jun 03, 2021  · on world bicycle day, panditrao dharenavar, assistant professor in postgraduate...

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T he Government has inked a deal for purchase of 30 crore anti-Covid-19 vaccines from Hyderabad-based phar- ma firm Biological-E and has put down an advance of 1,500 crore, a first of its kind move given that the vaccine is still undergoing phase-3 clinical trials before approvals can be given. The Union Health Ministry will make the advance payment soon to the company for what will be the second made-in-India vaccine to be used in the country after Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. The move comes a day after the Centre was slammed by the Apex Court which had criticized it for “arbitrary and irrational” vaccine rollout that has left millions of people vul- nerable to the Covid disease. “The arrangement with M/s Biological-E is part of the wider endeavour of the Government of India to encourage indigenous vaccine manufacturers by providing them support in Research & Development (R&D) and also financial support,” said the Union Health Ministry in a statement here. Biological-E’s vaccine is currently in Phase-3 clinical tri- als after showing promising results in Phase 1 and 2, the statement said. Currently, the Government has been inoculating people with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine produced locally at the Serum Institute of India (SII), Covaxin made by local firm Bharat Biotech, and has begun rolling out Russia’s Sputnik V. T he construction activities have been hit due to lock- down and shortage of labours, but the spiraling prices of raw materials have come as double whammy. The price of cement, steel, bricks, wood, sand, coarse aggregates/construction grav- el and other building materials have gone up by 50-100 per cent. On Thursday, leading domestic steelmakers hiked the prices of Hot Rolled Coil (HRC) and Cold Rolled Coil (CRC) by up to 4,000 and 4,900 per tonne, respectively which will impact the con- struction sector. Many hous- ing projects, which were resumed after the first wave of the pandemic, are likely to come to a standstill again owing to the new crisis. A bag of cement is present- ly available between 350-450 per bag (50 kg) depending on the quality in most parts of the country. The same was 300- 325 in May last year. This translates into a massive hike of about 25 to 35 per cent in the last one year. Prices in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala increase by 50-75 per bag. In Delhi, cement prices also witnessed an increase of 50-75 per bag in the past few months. The pro- duction cost of cement has seen an adverse impact due to the increased cost of power and fuel and freight cost. Prices of steel increased up to 75 per cent in the last one year. Steel prices are up by 10,000 a tonne in the last three weeks. If construction of an inde- pendent house consumes eight tonnes steel, the customer will now face escalation of 80,000 in the building cost. T he Supreme Court on Thursday quashed a sedi- tion case against veteran jour- nalist Vinod Dua for his criti- cism against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his YouTube show last year, saying landmark Kedar Nath Singh judgment entitles protection to every journalist. The Bench comprising Justices UU Lalit and Vineet Saran, however, declined the prayer of Dua that no FIR should be registered against any media personnel with 10 years’ experience unless cleared by a committee, saying it would amount to an encroachment into the domain of the execu- tive. On the issue of protection of freedom of speech and expression of media personnel, the apex court said, “Every journalist is entitled to protec- tion under the Kedar Nath Singh judgment of 1962 on the scope and ambit of offence of sedition in the IPC).” While upholding validity of section 124A (sedition) of the IPC, the top court in 1962 had ruled the sedition charges could not be invoked against a citizen for criticism of Government actions as it would be in conformity with the freedom of speech and expression. Dua through his YouTube channel heavily criticised Modi on Pulwama issue and on migrant workers issue during lockdown in March 2020. A local BJP leader from Himachal Pradesh field FIR against Dua for inciting migrant workers. Same time another BJP leader approached police in Delhi against Dua. Then Dua approached the Supreme Court against the FIR filed by Himachal Pradesh police. In May 2020, Dua was summoned by Shimla Police. T he “merciless” killing of another Kashmiri Pandit, councillor Rakesh Pandita, in Tral area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district late on Wednesday has once again exposed the glaring loop- holes in the security apparatus extended to the grassroots workers in the Kashmir valley. Pandita’s family has demanded a high-level probe by a national investigation agency to piece together the sequence of events preceding the targeted killing of the sole bread earner of his family. Pandita leaves behind an ailing mother, a specially-abled brother who was totally depen- dent on him for all his basic needs, including medicine and daily chores, his son Paras, who is a Class 12 student, wife and a sister. Despite improvement in the overall security scenario in the entire J&k, the cycle of vio- lence against the Kashmiri minorities and targeted killing of political workers have not ended. Almost a year ago, sarpanch Ajay Bharti was killed by the terrorists in Anantnag area on June 8, 2020. Several other BJP leaders and their close family members also were killed by the terrorists. Aakash Mehra, son of a famous Krishna dhaba owner, fell to the bullets of terrorists 11 days after he was shot at in a high security zone of Sonwar. He succumbed on February 28 in a Srinagar hospital. Before him, a famous jew- eller Satpal Nischal from Punjab, settled in Srinagar for several years, was killed from a close range in the first week of January 2021. After performing the last rites of his father in Jammu, Paras, son of Rakesh Pandita indicated that his father may have walked into a trap and ended up losing his life. I n a surprise move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined CBSE students in an interactive session organised by the Education Ministry on Thursday to initiate the process of marking and fixing the results criteria for the can- celled Class 12 Board exams. The PM interacted with the parents and students enrolled in schools affiliated to the CBSE during the meeting and discussed their issues and con- cerns with regards to the can- celled Class 12 CBSE board exams 2021. Interacting with the stu- dents, Modi asked them to utilise their time in a produc- tive and creative manner fol- lowing the cancellation of their exams and said they should never feel stressed about any examination. The PM also asked them how they are feeling following the cancellation of the board exams in view of the coron- avirus pandemic and what are they planning to do now. The PM asked the stu- dents whether they will watch IPL, Champion’s League, or wait for the Olympics. He also told students that they should always remember the mantra of “health is wealth” and enquired what do they do to remain physically fit. Several students shared their experiences with the PM about how the announcement brought relief for them and ended a long spell of uncer- tainty. T he Government is likely to float soon a global tender worth over 50,000 crore for six submarines to be manufac- tured in India. This big-ticket deal is part of the “Make in India” project and Strategic Partnership policy. The proposed six-subma- rine deal known as Project-75 I is an add-on to the six Scorpene submarines now under construction at the Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), Mumbai. The Defence Ministry is likely to firm up the formalities of the tender on Friday in the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) meeting here, sources said on Thursday. The DAC chaired by the Defence Minister is the apex body clearing the deals. The Strategic Partnership policy cleared five years back stipulates that sophisticated weapon systems like fighter jets, warships, submarines and helicopters should be manu- factured by an Indian Defence manufacturer in collaboration with the foreign company or original equipment manufac- turer (OEM). Detailed report on P4 O n World Bicycle Day, Panditrao Dharenavar, Assistant Professor in Postgraduate Government College Sector-46, Chandigarh, padalled down to his students’ hous- es to give away N-95 mask and one month Internet pack money from his salary for attend- ing online classes regularly. I visited 13 houses and gave stu- dents a N-95 mask and Internet pack money worth 200 to each, said the Assistant Professor of Sociology. Dharenavar said, “There are around 40 students in the Sociology department in the College. But most of them were not attending the online classes regu- larly. To encourage them to attend the online classes, I had promised my stu- dents last month that I will give them a N- 95 mask and one month of Internet pack money if they attend more than 95 per cent online class- es.” He told The Pioneer, “My College principal Professor Kamlesh Bajaj encouraged me in this campaign and I will contin- ue to do this holy work every month so that even during Covid-19 Pandemic the students do not miss online classes”. Continued on Page 2 W rapped in white cloth and marked only by numbered stickers, dozens of clay pots lay unclaimed at the Sumanahalli crematorium in the sub- urbs of Bengaluru, where the ashes of Covid victims have been piling up. The urns were then transported for a mass riverside immersion ritual with the rest of the uncollected ashes from Bengaluru on Wednesday — a total of 1,200 unaccounted virus victims. The immersion ritual on the banks of the Cauvery River in Karnataka comes as India battles a vicious second wave of infections that has killed 1,60,000 people in eight weeks, over- whelming the country’s health- care system and crematoriums. Many families have failed to come forward for hundreds of their relatives’ ashes in Bengaluru. Some are too poor to carry out the rituals and others are scared of catch- ing the virus at packed crematoriums where the pyres are burning without pause, workers say. “In a fam- ily, two to three members might have succumbed to corona and some people fear contracting the infection so they don’t want to take (the ashes),” Kiran Kumar, a contractor at Bengaluru’s TR Mills Crematorium, tells AFP. P une-based Serum Institute of India (SII), engaged in producing the AstraZeneca Covishield in india, has sought legal protection from any claims linked to the use of its jab even as it has applied to the Drug Controller General of India seeking permission for a test licence to manufacture Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V. Russia-made Sputnik V vaccine is currently being dis- tributed in India by Dr Reddy’s Laboratories. The SII has told the Government that it will be able to manufacture and sup- ply 10 crore Covishield doses in June, while it is also manufac- turing the Novavax vaccine, the regulatory clearance for which is awaited from the US. Regarding Covid-19 vac- cine indemnity against the costs of compensation for any severe side effects, the SII move comes following reports doing the rounds that the Government may grant legal protection to Pfizer and Moderna for entering the Indian market. T reading rough political turf with his own party men throwing obstacles, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday appeared to be placing himself firmly in the saddle by not only bringing friends turned rivals back in the party, but also mustering sup- port from displeased col- leagues. A day before meeting the three-member panel, set up by the party's interim president Sonia Gandhi to resolve the prevailing infighting within the state party unit, Capt Amarinder inducted former Congressmen and now Aam Aadmi Party's 'rebel' MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, along with his two more party col- leagues in the Congress to send across the message, loud and clear, that he still is a king- maker in the state's political scene. In fact, the announcement of the joining of three sitting MLAs were announced via social media platform, rather than with much pomp and show. What is more, the lead- ers formally joined minutes before the Chief Minister left for Delhi. Notably, Capt Amarinder has been facing heat from his own partymen, including Ministers, legislators, and par- liamentarians, over this Government's functioning and its failure to fulfill the major pre-poll promises with sacri- lege issue topping the list. In the past three days, more than 80 leaders, MLAs, MPs, Ministers, former party presidents, senior leaders, among others, appeared before the three-member panel - com- prising the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Punjab party affairs in- charge Harish Rawat, and senior leader JP Agarwal - to share their opinions with many airing their grievances. In fact, still more than six Cabinet Ministers, 15 to 20 MLAs, and about half a dozen MPs are still camping at the national capital, with the Chief Minister scheduled to meet the three-member panel on Friday. Soon after Capt Amarinder reached New Delhi's Kapurthala House - the Chief Minister's official residence whenever he visits the nation- al capital, a beeline of party leaders, including those who reportedly spoke against the Chief Minister during the meeting, was witnessed. Continued on Page 2

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Page 1: Jun 03, 2021  · On World Bicycle Day, Panditrao Dharenavar, Assistant Professor in Postgraduate Government ... India seeking permission for a test licence to manufacture Covid-19

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The Government has inkeda deal for purchase of 30

crore anti-Covid-19 vaccinesfrom Hyderabad-based phar-ma firm Biological-E and hasput down an advance of �1,500crore, a first of its kind movegiven that the vaccine is stillundergoing phase-3 clinicaltrials before approvals can begiven.

The Union HealthMinistry will make the advancepayment soon to the companyfor what will be the secondmade-in-India vaccine to beused in the country after BharatBiotech’s Covaxin.

The move comes a dayafter the Centre was slammedby the Apex Court which hadcriticized it for “arbitrary andirrational” vaccine rollout thathas left millions of people vul-nerable to the Covid disease.

“The arrangement withM/s Biological-E is part of thewider endeavour of theGovernment of India toencourage indigenous vaccine

manufacturers by providingthem support in Research &Development (R&D) and alsofinancial support,” said theUnion Health Ministry in astatement here.

Biological-E’s vaccine iscurrently in Phase-3 clinical tri-als after showing promisingresults in Phase 1 and 2, thestatement said.

Currently, the Governmenthas been inoculating peoplewith the Oxford-AstraZeneca

vaccine produced locally atthe Serum Institute of India(SII), Covaxin made by localfirm Bharat Biotech, and hasbegun rolling out Russia’sSputnik V.

������ ������ :.��%.>62

The construction activitieshave been hit due to lock-

down and shortage of labours,but the spiraling prices of rawmaterials have come as doublewhammy.

The price of cement, steel,bricks, wood, sand, coarseaggregates/construction grav-el and other building materialshave gone up by 50-100 percent.

On Thursday, leadingdomestic steelmakers hikedthe prices of Hot Rolled Coil(HRC) and Cold Rolled Coil(CRC) by up to �4,000 and�4,900 per tonne, respectivelywhich will impact the con-struction sector. Many hous-ing projects, which wereresumed after the first wave ofthe pandemic, are likely tocome to a standstill againowing to the new crisis.

A bag of cement is present-ly available between �350-450per bag (50 kg) depending onthe quality in most parts of thecountry. The same was �300-325 in May last year. Thistranslates into a massive hike of

about 25 to 35 per cent in thelast one year. Prices in AndhraPradesh, Karnataka, TamilNadu and Kerala increase by�50-75 per bag. In Delhi,cement prices also witnessed anincrease of �50-75 per bag inthe past few months. The pro-duction cost of cement has seenan adverse impact due to theincreased cost of power and

fuel and freight cost.Prices of steel increased up

to 75 per cent in the last oneyear. Steel prices are up by�10,000 a tonne in the last threeweeks.

If construction of an inde-pendent house consumes eighttonnes steel, the customer willnow face escalation of �80,000in the building cost.

����� :.��%.>62�

The Supreme Court onThursday quashed a sedi-

tion case against veteran jour-nalist Vinod Dua for his criti-cism against Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in his YouTubeshow last year, saying landmarkKedar Nath Singh judgmententitles protection to everyjournalist.

The Bench comprisingJustices UU Lalit and VineetSaran, however, declined theprayer of Dua that no FIRshould be registered against anymedia personnel with 10 years’experience unless cleared by acommittee, saying it wouldamount to an encroachmentinto the domain of the execu-tive.

On the issue of protectionof freedom of speech andexpression of media personnel,the apex court said, “Everyjournalist is entitled to protec-tion under the Kedar NathSingh judgment of 1962 on thescope and ambit of offence ofsedition in the IPC).”

While upholding validity ofsection 124A (sedition) of theIPC, the top court in 1962 hadruled the sedition chargescould not be invoked against acitizen for criticism ofGovernment actions as itwould be in conformity withthe freedom of speech andexpression.

Dua through his YouTubechannel heavily criticised Modion Pulwama issue and onmigrant workers issue duringlockdown in March 2020. Alocal BJP leader from HimachalPradesh field FIR against Duafor inciting migrant workers.Same time another BJP leaderapproached police in Delhiagainst Dua.

Then Dua approached theSupreme Court against the FIRfiled by Himachal Pradeshpolice. In May 2020, Dua wassummoned by Shimla Police.

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The “merciless” killing ofanother Kashmiri Pandit,

councillor Rakesh Pandita, inTral area of South Kashmir’sPulwama district late onWednesday has once again exposed the glaring loop-holes in the security apparatus extended to thegrassroots workers in theKashmir valley.

Pandita’s family hasdemanded a high-level probeby a national investigationagency to piece together thesequence of events precedingthe targeted killing of the solebread earner of his family.

Pandita leaves behind anailing mother, a specially-abledbrother who was totally depen-dent on him for all his basicneeds, including medicine anddaily chores, his son Paras, whois a Class 12 student, wife anda sister.

Despite improvement inthe overall security scenario inthe entire J&k, the cycle of vio-lence against the Kashmiriminorities and targeted killingof political workers have notended.

Almost a year ago,sarpanch Ajay Bharti was killedby the terrorists in Anantnagarea on June 8, 2020. Severalother BJP leaders and theirclose family members also werekilled by the terrorists.

Aakash Mehra, son of afamous Krishna dhaba owner,fell to the bullets of terrorists 11days after he was shot at in ahigh security zone of Sonwar.He succumbed on February 28

in a Srinagar hospital.Before him, a famous jew-

eller Satpal Nischal fromPunjab, settled in Srinagar forseveral years, was killed froma close range in the first weekof January 2021.

After performing the lastrites of his father in Jammu,Paras, son of Rakesh Panditaindicated that his father mayhave walked into a trap andended up losing his life.

����� :.��%.>62

In a surprise move, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi

joined CBSE students in aninteractive session organised bythe Education Ministry onThursday to initiate the processof marking and fixing theresults criteria for the can-celled Class 12 Board exams.

The PM interacted with theparents and students enrolledin schools affiliated to theCBSE during the meeting anddiscussed their issues and con-cerns with regards to the can-celled Class 12 CBSE boardexams 2021.

Interacting with the stu-dents, Modi asked them toutilise their time in a produc-tive and creative manner fol-lowing the cancellation of theirexams and said they shouldnever feel stressed about anyexamination.

The PM also asked themhow they are feeling followingthe cancellation of the boardexams in view of the coron-

avirus pandemic and what arethey planning to do now.

The PM asked the stu-dents whether they will watchIPL, Champion’s League, orwait for the Olympics. He alsotold students that they shouldalways remember the mantra of“health is wealth” and enquiredwhat do they do to remainphysically fit.

Several students sharedtheir experiences with the PMabout how the announcementbrought relief for them andended a long spell of uncer-tainty.

����� :.��%.>62

The Government is likely tofloat soon a global tender

worth over �50,000 crore for sixsubmarines to be manufac-tured in India. This big-ticketdeal is part of the “Make inIndia” project and StrategicPartnership policy.

The proposed six-subma-rine deal known as Project-75I is an add-on to the sixScorpene submarines nowunder construction at theMazagon Docks Limited(MDL), Mumbai. The DefenceMinistry is likely to firm up theformalities of the tender onFriday in the DefenceAcquisition Council (DAC)meeting here, sources said onThursday. The DAC chaired bythe Defence Minister is theapex body clearing the deals.

The Strategic Partnershippolicy cleared five years backstipulates that sophisticatedweapon systems like fighterjets, warships, submarines andhelicopters should be manu-factured by an Indian Defencemanufacturer in collaborationwith the foreign company ororiginal equipment manufac-turer (OEM).

Detailed report on P4

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On World Bicycle Day,Panditrao Dharenavar,

Assistant Professor inPostgraduate GovernmentCollege Sector-46,Chandigarh, padalleddown to his students’ hous-es to give away N-95 maskand one month Internetpack money from his salary for attend-ing online classes regularly.

I visited 13 houses and gave stu-dents a N-95 mask and Internet packmoney worth �200 to each, said theAssistant Professor of Sociology.

Dharenavar said, “There are around40 students in the Sociology departmentin the College. But most of them werenot attending the online classes regu-

larly. To encouragethem to attend theonline classes, I hadpromised my stu-dents last month thatI will give them a N-95 mask and onemonth of Internetpack money if theyattend more than 95per cent online class-es.”

He told The Pioneer, “My Collegeprincipal Professor Kamlesh Bajajencouraged me inthis campaignand I will contin-ue to do this holywork every month so that evenduring Covid-19 Pandemic thestudents do not miss online classes”.

Continued on Page 2

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Wrapped in white cloth and markedonly by numbered stickers,

dozens of clay pots lay unclaimed at theSumanahalli crematorium in the sub-urbs of Bengaluru, where the ashes ofCovid victims have been piling up.

