· 5/7/2021 · vijayawada, saturday may 8, 2021; pages 12 `3 rni no.apeng/2018/764698...

VIJAYAWADA, SATURDAY MAY 8, 2021; PAGES 12 `3

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RNI No.APENG/2018/764698

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MONEY 8SENSEX JUMPS 257 PTS;

NIFTY ENDS ABOVE 14,800

ANALYSIS 7DID WE LOSE THE PLOT

ON CORONAVIRUS?

SPORTS 11JADEJA, SHAMI RETURN

FOR WTC FINAL

}ARYA CHANGED

THE LIVES OFMANY OF US:ALLU ARJUN

2{

2

Bombay HC on masks:People unable to

discipline themselves

5

India to breachfiscal deficit target: fitch

8

Why does time pass so slowly in a

pandemic?

VVIIJJAAYYAAWWAADDAAWWEEAATTHHEERR

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated may 7, 2021 5:00 PM

FFoorreeccaasstt:: Mostly sunnyTTeemmpp:: 38HHuummiiddiittyy:: 51%SSuunnrriissee:: 05:46 amSSuunnsseett:: 06:38 pm

AALLMMAANNAACC

TTOODDAAYY

Month & Paksham:

Chaitra & Krishna Paksha

Panchangam

Tithi : Dwadashi: 05:20 pm

Nakshatram : Uttara Bhadrapada: 02:47 pm

Time to Avoid : (Bad time to start

any important work)

Rahukalam : 09:01 am – 10:37 am

Yamagandam : 01:48 pm – 03:23 pm

Varjyam : 04:08 am – 05:54 am

Gulika : 05:50 am - 07:26 am

Good Time : (to start any important work)

Amritakalam : 09:31 am – 11:16 am

Abhijit Muhurtham : 11:47 am – 12:38 pm

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Government Adviser (PublicAffairs) Sajjala RamakrishnaReddy on Friday lashed out atTDP supremo N ChandrababuNaidu, accusing him of taking upa malicious propaganda againstthe State on the new strain ofvirus, due to which the govern-ments of Delhi and Odisha havealready imposed restrictions onpeople travelling from AndhraPradesh.

Addressing a press conferencehere, Sajjala said that Naidu hadcome up with an absurd idea ofspreading rumours on N440Kstrain, to defame the govern-ment and take revenge on peoplefor rejecting him in the elections.With these restrictions, peoplefrom AP will be sent to quaran-tine for 14 days in States like Delhiand Odisha, causing them incon-venience, he said.

Sajjala said that Naidu has nobasic knowledge on Science orMedicine but has been speakingabout the virus with the sole agen-da of defaming the government.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Tension prevailed for some hoursfor around 400 patients and theirfamilies in Vijayawada on Fridayafter a tanker carrying 18 tonnesof medical oxygen went ‘missing’while on the way to theGovernment General Hospitalin the city, before the policestepped in and traced the vehiclecarrying the precious gas.

The Vijayawada-bound, 18 MTmedical oxygen tanker was on itsway to the GGH before falling off

the ‘radar’, sending pulses of doc-tors, administrators and patientsat the hospital racing.

Within minutes of the trackingsystem failing to locate the tanker,Vijayawada Police CommissionerB Srinivasulu alerted all the SPsunder whose jurisdiction theOdisha to Vijayawada route falls.Alarmed at the gravity of the sit-uation the cops fanned out andbegan a frenetic search.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Oxygen plants would be set up inat least 49 district and area hospi-tals across the state within threemonth at a cost of Rs 309 crore.

According to Anil KumarSinghal, principal secretary, statemedical health department, theGovernment has decided to buyoxygen plants at a cost of Rs 180crore, spend Rs 25 crore on civilworks, Rs 50 crore for 10,000 addi-tional oxygen pipelines and 50cryogenic tankers. “Orders have

already been placed for the pur-chase of 25 tankers. It is estimat-ed that these will cost Rs 46 cro-re. Thus, a total of Rs 309 crore hasbeen sanctioned,” Singhal said.

The State government hasspent Rs 45 crore for purchase of9,91,000 doses of Covishield and3,34,000 Covaxin vaccines, hesaid. Apart from the allocatedvaccine doses, the state govern-ment has made arrangements foradditional 3.5 lakh vaccine dosesin the third week of May.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra Pradesh High Courton Friday struck down a GO seek-ing to take over ruling YSRCP gov-ernment’s attempt to take over theSangam Dairy Sangam Dairy andhand it over to the AP DairyDevelopment Corporation Ltd(APDDC).

The GO, taking control of thedairy, headed by senior TDP leaderDhulipalla Narendra in Gunturdistrict, was issued soon after thepolice arrested the former MLA onApril 23 on charges of irregularities.

The High Court suspended theGO issued by the state governmenttaking over Sangam Dairy sayingthat it has no legal standing. Itdirected that the present board ofdirectors could continue to run thedairy on a day-to-day basis.

However, the court said theDairy cannot indulge in sale ofproperties or purchase of addition-al properties.

It this is to be done, the manage-ment has to take permission fromthe court.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy on Fridayjoined Union ministers and BJPleaders in defending PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, afterJharkhand Chief Minister HemantSoren aimed a dig at the PrimeMinister over a phone conversationon the Covid pandemic in his state.

However, while the BJP'sresponses were predictably furious,Jagan's was measured; the YSRCongress chief urged his Jharkhand

counterpart to not "indulge in pol-itics that would only weakenour nation" and askedhim to "come togetherand strengthen" thecentre's pandemicresponse.

"Dear HemantSoren, I have greatrespect for you... but asa brother I would urgeyou, no matter what everour differences are,indulging in such level of poli-tics would only weaken our own

nation. In this war againstCovid-19, these are the

times not to pointfingers but to come

together andstrengthen thehands of ourPrime Ministerto effectivelycombat the pan-

demic," he tweeted.“In this war against

Covid-19, these are thetimes not to point fingers

but to come together and strength-

en the hands of our Prime Ministerto effectively combat the pandem-ic,” Jagan wrote. His tweet of sup-port for the Prime Minister comesdays before a CBI court is to heara case seeking cancellation of hisbail in connection with allegedirregularities in land allotment topharma firms when his father, lateYS Rajasekhara Reddy, was ChiefMinister.

That was pointed out bySaptagiri Ulaka, a Congress LokSabha MP from Odisha.

ELECTION PANEL LAWYER QUITS,SAYS ‘VALUES NOT IN CONSONANCE’

One of the lawyers in the ElectionCommission's panel of counsels forthe Supreme Court has resigned

saying his values "are not inconsonance" with the poll body at thispoint. Mohit D Ram, who had been onthe Election Commission's counselpanel since 2013, said in his resignationletter: "I have found that my values arenot in consonance with the currentfunctioning of the ECI; and hence I withdrawmyself from the responsibilities of its panel counsel beforethe Supreme Court of India." He described representing theElection Commission "a cherishing milestone" of his career.

GIVE VACCINES FREE TO STATES:BENGAL TO SUPREME COURT

Mamata Banerjee's government in WestBengal told the Supreme Court todaythat there should be a uniform

vaccination policy and the new diffe-rential pricing mechanism in the latestphase of inoculations must be scrapped.The Centre must take immediate steps toensure vaccines are given to states free ofcost, Bengal says. "States cannot made tonegotiate and bargain individually on vaccineprices. States will be compelled to allocate fundsfor vaccines, which will have a crippling effect on an alreadystretched health infrastructure," the state said in its affidavitahead of a SC hearing on vaccine policy next Monday.

‘VERY DISAPPOINTING... UNEXPECTEDLYSO’: SONIA GANDHI ON ELECTION RESULTS

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Fridaydescribed the party's performance in lastmonth's Assembly elections as "very

disappointing" and added that it was"unexpectedly so". Sonia said the CWC -the party's highest decision-making body -would meet soon to review the results. "...but it goes without saying that we, as aparty collective, must draw appropriatelessons from this setback in a spirit of humility,"she said. "Unfortunately, our own performance in allthe states was very disappointing and if I may say, unexpectedly so.The CWC is meeting shortly to review results..." she said at a virtualmeet of the Congress Parliamentary Party.

BIDEN URGED TO RELEASE 60 MNASTRAZENECA VAX DOSES TO INDIA

Atop American civil rights leader hasurged President Joe Biden to release60 million AstraZeneca vaccine

doses for India, which is battling a dev-astating second wave of the coron-avirus pandemic. The AstraZeneca vac-cine has not been approved by the USand is unlikely to be used by the Bidenadministration. Joe Biden had recentlysaid that he intended to give AstraZenecavaccines to other countries. At a news confer-ence in Chicago, American civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jacksonsaid he would speak to Biden to immediately release 60 milliondoses of AstraZeneca vaccines to India.

Covid peak soon, then20K a day by June-endPNS n NEW DELHI

A mathematical model preparedby advisers to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi suggests India'scoronavirus outbreak could peakin the coming days, but the group'sprojections have been changingand were wrong last month.

The team's most recent forecastputs them more in line with atleast some other scientists, whohave suggested a mid-May peakfor India.

India reported a record 412,262new infections and 3,980 deathson Thursday, with experts sayingthat the reported figures likelyunderplay the real toll because thenation's crematoriums and hospi-tals have been overwhelmed. Thatmakes the assessment of anypeak particularly complicated.

Still, estimates may becomecrucial because PM Modi hasbeen avoiding a national lock-down, choosing instead to allowstates to implement their ownrestrictions to curb the spread.

"Our predictions are that thepeak will come within a fewdays," Mathukumalli Vidyasagar,professor at the Indian Institute ofTechnology in Hyderabad, said byemail Thursday, referring to a mo-del prepared with Manindra Agr-awal, a professor from IIT Kanpur.

Covid-induced ‘blackfungus’ cases in Delhi PNS n NEW DELHI

Doctors at a leading private facil-ity in Delhi are witnessing a rise inthe number of Covid-triggeredmucormycisis cases, according toa statement from the hospital.

Mucormycisis is a fungal infectiontriggered by COVID-19. Black fun-gus or mucormycosis has been acause of disease and death of pat-ients in transplants, ICUs andimmunodeficient patients since long.

Dr Manish Munjal, senior ENTsurgeon at the Sir Ganga RamHospital, said: "We are seeing a riseagain in this dangerous fungalinfection triggered by COVID-19.In the last two days, we have admit-ted six cases of mucormycisis.Last year, this deadly infectioncaused a high mortality with manypatients suffering from the loss ofeyesight and the removal of thenose and the jaw bone."

MK Stalintakes oath asTamil Nadu CMPNS n CHENNAI

DMK chief MK Stalin wassworn in as the new ChiefMinister of Tamil Nadu, alongwith 33 members of his cab-inet, by Governor BanwarilalPurohit in a simple ceremony- amid restrictions in placedue to the pandemic - at theRaj Bhavan in Chennai thismorning.

His wife, Durga Stalin; son,Udhayanidhi, who made hispoll debut this year and wonfrom Chennai's Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni seat; and sister,Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi,were among those present.

Also present was poll strate-gist Prashant Kishor, who mas-terminded the election win.

Mr Stalin was also sworn inas Home Minister and willhold other portfolios, includ-ing administrative and policeservices, special programmesand the welfare of differentlyabled persons.

PNS n NEW DELHI

India may manage to dodge adeadly third wave of the coron-avirus if necessary steps are taken,the government's top scientificadviser said on Friday, two daysafter asking the country to bracefor following spikes in COVID-19infections.

"If we take strong measures,the third wave may not happenin all the places or indeed any-where at all. It depends much onhow effectively the guidance isimplemented at the local level, inthe states, in districts and in thecities everywhere," Dr KVijayRaghavan said.

49 hospitals to get O2 plants post-haste

Cops trace ‘missing’ O2 tanker, soothe nerves of 400 patients

Naidu's ignorancehurting AP image,alleges Sajjala

2

Tests must forCovid-

suspecteddeaths

HC junks GO takingover Sangam Dairy

Jagan’s jibe at Soren for ‘criticising’ Modi

Can preventthird wave,says Centre

NAVEENA GHANATE n HYDERABAD

A pharmacist, a shopkeeper, apriest, a driver, a lab technician, astaff nurse, a realtor and pharmacompany employees are amongthose have switched to black mar-keting, courtesy the Covid pandem-ic. It is different matter that Covidhas brought to fore the humane sideof many people as well.

The black marketing of medi-cines and medical devices has neg-

atively impacted the healthcaresystem, resulting in desperate callsfor oxygen, antiviral injections andthe like.

The newcomers in the black mar-ket are not hardened people with ahistory of crime. They are here tomake hay while the sun shines. Thegreed for money and the opportu-nity to make quick bucks has turnedthe common man into a conman.

In Khammam, a case of blackmarketing came to light near thepremises of the district hospital and

not in some shady area. A staffnurse and an outsourced nursewere caught red-handed while sell-ing six vials of Remdesivir injec-tions (meant for patients' use at the

District Hospital) for Rs 38,000 tooutsiders. Not just people frommedical backgrounds or pharma-cies, even outsiders were foundmaking the most of the situation.

The police have been raiding peo-ple indulging in hoarding of life-sav-ing drugs and Remedisivir meantfor treating COVID infection, oxy-gen cylinders, and those involved inblack marketing these items.

Following a raid, the KushaigudaPolice arrested two members of agang involved in black marketingsix Remdesiver injections. In termsof profession, one of those arrest-ed is a priest and the other is a driv-er. In another incident, the MiyapurPolice arrested two persons foundselling Remedesivir injection athigh rates in black market. One ofthe accused is into hospitality busi-ness, while other one is a realtor.

Priest, shopkeepers, businessman,pharma employees turn black-marketers

Covid turns common man into conman

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vijayawada 02VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | MAY 8, 2021

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The pandemic has com-pelled people to stay athome in isolation. In

solitude, time acquires a differ-ent meaning - somewhat akinto what Jawaharlal Nehruexperienced during his incar-ceration in the Ahmednagarfort prison during the QuitIndia movement. Below is hisdescription of the experience:“Time seems to change itsnature in prison. The presenthardly exists, for there is anabsence of feeling and sensa-tion which might separate itfrom the dead past. Even newsof the active, living and dyingworld outside has a certaindream-like unreality, animmobility and an unchange-ableness as of the past. Theouter objective time ceases tobe, the inner and subjectivesense remains, but at a lowerlevel, except when thoughtpulls it out of the present andexperiences a kind of reality inthe past or in the future”.

In short, aloneness induces

thoughts that take us awayfrom the present as well desen-sitize us to the conditionsaround us. Something similaris happening to us during ourvoluntary confinement in pan-demic times. What these expe-riences show is the flexiblenature of time - in some cir-cumstances time passes quick-ly and in others it passes slow-ly. For example, when we arewaiting for someone or some-thing to happen; in fact, welook for ways to kill time.

Current research in neuralscience and psychology saysthat this slow movement oftime is related to what iscalled “thought chatter” andthe operation of desensitiza-tion mechanisms in ourbrains.

When our minds are notoccupied, they chatter away to

themselves. A chaotic streamof images, ideas, memoriesand other kinds of informationflows through at lightningspeed like a film made by acrazy director - jumping fromone scene to another, com-pletely random and chaotic,with no plot. Time does notseem to pass when the thoughtchatter continues for anylength of time. There is anoth-er negative aspect of thoughtchatter: it is accompanied byworrying over problems, trig-gering feelings of anxiety and

depression, or bitterness andjealousy.

During pandemic times wedeal with a lot of differentdemands at the same time(e.g. house work, looking afterthe sick, providing help toneedy) as well as having to faceunforeseen problems. In thesecircumstances, our attention isconstantly flitting around, fromone object to another, and wedo not focus on one particulartask for long enough to becomeabsorbed in anything. Thisbuilds up thought chatter.

Thought chatter uses psy-chic energy as fuel. There is afixed quota of psychic energyavailable for the mind to use;thus, the mind is hardwired toconserve energy. In order toensure that enough energy isalways available for thinking,feelings and concentrating on

tasks and information process-ing (called automatic percep-tion), the mind relies on adesensitization mechanism toedit out several elements ofimmediate reality from ourperception. Excessive thoughtchatter requires more psychicenergy, which is provided byincreased activity of the desen-sitization mechanism, givingthe impression that time ispassing more slowly.

The standard way of mak-ing time pass quickly is toreduce the desensitizationmechanism by obtaining newinformation or experiencesfrom our surroundings. Forchildren, time passes quicklybecause the world is a fascinat-ing place, full of new experi-ences and fresh sensations. Foradults there is hardly anythingnew in their daily experience

of the world and they absorbnew experiences by travelingto new places, going overseasor participating in trainingprogrammes. However, theseactivities are inaccessible dur-ing pandemic times and oneengages in distraction pursuitsto kill time, such as watchingTV and spending more andmore time in online environ-ments (e.g. WhatsApp messag-ing). Reliance on such exter-nal distractions absorbs one’sattention and one stops beingaware of their thoughts, sotime passes quickly.

In contrast to external waysof killing time describedabove, there is an internalone to expand - and even tran-scend - time by changing our-selves rather than just chang-ing the activities or the envi-ronment. The trick is to par-

tially close the desensitiza-tion mechanism in our brainso that psychic energy is madeavailable for paying attentionto experiences available inour surroundings. One com-mon way of doing this is todisrupt the normal brain/bodychemistry by fasting, dancing,breath control, participating inrituals/ceremonies, and so on.A more spontaneous way is tofocus on one thing (e.g. med-itation), play games with fam-ily or simply relax by lookingat the clear sky and tuning into the chirping of birds.

By focusing on one thing ata time in our surroundingsthought chatter is reduced, ifnot eliminated. We intensifyand still out mental energy andbuild up high concentration ofenergy inside so reduce theneed for desensitization mech-anisms to operate. The pastand future do not dominateour thoughts. They are onlyabstractions and only onetense is the present.

DR. SAMEER SHARMA

Why does time pass so slowly in a pandemic?Current research in neural science and

psychology says that this slow movement

of time is related to what is called

“thought chatter” and the operation of

desensitization mechanisms in our brains

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VISAKHAPATNAM 355

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PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Realising that not only med-ication, but reassurances andsome kind words go a longway in treating patients, theState Government has beenfocusing on strengtheningthe '104' helpline numberand ensuring that the peopleof the state receive as muchhelp they need. The round-the-clock '104' helpline num-ber has emerged as a one-stopsolution for all Covid-19related issues in the state.

The infection during thesecond wave is spreadingfaster and that the '104'helpline service has beenflooded — getting a whop-ping 1,45,121 calls in the last20 days. Speaking on theresponse system, in-charge of'104' call centre operations,

Nodal officer Babu Ahmedsaid, “We receive calls 24/7,from people with queriesabout testing, treatment, vac-cine and hospital allotment.We were able to successfullyadmit around 22,877patients to the near-by hospitals inthe last onemonth.”

In additionto this,around 3,567doctors haver e g i s t e r e dover the lastone week with608 specialist doc-tors added to man-ning the facility to offerquick response and solution, beit regarding bed, testing ortreatment, within three hours.

These doctors will be

linked to the patients of everyincoming call from '104'.Calls received from peopleenquiring on informationabout the testing, vaccinationand test results will be han-

dled at the executivelevel.

People whohave symp-toms andneed consul-tation forprescriptionand treat-ment are

handled bythe doctors.

“We have beenproviding training

on Covid protocols toall the doctors along with pro-viding them '104' tele-consul-tation mobile applications,”Babu Ahmed said.

He added that this will bea continuous activity to reachout to as many people andthat the team is workinground the clock.

“In addition to this, wewould like to decrease thepressure on the hospital incharge as well. Currently, wehave 1.2 lakh people underhome isolation who havereported mild symptoms; tothese patients we are alsoensuring to make outgoingcalls and connecting them tothe available doctors. Thisway the patients who arehome isolated are able to geta better picture in tackling thevirus themselves at home.Medicines and treatment thatthe doctors are prescribingthrough tele-consultationbrings down the undue pres-sure on hospitals.”

A kind word for the ‘104' helpline

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh's cumulativecoronavirus tally shot up to12,45,374 as 17,188 freshcases were added in the 24hours ending 9 am on Friday.

The total recoveries wentup to 10,50,160 after 12,749more infected persons gotcured, according to the latestbulletin.

With 73 fresh fatalitiesreported in a day, the grosstoll touched 8,519, the bul-letin said. Only Chittoor dis-trict reported 2,260 freshCovid-19 cases in 24 hourswhile seven districts addedbetween 1,300 and 1,900each. Five districts reportedless than 1,000 new caseseach.

Vizianagaram reported thehighest of 11 deaths,Visakhapatnam ten, EastGodavari eight, Chittoorseven, Krishna and Guntursix each, Kurnool, Prakasamand West Godavari five each,SPS Nellore and Srikakulamfour each and Anantapurtwo in a day.

AP logs17,188new cases,73 deaths

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The state government hasissued additional directionspertaining to disposal of bod-ies of people suspected tohave died of Covid-relatedcomplications.

As per the additionalinstructions issued on Friday,Covid tests shall be conduct-ed on the deceased and thebody shall not be handed overto family members / relativesuntil the result is negative.

If the result of the Covid testof the deceased is positive,then the last rites shall be car-ried out as per the protocol.Every death caused by Covidcause in any hospital should bereported first to the nodal orspecial officer appointed bythe superintendent of the hos-pital concerned and to the dis-trict Collector.

The health worker attend-ing to the body should per-form hand hygiene, ensure

proper use of PPE (water-resistant apron, goggles, N95mask, gloves). Also, all tubes,drains and catheters on thedead body should be removed.

The body should then beplaced in a leak-proof plasticbody bag. The exterior of thebody bag can be decontaminat-ed with 1 percent hypochlorite.The body bag can be wrappedwith a mortuary sheet or sheetprovided by the family mem-bers. In case of splashing ofbody fluids is anticipated, facialprotection like face shield orgoggles and a medical maskmust be used to protect theeyes and mucous membranes.

Performing autopsies onthe Covid dead body shouldbe avoided.

