwould demand that instead ofjust a weekend lockdown,weshould go for a three-weeklong strict lockdown. It isrequired to check the com-munity spread,” he said.

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Britain’s Prince Philip — theDuke of Edinburgh, the

husband of Queen Elizabeth II,who passed away at the age of99 on Friday morning — madethree memorable royal visits toIndia in his long years ofaccompanying the 94-year-oldmonarch during her nearly69-year reign.

The UK’s longest-servingroyal consort joined the Queenin India in 1959, 1961, 1983and 1997 — during which hemade quite an impression withhis sense of humour, whichoften also got him into somecontroversy.

“Deeply saddened at saddemise of HRH Prince Philip,Duke of Edinburgh, an iconicpillar of the British monarchy,regarded by his people and

world with the highest esteemand affection. India had thehonour of receiving him andHM The Queen on four mem-orable occasions,” the IndianHigh Commission in Londonsaid in a statement.

Continued on Page 11

Jaipur: Rajasthan ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot haswritten to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, saying thestock of coronavirus vaccinein the state will finish in nexttwo days and urged him toimmediately provide at least30 lakh doses.

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With the surge in novelcoronavirus infectioncases in the state,

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathhas ordered that all offices –both government and private –in the worst-affected districtswill work at 50 per cent capac-ity and has also issued order forsetting up three dedicatedCovid hospitals in state capitalLucknow.

He also asked the officialsto ramp up Covid testing toover two lakh per day.

“All government and non-government offices inLucknow, Kanpur Nagar,Varanasi and Prayagraj shouldoperate with 50 per centhuman resource of their capac-ity or on shift basis. Work fromhome culture should be pro-moted in these four districts,”Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathsaid in a high-level meetinghere on Friday.

The chief minister instruct-ed the officials concerned toconduct Covid testing work atfull capacity. “Conduct twolakh Covid tests every day andout of these one lakh tests mustbe done using RT-PRCmethod,” he added.

Yogi Adityanath also askedthe officials to set up three newdedicated Covid hospitals inthe state capital in the nextthree days. These dedicatedCovid hospitals will have iso-lation beds, ventilators, BiPAPand High Flow Nasal Cannula

(HFNC) machines.The chief minister direct-

ed that a 300-bed Covid hos-pital should be operated inBalrampur Hospital inLucknow while Era MedicalCollege and TS Mishra MedicalCollege be converted intoCovid hospitals. Yogi said thatafter the spread of COVID-19infection in several districts ofUP, the government hadalready ramped up health facil-ities in the state.

“Patients from other placesalso come to Lucknow fortreatment hence the state cap-ital should have better medicalinfrastructure,” he said and

asked the officials to makearrangements for additionalhuman resources so that thepatients could get better med-ical facilities. The chief minis-ter also issued directive toincrease Covid vaccinations inLucknow, Gautam BuddhaNagar, Agra, Gorakhpur,Meerut and Varanasi. He saidthat for effective prevention ofCOVID-19, action should betaken in accordance with themantra of 'Test, Trace, Treat'. InUttar Pradesh, there are around125 laboratories in the publicsector and 104 in the privatesector for Covid tests.

The chief minister also

emphasised to maintain ade-quate availability of oxygen,health personnel, medicines,medical equipment and back-ups in Covid hospitals. Healso issued guidelines forincreasing the beds of Level-2and Level-3 Covid hospitals.“There will be no dearth ofresources and the hospitaladministration should informthe government immediately incase of any need,” he said. Heordered the senior officials toensure vigilance and completecompliance with the Covidprotocol, including social dis-tancing and shift-wise workingin the offices. The chief minis-

ter said that Prime MinisterNarendra Modi had called forthe celebration of Tika Utsavfrom the birth anniversary ofMahatma Jyotiba Phule onApril 11 to the birth anniver-sary of Babasaheb Dr BRAmbedkar on April 14, 2021.He said on the call of theprime minister, Tika Utsavwould be organised in theentire state. He said that peo-ple of the targeted age group ofthe state should participate inthe Tika Utsav. He directed theofficials to chalk out an actionplan for the successful organi-sation of Tika Utsav and saidthat special attention should bepaid to social distancing andmandatory use of masks in thisprogramme.

Meanwhile, The chief min-ister said that for the purposeof awareness of Covid vacci-nation and other necessarydiscussions related to novelcoronavirus, a special 3-dayprogramme would start in thepresence of GovernorAnandiben Patel. On 11 April,Governor Anandiben Patel willhold discussions with the pres-idents of political parties andparty leaders. On April 12 thegovernor and chief ministerwill hold a special dialoguewith all the mayors and coun-cilors. In the same sequence, onApril 13, the governor and thechief minister will have a dia-logue with the religious leaders.He directed the officials toensure all preparations forthese events.

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Despite night curfew beingclamped in nine districts

of the state from Thursday, thesurge in novel coronavirusinfections is gathering momen-tum as on Friday a record9,695 positive cases werereported during the past 24hours across Uttar Pradesh.This is the highest ever num-ber of such cases in a day in thestate.

Additional Chief Secretary(Health) Amit Mohan Prasadsaid here on Friday that theactive cases in the state hadnow reached 48,306. He saidCovid tests of 1.97 lakh peoplewere done in the last 24 hoursout of which 86,000 sampleswere tested with RT-PCR. Hesaid so far, 3,63,44,993 sampleshad been tested in the state. Tilldate 9,039 people have suc-cumbed to novel coronavirusin the state. Lucknow hasturned into a hotspot as duringthe last 24 hours, 2,934 newcoronavirus positive cases werereported in the state capitalwhile 14 COVID-19 patientsdied. After Lucknow, 1,016positive cases were reported inPrayagraj and 845 in Varanasi.

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Anaval drill by the US Navyearlier this week in the

Indian Exclusive EconomicZone (EEZ) has raised eye-brows as no prior consent fromNew Delhi was taken for thestrategic exercise, which was intotal disregard of internation-al conventions. However, theUS has claimed it has abided bythe international laws.

This exercise withoutapproval by India came at atime when the two countriesare marching ahead to forgecloser strategic and defence ties.Moreover, the two countries,now part of the Quadrilaterallast year, held the Malabarseries of exercises along withJapan and Australia.

Taking exception to theexercise, the External AffairsMinistry said here on Friday

India has expressed its con-cerns to the US through diplo-matic channels.

A Ministry statement saidUN Convention on Law of theSea did not authorise otherstates to carry out militaryexercises or manoeuvres, inparticular those involving useof weapons, in EEZ and oncontinental shelf, without con-sent of coastal state.

It further said the US war-ship USS John Paul Jones wascontinuously monitored tran-siting from the Persian Gulftowards the Malacca Straits.“We have conveyed our con-cerns regarding this passagethrough our EEZ to theGovernment of the USAthrough diplomatic channels,”the MEA statement said.

The US informed about itsdrill when a statement by theUS Navy 7th fleet said it con-ducted Freedom of NavigationOperations (FONOPs) withinIndia’s exclusive economic zoneoff the Lakshadweep Islandswithout India’s permission.

“On April 7, 2021, theUSS John Paul Jones asserted

Continued on Page 11

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NOTICE

The date of birth of my son,Ankur Kumar registered in myarmy records is 28.04.1999which is incorrect.The correctdate of birth of my son AnkurKumar, according to his aadharcard and school is 28.04.2001.Notice by- NK(TS) Anil Kumar,S/o late Rajendra Prasad,army no. 15370688, R/o-vill.post - Semarpaha, Dis.-Raebareli.

NOTICE

I, NO. 15335854K RankHav/Clk (SD) Varun Sharma,S/o Mahendra Kumar, UnitHQ CWE, LUCKNOW,Resident of H.No. 1/1066Sharda Nagar, old oil mill,Saharanpur, UP, in my servingdocument my Son nameEKLAVYA SHARMA and dateof birth 30 May 2007 hasbeen entered which is incorrectthe correct name of my son isEKLOVYA SHARMA and dateof birth 30 MAY 2006.

NOTICE

I (Mohammad Imran Khan)have change my minor daugh-ter name Arishfa to ArishfaImran for future purpose. 115,Gudri, Jhansi.

NOTICE

I have change my name IrfanAhmad Raza to Irfan AhmadRayeen, S/o Abdul Rahman,for future purpose. 42,Sultanpur Bhawa Prayagraj.

NOTICE

I have changed my Namefrom Palak Kumari to PalakKshatriya, JC733017A SUBKahatriya Vinod Kumar CODKanpur, Kanpur Nagar (U.P.)208001.

NOTICE

In the records of my son,Abhigyan Singh’s school (APSSchool, ChauphatakaPrayagraj), my name haswrongly been mentioned asPranveer Pratap Singh whilemy correct name is PRANAVIRPRATAP SINGH SHASTRI forall purposes. Pranavir PratapSingh Shastri, S/o Late RamShlok Singh Shastri, R/o 583/2,Triveni Vihar, New Cantt,Prayagraj.

NOTICE

Be it known to all that I Tubapassed my ICSE High schoolexam in the year 2019-20, butunfortunately my name inmarksheet is written as TubaKamaal instead of Tuba where-as my father's and mother'sname is wrongly written asMohd Kamaal and SoofiaKamaal instead of Kamaluand Soofia respectively. Mycorrect name is Tuba D/oKamalu R/o House No.NN2/694, Vijay Kunj Colony,Kalyanpur, Lucknow and mymother name is Soofia.

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After the civil court order allow-ing excavation by the

Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) at Kashi Vishwanath Templeand the adjacent Gyanvapi Masjidto ascertain whether the mosquewas built atop a temple, the clam-our to 'free' Kashi and Mathura is setto gather momentum.

“This court order will providethe political fodder to the right wingparties particularly when UttarPradesh will go to polls in early2022,” said political analyst ManishDixit here.

Some even believe that Kashiand Mathura will now find a placein the election manifesto of theBharatiya Janata Party.

“The Ram Mandir is almostdone and dusted for the BJP.

Construction of the temple is on andit will be dedicated to the peoplebefore the next Lok Sabha election.But for UP assembly polls, Mathuraand Kashi can be potent weaponsand the civil court order has addeda new dimension to the state poli-tics,” said senior Congress leaderAmarnath Agarwal.

The apprehension could beright because the BJP campaignhas centered around the slogan‘Ayodhya to jhanki hai, MathuraKashi baaki hai’. Even during thefoundation laying ceremony of RamTemple, the slogans of free Kashiand Mathura were raised inAyodhya.

The BJP has hailed the courtdecision as party's UP Vice-President Vijay Bahadur Pathaksaid that if there is suspicion thatGyanvapi mosque was built atop a

portion of Kashi Vishwanath tem-ple, the ASI survey would find outthe truth.

“We don't believe in discord insociety but whatever be the truth, itshould come to the fore,” he said.

A lower court in Varanasi hasordered excavation by theArchaeological Survey of India(ASI) at Kashi Vishwanath Templeand the adjacent GyanvapiMasjid to ascertain whether themosque was built atop a temple. TheASI is likely to set up a five-mem-ber team that will visit the campussoon.

The Muslims have decided tocontest the Varanasi court's order.Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central WaqfBoard Chairman Zufar AhmadFarooqui said that they would chal-lenge the court order in the HighCourt.

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To put the Congress as senior contender in the UP assem-bly elections next year, Uttar Pradesh Congress is mak-

ing all efforts to build up a strong organisation at groundlevel and the result of the panchayat elections will be cru-cial for it.“We have already set up organisation in everyblock and at panchayat level and are making all efforts towin a big number of seats in the ongoing three-tier pan-chayat elections as it would help to make the party as a seri-ous contender in the assembly elections in 2022,” claimedUP Congress President Ajay Kumar Lallu.

He said that besides strengthening the Uttar PradeshCongress Committee, they had appointed senior leadersas in-charges of districts besides making a committee underthe respective district president so that right and young can-didates could be selected and they could set a platform forthe party for the final assembly election next year.

District president of Congress in Lucknow, VedPrakash Tripathi, said that they were contesting all the pan-chayat seats in the state capital and had declared their can-didates who had filed their nominations. He said that tomotivate the contestants as well as party workers, the partyhad announced that those performing well in the panchay-at elections would be considered for the assembly polls.

Tripathi said that Congress had launched its poll cam-paign much ahead of announcement of panchayat polls andthe party workers had already made contacts with the localvillagers.

-�AA�.9.������������� ���"������"�� ������"������� 36)!/42

For the second phase of panchayat elec-tions in 20 districts, as many as 2,33,616

candidates have filed their nominationpapers for different posts.

For 787 ward members of district pan-chayats, 8,024, for 19,653 posts of kshetrapanchayat members 56,874 candidateshave filed papers. For 14,897 posts of grampradhans 99,404 are in the fray while thenumber of candidates for 1, 87,781 postsof panchayat members only 69,314 candi-dates have filed papers. For the secondphase of panchayat elections, the scrutinyof nominations will end on Saturdaywhile the date of withdrawal of papers isApril 11 and same day symbols will beallotted to the candidates. The polling willbe held on April 19. The 20 districts goingto polls in the second phase are Amroha,Azamgarh, Etawah, Etah, Kannauj, Gonda,Gautam Buddha Nagar, Chitrakoot,Pratapgarh, Budaun, Baghpat, Bijnor,Muzaffarnagar, Mainpuri, Maharajganj,Lucknow, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lalitpur,Varanasi and Sultanpur.

���� 36)!/42

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath has directed officials to

expedite the process of wheat procurementfrom farmers under minimum support price.

The chief minister has also directed offi-cials to ensure transparent arrangement ateach wheat procurement centre and drink-ing water and shade for the convenience ofthe farmers.

Yogi Adityanath stressed on strict com-pliance with the Covid protocol during thewheat procurement while underlining theneed for special attention to social distanc-ing and mandatory use of masks.

The chief minister issued these directiveswhile reviewing the wheat procurementwork at a meeting convened at his official res-idence here on Friday.

He asked the authorities to ensure avail-ability of sanitiser, infrared thermometer andpulse oximeter at the wheat purchase centresand directed them to run a helpline in con-nection with wheat procurement for the con-venience of farmers.

The meeting was attended by Chief

Secretary RK Tiwari, Director General ofPolice Hitesh C Awasthi, Additional ChiefSecretary (MSME & Information) NavneetSehgal, Additional Chief Secretary to theChief Minister, SP Goyal, Additional ChiefSecretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad,Additional Chief Secretary (Panchayati Raj& Rural Development) Manoj Kumar Singh,Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister &Information Sanjay Prasad, ReliefCommissioner Ranveer Prasad and officialsof food and other departments.

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Deputy Chief MinisterKeshav Prasad Maurya on

Friday asked officials to expe-dite the work of constructingbridges on perennial rivers ofthe state so that it would notjust facilitate better connectiv-ity but also save precious timeof the commuters, particular-ly in the rural areas.

An official communiquéreleased on Friday confirmedthat at present 167 bridgeswere under construction onperennial rivers involving atotal budget of Rs 4,694crore.

Maurya, who holds thePublic Works Department(PWD) portfolio and headsUttar Pradesh State BridgeCorporation (UPSBC), claimedthat since the Bharatiya JanataParty came to power in thestate four years back, it took upthe development works andlaying of a strong network ofhighways and connecting roadsand construction of bridges ina big way.

He said that bridges savedseveral hours of the commutersas earlier they had to take alonger route to reach theirdestinations.

Maurya claimed that wher-ever bridges could not be con-structed for various reasons,pontoon bridges had beenmade to ease movement in therural areas.

UPSBC Managing DirectorArvind Srivastava said thatduring the last four years, thecorporation had receivedsanction for construction of170 bridges on perennialrivers at a total budget of Rs2,732 crore and it had con-structed 130 bridges on peren-nial rivers at a cost of Rs 2,255crore.

Srivastava said that theremaining work was in fullswing and on the direction ofthe government, orders hadbeen issued to senior officers tocomplete the work withinthe stipulated time while fol-lowing Covid protocol at all thesites.

���� 36)!/42

Taking action against thealleged charges of large-

scale corruption in constructionof memorials and statues dur-ing the Mayawati regime, theLucknow unit of VigilanceEstablishment arrested foursenior officers of UP RajkiyaNirman Nigam on Friday.

These officers posted insenior positions in UPRNNbetween 2007 and 2012 werealready named in the FIR reg-istered by the VigilanceDepartment in Gomti Nagar.Besides, the EnforcementDirectorate had also filed acriminal case under thePrevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA) toinvestigate these allegationsafter taking cognisance of a stateVigilance Department com-plaint of 2014. The ED had alsocarried out raids at seven placesat the residences of engineers ofthe Uttar Pradesh RajkiyaNirman Nigam and privatefirms and recovered huge cashand other documents related to

investment of several crorerupees.

Sources on Friday con-firmed that the Lucknow unit ofthe Vigilance Establishmentprobing the memorial scamarrested the then financial advi-sor of UPRNN, VimalkantMridul, the then general man-ager (technical) SK Tyagi, thethen general manager KrishnaKumar and project incharge,Kameshwar Sharma.

The sleuths grilled thembefore producing them in thedesignated court to seek theirremand.

It may be mentioned thatearlier the vigilance complaintwas filed under various sectionsof the Indian Penal Code andPrevention of Corruption Actrelating to alleged financialirregularities in the constructionof memorials, including statuesof Bahujan Samaj Party founderKanshi Ram and the party's pollsymbol ‘elephant’, during theregime of former Chief MinisterMayawati between 2007 and2012.

It was alleged that the said

act “resulted in the loss of overRs 1,11,44,35,066 to the govern-ment exchequer and unlawfulgain to public servants and pri-vate individuals”.

The state government head-ed by Mayawati had built thememorials, statues and parks ata cost of over Rs 2,600 crore inLucknow, Noida and a fewother places in the state. The UPLokayukta had earlier indictedMayawati’s two cabinet col-leagues, Naseemuddin Siddiquiand Babu Singh Kushwaha,

besides 12 BSP MLAs and sev-eral others for alleged wrong-doings in the purchase of sand-stone for the memorials. On theLokayukta’s report, the VigilanceDepartment FIR was lodgedagainst them in 2014.

The other persons againstwhom the case was registeredinclude more than 100 engi-neers and officers of the UPRajkiya Nirman Nigam, PublicWorks Department and NewOkhla Industrial DevelopmentAuthority (NOIDA).

���� 36)!/42

The panchayat electionsahead of the crucial UP

assembly elections in 2022 area big challenge for theSamajwadi Party. The opposi-tion party faces an uphill taskof retaining its electoral basecomprising Other BackwardClasses (OBCs) and MostBackward Classes (MBCs).After three consecutive defeatsin 2014 Lok Sabha elections,2017, UP assembly electionsand 2019 parliamentary polls inwhich the Bharatiya JanataParty effectively created deepinroads in the vote bank of theOBCs and MBCs, the panchay-at elections pose a big challengeto the Samajwadi Party.

The BJP, seeking tostrengthen its political out-reach at the grassroots level, hasdecided to contest the seats inthe panchayat bodies.

The move is seen as theBJP’s attempt to consolidate itsposition in the rural and semi-urban areas ahead of the highstake UP assembly electionsdue in 2022. The BJP is scal-ing up rural outreach in a bidto nudge an assertive opposi-tion Samajwadi Party.

Moreover, as in three pre-vious elections in 2014, 2017and 2019, the BJP is paying spe-cial attention to strengtheningits hold among the MBCs andother marginalised classes inthe backward category. Over 50per cent of the candidatesannounced by the BJP for thepost of member of districtpanchayat and kshetra commit-tee are from OBCs. In Unnao,Lucknow, Varanasi and sever-al other districts, an over-whelming number of candi-dates for the post of districtpanchayat member are fromOBCs.

Aware of the challenge,Samajwadi Party PresidentAkhilesh Yadav is touring thestate like never before, travel-ling to nearly 40 districts andall regions of the state, includ-ing Bundelkhand, in the lastover a month.

He has not only left allother top opposition leadersbehind in this respect butappears to have outdone him-self in spending time on theroad.

Yadav’s tours now also

involved frequent overnightstays in districts.

The sequence began with athree-day visit to his Lok Sabhaconstituency Azamgarh in east-ern Uttar Pradesh inDecember. During these visits,he has addressed cadre trainingcamps, kisan mahapanchay-ats, public meetings and pressconferences. He has also goneto temples, besides Muslimand Buddhist places of worship.From all the districts, Akhileshhas posted his pictures withdense crowds on his socialmedia accounts. Most of themwere road trips but he did usean aeroplane on a couple of vis-its, including one toChitrakoot.

In Etawah, he addressed agathering from atop a tractor.He also stood on the roof of hisrath (a luxury election cam-paign bus) at his Aligarh kisanmahapanchayat.

In Rampur, he not onlyflagged off the 350-km-longSamajwadi Cycle Yatra toLucknow, but also pedalledthe first 10 km of the routealong with party workers. Heeven travelled on a UPRoadways bus on the way toEtawah.

Samajwadi Partyspokesman RajendraChaudhary said his party waswell prepared for the panchay-at elections. He said the farm-ers were up in arms against thethree agriculture related lawsand they would certainly voteagainst the BJP and this wouldbe repeated in the 2022 UPassembly elections.

���� 36)!/42

Bundelkhand, a water deficientregion for years, has been undergo-

ing a transformation in terms of inno-vation in the water sector as efforts havestarted on a war footing to deepen dryponds, repair old wells and new pondsand wells are being constructed in theentire region.

Along with ponds and wells, checkdams and lakes are being built to storerainwater.

Taking cognisance of the dry con-dition of this region, Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath has emphasised on theexpansion of irrigation capacity andrainwater harvesting in Bundelkhandas part of his resolve to provide ‘waterto every field’.

Under it, it was decided to con-struct 269 check dams and 219 pondsin the third phase of the Bundelkhandpackage. This construction work wasto be done through the MinorIrrigation Department. Of these, 163check dams and 93 ponds were built tilllast year while the remaining 106

check dams and 126 ponds will be com-pleted by June this year.

According to the officials of theMinor Irrigation Department, checkdams are being constructed on season-al nullahs. During rains, a large amountof water from these nullahs iswasted.

“The check dams will serve dualpurpose as they will recharge ground-water and this will help in water stor-age in ponds and wells which will be

useful for irrigation,” an official said.District Magistrate of Jhansi, A Vamsi,said that ponds and reservoirs in thisregion dried up every year while waterlevel of the wells went down. He saidkeeping this in mind, hundreds ofponds were being deepened and newponds and check dams were being built.

He said to tackle the drought inJhansi, ‘One Village, One Pond’ schemehad also been started. Under thisscheme, 405 village ponds have been

revived so far.Similarly, work is being done to

construct and renovate check dams,ponds and wells in Jalaun, Lalitpur,Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda andChitrakoot districts of Bundelkhand.

According to officials, ArjunSahayak Canal, which irrigates about45,000 hectares of fields of Mahoba,Hamirpur and Banda, will be complet-ed this year with the intention of sup-plying water to every field inBundelkhand to benefit about 1.5 lakhfarmers.

Apart from this, about 19,000hectares of additional land of Lalitpur,Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jhansi andMahoba will be irrigated with therestoration of Bhawani Dam, Rasin,Lakheri, Ratauli, Bandai, Masgaon andChilli, Kulpahar and Shehzad DamSprinkler Irrigation Project andJakhlaun Canal System and 16,000more farmers will be benefited.

After completion of these projects,not only will agricultural productionbut the incomes of the farmers will alsoincrease.

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Lucknow has witnessed morethan 75 Covid deaths in the

past one month. The total num-ber of deaths recorded on March11 was 1,187, which climbed to1,265 on Friday (April 9).Authorities at some of the Covidhospitals also said that the deathrate has increased while those atothers said the proportion ofdeaths remains the same thoughthe numbers have increased.

KGMU Vice-Chancellor DrBipin Puri said there has been aspurt in deaths in the last 15days, but then it is a level-3 hos-pital which gets complicatedcases. “Another reason forincreased deaths is that patientsdelay hospitalisation and it getstoo late. There is a growing per-ception that home isolation isbetter than going to hospitals. Insome cases, moderate symptombecome severe and the diseasewipes out the lungs completelyat later stages and it is too late forthe patients by then. Many ofthese patients die within hoursof coming to the hospital and donot give us any reaction time.Therefore, it is important thatpatients in home quarantineshould be monitored properly,”he said.

Dr Puri said they have beenconstantly increasing the bedcapacity in the Covid hospital

and 20 beds were added to thehospital on Friday and theywere occupied within an hour.Regarding the treatment, hesaid they are following the pro-tocols such as administeringantiviral drugs, treatment for

hypertension, diabetes and heartdisease. Ventilator care is alsoprovided depending on therequirement, he added.

SGPGI director Dr RKDhiman said the number ofdeaths has been proportionate to

the cases emerging. “I feel thatthe virus is causing severe dis-ease this time. The doublingnature of this virus is making itmore infectious,” he added.

Director of Ram ManoharLohia Institute of MedicalSciences Dr AK Singh said 10-15 patients have died ever sincethe second wave struck. “Most ofthe deaths were caused by respi-ratory failure. People have to beput on oxygen support and thedemand keeps increasing. Withthe spurt in cases, deaths are alsoon the rise,” he said. He addedthey also give plasma therapy topatients but it is one of the mea-sures of last resort.

Dr Arun Tewari from LokBandhu hospital said since thestart of Covid facility on March31, as many as 11 patients havedied. “The death rate is very highat 8.2 per cent even as it is farfrom peak. In the first wave, theoverall national average was 1.4per cent and 1.9 per cent at thehospital,” he said.

Meanwhile, president ofPeople’s Health Organisation DrIshwar Gilada said the for thedeaths due to any infectious dis-eases, we look at two parameters- Infection Mortality Rate (IMR)and Case Fatality Rate (CFR). Asthe calculation of IMR is verydifficult and depends on a lot ofstatistical inputs, currently weare looking at only CFR global-

ly. CFR means the number ofCovid deaths happening fromthe recorded cases of Covid19infections.

Regarding the reason forthe increase in the deaths, he saidthat nothing can be said deci-sively but there are two or threecontributing factors for the highfatality rate.