The urns were then transported fora mass riverside immersion ritual withthe rest of the uncollected ashes fromBengaluru on Wednesday — a total of1,200 unaccounted virus victims.

The immersion ritual on the banksof the Cauvery River in Karnatakacomes as India battles a vicious secondwave of infections that has killed1,60,000 people in eight weeks, over-

whelming the country’s health-care system and crematoriums.

Many familieshave failed tocome forward

for hundreds oftheir relatives’ ashes in Bengaluru.

Some are too poor to carry out the

rituals and others are scared of catch-ing the virus at packed crematoriumswhere the pyres are burning without pause, workers say. “In a fam-ily, two to three members might havesuccumbed to corona and some people fear contracting the infection sothey don’t want to take (the ashes),”Kiran Kumar, a contractor atBengaluru’s TR Mills Crematorium, tellsAFP.

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Pune-based Serum Instituteof India (SII), engaged in

producing the AstraZenecaCovishield in india, has soughtlegal protection from anyclaims linked to the use of itsjab even as it has applied to theDrug Controller General ofIndia seeking permission for atest licence to manufactureCovid-19 vaccine Sputnik V.

Russia-made Sputnik Vvaccine is currently being dis-tributed in India by Dr Reddy’sLaboratories.

The SII has told theGovernment that it will beable to manufacture and sup-ply 10 crore Covishield doses inJune, while it is also manufac-turing the Novavax vaccine, theregulatory clearance for whichis awaited from the US.

Regarding Covid-19 vac-cine indemnity against thecosts of compensation for anysevere side effects, the SII movecomes following reports doingthe rounds that theGovernment may grant legalprotection to Pfizer andModerna for entering theIndian market.

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Treading rough political turfwith his own party men

throwing obstacles, PunjabChief Minister Capt AmarinderSingh on Thursday appeared tobe placing himself firmly in thesaddle by not only bringingfriends turned rivals back in theparty, but also mustering sup-port from displeased col-leagues.

A day before meeting thethree-member panel, set up bythe party's interim presidentSonia Gandhi to resolve theprevailing infighting withinthe state party unit, CaptAmarinder inducted formerCongressmen and now AamAadmi Party's 'rebel' MLASukhpal Singh Khaira, alongwith his two more party col-leagues in the Congress tosend across the message, loud

and clear, that he still is a king-maker in the state's politicalscene.

In fact, the announcementof the joining of three sittingMLAs were announced viasocial media platform, ratherthan with much pomp andshow. What is more, the lead-ers formally joined minutesbefore the Chief Minister leftfor Delhi.

Notably, Capt Amarinderhas been facing heat from hisown partymen, includingMinisters, legislators, and par-liamentarians, over thisGovernment's functioning andits failure to fulfill the majorpre-poll promises with sacri-lege issue topping the list.

In the past three days,more than 80 leaders, MLAs,MPs, Ministers, former partypresidents, senior leaders,among others, appeared before

the three-member panel - com-prising the Leader ofOpposition MallikarjunKharge, Punjab party affairs in-charge Harish Rawat, andsenior leader JP Agarwal - toshare their opinions with manyairing their grievances.

In fact, still more than sixCabinet Ministers, 15 to 20MLAs, and about half a dozenMPs are still camping at thenational capital, with the ChiefMinister scheduled to meet thethree-member panel on Friday.

Soon after Capt Amarinderreached New Delhi'sKapurthala House - the ChiefMinister's official residencewhenever he visits the nation-al capital, a beeline of partyleaders, including those whoreportedly spoke against theChief Minister during themeeting, was witnessed.

Continued on Page 2

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Himachal Chief Minister JaiRam Thakur on Thursday

inaugurated the makeshift hos-pital for COVID patients atBhangrotu in Mandi district.

Constructed at a cost ofabout 7 crore, this hospital hasa facility of 104 oxygenatedbeds. Along with an 18 beddedEmergency Care Unit (ECU),this hospital also has a facilityof 10 bedded labour cumrecovery room and operationtheatre.

Defibrillator machine hasbeen set up to stabilise heartrate in case of heart attack. Ananaesthesia work station hasalso been set up in the hospi-tal. Every bed has a facility ofdirect oxygen supply from themanifold oxygen plant.

The Chief Minister afterinaugurating the hospital vis-ited every block and closelytook stock of the health facili-ties and services available there.Later, while talking to themediapersons, the ChiefMinister said that this hospital

having ultra-modern facilitieswould be helpful in fightingagainst Corona pandemic.Once the Corona pandemic isover, this hospital would beuseful as a Super-Specialityhospital to facilitate the peopleof the area.

He said that as a result ofeffective management by theState Government, there wasno dearth of oxygenated bedsand oxygen supply even whenthe highest number of Covidcases were being registered inthe state.

From Page 1A series of meetings were held with his loy-

alists - Cabinet Ministers Rana Gurmeet SinghSodhi and Vijay Inder Singla, Amritsar MPGurjit Singh Aujla, among the visitors. LudhianaMP Ravneet Singh Bittu, Sri Anandpur SahibMP Manish Tewari, MLA Raj Kumar Verka,Jalalabad MLA Raminder Awla, who reported-ly raised issues against the Chief Minister, alsomet him. It has been learnt that all the leaders,who met him, assured the Chief Minister of"standing by him" in every situation.

The development assumes significance asmajority of MLAs complained about the unbri-dled powers given to the afsharshahi, besideshighlighting the need to fulfill all the majoritypoll promises before going among the massesto seek votes.

At the same time, sources informed ThePioneer that the Chief Minister has reached forthe crucial meeting with the high command'spanel with "full preparations".

"The Chief Minister has with him a blueprintfor the party for 2022, the details of all MLAslike their standing in their constituencies, theworks they have done, whether they should getthe ticket in next polls to make the high com-mand apprise of the entire situation…and alsohow these were deliberately affecting the party'sprospects," said a source.

At the same time, it has been learnt that theChief Minister has also taken along with himall details of the party leaders, indulging in min-ing, liquor, or any other business.

����������� � ������� ��������������"Chief Minister @capt_amarinder Singh

before leaving for Delhi today welcomed@SukhpalKhaira MLA and former Leader ofOpposition and his two AAP MLA colleaguesnamely Jagdev Singh Kamalu, MLA Maur andPirmal Singh Dhaula, MLA Bhadaur into the

party fold," announced a tweet of the PunjabCongress.

It also announced that the joining was doneas per the approval by the party's interim pres-ident Sonia Gandhi - to send across a clear cutmessage that Capt Amarinder is still the deci-sion maker.

Moreover, the move is being seen as a set-back for the Chief Minister's bête noire, NavjotSingh Sidhu, as Khaira is considered close tohim. "Khaira and Sidhu share a good relation.They had once joined hands to float an outfit,with Pargat Singh and Bains Brothers, whichsoon fizzled out. Even after that, they said to havebeen enjoying a good rapport. And now CaptAmarinder making Khaira rejoining theCongress, with Sidhu not in picture, is sure toimpact him," said a senior Congress leader, whodid not wish to be named.

Notably, Khaira quit the Congress in 2015and joined AAP, after which he was elected fromBholath Assembly seat in 2017 on AAP ticket,and went on to become the Leader ofOpposition. Owing to some differences with theparty, Khaira resigned from AAP's primarymembership in January 2019 and floated his ownoutfit, Punjabi Ekta Party, before the Lok Sabhaelections. In 2019 parliamentary polls, he con-tested from Bathinda but faced defeat.

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Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi,who has opened up parallel communicationchannels to resolve the prevailing crisis withinPunjab party unit, has held a virtual meetingwith the three member panel before it wouldhold a meeting with the Chief Minister onFriday. It has also been learnt that RahulGandhi has also talked to the Chief Ministerbefore the meeting. Notably, Rahul Gandhi hasbeen personally calling up state leaders to takethe first hand information of the ground reali-ties and the issues of the state.

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Haryana Power MinisterRanjit Singh on Thursday

presented a cheque of Rs 135crore to Chief MinisterManohar Lal here.

“The cheque is on accountof interim dividend payout forthe fiscal year 2021-22 towardsequity contribution of the statein Aravali Power CorporationPrivate Limited (APPL), a jointventure of NTPC, IPGCL andHaryana,” informed PK Das,Additional Chief Secretary,

Power Department andManaging Director, HaryanaPower Generation CorporationLtd. (HPGCL).

Das said that the StateGovernment has infused Rs716 crore as equity in the pro-ject and dividend amounting toRs 534.25 crore has beenreceived till date.

Mohammed Shayin,Managing Director, HPGCLinformed that an MoU wassigned on August 24, 2006,among NTPC, HPGCL andIPGCL for the development of

a 3 x 500 MW Coal basedpower plant in Haryana.

He informed that landmeasuring approximately 2231acres were acquired from thevillages of Jharli, Mohanbari,Gorria and Khanpur Khurd.The project was set up byNTPC at Jhajjar and its oper-ation and maintenance is alsobeing carried out by NTPC.

Regarding the power-shar-ing from the project, heinformed that power is beingshared in the ratio of 50: 50between Delhi and Haryana.

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From Page 1Dharenavar said that after

visiting the student’s houses,Panditrao told them about theimportance of social distance,online learning and e-educa-tion, which he said is the onlyway out in the present situation.

Due to ongoing Covid-19pandemic, Higher EducationDepartment, ChandigarhAdministration, had earlierinstructed all the GovernmentPG Colleges to conduct onlinecases. According to theUniversity GrantsCommission, the promotion ofonline class was to be encour-aged.

The Sociology Professorsaid, “We chose World BicycleDay as it draws attention to thebenefits of using the bicycle —a simple, affordable, clean andenvironmentally fit sustain-able means of transportation.The bicycle contributes tocleaner air and less congestionand makes education, healthcare and other social servicesmore accessible to the mostvulnerable populations.”

When contacted Dipanjali,BA (final year, Sociology) stu-dent of the College said,“When Dharenavar Sirannounced an award for regu-larly attending online classes,some students did not believeit but he fulfilled his promisesby giving prizes to the studentsat their doorstep. He has beenan inspiration for all of us.”

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Page 3: Jun 03, 2021  · On World Bicycle Day, Panditrao Dharenavar, Assistant Professor in Postgraduate Government ... India seeking permission for a test licence to manufacture Covid-19

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Amid concerns over anexpected third wave of

COVID-19 which is likely toaffect children, Haryana ChiefMinister Manohar Lal Khattaron Thursday directed theDeputy Commissioners toramp up health arrangementsat the level of communityhealth centres along withincreasing the number of chil-dren wards well in advance.

“Though now a down-trend trend in the number ofdaily COVID-19 active caseshas been seen, still COVID-19appropriate behaviour shouldbe followed religiously," said theChief Minister while presidingover the meeting of Deputy

Commissioners held here.During the meeting,

Deputy Commissionersapprised the Chief Ministerabout the strategies beingadopted by them for combat-ing the second wave ofCOVID-19.

The DeputyCommissioners were directedto remain vigilant for theexpected possibility of a thirdwave.

“If the need of makingadditional arrangement of bedsand rooms is felt at CHC lev-els, then the works regardingthis should be made at the ear-liest,” the Chief Minister direct-ed.

He further directed that thenumber of oxygen beds should

also be increased alongwithkeeping the multidisciplinaryteams conducting healthcheckups in villages on alert forbetter coordination. If needed,the second round of healthcheckups should also be con-ducted, he said.

The Chief Minister saidthat an ambulance should bestationed round the clock atevery CHC so that people vis-iting these CHCs should gettimely treatment and ifrequired any critical patientshould be immediately referred

to the nearest district office.Every ambulance which

would be stationed near theseCHCs should have a maximumlife support system, he direct-ed.

The Chief Minister furthersaid that a plan should bemade to make people awareabout following a healthylifestyle to boost their immu-nity. For this, health facilitiesshould be boosted at AYUSHwellness centres. More focusshould be given on promot-ing Ayurveda, Yoga among thepeople and for making thesearrangements a provision ofrequired budgetary allocationsshould be made, he directed.

Reviewing various pro-jects, the Chief Minister said

that Parivar Pehchan Patra isState Government's ambitiousscheme and under this scheme,a target of uplifting the familieshaving the lowest income hasbeen set, while this work wouldbe done in a phased mannerafter verifying the familyincome of every such family. Afive-member team has beenconstituted for this task and thework should be expedited, hesaid.

He further said that ‘MeriFasal Mera Byora’ schemewould be considered completewhen the information of everyinch of land would be updatedon the portal along with thecomplete data about whichcrop has been sown in howmany acres and area.

He said that last year, anincentive amount of Rs 7,000was given to the farmers foradopting crop diversification inplace of paddy. Now, there is aplan to give incentive to thosefarmers too who will keeptheir fields empty so as toincrease the land fertility. Thegovernment is planning toexpand this scheme further, theChief Minister added.

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The Chief Minister, whileinteracting with the media-persons after the review meet-ing said that strict cognizanceof the complaints regarding pri-vate hospitals fleecing theCOVID-19 patients has been

taken.“In the first phase, the

complaints regarding over-charging will be resolved. Afterthis, a random audit of privatehospitals would be done. Forthis district-level committeeshave been formed,” he said.

Responding to anotherquestion related to cancellationof class 12th exam, he said thatthe result of the class 10thexamination will be out soon,while the result of the class 12thexamination will be releasedafter fixing the criteria.

He said that for those stu-dents who are not satisfied withtheir exam results, a provisionof conducting the examinationswould be made once normal-cy prevails.

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Chandigarh on Thursdayreported 111 fresh cases of

Covid-19 and one death while226 patients recovered from thevirus in the last 24 hours,according to the Chandigarhmedical bulletin.

The bulletin stated that thetotal number of cases inChandigarh has reached 60,399,of which 1,135 are active cases.As many as 58,502 people haverecovered from the infection sofar while 762 people have suc-cumbed to the virus.

A total of 226 patients havebeen discharged including per-sons from home isolation whohave completed 10 days and areasymptomatic. So far, 516,329samples have been taken fortesting. In addition, 5497 morepeople were vaccinated takingthe total count to 365,981.

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Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)president Sukhbir Singh

Badal on Tuesday demanded aHigh Court-monitored probeaccusing the Congress-ledPunjab Government of playingwith the lives of Punjabis bycreating an “artificial shortageof vaccines” for the commonman by allegedly selling vaccinedoses at a hefty profit to the pri-vate hospitals.

“A case should be regis-tered against the HealthMinister Balbir Singh Sidhu fordiverting vaccines meant forthe common man to privateinstitutions,” he demanded,adding that the issue had themakings of a major scam.

Demanding that theCongress Government shouldstop this discrimination againstthe common man immediate-ly, Sukhbir said that if this cor-poratization of vaccine distri-

bution is not stopped, SADwould be forced to approachthe courts for justice.

Sukhbir highlighted thatvaccine doses were available inthe State but they were beingsold to private institutionsinstead of being given free ofcost to the common man. “ACovaxin dose, costing the StateRs 400, is being sold to privateinstitutions at Rs 1,060, andthese hospitals further sell it atRs 1,560 which amounts to acost of Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000 perfamily for a single dose,” headded. He said in Mohali alone,35,000 doses were sold to pri-vate institutions to earn a prof-it of nearly Rs two crore in asingle day.

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With the issue of farmers'protest against JJP MLA

Devender Singh Babli atTohana turning into a majorpolitical row, Haryana ChiefMinister Manohar Lal Khattaron Thursday directed theDeputy Commissioners to takeaction against those takinglaw into their own hands.

“In a democracy, everyonehas a right to protest peacefully.We never object to anyoneholding peaceful movement,but if somebody intentionallydisturbs law and order in thename of any movement, thencertainly this cannot be toler-ated,” Khattar said while talk-ing to the mediapersons hereafter holding a meeting withDCs here.

Khattar said that theDeputy Commissioners havebeen told that if any protest isheld in a peaceful manner, thegovernment has no objectionto it. However, if anyone takeslaw and order into one'shands...Then, whatever actionneeds to be taken as per law inthose cases, the DCs havebeen told not to hesitate andtake action, the Chief Ministersaid.

A day before, Haryana'sHome Minister Anil Vij hadalso issued a warning to pro-testors taking the law intotheir own hands.

Notably, farmer groupshave been protesting in thestate alleging that JJP legislatorDevender Singh Babli had

used abusive language againstthem when they were protest-ing in Tohana in Fatehabaddistrict on Tuesday.

However, Babli, who isMLA from Tohana has deniedthe charges and insteadaccused the protesting farmersof launching a murderousattempt on him during theirprotest in Tohana.

The farmers had onThursday continued theirprotest in Fatehabad againstBabli and burnt his effigy,demanding that the MLAshould apologise for his com-ments.

On Wednesday, a group ofprotesters had tried to marchtowards Babli's residence inTohana but were stopped bythe heavy police contingentdeployed there. The protestorswere taken into custody bypolice and released later.

Meanwhile, Haryana BKUchief Gurnam Singh Chaduniappealed to the farmers toabide by the call given bySamyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and hold protestspeacefully.

Appealing to the protestingfarmers, especially the youth,to ensure that agitation con-tinues in a peaceful manner, heurged them to draw lessonsfrom agitations in the pastwhich came to an abrupt endover incidents of violence. Wewill gherao all police stationsacross the state on June 7 ifBabli does not tender an apol-ogy by June 6 for his remarks,he added.

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Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singhwould formally inaugurate Malerkotla as state’s 23rd

district on June 7, instead of earlier scheduled date ofJune 5. Announcing this after taking over the chargeas newly-formed district of Malerkotla’s DeputyCommissioner, IAS officer Amrit Kaur Gill onThursday said that she would diligently fulfill theresponsibility entrusted to her by the PunjabGovernment. Gill, a 2010-batch IAS officer, was ear-lier serving as Deputy Commissioner of FatehgarhSahib.

Besides Gill, Malerkotla also got a woman as itsfirst district police chief — IPS officer KanwardeepKaur. She also took over the charge at her office atMalerkotla.

“The entire District Administration of Malerkotla,including the Deputy Commissioner, SSP and otherofficials are fresh appointees, hence this program wasbeing put forward to ensure proper management,” shesaid. Gill said that she considers herself fortunate tohave the opportunity to serve as the first DeputyCommissioner in the newly-formed district on the his-toric land of Malerkotla.

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Himachal Pradesh has been rankedas the second best state in the

country for achieving the targets underSustainable Development Goals (SDG)India Index.

NITI Aayog on Thursday launchedthe third edition of the SustainableDevelopment Goals (SDG) India Indexand Dashboard 2020-21.

While expressing happiness overthe recognition to the state, ChiefMinister Jai Ram Thakur congratulat-ed people of the state and said thatHimachal Pradesh has been ranked assecond after Kerala with an overallindex of 74. He said that Kerala hasscored an index of 75. Although Keralaand Himachal have maintained theirrespective first and second positions,which they had secured in the sameranking in 2019 also, both the stateshave recorded an improvement of 5

points each in their overall index in2020 ranking, he added.

The Chief Minister said thatHimachal is ahead of Kerala in makingachievements in the fields of health andwell-being, economic growth anddecent work, reduction in inequalities,sustainable cities and communitiesand production and consumption pat-terns.