The people attending tothe patient, if any must ensurePPE with proper gloves, maskand hygiene. The vehicle, afterthe transfer of the body to cre-mation/ burial staff, will bedecontaminated with 1 per-

cent sodium hypochlorite.If Covid patient succumbs,

the medical professionalsshould hand over the body ofthe deceased to relatives andfriends for last rites preferablyin a fluid proof coffin assuringthat there is no spread of theinfection. The relatives andhandling staff should beappropriately dressed in PPEi.e. gloves, water resistantgown/plastic apron over waterrepellent gown, and surgicalmask. Goggles or face shieldsto protect eyes from anysplashes must be used.

For the purpose of last rites,cremation should be preferredfor complete elimination ofchances of infection in eitherelectric or gas crematorium ina zipped body bag.

In case of a burial, it shouldbe assured that the body isburied in a thick, air tight cof-fin and placed at normal depthof burial (4 to 6 feet). It is rec-ommended that the area above

and adjacent to the grave shouldbe cemented immediately. Asper the government guide-lines, not more than 20 peo-ple should attend the funeral.

Viewing of the dead bodyby unzipping the face end ofthe body bag may be allowed,for the relatives to see the bodyfor one last time. Religious rit-uals such as reading fromreligious scripts, sprinklingholy water and any other lastrites that do not require touch-ing of the body can be allowed.However, bathing, kissing,hugging, etc. of the dead bodyshould not be allowed.

State Nodal Officer Dr ArjaSrikanth said that all theDistrict Collectors have beendirected to ascertain throughproper information of thedeaths caused by Covid and toguide the municipal authoritiesaccordingly by handling thedead body through prescribedguidelines and preventing fur-ther spread of the disease.

Tests must for Covid-suspected deaths

Continued from Page 1

"As per current projections, weshould hit 20,000 cases per dayby the end of June. We willrevise this as needed."

In April, Vidyasagar's teamwrongly predicted that the wavewould peak by the middle of lastmonth. That was due to incor-rect parameters as "the pandem-ic was changing rapidly, evenwildly, until about a week ago,"he wrote on Twitter at the time.

More recently, he toldReuters that the peak would bebetween May 3-5, and then theIndia Today publication that itwould come on May 7.

Scientists are largely agreedthat the coming few weeks willbe difficult for India. A team atthe Indian Institute of Sciencein Bangalore used a mathemat-ical model to predict about404,000 deaths will occur by

June 11 if current trends con-tinue. India's death toll from thepandemic has already crossed200,000.

Infections have surged bymore than 300,000 cases for 15

straight days, pushing India'stotal tally past 21 million. Someexperts blame the sudden surgeof India's second wave on a newvariant that has emerged in thecountry.

Covid peak soon, then 20K...Continued from Page 1

Singhal said that the Centralgovernment has supplied73,49,960 vaccine doses to thestate and 53,58,712 people gottheir first shots and 17,96,000have completed both theirjabs. “Another two lakh dosesare available with the stategovernment. A total of71,55,000 vaccine doses havebeen administered till date,”Singhal said.

He said that during the past234 hours 1,00,424 tests werecarried out and 17,188 returned

positive while 73 people suc-cumbed to the deadly virus.

In all 14,654 people areundergoing treatment inCovid care centres across thestate while 480 MT of oxygenwas allocated by the Centralgovernment and 500 MT willbe made available forSaturday. The state govern-ment has decided to giveweightage in appointmentsmade by the medical healthdepartment of health workerson temporary basis for Covidservice, Singhal said.

49 hospitals to get O2 plants...

Naidu's ignorancehurting AP ...

HC junks GO taking over...


Dr Ajay Swaroop, the chair-man of the ENT departmentat the hospital, said the use ofsteroids in the treatment ofCOVID-19 coupled with thefact that many coronaviruspatients have diabetes could beone of the reasons for this risein the number of black funguscases again.

He said the infection iscommonly seen in patientswho have recovered fromCOVID-19 but have comor-

bidities such as diabetes, kid-ney or heart failure or cancer.

Dr Munjal concurred withhis colleague and said COVIDpatients with a weak immuni-ty are more prone to thisdeadly infection.

"Early clinical suspicion onsymptoms such as noseobstruction, swelling in theeyes or cheeks and black crustsin the nose should immediate-ly prompt a biopsy and start ofantifungal therapy as early aspossible," he said.


The comments were a step-down from Wednesday whenhe said, "Phase 3 (third wave)is inevitable, given the high lev-els at which this virus is circu-lating. But it is not clear at whattime scale this Phase 3 willoccur." The current surge ininfections seems to be becauseof the Indian "double mutant"coronavirus and the spread ofthe UK variant has slowed, hehad said, adding that vaccineswill need to be updated to tack-le the new strains that arespreading the contagion faster.

India's healthcare system is

crumbling under the weight ofpatients, with hospitals runningout of beds and medical oxy-gen. Morgues and crematori-ums can not handle the num-ber of dead and makeshiftfuneral pyres burn in parks andcar parks. The country report-ed another record daily rise incoronavirus cases, 4,14,188, onFriday. Deaths from COVID-19rose by 3,915 to 2,34,083.Medical experts say the realextent of COVID-19 in India isfive to 10 times the official tal-lies. Since the start of the pan-demic, it has reported 2.1 crorecases and 2,34,083 deaths. It cur-

rently has 36 lakh active cases.Prime Minister Narendra

Modi has been widely criticisedfor not acting sooner to sup-press the second wave, after reli-gious festivals and political ral-lies drew tens of thousands ofpeople in recent weeks andbecame "super spreader" events.

His government has alsobeen criticised for lifting socialrestrictions too soon followingthe first wave and for delays inthe country's vaccination pro-gramme, which medicalexperts say is India's only hopeof controlling the secondCOVID-19 wave.

MK Stalin...Continued from Page 1

This will be Mr Stalin's firstterm; at 69, he is the oldestfirst-time Chief Minister ofTamil Nadu. His father, partylegend M Karunanidhi, heldthe post five times. A seven-time MLA and twice electedas the Mayor of Chennai,today's swearing in marks theculmination of a nearly 10-year wait.

Mr Stalin takes charge asthe state battles a severe sec-ond Covid wave; this morn-ing nearly 25,000 new caseswere reported in the previous24 hours. Cases spiked dur-ing campaigning, as all majorparties held rallies at whichsocial distancing was absent,leading to sharp rebukesfrom the Madras High Court.

Containing the virus andleading the state's recoverywill be among his biggestchallenges.

Ms Kanimozhi expressedconfidence in her brother'sabilities, and said he had a

"clear plan for containment(of the COVID-19 virus)and that will be his first pri-ority.

With 33 ministers in hiscabinet, Mr Stalin has a blendof youth and experience tocall on to address these chal-lenges. There are 19 formerministers in the cabinet, butonly two women.

The new Water ResourcesMinister is veteran DMKleader Duraimurugan - aformer minister and six-timeMLA from Katpadi. The postis a critical one for a state thatis frequently hit by drought.

The Finance portfolio -another critical post - hasbeen given to PalanivelThiagarajan, a former invest-ment banker who worked inthe United States.

This is a key appointmentbecause during campaigningMr Stalin had promised ?4,000 in food relief for poorfamilies, free bus travel forwomen and ten lakh jobsevery year.


"Really sad to learn son of sucha tall leader from Congress,late Shri YS RajasekharaReddyji, is now playing doo-dle-doodle with Modi for pettypolitics fearing raids. Grow up,you are a CM now," he said.

"Today, respected PrimeMinister called. He only spokehis "Mann Ki Baat". It wouldhave been better if he wouldhave talked business and lis-tened to the issues," the

Jharkhand Chief Ministertweeted in Hindi after thecall, referring to PM Modi'smonthly radio spot, looselytranslated as "from the heart".

Soren was "unhappy" as hewas not allowed to speakabout his concerns and it wasonly the Prime Minister whotalked, a PTI report said, quot-ing official sources.

The post provoked furiousresponses from BJP leadersand supporters.


The tanker — with the con-tents intact — was traced to adhaba in Dharmavaram vil-lage of East Godavari district.Probe revealed that the over-worked and exhausted driverhad made an unplanned haltat the dhaba to stretch his legs’.

He said he was exhausteddue to the sheer number oftrips he had been undertak-ing and did not want to riskan accident. Sympathisingwith the visibly tired driver,the relieved policemeninformed their higher-ups.

The officials directed thecops to ensure that an homeguard accompanied the dri-ver all the way to Vijayawadaand ensured that the tankerreached its destinationthrough the ‘green channel’.

Cops trace‘missing’ O2 ...


In the second wave, the policehave busted at least 40 casesand arrested 2-3 people ineach case for either hoardingthese items or selling them atexorbitant rates. In most of thecases, the accused had pro-cured the injections forRs3,000-5,000 per vial andwere found selling the same atRs 25,000-40,000 each.

The Telangana police havesaid that in most cases thebooked offenders are employ-ees of the Government or pri-

vate hospitals caught pilferinglife-saving drugs.

According to a senior policeofficial, so far the seizureshave been done in small quan-tities and there is no evidenceof the involvement of organ-ised gangs as yet.

As per police, members ofthe public do not step forwardto give any information toassist the police in such black-marketing cases.

It may be mentioned herethat the Telangana High Courton Wednesday directed thelocal police to activate itself at

every level and nab such vio-lators who, even in this terri-ble crisis, are busy profiteeringat the cost of human life.

Cases of common man-turned-conman

"The Kushaiguda policearrested two members - apriest and a driver for blackmarketing 6 Remdesiver injec-tions on 7May

"The Miyapur Police arrest-ed two businesspersons foundselling the Remdesiver injec-tion at high rates in the blackmarket on 3May

"The Medipally police appre-

hended three accused per-sons- medical shop owner, labtechnician and private employ-ee involved in black marketingof Covifir selling at highprices on 29April

"The North Zone policearrested three persons, ofwhom two are employees ofHetero and seized 12Remdesivir 100 mg injectionson18 April

"In Khammam, staff nurseand outsourced staff werearrested by the Task Force in araid on 5April for selling sixvials of Remdesivir injection.

Covid turns common man...Can prevent third wave, says Centre

Jagan’s jibe at Soren for...


The High Court also heard thearguments over the quash peti-tion filed by DhulipallaNarendra Kumar questioningthe criminal cases filed againsthim.

While his lawyers wantedthe court to grant stay on theinvestigation, the ACB author-

ities said the investigation wasnot completed as the formerMLA was undergoing treat-ment in the hospital forCoronavirus.

While leaving the matter ofthe custody of DhulipallaNarendra to the ACB specialcourt to decide, the HighCourt posted the case to June

17 for further hearing.In its orders, the State

Government had entrustedthe responsibility of day-to-dayoperations of the dairy to theTenali sub-collector. The sub-collector was even authorisedto take legal action against any-one who obstructed the gov-ernment’s orders.


“Although the CCMB direc-tor has been saying that theN440K is no longer as viru-lent, nothing new and wasalready found in other stateslike Kerala and Karnataka,Naidu has intentionallyignored the facts and took upfalse propaganda,” Sajjalasaid. He criticised Naidu forportraying people from AP assuper spreaders of Covid-19to other States and said thatcases should be filed againstthe TDP chief for spreadingrumours in these tough timescausing inconvenience to thepeople.

“As Leader of theOpposition, Naidu has to giveadvice to the government,but it has become a habit tocriticise whatever the gov-ernment is doing,” he added.

Sajjala said that Naidu hasbeen staying in another Statebut was trying to gain frompoliticising these sensitiveissues.

Covid-induced ‘black fungus’...


SHORT TAKES

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy on Friday directed theofficials to activate agricultureadvisory boards and createawareness among the boardmembers on all aspects toensure that they support farm-ers at all times starting fromcrop planning.

Addressing a review meetingheld here at camp office on dis-tribution of rice through PDSand procurement of paddythrough RBKs, the ChiefMinister said that Agricultureadvisory boards should func-tion in coordination with RBKsand added that women farm-ers should be involved in all theactivities. He said the CivilSupplies Minister will monitorthe functioning of these com-mittees and added that nofarmer should be troubled inthis regard.

"Advisory boards shouldinform the farmers well inadvance about crops to begrown and their procurement.Farmers should also beinformed about alternative cropsto be grown if paddy is not prof-itable due to various reasons," hesaid and instructed the officialsto ensure that the income offarmers is not reduced.

Stating that there should beno involvement of millers inpaddy procurement, the ChiefMinister said that only officialsshould know the details ofcrop going to the millers.

He said that districtCollectors should procuregunny bags if necessary andadded that meters are availableat RBKs to measure moisturecontent during paddy pro-curement.

He directed the officials notto send paddy to the nearest

miller for cost control in trans-porting it to the mills and addedthat district should be taken asa unit and paddy should be sentto mills on that basis.

He said paddy procurementshould be done by the time aspromised earlier and the wholeprocess has to be done by thegovernment.

Civil supplies departmentalso should own RBKs as it isthe department's responsibili-ty to supply the seeds asrequested by the farmers.

Agriculture department shouldensure that farmers are notcheated by buying seeds atplaces other than RBKs. Boththe departments should workcollaboratively from e-crop-ping to marketing of the crop,he said.

There should not be anymistake in door delivery ofPDS rice and mobile dispens-ing units should ensure that noone is missed in taking theration. Distribution of riceshould be completed in stipu-

lated time, he added. The Chief Minister directed

the officials not to compromiseover the quality of rice andasked them to prepare anaction plan for taking ration tovillage/ward secretariat in casethey miss to take at home.

The officials apprised theChief Minister that the govern-ment has set a target to procure45.20 lakh tonnes of paddy inthe current Rabi season whichis 15 per cent more whencompared to last year.

They said that productionfor the current year is estimat-ed to be 65.23 lakh tones andadded that they were procur-ing 50,000 metric tonnes ofpaddy per day at present andthat it would be increased to70,000 metric tonnes soon.

Civil supplies departmentofficials said that paddy pro-curement centres (PPCs) wereset up at RBKs at all requiredplaces to procure paddy atfarm gates.

The staff of PPCs wouldsetup counters at RBKs and thefarmers who want to sell theirproduce should register at thecounter and get a coupon withdetails of date of procurement.The staff of PPCs would go tofarmers and procure the cropat farm gates, they said.

Activate Agriculture Advisory Boardsto help farmers: CM to officials PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDPO chief and leader of theOpposition N ChandrababuNaidu on Friday expressedconcern that one after anoth-er, every section of the societywas becoming vulnerable tothe Coronavirus epidemicbecause of the emergence ofmore dangerous variants indue course.

Naidu pointed out that eventhose below the 18 years of agemight become vulnerable oncethe virus would turn more vir-ulent in the wave 3.0.

In this backdrop, sufficientquantities of vaccine should bemade available and this themost important aspect rightnow. The Government shouldextend all the required supportin this regard considering thesafety of the people's lives, hesuggested.

Addressing an online meet-ing with Covid experts anddoctors, the TDP chief saidthat the wave 2.0 has already

caused immense life loss andparalysed the general life.

The High Courts and theSupreme Court have also com-mented seriously and asked thegovernment's as to what stepsit has taken to rescue the peo-ple. The courts posed specificqueries on the steps beingtaken by the government toresolve the oxygen supplyproblem, he said.

Naidu stressed the need forthe government to build con-

fidence and take the generalpublic along with it. In manyfamilies, the elders were dyingwhich was creating a psycho-logical turmoil among them.

Naidu called upon the doc-tors, experts and scientists tocome forward and createawareness and confidenceamong the hapless public. Itwas the duty of everybody torise to the occasion and extendhelp to at least 10 others, headded.

‘Govt must instil confidenceamong people to fight Covid’

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP MLC Nara Lokesh onFriday made a sincere appealto Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy forresponding immediately tosave the Coronavirus patientsfrom the most unhygienicand deprived conditions at theKakinada GovernmentHospital.

Lokesh said that the patientsand their attendants were fac-ing harrowing conditions atthe hospital because of theGovernment's negligence.

The Covid patients andtheir relatives who broughtthem are staying beside thedead bodies at the hospital.

In a statement here, theTDP MLC deplored that therewere three patients on each

bed and they were not beinggiven proper treatment.

"The infected patients areforced to co-exist with theCovid dead bodies under theJagan Reddy regime. The CMhad no patience or interest inaddressing the suffering ofthe patients who were fightingfor their lives against the dead-ly virus," he said.

Lokesh reminded that MPVijayasai Reddy tried to placea request but nobody lifted thephone to answer his call whichwas a matter of shame.Moreover, Vijayasai was thefather-in-law of the owner ofthe 104 services in the state.

Lokesh asked why theYSRCP regime, which wouldalways brag about winning 151MLAs, was unwilling to buyvaccines to save the people.

MAN DIES, ONE INJURED ASMOTORCYCLES COLLIDE HEAD ON

Aperson died and anotherinjured when twomotorcycles collided head

on in Chitrada village ofPithapuram mandal in EastGodavari district on Friday.The deceased was identified asSuryachakrarao (50) ofChitrada village, however, theidentity of the injured is yet tobe established. The body of the victim has shifted to Pithapuramgovernment hospital for postmortem. The Pithapuram rural policeregistered a case and took up investigation.PNS n KAKINADA

In a noble gesture, PrathipaduMLA Parvata PoornchandraPrasad has arranged 30 oxy-gen beds in Prattipadu gov-ernment hospital and 20 bedswith similar facility inYelesweram government hos-pital at his own expenses. Healso proved a philanthropistbefitting to his family traditionby extending Rs 20,000 finan-cial assistance to AnnavaramSakshi TV reporterMalleswerarao for meetingthe medical expenses.

EG RICE MILLERS DONATE RS 50 LAKH FORCOVID RELIEF FUND

The representatives of East Godavari district rice millers'ssociation led by its president Dwarampudi Bhaskara Reddyhave called on the Collector D Muralidhara Reddy at

Collectorate here on Friday and handed over a cheque for Rs 50lakh towards the donation for Covid relief fund. The Collector has profusely thanked the rice millers for theirgesture at the critical juncture. Joint collector Dr G Lakshmisha,Civil supplies District Manager Lakshmireddy rice millers'association representatives Ramareddy, Suryaprakash, Bulli Mohanreddy, Satyanarayana Reddy and C Babji met the district collector.

MARTHI SUBRAHMANYAMn VIJAYAWADA

Flying squads appointed bythe state government to checkirregularities being perpetratedby hospitals in providing treat-ment to Covid patients, con-ducted raids on 15 hospitals andfiled cases against four hospitalsacross the state on Friday.

The four hospitals havebeen found to be indulging inirregularities, vigilance andenforcement director-generalKV Rajendranath Reddy said.

In a release, he said thatcriminal cases were registeredagainst managements of thefour hospitals. The irregular-ities include collection of morefees than the prescribed by thegovernment, misuse of

Remdesivir injections andadmitting patients on the con-dition that the hospital wouldnot give bills for the treatmentprovided to Covid patients.

The Narayana Hospital inGuntur, Kumar Hospital inArilova of Visakhapatnamcollected exorbitant chargesfrom patients and did notgive bills for the amountreceived. Cases were regis-tered against the hospitalsunder Sections 188, 420, 384and Section 51 (A) of theDisaster Management Act.

Similarly, Sairatna hospital inAnantapur and a hospital inJagareddygudem in WestGodavari district also collect-ed fee higher than the pre-scribed charges and misusedRemdesivir injections.

PNS n HYDERABAD

In view of rising cases and shortage ofbeds, Remedisivir and oxygen supply, theresearch studies indicate prevention is bet-ter than cure and indicate people to weardouble mask to have greater protectionfrom Coronavirus to prevent the virusfrom spreading to others by at least 80 percent if not totally.

Especially, those who have Covidsymptoms should wear the double masks.Experts advice that the single mask willbe able to offer no protection to people.So, to reap benefit of good deal of protec-tion from the virus, they suggestthem tofirst wear a surgical mask and on top ofit, they should wear a cotton mask. They

asked people to prohibit from wearing twosurgical masks or two cotton masks. Asingle mask offers only 60 per centprotection, while the double maskoffers 80 per cent safety.

According to US-based theCentre for Disease Control andPrevention suggest people towear two masks simultane-ously to derive greater bene-fit. It may be recalled thatrecently, the UnionMinistry of Health andFamily Welfare issuedguidelines on the ben-efits of wearing dou-ble mask.

The Wuhan virusspread rate is put at 2.5,while that of the UKvariant is at 4. It wouldmean, the virus spreadsto four people from oneinfected person. The expertsindicate that the UK variant is spread-ing fast in India.

Studies indicate that apart from the actsof coughing and sneezing, speak ing,yelling and singing at the top of one's voicewill also cause the spread of the virus by

at least3 3 -

59%.The virus spreads fast in a closed room

or a big hall, compared its spread in pub-lic places. The virus will be present in theair in a closed environment up to three

hours. In fact, 50 per cent of the virusreleased into air while coughing up orsneezing, will drop dead in the first hour.It would take at least two hours for the restof the virus to die.

While N-95 mask provides 95% pro-tection, surgical mask provides only

56% protection. The cloth maskprovides 49 per cent of the protec-tion from the virus. Woollenmuffler offers only 48% protec-

tion, while kerchief and othersuch cloth will provide 33%protection to people.

The virus is released intothe air up to a distance of sixfeet while speaking andsinging. While sneezing, thevirus is ejected into theatmosphere up to a distanceof 18 feet. Hence,, the doors

and windows should alwayskeep open to let the virus escape

through windows. Studies indicatethat there is scope for the virus to

spread from one person to another if manymore people congregate in a room. Evenif one wears an ordinary mask, it wouldoffer no protection at all. Therefore, thepeople are advised to wear two masks.

Wear double mask for protection, people told "According to US-based the Centrefor Disease Control and Preventionsuggest people to wear two maskssimultaneously to derive greaterbenefit. It may be recalled thatrecently, the Union Ministry ofHealth and Family Welfare issuedguidelines on the benefits ofwearing double mask.