“It is likely that this is amutant virus which is more vir-ulent. Patients may have ignoredthe disease in the initial stagesand they came only when theseverity increases. One morefactor is that the drugRemdesivir which gave goodresults was not being supplied ,”he added.

���� 36)!/42

Director of Balrampur Hospital Dr RajeevLochan, chief medical officer Dr RK Gupta and

superintendent Dr Himanshu Chaturvedi have test-ed positive for coronavirus infection despite twovaccine doses. Dr Lochan was admitted to SGPGIsince he had high fever while Dr Gupta and DrChaturvedi are in home quarantine. A matron anda surgeon have also tested Covid positive.

Meanwhile, soon after receiving directionsfrom the state government on Friday, BalrampurHospital started preparations to set up a 300-bedCovid facility in view of the second wave.

Hospital incharge Dr GP Gupta said they wouldstart with a 137-bed facility and gradually increasethe capacity to 300. “We have already carried outinspections and identified the loopholes which willbe plugged. The decision regarding when to startthe Covid facility will be taken after a meeting withthe additional chief secretary,” he said.

The Covid facility will come up on all threefloors in the Superspeciality Block at the hospitaland there will be level 1, 2 & 3 beds.

Regarding the management of both Covid andnon-Covid facilities, Dr GP Gupta said they willonly carry out emergency services in the non-covidarea. Covid and non-Covid activities will be car-ried out in separate blocks. ERA’s Medical Collegeand Hospital and TS Mishra Hospitals have alsobeen directed by the government to start Covidfacilities.

���� 36)!/42

Allaying fears of shortage of Covid vaccines in thestate, Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jai Pratap

Singh said that there was no shortage of the vaccinesin the state and over four lakh shots were being givendaily across the state.

"There is no shortage of the vaccine anywhere.We are working on our strategy and are ensuring thatthe vaccine reaches every centre in time. Everydayaround 3.5-4 lakh people are being administered thevaccine in UP and we have enough stock to meet thistarget," Singh told 'The Pioneer' here on Friday.

There were reports that some districts of west-ern and eastern Uttar Pradesh were facing acute short-age of the Covid vaccine, resulting in slowing downof the vaccination pace. The district magistrate ofVaranasi even stopped vaccination of the first doseat many centres for two days. But those people whosesecond dose was due were given the shot.

In Lucknow, vaccination was stalled in many ruralprimary health centres (PHCs). Many PHCs were toldthat the vaccine would come on Monday or Tuesdayand then only the vaccination process would start.

The minister said that when the governmentreceived reports from Varanasi, the problem wasaddressed immediately. "We have no report from anyother part of the state about the paucity of vaccines,"he said. "There are many districts where the intakeof vaccines is very low while there are other districtswhere the vaccine is much in demand. We are shift-ing the vaccines from low intake to high intakeregions. A strategy has been made to ensure there isno shortage of vaccines anywhere. Whosoever wantscan come and get the vaccine," the minister said.

He said that during the virtual meeting with PrimeMinister Narendra Modi on Thursday night, theCentral government had assured Chief Minister YogiAdityanath of all help.

"We were told that a regular supply of vaccine willbe maintained. Every alternate day we will get a lotof vaccines," he said and added that from April 11 and14 the state would carry out Tika Utsav and we willdo so because we have the vaccines," he said

Meanwhile, in view of the spike in novel coron-avirus infections, two senior ministers will visit theworst affected districts. The health minister will goto Kanpur Nagar, Jhansi, Agra and Bareilly whileMedical Education Minister Suresh Khanna will goto Ghaziabad, Noida, Meerut and Saharanpur.

<����-�?���!���������$;������������� ��� Lucknow (PNS): In view of the extremely resurgent coro-navirus, KGMU decided to close the OPD facilities of allthe departments except for five sensitive departments fromApril 12 till further orders. Spokesperson Dr Sudhir Singhsaid the OPDs of Oncology, Nephrology & Paediatricsdepartments will continue along with Antenatal Clinic,Drug Dispersion through ART & RNTCP centres andfever clinics. “For all other patients, digital OPD with 30dedicated lines has been started so that patients requir-ing emergency advice can receive consultation withoutgetting exposed to the crowd,” Dr Singh said. He saidKGMU is also starting e-Sanjeevani services in collabo-ration with NHM so that patients can contact the con-sultants of their choice while sitting at home.

.�����������������$����$���''�����'�����������#Lucknow (PNS): Mega vaccina-tion camps will be held fromApril 11 onwards and healthofficials will organise vaccina-tion camps at government andprivate offices. A senior officialfrom the National HealthMission said that the CMOshave been asked to interactwith government and privatesector officials for holding thesecamps. He said special trainingof district immunisation officersand ANMs will be carried outfor the purpose. “The trainingis necessary because publichealth is a sensitive issue andone cannot leave the strings tooloose,” he said.

“We have to see that thereis availability of three largerooms along with a panel of

doctors. Those rooms will con-verted into waiting, vaccinationand observation areas. Thecamps will be held only in theoffices having the requiredspace,” he added. Asked if theresidential complexes will alsobe allowed to have vaccinationcamps, he said: “Not as of now.We will see what decision istaken in the future”.

The official said that thefacility will be convenient forthe beneficiaries where thecamps are held. “They will nothave to move to the vaccinationcentres to take the jabs,” he said.He added that mega vaccinationcamps will help in getting a largenumber of people vaccinatedamidst the ongoing secondwave.

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OFFICE OF THE CANTONMENT BOARD, KANPUR64, Subhas Chandra Bose Marg, Cantt Kanpur-208004

NOTICE INVITING TENDEROnline tender through two bid system are invited by the Cantt Board Kanpur through the

Government e-procurement portal http://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app by the Cantonment BoardKanpur. The details of work is given below.S. NIT NO. Name of work and location Last date of Estimated CostNo. Uploading Tender of tender (Rs.)1 CBK/Engg/ Provision for Supply and fixing of VIP 06.05.2021 20,00,000/-

K-50/1 diamond grade/diamond grade cube-dg-3/Type XI or equivalent type microprismatic reflective sheeting, retroreflective sign board etc, hazzard markeretc. in cantt area

2 CBK/Engg/ Provision for Supply, Installation, Testing 06.05.2021 15,00,000/-K-50/2 and commissioning of Automatic

Algorithm based Street Light SwitchesUnder Street Lighting Scheme inCantonment Bord Kanpur

3 CBK/Engg/ Provision for Supply and fixing Cat Eyes 06.05.2021 20,00,000/-K-50/3 Delineators, etc in Cantt Area.

The detail may be obtain from https://kanpur.cantt.gov.in and http://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app(A.K. Dwivedi) IDES, CEO, Kanpur Cantt.

U.P. POWER TRANSMIS-SION CORPORATION LTD.E-TENDER NOTICEFollowing E-Tenders are invit-

ed from the experienced/reputed contrac-tors for execution offollowing works Formore details login on websitewww.etender.up.nic.in.1- Short Term E- Tender No.1 /AETC/2021-22:-Replacement of 145 kV CT/CVT/PTand198/120 kV LA at 220 kV S/s Hafizpur,Azamgarh.Earnest Money: Rs. 2000.00(Rs. Two Thousand) only.Tender Cost: Rs.236.00 (Rs. Two Hundred Thirty Six) only.2- E - Tender No.2/AETC/2021-22:-Erection and commissioning of 01 No. 40MVA,132/33 kV T/F at 132 kV S/sMehnagar, Azamgarh. Earnest Money: Rs.2500.00 (Rs. Two Thousand Five Hundred)only. Tender Cost: Rs. 296.00 (Rs. TwoHundred Ninety Six) only. 3- E- TenderNo.3 /AETC/2021-22:- Erection of structure,equipments, cable laying and all other asso-ciated work for adding 01 No. 40 MVA132/33 kV T/F at 132 kV S/sMehnagar,Azamgarh. Earnest Money: Rs.5500.00 (Rs. Five Thousand Five Hundred)only.Tender Cost: Rs. 650.00 (Rs. SixHundrec Fifty) only. Earnest money will bein the shape of RTGS/NEFT duly pledgedin favour of Superintending Engineer,Electy. Transmission Circle, UPPTCL,Azamgarh.Tenderers can upload their ten-der bids against short term E-Tender No1 upto 17.00 hrs. of 26.04.2021 and thesame shall be opened on dated 27.04.2021at 13.00 Hrs. Tenderers can upload theirtender bids against E-Tender No 2 & 3 upto17.00 hrs. of 12.05.2021 and the sameshall be opened on dated 13.05.2021at13.00 Hrs. & 14.00 Hrs. respectively. Incase the tender opening date is holiday orthe undersigned remains out of headquar-ters, the date of opening of the tender willstand extended to the next working day.Undersigned has the right to reject/devideany tender-without assigning any reasonthereof. Conditional tenders shall not beaccepted. SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER(TRANS.) AZAMGARH electricityTransmission Circle U.P. Power Trans.Corp. Ltd. Hafizpur, Azamgarh. �9�"��6>4,�3���3#"3B���D,$�&���&$�"��������J343%�%2� "Save electricity in the interest ofNation."

���� 36)!/42

With the arrest of twopersons from Vibhuti

Khand area of Gomtinagar onFriday, police claimed to havearrest two members of a gangpreparing fake Covid testreports. Those arrested wereidentified as Shubham KumarGautam of Jalalpur inRajajipuram and ShivamKushwaha, a native of Biharpresently living in Kanausi,Manak Nagar. Two laptopsand three mobile phones were recovered from theirpossession.

As per reports , DrShivendra Vikram Singh hadlodged a complaint with the

Vibhuti Khand police in thisregard on Tuesday. The policeswung into action and tracedthe location of the duo inVibhuti Khand on Thursdaynight. A trap was laid and theaccused were rounded up thesame night. During interroga-tion, they confessed to theircrime and were arrested onFriday morning.

In another case, policeclaimed to have arrested twopersons for their allegedinvolvement in selling andsupply of drugs.

They were rounded uplate on Thursday night andtaken to police station forinterrogation. They wereidentified as Anup Awasthi

and Vinay Shukla. 3kg ganjaand 35 smack pouches were recovered from theirpossession.

Interestingly, Awasthi isthe chief priest of a prominentHanuman temple inBachhrawan, Rae Bareli. Thepolice said the duo tried toescape when a mini-truck inwhich they were travellingwas stopped at Nagram trisec-tion near Chinaymay Schoolaround midnight. They werenabbed after a brief chasewith the help of locals.

During interrogation,Awasthi said Shukla has beenhis accomplice for the past 11years and before that he wasdoing it all alone.

Lucknow (PNS): A 16-year-old girl hanged herself todeath at her house inIndiranagar under Ghazipurpolice station. She was identi-fied as Soumya Prajapati, whowas a student of class X. A sui-cide note which was recoveredfrom her room said no oneshould be held responsiblefor her taking the extremestep. Her father Atul Kumar

Prajapati said Soumya waspreparing for her examsscheduled for next month.She had dinner with the fam-ily before retiring to her roomand nobody had an inkling ofwhat was in store, the bereavedfather said.

When she did not wake upwill 9:30 in the morning, Anilwent to her room on the sec-ond floor and found her hang-

ing with a rope tied around herneck. In a 4-page suicide note,the girl stated that she wasending her life on her own andthat one should be heldresponsible for her death. Sheeven praised her parents andtwo brothers.

Investigating officer AKYadav said efforts were on toascertain the reason why thegirl took the extreme step.

������Under the banner of

Liquor Sellers WelfareAssociation, liquor sellersprotested against delay inreturn of licence fee by sport-ing black armbands on Friday.They later submitted a memo-randum demanding that thelicence fee be refunded. Agroup of liquor sellers, led byLSWA vice-president VikasMohan Jaiswal and mediaincharge Devesh Jaiswal,reached the excise office inQaiserbagh where they hand-ed over the memorandum todistrict excise officer SushilKumar Dubey. LSWA generalsecretary KL Maurya saidliquor sellers across the stateprotested to press the demandon Friday.

������(�The second day of the

Solar Conclave was organizedunder the joint aegis of IIA andUPSRTC and held on the topic‘Electrical mode on electricalvehicle’. It was inaugurated byMinister of Civil Aviation andMinority Welfare Nand Gopal

Nandi. He said that due to thelimited availability of resourcesand petroleum, the require-ment for solar-powered e-vehi-cles was justified. “The devel-opment of any countrydepends on the availability ofenergy. By using solar energy inthe transport sector, the envi-ronment will remain balancedand pollution will be reduced.In this conclave, a lot of newthings will come out throughthe brainstorming of ideaswhich will be useful for thecountry and the state,” he said.In the technical session of thesecond day, advisor and mis-sion director of e-Vehicle PolicyAnil Agarwal spoke about theneed for e-vehicles.

��������7�Gaurangi Pathak, a class

VIII student of City MontessoriSchool, Aliganj Campus I, hasbrought lau-rels to theschool bywinning thefirst prize inan inter-school onlinedebate competition, organisedunder the aegis of LucknowUniversity on the topic ‘Landdevelopment and wetlandsconservation’. Gaurangi pre-sented a strong display of hercreative ideas conveying theimportance of wetlands inincreasing biodiversity andraising groundwater level.

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All India Muslim PersonalLaw Board (AIMPLB) said

that it would challenge theorder of the Varanasi courtregarding Gyanvapi mosquein the Allahabad High Court.

The Varanasi court hasallowed the ArchaeologicalSurvey of India to conduct asurvey of the Gyanvapi and filea report in the court.

AIMPLB counsel andmember Zafaryab Jilani saidhere on Friday that theVaranasi court had not issueda judgement; it was an orderwhich would be quashed by theHigh Court. Jilani said that theVaranasi court’s order was inviolation of the Places ofWorship (Special Provision)Act, 1991. The Act provides formaintenance of the status quoof all religious places as theyexisted on August 15, 1991.

Jilani said. “I am sur-prised how could the subordi-nate court of Varanasi issuesuch an order as this case ispending in the AllahabadHigh Court.”

Jilani was also the counselof the UP central sunni waqfboard in the RamJanmabhoomi- Babri Masjid

dispute. UP Sunni Central WaqfBoard Chairman Zufar Faruqisaid that the status of GyanvapiMasjid was beyond questionand the Varanasi court orderviolated the Places of Worship(Special Provisions) Act, 1991which was upheld by theSupreme Court on many occa-sions. He said the Sunni WaqfBoard would challenge theorder in Allahabad High Court.

"Our understanding isclear that this case is barred bythe Places of Worship (SpecialProvisions) Act, 1991. ThePlaces of Worship Act wasupheld by a 5-judgeConstitution bench of theSupreme Court in theAyodhya judgment. The statusof Gyanvapi Masjid is, assuch, beyond question,"Faruqi said.

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��-/�������������������#���Lucknow (PNS): Button mush-room cultivation has becomecommon in Lucknow and goodamounts are produced fromNovember to February.Farmers are in search of othertypes of mushroom which cansustain the warm weather andcan be produced from Marchto October. Milky mushroomis an excellent alternative as itcan be easily grown and has agood market potential.

CISH director ShailendraRajan said that owing to theefforts made by the instituteround the year, mushroomproduction is now coming upin and around the district.

“Both urban and ruralyouth are equally interested inmushroom cultivation and suc-cessful. It could be possible byround-the-year training ondemand. Besides organisingwell-planned training pro-grammes, we have arrangedtraining of individuals whocontacted us throughout theyear. Post-training follow-upwas also maintained throughWhatsApp groups and tele-phonic conversations toimprove on technical deficien-cies and to maintain supply of

spawn as per demand. Average30 per cent increase in thedemand of spawn every year isthe indicator of growth of oys-ter and milky mushroom pro-duction,” the CISH directorsaid.

He said mushroom cultiva-tion is now not only being donein almost all the blocks ofLucknow but also in Hardoi,Lakhimpur Kheri,Shahjahanpur, Sitapur andUnnao. Barabanki has been thebutton mushroom productionhub but due to various reasons,it has still not adopted round-the-year production.

The first training pro-gramme on milky mushroomproduction was organised inthe Rehmankhera campus ofCISH on April 6 with the par-ticipation of 47 farmers andurban youth from Hardoi,Lucknow, Shahjahanpur andUnnao.

After the lecture and prac-tical training, the farmers weregiven complete mushroomproduction kits and literatureso that they could start produc-tion. The feedback from newmushroom growers was interesting.

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Lucknow (PNS): Kin of a deadCovid-19 patient attacked doc-tors at KGMU Trauma Centreand broke window panes in thevisiting area on Friday night.Spokesperson Prof SandeepTewari said they lodged an FIRafter which two persons werearrested by police.

He said that a woman fromSultanpur was undergoingtreatment for Covid-19 at theTrauma Centre and followingher death, her attendants cre-ated a ruckus. “They attackedthe doctors and indulged invandalism in the visiting area.It cannot be tolerated becausewe are risking our lives totreat the patients. So many doc-tors at the Trauma Centre havealready tested positive. Thepatients are to blame becausethey do not come at the onsetof the disease since they hide itand do not get themselves test-ed. It is only after their condi-tion deteriorates that they arerushed to the hospital,” he said.

Meanwhile, the districtadministration sealed two well-known schools — one inGomtinagar and another onStation Road — for violation ofCovid-19 protocols.

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The Delhi Government on Friday orderedall schools to remain shut amid the ris-

ing cases of coronavirus in the city. On Friday, Delhi recorded 8,521 freshCovid-19 cases, highest single-day spike since November 11 last year, and 39 newfatalities, according to Health departmentbulletin.

The Directorate of Education ( DoE ) inits order stated, “In view of the sudden surgein the cases of Covid-19 in Delhi, all theHeads of Government, Government aidedand unaided recognised Schools are herebyinformed that conduct of all academic andexamination activities through physicalmode shall remain suspended with immedi-ate effect till further orders.

“They are further directed to ensure thatno student of Classes IX to XII is called inthe school physically for any kind of acade-mic or examination activity (like practice ofpracticals, mid-term & annual examinationrelated work i.e., practical, project submis-sion, assessments etc) till further orders,” saidthe order issued by the DoE.

“However, teaching learning activitiesmay be conducted for the students throughdigital modes,” it said further.

Meanwhile, Delhi Government-run RajivGandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGGSH)has been again converted into a dedicatedCovid-19 facility amid a massive surge incoronavirus cases in the national Capital,officials said on Friday.

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Without causing any major damageto the religious place in South

Kashmir district of Shopian, the jointteam of security forces on Friday elim-inated two more terrorists in JanMohalla area while chief commanderof Alqaeda-linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind along with his associate were neu-tralised in a separate encounter atNowbugh, Tral in Pulwama district,tak-ing the total tally of terrorists killed inthe last 24 hours to seven.

Four soldiers including one armyofficer received injuries in the overnightgunfight.

Earlier three terrorists were killedin Jan Mohalla on Thursday evening.

All these terrorists had taken shel-ter inside a local mosque forcing thesecurity forces to exercise maximumrestraint while neutralising them in JanMohalla area. Religious leaders andfamily members including parentswere taken inside the mosque to paci-fy the terrorists to lay down their armsbut they refused to obey.

Briefing the media about two sep-arate gunfights, IGP Kashmir VijayKumar said that in two differentencounters one at Jan Mohalla, Shopianand another at Nowbugh, Tral inPulwama district, seven terroristsincluding AGH chief Imtiyaz Shah,who was active since April 2019, waskilled.

“In Shopian operation we had to bevery patient. We followed all SoPs. Weallowed the Moulvi of the local masjidin which terrorists were hiding, to per-suade terrorists to surrender twice inthe night. We also brought the broth-er of a terrorist. His request for surren-

der was also turned down. We broughtthe parents of terrorists in the morn-ing, but terrorists refused to surrender,”the IGP said, adding that in theShopian gunfight no IED, no explosivesand grenades were used. “We used tearsmoke shells. In the ensuing gunfight,five terrorists were killed—two fromHizbul Mujahideen, one from LeT andtwo from AGH. All were categorizedterrorists.”

He said that two terrorists includ-ing the AGH chief Imtiyaz Shah hadfled from the Shopian encounter siteduring the initial cordon after throw-ing grenades. “We developed the leadand found that the duo had fled toNowbugh area of Tral. Today, earlymorning a cordon was launched in anopen area where Imtiyaz along with hisaide were killed,” he said. From of theseven slain terrorists, the IGP said sevenAK-rifles and two pistols were recov-ered. He said that in the Shopianoperation sanctity of the masjid wasmaintained and the place of worshipsuffered minimum damage.

The IGP identified the slain terror-ists of Shopian as Muzamil Tantary whohad joined militancy in August 2019,Adil Lone who picked up arms in July2019, Younish Ahmed Khanday, whojoined terrorists ranks in November lastyear and Basit Bhat who picked up gunin June last year. He said the fifth ter-rorist has not been identified yet.Similarly, the IGP said one of the slainterrorists of Tral gunfight was identi-fied as Imtiyaz Shah, the chief ofAGH, who was active since April2019, and was tasked to targetAmarnath Yatra in the Tral area. Theidentity of Imtiyaz’s aide is being ascer-tained.

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With instances of violence increas-ing with every passing phase in

the ongoing eight-phase elections inBengal, the Election Commission ofIndia has upped the number of secu-rity forces for the fourth phase ofpolling on Saturday.

Accordingly about 80,000 centralforces would man the conduct of elec-tions at 12,310 polling station in 44 seatsspread across five districts in North andSouth Bengal. Elections will be held inCoochbehar and Alipurudar districts in

North Bengal and South 24 Parganas,Howrah, and Hooghly in the southernpart of the State.

Little more than 1.15 crore voterswould decide the fate of 373 candidatesincluding 50 women on Saturday.About 69 lakh men, 56.94 lakh womenand 293 members of the Third Genderwould exercise their franchise in thefourth phase of elections.

Meanwhile, electoral violence con-tinued in different parts of Bengal withtwo TMC supporters, one fromNandigram succumbing to theirinjuries on Friday.

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With masks vanishing from public life and Covid protocolsbeing ignored in election rallies and meetings, there has

been a more than 14-fold rise in the number of Covid cases inWest Bengal in the last one month. The State Government hasstarted imposing restrictions on public life to check the spreadof the virus.

The Covid-19 case count in Bengal this year shows the infec-tion rate has doubled since last year. While it took two monthsfor the number to increase 10 times last year, this year it has hap-pened in less than a month. Going by the health department sta-tistics on May 24 last year, the State had recorded 208 fresh dailycases. It took a little more than two months for the daily casesto rise 10-fold when Bengal reported 2,198 cases on July 18. Thisyear, 255 new cases were reported on March 16 and the freshcases of Covid reached 2783 on April 8.

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Under the National FilariaEradication Programme,

a house-to-house survey will bedone to identify patients suffer-ing from filaria in the districtwhich would be launched fromApril 10 to April 26 on theinstructions of DistrictMagistrate (DM) Kaushal RajSharma. This will be followedby door-to-door drug treat-ment under the filaria ‘IDA’triple drug therapy campaign,which will run four days a week(Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,Friday) between mid-April 26and May 11. This will be thethird phase of the IDA cam-paign in the district, which willcover a population of 41 lakhsof urban and rural areas. TheIDA campaign will be conduct-ed in 12 districts of the state(Varanasi, Chandauli,Mirzapur, Prayagraj, KanpurDehat, Kanpur Nagar,Pratapgarh, Hardoi, Sitapur,Fatehpur, Lakhimpur Kheriand Unnao). Chief Medical

Officer (CMO) Dr VB Singhinformed that preparations aregoing on in the district for thesuccessful conduct of IDAcampaign. Training of all train-ers (TOT) at the district levelhas been completed. Thesetrainers will work to trainhealth workers . During thecampaign, publicity materialsare being prepared to make thepublic aware. A few days ago,a meeting of the DistrictCoordinating Committee(DCC) was held under thechairmanship of the DM inwhich the latter gave many nec-essary guidelines to the depart-ment. The CMO said that dur-ing the house-to-house survey,teams have been formed forurban and rural areas, whichwill identify the patients suffer-ing from filariasis. The CMOappealed to the people that noperson should take the medi-cine on an empty stomachduring the campaign startingfrom April 26. In the cam-paign, children under twoyears, pregnant women, elder-

ly and people suffering fromserious illness are not to be fedmedicines. District MalariaOfficer Sharat Chand Pandeysaid that in January 2021, anight blood survey campaignwas conducted to find patientssuffering from filariasis in thedistrict, in which about 4,000blood slides were made, out ofwhich four new filariasispatients were found. He saidthat in the filaria campaignconducted last year in the dis-trict, a total of 1,073 patientswere found in the district, outof which 768 lymphoedemaand 305 hydroseal patientswere found. The WHO, PATH,PCI organisation is supportingthe Health department in thiscampaign. Dr Amit Singh, in-charge and biologist of DistrictFilaria Control Unit, Ramnagar,informed that Filaria is alsoknown as Hathipaon. Swellingof the body parts occurs due tothis disease. It is spread by amosquito bite called culex.This infection usually damagesthe lymphatic system. People

living with filarial disabilitiessuch as lymphoedema (swellingin the legs) and hydrocyl (scro-tum inflammation) affect theirlivelihood and ability to work.To avoid this, use a mosquitonet at night, do not let dirt orgarbage accumulate around,do not let water stop in thedrains.

MEMO: Blaming the stategovernment for makingexploitation of traders in thename of audit of GST andchecking of face mask, theSamajwadi Vyapar Sabha, tradewing of the Samajwadi Party(SP) on Friday submitted amemorandum to the districtadministration demanding thatthe traders should be allowedto live with respect and honour.On the directive of state lead-ership, a delegation of the localunit of Sabha reached the officeof district magistrate but in hisabsence, submitted the mem-orandum of its demands to thein-charge of Kutchery policeoutpost to be forwarded to theGovernor

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The condition of coronainfection spreading from

one person to another is dete-riorating rather than recuper-ating. Previous records arebeing broken everyday. OnThursday evening, the numberof new infections crossed 1100aand 1,129 new infections werefound in 24 hours. While fourpeople also died.

