PNS n NEW DELHI

With new coronavirus casesset to breach the 1-millionmark, the world is witnessingan "exponential growth"which is a bad sign as thenumber of deaths has morethan doubled in the past week,the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) warnedon Thursday.

According to latest datafrom Johns HopkinsUniversity's Center for SystemsScience and Engineering(CSSE), there were 9.56 lakhcases globally, with over 48,000deaths in 180 countries.

"As we enter the fourthmonth since the start of theCovid-19 pandemic I'mdeeply concerned about therapid escalation and globalspread of infection," WHOchief Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus said during avirtual media conference onThursday.

"Over the past five weeks,we have witnessed a nearexponential growth in thenumber of new cases, reach-ing almost every country," headded.

"As we enter the fourthmonth since the start of theCOVID-19 pandemic, I amdeeply concerned about therapid escalation and globalspread of infection," he saidduring the virtual news con-ference.

As per the CSSE data, thehighest number of cases in theworld was recorded in the USat 216,515, while Italyaccounted for the largest deathtoll at 13,155.

The pandemic was showingno sign of abating in Europe,where the confirmed caseswere approaching 500,000 andthe death toll swelled to 30,000on Wednesday, reportsXinhua.

Spain became the thirdcountry with the highest num-ber of cases at 104,118, afterthe US and Italy (110,574).

In Italy, a further 727 deathsfrom COVID-19 were report-ed in the 24 hours fromTuesday to Wednesday, takingthe death toll to 13,155.

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n WHO chief Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus that as we enter thefourth month since the start of theCovid-19 pandemic, he is deeplyconcerned about its rapid escalationand global spread of infection

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INDIA

ANOTHER DOCTOR WORKING IN AIIMS,DELHI TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

The government on Thursday launched a mobile app to help peopleassess themselves the risk of catching coronavirus infection and alert

authorities if they have come in close contact witha person infected with the deadly virus. Accordingto a ministry official, the app will detect only freshcases and will send out alerts to only those whohave been nearby the infected person. "The App,called ‘AarogyaSetu' joins Digital India for thehealth and well-being of every Indian. It willenable people to assess themselves the risk ofcatching the coronavirus infection.

US CHEERS INDIAN ENGINEERS FORBUILDING LOW-COST VENTILATORCheering the Indian engineers for building a low-cost ventilator, the US

hopes that this invention succeeds and can eventually be mass producedas the critical medical equipment can save many lives fromthe deadly coronavirus that has killed over 5,000 peoplein America and 40,000 others globally. The UnitedStates, which as per latest projections is expectingbetween 100,000 and 200,000 deaths due to thecoronavirus, requires thousands of ventilators in thenext few weeks. It has roped in 11 private sectorcompanies, including car manufacturers and planemakers to build ventilators.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that thosedriving public service vehicles will be given Rs 5,000 each to sail

through the nationawide lockdown imposed due to coronavirus scare.Kejriwal said that he had got a lot of requests from the driversof autorickshaws, RTVs and e-rickshaws among other publicservice vehicles that they are on the verge of starvation dueto the lockdown. "Those driving public service vehicles willbe given Rs 5,000 each to tide over the lockdown. This maytake 7-10 days. We are planning this," Kejriwal said. He saidthat as the government does not have bank account detailsof these drivers, this is taking time.

DELHI GOVT TO GIVE RS 5K EACHTO AUTO DRIVERS, OTHERS

GOVT LAUNCHES APP TO ASSESS,ALERT PEOPLE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS

Aresident doctor from Delhi's prestigious All India Institute of MedicalSciences has tested positive for coronavirus, sources said. Rigorous

contact tracing is on after he said he had attended a farewell ceremonyat work. This is the seventh doctor in Delhi to contract the highlycontagious virus. The doctor, who belongs to thePhysiology Department, has been admitted to the newprivate ward for further evaluation and multipletesting. His family will also be screened, sourcessaid. Yesterday, three doctors in Delhi had testedpositive - two of them were from the Safdarjunghospital, which is located just opposite AIIMS.

Min identifies 20 existing, 22 potentialhotspots

5

Deadline extendedfor comments onrelaxation in QIP,delisting norms

8

Death of patientfuels fear ofCOVID-19 spreadin Dharavi slum

4

NAVEENA KAVI n HYDERABAD

The country-wide lockdownannounced by the Centre won’tbe lifted in one go, but will endin phases.

This was more or less madeclear by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi during hisvideoconference with ChiefMinisters of various states onThursday where he said that wasimportant to formulate a com-mon exit strategy to ensure stag-gered re-emergence of the pop-ulation once the lockdown ends.

"It is important to formulatea common exit strategy toensure staggered re-emergenceof the population once thelockdown ends," PM Modiemphasised, according to astatement giving details of theinteraction. He asked states tosend their suggestions for suchan exit strategy.

India is under lockdownwith citizens forbidden to leavetheir homes, and restrictionson normal daily life. Even if thelockdown is eased, in theabsence of vaccine or cure,every time people venture out,the country would be back tosquare one of the pandemic.

Until such time a cure or vac-cine is found, which the WorldHealth Organisation says it is atleast a year away, social distanc-

ing would be the norm.Staggered emergence could

be based on the kind of workpeople do or the age bracket.The first thing that was shut —educational institutions —could be the last to open aschildren and senior citizenscome in the ‘high risk individ-uals’ category. Likewise, move-ment of high-risk category cit-izens could be restricted.

An area-wise staggeredemergence can also be execut-ed. For instance, area-wisecurfew, which the Old City ofHyderabad is familiar with, canbe implemented. TelanganaChief Minister KChandrasekhar Rao has beenreferring to such restrictionstime and again.

States as a whole can be cate-gorised into high, medium andlow risk zones and places whereCOVID-19 cases were detectedin large numbers can be lockeddown for some more time.

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated April 02, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANACTODAY

Month & Paksham:Chaitra & Shukla PakshaPanchangam:Tithi: Dashami: 12:57 am (Next Day)Nakshatram: Pushya: 06:41 pmTime to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 10:47 am – 12:19 pmYamagandam: 03:22 pm – 04:54 pmVarjyam: NILGulika: 07:44 am - 09:15 am Good Time: (to start any important

work)Amritakalam: 12:29 pm - 02:02 pmAbhijit Muhurtham: 11:54 am - 12:43 pm

VIJAYAWADAWEATHERForecast: ClearTemp: 34/26Humidity: 72%Sunrise: 06.08Sunset: 06.29

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

A Navy sailor was grievous-ly injured in an accident ofmaterial failure in the high-pressure air system on boarda naval vessel, the Navy saidhere on Thursday. A Boardof Inquiry has been orderedby the Navy to investigateinto the cause of the inci-dent, which occurred onWednesday, the EasternNaval Command said in astatement here.

Naval sailorinjured inmishaponboard vessel

Jagan urges Centreto extend ‘liberal aid’ PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Hinting that the state's revenuehas fallen to an abysmal low ofRs 2 crore a day, the AndhraPradesh government onThursday made a desperateplea to the Centre to extendliberal financial assistance totide over the "grave crisis"under the impact of COVID-19 and the consequent lock-down.

"We are facing a gravefinancial crisis, so much sothat we could not even pay fullsalaries for the month ofMarch to our officers andemployees. Our revenues havefallen to negligible levels,"Chief Minister Y SJaganmohan Reddy toldPrime Minister NarendraModi during a videoconfer-ence on Covid-19 manage-ment.

"We have promised Rs 1,000to each BPL family as reliefbecause of the lockdown andwe immediately need 1,500

crore for this on April 4," theChief Minister said. He urgedthe Central government toextend liberal financial assis-tance to overcome the pathet-ic situation and bail out thestate. Official sources, whotook part in the videoconfer-ence, said the Chief Ministeralso requested that the Centresupply Coronavirus testing kitsand Personal ProtectionEquipment (PPE) in view of thespurt in the number of cases.

Noting that the state record-ed 132 Coronavirus positivecases so far, the Chief Ministerinformed the Prime Ministerthat 111 of them were relatedto the Tablighi Jamaat congre-gation in New Delhi.

“Of these, 91 are thoseattended the event and 20 havecome in contact with them.Wehave identified 1,085 personswho attended the congrega-tion at the NizamuddinMarkaz and have quarantinedthem.

The goal is to ensureminimum loss of life;

the global situation is far fromsatisfactory with speculationof a second wave in somecountries

NARENDRA MODIPrime Minister

‘Exponential growth’as world stares at 10 Lcases, 50,000 deaths

Mercury @ 42 degrees C, but Covid-19 plays it cool! PNS n HYDERABAD

Temperatures have soaredto as high as 42 degreeCelsius in the State with thehighest day temperaturerecorded in BadradriKothagudem at 42.2 degreeCelsius; state capital record-ed day temperature at 39degree Celsius.

Several people, includingChief Minister KChandrashekar Rao, havesuggested that COVID-19will not survive in India'ssummer temperatures.

The US Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention says:"Generally, coronaviruses sur-vive for shorter periods oftime at higher temperaturesand higher humidity than incooler or dryer environ-ments."

According to CDC, it is notyet known whether weatherand temperature impact thespread of COVID-19. Theonly way to reduce transmis-sion of coronavirus is socialdistancing and maintaininghygiene.

L VENKAT RAM REDDYn HYDERABAD

Contrary to the claims beingmade by the governments ofTelangana and AndhraPradesh states over sufferinghuge revenue losses on accountof Coronavirus lockdown, thelatest data released by theCentre on GST collections forMarch 2020 showed that therewas not much impact on theTelugu states.

TS witnessed just 9 per centdrop in GST collections inMarch 2020 when comparedwith March 2019, while APrecorded even lower drop of 2per cent.

TS recorded GST collec-tion of Rs 3,563 crore in March2020 against Rs 3,897 crore inMarch 2019, a decline of 9 percent.

Similarly, AP's GST collec-tions stood at Rs 2,548 crore inMarch 2020 against Rs 2,589crore in March 2019, a decline

of just 2 per cent.Only Punjab, Haryana,

Tripura, Meghalaya, Odisha,Gujarat and

Karnataka achieved highercollections in March 2020even in the

lockdown period whencompared with March 2019.

Even when compared withthe GST collections inFebruary 2020, when therewas no lockdown, there wasnot much impact on theTelugu States.

Telangana recorded GST

collections of Rs 3,667 crore inFebruary 2020 against Rs 3,563crore in March 2020, a reduc-tion of Rs 104 crore.

Similarly, AP registered GSTcollections of Rs 2,563 crore inFebruary 2020 against Rs 2,548crore in March 2020, a drop ofjust Rs 15 crore.

At the national level, theGST collections for March,2020 stood at Rs 97,597 crore,lower than Rs 1.05 lakh-crorecollected in February, 2020, adecline of 8.4 per cent.

No major impact of lockdownon GST collections in AP, TS

PNS n NEW DELHI

Congress MP Rahul Gandhihas emphasised that Indiaspecific strategywas neededto combat Covid-19.

Gandhi tweeted, "At theCWC meeting today Iemphasised the urgent needto devise an India specificstrategy to combat the#COVID19 Pandemic & forCongress workers & leadersto help soften the blow byassisting the poor & the mostvulnerable sections of oursociety in every possible way."

‘India specificstrategy needed’

PM hints at staggered lifting oflockdown, seeks suggestionsArea-wise, age-wise restrictions may be the norm as country looks to return to normalcy

38 more in AP test positive forCOVID-19, tally reaches 149

TS witnessed just 9per cent drop in GSTcollections in March2020 whencompared withMarch 2019, whileAP recorded evenlower drop of 2 %.

PNS n HYDERABAD

With the number of Covid-19cases increasing by the day inthe country, and with spikes indaily counts reported by manystates, there is an uncertaintyover the government's repeat-ed claims that there is no com-munity transmission.

As of Thursday evening,India reported 50 deaths, with1,764 active cases. Telanganareported 9 deaths and 130cases, while Andhra Pradeshreported 143 cases and 1 death.

Initially, the TS government

apparently suspected commu-nity transmission and didmake preparations to deal with

the stage. Towards this end,Health Minister Etela Rajenderreviewed the preparedness for

Stage-3 as well. Subsequently,once they zeroed in on the factthat the majority of freshCovid-19 patients are fromamong those who attendedthe Tablighi Jamaat's congrega-tion at Markaz, Nizamuddin;the focus shifted to figuring outthese patients and their con-tacts.

At the community transmis-sion stage, also called as Stage-3, a disease spreads in the pop-ulation in such a way that peo-ple don't know how they wereexposed to the contagion.

CORONA CRISIS

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

In more distressing news,as many as 38 morepeople tested positivefor the Coronavirus inAndhra Pradesh onThursday, taking theoverall tally to 149,according to a bulletinreleased by the state governmenton Thursday. Most of these 38

people who tested positive for thehighly infectious virus had either

attended the Tablighi Jamaatcongregation at the group’sheadquarters inNizamuddin of Delhi orwere their contacts.Fortunately, there has been

no COVID-19 positive casefrom Srikakulam and

Vizianagaram districts in the state;however, a few more tests results

are awaited. In all 1,730 samples were

tested of which 149 were found tobe COVID-19 positive, 1,321 werenegative and results of 409samples are awaited.

Krishna district tops the listwith 23 positive cases in the statefollowed by Nellore district with 24and Guntur with 20 COVID-19positive cases.

We are facing a grave financial crisis,so much so that we could not even pay

full salaries for the month of March to ourofficers and employees. Our revenues havefallen to negligible levels

— Y S JAGANMOHAN REDDY Chief Minister

Caseload points to community transmission

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Although every possible care and caution has been taken to avoid errors or omissions, this publication is being sold on the condition and understanding that information given in this publication is merely for reference and must not be taken as having authority of or binding in any way on the writers, editors, publishers, and printers and sellers who do not owe any responsibility for anydamage or loss to any person, a purchaser of this publication or not for the result of any action taken on the basis of this work. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent court and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Readers are advised and requested to verify and seek appropriate advice to satisfy themselves about the veracity of any kind of advertisement beforeresponding to any contents published in this newspaper. The printer, publisher, editor and any employee of the Pioneer Group's will not be held responsible for any kind of claim made by the advertisers of the products & services and shall not be made responsible for any kind of loss, consequences and further product-related damages on such advertisements.

CAPSULE

SBI staff to donate two-day salary toPM CARES FundVIJAYAWADA: In all, 2,56,000employees of State Bank of India(SBI) have decided to contributetwo days’ salary to the PrimeMinister’s National Relief Fund tofight against the COVID-19. Withthis collective effort andcommitment of SBI employees,Rs 100 crore will be donated tothe PM CARES Fund, which iscreated to fight against thecoronavirus. Last Week, SBI hadcommitted 0.25 per cent ofannual profit for FY 2019-20 aspart of its CSR activities to fightCOVID-19, said Rajnish Kumar,Chairman, SBI. He further stated“It is a matter of pride for StateBank of India that all ouremployees voluntarily cameforward to pledge their two days’salary to the PM CARES Fund.This is the time where we allneed to combat this battle ofCOVID-19 outbreak with unitedefforts. We at SBI would keepcontinuing our support to thegovernment in all its endeavoursto address the challenges of thispandemic.”

SRM-AP donates Rs 25 lakh to govtVIJAYAWADA: The novelcoronavirus has evolved as apandemic that forced lockdownin many countries, includingIndia. In this regard, SRMUniversity-AP has donated Rs 25lakh to the government tocombating the virus. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof D Narayana Rao,Director of Campus Life andMaintenance Venkataachalamand PRO Venugopal handedover the cheque to Minister forEducation Adimulam Sureshhere on Thursday. SRMUniversity-AP president PSathyanaranan said, “TheCOVID-19 pandemic has createdan unprecedented globalcatastrophe and a national publichealth emergency. In this crisis,measures taken by thegovernment under the leadershipof Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy arecommendable.”

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | APRIL 3, 2020 vijayawada 02

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Traditional cultivators of jas-mine flowers are cursing theirfate as there is a huge slumpin demand following imposi-tion of clamp down in thecountry due to the coron-avirus. During the season,farmers of the region sell atleast 1,000 kg per day.

The flower fetches Rs 1,200a kg during its peak season,which commences fromJanuary and lasts till June. Asof now, farmers are finding itdifficult to sell 200 kg of theflowers as there are no takersfor the flowers even if they areoffered for Rs 60-70 a kg.They are complaining of inabil-ity to recover even labourcharges and electricity chargesfor the borewells.

In fact, on a festive occasionlike Sri Rama Navami, thestocks of flowers shouldexhaust the moment they enterthe market. But on Wednesday,the market wore a desertedlook as there are no takers forthe flowers.

Farmers of Pedana villageand villages in Gurudu mandalbordering it – Pindivanipalem,Posinavanipalem, Naidupalem,Ganjalapalem, DakshinaTelugu Palem – cultivate jas-mine extensively. The areaunder the crop ranges between

10 cents and maximum of 50cents. Daily, farmers sell flow-ers at Pindivanipalem centrefrom 7 am to 9 am.

Wholesale traders fromVijayawada, Gudivada,Machilipatnam, Pamarru inKrishna district andBhimavaram and Eluru in WestGodavari district purchaseflowers from here and sell themat retail prices in their areas.

During marriage season,flower commands a price of Rs1,200 a kg, and Rs 600 duringnormal days. Because of the

lockdown, marriages and othercelebrations have been put off.Religious programmes in tem-ples also cancelled. A farmerof Pedana, Perumalla SrinivasaRao said plucking of flowersbegin as the clock strikes five.Besides the family members,two labourers are hired forevery 10 cents. Heavy drop indemand is forcing us to leavethe flowers to the trees unhar-vested. This year farmersincurred total loss, he said notknowing how to run the fam-ilies all through the year.

Chiruvella Venkata Reddy,another farmer of Pedana, saidearlier it was the traders whoused to return empty handeddue to lack of production tomatch the demand. Now thesituation is completelyreversed. Farmers hiredlabourers and got the flowersplucked but giving them awayto temples free of cost after 10am because of poor sales.Unless the government comesto the rescue of farmers, jas-mine farmers are not in aposition to recover.

Jasmine growers seekrelief as sales plummet

n Chiruvella Venkata Reddy, anotherfarmer of Pedana, said earlier it wasthe traders, who used to return emptyhanded due to lack of production tomatch the demand. Now the situationis completely reversed

n Farmers hired labourers and got the flowersplucked but giving them away to temples freeof cost after 10 am because of poor sales.Unless the government comes to the rescueof farmers, jasmine farmers are not in aposition to recover

n The flower fetches Rs 1,200 akg during its peak season,which commences fromJanuary and lasts till June. Asof now, farmers are finding itdifficult to sell 200 kg of theflowers as there are no takersfor the flowers even if theyare offered for Rs 60-70 a kg

n They are complaining ofinability to recover evenlabour charges and electricitycharges for the borewells

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Subdued celebrations markedSri Rama Navami in AndhraPradesh and Telangana onThursday due to lockdown.

With no public congregationallowed and temples remain-ing shut across both TeluguStates, the devouts performedpuja and conducted other rit-uals at home.

While extending his greet-ings, Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy appealedto people to celebrate the fes-tival in their homes in view ofthe coronavirus threat. Heoffered prayers for the wellbe-ing and prosperity of people.

No devotees were allowedfor Kalyanotsavam, or theannual customary celebrationsat Lord Sree Sita RamachandraSwamy temple inBhadrachalam in Telangana.

The low-key ceremony sawparticipation by a couple ofministers and officials besides afew priests Bhadrachalam. Onbehalf of the government,Minister for Endowments PIndrakaran Reddy, Minister forTransport P Ajay Kumar,Government Advisor KVRamanachari made the offer-ings to the temple. About 40people, some of them wearingface masks, attended the cere-mony conducted by the priestsin the temple premises.

Every year thousands of peo-ple from both the Telugu Statestravel to Bhadrachalam to

attend the celestial wedding ofLord Rama with His consortSita. Kalyanotsavam, which istraditionally held at the MithilaStadium, was shifted to thetemple this time.

Several devotees had bookedthe temple tickets online butthe authorities cancelled themand returned their money.Ajay Kumar said this was doneto prevent gathering of devo-tees in view of the lockdown.

Authorities in both the Stateshad also appealed to people notto visit any temple on the occa-sion of Rama Navami. TheGovernors and the ChiefMinisters of both the Statesgreeted people on RamaNavami. Governor BiswaBushan Harichandan and hisTelangana counterpart TamilisaiSoundararajan conveyed theirgreetings to people.

Telangana Chief Minister KChandrashekhar Rao conveyed

his greetings to people on theoccaion. He offered prayers toGod to bestow blessings on peo-ple in the State to be happy,healthy and prosperous withlongevity.

Low key celebrations mark Rama Navami in Telugu States

n The Chief Ministers ofboth the States greetedpeople on Sri RamaNavami

n Governor BiswaBushan Harichandanand his Telanganacounterpart TamilisaiSoundararajanconveyed theirgreetings to people

n Authorities in both theStates appealed topeople not to visit anytemple on the occasionof Sri Rama Navami

PNS n VONTIMITTA

The prestigious Sri RamaNavami Brahmotsavams of SriKodandarama Swamy templeat Vontimitta in YSR Kadapadistrict commenced withDwajarohanam event onThursday morning.