Lokesh decries painfulscenes at Kakinada GGH

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Secretary AdityanathDas on Friday issuedinstructions that all theemployees in all theDepartments of Secretar-iat, District Offices andSub-District Offices thatthey shall report to dutiesat 8 am and work till 11.30am. The Head of theoffice shall review thesituation and decide onhow many employeeshave to stay back in theoffice and arrange appro-priate passes for them, ifthey discharge dutiesbeyond 12.00 noon.

However, these tim-ings shall not be applica-ble to departments oroffices engaged in provid-ing essential services orCovid management likeHealth, Energy, Munici-pal, Panchayat Rajdepartments, etc,.

The Chief Secretarysaid that the governmenthad imposed curfewthroughout the state from12 noon to 6 am fromMay 5 to 18 with certaininstructions to be fol-lowed during the curfew.

Employees towork from 8to 11.30 only

4 hospitals bookedfor irregularities

MLA donates50 oxygenbeds to govthospitals

PNS n AMARAVATI

Under the prevailing toughtimes of Covid pandemic, theAarogyasri scheme hasbecome the panacea for thecoronavirus patients who areavailing the treatment free ofcost under the health insur-ance scheme.

It may be recalled that ChiefMinister YS Jaganmohan Reddylast year included Covid treat-ment under the list of diseasesto be treated under Aarogyasri.During the past one year,1,11,266 Covid patients havebeen treated free of cost underthe health insurance scheme.

The state governmentexpended Rs 332.41 crore forthe treatment of poor Covid

patients under the scheme. Under the scheme, the

Covid patients receive freetreatment in government aswell as private hospitals. TheCM's decision is being praisedby other states too.

Meanwhile, the Central gov-ernment put the total numberof Covid active cases in the

country at 36 lakh. It expressedconcern over increasing Covidcases in the Southern India. Itoffered to solve the oxygenshortage problem by month-end.

The centre asked the statesto administer Covid secondand first dose of vaccines in theratio of 70:30

Temple priests perform Lakshmi kumkumarchana in ekantham at KanakaDurga temple atop Indrakeeladri in Vijayawada on Friday.

KUMKUMARCHANA PERFORMED 1,11,266 Covid patients treatedunder Aarogyasri so far

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP MLC MantenaSatyanarayana Raju on Fridayappealed to the JaganmohanReddy government to makeavailable oxygen immediatelyin order to save lives of patientsdying due to Coronavirus atdifferent hospitals in the State.

Raju deplored that the gov-ernment has been spendingthousands of crores on waste-ful activities but not comingforward to spend Rs 1,600crore on vaccination for all.

In a statement here, theTDP MLC asked whether itwas not true that the Centrehas announced the list of the30 worst-hit districts in thecountry. Of these, over eightdistricts were located in AP

and the ruling party leadersshould explain to the people.There were no beds and med-icines in hospitals, he added.

He said that the CM totallyfailed to curb the virus. Rs

3,000 crore was spent on paint-ing government building withcolours of YSRCP party flag,but not even Rs 1,600 crorewas being spent to vaccinatepeople in the state.

He deplored that at a timewhen the common public weredying in large numbers due toCovid, the Chief Minister wasbusy collecting commissionsby awarding works to the con-tractors.

"The Coronavirus deathswere being underreported tohide the failures of theGovernment. Wrong informa-tion was being given thatenough beds were available atthe hospitals. Over 150 patientswere in the waiting line due tolack of beds at a hospital inVijayawada," he criticised.

TDP MLC askedgovernment tomake availableoxygenimmediately inorder to savelives of patientsdying due toCovid at differenthospitals

Govt unwilling to spend just`1,600 cr for vaccines: TDP

PNS n HYDERABAD

The South Central Railway hasmade it clear that train travellerswith no confirmed reservationticket or whose names figuredin the waiting list are barredfrom undertaking rail travel.

It clarified that those whohave the confirmed reservationticket are allowed to undertakerail travel as per the latest rules,which conform to the Covidregulations.

However, the SCR said thatunreserved travellers areallowed to travel on trains that

have unreserved coaches. In view of the pandemic sit-

uation, the SCR has cancelledcatering services. Therefore,the travellers would have nooption to buy food on train.

However, ready-to-eat mealsand packed items would beavailable in trains through theIRCTC. The railways wouldnot give blankets hereafter topassengers.

‘Train journey only withconfirmed reservation ticket’


PNS n GUNTUR

When the corona pandemicwas devastating the lives of thepeople with more than a dailyspike of 17,000 cases in thestate, the official machineryhas failed to rise to the occa-sion and provide basic needsof medical and health likeoxygen. Hundreds of peoplewere succumbing to the pan-demic due to a shortage ofoxygen. Taking advantage ofthe situation, some doctorsand others in the pharma sec-tor were exploiting the peopleby charging huge amounts forproviding oxygen beds, venti-lators and emergency medi-cines like Remdesivir injec-tions. It was alleged that thedoctors and the hospitals inGuntur were refusing to admitthe patients with Arogyasricard and making moneythrough middlemen by bar-gaining high price for provid-ing oxygen beds. Owing toimproper supervision and lackof strict vigilance over themalicious activities by the pri-vate hospitals, the exploitationin the name of health businesswas going on unabated in thedistrict.

District Collector VivekYadav disclosed that about 53hospitals were notified in thedistrict for corona treatmentand brought around 6,000

beds into service to ensurecorona treatment even to thecommon people. Out of thetotal beds, there were 526 ICU

beds, 2,500 non-ICU beds,2,500 oxygen beds and 232ventilator beds. Apart from it,1,250 oxygen beds were made

available in the GGHs. About200 oxygen beds were availablein medical Parishad area hos-pitals and the officialsarranged 30 beds in commu-nity health centres and notfewer than 30 beds in each pri-vate hospital. He said the gov-ernment ordered corona treat-ment in 50 per cent of hospi-tals that have permission forArogyasri treatment.

However, the private hospi-tals were exploiting the situa-tion and converting coronatreatment as an opportunityfor their business. Packageswere fixed and one oxygen bedwas charged Rs 5 lakh and thepatient has to deposit Rs 10lakh for the ventilator bed. Ifthe patient condition wasfound to be serious, the doc-tors were charging more thanthe packages.

Each Remdesivir injectionwas being sold ranging fromRs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 in theblack market. On one hand,the hospitals were rejecting thepatients who were showing theArogyasri cards and on theother, they were allotted bedscharging huge amounts. Thepatients were paying the hos-pital bills by making debts orselling their properties. It wasthe need of the hour as the dis-trict administration has to acttough and bring exploitationby the hospitals under control.

No control over pvt hospitals,exploitation unabated in Guntur

GUNTUR: Acting on the directives of the District Collector, theVigilance and Enforcement officials conducted raids in the Palnaduregion on Friday and booked cases against the several Covidhospitals. Based on the complaint from people, the vigilanceofficials raided Anjireddy Multi-specialty Hospital, which was notifiedas Covid hospital in Piduguralla. Vigilance and Enforcement regionofficer Jashua the team identified receipts from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3.5lakh issued by the hospitals to the corona patients, while somehospitals were treating the patients without giving bills. They alsocollecting amount in currency. He said criminal cases wereregistered against the managements of the hospitals in thePiduguralla police station under the Disaster Management Act.

Vigilance raids on Covidhospitals, cases booked

PNS n ONGOLE

Given the high impact of thecorona in the district, the policepersonnel were at the forefrontin protecting the public byensuring people adhere toCovid mitigating measures. Toprotect the police from fallingprey to the virus, SP PrakasamSiddharth Kaushal haslaunched Dasa Sutras (10 prin-ciples), which are being imple-mented in every police stationacross the district. If any policepersonnel or their family mem-ber contacted Covid-19, toprovide treatment to corona

positive people, the SP convert-ed the District Training Centerinto Covid Care Center anddeveloped it on par with a cor-porate hospital.

Inspired by the initiative, aDubai resident P Mallikarjuna(42) from Singarayakindaannounced a donation of Rs50,116/- to Covid Care Centerwhich was set up by SiddharthKaushal.

Speaking with the SP overvideo conference, donorMallikarjuna said that he hasbeen working as a manager atGSK Finance Company inDubai. He said Podili SI Suresh

was his friend and throughhim, he came to know aboutthe initiative of the SP. He fur-ther said SI Suresh explainedthe need for donations to theCovid Care Center. So, hedecided to donate to CovidCare Center online.Mallikarjun said he hoped thesmall donation he made wouldcontribute to the well-being ofthe police personnel and theirfamilies.

The SP thanked Mallikarjunfor his gesture towards thepolice personnel recognizingtheir hardships during theCovid crisis.

MARTHI SUBRAHMANYAMn AMARAVATI

After a brief break, the APgovernment was again facinga tough time in the courts.Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy himselfraised a complaint in the pastagainst some judges includingthe High Court chief justiceand in the process, the HighCourt judge along with sever-al judges was transferred.Since then, the judgmentsagainst the government cameto a halt. It became a focalpoint as the Jagan governmentwas facing it yet again of late.

It may be recalled that theHigh Court suspended thedirectives given by thePollution Control Board(PCB) shutting down theZuari Cements claiming thatthe plant management violat-ed environmental laws. Eventhe Opposition parties havecondemned the action takenby the government against

Zuari cement. In the recent directive, the

PCB has ordered for closure ofAmararaja Batteries owned bythe family of Guntur MP andTelugu Desam Party leaderGalla Jayadev for violatingenvironmental laws. As theAmararaja managementmoved the court against thePCB directives. The Court dis-missed the directives of thePCB.

The state government tookcontrol over the Sangam Dairyfor which TDP former legis-lator Dhulipala Narendra wasthe chairman and sent himbehind the bars. The ACBconducted searches in thedairy premises. The dairymanagement approached thecourt alleging that some pri-vate persons were intrudinginto the dairy and trying tosteal the software related to

marketing data. Reacting tothe petition, the High Courton Friday made it clear thatthere was no permission forindividuals to take data andordered them to act as per thedirectives given earlier. Statingthat the management of com-pany directors would contin-ue, the High Court clarifiedthat the government has noright to take control over theSangam Dairy and dismissedthe government orders.

All these developmentswere showing an adverseimpact on the state govern-ment. The government's deci-sion on Sangam Dairy drewflak leaving the remaining sixdairies which were absorbedfrom cooperative societies tothe AP Mutually AidedCooperative Societies Act(APMACS). Even in the caseof the Zuari Cement episode,the government's action wasdrawing criticism as it shouldapply even to the BharatiCements.

PNS n NELLORE

The State Government hasdirected the notified privatehospitals to allocate 50 per centof beds to the corona patientsadmitted under the Arogyasrihealth scheme and the remain-ing beds could be allocated toothers. Hence, all the notifiedCovid hospitals in the districtshould follow the guidelines,district Collector KVChakaradhar Babu said onFriday. He warned that thegovernment would cancel therecognition as Covid hospitalsstatus if the private hospitalsfailed to treat the patients byallocating 50 per cent of bedsunder the Arogyasri healthscheme.

Addressing a review meet-ing with joint collectors, nodalofficers, medical and healthofficials and district officials atTikkana Bhavan here onFriday, District Collector

Chakradhar Babu directed thenodal officers of the respectivenotified hospitals to inform themanagements about the gov-ernment order on 50 per centbeds to corona patients ofArogyasri beneficiaries. Hesaid Covid patients shouldnot be treated at the non-Covid hospitals and take sternaction against the hospitalswhich violated the rules.

Stating that the consump-tion of oxygen would increasewhen the number of patientsraised in the hospitals, theCollector said steps should betaken to prevent wastage ofoxygen. The doctors and nurs-es should supervise whichpatient needs oxygen to whichextent and they should try tomake patients increase theiroxygen levels on their own bymaking some physical exercis-es.

The nodal officers at theCovid care centres should con-

sult the nodal officers at thehospitals and identify thepatients with mild symptomsto get the treatment at theCovid care centres. So thatpressure on the hospitals couldbe reduced by shifting thesepatients to Covid care centres,Chakradhar Babu said, adding

that there should not be anydearth of beds for poor peoplein any Covid hospital. If oxy-gen beds were not readilyavailable, they should be allot-ted ordinary beds with oxygenconcentrators or oxygen cylin-ders.

He said Joint Collector Dr N

Prabhakar Reddy was visitingthe hospitals at the field leveland overseeing the treatment.Similarly, Covid task forcemembers and nodal officersshould visit hospitals andobserve the way the privatehospitals were giving the treat-ment. If they found any irreg-

ularities, they should set themright there itself. He asked theofficials to act tough on themiddlemen who were exploit-ing the patients to providebeds, medicines and oxygen.All the allocation of beds andtreatment should be doneunder the supervision of theCovid special officers andnodal officers.

The Collector asked theofficials to identify the peoplewho were exploiting in thename of ambulances and reg-ister cases against them, ifneeded cancel their licensesand vehicle registrations. Noneed to surrender to anyone indischarging the duties, he said.

Joint Collectors PrabhakarReddy and Harendhira Prasad,municipal commissionerDinesh Kumar, Nodal officerShanmukh Kumar, trainee IASFarman Ahmed Khan,Additional SP, nodal officersand others were present.

‘Hospitals must allocate 50 pc beds for Arogyasri patients’

All thoroughfaresunder total policecontrol in EG̈ Violators fined up to `500 PNS n KAKINADA

The district administrationwas acting tough on the vio-lators of curfew rules and allthe main thoroughfares wereunder complete police control.People who came out on to thestreets without valid reasonwere slashed fines up to Rs 500in East Godavari district.

In the wake of the surge inthe Covid cases, the policeofficials were executing strictrules as people were gather-ing and moving in groupsdespite warnings.

However, the policeallowed people on the roadsduring the first three days ofthe curfew. Since there was anescalation in the Covid situ-ation, the district officialsstepped up the vigil from

Friday. Several people werecharged with fines for violat-ing the curfew norms withoutproper reason or not wearinga mask and public gatheringsat the junctions. Challanswere being issued against theviolators. DSP A Bhima Raosaid apart from challans,cases were also bookedagainst the violators.

Traffic DSP MMuralikrishna Reddy said anextensive campaign waslaunched in rural areas usingmikes in the autos warningpeople not to venture outwithout emergency purposes.Fines were slashed against thepeople even during the curfewrelaxing times from 6 am to 12noon, if they were roaming onthe roads without a valid rea-son.

NRI donates `50,116 for police Covid centre

PNS n BHIMAVARAM

All efforts were being made tocontain corona and everyonewas working aiming to preventthe spreading of Covid in theBhimavaram constituency,Bhimavaram MLA GrandhiSrinivas has said.

He held a review meetingwith the police officials at thelocal camp office here onFriday. Speaking on the occa-sion, he asked the officials totake tougher steps to ensurethe shutdown of shops andother commercial establish-ments. People should not gath-er in groups at the shops, fishand vegetable markets from 8am to 12 noon and see that allthe people should wear themask and maintain physicaldistance during these hours.

He appealed to the people towear the mask, maintain atleast three metres of physical

distance and wash hands withsanitisers from time to time tokeep corona at bay. He said theexperts mentioned that theCovid would be severe till themonth-end and hence peopleshould follow self-restrictions.

The MLA said nobody knewwho have coronavirus as therewere no symptoms to somepeople. Hence, people should

take their own precautionswithout going for any curtsey.They should stop wanderingon the roads without any workand warned that the policewould file cases against suchpeople.

DSP Pydeswara Rao andCI Alla Krishnabhagavan par-ticipated in the review meet-ing.

Only objective is to containcorona: MLA Grandhi

PNS n TIRUPATI

A selfie video allegedly causeda fire mishap that occurred onTuesday in a shopping complexin front of the main sanctum ofSri Venkateshwara temple inTirumala. The fire broke out inshop number no. 83 in AsthanaMandapam setting 20 othershops in fire, while a person wascharred to death.

The police registered a caseand started the investigation.They came to know that a per-son identified as Malli Reddyhas committed suicide by dous-ing himself petrol on the premis-es of the shop thus causing thefire to engulf the other shops inthe complex.

The deceased Malli Reddy

has reportedly kept his cellphone and purse in anothershop, which was seized by thepolice. With the help of the wifeof the deceased Shoba, thepolice personnel were able tounlock his mobile and found arecorded selfie video taken at 5am on Tuesday which hasbecome crucial evidence.

The police also found the vic-tim taking petrol from the near-by petrol pump an hour beforethe incident as it was recordedon the CCTV. Several suspectswere taken into custody andquestioned as to know howMalli Reddy has died. Thepolice suspected that the firemishap occurred due to humanerror not because of the shortcircuit as suspected earlier.

PNS n GUNTUR

As vaccine shortage prompt-ed more people to throng inhuge numbers, scenes likelong queue lines, stampedesand people vying with eachother to get a second dose ofvaccine were witnessed at thevaccination centres in theGuntur district. In some cen-tres, the situation has gone outof control leaving the Covidguidelines to the wind.

Despite the efforts madeby the police and the officialsto control the mob, the situ-ation went out of control insome centres. A stampedetook place at the urbanhealth centre on theR avipadu road inNarasaraopeta. On informa-tion, Joint Collector Srinivasreached the spot and setright the things. Most of thepeople gathered at the cen-tres were waiting for the sec-ond dose. Because of heavydemand for the second dose,the health centres were jam-

packed with people. Heavyrush was witnessed at thehealth centres ofMallikarjunaraopeta andSrinviasaraopeta in Gunturtown. District in-charge vac-cine officer G Chandrasekharsaid the district received6,600 doses of Covaxin and16,000 doses of Covishieldon Friday. He expressed hopethat the vaccination processwould be completed in aplanned way as people neednot run for taking the jab.

Heavy rush at vax centres

Selfie video causes Tirumalafire mishap

(Top) People thronging Jashua Kalakendra in Vinukonda (Below) A stampede for a jab taking place at Ravipadu urban health centre in Narasaraopet

GUNTUR: A high-voltage drama took place on Friday at SangamDairy in Guntur as the employees staged a protest alleging thatsome private persons were also entering the dairy along with theACB officials, who were conducting searches. The ACB officials wereconducting raids on the premises of the dairy for some days. Theemployees raised objections when some private persons were alsoentering the factory. Alleging that they were hacking the dairyservers and trying to steal the data, the employees were protestingfor the past two days. On Friday, some persons allegedly threatenedthe dairy IT staff when they tried to prevent them to take out theservers. They also demanded that the searches should be stoppedimmediately and they staged a sit-in dharna in front of the maingate. Media was also not allowed at the dairy premises.

Sangam Dairy staff stage dharna

AP Govt gets yet another jolt from HC

PNS n NELLORE

The Police took a personinto custody for threateningNUDA officials claiminghimself as an ACB officer.The Dargamitta police regis-tered a case against theaccused. According to thepolice, a person called NUDAvice-Chairman K Rameshand Junior Planning OfficerMurali over the phone andintroduced himself as ACBDSP Ravikumar. He threat-ened them to sanction per-mission for a house inIndukurupeta.

Fake ACBofficer held

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | MAY 8, 2021 nation 05

Acase has been registeredagainst three men, includ-

ing two COVID-19 patients,for allegedly breaking thequarantine rules and spread-ing the disease at a weddingin Madhya Pradesh's Niwaridistrict, police said onFriday. Two of the accusedArun Mishra and SwarupSingh, who are infected withcoronavirus, were placed in a COVID-19 care centre in Prithvipuron Thursday, while the third accused Ranjan Nayak is abscond-ing, inspector Surendra Singh Yadav of Jeron police station said.A case has been registered against the trio under relevant sec-tions of the IPC and Disaster Management Act, the official said.Mishra, who had tested positive for the COVID-19 on April 27,was asked to isolate himself at home and had been prescribedmedicines by government doctors, he said. However, Mishrainstead attended a wedding with Singh in Luhurguva village,around 40 km from the district headquarters, on April 29 andeven served food to the guests,the official said.

INDIA CORNER

Aviation experts will con-duct a probe into the

crash-landing of a MadhyaPradesh government planecarrying a stock of anti-viraldrug Remdesivir at Gwaliorairport following a technicalsnag, a senior official said onFriday. The plane had crash-landed around 8.30 pm on Thursday, in which the pilot and co-pilothad suffered minor injuries. "The plane had skidded off the runwayat the airport during landing. Aviation experts will probe the inci-dent," Gwalior collector Kaushlendra Vikram Singh told PTI. Gwaliorairport is the civil enclave airport at the Maharajpur Air Force sta-tion. IAF's Central Command spokesman Shantanu Singh said thatthe pilot, co-pilot and a crew member were given first-aid and hand-ed over to the local administration for further medical treatmentalong with the boxes of Remdesivir.

MP: 3 booked for spreadingCovid at wedding in Niwari

MP: Crash-landing of Remdesivircarrying plane to be probed

The African Swine Fever(ASF), which killed more

than 1,700 pigs in over amonth in Mizoram, is yet tobe contained, an official saidon Friday. The disease isspreading to other areas eventhough the daily death toll inthe epicentre showed adeclining trend for a fewweeks, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department Joint Director(Livestock Health) Dr Lalhmingthanga told PTI. Earlier the stategovernment had declared Lungsen village and Electric Veng inLunglei district, Armed Veng and Edenthar neighbourhoods inAizawl, Keitum village in Serchhip district, and a locality, Vaipi-I, insouth Mizoram's Siaha town as the epicentres of the ASF.Lalhmingthanga said that some more areas would be declared asepicentres and affected areas. At least 1,728 pigs have died due toASF since the first death was reported on March 21 at Lungsen vil-lage in Lunglei district near the Bangladesh border, he said. Themonetary loss caused by the ASF is estimated to be Rs 6.91 crore,he added.

ASF yet to be contained inMizoram, over 1,700 pigs dead

PNS n NEW DELHI

The CoWIN system is introduc-ing a new feature of four-digitsecurity code from May 8 to min-imise data entry errors about vac-cination status that would subse-quently reduce inconveniencecaused to citizens, the health min-istry said.

It has been noticed in someinstances that citizens who hadbooked their appointment forCOVID-19 vaccination throughthe CoWIN portal but did notactually go for vaccination on thescheduled date have receivedSMS notification that a vaccinedose has been administered tothem, it said.

