PNS n NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Fridaytermed as "unfortunate" thatthe Andhra Pradesh Governorhad to intervene for implemen-tation of High Court's orderdirecting reinstatement ofNimmagadda Ramesh Kumaras State ElectionCommissioner (SEC).

A bench of Chief Justice SABobde and Justices ASBopanna and VRamasubramanian issuednotice on an application seek-ing stay on the contempt pro-ceedings against the state gov-ernment in the AndhraPradesh High Court and askedsenior advocate Harish Salve,appearing for Ramesh Kumarto file a reply affidavit to it.

“Issue notice, returnableafter one week. At the requestof Harish Salve, Senior Counselappearing for the respondent,reply affidavit to the instantapplication may be filed in themeantime,” the bench said in itsorder.

During the hearing, thebench observed, that it wasunfortunate that Governor hadto intervene to reinstateRamesh Kumar as SEC afterHigh Court's judgement thereare contempt proceedings(against AP government) goingon.

Salve said that he needs aweek's time to file an affidavitto bring some additional facts

regarding the contempt pro-ceedings before the HighCourt.

He said that the order of theHigh Court directing rein-statement of Kumarhas not beencomplied withand a con-tempt pleawas filed byhim againstthe stategovernment.

Salve alsopointed out thatsome unwarranted commentswere made against judges of theHigh Court after the verdict forreinstatement of Kumar.

Counsel appearing for stategovernment assured the benchof complying with the HighCourt orders.

Ramesh Kumar, in an appli-cation filed in the top court tobring some additional factson record, had said that theHigh Court on his contemptplea had onJ u l y

17, gavehim liberty to approach theGovernor for implementationof its order of reinstatement.

He said that on July 21, theoffice of Andhra PradeshGovernor informed him thatstate government has beendirected to take necessary

action as per the directions ofthe High Court.

Ramesh Kumar said thatmeanwhile, an applicationseeking a stay on the contempt

proceeding before theHigh Court was

filed before thetop court bythe stategovernment.

On July 8,the apex

court hadsaid that it

intended to dis-pose of in couple of weeks abatch of pleas, including onefiled by AP government, chal-lenging the High Court orderwhich struck down an ordi-nance curtailing the tenure ofthe state poll panel chief fromfive to three years.

The top court had said thatit would not pass any interimorder and would dispose of thepleas in next two to threeweeks after counsel for stategovernment argued that duringthe interregnum, the Governormay be requested to appoint aninterim state election com-missioner as election work inthe state has been put on hold.

On June 10, the top courthad refused to stay the order ofthe High Court striking downan ordinance promulgated bythe Andhra Pradesh govern-ment curtailing the tenure ofthe state poll panel chief fromfive years to three.

It had issued notices andsought response from the StateElection Commission (SEC)and Ramesh Kumar, who wasrestored as state poll panelchief by the High Court.

The top court had agreed tohear the plea of state govern-ment challenging the recentdecision of Andhra PradeshHigh Court striking down theordinance and asked RameshKumar and others to file theirresponse in two weeks.

It had said that there aresome constitutional issuesinvolved, which require hear-ing.

The top court had said it wasnot satisfied that the motives ofthe state government wereentirely innocent.

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VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH

BHUBANESWAR RANCHIDEHRADUN HYDERABAD

“...Governor had tointervene to

appoint Ramesh Kumaras SEC after High Court'sjudgment...There are

contempt proceedings(against the stategovernment). Whatis this?”

— SA BOBDECChhiieeff JJuussttiiccee ooff IInnddiiaa

5

‘India made record requests for info on moneylaundering’

8

The 4+2 way of tackling Covid-19

2

Border row withChina figures inRajnath's talkswith Israeli minister

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated July 24, 2020 5:00 PM

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Unfortunate Governor has to interveneto implement HC order, SC raps State

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Showing no signs of abating,the coronavirus spread contin-ued at a virulent pace inAndhra Pradesh as a newrecord number of 8,147 caseswere added in a day, pushingthe states gross further up to80,858 on Friday.

The state now has 39,990active cases after 39,935 patientsrecovered from the infectionand 933 died, including 49reported on Friday.

On the testing front, itcrossed another milestone, asthe number of samples exam-ined crossed the 15 lakh mark.

The infection positivity rateshot up to 5.24 per cent whilethe recovery rate fell marginal-ly to 49.39 per cent after touch-ing 51.65 per cent on Thursdayafter higher discharges in thelast two days.

The mortality rate remainedat 1.15 per cent.

The infection spreadappeared to be in an alarmingproportion in East Godavaridistrict where, for the secondconsecutive day, over 1,000cases were reported.

With the addition of 1,029

fresh infections, East Godavaridistrict now has a total of11,067 Covid-19 cases of which7,577 were still active.

In the last 24 hours,Anantapur district registered984 new Covid-19 cases,Kurnool 914, Visakhapatnam

898 and West Godavari 807,according to the latest bul-letin.

Ganta makesmoves to joinruling partyPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Former minister and TDPMLA from Visakhapatnamnorth Ganta Srinivasa Rao isall set to join the rulingYSRCP in a couple of days, ifrumours are to be believed.

V. Vijayasai Reddy, consid-ered the No. 2 in the rulingparty and Tourism MinisterM Srinivasa Rao have beenblocking the entry of Ganta,levelling allegations of cor-ruption against him.

Sources say the formerminister, who is known tochange parties and is con-stituencies at the drop of a hatand never lose an election,has been trying to join theYSRCP. However, hisattempts have been thwartedby these two ruling partyleaders.

An astute politician, Gantais reportedly trying to bypassVijayasai Reddy and join theYSRCP. His attempts are notnew — even before the 2019elections, Ganta had madeovertures, but was alwaysrebuffed by Vijayasai Reddy.

The YSRCP MP has beenhighly critical of Ganta andoften cornered him on socialmedia, even terming him‘corrupt to the core’.

AP clocks fresh single day high of 8,147 Covid cases

SUMIT ONKA n VISAKHAPATNAM

Leaders of the ruling party arepreferring to get treatment forCovid-19 in hospitals in otherstates, inadvertently belyingthe claims of the AndhraPradesh government on theState’s robust healthcare system,facilities and swift response.

This is giving the Oppositionparties, especially the TeluguDesam Party, the much need-

ed ammunition to attack theruling party with.

TDP leaders are wasting noopportunity to point out that topleaders of the YSRCP are goingto Hyderabad and Chennai forCovid treatment and say thatthis is evidence of the quality ofhealth services being extendedby the Jaganmohan Reddy-ledState Government.

“YSRCP leaders don’t trustthe quality of healthcare offeredby their own government,” a

TDP leader alleged.Chief Minister YS

Jaganmohan Reddy has beenreminding to all and sundry thatthe State has conducted thehighest number of tests in thecountry and that there areenough beds and critical care forCovid treatment. Jagan recent-ly flagged off over 1,100 vehiclesof 104 and 108 ambulance ser-vices, drawing the attention ofthe country. However, the effortsof the Chief Minister may losetheir shine if his party leaderskeep trusting the quality of

treatment offered in hospitals inother states.

For instance, a Deputy ChiefMinister and his family decid-ed to get shifted from SriVenkateswara Institute ofMedical Sciences (SVIMS) inTirupati to a hospital inHyderabad. And, there are halfa dozen of YSRCP leaders,MLA, MPs of Andhra gettingCovid treatment in hospitalsoutside the State.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The National Green Tribunalon Friday took cognisance ofa major fire that broke outfollowing an explosion at apharmaceutical unit nearVisakhapatnam in AndhraPradesh and formed a com-mittee to probe the matter.

Expressing concern overthe incident, the tribunalsaid it has come across sev-eral incidents in recent past(within last three months)resulting in deaths andinjuries to human beings anddamage to the environmenton account of failure of com-pliance of the statutory pro-visions.

A bench headed by NGTChairperson Justice A K Goelsaid deficiency in complianceof Chemical Accidents(Emergency Planning,Preparedness and Response)Rules, 1996 (The 1996 Rules)and failure of the State Chief

Inspector of Factories (CIFs)under the Factories Act, 1948to oversee the safety issueshas also been observed.

There is further failure indue compliance of provisionsrelating to requirement ofapproval of site by thePetroleum and ExplosivesSafety Organisation (PESO),it said.

The committee formed byNGT comprises officials fromCentral Pollution ControlBoard, state pollution controlboard and Professor PJagannadha Rao, Dept. ofChemical Engineering,Andhra University,Visakhapatnam to ascertainfacts, determine responsibil-ity, assess the final compen-sation for the victims and theenvironment, to prepare planrestoration of the environ-ment and suggest precau-tions for future.

NGT panel to probepharma unit mishap

Staff on‘deputation’told to returnto tribal areas PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In a bid to strengthen thepublic service delivery sys-tem in tribal areas, the APgovernment has decided tocancel all informal arrange-ments of employees postedagainst sanctioned posts intribal areas within the next 24hours. Praveen Prakash,Principal Secretary to theChief Minister, said that theCM has given instructions tothis effect.

He said that it has beenbrought to the notice of theChief Minister that withinthe districts, many employ-ees who were posted againstsanctioned posts in tribalareas are working as a lien orinformal attachment in otherposts. The salaries of thosesanctioned posts in tribalareas come from ST planbudget, he said. Hence, keep-ing the employees attached tooffices outside the tribal areasis unconstitutional and ille-gal, he added. He furtherinformed that if a staff mem-ber is taken out of the sanc-tioned posts for informalattachment as a lien, thoseposts cannot be filled up,showing them as vacant.

l State spending Rs 6.5 crore per day on testing, quarantine facilities

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy on

Friday instructed officials toensure that critical patients getthe best medical care, even ifmeans giving them expensivemedication that include'Remdesivir' and'Tocilizumab'.

These medicines costaround Rs 35,000 per dose.

The Chief Minister direct-ed the officials to look into theprovisions of the infrastruc-ture and medical staff in thenewly identified hospitals.The total count of the hospi-tal beds in all the districts hasnow increased to 39,051.

Addressing a review meet-ing to take stock of the Covid-19 situation in the State, stat-ed that an additional Rs 1000crore will be spent on medica-tions, infrastructure, medicalprofessionals and other staff.

These decisions were taken

on Friday following a reviewof the Covid-19 situation inthe state by Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy.

The state government isproviding critical care facili-ties in 138 hospitals in AP.

"The state government isworking towards providingcritical care facilities at fivemore hospitals at the statelevel, of which three hospitalshave already been made avail-able," said Jagan.

He said that an additional2,380 beds would be madeavailable for critical care treat-ment.

Shutdown inAnakapalle for two daysPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Anakapalle town inVisakhapatnam district will beobserving total lockdown fortwo days on Saturday andSunday. Except for supply ofmilk for three hours, from 6 amonwards, and medical stores,every business will remainshut, said senior YSRCP leaderDadi Ratnakar.

He said total lockdown wasthe only way to contain thespread of the virus.

The town has registered 210positive cases and three deathsso far. It is at the fish and veg-etable markets and groceriespeople are crowding, ignoringthe social distance norms.

“Unlike the national lock-down, we are closing every-thing except for medical shopsand three hour milk supply.Even petrol bunks will beclosed,’’ Ratnakar said.

YSRCP top leaders rush to hospitals in other states

Government to provide Remdesivir,‘Tocilizumab' for critical Covid-hit

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BANKS' BAD DEBT TO RISE SHARPLYAMID COVID PANDEMIC: RBI REPORT

INDIA CROSSES 13,00,000CORONAVIRUS CASES

The number of coronavirus cases in India hascrossed 13 lakh, government data shows.

The country also overtook France on Fridayas the number of deaths linked to COVID-19 crossed 30,000. The number of deathsin India is now the sixth-biggest behindthe US, Brazil, Britain, Mexico and Italy.India has reported 13,06,002 cases so far.Maharashtra has the biggest cases at3,47,502, followed by Tamil Nadu with1,99,749 and Delhi with 1,27,364 cases.

‘BHABHIJI PAPAD' TO FIGHT COVID?UNION MINISTER THINKS SO

FOREX RESERVES CLIMB USD 1.27 BNTO RECORD PEAK OF USD 517.637 BN

At a time when the government is determined to be "vocal for local", Unionminister Arjun Ram Meghwal has gone a step ahead and endorsed an

indigenous 'papad' brand claiming that eating the 'papad' will createantibodies in the human body that will help fight the deadly coronavirus thathas afflicted more than 12 lakh Indians so far. A pack of thebrand called 'Bhabhiji papad' was held up by Meghwal whilerecording a video vouching for its corona fighting ability. TheUnion Minister for State for Parliamentary Affairs said, "ThisBhabhiji Papad has come out in the market in line with AtmaNirbhar Bharat, which has edible elements that can help createantibodies which will prove to be helpful in fighting coronavirus."

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to push up the gross non-performing assets in the Indian banking system to at least 12.5 per cent

by March 2021, from 8.5 per cent in March 2020, a reportfrom the Financial Stability and Development Council saidon Friday. "It may escalate to 14.7 per cent under a veryseverely stressed scenario," the council's FinancialStability Report released by the Reserve Bank of Indiasaid. Governor Shaktikanta Das, in his foreword to thereport, highlighted the uncertainty to economic growth, butsaid once the post-pandemic phase was reached the focuswould be on calibrated unwinding of regulatory and other dispensations.

The country's foreign exchange reserves surged by USD 1.275 billion totouch a fresh lifetime high of USD 517.637 billion in the week

to July 17, RBI data showed. In the previous week, reserveshad swelled by USD 3.108 billion to USD 516.362 billion.The reserves had crossed the half-a-trillion mark for thefirst time in the week ended June 5, after it had increasedby USD 8.223 billion to reach USD 501.703 billion. In theweek ended July 17, the reserves rose due to an increase inforeign currency assets (FCA), which is a major component ofthe overall reserves. FCA was up by USD 1.245 billion to USD 476.880billion in the reporting week, the central bank data showed.

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VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2020 vijayawada 02

Governments have toprepare for a long haul,if a vaccine/medicine

for Covid-19 is not madeavailable soon.

In order to sustain Covid-control operations over longertime spans, one way is to tiethem together in a coherentframework.

In their piece ‘What ReallyWorks’, Professor ofAdministration Nitin Nohriaand others have developed the4+2 rule, in which it is possi-ble to analyse interventions(including Covid-19) withinfour primary categories —strategy, execution, cultureand structure — and two sup-plementing ones (any two oftalent, innovation, leadershipand partnerships).

Below, some key Covid-control operations have beenplaced within the four prima-ry categories.

Strategy

Strong empirical evidence isemerging that if self-distanc-ing, hand washing and maskuse are followed Covid trans-

mission can be completelystopped. Thus, the strategywould consist of identifyingareas (places) in which thesethree measures would becompletely implemented fortime spans ranging from fourto twelve weeks.

The strategy would alsocontain large-scale testing,daily real-time monitoring ofmorbidity and mortality pat-terns in districts/local units,procurement of materials andmeasures to prevent reinfec-tion in areas where Covid hasbeen completely stopped.

Structure

There would be a two-tierstructure within each district.The first level would be thedistrict or the municipality.

The second level would bethe sub-local unit. The con-ventional units — sub-divi-sions/taluqas/wards — aretoo large and the best would

be an Area containing 5000people. One action team witha leader and a single chain ofcommand would be formedfor each Area. As the Area islocated close to the people, itwould promote cooperationand seamless exchange ofinformation among the Areasand the district.

Execution

The local execution planswould be grounded in localconditions and prepared atthe district-level. These wouldbe continuously updated basedon periodic feedback. Some of

the activities in the executionplan are as follows: (1) testingand follow-up on results oftests as provided in the strate-gy, (2) providing masks andtest kits; in cases where doctorsare unavailable, deploying doc-tors (e.g. private, AYUSH)from elsewhere, (3) provision-ing for all medial and healthsupplies and technical assis-tance, (4) mobilising and pro-viding digital solutions fortracking patients and provid-ing access to telemedicine, (5)organising public health com-munication on the three keyissues (hand washing, social

distancing and wearing masks)in order to completely stop thespread of Covid and to makesense of the “infodemic”accompanying the pandemic,(6) providing direct help if thelocal unit is overwhelmed bya large number of cases, and(7) converting buildings intolarge Covid-19 hospitals (e.g.stadium) with the help ofNDRF/armed police.

The execution plan of Areaswould consist of: (1) decidingon a number of people to bequarantined in houses or inhospital wards, as well ashouseholds to be isolated, (2)organising local sanitary mea-sures, (3) distributing food,medicines and daily provi-sions, particularly to the poorand the vulnerable, (4) provid-ing medicines, identifyingestablishments (e.g. schools,stadia, community halls) thatcan be converted into tempo-rary hospitals, and (6) identi-fying private doctors to lookafter these hospitals.

Culture

The existing culture wherepeople go out for daily workand other activities would bereoriented to make the house-hold the primary site of activ-ity. As part of this paradigmshift, a range of home deliv-ery services would be provid-

ed at the doorstep, for exam-ple, (1) detecting Covid-19related symptoms (e.g. bodytemperature, oxygen levels,condition of lungs and throat)early and symptomatic treat-ment using digital means(including medicine deliv-ery), (2) mandating at least 50per cent Work From Homefor all government employees.The initial success of the useof e-office and teleconferenc-ing holds much promise ofmaintaining high levels ofefficiency in governmentoperations, (3) switching toremote proctored tests foradmissions.

Additionally, combininglearning management sys-tems for teaching, tutorials,group activities, assignmentsand personalised learning (e.g.Indian Institute of CorporateAffairs). This is expected tolead to near normal workingin educational institutes, and

(4) delivering all daily require-ments at doorsteps, includinghome delivery of provisionsprovided by ration shops andin Government programmes(e.g. ICDS).

Situating all Covid-relatedactivities within the 4+2framework and implementingjust self-distancing, handwashing and mask use inarea-by-area in order to grad-ually cover the entire nation isexpected to completely stopthe transmission of Covid-19within 4-12 weeks.

Furthermore, lastingchanges in the behaviours ofGovernments, householdsand individuals could be oneunintended effect. Finally, the4+2 rule could also be appliedto other government schemesto make them more coherentand bring about greater pre-dictability in results.

(Author has a PhD fromUSA and a DLitt from

Kanchi University. The arti-cle is based on his researchand practice and views are

personal)

SAMEER SHARMA, IAS

THE 4+2 WAY OF TACKLING COVID-19 Strong empirical evidence is emerging that if self-distancing, hand washing and mask use arefollowed Covid transmission can be completelystopped. Thus, the strategy would consist ofidentifying areas (places) in which these threemeasures would be completely implemented fortime spans ranging from four to twelve weeks.

EGG RATES

` 53,220 (10 gm)

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HYDERABAD 330

VIJAYAWADA 356

VISAKHAPATNAM 380

RREETTAAIILL PPRRIICCEE `33..8800

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VIJAYAWADABULLION RATES

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CHICKEN RATES

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Without Skin `201

Broiler at Farm `122

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(IN VIJAYAWADA)

Lemon farmers sour overlow prices, govt steps inPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Citrus farmers in the State werebadly hit this year as they couldnot export their produce toother States due to the Covid-19induced lockdown.

Despite good yield, they couldnot explore markets in otherStates and were forced to pushlemons in local markets, whichdid not fetch them good returns.Lemons are plucked duringApril-May as farmers and tradersalso wait up to the summer sea-son for a good market. But, thistime, they waited up to the endof March for exporting the crop.But the sudden announcementof lockdown and subsequentrestrictions due to the spread ofCovid cases ruined their plans.

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddyon Fridayexpressed concern over the fallin lemon prices across the State.He has issued directive to offi-cials to take measures to avoidany loss to lemon farmers.

The Chief Minister orderedthe authorities concerned to

immediately purchase all thelemon yield from farmers andalso to increase the minimumsupport price for it.

Acting upon the instructions

of the Chief Minister, Ministerfor Agriculture Kannababu toldmediapersons that they wouldstart procuring lemons fromSaturday.

TDP deplores ‘govt apathy’towards Covid-19 patientsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Telugu Desam Party NationalGeneral Secretary Nara Lokeshon Friday expressed concernthat nobody was takingresponsibility to provide time-ly medicare to the patients suf-fering from severe Coronavirussymptoms in the State.

Lokesh termed it as inhu-man that Covid patient Rajadid not get any treatmentthough his family membersbegged for help for over eighthours in front of a hospital atDharmavaram in Anantapurdistrict. As a result, the patientdied under the tree within thehospital premises there.

In a statement here onFriday, the former ministeraccused the YSRCP govern-ment of acting in a con-demnable manner when thepeople were falling victimsand dying on the roads becauseof the dreaded virus. The

Dharmavaram incidentexposed the deteriorating sit-uation that was prevailing allover the State. It was obviousthat Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy's Coronapublicity gimmicks were notsaving the people's lives.

Lokesh charged the govern-ment with negligence at a timewhen it should have beenextending much needed helpto the people. The death of

Raja in Anantapur reflected theinefficiency of the ruling partyand its inability to create con-fidence among the people.Family members waited fortreatment inside the hospitalpremises. Eventually, Raja diedin the hands of his wife whosegrief was inconsolable. At leastnow, the YSRCP governmentshould wake from its slumberand come to the people's rescue.

l In a statement here onFriday, the former minister NLokesh accused the YSRCPgovernment of acting in acondemnable manner whenthe people were falling victimsand dying on the roadsbecause of the dreaded virus

l The Dharmavaram incidentexposed the deterioratingsituation that was prevailing allover the State. It was obviousthat Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy's Coronapublicity gimmicks were notsaving the people's lives

l Lokesh termed it asinhuman that Covid patient Rajadid not get any treatmentthough his family membersbegged for help for over eighthours in front of a hospital atDharmavaram in Anantapurdistrict. As a result, the patientdied under the tree within thehospital premises

l Lemons are plucked during April-May as farmers and traders also wait upto the summer season for a good market.But, this time, they waited up to the endof March for exporting the crop. But thesudden announcement of lockdown andsubsequent restrictions due to the spreadof Covid cases ruined their plans.

l Despite good yield,lemon farmers could

not explore markets inother States and were

forced to push lemonsin local markets, which

did not fetch themgood returns

l CM YS Jaganmohan Reddyon Friday expressed concern overthe fall in lemon prices across the State. He has issued directiveto officials to take measures to avoid any loss to lemon farmers

V-P highlights virtues ofmastering mother tonguePNS n NEW DELHI

Vice-President M VenkaiahNaidu on Friday highlighted thevirtues of mastering one's moth-er tongue and urged people tolearn other languages to widentheir understanding of cultur-al diversities and value sys-tems.