Former Cabinet MinisterNarendra Kumar Singh Gaur

has also been infected withcorona along with his wife. Hewent to Lucknow to gethis treatment. Manyadvocates, engineers and teach-ers have also become coronapositive.

BJP media in-chargeRajesh Kesarwani said that Dr.Narendra Kumar Singh Gaurand his wife have tested posi-tive for corona. They wereadmitted late night to SGPGI,Lucknow. City unit presidentGanesh Kesarwani and other

activists have wished Dr. Gaurto get well soon.

According to the informa-tion released from the CMOoffice, 119 people are admittedin Beli Hospital, 60 in UnitedMedicity Hospital, 224 peoplein Covid Hospital of SwaroopRani Nehru Hospital. 31 weredischarged from L-3 CovidHospital and 121 from HomeIsolation.

According to the Healthdepartment, among the newlyinfected on Thursday, six High

Court advocates, second com-mand officer and sub inspectorof CRPF, engineer of RoadTransport department, auditorof CDA Pension, chief healthofficer of Koraon CommunityHealth Centre, sub inspector ofSarai Inayat police station,medical officer of CHC Chakaand CHC Bani, additionaldirector of Animal Husbandrydepartment, loco pilot andsenior section engineer ofRailways, many teachers arealso included.

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Vinay Kumar Tripathi,General Manager, North

Central Railway & NorthEastern Railway addressed ajoint press conference of presscorrespondents of NorthCentral and North EasternRailway Region through videoconference regarding railwayarrangements to contain thespread of COVID-19 and tocounter rumours being spreadabout the lack of seat availabil-ity in different trains.

While talking to mediapersonnels, he informed thatthere is no crisis of availabili-ty of seats in trains and thereare 82 pairs of originating andterminating trains over NCRwhich include 49 Reserved &33 Unreserved trains. Apartfrom these, there are 272 pairsPassing through trains withscheduled stoppage over differ-ent stations of NCR.

He also informed that ade-quate services are availablebetween Mumbai and stationsof NCR in form of followingoriginating trains: 01103/04 &02199/200 Jhansi- BDTS Triweekly. 02293/02294 Prayagraj-LTT Duranto express BiWeekly. 02129/02130

Prayagraj- LTT Bi Weekly.,04151/04152 Kanpur- CSTMweekly holiday special,02243/02244 Kanpur-BDTSWeekly Express, 02161/62 AgraCantt- LTT Weekly express.

In addition to above, 25Pairs of passing trains connect-ing Mumbai region are alsoserving NCR region.

COVID Related addition-al arrangements: All major sta-tions are equipped with allfacilities like auto scanner,social distancing arrangementsetc. Necessary thermal check-ing etc. as prescribed by stategovernment is being done atstations. Innovations like con-tactless ticket checking arrange-ments, Baggage saniitisation,COVID-19 Kit sale point,Kiosk etc are provided at allmajor stations of NCR.

He also urged all the pas-sengers to follow the necessaryCOVID-19 protocol while trav-elling in trains and support therailwaymen in performing theduties.

He said that there are nodearth of services to passengersand for any authentic informa-tion related to rail journey,reservation, availability etc.Passengers can connectthrough All India Helpline

No-139 or Rail Madad website.NEW PRINCIPAL

CHIEF OPERATIONSMANAGER: An officer of1991 batch of Indian RailwayTraffic Service, Biplav Kumartook over as the Principal ChiefOperations Manager of NorthCentral Railway.

He took over the chargefrom outgoing PCOM RaviValluri, who has been trans-ferred to Southern Railway asPrincipal Chief CommercialManager. Before coming toNCR Biplav Kumar was work-ing as Group GeneralManager/BD DFCCIL. He wasalso looking after the work ofMukhya Rajbhasha Adhikari,DFCCIL. After completing hisMaster Degree in Physics in1987 from Patna University,Biplav Kumar joined the IndianRailways in the year 1993. Hehas worked in important keyposts of Indian Railways—Director/ Tourism & Catering,Railway Board, Deputy ChiefOperations Manager, EasternRailway and Northern Railway,and Chief FreightTransportation Manager, SouthEast Central Railway, Bilaspur.Apart from these posts, he hasalso worked as DeputyChairman, Paradip Port,

Deputy Chairman, MormugaoPort Trust.

Biplav Kumar has alsoworked in NCR earlier as ChiefTransportation PlanningManager, North CentralRailway and Chief CommercialManager (passenger section),NCR, Allahabad

He has interest in poetryand has been awarded GeneralManager Award in 2003 –2004, while working as SRDCM/ Sealdah, NationalAward in 2007 from Ministerfor Railways during his tenureas Director (T&C). He hasbeen awarded RashtriyaGaurav Award in 2010 fromIndia International FriendshipSociety and Rajiv GandhiExcellence Award in 2011 fromIndia International FriendshipSociety. Kumar had training inport management at APEC/Antwerp/ Belgium. Attendedtraining/workshops on railwayengineering/Heavy HaulRailway in Australia atCRE/Rockhampton, CQUniversity , IRT /MonashUniversity, University ofWollongong , and AUSRAILPLUS 2019 at Sydney and vis-ited TTI at Colorado in USAfor Heavy Haul and railway’stesting facilities exposure.

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Chief Minister YogiAdityanath reached

Prayagraj on Friday to reviewthe measures being takentowards prevention of the fastgrowing Covid infection inPraygraj district. He held ameeting with the top officialsof the district at the ICCC audi-torium located at the ParadeGround and gave necessaryguidelines for prevention ofinfection. During this, cabinetministers Siddharth NathSingh, Nand Gopal GuptaNandi and several MLAs andother people's representativeswere present along with theChief Minister in the auditori-um.

During this, the ChiefMinister asked the officials toalso reserve other hospitals forthe treatment of patients infect-ed with the coronavirus.

‘Provide better treatment tocorona patients. Also increasethe scope of testing. The facil-ities you (pointing out toadministrative officials) wantwill be fulfilled on demand.There should not be any defi-ciency in the treatment ofpatients’, the Chief Ministeradded.

The Chief Minister Yogisaid that people should bemotivated to wear masks, fol-low physical distance with sani-tising hands but they shouldnot be abused. The scope ofcontact tracing should also beextended. He said that do allpossible efforts for rescue andtreatment in coronavirus.There should not be any kindof negligence in it, he added.

The District MagistrateBhanu Chandra Goswami

informed about the situationhere. He further said that forthe last three days, cases ofcorona are going beyond 1,000.More people are getting infect-ed in the second wave ofCorona. But the death toll isless. It is an attempt that peo-ple do not die due to this. Forthis, arrangements of hospitalsare being increased. People arebeing motivated to adopt waysto prevent corona. Night cur-few has also been imposed, headded.

Yogi Adityanath theninspected the Covid ward ofSwaroop Rani Nehru Hospital(SRN). During this, the doctorsand patients of the Coronapatients behaved courteously.Do not do any such work,Corona patients have trouble.

Whoever is a serious patient,admit them and get completetreatment, Yogi added.

Chief Minister YogiAdityanath arrived inPrayagraj. He reachedPrayagraj at 12:30 pm on Fridayafternoon as scheduled. CM'shelicopter landed in the PoliceLine. Here the Chief Ministerreviewed the efforts beingmade for the control of coro-na. Along with this, he alsogave the necessary guidelines tothe authorities concerned tostop the transition of corona.

The work being done inPrayagraj for corona controlwas reviewed in the auditoriumof ICCC located in the ParadeGround of the city. After alight-ing from the helicopter, theChief Minister left for the

ICCC auditorium. For an hourthere he reviewed the workbeing done to rescue the coro-na from the district along withthe officers.

It is noteworthy that for thelast three days, more than1,000 cases of coronavirusinfection are being received inthe district. Seeing the serious-ness of the matter, ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath cameto Prayagraj on Friday. CMYogi also inspected the Covidward of Swaroop Rani NehruHospital (SRN) after conduct-ing an hour-long review. Fromhere the Chief Minister left forVaranasi. ]

The Chief Minister isaccompanied by UP CabinetMinisters Siddharth NathSingh and Nand Gopal Nandi.

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Aparoksha '21 - the three-day technical fest of

Indian Institute ofInformation Technology,Allahabad began in onlinemode on Friday.

On the first day, JayVijayan, the Founder andCEO of Tekion Corp, aCalifornia-based unicorn tech-nology company, that providesa cutting-edge cloud platformpowered by Big Data, ArtificialIntelligence, Machine Learningand IoT delivered the keynoteaddress.

Jay who has served as theChief Information Officer(CIO) for Tesla Inc. shared hisexperience how he led thedevelopment, implementationand transformation of Tesla'sInformation Systems andInfrastructure platform duringits period of critical growth andramp-up phase. Prior to Tesla,Jay was with VMware andOracle.

After his address, severalonline events including StockTrading, Decode(Dare2Compete), Googler(D2C), Humblefool Cup FinalsOnline (TopCoder) and IPL

Bidding were conducted suc-cessfully . In the evening Stand-Up was performed by AbhishekUpmanyu, while Vinod Khosladelivered the talk. Anuv Jainexhibited his talent in his per-formance.

On day 2, Saturday, presti-gious events Webkriti, Pro-Arduino, All Day TopBot ,Nova (d2c), FragFest(Valorant), C Fresh(HackerEarth) and Electrobuzz(Dare2 Compete) will be themain attraction, while GDBakshi will deliver the keynotetalk.

Several participants will

be taking part in the last dayevents such as CircuitDebugging, GitHero (Github), CodeRed (CodeForces),Grayhound Finals, LangChallenge, Minimalmania andSubmissions (d2c) . On Sundayevening, Viraj Ghelani, tech-no expert will be sharing hisprofessional experience fol-lowed by a Stand-Up by AkashGupta. At night FragFest(Valorant) and Alkhwarizm(Codechef) will be organisedfor participants. All events arebeing organised under the aegisof Students’ Gymkhana of IIIT-A.

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The district has recordedyet another biggest spike as

the total number of cases hascrossed 27K-mark on Fridayevening. As many as 929 morehave tested positive, increasingthe total number to 27,045. Theday also saw two more deaths,increasing the toll to 397.During the last 24 hours, 16patients have been recoveredand all of them in home isola-tion. The total number ofpatients cured in the district is22,244 including 19,236 inhome isolation and 3,008 inCovid hospitals. The number ofactive cases has jumped up to4,404. The recovery rate hasdeclined to 82.24 per cent,while mortality rate is 1.46 percent.

In the first report of theday, 446 positive patients werefound out of 3,158 reports

received. Till then, the total testreports received were 8,11,968and the results of 3,848 areawaited. Out of them, 7,85,406were negative, while 26,562were positive. The total num-ber of samples collected was8,43,478.

In view of the increasingnumber of positive cases,mass/group corona antigentests were conducted at differ-ent static booths and stations.All the 200 people were foundnegative at SSPG Hospital,while 140 at SVM HospitalBhelupur, 110 at SSH BHU, 296at LBS Hospital Ramnagar,308 passengers at VaranasiJunction railway station, 100 atCantt bus stand and 900 per-sons during contact tracing atother places.

Contrary to the pictureswitnessed at different hospitalsin the recent days, a desertedlook was seen at all the centres

where the process of giving sec-ond doses to the beneficiariescontinued. In absence of arrivalof fresh consignment of vac-cines, the process of providingfirst doses has been postponedfor a couple of days as theauthorities have started makingefforts to give enthusiasticresponse to the call of TikaUtsav (Vaccination Festival)given by the Prime MinisterNarendra Modi from April 11to 14.

Earlier, in view to findingof hundreds of new positivecases, the number of activehotspots has increased to 304with 28 green zones have beenconverted to red zones by a dayago. Out of total 2,794 hotspots,2,490 are green zones.

Meanwhile, according to arelease of Banaras LocomotiveWorks (BLW) the health con-dition of General Manager(GM) Anjali Goyal, who is in

home isolation after being test-ed corona positive, is beingconstantly monitored by thedoctors of BLW. Under ‘workfrom home’, she is dischargingher day to day tasks through e-office and is constantly intouch with higher officials, aswell as giving them necessaryguidelines related to the tasks.Public Relations Officer (PRO)Rajesh Kumar said that the GMis very sensitive to check thespread of the coronavirus pan-demic and is constantly watch-ing every situation. In order toprevent the spread of coronainfection, the BLW is givingfocus on ‘testing, tracking andtreatment’ on the instructionsof senior officers includingPrincipal Chief MedicalOfficer, Principal ChiefElectrical Engineer, PrincipalChief Mechanical Engineerand Principal Chief PersonnelOfficer.

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Chief Minister YogiAdityanath on Friday dur-

ing his one-day visit to the par-liamentary constituency ofPrime Minister Narendra Modireviewed the situation beingcreated due to the second waveof coronavirus pandemic anddiscussed in detail the arrange-ments being made to fightagainst the same. He was hold-ing a meeting with top district,police and health officers at theCentral Office in BanarasHindu University (BHU) here.‘As the intensity is more seriousin this second phase, everyoneshould be prepared themselvesmentally to face the challenges,’he said, directing the officers toincrease medical facility rapid-

ly and restore the arrange-ments and facilities what theyhad created during April-Maylast year.

He also instructed the offi-cers to allow only a limitednumber of patients in OPDbecause even a single infectedperson can cause more prob-lems, suggesting restarting thetele-consultancy facility. ‘Thedoctors should sit at theirplaces during fixed time toinform the people about med-icines on phone,” he said,adding that last year, privatehospitals which were convert-ed into Covid hospitals shouldbe reactivated, determine theirrate of RT-PCR, antigen andother tests so that the patientscannot face any problem. Hewarned that if a fake report is

found by the pathology centres,they would be sealed andaction would also be taken toblacklist them.

‘There is an opportunity toshow humanity in such oddcircumstances,’ he said,instructing the officers toincrease beds in L-3 and L-2hospitals which are at presentaround 1,000 beds here.

Yogi laid emphasis on pub-licity to protect against corona,stressing the need to increasethe public address system in thecity. He informed that fromApril 11 to 14, there will be a4-day Covid VaccinationFestival which will start on thebirth anniversary of MahatmaJyotiba Phule and end on DrBhimrao Ambedkar Jayanti.On the occasion, Divisional

Commissioner (DC) DeepakAgrawal made a presentation ofall arrangements, facilities andworks being done in the districtfor the prevention and treat-ment of corona.

The meeting was alsoattended by UrbanDevelopment Minister andDistrict in-charge AshutoshTandon, ministers AnilRajbhar, Dr Neelkanth Tiwari,MLAs Dr Avadhesh Singh,Surendra Narayan Singh, PoliceCommissioner A SatishGanesh, ADG Brij Bhushan,IG S K Bhagat and many oth-ers including BHU officers.During his stay, YogiAdityanath also inspected theCovid Integrated CommandCentre and offered prayer atKashi Vishwanath temple.

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In a groundbreaking steptowards renewable energy

and to become a net zero ener-gy company, NorthernCoalfields Limited (NCL)inked a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) withCIL & NTPC Urja Pvt Limited(CNUPL), for installation of 50MW solar power PV project atNigahi Area, Singrauli (MP) onThursday in a ceremony heldthrough video conferencing.The MoU was signed in thepresence of Director Technical,Coal India Limited (CIL) BinayDayal, Director OperationsNTPC Ramesh Babu, Director(Technical/Operations) DrAnindya Sinha, Director(Technical/Project andPlanning) SS Sinha, Chairman,CNUPL MK Singh and otherofficials of Coal India Limited,NTPC, CNUPL and NCLthrough video conferencing.General Manager (E&M) SKVerma on the behalf of NCLand CEO CNUPL BK Pandaon the behalf of CNUPLsigned the MoU. DirectorTechnical CIL Binay Dayalcongratulated CMD NCL PKSinha and his team. Director(Operations), NTPC, Ramesh

Babu also congratulated theentire project team. Whileextending his full support asproject management consul-tant, he hoped that more suchprojects will come up in nearfuture. Director (Technical/Operations) Dr Anindya Sinhaaffirmed NCL’s commitmentto becoming a net zero ener-gy company and said that thisstep will reduce carbon emis-sion by about 78,020tonnes/annum. He apprisedthat this project will fulfilabout one-fourth energyrequirement of NCL andassured that the project willmeet its expectation. NCL isSingrauli, the energy capital ofIndia-based Miniratna com-pany and subsidiary ofMaharatna Coal India Limited.NCL digs 115 MT coal annu-ally with its 10 highly mecha-

nised open cast coal mines forthe energy aspiration of thecountry. With an aim of captivepower consumption, NCL’s50MW power plant will fosterit to become a net zero com-pany which enables it to cater100 per cent of its own powerneeds from renewable sourcesor generate its own renewableenergy onsite for mining andauxiliary operation. NCL hasalready started work onrooftop solar with a capacityof 3.37 MW on its offices andresidential complexes. NCL islikely to contribute about 280MW in its share of Coal IndiaLimited’s target. Notably,Coal India Limited & NTPCUrja Pvt Limited (CNUPL) isa joint venture of CIL & NTPCincorporated with an objectiveof development of coal mineand renewable energy.

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Under the joint operation of GRP and RPFa thief was caught along with �9,800 in cash,

11 trolley bags and valuables worth �3 lakh onThursday. As per the case already registered with

the GRP, the accused,Umakant Singh aliasKalloo Singh, a resi-dent of Akodhi villageunder Vindhyachalpolice station, had trav-elled from Chheoki toVaranasi by a train onB1 bogie on February 2this year and luggage ofa couple there had beenstolen on the way. A casewas lodged in this con-nection. During investi-

gation GRP raided the rented house of the sus-pect located at Pandeypur under Dehat Kotwalipolice station and recovered huge stock of stolenitems. After recovering the materials GRParrested the accused and sent him to jail.

MEETING: Regarding the panchayat elec-tions, a joint meeting of police officers of MPborder districts was held with SP Ajay KumarSingh at Bansagar guest house located at Deoriunder Halia police station on Thursday.Interacting with officers SP said in order toensure free and fair elections coordinationbetween cops was a must. During the meetinga joint plan was chalked out. The SP directedthe police personnel deployed on MP borderarea to launch an intensive combing in Naxal-affected areas and conduct a search at suspect-ed hideouts. The meeting was attended by SidhiSP Pankaj Kumawat, Rewa SP Rakesh Singh,Mauganj ASP Vijay Dawar (all in MP), MirzapurADM UP Singh, Lalganj SDM Amit Shukla, SOsand incharge of police outposts.

SUICIDE: A man committed suicide inMajhigavaan village under Chilh police stationon Thursday. Shashikala Modanwal informedthe area police that her husband Chandrashekharalias Babloo (40) had hanged himself from thewindow in his house and died. On getting infor-mation the police reached the spot and took thebody for completing the legal formalities.

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On the directive of SPYashveer Singh and ASP

Dr Rakesh Singh, policeunearthed an illegal arms fac-tory. Police arrested NandKishore, son of Mukund, a res-ident of Jaisari Khurd villageunder Dakor police station in Jalaun districtfrom Jaisari Khurd village on Wednesday.Police confiscated four illegal pistols and 12 car-tridges of 315 bore, one illegal gun and threecartridges of 312 bore, two half-made pistols and

miscellaneous objects usedfor making the pistol. COSantosh Kumar said on beingtipped off by an informer theteam under the guidance ofinspector Ajay Kumar Singh,in harge Dakor police station,arrested the accused. He saidthat an FIR had been filed

against the accused under Section 5/25 ArmsAct. The team which made the arrest comprisedS-Is Bachnesh Singh Gaur and BL Azad besidesRijwan Alam, Ajit Kumar, Rajiv Kumar, RakeshKumar, Durgesh Bajpai and Shiv Vijay Singh.

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Due to block given by therailway administration for

the pre-non-interlocking (Pre-NI) works from April 11 to 16and for non-interlocking (NI)works from April 17 to 24 forthe third line construction andelectrification works betweenKolnur-Potkapally stations ofthe Khandaravalli-Ballarshahrail section on South CentralRailway (SCR) the cancellationand diversion of followingtrains will be done and atsome stations temporary stop-page will not be given,Chief Public Relations Officer(CPRO) Pankaj Kumar Singhsaid.

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Kochuveli special train to runfrom Gorakhpur on April 11,15, 16, 18, 22 and 23 April 2021will remain cancelled. The02512 Kochuveli-Gorakhpurspecial train to run fromKochuveli on April 13, 14, 18,20 and 21 will remain can-celled. The 02521 Barauni-Ernakulam special train to runfrom Barauni on April 12 and19 will remain cancelled. The02522 Ernakulam-Barauni spe-cial train to run fromErnakulam on April 16 and 23will remain canceled. Likewise05023 Gorakhpur-Yesvantpurspecial train to run fromGorakhpur on April 13 and 20will remain cancelled. The05024 Yesvantpur-Gorakhpurspecial train to run fromYesvantpur on April 15 and 22will remain cancelled.

On the other hand, the02791 Secunderabad-Danapurspecial train to run fromSecunderabad from April 11 to20 will be diverted via

N i z a m a b a d - M u d k h e d -Nanded-Purna Jn-Akola-Khandwa-Itarsi route insteadof running on its scheduledroute i.e Ballarshah-Itarsi. Thetrain will not be given stoppagefrom April 11 to 24 at Kazipet,Peddapalli, Ramagundam,Manchiryal, Bellampally,Sirpur Kagajnagar, Ballarshah,Chandrapur, Sevagram,Nagpur, Katol, Betul andGhodongri stations. The 02792Danapur-Secunderabad spe-cial train to run from Danapurfrom April 10 to 23 in place ofits scheduled route i.e. Itarsi-Ballarshah will be diverted viaItarsi-Khandwa-Akola-PurnaJ n . - N a n d e d - M u d k h e d -Nizamabad route. This trainwill not be given stoppagefrom April 10 to 23 atGhodadogari, Betul, Katol,Nagpur, Sevagram,Chandrapur, Ballarshah, SirpurKagaznagar, Belampalli,Manchiryal, Ramagundam,Peddapalli and Kazipet sta-tions. The 02589 Gorakhpur-Secunderabad special train torun from Gorakhpur on April14 and 21 will be diverted viaItarsi-Khandwa-Akola-PurnaJ n - N a n d e d - M u d k h e d -Nizamabad in stead of runningon its scheduled route i.e.Itarsi-Nagpur-Ballarshah. Thisstoppage of the train to runfrom Gorakhpur on April 14and 21 will not be given atKazipet, Ramagundam,Manchiryal, Bellampalli,Sirpur Kagaznagar, Ballarshah,Chandrapur, Sevagram,Nagpur, Amla and Betul sta-tions. The 02590Secunderabad-Gorakhpur spe-cial train to run fromSecunderabad on April 11, 15and 22 will be diverted viaItarsi-Khandwa-Akola-PurnaJunction-Nanded-Mudkhed-

Nizamabad route instead ofrunning on its scheducledroute Ballarshah-Nagpur-Itarsi.This train which will run fromSecunderabad on April 11, 15and 22 will not be given stop-page at Ghodadogari, Betul,Amla, Nagpur, Sevagram,Chandrapur, Ballarshah, SirpurKagaznagar, Bellampalli,Manchirel, Ramagundam andKazipet stations. The 02591Gorakhpur-Yeshwantpur spe-cial train to run fromGorakhpur on April 10, 17 and24 will instead of running onits scheduled route i.e. Itarsi-N a g p u r - B a l l a r s h a h -Secunderabad will be divertedvia Itarsi-Khandwa-Akola-Poorna Jn-Nanded-Mudkhed-Nizamabad-Secunderabad.This train running fromGorakhpur on April 10, 17 and24 will not be given stoppage atKazipet, Ramagundam,Manchiryal, Bellampalli, SirpurKagajnagar, Ballarshah,Chandrapur, Hinganghat,Sevagram, Nagpur, Tharasa,Amla, Betul and Ghodadogaristations.

The 02592 Yesvantpur-Gorakhpur special train run-ning from Yeshwantpur onApril 12 and 19 instead ofrunning on its scheduled routei.e. Secunderabad-Ballarshah-Nagpur-Itarsi will be divert-ed via Itarsi-Khandwa-Akola-Poorna Jn-Nanded-M u d k h e d - N i z a m a b a d -Secunderabad. This trainwhich will be run fromSecunderabad on April 12and 19 April will not be givenstoppage at Ghodadogri,Betul, Amla, Tharsa, Nagpur,Sevagram, Hinganghat,Chandrapur, Ballarshah, SirpurKagaznagar, Bellampally,Manchiryal, Ramagundam andKazipet stations.

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The Kanpur City TransportServices Limited will run

86 buses to areas on the out-skirts of the city after the pan-chayat elections.

This was decided in theboard meeting of Kanpur CityTransport Services Limitedchaired by DivisionalCommissioner Dr Raj Shekhar.

The meeting was attendedby Commissioner of PoliceAsim Arun, KanpurDevelopment Authority ViceChairman Rakesh KumarSingh, MunicipalCommissioner AkshayTripathi, DeputyCommissioner of Police(Traffic) BB GTS Murthy,KCTSL Managing DirectorAnil Agarwal, RegionalTransport Officer SanjayKumar and RTO(Enforcement).

This has been a long-stand-ing demand of the people liv-

ing on the outskirts of the city.The proposal was approved

in the last RTA meeting and theRTO has issued permits now.

It was decided that month-ly city bus passes would beissued from the first week ofJune to help the daily com-muters and students from near-by areas.

With the help of the KDA,the additional buses will be

plied for high-rise apartmentswhich have come up recently inthe city and nearby areasincluding KDA Greens, PMAYhouses, Signature Greens Cityetc.

The KCTSL plans toengage the Lucknow or Indorecampus of the Indian Instituteof Management (IIM) to studyand prepare a ‘non ticket rev-enue generation module’ for

making the services more effec-tive and to generate more rev-enue.

Asim Arun said he woulddeploy one enforcement team(one sub-inspector and twoconstables) especially to checkticketless commuters and alsoto ensure discipline.

He said GPS devices wouldbe installed in 10 buses as apilot project in the next onemonth and if it was successfulthen all the buses will beequipped with GPS within thisyear. A proposal will be sent tothe government for funding theinstallation of panic buttons &CCTV cameras in all buses.