Upon examination, it has beenfound to occur largely on account

of the vaccinator wrongly mark-ing the citizen as vaccinated, aninstance of data entry error by thevaccinator, it stated.

"In order to minimize sucherrors and the subsequent incon-venience caused to the citizens,the CoWIN system is introduc-ing a new feature of four-digitsecurity code in the CoWINapplication from May 8.

"Now, after verification, if thebeneficiary is been found eligible,before administering the vaccinedose, the verifier/vaccinator willask the beneficiary about his four-digit code and then enter thesame in the CoWIN system tocorrectly record the vaccinationstatus," the ministry said in itsstatement.

This new feature will be applic-

able only for citizens who havedone an online booking for a vac-cination slot.

The four-digit security code

will be printed in the appoint-ment acknowledgement slip andwill not be known to the vacci-nator. The code will also be pre-

sent in the confirmation SMS sentto beneficiary after successfulbooking of an appointment.

The appointment acknowl-edgement slip can also be savedand shown from the mobile.

This will ensure that for thosecitizens who have booked anonline appointment, the dataentries regarding vaccination sta-tus of a citizen are recorded cor-rectly, the ministry said in a state-ment.

This will also reduce theopportunities of impersonationand wrongful use of flexibilitiesprovided in CoWIN for facilitat-ing vaccination coverage.

The ministry advised the cit-izens must carry a digital or phys-ical copy of their appointment slipand the registered mobile phone

with appointment confirmationSMS, so that the security code canbe furnished for easy completionof vaccination recording process.

Citizens must provide thesecurity code to the vaccinator asthe digital certificate will be gen-erated only after the vaccinationrecord has been updated with thesecurity code. Citizen should geta confirmation SMS after theprocess has been successfullycompleted.

The confirmation SMS indi-cates that the vaccination processhas been completed successfullyand the digital certificate has beengenerated. If one does not get theconfirmation SMS, one shouldget in touch with the vaccinatoror the vaccination centre in-charge, the ministry said.

Security code in CoWIN to minimise error in vax status

Bombay HC on masks: Peopleunable to discipline themselves

NEW DELHI: More than 90 lakhCOVID-19 vaccine doses are stillavailable with the states and UTsand they will receive over 10 lakhmore vaccine doses within the nextthree days, the Union HealthMinistry said on Friday. The Centrehas so far provided more than17.35 crore (17,35,07,770) vaccinedoses to states and UTs free ofcost. Of this, the total consumptionincluding wastages is 16,44,77,100doses, according to official datamade available at 8 am. "More than90 lakh (90,30,670) COVID vaccinedoses are still available with thestates and UTs to be administered.States with negative balance areshowing more consumption(including wastage) than vaccinesupplied as they have notreconciled the vaccine they havesupplied to armed forces,” theministry said.

NEW DELHI: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Fridayspoke to the chief ministers ofManipur, Sikkim and Tripuraon the Covid situation in theirstates, government sourcessaid. Modi had on Thursdayspoken to the chief ministersof Andhra Pradesh, Odisha,Jharkhand and Telanganabesides the lieutenant gover-nors of Jammu & Kashmirand Puducherry in this regard.The prime minister's interac-tion with chief ministers is partof his exercise to deal with thepandemic situation. With arecord 4,14,188 new coron-avirus cases being reported ina day, India's infection tallyclimbed to 2,14,91,598.

NEW DELHI: All secretaries ofcentral government departmentshave been mandated to regulatethe attendance of employeesworking under them, consideringthe COVID-19 cases in the officeand their functional requirement, aPersonnel Ministry order said."Persons with disabilities andpregnant women employees maybe exempted from attending office,but they shall continue to workfrom home," it said. The PersonnelMinistry said that secretaries ofthe ministries/departments and

heads of departments of attachedand subordinate offices are man-dated to regulate the attendance oftheir employees at all levels. "Theofficers/staff shall follow staggeredtimings to avoid over crowding inoffices/workplaces as decided bythe heads of department," it said inthe order issued on Thursday. Allofficers and staff residing in con-tainment zones shall be exemptedfrom coming to offices till the con-tainment zone is denotified, it said.The officers and staff residing incontainment zones shall work

from home and be available ontelephone and electronic means ofcommunication at all times, theministry said. All officials whoattend office shall strictly followCOVID-appropriate behaviour,including wearing of masks, phys-ical distancing, use of sanitisersand frequent hand-washing withsoap and water, it said. Crowdingin lifts, staircases, corridors, andcommon areas, including refresh-ment kiosks and parking areas, isto be strictly voided, the ordersaid.

Regulate attendance of all employees consideringCovid-19 situation: Centre to all secretaries

Over 90 lakh vaxdoses still withstates: Centre

NEW DELHI: Asserting that theCOVID-19 pandemic situation is goingfrom bad to worse, senior Congressleader P Chidambaram on Fridayalleged that Prime Minister NarendraModi and Health Minister HarshVardhan are refusing to ownresponsibility and are making a"mockery of democratic principles". Hisremarks came after the Union HealthMinistry data updated on Fridayshowed a record 4,14,188 newcoronavirus infections being reportedin a day in India, raising the country'stally to 2,14,91,598. The active caseshave crossed the 36-lakh mark. "Thepandemic situation is going from badto worse. The insufficient supply ofvaccines is a hard, bitter truth, but thegovernment is in denial," Chidambaramtweeted. "In Tamil Nadu, not all among45 plus are getting the first dose and asmall number the second dose.Nobody between 18 and 44 is gettingthe vaccine," he claimed.

Covis situationgoing from bad toworse: Chidambaram

PM speaks to

Manipur, Sikkim,

Tripura CMs on

COVID situation

PNS n CHENNAI

What is in a name? In TamilNadu, a name may be an indi-cator to one's political leanings,nationalist passion or the ideol-ogy of the parents of the indi-vidual.

After India's independence,especially in southern TamilNadu, many were named 'Bose'after freedom fighter SubhasChandra Bose. Similarly, thenames of 'Gandhi,' 'Nehru' and'Jawahar' are also common inthe state, the objective being per-petuating the hallowed memo-ry of freedom fighters.

Also, pure Tamil names andthose in memory of leaders ofthe Dravidian and Left move-ment are common.

The subject of names is infocus again as the 16th TamilNadu Assembly has two'Gandhis' one of them aMinister, a 'Nehru' who is alsoa Minister and a 'Stalin' who isthe Chief Minister.

As is well known, late DMKpatriarch M Karunanidhi (1924-2018) named his son Stalin(Born March 1, 1953) afterSoviet ruler Joseph Stalin whodied on March 5, 1953.

Though Joseph Stalin mayhave been a foreign premier anda dictator, Karunanidhi namedhis son out of his admiration forthe Communist ideology.

R Gandhi and K N Nehru, asMinisters for Handlooms-Textiles and MunicipalAdministration respectivelywould report to Stalin!

Nehru, a party heavyweightin the Cauvery delta regionwon from Tiruchirappalli Westand Gandhi from Ranipet seg-ment in northern TN and BJP'sM R Gandhi, a veteran partyleader emerged victorious inNagercoil constituency inKanyakumari district in theApril 6 Assembly polls.

TN Assembly has two Gandhis, one a Minister; a Nehru and a Stalin

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan onFriday congratulated DMK chief M K Stalin, who led his party to a hugevictory in the Assembly polls,on taking oath as thenew Chief Ministerof Tamil Nadu. In his twitter handle, the Left leader shared his hope towork together with Stalin for a better India. "Dear com/mkstalin"@mkstalin , as you take on your new responsibilities as the ChiefMinister of Tamil Nadu, let me wish you great success.I hope that wecan further deepen the fraternal love that Keralites and Tamilians haveshared for centuries, and work together for a better India," Vijayantweeted. Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of officeand secrecy to the 68-year-old Stalin, for whom this would be the firststint as CM, in a simple ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Chennai.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayancongratulates Stalin

CHENNAI: "Stalin is the future of the party," said late DMK patriarch MKarunanidhi about six years ago at a party meet when his son was party trea-surer. It has come true on Friday with M K Stalin being sworn in as the ChiefMinister of Tamil Nadu. Though the DMK could not capture power in 2016despite a no holds barred contest, Stalin continued to relentlessly take the fightagainst the AIADMK ahead both in the State Assembly and outside of it, whichhelped him realise the dream of storming back to the seat of power, Fort StGeorge after a decade. In the run-up to the 2016 Assembly polls althoughKarunanidhi had ruled out the possibility of Stalin becoming the CM if DMKwas voted back to power -he had said that it may materialise if 'nature' didsomething to him- Stalin worked as before for the party's success. While hetargeted the AIADMK and BJP governments at the State and Centre holding aslew of protests over the years on several issues, his position in the party wasstrengthened further when he became the working president in early 2017 andthe next year its president following the demise of top leader Karunanidhi.Stalin who began his political career as a teenager grew steadily in the partyand he was given more responsibilities in the government in a step-by-stepfashion when Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister during 2006-11.

Stalin makes Karunanidhi'sdream come true

Top cop posesas commonman to testpolice staffPNS n PUNE

Disguised as a common man,Pimpri Chinchwad policecommissioner KrishnaPrakash paid surprise visits tothree police stations under hisjurisdiction to check thepromptness and efficiency ofthe personnel on duty there.

Prakash himself gave infor-mation about the sequence ofevents that unfolded duringthe intervening night ofWednesday and Thursday.

As part of the exercise, hevisited Hinjawadi, Wakad andPimpri police stations. Inorder to change his appear-ance, the commissioner sport-ed a fake beard and wore aPathani dress as well as askull cap. AssistantCommissioner of PolicePrerna Katte also accompa-nied him by posing as a com-mon citizen.

Prakash said that instruc-tions were issued to all thepolice stations to treat com-mon citizens nicely and gettheir complaints lodged.

"To test the ground reality,I along with ACP Katte dis-guised ascommon citizens andvisited three police stationsand a couple of nakabandipoints in the jurisdiction atnight," he said.

"During the visits toHinjawadi and Wakad policestations, we found that thestaff on duty there wereprompt in listening to our'swoes and were seen takingefforts in registering theircomplaints," he said.

PNS n MUMBAI

The Opposition BJP inMaharashtra on Friday allegeda Rs 300 crore scam in the rede-velopment of Manora MLAhostel in south Mumbai, citingthat the project cost hadincreased by 66 per cent in twoyears.

In a letter to Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray, BJP legisla-tor Atul Bhatkalkar demandedto know why the contract forredeveloping the hostel at Rs600 crore was scrapped andreworked at Rs 900 crore.

"How was there a cost esca-lation of Rs 300 crore in twoyears? Who is the beneficiary ofthis Rs 300 crore scam?" heasked.

Bhatkalkar demanded thatthe contract be scrapped and athorough probe be conducted inthe entire matter.

The BJP MLA also threat-ened to file a complaint in thisregard with the CentralVigilance Commissioner(CVC).

The earlier DevendraFadnavis-led government inMaharashtra had signed anMoU with the Central govern-ment's National BuildingConstruction Corporation(NBCC) for the project at Rs600 crore, Bhatkalkar said.

"If the government fails toscrap the project, the BJP willlaunch an agitation," he said.

Meanwhile, the stateCongress spokesperson Sachin

Sawant said, "Manora couldhave been repaired. However,under the Fadnavis govern-ment, the repair work wasembroiled in scam. The decisionto revamp the hostel was takenby the BJP government in 2018,and the NBCC appointed bythem demolished the structurein 2019."

This delay had cost the stategovernment more than Rs 700crore, as each month around Rs3.5 crore is being paid to MLAs,who don't have a home inMumbai (even BJP MLAs arepaid Rs 1 lakh each), he said.

The state government hadlast year entrusted the redevel-opment of the hostel situated inNariman Point to the PublicWorks Department.

Scam in MLA hostel revampin Mumbai, alleges BJP

PNS n MUMBAI

Maharashtra HealthMinister Rajesh Tope onFriday alleged that most ofthe pharmaceutical compa-nies are not supplying themandated quant ity ofRemdesivir vials to the state.

Remdesivir, an anti-viraldrug, is used in the treat-ment of coronaviruspatients.

"The Union governmenthas f ixed the quota ofRemdesivir vials to everystate. However, most of thepharmaceutical companiesare not supplying the vials asper the quantity allocated by

the C entre, " Tope toldreporters.

Of the total number ofRemdesivir vials that theIndian government hasreceived as part of the USaid, Maharashtra managedto get 52,000 vials, he added.

"But it is the duty of the(Centre's) Department ofPharmaceuticals to ensurethat Maharashtra gets thesupply of Remdesivir asmandated by the Centre," hesaid.

According to him, exceptHetero Labs, no other phar-maceutical company is sup-plying Remdesivir as perthe fixed quota.

Pharma cos not supplyingmandated Remdesivirquota to Maha: Tope

PNS n NEW DELHI

Switzerland, which has sentmedical supplies worth CHF3 million (over Rs 24 crore)to India to fight the COVIDcrisis, on Friday asserted thatthe Swiss government standswith India in its hour ofneed and will provide assis-tance to the country.

As India battles spirallingCOVID cases, Swiss compa-nies have also pledged med-ical relief worth over CHF 7million (over Rs 56 crore) andthe first of several supplies isexpected to reach the nation-al capital by Saturday.

"Whenever India is inneed, we try to be of assis-tance just as India is of assis-tance to so many countrieswhen they are in need," SwissAmbassador to India RalfHeckner told PTI in an inter-view on Friday.

Switzerland has sent 600oxygen concentrators and 50respirators worth about CHF3 million (over Rs 24 crore)to assist hospitals in India.

A cargo aircraft carryingmore than 13 tonnes of med-ical supplies from Switzerlandarrived in New Delhi onFriday morning.

The consignment compris-

es 600 oxygen concentrators,purchased by SwissHumanitarian Aid from pri-

vate sector suppliers, and 50respirators donated by theFederal Department of

Defence, Civil Protection andSport (DDPS). The suppliesinclude body bags, the SwissEmbassy said in a release.

Asserting that Switzerlandstands with India in its hourof need, Heckner said that atthis point, the objective is toget all possible assistance tothe country.

The total value of themedical supplies sent bySwitzerland is around CHF3 million and a significantproportion of the amountwas covered by the DDPS,which donated the respira-tors for patients in intensivecare.

Switzerland sends medical supplies to India

PNS n MUMBAI

The Aurangabad bench ofBombay High Court on Fridaysaid it was unfortunate thatpeople have to be penalised toget them to wear masks.

A division bench of JusticesR V Ghuge and B UDebadwar, hearing a bunch ofpetitions related to theCOVID-19 pandemic, saidthe problem with citizens wasthat they were unable to dis-cipline themselves.

The bench noted that peo-ple wear masks below theirchin leaving the nose andmouth open.

"It is unfortunate peoplehave to be advised to protectthemselves and, at times, haveto be penalised so as to makeit compulsory for them toprotect themselves, as if theyhave no responsibility towardsthemselves and their familymembers," the court said.

The court said, despite this,each citizen likes to blame thepolice and administration forthe rise in COVID-19 cases.

"It is quite shameful that weare unable to discipline our-selves and find it very easy toblame the administration," itsaid.

The court said it was com-pelled to pass orders makingthe use of masks and helmets(for two wheelers) compulso-ry as if it is only the govern-

ment's duty to protect citizensand that citizens owe no dutytowards themselves or theirfamily members.

The court directed theadministration, including thepolice, to strictly implementCOVID-19 instructions andensure that any person foundin public streets not wearing amask is penalised.

The bench also took note ofmedia reports of a formermayor of Aurangabad,Nandkumar Ghodele, cele-brating his birthday by violat-ing restrictions and said thephotographs published innewspapers show the mayorbeing fed with sweets by sev-eral persons who were notwearing masks.

The court was informed bythe chief public prosecutor DR Kale that an offence was reg-istered in this connection.

Kale said a case was alsoregistered against MLA SanjayShirsath for organising a'bhoomi pujan'.

"We are surprised that peo-ple's representatives, who areexpected to lead from thefront and should aspire tobecome ideal leaders and rolemodels, are taking pride in cel-ebrating bhoomi pujan andtheir birthdays publicly byviolating COVID-19 restric-tions," the court said.

It posted the matter for fur-ther hearing on May 12.

leaders was “organisation andexecution” of the “crime ofmassacre”. In 1951, Turkishpoet Nazim Hikmet haddescribed those incidents as a“black stain on the forehead ofthe Turkish people”.

In 1933, Austrian-Bohemian writer Franz Werfelwrote The Forty Days of MusaDagh (originally in German)which focuses on self-defencemeasures taken by a smallcommunity of Armenians liv-ing in Musa Dagh, a mountainvilayat (province) of Aleppo,southern Turkey, against theYoung Turk Government’smarauders. It was adaptedinto a film in 1982.

America’s insular characterin the pre-World War I eranotwithstanding, Americanshave been vocal about the ordealof Armenian population in theOttoman Empire even in the19th century. In 1896, ReverendAW Williams of Chicago, in col-laboration with MS Gabriel ofthe Armenian Patriotic Alliancein New York, produced a tomeBleeding Armenia: Its Historyand Horrors under of Curse ofIslam. The same year, FrederickDavis Green conjured up thehorrors inflicted on Armeniansin Armenian Massacres of theSword of Mohammed.

But such “thrilling accounts

of terrible atrocities and whole-sale murders committed byMohammedan fanatics” weredemonstratively coloured byreligious prejudices. Theauthors were no less actuated bythe desire of quick sale of thosetitles than by Christian piety.However, AmbassadorMorgenthau’s Story (1918) byHenry Morgenthau, the USAmbassador to the OttomanEmpire (1913-1916), is consid-ered as the first definitive reporton the Armenian genocide.Morgenthau was Jewish whocould not be suspected ofChristian susceptibilities.

In earlier times, theChristian subjects of theOttoman Empire were notallowed to bear arms. Theywere easy targets of butchery,rapine and rape by the Turks.However, the Young TurkMovement (July 1908) thatliberalised the OttomanGovernment also gave theChristians the right to beararms. Every Turkish city con-tained thousands ofArmenians, trained as soldiersand possessing weapons.Therefore, the massacres dur-ing World War I attained acharacter of warfare thanwholesale butcheries ofdefenceless men and women.

The Armenian genocide

tells more about Turks thanabout Armenians. It revealshow the transformation of aCaliphate into a ‘secular’ repub-lic in Turkey promoted racialexclusiveness rather than foster-ing tolerance, inclusivity andthe rule of law. While secular-ism stripped the Christian sub-jects of the autonomy of millat,enjoyed under the Ottomanemperors, it failed to accommo-date them as equal citizens.While it is still possible tospeak of “Arab Christians”(despite the ordeal of Christiansin Arab States), it is never pos-sible to speak of “ChristianTurks” even though KemalAtaturk founded the nation-State of Turkey on the idealsof secularism. The extermina-tion of the ancient Greekcommunity in Smyrna by theYoung Turks in September1922 —described by GeorgeHorton in The Blight of Asia(1926) — was another tragedycomparable to the Armeniangenocide. The foundationallegacy of the modern repub-lic often returns to hauntTurkey. No wonder, Erdoganwants to shelve the debate onArmenian genocide.

(The writer is an authorand independent researcherbased in New Delhi. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

When the Coronavirus pandemic broke out last year, no one had imagined thatone day it would spread to one of the highest and most difficult-to-accessplaces on the planet, the Mt Everest Base Camp. However, now a whopping

17 climbers have tested positive and more are suspected to be infected. The blamefor this Himalayan disaster lies at the door of Nepalese Prime Minister KP SharmaOli. Just like India, Nepal is in the grip of a major Coronavirus outbreak with the nation-al positivity rate at a staggering 47 per cent, and the nation battling a shortage of vac-

cines, hospital beds and oxygen. Meanwhile, Oli, inthe middle of a political crisis too, is facing stringentcriticism for his mishandling of the health emergency.The beleaguered Oli has now appealed for interna-tional aid to help the Himalayan country tide over thiscrisis. Though the help will not be long in coming,Oli and the Government have a lot to answer for.Despite the raging pandemic, his Government did notthink twice before opening the doors to foreignclimbers who wanted to make the most of the springclimbing season. In fact, Nepal gave nearly 400 per-mits to foreign climbers by April end, almost the samenumber as in 2019, before the pandemic hit the world.

Many experts had warned then that it was only a matter of time before theCoronavirus made its way to the world’s highest peak, and their worst fears havecome true. Now, Nepal is sitting on a super-spreader, not just because of the crowd-ed camps and the rotating crew of porters and yak drivers but also due to the factthat it does not have the wherewithal to handle the spread of the virus at that altitude.Besides, the fact that the High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema — which a lot of moun-taineers face — resembles the COVID-19 symptoms makes it more difficult for thedisease to be diagnosed correctly and contained. It is evident that the Nepal Government’sreliance on Mt Everest as a source of revenue overruled better judgement; it has alreadycollected more than $3.8 million in fees from climbing permits this year, and the amountthat climbers spend in the country typically accounts for over $300 million. Thoughthe Government is trying to deny the Base Camp outbreak, it is again being forcedto close its doors to the world. One wonders if the revenue earned from the climbersand tourism was worth it.

He is a rare breed of politicians, among those very few leaders who don’t mincewords and generally render stinging advice to their own party bosses that oftenleaves the leadership uncomfortable and red-faced. The BJP’s Subramanian Swamy

is not exactly famous for toeing the party’s line and, true to his image of taking on eventhe Government if needed, he has recently stated that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)cannot be relied upon in the war on the pandemic. Going a step further, he also request-ed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make Union Minister Nitin Gadkari the incharge ofCOVID-19 management. The decision, of course, rests with the Government but Swamy’sstatements have deeper political connotation. Though the Centre is now seen making

all-out efforts to rein in the pandemic, it cannot bedenied that the contagion is far from tamed and thatthe country was caught totally unprepared when thesecond wave of COVID-19, far more virulent and fero-cious than the first, hit us. Our healthcare and relat-ed infrastructure is creaking under its killing weightdue to the acute shortage of medical oxygen, hos-pital beds, essential medicines and so on. No doubt,the image of the Government and the Prime Ministerhas taken a beating among the masses. With Modibeing the sole face the BJP banks upon, the partydoesn’t want to run the risk of the citizenry relatinghis persona to their plight in the ensuing polls.