Himachal is catching up withKerala in all other fields related toremaining Sustainable DevelopmentGoals. Since goal number 14 pertainsto marine life and Himachal Pradeshdoes not have an oceanic ecosystem, ithas not been ranked in this respect, headded.

He further said that SDG IndiaIndex is tabulated annually by NITIAayog in order to evaluate the progressof states and union territories on thebasis of social, economic and environ-mental criteria.

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Haryana Health MinisterAnil Vij on Thursday said

that PSA oxygen plants wouldbe installed in hospitals andmedical colleges having 30 ormore beds so that there is noshortage of oxygen wheneverrequired in the future.

All beds in these hospitalswill be equipped with oxygen,ventilator and other necessaryfacilities will be available as perthe national standard, said Vijafter holding a review meetingwith the Health Department.

He said that rationalizationof doctors and other staff post-ed in different districts of thestate would be done and as perrequirement posts would becreated so that proper andqualified staff could be madeavailable in all hospitals.

The Minister said that thegovernment is focusing onstrengthening the health infra-structure. The health facilitiesin the hospitals of the state willbe as per the World HealthOrganization (WHO) stan-dards. Besides this, the numberof beds, doctors and other staffin each district will be on thebasis of population in accor-dance with the WHO stan-dards, he said.

Apart from this, refreshercourses for all doctors, trainingof paramedical staff and tech-nical staff will also be done, headded. During the meeting, theHealth Minister directed that e-upchar should be extended tothe Primary Health Centres ofthe state.

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71 more people succumbed to COVID-19in the last 24 hours in Haryana as 980

fresh infections surfaced on Thursday.The death toll was recorded at 8532

while the total case tally reached 760019 inthe state.

2889 people recovered from the virusin the last 24 hours and the total recover-ies now stands at 738799, as per the healthbulletin.

The fatality rate in Haryana stands at1.12 percent while the recovery rate was

recorded at 97.21 percent.In the last 24 hours, a maximum of eight

deaths were reported in Gurugram, sevenin Hisar, six each in Sirsa and Bhiwani, fiveeach in Jhajjar and Rohtak among otherfatalities. Highest 106 fresh cases werereported in Sirsa district.

The state's active cases were recorded at12688, the bulletin stated.

Over 91 lakh samples have been testedin Haryana till date.

Himachal reports 23 deaths, 995 casesHimachal on Thursday reported 23

COVID related fatalities and 995 fresh cases.According to the health bulletin, the

death toll has reached 3217 while theCOVID-19 caseload stands at 193137.

In the last 24 hours, a maximum ofseven deaths were reported in Kangra dis-trict, which also recorded the highest num-ber of 201 fresh cases.

The number of recoveries rose to178840 with 1890 patients recuperatingfrom the disease in the last 24 hours. Therewere 11057 active cases in Himachal.

Till date, over 19.66 lakh samples havebeen tested in the state.

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Haryana, which is known forits rigid patriarchal order,

continued to remain a poorperformer in SustainableDevelopment Goal (SDG)towards gender equality, as perthe Niti Aayog's SDG IndiaIndex 2020-21.

Even as Haryana recordedan overall score of 67, animprovement of 10 points and14th rank among states this

time, as compared to 18th in2019-20 index, the performanceof the state on two parameters i.egender equality (SDG 5) and lifeon land (SDG 15) remains poor.

NITI Aayog on Thursdayreleased the third edition of theSDG India Index 2020–21,which is developed in collabo-ration with the United NationsIndia to track the progress of allstates and union territories (UT)towards achieving 17 SDGs.The index for SDGs evaluates

progress of states and union ter-ritories on social, economic andenvironmental parameters.

In gender equality, Haryanawas placed at 21st rank amongstates recording a poor score of43. For this, NITI Aayog hadconsidered nine criteria, includ-ing crime against women, sexratio, female labour force par-ticipation, family planning,domestic violence, operationallandholdings, women in leader-ship, women in managerial posi-

tions and wage gap among reg-ular employees.

Similarly, in life on land(SDG 15), Haryana was ranked25th among all states with ascore of 48. The ranking wasbased on forest and tree cover,desertification, wildlife crimecases, area covered underafforestation schemes and landdegradation. Haryana has lessthan 10 percent of their geo-graphical area under forest andtree cover.

Haryana remains behindits neighboring states of Punjaband Himachal

While Haryana jumpedfrom 18th to 14th rank in NITIAayog's latest SDG India Index,the state continues to remainbehind the neighboring states ofPunjab and Himachal.

Himachal retained the sec-ond spot with an overall score of74 and Punjab, with a score of68 was placed at 13th rank, whileit was placed at 12th rank in

2019-20.However, Haryana was

among top three states named astop gainers in 2020-21, in termsof improvement in score from2019. While in 2019-20, 10states or UTs belonged to thecategory of front runners (scorein the range 65-99, includingboth), 12 more states or UTsincluding Haryana find them-selves in this category in 2020-21, the NITI Aayog's report stat-ed.

In the case of Haryana, thefive goals with biggest improve-ment are SDG 1 no poverty(+22), SDG 7 affordable andclean air (+23), SDG 10 reduceinequalities (+14), SDG 11 sus-tainable cities and communities(+32) and SDG 12 responsibleconsumption and production(+38).

The country's overall SDGscore improved by 6 points -from 60 in 2019 to 66 in 2020-21.

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Ninety-two people have suc-cumbed to mucormycosis

or black fungus infection inHaryana as the cases havecrossed the 1000-mark.

The cumulative cases ofblack fungus till Thursdaystood at 1025. While 784 areundergoing treatment for blackfungus in various hospitals ofthe state 138 have recovered,according to the data of state'sHealth Department.

A maximum of 30 deathsdue to black fungus are report-ed in Hisar, 19 in Gurugram, 14in Rohtak, seven in Sirsa, six inJhajjar, five in Karnal, three eachin Panchkula and Panipat, twoin Nuh, one each in Fatehabad,Kaithal and Bhiwani, statedthe data as on June 3.

According to the data,Gurugram has reported a max-imum of 258 cases of black fun-gus followed by 261 in Rohtakand 221 in Hisar. Among otherdistricts, 70 cases were report-

ed in Faridabad, 42 in Sirsa, 49in Panipat, 35 in Karnal, 32 inNuh, 10 in Jhajjar, 10 inFatehabad, 11 in Panchkula, 7each in Ambala and Rewari,five each in Bhiwani andYamunanagar and two inKaithal.

Notably, there is an acuteshortage of Amphotericin Binjection used in treatment ofblack fungus in Haryana.

The issue was discussedduring the meeting of DeputyCommissioners presided overby Chief Minister ManoharLal Khattar on Thursday here.

While talking to the medi-apersons after the meeting,the Chief Minister ManoharLal Khattar admitted that thereis a shortage of AmphotericinB injection in the state.

He said that 3000 suchinjections were received onWednesday and the state isexpecting to receive 8000 moreinjections in a day or two. Afterthis, we expect that there willbe no shortage of

Amphotericin B injections inthe state, he added.

Till date, the expert com-mittee constituted to distributethe Amphotericin B injectionfor the treatment of black fun-gus patients in the state have tillnow approved 5549 injections.2863 injections were suppliedto government and aided med-ical colleges, 2682 injectionswere supplied to private med-ical colleges and hospitals andfour to civil hospitals in thestate.

With a sudden surge incases, the government had lastweek decided to increase thenumber of beds in all govern-ment medical colleges of thestate from 20 to 75 to treatpatients infected with blackfungus.

The State Government hadlast month declared black fun-gus a notified disease, makingit mandatory for doctors toreport any case of the diseaseto the chief medical officer ofthe district concerned.

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Amidst the voices among theruling Congress party

demanding “due” meant for thestate’s scheduled Caste catego-ry, some changes are likely inthe state’s reservation policy.For, the Punjab StateCommission for ScheduledCastes on Thursday sent its rec-ommendations through a let-ter to the Punjab Government

for refixation of reservationpercentage for the ScheduledCastes in the state according tothe state’s population.

As per the Commission’sdemand, at least 32 percent ofthe reservation quota consid-ering SC accounting for 31.94percent of the state’s total pop-ulation according to 2011Census. That was not all! TheCommission has further point-ed that the quota, as per esti-

mates of Census 2021, is like-ly to go up by 36 percent.

“In the past also, the per-centage of reservation wasincreased time-to-time in theState after assessing the pro-portion of the population of SCpeople in the State, which wasdone in pursuance of theArticles 16 (4) and 16 (4) A ofthe Constitution of India,” saidthe omission chairpersonTejinder Kaur.

She said that PunjabGovernment had given 15 per-cent reservation for theScheduled Castes in the Stateon October 19, 1949, whichwas increased to 19 percent onAugust 19, 1952, and 20 per-cent on September 7, 1963.

“Last time on June 6, 1974,the reservation was increasedfrom 20 to 25 percent, and atthe same time, the reservationin promotion was fixed 20

percent for Class III and IV and14 percent for Class I and II,”she said.

Kaur said that the reserva-tion has not been reviewed forthe last 47 years which tanta-mount to injustice to theScheduled Castes. “As per 2011Census, the population ofScheduled Castes people inthe State has gone up to 31.94percent, so in 2011, the reser-vation quota for Scheduled

Castes had to be increased to 32percent,” she said.

The chairperson said thatin the Census to be held in2021, the population ofScheduled Castes is likely to be36 percent in the State.

The Commission has alsowritten to the Committee forthe Welfare of ScheduledCastes of the Punjab VidhanSabha to review the matter bysending a copy of the letter.

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Page 4: Jun 03, 2021  · On World Bicycle Day, Panditrao Dharenavar, Assistant Professor in Postgraduate Government ... India seeking permission for a test licence to manufacture Covid-19

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The EnforcementDirectorate has arrested a

Rajya Sabha MP of RJD,Amarendra Dhari Singh, inconnection with a money laun-dering probe linked to a fer-tiliser scam case being probedby the CBI.

The Member of Parliament(MP) is a businessman and hehas been arrested under rele-vant provisions of thePrevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA),sources said.

The money launderingcase relates to a fertiliser scamlinked to the public sectorundertaking Indian FarmersFertiliser Cooperative Limited(IFFCO) and India PotashLimited (IPL), in which theCBI had registered a corrup-tion case in May this year, theysaid.

Singh is said to be SeniorVice President of a firminvolved in the fertilizer scamcase, Jyoti TradingCorporation, Dubai.

On May 17, the CBI hadregistered a case againstManaging Director and ChiefExecutive Officers of IFFCO

US Awasthi and former MD ofIndian Potash Ltd. (IPL)Pravinder Singh Gahlautbesides others in a graft casefor allegedly importing largequantities of fertilisers andraw materials at inflated ratesto claim higher subsidies fromthe Government.

After registering the caseof corruption and criminalconspiracy following a refer-ence from the Chemicals andFertilisers ministry, the CBI onMay 19 also conducted search-es at the official and residen-tial premises at 12 locationsincluding the national capital,Gurugram and Mumbaiamong others.

Besides naming incum-bent MD and CEO, IFFCO, USAwasthi and then MD, IPL,

Pravinder Singh Gahlaut, theagency has also namedAwasthi’s sons Amol andAnupam in their capacity aspromoters of a private firmCatalyst Business AssociatesPvt Ltd. Vivek Gahlaut, son offormer IPL MD PravinderSingh Gahlaut, has also beenbooked in the case.

In addition to these,Pankaj Jain, Jyoti Group ofCompanies and Rare EarthGroup, Dubai, his brotherSanjay Jain, President of JyotiTrading Corporation and ben-eficial owner of other entitiesof Jyoti Group and Senior VicePresident of the Dubai-basedJyoti Trading Corporation,Amrendra Dhari Singh, werealso made accused in the CBIcase.

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In a boost to the Indian defenceindustry, the Government on

Thursday inked a contract worthover �320 crores with MahindraTelephonics Integrated Systems,Mumbai for 11 airport surveil-lance radars. These advancedsystems for the Navy and CoastGuard will enhance theirdomain awareness.

Giving details of the con-tract signed here, defence min-istry officials said it pertains tothe procurement of 11 AirportSurveillance Radars withMonopulse SecondarySurveillance Radar. The deal isworth � 323.47 crores and fallsin the category of ‘Buy andMake’ category.

The installation of theseradars will increase the airdomain awareness around air-fields and enhance safety andefficiency in flying operations ofIndian Navy and Indian CoastGuard, they said.

The signing of this contractis an achievement of the gov-ernment towards ‘AtmaNirbhar

Bharat Abhiyan’ and the objec-tives envisaged in the pro-gramme. This would enableabsorption of technology, skilldevelopment and indigenousmanufacture, boosting employ-ment opportunities.

Under the ‘Buy and Make’category of defence procure-ment, initial purchase of equip-ment can be done from a foreigncompany, followed by indige-nous production through anIndian company in a phasedmanner involving ‘Transfer ofTechnology’ of critical tech-nologies according to “specifiedrange, depth and scope”.

Mahindra TelephonicsIntegrated Systems Limited is asubsidiary of Mahindra andMahindra.

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Continuing its focus on thecoming Assembly elections

to six States, the BJP would, thisweek, carry out a review of itspoll preparedness and assess thefeedback from the general sec-retaries and State-in-charges.

Called by BJP president J PNadda, the two-day meeting ofnational general secretaries onJune 5-6 will re-work the party’sapproach post-Covid-19 secondwave in Uttar Pradesh,Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa,Manipur and Gujarat.

State-in-charges of the fivestates will attend the meetingwith their assessment reports,sources said.

A detailed assessment ofCovid-19 work by the organi-sation towards helpingCoronavirus patients and pan-demic’s possible fall-out on thestates’ assembly polls would betaken-up in the meeting.

While UP, Uttarakhand ,Goa and Punjab are to electnew assemblies early next year,Gujarat will have polls by theend of 2022. Manipur will faceassembly elections in March,2022.

Electorally key state of UP,which would be among the firststates to go to polls after the 2ndwave of Covid-19, has been inthe focus of the central leaderswith state-in-charge RadhaMohan Singh, general secretaryOrganisation BL Santosh visit-ing the state this week andassessing the ground situationthere.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi on Thursday

reviewed India’s preparationson the occasion of ‘50 Days toTokyo Olympics’.

The Prime Minister, in themeeting, said that he would beconnecting with the IndianOlympics contingent througha video conference in July, toencourage them and wish themon behalf of all Indians.

A presentation was madeby officials on various aspectsof operational readiness forthe upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

The Prime Minister wasapprised about the varioussteps taken towards ensuringuninterrupted training for ath-letes amidst the pandemic,participation in internationalcompetitions to win Olympicquota, vaccination of athletes,and customised support beingprovided to them, according tothe Prime Minister’s Office(PMO).

Officials also reportedabout the vaccination status ofsupport staff in the Olympiccontingent.

The Prime Minister direct-ed that every qualified athlete,support staff and officials trav-elling to the Tokyo Olympicsmust be vaccinated as soon aspossible.

Modi said that sports is at

the heart of our national char-acter and our youth are creat-ing a strong and vibrant cultureof sports.

He said that the wishes of135 crore Indians will be withour youngsters who are par-ticipating in the Olympics.

Modi said that for everyyoung sportsperson shiningon the global stage, a thousandmore will be inspired to take upsports.

Officials said that specialattention will also be giventowards motivating athletesand boosting their moralewhile they participate in theOlympics.

Therefore, regular videoconferences will be organisedwith their parents and familymembers back in India,through the course of the com-petition.

The Prime Minister wasbriefed that a total of 100 ath-letes have qualified for theTokyo Olympics across 11sports disciplines and about 25more athletes are likely to qual-ify, details of which will emergeby the end of this month.

While a total of 19 Indianathletes had participated at thelast Paralympics in 2016 at Riode Janeiro, 26 para athletes havequalified and 16 more athletesare likely to qualify for theTokyo Olympics, according tothe PMO.

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As mortality rates are beingwitnessed higher among

people with diabetes who arealso being inflicted with dead-ly black fungus, hospital teamsare being urged to focus onglycemic management amongCovid-19 patients with diabetesand hyperglycemia. It has beenfound that death rates are fourtimes higher among peoplewith diabetes and hyper-glycemia and who are infectedwith Covid-19.

In this regard, the UnionHealth Ministry has revisedthe guidelines for Covid-infected diabetic patients,advising the doctors to screenevery patient at admission forhyperglycemia or high bloodsugar levels.

As per the guidelines‘Clinical Guidance onDiagnosis and Management ofDiabetes at Covid-19: patientmanagement facility’, “Everypatient admitted to a Covidcare facility should be investi-gated for hyperglycemia usinga combination of tests includ-ing capillary blood glucose,fasting plasma glucose andHbA1c.

“Oral glucose lowering

drugs can be considered inpatients with mild Covid ill-ness who have mild hyper-glycemia [pre-meal blood glu-cose of <180 mg/dl (10mmol/L) and post-meal bloodglucose of <250 mg/dl (13.9mmol/L)] and no contraindi-cation to the use of theseagents.

“All patients with moder-ate-severe disease and/orhyperglycemia of greaterseverity should be initiated oninsulin therapy.Hyperglycemia should beaggressively screened for andmanaged in patients receivingsystemic glucocorticoids,” saidthe advisory.

Various studies havewarned that death rates due toCovid-19 are four times high-er among people with diabetesand hyperglycemia. They saidthat people who are admittedto hospital with coronavirusand high blood sugar levels aremore likely to be admitted tothe intensive care unit or needa breathing machine. In addi-tion, those people were alsomore likely to develop a kid-ney issue or die.

Also, hyperglycemia posesa challenge in treatment ofblack fungus. The guidelines

also advises the doctors in hos-pital settings to start everydiabetic patient with diabeticdiet to keep the blood sugarlevel under control.

A doctor said that diabetesand COVID-19 share a bidi-rectional relationship.Hyperglycemia occurring inthe setting of either previous-ly diagnosed or undiagnoseddiabetes is known to be asso-ciated with poor outcomes.

The guidelines have beenformulated based on experi-ence of a team of well knownendocrinologists including DrYashdeep Gupta, Dr AlpeshGoyal, Dr Suraj Kubihal DrKiran Kumar Golla and DrNikhil Tandon, and relevantliterature on the subject avail-able from various existingresearches.

Yet another study by anAmerican team from theEmory University School ofMedicine in Georgia foundthat diabetes is an importantrisk factor for dying fromCovid-19. It also suggestedthat patients with acutelyuncontrolled hyperglycemia– with or without a diabetesdiagnosis – are dying at a high-er rate than clinicians andhospitals may recognise.

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The Government is likely tofloat a global tender soon

worth over �50,000 crores forsix submarines to be manufac-tured in India. This big-ticketdeal is part of the ‘Make inIndia’ project and StrategicPartnership policy.

The proposed six- subma-rine deal known as Project-75I is an add on to the sixScorpene submarines nowunder construction at theMazagon Docks Limited(MDL), Mumbai. The defenceministry is likely to firm up theformalities of the tender onFriday in the DefenceA c q u i s i t i o nCouncil(DAC)meeting here,sources said on Thursday. TheDAC chaired by the defenceminister is the apex body clear-ing the deals.

The Strategic Partnershippolicy cleared five years backstipulates that sophisticatedweapon systems like fighterjets, warships, submarines andhelicopters should be manu-factured by an Indian defence manufacturer incollaboration with the foreigncompany or original equipmentmanufacturer(OEM).