The annual Brahmotsavamswill last till April 11 and will beconducted in Ekantham in asimple manner as darshanactivity for pilgrims in thetemple was suspended as a partof coronavirus precautionaryinitiative. Only the templedeputy executive officerLokanatham, staff and priestsparticipated in the fete.

Earlier, as per PancharathraAgama tradition,Dwajarohanam-the sacred flaghoisting ceremony was con-ducted by installing Garudaflag atop the temple pillar,along with NavaKalasabhishekam invoking andinviting the galaxy of gods forthe event. Sri Rama Navamifestival and Pothana Jayanti

were also conductedRajampeta MLA and TTD

Board member MedaMallikarjun Reddy presentedsilk clothes to SriKodandarama Swamy on theopening day of the 10-day fete.

Sri Sitarama Kalyanam willbe performed within the cor-ridors of Sri KodandaramaSwamy temple on April 7 andthe silk clothes on behalf of

government will be presentedfor this celestial occasion. TheTTD has made all arrange-ments for live telecast of theevent on SVBC channel.

Meanwhile, the prestigiousand holy event of Sri Sita RamaLakshmana SamethaHanumanta Asthanam washeld in Srivari temple onThursday.

Earlier during the day, Snapana

Tirumanjanam was performed atRanganayakula Mandapam tothe utsava idols of Sri SitaramaLakshmana Sametha HanumantaSwamivarlu.

Thereafter, Vedic priestschanted pasuras from DivyaPrabandam besides PurushaSuktam, Tetittiriya Upanishad,Sri Suktam, Bhu Sultam, NeelaSuktam and Pancha Shantimantras, which were aimed at

enhancing the divine charm ofSrivari temple further.

Pedd Jeeyar Swami andChinna Jeeyar Swamy ofTirumala, TTD EO AnilKumar Singhal, Additional EOAV Dharma Reddy, templedeputy executive officerHarindranath and other offi-cials participated.

Later in the night, SriRamanavami Asthanam was

performed at the BangaruVakili inside the Srivari temple.The TTD has, however, can-celled the Sri HanumantaVahana Seva conducted on theoccasion of Sri Ramanavami inview of the coronavirus restric-tions.

Sri Rama Navami Brahmotsavams begin at Vontimitta

Rajampeta MLA and TTD Board member Meda Mallikarjun Reddy carries silk clothes to present to Sri Kodandarama Swamy to mark Brahmotsavams at Ontimitta in YSRKadapa district on Thursday

n The annual Brahmotsavamswill last till April 11 and will beconducted a simple manneras darshan for pilgrims in thetemple was suspended as apart of coronavirusprecautionary initiative. Onlythe temple deputy executiveofficer Lokanatham, staff andpriests participated in thefete

n Earlier, as per PancharathraAgama tradition,Dwajarohanam-the sacredflag hoisting ceremony wasconducted by installingGaruda flag atop the templepillar, along with NavaKalasabhishekam invokingand inviting the galaxy ofgods for the event

PNS n NEW DELHI

The United States Food andDrug Administration (FDA)has permitted the emergencyinvestigational use of blood ofpeople, who recovered fromCOVID-19 as a possible anti-dote for the deadly disease.

"As there are no approvedtreatments, FDA is permittingthe emergency investigationaluse of convalescent plasma totreat COVID-19. The treatmentinvolves the use of convalescentplasma collected from recoveredCOVID-19 patients," the FDAstated.

Convalescent plasma is theliquid part of blood that is col-lected from patients, who recov-ered from an infection.Antibodies present in it areproteins that might help fight theinfection.

Use of convalescent plasmawas also studied in outbreaks ofother respiratory infections,including the 2009-2010 H1N1influenza virus pandemic, 2003SARS-CoV-1 epidemic, and the2012 MERS-CoV epidemic.

The FDA added, "There issome information that suggestsit might help some patientsrecover from COVID-19." It ispossible that convalescent plas-ma contains antibodies to thevirus that causes COVID-19 andmight be effective against theinfection.”

"It is important to determinethrough clinical trials, beforeroutinely administering conva-lescent plasma to patients withCOVID-19, that it is safe and

effective to do so," the FDA said.It stated that the plasma must

only be collected from recoveredindividuals, if they are eligible todonate blood. "A physicianshould contact their local bloodcentre to enquire about obtain-ing convalescent plasma from arecovered donor."

The agency, however, warnedof possible side effects of theplasma transfusions. "It is gen-erally safe and well-tolerated bymost patients, but can causeallergic reactions and other sideeffects.

The FDA is working with itsgovernment partners, includingthe National Institutes of Health(NIH) and the Centres forDisease Control and Prevention(CDC), to develop master proto-cols for use by multiple investi-gators in order to coordinate thecollection and use of COVID-19convalescent plasma.

Blood from Coronavirussurvivors might save lives

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The economic activity hascome to a grinding halt in theState due to the coronavirus.Hence, the Andhra PradeshChamber of Commerce andIndustry Federation (APChambers) general secretaryPotluri Bhaskara Rao andpresident KVS Prakash Raosought relief from the Stateand Central governments forMSMEs, travel and tourism,hospitality, automobile andauto ancillaries, transport,granite (mining), spinningand textiles, agro and foodproacessing units.

aIn a release issued here onThursday, they pointed outthat there is a hope of econom-ic recovery in the last quarterof fiscal 2019-2020. However,the coronavirus epidemic has

made the recovery extremelydifficult in the near to medi-um term. At this juncture, theysought relief measures fromthe State and Central govern-ments for recognising non-performing assets (NPA) from90 days to 270 days and waiv-er of interest burden for sixmonths for MSME units.

They also sought a bailoutpackage for enterprises/ indus-try to battle the current crisis.They requested to announce afiscal stimulus of three to fiveper cent of India’s grossdomestic product to save thebusiness community.

There is an urgent need forthe Central government torespond to the situation toprovide financial and bailoutpackages to support variousailing sectors and others, theyadded.

AP Chambers seeksbailout package

COVID-19:Heartfulness helpline to cope with lockdown stressPNS n HYDERABAD

The Heartfulness Institute withits global headquarters nearhere has set up a 24X7 helplinefor citizens to deal with thestress due to coronavirus lock-down in the country.

As the pandemic has createduncertainty, fear, panic and iso-lation among people,Heartfulness on Wednesdayannounced various initiatives

to help them deal with the situ-ation. The Helpline 'Voice That

Cares' can be accessed by anyoneby dialing the toll-free number

1800 121 Dhyana (3492). Severalhundreds of Heartfulness train-ers trained by their guide Daajiwill respond to public calls andhelp alleviate emotional or men-tal distress of callers.

"Empathy is known to beone of the strongest healers andthe trainers are well versed tonavigate the callers through thedistress due to the ongoinglockdown," the institute said.

"There is clear need for all of

us to understand the situationas it stands today, demystify itand see it as it should be seen.There is too much informationand too many changes in a veryshort time. How does one seeit in a larger context of one's lifeand what steps are needed tostrengthen one's ability to han-dle their feelings and emotionsthereby creating positive emo-tions to deal with the situationtogether," Daaji said.

The Helpline 'Voice That Cares' can beaccessed by anyone by dialing the toll-freenumber 1800 121 Dhyana (3492). Severalhundreds of Heartfulness trainers trainedby their guide Daaji will respond to publiccalls and help alleviate emotional ormental distress of callers

Convalescentplasma is theliquid part ofblood that iscollected frompatients, whorecovered froman infection.Antibodiespresent in it areproteins thatmight help fightthe infection

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The Defence Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO) has developed a num-ber of products and technologiesfor defence against CBRN(Chemical, Biological,Radiological and Nuclear) agents.As a part of this effort, theDRDO, Gwalior, has developedCBRN Permeable Suit Mk V and53,000 suits have been suppliedto the Army and NDRF.

For first responders attendingto radiological emergencies areusable suit has been developedby Institute of Nuclear Medicineand Allied Sciences (INMAS),Delhi. ADRDE, Agra, has devel-oped various types of parachutesthat use fabrics similar to protec-tive technical textiles. The labs

have applied their technicalknowledge and expertise in tex-tile, coating technology and nan-otechnology into research tofind a solution in the form of abio-suit to fight COVID-19

This has resulted in find-ing a specific type of fab-ric with a specific typeof coating for makinga bio-suit, which cankeep the medical,paramedical andother personnelrequiring PPE safefrom COVID-19. Thesuit has been prepared withthe help of the industry and hasbeen subjected to rigorous test-ing for textile parameters as wellas protection against syntheticblood.

The protection against synthet-

ic blood exceeds the criteriadefined for body suits byMoH&FW. Industry is geared upfor the production of the suit inlarge quantities. KusumgarhIndustries is producing the raw

material, coating materialand the complete suit is

being manufacturedwith the help ofanother industry.

The productioncapacity of 7,000suits per day exists.

Another industry isbeing brought in with

the experience in garmenttechnology and efforts are on toramp up the capacity to 15,000suits per day.

The bio-suit production inthe country by DRDO industrypartners and other industries are

being hampered due to non-avail-ability of seam sealing tapes. TheDRDO has prepared a specialsealant as an alternative to seamsealing tape based on the sealantused in submarine applications.

Presently bio-suits preparedusing this glue for seam sealing byan industry partner has clearedtest at SITRA, Coimbatore. Thiscan be a game changer for the tex-tile industry.

The DRDO can mass producethis glue through industry to sup-port the seam sealing activity bysuit manufacturers.

The DRDO is putting all outefforts to see that these suits areproduced in large numbers andserve as a robust line of defencefor our medics, paramedics andother personnel in the front linefor combating COVID-19.

DRDO developed Personal ProtectiveEquipment for combating COVID-19

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | APRIL 3, 2020 vijayawada 03

Andhra Pradesh hastaken the lead in itsfight against COVID-19

with the state government tak-ing many proactive steps likedeploying 2.5 lakh strong vil-lage and ward volunteers at theground level and conductingdoor-to- door surveys to iden-tify people with symptomsamong others.

Leading the fight from thefront is a network of over 2.5lakh strong village and wardvolunteers who are playing apivotal role in tracking downforeign returnees to the state.So far, the volunteers havetracked down over 10,000 for-eign returnees by conductinga comprehensive door-to-doorsurvey twice covering about1.4 crore households in thestate. This helped the state gov-ernment take better interven-tions on a real time basis.

Further, village and wardvolunteers along with ASHA

(Accredited Social HealthActivist) workers and ANMs(Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) arevisiting the houses of foreignreturnees daily to counselthem and to enquire abouttheir health condition.

Besides, using the services ofvolunteers, the state govern-ment has distributed rice anddaal to all the ration cardholders at their doorsteps onMarch 29. It is also planningto give a cash assistance of Rs1,000 to the people on April 4with the help of volunteers.

After coming to power, theJaganmohan Reddy govern-ment recruited about 2.5 lakhvolunteers to deliver essentialservices like pensions andrations at the doorsteps ofpeople with each volunteer

covering about 50 houses.Reportedly, this model is

being emulated by the Keralaand UK governments as itproved effective in countering

the spread of Coronavirus atthe ground level.

As the incidence of COVID-19 cases is high in urban areaswhen compared to rural areas,

the state government hasdevised a special strategy tofight the virus tooth and nail.

It has put in place two stagesurveillance in urban areas. Atprimary level, house to house

surveillance is being done bya team of ward volunteers,additional ANMs, ASHAworkers and other functionar-ies every day. At secondarylevel, surveillance of sympto-matic patients is done by award level surveillance teamsheaded by a medical officer.

The state government hasconstituted special task forcesat the state, district and con-stituency levels to take stock ofthe measures needed to con-tain the spread of COVID-19.

The state level task forceconsists of five ministers, threeofficers from the chief minis-ters office ( CMO) and 10other IAS officers. Similarly,the district level task force con-sists of district collector andother district level officials

and constituency level taskforce consists of local MLAand other officials.

The formation of task forcesat all levels coupled with thework of volunteers and othermedical and paramedical staffat the ground level helped thestate government to monitorthe crisis on a real time basisto take effective and quickerdecisions.

So far, the state govern-ment has set up isolation facil-ities with about 17,000 beds inthe state. It is planning to setup isolation facilities with5000 beds in each district.

It is also planning to utilisethe services of private hospi-tals . A GO (governmentalorder) has been issued in thisregard directing all the private

medical college hospitals andother private hospitals to placetheir premises with all avail-able resources and manpowerat the disposal of district col-lector as and when the needarises.

Further, the state will use'COVID alerting tracking sys-tem' tool developed by statedisaster management author-ity to track over 30,000 peopleplaced under home quarantineby tracking location of theirmobile numbers with the helpof telecom service providers.

Besides, the state govern-ment has also set up a dedicat-ed toll free helpline (104) andCOVID-19 dashboard to pro-vide real time information tothe public to contain thespread of COVID-19.

Fighting COVID-19, the Andhra Pradesh way

PRUDHVI VEGESNA

Leading the fight from the front is a networkof over 2.5 lakh strong village and wardvolunteers who are playing a pivotal role intracking down foreign returnees to the state.So far, the volunteers have tracked downover 10,000 foreign returnees by conductinga comprehensive door-to-door survey twicecovering about 1.4 crore households in thestate. This helped the state government takebetter interventions on a real time basis.

PNS n KURNOOL

In a pathetic situation, atleast 600 families that migrat-ed to Versova in Mumbai from11 mandals of the district arereeling under the impact ofsevere poverty for want ofworks because of the lockdownclamped on the whole country.Moreover, there is none tocome to the rescue at thishour of crisis.

Let alone having two squaremeals a day, the Telugu migrantlabourers in Mumbai are find-ing it difficult to have porridgeat least. They have to brave lathiblows to fetch a pail of water forRs 5 each. In a highly commer-cial place like Mumbai wherethe owners collect rent even forthe thatched houses, the livesof migrant labourers havebecome miserable. Since thereare no works, the migrantlabourers, who have no assuredsavings, have no other optionexcept to beg.

Though some charitablepublic come forward to providethem with food packets, policeare not entertaining people tocome out on to streets.

Workers from Adoni,Gonegandla, Yemmiganuru,

Peddakaduburu, Aspari,Nandavaram, Kodumuru, CBelagal, Guduru, Pattikondaand other mandals migrated toMumabi eight months ago towork as casual hand in cementproducts making units and ascasual jobs like cleaning ofroads and so on. Males are paidRs 500 per day while females

are paid Rs 300. But the lock-down has denied them theirdaily bread. The most affectedamong them are lactatingmothers, aged, physically chal-lenged and children.

The government is also sad-dled with the responsibility oftaking care of the migrantlabourers apart of taking steps

to control the virus. But thegovernment officials find itconvenient to ignore the diffi-culties being faced by migrantlabourers. The Kurnool districtadministration dashed a letterto the Government ofMaharashtra asking it to give arelief of Rs 600 to the labour-ers.

The labourers have beenasking the government author-ities to send them back to theirdistricts or send them to reliefcamps.

Devadas of Yemmiganursaid that he, along with otherlabourers, migrated to Mumbaiseven months ago. He said thatthe 600 odd workers are goingwithout job for the past 10days. Even if the migrants stepout of their huts to receive foodfrom the charitable public,police are wielding lathis. If theAP government did not cometo their rescue, there would beno light at the end of the tun-nel for them, he said.

Another worker Dayakarsays that everything is com-mercial in Mumbai. A pitcher-ful of water is being sold at Rs5. Whether the family eats ornot, it has to pay Rs 2,000 amonth towards rent for the hut.For using a bulb and fan, theelectricity charges collectedare Rs 1,500. The workers arefinding it difficult to feed thelactating mothers and the agedat this juncture. He appealed tothe authorities to come to theirrescue.

Braving lathis for a pail of waterKURNOOL MIGRANT LABOURERS IN MUMBAI

n In a highly commercialplace like Mumbai wherethe owners collect renteven for the thatchedhouses, the lives ofmigrant labourers havebecome miserable. Sincethere are no works, themigrant labourers, whohave no assured savings,have no other optionexcept to begn Males are paid Rs 500per day while females arepaid Rs 300. But thelockdown has deniedthem their daily bread.The most affectedamong them are lactatingmothers, aged, physicallychallenged and children.

Naidu asks Jagan to set upmore Covid-19 testing labsPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Opposition leader NChandrababu Naidu onThursday wrote a letter toChief Minister YS JaganmohanReddy asking him to takeimmediate steps for enhancingcoronavirus testing facilities inorder to contain the fastspreading of infection in theState.

Naidu drew the ChiefMinister's attention to the sud-den spurt in virus +ve cases inthe State and this was mainlydue to poor testing facilitieswith just four labs in the Stateas against 23 in Maharashtra,17 in Tamil Nadu, 15 inTelangana, 15 in Delhi and 12in Kerala. Only 1,307 tests wereconducted so far in the State asagainst 6,323 in Maharashtra,7,965 in Kerala, 6,530 inRajasthan, 3,799 in Karnatakaand 2,796 in Tamil Nadu.

Naidu said that the govern-ment should know about thesteps being taken in othercountries and states for theirreplication in Andhra Pradeshso that grave danger could beavoided to the lives of peoplehere in the coming weeks.Identification and segregationof infected persons is verycrucial to prevent the deadlyvirus, he opined.

He asked the governmentnot to suppress the facts withregard to COVID-19 cases assuch a step would furtherdeteriorate the situation with

nobody having any clue as towhat is happening. There arerumors that even coronadeaths were suppressed inKurnool, Vijayawada andRajahmundry, he said.

Naidu stressed the need forpreventing starvation of lakhsof daily wage workers workingin the unorganised sector,construction, toddy tappers,fishermen, artisans, SC and STcommunities, who are notfinding work due to lock-down. The Central govern-

ment has given Rs 1.75 lakhcrore package and asked theStates to take a one-time dis-tribution of three-monthration and three-month pen-sions to the poor.

He took objection for allow-ing crowds at ration shops evenin areas that are declared as redzones. Personal ProtectiveEquipment (PPEs) should beprovided to doctors, healthworkers, police, sanitationworkers, media persons andthose distributing ration.

The TDP chief asked the governmentnot to suppress the facts with regardto COVID-19 cases as such a stepwould further deteriorate thesituation with nobody having anyclue as to what is happening

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Andhra Pradesh CongressCommittee president SSailajanath demanded thatthe government set up openPaddy Purchase Centresacross the State to purchasethe paddy from farmers.

In a release here onThursday, he said thatpaddy was still with farmersin some districts and askedthe government to purchaseit from them immediately.

He said that it was timefor rabi harvesting andfarmers should be providedwith harvesting machinesand farm laborers should beallowed to work in fields.The migrant workers, whowere stranded in someareas, should be providedwith the harvesting work.

APCC chiefurges govt toset up openPP Centres

Continued from Page 1

The criteria for geographicalopening can also be based on thepresence of public gatheringspots. Currently, a person canmove about in a 3 km radius; thiscan be extended to 5 km andeventually 10 km. The PM askedStates to "work on war footing,identify virus hotspots and encir-cle them" to contain the infec-tion. The focus for the next fewweeks must be testing, tracing,isolation and quarantine, Moditold states.

Wuhan, the fountainhead ofthe virus, lifted its lockdown par-tially last week and people thereare allowed to enter but not leave,the city. Cinemas were opened,but shut again. Wuhan imposedlimits on how many peoplecould enter and shopkeepers setup dispensers for hand sanitis-er and checked customers forsigns of fever. Mette Frederiksen,the PM of Denmark, had earli-er said that her country’s govern-ment might have to controlwhen people go to work andschool in order to prevent peo-ple from getting too close to oneanother on public transport.

PM hints at staggeredlifting of lockdown...

32 more in APtest positive...Continued from Page 1

Another 17 COVID-19 positivecases were identified inPrakasam district followed by16 in Kadapa district and 14 inWest Godavari district. Thenumber of positive cases inVisakhapatnam district was 11followed by nine each inChittoor and East Godavaridistricts, Anantapur districtrecorded two positive casesand Kurnool one.

According to State Nodalofficer Dr Arja Srikanth, the APgovernment would set up upwith two more COVID-19testing centres and also supplyadequate number of PersonalProtective Equipment (PPEs)to hospitals. These two testinglabs would come up in Gunturand Kadapa districts, taking thetotal number of such labs tosix. The State has testingfacilities in Vijayawada,Tirupati, Kakinada andAnantapur.

Jagan urges Centreto extend ‘liberal aid’ Continued from Page 1

Patients and suspects are beingkept in home isolation andquarantine facilities and provid-ed all necessary medical help,”he said.

From February 10, 2020,onwards 27,876 foreignreturnees have entered the state.All of them are under observa-tion and among these 10,540 arefrom urban areas and 17,336from rural areas, the ChiefMinister informed.

"We require a lot of PPEs andalso test kits. Kindly ensure theirsupply to AP," he said.

He also explained about thedoor-to-door survey beingundertaken in both rural andurban areas to keep a tab onCoronavirus patients and alsoidentify possible carriers.