Being a seasoned politician, Swamy seems to feel that under the persisting cir-cumstances Modi’s face might not augur well for the party’s poll prospects, as hasbeen proved by the recent Assembly poll results, and hence it’s necessary to pro-ject someone else with an independent face value and credibility, such as Gadkari.Obviously, the innate message Swami wants to project is that the BJP is not onlyabout Modi and that there are others who can be relied upon in this hour of crisis.The veteran leader wants to convey that the party is bigger than the PM or the PMO.The assertion that the PMO is “useless” also indicates that Modi is listening too muchto the advice of his close courtiers, including top bureaucrats, which might not alwaysbe sane and in the larger interest of the party. Perhaps, Swamy wants Modi to relymore on his own wisdom and that of the party stalwarts during these trying timesrather than depending upon the bureaucrats and other yes-men who dare not differwith him. The utterances might be a signal to the Prime Minister that it’s time to revis-it the strategies for tackling the pandemic and give more responsibility to leaderslike Gadkari, who are good in management and planning. The nation has expressedconfidence in Modi’s leadership for two consecutive terms and we expect him to dowhatever is imperative to save us from the raging contagion. As of now, success-fully defeating the accursed virus is about the only thing that will brighten his prospectsand that of the BJP’s for a third term.

Cryptic message

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

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VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | MAY 8, 2021

06

Touching baseAt least 17 mountaineers test positive for COVID

at the 17,600-ft Mount Everest Base Camp

The US has formally acknowledged the 1915 genocide but, forobvious reasons, Turkish President Erdogan isn't happy about it

PICTALK

Devotees outside the Mecca Masjid on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, in Hyderabad PTI

AMERICA'S INSULARCHARACTER IN THEPRE-WORLD WAR I

ERANOTWITHSTANDING,

AND THEENORMOUS

DISTANCESEPARATING IT

FROM THE NEAREAST, AMERICANSHAVE BEEN VOCAL

ABOUT THE ORDEALOF ARMENIAN

POPULATION IN THEOTTOMAN EMPIREEVEN IN THE 19TH

CENTURY

PRIYADARSHI DUTTA

Swamy’s suggestion to Modi on empoweringGadkari has deeper political connotations

Recognising theArmenian pogrom

Belatedly but formally, theUS has recognised theArmenian Genocide(1915-17). President Joe

Biden, on April 24, 2021, recalledhow “one-and-a-half millionArmenians were deported, mas-sacred or marched to their deathsin campaigns of extermination”in Ottoman Turkey. TurkishPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan,along expected lines, hasdeplored the American stand.Calling it “opening a woundthat’s hard to fix in our relations”,Erdogan has appealed for rever-sal of the genocide recognition.

Turkey, an important NATOmember, has always been dismis-sive of the Armenian genocideallegation. In the past, the US hadrefrained from antagonising itsstalwart ally. On February 28,1990 — in the face of a vigorousopposition by Turkey — theSenate blocked a resolution pro-posed by Senator Bob Dole call-ing upon the US Government tocommemorate the mass death ofArmenian civilians during WorldWar I. The demand resurfacedsix years later when a group of100 prominent American schol-ars and writers signed a petitiondated February 2, 1996, thatdubbed the “denial of genocideas the final stage of genocide”.This petition resulted in a hear-ing on the “History of ArmenianGenocide” before the Committeeon International Relations, theHouse of Representatives.

Levon Marshalian, a profes-sor of history at the GlendaleCommunity College, California,appearing as a witness before theCommittee, reminded it how thegenocide was acknowledged incontemporaneous Turkey. In1919, the National Congress ofTurkey had accepted over-whelming evidence provided bythe US on the genocide. It haddeclared that the “guilt” of theTurkish officials who “conceivedand deliberately carried out theinfernal policy of exterminationand robbery is patent”. The offi-cial Turkish gazette, TakvimiVekayi, published the verdict ofpost-war Ottoman trials of thoseofficials. The Turkish court ruledthat the intention of the Ottoman

The administrationand arrangement ofoxygen plants shouldbe handed over to themilitary and theparamilitary for theirsafe and smooth functioning.

Haryana Home Minister

— Anil Vij

SOUNDBITEPREPARE TO DEAL WITH THE THIRD WAVESir — We all have failed to contain thesecond wave of the COVID pandemic.Our preparedness to fight the lethal virushas been in a shambles and the gruesome-ness of the pandemic continues with nosign of a let-up. It is during these tryingtimes that the Principal Scientific Advisorto Prime Minister announced the possi-bility of a third wave without specifyingthe possible timeline or the probable tar-get age group. This announcement makeslittle difference as we are not prepared atall for the upcoming danger in the formof a third wave and are too occupied indealing with the current crisis. People arefacing immense trouble due to over-crowded crematoriums and graveyards.We are still not working on logistics andmobilisation of resources to deal with thefuture third wave which can invade ussooner than later. Being indifferent toimpending danger doesn’t make it lessdamaging or lethal.

The Centre and the States now haveto be ready with a rational plan to man-age the next wave. The whole countryneeds a plan for the supply of all criticalcare components, including testing kitsand medicines. The Centre has to urgent-ly ramp up testing and vaccination, with-out which we will be left paralysed. Amidthis shameful state of affairs inside thecountry, the fact that those in ExternalAffairs Minister Jaishankar’s team turnedpositive after reaching London has becomematter of embarrassment for us worldwide.

N Sadhasiva Reddy | Bengaluru

HANDLE THE COVID SITUATION IN HARYANASir — Kudos to the Supreme Court andthe Delhi High Court as because of thesecourts the Delhi Government has managedto get its quota of medical oxygen.Whereas, on the other hand, Capital’sneighbouring State Haryana is facing cri-sis and has come to a position where it canonly beg for its allocated quota of oxygen.The hospitals and nursing homes in theState are facing shortage of medical oxy-gen and people are struggling for it. The

worst hit districts like Gurugram,Faridabad, Hisar etc are facing immensehardships. Oxygen supply from Roorkeehas been erratic and was also less againstthe quota of 257 MT. Further, procuringoxygen and subsequent delay in unload-ing the tankers is also a matter of concern.Unfortunately COVID-19 has now spreadits wings in the rural areas where medicalfacilities are negligible.

Yugal Kishore Sharma | Faridabad

PUNISH HOARDERS, BLACK MARKETEERSSir — The healthcare system in the coun-try has not collapsed but it is overburdenedby the excessive number of COVID cases.In the face of pandemic, the biggest suf-ferers are poor, however when people arestruggling to find beds in hospitals andarrange oxygen cylinders for their lovedones there are many ambulance drivers

who are charging exorbitantly (upto 500per cent of normal charges) for renderingtheir services. Further, injections likeRemdesivir are sold in black market at highprices, oxygen cylinders are also availableto those who are ready to pay several timesmore than the normal price.

When people are grieving, profiteer-ing and black marketing by some anti-social elements is real disservice to thenation. The need-of-hour is that theGovernment should not be a mute spec-tator to these anti-national acts and takea strict action against profiteers, blackmarketeers, hoarders and ambulance dri-vers who charge in excess, by slapping theNational Security Act against them.

Ramesh G Jethwani | Bengaluru

Send yyour ffeedback tto:[email protected]

Doctors, nurses and paramedics are front-line workers during the pandemic andthey are our heroes. Even philanthropists,

who donate millions of dollars to theGovernment to help the nation during a crisis,are no match to the selfless service by ourhealthcare workers who risk their lives to saveCOVID patients. But there are other real-lifeheroes also, who have gone out of their wayto aid the distressed and the needy during thesedifficult times. They are ordinary in appearanceand living, but are the real unsung heroes ofour country. Courageous human beings do theright thing even when nobody is noticing. Theydo not hesitate to lend a helping hand when-ever it is sought. They are oblivious to plau-

dits that may come their way when their vir-tuous deeds are spotted. The sole intention ofthese real heroes is to make our country a bet-ter place to live in at a time when scarcity ofessential services has become the rule.People have even offered their commercialestablishments for treatment purposes.

Further, oxygen ‘langars’ are being organ-ised to help the hospitals and patients. Freemedical consultations, free food and medicines,free ferrying of patients and relatives — goodsamaritans are helping everyone everywhere.The helping tendency of our heroes in thesetesting times, to provide succour to the dis-advantaged and the ailing, goes beyond theimagination of mere mortals and are storiesof hope and confidence for the country.Comforting others comes at a huge cost:putting one’s own finances and routine on theline. Many a time, the real-life heroes are sub-jected to vilified campaigns by social mediacommentators. However, these noble menand women don’t give a hoot to the unem-ployed slanderers.

Ganapathi Bhat | Akola

Proud of our real heroes

We are committedto ensuring thesecurity of our ally,the Republic ofArmenia. This hasbeen confirmed in

your talks with President Putin.

Russian Foreign Minister — Sergey Lavrov

The beauty of theNilgiris and thecreative exchange withmy co-actors that Ihad during the shootof ‘Out Of Love 2’ willalways stay with me.

Actor— Rasika Dugal

Most unfortunately,our performance in allthe States was verydisappointing and, if I may say it,unexpectedly so.

Congress president

— Sonia Gandhi

The 2021 T20 WorldCup should be held in

India only if it is notgoing to be a drain

on the country’sresources in its fight

against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Australian cricketer

— Pat Cummins

LETTERS TO TTHE EDITOR

Did we lose the ploton Coronavirus?

THE STATE GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE SWIFT ACTION AS

ABOUT 69 LAKH FARMERS OF THE STATE HAVE BEEN

DEPRIVED OF THE PM-KISAN SCHEME.

—UNION AGRICULTURE MINISTER

NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR

I HAVE WRITTEN TO THE PRIME MINISTER. I HOPE THAT

THE FUNDS UNDER THE PM-KISAN SCHEME WILL BE

RELEASED FOR WEST BENGAL SOON.

—WEST BENGAL CHIEF MINISTER

MAMATA BANERJEE

One of the top painters of Lucknow, RajendraKaran, had a sore throat and a slight fever.He consulted a doctor who advised medi-

cines. His fever came under control but the sorethroat continued. Believing that his condition wouldimprove he did not go for a COVID test. On April21 — three days after his symptoms were visible,he felt breathless. His son Rohitas Karan did not waitfor the ambulance. He took his father to a privatehospital in his own car. “Go get a referral slip fromthe Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO’s) office. Onlythen can we admit the patient,” said the reception-ist at the Integral Medical College and Hospital inLucknow. “My father was gasping for breath. I couldsee he was in pain. But I was curtly asked to get areferral slip,” Rohitas says. He called a few of hisfriends, requesting them to arrange the referral slipfor him. He was told that he must register at theIntegrated Central Command Centre (ICCC).However, before he could get his father registeredand get a referral slip from the CMO’s office,Rajendra Karan died in the car, outside the hospi-tal, waiting for treatment. “My father would havebeen alive today if the hospital had admitted himinstead of waiting for a piece of paper from theCMO’s office,” Rohitas says. The Government’s rulesays that registration of a patient in the ICCC at theCMO’s office is mandatory and admission is givento the patient only if s/he has a referral slip fromthat centre. Hundreds of patients died as they wereturned away by the hospital because they did nothave the referral slip. After a hue and cry was raisedthis mandatory clause was withdrawn for admis-sion in private hospitals but this still holds good foradmission in State-run hospitals where only 30 percent of the seats are for open admission while therest are through the ICCC.

“We know that this is a draconian procedureand is against the spirit of imparting treatment tothe patients. We have seen patients dying in the wait-ing area but we cannot help because they do not havethe referral slip,” a doctor says with regret.

Now, take the case of Navanita ParamanikRajput, 37, who was seven months pregnant. Shehad a cold and slight fever. Her gynecologist gaveher medicine. As her condition did not improve shewas admitted to a private nursing home. In a dayher fever came under control but the oxygen levelstarted dropping. “The gynecologist called me upand said that it would be better if we could shift herto a better-equipped hospital. There is no dangerto her life but it is better to shift her,” Radha GobindoPramanik, her father says. On April 18 she was takento the King George’s Medical College Hospital. Shecame out of the ambulance smiling. Her husbandVarun went for registration and when he returnedafter a few minutes he saw that his wife was gasp-ing for breath. “We ran to get oxygen. We were toldthere is no oxygen cylinder in the OPD. I rushedto the emergency and there, too, the doctors saidthey could not help. I thought of taking her backto the nursing home where at least oxygen was avail-able. The ambulance had left by then. I heard myson-in-law shouting. Before I could understand whatwas happening she collapsed in the arms of her hus-band, just at the doorstep of Lucknow’s top hospi-tal ,” Pramanik recalls with tears in his eyes.

“It was my folly that I shifted her from the nurs-ing home. It was a big mistake because of which Ilost my daughter,” he says sobbing. “I knew there

was an oxygen crisis but I never knewthat this big Government hospitalwould have no oxygen cylinders,” hesays with regret writ large on his face.

On May 6 the Uttar Pradesh(UP) Government claimed that 353people died of the Coronavirus,with Lucknow recording 65 fatalitiesin the last 24 hours. On the face ofit, the number of deaths in Lucknowlooks small when compared with themagnitude of the catastrophe thecountry is facing. But the line of bod-ies in the cremation grounds beliesthis claim. People whose job it is tocremate bodies say that the numberof people being cremated is muchhigher than what the Government isclaiming. A rough estimate saysthat in Lucknow more than 200 bod-ies are either cremated or buried perday. A Hindi newspaper reportedthat on April 22, at least 437 bodieswere cremated in all the cremationgrounds across Lucknow. On April18 the cremation ground in Lucknowreceived 187 bodies. So where arethese bodies coming from? Is thereundercounting of casualties? Thelocal administration realises thepressure that cremation groundsare facing and, therefore, has set upextra platforms for cremation in thetwo main crematoriums ofBhainsakund and Gulalaghat.

PK Srivastava, a resident ofLucknow, says the inflow is so highthat the local administration hasintroduced a token system. “I hadgone for a cremation of my relativeon Saturday and our token numberwas 90,” he said, adding that it tookover 14 hours for the cremation totake place.

Normally around 45-50 bodiesare cremated daily. In Lucknow,

bodies of COVID patients are cre-mated separately. The Governmentclaims that the primary cause of thecrisis in the crematoriums is thatbodies are also coming in fromneighbouring districts. There is noproper system to cremate COVIDvictims there so people are bringingthem to Lucknow.

A little over a month ago — onMarch 29 — the country celebratedHoli. Throwing all precaution to thewind, people mingled and smearedcolour on each other. A day earlierthe markets were bustling. Throwingprecaution to the wind, people liter-ally jostled with each other to pur-chase sweets, new clothes andcolours. A majority of them were notwearing masks and no one wasobjecting to it. In one month, theworld turned upside down. Almostevery mohalla in UP now hasCOVID case and many houses havereported fatalities too. Then, to addto the troubles, many attended theMaha Kumbh and came back sick.

So, what went wrong? Was it afailure of the Government or the peo-ple? For me, it is a failure of both —the Government and the people.Experts at John Hopkins Medicinebelieve that human behaviour is amajor factor for the second wave ofthe pandemic. They call it “protocolfatigue” under which people wereforced to wear a face mask, washhands regularly and maintain socialdistance. In some cases the violatorsof this norm were penalised and asa result of this, people actually endedup spending about one year insidetheir homes. Once the situationeased people came out and startedcelebrating life believing that every-thing was normal. The Government,

too, lowered its guard. Though thesenior leaders and doctors warnedthat COVID had not gone away, theGovernment allowed opening ofschools, the restrictions on partiesand social gatherings were lifted andpolitical activities like elections start-ed. The infrastructure which theGovernment had built in the last oneyear was dismantled. The ICCC,which was the bulwark in dissemi-nating information about COVIDcases and was the only tool toremain in touch with patients wasdismantled too. The staff was cur-tailed and the telephone lines wererestricted. In this scenario when thesecond wave struck UP, the admin-istration was caught unawares.

When the tandav of death wasgoing on in the cities, the villageswere busy with Panchayat elections.The Teachers’ Association says 706teachers, who were deployed in theelection duty, died of COVID. Wasit preventable? Yes, it was. In 1991after the assassination of formerPrime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, theLok Sabha election was postponedfor a month. If that election couldhave been postponed, what prevent-ed the State Election Commission orthe State Government from postpon-ing the Panchayat election?

The Government argues thatPanchayat elections are held underthe direction of the High Court, butthe State Government could havemoved the Supreme Court. There isa fear that the Corona has nowspread into the villages because of thePanchayat election. The Governmenthas started screening and testing thevillagers to arrest the spread. Howmuch it will succeed in doing this,only time will tell.

Once the situation eased, people came out and started celebrating life, believing thateverything was normal. The Government, too, lowered its guard

AMOD KANTH

THERE IS A FEAR

THAT THE CORONAVIRUS

HAS NOW SPREADINTO THE VILLAGES BECAUSE

OF THEPANCHAYAT

ELECTION. THEGOVERNMENT HAS STARTED

SCREENING AND TESTING

THE VILLAGERS TO ARREST

THE SPREAD. HOW MUCH

IT WILL SUCCEEDIN DOING

THIS, ONLY TIME WILL TELL

In 1973, I came to Delhi, almost an ignorant stranger, for the first time,to work and study with my old friends, some of them from JawaharlalNehru University (JNU) campus at Sapru House Barakhamba Road

and some others coming from Delhi University (DU) campus. I lived inthe hostel of Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) which becamethe favourite joint of my friends for its inexpensive food and we divid-ed our time between the Sapru House canteen and library. Along withmy friends who were getting indoctrinated in the JNU culture and bud-ding scholarships alongside Civil Services preparations, I used to spendconsiderable time in the famous Sapru House library. The new JNU cam-pus was yet to come up. While my friends from the School of InternationalStudies were deep into their research and highly romanticised lives, Iwas developing my own interest in urban planning and governance. Imet some scholars and the librarian to find who was the most knowl-edgeable to introduce me to the city of Delhi. Without exception every-one pointed at a bespectacled person, named Jagmohan, sitting alonein one corner of the library, deeply engrossed in some books.

When I told Jagmohan that I wanted to meet him to learn aboutthe past and contemporary Delhi from a planning and public adminis-tration angle, he asked me not to speak in the library and led me out-side. He took me to the Sapru House canteen where, as if on cue, thewaiter brought two cups of tea. Jagmohan asked me a few searchingquestions about my academic background and experience. He liked mysomewhat weird profile and my keenness to learn. I was facing Jagmohanas a student and he was the teacher and task-master as we spent ahighly focussed 45 minutes in the cafeteria. That was my first learningabout all aspects of Delhi, including the brief story of its seven histori-cal cities, which got built and destroyed — yet remained present asmonuments across the 1485 square kilometers (sq km) of the presentNational Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.

I remained associated with Jagmohan from that time until a cou-ple of years ago when I used to meet him at the India International Centre(IIC) which became his second home and the main study point, when-ever he had free time from his extremely tumultuous career. When I metJagmohan in the early 1970s he was Commissioner in the DelhiDevelopment Authority (DDA) and finally when I started meeting himat the IIC, nearly 45 years later, he was deep into his reading and writ-ing as a highly dignified retired bureaucrat-politician scholar. Among hisnumerous academic and policy documents the most important shallever remain the master plan of the city. Jagmohan’s extraordinary careerspanning over 60 years, saw extremely volatile ups and downs as thecreator and Vice-Chairman of the DDA with the Chairman being theLieutenant-Governor (L-G) of Delhi himself. Becoming Delhi’s best knownL-G twice; twice the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir during its mostviolent and difficult times; joining active politics, between the Congressand the BJP, but always remaining more of an administrator than theUnion Minister of Urban Affairs. Since I joined Indian Police Service (IPS)in 1974 and got allocated the Union Territory (UT) — now ArunachalPradesh-Goa-Mizoram and UT (AGMUT) cadre — working in Delhi asDeputy Commissioner, Additional Commissioner and Joint PoliceCommissioner, I had numerous opportunities to face controversial andpolitically-sensitive situations, involving me on the job reaching out toJagmohan — as a politician or as an administrator. Without writing indetail about those highly explosive situations about Jagmohan and myself,I must say, not once did he allow his political considerations to out-weigh his administrative propriety.

(The writer is a retired IPS officer and social activist. The viewsexpressed are personal.)

Along with the printmedia and online plat-forms, cartoons, comic

strips and hand-drawn postershave played a life-saving roleduring this pandemic. A near-universal language of lines,coexistence of images andwords, the visual economyand sequentiality of comicbooks and strips not onlyappeals to children, the illiter-ate, and adults but is alsowell-suited to disseminate epi-demic-related information andfor conveying complex scien-tific information. In someinstances, the very act of cre-ating one’s own comic strip orcharacter has therapeutic, cop-ing and healing benefits.

Comics as a citizen-friendly medium: Comicsclarify, visualise and translatecritical public health messagesand the findings of medicalscience into citizen-friendlyinformation, thus bridging art

and science. Sample this:Argha Manna, a science com-municator, in ‘Be Aware ofDroplets and Bubbles!’ conveysthe science behind theCOVID-19 transference in anengaging and relatable way.Similarly, Lili Todd and ForestRohwer of the ViralInformation Institute at SanDiego State University createda series of hand-drawn comicsand posters to offer concisescientific explanations for viralinfections, vaccinations, andthe wearing of N95/KN95masks.

Maki Naro and DianaKwon’s ‘Meet the New Strains’published by ‘The Nib’ (a lead-ing US online daily comicspublication focused on polit-ical cartoons, graphic journal-ism, essays and memoir aboutcurrent affairs) in February2021, explain the process ofvirus mutation in an easy andplayful format.

The visually-fascinatingand colourful comics explainthe otherwise difficult-to-understand mutations of theCOVID-19 virus in citizen-friendly ways. Above all, facts,numbers, data, and figurespresented in the comics medi-um not only deepen ourunderstanding of the trans-mission and prevention ofCOVID-19 but also cultivatescientific temper and rationalapproaches to COVID-19.