He also said that learningother languages fosters widerbonding of humankind, besidesenhancing opportunities of var-ious kinds. Addressing the'World Telugu Cultural Fest',being organised in SanFrancisco, online, Naidustressed that language is morethan a mere instrument ofexpression.

He elaborated that languageis manifestation of culture anda system of values over a longperiod of time, and it epitomis-es the personality types typicalto respective cultures.According to an official state-ment, the Vice-President saidevery language is an outcome ofan evolutionary process draw-ing from other languages dur-

ing the long period of interac-tion with others.

Noting that a common lan-guage fosters unity and commu-nity development, Naidu urgedpeople to learn as many lan-

guages as possible for a broad-er understanding of the diversecultures. He called for extensivecultural and linguistic exchangesfor transforming mindsets andperspectives.

I&PR conducts Covidtests for journalistsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

In view of Covid-19 pan-demic, T Vijay Kumar Reddy,Commissioner ofInformation and PublicRelations, said that tests arebeing conducted for journal-ists, as they interact withmultiple sections of society.As a part of it, a special campwas organised on Friday withthe help of district authoritieshere where the swabs of 150journalists and their familieswere collected.

Speaking on the occasion,the Commissioner said thatbeing infected withCoronavirus is not a crimeand people should look atthose infected with a human-itarian approach.

He called upon people to follow social distance, weara mask and maintain hygiene.

He urged officials to createmore awareness among pub-lic and for assistance onCovid one can call 14410helpline for telemedicine.

GarudaPanchamitoday PNS n TIRUMALA

TTD is organising GarudaSeva on the auspicious day ofPanchami at Tirumala, whichoccurs on Saturday. In viewof COVID-19 restrictions,the annual festival will takeplace in Ekantkam within theSrivari temple premisesbetween 5 pm and 6 pm.

The legends say that annu-al fete was performed for sakeof newlywed couple and tobeget children born withpower, strength and staminalike Garuda.

Health, well-being of families deteriorating under Covid stressIANS n NEW YORK

The ongoing disruptive changesfrom efforts to reduce the spreadof Covid-19 are having a sub-stantial negative impact on thephysical and mental well-beingof parents and their children, sayresearchers. Families are partic-ularly affected by stressors stem-ming from changes in work,school and daycare schedulesthat are impacting finances andaccess to community supportnetworks, according to the sur-vey of parents across the US,published in the journalPediatrics.

"Covid-19 and measures to

control its spread have had asubstantial effect on the nation'schildren," said study researcher

Stephen Patrick from theChildren's Hospital in the US."Today, an increasing number of

the nation's children are goinghungry, losing insuranceemployer-sponsored insuranceand their regular child care. Thesituation is urgent and requiresimmediate attention from fed-eral and state policymakers,"Patrick added.

Parents with children underage 18 were surveyed to measure

changes in their health, insur-ance status, food security, use ofpublic food assistance resources,child care and use of health careservices since the Covid-19 pan-demic began. The surveyrevealed that 27 per cent of par-ents reported worsening mentalhealth for themselves, while 14per cent reported worsening

behavioural health for theirchildren.

The findings also showedthat 24 per cent of parentsreported a loss of regular childcare. According to the study, theimpact of abrupt, systemicchanges to employment andstrain from having access to alimited social network is disrupt-ing the core of families across thecountry.

Worsening physical and men-tal health was similar no matterthe person's race, ethnicity,income, education status orlocation. However, largerdeclines in mental well-beingwere reported by women and

unmarried parents, the studysaid. Since March, more familiesare reporting food insecurity,and more reliance on foodbanks, and delaying children'svisits to health care providers.With Covid-19 cases and deathson the rise around the country,families may continue to expe-rience higher levels of need anddisruption.

The study found that familieswith young children reportworse mental health than thosewith older children."The loss ofregular child care related toCoivd-19 has been a majorshock to many families," thestudy authors noted.

l Noting that a common language fostersunity and community development, Naiduurged people to learn as many languages

as possible for a broader understanding ofthe diverse cultures. He called for extensive

cultural and linguistic exchanges fortransforming mindsets and perspectives.

l Naidu urged peopleto always be mindfuland respectful of four‘Ms' — mother,motherland, mothertongue and mentor(teacher or guru)

SCR engineer held ongraft charges by CBIPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Officials of the Central Bureauof Investigation (CBI), Vizagbranch, arrested M Vijay Raju,working as a senior sectionengineer, the South CentralRailway inJammalamadugu ofGuntakal Division,for demanding andaccepting a bribe ofRs 14,000 from atrackman for doing anofficial favour.

CBI officials said that theyreceived a complaint from atrackman in the South CentralRailway, Jammalamadugu,Guntakal Division, allegingthat he was absent from hisduties during February andMarch this year due to ill healthand the senior section engineerVijay Raju demanded him topay a bribe of Rs 14,000 for hav-ing shown his absent period of21 days as ‘on duty’ for not issu-ing charge sheet against himand for assigning office duty tohim.

As the complainant was notwilling to pay the bribe as

demanded by Vijay Raju, helodged a complaint with theCBI, ACB, Visakhapatnam, fortaking necessary legal action.

The CBI laid a trap on VijayRaju. The accused was caught

red- handed at his officewhile accepting the

bribe of Rs 14,000from the com-plainant. Theaccused was arrestedand is being pro-

duced before thecourt. Searches are being

conducted at the office and res-idence of the accused.

Public having complaintsabout graft in the Central gov-ernment departments, PSUs,nationalised banks and govern-ment insurance companies andinformation with regard todemand of bribe, amassing ofwealth disproportionate to theirknown sources of income byofficials of above organisationsare requested to contactSuperintendent of Police, CBI,Visakhapatnam in person, bypost or over Toll Free No. 1800425 00100 or e mail-hobacvskp@cbi.gov.in.

Parents with children under age 18 weresurveyed to measure changes in their health,insurance status, food security, use of publicfood assistance resources, child care and useof health care services since the Covid-19pandemic began

TiruvadippodiUtsavamcelebrated PNS nTIRUPATI

The Tiruvadippodi Utsavam ofAndal Sri Goda Devi was cel-ebrated at Tirumala on Friday.As a part of this, Sesha Vastramand Shatari were offered inPurusaivari Thota followed bythe religious discourse ofChinna Jiyar Swamy ofTirumala. According to legend,Andal Sri Goda Devi emergedin Tulasi garden while SriAnantalwan developed the gar-dens in Tirumala and com-menced Pushpa Kainkaryam tothe Lord.

Every year, AndalTiruvadippodi Utsavam isbeing conducted in PurusaivariThota since several centuries.Andal, who is believed to be theincarnation of Bhudevi, wasfound to Vaishnavaite devoteeVishnuchitta in Tulasi gardenon the auspicious day of PurvaPhalguni Nakshatra in AshadaSukla Chaturdi in Katakamonth on the advent of thesame auspicious star and tithi,Andal Tiruvadippodi Utsavamis being conducted in Tirumalaevery year.

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2020 vijayawada 03

Tie up with big firms forfood processing, says CMPNS n AMARAVATI

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy has instructed officialsto chalk out an action plan forsetting up of food processingunits by next season for perish-able goods as the farmers ofthese crops are under distress.

During a review meeting onfood processing units heldhere on Friday, the ChiefMinister said that farmersgrowing tomato, sweet lemonand banana are undergoinghardships on the marketingfront and are not even gettingMSP as the selling platformsare not matching with theirproduce and price.

He told officials that to mit-igate the losses of such farm-ers and the possibilities of set-ting up of food processingunits from RBK level andupwards should be explored sothat farmers are not affectedand officials should identify atleast seven to eight such crops.

Every year farmers growingbanana, onions and the like areunable to market their produceand are incurring losses. Suchsituations should not repeatand officials should draw up a

plan as to how much cropshould be purchased by thegovernment and how muchshould be sent to the food pro-cessing units.

They should also assess as tohow value addition to thecrops can be done, he said andasked for full details as towhat they are doing on thiscount.

He told officials to bring outan action plan within onemonth with full details andfood processing should bedone at RBKs wherever possi-ble and go up to mandal and

constituency levels. Onhumanitarian grounds, thegovernment is extending allpossible help to farmers and tillnow has spent Rs 3,000 crorefrom the Market StabilisationFund to check market fluctu-ations and ensured MSP tofarmers.

Besides food processingunits, officials should also con-centrate on millet processing,he said. There should be a tie-up with big companies onfood processing and no farmershould complain that they areunable to sell their produce in

the coming nine months.Minister for Agriculture KKanna Babu, Special ChiefSecretary (Agriculture)Poonam Malakondaiah andother officials were present atthe review meeting.

Include scribes in list offrontline warriors: NaiduPNS n AMARAVATI

Former Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu on Fridayexpressed shock over theuntimely demise of senior jour-nalist Sunkara Rama Rao due tolack of oxygen supply and expertmedical care in Rajahmundry.

Naidu demanded to knowwhat purpose the governmentserved if it could not even savethe life of a senior journalist.

“It’s time journalists andmedia persons be included inthe list of frontline warriorsalong with doctors, nurses, med-ical staff, police, sanitation staffand others,” the TDP chief said.

It may be recalled 52-year-oldRama Rao was undergoingtreatment after being infected atRajahmundry rural. When hedeveloped severe breathing dif-ficulties, local journalists admit-ted Rama Rao to theRajahmundry GovernmentGeneral Hospital.

They allege that their requeststo supply oxygen was only par-tially met, and eventually, RamaRao succumbed to the dreadedvirus.

The TDP chief, in a Twitterpost here, demanded that as thejournalists were risking theirlives in the field-level fightagainst coronavirus, the govern-

ment should implement Rs 50lakh Corona health insurancefor them.

Meanwhile, TDP nationalgeneral secretary Nara Lokesh,in a statement, demanded thegovernment to provide PPEkits to the journalists consider-ing the dangers in their line ofduty. He appealed for revivingand implementing the healthscheme and insurance plans forthe working journalists.

Lokesh said it was unfortu-nate that though local journal-ists promptly took Rama Rao'soxygen requirement to thenotice of the authorities con-cerned, there was no timelyaction.

The government should stepup Coronavirus treatment facil-ities and provide enough oxygento save lives. The demands of thejournalists should be fulfilled,Lokesh said.

Elaborate arrangementsto dispatch GoddessPadmavathi prasadamPNS n TIRUCHANOOR

Elaborate arrangements havebeen made and dispatch ofGoddess Padmavathi prasadamsto the online registered devoteescommenced from Fridayonwards through India Posts,said TTD JEO P Basant Kumar.

Speaking at Sri PadmavathiAmmavari temple atTiruchanoor on Friday afterhanding over the Goddessprasadams to be dispatched tothe Postal Department officials,he said, the first ever-virtual par-ticipation of Varalakshmi vratamis mulled by TTD on July 31upon the request of a majorityof devotees.

“Our online tickets bookingcommenced on July 22 and willcontinue till July 30. We receivedan overwhelming response fromdevotees in the last two daysitself. All the Gotra Namas of

devotees booked so far wereenlisted and kept at sanctumsanctorum for the benign bless-ings of Universal Mother asdirected by priests. Prasadams,including vermilion-turmericsachets, a dozen bangles alongwith an uttariyam and a blousepiece, will be dispatched todevotees, who booked onlinethrough India Posts. The dis-patch process has already com-menced”, he added.

He further stated Varalakshmivratam will be telecast live on SriVenkateswara Bhakti channel onJuly 31 between 10 am and 12pm and devotees shall beget theblessings of Padmavathiammavaru through virtual par-ticipation”. Temple deputy exec-utive officer Jhansi Rani, PostalDepartment superintendentSrinivasa Rao, AEOSubramanyam and others werealso present.

YSRCP is pro-Dalit,says SocialWelfare MinPNS n AMARAVATI

Though the governmenthas taken a quick action inthe East Godavari incident,the Opposition is trying tomake it an issue with peo-ple like Harsha Kumarspeaking in an irresponsiblemanner, Social WelfareMinister P Viswaroop hassaid.

Speaking to the mediahere on Friday, the ministersaid that it was unbecomingof Harsha Kumar to passsuch heinous remarks.Harsha Kumar is a stooge ofOpposit ion leader NChandrababu Naidu he saidand reiterated the fact thatYSRCP is pro-Dalit.

Viswaroop said thatHarsha Kumar would go toany extent to sacrifice theidentity of Dalits. He saidDalits are always with theYSRCP.

Viswaroop said that ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy has been a staunchsupporter of Dalits and sentpol icemen, who actedagainst Dalits behind thebars. The minister askedHarsha Kumar to stop hisdegraded politics.

n Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy saidthat farmers growingtomato, sweet lemonand banana areundergoing hardships onthe marketing front andare not even getting MSPas the selling platformsare not matching withtheir produce and price

n Jagan told officials that tomitigate the losses ofsuch farmers and thepossibilities of setting upof food processing unitsfrom RBK level andupwards should beexplored so that farmersare not affected andofficials should identify atleast seven to eight suchcrops

The TDP chief, in a Twitter post here,demanded that as the journalists wererisking their lives in the field-level fightagainst coronavirus, the governmentshould implement Rs 50 lakh Coronahealth insurance for them.

Ganta makes movesto join YSRCP

Continued from Page 1

“Ganta made a clevermove after Vijaysai Reddywent into quarantine. Hegot in touch with someYSRCP leaders fromKrishna district, includinga Minister and managed tospeak to YS JaganmohanReddy. He might join theparty in August,’’ said asenior leader of the rulingparty.

Sources added that ifGanta makes it to theparty, he would be givenpriority over AvantiSrinivasa Rao. He is alsolikely to bring more lead-ers into the ruling partyfold and in the process ofweakening the TDP, whichhe believes has noprospects in the nearfuture.

However, some YSRCPsources say the rumour is

being spread intentional-ly targeting VijayasaiReddy and there is notruth in it.

Ganta, who was in theshipping logistics busi-ness, was initiated intopolitics by former minis-ter Ch Ayyanna Patrudu,who is now his archenemy.

He went on to win theAnakapalle Lok Sabha seatin 1999 and in 2004,entered the Assemblyfrom Chodavaram.

In 2009 he joined actorChiranjeevi’s Praja RajyamParty and won fromAnakapalle Assembly. Hebecame minister after PRPwas merged with theCongress.

He dumped theCongress for the TDP in2014 and became HRDminister and a powerfulleader in coastal Andhra.

NGT forms panel to probemishap at Vizag pharma unit

Continued from Page 1

Proceedings in NGT wereinitiated based on media reportthat massive fire engulfed thechemical plant of VisakhaSolvents Ltd, Vizag in July 13.

The incident is said to haveoccurred in the Coastal WasteManagement Project, a unit ofRamky Solvents.

The NGT said that it isprima facie clear that the acci-dent happened due to failure tocomply with the safety guide-lines and practices by the unitand its operators.

The tribunal said in view ofthe repeated failures of compli-ance of safety norms, there isa need for preventive action toavoid any such incidents.

The green panel said theChief Secretaries of the all theStates may hold meetings withconcerned officers and stake-holders within two weeks fromtoday to take stock of the sit-

uation and issue such direc-tions as may be found neces-sary.

The preventive action mayalso include mock-drills asstatutory requirement to beperformed under the 1989Rules.

The Committee may visitthe site, consider the viewpoint of all the stake holdersand give its report within threemonths by e-mail, the benchsaid.

CPCB will be the nodalagency for compliance, thetribunal said and directed theDistrict Magistrate to extendnecessary cooperation andfacilitate functioning of theCommittee.

The Chief Secretary, AndhraPradesh may identify and takeaction against persons respon-sible for failure in overseeingthe execution of on-site andoff-site emergency plans andholding of mock drills as per

statutory requirement, thebench said.

The tribunal noted that theheirs of the deceased havebeen paid a sum of Rs 35 lakhby the company and Rs 15 lakhwill be paid by the State.

A sum of Rs 20 lakh will bepaid to the injured. The com-pensation will be treated asinterim subject to determina-tion of final liability. Suitableinterim steps may be taken forrestoration of the environ-ment, pending preparation offinal restoration plan, thebench said.

Apart from the report of thecommittee, action takenreports may be filed by theChief Secretary, AndhraPradesh, State PCB, CPCB,District Magistrate,Visakhapatnam and the envi-ronment ministry before thenext date by e-mail.

The matter is listed for nexthearing on November 3.

Staff on ‘deputation’told to return to tribal areas

Continued from Page 1

Praveen Prakash further said that the ChiefMinister has taken serious note of the issue and haveasked him to convey that Speical Chief Secretaries,Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, HoDs andDistrict Collectors may review this situationunder their jurisdiction and ensure that these lien/informal attachment are cancelled in next 24 hours.

Cyber criminals dupe people with ‘e-SIM Swap'PNS n HYDERABAD

Cyber Criminals are adopting inno-vative ways to cheat the people byprocuring e-SIM card connectionand cheating the innocent cus-tomers. The Cyberabad CyberCrime Police received three com-plaints of victims who lost Rs 16 lakhthrough e-SIM SWAP.

A resident of Miyapur received amessage from QP-TXTSMS that

said, "Dear Customer YourSIM Card Will Be Blockedin 24 hours Please UpdateYour eKYC verificationThanks". After whichhe received a call fromthe customer care ofAirtel, who informedhim about sending a mes-sage and asked to update theKYC details online by forward-ing the email Id sent by him to the

Airtel Customer Care number. Accordingly, he forward-

ed the email Id receivedfrom the caller/fraudsterto the customer carenumber, after which hereceived a receipt of an

auto generated messagefrom Airtel about registra-

tion of e-mail Id for hismobile number. After which he

forwarded the e-SIM request to

Airtel by sending the mail Idreceived from the caller as instruct-ed by caller. On doing so, he againreceived an auto generated messagefrom Airtel, to go ahead with e-SIMenabled handset. Later he receiveda Google view form link on hismobile from the caller, on which hesubmitted his bank name and for-warded the same to the caller. Afterwhich his SIM card got blocked andan amount of Rs 9,20,897 was

deducted from his bank accounts.Similarly, a resident of Gachibowlilost Rs 5,94,799 and another victimlost Rs 1,03,990. In all three cases,the Cyber Police registered thecomplaints and have begun inves-tigating.

Police requested citizens to not tobelieve the messages or calls receivedfrom the Cyber fraudsters in thename of updation of KYC docu-ments.

YSRCP leadersrushing tohospitals inother states

Continued from Page 1

Incidentally, Rajya SabhaMember and YSRCP gener-al secretary Vijayasai Reddy,who is pitched as the No. 2in the ruling party, isbelieved to have been admit-ted to Apollo Hospitals,Hyderabad.

He did not confirm if hehas contracted the virus, buttweeted that he was isolatinghimself for 7-10 days.

Meanwhile, TDP AP pres-ident K Kala Venkatrao saidCoronavirus treatment andrelief were apparently not inthe government's prioritylist which was why virus pre-vention measures took aback seat from the begin-ning. Till now, the numberof coronavirus cases reached64,713 in the state and 823persons lost their lives due toinfection.

“It’s disturbing that APcrossed 50,000 cases in ashort time and stood in fifthplace in the country. Even inCorona tests, inordinatedelay was being causedwhich was leading to fasterspread of the disease,”Venkat Rao said.

UnfortunateGovernor has tointervene...

Continued from Page 1

On May 29, the High Court hadstruck down the Ordinance promul-gated on April 10 by the YSJaganmohan Reddy government,curtailing the tenure of the SECfrom five to three years.

It also quashed a GovernmentOrder appointing retired judge VKanagaraj as the new chief andrestored Ramesh Kumar as chief ofthe state poll panel.

Justice V Kanagaraj, a retiredjudge of the Madras High Court,had assumed charge as the SEC onApril 11, replacing Ramesh Kumar.

The High Court had delivered thejudgment on a batch of writ peti-tions, including the one by RameshKumar, challenging the Ordinanceand the appointment of a new SEC.

The YSR Congress governmenthad on April 10 abruptly removedRamesh Kumar from the post bypromulgating the ordinance,amending the AP Panchayat Raj Act,1994, curtailing the tenure of theSEC to three years from five.

AP clocks fresh single dayhigh of 8,147 Covid cases

Continued from Page 1

Guntur and Chittoor reported 703 and630 respectively. Also, the state saw 49more coronavirus fatalities in the last 24hours while 2,380 patients got cured anddischarged from hospitals. Of the freshdeaths, East Godavari district reported 11,Krishna nine, Kurnool eight, Srikakulamseven and West Godavari five. Kurnooltouched 150 in Covid-19 deaths, the high-est in the state, followed by Krishna 133and East Godavari 107.

Government to provide Remdesivir,‘Tocilizumab' for critical Covid-hit

Continued from Page 1

Hospitals will spend theallotted Rs 1,000 crore oninfrastructure, paramedicalstaff, doctor recruitment andhealth staff appointments.