The proposed �50,000crores deal is already runningbehind schedule as the Navydesperately needs modern conventional submarines asthe existing fleet of 15-odd sub-marines is at the fag end of itsoperational life.

Incidentally, China hasmore than 45 submarines and

is rapidly ramping up its mar-itime prowess by inductingaircraft carriers and nuclearsubmarines also. This poses agrave challenge to India as theChinese are now flexing theirmuscle in the strategicallyimportant Indian Oceanregion.

Conventional submarinesare powered by diesel engines and at present thepublic sector Mazagon DocksLimited(MDL), Mumbai isbuilding six Scorpene sub-marines with French collabo-ration.

Rechristened Kalvari, twosubmarines are now sea worthywhile work is progressing onthe remaining four.

The MDL and private sec-tor company Larsen andToubro are the Indian strategic partners for the pro-posed deal.

At least five global giantsincluding French Naval Group,TKMS of Germany,Daewoo(South Korea),Navantia(Spain) and Russian

Rosoborboexport are keen tobag the contract.

The navy plans to have atleast 25 submarines in the nextseven to ten years besides fournuclear powered submarines.

The indigenously designedand manufactured nuclear sub-marine Arihant is already seaworthy while the three moresuch submarines are underconstruction.

India has also procuredone submarine on lease for tenyears from Russia and plans tofamiliarise its officers and crew on this submarineand later shift them to theIndian submarines includingArihant.

Besides the � 50,000 croresubmarine deal, the Navy isalso going to kick start the pro-ject to procure 111 naval util-ity helicopters.

They will also comethrough the strategic partner-ship route and the deal is like-ly to cross the �21,000 croremark.

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Union Home MinisterAmit Shah on Thursday

virtually inaugurated nineoxygen plants set up by theVallabh Youth Organisation(VYO) in Gujarat and com-plimented VYO for theirhumanitarian work. VallabhYouth Organisation head,World Guru VrajrajkumarMaharajji, the Chief Ministerof Gujarat, Vijay Rupani andother dignitaries were alsopresent on the occasion.

In his address, Shah saidthat country achieved collec-tive success in controlling thesecond wave in a very shorttime and taking it towards itsdecline. Expressing condo-lences to the families of thosewho lost their loved ones in

the secondwave, theH o m eMinister saidthat he praysto God togive strengthto theb e r e a v e d

families to bear the loss. Shahsaid that in this calamity, theway in which frontline work-ers, doctors, nurses, NGOsand volunteers have workedfor society and unwell personsand for the poor, forgettingtheir own interests.

He said that many volun-tary organisations across thecountry have contributed inwhatever way they could. When workerswere returning to their homes,thousands of voluntary organ-isations made elaboratearrangements for their food,water, accommodation andtransportation to their desti-nations.

The Government alonecould not have done thiswork, said Shah praising therole of NGOs.

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The Centre has issued anadvisory to all States and

UTs to identify and issue rationcards to the most vulnerableand economically weaker sec-tions of society — streetdwellers, rag pickers, hawkers,rickshaw pullers, migrantlabourers — to ensure theircoverage under the NationalFood Security Act (NFSA).The Centre’s directive comesamid various reports that thepoorest of the poor are in direneed of foodgrains but they areunable to procure ration cards.As many as 14 states have com-pleted 100 per cent coveragequota.

Speaking about the“Pradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnna Yojana” (PM-GKAY III),Food Secretary SudhanshuPandey said more than 63.67Lakh MT foodgrains (i.e.around 80 % of total PMGKAYallocation for May & June 2021)have been lifted by States/UTsfrom FCI depot. Around 28Lakh MT foodgrains have beendistributed by 34 States/UTs toaround 55 Crore NFSA bene-ficiaries for May 2021 andaround 1.3 Lakh MT food-grains have been distributed toaround 2.6 Crore NFSA bene-ficiaries for June 2021, after fol-lowing due COVID protocols.

In an advisory to states, theministry said it is important toensure coverage of all eligibleidentified persons from themost vulnerable and econom-

ically weakest sections of pop-ulation under the NFSA.

On Wednesday, the min-istry asked states and UTs toreach out to vulnerable andweakest sections of the societysuch as street dwellers, ragpickers, hawkers and rickshawpullers. The operational respon-sibilities of identification ofeligible persons and house-holds under NFSA and issuanceof ration cards to them rest withthe states and UTs, the state-ment said.

It is felt that some of thepoor and needy people, whoalso may not have addressproof, may find it difficult toobtain a ration card, it added.Under the NFSA, the govern-ment provides 5 kg of wheatand rice per person everymonth at a highly-subsidisedrate of Rs 2-3 per kg. Around80 crore people are currentlycovered under this law passedin 2013.

According to Pandey,wheat procurement has reachedan all-time high of 411.12 lakhtonnes till June 2 in the currentrabi marketing year endingMarch, as compared to 365.36lakh tonnes in the year-agoperiod, he said. The previousrecord for wheat procurementwas 389.92 lakh tonnes lastyear.

“We have revised the wheatprocurement target to 432.5lakh tonnes which we will eas-ily achieve,” Pande said. Thebulk of wheat procurementgets completed by June itself.

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� ! �$%&"'(��)*+&�,'!�("� $-!�!� New Delhi: India’s position to

abstain at the UNHRC duringthe resolution to probe Gazaviolence is not new and thecountry has abstained on pre-vious occasions also, theExternal Affairs Ministry saidon Thursday.

Responding to a ques-tion on the Palestinian foreignminister writing to his Indiancounterpart S Jaishankar onIndia abstaining during thevoting in the United NationsHuman Rights Council on theissue, MEA spokespersonArindam Bagchi said a simi-lar letter has been written toall countries who abstained.

“Palestine wrote similarletters to all countries whoa b s t a i n e d .The position that we took isnot a new position. And wehave abstained on previousoccasions. I think thatexplains our posit ion quite clearly and addressesthese questions,” thespokesperson asserted duringa media briefing.

In May, a punishing 11-day war between Israel andHamas killed more than 250people, most of themPalestinians.

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The monsoon is here. TheSouthwest monsoon made

an onset over Kerala onThursday after a delay of twodays. The monsoon onset overKerala marks the commence-ment of the four-month rainfallseason in the country.

“The Southwest Monsoonhas made an onset over south-ern parts of Kerala,” said IMDDirector General MrutunjayMohapatra. Due to the onset ofmonsoon, many places inKerala and Lakshadweepreceived rainfall on Thursday.

The normal onset date forSouthwest Monsoon overKerala is June 1. This is the thirdtime in the last six years that themonsoon arrived late. In 2016and 2019, Southwest Monsoonmade an onset over Kerala onJune 8.

“The monsoon is likely toadvance into remaining parts ofsouth Arabian Sea, some partsof central Arabian Sea, remain-ing parts of Kerala andLakshadweep, some more partsof Tamil Nadu and Puducherry,some parts of coastal and southinterior Karnataka,

Rayalaseema and some moreparts of south and central Bayof Bengal during next twodays,” the IMD said.

According to IMD, threeparameters need to fulfilledfor declaring the onset of theSouthwest Monsoon overKerala -- If after May 10, 60 percent of the 14 stations includ-ing Minicoy, Amini,Thiruvananthapuram, Punalur,Kollam, Allapuzha, Kottayam,Kochi, Thrissur, Kozhikode,Thalassery, Kannur, Kuduluand Mangalore report rainfall of2.5 millimetres or more for twoconsecutive days, the onsetover Kerala can be declared onthe second day, provided othertwo criteria are also in concur-rence.

This has to be supple-mented by the wind speed.The depth of westerlies shouldbe maintained up to 600 hec-topascal (hPa), in the box equa-tor to Latitude 10-degrees northand Longitude 55 degrees to 80-degrees east. The zonal windspeed over the area bounded byLatitude 5 to 10-degrees north,Longitude 70-80-degrees eastshould be of the order of 15-20knots at 925 hPa, the IMD said.

Delhi: The Central VigilanceCommission on Thursday saidretired officials accepting jobsin private sector organisationswithout the mandatory coolingoff period constitutes “seriousmisconduct”.

In an order, it alsosaid that all government organ-isations should mandatorilytake vigilance clearance beforeoffering post–retirement jobsto babus.

“It has beenobserved that on some occa-sions, immediately after theirretirement from Governmentorganisations, retired offi-cials are taking up full-timejob/contractual assignmentsin private sector organisa-tions,” the CVC said in theorder issued to secretaries ofal l central governmentdepartments and chiefs ofpublic sector banks amongothers.

Quite often, coolingoff period, as prescribedunder the rules of organisa-tions concerned, is notobserved before taking upsuch offers, it said. “Post retirement acceptanceof of fer by ret iredGovernment officials without

observing cooling off period,constitutes a serious miscon-duct on their part,” the pro-bity watchdog said.

All Governmentorganisations may, therefore,formulate appropriate rulesand guidelines for its employ-ees to ensure that post retire-ment, the cooling off periodis mandatorily observed bythem before accepting anyoffer from private sector enti-ties, the order said.

The rules andguidelines should incorpo-rate the procedure for seekingor obtaining permissionbefore accepting offer fromprivate sector entities duringthe cooling off period if notin existence, it said. The applicable service or con-duct rules should also berevised and modified toensure that, if required,appropriate action can also beinitiated in case of violation ofsuch rules by retired employ-ees, the commission said.

In the order, theCVC has outlined procedurefor government organisationsfor obtaining vigilance clear-ance for retired-babus beforeemploying them. PTI

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The Ministry of ConsumerAffairs, Food and Public

Distribution said that 55 crorebeneficiaries in May and about2.6 crore beneficiaries in Junereceived free food grains underPMGKAY.

Secretary, Department ofFood and Public Distribution,Sudhanshu Pandey onThursday briefed the mediaabout the progress of food-grains distribution underPMGKAY-III and the OneNation One Ration Cardscheme.

Speaking about the“Pradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnna Yojanaa (PM-GKAY III),the Secretary said that morethan 63.67 lakh MT food-grains (i.e. around 80 percentof the total PMGKAY alloca-tion for May and June 2021)have been lifted by theStates/UTs from FCI depots.

Around 28 lakh MT food-grains have been distributed by34 States/UTs to around 55crore NFSA beneficiaries inMay 2021 and around 1.3 lakhMT foodgrains have been dis-tributed to around 2.6 croreNFSA beneficiaries in June2021 so far.

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Page 5: Jun 03, 2021  · On World Bicycle Day, Panditrao Dharenavar, Assistant Professor in Postgraduate Government ... India seeking permission for a test licence to manufacture Covid-19

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With Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee roar-

ing back to power for the thirdtime in a row smartly humblingchallenger BJP, ambitions seemto be soaring in the rulingTrinamool Congress and itsadmirers with a section of theBengali social media goingabuzz with demands of elevat-ing Bengal’s Agni Kanya (firebrand daughter) to the primeministerial throne.

In what may not go downwell with the Congress and

what may bring the Congressand the Left closer in tighterembrace, a section of the TMCsupporters have launched aFB campaign saying “Come,let's make a change... Let's geta Bengali Prime Minister thistime.”

While the TMC superiorswould not mince words on theissue the dedicated page con-taining the demand forBanerjee’s prime ministerialelevation is receiving likes ---thousands in numbers. Whilethe page has been up for quitea few years a campaign of this

nature seeking “Didi for PM”is comparatively new and “quitejustified,” party men say.

“Consider Didi’s prowess… As a woman she single-handedly defeated the entirenational leadership of the BJP--- the largest party in the plan-et --- including its powerfulPrime Minister (NarendraModi) and Home MinisterAmit Shah… so why not. Shehas proved her mettle anddeserves to be elevated for thesake of India,” said a partyleader “in private capacity,”and an “ardent fan of Mamata

Banerjee.”Another leader said, “con-

sider this fact that despite sac-rificing the most for the Indianfreedom struggle Bengal couldnot get one Prime Minister … and they got onlyone President in the past sevendecades … so where is there awrong if Mamata Banerjee ismade a PM… we missed by awhisker when Jyoti Babu themost able Prime Minister thatIndia never saw … now we donot want to miss out on Didi,”said a Trinamool-orientedpolitical commentator.

He also attacked the BJPfor “treating its own Bengalpoliticians like servants …even after giving 18 MPs fromthis could not the party havemade 3-4 Cabinet Ministersand at least a Railway Ministerfrom the State … but they didnot … because they think thepeople of Bengal are their ser-vants.”

Banerjee had already goneon record during the electioncampaigns saying after 2021polls she would go to Delhi to see the end of the BJP.

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Bengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee on Thursday urged the

chambers of commerce to lend theirhands to fight the pandemic even asshe announced some relaxation in the“near-lockdown” conditions in theState.

Saying that the hotels and restau-rants would now be allowed to openfor three hours in the evening with50 percent staff strength only if theirowners assured vaccination fromtheir employees the Chief Ministersaid that if things continued toimprove as it has been for the past afew days then her Government mightconsider the opening up of malls andother such installations with 25 per-

cent work force.“As the situation has improved we

are considering opening of hotels andrestaurants between 5 and 8 pm with

50 percent workers but for that themanagement will have to ensure thatthey get their staff vaccinated,” theChief Minister said adding, “I havenot clamped a lockdown or any kindof curfew like many other States havedone… we have only imposed somerestrictions instead … followingwhich the situations have improvedconsiderably.”

If things continue to improve likethis “then we will open the malls andother such installations with 25 per-cent workforce … and for that I askthe chambers of commerce to thinkin this direction,” she said. She how-ever would not make it clear onwhether the eateries would be openedwith immediate effect or they wouldwork after June 15.

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The Chief of Army Staff(COAS) General MM

Naravane on Thursday main-tained it is difficult to trustPakistan as the terror infra-structure on the other side ofthe Line of Control (LoC) hasnot been dismantled. He alsoadded there cannot be anyslackening on our preparednessor alertness.

Interacting with a group ofselected media persons inSrinagar after reviewing theprevailing security situationalong the Line of Control, theArmy chief said that therehave been decades of mistrustbetween Pakistan and Indiaand pointed out that the onusis entirely on Pakistan to build

trust with India.“There have been decades

of mistrust between Pakistanand India, the situation can notchange overnight. If they con-tinue to observe the ceasefire,stop and desist from pushingterrorists across India thenthese steps will incrementallybuild up trust. The onus isentirely on Pakistan,” he added.

Referring to the ceasefireagreement between the twosides, a major improvement inthe security situation alongthe Line of Control (LoC), theArmy Chief said Pakistan mustaddress India’s core concernsand discard its policy of fuel-ing the cross-border proxy war.

The Army Chief alsostressed that the overall secu-rity situation in J&k hasimproved. “There are very few

terrorist-initiated incidents andstone-pelting cases have takenplace in the Union Territoryand this indicates a return to“normalcy” in Jammu &Kashmir”. General Naravanealso maintained that the Armyis prepared and has taken allnecessary steps for the smoothconduct of Amarnath yatra.However,the decision to con-duct the annual pilgrimage tothe cave shrine lies with civiladministration, he added

He said,”After a long time,we have reached a situationwhere peace and tranquilityprevails. My message to youthis that only if there is peace, wecan have development, then wecan prosper together. Shunthis path of violence andembrace the future,” he added.

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Miffed over the Oppositionattitude of making base-

less statements even in times ofcrisis, the Uttar PradeshGovernment spokesmanSidharth Nath Singh called outto Samajwadi Party presidentAkhilesh Yadav, asking him toaccept the ground reality ofgovernment arrangements andsee for himself the Governmentachievements.

Singh on Thursday assert-ed that the SP leader was nolonger aware of the problems of

the people and that he shouldstep out of his ‘cool comfortzone’ to see reality and acceptit.

“The problem of AkhileshYadav is that his politics is justconfined to Twitter, far awayfrom people and their issues. Itis high time he steps out of hiscomfort zone to see reality andaccept it,” the State micro, smalland medium enterprises(MSME) Minister said, addingthat Akhilesh should stop hisdeliberate attempts of defamingthe UP Government for hispetty political gains.

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Kerala will soon see theignominy of the State chief

of a national political partybeing interrogated by the policein connection with the heist of�3.5 crore. Sources in KeralaPolice investigating the heist of�3.5 crore reportedly belongingto the election fund of the BJPtold this newspaper that KSurendran, president of theBJP’s State unit would be sum-moned for questioning in con-nection with the heist of thismoney which was being trans-ported from Karnataka toKerala reportedly for fundingthe recent election to theLegislative Assembly.

The police took into cus-tody activists of the RSS and theBJP in connection with thecrime. The questioning of thosearrested led the police to theorganizing secretary of the BJP,M Ganesh and office secretaryGireesh, both of whom wererecently summoned by theinvestigators for questioning.

Based on the answers givenby Ganesh and Gireesh, thespecial investigation team con-stituted for probing the heist,questioned K K Anish Kumar,Thrissur district president onWednesday. The next to bequestioned is Surendran, thehigh profile president of Kerala

BJP, who became the firstpolitician in the State to cam-paign by heli-hopping fromKasaragod toThiruvananthapuram.

Things took a curious turnon Wednesday whenAzheekode Praseetha, a closeassociate of tribal leader C KJanu disclosed to the media thatSurendran had paid the triballeader �10 lakh to ensure shejoined the BJP-led NDAalliance in the recent electionto the assembly.

Praseetha released theaudio clip of the telephonicconversation she had withSurendran to substantiate herallegations. Thursday morningsaw Babu another aide to Janutelling the media thatSurendran had paid �40 lakh toJanu and he was privy to thehanding over of the money.

Vernacular media in theState is full of news about how�240 crore meant for the elec-tion fund of the BJP disap-peared without any trace.Though the BJP leaders, par-ticularly Surendran remainedincommunicado since thebreaking of this news, politicalcommentators were demand-ing an explanation from himover the incident.

Surendran, who met themedia at Kozhikode onThursday morning looked

upset and blamed the media forspreading anti-BJP news. Hedid not deny Praseetha’s chargethat he had paid money to Janu.“I have spoken to many peopleduring the election campaignand I do not remember themall. We are cooperating with theKerala Police though I am surewe will not get justice fromthem,” said Surendran.

He said that the Keralaleadership was extending allhelp to the Kerala Police whichis probing the case. “We knowwell that the BJP leadership isbeing targeted by the CPI(M)and the Kerala Police. But weare not running away and arecooperating with the policeunlike the CPI(M) leaders whowent underground claimingthat they were suffering fromCovid and back pain,” saidSurendran.

V Muraleedharan, unionminister of state for parlia-mentary affairs who addressedthe media alleged that theattack on the Kerala BJP lead-ers was part of the CPI(M)’smission to target PrimeMinister Narendra Modi. Hesaid he does not know anythingabout the heist of the unac-counted money reported by themedia and alleged that it was apart of the media conspiracyagainst him and the PrimeMinister.

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Even as the Aligarh districtadministration, police and

Excise department officialswere busy working out therecent hooch tragedy whichaccounted for over 50 lives, fivedaily wage workers died and atleast 22 took ill after consum-ing spurious liquor in Jawanarea on Wednesday night.Officials feared that some ofthem might have died afterconsuming illicit liquor andmany suffered eye damage andvision loss.

On Wednesday night,some brick kiln workers con-sumed country made liquordumped in a canal near Roheravillage of Jawan police stationarea.