Comics as a pedagogicaltool: Given such strengths, itis not surprising that manyGovernments across the worldand international agenciessuch as the UN have harnessedthe power of comics to educateeveryone about wearingmasks, social distancing, andhand washing. The Ministry ofHealth and Family Welfare ofthe Government of India, forinstance, published a mini-comic titled ‘Kids, Vaayu &

Corona.’ Scripted and con-ceptualised by RavindraKhaiwal and Suman Mor,Vaayu, an Indian superhero,educates the kids about simpleprecautions (greeting tradi-tionally, among others) toreduce the chances of con-tracting COVID-19.

The award-winning artist,Sonny Liew, along with infec-tious disease expert ProfessorHsu Li Yang of NUS SawSwee Hock School of PublicHealth, Singapore, created two

conversational comic serieswith anthropomorphic char-acters to dispel doubts aboutCOVID-19. The first seriestitled ‘Baffled Bunny andCurious Cat’ surfaced inFebruary 2020 and was strict-ly dated to convey the level ofinformation available at thattime. Adopting the tone of apublic health announcement,Doctor Duck states: “Weshould all strive to act respon-sibly.”

Similarly, the SouthAfrican health department inits ‘COVID-19 Online Resource& News Portal’ communicatesmedical information throughcomic characters like Wazi,Duma, and Lunga. Sharingfacts and reliable informationis vital for handling COVID-19 and comics do that effec-tively in various formats andstyles.

Comics as personal sto-ries: The most memorable

comics are those depicting arange of personal storiesdescribing the fear of conta-gion, restrictions, touch depri-vation, isolation, hope, men-tal health conditions, angst,among others. Drawn byfrontline workers, caregivers,patients, and other stakehold-ers themselves, these heart-wrenching comics, in stylesranging from fantasy to noir,capture the uncanny that oneexperiences in the era ofCOVID-19.

Iranian cartoonistBozorgmehr Hosseinpour’smoving comics which show aphysician holding up a patientas he himself goes underwateris a compelling example.

Again, the ‘New Yorker’cartoonist Jason Chatfield’s‘COVID-19 Diary’ publishedon his website, documents insparse visuals the artist’s pro-gression from initial denial togrim acceptance of COVID-

19, culminating in his accep-tance of the virus.

Depictions like these sig-nificantly deepen what islabelled as “graphic medicine,”a confluence of comics andhealthcare. The recently-pub-lished ‘COVID Chronicles: AComics Anthology’ by ‘GraphicMundi’ for the first time, col-lects such comics and coversa broad range of topics such asracism, health inequities andpersonal realisations ofCOVID-19.

In these challenging times,comics have served us in mul-tiple ways: As a coping mech-anism, as a therapeutic medi-um, as a pedagogical tool, asan impactful science commu-nication and finally, as a medi-um which can affect behav-ioural change in individualsand communities. Given suchmerits, it is apt that we consid-er comics as another COVID-19 helpline.

Facts and data presented in the comics medium not only deepen our understanding of the transmission of the virus but also cultivate scientific temper

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | MAY 8, 2021

07

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FIRSTCOLUMN

JAGMOHAN WAS A MULTIFACETED MAN

Not once did he allow his political considerations to

outweigh his administrative propriety

BISWAJEET BANERJEE

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

The Writer is ExecutiveDirector (News), The

Pioneer, Lucknow. Theviews expressed

are personal.

Comics play the role of another COVID-19 helpline

SATHYARAJVENKATESAN

Venkatesan is anAssociate Professor and

Joshi is a researcher at theNational Institute of

Technology, Trichy. Theviews expressed

are personal.

ISHANIJOSHI

VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | MAY 8, 2021 Money 08

MONEY MATTERS

JSW Steel on Friday said ithas signed a MoU toconduct a feasibility study

with JFE Steel Corporation toestablish a grain orientedelectrical steel sheetmanufacturing and sales joint-venture company in India. The plan is to complete thestudy within the current 2021 fiscal year and take appropriate stepsto set up this JV company, JSW Steel said in a regulatory filing.JSW Steel said the company and JFE Steel continue to deepen theiralliance since they signed a comprehensive strategic collaborationagreement in 2009, under which JFE Steel took an equity stake inJSW Steel. Seshagiri Rao, Joint MD, JSW Steel said: "This feasibilitystudy for a joint venture with JFE Steel for manufacturing grainoriented electrical steel sheet in India will strengthen our position asIndia's leading manufacturer of advanced steel products that lead toreduced CO2 emissions and a more sustainable world".

JSW Steel, JFE Steel to conductfeasibility study for proposed JV

Goa Airport is planning toorganize a Covid vaccinationcamp for AAI employees, their

dependent family members andairlines, among others, incollaboration with the stategovernment. The airport has furtherstrengthened its mission to tacklethe unprecedented situation created

by Covid by seamless supply of medical essentials, includingvaccines, Fabiflu tablets, Covid testing kits, among others, an officialrelease said on Friday. Goa Airport is making efforts to organizeCOVID vaccination camp for the employees of AAI and theirdependent family members, airlines, agencies and other frontlinestaff working at the airport in collaboration and support from thegovernment of Goa, said the release. The Airports Authority of India(AAI), Goa International Airport and its frontline corona warriors havebeen playing an active role in combating the pandemic by facilitatingthe seamless delivery of medical essentials, it added.

Goa Airport plans to organise vax camp for AAI staff, others

Lithium-ion batteries andallied products makerRuchira Green Earth will

invest Rs 200 crore over thenext three or four years to setup a new manufacturing unitin Haryana to double itsproduction capacity. Thecompany, which has a currentcapacity of manufacturing up to 5,000 batteries per month, is settingup a new unit at Yamuna Nagar in Haryana to fulfil the rising demandfor its products, Ruchira Green Earth said in a statement. "We aredelighted to have been awarded contracts from many OEM'S for thesupply of lithium-ion batteries ...Moving ahead with a ceaselesscommitment towards accelerating the transition to electric vehicles,we look forward to winning many more such contracts with majorOEMs in the EV segment," Ruchira Green Earth Director Deepan Gargsaid.

Ruchira Green Earth to invest`200 cr to set up plant

The rupee gained for thesecond straight day andclosed 27 paise higher at

73.51 (provisional) againstthe US dollar on Friday,supported by positivedomestic equities and weakAmerican currency.At the interbank forex market,the rupee opened at 73.62

and hit an intra-day high of 73.50 and a low of 73.76. The local unitfinally settled at 73.51, registering a gain of 27 paise over itsprevious close. On Thursday, the rupee had settled at 73.78 againstthe American currency. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gaugesthe greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.19per cent to 90.78. According to Kaynat Chainwala - FundamentalResearch Analyst Currencies, Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers,the Indian rupee appreciated on Friday owing to a weaker dollarahead of key US jobs report and positive domestic equities.

Rupee settles 27 paise higherat 73.51 against dollar

PNS n MUMBAI

Extending its winning run tothe third session, equity bench-mark Sensex advanced 257points on Friday, tracking gainsin index majors HDFC twins,ITC and Bharti Airtel amid apositive trend in global mar-kets.

The 30-share BSE indexended 256.71 points or 0.52 percent higher at 49,206.47.

Similarly, the broader NSENifty rose 98.35 points or 0.67per cent to 14,823.15.

HDFC was the top gainer inthe Sensex pack, spurting over2 per cent, followed by BajajFinserv, M&M, NTPC, BhartiAirtel, UltraTech Cement andONGC.

On the other hand, BajajAuto, Bajaj Finance, Infosysand Kotak Bank were amonglaggards.

"Domestic equities extendedgains for third consecutive daymainly on favourable globalcues and continued traction infinancials (ex- PSU banks)and metals," said Binod Modi,Head Strategy at Reliance

Securities.Barring, PSU banks, most

key sectoral indices traded ingreen. Metals stocks remainedin focus led by robust 4QFY21 performance delivered byselect metal companies and

improved visibility of sustain-able earnings momentum incoming quarters, he said.

Elsewhere in Asia, boursesin Shanghai and Hong Kongwere in the red, while Tokyoand Seoul ended on a positive

note. Stock exchanges inEurope were trading with gainsin mid-session deals.

Meanwhile, international oilbenchmark Brent crude wastrading 0.25 per cent lower atUSD 67.92 per barrel.

Sensex jumps 257 pts;Nifty ends above 14,800

PNS n NEW DELHI

India is likely to breach its fis-cal deficit target in the finan-cial year to March 2022 main-ly due to revenue shortfall,Fitch Solutions said Friday.

The government is targetinga deficit between revenue itearns and what it spends at 6.8per cent of the gross domesticproduct (GDP) in FY22 (April2021 to March 2022). "We atFitch Solutions forecast theIndian central governmentdeficit to come in at 8.3 percent of GDP in FY22," it said.

"Revenue shortfall remainsthe main driver of our widerdeficit view, as we expect thegovernment to maintain itsspending targets."

Fitch Solutions had previ-ously projected a fiscal deficitof 8 per cent. "The main dri-ver of our deficit forecastrevision is a downward revi-sion to our outlook for rev-enues, given that the flare-upin COVID-19 cases in Indiaand containment measuresin place will hamper India'seconomic recovery, which willhave a negative impact on fis-

cal revenues," it said.Central government expen-

diture is likely to be around theproject of Rs 34.8 lakh crore asit looks to maintain its highpandemic-period spending soas to bolster pace of econom-ic recovery.

Against this, revenue arelikely to come in at Rs 16.5lakh crore, down from govern-ment estimate of Rs 17.8 lakhcrore on the back of animpaired outlook for India'seconomic recovery in FY22 asa result of the ongoing healthcrisis. It did not expect thegovernment to significantlyexpand spending beyond whathas been budgeted.

Based on the FY22 UnionBudget, key spending areasplanned for were infrastructure(transport, urban development,and power), healthcare, agricul-ture, and rural development.

"However, given the flare-up in COVID-19 infections inIndia, which has since over-whelmed the Indian healthcaresystem, we expect there to bereallocation of spending infavour of healthcare spendingthis fiscal year," Fitch Solutionssaid adding healthcare spend-ing is projected to be Rs 74,600crore, 2.1 per cent of totalplanned FY22 expenditures,and this will likely come inhigher than projected.

PNS n WASHINGTON

The Biden administration'scall to lift patent protectionson COVID-19 vaccines tohelp poor parts of the worldget more doses has drawnpraise from some countriesand health advocates. But ithas run into resistance fromthe pharmaceutical industryand others, who say it won'thelp curb the outbreak anytime soon and will hurt inno-vation.

Here's a look at what patentsdo and why they matter:

How do drugpatents work?Patents reward innovation

by preventing competitorsfrom simply copying a compa-ny's discovery and launchinga rival product. In the US,patents on medicines typical-ly last 20 years from when theyare filed, which is usually

done as soon as a drugmakerthinks it has an important orlucrative drug.

Because it often takes adecade to get a drug approved,companies typically end upwith about a dozen years ofcompetition-free sales. Butdrugmakers usually find waysto improve their product orwiden its use, and they secureadditional patents that canextend their monopoly foranother decade or more.

Why is Patent productonso Important to Drugmakers

Medicines are incrediblyexpensive to develop. Mostexperimental drugs fail atsome point during what canbe years of laboratory, animaland finally human testing.Averaging in the cost of allthose flops, it typically costsmore than $1 billion to bringa drug from discovery to reg-

ulatory approval. Without theprospect of years of saleswithout competition, thatwork is all the more risky.

Why is the us backingefforts to lift protections oncovid-19 Vaccines

The Biden administration

has been under intense pres-sure, including from manyDemocrats in Congress, to getmore COVID-19 vaccines tothe rest of the world. Supportfor the waiver idea floated byIndia and South Africa inOctober has been growing inother countries while the out-

break worsens in some places,especially India. Why have the us and othersopposed lifting protectionsin the past?

The US and some otherwealthy countries lead theworld in many areas of researchand innovation. That's partic-ularly true for medicines. Asidefrom the prestige they confer,pharmaceutical companiesprovide millions of jobs thatpay very well, pay taxes on theirincome and provide new med-icines that can save or improvelives. Drugmakers and theirtrade groups spend millionsevery year lobbying govern-ments to maintain the statusquo on patents.

Why is the Indusrty soopposed to the effort

In a word, money. In theUS, pharmaceutical compa-nies can charge whatever they

want for their medicines. Theycan and do raise prices, typi-cally twice a year, so that listprices often double or tripleduring a drug's patent-protect-ed years.

That makes the big, long-established drugmakersamong the world's most prof-itable companies. But a hugeamount of innovation comesfrom startup pharmaceuticaland biotech companies.

They must constantly raisemoney from venture capitalfirms and other investors tofund early research until theycan get their medicineapproved or, more often, geta big drugmaker to helpfund the research and buyrights to that drug or theentire startup. Without theprospect of a big payday forthe new drug, it would bemuch harder to attract thecrucial early money.

Why patents on Covid vaccines are so contentious

PNS n NEW DELHI

S&P Global Ratings on Fridaysaid India's credit rating wouldbe retained at the current levelfor the next two years, and thecountry will see a slightly fasterpace of growth in the next cou-ple of years that will support itssovereign rating.

S&P, which had in Marchseen the Indian economygrowing by 11 per cent in thefiscal year to March 2022, sawGDP growth rate dropping to9.8 per cent under the 'moder-ate' scenario, where infectionspeak in May, and falling to as

low as 8.2 per cent in 'severe'scenario under which caseloadwould peak only in late June.

Speaking at a webinar on'What A Drawn Out SecondCovid Wave Means For India',S&P Global Ratings Director -Sovereign and Public FinanceRatings - Andrew Wood saidin the moderate downside sce-nario there would not be anymajor impact on the govern-ment's fiscal position.

There could be upside pres-sure on general governmentfiscal deficit forecast of 11 percent as revenue generationwould be weaker, but debt

stock would remain roughlystable just above 90 per cent ofGDP, Wood added.

In the severe scenario, therecould be more additional fis-cal spending from the govern-ment and revenue growthwould be weaker. This wouldmean that debt stock wouldstabilise only in the next finan-cial year, he noted.

"India's rating remains sta-ble on a 'BBB-' rating. We donot expect there to be a changein the rating level over the next2 years...Of course, there aregoing to be some near termramification on India's econo-

my stemming from the severesecond wave of COVID-19and that may peep throughinto our sovereign credit met-rics...," Wood said.

S&P had last year retainedIndia's rating at the lowestinvestment grade 'BBB-', witha stable outlook for the 13thyear in a row.

"We are still forecasting GDPgrowth at 11 per cent for thecurrent fiscal. It is a baselinescenario with some downsiderisk. But if we do see the num-ber creeping lower, most like-ly it will not go too far in ourcurrent downside scenario.

PNS n MUMBAI

Reserve Bank's Rs 50,000-crore liquidity window canhelp augment the bed capac-ity at hospitals by up to 20 percent as credit will be availableat cheaper costs, credit ratingsagency Crisil said on Friday.

The window to banks underpriority-sector lending to aug-ment Covid healthcare infra-structure will help raise treat-ment capacity, and availabili-ty of medicines and medicalequipment, it said.

It can be noted large partsof the country's healthcareinfrastructure have been over-whelmed, exposing the short-falls in the capacity, as thecountry battles the secondwave of the pandemic wherenumber of officially reportedhas breached the 4 lakh markand deaths hover around 3,500a day. The RBI created thefacility throwing in a lot ofincentives for banks onWednesday.

"Hospitals could be amongthe biggest beneficiaries asthe incremental funding can

potentially increase bed capac-ity in the country by 15-20 percent," a note from the ratingagency said.

Banks are expected to lendfor healthcare activities belowthe current rates of lending,courtesy the scheme, whichentails loans being available tobanks at repo rate till March2022 which are to be utilisedfor onlending and also earn apriority sector lending classi-fication, Crisil said.

Under the RBI guidelines,loans can be extended to mak-ers and suppliers of vaccinesand drugs, hospitals, patholo-gy labs, oxygen suppliers,makers of emergency medicalequipment, logistics firms,and Covid patients as well, theagency said.

India's sovereign rating to remain atcurrent level for next 2 years: S&P

‘RBI's liquidity facilitycan augment hospitalbed capacity by 20%’

PNS n NEW DELHI

Tata Motors on Friday said itwill increase prices of its pas-senger vehicles by an averageof 1.8 per cent dependingupon the model and variantfrom May 8, in order to partial-ly offset the rise in input costs.

The auto major noted thatit would offer protectionfrom the price increase tocustomers who have bookedvehicles on or before May 7.

The company will increaseprices of passenger vehicles,averaging 1.8 per cent, depend-ing on the variant, Tata Motorssaid in a statement.

"Increase in prices of com-modities, such as steel and pre-cious metals, necessitates us topass on a part of it throughhike in price of our products,"Tata Motors PresidentPassenger Vehicles BusinessShailesh Chandra said.

Tata Motors tohike vehicle pricesfrom May 8

PNS n NEW DELHI

Microfinance lender CreditA-ccess Grameen reported 83 percent jump in its net profit at Rs56 crore in last quarter of thefiscal ended March 2021.

The micro lender had post-ed a net profit of Rs 31 crorein year ago same quarter.Compared sequentially, therewas a net loss of Rs 79 crore inthird quarter ended Decemberof 2020-21. Total income of thecompany grew by 51 per centin March quarter to Rs 726crore as against Rs 482 crore inyear ago same period,

CreditAccess Grameen saidin a regulatory filing.

CreditAccess said its bor-rowers declined by 3.5 per centyear on year to 39.12 lakh dur-ing the quarter.

For the full year 2020-21, net

profit dipped by 61 per cent toRs 131.40 crore as against Rs335.49 crore in FY20. Incomeduring the year was up by 45per cent to Rs 2,466 crore asagainst Rs 1,705 crore in yearago fiscal.

PNS n MUMBAI

Hong Kong-based CathayPacific on Friday said it has air-lifted more than 100 tonnes ofhumanitarian and medical sup-plies for India as the country bat-tles against the deadly second

wave of the coronavirus pan-demic, which has led to an acuteshortage of medical oxygen,among others.

These include shipments ofspecialised oxygen generators,oxygen concentrators and ven-tilators to Delhi, Mumbai and

Hyderabad, Cathay Pacific saidin a statement. In addition,there has been a sharp increasein volumes for shipments of oxy-gen, surgical masks, sanitisers,personal protective equipment,pharmaceuticals and vaccinesover the past few weeks, it said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Gold rose by Rs 474 to Rs47,185 per 10 gram in thenational capital on Friday amidstrong buying in global pre-cious metals, according toHDFC Securities. In the pre-vious trade, the gold had closedat Rs 46,711 per 10 gram.

Silver also jumped Rs 1,050to Rs 70,791 per kg from Rs69,741 per kg in the previoustrade. "Spot gold prices for 24carat in Delhi rose by Rs 474with strong buying in globalgold prices," said HDFCSecurities, Senior Analyst(Commodities), Tapan Patel.

In the international mar-ket, gold was trading withgains at USD 1,820 per ounceand silver was flat at USD27.33 per ounce.

Navneet Damani, VP,Commodities Research,Motilal Oswal FinancialServices said, "Gold pricesedged higher surpassing itspsychological resistance ofUSD 1,800, aided by a pull-back in the dollar andTreasury yields as investorscautiously await US non-farmpayrolls data for further cueson the health of the economy."

PNS n MUMBAI

The European InvestmentBank and the country's largestlender SBI on Friday enteredinto a pact to jointly pumpEuro 100 million in equityfinancing into Indian smallbusinesses focused on cli-mate change and sustainabil-ity.

An agreement got signed onthe margins of the EuropeanUnion-India leaders meetingin Portugal, where both thefinancial institutions agreed toback the initiative, as per astatement.

SBI already invests in avehicle called Neev Funds forits impact investing objec-

tives, and the two entitieshave created 'Neev Fund II' fortaking ahead this partnership.This is one of the EIB's firstprivate equity investments inIndia.

“Neev Fund II will provideequity to SMEs focusing onmitigating climate risks, pro-moting social development,job creation, and genderequality at scale,” SBI chairmanDinesh Khara said.

The SBI chairman addedthat the cooperation with EIB,one of the world's largestproviders of climate finance,will further strengthen anddeepen the bond betweenIndia and the EuropeanUnion.

Gold rises by`474; silverjumps `1,050

SBI, EIB to invest in Indian SMEsfocused on climate change

Cathay Pacific airlifts over100 tonnes of aid to India

CreditAccess Grameen net profit jumps 83 pc to Rs 56 cr

India to breach fiscaldeficit target: Fitch

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

CALVIN AND HOBBES

9

Vijayawada Saturday May 8, 2021what’s brewing?

FUN

ctor-humanitarianSonu Sood hasbeen actively help-ing people eversince the Covid-19crisis hit our coun-

try. During the second waveof the pandemic, Sood andhis charitable foundationhave been helping peoplewith their urgent medicalneeds which include oxygencylinders, hospital beds, etc.Cricketer Suresh Raina putout a tweet saying he neededan oxygen cylinder for hisaunt in Meerut.

“Urgent requirement of anoxygen cylinder in Meerutfor my aunt. Age – 65Hospitalised with Sever lunginfection. Covid + SPO2without support 70 SPO2with support 91 Kindly helpwith any leads. @myogia-dityanath,” the actor wrote,also tagging the UttarPradesh chief minister. Sonupromptly replied to the tweetand wrote, “Oxygen cylinderreaching in 10 mins bhai.”

Soon after, Raina replied,“Sonu Paji thank you somuch for all the help. Big bighelp! Stay blessed.”

Sonu Sood has beenextremely prompt on his

social media in aidingthose in need. He recentlyalso started a missionwherein he raised his voicefor those children whohave lost parents during thepandemic. Sonu started themission to support theireducation and appealed tothe government and othercharitable foundations tohelp with the cause.

A

ctor Dhanush’slatest film Karnanis all set to debuton Amazon PrimeVideo. The buzz isthat it will be

made available on the plat-form on May 14. An officialconfirmation on the same isawaited.