Apart from this, the stategovernment is spendingabout Rs 6.5 crore a day onCovid-19 tests and quaran-tine facilities, said the ChiefMinister.

The officials also briefedthe Chief Minister on the

recruitment of specialists,doctors and paramedicalpersonnel who will be hiredover the next six months.This decision was made inthe last meeting by theChief Minister, keeping inview the possibility of anycomplications in the flow ofservices for Covid treat-ment.

The Chief Minister alsodirected the officials to focuson facilities in quarantinecentres.

Officials informed theChief Minister that they weremonitoring the situation ona daily basis.

In addition to this, theGovernment is going tospend Rs 5 crore on mealsand sanitation in all the quar-antine centres, they said.

The Chief Minister madeit clear to the officials thatthere should be no compro-mise in terms of providingthe best healthcare to thepeople of Andhra Pradesh.

Shutdown in Anakapalle for two days

Continued from Page 1

He said the cam-paign on the lockdownwas launched lastSaturday so that people

could prepare them-selves. Most of the peo-ple accepted the pro-posals, yet some volun-teers would movearound the town toassess the situation.

Telangana Congress laudsPV as ‘pride of the party'PNS n HYDERABAD

The year-old long birth centenarycelebrations of former PrimeMinister PV Narasimha Raobegan here on Friday with emi-nent personalities including for-mer President of India PranabMukherjee and ex-PrimeMinister Dr. Manmohan Singhparticipating in the virtual meet-ing organised by TelanganaPradesh Congress Committee(TPCC).

The main event was held atIndira Bhavan in Gandhi Bhavanpremises and it was connectedonline with Zoom App whichhad nearly 1,000 guests includ-ing former Union Ministers P.Chidambaram and JairamRamesh. The event was broad-cast live on social media plat-forms and displayed at giant

screens at all DCC offices andother places.

PVNR CentenaryCelebrations Committee chair-man Dr J Geetha Reddy, ChiefPatron and Narasimha Rao'sbrother PV Manohar Rao, hon-orary chairman V HanumanthaRao, vice-chairman D SridharBabu, CLP Leader Mallu BhattiVikramarka, CommitteeConvener B Mahesh KumarGoud and others also spoke onthe occasion.

Speaking on the occasion,TPCC president and NalgondaMP N Uttam Kumar Reddysaid that Narasimha Rao's polit-ical journey was truly inspiringas he began an ordinary Congressworker and later became thePrime Minister of India.Recalling his personal associa-tion, he said he used to have reg-

ular interactions with NarasimhaRao during his tenure in theRashtrapati Bhavan as the OSDto Presidents of India R.Venkatraman and Dr. ShankarDayal Sharma. He saidNarasimha Rao would beremembered for the land ceilingact and other reforms which heintroduced as then the ChiefMinister of combined AndhraPradesh. He said those landreforms helped lakhs of landlesspoor.

Uttam said that NarasimhaRao was a Congressman from hisbirth till death. He said previousCongress Government hadnamed Asia's longest elevatedcorridor after Narasimha Rao. Hesaid the Congress MLAs havealso moved a resolution in theAssembly seeking Bharat RatnaAward for Narasimha Rao.

Congress leaders during birth centenary celebrations of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in Hyderabad on Friday

Gang sellingCovid drugsbustedPNS n HYDERABAD

Officials of the Commissioner'sSpecial Operation Team,Madhapur Zone apprehendeda five member gang who wereinvolved in the black markettrade of the generic versions ofRemdesivir and Actemrawhich are being used forAntiviral medicine for Covid-19 patients.

The arrested were identifiedas Chamanthi Sagar Sandeep(32), Kandukuri Danunjai (34),Sara Sairam Mudiraj (32),Nakka Venkateshwar Rao (30)and Gadey Pramod (33). TheCovid-19 outbreak began inJanuary-2020. Based on vastpublicity of Antiviral Drugsnamely Remdesivir andActemra around the country,the demand for usage of thesemedicines increased within ashort period. The drug,Remdesivir has been manufac-turing by Hetero Companylocated unit at Sangareddy dis-trict. In this crisis, the accusedformed a group and startedblack marketing the emer-gency drug for Covid-19patients and to earn money ille-gally. Based on credible infor-mation, the SOT MadhapurZone Team apprehended theaccused persons and seized theantiviral drugs from them. ThePolice seized 15 Remdesivir100MG/20 ML injections, oneActemra 400 mg and Rs 49,120cash, all worth Rs 6,00,000 fromtheir possession. The accusedand seized material handedover to S.H.O. Chandanagar PSfor taking further action.

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2020 04

SHORT READS

Goa: Parrikar's sondefends meet withdisgruntled BJP leaderPANAJI: The son of late Goachief minister Manohar Parrikaron Friday said his loyaltytowards the BJP must not bequestioned just because he meta disgruntled party leader a dayearlier. Utpal Parrikar metformer MLA Kiran Kandolkarwho, a fortnight ago, hadthreatened to float his ownparty claiming he was notgetting respect in the BJP.Kandolkar met Utpal Parrikaron Thursday at the latter'sresidence, triggeringspeculation in the BJP.Speaking on the meeting, theformer CM's son said therewas nothing confidential aboutit, adding "if I wanted, I wouldhave avoided getting clickedwith him, or would have methim at a secret place". He saidKandolkar was among theleaders who worked with hislate father and, therefore, it washis duty to agree when theformer MLA asked for ameeting. "There should not beany doubt. I will follow theprinciples and footsteps of myfather," Utpal Parrikar added.

21 quintals ofpolythene seized inU’khand's Rishikesh

Two more CBI officersprobing Tuticorinkillings test positive

MADURAI: Two more officersof the CBI team that probed theTuticorin custodial death casetested positive for COVID-19 onFriday, while one of theaccused policemen is found tohave contracted the virus. TheCBI office cum quarters atAthikulam here, where theinvestigation was held and fourofficers from Delhi werestaying, has been sealed anddisinfected. While two officerstested positive for the virus onWednesday, the others onFriday, officials said. The policepersonnel arrested inconnection with the case andlodged in the central prisonhere has been placed underquarantine, they added. Thefather-son duo, Jeyaraj and hisson Bennicks died in a hospitalin Kovilpatti in Tuticorin district,after they were allegedlythrashed by the personnel atSathankulam police station. Thestate government hastransferred the case to CBIfollowing public outrage overthe incident. The CBI hasswung into action as soon as itreceived a reference from theCentre to proceed with itsinvestigation and haddispatched a team from itsspecial crime unit.

RISHIKESH: The RishikeshMunicipal Corporation hasseized 21 quintals of polythenefrom three people over the lasttwo days and imposed a fine ofRs 1.5 lakh on them, an officialsaid on Friday. The action wastaken as part of an ongoingdrive against polythene,Rishikesh Municipal Commi-ssioner Narendra Singh Quiriyalsaid. Use of polythene wasbanned in Uttarakhand in 2018.

PNS n MUMBAI

The Bombay High Court onFriday said the Maharashtragovernment and civic bodiesare obligated to adhere to theCentral Pollution ControlBoard's (CPCB) guidelineson the treatment and dispos-al of biomedical waste gener-ated during diagnosis andquarantine of COVID-19patients.

A division bench of ChiefJustice Dipankar Datta andJustice Madhav Jamdar direct-ed the state government, theMaharashtra State PollutionControl Board and civic bodiesto follow the guidelines for thedisposal of biomedical waste.

"It is the paramount duty ofthe state government to ensurethat the life of every citizen ispreserved and COVID- 19

pandemic does not take anyfurther toll," the court said.

The CPCB has issued guide-lines on June 10 to ensurehealthy living conditions ofeveryone in view of the pan-demic, the court said.

The bench was hearing apublic interest litigation filedby Dombivali resident KishorSohoni through his advocate

Sadhna Kumar, raising con-cerns over biomedical wastesuch as used PPE kits beingdumped on roads by theKalyan Dombivali MunicipalCorporation (KDMC).

Advocate SharmilaDeshmukh, appearing for theMPCB, told the court that anotice was issued to theKDMC over the incident.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath Friday askedofficials to work out a plan forenhancing the coronavirustesting capacity in the state toone lakh per day.

He also directed them toconduct door-to-door surveyin Lucknow, Ghaziabad,Kanpur Nagar, Varanasi,Allahabad, Gorakhpur andBallia districts, according to anofficial release.

In a meeting with seniorofficials, the chief ministeralso said testing more willhelp check the spread ofCOVID-19 infection.

In districts having a popu-lation of 30 lakhs or above,2,000 rapid antigen testsshould conducted daily, whilein others at least 1,000 tests, hesaid.

Besides, at least 35,000 testsshould be conducted dailyacross the state using the goldstandard RT-PCR method, hesaid.

He asked for effective med-ical screening by surveillanceteams which he said should bedone on a mission mode andwarned against any laxity.

He also asked districtadministrations to take neces-sary steps to use private hos-pitals as COVID-19 facility ifrequired. He also asked themto take the help of NCC cadetsand people associated withcivil defence for ensuring prop-er arrangements in coron-avirus containment zones.

Kidnapped Kanpur labtechnician killed: policePNS n KANPUR/LUCKNOW

A lab technician who was kid-napped a month back in Kanpurwas killed within a week of beingheld captive, police said onFriday, while eleven police per-sonnel, including two seniorofficers, were suspended forlaxity.

The man's family claimed thatRs 30 lakh ransom was paid forhis release in the presence ofpolice, but Circle Officer VikasPandey said the allegation wasnot true. Five people, includinga woman and two friends of SYadav, were arrested in connec-tion with the case, the policesaid.

Meanwhile, the governmentdirected Additional DirectorGeneral (ADG-PoliceHeadquarters) B P Jogdand toprobe whether any ransom waspaid by the family of the 27-year-old lab technician or not.

According to an officialspokesman in Lucknow, thegovernment has suspended SP

(South) Aprana Gupta and thencircle officer Manoj Gupta inpublic interest.

Besides the SSP has suspend-ed former SHO (Barra) RanjitRai, chowki incharge RajeshKumar and seven others — asub-inspector and six constables— for laxity in the investigation,the spokesman said.

Senior Superintendent ofPolice (Kanpur) Dinesh KumarPrabhu said a police probe con-firmed that Yadav was murderedby his abductors. He said thatseveral suspects were detainedand grilled intensively, and twoof them confessed to the crime.

Migrant labourer sells 15-day-oldbaby, police rescue babyPNS n KOKRAJHAR (ASSAM)

Driven by extreme poverty andlack of work during the COVID-19 crisis, a migrant labourer inAssam sold his 15-day-olddaughter for Rs 45,000 but policerescued the baby, officials said onFriday. The man and twowomen have been arrested onthe charge of human trafficking.

Dipak Brahma, a resident ofDhantola Mandaria, a forest vil-lage in Kokrajhar district, hadrecently returned from Gujarat,where he worked as a labourer.He was jobless and finding ithard to support his family,according to an official of anNGO working against humantrafficking.

After his return, the familystarted living at the house of hisin-laws in Kochugaon Patakatavillage in the same district. Thefamily still lived a hand-to-mouth existence, neighbourssaid. During these tough times,Brahma's wife gave birth to thegirl, their second daughter. Their

elder daughter is a year old,Nedan Foundation chairmanDigambar Narzary said.

"Brahma tried to find a jobduring the pandemic but it washard to come by. With almost alldoors to earn a living closed,Brahma decided to sell the new-born," he added. The man soldhis daughter to two women forjust Rs 45,000 on July 2 but kepthis wife in dark, Narzary said.

Brahma's wife and villagerslodged a complaint atKochugaon police station afterthey came to know about it later.

"On receiving the complaint,

police swung into action and res-cued the baby from the two sis-ters. We also arrested the man(Brahma)," police said.

During interrogation, the twowomen claimed that they hadbought the baby for a childlesscouple related to them.

"We are really thankful to thepolice for rescuing the baby. Butthe issue is of very seriousnature. Because of the lock-down, poor people do not haveany work. The situation is gettingworse for those living in forestvillages," Narzary said.

Lakhs of labourers returned totheir homes in Assam fromlarge cities outside the state afterthey became jobless during thelockdown. Though the stategovernment had announcedthat it will create job opportuni-ties for them through various ini-tiatives, including under theMahatma Gandhi NationalRural Employment GuaranteeAct (MGNREGA), the COVID-19 outbreak has badly hit mosteconomic activities in the state.

PNS n GOPALGANJ

The Gandak river breached anembankment at two places inGopalganj district of Biharon Friday, affecting at least50,000 people of 45 villages, anofficial said.

Three teams of NationalDisaster Response Force(NDRF) personnel are engagedin the evacuation of peopleaffected by floodwaters, DistrictMagistrate Arshad Aziz said.

The river turned turbulentfollowing a discharge of 4.36lakh cusecs of water from theValmikinagar barrage on July 21due to heavy rainfall in thecatchment areas in Nepal.

The Saran embankment wasbreached at Devapur village ofBarauli block and Puraina villageof Majha block, the DM said.

A ring bund was breached atJadavpur Rajwahi village and asluice gate broke at Devapur vil-lage under pressure from the ris-ing waters of the river, he said.

Efforts are also on to plug thebreaches, the DM said.

The river water has also over-topped NH 28 due to thebreaches, disrupting vehicularmovement between Gorakhpurin Uttar Pradesh and the districtsof Muzaffarpur, EastChamparan and WestChamparan in Bihar.

Train services on theDarbhanga-Samastipur routehave been suspended since 7 amdue to floodwaters touching agirder bridge near Hayaghat inDarbhanga district, East CentralRailway (ECR) CPRO RajeshKumar said.

Gandak river breachesembankment in Bihar

US-China conflict to impair globaltrade to affect India: Raghuram Rajann NEW YORK

As the US presidential electiondraws near, the conflict betweenAmerica and China will escalate,impairing global trade which is"extremely important" for emerg-ing markets like India and Brazilthat are re-opening amidstCOVID-19 pandemic, accordingto former RBI GovernorRaghuram Rajan. Cautioningthat there will be "deeply dam-aged firms" in the economy,Rajan said the post-pandemicrecovery has to be accompaniedby a process of repair.

"There's going to be enormousbankruptcies in the United Statescertainly and quite possibly inEurope also as we repair theeconomy, reallocate resources,restructure capital structures," hesaid on Thursday at the PanIITUSA virtual conference titled'The New Global EconomicNorm: Post CoVID-19'."Certainly as we get closer to theUS election, the conflict between

the US and China is going toincrease and that impairs globaltrade, which…is going to beextremely important going for-ward, especially for emergingmarkets like India, Brazil,Mexico, which are going to besignificantly impaired by thevirus and need some source ofdemand to pull them out as theystart opening up again," he said.

The US election will be heldon November 3. The contest is

between incumbent PresidentDonald Trump and Democraticpresidential candidate Joe Biden.

"Global trade is going to be animportant factor if they canjump on to it, whether it's tradein goods and services or trade indigital services, it's going to bevery important and our countriesdesperately need an open world,"Rajan said.

Rajan, an IIT Delhi graduateand the Katherine Dusak Miller

Distinguished Service Professorof Finance at University ofChicago Booth School ofBusiness, said that containmentof the coronavirus in countrieslike the US and India has nothappened despite lockdowns,while in some countries contain-ment has been a 2-2.5 monthprocess and virus cases have beenbrought down to the single dig-its leading to re-openings.

"There are countries, of coursethe United States being a primeexample, but also India as well asBrazil, Mexico where the con-tainment has not happeneddespite lockdowns, despite enor-mous costs. As a result, the costof the virus is going to be signif-icantly greater than for the coun-tries that have been successful,"he said.

Rajan said that for countries likeIndia and the US that are still bat-tling the virus, the main issue rightnow is to contain the virus, evenas he asserted that "unfortunate-ly the spread has become signifi-cant enough that containment isgoing to be very difficult". "Thiscreates an enormous amount ofuncertainty because businessesdon't know whether there'll befresh lockdowns and how difficultthey will be. Some states in the USare talking about fresh lockdowns,some states in India are talkingabout lockdowns and have actu-ally sort of implemented some ofthose right now," he said.

WHO chief scientistsees no herd immunityn LONDON

The chief scientist at the WorldHealth Organization estimatesthat about 50 per cent to 60per cent of the population willneed to be immune to thecoronavirus for there to be anyprotective “herd immunity”effect.

Herd immunity is usuallyachieved through vaccinationand occurs when most of apopulation is immune to a dis-ease, blocking its continuedspread. During a social mediaevent on Friday, Dr. SoumyaSwaminathan said that studiesdone from some countries hithard by COVID-19 show thatabout 5 per cent to 10 per centof people now have antibod-ies, though in some countries,it has been as high as 20 percent.

She says: “As there are wavesof this infection going throughcountries, people are going todevelop antibodies and thosepeople will hopefully beimmune for sometime so theywill also act as barriers and

brakes to the spread." Otherexperts have estimated that asmuch as 70 per cent to 80 percent of the population need tohave antibodies before there isany herd immunity effect.

In the pandemic's earlierstages, countries includingBritain proposed achievingherd immunity as an out-break response strategy. ButSwaminathan pointed out thatachieving this effect with avaccine is much safer than let-ting the virus rip through thepopulation.

"Global trade is going

to be an important

factor if they can

jump on to it, whether

it's trade in goods and

services or trade in

digital services, it's

going to be very

important and our

countries desperately

need an open world,"

Rajan said

Must follow CPCB norms for disposalof biomedical waste: HC to govt

Soil from RSS HQsent to Ayodhyafor Ram temple ‘bhoomi pujan'PNS n NAGPUR

Soil from the RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh (RSS)headquarters here has beensent to Ayodhya for the August5 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony ofthe Ram temple, a VHP func-tionary said on Friday. Talkingto PTI, Govind Shende, theVidarbha prant pramukh ofVishva Hindu Parishad (VHP),said that soil from a temple inRamtek and water from theconfluence of five rivers, bothnear Nagpur city, have also beensent for the upcoming event."Earlier, it was decided that soiland water from different placesin the country, including thereligious places, would be col-lected and people in thousandswould go for the bhoomi pujanof Ram temple in March.

Raise daily Covid testing to 1 lakh, conductdoor-to-door survey: Yogi to officials

In districts havinga population of 30lakhs or above,2,000 rapidantigen testsshould conducteddaily, while inothers at least1,000 tests, YogiAdityanath said

Vivian remembered as courageous,humble Civil Rights warriorn ATLANTA

The nation paid its final respectsThursday to the Rev. C.T. Vivian,a pioneer of the Civil RightsMovement who helped end seg-regation across the South and leftan abiding imprint on U.S. his-tory. Vivian, a close ally of theRev. Martin Luther King Jr.,was mourned by civil rights iconsalong with TV personality andauthor Oprah Winfrey and base-ball legend Hank Aaron — bothof whom delivered remarks viapre-recorded video — during afuneral at Providence MissionaryBaptist Church in Atlanta. Viviandied July 17 at age 95.

“C.T. was truly a remarkableman, a man whose physicalcourage was exceeded only by hismoral courage, whose capacityfor love overwhelmed incrediblehatreds, whose faith and thepower of nonviolence helped for-ever change our nation," formerVice President Joe Biden said ina video tribute aired during the

service. “In Illinois, and inTennessee and Florida, andMississippi — in the north andin the south — CT was therefighting to turn us back towardjustice,” Biden added.

Vivian's death came the sameday as the passing of another civilrights icon, U.S. Rep. John Lewis,80. In 1965, Alabama state troop-ers beat Lewis in Selma,Alabama, helping to galvanize

national opposition to racialsegregation. Details of Lewis'funeral have yet to beannounced. At Vivian's funeralin Atlanta on Thursday, those inattendance were reminded toremain socially distanced due tothe coronavirus pandemic. Manyof those who eulogized Viviandescribed him as a courageoussoldier for God and civil rightswho always remained humble.

Powerlifterdoes his bit fordignified burialof Covid victimsPNS n BENGALURU

For someone who has lifted 295kg without break much sweat,famed powerlifter MohammedAzmathulla feels the pain ofcarrying the bodies of COVID-19 victims, as he goes about giv-ing a dignified burial to them."The pain I experience whilecarrying the body of someonewho has died due to coron-avirus can't be explained," thechampion powerlifter said. Ascoronavirus now carries a stig-ma borne out of public fear,many people avoid touchingvictims' bodies, protest againsttheir cremation or burial in thevicinity and look at the relativesof the deceased with fear.Azmathulla, fondly calledAzmat, has taken up the task ofgiving a dignified burial tocoronavirus victims and hasassociated himself with theMercy Mission for the purpose.

Trump scraps Jacksonville Republicanconvention due to virus spiken WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump hascancelled the mega Jacksonvilleportion of the RepublicanNational Convention to be heldnext month due to the coron-avirus "flare-up" in Florida, amajor setback in his re-electionbid. The move is a striking turn-around for Trump, who movedthe three-day convention toJacksonville after NorthCarolina's governor raised pub-lic health concerns about havingmassive gatherings in Charlotte,as the Republicans had longplanned.

At a White House news con-ference on Thursday, the presi-dent said he took the decisionowing to a spike in coronaviruscases in Florida. "The timing forthis event is not right, it just notright with what has happenedrecently the flare up in Florida tohave a big convention it's not theright time," he said.

Trump, who is trailing

behind his Democratic Partyrival Joe Biden in some of therecent opinion polls, said hetook the decision to protect thepeople of his country.

"I have to protect theAmerican people; that is whatI have always done. That iswhat I always will do, that iswhat I am about," he said aftera meeting with his politicalteam at the White House.

Florida has one of the worst

coronavirus outbreaks in theUS. The state had 389,868 cases,the third-highest in the countrybehind California and New York,according to COVID DataTracker from the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention.