Dr Raj Shekhar directedthe KCTCL managing directorto ensure that all passengerswore masks and there washand sanitiser in all buses in thenext 2-3 days for the use of pas-sengers. He said all driversand conductors must also wearmasks all the time while in thebus.

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Medical, Health AndFamily Welfare Minister

Jai Pratap Singh held a meetingwith the Principal Secretary(Medical and Health) AlokKumar and other officers at theCircuit House here on Fridayand directed them to initiateaction against those showinglaxity in controlling the spreadof novel coronavirus in the city.

He also directed the offi-cials to increase the number ofbeds in the Covid hospitals.

Cabinet minister SatishMahana and Minister of State(independent charge) NeelimaKatiyar, DivisionalCommissioner Dr Raj Shekhar,District Magistrate AlokTewari, Chief Medical OfficerDr Anil Mishra. Commissionerof Police Asim Arun and othersenior officials were present inthe meeting.

The health minister askedthe officials to ensure that allpeople wore masks and main-tained physical distance whichwas essential to contain thenovel coronavirus infection.

He also directed the offi-cials to maintain all Covidnorms and guidelines in gov-ernment hospitals.

The health minister alsostressed on strengtheningarrangements in the govern-

ment hospitals to contain theinfection.

He said COVID-19 treat-ment should also be started inprivate hospitals.

The minister also directedthe officials to regularly reviewthe situation and work as ateam to contain the spread ofthe virus.

Later, he visited the LLRHospital to take stock of the sit-uation about the facilities avail-able there.

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The Alternative DisputeResolution (ADR) Centre

will play an important role inproviding cheap, easy andquick justice to people. Besidesquick disposal of disputes, itwill also help in disposing ofthe cases which unnecessarilylinger on for long.

This was stated by DistrictJudge RP Singh during thevirtual inauguration of the newADR centre in the collectoratecompound on Thursday.

The virtual inauguration ofthe entre was done byAllahabad High Court’s ChiefJustice Govind Mathur.Commissioner of Police AsimArun was also present at theinaugural ceremony.

The function was organ-ised in the video conferencingroom on the first floor of theADR Centre.

After the inauguration,District Judge RP Singh said

now people would be able toget all facilities relating to theirdisputes under one roof. Hesaid earlier, people had to visitseparate places to get theirdisputes relating to mediation,

benefit of schemes and helpunder the district legal serviceauthority settled.

He said arrangements tosettle disputes through mutu-al agreement and mediationhad also been made in the newADR Centre itself.

The district judge said therate of settlement of casesthrough ADR was very low inIndia in comparison to theUSA and judiciary was makingall out efforts to enhance it. Hesaid in comparison to the US,only 5 per cent cases were beingsettled in India. It was around85 per cent in the US, headded.

ADM (Supplies) BasantAgarwal, Chief Medical OfficerDr Anil Mishra and officers ofthe judiciary were present onthe occasion.

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Ayouth missing fromAuraiya for the past four

days was found hanging froman electricity pole in the jungleof Ram Nagar underMangalpur police Station ofKanpur Dehat on Friday.

Gajendra alias Sonu (20),son of Sarvesh of Dibiyapur(Auraiya), was missing sinceApril 5 evening. On April 7, hisfather had filed a complaintabout his disappearance at theDibiyapur police station.

On Friday morning, whenfarmers were working in thefields in Ram Nagar village,they became aware of foulsmell coming from the nearbyjungle. On going there, theyfound a youth hanging from anelectricity pole.

After identifying the body,they informed the kin of thedeceased who live about 2 kmaway from the spot on the bor-der of two districts.

The father of the deceased,Sarvesh, said on April 5, healong with wife Shashi hadgone to a relative’s house andon returning in the evening, hefound his son Gajendra miss-ing from the house.

SSI Mangalpur RajeshKumar said it appeared to be acase of suicide but the autopsywould confirm the cause ofdeath.

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Two persons were killed onthe spot and two seriously

injured when a speeding truckhit the e-rickshaw they weretravelling on near MIG trisec-tion in Panki police station areaon Friday morning.

The passers-by rescued thepassengers trapped in the e-rickshaw and found two ofthem dead.

The truck driver escapedafter the accident, leaving thevehicle on the spot.

According to reports,Dillar (50), Shyam Bahadurand Harish Chandra of PankiKatra, all fruit and vegetablevendors, were going to

Bhagwat Ghat, Civil Lines onthe e-rickshaw of Lala (40) tobuy cucumber. Near MIG tri-section, a speeding truck com-ing from the opposite directionhit the e-rickshaw, killing Lalaand Dillar on the spot. ShyamBahadur and Harish Chandra,who were on the back seat, sus-tained serious injuries and

were admitted to a nearby pri-vate hospital. The bodies weresent for autopsy.

Panki Station HouseOfficer Atul Kumar Singh saidthe truck driver was abscond-ing but he would be arrestedsoon.

FIRE: Goods and proper-ty worth around Rs 6 lakh weregutted in the fire which brokeout in a bakery and a generalstore in Saraiya Bazar in Jajmauunder Chakeri police stationlate Thursday night.

Electric short-circuit wasstated to be the cause of fire.

Naushad of Jajmau Saraiyaruns a bakery while in theneighbouring shop, Israr Khanalias Pappu runs a general

store. Naushad said around 10pm on Thursday, he and Pappuclosed their shops and went totheir homes. He said late in thenight, his shop caught fire dueto electric short-circuit andthe fire spread to Pappu’s shop.

The local residentsinformed them and madeefforts to control the fire. In themeantime, the Fire Brigadepersonnel also reached thespot and controlled the fireafter around one hour.

Naushad said goods wortharound Rs 6 lakh were guttedin both the shops.

Jajmau police outpostincharge Manoj Pandey said nocasualty was reported in theincident.

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The entrance examinationforms for admissions to

over 65 courses, including BBA,BCA, hotel management andsocial work at CSJM University,Kanpur will be issued fromMay 1.

This was decided at a meet-ing of the admission commit-tee held under the chairman-ship of CSJM CSJM UniversityVice Chancellor Prof DR Singhon Thursday.

The admission forms willbe accepted till June 15.

From the academic session2021-22, three new courses –MSc in computer science,diploma in data science anddiploma in intellectual propertyrights — will be started in theuniversity. The admissions tothese courses will be made onthe basis of marks obtained inthe entrance examination.

The new academic sessionis likely to start a bit late thisyear due to delayed start ofClass XII examinations of dif-ferent boards.

Registrar Dr Anil KumarYadav, Prof Anshu Yadav, ProfVersha Gupta, Dr SandeepSingh, Dr Saroj Dwivedi, DrPravin Katiyar, Dr BrijeshKatiyar and Dr Vivek SinghSachan were present in themeeting.

0���������������$����������������&������=���������KANPUR (PNS): The KanpurNagar police commissioneratehas launched a drive, Car-O-Bar, against those found drink-ing in public places, especiallyin four-wheelers.

Deputy Commissioner ofPolice (South) Ravina Tyagisaid if someone was foundconsuming liquor at publicplaces, he/she shall not onlyhave to pay a hefty amount offine and face imprisonment,but would be paraded in acaged vehicle across the city bythe police to shame them.

She said on the start of thedrive on Wednesday night,around 53 persons were founddrinking at public placesand booked under the relevantsections of the Indian PenalCode.

Officials of the policecommissionerate have alsosought help from the generalpublic for the success of thedrive. They were asked to alertthe commissionerate byuploading the offenders’ pic-tures on its twitter handle.

The commissionerateassured to maintain secrecy ofthe complainant’s identity.

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Former Congress presidentRahul Gandhi on Friday

wrote to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, demandingan immediate moratorium onCovid-19 vaccine exports andopening up of the vaccinationto “everyone who needs it”.

Rahul also asked for a pro-vision of a direct income sup-port to the vulnerable sectionsamid the disastrous secondwave of Covid-19 in India, ashe extended his support to thevaccination programme. “Ihumbly request you to providevaccine suppliers with neces-sary resources to increase man-ufacturing capacity and placean immediate moratorium onvaccine export,” Rahul Gandhisaid in his letter to the PrimeMinister.

“Open up vaccination toeveryone who needs it,” hedemanded, seeking fast-track-ing of approval of other vac-cines as per norms and guide-lines. He also asked the PrimeMinister to double the centralallocation for vaccine pro-curement from the existing�35,000 crore and give StateGovernments a greater say in

vaccine procurement and dis-tribution.

His suggestions came aday after Prime Minister Modisaid vaccines will have to beprioritised due to limited sup-ply and lamented that somepeople were playing politics onthe issue. Questioning theGovernment for permittinglarge-scale exports of vaccines,he said, “While our nation isfacing vaccine starvation, morethan six crore doses of vaccineshave been exported.”

The Gandhi scion allegedthat the state governmentswere repeatedly highlightingvaccine shortages only toreceive intemperate statementsby the union health minister.He accused the health ministerof targeting Opposition-ruledstates and undercutting coop-erative federalism.

“Was the export of vaccinesalso an ‘oversight’, like manyother decisions of this govern-ment, or an effort to garnerpublicity at the cost of our owncitizens,” he asked. Stressing thathis party supports a well-planned, universalised andspeedy vaccination drive, hesaid, “Our vaccination pro-gram has to move beyond ani n d i v i d u a l ’ spicture on the vaccine certifi-cate, towards guaranteeingmaximum vaccination.”

Expressing concern overthe rising cases of the coron-avirus, the former Congresschief said that over the last year,the country suffered irrepara-ble losses, made tremendoussacrifices, and yet, it is under arenewed attack by this virus.

“This is unfortunate con-sidering our scientific

community and vaccine suppliers worked overtime todevelop a solution but theirefforts are undermined by theCentre’s poor implementationand ‘oversight’,” he said.Lamenting that the vaccinationdrive is slow, Rahul Gandhiclaimed at the current rate, itwould take years to inoculate 75per cent of the population.

“This will have catastroph-ic effects and will gravely decel-erate India’s economy,” headded.

Hours after Rahul wrote tothe PM, hitting back, seniorRavi Shankar Prasad took toTwitter to counter Rahul’s alle-gations and mentioned, “RahulGandhi must know that short-age in Congress-ruled states isnot of vaccines but of basic commit-ment towards healthcare.” “He

should write letters to his party’sgovernments to stop their‘vasooli’ (extortion) venturesand concentrate on adminis-tering the lakhs of vaccines theyare sitting on,” he said.

India is not facing vaccine

starvation but Gandhi is facing“attention starvation”, Prasadsaid.

“Why has Rahul Gandhinot yet taken vaccine? Is it anoversight or he doesn’t want itor has he already taken one in

many of his undisclosed trips toforeign locations but doesn’twant to disclose?” he posed.

“After failing as a part-time politician, has RahulGandhi switched to full-timelobbying? First, he lobbied for

fighter plane companies by try-ing to derail India’s acquisitionprogramme. Now he is lobby-ing for pharma companies byasking for arbitrary approvalsfor foreign vaccines,” Prasadsaid.

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Taking a swipe at Congressleader Rahul Gandhi for

saying that country is witness-ing “vaccine starvation”, SeniorBJP leader Ravi ShankarPrasad on Friday said it is notIndia that is facing vaccine star-vation but “Shri Gandhi isfacing attention starvation.”

Former Congress presi-dent has in a letter to PrimeMinister demanded that exportof vaccines be immediately behalted “amidst domestic short-ages”.

Hitting back at theCongress leader, Prasadaccused Rahul of lobbying forpharma companies “by askingfor arbitrary approvals for for-eign vaccines.”

“Why has Rahul Gandhinot yet taken vaccine? Is it anoversight or he doesn’t want it

or has he already taken one inmany of his undisclosed tripsto foreign locations but does-n’t want to disclose?”, TweetedPrasad in an aside.

“After failing as a part-timepolitician, has Rahul Gandhiswitched to full-time lobbying?First, he lobbied for fighterplane companies by trying toderail India’s acquisition pro-gramme. Now he is lobbyingfor pharma companies by ask-ing for arbitrary approvals forforeign vaccines”, said theUnion minister.

Prasad claimed that Rahuldoes not have proper under-standings of the strategy thatneeded to be adopted tocounter the Coronavirus pan-demic in the country.

“Fighting a pandemic isnot a one trick game. Apartfrom vaccination, there needsto be adequate focus on testing,

tracing & treating. RahulGandhi’s problem is that hedoesn’t understand all this andhis ignorance is compoundedby his arrogance”, said the BJPleader.

Prasad denied charge ofshortage of vaccine in theCongress-ruled states.

“Rahul Gandhi must knowthat shortage in Congress-ruledstates is not of vaccines but ofbasic commitment towardshealth care.

“He should write letters tohis party’s Governments to stoptheir vasooli ventures & con-centrate on administering thelakhs of vaccines they r sittingupon”, said the Minister.

Amidst the talk of shortageof vaccine supply in the coun-try and it’s supply to foreignnations, Maharashtra Shiv Senaheaded Government which iscurrently draggers drawn with

the central Government, hasaccused the Modi-Governmentof showing bias against non-BJP-ruled states in the supply ofvaccines. Maharashtra is theworst affected State in the coun-try with the highest positivecases in the country.

The charge was denied byUnion Minister PralhadJavadekar on Thursday when hesaid 23 lakh does were availablewith the Maharashtra govern-ment on a daily basis and thelatter needs to efficiently dis-tribute them in the State, hesaid.

The second surge inCoronavirus cases have made itmore so necessary that a major-ity of the population of all agegroups get the vaccine jab assoon as possible and that wouldrequire an uninterrupted sup-ply of vaccine does and speedyreduction in their wastage.

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The Election Commission(EC) has sent a notice to

West Bengal Chief Ministerand Trinamool Congressleader Mamata Banerjee forher “highly objectionable”statements about Central para-military forces on electionduties in the State saying herremarks are demoralising thepersonnel. Among the state-ments cited by the EC in itsnotice was her appeal towomen voters to “gherao”Central forces if they causeddisturbance to voting. TheChief Minister has been askedto respond to the notice by 11am on Saturday. This is the sec-ond time that a notice has beenissued to Banerjee by the pollbody.

The EC said prima facie,the completely false, provoca-tive and intemperate state-ments by Banerjee attemptedto berate and vilify centralparamilitary forces during theelectoral process. Citing state-ments by Mamata, the noticesaid: “...prima facie, complete-ly false, provocative and intem-perate statements made byMs. Mamata Banerjee,Chairperson of AITC, who is

also the Hon’ble CM of WestBengal, to berate and vilifyCentral Paramilitary Forcesduring the electoral process,are causing extreme demoral-isation amongst the ranks andfile of these forces…”

The EC said it foundBanerjee statements to be inviolation of the Model Code ofConduct as well as Sections186 (voluntarily obstructingpublic servant from discharg-ing public functions), 189(threat of injury to public ser-vant) and 505 (making a state-ment with intent to incite anyclass or community of personsto commit an offence againstany other class or community)of the Indian Penal Code.

The EC notice said “It ismore than obvious that MsMamata Banerjee, Chairpersonof AITMC, has been consistent

in berating and demoralisingthe Central para-militaryforces, who often played a sig-nificant role in assisting theconcerned state governmentand governments of union ter-ritories in restoration of lawand order and/or as and whenrequisitioned by the StateGovernments etc. in their dayto day functioning also.

“In fact, Banerjee is spar-ing no effort to ensure that adeep wedge and drift is creat-ing amongst them which isbound to have serious conse-quential damages after theprocess of election is over. It isextremely unfortunate that thepolitical battles are thus soughtto be fought in this mannerinstead of being fought in thecampaign trail,” it said.

The notice issued onThursday night said the West

Bengal Chief Minister’s barbsand false accusations are vili-fying the very forces “whohave been rendering a yeomanservice since late 80s, electionafter election, and have madea commendable contributionespecially in ensuring areadomination and causing deter-rence for anti-social hooligansby their sheer presence, there-by playing a major role inassisting the ECI to conductfree, fair, transparent andaccessible elections”.

Making it a point to recordits appreciation of the Centralforces, EC said they haveinvariably done commendablejob on the duties assigned tothem in all sectors, to theextent of laying down theirlives, the most recent being thetragic episode of Bijapur,Chhattisgarh. “It also needs tobe placed on record that theyand many other ministriesand departments of the Uniongovernment and departmentsof state governments assist theECI for the conduct of elec-tions. But the praiseworthyrole of central forces in ensur-ing free, fair, transparent andaccessible elections merits aspecial mention,” it stated.

In a strongly wordednotice, the poll body deemedthe statements made by theTMC supremo on March 28and April 7 as an attempt to“berate and vilify CentralParamilitary Forces during theelectoral process.” This, it adds,was “causing extreme demor-alisation amongst the ranksand file of these forces.”

The EC notice said a del-egation of TMC leaders hadalleged during theCommission’s visit to WestBengal in February 21 thatBorder Security Force person-nel were intimidating villagersliving along the border to votefor a particular party. The ECsaid the delegation was askedto give empirical evidence ofthe allegation, but it did not doso.

In an election rally onThursday, Mamata claimedthat central forces on poll dutyin West Bengal were workingunder the instructions of theCentral Government. Mamataalso accused the forces of com-mitting atrocities on villagersand harassing women.Addressing a public meetingAlipurduar district, the TMCboss also accused the ElectionCommission of turning a blindeye to the “excesses” of theCRPF, CISF, BSF and the ITBP.

The poll body onWednesday issued a notice toMamata for “openly demand-ing votes on communalgrounds”. The TrinamoolCongress (TMC) chief hasbeen directed to explain herremarks within 48 hours ofreceipt of the notice, failingwhich the commission wouldtake a decision without furtherreference to her.

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No fresh Covid-19 case hasbeen reported in 149 dis-

tricts in a week, while eight havenot registered any new infectionin a fortnight, Union HealthMinister Harsh Vardhan said onFriday even as ten States —Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh,Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka,Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, TamilNadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan —have shown a steep rise account-ing for 83.29 percent of the new

infections.Chairing the 24th meeting

of the high-level Group ofMinisters (GoM) on Covid-19through a video link, he saidmore than 9.43 crore vaccinedoses have been administered inthe country till Friday morning.

More than three crore vac-cine jabs have been adminis-tered to senior citizens, thehealth minister said.

“India has also supportedthe global community through‘Vaccine Maitri’, under which

6.45 crore doses of COVID-19vaccine have been sent to 85countries. “While 3.58 croredoses have been supplied to 25countries under commercialcontracts, 1.04 crore doses havebeen sent to 44 nations asgrants, and 1.82 crore to 39countries under COVAX,”Vardhan was quoted as sayingin a statement.

The Minister said that therehas been no fresh COVID-19case in 149 districts in the lastseven days.

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Despite Assembly polls,three States—West Bengal,

Tamil Nadu and Assam hasmanaged record sowing ofsummer kharif crops — riceand pulses—so far. Of the total38.80 lakh hectare area sownunder rice acorss the country,West Bengal contributed 10.42lakh hectare under rice plan-tation; Assam 2.61 lakh hectareand Tamil Nadu 1.76 lakhhectare.

Similarly, in oilseed culti-vation, West Bengal reported2.61 lakh hectare while TamilNadu 0.61 lakh hectare.Sowing of summer crops is infull swing despite an increase inthe number of Covid-19 cases,with the area expanding by16.4% from last year to 6.78million hectares.

As per data released by theMinistry of Agriculture onFriday, total summer crops hasbeen sown on 67.87 lakhhectare area against 58.26 lakhhectare during the corre-sponding period of last year,thus increase in total summerarea coverage by 9.61 lakhhectare compared to corre-sponding period of last year inthe country.

Sowing reported underPulses 8.68 lakh hectare against5.72 lakh hectare area of lastyear i.e. increase in area cov-erage by 2.96 lakh hectare.Area coverage under CoarseCereals reported on 10.86 lakhhectare area against 8.54 lakhhectare area of last year i.e.increase in area coverage by2.33 lakh hectare in the coun-try. Area coverage reportedunder Oilseeds 9.53 lakhhectare area against 7.96 lakhhectare area of last year, thusincrease in area coverage by1.57 lakh hectare. Area cover-age reported under Rice on38.80 lakh hectare area against36.05 lakh hectare area of lastyear i.e. increase in area cov-erage by 2.75 lakh hectare.

Summer crops are plantedduring March-May, the inter-vening period between rabiand kharif season which startswith monsoon in June. “Thetrend of summer sowingprogress is very good as ondate. Besides, the prospect ofrabi crops is also very good inthe country. There is no impactof COVID-19 pandemic situ-ation on progress of area cov-erage under summer crops inthe country,” officials said.

Harvesting of wheat andother rabi crops have beencompleted in 65.05 per cent ofthe total 697 lakh hectaressown area during 2020-21 rabiseason, according to datareleased by the agricultureministry on Friday. Harvestingof rabi (winter) crops beginsfrom March. The main rabicrop is wheat.

Wheat crop has been har-vested in 135.85 lakhhectares,43.02 per cent of theestimated total cultivated areaof 315.77 lakh hectares duringthe rabi season of the 2020-21crop year (July-June).

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To minimise Covid-19infection, keep the CO2

levels in all the spaces whereyou share air as low as prac-tically possible, researchershave said asserting that in anygiven indoor environment,when excess CO2 levels dou-ble, the risk of virus trans-mission also roughly dou-bles.

The study by the scientistsfrom the Cooperative Institutefor Research inEnvironmental Sciences(CIRES) and the University ofColorado Boulder has beenpublished in theEnvironmental Science &Technology Letters.

The chemists relied on asimple fact that infectiouspeople exhale airborne virus-es at the same time as theyexhale carbon dioxide. Thatmeans CO2 can serve as a“proxy” for the number ofviruses in the air.

“You’re never safe indoorssharing air with others, butyou can reduce the risk,” saidJose-Luis Jimenez, co-authorof the new assessment, aCIRES Fellow and professor ofchemistry at the University ofColorado Boulder.

“And CO2 monitoring isreally the only low-cost andpractical option we have formonitoring,” said Zhe Peng, a

CIRES and chemistr yresearcher, and lead author ofthe new paper. “There is noth-ing else.”

Jimenez and colleaguesturned to commercially avail-able carbon dioxide moni-tors, which can cost just a fewhundred dollars.

First, they confirmed inthe laboratory that the detec-tors were accurate. Then, theycreated a mathematical “boxmodel” of how an infectedperson exhales viruses andCO2, how others in the roominhaled and exhaled, and howthe viruses and gas accumu-late in the air of a room or areremoved by ventilation.

The model takes into con-sideration infection numbersin the local community, but itdoes not detail air f lowthrough rooms--that kind ofmodeling requires expensive,custom analysis for eachroom.

It’s important to under-

stand that there is no singleCO2 level at which a personcan assume a shared indoorspace is “safe,” Peng empha-sized. That’s partly becauseactivity matters: Are people inthe room singing and talkingloudly or exercising, or arethey sitting quietly and read-ing or resting?

A CO2 level of 1,000 ppm,which is well above outsidelevels of about 400 ppm, couldbe relatively safe in a quietlibrary with masks but not inan active gym without masks,said the scientists.

Peng and Jimenez alsoshared a set of mathematicalformulae and tools thatexperts in building systemsand public health can use topin down actual, not just rel-ative, risk. But the mostimportant conclusion is thatto minimise risk, keep theCO2 levels in all the spaceswhere we share air as low aspractically possible.

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falling victim to the virus.They and their families are ineffect being sacrificed on thealtar of greed and personala g g r a n d i s e m e n t .Undoubtedly, it also reflectspoorly on the intellectual,administrative and profes-sional abilities of the ElectionCommission which cancome up with no bettermethod to conduct electionsother than stretching them toeternity.

Of course, politicians andGovernment officials are theeasiest to point fingers at, butothers too are as much toblame for the hypocrisy thatabounds. The SupremeCourt, for example, hasrecently pointed to the delayin giving women permanentcommissions in the military,blaming it on systemic biaswithin the Ministry ofDefence. While there certain-ly is some truth in what itsays, it is a complicated issue,especially the impact ofwomen in combat roles.More importantly, the mili-tary’s only job is to win warsand keep us safe and it is byno means an equal opportu-nity employer.

While the SupremeCourt’s emphasis on genderissues is to be applauded, itwould truly have credibilityand value if its own actionswere consistent in this regard.By some accounts, there areonly two women judgesamong the 34 that constitutethe Supreme Court and it hashad only eight women judgessince its inception.

Even the military has notbeen able to avoid this per-nicious trend and its leader-ship seems to have lost itsway in this regard. By statingthat China has not occupiedour territory in EasternLadakh, despite knowing itwell that we can no longerpatrol areas up to our claimlines, the Army chief has low-ered his image and credibil-ity. In addition, he has causedgrievous damage to theServices’ reputation.

The reason for where weare today is not very difficultto diagnose. Interestingly, in1893, Swami Vivekanandawhile addressing the firstWorld’s Parliament ofReligions meeting at Chicagosaid: “I am proud to belongto a religion which has taught

the world both tolerance anduniversal acceptance. Webelieve not only in universaltoleration, but we accept allreligions as true. I am proudto belong to a nation whichhas sheltered the persecutedand the refugees of all reli-gions and all nations of theearth.”

Despite the fact thatModi sees himself as a devot-ed follower of the Swami, hehas never let compassion orempathy get in the way ofrealpolitik. For all intentsand purposes, we are nowinvolved in an intense zerosum game where the winnertakes all and losers are shownthe door; where only theends matter, not the means.What he and those who fol-low him have yet to realise isthat all this can only get youso far and at the end of theday you have no choice butto pay the piper.

(The writer is a militaryveteran, who is a VisitingFellow with the ObserverResearch Foundation andSenior Visiting Fellow withThe Peninsula Foundation,Chennai. The views expressedare personal.)

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Having been slaves forthe better part of amillennia, we tendto have a heightened

instinct for survival that is bestreflected in our hypocriticalbehaviour. It is no surprisethen that, by and large, ouradherence to principles, rulesand regulations is inverselyproportional to the impact thatthey might have on our lives,preferring them to be applica-ble only to others and not us.