Jagan explained the regularsurveys are being conducted byvolunteers, ANMs, Asha work-ers and these are helping thehealth department monitor the

situation and draw up strategy. He said that 2012 non-ICU

beds are ready in Vizag,Vijayawada, Nellore, andTirupati.

Moreover, special hospitalshave been set up in 13 districtsfor COVID-19. A total of 10,933non-ICU beds, 622 ICU bedswere set up in these hospitals.Apart from these other 20,000beds are ready to accommodatein main cities and towns for iso-lation. A total of 1,000 ICU bedsare ready in the state, ChiefMinister said to Modi.

Ration has been provided topeople along with an addition-al 1 kg of dal for free and thesame will be repeated anothertwo times in April. Moreover,financial assistance of Rs 1,000will be provided to the poor fortheir expenses.

As many as 218 camps havebeen set up to accommodate9,695 people. Among these5,876 are from other states and3,819 belong to AP.

‘India specificstrategy needed tocombat Covid-19’Continued from Page 1

Rahul Gandhi while speakingin the CWC meeting said,"COVID-19 particularlyattacks aged persons, peoplewith lung disease, diabetics,persons with heart disease,making them most vulnerable.All State Governments need toissue special advisory for thesecategories and take care."

"We have looked at#COVID for 2 months sinceFebruary and have spoken toexperts. No country in theworld has attempted a lock-down with huge migrantlabour without arranging fortheir stay, food and ration &pushing them back home."

‘Exponential growth’ as...Continued from Page 1

But that was the lowest dailytally of fatalities since March 26.

In France, 509 moreCOVID-19 patients died in thepast 24 hours, bringing thedeath tally to 4,032 onWednesday, said GeneralDirector of Health JeromeSalomon.

The cumulative number ofinfection cases in the countryrose to 57,763.

Across the Atlantic, the USbecame the first nation withmore than 200,000 COVID-19infections on Wednesday,according to a new tally fromJohns Hopkins University.

It has recorded a total of5,119 deaths.

Meanwhile, UN agenciescontinued to help countries

contain the virus and limit itssocial-economic impact.

The UN Office for theCoordination of HumanitarianAffairs (OCHA) said it has pro-vided $78.8 million in respons-es to the pandemic.

It includes $75 million fromthe UN's Central EmergencyResponse Fund (CERF), withthe rest coming from country-based, pooled funds.

Programs in 15 countrieshave been supported throughthese funds and additionalcountries were being identifiedunder the global CERF alloca-tion of $60 million -- one of thelargest ever made.

So far, according to theOCHA, close to $374 millionin donor funds have beenmade available for the globalplan.

Naval sailor... Mercury @ 42 ...

No major impact...Continued from Page 1

GST collections had crossedRs 1 lakh-crore for four consec-utive months, till Feb.

Of the total Rs 97,597 crore,Central GST stood at Rs 19,183crore, state GST at Rs 25,601crore, integrated GST was Rs44,508 crore, which included Rs18,056 crore collected onimports

Continued from Page 1'An incident of material failurein the High-Pressure Air sys-tem onboard a Naval vesselberthed alongside atVisakhapatnam occurred onApr 1.One sailor on duty in thevicinity of the incident wasgrievously injured," it said.

Continued from Page 1

According to TSDPS, thehighest maximum tempera-ture 39.4 degree C wasrecorded at Madhapur. If notfor the lockdown, the statewould be busy preparing forthe upcoming heat wave con-d i t i o n s . B a d r a d r iKothagudem, Khammam,Nalgonda and Suryapet wit-nessed temperatures ofaround 41 degrees. Most ofthe state will be witnessingtemperatures in the range of39-40 degrees.

According to the forecast,maximum temperatures areexpected to be in the range of37 degree to 40 degreeCelsius, while the minimumtemperatures would be inthe range of 24 degree to 26degree Celsius.

Caseload points to community...Continued from Page 1

The Union Ministry ofHealth and Family Welfaresaid: "We can consider that weare in the community trans-mission stage only when thereare about 20 to 30 per centcases with no clue on how theygot the virus."

Levels of communitytransmissionNone to Minimal - Evidence ofisolated cases or limited com-munity transmission, caseinvestigations underway, noevidence of exposure in largecommunal setting, e.g., health-care facility, school, mass gath-ering.

Minimal to Moderate -Widespread and/or sustained

transmission with high likeli-hood or confirmed exposurewithin communal settings withpotential for rapid increase insuspected cases.

Substantial - Large scale

community transmission,healthcare staffing significant-ly impacted, multiple caseswithin communal settings likehealthcare facilities, schools,mass gatherings etc.

PNS n HYDERABAD

Technology has been literal-ly saving the education sys-tem during the lockdowndue to Covid-19.

While some schools areusing WhatsApp as a medi-um to monitor the student'shomework, others are givingstudy from home schedule.

The Bharat Scouts andGuides School has created aWhatsApp group for eachclass and section. Once thestudent completes his/herhomework, the parent sendsthe picturesof the homeworkpages through WhatsApp.Which is then acknowledgedby the teacher.

TRS leader KalvakuntlaKavitha shared this on twit-ter and applauded the stu-dents, parents and teachers ofthe school for making theeffort in these difficult time.

In cases where online class-es cannot be conducted, man-agements of the schools aregiving 'study from home'schedule. The schedule is from11:00 am to 2:30 pm which

starts with a fitness song. Aparent said, "My son is study-ing in Delhi Public School andwas given a study from homeschedule. It includes waterbreak, lunch, studying English,Hindi, Telugu and Math forfirst standard students. Waterbreak includes washing handsand the schedule ends with adance. It is upto the parents totake it forward."

Another parent YogeshReddy said, "My son's onlineclasses have started onWednesday and the school isusing the app called Zoom

Cloud for meetings. Theteacher takes classes onlinewherein the children wereasked to login from schoolmail-id.

Some schools are taking itfur ther and making itmandatory for students toattend online classes.

Another parent said, "StAnn's school located atVijaynagar colony is con-ducting online classes andwas insisting students tocome on online classes orelse they will not get atten-dance."

Schoolchildren keep learningduring coronavirus lockdownNarayana institutions start online classes in both states

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | APRIL 3, 2020 nation 04SHORT READS

Govt under-fundingfight against covid-19:ChidambaramNEW DELHI: Senior Congressleader P Chidambaram onThursday alleged that thegovernment is "under-funding"the fight against the coronaviruspandemic and asked the Modidispensation to announce that itwill fund the battle with Rs 5-6lakh crore. In a series of tweets,he said it is the ninth day sincethe miserly FAP(financialassistance plan) I wasannounced by Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman and askedwhere is the promised FAP II."In my view, FAP II mustaddress the gaps andshortcomings in FAP I and theneeds of the categories thatwere completely left out earlier,"Chidambaram said. "Govern-ment is hopelessly under-funding the fight against theepidemic. Under-funding willexacerbate the situation and themoney spent may turn out to bea waste. Dr Jahangir Aziz hasalready warned the governmentin this regard," the formerfinance minister asserted.

Case registeredagainst nine clericswho attended Jamaat

Three killed inelephant attack in MPANUPPUR (MP): Threepersons, including two women,were killed by a herd of wildelephants at a village in MadhyaPradeshs Anuppur district, anofficial said on Thursday. Theincident took place on theintervening night of Wednesdayand Thursday, when a herd of10 to 12 wild elephants enteredfields outside Purba village,about 80 km from here,Pushprajgarh sub-divisional OfMagistrate Vijay Deharia said.The elephants attacked threevillagers, including two women,who were working the fields atthe time, he said. While two ofthem were killed on the spot,one of the women died duringtreatment at a hospital inPushprajgarh, the SDM said.Officials from the districtadministration and forestdepartment reached the spot toassess the situation, he added.

SHRAVASTI (UP): An FIR hasbeen registered against nineclerics who returned from theTablighi Jamaat's congregationin New Delhi's Nizamuddin lastmonth and were hiding in amadrassa on the Nepal border,police said on Thursday. Theyhave been booked under IPCSections 188 (disobedience toorder duly promulgated bypublic servant), 269 (negligentact likely to spread infection ofdisease dangerous to life) and270 (malignant act likely tospread infection of disease)."Police found nine maulanas,residents of Amroha, in amadrassa in the Jamunahalocality of the Malhipur areawhere they were hiding onWednesday. They arrived hereon March 13 and stayed in amosque too,"SP Anup Kumarsaid. They neither informed theadministration about theirpresence nor volunteered forthe medial examination, the SPsaid, adding that they havebeen quarantined in themadarssa itself.

Death of patient fuels fear ofCOVID-19 spread in Dharavi slumPNS n MUMBAI

The death of a COVID-19patient from Mumbai'sDharavi, known as one of thebiggest slums in Asia, hasexposed its residents to the vul-nerability of contracting theviral infection and sparked afear of its spread in the highlycongested area.

Several small scale industriesand workshops of leathergoods, pottery and textilesoperate from the slum colonyspread over 613 acres.

A whopping 15 lakh peoplelive in small shanties dottingthe narrow bylanes of Dharavi,making it one of the most con-gested areas of the city.

Therefore, after the death ofthe man, the authorities aretaking no chance and theyhave sealed the slum rehabili-tation authority (SRV) buildingin which he lived.

The area has been demarcat-ed as a 'containment zone', acivic official said.

The building in which theman lived is surrounded byslums on all sides. The deceased,who had a garment shop inDharavi, developed symptomslike cough, cold and fever onMarch 23 and was admitted tohospital on March 26.

After the man died at thenearby government-run Sion

Hospital, some 300 tenementsin the building and around 90shops were cordoned off bypolice.

Residents of the buildingwere quarantined at home. Acivic official said they have alsoplanned periodic spraying ofdisinfectants in the area, whilethe police have restricted peo-ple's movement there.

"All high risk contacts of thedeceased have been stampedand quarantined. The swabsamples of his family membersand some building residentshave been sent for testing," hesaid, adding that all senior cit-izens and people with respira-tory illness in the building

will also undergo tests.No one will be allowed to go

out of the building till the timetest results of high risk contactscome out, he said.

"The BrihanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation (BMC)is going to provide food andration to residents of the build-ing," the official said.

The BMC has demarcatedaround 146 such containmentzones in the metropolis wherethey have either found one ormore COVID-19 patients orsuspects, to contain the spreadof the pandemic, he said.

In a 'containment zone',police limit people's access bybarricading the area.

PNS n MUMBAI

The Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) has madepublic the GIS map ofCOVID-19 affected areas inthe city on its website onThursday, officials said.

Two days ago, the BMChad announced the GIS map-ping of coronavirus-affectedareas in the city, besides set-ting set up a 'war room' tomonitor the viral infection inthe city and take steps to pre-vent its spread.

The civic body had saidthat with the help of themaps, residents in those areascould take precautions morevigilantly, and people visitingthose places for any workcould take preventive mea-sures.

The maps of the areaswhere there are higher num-ber of coronavirus cases willbe posted on the BMC web-site to provide informationabout it to the public, civicchief Praveen Pardeshi hadsaid in a release.

A BMC spokesperson saidthat the citizens can checkthese coronavirus-affectedareas on the weblink:-https://mumgis.mcgm.gov.in/portal/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=47726549910f4920b8ce6367053a1697.

The BMC has also formeda 'corona war room' in its dis-aster control unit, which willbe functional round-the-clock and various activitieslike planning, prevention andmanagement of the pandem-ic will be conducted there.

Maharashtra ChiefMinister Uddhav Thackerayhas sent two senior IAS offi-cers - Ashwini Bhide and DrRamaswamy N - on deputa-tion to the BMC to take stepsto contain the spread of thedeadly disease in the coun-try's financial capital.

Bhide, the former manag-ing director of Mumbai MetroRail Corporation Ltd(MMRCL), will work as coor-dinator of the war room thatwill collect and analyse thedata on coronavirus disease.

BMC makes public GISmap of affected areas

PNS n NEW DELHI

With a new study linking BCGvaccination with scale of sever-ity of COVID-19 globally, doc-tors in India said "large-scaleepidemiological studies" needto be conducted before drawingany conclusion.

According to the study led bya US-based researcher, a com-bination of reduced morbidityand mortality could make theBacillus Calmette-Guerin(BCG) vaccination a "game-changer" in the fight againstnovel coronavirus.

The BCG vaccine is part ofIndia's universal immunisa-tion programme and adminis-tered to millions of children atbirth or soon after it.

Arvind Kumar, lung surgeonat the Sir Ganga Ram Hospitalsaid, while there seems to be anapparent link between BCG

vaccination and COVID-19cases reported in various coun-tries, it will be "premature" to saythere is a direct correlation.

"Large-scale epidemiologi-cal studies need to be conduct-ed before we can draw any con-clusion on this link, as suggest-ed by the study," he told PTI.

The lung surgeon conjec-tured that as far as India and itsdemography is concerned,there is a possibility that "wehave developed a betterimmune system to this virusthrough prior infections" whichpeople in the western countriesmay not have been exposed too.

"Besides, their are other con-founding factors like lockdownimposed in India by the govern-ment when the infection was instage 2. And there is a possibil-ity that a less virulent strain ofCOVID-19 is in circulation inIndia," Kumar said.

PNS n KOLKATA

The West Bengal governmenton Thursday announced thatall students studying in Class1 to 8 will be automatically pro-moted to the next class in viewof the emergent situation dueto coronavirus outbreak.

Education minister ParthaChatterjee told reporters onThursday the School Educa-tion department has decidedthere will be no detention ofstudents from class 1 to 8.

"The department is passingon instruction to the schools(state-run and state-aided) tofully enforce the 'no detention'policy in all institutions forthose studying up to the eighthstandard, in view of the presentsituation," Chatterjee said.

The School Educationdepartment had ordered the

closure of all educational insti-tutions from March 16 due tothe coronavirus pandemic.

This resulted in suspension orinordinate delay in holding classexams in different schools apartfrom suspension of classes.

Chatterjee said theEducation department is work-ing on a mechanism to ensure

classes from nine to 12 can beheld "with the help of technol-ogy (net), mail and throughvideo conferencing."

"We want to ensure classes canbe held through modern tech-nology. We are working on themechanism. We will roll it outafter getting the consent of CMMamata Banerjee," he said.

Presently many privateschools, under ICSE and CBSEcurriculum, are already holdingonline classes from classes 5 to12.On April 1, Union HRDMinistry directed the CentralBoard of Secondary Education(CBSE) to promote all studentsof classes 1 to 8 to the next classin view of the situation due to thecoronavirus outbreak in thecountry.

WB students of Class 1 to 8 will beautomatically promoted to next class

A whopping 15 lakh people live insmall shanties dotting the narrowbylanes of Dharavi, making it one ofthe most congested areas of the city

BCG-COVID STUDY:

Large-scaleepidemiologicalresearch needed

PNS n NEW DELHI

Prime Minister NarendraModi on Thursday told chiefministers that to check thespread of the novel coron-avirus, testing, tracing, isola-tion and quarantine shouldremain the focus in the nextfew weeks. Interacting withthem through video confer-ence, he said it is necessary toensure availability of separateand dedicated hospital facili-ties for COVID-19 patients.

Modi told the chief minis-

ters that it is important to for-mulate a common exit strate-gy to ensure the staggered re-emergence of the populationonce the lockdown ends, anofficial statement said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Delhi Police on Thursdayarrested a student of JamiaMilia Islamia for allegedlyhatching a conspiracy to incitecommunal riots in northeastDelhi, officials said.

Meeran Haider (35), a PhDstudent at Jamia, is the presidentof RJD youth wing's Delhi unit,sources said.

On Wednesday at 10 am,Haider was called for interroga-tion by the Special Cell at theirLodhi Colony office and wassubsequently arrested, the offi-cials said. Rajya Sabha MP andRJD leader Manoj Jha tweeted,"Delhi Police called him forinvestigation and then receivedorders from above and arrestedMeeran Haider, who has beenhelping people during the timeof coronavirus outbreak."

Chhatra RJD unit of JNU also

demanded the release of Haiderand said the police shouldbecome 'people-friendly' andnot scare people. The JamiaCoordination Committee (JCC),a group comprising studentsand alumni from the varsity, con-demned the arrest and demand-ed his immediate release.

"The country is facing a mas-sive health crisis, however, thestate machinery is busy harass-ing and framing student activistsin false cases to suppress voices

of dissent," they said.The JCC said Haider was

diligently working to provideration to the needy during thelockdown.

"The JCC demands that hemust be immediately released asall charges against him are base-less," they said. In February, thenortheast part of the nationalcapital was rocked with violencewhich claimed at least 53 livesand several got injured.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Health Ministry onThursday asked state andUnion territories to identifyand earmark at least onehemodialysis facility with ade-quate number of machines,trained staff and other supportequipment as a preparatoryfixed-point dialysis unit incase of rise of COVID-19 epi-demic.

In its 'Guidelines for Dialysisof COVID-19 patients', theministry said health depart-ments may issue directives todistrict administrations allow-ing easy movements of suchpatients, accompanied by oneattendant, to a dialysis facility.

The number of COVID-19cases climbed to 1,965 in thecountry on Thursday while thedeath toll rose to 50, accordingto the Union Health Ministry.

It said the government-runtransport system should bearranged for those who do nothave private vehicles.

The ministry said COVID-19, a disease caused by a novel

coronavirus (SARS CoV-2), iscurrently a pandemic, whichproduces high morbidity in theelderly and in patients withassociated comorbidities.

"Chronic kidney diseasestage-5 patients on dialysis arealso vulnerable group becauseof their existing comorbidities,repeated unavoidable expo-sure to hospital environmentand immunosuppressed state...These patients are therefore notonly more prone to acquireinfection but also developsevere diseases as compared to

general population," it said.The guidelines stressed that

patients on regular dialysisshould adhere to prescribedschedule and not miss theirdialysis sessions to avoid anyemergency dialysis.

The guidelines outlined thatdialysis units should have asignboard posted prominent-ly in the local language as wellas Hindi and English askingpatients to report any fever,coughing or breathing problemin dialysis unit and waitingarea.

All hemodialysis unitsshould educate their personnel,including nephrologists, nurs-es, technicians, other staff andall patients undergoing treat-ment along with their care-givers about COVID-19, itsaid.

All universal precautionsmust be strictly followed andall staff members should strict-ly follow hand hygiene, theguidelines stated, adding med-ical and support staff treatinginfected patients should bemonitored for COVID-19infection at the dialysis facili-ty and should take necessaryaction if found infected.

The ministry recommendedthat dialysis units should havea designated screening area,where patients can be screenedfor COVID-19 before allowingthem to enter inside dialysisarea.

It said the screening areashould have adequate space toimplement social distancingbetween patients and accom-panying persons while waitingfor dialysis staff.

Health Ministry issues guidelinesfor dialysis of COVID-19 patients

Security concerns with video conferencing app ZoomPNS n MUMBAI

Security concerns with popularvideo conferencing app, Zoom,came to light during a mediabriefing by television bodyBARC on Thursday.

The Broadcast AudienceResearch Council (BARC),which was hosting a virtual con-ference to inform people aboutTV and smartphone consump-tion trends amid the lockdown,was forced to stop the briefingmidway because of the "hacking"

episode. Lockdowns across theworld due to the COVID-19pandemic, which have forcedprofessionals in the service sec-tor across the world to workfrom home, have resulted in theapp being the most popular wayof conducting meetings.

Zoom has seen a spike indownloads and usage, butexperts have been repeatedlypointing out to security riskswith the app.

The Computer EmergencyResponse Team of India (CERT-

In), the national agency to com-bat cyberattacks and guardingthe cyberspace, said theunguarded usage of the digital

application can be vulnerable tocyberattacks, including leakageof sensitive information to cybercriminals.

"The Zoom meeting plat-form got hacked and as a result,we had to end the meetingurgently," said an e-mail fromthe organisers.

According to reports, therewere 600 users on the confer-ence when the incident hap-pened.

The hackers are likely to havehad taken over the controls

resting with the hosts, defacedthe slides which were beingshown and played variousvideos, according to the reports.

In its advisory, CERT-In hassuggested some measures forenhancing the security of Zoommeetings including keeping theZoom software patched andup-to-date and always set strong,difficult-to-guess and uniquepasswords for all meetings andwebinars. The BARC confer-ence has been rescheduled for alater time in the evening.

TN CM pitchesfor CentralsupportPNS n CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister KPalaniswami on Thursdaypitched for Central govern-ment support to the state's ini-tiatives tied to coronaviruspandemic like prevention andrelief measures during hismeet with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi through videoconferencing. Palaniswami, inthe second such meeting con-vened by the Prime Ministerto discuss ways to check thespread of coronavirus with allChief Ministers, detailed theinitiatives being pursued by hisgovernment in thwarting thecontagion in Tamil Naduwhich occupies the third slotin the country in terms of thetotal number of infections.

As many as 110 new caseswere reported in 15 districts ofthe State on April 1 bringingthe total count to 234. A briefrelease here said Palaniswamidetailed Modi "about the pre-ventive and relief measuresbeing pursued by the state gov-ernment and the Central helpneeded for such initiatives."