A total of 5,632 people havedied in Florida since the pan-demic began.

Trump said the politicalteam told him they can "makethis (convention) work very

easily" and there was "greatenthusiasm" for it, but he madethe decision considering thesafety of the people.

"I said there's nothing moreimportant in our country thankeeping our people safe whetherthat's from the China virus or theradical-left mob that you see inPortland where I want to thankHomeland Security and others inlaw enforcement for doing a fan-tastic job over the last few days,”Trump said.

Trump's last-minute decisionto cancel the event follows ascramble by the RepublicanParty over the last few months totry and hold a conventionalparty gathering in spite of theraging pandemic that has alreadykilled over 140,000 Americans.

The delegates to the conven-tion will still meet in Charlotteto hold small, formal businessmeetings as planned in August,but Trump's keynote Jacksonvillespeech will no longer take place,US media reports said.

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2020 nation 05

SHORT READS

Akhilesh slams UPgovt over law andorder situationLUCKNOW: Lashing out at theYogi Adityanath governmentover the killing of a labtechnician in Kanpur, SamajwadiParty supremo Akhilesh Yadavon Friday demanded thatPresident's Rule be imposed inthe state. He also announced anassistance of Rs 5 lakh for thefamily of the technician. The labtechnician, who was kidnappedlast month, was killed within aweek of being held captive andthe body was thrown in a river,police said. "The news of deathof man kidnapped in Kanpur issaddening. Governmentremained inactive after warning.Now the government shouldgive at least Rs 50 lakh to theaggrieved family. SP will give Rs5 lakh to the family," the SPpresident said in a tweet inHindi. "Where are those with'divya shakti' (divine power) andhis 'bhayotpadak' (fear creating)'prabhamanda' (aura) and his'gyan mandali' (those giving himfeedback)" Yadav tweeted with ahashtag "#PresidentRuleInUP".The UP government on Fridaysuspended four police person-nel, including an Additional SPand a Circle Officer, for laxity inthe probe into the case.

Man held for sexuallyabusing minor boy inMumbai

Delhi: Man held forraping minor nieceNEW DELHI: A man wasarrested for allegedly raping hisminor niece in south Delhi'sKotla Mubarakpur area, policesaid on Friday. The victim isaround 15-years-old and worksas a domestic help, they said.The accused is the maternaluncle of the girl and lives inPillanji area of Kotla. The victimhad come to his house onThursday night as she wasunwell, a senior police officersaid. A case under section 376and POCSO act has beenregistered and further investiga-tion is underway, police said.

Mumbai, A 25-year-old manwas arrested for allegedlysexually abusing an eight-year-boy at Dharavi in CentralMumbai, police said on Friday.The incident took place onThursday afternoon atGanpatipada Chawl on M GRoad, an official said. Theaccused lured the victim to hishouse with the promise ofgiving him toys and sexuallyabused him, he said. Thearrested accused alsothreatened the child of direconsequences if he told anyoneabout the incident, the officialsaid. A case under relevantsections of the IPC andProtection of Children fromSexual Offences (POCSO) Acthas been registered against theaccused, he said.

Swiss attorney general offersto resign in FIFA case falloutn BERN (SWITZERLAND)

Swiss attorney general MichaelLauber offered to resign Fridayin the latest fallout from meet-ings he had with FIFA presi-dent Gianni Infantino duringa sprawling investigation intosoccer corruption.

Lauber offered his resigna-tion to the parliamentary judi-cial commission ahead of thepublication of a federal courtruling in his appeal againstbeing disciplined in Marchfor misconduct.

Lauber said he continued todispute the allegation that helied.

“However, the fact that I amnot believed as the attorneygeneral is detrimental to thefederal prosecution office,” hesaid in a statement.

The internal disciplinarycase against Lauber included ameeting he had with Infantinoin June 2017 at a hotel in Bern

at which the prosecutor tookno notes. Lauber and Infantinoboth later said they could notrecall what was discussed.

Lauber had previouslyacknowledged two undeclaredmeetings he had in 2016 withthe recently elected Infantinowhen they were reported in theFootball Leaks series of confi-dential documents inNovember 2018.

In 2018, Lauber called a

news conference and said thefirst two meetings withInfantino were justifiableexchanges with FIFA's newleader about long-runninginvestigations affecting thesoccer body.

However, the third 2017meeting remained secret forseveral more months. InMarch, a federal oversightpanel deducted 8% of Lauber'snear-$300,000 yearly salary.

Hopeful India will organisesporting events in Sept-Oct: RijijuPNS n NEW DELHI

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju ishoping India would be abe toorganise sporting events in aphased manner by September-October, saying it will help inboosting the confidence of peo-ple amid the COVID-19 pan-demic. The Sports Ministry hadresumed training camps of someOlympics disciplines in the lastweek of May and Rijiju saidevents will also gradually start inthe near future.

"The government has allowedsome sporting activities withcertain restrictions while fol-lowing a stringent SOP, theguidelines that must be followedby every sporting organisation,"Rijiju said while addressing aministerial forum ofCommonwealth countries onThursday. "I am happy to informthat the training of our elite,Olympic-bound athletes hasbegun in specialised camps,

recently." During his address,Rijiju shared India's road toresumption of sports activities forthe post COVID-19 era.

"I have also spoken to thesports ministers of all states andunion territories, as well as theNational Sports Federations andasked them to slowly resumesome sporting events.

"We need that to boost theconfidence of people. I am hope-ful India will have sporting

events from September orOctober, even the big leagues invarious sports are consideringresumption." The minister alsoenlightened the Commonwealthleaders about India's efforts insuccessfully running onlinetraining programmes for athletesand skill upgradation courses forcoaches. "We have seen partici-pation from thousands of athletesof various levels and coaches whohave been hugely benefitted by

these knowledge enhancementprogrammes," he said.

Speaking at the global forum,which saw participation from allCommonwealth countries, Rijijuadded, "As members ofCommonwealth nations we needto stand in solidarity on allissues, especially at a time likethis. Most of the points raisedhere by Ministers from othercountries are similar to that ofIndia's."

PNS n CHANDIGARH

A 38-year-old man has beenarrested in Haryana's Jind districtafter he confessed to killing hisfive children in the last four years,including two of them recently,a senior police official said onFriday.

The man, identified only asJumma, is a labourer and belongsto a village in Safidon in Jind, hesaid, adding that his wife is preg-nant with the sixth child.

The bodies of two of hisdaughters, ages 11 and 7, wererecovered from the Hansi-Butana Link canal near hishome in Didwara village onJuly 20, five days after theaccused had lodged a policecomplaint stating the duo hadgone missing.

However, during the course ofinvestigation, Jumma keptchanging his statements whichraised suspicion, Jind Assistant

Superintendent of Police (ASP)Ajit Singh Shekhawat told PTIover the phone.

The police presumed that hewas under mental stress due tothe death of his children and didnot subject him to sustainedquestioning at the moment.

The village panchayat waslater involved in the investiga-tion, and the man confessedbefore them and later, the police,that he killed his five children.

Jumma admitted that hedrugged his two minor daugh-

ters and threw them in thecanal a few days ago, the ASPsaid.

"We arrested him onThursday evening, and he hasbeen charged with murder," saidShekhawat.

Earlier, Jumma's three chil-dren, all below 11, had also diedmysteriously.

At that time, he had told hisneighbours that one of his sonsdied in sleep, a daughter diedwhile playing and another sonstarted vomiting and died.

"He has now confessed that hekilled those three children aswell. While two of them werestrangulated by him, one wasadministered a poisonous tablet,"the police officer said.

Shekhawat said in the recentcase, while the accused admin-istered some intoxicants to twoof his daughters before throwingthem in the canal, he had alsogiven some drugs to his wife.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The CBI Friday conductedsearches at three locations inDelhi and Noida in connectionwith an alleged bank loanfraud of Rs 190 crore, officialssaid.

The agency conductedsearches after registering anFIR against Shri Sidhdata IspatPvt. Ltd., GovardhanIndustries Pvt. Ltd., ShriSidhdata Steel Tubes,Sudershan Tubes and otherson a complaint by Bank ofBaroda, they said.

"It was alleged in the com-plaint that the accused cheat-ed Bank of Baroda to the tuneof Rs. 190.76 crore (excludinginterest) by way of availing var-ious credit facilities, on thebasis of submitting fake doc-uments to the bank...," CBIspokesperson RK Gaur said.

It was also alleged that theydiverted the funds fraudu-lently for the purpose otherthan they were sanctioned for,he said.

"Searches have been con-ducted today at two places inNoida (UP) and one place inDelhi which led to recovery ofincriminating documents/material;" he said.

Haryana man arrested for killing hisfive children in last four years: Police

Gehlot accuses Raj guv underpressure to not call assembly sessionPNS n JAIPUR

Rajasthan Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot accusedGovernor Kalraj Mishra onFriday of being under pressureto not call an assembly session.

Gehlot said the state govern-ment requested the governorto call a session, but he had notyet issued the order.

"We want an assembly ses-sion from Monday," the chiefminister told reporters outsidethe hotel where the legislatorssupporting him are camping."The governor is not givingorders for calling assemblysession under pressure."

After the recent cabinet meet-ing, Gehlot said, the governorwas requested through a letter tohold assembly session to discusspolitical situation, review thecoronavirus pandemic and its

effects on the state's economicsituation. "We hoped that gov-ernor would issue an order tocall assembly session yesterdaynight itself. I waited overnightbut still there is no reply from hisside," he said.

"It is beyond our compre-hension because simple proce-dures are adopted. The gover-nor has to give orders. There

is no reason for him to stop."The chief minister said the

governor was holding a consti-tutional post and he shouldimmediately take a decision tomaintain the dignity of post.

"Otherwise, all our MLAswill come to Raj Bhawan andcollectively request you pleasegive your decision immediate-ly," he said.

Congress,supportingMLAs arrive atRaj Bhawan PNS n JAIPUR

Rajasthan Congress legisla-tors and MLAs supportingthe party have reached theRaj Bhawan here to collec-tively request GovernorKalraj Mishra to convene asession of the Assembly.

Accompanied by ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot, theyarrived in four buses from ahotel on the city outskirtswhere they have been camp-ing for the past few days.

Before the visit, Gehlotcalled their meeting at thehotel and also addressedmediapersons, telling themthat the Congress wants anAssembly session fromMonday. Earlier in the day,Gehlot alleged the governorwas under pressure to not callan Assembly session.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The phase-I human clinical trialof India's first indigenously-developed vaccine against novelcoronavirus, Covaxin, began atthe AIIMS here on Friday withthe first dose of the injectiongiven to a man, who is in his 30s.

Already, over 3,500 volunteershave registered themselves for thetrial at AIIMS since last Saturday,of whom the screening of at least22 people is underway, said DrSanjay Rai, Professor at theCentre for Community Medicineat AIIMS and the principalinvestigator of the study.

"The first volunteer, a residentof Delhi, was screened two daysago and all his health parameterswere found to be within the nor-mal range. He also does not haveany co-morbid conditions.

"The first dose of 0.5 ml intra-muscular injection was given tohim around 1.30 pm. No imme-diate side-effects have beenobserved so far. He was underobservation for two hours and

will be monitored for the nextseven days," Rai said.

Few more participants wouldbe given the vaccine on Saturdayafter their screening reportscome.

AIIMS-Delhi is among the 12sites selected by the IndianCouncil for Medical Research(ICMR) for conducting phase Iand II randomised, double-blind,placebo-controlled clinical trialsof Covaxin.

In phase I, the vaccine would

be tested on 375 volunteers andthe maximum of 100 of themwould be from AIIMS. The second phase would includearound 750 volunteers from all12 sites together, Rai said.

Phase I of the vaccine trial willbe done on healthy people aged18-55 years having no co-mor-bid conditions. Women with nopregnancy will also be selected tobe a part of the trial in the firstphase.

In the second phase, 750 peo-

ple will be recruited between 12-65 years, AIIMS Director DrRandeep Guleria had said.

Already, around 1,800 volun-teers have registered themselvesfor the trial at AIIMS, he hadsaid. "In the first phase we see thesafety of the vaccine which is ofprimary importance and thedose range is also calculated," hesaid.

There are three formulationsof the vaccine, and each subjectwill be given any one of the for-mulation in two doses two weeksapart.The first 50 will get the low-est strength dose of the vaccine.If it is found to be safe in them,then it will be given to another50 patients in high doses, acord-ing to Rai.

COVID-19 vaccine candidateCovaxin, developed by theHyderabad-based Bharat Biotechin collaboration with the ICMRand the National Institute ofVirology (NIV), had recently gotthe nod for human clinical trialsfrom the Drugs ControllerGeneral of India (DCGI).

PHASE-I HUMAN CLINICAL TRIAL

30 workers stuck in UAEdue to pending finesPNS n DUBAI

Thirty Indian workers arestranded here in the UAE as theywere stopped from boarding arepatriation flight after theyfailed to pay the fine for stayingin the country with expired visas,according to a media report onFriday. Forty Rajasthani con-struction workers were to boarda charter flight repatriatingIndians to Jaipur on July 17, theGulf News reported. Of them,only 10 could clear the immigra-tion check as the rest had finedues, the report said.

“Some of us are on visit visaswhile some others' residencevisas have already expired. Wedidn't know we would have topay fines. Some have fines ofabout 10,000 dirham (Rs2,03,700) to 11,000 dirham (Rs2,24,000) while others havesmaller amounts of fines,” one of

the workers told the newspaper.The stranded labourers decid-

ed to stay put at the airport asthey had zero earnings in the lastfew months. "The company hadbooked our tickets. But, whenwe couldn't fly, they asked us togo back to the accommodation.There was no point in goingback to the empty rooms wherewe spent months withoutsalaries. We had already givenaway all our foodstuff to otherworkers in the neighbouringaccommodations," anotherworker told the newspaper.

Muted response to plasma donation,doctors reason baseless fears PNS n NEW DELHI

The response to a call for donat-ing convalescent plasma forCOVID-19 patients in Delhihas been "lukewarm", doctorssaid on Friday and attributed itto unfounded apprehensionsabout associated health risksand the tendency to put offdonation for any future need offamily members.

Just about 320 people havedonated plasma in Delhi sincethe initiative began on July 2,whereas more than 1,00,000COVID-19 patients haverecovered till July 23, accord-ing to officials.

Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal on Thursday said thegovernment would provide plas-ma for free and people do notneed to buy or sell it. The CMand other senior members of thegovernment have repeatedlyappealed to people, who haverecovered from COVID-19, todonate plasma to other patients.

But the response to the callshas been muted at the first-of-its-kind 'plasma bank', inauguratedby Kejriwal at ILBS here on July2, and another one opened a

week ago at LNJP Hospital, adedicated coronavirus facility.

"At ILBS, while on the open-ing day, 10 donors had come,mostly the hospital staff who hadearlier been infected withCOVID-19, now the daily aver-age is about 15, which makes itaround 300 donations in total tilldate, a rather lukewarmresponse," a senior official of thefacility told PTI.

This is despite the fact that to-and-fro transportation facilitiesand food are provided to thedonors at the Institute of Liverand Biliary Science (ILBS).

"The main reason behind this

low response...is that people arestill feeling apprehensive eventhough there is no risk involved,"the official, also a doctor, said.

At LNJP Hospital's plasmabank, 30 donors have volun-teered till July 23, but 11 wererejected, as they could not fulfilthe eligibility guidelines.

"So, effectively, we are left with19 donations which is not a veryencouraging number, and someof which have been used already.But it is heartening that youngpeople, mostly in the age groupof 20-40, are donating theirplasma," Medical Director, LNJPHospital, Dr Suresh Kumar, said.

CBI raids 3 Delhi-NCR locationsin Rs 190 crore bank fraud case

COVID-19: ‘Jantacurfew' inNagpur city onSaturday, SundayPNS n NAGPUR

A 'janta curfew' will beimposed in Nagpur city ofMaharashtra on Saturday andSunday to curb the risingnumber of coronavirus cases,the civic chief said on Friday.

Nagpur municipal com-missioner Tukaram Mundheannounced the impositionof 'janta curfew' on Saturdayand Sunday (July 25 & 26) inthe city. A decision to thiseffect was taken at a meetingof elected representatives andthe civic administration here.More details were awaited.

Border row with Chinafigures in Rajnath's talkswith Israeli ministerPNS n NEW DELHI

Defence Minister RajnathSingh on Friday held a tele-phonic conversation with hisIsraeli counterpart Lt GenBenjamin Gantz during whichIndia's border row with Chinain eastern Ladakh figuredprominently, governmentsources said.

The main focus of the talkswas speedy implementation ofongoing defence procurementprogrammes as well as furtherexpansion of overall defenceand security ties between thetwo countries, they said.

The sources said Singhapprised Gantz about majorreforms initiated by India inthe defence manufacturingsector and called for greater

part ic ipat ion of Israel idefence firms in joint-devel-opment of weapons and mil-itary hardware with Indiancompanies.

The border row betweenIndia and China figured in theconversation, they said with-out elaborating.

“However, thefact that I am notbelieved as theattorney generalis detrimental tothe federalprosecutionoffice,” he said ina statement

The governmenthas allowed somesporting activitieswith certain restri-ctions while follow-ing a stringent SOP,the guidelines thatmust be followedby every sportingorganisation: Rijiju

Man given first dose of potentialCovid-19 vaccine at AIIMS

It was also allegedthat they divertedthe funds fraudu-lently for thepurpose other thanthey were sanction-ed for, he said

The COVID-19 pandem-ic has sidelined the issueof climate change. Thiscan have very seriousconsequences given that

the matter had been receiving farfrom adequate attention even beforethe virus began its global surge. Twothings have been impeding progress.First, leaders like US PresidentDonald Trump and President JairBolsonaro of Brazil are known to bedismissive of the environmentalthreat. The second is a lack of willon the part of governments andpeople to take effective preventiveaction.

A recent report in The NewYork Times, (last updated on July 15)by Nadja Popovich, Livia Albeck-Ripka and Kendra Pierre-Louis,cites a New York Times analysis,based on research by Harvard andColumbia law schools and othersources, saying that the Trumpadministration has officiallyreversed, revoked or otherwiserolled back nearly 70 environmen-tal rules and regulations. Morethan 30 other rollbacks are works inprogress.

A report by Sarah Gibbens inthe National Geographic, publishedon February 1, 2019, mentions 15important decisions by the Trumpadministration that would adverse-ly impact the environment. The list,which starts with the US withdraw-al from the Paris ClimateAgreement, includes decisions thatwould undo measures to ensureclean power and fuel, prevent airpollution and protect wildlife.Besides, the Trump administrationhas opened up public land to busi-ness and dropped climate changefrom the list of national securitythreats. Bolsonaro’s policies regard-ing de-regulation of economic activ-ity and tax cuts to encourage FDIare liable to severely damage theenvironment and devastate thelives of Brazil’s indigenous commu-nities.

As to the lack of will to take pre-ventive action against climatechange, one must begin by recog-nising that the task here is vast anddaunting, requiring basic and trans-formational changes in the patternof development followed by mostcountries since the industrial revo-lution in the second half of the 18thcentury. Whether in the form ofsteam produced by burning coal orelectricity generated by coal-basedthermal power plants, diesel orpetrol combustion, it has been dri-ven by fossil-based fuel, the burn-

ing of which has been a potentcause of air pollution. The insti-tutional structures, managementand/or administrative proce-dures, communication systemsand, in more recent times, infor-mation transfer and processing,have all been based on this formof energy utilisation.

Clearly, the pattern of fueluse has to change. Of course, theuse of fossil-based fuel cannot begiven up immediately. It has to begradually reduced and alternativeforms of energy have to be har-nessed. Hydro electricity is a safebet but its generation is limitedby the availability of dam sitesand water. The world has takenbaby steps towards the utilisationof solar and wind (throughwindmills) power. Even thoughthe potential of both are yet to befully grasped, it is doubtfulwhether they can by themselvesmeet the steady, gargantuanincrease in global energydemands that will continue.

This leaves one with nuclearenergy. It produces zero-carbonemission as it is generatedthrough nuclear fission andrequires less land to producemore electricity than any otherclean air source. The second isimportant at a time when find-ing land for establishing powerplants often prompts massprotests against land acquisi-tion, particularly in India. Againstthis, there is still a problem of

waste disposal, though technol-ogy is taking care of it throughits re-processing and re-cyclingto generate nuclear power.

The major fear, of course, isof the spread of radiation throughaccidents like the ones thatoccurred at the Three-MileIsland in the US in 1979,Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986and Fukushima Daiichi in Japanin 2011. Clearly, one has to pro-ceed very carefully and slowly ingenerating and harnessingnuclear power. Indeed, what oneneeds is a mix in generation pat-terns to cater to diverse con-sumption demands with localvariations. Solar panels, for exam-ple, have already begun provid-ing household power.

The mix will have to be dif-ferent for different countries andeven regions, depending on thenature of power demand. Thiswill require planning at the inter-national, national and regionallevels and also huge amounts ofinvestment for which the devel-oping countries would requireassistance. The World Bank hasincreased climate-related spend-ing and the United NationsEnvironment Programme(UNEP) has set climate changeas a priority in its capacity-building efforts. These efforts areconstrained, however, by fund-ing, that is not commensuratewith the scale of the challenge aswell as by deeper challenges in

the development aid model.Under former President BarrackObama, the US had pledgedthree billion dollars to the GreenClimate Fund — a global reservefund created to, among otherthings, help developing countriesinvest in renewable and low-emission technologies. A sum ofone billion dollars had alreadybeen given during his tenure inoffice. Trump has pledged nomoney to the fund.