Take Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s attitudetowards the alarming spike inCOVID cases. He is unable tosee the dichotomy of, on theone hand, publicly beratingState Governments and citizensfor not adhering to basic pre-cautions, while simultaneouslyrushing off to address electionrallies. Rallies that are conduct-ed with tens of thousands ofattendees without masks,packed together like sardines.

The truth is that not justhim or his associates are beinghypocritical but other politi-cians as well, regardless of partyaffiliations. All those associat-ed with the ongoing State elec-tions are guilty of such irre-sponsible behaviour. This non-sensical behaviour has beenaggravated by the utter lack ofpolitical will on the part of lead-ers across the country in theirrefusal to stop religious and cul-tural events, be it events likeHoli or the Kumbh.

Their fear that they wouldbe held responsible if they cur-tailed mass gatherings is notdifficult to understand because,in their view, their career andreputation as politicians are atstake. Sadly, while they maywell be, or become, renownedpoliticians, one thing they willnever ever be is leaders. Thatrequires the backbone to takedifficult decisions, sometimes atgreat personal cost, when theoccasion so demands.

Obviously, the most affect-ed are not just those attendingsuch gatherings, who may bethere “voluntarily”, but publicservants compulsorily co-optedfor duties such as crowd controland security, who are now

��������������� �������������� �Sir —It’s good that the Supreme Court hasdismissed a plea filed by formerMaharashtra Home Minister AnilDeshmukh, challenging the Bombay HighCourt’s order that had allowed a prelim-inary CBI probe against him. The apexcourt also dismissed a similar plea filed bythe Maharashtra Government in the samecase.

Delivering its order, the SupremeCourt said the people involved in the mat-ter do require to be investigated by an inde-pendent agency. “What has been direct-ed by the High Court is a preliminaryinquiry, and we are not inclined to inter-fere,” the court said. Deshmukh resignednot because of his morality but he wascompelled by the circumstances. His res-ignation came hours after the BombayHigh Court ordered a CBI probe into theallegations of extortion against him, inwhat is the most high-profile casualty sofar in the sensational Sachin Vaze-Antiliaexplosives case. The high-voltage events inMaharashtra started with the discovery ofan explosives-laden vehicle outside the res-idence of billionaire Mukesh Ambani,gathered momentum with the allegedmurder of the man in possession of the car,and who had reported it stolen, MansukhHiran, and took a surprising turn with thearrest of a politically connected assistantinspector of police Sachin Vaze in theexplosives case.

Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Aghadi(MVA) Government, in an attempt tomanage the fallout, transferred MumbaiPolice Commissioner, with Deshmukhclearly articulating that the move wasprompted by his mismanagement of thecase. A miffed Singh wrote to the chiefminister, alleging that Deshmukh instruct-ed Vaze to run an extortion racket.

Abhishek Singh | Varanasi

������� �������� �������������Sir — With Maharashtra witnessing anincrease in the daily COVID-19 cases, theState Government was left with no option

except announcing a “strict lockdown”over the weekends. The Government hasalso enforced a night curfew in the Statefrom 8 pm to 7 am daily when only essen-tial services will be allowed to function.However, private and public transport willcontinue to operate but rickshaws, taxisand private vehicles can run with only 50per cent seating capacity.

Further, newspaper printing and dis-tribution can continue, provided the ven-dor is vaccinated. The Pimpri-ChinchwadMunicipal Corporation (PCMC) hasdecided to keep all inoculation centres inits areas closed due to a shortage of doses.The BMC on Thursday released a state-ment, saying it had around 50,000 dosesleft for Friday.

Bhagwan Thadani | Mumbai

������ �������������������� ��Sir — The slam-bang league is back and

the IPL extravaganza has seen manyepisodes and, this time round, the sec-ond wave of COVID-19.With suchobscene amounts of money, this hasbecome the norm. All are waiting for thebig event and everyone wants to play inthe IPL if it is held twice in six months.The game of cricket is a religion. The IPLextravaganza has become hotter duringthe summer months and the floodlightswill add to the already hot stadiums. TheIPL is nothing but a glorified way of mak-ing easy money and the gentleman’s gameof cricket is brought into disrepute. TheIPL 14 is commencing as a Friday featureand television sets are ready to show thebig event to the cricket lovers across Indiaand the world.

GK Ramani | Mumbai

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�#�������������#��(���#����������3�����#������������������������������ �����3����(������*�;���#���#����#����#���������������#�����

One does not need to be a rocket scientistto know Pakistan Prime Minister ImranKhan has robbed whatever little credibil-

ity civilian Governments in his country have,with his multiple policy flip-flops. Just like onedoes not need to be an astute political pundit toknow Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not likeformer PM Rajiv Gandhi in wanting to leave con-tentious border disputes to the “wisdom of thenext generation”. If anything, PM Modi hasenough political capital to push through a res-olution. Amidst the contrast in the two civilianleaderships of the hostile neighbours, how doesone read the current India-Pakistan situation?Is there any prospect of peace, given that evenbaby steps like trade and resumption of sport-ing ties are not possible in the vitiated atmos-phere? There are reasons to assume a positivemovement will take place in the India-Pakistanties, for three clear reasons.

First, the Pakistani economy cannot contin-ue the status quo — of next-to-nothing trade withIndia. Islamabad is on its 13th loan from theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) and theeconomy is battling a crippling inflation. Addingto Pakistan’s economic woes is its surgingwheat imports. After years of being self-suffi-cient, Pakistan is now being forced to importwheat to feed its people. Even if one discountsany comparisons with Bangladesh — which isgrowing at an impressive eight per cent withhigher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and fourtimes more forex collections — Pakistan’s econ-omy needs help.

It is not for nothing that the Pakistani Armychief spoke about geo-economics in his muchtalked-about speech on March 18. No amountof jingoism can cover up for the present econom-ic woes of Pakistan. The Pakistani Army under-stands this even more, given that it is one of thekey stakeholders in the economy. If it were notfor its obsession to ‘checkmate’ India, would thePakistani economy — with its excessive defencespends — be in such a mess? Opening up tradewith India will be the first set of the baby stepsthat are needed towards any normalisation. Butmore importantly, it will be vital for fixingPakistan’s economy.

The worst of Pakistan’s economic mess is yetto present itself, in the form of large payouts toChina. China has invested heavily in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is a vital partof its Belt and Road Initiative. China is a rent-seeking country, not an aid-granting friend. Andsooner than later, China will extract its poundof flesh from Pakistan for the large amount offunds it has invested in the strategically-locat-ed country. In fact, the few sane voices in thePakistani establishment must be wondering whatwould have been Islamabad’s relations withBeijing if the former was not focused only onits India hatred. It would have had normal tieswith China and not become its vassal State —only because it sought to undermine New Delhi.In the process, though, it has become heavilyindebted to Beijing. As the payments would start,so would Pakistan’s economic headaches.

Second, the happenings in Afghanistan —keenly watched by Islamabad — may have a

bearing on the India-Pakistanconundrum. If some reports are tobe believed, the withdrawal of theUS forces from Afghanistan couldpave the way for a multi-nationUN team to oversee that thenation does not fall into chaos. Itwould be logical to assume NewDelhi’s inclusion in the same,since the US has always favouredIndia to play a larger role. Such anoutcome would be least desirablefor Islamabad since it will under-cut its geo-strategic importanceand reduce its bargaining powerwith the US.

It would not be out of the ordi-nary to assume that some of thebackchannel lines of communica-tion may include Afghanistan andthe role both India and Pakistanwould play in it. After all, Pakistan— which now has diminishingreturns from its Kashmir rhetoric— has not been able to successful-ly rake up the support of globalpowers on the issue of abrogationof Article 370. On the contrary,Islamabad stands to gain signifi-cantly by leveraging its role inKabul post-US exit. So will ImranKhan (or his military bosses) wantto risk a larger play in Afghanistanby holding onto the Kashmirissue? Or would they choose toshow some positive gestures (like

ceasefire) on Kashmir in return forcontinuing its important positionin determining Kabul’s future?

The answer to this is clear, butits implementation will be decid-ed by the fate of ‘informal’ talksbetween India and Pakistan.Nevertheless, it will be an impor-tant choice to make for all deci-sion-makers in Pakistan (whichmay or may not include ImranKhan).

Third, in July, some elementsin the Pakistani Army and thecivilian Government will rake upthe issue of integration of Gilgit-Baltistan and the Pakistan-occu-pied Kashmir (PoK) as the fifthand sixth provinces. Imran maynot be able to resist the temptationto be seen as similar to Modi (post-abrogation of Article 370). Thiswill quite naturally invite a strongresponse from New Delhi, sincethe incumbent dispensation hasspoken about the will and deter-mination to reclaim both theseareas. If such a situation does arise,it will limit the flexibility that canbe shown by the Indian side or itsPakistani counterpart to movebeyond the usual irritants.

Since August 5, 2019, theIndian Government has made itsstance clear — “all future discus-sions will now be only on PoK”

has been the usual response.Likewise, Pakistani Army’s insti-tutional legitimacy has been cen-tred on the need to wage a warwith India to “solve the Kashmirissue”. If PoK becomes a Pakistaniprovince, the pressure fromdomestic constituents will be sointense that both the sides will notbe able to make any forwardmovement, lest they be termed a“sellout”. Given these complexities,there is high chance that thesenegotiations — being held behindclosed doors and outside thepurview of formal diplomaticchannels — would expedite anyoutcome.

India and Pakistan are notdoomed to live in hatred, hostili-ty and tension. Despite false startsand multiple attempts by India —which have been followed by ter-ror attacks by Pakistan — Modimay be keen to move ahead.Right now, peace looks elusive, butthe peace process does not. By allaspects, it is clear that the processis thriving and may succeed inthrashing out some of the differ-ences. A peaceful solution doesnot need to decide the fate of themost complex geo-political prob-lem of the subcontinent rightaway; it needs to demonstrate thewill to do so.

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The NationalCommission for Alliedand Healthcare

Professions Bill, 2020(NCAHP Act) has beenpassed by Parliament after along and anxious wait, par-ticularly by the health profes-sionals. The Act providesfor regulation and mainte-nance of standards of educa-tion and services by alliedand healthcare professionals,assessment of institutions,maintenance of a CentralRegister and State Registerand creation of a system toimprove access, research anddevelopment.

Union Minister forHealth and Family WelfareHarsh Vardhan explainedthe reasons and objects of theBill: “I would say that mostof you must have paid a visitto a hospital at some point oftime in your life and I wishnot, but you might have had

to. Please recall those daysand remember the peoplewho took care of you andwho brought you out of yourillness. You may rememberthe name of the doctor. Youmay remember the name ofthe hospital. But do you alsoremember the name of thepersons who took your bloodsamples, gave you physio-therapy, took your X-ray,advised you on what youshould eat, checked youreyesight, assisted your doc-tor or surgeon, looked intomicroscopes and bid you afarewell with a smile. Whoare these people?”

They are varied healthprofessionals — the lab tech-nicians, physiotherapists,radiographers, dieticians,record keepers, optometrists,X-ray technicians, and manymore, who are a critical partof the healthcare system andthe foundation of the pyra-

mid of the entire healthcaresystem.

According to studies, therole of doctors, undoubted-ly critical, varies between25 to 50 per cent in the entirehealthcare chain. A wag said“doctor is next to God, nurseis next to the doctor and thepharmacist is closest to thepatient”, but there are manyothers who are as vital andintegral to this chain. Infact, these professionals arethe bedrock of the complexhealthcare system.

After enacting theNational MedicalCommission Bill, 2019 —which was fiercely contestedby a large body of medicalpractitioners, another trans-formative piece of legislation,the NCAHP Act, has beenenacted which covers a widerange of healthcare profes-sions which were unrecog-nised or unregulated to date.

The Act is a paradigm shiftin healthcare delivery as itrecognises the specialisedskills and contributions ofmore than 56 types of theallied and healthcare profes-sionals. The nation, nay theworld, has witnessed theinvaluable contribution ofthese professionals duringCOVID-19 as the frontlinehealth workers who riskedtheir lives every day fightingthe pandemic.

The Act would regulateand leverage the qualifiedallied and healthcare work-force and ensure high-qual-ity multidisciplinary care inline with the vision of theuniversal health coveragemoving towards a more care-accessible and team-basedmodel. The Act wouldreform and regulate thisentire sector in order to givethese professionals their due,increase their employmentopportunities and, moreimportantly, enhance theirdignity by recognising theirtrue worth, within the coun-try and globally. The Actenvisages the establishmentof a Central statutory bodyas the National Commissionfor Allied and HealthcareProfessions.

The commission willframe policies and stan-dards, regulate professionalconduct and prescribe qual-

ifications for all these profes-sions.

A National Allied andHealthcare Advisor yCouncil to advise the nation-al commission with repre-sentation from all the Statesis provided under the Act toenable adequate representa-tion from all the States andUnion Territories. Further,each State will have a sepa-rate State Council with fourautonomous Boards pertain-ing to undergraduate educa-tion, post-graduate educa-tion, assessment, rating,ethics and registration.While doctors, nurses, den-tists and pharmacists inIndia are regulated throughtheir respective regulatorybodies, the allied and health-care professions are stillunstructured, and unregu-lated.

Globally, most of thecountries have a regulatory

framework for standardisededucation and training. Butin India, there was anabsence of a regulatoryframework and lack of stan-dardised education curricu-lum as well as training forthese allied and healthcareprofessionals, a void nowremoved.

Also, the Act makes asignificant shift from thedoctor-led model to a morecare-accessible and team-based model. The NCAHPAct, 2020, is a landmarklegislation which will godown in the history ofhealthcare revolution inIndia. It will transform thehealthcare scenario andmake a paradigm shift in theministration of the entirehealthcare system and makeit efficacious. Apparently,India is on the course ofwholesale health sectorreforms.

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The writer is a seniorjournalist and Visiting

Fellow at the United ServicesInstitution of India. The

views expressed are personal.

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Additional Secretary, Lok Sabha.

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Script Open High Low LTPJSWSTEEL 619.20 630.85 597.25 620.60TATAMOTORS 314.00 325.00 312.60 318.15TATASTEEL 921.00 930.10 885.95 899.20ADANIPORTS 823.60 836.95 817.40 823.65HDFCBANK 1428.50 1431.55 1415.00 1421.65ADANIENT 1162.45 1228.20 1151.45 1200.85SBIN 355.00 364.50 351.10 353.05CADILAHC 470.70 517.75 470.70 514.55SUNPHARMA 615.00 642.20 610.05 636.95RELIANCE 2003.00 2006.80 1980.10 1982.65ICICIBANK 574.50 579.15 565.05 566.45SAIL 96.95 97.95 92.25 94.20BAJFINANCE 4997.75 5025.50 4845.00 4873.20INFY 1454.00 1454.00 1430.40 1440.75ATGL 988.00 1091.75 971.00 1091.75HEG 2465.00 2564.00 2175.00 2272.85TCS 3350.00 3358.80 3308.75 3322.20MARUTI 6830.00 6875.00 6782.00 6830.05PNB 37.40 39.00 37.15 37.85CIPLA 843.00 892.00 836.75 882.30IDEA 9.43 9.67 9.38 9.43JINDALSTEL 416.30 426.45 401.50 411.50INDUSINDBK 930.15 939.40 917.35 923.90DRREDDY 4690.20 4792.00 4673.70 4759.50TITAN 1568.10 1617.90 1560.75 1591.75HINDALCO 367.90 370.20 354.80 361.05TATACHEM 823.00 828.20 800.20 805.10HDFC 2503.00 2556.75 2492.20 2514.25ADANIPOWER 97.00 99.70 94.00 97.75GRAPHITE 698.00 729.00 646.15 672.15AXISBANK 679.95 686.75 667.20 668.45CANBK 147.00 153.75 146.00 148.70IBULHSGFIN 190.10 195.55 188.95 192.25ASHOKLEY 125.00 125.45 120.45 121.25JUSTDIAL 781.00 989.90 781.00 954.85KOTAKBANK 1757.05 1806.20 1744.20 1799.15TATAPOWER 105.65 106.15 103.05 104.05BANKBARODA 73.45 77.45 72.90 74.00MAHABANK 21.55 25.40 21.55 24.80JSWENERGY 89.90 103.90 88.00 100.15GRASIM 1452.05 1468.95 1430.05 1439.95BHEL 51.90 52.50 51.15 51.50INDIACEM 188.95 197.00 186.60 189.20BHARTIARTL 536.50 549.35 536.50 545.35HCLTECH 1037.50 1054.90 1034.65 1044.95DIVISLAB 3735.00 3783.25 3681.00 3751.15GLENMARK 505.00 534.35 505.00 529.60M&MFIN 195.50 197.00 191.45 192.95ADANITRANS 975.00 1023.80 952.05 978.35ULTRACEMCO 7050.00 7050.00 6795.00 6826.05DIXON 3744.00 3799.00 3630.10 3758.95AMBUJACEM 325.10 329.90 314.40 316.20LUPIN 1049.30 1086.95 1049.00 1079.60HINDUNILVR 2416.05 2483.70 2416.05 2475.95WIPRO 443.10 452.00 439.90 449.45HSCL 45.30 46.15 44.75 45.05CONCOR 591.00 597.20 580.00 587.40APOLLOHOSP 3160.00 3163.55 3107.45 3133.30SWSOLAR 313.20 343.50 304.50 325.80IRCTC 1732.00 1769.00 1716.00 1730.80LTTS 2881.00 3062.45 2874.30 2912.25UPL 658.00 658.00 631.00 634.90GUJALKALI 359.00 414.90 353.00 412.75NCC 80.75 81.40 78.20 79.45SBICARD 955.00 978.95 947.70 963.35IGL 532.00 544.85 528.10 542.40TATAELXSI 2963.90 3121.65 2942.75 3099.00HAVELLS 1067.00 1099.60 1057.00 1061.70BANKINDIA 68.90 75.35 67.60 74.45TECHM 1029.00 1057.05 1017.00 1052.65VOLTAS 1005.00 1027.00 1002.95 1006.25SHREECEM 31799.95 32050.00 31129.6031787.95IDFCFIRSTB 56.95 57.25 55.55 55.80DLF 280.60 285.00 278.20 279.45AUROPHARMA 906.00 952.80 905.00 943.65VEDL 237.75 241.35 228.25 232.00TATACOMM 1103.05 1125.60 1092.65 1109.50PEL 1803.10 1848.00 1783.05 1809.55SRTRANSFIN 1485.40 1495.40 1455.80 1472.10NATIONALUM 60.70 61.40 58.90 59.40NMDC 145.50 146.25 142.70 145.20ITC 213.50 215.95 212.65 213.05THYROCARE 1028.65 1069.80 1028.00 1040.20ACC 2003.00 2022.75 1948.50 1960.75MINDTREE 2229.50 2248.00 2202.45 2226.80PVR 1128.00 1153.50 1125.00 1148.70MUTHOOTFIN 1240.00 1265.00 1227.15 1233.90BANDHANBNK 353.50 364.85 352.00 359.25BEML 1270.05 1311.00 1260.10 1274.20BPCL 430.00 432.25 424.70 425.65GUJGAS 552.00 580.00 546.00 568.20COALINDIA 132.00 132.05 129.00 129.55HEROMOTOCO 2952.70 2952.70 2901.15 2911.80TIMETECHNO 67.50 70.90 67.45 70.35FEDERALBNK 78.00 79.35 77.15 77.90BAJAJFINSV 9645.00 9715.85 9563.30 9629.95ESCORTS 1275.00 1288.50 1261.45 1268.10MRF 82547.05 83621.15 81500.0081884.10SRF 6160.05 6360.00 6142.70 6260.00ASIANPAINT 2645.00 2652.40 2611.50 2628.65AUBANK 1261.50 1261.50 1164.00 1174.35LT 1419.10 1419.10 1397.10 1404.00AMARAJABAT 819.00 834.55 814.00 815.70BAJAJCON 277.00 298.30 269.70 283.45IDBI 37.10 38.45 36.85 37.10STAR 846.85 896.00 837.70 862.80GAIL 139.00 140.50 138.00 138.80

ZEEL 202.20 208.00 201.40 206.10MOTHERSUMI 217.10 219.20 210.15 212.00RBLBANK 212.95 215.50 209.15 211.05ADANIGREEN 1167.00 1180.00 1111.00 1142.90IOC 93.00 93.00 91.00 91.60IOB 16.10 18.40 16.10 17.80FINOLEXIND 680.80 715.40 680.05 702.15NTPC 105.55 105.85 102.40 102.75LALPATHLAB 3160.00 3232.85 3120.00 3139.20TATACONSUM 674.00 684.90 665.30 679.30BRITANNIA 3786.15 3842.00 3786.15 3797.50MGL 1141.50 1144.25 1116.50 1135.90CENTRALBK 16.65 18.15 16.60 18.15NAUKRI 4880.00 4880.00 4740.00 4789.00UNIONBANK 36.60 38.55 36.10 37.90SUNTV 480.00 496.90 480.00 493.40PIIND 2550.00 2668.85 2510.45 2557.30DEEPAKFERT 269.80 276.40 251.80 259.30RAIN 169.45 173.45 166.20 168.30EICHERMOT 2553.00 2575.00 2515.00 2521.15MANAPPURAM 156.25 160.45 156.10 157.05WOCKPHARMA 459.00 482.70 457.65 474.55M&M 799.85 800.90 785.10 791.35METROPOLIS 2490.00 2532.70 2417.55 2483.20BALRAMCHIN 243.50 247.90 230.00 234.00SIEMENS 1859.75 1911.95 1841.85 1848.65DEEPAKNI 1711.80 1724.30 1676.05 1682.45CHOLAFIN 563.00 569.50 552.90 557.55TORNTPOWER 421.60 425.55 418.35 422.45LAURUSLABS 419.70 427.35 411.25 421.75ABFRL 189.00 192.70 188.05 189.70MEGH 139.40 139.40 130.40 134.50BALKRISIND 1683.30 1683.30 1647.00 1652.95FINEORG 2449.90 2625.00 2401.70 2542.20BIOCON 415.95 424.10 413.15 420.30RCF 81.90 83.30 77.00 78.80IEX 352.00 354.95 340.00 349.70BAJAJ-AUTO 3660.00 3692.55 3630.00 3655.60LICHSGFIN 421.00 422.90 414.25 415.55PFIZER 4600.00 4830.00 4595.00 4797.80INDUSTOWER 266.40 267.80 255.25 256.65IBREALEST 85.00 87.70 84.50 85.40ALKEM 2705.00 2880.00 2705.00 2832.25DABUR 562.00 566.00 557.20 560.45UCOBANK 11.32 12.25 11.16 11.94RAMCOCEM 1089.00 1120.00 1062.40 1077.70TATAMTRDVR 136.95 141.20 135.25 137.60DELTACORP 158.90 168.50 157.60 167.55IPCALAB 2080.00 2110.00 2025.65 2085.10INDIGO 1630.90 1661.65 1601.30 1643.85JSL 77.00 80.70 77.00 79.25LTI 4349.00 4450.00 4301.00 4381.60INDIANB 113.90 122.50 112.90 117.70APLLTD 979.80 1030.00 973.35 1010.65POWERGRID 209.25 211.40 208.00 208.30FSL 120.00 124.25 118.65 121.25DMART 2939.00 2972.00 2920.00 2947.55MARICO 414.25 421.60 414.25 420.45UBL 1138.00 1138.00 1098.00 1107.25L&TFH 98.45 99.55 97.50 98.00ABCAPITAL 127.80 127.80 124.25 125.10PFC 115.90 116.85 113.20 114.40FDC 297.95 318.00 291.20 309.20RVNL 29.55 29.65 29.00 29.10NBCC 47.00 47.40 46.15 46.65TVSMOTOR 562.70 570.95 558.35 568.00ONGC 103.80 104.90 103.25 103.80APOLLOTYRE 226.50 228.00 222.10 223.60NESTLEIND 17554.70 17848.00 17518.3017580.60FLUOROCHEM 623.30 714.00 622.00 701.80RADICO 542.80 550.60 541.00 543.45JKLAKSHMI 445.65 466.90 435.00 443.55AFFLE 5561.00 5669.00 5400.00 5543.25BATAINDIA 1402.00 1410.15 1389.90 1391.20TORNTPHARM 2552.60 2605.90 2535.00 2573.40COLPAL 1590.30 1616.35 1590.25 1600.55GRANULES 334.25 344.25 332.70 341.40JUBLFOOD 2875.00 2904.65 2861.10 2881.30MCX 1506.50 1544.00 1487.65 1515.45PIDILITIND 1900.00 1927.95 1893.45 1920.60ICICIPRULI 455.90 460.95 450.50 455.60CENTURYTEX 487.00 503.00 478.85 484.20OFSS 3498.00 3568.45 3465.10 3513.05BSOFT 267.00 273.85 267.00 271.70HINDZINC 318.00 318.80 308.00 308.65SONATSOFTW 601.00 607.75 583.65 589.65HDFCAMC 3050.00 3050.00 2932.00 2951.50BEL 130.10 131.50 129.00 129.85SHK 121.45 131.90 121.00 129.30TATAMETALI 925.00 953.35 925.00 945.35PGHL 6350.00 6474.20 6330.00 6362.40