This resulted insuspension orinordinate delayin holding classexams in differentschools apartfrom suspensionof classes

Jamia student arrested inconnection with Delhi violence

PNS n GUWAHATI

Two persons attacked a mag-istrates vehicle and injuredhis driver in Assams Bajalidistrict when the officer wasenforcing the lockdown in amarket on Thursday, policesaid. The two who pelted themagistrates vehicle withstones injuring the driverwere arrested.

The vehicle was also dam-aged. The incident occurredwhen the magistrate was clos-ing down shops at the marketin Bhabanipur area, whichwere open during the lock-down imposed to containthe COVID-19 outbreak,police said.

Security personnel reachedthe area and intensifiedpatrolling. The total numberof coronavirus cases in Assamis 16 so far.

Magistratecar attackedin Assam

Bihar official suspendedfor roping in quacksPNS n PATNA

An overzealous medical officerin Bihar ended up being sus-pended for floating the idea thatthe fight against coronaviruspandemic be ramped up byroping in quacks. The Biharhealth department in its sus-pension order Wednesday,rapped Ashesh Kumar, the civilsurgeon of Siwan district, forissuing a circular to the effect on

March 25 last, screenshots ofwhich had gone viral on thesocial media. In the notification,whereby Kumar has been sus-pended with immediate effectand attached to the office of aspecial secretary here, the offi-cial has been pulled up forundermining the state govern-ments efforts by calling forroping in "jhola chhaap doctors"(quacks) which was "againstmedical protocol".

Chhatra RJD unit ofJNU also demandedthe release of Haiderand said the policeshould become'people-friendly' andnot scare people

Interacting with them throughvideo conference, he said itis necessary to ensureavailability of separate anddedicated hospital facilitiesfor COVID-19 patients

Testing, tracing, shouldbe focus: PM tells CMs

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | APRIL 3, 2020 nation 05SHORT READS

'CMs should askreligious leaders toavoid large gatherings'MUMBAI: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on Thursdayaccepted Maharashtra ChiefMinister's suggestion thatreligious leaders should beasked to refrain from holdinglarge gatherings. Thackeraymade the suggestion during avideo conference with Modi inthe morning, the ChiefMinister's Office (CMO) said.Modi held a video conferencewith all chief ministers todiscuss ways to check thespread of coronavirus. Theprime minister acceptedThackeray's suggestion andasked allchief ministers tospeak to religious leaders fromtheir respective states and askthem to tell the communitymembers about the need forsocial distancing and avoidinglarge gatherings, the CMO saidin a statement. Modi alsosupported Thackeray's viewthat citizens need to be in goodmental health during thelockdown period, it said. StateHealth minister Rajesh Tope,Home Minister Anil Deshmukh,Tourism Minister AadityaThackeray and seniorbureaucrats also attended thevideo conference.

Tiger mauls man todeath at MP'sBandhavgarh Reserve

Kargil man testspositive for covid-19LEH/JAMMU: A man fromKargil has tested positive forcoronavirus and efforts arebeing made to trace all hiscontacts, a senior official saidon Thursday. "The test of oneperson has arrived. He ispositive. The person belongs toSanjak area of Chitan belt ofKargil", Commissioner (Health)Rigzin Samphel told reporters.The infected person is alreadyin quarantine in a hospital, hesaid. Teams of health workersheaded by a block medicalofficer (BMO) have been sent tothe area of Sanjak-Chitan tofind out his contacts and takeurgent action, he said. "Wecame to know that he had alsovisited Achanathang area ofKargil. We have sent a team tothat area to find his contacts,"he said. While the man has nohistory of foreign travel, he hadcome in contact with pilgrimsfrom Iran, he added.

UMARIA (MP): A man diedafter being attacked by a tigerat a village in MadhyaPradesh's Bandhavgarh TigerReserve (BTR) on Thursday, aforest official said. ChintamaniBaiga (40) was mauled to deathby a tiger when he stepped outto relieve himself in the earlyhours of Thursday at Gohanivillage, BTR's sub-divisionalOfficer (SDO) Anil Shukla said.Baiga was posted as awatchman at the Gohani villagecamp of the forest patrollingparty, he said. When villagersraised an alarm, the big cat leftBaiga at a distance and fled thescene, the SDO said, addingthat the victim had already diedof severe injuries by then.

Chronicles of death not foretoldin coronavirus daysPNS n NEW DELHI

As a kind of hush settles deep-er across the expanse of Indiaand thousands of towns and vil-lages shut down to ward off apandemic, life goes on as it must– and so does death.

In times of social distancing,thousands of people are dyingalone without a last glimpse oftheir loved ones who are unableto reach them. Mourning, too,is about isolation with noextended family, friends or evenneighbours to share your griefin person. In a dystopian pre-sent, imagined as a distantfuture only in fiction perhaps,the affluent and connected aremourning with each otherthrough video conferencing andattending virtual funerals.Others, in villages and townswithout easy access to technol-ogy, are left to grieve, alone withtheir thoughts and no one tohelp with the healing process.

Delhi-based journalist RitikaJain, who lost her her 85-year-old grandfather in Palitana,Gujarat, during the 21-day lock-down, which began on March24 to curtail the spread of thecoronavirus, couldn't get tomeet him that one last time.

Her father managed to takethe last flight from Mumbai toBhavnagar just before the lock-

down came into force but noneof the others could. They attend-ed the funeral through theZoom mobile application.

"In the evening, the entirefamily met virtually throughZoom, paid last respects to mygrandfather and consoled eachother," Jain said as the numberof COVID-19 cases crossed1,900 with 50 fatalities.

Actor Sanjay Suri did thesame when his wife lost hergrandmother.

“… it was so strange attend-ing a funeral via Zoom. Strangetimes!” he wrote on Twitter.

With governments limitingthe number of people who canattend a funeral to 20 or less, noway to travel from one city toanother and passes needed toleave the house, deaths havebecome complicated beyond

belief. And the emotional trau-ma is just one of the many thingsto deal with.

When 77-year old Kesavan,who lives in a Chennai suburb,heard news of the death of his94-year old mother at his sib-ling's home in a distant cornerof the city, his first thought wasthe commute. Finally, he toldPTI, he just left home withoutwaiting for the pass.

"The spectre of coronavirus ishorrible as it punishes eventhose who are not affected,”added K Veeraraghavan, alsofrom Chennai, who lost hisfather recently. No members ofthe family could join the crema-tion.

Funerals have always been atime for social bonding inIndian society. But not anymore with crematoriums and

burial grounds strictly limitingthe number of people allowed.

According to Rakesh Kapoor,caretaker of the Shamshan Ghat(Mukti Dham) in Punjab'sLudhiana town, the number ofpeople at a cremation havecome down sharply from 100 tojust 20. “As soon as the bodyarrives, we allow people to paytheir last respects for just one ortwo minutes and then start theprocess of performing last rites,”he said.

In Haryana, too, rules arebeing strictly followed.

Sukhbir Singh, fromGorakhpur village in the state,lost his uncle to cancer recent-ly and said the family followedall the regulations.

But it all came at an emotion-

al cost. "The kind of supportone gets from friends, neigh-bours and relatives is not therethese days due to the restric-tions," he said.

For many families, the lock-down has also meant coming toterms with the fact that every-thing cannot go as they hadalways planned.

In Odisha, for instance, manyHindus believe that those cre-mated in Swargadhar in Puriwill get moksha.

On normal days, about 60bodies are cremated atSwargadwar each day, said BjayKumar Das of the PuriMunicipality. But this has comedown to less than 10.

B Dhai, from Banki village inCuttack, went to Swargadhar forhis mother's last rites in accor-dance with her last wishes anda handful of family membersaccompanied the hearse to theseaside town.

However, the post death rit-uals have been done away with.

Church leaders are beingequally strict. “Normally, over100 people are present at theburial ground during funeral ofany member of our communi-ty. However, we will have toreduce the number to less than20 during this 21-day period,”said Paresh Das of the Churchof Christ in Bhubaneswar.

PNS n NEW DELHI

When over the counter parac-etamols did not help abateDelhi-based Ankur Tiwari'slow-grade fever, sore throatand breathlessness, he triedcalling up the COVID-19helplines to check if he need-ed to get tested for the fatalvirus, but to no avail.

"The numbers were eitherbusy or did not connect at all.I waited for over half an houron a single call, but it neverconnected," Tiwari told PTI.

The two helpline numbersthat the 46-year-old teacherhad tried calling were — 011-22307145 (Delhi govt) and 011-23978046 (central govt), both ofwhich he took down from theaudio message that plays on thephone before making a call.

"Eventually, I had to go to alocal doctor, who has assured

me that I have nothing morethan seasonal flu," he said.

Tiwari is among the manypeople who have raised con-cerns, especially in the last twoweeks when the number ofpositive COVID-19 cases inthe country started spiking,about the allegedly non-func-tional helpline numbers issuedby the central and state gov-ernments.

As on Thursday, at least1,965 people in the country areinfected with coronavirus while50 have died due to the disease.

Over a month back, the cen-tral and the state governmentsset up 24X7 helplines toanswer people's queries onnovel coronavirus, includingwhen, how and where oneshould get tested in case theyhave symptoms like coughing,fever, shortness of breath, andvomiting.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The suspension of flights inIndia due to the coronavirusoutbreak has led to a 60 percent decline in the availabilityof meteorological data relayedby aircraft, Ministry of EarthSciences Secretary M Rajeevansaid on Thursday.

He told PTI that due to thereduction of air traffic acrossthe world, the crucial meteoro-logical data shared with air traf-fic controls by planes has gonedown by 50-60 per cent glob-ally. The air traffic controls inturn share data with meteoro-logical organisations.

A scientist dealing with theaircraft relay data said theinformation is run in twomodels in India – the UKMeT office model and US'Noaa model – for coming outwith forecasts.

"It does affect the quality offorecast, but then there are

other sets of data that are usedto forecast to bridge the gap,"the scientist, who works withone of the institutions underthe Ministry of Earth Sciences,added.

India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) DirectorGeneral M Mohapatra saidthe data shared by the flights isused in forecast models, espe-cially in the medium range inpredicting weather over the

span of 10 days.He said the airlines across

the globe share data with airtraffic controls, which in turnshare data with meteorologicalorganisations.

"The aircraft are fitted withmeteorological equipment thatmeasure the temperature, airspeed and humidity. The air-craft shares the observation onthe route it takes," Mohapatrasaid.

He said the data is importantas all the measurements aretaken directly unlike the onefrom satellites which have to beconverted through differentmodels.

Since meteorological phe-nomena is inter-linked, datafrom different parts of theglobe is crucial in weatherpredictions.

According to the WorldMeteorological Department,the idea of making meteorolog-ical and other scientific atmos-pheric measurements from air-craft is nearly as old as aviationitself, but it is only in the late1980s that the Aircraft

Meteorological Data Relay(AMDAR) observing systemcommenced as an operationalprogramme sanctioned byWMO.

"AMDAR and other air-craft-based observations pro-vide an improvement in fore-casting ability through a reduc-tion in NWP forecast error ofup to 15-20," the WMO statedon its website.

A 21-day lockdown wasannounced by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi on March 24 tofight the coronavirus outbreak.Since then all flight services inthe country have been sus-pended.

Meteorological data relayed by aircraft goesdown by 60% due to suspension of flights

A scientist dealing with the aircraftrelay data said the information is runin two models in India – the UK MeToffice model and US' Noaa model – forcoming out with forecasts

Coronavirus helplineseither busy orunreachable: Users

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Union Health Ministry onThursday said it has identified 20existing and 22 potential hotspotsof COVID-19 in the country andasserted that although there is noevidence of widespread commu-nity transmission, containmentmeasures will require largehuman resource.

The ministry said this in anadvisory on human resourcemanagement of COVID-19 toprovide guidance to the states onmanpower that can be mobilizedfor the management of the dis-ease along with possible roleassignments and their trainingrequirements.

"Although there is no evidenceto widespread community trans-mission, 20 existing and 22potential hotspots have been

identified. The containmentmeasures to break the cycle oftransmission and clinical man-agement of those affected wouldrequire large human resource,"it said in the document.

The advisory stressed oncapacity building, saying identi-fied human resource needs to betrained online using online train-ing programs developed by the

ministry. The training for differ-ent target groups shall cover areaslike field surveillance, contacttracing, sampling, packagingand shipment of specimen, hos-pital infection prevention andcontrol, including use of appro-priate PPEs and biomedicalwaste management, clinical casemanagement including ventila-tor management, training on

managing quarantine and isola-tion facilities and communitybased training in pyscho socialcare, the document said.

The ministry advised states toidentify and designate a nodalofficer for training who willcoordinate all these activities.

For COVID-19 management,it advised the district administra-tion to pool-in the requisitehuman resources who would stayin the containment zone tillsuch operations are over.

"For isolation areas, in addi-tion to training, all hospital staff,dentists and AYUSH practition-ers available should also betrained. Retired doctors andother healthcare professionalsshould be identified to work innon-COVID areas in hospitals incase of emergencies," the adviso-ry stated.

Min identifies 20 existing, 22 potential hotspotsNCC offers to join thefight against CovidPNS n NEW DELHI

The NCC has offered the ser-vices of it cadets from across thecountry to join India's fightagainst coronavirus, the defenceministry said on Thursday.

At least 1,965 cases ofCOVID-19 have been report-ed till date in the country and50 people have died due to it.

"The National Cadet Corps(NCC) has offered a helpinghand to civilian authorities in thecountry's fight against COVID-19 by extending the services ofcadets under 'Exercise NCCYogdan'," the defence ministrysaid in a statement.

So far nearly 47,000 seniorNCC cadets have volunteeredpan-India, a senior official said.

Employment of volunteerNCC cadets will be based onrequisition from state govern-ment and district administra-tion, the statement said. "TheNCC has issued guidelines fortemporary employment of itscadets to augment relief effortsand functioning of variousagencies involved in battling thepandemic," it added.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Top Congress leaders onThursday discussed the situa-tion arising out of the coron-avirus outbreak, with partychief Sonia Gandhi criticisingthe Centre for "unplanned"implementation of the lock-down and calling for "solidar-ity" in meeting the challengeposed by the pandemic.

Besides Sonia Gandhi, for-mer prime ministerManmohan Singh, formerCongress chief Rahul Gandhiand other senior leaders dis-cussed the health crisis at ameeting of the CongressWorking Committee (CWC)held through video confer-encing.

Addressing the meeting,Sonia Gandhi said the countryis in the midst of an unprece-dented health and humanitar-ian crisis that has caused"untold suffering" across theworld but also "reaffirmed thebonds of brotherhood" that

unite humanity."The magnitude of the chal-

lenge before us is daunting butour resolve to overcome itmust be greater," she said.

She said in India, the poorand disadvantaged have beenmost vulnerable to the conse-quences of the pandemic. "Wemust come together for theirsake and do all we can to sup-port them through the difficultdays that lie ahead," she said.

Describing as "heartbreak-ing" the sight of lakhs of peo-ple walking for hundreds ofkilometres without food orshelter, she criticised the gov-ernment for its "unplanned"implementation of the nation-wide lockdown and causinghardships to the poor.

Top Cong leaders criticise govtfor insufficient measures

PNS n NEW DELHI

Air India is planning to conductmultiple special flights toLondon between April 4 andApril 7 to fly out foreignersstranded in the country amid thelockdown to combat the spreadof coronavirus, said senior offi-cials on Thursday.

India is under a 21-day lock-down till April 14 and all domes-tic and international commercialpassenger flights have been sus-pended for this time period.

However, cargo flights andflights specially permitted by theaviation regulator DGCA canoperate during this time period.

Senior Air India officials saidthe national carrier will conductfour flights on Delhi-London

route between April 4 and 7.The officials added that the

national career will also be con-ducting flights on Mumbai-London route on April 5 andApril 7. When asked if theseflights to London from India willbring back Indians on theirreturn, a senior Air India officialresponded, "It is unlikely. As perthe plan till now, these flights willreturn empty from London".

In a letter to Civil AviationMinister Hardeep Singh Puri onMonday, one of the airline's pilotunions had alleged that crewmembers of Air India are beingprovided with substandard, ill-fit-ting and flimsy personal protec-tive equipment (PPE) on flightsthat are being operated amidcoronavirus pandemic to eitherbring Indians from abroad ortake foreigners to their countries.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Air India on Thursday tem-porarily suspended the con-tracts of around 200 employeesincluding pilots, who were re-employed after retirement, as alldomestic and internationalcommercial passenger flightshave been suspended in thecountry till April 14 to curb theCOVID-19 pandemic, officialsaid. "Since almost all the planeshave been grounded and thecarrier's revenues have taken asignificant fall during the lastfew weeks, the airline has decid-ed to temporarily suspend thecontract of around 200 employ-ees including pilots who werere-employed after their retire-ment," said the official.

AIIMS' doctor tests positive?PNS n NEW DELHI

A senior resident doctor ofAIIMS, Delhi has tested positivefor COVID-19, official sourcesconfirmed on Thursday.

The doctor from thePhysiology Department hasnow been admitted to the newprivate ward of the hospitaland all those who had come incontact with him are beingscreened and advised home-quarantine accordingly.

The family members of thedoctor will also be screenedand their samples will be test-ed, official sources said,adding further contact-tracinghas been initiated.

The source of the infectionis yet to be ascertained but offi-cial sources said the doctordoes not have any foreigntravel history so far.

Two resident doctors of theCentre-run SafdarjungHospital in Delhi also havetested positive for COVID-19,besides two doctors of twoDelhi government-run hospi-tals who have also tested pos-

itive for the coronavirus infec-tion, they said.

One of the SafdarjungHospital doctors, who is partof the team treating COVID-19 patients at the hospital, isbelieved to have contracted thedisease during the course ofduty, the sources had said.

The other medico, a femaleresident doctor who is a third-year post-graduate student ofBiochemistry Department, hadrecently travelled abroad, theyhad said.

Both of them showed symp-toms of COVID-19 and their

test results came out positivetwo days ago. They are nowundergoing treatment at theisolation ward of SafdarjungHospital.

"All doctors and staff whohad come in contact withthem have been tested and sofar nobody else has been foundpositive for coronavirus infec-tion," said sources.

At Sardar Patel Hospital andDelhi State Cancer Institute(DSCI) too, a doctor each hastested positive for the coron-avirus infection, the sourceshad said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The Press Information Bureau'sCOVID-19 Fact Check Unit(FCU) became operational onThursday. The unit is headedby the bureau's director gener-al, Nitin Wakankar, a statementissued by the PIB said. The PIBon Wednesday had set up aportal to check facts related tothe novel coronavirus pan-demic. It will receive messagesby email and will send aresponse in a stipulated time-frame. The official version ofany news on COVID-19 can beobtained from the unit, thestatement said.

PIB's COVID-19Fact Check Unitbecomesoperational

Air India suspendscontract of 200employees

AI to conduct special flights to Londonto fly out stranded foreigners

"In the evening,the entire familymet virtuallythrough Zoom,paid last respectsto my grandfatherand consoled eachother," Jain said asthe number ofCOVID-19 casescrossed 1,900 with50 fatalities

The advisorystressed on capacitybuilding, sayingidentified humanresource needs to betrained online usingonline trainingprograms developedby the ministry

Among the vast numbers of pic-tures starkly reflecting the real-ity of the utter deprivationand difficulties confrontingthe migrants trying to reach the

safety of their own homes, there was onethat truly encapsulates the tragedy. It wasaptly captioned as: “Bharat meets India.”There can be no two opinions that at thistime of great peril, India once again letdown Bharat, the colloquial euphemism forthose vast numbers who inhabit the hin-terland. While the labourers may beblamed for having panicked, that would beexcusable given the limited amount ofinformation made public by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi when heannounced a nationwide lockdown for 21days on March 24.

It can be debated as to who should beblamed for this avoidable tragedy but whatcannot be disputed is the fact that theimplementation of the Prime Minister’sdirective was poorly organised with littleor no cooperation among variousMinistries or States. And for this, bureau-crats, who are the final arbitrators of howthings should proceed, must take a majorshare of the blame. The situation was nothelped in any way by Union MinisterPrakash Javadekar’s asinine tweet about theGovernment’s decision to screen theRamayana on public demand. As usual, thepolice were left to muddle through, whichby and large they did at their incompetentbest; though examples of exemplary behav-iour on the part of some personnel mustbe appreciated.

While the scale of these heart-rendingscenes is only a small fraction of whatoccurred, they are still reminiscent of thePartition and the refugee crisis. Most of uswould be aware that the communal riotsprior to the Partition left millions of peo-ple dead or homeless, forcing the minor-ity community, from both sides of thenewly demarcated borders, to migrate withwhat little they could salvage. However,what most of us would not be aware of isthe fact that former Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru and MA Jinnah movedquickly to handle this tragedy and estab-lished an ad hoc Military EvacuationOrganisation (MEO) in September 1947,under Maj Gen Chimni. The body func-tioned for just three months and did yeo-man service. It was responsible for escort-ing Muslim refugees from India to Pakistanand Hindu refugees from Pakistan toIndia. Within that period, it escorted 85lakh refugees, providing them with not justsecure passage but also arranging fortheir transportation, food, campsites andmedical support, a far cry from what wewitnessed recently. This clearly shows thelevel to which our political leadership andadministrative capabilities have sunk.