The question of funds is par-ticularly important in respect ofthe introduction of technologiesto reduce emissions. An exam-ple is the Carbon Capture andStorage technology, whichfocusses on securing and storingcarbon dioxide emissions beforethey are released into the atmos-phere. Although it is still in itsearly stages, successful pilot pro-jects offer hope of developing andimplementing it on a large scale.Some countries are committed toimplementing variations of itand both bilateral and multilat-eral cooperation is under way.One, however, has still to waitand watch as implementing it ona large scale can be expensivebeside offering few obvious eco-nomic benefits.

Meeting the costs of imple-menting such technologies,indeed of all measures against cli-mate change, will require polit-ical will. This takes us back to thesecond factor — identified at the

beginning of this piece as imped-ing the fight against climatechange — the lack of will on thepart of governments and peopleto take effective preventive action.Governments are constrainedby groups whose incomes andprofits are going to be reduced bythe implementation of climatechange measures as well as thecompulsion of having to decideamong diverse demands on theirresources. People are generallyhostage to their existing ways oflife. This applies especially to theelite, who decide on policiesand measures in every societyand who enjoy all the comforts— like air conditioning, which ishighly polluting, and conve-niences that present technology-powered civilisation has broughtthem.

The answer lies in develop-ing and introducing non-pollut-ing technologies relating to heat-ing/cooling, transportation, cul-tivation, construction and allother human activities. Themoney and effort needed have tobe forthcoming, the COVID-19pandemic and the disruptioncaused by it notwithstanding. Itis important to recall here that theParis Agreement on climatechange, signed on December 12,2015, calls for holding theincrease in global average tem-perature to well below two degreeCelsius above the pre-industrial-revolution level and to try to limitthe temperature increase to 1.5degree Celsius above it, statingthat this would significantlyreduce the risks and impact of cli-mate change. The Special Reporton Global Warming of 1.5°C,released by theIntergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) atIncheon, South Korea, onOctober 7, 2018, makes the chill-ing statement that at the currentrate, the global mean temperatureis likely to rise to the 1.5-degreemark sometime between 2030and 2052.

The world has alreadywarmed one degree Celsius sincethe industrial revolution. Hence,it is really a question of anotherhalf degree. Further, the reportclearly indicates that warming,even if limited to 1.5 degreesCelsius, would not reduce therisks and impact of climatechange. Sea levels will continueto rise beyond 2100, threateningcoastal ecosystems and infra-structure. Flooding, drought andextreme weather events willwreak havoc on communitiesaround the globe. Many specieswill continue to be driven towardextinction and marine ecosys-tems could face “irreversibleloss.” The is long and written onthe wall. Humankind will ignoreit at its own peril.

(The writer is ConsultantEditor, The Pioneer, and author)

In a clear signal to Beijing that aggression on the bor-ders will have cascading economic costs, India restrict-ed bidders from countries with which it shares land

borders from participating in tenders for Governmentprocurement on grounds of national security. It, how-ever, exempted those nations to which it provides linesof credit or developmental assistance. So this moveeffectively confines the trade barriers to China andPakistan. However, in view of the pandemic, it hasallowed relaxations in medical supplies from China tillDecember 31. But this seems to be a half-measure asthe private sector has been exempted from such restric-

tions. This could be due to India Inc’s reluctance to sever all ties with China, given howdeep the supply chain of raw materials, intermediates and components runs, and the absenceof an alternative sourcing hub. Now bidders for Government contracts have to addition-ally register with a committee and must have clearances from the Ministries of Externaland Home Affairs. In effect, this move will block the supply of stationery, turbines andtelecom equipment as well as stall road and power contracts to public utility firms thathave a link with China.

The move follows the Chinese reluctance to pull back after partly complying with amutual agreement to disengage along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. Chinais simply not willing to give up its strategic gains on spurs as peacetime compliance wouldmean India would have the advantage. Since diplomacy doesn’t seem to be working, theGovernment has slowly and wherever feasible tried to reduce economic dependencies.In April, FDI policy mandated Government clearance for all inflows from neighbours, againread China, to prevent ambush and takeover of weaker companies. India has already can-celled telecom equipment, railway and road tenders secured by Chinese companies andbarred 59 Chinese apps. Now it is looking at ending its dependence on China for solarpanels and power equipment. While these moves will help India become self-reliant, spurringmanufacturing within the nation, the barriers will hurt MSMEs and small businesses asthey will lose access to cheaper accessories and inputs. Besides, they do not have theinfrastructure to roll put competitively priced and quality finished goods. China accountsfor five per cent of India’s exports and 14 per cent of imports. What we import from Chinais a paltry three per cent of its total exports. China’s imports from India are less than oneper cent of its global sourcing. What we need is a reasoned, graded, incentivised andscaling up of capacities. Correcting imbalances takes time but there has to be a begin-ning. Looks like India is willing to bear costs in the short term for longer atmanirbharata.

After the Supreme Court’s observation that no partycould suppress the “voice of dissent” in a democ-racy by disqualifying members holding a differ-

ent viewpoint under the anti-defection law, thereby hold-ing on to power, it was clear the way things would goin Rajasthan. So it came as no surprise that the RajasthanHigh Court stopped the Speaker from taking actionagainst now-sacked deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilotand other rebel Congress leaders. The breather holdstill Monday when the Supreme Court is to take up theHigh Court judgment as desired by the RajasthanSpeaker. And since the top court will need some time

to deliberate and define the larger constitutional question of the Speaker’s powers andwhether his moves were neutral or biased, there could be some more delay for the stale-mate to be resolved. In fact, the High Court reprieve gave further credence to Pilot’s con-tention that he was not against the party but the Chief Minister, making it look like an ego-istic contest of the liked and the unliked. The Ashok Gehlot Government, which is in anugly battle to see Pilot and his group turfed out, had hoped that it could use the anti-defec-tion law to disarm the rebels, arguing that their skipping the legislature party meeting amount-ed to defiance and that the Speaker could take action even if the House was not in ses-sion. Pilot claimed that considering that he and his men had not initiated any move toself-destruct or leave the party on their own except express a divergence of opinion withthe Chief Minister concerned, this infringed upon the right to “freedom of speech.” In fact,Gehlot’s provocative legal action has misfired and Pilot’s reactive strategy has worked forthe time being. Vilely derided and almost forced to break away, it is now easier for Pilotto take the help of the BJP, which has been courting him for quite some time. Not onlyfor reclaiming Rajasthan but to deal a body blow to the Congress as Pilot, like JyotiradityaScindia, has been close to its undeclared leader Rahul Gandhi. An inkling of this camewhen Pilot, who had challenged the disqualification notices in the High Court, added theCentre as a party to the case so that it can weigh in on whether the anti-defection lawapplies to his group or not. According to earlier Supreme Court judgments on clause 2(1)(a)of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, any anti-party activity could be interpreted asvoluntarily giving up membership. Gehlot has, therefore, been building damning evidenceof Pilot’s breakaway moves, like parading MLAs claiming bribery offers and publicisingalleged tapes of senior BJP leaders coaxing rebels at Pilot’s behest. But Pilot sought toblunt that edge, threatening a legal suit and demanding authenticity of such claims. Theclouding up of legalese has meant that both Gehlot and Pilot will have a tough time hold-ing on to their men. Gehlot needs to prove that he has more than 101 MLAs in his sup-port in the 200-member Assembly. If Pilot and his group are disqualified after the top courtconsiders the merits of his plea, the halfway mark would come down and Gehlot couldsail through. But with the Pilot group voting against his Government, he would have ittough. Pilot could actually get some advantage now as Gehlot has been dangling theDamocles’ sword of disqualification over his rival’s loyalists, saying they would lose bycrossing over and gain privileges by staying with him. The breather means that some floaterscould pitch in with Pilot. As of now, the Pilot camp has 19 MLAs and the BJP 72. Includingsmaller parties and Independent members, the Opposition has 97 at the moment.

This is one of the reasons why Gehlot sought an appointment with Governor KalrajMishra for a floor test as his supporters marched to the Raj Bhavan soon after the “sta-tus quo” ruling. Although he has herded his MLAs at Fairmont hotel, more delays willmake that job difficult. If a floor test is held now and he wins, there cannot be fresh elec-tions for the next six months. Meanwhile, the BJP will try to exasperate Gehlot as muchas possible, considering he had named Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as thearchitect of toppling games and even written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about it.The Governor, while maintaining that he wasn’t against a floor test, said he needed sometime to go over the rule book. The Supreme Court, too, has said the issues raised in theSpeaker’s petition on the right to issue disqualification notices required “prolonged hear-ing” as it involved a “larger question” related to the democracy. So clearly, the imbrogliocannot be resolved as fast as Gehlot would have liked. Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) supremo Mayawati, who has accused Gehlot of poaching six of her MLAs, couldbe another hurdle. If she somehow manages to woo them back and decides to take thehelp of the BJP in doing so, Gehlot could have trouble. As for Pilot, he may not have theChief Minister’s chair still but given his solid Gujjar votebase, he could bargain hard for aleadership role. Jyotiraditya Scindia delivered 22 MLAs to the BJP in Madhya Pradeshand now, having got some positions for them in the Government, is attracting more MLAsto cross over. The BJP will spare no effort to bleed out the Congress.

HC breather to Pilot

Progressive step

Sir — The Defence Ministry’sdecision to grant PermanentCommission (PC) to womenofficers in the Indian Army iswelcome. In effect, this meansa recognition of the sterling rolewomen have played and contin-ue to play — shoulder to shoul-der with their male counter-parts — for the security of thenation. It will now be interest-ing to see how many womenreach top positions.

TKM KumbalamchuvattilMuvattupuzha

Protect users’ data

Sir — Many global firms haveinvested in Jio in recent months.These investments are due to tworeasons: One, the large cus-tomer base that Jio has. Two, thelack of personal informationlaw in India. Facebook,Instagram and WhatsApp arealready interconnected and nowGoogle and Jio are also connect-ed with them. All these platformshave our personal information.

We also know thatWhatsApp is going to start itsown e-payment system. Though

the Government hasn’t approvedit yet, after a while, it might givethe go-ahead.

Already, Facebook and otherfirms have been accused of min-ing users’ personal data forpolitical campaigns. No one

knows how else our personaldata will be used. It is a big con-cern. The Government shouldintroduce laws to protect person-al information.

Harshal Suresh DesalePune

Shameful incident

Sir — Ever since the Coronaviruspandemic has been upon us, wehave hailed the doctors as war-riors, equivalent to god. It was

shocking that in Uttar Pradesh,a doctor attempted to rape apatient who tested positive forCorona. The incident will remaina blot on the medical fraternity.

Further, this isn’t the firsttime that an incident of sexualassault has been reported froma hospital during a pandemic. InMaharashtra, a 25-year-oldCOVID-19 patient was arrestedfor allegedly raping a woman ina quarantine facility. Ours is acountry where no place is safe forwomen. Not even a hospital.

Shruti BansalVia email

Safety first

Sir — The Government hastaken the right decision to putthe Amarnath yatra on hold inview of the pandemic. In thismanner, we can at least preventfurther cases of Coronavirusand can focus on treating theexisting patients. Prevention isbetter than cure. Pilgrimage canresume in healthy times. Anddivinity is in the mind.

Jatin SinghalVia email

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

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

op nionVIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2020

06

The forgotten threat

HIRANMAY KARLEKAR

The world will ignore the shadow of climate change at its own peril. The money and effort

needed must be forthcoming, notwithstanding the pandemic and related disruptions

I kept warning it(Government) on COVID-19and the economy. It rub-bished it. Disaster followed. I keep warning it on China. It is rubbishing it.

Congress leader—Rahul Gandhi

I’ve never done a Karan Joharor a Yash Raj film, I’ve neverapproached them, nor havethey showed interest in work-ing with me. But that doesn’tmake me any less an actor.

Actor—Shreyas Talpade

The old paradigm of blindengagement with China hasfailed. If the free world doesn’t change CommunistChina — (it) will surelychange us.

US Secretary of State—Mike Pompeo

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

The oil pricing paradox

On May 6, the Union Government raised the addi-tional excise duty and road and infrastructure cesson petrol by `10 per litre and diesel by `13 per

litre. It was the steepest hike in the history of petrole-um pricing. It will require rudimentary knowledge tounderstand that the Government’s sources to raise rev-enues and reduce the fiscal deficit have dried up. APetroleum Ministry official claimed that prevailing pricesof petrol and diesel would not be impacted due to a risein prices. The retail prices were retained at the samelevel, probably by adjusting the “ready to send to thepetrol pump” cost. But in Chennai, the retail price ofpetrol in May was 72.28 per litre. Come July, the pricejumped to 83.63 per litre. Price continues to move sky-wards steadily through daily hikes. The removal of theadministered pricing mechanism, which was meant topave the way for pricing on pure market dynamics, hashelped the Government change price dynamics to itsadvantage.

There are other aspects, too, which demand men-tion. The Union Government holds 51.50 per cent ofthe share capital in the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).ONGC has a 14.20 per cent, Life Insurance Corporation6.48 per cent and OIL a 5.16 per cent stake in the com-pany. In 2018-19, IOC earned a profit of 16,894 crore

and distributed as dividend `11,635 crore (includingDDT). The OMCs must maximise their earnings to signfat cheques as dividends to the Government. There aresignificant companies in the private sector, too, whichrefine crude, export and sell products. They used to pro-cure crude oil even from Venezuela through barterarrangements of export of refined products. These refin-ers sell petroleum products in India at the rates of theOMCs. Strange are the ways of product pricing. Thecommon man is always at his wit’s end to make heador tail of the pricing paradoxes.

Haridasan RajanKozhikode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Another firewallStrict safety protocols haveto be put in place both foroff-field and on-field activi-ties to make the IPL safeand successful. They shouldnot be compromised at all.

Kings XI Punjab co-owner—Ness Wadia

With Gehlot pushing for a floor test and the legal wrangle set to drag on a bit, stalemate continues in Rajasthan

Govt issues fresh tender norms barring Chinese bidders forprocurement in its projects as LAC impasse continues

Remembering Kargil

EVERYONE IS AWARE THAT SOME OF OUR MLAS HAVE

BEEN HELD CAPTIVE IN A HOTEL OUTSIDE THE STATE

UNDER THE WATCH OF BOUNCERS AND POLICE.

—RAJASTHAN CHIEF MINISTER

ASHOK GEHLOT

I WANT TO MAKE IT CLEAR. WE ARE NOT BEING HELD

HOSTAGE, NOR ARE THERE BOUNCERS, NOR ARE WE

CRYING OR ILL OR DYING TO GO BACK THERE.

—RAJASTHAN CONGRESS MLA

SURESH MODI

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The nation commemorates Kargil Vijay Diwasevery year on July 26 to recount the sacrificeand martyrdom of our armed forces that

brought laurels to the nation by defeating a deceit-ful and untrustworthy neighbour of ours during theKargil War of 1999. It is celebrated to honour the sac-rifices of our brave soldiers, who laid down their liveson the lofty heights of Kargil on the frontlines tosecure an unparalleled victory in the annals of mil-itary history. The war, fought mainly in the uncom-promising climate of the upper Himalayas, saw theraw courage of Indian soldiers assaulting uphill,unmindful of enemy fire and dislodging them aftera tough hand-to-hand fight. They regained our lostterritory which the enemy forces had occupied sur-reptitiously, throwing to wind the unsigned conven-tion between the two armies of maintaining statusquo in the traditional gaps along the Line ofControl (LoC). But for the raw courage and auda-cious bravery of our soldiers and young officers, his-tory would have been different as the unscrupulousenemy had succeeded in taking us by surprise. Sadlyenough, what happened in Kargil is being replicat-ed, albeit on a much larger scale, across the trans-Himalayan region in Eastern Ladakh along the Lineof Actual Control (LAC).

We were surprised then and we have been sur-prised now. Intelligence, Surveillance andReconnaissance (ISR ) remain our major weakness.Since the war was limited and the LoC was muchsmaller in length, though there were shortages, thecrunch was not felt. The amassing of Bofors guns andammunition played a crucial role in enablinginfantry assaults. The Indian Air Force (IAF), too,played a major role though it was not equipped tofight at those heights with the restriction of not cross-ing the LoC. India also successfully called the nuclearbluff of Pakistan. A determined political leadershipmade a critical difference. The higher military lead-ership and higher direction of war left many ques-tions to be answered which were subsequentlyaddressed by the Kargil Review Committee (KRC)but unfortunately no heads rolled. Our true homageto the martyrs would be to say with certainty andauthority that their sacrifices would not go waste anda Kargil-like situation will not be repeated.

While we can say with confidence that Kargil 2.0will not happen again but while achieving that capa-bility, did we ignore our other neighbour? While weconsidered Pakistan as a threat, we continued to treatChina as a challenge. Our political leadership wasconvinced about averting a conflict with Chinathrough political and diplomatic outreach. Despitethe alarm raised by the Army and other services, thepolitical hierarchy was overconfident of their capa-bility to handle China. Like Pakistan, China, too,proved to be treacherous and lulled our leadershipinto being friendly because it needed the Indian mar-ket to become an economic superpower. China allthe while wanted to be the sole power in Asia butour leadership failed to read the Chinese mind cor-rectly as it did with Pakistan at the time of Kargil.While AB Vajpayee had taken a bus ride to Lahorein search of peace, its scheming Army Chief PervezMusharraf was planning the Kargil incursions.

Like any developing nation with a large segmentof the population below the poverty line, we also facethe dilemma of butter versus barrel of the gun. EveryGovernment had to tread a very cautious path whileallocating resources for defence forces. Even duringKargil, General Malik, the then chief, had said that“my Army will fight with whatever we have.”Immediately after Kargil, unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs) and other surveillance equipment were addedto the inventory. However, post-Kargil, because ofthe Bofors scandal, all major defence contracts wereput on hold. As a result, the country’s armed forcesbegan to suffer not only obsolescence but shortagesin spares, affecting the battle-readiness of equipment.

However, the trend was reversed post-2014 andbig ticket purchases were made for enhancing thecombat efficiency of the forces. Delegation andenhancement of financial powers was also done to

enable the armed forces to meet theirimmediate and critical needs. Today, ourarmed forces are well-equipped with lat-est platforms, smart munitions, UAVs, mis-siles and so on. We have definitely madea qualitative jump but numerically we arestill short of fighting a sustained two-frontwar. Also criticality still exists in our AirDefence and the infantry weapon systems.The Navy and IAF also have critical gapswhich need to be filled. Depending on thequality of security we need, a percentageof the GDP (not below 3.5) has to be ear-marked for the defence budget.

Unlike 1999, when we had justbecome a nuclear power, today we boastof our triad capability with ICBM capabil-ity. However, in view of the looming threat,we must review our policy of “No FirstUse.” India has always believed in honour-ing various treaties and agreements butboth our neighbours have shown scantrespect for them while threatening us onthe LoC/LAC. In the case of Kargil, theplan was made as early as during the Ziaregime. We should have known about it.Thereafter, Pakistan began a proxy waragainst us. Just prior to Kargil War, it beganregular shelling of the national highway,linking Kashmir and Ladakh. Our respons-es were mainly defensive and ad-hoc. Pro-active and punitive responses were absentdue to the fear of an escalation. Pakistantook advantage of it, ignored the under-standing about “traditional gaps” andpresented us a fait accompli in the formof Kargil incursions.

It is the same with China. Despite sala-mi-slicing, we continued to appease it.Even after Doklam, we failed to wake up.The net result is the multi-point, well-planned incursions in eastern Ladakh witha definite aim of holding out and not vacat-ing. Our planners would have known thatour claim of Aksai Chin and GilgitBaltistan will definitely raise hackles inChina because both are very critical toChinese President Xi Jinping’s pet projectof the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).However, our planners, including themilitary, failed to take any preventive andprecautionary measures to thwart theChinese threat. Once again we are react-ing. Worried about escalation, we did noteven exercise the option of quid pro quo.Now it may be too late though the LAC is

quite vast and the enemy has many vul-nerabilities. The possibility of collusionbetween China and Pakistan cannot beruled out completely, though Islamabaddoes not have the capability to launch suchan offensive for the time being. Where wewere holding the entire frontage with abrigade then, now we have a full infantrydivision with well-sited and hardeneddefences along the entire length of the LoC.Similarly, compared to 1962, our defencesin eastern Ladakh are very strongly heldwith adequate reserves and a well-devel-oped road and track network. The Kargilexperience has shown us that a ratio of 1:9or 1:12 is needed in these heights to launchoffensive operations.

ISR was a weakness then and remainsso even today. Though a lot of structuralchanges have taken place like the DefenceIntelligence Agency (DIA), NationalTechnical Research Organisation (NTRO),Defence Image Processing and AnalysisCentre (DIPAC), yet the optimal has notbeen achieved. The problem does not liein the assets but in timely processing anddissemination. The permanent office of theNational Security Advisor (NSA) is meantto look into this vital aspect of nationalsecurity management but the desiredlevel of integration has not taken place. Wealso need to enhance the capability of oper-ational and tactical intelligence. In such aterrain, with unpredictable and harshweather, a multi-mode, multi-layered, all-weather, 24x7 surveillance grid is needed.We also need to develop capability to mon-itor the movement of Chinese troops andformations to the plateau or towards theLAC from the Xinjiang Military District.Mountains do impose certain restric-tions but we need to invest more in therequired means. Lack of jointness was amajor lesson from Kargil. Here I would liketo quote the first-hand experience of thethen Colonel General Staff of 8 MountainDivision, which was moved from theValley to dislodge the intruders. “Ever sincethe infamous huff between the then Armyand IAF chiefs in the initial stages of theoperations, the Army and Air Force neveroperated in unison. In the first week ofJune, the IAF recommenced OperationSafed Sagar as we were in Operation Vijay.Two standalone operations in a smallmountainous area, where the IAF had

never operated earlier. We were never con-sulted on targets and never apprised ofstrike missions. Occasionally we wouldhear aircraft north-east of Zozila and seesome puffs around some features. Though,the stories of bombs/rockets hitting ourown troops are exaggerated, it is a fact thatsometimes the munitions would land a fewridges away where our troops weredeployed. Fortunately we never had afriendly fire casualty. Equally and impor-tantly we never saw any target destroyed.