Karnan released in the-atres on April 9 to glowingreviews from critics andfans alike.

Despite the fresh lock-down restrictions, includinga 50 per cent cap on occu-pancy, the filmmakers werefirm on giving the film atheatrical release beforegoing to the OTT.

And a lion’s share of cred-it for that goes to Dhanush,who was relentless to pro-tect the movie-watchingexperience. In the wake ofthe coronavirus pandemic,many Tamil filmmakersskipped the theatrical win-

dow and directly releasedtheir films on streamingplatforms, adding to thewoes of the theatre business.

It was a real shock whenproducers of Dhanush’sJagame Thandhiram tookthe film to Netflix. EvenDhanush was seemingly

caught off-guard for heknew releasing JagameThandhiram in cinemascould give a much-neededbreak to the box office.

The industry buzz is thatDhanush was so upset withthe decision that he endedhis relationship with pro-

ducer S. Sashikanth of YNot Studios. The actor hasalso distanced himself fromthe film as he has steeredclear of taking part in pro-motional activities for thefilm.

Dhanush publiclyexpressed his gratitude forproducer Kalaipuli S. Thanufor releasing Karnan in the-atres despite the challenges.The gamble paid off as thefilm aided in the recovery ofthe box office business. Thefilm was declared a “boxoffice blockbuster.”

Written and directed byMari Selvaraj, the film starsDhanush as a rebelliousyouth, who refuses to let hiscaste define his worth.

It also stars Lal, YogiBabu, Azhagam Perumal,Natarajan Subramaniam,Rajisha Vijayan, Gouri G.Kishan and Lakshmi PriyaChandramouli in the sup-porting cast.

Dhanush’s Karnan to premiere onAmazon Prime Video on May 14?

hatron Ke Khiladi 11 contes-tants are all set to leave forCape Town and Bigg Boss 14fame Nikki Tamboli, whorecently lost her brother, jsalso one of the contestants

this season! The actor took to socialmedia to announce that she will begoing ahead with the show, given shehas ‘always been loyal’ to her work.Tamboli also added that her brotherwas excited about her participation,and she knows he would be happiestwatching her fulfill her dreams.

Tamboli started the long note bysharing that she is at a stage where onone side, her family is struggling toovercome the loss, and on the other,she has to complete her work commit-ments. While for the actor, her familyalways comes first, she shared that theyhave always encouraged her to go andachieve her dreams.

Nikki further shared that she haddiscussed her participation with herbrother who was very excited andhappy about it. The actor added thatwhile she has been portraying herselfas someone strong, only she knowswhere she stands in her life. However,she believes that the ‘show must go on.’“I remember before my brother wasadmitted in hospital we had discussedkhatron Ke khiladi & he was very excit-ed and happy about it. I am choosingkhatron ke khiladi because of my workcommitment and I have always beenloyal to my work because it has given

me everything. @colorstv @endemol-shineind has been a backbone where Iam today is because of them. I know inmy heart what my family means to me.I have been portraying myself to bestrong in front of people but I knowwhere I stand in my life & my familyknows what I am going through, but asit’s said “The Show Must Go On.”

The Bigg Boss 14 finalist ended thenote by sharing that she knows thereare millions of people who are prayingfor her family.

She added that her brother would beher guardian angel. And while shewanted her brother to see Khatron KeKhiladi, she knows he would bewatching her from above!

“I m going for my brother,for my family and to over-come my fear where as Iknow there are hundreds andmillions of people who arepraying for my family & mybrother & I am going togo achieve all of thatwith the support of myguardian angel my dada.I wanted my brother tocome out of hospital andsee me in khatron. But that won’t hap-pen, but now he will be the closest oneto watch me from above. I am fightingmy pain to see my brother happy andhe will be my shield forever.,” shewrote.

The actor shared that her 29-year-old brother had been facing multiple

health issues over the years, and Godhas been kind to the family and savedher brother several times.

Thanking everyone who prayed forher brother, the actor added that herbrother was tired of hospitals and isnow in a ‘better place and in the betterhands. God shall take care of him.’

alk show host EllenDeGeneres recentlyhad Friends starCourteney Cox onher show, virtually.Among other

things, DeGeneres asked Coxabout the upcoming Friendsreunion special, in which themain cast is getting backtogether for one final hurrah.Cox said it was “unbeliev-able,” to meet and film withher co-stars again. She saidthe reunion “was unbeliev-able. It was so emotional.”

She added, “It’s anunscripted reunion, but wegot to be on stage 24 for thefirst time, all of us, in I forgothow many years. 15 years, 17years?”

She also teased surprisesthat are in store for the fans.“We had a lot of special sur-prises. It was fantastic, it real-ly was,” she said. Cox alsoopened up about the show’siconic title sequence, inwhich the six actors jumpinto a big fountain. Cox wasasked by DeGeneres as to

whose idea it was to jumpinto the fountain. Coxreplied, “Well, it definitelywasn’t mine. We were in thatfountain for a long time.Someone thought that wouldbe fun and let me tell you

what happened: it’s not fun tobe dancing in a fountain forhours and hours.”

Jennifer Aniston, LisaKudrow, Matt LeBlanc,Matthew Perry, and DavidSchwimmer will return in the

reunion episode alongsideCox as they talk about play-ing Rachel, Phoebe, Joey,Chandler and Ross. As Coxsaid, the episode is unscript-ed. Set photos that have sur-faced online have alreadymade fans excited about theepisode.

Friends, one of the mostpopular sitcoms of all time,ran for 10 seasons from 1994to 2004. It chronicled thedaily lives of six friends, abunch of quirky, unique char-acters, and their adventures,relationship, career struggles,and so on in a comedic way.

The episode, titled Friends:The Reunion or The OneWhere They Got BackTogether, is expected tostream later this year on HBOMax

T

K

A

Nikki Tamboli back to the grind

Courteney Cox reveals moredetails about Friends reunion

SONU SOOD COMES TOSURESH RAINA’S AID

hat a woman eatsand drinks dur-ing pregnancy isher baby’s mainsource of nour-ishment. This

Mother’s Day,Dr.C.Jayasree Reddy, MD,DGO, Senior Obstetricianand Gynecologist, AnkuraHospital for Women andChildren, lists importantnutrients that expectantmothers need to take.

“Pregnancy is one of themost joyous times in awoman’s life, but it’s also aperiod of transformation.Many physiologicalchanges occur inside a

woman’s body. To accom-modate and encourage thegrowth of the baby, preg-nant women must eat

right, ensure that theyconsume certain key nutri-ents,” says Dr Reddy,

Pregnancy is often asso-ciated with eating whatev-er one wants and havingcomplete rest, which isuntrue! It is importantthat specific nutritionalrequirements of both themother and baby must be

met. At this time, the fetustakes shape and formsinside the womb and themother's body changesrapidly to accommodatethe growing baby. “Thisincreases the overallcaloric needs of a pregnantwoman. Caloric intakeshould be increased byapproximately 300

kcal/day i.e., an extra meala day will be added andshort frequent meals areadvised. An overall weightgain of approximately 9-11kgs is healthy and essentialfor the mother,” the doctorinforms.

Along with an increase incaloric intake, attentionmust be paid to the quality

of food. Here are five essen-tial macro and micronutri-ents that Dr. Reddy says areimportant for mother andbaby during pregnancy -

PROTEIN:A formative major

nutrient for the baby, pro-tein is present in goodquantities in non-vegetari-

an foods like meat, chick-en, and eggs, and vegetari-an foods such as wholegrains, cereals, beans,nuts, pulses, and soy. Therecommended proteinintake for pregnantwomen is around 60g/day.

FOLIC ACID:

Folic acid preventsneural tube defects andpregnant women shouldconsume at least 0.4mgfolic acid per day. Citrusfruits, dark green leafyvegetables, and nuts aresome good sources of folicacid.

IRON:

Iron requirement almostdoubles during pregnancy.

While green leafy vegeta-bles and dates are goodsources of iron, iron sup-plements containing bothiron & folic acid may alsobe prescribed by the doc-tor. Some women mayneed iron supplementseven before getting preg-nant, which is why a pre-conception consultation isvery important!

VITAMIN D ANDCALCIUM:

Vitamin D helps in theabsorption of the mineral,Calcium, and both areessential for the baby’steeth and bone growth.Foods like vitamin D forti-fied milk and eggs aregood sources of this vita-min while paneer, butter-milk, and curd are goodsources of calcium.Additionally, daily morn-ing sun exposure is recom-mended because the skinsynthesizes vitamin Dwhen exposed to sunlight.

The doctor adds, “Apartfrom these five key nutri-ents and especially to getthese nutrients in the rightquantities, an overallhealthy diet with freshseasonal fruits and vegeta-bles is recommended forpregnant women. For highrisk, complicated cases ofpregnancy and for specificrequirements, your gynae-cologist will help you planyour pregnancy diet.”

W

f you’re someonewho follows actressSamantha Akkinenion her Instagram,you definitely knowof her best bud and

make-up artist Sadhna Singh.The reason behind the actress’flawless looks, the formermodel is definitely Tollywood’sfavourite. Born and broughtup in the busy town ofMumbai, she chose to move tothe city of Nizams and call ithome.

Notorious for being one ofthe cosmopolitan cities thathosts a hoard of traffic jams inthe commercialised corners, asconfessed by most intervie-wees, Sadhna also witnessed asimilar growth rate that’sbeyond her imagination inthis very city. The model-turned-makeup artist foundopportunities to shape newways forward in the cityknown for its cuisine and cul-ture. “My association withHyderabad started almost 14years ago when I moved hereto live with my sister and lateron, got into modeling! Sincethen, the journey has been soemotional and beautiful.Hyderabad is home, it has myheart. This city is like Nokia— friendly and welcoming,”she chuckles.

She followed her passion,built a social life and a profes-sional network with a calendarof activities, right fromscratch! If she’s seen the mind-set of people changing, she’salso witnessed the change intechnology. She always has feltgood whenever she experi-ences new people, places, andtastes because she belongs to anaval background and is usedto exploring the new. “Well,when I moved here after com-pleting my 12th grade, I wasvery excited to shift to a newcity! I was nervous for sure,but I had no great expecta-tions from this city and proba-bly, that’s why I never felt letdown. Whatever came my way,I loved and cherished. I madethis city my home. Made it mypeer! I come from a Defencebackground, the Indian Navy,which automatically means Ihave travelled to and havelived in a lot of places acrossIndia, thanks to my father’sposting. At the moment, Itravel almost every week forwork and have also been partof many fashion weeks in dif-ferent cities, so I got toexplore so much! Wellness andlove are what one has to take

back from each city. And inthe end, I love coming back tomy home which isHyderabad,” she adds.

Say the word ‘biryani’ loudenough anywhere inHyderabad and it’s likely toelicit one of two responses:

either ears all around you willprick up and mouths will col-lectively water, or a heateddebate will break out overwhich restaurant serves thebest! While this aromatic dishmay have its origins in WestAsia, Hyderabadis took it in

and made it their own, eonsago! Sadhna goes gagaabout this most popularand favourite dish ofalmost every Hyderabadi.She believes this city isglobally famous for itsmyriad versions of ‘biryani’that it has to offer. Whilespeaking of howHyderabad helped in theprogression of her career,she had all comfortingthings to say, beginningwith, “I started withanchoring shows andthen went to being apart of Femina andthen walking therunway. I can’tremember a sin-gle store launchthat I haven’twalked for, inHyderabad!From work-ing at a callcenter toenteringFemina’s Miss India beautypageant and currently pio-neering in the make-up indus-try, I have seen it all. MyFemina journey will alwaysstay the closest to my heart.Acceptance is perhaps the bestgift this city has given me!”

Everyone has that one per-son they can always call whenthe going gets tough. Andthough celebrities typicallyhave countless people wantingto be their BFFs, in Sadhna’slife, South superstar SamanthaAkkineni is that celeb whounderstands what it means tobe a friend, apart from beingcolleagues.

“I met Sam through my bestfriend and later on, realisedwhat a gem she is! She hasalways been my guide, a goodfriend, someone who showedme the right path to walk on,when I was utterly lost! After

being a model for 12 years, Ihad the desire to venture intosomething new but didn’t havethe slightest idea of what thatcould be.

That’s when Sam enteredmy life like a true friend!Everybody is talented but noteverybody gets that firstchance they deserve — I willalways be very thankful to herand I have high regards for heras a human being,” Sadhnaspeaks of her camaraderiewith the Mahanati actress.Like all of our intervieweessay, ‘Hyderabad is where myheart is’ — whoever migrateshere, it fires up the inneradventurer in them and theygo onto do wonderful thingsturning them into success sto-ries that become news in themedia fraternity. That’s whatHyderabadis are, and now,Sadhna Singh is one of them!

Former model and make-up artiste Sadhna Singhvery responsibly got accustomed to the new boomof Hyderabad. She changed the way she gotbigger as a celebrity make-up artiste and adoptednew practices to support her lifestyle pattern whilehailing from Colaba, Mumbai! She talks to The

Pioneer's SHIKHA DUGGAL about her love forthe city, making her home here, and more.

I

WHY

EXPECTANT

MOTHERS

NEED TO EAT

HEALTHY

s the summers areonly getting hotter,we often forget thespecial care our hairneeds. The scorchingheat can be harsh on

our hair, resulting in break-age, lack of lustre, and even

premature greying of hair. Toexperience ‘good hair days’ moreoften, one must count on thetreasures that nature hasbestowed upon us.

When you encounter hairtroubles, you tend to fall prey toclever marketing by variouschemical borne hair products,which bring you momentary sat-isfaction on one use but damageyour hair shaft for a long time.Instead, it is pivotal to switch tonatural and sustainable hair careproducts, which have real ingre-dients, and not just chemicals.Let’s discuss a few summer-relat-ed hair woes and ways to bidthem adieu because the answerlies in nature!

Identify what your hairneeds to be

Choosing hair care productssolely based on fancy descrip-tions doesn’t benefit your hair.When it comes to hair care youcan’t settle for the ‘one size fitsall’ thinking. Often, artificial fra-grances, colour, and outer pack-aging con us into using a prod-uct that further damages thehair. Therefore, it is vital todevelop a keen eye on what yourhair needs are, and researchingthe best product foryour haircare needs.

Save your hair from thesun

The harsh rays of the Sun havethe power to damage your hairaggressively!

Prolonged exposure to UVrays can result in frizzy and brit-tle hair, and in some cases evenlead to premature greying ofhair. It is just a matter of caringand prioritising for your hairwhich bears fruits in the longrun. Covering your hair with acap, hat, scarf, or using an

umbrella while walking in thesun can save your hair fromunwanted damage.

Avoid additional heat

While one should give a wideberth to sun and UV exposure, itis essential to refrain from usinghair styling machines on yourhair. The heat between thosemetal plates suck your hair dryand result in more breakagefrom the middle.

These styling products notonly burn a hole in your pocketbut also mildly burn your hair.

You are what you eat anddrink

Sappy fruits and cooling bev-erages should be added to thediet as the scorching heat canmake your body frail andfatigued.

Fruits and summer coolerslike fresh juices provide yourbody with a boost of vital miner-als, vitamins, and folate. Theseare not just delectable and drool-worthy, but crucial for a healthyhair care regimen. Includingjuicy fruits, fruit or herb-infusedwater will help you recover thelost fluids due to perspiration inthe summer. Drink plenty ofwater to boost moisture and thecleansing of your body.

Turn up the moisture

Your hair also needs to quenchits thirst during summers. Whileapplying oil may seem like a taskto you, there isn’t a shortcut tothis. If you desire a healthy, lus-cious, and voluminous mane,you need to regularly oil yourhair. Period. This is essentialbecause when you apply natural-ly sourced and chemical-free oilto your scalp and tresses, thehair follicles respond better, andaid healthy growth and texture.Weigh and judge which oil isbest suited for your hair type andissue. So, make it a point to addoil-in-vestment to your prioritylist this summer.

(The writer, Amit Ahuja, is theco-founder of Mikami India, ahaircare brand)

A

Tame your locks thisscorching summer

‘ACCEPTANCE - THE BEST THING

HYDERABAD GIVES YOU'

SaturdayMay 8, 2021

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sport 11VIJAYAWADA | SATURDAY | MAY 8, 2021

L’POOL TOP 4 CHANCE MAY BE OVERLIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool'schances of qualifying for next season'sChampions League may be over with the clublanguishing seven points behind fourth-placedChelsea. “I'm not sure there is still a chancebut we'll try to make sure that if there is one,we will be there,” Klopp said on Friday.

GULACSI EXTENDS LEIPZIG DEALLEIPZIG: Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsihas signed a contract extension with RBLeipzig until 2025 on Friday. Gulacsi, whoturned 31 on Thursday, has made 222appearances for Leipzig since his transferfrom sister club Red Bull Salzburg in 2015.

UAE ‘PREFERRED VENUE’ FOR PSLKARACHI: The UAE has emerged as the“preferred venue” to host the remainder of thesixth edition of the Pakistan Super League, thePCB announced on Friday.

SHOOTERS TO TAKE PART IN WC NEW DELHI: The last shooting World Cupbefore the Tokyo Olympics will be held inOsijek, Croatia from June 22 to July 3 and theIndians are set to take part in that event asthey would be training in the European countryat that time.

HIMA GETS FIRST VAX SHOTNEW DELHI: Star sprinter Hima Das hasreceived the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccineand urged people to do the same to fight thedreaded virus. Hima, who is currently trainingat the NIS-Patiala is the first top track and fieldathlete to have received the vaccine.

SEEMA QUALIFIES FOR TOKYO OLYSOFIA: Seema Bisla on Friday became thefourth Indian woman wrestler to qualify for theTokyo Games by reaching the final of the 50kgcompetition even as Sumit Malik settled for asilver medal after conceding his final bout.

SATHIYAN REQUESTS FOR TT TABLE NEW DELHI: Leaving no stone unturned forhis maiden Olympics, ace Indian paddler GSathiyan has requested the Government toarrange the table which will be used at theTokyo Games.

ROWERS ARJUN, ARVIND QUALIFYNEW DELHI: Indian rowers Arjun Lal Jat andArvind Singh qualified for the Olympics inmen's lightweight double sculls event afterfinishing second in the final race of theAsia/Oceania Continental Qualifying Regatta inTokyo on Friday.

NO BIG SIGNING FOR BAYERN MUNICH: Bayern Munich president HerbertHainer has ruled out any big-money signingsthis summer as the Bundesliga giants tightentheir belts due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Wewill add to the squad, but not make anyexpensive transfers,” Hainer said on Friday.

INTER ENTERING ‘NEW CYCLE’MILAN: Inter Milan, who ended the recordreign of nine consecutive titles of Italianchampions Juventus, can start “a new cycle”,says star striker Romelu Lukaku in aninterview published on Friday. “We can still winand grow, start a new cycle.” Agencies

shortpasses

PNS n NEW DELHI

Fit-again all-rounder RavindraJadeja, senior pacerMohammed Shami and mid-

dle order batsman Hanuma Viharireturned to a 20 men Indian squadannounced on Friday for nextmonth’s World Test Championshipfinal against New Zealand inSouthampton from June 18 and afive-match Test series againstEngland in August-September.

The trio missed the homeseries against England in February-March due to injuries suffered dur-ing away series against Australiaearlier this year.

But Baroda all-rounder HardikPandya, who was with the teamduring England series was not con-sidered for selection as “he is stillnot in a position to bowl”. He canplay as a specialist batsman in theshorter formats but has to bowl fora place in the Test team.

“Hardik Pandya is still not ina position to bowl. The experimentof selectors to keep him duringEngland and prepare him withbowling workload has failed mis-erably. He will henceforth not beconsidered for Test cricket,” aBCCI source told PTI.

The selectors also picked fourstandby players — AbhimanyuEaswaran, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh

Khan, and Arzan Nagwaswalla, theBCCI stated in a press release.

Opener Easwaran and pacerAvesh Khan were also with theteam during the England series

while the extra pace did it for IPLregular Prasidh Krishna andGujarat left-arm fast bowler ArzanNagwaswalla, who had a stellar2019-20 season. He is the only

Parsi cricketer currently playing atthe First-Class level in India.

The 23-year-old left-arm pacerhas 62 first-class wickets to hiscredit in 16 matches that he has

played since his debut in 2018.K L Rahul, who underwent a

surgery after being diagnosed withacute appendicitis, and wicketkeeper batsman WriddhimanSaha, infected with Covid-19 dur-ing the recently-suspended IPL,have been included subject to fit-ness.

Out-of-form spinner KuldeepYadav and pacer Navdeep Sainihave been left out of the squad,which is expected to depart forEngland for the twin assignmentsin the third week of this month.

Axar Patel has expectedlyretained his place as the third spin-ner after a successful debut seriesagainst England.

Batting star Prthvi Shaw hasnot managed to impress the selec-tors with his white-ball form andhas been overlooked. Also ignoredwas Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whosefitness woes continue to come inthe way of a consistent run.

The WTC final against the BlackCaps will be held from June 18 inSouthampton followed by the Testsagainst England from August 4.

The Test series againstEngland will start in Nottingham,followed by matches at the Lord’s(August 12 to 16), Leeds (August25 to 29), The Oval (September 2to 6) and Manchester (September10 to 14).

SQUADRohit Sharma, Shubman Gill,Mayank Agarwal, CheteshwarPujara, Virat Kohli (Captain),Ajinkya Rahane (vc), HanumaVihari, Rishabh Pant (wk),Ravichandran Ashwin, RavindraJadeja, Axar Patel, WashingtonSundar, Jasprit Bumrah, IshantSharma, Mohammed Shami,Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur,Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul (subjectto fitness clearance), WriddhimanSaha (wk; subject to fitness clear-ance).Standby players: AbhimanyuEaswaran, Prasidh Krishna, AveshKhan, Arzan Nagwaswalla.