Notwithstanding the fact that a nation-wide lockdown was inevitable, given our

distinct set of challenges, if wewere to have any hope of con-trolling the virus, it still requiredimmense courage and deci-siveness on the part of thePrime Minister to have goneahead with it, at the time he did.Though, instead of just exhor-tations to follow his directions,it may have been more appro-priate to have treated his listen-ers as adults and laid out theline of thought that was guid-ing his decision-making and thelikely future course of action.

In democracies, citizensabhor autocratic behaviour andgenerally tend to show displea-sure by exhibiting disobedi-ence. That, unfortunately, alongwith ignorance on the part ofsome and a complete disregardfor social norms by those whoshould have known better,resulted in the measures beingimplemented as envisioned.

In this context, the actionof religious groups and politi-cal leaders organising largegatherings is condemnable. Inaddition, one has no choice butto cater to the average citizens’excessive reliance on fate. Thishas, in turn, rendered us morevulnerable to the onslaught ofthe virus. The fact is that evenwithout these hiccups, theGovernment already has anextremely challenging taskahead. Its response to thespread of the virus is based on

data. No matter how accurateit may be, it is a minimum oftwo weeks behind, given the lagbetween an individual becom-ing infected, the emergence ofthe symptom and the diagno-sis finally being confirmed.

Having realised that it hasnot been fully effective in pre-venting the community spreadof the virus, the Governmentnow faces the dilemma of howto proceed ahead even as thetime for the lockdown to be lift-ed approaches. Conventionalwisdom suggests theGovernment can hardly affordto do so as there’s a possibilitythat cases may spike, HongKong and Singapore beingrecent examples.

On the other hand, it alsocannot afford to let the lock-down continue indefinitelygiven the impact such an actionwould have on the country’seconomy. Thus, one reasonableoption would be for theGovernment to lift the lock-down in a graduated manner,district wise. This wouldrequire identifying “hotspots,”from where the virus seems tobe spreading, and keepingthose areas in complete isola-tion while opening up activityin other areas that appear to befree of the virus. To make thishappen, it is essential to scaleup our testing apparatus andtracking capabilities, along with

following strict isolationnorms. The fact is that till now,testing has been poorly handledby the nodal agency responsi-ble, the Indian Council ofMedical Research. This needsimmediate rectification.

Of course, there are somewho believe that for a countrywhich lost approximately sixmillion people to the Spanishflu and three million to theBengal famine, numbers meanlittle. We should, therefore, getback to business as usual andhope for the best, much in themanner in which Japan hasbeen acting till recently.

There’s also the speculationthat high temperatures mayactually impact the spread ofthe virus. A case in point isAustralia, which is in its sum-mer season and where theGovernment has been able tocontrol the spread of the virusdespite a disjointed effort inthis direction. This suggeststhat if we are willing to takesome risks, we could go withthe gradual lifting of the lock-down, increasing the pace ofopening up as ambient temper-atures rise.

Whatever decisions he maytake, Prime Minister Modifinds himself in an unenviableposition of being damned if hedoes and damned if he doesnot. There is also no gettingaway from the fact that our

administrative machinery isin a state of disrepair. Grossneglect and misgovernance ofthe past 70 years have led to thepresent situation. There’s aneed for the presentGovernment to greatly up itsgame if it is to remain in con-trol of the outcomes.

Finally, it also stands to rea-son that we cannot get back toour bad old ways. The involun-tary improvement in pollu-tion levels that have occurredbecause of the lockdown mustnot be frittered away in thename of economic progress.We must give sustainable devel-opment more than just lip ser-vice. Undoubtedly, in the longterm, we will also have toaddress the weakness in ouradministrative and police infra-structure to make them moreeffective, efficient and decen-tralised.

More importantly, we mustlook at our primary and sec-ondary education syllabi andintroduce changes that willgive much more importance todeveloping social responsibil-ity and character building.Without attention, how can weever develop responsible citi-zens in the future?

(The writer, a military vet-eran is a Consultant with ORFand a Senior Visiting Fellowwith The Peninsula Foundation,Chennai)

The length of the men’s tennis season atWimbledon is one that is often debated and thereseems to be a general acceptance that it is

undoubtedly the longest when compared with otherforms of team sports. Wimbledon is not just a cham-pionship, it is a culture. But in all the eeriness of theCoronavirus, this sporting event, too, has fallen vic-tim like other games and championships. Everybodyunderstands the need to prioritise public health butthe regret is more about not getting back to the con-

stancies that have so far defined our lives as we knew it. It was, perhaps, thebiggest blow that the oldest Grand Slam tournament, one that has maintainedcontinuity ever since it was first held in 1877 with the exceptions of World War-I and World War-II, suffered when its leaders unanimously announced not a post-ponement but the rescheduling of the event for June next year. But the cancel-lation was inevitable. Some may argue that the decision came too early with thegame scheduled for May and the UK Government yet to review restrictions butthe organisers took the right call by giving certainty to the players than the gameitself. Yes, with global sporting events receding on account of the present cri-sis, the news that there will be no Wimbledon this year will jolt many fans andathletes as well. Millions of spectators will miss the classic final between RogerFederer and Novak Djokovic, unending rallies by champions and traditional del-icacies like strawberries and cream. Of course, players, for whom rankings dependon their form and performance, stand to lose the most, especially when it is amatter of prowess on the grass court. Eight-time Wimbledon champion RogerFederer took to Twitter to express his shock and could do so with a one-liner,“devastated.” An equally devastated seven-time Wimbledon singles championSerena Williams, too, expressed it with a one-liner, “I’m shocked.”

With age not on their side, it remains unclear if Federer and Serena wouldstill be playing when Wimbledon resumes in 2021. Federer is almost 40 nowand with the Wimbledon cancelled this year, he stands to lose an opportuni-ty to add the 20th slam to his well-decorated cap. Serena, 39 right now, remainsstuck with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, just one step away from equalling thatof Margaret Court’s record. In the midst of all this, the only succour is that thegame will still manage to maintain its relevance, prestige and financial clout.Unlike other sporting events, Wimbledon may not face any monetary rout forthe decision came well ahead. Besides, it has an extensive insurance policythat would guard it against the global pandemic.

The Coronavirus spiral was inevitable butnow that it is squeezing health infrastruc-ture and medical care staff, we are bat-

tling a second front of the disease, when itattacks the preparedness. Doctors and care-givers from around the country have com-plained, even threatened to go on strike,because they do not have enough personalprotective equipment (PPE), namely coveralls,gloves, goggles, masks and so on. There havebeen reports of frontline staff making use ofraincoats and anything else that they can lay

their hands on. The lockdown and the migration of labour have meant that eventhose manufacturing these essential gear are not being able to roll them out atbreakneck speed. Though there is no dearth of Indian innovation — like the Punevirologist’s version of the test kits, IITs’ collective efforts to roll out apparatus oreven car companies’ offer to make ventilators — the fact of the matter is theseare all small-scale efforts. What is needed is a massive rollout, which, becauseof policy hurdles, delay in placing orders and over-dependence, like the West,on China for crucial components, has been halted badly. Even the contracts beinghandled by domestic companies are of a small to middling nature, with no capa-bilities to scale up output. It would be easy enough to attribute the scarcity to aglobal trend, arguing all countries battling the Coronavirus are facing it as well.But we didn’t plan it as well with the Government ordering PPEs just before thelockdown. Safety wear would now need at least three weeks to be readied domes-tically, considering imports are not that reliable with most infected countries depen-dent on factory floors in China and Southeast Asia. China has just about emergedafter the first wave of the virus and its manufacturing prowess is still not 100per cent. The Government could also not have exported 90 tonnes of medicalequipment and safety gear to Serbia at this time of a national emergency, con-firmed by a tweet from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)though denied by the Health Ministry. Leave aside N95, even the triple layer sur-gical masks are not available for healthcare staff. There is also the issue of facil-itating working capital for these units in the time of lockdown. As for chemicalsand disinfectants, India has been dependent on China for critical intermediategoods and components. With so much dependence on China, particularly forraw materials, it is difficult to find easy replacements.

As we ride this unprecedented World War III, that literally came from nowhereand hit us before we could realise it, what should be the road looking ahead?Simply prioritise our health sector and go back to home-grown drug and healthequipment manufacturing. They were there before but globalisation meant theseunits were sidelined and lost out on the cost advantage to cheaper imports. Andnow that the virus may spur the process of de-globalisation as it were, we needto begin with crucial sectors that impact national safety, health and well-being.Immediately after Wuhan, the Government drew up a list of 38 drug raw mate-rials that it wants locally produced to end the country’s dependence on Chineseimports. Some of our key life-saving drugs, including those for cardio-vascu-lar issues, use active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which are solely sourcedfrom China. Indian drugmakers import around 70 per cent of their total bulk drugsfrom there. Now there is no time for committees, policy or pondering. There isalready a Make in India wishlist suggesting ways to make India one of the topfive medical devices manufacturing hubs in the world. Most domestic manu-facturers have in pre-crisis days shut their idling units and become importersand traders themselves. We have ignored an industry that could have helped usstave off this crisis. What else explains that though there are 1,000 domesticmedical devices manufacturers, only 15 have a turnover of above `200 croreand the rest are less than `10 crore. If they are to scale up, then they need anenabling ecosystem, a level-playing field vis-a-vis imports and assured volumes.The last won’t be difficult given India’s huge market for healthcare, projected tobe the fourth largest in Asia. Post-Corona, the demand is not expected to dipbut rise. This way we can easily end our import dependence by 70-90 per cent.And be self-sufficient in the time of unforeseen crisis.

Our own safety net

Selective amnesia

Sir — Over the last two days,there has been much shouting inthe media regarding the gather-ing at the Markaz building inNizamuddin. As per reports,some positive cases of COVID-19were found there, which led to thewhole debate on the gathering offoreigners in the Markaz. Beforepassing any judgment on theevent in Markaz, it is necessary toknow when and why peoplegathered there and why they didnot evacuate the place after acomplete lockdown wasannounced.

The truth is that Markaz is aplace where people from aroundthe globe come and stay. OnMarch 22, without prior notice,the countrywide lockdown wasimposed and Prime MinisterNarendra Modi asked every-body not to cross the lakshmanrekha of their homes. TheMarkaz authority also followedit, besides informing the nearestpolice station, which neglectedthe alert. If Markaz is responsi-ble for this crisis, so should thepolice.

Asim Suhail Mumbai

Check black marketing

Sir — Amid a nationwide lock-down ordered by theGovernment, economic activityhas been halted and stock mar-kets, too, have been battered butprices of essential commodities in

the market are on the rise. Thereason for this is irregular supplyof essentials as commodityexchanges are happening on athin volume. However, the pres-ence of black market dealingscannot be denied. In lieu of this,the Government must allow pro-ducers to sell their products

directly in the market. This willensure regular supply of theessentials and at the same timekeep a check on high prices aswell. The farmers can be issuedpasses for a limited time periodto directly sell their goods.

Navneet SethVia email

Teachers’ role

Sir — With the number ofCOVID-19 cases and deathsincreasing rapidly, everyday lifearound the world has changeddrastically. In these times, one ofthe odd outcomes is the lack ofappreciation of teachers. Withschools shut, most parents arehome tutoring their childrenalthough schools are offeringsupport. Like so many occupa-tions, teaching requires training,skills and commitment. When wereturn to a normal life, it wouldbe good to continue to value thework that teachers do.

Dennis FitzgeraldMelbourne

At what cost?

Sir — It is regretful that while well-off people coming from abroadwere not sprayed with disinfectant,migrant labourers were hoseddown with it. The poor are bear-ing the cost of the rich.

ShambhaviVia email

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

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

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | APRIL 3, 2020

06

A novel course correction

DEEPAK SINHA

With a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases, the Government can ill-afford to either extend the lockdownor do without it. The best course of action is to opt for a gradual lifting of the curfew

It is praiseworthy how Stateshave worked together tocheck the spread of thevirus. The focus should beon testing, tracing, isolationand quarantine.

Prime Minister—Narendra Modi

I am not a Bollywood singer. I am just a singer.Bollywood’s biggest problemis that there are too manythings involved, includingbusiness.

Singer—Palash Sen

Controversy around Beijing'stransparency has strained ties,adding to bad feelings trig-gered by a conspiracy theoryin China that the US militarywas to blame for the virus.

US President—Donald Trump

S O U N D B I T E

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

Amid lockdown, class divide all too evident

The class divide in India has become starker amidthe nationwide lockdown necessitated by theCoronavirus crisis, with visuals of migrant workers

walking long distances, being herded in trucks and hosedwith disinfectants. At the same time, India's rich rushedto hire luxury private jets to fly their children studyingabroad back home. The rich India is rich enough toweather the difficult days on its own but its poor coun-terpart will wither away without timely intervention bythe Government. Nobody is saying that the lives of therich are not precious but all human lives are.

It is important for the Government to respect therights of people while implementing restrictions. The waythe hapless migrant workers were made to squat on theroadside, shut their eyes and were hosed with disinfec-tant — sodium hypochlorite, a chemical not even sprayedon cattle but used to clean inanimate objects — androbbed of their dignity in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly was“dehumanising,” to describe in one word. The Bareillyincident was an illustrative example of the administra-tion’s entrenched habit of looking at the poor as no morethan herds of cattle. The disinfection bath looked like a

cleansing ritual of yore. The primitive-style, futile exer-cise to eradicate the virus made a mockery of medicalscience. When the pandemic puts the less fortunate,impoverished segments of population in aggravateddeprivation and distress, it falls on the Government todo all that it can to support them with food, water, shel-ter and some cash. Its response must match the impactof the crisis.

G David Milton Maruthancode

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

No Wimbledon

The lockdown may have beennecessary but the unplannedmanner in which it has beenimplemented has causedchaos and pain in the lives ofmillions of migrant workers.

Congress chief—Sonia Gandhi

As we run against time in our battle to fight the virus, weneed to scale up domestic manufacture of medical devices

The cancellation of this summer's edition of the tennistournament is a big blow for fans and athletes as well

op nion

India must seize the day

UPON INFORMATION AND BELIEF, IRAN OR ITSPROXIES ARE PLANNING A SNEAK ATTACK ON US

TROOPS AND/OR ASSETS IN IRAQ. —US PRESIDENT

DONALD TRUMP

UNLIKE THE US, WHICH SURREPTITIOUSLY LIES, CHEATS AND ASSASSINATES, IRAN ONLY ACTS IN SELF-DEFENCE.—IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF

The COVID-19 menace continues to expandglobally as the virus has infected 9,38,348 peo-ple till now and killed 47,286. And the num-

ber is going up by the hour. Prime Minister NarendraModi has imposed a nationwide lockdown for threeweeks in an attempt to slow the spread of theCoronavirus. Everyone, except those related to essen-tial services or facing a medical emergency, has tostay confined to their homes as social distancing isthe country’s only hope of getting through this cri-sis without major damage. Though, as of now, thenumber of reported Coronavirus infections andcasualties remains relatively low in India — around2,032 confirmed cases and 58 dead — the fear is that,should the virus hit as it has in the United States (US),Europe or Iran, it would lead to a disaster far big-ger than anywhere else because of our teeming pop-ulation and cheek by jowl existence. The Indianeconomy is large and complex and the pandemicwill have direct and indirect consequences over alonger period of time. However, as the Americanbusiness tycoon Warren Buffett once said, “A greatinvestment opportunity occurs when a marvellousbusiness encounters a one-time huge but solvableproblem.”

Governments to the rescue: Right now, thewhole world is dealing with losses, both human andeconomic because of the pandemic. However, wehumans have survived in this world despite all thenumerous disasters that have visited the planetbecause we have learnt to adapt ourselves to the envi-ronment, no matter how tough it is. In keeping withour indomitable spirit, Governments worldwide haveopened up their treasuries and announced finan-cial packages to help businesses and ordinary peo-ple tide over these tough times and make up for thefinancial losses they are experiencing due to lock-downs. While the US approved an over $2 trillionrescue plan for its people, India announced a $22.6billion (`1.70 lakh crore) package.

China has bigger problems than COVID-19:Before the Coronavirus outbreak shook the world,newspapers were flooded with news related to theUS-China trade war. The US imposed three roundsof tariffs on Chinese products last year on over $250billion worth of goods. While justifying these, USPresident Donald Trump said that he wanted to “stopthe unfair transfers of American technology andintellectual property to China” and protect jobs.

Apart from this, China is also facing anti-Government protests in Hong Kong. The agitationsstarted in June 2019 and the demonstrations,which began as a fight against a Bill that would haveallowed Hong Kong residents to be extradited to themainland, have morphed into a call for free elec-tions, which largely do not exist in China. The Billwas withdrawn later but demonstrations continuedand protesters demanded full democracy and aninquiry into police atrocities. The rallies have qui-etened considerably as most residents hunkerdown at home to avoid being sickened by theCoronavirus. However, smaller protests neverthe-less flare up now and then and arrests continue. ToBeijing, it is a direct challenge to the leadership, tan-tamount to losing control of Hong Kong, which itcan never tolerate.

An opportunity for India: Right now, the UShas more known cases of the Coronavirus than anyother country and people in general blame Chinafor the outbreak of this pandemic. Considering theimpact of the US-China trade war, the Hong Kongrevolt and the COVID-19 spread, it is likely that theUS, and the world at large, would reduce trade rela-tions with China. When it comes to choosing thebest overseas manufacturers in Asia, two countries,

India and China, are at the forefront. Bothnations have very dynamic productioncapabilities and unique economic land-scapes with proven skills, strengths andweaknesses, that make them both viablechoices. But now, India will surely have anedge over China and must make the mostof this opportunity. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s goal through the ‘Makein India’ initiative is to bring basic man-ufacturing to an economy that needs bet-ter-paying jobs. With an increasing shareof a young working population, India canachieve its full manufacturing potential asit looks to benefit from its demographicdividend and large workforce.

However, it is imperative to weigh ourchoices carefully by considering specificexternal factors that will have an impacton our supply chain. First, let’s review theeconomic landscape in India and Chinafollowed by five key factors that influencemanufacturing in these two countries.

Pricing: Purchase cost is usually themost important factor when manufactur-ing overseas. But so is quality, deliverytimes and the ease of doing business.India’s manufacturing labour is more com-petitive when compared to China. In 2014,the average cost of manufacturing labourper hour was $0.92 in India and $3.52 inChina. India has a huge number oflabourers who are skilled as well asunskilled. The skilled, educated workerslike researchers, engineers and IT profes-sionals are able to contribute cost-effec-tive development support to manufactur-ing operations.

Along with a massive workforce andan emerging supply base, India also hasaccess to natural resources needed in pro-duction. Notably, iron ore and aluminumfor engineered goods, cotton, silk and jutefor textiles and coal for power generation.

Logistics: Newer roads and highways,railways, waterways and airports giveChina an advantage from a logistics per-spective. On the other hand, India reliesheavily on a massive network and grids

of roads which are not always paved orwide enough to be able to transport prod-ucts comfortably. But, with the introduc-tion of the Goods and Services Tax(GST) E-way bill, the time for delivery ofconsignments has reduced. TheGovernment is working steadily on invest-ing in the development of railways, high-ways, ports and airports, which is expect-ed to cut back transportation time andcosts by 20 per cent.

Product expertise: China’s majoradvantage over India is its ability to scale.Beijing has created Special EconomicZones (SEZ) and industrial clusters toencourage manufacturers, suppliers andother relevant parties to be physically closeto one another. It provides higher flexibil-ity and the ability to react in case of insuf-ficient quality, non-conforming materials,or other issues. As per McKinsey, Chinesemanufacturers are five times more produc-tive than their counterparts in India.However, most Indian manufacturersuse high quality machines and tools toproduce good quality products. ManyIndian industries are well-known for thisand are considered trustworthy when itcomes to their work ethics and businessdeals. Unlike China, India does not carrythe stigma of poor-quality production.

Language skills: English is the sec-ond official language in India and exec-utives have embraced it to conduct busi-ness. In contrast to China, India incorpo-rates British customs and legal systems,ensuring a smaller culture gap that needsto be bridged. Therefore, India has a clearedge over China in soft skills.

Manufacturing processes: India’sculture, as compared to China’s, hasalways been to manufacture at a smallscale. In certain instances, to keep costslow, China is relocating production sitesto other developing countries and entre-preneurs are replacing manpower withmachines. Overall, China is maximisingits manufacturing processes, aiming to staycompetitive and delivering larger quan-

tities on tight schedules. India’s manufacturing culture of pro-

ducing at a smaller scale has at times cre-ated a poor image in the eyes of big com-panies, entrepreneurs and investors. Inaddition, India favours family and artisanalmodels which result in buyers facinggreater quality risk and production delays.

After China, India is the only coun-try in the world to match the scale of oper-ations and integrate its supply chain forglobal customers. To effectively harnessthe emerging opportunities, India needsa carefully-crafted strategy and its metic-ulous implementation at the grassrootslevel. Policymakers are far more preparedtoday than they were during the 2008 eco-nomic meltdown. Crude oil is at the low-est it has been in the last few decades, thusreducing overall costs. India has a hugedomestic market with a rapidly-increas-ing middle class and overall population.Investments in the Indian manufacturingsector have been on the rise and postCOVID-19 they would increase further.Initiatives like ‘Make in India’ and sector-specific incentives to various manufactur-ing companies aim to make the countrya global production hub.