“When we were planning an attack onTiger Hill, in order to maintain surprise,the artillery was tasked to fire on distrib-uted targets but the IAF kept hitting TigerHill without consulting us. Infuriated, Hq15 Corps was informed, which also con-firmed that they had no knowledge of airplans.” This should give adequate idea ofthe absence of jointness during the last warwe fought. It would be unfair to say thatthere has been no change. Lot of changesfor the good have taken place. Joint plan-ning is quite obvious in the current stand-off. Even the idea of theatre commands isgaining currency. Post-Kargil, two jointcommands were raised as Strategic ForcesCommand and Andaman & NicobarCommand. Lately, a Special Forces jointcommand has also been raised.

Another recommendation of the KRCwas regarding border management. Oneforce per border has been implemented.But the question of command and controlstill remains an issue. Particularly, alongthe LAC with China where the Indo-TibetBorder Police (ITBP) has been deployed.There is a divided responsibility betweenthe Army and the ITBP, which has provedhighly ineffective in the current stand-off.Incursions happened under the watch ofthe ITBP and the Army had to come inwhen the crisis developed. A poor arrange-ment, particularly when we are faced witha cunning enemy on the other side. TheITBP should be placed under the com-mand of the Army following the LoCmodel.

Needless to say the situation then andnow is quite different. But some of thelessons learnt during the Kargil War stillremain unaddressed for which we paid theprice at Galwan.

(The author is a Jammu-based veter-an and security and strategic analyst.)

As we recount the sacrifice of our armed forces on Vijay Diwas, some of the lessons learntduring the Kargil War still remain unaddressed for which we paid the price at Galwan

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

Diplomaticfirefighting vital

VK BAHUGUNA

The Communist regime in Kathmandu is beingstage-managed by Beijing to systematically cut

the umbilical cord between Nepal and India

ANIL GUPTA

THE PROBLEMDOES NOT LIE INTHE ASSETS BUT

IN TIMELYPROCESSING AND

DISSEMINATION.THE PERMANENT

OFFICE OF THENATIONALSECURITY

ADVISOR IS MEANT TO LOOKINTO THIS VITAL

ASPECT OFNATIONALSECURITY

MANAGEMENT BUT THE

DESIRED LEVEL OF INTEGRATIONHAS NOT TAKEN

PLACE. WE ALSONEED TO ENHANCE

THE CAPABILITY OF OPERATIONAL

AND TACTICALINTELLIGENCE. IN

SUCH A TERRAIN, WITH

UNPREDICTABLEAND HARSHWEATHER, A

MULTI-MODE,MULTI-LAYERED,

ALL-WEATHER,24X7

SURVEILLANCEGRID IS NEEDED

Nepal is closest to India not only in terms of geography, civil-isation, religion and culture but also in terms of blood rela-tions. Both the countries have an open border with visa-free

travel and the Indian currency is freely used in Nepal. A whopping60 lakh Nepalese citizens (out of a population of 2.81 crore) live inIndia and are a major source of remittance to Nepal. Out of this,more than 25,000 are Gurkha soldiers serving in the 7 Gurkha reg-iment of the Indian Army. Most of the Nepalese soldiers in the IndianArmy are Rais and Limbus of eastern Nepal and Gurungs and Magarsfrom west Nepal. According to the Nepal Rashtra Bank, for the fis-cal year 2018, a total of 784 billion Nepali Rupees (NPR) in remit-tances were received from 189 countries. Out of this, India led theremittance count with 93 billion NPR. However, due to COVID-19,the remittances will be less this year but the Nepalese living in Indiaare still able to eke out a decent living and are being supported byIndians.

Ever since the monarchy was overthrown by Indian-educatedMaoists, democratic governance in Nepal has never been smoothand the country is in the grip of political instability. Most of the lead-ers lack a comprehensive vision of an all-encompassing democra-cy and there has been protracted haggling over the new Constitutionbetween political parties, especially between the leaders from thehills and the Terai plains. Political jingoism and one-upmanship isthe order of the day among Nepalese politicians. Corruption is all-pervading and people are suffering due to the lack of a sound tra-jectory of political and economic development. In new democra-cies, a stable and visionary leadership is essential, especially in poorcountries like Nepal, where people are used as pawns by politiciansto cling to power.

Among top Nepalese professionals, there are positive feelingstowards India. We need to discuss the contours of the current tur-moil in the relationship between the two old neighbours. Since theend of monarchy and initiation of democracy, some groups in Nepalare whipping up anti-Indian feelings. The objective is to take con-trol over the resources of Nepal. These groups are controlled by local-ly-based foreign-funded NGOs and are rapidly gaining ground as thereis no organised resistance to them. Some of these groups are proppedup by China. The Communist regime in Kathmandu is being stage-managed by Beijing to systematically cut the umbilical cord betweenNepal and India.

It is not unusual for two neighbouring countries to have dis-putes but mature leadership solves differences in an amicable man-ner. The recent postures and knee-jerk statements of Nepali PrimeMinister KP Oli are indications of an immature leader throwing child-ish pranks. The statement on the birthplace of Lord Ram being inNepal, his invectives on boundary issues and the spread of theCoronavirus from India are unbecoming of a Prime Minister. Suchcomments are nothing less than diplomatic hara-kiri by Oli who isstruggling to save his chair with the help of his patrons in China.

International affairs experts know that anti-India postures of thecurrent Nepalese leaders are nothing but a diplomatic gimmickry atthe behest of China. The recent amendment in the Constitution, byincorporating around 400 sq km of Indian territory and disputing thesource of the emergence of the Kali River in Kalapani on the Nepalimap, has escalated the bilateral tussle to a point of no return. It wasdone by deliberately objecting to the opening of a road by the DefenceMinister on May 8, connecting the Chinese border in the Pithoragarhdistrict of Uttarakhand at the Lipulekh pass. There is no historicalbasis for Nepal’s claim on the territory east of the Kali, which is basedon the Limpiyadhura origin. The historically agreed fact is that theriver actually takes the name Kali near Kalapani. Nepal is now chang-ing the site of origin of Kali river to a stream west of Kalapani whichis absurd, considering the provisions of the 1816 Sugauli treaty whichfixes the Kali river as Nepal’s western boundary with India. The bound-ary was settled by this treaty and 150 sq km of the area from thesouth of Kalapani to Tinkar pass along with the two villages ofChhangru and Tinkar was transferred to Nepal. It is a moot ques-tion on whose maps were Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani beingshown so far. Obviously, on the Indian map as that is genuine Indianterritory based on the 1816 treaty between the two countries.

In fact, the people of Uttarakhand have a genuine grievanceagainst Nepal, which was well articulated by the retired Chief Secretaryof Uttarakhand NS Napalchyal recently during a webinar. He trashedthe Nepali claim with irrefutable facts that Nepal owes an apologyfor the atrocities it committed on Garhwali and Kumauni people dur-ing its despicable colonial rule before the British ended it in 1815.If Nepali politicians can raise emotions, so can their Uttarakhand coun-terparts. They could start a movement seeking an apology from Nepalfor the atrocities committed by its rulers. It will, however, not solvethe problem. Both the countries need to have a dialogue. But Nepalmust think of the unbearable cost of bad relations with India that itwill have to sustain. It is rich in natural and other resources and thefocus of Nepalese politicians should be on development of the coun-try. They must steer it on the path of progress by remaining vigi-lant about their nation’s cultural integrity with India and resolve allsticky issues in a friendly manner. The Indian diplomatic corps mustseize the opportunity whenever it presents itself. Indians, too, loveNepal as we have no other alternative but our old, traditional ally.

(The writer is a retired civil servant)

The relationship between map-ping systems and healthcarehas existed for centuries. In

fact, the earliest recorded map visual-isation goes back to 1694 and theplague containment in Italy. Over thelast 300 years, the value of maps as acommunication tool for the under-standing and tracking of infectious dis-eases, be it the yellow fever, cholera, the1918 influenza pandemic or the new-age MERS-CoV, has only heightened.

A review of health geographic infor-mation system (GIS) literature hasshown that almost 30 per cent of allvolumes is focussed on infectiousdisease mapping. This is why one ofour biggest champions in the ongoingfight against COVID-19 is the use ofGIS.

COVID-19 is a challenge like noother in recent times as the virusspread strikingly fast from China to therest of the world. For comparison, onecan look at how MERS took about 30months to infect a thousand people,SARS took around four months andthe Coronavirus reached that figure injust 48 days. When a disease has thecapacity to travel so quickly, informa-tion, too, has to keep up and in fact,outpace it. This is the reason why map-based dashboards have become crucial.So much so that among the top 10

requested applications of GIS servicesas early as February was theCoronavirus dashboard. The interac-tive maps can locate as well as tally con-firmed infections, fatalities and recov-eries, along with graphs detailing theprogression of the virus.

Viewers can see the time and dayof the most recent data update fromvarious sources, which include author-itative bodies such as the WHO andthe Centre for Disease Control andPrevention. If you look at India, theNational Centre for Disease Control isthe source of authoritative data via theapplication programme interface(API). Epidemiologists are utilisingGIS to map disease occurrence mea-sured against multiple parameterssuch as demographics, environment,geographies, past occurrences and soon, to understand the origin of future

outbreaks, the spread pattern as wellas its intensity to be able to implementcontrol, preventative as well as surveil-lance measures.

It is an undeniable fact that inorder to identify at-risk populations inreal-time, public health agencies, pol-icymakers as well as administratorsneed GIS to be able to understand out-break patterns and plan targettedintervention such as the evaluation ofavailable facilities and increasing theirhealthcare capacities. Apart from this,there is also the need for effective com-munication amid all the supportingagencies as well as citizens so that therecan be a coordinated response to thecrisis. Since location is the commondenomination between all these, GISprovides the capability to create a com-mon operating picture that will allowmulti-agency collaboration.

Using GIS functionality such asspatial analytics, mapping and locationintelligence, health officials andGovernment agencies have access toconfirmed and active cases, fatalitiesand recoveries. Since COVID-19impacts demographics in a dispropor-tionate manner, such as the elderly andthose with co-morbidities, mappingcriteria such as social vulnerability, ageand other factors have been helping inmonitoring at-risk groups acrossregions. Based on the available data,agencies can take a look at the relevantarea of interest such as hospitals,location of the cases being reported,areas that have been affected, capaci-ties as well as key demographic datain order to create strategies that can aidin the descriptive, predictive as well asprescriptive stages of combatingCOVID-19.

Ranging from mapping the out-break source, site selection for treat-ment, monitoring supply chains,resource location and so on, GIS hascontributed significantly to fighting thevirus and speeding up efforts in placesthat they are needed the most.

Modern GIS technologies arebased around web tools that improvedata sharing and offer real-time infor-mation that can aid critical decision-making. A comprehensive GIS plat-form can support the entire process ofdisease surveillance, preparedness andresponse. With the world now shift-ing to a new normal, epidemiologistsexpect that outbreaks like this couldhappen more frequently in the future.Hence, GIS will continue to be crucialfor tackling viruses.

(The writer is co-founder anddirector of a technology company)

GIS helping nations fight the pandemicA comprehensive data platform can support the entire process of disease surveillance, preparedness and response

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com

F O R E I G N E Y E

Though adecliningpopulation in

the future is good news, thestrain on resources would beimmense even then. Nor wouldthe reduction save us fromclimate catastrophe. Action mustbe taken now, not by futuregenerations. And emissions areheavily dependent on economiccircumstances and policy. Whatmatters most is not how manypeople there are in the world butwhat they do. (The Guardian editorial)

WE MUSTACT NOW

ASHWANI RAWAT

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2020 money 08

CAPSULE

Modular trucks fromAshok LeylanddeliveredCoimbatore: Ashok Leyland ofthe Hinduja group launched itslatest range of modular AVTRtrucks here on Friday. Theywere delivered to thecustomers in the presence ofCOO of Ashok Leyland AnujKathuria and CEO of TVS &Sons Private Limited MadhuRaghunath. "Our AVTR rangeof trucks provides ourcustomer with the latest intechnology and innovation.With our economy graduallypicking up and businesscoming to normalcy, thesetrucks will play a crucial roleto get the goods moving,"Kathuria said in a pressrelease. With costmanagement being crucial, thenew trucks would setbenchmark in terms of totalcost of ownership, includingbest in class operation andmaintenance cost, hesaid.

UiPath partnersBharathiar Univ forRobotic Process MUMBAI: Robotic ProcessAutomation (RPA) softwarecompany UiPath on Fridaysaid it has partnered withBharathiar University toprovide the knowledge andtools to students to createsoftware robot assistants.Through this partnership,UiPath will collaborate withBharathiar University's 130affiliated colleges to enable themission of a robot for everystudent, according to astatement. A robot for everystudent initiative affords theability to introduce RPA to theentire university, so thatstudents can create their ownsoftware robot "assistants" tohelp them prepare for classes,do faster and better research,search for financial aid or jobsor even innovate a newprocess or solution to supportnon-profit work for thebetterment of society, it added.

IHCL launches appfor home deliveryplatform QminNEW DELHI: Hospitality majorIndian Hotels Company onFriday announced the launchof mobile application for itshome delivery platform Qminin Mumbai. The app will berolled out in nine other cities,including Delhi, Bengaluru andChennai in the coming weeks,Indian Hotels Company Ltd(IHCL) said in a statement.Designed and developed byIHCL in collaboration with TataDigital, the Qmin app allowsguests to personalise theirorder, curate menus, and trackdeliveries real-time, it added. Itenables users to choose theirfavourite cuisine fromcelebrated restaurants inMumbai, based on theirlocation, IHCL said. Qmin hasa dedicated delivery fleet, whoare provided with mandatoryprotective gear and extremelysanitised transportation whileconducting contactlessdeliveries, it added.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India in 2018-19 made an all-time high number of requeststo foreign financial intelli-gence units as part of probinga multitude of money launder-ing, terrorist financing andtax evasion cases, according toa latest report comparing lastsix years' data.

The Financial IntelligenceUnit (FIU), the federal eco-nomic snoop agency under theUnion finance ministry, sent289 legal requests to its coun-terparts across the globe dur-ing 2018-19 as compared to177 in 2017-18 and 138 in2016-17. The comparative datafor requests sent to foreignFIUs seeking cooperation incriminal tax evasion andmoney laundering cases during2015-16 was 140, 55 during2014-15 and 82 in 2013-14, thelatest FIU report said.

The report, accessed by PTI,added that the FIU alsoreceived the maximum suchrequests (during 2018-19) from

law enforcement agencies ofthe country-- like the IncomeTax Department, theEnforcement Directorate, theCBI, the NIA, the DRI and oth-ers-- over the same six yearsperiod. The FIU is the nation-al agency to collect and analy-ses suspicious transactionreports, counterfeit currencyreports and cash transactionreports from banks and otherfinancial intermediaries anddisseminate to various probeand intelligence agencies.

It is empowered under thePMLA to do so as part of itsmandate to check and flagserious crimes like tax evasion,money laundering, terrorfinancing in country's eco-nomic channels.

India is part of the globalFIU network of 164 membercountries as part of the EgmontGroup that aims to "provide aforum for FIUs to improveunderstanding and awarenessof issues and an opportunityfor enhancement of their

capacities to develop intelli-gence to combat money laun-dering and terrorist financing."

The Indian FIU became partof this grouping during theMay, 2007 plenary of theEgmont Group in Bermuda.

As per the report, the FIUreceived a total of 906 requestsfrom investigative agenciesduring 2018-19 while the fig-ures for the previous five yearswere: 463 in 2017-18, 132 dur-ing 2016-17, 267 in 2015-16, 96during 2014-15 and 221 dur-ing 2013-14.

A senior official in thefinance ministry said the spurtin these requests made by var-ious probe agencies to FIU andfrom the FIU to its globalcounterparts is "primarily dueto an increased number ofinvestigations taken up bythem to investigate variousbank loan fraud cases, trade-based money launderinginstances and high-profile taxevasion, undisclosed foreignassets holding and terror fund-ing cases".

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Income Tax Departmentwill share PAN and bankaccount details of any entitywith 10 investigative and intel-ligence agencies, including theCBI and the NIA, under theintegrated counter-terrorismplatform NATGRID, accordingto an official order.

The Central Board ofDirect Taxes, which framespolicy for the I-T Department,said in a July 21 order thatinformation like permanentaccount number (PAN), TaxDeduction and CollectionAccount Number (TAN),bank account details, summa-ry of IT Returns and taxdeducted at source (TDS) and"any other information asmutually agreed" will be

shared with the 10 agencies.The "furnishing and receiv-

ing of information to andfrom" these central agencieswill be done through theNational Intelligence Grid(NATGRID), a robust mech-

anism envisaged to track sus-pects and prevent terroristattacks with real-time dataand access to classified infor-mation like immigration,banking, individual taxpayers,air and train travels.

‘India made record requestsfor info on money laundering’

I-T to share PAN, bank accountdata with 10 probe, intel agencies

PNS n NEW DELHI

Chinese smartphone brandssaw their market share in Indiafall to 72 per cent in June quar-ter from 81 per cent in the pre-ceding three months due toCOVID-19 supply chain dis-ruption and growing anti-China sentiment,Counterpoint Research saidon Friday.

Chinese brands such asOppo, Vivo and Realme had acommanding market share inthe world's fastest growingsmartphone market but theirshare declined during April-June, Counterpoint said in areport.

India's smartphone ship-ments declined by 51 per centyear-on-year to just over 18million units in the June quar-ter, impacted by the nationwidelockdown imposed by theIndian government to combatCOVID-19 in April and May,Counterpoint said.

Shilpi Jain, Research Analystat Counterpoint Research, saidthe contribution of Chinesebrands fell to 72 per cent inJune quarter from 81 per centin March 2020 quarter.

"This was mainly due to themixture of stuttering supply forsome major Chinese brandssuch as Oppo, Vivo andRealme, and growing anti-

China sentiment thatwas com-pounded bys t r i n g e n tactions takenby the gov-ernment toban morethan 50 appsof Chineseorigin anddelay the import ofgoods from China amidextra scrutiny. This all result-ed from the India-China bor-der dispute during June," shesaid.

However, local manufactur-ing, R&D operations, attractivevalue-for-money offerings and

strong channele n t r e n c h -

ment by

Chineseb r a n d s

leaves veryfew options

for consumersto choose from,

she said."... in the era of

globalisation, it is difficult tolabel a product based on coun-try of origin as components arebeing sourced from many dif-ferent countries. This develop-ment has given a window of

opportunity for brands likeSamsung and local Indianbrands such as Micromax andLava, to recapture marketshare," Jain said.

She noted that Jio-Google'spartnership - which wasannounced earlier this month- to bring a highly affordable4G Android smartphone couldalso gain ground, banking onthe growing #VocalforLocalsentiment.

Xiaomi led the tally with 29per cent share of the smart-phone market, followed bySamsung (26 per cent), Vivo(17 per cent), Realme (11 percent), Oppo (9 per cent) andothers (8 per cent) in the June

PNS n KOLKATA

With the USA revoking thepreferential trade status ofHong Kong earlier thismonth, India sees brighterfuture for its gems and jew-ellery exports, a senior jew-ellery export council officialsaid on Friday.

Gems andJ e w e l l e r yExport PromotionCouncil (GJEPC)officials said withChina imposingthe nationalsecuirty law onHong Kong, theUSA has given indi-cation of raising duty ongoods from there to 7.5 percent from 3.3 per cent.

Without going into thenuances of the US move, I feelit will possibly create oppor-tunities for India in gems

and jewellery trade," GJEPCchairman Colin Shah toldPTI.

For USA, Hong Kong andChina are the fourth largestdestinations for importinggems and jewellery afterIndia, France and Italy.

Hong Kong and Chinaexported gem and jewellery

worth USD980.85 millionand USD

2622.19 mil-lion respec-tively to theUS in 2019.

"The end-ing of the pref-

erential treaty asper the new order

with HK would open newbusiness avenues for India.

The manufacturing businesshas the potential to witness ashift to India from China,"Shah said.

PNS n JAMSHEDPUR

As part of the efforts to checkspread of novel coronavirus,Tata Steel has adopted a digi-tal technology-based initiativenamed "connected workforce"to ensure safe working insidethe factory premises and minesspanning various geographiesby real-time tracking, alertsand Quick Response Team(QRT) protocols.

The objective behind the"connected workforce" app is tomonitor coronavirus-relatedrisks. It is among a series ofmeasures that have been takento effectively combat COVID-19, said Kulvin Suri, ChiefCorporate Communications(India & South East Asia),

Tata Steel.There are altogether 32,000

employees in Tata Steel across-the country and 55,000 con-tractual workforce. Its manu-facturing facities are- TataSteel, Jamshedpur (Jharkhand),Kalinganagar (Odisa), Longproducts in Gamariah,

Seraikela-Kharswan district ofJharkhand, one unit in Angul,Odisha. The company hasmines in Jharkhand andOdisha of iron- ore, collieriesand magnese. "We, in TataSteel, have been following allnecessary health and hygienenorms, in line with the govern-

ment guidelines, at our officesand plant facilities to safe-guard the health and safety ofall our employees and stake-holders. "The company hasestablished robust standardoperating guidelines (SOP)and work protocols which arebeing followed",Suri added.

The app is enabled by"Suraksha Card". This digitaltechnology also enables crowdsensing solution to pre-empt &detect violation of social dis-tancing at shopfloors with thehelp of the cameras installed,COVID risk profile assess-ment of employees, scientificcontact tracing and face-detec-tion and social distancingchecks through artificial intel-ligence, he said.