VIRAT DONATE 2 CRIndia captain Virat Kohli and

his actor wife Anushka Sharmahave donated `2 crore to a fund-raising project, which will raise atotal of `7 crore to support thecountry’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The two are raisingmoney through crowd-fundingplatform Ketto. The campaign willrun for seven days on Ketto and theproceeds will be directed to ACTGrants, the implementation part-ner which will work towards pro-viding oxygen, medical manpow-er, vaccination awareness and tele-medicine facilities all through thepandemic and the amount.

Jadeja, Shami return for WTC finalVihari also finds place in 20-man squad; Hardik not considered; Kuldeep, Saini dropped

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, pacer Mohammed Siraj, opening batsman Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari AP/File PPicture

PTI n NEW DELHI

The Malaysia Open Super 750 tournament,one of badminton’s last two Olympic qual-

ifying events, was on Friday postponed due toa recent Covid-19 surge in the host country,dealing a severe blow to the qualification hopesof Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth.

The $600,000 event was scheduled to be heldin Kuala Lumpur from May 25 to 30.

“All attempts were made by the organisersand BWF to provide a safe tournament environ-ment for all participants, but the recent surge incases left no choice but to postpone the tourna-ment,” Badminton World Federation said in astatement.

“BWF can confirm the rescheduled tourna-ment will no longer take place in the Olympicqualifying window. New tournament dates willbe confirmed at a later date.”

The decision came as a huge setback forLondon Olympics Bronze-medallist Saina andmen’s star Srikanth in their bid for Olympic qual-ification.

Following the postponement of the IndiaOpen (May 11-16), Saina and Srikanth’s quali-fication for the Tokyo Games hinged on theKuala Lumpur event followed by the SingaporeOpen (June 1-6).

In light of the new development, BadmintonAssociation of India (BAI) on Friday reached outto the world body, seeking clarity on the quali-fication scenario for its shuttlers.

“It’s really unfortunate that the crucial qual-ifier had to be postponed in this way but that isthe time we live in now,” BAI General SecretaryAjay Singhania said in a statement.

“Though four of our players have alreadyqualified and there are few more including Sainaand Srikanth who can still make it. I have reachedout to BWF Secretary Thomas Lund asking forclarity on the future course of action.”

With Singapore suspending all flights fromCovid-ravaged India, it will be a difficult taskfor the Indian players, including Saina andSrikanth, to travel to the country for the lastqualifier.

BAI said it is in touch with the SingaporeBadminton Association and is trying to find abest possible way regarding the mandatory 21-day quarantine rule.

“We will do whatever best possible can bedone to find a better way out so that the shut-tlers get the chance to secure the Olympic berthsif there is any scope and opportunity,” Singhaniasaid.

Blow for Srikanth,Saina as MalaysiaOpen postponed

PTI n JOHANNESBURG

South Africa and RajasthanRoyals all-rounder Chris

Morris is “relieved” to be safe-ly back home after witnessing“chaos” unfold once Covid-19cases in the IPL bio-bubblecame to light.

Morris, along with his 10other South African playershave reached home, after theIPL was suspended followingsix cases of Covid-19 — fourplayers and two coaches.

“Look, obviously I’mrelieved,” Morris, who is cur-rently undergoing a 10-daymandatory quarantine athome, told iol.Co.Za.

Morris said they came toknow about the Covid cases inKolkata Knight Riders —Varun Chakravarthy andSandeep Warrier — on Sunday

night.“The moment we heard

that, when players are testingpositive, inside the bubble,then everyone starts askingquestions. The alarm bells def-initely started going off for allof us,” he said.

“By Monday when theypostponed that game (betweenKKR and RCB), we knew thetournament wasunder pressure tocontinue.”

The T20league was suspend-ed after SRH wicket-k e e p e r - b a t s m a nWridhimman Saha andDelhi Capitals’ Amit Mishratested positive on Tuesday.

Later, CSK bowling coachL Balaji and batting coachMichael Hussey also contract-ed the virus.

“I was chatting to ourteam doctor, whose room wasacross the hallway from mymine in the hotel, and Kumar(Sangakarra, the Royals’ headcoach) came around the cor-ner, and drew hisfinger across histhroat, and thenwe knew it wasover,” saidMorris.

“And then itwas chaos!T h eEngland

guys

especially were panickingbecause they needed to isolatein hotels in England first, andapparently there weren’t anyrooms.”

Gerald Coetzee, who wasnamed the replacement forAustralian Andrew Tye, hadarrived in India only last weekand Morris said he tried tocomfort the young pacer as hewas panicking a bit.

“I know poor Gerald waspanicking a bit, I mean he’s

only 20 and all this is goingon,” said Morris, who wasthe costliest IPL buy everwith a whopping ̀ 16.25crore contract. “I tried tokeep him under mywing a bit and madesure he was readywhen the 12.30am pickup came at the hotel. It

was eerie, it was just a

handful of us in that wholehotel at the time.”

There was criticism of theleague happening at a timewhen a devastating health cri-sis was unfolding outside thebubble with more than 3000people dying everyday in India.

“For me, this was always atwo-fold thing; on the onehand we’re playing a tourna-ment, all happy and smiling ina bubble, while outside somany people are suffering,”Morris said.

“On the flip side of it, therewas the fact that by playing, wewere ensuring people actuallystayed at home, watched us andat least had something to smileabout or something else tothink about — even if it wasbeing unhappy with how weplayed in a game — for threehours each night.”

PTI n MALE

Australian pace spearheadPat Cummins believes if

hosting the ICC T20 WorldCup amidst raging Covid-19pandemic is a “drain onIndian resources” or is“unsafe”, it would be prudentto shift it to the United ArabEmirates.

The postponement ofIndian Premier League aftermultiple cases of Covid-19inside the bio-bubble has ledto a big question-mark onwhether the marquee ICCevent should be held in Indiawhere a third wave is expect-ed around that time.

“If it’s going to be a drainon resources or it’s not goingto be safe, then I don’t thinkit’s right to play it over here.That’s the first question which

needs to be answered,”Cummins was quoted as say-ing by the Age newspaper.

Cummins said cricketauthorities should check with

Indian Government and dowhat’s best.

“It probably too early tosay. It’s six months away. Thepriority should be for cricketauthorities to work with theIndian Government to seewhat’s best for the Indianpeople,” Cummins said.

HUSSEY TESTS -VENew Delhi: Chennai SuperKings batting coach MikeHussey has tested negativefor Covid-19 but remains inquarantine in a Chennai hotel,team CEO Kasi Viswanathansaid on Friday.

Australian media outletsreported that Hussey can joinfel low countr ymen inMaldives if he returns anoth-er negative test.

“He tested negative beforegetting on an air ambulance

from Delhi to Chennai (onThursday). He is doing fine.All other overseas personnelhave left, head coach StephenFleming will be flying outtomorrow,” said Viswanathan.

Hussey said he is gratefulto his IPL franchise for takinggood care of him.

“I’m resting well and I’mfeeling stronger. I’m hugelyappreciative of what CSK havealready done and are doing forme,” he was quoted as sayingby Sydney Morning Herald.

“It’s horrific what’s takingplace in India at the momentwith the pandemic and I’vebeen blessed with the greatsupport I have received.

“I’m grateful for all themessages of support fromcricket fans in India andAustralia,” he said in a state-ment.

Morris relieved to be safely back home Not comfortable in Delhi,Kane & Co fly out to MaleNewDelhi: Kane Williamsonand three other NewZealanders on Friday flew toMaldives in a departurefrom their original plan, asthey were not feeling com-fortable staying in Covid-19hotspot Delhi.

Sunrisers Hyderabadcaptain Williamson, ChennaiSuper Kings’ Mitchell Santerand Royal ChallengerBangalore’s Kyle Jamison andCSK physio Tommy Simsektook a commercial flight toMaldives.

The four were original-ly supposed to stay in Delhiin a mini bio-bubble tillMay 10 and take a flight tothe UK ahead of the Testseries in England and World

Test Championship finalagainst India from June 18.

“Kane and few othersfrom New Zealand were notfeeling safe in Delhi becauseof the Covid situation there.That is why they decided tofly to Maldvies,” a SunrisersHyderabad official told PTI.

Another Test regularTrent Boult has flown backto New Zealand with the restof the IPL contingent andwill join the team in the UKafter spending a week withhis family.

Though there is a trav-el ban from India, NewZealand is allowing its cit-izens to return home witha mandatory two weeksquarantine. PTI

AFP n ROME

Manchester United hasfinally reached a major

final under Ole GunnarSolskjaer.

A 3-2 loss to Roma in thesecond leg of the EuropaLeague semifinals on Thursdaydidn’t prevent United complet-ing an 8-5 victory on aggregate.It ended a run of four lossesin the semifinals of major

tournaments in the last 18months for Solskjaer, who isunder pressure to win United’sfirst trophy since 2017.

Villarreal will be United’sopponent in the May 26 final inthe Polish city of Gdansk after

beating Arsenal 2-1 on aggre-gate in the other semifinal.The second leg finished 0-0 on Thursday.

Faced with a huge taskat the Stadio Olimpicoafter its 6-2 thrashing atOld Trafford last week,Roma created enoughgreat chances to pull offwhat would have been a

remarkable comeback.Goals by Edin Dzeko and

Bryan Cristante, in the 57th and60th minute, briefly put Roma2-1 ahead and were the least theItalian team deserved after reg-ularly breaching United’sdefense. The visitors werethankful for a slew of saves byDavid de Gea in both halves,ensuring Nicola Zalewski’s83rd-minute winner on the19-year-old’s debut proved onlya consolation for Roma.

Roma couldn’t keep Unitedat bay at the other end asCavani showed his prowess asa finisher, opening the scoring

in the 39th minute by taking atouch from Fred’s pass andsmashing in a shot from justoutside the area.

His second goal, a headerfrom Bruno Fernandes’ cross inthe 68th, made it 2-2 and cameas a relief for United becauseRoma was threatening to scoreat will. Winning the EuropaLeague was Roma’s only poten-tial route back into theChampions League for nextseason.

1ST FOR VILLARREALAt Emirates in London,

Villarreal boss Unai Emery

came back to haunt Arsenal asthe Spanish side held out for a0-0 draw to reach firstEuropean final.

Defeat means the Gunnerswill miss out on ChampionsLeague football for a fifth con-secutive season with the pres-sure building on Emery’s suc-cessor Mikel Arteta.

Sitting ninth in the PremierLeague, Arsenal are now on theverge of failing to qualify forEuropean football for the firsttime in 26 years.

“We are devastated,” saidArteta. “We tried everythinguntil the last minute. I think wedeserved to win the game butthe details define these ties.”

Aubameyang twice hit thepost for Arsenal, while EmileSmith Rowe sliced a gloriouschance wide early in the sec-ond-half. “We had three bigchances, they didn’t have any-thing but they are through,”added Arteta, who was forcedinto a last minute reshufflewhen Granit Xhaka picked upan injury in the warm-up.

Man Utd vs Villarreal in Europa League final

‘T20 WC shouldn’t be held in India if it drains resources’

Australia and KKR pacer Pat Cumminsposes for a selfie with KKR chiefmentor David Hussey before they boardflight for Male on Thursday @KKRiders

Madrid: Rafael Nadal lost 6-4, 6-4 toAlexander Zverev in the Madrid Openquarter-finals on Friday, casting doubtsover the Spaniard’s form ahead of this

month’s French Open.Nadal has now fallen early in two

clay-court Masters tournaments aheadof the Grand Slam in Paris, after goingout in the Monte Carlo quarter-finalslast month before winning in Barcelona.

Even in Barcelona, however, Nadalneeded to save a championship point tobeat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

World number two Nadal is hop-ing to clinch a 14th Roland Garros titleand record-setting 21st major in theFrench capital.

Zverev’s impressive straights-setwin at the Caja Magica earns him ameeting with Dominic Thiem in theMadrid semis, in what will be a repeatof last year’s US Open final, which waswon by Thiem.

After losing to world number eightAndrey Rublev in Monaco, Nadal wasconvincingly beaten by Zverev and thespotlight will be on the 34-year-old nowin Rome next week, his last tournamentbefore heading to Paris. AFP

Zverev stuns Nadal

Lewa focused on breakingGerd Mueller's goal recordMunich: Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flicksaid on Friday Robert Lewandowski is focusedon breaking Gerd Mueller’s all-time Bundesligagoal-scoring record as the Poland striker is fourshort with three games of the season left.

Bayern can be confirmed Bundesligachampions for the ninth straight season athome to Borussia Moenchengladbach onSaturday.

Lewandowski is looking to add to his phe-nomenal tally of 36 goals from the 26 leaguegames he has played in this term.

He has three matches left to breakMueller’s all-time league record of 40 goals net-ted in 1971/72.

“He (Lewandowski) is fully concentratedand focused on the record, but he also knowsthe way we tick,” Flick said on Friday.

“When we play good football, then heprofits the most, because he has enormousqualities. We are talking about a world-classfootballer, he is very consistent and is alwaysgood for 30 goals and assists.

“He has three games left and then we’ll seewhat happens at the end,” Flick added withmid-table sides Freiburg and Augbsurg to fol-low after Gladbach on Saturday.

Many had thought Gerd Mueller’s 49-year-old record was near impossible to beat, butLewandowski came close by scoring 34 goalsin 31 league games last season. AFP

he film Aryawas trend-setting lovestory thatmarked thedebut of

Sukumar as director andsaw the rise of Allu Arjun as

Stylish Star. The film completed 17years of its theatrical release. On the

occasion, Allu Arjun got nostalgicand expressed his gratitude to the

audience and said that Aryamade the career of so manypeople.

“It’s 17 years of Aryatoday. It is the sin-

gle most lifechanging expe-rience of mylife. It’s still the

greatest miracle of mylife. LOVE from audience startedshowering on me after I said thosegolden words “Feel My Love (sic),”wrote Bunny.

The Ala Vaikuntapurramloo.. actoradded, “It changed my course as anactor, Sukumar garu’s life as a director,DIL Raju gari’s life as a producer, DSP’slife as a musician, Rathnavelu as aDOP, Bunny Vasu as distributor thenand many many more lives. We all are

so thankful to this one magic thatcame into our lives called ARYA. Willall will always cherish this as our great-est milestone in our lives. Thank you!Gratitude forever (sic).”

Devi Sri Prasad replied to Bunny’stweet, saying, “Yess Dearest Bunny Boy& Thank U @alluarjun. So BeautifullySaid & So True!! #Arya is a MAGICthat happened n always cherished !Thanks 2 @aryasukku Bhai@RathnaveluDop sir #DilRaju Sir@SVC_official. FEEL MY LOVE”

Allu Arjun had played the role of anoptimistic college student who falls inlove with a girl already dating the mostpopular boy in the college. The catch isAllu Arjun’s Arya doesn’t expect hisaffection to be requited. As long as sheacknowledges his feelings for her, he ishappy. And it sort of became a culturalphenomenon by redefining the idea oflove in mainstream cinema. The filmwas a huge hit at the box office andturned Allu Arjun into a sensationalactor. In 2009, Sukumar and AlluArjun also made a spiritual sequel tothe movie and called it Arya 2. Theactor-director duo is working togetheragain for the upcoming film Pushpa.The film’s shooting was stopped afterAllu Arjun tested positive for the coro-navirus.

12

Vijayawada Saturday May 8, 2021 tollywood

hen an actorand a directorteam up for thesecond or thirdtime, afterdelivering a hit

with their previous film,it garners double theinterest from audiences.SK28 in the combinationof Sundeep Kishan andVI Anand is going to be aspecial film, given theirfirst film together —Tiger stood as a hit,besides receiving an opti-mistic response.

On the occasion of

Sundeep Kishan’s birth-day, the makers came upwith an officialannouncement on theproject with an intriguingposter. What we see isSundeep Kishan standingat a mysterious locationas he is on the lookout foran object or a person.

It’s a supernatural fan-tasy where SundeepKishan will be seen in anatypical role. Produced byRajesh Danda on HasyaMovies, the film’s regularshoot commences whenthings come to normalcy.

fter Prathi Roju Pandage,filmmaker Maruthi tookhis time to come up witha new film. He finallydecided to work withGopichand and

announced the film PakkaCommercial. The film unit shot thefilm for a couple of schedules buthas now taken a break because ofthe pandemic. As per the latestreports in the film circles, Maruthiis using the break to tweak the

script and make suitable changes toit, to make it a better version as thefilm, sources say, will be a court-room drama, and could have audi-ences draw similarities between therecently released Vakeel Saab.

Actress Raashi Khanna plays theleading lady of the movie. Theactress shot for the film in the ini-tial schedules and left for Italy forthe shoot of Naga Chaitanya-starrerThank You. Once the situationreturns to normalcy, the makers ofPakka Commercial are to resumethe shoot.

Gopichand and Maruthi’s filmPakka Commercial is produced byGA2 Pictures in association withUV Creations. The film has cine-matography by Karm Chawla,music is scored by Jakes Bejoywhile SB Uddhav is taking care ofthe editing department.

Gopichand is also waiting for therelease of sport-based dramaSeetimaarr which has TamannahBhatia as the leading lady. The filmis directed by Sampath Nandi andbacked by Srinivasaa Chitturi underthe banner of Srinivasaa SilverScreen.

Pakka Commercial: Majorscript changes underway?

ctress Meena wasone of the staractresses down Southin the late 1980s andearly 1990s. Sheacted alongside vari-

ous star heroes like Chiranjeevi,Venkatesh, Balakrishna, andNagarjuna in many Telugu films.Of late, we rarely have seen her inmovies, but thanks to Drishyam2, fans will get to watch her onthe big screen soon.

Now according to the sources,Meena has grabbed yet anotherbig offer in Tollywood.Apparently, she will play a keyrole in Nandamuri Balakrishna’s

upcoming film under the direc-tion of Gopichand Malineni. It isbeing said that Meena will beseen in the flashback episodes ofthe movie. We hear this flashbackepisode will be a major highlightof the movie.

Both Balakrishna and Meenahave earlier acted together in thefilms like Muddula Mogudu andBobbili Simham. The shoot ofthis new untitled project is tobegin soon. As of now, Balayya isbusy with the works of hisupcoming film Akhanda, whichis being directed by BoyapatiSrinu. Pragya Jaiswal is thefemale lead of this project.

WANT TO PLAY RAW, REALROLES: VIRAJ ASHWIN

RACHEL DAMMALA

t’s the story of twocontrasting individu-als — a wealthyyoungster who lovesto live life partyingand wooing women,

without a care in the world foranything else, and a pregnantwoman who loses her husbandand struggles to make endsmeet. What happens when thetwo of them get stuck in a liftfor several hours, turning boththeir lives upside down, formsthe crux of Thank You Brother,one of the latest Telugu films torelease on the streaming plat-form Aha.

The trailer of the film hadgrabbed several eyeballs, mostlyfor its characters played byAnasuya Bharadwaj and VirajAshwin. The latter is superexcited about the film and can’twait to hear from his family,friends, and critics how theyliked the film.

Talking about how he landedthe project, Viraj tells us,“Director Ramesh (Raparthi)approached me with the storyright after the things startedgetting better last year. I missedworking on sets and was look-ing for work when I got thestory. When I saw that I had toplay a spoilt brat, I was a bitapprehensive, because negativeroles at the start of my careerdidn’t seem like a wise choice, atfirst. But later, as I got to under-stand the depth of the story andthe character, I began to sympa-thise with the character andviewed playing him, more as achallenge.”

Viraj says he knew this char-acter had great scope for him asan actor. “Not everyone getsthis role this early in theircareer. This presented to me theopportunity to explore and pre-sent myself as an actor. Rameshgaru was kind enough toexplain the character’s back-ground to me, so I wouldunderstand him better. He gave

me the freedom to live the char-acter the way I wanted to,” Virajinforms.

Just a look at the trailermakes us want to hate his char-acter who is arrogant, rich, andspoilt. He explains, “When Iunderstood why he behaves theway he does, I realised my char-acter wasn’t actually a bad boy,he’s just a boy on the wrongpath, with his set of baggage,insecurities, and more. Thatinsight helped me play the char-acter better.”

How was it sharing screenspace with Anasuya, who hasplayed key roles in films likeMahanati, Kshanam, and more?“It was absolutely a fantasticexperience working withAnasuya. I am new to theindustry, and was worried andnervous. It was on the very firstday thatwe

had to shoot the lift scene withAnasuya. But then the actresswas so cool to work with. Shenoticed that I was nervous, shewas the one who approachedme, broke the ice, and made mefeel at ease. She never once gaveme the ‘senior-junior feels’.More importantly, I have tothank her performance for bet-tering mine. You see, acting isnot just saying your lines well,but also reacting to others inthe scene. It was because shewas so natural that made me domy job better,” the actor ofManasanamaha, a short film,tells us.

Viraj says that his very firstfeature film gave him innumer-able lessons for life: “I learntthat a good team will alwaysbring about the best output. Theteam was excellent, which iswhy I enjoyed every bit of beingon the sets, waking up to turnup at work every day. On a per-sonal note too, I learnt so muchfrom the character I played. Itwas a challenge, different from

my real self, it was difficult toget into his shoes, but it mademe realised how much I some-times take people’s love, andcertain relationships, for grant-ed. I learnt to value them muchmore. And I’m sure that every-body that watches this film, willfeel and learn the same.”

About his upcoming projects,Viraj shares, “I’m currentlyworking on two more interest-ing ones. One is a rom-com thatwe had to stop shooting in themiddle, because of the pandem-ic and the other is an anthologythat will also have RuhaniSharma (of Hit fame) play thelead.” The actor, who starteddreaming about being an actorwhen he was a little boy on thesets of Pawan Kalyan’sThammudu (where the staractor was shooting the iconicstunts), says he hopes to playcharacters that are differentfrom the regular, ordinary.“Something like Dhanush plays,raw, real and ones that havegreat scope,” he concludes.

I

W

AA

T

Arya changed the livesof many of us:

Allu Arjun

MEENA TO SHARE

SCREEN SPACE WITH

BALAYYA AGAIN

SUNDEEP KISHAN,

VI ANAND’SSUPERNATURAL

FANTASY

· 5/7/2021 · vijayawada, saturday may 8, 2021; pages 12 `3 rni no.apeng/2018/764698...

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