India is already an attractive destina-tion for foreign investments in the man-ufacturing sector as several mobile phone,luxury and automobile brands, amongothers, have set up or are looking to estab-lish their production bases here. This sec-tor has the potential to rank among thetop three growth economies and manu-facturing destinations of the world.Corporations have a golden opportunityto emerge from the shadow of the servicessector and seize more of the global mar-ket. Therefore, when we think of scope,this seems to be the best time for India toachieve its dream of becoming a $5 tril-lion economy. As they say, “Victorycomes from finding opportunities inproblems.”

(The writer is an author and GST andeconomics specialist)

Considering the impact of the US-China trade war, the Hong Kong revolt and the COVID-19spread, it is likely that the US, and the world at large, would reduce trade ties with Beijing

analysis 07

Let us restart theeconomy

KUMARDEEP BANERJEE

The young workforce has to be thrown back intothe great rebuild ahead. But the playbook will be

revised many times as we go

ABHISHEK RAJA

THEMANUFACTURINGSECTOR HAS THE

POTENTIAL TORANK AMONG

THE TOP THREEGROWTH

ECONOMIES ANDPRODUCTION

DESTINATIONS OFTHE WORLD.

CORPORATIONSHAVE A GOLDEN

OPPORTUNITY TOEMERGE FROM

THE SHADOW OFTHE SERVICES

SECTOR ANDSEIZE MORE OF

THE GLOBALMARKET.

THEREFORE,WHEN WE THINKOF SCOPE, THIS

SEEMS TO BE THEBEST TIME FOR

INDIA TO ACHIEVEITS DREAM OF

BECOMING A $5 TRILLION

ECONOMY

Iwas at the serving end of a serpentine queue of humanity, distancedby a metre each, standing under the hot sun with whatever con-tainers they could grab at the last minute, to fill with food. As I stood

there trying to help all with a spoonful or two of nourishment, it struckme that these people, who form the invisible algae layer of the econ-omy, will soon wither away with a scarred psyche of a war they could-n’t see or understand. The invisible virus is a mystery in terms of itsmutations and manifestations to the best scientific minds in the world.Hence, it leaves little scope of being understood by a lay person. Insuch a scenario, based on the limited and evolving research on theCoronavirus, it is imperative for each State to decide the best wayforward to protect its citizens and save the economy.

India took the bold step of putting its 1.3 billion citizens underlockdown for almost a month. Much has been written and publishedon the plight of migrant workers walking along railway tracks in hopesof reaching home, some succumbing to fatigue and hunger. But thelockdown is possibly the only solution to save a giant scoop of humansfrom an epidemic. Criticism and the emergence of a “hard State” havebecome topics of conversations and on the social media. Somewhere,as it always happens in a war, these messages start being taken seri-ously and a fertile patch is laid for seeds of discontent against thepowers that be.

However, in this new India, the reach of the Government has beenamplified tremendously via the digital media. To the Government’s cred-it, despite a sudden hard lockdown for almost a month, it ensuredthe supply of essential items like food and medicines for citizens andcritical business continuity as far as possible in the current scenario.But the biggest niggling point which remained was the lack of seam-less flow of information from the top to the executor wielding a stickand many times a clueless policeman manning a checkpoint.

The country watched the Prime Minister, for the second time ina couple of days, addressing the nation at a time unseen and unheardof in this century. The citizens then rushed out in a collective panicto stock up on whatever they deemed necessary to prepare for anuncertain time ahead. Such was the panic that policemen on the streetshad to intervene and the much-talked-about police bandobast andupturning of supply carts got ample publicity. In retrospect, a lock-down of this magnitude could have been planned better, with StandardOperating Procedures (SOPs) and clear dos and don’ts percolatingfrom the top Government official at the Centre to the lowest clerk inthe States, the police force, civil defence personnel and right up tothe volunteers on the ground. It could have saved the Governmentfrom a lot of criticism for an otherwise, “just in time decision.” Theother issue is that almost simultaneously all Central Government depart-ments got into a frenzy of issuing multiple advisories which furthermultiplied at the State and District Magistrate level. This led to obvi-ous confusion among the law-enforcers and law-abiders, alike. Sureit is also a great sign of participative governance where almost everykey decision is available for the common man to see and share.However, it would be best to create a central dashboard or tracker ofall crisis-related orders, right to the village panchayat level if need be,in one framework. The world-class digital channels of a giant con-nected governance created in the last few years will need to be inte-grated right to the last mile, once this crisis is over.

The next step would be to plan the kickstart of the nearly $3 tril-lion economy, even as the full ramifications of the dreaded virus playout in the subcontinent. A task force comprising several inter-minis-terial departments and senior-most Government officials has beencreated to rebuild the India of tomorrow. This task force should openmultiple channels of communication with the war room officials cur-rently waging a battle against COVID-19 and with industry bodies tochalk out a post-crisis revival plan.

Again, the decision to allow transportation of essential and non-essential items stuck on trucks in highways crisscrossing the coun-try is a positive one. However, the vital question of those vehicles stillstuck has to be sorted. The labour force, which was unloading thosetrucks and was the crucial link in the supply chain, has fled. It willtake a huge amount of confidence-building measures, including giv-ing some sops like a free, post-health check-up documented ticketback to the fields, factories and under construction buildings of India.The word documented here means a proper ticket issued in any cat-egory with the name and details of the person travelling for work inany mode of transport.

While it may look like a hard State keeping a tab on people’s move-ment, yet the irony is, one has to somehow track, if any resurgenceof the dreaded virus is to be prevented. There could be other betterways to do the same in anonymised formats as well. The crux remainsonce at the end of 21 days, hopefully the virus has been clusteredand isolated, the rest of the country can be eased back to normalcy.

The young workforce has to be thrown back into the great rebuildahead. But the playbook will be revised many a time as we go aboutthis business of kickstarting the Indian economy.

(The writer is Country Manager, India, ITI Council)

As the Coronavirus pandemiccontinues to rapidly spreadacross the globe, countries have

also intensified their efforts to protecttheir people from this deadly virus. Ofcourse, human civilisation has seen sev-eral deadly contagions in the past andthe Coronavirus outbreak would alsonot be the last one. But this compre-hension does not allow us to overlooksome critical facts about the presentglobal health crisis: This is the first timein recent history when a deadly viruscould spread to almost all parts of the

world. The global economy has neverin the past faced such a critical situa-tion due to a pandemic and the inter-national community has neverappeared so helpless as it is today, espe-cially when it is equipped with a high-ly advanced healthcare system.

This, in turn, brings us to a focalquestion on the outbreak. Was it pos-sible to prevent the global spread of thiscontagion? It is certainly not easy toanswer this question but it is equallytrue that had China and the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) actedpromptly and honestly, the impact ofthis virus could have been reduced toa minimum. In this context, it needsto be recalled that while the first caseof COVID-19 was identified in Hubeiprovince on November 17, the ChineseGovernment acknowledged that therewere Coronavirus cases in Wuhan onlyat the end of December 2019. And itwas only on January 23 that Chinafinally decided to put Hubei provinceunder lockdown. Not surprisingly,

Beijing did not think it prudent toinform the WHO and other countriesof the world well in advance about theserious implication of this virus. Thewhole world came to know about thisdeadly virus only when China failed inits efforts to hide information about theCOVID-19 outbreak.

But, Taiwan, which is one of theleading countries in the health sectorand also happens to be China’s neigh-bour, did not waste a second ininforming the WHO about the possi-ble global outbreak of the Coronavirus,as it transmits from human to human.Sadly, the WHO completely ignoredTaiwan’s early warning and the move-ment of people between other coun-tries and China continued at a normalpace. Even after becoming aware of theglobal risk of the Coronavirus inDecember 2019, WTO DirectorGeneral, Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus, was busy praising China’s“commitment to transparency.”Eventually, a significant portion of cur-

tail time was already lost before theWHO got its act together andannounced on January 24 thatCOVID-19 can spread from human tohuman and as late as on March 13declared the Coronavirus a pandem-ic. As a result, China’s efforts to sup-press information about theCoronavirus and the WHO’s completefailure in its duty have so far resultedin over 9,38,348 confirmed cases and47,286 deaths worldwide.

Now, while there is a growingunderstanding among scientists anddoctors that the Coronavirus hoppedto humans from a bat and they are alsotrying to identify “patient zero” to reachthe bottom of the Coronavirus pan-demic, China appears more interestedin saving its dubious prestige in theinternational community than explain-ing the truth behind the global spreadof this virus. Undoubtedly, China’sunscrupulous behaviour has set off anugly spat between China and the US,with President Trump repeatedly call-

ing the Coronavirus the “Chinesevirus.” In retaliation, China launcheda propaganda war, saying that the viruswas planted by the American army andalso expelled US journalists. At thesame time, it is also very interesting tonote that the US and most of Europeis dependent on China for its medicalitems, including pharmaceutical ingre-dients, masks and gloves. In fact, thespread of the Coronavirus could beseen as a golden opportunity forChina to make a better trade deal withthe US. Whatever may be the possibleimpact of the COVID-19 on bilateralrelations between Beijing andWashington, the fact remains that theglobal geopolitical and economicmilieu shall not remain the same at theend of this crisis. And, certainly,China’s cosmetic efforts to extend ahelping hand to other countries in con-trolling this disease shall not removethe bloodstains from its hand.

On the other hand, sensing thegravity of the situation and realising

that no country can effectively battlean outbreak of this magnitude alone,Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiheld a meeting with the South AsianAssociation for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) member countries on March16 and an emergency fund was creat-ed with India making an initial contri-bution of $10 billion.

Soon after, member countries ofG-20 held a meeting through video-conferencing, expressing their collec-tive resolve to minimise the social andeconomic damage of the Coronaviruspandemic. In doing so, they have decid-ed to inject $5 trillion into the globaleconomy.

Another important aspect of thisG-20 meeting that has largely remainedunderemphasised is Modi’s call for theneed to strengthen and reform theWHO. The fact that its Director-General supported China’s cover-upefforts is the prime reason for the expo-nential explosion of COVID-19 acrossthe globe, because countries heavily rely

on WHO reports and trust it to warnthem of any outbreaks.

The larger question is not just whythe WHO failed in its duty but howChina succeeded in not letting theworld know the actual number ofCOVID-infected people. And alsohow it persuaded the WHO to spreadpro-China information to the interna-tional community. Of course, this is notthe first and the last time when WHOhas worked at the behest of China,especially when its DG happens to bea pro-China man.

It is a serious indication of howChina will continue to undermineglobal democratic institutions if nec-essary and corrective measures are nottaken by the world community toaddress this challenge. There is anurgent need to reform the WHO toensure that such a crisis should notoccur in future due to lack of trans-parency and ethics.

(The writer is ICSSR Post-DoctoralFellow, Pondicherry University)

The buck stops with the WHOThere is an urgent need to reform the global health watchdog to ensure that such an outbreak like the Coronavirus pandemic should

not occur in the future due to lack of transparency and strong work ethics

SUMIT KUMAR

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | APRIL 3, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com

POINTCOUNTERPOINTF I R S T C O L U M N

VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | APRIL 3, 2020 money 08

CAPSULE

SBI lists USD 100mn green bonds on India INX

TVS Motor CompanySuccessfullyCompletes BS-VItransition

Allow refractorymakers to operateplants: IRMA

NEW DELHI: (PTI) BSE's IndiaInternational Exchange (IndiaINX) on Thursday said state-owned SBI has listed greenbonds of USD 100 million(about Rs 750 crore) on itsdebt listing platform. The bankhas listed green bonds of USD100 million under its USD 10billion global medium termnote programme on IndiaINX's Global Securities MarketGreen Platform (GSM), theexchange said in a statement."The issuance has been donein very challenging marketconditions. We welcome SBI'sgreen bond issuance on ourGSM platform," India INX MDand CEO V Balasubramaniamsaid. The State Bank of India(SBI) has earlier also listed itsmaiden green bond issuanceon India INX of USD 650million, he added. SBIChairman Rajnish Kumarsaid, "It is an extremelyimportant transaction for thecountry especially in thiscritical situation. We believethis issuance will reassureconfidence in the country'sstrength in the internationalbond market".

New Delhi: The IndianRefractory Makers Association(IRMA) on Thursday saidrefractory manufacturers mustbe allowed to operate plantsduring the lockdown period asnon-availability of the keyingredient could hit steelproduction. While thegovernment has allowed thesteel industry to continueoperations along with rawmaterials like iron ore and cokeduring the lockdown under theEssential Services MaintenanceAct, but refractory which is acritical component forproduction of any hightemperature manufacturingprocess like steel, cement orbrass, agrochemicals has beenleft out, the IRMA said. "Allsteel plants are carrying someinventory ranging from 10-15days. But they need to bereplenished and everyday weare getting calls from majorsteel manufacturers regardingsupply of refractories," IRMAChairman Parmod Sagar said.

Domestic Hosur, Tamil Nadu,India (NewsVoir): TVS MotorCompany registered sales of144,739 units in March 2020as against 325,323 units inMarch 2019. There has been ahuge impact on the Company'sproduction and sales thismonth because of COVID-19lockdown across the country.TVS Motor Company launchedattractive and feature rich BS-VI versions of its entireportfolio. These have been wellreceived and there areadequate stocks already in themarket when it reopens.International market demandwas also good for both two-wheeler and three-wheelercategories. However, due tothe lockdown, there was asignificant loss in production,and also vehicle stock in thefactory for both domestic andinternational markets, whichcould not be dispatched.

‘Lockdown to cost Indianeconomy $4.64 bn every day’PNS n NEW DELHI

The unprecedented nationwidelockdown that shut businesses,suspended flights and stoppedall modes of transport will costthe Indian economy almostUSD 4.64 billion every day andthe entire 21-day lockdown willresult in a GDP loss of almostUSD 98 billion, Acuite Ratings& Research Ltd said onThursday.

The rapid spread of Covid-19has not only disrupted the glob-al economy but also triggered apartial shutdown in many partsof India from early March andan almost complete shutdownfrom March 25.

"While the countrywide shut-down is scheduled to be liftedfrom April 15, 2020, the risks ofprolonged disruption in eco-nomic activities exist dependingon the intensity of the outbreak,"the credit rating agency said ina statement.

The ongoing disruption, itsaid, will have a significant eco-nomic consequence across theworld and also in India.

IMF has already forecast arecession for the global econo-

my in 2020.Acuite Ratings believes there

is a risk of a contraction of April-June (2020-21 fiscal) GDP to theextent of 5-6 per cent, with Q2(July-September) also likely topost modest growth in a best-case scenario.

It expects the overall GDP

growth for FY21 (April 2020 toMarch 2021) to be in the bandof 2-3 per cent which takes intoaccount a significant economicrevival in the second half of thefinancial year.

Sankar Chakraborti, CEO,Acuite Ratings & Research,said: "Acuite Ratings estimates

that every single day of thenation-wide lockdown will costthe Indian economy almostUSD 4.64 billion. Consequently,the 21-day lockdown will resultin a loss of GDP of almost USD98 billion."

Stating that the ratings agencyemployed multiple methods toassess real GDP estimates for Q1FY21, he said there is a signifi-cant risk that it may contract upto an extent of 5-6 per cent ascompared to a pre-Covidgrowth estimate of 5 per cent.

In such a lockdown scenario,the sectors that are most severe-ly impacted are transport, hotel,restaurant, and real estate activ-ities.

In our opinion, there wouldbe at around 50 per cent GVA(gross value added) loss in thesesectors, which account foraround 22 per cent in overallGVA, in Q1 of FY21," it said.

On the other hand, the ser-vices that are expected to seeenhanced activities during thiscrisis are communication,broadcasting, and healthcare.But with a 3.5 per cent share,their contribution to the over-all GVA is small.

The rapid spread of Covid-19 has notonly disrupted global economy but alsotriggered a partial shutdown in manyparts of India from early March and analmost complete shutdown from Mar 25

Dominos Pizza, ITC Foods join handsPNS n BENGALURU

Dominos Pizza, in partnershipwith ITC Foods, on Thursdayannounced the launch ofDominos Essentials to deliveressential items at home in viewof the lockdown imposedowing to the spread of coron-avirus.

The delivery infrastructureof Dominos would be lever-aged to help customers ordereveryday grocery essentials," ajoint statement said.

A combo pack of AashirvaadAtta and spices including chilli,coriander and turmeric powder

would be available on Dominosapp starting today (Thursday),it said. The service would be

available for consumers first inBengaluru and then in thecities of Noida, Mumbai,

Kolkata, Chennai andHyderabad.

To avail of this service, cus-tomers need to use the latestversion of the Dominos appand click on DominosEssentials section.

Customers would then beable to select the combo packand use digital payment mode

to complete the order.Dominos Safe Delivery Expertwould follow the Zero ContactDelivery practice to deliverthe package.

This service method wouldensure that customers receivetheir order without coming incontact with the Safe DeliveryExpert, the statement added.

They announced the launch of DominosEssentials to deliver essential items athome in view of the lockdown imposedowing to the spread of coronavirus

ONGC to lose Rs 4,000 crore on new gas pricePNSn NEW DELHI

State-owned Oil and NaturalGas Corp (ONGC) will loseabout Rs 4,000 crore in revenueand start making cash lossesafter the government slashed thenatural gas prices by a steep 26per cent by benchmarking itagainst rates prevalent in gas-surplus nations.

Prices of natural gas, which isused to produce fertilizer, gen-erate electricity and gets convert-ed into CNG for use in automo-biles and piped natural gas forhousehold cooking, was fromApril 1 cut to USD 2.39 per mil-lion British thermal unit - a rateabout 37 per cent lower than thecost of production.

"These rates are unsustainablefor us. We have already told thegovernment that the gas pricingshould be freed. There should becomplete pricing and marketingfreedom," ONGC Chairmanand Managing Director ShashiShanker told PTI here.

The BJP-led government hadin October 2014 evolved a newpricing formula using ratesprevalent in gas surplus nationslike the US, Canada, and Russiato determine the price in a netimporting country. Prices usingthis formula are calculated semi-

annually.Oil Minister Dharmendra

Pradhan, in a written reply to aquestion in the Lok Sabha onMarch 20, 2017, had statedthat the cost of production ofnatural gas in the prolificKrishna Godavari basin isbetween USD 4.99 -7.30 permmBtu. The same for otherbasins is in the range of USD3.80 -6.59 per mmBtu, he hadsaid.

For ONGC, which producesmost of its 64 million standard

cubic meters per day of gas fromwestern offshore, the breakevenis around USD 3.8.

"The rates are now way belowcost," Shanker said.

For every USD 1 dollarchange, the company's revenuesare impacted by Rs 4,400-4,500crore annually.

On April 1, the gas price wasreduced from USD 3.23 permmBtu to USD 2.39 - an 84cent reduction which trans-lates into annual Rs 4,000 croreof revenue loss.

On April 1, the gas price was reducedfrom USD 3.23 per mmBtu to USD 2.39 -an 84 cent reduction

Deadline extended for commentson relaxation in QIP, delisting normsPNS n NEW DELHI

In the wake of coronaviruspandemic, Sebi has extendedthe deadline for public com-ments on proposed relaxationin norms with regard to six-month-gap between two QIPs,and delisting of a firm in caseof its merger with listed hold-ing firm till April 30.

Securities and ExchangeBoard of India (Sebi) hadsought comments on thesetwo proposals till April 15.

In addition, the deadline hasbeen extended for submissionof comments till this month-end on proposed e-votingfacility provided by listed firmsas well as on a proposal thatwill require listed entity toobtain prior approval fromthe shareholders beforeextending any loan and guar-antee to promoter entities.

The comments on these twoproposals were sought tillMarch 31.

"In view of the representa-

tions received by Sebi seekingextension of timelines due toimpact of COVID-19 pan-demic, it has been decided toextend the timelines for seek-ing public comments on...(the) consultation papers toApril 30, 2020," the regulatorsaid in a report dated March31.

With respect to QIP, it hasbeen proposed to relax themandatory requirement of asix-month-gap between twosuccessive issuances of sharesto qualified institutionalinvestors by listed companiesrequiring urgent funds, if theymeet certain conditions.

As per the Sebi regulations,a listed company cannot makeany subsequent qualified insti-tutions placement until theexpiry of six months from thedate of the prior qualified insti-tutions placement made pur-suant to one or more specialresolutions.

In respect of delisting, thecapital markets regulator pro-posed to exempt a listed com-pany from following regulationsin case of its merger with a list-ed holding firm, if the share-holders of the subsidiary enti-ty gets shares of the parent.

Acuite Ratings seesQ1 growth contracting5-6 pc on virus woesPNS n MUMBAI

Domestic ratings agencyAcuite Ratings has forecast amassive 5-6 per cent con-traction in growth in the firstquarter of the new fiscal dueto the coronavirus-drivenlockdown.