PNS n MUMBAI

In view of the government'sproposal to ban 27 pesticides,most manufacturers have start-ed diversifying their productbaskets to avoid any major hiton their revenues, according toa report.

The government issued adraft ban order in May, citinghigh toxicity level of these 27pesticides and their impacton soil health, Crisil said in itsreport. The government hassought responses from variousstakeholders on the proposalby mid-August 2020.

The ban is unlikely to beimplemented in the current fis-cal due to the COVID-19 pan-

demic and as seen in the past,such bans are implemented ina phased manner, Crisil noted.

Given the pandemic-induced challenges faced byboth, farmers and agricultur-al input suppliers, the govern-ment is likely to implement the

final ban only from the nextfiscal, that too in a phasedmanner, it added.

Besides, over 50 per cent ofannual sales of these productswill be completed in the ongo-ing kharif season of the fiscal2020-21, Crisil said.

PNS n MUMBAI

Drug maker Cipla Ltd. onFriday said it has received reg-ulatory approval from DrugController General of India(DCGI) for the launch ofFavipiravir in the countryunder the brand nameCiplenza to treat mild to mod-erate Covid-19 patients.

Favipiravir is an off patent,oral antiviral drug that hasbeen shown to hasten clinicalrecovery in Covid-19 patientswith mild to moderate symp-toms.

Cipla said it will commer-cially launch Ciplenza in thefirst week of August priced atRs 68 per tablet.

The price of Favipiravir hasbecome a matter of great con-cern in the country asGlenmark Pharmaceuticalsfaced flak after it initiallylaunched its Favipiravir drug

under the brand name FabiFluat Rs 103 per tablet.

Subsequently on July 13,Glenmark reduced the price ofFabiFlu to Rs 75 per tablet.

Cipla said to ensure fairand equitable distribution ofthe drug, supplies will beundertaken predominantlythrough hospital channels andvia open channels, prioritisedfor regions with a high burdenof Covid-19 cases.

The drug has been jointlydeveloped by Cipla and CSIR-Indian Institute of ChemicalTechnology (IICT).

PNS n MUMBAI

Even as several states haveopened their doors for tourists,a survey has showed that mostpeople are not comfortabletravelling for at least a year dueto the coronavirus pandemic.

The states that have openedtheir borders for the visitorsinclude Himachal Pradesh,Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Goa,and Madhya Pradesh, accord-ing to the survey by Neta App.The technology platformmainly aims to foster politicalaccountability by enabling cit-izens to signal a change intheir political preferences atany point in time.

Over 54,000 people partic-ipated in the survey across 19

states and Delhi-NCR, whichwas conducted between July16 and 20.

However, it found that 71per cent of the people sur-veyed said they are not com-fortable travelling for at leasta year, while 25 per cent feltthey might only consider trav-elling after six months fromnow.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Honda Motorcycle & ScooterIndia (HMSI) on Friday saidit has crossed 11 lakh cumu-lative sales mark in thedomestic market for BS-VIcompliant two-wheelers.

The company said it hadended 2019-20 fiscal withsales of over 6.5 lakh units ofBS-VI compliant two-wheel-ers. “It's a matter of greatpride for us at Honda, thatour 11 advanced BS-VI mod-els have won the vote of con-fidence and created a new joyof riding among customersacross India," HMSI Director- Sales and MarketingYadvinder Singh Guleria saidin a statement.

The company's productportfolio stands out as theindustry's most diverse start-ing from 110cc scooters andmotorcycles going up to1,100cc premium adventurebikes, he added. "As manycustomers are now preferringpersonal mobility for safetyand hygiene in the challeng-ing times of new normal,Honda is unlocking newvalue with its many initiativeslike online bookings, andattractive retail financeschemes," Guleria said.

PNS n MUMBAI

The Sensex and Nifty endedmarginally lower after a high-ly volatile session on Friday asa global equity selloff out-weighed stock-specific gains onthe indices.

After gyrating 487 pointsduring the session, the 30-shareBSE Sensex settled 11.57points, or 0.03 per cent, lowerat 38,128.90.

Similarly, the NSE Nifty

declined 21.30 points, or 0.19per cent, to 11,194.15.

Axis Bank was the top lag-gard in the Sensex pack, shed-ding over 3 per cent, followedby SBI, ICICI Bank, ONGC,HDFC and Kotak Bank.

On the other hand, RelianceIndustries' market valuationcrossed the Rs 14 lakh crore-mark after its stock ralliedover 4 per cent to scale its freshpeak.

HCL Tech, Tech Mahindra,

Sun Pharma, IndusInd Bankand Infosys were among theother gainers.

According to traders, despitethe rally in index-heavyweightRIL, domestic markets turnedvolatile amid a selloff in glob-al equities on escalating ten-sions between the US andChina.

Earlier in the day, Chinaordered the US to close its con-sulate in Chengdu in retaliationto Washington's decision toshut the Chinese mission inHouston, further straining thealready tense bilateral ties.

PNS n GHAZIABAD

Ambica Steels Limited, theleading manufacturer of brightbars in India has established anew factory in Ghaziabad.This new factory is the Unit -4 of the industry and it is locat-ed on Plot No-C11,Bulandshahr Road IndustrialArea, Ghaziabad-201002. Thisnew unit proved to be verybeneficial for Ambica SteelsLimited as it has enabled theindustry to increase the pro-duction of bright bars. TheIndustry is one of the mostsuccessful stainless-steel man-ufacturers of the country andit also excels in exporting itsproducts worldwide.

India sees bright futurefor jewellery trade

WYN Studiosecures AngelFunding

Ambica SteelsLtd newfactory inGhaziabad

PESTICIDES BAN PROPOSAL

Manufacturers diversify product basketto soften revenue hit, says report

PNS n MUMBAI

Maharashtra, India – BusinessWire India New Age ContentStartup WYN Studio hasraised a seed round of fundingfrom India Angel Fund led bySanjeev Sinha: India JapanPartnership Fund based inTokyo, Pranay Anthwal: Media& Entertainment industryleader, Narendra Firodia:Founder, Sohamm Unicorpand Rahul Narvekar: Co-Founder, India Angel Fund.

WYN - What's YourNarrative is a content startupfounded by Souniya Khuranaand Bijay Gautam. Creatingnew-age content or narrativesfor brands, startups and indi-viduals, WYN Studio has cre-ated video content for brandssuch as HP and also producedpodcasts for inspiring individ-uals and contemporarybrands.

Cipla gets DCGI nod to sellFavipiravir under brand ‘Ciplenza'

Many not comfortabletravelling for at least a yr

PNS n NEW DELHI

In a major move aimed at pro-moting inland water transport,the government on Fridayannounced waiving waterwayusage charges.

The decision is aimed atincreasing the inland water-way traffic to 110 milliontonne (MT) in 2022-23 from72 MT in 2019-20.

"The Ministry of Shippinghas decided to waive water-way usage charges withimmediate effect consideringthe Government of India'svision to promote inland

waterways as a supplemen-tary, eco-friendly and cheap-er mode of transport," theshipping ministry said in astatement.

The charges have beenwaived initially for three years.

"Union Minister of Statefor Shipping (I/C) MansukhMandaviya said that current-ly only 2 per cent of total cargotraffic moves through water-ways. Decision of waivingwaterway charges will attractthe industries to use thenational waterways for theirlogistical needs," the state-ment said.

Govt waives waterwayusage charges

HMSI crosses11 lakh sales mark

Govt issued adraft ban order inMay, citing hightoxicity level ofthese 27pesticides andtheir impact onsoil health

The objectivebehind the"connectedworkforce"app is tomonitorcoronavirus-related risks

Tata Steel adopts tech-based iitiative for safeworking inside factory,mines during pandemic

Chinese smartphone brands' market share slips

Sensex, Nifty end flat after see-saw trade

he first half of2020 has beenunlike any otheryear we’ve seenbefore. Withlockdowns and

quarantines, people acrossthe country have spentmonths staying indoorsand adjusting to the ‘newnormal’. While many tookto cooking and even bak-ing at home, ordering infrom select restaurants andfood delivery servicesbecame a lifeline for thosestuck indoors away fromfamily, busy at work, orbored with ‘ghar kakhaana’.

During this time,Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand delivery platform,has been delivering gro-ceries, food, and otheressentials, helping Indiastay indoors.

While the quarantinehas opened a Pandora’sbox of behavioral changesthat have become the ‘newnormal’, some old habitsdie hard. For instance,India’s love for Biryanicontinues to grow, eventoday. Swiggy has conduct-ed StatEATistics: TheQuarantine Edition — an

order analysis that revealswhat Indians have beenordering for the past fewmonths.

Behind every personwho didn’t step out of theirhomes, was a deliverypartner who ensured theydidn’t have to.

SAAFDHAN INDIA:

While the battle is farfrom over, it is good to seepeople spend on safetyprecautions. Swiggy deliv-ered over 73,000 bottles ofsanitizers and hand washalong with 47,000 facemasks as the definition of‘essentials’ changed duringthese uncertain times. Thisis besides the lakhs of sani-tizers and masks that weequipped our deliverypartners with.

DISTANCING RULES

DON'T APPLY TO

BIRYANI:

As far as food is con-cerned, data shows thatwhen people weren’t whip-ping up Dalgonas or bak-ing Banana Bread, theyfound comfort in theirBiryanis, which continuedto rule the roost with near-ly 5.5 lakh orders. Clearly,

no distancing rules appliedto the ever-favoriteBiryani! This was followedby orders for Butter Naanand Masala Dosa.

When you needed apick-me-up, nearly 129,000of you turned to ChocoLava Cake.

While last year, Indiansindulged the most intoFaloodas, this year, we wit-nessed the moist and deca-dent Choco Lava Cakegrab the top desserts slot.Around 1,29,000 ChocoLava Cake orders wereplaced to satiate thosesweet cravings in the pastfew months of the lock-down period. The humbleGulab jamun and chicButterscotch Mousse Cakefollowed suit. This surge isclear that in times likethese, everybody needs apick-me-up.

EVEN TUMMIES

EXPRESSED

THEIR MANN KI BAAT

AT 8 PM.

Whether working fromhome or not, one thing isfor sure — most Indianslove to have their food ontime. On average, 65,000meal orders were placed by

8 pm each day tomake sure foodarrives in time fordinner. This wasthus the busiesthour for Swiggydelivery partnersand restaurants.It was humblingto see peopleacross the coun-try, recognise theefforts of ourhunger savioursa.k.a deliverypartners by usingthe new featurefor tips. On aver-age, they chose totip Rs 23.65, withone particularlygenerous customertipping Rs 2,500!

As birthday partiesmoved to video calls,and virtual cake cuttingsessions, nearly 1,20,000cakes were delivered tocomplete these celebra-tions.

While some were busyshowing off their culinaryskills on social mediaevery day, a large set ofconsumers resorted to theevergreen college hack ofliving on instant noodles.Around 3,50,000 packets

ofthisidealeasy tocook mealwere orderedduring the lock-down.

T

Lockdown or not: Biryanirules the roost in IndiaBehind every personwho didn't step outof their homes, was

a delivery partnerwho ensured they

didn't have to.Swiggy, one ofIndia's leading

delivery platform,has conducted an

analysis on themost ordered items

during the lockdownand the results

clearly prove India'slove for food, finds

K RAMYA SREE

SaturdayJuly 25, 2020

Follow us on

@TheDailyPioneer

facebook.com/dailypioneer

erhaps a visit to thesalon for some self-grooming was the onlything one never felt lazyabout in the pre-COVID era. However,

over the past few months, with apandemic at hand, the touch ther-apy involved was enough to scaremany of us into depending onhousehold hacks. But they havenot been salon-perfect.

With salons getting back tobusiness post an ease in lockdownrestrictions, many have been wait-ing to return. However, risk-averseas we are, there is certainly a greatfeeling of anxiety. So salons tooare responding to the changedmindset and bringing in a majortransition in their set-ups andfunctioning to assure that theirservices are safe. New hygieneprotocols have been developed toensure safety of the customer aswell as that of the technician’s.New tools and accessories arebeing used for contact therapies.Here are a few ways how salonshave gone for a makeover them-

selves before throwing the dooropen.

THE ZERO-TOUCH FACIAL

The don’t-touch-me policy hasbecome the new normal in publicspaces and is here to stay. Whichbrings many to the question —how will salons do their usualchores without touching the cus-tomer? For instance, while comb-ing the hair or a facial clean-up.

Experts suggest that a new safetyprotocol — zero-touch facial —can ensure that the beauticiandoesn’t touch your skin with barehands. Rather, the beauticianneeds to be enabled to deliver thesame kind of service with the sameefficiency by using certain profes-sional tools and techniques. Manybrands are coming up with special-ly customised products like dis-posable applicators, gloves and amask, which can ensure that skinproblems are attended to in ahygienic manner. The sanitisedtools also allow for advanced exfo-liation and radiant skin.

Vaijayanti Bhalchandra, co-founder, CTO Head HR YLGSalons, YLG @ Home, talks abouther use of new zero-touch prod-ucts. She says, “The past fewmonths have been extremely toughfor the business and we havemissed work. The Cheryl’s cosme-ceuticals have helped us adapt tothe new normal with its zero-touch facial kit. Since gaining con-fidence of customers for facialtreatments is a major necessity inthese times, we also make sure thebeautician maintains a certain dis-tance from the customer whileworking and minimise talking atall times. It has been only a fewweeks since we have re-openedand now, we are increasingly get-ting responses for clean-ups andexfoliation facials.”

NEW WAY FOR HAIR COLOUR

DP Sharma, director,Professional Products Division atL’Oréal India, says, “Our networkof salons is key to our business andwe have always believed in them tooffer only the best of services toconsumers. As salons have slowlybegun re-opening across the coun-try, we have trained and upskilledour network with the strictest ofhygiene and safety norms to befollowed while interacting with theconsumer. We have also intro-

duced Express Hair Color Services,which not only support our salonsto get back to business safely butalso offer an innovative profession-al hair colour solution with sophis-ticated techniques to our con-sumers.”

As per Sharma, the service onlytakes 60 minutes, which is as lesstime as it could take to colour thehair. It not only “minimises a cus-tomer’s time at salon” but also“erases all signs of the bad hairdays you may have faced in the lastfew months.”

THE SAFE SALON

INITIATIVE

Beauty brands like Matrix havealso introduced programmes toensure the safety of consumers,anxious about returning to a salon.Its ‘Safe Salon’ initiative begins withan increased sanitisation and fumi-gation of salons arranged by it. Allpartner salons are equipped with acomprehensive hygiene practiceguide that includes the pre-book-ing of an appointment, tempera-ture checks, sanitisation of sur-faces, regular washing of hands bystaff, contactless and digital pay-ments, sterilisation of tools beforeand after a service, availability ofsanitisers and clean masks andgloves worn by the staff.

VIRTUAL SKIN DIAGNOSES

THE WAY OUT

To minimise contact, experts

have recommended a virtual con-sultation session via smartphonewith your beautician that shouldbe mandated for every customer,prior to stepping in the salon.Through this practice, if the ser-vice isn’t provided on the givenday, an unnecessary visit could beavoided and in turn, crowding.Also, one can always get the tech-nician to diagnose the issuethrough an online consultation.

Niraj Killa, owner of HeadTurner’s Hair Spa & Beauty Salon,Kolkata, says, “All our staff hastaken part in the Salon Hygieneand Safety E-Learning moduleoffered by the brand to ensure wecan adapt to the newer require-ments of the changing world. It’sbetter if we now move towardsmore digital practices while cus-tomers consult us.”

SAFETY TRAINING

Many salons have also used thelockdown period to upskill andtrain their network to be equippedwith all the required protocols, toenable them to get back to busi-ness, following proper guidelines.Digital educational training hashelped salon owners and theirteams prepare a detailed hygienechecklist that they must adhere towhile re-opening.The distributionof safety kits by many cosmeticbrands include disposable masks,gloves, bed sheets, shower capsand bed gowns to make the facialservice hygienic and safe.

Whilebeauticians are

takingnecessary

steps to ensuresafety at their

parlours, manycosmetic

companies aremodifying

their productsto empowersalons to be

touch-free

P

TOUCHLESS BEAUTY

10

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

what’s brewing?Vijayawada Saturday July 25 2020

WHY DAILY STRETCHINGIS A HEALTH NECESSITY

When it comes toworking out, stretching

has always been theunderdog. Some

people believe it is anessential part of

exercise to avoidinjuries, while others

say can lead to injuriesitself. The truth of the

matter is that both ofthese claims aren't

entirely incorrect. It'sthe execution is what

makes all thedifference when it

comes to stretching.According to Dr SnehSoni, MD Physician,

myUpchar, stretchingon a daily basis, the

right way, can lead tomany health

benefits. Theserange from:

INCREASING YOUR

RANGE OF MOTION:

Just like most inanimate objects, if wedon't use our body and our jointsregularly, they begin to get rusty.Doing stretching exercises regularlyensures that your muscles remainhealthy, maintain their flexibility anddon't become a hindrance when youdo need to use them. Proprioceptiveneuromuscular facilitation (PNF)stretching, in particular, is found to beextremely effective in increasing yourrange of motion. PNF stretching is atechnique that uses your naturalreflexes to give you a deeper stretch.Consult a physical therapist if youwould like to explore PNF.

IMPROVING BLOOD CIRCULATION

A recent study published in ‘TheJournal of Physiology' suggested thatpassive stretching, done for a periodof 12 weeks, can help dilate thearteries and aid in reducing thestiffness in them. This leads to betterblood circulation, which is one of keyfactors in the prevention of vasculardiseases like strokes, hypertensionand diabetes. Passive stretching iswhen you remain in one (relaxing)position while your muscles arestretched with thehelp of a partner,prop,accessory oreven a wall.

IMPROVING BLOOD CIRCULATION

A recent study published in ‘The Journal of Physiology' suggestedthat passive stretching, done for a period of 12 weeks, can helpdilate the arteries and aid in reducing the stiffness in them. Thisleads to better blood circulation, which is one of key factors in theprevention of vascular diseases like strokes, hypertension anddiabetes. Passive stretching is when you remain in one (relaxing)position while your muscles are stretched with the help of apartner, prop, accessory or even a wall.

BOOSTING PERFORMANCE

When it comes to sports, engagingin an active warm-up is consideredthe norm. This is where dynamicstretching proves to be very useful.A study published in the ‘Journal ofStrength and Conditioning Research'shows that instead of staticstretches, dynamic stretches canboost overall performance byimproving flexibility, speed,endurance, etc. In dynamicstretching, you don't hold a positionfor too long, instead you keep yourmuscles moving in a similar motionto that of the sport you're about toplay.

HELPING

YOU RELAX

Over the duration of theentire day, many of us

can end up accumulatingstress with physical

implications. Sitting at a desk witha slight hunch, for example, can

prove to be extremely harmful to yourposture, muscles and even bone structure.

Even stress can stiffen your muscles. Byemploying the use of some basic and

practical stretching techniques, you canrelieve this physical discomfort and stress,

which may allow you to rest easierduring the night and wake up feeling

refreshed.

PREVENTING

STRAINS AND

INJURIES

Stiff muscles canprove to bedangerous — whenyou suddenly stretchthem during your dayto day activities, theycould either end upputting unexpectedpressure on yourjoints or lead to aninjured muscles itself.Adding even just afew stretches to yourdaily routine can helpyou avoid this byimproving theflexibility of yourmuscles and givingthe endurance.

RELIEVING

CHRONIC PAIN

There's a reasonwhy stretching hasbeen included inphysical therapyinterventions for themanagement ofshoulder, neck, backand knee pain.While you mightimagine thatstretching is not aseffective in painmanagement asmuscle-strengtheningexercises are, astudy in the journal‘ClinicalRehabilitation' foundthat only stretchingwas just as effectivein reducing pain asa combination ofstrengthening andstretching over ayear of physicaltherapy.

11VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | JULY 25, 2020

PTI n NEW DELHI

The eagerly-awaited IndianPremier League will start on

September 19 in the United ArabEmirates (UAE) with the finalslated on November 8, IPLChairman Brijesh Patel told PTI onFriday.

While the event’s GoverningCouncil will meet next week tochalk out the final details andapprove the schedule, it is under-stood that the BCCI has informal-ly intimated the franchises aboutthe plan.

“The GC will meet shortlybut we have finalised the schedule.It will run from September 19 toNovember 8. We expect the gov-ernment approval to comethrough. It is a full 51-day IPL,”

Patel confirmed the developmentafter PTI reported the dates onThursday.

The IPL has been made possi-ble by the ICC’s decision to post-pone the October-November T20World Cup in Australia owing tothe COVID-19 pandemic due towhich the host country expressedits inability to conduct the event.

Patel said that the StandardOperating Procedure to combat theCOVID-19 threat is being pre-pared and the BCCI will formallywrite to the Emirates CricketBoard.

“We are making the SOP andit will be ready in a few days. Toallow crowd or not depends on theUAE government. Anyway socialdistancing has to be maintained.We have left it for their govern-

ment to decide on that. Will alsobe writing to the UAE board for-mally,” Patel said.

There are three grounds avail-able in the UAE -- DubaiInternational Stadium, SheikhZayed Stadium (Abu Dhabi) andthe Sharjah ground.

It is learnt that the BCCI willbe renting the grounds of the ICCAcademy for training of the teams.

The ICC Academy has twofull-sized cricket grounds alongwith 38 turf pitches, 6 indoorpitches, a 5700 square foot outdoorconditioning area along with phys-iotherapy and medicine centre.