INDIAMART 8295.00 8448.00 8270.00 8393.75NATCOPHARM 912.00 932.50 888.10 921.75HAL 1010.00 1024.00 998.15 1001.20JKPAPER 143.75 149.00 143.75 146.25ORIENTREF 287.20 308.00 287.00 303.10INDHOTEL 108.15 113.10 108.15 110.65DBL 583.00 591.95 574.15 583.30CANFINHOME 561.50 569.15 547.80 552.75MPHASIS 1774.00 1824.40 1771.60 1804.35HDFCLIFE 705.00 705.00 690.40 695.55TATACOFFEE 127.45 127.45 124.55 125.55HINDCOPPER 143.70 148.70 142.05 143.65CUMMINSIND 897.00 897.00 864.75 870.85BLISSGVS 100.85 102.50 96.65 101.35AMBER 3275.00 3360.00 3240.00 3267.10VAIBHAVGBL 4239.75 4465.50 4239.75 4424.90PERSISTENT 2019.95 2098.05 2006.40 2077.15GALAXYSURF 2602.00 2720.00 2554.15 2659.10BHARATFORG 613.00 626.95 609.40 610.35CROMPTON 394.80 404.45 388.10 391.00CSBBANK 265.60 269.40 262.50 268.40CHAMBLFERT 228.20 234.85 223.65 232.40PNBHOUSING 391.00 407.65 391.00 398.75COFORGE 3081.70 3180.80 3080.20 3168.30GMRINFRA 24.45 25.00 24.20 24.80PAGEIND 29605.00 29712.05 29381.4029475.50BBTC 1268.00 1299.00 1251.55 1258.50PARAGMILK 112.55 121.00 112.55 116.85INTELLECT 710.00 722.35 701.10 707.70ICICIGI 1433.75 1441.90 1406.90 1421.40PTC 88.10 91.80 88.10 91.10BOSCHLTD 14944.00 14944.00 14400.0514530.65WELSPUNIND 85.60 87.40 82.80 84.20FRETAIL 50.00 51.70 47.80 49.65SBILIFE 907.70 916.75 901.00 908.65TRIDENT 14.27 14.40 14.03 14.12BOMDYEING 73.05 74.80 72.50 73.35IDFC 49.80 51.75 49.00 50.20STLTECH 230.70 237.30 223.60 231.75GODREJCP 741.55 745.50 737.15 738.75NAM-INDIA 360.00 361.00 349.40 352.35IRCON 89.80 90.45 89.00 90.10INFIBEAM 45.20 45.20 44.00 44.60NAVINFLUOR 3052.10 3098.95 3038.35 3069.05HINDPETRO* 238.90 238.90 231.95 234.05SPARC 161.75 170.55 161.75 167.95SOBHA 513.60 534.05 501.80 519.25BERGEPAINT 765.00 769.05 750.10 752.40FORTIS 215.10 215.10 207.00 207.95SOUTHBANK 8.51 8.78 8.44 8.68J&KBANK 25.65 28.10 25.65 26.95GMM 4349.00 4349.00 4270.00 4295.75SPICEJET 71.00 71.50 70.20 71.10MIDHANI 193.50 194.80 189.00 191.45EXIDEIND 186.65 188.80 185.15 186.35COROMANDEL 771.00 777.00 763.55 769.80PNCINFRA 257.00 260.60 253.30 255.10CEATLTD 1553.00 1588.80 1540.00 1548.15AARTIIND 1434.00 1434.00 1396.00 1405.25ALKYLAMINE 6138.00 6238.00 6100.00 6141.70RAYMOND 359.55 366.00 357.10 360.05SCHNEIDER 93.75 99.40 93.60 96.30GNFC 326.10 329.90 315.10 318.15KTKBANK 63.40 64.90 63.05 64.15TRENT 735.00 745.00 723.15 729.50SHANKARA 437.95 451.80 433.95 441.40ASTRAZEN 3325.00 3371.05 3275.70 3314.80RALLIS 267.10 278.00 266.75 269.05SYNGENE 568.30 571.80 553.65 560.00ABBOTINDIA 15120.00 15300.00 14936.6015245.80DCMSHRIRAM 548.00 572.15 548.00 567.60GMDCLTD 59.45 61.70 58.30 60.15NBVENTURES* 75.60 78.85 74.90 76.15NLCINDIA 49.60 51.10 48.65 49.45ASTRAL 1617.00 1617.80 1576.90 1597.25CGCL 395.00 403.00 390.80 397.45SUZLON 5.00 5.15 4.94 5.11RAJESHEXPO 528.15 528.15 504.00 519.80NOCIL 181.10 184.40 178.10 180.55RECLTD 133.00 133.50 131.05 132.05APLAPOLLO 1282.35 1312.00 1262.50 1303.10SUMICHEM 291.05 297.80 289.10 293.20OBEROIRLTY 570.00 602.00 570.00 594.70SANOFI 8194.30 8251.60 8183.35 8227.25ORIENTCEM 107.90 111.95 105.95 107.80MFSL 891.15 903.55 878.35 886.40ZENSARTECH 286.05 290.00 277.00 279.35STARCEMENT 107.00 107.70 95.50 100.80ATUL 7980.00 8082.50 7901.05 7982.30ABB 1395.00 1407.20 1374.45 1379.35GODREJPROP 1386.05 1395.80 1357.20 1362.70GARFIBRES 2590.15 2715.00 2517.95 2696.80CARERATING 474.05 488.05 467.05 479.70CUB 166.10 168.15 164.20 165.40AVANTI 474.60 487.40 466.50 484.60GSPL 270.00 275.60 267.80 272.10SCI 113.80 114.60 111.20 111.95MINDAIND 541.00 562.00 538.35 551.65DISHTV 9.95 10.11 9.82 9.86MMTC 44.75 45.00 43.50 43.90BIRLACORPN 985.00 1014.20 984.00 990.30PETRONET 230.00 230.05 226.50 228.15UJJIVANSFB 30.65 30.80 30.10 30.45HFCL 25.30 25.80 24.95 25.35JINDALSAW 78.90 79.60 77.15 78.25PRSMJOHNSN 139.90 141.95 130.00 131.70KPITTECH 193.60 195.75 186.70 193.90DCBBANK 101.95 103.90 100.80 101.65

ASTERDM 139.00 150.00 137.10 148.10NIACL 157.35 163.20 150.95 159.25KALPATPOWR 396.00 399.00 373.00 385.20RELAXO 960.70 966.25 931.75 943.25SUDARSCHEM 542.05 561.55 542.05 546.20SOMANYCERA 421.85 459.20 421.85 455.25JAICORPLTD 89.60 93.20 89.45 90.85VINATIORGA 1565.40 1585.00 1526.65 1565.70CASTROLIND 124.35 125.90 124.00 124.95LUXIND 1847.25 1964.00 1838.00 1939.35EMAMILTD 518.00 525.00 507.85 518.35KEI 532.90 554.00 532.65 541.903MINDIA 28199.95 28500.00 27227.9527478.30DALBHARAT 1600.00 1600.00 1527.55 1554.20JSLHISAR 137.90 139.50 135.00 137.45WELCORP 154.95 156.95 152.00 155.45COCHINSHIP 369.10 383.45 367.00 374.85INOXLEISUR 266.00 276.90 266.00 274.85HUDCO 45.65 45.65 44.35 44.50HONAUT 44050.00 44115.15 43103.0043312.15JUBLPHARMA 709.00 749.00 707.00 736.45WHIRLPOOL 2193.00 2240.00 2161.00 2182.80WABAG 261.75 262.25 254.55 257.65PHILIPCARB 207.30 207.65 201.00 203.65SUNTECK 290.00 292.75 285.00 288.75UJJIVAN 214.55 216.15 210.20 211.35POLYCAB 1414.90 1414.90 1386.00 1396.85JBCHEPHARM 1270.00 1270.00 1246.85 1255.10ISEC 394.75 397.40 389.75 391.35SWANENERGY 136.00 136.75 133.15 135.80VIPIND 340.10 345.10 340.10 340.85FCONSUMER 7.05 7.48 6.73 7.20GREAVESCOT 134.35 136.00 131.35 133.50EIDPARRY 332.00 339.00 330.00 332.95IFCI 11.70 11.98 11.54 11.70DCAL 120.50 124.00 120.05 120.95ORIENTELEC 307.05 311.60 299.50 303.85GSFC 91.45 93.50 89.10 90.10KRBL 189.00 193.40 188.85 191.75HIMATSEIDE 149.20 153.00 146.55 148.95TV18BRDCST 29.35 29.35 28.70 28.95CARBORUNIV 515.95 534.00 515.00 525.60KNRCON 222.95 222.95 208.20 213.05ERIS 585.75 615.30 584.45 605.95ENDURANCE 1390.00 1399.70 1366.00 1372.55POWERINDIA 1485.00 1523.00 1445.00 1517.10JKTYRE 120.00 122.85 118.60 119.20BDL 345.90 345.90 340.00 344.20

CESC 630.00 630.00 612.75 614.30SUPREMEIND 1968.05 2008.00 1960.75 1991.35AAVAS 2387.45 2436.70 2302.00 2320.60KAJARIACER 972.05 972.05 950.00 959.00GHCL 231.95 241.10 229.10 236.70CAPPL 471.95 483.60 464.00 472.70AJANTPHARM 1714.60 1733.40 1708.20 1727.55RITES 244.00 245.40 242.05 242.80TAKE 51.65 52.20 50.35 50.90HEIDELBERG 251.00 255.95 240.40 242.50CREDITACC 624.00 624.00 613.50 614.65GODFRYPHLP 914.95 921.50 905.00 906.95SJVN 24.85 25.15 24.65 25.05ESABINDIA 1816.85 1964.00 1816.85 1866.50JAMNAAUTO 71.90 72.75 70.70 72.05GICRE 214.00 216.30 207.40 211.95ASHOKA 97.00 97.40 96.10 96.95ENGINERSIN 76.45 77.30 75.70 75.90BAJAJELEC 1050.00 1070.00 1029.90 1063.10GODREJAGRO 508.70 522.65 506.00 515.75SIS 392.00 395.00 390.55 391.95LEMONTREE 35.40 35.75 34.90 35.05BASF 2089.15 2100.00 2063.00 2065.60LINDEINDIA 1869.85 1870.00 1803.75 1827.85PHOENIXLTD 794.85 795.20 735.75 750.85GODREJIND 538.00 543.00 533.00 539.95CRISIL 1816.05 1849.95 1807.95 1841.20BALMLAWRIE 129.95 131.35 129.30 129.90MOIL 163.10 165.40 158.30 159.40SHOPERSTOP 206.00 210.00 201.15 205.50EQUITAS 82.50 84.35 82.25 82.85CYIENT 693.00 707.60 693.00 702.30GLAXO 1432.70 1476.30 1415.50 1445.80ITI 116.75 118.00 115.50 116.00BAYERCROP 5268.00 5330.00 5200.80 5224.50GILLETTE 5584.00 5584.00 5480.00 5503.15BLUEDART 5273.00 5390.00 5222.00 5308.15TIMKEN 1400.00 1410.00 1364.25 1385.70

PRESTIGE 313.85 322.95 309.70 313.05VBL 999.75 1008.45 986.00 990.50INDOCO 303.75 324.70 303.10 316.20HAWKINCOOK 5400.00 5451.00 5369.00 5411.80EDELWEISS 69.00 70.55 67.80 68.10SUNDRMFAST 739.15 740.65 725.00 728.65VENKYS 1638.00 1670.00 1616.45 1626.90IRB 111.10 111.10 108.60 110.15WESTLIFE 416.80 432.15 416.80 425.50VGUARD 242.20 243.60 240.00 240.55TNPL 144.90 148.60 143.00 146.95KEC 425.15 431.00 418.50 425.85SOLARINDS 1340.00 1367.00 1266.95 1286.30JAGRAN* 59.25 59.95 58.05 59.50HATHWAY 23.90 24.25 23.65 24.05VTL 1255.20 1296.00 1246.10 1262.10ECLERX 1201.00 1223.60 1200.00 1220.70DHANUKA 754.75 754.75 729.30 745.20MINDACORP 103.70 104.05 101.50 102.20TASTYBIT 14937.65 15190.00 14622.0014933.45LAXMIMACH 6716.30 6724.00 6624.00 6659.60QUESS 654.00 675.00 646.70 653.60DBCORP 94.90 95.95 89.00 91.40KSB 903.85 942.55 896.10 931.65BLUESTARCO 919.90 921.95 908.50 911.75TEAMLEASE 3690.00 3690.00 3507.05 3563.00ARVINDFASN 140.05 142.00 138.70 139.95GRINDWELL 935.00 949.00 916.35 921.70NHPC 24.15 24.45 24.15 24.25TATAINVEST 1025.00 1030.65 1020.00 1025.30MOTILALOFS 649.90 676.00 645.70 658.05TTKPRESTIG 7330.50 7671.00 7261.85 7537.25JKCEMENT 3025.00 3053.55 2962.55 2993.70ADVENZYMES 375.50 376.95 365.25 371.00MAHINDCIE 168.40 168.40 163.00 163.85VMART 2819.00 2850.00 2712.80 2791.80RATNAMANI 2038.65 2060.00 1997.00 2015.35ITDC 374.80 377.55 371.00 371.75OIL 123.25 123.25 120.10 120.25NESCO 520.95 521.00 504.00 517.45JMFINANCIL 85.75 85.95 83.90 84.25AKZOINDIA 2409.05 2409.05 2338.25 2344.05MAHLOG 543.55 543.55 530.15 536.90TCNSBRANDS 489.65 502.95 482.50 494.15EPL 224.90 226.80 221.50 224.25CHENNPETRO 102.85 102.85 101.00 101.15ZYDUSWELL 2100.00 2120.25 2088.60 2097.60PGHH 13099.40 13500.00 13010.6513202.70MRPL 39.15 39.50 38.85 39.00SKFINDIA 2176.20 2203.20 2165.00 2186.65HERITGFOOD 325.95 338.00 317.00 329.55REDINGTON 176.55 182.00 173.60 176.25IFBIND 1159.00 1200.00 1152.15 1186.15SCHAEFFLER 5334.25 5450.00 5257.10 5324.25KPRMILL 1107.00 1136.95 1072.80 1101.80EIHOTEL 92.85 94.90 91.35 91.80PCJEWELLER 26.85 27.15 26.30 26.40SPANDANA 595.80 609.50 592.45 598.10TIINDIA 1165.35 1190.45 1141.10 1175.50BRIGADE 267.45 271.20 262.95 266.80CCL 243.15 248.50 242.00 243.25CHOLAHLDNG 598.20 603.40 584.00 590.50NH 436.95 436.95 428.80 429.95REPCOHOME 323.10 323.15 314.05 316.40SYMPHONY 1332.35 1338.95 1286.95 1302.15JYOTHYLAB 146.10 148.50 146.10 146.50WABCOINDIA 6300.00 6300.00 6072.60 6251.10NILKAMAL 2044.95 2044.95 1952.00 1972.20UFLEX 383.50 385.00 379.35 380.90IIFL 275.35 284.90 271.05 277.70MAHSCOOTER 3609.85 3609.85 3525.00 3530.50GEPIL 273.90 276.15 272.50 273.50SFL 2140.00 2142.00 2076.95 2099.25AEGISLOG 291.95 298.15 291.40 294.65GRSE 187.00 189.15 185.00 185.85SUPRAJIT 290.95 290.95 282.00 283.50CENTURYPLY 303.85 312.75 303.85 311.60BAJAJHLDNG 3363.00 3414.00 3337.55 3408.35KANSAINER 590.80 597.55 590.80 596.25ALLCARGO 128.50 129.25 128.20 128.45VARROC 384.00 384.00 373.00 374.80MHRIL 214.75 216.35 211.45 214.10GESHIP 308.20 312.00 304.25 306.35FINCABLES 374.00 382.45 374.00 380.75GPPL 106.00 106.00 100.40 101.25JCHAC 2628.05 2637.00 2589.10 2612.10JTEKTINDIA 86.00 86.45 85.30 85.70VRLLOG 227.65 232.75 227.50 232.05FORCEMOT 1196.95 1200.15 1181.00 1184.50AIAENG 1975.70 1984.45 1940.40 1960.75THERMAX 1346.00 1380.95 1343.00 1373.95VSTIND 3370.00 3397.20 3350.00 3371.40MAHSEAMLES 285.65 289.50 280.10 281.25SHRIRAMCIT 1480.10 1503.00 1466.35 1480.25LAOPALA 213.85 220.35 213.85 217.70MAHLIFE 535.00 537.15 524.45 530.20GET&D 120.00 121.75 119.40 120.20MASFIN 829.90 886.95 803.50 811.60GDL 180.10 183.15 177.35 181.10TVTODAY 304.00 304.00 288.90 292.15TVSSRICHAK 1809.15 1822.45 1791.00 1800.80GULFOILLUB 724.10 725.00 719.70 722.75NAVNETEDUL 81.75 82.00 81.20 81.65CERA 3806.85 3854.70 3774.30 3840.55TCIEXP 873.70 877.80 867.30 872.95INDOSTAR 323.05 326.35 319.00 325.00IIFLWAM 1284.35 1301.40 1228.70 1246.65OMAXE 67.80 69.00 66.70 68.50

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY 50 14882.65 14918.45 14785.65 14834.85 -38.95CIPLA 840.90 892.30 836.65 886.95 44.95SUNPHARMA 613.00 642.00 609.50 636.00 21.75HINDUNILVR 2424.00 2483.00 2424.00 2471.35 61.45TECHM 1028.95 1056.80 1016.55 1051.00 22.00TATACONSUM 670.00 685.00 665.00 684.50 13.80WIPRO 442.90 451.35 440.00 450.90 8.80DRREDDY 4692.90 4794.00 4691.25 4765.00 75.95TITAN 1569.90 1618.00 1561.30 1594.60 23.30JSWSTEEL 618.00 630.85 598.00 621.50 7.40TATAMOTORS 313.20 325.00 312.50 317.55 3.60DIVISLAB 3718.50 3782.55 3680.00 3750.95 35.80KOTAKBANK 1770.00 1806.45 1744.10 1794.80 11.55HDFC 2522.00 2556.00 2492.30 2515.70 13.15HCLTECH 1042.10 1054.80 1034.15 1043.05 5.55ONGC 103.00 104.90 103.00 104.00 0.40SBILIFE 904.60 915.95 900.20 910.80 2.30BHARTIARTL 539.50 549.75 536.50 544.35 1.35TCS 3354.00 3354.35 3308.00 3325.00 7.65MARUTI 6850.00 6875.25 6778.00 6835.00 8.15BAJAJ-AUTO 3640.00 3694.00 3625.00 3653.00 3.20INFY 1455.00 1455.00 1430.05 1441.00 1.15SHREECEM 31682.40 31990.00 31120.00 31601.45 18.80ITC 213.75 215.95 212.55 213.25 0.00POWERGRID 209.40 211.45 208.00 209.00 0.00BAJAJFINSV 9611.00 9715.00 9561.00 9645.25 -9.55ADANIPORTS 824.75 837.00 817.05 822.20 -0.80NESTLEIND 17611.10 17849.00 17500.00 17635.00 -54.90HEROMOTOCO 2928.00 2948.00 2901.15 2918.25 -9.75BRITANNIA 3816.75 3843.70 3790.00 3797.00 -19.75M&M 795.00 801.00 785.00 790.70 -4.45ASIANPAINT 2635.00 2655.00 2610.15 2635.00 -15.65HDFCBANK 1426.00 1432.80 1415.10 1423.50 -9.30GRASIM 1455.00 1469.35 1432.85 1437.70 -10.10SBIN 354.40 364.50 351.20 352.95 -2.65HDFCLIFE 700.00 703.20 690.50 696.20 -5.25LT 1414.00 1417.00 1397.10 1405.25 -13.90INDUSINDBK 935.00 939.70 917.45 924.95 -9.95BPCL 430.00 432.25 424.50 425.95 -4.60RELIANCE 1998.45 2006.35 1980.00 1983.45 -21.90IOC 92.80 92.95 91.30 91.90 -1.05EICHERMOT 2550.00 2575.00 2515.00 2523.70 -29.30COALINDIA 131.65 131.95 128.95 129.60 -2.05HINDALCO 367.00 370.00 354.70 359.40 -5.80ICICIBANK 573.95 579.00 565.00 565.95 -10.75AXISBANK 679.30 686.80 667.00 668.05 -13.55NTPC 105.95 105.95 102.40 102.90 -2.10ULTRACEMCO 7040.00 7055.95 6791.85 6826.10 -145.15TATASTEEL 921.00 930.00 885.70 898.55 -19.85UPL 656.00 656.00 630.70 635.95 -15.65BAJFINANCE 5000.00 5010.00 4845.00 4878.00 -151.50

SE 500B

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SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGENIFTY NEXT 50 35346.95 35538.90 35235.85 35358.90 37.75CADILAHC 471.95 517.75 471.80 517.75 47.05ALKEM 2710.00 2882.00 2710.00 2846.00 139.55AUROPHARMA 902.00 952.95 901.30 948.00 40.60ADANIENT 1163.40 1228.00 1151.20 1202.30 39.80IGL 530.10 544.90 528.00 542.90 17.05LUPIN 1049.00 1087.00 1045.75 1080.00 30.70BIOCON 413.05 424.40 412.20 421.50 8.25ABBOTINDIA 14963.05 15253.00 14960.30 15249.00 285.65BANDHANBNK 354.45 364.80 351.50 360.35 5.30PNB 37.35 39.00 37.20 38.00 0.55LTI 4280.00 4450.00 4275.00 4381.90 55.85MARICO 417.00 421.80 416.00 420.00 5.35TORNTPHARM 2553.00 2606.40 2532.00 2580.00 30.70NMDC 144.95 146.20 142.65 145.60 1.40BAJAJHLDNG 3390.00 3417.30 3351.95 3414.00 26.00SBICARD 956.00 979.65 947.20 964.00 7.40HAVELLS 1059.00 1099.95 1052.05 1067.65 7.90PGHH 13179.00 13302.00 13000.60 13289.00 95.45PIDILITIND 1900.00 1928.50 1894.10 1918.00 12.40COLPAL 1590.10 1617.15 1590.10 1600.00 9.90GAIL 138.65 140.50 138.25 139.10 0.55JUBLFOOD 2870.00 2908.00 2861.00 2880.00 11.50SIEMENS 1855.00 1912.00 1841.30 1847.50 6.25APOLLOHOSP 3147.50 3164.15 3105.90 3125.00 10.40DABUR 560.00 566.35 557.20 560.35 1.20PEL 1799.50 1849.00 1781.70 1805.00 2.75DMART 2937.10 2973.35 2917.25 2940.00 3.50ICICIPRULI 455.10 461.00 450.50 454.95 0.10GODREJCP 743.00 745.70 736.10 740.00 0.10MUTHOOTFIN 1239.80 1265.00 1227.20 1234.95 -2.05INDIGO 1621.55 1663.70 1608.00 1634.50 -6.25YESBANK 15.55 15.65 15.40 15.45 -0.10DLF 279.55 285.00 278.10 278.50 -1.95ICICIGI 1430.00 1442.90 1406.85 1420.00 -10.50PETRONET 230.00 230.30 226.50 228.00 -2.30BERGEPAINT 768.90 769.20 750.30 753.90 -8.55NAUKRI 4850.00 4867.80 4740.00 4780.05 -61.95BOSCHLTD 14698.75 14819.90 14390.05 14520.00 -190.20HDFCAMC 3010.00 3050.10 2941.60 2964.00 -41.40ACC 1999.00 2022.85 1948.45 1954.00 -27.65MRF 82908.35 83287.45 81750.00 81780.00 -1203.10AMBUJACEM 326.00 329.90 314.30 315.60 -5.20MCDOWELL-N 553.50 553.50 535.80 536.80 -9.65HINDPETRO 238.65 238.65 231.85 234.00 -4.75ADANIGREEN 1179.80 1185.00 1130.00 1142.00 -23.50UBL 1120.25 1124.90 1098.00 1107.00 -22.95MOTHERSUMI 216.55 219.20 210.00 211.95 -4.90INDUSTOWER 263.75 267.90 255.15 257.20 -6.55VEDL 238.10 241.40 228.20 231.80 -5.95ADANITRANS 965.60 1024.00 952.55 971.25 -31.15

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The fresh restrictions imposedin Maharashtra to contain

the second wave of Covid-19 arelikely to impact the festive sea-son auto sales, as Navaratri andGudi Padwa are falling in April,according to rating agency Icra.

These two festivals accountfor a sizeable chunk of theannual vehicle sales across thecountry, especially inMaharashtra, it said.

Gudi Padwa, which is amajor festival of Maharashtra,will be celebrated on April 13,while Navrarati will also begin

on the same day.The Maharashtra govern-

ment earlier this weekannounced a slew of restrictions,including night curfews andweekend lockdowns to curtailthe rapid spread of the pan-demic.

The state government hasimposed stricter restrictions tocurb the rapid spread of Covid-19 infections. Automobile deal-erships, which are also coveredunder Shops & EstablishmentAct might have to remain shuttill April 30, Icra vice presidentAshish Modani said in a state-ment on Friday.

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Income tax and corporate taxcollections at �9.45 lakh crore

in the fiscal year ended March31 exceeded the revised target by5 per cent but were 10 per centlower than the direct tax collec-tions in the previous year, taxdepartment head said Friday.The Government had projected�13.19 lakh crore from directtaxes in the budget for 2020-21presented on February 1 lastyear.

This was before pandemictook roots; and post it pum-

melling the economy, the target- called revised budget estimate- was lowered to � 9.05 lakhcrore. Central Board of DirectTaxes (CBDT) Chairman P CMody said his department hasexceeded the revised estimate(RE) despite issuing substantialrefunds in the 2020-21 fiscal(April 2020 to March 2021).Direct tax collections, whichconsist of income tax and cor-porate tax, in 2019-20 fiscal was�10.49 lakh crore. As per theprovisional figures released onFriday, collection in 2020-21 is�9.45 lakh crore.

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Assets under managementwith the mutual fund indus-

try jumped a whopping 41 percent in fiscal 2021 to Rs 31.43lakh crore, despite a minor 1 percent decline in March, says areport.The 1 per cent decline inassets on monthly basis in Marchwas because of net outflowsfrom open-ended debt funds,even though open-ended equityfunds for the first time in June2020 recorded net inflows,according to the industry datacollated by Crisil on Friday.

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Aspurt in volumes on a lowbase, coupled with

improvement in realisationsriding on higher commodityprices, are expected to lift cor-porate revenue by 15-17 percent year-on-year to Rs 6.9lakh crore in the fourth quar-ter of fiscal 2021, a CrisilResearch report said.

As per the estimates, thedouble-digit growth comesafter eight quarters of eitherdecline or single digit growth.

The estimates are based

on an analysis of 300 compa-nies, which account for 55-60per cent of the market capi-talisation excluding financialservices and oil companies ofthe National Stock Exchange.