The agency estimates thedaily loss to the economyfrom the lockdown at aroundUSD 4.6 billion and fears thatif at all the countrywide shut-down is lifted on April 14, therisks of a prolonged disrup-tion in economic activitiesexist depending on the inten-sity of the outbreak.

"The 21-day lockdown willresult in a GDP loss of almostUSD 98 billion, pulling downthe Q1 growth 5-6 percent,"the agency warned, addingthat in the best case scenario,growth may limp back intothe green territory in Q2.

Accordingly, it expects "theoverall GDP growth for FY21to be 2-3 percent which takesinto account a significant eco-nomic revival in the second

half." The worst hit sectors due to

the lockdown are transport,hotel, restaurant and realestate activities, which wouldsee around 50 per cent GVAloss accounting for around 22per cent in overall GVA, inQ1.

The agency believes that itwould take at least two-threemonths to restore the supplychain even if the lockdown islimited to 21 days, as there arealso further risks of locallockdowns in various regionsdepending on the extent of theoutbreak.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The government has againextended the date for imple-mentation of track and tracesystem for exports of drug for-mulations till October 1 thisyear, according to directorategeneral of foreign trade(DGFT).

The decision is applicablefor both non-SSI (small scaleindustry) and SSI-manufac-tured drugs.

"The date for implementa-tion of track and trace systemfor export of drug formulations

with respect to maintaining theparent-child relationship inpackaging levels and itsuploading on central portal hasbeen extended upto October 1this year for both SSI and non-SSI manufactured drugs,"DGFT has said in a publicnotice.

The date has been extendedfrom time to time. The lastextension was till April 1, 2020.

The manufacturer orexporter of drug formulationswill have to print the barcodeas per the global standards atdifferent packaging levels -primary, secondary and tertiary- to facilitate tracking and trac-ing of their products.

Barcode helps in trackingand tracing origin of drugs,which minimises the chancesof genuine medicines beingconsidered spurious, sub-stan-dard or counterfeit.

PNS n MUMBAI

Only 20 per cent of the non-financial companies in theAsia Pacific (APAC) regionface high exposure to coron-avirus disruptions and theresultant credit risks, Moody'sInvestors Service said onThursday.

It noted that while these 20per cent companies face highrisks from the pandemic asthey are sensitive to shifting

consumer demand and glob-al travel restrictions, 36 percent face moderate exposureand 27 per cent of them stareat refinancing risks.

"We have identified six sec-tors as the most affected bythe coronavirus outbreak,namely airlines, auto OEMSand auto parts supply, oil &gas producers, gaming, glob-al shipping, discretionaryretail and hospitality," thereport said. Also, of the 20 percent high exposure compa-nies, 67 per cent have negativeoutlook or are under reviewfor downgrade, weak liquidi-ty, or both.

20% APAC non-fin cos in highrisk due to Covid-19: Moody's

Date for track, trace system forexports of drug formulations extended

Securities andExchange Boardof India (Sebi)had soughtcomments onthese twoproposals tillApril 15

Coal Indiaacting swiftlyto continuesuppliesPNS n NEW DELHI

State-owned Coal Indiahas taken various initia-tives to continue dry fuelsupply to various sectors,including power, evenduring the lockdown peri-od, Coal Minister PralhadJoshi said on Thursday.

"Acting swift ly,@CoalIndiaHQ has takenseveral initiatives to con-tinue coal supply evenduring the ongoing #lock-down," Joshi said in atweet. The mea-sures include extendingthe time for coal liftingand making payments andrelaxing penalty againstdefaulters, the ministersaid.

"Extending the time forcoal lifting and makingpayments, to relaxingpenalty against default-ers, coal companies aretruly supporting thenation in this time ofneed," Joshi tweeted.

The coal minister lastweek had directed all theofficials of the coal min-istry to work harder toensure that critical coalsupplies are maintainedduring the lockdown peri-od due to Covid-19 pan-demic so that power andother critical sectors areunaffected due to the cur-rent situation.

The coal ministry hadsaid that daily meetings ofall senior officers of theministry are being held formonitoring coal produc-tion, supplies and dis-patch.

The first such virtualmeeting took place onMarch 26 through videoconferencing by CoalSecretary Anil KumarJain.

Securityconcerns with‘Zoom’ duringBARC's meetPNS n MUMBAI

Security concerns with pop-ular video conferencing app,Zoom, came to light duringa media briefing by televi-sion body BARC onThursday.

The Broadcast AudienceResearch Council (BARC),which was hosting a virtualconference to inform peopleabout TV and smartphoneconsumption trends amidthe lockdown, was forced tostop the briefing midwaybecause of the "hacking"episode.

Lockdowns across theworld due to the COVID-19pandemic, which haveforced professionals in theservice sector across theworld to work from home,have resulted in the appbeing the most popular wayof conducting meetings.

Zoom has seen a spike indownloads and usage, butexperts have been repeated-ly pointing out to securityrisks with the app.

The agency fearsthat if shutdown islifted on April 14,the risks of aprolongeddisruption ineconomicactivities exist

Retail salesrecovery maykick-startfrom MayPNS n NEW DELHI

The short-term impact ofthe coronavirus pandemicon retailers in the countrywill be severe, but retail salesrecovery period for India isexpected to kick-start fromthe first week of May subjectto the lockdown not beingextended further, a report byCapillary Technologies said.

The report said untilMarch 16, the consumerretail sales and walk-ins didnot see much dip comparedto last year and this could bedue to festive shopping(Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Navratrietc).

"However, the India con-sumer retail witnessed a bigdrop in sales by 46 per centand 55 per cent fall in thenumber of customers perstore from March 17 to 25,which is expected to dropfurther in the coming weeksdue to the ongoing nation-wide lockdown," it added.

The government hadannounced a 21-day lock-down starting March 24 tocontain the spread of thedeadly coronavirus infectionthat has claimed thousands oflives globally. The study byCapillary Technologies wasundertaken on the impact ofCOVID-19 in the retailecosystems of India, MiddleEast, China, and Singapore.Data of over 10,000 storeswas analysed in these regionsbefore and during lockdowns.

Cipla completessuccessful phase-3clinical study PNS n NEW DELHI

Pharma major Cipla onThursday announced the suc-cessful completion of Phase-3clinical study for generic fluti-casone propionate and salme-terol inhalation powder indicat-ed for treatment of asthmaand chronic obstructive pul-monary disease.

The study results demon-strate that Cipla's fluticasonepropionate and salmeterolinhalation powder 100/50 mcgis therapeutically equivalent toAdvair Diskus 100/50 mcg,Cipla said in a statement.

The Phase-3 study, whichsuccessfully completed in thefirst attempt, was conductedover a period of 15 months at

over 100 sites in the USenrolling 1,400 asthma patients,it added.

"This is an important mile-stone and is a testament toCipla's strong respiratory capa-bilities and will go a long wayin strengthening our respirato-ry franchise in the US," CiplaMD and Global CEO UmangVohra said.

Unmatched presence acrossthe care continuum and thewidest range of drug-devicecombinations has establishedCipla's position as a lung leaderin India and other key emerg-ing markets, he added.

"Our endeavour is to extendthis expertise across developedmarkets through niche productdevelopment," Vohra said.

oronavirus is making life difficult fordaily labourers and those living in theslums who earn on a daily basis. Dailywage labourers are finding it hard toget their bread and butter. But sever-al volunteers and NGOs of Hyderabad

are doing their best to ensure daily-wage labour-ers and migrant workers receive sufficient andnutritious food, with help from the Telangana statepolice.

Malleshwar Rao, founder of Aarambham,distributes food to at least 5,000 people every daywith the help of volunteers across the city. “Coronamade life difficult for over thousands of such peo-ple in the city. By taking necessary precautions,we are distributing food to the needy in areas likeMadhapur, Kondapur, Miyapur. We distributeeggs, soaps and other essentials to those living inslums. Many people around the city have beenhelping us with donations,” he tells us.

Prasanna Vikhil of ‘Friends Being HelpingHands’ is donating essential groceries to the needyorphanages in and around Uppal. He shares, “Weare providing food for the elderly thrice a day. Weare working with two other organisations includ-ing Sri Rajamatha and VIP Helping Hearts to feedthe needy. Police officials are playing a crucial role

to ensure our services reach those that need it.”Sara of Seven Rays foundation is helping peo-

ple around ECIL by distributing groceries andfood. “This time of social distancing is importantand we are to stay home to prevent the spread ofthe virus. Through our strong volunteers’base, we are identifying the areas thatneed help, through calls and emails.We then send our volunteers to helppeople.”

Members of Sri Sai Shanti SahayaSeva Samithi are helping people in theslums of Manikonda and Abids. Theyset up a vehicle and with the help ofthe police, are donating food. One ofthe members, Purnashanti says,“With the help of the police, weare able to distribute food tomore than 1,000 people in thecity.”

While there are those thatare helping with food andgroceries, there are otherslike Rupesh Mittal, founderof Cyber Jagriti, who arecreating awarenessamong people aboutcybercrimes during theCorona crisis. Rupesh

shares, “Covid-19 is a pandemic that has its wingswidely spread. Even the smallest physical contactcan spread the virus at an alarming rate. Whileanxious citizens of India and the government aretrying to educate themselves, a lot of scams andonline frauds are creating panic. Complaints arebeing registered from different parts of the coun-try on various scams in the name of Coronavirus.Hackers are using different techniques to takeadvantage of this situation and fool people,” heinforms. To prevent people from such scams hisorganisation is explaining and debunking mythsand techniques that hackers use, to fool people.

He said that the Covid-19 map malware canspy on an individual through his/her androidphone’s camera and microphone. “This malwaremap is designed to steal your critical informationsuch as username, password, credit card details,and other valuable information. As a user triesto navigate through the map to see the spread of

Coronavirus disease worldwide or in a specif-ic country and learn other things about thespread of coronavirus, a malware is activat-ed in the background which basically is aninformation stealer,” he explains.

There also are a plethora of advertisementsonline, claiming to sell special face masks to

protect from Coronavirus. “There are no spe-cial veils accessible to shield you from coro-

navirus. Anyone claiming tosell special masks that pre-vent Coronavirus is a fraud-ster. Scientists and other

health officials all overthe world are yet to

find a cure. Productsor companies who

claim to have avaccination orany other medi-

cine are just look-ing to scam you,” he

adds.

By taking necessaryprecautions, we are

distributing eggs, soaps andother essentials to thoseliving in slums. Many peoplearound the city have beenhelping us with donations.We distribute food to atleast5,000 people everyday.

MALLESHWAR RAO

Hyderabad youngstersfrom various

organisations aredoing their bit to

serving the needy bydonating essential

groceries, andcreating awareness

about various issuesin times of the Corona

pandemic, writes VSATEESH REDDY

C

NGOs to therescue of needy

Stayfit andsafe athome

Ahead of WorldHealth Day,

Celebrity trainerSatish Paryad, inan exclusive chat

with SHIKHADUGGAL,

shares tips onhow to stay fit

duringquarantine andsome do's and

don'ts

ith all gymnasiums beingshut as a result of nation-wide lockdown, maintainingphysical fitness in times likethis has become a task.Ahead of World Health Day,

we speak to Hyderabad’s renowned fit-ness trainer, Satish Paryada, who’strained the likes of Mahesh Babu, AlluArjun, Jr. NTR and Adivisesh amongothers. He helps us understand whyand how one must stay fit, even whileat home.

The celebrity trainer says that the fit-ness industry has indeed come to a haltand is becoming an ardent concern forgym freaks who cannot stop themselvesfrom pulling off numerous sets oflunges, push-ups, etc. “Enduranceexercises are what one needs to prac-tice at home along with a few othersimple workouts/exercises. The possi-bilities of going to the gym can bedaunting now, however, you can stillexercise at the comfort of your home.Beginners can try basic push-up exer-

cises to help build strength and squatswhich will also help women ease theirregular movements,” adds the trainer.

Emphasising the bene-fits of burpees, Satish high-lights how this physicalactivity will help burn calo-ries like a single leg-body-weight rep of lunges. Theycan help boost yourendurance in the comfortof your home, he says.

“If you have a dumbbellat home, it should help youwork out at home to keepyour body in good shape.You can try out a benchpress, lying fly exercise ormaybe a pullover andsweat it out. You can alsohave a drilling session ofactive yoga that will restoreyour metabolism and fixyour flexibility,” says thisgym enthusiast.

There is no shortage of

motivation on Instagram, thanks to thevarious challenges, home work outvideos. But Satish Paryada asks one to

refrain from taking upthese challenges. “Thesechallenges can result ininjuries and that’s thelast thing you would wantto suffer from, in timeslike these,” he says.Instead, he advises one togo onto apps like ‘AnimalFlow on Demand’ and‘Sun-Salutation’ torecharge one’s body. “Ahealthy and safe envi-ronment for working outis what one needs towork out in peace.Crunches, planks, jump-ing exercises, hip-rota-tions, and calf exercisesare some of the otherbody movements thatcan help you stay fit whileat home,” he adds.

WDo's for homeworkout

Warm-up wellDrink adequatewaterBreathe right

Dont's whiledoing a homeworkout

Don't exercise ina humid roomDon't practicejerky workoutsDon't lift heavyweights withoutsupervision

TS police (DGP’s essential supplies covidfacilitation center) has created a group onWhatsapp with people who are willing to

supply dry ration/food to the needy. Police arecoordinating with women and child welfare,MEPMA, media requests etc. Group of dedicatedNGOs/young volunteers are working with the policeto help migrant labour, destitute homes,construction workers, stranded people. One canreach out to TS police if in dire need throughWhatsapp on +91 94906 17523.

FridayApril 3, 2020

Follow us on@TheDailyPioneerfacebook.com/dailypioneer

usic artistes like NehaKakkar, Salim Merchant andArmaan Malik have cometogether so that theirfans can enjoy livemusic while seated on

their sofas.It’s been days since the nation-

wide lockdown was announced.To make things entertaining,TikTok as part of its#GharBaithoIndia campaign,has started TikTok SofaConcert.

Neha will be perform-ing her latest hits likeYaad piya ki aane lagiand Garmi.

“At a time like this, asmuch as staying homeis important, so ismaintaining positivityand keeping ourselvesengaged. As an artiste,I am using this time tointeract with my fansthrough TikTokand its live concertto keep theme nt e r t a i n e d .Being calmright now isthe key,” saidNeha.

A r m a a nwill be per-forming hisnew sin-g l e

Control live for the first time along withhis other popular songs such as

Main hoon hero tera and Bol dona zara.

“Today, when social dis-tancing is the need of thehour, music is the onething I find my solace in.I personally believe thatone can do a lot of cre-

ative things while stay-ing at home, and Iam spending mytime creating newmusic every day. With TikTok’s

live music ses-sions, I am

looking forwardto having fun

and moreimportantlyspre ad inglove andc o m f o r tt h rou g hm ymusic,”s a i d

Armaan.

Singers like Shirley Setia, ArjunKanungo, Dhvani Bhanushali, JonitaGandhi, Yo Yo Honey Singh andDarshan Raval will also entertain theTikTok community.

“It is important for us to stay athome, take precautions and fol-low social distancing. I amdoing my bit by stayingindoors and a platform likeTikTok is helping us all instaying positive, con-nected and enter-tained via theirinit iat ives,”said Arjun.

mmy winner Adam Schlesinger, best known as the co-founder of the 2000s pop-rock band Fountains of Wayne,has succumbed to coronavirus complications. He was 52.

The composer was admitted to hospital after testing pos-itive for COVID-19 infection and was on ventilator.

Schlesinger passed away on Wednesday morning, TheHollywood Reporter has confirmed with Schlesinger’s lawyer.

He is also known for co-writing the band’s 2003 hit Stacy’s Mom.Schlesinger also worked as an executive music producer on the

musical show at The CW Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and composed songsfor A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!, Too Late With AdamCarolla, The Howard Stern Radio Show and The Dana Carvey Show.

He won three Primetime Emmys: two for original music and lyricsfor the 2011 and 2012 Tony Awards and, another for original musicand lyrics for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in 2015.

A Colbert Christmas, co-written by Schlesinger and DavidJaverbaum, won him the 2009 Grammy Award for Best ComedyAlbum.

Schlesinger also penned the iconic song That Thing You Do, whichwas part of the 1996 film of the same name, starring Tom Hanks.

The actor also wrote and directed the film.Hanks, who himself is recuperating from the coronavirusat home, took to Twitter to mourn the writer, who receive

an Oscar nod for the song.“There would be no

Playtone without AdamSchlesinger, without hisThat Thing You Do!.He was a One-der.Lost him to Covid-19. Terribly sad

today,” the actor.S c h l e s i n g e r

also wrote songsfor title sequencesfor Netflix’s Tothe Bone, WarnerBros’ Music &Lyrics, 20thCentury Fox’s JohnTucker Must Dieand Me, Myself &Irene and Universal’sJosie and thePussycats.

The celebrated composer is also credited as awriter of songs for popular Amazon series TheMarvelous Mrs Maisel, NBC’s Late Night With SethMeyers, the 2013 Emmy Awards, the 2012 TonyAwards, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, MyName Is Earl, One Tree Hill and the 1997Academy Awards.

A prolific name in Hollywood’s music enter-tainment side, Schlesinger co-wrote the musicand lyrics for the 2008 Broadway musical Cry-Baby, adapted from the John Waters movie thatstarred Johnny Depp.

Recently, he reunited with his Crazy Ex-Girlfriend collaborator Rachel Bloom on thescore for a forthcoming Broadway musicaladaptation of the 1990s sitcom, The Nanny.

Besides Fountains of Wayne, Schlesingeralso helped discover bands Ivy and TintedWindows. He worked with DashboardConfessional, The Monkees, They Might BeGiants and Robert Plant as a record produc-er.

Schlesinger was also nominated for aGolden Globe and many Emmys, Tonysand Grammys.

ctress Taapsee Pannu says slow and steady is the mantra thathas helped her get an audience and their trust.

The actress is elated that her fans gave her the no. 1spot on a list created by Bollywood Ranker on the basisof votes that audience gave to her movies on IMDb.

“I might not have the maximum hundred-crores grossers, but it’s quite satisfying to see that the audi-ence has voted me basis the kinds of films I have done,”Taapsee said.

“Slow and steady is the mantra that has helped me getmy audience and their trust. I hope I live up to their trustevery time they decide to spend the few hours of theirlife watching my films,” she added.

The Pink star continued, “It helps me feel I am onthe right path and that I can continue pushing the enve-lope as there is an audience who is following my thoughtprocess. That is why I try and push to do something new and dif-ferent every year.”

Taapsee recently won Best Actress Awards for her movie Badla andSaand Ki Aankh. On the film front, Taapsee will be seen in HaseenDillruba, Rashmi Rocket and Shabaash Mithu.

10

Vijayawada Friday April 3, 2020 health

A

M

E

COVID-19: Award-winningsinger-songwriter AdamSchlesinger dies at 52

FUN

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ARCHIE

GARFIELD

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REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

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

Yesterday’s solution

Neha Kakkar, Salim Merchant,Armaan Malik gear up for ‘sofa' gig

‘SLOWAND

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sport 11VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | APRIL 3, 2020

LAUSANNE: International OlympicCommittee (IOC) President Thomas Bachhas thanked India’s Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for his unflinching supportto the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which hasnow been shifted to 2021 because of theglobal coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to Modi, dated April 1, Bachsaid he was “grateful” to the Indian PrimeMinister for his support to the TokyoGames during the recent G20 Leaders’Summit which was held via video confer-ence in the wake of the pandemic.

“Please accept my sincere thanks forthe support you have given to the OlympicGames Tokyo 2020, expressed in theExtraordinary G20 Leaders’ SummitStatement, commending the InternationalOlympic Committee for contributing to the

containment of the COVID-19 virus,” Bachwrote in his letter.

“I am really grateful for your supportfor the Olympic Games and their unifyingrole, which the G20 Leaders’ Summit hadalready expressed at your meeting last yearin Osaka.”

The IOC chief firmly put his supportbehind Tokyo, saying despite the pandem-ic, the Japanese city is well-prepared to hostthe quadrennial Games.

“Given the great work having beendone by our Japanese partners and friends,Tokyo is the best-ever prepared Olympiccity.”

He is confident that with the supportof the global leaders, the Tokyo Games nextyear will be a grand success.

“Thanks to the excellent and trustfulcooperation we are enjoying, like from theG20 Leaders’ Summit, we are confident thatthese Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will bea great success,” Bach said.

“Like you, we are confident that theOlympic Games 2020 will be a symbol ofhuman resilience. They will again show theunity of humanity in all our diversity bybringing together the world’s best 11,000athletes from all 206 National OlympicCommittees and the IOC Refugee OlympicTeam.”

“As humankind currently finds itself ina dark tunnel, together with our Japanesepartners and friends we want to make theseOlympic Games a light at the end of thistunnel,” he added. PTI

PTI n LONDON

Former England captainMichael Vaughan feels a

shortened five-week IndianPremier League leading upto the ICC World T20 inOctober and Novembercould be a feasible solutionif the current situation, inthe wake of COVID-19pandemic, is brought undercontrol by then.

While IPL has beenpostponed till April 15,there is very little chance ofa shortened tournament inMay as it might take monthsfor normalcy to return.