As per the current health pro-tocol in Dubai, there is no need tobe in quarantine if people are car-rying a negative COVID-19 testreport, but if they are not, they will

have to undergo a test.While there was speculation

that the IPL will start fromSeptember 26, the BCCI decided toadvance it by a week in order toensure that the Indian team’s tourof Australia is not jeopardised.

“The Indian team will have amandatory quarantine of 14 daysas per the Australian governmentrules. A delay would have sent theplans haywire," a BCCI official saidon conditions of anonymity.

“The best part is that 51 daysis not at all a curtailed period andbroadcasters will be happy with fullseven-week window,” he added.

While the original schedulehad five double-headers, Patel saidthe new one will feature around 12double-headers which means twomatches each on both Saturdays

and Sundays.The Indians are set to play a

four-match Test series againstAustralia starting December 3 inBrisbane after the IPL.

It is expected that with eachand every team needing at least amonth’s time to train, the IPL fran-chises will be leaving base byAugust 20 which gives them exact-ly four weeks time to prepare.

The cash-rich event was orig-inally scheduled to start at the endof March but the COVID-19 pan-demic and the travel restrictionsthat were put in place to containthe virus, led to an indefinitepostponement.

However, BCCI PresidentSourav Ganguly had always main-tained that the event will be heldsome time this year.

PTI n NEW DELHI

The lesson of “forwardpress against fast bowlers”

from Sachin Tendulkar and atip from head coach RaviShastri to stand outside thecrease led to his transforma-tion as a prolific Test batsmanafter a disastrous Englandtour in 2014, feels India cap-tain Virat Kohli.

Kohli had a nightmare ofan England tour where hefailed in 10 successive inningsbut came back later in theyear against Australia scoringfour tons in four games,including two in Adelaide.

In a chat with MayankAgarwal for 'bcci.Tv', theIndian skipper decoded histechnical changes post thatEngland tour.

“The 2014 (tour) will bea milestone in my career. Lotof people take good tours asa milestone in their careersbut for me 2014 will be amilestone,” Kohli toldAgarwal in the show ‘OpenNets with Mayank’.

“I came back fromEngland and spoke to SachinPaaji and had a few sessionswith him in Mumbai. I toldhim that I am working on myhip position. He made merealise the importance of bigstride, a forward press againstfast bowlers,” Kohli explained.

“The moment I starteddoing that with my hip align-ment, things started falling inplace nicely andthen theA u s t r a l i atour hap-p e n e d ,”said Kohli.

H eexplainedwhat wentwrong inEngland andhow herealised it.

“My hipposition was anissue during thatEngland tour. It wasbasically not adjustingto the conditions anddoing what I wanted todo. So being rigiddoesn’t take you any-where. It was a longand painful realiza-tion but I realized it,”he said.

The opening ofhip limited his shotmaking abil ity,Kohli realized.

“One thingstood out, right hipopens or closes toomuch you now you arein trouble. Keep thathip position nice and

side-on and balanced so thatyou can play through both offside and leg side with equalcontrol is very very impor-tant,” he said.

Anderson was taking himout mainly with outgoingdeliveries.

“I was too worried think-ing about the ball that mightcome in. I was opening up abit too early so the ball thatwas going away I was gettingout to it every time. I justcouldn't get past that confu-sion,” he admitted.

However with the tweakin technique also came atweak in his stance, which wassuggested by Shastri (TeamDirector in 2014-15) justbefore the start of 2014-15Australia tour and the rest ishistory.

“He (Shastri) told me onething, to stand outside thecrease. He explained themindset behind it. 'Youshould be in control of thespace you are playing in andnot giving opportunities tothe bowler to get you out’.”

Shastri also explained thelogic that by standing outsidethe crease, so many dismissalsget taken out.

“So I started practisingthat the same year and resultswere unbelievable.”

He also credited formerIndia coach Duncan Fletcher,someone with vast knowledgeabout batting.

“I made my stance biggerafter a conver-

sation withD u n c a nF l e t c h e r ,

who has amaz-ing understanding

of the game. He onlyasked one question,‘Will I be able toplay the short ballwith a forwardpress and thatbase (widenedstance)’. I said Ican.”

T h e r ewas anoth-er interest-ing l itt lechat with

S h a s t r iwhich was anexample of

Kohli's deter-mination.

“Ravi bhaiasked me that if Iwas scared of

short ball,” Kohlilaughed.

“I said I am notscared and I don’t

mind getting hurtbut I don't want to get

out,” the India skipperadded.

PTI n LONDON

Former West Indies T20skipper Carlos

Brathwaite feels Englandpacer Jofra Archer is the“do-it-my-way” type ofplayer which every teamneeds and also has thepotential to be a futureleader of the side.

The 25-year-oldArcher was included inthe England team forthe third Test after beingdropped from thesecond game forbreaching theside’s COVID-19 bio-secureprotocol. Heapologised forhis action ofvisiting hishome whilethe team was in abio-secure envi-

ronment.“There is the tradi-

tional English way of doingit by the book, but all goodteams need the X-Factor. Ithink he (Archer) bringsthat X-Factor and I thoughtKevin Pietersen broughtthat X-Factor,” Brathwaitetold BBC Sport.

“While you’re hop-ing that the majority ofthe team are 75 percent consistent andthey do everything by

the book - they arealways early, theyeat right, they dothis and they dothat - you do needthat rogue.

“I am notsaying thath e(Archer)

is that, butevery team needs

that rogue, that X-Factor,that doesn't play by therules of the book and ‘do itmy way’ type of character.”

Brathwaite cited theexample of star all-rounderBen Stokes, who has court-ed trouble in the past butemerged as one of the mostconsistent performers forEngland in the last twoyears. He also led theEngland team in the firstTest in the absence of JoeRoot.

Brathwaite sees aleader in Archer and wantsEngland to support him indiscovering his leadershipqualities so that he canserve English cricket for along time.

“If you think about it,Stokes not so long ago, wasseen as that type of charac-ter. Now he’s seen as aleader,” Brathwaite said.

IANS n LAHORE

Veteran South Africa spinner Imran Tahirheaped praise on Pakistan white-ball skipper

Babar Azam and referred to him as one of the bestin the world.

Over the years,Azam has been oneof the most consis-tent Pakistan bats-men across formats.He holds the topspot in ICC rank-ings for batsmen inT20Is, third spot inODIs and sixth in Tests.

Tahir also lauded Azam” leadership skills andstated he is perfect for young Pakistan cricketersto follow.

“The current team led by Babar Azam is veryyoung and I wish him all the best because I believehe is one of the best players in the world today,”Tahir was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

“He is surrounded by youngsters. Young play-ers put a lot of effort into the game. My experi-ence tells me that they will do well in the futurebut at the same time they should be prepared tonot give up if they lose some games,” he added.

AP n MANCHESTER

England’s truncated battingdepartment fell cheaply as dis-ciplined bowling by the West

Indies reduced the hosts to 131-4 bytea on the first day of the deciding testat Old Trafford on Friday.

Ollie Pope (24) and wicketkeep-er Jos Buttler (2) were aiming torebuild the innings in Manchester,with only a long tail left for Englandafter the dismissals of Ben Stokes andRory Burns in the second session.

Stokes - promoted to No. 4 soEngland could squeeze in another fastbowler - was bowled by a beautythrough the gate by Kemar Roach for20, having added 13 runs to his scoreat lunch.

Burns reached his sixth test half-century but departed soon after for57, wafting at a ball from spinnerRoston Chase that was too close tohim and finding an edge that wastaken one-handed - and brilliantly -by Rahkeem Cornwall at slip.

England is crawling along, scor-ing 65 runs at a rate of 2.5 per overbetween lunch and tea.

Before lunch, the West Indiessnared Dom Sibley in the first overand captain Joe Root - to a run-out- near the end of the session afterputting England into bat under grayskies.

England's batting lineup has beenweakened after choosing to select fourfast bowlers as well as a spinner forthe test. Stokes, the star of the secondtest won by England inManchester, is struggling for full fit-ness and unlikely to bowl, so isbeing used as a specialist batsman.

West Indies paceman ShannonGabriel started for the third straightmatch this series and spent some timeoff the field with an apparent ham-

string strain after pulling up duringhis fourth over. He returned, though,to the relief of captain Jason Holderand is back bowling.

Roach has 2-28 off 12.4 overs, andneeds one more wicket for 200 intests.

The series is tied at 1-1 and the

Windies, who won the first test inSouthampton, are looking to capturea test series in England for the firsttime since 1988.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Top Australian cricketerAlyssa Healy has

expressed disappointmentat the cancellation of theIndian women’s team’s pro-posed tour of Englandowing to the COVID-19pandemic.

The Indian women’steam was originally slated toplay a bilateral series com-prising three ODIs and asmany T20Is againstEngland in June which gotpostponed due to the coro-navirus outbreak.

But the UK sojourn wascalled off earlier this week.

“Would be sad to see itnot happen especially withthe hope of a WC (WorldCup) early next year,” Healytweeted in response to apost by Sydney-based crick-et writer Rick Eyre.

The ICC Women’s

World Cup is scheduled tobe played in New Zealandfrom February 6 to March7 next year.

Healy’s remark is signif-icant as she is one of the topfemale cricketers of notonly Australia but theworld.

Eyre wondered why it’sso difficult for the women’steam to tour England evenas the BCCI plans to goahead with the rescheduledIPL in the United ArabEmirates.

His tweet read, “Why isit harder to send the Indiannational women’s team toEngland than it is to sendthe entire IPL to the UAE?”

A challenging tour ofEngland would have helpedimmensely in the Indianteam’s preparations for theWorld Cup, reckoned a fewfrom the cricket communi-ty after the cancellation.

IPL SET TO START ON SEPT 19

ENG STUMBLES TO 131-4 ‘I don't mind getting hurt,just don't want to get out’

Azam one of the bestplayers in the world: Tahir

Healy disappointed after Indcancelled tour of Eng

‘Archer brings that X-Factorwhich every team needs’

Meet friends Tom Cook and Joe Feeney who're setting the barfor friendship really high. The friends are happy winners of a

$22 million Powerball jackpot, a prize they split among eachother respecting a pact they made years ago. In a video sharedon YouTube by Wisconsin Lottery, the friends speak about theirreaction to the big win and this pact they made with each other.Cook, has been playing the Powerball since 1992. When herealised he finally had the winning ticket recently, he called hisbest friend, Feeney. Thoughthe ticket had been boughtby Cook, the friends haddecided years ago that theywould split the winnings ifthey ever win irrespective ofwho bought the ticket. "Wesaid whenever the bigwinner comes we'd split it,so we buy (a ticket) everyweek," says Feeney in thevideo. "That happened manyyears ago and it just kindacontinued," says Cook, adding, "handshake's a handshake, man".Watch the entire video to see the friends and hear what they planto do with the winning amount. The Wisconsin Lottery says, thefriends will get about $5.7 million after taxes, reports USA Today.Well, don't these friends set a great example for everyone? Whatdo you think?

Sonu Sood comes to therescue of Aaji Maa

Ex-Nazi guard convictedover 5,232 murdersA

former Nazi concentration camp guard was convicted ofthousands of counts of being an accessory to murder and

given a two-year suspended prison sentence Thursday, a courtannounced. The 93-year-old man, identified as Bruno D., wascharged with 5,230 counts of accessory to murder over his timeas an SS guard at the Stutthof concentration camp from 1944 to1945. He wasfound guilty by theHamburg juvenilecourt of aiding andabetting in themurder of at least5,232 people. Hefaced a juvenilecourt because hewas 17 years oldat the time he served in Stutthof. The defendant had previouslyadmitted to being a guard at the camp, but told the court at thebeginning of his trial that he had no choice at the time. He grewup in a village by Danzig, which is now the Polish city of Gdansk.More than 40 co-plaintiffs from France, Israel, Poland and theUnited States testified against the former SS guard during thetrial, which began in October. Concluding just over 75 years afterWorld War II ended in Europe, it will be one of the last trials of aformer Nazi. It is estimated that around 65,000 people weremurdered during the Holocaust in the Stutthof concentrationcamp, near the Polish city now called Gdansk.

The internet is in love with the 75-year-old Warrior Aaji Maawhose video of juggling sticks has gone crazy viral on social

media. Actor Sonu Sood is also among them. Impressed withher impeccable martial arts skills, the Simmba actor tweetedthe viral video and said that he wants to open a training schoolwhere she can teach self-defence techniques to women. "Can Iget her details please. Wanna open a small training school withher where she can train women of our country some selfdefence techniques," hewrote. Netizens laudedSonu Sood's idea andtook to the commentssection to express thesame. The 75-year-oldwoman is from Pune.She displays her skillsand collects money onthe streets in order tosustain herself amid thenovel coronaviruslockdown. Earlier, RiteishDeshmukh also applauded the elderly woman and shared hervideo on his Twitter handle. He also asked for the contactdetails and later announced that he was successful inconnecting with the woman. The video of the elderly womanwas first shared on Twitter by a user, Hatinder Singh. It wentinsanely viral in no time.

3-year-old, stranded due to Covid, returns to Israel

Friends split $22 milliondecades after promise

NEW

S

MostRead M

elaniya Petrushanska spent almost a sixth of her life inaccidental exile after Israel sealed its borders while she was

abroad on what was meant to be a short holiday. The three-year-old daughter of Ukrainian immigrants had a tearful reunion withher parents this week after an Israeli airline agreed to bring herback, with a special escort, from Kyiv, where she had flown withher grandmother inJanuary. Return flights haddried up as Israel imposedclosures to stem the spreadof the pandemic - withinitial success, though thecountry is now strugglingwith a resurgence.Petrushanska's motherAlona recalled how,speaking to her strandeddaughter by videoconference, she had explained that "the planes are sick ... thatthere was no way to return her because everyone was sick".Although Petrushanska was an Israeli citizen, her grandmotherwas not, which made it impossible for her to enter the countryduring lockdown on one of the few planes still available, Alonasaid. The girl's parents also felt marooned. Flying to Ukraine wouldhave entailed two 14-day quarantines, there and upon returning.Alona said she and her husband could not afford that, given theirshaky job prospects as Israel's economy tanked.

Southern star Sai PallaviSenthamarai says she wokeup with a smile.

Pallavi took to Instagram,where she shared a video ofthe cloudy sky. At the end ofthe clip we see a rainbow.

“The reason I woke upwith a smile...was coz mamaearth threw in a surprise#rainbow #6am #hatti,” shecaptioned the image.

Pallavi hadearliershared apictureof

herself playing with bunnies.“We had Visitors today...Thesnugglepuffs,” she wrote.

On the acting front, SaiPallavi is waiting for therelease of her upcoming filmLove Story directed by SekharKammula. The film also fea-tures Naga Chaitanya, RaoRamesh and Posani KrishnaMurali.

The romantic drama wasscheduled to be released in

April but has beendelayed owing to

the Covid-19outbreak.

12

Vijayawada Saturday July 25 2020tollywood

fter a promising featuredebut with delightfulromance Raja VaaruRani Gaaru last year,actor Kiran Abbavaramhas taken it on himself to

find the love of audience again, ashe has penned the script of hissophomore acting gig, SRKalyanamandapam. He was sure onwhat kind of film he wanted toembark upon — after the maidenone. His confidence stems from theresearch he had undertaken onTelugu cinema for a year after hisshort film Gachibowli, whichearned him rich plaudits. “AfterGachibowli, I wanted to test myself— whether I was fit for the screen,whether the audience will be able tosee my face without feeling boredand whether all kinds of emotionswork on my face. I’ve almost devot-ed a year on knowing about Telugucinema later from 1980 — on howKrishna garu and Chiranjeevi garuevolved into matinee idols andwhat kind of stories writ-ers wrote during a spe-cific time period. Thisprocess of watchingfilms helped me todevelop writing skillsnaturally. VanaraSainyam wasthe first shortwhich I wroteand directed. Itreceived good praise,”he tells us.

He goes on, “Short filmslike Sreekaram, 1991 fol-lowed and I’ve used them tosharpen my acting skills further.The success of these short filmsgave me a big high and I got movieoffers as early 2017 itself. But Itook a six-month break, followingwhich I’ve decided that the best betwas to debut as an innocent lad.The script of Raja Vaaru RaniGaaru facilitated that. For my sec-

ond film though I wanted to intro-duce myself to directors and writersas someone who can portray a widerange of emotions.”

While admitting that it’s easy foran actor to slip into a role that hehas penned, he simultaneously addshe has written challenging scenes,including a lengthy monologue andemotional scenes, for his secondproject, which is 40 per cent over.“I’ve given more than what I’mcapable of for the role so far and Iwould have to wait to gauge thereaction of the audience,” he states.

In the film, he plays a final-yearengineering student Kalyan, a char-acter which he says is close to hisreal self. “Kalyan comes from amiddle-class background and wantshis family to be respected by thevillage. The family owns SRKalyanamandapam, which is nolonger finding patronagethe way it used to,back in the day.The film nar-rates myrole’sefforts toreclaim itslost gloryalongsideother emo-tions likeromance andfriendship. It is arealistic commercialfilm set in Kadapa,” hepoints out, adding thathe has made his bestefforts to present Seema’saccent in its purest form. “I’veseen many Rayalaseema-setfilms where charactersspoke in an accent thatbelonged to my grandfa-ther and father’s gen-eration. With SRKalyana-manda-

pam, I wanted torepresent theaccent of cur-

rent youth.Some lines

will be newto theaudi-enceand

they

may not get it. For example peoplefrom my place refer to 111 asNootapaskondu. They address Annaas Yenno. The film is bound to givea new experience to the audience.”

The actor has many other ironsin the fire for an indeterminatepost-pandemic future. He hadrecently green-lit Sebastian P.C.524, where he plays a constable.“When I was doing short films,many aspiring directors expressedtheir interest to work with mebecause they knew I would portrayall kinds of emotions. SRKalyanamandapam is being direct-ed by Sridhar who directed a shortfilm which I featured in, 1991. Thescript works of my next two-threenext projects with directors who Iknow have commenced sometimeback. I’ve liked a couple of other

scripts from directors I’mnot familiar with but

my schedule didn’tallow me to

commit tothem. Nor doI believe inmakingthem wait,”he signsoff.

CALCULATED

MOVESAfter a promising

feature debut withRaja Vaaru Rani

Gaaru, actor KiranAbbavaram has

penned the scriptfor his second

film, SRKalyanamandapam,

where he plays afinal-year

engineeringstudent Kalyan, a

character which hesays is close to his

real self, findsNAGARAJ

GOUD

A

ijay Antony’sbiggest commercialhit till date,Bichagadu (2016),will be getting asequel soon. As the

musician-turned-actor cele-brated his birthday on Friday,the sequel-under the directionof Priya Krishnaswamy whosefilm Baaram had won theNational Award for BestFeature last year — wasannounced. The title logotoo-for Tamil and Telugu lan-guages — was unveiled tomark the occasion. The film

will roll and release next year.While Antony’s dubbed

ventures post Bichagadu failedto win the appreciation ofTelugu audiences, his name isstill a decent draw at theTelugu box-office. InBichagadu, he played a bil-lionaire businessman wholeads a 48-day long secret lifeas a beggar as part of a reli-gious offering to save hishopeless dying mother. Itremains to be seen what rolehe will be playing in thesequel. He will, however, bethe film’s music director.

Bichagadu toget a sequel

V

A wedding giftto Nithiin fromteam Rang De

he makers ofNithiin andKeerthy Suresh-starrer Rang Deare toying with theidea of releasing a

small glimpse from the filmtoday or on Sunday — as awedding gift to Nithiin whowill enter marital bliss withlong-time girlfriend ShaliniKandukuri on Sundayevening at Falaknuma Palace,Hyderabad. However, thereseems to be a small hiccupas Nithiin needs to dubfor a couple of linesin the promo-tional stuff.With weddingactivities at full-swing at his resi-dence, the makerswere doubtful if hecould dub but hehad given a wordto director VenkyAtluri that he would.If the glimpse getsready in time, themakers would releaseit as their weddinggreetings to Nithiin,else would drop theplan.

A production venture ofNaga Vamsi under SitharaEntertainments, Rang De,featuring Naresh, Rohini,Kousalya, Brahmaji, VennelaKishore, Satyam Rajesh,Abhinav Gomatam andSuhas in supporting roles, isnearly 70 per cent completed.The makers are consideringshooting a small schedule inNew Zealand in Septemberwith a crew of 30.

T

Sai Pallavi shareswhy she woke upwith a smile

elugu star Ram Charan insists onpaying heed only to credibleinformation.

In his latest Instagram picture,Ram Charan strikes a pensivepose. One arm folded, the actor

scratches a earlobe as if immersed indeep thought. A full beard completesthe intense mood of the frame.

“Listening to Credible info ONLY!”he captioned the snapshot.

Actor Akhil Akkineni took to thecomment section and wrote: “What acaption! completely you!”

Actor Varun Tej Konidela comment-ed: “Hahahah..good one anna!”

On the work front, the actor will beseen in SS Rajamouli’s much-awaitedbig-ticket film RRR. The mega-budgetfilm stars Ram Charan along with Jr.NTR and Bollywood stars Alia Bhattand Ajay Devgn.

The film also features internationalactors Ray Stevenson, Allison Doodyand Samuthirakani.

The period drama narrates a ficti-tious tale based on the life of Telugufreedom fighters, Alluri SeetharamaRaju and Komaram Bheem.Unconfirmed reports have stated thatthe film is being produced at an esti-mated budget of Rs 450 crore.

T

Ram Charan listens to

credible information only

Recently, Mythri Movie Makers’ producerRavi Shankar took up the Haritha Haramchallenge, who nominated his film’s lead

actors to take this challenge further. ActressKrithi Shetty accepted the challenge andplanted saplings. The actress further nominatedall the people who liked Nee Kallu Neli

Samudram song from her latest flick.