Crisil Research DirectorHetal Gandhi said: “Therobust revenue growth rideson a low base of the corre-sponding year-ago quarter,besides higher governmentcapital expenditure, and high-er realisations amid a com-modity upcycle, among oth-ers.”

“A closer look at the rev-

enue breakup indicates 50 percent of the recovery is con-tributed by three key verticals- automobiles, IT services andconstruction.”

The report cited that con-struction-linked sectors suchas steel and cement are esti-mated to have seen revenuerise 45-50 per cent and 17- 18per cent on-year, respectively,buoyed by higher realisationsand volumes.

However, the report saidthat a cloud of uncertaintycontinues to loom over con-sumer discretionary services.

“Revenue for players insectors such as airline servicesis estimated to drop 30 percent on-year amid social dis-tancing and cut in discre-tionary expenses, especiallytravel budgets.

“Similarly, revenue forplayers in media and enter-tainment is also expected todrop 10 per cent on-year dueto lower advertisement spendsand suscriptions. That said, alower share of such sectors inthe top 300 sectoral mix hasmuted the impact.”

Besides, an increase in

commodity prices shouldresult in contraction of mar-gins across key sectors, itwarned.

“Margins in steel, cementand pharmaceuticals sectors,which together account for 30per cent of aggregate Ebitdaprofits, are expected to con-tract by 380 bps, 230 bps and160 bps, respectively, on asequential basis.”

“Despite this, fiscal 2021would see Ebitda profiles rise12-13 per cent on-year overflat revenues. Ebitda marginswould reach a decade high of

22.2 per cent led by low com-modity prices in the first halfand fixed cost-reduction ini-tiatives across companies forthe year.”

In addition, the reportsaid that due to the secondwave, states are likely tomount partial lockdowns,keeping demand recoveryuncertain in the near term.

“Newer strains of thevirus, scale of vaccinationsand subsequent revival indemand would be among thekey monitorables for fiscal2022.”

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Mumbai:The rupee depreciatedby another 15 paise against theUS dollar to register its fifth lossin a row on Friday, facing head-winds on the economy front dueto rising Covid-19 cases.Tumbling to its weakest levelsince November 4, 2019, therupee settled at 74.73 against theUS dollar. Besides concernsover COVID-19 resurgence,weak domestic equities andstrengthening American cur-rency also weighed on investorsentiment.At the interbank forexmarket, the local unit opened at74.75 against the greenback andtraded in the range of 74.53 to74.96 during the day. PTI

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The latest US sanctions onMyanmar target an army-

controlled gems business rifewith corruption and abusesthat is one of the junta’s keysources of revenue.

It’s unclear if the sanctionswill do much to close the tapsof income and royalties fromgems sales. Some estimates saymore than half of such trans-actions are not declared, eventhough they are the country’ssecond biggest export afternatural gas and oil.

The rights group Justice forMyanmar on Friday urged theU.S. government to expandpenalties to include theMyanmar Oil & GasEnterprise, which handles thecountry’s largest share ofexports.

“It is imperative that othercountries follow suit in sanc-tioning the key businessesenabling the Myanmar mili-tary’s criminal conduct,” saidthe group’s spokesperson,Yadanar Maung.

The most recent reportfrom the Extractive IndustriesTransparency Initiative for

2016-17 found that gems,pearls and jade accounted for13% of Myanmar’s naturalresource revenues, with oil andgas accounting for 87%.

The sanctions announcedThursday freeze any assets heldby the Myanma GemsEnterprise in the U.S. or in U.S.jurisdictions and bar Americancitizens from doing businesswith it.

The company oversees allgemstone activities inMyanmar, also known asBurma, the TreasuryDepartment said in announc-ing the latest sanctions againstthe military leaders who seizedpower in a Feb. 1 coup.

That includes control ofpermits for mines, collecting

royalties and overseas market-ing and sales.

The gems trade is impor-tant enough that coup leaderSenior Gen. Min Aung Hlaingand Myanmar’s central bankgovernor were among the dig-nitaries who visited the open-ing of a gems, pearls and jadeemporium earlier this month inthe capital, Naypyitaw.

The U.S. and other gov-ernments have been rampingup sanctions in response to thecoup and a deadly crackdownon mass pro-democracyprotests. At least 598 protestersand bystanders have been killedby security forces since thecoup and violence has spreadfrom major cities to provincialtowns.

Earlier, the administrationof U.S. President Joe Bidensanctioned Myanmar RubyEnterprise, Myanmar ImperialJade Co., and Cancri (Gemsand Jewellery) Co. — othermilitary-controlled traders ofgems and other preciousstones. U.S. sanctions have alsotargeted two major military-controlled conglomerates thatalso have stakes in mining andgems businesses.

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Britain mourned the death ofPrince Philip, the husband

of Queen Elizabeth II, onFriday as the BBC interruptedscheduled programming tobroadcast the national anthem,“God Save the Queen.”

The flag at BuckinghamPalace, the queen’s residence inLondon, was lowered to half-staff after the announcement ofPhilip’s death. The RoyalFamily’s website featured ablack-and-white portrait of theprince, also known as the Dukeof Edinburgh. Prime MinisterBoris Johnson said Philip“earned the affection of gener-ations here in Britain, acrossthe Commonwealth andaround the world.’’

“Like the expert carriage

driver that he was, he helped tosteer the royal family and themonarchy so that it remains aninstitution indisputably vital tothe balance and happiness ofour national life.’’

Keir Starmer, leader of theopposition Labour Party, wasamong the first to offer his con-dolences, noting Philip’s long

Record of public service,first as as a naval officer dur-ing World War II then duringmore than 70 years of marriageto the queen.

“He will be rememberedmost of all for his extraordinarycommitment and devotion toThe Queen,” Starmer said in astatement.

“For more than sevendecades, he has been at herside. Their marriage has beena symbol of strength, stability

and hope, even as the worldaround them changed — mostrecently during the pandemic.It was a partnership thatinspired millions in Britainand beyond.”

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United Nations: UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres onFriday expressed condolenceson the death of Britain’s PrincePhilip, saying the Duke ofEdinburgh capably supportedQueen Elizabeth II in her dutiesas sovereign for over 60 years.

Philip, the longest-servingconsort in British history, diedFriday at age 99.

“The Secretary-General issaddened at the passing of HisRoyal Highness Prince Philip,Duke of Edinburgh, the hus-band of Queen Elizabeth II ofthe United Kingdom of GreatBritain and Northern Ireland.He extends condolences to HerRoyal Highness, the Queen,and to the people of the UK,”a statement released by thespokesperson of the SecretaryGeneral said. PTI

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Former US President GeorgeW Bush has praised Prince

Philip’s devotion to worthycauses and to others, in a state-ment issued on behalf of him-self and his wife, Laura.

Philip died Friday at age 99.“He represented the United

Kingdom with dignity andbrought boundless strengthand support to the sovereign.Laura and I are fortunate tohave enjoyed the charm and witof his company, and we knowhow much he will be missed,”Bush said.

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Indian doctors and nursesare among 14,000 applicants

from across the world that areset to benefit from a one-yearfee waiver for visa extensionsannounced on Friday for front-line workers dealing with theCovid-19 pandemic.

The UK Home Office saidthat the free one-year visaextensions will be automaticallygranted to eligible overseashealth and care workers andtheir dependents whose visaswere due to expire beforeOctober 1.

The extension will coverhealthcare professionals work-ing in the National HealthService (NHS) and the inde-pendent health and care sector,which includes a large numberof Indian professionals.

“The dedication and skillof overseas health and careworkers who are leading theUK’s fight against coronavirusis truly extraordinary,” saidUK Home Secretary Priti Patel.

“Thousands of them havehelped save countless livesthroughout this pandemic andare now playing a vital part inthe hugely successful vaccina-tion rollout. Our offer of freevisa extensions shows how ourcountry values the contribu-tions of these heroes,” she said.

Periodic free visa exten-sions for health workers havebeen announced since last yearat the peak of the pandemic

and the Home Office said it hasextended the visas of more than 10,000 people across the UK.

The latest extension isintended for doctors, nurses,paramedics, midwives, occu-pational therapists, psycholo-gists and others to be able tocontinue their crucial work inthe fight against coronavirus astheir visas will be extended fora year, free of all fees andcharges, including theImmigration Health Surcharge.

“Our overseas health andcare workers make such a vitalcontribution to our health sys-tem and have been a key partof the fight against the pan-demic. They are protectingour loved ones and vaccinatingthe public so that we can savelives and return to normalcy,”said UK Health Secretary MattHancock.

“To help those staff fromoverseas, we are extendingtheir visas to provide securitywhile they continue to tacklethis virus,” he said.

The Home Office said thatthose benefiting from thisextension will need to completea simple online form to verifytheir identity, with employersasked to confirm eligibility.

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Berlin: Nascent talks aimed atbringing the United States backinto the 2015 nuclear deal withIran broke Friday without anyimmediate signs of progress onthe thorny issues dividingWashington and Tehran, butwith delegates talking of a con-structive atmosphere and resolv-ing to continue the discussions.

Two working groups thathave been meeting in Viennasince Tuesday to brainstormways to secure the lifting ofAmerican sanctions and Iran’sreturn to compliance with thedeal reported their initialprogress to a joint commissionof diplomats from the worldpowers that remain in the deal

— France, Germany, Britain,China and Russia.

Russian delegate MikhailUlyanov tweeted that partici-pants had “noted with satisfac-tion the initial progress made.”

“The commission willreconvene next week in order tomaintain the positive momen-tum,” he said.

The talks took place withoutthe United States, which unilat-erally left the nuclear deal,known as the JointComprehensive Plan of Action,in 2018, under then-PresidentDonald Trump. He embarkedon a campaign of “maximumpressure” by restoring previoussanctions and adding new ones

on Iran. But an American dele-gation headed by the Bidenadministration’s special envoyfor Iran, Rob Malley, also hasbeen in the Austrian capital thisweek. Representatives from theother world powers have beenshuttling between the US andthe Iranians to facilitate indirecttalks.

After the US withdrawal,Iran has been openly violatingthe deal’s restrictions, steadilyincreasing its stockpile ofenriched uranium, increasingthe purity it is enriching, andinstalling and operating new,more efficient centrifuges,among other things.

President Joe Biden, who

was vice president under BarackObama when the original dealwas negotiated, has said hewants to bring the U.S. Back intothe deal but that Iran mustreverse its violations.

Iran argues thatWashington’s departure fromthe deal was the first violationand that the US must make thefirst move and remove sanctionsbefore Iran returns to compli-ance.

As the talks opened, China’srepresentative in Vienna, WangQun, backed the Iranian stance.“We, in China, have a saying tothe effect that the one who tiesthe knot should be the one toundo it,” he said.

Washington: Democrats inCongress are trying to pass thefirst major gun control legislationin more than two decades withthe support of President JoeBiden, who said Thursday that itis “long past time” to do so. Butthey are confronting a potential-ly insurmountable question overwhat rules should govern privatesales and transfers, as they seekRepublican votes.

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navigational rights and freedomsapproximately 130 nautical miles west ofthe Lakshadweep Islands, inside India’sEEZ, without requesting India’s priorconsent, consistent with international law.India requires prior consent for militaryexercises or manoeuvres in its exclusiveeconomic zone or continental shelf, a claiminconsistent with international law,” saida statement by the US 7th Fleet PublicAffairs.

The statement irked New Delhi sincethe US is among India’s closest strategicpartners with both sides having repeatedlyopposed China’s maritime expansionism,particularly in the South China Sea. Indiaand the US hold naval exercises through-out the year.

The US statement also said, “Weconduct routine and regular FONOPs,as we have done in the past and will con-tinue to do in the future. FONOPs arenot about one country, nor are theyabout making political statements.”

In the Quad group meeting held inFebruary this year, the first since a newUS administration took over, the part-ners pledged “to strengthen cooperationon advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region, including support forfreedom of navigation and territorialintegrity”.

Reacting to this development, for-mer Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakashsaid on Twitter, “There is irony here.While India ratified UN Law of the Seasin 1995, the US has failed to do it so far.For the 7th Fleet to carry out FoN mis-sions in Indian EEZ in violation of ourdomestic law is bad enough. But publi-cising it? USN please switch on IFF(Identification, friend or foe)!,”

The US regularly conducts FONOPsagainst several countries challenging whatit says are “excessive maritime claims” andFONOPs were regularly conducted againstIndia too in the past.

Both the countries have differences onthe rights of Littoral States to stop foreignwarships from carrying out military activ-ities in their EEZ.

India and the US have fundamentaldifferences in coastal states’ rights to stopforeign military ships from conductingmilitary activities within their EEZ.

When India ratified the UNConvention of the Law of the Sea (UNC-LOS) in 1995, it declared that in its

understanding “the provisions of theConvention do not authorise other Statesto carry out in the exclusive economic zoneand on the continental shelf militaryexercises or manoeuvres, in particularthose involving the use of weapons orexplosives without the consent of thecoastal State”. The US has so far not rati-fied UNCLOS.

The differences, which began duringthe drafting of the treaty, is over the inter-pretation of Article 58 (i) of theConvention, which says:.. In the exclusiveeconomic zone, all States, whether coastalor land-locked, enjoy, subject to the rele-vant provisions of this Convention, thefreedoms referred to in article 87 of nav-igation and over flight and of the laying ofsubmarine cables and pipelines, and otherinternationally lawful uses of the searelated to these freedoms, such as thoseassociated with the operation of ships, air-craft and submarine cables and pipelines,and compatible with the other provisionsof this Convention.

The second clause of the Article thenlists Articles “88 to 115” as also applyingto the EEZ “in so far as they are not incom-patible with this Part”.

The US asserts that the phrase “otherinternationally lawful uses of the sea”means that they can enjoy the freedom tooperate in the EEZ. They also cite Article87 that lists freedoms in the high seas,including freedom of navigation, implyingthat this applies to the EEZ.

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Till now this blood clotting issue wasnot being investigated by Indian offi-cials. In fact, out of the 617 instances ofsevere and serious AEFI, 492 have so farbeen classified on the basis of theirseverity, by the AEFI Secretariat of theImmunisation Technical Support Unit atthe Union Health Ministry. Similarly,124 of the 180 deaths have so far beenclassified for their cause.

Of these 124 deaths, more than 63(nearly 51 per cent) have been cate-gorised as being caused due to acutecoronary syndrome (a range of condi-tions associated with sudden, reducedblood flow to the heart), or heartattacks. Another 11 deaths (12 percent)are due to strokes.

But now possible links of blood clot-ting and vaccination, if any will be close-ly investigated, said the sources.

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He added the way she was appealingto minority voters to come together andvote for the TMC “indicates that theirminority vote bank is also slipping away.”

Earlier the ECI sent a second notice tothe Chief Minister for using “provocativeand intemperate language” against theCentral forces which it said had been“working diligently” since the 1980stowards conducting free and fair elections.

Referring to the Chief Minister’s alle-gations that the Central forces were danc-ing to the tunes of the Home Minister andthat they were trying to influence the vot-ers into voting for the BJP the Commissionfaulted her for making “... prima facie, com-pletely false, provocative

and intemperate statements,” with anintention “to berate and vilify CentralParamilitary Forces during the electoralprocess.” She said such remarks were“causing extreme demoralisation amongstranks and file of these forces....”

Mamata who was addressing a rally atJamalpur in Burdwan East, however,remained defiant saying she would con-tinue to criticise the Central forces till theydid not stop working for the BJP.

“I always respect the Central forces.They are not bad people. The problem iswith the people up there who are con-trolling them … I will continue speakingagainst the CPF until they stop working forthe BJP. Once they stop doing that, I willsalute them. I do not care about your (EC’s)show cause letters.” The Chief Minister saidresponding to the EC notice.

“You are working at the behest of theBJP. I wonder why there is no MCC vio-lation when the PM campaigns on pollingdays,” Mamata said.

Attacking the CPF, Chief Minister hadearlier asked the women supporters of herparty in a public rally to “gherao andblockade the Central forces which areworking in favour of the Home Ministry…while the women will keep them cap-tive the others can go and cast their votes… do this everywhere so that your votingrights are not wasted.”

Back in Kolkata Shah who on Fridayreiterated that his party would win 63 to68 seats out of 91 that went to polls in thefirst three rounds said Bengal would getits due after the BJP would come to powerwinning more than 200 seats.

He said that the endeavours to makeSonar Bangla Abhiyan would commence

from Kolkata pledging once again Rs22,000 crore development package for thecity. “Kolkata will remain the ‘City of Joy’& we will also work to transform it into‘City of Future’. We will make an Rs 22,000crore Kolkata Development Fund forinfrastructural strengthening.

Shah also rolled out plans for NorthBengal, particularly its biggest city Siligurisaying the BJP Government would worktowards constructing a metro railway inNorth Bengal city. “We will consider con-structing Metro services in Siliguri besidessetting up a IT park here. We will alsorelease a fund of Rs 100 crore for a teapark” he said in addition to making a num-ber of other promises.

Shah on Friday took part in two road-shows at Jagatdal and Madhyamgram inNorth 24 Parganas.

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Similarly, in the case of Covid-19, vac-cines are giving a sense of security, whichhas led to an increase in risky behaviour.Such behaviour includes low adherence topreventive measures like mask usage,social distancing and hand sanitisation.

While it is a known fact that vaccinesneither give immediate protection or fullprotection (against infection or death), thesense of security, unfortunately, startsmuch earlier, even before the actual injec-tion.

The increase in the number of peoplebeing inoculated gives rise to a “misplacedsense of security in “herd immunity” longbefore widespread immunity is truly pre-sent,” said doctors from New YorkUniversity’s Langone Health in a compre-hensive review of the Peltzman Effect, pub-lished in the ACP Journals on March 2.

“Consciously or not, even those whohave not received a Covid-19 vaccine mayforgo masks and social distancing if theyknow that others are receiving the vaccine,”the doctors added.

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During his 1961 visit to India, he waspictured with the Queen and the Maharajaand Maharani of Jaipur with a dead eight-foot tiger he had shot while on a hunt. Ithappened to be the same year he becamepresident of the World Wildlife Fund UK.

He also shot a crocodile and mountainsheep on that trip but it was the photo-graph of the tiger that caused ripplesaround the world.

Later in life, he went on to reinventhimself as an environmentalist and “cham-pion of the natural world” as UK PrimeMinister Boris Johnson referred to him inhis tribute on Friday.

During Prince Philip’s last visit to Indiato mark the 50th anniversary of indepen-dence in 1997, he joined the Queen on avisit to Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsarwhere the royals laid a commemorativewreath at the site associated with GeneralDyer’s orders to open fire on a largeBaisakhi gathering in April 1919.

As someone known for his gaffes,among his many infamous ones includeshis query of the death toll at the JallianwalaBagh massacre. “Two thousand? It wasn’t,was it,” he questioned, as he passed by aplaque at the memorial, which read “Thisplace is saturated with the blood of abouttwo thousand Hindus, Sikhs and Muslimswho were martyred in a non-violentstruggle”.

“That’s wrong. I was in the Navy withDyer’s son. That’s a bit exaggerated… itmust include the wounded,” he is report-ed to have said.

Among his other gaffes included aquip at Indian-origin entrepreneur AtulPatel during a Buckingham Palace recep-tion for hundreds of successful BritishIndians in 2009: “There’s a lot of your fam-ily in tonight.”

Ten years earlier, while inspecting afactory in Edinburgh and coming acrossan old-fashioned fuse box, he said: “It looksas if it was put in by an Indian.”

It had become common practice forthe UK media to regularly compile a listof the Duke’s many gaffes, many of whichwere believed to have been made in a light-hearted vein.

Philip was born on June 10, 1921, onthe Greek island of Corfu, the youngestchild and only son of Prince Andrew ofGreece and Princess Alice of Battenberg.That heritage made him a Prince ofGreece and Denmark, but the followingyear the family was expelled from Greeceafter a coup and a British warship carriedthem to safety in Italy with baby Philip.

His childhood was turbulent and in1930, when he was eight years old, hismother was committed to a secure psy-chiatric centre after suffering a nervousbreakdown, a story most recently coveredin the Netflix series ‘The Crown’.

When Philip left school in Scotland,

Britain was on the verge of war withGermany and he joined the BritanniaRoyal Naval College in Dartmouth, theUK’s naval academy. He went on to servewith distinction in World War II, seeingmilitary action for the first time in theIndian Ocean.

When King George VI paid an officialvisit to the naval academy in July 1939,Philip was charged with entertaining hisyoung daughters, Princesses Elizabeth —later to be Queen — and Margaret. Hemade an impression on the then 13-year-old Elizabeth and the couple were to laterget married after a courtship through let-ters.

The erstwhile Prince of Greece andDenmark became a naturalised Britishsubject, formally joined the Church ofEngland and gave up his foreign titles. Onhis wedding day, November 20, 1947, hewas made Duke of Edinburgh, aged 26.

The couple’s marriage was to last 73years, during which the Queen describedhim as her “strength and stay”, and theyhad four children — the eldest and heir tothe throne Prince Charles, Princess Anne,Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. He isalso survived by eight grandchildren and10 great-grandchildren.

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AIUDF sources said the candidateswould visit Ajmer Sharif during their stay.They will be provided with separatemobile phones so that others cannot con-tact them, sources said.

The AIUDF is not taking any chancesgiven past experiences. In the last Manipurelections, the Congress had bagged 28 ofthe 60 seats and the BJP had won 22 butit managed to cobble up the numbers assome MLAs defected and form theGovernment.

Congress’s chief whip in the RajasthanAssembly, Mahesh Joshi said, “We will takecare of people coming here. We don’t knowfrom which political party they belong butthere are around 20 people who have con-tested in the ongoing assembly electionsin Assam from Opposition camp. TheCongress will bear all their expenses. TillBJP is at the Centre, there will always bea possibility of buying MLAs.”

Assam, where the BJP came to powerin the last elections, has completed the elec-tioneering process in three phases betweenMarch 27 and April 6.

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The world is changing. And clear-ly, at this crucial turning point ofour planet, three most important

things are: Awakening, understandingand changing. Giving us a deeperunderstanding of nature and our placewithin it, Sony BCC Earth brings theAge of Nature. The show is a fresh lookat our relationship with nature and howwe are beginning to restore the balanceof life on earth. Excerpts:

�What does the show Age of Naturetry to convey to the audience?

Well, we wanted people to under-stand a few fundamental things aboutnature. One is that we’re utterly depen-dent on it, whether you live in the coun-tryside of your farm or in a city, and youdrink water, breathe air, we’re all as ahuman species utterly dependent on it.And that nature is in a bit of trouble atthe moment. I think that’s not new foranybody. But we’re almost at a tippingpoint where if we don’t start to pay moreattention and look after nature better,we’re going to find ourselves living ona very uncomfortable planet. The mostimportant thing is it’s not that difficultto help nature heal itself. The power ofit is extraordinary. All we need to do isgive it a little bit of space, make sureit has what it needs and naturewill heal itself quickly.

�What are

some of the ways we can restore ourplanet?

I think giving space to nature is themost important thing we can do. It willbalance itself and take care of itself.Nature changes all the time and that’sfine. But we just need to sort of leave itto get on with it. So if you give it anempty field, it will very quickly reseedthat field with plants and then the pol-linators will come and the birds willcome in and very quickly that emptyfield will be full of life again. So I thinkjust to give it some space,take away our chem-icals, our intensivef a r m i n gp r a c -tices,

unsustainable building practices, and letnature do what it wants to do.

�How are the concepts of awakening,understanding and changingexplained in the show?

For us as filmmakers, we needed togo back in time to explain how we’ve gotto the point where we are today. And ithasn’t taken very long in the great his-tory of the world where humans haveonly been distressing nature for relative-

ly a couple of 100 years inan intensive way. So you

can see the journeyof what’s hap-

pened there,w h a t

we’ve been doing and the effect. But alsowhat we can see is that we do alreadytreat nature in some ways, much betterthan we did 50 years ago. And that’sbecause our understanding of nature isso much better now. And that’s what youcan see in Episode Two: The science thatwe can do now is incredible. We under-stand how ocean currents work, how theatmosphere protects our planet, howbiodiversity is, so it’s sort of complicat-ed and interconnected. We didn’t knowthese things 50 years ago, but we knowthem now. That means that we canknow better how to look after them.Going forward into the future with cli-mate change, this is obviously thegreatest challenge that humanity hasever faced. But nature can be a huge partof helping us cope with that becausenature sequesters carbon. It’s the cheap-est, easiest, most obvious way to help usreduce some of the carbon in theatmosphere, which is something weneed to do urgently.

�Can you explain the importance ofbalance of nature, and how humansimpact it?

Balance of nature is quite an inter-esting term. I think nature is far frombalance. It is wild, dynamic, moving andchanging all the time. It’s natural to havefires and floods. It adapts quickly to allthe changes that happen across the plan-et. And if you’relooking over

a larger timescale and a larger space,then it all balances out. But we’re notexpecting nature to be still and to becalm. What nature needs to have is theability to make these changes becausethat’s what it’s always done. And that’swhat it needs more space for. So I think,to get us to get the balance with natureright we just need to give nature morespace.

�What are some of the incrediblethings you learned about nature dur-ing the making of the show?

Well, I learned the term. For me, thebiggest revelation was the term ‘nature’sability to store carbon forests’. It storesthat carbon with the strength of its bio-diversity. So it’s not just planting trees,which as you know, a useful technicalpump to pump the carbon down. Butthe storage needs to happen in the soil,it needs to happen under the water inthe oceans. That can only happen ifecosystems are healthy and biodiversi-ty — rich and strong. When we destroynature, when we trawl the ocean floorwithout huge fishing trawlers, when weburn forests, when we plough, weadmit as much carbon as burning fos-sil fuels. That was something that I did-n’t know earlier. The other, probably themost interesting shoot I did was goingto film the ranches live with wolvesaround the Yellowstone National Parkover in North America, and how they’ve

learned to cope living withwolves, how they’re

learning to accept

predators back into the ecosystem andhow we could learn from their journeyand apply it to other places in the worldwhere wolves are being tolerated, onceagain, across Europe, for example.