“Here’s a thought .. TheIPL is played for the 5

weeks leading up to theT20 World Cup in Oz .. Allplayers use it as the greatwarm up for the WC ..

Then the WC happens .. Soimportant for the game thatthe IPL takes place but alsothe WC,” Vaughan tweeted.

However if one goes byVaughan’s suggestion, itwould mean that he isexpecting IPL in theSeptember window in thelead upto the World T20which begins in Australiaon October 18.

In September, India aresupposed to play Asia Cupin the UAE which is goingto be hosted by the PakistanCricket Board. After theAsia Cup, England are sup-posed to come to India toplay three ODIs and threeT20Is.

“September is the timewhen there is monsoon inIndia. Mumbai will beunder water, there could be

steady rain in Chennai. It isa decision that can’t betaken that lightly,” a seniorBCCI official said.

There is a suggestion todo away with the ICCWorld T20 in October-November and hand thatslot to the BCCI for con-ducting of IPL but sourcesin ICC as well as BCCI feelsthat it’s too premature tocomment at the moment.

“You don’t know thesituation tomorrow. Letthere be a sign that thecurve is flattening and nor-malcy can return. That’swhen you start discussingoptions,” the BCCI sourcesaid.

PTIn KARACHI

Pakistan head coachand chief selector

Misbah-ul-Haq hasadvised Umar Akmal tochange his attitude andsaid the senior batsmanneeds to show commit-ment towards the game tobecome a regular memberof the national team.

Misbah said whilethere was no doubt aboutUmar’s potential and tal-ent as a batsman but heneeds to reassess his pri-orities as a professionalcricketer.

“If Umar thinks hecan play in the same modeas he is today, it will be dif-ficult for him. He needs toshow total commitmentand focus to become aregular member of theside,” he told reportersvia video conference.

Umar, 29, earlier thisweek submitted his replyto a show cause noticeissued to him by thePakistan Cricket Boardfor breaching clauses ofthe Anti-Corruption codewhich pertains to notreporting an approach tospot fix during thePakistan Super League 5in February.

The PCB Security andVigilance wing suspendedUmar on the first day ofthe PSL on February 20for beaching the Anti-Corruption Code and last

month issued him a showcause notice. Umar appar-ently submitted his replyby the deadline of March31 and had reportedlyadmitted he made a mis-take by not reporting theapproach.

Misbah made it clearthat Umar could still givesome years to Pakistancricket but for that hewould need to showmore commitment anddiscipline.

“He also has to workvery hard on his fitnessand show everyone he isvery much interested inplaying for a long timefor Pakistan,” Misbahsaid.

MUNICH: The crisis caused by thecoronavirus pandemic will stop the“unhealthy” inflation of player wagesand transfer fees in football, BayernMunich chairman Karl-HeinzRummenigge wrote in an editorialpublished on Thursday.

“With every crisis comes anopportunity,” Rummenigge notedin Bayern’s own club magazine. “Fora long time we have seen unhealthyamounts of money paid in wages andtransfer fees. The coronavirus and the

crisis it is causing will at least put anend to this idea of ‘always more,everything more expensive andquicker than before’.”

He added: “Supply and demandwill regulate the market and helpestablish a new equilibrium”.

With the German season beinghalted on March 13, Bayern playershave agreed to take a pay cut, as haveplayers at other clubs in theBundesliga.

The reigning German champi-

ons are one of the world’s richestclubs although they have been reluc-tant to splash out on the kind oftransfer fees paid by other top sidesin Europe.

Their record transfer fee is the 80million euros ($87.3m) spent onFrance defender Lucas Hernandezfrom Atletico Madrid last year, someway short of the world record 222million euros paid by Paris Saint-Germain to Barcelona for Neymar in2017. AFP

IANS n NEW DELHI

Former India openerGautam Gambhir on

Thursday lashed out atthose only celebratingMS Dhoni’s six to winthe 2011 World Cup,saying it was won by theentire team and not justone hit. India lifted theWorld Cup on April 2nine years ago.

“Dhoni finishes off instyle. A magnificentstrike into the crowd!India lift the World Cupafter 28 years!” thesewere Ravi Shastri’swords after Dhoni ledIndia to a win in the2011 World Cup final atthe Wankhede Stadium

with a humongous sixoff Sri Lanka pacerNuwan Kulasekara.

With that six, Dhonihad fulfilled the long-cherished dreams of bat-ting legend SachinTendulkar, who had allthe batting records to hisname in internationalcricket except his handsat the World Cup tro-phy. The Master Blasterhad waited 22 years tolift the trophy and onApril 2, 2011, his dreamwas finally fulfilled.

E S P N C r i c i n f o ,t h e r e f o r e ,tweeted “the

shot that sentmill ions of

Indians into jubila-tion” with a photo of

the moment.Gambhir, in his

reply, said: “Just ar e m i n d e r

@ESPNcricinfo: #world-cup2011 was won byentire India, entireIndian team & all sup-port staff. High time

you hit your obses-sion for a SIX.”

The stylishleft-hander hadscored 97 whileDhoni, who hadpromoted himselfto No 4, smashed

an unbeaten 91 asIndia won by sixwickets.

“A World Cupwon by Indians, for

India & with India!”Gambhir latertweeted.

PTIn NEW DELHI

Pressure is buildingup on the National

Rifle Association ofIndia (NRAI) to call offthe upcoming shootingWorld Cup in NewDelhi after the cancel-lation of the Munichedition owing to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

The Delhi WorldCup, originally sched-uled to be held fromMarch 15-26, was post-poned barely four daysbefore the start of theevent.

It was then decid-ed to hold the tourna-

ment in two parts —Rifle and Pistol compe-titions from May 5-12,while Shotgun compe-titions from June 2-9.

However, withthe MunichWorld Cupbeing can-c e l l e d ,sources closeto the NRAIsaid the sport’sapex body in India isalso under pressure tofollow suit, consideringthe uncertainty arisingout of the unprece-dented health crisis.

“There is pressure,especially after the can-

cellation in Munich,which was to be heldafter Delhi. Given thatlockdowns are beingenforced not just inIndia, how will the

shooters preparefor an event like aWorld Cupnow,” a sourcesaid.

“Going by theviews of many asso-

ciated with the sport inIndia, the writing is onthe wall and the NRAIwould do well toannounce it now ratherthan doing it muchlater,” another sourceadded.

PTIn NEW DELHI

India captain Virat Kohli onThursday said he became a bet-ter person by playing Test crick-

et, calling the format a representa-tion of life where one doesn’t havethe option of quitting when thegoing gets tough.

Speaking to former Englandbatsman and IPL teammate KevinPietersen during an Instagram Live,Kohli touched upon his passion forTest cricket, the worst phase of hiscareer, how he turned into a veganand how much he is filled with grat-itude for being able to live a comfort-able life during a global crisis likeCOVID-19.

Asked which is his favourite for-mat, the Indian skipper emphatical-ly replied: “Test cricket, Test crick-et, Test cricket, Test cricket and Testcricket. I have said it five times.”

“Because it is the representationof life. Whether you get runs or not,you have to clap when others are bat-ting. You have to go back to yourroom, get up and come the next day.

“You have to follow the routinewhether you like it or not. It’s like lifewhere you don’t have the option ofnot competing. Test cricket hasmade me a better person,” saidworld’s premier batsman, who has 27hundreds and 7240 runs in 86games.

Pietersen, a superb Test batsmanhimself, lauded Kohli for trashing theidea of four-day Tests which the ICChas floated to pull in more crowds.

“I was called for a debate and Itold them that if Virat Kohli does-n’t want four day Tests, it’s not hap-

pening,” the former England captainsaid as Kohli had a hearty laugh.

His aggressive on-fielddemeanour has polarised opinionsbut the Indian skipper feels that forhim, aggression is a form of enjoy-

ment and then comes thinkingabout strategy.

“I don’t think I need to behavemyself just because I am the captain.I need to be abe to enjoy and thencomes strategy.”

But there is one guy he will neversledge in his life and that is AB deVilliers, for the simple reason thatthere is just too much of respect.

“IPL has done a lot in terms ofrespecting each other. I would never

ever be able to do it (seldging) withAB. There is a friendship that lastsmuch longer than all these things.”

In fact, asked to choose two bats-men he enjoys batting with most, DeVilliers is one of them along with for-mer skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“I enjoy batting with those whounderstand my running between thewickets. You have to understand mycalls. I have enjoyed batting with MSand with AB, we don’t even need tocall as we look at each other and weknow.”

Kohli also spoke about theIndian cricket team being one of thebest fielding sides in the world andhow he got that culture in the side.

“I was lucky to be in the centreof transition. I got to see what wewere lacking and what the world wasdoing and we needed to catch up. SoI was lucky to play with players whowere on same page,” Kohli said.

The pair also went down mem-ory lane to talk about their days play-ing together for Royal ChallengersBangalore (RCB) in 2009 and 2010.

“Right from 2009-10 we hadamazing fun at RCB. We hit off wellfrom Day 1. You came in as the bigKP a star. We had a gun team withKallis, Boucher, Anil Kumble, RahulDravid,” Kohli said.

RCB have reached three finalsbut have never won an IPL. Kohli,as captain of the side, said he feelsthey deserved a title but added heis not obsessed to win one with thefranchise.

“We have reached three finalsbut haven’t won. We deserve to wina title. At RCB, we get talked aboutso much as we had stars. The more

you think (about winning theIPL), the more it keeps runningaway from you. There have beenadded pressure lately but we needto just enjoy and not take pressure.”

As he had said earlier, hewould like to play all formats till2023 and then take a call, he reit-erated that the 2014 tour ofEngland was the lowest point of hiscareer when he felt that failure wasinevitable.

“It was a phase where I felt thatthere was no chance of me gettingany runs. I would get up and go toa match knowing that I will not get

runs. To go through that feelingthat you will fail demolished me.

“I promised never to let thathappen to me again,” he said witha message for all youngsters whowant to be the next Virat Kohli.

The reason for the disaster inEngland was putting himself aheadof the team and being “obsessedabout his own game and success”and not being able to shut out thevoices who spoke about success inEngland being the ultimate Test ofa cricketer.

“Don’t be self centred,” was hismessage to the youngsters.

AFPn BRUSSELS

The Belgian football leaguehas recommended that the

current season be declaredfinished early due to the coro-navirus pandemic with thepresent table accepted as final,it said on Thursday, becomingthe first European league totake such a measure.

The decision is set to beformally validated at a GeneralAssembly on April 15, mean-ing that Club Brugge would bedeclared champions as theycurrently sit 15 points clear ofGent at the top of the table.

In a statement, the BelgianPro League said it was “veryunlikely” to be able to holdmatches in front of crowdsbefore June 30 and that it had“unanimously decided that itwas not desirable...to contin-ue the competition” after thatdate.

Matches behind closeddoors were “theoretically pos-sible”, but the league said it pre-ferred not to put more pressureon health services and policein the circumstances. It there-fore agreed not to restart theseason and “accept the current

league table as final”.Belgium — whose nation-

al team top the FIFA worldrankings — would becomethe first European league totake such a measure due to theongoing health crisis, whichsaw football across the conti-nent grind to a complete haltin the middle of March.

The Belgian seasonstopped with one round ofgames remaining in the 30-match regular season.

After that the league usu-ally splits up, with the top sixhaving their points totalshalved and going on to playeach other home and away todecide the title winners.

NEW YORK: Reigning world and Olympicall-around gymnastics championSimone Biles says coping with themental strain of waiting another yearfor the Tokyo Olympics will take aheavy toll by 2021.

Biles, who turned 23 last month,told the Today show on US Olympictelecaster NBC that she expects coach-es will have her in top condition, butgetting her mind in top shape in Julya year later than planned will be dif-ficult.

“Physically I have no doubt thatmy coaches will get me back in shape,”Biles said. “But mentally going anoth-er year, I think that’s what’s going totake a toll on me and all of us, mostof the athletes.

“So we have to stay in shape men-tally as much as physically, and that willplay a big factor moving forward, lis-tening to your body and your mind.”

Biles told the Wall Street Journalshe was planning to retire after the

Tokyo Olympics this year and is play-ing next year’s Games “by ear.”

Biles won all-around, vault, floorand team Gold at the 2016 RioOlympics and owns five all-aroundworld titles among her 19 world titlessince 2013. AFP

IANSn LONDON

Spanish football giantsFC Barcelona could part

ways with AntoineGriezmann in order tobring back Neymar fromParis Saint Germain,according to a Sky Sportsreport.

Barelona have longwanted to bring Brazil for-ward back into their foldafter he left them to joinFrench heavyweights PSGin 2018.

PSG value Neymar at€150m while Barca valueGriezmann at €100m, says

the report as quoted byESPNFC.

France World Cupwinner Griezmann has notbeen at his best form in hisfirst season in Spain and

selling him could aid theLionel Messi-led side fundtheir summer spending.

Barca seem deter-mined to sell Griezmanneven if PSG don’t agree tothe deal, though the cur-rent market might preventsuch hefty deals from hap-pening, given how manyclubs are struggling finan-cially as a result of the coro-navirus outbreak, thereport further said.

‘BEAUTIFUL’ SSTORYBrazilian midfielder

Willian has revealed that heis likely to leave Chelsea

this summer after sevenyears with the PremierLeague club.

Willian, whose con-tract with the Blues expiresin June, said he is open tooffers from other clubsafter talks about a newdeal broke down.

“I have a beautifulstory at Chelsea. I have agreat relationship with thefans and everybody at theclub. But my contract isending and it’s going to bedifficult,” the 31-year-oldwas quoted as saying byBrazilian news service Uol.

Virat Kohli plays a shot during his innings against New Zealand in the first Test at Wellington AP/File Picture

Rohit roasts Pant over ‘biggest six challenge’

MUMBAI: Ace India cricketer RohitSharma on Wednesday roastedRishabh Pant after he came to

know that the young wicketkeep-er-batsman wants to challengehim in hitting the biggest six.

During an Instagram Livesession, Jasprit Bumrah told Rohitthat Pant wants to challenge himto see who can hit the biggest sixbetween the two.

In reply, the Indian openerplayed down the challenge inhilarious manner, saying: “Meresath usko karna hai? ek saal huanahi usko cricket khelke, chhakkeka competition kar rha hai (Hewants to compete against me? Hehas played cricket for hardly ayear and wants to have a compe-tition).”

Rohit has so far hit 423 sixesin international cricket in 346matches whereas Pant has hit 47maximums in 56 games he hasplayed for India so far. IANS

Rishabh Pant bats during nets session PTI

WC won was by India, obsession overone six should stop: Gambhir Vaughan calls for five-week IPL in Sept Umar Akmal needs to show

commitment to be a regular inPak team: Misbah

Mental strain to wait for Olympics will take toll: Biles NRAI under pressure tocancel New Delhi WC

IOC chief thanks PM Modi for hissupport to Tokyo Olympics

IOC President Thomas Bach AP/File Picture

Belgian league agrees todeclare season finished

Pakistan head coach Misabh-ul-Haq in a file picture PCB/Twitter

Corona crisis to end ‘unhealthy’ spending in football

Barca could offer Griezmann to get Neymar back

Playing Test cricket made Virat better person

t’s not just big films forMani Sharma, who is inmuch demand afteriSmart Shankar. Havingagreed to compose musicfor Chiranjeevi-starrer

Acharya, Venkatesh-starrerNaarappa and Nithiin-starrer Power

Peta, the tunesmith is balanc-ing out small cinema

as well. The latestsmall film —

after RahulVi j a y ’s

Black& White — that he accepted is

a love story which featuresa new actor Akhil Reddy

in the lead. A directo-rial venture of

Padma Raju, theuntitled film goes

to f loorss h o r t l y .Somaraju

Kalyani isproducing it under AKTalkies.

he might not havehad the best of runof late butactressPayal

Rajput iskeen onm o r eo f f e r sf r o mTe l u g u .Which iswhy, wehear she istrying to per-fect Telugu andimpress uponf i l m m a k e r s .“Besides tuning toOTT platforms forthe past 10 days,Payal is also using thelockdown period tolearn Telugu. Yes, sheunderstands and canspeak the language abit but she wants to bemore comfortable withit. She is taking the helpof Google for the same.The idea is to dub forher parts in thefuture,” says asource.

The actresswill be nextseen in debu-tant direc-t o r

Pranadeep’s 5Ws, where sheplays a cop, and in Jayanth’sNarendra, where she will beseen as a fighter pilot. She is

also in talks for her Tamildebut.

ikhil Siddartha, who recently in aninterview stated that he would bewedding his fiancée Dr Pallavi Varmain Hyderabad on April 16 come whatmay, seems to have changed hismind. A little birdie informs us that

the actor has decided to assess the situation afterthe lockdown is lifted and will wed only whenhis and Pallavi’s families are comfortable withthe idea of big wedding. “Being a doctor, it wasmore of Pallavi’s decision that the wedding getspostponed to some other date. Nikhil tooechoed a similar opinion after seeing the situ-ation first-hand on ground. Both the familieswill consult a priest later this month and fix onthe muhurat,” chips in a source.

Nikhil, who is busy distributing masks andsanitizers to health officials, cops and needy inthe past one week, got engaged to Pallavi in Goaon February 1st.

On the work front, the actor has films likeKarthikeya 2 and 18 Pages to shoot this year.

N

Vijayawada Friday April 3, 2020

S

12

tollywood

ven before her maiden Telugufilm, Romantic, alongside AkashPuri opens in cinemas; KetikaSharma has bagged anotherplum project. Although somereports indicated that she was

cast in Naga Shaurya’s next with Sukumar’sassistant Kasi Vishal last month, it’s far fromtrue. We’ve reliably learnt that she has beencast opposite Shaurya in his next withSanthossh Jagarlapudi, who earlier direct-ed Sumanth-starrer Subrahmanyapuram.The untitled film is a joint production ven-ture between SharrathMarar, Narayana DasNarang and RamMohan Rao and waslaunched sometimeback in last October.

A source close tothe development tellsus, “Santhosshreceived good feed-back about Ketika’sperformance inRomantic through ac i n e m a t o g r a p h yfriend of his anddecided to approachher. The other reasonwas that her pairingwith Shaurya would

be fresh. She hopped on boardimmediately after the script was nar-rated to her. While she will be seen asShaurya’s love interest, the role has its ownprominence in driving the narrative for-ward.”

The source further adds that the filmhas gone in front of the cameras lastmonth in Hyderabad but after shootingfor a couple of days, the team had to calloff the shoot because of Covid-19 outbreak.“Ketika though didn’t shoot in the first twodays as she wasn’t required. Alongside her,

the film will see Naseer andSatya in supporting roles.Jagapathi Babu too has givenhis consent to for a key sup-porting role but his dates area problem. As far as the sup-porting department goes,Santhossh got the nod ofKaala Bhairava for musicalaccompaniment, while RX100 lensman Ram Reddy isthe cinematographer,” thesource shares.

An emotional sports dramain which Shaurya will be seenas archer, the film will bemajorly shot in Hyderabadwhile some portions requirethe unit to visit Warangal.

SHAURYAIn the film,

an emotionalsports drama,

Ketika willbe will be

seen asShaurya's

love interest.Her role has

its ownprominence

in driving thenarrative

forward, findsNAGARAJ

GOUD

ROMANTIC

E

Now, Nikhil'sweddingdeferred

Payal perfectingTelugu language

Mani Sharma balancesbig and small cinema

I

girl to romance

SARILERU…BEATS BAAHUBALI 2

uperstar Mahesh Babu-starrerSarileru Neekevvaru, which had itssatellite premiere on Ugadi lastmonth, has managed to draw recordtelevision rating points (TRPs),

overthrowing Baahubali: The Conclusion fromthe top slot. The Sankranti action-drama gar-nered 23.4 TRP while SS Rajamouli’s costumedrama got 22.28 when it premiered nearly threeyears ago. The high rating points of Mahesh’sfilm is attributed to the current lockdown inplace. With Sarileru, Mahesh now has two filmsin top five Telugu films with highest numberof TRPs. His Srimanthudu stands at number 5with 21.34 TRPs. Chuffed to bits with thisachievement of Sarileru, film’s producer AnilSunkara tweeted the next telecast will be evenbetter with added scenes.

S KIARA OR SARA FOR MAHESH?Meanwhile, script work of Mahesh’s next with

Parasuram is in full-swing. According to thelatest buzz, the makers are keen on either KiaraAdvani or Sara Ali Khan to do be the film’s lead-ing lady. Word on the street is that Namrata is infavour of Kiara as her chemistry with Mahesh inBharat Ane Nenu worked out well and fans arerooting to repeat her again. If the actress is not ina position to accommodate dates given her tightschedule in Hindi, the makers would want toapproach Sara.

The untitled film, a joint production venturebetween Mythri Movie Makers, 14 Reels Plus andGMB Entertainment, is a love story laced with fam-ily emotions, plenty of humour and action.

BEING A DOCTOR, IT WAS MOREOF PALLAVI’S DECISION THAT THEWEDDING GETS POSTPONED TOSOME OTHER DATE. NIKHIL TOOECHOED A SIMILAR OPINION