The police suspected thatowing to the heat generatedagainst the liquor mafia afterlast week’s hooch tragedy, someillicit traders might havedumped supplies of spuriousliquor in containers into thecanal fearing a raid. The stashwas probably found by the ill-fated workers who consumedit. Soon after consuming the

hooch, they started feelingnauseous and some of themeven fell unconscious. Somelocals raised an alarm afterwhich a police team from near-by Jawan police station rushedto the spot and rushed the vic-tims to a hospital. A case wasregistered against unnamedpersons at Jawan police stationand the police were investigat-ing.

Chief Superintendent ofJawahar Lal Nehru MedicalCollege hospital, Dr HarrisManzur said, “So far, five peo-ple had died and three of themwere brought dead. Doctors arebattling to save the lives of theremaining 22 victims. In factcritical patients kept on reach-ing the hospital emergencythrough the night. Had thesepatients been hospitalised soonafter they fell sick, some ofthem could have been saved asthe first six hours are crucial insuch cases.”

Earlier on May 28, severalvillages of Aligarh were rockedby the sudden deaths of numer-ous residents who consumedliquor bought from some localliquor shops.

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In what appears to be a majorclean-up operation in its

preparations for the 2022 UPAssembly elections, BahujanSamaj Party (BSP) presidentMayawati expelled leader of theparty in UP Assembly LaljiVerma and former State BSPchief Ram Achal Rajbhar onthe charges of anti-party activ-ities during the recently-con-cluded panchayat polls.

The action against thesetwo leaders came in view ofrumours doing the rounds that

they were slated to leave theBSP and join the SamajwadiParty (SP). While Verma is asitting BSP MLA from Kateheriseat, Rajbhar is a party legisla-tor from Akbarpur seat. TheBSP appointed two-time MLAfrom Mubarakpur seat ofAzamgarh, Shah Alam as theLeader of the Party in UPAssembly. Through a Pressnote, the BSP warned partyleaders and workers not toinvite the expelled leaders toany party function and saidthat the duo would not be field-ed in any future elections.

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In a sensational incident reported from Meerut, apatient was allegedly raped in the intensive care unit

(ICU) by a ward boy of a private hospital.The alleged crime took place after the accused

allegedly sedated the patient by administering her an injec-tion in the ICU of the hospital in Lisari Gate police sta-tion area. A complaint has been filed at the local police sta-tion and the ward boy has been taken into custody, policeclaimed on Thursday. Surprisingly, the local police triedto hush-up the case and action was taken only after thesenior officers leant about the incident.

Reports said that an 18-year-old girl, a resident ofMajidnagar, was admitted to a private nursing home onMay 27 after she had high fever. The girl alleged that theward boy sedated her by injecting some drug in the ICUand then raped her late in the night.

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Within hours after anenthusiastic senior

Congress Minister VijayWaddettiwar unveiled a five-level unlock plan for 18 dis-tricts in the State, an embar-rassed Shiv Sena-led MVAGovernment on Thursdaycame out with a clarificationthat the lockdown restrictionshad not been lifted.

In a development that tookthe Chief Minister’s Office(CMO) by surprise, Relief andRehabilitation Minister VijayWadettiwar announced in theafternoon that the StateGovernment had prepared a 5-level unlock strategy for 18 outof 36 districts in the state.“The unlock plan has been pre-pared on the basis of positivi-ty rate and status of occupan-cy of oxygen beds in the dis-tricts. Districts with the lowestpositivity rate will have norestrictions,” Wadettiwar saidimmediately after a StateDisaster ManagementAuthority meeting.

The Minister’s announce-ment proved to be premature,as the CMO swiftly clarifiedthat the lockdown restrictions

had not been lifted and the newrelaxation plan was still underconsideration.

In a statement issued in theevening, the CMO said: “TheCovid-19 spread has not beenstopped fully yet. In ruralareas, the virus spread is on theincrease. Considering that thevirus is proving to be danger-ous in view of the mutation thatis taking place, we will have tosee whether we can relax lock-down restrictions. As of now,the lockdown restrictions havenot been lifted yet”.

“However, under the‘break-the-chain’ drive, we havestarted relaxing the lockdownrestrictions to a certain extent.In the coming days, we willconsider the five-level unlockplan prepared by the StateDisaster ManagementAuthority. For the purpose,parameters to decide on theweekly positivity rate andOxygen bed availability. Basedon these, the State Governmentwill come out with compre-hensive guidelines on whetherto relax or make restrictionsmore stringent,” the CMO said.

The CMO said that thestate government would take a

call on relaxing the lockdownrestrictions, after reviewingthe situation at the local levelsin consultation with the districtofficials concerned.

Earlier in the afternoon,Wadettiwar had announcedthat the lockdown-like restric-tions, imposed in April thisyear when the second wave ofthe pandemic intensified,would be lifted in 18 districtswhere the positivity rate is 5percent or less and the occu-pancy of oxygen beds in hos-pitals is less than 25 percent.

The districts that the min-ister had named were:Aurangabad, Bhandara,Buldhana, Chandrapur, Dhule,Gadchiroli, Gondia, Jalgaon,Jalna, Latur, Nagpur, Nanded,Nashik, Yavatmal, Washim,Wardha, Parbhani and Thane.

“Most restrictions wouldbe lifted in these districts.Restrictions in Mumbai wouldbe relaxed partially, but thetravel by local trains, the statecapital's lifeline, would not beopen to the general public as ofnow. Mumbai is still in level 2,if it reaches level 1, local trainservices will resume,”Wadettiwar had said.

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The Covid-19 infections contin-ued to remain under control in

Maharashtra for the third consecu-tive day on Thursday as the Statelogged 15,229 new cases, whiledaily deaths rose to 643.

A day after the State logged15,169 infections and 553 deaths, thenumber of infections remained at15,229, while daily Covid-19 tollwent up to 643. The daily deathscomprised 307 current deaths and336 previous unaccounted deaths.

With 643 deaths reported inMaharashtra on Thursday, the totalnumber of deaths in the stateclimbed from 96,751 to 97,394.Similarly, with 15,229 new infec-tions, the total number ofcases climbed from 57,76,184 to

57,91,413.As 25,617 patients were dis-

charged from the hospitals across thestate after full recovery, the totalnumber of people discharged fromthe hospitals since the second weekof March last year increased from54,60,589 to 54,86,206. The recov-

ery rate in the State rose from 94.54per cent to 94.73 per cent.

The total “active cases” in thestate dropped 2,16,016 to 2,04,974.The fatality rate in the Staterose from 1.67 per cent to 1.68 percent.

Mumbai logged 985 infections,while it logged 27 deaths. As a con-sequence, the Covid-19 toll in themetropolis increased from 14,880to 14,907, while the infected caseswent up by 985 to trigger a jump inthe infections from 7,07,041 to7,08,026.

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Page 6: Jun 03, 2021  · On World Bicycle Day, Panditrao Dharenavar, Assistant Professor in Postgraduate Government ... India seeking permission for a test licence to manufacture Covid-19

Trump’s thundering andinflammatory bravado. Avaluable lesson that civilianpoliticians often forget is thatfor a soldier, his/her nation-al and constitutional valuescome before partisan loyal-ties. A quintessential “soldier’smoment” came in lateVeteran-Senator JohnMcCain’s campaign(Republican) when onewoman in the audience saidthat she didn’t trust Obamabecause “he’s an Arab”, wasimmediately corrected byJohn McCain’s immortalwords, “No ma’am. He’s adecent family man, a citizenthat I just happen to have dis-agreements with on funda-mental issues!” The Veteran-Senator never hesitated to calla spade a spade, even if it hap-pened to his own party manlike Donald Trump, whom heslammed, “The appearance oftoughness or a reality showfacsimile of toughness seemsto matter more than any ofour values.” At McCain’sfuneral, his rival from theDemocratic Party, BarackObama, reciprocated the dig-nity that can perhaps accrueonly to combatants: “WhenJohn spoke of virtues like ser-vice and valour, they weren’tjust words to him, it was a

truth that he had lived and forwhich he was prepared todie.” Obama movingly spokeabout a soldier’s constitu-tionality, “he did understandthat some principle tran-scend politics.

More recently in France,the Army Chief of Staff hadto intervene and publicly dis-suade soldiers from signingan extreme Right-wing letteron “religious extremism”’, aspersonal convictions on polit-ical-societal passions couldtrigger divisive talks, withinthe “barracks”. The Chiefurged his soldiers to demon-strate, “unsurpassable virtues,cohesion and esprit-de-corps”,in an unmistakable ode toremain apolitical, despitepolitical provocations fromfar-right politicians like MarieLe Pen, who have electoralagendas.

As the BidenAdministration settles downand faces tough decisions onMilitary matters like pullingback troops from Afghanistanor checkmating China — irre-spective of their sanguinity,judiciousness or efficacy, atleast the misplaced attempts topoliticise and appropriate theimagery of the soldier, is gone.

Two back-to-back presi-dential events pertaining to the

Military reflected the now-normalised optics of deco-rum, grace and dignity thattypifies the institution.

Later, at the MemorialDay ceremony at Arlingtonto honour the fallen soldiers,Biden sagely reiterated,“Democracy. That’s the soulof America. And I believe it’sa soul worth fighting for. Andso do you, a soul worthdying for”— Biden added apersonal touch to thepoignant ceremony when heremembered his son Beau, anIraq War Veteran who passedaway in 2015, “To those whomourn a loved one today, Jilland I have some idea howyou are feeling”. Perhaps thebest unwitting reaction tounnecessary theatrics andbombast came from ColRalph Puckett who askedinnocently, “Why all the fuss”,when asked to go to theWhite House — that perhapscaptures the essence of hon-esty, simplicity and nobilitythat makes the apolitical sol-dier, a very special citizen andpatriot.

(The writer, a militaryveteran, is a former LtGovernor of Andaman &Nicobar Islands andPuducherry. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

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There are frequently inter-changed political expres-sions like the Right-wing, nationalistic or

conservative, to suggest a certaintypology in democracies, global-ly. Amongst the“Uniformed”/veteran commu-nities, empirical data does suggesta historical bias towards thesesocially conservative ideology,hence the traditional tractiontowards Republicans in the US orthe Conservative Party in the UK.In the 2016 US presidential elec-tions, the Vets gave DonaldTrump a 60%-34% advantageover Hillary Clinton and, in2012, John McCain held a 54%-44% advantage over BarackObama. But the tumultuousTrump era (2016-2020) of osten-sibly “muscular” politics had anunprecedentedly reverse impacton the Veteran sentiment — themore inclusive, measured, andreasonable tone of Joe Biden,swayed the Vets favourably.Misplaced swagger of callingsome fallen Veterans “suckersand losers”, denigrating GoldStar families (eg Khizr Khan’s),recklessly interfering in theMilitary affairs (eg misconduct ofSEAL Edward Gallagher), shun-ning professional advise (egDefense Secretary James Mattison Syria) or trying to usurp thehallowed imagery of the Soldierunder a partisan flag (eg GeneralMark Milley’s apology followingan inadvertent photo-op) wasultimately too much for thepatriotic Veterans to support adivisively polarising agenda, thatcan play havoc with the proud-ly united and apolitical ways ofthe “Uniform”.

Biden’s consistent line thatthe “nation-is-the-strongest-when-it-is-united” gained deeptraction from the Veterans whoexemplify the regional, ethnic,and religious diversities. Eventhough Biden has had a mixedrecord on Veteran affairs, hishumility and inherent decencywith words like, “We must domore than rattle our sabers anddemand allegiance to our visionsimply because we believe weare right” was unusually resonating, pacifist and concil-iatory — it still cut ice with theVeterans, who had tired of

SOUNDBITE����������� ����������������Sir — India may look at providing, undercertain conditions, to foreign COVID-19vaccines clubbed with an indemnity clause.Pfizer and Moderna have reportedly soughtprotection from lawsuits related to unfore-seen complications, much like the indem-nity they have been provided in the US andthe UK, and it is believed that this is issueis holding their entry in India, which is run-ning short of vaccines.

As the Government is expanding thevaccination drive in phases, it is activelylooking into roping in foreign vaccine man-ufacturers. Some States have individuallyapproached Pfizer and Moderna, but the USfirms have made it clear that they would notsell their vaccines to individual States. Asconsultations are on between theGovernment of India and the foreign vac-cine companies, the issue of indemnity hasbecome a crucial one as the Governmentmay agree to extend indemnity to these for-eign vaccine manufacturers. Their demandis not specific to India. In all the countrieswhere these firms have supplied their vac-cines, they are insulated from legal cases.

MR Jayanthy | Sion, Mumbai

����������������Sir — To keep the country safe from theeffects of the deadly Coronavirus, which hasbeen on a spread since last year, it is not onlythe responsibility of the Government,health workers in increasing the healthcaresystems of the country but the biggestresponsibilities are of the citizens as it is wewho have to follow the set rules in order to“break the chain”.

To encourage people in keeping theirrespective localities safe from the deadlyvirus, it is heartening to know that theMaharashtra Government has decided totake an interesting step to ensure compli-ance with all COVID-19 precautionarynorms in villages is done. The State hasannounced “Corona-free village” competi-tions in which the top three villages in eachrevenue district will be awarded prizes upto �50 lakh. Maharashtra RuralDevelopment Minister Hasan Mushrif

informed that the contest is a part of the ini-tiative “My Village Corona-Free”, announcedby Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray,recently. The participating villages will bejudged on the basis of 22 criteria by a com-mittee set up for this purpose. It is high timethe others affected States must follow theexample of Maharashtra to make their statesCorona-free.

Bhagwan Thadani | Mumbai

������������������������Sir — The recent pullout from French Open2021, by World Number 2 Naomi Osaka isa sudden shock for her fans and support-ers. The controversy in the tennis spheresparked off after Osaka took a firm standon her mental health. This issue is so deli-cate that usually people hesitate to talks

about it publically.But 23-year-old Osaka not only took a

firm stand over it, but also accepted that suf-fering hesitation in public speaking, she hadsuffered bouts of depression in the past. Sheopenly accepted that she had mental healthissues, and it’s not such a big deal to be anintrovert. Her calibre to perform on thecourt cannot be judged by her responses inthe post-match media interaction.

Mental health is a very sensitive issue,and every discipline of life has suffered fromit. Osaka's effort are stronger, she did verywell to initiate the fight for such sensitiveissue. People must support her in her fight.

Kirti Wadhawan | Kanpur

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Page 7: Jun 03, 2021  · On World Bicycle Day, Panditrao Dharenavar, Assistant Professor in Postgraduate Government ... India seeking permission for a test licence to manufacture Covid-19

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The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspectsof Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs)came into effect in January, 1995. It pro-tects four intellectual property rights -

patents, copyrights, industrial designs, andtrade secrets. At the same time TRIPs containsprovisions to relax or suspend these IP rightsduring health emergencies. COVID-19 pandem-ic has shaken the world. No country has beenspared from its devastation. Vaccines are con-sidered to be a lasting solution to controlling it.But availability of these vaccines in the devel-oping countries has become a huge issue-multinational companies have the monopolyover these.

For the first time in the history of WTO, asmany as 62 countries led by India and SouthAfrica have approached this august body for atemporary waiver of IP rights in vaccines andother essential medicines and therapeutics.This proposal has emanated from the belief thatdeveloped countries are stocking up the vaccinesand developing countries are being deniedaccess to these.

Developments of the last few months arepointers to this: developed countries have cor-nered 70 per cent of the vaccine productionwhile over 100 low-income countries have hadnot a single dose of vaccine. Some countries havetermed it as 'vaccine apartheid'. Many of thecountries in Africa dread a repeat of the 1990swhen HIV/AIDs ravaged the continent, andthere was no access to the newly launched triplecocktail of drugs to treat this illness as it costover US$12,000 per person per year. Big Pharmahad the monopoly with patent rights over it andthey put up a strong resistance to launch ofcheaper generics.

Ultimately under huge pressure from gov-ernments, civil society and other groups, gener-ic production was allowed to companies likeCipla. The result was a drastic drop in prices toUS$1 per person per day (in 2001). The DohaDeclaration on the TRIPs Agreement andPublic Health in 2001 (by WTO MinisterialConference) reiterated the flexibilities in TRIPsfor public health. It recognized the rights ofmember states to make use of these at times ofhealth emergencies. Despite all this the devel-oped countries and Big Pharma have alwaysresisted use of TRIPs flexibilities.

As in the past, most developed countrieshave opposed the proposal to suspend the IPrights in vaccines and other medicines, even iftemporarily. They give the oft-repeated argumentthat it will harm innovation and discourage pri-vate investment into research and development.Further, since the current crisis is witnessing amutating virus, it needs constant tracking andinnovation, hence more investments. It is alsobeing said that most developing countries do nothave the capacity and competence to handle theproduction of complex vaccines. Instead, thesecountries have offered to supply vaccines in char-ity to the low-income countries through theCOVAX facility created by WHO and three otherinternational agencies. This charity-based modelhas not been found sustainable during the pastepidemics.

The developing countries arehighly sceptical of the motives ofthe developed countries and wantto tap the flexibilities offered bythe TRIPs agreement - collective-ly this time rather than individu-ally. What can be a more extraor-dinary public health emergencythan the present one?

Last month efforts of thedeveloping countries got a shot inthe arm when the USA reversed itsearlier stand and announced sup-port to their proposal in WTO.Still, the road to the final destina-tion is paved with uncertaintiesand would need all the acumenand perseverance at the level of theproposers.

Two other significant develop-ments took place last week. First,to break the deadlock, the 62 co-sponsor countries have on 21May amended the proposal tolimit the waiver period to threeyears with a provision to reviewthe position at the end of it. It ishoped that the revised submissionwill help reconcile the two oppos-ing positions.

Second, the date for the long-pending meeting (12th) of theMinisterial Conference, the high-est decision-making body inWTO, has been announced. It isscheduled to be held fromNovember 30 to December 3,2021. The delay is due to theCovid-19 pandemic but this mayalso delay a final decision on the

proposal of the developing coun-tries. This decision will be takenbased on the consensus of allWTO members. If consensus isnot reached, the decision will betaken by voting with a majority ofthree-fourth members voting infavour.

Covid-19 vaccines have beendeveloped in a short period, pri-marily with the help of publicfunds from the USA, EU and othersources. Therefore, the argumentin favour of retaining monopolyrights with multinationals is notwholly convincing. There is somuch logic and urgency for sus-pending IP rights and sharingtechnology with a larger numberof companies and this demand isgetting louder.

Among other positive movesis the EU initiative worth $1.2 bil-lion on manufacturing and accessto vaccines, medicines and healthtechnologies to Africa. Big Pharmacomprising of BioNTech, Pfizer,Johnson & Johnson and Moderna,have together pledged 1.3 billiondoses for low-income countries atno profit and to middle-incomecountries at lower prices by theend of the year -- mainly throughthe COVAX facility. Italy haspledged Euros 300 million (1.8 bil-lion doses). Gavi, the VaccineAlliance, which oversees COVAX,has been able to pool over $7 bil-lion of the targeted $8.3 billion for2020-21 for COVAX for the lower-

income countries.Furthering these efforts, the

European Commission, in itsRome Declaration of May 21,announced sharing of intellectu-al property rights for global pub-lic health. It talked of "promotingthe use of tools such as voluntarylicencing agreements of intellectu-al property, voluntary technologyand know-how transfers, andpatent pooling on mutually agreedterms".