�What really drove you to this profes-sion — wildlife filmmaking?

Well, I’ve been into nature since Iwas a child. I’ve always spent a lot oftime observing, collecting bugs, bring-ing them home, much to my mother’shorror. It must be genetic because it’sbeen with me for a very long time. Also,I really enjoy storytelling — the tech-nical aspect of filmmaking doesn’tinterest me so much, it’s simply tellingof stories. So to bring those two passionstogether, I entered into the world ofwildlife filmmaking. And I feel, one can-not make wildlife or nature-inspiredfilms without realising that there’s a big-ger story to tell, and that our nature isin a bit of trouble. We simply need topay more attention to it, especially now.

�Any message you have for the Indianaudience?

Yes, I think there’s a lot of hope outthere, and the narrative of climatechange is frightening. It’s depressing. Butthere’s hope in nature and everybodycan play their part, be it a small windowbox in a city or a back garden in a ruralarea or when you’re farming. Nature willbe grateful for everything, even if youdo your minutest bit. It will surely repayyou one day by making a healthy plan-et for us to live on.

(The show premieres on April 12 at9 pm on Sony BBC Earth.)

Veteran producer AnandPandit is a cinephile and

storytelling through powerfulperformances is what hasalways drawn him to theworld of cinema. His latestrelease The Big Bull is nowstreaming on Disney+Hotstarand Anand looks back at thefilm’s journey with pride, espe-cially his lead actor AbhishekBachchan’s rivetting portray-al.

Pandit says, “I am gladthat after all the challengesCOVID-19 posed, the film hasreached the audience. Thebiggest highlight of the filmfor me is, of course, the per-formance of AbhishekBachchan. He is a very differ-ent actor and in a league of hisown. There are a few scenes inthe film where his characterhas shades of Trishul’s iconic

protagonist Vijay but heplayed them the wayonly he can. As when hesays, he is in a hurry toreach the top or when hereminds industrialiststhat by giving him tenminutes, they can earncrores. This similaritywas not intentional. Buthis character was simi-larly driven, ambitiousand unstoppable. Yet, heplayed it with his trade-mark half smile, thatunmistakable twinkle inthe eye. He has revivedmemories of landmarkperformances fromHindi cinema, includinghis own in Guru.”

Pandit hopes towork with Abhishekagain. He says, “I want tocast him in a role that is

completely differentfrom anything he hasdone before. Maybe, as afull-fledged action starin revenge mode. Ormaybe in a hyper real-ism mode that willshock everyone. Heoften gave me chillswhile performing keyscenes from the filmespecially near the cli-max.”

The Big Bull isdirected and co-writtenby Kookie Gulati andproduced by AjayDevgn, Anand Pandit,Vikrant Sharma andKumar Mangat Pathak. Itstars Abhishek Bachchanalong with Nikita Dutta,Ileana D’Cruz, SohumShah, Ram Kapoor andSaurabh Shukla.

BAFTA-nominated actor AdarshGourav says a middle-class

upbringing in smalltownJamshedpur had its advantage. Ithelped him experience a widerperspective of life.

Gourav has received a BAFTAnomination in the Best Actor cate-gory for his starring role of BalramHalwai in The White Tiger. Balramis a lower-class boy from the back-waters of Bihar, who moves toswanky Gurgaon. Adarsh, who didhis schooling in Jamshedpur, subse-quently relocated with his family inMumbai.

On the advantage of beingmiddle class, Adarsh said, “I thinkthe fact that you do not get every-thing in life that you want, and howto deal with it (is an advantage). IfI give a small example, at the age ofnine, if I wanted a pair of Nike shoes,I wouldn’t get that because eitherthere was no showroom of Nike

back then or my father thought itwas an unnecessary expense. Itwouldn’t have been the same witha boy from a wealthy family. Not thatI was upset or anything but wealways knew what we could affordand what we couldn’t. Having saidthat since my parents had a hugepassion for travelling, we would go

on a family vacation every year.”He continued: “We did not go

abroad for those vacations but inIndia, as child, I have travelled every-where, and I know how beautiful mycountry is. We went to HimachalPradesh, we went to Goa and alsodifferent places in South India. I feltthe diversity, and whenever wetravelled by train, we would chatwith fellow passengers and thejourneys were filled with memory.”

“I know the advantage of beingmiddle-class. My spectrum towardslife is wider because I have interact-ed with people from different walksof life. My compassion and empa-thy towards other people and theircondition is more. I value my priv-ilege of having good food, going toa good school, living in a good houseand everything that my parents havegiven me. Honestly, I do not wantto change those values,” he summedup. ?�):-

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Top Gear S27 sees PaddyMcGuinness, Freddie Flintoffand Chris Harris tackling the

fastest, hottest, toughest top gear chal-lenges to date: pushing their cars andthemselves to the very limits ofendurance. All because no one takestesting cars as seriously as Top Gear.And also because they really shouldhave checked the small print of theircontracts more closely before signing.From the brutal heat of the Ethiopiandesert, the sweltering Borneo rainfor-est, the wilds of Iceland to the pedes-trianised shopping district of down-town Mansfield, the show is gettingbigger than ever before. Excerpts:

�How did the chemistry between thethree of you begin?

Chris: We had a little test late lastsummer. We secretly went to an airfieldwith a couple of cameras and justmessed about. It was a really good idea.It wasn’t a chemistry-building exerciseas much as a question of: “How’s thisgoing to play?” We had only met forabout an hour. I thought: “They’re myheroes, I can’t be that offensive.” Butthen this note came through fromthem saying: “Nothing is off-limits,”which was very refreshing. That’swhen I knew we’d be fine. We hit it offimmediately.

It was quite clear from the begin-ning that the banter was pretty goodand that we had a very similar puerilesense of humour, and the motorcar isa very good medium for that. It was

immediately apparent that it was goingto be quite light-hearted. If there issome geekery that needs to be done, Ican cover that off. But Fred and Paddyknow more about cars than they let on.They’re very modest about that. I knewthen that it would work between us.We just clicked.

�So you’ve become close?Chris: Yes. They’ve both become

massive mates of mine. This is quitestrange for me, working with two peo-ple that I have admired from afar fora long time. Paddy was in PhoenixNights, which is in my top three pro-grammes ever. I still watch it religious-ly, and I’m always quoting bad lines athim. I’m a complete cricket tragic. SoI’m working with my heroes. But thisis a comfortable place for me. I knowa lot about cars. I can test drive aLamborghini. I can plug the gaps intheir knowledge. Meanwhile, they canbe funny, and occasionally just kick thehell out of me. That’s fine!

�Do Paddy and Freddie sometimesgang up on you?

Chris: Yes. There is a danger thatwith Paddy and Fred, it’s going tobecome a northern show. Even thoughI’m the incumbent presenter, I dosometimes feel that the North hastaken over. It’s a bit like Game OfThrones. Paddy and Fred get into thisnorthern bickering thing when theyleave out the definite article, and I don’tunderstand what they’re on about. So

sometimes you have to say: “Can youjust leave it alone?” You should hearthem try and speak to people inEthiopia — it’s a struggle at times.Paddy always introduces himself by

saying: “Hi, I’m Paddy from Bolton”,which doesn’t mean very much whenyou’re on the Eritrean border.

�Did Freddie also struggle to fit in

some cars?Chris: Yes. Fred is not designed for

cars. There is a Lotus he drives laterin the series, and it was funny watch-ing him getting strapped into thatbecause his feet don’t fit into the pedalboxes. Most cars are comfortableuntil you are about 6’3 or 6’4. A lot ofsports cars are just not designed for thelarger gentleman. We drove a buggyin Iceland at the weekend, and I justdidn’t know how Fred was going to fit.His knees were touching the steeringwheel. I thought: “I’m not sure howthat’s going to work.” But he alwaysmanages to do it, and he never com-plains about it.

�How would you characterise oth-ers’ driving styles?

Chris: I would describe Paddy’sdriving style as squeaky, and I don’tmean the tyres. When he’s excited, hegets quite squeaky. But he and Fred areboth amazing drivers. They wouldn’tbe doing this unless they could drive.We’re a bit more rigorous about howwe screen test people now. If someoneturns up and they are absolutely mus-tard on camera, but they can’t reallydrive, they aren’t going to get the job.It’s just not possible. You can’t do that.It’s not safe. The practicalities of film-ing mean you have to have cameramennear you. You can’t be running peo-ple over. You need a level of skillbehind the wheel. Both of these twohave it. I won’t say anything nicer thanthat, otherwise their egos will swell.

�Is it important that the show alsoappeals to non-petrol heads?

Chris: Yes. With the changes inmedia increasingly, if you want towatch 40 minutes on the differentialof a BMW, that’s online. It’s not eighto’clock on a Sunday night on BBCTwo, is it? This has got to be a moregeneral show. That means fun andthat’s what Fred and Paddy bring.Frankly, they just have to walk throughthe door in the morning, and I startlaughing. It’s an entertainment show,and those guys really know how toentertain.

�How does this series compare withprevious ones that you have beeninvolved with?

Chris: We are in a great place. Weare very happy. There’s a sense thatanything is possible. From the firsttime we knocked about, the three ofus have got on very well. We have areally good laugh. Paddy and Fred arevery giving. They don’t need to be asgiving to me because they’re bothsuper famous. But they’re both verywilling to have the mickey ripped outof them, which is really important. Wecall chemistry the ‘c’ word on TopGear, and you can’t fake that, can you?

(The show will air on April 10 everySaturday at 10 pm on Colors Infinity.)

While the competition willheat up during the forth-

coming episodes of Indian ProMusic League with all theteams putting their best footforward, the ‘Wajid Khan spe-cial’ had many light momentswith all the stars sharing someheart-warming anecdotesabout the late musician. Sajid-Wajid’s mother, Razina, andSajid’s wife, Lubna, alsoappeared on the show as spe-cial guests and a video tributeby them for Wajid had a veryspecial revelation. Wajid’smother revealed a time whenthe late musician was in direneed of a kidney. Being a dia-betic patient, she couldn’tdonate her kidney, but theywere still hopeful of finding amatch. However, as time wentby, they were losing hope,especially with people cheatingthem and not helping themout. That’s when Sajid’s wifeLubna went behind everyone’sback and gave her kidney toWajid.

As Razina revealed, “Wehad asked all our relatives,however, no one came forward.But during that time, Lubnasecretly got all her tests doneand gave him her kidney.”

Lubna added, “When Iheard that someone else canalso donate him a kidney, I did-n’t ask anyone. I just got all mytests done. Before the last test,I told Wajid everything andtold him that if we’re a match,we’ll go for a transplant. He was

very upset, but I told him onething that you’re very impor-tant to me, and that left him

speechless. The person who hasalways stood by everyone, if hisfamily doesn’t stand by him in

his time of need, then it is veryshameful. Thankfully, we werea match. Sajid, my mother, and

my children were very support-ive, and I am happy I could dothis for him.”

Delhi Jammers captainSajid mentioned, “Wajid wasunwell for two years and mymother took care of him on adaily basis. We requested her togo home and rest, but shenever left the room whereWajid was staying. There was atime when my wife went to thehospital, got all the paperworkdone, and was ready to giveWajid her Kidney. I was scared,even my kids were worried, butI am really proud of what shedid. At that time, none of ourfamily members helped us. Wehad money, name, fame and wewent to the best doctors, but wecouldn’t get the right donor. Ican recall people taking moneyfrom me saying that they willdonate their kidney but whenthe time came they just disap-peared. I used to wait at the air-port for hours for people tocome, but they’d never turn up.I had never felt so helpless inmy life. That is when Lubnacame to me and said I want todonate my kidney to Wajid,which she did. All I am tryingto say through this is that we allare blessed to have a family thatloves us, and we don’t need any-thing more than that in life. Weshould spend time with them,love them and be there for themalways.”

(Indian Pro Music Leagueairs every Saturday and Sundayat 8 pm on Zee TV.)

He is known for his comic timing in filmssuch as Dangal, Lukka Chuppi, Stree and

Bala, but Aparshakti Khurana springs a surprisewhen he says he does not have a great sense ofhumour in real life.

If comedy has dominated his filmographyso far — although he impressed with the oddemotional act in Street Dancer 3D — the actorsays it was not a conscious decision to play thefunnyman all along.

“It just happened. I think in real life I don’thave a great sense of humour. I used to have PJs...all bad jokes. Thankfully, I have some really goodlines in my films to add a good sense of humourin the films, but otherwise my sense of humouris very word play,” he says.

“Talking about why comedy (is) more (inhis filmograpohy), it was not a consciouseffort. Let’s be honest, beggars can’t be choosers.I started my journey with whatever I got on myplate. I took it with arms wide open. Even today,I don’t think an actor in my space has a lot ofchoices to make. Whatever comes your way youdo it,” says he.

Aparshakti feels that his role in StreetDancer 3D helped him move out of the comiczone.

“Having said that Street Dancer is somethingthat helped me to come out of the comedy zoneand I could strike an emotional chord. Peopledid relate to that character and had a sentimen-tal moment. So, that makes me believe that I amnot here only for comedy. I can also do seriousstuff as well,” he says.

The actor says there has been a shift in theway the audience watches films.

“There has been such a paradigm shift inthe way we watch films or talk about our actors.There is nothing called a villain anymore,” hesays.

Aparshakti is all geared up for Helmet, hisfirst film as a solo lead. The film is a satire onthe ground reality in the country, where peo-ple feel awkward while buying and talking aboutcondoms. The film tries to highlight the mes-sage in a funny manner without being preachy.

Does Bollywood have a herd mentality, con-

sidering the recent surge in socially relevantfilms? “It (a socially-relevant theme) just makesyour script a little more relevant. That’s aboutit. Otherwise there is no math that you need thisparticular element (refers to social message). Atthe end of the day it will always be about goodstorytelling, tight script. You can have fun if it’sfunny. You can get creeped out if it is a suspensethriller or a horror film. If you have that you arehome. Of course, if the film has a social elementit is just a cherry on the cake. People can gohome with a little message,” he says.

“It is more important to have a nice narra-tive, script, and an apt form of storytelling. Itdoes not matter if it has a social message or not,”he concludes.

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Actor Shreyas Talpade launched his OTT platformNine Rasa dedicated to performances related to

the stage.“There is going to be a lot of content complete-

ly dedicated to theatre and the performing arts. Allthe content that happens or can happen on stage willfeature on our OTT, Nine Rasa. That includes fulllength plays, one-act plays, skits, stand-ups, chats, sto-ries, poetry, music, dance and more,” he shared.

“It will feature all Indian languages. To begin with,we have content in Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati apartfrom English. Going forward we will also be addingother India languages like Bengali, Malyalam,Rajasthani, Haryanvi to our kitty,” he said.

On the name of the app, Shreyas explained: “Thename Nine Rasa is derived from Nav Ras, whichmeans nine emotions. Our lives revolve around theseemotions. We thought why not have a name that issynonymous with those emotions. Also, we wanteda name that is Indian at heart but has a global appeal,”explained the actor.

What inspired him to create his own OTT plat-form? “The idea started with the intention to helptheatre artistes and technicians during lockdownwhen theatres were shut. They didn’t know what todo and also, they did not have any source of revenue.Also, Indian theatre, which is so developed and hasso much value, should reach out more to the glob-al audience. So we thought there should be a dedi-cated platform for theatre and performing arts. Thesewere the two main reasons why I decided to start myown OTT app,” he replied.

“Many actors including me have gratified our suc-cess to theatre but rarely we do anything concrete forit. I am in no position to repay whatever theatre hasdone for me, it has helped me reach here. This is justa small effort by the kid who started theatre to payback in a little way,” he added.

Content for his self-funded app is being preparedever since lockdown last year, informed the actor.

“We have not acquired ready content. Instead, wehave over 100 hours of content exclusively shot forNine Rasa, which is completely original. The con-tent will be live in a phased manner,” he shared.

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In his first match as Delhi Capitals skipper,Rishabh Pant will be up against his mentor

and talismanic former Indian captainMahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai SuperKings in the IPL clash at Wankhede stadiumin Mumbai on Saturday.

In a battle between the past and present ofIndian cricket superstars, both teams will lookto start the new season on a positive note.

Last year Delhi ended as runners-upwhile CSK finished second from the bottom.

For Delhi, apart from Pant, the onus willbe on the likes of Shikhar Dhawan and in-formPrithvi Shaw to give a good start. And to com-pliment the Indian openers there’s SteveSmith’s and Marcus Stoinis in the middle.

But they will miss the services of SouthAfrican Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje onSaturday. The pacer duo is currently servingsix-day mandatory quarantine.

Also, the positive corona test hasalready ruled out Axar Patel.

In the absence of these three,Chris Woakes is likely to leadthe pace attack. WhileRavichandran Ashwin will headthe spin department.

On the other hand, Chennaiwill be bolstered by the return ofSuresh Raina, who opted out oflast year’s edition due toCovid-19 related restric-tions. He will bat at No3.

His return willgive more stability tothe Super Kings mid-dle-order which hasthe likes of AmabtiRayudu, MS Dhoni.

Robin Uthappahad a good domes-tic season withKerala in theVijay Hazare andhe is expected toget the nodahead of RuturajGaikwad to

partner Faf du Plessis at thetop.

In Moeen Ali,Ravindra Jadeja, Sam

Curran and big buyKrishnappa Gowtham, CSK hasgood all-rounders.

And ever-improving ShardulThakur, who can also bat, andDeepak Chahar will lead the paceattack.

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�����$��)���������LONDON: Seeking re-election next month, London’s MayorSadiq Khan has vowed to work with cricket authorities and bringIPL matches to the British capital after the Covid-19 pandem-ic has subsided. Khan expressed his optimism after the success-ful hosting of NFL (National Football League) and Major LeagueBaseball (MLB) matches in London.

“This is part of my plan to build a better London after thepandemic,” Khan said in a press release.

“I know Londoners are hungry to see more of the likes ofVirat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant and, with two ofthe world’s greatest cricket grounds in Lord’s and The Kia Oval,London is ideally placed to host IPL matches.

“The absence of Live crowds at elite competitions has beenhard for many sport-loving Londoners but I know we can builda better, more open and prosperous city after the pandemic andsee our capital confirmed as the undisputed sporting capital ofthe world.” Taking IPL to England will present its own set of chal-lenges, including timing of hosting matches and a busy crick-et calendar. But Khan is determined to stage matches of theimmensely popular T20 league in his country’s capital city andalso sees plenty of benefits should his plans turn into reality. “Iwill never stop banging the drum for investment in our city andbringing the Indian Premier League to London would not onlyguarantee a home crowd for every country but boost tourismand generate much-needed revenue to help get our capital backon its feet,” Khan said.

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Zinedine Zidane on Fridaysaid that he hoped Lionel

Messi and Sergio Ramos won’thave played their last Clasicoscome the end of the season, withdoubts over the futures of theBarcelona and Real Madridcaptains ahead of a huge La Ligaencounter.

Both players’ contracts areup at the end of the campaignand Messi is yet to commit to anew deal with Barca after try-ing to force an exit last summer.

When asked if Saturday’sclash in the Spanish capitalwould be the last of the pair’scareers at Spain’s top two clubs,Madrid coach Zidane said: “Ihope not”.

“Sergio is not going to playtomorrow. It’s sad, but I reallyhope that he will stay here,” theFrenchman added of the injured35-year-old.

Zidane also said that hehoped Messi woud remain atBarca for the good of Spanishfootball, joking “let him stay atBarcelona — he’s doing verywell there!”

Barca and reigning champi-ons Madrid are both trying tochase down league leaders

Atletico Madrid, whose defeatat Sevilla last Sunday allowedtheir rivals to move withintouching distance of the sum-mit.

Madrid are threepoints behind their cityrivals in third, while sec-ond-placed Barca are apoint closer, meaning awin for either side atValdebebas willknock Atletico offthe top for thefirst time sinceDecember afterruthlessly chip-ping away at whatwas a 10-pointlead in February.

Z i d a n e ,whose teamimpressed in a 3-1Champions Leaguewin over Liverpoolthis week, appearedconfident ahead of acrucial fixture in hisattempt to retainhis team’s leaguetitle.

“We have been very goodrecently, consistent,” he said.

“And not just with the ball,we have improved defensivelytoo. We know that regardless ofwhat we have done up to now,

we will have toplay welltomorrow.”

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AB de Villiers smashed a 27-ball 48 and guided Royal

Challengers Bangalore to a two-wicket victory over MumbaiIndians in the IPL opener here onFriday.

Sent into bat, MumbaiIndians scored 159 for nineagainst Royal ChallengersBangalore. In reply, RCB com-pleted the job in the final ball ofthe match with South Africangenius de Villiers leading the way.

Medium pacer Harshal Patelwas the wrecker-in-chief forRCB, finishing with excellentfigures of 5/27 to become the firstbowler ever to record a five-foragainst Mumbai Indians in thelucrative league.

Opener Chris Lynn top-scored for five-time defendingchampions MI with a 35-ball 49at the MA ChidambaramStadium after Virat Kohli wonthe toss and opted to field.

Suryakumar Yadav con-tributed 31 off 23 balls whileIshan Kishan made 28 in only 19deliveries. Mohammed Siraj gaveaway just 22 runs in his quota offour overs.

After MI looked set for a bigtotal halfway through theinnings, cruising to 86/1 in 10overs, RCB pulled back by gettingrid of Suryakumar Yadav (31 off23 balls) and Chris Lynn (49 off35 balls) in quick succession.

Patel, the right-arm pacerwho plays for Haryana in domes-tic cricket, ran through the mid-dle-order. He got rid of danger-ous hitters Ishan Kishan, HardikPandya, Kieron Pollard andKrunal Pandya besides tail-enderMarco Jansen to put the brakeson a strong MI batting line-up.

Yadav looked set for a bigscore but RCB’s new recruit KyleJamieson got him edging to

wicket-keeper AB de Villiers offa ball that bounced a bit.

Lynn was out caught andbowled by Washington Sundar ashe looked to go for a big hit butinstead lobbed it up high in theair.

That was the third wicketdown at 105 in 12.5 overs. Therewere still 43 balls left and MI hadtheir power-hitters in the dugout.However, Harshal Patel got intothe act and ran through themiddle and lower order.

He deceived Hardik Pandyawith a slow full toss, got IshanKishan with a yorker, had KrunalPandya caught at deep mid-wicket and then also had KieronPollard caught in the deep. Hethen bowled IPL debutant South

African Marco Jansen to com-plete a fifer.Brief scores: Royal ChallengersBangalore (C Lynn 49, S Yadav31, I Kishan 28, H Patel 5/27) vsMumbai Indians.BRIEF SCORES:

Mumbai Indians: 159/9 in 20overs (Chris Lynn 49,Suryakumar Yadav 31; HarshalPatel 5/27).Royal Challengers Bangalore:160/8 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers48, Virat Kohli 33, GlennMaxwell 39; Marco Jansen 2/28,Jasprit Bumrah 2/26).

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The ongoing Covid-19 pan-demic hurt both Mumbai

Indians (MI) and RoyalChallengers Bangalore (RCB)teams, forcing them to droptheir first-choice openers inthis season’s IPL opening matchon Friday night.

While South African wick-etkeeping-batsman Quinton deKock missed out for MumbaiIndians, Royal ChallengersBangalore were forced to pick areplacement for their openingbatsman Devdutt Padikkal, whowas a find for them last season.

“Quinny (Quinton de Kock)is in quarantine, so he isn’tavailable. Lynn will make debut,”said MI skipper Rohit Sharmaahead of the tournament open-er.

“Padikkal has been recom-mended rest,” said Sharma’scounterpart from RCB, ViratKohli.

While de Kock has justarrived India from South Africaafter playing the second ODIagainst Pakistan on April 4,Padikkal had tested positive forCovid-19 before clearing it witha negative test and joining theteam.

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Manchester United defeat-ed Spanish club

Granada 2-0 in the first leg oftheir Europa League quarter-final tie in Spain on Thursday,while Arsenal conceded astoppage-time equaliser in a1-1 draw at home to Czechchampions Slavia Prague.

Marcus Rashford racedon to a long ball sprayedupfield by Victor Lindelof tofire United in front at LosCarmenes on 31 minutesagainst a team enjoying abrilliant debut European cam-paign.

Bruno Fernandes con-verted a late penalty after hewas caught off the ball by YanEteki, with the Portuguesemidfielder’s spot-kick squirm-ing agonisingly through thehands of Rui Silva.

However, Solskjaer will bewithout the suspended trio ofcaptain Harry Maguire, LukeShaw and Scott McTominayfor the second leg at OldTrafford next week.

At Emirates, Arsenal’spoor league form under MikelArteta has left the Gunnerswith the Europa League astheir only hope of silverwarethis year, but the 2019 run-ners-up were denied victoryat the Emirates following a94th-minute header by TomasHoles.

Nicolas Pepe had comeoff the bench to give Arsenalthe lead four minutes fromtime, only for Holes to nod inat a corner and extend Slavia’sunbeaten run to 22 games,having already knocked outLeicester City and Rangers.

���������������������Life Care Cricket Club defeated

Shakumbari Club by 48 runs to enter thefinal of the 3rd Leela Ghosh MemorialCricket Tournament at Paarth RepublicStadium on Friday. Batting first, Life Carepiled up 193 runs for the loss of nine wick-ets in the allotted 35 overs, with GauravRawat (73) being the top scorer. In reply,Shakumbari were bundled out for 145runs in 32.4 overs.BRIEF SCORES:LCC: 193 (Gaurav 72, Mukul 32, Shivam21, Arbaaz 20; Utkarsh 36/2, Surya 38/2)SCC: 145 (Tamnay Mishra 58, Aarsh 36,Jitendra 30; Gaurav 18/2, Tushar 25/2,Himanshu 25/2)

�(�������@2�@�@����������1��Divine Club and KD Singh ‘Babu’

Trainees won their respective leaguematches in Bacchi Devi MemorialCricket Tournament at KD Singh‘Babu’ Stadium on Friday. Divine Clubthrashed Dhruv Sports Promotion byseven wickets while Standard Club defeat-ed KD Singh ‘Babu’ Trainees by five wick-ets.

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