Despite all the above develop-ments the developed countriesremain divided on the issue ofwaiver of IP rights. Further discus-sions in TRIPs Council are heldup. Since access to vaccines in allcountries is the key to control thepandemic, it is essential that anearly decision is arrived at thepending proposal. There is need tomultiply and diversify the produc-tion capacities and the productioncentres without further loss oftime. It is heartening to see Indiaand South Africa emerge as thevoice of over 100 low-income andlower middle-income countries ofthe world who are the most vul-nerable needing greater access tovaccines. Hopefully, with pressurebuilding up on the developedcountries, there should be a break-through in WTO and collectiveefforts of all countries will bearfruit. We have to win the fightagainst Covid-19, so that everyonefeels safe and protected.

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If West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjeedoes not leave any oppor-

tunity to settle political scoreswith Prime minister NarendraModi, nor does the BJP withBanerjee. Last week, to showher annoyance, she opted outof the meeting to review thecyclone havoc in the state. Ina rare violation of the proto-col, Banerjee also kept the PMwaiting for 30 minutes, meet-ing him briefly, and left evenwhile the deliberations anddamage assessment were on.Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhan and Union ministerslike Rajnath Singh criticizedMamata for playing petty pol-itics.

One can understand thebitterness between politicalparties during the elections.After a landslide victory inWest Bengal, the campaign

heat has not come down evenas post-poll violence andvendetta politics continuefrom both sides. After theelection results, the CBI arrest-ed four Trinamool leaders.Eyebrows are now raised whenthe Centre has called back theChief Secretary when he is onthe verge of retirement.

Mamata has been com-plaining about the way Modihas been treating non-Congress chief ministers inCovid review meetings. "Wefeel insulted and humiliated. Adictatorship is going on. ThePrime Minister is feeling soinsecure that he did not evenlisten to the chief ministers.What is this fear about?"Mamata Banerjee asked.

Going down memorylane, the Nehru era did notwitness such behaviour asmostly Congress chief minis-ters ruled in the states. Their

relationships were cordial.Prime Minister Nehru regular-ly keptin touch with them toinform them of his tackling ofcurrent affairs.

Nehru's successor LalBahadur Shastri ruled for abrief period and had to face aPakistan war as well as otherproblems. The jolt for theCongress came from its humil-iating defeat in the 1967 polls.After Indira Gandhi succeed-ed Shastri, the number ofnon-Congress chief ministersalso began to grow.

Tamil Nadu was oneexample where Chief MinisterKarunanidhi combined withnon-Congress chief ministersto confront Gandhi.Karunanidhi did not havegood relations with PrimeMinister Chandrashekharalso.

Chief Minister andAIADMK founder M. G.

Ramachandran followed adictum of being on the rightside of the Centre even dur-ing the Morarji Desai govern-ment. He had a comfortablerelationship with IndiraGandhi.

His disciple Jayalalithaahad a cordial relationshipwith both Indira Gandhi andRajiv Gandhi but she con-fronted P.V. Narasimha Raoand the first BJP PrimeMinister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

She even pulled downVajpayee's government in1998 though she was an ally ofthe NDA. Jayalalitha alsobroke the protocol by notseeing off Vajpayee in 1999when he visited Tamil Nadu.She deliberately left Chennai.

During P.V.NarasimhaRao's time, she was annoyedwith him for appointing Dr.M.Chenna Reddy as Tamil Nadugovernor. There was a war ofwords between the two egois-tic leaders. She demanded therecall of the governor butRao did not agree.

Andhra Pradesh chiefminister N.T. Rama Rao hada public spat with IndiraGandhi and paraded hisMLAs before the president in1984 when she got his govern-ment dismissed and wasforced to reinstate him.

Modi too is not comfort-able with non -BJP chief min-

isters. Just last month thePrime Minister objected toDelhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal showing a live Covidreview meeting between himand the chief minister.Chiding him, Modi said "Letme say this is strictly againstour tradition, our protocol."

Bad vibes between somechief ministers and governorsare also not something new.West Bengal, Maharashtra,Puducherry and Delhi areshining examples where thechief ministers and governorshave running battles.

Modi had been talkingabout cooperative federalismand competitive federalismas well as "Team India".Cooperative federalism is aconcept which reflects therelationship between theCentre and the states whereboth come together andresolve the common prob-

lems.Modi was successful last

year when he took the chiefministers on board to imple-ment his Covid strategy. Butin 2021, with elections to fivestates, politics took over. Non-BJP states have complainedabout the scarcity of oxygenand vaccination shortage andsome like the Delhi govern-ment have even gone to court.

Unfortunately, confronta-tion has replaced consensuswith the growing number ofregional satraps. Modi knowsthat his real challenge comesfrom the regional satraps.

Politics has trumped eco-nomics in India's story ofcooperative federalism. Withkiller Covid at large, time forcentre and states to worktogether and political partiesneed to rise above electoralmindsets. This is no time forego and playing politics.

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Three Uyghurs who fledfrom China to Turkey have

described forced abortions andtorture by Chinese authoritiesin China's far western Xinjiangregion, ahead of giving testi-mony to a people's tribunal inLondon that is investigating ifBeijing's actions against ethnicUyghurs amount to genocide.

The three witnesses includea woman who said she wasforced into an abortion at 6 1/2months pregnant, a formerdoctor who spoke of draconianbirth control policies, and a for-mer detainee who alleged hewas “tortured day and night” byChinese soldiers while he wasimprisoned in the remote bor-der region.

They spoke to TheAssociated Press of their expe-

riences before testifying byvideo link to the independentUK tribunal, which is expect-ed to draw dozens of witness-es when it opens four days ofhearings on Friday.

The tribunal, which doesnot have UK government back-ing, will be chaired by promi-nent human rights lawyerGeoffrey Nice, who led theprosecution of ex-SerbianPresident Slobodan Milosevicand worked with theInternational Criminal Court.

While the tribunal's judg-ment is not binding on anygovernment, organisers hopethe process of publicly layingout evidence will compel inter-national action to tackle grow-ing concerns about allegedabuses in Xinjiang against theUyghurs, a largely Muslim eth-nic group.

One witness, mother-of-four Bumeryem Rozi, saidauthorities in Xinjiang round-ed her up along with otherpregnant women to abort herfifth child in 2007. She said shecomplied because she fearedthat otherwise authoritieswould have confiscated herhome and belongings andendangered her family.

“I was 6 1/2 months preg-nant ... The police came, oneUyghur and two Chinese. Theyput me and eight other preg-nant women in cars and tookus to the hospital,” Rozi, 55, toldthe AP from her home inIstanbul.

“They first gave me a pilland said to take it. So I did. Ididn't know what it was,” shecontinued. “Half an hour later,they put a needle in my belly.And sometime after that I lostmy child.”

Semsinur Gafur, a formerobstetrician-gynecologist whoworked in a village hospital inXinjiang in the 1990s, said sheand other female cliniciansused to go from house to housewith a mobile ultrasoundmachine to check if anyone waspregnant.

“If a household had morebirths than allowed, they wouldraze the home ... They wouldflatten the house, destroy it,”Gafur said. “This was my lifethere. It was very distressing.And because I worked in a statehospital, people didn't trust me.The Uyghur people saw me asa Chinese traitor.”

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The ruling CommunistParty's deadly 1989 crack-

down on the TiananmenSquare pro-democracyprotests never ended for FanBaolin, who served 17 years inprison and says he sneaked outof China last year to escapesurveillance that includedcameras trained on his apart-ment and pressure on his fam-ily to deter him from moreactivism.

Fan, who took part in thedemonstrations and laterworked for the party's vastsecurity apparatus, was arrest-ed in 1999 for giving activistsabroad confidential docu-ments about surveillance ofChinese pro-democracy exiles.Released in 2016, he becameamong those who still arewatched by the party a gener-

ation later in an effort to erasepublic memory of the protestsin the heart of Beijing.

“Once you are on theChinese government's black-list, you will be tracked for life,”Fan told The Associated Pressahead of Friday's anniversaryof the June 4, 1989, militaryattack on protesters. He spokein another Asian country andasked that it not be identifiedwhile its government consid-ers his request for asylum.

Party leaders have impris-oned or driven activists intoexile and largely succeeded inensuring young people knowlittle about June 4. Still, aftermore than three decades andthree changes of leadership,they are relentless in trying toprevent any mention of theattack that killed hundredsand possibly thousands ofpeople.

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Israel's Opposition parties onThursday set the wheels in

motion for a potential nation-al unity government afterclinching a last-minute agree-ment to oust BenjaminNetanyahu, the longest-servingprime minister in the Jewishnation's history.

Yair Lapid, leader of thecentrist Yesh Atid party,announced an eight-partycoalition had been formedafter tough political negotia-tions.

Under a rotation arrange-ment, the head of the right-wing Yamina party, NaftaliBennett, 49, would serve as theprime minister first beforehanding over to Lapid.

Lapid, 57, officiallyinformed President ReuvenRivlin and Knesset(Parliament) Speaker YarivLevin about the deal lateWednesday night, barely halfan hour before the Wednesdaymidnight deadline.

The announcement cameafter a series of back-to-backmeetings with the leaders of theanti-Netanyahu camp in the120-member Knesset.

"In accordance with Clause

13(b) of the Basic Law: TheGovernment – I am honouredto inform you that I have suc-ceeded in forming a govern-ment...MK (Member ofKnesset) Naftali Bennett willserve as a prime minister first,”Lapid told Rivlin.

"I commit to you MrPresident that this governmentwill work to serve all the citi-zens of Israel including thosewho aren't members of it, willrespect those who oppose itand do everything in its powerto unite all parts of Israelisociety," the Yesh Atid partyleader said.

Lapid will serve as foreignminister until the two menswap roles halfway throughthe term. There still needs to bea parliamentary vote before thegovernment is sworn in.

The Israeli presidentthanked Lapid saying, "Weexpect the Knesset will conveneas soon as possible to ratify thegovernment, as required.”

The development, seen bysome as historic as it includesan Arab party in the coalition,will break an ongoing politicalimpasse that has seen Israel gothrough four polls yieldinginconclusive results in less thantwo years.

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Kabul: A bomb ripped througha minivan in a mostly Shiiteneighbourhood of the Afghancapital on Thursday, killing atleast four people, a policespokesman said. No oneimmediately claimed respon-sibility for the attack. Thepolice spokesman, FerdawsFaramarz, said the attack hap-pened in western Kabul. Thearea is largely populated by theminority Hazara ethnic groupwho are mostly Shiite Muslims.

The Islamic State group hascarried out similar bombings inthe area, including an attack ontwo minivans on Tuesday thatkilled at least 10 people.

Shiites are a minority inmostly Sunni Afghanistan, andthe local Islamic State affiliatehas declared war against them.

AP

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Amilitary court in Myanmarhas sentenced two jour-

nalists to two years in prison fortheir reporting, a move that hasbeen decried by rights groupsas the latest assault on the freepress since the country's coup.

Aung Kyaw, 31, a reporterfor the Democratic Voice ofBurma, and Zaw Zaw, 38, afreelance reporter for the onlinenews agency Mizzima, wereconvicted Wednesday by thecourt in Myeik, a city in south-ern Myanmar.

The two had been chargedunder a recently revised pro-vision in the penal code withspreading misinformation thatcould incite unrest, a chargethat critics say criminalisesfree speech.

The convictions are thelatest moves against journalistssince Myanmar's military over-threw the elected governmentof Aung San Suu Kyi in aFebruary coup. According toMyanmar's AssistanceAssociation for PoliticalPrisoners, about 90 journalistshave been arrested since thetakeover, with more than halfstill in detention, and 33 still inhiding.

The coup sparked massivecivilian protests against militaryrule that have been met with abrutal crackdown that has lefthundreds dead.

The Democratic Voice ofBurma and Mizzima areamong five local media outletsthat were banned in Marchfrom broadcasting or publish-ing after their licenses werecancelled. Like many otherbanned media outlets, bothhave continued operating.

A statement issued by theDemocratic Voice of Burmasaid Aung Kyaw was arrestedMarch 1 for reporting aboutanti-junta demonstrations inMyeik. The agency said AungKyaw defended himself in courtafter his lawyer was threatenedby authorities.

A statement from Mizzimasaid Zaw Zaw was detainedabout two months ago at hishome while covering events forthem in Myeik and Dawei,also in southern Myanmar.

The news agency said it“categorically opposes the two-year prison sentence handed toZaw Zaw and calls for theimmediate release of all jour-nalists unjustly detained bythe ruling junta, including ZawZaw and another four detainedMizzima journalists".

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Three European Unionmember nations and three

Middle Eastern countries arelooking to train personnel inborder, customs, maritime andcybersecurity techniques at acutting-edge US-funded facil-ity in Cyprus that is expectedto be ready early next year, theCypriot foreign minister saidThursday.

The Cyprus Center forLand, Open-Seas, and PortSecurity (CYCLOPS) is sched-uled to start operating on Jan.16, 2022, Foreign MinisterNikos Christodoulides saidafter inspecting the under-construction facility with USAmbassador Judith Garber.

Christodoulides said

Cyprus was selected for thecentre because theMediterranean island nation islocated on the southeastern endof the EU and because it enjoysgood relations with the nationsin the Mideast.

“Officials from neighbour-ing countries as well as fromEU member states will receivethe kind of training required tocounter common threats of anon-military nature,” he said.

CYCLOPS will includestate-of-the-art equipment anda mobile facility to train offi-cials on how to best protect keyinfrastructure projects and con-ducting cyber investigationsand border screening.

The US will provideequipment and training staff.Cypriot government

spokesman Kyriakos Koushossaid US President Joe Bidenconsiders Cyprus a “significantpartner” in bolstering region-al security in the eastMediterranean and has pledgedto further strengthen US-Cyprus relations.

Biden made the remarks ina letter addressed to CypriotPresident Nicos Anastasiades,Koushos said.

In the letter, the US presi-dent looks forward to workingwith Anastasiades to deal withissues of common interest inthe east Mediterranean, thespokesman said. Cyprus andthe United States forged clos-er security links in recent years,culminating in the 2019 con-gressional approval of theEastern Mediterranean Energy

and Security Partnership Act,which underscored US supportfor an energy-based partner-ship between Greece, Cyprusand Israel.

Under the act, the US isproviding ethnically dividedCyprus with funding for mili-tary training and has partiallylifted an arms embargo thatwas enacted 33 years ago toprevent a potential arms racefrom harming peace talks withthe country's breakawayTurkish Cypriots.

Cyprus has licensedExxonMobil to prospect for oiland gas in waters where theisland nation has exclusiveeconomic rights.

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Danish lawmakers votedThursday in favour of

Denmark establishing a refugeereception centre in a thirdcountry that is likely to be inAfrica, a move that could be afirst step toward moving thecountry's asylum screeningprocess outside of Europe.

Legislation approved on a70-24 vote with no abstentionsand 85 lawmakers absentauthorizes the Danish govern-ment to, when a deal in inplace, transfer asylum-seekers"to the third country in ques-tion for the purpose of sub-stantive processing of asylumapplications and any subse-quent protection in compliancewith Denmark's internationalobligations.”

The United Nations highcommissioner for refugees, the

European Union and and sev-eral international organiza-tions have criticised the plan,saying it would undermineinternational cooperation andlacks details on how humanrights would be protected.

Immigration MinisterMattias Tesfaye has said theDanish government needed alegal framework for a new asy-lum system before details couldbe presented. The center-rightopposition has been backingthe Social Democratic minor-ity government and voted infavour of the law approvedThursday.

“This is insane, this isabsurd,” Michala C. Bendixen,a spokesperson for advocacyand legal aid organizationRefugees Welcome, told TheAssociated Press. “What it's allabout is that Denmark wants toget rid of refugees. The plan is

to scare people away fromseeking asylum in Denmark.”

The Social Democrats havefor a few years floated the ideaof basing a refugee refugee cen-ter abroad. In January, PrimeMinister Mette Frederiksenreiterated an election cam-paign vision of having “zeroasylum-seekers.”

The Social Democratsargue their approach wouldprevent people from attempt-ing the dangerous journeyacross the Mediterranean Seato reach Europe and under-mine migrant traffickers whoexploit desperate asylum-seek-ers. Since 2014, more than20,000 migrants and refugeeshave died while trying to crossthe sea.

Bendixen said the govern-ment's argument is “nonsense”because asylum-seekers stillwould have to get to Denmark.

Brussels: The European Unionexpressed concern Thursdayabout Greece's use of a soundcannon to scare migrants awayfrom its borders, raising ques-tions over whether the devicecontravenes the 27-nation bloc'slaws on fundamental rights.The Associated Press reportedon Monday that Greek borderpolice are firing bursts of deaf-ening noise from an armoredtruck over the frontier intoTurkey. The long-range acousticdevice, or “sound cannon,” isthe size of a small TV set.

It's part of a vast array ofphysical and experimental newdigital barriers being installedand tested at the 200-kilome-ter (125-mile) Greek borderwith Turkey to stop peopleentering the EU without autho-risation. AP

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Authorities have confirmedthat 136 students were

abducted by gunmen in north-ern Nigeria earlier this week,including some as young as 5years old, the school's ownersaid Thursday.

Gunmen on motorcyclestargeted Salihu Tanko IslamicSchool on Sunday, killing oneperson and abducting threeteachers as well, school ownerUmar Idris told The AssociatedPress.

Idris said the numbercould be higher, though,because school officials havenot been able to reach all of theparents to confirm whethertheir children are back home.

“We have sent out a mes-sage asking parents who havenot yet reported to the school

to do so,” Idris said, adding thatthree teachers also were kid-napped.

Other preschoolers wereleft behind as they could notkeep pace when the gunmenhurriedly moved those abduct-ed into the forest.

“The 11 children weremainly aged between 3 and 4and they lacked the stamina tokeep pace with the gunmen, sothey were abandoned on theway,” Idris said, adding that thepreschoolers were found hoursafter the attack.

The school's pupils rangein age between 3 and 14, andparents are concerned thatsome of the youngest kidnap-ping victims may be unable tosurvive in the forest.

Gunmen have abductedhundreds of students in north-ern Nigeria this year.

Kyiv: A dissident journalistwho was arrested after hisplane was diverted to Belarussaid in a video from prison thatprotests against the country'sauthoritarian leader had fizzledand the opposition should waitfor a better moment to revivedemonstrations.

It was Raman Pratasevich'ssecond such appearance thatallies dismissed as having beencoerced. In footage aired lateWednesday on Belarusian stateTV during an hour-long pro-gram, the 26-year-oldPratasevich also said that hehad been set up by an uniden-tified associate.

The presenter of the broad-cast on the ONT channelclaimed that the Belarusianauthorities were unaware thatPratasevich was on board aRyanair jet en route from

Greece to Lithuania when flightcontrollers diverted it to theBelarusian capital of Minskon May 23, citing a bombthreat. No bomb was foundafter the landing, butPratasevich was arrested alongwith his Russian girlfriend.

Outraged European Unionleaders called the flight's diver-sion an act of piracy andresponded by barring theBelarusian flag carrier from itsskies, telling European airlinesto skirt Belarus and draftingnew bruising sanctions againstthe country.

Belarus' PresidentAlexander Lukashenko, whohas ruled the ex-Soviet nationof 9.3 million with an iron fistfor more than a quarter-cen-tury, has accused the West oftrying to “strangle” his countrywith sanctions. AP

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Indian airlines are expected topost a consolidated loss of

USD 4.1 billion this fiscal,similar to what they are esti-mated to have incurred in2020-21, taking the total loss-es of two years to around USD8 billion as a result of the pan-demic so far, aviation consul-tancy and research firm CAPAsaid on Thursday.

In a report, CAPAexpects domestic passengertraffic to be around 80-95 mil-lion in 2021-22 as against 52.5million in the previous finan-cial year.

However, despite thisgrowth, it will be well belowthan around 140 million pas-senger volumes recorded in2019-20, CAPA said in thereport.

This projection of the traf-fic volume does not take intoaccount the anticipated thirdwave of the pandemic, it added.

“We expect that Indian air-lines will lose a consolidatedUSD 4.1-billion in FY2022,similar to that in FY2021. Thiswill take total losses over twoyears to around USD 8 billionas a result of the two COVID-19 waves,” CAPA said in thereport.

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Market benchmarks ratch-eted up to fresh lifetime

highs on Thursday after twodays of muted trade as banking,finance and infra stocks sawhectic buying ahead of RBI’smonetary policy decision.

A rebounding rupeeadded to the momentum, withmidcap and smallcap gaugesoutperforming the bench-marks. The 30-share BSESensex opened strong and car-ried the gains through the dayto finish 382.95 points or 0.70per cent higher at 52,232.43.The index surpassed its previ-ous closing record of 52,154.13hit on February 15 this year.

Similarly, the broader NSENifty soared 114.15 points or

0.73 per cent to end at its life-time peak of 15,690.35.

Titan was the top per-

former in the Sensex pack,spurting 6.69 per cent, fol-lowed by ONGC, L&T.

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Government think tank NitiAayog has submitted to the

Core Group of Secretaries onDisinvestment the finalisednames of PSU banks to be pri-vatised in the current fiscal aspart of the disinvestmentprocess, a senior governmentofficial said.

Niti Aayog has beenentrusted with the task of selec-tion of names of two public sec-tor banks and one generalinsurance company for the pri-vatisation as announced in theBudget 2021-22.

“We have submitted thenames (of PSU banks) to theCore Group of Secretaries onDisinvestment,” the officialsaid. The other members of thehigh-level panel are economicaffairs secretary, revenue sec-retary, expenditure secretary,corporate affairs secretary, legalaffairs secretary, Department ofPublic Enterprises secretary,Department of Investment andPublic Asset Management(DIPAM) secretary and admin-

istrative department secretary.Following the clearance

from the Core Group ofSecretaries, headed by theCabinet Secretary, the finalisednames will go to AlternativeMechanism (AM) for itsapproval and eventually to theCabinet headed by the PrimeMinister for the final nod.

Changes on the regulatoryside to facilitate privatisationwould start after the Cabinetapproval.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman had recently said“interests of workers of bankswhich are likely to be privatisedwill absolutely be protectedwhether their salaries or scaleor pension all will be taken careof ”.

Explaining the rationale

behind the privatisation,Sitharaman

had said that banks in thecountry needed to be bigger,just like the State Bank ofIndia (SBI). “We need bankswhich are going to be able toscale up... We want banks thatare going to be able to meet theaspirational needs of this coun-try,” Sitharaman had said,adding that a lot of thought hadgone behind the intention toprivatise some public sectorbanks.

The government has bud-geted �1.75 lakh crore fromstake sale in public sector com-panies and financial institu-tions, including 2 PSU banksand one insurance company,during the current financialyear.

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Covid resurgence heavilydented India’s service sec-

tor output which contractedlast month.

Moreover, the data indi-cated that India’s serviceproviders struggled in May,with the intensification of theCovid-19 crisis causingrenewed declines in new busi-ness and output. At 46.4 (indexvalue) in May, down from 54 inApril, the seasonally adjustedIndia Services Business ActivityIndex was in contraction ter-ritory for the first time in eightmonths. The seasonally adjust-ed index reading remainedabove the critical 50-mark thatseparates growth from con-traction.

“The latest reading point-ed to a solid rate of reductionthat was nevertheless slowerthan those seen in the after-math of the Covid-19 out-

break,” IHS Markit said in thePMI report.

According to panel mem-bers, the fall in output stemmedfrom the escalation of the pan-demic and the reintroductionof restrictions.

“Growth of new workintakes ground to a halt in May,with companies noting thefirst decline in sales sinceSeptember 2020. Survey par-ticipants indicated that demandwas dampened by the intensi-fication of the Covid-19 crisis.”

“International demand forIndian services also worsened,with new export businessfalling at the quickest rate in sixmonths. The drop was attrib-uted to international travelrestrictions and business clo-sures.”

Besides, May data pointedto a renewed decline in privatesector activity across India asthe service economy dippedback into contraction.

New Delhi:Smartphone brandrealme on Thursday said thatit would enable 100 millionyoung consumers to use 5Gsmartphones within the nextthree year, with an aim tolaunch a 5G mobile phone at$100 price point in the next fewyears. At its inaugural 5G summitwith GSMA, CounterpointResearch and Qualcomm,realme said that new models inGT series, realme 5G perfor-mance and camera flagshipswill be launched in June andJuly, among several other cor-porate initiatives to promote5G adoption globally.

IANS

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Budget airline SpiceJet willoffer a discount of up to 30

per cent on its base fares tohealthcare professionals whohave been leading India’s fightagainst Covid-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, the discount-ed fares for doctors, nurses andparamedics will be available onSpiceJet’s entire domestic net-work.

The offer is applicable forbookings and travel untilSeptember 30.

“Passengers need to submita valid ‘Healthcare profession-al ID or Registration number asissued by a Government bodysuch as Medical Council ofIndia (MCI), State MedicalCouncil or Indian NursingCouncil (INC)’ or govern-ment-approved healthcareorganisation for which thehealthcare professional works,while making the booking,” theairline said.

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As environmental concernsregain momentum across

the globe and companies aresetting carbon neutral targets,oil-to-telecom major RelianceIndustries (RIL) plans to givea major push to its new ener-gy and new materials business.

In his statement to theshareholders of the company inits annual report for FY20-21,Reliance Industries Chairman& Managing Director (CMD)Mukesh Ambani notedReliance has set itself a targetto become net carbon zero by2035.

“The world is now closingranks for a strong global actionon Climate Change.

This gives Reliance theright opportunity to accelerateour own ambitious NewEnergy and New Materialsbusiness wedded to the visionof clean and green develop-ment.

To combat climate change,Reliance has set itself a targetto become Net Carbon Zero by2035,” he said.

Ambani said that it is partof a wider ambition to achievebest-in-class standards acrossenvironmental, social and gov-ernance parameters under theoversight of the company’sboard.

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Armed with court order, aconsortium of lenders led

by SBI can now sell certain realestate properties and securitiesbelonging to fugitive VijayMallya to recover loans turnedbad with failure of KingfisherAirlines. A consortium of 11banks that gave Mallya loans,led by State Bank of India(SBI), had approached a specialPrevention of Money

Laundering Act (PMLA) courtseeking restoration of his prop-erties seized by theEnforcement Directorate. Thespecial PMLA court inMumbai on Tuesday allowedthe restoration of propertiesworth �5,646.54 crore to banks.

According to an official oflead bank SBI, symbolic pos-session of properties men-tioned in the order would betaken by lenders after follow-ing due legal process.

Recovery process in banksare guided by Securitisationand Reconstruction ofFinancial Assets andEnforcement of SecurityInterest Act, 2002, the officialsaid, adding that auction or saleof those properties would bedone as per the guidelines indue course of time. SBI has thehighest exposure of � 1,600crore out of original loan of�6,900 crore to the defunctKingfisher Airlines.

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The country’s exports ofmarine products fell 10.88

per cent to USD 5.96 billion(�43,717.26 crore) during2020-21 due to the pandem-ic and sluggish overseas mar-kets, the commerce ministrysaid on Thursday.

It said the US, China andthe European Union werethe leading importers, whilefrozen shrimp retained itsposition as the major exportitem, followed by frozen fish.

In 2019-20, India export-ed 12,89,651 tonne of seafoodworth �46,662.85 crore (USD

6.68 billion). It was 11,49,341 tonne in

2020-21.“ The COVID-19 pan-

demic and sluggish overseasmarkets cast their shadowover India’s resurgent seafoodsector as the country export-ed 11,49,341 tonne of marineproducts worth � 43,717.26crore (USD 5.96 billion) dur-ing 2020-21, registering acontraction of 10.88 per centas compared to a year earli-er,” it said.

Frozen shrimp con-tributed 51.36 per cent inquantity and 74.31 per cent ofthe total dollar earnings.

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New Delhi:The market cap-italisation of BSE-listed com-panies reached a fresh recordhigh of over Rs 226 lakh croreon Thursday after indicesbounced back after two daysof tepid trend.

At the close of trade, themarket capitalisation of BSE-listed companies was at�2,26,51,439.68 crore.

Mumbai:The rupee snappedits three-day losing streak toend 18 paise higher at 72.91against the US dollar onThursday, buoyed by sus-tained foreign fund inflowsinto capital markets.

At the interbank forexmarket, the local unit openedon a weak note at 73.17against the greenback andwitnessed an intra-day highof 72.90 and a low of 73.18.

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Arjun Kapoor and his uncle Anil Kapoor, who werea laugh-riot in Mubarakan, are reuniting after

four years. Before you start speculating, it’s for an adthat will see the two engaging in hilarious banter thatwill leave you in splits. The two are coming togeth-er to endorse a meat and sea-food company and itwill see them engaging in a game of one-upmanshipto cook the best meal.

Arjun confirms, “We are uniting for the secondtime after our last success Mubarakan and we are hop-ing that our combo will become a talking point again.It is a hilarious tongue-in-cheek ad that will high-light the relationship that I share with my uncle, AnilKapoor.”

About their funny real-life camaraderie, Arjunadds, “We are more friends in real life and we are con-stantly pulling each other’s leg. This ad captures ourreal-life banter and that’s what will make it relatableand extremely funny.”

Arjun wants directors to sign them on for a filmagain. He says, “We are a tag team of entertainment,I hope people enjoy us again and filmmakers maybeshould explore our bonding and camaraderie againbecause we can truly make people smile. You just haveto throw us in one room, say action and see the mad-ness unfold.”

The last few months havebeen difficult for all of us.

Loss, despair, and heartbreak-ing scenes at our own homes,and from across the country.But amid the chaos, if there isone thing that has grownfaster than the pandemic itwould be one’s hope inhumanity. We’ve been facelessstrangers who’ve tried to helpthose who needed resources;we’ve also been at the receiv-ing end of such kindnesswhen our loved ones were suf-fering.

In an attempt to spreadawareness about some of thegood samaritans stories inthe backdrop of the pandem-ic, Spotify will be sharingtheir selfless acts of kindnessthrough Ruk Jaana Nahi – alimited video and audio series,across eight episodes. Amongother stories, the series wouldbe focussing on doctors whochose duty despite their loss-es, young Indians who’ve usedtechnology to connectpatients with medical facilitiesand those with limitedresources but are still deliver-ing aid at their personalexpense.

The series, which com-menced towards the end oflast month, would be hostedby Bollywood actorRajkummar Rao who initiat-ed the show with a poem writ-ten by lyricist SwanandKirkire. Provided below is an

excerpt from the poem, whichdoes a good job of summingup these uncertain times.

Chahe aaye hazaaronmushkilen

Chaahe andhiyaarebaadal ghire

Ye waqt ki aandhi aayi haiAisi bipada dushman pe

bhi na gireChahe kathin ho ghadi,

aye dil sun Tu zaraa bhi ghabraana

nahinTeraa kaam hai chalte

jaana Tu haar kar ruk jaana

nahinAisi kai misaalen mulk

mein hai Tu sun le unkaa afsaanaaEk rikshawala hai jisneMann mein bas itna hai

thana Bina shulk ke niswartha

bhaav Bimaar ko hospital pahun-

chana

Kahin oxygen kaa langarhai laga

Kahin ghar ghar khaanapahuchana

Social media ki stories kahelpline ab ban jaana

Doctor nurses ka haftonapne ghar na pahunch paana...

(Even if a thousand diffi-culties come our way

Even if darkened cloudssurround us

The storm of time hassurrounded us

May not even our enemieshave to face a time like this

Even if times are tough,listen o my heart

Don’t be scared at allYou have to keep trudging

onDon’t give up, because

you haven’t lostThere are several exam-

ples in our nationYou have to hear their

storyThere is a rickshaw-waala

out there who without takingany fee has made sure thatthose who are unwell reachthe hospital

An Oxygen-langar isbeing organised here

A food delivery to homesbeing done there

Social media posts andstories have transformed intoa helpline

While doctors and nurs-es have not gone home forweeks...)

In a world of stringently cata-logued materials and well-doc-umented sourced pieces, the

beauty of what is produced locallywould be easy to overlook. But theethnic pride demands to be heard.The gentle strokes in hand-paintedpieces, the intricate weaves in car-pets and the well-proportionedcarvings in furniture speak of arti-sanal glory that should be reasonenough to go local. Amid the real-isation of the artistic lure in suchelements, the approach gives afirst-hand engagement with thelocal art community that infusessensibility to all the collaborativecreations. Where there is a ‘local’touch, there is more than what wesee — craftsmanship, a small townpriding over the origin of the styleand a story that the patterns yearnto tell. The localised style is both

beauty and lore, all in itself. Theiraesthetic sparks a connection withthe story in the creation of a piece.Handwoven fabrics carrying a crossweave come out as an Ikkat, whileblock-printed kalamkari or chintzgo from one hand to another tocomplete the essential look.Different people from differentlocations, each possessing theirflair, come together to make a sin-gle piece of fabric for a locally-sourced design. Variations in print-ed Jaipur cotton, plain Benaras silkand Kashmir Crewel Wool et al,become a great choice for carpets,bed linen and other interior acces-sories that echo their legacy.Breathable counterparts in che-nille cotton or plain linen befit theupholstery more than any othermaterial. Chenille cotton looksexactly like what it means in French— a caterpillar! Contemporiseddesign collections have a soft spotfor quilted combinations that cre-ate a unique statement with theassorted character. A skillful play ofthe weaves, patterns and dyes artic-ulate the theme of a space thatembraces the local vibe.

The native colour palettes are allabout the extremes — they areeither vivid or a simple neutral. Adash of artistry brings to the fore akaleidoscopic mix with walls fin-

ished in the araish style fromRajasthan or red oxide floorsprominently found in South India.Intricate works of Palitana orAthangudi tiles make a stunningnative statement with a stimulativetactile finish that live up to the all-local standard of perfection. Thehues also favour a regional theme— vibrant hues with embroideryand fabrics possess a northerntouch, while neutrals with metallicbrass and brunette tints usher in thesouthern vibe. More elements suchas pillars, window shades, decora-tive niches and other modes ofornamentation explore the cultur-al roots in a maximalist sense.

When there is a call for extrav-agance, particular styles and time-honoured techniques come intoplay. Rich stone inlays in tables,symbolic motifs on its sides andmythical figurines which form acentrepiece, indoors, owe their chi-maera to local craftsmanship. Theauthentic charm is overstated whenmarked by folk art or native muralsin terracotta or brass that celebratethe silhouettes, the organic paintsand the lovingly handcrafted make.Metal screens, latticed partitionsand other scaled-up embellish-ments honour the local craftsmen’seye for detail, aestheticised accura-cy and harmony. The creations

uphold the fact that metals, earth,and other naturally sourced mate-rials are best left in the hands of ournative artisans.

On an eco-sensitive note, aninterior boasting some hand-wovenrattan panels in the seaters, cush-ioned bamboo ottomans, cane side-boards or wicker showpieces staylight on the sustainability scale.Every element of the interior —luminaires, shelves, louvres andmore can undergo an eco-friendlyexperiment at the hands of skilledkarigars. The mark of authenticityand low-energy production makethe line of décor enter a whole newdimension of design that is sensi-ble, sensorial and sensational — allat the same time.

Ethnic pride is all about bridg-ing the gap between the old and thenew, and exploring the in-between.Most local elements become thevoice of a culture or a communityor both. It is seen that restoredrelics, antiquated accessories andpre-loved charms revive the life ofthe one-of-a-kind pieces of art andmake a striking, conversation-wor-thy corner in space. Layering theinterior with repurposed brasschains, upcycled tassel screens orany other piece of striking localstatement completes the picture.There is a second chance for the cul-turally sound pieces to representtheir rich past with a nostalgictouch. When reassured with ethi-cal sourcing of materials, thesepieces open an array of benefits thatfurther go beyond the beaut factor.

And not to limit the represen-tation in its pure form, the localtechniques can and should beexplored to create works or piecesthat have a worldwide appeal tak-ing the craft from ‘local’ to ‘global’.‘Going Local’ ranks the domestic,all-natural line of making, over themarket of synthetic chemicals, sub-tly encouraging conscious con-sumerism down the road. Thereduced carbon footprint coupledwith the support for local commu-nities upstages the ‘go local’ trendin design fraternity much higher,compared to other fields. This con-scious trend would mark the begin-ning of a socially, ecologically con-scious future in the design world.

(The writer is the CreativeDirector of I’m the Centre for AppliedArts, a design studio specialising inbespoke interiors, furniture andaccessories.)

The case for creating awareness aboutsustainability early among children

couldn’t be stronger. If for no other rea-son than the fact that the earth is theonly thing that we actually leave behindfor them. As the saying goes, ‘We bor-row the earth from our kids and notbequeath it to them. The least we cando is empower them to care for it bet-ter than we have!

Let’s face it – our planet is in a mess.As per a NITI Aayog report, groundwa-ter in most Indian cities will dry up bythe end of 2021. Yes, you read that right!In a few months, we will have zerogroundwater in our cities. This is cata-strophic, to say the least! While govern-ments and local populations are work-ing to reverse this situation, it is criti-cal to empower our kids to take thiswork ahead and improve on it by leapsand bounds.

But how can you introduce environ-mental learning for kids? It actually ispretty simple. Children are alwayswatching you, they learn from what theysee. All we need do is follow these easy-to-inculcate habits, and we can all startmaking a difference.

It’s all about awareness and action:�Shut all lights, fans, air condition-

ers et al, when leaving the room.�Keep the tap shut while brushing.

Use a mug to store and judiciously usewater.

�Likewise, while showering, turnoff the faucet when you don’t need thewater (like when lathering up don’t runthe shower in the background).

�’Reduce, Recycle, Reuse’ anythingand everything that you can. Need to doa school project? Use old newspapersinstead of buying new paper.

�Don’t waste anything, be it paper,water, electricity or any other resource.Use judiciously. This doesn’t mean weneed to hoard it, it means we use onlyas much as we need, optimising ourresources.

These are some simple rules that weall can follow at home. Though the

results may start trickling in gradually,it’ll soon result in an avalanche of aware-ness.

A lot of parents came back to us say-ing that every such suggestion was metwith a “but why should I do this?” fromtheir kids. Typical answers like “it savesthe environment and it avoids wastageof money” drew little or no interest inthem. After all, we cannot expect any-one, let alone smart kids, to relate tosomething that is as vague as the ‘envi-ronment’.

The best way to make them awareof sustainability is by fostering a love fornature among kids. And, don’t forget tolead by example.

Once a child is a stakeholder in pro-

tecting the environment and nature,then enforcing these rules are relative-ly easy. We simply get them to be com-mitted to the environment by inculcat-ing their love for nature. Once this isdone, you shall be amazed to see yourchild coming to you with ideas onreducing your carbon footprint. Nature,with her bountiful beauty, is easy to fallin love with. Environmental learningwill become redundant for kids. Theyturn into stronger pro-environmentadvocates, themselves.

Spend as much time as you can withyour child, surrounded by nature. Atleast once a year, go away someplace, anexcursion to a forest or maybe orsomewhere in the hills. Go for walks and

introduce them to mother nature. Letthem cherish the experience. Introducethem to the harm that human activityis causing to nature and the environ-ment. You will be shocked at how fastthey learn and even outstrip our own lev-els of awareness in such matters.

Other simple things that can be donewhile at home are:

�Get them to grow and care for aplant. The whole process of watching aseed grow into a plant is intenselyrewarding and involving for a child. Itinculcates a sense of responsibility andpride of accomplishment. This way, youintroduce them to how the plant con-tributes to higher oxygen levels andcleaner air, adding to the whole processof discovery.

�You don’t need a forest to com-mune with nature. While at home, fre-quent getaways to the local park or anyother pocket of the natural environmentsuch as biodiversity parks can go a longway. Lead by example, and kids will fol-low.

�Listen to them. Just because know-ing the names of different trees while inthe garden interests you, doesn’t meanit will interest your child too. Forinstance, your son can spend hours gaz-ing at insects as they go about their jobwhile our daughter is fascinated by smallanimals found scampering on the for-est floor – neither of which mightinterest you much.

�Be a role model. If you respect andcherish nature, they will follow suit, andcontinue to do so long after we are deadand gone.

The bottom line is, all we need to dois introduce our children to nature andset an example by the small things wecan do. ‘Nature’ will take its course fromthereon and in due time we will have anentire generation of people that will careenough for the environment to hopeful-ly undo the harm we have inflicted.

(The writer is passionate about pro-tecting the environment. He is an author& creator of Biplob the Bumblebee.)

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Have we ever wondered whyhumans are the only race whotake to fad diets outside of our

habitual eating patterns? Every organ-ism in the animal kingdom is attunedto eating as per its habitat and thatorder is seldom disturbed, except inhuman beings who are perpetuallypursuant of some magical formula sothey can get into a certain shape andform. So this urgency of “shapliness”as defined by the norms of beauty onsocial media needs to be exchangedfor long-term and sustainable eatinghabits. For this, one needs to delve intothe realm of clean, real and healthyeating. Now let’s elucidate this:

1. Being fit and healthy is notequivalent to being skinny or size zero.The measure of how healthy or fit oneis, is actually governed by manyparameters — your energy levels,sleeping patterns, monthly cyclicalpatterns in women, hormonal health,propensity to autoimmune diseases,dependence or addiction etc.

Being healthy and fit is a holisticphenomena which cannot be achievedby a diet alone, let alone a fad diet.This takes a deeper understanding ofyourself, awareness of bodily functionsand reactivity to stimulus in the formof food or emotions or exertion.

This awareness is developed overa period of time rather than overnightwhich can become the driver for goodhealth. Fad diets usually are either richin one thing or short in another, theyare heavily skewed to certain macrotypes or are specific goal-driven. Forexample, a keto diet is high on goodfats and protein and low on carbohy-drates and so it sends the body intoketosis mode for fat burn for energyinstead of carbohydrates combus-tion. This diet was originally devisedand designed to fight epilepsy andrelated epileptic disorders.

So does it seem normal for a reg-ular person to resort to this diet, withthe purpose of quick fat loss or evenadapting it as a way of life? Our bodyat a cellular level is endowed withmitochondria organelle which oxidis-es carbohydrate to produce ATP(adenosine Triphosphate — our ener-gy currency) for the cell. In keto dietwe tend to maintain a low carb infu-sion. And thus, the decreased avail-ability of carbohydrate and increasedmitochondrial uncoupling duringnutritional ketosis suggest a decline inATP production, at least until com-pensatory adaptations occur. It’s acomplex process and sounds likesomething which isn’t the most nat-ural way of working for the human

body. In computing parlance it’s likeoverriding the code.

So one should understand themerits and pitfalls of a fad diet overnatural habitat driven eating.

2. Movement and good nutrition-al practices are the best tools toachieve optimum performance andgood health but this needs to be fol-lowed with consistency to become away of life. Good and sustainable eat-ing practices create good microbiomesin the gut, which makes for a happyand healthy gut, which in turn is close-ly and minutely related to the major-ity of brain and body functions andhormonal health.

When the gut and endocrinesystem are in order, the chances arerare for one to not feel like a super-human. Good health results in perfor-mance enhancement, alertness, agili-ty, focus, stillness all at once and evenenhances your mental faculties toenable one to think clearly and bet-ter.

This, in essence, is true goodhealth — the kinds monks speak of.It is said you are what you eat. Thecleaner you start eating, the betteryour internal functions get and thehigher your performance and clarityin life. Imagine the amount of time,energy and resources you can save bynot visiting the doctors every now andthen, by being productive and healthypurely on simple food and livingnorms, by not spending on diet plansand expert consulting. One shouldinculcate the understanding andawareness about good eating habits so

a lot of gripes in life are wiped offbecause self-awareness and self-con-fidence is enough to make you believein yourself.

3. Achieving good health, goodform, good shape and structuretakes time. It’s equivalent to chisel-ing a monolith into shape one blowat a time. The sculptor does it dili-gently over days and months andyears for the finest of statues toemerge. Similarly if someone tells youthat a certain kind of form, sixpacks, eight packs, et all, can beachieved in a few days or months,

please question the assertion. Findout at what cost? Seek answers akinto buying a policy — ask yourselfwhat’s your monthly EMI or outgo-ing and what you make in the longterm. With fad diets long termprospective health plans are notpossible it’s best to plan and investdiligently. Develop discipline and cul-tivate healthy habits.

4. Simple habits for good andclean eating which will show results:

� Hydrate a lot. Aim for four to fivelitres a day.

� Drop sugar intake or make it min-imal.� Eat less, eat when hungry. Don’thoard.� Eating less is different from starv-ing. Eat in proportion to your physicalactivity and not as per the clock andmeal times.� No one ever suffers from eating less.Suffering happens due to eating moreor in excess.� Include good fats in your diet —almonds, walnuts, ghee, cheese, butterand more.� Stop using hydrogenated vegetableoil for cooking or even olive oil for hightemperature cooking.� Consume food closest to its natur-al form e.g. whole chicken oversausages, rice over flour/wheat, fruitover juice and so on.� Desserts are supposed to be celebra-tory. Keep them so — occasions andfestivals.� Avoid processed and packaged food.� Food is by nature perishable so any-thing packaged with a higher shelf lifehas to have chemicals and can’t be nat-ural. Avoid.� Eat fresh and seasonal.� Don’t combine fat and carbohydrates— it causes ill health. For example,French fries are a combination of fry-ing and carbohydrates in the form ofpotatoes; cakes — a combination offlour (processed carbohydrates) and fatand sugar. All these can be avoided toa large extent in daily living.� There is no substitute for hardwork so drop the quest for short cutsand start working hard.

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The right food can help youimprove your memory,

concentration and cerebrumfunction. Like the rest of thebody, it absorbs nutrientsfrom the food we eat.Therefore, it is very importantfor children to consume high-ly-nutritious food which arebrain-boosters. DieticianVidhi Chawla suggests somethat are a must

�Filling your child’s break-

fast plate with a combinationof carbs, protein, and a smallamount of healthy fat will helphim or her stay energisedthroughout the day. Eggs arehigh in protein and as anadded bonus they containcholine, which aids memory.

� ���� ��Oily fish is high in omega-

3 fatty acids and beneficial forbrain development and health.Omega-3 fatty acids are nec-essary components of thecell’s building blocks. Fishsuch as salmon, mackerel,fresh tuna, trout, sardinesand herring are high inomega-3 fatty acids andshould be consumed once aweek.

����K������Oatmeal and oats are

excellent sources of energyand 'fuel' for the brain. Theyare high in fibre, which keepskids satisfied and preventsthem from snacking on junkfood. They’re also high in vit-amins E, B complex and zinc,which help kids’ brains func-tion at their best. Use any top-ping, such as apples, bananas,blueberries or even almondsover it.

����������: �Coloured vegetables are

rich in anti-oxidants, whichhelp to keep brain cellshealthy. Tomatoes, sweetpotatoes, pumpkin, carrots orspinach are some vegetablesto include in your child’sdiet. It’s simple to incorporatevegetables into spaghettisauces or soups.

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Milk, yoghurt, and cheeseare high in protein and B vit-amins, which are necessaryfor the growth of brain tissue,neurotransmitters andenzymes, all of which playimportant roles in the brain.These foods are also high incalcium, which is necessaryfor the development of strongand healthy teeth and bones.Children’s calcium require-ments vary depending ontheir age, but two to three cal-cium-rich sources should beconsumed each day. Don’tworry if your child doesn’tlike milk; there are otherways to include dairy in hisor her diet: When makingporridge, puddings, or pan-cakes, use milk instead ofwater.

!���Beans are a great source

of protein and vitamins andminerals for your children.Kidney and pinto beans con-tain omega-3 more than anyother beans. Sprinkle mixedbeans on salad, mash themand spread them on pitapockets, or combine themwith shredded lettuce andcheese to make the perfectsandwich filler.

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Top seed Ashleigh Barty saidit was “heartbreaking” toretire injured midway

through the second set of herFrench Open second-round matchagainst Poland’s Magda Linetteon Thursday.

The Australian, who won thetitle on her last visit to RolandGarros in 2019, left the court formedical treatment after losing thefirst set 6-1.

She had struggled with a hipproblem during her first-roundwin over Bernarda Pera onTuesday and called it quits at 2-2in the second set on Court PhilippeChatrier on Thursday.

Barty also retired injured fromthe Italian Open during her quar-ter-final against Coco Gauff lastmonth.

“It’s heartbreaking,” admittedthe 25-year-old, who said she suf-fered the ‘new’ injury in practicelast weekend.

“We have had such a brilliantclay-court season, and to kind ofget a little bit unlucky with timingmore than anything — to havesomething kind of acute happenover the weekend and just kind ofrun out of time against the clockis disappointing.

“It won’t take away the brilliantthree months that we have had, asmuch as it hurts right now.”

It is Barty’s earliest exit from aGrand Slam tournament since asecond-round loss at RolandGarros in 2018. She missed themajority of last season, includingher French Open title defence, dueto the Covid-19 pandemic, but hadbeen in strong form in 2021.

Barty has won three titles thisyear, including on clay in Stuttgart,and lost to Aryna Sabalenka in theMadrid Open final.

“We have had an exceptionallast two, two-and-a-half, threemonths, a little bit of a setback, andwhat happened today and thisweek here in Paris won’t take awayfrom that,” she said.

“It’s disappointing to end likethis. I’ve had my fair share of tearsthis week. It’s all good. Everythinghappens for a reason. There will bea silver lining in this eventually.Once I find out what that is, it’llmake me feel a little bit better.”

Barty will now turn her atten-tions to getting fit in time forWimbledon, which starts on June28.

“I hope so. I really do,” she saidon her chances of being ready forthe grass-court Grand Slam, which

was cancelled last year.“We do all the right things

now, we continue to do the rightthings. Give ourselves the bestchance.”

Unseeded Linette will faceTunisian 25th seed Ons Jabeur inthe last 32.

WIDE OPEN WOMEN’S DRAWBarty’s withdrawal leaves the

tournament already without theworld’s top three-ranked women’splayers.

World No 2 Naomi Osakastunned the sport by pulling outfollowing a media boycott, sayingshe has suffered “bouts of depres-sion” for three years. Third-rankedSimona Halep, the 2018 FrenchOpen winner, withdrew beforethe event with injury.

That leaves world number fourSabalenka as the top remainingplayer in the draw, despite theBelarusian never having reached aGrand Slam quarter-final.

The world’s top three will notbe the only notable absentees fromthe third round, with injury-plagued former US Open champi-on Bianca Andreescu having fall-en at the first hurdle.

The draw has opened up forthe likes of reigning champion IgaSwiatek and history-chasing SerenaWilliams.

The 39-year-old Williams, stilllooking to equal Margaret Court’sall-time record of 24 Slam titles, isthe second-highest seeded playerleft in her half of the draw behindSabalenka.

DJOKOVIC IN LAST 32World number one Novak

Djokovic continued his bid for a19th Grand Slam title with astraight-sets win over Uruguay’sPablo Cuevas to reach the thirdround.

The 34-year-old, who is look-ing to become the first man inmore than 50 years to win all fourSlams multiple times, won 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

“I stayed concentrated. Ithought the third set was very dif-ficult for me because he lifted thelevel of his game,” said the top seedafter his 350th Grand Slam match.

“It’s a cliche to say ‘day by day’,but it’s very important for me tostay in the moment.”

Djokovic will face LithuanianRicardas Berankis for a place in thesecond week.

The 2016 Roland Garroschampion has won all three of hismeetings with Berankis, includingin last year's second round inParis.

Cuevas tested Djokovic attimes on Thursday with his cre-

ative shot-making, but the Serbianstar saved eight of nine breakpoints and hit 31 winners in a soliddisplay.

Djokovic is seeded to meet 13-time winner Rafael Nadal, who helost to in the final last October, inthe last four.

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The Indian men’s cricketteam reached Southampton

on Thursday for the upcomingWorld Test Championship finalagainst New Zealand andchecked into Hilton at TheAgeas Bowl hotel where theywill undergo quarantine.

The men’s team wasaccompanied by the women’s

side which is touring Englandfor three ODIs and as manyT20s besides the one-off Test,starting in Bristol on June 16.

“Touchdown,” top-orderbatsman KL Rahul tweetedwith a picture of the charteredflight in the background, con-firming their safe arrival inLondon.

India team wicketkeeperWriddhiman Saha also posted

a picture from the balcony ofhis hotel room. The roomoverlooks the Ageas Bowl sta-dium. Some of the other roomsin the 171-room hotel overlookthe golf course.

“That’s our view from theroom balcony..Your thoughts?,”tweeted Saha on arrival.

Both the teams will com-plete their mandatory quaran-tine in Southampton now.

Upon completion of thequarantine period and subse-quent Covid-19 test, the ViratKohli-led men’s team will takeon New Zealand in the maid-en WTC final starting herefrom June 18.

Following the WTC final,the men’s team will faceEngland in a five-match Testseries starting August 4 inNottingham.

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India’s top shuttler P V Sindhusays she is working to acquire

new skills and techniques to sur-prise her rivals, who are at thesame level with distinct playingstyles, at the upcoming TokyoOlympics.

The Rio Olympics Silvermedallist and world championfeels the coronavirus pandemic-induced break has given her themuch-needed time to rectifymistakes in her game and addsomething new to her repertoire.

Her nemesis and reigningchampion, Carolina Marin, willnot be there due to a knee injury,but Sindhu knows the field stillremains tough.

“In women’s circuit the play-ers in top-10 are of same stan-dard. You can’t take it easy, if oneplayer is not there,” the worldnumber seven, said in a virtualinteraction.

“There is Tai Tzu Ying,Ratchanok Intanon, (Nozomi)Okuhara and (Akane)Yamaguchi. They are all goodplayers. You can’t say, it will beeasy if one player is missing. Ican’t relax and need to befocussed and give my best,” the25-year-old said.

Sindhu had lost the 2016Olympics final and 2017 WorldChampionship summit clash to

Marin.“There are a couple of tricky

players like Ratchanok, she isvery skilful. We have to lookafter them.

“For me, it’s a very goodtime to improve my techniqueand skill. I have improved. It’sgood that I have got so muchtime. Usually we don’t get timeto rectify mistakes or learn newskills. “It takes time. So this wasthe time and I am using it. Ihope, in the Olympics, there willbe some new techniques andskills.”

Asked about her own strongpoints that may give her advan-tage over others, Sindhu said hergame is always about relentlessattacks. “Attack is my strongpoint. The rivals know my gameso I am working on my defenceas well. I am tall, so my attack isgood. I have to be prepared forall strokes, for everything,” shesaid.

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Indian women’s T20 skipperHarmanpreet Kaur is excited

to play Test match againstEngland during team’s firstoverseas tour since 2020Women’s T20 World Cup andwants to play as many red ballmatches as possible.

The one off game againstthe hosts in Bristol from June 16will be India’s first Test matchafter a gap of seven years.

“It is a great feeling. Playing

a Test match is a dream. I wantto play many Test matches inmy life and I hope we will con-tinue (doing) this,” Harman,who has played two Test match-es for India said in a video post-ed on bcci.tv.

“Playing in England withred ball is challenging and weall are very excited about this,”said added.

After the England Test,India will also play its maidenDay/Night Test during theirtour of Australia later this year.

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New Delhi: The Indian contin-gent for the upcoming TokyoOlympics is expected to bearound 190, including over100 athletes, IOA presidentNarinder Batra said onThursday.

So far, 100 athletes havequalified for the Tokyo Games,including 56 men and 44women. The Indian OlympicAssociation expects another25 to 35 to make the cut for theGames, which open on July 23.

“...We are estimating totouch 125 to 135 (qualified ath-letes) by the next two to threeweeks when the qualificationprocess is over,” Batra said.

“This means the Indiancontingent, including officialsand support staff, is likely to bearound 190,” he added.

Batra also reiterated thatIndia’s medal haul can touchthe double-digit mark in Tokyo,which will be an unprecedent-ed achievement. India’s bestmedal haul came in the 2012London Olympics, where thecountry snared six medals,including two Silver and fourBronze. PTI

India likely to send190-strong contingentto Olympics: Batra

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French Open organisers onWednesday said that a men’s

doubles team had tested positivefor Covid-19 and been removedfrom the tournament.

The two players were notnamed by organizers.

“The Roland Garros tourna-ment organisers confirm thattwo players from the men’s dou-bles draw, on the same team, havetested positive for Covid-19,” astatement said late Wednesday.

“In line with the tourna-ment’s public health and safetyprotocol, the pair have beenremoved from the draw and thetwo players placed in quarantine.

“They will be replaced by thefirst team on the alternate list.”

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Star Belgian striker RomeluLukaku confirmed on

Wednesday that he will be stay-ing with Inter Milan this sum-mer as he feels good at San Siroand is looking to win the leagueagain.

Serie A’s Most ValuablePlayer in the 2020-21 season,Lukaku’s future was in doubtafter coach Antonio Conte,who signed him forNerazzurri cou-ple of yearsback, left theclub last weekafter leading themto their first Scudettoin 11 years.

“Yes, I’m stayingat Inter. Maybe Ishouldn’t say it yetbut I’ve alreadytalked with the manwho is likely to becomethe new coach. It was avery positive conversa-tion,” Lukaku told

Belgian broadcaster VTM.“The challenge is to win

again. I feel good at Inter,” con-tinued the former ManchesterUnited, Chelsea and Evertonplayer.

“In the end I won some-thing, I liked it and I want to doit again. Maybe this time witha sold out San Siro.”

Lukaku was Inter’s top scor-er with 24 league goals, and 30in all competitions in the seasonthat finished in May.

INZAGHI JOINS INTERInter Milan onThursday announced

Simone Inzaghi astheir new coachfollowing thedeparture ofAntonio Conte.

Former Lazioboss has signed atwo-year deal at

the San Siro and willreportedly earn fourmillion euros ($4.9million) annually.

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